bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Childhood respiratory diseases related to indoor and outdoor extreme thermal environment (air temperature) in Shanghai, China
Authors: Hong Shijie , Luo Yajing , Zhu Yongsong , Huang Chen , Li Yilin , Sun Chanjuan
Published: August 2023

Ambient air temperature could be the most significant factor impacting childhood respiratory health. This paper aims to analyze the relationship between air temperature and childhood respiratory diseases (RDs). Field measurements and meteorological parameters recorded from the weather website were conducted. Health outcomes regarding respiratory diseases amongst preschool children were reported. Multiple logistic regression analyses were conducted. Results from logistic regression analyses illustrate that extreme air temperature was significantly associated with a high prevalence of RDs amongst children. Indoor high temperature (>28°C) was positively correlated with the long duration of a common cold (≥2 weeks), and outdoor high temperature (>35°C) was positively related to the high prevalence of pneumonia. Indoor and outdoor low temperature (<18°C and <4°C, respectively) was a risk factor for rhinitis amongst children. The largest indoor air temperature difference (IATD) (the 4th quartile, >4°C) and outdoor air temperature difference (OATD) (the 4th quartile, >8°C) were positively related to the high prevalence of pneumonia and diagnosed asthma amongst children. Large differences between indoor and outdoor air temperatures and large indoor air temperature variations should be avoided to reduce the adverse effects on respiratory health, especially in extreme climates.
Bridge influence surface identification using a deep multilayer perceptron and computer vision techniques
Authors: Jian Xudong , Xia Ye , Chatzi Eleni , Lai Zhilu
Published: August 2023

The identification of influence surfaces (ISs) for bridge structures offers an efficient tool for understanding traffic loads and assessing structural conditions. In general, ISs of a real bridge can be identified through calibration tests using calibration vehicles with known weights moving across the bridge. However, the existing methods face difficulties in considering comprehensive factors, such as the lateral movement, speed variation, and track width of the calibration vehicle, as well as bridge dynamic effects. These factors inevitably introduce inaccuracies into the task of identification. To comprehensively consider these factors, this study proposes a deep learning-based method that combines deep multilayer perceptrons (MLPs) and computer vision (CV), with deep MLP adopted to identify bridge ISs and CV employed to obtain the position coordinates of the calibration vehicle’s wheels. A series of numerical simulations and field experiments on an in-service bridge were carried out to validate the proposed framework and compare it against a broadly established method to such an end—Quilligan’s method. The results show the accuracy, robustness, and practicability of the proposed framework.
Children, Voting, and the Meaning of Universal Suffrage
Authors: Pearse Harry
Published: August 2023

Although universal suffrage is a broad franchise model, it allows for exclusions provided they are robustly justified. In practice, therefore, suffrage is never universal. Every modern democracy operates with its own exclusion principles, but they are all bounded by some sort of age exclusion screening for competence. However, there is another way to conceptualise universal suffrage – a conceptualisation that finds credence in existing international treaties, and which better fulfil democracies governing promise of political equality. In this model, inclusivity and universalism remain the default, and franchise exclusions are subjected to more rigorous testing. To demonstrate the potential of this framework, I apply it to questions of children’s suffrage, arguing that the theoretical grounds for excluding children are insufficient to overturn the default principles of universalism and inclusion.
Using Cognitive Analytic Therapy as a Transdiagnostic Intervention for Comorbid Personality Disorder, Posttraumatic Stress Disorder, and Functional Neurological Symptom Disorder: A Case Report of a 68 Woman’s Journey Toward the Integration of Dissociated Self-States
Authors: Tinlin-Dixon Rowan
Published: August 2023

Functional neurological symptom disorder (FND) is associated with complex specialist investigations and poor prognosis. The theoretical understanding of FND posits that functional symptoms are predisposed by both psychological factors, including attachment disturbances and childhood trauma, and biological factors such as neuroplasticity and epigenetics. Current treatment recommendations include psychological therapy, with moderate effects observed with cognitive-behavioural therapy and psychodynamic therapy modalities, however, psychological understanding is key to success. The current case report describes cognitive analytic therapy (CAT) with a 68 year-old woman presenting to services with diagnoses of FND and borderline personality disorder (BPD). The target problem for therapy was integration of fragmented self-states (dissociative and driven) pertinent to both FND and BPD. 16 session CAT was delivered, with four follow up sessions, exploring unhelpful patterns of relating with self and others, based on an unconscious repertoire of internalised patterns and procedures from early life. CAT tools were used to facilitate change; reformulation and ending letters, mapping and the therapeutic relationship. Scores on the personality structure questionnaire (PSQ) and an idiosyncratic measure of state-shifting indicated positive outcomes, sustained at 3 month follow up. This shows modest early acceptability and feasibility of CAT for working with comorbid BPD and FND, providing a validating and blame free formulation of the development and maintenance of symptoms. Additional measures would have improved the ability to comment on the effectiveness of the treatment and future research implications are discussed.
Perceptions of Health Professionals on the Implementation of Integrative and Complementary Practices at a University Pediatric Hospital in Brazil: A Qualitative Interview Study
Authors: Tröndle Marc , Matheus de Souza Danton , Tiziana Verardo Polastrini Rita , Odone Filho Vicente , Seifert Georg , Stritter Wiebke , Blakeslee Sarah B. , dos Santos Teco Mucci Ana Lucia , Lage Pasqualucci Paula
Published: August 2023

Background:

Despite an increase in use of pediatric complementary and integrative health (PCIH), many healthcare professionals still have an inadequate understanding of such practices and consider their use inappropriate, which might thwart implementation processes. In a qualitative interview study we examined the feedback of conventional healthcare professionals about the integrative practices provided to pediatric patients by an integrative team in a pediatric oncological hospital.

Methods:

Fifteen semi-structured interviews were carried out with various conventional healthcare professionals in an university pediatric hospital in São Paulo, Brazil. The interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and pseudonymized. DSCsoft® and MAXQDA® software assisted in a profound qualitative analysis using the collective subject discourse and thematic analysis method in order to display participants’ perspectives on PCIH and the project in their hospital.

Results:

Interviewees acknowledged their lack of knowledge about PCIH practices and reflected on the limits of their care as well as on new possibilities PCIH could offer. PCIH was perceived by interviewees as an effective supportive tool of care to promote patients’ wellbeing, assist overall compliance, strengthen cooperation between professionals, children and their relatives and hence facilitated general patient care. Since PCIH was implemented in their clinic, perceptions led interviewees to wish for increased PCIH offering and a more profound integration of its therapists into the standard of care.

Discussion:

The coexistence of integrative and conventional practices in the conventional healthcare setting is important to give visibility to the possibilities offered by the integrative pediatrics field. Regular and constant encounters with integrative practices, as well as information access seem crucial to reach a wider openness for PCIH and subsequently a broader application and dissemination of it.
Device use trends in neuroendovascular procedures in the United States from 2015 to 2020
Authors: Adapa Arjun Rohit , Siddiqui Fazeel M. , Pandey Aditya S.
Published: August 2023

Background

Neuroendovascular therapies involve an everchanging landscape of new technologies. Understanding the real-world timeframe of adaptation of such technologies can provide further guidance on mechanisms that could be employed to shorten the duration necessary for the widespread use of proven therapies. In this study, we aim to investigate the trends in the use of neuroendovascular technologies, utilizing the sales of neuroendovascular devices, as a proxy for procedural volume.

Methods

Utilizing a device sales data registry from the Decision Resources Group, a healthcare research and consulting company, we examined trends in the sales of devices utilized in cerebrovascular thrombectomy, cerebral aneurysm treatment, and carotid stenting from the same 407 reporting hospitals in the United States between January 1, 2015, and January 1, 2020. Device sales per year were plotted as both the total number of devices sold per year as well as the percent of total device sales when compared against at least one other device. The Cochran–Armitage test for trend was performed when comparing at least two devices to each other. Analyses were performed using RStudio Version 1.1.456 ( https://rstudio.com ).

Results

Between 2015 and 2020, there was a significant increase in the use of flow-diverting stents as well as nondiverting stents utilized for coil assistance. However, the total number of coils utilized over the years has declined. In terms of stroke therapy, between 2015 and 2020, there was a trend of increased use of both aspiration catheters as well as stent retrievers, which plateaued in 2020. The number of stents used for carotid procedures has also been gradually increasing over time.

Conclusion

Our study demonstrates an increase in the use of flow-diverting stents, nondiverting stents, carotid stents, and reperfusion devices for acute ischemic stroke intervention between 2015 and 2020. Coil use for aneurysmal treatment has declined.
Extra cues extra views: A multimodal detection of Arabic clickbait thumbnail verbo-visual cues
Authors: Al-Ali Mohammed Nahar , Hamzeh Miss Safa M
Published: August 2023

In this article, we investigate how the visual, interactional, and interactive verbo-visual selections are utilized to qualify Arabic clickbait thumbnails to get extra views. To this end, we drew upon Kress and Van Leeuwen’s multimodal analysis and Hyland’s meta-discourse framework. The data comprised 100 Arabic YouTube clickbait thumbnails selected from five Arabic channels. Our analysis revealed that a fake clickbait is an ensemble of collaborative modes, each of which reflects an interplay of interactional, compositional, and representational strategic selections. Thumbnail creators tend to structure their thumbnails visually by frequently selecting negative representational actional and reactional processes to induce viewers to click the videos for further information. To accentuate the representational metafunction, the content creators opted for enticing engagement markers and interactive linguistic cataphoric cues that lead the viewers to search for the referents disguised in the videos associated with thumbnails. Emojis, sequences of exclamation marks, and consecutive dots were also used as pressure tactics to click the videos. Such results will hopefully contribute to recognizing fake visual media and raise vulnerable viewers’ awareness against such fake videos.
Network topology in brain tumor patients with and without structural epilepsy: a prospective MEG study
Authors: Ladisich Barbara , Rampp Stefan , Trinka Eugen , Weisz Nathan , Schwartz Christoph , Kraus Theo , Sherif Camillo , Marhold Franz , Demarchi Gianpaolo
Published: August 2023

Background:

It was proposed that network topology is altered in brain tumor patients. However, there is no consensus on the pattern of these changes and evidence on potential drivers is lacking.

Objectives:

We aimed to characterize neurooncological patients’ network topology by analyzing glial brain tumors (GBTs) and brain metastases (BMs) with respect to the presence of structural epilepsy.

Methods:

Network topology derived from resting state magnetoencephalography was compared between (1) patients and controls, (2) GBTs and BMs, and (3) patients with (PSEs) and without structural epilepsy (PNSEs). Eligible patients were investigated from February 2019 to March 2021. We calculated whole brain (WB) connectivity in six frequency bands, network topological parameters (node degree, average shortest path length, local clustering coefficient) and performed a stratification, where differences in power were identified. For data analysis, we used Fieldtrip, Brain Connectivity MATLAB toolboxes, and in-house built scripts.

Results:

We included 41 patients (21 men), with a mean age of 60.1 years (range 23–82), of those were: GBTs ( n = 23), BMs ( n = 14), and other histologies ( n = 4). Statistical analysis revealed a significantly decreased WB node degree in patients versus controls in every frequency range at the corrected level ( p1–30Hz = 0.002, pγ = 0.002, pβ = 0.002, pα = 0.002, pθ = 0.024, and pδ = 0.002). At the descriptive level, we found a significant augmentation for WB local clustering coefficient ( p1–30Hz = 0.031, pδ = 0.013) in patients compared to controls, which did not persist the false discovery rate correction. No differences regarding networks of GBTs compared to BMs were identified. However, we found a significant increase in WB local clustering coefficient ( pθ = 0.048) and decrease in WB node degree ( pα = 0.039) in PSEs versus PNSEs at the uncorrected level.

Conclusion:

Our data suggest that network topology is altered in brain tumor patients. Histology per se might not, however, tumor-related epilepsy seems to influence the brain’s functional network. Longitudinal studies and analysis of possible confounders are required to substantiate these findings.
Subjective destitution, love, and rebellion in pandemic times: Theorizing with Hot Skull
Authors: Mueller Jason C
Published: August 2023

Dystopian visions of global pandemics, political crises, and human suffering abound, from fictitious television shows to the ongoing ravages of COVID-19. When we witness isolated instances of suffering and collective struggle, and identify their relationship to large-scale social crises, we are unveiling pieces of the totality. Things which might otherwise be portrayed as a local problem are instead viewed as a part of a larger social system. The Turkish Netflix series Sıcak Kafa (English title: Hot Skull) offers a story of pandemic lockdowns, rebellion, love, and subjectivity, touching upon important issues of radical political theory and action. This article connects key moments in Hot Skull to several important Marxist and psychoanalytic concepts, showing how the collective struggles in this Netflix series can help us identify concrete instances and attempts at overcoming violence in the modern world-system. By comparing the events of Hot Skull to our current predicament of living through a deadly pandemic, this article reaches an important conclusion: Our ability to radically change our circumstances through chance encounters with love and political rebellion remains real, potent alternatives to living in a persistent state of isolation and despair.
Anemia is associated with long-term exposure to PM2.5 and its components: a large population-based study in Southwest China
Authors: He Congyuan , Xie Linshen , Gu Lingxi , Yan Hongyu , Feng Shiyu , Zeng Chunmei , Danzhen Wangjiu , Zhang Xuehui , Han Mingming , Li Zhifeng , Duoji Zhuoma , Guo Bing , Zhang Juying , Hong Feng , Zhao Xing
Published: August 2023

Background:

Anemia is linked to PM2.5 (particulate matter with aerodynamic diameters of ⩽2.5 μm) exposure, which can increase the risk of various negative health outcomes. It remains unclear which PM2.5 components are associated with anemia and the respective contribution of each component to this association.

Objective:

This study aimed at investigating the association between PM2.5 and anemia in the general population and to identify the most critical PM2.5 toxic components in this association.

Design:

Cross-sectional study.

Methods:

Our study involved a large cohort of 73,511 individuals aged 30–79 from China’s multi-ethnic population. We employed satellite observations and the chemical transport model (GEOS-Chem)to estimate the long-term exposure to PM2.5 and its components. Anemia was defined, according to WHO guidelines, as Hb levels below 130 g/L for men and below 120 g/L for women. Through logistic regression, we investigated the association between PM2.5 components and anemia. By utilizing weighted quantile sum (WQS) analysis, we identified key components and gained insights into their combined impact on anemia. Overall, our study sheds light on the relationship between PM2.5 exposure, its constituents, and the risk of anemia in a large cohort.

Results:

PM2.5 and three components, nitrate (NIT), organic matter (OM), and soil particles (SOIL), were associated with anemia. Per-standard deviation increase in the 3-year average concentrations of PM2.5 [odds ratio (OR): 1.14, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.01, 1.28], NIT (1.20, 1.06, 1.35), OM (1.17, 1.04, 1.32), and SOIL (1.22, 1.11, 1.33) were associated with higher odds of anemia. In WQS regression analysis, the WQS index was associated with anemia (OR: 1.29, 95% CI: 1.13, 1.47). SOIL has the highest weight among all PM2.5 components.

Conclusions:

Long-term exposure to PM2.5 and its constituents is associated with anemia. Moreover, SOIL might be the most critical component of the relationship between PM2.5 and anemia. Our research increases the evidence of the association between PM2.5 and anemia in the general population, and targeted emission control measures should be taken into consideration to mitigate the adverse effects of PM2.5-related anemia.
Simultaneous transverse colon and sigmoid volvulus
Authors: Torabi Hossein , Noshanagh Maryam Shoa , Shirini Kasra , Ghaffari Rona , Katebi Siavosh
Published: August 2023

Colonic volvulus is one of the most common causes of bowel obstruction. It could occur in different parts of the colon. The sigmoid is the most common part, but it rarely occurs in the transverse colon because of the colon’s anatomical features. So, simultaneous sigmoid and transverse colon volvulus is a rare phenomenon that could endanger patients’ lives due to its rarity, ischemia, necrosis of the colon wall, and the lack of a definite algorithm to approach this disease. So, it is essential to consider this disease as one of the most important differential diagnoses in patients with abdominal pain and distention. In this article, a 45-year-old male presented to the surgical ward with severe prolonged abdominal pain, diagnosed with simultaneous sigmoid and transverse colon volvulus during laparotomy.
How to promote the healthy development of continuous participation in smart medical and elderly care systems: The dual perspective of perceived value and risk
Authors: Cao Cong , Dai Huangyi , Li Dan
Published: August 2023

Objective

In an environment with an ageing population, elderly care has become a focus of social attention. The combination of smart medical care with elderly care and how to encourage the elderly to participate in the systems and enjoy a higher quality of life have become social priorities. We aimed to analyse the perceived risk and value associations of self-health management-conscious older adults regarding smart medical and elderly care systems (SMECS) and to explore the mechanisms of SMECS affecting them.

Methods

Using a Likert scale, we conducted a questionnaire-based survey and collected 387 valid responses. This was a cross-sectional study, and various key data were collected relating to the continued participation of older users in SMECS. Partial least squares structural equation modelling was used to explore the data.

Results

According to the data analysis, price, operability and personalisation all have significant correlations with perceived value and perceived risk. Perceptions of value and risk influence the continuous participation of the elderly, and this has a potentially positive effect on their mental and physical health.

Conclusions

Under the home-based care model, economic factors and technological accessibility were important factors affecting the elderly's continuous participation in SMECS. A personalised programme for the elderly warrants attention. In addition, the effect of perceived risk from the health-related systems was stronger than their perceived value. This research can help elderly users bridge the digital divide and enjoy smart health and medical care.
Comic Vine: Participatory and Idiosyncratic Documentation of a Semantic Platform
Authors: Saint-Louis Hervé
Published: August 2023

Comic Vine (CV) is a semantic platform focused on documenting published comics. Developers Dave Snider, Ethan Lance, and Tony Guerrero launched the site on December 2006 as part of their first series of proprietary wiki platforms covering various entertainment industries. More than a wiki, CV was at launch a news and review website covering comics and offering discussion forums for users. This article examines how a semantic platform has developed to offer descriptive features catering to one industry (comics), using a proprietary architecture. Using the walkthrough methodological approach, I find that such practices, while not adhering to open-web standards, contribute to architectural design diversity (ADD). Standards in semantic data often push toward common grounds and exchange parameters. The ADD concept presented in this article focuses on highlighting divergent technical schemes in the computing sciences that do not rely on a few standards. I draw mainly on approaches and theories from information studies, grounded in contextual insights from communication studies and human-computer interaction.
Self-Compassion and Grit in the Context of Social Judgment
Authors: Hytman Lauren , Kocovski Nancy L.
Published: August 2023

Self-compassion and grit are each positively associated with adaptive characteristics, and negatively associated with psychological distress. Limited research exists on the relationship between grit and self-compassion, and there is a paucity of research on the impact of grit on social anxiety. Undergraduate participants ( N = 184) completed online measures of grit, self-compassion, well-being, and psychological distress. They also recalled a recent social situation in which they felt judged and reported state levels of self-compassion. As hypothesized, grit (specifically the perseverance subscale) was related to greater state self-compassion regarding the social judgment situation participants recalled. Further, there was support for self-compassion as a mediator of the relationship between grit and state anxiety. However, how self-compassionate participants reported being in their social stressor was best predicted by trait self-compassion and state anxiety. Finally, the type of social judgment situation mattered: participants were less self-compassionate when they recalled performance situations compared to social interaction situations. Findings suggest continued research on how grit and self-compassion may influence one another over time in the context of social judgment.
Can Reservation Ensure Women’s Participation in Local Governance: A Study Among Tiwas
Authors: Kakati Bhaskar Kumar
Published: August 2023

The 73rd constitutional amendment has made historical changes to Indian local self-governance, that is, Panchayati Raj Institutions (PRIs), by introducing 33% reservation for women. Accordingly, a considerable number of women entered into these institutions as elected representatives. However, although reservation has enhanced the representation of women, their participation remains an important question due to prevailing patriarchy both within and outside the household. In this background, an attempt is being made to understand and analyse the participation of tribal women in Gram Panchayat—the lowest level institutions of PRIs among the Tiwas of Assam, India. This study found that reservation of seats has indeed enabled women to enter into local governance. However, the reservation could not alter the patriarchal nature of GP. Thus, there is a need for institutional reforms in the GP.
Factors affecting condom use among fishers in Elmina fishing community in Ghana
Authors: Kyei-Gyamfi Sylvester
Published: August 2023

Background:

Although it is well known that low condom usage among fishers contributes to high HIV prevalence in fishing communities, little is known about the attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors of fishers when it comes to the use of condoms.

Design and methods:

This article is a follow-up to a cross-sectional study that used a mix-method design for data collection and analysis to examine the connection between mobility and the risk of contracting HIV among 385 fishers in the Elmina fishing community of Ghana. The Health Belief Model is utilized in the discussions to analyze attitudes and actions toward condom use among the fishers in Elmina.

Results:

Over 40% of respondents who said they had intercourse in the previous year did not use condoms. The results show that male fishers are more likely than female fishers to use condoms during sexual activity, and younger fishers are more likely to use condoms than older fishers. More condoms were used by educated fishers than by less educated or uneducated fishers. According to the study, female fishers use less condoms than male fishers since they are unable to convince their partners to use them when they refuse to. Additionally, the findings show that slightly more than one in 10 respondents did not use condoms because they believed their sexual partner to be attractive and unlikely to carry any sexual infection.

Conclusion:

There is a general low perception of HIV susceptibility and severity resulting in the low condom usage among the fisherfolks according to the results. The article urges civil society organizations in the study area to investigate ways to incorporate the provision of free condoms to fishers and at the numerous fishing destination sites along the coast of Elmina. The regular use of condoms in Elmina and the nearby fishing areas should also be emphasised through this outreach or mobile HIV service outlets.
MRI markers of adenomyosis severity associated with worse IVF/ICSI outcomes
Authors: Rees Connie Odette , Kocyigit Sehriban , Nederend Joost , Mischi Massimo , van Vliet Hubertus A. A. M. , Schoot Benedictus Christiaan
Published: August 2023

Study objective:

The aim of this study was to characterise the severity of adenomyosis on MRI in infertile women, and to assess if MRI characteristics of adenomyosis severity are associated with worse IVF/ICSI pregnancy outcomes versus male infertility controls.

Materials and methods:

This single-centre retrospective study was carried out at Catharina Hospital in Eindhoven, The Netherlands. The MRIs of 124 infertile women undergoing their first, fresh embryo transfer during IVF/ICSI, diagnosed with adenomyosis only ( N = 31), or combined adenomyosis and endometriosis ( N = 93) were assessed. Measurements of MRI adenomyosis features were performed by two independent investigators. IVF/ICSI outcomes (biochemical pregnancy (BP), ongoing pregnancy (OP) and live birth (LB)) of adenomyosis patients were compared to those of 889 male infertility controls.

Results:

Patients with adenomyosis had significantly worse IVF/ICSI outcomes compared to male infertility controls. When assessing individual MRI parameters, adenomyosis patients with a mean junctional zone (JZ) of >12 mm, a JZ/Myometrium ratio of >40%, presence of myometrial cysts and presence of endometriosis (specifically deep invasive endometriosis(DIE)) showed statistically significantly worse outcomes compared to patients with milder disease.

Conclusion:

The results of this retrospective study suggest that individual MRI markers for severe adenomyosis (mean JZ > 12 mm, myometrial cysts), especially when combined with (severe) endometriosis, may be associated with fewer pregnancies during IVF/ICSI when compared to male infertility controls. Future prospective studies should investigate the prognostic potential of these markers for prediction of IVF/ICSI success.
Arthroscopic Biological Augmentation With Subacromial Bursa for Bursal-Sided Partial-Thickness Rotator Cuff Tears
Authors: Güler Yasin , Keskin Ahmet , Yerli Mustafa , Imren Yunus , Karslıoglu Bulent , Dedeoglu Suleyman Semih
Published: August 2023

Background:

Augmentation with subacromial bursa has not been fully established in bursal-sided partial-thickness rotator cuff tears (PT-RCTs).

Purpose:

To compare the results of acromioplasty + arthroscopic debridement versus acromioplasty + augmentation with subacromial bursa for Ellman type 2 PT-RCTs involving 25% to 50% of the tendon surface area.

Study Design:

Cohort study; Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

Included were 40 patients (mean age, 47.8 years) with Ellman type 2 PT-RCTs whose symptoms did not regress despite 3 months of nonoperative treatment. The patients underwent either acromioplasty + debridement (group A; n = 18) or acromioplasty + augmentation (group B; n = 22). Outcome scores (visual analog scale [VAS] pain score, Constant-Murley score [CMS], and American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons [ASES] score) were obtained preoperatively and at 6, 12, and 18 months postoperatively. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans performed at 6 months postoperatively were used to determine the integrity and state of healing.

Results:

There were no significant differences between groups A and B in preoperative VAS, CMS, or ASES scores, and patients in both groups saw significant improvement at each follow-up time point on all 3 outcome scores ( P = .001 for all). Scores on all 3 outcome measures were significantly better in group B than group A at each postoperative time point ( P < .05 for all). Postoperative MRI scans revealed persistent partial tears in 5 of 18 patients in group A compared with 2 of 22 patients in group B ( P < .05). Conversion to full-thickness tear (3/18 patients) was seen only in group A.

Conclusion:

Patients who underwent biological augmentation of their PT-RCTs had improved outcome scores compared with those treated with acromioplasty and debridement alone.
The Evolution of Alternative Care in Bangladesh over the Last Decade and the Way Forward
Authors: Haque Md. Enamul , Sultana Tania , Shawon Nusrat Jahan , Haque Erfan
Published: August 2023

Article 20 of the Child Rights Convention (CRC) confers responsibility upon states for ensuring such care in situations where children are ‘temporarily or permanently deprived of his or her family environment’. Bangladesh, being among the first two countries in Asia to ratify CRC, enacted Children Act 2013 to implement the CRC standards. The Act has dedicated a chapter on alternative care covering type of disadvantaged children, alternative care options, child protection mechanism including gatekeeping measures, referral mechanism and the periodic review of alternative care arrangement. Though there is no defined alternative care system yet but several alternative cares such as kinship care, family-based care, family like care, residential/institutional care, etc. have been facilitated by Government, NGOs and private sectors. Challenges remain in assuring quality alternative care for all children including lack of resources and capacity, inadequate number of social welfare workforce; caregivers, limited access to mental health and disability services. Based on the literature and observation, this article explores ideas on the alternative care of children, particularly relating to its modalities and challenges in the context of Bangladesh. The authors opine that the children’s best interest cannot be achieved when a group grows without quality care.
The Evolution of Alternative Care in Sri Lanka over the Last Decade and Way Forward
Authors: Fernando Sohani
Published: August 2023

Reflecting on the last decade, a promising trend is emerging in the promotion of family-based alternatives for children in Sri Lanka. Despite some plateauing due to certain humanitarian, environmental, financial and political issues, there is a move to reduce the number of children in residential care. The Democratic Socialist Republic of Sri Lanka has a history of institutionalised care dating back to the nineteenth century and formalised care starting in the mid-twentieth century. Back then, the country faced many challenges including economic crises, a brutal war and a devastating tsunami that left thousands of children in desperate need for out-of-home placements; the only secure alternative being formal residential care. Since then, various legislative enactments were revised and passed for the care and protection of children. One of the most significant policies in relation to promoting family-based care is the National Alternative Care Policy for Children. This policy has sparked a fire across the Island drawing attention to the plight of some 10,632 children in institutionalised care and providing clear family-based alternatives. Despite a three-year delay, due to the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant humanitarian crisis, action plans are now under way to implement the policy in all nine provinces. Additionally, new legislation on Foster Care is in the pipeline. During the last few decades, several research studies conducted in Sri Lanka have brought a variety of issues to light on the conditions of children in residential care and the devastating effects to their overall physical and mental health including a significant impact on development. Although residential care has improved in meeting a child’s basic needs such as food, clothing, shelter and education, it still does not provide the individual attention a child needs to thrive. The country is no doubt moving towards family-based care, giving priority to family strengthening and strong gatekeeping mechanisms to prevent children from being unnecessarily separated from their families. The reduction in the number of institutions as well as in the number of child enrolment over the past 10 years attests to this. However, there is a long road ahead as Sri Lanka struggles to emerge out of a financial crisis with high inflation, making it difficult for people to buy essential goods and services. This crisis has affected many families, driving them to the breaking point and placing children more at the risk of separation. Moving forward, a collaborative force is needed to find solutions to these issues facing families, and there is hope as favourable prospects begin to appear in the horizon.
Enhancing Medication Adherence Among Patients With Schizophrenia and Schizoaffective Disorder: Mobile App Intervention Study
Authors: Al Dameery Khloud , Valsaraj Blessy Prabha , Qutishat Mohammad , Obeidat Arwa , Alkhawaldeh Abdullah , Al Sabei Sulaiman , Al Omari Omar , ALBashtawy Mohammed , Al Qadire Mohammad
Published: August 2023

Introduction

Technology has permeated every aspect of our existence and the mental health sector is not exempt from this.

Objectives

The aim of this study was to test the impact of using a mobile phone app (MyTherapy pill reminder and medication tracker) on medication adherence in patients with schizophrenia and/or schizoaffective disorder.

Methods

Time series design was used. Fifty-one participants were recruited from tertiary hospitals in Oman. The Medication Adherence Rating Scale was used for assessing medication adherence. The data related to medication adherence were collected at baseline, 3 months later and 3 months after installing the program on participants’ smartphones. SPSS data set used to analyze the data.

Results

A repeated-measures ANOVA found no significant change in the level of adherence among patients with schizophrenia and schizoaffective disorders at the start and 12 weeks later when the mobile app was installed ( p  =  .371). However, adherence scores improved significantly 12 weeks after installation of mobile app compared with the same group at the baseline and 12 weeks before the installation of mobile app ( p < .001).

Conclusion

The mobile phone app was effective in improving the adherence level among patients. Installation of the program and teaching patients how to use it to improve their level of adherence is recommended.
Embodying the inquiry: Disaster, affectivity, and the localized politics of security
Authors: Pettinger Tom
Published: August 2023

The responsibilizing of civil society for security has been well analysed in recent years, but the place of the public inquiry as an important site of negotiations over issues of affect in security has been largely under-acknowledged. This article investigates the scope, recommendations, and forensic investigation of the Manchester Arena Inquiry, an inquiry established in the wake of the 2017 bombing and which prefigures the gaze of the UK’s forthcoming ‘Protect Duty’. Once formalized, this Duty will situate venue workers as crucial embodiments of national counter-terrorism priorities. The paper shows how contestations over affective embodiments of security are navigated across the Inquiry, with national security articulated as being produced exclusively in local spaces, and through a body divorced from its experience via sophisticated management techniques. We find how security is imagined through local workers becoming ‘watchfully-anxious’, with routinized tasks and training deployed to generate this necessary destabilization. Bodies of venue staff must be displaced and moved around, opening space for racialized encounters – where these encounters are rendered necessarily productive of security, regardless of their result. Workers are required to confess, defending their role in security failure and situating them within national priorities. Through close analysis of the Inquiry’s reports, and drawing from interviews with UK disaster management experts, the discussion reveals how the Manchester Arena Inquiry positions national security as produced through low-paid workers defending the minutiae of their jobs in the context of the local venue. Through its forensic investigation and detail-oriented scope, the public inquiry is revealed as an important technology in the (re)production of localized forms of security knowledge, which in turn delegitimizes knowledge of disaster as structural or political.
Machine learning–based ground motion models for shallow crustal earthquakes in active tectonic regions
Authors: Sedaghati Farhad , Pezeshk Shahram
Published: August 2023

Data-driven ground motion models (GMMs) for the average horizontal component from shallow crustal continental earthquakes in active tectonic regions are derived using a subset of the Next Generation Attenuation (NGA)-West2 data set, including 14,518 recordings out of 285 earthquakes recorded at 2347 different stations. We use four different nonparametric supervised machine learning (ML) algorithms including Artificial Neural Network (ANN), Kernel-Ridge Regressor (KRR), Random Forest Regressor (RFR), and Support Vector Regressor (SVR) to construct four individual models. Then, we use a weighted average ensemble approach to combine these four models into a robust model to predict various ground motion intensity measures such as peak ground displacement (PGD), peak ground velocity (PGV), peak ground acceleration (PGA), and 5%-damped pseudo-spectral acceleration (PSA). The model input parameters are moment magnitude, rupture distance, VS30, and ZTOR. The ensemble modeling attempts to remove the drawbacks or deficiencies of different ML algorithms while capturing their advantages and accounts for epistemic uncertainty. Although no functional form is provided, the model can capture salient features observed in ground motions such as saturation as well as geometrical spreading, anelastic attenuation, and nonlinear site amplification. The response spectra and the magnitude, distance, VS30, and ZTOR scaling trends are consistent and comparable with the NGA-West2 GMMs including several additional input parameters. We used a mixed-effects regression analysis to split the total aleatory uncertainty into between-event, within-station, and event-site–corrected components. The model is applicable to magnitudes from 3.0 to 8.0, rupture distances up to 300 km, and spectral periods of 0 to 10 s.
How sensitive are matching estimates of active labor market policy effects to typically unobserved confounders?
Authors: Tübbicke Stefan
Published: August 2023

Using a rich and unique combined administrative-survey dataset, this paper explores how sensitive propensity score (PS) matching estimates of Active Labor Market Policies (ALMPs) based on the selection-on-observables assumption are to typically unobserved covariates. Using a sample of German unemployed welfare recipients, the analysis shows that typically unobserved factors such job search behavior, concessions willing to make for a job as well as (mental) health are in fact relevant confounders. However, results also show that matching on the PS using only typically observed covariates reduces imbalance in terms of typically unobserved covariates by about 46 percent in this setting. In line with this finding, the inclusion of typically unobserved covariates yields very similar estimates to estimates based on a standard specification. Hence, a standard matching approach based on rich and high quality administrative data appears to be sufficient to obtain estimates that are rather robust to unobserved confounding.
Genome-wide identification and expression analysis of the Auxin-Response factor (ARF) gene family in Medicago sativa under abiotic stress
Authors: Chen Fenqi , Zhang Jinqing , Ha Xue , Ma Huiling
Published: August 2023

Background

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) is the most widely planted legume forage and one of the most economically valuable crops in the world. The periodic changes in its growth and development and abiotic stress determine its yield and economic benefits. Auxin controls many aspects of alfalfa growth by regulating gene expression, including organ differentiation and stress response. Auxin response factors (ARF) are transcription factors that play an essential role in auxin signal transduction and regulate the expression of auxin-responsive genes. However, the function of ARF transcription factors is unclear in autotetraploid-cultivated alfalfa.

Result

A total of 81 ARF were identified in the alfalfa genome in this study. Gene Ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways were analyzed, identifying that ARF genes are mainly involved in transcriptional regulation and plant hormone signal transduction pathways. Phylogenetic analysis showed that MsARF was divided into four clades: I, II, III, and IV, each containing 52, 13, 7, and 9 genes, respectively. The promoter region of the MsARF gene contained stress-related elements, such as ABRE, TC-rich repeats, MBS, LTR. Proteins encoded by 50 ARF genes were localized in the nucleus without guide peptides, signal peptides, or transmembrane structures, indicating that most MsARF genes are not secreted or transported but only function in the nucleus. Protein structure analysis revealed that the secondary and tertiary structures of the 81 MsARF genes varied. Chromosomal localization analysis showed 81 MsARF genes were unevenly distributed on 25 chromosomes, with the highest distribution on chromosome 5. Furthermore, 14 segmental duplications and two sets of tandem repeats were identified. Expression analysis indicated that the MsARF was differentially expressed in different tissues and under various abiotic stressors. The quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) analysis showed that the expression profiles of 23 MsARF genes were specific to abiotic stresses such as drought, salt, high temperature, and low temperature, as well as tissue-specific and closely related to the duration of stress.

Conclusion

This study identified MsARF in the cultivated alfalfa genome based on the autotetraploid level, which GO, KEGG analysis, phylogenetic analysis, sequence characteristics, and expression pattern analysis further confirmed. Together, these findings provide clues for further investigation of MsARF functional verification and molecular breeding of alfalfa. This study provides a novel approach to systematically identify and characterize ARF transcription factors in autotetraploid cultivated alfalfa, revealing 23 MsARF genes significantly involved in response to various stresses.
Translation, cross-cultural adaption, validity and reliability of a composite physical function scale for adults aged 65 + years in a Danish context
Authors: Knudsen Bettina Mølri , Nørgaard Birgitte , Rasmussen Hanne , Bruun Inge H.
Published: August 2023

Background

To prevent or postpone dependence on help in everyday activities, early identification of adults aged 65 + years at risk of functional decline or with progressing functional decline is essential. The American Composite Physical Function (CPF) scale was developed to detect and prevent this age-conditioned decline. In this study, the aim was to translate and adapt the scale into a Danish version and assess the validity and reliability in Danish adults aged 65 + years.

Methods

A forward–backward translation procedure was used, followed by an expert panel review to finalise the Danish version of the CPF scale. In the subsequent pre-test, three-step cognitive interviews and hypotheses testing were performed to evaluate the validity, and a test–retest was done to assess reliability.

Results

In the pre-test, 47 adults participated in three-step cognitive interviews, and 45 adults answered an online version of the scale. In terms of content validity, the scale was relevant and easy to answer, although many informants skipped the instruction to the questionnaire, which may negatively impact face validity. Construct validity showed a significant difference in CPF scores in adults aged 65 + years by residence and activity level and a decreasing CPF score with increasing age. The reliability test showed an excellent kappa (0.92).

Conclusion

The scale covering daily activities helps to identify adults aged 65 + years with reduced physical functions or at risk of loss of independence. Further research is needed to assess the CPF predictive value for adults aged 65 + years at risk of or with a progressing physical decline.