bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Clinical Outcomes of Very Elderly Patients With Atrial Fibrillation Receiving On‐label Doses of Apixaban: J‐ELD AF Registry Subanalysis
Authors: Okada Masato , Inoue Koichi , Tanaka Nobuaki , Sakata Yasushi , Akao Masaharu , Yamashita Takeshi , Suzuki Shinya , Okumura Ken ,   J‐ELD AF investigators
Published: July 2021

Background

Increasing age predisposes patients with atrial fibrillation to both thromboembolic and bleeding events; however, data on outcomes of very elderly patients (aged ≥85 years) receiving appropriate antithrombotic therapy are still limited.

Methods and Results

The J‐ELD AF (Multicenter Prospective Cohort Study to Investigate the Effectiveness and Safety of Apixaban in Japanese Elderly Atrial Fibrillation Patients) Registry is a multicenter prospective observational study of Japanese patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation aged ≥75 years taking on‐label doses (standard dose of 5 mg BID or reduced dose of 2.5 mg BID) of apixaban. The entire cohort (3031 patients from 110 institutions) was divided into 3 age groups: 75 to 79 years (n=1068, 35.2%), 80 to 84 years (n=1120, 37.0%), and ≥85 years (n=843, 27.8%). The event incidence rates (/100 person‐years) were 1.40, 1.55, and 1.95 for stroke or systemic embolism (log‐rank
P
=0.65); 1.70, 1.55, and 2.61 for bleeding requiring hospitalization (log‐rank
P
=0.33); 2.09, 2.60, and 5.29 for total deaths (log‐rank
P
<0.001); and 0.40, 1.06, and 1.55 for cardiovascular deaths (log‐rank
P
=0.045), respectively. After adjusting for confounders using a Cox regression analysis, age ≥85 years was identified as an independent risk of total death (hazard ratio, 1.89; 95% CI, 1.10–3.26 [
P
=0.022]), but not of stroke or systemic embolism, bleeding requiring hospitalization, or cardiovascular death.

Conclusions

Although mortality increased with age, age ≥85 years was not a significant risk of stroke or systemic embolism, bleeding requiring hospitalization, or cardiovascular death in Japanese patients with nonvalvular atrial fibrillation taking on‐label doses of apixaban.

Registration

URL:
https://www.umin.ac.jp/ctr
; Unique identifier: UMIN000017895.
Effect of Heart Failure on Long‐Term Clinical Outcomes After Percutaneous Coronary Intervention Versus Coronary Artery Bypass Grafting in Patients With Severe Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Yamamoto Ko , Matsumura‐Nakano Yukiko , Shiomi Hiroki , Natsuaki Masahiro , Morimoto Takeshi , Kadota Kazushige , Tada Tomohisa , Takeji Yasuaki , Yoshikawa Yusuke , Imada Kazuaki , Domei Takenori , Kaneda Kazuhisa , Taniguchi Ryoji , Ehara Natsuhiko , Nawada Ryuzo , Yamaji Kyohei , Kato Eri , Toyofuku Mamoru , Kanemitsu Naoki , Shinoda Eiji , Suwa Satoru , Iwakura Atsushi , Tamura Toshihiro , Soga Yoshiharu , Inada Tsukasa , Matsuda Mitsuo , Koyama Tadaaki , Aoyama Takeshi , Sato Yukihito , Furukawa Yutaka , Ando Kenji , Yamazaki Fumio , Komiya Tatsuhiko , Minatoya Kenji , Nakagawa Yoshihisa , Kimura Takeshi ,   the CREDO‐Kyoto PCI/CABG Registry Cohort‐3 Investigators
Published: July 2021

Background

Heart failure might be an important determinant in choosing coronary revascularization modalities. There was no previous study evaluating the effect of heart failure on long‐term clinical outcomes after percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) relative to coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG).

Methods and Results

Among 14 867 consecutive patients undergoing first coronary revascularization with PCI or isolated CABG between January 2011 and December 2013 in the CREDO‐Kyoto PCI/CABG registry Cohort‐3, we identified the current study population of 3380 patients with three‐vessel or left main coronary artery disease, and compared clinical outcomes between PCI and CABG stratified by the subgroup based on the status of heart failure. There were 827 patients with heart failure (PCI: N=511, and CABG: N=316), and 2553 patients without heart failure (PCI: N=1619, and CABG: N=934). In patients with heart failure, the PCI group compared with the CABG group more often had advanced age, severe frailty, acute and severe heart failure, and elevated inflammatory markers. During a median 5.9 years of follow‐up, there was a significant interaction between heart failure and the mortality risk of PCI relative to CABG (interaction
P
=0.009), with excess mortality risk of PCI relative to CABG in patients with heart failure (HR, 1.75; 95% CI, 1.28–2.42;
P
<0.001) and no excess mortality risk in patients without heart failure (HR, 1.04; 95% CI, 0.80–1.34;
P
=0.77).

Conclusions

There was a significant interaction between heart failure and the mortality risk of PCI relative to CABG with excess risk in patients with heart failure and neutral risk in patients without heart failure.
Stroke Hospitalizations Before and During COVID-19 Pandemic Among Medicare Beneficiaries in the United States
Authors: Yang Quanhe , Tong Xin , Coleman King Sallyann , Olivari Benjamin S. , Merritt Robert K.
Published: July 2021

Background and Purpose:

Emergency department visits and hospitalizations for stroke declined significantly following declaration of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) as a national emergency on March 13, 2020, in the United States. This study examined trends in hospitalizations for stroke among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries aged ≥65 years and compared characteristics of stroke patients during COVID-19 pandemic to comparable weeks in the preceding year (2019).

Methods:

For trend analysis, we examined stroke hospitalizations from week 1 in 2019 through week 44 in 2020. For comparison of patient characteristics, we estimated percent reduction in weekly stroke hospitalizations from 2019 to 2020 during weeks 10 through 23 and during weeks 24 through 44 by age, sex, race/ethnicity, and state.

Results:

Compared to weekly numbers of hospitalizations for stroke reported during 2019, stroke hospitalizations in 2020 decreased sharply during weeks 10 through 15 (March 1–April 11), began increasing during weeks 16 through 23, and remained at a level lower than the same weeks in 2019 from weeks 24 through 44 (June 7–October 31). During weeks 10 through 23, stroke hospitalizations decreased by 22.3% (95% CI, 21.4%–23.1%) in 2020 compared with same period in 2019; during weeks 24 through 44, they decreased by 12.1% (95% CI, 11.2%–12.9%). The magnitude of reduction increased with age but similar between men and women and among different race/ethnicity groups. Reductions in stroke hospitalizations between weeks 10 through 23 varied by state ranging from 0.0% (95% CI, −16.0%–1.7%) in New Hampshire to 36.2% (95% CI, 24.8%–46.7%) in Montana.

Conclusions:

One-in-5 fewer stroke hospitalizations among Medicare fee-for-service beneficiaries occurred during initial weeks of the COVID-19 pandemic (March 1–June 6) and weekly stroke hospitalizations remained at a lower than expected level from June 7 to October 31 in 2020 compared with 2019. Changes in stroke hospitalizations varied substantially by state.
Electronic_Khipu_: Thinking in Experimental Sound from an Ancestral Andean Interface
Authors: Hinojosa Laddy Patricia Cadavid
Published: July 2021

A khipu is an artifact used in the ancient Inca Empire and previous Andean societies to process and transmit statistical and narrative information. It is known as one of the first textile computers, a tangible interface encrypted in knots and strings made of cotton and wool. This system was widely used until the Spanish colonization that banned and destroyed many of the existing khipus. This article presents the creation process of the Electronic_Khipu_, a new interface for musical expression. It takes the form of a MIDI controller, inspired by the original Incan device. The Khipu has been converted into an instrument for interaction and experimental sound generation by weaving knots with conductive rubber cords, thereby encoding musical compositions. The article goes on to document the implementation of the electronic instrument and evaluate its use in live performances. The research also explores the work of significant artists in this conceptual line who, from a decolonial perspective, have transformed and incorporated the khipu into different contemporary expressions of electronic sound art. These works, along with the practical example cited with the Electronic_Khipu_, suggest alternative practices of tangible live coding, computer music, and data sonification. Creative work with sound continues a legacy, almost lost in colonization, of the ancestral practice of weaving knots as code. In addition, some ideas will be presented to enhance the instrument's performance in the future.
Addressing NIME's Prevailing Sociotechnical, Political, and Epistemological Exigencies
Authors: Hayes Lauren , Marquez-Borbon Adnan
Published: July 2021

Nearly two decades after its inception as a workshop at the Association for Computing Machinery Conference on Human Factors in Computing Systems, New Interfaces for Musical Expression (NIME) exists as an established international conference significantly distinct from its precursor. Although this origin story is often noted, the implications of NIME's history as emerging from a field predominantly dealing with human–computer interaction (HCI) have rarely been discussed. In this paper we highlight many of the recent—and some not so recent—challenges that have been brought upon the NIME community as it attempts to maintain and expand its identity as a platform for multidisciplinary research into HCI, interface design, and electronic and computer music. We discuss the relationship between the market demands of the neoliberal university—which have underpinned academia's drive for innovation—and the quantification and economization of research performance that have facilitated certain disciplinary and social frictions to emerge within NIME-related research and practice. Drawing on work that engages with feminist theory and cultural studies, we suggest that critical reflection and, moreover, mediation is necessary to address burgeoning concerns that have been raised within the NIME discourse in relation to methodological approaches, “equity, diversity, and inclusion,” “accessibility,” and the fostering of “rigorous” interdisciplinary research.
Review of the Epeolus tarsalis species group (Hymenoptera: Apidae, Epeolus Latreille, 1802), with description of a new species
Authors: ASTAFUROVA YULIA V. , PROSHCHALYKIN MAXIM YU.
Published: July 2021

The five species of Epeolus tarsalis species group are reviewed. One new species, Epeolus mikhailovi sp. nov. (Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan), is described and illustrated. Epeolus melectiformis Yasumatsu, 1938 is newly recorded from China, and E. tarsalis Morawitz, 1874 is newly recorded from Kazakhstan. The distribution data for other species are supplemented. An identification key for both sexes of this species group is presented.
A new species of Galumnella (Acari, Oribatida, Galumnellidae) from Mozambique
Authors: ERMILOV SERGEY G. , BĄKOWSKI MAREK
Published: July 2021

The present study is based on oribatid mite materials collected from Mozambique in 2019. A list of identified taxa, including 53 species/subspecies from 44 genera and 28 families is provided. Of these, six species are new to science, all other taxa are recorded for the first time in the Mozambican fauna. One new species, Galumnella mikhailovi Ermilov sp. nov., is described herein: it is similar to G. csavasorum in the presence of setiform, unilaterally spinose bothridial setae and rugose notogaster, but differs in smaller body size, the presence of monodactylous legs and rounded rostrum, as well as in the absence of sublamellar line and rugose sculpturing in the anogenital region.
Three new species of Olivierus (Scorpiones: Buthidae) from Kazakhstan and Uzbekistan
Authors: FET VICTOR , KOVAŘÍK FRANTIŠEK , GANTENBEIN BENJAMIN , GRAHAM MATTHEW R.
Published: July 2021

Following Graham et al. (2019), the recently described desert species Olivierus gorelovi (Fet et al., 2018) from Central Asia is herein restricted to Turkmenistan and southern Uzbekistan. In this contribution, we described other populations formerly included in O. gorelovi as three new species: O. mikhailovi sp. n. (southern Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan), O. tarabaevi sp. n. (Kazakhstan) and O. voldemari sp. n. (Uzbekistan: Ferghana Valley).
"Jesteśmy lasem". Słowacy w lustrze inicjatywy ekologicznej "My sme les"
Authors: Siedlecka Monika
Published: July 2021

We Are the Forest: Slovaks in the Mirror of the Ecological Initiative My sme lesThe aim of this article is to explore the common points between the ecological movement and citizenship by discussing My sme les, a Slovak citizens’ initiative to protect Slovak forests. The Slovaks’ involvement in nature conservation as demonstrated by the My sme les campaign was recognised here not only as a manifestation of global trends in changing ecological awareness but also as a reflection of the special bond between man and nature ingrained in Slovak culture and mentality. The ecological movement currently developing in new media forms in Slovakia was introduced with an analysis of various (mainly online and audio-visual) sources related to the My sme les campaign. The article highlights the influence of the Deep Ecology trend on Slovak activists and the projects they have implemented. The My sme les initiative is not only an appeal for the social responsibility of Slovaks when it comes to the devastation of native nature, but also proves to be an important step towards a deeper civic engagement with the community. The Slovak case provides confirmation of the main thesis of Deep Ecology, namely that humans are not above nature, but are an integral part of it. Thanks to the My sme les initiative, in the context of Slovak culture, the forest emerged as a new cultural symbol, polemical towards the mountains, traditionally interpreted in a national-cultural key. Jesteśmy lasem. Słowacy w lustrze inicjatywy ekologicznej My sme lesCelem artykułu jest zbadanie punktów wspólnych ruchu ekologicznego i postawy obywatelskiej poprzez omówienie słowackiej inicjatywy obywatelskiej na rzecz ochrony słowackich lasów My sme les. Zaangażowanie się Słowaków w ochronę przyrody uwidaczniające się w kampanii My sme les uznane tu zostało nie tylko za przejaw globalnych tendencji w zakresie zmiany świadomości ekologicznej, lecz także za odzwierciedlenie zakorzenionego w słowackiej kulturze i mentalności szczególnego związku człowieka z przyrodą. Poprzez analizę różnorodnych źródeł (przede wszystkim internetowych i audiowizualnych) powiązanych z kampanią My sme les został przybliżony rozwijający się współcześnie w nowych medialnych formach ruch ekologiczny na Słowacji. W artykule podkreślono wpływ nurtu ekologii głębokiej na słowackich działaczy i przedsięwzięcia przez nich realizowane. Inicjatywa My sme les nie tylko stanowi apel o społeczną odpowiedzialność Słowaków wobec dewastacji rodzimej przyrody, lecz również okazuje się ważnym krokiem na drodze głębszego obywatelskiego zaangażowania się na rzecz wspólnoty. Przypadek słowacki dostarcza potwierdzenia głównej tezy ekologii głębokiej, tej mianowicie, że człowiek nie jest ponad przyrodą, ale jest jej nieodłączną częścią. Dzięki inicjatywie My sme les las zaistniał w kontekście kultury słowackiej jako nowy symbol kulturowy, polemiczny wobec tradycyjnie interpretowanych gór w kluczu narodowo-kulturowym.
Effects of Number Concentration of Cloud Condensation Nuclei on Moist Convection Formation
Authors: Miyamoto Yoshiaki
Published: July 2021

We examined the sensitivity of the formation of moist convection to the number of aerosols that serve as cloud condensation nuclei (CCN) based on a set of numerical experiments using a nonhydrostatic model with a bin cloud microphysics model. Additionally, a linear stability analysis for an air parcel incorporating effects of the CCN number concentration (NCCN) has been conducted to further demonstrate the findings in numerical experiments. The results of the numerical experiments show that moist convection does not form whenNCCN≤ 10 cm−3. The sensitivity toNCCNcan be divided into three regimes: whenNCCN≤ 10 cm−3, convection does not form or not fully develop; when 1 ≤NCCN≤ 102cm−3, maximum vertical velocity increases withNCCN; and whenNCCN≥ 102cm−3, the intensity of convection does not largely depend onNCCN. We demonstrate that the main reason convection does not form under environments with a smallNCCNis that the time scale for condensation is longer than that to change environmental conditions. Given a supersaturated environment, fewer droplets form whenNCCNis small and the size of droplets is potentially large. Consequently, the amount of latent heating is limited and the air parcel cannot obtain buoyancy within a reasonable time scale. Linear stability analysis using a parcel model considering the effect ofNCCNwithout ice-phase processes shows unstable and stable regimes as a function of the number of droplets. The analytically obtained critical droplet number for the convection formation well corresponds to the minimumNCCNbeyond which convection forms in the present numerical experiments.
Improving Cross-track Scanning Radiometers’ Precipitation Retrieval over Ocean by Morphing
Authors: You Yalei , Peters-Lidard Christa , Munchak S. Joseph , Tan Jackson , Braun Scott , Ringerud Sarah , Blackwell William , Yang John Xun , Nelkin Eric , Dong Jun
Published: July 2021

Previous studies showed that conical scanning radiometers greatly outperform cross-track scanning radiometers for precipitation retrieval over ocean. This study demonstrates a novel approach to improve precipitation rates at the cross-track scanning radiometers’ observation time by propagating the conical scanning radiometers’ retrievals to the cross-track scanning radiometers’ observation time. The improved precipitation rate is a weighted average of original cross-track radiometers’ retrievals and retrievals propagated from a conical scanning radiometer. The cross-track scanning radiometers include the Advanced Technology Microwave Sounder (ATMS) onboard the NPP satellite and four Microwave Humidity Sounders (MHSs). The conical scanning radiometers include the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer 2 (AMSR2) and three Special Sensor Microwave Imager/Sounders (SSMISs), while the precipitation retrievals from the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Microwave Imager (GMI) are taken as the reference. Results show that the morphed precipitation rates agree much better with the reference. The degree of improvement depends on several factors, including the propagated precipitation source, the time interval between the cross-track scanning radiometer and the conical scanning radiometer, the precipitation type (convective vs. stratiform), the precipitation events’ size, and the geolocation. The study has potential to greatly improve high-impact weather systems monitoring (e.g., hurricanes) and multi-satellite precipitation products. It may also enhance the usefulness of future satellite missions with cross-track scanning radiometers onboard.
Examining sub-daily tornado warning performance and associated environmental characteristics
Authors: Krocak Makenzie J. , Flournoy Matthew D. , Brooks Harold E.
Published: July 2021

Increasing tornado warning skill in terms of the probability of detection and false alarm ratio remains an important operational goal. Although many studies have examined tornado warning performance in a broad sense, less focus has been placed on warning performance within sub-daily convective events. In this study, we use the NWS tornado verification database to examine tornado warning performance by order-of-tornado within each convective day. We combine this database with tornado reports to relate warning performance to environmental characteristics. On convective days with multiple tornadoes, the first tornado is warned significantly less often than the middle and last tornadoes. More favorable kinematic environmental characteristics, like increasing 0–1-km shear and storm-relative helicity, are associated with better warning performance related to the first tornado of the convective day. Thermodynamic and composite parameters are less correlated to warning performance. During tornadic events, over half of false alarms occur after the last tornado of the day decays, and false alarms are twice as likely to be issued during this time than before the first tornado forms. These results indicate that forecasters may be better “primed” (or more prepared) to issue warnings on middle and last tornadoes of the day, and must overcome a higher threshold to warn on the first tornado of the day. To overcome this challenge, using kinematic environmental characteristics and intermediate products on the watch-to-warning scale may help.
Effects of Writing Interventions on the Level and Trend of Total Words Written: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Datchuk Shawn M. , Rodgers Derek B. , Wagner Kyle , Hier Bridget O. , Moore Christopher T.
Published: July 2021

We estimated effects of writing interventions on the level and trend of writing fluency—rate of total words written over time—by students with and without disabilities. Using mixed-effects regression and an information-theoretic ranking of competing models, we synthesized results of 42 single-case experimental design studies with a total of 205 students. A variety of acquisition and fluency interventions were used across studies, such as self-regulated strategy development and timed practice with performance feedback. We found acquisition and fluency interventions produced an increase in level and a gradual increase in trend of total words written per minute. Students receiving fluency intervention tended to have higher levels of performance across experimental phases (i.e., baseline, intervention, and postintervention), but students receiving acquisition had steeper upward trends. In addition, we found higher levels of total words written per minute on writing tasks with brief time limits (i.e., ≤10 min) and in the writing of older students.
Fear Language in a Warning Is Beneficial to Risk Perception in Lower-Risk Situations
Authors: Whitmer Daphne E. , Sims Valerie K.
Published: July 2021

Objective

The goal was to examine the effectiveness of fear language in the protective action recommendation of an emergency warning, which instructs people how to prepare and stay safe.

Background

Past work is limited because it has focused on describing the severity of the weather crisis, not improving the recommendation. Likewise, other research has examined fear appeals that overemphasize death, which leads to poor risk perceptions.

Method

In Experiment 1, the presence of fear language and second-person personal pronouns (i.e., “you”) in a recommendation was manipulated. Experiment 2 examined how fear language and a hurricane changing in intensity influenced risk perceptions across three decision points.

Results

Experiment 1 suggested that fear language was more influential than a pronoun on risk perceptions. Experiment 2 suggested that fear language in a protective action recommendation was most impactful in the case of a hurricane decreasing in intensity.

Conclusion

Protective action recommendations with fear language influence risk perceptions and behaviors. The magnitude of this influence is dependent on how people have categorized the hurricane (i.e., low vs. high risk).

Application

These results demonstrate that fear appeals in hurricane warnings can be useful, especially in cases when a low to medium risk event is still extremely dangerous. Likewise, these results demonstrate a need for caution, as fear appeals are not a “one size-fits-all” approach to increasing risk perceptions and should be used thoughtfully. Recommendations of when to use fear appeals in protective action recommendations are provided based on the present data.
Perceptually Discriminating the Highest Priority Alarms Reduces Response Time: A Retrospective Pre-Post Study at Four Hospitals
Authors: Hansen Christopher J. , Rayo Michael F. , Patterson Emily S. , Yamokoski Todd , Abdel-Rasoul Mahmoud , Allen Theodore T. , Socha Jacob J. , Moffatt-Bruce Susan D.
Published: July 2021

Objective

Reduce nurse response time for emergency and high-priority alarms by increasing discriminability between emergency and all other alarms and suppressing redundant and likely false high-priority alarms in a secondary alarm notification system (SANS).

Background

Emergency alarms are the most urgent, requiring immediate action to address a dangerous situation. They are clinician-triggered and have higher positive predictive value (PPV). High-priority alarms are automatically triggered and have lower PPV.

Method

We performed a retrospective pre-post study, analyzing data 15 months before and 25 months after a SANS redesign was implemented in four hospitals. For emergency alarms, we incorporated digitized human speech to distinguish them from automatically triggered alarms, leaving their onset and escalation pathways unchanged. For automatically triggered alarms, we suppressed some by delaying initial onset and escalation by 20 s. We used linear mixed models to assess the change in response time, Fisher’s exact test for the proportion of response times longer than 120 s, and control charts for process stability.

Results

Response time for emergency alarms decreased at all hospitals (main, from 26.91 s to 22.32 s, p < .001; cardiac, from 127.10 s to 52.43 s, p < .001; cancer, from 18.03 s to 15.39 s, p < .001). Improvements were sustained. Automatically triggered alarms decreased 25.0%. Response time for the three automatically triggered cardiac alarms increased at the four hospitals.

Conclusion

Auditory sound disambiguation was associated with a sustained reduced nurse response time for emergency alarms, but suppressing some high-priority automatically triggered alarms was not.

Application

Distinguishing and escalating urgent, actionable alarms with higher PPV improves response time.
Female squirrel monkeys as models for research on women’s pelvic floor disorders
Authors: Pereira da Silva Gessiane , Souza Pereira Thyago Habner de , Felipe Lima Ana Kelen , Russiano Vicente Wilter Ricardo , Kuehl Thomas J. , Ruiz Julio Cesar , Barros Monteiro Frederico Ozanan
Published: July 2021

Animal models enable research on biological phenomena with controlled interventions not possible or ethical in patients. Among species used as experimental models, squirrel monkeys ( Saimiri genus) are phylogenetically related to humans and are relatively easily managed in captivity. Quadrupedal locomotion of squirrel monkeys resembles most other quadrupedal primates in that they utilize a diagonal sequence/diagonal couplets gait when walking on small branches. However, to assume a bipedal locomotion, the human pelvis has undergone evolutionary changes. Therefore, the pelvic bone morphology is not that similar between the female squirrel monkey and woman, but pelvic floor support structures and impacts of fetal size and malpresentation are similar. Thus, this review explores the pelvic floor support structural characteristics of female squirrel monkeys, especially in relation to childbirth to demonstrate similarities to humans.
Adjustment Disorder in the Face of COVID-19 Outbreak: The Impact of Death Anxiety, Media Exposure, Fear of Contagion and Hypochondriasis Symptoms
Authors: Mahat-Shamir Michal , Pitcho-Prelorentzos Shani , Kagan Maya , Kestler-Peleg Miri , Lavenda Osnat
Published: July 2021

Based on the theoretical view of Terror Management Theory, the current research examines whether higher levels of death anxiety symptoms, in the face of the COVID-19 outbreak, increase the extent to which participants are exposed to information regarding the spread of the pandemic, as well as the fear of contagion and symptoms of hypochondriasis, which all in turn increase symptoms of adjustment disorder. A total number of 302 participants filled out self-report questionnaires regarding death anxiety, adjustment disorder, the extent of exposure to information regarding COVID-19, fear of contagion, hypochondriasis, and demographic information. Structural Equation Modeling analysis indicated a very good fit of the theoretical model with the data, confirming the mediation effect of exposure to information, fear of contagion, and symptoms of hypochondriasis on the association between death anxiety and adjustment disorder symptoms. Implications for practice are discussed.
Perceived Onset Time of Medical Conditions: The Interplay Between Subjective Fear and Risk in Four Lifestyle Domains
Authors: Monzani Dario , Pancani Luca , Rusconi Patrice , Pravettoni Gabriella
Published: July 2021

Engaging in unhealthy behaviors (e.g., smoking, drinking) and not engaging in healthy ones (e.g., exercising, consuming fruit and vegetables) are both relatively prevalent among individuals despite the available information about their risks for health. People’s perception of an event’s time course can be used to gauge their risk perception for that event thus casting light on any possible misperception and suggesting directions for health-promoting interventions. This study investigates people’s perception of the time of onset of 5 noncommunicable diseases (e.g., “having high blood pressure”) associated with 4 health-related behaviors: Smoking, drinking, exercising, and eating fruit and vegetable. Participants from Italy ( N = 214) and the UK ( N = 151) gave onset time estimates of how long they thought it would take for 5 noncommunicable diseases to occur in the life of an 18-year-old person who starts or stops adopting those health-related behaviors. Results showed that participants who rated the noncommunicable diseases as more likely to themselves perceived the onset time of these diseases as more temporally proximal. Participants who were more afraid of developing the noncommunicable diseases estimated their onset time as delayed.
Willingness to communicate in a second language and the promise of complex dynamic systems theory: A narrative review
Authors: Syed Hassan , Memon Shumaila , Chachar Zulfiqar Ali , Zameer Sharique , Shah Tanweer
Published: July 2021

Willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC) is a speaker’s voluntary engagement in communication using a target language. WTC has undergone several conceptualisations over the past twenty years or so. The aim of the current article is to present a narrative review of the major conceptual developments in research on L2 WTC. First, the article discusses the strengths and limitations of the major conceptualizations of L2 WTC, i.e. MacIntyre et al. pyramid model, Wen and Clement Chinese conceptualization, and Kang’s situational model of L2 WTC. Second, the article presents the basic features of the complex dynamic systems theory (CDST) and discusses how it serves as a meta-theory with immense explanatory power to encompass the complex, dynamic and non-linear behaviour of L2 WTC. Finally, corresponding to a CDST construal of L2 WTC, the paper discusses some of the methodological developments and possible directions for future research. The article aims to contribute to language teachers’ and teacher educators’ awareness of the complex and dynamic nature of L2 WTC and provide future researchers with an alternative theoretical framework and corresponding methods to study L2 WTC.
How Leaders of Arm’s Length Agencies Respond to External Threats: A Strategic-Performative Analysis
Authors: Howard Cosmo
Published: July 2021

Researchers have recently shown increasing interest in how leaders of agencies respond to external threats. This article extends Katharine Dommett and Chris Skelcher’s strategic-relational analysis of agency leaders’ responses to exogenous threats. It focuses on the role of dramatic performances and impression management in agencies’ strategic responses. Interviews with senior officials in statistical agencies in Britain and Canada were used to assess the strategic-performative model. Agencies are better able to defend their functions and autonomy when they undertake effective dramatic performances to shape external stakeholders’ impressions. These findings further our understanding of the mechanisms that influence the legitimacy and autonomy of public agencies.
Between entrepreneurs and workers: Cleavages and compromises in rationales and policy solutions regarding ‘dependent contractors’
Authors: Florin Louis , Pichault François
Published: July 2021

The emergence of dependent contractors challenges the existing institutions regarding social protection and labour regulation. This article aims at identifying the political narratives that explain the emergence of New Forms of Employment (NFE) and dependent contracting along with the policy solutions proposed by the social partners at the EU and international level. By analysing policy documents from the social partners through the lens of a qualitative version of the Narrative Policy Framework (NPF), the authors indentify two distinct narratives – ‘devaluation of work’ and ‘entrepreneurship and flexibility’. The authors show how these rationales lead to various policy solutions and identify oppositions and possible compromise.
Mental Health Correlates of Probable Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, Probable Alcohol Use Disorder, and Their Co-Occurrence among Firefighters
Authors: Zegel Maya , Lebeaut Antoine , Healy Nathaniel , Tran Jana K. , Vujanovic Anka A.
Published: July 2021

Firefighters demonstrate high rates of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) and alcohol use disorder (AUD). Research has yet to compare how these diagnoses and their co-occurrence relate to firefighter mental health. This study evaluated trauma load, PTSD, alcohol use, depression, sleep, suicide risk, anger, and occupational stress across four discrete groups of firefighters ( N = 660): (1) trauma-exposed only ( n = 471), (2) probable PTSD-only ( n = 36), (3) probable AUD-only ( n = 125), and (4) probable PTSD-AUD ( n = 28). Firefighters completed an online survey. Firefighters with probable PTSD-AUD demonstrated higher scores on all criterion variables, except trauma load, compared to firefighters with probable AUD-only or trauma-only. Firefighters with probable PTSD-AUD and probable PTSD-only reported similar levels of all indices, except alcohol use severity and suicide risk, which were higher among the probable PTSD-AUD group. Results provide preliminary empirical evidence of the deleterious impact of PTSD-AUD comorbidity among firefighters.
Treatment of hyperammonemia using in-line renal replacement and hyperosmolar therapies within an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation circuit
Authors: Grazioli Alison , Podell Jamie E , Iacono Aldo , Krupnik Alexander Sasha , Madathil Ronson J , Shah Sanjeev R
Published: July 2021

After orthotopic lung transplantation, hyperammonemia can be a rare complication secondary to infection by organisms that produce urease or inhibit the urea cycle. This can cause neurotoxicity, cerebral edema, and seizures. Ammonia is unique in that it has a large volume of distribution. However, it is also readily dialyzable given its small molecular weight. As such, removal of ammonia requires renal replacement modalities that can both rapidly remove ammonia from the plasma space and allow for continuous removal to prevent rebound accumulation from intracellular stores. Prevention of iatrogenic osmotic lowering in this setting is required to prevent worsening of cerebral edema. Herein, we describe use of sequential in-line renal replacement therapy using both intermittent hemodialysis and continuous venovenous hemofiltration within an extracorporeal membrane oxygenation circuit in conjunction with higher sodium dialysate and 7.5% hypertonic saline to achieve these treatment goals.
Local governance and the crisis of water and sanitation provision in medium-sized urban centres: Evidence from three cities in Nigeria
Authors: Samuel Kayode J , Agbola Samuel B , Olojede Olorunfemi A
Published: July 2021

Local governance encompasses the involvement of local governments and other community-based organizations in participatory decision-making for efficient delivery of public services. In the developing world, however, the weakness of the local government and local governance has inhibited the efficient and effective delivery of these services. Relying on water and sanitation data and interviews of relevant officials, this study analyses the structure of governance of water supply and sanitation (WSS) at the community levels in selected medium-sized urban centres in Nigeria. Results showed that majority of the city dwellers lacked access to safe water and sanitation, an indication of convoluted, poorly regulated provision regimes and the waning capacity of local governments to galvanize local actions towards the efficient provision and management of these services at community levels. Multiple provision regimes, weak coordinating and regulatory frameworks characterize WSS governance. Further, the sub-national authorities’ encroachment on local government funds which deprived these tiers of government the resources they could have used in providing these essential services presents a major setback. Local governments require financial and constitutional autonomy to provide basic services to the people and supervise and coordinate the activities of other governmental and non-governmental actors involved in service provision.
Student Anxiety, Preparation, and Learning Framework for Responding to External Crises: The Moderating Role of Self-Efficacy as a Coping Mechanism
Authors: Peltier James W. , Chennamaneni Pavan Rao , Barber Kenyatta N.
Published: July 2021

In response to the Journal of Marketing Education special issue on teaching turmoil and triumphs in times of crisis, we develop and test a student anxiety, preparation and learning framework for responding to external crises. We use structural equation modeling to assess how COVID-19 anxiety impacts classrelated anxiety, class preparation, and class learning, and how these then affect class satisfaction and intent to pursue a sales career. Using three sequential virtual sales competitions, we test our model in the immediate aftermath of the transition from live in-class learning to virtual learning brought on by COVID-19, offering an ideal setting for investigating marketing education in a time of crisis. The findings are unique, and show that how crises are managed impacts the deleterious effects of anxiety on education and learning. While anxiety had the greatest influence on class preparation, class preparation in turn was not related to class learning, class satisfaction, nor intent to pursue a sales career. However, when digital self-efficacy was considered as a moderator, the expected effects of class preparation emerged. Our findings contribute to multiple theoretical contexts, including anxiety, crisis management, self-efficacy, marketing education, and virtual sales role-plays.
Visionary geographies and European Studies
Authors: Bachmann Veit
Published: July 2021

This article discusses the relation between human geography and European Studies and critically questions the role of geography in producing knowledge on ‘Europe’ and shaping debates about it. It lays out how geographic contributions to European Studies can roughly be grouped into three broad categories: Europeanization and economic geographies of integration; urban, regional and spatial planning; and critical (geopolitical) approaches to the European Union. They lack, however, an engagement with future processes of European (dis)integration. This article, thus, offers an approach to visionary geographies that seeks to strengthen both geography’s theoretical input and applied contributions to European Studies.
Remittance-scapes: The contested geographies of remittance management
Authors: Guermond Vincent
Published: July 2021

The management of remittances represents a multi-billion industry that is concerned with how these flows can be tapped into by a wide range of institutional, state and private sector actors. This article advances the concept of remittance-scapes to signal the extensive work that is implicated in constructing remittances as development finance across four relational spaces of remittance management, namely, remittance preproduction-, production-, circulation- and reception-scapes. While human geographers have played a key role in unpacking many of the geographies of remittance management, I argue that thinking of remittances through the -scape provides new theoretical and empirical avenues to researching remittances.
Design of a Truck Appointment System Considering Drayage Scheduling and Stochastic Turn Time
Authors: Torkjazi Mohammad , Huynh Nathan N.
Published: July 2021

This paper develops a truck appointment system (TAS) considering variability in turn time at the container terminals. The consideration of this operational characteristic is crucial for optimal drayage scheduling. The TAS is formulated as a stochastic model and solved using the sample averaging approximation (SAA) algorithm. Using turn time distributions obtained from actual data from a U.S. port, a series of experiments is designed to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed stochastic TAS model compared with the deterministic version where an average turn time is used instead of a distribution. Results of the numerical experiment demonstrate the benefit of the stochastic TAS model given that its drayage cost error was 3.9% lower compared with the deterministic TAS model. This result implies that the schedules produced by the stochastic TAS model are more robust and are able to accommodate a wider range of turn time scenarios. Another key takeaway from the experiment results is that the stochastic TAS model is more beneficial to utilize when the ratio of quotas to requested appointments is lower. Thus, in practice, when this ratio is more likely to be on the lower end, drayage companies would benefit more if the appointment schedule adopts the stochastic approach described in this paper.
Human Resources in Multilevel Service Provision Performance: The Role of Field Offices and Local Organizations
Authors: Bello-Gomez Ricardo A.
Published: July 2021

The public management literature has extensively explored human resources’ (HR) contribution to organizational performance. However, HR approaches are seldom explored when assessing multilevel service provision. This research studies the HR-performance relationship when organizations at different government levels contribute to service provision. Beyond directly engaged local organizations, HR in national organizations’ field offices providing ancillary services may influence local service performance; however, local organizations’ HR levels moderate this contribution. Education in Colombia allows testing this model. While local schools directly provide classroom instruction, a national agency’s (Instituto Colombiano de Bienestar Familiar, ICBF) field offices provide related services. Relative workforce size and educational attainment serve to assess HR of schools and ICBF’s field offices while high school enrollment and dropout rates capture education provision performance. Schools’ HR increase performance and moderate ICBF’s indirect influence, offering evidence for both substitutive and reinforcing relationships between local and national organizations in service provision.
Mirroring Empowerment: Exploring Structural Barriers to Volunteer Motivation Fulfillment in an All-Female Youth Sport Program
Authors: Zanin Alaina C. , Hanna Katrina N. , Martinez Laura V.
Published: July 2021

This study utilizes structuration theory to reveal how volunteer coaches in an all-female youth sport program describe barriers and agency to their organizational mission of athlete empowerment. The dataset in this ethnographic case study comes from volunteer coaching experiences within two youth sport teams. Ethnographic data included field notes from four volunteer coaches, collaborative interviews, archival organizational documents, as well as athlete and parent interviews. A qualitative analysis, informed by structuration theory, revealed specific legitimate, dominant, and symbolic structures that enabled and constrained volunteer and youth athlete empowerment within the teams. The analysis also revealed a process of mirroring empowerment, a novel theoretical concept, which describes how athletes reflected back their own empowerment to empower volunteer coaches. Theoretical and practical implications of the findings are discussed.
Quantification of vertical, lateral, and longitudinal fastener demand in broken spike track: Inputs to mechanistic-empirical design
Authors: Dersch Marcus S , Trizotto Matheus , Edwards J Riley , Oliveira Arthur de
Published: July 2021

To address a recent challenge related to broken spikes in premium elastic fastening systems that have led to at least ten derailments and require manual walking inspections as well as build upon mechanistic-empirical (M-E) design principles for future fastening system component design, this paper quantifies the vertical, lateral, and longitudinal fastening system loads under revenue service traffic in a curve that has regularly experienced spike fastener fatigue failures. Previous data has indicated that the high rail of Track 3 experienced the most failures at this location. The data from this investigation sheds light into why failures are more predominant at this location than others and how the vertical, lateral, and longitudinal loads cannot be considered independently. Specifically, while the magnitude of the applied loading was the lowest on the high rail of Track 3, the threshold for failure was also the lowest given the operations at this location led to unloading of the high rail, thus indirectly highlighting the importance of friction within a fastening system. The data also show the high rail of Track 3 was subjected to the highest L/V load ratios and was an outlier in the typical lateral load reversals applied likely leading to spike stress reversals and thus a shorter fatigue life. Finally, based upon the data, it is recommended that to mitigate spike failures, as well as similar fastener challenges in other track types (e.g. rail seat deterioration, etc.) railroads should ensure trains operate close to the balance speed and use fastening system that transfer loads through friction. This study also provides novel data for M-E design of fastening systems.
Wheel profile optimization procedure to minimize flange wear considering profile wear evolution
Authors: Yamashita Hiroki , Feldmeier Christofer , Yamazaki Yosuke , Kato Takanori , Fujimoto Takahiro , Kondo Osamu , Sugiyama Hiroyuki
Published: July 2021

This study aims to develop a wheel profile optimization procedure to minimize flange wear considering the wear evolution. To this end, the wheel wear simulation capability is integrated into the profile optimization framework such that a total material loss can be minimized under design constraints. This allows for the wear reduction to be maintained over an extended traveling distance, while an optimized profile, minimizing the frictional energy for only the initial profile, would not ensure the optimum performance after the profile wear becomes significant. Furthermore, to enable a balanced mitigation of the profile wear and surface damage, the damage index model is introduced to the weighted objective function, considering profile wear evolution. Using flange wear tests with a scaled roller test rig, wear reduction of the optimized profile is experimentally validated. The wear simulation results agree with the test data. It is demonstrated that the flange wear and tread surface damages are reduced simultaneously over an extended traveling distance using the profile optimization procedure developed in this study.