bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Abelhas Sem Ferrão na Horta da Faculdade de Saúde Pública
Authors: Vasconcelos Gabriel Belem ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades, Bonfim Sabrina Marques Vasconcelos ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Escola de Artes, Ciências e Humanidades, Bonfim Samantha Marques Vasconcelos ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Saúde Pública, Bógus Cláudia Maria ,   Universidade de São Paulo. Faculdade de Saúde Pública
Published: August 2024

A biodiversidade é essencial para o equilíbrio e correto funcionamento dos ecossistemas do planeta. Mas, devido aos avanços da agricultura, o desflorestamento, o desenvolvimento urbano e demais atividades antrópicas, a biodiversidade tem sofrido severamente e está ameaçada. Nesse contexto, inclui-se as populações de polinizadores naturais, por não encontrarem mais recursos suficientes para se alimentar e fazer seus ninhos ー principalmente as abelhas, que possuem um papel crucial para mitigar os impactos ao planeta, pois são fundamentais à reprodução de uma ampla variedade de plantas. A perda de uma espécie desse inseto é capaz de reduzir ou mesmo extinguir espécies vegetais, de modo a alterar o meio ambiente e principalmente a produção de alimentos. Nesse contexto, o conhecimento sobre as abelhas bem como a importância delas ao meio ambiente e à nossa alimentação é essencial para agirmos em sua proteção. Elaborado por uma equipe interdisciplinar, o livro “Abelhas Sem Ferrão na Horta da Faculdade de Saúde Pública” é resultado do desejo do Projeto Horta da FSP-USP de disseminar a importância das Abelhas Sem Ferrão (ASF) para o equilíbrio e correto funcionamento dos ecossistemas do planeta e para a Segurança Alimentar e Nutricional. Esta obra está organizada em treze partes. Primeiro são apresentadas informações gerais sobre a biodiversidade e polinização. Em seguida, adentra-se no mundo das abelhas, abordando sobre o que são esses seres, como e onde vivem, quais suas contribuições para nós humanos e as espécies de ASF presentes na Horta da FSP-USP. Por fim, são trazidas plantas cultivadas na Horta, polinizadas pelas ASF, bem como os cuidados a serem tomados na utilização de plantas medicinais e quais as formas de preparo de chás.
Cardamine sichuanensis (Brassicaceae), a new species from Sichuan, China
Authors: GUO YONG-JIE , LI JIA-LU , AL-SHEHBAZ IHSAN ALI , QIAN LI-SHEN , FENG MING-JIAN , YUE JI-PEI , LIU QUAN-RU
Published: August 2024

Cardamine sichuanensis, a new species from Sichuan, China, is described and illustrated. It resembles five other Chinese-endemic congeners in being scapose with leafless stems, but differs by the 3–5-foliolate basal leaves. Phylogenetic analysis based on nrITS sequences revealed that this novelty is close to C. macrophylla and C. tangutorum, both of which are non-scapose plants with lilac or purple (vs. white) petals usually 1.5–1.7 (vs. to 1) cm long.
First record of the genus Sergeya Ponomarenko, 2008 (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) from the Afrotropical and Oriental regions, with description of ten new species
Authors: BIDZILYA OLEKSIY V. , MEY WOLFRAM , RAJAEI HOSSEIN
Published: August 2024

Genus Sergeya Ponomarenko, 2008 is recorded here for the first time from the Afrotropical and Oriental regions. Ten species are described as new: S. hackeri sp. nov. (Yemen), S. olei sp. nov. (Thailand), S. chuii sp. nov. (DR Congo), S. bunsoensis sp. nov. (Ghana), S. palescens sp. nov. (Uganda, South Africa), S. malawica sp. nov. (Malawi), S. korongotaji sp. nov. (Uganda), S. lobata sp. nov. (South Africa, Uganda, Ethiopia), S. davidi sp. nov. (Kenya), S. harambee sp. nov. (Kenya). The genus is redescribed, and its differences from most related Afrotropical genus Lanceopenna Janse, 1950, as well as Oriental Neolitinia Ponomarenko, Omelko & Omelko, 2021 and Parateleiopsis Ponomarenko, Omelko & Omelko, 2021 are discussed. Additionally, Lanceopenna prominula (Meyrick, 1913) (Aristotelia) is transferred from the genus Lanceopenna to Sergeya: S. prominula (Meyrick, 1913) comb. nov. and is recorded for the first time from Zimbabwe. All Afrotropical species of Sergeya are diagnosed, and an identification key to all species of the genus is provided. Wing pattern and genitalia of all species are illustrated. A lectotype is designated for Aristotelia prominula Meyrick, 1913. An updated check-list of species of Sergeya is provided.
Morphology, biology and phylogeny of Xenos gadagkari sp.nov. (Strepsiptera: Xenidae): an endoparasite of Polistes wattii (Hymenoptera: Vespidae)
Authors: NAIN DEEPAK , RANA ANJALI , RAYCHOUDHURY RHITOBAN , SEN RUCHIRA
Published: August 2024

We report the morphology, biology and phylogeny of a new strepsipteran endoparasitic species: Xenos gadagkari, which stylopises the primitively eusocial wasp Polistes wattii from Punjab, India. We report a high abundance of the endoparasite in P. wattii population of our study area and provide the morphological description of adult males, male puparium and neotenic females. This species is sufficiently different from other species of Xenos reported from social wasps and therefore, constitutes a new species, X. gadagkari Sen and Nain, sp. nov. Although there are a few reports of strepsipteran parasitoids from India, this is the first confirmed report with a description of a Xenos species from the Indian population of P. wattii. Our findings contribute to the growing body of knowledge on Xenos and provide a foundation for future behavioural, microbial and molecular studies on this enigmatic group of insects.
Proverbs and Linguistic Analysis
Authors: Castagna Giuliano
Published: August 2024

In this chapter, the expressions at the core of this study are presented, organised in subsections named after the relevant sources. Each entry is numbered and contains a transcription of the relevant expression, an English translation, as well as a detailed grammatical commentary. In addition, entries from Arabic-language sources contain an Arabic translation.
Adoption of the Improved Sorghum Variety (Melkame) in the West Hararghe, Mieso District
Authors: Moges Samson
Published: August 2024

Sorghum bicolor, also known as sorghum, is a type of grass that is grown for its grain. This grain is used for various purposes, such as human consumption, animal feed, and ethanol production. The study aims to identify the factors that influence the adoption of the Melkam sorghum variety in the Mieso district by collecting primary data from 160 randomly selected respondents through a structured questionnaire. Econometric models were then employed to analyze the relationship and determine the adoption factors of the Melkam Sorghum variety using STATA 13 software. The study utilized frequencies, percentages, correlation, and regression to analyze the data. The findings indicated that the use of improved sorghum (Melkam) resulted in a positive correlation with the availability of an active working labor force in the household. Farmers were more inclined to adopt new technologies when they frequently interacted with extension agents. The size of the family and the frequency of contact with extension agents significantly influenced farmers' decisions to adopt the improved sorghum (Melkam) variety (t = 5.07, P>0.005) and (t = 6.73, P>0.005) at 1 percent, respectively. The study recommends that the government should increase their contact with farmers to at least once a month through extension agents to promote the adoption of improved sorghum (Melkam). Therefore, to improve communication with farmers, extension agents should utilize local community organizations and effective traditional knowledge-sharing methods in conjunction with modern extension systems. It is recommended that extension agents prioritize households with larger family sizes as potential adopters of new technologies, while also paying special attention to households with smaller family sizes.
Influence of the Atlantic and Pacific Multidecadal Variability on Arctic Sea Ice in Pacemaker Simulations during 1920–2013
Authors: He Zhaoxiangrui , Dai Aiguo , Rose Brian E. J. , Vuille Mathias
Published: August 2024

The Atlantic multidecadal variability (AMV) and Pacific multidecadal variability (PMV) can influence Arctic sea ice and modulate its trend, but to what extent the AMV and PMV can affect Arctic sea ice and which processes are dominant are not well understood. Here, we analyze the Community Earth System Model, version 1, idealized and time-varying pacemaker ensemble simulations to investigate these issues. These experiments show that the sea ice concentration varies mainly over the marginal Arctic Ocean, while the sea ice thickness variations occur over the entire Arctic Ocean. The internal components of AMV and PMV can enhance or weaken the decadal sea ice loss rates over the marginal Arctic Ocean by more than 50%. The AMV- or PMV-induced anomalous atmospheric energy transport and downward longwave radiation related to low clouds (thermodynamical processes) and sea ice motion (dynamical processes) contribute to the Arctic surface air temperature and sea ice concentration and thickness changes. Anomalous oceanic heat flux is mainly a response to rather than a cause of sea ice variations. The dynamic processes contribute to the winter Arctic sea ice variations as much as the thermodynamic processes, but they contribute less (more) to the summer Arctic sea ice variability than the thermodynamic processes over the marginal Arctic Ocean (parts of the central Arctic Ocean). Sea ice loss enhances air–sea heat fluxes, which cause oceanic heat convergence and warm near-surface air and the lower troposphere, which in turn melt more sea ice.
Constituency Service and Electoral Accountability in Autocratic Legislatures
Authors: York Erin
Published: August 2024

How do political outsiders in autocratic legislatures use institutional authorities? I argue that legislative authorities tailored to offering constituency service help to level the playing field between regime and opposition candidates competing for the crucial resource of public support. Though regime candidates may have the ear of those in power through backdoor channels and personal connections, opposition politicians can use ‘by the book’ politics – the legitimate authorities that accompany their office – to supply the constituency goods voters expect. I construct a database of activity from recent legislative terms in Morocco, including more than 27,000 unique queries submitted by elected members of parliament to government ministers, and find systematic evidence that voters reward parties and MPs that engage in more constituency service via institutionalized action. Yet the relationship between activity and voteshare is exclusive to opposition parties: regime-linked parties do not see electoral gains from increased legislative activity, but neither are they punished for shirking in office.
The Effect of Aerobic Exercise on Visuospatial Attention in Young Adults
Authors: Ghamgui Sana , Dahmen Riadh
Published: August 2024

Our objective in this study was to investigate the effect of moderate-intensity aerobic exercise on visuospatial attention bias. We examined line bisection performance at rest before exercise and then immediately after exercise in 20 young adults. Pre-exercise, there was a larger leftward bias in subjective midpoint judgment of all participants than post-exercise ( p < .001). Thus, leftward error magnitude decreased according to aerobic exercise, as there were rightward shifts after the exercise. The participants’ performances were modulated by the hand used to perform manual bisection tasks ( p < .02). Participants erred to the left of the true midpoint with the non-dominant hand and to the right of the true midpoint with the dominant hand. The use of the non-dominant hand led to greater leftward error than the errors obtained using the dominant hand, though there was no interaction effect between hand use and effort. These findings suggest that moderate aerobic exercise can benefit visuospatial attention in adults.
The Transition to In-Person Schooling Following the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Qualitative Study Among Latinx Adolescents
Authors: Espinoza Guadalupe , Mariano JudelMay E.
Published: August 2024

The aim of this study was to better understand Latinx adolescents’ experiences in their transition to in-person schooling following the COVID-19 pandemic. The study focuses on the challenges and sources of support that Latinx adolescents faced as they pivoted to fully in-person learning. Participants were 40 Latinx high school students from Southern California (28 female, 12 male) who ranged in ages from 14 to 17 years old. Semi-structured interviews were conducted; a thematic analysis approach was utilized to identify key themes. Three themes emerged as the main barriers when transitioning to in-person learning: COVID-19 concerns, academics, and daily routine. The three main themes of support or facilitators were teacher support, friend interactions, and extracurriculars and events. These findings provide insights into Latinx adolescents’ lived experiences navigating in-person schooling after the COVID-19 pandemic, both positive and negative. The themes further highlight the importance of teachers and peers in adolescents’ school experiences.
Justification by constitution and tiered constitutional design?
Authors: Dixon Rosalind
Published: August 2024

Constitutions serve to legitimate the exercise of public power. Yet their scope is often subject to reasonable disagreement among citizens in a democracy. As Frank Michelman notes, this points to an understanding of democratic constitutions as a framework for contestation, rather than entrenched set of binding legal constraints. This understanding, however, arguably overlooks the difference between ordinary constitutional norms and those that protect the ‘democratic minimum core’. For the latter, there is far less scope for reasonable disagreement, and greater prudential importance to conceptualizing constitutions as entrenched norms authorized strong-form judicial review. The essay thus explores the idea of a ‘tiered’ approach to constitutional design, which combines elements of strong and weak constitutional entrenchment, and judicial review. In doing so, it further considers the role that transnational norms or practices could play in helping delineate these different constitutional tiers.
A Multi-stakeholder Study on the Effect of Layoffs on Separated Employees, Survivors and Organizations: What Needs to be Done?
Authors: Basu Soma , Sinha Deepankar , Sharma Naman
Published: August 2024

Organizations attempt to keep pace with the dynamic, ever-changing environment through technology up-gradation, human resource restructuring, diversification of product or service lines, and other similar actions. In most cases, these actions have taken the form of organizational downsizing, leading to the loss of jobs. The primary purpose of this study is to propose an approach that organizations may adopt against the cascading impact of layoffs on separated employees (victims), associates and co-workers (survivors). Online platforms were used for the collection of data. A total of 864 statements were analysed. Sentiment analysis was conducted using the SEMRUSH software. Miles and Huberman’s (1994, Qualitative data analysis: An expanded sourcebook) method was used to categorize the data obtained into meaningful categories to provide results that would support the research objectives. The analysis shows a considerable cascading psychological impact on the human resource ecosystem. This article puts forward the causal model, capturing the interplay of the effects of the stakeholders on one another and their social well-being. Further, the article proposes that the downsizing cycle be constituted such that it minimizes the impact of layoffs. Extant research on job loss has mostly considered one or two stakeholders at a time. We have attempted a multi-stakeholder approach. The study also suggests changes in the human resource (HR) cycle that organizations must examine to mitigate the adverse effects of layoffs.
Tailoring the vibration characteristics of carbon fiber-reinforced polylactic acid in fused filament fabrication process
Authors: Vinoth Babu N , Venkateshwaran N , Panneer selvan S
Published: August 2024

The Fused Filament Fabrication (FFF) process has gained significant attention for its ability to manufacture parts using advanced polymeric materials, such as carbon fiber-reinforced polylactic acid (CF-PLA). By adjusting the printing process parameters of the CF-PLA, the optimized mechanical properties can be achieved with less chances of flaws. Structural integrity of the components plays an important role in analyzing the durability of the product which can be analyzed using modal analysis. This research study focuses on analyzing the effect of process parameters on the vibration damping characteristics of CF-PLA components produced by the FFF process. The Taguchi method is used to model the relationship between process parameters and vibration performance metrics. Based on the vibration study, the optimal process parameters were determined as 60% infill density, 0.08 mm slice thickness, and hexagonal pattern. This study shows that the natural frequency and damping increases with increase in infill percent but decreases with increase in slice thickness. The closely aligned values between the predicted and experimental results suggest that the developed model is effective in predicting the vibration characteristics of CF-PLA composites. By accurately adjusting the process parameters, the study’s findings—such as frequencies and damping ratio—provide manufacturers with important and dependable CF-PLA Fused Deposition Modeling components.
Volunteering in Young Adulthood: Complex Associations With Later Health and Well-Being Outcomes
Authors: Nakamura Julia S. , Wilkinson Renae , Nelson Marisa A. , Suzuki Etsuji , VanderWeele Tyler J.
Published: August 2024

Purpose

To investigate whether changes in volunteering from adolescence to young adulthood are associated with subsequent health and well-being outcomes in adulthood.

Design

Longitudinal cohort study.

Setting

National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health.

Subjects

U.S. adults from Wave IV (2008/2009; N = 12,234) and Wave V (2016-2018; N = 9,971).

Measures

Any volunteering and nine types of volunteering (independent variables) and 41 health and well-being outcomes (dependent variables) using an outcome-wide approach with multiple linear-, logistic-, and generalized linear regressions.

Results

Volunteering in young adulthood was associated with better health behaviors (e.g., 34% decreased risk of binge drinking, 95% CI [0.54, 0.81]) and improved psychosocial and civic outcomes (e.g., lower depressive symptoms (β = −0.08, 95% CI [−0.14, −0.02]) in adulthood. Volunteering showed little evidence of associations with other health and well-being outcomes (e.g., loneliness, (β = −0.04, 95% CI [−0.09, 0.01])). Assessing volunteering by organization types showed a range of positive and negative outcomes. For example, volunteering in hospitals/nursing homes was associated with a 36% increased risk of high cholesterol (95% CI [1.06, 1.73]) and volunteering with political clubs was associated with a 52% increased risk of an anxiety diagnosis (95% CI [1.13, 2.05]).

Conclusion

Our findings suggest more work is needed to determine the conditions under which volunteering is health promoting and to minimize potential adverse effects associated with some types of volunteering.
Religious dress in the healthcare setting: Unpacking legal arguments and balancing individual rights
Authors: El Yattouti Naoual
Published: August 2024

This article explores the complex debate surrounding healthcare providers seeking to express their religious beliefs through the wearing of religious attire considering critical legal, ethical, and practical aspects. Drawing insights from the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights and European Court of Justice, it sheds light on the implications for healthcare settings. The study highlights the sensitivity of the healthcare context, where specific arguments surface, such as the debated significance of religious neutrality given the vulnerability of patients and concerns about health and safety. Difficulties may arise when patients feel discomfort when treated by visibly religious healthcare providers. However, patients’ preferences regarding the religious neutrality of healthcare providers cannot be generalised, especially when considering the needs of certain minoritised communities. Furthermore, questions can be raised about the admissibility of potentially accommodating prejudice through prohibitions on religious dress. The article further examines hygiene and safety arguments used by healthcare institutions to restrict religious attire, arguing that while health and safety standards are crucial, scientific support for outright bans is limited, especially considering the possibility of reasonable adjustments. The central theme is the necessity for balanced considerations while upholding religious freedom and prioritising patient care, with particular emphasis going on the idea that the needs of patients cannot be generalised.
Long-term remission with temozolomide for AIDS-related primary central nervous system lymphoma
Authors: Malbrun Camille , Bermejo Messaline , Pouy Romane , Quinquenel Anne , Bani-Sadr Firouzé
Published: August 2024

Primary Central Nervous System Lymphoma (PCNSL) is an aggressive brain tumour with a median survival rarely exceeding 3 months without treatment when seen in association with advanced HIV. High dose methotrexate (HD-MTX) in association with combination antiretroviral therapy (cART) is the recommended chemotherapy. However, HD-MTX may be not feasible due to poor performance status and concerns about toxicity. The 2023 guidelines from the European Association of Neuro-Oncology recommend that for people living with HIV (PLWH) presenting with PCNSL who have morbidities and/or poor functional status precluding the safe use of HD-MTX, other agents with a more favorable toxicity profile such as temozolomide might be considered. However, reports of temozolomide use for PLWH presenting PCNSL are exceedingly rare and this recommendation is extrapolated from its use in immunocompetent patients. We report here an elderly man living with HIV, with PCNSL and poor performance status who achieved long lasting remission with temozolomide plus cART. Our case illustrates the potential effectiveness of temozolomide in association with cART as first line treatment for PCNSL in a patient with poor functional status.
Design of active vibration isolation controller for pointing stabilization mechanism based on feedforward–feedback hybrid control
Authors: Xu Anpeng , Xu Zhenbang , Zhang Hui , He Shuai , Wang Lintao
Published: August 2024

The use of space technology and small space loads is increasingly common. To address this, a mechanism for isolation vibration in small optical load has been proposed. The mechanism includes a coarse and fine stage parallel pointing platform (CFPP). This paper investigates an active vibration isolation scheme for the novel pointing stabilization mechanism. The kinetic energy minimization principle is derived from the analysis of its working mechanism and dynamic feedforward characteristics. This principle is confirmed by the feedforward of the indeterminate degrees of freedom of the under-constrained mechanism. A hybrid control scheme of feedback and feedforward is developed based on the H∞ algorithm and the optimal feedforward control algorithm. Simulation and experimentation have proven that the vibration isolation efficiency of more than 20 dB can be achieved in all three axis rotation directions. This meets the precision pointing requirements of small optical load effectively.
Trastuzumab-induced optic neuritis: “blindness” side effect
Authors: Önder Tuğba , Karaçin Cengiz
Published: August 2024

Introduction

Trastuzumab improved the prognosis of patients with human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)+ breast cancer (BC). Here, we present a patient who developed acute vision loss due to optic atrophy in both eyes after trastuzumab.

Case report

A 60-year-old female patient was diagnosed with locally advanced HER2+ BC in January 2021. After four cycles of neoadjuvant anthracycline-based chemotherapy followed by four cycles of docetaxel, trastuzumab, and pertuzumab combined treatment, the patient underwent a right modified radical mastectomy. Three days after the end of the second cycle of adjuvant trastuzumab, she presented with acute vision loss. The patient's visual acuity was 90% in the right eye and 60% in the left eye. The left eye had optic nerve edema and spindle hemorrhages. First, on suspicion of optic neuritis, the patient was given a 1 gram/day pulse steroid for three days. However, optic neuritis was not considered during the follow-up. Metastasis was considered at the exit of the left optic nerve. Trastuzumab was started by making a mutual decision with the patient. Six days after the sixth dose of adjuvant trastuzumab, she presented with almost complete vision loss.

Management and outcome

The patient was diagnosed with optic neuritis, and a pulse steroid was administered. Trastuzumab was permanently discontinued. However, the patient's visual acuity in both eyes remained at 5–10%.

Discussion

Vision loss due to optic neuritis is a devastating side effect. Understanding that trastuzumab-induced optic neuritis may develop will help clinicians detect side effects early and manage them more effectively.
Virtual element method for solving a viscoelastic contact problem with long memory
Authors: Xiao Wenqiang , Ling Min
Published: August 2024

In this paper, we use the virtual element method to solve a history-dependent hemivariational inequality arising in contact problems. The contact problem concerns the deformation of a viscoelastic body with long memory, subjected to a contact condition with non-monotone normal compliance and unilateral constraints. A fully discrete scheme based on the trapezoidal rule for the discretization of the time integration and the virtual element method for the spatial discretization are analyzed. We provide a unified priori error analysis for both internal and external approximations. For the linear virtual element method, we obtain the optimal order error estimate. Finally, three numerical examples are reported, providing numerical evidence of the theoretically predicted optimal convergence orders.
Recurrent Hypoglycemia in a 67-Year-Old Woman with CD5- Positive Diffuse Large B-Cell Lymphoma
Authors: Zhang Jing , Qiu Jieyuzhen , Wu Lipan , Shen Lin , Gu Qin , Tan Wen
Published: August 2024

Hypoglycemia is a rare complication of diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. We are presenting a case of 67-year-old woman presented to her primary care physician with fatigue and hyperhidrosis. Laboratory evaluation revealed a glucose level of 1.9 mmol/L. Computed tomographic scan of the abdomen and subsequent positron emission tomographic scan revealed extensive lymphadenopathy. The patient was then diagnosed with CD5-positive-diffuse large B-cell lymphoma and developed recurrent hypoglycemia despite continuous infusion of glucose. Following immunochemotherapy, hypoglycemia was resolved. Several explanations have been postulated but the exact pathophysiology is not well understood. Further investigation is warranted to more clearly define the pathophysiology of persistent hypoglycemia in patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma.
Interpreting parliaments, but how?: Centring parliamentary actors and settings in ethnographic design and practice
Authors: Geddes Marc , Miller Cherry
Published: August 2024

Do researchers that use ethnographic methods study parliaments and parliamentary actors in the same way? While parliamentary ethnography is a growing research methodology to study political phenomena, such as informality, political behaviour and interpretations of parliamentary work, less is said about how access to sites and actors may affect analytical foci, strategies and outcomes. This neglects the complexity of parliamentary organisation and distinctive practices of parliamentary actors. We draw attention to this complexity to investigate how different levels and types of access to parliaments, and actors therein, affect ethnographic research. We reflect on this issue through four themes: (1) entry and access, (2) adapting to organisational rhythms, (3) ethnographic capital of researchers and (4) analysis and publication of findings. We argue that there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way of undertaking ethnographies of parliaments, but emphasise that researchers must explicitly reflect on how their particular strategies may shape ethnographic research on parliaments.
Evaluation of treatment information quality on hypertension and diabetes on WeChat and TikTok: A cross-sectional content analysis
Authors: Wu Minxia , Yang Yongmei , Chen Yanxing
Published: August 2024

Objective: This study aimed to assess the quality of the information in WeChat and TikTok videos related to hypertension and diabetes treatment. Methods: A sample of 120 Chinese videos was collected based on specific inclusion and exclusion criteria. The quality was evaluated using DISCERN, JAMA and the latest edition of Chinese guidelines for hypertension and diabetes prevention and treatment, and two observers independently scored each video using the three assessment tools. Results: Among all 120 videos, only 10 scored above 38 points in DISCERN, with 45 videos rated as “very poor”. None of the video met all JAMA criteria simultaneously, and there were gaps in accuracy and completeness compared to the two guidelines. Furthermore, there was no significant correlation between information quality and the number of likes and comments. Conclusion: The current quality of information on the treatment of hypertension and diabetes on WeChat and TikTok was unsatisfactory. Consequently, the government should strengthen oversight of information quality, and social media platforms should actively review health-related content to prevent inaccurate information dissemination. Individuals should enhance their digital and health literacy.
Fault diagnosis of air compressors using transfer learning: A comparative study of pre-trained networks and hyperparameter optimization
Authors: Srivatsan B , Naveen Venkatesh S , Aravinth S , Sugumaran V , Arockia Dhanraj Joshuva , Solomon Jenoris Muthiya , Muthu Vaidhyanathan R
Published: August 2024

Air compressors are critical components in many industries whose catastrophic failure results in huge financial losses and downtime leading to accidents. Hence, real time fault diagnosis of air compressor is essential to predict the health condition of air compressor and plan scheduled maintenance thereby reducing financial losses and accidents. Fault diagnosis using transfer learning aids in real time fault detection. In the present study, five air compressor conditions were considered namely, check valve fault, inlet and outlet reed valve fluttering fault, inlet reed valve fluttering fault, outlet reed valve fluttering fault, and good condition. The raw vibration data was converted to radar plot images that were pre-processed and classified using four pre-trained networks (ResNet-50, GoogLeNet, AlexNet, and VGG-16). The hyperparameters like epochs, batch size, optimizer, train-test split ratio, and learning rate were varied to find out the best network for air compressor fault diagnosis. ResNet-50 among all other pre-trained networks produced the maximum classification accuracy (average of five trials) of 98.72%.
“The goal is to make you weaker”: Mental well-being and risks among European cross-border investigative journalists
Authors: de Jong Belle , Kotišová Johana
Published: August 2024

The increased scale of cross-border journalistic investigations brings about severe challenges: online harassment, physical violence, legal threats, but also emotional challenges and mental stress that can lead to burnout. The latter has never been the focus of studies on cross-border investigative journalistic collaborations. This paper seeks to fill in this gap and contribute to the understanding of how the cross-border aspects of investigative journalists’ work shape their mental well-being. Based on eighteen semi-structured interviews conducted with investigative journalists across Europe in the first half of 2023, this study addresses the following research questions: What are the specific challenges, threats, and risks encountered by investigative journalists working on cross-border collaborations? How do these challenges and risks affect investigative journalists’ mental well-being? What coping mechanisms do investigative journalists employ? Our findings show that cross-border investigative journalists experience a systemic neglect of mental well-being in the profession. Moreover, journalists face country-specific challenges, stemming from varying legal constraints and disparities in institutional support and protection across countries. The lack of safety measures that protect journalists beyond physical safety, multitasking, and the lack of concern for cross-border investigative journalists’ mental well-being can prove particularly challenging for freelancers. At the same time, the cross-border collaborations are depicted as a source of mutual assistance, protection, and a sense of community among international journalists.
Academia and journalism: Two different worlds? How scientific institutions can successfully collaborate with journalistic organizations
Authors: Wunderlich Leonie , Hölig Sascha , Ellers Meinolf
Published: August 2024

Traditionally, researchers have played only a limited role as experts or qualified sources for journalists—and journalists were the subject of investigation for researchers rather than cooperation partners. The rapid pace of transformation processes in media use poses various challenges for media practitioners today, which is why they increasingly rely on the support of media researchers and their valuable insights into consumer attitudes and behaviour. However, the cooperation between scientific institutions and media practitioners is marked by many challenges and apart from individual temporary projects, lasting collaborations have not yet been established. This paper presents a long-term transfer initiative that aims to promote news use and news literacy among young people in close cooperation between a scientific institution and a wide range of private and public service media. Using this initiative as an example, we analyse the opportunities, challenges, and productive dynamics that result from this project. Based on our experience, we propose four main pieces of advice for how researchers can enhance long-term collaboration with newsrooms.
Embodied reflexivity in voice-only interviewing: Navigating gender in difficult-to-access contexts
Authors: Khan Muhammad Salman
Published: August 2024

This article reflects on my experiences as a male researcher using voice-only WhatsApp interviews to study women's affect and Taliban violence in Pakistan's Swat Valley. It considers the opportunities and constraints posed by doing research in supposedly disembodied online space. It also positions remote voice-only interviews as both embodied and embedded practices. This understanding situates the embodied reflexivity and gendered positionality of the researcher in relation to research participants—a relationship largely absent in online, qualitative voice-only interviewing literature. While internet-mediated settings do indeed offer some opportunities, their ability to circumvent gender boundaries is largely over-celebrated and has not received enough critical attention. I demonstrate why researcher feelings, positionality, and embodied reflexivity should be central concerns in post-COVID online, voice-only interviewing.
How does virtual peer presence relate to learning from video lectures and subsequent explanation generation? The moderated mediating roles of motivation and explanation characteristics
Authors: Zhu Fangfang , Pan Yun , Pi Zhongling , Yang Jiumin
Published: August 2024

Finding effective ways to improve students’ learning from video lectures will not only improve online education efficacy, it will also play an important role in the digital transformation of education. Generating written explanations has shown some benefits for learning, and peer presence may be an implementation-related boundary condition. This study tested the impacts of virtual peer presence (presence vs. absence) and generative tasks (generating explanations vs. no generation) on students’ learning in a video-based learning context. Students’ attention, meta-comprehension accuracy, motivation, cognitive load, learning achievements, and explanation characteristics were measured. Results showed some benefits of having a virtual peer, and of generating written explanations on students’ learning. Moreover, mediating analyses revealed the mediating role of motivation between peer presence and learning achievement, and moderated mediating analyses revealed the moderating role of explanation characteristics between peer presence and motivation. Our findings not only extend the understanding of the positive effects of generating written explanations in video-based learning contexts, they also provide implications for improving students’ learning from video lectures as well as optimizing online video lectures.
Anchor versus parachute suturing technique in arteriovenous fistula creation for hemodialysis
Authors: Mabrouk Moustafa , atta Islam , Fouda Ahmed , Ismail Khalid , Ismail Taha , Gawish Rasha , Elkassaby Mohammed
Published: August 2024

Introduction

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) affects 13% of the global population and requires renal replacement therapy due to ESRD. Hemodialysis (HD) is the most common dialysis modality for ESRD patients, but establishing vascular access is challenging due to high morbidity and mortality rates. Arteriovenous fistulas (AVFs) are the gold standard for vascular access, but many fail due to anastomotic hemodynamics, vein diameter, and anastomatic suture technique. A prospective study was conducted to evaluate the impact of two continuous suturing techniques, the anchor technique and the parachute technique, on AVFs’ initial outcomes.

Methods

This randomized, controlled study involved adult patients who presented for AVF creation at our center. We divided the patients into two groups: anchors and parachutes. Four skilled vascular access surgeons performed the procedures. The primary goal was functional maturation of the AVF, defined as an AVF fistula ready to be cannulated with a cannulating vein length of at least 10 cm, a diameter of more than 6 mm, a depth of less than 6 mm, and a flow rate of 600 mL/min. Secondary goals included patency and complications such as bleeding, infection, steal syndrome, and aneurysmal dilatation at the anastomosis site. AVFs were evaluated immediately after surgery and during follow-up visits at the outpatient clinic. A duplex scan was performed to measure flow at various intervals. All patients provided appropriate written consent.

Result

The study involved 186 patients, with 86 excluded. 100 were randomized, with 5 cases losing follow-up and 3 deaths within 12 months. The follow-up continued until January 2024, with a mean of 8.6 months. The Parachute technique shows higher technical success ( p value = 0.046) and primary patency at 30 days ( p value = 0.014) compared to Anchor, but there is no statistical significance between both groups regarding functional maturation at 6 weeks ( p value = 0.352). The parachute technique has a higher hematoma rate than the anchor technique ( p value = 0.025), while other complications like intra-operative bleeding, postoperative bleeding, pseudoaneurysm formation, thrombosis, steal syndrome, and seroma formation show no significant differences. Nine patients, five of whom were diabetic and underwent conservative management, exhibited mild to moderate steal syndrome. This suggests an increased risk of steal syndrome among diabetic patients.

Conclusion

The parachute technique for AVF creation offers better technical success and short-term primary patency outcomes, while both parachute and anchor techniques are equally effective for long-term functional maturation and overall complication rates.
Hybrid aorto-iliac reconstruction for acute infrarenal aortic occlusion: A case report
Authors: Loh Sarah A , Aboian Edouard
Published: August 2024

Objective

Acute aortic occlusion (AAO), though rare, carries a high morbidity and mortality risk. Rapid recognition and revascularization are crucial for limb and life preservation. We present a case of a hybrid approach using open thrombectomy and endovascular arterial stent grafts in lieu of an open bypass for management of AAO.

Methods

This case describes a 77-year-old man who presented with new-onset lower extremity pain with associated sensory deficits and was found to have acute infrarenal aortic occlusion. Open femoral cutdown for open thrombectomy and distal embolic protection with endovascular balloon occlusion was combined with aortic and bilateral iliac artery stenting.

Results

The patient was discharged home on post-operative day 3 with resolution of his presenting symptoms and remains asymptomatic at 1-month follow-up.

Conclusion

This technique of aorto-iliac reconstruction using stent grafts has previously been described in the setting of chronic aorto-iliac occlusive disease; however, its use has not been previously documented in the setting of acute aortic occlusion. This case illustrates the safety and feasibility of a hybrid approach to AAO, particularly in patients who are physiologically unfit for open revascularization.
Interrelations between teachers’ perceptions of school leadership group practices and collaborative school development in Finland
Authors: Heikonen Lauri , Ahtiainen Raisa
Published: August 2024

This study contributes to research on collective forms of leadership by exploring the interrelations between Finnish comprehensive schoolteachers’ perceptions of school leadership group's leadership practices and collaborative school development. The study was conducted in small and middle size municipalities ( N = 16) in Southern Finland. The results from a survey data ( N = 1030) showed that teachers who perceived their school's leadership group as acting coherently in line with shared values, also considered that there are clear goals for school development and practices for assessing the attainment of those goals. Teachers’ perceptions of participative leadership group practices were positively associated with perceiving a conversational environment and students’ engagement in school development work. Teachers having experience of working in the leadership group showed a stronger sense of shared responsibility for school development compared to teachers with no such experience. Overall, the study highlights the role of coherent and participative leadership practices of school leadership groups. Thus, school principals need to be trained and supported in organizing their leadership structures to enhance collaborative efforts of school development. As one of the first quantitative studies focusing on leadership groups, this article offers instruments for future research and informs policy about school leadership structures.
Examining teacher leadership perceptions: A comparison between the United States and Qatar
Authors: Sawalhi Rania , Soliman Abdrabo , Angelle Pamela S
Published: August 2024

In this study, we compared teachers’ perceptions in the United States and Qatar on the four dimensions of the Teacher Leadership Inventory (TLI) (Share Expertise, Share Leadership, Supra-Practitioner, and Principal Selection). Our analysis illuminated how teachers in both countries perceived the extent of teacher leadership and provided valuable insights into the differences between the two countries in each factor. Notably, we found statistically significant differences in all four factors of the TLI between the United States and Qatar, with a particularly large effect size in the Supra-Practitioner factor. The unique aspect of our study lies in comparing teacher leadership levels between two countries with vastly different contexts but surprisingly similar policy orientations regarding education. These findings have significant implications for policymakers, researchers, and practitioners, and we provide specific recommendations based on our results.
Factors that play a role in international PhD candidates’ social experiences with inclusion and integration in an international learning environment: A narrative inquiry in a Dutch research university
Authors: Aladegbaiye Adedapo T , de Jong Menno DT , Beldad Ardion D , Peters Guido M , Cruz-Martinez Roberto R
Published: August 2024

International universities often promote inclusive learning environments to aid their sojourners’ social integration and improve their well-being. However, little is known about how social experiences with inclusion and integration (SEII) unfold for international PhD candidates in Dutch research universities (DRUs). This study uses the narratives of twenty IPCs to understand the factors that play a role in their SEII in a DRU. Findings suggest that nine factors may define SEII among the participants. Two factors—prior experiences in an ILE and identity in PhD role—played a role in participants’ early SEII, while seven factors played a role in participants’ early and later SEII. These included IPCs’ social participation level, intercultural interaction dynamics, shared language adaptation, cultural events, university’s international campus climate, social support, and perceived prejudice and stereotypes. IPCs and their international universities should align expectations to promote an inclusive social climate to foster social integration of IPCs.
Challenges of perioperative pain control in opioid use disorder patients following intramedullary nail fixation
Authors: Curtis William , Kruger Eric , Fountain Damian , Chavez Tyler , Treme Gehron
Published: August 2024

Background:

Outcomes of patients with opioid use disorder undergoing elective procedures have been well studied, but research is lacking in the orthopaedic trauma population.

Aim:

The aim was to compare perioperative pain and morphine equivalents required by patients with versus without opioid use disorder following intramedullary nail fixation of femoral or tibial fractures.

Methods:

We conducted a retrospective review of all patients with isolated femoral or tibial diaphyseal fractures treated with intramedullary nail fixation. Outcomes were compared between patients with diagnosed opioid use disorder and controls without, including daily morphine equivalents and patient-reported pain scores.

Results:

Patients with opioid use disorder (n = 42) required greater morphine equivalents and reported higher pain than controls (n = 42) at all time points but did not differ in change of morphine equivalents over the perioperative period.

Conclusion:

This highlights the challenge of perioperative pain control in this population and need for improved specific pain management protocols.