Singular Case Research Articles

The Epidemiologic Transition in French Guiana: Secular Trends and Setbacks, and Comparisons with Continental France and South American Countries

There are great variations between population subgroups, notably in poorer countries, leading to substantial inconsistencies with those predicted by the classical epidemiologic transition theory. In this context, using public data, we aimed to determine how the singular case of French Guiana fit and transitioned in the epidemiologic transition framework. The data show a gradual decline in infant mortality to values above 8 per 1000 live births. Premature mortality rates were greater but declined more rapidly in French Guiana than in mainland France until 2017 when they reascended in a context of political turmoil followed by the COVID-19 pandemic and strong reluctance to get vaccinated. Although infections were a more frequent cause of death in French Guiana, there is a marked decline and circulatory and metabolic causes are major causes of premature death. Fertility rates remain high (>3 live births per woman), and the age structure of the population is still pyramid-shaped. The singularities of French Guiana (rich country, universal health system, widespread poverty) explain why its transition does not fit neatly within the usual stages of transition. Beyond gradual improvements in secular trends, the data also suggest that political turmoil and fake news may have detrimentally affected mortality in French Guiana and reversed improving trends.

Programmatic innovations that accord with the retention of women in STEM careers

Gender representation in the physical sciences remains inequitable and continues to lag behind other fields. Even though there exists adequate documentation regarding programmatic postures, difficulties persist within the physics discipline. In this paper, we present innovative, programmatic elements over an 8-year period at an undergraduate, liberal arts, physics program. These elements were added in response to the following two questions: “What practices cultivate an increase of physics major numbers in an undergraduate, liberal arts setting?” and “What practices facilitate a depth of experience for individual physics graduates?” Some of these innovations aligned with published, “best practices” for undergraduate physics programs, while others were novel to the program's context. Within this 8-year period, alterations were separated into curricular and co-curricular elements. Innovations are described, and data are presented in 3-year timeframes before, during, and after their implementation. The number of total majors and graduates increased, including a 200% increase of women degree recipients compared to the previous 10 years. This boosted average graduation rates for women above the national average (30% > 20%). Moreover, women were retained within the undergraduate physics major at a higher percentage during this time period when compared to men in the program. Lastly, these women physics majors maintained careers in science advancement fields at a rate of 80±% after ≤ 5 years post-graduation. While this paper presents a singular case study, the purpose is two-fold: (a) to validate quantitatively the work of national physics organizations within the context of a liberal arts institution, and (b) to suggest that a multi-level approach is most efficacious when considering programmatic innovations.

Endoscopic management of esophageal perforations and tears

: Esophageal perforation is a life-threatening condition burdened by high morbidity and mortality. The esophageal perforation can occur spontaneously (such as Boerhaave syndrome) or can be an iatrogenic complication. The diagnostic approach may be difficult as the clinical presentations is often non-specific. However, a proper and early diagnosis is crucial to reduce the mortality rate. Once the diagnosis is obtained, the therapeutic management differs among the different clinical scenarios. In some cases, a wait and watch approach is preferred, in other cases a more aggressive treatment is required. Although surgery was considered the standard of care, nowadays endoscopy is emerging as the first line treatment in esophageal perforations non-responsive to medical treatments. The endoscopic techniques available are the application of through-the-scope clips (TTSCs), over-the-scope clips, esophageal stents, endoscopic suturing techniques, endoluminal vacuum therapy (EVT), and locoregional application of regenerative medicine. The choice of the specific endoscopic technique depends on the injury length, the perforation site, and the presence of fluid collections. The complexity of the diagnostic and therapeutic approach to esophageal perforation imposes a multidisciplinary approach in order to choose the proper treatment in each singular case. The aim of this study is to assess the role of endoscopy in the management of esophageal injuries and to describe the endoscopic techniques nowadays available.

A case of impulsive singularity

The paper considers an impulsive system with singularities. Different types of problems with singular perturbations have been discussed in many books. In Bainov and Kovachev’s book [4]several articles cited therein consider impulse systems with small parameter involving only differential equations. The parameter is not in the impulsive equation of the systems. In our present the small parameter is inserted into the impulse equation. This is the principal novelty of our study. Furthermore, for the impulsive function, we found a condition that prevents the impulsive function to blow up as the parameter tends to zero. So we have significantly extended the singularity concept for discontinuous dynamics. The singularity of the impulsive part of the system can be treated in the manner of perturbation theory methods. This article is a continuation of [1] work. In our present research, we apply the method of the paper [1]. Our goal is to construct an approximation with higher accuracy and to obtain the complete asymptotic expansion. We construct a uniform asymptotic approximation of the solution that is valid in the entire close interval by using the method of boundary functions [22]. An illustrative example using numerical simulations is given to support the theoretical results.

The Tracking of Derivative Discontinuities for Delay Fractional Equations Based on Fitted L1 Method

Abstract In this paper, the analytic solution of the delay fractional model is derived by the method of steps. The theoretical result implies that the regularity of the solution at s + {s^{+}} is better than that at 0 + {0^{+}} , where s is a constant time delay. The behavior of derivative discontinuity is also discussed. Then, improved regularity solution is obtained by the decomposition technique and a fitted L ⁢ 1 {L1} numerical scheme is designed for it. For the case of initial singularity, the optimal convergence order is reached on uniform meshes when α ∈ [ 2 3 , 1 ) {\alpha\in[\frac{2}{3},1)} , α is the order of fractional derivative. Furthermore, an improved fitted L ⁢ 1 {L1} method is proposed and the region of optimal convergence order is larger. For the case t > s {t>s} , stability and min ⁡ { 2 ⁢ α , 1 } {\min\{2\alpha,1\}} order convergence of the fitted L ⁢ 1 {L1} scheme are deduced. At last, the numerical tests are carried out and confirm the theoretical result.

Conflict: The Missing Ingredient for Sustainability in Complex Partnerships

Addressing today’s most pressing challenges requires collaboration between professionals of different disciplines and the capacity to work effectively across sectors. Cross-sector partnerships (CSPs) are an increasingly common vehicle for doing so, but too often they fall short of achieving the desired social impact. Three years of research alongside a unique multi-sector partnership to prevent human trafficking identifies lack of shared understanding as the main problem, caused by conflict avoidance during early stages of partnership development. Counterintuitively, controversy is necessary to develop shared norms, power structure, and communication practices—all elements of participatory design—through a process of stakeholder dialogue. Effective dialogue requires people to explore, confront, and contest diverse perspectives; however, research finds that groups are more likely to avoid conflict and engage in consensus-confirming discussions, thereby undermining their effectiveness. Using the singular case study of a cross-sector partnership that formed to enact new anti-trafficking legislation, this study examines how conflict avoidance constrained the performance and sustainability of a cross-sector, multi-actor collaboration. The study finds that conflict avoidance stifles shared understanding of governance, norms, and administrative practices, negatively impacting multiple processes that are important to sustainable collaborations. The conclusion drawn is that conflict management should receive greater attention in the study and practice of cross-sector partnerships.

“Local guys wanted”: homoerotic photography, censorship, and national belonging in apartheid South Africa – the case of Alternative Books (1981-1991)

This article explores the singular case of Alternative Books (AB), a South African publisher of homoerotic photography active in the late apartheid period. While AB's titles broadly engaged established Western aesthetic traditions of the male nude (salient in gay print cultures of the twentieth century), their erotic scenes frequently played out against national landmarks and symbols, suggesting a distinct mode of vernacular homoerotic photography. Given the widespread disenfranchisement of gay men during apartheid, this study considers the affective and political potential of such images for reconciling same-sex desire with national identity, albeit for a limited (that is, predominantly white) historical audience. First, to plot the history of social homophobia and anti-gay legislation in apartheid South Africa, this study considers censorship discourse a compelling barometer of the state's attitude towards male homosexuality during this time. Second, via comparison with contemporaneous homoerotic commodities distributed in apartheid South Africa, accessed from the GALA Queer Archive, this article suggests that AB's visual language uniquely challenged heteronormative associations with the South African landscape to open the nation to queer possibilities.

Management as ideology: “New” managerialism and the corporate university in the period of Covid‐19

AbstractIn this paper, we examine how Covid‐19 was utilized by the management of a university as a catalyst for ideological change, with the objective of transforming the ethos of a university management school and the role(s) of the academics employed within. Through new modes of working that maintained corporeal distance between university staff, market‐based ideology was mobilized to institute radical and lasting change within the roles of academics and operations of the institution. We focus on a singular case study: “Blue Management School” (BMS, pseudonym), based within an English mid‐tier research university which has historically embraced corporatization more readily than most of its peers. We conducted a qualitative analysis of management email communications and from interviews with nine academics (both current and former employees) who were working at BMS during the time concerned (March 2020 onward). We observe that Covid‐19 posed significant challenges to corporatized universities, and that university managers at BMS sought to address these challenges by undertaking further steps toward corporatization and mobilizing organizational change legitimized by the need to manage the Covid‐19 situation. This included hierarchical forms of accountability, with academics answering for module content to teaching convenors and the management team (“manager academics”). We draw attention to how management communications carried profound effects for the mobilization of ideological change within the institution, during this period. In addition, academic identity was affected, moving away from traditional research and teaching scholars toward revenue‐generating customer service workers, facilitating a power shift away from academics and further toward managers.

Unified approach to $C^{1,\alpha}$ regularity for quasilinear parabolic equations

In this paper, we are interested in obtaining a unified approach to C^{1,\alpha} estimates for weak solutions of quasilinear parabolic equations, the prototype example being u_t - \operatorname{div} \big(|\nabla u|^{p-2} \nabla u\big) = 0. without having to consider the singular and degenerate cases separately. This is achieved via a new scaling and a suitable adaptation of the covering argument developed by E. DiBenedetto and A. Friedman.

SELECTIVE, BIONEUROPATHOGENETIC APPROACH TO THE CHOICE OF INTERVENTION IN VARIOUS CLINICAL AND ANATOMICAL FORMS OF SEVERE TRAUMATIC BRAIN INJURY

The research has been based on surgical experience of multiple decades and on retrospect study of more that 4000 clinical cases, among them 3500 surgical invasion due to different types of traumas. Since it relies on the latter, it shows the evolution of our approaches towards severe cerebral cranial traumon includes different matters regarding diagnostics and surgical treatment with neuropathogenetic approach. We have shown the advantages of certain surgical procedures in cases of cerebral cranial trauma and also the way approaches were changing after introduction of high medical technology and taking into consideration bio mechanisms and pathological data. Computer diagnostics changed several surgical procedures and opportunities. In cases of traumas impacted in immobilized condition method of choice used to be plastic craniotomy, when in cases of cerebral congestion would cause decompression, placing bone fragment under the skin. 902 surgeries were performed among 1990. In 894 cases surgeries were performed using plastic trepanation, 217 among them was performed with improved modified method. In cases of negligible brain congestion, bone fragment was left in its place without suture fixation and after the congestion resolution fragment would return to its anatomical location. In several times it would be ligated in 2-3 points. This method was the most efficient in bi-frontal low craniotomy. The need of removing bone fragment was observed in zero cases. In cases of acceleration traumas, which is characterized by diffuse damage, multifocal hemorrhages and bruises, in 157 cases double decompression method was used, in some case with falcostomy, effective in 49 cases. Trafination and resection trepanation were removed from practice. Trafination method was sometimes use in cases of chronic hematomas and acute hydromas. In Recurrent and chronic hydromas method was less effective, in such conditions plastic trepanation method was used in order to create extra space for fluid. In singular cases of collapsed brain and for resolving tunica arachnoidea broken surface, we used to infuse 25-35 cubic oxygen or 20-25 distillate in spinal cord. This method was proved effective in 70 cases. Therefore, taking into consideration patho-mechanisms and pathology data, using differential pathogenetic methods of surgical invasion and computer monitoring of post-operative period we managed to decrease mortality in severecerebro-cranial traumas to 29-30% comparing to pre computer periods 36-38 % and comparing to data of other clinics 35-45%.

Singular quadratic eigenvalue problems: linearization and weak condition numbers

The numerical solution of singular eigenvalue problems is complicated by the fact that small perturbations of the coefficients may have an arbitrarily bad effect on eigenvalue accuracy. However, it has been known for a long time that such perturbations are exceptional and standard eigenvalue solvers, such as the QZ algorithm, tend to yield good accuracy despite the inevitable presence of roundoff error. Recently, Lotz and Noferini quantified this phenomenon by introducing the concept of $$\delta $$ -weak eigenvalue condition numbers. In this work, we consider singular quadratic eigenvalue problems and two popular linearizations. Our results show that a correctly chosen linearization increases $$\delta $$ -weak eigenvalue condition numbers only marginally, justifying the use of these linearizations in numerical solvers also in the singular case. We propose a very simple but often effective algorithm for computing well-conditioned eigenvalues of a singular quadratic eigenvalue problems by adding small random perturbations to the coefficients. We prove that the eigenvalue condition number is, with high probability, a reliable criterion for detecting and excluding spurious eigenvalues created from the singular part.

Optimal Beacon Deployment for Positioning in Cluttered Indoor Environments

Accurate indoor positioning is vital for many indoor autonomous systems. This article focuses on the influence of beacon placement on overall positioning quality in cluttered indoor environments. We first propose a metric based on the Fisher information matrix (FIM) to evaluate the performance of the positioning service provided by a specific beacon layout. After analyzing the characteristics of the FIM, we introduce an additional penalty term in the performance metric to handle singular cases. We then investigate the optimal beacon placement with respect to overall positioning quality. We derive the gradient of the optimization objective and propose an efficient optimization method called the quotient-space gradient-based particle swarm optimization (QGPSO), which combines the quotient-space PSO with the gradient ascent method, enabling the particle swarm to obtain more accurate optimization results locally while retaining the original global exploration capability. Numerical results validate our analysis and the superiority of the proposed optimization method over other baselines.

Non-Markovian speedup evolution of a center massive particle in two-dimensional environmental model

A two-dimensional ray model is introduced to realize the non-Markovian speedup evolution of a center massive particle gravitationally coupled to a controllable environment (multilayer arrangement of the massive particles). By controlling the environment, for instance by choosing a judicious mass of the environmental particles or by changing the separation distance of each massive particle, two dynamical crossover behaviors from Markovian to non-Markovian and from no-speedup to speedup are achieved due to the gravitational interactions between the system particle and environmental particles. It is obvious that the critical mass of the environmental particles or the critical separation distance for these two dynamical crossover behaviors restrict each other directly. The larger the value of the mass of the environmental particles is, the smaller the value of the critical separation distance should be requested. In addition, it should be emphasized that the non-Markovian dynamics is the principal physical reason for the speedup evolution of the system massive particle. Particularly, the non-Markovianity of the dynamics process of the system massive particle in the even ray case has better correspondence with the quantum speed limit time than that in the singular ray case.

Hyperelliptic continued fractions in the singular case of genus zero

Given a polynomial of even degree D(t) with complex coefficients, we consider the continued fraction expansion of \sqrt{D(t)} . In this setting, it has been shown by Zannier that the sequence of the degrees of the partial quotients of the continued fraction expansion of \sqrt{D(t)} is eventually periodic, even when the expansion itself is not. In this article, we work out in detail the case in which the curve y^2=D(t) has genus 0 , establishing explicit geometric conditions corresponding to the appearance of partial quotients of certain degrees in the continued fraction expansion. We also show that there are non-trivial polynomials D(t) with non-periodic expansions such that infinitely many partial quotients have degree greater than one.

A complete metric topology on relative low energy spaces

In this paper, we show that the low energy spaces in the prescribed singularity case $\mathcal{E}_{\psi}(X,\theta,\phi)$ have a natural topology which is completely metrizable. This topology is stronger than convergence in capacity.

A defense of the Romantic longing against Hegel’s critique

This paper questions Hegel’s critique to the central place that Romantic authors Friedrich Schlegel andNovalis gave to the dimension of affection in their philosophical thinking, as well as to the way theylink philosophy and poetry. The summit of this affective and poetical tendency of the Romantics is theso-called Sehnsucht – the infinite longing or aspiration – which Hegel criticizes in a very truculentmanner. The interest of this debate is not limited to the studies on the famous controversy Hegelversus Romanticism; in a broader sense, it presents a singular case of a certain dissent on the way howphilosophy takes a stand on the matter of affection and poetry. In Hegel’s case, this stand is one thatposes a strong hierarchy in which reason and the conceptual activity of thinking are superior to thedimension of feelings, and this hierarchy also unfolds as a superiority of the philosophical over thepoetical – while the Romantics endeavoured, precisely, to unravel such hierarchy. This paper defendsthe importance and deepness of the affective dimension promoted by the Romantics, whilst alsoattempts to deconstruct some of the main assumptions of Hegel’s critique.

Possibilities of Interpreting the Night-to-Day Ratio Specified by 24-Hour Blood Pressure Monitoring.

Specify the risk rate of incorrect patient classification based on the night-to-day ratio specification from singular 24-h ABPM in comparison to the results of 7-day ABPM monitoring. 1197 24 h cycles were enrolled in 171 subjects in the study and divided into 4 groups: group 1 (40 healthy men and women without exercise), group 2 (40 healthy exercise-training men and women), group 3 (40 patients with ischemic coronary artery disease without exercise), and group 4 (51 patients with ischemic coronary artery disease following cardiovascular rehabilitation). The subject of the evaluation was the percentage rate of incorrect subject classification (dipper, nondipper, extreme dipper, and riser) based on the mean blood pressure values for 7 days and from seven independent 24-hour cycles (the mean value mode). In the case of the individuals included in the monitored groups, the mean night-to-day ratio-based (mode for the 7 days versus the individual days of 24-hour monitoring) classification accordance ranged between 59% and 62%. Only in singular cases did the accordance reach 0% or 100%. The accordance size was not dependent on the health or cardiovascular disease (p < 0.594; 56% vs. 54%) or physical activity (p < 0.833; 55% vs. 54%) of the monitored individuals. The specification of the night-to-day ratio of each individual for each day of the 7-day ABPM monitoring would be the most convenient option. In many patients, diagnosing could thus be based on the most frequently occurring values (mode specification).

Note on stability of an abstract coupled hyperbolic-parabolic system: Singular case

In this paper we try to complete the stability analysis for an abstract system of coupled hyperbolic and parabolic equations utt+Au−Aαw=0,wt+Aαut+Aβw=0,u(0)=u0,ut(0)=u1,w(0)=w0,where A is a self-adjoint, positive definite operator on a complex Hilbert space H, and (α,β)∈[0,1]×[0,1], which is considered in Ammar-Khodja et al. (1999), and after, in Hao et al. (2013). Our contribution is to identify a fine scale of polynomial stability of the solution in the region S3:=(α,β)∈[0,1]×[0,1];β<2α−1 taking into account the presence of a singularity at zero.

Evaluating Stakeholders Curricular Needs: Global Literacy in Social Studies Teacher Education

This study aims to evaluate the curriculum of the Globalization and Society course under the Social Studies Teacher Education Program. We attempted to determine the educational needs of the various curriculum stakeholders and the extent to which the relevant course met these needs. For this purpose, we aimed to reveal how effectively the globalization and society curriculum addresses stakeholders' needs regarding antecedents, transactions, and outcomes. We chose the research design (singular case study) because we evaluated the curriculum as a single case. We also used Stake's Responsive Evaluation Model during the curriculum evaluation process. We conducted structured and semi-structured interviews with curriculum stakeholders such as social studies teachers, pre-service teachers, course instructors, and a curriculum expert. The findings indicate that curriculum stakeholders have different perspectives and expectations regarding the course's objectives and contents. However, these objectives and contents needed to be better integrated into teacher education and social studies teaching. This case may indicate that social studies teaching handles globalization in a limited way.

Grammatical Gender Features in English and Arabic

Gender in language is like sex in the outside world . Sex is considered as the most important basis for gender distinction . Sex stands for either male or female creatures.The main purpose behind this paper is to provide a comparative study between English and Arabic gender . It deals with gender as a grammatical category . The paper is divided into three sections: Section one gives an account of the term gender ; Section two deals with gender in Arabic while section three displays gender in English then the conclusion of the study is displayed . It reflects the main points of contrast between the two languages under study as far as gender is concerned .The distinction of gender into feminine and masculine is an important feature in Arabic , Unlike English where the majority of words do not make this distinction clear .In addition, Languages differ in the number of gender they recognize . English has three genders masculine , feminine and neuter which stand respectively for male , female and neither sex . On the other hand , Arabic has two gender categories : masculine and feminine. Both languages under study use the natural gender in classifying the nouns into masculine and feminine. i.e. every noun that belongs to the class of masculine nouns refers to male animate and vise versa.In Arabic ,masculine nouns are considered as the basis from which feminine nouns can be derived through the addition of certain markers . These markers can be added to both nouns and adjectives , whereas , a few nouns in English are marked for gender . In Arabic , there are certain irregularities inconsidering and forming the feminine nouns whereas in English some pronouns are gender sensitive.On the syntactic level , In Arabic , there should be an agreement between the noun that is marked for gender and the other elements of the sentence while in English such agreement can be manifested between the nouns and their pronouns in the singular case only.