bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long Non-Coding RNA BCYRN1 Drives Cellular Processes to Promote Asthma Development
Authors: Shu Min , Xu Hongbo , Liang Yongsheng , Shi Mengjuan , Chen Ming , Guo Jianghua
Published: January 2024

Introduction: Asthma is a common chronic inflammatory respiratory disease worldwide. The long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) BCYRN1 has been shown to function in the inhibition of smooth muscle cell differentiation and vascular development, but its function and potential molecular mechanisms of lncRNA BCYRN1 in bronchial smooth muscle cells (BSMCs) in asthma remain unknown. Methods: Quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) was performed to detect the expression level of lncRNA BCYRN1 in blood and sputum of asthma patients. The effects of lncRNA BCYRN1 on the proliferation and migration of BSMCs were explored by cell counting kit-8, Transwell, colony formation, and flow cytometry analysis. Differentially expressed genes between lncRNA BCYRN1 overexpression and knockdown cells were identified using RNA-seq and verified using RT-qPCR. Results: LncRNA BCYRN1 was upregulated in asthma patients. Overexpression of lncRNA BCYRN1 significantly promoted the proliferation and migration of BSMCs, inhibited cell apoptosis and affected cell cycle arrest, promoting DNA replication. These effects were reversed after lncRNA BCYRN1 inhibition. RNA-seq identified 434 common differentially expressed genes in the lncRNA BCYRN1 overexpression and knockdown groups and verified their expression levels by RT-qPCR. Gene ontology, Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes and Gene set enrichment analysis indicated that these genes were mainly involved in external stimulus, cell cycle, growth factor activity, cytokine interactions, and inflammatory response. Conclusion: The identification of the highly expressed lncRNA BCYRN1 in patients with asthma, combined with functional experiments and transcriptional data, suggests that lncRNA BCYRN1 can mediate the development of asthma and can be used as a promising diagnostic and prognostic biomarker for asthma.
Photon Counting Computed Tomography with the Radiation Dose of a Chest X-Ray: Feasibility and Diagnostic Yield
Authors: Dettmer Sabine , Werncke Thomas , Mitkovska Violeta Nikolova , Brod Torben , Joean Oana , Vogel-Claussen Jens , Wacker Frank , Welte Tobias , Rademacher Jessica
Published: January 2024

Introduction: Photon counting (PC) detectors allow a reduction of the radiation dose in CT. Chest X-ray (CXR) is known to have a low sensitivity and specificity for detection of pneumonic infiltrates. The aims were to establish an ultra-low-dose CT (ULD-CT) protocol at a PC-CT with the radiation dose comparable to the dose of a CXR and to evaluate its clinical yield in patients with suspicion of pneumonia. Methods: A ULD-CT protocol was established with the aim to meet the radiation dose of a CXR. In this retrospective study, all adult patients who received a ULD-CT of the chest with suspected pneumonia were included. Radiation exposure of ULD-CT and CXR was calculated. The clinical significance (new diagnosis, change of therapy, additional findings) and limitations were evaluated by a radiologist and a pulmonologist considering previous CXR and clinical data. Results: Twenty-seven patients (70% male, mean age 68 years) were included. With our ULD-CT protocol, the radiation dose of a CXR could be reached (mean radiation exposure 0.11 mSv). With ULD-CT, the diagnosis changed in 11 patients (41%), there were relevant additional findings in 4 patients (15%), an infiltrate (particularly fungal infiltrate under immunosuppression) could be ruled out with certainty in 10 patients (37%), and the therapy changed in 10 patients (37%). Two patients required an additional CT with contrast medium to rule out a pulmonary embolism or pleural empyema. Conclusions: With ULD-CT, the radiation dose of a CXR could be reached while the clinical impact is higher with change in diagnosis in 41%.
Nonpreferential but Detrimental Accumulation of Macrophages With Clonal Hematopoiesis-Driver Mutations in Cardiovascular Tissues—Brief Report
Authors: Dederichs Tsai-Sang , Yerdenova Assel , Horstmann Hauke , Vico Tamara Antonela , Nübling Simone , Peyronnet Rémi , Pfeifer Dietmar , von zur Muehlen Constantin , Heidt Timo , Wolf Dennis , Czerny Martin , Westermann Dirk , Hilgendorf Ingo
Published: January 2024

BACKGROUND:

Clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential (CHIP) is an acquired genetic risk factor for both leukemia and cardiovascular disease. It results in proinflammatory myeloid cells in the bone marrow and blood; however, how these cells behave in the cardiovascular tissue remains unclear. Our study aimed at investigating whether CHIP-mutated macrophages accumulate preferentially in cardiovascular tissues and examining the transcriptome of tissue macrophages from
DNMT3A
(DNA methyltransferase 3 alpha) or
TET2
(Tet methylcytosine dioxygenase 2) mutation carriers.

METHODS:

We recruited patients undergoing carotid endarterectomy or heart surgeries to screen for CHIP mutation carriers using targeted genomic sequencing. Myeloid and lymphoid cells were isolated from blood and cardiovascular tissue collected during surgeries using flow cytometry. DNA and RNA extracted from these sorted cells were subjected to variant allele frequency measurement using droplet digital polymerase chain reaction and transcriptomic profiling using bulk RNA sequencing, respectively.

RESULTS:

Using droplet digital polymerase chain reaction, we detected similar variant allele frequency of CHIP in monocytes from blood and macrophages from atheromas and heart tissues, even among heart macrophages with and without CCR2 (C-C motif chemokine receptor 2) expression. Bulk RNA sequencing revealed a proinflammatory gene profile of myeloid cells from
DNMT3A
or
TET2
mutation carriers compared with those from noncarriers.

CONCLUSIONS:

Quantitatively, CHIP-mutated myeloid cells did not preferentially accumulate in cardiovascular tissues, but qualitatively, they expressed a more disease-prone phenotype.
An Afterword to Rise of the Self-Replicators: Placing John A. Etzler, Frigyes Karinthy, Fred Stahl, and Others in the Early History of Thought About Self-Reproducing Machines
Authors: Taylor Tim
Published: January 2024

This article is an afterword to the book Rise of the Self-Replicators: Early Visions of Machines, AI and Robots That Can Reproduce and Evolve, coauthored by Tim Taylor and Alan Dorin (2020). The book covered the early history of thought about self-reproducing and evolving machines, from initial speculations in the 17th century up to the early 1960s (from which point onward the more recent history is already well covered elsewhere). This article supplements the material discussed in the book by presenting several relevant sources that have come to the author’s attention since the book was published. The most significant additions to the history are from the German-born, 19th-century inventor and utopian John Adolphus Etzler in the 1830s–1840s, the Hungarian author and satirist Frigyes Karinthy in 1916, and the U.S. mathematician and computer scientist Fred Stahl in 1960.
Bamboo Slip Medical Manuscripts Excavated from Tianhui Township, Sichuan
Authors: Liu Changhua , Gu Man , Liu Yang , Zhou Qi , Luo Qiong , Ochs Shelley
Published: January 2024

Since 2014 our team of scholars at the China Academy of Chinese Medical Sciences (CACMS) has been transcribing and analyzing the 951 bamboo slips excavated from the Laoguanshan tomb site at Tianhui. The team includes Liu Changhua 柳长华, Gu Man 顾漫, Zhou Qi 周琦, Luo Qiong 罗琼, and Liu Yang 刘阳. The lead author of this article, who is the former director of the Institute of Chinese Medical History and Medical Literature at CACMS, is the principal investigator. What follows is a report of our work on the six different manuscripts we identified among the tomb M3–121 bamboo slips and a preliminary analysis of their content and its formation. The texts from Tianhui were copied in the early second century BCE. They thus give us invaluable insight into how medical literature was compiled and edited during the course of the Han dynasty in the century before Liu Xiang (77–6 BCE) and Li Zhuguo (fl. ca. 26 BCE) compiled their bibliographic treatise on books on medicine and diagnosis in the Han imperial library.
Taxonomic revisions of some Neotropical Zygoptera (Odonata)
Authors: GARRISON ROSSER , ELLENRIEDER NATALIA VON
Published: January 2024

We provide updated synonymies for various genera and species of Neotropical Zygoptera based on examination of specimens and literature accompanied by justifications and supported by illustrations. The following generic synonyms are proposed: Austrotepuibasis Machado & Lencioni, 2011 and Pseudotepuibasis Stand-Pérez & Pérez-Gutiérrez, 2020 are junior synonyms of Tepuibasis De Marmels, 2007; Fredyagrion Lencioni, 2022, Kiautagrion Lencioni, 2022, Nathaliagrion Lencioni, 2022, and Machadagrion Lencioni, 2022 are junior synonyms of Leptagrion Selys, 1876; Juenagrion Lencioni, 2023 is a junior synonym of Telebasis Selys, 1865. The following specific synonyms are proposed: Lestes fernandoi Costa, Souza & Muzón, 2006 is a junior synonym of Lestes debellardi De Marmels, 1992; Lestes tikalus Kormondy, 1959 is a junior synonym of Lestes scalaris Gundlach, 1888; Palaemnema brasiliensis Machado, 2009 is a junior synonym of Palaemnema brevignoni Machet, 1990; Hetaerina aurora Ris, 1918 is a junior synonym of Hetaerina duplex Selys, 1853; Hetaerina hebe Selys, 1853 is a junior synonym of Hetaerina longipes Hagen in Selys, 1853; Mnesarete mariana Machado, 1996 is a junior synonym of Mnesarete guttifera (Selys, 1873); Acanthagrion hartei Muzón & Lozano, 2005 is a junior synonym of Acanthagrion obsoletum (Förster, 1914); Oxyagrion bruchi Navás, 1924 is a junior synonym of Oxyagrion ablutum (Calvert, 1909); Austrotepuibasis alvarengai Machado & Lencioni, 2011 and Austrotepuibasis manolisi Machado & Lencioni, 2011 are junior synonyms of Tepuibasis demarmelsi (Machado & Lencioni, 2011). Helveciagrion Machado, 1980 is again considered a junior synonym of Telebasis Selys, 1865; Leptagrion auriceps St. Quentin, 1960 is again considered a junior synonym of Leptagrion macrurum (Burmeister, 1839), and Homeoura sobrina (Schmidt, 1943) is transferred back to Ischnura Charpentier. The following synonymies are tentatively proposed pending further examination of specimens: Philogenia lankesteri Calvert, 1924 is a possible junior synonym of Philogenia carrillica Calvert, 1907; Leptagrion jeromei Lencioni, Vilela & Furieri in Vilela, Garcia Júnior, Furieri & Lencioni, 2021 is a possible junior synonym of Leptagrion andromache Hagen in Selys, 1876; Phoenicagrion flavescens Machado, 2010 is a possible junior synonym of Phoenicagrion flammeum (Selys, 1876); Tuberculobasis mammilaris (Calvert, 1909) is a possible junior synonym of Tuberculobasis croceum (Burmeister, 1839) new combination. The status of Agrion rufovittatum Blanchard, 1846 is briefly discussed.
Taxonomic notes on the genus Heliophanus C.L. Koch, 1833, with description of three additional genera (Araneae: Salticidae: Chrysillini)
Authors: WESOŁOWSKA WANDA
Published: January 2024

Intrageneric taxonomy of genus Heliophanus C.L. Koch, 1833 is revised. Two subgenera are elevated to the generic ranks: Helafricanus Wesołowska, 1986 (type species Heliophanus patellaris Simon, 1901) and Heliocapensis Wesołowska, 1986 (type species Heliophanus peckhami Simon, 1902). Generic name Trapezocephalus Berland & Millot, 1941 is removed from synonyms of Heliophanus and reinstalled as valid genus (type species Heliophanus cassinicola Simon, 1909 = Trapezocephalus aeluriliformis Berland & Millot, 1941). Genera Helafricanus, Heliocapensis, Heliophanus s. str. and Trapezocephalus are redefined, and their updated diagnoses and compositions are given. Seventy-three new combinations are proposed from Heliophanus s. lato. Five specific names are synonymized: Heliophanus thaleri Wesołowska, 2009 with Heliophanus termitophagus Wesołowska & Haddad, 2002, Heliophanus patagiatus albolineatus Kulczyński, 1901 with Heliophanus patagiatus Thorell, 1875, Heliophanus montanus Wesołowska, 2006 with Heliophanus capicola Simon, 1901 (and transferred to Trapezocephalus), Heliophanus berlandi Lawrence, 1937 with Baryphas ahenus Simon, 1902, and Astia hariola L. Koch,1879 with Heliophanus maculatus Karsch,1878, for the latter species Astia maculata (Karsch,1878) comb. nov. is proposed. Heliophanus japonicus Kishida, 1910 is recognized as nomen dubium.
Male Perpetrators of Child Sexual Abuse: A Comparison Between Individuals Serving Custodial and Non-Custodial Sentences
Authors: Sousa Marta , Cunha Olga , Abrunhosa Gonçalves Rui , Rodrigues Andreia de Castro
Published: January 2024

The literature considers individuals who sexually offended children (ISOCs) as a heterogeneous group. In Portugal, ISOCs may be subject to two types of sentences: custodial and non-custodial measures. In the present study, we performed a comparative analysis between 66 male individuals sentenced to prison and 47 male individuals sentenced to community measures for sexual crimes against children, using a set of sociodemographic, penal, and psychological measures. The results showed that the incarcerated ISOCs’ had more static risk factors for sexual and nonsexual recidivism. Only two variables increased the probability of belonging to the incarceration group: having other convictions beyond child sexual abuse and having committed serious sexual offenses. Based on these results, implications for ISOCs’ treatment and sentencing are discussed.
Role of Nominated Members of Rajya Sabha in Indian Legislative Processes
Authors: Thomas Vineeth , Bagh Subal Kumar
Published: January 2024

This research article investigates the role and influence of nominated members in the Rajya Sabha, India’s upper house of Parliament. Drawing on the theoretical frameworks of representation theory and deliberative democracy, the study examines the contributions and effectiveness of nominated members in shaping legislative discussions and policy decisions. Findings indicate varying levels of engagement among nominated members, with some actively participating and advocating for specific causes. The study highlights the significance of nominating individuals with relevant expertise and diverse interests to enhance inclusivity in parliamentary representation.
Comparative study of failure analysis in glass fiber reinforced laminated pin joints under cyclic and static loading conditions
Authors: Gupta Akash , Singh Manjeet
Published: January 2024

Glass Fiber Reinforce Polymer (GFRP) composite Joints were studied under monotonic loads for aerospace and marine applications, but cyclic loading is also a common and serious concern in these applications. In this current study, GFRP composite pin joints were analyzed under cyclic loading, at various geometric factors experimentally and numerically using finite element analysis (FEA) and also compared with monotonic loading. Fatigue tests were carried out using sinusoidal tension-tension loading and covering a range of stress levels from 50% to 90% of effective failure strength (EFS). Weibull distribution was utilized to predict the reliable fatigue life of joints at various joint configurations. Under cyclic loading rapid degradation of dynamic modulus indicated catastrophic failure with shorter fatigue life, while gradual degradation implied slow micro-crack growth and extended fatigue life with progressive failure while in monotonic loading, a sudden fall in the stress-strain curve represented catastrophic failure, and a zigzag curve indicated bearing failure mode before fracture. The damage rate was also determined from the hysteresis loop cycles which indicate greater loop expansion due to the stiffness degradation and higher energy dissipation shows rapid damage accumulation and shorter fatigue life at higher stress level. On the other hand at lower stress level, moderate enlargement of the hysteresis loop demonstrates extended fatigue life with slower damage propagation.
When a Chatbot Disappoints You: Expectancy Violation in Human-Chatbot Interaction in a Social Support Context
Authors: Rheu Minjin (MJ) , Dai Yue (Nancy) , Meng Jingbo , Peng Wei
Published: January 2024

Although users’ expectations of a chatbot’s performance could greatly shape their interaction experience, they have been underexplored in the context of social support where chatbots are gaining popularity. A 2 × 2 experiment created expectancy violation and confirmation conditions by matching or mismatching a chatbot’s expertise label (expert vs. non-expert) and its interactional contingency (contingent vs. generic feedback to users). Contingent feedback from chatbots was found to have positive effects on participants’ evaluation of the bot and their perceived emotional validation, regardless of the bot’s expertise label. When providing generic feedback to participants, a bot received worse evaluation and induced less emotional validation on participants when it was labeled as an expert, rather than a non-expert, highlighting the detrimental effect of negative expectancy violation than negative expectancy confirmation in interactions with a social support chatbot. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
Emotional Markers of Disrespect: A Fourth Dimension of Perceived Political Incivility?
Authors: Stryker Robin , Conway Bethany Anne , Bauldry Shawn , Kaul Vasundhara
Published: January 2024

Research has investigated emotional responses to perceived political incivility but not whether aspects of emotionality may be perceived as uncivil. When politicians display or evoke anger, they may increase democratic participation; however, because manifesting or evoking some negative emotions suggests disrespect—a central component of extant conceptualizations of political incivility—displaying anger and evoking fear and anger may be perceived as aspects of incivility. We test this using confirmatory factor analysis on a national sample of over 2,000 Americans. We find an overarching construct of perceived political incivility including not only three previously identified dimensions but also a fourth dimension reflecting negative emotions including fear and anger. Despite heterogeneity in perceived incivility, about 70% or more of respondents view behaviors including trolling and intentionally evoking anger and fear as mostly or very uncivil.
Beyond democratic degeneration, horizontal and liberated organization? The agonistic approach of a Belgian food co-op
Authors: Pastier Kévin
Published: January 2024

This research focuses on democratic organizations and the risk of degeneration. The author studies how horizontal management may maintain a democratic organization’s stability through the examination of a Belgium food cooperative with democratic governance. The article reaches two main conclusions. First, it concludes with a simple empirical finding: horizontal organization does not necessarily prevent degeneration. However, it stresses that implementing horizontal management in democratic organizations allows for daily members’ politicization and then the organization’s pluralization. Second, it proposes a theoretical contribution for a better understanding of democratic degeneration. In a horizontally organized structure, the degeneration process differs from what is typically noted in the literature, as it is triggered by the politicization of the members. Therefore, an agonistic reinterpretation of the traditional degenerative stages is proposed: (1) fusion, (2) pluralization, (3) conflictualization, and (4) centralization.
Nurse Managers’ Professional Quality of Life During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Bunch Jacinda L. , Gedney-Lose Amalia , Perkhounkova Yelena , Sharp Brittaney , Groves Patricia S.
Published: January 2024

Background:

Health systems cannot effectively support nurse managers without understanding psychosocial effects of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Objective:

The objective of this study was to describe the professional quality of life of frontline nursing management during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Methods:

A cross-sectional online survey of 54 nurses in management positions at a large Midwest academic medical center during 2022 was conducted. Participants completed an electronic survey including demographics, Professional Quality of Life Measure Version 5, and items assessing past consideration of and future intent to leave their position, organization, or profession.

Results:

Most participants had previously considered changing roles (80%) or leaving the organization during the pandemic (76%). Fewer respondents reported that changing role (24%) or organization (20%) was likely during the upcoming 6-12 months. Most participants scored in moderate ranges of Compassion Satisfaction, Burnout, and Secondary Traumatic Stress scales (85%, 89%, and 74%, respectively). Higher Compassion Satisfaction was associated with extreme unlikelihood of leaving for an internal non-management role. Higher Burnout scores were associated with more time working and past consideration or future likelihood of leaving for an external non-nursing position. Secondary Traumatic Stress scores were higher for nurse managers and house operation managers than assistant nurse managers and associated with past consideration of moving to an internal non-management role or external non-nursing position and future likelihood of moving to an external non-nursing position.

Conclusions:

Nurse management occupies a demanding position between frontline staff needs and administrative requirements, profoundly impacted by COVID-19. Health care researchers, administration, and policymakers must learn how to support, retain, and sustain nursing management in a post-pandemic world.
Psychological Factors Affecting Drive-by-Lane Behavior at Lane Offset Intersections: Analysis Based on Extended Theory of Planned Behavior in a Chinese Sample
Authors: Liu Xiangmin , Zhao Xiaohua , Bian Yang , Wu Chengyu , Dong Wenhui
Published: January 2024

Traffic conflict commonly occurs in intersections with offset lane lines because of mismatched choices of entrance and exit lanes. This conflict drives down overall traffic efficiency and can cause crashes. At such intersections, the driver’s lane choice behavior seriously affects the traffic system. The theory of planned behavior (TPB) was used in this study to excavate the impact mechanism of drive-by-lane behavior at offset intersections. A scale incorporating TPB constructs and additional variables (risk perception [RP], traffic environment [TE], optimization measures [OM], and driving style [DS]) was developed to collect empirical data with 557 valid samples in China. A structural equation model of drivers’ drive-by-lane behavior was established to explore the causal relationship between behavior and influencing factors, as well as the interrelationships between TPB variables. TE, behavior intention (BI), subjective norms (SN), and RP show the most significant effects on drive-by-lane behavior. DS, perceived behavior control, attitude (ATT), and OM have little impact on drive-by-lane behavior. BI, TE, RP, and DS have significant, direct effects on drive-by-lane behavior. The TE, OM, and DS variables significantly affect drive-by-lane behavior through mediators. RP, BI, and ATT mediate the influence of other variables as well as affecting drive-by-lane behavior. We put forward suggestions to improve driving behavior at offset intersections including changing external factors, education, and training. The direct and indirect relationships between the influencing factors and drive-by-lane behavior are discussed in this paper to provide technical and reference support for future research on managing irregular urban traffic intersections.
Sex-specific differences in a large cohort of Brazilian incident dialysis patients over 12 years: A retrospective study
Authors: Nerbass Fabiana Baggio , Lima Helbert do Nascimento , Lugon Jocemir Ronaldo , Sesso Ricardo
Published: January 2024

Objective:

Sex-specific differences in the epidemiology of chronic kidney disease, such as higher prevalence of women on pre-dialysis and men on chronic dialysis treatment, have been reported worldwide. In this regard, data from non-high-income countries are scarce. We aimed to compare the demographic, clinical, and dialysis characteristics of incident dialysis patients, both men and women, in a large cohort of Brazilian patients over a 12-year period.

Methods:

This was a multicentric retrospective cohort study coordinated by the Brazilian Society of Nephrology. The study included all adult incident dialysis patients in the Brazilian Dialysis Registry from January 2011 to December 2022. The variables studied encompassed age, skin color, education, CKD etiology, predialysis nephrologist care, dialysis characteristics, and geographic region. Additionally, the sample was analyzed for each of the three 4-year periods over the 12 years of data collection.

Results:

A total of 24,632 incident dialysis patients were included. Men were 59.1% of the dialysis population, remaining stable over the three 4-year periods. Besides other differences, women started dialysis younger (58.5 ± 16.2 years vs 59.5 ± 14.4 years; p < 0.001), had a lower educational level (less than 8 years at school: 54% vs 44%; p < 0.001), received more predialysis nephrologist care (46.2% vs 44.2%; p = 0.04), and had a higher prevalence of peritoneal dialysis (4.4% vs 3.5%; p = 0.03).

Conclusion:

We consistently observed a higher prevalence of men on dialysis and differences in demographic, clinical, and dialysis characteristics. The underlying reasons for these sex differences still necessitate further clarification.
Dependability and Usability of the DASS-21 as a Progress-Monitoring Tool for Youth
Authors: Dwight Aberdine R. , Briesch Amy M. , Hoffman Jessica A. , Rutt Christopher
Published: January 2024

Despite widespread evidence-based treatments for addressing internalizing concerns, many youth do not demonstrate reliable or clinically meaningful improvement. Regular progress monitoring, consisting of measurement and feedback, offers the opportunity to improve outcomes in real time. The 21-item Depression Anxiety and Stress Scales (DASS-21; Lovibond & Lovibond, 1995) has potential as a progress-monitoring tool for internalizing concerns in youth; however, limited psychometric data are available to support this use. The purpose of this study was to investigate the dependability of data obtained from the DASS-21 when completed by adolescents in a clinical setting. This study also aimed to understand the feasibility and utility of using the DASS-21 as a progress-monitoring tool from youth and clinicians’ perspectives. Generalizability and dependability analyses were conducted to determine the number of ratings needed to obtain a dependable estimate of youth functioning within 1 week. Whereas two daily ratings were needed to dependably estimate total distress, results for the depression, anxiety, and stress subscales indicated that two to five data points would be needed over the course of the week. Finally, results demonstrate the usability of the DASS-21 from both youth and clinician perspectives when used in a progress-monitoring context.
Revisiting the Harm of Hate: A Quasi-Experimental Approach Using the National Crime Victimization Survey
Authors: Holder Eaven
Published: January 2024

Early legal challenges to the 1990 Hate Crime Statistics Act were originally excused on the argument that hate crimes “hurt more,” but there remain some empirical gaps on this topic. Although many works have concluded that biased offenders cause greater harms to their victims relative to unbiased perpetrators, this effect tends to be sensitive to individual and situational factors like victim and offender characteristics, bias motivation, weapon use, or crime location. This type of confounding has the potential to introduce selection bias in the estimation of victimization harms among biased criminal incidents. With data from the National Crime Victimization Survey (2010–2020), I use propensity scores and inverse-probability weighting to show that, on average, victims of bias motivated offenses are more likely to report later physical and emotional harms despite not suffering greater initial injury in incidence. Findings also demonstrate that the harm of hate varies across different bias motivations, with such crimes directed toward those on the basis of disability, gender, and sexual orientation causing greater short- and long-term individual trauma and damage.
How State Education Leaders Supported Students’ Access to Education Amidst the COVID-19 Crisis: Lessons for Policy
Authors: Weddle Hayley , Hashim Ayesha K. , Irondi Ogechi N.
Published: January 2024

While recent research provides insights into how district and school leaders responded to the extraordinary disruptions created by the COVID-19 pandemic, less is known about the role of influential state-level education leaders during the crisis. In this paper, we draw on interviews with state leaders to examine their efforts to support students’ access to education during the pandemic. Findings reveal how state leaders engaged in local-level capacity building, advocacy, and collaboration to promote continuity of education. However, their work was complicated by limited capacity at the state level, political tensions, local control, and pervasive stress over time. The paper concludes with implications for policymakers to better prepare for future crises.
Constructing the child as refugee: Visual representations of refugee children in digital news media
Authors: Theodorou Eleni
Published: January 2024

This paper examines the visual representation of the refugee child in digital news media in Cyprus at two historical moments of significant immigration rise in Europe as a result of violent conflict: the period of May 2015-2016 and February 2022-2023. The analysis showed that refugee children were portrayed in ways which led to their de/humanization. However, differences in the language, themes, and visual grammar applied gave way to the emergence of a hierarchy of refugee child subjects.
The potential of creative uses of metonymy for climate protest
Authors: O’Dowd Niamh A
Published: January 2024

This paper develops the notion of metonymy scenarios by exploring the social and cognitive dimensions of various creative uses of metonymy in a collection of digital banners created for the Global Climate Strike movement. The paper argues that the banners exploit existing metonymic relationships to activate dominant anthropocentric discourses in society, and to subvert them via processes of recontextualisation and reappropriation, in order to challenge system conventions and normative attitudes regarding climate change. The literature to date has not adequately considered metonymy as a dynamic and scenario-activating cognitive operation, nor has it thoroughly investigated the relationship between metonymy and irony. However, the data analysed here show that several creative uses of metonymy, including twice-true metonymy, metonymy in combination with metaphor, and the juxtaposition of different metonymies are markers of what this paper posits as metonymic mininarratives or scenarios.
Pathways to Consolidate Corporate Governance by Incorporating Gaps in Management Accounting Practices: An Integrative Literature Review Research Approach
Authors: Shil Nikhil Chandra , Chowdhury Anup
Published: January 2024

Corporate governance receives considerable attention from various stakeholders due to the search for potential agents that cause threats to sound corporate management practices. The fall of Enron and Arthur Anderson was an eye opener toward the journey of long years of corporate scandals and corruption. The Sarbanes-Oxley Act of 2002, which includes various codes and guidelines, evolved as an immediate solution to the problem. Traditionally, accounting has become an integral part of managing corporate governance as it is central to generating financial information for various stakeholders. However, research attention, so far, centers around public accountants due to their universal legitimacy in performing public account attestation services. Management accountants can also play important roles in strengthening corporate governance by instilling sound management accounting practices in various corporate affairs where governance is under threat. This dimension is grossly ignored in the existing literature, narrowing the role of accounting in a broader spectrum of governance. Applying the integrative literature review method as an epistemological paradigm, this study undertakes a theoretical attempt to highlight the roles that management accountants can play in strengthening the governance of firms from both external and internal perspectives. The incremental contribution of the article is to enlarge the remit of corporate governance by aligning the functionalities of management accountants with the mainstream study of corporate governance. It opens further research agendas for academics, practitioners, regulators, and other stakeholders.
Changes in the femoral trochlear induced with estradiol exposure, an experimental study on rats
Authors: Wu Yu , Zhou Jin , Li Yanjun , Yu Hetong , Li Weifeng , Guo Pengfei , Han Zitao , Guo Lan , Ma Zhanbei
Published: January 2024

Background

It is well known that estrogen is closely related to bone and joint tissue. Findings indicate that estradiol, injected during pregnancy, passes through the placental barrier and reaches the fetuses in utero where it exerts its action. Since trochlea appears well established in the prenatal period, however, whether trochlear dysplasia is related to estradiol exposure has not been confirmed, and the pathological process of estradiol exposure-induced trochlear dysplasia remains unclear. This study aimed to establish an estradiol exposure animal model in fetuses and to analyze the morphology of the femoral trochlear in neonatal rats.

Methods

30 pregnant Wistar rats provided by the local Animal Center were assigned randomly into three groups, a high dose estradiol injection group, a low dose estradiol injection group and a blank control group. Gross, cross-sectional observation, histological staining measurement and microcomputed tomography of the rat offspring were conducted to evaluate the morphological changes of the femoral trochlea.

Results

The incidence of trochlear dysplasia increased with the concentration of estradiol injection. Gross and cross-sectional observation showed a shallower trochlea groove in two groups with estradiol injection. Histological staining measurement indicated that the trochlear sulcus angle and trochlear sulcus depth were significantly different between the two groups with estradiol injection and the blank control group at 0,5 and 10 days after birth. Subchondral bone loss was observed in the two estradiol injection groups by micro-CT, and the bone loss was found to deteriorate over time.

Conclusion

In this study, estradiol exposure in fetuses had an adverse effect on intrauterine development and could induce trochlear dysplasia and bone loss in rat offspring. In addition, this study also showed that the higher concentration of estradiol injection in pregnant rats, the more incidence of trochlear dysplasia in rat offspring.
The European Investor State: Its characteristics, genesis, and effects
Authors: Lepont Ulrike , Thiemann Matthias
Published: January 2024

In the wake of financial, sovereign debt and health crises, public interventions in the European economy have taken on a new level of breadth, marking a reentry in force of the state in economic life that goes beyond the regulatory state. Yet, these interventions do not follow the old Keynesian interventions neither, being shaped through a particular logic of investment that link public and private actors in a particular configuration. The introduction to this special issue lays out this configuration for the case of the EU and its Member States through the concept of “European Investor state.” By this concept, we refer to the redefinition of the role of European states in the economy as an “investor,” in reference to private investment funds, which the state seeks both to imitate and to enroll. The paper embeds this redefinition of state intervention in the context of the 2010s in Europe, characterized by worries about “secular stagnation” and growing concern about an “investment gap,” interpreted as the failure of financial markets to invest in productive sectors, especially when risky. The budgetary constraints and the ideological outlook then shaped the specific financial and off-balanced sheet tools of the investor state. Finally, the paper explores the implications of the Covid-crisis on this intervention model. It concludes that despite major changes in fiscal policy at the EU level, this approach is likely to persist, because of the lasting interpretation in terms of “investment gap,” which only public-private collaborations are seen to be able to fill.
“A choir is a social organism that needs human contact.” Conducting a choir during the COVID-19 lockdown period
Authors: Biasutti Michele , Antonini Philippe Roberta , Schiavio Andrea
Published: January 2024

The COVID-19 pandemic caused major changes to many areas at the very heart of our lives, triggering interventions that affected people’s everyday activities, both socially and individually. The use of e-learning and online platforms to support music education and performance created a drastic shift in how music was taught, made, and enjoyed. This qualitative study provides personal insights into the practices that choir conductors developed when in-person music-making became impossible due to health risks. Thirty-four Italian choir conductors answered 11 open questions about their musical activities and associated personal experiences during the main lockdown periods in 2020 and 2021. Our findings highlighted four overarching themes—adapted strategies, the perception of technology for choral music performances, needs for achieving mental health, and remote music-making—that are contextualized and discussed.
Liability of Ownership Origin, Corporate Philanthropy, and Desire for Control in Chinese Family Firms
Authors: Jin Ruijie , Hu Helen Wei
Published: January 2024

Many family firms trace the origin of their property rights to the privatization of state-owned enterprises, particularly in emerging economies. The benefits of such ownership origins have been amply researched; however, there are also disadvantages. By developing the concept of the liability of ownership origin, we theorize that this liability creates legitimacy challenges for privatized family firms, leading their owners to exhibit a lower desire for both family and transgenerational control compared to de novo family firms. However, corporate philanthropy can mitigate these negative effects. Empirical analyses using a national survey of Chinese family-owned firms support our arguments.
When Work Doesn’t Work: An Alternative Framework to Examine Cognitive Factors in Employment-Entrepreneurship Transitions
Authors: Christophe Yolanda , Javadian Golshan , Mathis Christopher J. , Ramani Ravi S.
Published: January 2024

Employees’ transition from wage employment to entrepreneurship, influenced by cognitive factors, has garnered significant scholarly attention. Despite this focus, the conventional Push and Pull Model, explaining these cognitive factors, has generated inconsistent findings. Our study critically reviews the cognitive factors shaping employees’ entrepreneurial transitions. Utilizing the Kaleidoscope Career Model parameters, we categorize these cognitive factors based on an analysis of 78 articles. Our comprehensive analysis identifies 23 distinct cognitive factors related to these transitions, which shed light on the multifaceted nature of employees’ decision-making processes. Our review reveals the limitations of the existing Push and Pull Model and advocates for the Kaleidoscope Career Model as an alternative model, which we argue offers a nuanced understanding of entrepreneurial transitions. Our research contributes to existing knowledge and provides a foundation for future studies, guiding scholars toward a more comprehensive exploration of employees’ transitions into entrepreneurship.
Managing Surges in Demand: A Grounded Conceptual Framework of Surge Management Capability
Authors: Larson Jeffrey D. , Lai Alden Yuanhong , DePuccio Matthew J. , Hilligoss Brian
Published: January 2024

Surge management is important to hospital operations, yet surge literature has mostly focused on the addition of resources (e.g., 25% more beds) during events like pandemics. Such views are limiting, as meeting surge demands requires hospitals to engage in practices tailored to a surge’s unique contingencies. We argue that a dynamic view of surge management should include surge management capability, which refers to how resources are deployed to respond to surge contingencies. To understand this capability, we qualitatively studied five hospital systems experiencing multiple surges due to COVID-19 between April 2020 and March 2022. We develop a framework showing that managing surges involves preserving capacity, expanding capacity, smoothing capacity demand, and enabling surge management. We contribute to surge literature by identifying practices hospitals can adopt to address surges and offering a better understanding of surge conditions (e.g., degree of novelty) that make some surge management practices more appropriate than others.
Mediating Effect of White Blood Cells and Tobacco Exposure on Cervical Neoplasm Risk Among Taiwanese Women
Authors: Shih Ya Wen , Chang Ching Wen , Chang Hui-Chen (Rita) , Tsai Jia Ruey , Wang Wei-Jun , Fang Hui Fen , Lin Chia Ling , Rias Yohanes Andy , Tsai Hsiu Ting
Published: January 2024

Background: Both the high-risk human papillomavirus (HR-HPV) infection and tobacco exposure are significantly associated with cervical neoplasm risk. Immune cells play important roles in carcinogenesis. However, it is still unclear whether immune cells have a mediating effect on the HR-HPV infection and tobacco exposure with cervical neoplasm development. Aim: The aim of this study was to determine how the increased white blood cell (WBC) count affects the relationship between HR-HPV DNA load and tobacco exposure in the development of cervical neoplasia. Methods: A hospital-based case–control study design was conducted with a total of 108 cases of Taiwanese women with ≥ cervical intraepithelial neoplasia (CIN) I confirmed by biopsy, and 222 healthy Taiwanese female subjects with negative findings on a Pap smear were assigned to the control group. The study evaluated HR-HPV status and immune cell counts (WBCs, natural killer (NK) cells) and tobacco exposure by a self-construct questionnaire. Results: Both HR-HPV DNA load and tobacco exposure significantly independently increased cervical neoplasm risk (AORs: 1.28 and 1.42, respectively). Similar significant results were found for WBCs and NK cells, with respective AORs of 1.20 and 1.00. Moreover, increased WBCs (β = 0.04, 95% CI corrected: 0.01–0.07) and tobacco exposure (β = 0.02, 95% CI corrected: 0.01–0.04) mediated the relationship between the high-risk HPV DNA load and cervical neoplasm risk. Conclusions: Elevated WBC count acts as both predictor and mediator in cervical neoplasm development linked to HR-HPV DNA load. Monitoring and maintaining WBC levels within the normal range could be a preventive strategy for cervical neoplasm development.
Confirmation of COVID-19 infection status and reporting of Long COVID symptoms in a population-based birth cohort: No evidence of a nocebo effect
Authors: Macleod-Hall Catherine IA , Munafò Marcus R , Dyer Maddy L
Published: January 2024

Some patients with COVID-19 develop symptoms after the acute infection, known as ‘Long COVID’. We examined whether or not confirmation of COVID-19 infection status could act as a nocebo, using data from questionnaires distributed to the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children cohort. We examined associations between confirmation of COVID-19 infection status (confirmed by a positive test vs unconfirmed) and reporting of Long COVID symptoms. We explored the roles of sex and anxiety as potential moderators. There was no clear evidence of a strong association between confirmation of COVID-19 infection status and the Long COVID composite score, physical or psychological symptoms or duration of symptoms. There was no clear evidence of moderation by sex or anxiety. We therefore found no evidence of a nocebo effect. Our data suggest that this psychological mechanism does not play a role in the medical symptomatology experienced by patients with Long COVID.
Doing style for Saraswati Puja: Girlhood, Class, and Community Identity among Muslim girls in Assam
Authors: Goswami Nirmali , Bhuyan Navarupa
Published: January 2024

Saraswati Puja, a celebration of the Hindu goddess of learning, is organised by youth clubs and educational institutions in eastern India. We draw on debates on girlhood, codes of respectable femininity in a neoliberal world, and how these play out for Muslim girls in the school context. These ideas frame our analysis of the dressing up practice among Muslim girls in a government school. We argue that the middle-class and ethnicised ideals of girlhood are amplified and reconfigured by the popular discourses on Saraswati Puja and add to the tensions over the appropriate code of dressing within the context of Puja at school. While the reality of girls’ lives is being shaped in novel ways, the Muslim girls engagement with the ideals of ‘respectable femininity’ through varied modes of ‘doing style’ put them under contrary pressures in public places like school. In such a scenario, their accounts of dressing up and participating in this event serve as a vantage point to understand how girlhood is being construed and experienced from varied positions of class, caste, age, and community. These accounts highlight Muslim girls’ engagement with the codes of femininity in the majoritarian cultural universe of a school.
Optimising augmented reality projector light output to balance art conservation, colour quality and energy consumption
Authors: Kore RS , Brown N , Durmus D
Published: January 2024

Light absorbed by sensitive artwork may cause irreversible damage. Optimising the spectral power distribution of light sources to minimise absorbed light can reduce damage while maintaining the colour appearance of the artwork. Previous absorption-minimisation studies used optimisation methods without comparing their performance. Here, three-channel LED-augmented reality projector spectra were optimised for 24 colour samples using a brute-force (BF) and multi-objective genetic algorithm (MOGA). The BF search and MOGA performed similarly in achieving optimal results, reducing both light absorption and energy consumption by almost half. However, MOGA was 2.5 times faster than BF in finding optimal solutions. The results indicate that an LED RGB projector can be used to illuminate museum artefacts to reduce light absorption and energy consumption, with the caveat of perceptible colour shifts in some of the colour samples. Future research will investigate observers’ subjective evaluations of artwork under optimised lighting.