bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Severe Convective Windstorms in Europe: Climatology, Preconvective Environments, and Convective Mode
Authors: Pacey George P. , Schultz David M. , Garcia-Carreras Luis
Published: November 2020

The frequency of European convective windstorms, environments in which they form, and their convective organizational modes remain largely unknown. A climatology is produced using 10 233 severe convective wind reports from the European Severe Weather Database between 2009 and 2018. Severe convective wind days have increased from 50 days yr−1 in 2009 to 117 days yr−1 in 2018, largely because of an increase in reporting. The highest frequency of reports occurred across central Europe, particularly Poland. Reporting was most frequent in summer, when a severe convective windstorm occurred every other day on average. The preconvective environment was assessed using 361 proximity soundings from 45 stations between 2006 and 2018, and a clustering technique was used to distinguish different environments from nine variables. Two environments for severe convective storms occurred: Type 1, generally low-shear–high-CAPE (convective available potential energy; mostly in the warm season) and Type 2, generally high-shear–low CAPE (mostly in the cold season). Because convective organizational mode often relates to the type of weather hazard, convective organizational mode was studied from 185 windstorms that occurred between 2013 and 2018. In Type-1 environments, the most frequent convective mode was cells, accounting for 58.5% of events, followed by linear modes (29%) and the nonlinear noncellular mode (12.5%). In Type-2 environments, the most frequent convective mode was linear modes (55%), followed by cells (36%) and the nonlinear noncellular mode (9%). Only 10% of windstorms were associated with bow echoes, a lower percentage than other studies, suggesting that forecasters should not necessarily wait to see a bow echo before issuing a warning for strong winds.
Seasonal Calendars Enhance Climate Communication in the Pacific
Authors: Chambers Lynda E. , Plotz Roan D. , Lui Siosinamele , Aiono Faapisa , Tofaeono Tile , Hiriasia David , Tahani Lloyd , Fa’anunu ‘Ofa , Finaulahi Seluvaia , Willy Albert
Published: November 2020

Traditional calendars document seasonal cycles and the communities’ relationships to their biophysical environment and are often used by communities, particularly subsistence farmers, to synchronize their livelihood activities with the timing of ecological processes. Because the timing of these ecological processes is not always consistent from year to year, the use of traditional seasonal calendars can help communities to cope with climate variability, particularly when biophysical phenomena become less predictable in relation to the Gregorian calendar, as has been observed in relation to climate change. Although the structure and content of seasonal calendars vary across the Pacific Ocean region, for many indigenous communities, knowledge of seasonal calendars can increase their capacity to cope with climate variability and change. To increase the effectiveness of their products and enhance their relevance to and uptake by the community, several Pacific meteorological services are now using traditional seasonal calendars in their climate communication and education, including in forecasts and warnings. The use of a participatory approach resulted in strong relationships and improved dialogues. Local communities appreciated assistance in enabling their knowledge to become available to future generations, and its inclusion in meteorological service products makes these products more accessible and relevant to community members.
Short and Midterm Outcomes in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction: Results of the Nationwide TURKMI Registry
Authors: Kilickap Mustafa , Erol Mustafa Kemal , Kayikcioglu Meral , Kocayigit Ibrahim , Gitmez Mesut , Can Veysi , Besli Feyzullah , Sabanoglu Cengiz , Ungan Ismail , Genc Ahmet , Karatas Mesut , Dursun Ihsan , Oztekin Gulsum Meral Yılmaz , Candemir Aytac , Celik Yunus , Yanik Ahmet , Halac Aylin Hatice Yamaç , Akturk Ibrahim Faruk , Sunbul Murat , Sarikaya Remzi , Ari Hasan , Yalcın Ahmet Arif , Günes Hakan
Published: November 2020

This recent Turkish Myocardial Infarction registry reported that guidelines are largely implemented in patients with acute myocardial infarction (MI) in Turkey. We aimed to obtain up-to-date information for short- and midterm outcomes of acute MI. Fifty centers were selected using probability sampling, and all consecutive patients with acute MI admitted to these centers (between November 1 and 16, 2018) were enrolled. Among 1930 (mean age 62 ± 13 years, 26% female) patients, 1195 (62%) had non-ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) and 735 (38%) had ST segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI). Percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) was performed in 94.4% of patients with STEMI and 60.2% of those with NSTEMI. Periprocedural mortality occurred in 4 (0.3%) patients. In-hospital mortality was significantly higher in STEMI than in patients with NSTEMI (5.4% vs 2.9%, respectively; P = .006). However, the risk became slightly higher in the NSTEMI group at 1 year. Women with STEMI had a significantly higher in-hospital mortality compared with men (11.2% vs 3.8%; P < .001); this persisted at follow-up. In conclusion, PCI is performed in Turkey with a low risk of complications in patients with acute MI. Compared with a previous registry, in-hospital mortality decreased by 50% within 20 years; however, the risk remains too high for women with STEMI.
Colleges and Community Crime: An Analysis of Campus Proximity and Neighborhood Crime Rates
Authors: Cundiff Kelsey
Published: November 2020

Property and violent crime have been associated in past research with many of the same lifestyle features typical of college students and the structural characteristics of the neighborhoods where students generally cluster. According to opportunity theory, individuals with the lifestyles and routine activities similar to college students are vulnerable to victimization. Therefore, higher rates of crime can be expected in the neighborhoods that surround college campuses. Using data from the National Neighborhood Crime Survey, this study uses multilevel negative binomial regression to analyze the relationship between proximity to a college campus and rates of violent and property crime. Results show that bordering tracts have higher rates of larceny, burglary, and robbery, controlling for other neighborhood- and city-level indicators of crime.
A Pharmacist-Driven Glycemic Control Protocol to Reduce the Rate of Severe Hypoglycemia in High-Risk Patients
Authors: Cook Colleen A. , Vakayil Victor , Pribyl Kyle , Yerxa Derek , Kriz John , Case Angie , Meisel Steven , Ho Tammy , Harmon James V.
Published: November 2020

Purpose: Hospital pharmacists contribute to patient safety and quality initiatives by overseeing the prescribing of antidiabetic medications. A pharmacist-driven glycemic control protocol was developed to reduce the rate of severe hypoglycemia events (SHE) in high-risk hospitalized patients. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed the rates of SHE (defined as blood glucose ≤40 mg/dL), before and after instituting a pharmacist-driven glycemic control protocol over a 4-year period. A hospital glucose management team that included a lead Certified Diabetes Educator Pharmacist (CDEP), 5 pharmacists trained in diabetes, a lead hospitalist, critical care and hospital providers established a process to first identify patients at risk for severe hypoglycemia and then implement our protocol. Criteria from the American Diabetes Association and the American Association of Clinical Endocrinologists was utilized to identify and treat patients at risk for SHE. We analyzed and compared the rate of SHE and physician acceptance rates before and after protocol initiation. Results: From January 2015 to March 2019, 18 297 patients met criteria for this study; 139 patients experienced a SHE and approximately 80% were considered high risk diabetes patients. Physician acceptance rates for the new protocol ranged from 77% to 81% from the year of initiation (2016) through 2018. The absolute risk reduction of SHE was 9 events per 1000 hospitalized diabetic patients and the relative risk reduction was 74% SHE from the start to the end of the protocol implementation. Linear regression analysis demonstrated that SHE decreased by 1.5 events per 1000 hospitalized diabetic patients (95% confidence interval, −1.54 to −1.48, P < .001) during the 2 years following the introduction of the protocol. This represents a 15% relative reduction of SHE per year. Conclusion: The pharmacist-driven glycemic control protocol was well accepted by our hospitalists and led to a significant reduction in SHE in high-risk diabetes patient groups at our hospital. It was cost effective and strengthened our physician-pharmacist relationship while improving diabetes care.
Effect of Expertise on Shoulder and Upper Limb Kinematics, Electromyography, and Estimated Muscle Forces During a Lifting Task
Authors: Goubault Etienne , Martinez Romain , Assila Najoua , Monga-Dubreuil Élodie , Dowling-Medley Jennifer , Dal Maso Fabien , Begon Mickael
Published: November 2020

Objective

To highlight the working strategies used by expert manual handlers compared with novice manual handlers, based on recordings of shoulder and upper limb kinematics, electromyography (EMG), and estimated muscle forces during a lifting task.

Background

Novice workers involved in assembly, manual handling, and personal assistance tasks are at a higher risk of upper limb musculoskeletal disorders (MSDs). However, few studies have investigated the effect of expertise on upper limb exposure during workplace tasks.

Method

Sixteen experts in manual handling and sixteen novices were equipped with 10 electromyographic electrodes to record shoulder muscle activity during a manual handling task consisting of lifting a box (8 or 12 kg), instrumented with three six-axis force sensors, from hip to eye level. Three-dimensional trunk and upper limb kinematics, hand-to-box contact forces, and EMG were recorded. Then, joint contributions, activation levels, and muscle forces were calculated and compared between groups.

Results

Sternoclavicular–acromioclavicular joint contributions were higher in experts at the beginning of the movement, and in novices at the end, whereas the opposite was observed for the glenohumeral joint. EMG activation levels were 37% higher for novices but predicted muscle forces were higher in experts.

Conclusion

This study highlights significant differences between experts and novices in shoulder kinematics, EMG, and muscle forces; hence, providing effective work guidelines to ensure the development of a safe handling strategy is important.

Application

Shoulder kinematics, EMG, and muscle forces could be used as ergonomic tools to identify inappropriate techniques that could increase the prevalence of shoulder injuries.
Multidirectional vulnerabilities: Trauma, bare life, and resistance in June Hutton’s Underground
Authors: Branach-Kallas Anna
Published: November 2020

The article offers an analysis of Underground, published by Canadian writer June Hutton in 2009. The main protagonist of the novel is a young Canadian, Albert Fraser, who suffers severe shock and disillusionment in the trenches of the First World War. He faces unemployment and destitution during the Great Depression and eventually joins the 1,700 Canadian volunteers who fought in the anti-fascist cause during the Spanish Civil War. My purpose is to analyse Hutton’s representation of the Canadian veterans’ difficult reintegration in the post-war years and the protagonist’s prise de conscience which ultimately leads him to Spain, despite his hatred of war. While discussing the veterans’ discontent and the Canadian government’s attempts to control this unruly population, I refer to Judith Butler’s conceptualization of precariousness and precarity, as well as Giorgio Agamben’s philosophical reflection on biopolitics and bare life. Central in my reading is the terrain of the camp — the hobo camp, the relief camp, and the POW camp — as a site of biopolitical exclusion, yet also a space of encounter that triggers ethical reflection. Furthermore, I demonstrate how the novel stages unexpected alliances between the protagonist and Chinese characters, which cause Fraser to revise his racist opinions. I propose the concept of multidirectional vulnerabilities to explore the parallels between these apparently disjointed geographies and temporalities. The article shows how Hutton represents the vulnerability of Canadian bodies in a historical period of socio-political upheavals, yet at the same time locates in their vulnerability the possibility of resistance and an alternative ethics.
Effects of nano-sized silica particles on the off-axis creep performance of unidirectional fiber-reinforced polymer hybrid composites
Authors: Mahmoodi MJ , Hassanzadeh-Aghdam MK , Safi M
Published: November 2020

A multi-step homogenization approach is presented to predict the off-axis creep response of hybrid polymer matrix composites (HPMCs) reinforced with unidirectional carbon fibers and silica nanoparticles. The first step deals with evaluating the viscoelastic properties of silica nanoparticle-polymer nanocomposite using the Mori-Tanaka micromechanical model. Two essential features affecting the behavior, including silica nanoparticle agglomeration and interphase region generated due to the interaction between the nanoparticle and polymer are taken into account. In the second step, the off-axis viscoelastic behavior of HPMCs is extracted from the homogenized nanocomposite and carbon fiber properties using a unit cell-based micromechanical model. Some comparative studies between the predictions and available experiment are directed to verify the homogenization process. All the model predictions are in good agreement with the experimental data. The results indicate that with increasing the fiber off-axis angle from 0° to 90°, the presence of silica nanoparticles leads to a reduction in the HPMC creep compliance. Also, the proposed multi-step homogenization approach is applied to investigate the effects of volume fraction, size and agglomeration degree of silica nanoparticles; thickness and material properties of the interphase region; and off-axis angle and volume fraction of the carbon fiber on the HPMC creep response.
Covid-19 and leptospirosis: Cytokine storm and the use of steroids
Authors: Ittyachen Abraham M
Published: November 2020

The majority of patients with Covid-19 have a good outcome. However, complications principally of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS) and multiple-organ failure can occur rapidly. Leptospirosis, a zoonotic disease, is similar to Covid-19 in that most infections are mild or asymptomatic and only a small number develop ARDS. Cytokine storm is considered to be the main incriminating factor in both. High dose steroids have been used to ameliorate the effects in leptospirosis, and similarly, reports suggest a benefit in Covid-19. SARS CoV-2 and leptospira, one a virus and the other a bacterium, are two species separated by millions of years of evolution, but producing illnesses with similar spectra, with cytokine storm being the common precipitating factor. As data are accrued from around the world, more light may be shed on features analogous to both pathways.
Clinical and microbial spectrum of community-acquired pneumonia in children of north India
Authors: Yadav Rajesh Kumar , Kumar Dinesh , Singh Amit , Ziauddin Mohd. , Singh Dinesh Kumar
Published: November 2020

We compared the clinical, radiological and microbial profile in children suffering from community-acquired pneumonia in rural populations of north India. A total of 125 such children were divided into two age groups of 2–12 months (Group A) and 13–60 months (Group B). After taking a history and clinical examination, routine investigations including full blood count, blood, urine, and nasopharyngeal swab culture and radiology were performed. Multiplex polymerase chain reaction for Streptococcus pneumoniae, Mycoplasma pneumoniae, Chlamydia pneumoniae and Haemophilus influenzae was carried out. Failure to eat or drink was more common (40.9%) in Group A, than Group B (18.7%). Lung consolidation was more common in Group B. Blood and urine culture were found to be more positive in Group A while combined nasopharyngeal culture and multiplex polymerase chain reaction favoured more bacterial growth in Group B.
The Reserve Powers in Times of Political Crisis: The Dutton/Turnbull Leadership Challenge and Royal Assent to the Medevac Bill and Brexit Bills
Authors: Twomey Anne
Published: November 2020

The period of 2018–19 threw up political crises in Australia and the United Kingdom that raised circumstances in which the reserve powers of the Queen or the Governor-General might have been exercised. This article discusses in depth the 2018 challenge to Prime Minister Turnbull’s leadership, including how the Governor-General should have responded if he had been asked to dissolve Parliament in the midst of the challenge or if he had been advised not to appoint Dutton as Prime Minister due to concerns about his eligibility to sit in Parliament. The second part deals with the question of whether royal assent should be refused, upon ministerial advice, to a bill, such as the Medevac Bill in Australia and two Brexit delay bills in the United Kingdom, which were passed against the wishes of the relevant government, including when procedural or non-justiciable constitutional requirements were breached in the passage of the bills. It concludes that the best way of resolving such issues is to resort to the application of fundamental constitutional principles.
‘Your Womb, the Perfect Classroom’: Prenatal Sound Systems and Uterine Audiophilia
Authors: Thompson Marie
Published: November 2020

In this article, I explore the auditory technopolitics of prenatal sound systems, asking what kinds of futures, listeners and temporalities they seek to produce. With patents for prenatal audio apparatus dating back to the late 1980s, there are now a range of devices available to expectant parents. These sound technologies offer multiple benefits: from soothing away stress to increasing the efficiency of ultrasonic scans. However, one common point of emphasis is their capacity to accelerate foetal ‘learning’ and cognitive development. Taking as exemplary the Babypod and BabyPlus devices, I argue that prenatal sound systems make audible a particular figuration of pregnancy and gestational labour that combines divergent notions of responsibility and passivity. Contra the equation of neoliberalism with self-control and individualism, I argue that prenatal sound systems amplify neoliberal capitalism’s elision of personal, maternal and familial responsibility. As reproductive sound technologies, prenatal sound systems facilitate maternal–familial investment in the pre-born as future-child. Consequently, financialised notions of inheritance are substituted for biological inheritance. Drawing attention to the common rhetorical figuration of the sonic as womb-like, furthermore, I argue that prenatal sound systems exemplify what I refer to as uterine audiophilia. By treating the womb as ‘the perfect classroom’, prenatal sound systems imply an intense maternal obligation to invest in and impress upon the future-child, while also envisioning the pregnant person’s body as an occupied, resonant space. Cohering with a fidelity discourse that posits the reproductive medium as passive container and a source of noise that is to be overcome, uterine audiophilia relies upon politically regressive conceptualisations of pregnancy. I thus argue that these devices mark the hitherto under-theorised convergence of auditory culture, technology and reproductive politics.
Subjective Well-being and Mental Health During the Pandemic Outbreak: Exploring the Role of Institutional Trust
Authors: Lee Sunwoo
Published: November 2020

This study examined the relationship between material adversities due to pandemic crisis, institutional trust, and subjective well-being and mental health among middle-aged and older adults aged 50+ in Europe. The study used a cross-sectional design to examine Eurofound COVID-19 survey data collected from 27 European countries in April 2020. A total of 31,757 European middle aged and older adults aged 50 + were analyzed (Mean = 59.99, SD = 7.03). Analysis focused on the financial impact and material security in relation to pandemic lockdown, institutional trust (news media, police, national government, European Union, and healthcare system), and subjective well-being and mental health. Regression analysis indicated perceived insecurity in employment and housing, worsening finances, and difficulty paying for basic necessities were significantly related to respondents’ life satisfaction, happiness, self-rated health, mental health index, and psychological distress. Institutional trust partially mediated the relationship between perceived adversities and subjective well-being and mental health.
Thinking about Brexit with Cristina Lafont
Authors: Landwehr Claudia
Published: November 2020

In this comment on Cristina Lafont’s new book Democracy without Shortcuts, I apply some of her ideas to the Brexit case in order to show that her identification of problematic shortcuts has significant analytical potential when it comes to understanding contemporary challenges to democracy. I argue that the push for Brexit can be viewed as a response to ‘expertocratic’ shortcuts in European Union decision-making, while David Cameron’s attempt to resolve the conflict once and for all by referendum constituted a ‘proceduralist’ shortcut. I conclude by asking whether Lafont’s suggestion to ‘constitutionalize’ discourses and decisions could also imply seeking a meta-deliberative assessment of democratic institutions.
Carl Schmitt and the authoritarian subversion of democracy
Authors: Vinx Lars
Published: November 2020

‘Bill Scheuerman’s ‘The End of Law’ offers a compelling case for the claim that Carl Schmitt’s constitutional theory is not authentically democratic. This does not entail, however, that Schmitt’s views are of no relevance for understanding the contemporary crisis of democracy. Schmitt’s arguments offer a blueprint for the populist-authoritarian subversion of democracy. Defenders of democracy are therefore well-advised to engage with Schmitt’s ideas.’
Privileging argument and the problem of ideology: Some ‘activist challenges’
Authors: Sörensen Paul
Published: November 2020

Justifying judicial review as a democratic institution is a core concern of Cristina Lafont’s splendid new book. Even though her interpretation is appealing, this also poses some problems. This is due to the non-thematization of ideology that results from Lafont’s ideal-theoretical and argument-privileging approach. I will first address this ideology-problem and then reflect on the implications that this has for the question of what is considered legitimate political action.
Arab Political Cartoons and Facebook: Nadia Khiari, Ali Ferzat and Mohammed Sabaaneh
Authors: Flores Borjabad Salud Adelaida , Ruiz del Olmo Francisco Javier
Published: November 2020

Throughout history, political cartoons have shown themselves to be an extremely powerful media for satirizing and criticizing regimes and social customs. They have been employed by the social and political movements during the Arab Spring. This paper is an attempt to analyze the importance of and the backlash to political cartoons that have been published on Facebook by three important cartoonists in terms of their number of followers and the magnitude of political backlash to their works. A qualitative and interpretative methodology has been used as well as a multimodal analysis to study the cartoons of Ali Ferzat, Nadia Khiary, and Mohammed Sabaaneh. Consequently, the conclusions are that variety in style, irony, and perception have been used, with the help of Facebook, the favorite social network of the Arab world, to irritate the established regimes.
The Politician as a Player: Political Strategic Communication as a Play
Authors: Hoffjann Olaf
Published: November 2020

Approaches to post-truth society describe a shift in societies towards non-binding communication. There are at least two problem inherent to these approaches. On the one hand, there is no plausible explanation as to why a shift from a truth-based to a post-truth society is now apparent. On the other hand, the blanket assumption that the truth is completely unimportant today is not plausible either. This is the starting point for this article. We begin with a concept frequently found in journalistic descriptions: politics as a play and politicians as players. A theoretical approach is presented that conceives political strategic communication as a play. Elaborating on this, the acceptance of lies and bullshit is the result of political self-staging. To this end, the theory of strategic communication plays based on Bateson and Goffman will be presented and developed further into staging and truth plays in politics. The proposition: strategic political communication is increasingly – but not always – being played and perceived as a play in which the entertainment character is more important than the binding nature of the staging and the statements.
Changes in support for Nicaragua’s Sandinista National Liberation Front during democratic backsliding
Authors: Perelló Lucas , Navia Patricio
Published: November 2020

This article examines changes in the determinants of support for Nicaragua’s Sandinista National Liberation Front (FSLN), a party that has achieved dominant status during democratic backsliding. Using three waves of Latin American Public Opinion Project (LAPOP) surveys from 2006 to 2016, we present binary logit models to test four hypotheses on the evolution of support for the FSLN. Following the theory of how the elite’s cues and messages impact public opinion, we find substantial shifts in the determinants of support for the former guerrilla group as democratic backsliding deepened. We report that the FSLN turned into an ideologically pragmatic party after initially appealing to leftist supporters. Economic views also profoundly impact the party’s support – before and after voters elected it to the presidency in 2006.
Perceived discrimination, loneliness, and non-suicidal self-injury in Chinese migrant children: The moderating roles of parent-child cohesion and gender
Authors: Wang Quanquan , Zhang Ye , Liu Xia
Published: November 2020

Chinese rural-to-urban migrant children frequently experience discrimination, which thereby often results in significant negative consequences. However, little is known about the contribution of perceived discrimination experiences to non-suicidal self-injury (NSSI). This study aimed to examine the relationship between perceived discrimination and NSSI, the mediating role of loneliness in this relationship, and the moderating roles of parent-child cohesion and gender. Six hundred fifty-seven migrant children completed a perceived discrimination scale, an NSSI questionnaire, a loneliness scale, and a parent-child cohesion inventory. Results showed that there was a significant positive association between perceived discrimination and NSSI among migrant children. Loneliness mediated the relationship between perceived discrimination and NSSI. Moreover, parent-child cohesion demonstrated a moderating effect on the mediation via loneliness; the indirect association between perceived discrimination and NSSI via loneliness was only significant in low parent-child cohesion condition, but not in the high condition. Additionally, there were differences by gender, with a significantly stronger mediating effect of loneliness among migrant girls compared with migrant boys. The findings from this study contribute to the understanding of the underlying mechanisms in the relationship between perceived discrimination and NSSI. Discussion also provides directions for future interventions and delineate how programs could be designed to target loneliness and parent-child cohesion among migrant children.
The use of social media by African judges. The Ghanaian experience
Authors: Adu Kofi Koranteng
Published: November 2020

The use of social media in judicial trials has in recent past become a common phenomenon in the legal fraternity. For many years, judicial trials have relied on the conventional method of one way communication from courts to adjudicate legal cases. However, the developments of social media have brought about a shift in the adjudication of justice. The paper examines the factors which influence the use of social media among judges; and the opportunities and challenges confronted by judges in the use of social media. It uses a combination of quantitative and qualitative methods, underpinned by bivariate and chi-square analysis,. It articulates that social media networking sites by far attract the younger generation of judges, making them an obvious target for maximizing the reach and impact of the judiciary. Judges who are inching closer to the retirement age in the judiciary engage less with social media as opposed to judges who are younger. Misrepresentation, misuse, security/privacy and bullying were found to be some of the challenges faced by judges in the use of social media. Social media was observed to speed up resolutions to cases, engage litigants, increase court efficiency and assist lawyers in tracking down individuals to be served.
The effect of the calibre and length of needle on the stability of sclerosing foam
Authors: Skuła Marcin , Hobot Jacek , Czaja Joanna , Simka Marian
Published: November 2020

Objectives

Little is known how calibre and length of needles affect the stability of sclerosing foam.

Methods

Foams were made of 0.5%, 1%, 2% and 3% polidocanol, and 0.2%, 0.5%, 1% and 3% sodium tetradecyl sulfate (STS), which were mixed with air in the proportion of 4:1. These foams were ejected through needles with the length of: 4 mm, 6 mm and 13 mm, and diameter of: 0.26 mm, 0.3 mm and 0.4 mm.

Results

Foams made of more concentrated polidocanol were more stable. Regarding STS an opposite relationship was revealed. Foams made of polidocanol were more stable if ejected through a longer needle, while the length of needle did not significantly affect stability of STS foams. Foams ejected through 0.26 mm diameter needles were very unstable. In the case of 0.5% polidocanol, 0.3x6mm needle provided atypically stable foam.

Conclusion

In order to inject maximally stable foam, calibre and length of needle should be taken into account.
Positive expiratory pressure in postoperative cardiac patients in intensive care: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Pieczkoski Suzimara Monteiro , de Oliveira Amanda Lino , Haeffner Mauren Porto , Azambuja Aline de Cassia Meine , Sbruzzi Graciele
Published: November 2020

Objective:

To evaluate effectiveness of positive expiratory pressure blow-bottle device compared to expiratory positive airway pressure and conventional physiotherapy on pulmonary function in postoperative cardiac surgery patients in intensive care unit.

Design:

A randomized controlled trial.

Settings:

Tertiary care.

Subjects:

48 patients (16 in each group; aged 64.5 ± 9.1 years, 38 male) submitted to cardiac surgery.

Interventions:

Patients were randomized into conventional physiotherapy (G1), positive expiratory pressure blow-bottle device (G2) or expiratory positive airway pressure, both associated with conventional physiotherapy (G3). G2 and G3 performed three sets of 10 repetitions in each session for each technique.

Main measures:

Pulmonary function (primary); respiratory muscle strength, radiological changes, pulmonary complications, length of intensive care unit and hospital stay (secondary) assessed preoperatively and on the 3rd postoperative day.

Results:

Pulmonary function (except for forced expiratory volume in one second/ forced vital capacity % predicted) and respiratory muscle strength showed significant reduction from the preoperative to the 3rd postoperative in all groups ( P < 0.001), with no difference between groups ( P > 0.05). Regarding radiological changes, length of intensive care unit stay and length of hospital stay, there was no significant difference between groups ( P > 0.05).

Conclusion:

Both positive expiratory pressure techniques associated with conventional physiotherapy were similar, but there was no difference regarding the use of positive expiratory pressure compared to conventional physiotherapy.

Clinical Trial Registration Number:

NCT03639974. https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT03639974
Self-managed, computerised word finding therapy as an add-on to usual care for chronic aphasia post-stroke: An economic evaluation
Authors: Latimer Nicholas R , Bhadhuri Arjun , Alshreef Abualbishr , Palmer Rebecca , Cross Elizabeth , Dimairo Munyaradzi , Julious Steven , Cooper Cindy , Enderby Pam , Brady Marian C , Bowen Audrey , Bradley Ellen , Harrison Madeleine
Published: November 2020

Objective:

To examine the cost-effectiveness of self-managed computerised word finding therapy as an add-on to usual care for people with aphasia post-stroke.

Design:

Cost-effectiveness modelling over a life-time period, taking a UK National Health Service (NHS) and personal social service perspective.

Setting:

Based on the Big CACTUS randomised controlled trial, conducted in 21 UK NHS speech and language therapy departments.

Participants:

Big CACTUS included 278 people with long-standing aphasia post-stroke.

Interventions:

Computerised word finding therapy plus usual care; usual care alone; usual care plus attention control.

Main measures:

Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios (ICER) were calculated, comparing the cost per quality adjusted life year (QALY) gained for each intervention. Credible intervals (CrI) for costs and QALYs, and probabilities of cost-effectiveness, were obtained using probabilistic sensitivity analysis. Subgroup and scenario analyses investigated cost-effectiveness in different subsets of the population, and the sensitivity of results to key model inputs.

Results:

Adding computerised word finding therapy to usual care had an ICER of £42,686 per QALY gained compared with usual care alone (incremental QALY gain: 0.02 per patient (95% CrI: −0.05 to 0.10); incremental costs: £732.73 per patient (95% CrI: £674.23 to £798.05)). ICERs for subgroups with mild or moderate word finding difficulties were £22,371 and £21,262 per QALY gained respectively.

Conclusion:

Computerised word finding therapy represents a low cost add-on to usual care, but QALY gains and estimates of cost-effectiveness are uncertain. Computerised therapy is more likely to be cost-effective for people with mild or moderate, as opposed to severe, word finding difficulties.
Anton’s syndrome as a presentation of Trousseau syndrome involving the bilateral optic radiation
Authors: Cao Shugang , Zhu Xiaoxia , Zhang Wenting , Xia Mingwu
Published: November 2020

Anton’s syndrome is a rare neuropsychiatric syndrome that is characterized by cortical blindness and anosognosia with visual confabulation, but without global cognitive impairment. We herein report a rare case of Anton’s syndrome as a presentation of Trousseau syndrome involving the bilateral optic radiation. The patient had been diagnosed with gallbladder cancer 2 months previously, and he was admitted to the hospital with confusion and quadriplegia. He was found to be blind, but denied any visual impairment and demonstrated visual confabulation despite evidence of his blindness. These signs were consistent with a diagnosis of Anton’s syndrome. Brain computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging revealed infarcts in the bilateral temporo-parieto-occipital junction with hemorrhagic transformation, mainly involving the bilateral optic radiation. The presence of gallbladder cancer with peripheral metastasis on abdominal CT, as well as markedly increased tumor markers and D-dimer levels, supported the presence of cancer-related hypercoagulability and the diagnosis of Trousseau syndrome.
Complete retroperitoneal laparoscopic nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff excision for upper tract urothelial carcinoma without patient repositioning: a single-center experience
Authors: Wu Gang , Wang Tianqi , Wang Jipeng , Yuan Hejia , Cui Yuanshan , Wu Jitao
Published: November 2020

Objective

This study was performed to evaluate the outcome of complete retroperitoneal laparoscopic nephroureterectomy with bladder cuff excision (RLNU-BCE), which is performed to treat urothelial carcinomas in the renal pelvis or in the ureter higher than the crossing of the common iliac artery without patient repositioning.

Methods

We retrospectively analyzed the clinical data of 48 patients with upper tract urothelial carcinoma who underwent complete RLNU-BCE in our institution from May 2017 to September 2019.

Results

RLNU-BCE was successfully performed in all 48 patients. The median operation time was 110 minutes [interquartile range (IQR), 100–130 minutes], and the median postoperative anesthesia recovery time was 10 minutes (IQR, 7–15 minutes). The median postoperative hospitalization period was 5 days (IQR, 4–6 days). Pathologic examination revealed that the margin of all resected specimens was negative. After a median follow-up of 13 months (IQR, 7–20 months), no local recurrence or distant metastasis was found. No complications occurred during follow-up.

Conclusion

Based on our experience with this technique, RLNU-BCE deserves application and promotion in clinical practice. Long-term comparative studies are required to confirm its superiority over other techniques.
Changing memory of the Tiananmen Incident in Taiwan: From patriotism to universal values (1989–2019)
Authors: Ho Ming-sho
Published: November 2020

This article examines the three-decade evolution of remembering the Tiananmen Incident in Taiwan by looking at annual commemorative activities. There is a decisive shift from a patriotic understanding to a cosmopolitan perspective grounded in universal values. The earlier memory was based on an ethnic nationalism that stressed consanguinity among Taiwanese and mainland Chinese and a narrative of the Chinese Republican Revolution. However, such framing lost its persuasiveness and the memory of Tiananmen faded as Taiwanese, particularly the younger generation, embraced an indigenous identity. China’s rapid economic growth and its ascendency as a new world power neutralized the potency of the earlier memory because it demonstrated the possibility of nationalistic aspirations without democracy. Since 2011, commemorative rallies have revived and proceeded with a newer understanding of the Tiananmen Incident in terms of human rights, civil society, and youth activism. This article argues that this ‘mnemonic change’ reflects Taiwan’s democratization and the indigenization of Taiwanese society, enabling young organizers to articulate their own Tiananmen memory by referencing global civil-society activism. Mnemonic change in Taiwan is examined with a comparative reference to the parallel development in Hong Kong.
A Heterodox Re-Reading of Creative Work: The Diverse Economies of Danish Visual Artists
Authors: Alacovska Ana , Bille Trine
Published: November 2020

This article investigates the diverse and heterodox array of labour practices and economic activities in artistic work. Existing studies contend that artistic income is highly skewed, with the majority of artists living in poverty, and that artistic work is intermittent, project-by-project based and precarious, with artists juggling multiple jobs. However, these prevalent perspectives typically foreground only formal contractual employment while neglecting the variegated range of informal, alternative and relational economic practices. Building on a mixed method study of Danish visual artists’ livelihoods and drawing on the total social organization of labour perspective, the article maps a diverse spectrum of labour practices ranging from formal paid/unpaid work to informal cash-in-hand work and non-monetized barter exchanges, to wholly non-commodified everyday practices of mutual aid and favour-swapping, as well as ‘consumption work’ such as thrift and self-provisioning. Heterodox economic practices are the primary mode by which artists cope with and manage precarious artistic livelihoods.
Disturbances in dialogue and metacognition: A renewed way to understand and respond to alterations in self-experience in psychosis
Authors: Lysaker Paul H. , Lysaker John T.
Published: November 2020

A dialogical model of psychosis proposed that the collapse of dialogue may explain the alterations in sense of self and agency observed in psychosis. This view was hampered by lack of clarity regarding the processes that support or hinder dialogue. Since then, research on metacognition has offered an alternative but also partially complementary approach. To explore this issue a brief history of the original dialogical conceptualization of psychosis and the difficulties that it confronts is offered along with the essential contributions of research on metacognition in psychosis. Next, we explore how this more recent research has deepened the exploration of some core ideas of dialogical self theory, including the multiplicity of the self, while calling into question other aspects of that theory. Lastly, we discuss issues awaiting future research including models linking disturbances in basic brain function, social injustice, community connection, and self-experience in psychosis from the frame of a network.
Corporate Beneficence and COVID-19
Authors: Ostas Daniel T. , de los Reyes Gastón
Published: November 2020

This article explores the motives underlying corporate responses to the COVID-19 pandemic. The analysis begins with Thomas Dunfee’s Statement of Minimum Moral Obligation (SMMO), which specifies, more precisely than any other contribution to the business ethics canon, the level of corporate beneficence required during a pandemic. The analysis then turns to Milton Friedman’s neoliberal understanding of human nature, critically contrasting it with the notion of stoic virtue that informs the works of Adam Smith. Friedman contends that beneficence should play no role in corporate settings. Smith, by contrast, emphasizes the need for prudence, beneficence and self-command in all human endeavours. The article then uses these competing frameworks to reflect on a published survey of 145 corporate responses to COVID-19. In many of these responses, the benefit to a non-financial stakeholder is clear, while the financial consequence to the firm remains nebulous. This supports the contention that during a pandemic, beneficence provides a more complete explanation of many corporate actions than the profit motive alone. The article contests Friedman’s Chicago School profit imperative and goes beyond Dunfee’s SMMO by endorsing the more full-throated embrace of beneficence and stoic virtue found in the works of Smith.
Sequence and unique phylogeny of G genes of bovine respiratory syncytial viruses circulating in Japan
Authors: Kumagai Asuka , Kawauchi Kyoko , Andoh Kiyohiko , Hatama Shinichi
Published: November 2020

Bovine respiratory syncytial virus (BRSV) is an etiologic agent of bovine respiratory disease. The rapid evolutionary rate of BRSV contributes to genetic and antigenic heterogeneity of field strains and causes occasional vaccine failure. We conducted molecular epidemiologic characterization of BRSV circulating in Japan to obtain genetic information for vaccine-based disease control. Phylogenetic analysis of G and F gene sequences revealed that all of the isolated Japanese BRSV strains clustered in the same genetic subgroup, which was distinct from the 9 known groups. We assigned the Japanese group to subgenotype X. The Japanese isolates formed 2 temporal clusters: isolates from 2003 to 2005 clustered in lineage A; isolates from 2017 to 2019 formed lineage B. The alignment of the deduced amino acid sequences of the G gene revealed that the central hydrophobic region responsible for viral antigenicity is conserved in all of the isolates; unique amino acid mutations were found mainly in mucin-like regions. Our results suggest that BRSV has evolved uniquely in Japan to form the new subgenotype X; the antigenic homogeneity of the viruses within this group is inferred.
Damage evolution characteristics of saw-tooth joint under shear creep condition
Authors: Zhang Xing , Lin Hang , Wang Yixian , Yong Rui , Zhao Yanlin , Du Shigui
Published: November 2020

The creep characteristics of joint have an important influence on the long-term stability of rock mass engineering such as tunnels and slopes. In this paper, the sawtooth angle α is taken as the variable, five different numerical models of regular sawtooth joints are established using the discrete element numerical method, to study the shear mechanical characteristics of joints under creep condition. In addition, the shear mechanical properties of joints under transient condition are compared to analysis the influence of creep on the mechanical characteristics of joint. The results show that under shear creep condition: (1) Shear displacement of joint increases stepwise with time. At low sawtooth angles, the difference of joint shear displacement with different normal stresses is large. The long-term shear strength of joint is proportional to normal stress and sawtooth angle. (2) The total absorbed energy U and elastic energy Ue of the joint both increase as the sawtooth angle α increases. Dissipated energy Ud tends to increase first and then decrease with increasing sawtooth angle. Compared with the energy characteristics under transient condition, it is found that the joint under creep condition not only has a lower shear strength, but also requires less total absorbed energy and dissipative energy, and fewer cracks at critical failure. (3) Before the peak strength, the damage variable D increases nonlinearly with the shear displacement. Compared with the transient condition, the damage amount corresponding to the peak strength under the creep condition is smaller, and the evolution rate of the damage variable D with shear displacement at the critical failure is higher.
TRENDS: Do Women Seek “Women of Color” for Public Office? Exploring Women’s Support for Electing Women of Color
Authors: Matos Yalidy , Greene Stacey , Sanbonmatsu Kira
Published: November 2020

Scholars frequently invoke the term “women of color” (WOC) in their research, and, increasingly, the media make reference to WOC in news stories. Despite this common usage, researchers have failed to investigate whether the phrase WOC is politically advantageous. That is, do all women, black, Latina, Asian, white, and mixed-race women, support WOC candidates? This omission is unfortunate considering the large body of literature about race and gender politics concerned with descriptive representation and the extent of coethnic voting and gender affinity effects. Using original public opinion data, we draw on theories of intersectionality and social identity to hypothesize about how different subgroups of women respond to the prospect of electing more WOC to Congress. Consistent with group differences in the historic processes of racialization, our findings reveal considerable complexity within the WOC umbrella. Even within this complexity, we found that black and white women are the most distinctive in their preference for electing WOC. We contribute to the gender and race fields by identifying WOC as a politicized identity, and thus complicate and expand the study of descriptive representation.