bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The impact of different exercise protocols on rat soleus muscle reinnervation and recovery following peripheral nerve lesion and regeneration
Authors: Di Palma Michael , Ambrogini Patrizia , Lattanzi Davide , Brocca Lorenza , Bottinelli Roberto , Cuppini Riccardo , Pellegrino Maria A. , Sartini Stefano
Published: September 2022

Background: Incomplete functional recovery following traumatic peripheral nerve injury is common, mainly because not all axons successfully regenerate and reinnervate target muscles. Exercise can improve functional outcomes increasing the terminal sprouting during the muscle reinnervation. However, exercise is not a panacea per se. Indeed, the type of exercise adopted dramatically impacts the outcomes of rehabilitation therapy. To gain insight into the therapeutic effects of different exercise regimens on reinnervation following traumatic nerve lesion, we evaluated the impact of different clinically transferable exercise protocols (EPs) on metabolic and functional muscle recovery following nerve crush.

Methods: The reinnervation of soleus muscle in adult nerve-crushed rats was studied following 6 days of different patterns (continuous or intermittent) and intensities (slow, mid, and fast) of treadmill running EPs. The effects of EPs on muscle fiber multiple innervation, contractile properties, metabolic adaptations, atrophy, and autophagy were assessed using functional and biochemical approaches.

Results: Results showed that an intermittent mid-intensity treadmill EP improves soleus muscle reinnervation, whereas a slow continuous running EP worsens the functional outcome. However, the mid-intensity intermittent EP neither enhanced the critical mediators of exercise-induced metabolic adaptations, namely, PGC-1α, nor improved muscle atrophy. Conversely, the autophagy-related marker LC3 increased exclusively in the mid-intensity intermittent EP group.

Conclusion: Our results demonstrated that an EP characterized by a mid-intensity intermittent activity enhances the functional muscle recovery upon a nerve crush, thus representing a promising clinically transferable exercise paradigm to improve recovery in humans following peripheral nerve injuries.
Hypoxia-related mechanisms inducing acute mountain sickness and migraine
Authors: Frank Florian , Kaltseis Katharina , Filippi Vera , Broessner Gregor
Published: September 2022

Experimental models of human diseases are vital for pathophysiological and therapeutic research. To investigate the initiation, maintenance, pathophysiology and even termination of a migraine/headache attack these models are urgently needed. Results from different studies promote the profound involvement of hypoxia in migraine and other primary/secondary headaches. The possible mechanisms that drive the induction of headaches through hypoxia are still unknown, but several modes of action, such as increased blood flow, dilation of cerebral arteries, the release of nitroglycerin, calcitonin gene-related peptide and adenosine or increased oxygen extraction are discussed intensively. In studies exposing healthy volunteers and people with a history of migraine to controlled normobaric hypoxia, our research group could demonstrate normobaric hypoxia to be an effective trigger of migraine headaches. Furthermore, a longitudinal measurement of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), during a hypoxic challenge in migraine patients, revealed increasing CGRP levels with prolonged hypoxic challenge. Since GRP has been linked to migraine and other headache disorders, hypoxia could be regarded as initiator for headaches on a neurotransmitter basis. Furthermore, it has been known for more than 2 decades from studies in vitro and in vivo that hypoxia can induce cortical spreading depression, a phenomenon believed to represent aura. Considering the increased prevalence of migraine in altitude populations and the solid pathophysiological changes on cellular and neurotransmitter level–the role of hypoxia should be investigated in greater detail by the headache community.
Push and pull factors associated with the consumption of women’s professional basketball games: A canonical correlation analysis
Authors: Min Sophia D. , Zhang James J. , Byon Kevin K.
Published: September 2022

The purpose of this study was to empirically investigate the interrelationships between push and pull factors associated with the consumption of women’s professional basketball games. Multiple factors pertaining to sport consumers’ internal needs, identified as “push” factors, contain various intangible socio-psychological motivations representing an individual’s intrinsic desires that drive consumers toward certain goal-driven behaviors. On the other hand, “pull” factors, related to the supply side, refer to the different aspects of sport products the management of sport teams provides. It is imperative to obtain a better understanding of the push–pull interaction so that sport marketers can design their products to satisfy spectators’ expectations with different needs. Spectators (N = 628) attending WNBA games responded to an on-site survey. CFA was conducted to ensure the psychometric properties of the scales, which showed that the overall model fit the data well. A canonical correlation analysis was performed, and two significant functions were revealed by the dimension reduction analysis. The first function [F(40,2,683) = 4.49, p < 0.001]: I-Want-Everything-Consumer suggests that the market segment comprises individuals with multiple needs (ranged from 0.55 to 0.85) and expectations (ranged from 0.55 to 0.89), both of which need to be met simultaneously. Thus, sports marketers can satisfy WNBA consumers’ needs by enhancing the quality of tangible pull factors. The second function [F(28,2,222) = 2.38, p < 0.001]: Achievement-Seekers revealed that the consumers motivated by vicarious achievement (–0.59) expect game promotion (–0.55) rather than the quality of the opposing team (0.42), indicating that sport marketers should provide tailored promotional strategies to satisfy this segment of consumers. Specifically, the findings of this study can be used to segment consumers based upon fan motives (i.e., push factors) and position products accordingly by managing the controllable aspects of sport products (i.e., pull factors). This study provides empirical evidence of the relationship between WNBA consumers’ multiple needs and attributes associated with the WNBA core product.
Bilingualism is always cognitively advantageous, but this doesn’t mean what you think it means
Authors: Sanches de Oliveira Guilherme , Bullock Oliveira Maggie
Published: September 2022

For decades now a research question has firmly established itself as a staple of psychological and neuroscientific investigations on language, namely the question of whether and how bilingualism is cognitively beneficial, detrimental or neutral. As more and more studies appear every year, it seems as though the research question itself is firmly grounded and can be answered if only we use the right experimental manipulations and subject the data to the right analysis methods and interpretive lens. In this paper we propose that, rather than merely improving prior methods in the pursuit of evidence in one direction or another, we would do well to carefully consider whether the research question itself is as firmly grounded as it might appear to be. We identify two bodies of research that suggest the research question to be highly problematic. In particular, drawing from work in sociolinguistics and in embodied cognitive science, we argue that the research question of whether bilingualism is cognitively advantageous or not is based on problematic assumptions about language and cognition. Once these assumptions are addressed head on, a straightforward answer to the question arises, but the question itself comes to seem to be a poor starting point for research. After examining why this is so, we conclude by exploring some implications for future research.
The addiction behavior of short-form video app TikTok: The information quality and system quality perspective
Authors: Qin Yao , Omar Bahiyah , Musetti Alessandro
Published: September 2022

TikTok has one of the most advanced algorithm systems and is the most addictive as compared to other social media platforms. While research on social media addiction is abundant, we know much less about how the TikTok information system environment affects users’ internal states of enjoyment, concentration, and time distortion (which scholars define as the flow experience), which in turn influences their addiction behavior. To fill this gap, this study collects responses from 659 adolescents in China aged between 10 and 19 years old, and the data is then analyzed using Partial Least Square (PLS). We find that the system quality has a stronger influence than information quality in determining adolescents’ experience with TikTok and that the flow experience has significant direct and indirect effects on TikTok addiction behavior. Notably, this study finds that TikTok addiction is determined by users’ mental concentration on the medium and its content. Several theoretical insights from the stimulus–organism–response (S–O–R) model and the flow theory are used to explain the findings.
Psychological healing function of poetry appreciation based on educational psychology and aesthetic analysis
Authors: Zhang Weijin
Published: September 2022

With the development of society, the rapidly developing social environment has played a significant role in the particular group of college students. College students will inevitably suffer setbacks and psychological obstacles in their studies and daily life. This work aims to ameliorate college students’ various mental illnesses caused by anxiety and confusion during the critical period of status transformation. Educational psychology theory, aesthetic theory, and poetry appreciation are applied to the mental health education of college students to obtain a satisfying psychological healing effect. First, this work summarizes the connotation and characteristics of college student’s mental health and defines educational psychology. Secondly, the long tradition of Chinese poetry teaching is introduced. Besides, the theoretical basis of poetry therapy and aesthetic psychology is expounded, and foreign poetry is discussed. In addition, poetry appreciation is used to promote personality shaping and psychological healing of college students based on the theory of educational psychology and poetry appreciation psychotherapy. In addition, mental health education for college students is studied from the perspectives of psychological health, mental health education, college students’ mental health education, and appreciation of ancient poetry. In addition, the principle and significance of college students’ mental health education are discussed from the perspective of poetry appreciation. Finally, an experimental study is conducted on college students and patients in a specific hospital department by issuing questionnaires to verify the practical application effect of this method in psychotherapy. The survey results indicate that the scores of college students who have completed a one-semester poetry appreciation course in different dimensions of mental disorders are lower than those of those who have not completed the course. At the same time, in the scores of 16 personality traits, the positive trait scores of the experimental group are higher than those of the control group. Comparing scores before and after class also reflects the positive effect of poetry appreciation intervention on college students’ personality shaping. It can be concluded that poetry appreciation has a strong effect on promoting college students’ mental health and personality shaping and improving college students’ psychological problems.
New marketing strategies for online group-buying business from a social interaction theory perspective
Authors: Jiang Lu , Huang Yu , Zhu Hong , Zou Yingru
Published: September 2022

Companies that use online group-buying to get new business expansion opportunities at a price advantage are failing. Therefore, there is a need to develop new marketing strategies for group-buying companies to achieve market share and consumer favor. Given that consumers are society members, we used the social interaction theory to investigate the combination of factors that stimulate consumers’ purchase intentions. Fuzzy-set Qualitative Comparative Analysis was performed to evaluate different strategy configurations of social interaction elements, perceived quality, benefits and trust to promote purchase decisions from 406 group-buying consumer questionnaires. We revealed four pathways with different configurations that can prompt consumers to make group-buying decisions: information strategy, Word-of-Mouth strategy, sense of community strategy, as well as combining Word-of-Mouth and sense of community strategy. These strategies provide viable approaches through which group-buying companies can rationally use marketing programs to promote consumers’ purchase intentions.
Social media interactions between government and the public: A Chinese case study of government WeChat official accounts on information related to COVID-19
Authors: Shao Chang’an , Guan Xin , Sun Jiajing , Cole Michael , Liu Guiying
Published: September 2022

The concept of apublic energy fieldis central to public administration discourse theory. Its main idea is the facilitation of dialog between government and the public, on the basis of equality, to construct a public policy consensus. In contemporary society, social media provides new and distinctive channels for such interactions. Social media can, therefore, be conceived as a novel type ofpublic energy field. Since the outbreak of the COVID-19 pandemic, interactions between the Chinese government and the Chinese public (whether located in China or abroad) have been acutely reflected through WeChat official accounts. This article focuses on the COVID-19 pandemic and, through social media text mining and processing, analyzes the text topics and emotions covered. Basic principles of discourse validity, regarding this public energy field and two guarantee conditions, are applied to analyze the information exchange and dialog between the government and the public on COVID-19 through WeChat official accounts. It was found that the government’s WeChat official accounts have not yet formed a harmonious dialog space to balance the public energy field, and that the interaction between the government and the public has to be improved. The government’s social discourse had a significant influence on the public’s social discourse. Using text analysis, the study found that the government has published information on 11 topics related to the prevention and control of the pandemic. It can be argued that the public energyfieldpresented by both the government and the public effectively portrayed and reflected the actual situation of the pandemic in China.
Team idiosyncratic deals and team breakthrough innovation: Based on the perspective of input-process-output model
Authors: Fan Zili , Sun Hao , Wang Lijun , Zhu Mengting , Peng Ting
Published: September 2022

Purpose

As a new human resource management practice, idiosyncratic deals are personalized employment arrangements negotiated between employees and employers and intended to benefit them both. It plays an important role in attracting, retaining and motivating employees to promote breakthrough innovation. Based on the input-process-output (I-P-O) model, this paper examines the relationship between team idiosyncratic deals and team breakthrough innovation, the mediating role of team exploratory-exploitative knowledge sharing, and the moderating roles of team transactive memory systems and team cognitive flexibility.

Participants and methods

In order to reduce the effects of common method biases and causal lag effect, this study is divided into three stages for data collection, with a time interval of 1 month. Eighty teams (406 employees) from six enterprises in Shanghai and Hangzhou were selected as samples, and the hypothesis test was carried out by hierarchical regression analysis, bootstrap, and Johnson-Neyman method.

Results

The results show that higher team idiosyncratic deals are associated with higher team breakthrough innovation through higher team exploratory-exploitative knowledge sharing, and that team transactive memory systems and team cognitive flexibility positively moderate the mediating effect of team exploratory-exploitative knowledge sharing in the relationship between team idiosyncratic deals and team breakthrough innovation in the first stage and the second stage, respectively. Under the joint effect of high team transactive memory systems and high team cognitive flexibility, the mediating effect of team exploratory-exploitative knowledge sharing is stronger.

Conclusion

The research results break through the previous research framework of social exchange theory, and I-P-O model to explore the influence mechanism of team idiosyncratic deals, in order to promote the sustainable growth of team breakthrough innovation through this non-standard work arrangement. It is hoped that this research can inspire modern enterprises to create team idiosyncratic deals for valuable teams engaged in breakthrough innovation, which are more conducive to give full play to their heterogeneous talents, and finally help enterprises break through the industry bottleneck and win the market competition.
University social responsibility under the influence of societal changes: Students’ satisfaction and quality of services in Saudi Arabia
Authors: Alghamdi Abdulelah A.
Published: September 2022

Universities contribute to shaping the identity of a nation with their major university social responsibility (USR) in addition to their academic purposes and corporate strategies. In Saudi Arabia with Vision 2030, universities are facing a transformation in adapting to the societal changes and implementing a socially responsible management, considering the satisfaction of their most important stakeholders (i.e., the students) and the quality of services offered to them. This study aims to explore how USR fulfills the societal changes in Saudi Arabia from the perspective of university students in addition to inspecting USR’s relationships with the students’ satisfaction and the quality of services offered to them. A self-report study was conducted with 350 undergraduate students in the Faculty of Social Sciences in a Social Work program at a University in the Western region of Saudi Arabia. An inside–outside (I–O) map of USR was applied to investigate the relationships among USR’s aspects. The study results demonstrated a moderate level of agreement by students toward the university’s fulfillment of its USR, quality of services offered to them, and their satisfaction. In contrast, the results of a regression analysis revealed that all USR aspects could explain only 13% of the students’ satisfaction. Legal responsibilities, among all USR aspects, exhibited the highest influence on students’ satisfaction. Gender differences existed in favor of female students’ perceptions toward the university’s fulfillment of its USR. The I–O map provided interesting insights to interpret the correlations among all USR aspects under the influence of societal changes that have occurred under Saudi Vision 2030.
Going beyond the DSM in predicting, diagnosing, and treating autism spectrum disorder with covarying alexithymia and OCD: A structural equation model and process-based predictive coding account
Authors: Edwards Darren J.
Published: September 2022

Background

There is much overlap among the symptomology of autistic spectrum disorders (ASDs), obsessive compulsive disorders (OCDs), and alexithymia, which all typically involve impaired social interactions, repetitive impulsive behaviors, problems with communication, and mental health.

Aim

This study aimed to identify direct and indirect associations among alexithymia, OCD, cardiac interoception, psychological inflexibility, and self-as-context, with the DV ASD and depression, while controlling for vagal related aging.

Methodology

The data involved electrocardiogram (ECG) heart rate variability (HRV) and questionnaire data. In total, 1,089 participant's data of ECG recordings of healthy resting state HRV were recorded and grouped into age categories. In addition to this, another 224 participants completed an online survey that included the following questionnaires: Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS); Toronto Alexithymia Scale 20 (TAS-20); Acceptance and Action Questionnaire (AAQII); Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale 21 (DAS21); Multi-dimensional Assessment of Interoceptive Awareness Scale (MAIA); and the Self-as-Context Scale (SAC).

Results

Heart rate variability was shown to decrease with age when controlling for BMI and gender. In the two SEMs produced, it was found that OCD and alexithymia were causally associated with autism and depression indirectly through psychological inflexibility, SAC, and ISen interoception.

Conclusion

The results are discussed in relation to the limitations of the DSM with its categorical focus of protocols for syndromes and provide support for more flexible ideographic approaches in diagnosing and treating mental health and autism within the Extended Evolutionary Meta-Model (EEMM). Graph theory approaches are discussed in their capacity to depict the processes of change potentially even at the level of the relational frame.
Expectations: How and when do they contribute to placebo analgesia?
Authors: Rosenkjær Sophie , Lunde Sigrid Juhl , Kirsch Irving , Vase Lene
Published: September 2022

In placebo research, expectations are highlighted as one of the most influential subjective factors. While some studies have shown a relationship between expectations and pain relief, others have not. However, little is known about how methods of assessment of expectations may affect these conclusions. One of the fundamental considerations is that participants in placebo trials rate their expectations when prompted to rate them on scales in advance, but are less likely to report their prior expectations, when asked to report their experience retroactively in an unprompted manner, often expressing, for example, prior hope or wishes of recovery. This article presents previously unpublished data to elucidate and explore the concepts highlighted by individuals in a placebo analgesia trial when assessed in a prompted and unprompted manner. The data corroborates the role of expectations involved in placebo effects, particularly in placebo analgesia. Thus, the question may be a matter of how and when expectations contribute to placebo effects, rather than if.
Underuse of recommended treatments among people living with treatment-resistant psychosis
Authors: Lappin Julia M. , Davies Kimberley , O'Donnell Maryanne , Walpola Ishan C.
Published: September 2022

Background

International guidelines recommend that individuals with treatment-resistant psychosis must be treated with clozapine. ECT has also been reported to improve symptom profiles. Identification of clozapine and/or ECT use in real-world practice enables understanding of the extent to which this evidence-base is implemented.

Setting

Statewide public health tertiary referral service, the Tertiary Referral Service for Psychosis (TRSP), NSW, Australia.

Objectives

To (i) describe clinical characteristics of individuals with treatment-resistant psychosis and to detail the proportion who had received a trial of clozapine or ECT at any point during their illness course; (ii) describe the characteristics of the treatment trials in both those currently on clozapine and those previously on clozapine; (iii) document reasons in relevant individuals why clozapine had never been used.

Methods

All TRSP clients who met the criteria for treatment resistance (TR) were included. A detailed casenote review was conducted to examine whether clozapine and/or ECT had ever been prescribed. Characteristics of clozapine and ECT trials were documented. Tertiary service treatment recommendations are described.

Findings

Thirty-six of 48 individuals had TR. They had marked clinical and functional impairment. A minority were currently receiving clozapine (n = 14/36). Most had received a clozapine trial at some point (n = 32/36). Most experienced persistent clinical symptoms while on clozapine (n = 29/32). Clozapine plasma levels were very rarely reported (4/32). Augmentation and antipsychotic polypharmacy were common among those currently on clozapine. The median clozapine trial duration was 4.0 (IQR: 3.0–20.3) months in individuals previously prescribed clozapine. Reasons for clozapine discontinuation included intolerable side effects (n = 10/18) and poor adherence (n = 7/18). One-quarter of TR individuals had trialed ECT (n = 9/36). Tertiary service recommendations included routine plasma monitoring to optimize dose among people currently on clozapine; clozapine retrial in those previously treated; and clozapine initiation for those who had never received clozapine. ECT was recommended to augment clozapine and as an alternative where clozapine trial/retrial was not feasible.

Conclusion

Among people with TR referred to a tertiary service, clozapine and ECT were underutilized. Clozapine trials are typically terminated without an adequate trial. Strategies to optimize the use of clozapine therapy and ECT in clinical settings are needed to increase the therapeutic effectiveness of evidence-based therapies for treatment-resistant psychosis.
Pragmatic AI-augmentation in mental healthcare: Key technologies, potential benefits, and real-world challenges and solutions for frontline clinicians
Authors: Kellogg Katherine C. , Sadeh-Sharvit Shiri
Published: September 2022

The integration of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies into mental health holds the promise of increasing patient access, engagement, and quality of care, and of improving clinician quality of work life. However, to date, studies of AI technologies in mental health have focused primarily on challenges that policymakers, clinical leaders, and data and computer scientists face, rather than on challenges that frontline mental health clinicians are likely to face as they attempt to integrate AI-based technologies into their everyday clinical practice. In this Perspective, we describe a framework for “pragmatic AI-augmentation” that addresses these issues by describing three categories of emerging AI-based mental health technologies which frontline clinicians can leverage in their clinical practice—automation, engagement, and clinical decision support technologies. We elaborate the potential benefits offered by these technologies, the likely day-to-day challenges they may raise for mental health clinicians, and some solutions that clinical leaders and technology developers can use to address these challenges, based on emerging experience with the integration of AI technologies into clinician daily practice in other healthcare disciplines.
Assessing the impact of governance and health expenditures on carbon emissions in China: Role of environmental regulation
Authors: Wang Yue , Liu Mengjie , Wang Shan , Cui Xiuping , Hao Lei , Gen HaSiBa
Published: September 2022

The current study tries to summarize the leading factors and their behavior toward the environmental quality. Therefore, this study investigates the environment-development linkage in China's economy covering the period of 1984–2018. In order to investigate the proposed objectives, the current study uses the dynamic ordinary least square, fully modified ordinary least square and canonical co-integration regression with granger causality test. The results reveal that there exists an inverted U-shaped relationship in China's economy. Likewise, urbanization positively contributes to environmental deterioration. Furthermore, the health expenditures also cause to deteriorate the environmental quality. In contrast, there exists the negative association between good governance and carbon emissions, while the rule of law in China's economy does not secure the environmental quality. Therefore, environmental regulation policies need to be revised in order to achieve a sustainable environment. As a result, we recommend that China continue to expand its economy and invest in health care and environmental initiatives.
Home care in COVID-19 patients with the home-quarantined condition: A study from Iran
Authors: Afshari Poorandokht , Beheshti-Nasab Maryam , Maraghi Elham , Sadeghi Simin , Sanjari Nafiseh , Zarea Kourosh
Published: September 2022

Objectives

During the COVID-19 home-quarantines, home care services may act as an auxiliary component of health care system, which reduces the burden on the formal health care system. This study aimed to investigate the status of informal home care provided for home quarantined patients with COVID-19 in southwest Iran.

Methods

This descriptive study was conducted on 288 patients with COVID-19 in Ahvaz (southwest Iran). Inclusion criteria included a known case of COVID-19, willingness to participate in the study, recommendation of home quarantine from a health center, having a smartphone, and fluency in reading and writing in Persian, and the exclusion criterion was a history of COVID-19 longer than 3 months. The data collection method was structured interviews based on a questionnaire (face-to-face-telephone calls-video call). SPSS software was used for the analysis of data.

Results

45.5% of the participants in the study were women with a mean age of 37.82 (10.48%) and 55.5% were men with a mean age of 36.12 (11.93%). Findings showed that in most cases, the spouse (61.4) is responsible for the care of the patient, and in other cases, parents are responsible for this duty. 57.3% of the patients stated that they themselves had to leave home to provide for necessities of life, and 37.2% stated that they were in charge of cooking. 47.9% of the patients evaluated the quality of quality of care provided at home as good. Most of patients and caregivers referred to hospital for getting information (35.8% patients and 34% caregivers). Most of patients recovered from diseases (60.8%) and 39.2% were hospitalized. Although 43.9% of men and 33.6% of women were hospitalized and a there was a significant difference between men and women (P < 0.04).

Conclusion

During COVID-19 pandemic home care to reduce the burden on the health system are very important. We must also know that this type of care requires informed and planned support and sufficient community education. The health care system needs to put self-care and family care among its top priorities. The focus should be on educational and mental support of informal caregivers along with measures that protect their relatives from COVID-19.
Vicarious structural racism and infant health disparities in Michigan: The Flint Water Crisis
Authors: Allgood Kristi L. , Mack Jasmine A. , Novak Nicole L. , Abdou Cleopatra M. , Fleischer Nancy L. , Needham Belinda L.
Published: September 2022

Building on nascent literature examining the health-related effects of vicarious structural racism, we examined indirect exposure to the Flint Water Crisis (FWC) as a predictor of birth outcomes in Michigan communities outside of Flint, where residents were not directly exposed to lead-contaminated water. Using linear regression models, we analyzed records for all singleton live births in Michigan from 2013 to 2016, excluding Flint, to determine whether birth weight (BW), gestational age (GA), and size-for-gestational-age (SzGA) decreased among babies born to Black people, but not among babies born to White people, following the highly publicized January 2016 emergency declaration in Flint. In adjusted regression models, BW and SzGA were lower for babies born to both Black and White people in the 37 weeks following the emergency declaration compared to the same 37-week periods in the previous 3 years. There were no racial differences in the association of exposure to the emergency declaration with BW or SzGA. Among infants born to Black people, GA was 0.05 weeks lower in the 37-week period following the emergency declaration versus the same 37-week periods in the previous 3 years (95% CI: −0.09, −0.01; p = 0.0177), while there was no change in GA for infants born to White people following the emergency declaration (95% CI: −0.01, 0.03; p = 0.6962). The FWC, which was widely attributed to structural racism, appears to have had a greater impact, overall, on outcomes for babies born to Black people. However, given the frequency of highly publicized examples of anti-Black racism over the study period, it is difficult to disentangle the effects of the FWC from the effects of other racialized stressors.
Potential barriers in implementing the rural toilet retrofitting project: A qualitative study in Jiaozuo, China
Authors: Wang Yuan , Zhu Yueqi , Qi Caiyun , Li Lu
Published: September 2022

Background

China has launched a large “toilet revolution” in rural areas, but the results show that sanitation has not always been markedly improved. Few scholars have paid attention to this issue, and the list of the reasons is scattered and incomplete.

Method

Using the qualitative research method, this study interviewed seven village cadres and 39 villagers in three villages of Jiaozuo City to examine the implementation barriers to rural toilet retrofitting (RTR) projects in China.

Results

Using the Van Meter and Van Horn policy implementation approach, the research has found that: (a) unreasonable standards and objectives fail to incorporate local conditions and improve the actual quality; (b) lack of capital and human resources cannot renovate new toilets; (c) uncoordinated inter-organizational communication and enforcement activities by top-down mechanism lead to policy implementers and target groups' dissatisfaction with the policy; (d) weak and unenthusiastic, inadequate implementing agencies, reduce their working ability; (e) inappropriate economic, social and political conditions impede the villagers' acceptance; and (f) an attitude of passive acceptance by the implementers reduce the working motivation.

Conclusion

To improve sanitation in rural China, it is necessary to solve the six barriers. The findings of this study can provide recommendations and guidance for implementing the RTR and related public health policies.
The effects of the Covid-19 pandemic on ecotourism, a study from West of Iran
Authors: Rahimian Mehdi , Masoudi Rad Mandana , Zareei Hossein
Published: September 2022

Most tourism researchers agree on the effects of the COVID-19 on ecotourism. The present study aims to assess the effects of the COVID-19 pandemic on the ecotourism status in Lorestan province in Iran. To this aim, 29 effects were identified using Delphi technique. According to results, the effects were divided into six categories including the decreased number of incoming tourists, the reduced activity of hotels and resorts, the declined income of goods and service suppliers for tourists, the decreased activity of travel agencies and tourist tours, as well as positive and negative environmental effects. Generally, the results provide new knowledge in the field of ecotourism crisis management. In addition, the identified effects provide the basis for further research on the method of reducing the negative effects.
Understanding the role of power and its relationship to the implementation of the polio eradication initiative in india
Authors: Majumdar Piyusha , Gupta S. D. , Mangal D. K. , Sharma Neeraj , Kalbarczyk Anna
Published: September 2022

Background

Power is exercised everywhere in global health, although its presence may be more apparent in some instances than others. Studying power is thus a core concern of researchers and practitioners working in health policy and systems research (HPSR), an interdisciplinary, problem-driven field focused on understanding and strengthening multilevel systems and policies. This paper aims to conduct a power analysis as mobilized by the actors involved in implementation of the polio program. It will also reflect how different power categories are exerted by actors and embedded in strategies to combat program implementation challenges while planning and executing the Global Polio Eradication Initiative.

Methods

We collected quantitative and qualitative data from stakeholders who were part of the Polio universe as a part of Synthesis and Translation of Research and Innovations from the Polio Eradication Project. Key informants were main actors of the polio eradication program, both at the national and sub-national levels. Research tools were designed to explore the challenges, strategies and unintended consequences in implementing the polio eradication program in India. We utilized Moon's expanded typology of power in global governance to analyze the implementation of the polio eradication programme in India.

Results

We collected 517 survey responses and conducted 25 key informant interviews. Understanding power is increasingly recognized as an essential parameter to understand global governance and health. Stakeholders involved during polio program implementation have exerted different kinds of power from structural to discursive, moral power wielded by religious leaders to institutional power, expert power used by professional doctors to commoners like female vaccinators, and network power exercised by community influencers. Hidden power was also demonstrated by powerless actors like children bringing mothers to polio booths.

Conclusion

Power is not a finite resource, and it can be used, shared, or created by stakeholders and networks in multiple ways. Those people who seem to be powerless possess invisible power that can influence decision making. Moreover, these power categories are not mutually exclusive and may be deeply interconnected with each other; one type of power can be transformed into another. Power and relations play an important role in influencing the decision-making of the community and individuals. Mid-range theories of core implementation science like PARIHAS and CFIR can also add an important variable of power in their construct necessary for implementation success of any health program.
Aided target recognition visual design impacts on cognition in simulated augmented reality
Authors: Gardony Aaron L. , Okano Kana , Hughes Gregory I. , Kim Alex J. , Renshaw Kai T. , Sipolins Aldis
Published: September 2022

Aided target recognition (AiTR) systems, implemented in head-mounted and in-vehicle augmented reality (AR) displays, can enhance human performance in military operations. However, the visual appearance and delivery of AiTR may impact other important critical aspects of human performance like decision making and situational awareness (SA). Previous research suggests salient visual AR cueing, such as found in Computer-Aided Detection diagnostic systems, orient attention strongly toward cued targets leading to missed uncued targets, an effect which may be lessened by providing analog information about classification uncertainty and using less visually salient cueing techniques, such as soft highlighting. The objective of this research was to quantify the human performance impacts of two different types of AR AiTR visualizations in a simulated virtual reality defensive security task. Participants engaged in a visual camouflage discrimination task and a secondary SA Task in which participants observed and reported a peripheral human target. Critically, we manipulated the type of AiTR visualization used: 1) a traditional salient bounding box, 2) a softly glowing soft highlight, and 3) a baseline no-AiTR condition. Results revealed minimal impacts of the visual appearance of AiTR on target acquisition, target categorization, and SA but an observable reduction in user experience associated with soft highlight AiTR. Future research is needed to explore novel AiTR designs that effectively cue attention, intuitively and interpretably visualize uncertainty, and deliver acceptable user experience.
Effects of Chinese yam polysaccharides on the immune function and serum biochemical indexes of broilers
Authors: Deng Jiahua , Zhang Jinzhou , Chang Yadi , Wang Suli , Shi Mingyan , Miao Zhiguo
Published: September 2022

The purpose of this experiment was to investigate the effects of Chinese yam polysaccharides (CYP) in diets on the immune function of broilers. A total of 360 (1-day-old, sex balance) healthy growing broilers with similar body weight (39.54 ± 0.51 g) were randomly divided into control (0.00 g/kg), CYP I (0.25 g/kg), CYP II (0.50 g/kg), and CYP III (1.00 g/kg) groups. Each group contains 3 replicates with 30 broilers in each replicate, and the feeding trial lasted 48 d. The results showed that compared with the control group, the CYP II group had higher thymus index, serum IgA, complement C3, C4, IGF-I, T3, T4, INS, GH, IL-2, IL-4, IL-6, and TNF-α levels (P < 0.05) at 28, 48 d, respectively. In addition, the spleen index, serum IgM and IgG concentrations in CYP II group were higher than those in the control group at 28 d (P < 0.05). Results indicated that 0.50 g/kg CYP supplementation improved the immune function of broilers, and the CYP has a potential biological function as a green additive in broilers.
“About Navigating Chaos”: Latin American and Caribbean Mental Health Workers’ Personal Impact Due to SARS-CoV-2 in the First Hundred Days
Authors: Agrest Martin , Rosales Melina , Fernández Marina , Kankan Tanvi , Matkovich Andrés , Velzi-Díaz Alberto , Ardila-Gómez Sara
Published: September 2022

Objectives: The personal impact of COVID-19 on mental health care workers (MHWs) has received scarce attention despite their work addressing the emotional wellbeing of those affected by the pandemic. This study aims to analyze Latin American and Caribbean’s MHWs’ subjective impact in connection to working during the initial times of the pandemic.

Methods: One hundred and fifty-five persons (n = 155) from seventeen countries were contacted in May–June 2020 through a snowball approach. Complementary methodological strategies of analysis used for data triangulation included content analysis, thematic analysis, and interpretative phenomenological analysis.

Results: Participants reported feelings of fear, anxiety, anguish, and fatigue. Milder negative impacts (e.g., uncertainty, concern), and complex feelings (e.g., ambivalence) were also frequent. One third of participants acknowledged their capacity to learn from this situation and/or experience satisfaction.

Conclusion: Mental health of MHWs in Latin America and the Caribbean were under severe strain and the ongoing mental health reforms at risk during the pandemic’s beginning. More research and additional care may be needed to offer support to those involved in caring for the wellbeing of others.
Palliative Care Within the Primary Health Care Setting in Australia: A Scoping Review
Authors: van Gaans Deborah , Erny-Albrecht Katrina , Tieman Jennifer
Published: September 2022

Objectives: This scoping review identifies and details the scope of practice of health professionals who provide palliative care within the primary health setting in Australia.

Methods: A scoping review approach was conducted on the Cinahl (Ebsco), Scopus, Medline (Ovid) and PubMed databases to extract articles from 1 December 2015 to 1 December 2020. Broad text words and MeSH headings were used with relevance to palliative care, general practice, primary health, and community setting. Extracted journal articles were limited to those based on the Australian population or Australian health system.

Results: Eighty-four papers met the inclusion criteria and were included in the review. The review identified the following health professional roles within the Primary Health Care setting undertaking palliative care: General Practitioner, Nurse, Pharmacist, Paramedics, Carers, and Allied Health professionals.

Conclusion: This review offers a first understanding of the individual health professional roles and multidisciplinary team approach to actively providing palliative care within the Primary Health Care setting in Australia.
Madeleine: Poetry and Art of an Artificial Intelligence
Authors: Revell Graeme
Published: September 2022

This article presents a project which is an experiment in the emerging field of human-machine artistic collaboration. The author/artist investigates responses by the generative pre-trained transformer (GPT-2) to poetic and esoteric prompts and curates them with elements of digital art created by the text-to-image transformer DALL-E 2 using those same prompts; these elements are presented in the context of photographs featuring an anthropomorphic female avatar as the messenger of the content. The tripartite ‘cyborg’ thus assembled is an artificial intelligence endowed with the human attributes of language, art and visage; it is referred to throughout as Madeleine. The results of the experiments allowed the investigation of the following hypotheses. Firstly, evidence for a convergence of machine and human creativity and intelligence is provided by moderate degrees of lossy compression, error, ignorance and the lateral formulation of analogies more typical of GPT-2 than GPT-3. Secondly, the work provides new illustrations supporting research in the field of artificial intelligence that queries the definitions and boundaries of accepted categories such as cognition, intelligence, understanding and—at the limit—consciousness, suggesting that there is a paradigm shift away from questions such as “Can machines think?” to those of immediate social and political relevance such as “How can you tell a machine from a human being?” and “Can we trust machines?” Finally, appearance and epistemic emotions: surprise, curiosity and confusion are influential in the human acceptance of machines as intelligent and trustworthy entities. The project problematises the contemporary proliferation of feminised avatars in the context of feminist critical literature and suggests that the anthropomorphic avatar might echo the social and historical position of the Delphic oracle: the Pythia, rather than a disembodied search engine such as Alexa.
Modelling and Optimizing Resource Management and Environmental Benefit of Construction and Demolition Waste: A Case Study in China
Authors: Sun Honghao , Liu Hongmei , Tian Junjie , Guo Rong , Xu Qian , Yao Lu , Hong Weimin , Li Haiyan , Zhu Chenhui
Published: September 2022

With the continuous promotion of urbanization, the generation of construction and demolition waste (CDW) is increasing. The environmental problems and safety hazards caused as a result need to be resolved. In this paper, based on the system dynamics (SD) theory, the modeling, the cost, and the environmental benefit of CDW resource management under the life cycle assessment (LCA) are proposed. Specifically, we propose a combined policy derived through three variables, namely, fines, subsidies, and charges. The target is to reduce illegal dumping behavior and landfill volume and to improve the recycling volume and environmental benefits. The model is constructed with the help of the software VENSIM, and the validity and feasibility of the model are demonstrated with data from Nantong City. The results show that a single policy cannot simultaneously improve environmental benefits, illegal dumping, recycling, and landfill behavior. A combined policy combines the advantages of three single policies, fines, subsidies, and charges, which not only can effectively curb illegal dumping and landfill disposal under the premise of prioritizing environmental benefits, but can also promote the recycling of CDW. The reasonable range for the fine is 300–350 CNY/ton; the rational range for subsidies is 30–40 CNY/ton; and the flexible range for treatment charge is 40–80 CNY/ton. The model can be used for the quantitative assessment of urban CDW management costs and environmental benefits and can also provide a theoretical basis for the government.
33rd Annual Meeting of the Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms (SLTBR), 23–25 June 2022, Manchester, UK
Authors: Gordijn Marijke C.
Published: September 2022

The 33rd annual meeting of the Society for Light Treatment and Biological Rhythms was held in Manchester in June 2022 [...]