bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predictors of incident stroke among individuals without coronary artery calcification: A pooled cohort analysis from the Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, Jackson Heart Study, and Framingham Heart Study
Authors: Hussain Aliza , Johansen Michelle C , Blaha Michael J , Al-Mallah Mouaz H , Cainzos-Achirica Miguel , Nambi Vijay , Rotter Jerome I , Guo Xiuqing , Yao Jie , Rich Stephen S , Patel Jaideep , McEvoy John W , Nasir Khurram , Gottesman Rebecca , Blumenthal Roger S , Ballantyne Christie M , Virani Salim S , Al Rifai Mahmoud
Published: September 2024

Introduction:

The absence of coronary artery calcium (CAC = 0) is associated with low risk of stroke events; however, predictors of incident stroke among those with CAC = 0 are not known.

Methods:

Individual participant-level data were pooled from three prospective cohorts (Multi-Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis [MESA], Jackson Heart Study, and Framingham Heart Study). Multivariable-adjusted Cox proportional hazards models were used to study the association between cardiovascular risk factors and incident adjudicated stroke among individuals with CAC = 0 who were free of clinical atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease at baseline.

Results:

Among 6180 participants (mean age 53 [SD 11] years, 62% women, and 44% White, 36% Black, and 20% other individuals), over a median (IQR) follow up of 15 (12–16) years, there were 122 strokes (95 ischemic, 27 hemorrhagic) with an overall unadjusted event rate of 2.0 per 1000 person-years. After multivariable adjustment, risk factors associated with overall stroke included (hazard ratio [95% CI]) systolic blood pressure (SBP): 1.19 (1.05–1.36) per 10-mmHg increase and carotid intima–media thickness (CIMT): 1.21 (1.04–1.42) per 0.1-mm increment. Current cigarette smoking: 2.68 (1.11–6.50), SBP: 1.23 (1.06–1.42) per 10-mmHg increase, and CIMT: 1.25 (1.04–1.49) per 0.1-mm increment were associated with ischemic stroke, whereas C-reactive protein was associated with hemorrhagic stroke risk (0.49, 0.25–0.93).

Conclusion:

In a large cohort of individuals with CAC = 0, the rate for incident stroke was low (2.0 per 1000-person years) and was associated with modifiable risk factors.
Seeking professional help in health crises: The impact of cognitive factors, discrete emotions, and eHealth information seeking on mental health communication
Authors: Lee Yen-I , Cheng Yang , Zhao Wen
Published: September 2024

A common challenge facing public health practitioners and communication scholars is how to best change perceptions and increase favorable attitudes and awareness of health recommendations, such as help-seeking about depression. Given the need to identify persuasive ways to communicate depression, this study examined how discrete emotions, cognition, and engaging eHealth information-seeking behavior affected US adults’ intentions regarding help-seeking about depression. The results from an online survey of 1422 US adults revealed (1) elated emotion and loving emotion; (2) depression consciousness; (3) attitude toward seeking help from mental health services; and (4) eHealth information-seeking significantly predicted intention to seek help from professionals. In addition, depression consciousness, attitude toward seeking help from mental health services, and eHealth information-seeking acted as sequential mediators for the relationship between elated emotion, loving emotion, and behavioral intention. Implications for health communication and depression communication research and practice are discussed.
The Identity Work of Torture Scars
Authors: Mäkelä Petra
Published: September 2024

Scarring can be understood as a visible bodily entity or a metaphorical internal experience. Each type has liminal qualities, changing in form or intensity over time. The bearer may conceal scarring from others or may share stories that hold varied emotions, from horror or disgust to pride or self-esteem. For people who have survived torture or other forms of violence, and are seeking asylum, scars may take on particular additional meanings as objects that are put to work in official decision-making processes. In this Sociology in Action article, I explore multiple meanings of scars following torturous violence, with a particular focus on asylum-seeking contexts. I contribute to literature on identity and on the narrative potential of scars in survivors’ recovery, as a means of narrative connection between a traumatic past and desired future, in lives that are disrupted or unstable. I consider the work of performing the consistency required in an asylum claim alongside the sense-making that might be achieved through narratives, within dynamic constructions of identity over time. Future narrative research could explore how survivors of torturous violence develop a coherent sense of self while navigating these conflicting strands of identity work, and the impacts of those who scrutinise or support them.
Understanding the experiences of receiving and providing maternity care for autistic adults: A Multi-perspectival Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis study
Authors: Moore Laura , Foley Sarah , Larkin Fionnuala
Published: September 2024

Available research suggests autistic mothers experience greater dissatisfaction with maternity care compared to non-autistic mothers. Limited research exists exploring autistic mothers’ experiences of maternity care, and no research to date has considered maternity care professionals’ experiences of delivering care to autistic mothers. This qualitative study aims to explore the experiences of receiving and providing maternity care for autistic mothers. Data were collected using semi-structured interviews with four autistic mothers and four midwives. Data were analysed using Multi-perspectival Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis. Three overarching themes emerged: ‘challenges faced within maternity care, ‘the importance of the caring relationship’, and ‘the challenge of navigating competing demands and priorities’. Findings highlight the unique challenges experienced by autistic mothers during labour and birth, the need for increased autism awareness in midwifery, and further suggest universal changes to the delivery of maternity care which would benefit autistic women.

Lay abstract

Autistic mothers may experience unique challenges when accessing maternity care. A better understanding of the experience of autistic mothers and maternity care professionals would help to create opportunities to support better maternity care. In this study, we interviewed autistic mothers and professional midwives, living and working across the United Kingdom and Ireland. In the interviews, the autistic mothers recalled challenges they faced in the hospital settings, difficulties in communicating their needs, and distress when being physically examined. The midwives we interviewed brought their personal experiences of autism (some were autistic themselves, while others had autistic family members) and made efforts to accommodate autistic mothers where possible. This included paying attention to potential sensory issues, trying to establish a relationship with the mothers and communicating what was going on without medical jargon. However, the midwives were limited in their ability to fully attend to the needs of autistic mothers due to time and resource restraints. Both the midwives and autistic mothers felt that midwife-led births were more attentive to the needs of mothers. Based on our findings, we recommend further training and awareness on autism in midwifery and suggest that changes relating to sensory and communication challenges would benefit both autistic and non-autistic. Our study provides important insight into this experience of maternity care from two perspectives and emphasises the need for greater inclusivity in maternity care services.
Digital twin-based identification of crystal plastic material parameters for weld joints of orthotropic steel decks
Authors: Ye Yang , Xu You-Lin , Lao Wulve , Cui Chuang , Zhang Qinghua , Zhou Yinlong
Published: September 2024

The identification of crystal plasticity (CP) material parameters is indispensable for using CP models to simulate and understand the microcrack initiation and propagation of orthotropic steel decks (OSD). This study proposes a digital twin (DT)-based framework for identifying CP material parameters of weld joints of OSD by fusing multiscale CP finite element model (CPFEM) with macroscale stress–strain material tests. The material tests of the specimen (physical entity) cut from the weld joints of OSD and sliced to the centimeter scale are carried out using the standard dynamic test system. The CPFEM simulation is used to develop a multiscale virtual entity to map the physical entity. The particle swarm optimization algorithm is used to fuse the CPFEM simulation with the material test data to identify CP material parameters and produce a DT. The results demonstrate that the CP material parameters identified by the proposed framework are more accurate than those identified by a single representative volume element method. The results also show that the DT-based identification of CP material parameters has high applicability.
Occupational prestige and future sickness absence and disability pension in women and men: a Swedish nationwide prospective cohort study
Authors: Hensing Gunnel , Müller Mira , Ulfsdotter Eriksson Ylva , Alexanderson Kristina , Farrants Kristin
Published: September 2024

Background:

Little is known about associations between occupational prestige, that is, the symbolic evaluation and social positioning of occupations, and sickness absence (SA) or disability pension (DP). We explored whether occupational prestige was associated with future SA or DP among women and men.

Methods:

A Swedish 4-year prospective cohort study of all those in paid work and aged 25–59 in 2010 ( N = 2,605,227; 47% women), using linked microdata from three nationwide registers and Standard International Occupational Prestige Scale values, categorised as ‘very low’, ‘low’, ‘medium’, ‘high’, or ‘very high’. Odds ratios (ORs), 95% confidence intervals (CIs), crude and adjusted for several sociodemographic factors, were calculated for three outcomes: at least one SA spell (>14 days), >90 SA days, or DP occurrence, during follow-up (2011–2013).

Results:

The mean number of SA days in 2010 varied by occupational prestige group, for example, ‘very high’: 3.0, ‘very low’: 6.5. Compared to those in occupations with ‘very high’ prestige, all other groups had higher adjusted ORs for all three outcomes. Among men, those with ‘very low’ occupational prestige had the highest OR for at least one SA spell: OR 1.51 (95% CI 1.47–1.56); among women, the ‘medium’ group had the highest OR: 1.30 (1.27–1.32). The results were similar for SA >90 days. OR for DP among women with ‘very low’ occupational prestige was 2.01 (1.84–2.19), and 3.55 (3.15–4.01) for men.

Conclusions:

Working in lower occupational prestige occupations was generally associated with higher odds of future SA/DP than working in higher prestige occupations; these associations were stronger for men than for women.
Constructing cancel culture: Strategic scaling in stories of “cancellation”
Authors: Kramer Elise
Published: September 2024

Narratives about cancel culture are stories about problematic scaling—yet in telling these stories, cancel culture critics themselves engage in crucial forms of scaling. In this article, I analyze a selection of cancel culture narratives published in mainstream media outlets, focusing on how narrators define the here-and-now and project it into the future. I argue that in order to represent cancel culture as an “epidemic” of “ruining people’s lives over a single mistake,” these narratives must engage in strategic scaling processes that: (1) frame the event(s) prompting the cancellation as “a single mistake”; (2) frame the consequences as “ruining” someone’s “life”; and (3) frame the incident not an individual injustice but as a burgeoning cultural problem—an occurrence that is already too frequent and only becoming more so. This analysis demonstrates the central role that narrators’ scalar framings play in shaping the narrative’s moral and political implications.
Recent advancements in self-healing materials and their application in coating industry
Authors: Gautam Babloo Roy , Khan Nazrul Islam , Gosvami Nitya Nand , Das Subhankar
Published: September 2024

Self-healing polymers (SHP), inspired by nature, are materials that have the ability to recover themselves from various physical damages in the presence of different inducing environments. The self-recovering property indicates the capability to heal the cracks in their very nascent stage at their micro or nano-level size and provides a door to prevent them from any major catastrophic failure. In this article, a comprehensive review with updated reported work on various types of self-healing mechanisms and their advantages and limitations has been discussed, along with their applications. The main focus of the review has been aligned with the challenges and future scopes associated with the exploration of self-healing concepts for industrial coating applications. The different extrinsic, intrinsic, and combined healing mechanisms have been explained, along with their application in coating. Finally, the recent status of healing technology and future research trends has been discussed in this review article.
Evaluation of the performance enhancement of asphalt concrete via graphene oxide incorporation: A multi-test approach
Authors: Hoang Huong-Giang Thi , Nguyen Hoang-Long , Ly Hai-Bang
Published: September 2024

The need for improved asphalt pavements has led to the exploration of nanomaterials such as graphene oxide (GO). This study investigates the potential of GO to enhance the performance of asphalt concrete (AC) with a nominal maximum aggregate size of 12.5 mm (AC_12.5) pavements, a commonly used material in highway construction that has not been extensively studied with GO modification. The main objective is to evaluate the impact of varying GO content (1%, 1.5%, and 2%) on the key technical properties of AC_12.5, including rutting resistance, moisture stability, and tensile capacity. A series of performance tests, including Marshall stability, residual stability, splitting tensile strength, and dynamic modulus, were conducted on AC_12.5 samples with varying GO content. Furthermore, a mechanistic– empirical (M-E) approach was employed to compare the rutting resistance of GO-modified pavements with that of conventional pavements. Initial findings suggest that GO incorporation significantly enhanced the mechanical properties of AC_12.5 compared with the control mixture. Performance tests indicated improved rutting resistance, moisture stability, and tensile capacity. The M– E analysis demonstrated superior rutting resistance in the GO-modified pavement structures. The findings confirm the potential of GO as a promising nanomaterial for enhancing the performance of AC_12.5 pavements. The observed improvements in key mechanical properties and rutting resistance suggest its feasibility for developing more durable, sustainable, and cost-effective roads in the future.
Looking back on the fragile extended self
Authors: Fitchett James
Published: September 2024

Thompson’s article in Marketing Theory on Belk’s canonical Extended Self provides an analysis of the institutional legacy of key milestones in the development of cultural consumer research. This commentary critically reflects on the implication of Thompson’s arguments regarding ontological bridge building to consider some of the factors and choices that constrain intellectual trajectories in the field to ask what future directions and bridge building potentials exist for consumer researchers investigating consumer culture today.
A systematic corrosion failure analysis of Li-ion powered hearing aids from various markets
Authors: Asikainen Markus , Yadav Abhijeet , Freels Björn , Ambat Rajan
Published: September 2024

Hearing aids (HA) are low-power electronic devices used worldwide. The ongoing trend in the HA industry has been to move towards Li-ion battery technology replacing conventional zinc-air batteries. The corrosion reliability of HA devices is a critical issue, due to their exposure to harsh user environments including body fluid contact, high humidity, and temperature. The combined effect of higher operating voltage (4.3 V) and design miniaturisation poses new risks for corrosion reliability. To fully understand the environmental reliability issues of the Li-ion powered HA, it is crucial to investigate field performance by conducting root cause failure analysis on the field-returned failed devices. This study investigated two different HA models (open vs. glued model). The analysis used a systematic FMEA-based approach to identify and understand failure modes, mechanisms, and potential causes using various analysis techniques (e.g., LOM, SEM&EDS, and ICP-OES). Furthermore, statistical analysis was conducted based on the repair data created by the global service centre to reveal the failure percentage, and time to failure of different components. Passive components, solder connections, and galvanic charging contact showed the highest failure percentages. The most common causes of corrosion failures were high levels of chloride ions, high humidity, flux residues, and insufficient coating protection.
A shared decision-making intervention for individuals living with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease who are considering the menu of pulmonary rehabilitation treatment options; a feasibility study
Authors: Barradell AC , Doe G , Bekker HL , Houchen-Wolloff L , Robertson N , Singh SJ
Published: September 2024

Objectives

Shared Decision Making (SDM) has potential to support Pulmonary Rehabilitation (PR) decision-making when patients are offered a menu of centre- and home-based options. This study sought to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a three-component PR SDM intervention for individuals with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) and PR healthcare professionals.

Methods

Participants were recruited from Dec 2021–Sep 2022. Healthcare professionals attended decision coaching training and used the consultation prompt during consultations. Individuals received the Patient Decision Aid (PtDA) at PR referral. Outcomes included recruitment capability, data completeness, intervention fidelity, and acceptability. Questionnaires assessed patient activation and decisional conflict pre and post-PR. Consultations were assessed using Observer OPTION-5. Optional interviews/focus groups were conducted.

Results

13% of individuals [ n = 31, 32% female, mean (SD) age 71.19 (7.50), median (IQR) MRC dyspnoea 3.50 (1.75)] and 100 % of healthcare professionals ( n = 9, 78% female) were recruited. 28 (90.32%) of individuals completed all questionnaires. SDM was present in all consultations [standardised scores were mean (SD) = 36.97 (21.40)]. Six healthcare professionals and five individuals were interviewed. All felt consultations using the PtDA minimised healthcare professionals’ bias of centre-based PR, increased individuals’ self-awareness of their health, prompted consideration of how to improve it, and increased involvement in decision-making.

Discussion

Results indicate the study processes and SDM intervention is feasible and acceptable and can be delivered with fidelity when integrated into the PR pathway.
Visions of Migration: News Images and the Production of Knowledge on the U.S. Southern Border
Authors: Scott Alex
Published: September 2024

This monograph investigates the visual construction of migration on the U.S. southern border by the U.S. news industry. This study employs a quantitative ( N = 1,050) and qualitative ( N = 21) social semiotic analysis to illuminate the pervasive patterns of visual representation by three news agencies: The Associated Press, Getty Images, and Reuters. The analysis reveals levels of symbolic annihilation, social separation, and asymmetrical power dynamics that contribute to the symbolic othering of migrants. In-depth interviews with 21 photojournalists and field observation of an additional five photojournalists on the U.S.-Mexico border in Texas were conducted to analyze the factors that influence the production of images. Photojournalists are subject to myriad physical, social, and ideological influences from politicians, law enforcement, news organizations, non-governmental organizations, drug cartels, and border residents that constrain the depiction of migration. These complex conditions of production are marked by a scarcity of time, money, and autonomy that ultimately result in conventionalized imagery. The findings suggest that more comprehensive, nuanced, and humanizing accounts of migration can occur when external entities do not intercede in the interaction between photographers and migrants. Unconventional imagery, however, is no guarantee of empathetic reception from audiences who are steeped in hegemonic migration discourses produced by institutions that profoundly profit from a perpetual migration “crisis.”
Speech Rate of Children With Developmental Language Disorder in a Narrative Context
Authors: Georgiou Georgios P. , Panteli Constantina , Theodorou Elena
Published: September 2024

This study investigates the speech rate of Cypriot Greek-speaking children with developmental language disorder (DLD) as well as the effect of age and gender. The participants were 16 children with DLD aged 4 years 11 months to 8 years 1 month and 22 children with typical language development (TLD) aged 4 years 5 months to 8 years 7 months. Both groups were divided into younger and older groups. All children participated in a storytelling task, and measurements were conducted based on syllables and words per second. The results indicated significant differences between children with DLD and children with TLD in the speech rate, but no differences between younger and older and male and female children of both groups. The stagnancy of speech rate across different age groups demonstrates that children with DLD follow similar developmental trajectories as children with TLD and that speech rate is not affected by gender. Speech rate could be considered as a marker for identifying DLD in Cypriot Greek-speaking children.
Transformation of zinc acetate into ZnO nanofibers for enhanced NOx gas sensing: Cost-effective strategies and additive-free optimization
Authors: Khomarloo Niloufar , Bagherzadeh Roohollah , Gidik Hayriye , Mohsenzadeh Elham , Latifi Masoud , Debliquy Marc , Ly Ahmadou , Lahem Driss
Published: September 2024

Gas sensors based on ZnO nanocomposites have been widely investigated for the detection of various gases. However, few studies have reported electrospun ZnO for NOx gases, especially NO (nitrogen monoxide), due to its high tendency for oxidation upon contact with air. The development of gas sensors that operate at temperatures below 300°C is challenging for metal oxide gas sensors, as decreasing the temperature can lead to lack of sensitivity and very long recovery times. In this study, the operating temperature was improved to 200°C while achieving a high response to a low concentration of 0.5 ppm gas, with recovery times of 572s and 105s for NO and NO2 (nitrogen dioxide), respectively. Detecting NO and NO2 at low ppm and ppb levels is a major demand and challenge for the development of metal oxide-based gas sensors, especially for health monitoring portable sensors. This study focuses on the design and performance of a NOx gas sensor based on ZnO nanofibrous material with precise structural optimization. The study optimizes the precursor for electrospinning without using any additives. The sensing materials proportion were optimized by changing the ratio of ZnAc:PVA in the precursor of electrospinning solution. Choosing ZnAc:PVA = 1.5 as the optimum precursor for synthesizing ZnO nanofibers resulted in the highest response of 27 and 16 (Ohm/Ohm) for 0.5 ppm NO and NO2, respectively, at 200°C and relative humidity of 50%. Additionally, reproducible sensors were developed, which is crucial for mass production. This remarkable sensitivity in low concentration indicates that the design of material structure and the control of zinc acetate amount in the electrospun solution has great practical applications to detect both gases.
Getting away from the cutoff in regression discontinuity designs
Authors: Palomba Filippo
Published: September 2024

Regression discontinuity (RD) designs are highly popular in economic research because of their strong internal validity and straightforward intuition. While RD estimates are local in nature, several recent articles propose methods that generalize RD estimates to units outside a small neighborhood of the cutoff. In this article, I introduce the getaway package, which implements the method proposed by Angrist and Rokkanen (2015, Journal of the American Statistical Association 110: 1331-1344) to extrapolate treatment-effect estimates “away from the cutoff”, relying on a classical unconfoundedness condition. Additionally, the package features a data-driven algorithm designed to identify a set of covariates that fulfills the unconfoundedness assumption. It also incorporates a toolkit intended for testing and visualization purposes.
Tests and confidence bands for multiple one-sided comparisons
Authors: Drukker David M. , Henning Kevin S. S. , Raschke Christian
Published: September 2024

One-sided inference should be used in some applications, but Stata has limited support for one-sided tests and confidence intervals for a single compari­son and almost no support for one-sided tests and confidence bands for multiple comparisons. In this article, we provide an introduction to one-sided tests and confidence intervals for a single hypothesis and to one-sided tests and confidence intervals for multiple comparisons. We also discuss extensions of the sotable com­mand introduced in Drukker (2023, Stata Journal 23: 518-544) to cover one-sided tests and confidence bands for a single comparison and for multiple comparisons. We also provide examples of how to use sotable to perform multiple tests against values other than zero and how to perform multiple tests after commands like margins and nlcom that support the post option.
Adversarial attacks on reinforcement learning agents for command and control
Authors: Dabholkar Ahaan , Hare James Z , Mittrick Mark , Richardson John , Waytowich Nicholas , Narayanan Priya , Bagchi Saurabh
Published: September 2024

Given the recent impact of deep reinforcement learning in training agents to win complex games such as StarCraft and DoTA (Defense Of The Ancients)—there has been a surge in research for exploiting learning-based techniques for professional wargaming, battlefield simulation, and modeling. Real-time strategy games and simulators have become a valuable resource for operational planning and military research. However, recent work has shown that such learning-based approaches are highly susceptible to adversarial perturbations. In this paper, we investigate the robustness of an agent trained for a command and control task in an environment that is controlled by an active adversary. The C2 agent is trained on custom StarCraft II maps using the state-of-the-art RL algorithms—Asynchronous Advantage Actor Critic (A3C) and proximal policy optimization (PPO). We empirically show that an agent trained using these algorithms is highly susceptible to noise injected by the adversary and investigate the effects these perturbations have on the performance of the trained agent. Our work highlights the urgent need to develop more robust training algorithms especially for critical arenas like the battlefield.
Emblica officinalis Gaertn as a Potential Alternative Therapy for the Treatment of Epilepsy: An Animal Study
Authors: Rivadeneyra-Domínguez Eduardo , Zamora-Bello Isaac , Rodríguez-Landa Juan Francisco , Ortega-García Armando Alejandro , Rosales-Sánchez Óscar
Published: September 2024

Introduction: Epilepsy is a neurological disorder characterized by recurrent seizures. Although antiepileptic drugs (AEDs) reduce the frequency of epileptic seizures, they can cause renal and hepatic damage. Several preclinical studies have indicated that Emblica officinalis Gaertn (AMLA) exerts an anticonvulsant effect related to its tannin and polyphenol content. Objective: We aim to evaluate the anticonvulsant effects of chronic oral AMLA administration and its impact on biochemical and hematological parameters in rats. Methods: Twenty-eight male Wistar rats (250 to 300 g) were divided into four experimental groups (n = 7): vehicle (purified water), AMLA (500 and 700 mg/kg), and carbamazepine (CBZ) (300 mg/kg) as the pharmacological control of anticonvulsant activity. Treatments were administered orally every 24 hours for 28 days, while carbamazepine was administered every 48 hours for 5 days before the behavioral, biochemical, and hematological test. On day 29, Status epilepticus (SE) was induced using the lithium-pilocarpine model (3 mEq/kg, i. p. and 30 mg/kg, s. c.), after which the behavioral and biochemical effects were evaluated. Results: The AMLA 500 mg/kg and CBZ 300 mg/kg groups presented fewer phase V seizures than the vehicle group did. None of the treatments modified biochemical or hematological parameters. Conclusion: AMLA could be considered as a potential alternative therapy for the treatment of epilepsy.
The Anti-Hypoxic Mechanism of Sesamoside Determined Using Network Pharmacology
Authors: Song Dan , Wang Mengjie , Zhang Yiyi , Zhao Xinjie , Zhang Yanru , Yue Hongyi , Zhang Li
Published: September 2024

This study aims to elucidate the anti-hypoxia mechanism of sesamoside, an active component of Phlomis younghusbandii Mukerjee, through a network pharmacology approach. Sesamoside has demonstrated potential anti-oxidant and antiglycation activities. The hypoxia-related disease targets were collected from databases like GeneCards and OMIM. Protein-protein interaction (PPI) networks were constructed using the STRING database. GO/KEGG enrichment analysis was performed using the Metascape database to identify biological processes and signaling pathways. Our results indicate that sesamoside interacts with multiple targets related to glucose and lipid metabolism, nucleotide metabolism, and inflammatory, and we find that AKR1B1 (AR) plays a crucial role in sesamoside responses to hypoxia. Molecular docking studies were performed using Autodock software, revealing good binding activity between sesamoside and AR. We then use CCK-8 assay, qPCR, WB, and ELISA analysis to validate the role of sesamoside in regulating AR and participating in anti-hypoxia through cell experiments. The results show that compared with the hypoxia group, sesamoside treatment significantly improves the expression of AR and inflammation cytokines. In summary, this study sheds light on the anti-hypoxia mechanism of sesamoside using a network pharmacology approach, providing a theoretical basis and experimental foundation for its application in the prevention and treatment of hypoxic diseases.
Black Spatial Storylines: Connections of Black Space, Sound and Story as Pedagogy
Authors: Germinaro Kaleb , Nickson Dana
Published: September 2024

Black education has interrogated race, context, and power questions, yet these practices spanning geographies and learning contexts have not always been valued as spatial knowledge. Further, Black scholars have carved out spaces that honor the communal and spatial sensibilities of Black students, educators, and communities. Black geographies thought can help us reshape how we understand and interrogate issues within education and learning with attention to anti-blackness, futurities, imagining, placemaking, and efforts to create a sense of belonging despite perpetual unbelongingness in dominant educational and learning spaces. Thus, our piece engages with Black Geographies to emphasize the Black radical traditions of space and freedom-making to reorganize our approaches to pedagogy and storytelling. We engage what we call Black Spatial Storylines through our shared and individual stories. We present multiple vignettes and examples to model the ways Black Sound, particularly hip-hop, invites us to engage Black Spatial Storylines as both methodological and pedagogical techniques that start at Blackness. Not only do we highlight and use our own stories as examples, we detail how this process shifts our understanding of Black urban life, and allows us to reorient our educational praxis through Blackness. We conclude with suggested pathways for future applications of a Black geographies framework to education and learning, including the abundance that is the interweaving of Blackness. Thus, we hope to honor and uplift Black communities’ spatial knowledge by formulating our foundational understandings of Black spatial knowledge and the role it plays in education and learning studies.
Qualitative Research From Grounded Theory to Build a Scientific Framework on the Researcher’s Epistemic Competence
Authors: Deroncele-Acosta Angel , Gross-Tur Ramiro , Bellido-Valdiviezo Omar , López-Mustelier Rosendo
Published: September 2024

The Epistemic Competence of the Researcher is a critical success factor for ethical, rigorous, and creative research performance, but it requires a deep epistemological and methodological mastery, however, the current scientific literature has not yet achieved a conceptual arrangement, that allows researchers and educators to have a comprehensive theoretical framework for a holistic understanding of this competence. The objective of this study was to build a comprehensive theory on the epistemic competence of the researcher. A qualitative approach was used, deploying an open interview and the grounded theory method. Ten experts in social science didactics from 7 Latin American universities and 3 Spanish universities participated. The interviews were processed manually and with the support of ATLAS.TI software, finding 23 emerging categories that were contrasted with the results of a term co-occurrence network of 6081 studies imported from Scopus. From the cross-check of empirical and theoretical results, the following concepts were selected to coincide. Finally, the theoretical framework established was made up of the following concepts: 1.- knowledge building and conceptual change, 2.- epistemological beliefs, 3.- concept mapping and knowledge creation, 4.- conceptual understanding, 5.- conceptual framework, 6.- concept formation, 7.- epistemic beliefs, 8.- science education (learning science and science teaching) 9.- cognitive complexity, 10.- personal epistemology, 11.- virtue epistemology, 12.- formal logic, 13.- epistemic cognition, 14.- nature of science, 15.- epistemic emotions. A proposal for teaching and learning science from this epistemic perspective is established. Future studies should continue to explore the concepts and categories that this work leaves open.
Robust observer-based-α-variable model-free supertwisting fractional order sliding mode control for nonlinear PEMFC system with uncertainties and disturbance
Authors: Abbaker Ahmed Mohammed Omer , Peng Lingxi , Haroun Ali Hamid Gomaa , Mohamed Ishag Ahmed
Published: September 2024

The service life and efficiency of proton exchange membrane fuel cells (PEMFCs) are significantly related to the control performance of the air supply system. Therefore, this research develops a novel robust observer-based- [Formula: see text]-variable model-free supertwisting fractional-order sliding mode control ([Formula: see text]-MF-STFOSMC) for complex nonlinear PEMFC air supply system with unmeasurable state variables, model uncertainties, and external disturbance. First, the fifth-order nonlinear PEMFC air supply system model is presented, and the unmeasured state variables are estimated using a nonlinear disturbance observer (NDOB1). Second, the ultra-local model (ULM) algorithm is employed to reconstruct the complex nonlinear PEMFC air supply system, avoiding the need for precise modeling and reducing the controller design difficulty. To estimate and compensate for the uncertain dynamics in the ULM algorithm, another NDOB2 is proposed to realize zero estimation error and finite-time observation. Besides, to achieve optimal control performance with less input chattering, finite-time convergence, and fast response speed, the [Formula: see text]-MF-STFOSMC is designed using super-twisting fractional-order sliding mode control (STFOSMC) algorithm. Furthermore, the stability of [Formula: see text]-MF-STFOSMC via a closed-loop system is verified using the Lyapunov theorem. Finally, the nonlinear PEMFC air supply system model with the proposed controller is realized in MATLAB/Simulink environment, and the simulation results are given to show the superiority and effectiveness of the proposed technique.
Social support within couples coping with Parkinson's disease
Authors: Martin Summer C
Published: September 2024

Objectives

To contribute to a better understanding of the complexities of social support exchanged within couples coping with Parkinson's disease (PD), the present study aimed to identify costs and complications of support between persons with PD (PWPs) and their partners, as well as how to effectively manage such challenges.

Methods

In-depth interviews were conducted with 63 participants, including 31 PWPs and 32 partners. Interviews were transcribed and analyzed using constant comparative techniques.

Results

Participants reported the following complications and costs of social support: partners’ differing approaches to coping can make support difficult, support can be perceived as identity-threatening and controlling, support can lead to dependency, and support can be draining. In addition, participants discussed effectively managing challenges of support by seeking/providing support subtly, taking the other's perspective, and relinquishing control.

Discussion

In health care and interventions, it is important for PWPs and partners to be educated about social support so that couples can anticipate these costs and complications of support and consider which management strategies are likely to be effective for them in various circumstances.
The influence of social support in the prevention and treatment of postpartum depression: An intervention-based narrative review
Authors: Norazman Camilla Wahida , Lee Lai Kuan
Published: September 2024

Postpartum depression (PPD) is a mental health disorder that affects 10%–15% women globally. Longitudinal and meta-analyses have consistently demonstrated the negative impacts of PPD on both the affected mothers and subsequent infant development. Given the consideration that antidepressant side effects in breastfeeding infants and the cost-effectiveness considerations of psychotherapies, attention has been paid towards the promising role of social support interventions in order to prevent and reduce the PPD symptoms. Confirming the assertion, this narrative review examines the potential of five social support interventions to ameliorate PPD-related maternal and infant outcomes. The wide implications of psychoeducational strategy, nurses’ supportive and non-directive counselling and home-visiting approach are outlined. Furthermore, the evidence underlying the role of peer support, culturally tailored intervention and community-based participatory approach in PPD is elucidated. In clinical practice, this review reinforce the roles of discharge educational intervention led by the experienced nurse during the postpartum stay, in order to maintain psychological mental health among the postpartum mothers. More importantly, the skilled and competence public health nurses act as valuable assets in treating PPD, and this effective treatment alternative should be considered by healthcare planners. In future, major investigations will be strategized to discover the synergistic effects of combined social support approaches to yield a better outcome in the prevention and treatment of PPD.
The importance of social oocyte cryopreservation in supporting local municipalities: A prospective study
Authors: Ohno Motoharu , Kikuchi Iwaho , Kagawa Noriko , Shinozaki Ikumi , Shirosaki Yuka , Ichiyama Takuhiko , Makino Shintaro , Yoshida Koyo
Published: September 2024

Background:

With the trend toward late marriages and late childbearing, cryopreservation of oocytes for fertility preservation is attracting attention as a method to counteract the declining birthrate.

Objectives:

To examine the impact of social oocyte cryopreservation on local communities by assessing the significance of government assistance for cryofreezing and capturing the participants’ subsequent feelings regarding this assistance.

Design:

Descriptive study

Methods:

A prospective study was conducted on city-dwelling women <35 years old attending monthly seminars on oocyte retrieval/cryopreservation to whom the study concept was explained. Egg collection and storage management costs were free for 3 years after the project completed, and subsequent actual storage costs were borne by the individuals. After oocyte retrieval, we conducted a questionnaire on oocyte cryopreservation and administrative assistance.

Results:

Of the 62 seminar participants, 2 became pregnant naturally without oocyte retrieval. Oocytes were retrieved in 34 women (average age: 32.8 years, number of oocytes obtained: 8.3), among whom 4 subsequently became pregnant and gave birth through natural pregnancy or artificial insemination, and 1 became pregnant and gave birth using frozen oocytes. In a follow-up questionnaire given to these 34 subjects, all responded that they were glad to have oocyte cryopreservation, but 23 subjects (67.6%) answered that they could not perform cryopreservation without financial assistance. Twenty-five participants (73.5%) wanted to try to conceive without using frozen oocytes as a post-cryopreservation plan.

Conclusions:

As a countermeasure against the declining birthrate, oocyte cryopreservation and associated workshops that can provide the information and education needed to conduct this task in a “planned” manner may be useful in providing women with additional reproductive options. Financial assistance will also be required to offer this service to the women who need it.
A lifetime economic model of mortality and secondary care use for patients discharged from hospital following acute stroke
Authors: McMeekin Peter , McCarthy Stephen , McCarthy Andrew , Porteous Jennifer , Allen Michael , Laws Anna , White Phil , James Martin , Ford Gary A , Shaw Lisa , Price Christopher I
Published: September 2024

Background:

The long-term health-economic consequences of acute stroke are typically extrapolated from short-term outcomes observed in different studies, using models based on assumptions about longer-term morbidity and mortality. Inconsistency in these assumptions and the methods of extrapolation can create difficulties when comparing estimates of lifetime cost-effectiveness of stroke care interventions.

Aims:

To develop a long-term model consisting of a set of equations to estimate the lifetime effects of stroke care interventions to promote consistency in extrapolation of short-term outcomes.

Methods:

Data about further admissions and mortality were provided for acute stroke patients discharged between 2013 and 2014 from a large English service. This was combined with data from UK life tables to create a set of parametric equations in a model that use age, sex, and modified Rankin Scores to predict the lifetime risk of mortality and secondary care resource utilization including ED attendances, non-elective admissions, and elective admissions. A cohort of 1509 (male 51%; mean age 74) stroke patients had median follow-up of 7 years and represented 7111 post-discharge patient years. A logistic model estimated mortality within 12 months of discharge, and a Gompertz model was used over the remainder of the lifetime. Hospital attendances were modeled using a Weibull distribution. Non-elective and elective bed days were both modeled using a log-logistic distribution.

Results:

Mortality risk increased with age, dependency, and male sex. Although the overall pattern was similar for resource utilization, there were different variations according to dependency and gender for ED attendances and non-elective/elective admissions. For example, 65-year-old women with a mRS at discharge of 1 would gain an extra 6.75 life years compared to 65-year-old women with a mRS at discharge of 3. Over their lifetime, 65-year-old women with an mRS at discharge of 1 would experience 0.09 less ED attendances, 2.12 less non-elective bed days, and 1.28 additional elective bed days than 65-year-old women with an mRS at discharge of 3.

Conclusions:

Using long-term follow-up publicly available data from a large clinical cohort, this new model promotes standardized extrapolation of key outcomes over the life course and potentially can improve the real-world accuracy and comparison of long-term cost-effectiveness estimates for stroke care interventions.

Data assess statement:

Data are available upon reasonable request from third parties.
Restorative justice: Adopting a whole system approach to address cultural barriers in criminal justice
Authors: Banwell-Moore Rebecca
Published: September 2024

It is now 25 years since restorative justice was first introduced into criminal justice policy in England and Wales. It was hailed as a justice mechanism that could address the needs of both victims and offenders, reduce re-offending and decrease public expenditure. But despite (inter)national instruments mandating government and criminal justice agencies to provide restorative justice services, significant implementation and delivery gaps remain and victim participation continues to be low. Adopting a ‘whole system approach’ framework, this article analyses and syntheses extant scholarly literature which has examined the implementation and delivery challenges restorative justice faces in becoming embedded as a key criminal justice mechanism. The article argues that a ‘whole system’ approach, which involves systemic change and a fundamental cultural shift across the entire criminal justice system, is necessary to fully embed restorative justice within the criminal justice system. Until such an approach is implemented, victims will continue to be denied the opportunity to participate in restorative justice and it will remain an optional extra justice mechanism.
Procedural times with robotic-assisted bronchoscopy: a high volume single-center study
Authors: Styrvoky Kim , Schwalk Audra , Pham David , Madsen Kristine , Chiu Hsienchang , Abu-Hijleh Muhanned
Published: September 2024

Background:

Incidental and screen-detected pulmonary nodules are common. The increasing capabilities of advanced diagnostic bronchoscopy will increase bronchoscopists’ procedural volume necessitating optimization of procedural scheduling and workflow.

Objectives:

The objectives of this study were to determine total time in the procedure room, total bronchoscopy procedure time, and robotic-assisted bronchoscopy procedure time longitudinally and per specific procedure performed.

Design:

A single-center observational study of all consecutive patients undergoing shape-sensing robotic-assisted bronchoscopy (RAB) biopsy procedures for the evaluation of pulmonary lesions with variable probability for malignancy.

Methods:

Chart review to collect patient demographics, lesion characteristics, and procedural specifics. Descriptive and comparative statistics are reported.

Results:

Actual bronchoscopy procedure time may decrease with increased institutional experience over time, however, there is limited ability to reduce non-bronchoscopy related time within the procedure room. The use of cone beam computed tomography (CBCT), rapid on-site evaluation (ROSE), and performance of staging endobronchial ultrasound transbronchial needle aspiration (EBUS-TBNA) in a single procedure are each associated with additional time requirements.

Conclusion:

Institutional procedural block times should adapt to the nature of advanced diagnostic bronchoscopy procedures to allow for the accommodation of new modalities such as RAB combined with other technologies including radial endobronchial ultrasound, CBCT, ROSE, and staging linear EBUS. Identifying institutional median procedural times may assist in scheduling and ideal block time utilization.