bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Autism Spectrum Disorder Association with Socioeconomic and Demographic Factors: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Santos Bandeira Laura Vicuña , Dias Alves Fernanda , Mendes Cezar Ionara Aparecida , Nunes Oliveira Steffany Lara , Soares Oliveira Ana Júlia , da Silva Victor Bruno , Silveira Nunes Maria , de Rezende Luiz Fernando , Fagundes Silveira Marise
Published: February 2024

Introduction: Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is an early-onset neurodevelopmental disorder whose prevalence is constantly increasing. Objective: The aim of the study was to investigate the association between ASD and socioeconomic and demographic factors of parents of children/adolescents in Northern Minas Gerais, Brazil. Methods: A case-control study was carried out, consisting of 1,134 children/adolescents, 248 with ASD and 886 without ASD. A semi-structured questionnaire was used and multiple logistic regression was performed. Results: Children/adolescents with ASD are more likely to be male (OR: 3.91; 95% CI: 2.67–5.68), children of mothers aged ≥25 years (OR: 2.15; 95% CI: 1.50–3.09), who worked outside the home during pregnancy (OR: 1.52; 95% CI: 1.04–2.24) and that, at the time of the interview, they were not inserted in the labor market (OR: 3.17; 95% CI: 2.44–5.65), white (OR: 1.49; 95% CI: 1.01–2.22), and who performed prenatal care in private institutions (OR: 1.97; 95% CI: 1.38–2.80). Conclusion: The socioeconomic and demographic factors associated with ASD are important for the diagnosis and, consequently, for the increase in the number of reported cases. Thus, public policies are needed to allow equal access to the diagnosis and treatment of this disorder.
Optical Biopsies Using Probe-Based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy for Autoimmune Pulmonary Alveolar Proteinosis
Authors: Okamura Takuya , Morikawa Sayako , Horiguchi Tomoya , Yamatsuta Kumiko , Watanabe Toshikazu , Ikeda Aki , Maeda Yuri , Ina Takuma , Takahashi Hideaki , Moriya Ryoma , Goto Yasuhiro , Isogai Sumito , Yamamoto Naoki , Okachi Shotaro , Hashimoto Naozumi , Imaizumi Kazuyoshi
Published: February 2024

Introduction: Increasing numbers of cases of mild asymptomatic pulmonary alveolar proteinosis (PAP) are being reported with the recent increase in chest computed tomography (CT). Bronchoscopic diagnosis of mild PAP is challenging because of the patchy distribution of lesions, which makes it difficult to obtain sufficient biopsy samples. Additionally, the pathological findings of mild PAP, particularly those that differ from severe PAP, have not been fully elucidated. This study aimed to clarify the pathological findings of mild PAP and the usefulness of optical biopsy using probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE). Methods: We performed bronchoscopic optical biopsy using pCLE and tissue biopsy in 5 consecutive patients with PAP (three with mild PAP and two with severe PAP). We compared the pCLE images of mild PAP with those of severe PAP by integrating clinical findings, tissue pathology, and chest CT images. Results: pCLE images of PAP showed giant cells with strong fluorescence, amorphous substances, and thin alveolar walls. Images of affected lesions in mild PAP were equivalent to those obtained in arbitrary lung lesions in severe cases. All 3 patients with mild PAP spontaneously improved or remained stable after ≥3 years of follow-up. Serum autoantibodies to granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor were detected in all 5 cases. Conclusion: Optical biopsy using pCLE can yield specific diagnostic findings, even in patients with mild PAP. pCLE images of affected areas in mild and severe PAP showed similar findings, indicating that the dysfunction level of pathogenic alveolar macrophages in affected areas is similar between both disease intensities.
A extensão universitária do grupo Periférico e do EMAU-CASAS da FAU-UnB na produção do habitat rural: o caso do Pequeno William do MST em Planaltina – DF
Authors: Andrade Liza Maria Souza de , Silva Camila Maia Dias , Alves Acácio Machado , Silva Gustavina Alves da , Lemos Natália da Silva
Published: February 2024

Considerando la pequeña inserción del tema de la producción del hábitat en el campo en los cursos de arquitectura y urbanismo en Brasil, el artículo informa sobre los trabajos de extensión relacionados con la producción del hábitat rural y la producción campesina en los asentamientos de la reforma agraria del DF, desarrollados por el Grupo de investigación "Periférico, trabalhos emergentes" y del EMAU/CASAS de la FAU/UnB, que integra la planificación espacial y el trabajo campesino, centrándose en el asentamiento Pequeno William del MST en Planaltina. Estas son obras que valoran el conocimiento campesino, el protagonismo de los estudiantes y la participación de la comunidad, experimentando una ecología del conocimiento en el campo.
Estratégias discursivas para a comunicação científica: dilemas entre o jargão e a metáfora
Authors: Ferreira Isabela Tosta
Published: February 2024

O presente ensaio busca explorar o uso da linguagem na comunicação da ciência, em especial o uso de jargões e metáforas científicas em textos de divulgação. Para isso, foi realizada uma revisão bibliográfica, através da catalogação de artigos acerca das estratégias discursivas para a comunicação científica. Esta revisão teve como objetivo investigar como, no atual contexto do jornalismo científico no Brasil, vêm se estabelecendo as posições acerca das estratégias comunicacionais e de linguagem para melhor comunicar o conhecimento científico.
A Difel e a Coleção Corpo e Alma do Brasil: princípios para a construção de uma brasiliana universitária (1957-1964)
Authors: Marchetti Fabiana
Published: February 2024

The article will present Corpo e Alma do Brasil, a collection published by the publisher Difusão Europeia do Livro (Difel) under the direction of Fernando Henrique Cardoso, from 1960’s. Through its first releases, we will analyze how the cultural and material conditions for editorial production in São Paulo benefits the elaborations of local intellectuals on relevant topics to the nation’s projects discussed in the period. The survey of the catalog and the paratexts of the editions will be the basis of the discussion and will allow us to identify the references that connect the project with the political-intellectual context, defining it as a university “brasiliana”. In this way, we will demonstrate how the models and canons constructed by the brazilian edition are given new meaning by absorbing and promoting new communities of authors and their positions in the public debate.
A Cultura a serviço do progresso social: a atuação de Jorge Zahar na construção de um projeto de país
Authors: Nóbrega Leonardo
Published: February 2024

Jorge Zahar foi um dos mais importantes editores do Brasil, fundamental na consolidação das ciências sociais e humanas e participante ativo nos principais debates públicos da segunda metade do século XX. Neste texto, a atuação editorial de Jorge Zahar será analisada a partir da construção do catálogo da Zahar Editores, tendo como foco dois momentos distintos. O primeiro, que vai da criação da editora em 1957 até o início dos anos 1970, tem seu foco na tradução de autores vinculados à esquerda estadunidense. O segundo momento ganha relevância no final dos anos 1960 e continua na década seguinte, com destaque para as abordagens críticas às teorias da modernização. A partir da análise do catálogo da Zahar Editores, é possível perceber a existência de um projeto político que foi construído em diálogo com os diversos movimentos intelectuais e sociais da época.
Os Cadernos Nacionalistas do Ipês e a luta ideológica no mercado editorial do pré-1964
Authors: Djurovic Camila Alvarez
Published: February 2024

O artigo propõe uma análise dos aspectos da campanha anticomunista e das propostas reformistas desenvolvidas pelo Instituto de Pesquisas e Estudos Sociais (Ipês) a partir da Coleção Cadernos Nacionalistas, publicada pela entidade entre 1964 e 1965. Observando os pontos de convergência e divergência entre este projeto editorial e a Coleção Cadernos do Povo Brasileiro, promovida pela Civilização Brasileira de 1962 a 1964, busca-se abordar a luta ideológica no contexto que envolveu o Golpe de 1964, suas reverberações no mercado editorial brasileiro do período e, mais especificamente, na atuação de dois proeminentes editores: Ênio Silveira e Octalles Marcondes Ferreira.
Tapete vermelho: o olhar e a viagem na construção do lugar cinemático
Authors: Silva Rodrigo
Published: February 2024

La película brasileña Alfombra Roja (2006), dirigida por Luiz Alberto Pereira, es la producción cinematográfica elegida para acercar la ciencia geográfica y el arte cinematográfico. Será el hilo conductor, la carretera imaginaria de este viaje de la mirada . La aventura se despliega en las tensiones culturales entre el campo y la ciudad. El montaje de la película es una construcción pertinente que denota las tensiones sociales y culturales de estos dos espacios. Tapete Vermelho es un cruce de dos ex
tremos, Brasil es un cruce complejo de varios extremos. Un camino que comienza en la tradición, resiste y llega a la modernidad, que a su vez asombra y seduce. Los paisajes sociales y culturales brasileños se convierten en ingredientes escénicos que solidifican el significado de la experiencia de la mirada. Los lugares geográficos se convierten en lugares narrativos, por lo que las imágenes cinematográficas crean subjetividades espaciales
y viceversa. Las describimos y las analizamos a partir de la observación para entender cóm o la técnica
cinematográfica elabora la antropomorfización espacial.
Espaço Cultural Vila Esperança / Escola Pluricultural Odé Kayodê:Território de arte, educação e presentificação da mitologia Iorubá
Authors: Campelo Filho Haroldo Nélio Peres , Souza Robson Max de Oliveira
Published: February 2024

Este artículo pretende provocar una reflexión sobre cómo el Mito actúa en la intersección entre los intereses sociales, el imaginario arquetípico-cultural y la realidad histórica, siendo parte efectiva en las respuestas a las preguntas primordiales y existenciales del ser humano y determinante en los juegos simbólicos y identitarios de los grupos culturales. Extiende está reflexión al concepto de territorio educativo como construcción realizada en las interacciones escuela/comunidad.
Trabalho docente desafiado: concepções de escolarização em disputa no território da escola rural em Goiás
Authors: Almeida Rosivaldo Almeida , Jesus Carolina Gomes de
Published: February 2024

El artículo trata sobre los significados de la escolarización en el medio rural, en el municipio de Goiás. Buscamos revelar las concepciones de la escolarización en el territorio de la escuela, a partir del discurso de los profesores, de observaciones sistemáticas y de los vínculos y tensiones entre las determinaciones estructurales y coyunturales del momento brasileño actual, en su relación con la dinámica social del capitalismo. Durante la investigación participativa (2018-2022) identificamos cuatro concepciones contrapuestas de la escolarización en el territorio escolar, que se entrecruzan en los tejidos de la cultura política, la educación rural y los nuevos movimientos sociales. Los referentes teóricos que sustentan la investigación son Bourdieu (1998), Almeida (2009; 2018), Souza (2018), Silva (2018) y Fernandes (2018).
Interlocuções entre Geografia, Literatura e Arte: as possibilidades da interpretação literogeográfica
Authors: Gonçalves Ricardo Assis , Chaveiro Eguimar Felicio , Suzuki Júlio César , Vilela Benjamim Pereira
Published: February 2024

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Incident Cardiovascular Disease in Women With Type 1 or Type 2 Diabetes Following a Hypertensive Disorder of Pregnancy
Authors: Mattsson Kristina , Pihlsgård Mats , Enhörning Sofia , Timpka Simon
Published: February 2024

BACKGROUND:

The extent to which a history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy is associated with incident cardiovascular disease also among women with diabetes is unknown.

METHODS:

In this nationwide register-based cohort study, parous women aged 18 to 69 years with a first delivery in the Swedish Medical Birth Register, regardless of diabetic status at that time, and a subsequent clinical visit in the Swedish National Diabetes Register were included. Time to first cardiovascular disease event (myocardial infarction, stroke, or heart failure) before age 70 years by hypertensive disorders of pregnancy history was separately analyzed by diabetes type using Cox regression models that included conventional risk factors.

RESULTS:

In total, 1748 (18.9%) of 9230 women with type 1 and 5904 (10.6%) of 55 773 women with type 2 diabetes had their first delivery complicated by a hypertensive disorder of pregnancy. Median time (25–75th percentile) between first delivery and start of follow-up was 3.3 (1.4–13.0) years for women with type 1 and 29.8 (22.4–35.6) years for women with type 2 diabetes. In modeling, the risk for any cardiovascular disease event among women with a history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy was generally 10% to 20% higher, with main models estimating hazard ratios to 1.20 (95% CI, 0.99–1.47) for women with type 1 and 1.15 (95% CI, 1.02–1.29) for women with type 2 diabetes.

CONCLUSIONS:

In women with diabetes, a history of hypertensive disorders of pregnancy was associated with an increased risk of incident cardiovascular disease and should be considered as a risk enhancer.
Phylogenetic analyses of the subfamily Scarabaeinae (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae) provide new insights into the Mexican Transition Zone theory
Authors: MOCTEZUMA VICTOR , MONTEROS ALEJANDRO ESPINOSA DE LOS , HALFFTER GONZALO
Published: February 2024

Being areas of biotic overlap located between biogeographic regions, transition zones function as natural laboratories. The present study explores the phylogenetic history of the dung beetle subfamily Scarabaeinae, in order to present an evolutionary scenario that allows inference of the biogeographic history of the Mexican Transition Zone (MTZ) and integration of the distributional patterns of its biota. The species sampling included 94 New World taxa (93 species of Scarabaeinae and one species of Aphodiinae). The phylogenetic relationships of the main clades recovered in our study were supported with PP values ≥ 0.95. Based on the BAYAREALIKE model to reconstruct the ancestral distributional patterns of Scarabaeinae, we inferred a complex scenario with 19 dispersal events, 15 vicariance events, and three extinctions. We suggest that the Ancient Neotropical and Tropical Paleoamerican patterns represent the most likely ancestral distributional patterns for the Scarabaeinae of the MTZ, which probably settle there during the Eocene-Oligocene. The rest of the Scarabaeinae distributional patterns were assembled in subsequent periods. The results suggest that the MTZ had two separate formation stages: a Paleo-MTZ (Eocene-Miocene) and a current MTZ (Pliocene-Anthropocene). We conclude that the evolutionary history as well as the dispersal-vicariance scenario for the Scarabaeinae of the MTZ fits the “out of the tropics” model.
Using OSSEs to Evaluate GXS Impact in the Context of International Coordination
Authors: McGrath-Spangler Erica L. , Privé N. C. , Karpowicz Bryan M. , Moradi Isaac , Heidinger Andrew K.
Published: February 2024

The Geostationary Extended Observations (GeoXO) program plans to include a hyperspectral infrared (IR) sounder on its central satellite, expected to launch in the mid-2030s. As part of the follow-on to the GOES program, the NOAA/NASA GeoXO Sounder (GXS) instrument will join several international counterparts in a geostationary orbit. In preparation, the NASA Global Modeling and Assimilation Office (GMAO) assessed the potential effectiveness of GXS both as a single GEO IR sounder and as part of a global ring that includes international partners. Using a global observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) framework, GXS was assessed from a numerical weather prediction (NWP) perspective. Evaluation of the ability of GXS, both alone and as part of a global ring of GEO sounders, to improve weather prediction of thermodynamic variables was performed globally and regionally. GXS dominated regional analysis and forecast improvements and contributed significantly to global increases in forecast skill relative to a Control. However, more sustained global improvements, on the order of 4 days, relied on international partnerships. Additionally, GXS showed the capability to improve hurricane forecast track errors on the time scales necessary for evacuation warnings. The FSOI metric over CONUS showed that the GXS observations provided the largest radiance impact on the moist energy error norm reduction. The high-temporal-resolution atmospheric profile information over much of the Western Hemisphere from GXS provides an opportunity to improve the representation of weather systems and their forecasts.

Significance Statement

NOAA and NASA are currently planning the GeoXO mission as a follow-on to the GOES program. As part of this process, NASA’s Global Modeling and Assimilation Office has performed several experiments using an observing system simulation experiment (OSSE) framework to assess the potential impact of the GeoXO Sounder (GXS) on numerical weather prediction within the context of international partners launching similar instruments. As part of this assessment, it was found that assimilation of GXS data has the ability to improve both the model analyzed weather and forecasts of the weather, specifically over the domain that GXS observes. Global improvements relied more heavily on a solution consisting of multiple instruments to form a global ring.
Election violence prevention during democratic transitions: A field experiment with youth and police in Liberia
Authors: Pruett Lindsey , Dyzenhaus Alex , Karim Sabrina , Freeman Dao
Published: February 2024

During highly uncertain, post-conflict elections, police officers and youth-wing party activists often engage in low-intensity electoral violence, which cannot be readily explained by national-level, institutional, elite-level strategic incentives for violence. Responding to calls to examine ‘non-strategic’ election violence, this article examines both the key actors most likely to perpetrate violence on-the-ground, and the micro-level perceptions underlying their decisions. In post-conflict contexts, police and youth-wing party activists operate within uncertain, information-poor and weakly institutionalized settings. Consequently, their pre-existing attitudes towards the use of violence, democracy, electoral institutions and towards other political actors influence how and when they engage in electoral violence. We proposed two different paths for reducing this uncertainty and improving attitudes: a) civic engagement programs and b) experience with ‘crucial’ elections, which we defined as the first post-conflict election following the withdrawal of external guarantors of electoral security. We employed a unique, locally led field experiment and panel data collected during the 2017 Liberian election to demonstrate how a ‘crucial election’ improved attitudes of both police and youth activists, while civic engagement programming did not. The findings suggested that elections following major structural reforms may reinforce democratization by improving the attitudes of the actors most likely to participate in violence.
Is banter bullying or a necessary part of the police officer toolkit?
Authors: Durrant Ian Stuart
Published: February 2024

When interviewed, three groups of police officers and staff reframed a complaint from a colleague about being the subject of jokes and tricks as banter. For them, banter was a signifier of in-group acceptance. However, a closer analysis suggests that far from being a benign form of camaraderie, banter is often used to create and maintain an exclusionary masculine culture which police officers and staff are reluctant to challenge. Drawing parallels with sexual harassment and racism, this paper concludes by suggesting that as part of a toxic culture, banter can represent a form of institutionalised bullying.
Geometric contact characteristics of variable hyperbolic circular-arc-tooth-trace cylindrical gear under different machine tool errors and sensitivity analysis for impact factors
Authors: Wei Yongqiao , Wang Yue , Li Zeyu , Jiang Bing , Guo Rui , Zhang Jianquan
Published: February 2024

Machine tool error is one of the most important research contents in gear transmission error, and contact characteristics are important factors affecting gear transmission performance. The establishment of tooth contact analysis (TCA) model of gear pair plays a guiding role in analyzing contact characteristics of gear pair. Based on the forming principle of variable hyperbolic circular-arc-tooth-trace cylindrical gear (VH-CATT gear), the structure model and coordinate system of VH-CATT gear machine tool are established. Based on the gear meshing conditions, the tooth surface mathematical model of the VH-CATT gear with machine tool error are established, and the TCA model with machine tool error is established. The influence of different machine tool errors on the geometric contact characteristics of the gear pair is analyzed. The results show that the pressure angle error, rotation error in y direction, and rotation error in z direction, translation error in y direction, and rotation error in z direction have a significant impact on the contact characteristics of tooth profile of VH-CATT gear.
Transnational trade union strategies in the context of market integration: The case of company union clubs in the Nordic finance sector
Authors: Gebert Raoul
Published: February 2024

The creation of a common European market for financial services has significantly altered the strategic edifice for banks, as well as for the trade unions representing their employees. In the Nordic countries, where regulation of the labour market has long relied on multiemployer bargaining and strong sector-level actors, this has led to a strategic realignment. Faced with mergers and acquisitions, the potential for delocalization and an increasing amount of directly applicable EU-regulation in the sector, Nordic finance trade unions have supported the creation of company-level trade union alliances within MNCs, while still building upon resources and repertoires stemming from Nordic ‘comparative institutional advantage’. Our ‘extended case study’ of three such alliances in the finance sector, called ‘Nordic company clubs’, concludes that, while trade unions there still benefit from strong, typically Nordic institutional and associational power resources, important actor-centred variables and capabilities such as narratives, scaling, resourcefulness and institutional experimentation complement and strengthen our understanding of trade union strategies and institutional change in the context of market integration.
Parental Stress, Infant Feeding and Well-being in Families Affected by Cleft Lip and/or Cleft Palate: The Impact of Early Follow-up
Authors: Lindberg Nina Ellefsen , Kynø Nina Margrethe , Feragen Kristin Billaud , Pripp Are Hugo , Tønseth Kim Alexander
Published: February 2024

Objective

To document the impact of early follow-up by specialized cleft nurses (SCNs) provided to families affected by cleft lip and/or palate (CL/P) and the status of parental stress, infant feeding and well-being.

Design

Prospective inclusion of a control group, which only received standard care, followed by an intervention group that also received early SCN follow-up.

Setting

The cleft lip and palate team at Oslo University Hospital, Norway.

Participants

Seventy families (69 mothers and 57 fathers) distributed into an intervention group (n = 32) and a control group (n = 38).

Intervention

SCNs provided a consultation at the maternity ward and a follow-up conversation by phone or face-to-face at scheduled times for six months.

Outcome measures

Parental Stress Index (PSI), Perceived Stress Scale (PSS-14), feeding questionnaire, survey of infant diets, weight percentiles.

Results

The mothers reported higher stress scores than the fathers, but in the control group only in the PSI parent domain at T2 and T3 ( P = .007, P = .018). Infants in the intervention group used pacifiers less frequently than in the control group (55.2% vs. 81.1%, P = .023). Otherwise, no significant differences were found between the groups. Overall, the infants received less breast milk than norms.

Conclusion

Contextual strategies for early follow-up of families affected by clefts need to be developed, with an emphasis on involving fathers and those parents reporting elevated stress and/or feeding difficulties. There is a need for diagnosis-specific guidelines about the use of pacifiers as well as collaboration between the health professionals involved to increase breastmilk feeding.
Realist climate action: Between responsiveness and responsibility
Authors: Austrup Dominik
Published: February 2024

How should political leaders address the emerging climate crisis if citizens are reluctant to accept costly but necessary climate action? In this article, I address this question by harnessing insights from the realist tradition in political theory. I propose that the realist legitimacy framework provides action guidance by offering two broadly applicable heuristics for political agents: responsibility and responsiveness. These heuristics collide if citizens are unwilling to accept policies designed to secure a nation's long-term stability. Faced with this problem, some authors make the supposedly realist argument that policymakers in liberal democracies should prioritise responsibility over responsiveness and embrace eco-authoritarianism to address the climate emergency. Against this line of argument, I maintain that the realist legitimacy framework entails no such commitment. Instead, realists must emphasise that responsible climate action entails a sufficient degree of responsiveness. I conclude by sketching how this insight may guide democratic leaders and climate activists in the future.
An analytical vibration model of a one-dimensional two-stage periodic isolation system for the broadband vibration suppression of an underwater glider
Authors: Liu Yujun , Liu Jing , Pan Guang , Huang Qiaogao
Published: February 2024

Periodic isolation system is effectively applied in broadband vibration control. To further enhance the broadband vibration attenuation effect, the paper proposes a two-stage periodic isolation system for an underwater glider. The analytical model of the one-dimensional two-stage periodic isolation system is developed through the multi-degree of freedom spring mass model method. For illustrating the superiority of the proposed two-stage periodic isolator, the force transmission ratio and the wave propagation constant of the SDOF isolator, the single-stage periodic isolator, and the two-stage periodic isolator are calculated and compared. In order to obtain the dynamic parameter influences on the vibration isolation performances as the design guidelines of the two-stage periodic isolator, the parametrical study is carried out based on the analytical model. Furthermore, a two-stage periodic isolator is designed for an underwater glider. The application effect of the two-stage periodic isolator is investigated through analytical modeling and finite element method, comparing to the single-stage periodic isolator. The research results from the analytical models show the proposed two-stage periodic isolator could strength the broadband vibration suppression. The parametrical study results demonstrate the vibration attenuation bandgap and attenuation amount are greatly influenced by the designed dynamic parameters, such as the mass unit and the spring unit of the periodic isolator, the intermediate mass of the two-stage isolator, and the number of the periodic cells. In application study of an underwater glider, the finite element results verify that the two-stage periodic isolator has more vibration attenuation effect than the single-stage periodic isolator. The vibration isolation assessment according to the proposed analytical model gives good predictive performance before the finite element model verification.
A comparative study of the knowledge and practices related to menstrual hygiene among adolescent girls in urban and rural areas of Sindh, Pakistan: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Aziz Amina , Memon Salma , Aziz Farhana , Memon Farzana , Khowaja Bakhtawar M Hanif , Naeem Zafar Shehla
Published: February 2024

Background:

Menstrual hygiene management plays a significant role in the achievement of sustainable development goals, including good health and well-being, quality education, gender equality, women’s empowerment, and sanitation. Even though the United Nations emphasizes menstrual hygiene management as a global public health and human rights issue, studies from different parts of the world have shown there is a lack of policies in this area that affects adolescent girls.

Objective:

The study aimed to assess the menstrual-related knowledge and practices of adolescent girls (10–18 years) attending urban and rural public schools of district Khairpur of province Sindh of Pakistan.

Design:

This research is an analytical cross-sectional study design.

Methods:

Adolescent girls ( n = 310), 159 girls from urban and 159 girls from rural schools, were enrolled. Data were collected through self-administered questionnaires. Knowledge was considered satisfactory if the participant scored ⩾12/20, and <12/20 was considered unsatisfactory knowledge. Practice scores were considered good for >10 and poor for <10. Statistical Package for the Social Science (SPSS) version 20.0 was used for data analysis. Descriptive statistics such as mean and standard deviation were calculated. The chi-square test was used to assess and compare the differences between practices and knowledge of menstrual hygiene management between urban and rural adolescent school girls.

Results:

We found significant differences in menstrual hygiene management among adolescent girls between urban and rural areas. Approximately two-thirds of the total school girls thought that school management had inadequate resources and toilet facilities (rural: 76% versus urban: 62%). The major source of knowledge in adolescent rural and urban girls for menstrual-related matters was mothers. More girls from the urban school (81%) were aware of using sanitary pads during menstruation. The majority of the girls from urban areas showed satisfactory knowledge whereas only 38% of rural girls were shown to have satisfactory results. Nearly 71% of urban girls were found to have good practices when compared with rural girls (12%).

Conclusion:

With further importance by the United Nations on female education in less developed regions, where the health of women is usually given less importance, policies are required on the inclusion of reproductive health of female adolescents in the curriculum.
Homey foods: Domesticating memories of the martial-law era in Taiwan’s heritage tourism
Authors: Kunze Rui
Published: February 2024

After the martial law period (1949–1987) ended, Taiwan embarked on democratization, which became interwoven with Taiwanization. Mainlander migrants, who came to Taiwan in the late 1940s with the Chinese Nationalist Party, and their offspring born in Taiwan, have come to be recognized or position themselves as the ethnic group of Mainlanders. Essential to this ongoing identity (trans)formation in Taiwanese society is how to remember the martial-law era. This article examines heritage tourism of two preserved sites built in early postwar Taiwan: the Shihlin Official Residence 士林官邸 of Chiang Kai-shek and the Forty-four South Village 四四南村, one of the earliest military dependents’ villages. More specifically, it investigates how tourist culinary programs and on-site exhibits de-militarize and de-sinicize the heritage sites to create a nostalgic prosthetic memory couched in a discourse of home-building and domesticity, which parallels the mainlanders’ changing foodways with their Taiwanization.
Re-purposing the built environment of urban China: Residential eldercare and David Harvey's capital switching in a new era
Authors: Lawson James , Xu Feng
Published: February 2024

In urban China, institutional eldercare interacts with local land markets in ways that present special analytical problems in critical political economy. It is a new sector: home-based eldercare and childcare have formed complementary parts of intergenerational household strategies that are coming under system-wide pressure for the first time. Growth in Chinese institutional eldercare has increasingly contributed to the repurposing of a wide range of disused buildings, with noteworthy state encouragement. We read this post-reform feature of urban transformation to deploy David Harvey’s concept of ‘capital switching’ in new ways that are emerging in studies of China's urban geography. Harvey’s framework has already been used in analysing China’s multi-decade boom in the built environment. It exposed the stabilising effects of diverting capital from overaccumulation in single turnover and realisation cycles into deferred returns in the multi-cycle built environment albeit complicated by complex and distinctive interpenetrations of consumption fund and fixed capital, for-profit and not-for-profit sectors, state and non-state interests, and so on. This certainly speaks to the origins of contemporary Chinese urbanisation booms. But repurposing for institutional eldercare now appears to be playing a role in abating mounting overaccumulation and potential devalorisation in the built environment, pairing these unprofitable buildings with for-profit eldercare services operating and yielding profits in repeated single turnover cycles. We experiment with bundled commodity theory to understand repurposing buildings for residential eldercare in this new context.
Vulnerability of reinforced concrete frames using anti-seismic hysteretic devices for the Lorca earthquake (2011)
Authors: Santos David Dominguez , Pallares Rubio Francisco , Muñoz Pedro
Published: February 2024

Many buildings around the world are extremely vulnerable to serious and moderate earthquakes. Base isolation and energy dissipators are the traditional techniques in anti-seismic designs. The present paper focuses on the suitability of using hysteretic energy dissipators in braced buildings in low-to-medium seismic zones, such as southeast Spain. To this end, static (Push-over) and dynamic analyses have been carried out using the record of the Lorca earthquake (2011) in its most unfavorable direction (N-S), using reinforced concrete frames of low (5 stories frame), medium (10 stories frame), and high height (15 stories frame) with hysteretic dissipators (based on metal plasticization) and economical and easy-to-use devices. The results show that this type of solution is appropriate in the case described and indicate the advantages and disadvantages of its use in buildings in the study area. The results show that the effectiveness of the dissipative devices increases with the height of the frames, in terms of displacements, resistance, and distribution of moments in the primary structural elements of the frames (beams and columns).
Infection or inflection? Reflecting on constructions of children and play through the prism of the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Olusoga Yinka , Bannister Catherine , Bishop Julia C
Published: February 2024

During crisis times, what children are playing and what grown-ups think their games signify can become a focus of adult anxiety. The Play Observatory, a COVID-19 research project, drew on folklore studies and cultural histories of childhood to collect, document and understand what children were playing and doing during extraordinary times, in ways which were meaningful to children themselves. This article discusses some of the children’s and families’ contributions, juxtaposed with children’s contributions to the archive of childhood folklorists Iona and Peter Opie, to highlight and contest adultist interpretations around children’s play during difficult times. We suggest that these interpretations are rooted in particular social constructions of the child, of childhood and of play that reflect themes of innocence, purity and vulnerability, and the need for adult protection from contamination, both material and symbolic. We introduce the idea of ‘inflection’ to suggest how habitual and perennial forms of play may be made to temporarily accommodate contemporary issues by the players as opposed to the play (and hence the child) being ‘infected’ with troubling or distressing themes which detract from idealised constructs of childhood.
Barriers and facilitators for recruiting and retaining male participants into longitudinal health research: a systematic review
Authors: Borg Danielle J. , Haritopoulou-Sinanidou Melina , Gabrovska Pam , Tseng Hsu-Wen , Honeyman David , Schweitzer Daniel , Rae Kym M.
Published: February 2024

Background

Successfully recruiting male participants to complete a healthcare related study is important for healthcare study completion and to advance our clinical knowledgebase. To date, most research studies have examined the barriers and facilitators of female participants in longitudinal healthcare-related studies with limited information available about the needs of males in longitudinal research. This systematic review examines the unique barriers and facilitators to male recruitment across longitudinal healthcare-related research studies.

Methods

Following PRIMSA guidelines, MEDLINE, Embase, CINAHL and Web of Science databases were systematically searched using the terms recruitment and/or retention, facilitators and/or barriers and longitudinal studies from 1900 to 2023 which contained separate data on males aged 17–59 years. Health studies or interventions were defined longitudinal if they were greater than or equal to 12 weeks in duration with 3 separate data collection visits.

Results

Twenty-four articles published from 1976–2023 met the criteria. One-third of the studies had a predominantly male sample and four studies recruited only male participants. Males appear disinterested towards participation in health research, however this lack of enthusiasm can be overcome by clear, non-directive communication, and studies that support the participants interests. Facilitating factors are diverse and may require substantial time from research teams.

Conclusions

Future research should focus on the specific impact of these factors across the spectrum of longitudinal health-related studies. Based on the findings of this systematic review, researchers from longitudinal health-related clinical trials are encouraged to consider male-specific recruitment strategies to ensure successful recruitment and retention in their studies.

Registration

This systemic review is registered with the PROSPERO database (CRD42021254696).
Reading of small bowel capsule endoscopy after frame reduction using an artificial intelligence algorithm
Authors: Oh Dong Jun , Hwang Youngbae , Kim Sang Hoon , Nam Ji Hyung , Jung Min Kyu , Lim Yun Jeong
Published: February 2024

Objectives

Poorly visualized images that appear during small bowel capsule endoscopy (SBCE) can confuse the interpretation of small bowel lesions and increase the physician’s workload. Using a validated artificial intelligence (AI) algorithm that can evaluate the mucosal visualization, we aimed to assess whether SBCE reading after the removal of poorly visualized images could affect the diagnosis of SBCE.

Methods

A study was conducted to analyze 90 SBCE cases in which a small bowel examination was completed. Two experienced endoscopists alternately performed two types of readings. They used the AI algorithm to remove poorly visualized images for the frame reduction reading (AI user group) and conducted whole frame reading without AI (AI non-user group) for the same patient. A poorly visualized image was defined as an image with < 50% mucosal visualization. The study outcomes were diagnostic concordance and reading time between the two groups. The SBCE diagnosis was classified as Crohn’s disease, bleeding, polyp, angiodysplasia, and nonspecific finding.

Results

The final SBCE diagnoses between the two groups showed statistically significant diagnostic concordance (k = 0.954, p < 0.001). The mean number of lesion images was 3008.5 ± 9964.9 in the AI non-user group and 1401.7 ± 4811.3 in the AI user group. There were no cases in which lesions were completely removed. Compared with the AI non-user group (120.9 min), the reading time was reduced by 35.6% in the AI user group (77.9 min).

Conclusions

SBCE reading after reducing poorly visualized frames using the AI algorithm did not have a negative effect on the final diagnosis. SBCE reading method integrated with frame reduction and mucosal visualization evaluation will help improve AI-assisted SBCE interpretation.
First effectiveness data of lenvatinib and pembrolizumab as first-line therapy in advanced anaplastic thyroid cancer: a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Soll Dominik , Bischoff Philip , Frisch Anne , Jensen Marie , Karadeniz Zehra , Mogl Martina T. , Horst David , Penzkofer Tobias , Spranger Joachim , Keilholz Ulrich , Mai Knut
Published: February 2024

Background

Anaplastic thyroid cancer (ATC) is a rare and aggressive neoplasm. We still lack effective treatment options, so survival rates remain very low. Here, we aimed to evaluate the activity of the combination of lenvatinib and pembrolizumab as systemic first-line therapy in ATC.

Methods

In a retrospective analysis, we investigated the activity and tolerability of combined lenvatinib (starting dose 14 to 24 mg daily) and pembrolizumab (200 mg every three weeks) as first-line therapy in an institutional cohort of ATC patients.

Results

Five patients with metastatic ATC received lenvatinib and pembrolizumab as systemic first-line therapy. The median progression-free survival was 4.7 (range 0.8–5.9) months, and the median overall survival was 6.3 (range 0.8-not reached) months. At the first follow-up, one patient had partial response, three patients had stable disease, and one patient was formally not evaluable due to interference of assessment by concomitant acute infectious thyroiditis. This patient was then stable for more than one year and was still on therapy at the data cutoff without disease progression. Further analyses revealed deficient DNA mismatch repair, high CD8+ lymphocyte infiltration, and low macrophage infiltration in this patient. Of the other patients, two had progressive disease after adverse drug reactions and therapy de-escalation, and two died after the first staging. For all patients, the PD-L1 combined positive score ranged from 12 to 100%.

Conclusions

The combination of lenvatinib and pembrolizumab was effective and moderately tolerated in treatment-naïve ATC patients with occasional long-lasting response. However, we could not confirm the exceptional responses for this combination therapy reported before in pretreated patients.
Spatio-temporal modelling of referrals to outpatient respiratory clinics in the integrated care system of the Morecambe Bay area, England
Authors: Mountain Rachael , Knight Jo , Heys Kelly , Giorgi Emanuele , Gatheral Timothy
Published: February 2024

Background

Promoting integrated care is a key goal of the NHS Long Term Plan to improve population respiratory health, yet there is limited data-driven evidence of its effectiveness. The Morecambe Bay Respiratory Network is an integrated care initiative operating in the North-West of England since 2017. A key target area has been reducing referrals to outpatient respiratory clinics by upskilling primary care teams. This study aims to explore space-time patterns in referrals from general practice in the Morecambe Bay area to evaluate the impact of the initiative.

Methods

Data on referrals to outpatient clinics and chronic respiratory disease patient counts between 2012-2020 were obtained from the Morecambe Bay Community Data Warehouse, a large store of routinely collected healthcare data. For analysis, the data is aggregated by year and small area geography. The methodology comprises of two parts. The first explores the issues that can arise when using routinely collected primary care data for space-time analysis and applies spatio-temporal conditional autoregressive modelling to adjust for data complexities. The second part models the rate of outpatient referral via a Poisson generalised linear mixed model that adjusts for changes in demographic factors and number of respiratory disease patients.

Results

The first year of the Morecambe Bay Respiratory Network was not associated with a significant difference in referral rate. However, the second and third years saw significant reductions in areas that had received intervention, with full intervention associated with a 31.8% (95% CI 17.0-43.9) and 40.5% (95% CI 27.5-50.9) decrease in referral rate in 2018 and 2019, respectively.

Conclusions

Routinely collected data can be used to robustly evaluate key outcome measures of integrated care. The results demonstrate that effective integrated care has real potential to ease the burden on respiratory outpatient services by reducing the need for an onward referral. This is of great relevance given the current pressure on outpatient services globally, particularly long waiting lists following the COVID-19 pandemic and the need for more innovative models of care.
Poor quality of sleep and musculoskeletal pains among highly trained and elite athletes in Senegal
Authors: Mekoulou Ndongo Jerson , Bika Lele Elysée Claude , Malam Moussa Ahmet Hassane , Guessogo Wiliam Richard , Wiliam Mbang Biang , Guyot Jessica , Rozand Vianey , Ahmadou  , Ayina Ayina Clarisse Noel , Kojom Foko Loick Pradel , Barth Nathalie , Bongue Bienvenu , Ba Abdoulaye , Samb Abdoulaye , Roche Fréderic , Mandengue Samuel Honoré , Assomo-Ndemba Peguy Brice
Published: February 2024

Background

Previous studies reported that poor sleep quality (PSQ) was associated with musculoskeletal pains (MSP) and poor physical performance in athletes.

Objective

The current study aimed at determining PSQ and its associations with MSP in some sub-Saharan athletes.

Methods

A cross sectional study was conducted among 205 highly trained and 115 elite athletes (aged: 25 ± 2 years, Body mass index: 22.8 ± 0.9 kg/m2) in Dakar, Senegal, during a competitive season in a variety of sport disciplines including athletics, basketball, football, rugby, wrestling, tennis. Quality of sleep and MSP were assessed using the French version Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and French version of Nordic questionnaire respectively. Pain on body joints during a week was defined as seven-day MSP (MSP-7d) and PSQ for a PSQI > 5.

Results

27.8% (95%CI: 23.2–32.9) of the overall sample suffered PSQ, with 33.7% (95%CI: 24.7–44.0) in basketball and 24.7% (95%CI: 16.9–34.6) in football. According to athletic status and gender, PSQ was more prevalent among highly trained (66.3; 95%CI: 55.9–75.3) and men (69.7%; 95%CI: 59.5–78.7). Among athletes with PSQ 43.8% (95%CI: 33.9–54.2) suffered MSP-7d, with 36.6%; highly trained (95%CI: 23.7–42.9) and 28.1% female. Considering body region, hips/thigh (14.6%; 95% CI: 8.74–23.4) and upper back (13.5%; 95%CI: 7.88 -21, 1) were more affected. Basketball players were more affected from MSP (MSP-7d = 38.5%; 95%CI: 24. 9–54.1) on high on wrists/hands (MSP-7d = 44.4%; 95%CI: 18.9 -73.3; P = 0.04). Based on athletic status, MSP-7d were higher on highly trained necks (100%; 95%CI: 56.1–100; p = 0.04). PSQ was associated with basketball (OR: 3.062, 95%CI: 1.130–8.300, p = 0.02) compared to Athletic. PSQ and MSP-7d were associated on Wrist/hands (OR: 3.352, 95%CI: 1.235–9.099, p = 0.01), and at the upper back (OR: 5.820, 95%CI: 2.096–16.161, p = 0.0007).

Conclusion

These results indicate that PSQ is considerable among Senegalese athletes and is associated with MSP during a week. Hence, we recommend to look for strategies optimizing good quality of sleep in order to reduce pains, to improve health.