bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Impact of Open Data Implementation on Entrepreneurship Ability in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Ekundayo Tosin , Bhaumik Amiya , Chinoperekweyi Justine , Khan Zafarullah
Published: July 2023

This article conducts an experimental investigation on the impact of national open data implementation (ODI) on entrepreneurship ability in sub-Saharan Africa based on epistemological predispositions. With the commitment of 150 countries and organization to open data, this study is founded on the theory of planned behavior that behavioral intention can be induced by background variable categorized as personal, social, and informational. In a bid to validate the informational impact, this study is aimed at determining how much of entrepreneurship ability (EAB) is explained by open data implementation (ODI) in sub-Saharan Africa. This study analyzes secondary data from 22 sub-Saharan African countries, using regression analysis. Result shows that open data implementation has a negative nonsignificant impact on entrepreneurship ability in the continent. It is no surprise that Open Data Barometer (ODB), which is the official open data assessing body, posits that there is need for improved open data implementation in sub-Saharan Africa for economic development purposes. Therefore, this study recommends further research on open data implementation as a national data governance initiative to identify opportunities for entrepreneurial impact in sub-Saharan Africa similar to those observed in Europe and other parts of the world. The findings have implications for policymakers and stakeholders seeking leverage to improve entrepreneurship in sub-Saharan Africa through open data implementation.
Arteritic Anterior Ischemic Optic Neuropathy (AAION) Associated with COVID-19 Infection: A Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Shahraki Kourosh , Najafi Amin , Ashoori Negin , Razzaghpour Nayyereh , Shahraki Kianoush
Published: July 2023

Anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AION) is the most frequent cause of acute optic nerve damage in the elderly, usually causing acute, unilateral, and painless permanent visual loss. Arteritic anterior ischemic optic neuropathy (AAION) is a result of endothelial cell inflammation and the subsequent thrombosis and occlusion in the blood-supplying arteries of the optic nerve head. AAION accounts only for 5-10% of all AION cases that are associated with vasculitis which usually takes place in the course of a giant cell arteritis (GCA). In this paper, we report a case of AAION following a COVID-19 respiratory infection. Although it is uncertain whether SARS-CoV-2 infection triggered the AAION or was coincidental, the possible association of the events is concerning.
A Phase I/IIa Trial of Yttrium-90 Radioembolization in Combination with Durvalumab for Locally Advanced Unresectable Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Lee Yun Bin , Nam Joon Yeul , Cho Eun Ju , Lee Jeong-Hoon , Yu Su Jong , Kim Hyo-Cheol , Paeng Jin Chul , Yoon Jung-Hwan , Kim Yoon Jun
Published: July 2023

Purpose:

Synergistic effect of radiotherapy and immunotherapy for the treatment of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has been reported. This phase I/IIa pilot trial evaluated preliminary efficacy and safety of combination of radioembolization with yttrium-90 microspheres (Y90-radioembolization) and durvalumab in patients with locally advanced unresectable HCC.

Patients and Methods:

Patients with Child-Pugh score ≤ 7 and locally advanced HCC, defined as Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer (BCLC) stage B HCC or BCLC-C disease without extrahepatic metastases, received Y90-radioembolization followed by intravenous durvalumab 1,500 mg 7 to 14 days after Y90-radioembolization and every 4 weeks thereafter. Primary endpoint was time to progression (TTP) assessed by modified RECIST (mRECIST). Secondary endpoints included overall survival (OS), progression-free survival (PFS), objective response rate (ORR) determined by mRECIST, and safety.

Results:

All 24 patients enrolled received Y90-radioembolization and 23 received at least one dose of durvalumab. Median follow-up duration was 19.0 months (range, 2.2–24.2). Median TTP was 15.2 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 6.1–not estimated]. Median OS was not reached and 18-month OS rate was 58.3% (95% CI, 36.4–75.0). Median PFS was 6.9 months (95% CI, 5.4–15.2). Seven (29.2%) patients had a complete response and 13 (54.2%) had a partial response; ORR was 83.3% (95% CI, 62.6–95.3). Eleven (47.8%) patients experienced any-grade treatment-related adverse events. Two (8.7%) patients had grade 3 treatment-related adverse events (neutropenia and fever). None experienced any treatment-related serious adverse events.

Conclusions:

In patients with locally advanced unresectable HCC, the combination of Y90-radioembolization and durvalumab demonstrated promising efficacy and safety, warranting further evaluation in large-scale controlled trials.
Supplementary Figure 2 from Phase II window study of olaparib alone or with cisplatin or durvalumab in operable Head and Neck Cancer
Authors: Moutafi Myrto , Koliou Georgia-Angeliki , Papaxoinis George , Economopoulou Panagiota , Kotsantis Ioannis , Gkotzamanidou Maria , Anastasiou Maria , Pectasides Dimitrios , Kyrodimos Efthymios , Delides Alexander , Giotakis Evangelos , Papadimitriou Nikolaos G. , Panayiotides Ioannis G. , Perisanidis Christos , Fernandez Aileen I. , Xirou Vasiliki , Poulios Christos , Gagari Eleni , Yaghoobi Vesal , Gavrielatou Niki , Shafi Saba , Aung Thazin Nwe , Kougioumtzopoulou Andromachi , Kouloulias Vassilis , Palialexis Konstantinos , Gkolfinopoulos Stavros , Strati Areti , Lianidou Evi , Fountzilas George , Rimm David L. , Foukas Periklis G. , Psyrri Amanda
Published: July 2023

Supplementary Figure 2. Differentially expressed signatures in Responders relative to no-Responders. Response is based on physical examination, pathology or imaging. Responders had higher scores in Inflammatory Chemokines and Exhausted CD8 Signatures, as well as PD-1, Cytotoxicity and CD45. The significance (p-value, P and adjusted p-value, Padj) is represented relative to Fold Change (FC) in the x-axis.
Data from Siglec-15 Promotes Evasion of Adaptive Immunity in B-cell Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
Authors: Pillsbury Claire E. , Dougan Jodi , Rabe Jennifer L. , Fonseca Jairo A. , Zhou Chengjing , Evans Alyssa N. , Abukharma Hasan , Ichoku Ona , Gonzalez-Flamenco Gloria , Park Sunita I. , Aljudi Ahmed , DeRyckere Deborah , Castellino Sharon M. , Rafiq Sarwish , Langermann Solomon , Liu Linda N. , Henry Curtis J. , Porter Christopher C.
Published: July 2023

Siglec-15 (Sig15) has been implicated as an immune checkpoint expressed in solid tumor-infiltrating macrophages and is being targeted in clinical trials with mAbs to normalize the tumor immune microenvironment and stimulate antitumor immunity. However, the role of Sig15 in hematologic malignancies remains undefined. Sig15 mRNA and protein expression levels in hematologic malignancies were determined from publicly available databases, cell lines, and primary patient samples. Human B-cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) cell lines were used to identify signaling pathways involved in the regulation of Sig15 expression. Secreted/soluble Sig15 and cytokine levels were measured from the plasma of children with leukemia and healthy controls. Knockdown and knockout of Siglec15 in a murine model of B-ALL was used to evaluate the effect of leukemia-derived Sig15 on the immune response to leukemia. We observed pathologic overexpression of Sig15 in a variety of hematologic malignancies, including primary B-ALL samples. This overexpression was driven by NFκB activation, which also increased the surface localization of Sig15. Secreted/soluble Sig15 was found to circulate at elevated levels in the plasma of children with B-ALL and correlated with an immune-suppressive cytokine milieu. Genetic inhibition of Sig15 in murine B-ALL promoted clearance of the leukemia by the immune system and a marked reversal of the immune-privileged leukemia bone marrow niche, including expanded early effector CD8+ T cells and reduction of immunosuppressive cytokines. Thus, Sig15 is a novel, potent immunosuppressive molecule active in leukemia that may be targeted therapeutically to activate T lymphocytes against leukemia cells.
Significance:
We demonstrate that Sig15 is overexpressed in hematologic malignancies driven by NFκB, is required for immune evasion in a mouse model of leukemia, and, for the first time, that it circulates at high levels in the plasma of children with leukemia.
Utopias feministas: imagens e linguagem contra a normatização da vida
Authors: Sattler Janyne
Published: July 2023

A proposta deste artigo é proceder à análise de três obras utópicas escritas por mulheres, considerando os seus programas políticos em oposição às utopias masculinas canônicas, interpretando-as como feministas em seus projetos de abertura à cidadania feminina. Ao contar com a imaginação política como elemento imprescindível à escrita da utopia e ao opor-se à normatização da vida, Pizan, Cavendish e Gilman quebram o ciclo de engendramento distópico típico das utopias masculinistas normativas.
Historical Redlining, Socioeconomic Distress, and Risk of Heart Failure Among Medicare Beneficiaries
Authors: Mentias Amgad , Mujahid Mahasin S. , Sumarsono Andrew , Nelson Robert K. , Madron Justin M. , Powell-Wiley Tiffany M. , Essien Utibe R. , Keshvani Neil , Girotra Saket , Morris Alanna A. , Sims Mario , Capers Quinn , Yancy Clyde , Desai Milind Y. , Menon Venu , Rao Shreya , Pandey Ambarish
Published: July 2023

BACKGROUND:

The association of historical redlining policies, a marker of structural racism, with contemporary heart failure (HF) risk among White and Black individuals is not well established.

METHODS:

We aimed to evaluate the association of redlining with the risk of HF among White and Black Medicare beneficiaries. Zip code–level redlining was determined by the proportion of historically redlined areas using the Mapping Inequality Project within each zip code. The association between higher zip code redlining proportion (quartile 4 versus quartiles 1–3) and HF risk were assessed separately among White and Black Medicare beneficiaries using generalized linear mixed models adjusted for potential confounders, including measures of the zip code–level Social Deprivation Index.

RESULTS:

A total of 2 388 955 Medicare beneficiaries (Black n=801 452; White n=1 587 503; mean age, 71 years; men, 44.6%) were included. Among Black beneficiaries, living in zip codes with higher redlining proportion (quartile 4 versus quartiles 1–3) was associated with increased risk of HF after adjusting for age, sex, and comorbidities (risk ratio, 1.08 [95% CI, 1.04–1.12];
P
<0.001). This association remained significant after further adjustment for area-level Social Deprivation Index (risk ratio, 1.04 [95% CI, 1.002–1.08];
P
=0.04). A significant interaction was observed between redlining proportion and Social Deprivation Index (
P
interaction
<0.01) such that higher redlining proportion was significantly associated with HF risk only among socioeconomically distressed regions (above the median Social Deprivation Index). Among White beneficiaries, redlining was associated with a lower risk of HF after adjustment for age, sex, and comorbidities (risk ratio, 0.94 [95% CI, 0.89–0.99];
P
=0.02).

CONCLUSIONS:

Historical redlining is associated with an increased risk of HF among Black patients. Contemporary zip code–level social determinants of health modify the relationship between redlining and HF risk, with the strongest relationship between redlining and HF observed in the most socioeconomically disadvantaged communities.
Socioeconomic Disparities and Mediators for Recurrent Atherosclerotic Cardiovascular Disease Events After a First Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Ohm Joel , Kuja-Halkola Ralf , Warnqvist Anna , Häbel Henrike , Skoglund Per H. , Sundström Johan , Hambraeus Kristina , Jernberg Tomas , Svensson Per
Published: July 2023

BACKGROUND:

Low socioeconomic status is associated with worse secondary prevention use and prognosis after myocardial infarction (MI). Actions for health equity improvements warrant identification of risk mediators. Therefore, we assessed mediators of the association between socioeconomic status and first recurrent atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease event (rASCVD) after MI.

METHODS:

In this cohort study on 1-year survivors of first-ever MI with Swedish universal health coverage ages 18 to 76 years, individual-level data from SWEDEHEART (Swedish Web System for Enhancement and Development of Evidence-Based Care in Heart Disease Evaluated According to Recommended Therapies) and linked national registries was collected from 2006 through 2020. Exposure was socioeconomic status by disposable income quintile (principal proxy), educational level, and marital status. The primary outcome was rASCVD and secondary outcomes were cardiovascular and all-cause mortality. We initially assessed the incremental attenuation of hazard ratios with 95% CIs in sequential multivariable models adding groups of potential mediators (ie, previous risk factors, acute presentation and infarct severity, initial therapies, and secondary prevention). Thereafter, the proportion of excess rASCVD associated with a low income mediated through nonparticipation in cardiac rehabilitation, suboptimal statin management, a cardiometabolic risk profile, persistent smoking, and blood pressure above target after MI were calculated using causal mediation analysis.

RESULTS:

Among 68 775 participants (73.8% men), 7064 rASCVD occurred during a mean 5.7-year follow-up. Income, adjusted for age, sex, and calendar year, was associated with rASCVD (hazard ratio, 1.63 [95% CI, 1.51–1.76] in the lowest versus highest income quintile). Risk attenuated most by adjustment for previous risk factors and by adding secondary prevention variables for a final model (hazard ratio, 1.38 [95% CI, 1.26–1.51]) in the lowest versus highest income quintile. The proportions of the excess 15-year rASCVD risk in the lowest income quintile mediated through nonparticipation in cardiac rehabilitation, cardiometabolic risk profile, persistent smoking, and poor blood pressure control were 3.3% (95% CI 2.1–4.8), 3.9% (95% CI, 2.9–5.5), 15.2% (95% 9.1–25.7), and 1.0% (95% CI 0.6–1.5), respectively. Risk mediation through optimal statin management was negligible.

CONCLUSIONS:

Nonparticipation in cardiac rehabilitation, a cardiometabolic risk profile, and persistent smoking mediate income-dependent prognosis after MI. In the absence of randomized trials, this causal inference approach may guide decisions to improve health equity.
Arrhythmia and Survival Outcomes Among Black Patients and White Patients With a Primary Prevention Defibrillator
Authors: Younis Arwa , Ali Sanah , Hsich Eileen , Goldenberg Ido , McNitt Scott , Polonsky Bronislava , Aktas Mehmet K. , Kutyifa Valentina , Wazni Oussama M. , Zareba Wojciech , Goldenberg Ilan
Published: July 2023

BACKGROUND:

Black Americans have a higher risk of nonischemic cardiomyopathy (NICM) than White Americans. We aimed to evaluate differences in the risk of tachyarrhythmias among patients with an implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (ICD).

METHODS:

The study population comprised 3895 ICD recipients in the United States enrolled in primary prevention ICD trials. Outcome measures included ventricular tachyarrhythmia (VTA), atrial tachyarrhythmia (ATA), ICD therapies, VTA burden (using Andersen-Gill recurrent event analysis), death, and the predicted benefit of the ICD. All events were adjudicated blindly. Outcomes were compared between self-reported Black patients versus White patients with cardiomyopathy (ischemic and NICM).

RESULTS:

Black patients were more likely to be female (35% versus 22%) and younger (57±12 versus 62±12 years) with a higher frequency of comorbidities. In NICM, Black patients had a higher rate of first VTA, fast VTA, ATA, and appropriate and inappropriate ICD therapy (VTA ≥170 bpm, 32% versus 20%; VTA ≥200 bpm, 22% versus 14%; ATA, 25% versus 12%; appropriate therapy, 30% versus 20%; and inappropriate therapy, 25% versus 11%;
P
<0.001 for all). Multivariable analysis showed that Black patients with NICM experienced a higher risk of all types of arrhythmia or ICD therapy (VTA ≥170 bpm, hazard ratio [HR] 1.71; VTA ≥200 bpm, HR 1.58; ATA, HR 1.87; appropriate therapy, HR 1.62; inappropriate therapy, HR 1.86;
P
≤0.01 for all), higher burden of tachyarrhythmias or therapies (VTA, HR 1.84; appropriate therapy, HR 1.84;
P
<0.001 for both), and a higher risk of death (HR 1.92;
P
=0.014). In contrast, in ischemic cardiomyopathy, the risk of all types of tachyarrhythmia, ICD therapy, or death was similar between Black patients and White patients. Both Black patients and White patients derived a significant and similar benefit from ICD implantation.

CONCLUSIONS:

Among patients with NICM with an ICD for primary prevention, Black patients compared with White patients had a high risk and burden of VTA, ATA, and ICD therapies with a lower survival rate. Nevertheless, the overall benefit of the ICD was maintained and was similar to that of White patients.
Assessing Tropical Pacific–Induced Predictability of Southern California Precipitation Using a Novel Multi-Input Multioutput Autoencoder
Authors: Passarella Linsey S. , Mahajan Salil
Published: July 2023

We construct a novel multi-input multioutput autoencoder (MIMO-AE) to capture the nonlinear relationship of Southern California precipitation and tropical Pacific Ocean sea surface temperature. The MIMO-AE is trained on both monthly tropical Pacific sea surface temperature (TP-SST) and Southern California precipitation (SC-PRECIP) anomalies simultaneously. The covariability of the two fields in the MIMO-AE shared nonlinear latent space can be condensed into an index, termed the MIMO-AE index. We use a transfer learning approach to train a MIMO-AE on the combined dataset of 100 yr of output from a historical simulation with the Energy Exascale Earth Systems Model, version 1, and a segment of observational data. We further use long short-term memory networks to assess subseasonal predictability of SC-PRECIP using the MIMO-AE index. We find that the MIMO-AE index provides enhanced predictability of SC-PRECIP for a lead time of up to 4 months as compared with the Niño-3.4 index and the El Niño–Southern Oscillation longitudinal index.

Significance Statement

Traditional El Niño–Southern Oscillation indices, like the Niño-3.4 index, although well predicted themselves, fail to offer reliable subseasonal-to-seasonal predictions of western U.S. precipitation. Here, we use a machine learning approach called a multi-input, multioutput autoencoder to capture the relationship between tropical Pacific Ocean and Southern California precipitation and project it onto a new index, which we call the MIMO-AE index. Using machine learning–based time series predictions, we find that the MIMO-AE index offers enhanced predictability of Southern California precipitation up to a lead time of 4 months as compared with other ENSO indices.
If unequal, don’t change it? The inequality-redistribution puzzle among political elites
Authors: Márquez Romo Cristian , Marcos-Marne Hugo
Published: July 2023

Despite accumulated empirical evidence suggesting that economic inequality influences citizens’ redistributive preferences, evidence of this relationship among political elites remains scarce. This study aims at filling this gap using an elite survey data set of more than 2300 legislators from Latin America, a region with the highest levels of inequality in the world. We first examine the general association between economic inequality and political elites’ redistributive preferences. In a second step, we focus on the conditional effect of self-positioning in the left–right ideological scale. Our findings suggest a modest negative longitudinal association between economic inequality and legislators’ support for redistribution. In line with our expectations, right-wing and market-oriented legislators are less prone to support redistribution when inequality increases. However, we also find this pattern among left-wing and State-oriented members of parliament. Implications and limitations of our results are considered in the discussion section.
Electoral Violence in Nigeria: Insights From Off-Cycle Subnational Elections
Authors: Omotola J. Shola , Oyewole Samuel
Published: July 2023

There is a popular assumption that off-cycle subnational elections should be better governed and more peaceful than general elections. This position is premised on the notion that limited geographical and demographical scope of such elections offers the national electoral body, security agencies and other key actors in electoral governance the opportunities to concentrate resources and energies in a given jurisdiction for maximum efficiencies. These have encouraged advocacy to unbundle the Electoral Management Body, namely the Independent National Electoral Commission by decentralising electoral governance. However, this assumption has not been subjected to adequate academic scrutiny. This study, therefore, examines comparatively, records of violence in off-cycle subnational elections conducted in Edo, Kogi and Ondo States between 2019 and 2020, and those of Nigeria’s 2019 general elections. The study is descriptive by design, with data largely extracted from Armed Conflict Location and Event Data Project and analysed using mixed method.
Patriot, Revolutionary and Liberator? Representations of Emmerson Mnangagwa in the Post-2017 Chief Shumba Hwenje Song
Authors: Gwekwerere Tavengwa , Mambambo John , Magidi Martin , Marongedze Reggemore
Published: July 2023

While the advent of Zimbabwe’s independence in 1980 with Robert Mugabe as founding prime minister was largely received as the best outcome of the liberation struggle of the 1970s and as the foundation upon which a prosperous nation could be built, the euphoria did not last long. Over the years, Mugabe’s rule became increasingly authoritarian to the extent that his ouster by Emmerson Mnangagwa through the coup of November 2017 would momentarily occasion a new sense of hope which the latter’s regime quickly appropriated to configure itself as Zimbabwe’s ‘Second Republic’/‘New Dispensation’. These identities are pervasive in multiple state-centric spaces that are burdened with the responsibility to frame both Mugabe’s removal from office and his replacement by Mnangagwa’s as inexorable. However, it is in the post-2017 Chief Shumba Hwenje song that ‘Second Republic’/‘New Dispensation’ identities have more traction as tropes of eventual political transition in Zimbabwe. This article utilises Afrocentric ideas on the role of art in cultivating truth, justice, harmony, balance, order, reciprocity and propriety to problematise ‘Second Republic’/‘New Dispensation’ identities implied in purposively sampled post-2017 Chief Shumba Hwenje songs’ representations of Mnangagwa as a patriot, a revolutionary and a liberator. It instrumentalises the post-2017 Chief Shumba Hwenje song as the most recent manifestation of the Zimbabwe African National Union-Patriotic Front (ZANU-PF) song and explores the ways in which the selected songs’ representations of Mnangagwa reminisce Mugabe-era politics of violence, state capture, patronage, exclusion, indispensability, polarisation, entitlement and poverty of accountability. The article suggests that while the songs discussed endeavour to depict Mnangagwa favourably, the ease with which they also portray him as steeped in various components of Mugabeist politics contradict the very claim to newness that the post-Mugabe regime articulates through ‘Second Republic’/‘New Dispensation’ identities.
Theorizing Intimacies and Articulation in Nigerian Hip Hop Music
Authors: Babalola Adesoji
Published: July 2023

This paper explores how Nigerian hip hop music, lyrics, and histories illuminate connections and relationalities, intimacies, and articulations, among and across African and African diasporic communities. Drawing on the works of Lisa Lowe, Stuart Hall, Paul Gilroy, Katherine McKittrick, and others, I demonstrate how these intimacies and articulations allow us to reimagine hip hop, focusing not on origins or beginnings (or African American authenticities) but instead as an expressive transnational mode of cultural production. In this way, I discuss the significance of Black politics in popular music and foreground how intimacies and articulation produce new ways of theorizing race.
Performance of Cameroonian natural rubber as a polymer matrix for ecofriendly fiberboard: Modeling of water absorption and prediction of mechanical properties
Authors: Laurence Carlos Ngoune Donkeng , Aimé Elime Bouboama , Abel Emmanuel Njom , Solange Fogue Matchum , Kunwufine Deodonne , Touraine Lidwine Wandji Nana
Published: July 2023

This research work sheds light on the manufacture of Eco-friendly fiberboards (EFBs) based on natural rubber (NR). Modeling of water absorption and prediction of tensile properties of EFBs were then developed. Sisal fibers (SF) are used for reinforcement at 50, 60, 70 and 80% rates. The 0% compound is the vulcanised natural rubber (NRV). Sulphur vulcanisation through thermo-pressure was used to produce the EFBs. Cross-linking density, mechanical, thermal, chemical and hydrous properties were investigated. Thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) revealed that SFs altered the thermal stability of NR that goes from one to three phases of thermal degradation and increases its stiffness through the increase of the young’s modulus (from 7.53 ± 0.72 MPa for NR to 31.59 ± 6.61 MPa for the best EFB value). Predictions based on the Weibull distribution set the load with the best properties at 50% for an ultimate tensile stress of 10 MPa. An analytical modeling based on the Fick water absorption process of EFBs and NRV have been developed and the load at 60% SF is defined as the threshold by the analytical model with a diffusion coefficient of 0.073 mm2/s. NRV thus shows its high suitability in the manufacture of EFBs which can be used for various purposes in the automobile sector.
Algorithmic Personalized Wages
Authors: Teachout Zephyr
Published: July 2023

This article explores algorithmically created personalized wages: what they are, what they mean, and what we can do about them. First, it establishes a taxonomy of five different forms of algorithmic wage differentiation: productivity-based wage adjustments, wages shifted through incentive bonuses and demerits, behavioral wages, dynamic wages, and wages shifted to conduct an experiment. It argues that these techniques are likely to spread from gig work to the formal employment context. Second, it argues that the spread of these techniques has democratic implications. They will increase economic and racial inequality. They will harm labor solidarity. Perhaps most importantly, they put workers in a profoundly humiliating position in relationship to their boss, one where speech and autonomy are discouraged because they can lead to lowered pay. Finally, it argues that we should understand these developments as innovations in power and domination and use old antimonopoly strategies as ways to limit the democratic downsides of these tools. We should explore bans or limits on first-degree labor pricing discrimination and enhanced antitrust enforcement.
Revising the Racial Wage Gap Among Men in the United States: The Role of Nonemployment, Underemployment, and Incarceration
Authors: Wicks-Lim Jeannette
Published: July 2023

This article examines trends in racial earnings disparities to observe how the socially constructed concept of race impacts the U.S. labor market for men from 1981 to 2008. I develop a racial earnings gap measure that accounts for the labor market experience of the nonemployed using Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) Completed Gold Standard data produced by the U.S. Census Bureau. This data set includes administrative earnings data from the Internal Revenue Service and the Social Security Administration merged with SIPP household survey data. Conventional measures that do not account for the nonemployed miss the impact of an increasing number of nonemployed, prime working-age men, particularly Black men, and the accelerating incarceration rate during the 1980s-1990s. An unadjusted estimate of the White earnings premium indicates a large racial earnings gap that fluctuates between about 140% and 150% over 1981-2008. This suggests that labor market conditions and policies may be limiting, but not reducing, racial earnings inequality. The adjusted White earnings premium averages 28 percentage points higher over the time period of this study. The premium also rises further, more quickly, and sustains this higher level longer. The adjusted measure suggests that labor market conditions and policies continue to produce growing levels of racial earnings inequality.
We’ll see things they’ll never see: Sociological reflections on race, neurodiversity and higher education
Authors: Lewis Chantelle Jessica , Arday Jason
Published: July 2023

This article offers sociological reflections on race and neurodiversity in UK higher education (UKHE). Using dialogical knowledge production and collaborative autoethnography, the authors discuss their lived experiences of navigating the politics of neurodiversity and neurotypical hegemony in UKHE as Black sociologists. The central argument explores how race and neurotypical hegemony overexposes Black neurodiverse scholars to a particular and pervasive form of double jeopardy. The authors’ reflexive accounts show how, as Black scholars, they must often negotiate the operation of race alongside the hegemonic practices of the white western academy. In this way, they grapple with racism and ableism in the context of value, meritocracy and elitism. The authors contend that drawing on the politics of neurodiversity in conjunction with Black subjectivities can generate routes into exposing and dismantling neurotypical hegemony. A key motive for discussing their own experiences as neurodivergent scholars in UKHE is that existing research and anecdotal reflections point to a pattern of general whitening of how we understand neurodiversity in academia. The authors indulge their personal, political and academic commitment to this subject as they contend that as Black neurodivergent sociologists, we’ll see things they’ll never see.
Hyping emerging military technology: probing the causes and consequences of excessive expectations
Authors: Rossiter Ash
Published: July 2023

International relations scholars and military historians episodically observe that emerging military technology can generate ‘hype’, that is, excessive expectations about the near-term impact of emerging technologies. Yet there has been little attempt to conceptualize hype, enquire as to why it occurs, or study its impact on military innovation. As decisions concerning new military technologies are highly significant for states’ military capabilities, lack of attention on hype is a non-trivial shortcoming. This article provides a framework for better understanding what hype is and examines how it affects the choices states – or more to the point, those acting on their behalf – make about which military technologies to pursue in a world where war is an ever-present possibility.
Smooth Talking and Fast Music: Understanding the Importance of Voice and Music in Travel and Tourism Ads via Acoustic Analytics
Authors: Barnes Stuart J.
Published: July 2023

Travel and tourism advertising is critical in developing positive associations to attract visitor patronage and build sustainable post-pandemic tourism. An important part of an advertising message is delivered through voice and other aspects of audio, for example, music. However, how audio features impact viewers of travel and tourism advertisements remains unexplored in the research. This study implements advanced audio analytics to test how various features impact upon viewers. The results show that voice quality is important in developing positive affect; advertisement viewers prefer speakers with quieter voices (less mean intensity) that have a higher level of clarity (higher harmonics-to-noise ratio). This can be explained via the heuristic route of the heuristic-systematic model. Music tempo was found to be important in stimulating reactions from advertisements, with faster music being associated with a higher level of positive affect. The paper concludes with practical and theoretical implications, limitations, and suggestions for future research.
Who Supports the Troops? Social Support Domains and Sources in Active Duty Army Networks
Authors: Barr Nicholas , Petry Laura , Fulginiti Anthony , Arora Anil , Cederbaum Julie , Castro Carl , Rice Eric
Published: July 2023

Social support is a critical determinant of military service members’ mental and behavioral health outcomes, but few studies have investigated social support types and sources in the mixed family and military social networks in which service members are embedded. We applied multilevel logistic regression modeling to investigate links between active-duty Army Soldiers’ individual demographic and military characteristics, relational characteristics, and social support outcomes, in sample of 241 active-duty U.S. Army personnel. Results showed that participants who rated unit cohesion higher were more likely to report receiving informational, emotional, and mental health help-seeking support. Participants were more likely to receive informational, emotional, and help-seeking support from a romantic partner or deployment buddy than a relative and less likely to receive help-seeking support from males than females. Findings highlight the critical importance of both unit level and external relationships in meeting Soldiers’ social support needs.
Impacts of vertical variation of coal seam structure on hydraulic fracturing and resultant gas and water production: A case study on the Shizhuangnan Block, Southern Qinshui Basin, China
Authors: Yang Guoqiao , Hu Wenhui , Tang Shuheng , Zhou Zhuoming , Song Zhenxiang
Published: July 2023

Hydraulic fracturing plays a vital role in the development of coalbed methane (CBM). Coal seam structures can, however, affect the fracturing operations, further affecting gas and water production from the coal seam. Within the research area—the Shizhuangnan Block, Southern Qinshui Basin, China—three types of coal body textures are relevant, including original, cataclastic, and granulated structure. This research describes the impacts of different coal seam types on fracturing operations and gas and water production. The results show that different types of coal seams have different impacts on hydraulic fracturing and the resultant production of gas and water. The coal seams are classified according to the vertical variation characteristics of the coal seam structures. The first type of coal seam (Type I) only develops the original and cataclastic coal structure. The effects of fracturing reconstruction for Type I are good. A high degree of coal breakage and fracture formation is observed. Gas production from CBM wells in Type I coalbeds is usually high because the water in the coal reservoir can be discharged smoothly at an early stage. The second type of coal seam (Type II) develops an additional layer of granulated coal compared with Type I. During the fracturing process, breakage of the coal seam is obvious, and the granulated coal can easily produce fine-grained coal that can block the pores and fractures, which causes an increase and fluctuation of oil pressure and can affect the effectiveness of fracturing. The gas production curve from CBM wells in Type II coal seams is mostly bimodal and water production depends on whether the pulverized coal blocks the pores and fractures. The third type of coal seam (Type III) develops two additional layers of granulated coal compared with Type I, with a greater proportion of granulated coal present. A low degree of coal breakage and fracture formation is observed, and fractures are easily blocked by pulverized coal. The effects of fracturing reconstruction for Type III are bad. Forming an effective seepage channel in this type of coal seam and extending the fracture to the far end is difficult. The gas production from CBM wells in Type III coal seams is usually low, and water production is generally low during the whole drainage period.
Rethinking the governance of geothermal power industry: The roadmap for sustainable development
Authors: Alsaleh Mohd , Abdul-Rahim A.S.
Published: July 2023

The European geothermal heating market, at one time dominated by only a handful of countries, is set to experience a purple patch in the coming years as governments scramble to find an affordable alternative to expensive gas-fired heating. The primary focus of this study will be to investigate what effect will worldwide governance factors and economic growth on the geothermal energy output among the 27 European Countries from the time being 1996 to 2021. Using the autoregressive distributed lag, the findings shows that a significant increase in the geothermal energy industry sustainability can occur in European Union 14 (EU14) emerged economies using worldwide governance factors than in EU13 emerging economies. Among additional factors, instability in the political realm, regulatory issues in the area of quality, accountability, and voice-related issues, and the ability to curb corrupt practices contribute more positively to geothermal energy sustainability in EU14 emerged economies than in European Union 13 (EU13) emerging economies. On the other hand, government effectiveness contributes more positively to geothermal energy sustainability in EU13 emerging economies than in EU14 emerged economies. The finding implies that geothermal power sustainability in EU region countries can be significantly increased by mounting the level of worldwide governance determinants to achieve Energy Union aims by 2030. This will finally be spread to combat climate change and environmental pollution. All observations on projected calculations are valid. The confirmation was achieved with the aid of the three estimators used in the study which are the pooled mean group estimator, the mean group estimator, and the third one was dynamic fixed effect approach. This study recommended that these European countries need to put more effort in terms of being effective in worldwide governance indicators which will help in goal attainment at the societal and environmental levels. Those in charge of making laws in the European countries should get more engaged in worldwide governance scopes as this will assist in facilitating the security and sustainability of geothermal energy generation. Those in charge of making policies in the EU countries should as well lay more emphasis on the strategies that could be cointegrated and as well sustainable toward worldwide governance fractionation toward the achievement of the sustainability of geothermal power and this will drastically reduce the need or dependence on fossil fuel and emissions coming from carbon dioxide in the future time.
Quality of Life in Patients With Benign Lateral Skull Base Neoplasms Following Infratemporal Fossa Approaches
Authors: Yu Shuting , Gao Zhiqiang , Sun Huiying , Tian Xu , Zhao Yang , Feng Guodong
Published: July 2023

Objectives: Infratemporal fossa approaches (IFAs) allow the total resection of certain lateral skull base neoplasms. To date, no studies have explored the change of patient-reported quality of life (QoL) after total resection of benign lateral skull base neoplasms through IFA. The present study aimed to give a comprehensive understanding of QoL among patients after IFA through general and disease-specific QoL questionnaires. Methods: Forty-seven patients with benign lateral skull base neoplasms were enrolled. The Short Form 36 (SF-36), World Health Organization Quality of Life–BREF (WHOQOL-BREF), and the University of Washington Head and Neck Quality of Life (UW-QOL) were chosen as tools to assess QoL before and after surgeries through IFA. Results: Patients had significantly lower scores in appearance, chewing, and speech after surgeries through IFA. However, change in health from SF-36 and physical health from WHOQOL-BREF scored higher after surgery. In multivariate linear regression analysis, age, gender, mood, speech, appearance, swallowing, and chewing contributed independently to general QoL. Conclusion: Patients were shown to benefit with regard to overall QoL after gross tumor resection from IFA, despite the impact of appearance, speech, and chewing. Function preservation and restoration are critical since their correlation with postoperative QoL.
Assessing the Effects of Practitioner-Created and Implemented Video-Based Intervention to Teach Vocational Skills to Autistic Young Adults
Authors: Chen Briella Baer , Yakubova Gulnoza , O’Connor Julia T. , Herman Stacey , Myers Linda
Published: July 2023

This study evaluated the impact of training two practitioners to create and implement video-based intervention (VBI) to teach vocational skills to three autistic young adults in authentic workplace settings, via a multiple-probe single-case research design. A behavioral skills training (BST) package was used to train the practitioners to create and implement VBI. Practitioners’ fidelity of VBI creation and implementation was also evaluated via pretest-posttest. There was a functional relation between the practitioner-created and -implemented VBI and the autistic young adults’ vocational skill acquisition, with all three reaching 100% independent accuracy and demonstrating maintenance of the learned vocational skills. The practitioners also showed large increases in their fidelity of VBI creation and implementation from pretest to posttest, although their VBI creation performance decreased slightly at follow-up. All participants reported positive experiences with the VBI and rated it as socially valid.
Theorizing and mapping media ownership networks in authoritarian-populist contexts: a comparative analysis of Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, and Turkey
Authors: Schnyder Gerhard , Radl Marlene , Toth Fanni , Kucukuzun Melek , Turnšek Tjaša , Çelik Burçe , Pajnik Mojca
Published: July 2023

This paper aims to contribute to the ongoing discussions on authoritarian populism and the media, from the lens of the political economy of ownership. In contrast to studies that consider the link between media and authoritarian populism by focusing on the discursive structures of populist communication, this study analyses changes in the structure of news media ownership in four European countries that have been subject to authoritarian populism. By employing social network analysis, a methodology rarely used in media ownership research, we reveal how news media ownership concentration as well as changes in ownership structures have provided favorable conditions for the rise and endurance of authoritarian populism. Our study covers ownership developments during the period 2000 to 2020, in Austria, Hungary, Slovenia, and Turkey where authoritarian populist tendencies have been evident, albeit to varying degrees. Conclusions are drawn to illustrate how authoritarian populist actors in the sample countries not only capitalize on prevailing news media ownership structures, but also proactively intervene in ownership relations in order to increase influence over the diffusion of information.
Language modeling using an augmentative and alternative communication device during virtual schooling: A single case study
Authors: Wei Xing , Bhattacharya Usree
Published: July 2023

Aided augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) modeling is an important approach to facilitating language learning for individuals with complex communication repertoires. This study examines the implementation of this approach during COVID-19 virtual schooling. Key implementation challenges are identified, along with implications for educational practice to facilitate language learning. We conducted a qualitative case study of a 5-year-old child with Rett syndrome, a rare neurological disorder, who used an eye-tracking AAC device. We collected and triangulated data using participant observation of three one-on-one story reading sessions involving the child, her caregiver, and her teacher during virtual schooling as well as a semi-structured interview with the teacher. The study identified key steps for successful language modeling during virtual sessions. These included: ensuring access to the device, promoting attention through gestural and verbal prompts, providing modeling of AAC symbols, confirming responses, providing feedback, using visual supports, a collaborative approach, and positive reinforcement. Our findings suggest these strategies can help facilitate effective language development for children using AAC devices in online schooling contexts. The virtual context presented significant barriers to the practice of aided AAC modeling. Active participation of caregivers and teacher–caregiver collaboration is essential for effective implementation of aided AAC modeling during such schooling.
Post-COVID-19 survivors’ strategies for improving occupational balance: A qualitative study
Authors: Mahdizadeh Amin , Khankeh Hamidreza , Ghodsi Hasan , Hosseini Seyed Ali , Akbarfahimi Nazila
Published: July 2023

Introduction:

Coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) has caused some major changes in occupational patterns that form part of the individual’s occupational identity. Due to debilitating symptoms, post-COVID-19 survivors with limitations in the occupational performance areas may experience occupational imbalance. The objective of this study was to investigate the methods employed by patients to engage in their daily activities for regaining occupational balance.

Methods:

The study used an interpretive paradigm and conventional content analysis. An in-depth semi-structured interview was conducted with 11 patients who had been hospitalized due to COVID-19 in the past 6 months or less, along with their three primary caregivers residing in Tehran. The sampling method used was purposive and continued until conceptual saturation was reached. Participants with the most tremendous possible diversity in demographic variables were included. Data were analyzed using Corbin and Strauss’s recommended Constant Comparative Analysis.

Results:

The findings showed that patients used different strategies which included self-treatment based on others’ recommendations, compensatory, fatigue prevention and adaptive strategies to restore occupational balance.

Conclusion:

As occupational therapists, we must understand post-COVID-19 survivors’ perspectives on occupations and their preferred strategies. Also, findings confirm that occupational balance is a dynamic process that the adaptive capacities of the patients help to restore occupational balance.