bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
9. The Accountant’s M&A Cookbook
Authors: Meeks Geoff , Meeks J. Gay
Published: June 2022

When outsiders do not enjoy access to the same information as the insiders, executives of would-be acquirers can engineer a higher share price by creative accounting. And, once again, the overvalued shares can be exchanged for the target’s shares on favourable terms, making it attractive to secure an acquisition which offers no operating gains. The same outcome may be achieved by issuing biased earnings forecasts of post-merger earnings – to inflate the price of shares offered in exchange for the target. Once the deal has been agreed, the accounting procedures for combining the accounts of the two firms have offered rich opportunities to flatter the earnings reported post-merger. At the end of the process, if the merger fails badly, accounting regulations often leave sufficient flexibility for the CEO who led the merger to conceal the damage, or for his successor to exaggerate it. The chapter explains how manipulation may go undetected at the time by shareholders. Along with Appendix 2 it gives illustrations of devices in action in major companies. And it reports statistical evidence on earnings management, earnings forecasts, and their impact on share prices.
Unfolding the Impact of COVID-19 on Reverse Migrants in Uttar Pradesh
Authors: Maiti Susobhan , Sharma Disha , Gupta Tanushree
Published: June 2022

Reverse migration was the trending issue in several news articles and channels during the pandemic. The authors attempt to investigate migrants’ sensitivity during COVID-19. Reverse migrants are sensitive to crucial aspects that bother them during their reverse migration such as mental stress, social issues, transportation issues, job loss, and income loss. The Government of India launched several initiatives to help the reverse migrants, but it is not reaching the migrant people adequately. Hence, in this article, authors critically analyzed the Indian Government’s commitment to the post-return situation and sensitivity toward the rural reverse migrants.
Maoist Miniatures: The Proletarian Everyday, Visual Remediation, and the Politics of Revolutionary Form
Authors: Kindler Benjamin
Published: June 2022

Across an extended historical arc, Chinese writers and theorists were invested in new, short literary forms that would be able to intervene in the reorganization of social relations. These forms occurred under a range of names during the twentieth century—the wall story 墙头小说, the short short story 小小说, and the microstory 微型小说—but consistently marked a series of avant-garde experiments concerned with locating an alternative to the long-form novel. This article examines this history from its emergence amid the international proletarian movement of the 1930s, through the Great Leap Forward, and on to the early reform period, and does so through the theoretical lens of the everyday 日常生活 and the relation between literary texts and visual media. It demonstrates how the deployment of these forms shifted from an attempt to remake everyday life to their assimilation to a discourse of modernization in the reform period.
Exploring UTA Effectiveness: Leveraging Undergraduate Teaching Assistants for Student Learning and Help-Seeking
Authors: Driver Persis , Caldwell Tracy L. , Grunert Lance
Published: June 2022

Background

Undergraduate teaching assistants (UTAs) are associated with increased student performance and belongingness. Yet, when given a choice, not all students leverage UTA-facilitated opportunities equally.

Objective

This study explores motivational and contextual factors that underlie individual differences in students’ willingness to attend UTA facilitated supplemental workshops and the impact of such engagement on their achievement.

Method

Undergraduates ( N = 112) in research and statistics courses completed measures of help-seeking, social fit, and expectancy value three times across the semester. Responses were compared to students’ attendance records, exam scores, and open-ended responses evaluating benefits and challenges of working with UTAs.

Results

Given the choice, a majority of students chose to attend workshops and consistent participation was positively correlated with exam performance. Yet help-seeking intentions, social fit, value beliefs, and perceived obstacles rather than incentives or perceived costs explained individual differences in workshop participation itself.

Conclusion

UTAs can improve peer’s achievement but simply providing students with opportunities to interact with UTAs is inadequate. Scaffolding active participation in UTA-led workshops requires addressing students’ motivational orientations.

Teaching Implications

To improve participation in peer-led opportunities, UTAs and faculty must generate an integrated model emphasizing value, normalizing help-seeking, and working to remove barriers.
The EU Urban Partnership on Inclusion: Institutionalizing Local–Supranational Integration Governance
Authors: Stürner-Siovitz Janina , Heimann Christiane
Published: June 2022

In times when immigrant integration is considered both a highly salient political topic and a practical challenge by local, national, and European decision-makers, an analysis of the governance approach developed by the European Union (EU) Urban Partnership on Inclusion of Migrants and Refugees opens up new opportunities to advance research on migration studies’ “local turn.” In this IMR Dispatch from the Field, we argue that exploring the joint local-EU agenda-setting and cooperation in the Urban Partnership on Inclusion can refine understandings of multilevel governance. We argue that what is intriguing about the Urban Partnership on Inclusion for migration scholars is the institutionalization of local–supranational cooperation within an existing intergovernmental EU structure as a way to advance multilevel governance, even when the national level remains passive. Demonstrating the ways in which the Urban Partnership on Inclusion differs from city networks focused on questions of migration and integration, we show that the Urban Partnership on Inclusion offers a common structure to EU institutions and local authorities to coordinate agendas and actions, both from the local level upward and from the EU level downward while aiming to find ways around national passivity. Paying closer attention to such forms of institutionalized local–supranational governance developing within state-led structures, we suggest, can advance migration research and shed light on emerging local–supranational governance arrangements both at the European and the international levels.
Incidence and risk factors of postoperative nausea and vomiting in lung cancer patients following lobectomy and application of analgesic pumps
Authors: Wu Suwen , Gan Chune , Huang Xiaoling , Jiang Dongping , Xu Ye , Liao Yixia , Ma Fen , Hong Yutong , Duan Hao , Lin Peng
Published: June 2022

Objective

To investigate the occurrence rate and risk factors of postoperative nausea and vomiting (PONV) in lung cancer patients following lobectomy and application of analgesic pumps.

Methods

This retrospective study reviewed clinical data from patients that had undergone lobectomy for lung cancer under general anaesthesia. The risk factors of PONV were analysed using binary logistic regression models.

Results

A total of 203 patients (97 females) were enrolled. The rate of PONV was 29.6% (60 of 203 patients) for all patients, 42.3% (41 of 97 patients) for female patients and 17.9% (19 of 106 patients) for male patients. Female patients undergoing thoracotomy (odds ratio [OR] 7.770, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.747, 34.568) or having surgery durations ≥120 min (OR 4.493, 95% CI 1.502, 12.851) were significantly more susceptible to PONV. The risk of PONV in female patients that received postoperative dolasetron (100 mg, once a day) was significantly lower (OR 0.075, 95% CI 0.007, 0.834). For male patients, the risk of PONV was significantly lower in those with a body mass index ≥24 kg/m2 (OR 0.166; 95% CI 0.035, 0.782).

Conclusion

Female and male patients have different risk factors for PONV following lobectomy for lung cancer and application of analgesic pumps.
Imaginaries of omniscience: Automating intelligence in the US Department of Defense
Authors: Suchman Lucy
Published: June 2022

The current reanimation of artificial intelligence includes a resurgence of investment in automating military intelligence on the part of the US Department of Defense. A series of programs set forth a technopolitical imaginary of fully integrated, comprehensive and real-time ‘situational awareness’ across US theaters of operation. Locating this imaginary within the history of ‘closed world’ discourse, I offer a critical reading of dominant scholarship within military circles that sets out the military’s cybernetic model of situational awareness in the form of the widely referenced Observe, Orient, Decide, Act or OODA Loop. I argue that the loop’s promise of dynamic homeostasis is held in place by the enduring premise of objectivist knowledge, enabled through a war apparatus that treats the contingencies and ambiguities of relations on the ground as noise from which a stable and unambiguous signal can be extracted. In contrast, recent challenges to the closed-world imaginary, based on critical scholarship and investigative journalism, suggest that the aspiration to closure is an engine for the continued destructiveness of US interventions and the associated regeneration of enmity. To challenge these technopolitics of violence we need a radically different kind of situational awareness, one that recognizes the place of ignorance in perpetuating the project of militarism. Only that kind of awareness can inform the public debate required to re-envision a future place for the US in the world, founded in alternative investments in demilitarization and commitments to our collective security.
Geographies of night work
Authors: Shaw Robert
Published: June 2022

Night work is an area in which transformational changes are occurring, many identified by geographers, but in which the role of night itself – the ‘nocturnality’ of night work – has often been overlooked. This article looks at how geographical research into work and interdisciplinary research from night studies could inform one another, arguing that a focus on the nocturnality of night work can generate wider insights into existing social and economic geographical research into labour. Importantly, the challenges brought by the nocturnality of night work make its study valuable for understanding social justice under contemporary capitalism.
How aging affects opportunity-necessity entrepreneurship: Demographic and perceptual view
Authors: Chang Yu-Yu , Sanchez-Loor Daniel A , Hsieh Hui-Ching , Chang Wei-Shiun
Published: June 2022

Drawing upon the social-cognitive view and the intentionality-based entrepreneurial behavior model, this study investigates how individuals’ demographics and perceptions affect entrepreneurial intentions and how the effects vary along with age. The data were collected from the Global Entrepreneurship Monitor 2015, which includes 35,141 respondents from 60 countries. Our finding suggests an inverted U-shaped relationship between age and both types of entrepreneurship. We also found a gender gap indicating that women and men are more likely to engage in necessity and opportunity entrepreneurship, respectively. Moreover, higher income and education lower the probability of necessity entrepreneurship, whereas higher income motivates opportunity entrepreneurship.

JEL Classification: L26, M13
Decentralised Multi-Agent Reinforcement Learning Approach for the Same-Day Delivery Problem
Authors: Ngu Elvin , Parada Leandro , Escribano Macias Jose Javier , Angeloudis Panagiotis
Published: June 2022

Same-day delivery (SDD) services have become increasingly popular in recent years. These have been usually modeled by previous studies as a certain class of dynamic vehicle routing problem (DVRP) where goods must be delivered from a depot to a set of customers in the same day that the orders were placed. Adaptive exact solution methods for DVRPs can become intractable even for small problem instances. In this paper, the same-day delivery problem (SDDP) is formulated as a Markov decision process (MDP) and it is solved using a parameter-sharing Deep Q-Network, which corresponds to a decentralised multi-agent reinforcement learning (MARL) approach. For this, a multi-agent grid-based SDD environment is created, consisting of multiple vehicles, a central depot, and dynamic order generation. In addition, zone-specific order generation and reward probabilities are introduced. The performance of the proposed MARL approach is compared against a mixed-integer programming (MIP) solution. Results show that the proposed MARL framework performs on par with MIP-based policy when the number of orders is relatively low. For problem instances with higher order arrival rates, computational results show that the MARL approach underperforms MIP by up to 30%. The performance gap between both methods becomes smaller when zone-specific parameters are employed. The gap is reduced from 30% to 3% for a 5 × 5 grid scenario with 30 orders. Execution time results indicate that the MARL approach is, on average, 65 times faster than the MIP-based policy, and therefore may be more advantageous for real-time control, at least for small-sized instances.
High-Resolution Fuel Consumption Model for Better Characterizations of High-Speed Scenarios
Authors: Huang Jianchang , Song Guohua , Zhang Zeyu , Jiang Yun
Published: June 2022

A detailed and accurate fuel model fuel consumption model that reflects real-world fuel consumption is required as input for devising and executing a model policy for prospective regulatory tools. The fuel consumption model based on the vehicle-specific power (VSP) has rapidly become the primary development direction since the release of the Motor Vehicle Emissions Simulator (MOVES) model. However, fuel consumption cannot be accurately characterized under high-speed scenarios. This work develops two fuel consumption models for the light-duty (gasoline) vehicles that can better characterize fuel consumption for light-duty vehicles under high-speed scenarios. For model 1, the VSP of −5kW/ton is a crucial turning point. When VSP∈ [−30, −5] kW/ton, the fuel rate is only determined by speed. When VSP∈(−5, 30], the fuel rate will gradually increase with VSP, and the growth characteristics will vary with speed. Model 2 develops the new interpretations for VSP and forms the one-to-one correspondence between the fuel rate and the new VSP. The two models can separately improve the accuracy by 12.2% and 13.8% compared with the conventional model. The fuel factor differences become significant when speed is higher than 65 km/h, which are separately 30.66% and 28.13% higher than the conventional VSP model when the speed is 100 km/h. Further, the fuel factors of the two models for freeways are, respectively, 6.33% and 7.56% higher than the conventional VSP model, and the distinction for arterial, collector, and local street roads is not notable.
Multiperspective Analysis of Pandemic Impacts on U.S. Import Trade: What Happened, and Why?
Authors: Smith Daniel , Bingham Paul , Hackett Daniel , Smith Jeffrey
Published: June 2022

U.S. container ports have experienced unpresented congestion since mid-2020. The congestion is generally attributed to import surges triggered by heavy spending on consumer goods during the COVID-19 pandemic. Port congestion has been compounded by the inability of importers to retrieve, receive, and process all the inbound goods they have ordered, resulting in supply chain shortfalls and economic disruption. How can the shipping industry and government organizations predict the end of the current surge and anticipate future surges? Expected seasonal variations in import volume are associated with peak holiday shopping periods; nonseasonal import surges are signaled by other factors. The research goes beyond transportation data sources to examine broader connections between import volume and indicators of economic and retail industry conditions. The strongest and most useful relationship appears to be between retail inventory indicators and containerized import growth. From January 2018 through July 2021, there was a relatively strong negative correlation between retail inventory- and import TEU indices with a 4-month lag (corresponding roughly to the time between import orders and -arrival). In the 2020 to 2021 pandemic period the negative correlation was stronger, again with a 4-month lag. These findings suggest that observers might anticipate import surges after marked, nonseasonal drops in retail inventories, and that import surges are likely to last until target inventory levels are restored. In a broader sense, an awareness of the linkages between consumer demand, retail chain responses, and containerized import volumes could better inform port, freight transportation, and government planning and policy choices.
Association Between Collision Sport Career Duration and Gait Performance in Male Collegiate Student-Athletes
Authors: Oldham Jessie R. , Lanois Corey J. , Caccese Jaclyn B. , Crenshaw Jeremy R. , Knight Christopher A. , Berkstresser Brant , Wang Francis , Howell David R. , Meehan William P. , Buckley Thomas A.
Published: June 2022

Background:

Investigations of estimated age of first exposure to repetitive head impacts from collision and contact sports have shown no associations with neurocognitive or neurobehavioral function at the collegiate level, but the effect of career duration may be a more comprehensive factor. Understanding whether longer career duration influences gait performance would provide insights into potential neurological impairment.

Purpose:

To examine the relationship between career duration of collision sports and single/dual-task gait performance in collegiate student-athletes.

Study Design:

Cross-sectional study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

We recruited 168 male student-athletes from collision sports: football, lacrosse, ice hockey, and wrestling (mean ± SD age, 19.2 ± 1.3 years; height, 184.5 ± 7.2 cm; mass, 94.3 ± 15.9 kg; estimated age of first exposure, 8.6 ± 3.1 years; career duration, 10.6 ± 3.0 years). All participants completed a baseline single- and dual-task gait assessment before the start of their athletic season. Inertial measurement units were used to measure gait speed and stride length. During the dual task, participants were asked to perform working memory cognitive tasks while walking. The dependent variables were single/dual-task gait speed and stride length, cognitive accuracy, and dual-task cost. The relationship between career duration, analyzed as a continuous variable, and the dependent variables was analyzed using a linear regression.

Results:

There were no significant associations between career duration and single-task gait speed (1.16 ± 0.16 m/s; β = −0.004; P = .35; 95% CI = −0.012 to 0.004; η2 = 0.005) or dual-task gait speed (1.02 ± 0.17 m/s; β = −0.003; P = .57; 95% CI = −0.011 to 0.006; η2 = 0.002). There were also no significant associations between career duration and single/dual-task stride length, cognitive accuracy, or dual-task cost.

Conclusion:

Career duration among collegiate collision sport athletes was not associated with single- or dual-task gait performance, suggesting that a greater exposure to repetitive head impacts is not detrimental to dynamic postural control at the college level. However, the effects of diminished gait performance over the lifetime remain to be elucidated.
Strategies for Well-Being in Interventional Radiology
Authors: Farooq Amina , Hamilton Barbara
Published: June 2022

Interventional radiologists (IRs) have a massive impact on their patients, communities, and healthcare at large. Yet, IRs have physical and emotional challenges that lead to a high rate of burnout compared with other medical specialties. A Medscape survey in 2013 showed a 37% burnout incidence among radiologists, which increased to 49% in 2015. This ranked radiology 7th out of 26 specialties with respect to burnout. Although the survey did not examine IR specifically, with the increasing demands on those in the profession, this number can only be expected to increase. A survey by Bundy et al demonstrated that interventional radiologists are in the upper range of burnout among physicians with 71.9% presenting with at least 1 manifestation of burnout. This is higher than that reported among surgeons or diagnostic radiologists. We must be proactive in addressing wellness in IR if we are to flourish both individually and as a group. The impact of suboptimal well-being in an IR goes beyond that of the individual, influencing patient care with ripple effects to society at large. At worst, severe burnout can lead to an early exit from medicine, with the cost of recruiting a replacement IR estimated at two to three times an annual physician salary. This is to say nothing of the experience, wisdom, and leadership that are lost when physicians burn out and drop out. Particularly in IR, where the work performed often improves the cost-effectiveness and quality of care, burnout is a threat to the physician workforce and healthcare at large. In this article, our goal is to share some elements of physician well-being and highlight opportunities to support well-being in IR.
The Sad, Sad Story of OSHA's Failure to Protect Workers From COVID-19
Authors: Rabinowitz Randy
Published: June 2022

In the face of a global pandemic posing unprecedented risks to worker health, the Occupational Safety & Health Administration (OSHA), the agency charged with protecting workers from occupational illness, has floundered. Its efforts to protect workers have been too little, too late, poorly designed, and entangled in legal controversy. Two years into a pandemic that has posed the greatest threat to worker health in our lifetimes, OSHA has adopted no effective, COVID-19-specific protections for workers. This article chronicles OSHA's efforts and the response of the courts.
Investigating the Impact of Patient-Related Factors on Speech Outcomes at 5 Years of Age in Children With a Cleft Palate
Authors: Butterworth Sophie , Fitzsimons Kate J , Medina Jibby , Britton Lorraine , Van Eeden Stephanie , Wahedally Hussain , Park Min Hae , van Der Muelen Jan , Russell Craig J H
Published: June 2022

To investigate the relationship between patient-related factors (sex, cleft type, cleft extent, and Robin Sequence [RS]) and speech outcome at 5 years of age for children born with a cleft palate ±  lip (CP ± L).

3157 Children (1426 female:1731 male) with a nonsyndromic CP ± L, born between 2006 and 2014 in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland.

Perceptual speech analysis utilized the Cleft Audit Protocol for Speech–Augmented (CAPS-A) rating and UK National Speech Outcome Standards: Speech Standard 1 (SS1)—speech within the normal range, SS2a—no structurally related speech difficulties or history of speech surgery, and SS3—speech without significant cleft-related articulation difficulties.

Odds of achieving SS1 were lower among boys (aOR 0.771 [CI 0.660-0.901]), those with clefts involving the lip and palate (vs palate only) (UCLP—aOR 0.719 [CI 0.591-0.875]; BCLP—aOR 0.360 [CI 0.279-0.463]), and clefts involving the hard palate (incomplete—aOR 0.701 [CI 0.540-0.909]; complete—aOR 0.393 [CI 0.308-0.501]). Similar relationships with these patient factors were observed for SS3. SS2 was affected by the extent of hard palate involvement (complete; aOR 0.449 [CI 0.348-0.580]). Although those with CP and RS were less likely to meet all 3 standards than those without RS, odds ratios were not significant when adjusting for sex and cleft extent.

Sex, cleft type, and extent of hard palate involvement have a significant impact on speech outcome at 5 years of age. Incorporating these factors into risk-adjustment models for service-level outcome reporting is recommended.
Temporal Adaptive Capacity: A Competency for Leading Organizations in Temporary Interorganizational Collaborations
Authors: Beck Tammy E. , Solansky Stephanie T. , Davis Daniel J. , Ford-Eickhoff Karen
Published: June 2022

Temporal tensions abound for those involved in temporary interorganizational collaborations (IOCs). Participating members must navigate working within their home organization and the temporary IOC simultaneously. These tensions undermine efforts toward two important outcomes in temporary organizing contexts: temporal synchronization and ambitemporality. To be effective, leaders need a keen awareness of the temporal tensions present and an ability to manage these tensions through the enactment of additional temporal tensions. We identify temporal adaptive capacity (TAC) as a crucial competency needed by leaders to effectively manage the multi-level temporal tensions present when participating in temporary IOCs. Finally, we offer practical implications and a research agenda through the introduction of propositions related to TAC.
The Role of Repeated Exposure and Message Fatigue in Influencing Willingness to Help Polar Bears and Support Climate Change Mitigation
Authors: Lu Hang
Published: June 2022

Repeated exposure and its associated fatigue are key obstacles to engagement that remain insufficiently addressed for climate change communication. To explore this issue, this study randomly assigned U.S. adults ( N = 933) to one of five experimental conditions (number of polar bear news headlines: 0 vs. 1 vs. 3 vs. 7 vs. 10), in which they were exposed to a total of 20 news headlines in a brief amount of time. Overall, this study did not find evidence supporting the inverted-U shaped model concerning repeated exposure. In addition, chronic message fatigue played a moderating role such that for those with high chronic message fatigue, even one brief exposure resulted in stronger acute message fatigue, which was associated with lower compassion and weaker willingness to help polar bears and support climate change mitigation. Discussions on these exploratory results and implications for audience segmentation are provided.
Thrombotic and Hemorrhagic Issues Associated with Myeloproliferative Neoplasms
Authors: Papageorgiou Loula , Elalamy Ismail , Vandreden Patrick , Gerotziafas Grigoris T
Published: June 2022

Thrombotic and hemorrhagic complications are related to a significant rate of morbidity and mortality in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms (MPNs), they are therefore called “thrombohemorrhagic” syndromes. Several clinical factors, such as age and presence of cardiovascular comorbidities are responsible for thrombotic complications. High blood counts, platelet alterations, presence of JAK2 mutation and possibly of other CHIP mutations such as TET2, DNMT3A, and ASXL1, procoagulant microparticles, NETs formation, endothelial activation and neo-angiogenesis are some of the parameters accounting for hypercoagulability in patients with myeloproliferative neoplasms. Bleeding complications emerge as a result of platelet exhaustion. They can be also linked to a functional deficiency of von Willebrand factor, when platelet counts rise above 1000G/L. The mainstay of management consists on preventing hemostatic complications, by antiplatelet and/or anticoagulant treatment and myelosuppressive agents in high-risk patients.Circumstances related to a high thrombohemorrhagic risk, such as pregnancy and the perioperative period, prompt for specific management with regards to anticoagulation and myelosuppression treatment type. In order to apply a patient-specific treatment strategy, there is a need for a risk score assessment tool encompassing clinical parameters and hemostasis biomarkers.
A novel instantaneous frequency estimation method for operational time-varying systems using short-time multivariate variational mode decomposition
Authors: Liu Shuaishuai , Zhao Rui , Yu Kaiping , Liao Baopeng , Zheng Bowen
Published: June 2022

Operational modal identification of time-varying systems plays a crucial role in assessing the health condition and controlling the dynamic properties of engineering structures. However, only the response is measurable, making it challenging. Based on the variational mode decomposition (VMD) theory, this paper presents a short-time multivariate or multi-channel VMD (STMVMD) method for instantaneous frequency (IF) identification of time-varying structures in the case of output-only measurements. The idea of short-time windows overcomes the shortcoming of many VMD-based methods that employ the narrowband assumption of intrinsic mode functions (IMFs) and cannot decompose non-stationary signals involving closely-spaced wideband IMFs. After obtaining the multivariate IMFs by STMVMD, an average scheme is employed to estimate IFs, reducing the noise sensitivity of Hilbert Transform. Moreover, by tracking the center frequencies of STMVMD at different moments, another more noise-robust IF estimation method is also presented. A series of numerical and experimental examples illustrate the advantages of the proposal.
Decentralised clinical trials in multiple sclerosis research
Authors: Garjani Afagh , Liu Brandon Jun-Yu , Allen Christopher Martin , Gunzler Douglas David , Gerry Stephen William , Planchon Sarah Marie , das Nair Roshan , Chataway Jeremy , Tallantyre Emma C , Ontaneda Daniel , Evangelou Nikos
Published: June 2022

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) play an important role in multiple sclerosis (MS) research, ensuring that new interventions are safe and efficacious before their introduction into clinical practice. Trials have been evolving to improve the robustness of their designs and the efficiency of their conduct. Advances in digital and mobile technologies in recent years have facilitated this process and the first RCTs with decentralised elements became possible. Decentralised clinical trials (DCTs) are conducted remotely, enabling participation of a more heterogeneous population who can participate in research activities from different locations and at their convenience. DCTs also rely on digital and mobile technologies which allows for more flexible and frequent assessments. While hospitals quickly adapted to e-health and telehealth assessments during the COVID-19 pandemic, the conduct of conventional RCTs was profoundly disrupted. In this paper, we review the existing evidence and gaps in knowledge in the design and conduct of DCTs in MS.
Machine learning-based classification of arterial spectral waveforms for the diagnosis of peripheral artery disease in the context of diabetes: A proof-of-concept study
Authors: Normahani Pasha , Sounderajah Viknesh , Mandic Danilo , Jaffer Usman
Published: June 2022

Background:

Point-of-care duplex ultrasound has emerged as a promising test for the diagnosis of peripheral artery disease (PAD). However, the interpretation of morphologically diverse Doppler arterial spectral waveforms is challenging and associated with wide inter-observer variation. The aim of this study is to evaluate the utility of machine learning techniques for the diagnosis of PAD from Doppler arterial spectral waveforms sampled at the level of the ankle in patients with diabetes.

Methods:

In two centres, 590 Doppler arterial spectral waveform images (PAD 369, no-PAD 221) from 305 patients were prospectively collected. Doppler arterial spectral waveform signals were reconstructed. Blinded full lower-limb reference duplex ultrasound results were used to label waveform according to PAD status (i.e., PAD, no-PAD). Statistical metrics and multiscale wavelet variance were extracted as discriminatory features. A long short-term memory (LSTM) network was used for the classification of raw signals, and logistic regression (LR) and support vector machines (SVM) were used for classification of extracted features. Signals and feature vectors were randomly divided into training (80%) and testing (20%) sets.

Results:

The highest overall accuracy was achieved using a logistic regression model with a combination of statistical and multiscale wavelet variance features, with 88% accuracy, 92% sensitivity, and 82% specificity. The area under the receiver operating characteristics curve (AUC) was 0.93.

Conclusion:

We have constructed a machine learning algorithm with high discriminatory ability for the diagnosis of PAD using Doppler arterial spectral waveforms sampled at the ankle vessels.
‘I felt like I deserved it because I was autistic’: Understanding the impact of interpersonal victimisation in the lives of autistic people
Authors: Pearson Amy , Rose Kieran , Rees Jon
Published: June 2022

Research suggests that there is a high prevalence of interpersonal violence and victimisation within the autistic population, and that this accounts for poor mental health outcomes. This study aimed to examine the impact of interpersonal violence and victimisation on autistic adults from their own perspective and explore what helps or hinders their recovery. In total, 102 autistic adults completed either an online survey or a spoken interview about their experiences of interpersonal violence and victimisation. We analysed the data using a thematic analysis, and found four themes: (1) The usual for autism (expectations of victimisation, experiences of othering), (2) Personhood revoked: The cost of living (being part of a neurominority, trauma, masking and burnout), (3) Unpacking the baggage (impact of hermeneutical injustice) and (4) ‘ If you want to make an apple pie from scratch, you have to invent the universe first’ (structural inequality/power dynamics, support and community). Findings highlight the importance of considering the relationship between stigma and victimisation, and the relationship between trauma, masking, and burnout in autistic people. Reducing barriers to support and recovery are contingent on reducing structural inequality and providing better training about autistic people to frontline professionals.

Lay abstract

Research suggests that autistic people are more likely to be hurt by someone they know (e.g. a friend or a family member) compared to non-autistic people. In this study, we wanted to know how being hurt by someone you know affects autistic people, and what might help them recover. In total, 102 autistic people took part in an interview, where we asked questions like how being hurt by people they know had made them feel and whether anyone they had asked for help had done a good job of supporting them. We analysed what they had said using thematic analysis, which involved reading what everyone said and looking for common themes. Our findings showed that a lot of autistic people think it is normal to be hurt by people you know because it has happened to them so much. This makes many autistic people feel like they need to mask parts of themselves to stay safe, but this also makes them really exhausted. It took some people a long time to realise what had happened to them was wrong, and it was hard to ask for help. People who did ask for help often had bad experiences with professionals (e.g. police) who did not know much about autistic people. They said better support would come from creating more autistic-run support groups and educating people about autism. These findings are important for working out how to help people who have been hurt by people they know.
Gendered fieldwork with Chinese police: Negotiations among a researcher, gatekeeper, and participants
Authors: Yang Wenqi
Published: June 2022

This study is a reflexive analysis of my fieldwork experience studying Chinese police officers’ responses to domestic violence, focusing on recruitment and access. As one of the first qualitative works that investigate the gender quality of China’s street-level police subculture, it examines how having a female gatekeeper and studying a gendered topic in a male-dominated and chivalrously sexist subculture can shape female researchers’ fieldwork. This article clarifies the multiple roles a gatekeeper plays. The findings also highlight that doing gender in fieldwork involves a mutual categorization by emphasizing the participants’ gender performance in response to the researcher’s gender identity as well as the research topic. Finally, this work also provides tips that fellow researchers working in the field may find helpful in managing gender performance, avoiding sexist treatments, and enhancing the trustworthiness of the findings.
Sex Differences in Competitiveness in Massively Multiplayer Online Role-Playing Games (MMORPGs)
Authors: Deaner Robert O. , Dunlap Lucretia C. , Bleske-Rechek April
Published: June 2022

Sex differences in the use of competitive tactics have been well established. Although many factors may contribute to these sex differences, according to social role theory (SRT), stereotypes and expectations about men's and women's typical social roles are crucial. We addressed the potential impact of social roles by studying massively multiplayer online role-playing games (MMORPGs), a setting where individuals represent themselves with avatars and thus enjoy the opportunity to compete without regard to the typical expectations and behaviors associated with men's and women's roles. We surveyed players via MTurk (63 women, 191 men) and Reddit (166 women, 1,326 men) regarding their frequency of engaging in five competitive behaviors and the sex and role of their primary avatar. As expected, there were reliable sex differences in competitiveness: men were more likely than women to engage in player-versus-player duels (MTurk d = 0.19; Reddit d = 0.51), do solo runs of difficult content (0.30, 0.35), and work to acquire expensive items (0.32, 0.19); women were more likely than men to seek in-game awards (−0.38, −0.36) and spend real-world money on expensive microtransactions (−0.16, −0.27). Contrary to SRT, these sex differences in forms of competitive behavior were generally unrelated to players’ chosen avatar sex or avatar role. These results instead indicate that sex differences in competitiveness largely reflect evolved predispositions.
Weak thruster fault detection for AUV based on Bayesian network and Hidden Markov model
Authors: Yao Feng , Chen Zeyu , Liu Xing , Zhang Mingjun
Published: June 2022

Weak thruster fault detection problem is investigated for Autonomous Underwater Vehicle (AUV) with being less than 10% loss of effectiveness fault in a thruster. For the weak thruster fault, the fault features are small in general, meanwhile the fault features are also difficult to be distinguished from the external disturbances including measurement noise. In this paper, a weak thruster fault detection method is developed based on Bayesian network and hidden Markov model. In the proposed method, the fault features are enhanced at first and then the fault detection is achieved based on the occurrence probability. Specifically, Bayesian network is applicable to enhance weak signals, but the prior knowledge is difficult to obtain for an AUV. To solve this problem, this paper introduces sparse decomposition into Bayesian network to enhance the weak thruster fault features. And then, a hidden Markov model is established to provide the likelihood probability between the observation sequence and the predict one. The fault detection is achieved according to comparing the probability and the threshold. Finally, pool-experimental results on an AUV are presented to verify the effectiveness of the developed fault detection method.
Multicenter Comparative Analysis of Late Open Conversion in Patients With Adherence and Nonadherence to Instructions for Use Endovascular Aneurysm Repair
Authors: Lopez-Espada Cristina , Linares-Palomino Jose , Guerra Requena Mercedes , Serrano Hernando Francisco Javier , Iborra Ortega Elena , Fernández-Samos Rafael , Zanabili Al-Sibbai Amer , González Cañas Elena , Rodriguez Sánchez Jose Mª , Zaragozá García Jose Miguel , García León Andrés , Manzano Grossi Soledad , de Benito Luis , Gil Sala Daniel , Revuelta Mariño Livia
Published: June 2022

Purpose:

The widespread adoption of endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) as preferred treatment modality for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) has enlarged the number of patients needing open surgical conversion (OSC). The relationship between adherence to Instructions For Use (IFU) and EVAR long-term outcomes remains controversial. The aim of this study is to compare preoperative differences and postoperative outcomes between EVAR patients not adjusted to IFU and adjusted to IFU who underwent OSC.

Methods:

This multicenter retrospective study reviewed 33 explanted EVARs between January 2003 and December 2019 at 14 Vascular Units. Patients were included if OSC occurred >30 days after implantation and excluded if explantation was performed to treat an endograft infection, aortic dissection, or traumatic transections. Variables analyzed included baseline characteristics, adherence to IFU, implant and explant procedural details, secondary reinterventions, and postoperative outcomes.

Results:

Fifteen explanted patients (15/33, 45.5%) were identified not accomplished to IFU (out-IFU) at initial EVAR vs 18 explanted patients adjusted (in-IFU). During follow-up, a mean of 1.73±1.2 secondary reinterventions were performed, with more type I endoleaks treated in the subgroup out-IFU: 16.7% vs 6.3% in-IFU patients and more type III endoleaks (8.3% vs 0%). Patients out-IFU had shorter mean interval from implant to explant: 47.60±28.8 months vs 71.17±48. Type II endoleak was the most frequent indication for explantation. Low-flow endoleaks (types II, IV, V) account for 44% of indications for OSC in subgroup of patients in-IFU, compared with 13.3% in patients out-IFU and high-flow endoleaks (types I and III) were the main indication for patients out-IFU (33.3% vs 16.7% in-IFU). Total endograft explantation was performed in 57.5% of cases (19/33) and more suprarenal clamping was required in the subgroup out-IFU. Overall, 30-day mortality rate was 12.1% (4/33): 20% for patients out-IFU and 5.6% in-IFU.

Conclusions:

In our experience, type II endoleak is the most common indication for conversion and differences have been found between patients treated outside IFU with explantation taking place earlier during follow-up, mainly due to high-flow endoleaks and with higher mortality in comparison with patients adjusted to IFU. Ongoing research is required to delve into these differences.
Effectiveness of the Rotarex Excisional Atherectomy System in Both Subacute and Chronic Aortoiliac Endograft Thrombosis: An Innovative Option for the Modern Endovascular Surgeon Toolkit
Authors: Simonte Gioele , Fino Gianluigi , Casali Francesco , Parlani Gianbattista , Lenti Massimo , Isernia Giacomo
Published: June 2022

Purpose:

To report a successful revascularization case using the Rotarex™S atherothrombectomy system in a recent iliac limb thrombosis, and chronic hypogastric stent obstruction after previous aortoiliac aneurysm endovascular repair (EVAR).

Case Report:

A 72-year-old patient was treated for recent right iliac limb thrombosis and left iliac branch chronic hypogastric stent occlusion, 5 years after EVAR. A total endovascular approach, using both upper extremity and femoral vascular access, was settled with 2 Rotarex™S (6Fr and 10Fr) devices. The Rotarex™S catheters removed most of the intraluminal material, allowing additional endografts and bare metal stents to be deployed to support a new healthy lumen surface.

Conclusion:

The total endovascular approach provided by the Rotarex™S device appears to be safe and effective in treating aortoiliac endografts occlusions, both in subacute and chronic phases. Larger studies could highlight differences and eventual advantages compared with more traditional solutions.
Drug-Coated Balloon Angioplasty for Thoracic Great Vessel Stenosis Due to Takayasu Arteritis With 1-Year Follow-up
Authors: Nicholas William J. , Maloney Thomas G.
Published: June 2022

Purpose:

Takayasu arteritis is a large-vessel vasculitis in women of childbearing age that affects large vessels including the aorta and its main branches. Inflammation of arteries can produce lesions that lead to occlusion, stenosis, or aneurysms which can lead to complications. If signs of organ dysfunction are present, vascular intervention may be necessary.

Case Report:

In this article, we present a case of Takayasu arteritis with high-grade stenosis of all the great vessels of the thoracic aorta treated with drug-coated balloon (DCB) angioplasty and stenting requiring multiple follow-up interventions over a 1-year follow-up.

Conclusion:

The DCB angioplasty is a potential endovascular treatment for thoracic great artery stenosis in Takayasu arteritis that could be further explored.
The role of IL-33/ST2 signaling in the tumor microenvironment and Treg immunotherapy
Authors: Lei Shangbo , Jin Jiamin , Zhao Xiangfeng , Zhou Lihua , Qi Guangying , Yang Jinfeng
Published: June 2022

Interleukin (IL)-33 is a tissue-derived nuclear cytokine belonging to the IL-1 family. Stimulation-2 (ST2) is the only known IL-33 receptor. ST2 signals mostly on immune cells found within tissues, such as regulatory T cells (Treg cells), CD8+ T cells, and natural killer (NK) cells. Therefore, the IL-33/ST2 signaling pathway is important in the immune system. IL-33 deficiency impairs Treg cell function. ST2 signaling is also increased in active Treg cells, providing a new approach for Treg-related immunotherapy. The IL-33/ST2 signaling pathway regulates multiple immune-related cells by activating various intracellular kinases and factors in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Here, we review the latest studies on the role of the IL-33/ST2 signaling pathway in TME and Treg immunotherapy.
Acute limb ischaemia due to thrombosed persistent sciatic artery aneurysm presents a surgical challenge in a frail octogenarian
Authors: Power Foley Megan , Alawy Mahmoud , Tubassam Muhammad
Published: June 2022

Objectives

Persistent sciatic artery (PSA) is a rare congenital anomaly, whereby the embryonic sciatic artery remains patent with associated degrees of femoral axis hypoplasia. Aneurysmal degeneration and distal ischaemia from thromboembolic complications are common. Revascularisation strategies include embolectomy, bypass or interposition grafting and catheter-directed thrombolysis.

Methods

We describe a sedentary 88-year-old woman with right acute limb ischaemia secondary to a thrombosed PSA aneurysm and concurrent occlusive thrombus at the femoral bifurcation.

Results

The patient presented with a 3-day history of a cold, painful right foot. Examination revealed Rutherford IIb ischaemia. CT-angiography demonstrated no continuity between the hypoplastic superficial femoral and popliteal arteries, complete occlusion of the right PSA distal to the thrombosed aneurysm and occlusive thrombus in the right profunda. As she was too frail for femoral-distal bypass, we restored femoral axis inflow via profunda embolectomy. Her prognosis remained guarded as we deliberately did not reconstruct the PSA. However, she was discharged pain-free and mobilising with aids 2 weeks later.

Conclusion

Limb ischaemia in frail, high-risk patients is an ever-increasing challenge for vascular surgeons and requires complex decision-making, balancing comorbidities against desired outcomes. This case illustrates that a selective approach can be sufficient to maintain function despite complex anatomy.
In Their Own Words: A Classroom Exercise to Expose Gender Bias in Student Teams
Authors: Ryan Katherine C. , Dayton Keith G.
Published: June 2022

It is easy to believe, after decades of research and ever-increasing awareness, that gender bias issues in our classrooms have subsided. Our current students, both undergraduate and many graduate, comprise what is arguably one of the most equity-aware generations in history. Equality, fair treatment, and unbiased interactions should be the norm among our business students. This simple but remarkably effective exercise suggests otherwise. For instructors using mixed-gender student teams for classroom projects, this exercise will provide a powerful opening to meaningful discussions about gender-based perceptions while supporting equity, inclusion, and improved team performance.