bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is It Still a Mandate If We Don’t Enforce It? The Politics of COVID-related Mask Mandates in Conservative States
Authors: Lyons Jeffrey , Fowler Luke
Published: August 2021

Questions of whether to enforce COVID-related mask mandates are complex. While enforced mandates are more effective at controlling community spread, government imposed behavioral controls have met significant opposition in conservative states, where a political bloc on the right is skeptical that COVID presents a significant and immediate threat. The authors conduct a split sample survey in order to examine how inclusion of a fine provision attached to mask mandates affects support. The survey was conducted in Idaho (a Republican dominated state) at a time when a mask mandate was a central debate. Unsurprisingly, respondents were more supportive of a mask mandate if a fine was not included. Further investigation indicates this is primarily a result of shifting Republican attitudes, which highlights the complex political situation in conservative states as leaders consider best mechanisms for battling COVID.
Palliative Care and Legal Issues in Geriatric Psychiatry
Authors: Vajawat Bhavika , Hegde Prakyath R. , Malathesh Barikar C. , Kumar Channaveerachari Naveen , Sivakumar Palanimuthu T. , Math Suresh Bada
Published: August 2021

There is an increased risk of debilitating illnesses that often have no curative treatment with aging. The mainstay of treatment in many such conditions is palliative care: a holistic approach focused on preventing and relieving physical, psychosocial, legal, ethical, and spiritual problems. It involves the facilitation of end-of-life care decisions aimed at relieving distress and improving quality of life. In this article, the authors discuss the role of mental health professionals in legal issues related to palliative care in the elderly around decision-making, right to autonomy, euthanasia, and advanced directive. The cognitive decline associated with aging and mental health issues in the palliative care setting of an individual such as dementia, depression, and hopelessness, and impact on the family members like burnout may influence the overall capacity of that individual to make decisions about their treatment. While an individual has a right to self-determination and autonomy, withholding or withdrawing treatment has many legal and ethical implications, more so in those with incapacity, especially in India due to the absence of uniform legislation. The decision to withhold or withdraw treatment might be a restrictive choice due to limited options in a setting with a lack of palliative care options, poor psychosocial support, nonaddress of mental health issues, and lack of awareness. As the right to health is a constitutional right, and the right to mental health is legally binding under Section 18 of the Mental Health Care Act 2017, systematic efforts should be made to scale up services and reach out to those in need.
The “Hidden Story” about Change in Alcohol Use in India over the Past Two Decades: Insights from a Secondary Analysis of Data from the National Family Health Survey
Authors: Balhara Yatan Pal Singh , Chattopadhyay Ankita , Sarkar Siddharth
Published: August 2021

Background:

Studies and published reports have not commented on the change in the proportion of the Indian population that consumed alcohol over the years.

Methods:

We report the findings on changes in alcohol use in India over the past two decades, based on a secondary analysis of the data gathered over the successive National Family Health Surveys (NFHS-3 to 5).

Results:

There was a significant decline (P < 0.001) of around 8% and 45% for the current use of alcohol among men and women from NFHS-3 to NFHS-4. There was a decline in the proportion of men reporting alcohol use across all but one state in NFHS-5 compared to NFHS-3. The decline was statistically significant (P < 0.001) for all but one state. There was a decline in the proportion of women reporting alcohol use in 12 states and an increase in three states. Also, there was a significant (P < 0.001) decline in the proportion of men reporting alcohol use in all the states in NFHS-5 compared to NFHS-4. There was an increase in the proportion of women reporting alcohol use in nine states (statistically significant in six states) in NFHS-5 compared to NFHS-4. However, the proportions were more than NFHS-3 values in two states.

Conclusions:

These observations on changes in alcohol use in the country over the past two decades will help better understand the trends in alcohol consumption and help better plan the future strategy to address alcohol use and alcohol use disorders.
Higher music education students’ experiences and management of performance anxiety: A qualitative study
Authors: Tahirbegi Damla
Published: August 2021

This study was undertaken with the intent of exploring three overarching research questions concerning music performance anxiety (MPA). The first objective was to collect descriptive accounts of the everyday experiences of MPA in educational settings. The second objective was to investigate the adaptive coping strategies students utilized to manage their MPA, which were distilled from the data in light of the self-regulated learning framework. Finally, the perceived institutional support around MPA was investigated. A semi-structured interview approach was used as the main data collection method ( n = 10). All students interviewed perceived themselves as experiencing MPA to some extent; however, the intensity of these experiences varied. The most common MPA coping strategies mentioned were increasing individual practice time, and mental skill practices. All students mentioned the importance of preparation, which was associated with self-confidence, leading to higher self-efficacy beliefs, which in return had a positive impact on their management of MPA. Teachers and peers were identified as integral to sustaining students’ well-being and MPA regulation efforts. A positive teacher attitude toward the management of MPA appeared to encourage students’ help-seeking efforts.
Evaluation of the Federal Transit Administration’s Transit and Health Access Initiative: Case Highlights, Findings, and Recommendations
Authors: Flynn Jennifer M. , Perk Victoria A. , Sipiora Austin Marie
Published: August 2021

FTA’s Transit and Health Access Initiative provided funding for demonstration projects to test promising, replicable public transportation healthcare access solutions that support the “triple aim” of increased access to healthcare, improved health outcomes, and reduced healthcare costs. This paper highlights two compelling projects from the independent evaluation of the initiative, selected for their creative approaches and wealth of lessons learned. After in-depth case descriptions of these two projects, the authors present the overall findings and recommendations that emerged from the full evaluation effort. Overall, program participants credited the projects with significant improvements to their health. Some reported that, because of the projects, they were more active and independent, had more control over their lives, experienced less emotional hardship, and were better able to reach their goals. However, these results should be viewed in light of the caveats and limitations of relying on self-reported health data, which was often the best tool for programs unable to overcome the legal concerns surrounding health privacy laws and regulations.
Spatial Equity Analysis of Nighttime Pedestrian Safety: Role of Land Use and Alcohol Establishments in Albuquerque, NM
Authors: Long Benson , Ferenchak Nicholas N.
Published: August 2021

The United States experienced a 53% increase in pedestrian fatalities between 2009 and 2018, with 2018 having a 3.4% increase from 2017. Of the 2018 pedestrian fatalities with known lighting conditions, 76% occurred in dark/nighttime conditions, with 50% occurring between 6:00 and 11:59 p.m. Despite past research exploring several contributing characteristics for nighttime pedestrian crashes, there is limited research that investigates the spatial aspects of land use attributes and sociodemographic factors. Have these nighttime pedestrian collisions been concentrated in certain land uses? Could an establishment with the capacity to serve alcohol invoke a greater risk of pedestrian crashes? Does sociodemographic status correlate with clustering for fatal crashes, severe crashes, or both? To better understand the spatial characteristics of the recent increase in pedestrian collisions, we analyzed crash data from Albuquerque, New Mexico for pedestrian fatalities and severe injuries from 2013 to 2018 relative to lighting condition, land use (with a focus on alcohol establishments), and race/ethnicity on the block group level. We used confidence intervals and Getis-Ord Gi* statistics to verify the statistical integrity of the trends. Findings suggested that pedestrian fatality and severe injury rates were higher within a quarter mile of bars at night and in areas with elevated concentrations of minority populations. Pedestrian fatality and severe injury hot spots appeared to have higher percentages of non-white residents, coupled with lower sidewalk coverage and more arterials or collectors.
“People Are Demanding Justice”: Pandemics, Protests, and Remote Learning Through the Eyes of Immigrant Youth of Color
Authors: Fine Michelle , Finesurrey Samuel , Rodriguez Arnaldo , Almonte Joel , Contreras Alondra , Lam Aidan , Cruz Ashley , Contreras Alondra , Ramírez Ariana Peña , Mendoza Brandon , Almonte Joel , Lam Aidan , Savinon Siarra , Campbell Noah , Hiraldo Jesslin , Santos Lauren , Bruno Samantha , Victoria Alyssa , Columna Noel , Pabon Naomi , Laporte Mya , Paulino Sheylany , Boissier Nathan
Published: August 2021

This paper examines a youth oral history project conducted by/with/for immigrant youth of color and educators. Designed as a longitudinal five year project of critical participatory action research and youth oral histories, we sought initially to document generational experiences of schooling inequity, aggressive policing, housing precarity and immigration struggles. As a research collective we then confronted and chose to interrogate how COVID19, uprisings and activism, and remote learning affect youth of color. In our analysis we “discovered” the power of culturally responsive and sustaining education as a framework to cultivate critical consciousness and civic engagement. With an epistemic commitment to “no research on us without us,” decolonizing methodologies and research for social action, we review in this article our theoretical frameworks, epistemic commitments, methodologies, our ethical praxis and our evidence-based activism, as we explore the intimate details of critical participation as core to anti-racist developmental science.
Consequences of failure: How France’s rejection of the Franco-British union undermined Australian wartime security
Authors: Lee Alexander
Published: August 2021

Australia’s wartime security was imperilled by the failure of the Franco-British union. The proposal to merge the British and French Empires into a supra-national entity became a short-lived possibility in June 1940. This article examines why Australian Prime Minister Robert Menzies unconditionally endorsed the idea. Examining the proposal, and French territories surrounding Australia, demonstrates why Australia was invested in a continued French war effort and had much to gain from its union with Britain. The failure of the Franco-British union in Europe had damaging consequences for distant Canberra, which, unprepared for war, became surrounded by potentially hostile territories.
Checking up to keep on track: An Aboriginal-led approach to monitoring well-being
Authors: Kelly Linda , Whiteside Mary , Barich Hayley , Tsey Komla
Published: August 2021

This article reports the process of identifying a well-being monitoring and evaluation approach for a community development programme with Aboriginal Native Title Holders in Northern Australia. The process involved the use of an empowerment-based Aboriginal Family Well-Being framework to enable Native Title Holders to articulate domains of value to their local community. These domains aligned with an existing culturally sensitive Aboriginal well-being survey tool which the Native Title Holders saw as relevant for their use. The attempts to provide Aboriginal people with a broader and more long-term perspective from which to judge the value of short-term projects is a different approach to traditional programme assessment (monitoring and evaluation). It aims to provide Aboriginal people with a more relevant frame from which they can make judgements about the worth of any programme or project in their location, supporting local control and decision-making. Potentially it provides Aboriginal people with the information from which to advocate for other supports and to assess the value of Government and other projects.
Navigating the awkward, challenging social context of evaluation
Authors: Moretti Elena
Published: August 2021

Evaluation practice takes place in a particularly awkward and challenging social context due to the fear, resistance and anxiety that is often associated with evaluation. Navigating this social context is taxing for evaluators and has the potential to negatively impact their well-being. This article begins with an exploration of the positioning of qualitative and relational approaches within the evaluation field over time, showing that they have been increasingly acknowledged and now widely accepted as crucial to the practice of evaluation. More recent literature is then used to identify six social competencies that are essential to on-the-ground evaluation practice. These competencies are in allaying fear and anxiety, establishing rapport, building and maintaining professional credibility, recognising tacit social dynamics, preventing and managing coercion attempts, and preventing and managing hostility. The article then explores the implications of working in this social context for evaluator well-being. Difficulties around self-assessing competency levels, contending with a poor reputation, emotional labour and self-care, and limited research specific to these matters are discussed. This article posits that practising evaluators should routinely reflect and take active steps to not only improve their social competence but also maintain their own well-being.
A panel of real-time PCR assays for the detection of Bourbon virus, Heartland virus, West Nile virus, and Trypanosoma cruzi in major disease–transmitting vectors
Authors: Warang Anushri , Zhang Michael , Zhang Shuping , Shen Zhenyu
Published: August 2021

Vector-borne pathogens, such as Bourbon virus (BRBV), Heartland virus (HRTV), West Nile virus (WNV), and Trypanosoma cruzi (TCZ) are a great threat to public health and animal health. We developed a panel of TaqMan real-time PCR assays for pathogen surveillance. PCR targets were selected based on nucleic acid sequences deposited in GenBank. Primers and probes were either designed de novo or selected from publications. The coverages and specificities of the primers and probes were extensively evaluated by performing BLAST searches. Synthetic DNA or RNA fragments (gBlocks) were used as PCR templates in initial assay development and PCR positive controls in subsequent assay validation. For operational efficiency, the same thermocycling profile was used in BRBV, HRTV, and WNV reverse-transcription quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) assays, and a similar thermocycling profile without the initial reverse-transcription step was used in TCZ qPCR. The assays were optimized by titrating primer and probe concentrations. The analytical sensitivities were 100, 100, 10, and 10 copies of gBlock per reaction for BRBV (Cq = 36.0 ± 0.7), HRTV (Cq = 36.6 ± 0.9), WNV (Cq = 35.5 ± 0.4), and TCZ (Cq = 38.8 ± 0.3), respectively. PCR sensitivities for vector genomic DNA or RNA spiked with gBlock reached 100, 100, 10, and 10 copies per reaction for BRBV, HRTV, WNV, and TCZ, respectively. PCR specificity evaluated against a panel of non-target pathogens showed no significant cross-reactivity. Our BRBV, HRTV, WNV, and TCZ PCR panel could support epidemiologic studies and pathogen surveillance.
Tessier Number 3 and 4 Clefts: Clinical Presentation and Associated Clefts in a South African Population
Authors: Omodan Abiola , Pillay Pamela , Lazarus Lelika , Satyapal Kapil , Madaree Anil
Published: August 2021

Introduction

The defects found in Tessier clefts number 3 and number 4 come in various forms in different patients. These variations have to a great extent affected not only documentation of these craniofacial defects but invariably their treatment and communication amongst craniofacial researchers. This study has not only documented the clinical presentation of these clefts in a South African population but has also incorporated the clinical presentation of Tessier clefts number 3 and 4 from different regions of the world.

Methods

The records of 8 patients, who had been treated for either Tessier clefts number 3 or 4, were reviewed and compared with 16 studies pulled from the literature systematically. The defects recorded as well as associated clefts and other congenital malformations were documented, and findings were compared.

Results

The anatomical and clinical presentation of the patients was compared to the reviewed literature and the different parameters were documented. In addition, associated clefts were also recorded in the study—it was noted that the association pattern recorded in Tessier cleft number 4 in this study did not conform to its traditional counterpart.

Conclusion

This study concluded that the clinical presentations of these clefts, however variable, seem to have a similar presentation worldwide. Additionally, associated clefts do not conform to the original Tessier classification system and therefore it is imperative for these patterns to be clearly mapped out.
Increasing the Utility of the Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality–Lexical Rating Scale (CAPP-LRS): Instrument Adaptation and Simplification
Authors: Hanniball Katherine B. , Hohn Richard , Fuller Erin K. , Douglas Kevin S.
Published: August 2021

The Comprehensive Assessment of Psychopathic Personality–Lexical Rating Scale (CAPP-LRS) is a self-report instrument designed to index psychopathy according to the CAPP psychopathy framework. Developed with the expressed goal of advancing the state of knowledge regarding the specific features of psychopathy, the CAPP model and associated instruments have garnered increasing attention and support in the field. Despite the conceptual strength of the CAPP model, the advanced lexical structure of its primary research tool (the CAPP-LRS) has led researchers to question the utility of the instrument for use with some populations of interest (e.g., forensic/correctional and adolescent/young adult samples). The aim of the present work was to address this issue by creating a lexically simplified, though functionally equivalent, version of the CAPP-LRS to increase accessibility to critically relevant populations. A set of two studies ( N = 602) describes the adaptation protocol and the initial validation of the modified instrument.
Psychological Oneness: A Typology
Authors: Coomber Ties , Harré Niki
Published: August 2021

Oneness is a sense of profound unity with some other entity, typically a large, abstract entity such as nature or all of existence. This article offers a typology of oneness based on a review of oneness concepts in the psychology literature. The typology distinguishes between oneness experiences and oneness intuitions or beliefs, the latter being propositions about how self and other are connected. It also distinguishes between three perceived ontologies: expansion (including other in self), interdependence (self and other in symbiosis), and essential (self and other sharing some fundamental property). Confirmatory factor analysis ( n = 102) supported the typology’s dimensions within the scope of nature, using novel sets of items based on restructuring extant oneness measures. Implications of the typology for understanding oneness with nature and its role in addressing environmental crises are discussed, including how these may interact with cultural context.
“Cowboys, Indians, Oil & Cattle…Texas History” (Graham, TX): How Texas destinations associate themselves with the state narrative
Authors: Avraham Eli , Baum Igal
Published: August 2021

Several studies in destination marketing literature have shown that use of the “engaging celebrities” or “associating a place with a celebrity” strategy can be successful to market a place. Yet despite the proven effectiveness of this association strategy, there is not enough research into the idea of associating a destination with other kinds of familiar and admired symbols—such as famous brands, heritage, and narratives. The aim of the current study is to expand the theoretical discussion around the association strategy beyond celebrities and to analyze which techniques marketers have used in order to associate their destinations with a state narrative; this includes examining some of the narrative components such as local brands, symbols, values, events, and sites. This topic has not yet been addressed in either tourism marketing academic or professional literature. Because the state of Texas has one of the most familiar narratives, it makes for a good case study in which to examine how marketers use the state narrative to market their destinations. As a methodology, we used quantitative and mainly qualitative content analysis of 666 tourism ads for Texan cities and towns, published in Texas Travel Guides (2008–2018). The findings show seven techniques that marketers used in order to associate their destinations with the narrative. Using the state of Texas as an example may provide a test case for exploring how marketers associate their place with other US state narratives in promotional tourism.
Toward co-optimization of renewable fuel blend production and combustion in ultra-high efficiency SI engines
Authors: Burkardt Patrick , Ottenwälder Tamara , König Andrea , Viell Jörn , Mitsos Alexander , Wouters Christian , Marquardt Wolfgang , Pischinger Stefan , Dahmen Manuel
Published: August 2021

The shift from fossil to renewable fuels presents an opportunity to tailor a fuel’s molecular structure and composition to the needs of advanced internal combustion engine concepts, while simultaneously aiming for economic and sustainable fuel production. We have recently proposed a method for computer-aided design of tailor-made fuels that integrates aspects of both product and production pathway design. The present paper sets out to sequentially combine that method with experimental investigation on a single cylinder research engine and model-based early-stage process evaluation to create, validate, and benchmark a rationally designed multi-component biofuel for highly boosted spark-ignition engines. To this end, the computer-aided design approach is applied to a network of possible fuel components and their production pathways. The resulting optimal four-component fuel EBCC (50 mol% ethanol, 21 mol% 2-butanone, 15 mol% cyclopentane, and 14 mol% cyclopentanone) is analyzed with regard to combustion performance and estimated fuel production cost. Variations of both the indicated mean effective pressure and the relative air/fuel ratio were performed on an engine equipped with a compression ratio of 14.7. EBCC achieves indicated efficiencies that are significantly higher than those of RON 102 gasoline fuel and comparable to those of pure 2-butanone, an extremely knock-resistant fuel identified in a previous round of model-based fuel design. Furthermore, a strong reduction in engine-out soot emissions is observed compared to RON 102 gasoline. Early-stage process evaluation shows EBCC to have lower estimated fuel production costs than 2-butanone. Production costs of pure ethanol, however, are estimated to be even lower, mainly due to lower plant investment costs and a synthesis pathway that does not require hydrogen. The paper concludes with a brief perspective on further integration of the proposed sequential approach with the goal of co-optimizing the production and combustion of renewable fuel blends.
Pivoting a Community-Based Participatory Research Project for Mental Health and Immigrant Youth in Philadelphia During COVID-19
Authors: Birkenstock Lyena , Chen Thomas , Chintala Asha , Ngan Andrea , Spitz Jenna , Kumar Ila , Loftis Theo , Fogg Melissa , Malik Nadia , Henderson Riley Amy
Published: August 2021

Research has documented the need for mental health services among refugee and immigrant youth. A joint collaboration on a community-based participatory research (CBPR) research project between a university, a local art and health collective, and an immigrant and refugee organization sought to identify and understand the mental health needs and strategies for immigrant youth in Philadelphia through youth discussion and engagement in a variety of art workshops. As a result of the COVID-19 pandemic, this CBPR research project was forced to make several programmatic changes, such as shifting to a virtual setting, that impacted project implementation and intended outcomes. These changes highlight valuable lessons and practical implications in pivoting a program during COVID-19 to continue working with marginalized communities with limited resources, including barriers to technology access, at a time when effectively addressing mental health for immigrant youth has become both more challenging and pressing.
Everyone is Invited: Leveraging Bystander Intervention and Ally Development to Cultivate Social Justice in the Workplace
Authors: Collins Joshua C. , Zhang Panpan , Sisco Stephanie
Published: August 2021

Recently, there have been calls to move the obligation and responsibility of social justice from the margins of the workplace to the center, building a more radical Human Resource Development (HRD). The purpose of this article was to leverage bystander intervention and ally development to discuss the cultivation of social justice in the workplace. One of the principle contributions of this article is its potential to situate the onus for social justice as the work of everyone in the workplace, and as a part of every practice, policy, and decision. We contend that bystander intervention and ally development are necessary tools to implement social justice initiatives that can address issues at both the interpersonal and systemic levels. Everyone is invited to participate in this work.
Deep neural networks for the assessment of surgical skills: A systematic review
Authors: Yanik Erim , Intes Xavier , Kruger Uwe , Yan Pingkun , Diller David , Van Voorst Brian , Makled Basiel , Norfleet Jack , De Suvranu
Published: August 2021

Surgical training in medical school residency programs has followed the apprenticeship model. The learning and assessment process is inherently subjective and time-consuming. Thus, there is a need for objective methods to assess surgical skills. Here, we use the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines to systematically survey the literature on the use of Deep Neural Networks for automated and objective surgical skill assessment, with a focus on kinematic data as putative markers of surgical competency. There is considerable recent interest in deep neural networks (DNNs) due to the availability of powerful algorithms, multiple datasets, some of which are publicly available, as well as efficient computational hardware to train and host them. We have reviewed 530 papers, of which we selected 25 for this systematic review. Based on this review, we concluded that DNNs are potent tools for automated, objective surgical skill assessment using both kinematic and video data. The field would benefit from large, publicly available, annotated datasets representing the surgical trainee and expert demographics and multimodal data beyond kinematics and videos.
Mapping effects in choice-response and go/no-go variants of the lexical decision task: A case for polarity correspondence
Authors: Wühr Peter , Heuer Herbert
Published: August 2021

Previous research has shown that responses to words are faster and more accurate in the go/no-go version of the lexical decision task (LDT) than in the choice-response version. This finding has been attributed to reduced response-selection demands in the go/no-go task. Here, we test an alternative account assuming similar response-selection demands in the two tasks, but an additional impact of polarity correspondence between stimuli and responses in the go/no-go task. Positive and negative polarities have been described as a frequent characteristic of binary stimulus and response dimensions. Only for the go/no-go version of the LDT, an apparent polarity difference between go and no-go responses exists, with go responses having the same polarity as words and no-go responses the same polarity as nonwords. Thus, compared with the choice-response LDT, in the go/no-go LDT, go responses to words should be facilitated by polarity correspondence, and go responses to nonwords should be inhibited by polarity noncorrespondence. In this study, each participant performed a go/no-go LDT and a choice-response LDT. Responses to words were faster and more accurate than responses to nonwords, and—consistent with the alternative account—this difference was larger in the go/no-go LDT than in the choice-response LDT. An analysis of performance by means of sequential-sampling models that take into account a decaying influence of irrelevant stimulus features supported the effect of polarity correspondence in the go/no-go LDT. This analysis suggested an effect in the choice-response LDT as well, though of a smaller size and a faster decay.
The influence of sample size on preferences from experience
Authors: Hoffart Janine Christin , Jarecki Jana B , Dutilh Gilles , Rieskamp Jörg
Published: August 2021

People often learn from experience about the distribution of outcomes of risky options. Typically, people draw small samples, when they can actively sample information from risky gambles to make decisions. We examine how the size of the sample that people experience in decision from experience affects their preferences between risky options. In two studies ( N = 40 each), we manipulated the size of samples that people could experience from risky gambles and measured subjective selling prices and the confidence in selling price judgements after sampling. The results show that, on average, sample size influenced neither the selling prices nor confidence. However, cognitive modelling of individual-level learning showed that around half of the participants could be classified as Bayesian learners, whereas the other half adhered to a frequentist learning strategy and that if learning was cognitively simpler more participants adhered to the latter. The observed selling prices of Bayesian learners changed with sample size as predicted by Bayesian principles, whereas sample size affected the judgements of frequentist learners much less. These results illustrate the variability in how people learn from sampled information and provide an explanation for why sample size often does not affect judgements.
Towards local sustainability: Social capital as a community insurance in Kazakhstan
Authors: Darmenova Yuliya , Koo EunJoo
Published: August 2021

This article focuses on how social capital, in the form of trust, reciprocal relations, and networks, has contributed to the sustainability of local communities in Kazakhstan in the face of various political and socioeconomic challenges. Drawing on qualitative data, we provide historical evidence of the persistence of locally derived social capital and investigate the ways in which it contributed to local sustainability in Kazakhstan. We first discuss how people in Kazakhstan have historically built and developed networks, reciprocal relations, and mutual trust under different political and economic institutions, for example, in the form of reciprocal labor aid as part of nomadic culture (e.g., “Asar”) and collective funds (e.g., “Kotel”) during Soviet times. We then offer an in-depth understanding of social capital as a form of insurance for local communities, and how it facilitates socioeconomic interactions in contemporary Kazakh society. This study contributes to the understanding of this traditional sense of trust and communal cooperation, as well as its viability in the context of a market economy.
Predictors of pregnant women’s intention to vaccinate against coronavirus disease 2019: A facility-based cross-sectional study in southwest Ethiopia
Authors: Hailemariam Shewangizaw , Mekonnen Besufekad , Shifera Nigusie , Endalkachew Biruk , Asnake Molla , Assefa Ashenafi , Qanche Qaro
Published: August 2021

Objective:

Ethiopia is planning to vaccinate 20% of its population against the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic by the end of 2021—however, there is no single piece of evidence regarding pregnant women’s intention to be vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019; hence, the objective of this study was to investigate predicting factors of intention to be vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 among pregnant women in Bench-Sheko Zone, southwest Ethiopia.

Methods:

Facility-based cross-sectional study was undertaken from 1 February to 1 March 2021 in southwest Ethiopia. The study was carried out among pregnant women who came for antenatal care service in the selected public health facilities. Interviewer-administered structured tool was used to collect the data. Data were entered into EpiData (version 3.1) and then analyzed using SPSS (version 20).

Results:

The study revealed that only 31.3% (95% confidence interval: 26.7–35.2) of the participants had an intention to be vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 when the vaccine will be made available in Ethiopia. Participants’ intention to be vaccinated against coronavirus disease 2019 was significantly associated with attaining secondary school and above (adjusted odds ratio = 4.24, 95% confidence interval: 2.23–9.32), residing in urban areas (adjusted odds ratio = 2.57, 95% confidence interval: 1.22–5.40), being compliant with coronavirus disease 2019 guidelines (adjusted odds ratio = 5.86, 95% confidence interval: 3.40–10.09), and having good perception toward coronavirus disease 2019 vaccine (adjusted odds ratio = 3.04, 95% confidence interval: 1.64–5.62).

Conclusion:

Above all, in this study, pregnant women’s intention to vaccinate against coronavirus disease 2019 was very low when compared with previous studies. Hence, before commencing the coronavirus disease 2019 vaccination program in Ethiopia, it is essential to launch a widespread public health education campaign that could improve people’s perception of the vaccine. Besides, the upcoming public health intervention programs better put special emphasis on community members with lower educational attainment backgrounds and rural residents.
Effect of 8-week treadmill running with peroneal muscle functional electrical stimulation on laterally deviated centre of plantar pressure position and star excursion balance test performance
Authors: Bamber Zoe A , Wheeler Patrick C , Swain Ian D , Fong Daniel TP
Published: August 2021

Introduction

Ankle sprain is a common injury that can have long-term sequelae resulting in pain, swelling and a reduction of physical activity participation. Previous research has shown a laterally deviated centre of pressure (COP) during running gait increases the risk of lateral ankle sprain. As a method of altering COP, electrical stimulation has been considered.

Method

A group of 14 healthy males were randomly allocated to case control groups which were single blinded. The intervention involved an 8-week training programme of functional electrical stimulation to the peroneal muscles during treadmill running, with a sham control group. Outcomes were COP position and star excursion balance test. Statistical analysis was through SPSS using a combination of MANOVA, T-tests and Wilcoxon signed rank

Results

There was a significant difference in the results post intervention at max pressure for intervention M = 0.7(±0.7) and control M = −6.0 (±4.6) conditions; t(6) = −2.9, p < 0.05

Conclusion

It has been demonstrated that FES can alter COP during max pressure in running gait after an 8-week training programme, although carry over effect appears limited and further testing is required.
Mechanisms of Matriculation: School Counseling Resources and College Going for Latino Men
Authors: Ballysingh Tracy Arámbula , Rangel Virginia Snodgrass , Gonell Eliaquin A. , Sáenz Victor Benito
Published: August 2021

This study extends prior work on the college-going efforts of Latino boys and adolescents (Latinos) by examining the extent to which meeting with a school counselor is related to their college-going aspirations and whether they apply to and ultimately matriculate to college. The study utilizes social capital and social reproduction theories to hypothesize about school counselors’ role in Latinos’ postsecondary matriculation. Utilizing data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009, we used logistic regression to test the hypotheses that contact with a school counselor is related to an increased likelihood of intent to matriculate, application to 4-year institutions, and enrollment in college. We found that Latinos were just as likely as their White counterparts to aspire to college and just as likely to enroll if they applied. Moreover, those odds were not related to having visited a school counselor in ninth or 11th grade. We also found that Latinos who met with a school counselor in ninth grade were significantly less likely to apply to a 4-year institution while those who met with a counselor in 11th grade were significantly more likely to apply. We discuss the implications of our findings in light of existing research and make recommendations for future research and practice.
The Positive Influences of Renewable Energy Consumption on Financial Development and Economic Growth
Authors: Zhe Li , Yüksel Serhat , Dinçer Hasan , Mukhtarov Shahriyar , Azizov Mayis
Published: August 2021

This study aims to evaluate the positive impacts of renewable energy usage on the economic growth and financial development. For this purpose, an evaluation has been performed with VAR analysis. In the analysis process, annual data for the period between 1990 and 2015 is used. The findings show that renewable energy usage and financial development do not have a powerful influence on the economic growth. However, it is identified that renewable energy usage has a positive impact on the financial development. Hence, it is strongly recommended that renewable energy usage should be encouraged by policy makers in the country. Nonetheless, to understand the main indicators of economic growth, many different factors should be taken into consideration. It is seen that owing to the use of environmentally friendly energy, the size of the financial sector increases. It is obvious that environment-friendly energy usage attracts the attention of the financial investors. In this context, it would be appropriate to give some incentives to renewable energy investors. Within this framework, issues such as tax reduction, location support, and low interest loan opportunities will make renewable energy investments more reasonable.
Caring with a Forced Smile: Emotional Labour Among Private Hospital Nurses in Sri Lanka
Authors: Wanninayake S. D. K. , O’Donnell M. E. , Williamson S.
Published: August 2021

Emotional labour among nurses is researched extensively. However, whether nurses in market-oriented, for-profit and customer-focused healthcare contexts performed emotional labour similarly to other nurses is severely underexplored. The minimal research available on this phenomenon have focused on Western for-profit healthcare contexts. Therefore, this article explores how nurses from for-profit healthcare sector performed emotional labour in a non-Western context—Sri Lanka. Using 30 interviews with private hospital nurses, this qualitative study found that scripted and closely managed behaviour routines, being subordinate to patients and their relatives, constant exposure to service recipients’ aggression and minimal organisational support led to a significant sense of powerlessness, loss of face, emotional exhaustion and tit-for-tat exchange of emotions with patients among nurses.
“We Didn’t Start the Fire”: What Can Billy Joel Teach Us About the External Environment?
Authors: Rhew Nicholas D. , McKinney Arlise P.
Published: August 2021

General and strategic management courses frequently provide external analysis tools through which students identify, classify, and assess how changes in the general external environment impact industries and firms. In this exercise, we facilitate analysis of the general environment through a popular song from the 1980s. Through analyzing an event or change mentioned in the lyrics within a general environment framework, students learn how that event or change influenced industries or firms. This process allows students to see the eventualities of historical changes on industries and firms of that time, which develops their skills in assessing the possible impacts of current trends on today’s industries and firms. This exercise is best suited for undergraduate students in a face-to-face introductory management or strategic management course; however, it could be adapted for use online.
Pathology spectrum of kidney damage in Hodgkin’s lymphoma, non-Hodgkin lymphoma/leukemia, and lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma in the real practice
Authors: Zakharova Elena V , Makarova Tatyana A , Stolyarevich Ekaterina S , Vorobyeva Olga A
Published: August 2021

Background:

Kidney damage in lymphomas/leukemia’s presents with either acute kidney injury (AKI), chronic kidney disease (CKD), or both; and whilst AKI leads to evaluation often based on the clinical data, in some AKI and in almost all CKD cases kidney biopsy gives a clue to the diagnosis.

Methods:

A single center non-interventional retrospective study identified 36 patients with biopsy-proven kidney damage: 6 with Hodgkin’s lymphoma (HL), 18 with non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma/leukemia (NHL/CLL), and 12 with lymphoplasmacytic lymphoma (LPL).

Results:

Fifty-eight percent males and 42% females mean age 56.2 ± 17.4 years, presented with nephrotic syndrome in 47.2%, and with AKI in 11.1% of cases; 75% of patients diagnosed with CKD; in 13.9% AKI was superimposed on CKD. Patients with NHL/CLL presented with AKI significantly more often compared to HL and LPL—44% versus 16.6% versus 0 respectively. Monoclonal immunoglobulin (MIg) related glomerulopathies (GP) were found in 83.3% versus 16.6% cases in the LPL and NHL/CLL sub-groups, respectively ( p = 0.013). Patterns of damage included intracapillary monoclonal deposition disease, light and heavy chain amyloidosis, monotypic membranous nephropathy (MN), cryoglobulinemic glomerulonephritis (GN) and C3-GN in the LPL; and monotypic MN and proliferative GN with MIg deposits in the NHL/CLL sub-groups respectively. Paraneoplastic GPs were found in 83.3%, 38.8%, and 16.6% of patients with HL, NHL/CLL, LPL, respectively (HL vs LPL, p < 0.001), and included minimal change disease (MCD), focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS), and IgA-nephropathy in the HL; membranoproliferative GN, MN, and MCD in NHL/CLL; and FSGS in the LPL sub-groups. Tubulointerstitial damage revealed in NHL/CLL sub-group only, and found in every other case with 80% of lymphoid infiltration.

Conclusions:

Pattern glomerular damage depends on lymphoma type: paraneoplastic GPs are typical for HL, MIg-related GPs dominate in LPL, NHL/CLL presents mainly as paraneoplastic with single MIg-related patterns. Tubulointerstitial damage due to specific kidney infiltration attributable to NHL/CLL.
Development and validation of genomic predictors of radiation sensitivity using preclinical data
Authors: Manem Venkata S. K.
Published: August 2021

Background

Radiation therapy is among the most effective and commonly used therapeutic modalities of cancer treatments in current clinical practice. The fundamental paradigm that has guided radiotherapeutic regimens are ‘one-size-fits-all’, which are not in line with the dogma of precision medicine. While there were efforts to build radioresponse signatures using OMICS data, their ability to accurately predict in patients is still limited.

Methods

We proposed to integrate two large-scale radiogenomics datasets consisting of 511 with 23 tissues and 60 cancer cell lines with 9 tissues to build and validate radiation response biomarkers. We used intrinsic radiation sensitivity, i.e., surviving fraction of cells (SF2) as the radiation response indicator. Gene set enrichment analysis was used to examine the biological determinants driving SF2. Using SF2 as a continuous variable, we used five different approaches, univariate, rank gene ensemble, rank gene multivariate, mRMR and elasticNet to build genomic predictors of radiation response through a cross-validation framework.

Results

Through the pathway analysis, we found 159 pathways to be statistically significant, out of which 54 and 105 were positively and negatively enriched with SF2. More importantly, we found cell cycle and repair pathways to be enriched with SF2, which are inline with the fundamental aspects of radiation biology. With regards to the radiation response gene signature, we found that all multivariate models outperformed the univariate model with a ranking based approach performing well compared to other models, indicating complex biological processes underpinning radiation response.

Conclusion

To summarize, we found biological processes underpinning SF2 and systematically compared different machine learning approaches to develop and validate predictors of radiation response. With more patient data available in the future, the clinical value of these biomarkers can be assessed that would allow for personalization of radiotherapy.
The effect of depressive symptoms on pain in a substance-using population with persistent pain: a cross-sectional cohort study
Authors: Voon Pauline , Choi Jin Cheol , Hayashi Kanna , Milloy M-J , Buxton Jane , Kerr Thomas
Published: August 2021

Background

In light of the ongoing opioid overdose crisis, there is an urgent need for research on the impacts of mental health among people presenting with concurrent pain and substance use. This study examined the effect of depressive symptoms on pain severity and functional interference among people who use drugs (PWUD) during a community-wide overdose crisis.

Methods

From December 1st 2016 to December 31st 2018, 288 participants in two cohort studies of PWUD in Vancouver, Canada completed interviewer-administered questionnaires that included the Brief Pain Inventory and PROMIS Emotional Distress–Depression instruments. Generalized linear regression modelling (GLM) was used to examine the cross-sectional effect of depressive symptoms and other confounding factors on pain severity and interference.

Results

Moderate to severe depressive symptoms were significantly associated with greater pain-related functional interference (adjusted β = 1.24, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.33–2.15), but not significantly associated with greater average pain severity (adjusted β = 0.22, 95% CI = − 0.3 – 0.82), when controlling for confounding variables. Reported daily heroin use (adjusted β = 1.26, 95% CI = 0.47–2.05) and non-fatal overdose (adjusted β = 1.02, 95% CI = 0.08–1.96) were also significantly associated with greater pain-related functional interference.

Conclusions

In a substance-using population, greater pain-related functional interference was positively associated with depressive symptoms as well as overdose and daily heroin use. These findings emphasize the need to address the functional impact of pain, mental health comorbidity, and high-risk substance use that may contribute to overdose and other harms.