bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Opioid Use Is More Common in Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Patients with Cirrhosis, Higher BMI, and Psychiatric Disease
Authors: Moon Andrew M. , Watkins Stephanie E. , Lok Anna S. , Firpi-Morell Roberto J. , Trinh Huy Ngoc , Kupec Justin T. , Schoen Cheryl , Neuschwander-Tetri Brent A. , Barritt A. Sidney
Published: August 2020

Background: Opioid use is a topic of growing concern among patients with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Given safety concerns of opioids, proactively identifying subgroups of patients with an increased probability of opioid use may encourage practitioners to recommend alternative therapies for pain, thus reducing the likelihood of opioid misuse. This work assessed the prevalence and patient characteristics associated with opioid use in a real-world cohort of patients with NAFLD. Methods: TARGET-NASH, an observational study of participants at 55 academic and community sites in the United States, includes patients with NAFLD defined by pragmatic case definitions. Opioid use was defined as any documented opioid prescriptions in the year prior to enrollment. The association between patient characteristics and the odds of opioid use were modeled with stepwise multivariable logistic regression and tree ensemble methods (Classification and regression tree/Boosted Tree). Results: The cohort included 3,474 adult patients with NAFLD including 18.0% with documented opioid use. Variables associated with opioid use included presence of cirrhosis (OR 1.51, 95% CI 1.16–1.98), BMI ≥32 kg/m2 (OR 1.29, 95% CI 1.05–1.59), depression (OR 1.87, 95% CI 1.50–2.33), and anxiety (OR 1.59, 95% CI 1.27–1.98). In the boosted tree analysis, history of back pain, depression, and fibromyalgia had the greatest relative importance in predicting opioid use. Conclusion: Prescription opioids were used in nearly 1 of 5 patients with NAFLD. Given the safety concerns of opioids in patients with NAFLD, alternative therapies including low-dose acetaminophen and nonpharmacologic treatments should be considered for these patients.
Análise faciológica e contexto deposicional do geossítio Bacia Sedimentar de Curitiba, nova seção-tipo para a Formação Guabirotuba
Authors: Vieira Kimberlym Tábata Pesch , Fernandes Luiz Alberto
Published: August 2020

O geossítio Bacia Sedimentar de Curitiba é um afloramento da Formação Guabirotuba, unidade que preencheu a Bacia de Curitiba, em área urbanizada. O sítio, localizado na região industrial da capital do Paraná, ganhou notoriedade por ser berço das ocorrências fossilíferas da Fauna Guabirotuba, uma das poucas representantes do Paleógeno no país, que permitiu estabelecer a idade relativa para o preenchimento da bacia. A análise faciológica do afloramento teve o objetivo de refinar o conhecimento acerca dos depósitos sedimentares da unidade, almejando contribuir para futuros estudos tafonômicos e paleoambientais. Para tanto, utilizaram-se métodos de análise faciológica em três segmentos representativos do afloramento, nos quais foram reconhecidas fácies sedimentares, elementos arquitetônicos, modificações eodiagenéticas (calcretes) e o contato com o embasamento. A caracterização composicional dos sedimentos foi complementada com análises petrográficas. O contexto deposicional da Formação Guabirotuba foi interpretado como de depósitos de canais e planícies de inundação de rios entrelaçados em sistema fluvial distributário. As associações de areias e cascalhos em barras que preencheram feições acanaladas foram consideradas como correspondentes a porções proximais, em que predominam depósitos de canais amalgamados, com avulsões frequentes. Esses depósitos ocorrem intercalados com associações de lamas, lençóis e lentes arenosas, caracterizadas como depósitos de espraiamentos laterais em porções distais do sistema. Nos cortes que compõem o afloramento foram feitas importantes descobertas fossilíferas nos últimos anos. Esse foi um dos motivos que tornaram a área unidade de conservação protegida por decreto municipal. Considerando-se tais novidades, e o fato de a seção original da Formação Guabirotuba ter sido ocultada pela urbanização, propõe-se designar o afloramento como área-tipo e o conjunto de seções como nova seção-tipo da unidade.
Pathophysiology of Diuretic Resistance and Its Implications for the Management of Chronic Heart Failure
Authors: Wilcox Christopher Stuart , Testani Jeffrey Moore , Pitt Bertram
Published: August 2020

Diuretic resistance implies a failure to increase fluid and sodium (Na
+
) output sufficiently to relieve volume overload, edema, or congestion, despite escalating doses of a loop diuretic to a ceiling level (80 mg of furosemide once or twice daily or greater in those with reduced glomerular filtration rate or heart failure). It is a major cause of recurrent hospitalizations in patients with chronic heart failure and predicts death but is difficult to diagnose unequivocally. Pharmacokinetic mechanisms include the low and variable bioavailability of furosemide and the short duration of all loop diuretics that provides time for the kidneys to restore diuretic-induced Na
+
losses between doses. Pathophysiological mechanisms of diuretic resistance include an inappropriately high daily salt intake that exceeds the acute diuretic-induced salt loss, hyponatremia or hypokalemic, hypochloremic metabolic alkalosis, and reflex activation of the renal nerves. Nephron mechanisms include tubular tolerance that can develop even during the time that the renal tubules are exposed to a single dose of diuretic, or enhanced reabsorption in the proximal tubule that limits delivery to the loop, or an adaptive increase in reabsorption in the downstream distal tubule and collecting ducts that offsets ongoing blockade of Na
+
reabsorption in the loop of Henle. These provide rationales for novel strategies including the concurrent use of diuretics that block these nephron segments and even sequential nephron blockade with multiple diuretics and aquaretics combined in severely diuretic-resistant patients with heart failure.
TRAF3IP2 (TRAF3 Interacting Protein 2) Mediates Obesity-Associated Vascular Insulin Resistance and Dysfunction in Male Mice
Authors: Grunewald Zachary I. , Ramirez-Perez Francisco I. , Woodford Makenzie L. , Morales-Quinones Mariana , Mejia Salvador , Manrique-Acevedo Camila , Siebenlist Ulrich , Martinez-Lemus Luis A. , Chandrasekar Bysani , Padilla Jaume
Published: August 2020

Insulin resistance in the vasculature is a characteristic feature of obesity and contributes to the pathogenesis of vascular dysfunction and disease. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying obesity-associated vascular insulin resistance and dysfunction remain poorly understood. We hypothesized that TRAF3IP2 (TRAF3 interacting protein 2), a proinflammatory adaptor molecule known to activate pathological stress pathways and implicated in cardiovascular diseases, plays a causal role in obesity-associated vascular insulin resistance and dysfunction. We tested this hypothesis by employing genetic-manipulation in endothelial cells in vitro, in isolated arteries ex vivo, and diet-induced obesity in a mouse model of
TRAF3IP2
ablation in vivo. We show that ectopic expression of TRAF3IP2 blunts insulin signaling in endothelial cells and diminishes endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation in isolated aortic rings. Further, 16 weeks of high fat/high sucrose feeding impaired glucose tolerance, aortic insulin-induced vasorelaxation, and hindlimb postocclusive reactive hyperemia, while increasing blood pressure and arterial stiffness in wild-type male mice. Notably,
TRAF3IP2
ablation protected mice from such high fat/high sucrose feeding-induced metabolic and vascular defects. Interestingly, wild-type female mice expressed markedly reduced levels of TRAF3IP2 mRNA independent of diet and were protected against high fat/high sucrose diet-induced vascular dysfunction. These data indicate that TRAF3IP2 plays a causal role in vascular insulin resistance and dysfunction. Specifically, the present findings highlight a sexual dimorphic role of TRAF3IP2 in vascular control and identify it as a promising therapeutic target in vasculometabolic derangements associated with obesity, particularly in males.
CAR (CARSKNKDC) Peptide Modified ReNcell-Derived Extracellular Vesicles as a Novel Therapeutic Agent for Targeted Pulmonary Hypertension Therapy
Authors: Wang Jie , Hu Li , Huang Huijie , Yu Yanfang , Wang Jingshen , Yu Youjia , Li Kai , Li Yan , Tian Tian , Chen Feng
Published: August 2020

In recent years, mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs)–derived extracellular vesicles (EVs) are emerging as a potential therapeutic agent for pulmonary hypertension (PH). However, the full realization of MSCs-derived EVs therapy has been hampered by the absence of standardization in MSCs culture and the challenges of industrial scale-up. The study was to exploit an alternative replacement for MSCs using currently commercialized stem cell lines for effective targeted PH therapy. ReNcell VM—a human neural stem cell line—has been utilized here as a reliable and easily adoptable source of EVs. We first demonstrated that ReNcell-derived EVs (ReNcell-EVs) pretreatment effectively prevented Su/Hx (SU5416/hypoxia)-induced PH in mice. Then for targeted therapy, we conjugated ReNcell-EVs with CAR (CARSKNKDC) peptide (CAR-EVs)—a peptide identified to specifically target hypertensive pulmonary arteries, by bio-orthogonal chemistry. Intravenous administration of CAR-EVs selectively targeted hypertensive pulmonary artery lesions especially pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. Moreover, compared with unmodified ReNcell-EVs, CAR-EVs treatment significantly improved therapeutic effect in reversing Su/Hx-induced PH in mice. Mechanistically, ReNcell-EVs inhibited hypoxia-induced proliferation, migration, and phenotype switch of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells, at least in part, via the delivery of its endogenous highly expressed miRNAs, let-7b-5p, miR-92b-3p, and miR-100-5p. In addition, we also found that ReNcell-EVs inhibited hypoxia-induced cell apoptosis and endothelial-mesenchymal transition in human microvascular endothelial cells. Taken together, our results provide an alternative to MSCs-derived EVs–based PH therapy via using ReNcell as a reliable source of EVs. Particularly, our CAR-conjugated EVs may serve as a novel drug carrier that enhances the specificity and efficiency of drug delivery for effective PH-targeted therapy.
Antihypertensive Drugs and Risk of Depression
Authors: Kessing Lars Vedel , Rytgaard Helene Charlotte , Ekstrøm Claus Thorn , Torp-Pedersen Christian , Berk Michael , Gerds Thomas Alexander
Published: August 2020

Hypertension, cardiovascular diseases, and cerebrovascular diseases are associated with an increased risk of depression, but it remains unclear whether treatment with antihypertensive agents decreases or increases this risk. The effects of individual drugs are also unknown. We used Danish population-based registers to systematically investigate whether the 41 most used individual antihypertensive drugs were associated with an altered risk of incident depression. Analyses of diuretics were included for comparisons. Participants were included in the study in January 2005 and followed until December 2015. Two different outcome measures were included: (1) a diagnosis of depressive disorder at a psychiatric hospital as an inpatient or outpatient and (2) a combined measure of a diagnosis of depression or use of antidepressants. Continued use of classes of angiotensin agents, calcium antagonists, and β-blockers was associated with significantly decreased rates of depression, whereas diuretic use was not. Individual drugs associated with decreased depression included 2 of 16 angiotensin agents: enalapril and ramipril; 3 of 10 calcium antagonists: amlodipine, verapamil, and verapamil combinations; and 4 of 15 β-blockers: propranolol, atenolol, bisoprolol, and carvedilol. No drug was associated with an increased risk of depression. In conclusion, real-life population-based data suggest a positive effect of continued use of 9 individual antihypertensive agents. This evidence should be used in guiding prescriptions for patients at risk of developing depression including those with prior depression or anxiety and patients with a family history of depression.
Alkaline Phosphatase Activity Is a Key Determinant of Vascular Responsiveness to Norepinephrine
Authors: Jackson Edwin K. , Cheng Dongmei , Ritov Vladimir B. , Mi Zaichuan
Published: August 2020

Here, we tested the hypothesis that TNAP (tissue nonspecific alkaline phosphatase) modulates vascular responsiveness to norepinephrine. In the isolated, Tyrode’s-perfused rat mesentery, 50 µmol/L of L-p-bromotetramisole (L-p-BT; selective TNAP inhibitor, K
i
=56 µmol/L) significantly reduced TNAP activity and caused a significant 9.0-fold rightward-shift in the norepinephrine concentration versus vasoconstriction relationship. At 100 µmol/L, L-p-BT further reduced mesenteric TNAP activity and caused an additional significant right-shift of the norepinephrine concentration versus vasoconstriction relationship. A higher concentration (200 µmol/L) of L-p-BT had no further effect on either mesenteric TNAP activity or norepinephrine-induced vasoconstriction. L-p-BT did not alter vascular responses to vasopressin, thus ruling-out nonspecific suppression of vascular reactivity. Since in the rat mesenteric vasculature α
1
-adrenoceptors mediate norepinephrine-induced vasoconstriction, these finding indicate that TNAP inhibition selectively interferes with α
1
-adrenoceptor signaling. Additional experiments showed that the effects of TNAP inhibition on norepinephrine-induced vasoconstriction were not mediated by accumulation of pyrophosphate or ATP (TNAP substrates) nor by reduced adenosine levels (TNAP product). TNAP inhibition significantly reduced the Hillslope of the norepinephrine concentration versus vasoconstriction relationship from 1.8±0.2 (consistent with positive cooperativity of α
1
-adrenoceptor signaling) to 1.0±0.1 (no cooperativity). Selective activation of A
1
-adenosine receptors, which are known to participate in coincident signaling with α
1
-adrenoceptors, reversed the suppressive effects of L-p-BT on norepinephrine-induced vasoconstriction. In vivo, L-p-BT administration achieved plasma levels of ≈60 µmol/L and inhibited mesenteric vascular responses to exogenous norepinephrine and sympathetic nerve stimulation. TNAP modulates vascular responses to norepinephrine likely by affecting positive cooperativity of α
1
-adrenoceptor signaling via a mechanism involving A
1
receptor signaling.
Being Exhausted, Acting Happy: Dragana Bulut’s Happyology — Tears of Joy
Authors: Schmidt Cecilie Ullerup
Published: August 2020

Happyology — Tears of Joy exercises and exposes a current imperative of happiness in times of structural precarity and exhaustion as it raises questions on the efficacy of acting one’s autobiography under these conditions. The performance asks us to speculate on who can be an agent of change within the political economy of independent theatre and its labor practices.
Potential Predictability of the Silk Road Pattern and the Role of SST as Inferred from Seasonal Hindcast Experiments of a Coupled Climate Model
Authors: Li Ronald Kwan Kit , Tam Chi Yung , Lau Ngar Cheung , Sohn Soo Jin , Ahn Joong Bae
Published: August 2020

The Silk Road pattern (SR) is a leading mode of atmospheric circulation over midlatitude Eurasia in boreal summer. Its temporal phase is known to be unpredictable in many models. Previous studies have not reached a clear consensus on the role of sea surface temperature (SST) associated with SR. By comparing seasonal hindcasts from the Pusan National University (PNU) coupled general circulation model with reanalysis, we investigate if there are any sources of predictability originating from the SST. It was found that the PNU model cannot predict SR temporally. In fact, SR is associated with El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO) in the model hindcasts, in contrast to reanalysis results in which SR is more associated with North Atlantic SST anomalies. The PNU system, however, shows potential predictability in SR associated with tropical Pacific SST. Bias in stationary Rossby waveguides is proposed as an explanation for the SR–ENSO relationship in hindcast runs. Model upper-level wind bias in the North Atlantic results in a less continuous waveguide connecting the North Atlantic to Asia, and may hinder wave propagations induced by North Atlantic SST to trigger SR. On the other hand, model upper-level wind bias in the subtropical western Pacific may favor westward propagation of zonally elongated waves from the ENSO region to trigger SR. This study implies that the role of SST with regard to SR can be substantially changed depending on the fidelity of model upper-level background winds.
Rapid Destruction of a Stratospheric Potential Vorticity Anomaly by Convectively Induced Inertial Instability during the Southern Wisconsin Extreme Flooding Event of 20 August 2018
Authors: Rowe Shellie M. , Hitchman Matthew H.
Published: August 2020

The stalling and rapid destruction of a potential vorticity (PV) anomaly in the upper troposphere–lower stratosphere (UTLS) by convectively detrained inertially unstable air is described. On 20 August 2018, 10–15 in. (~0.3–0.4 m) of rain fell on western Dane County, Wisconsin, primarily during 0100–0300 UTC 21 August (1900–2100 CDT 20 August), leading to extreme local flooding. Dynamical aspects are investigated using the University of Wisconsin Nonhydrostratic Modeling System (UWNMS). Results are compared with available radiosonde, radar, total rainfall estimates, satellite infrared, and high-resolution European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) operational analyses. Using ECMWF analyses, the formation of the UTLS PV anomaly is traced to its origin a week earlier in a PV streamer over the west coast of North America. The rainfall maximum over southern Wisconsin was associated with this PV anomaly, whereby convection forming in the warm-upglide sector rotated cyclonically into the region. The quasi-stationarity of this rainfall feature was aided by a broad northeastward surge of inertially unstable convective outflow air into southeastern Wisconsin, which coincided with stalling of the eastward progression of the PV anomaly and its diversion into southern Wisconsin, extending heavy rainfall for several hours. Cessation of rainfall coincided with dilution of the PV maximum in less than an hour (2100–2200 CDT), associated with the arrival of negative PV in the upper troposphere. The region of negative PV was created when convection over Illinois transported air with low wind speed into northeastward shear. This feature is diagnosed using the convective momentum transport hypothesis.
Exogenous Shocks, the Criminal Elite, and Increasing Gender Inequality in Chicago Organized Crime
Authors: Smith Chris M.
Published: August 2020

Criminal organizations, like legitimate organizations, adapt to shifts in markets, competition, regulations, and enforcement. Exogenous shocks can be consequential moments of power consolidation, resource hoarding, and inequality amplification in legitimate organizations, but especially in criminal organizations. This research examines how the exogenous shock of the U.S. prohibition of the production, transportation, and sale of alcohol in 1920 restructured power and inequality in Chicago organized crime. I analyze a unique relational database on organized crime from the early 1900s via a criminal network that tripled in size and centralized during Prohibition. Before Prohibition, Chicago organized crime was small, decentralized, and somewhat inclusive of women at the margins. However, during Prohibition, the organized crime network grew, consolidated the organizational elites, and left out the most vulnerable participants from the most profitable opportunities. This historical case illuminates how profits and organizational restructuring outside of (or in response to) regulatory environments can displace people at the margins.
Latest Clinical Evidence About Effect of Acetylcysteine on Preventing Contrast-Induced Nephropathy in Patients Undergoing Angiography: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Xie Wenchao , Liang Xiangwen , Lin Zhihai , Liu Ming , Ling Zheng
Published: August 2020

Contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) is a serious complication of angiographic procedures. It is the third most common cause of hospital acquired acute renal injury. As there are currently no approved therapies for CIN, prevention could be the best strategy to address this issue. Acetylcysteine may indirectly play an antioxidant role by inducing the synthesis of glutathione. Acetylcysteine can also reduce renal vasoconstriction induced by contrast medium stimulation by stabilizing nitric oxide and acting directly or indirectly on renal cortex and medulla microcirculation. To evaluate the effect of acetylcysteine on the prevention of CIN in patients after angiography, we systematically searched and analyzed the clinical data of patients including the incidence of CIN and change in serum creatinine (SCr) at 48 hours after angiography from selected articles. The result showed that acetylcysteine significantly reduces the incidence of CIN (risk ratios: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.68-0.90, I 2 = 37.3%) and the level of SCr (standardized mean difference: −0.53, 95% CI: −0.93 to −0.12, I 2 = 91.5%) after angiography compared with the control group. Overall, the use of acetylcysteine in patients after angiography was associated with a significant reduction of CIN and the level of SCr.
On the road: The novice munshi’s view of inter-imperial North India
Authors: Naqvi Naveena
Published: August 2020

This article analyses the diary entries made by a Persographic secretary (munshī), Aḥmad ʿAlī, who was employed by a retiring East India Company official to write an account of the journey they made together in 1780 across North India from Lucknow to the Mughal imperial capital in Delhi and back. Much of the landscape that they traversed—including a cluster of qasbahs, river passes, forests and fields—was formerly governed by a confederacy of Rohilla Afghans from 1737 to 1774. By 1780, however, this region was marked by the absence of well-defined, enduring state structures and witnessed an abundance of overlapping political claims. Under such conditions, Aḥmad ʿAlī, a novice secretary from this region who lacked access to major scholarly networks or courtly circles, found himself uniquely placed to observe and document the micro-level political and historical changes that he had lived through. Unlike his courtly counterparts, he witnessed transformations at a remove from both imperial politics and the regional courts that had developed through the eighteenth century. Rather than to a state or a single political project, his locus of service was aligned with the world of independent military entrepreneurs and their households, which were strewn across a region that he knew well. Questioning the view that secretaries were primarily cyphers of courtly culture or bureaucratic imperatives, the following pages demonstrate that while Aḥmad ʿAlī served his individual employer, he could imagine politics and history outside the constraints that came with corporate political affiliations, as a figure who was new to the work of secretarial penmanship and a seasoned bearer of textured regional knowledge.
Real Capital Stock Estimation for Industries Using Perpetual Inventory Method: A Methodological Exploration
Authors: Soni Swapnil , Subrahmanya M H Bala , Bhattacharya Puranjoy
Published: August 2020

A study of industrial structure and growth, in terms of capital intensity and capital productivity of industries, inevitably encapsulates the requirement and associated challenges of estimation of capital stock time series in real terms. An incorrect (under- or over-) estimation of real capital stock leads to dubious conclusion and, thus, ill-informed policy implications derived from the analysis. The industrial survey database–ASI–reports the time series of capital stocks for industries in nominal (at current prices) terms instead of in real (at constant prices) terms which is more meaningful for the analysis. The choice of correct deflator, consideration of suitable depreciation, discard and revaluation of capital stocks, make real capital stock estimation a matter of disquisition. A plethora of studies addresses these challenges of capital estimation deploying perpetual inventory method. However, the approaches used in the previous studies pose limitations in terms of price deflator selection, consideration of benchmark period for initial capital and choice of depreciation rates and methods. The present study addresses these limitations for the registered Indian manufacturing industries. The result of the present study exhibits a robust approach of real capital stock estimate and an advancement from the existing approaches.
Analysis of Impact of Goods and Services Tax on Indirect Taxes of Karnataka State
Authors: Nayaka Basavanagouda , Panduranga V. P.
Published: August 2020

Socio-economic development of a country depends on the effectiveness of its taxation system. Taxation policies of many countries are undergoing significant change in the winds of globalisation. To cope up with the emerging challenges of globalisation and digitalisation, the taxation policy needs to adapt to reduce the burden on taxpayers and increase the tax base. India has undergone many tax reforms since independence to make the taxation system comprehensive, unique, transparent, simple and broad based. Towards achieving the said objectives, India took the milestone step to introduce Goods and Services Tax (GST), which is considered as a landmark reform in indirect tax regime. GST brought goods and services under one tax net and provided less scope for evasion of taxes. GST is a destination-based consumption tax with the revenue-sharing mechanism between the centre and the states. It ensures that tax revenue is to be attributable to the state in which consumption takes place. This principle, in turn, affected manufacturing states’ (origin states) exchequers. The centre agreed to compensate states on account of the loss of revenues, due to roll out of GST, for first 5 years, with the projected annual growth rate of 14 per cent on a bimonthly basis, keeping 2015–2016 as a base year. An attempt is made in this study to ascertain the current position of tax collections of Karnataka state after 2.5 years of implementation of GST. It is found from the study that registrations, return filing and tax collections are increasing in the GST regime. But there is a delay in providing compensation to states. It will affect the spending of state governments on various welfare activities.
Change of poverty and outcome of persons with severe mental illness in rural China, 1994-2015
Authors: Zhao Xinyi , Yu Yue-Hui , Peng Man-Man , Luo Wei , Hu Shi-Hui , Yang Xin , Liu Bo , Zhang Tin , Gao Ru , Chan Cecilia Lai-Wan , Ran Mao-Sheng
Published: August 2020

Background:

It is unknown whether and how poverty influences the long-term outcome of persons with severe mental illness (SMI).

Aims:

To explore the change of poverty status in persons with SMI from 1994 to 2015 and examine the impact of poverty status on patients’ outcome in rural China.

Method:

Two mental health surveys using identical methods and International Classification of Disease (ICD-10) were conducted in 1994 and 2015 in the same six townships of Xinjin County, Chengdu, China.

Results:

The annual net income per person was 19.8% and 100.2% higher for the general population than for persons with SMI in 1994 and 2015 respectively. Compared with 1994 (48.2%), persons with SMI in 2015 had significantly higher rates of poor family economic status (<mean) (65.2%) ( p < .001). Persons with SMI in poor family economic status were significantly more likely to be male, unmarried, unable to work, with no family caregivers or a smaller number of family members, and in poor mental status in 1994 and 2015 (p < .05). The risk factors significantly associated with patients’ poor mental status included poor work ability, younger age of first onset, never-treated status and poor family economic status.

Conclusions:

Relative poverty of persons with SMI has become more severe during the rapid socioeconomic development in rural China. Relative poverty of household, poor work ability, younger age of onset and never-treated status are risk factors of poor outcome. Culture-specific, community-based interventions and targeted poverty alleviation programs should improve patients’ early identification, treatment and recovery.
The Impact of Music Practice Instruction on Middle School Band Students’ Independent Practice Behaviors
Authors: Prichard Stephanie
Published: August 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate the impact of music practice instruction on middle school band students’ ability to articulate and incorporate practice strategies. Participants were middle school band students at a large suburban middle school ( N = 105). Using a pretest–posttest quasi-experimental design, participants were divided into control ( n = 53) and experimental ( n = 52) groups. Participants in the experimental group received 3 weeks of practice strategy instruction during ensemble warm-up time, and the control group continued with their typical warm-up routine. Pretest and posttest data included self-reported practice strategy lists ( N = 105) and video of individual practice sessions ( n = 20). Both self-reported and video data were coded and analyzed using descriptive statistics as well as pretest–posttest within-groups comparisons. Thirteen hours of video data were further analyzed using an observational measure of self-regulation. Analyses revealed that experimental group participants identified and utilized significantly more practice strategies following the instructional intervention. Posttest experimental group practice sessions also revealed a more mature approach to practicing, including more strategic behaviors, greater variety in musical objectives, and longer periods spent focused on short excerpts of music. Implications for future research and middle school instrumental classroom practice are discussed.
Weaving scheduling based on an improved ant colony algorithm
Authors: He Wentao , Meng Shuo , Wang Jing’an , Wang Lei , Pan Ruru , Gao Weidong
Published: August 2020

Weaving enterprises are faced with problems of small batches and many varieties, which leads to difficulties in manual scheduling during the production process, resulting in more delays in delivery. Therefore, an automatic scheduling method for the weaving process is proposed in this paper. Firstly, a weaving production scheduling model is established based on the conditions and requirements during actual production. By introducing flexible model constraints, the applicability of the model has been greatly expanded. Then, an improved ant colony algorithm is proposed to solve the model. To address the problem of the traditional ant colony algorithm that the optimizing process usually traps into local optimum, the proposed algorithm adopts an iterative threshold and the maximum and minimum ant colony system. In addition, the initial path pheromone distribution is formed according to the urgency of the order to balance each objective. Finally, the simulation experiments confirm that the proposed method achieves superior performance compared with manual scheduling and other automatic methods. The proposed method shows a certain guiding significance for weaving scheduling in practice.
The effect of upzoning on house prices and redevelopment premiums in Auckland, New Zealand
Authors: Greenaway-McGrevy Ryan , Pacheco Gail , Sorensen Kade
Published: August 2020

We study the short-run effects of a large-scale upzoning on house prices and redevelopment premiums in Auckland, New Zealand. Upzoning significantly increases the redevelopment premium but the overall effect on house prices depends on the economic potential for site redevelopment, with underdeveloped properties appreciating relative to intensively developed properties. Notably, intensively developed properties decrease in value relative to similar dwellings that were not upzoned, showing that the large-scale upzoning had an immediate depreciative effect on pre-existing intensive housing. Our results show that the economic potential for site redevelopment is fundamental to understanding the impact of changes in land use regulations on property values.
Trusting Sources of Information on Quality of Physician Care
Authors: Moore Ami R. , Hudson Cassie , Amey Foster , Chumbler Neale
Published: August 2020

Reporting healthcare quality has become an important factor in healthcare delivery. Prior research has shown that patient-consumers do not frequently use information on websites reporting physician quality to guide their choice of physicians. Our aim is to understand the contextual and personal characteristics that influence patient-consumers’ decisions to trust or ignore information sources about healthcare quality. We use data from Finding Quality Doctors: How Americans Evaluate Provider Quality in the US, 2014, to examine factors that explain trust in sources reporting healthcare quality provided by physicians. Using factor analysis, 3 overarching information sources were identified: (1) employers and healthcare providers; (2) user advocacy sources; and (3) insurance companies and government. We use multiple regression analysis to understand the factors that impact trust in these 3 information sources. Our study found that contrary to previous findings, health status was not a significant factor that affects trust in sources reporting care quality data. Also, age was the only factor that significantly correlated with trusting information from all 3 sources. Specifically, younger adults trusted information from all sources compared to older adults. Furthermore, political affiliation, employment status, income, and area of residence correlated with trusting care quality information from either companies and government agencies or family and social network sources. Results suggest that individual and contextual characteristics are significant factors in trusting information sources regardless of health status and these should be taken into consideration by those promoting public reporting of healthcare quality information.
Exploring the Victimization of British Veterans: Comparing British Beliefs About Veterans With Beliefs About Soldiers
Authors: Phillips Rita Helena , Connelly Vincent , Burgess Mark
Published: August 2020

Evidence suggests that most of the UK public appreciate currently serving UK Armed Forces personnel but are less positive in their beliefs about veterans. This research examined the social representations held by civilian participants of UK veterans and serving soldiers to understand why veterans may be seen more negatively. An open-ended word association task was completed by 234 UK participants where they were asked to provide three initial responses to the words “veteran” and “soldier” and to evaluate their responses in accordance to prototypicality. The 1,404 resultant associations were grouped into 14 thematic clusters. Using the hierarchical evocation method, the results suggest “heroizing associations” to be a defining core element for “soldier” and “veteran” but “victimizing associations” to be an element only for “veteran.” Principal component analyses suggest victimizing associations are related to war and deindividuated associations; “heroizing associations” are related to characterizations of the veteran’s personality. Implications and future directions are discussed.
Computational fluid dynamics assessment for the thermal performance of double-skin façades in office buildings under hot climatic condition
Authors: Kim Daeung Danny
Published: August 2020

In general, a double-skin façade has been used to reduce energy consumption as well as to improve thermal performance in buildings as a buffer space between indoors and outdoors. The goal of this study is to undertake pre-normative research to provide information for developing a comprehensive double-skin façade system under the climatic condition in Saudi Arabia. To pursue this goal, the characteristics associated with the double-skin façade system are identified. In addition, the impact of various configurations on the thermal performance of the double-skin façades is evaluated under the weather situation in Saudi Arabia. Computational double-skin façade models are created by computational fluid dnamics simulation to assess the thermal performance of the various configurations such as cavity geometry and the use of a shading device. As a result, the variation of the opening size has a significant impact on the temperature in the cavity of the double-skin façade. For the air velocity in the cavity, the variation of the opening size and cavity depth is less sensitive. Moreover, the use of a shading device has an impact on the temperature drop in the cavity of the double-skin façade.

Practical application: Generally, many studies have investigated the efficiency of double-skin façade applications due to its beneficial aspects. However, a few buildings have adopted double-skin façades to their envelopes. With a substantial growing demand for building industry in Saudi Arabia, double-skin façade applications to building design can be a solution for reducing building energy consumption. The present study investigates the thermal performance of double-skin façades under hot climates in Saudi Arabia and it can provide information for building stakeholders to develop proper double-skin façade systems
Maternal Healthcare in Rural Uttar Pradesh: Influence of free Services on Healthcare-Seeking behaviour of Women
Authors: Devi Lakshmi , Kaur Manvinder
Published: August 2020

This field-based study evaluates the impact of free maternal healthcare services on the healthcare-seeking behaviour of 125 pregnant women in six villages of Uttar Pradesh. The 87 Muslim and 38 non-Muslim women participating in this project appreciated the antenatal and postnatal care processes on offer. Yet, various government efforts to encourage women to give birth in government hospitals to comply with international benchmarks on reduction of maternal mortality rates were unsuccessful. The study explores the various reasons for the strategic choices made by these rural women, who continue to favour home-based delivery. The findings raise policy implications about how state financing of maternal healthcare provisions in India is to be delivered, in the best possible manner, at local levels.
Identification of Multiracial Adolescents in Research Samples: An Examination and Critique of Existing Practices
Authors: Mauer Victoria , Savell Shannon , Davis Alida , Wilson Melvin N. , Shaw Daniel S. , Lemery-Chalfant Kathryn
Published: August 2020

This study examined caregivers’ longitudinal reports of adolescent multiracial categorization across the ages of 9.5, 10.5, and 14 years, and adolescents’ reports of their own multiracial categorization at the age of 14 years. A portion of caregivers’ reports of adolescent multiracial status were inconsistent across the years of the study; some adolescents’ and caregivers’ responses differed when questions assessing multiracial status were phrased in different ways; and adolescent and caregiver reports did not always align when adolescents were 14 years old. Given these findings, we recommend that researchers consider using multiple methods of racial data collection and collapsing the results to report estimated ranges of racial representation in samples, rather than specific percentages. Furthermore, when racial data must be provided by a single informant in the context of early adolescence, we suggest that researchers should think critically about which group’s perspective, adolescents’ or caregivers’, is more relevant to the research questions at hand.
Clinical value of diffusion-weighted MRI for differentiation between benign and malignant gallbladder disease: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Kuipers Hendrien , Hoogwater Frederik JH , Holtman Gea A , van der Hoorn Anouk , de Boer Marieke T , de Haas Robbert J
Published: August 2020

Background

Radiological differentiation between benign and malignant gallbladder disease is important but remains challenging. Furthermore, the clinical value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) remains unclear.

Purpose

To determine the value of DWI in discriminating benign from malignant gallbladder disease by conducting a systematic review and meta-analysis.

Material and Methods

The literature was systematically searched. Studies analyzing diagnostic value of DWI in gallbladder disease with histopathology or follow-up as reference standard were included. Study selection and data extraction were done by two reviewers independently. Methodological quality was assessed using the QUADAS-2 tool. Sensitivity and specificity were calculated and displayed in a forest plot. A sensitivity analysis was performed in case of outliers. Pooled sensitivity and specificity of DWI were plotted on a hierarchical summary receiver operating characteristic curve. If available, the added value of DWI to conventional magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) sequences was analyzed.

Results

Out of 2456 articles, eight studies fulfilled the inclusion criteria; 592 patients with 221 malignant lesions were included. Pooled sensitivity and specificity rates were 0.87 and 0.84, respectively. In two studies, diagnostic accuracy rates improved after adding DWI to conventional MRI (64% and 75% for conventional MRI vs. 89% and 94% after combining conventional MRI with DWI). In another study, the area under the curve increased from 0.92 to 0.95.

Conclusion

DWI appears to be an accurate imaging technique in discriminating benign from malignant gallbladder disease. To achieve optimal patient care, it should be part of multiparametric MRI and should be combined with other imaging modalities.
Feline Morbillivirus Infection Associated With Tubulointerstitial Nephritis in Black Leopards (Panthera pardus)
Authors: Piewbang Chutchai , Chaiyasak Surangkanang , Kongmakee Piyaporn , Sanannu Saowaphang , Khotapat Pornsuda , Ratthanophart Jadsada , Banlunara Wijit , Techangamsuwan Somporn
Published: August 2020

Feline morbillivirus (FeMV) is an emerging RNA virus in the Paramyxoviridae family that was recently discovered in domestic cats ( Felis catus). To date, 2 genotypes (FeMV-1 and FeMV-2) have been detected in cats from various countries, and FeMV-1 is recognized as a pathogen associated with nephritis. However, information regarding the pathological roles and potential transmission to other felids is limited. In this article, we describe the identification of FeMV in 2 black leopards ( Panthera pardus) in Thailand that showed severe azotemia and tubulointerstitial nephritis. Molecular analysis of the partial coding sequence of the L gene revealed that these leopard FeMV strains were genetically close to the FeMV-1 isolate from domestic Thai cats. Immunohistochemistry and immunofluorescence analyses using polyclonal IgG antibodies against the FeMV matrix (M) protein showed FeMV-M antigen in renal tubular epithelial cells. These analyses also showed infiltrating lymphocytes in the renal parenchymal lesions and in the cytoplasm of lymphoid cells residing in the spleen, suggesting viral tropism and a possible pathological role. These findings are the first evidence that indicates that the black leopard could be a possible host for FeMV infection. As for other cats, the role of FeMV as a potential cause of renal disease remains to be established. The pathogenesis of FeMV infection in black leopards, or in other wild felids, through a viral transmission mechanism warrants further investigation.
An Innovative Lingual Retainer Wire Stabilizer
Authors: Mahendra Tivanani Venkata Durga , Mulakala Vyshnavi
Published: August 2020

One of the means of maintaining the incisor alignment after orthodontic treatment is by fixed lingual retainer. Over the decade’s various techniques have been advocated for bonding a lingual retainer wire. The most critical step to the orthodontist is stabilization of retainer wire in its stable position to prevent relapse. The purpose of this study is to introduce a custom-made device which is easy to fabricate and stabilizes the retainer wire to the contours of the palatal surface of the teeth without causing any iatrogenic damage to the adjacent soft tissues while bonding.
Geotrauma: Violence, place and repossession
Authors: Pain Rachel
Published: August 2020

Geographical interest is growing in psychological trauma from political, social, urban and ecological violences. This paper reviews temporal and spatial aspects of trauma, emphasizing Black, postcolonial, indigenous, feminist and queer analyses. These inform an idea of geotrauma, the ongoing clasping of collective traumas and place. After outlining the multiple temporalities of geotrauma, the paper identifies overlapping placings of trauma by geographers and others: memorial places, retraumatizing places, layered places, hardwired places, mobile places, places of repossession and healing places. Repositioning survivors as experts in narrating and understanding trauma enables recognition of resistance and the mobilization of place in addressing trauma.
Navigating old age and the urban terrain: Geographies of ageing from Africa
Authors: McQuaid Katie , Esson James , Gough Katherine V. , Wignall Ross
Published: August 2020

This paper extends research on geographies of ageing in relation to urban academic and policy debates. We illustrate how older people in urban African contexts deploy their agency through social and spatial (im)mobilities, intergenerational relations and (inter)dependencies. Through doing so, we reveal how urban contexts shape, and are shaped by, older people’s tactics for seizing opportunities and navigating the urban terrain. Our analysis demonstrates how a more substantive dialogue between insights on ageing in African contexts and urban ageing policy can create new forms of knowledge that are more equitable and just, both epistemologically and in their policy impacts.
Investigation on wrinkling behaviors of metal thin-walled tube in pulsating hydroforming with axial feeding
Authors: Hu Guolin , Pan Chunrong , Liu Zheng
Published: August 2020

Pulsating tube hydroforming with axial feeding is an effective method to improve the forming performance of thin-walled tube. A beneficial wrinkle can make the tube wall thickness more uniform and create a greater bulging height during forming process. The method of expressing the degree of wrinkle with geometrical and mechanical criteria is applied to distinguish the wrinkle types, and thus, the wrinkles can be divided into beneficial ones and harmful ones based on the deformation wrinkle features with different forming parameters. The wrinkling behavior in tube pulsating hydroforming with axial feeding was investigated in this article by experimental study, numerical simulation and theoretical analysis. The results showed that loading parameters had great influence on formability and wrinkling behaviors and that the beneficial wrinkles could be identified and used effectively by controlling the relation of wrinkling degree and forming parameters. Furthermore, the evolution processes of wrinkling behaviors in tube-bulging experiment were observed, the characteristics of wrinkling in every stage were analyzed and the relationship between wrinkling degree and forming parameters was established in the experiment.