bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mary’s Slave Song: The Tensions and Turnarounds of Faithfully Reading Doulē in the Magnificat
Authors: Lettsome Raquel S.
Published: December 2020

This article traces the enduring legacy of slavery in the United States and its biblical foundations that create interpretive tension around the Greek words doulos/doulē for readers and translators. Following Clarice Martin’s lead, I advocate for a faithful reading of doulē as “slave” in Luke 1:38, 48 and draw parallels between African-American slave songs and Mary’s Magnificat. I then explicate the tensions inherent in reading Mary as “the slave of the Lord” and “his [God’s] slave” against the socio-historical backdrop of U.S. slavery and explore how Mary’s slave song and narrative depiction by Luke “turns around” Mary’s slave language by reversing Orlando Patterson’s three constituent elements of slavery. When using this model, Luke transforms Mary’s slave language into a homeopathic practice and Mary into the embodiment of an African- American woman’s slave song.
Damage mode and load distribution of countersunk bolted composite joints
Authors: Ge Mingming , Cheng Xiaoquan , Huang Wenjun , Hu Renwei , Cheng Yujia
Published: December 2020

Tensile experiments were conducted with single-bolted and multi-bolted countersunk composite-metal joints. The finite element models with Hashin criteria and modified Camanho degradation law were developed to predict the bearing load and to simulate the failure behavior. The models were validated with the experimental results, including load-displacement curves and composite damage profiles. Based on the verified models, bolt load distributions of multi-bolted joints were calculated and analyzed before and after damage occurs. Results show that composite damages can change the bolt load distributions to a certain extent, which needs to be considered during the structure design. To adjust the bolt load distribution, the effects of joint variables, including bolt-hole clearance, bolt spacing, countersunk height ratio, and bolt stiffness combination, have been studied. It is found that the increase of the pin clearance around the largest bearing bolt would decrease its corresponding bearing load. The countersunk height ratio affects the bolt load distribution difference that a greater ratio leads to a less difference. The bolt spacing and bolt stiffness can also be used to reduce the bolt load distribution difference with elaborately designed combinations.
Applicability of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate) impregnated polyurethane nanoweb as a transmission line for smart textiles
Authors: Cho Hyeon-seon , Jang Eunji , Liu Hang , Cho Gilsoo
Published: December 2020

Smart clothing, which can be manufactured based on smart textiles with electrical conductivity, can be used as a transmission line to transmit signals. The performance of the fabricated textile-based transmission line can be determined by evaluating light-emitting diode consistency. In this study, a textile-based transmission line was fabricated by impregnating two concentrations of poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene): poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT: PSS) to impart the electrical conductivity to a polyurethane (PU) nanoweb. Three conditions of thermal treatment were conducted to decrease the electrical resistance, and the thickness, electrical, surface, and chemical properties were evaluated. The thickness of the specimens tended to decrease at the low concentration, and the thermal treatment temperature increased. The linear resistances decreased from 1580 Ω/cm (PA) to 310.6 Ω/cm (PB120) as the concentration of PEDOT: PSS and thermal treatment temperature increased. Field emission scanning electron microscope images show that the PU nanoweb was uniformly and successfully impregnated with PEDOT: PSS. Raman spectra indicate an effect of the thermal treatment on the structural change of the PEDOT chains, which suggests an electrical resistance change of specimens. As a result, the optimum concentration of the PEDOT: PSS impregnated PU nanoweb as a transmission line for smart textiles is 2.6 wt%, and the thermal treatment temperature is 120℃. The performance of the textile-based transmission line (PB120) according to the length was higher as the length of the specimen was shorter. The highest consistency was 51 lm/m2 (50 mm), and the lowest was 45 lm/m2 (150 mm). Therefore, the PEDOT: PSS/PU nanoweb has applicability and feasibility as a transmission line.
Beyond secularism and religion: Jean-Luc Nancy on global monotheism
Authors: Collins Ashok
Published: December 2020

Known for its recent treatment of theological themes, contemporary European philosophy has been at the forefront of critical inquiry into the interface between religion and secular discourse. One of the most original philosophers within this movement is Jean-Luc Nancy, whose deconstruction of Christianity project frames an intertwining of religion and secular modernity beyond the binary opposition between theism and atheism. In this article, I tease out the hitherto under-acknowledged references to Judaism and Islam within Nancy’s project in order to lay out more clearly his philosophical vision of the contemporary landscape of secular modernity and the place of the three main monotheistic faiths within it. In doing so, I elucidate the original contribution Nancy’s philosophy can make to a rethinking of the debate between secularism and religion more broadly.
Multi-objective optimization for oil-gas production process based on compensation model of comprehensive energy consumption using improved evolutionary algorithm
Authors: Liu Tan , Yuan Qinyun , Wang Lina , Wang Yonggang , Zhang Nannan
Published: December 2020

This paper establishes an error compensation multi-objective optimization model of oil-gas production process for optimizing these production indices, including overall oil production, overall water production and comprehensive energy consumption per ton of oil. In order to reduce the error between the model output and the actual value of comprehensive energy consumption per ton of oil, combining the mechanism model with least squares support vector machine (LS-SVM) error model optimized by Bayesian optimization algorithm (BOA), a hybrid model is established to predict the comprehensive energy consumption, in which the mechanism model is used to describe the overall characteristics of oil-gas production process, and LS-SVM error model is established to compensate the mechanism model error. Then, in order to improve the performance of Pareto non-dominated solutions, an improved non-dominated sorting genetic algorithm-II with multi-strategy improvement (IMS-NSGA-II) is proposed to solve the error compensation multi-objective optimization model. Finally, the effectiveness and superiority of the the proposed optimization method are verified by the experiment results on some stand test problems and the optimization problem for the oil-gas production process in a block of an oil production operation area.
Does Enhanced Conversational Recast promote the learning of grammatical morphemes in Cantonese-speaking preschool children? Answers from a single-case experimental study
Authors: Hau Flora F-W , Wong Anita M-Y , Ng Megan W-Y
Published: December 2020

Enhanced Conversational Recast (ECR) is an input-based grammatical intervention approach developed from research on statistical learning. Recent research reported evidence demonstrating the efficacy of ECR on the learning of grammatically obligatory morphemes in English-speaking preschool children with developmental language disorder (DLD). This single-case experimental design study, which adopted a within-participant design with single baseline and control item, investigated the efficacy of ECR in promoting the learning of aspect markers in four Cantonese-speaking typically-developing preschool children. Two children demonstrated positive outcomes with the progressive aspect marker ‘ gan2’ given 12 ECR training sessions within a mean dosage of 288. One of these children demonstrated statistically significant gains in the percentage of correct use in the probes. The lack of positive outcomes in the other two children on the earlier developing aspect marker ‘ zo2’ and limitations of the study were discussed. With early evidence established in the typically developing children in this study, future research on Cantonese speaking children with DLD can be considered.
Senior Center Service Utilization: Do Social Ties Affect Participation Patterns?
Authors: Keyes Laura , Li Qiwei , Collins Brian , Rivera-Torres Solymar
Published: December 2020

Purpose

A better understanding of service utilization patterns at senior service centers can improve program development and constituent usage

Theory

This research examines whether participation in senior center activities is a function of senior socialization that reinforces and supports existing social ties by selecting specific activities in senior centers.

Methods

A total of 924 participants of senior centers in a municipality in the Southwest were surveyed.

Results

We find that having closer friends influences participation in certain senior center services. We also find that gender, race, ethnicity, and income also explain different usage rates beyond age.

Conclusion

Opportunities to foster social interaction to grow and reduce barriers to participation and market to a broader range of current and potential participants are discussed.
Stagnation point Walter’s-B nanofluid flow over power-law lubricating surface with slip conditions: Hybrid HAM solutions
Authors: Ahmad M , Shehzad SA , Malik J , Taj M
Published: December 2020

Modern bearings used the lubricants having polymer components of larger molecular weight for higher speed and high load operations. These lubricants show rheological activity that is non-Newtonian. Power-law lubricants are commonly used for industrial and bearing lubrication operations. This article is modeled through the slip as interfacial condition to demonstrate the role of power-law lubrication on the stagnation point flow of Walters-B nanofluid. The thermophoretic force and Brownian movement factors are accounted in energy and mass species expressions. The expressions in partial differential forms are constructed for both the base and lubricant fluids. The system is re-structured into ordinary differential expressions by the implication of dimensional analysis. An approximate and numerical scheme namely the hybrid homotopy analysis method is reported to demonstrate the solutions of nonlinear expressions. The behavior of involved constraints on practical quantities is shown and analyzed. The nature of friction factor, thermal and solutal rates at the surface is reported through numeric data. Match of the present solution with previously published data shown better agreement. It can be seen that the slip phenomenon dominates over the free-stream phenomenon. The large values of viscoelastic parameter decay the thermal and solutal fields.
Spaces of Conflict and Conflict of Spaces: Territory and Communal Conflicts in Jos, North Central Nigeria
Authors: Nnabuihe Onyekachi E.
Published: December 2020

Communal violence, one of the deadliest forms of political violence in Africa, has characterised Jos and other central Nigerian cities since the 1990s. With origins in colonial land and administrative policies at the inception of the city, communal tensions rooted in local elite competition over ‘indigeneship’ and entitlement to political and government positions, access to higher education and land rights have manifested more forcefully in contemporary time claiming over 5,000 lives. This article focuses on the relationship between collective identity, struggle for space and collective violence. It explores persistent attachment to territory by urban communal groups and violent conflicts over those territorial stakes. It does so because emerging research has focused on land rights, neglecting how conflicts structure territory—the living space—and how territory, in turn, shapes conflict. Inspired by the motivation versus opportunity framework, it relies on focus groups, interviews, oral history, archival documents and secondary sources to generate data.
Student Perspectives on Educational Helping Instructor–Student Relationships
Authors: Delgado Antonio , McGill Craig M. , Rocco Tonette S.
Published: December 2020

The instructor–student relationship may be understood as an educational helping relationship. Through interviews with 15 participants enrolled in masters or doctoral programs in education, this qualitative study explored graduate students’ perceptions of educational helping instructor–student relationships over the entirety of their higher education experiences. Participants discussed the structuring of instructor–student relationships in terms of perceived level of care and nurture, family as a metaphor for instructor–student relationships, and the quality of class participation. Implications for practice and research are offered.
Viscoelastic behavior of epoxy resin reinforced with shape-memory-alloy wires
Authors: Bagheri Niloufar , Shokrieh Mahmood M , Saeedi Ali
Published: December 2020

The effect of NiTi alloy long wires on the viscoelastic behavior of epoxy resin was investigated by utilizing the dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA) and a novel micromechanical model. The present model is capable of predicting the viscoelastic properties of the shape-memory-alloy (SMA) reinforced polymer as a function of the SMA volume fraction, initial martensite volume fraction, pre-strain level in wires, and the temperature variations. The model was verified by conducting experiments. Good agreement between the theoretical and experimental results was achieved. A parametric study was also performed to investigate the effect of SMA parameters. According to the results, by the addition of a small volume fraction of SMA, the storage modulus of the composite increases significantly, especially at higher temperatures. Moreover, applying a 4% pre-strain caused a 10% increase in the maximum value of the loss factor of the SMA reinforced epoxy in comparison with the 0% pre-strained SMA reinforced epoxy.
Investigating the Effect of a Structured Intervention on the Development of Self-Care Behaviors With Arteriovenous Fistula in Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Sousa Clemente Neves , Paquete Ana Rita Cabral , Teles Paulo , Pinto Cristina Maria Correia Barroso , Dias Vanessa Filipa Ferreira , Ribeiro Olga Maria Pimenta Lopes , Manzini Carlene Souza Silva , Nicole Andressa Garcia , Souza Lara Helk , Ozen Nurten
Published: December 2020

This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of a structured intervention on the frequency of self-care behaviors with arteriovenous fistula (AVF) by patients on hemodialysis. This is a quasi-experimental study with pre- and post-measurements. Participants were assigned to an intervention group (IG) ( n = 48) or to a control group (CG) ( n = 41). IG patients were subject to a structured intervention on self-care with AVF (SISC-AVF) consisting of both a theoretical and a practical part. After SISC-AVF application, patients in the IG showed better overall self-care behaviors with AVF than patients in the CG (79.2% and 91.4%, respectively, p < .001) as well as better self-care concerning both the management of signs and symptoms (90.1% and 94.4% respectively, p = .004) and the prevention of complications (72.7% and 89.5%, respectively, p < .001). The study results suggest that the SISC-AVF had positive effects on patients in the IG.
Retrospective investigation of an association between high-dose buprenorphine and perpetuation of post-anesthesia hyperthermia in cats following ovariohysterectomy
Authors: Cannarozzo Cheyenne J , Kirch Pati , Campoy Luis , Gleed Robin D , Lorenzutti Augusto M , Martin-Flores Manuel
Published: December 2020

Objectives

We evaluated a potential association between the administration of high-dose buprenorphine and perpetuation of hyperthermia in cats following ovariohysterectomy (OVH). We hypothesized that buprenorphine 0.24 mg/kg subcutaneously (SC) would result in longer-lasting postoperative hyperthermia in cats vs a group receiving morphine 0.1 mg/kg SC.

Methods

Anesthetic records from cats admitted for OVH as part of surgical exercises for second year veterinary medicine students in 2018 and 2019 were collected. All cats were sedated with dexmedetomidine 20 µg/kg and morphine 0.1 mg/kg intramuscularly. Anesthesia was induced with propofol and maintained with isoflurane in oxygen. At extubation, cats received morphine 0.1 mg/kg SC in 2018 and buprenorphine 0.24 mg/kg SC in 2019. Temperature was measured rectally prior to sedation, esophageally during anesthesia and rectally at 1, 4 and 16–20 h after extubation. Demographic data and temperature prior to administration of postoperative opioids were compared with t-tests. The effects of treatment (opioids) and time on postoperative rectal temperature and on the incidence of hyperthermia (temperature >39.2°C) were evaluated with mixed and generalized linear mixed-effect models. Significance was set at P <0.05.

Results

There were no differences in demographic characteristics between treatment groups (all P ⩾0.2). Intraoperative esophageal temperature was lower in cats scheduled to receive morphine (mean ± SD 36.6 ± 0.2) than in those receiving buprenorphine (36.9 ± 1.0) ( P <0.0001). Postoperative temperature was higher for cats receiving buprenorphine than for those receiving morphine ( P <0.0001). The incidence of hyperthermia 16–20 h after opioid administration was 56% for morphine and 73% for buprenorphine ( P = 0.03).

Conclusions and relevance

Buprenorphine 0.24 mg/kg SC for postoperative analgesia in cats was associated with hyperthermia that persisted for 16–20 h after administration, and the incidence of hyperthermia for this group was higher than in the cats that received morphine 0.1 mg/kg SC.
Serpiginous choroiditis presenting after SARS-CoV-2 infection: A new immunological trigger?
Authors: Providência Joana , Fonseca Cristina , Henriques Filipe , Proença Rui
Published: December 2020

Introduction:

To report the first case of a serpiginous choroiditis presenting after SARS-CoV-2 infection in a previously healthy young woman.

Case description:

A 41-year-old woman reported blurry vision OS 1 month after a mild SARS-CoV-2 infection. Left eye fundus examination revealed multiple peripapillary atrophic lesions, adjacent to a larger diffuse, ill-defined, yellow-whitish deep amoeboid-like patch, involving the peripapillary region and extending temporally to the fovea. Multimodal imaging including fluorescein angiography, indocyanine-green angiography, fundus autofluorescence and optical coherence tomography was consistent with serpiginous choroiditis. A complete systemic work-up was performed to exclude potential infectious or inflammatory etiologies. The active choroidal lesions responded to high dose corticosteroids, with functional improvement. Immunomodulatory therapy with methotrexate was initiated for long-term management.

Conclusion:

Serpiginous choroiditis is a rare but important sight-threatening condition that has been previously associated to viral infections, which seem to have a role in the induction and/or perpetuation of choroidal inflammation. SARS-CoV-2 infection appears to have played a role as a possible trigger for intraocular inflammation in this case. Therefore, COVID-19 patients reporting visual symptoms should be carefully evaluated in order to obtain adequate ophthalmological management to avoid irreversible visual damage.
Media Framing of Disability and Employment in Japan: Traditional and Progressive Approaches
Authors: Shek-Noble Liz
Published: December 2020

In this article, I undertake a qualitative, comparative content analysis of 14 news stories from 6 online English-language news sources from Japan during September 2018–2019. Using a constructivist grounded theory approach (Charmaz, 1995, Rethinking methods in psychology, SAGE Publications, pp. 27–65; Charmaz, 2000, Handbook of qualitative research (2nd ed.), SAGE Publications, pp. 509–535; Charmaz, 2015, International Encyclopedia of the social & behavioral sciences (2nd ed.), ScienceDirect, pp. 6396–6399) in which I simultaneously collected and analysed the news stories, I identify three themes or ‘frames’ of disability present in Japanese media about disabled people and their capacity for societal integration through employment. My analysis is theoretically significant in showing how news media in Japan frames stories about disabled people in both traditionally ableist and progressive ways. My findings indicate that some news stories construct disability as tantamount to unproductivity, while others perceive disabled workers as valuable contributors to the country’s labour force. This article will be of theoretical interest to media disability scholars seeking to understand how Clogston’s (1990, Disability coverage in 16 newspapers, The Advocado Press) and Haller’s (1995) models of disability can be applied to the Japanese context. This article will also be of general interest to communication scholars conscious of framing theory, which contends that mass media determines what is salient or ‘newsworthy’ about a story based on how visuals, information and images are selected and presented to audiences.
Mechanical performance of CFRP enclosed reinforced concrete beams by different shear reinforcement
Authors: Cao Qi , Bao Jiadong , Zhou Changjun , Lv Xianrui
Published: December 2020

This paper aims to study the flexural behavior of CFRP enclosed reinforced concrete beams with different shear reinforcement. Four-point bending tests were carried out on six concrete beams with different contents of steel fibers (0.5%, 1.0%, and 1.5%) as well as six beams with different stirrup spacing (100 mm, 150 mm, and 300 mm) without fiber. The effect of steel fiber (SF) content as well as stirrup spacing on flexural properties of concrete beams were investigated. Meanwhile, the effect of expansive agent on the properties of specimens was also studied. The data collected in this test include cracking load, ultimate load, mid-span deflection, strain of CFRP (Carbon fiber reinforced polymer), strain of longitudinal steel reinforcement as well as the failure modes. Test results show that both cracking loads and ultimate loads of the SF reinforced beam specimens are generally higher than those of the corresponding stirrup reinforced beam specimens. Experimental results also indicate that the addition of SF can improve the ductility and cracking resistance of specimens. This therefore demonstrates that it is feasible to replace stirrup reinforcement with SF as shear reinforcement. In addition, it exhibits a good agreement between experimental results and analytical predictions in cracking loads and ultimate loads.
Assessment of the numerical and experimental methodology to predict EGR cylinder-to-cylinder dispersion and pollutant emissions
Authors: Galindo José , Climent Héctor , Navarro Roberto , García-Olivas Guillermo
Published: December 2020

EGR cylinder-to-cylinder dispersion poses an important issue for piston engines, since it increases NOx and particulate matter (PM) emissions. In this work, the EGR distribution on a 6-cylinder intake manifold is analyzed by means of experiments, 0D/1D engine modeling and 3D CFD simulations at three different working points. Using a comprehensive set of measurements, statistical regressions for NOx and PM emissions are developed and employed to quantify the sensitivity of numerical configuration to EGR dispersion and subsequent increase of pollutants. CFD mesh and time-step size independence studies are conducted, taking into account their interrelation through the Courant number. The obtained numerical configuration is validated against experimental measurements, considering different unsteady RANS turbulence submodels ([Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]) as well as the inviscid case. The agreement of the different approaches is quite sensitive to the operating conditions, obtaining root mean square errors for the average cylinder-to-cylinder EGR distribution between 1% and 17% and for the transient [Formula: see text] traces between 8% and 29%. However, for the worst-case scenario, the error in NOx and PM emissions prediction is below 2%. The regressions are employed to find a greater EGR distribution impact on pollutants when EGR rate or dispersion are increased. Flow investigation reveals the underlying reasons for the discrepancies and similarities between the predictions of the different turbulence submodels. A statistical analysis shows the significant errors that average [Formula: see text] probes make when assessing EGR cylinder-to-cylinder distribution, which is explain by the flow heterogeneity at some operating conditions.
Adoption return trips: Family tourism and the social meanings of money
Authors: Gustafsson Johanna
Published: December 2020

Through a focus on the planning and making of family adoption return trips, this paper explores how the social meanings of money are entangled with family-making practices and family holidays. Adoption return trips are a global phenomenon, and travel agencies offer tailored adoption return-trip packages marketed as a type of family tourism. The new trend towards conducting adoption return trips as a family when children are still young is growing and has implications for families’ finances because return trips are expensive endeavours. Still, families prioritise these trips, raising them above purely economic values so they stand out as ‘priceless’. The empirical material consists of interviews with 10 Swedish transnational adoptive families. The analyses show that family adoption return trips, despite their original features, are yet one more way of doing family holidaying. Money becomes an important contribution for understanding how family life is being done in and through parental, child and family-holiday ideals, as well as family intimacy.
Moral distress and intention to leave intensive care units: A correlational study
Authors: Naboureh Abbas , Imanipour Masoomeh , Salehi Tahmine
Published: December 2020

Moral distress is a fundamental problem in the nursing profession that affects nurses. Critical care nurses are more susceptible to this problem due to the nature of their work. Moral distress may, in turn, lead to several undesirable consequences. This study aimed to determine the relationship between moral distress and intention to leave the ward among critical care nurses. This descriptive-correlational study was conducted by census method on all eligible nurses who worked in Coronary Care Unit (CCU) and Intensive Care Unit (ICU) of AhVaz hospitals, Iran. Data was collected by Corley’s moral distress questionnaire and a researcher-made questionnaire to investigate the intention to leave the ward. Questionnaires were completed through self-report and data were analyzed using a t-test and Pearson correlation coefficient. The results showed that there was a direct association between moral distress and intension to leave the ward in critical care nurses (P < 0.05). Also, the intensity of moral distress (P = 0.03) and the intention to leave the ward (P = 0.007) were significantly higher in ICU nurses. Given the high exposure of critical care nurses with moral distress and its association with leaving the ward, it seems that devising strategies to reduce or control moral distress and its negative consequences are necessary, particularly in ICU nurses.
Classifying Crohn’s disease into colon-involving versus non-colon-involving groups is a better predictor of clinical outcomes than the Montreal classification
Authors: Lin Si-Nan , Zheng Dan-Ping , Qiu Yun , Zhang Sheng-Hong , He Yao , Chen Bai-Li , Zeng Zhi-Rong , Mao Ren , Chen Min-Hu
Published: December 2020

Background:

A suitable disease classification is essential for individualized therapy in patients with Crohn’s disease (CD). Although a potential mechanistic classification of colon-involving and non-colon-involving disease was suggested by recent genetic and microbiota studies, the clinical implication has seldom been investigated. We aimed to explore the association of this colonic-based classification with clinical outcomes in patients with CD compared with the Montreal classification.

Methods:

This was a retrospective study of CD patients from a tertiary referral center. Patients were categorized into colon-involving and non-colon-involving disease, and according to the Montreal classification. Clinico-demographic data, medications, and surgeries were compared between the two classifications. The primary outcome was the need for major abdominal surgery.

Results:

Of 934 patients, those with colonic involvement had an earlier median (interquartile range) age of onset [23.0 (17.0–30.0) versus 26.0 (19.0–35.0) years, p = 0.001], higher frequency of perianal lesions (31.2% versus 14.5%, p < 0.001) and extraintestinal manifestations (21.8% versus 14.5%, p = 0.010), but lower frequency of stricture (B2) (16.3% versus 24.0%, p = 0.005), than those with non-colon-involving disease. Colon-involving disease was a protective factor against major abdominal surgery [hazard ratio, 0.689; 95% confidence interval (CI), 0.481–0.985; p = 0.041]. However, patients with colon-involving CD were more prone to steroids [odds ratio (OR), 1.793; 95% CI, 1.206–2.666; p = 0.004] and azathioprine/6-mercaptopurine (AZA/6-MP) treatment (OR, 1.732; 95% CI, 1.103–2.719; p = 0.017) than were patients with non-colon-involving disease. The Montreal classification was not predictive of surgery or steroids and AZA/6-MP treatment.

Conclusion:

This study supports the rationale for disease classification based on the involvement of colon. This new classification of CD is a better predictor of clinical outcomes than the Montreal classification.
Phytochemical Study on the Essential Oils of Tarragon (Аrtemisia dracunculus L.) Growing in Tajikistan and Its Comparison With the Essential Oil of the Species in the Rest of the World
Authors: Sharopov Farukh S. , Salimov Aminjon , Numonov Sodik , Bakri Mahinur , Sangov Zafar , Habasi Maidina , Aisa Haji Akber , Setzer William N.
Published: December 2020

The aerial parts of the tarragon ( Artemisia dracunculus) were collected around Kukteppa village, Ziddi, Varzob region of Tajikistan. The essential oil of tarragon was obtained by hydrodistillation and analyzed by gas chromatography-mass spectrometry. Forty-five compounds representing 99.8% of total oil were identified. Sabinene (29.1%), estragole (24.6%), limonene (7.8%), ( Z)-artemidin (4.9%), myrcene (4.8%), and ( E)-β-ocimene (4.0%) were components with a representation higher than 4% of the essential oils of aerial parts of tarragon. Hierarchical cluster analysis of А. dracunculus essential oils on the global phytogeographic origin based on 30 essential oil components and 105 samples (globally) of this species, indicated the existence of its 7 major chemotypes: ocimene, α-terpinene, capillene, methyl eugenol, mixed chemotype, ( Z)-artemidin, and estragol chemotypes. The essential oils of А. dracunculus showed weak antioxidant and antibacterial activities. To our best knowledge, this is the first report concerning the chemical composition, chemotypic variation, antioxidant, and antimicrobial activities of the essential oils obtained from the aerial parts of А. dracunculus, growing wild in the Varzob region of Tajikistan.
Clinical Electroencephalography Findings and Considerations in Hospitalized Patients With Coronavirus SARS-CoV-2
Authors: Ayub Neishay , Cohen Joseph , Jing Jin , Jain Aayushee , Tesh Ryan , Mukerji Shibani S. , Zafar Sahar F. , Westover M. Brandon , Kimchi Eyal Y.
Published: December 2020

Background and Purpose:

Reports have suggested that severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) causes neurologic manifestations including encephalopathy and seizures. However, there has been relatively limited electrophysiology data to contextualize these specific concerns and to understand their associated clinical factors. Our objective was to identify EEG abnormalities present in patients with SARS-CoV-2, and to determine whether they reflect new or preexisting brain pathology.

Methods:

We studied a consecutive series of hospitalized patients with SARS-CoV-2 who received an EEG, obtained using tailored safety protocols. Data from EEG reports and clinical records were analyzed to identify EEG abnormalities and possible clinical associations, including neurologic symptoms, new or preexisting brain pathology, and sedation practices.

Results:

We identified 37 patients with SARS-CoV-2 who underwent EEG, of whom 14 had epileptiform findings (38%). Patients with epileptiform findings were more likely to have preexisting brain pathology (6/14, 43%) than patients without epileptiform findings (2/23, 9%; p = 0.042). There were no clear differences in rates of acute brain pathology. One case of nonconvulsive status epilepticus was captured, but was not clearly a direct consequence of SARS-CoV-2. Abnormalities of background rhythms were common, as may be seen in systemic illness, and in part associated with recent sedation (p = 0.022).

Conclusions:

Epileptiform abnormalities were common in patients with SARS-CoV-2 referred for EEG, but particularly in the context of preexisting brain pathology and sedation. These findings suggest that neurologic manifestations during SARS-CoV-2 infection may not solely relate to the infection itself, but rather may also reflect patients’ broader, preexisting neurologic vulnerabilities.
From Statehood to School Desegregation: Racial Disparities in the Public Education of Mississippi, 1817–1969
Authors: Dixon LaTanya L.
Published: December 2020

On this 50th-year anniversary of Alexander v. Holmes Board of Education (1969) nationally enforcing school desegregation in fall 1970, Mississippi is being sued for racial disparities in public education between Black students and White students in Williams et al. v. Bryant et al. (2017). Using quantitative and qualitative primary sources, I investigate the extent to which Mississippi administered racial disparities in public education between Black students and White students from its statehood in 1817 through school desegregation. The data show many racial disparities such as a $242 million difference in expenditures for 14 years and the school attrition of more than 1 million Black students, over a 17-year period, of which over 730,000 of those students left school after first grade. In the conclusion, I offer three recommendations for how Mississippi can take present-day responsibility for these racial disparities in public education.
Associations of the gut microbiome and clinical factors with acute GVHD in allogeneic HSCT recipients
Authors: Ilett Emma E. , Jørgensen Mette , Noguera-Julian Marc , Nørgaard Jens Christian , Daugaard Gedske , Helleberg Marie , Paredes Roger , Murray Daniel D. , Lundgren Jens , MacPherson Cameron , Reekie Joanne , Sengeløv Henrik
Published: December 2020

Acute graft-versus-host disease (aGVHD) is a leading cause of transplantation-related mortality after allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (aHSCT). 16S ribosomal RNA (16S rRNA) gene-based studies have reported that lower gut bacterial diversity and the relative abundance of certain bacteria after aHSCT are associated with aGVHD. Using shotgun metagenomic sequencing and a large cohort, we aimed to confirm and extend these observations. Adult aHSCT recipients with stool samples collected from day −30 to day 100 relative to aHSCT were included. One sample was selected per patient per period (pre-aHSCT (day −30 to day 0), early post-aHSCT (day 1 to day 28), and late post-aHSCT (day 29 to day 100)), resulting in 150 aHSCT recipients and 259 samples. Microbial and clinical factors were tested for differences between time periods and an association with subsequent aGVHD. Patients showed a decline in gut bacterial diversity posttransplant, with several patients developing a dominance of Enterococcus. A total of 36 recipients developed aGVHD at a median of 34 days (interquartile range, 26-50 days) post-aHSCT. Lower microbial gene richness (P = .02), a lower abundance of the genus Blautia (P = .05), and a lower abundance of Akkermansia muciniphila (P = .01) early post-aHSCT was observed in those who developed aGVHD. Myeloablative conditioning was associated with aGVHD along with a reduction in gene richness and abundance of Blautia and A muciniphila. These results confirm low diversity and Blautia being associated with aGVHD. Crucially, we add that pretransplant conditioning is associated with changes in gut microbiota. Investigations are warranted to determine the interplay of gut microbiota and conditioning in the development of aGVHD.
Late-onset and long-lasting autoimmune neutropenia: an analysis from the Italian Neutropenia Registry
Authors: Fioredda Francesca , Rotulo Gioacchino Andrea , Farruggia Piero , Dagliano Francesca , Pillon Marta , Trizzino Angela , Notarangelo Lucia , Luti Laura , Lanza Tiziana , Terranova Paola , Lanciotti Marina , Ceccherini Isabella , Grossi Alice , Porretti Laura , Verzegnassi Federico , Mastrodicasa Elena , Barone Angelica , Russo Giovanna , Bonanomi Sonia , Boscarol Gianluca , Finocchi Andrea , Veltroni Marinella , Ramenghi Ugo , Onofrillo Daniela , Martire Baldassare , Ghilardi Roberta , Giordano Paola , Ladogana Saverio , Marra Nicoletta , Zanardi Sabrina , Beier Fabian , Miano Maurizio , Dufour Carlo
Published: December 2020

Primary autoimmune neutropenia (pAN) is typified by onset in early infancy and a mild/moderate phenotype that resolves within 3 years of diagnosis. In contrast, secondary AN is classically an adult disease associated with malignancy, autoimmunity, immunodeficiency, viral infection, or drugs. This study describes a cohort of 79 children from the Italian Registry who, although resembling pAN, did not fully match the criteria for pAN because neutropenia either appeared after age 5 years (LO-Np) or lasted longer than 3 years (LL-Np). These 2 categories compared with classical pAN showed a far inferior rate of resolution (P < .001), lower severity of neutropenia (P = .03), leukopenia (P < .001), lymphopenia (P < .001) with low B+ (P = .001), increased need of granulocyte colony-stimulating factor (P = .04), and increased frequency of autoimmunity over the disease course (P < .001). A paired comparison between LO-Np and LL-Np suggested that LO-Np had a lower rate of resolution (P < .001) and lower white blood cell (P < .001) and lymphocyte (P < .001) values, higher occurrence of apthae (P = .008), and a stronger association with autoimmune diseases/markers (P = .001) than LL-Np, thus suggesting a more pronounced autoimmune signature for LO-Np. A next-generation sequencing panel applied in a small subgroup of LO-Np and LL-Np patients identified variants related to immune dysregulations. Overall, these findings indicate that there are important differences among pAN LL-Np and LO-Np. Forms rising after 3 years of age, with low tendency to resolution, require tight monitoring and extensive immune investigations aimed to early identify underlying immunologic disease.
Long-term remission in multiply relapsed enteropathy-associated T-cell lymphoma following CD30 CAR T-cell therapy
Authors: Voorhees Timothy J. , Ghosh Nilanjan , Grover Natalie , Block Jared , Cheng Catherine , Morrison Kaitlin , Ivanova Anastasia , Dotti Gianpietro , Serody Jonathan , Savoldo Barbara , Beaven Anne W.
Published: December 2020

Key Points

CD30 CAR T-cell therapy promoted a prolonged remission in a patient with multiply relapsed EATL.
Determining the recommended dose of pacritinib: results from the PAC203 dose-finding trial in advanced myelofibrosis
Authors: Gerds Aaron T. , Savona Michael R. , Scott Bart L. , Talpaz Moshe , Egyed Miklos , Harrison Claire N. , Yacoub Abdulraheem , Vannucchi Alessandro , Mead Adam J. , Kiladjian Jean-Jacques , O’Sullivan Jennifer , García-Gutiérrez Valentin , Bose Prithviraj , Rampal Raajit K. , Miller Carole B. , Palmer Jeanne , Oh Stephen T. , Buckley Sarah A. , Mould Diane R. , Ito Kaori , Tyavanagimatt Shanthakumar , Smith Jennifer A. , Roman-Torres Karisse , Devineni Sri , Craig Adam R. , Mascarenhas John O.
Published: December 2020

PAC203 is a randomized dose-finding study of pacritinib, an oral JAK2/IRAK1 inhibitor, in patients with advanced myelofibrosis who are intolerant of or resistant to ruxolitinib. Patients were randomized 1:1:1 to pacritinib 100 mg once per day, 100 mg twice per day, or 200 mg twice per day. Enhanced eligibility criteria, monitoring, and dose modifications were implemented to mitigate risk of cardiac and hemorrhagic events. Efficacy was based on ≥35% spleen volume response (SVR) and ≥50% reduction in the 7-component total symptom score (TSS) through week 24. Of 161 patients, 73% were intolerant of and 76% had become resistant to ruxolitinib; 50% met criteria for both. Severe thrombocytopenia (platelet count <50 × 103/μL) was present in 44%. SVR rates were highest with 200 mg twice per day (100 mg once per day, 0%; 100 mg twice per day, 1.8%; 200 mg twice per day, 9.3%), particularly among patients with baseline platelet counts <50 × 103/μL (17%; 4 of 24). Although TSS response rate was similar across doses (100 mg once per day, 7.7%; 100 mg twice per day, 7.3%; 200 mg twice per day, 7.4%), median percent reduction in TSS suggested a dose-response relationship (–3%, −16%, and −27%, respectively). Pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic modeling based on all available data showed greatest SVR and TSS reduction at 200 mg twice per day compared with lower doses. Common adverse events were gastrointestinal events, thrombocytopenia, and anemia. There was no excess of grade ≥3 hemorrhagic or cardiac events at 200 mg twice per day. Pacritinib 200 mg twice per day demonstrated clinical activity and an acceptable safety profile and was selected as the recommended dose for a pivotal phase 3 study in patients with myelofibrosis and severe thrombocytopenia. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials.gov as #NCT03165734.
The effect of red blood cell transfusion on fatigability after hospital discharge
Authors: Prochaska Micah T. , Zhang Hui , Babajide Rilwan , Meltzer David O.
Published: December 2020

In patients with anemia, there is interest in understanding the impact of red blood cell (RBC) transfusion on patient-reported outcomes such as fatigue. However, data from previous studies are mixed as to whether transfusion improves fatigue. One explanation for this is that prior studies have not examined whether changes in fatigue from transfusion may also affect patient activity levels. This is important because if transfusion reduces fatigue, patients may become more active, which could increase their fatigue. Thus, testing whether transfusion affects patients’ fatigability, a measure of fatigue in the context of activity, may be more useful than testing the effect of transfusion on fatigue alone. The objective of this study was to test the effect of transfusion during hospitalization on patients’ fatigability 7 days postdischarge. This prospective observational study included hospitalized general medicine patients with hemoglobin levels <10 g/dL. Patient-reported fatigability was collected during hospitalization and by telephone 7 days after discharge. Multivariable linear regression was used to test the association between receipt of a transfusion and fatigability 7 days postdischarge. Among the 350 patients participating, larger reductions in fatigability were observed with more transfused RBCs. Receipt of 1 U of RBCs was associated with a smaller reduction in fatigability, whereas receipt of 2 to 3 U of RBCs was associated with reductions in fatigability nearly 1 standard deviation from baseline and 3 times greater than patients receiving 1 U of RBCs. In hospitalized patients with anemia, receipt of a transfusion is associated with reductions in fatigability 7 days after hospital discharge.
C(h)AR-ting a new course in incurable lymphomas: CAR T cells for mantle cell and follicular lymphomas
Authors: Jacobson Caron A. , Maus Marcela V.
Published: December 2020

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy targeting CD19 has transformed the natural history of relapsed and refractory B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia and aggressive B-cell non-Hodgkin lymphoma. Based on these results, CD19 CAR T cells have since been tested in largely incurable lymphomas, including mantle cell lymphoma, follicular lymphoma, and marginal zone lymphoma, with promising early results that raise the question of whether this cellular immunotherapy could have curative potential and change the natural history of these diseases. This article reviews these results and this hypothesis.
Vagal afferent fibers contribute to the anti-inflammatory reactions by vagus nerve stimulation in concanavalin A model of hepatitis in rats
Authors: Jo Byung Gon , Kim Seung-Hyung , Namgung Uk
Published: December 2020

Background

Increasing number of studies provide evidence that the vagus nerve stimulation (VNS) dampens inflammation in peripheral visceral organs. However, the effects of afferent fibers of the vagus nerve (AFVN) on anti-inflammation have not been clearly defined. Here, we investigate whether AFVN are involved in VNS-mediated regulation of hepatic production of proinflammatory cytokines.

Methods

An animal model of hepatitis was generated by intraperitoneal (i.p.) injection of concanavalin A (ConA) into rats, and electrical stimulation was given to the hepatic branch of the vagus nerve. AFVN activity was regulated by administration of capsaicin (CAP) or AP-5/CNQX and the vagotomy at the hepatic branch of the vagus nerve (hVNX). mRNA and protein expression in target tissues was analyzed by RT-PCR, real-time PCR, western blotting and immunofluorescence staining. Hepatic immune cells were analyzed by flow cytometry.

Results

TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 mRNAs and proteins that were induced by ConA in the liver macrophages were significantly reduced by the electrical stimulation of the hepatic branch of the vagus nerve (hVNS). Alanine transaminase (ALT) and aspartate transaminase (AST) levels in serum and the number of hepatic CD4+and CD8+T cells were increased by ConA injection and downregulated by hVNS. CAP treatment deteriorated transient receptor potential vanilloid 1 (TRPV1)-positive neurons and increased caspase-3 signals in nodose ganglion (NG) neurons. Concomitantly, CAP suppressed choline acetyltransferase (ChAT) expression that was induced by hVNS in DMV neurons of ConA-injected animals. Furthermore, hVNS-mediated downregulation of TNF-α, IL-1β, and IL-6 expression was hampered by CAP treatment and similarly regulated by hVNX and AP-5/CNQX inhibition of vagal feedback loop pathway in the brainstem. hVNS elevated the levels of α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7 nAChR) and phospho-STAT3 (Tyr705; pY-STAT3) in the liver, and inhibition of AFVN activity by CAP, AP-5/CNQX and hVNX or the pharmacological blockade of hepatic α7 nAChR decreased STAT3 phosphorylation.

Conclusions

Our data indicate that the activity of AFVN contributes to hepatic anti-inflammatory responses mediated by hVNS in ConA model of hepatitis in rats.
Broadband THz Absorption of Microbolometer Array Integrated with Split-Ring Resonators
Authors: Fan Shuming , Gou Jun , Niu Qingchen , Xie Zheyuan , Wang Jun
Published: December 2020

In this paper, a periodic structure based on metallic split-ring resonators is integrated into micro-bridge structures of THz microbolometer array to achieve high THz wave absorption in a wide frequency range. With a small unit size of 35 μm × 35 μm, the effect of split-ring structure on THz wave absorption characteristics of the multilayer structure array is studied to manipulate the resonance absorption frequencies. The absorption bandwidth is effectively increased by integrating a combined structure of split-ring and metallic disk. Broadband THz absorption is formed by coupling the absorption peaks of different structures. The periodic structure of dual-ring combined with a metallic disk provides a broadband THz wave absorption in the range of 4–7 THz. The highest absorption in the band reaches 90% and the lowest absorption is higher than 40%. The designed structure is process-compatible and easy to implement for small-pixel THz microbolometers with high absorption in a wide spectrum range. The research provides a scheme for broadband THz sensing and real-time imaging at room temperature.