bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Correcting Nonstationary Sea Surface Temperature Bias in NCEP CFSv2 Using Ensemble-Based Neural Networks
Authors: Yang Ziying , Liu Jiping , Yang Chao-Yuan , Hu Yongyun
Published: May 2023

Sea surface temperature (SST) forecast products from the NCEP Climate Forecast System (CFSv2) that are widely used in climate research and prediction have nonstationary bias. In this study, we develop single- (ANN1) and three-hidden-layer (ANN3) neural networks and examine their ability to correct the SST bias in the NCEP CFSv2 extended seasonal forecast starting from July in the extratropical Northern Hemisphere. Our results show that the ensemble-based ANN1 and ANN3 can reduce the uncertainty associated with parameters assigned initially and dependence on random sampling. Overall, ANN1 reduces RMSE of the CFSv2 forecast SST substantially by 0.35°C (0.34°C) for the testing (training) data and ANN3 further reduces RMSE relatively by 0.49°C (0.47°C). Both the ensemble-based ANN1 and ANN3 can significantly reduce the spatially and temporally varying bias of the CFSv2 forecast SST in the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans, and ANN3 shows better agreement with the observation than that of ANN1 in some subregions.

Significance Statement

Global coupled climate models are the primary tool for climate simulation and prediction and provide initial and boundary conditions to drive regional climate models. SST is an essential climate variable simulated and forecast by global climate models, which suffers substantial biases both spatially and temporally. We apply the ensemble averaging of both single- and three-hidden-layer neural networks on the NCEP CFSv2 SST forecast. They can correct the identified SST error, though ANN3 performs relatively better than that of ANN1. Thus, ensemble-based ANN3 is a useful SST bias correction approach.
Five-Year Climatology and Composite Study of Precipitation Bands Associated with Extratropical Cyclones over the British Isles
Authors: Zhang Tianhang , Schultz David M.
Published: May 2023

A 5-yr climatology and composite study of precipitation bands associated with extratropical cyclones over the British Isles from April 2017 to March 2022 is constructed. A total of 249 single bands were manually identified from radar network mosaics in association with 167 cyclones identified from surface maps. More bands formed over water near the coast than over inland areas, and most had a meridional orientation. The average lengths of bands at the times of formation and maximum length were 290 and 460 km, respectively; only 20% of bands reached a maximum length exceeding 600 km. The number of bands decreased with increasing duration, with 31% of bands lasting for 2–3 h, with bands lasting more than 10 h uncommon. The bands were classified into six categories, with occluded-frontal bands (19 yr−1), warm-frontal bands (11 yr−1), and cold-frontal bands (10 yr−1) being the most frequent. Occluded-frontal and warm-frontal bands commonly occurred west of Scotland and in the east quadrant relative to their parent cyclones. In contrast, cold-frontal bands commonly occurred southwest of Great Britain and in the south quadrant relative to their parent cyclones. Composites for northwest–southeast occluded-frontal and warm-frontal bands west of Scotland, and southwest–northeast cold-frontal bands southwest of Great Britain, show the different synoptic environments that favor bands. The low-level jet transports moisture into the band and is similar to the location and scale of the composite bands, similar to that of an atmospheric river. These results are compared to previous studies on bands from the United States.

Significance Statement

Precipitation bands are lines of heavy precipitation as seen on weather radar. Most studies of bands in extratropical cyclones have occurred in the United States. We examine 5 years of bands in extratropical cyclones over the British Isles to better understand their characteristics. Bands form in preferred geographic regions: offshore of the west coasts of Scotland, Wales, and southwest England. The most common bands are associated with occluded fronts (37% of all bands). The average scale of the bands is associated with the average scale of wind maxima 1–2 km above ground. These results provide a better understanding of the typical characteristics and conditions under which bands form and their geographical variability compared to the United States.
Rib Fractures With Concomitant Spinal Fractures May Benefit From Surgical Stabilization
Authors: Evans Warren E. , Briese Amanda , Gratton Austin , Yon James R. , Mentzer Caleb J.
Published: May 2023

Surgical stabilization of rib fractures has demonstrated benefits in patients with complex thoracic injuries. Limited information exists regarding patients with thoracic injuries and concomitant spinal injuries. We hypothesized that patients who suffer both thoracic cage and spinal fractures and undergo surgical fixation (FIX) will have improved outcomes compared to non-fixation (NFIX) patients. In our retrospective review, adult patients with rib injuries from 2015 to 2019 were pooled from the National Trauma Data Bank. Mortality with FIX rib fractures with spinal fractures decreased by 6.1% vs the NFIX group. Mortality of FIX of rib fractures without spinal fractures decreased by 2.2% vs the NFIX group. Patients with rib fractures with concomitant spinal fracture (RFWSF) are more likely to receive rib FIX than those with rib fractures without spinal fractures. Rib FIX in patients with RFWSF vs those with RFWO facilitates less ventilators days and shorter ICU and hospital length of stay (LOS) as well as decreases mortality.
Globalization, contextual threat perception, and nativist backlash: A cross-national examination of ethnic nationalism and anti-immigrant prejudice
Authors: Kim Harris Hyun-soo
Published: May 2023

According to critics of globalization, it has ushered in a new era of economic inequality, with some of the biggest “losers” being the majority working classes in advanced capitalist democracies. Economically aggrieved, culturally threatened, and politically excluded, they have become the bedrock of right-wing political parties in much of Europe and the United States. Integral to this phenomenon is the heightened anti-immigrant prejudice espoused by both supporters and leaders of populist movements. The present study investigates a critical issue in this context, one that has been implicitly assumed but relatively understudied: the impact of globalization on xenophobic attitudes among natives. It also examines whether and to what extent globalization moderates the effect of ethnic nationalism on their preferences for restrictive immigration and immigrant assimilation. Findings from multilevel analysis indicate that globalization, as well as the nativist backlash, plays a significant role in directly and indirectly shaping how immigration and immigrants are perceived in host societies.
Severe Pandemic Learning Loss and the Promise of Remotely Delivered Intervention in Students With Comorbid Reading and Mathematics Learning Difficulty
Authors: Fuchs Lynn S. , Seethaler Pamela M. , Fuchs Douglas , Espinas Daniel
Published: May 2023

Analyses were conducted with second graders, drawn from an ongoing multi-cohort randomized controlled trial (RCT), who had been identified for RCT entry based on comorbid reading comprehension and word-problem solving difficulty. To estimate pandemic learning loss, we contrasted fall performance for 3 cohorts: fall of 2019 (pre-pandemic; n = 47), 2020 (early pandemic, when performance was affected by the truncated preceding school year; n = 35), and 2021 (later pandemic, when performance was affected by the truncated 2019 to 2020 school year plus the subsequent year’s ongoing interruptions; n = 75). Across the 2 years, declines (standard deviations below expected growth) were approximately 3 times larger than those reported for the general population and for students in high-poverty schools. To estimate the promise of structured remote intervention for addressing such learning loss during extended school closures, we contrasted effects in the RCT’s 2018 to 2019 cohort (entirely in-person intervention delivery; n = 66) against the same intervention’s effects in the 2020 to 2021 cohort (alternating periods of remote and in-person delivery; n = 29). Large intervention effects were not moderated by pandemic status, suggesting potential for structured remote intervention to address student needs during extended school closures.
The Effect of Perceived Discrimination on Social Alienation of Probationers: Evidence from China
Authors: Xu Tun , Tang Ling , Lin Xifen
Published: May 2023

Applying an integrated mode of labeling theory, this study conducted an empirical analysis of 427 probationers from 48 judicial offices in China. The results found that, after controlling for age, gender, educational background, marital status, and social support, perceived discrimination is positively correlated with social alienation; shame plays a partial positive mediating role in the relationship between perceived discrimination and social alienation. Additionally, Zhongyong thinking can moderate the direct effect of perceived discrimination on social alienation and the mediating effect of shame in a negative way. The results further empirically validated an integrated model of labeling theory.
Novel surgical technique for anomalous origin of a left coronary artery from the right sinus of Valsalva with a single coronary orifice
Authors: Nagashima Toshiaki , Watanabe Takuji , Taira Masaki , Hasegawa Moyu , Kugo Yosuke , Miyagawa Shigeru
Published: May 2023

Anomalous origin of a left coronary artery from the right sinus of Valsalva with a single coronary orifice is a rare congenital anomaly, which has been associated with myocardial ischemia and sudden death. Surgical repair is recommended upon its detection. A 14-year-old boy was diagnosed with anomalous origin of a left coronary artery from the right sinus of valsalva with a single coronary orifice after a syncope attack. The patient underwent relocation of the left coronary orifice. The postoperative course was uneventful, with no ventricular arrhythmia or syncope. The patient did not develop cardiac ischemia or infarction on exercise Tc-99 m myocardial scintigraphy 8 months after the procedure.
Immobility beyond borders: Differential inclusion and the impact of the COVID-19 border closures
Authors: Pool Hannah
Published: May 2023

This article discusses differential inclusion as it relates to mobility in Europe through migrants’ experiences of the closure of the European Union (EU) Schengen borders during the COVID-19 pandemic. Based on 36 comparative online interviews with three groups of migrants – Erasmus students, asylum seekers and seasonal workers – the article empirically investigates how differential inclusion is reflected in migrants’ perceptions of border closures and the impact of border closures on international mobility. Drawing on the concept of differential inclusion, I examine the divergent border mobilities in a moment of crisis. In the interviews, migrants’ reflections on borders are informed either by their own perception of borders, their surprise at the lack of awareness of borders for other migrants, or the realisation that closed borders are crossed for capitalist economic demands under high health risks. Taking this as its basis, the article makes two arguments. First, that preexisting differential inclusion exacerbated during border closures in a global health emergency. Second, that borders are not concrete but flexible in (im)mobilising people according to capitalist economic demands. In this way, the article contributes to an understanding of the process of rebordering that took place during COVID-19 and in which borders remained spaces of differentiation.
Incorporating Job Competition and Matching to an Indicator-Based Transportation Equity Analysis for Auto and Transit in Dallas-Fort Worth Area
Authors: Sharifiasl Seyedsoheil , Kharel Subham , Pan Qisheng
Published: May 2023

Transportation equity is a vital but vague issue for planners and engineers in the United States, where mobility-based transportation planning has triggered the disproportionate distribution of benefits and burdens in the transportation system. Previously, transportation equity studies have evaluated equity using different transportation service metrics and socio-demographic factors. Job accessibility is one principal metric for transportation quality as it directly relates to a community’s economic prosperity. While most equity studies analyze aggregate accessibility for a single mode, our study measures blue-collar and white-collar job accessibilities for automobile and transit by incorporating job proximity, competition, and matching, using the Dallas-Fort Worth area as a case study. Using Lorenz curve, Gini coefficient, and Atkinson measure, we performed horizontal and vertical equity (within and between groups) studies and compared various population groups by disaggregating the population based on the two most cited environmental justice indicators, namely, income and race. Our findings suggest that (a) job accessibility by transit mode has higher inequalities compared with automobile, (b) white-collar and blue-collar jobs have similar inequality levels, (c) low- and high-income populations experience somewhat the same inequality levels, and (d) inequality is highest among African American communities, (e) blue-collar job accessibility has higher inequality for Hispanic and Asian communities for both transportation modes and (f) the disparities in job accessibility are greater between racial groups than income groups in the Dallas-Fort Worth area. To address such disparities, planners must enhance transit availability through subsidizing transit costs and transit feeder services like on-demand shared services.
Study on Stability of Excavation Surface of Shield Tunnel in Clay Layer
Authors: Guanyi Chen , Peng He , Wangliang Bi , Jie Xiao , Wangyang Chen , Chengcheng Zheng
Published: May 2023

If an excavation surface becomes unstable, it will cause damage such as soil collapse or surface uplift. Through field investigations and tests, the stability of the shield tunnel excavation surface and its influencing factors are studied in this paper. Equations for solving the limit support pressure of the excavation surface of the overlying multilayer soil tunnel and for the safety factor of the excavation surface are deduced. The single reduction method and the double reduction method are respectively used to solve the safety factor of the excavation face under the basic working conditions, and the numerical simulation method of the safety factor of the excavation face is clarified. Based on FLAC3D numerical simulation software, the ultimate support pressure and safety factor were used as the evaluation criteria for the stability of the excavation face to analyze the response of objective factors such as internal friction angle and cohesion, as well as engineering factors such as hole diameter to the stability of the excavation face. The greater the internal friction angle and cohesion, the smaller the hole diameter, the more stable the excavation surface, and the internal friction angle has the greatest impact on the stability of the excavation surface.
The Search for Computer Science Concepts in Coding Animated Narratives: Tensions and Opportunities
Authors: Woo Karen , Falloon Garry
Published: May 2023

Coding is increasingly popular in schools around the world and is often taught by non-specialist teachers as an integrated task with other subject areas. In this article, we explore the relationship between computer science (CS) concepts and students’ multimodal expression in a coding animated narrative (CAN) task in the context of an integrated English-Technology unit of learning. Through this collective case study, we explore how CS concepts underpin semiotic elements of an animated narrative, analyse the factors that influence the extent to which students exercise those concepts, and reveal the tensions and opportunities that a CAN task may present for learning computer science concepts in regular, non-specialist, cross-curricular classrooms. The findings suggest that CAN tasks are unique in presenting opportunities for students to learn challenging CS concepts such as synchronisation and parallelism. At the same time, CAN tasks present tensions for teaching CS concepts in non-specialist classrooms, where student projects are often judged on their visual qualities. In such settings, procedural, rather than conceptual knowledge, may be a more efficient route to creative outcomes. It also means that drawing skills need to be prioritised. Role specialisation often led to better quality projects but at the expense of individual students’ conceptual development in computer science.
Elman neural network-based temperature prediction and optimization for lithium-ion batteries
Authors: Li Chaoliang , Wang Yuanlong , Chen Xiongjie , Yu Yi , Zhou Guan , Wang Chunyan , Zhao Wanzhong
Published: May 2023

Reliable and precise temperature prediction is one of the most crucial challenges for improving battery performance and preventing thermal runaway. This paper uses a highly adaptive Elman neural network (Elman-NN) to construct a temperature prediction model for lithium-ion batteries in a metal foam aluminum thermal management system. Numerical modeling methods obtain experimental data sets for model training and testing. The input parameters of the neural network prediction model are ambient temperature, battery discharge rate, cooling air flow rate, and state of charge; the output parameters are the maximum, minimum, and average battery temperature. However, due to the limitations of the gradient descent algorithm, the training process of the Elman neural network tends to fall into local optimum solutions. To further improve the prediction accuracy, the Elman-NN structure was optimized using the PSO algorithm, and the model performance was tested and validated. Compared with the original Elman-NN, the hybrid PSO-Elman-NN has smaller MSE and MAE values, with a maximum reduction of 43% and 25%, respectively. For the three test conditions, the maximum predicted temperature difference does not exceed 1.5 K, and the temperature difference decreases further as the discharge time increases. Moreover, the hybrid model’s prediction accuracy is significantly improved, with the coefficients of determination ( R2) increasing by 1.736%, 0.706%, and 1.851%, respectively. The PSO-Elman-NN performed well in terms of compatibility and accuracy of the battery temperature prediction.
Comparing the effects of simple and refutational narratives in misinformation correction: The moderating roles of correction placement and issue involvement
Authors: Wang Weirui , Huang Yan
Published: May 2023

The study examines whether adding a refutational ending to narrative messages improves correction effectiveness and how the effect differs depending on whether the correction message is presented before or after exposure to misinformation. A 2 (narrative format: simple vs refutational narrative) × 2 (correction placement: prebunking vs debunking) between-subjects online experiment ( N = 281) with US participants was conducted to correct misinformation about human papilloma virus vaccines. The results suggested that the refutational narrative was more effective in reducing misbeliefs in prebunking, whereas the simple narrative was more effective in debunking. This interaction was further moderated by issue involvement. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Corporate Social Responsibility, Governance and Financial Constraints in Indian Listed Firms
Authors: Kumar Sanjeev , Sasidharan Aghila , Olasiuk Hanna , Vihari Nitin Simha
Published: May 2023

The study examines the effect of corporate social responsibility (CSR) activities on financial constraints by using a balanced panel dataset of 1,496 firms listed on the National Stock Exchange (NSE) in India from 2014 to 2020. It employs a generalized method of moments (GMM) two-step estimator method to analyze the data. GMM analysis is efficient in dealing with the endogeneity issues among firm-level variables. The robustness checks are conducted by the three-step least square (3SLS) regression method to confirm the consistency of results. Whited and Wu index (2006) and the debt-to-asset ratio have been used to classify the firms into financially constrained and unconstrained firms. We find that financially constrained find it difficult to engage in CSR activities. However, CSR spending can help in reducing financial constraints for firms. CSR activities are associated with stakeholder engagement that reduces the likelihood of opportunistic behaviour of managers. Further, stakeholder engagements help firms to enhance their value through their relationship with customers, employees and other stakeholders. The study also finds that corporate governance alleviates financial constraints, implying that firms are becoming more accountable and transparent in disclosing CSR activities. Finally, it confirms that firms engaging in CSR activities face lower financial constraints. The study focuses on the Indian-listed firms only which can be extended to private firms in future research.
Efficiency Management of Women Poultry Farmers Using Hybrid DEA and Machine Learning Approach: A Case of SHG-based Production in Sub-Himalayan North Bengal
Authors: Nandy Anirban , Nandi Poulomi Chaki , Chatterjee Mousumi
Published: May 2023

Data envelopment analysis (DEA) offers a linear programming approach to evaluate the efficiency in diverse fields of production and service sectors with wide utilization for effective performance measurement operations. DEA has found its useful applications in agriculture to examine optimal resource use for sustainable consumption. The popularly used two-step process where DEA is employed along with a regression model to explain the impact of exogenous factors on efficiency has been employed in past studies. This article aims to combine the conventional DEA approach with machine learning (ML) models for establishing a novel alternative method for performance measurement as well as the prediction of key exogenous factors affecting the efficiency of the women self-help groups (SHGs) led poultry farmers in sub-Himalayan North Bengal surrounding the Siliguri region of Darjeeling district. For this purpose, in the first step, DEA was employed to measure the efficiency of 80 women poultry farmers belonging to 20 SHGs and in the second step, the state-of-the-art random forest (RF) technique has been employed to predict the most important efficiency influencing variables. The results suggested inefficiencies among the SHG women with wide variation between the efficient and inefficient units. The use of the RF model predicted important factors such as the role of non-governmental organizations, educational level, financial inclusion, landholding and poultry rearing experience in years to impact the efficiency of these women farmers. As a result, the hybrid DEA-ML approach is useful to tackle ill adversities in poultry production that may help the women SHGs to develop agriculture-based income.
A Peace Education Model for Aligning the Aim of Indigenous People for Self-Determination with the Socio-Political Aims of Government: Bangladesh Context
Authors: Miller Leon
Published: May 2023

This article addresses the challenge indigenous cultures in South Asia face in their struggle for self-determination and to have their distinctive identity officially recognized. In such struggles, the focus is often on the extent to which the government is either supportive of the rights of indigenous cultural groups or guilty of violating their rights. In this respect, human rights are seen as a manifestation of good governance, and human rights violations are an indication of bad governance, consequently a source of social conflict. This is especially important when engaging in peacebuilding in contexts where social groups feel that their struggle to realize their rights results in a conflictual relationship with the government. This article explains a peace education model for achieving the aim of greater self-determination by transforming what was regarded as opposition to government into common goals based on shared values and the agreement to cooperate to achieve the shared aim of human, social, and sustainable development.
Adolescence Stress Scale: Development and Standardization
Authors: Hariharan Meena , Padhy Meera , Monteiro Sandra Roshni , Nakka Laxmi Priyanka , Chivukula Usha
Published: May 2023

Background/Aim:

The objective of the paper was to develop a comprehensive “Adolescence Stress Scale” and to examine different psychometric issues in the development, initial validation, and standardization of this scale.

Method:

Exploratory factor analysis was conducted on the data procured from a sample of 634 (11–18 years) school-going adolescents in India.

Results:

An exploratory analysis provided a 10 factor structure, namely, major loss induced stress, enforcement or conflict induced stress, phobic stress, interpersonal conflict induced stress, punishment induced stress, illness and injury induced stress, performance stress, imposition induced stress, insecurity induced stress, unhealthy environment induced stress. The 10 oblique factor solutions are found to be interrelated and interdependent with good indices of internal consistency, and content validity.

Conclusions:

This scale development is a novel and powerful measure that taps onto various aspects of stress experienced by school-going adolescents. The scale can facilitate researchers, clinicians, and teachers to identify and quantify the significant sources of stress in adolescents in school, or clinic settings.
Ticagrelor Loading on ST-Elevation Myocardial Infarction: Interaction With Prodromal Angina on Infarct Size and Clinical Events
Authors: Faria João Pedro , Oliveira Pedro , Alexandre André , Couto David Sá , Costa Ricardo , Campinas Andreia , Frias André , Brochado Bruno , Santos Raquel , Silveira João , Torres Severo , Luz André
Published: May 2023

Introduction:

Ticagrelor might reduce infarct size by exerting a more potent antiplatelet effect or by promoting a potential conditioning stimulus in ST-elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) patients. Pre-infarction angina (PIA) is an effective preconditioning stimulus that reduces ischemia-reperfusion injury. Because little is known on the interaction of PIA in STEMI-patients loaded with ticagrelor, we sought to determine if patients loaded with ticagrelor had improved clinical outcomes as compared to clopidogrel and to study if it is modulated by the presence of PIA.

Methods:

From 1272 STEMI patients submitted to primary percutaneous coronary intervention and treated with clopidogrel or ticagrelor from January 2008 to December 2018, 826 were analyzed after propensity score matching. Infarct size was estimated using peak creatine kinase (CK) and troponin T (TnT), and clinical impact was evaluated through cumulative major cardiac and cerebrovascular events (MACCE) at 1-year follow-up. Matched patients and their interaction with PIA were analyzed.

Results:

Patients loaded with ticagrelor had lower peak CK [1405.50 U/L (730.25-2491.00), P < .001] and TnT [3.58 ng/mL (1.73-6.59), P < .001)], regardless of PIA. The presence of PIA was associated with lower CK ( P = .030), but not TnT ( P = .097). There was no interaction between ticagrelor loading and PIA ( P = .788 for TnT and P = .555 for CK). There was no difference in MACCE incidence between clopidogrel or ticagrelor loading ( P = .129). Cumulative survival was also similar between clopidogrel or ticagrelor, regardless of PIA ( P = .103).

Conclusion:

Ticagrelor reduced infarct sizes independently and without a synergic effect with PIA. Despite reducing infarct size, clinical outcomes were similar across both groups.
“They Give you a bus Ticket and They Kick you Loose”: A Qualitative Analysis of Post-Release Experiences among Recently Incarcerated Women Living with HIV in Metro Vancouver, Canada
Authors: Erickson Margaret , Deering Kathleen , Ranville Flo , Bingham Brittany , Young Pam , Korchinski Mo , Buxton Jane , Elwood Martin Ruth , Shannon Kate , Krüsi Andrea
Published: May 2023

To explore the transition from correctional facilities to community among women living with HIV in Vancouver, Canada, we interviewed 19 recently incarcerated women and 6 service providers. Findings highlighted heightened risk of violence at release, a lack of immediate supports, challenges accessing safe housing and addictions treatment, and interruptions in HIV treatment and care. In the face of structural barriers, women blamed themselves for not being able to break the cycle of incarceration. There is a critical need for enhanced pre-release planning with a priority on housing and substance use services, alongside supports that are trauma-and violence-informed and culturally safe.
Drivers and Hinderers of (Un)Sustainable Service: A Systems View
Authors: Koskela-Huotari Kaisa , Svärd Kristin , Williams Helén , Trischler Jakob , Wikström Fredrik
Published: May 2023

Making service provisioning significantly more sustainable is crucial if humankind wants to make a serious effort to operate within the boundaries of what the planet can support. The purpose of this paper is to develop a systemic understanding of sustainability in service provision and shed light on the mechanisms that drive unsustainability and hinder service providers in their efforts to be more sustainable. To contextualize our study, we focus on a significant sustainability problem: food waste stemming from food retail at the retailer-consumer interface. We make two theoretical contributions to the service research on sustainability. First, we offer a systemic conceptualization of sustainability in service as a dynamic ability of a focal system (e.g., a service firm) to sustain the system(s) that contains it. Second, we explicate the mechanisms—stocks and flows, feedback and mindsets—that contribute to (un)sustainable service provision as a systemic behavior, and which can thus be used as intervention points when designing sustainability initiatives. Our work also has significant practical implications for food retailers and policymakers working towards reaching UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 12.3, as we specify the feedback loops that drive food waste and hinder efforts to reduce it at the retailer-consumer interface.
Sleep-disordered breathing and neurocognitive function in multiple sclerosis: Differential associations across cognitive domains
Authors: Valentine Thomas R , Kratz Anna L , Kaplish Neeraj , Chervin Ronald D , Braley Tiffany J
Published: May 2023

Background:

Sleep disorders are common in people with multiple sclerosis (PwMS) and could contribute to cognitive dysfunction. However, effects of pathological sleep on cognitive domains are insufficiently characterized.

Objective:

To evaluate associations between cognitive performance and polysomnographic (PSG)-based sleep disturbances in PwMS.

Methods:

PwMS with known/suspected untreated obstructive sleep apnea (OSA, N = 131) underwent PSG and cognitive tests: Symbol Digit Modalities Test (SDMT), Paced Auditory Serial Addition Test (PASAT), California Verbal Learning Test-II (CVLT-II), Brief Visuospatial Memory Test-Revised (BVMT-R Total and Delayed), Judgment of Line Orientation (JLO), Controlled Oral Word Association Test (COWAT), Trail Making Test, Go/No-Go, and Nine-Hole Peg Test (NHPT).

Results:

Apnea severity measures were associated with worse processing speed, attention, and working memory (SDMT); immediate and delayed visual memory (BVMT-R Total and Delayed); attention, psychomotor speed, and cognitive flexibility (Trails); and manual dexterity and visuomotor coordination (NHPT) ( ps ⩽ 0.011). Sleep macrostructure measures showed stronger associations with verbal memory and response inhibition (CVLT-II Total Recognition Discriminability Index), and immediate visual memory (BVMT-R Total) ( ps ⩽ 0.011).

Conclusions:

Pathological sleep, including hypoxia, sleep fragmentation, and disturbances in sleep/wake states, are differentially associated with worse cognitive performance in PwMS. These findings could inform future personalized approaches to cognitive impairment in PwMS with sleep disorders.

Trial registration:

ClinicalTrials.gov identifier: NCT02544373 ( https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT02544373 ).
Public opinion and consociationalism in Northern Ireland: Towards the ‘end stage’ of the power-sharing lifecycle?
Authors: Haughey Sean , Loughran Thomas
Published: May 2023

Consociationalism’s uneven performance has focussed attention on the (possible) end stage of power-sharing systems. Northern Ireland, once lauded a consociational success, is now discussed among consociational failures. We use new public opinion data to assess consociationalism in Northern Ireland from a citizen’s perspective, exploring support for, trust in, and knowledge of power-sharing. We show that public attachment to the principles of power-sharing is higher than might be expected, despite dissatisfaction with the practical operation of the institutions. Whilst trust in the Assembly is low, trust in some Executive ministers is higher. The results from a political knowledge test are suggestive of healthy (if critical) political engagement. Support for power-sharing is, however, lopsided vis-à-vis the region’s two ethnonational communities. Citizens therefore offer a mixed verdict which, while not a ringing endorsement of the status quo, does not suggest the end of power-sharing. Assessments of power-sharing elsewhere could make similar use of public opinion.
Bolt load looseness measurement for slip-critical blind bolt by ultrasonic technique: a feasibility study with calibration and experimental verification
Authors: Gao Xing , Wang Wei
Published: May 2023

Preload is important for the performance of bolted connections, especially for high strength bolt like slip-critical blind bolt (SCBB). There have been relatively few studies focused on detecting the looseness of blind bolts prior to this research. This article proposes a method based on the acoustoelastic effect to monitor the change in the preload in the bolt and detect the relaxation from the initial preload. The technique is suitable for such blind bolted connection because it only needs to connect with one side of bolted connection, unlike some other bolted connection monitoring methods. Considering that for SCBB, the traditional acoustoelastic technique cannot be applied because it needs the unstressed state of the bolt as baseline. The relationship between looseness of bolt load and change of travelling time is deduced. The measuring objective is then changed to the looseness of bolt load, instead of the bolt load itself. The practical processes of calibration, real-time monitoring and periodical detection are proposed, considering the application on real construction site. The tests on different configurations of SCBBs prove the reliability of the ultrasonic technique based on change in time-of-flight.
Cooperation With Parents Before and During Covid19 for Sustainable Learning Through Formative Assessment
Authors: Buza Violeta , Shala Rozafa , Haraqija Blerina
Published: May 2023

This study shows the way in which sustainable learning through cooperation with parents is achieved before, during and after the lockdown period (COVID19) by applying systematic formative assessment. Therefore, as a result of this cooperation, through the planning and realization of the formative assessment, students’ motivation is achieved, and this positively affects their sustainable learning. The study has a research character and points out the impact of feedback on student achievement from the perspective of parents and teachers. The study analysis is based on the quantitative data collected through a survey with parents ( N = 21), qualitative data collected by the teacher through planning and implementation of the formative assessment and cooperation with parents through written comments. Based on the results of the findings, it is concluded that through timely interventions by teachers and cooperation with parents, gaps can be filled in, so that the children are informed appropriately and a real, reliable and systematic assessment is carried by the teachers.
Educational policies in early childhood education programs in Kenya and Nepal: Challenging unjust binary mindset around curricula practices
Authors: Nganga Lydiah , Madrid Akpovo Samara , Kambutu John , Thapa Sapna , Mwangi Agnes Muthoni
Published: May 2023

Educational policies and practices in the current age of heightened globalization are increasingly grounded on unjust binary curriculum approaches that favor educational designs from Minority-World countries at the expense of epistemologies of indigenous people in Majority-World nations that are typically deemed culturally inferior (Gupta, 2015). Essentially, those opposing binaries promote neocolonial and neoliberal ideologies while disregarding lived cultural contexts of people in Majority-World countries (Lee, 2012). To grapple with this conundrum, this ethnographic study examined how educators in Kenya and Nepal (N = 26) contested, constructed, and transformed educational practices in contexts of globalization, neocolonialism, and neoliberalism. Qualitative data from four schools in Kathmandu, Nepal (16 participants) and two schools in Kenya (10 participants) revealed that educators struggled with issues of intellectual imperialism. Therefore, they strived to deconstruct the existing unjust binary curricula policies by embracing pluralist educational discourses essential to sustaining indigenous languages and dialects. In doing so, those educators focused on advancing local cultural values, rights, and ideologies without antagonizing influential stakeholders from Minority-World nations.
Using Grand Rounds to Train and Prepare a Local Public Health Workforce To Manage COVID-19 Outbreaks During the 2020–2021 Pandemic Winter Upsurge
Authors: Fischbach Lori , Smith Lisa V. , King Jan , Inkelas Moira , Kuo Tony
Published: May 2023

In response to the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic, the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health (DPH) expanded its workforce by >250 staff during Fall 2020 to manage the expected volume of outbreaks, which ultimately peaked. The workforce included reorganized groups of physicians, nurses, outbreak investigators from several DPH programs, and a 100+ member data science team tasked with designing and operating a data system and information flow process that became the backbone infrastructure of support for field investigation and outbreak management in real-time. The accelerated workforce expansion was completed in 3 months. To prepare new and reassigned permanent staff for fieldwork, DPH and several faculty from the Emory University Rollins School of Public Health adopted a flexible, skills-based series of medical Grand Rounds. These 16 sessions were grounded in practice- and problem-based learning principles using case studies, interactive scenarios, and didactic presentations based on scientific and public health practice information to teach knowledge and skills that were needed to manage COVID-19 outbreaks in different sectors. The evaluation suggests positive experience with the training series as well as impact on job performance.
Regulatory compliance and readability of informed consent forms in industry-sponsored drug development clinical trials
Authors: Dukaew Nahathai , Na Takuathung Mingkwan , Sakuludomkan Wannachai , Chairaksa Kanyarat , Klinjan Preeyaporn , Morakote Nimit , Koonrungsesomboon Nut
Published: May 2023

Background/Aims

An informed consent form is essential in drug development clinical trials. This study aimed to evaluate regulatory compliance and readability of informed consent forms currently being used in industry-sponsored drug development clinical trials.

Methods

This descriptive, cross-sectional study evaluated the informed consent forms of industry-sponsored drug development clinical trials conducted at the Faculty of Medicine, Chiang Mai University, between 2019 and 2020. The informed consent form’s compliance with the three major ethical guidelines and regulations (i.e. International Council for Harmonization of Technical Requirements for Pharmaceuticals for Human Use E6(R2) Good Clinical Practice; Declaration of Helsinki; and the revised Common Rule) were analyzed. The document length and the readability scores (using Flesch Reading Ease and Flesch-Kincaid Reading Grade) were assessed.

Results

Of 64 reviewed informed consent forms, the average page length was 22.0 ± 7.4 pages. More than half of their length was mainly devoted to three elements: trial procedures (22.9%), risks and discomforts (19.1%), and confidentiality and the limit of confidentiality (10.1%). Although most of the required elements of the informed consent form content were included in most informed consent forms, we identified four elements with often missing information in the form: aspects of research that are experimental (n = 43, 67.2%), involvement of whole-genome sequencing (n = 35, 54.7%), commercial profit sharing (n = 31, 48.4%), and posttrial provisions (n = 28, 43.8%).

Conclusion

The informed consent forms in industry-sponsored drug development clinical trials were long but incomplete. Our findings draw attention to ongoing challenges in industry-sponsored drug development clinical trials, where deficient informed consent form quality continues to exist.
Does the operating temperature of accelerometers affect data measurement during static and dynamic conditions in sports? A randomized-control trial
Authors: Gómez-Carmona Carlos D , Rojas-Valverde Daniel , Ibáñez Sergio J , Pino-Ortega José
Published: May 2023

This study aimed to analyse the effect of two operating temperatures (optimal vs environmental) on IMU internal temperature and accelerometry-based data in two conditions of measurement: (a) static, no movement; and (b) dynamic, a U’16 game-based training soccer session with 14 players. Each session took a 60-min duration and followed an ecological design (no intervention in environmental conditions). Fifty-six WIMU PROTM inertial devices were randomly grouped in four conditions (two operating temperatures × two measurement conditions, 14 devices in each group) and recorded IMUs’ internal temperature, resultant acceleration vector and PlayerLoad (PLRT). Devices were placed in the manufacturer’s docking station at the static condition and in a specific harness at the interscapular level at the dynamic condition. Repeated measures t-tests were employed for between-group comparisons at 1-min average sections throughout the register. Between-group differences were found in the static and dynamic conditions in IMUs internal temperature (static: 0–31 min; dynamic: 0–20 min) and resultant acceleration vector (static: 0–29 min; dynamic: 0–19 min). Instead, no differences were found in PLRT dynamics and accumulated PLRT although values in the environmental group were overestimated. In conclusion, WIMU PROTM devices must achieve the optimal operating temperature (38–39°) to avoid measurement error, regardless of the application (short or long sessions).
Engagement of a State Medical Society to Promote Uniform Hospital Policies on Determination of Brain Death
Authors: Finneran Megan , Lewis Ariane
Published: May 2023

There is a need for the neuroscience community to advocate for uniformity in the determination of brain death/death by neurologic criteria (BD/DNC). Engagement with state medical societies is one example of this type of advocacy. After determining that her hospital policy on determination of BD/DNC was unclear and inconsistent with accepted standards, the principal author submitted a resolution to the Illinois State Medical Society (ISMS) in an attempt to encourage consistency in institutional policies on the determination of BD/DNC across the state. ISMS ultimately approved a resolution on this topic, but it has some shortcomings, so its impact is unclear. Nonetheless, other neuroscience clinicians are encouraged to engage with their state medical societies to advocate for uniformity in the determination of BD/DNC.
HSV Encephalomyelitis in an Immunocompetent Patient With Prior Splenectomy
Authors: Marquez Destiny , Romero Raquel , Klavansky Dana , Reynolds Alexandra S.
Published: May 2023

A 44-year-old male with history of asplenia, provoked PE, and hyperlipidemia presented with ascending paralysis, bowel and bladder incontinence and altered mental status, and progressively developed acute hypoxic respiratory failure. Initial workup including CT head, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) brain, and lumbar puncture which was concerning for herpes simplex virus (HSV) meningoencephalitis; out of caution he was started on multiple antibiotics consequently resulting in the development of Clostridium difficile (C.diff). He also received two doses of IVIG. He was transferred to our institution and after interval re-imaging via MRI brain and spinal surveys and repeat lumbar punctures, he was found to have a high CSF HSV titer and positive GAD 65 antibody, the latter likely a false positive due to IVIG administration. IVIG was not continued from the outside hospital due to the development of deep vein thrombosis (DVT), and the risks of plasmapheresis outweighed the benefits. The patient gradually improved after a prolonged course of acyclovir and was downgraded out of the Neuroscience ICU (NSICU), however decompensated due to rectal bleeding, and subsequently went into cardiac arrest. Though this patient underwent a splenectomy, his relative immunocompetency towards non-encapsulated organisms should have been preserved. It has not been clearly described in the literature how and why HSV encephalomyelitis takes a fulminant course in immunocompetent patients, including our asplenic patient. Furthermore, definitive treatment and management of this condition remains unclear. Severity of HSV encephalomyelitis has not been clearly described in the literature, particularly in immunocompetent patients (such as this asplenic patient).
Christian middle leadership: How the faith of middle leaders shapes and is shaped by school culture and community
Authors: Chalwell Kaye , Stanton Graham D , Grice Christine
Published: May 2023

Middle leaders play a central role in the Christian leadership of their school. This research explores how nine middle leaders in three distinct Anglican Schools in Australia enact their roles, and the conditions that influence faith expression within their schools. Findings demonstrate that middle leaders shape and are shaped by school culture and community. Our theory of Christian middle leadership, derived from four key themes, shows how school middle leaders navigate the personal and institutional dimensions of faith expression, through three distinct discourses. Their responses and the responses of their school enable them to interpret their role, career and calling.
Predicting the outcomes of servant leadership in Indonesian Christian higher education: Direct and indirect effects
Authors: Anselmus Dami Zummy , Imron Ali , Burhanuddin Burhanuddin , Supriyanto Achmad
Published: May 2023

The study examines whether trust, job satisfaction, and leader-member exchange mediate the relationship between servant leadership and organizational citizenship behavior. The study also examines whether trust and leader-member exchange mediate the relationship between servant leadership and job satisfaction. This study used quantitative methods with a sample of 180 lecturers from 26 Christian higher education institutions in Indonesia. A partial least squares approach was used to verify the hypothesis that had been proposed. Results from factor analysis and structural equation modeling showed that trust, job satisfaction and leader-member exchange are direct outcomes of servant leadership, and organizational citizenship behavior was an indirect outcome of servant leadership.