bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Marrying Body and Theology: A Response to Thomas Finegan
Authors: Lawler Michael G. , Salzman Todd A.
Published: September 2024

In a recent article in this journal, Thomas Finegan replies to our earlier article in this journal, which proposes a theological and ethical argument for the Catholic church to recognize same-sex civil unions as a lower-case sacrament. His critique focuses on the theological significance of embodiment as a one flesh union taught by Jesus, defended throughout Catholic tradition, and justified philosophically. We respond that Finegan’s critique misrepresents our argument and is mistaken biblically, anthropologically, and sacramentally, and suffers from scotosis.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Coaching: Redefining People Development and Organizational Performance
Authors: Terblanche Nicky H.D.
Published: September 2024

The confluence of organizational coaching and artificial intelligence (AI), specifically generative AI is set to permanently change how employees are developed and supported. This could result in significant benefits to individual and organizational learning, wellness, and performance. The benefits of organizational coaching are well documented through rigorous research, while the efficacy of AI coaching shows early signs of promise. The challenge now is how to optimally leverage AI in organizational coaching for exponential gains. In this article, I will explore the current and potential future applications of AI coaching in organizations, what we must be cognizant of, and which concerns are overhyped.
Nostalgia, Scapegoating, and Alterity Politics. An analysis of the Albatross Undercutting Zimbabwe’s Leverage of Bilateral Relations with China
Authors: Makuwerere Dube Langton
Published: September 2024

The article explores the interplay of nostalgia, scapegoating, and alterity politics within the context of China–Zimbabwe relations. Grounded in postcolonial critique, constructivism, and psychology, the paper grapples with how identities, historical narratives, memory, and the legacy of colonialism shape state behavior and policymaking. Therefore, this study interrogates the contradictions, continuities, and discontinuities surrounding the ideological frameworks, histories, and power structures as they impact Zimbabwe’s postcolonial policy praxis and maneuvers with China. Pursuant, I foreground the agency of domestic political dynamics in shaping the nature, impact, success, or failure thereof, of China–Zimbabwe relations. Overarchingly, the study brings nuance to the broader salience of identity politics in shaping the Global South relations with emerging powers either as a source of leverage or hindrance.
A review of the estimation of postmortem interval using forensic entomology
Authors: Obafunwa John Oladapo , Roe Amanda , Higley Leon
Published: September 2024

The postmortem interval (PMI) is a crucial factor in death investigations. For PMIs exceeding 24 h the forensic pathologist must turn to other specialties that focus on decompositional ecology of animals, including humans. Primary among these specialties is forensic entomology. Here, we review the importance of forensic entomology in estimating the PMI, and we examine the factors that influence these estimates. Among key concerns are environmental factors, especially temperature, and aspects of insect biology. Additionally, we examine current methods used for calculating PMI based on insects and their development.
Intellectual property rights and plants made by new genomic techniques: Access to technology and gene-edited traits in plant breeding
Authors: Lukasiewicz Joanna M , van de Wiel Clemens CM , Lotz Lambertus AP , Smulders Marinus JM
Published: September 2024

Gene editing has the potential to make new crop varieties faster and more efficiently. New and more suitable crop varieties can increase sustainable agriculture, for instance, in the form of disease-resistant varieties that facilitate integrated pest management. The European Commission's proposal on the regulation of gene-edited and cisgenic plants produced with New Genomic Techniques (including CRISPR/Cas) has re-opened the discussion on Intellectual Property Rights on plants in Europe. We provide an overview of the possible impact of patent rights and Plant Variety Rights on the availability of technology and gene-edited alleles to breeders on an European level. We highlight potential problems with the two Intellectual Property Right systems and indicate potential avenues to solutions.
Investigating the Association of Chinese EFL Students’ Growth Mindset, Grit, and Foreign Language Enjoyment: A Structural Equation Modelling Study
Authors: Xu Jingjing
Published: September 2024

The importance of individual differences, personality traits, and psycho-affective factors in second language (L2) learning has been increasingly substantiated by recent research. However, the relationship between students’ mindsets and positive emotions has received insufficient attention in the English as a foreign language (EFL) context. To fill this research gap, we drew on “broaden-and-build” and “control value” (CVT) theories to examine associations among L2 students’ growth mindset, grit, and foreign language enjoyment (FLE). A sample of 750 Chinese students completed three formerly validated scales on each of these constructs. Structural equation modeling (SEM) and correlation analysis illustrated significant, strong, positive correlations among English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ growth mindset, L2 grit, and FLE. We found that 56% of changes in Chinese students’ FLE could be predicted by changes in their growth mindset and grit. We discuss the obtained results, their implications, and future research directions to highlight the contagious nature of positive emotions in L2 education.
Siblings and the Bereaved Self: Identity (Re)Construction Following the Death of a Brother or Sister
Authors: Towers Laura
Published: September 2024

Having and being a sibling can be vital in shaping one’s identity. Using data from a qualitative study exploring experiences of sibling bereavement over the life course, this article questions how the death and subsequent loss of a brother or sister impacts upon the way that surviving siblings (continue to) construct their sense of self. It explores how people re-assess the established similarities and differences they shared with living siblings and re-negotiate their positioning within the chronological sibling birth order. In doing so, this article emphasises the sociological importance of lateral kinship ties with siblings, demonstrating that being and having a sibling can have lasting implications for the way that people perceive and present themselves, even after death. As such, the article concludes that the dead can continue to maintain an important and influential, albeit liminal, position in the webs of relationships in which people are embedded.
Religious pluralism and historical-critical scholarship: a contemplative connection?
Authors: Knight Christopher C.
Published: September 2024

A notion that has arisen from historical-critical analysis – that the Gospels are primarily ‘theological’ rather than straightforwardly ‘historical’ documents – is explored in terms of the aspect of patristic thinking that has been described as ‘mystical theology’. Here, the ancient concept of the mental faculty called the nous becomes relevant because it was often seen in the patristic writings as essentially intuitive in its operation. It was therefore related primarily to a noetic, contemplative apprehension of reality, rather than to discursive rationality. This concept is relevant not only to understanding the Gospels but also to a pluralistic understanding of the world’s faith traditions, so that there is a potential link between our way of reading the Gospels and our way of assessing religious pluralism. Both may therefore be seen, in a new way, as aspects of a post-critical spirituality.
The place and role of purgatory in the twenty-first century: a visual content analysis of students’ AI-generated works
Authors: Cirklová Jitka
Published: September 2024

This article examines current perceptions of purgatory among young people and its role in society. Architecture students’ visual material explores the evolving concept of purgatory and its importance today. The study analyses how ideas of purification and hybridity are understood in contemporary secular society. Using a structured visual research framework, the study incorporates participatory seminars, art-based methodologies and innovative AI techniques. It investigates young people’s views on purgatory and their understanding of the cosmos, considering contemporary interpretations and the concept of presentism. By combining creative and conventional research approaches, this text aims to enhance understanding and generate new insights. The analysis uncovers how purgatory and transitional spaces are understood in today’s society, revealing individual interpretations of religious teachings. It also highlights the importance of creative research methods in understanding complex religious ideas.
The problem of salvation: a clue from Robert Oppenheimer
Authors: Kibble David G.
Published: September 2024

The article begins by looking at whether God will save all (universalism) or whether he requires a response on the part of man to effect that salvation. Tom Torrance’s writing seems to suggest that both may be true. It is suggested that this paradox can be resolved, however, if, accepting the thesis in the scientific sphere by Robert Oppenheimer and in the theological sphere by John Macquarrie, we argue that both can be accepted as true and as complementary descriptions of salvation.
Adverse Drug Reactions Resulting From the Use of Chiral Medicines Amoxicillin, Amoxicillin-Clavulanic Acid, and Ceftriaxone: A Mixed Prospective-Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Mwamwitwa Kissa W. , Bukundi Elias M. , Maganda Betty A. , Munishi Castory , Fimbo Adam M. , Buma Deus , Muro Eva P. , Sabiiti Wilber , Shewiyo Danstan H. , Shearer Morven C. , Smith Andrew D. , Kaale Eliangiringa A.
Published: September 2024

The use of chiral medicines (possessing center(s) of asymmetric carbon) may cause adverse drug reactions (ADRs). The safety assurance of these medicines is critical. We aimed to evaluate registered and commonly used anti-infective chiral medicines circulating in the Tanzanian market to establish their safety profile to protect public health. A mixed prospective-retrospective cohort study was conducted to assess the safety profile of amoxicillin, amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and ceftriaxone injection. ADRs causality assessment was conducted by using World Health Organization (WHO)-Algorithm criteria. Data were collected from 7 tertiary hospitals: Muhimbili National Hospital (MNH), Kilimanjaro Christian Medical Centre (KCMC), Bugando Medical Centre (BMC), Ligula Referral-Regional Hospital (LRRH), Kitete Referral-Regional Hospital (KRRH), Dodoma Referral-Regional Hospital (DRRH), and Mbeya Zonal-Referral Hospital (MZRH). Data were supplemented by those recorded in the WHO-Vigiflow/VigiLyze database within the same monitoring period. Data were analyzed using STATA version-15. The results were considered statistically significant when P < .05. A total of 2522 patients were enrolled in hospitals: MNH (499), KCMC (407), BMC (396), LRRH (387), KRRH (345), DRRH (249), and MZRH (239). Among those, 1197 (47.5%) were treated with ceftriaxone, 585 (23.2%) amoxicillin and 740(29.3%) amoxicillin-clavulanic acid. Out of those, 102 (4.5%) experienced adverse events (AEs), 49 (48%) were due to ceftriaxone, 37 (36.3%) amoxicillin-clavulanic acid and 16 (15.7%) amoxicillin ( P-value .012). A total of 443 participants from the enrolled and WHO-Vigiflow/VigiLyze database were experienced with ADRs. The ADRs affected mainly gastro-intestinal system 234 (53%), skin and subcutaneous tissue 85 (19%), nervous system 49 (11%), respiratory thoracic 22 (5%), and general disorders 18(4%). In this study, approximately 90% of reported AEs were ADRs possible-related to the monitored medicines, with few plausible and certain. Ceftriaxone injection caused more ADRs. Amoxicillin-clavulanic acid was associated with more ADRs than amoxicillin alone. The safety profile of these medicines is still maintained; however, comprehensive monitoring of ADRs is recommended to improve patient safety and enhance overall treatment outcomes.
Gender Differences in the Association Between Childhood Neighborhood Quality and Depressive Symptoms Trajectory in Middle-Aged and Elderly Chinese: A Seven-Year Longitudinal Study
Authors: Ding Jiali , Zeng Qingping , Tu Raoping , He Huihui , Wang Suhang , Li Yuping , Huang Yujia , Gu Jiyue , Wang Zhiyao , Lu Guangyu
Published: September 2024

This study aimed to examine the role of childhood neighborhood quality on trajectories of depressive symptoms throughout later life based on a nationally representative sample, and to explore the role of gender in the association. Linear mixed-effects model analysis was performed to investigate a longitudinal association of childhood neighborhood quality with depressive symptoms. A total of 7,016 participants aged 45 and above were included in this study. Depressive symptoms progression was significantly faster (β [95% confidence interval, CI]: 0.13 [0.01, 0.25]; P = .027) in the low childhood neighborhood quality when compared with the high childhood neighborhood quality. The quality of childhood neighborhood was significantly associated with a change in depressive symptoms over time in females (β [95% CI]: 0.19 [0.02, 0.36]; P = .029) but not in males (β [95% CI]: 0.09 [−0.06, 0.25]; P = .224). Targeted interventions should be developed to prevent depressive symptoms for those vulnerable groups.
Exploring Economic & Workforce Development Alignment: A Content Analysis of California’s Community College Baccalaureate Program Applications
Authors: Vo Davis , Rios-Aguilar Cecilia
Published: September 2024

Objective: Community college baccalaureate (CCB) programs are expanding across the nation, particularly in California—home of the largest and most ethnically/racially diverse community college system in the nation. CCB programs provide many benefits, two of which include providing an accessible and affordable pathway towards baccalaureate attainment, and also meeting economic and workforce development (EWD) goals, particularly for students from historically minoritized communities. While the community colleges of the United States have historically provided accessible education that aligns with EWD, more can be learned about the strategies these institutions use to do so. Methods: Using a content analysis methodology, we examined the application proposals of the first 15 approved CCB programs in California to understand how these community colleges as aligned with EWD. Results: The findings we generated suggest that the first 15 approved California CCB colleges (1) utilized varied information and sources to understand their labor market conditions, (2) rarely acknowledged how their CCB programs would address student inequities in the labor market, and (3) were limited in articulating the specific practices, structures, and systems they would implement to be EWD-aligned. Conclusion: Policymakers, practitioners, and researchers can help ensure successful EWD alignment and equity by improving data systems to better understand labor market conditions, conducting more quantitative and qualitative research to capture students’ labor market experiences and outcomes, and comprehensively aligning college- and career-related practices, programs, structures, and systems.
STEM Enrollment Decision Trees as Graduation Predictors for Community College Students Enrolled in Remedial Mathematics
Authors: Richards Zachary , Kelly Angela M.
Published: September 2024

Objective/Research Question: Community college graduation rates are typically quite low, and developmental mathematics enrollment and coursetaking patterns may constrain academic outcomes. To identify ways in which community college graduation rates may be improved, decision trees were utilized to examine the STEM coursetaking patterns of N = 5,065 students who matriculated in remedial mathematics. Methods: The research design was guided by Tinto’s academic and social integration framework, which provided an analytical lens for identifying how decision trees facilitate academic decision making when academic and social integration is limited. Decision trees identified course sequence rules to predict graduation, which can be used to formulate course pathways for community college advisors and their students. Results: Nine rules from the decision tree were identified, which could be used to advise community college students in coursetaking that aligns with career aspirations. The most important variable predicting graduation was completing College-Level Mathematics, which included Algebra II, Statistics, Precalculus, and survey mathematics courses. General education sciences courses such as Astronomy, Geology, Environmental Science, and Marine Biology were the most important science courses predicting graduation. Conclusions/Contributions: Results suggest the importance of College-Level Mathematics in providing the skills necessary for students to be successful in subsequent STEM coursework and persist to graduation. Designating specific academic pathways may improve social and academic integration and graduation rates, providing continuity as students work with different advisors to choose majors and plan course sequences. Transparent, accessible enrollment planning fosters programmatic consistency and student agency in selecting coursework that will maximize their success.
Project Impact: A Public Community College Campus–Based Support and Reentry Program for Justice-Impacted Students in New York City
Authors: Ronda Michelle , Rose Lisa Hale
Published: September 2024

Background:

Between 70 million and 100 million Americans have a record of interaction with the criminal legal system, a group facing stigma and discrimination in civic participation, housing, employment, and education. Justice-impacted people face collateral consequences in the community, making reentry programs essential to success at reintegration.

Focus of Study:

Project Impact (PI) at the Borough of Manhattan Community College/City University of New York (BMCC/CUNY) supports students impacted by the criminal legal system. PI provides direct services to justice-impacted students through an extensive peer mentoring program and a high school equivalency program, and by offering college credit–bearing courses to students presently incarcerated in partnership with John Jay College’s Prison-to-College Pipeline. PI defines “justice impacted” expansively as students who have been formerly incarcerated, have family who have been incarcerated or arrested, have had issues in family court, or in any other way have been significantly affected by the criminal legal system.

Research Design/Conclusions:

This evaluation provides unequivocal evidence of the strong, positive impact that PI is making, serving as a rare campus-based reentry program within a community college in New York City.
Expanding Student Success: Prioritizing Student Thriving and Academic Coaching Within Community Colleges
Authors: Fleishman Shannon
Published: September 2024

Community college student success metrics have become increasingly synonymous with the completion rate and other key academic performance measures over the past quarter century. These measures, however, do not fully capture students’ subjective interpretations of success, including their individual goals and aspirations. This article aims to broaden the understanding of student success by incorporating students’ unique perspectives and exploring the potential of the “thriving” concept to allow for more flexibility with respect to self-determined aspirations and personal growth. The study engages directly with community college students to understand their personal definitions of success and examines the emerging practice of academic coaching as a means to foster thriving. The findings suggest that students hold the key to unlocking their unique version of success. Institutionally, they point to the value of integrating thriving as a third pillar of success, as well as developing institutional cultures, systems, and practices that prioritize student-centered learning and support students’ individual goals, growth, and well-being.
“A Change Is Gonna Come”: Pedagogical Shifts in a Post-COVID World
Authors: Yee Sharon
Published: September 2024

Background/Context:

COVID-19 changed how students learn, the challenges they face both in and out of the classroom, and the ways they access and engage with higher education. COVID-19 also highlighted inequalities in higher education. In response, faculty have also had to change their pedagogical approaches.

Purpose/Focus of Study:

This article presents ideas to address some of the challenges that COVID-19 has brought to the community college classroom. The focus of these strategies and pedagogical changes is to create a more equitable and successful environment for all students.

Research Design:

The author’s praxis used Paulo Freire’s 1970 work, The Pedagogy of the Oppressed, as a guide to critically examine pedagogical practices and choices for sociological curriculum development at a medium-sized, urban, Hispanic-serving community college. Changes were evaluated through final grade analysis and student feedback.

Findings:

Ten changes were implemented: making the course mobile phone/tablet accessible, incorporating audio transcripts for all, using additional video formats, engaging families/children, addressing student anxieties, incorporating more assignment choices, using Open Educational Resources for reduced costs, allowing more flexibility in assignments, extending submission times, and varying course length. These changes have reduced barriers, decreased student anxiety, and increased student success.

Conclusions:

The pedagogical changes made seemed to help students be more successful in their courses.
Pedagogical and Institutional Responses to Student Precarity Illuminated by COVID-19
Authors: Isserles Robin G. , Huang Paoyi
Published: September 2024

Purpose, Objective, Research Question, or Focus of Study:

This paper seeks to understand the withdrawal patterns of students enrolled in an urban community college during the COVID-19 outbreak, by focusing on what students voiced about what made college-going so challenging for them from spring 2020 to fall 2021. What was revealed about their decisions to withdraw offers some important considerations for those who work with first-generation, economically and academically fragile college students throughout the higher education landscape. To contextualize our findings, we draw on some of the writings of educators who have shaped our own pedagogical practices.

Research Design:

We interviewed 14 students on Zoom—some in small focus groups and others one-on-one—who had withdrawn from at least one course up to an entire semester.

Conclusions or Recommendations:

Our findings suggest that we take stock of the pre-existing precarities of many students that have been illuminated, carefully balancing what students have voiced about what they need with the very real structural constraints that make “good teaching” difficult to sustain. A salient theme, one that we had not expected, is what students expressed about what good teaching is to them and how much it mattered. This raises not only important pedagogical questions but also structural ones. How do our institutions create the conditions (or not) for good teaching, as defined by students?
CBAM-RIUnet: Breast Tumor Segmentation With Enhanced Breast Ultrasound and Test-Time Augmentation
Authors: Omega Boro Lal , Nandi Gypsy
Published: September 2024

This study addresses the challenge of precise breast tumor segmentation in ultrasound images, crucial for effective Computer-Aided Diagnosis (CAD) in breast cancer. We introduce CBAM-RIUnet, a deep learning (DL) model for automated breast tumor segmentation in breast ultrasound (BUS) images. The model, featuring an efficient convolutional block attention module residual inception Unet, outperforms existing models, particularly excelling in Dice and IoU scores. CBAM-RIUnet follows the Unet structure with a residual inception depth-wise separable convolution, and incorporates a convolutional block attention module (CBAM) to eliminate irrelevant features and focus on the region of interest. Evaluation under three scenarios, including enhanced breast ultrasound (EBUS) and test-time augmentation (TTA), demonstrates impressive results. CBAM-RIUnet achieves Dice and IoU scores of 89.38% and 88.71%, respectively, showcasing significant improvements compared to state-of-the-art DL techniques. In conclusion, CBAM-RIUnet presents a highly effective and simplified DL model for breast tumor segmentation in BUS imaging.
The paradox of possibility: A temporal reading of Thomas Hobbes
Authors: Corby Jennifer
Published: September 2024

This article engages the role of temporality in the work of Thomas Hobbes. Rather than focusing on the political individual proposed by his later works, it politicizes the conception of subjectivity advanced in his earlier works. In these, he advances a materialist account of subjectivity that is conceptualized in entirely temporal terms. It is, he argues, the temporal categories of memory and imagination that make humans uniquely capable of selfhood and freedom. This early conception lacks the tendency towards domination described in Leviathan, in which the state of nature is presented as a war of all against all. However, this article argues that what the state of nature reveals is that the temporality of subjectivity is not objective, but rather socially produced. As such, the state of nature depicts behavior resulting from material anxiety, which prevents thinking, and therefore acting, beyond the present. Political institutions therefore emerge in his thought as a mechanism for quelling anxiety such that the future becomes actionable. By projecting a vision of a secure, open future, these institutions create a present in which meaningful, self-directed actions become possible. That is, he is the first to posit the very modern notion that political institutions fundamentally shape our sense of possibility.
Collective free improvisation in the Flemish general music classroom: Probing student’s lived experience through flow
Authors: Verneert Filip , Nijs Luc , De Baets Thomas
Published: September 2024

The aim of this study is to explore the lived experience of students ( N = 1,282) in general education engaging in collective free improvisation (CFI). Fourteen music teachers implemented a CFI lesson in 69 classes in Flanders (Belgium). Lived experience was measured using a Dutch version of the Flow State Scale for Occupational Tasks. This scale reflects the degree of Sense of Control, Positive Emotional Experience and Absorption by Concentrating. In addition, teachers’ reflections were mapped by means of an online survey. Overall scores on the 3 dimensions of the Flow scale averaged greater than or equal to 5 (7-point Likert scale). Results show a difference in total flow between students who already played an instrument and those who did not. Students who play an instrument score significantly higher on the factor ‘Sense of Control’. Conversely, the flow scores on the factors ‘Absorption by Concentration’ and ‘Positive Emotional Experience’ do not differ between instrumentalists and non-instrumentalists. Given the relatively high flow scores, we conclude that this type of musical engagement can be used for instrumentalists as well as non-instrumentalists. Although CFI was a new experience for the teachers, they indicated to continue using it in the future.
Adolescent mindfulness may buffer the longitudinal effect of parental work-family conflict and interparental conflict on adolescent affiliation with deviant peers
Authors: Wang Mingzhong , Wang Jing
Published: September 2024

Parental work-family conflict undermines family functioning, which in turn may impair children’s peer functioning. Using a longitudinal design spanning across 2 years, the present study examined whether paternal/maternal work-family conflict could predict interparental conflict and, in turn, whether such conflict contributed to adolescent affiliation with deviant peers. Additionally, this study also explored the moderating role of adolescent mindfulness on these relationships. As part of a large longitudinal project, 1427 adolescents (773 boys and 654 girls; aged from 12 to 15 years, M = 12.66 years, SD = 0.63) completed questionnaires regarding perceived interparental conflict, deviant peer affiliation, and mindfulness, and both parents reported on questionnaires regarding their own work-family conflict at three-time points with 1-year intervals. Results indicated that paternal but not maternal work-family conflict positively predicted interparental conflict, which was further positively predictive of deviant peer affiliation for adolescents with low but not high mindfulness. Our study revealed the role of paternal work-family conflict as a seemingly distal but relatively proximal risk factor for adolescents’ affiliation with deviant peers, as well as the buffering role of mindfulness on the longitudinal relations.
Improving digital storybook story comprehension in kindergartners with developmental delays using peer-assisted learning strategies
Authors: Chung Hui-Hsuan , Chu Szu-Yin , Kung Shu-Hsuan , Lin Wan-Chen
Published: September 2024

This study evaluated the effect of peer-assisted learning strategies (PALS) intervention on the language and story comprehension skills of two kindergartners with developmental delays from a special education class while reading a digital storybook. The study was conducted in Taiwan with participants who spoke Mandarin Chinese. This study was a single-subject A-B1-C1-B2-C2-M study. The study compared the effects of conventional teaching methods with those of the modified PALS intervention. A standardized instrument and visual analysis were used to assess changes in language and story comprehension skills. After the intervention, the teacher and parents of the study participants were interviewed to evaluate changes in language skills of the participants at home and at school. The qualitative and quantitative results showed that this strategy effectively improved story comprehension skills. The teacher and parents all had positive views on this teaching strategy. Based on the findings, practical and future research suggestions are proposed.
Preparation and characterisation of gradient HA/TiN/Ti coatings for biomedical applications
Authors: Qi Jianwei , Chen Kai , Teng Shuhua , Li Xiaowei
Published: September 2024

A gradient transition HA/TiN/Ti composite coating was deposited on the surface of medical Ti6Al4V alloy using the reactive magnetron sputtering technique. The influence of deposition parameters on the microstructure, mechanical properties, corrosion resistance, and in vitro mineralisation of the coating were systematically investigated. The results demonstrated that deposition parameters such as sputtering power, bias voltage, and sputtering pressure had a significant impact on the microstructure and morphology of HA/TiN/Ti composite coatings. The gradient TiN/Ti transition layer remarkably enhanced the adhesion strength, increasing the critical load from 7.5 N (HA monolayer) to over 40 N (HA/TiN/Ti multilayer). Moreover, compared to single TiN/Ti and HA coatings, the HA/TiN/Ti composite coatings exhibited better corrosion resistance and metal ion shielding ability while also demonstrating excellent capability for inducing bone-like apatite formation, thereby greatly ensuring the exceptional stability of the surface bioactive coatings.
Less is more? A review of psilocybin microdosing
Authors: Savides Isabella A , Outhoff Kim
Published: September 2024

Background:

The applications of psilocybin, derived from ‘magic mushrooms,’ are vast, including a burgeoning practice known as microdosing, which refers to the administration of sub-hallucinogenic doses of psychedelic substances to obtain benefits without experiencing significant cognitive and perceptual distortion. However, current research is fairly new with several limitations and gaps that hinder adequate conclusions on its efficacy.

Aims:

This semi-structured review aimed to identify and highlight research gaps in the field of psilocybin microdosing for future research.

Methods:

A Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses based strategy was employed, utilizing a chain of keywords and key phrases across multiple databases, augmented by a cross-sectional Google search for relevant grey literature in the form of the top 10 search results. A total of 40 studies and 8 unique websites were identified, summarized and tabulated into four distinct categories, namely non-clinical, clinical, observational and anecdotal evidence.

Results:

The majority of available evidence originates from observational studies, while non-clinical and clinical study findings remain comparatively sparse and inconsistent. Web-based findings were consistent with current research findings. Key research gaps were highlighted: the imperative for more randomized placebo-controlled trials, exploration of dose-response ranges, psychological and personality testing of participants, utilization of active placebos, greater diversity in study populations, an increase in psilocybin-exclusive microdosing studies and the refinement of animal models.

Conclusion:

Definitive conclusions regarding the efficacy of psilocybin microdosing remain elusive, emphasizing the need for further study. Numerous research gaps necessitate consideration for future investigations.
Orthostatic hypotension and cerebral small vessel disease: A systematic review
Authors: Wiersinga Julia HI , Wolters Frank J , Peters Mike JL , Rhodius-Meester Hanneke FM , Trappenburg Marijke C , Muller Majon
Published: September 2024

Orthostatic hypotension(OH) is highly prevalent in ageing populations and may contribute to cognitive decline through cerebral small vessel disease(CSVD). Research on the association between OH and CSVD is fragmented and inconsistent. We systematically reviewed the literature for studies assessing the association between OH and CSVD, published until December 1st 2023 in MEDLINE, PubMed or Web of Science. We included studies with populations aged ≥60, that assessed OH in relation to CSVD including white matter hyperintensities(WMH), lacunes and cerebral microbleeds. Modified JBI checklist was used to assess risk of bias. A narrative synthesis of the results was presented. Of 3180 identified studies, eighteen were included. Fifteen studies reported on WMH, four on lacunes, seven on microbleeds. Six of fifteen studies on WMH found that OH was related to an increased burden of WMH, neither longitudinal studies found associations with WMH progression. Findings were inconsistent across studies concerning lacunes and microbleeds. Across outcomes, adequate adjustment for systolic blood pressure tended to coincide with smaller effect estimates. Current evidence on the OH-CSVD association originates mostly from cross-sectional studies, providing inconsistent and inconclusive results. Longitudinal studies using standardized and fine-grained assessment of OH and CSVD and adequate adjustment for supine blood pressure are warranted.
Refocusing and Futuring Perspectives on AI in Marketing
Authors: Hyman Michael R. , Lukosius Vaidas
Published: September 2024

In their article entitled “AI is Changing the World: For Better or for Worse?” Grewal, Guha, and Becker imply two symptom-avoidance rather than goal-approach questions: (1) What fundamental societal problems, previously identified in the marketing literature, will AI exacerbate? and (2) How can society remedy these problems? By only considering articles published in prestigious marketing-related journals, their restrictive bottom-up thought-leader-grounded process for deriving answers to these questions is blinkered and somewhat backward-looking. Instead, a top-down approach, driven by preferred-outcome questions like ‘How can marketing best help optimize societal flourishing in a post-scarcity, AI-rich environment?’, may foster comprehensive, extra-disciplinary, future-oriented, and proactive analyses that yield more effective answers. We close by speculating that marketing can survive in a transhuman and AI-rich environment.
Pulmonary nodule visualization and evaluation of AI-based detection at various ultra-low-dose levels using photon-counting detector CT
Authors: Jungblut Lisa , Euler André , Landsmann Anna , Englmaier Vanessa , Mergen Victor , Sefirovic Medina , Frauenfelder Thomas
Published: September 2024

Background

Radiation dose should be as low as reasonably achievable. With the invention of photon-counting detector computed tomography (PCD-CT), the radiation dose may be considerably reduced.

Purpose

To evaluate the potential of PCD-CT for dose reduction in pulmonary nodule visualization for human readers as well as for computer-aided detection (CAD) studies.

Material and Methods

A chest phantom containing pulmonary nodules of different sizes/densities (range 3–12 mm and −800–100 HU) was scanned on a PCD-CT with standard low-dose protocol as well as with half, quarter, and 1/40 dose (CTDIvol 0.4–0.03 mGy). Dose-matched scans were performed on a third-generation energy-integrating detector CT (EID-CT). Evaluation of nodule visualization and detectability was performed by two blinded radiologists. Subjective image quality was rated on a 5-point Likert scale. Artificial intelligence (AI)-based nodule detection was performed using commercially available software.

Results

Highest image noise was found at the lowest dose setting of 1/40 radiation dose (eff. dose = 0.01mSv) with 166.1 ± 18.5 HU for PCD-CT and 351.8 ± 53.0 HU for EID-CT. Overall sensitivity was 100% versus 93% at standard low-dose protocol (eff. dose = 0.2 mSv) for PCD-CT and EID-CT, respectively. At the half radiation dose, sensitivity remained 100% for human reader and CAD studies in PCD-CT. At the quarter radiation dose, PCD-CT achieved the same results as EID-CT at the standard radiation dose setting (93%, P = 1.00) in human reading studies. The AI-CAD system delivered a sensitivity of 93% at the lowest radiation dose level in PCD-CT.

Conclusion

At half dose, PCD CT showed pulmonary nodules similar to full-dose PCD, and at quarter dose, PCD CT performed comparably to standard low-dose EID CT. The CAD algorithm is effective even at ultra-low doses.
The role of transitional probabilities in word holistic processing
Authors: Ventura Paulo , Cruz Francisco , Pereira Alexandre
Published: September 2024

In recent years, increased attention has been devoted to visual word recognition under a perceptual expertise framework. Because the information required to identify words is distributed across the word, a holistic attentional strategy is optimal and develops with experience. It is, however, an open question the extent to which other information embedded in a word may contribute to word holistic processing, namely sublexical word properties. In the present research, we therefore explore the role of sublexical properties—specifically bigram transition probabilities—in this processing strategy. We used a common task in the holistic processing literature (i.e., composite task) and four-letter disyllabic words, where two of the bigrams reinforce the cohesiveness of each syllable and one of the bigrams reinforces the cohesiveness between the syllables. We found preliminary evidence of a role of these sublexical properties in word holistic processing.
Capital structure decisions and R&D investment: The contingency role of firm size
Authors: Ali Sarmad , Rangone Adalberto , Muhammad Hussain
Published: September 2024

This paper explores how the size of a firm influences the relationship between capital structure choices and research and development (R&D) investment. By analyzing data from publicly listed U.S. pharmaceutical firms between 2011 and 2020 and using an instrumental variables regression, we present evidence that the impact of capital structure on R&D investment varies depending on firm size. Our findings show that firm size plays a critical role in shaping financing decisions to support R&D. Specifically, large and small firms employ different strategies for developing and implementing R&D projects. Our results reveal that R&D investment is negatively (positively) and significantly associated with debt financing (equity financing). Moreover, we show that firm size attenuates the adverse effect of debt financing on R&D investment and accentuates the positive effect of equity financing. Our study provides a refined distinction between debt and equity financing and clarifies the importance of structural characteristics in explaining a firm’s R&D investment decisions. Our study assists policymakers and practitioners in designing effective policies to enhance the understanding of the complex relationship between capital structure decisions and R&D investment.
Making valuable energy: Public forums, municipal futures, and infrastructural pathways
Authors: Kenner Alison , Adams James , Sarao Morgan , Leone Briana , Tzinberg Abby , Rosenthal Andrew , Eusebio Maleah , Sivendra Arthi , Suryavanshi Akshay
Published: September 2024

This article analyzes public discussions and engagements with Philadelphia’s energy system to highlight the degrees of tension between diverse ethical frames and energy-based strategies of value production. Looking at three different instances and genres of energy-transition planning and expression, we argue that any such tensions or alignments turn on the specific units, categories, and scales of analysis used to construct and understand them. Our first section investigates the spatial and temporal frames of “energy security” embedded in Philadelphia’s infrastructure improvement plan, showing how the meaning and political purchase of the concept of “security” changes across quotidian and infrastructural timescales and across the spatial scale of the household, city, state, and the nation. Section two considers the categories with which the City framed its study of potential decarbonization scenarios, pointing towards the way this schema produced its own seemingly intractable ethical and economic impasses. The third and final section looks at the way diverse members of the public successfully de- and re-constructed the study’s categories, scales, and units of analysis, successfully undermining the study’s “grid of intelligibility” and replacing it with their own more equity-centered alternative. Across these three ethnographic engagements, this article brings the anthropologies of ethics and value together in a novel way, showing their mediated entanglement with and within the sphere of public knowledge production. This, we argue, illustrates the seemingly mundane scalar choices that deeply inform our ethical frames and that, in the end, ultimately allow us to make energy valuable.
Problem solving as selective blindness
Authors: Abram Simone
Published: September 2024

This article examines the practices associated with technical solutions to energy transitions. In particular, it considers the role of ‘problem solving’ as a partial view on the world with extraordinary influence. As the core epistemological practice of engineers, problem solving starts with selective framings of problems in which social or political conditions are taken as given. Engineering, as a form of applied science, therefore offers ethical choices that may be eclipsed by technical framings. This article highlights the reflexive practices of engineers engaged in modelling practices for energy transitions, who are addressing socio-technical problems in formally constrained ways that both enable and limit the thinkability of different future horizons.
Nun of the river: The material and spiritual economies of small hydropower in rural Tanzania
Authors: Degani Michael
Published: September 2024

This article examines the significance of hydroelectric mini-grids owned and operated by Catholic sisterhoods in rural Tanzania, situating them within a broader context of energy transition and environmental justice. The Tanzanian state is betting that mini-grids can effectively supplement the national grid’s limited reach; since 2010 it has invested considerable effort in developing a regulatory framework that streamlines licensing procedures and specifies feed-in tariffs. Today, the field is wide open and a range of ownership models – community, private, state-owned – are unfolding on the ground with variable results regarding their financial sustainability, environmental impact, and developmental outcomes. Though often overlooked in this discourse, missions, churches, abbeys, and convents have a history of operating run-of-the-river power stations and other off-grid systems that stretches back into the colonial era. Such infrastructures anchor material and spiritual economies of rain, care, and cash that straddle both community and commercially oriented modes of provisioning. Their continued presence suggests that in some ways this new paradigm of decentralized energy provision builds upon long-standing historical logics of patronage and political authority in marginal areas.
Impact of Texting-Induced Distraction on Driving Behavior Based on Field Operation Tests
Authors: Singh Ankit , Srivastava Aman , Pachamuthu Rajalakshmi , Pawar Digvijay S.
Published: September 2024

Driver distraction has proven to be among the top contributory factors in road crashes worldwide. The involvement of drivers in secondary activities, such as phone usage, conversation with co-passengers, reaching for objects, eating, and so forth, have been shown to be significant causes of in-vehicle driver distraction. Text messaging using mobile phones while driving can be detrimental to the primary driving task as it invokes manual, visual, and cognitive distractions. Numerous studies in the past have analyzed the effect of texting on driver distraction using driving simulators. This study followed a field operation test–based approach to simulate real road conditions and evaluate the impact of texting on driving behavior. The study was conducted at the connected autonomous vehicle testbed at the Indian Institute of Technology Hyderabad, using an instrumented test vehicle. Data on gaze parameters and vehicle kinematics were recorded using eye-tracker glasses and a high-end global positioning system (GPS) data logger. Thirty-one participants drove on the pre-defined path at the testbed under baseline and texting conditions. The findings demonstrated that the texting task significantly affected fixation count, mean speed, and lateral acceleration. The texting task led to a reduction in mean fixation counts, mean speed, and mean lateral acceleration by 44.37%, 34%, and 46.72%, respectively. The age and driving experience of the participants had a significant effect on their behavior. The results indicate the critical potential of texting-based driver distraction and suggest the enforcement of stringent rules for texting while driving to create a safer road environment.