bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Instructional Leadership Development Practices in Ethiopia: Curriculum Development and Implementation Practices, and Career Development Frameworks
Authors: Gedifew Matebe Tafere
Published: October 2022

The purpose of this study is twofold: to examine the curriculum structure for instructional leaders’ training and development against the desired competences; and to evaluate the career development framework of instructional leaders. With these ends in view, the study examined the instructional leadership framework, the curriculum document, and the instructional leaders’ recruitment, selection and retention strategies. Unstructured interviews were made with purposely selected thirty-one (31) interviewees until information saturates. Hence, the perspectives of instructional leadership trainers, instructional leaders, zone education department heads, and national level education experts who were selected using a purposive sampling technique were explored through one-on-one interviews. The data analysis and presentation was made based on the major themes identified as purposes of the study. In the light of these, the qualitative data analysis discloses the absence of national instructional leadership framework from which instructional leadership curriculum should have emerged. It was also understood that the loosened curriculum development culture ultimately resulted in the curriculum’s lack of relevance to the desired competences for instructional leadership development. It was further learnt that there existed an absence of context specific recruitment, selection and retention strategies for instructional leaders. It is, therefore, concluded that the instructional leadership development practices of Ethiopia, seemed to have been deviating from expectations. Hence, it is recommended that there is a need to design a national instructional leadership development framework based on which the instructional leadership curriculum development and implementation practices could be managed. The recruitment, selection, and retention strategies should also involve incentive packages that could attract competent candidates to the profession. It is further recommended that there is a need to promote positive mindset exercises for instructional leaders to take their own professional development initiatives.
Adenosine and Astrocytes Control Critical Periods of Neural Plasticity
Authors: Martínez-Gallego Irene , Rodríguez-Moreno Antonio
Published: October 2022

Windows of plasticity are fundamental for the correct formation of definitive brain circuits; these periods drive sensory and motor learning during development and ultimately learning and memory in adults. However, establishing windows of plasticity also imposes limitations on the central nervous system in terms of its capacity to recover from injury. Recent evidence highlights the important role that astrocytes and adenosine seem to play in controlling the duration of these critical periods of plasticity.
Quality of Life among LGBTQ Older Adults in the United States: A Systematic Review
Authors: Preston Russell
Published: October 2022

Background:

Sexual and gender minorities constitute a rapidly growing part of the older adult population in the United States and may face quality of life (QOL) challenges in older adulthood. Research on quality of life among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) older adults has increased dramatically since 2010. Common findings indicate that LGBTQ older adults face challenges related to personal experiences of discrimination, anticipated discrimination in health care settings, and lack of family support. Research designs were primarily nonprobability surveys, with a small number of qualitative designs and surveys using representative probability samples.

Aim:

To identify and summarize research on QOL among LGBTQ older adults conducted in the United States between January 1, 2000 and December 31, 2020.

Method:

Four scholarly databases were searched to identify studies addressing QOL in LGBTQ older adult populations.

Results:

The database search produced a total 568 unique results. Of these, 54 research articles were identified that met all inclusion criteria for the review. Appraisal of evidence was conducted using the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) methodology.

Conclusions:

Care for mental health of LGBTQ older adults should be sensitive to issues including lifetime history of discrimination, anxiety about anticipated discrimination from health care providers, and potential lack of family support. Focus can also be given to common areas of strength, including strengthening nonfamily social networks.
DNA Methylation Research in Autologous Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Population
Authors: Mohanraj Lathika , Lapato Dana M. , Toor Amir , Swift-Scanlan Theresa
Published: October 2022

Despite increased sophistication in DNA methylation (DNAm) measurement and methods, conducting studies in specific populations such as the hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HCT) population, presents unique challenges and study design considerations. In this article, we explain the motivation for investigating DNAm in the HCT population, highlighting important study design features and key findings in a longitudinal prospective pilot study of DNAm in 32 patients undergoing autologous HCT in Central Virginia, USA. We also discuss limitations and challenges to generating robust results. We observed that HCT does not prevent high-quality DNA from being extracted from whole blood for DNAm research and that longitudinal prospective studies that span pre- and 2-months post-HCT are feasible. Critically, we did not observe significant impacts of cancer diagnosis, time since transplant, age, or chromosomal sex on overall DNAm data dimensionality. These observations demonstrate that while extreme care is required to ensure generalizable, accurate, and interpretable results, researchers should not avoid HCT-DNAm research simply for fear that the transplant procedure or presence of a cancer diagnosis will prevent meaningful conclusions from being drawn. DNAm is an attractive biomarker that is understudied in patients undergoing HCT and needs to expand to improve precise prediction of HCT outcomes.
Young People and Subjective Employment Insecurity: Evidence from the Finnish Youth Barometer between 2009 and 2019
Authors: Haikkola Lotta , Laine Riku , Pitkänen Tuuli
Published: October 2022

Although broad labour market transformations have altered employment prospects for young people in the Global North, young people remain optimistic about their future employment opportunities. However, there is relatively little research on variations in young people’s perceptions. Using data from the Finnish Youth Barometer Survey, we address this gap by analysing young people’s perceived employment insecurity—that is, feelings of insecurity about future employment chances. We analyse first the determinants of employment insecurity and second the relationship between non-standard work contracts and employment insecurity in the employed group. The finding showed that economic downturns, immigrant background and unemployment status are associated with insecurity. Having a non-standard contract was associated with more insecurity. Young women feel more insecure than men. This is partly explained by the concentration of non-standard contracts among women. Our results show that there are differences in employment insecurity among young people and that young people react to economic downturns.
How the US Economy and Environment can Both Benefit From Composting Management
Authors: Farhidi Faraz , Madani Kaveh , Crichton Rohan
Published: October 2022

Composting is one of the environmentally friendly ways of reducing organic waste. It is economically viable since it cuts costs associated with the hauling of wastes and enables farmers to reduce the use of fertilizers. Composting operations are relatively non-existent in the solid municipal waste sector, as the market has molded itself and grown into a standard “bury-or-burn” model. As humans are trying to address global warming, composting proves to be a promising climate change mitigation option, benefiting societies in terms of the environment, the economy, and overall health. This study projects that—with the current trends—by the end of 2030, the U.S. can increase the compost to waste ratio by 18% from 10%, reducing carbon emissions by 30 million tons a year while saving around 16 billion USD in municipal waste management costs. Analyzing the existing records in the OECD countries suggests that economic motives are not powerful enough to incentivize the industry/household toward composting. Stricter environmental policies can boost the composting volume by 214-574 thousand tons per year. Imposing waste taxes and penalties can give birth to a vast industry that has not yet flourished while the economic subsidies financed by the collected taxes and penalties can incentivize the private sector to further invest in composting.
You Must Touch It: Touchscreen Hygiene and the Sin of the Smudge
Authors: Plotnick Rachel
Published: October 2022

This article examines how people have constructed touchscreen smudges, those oily marks left behind by users’ fingers on shiny glass, as a form of ‘mess’. It offers an historical account of smudges between 2007 and 2010, when users, corporations, journalists, third-party accessory manufacturers and others began to first frame smudges as a problem for mobile media due to users’ constant touching and the evidence of their finger trails which functioned as a kind of ‘ visible tactility’. Solutions took the form of engineering special screen coatings or cultivating responsible users who would maintain their devices through cleaning and caretaking practices. In both these cases, smudges were denigrated not for degrading media content or breaking the device’s functionality, but rather for violating high-tech aesthetics and drawing attention to porous, tactile and germ-riddled bodies. The piece, bringing together this case with the present, encourages scholars to attend to the ways that users are entreated to tame and groom both their bodies and their media devices in particular socio-historical contexts.
Design of a dual-hierarchy scaffolding board game-based learning activity for EFL reading comprehension
Authors: Li Cheng-Tai , Hou Huei-Tse , Lee Liang-Hsuan
Published: October 2022

Promoting English as a foreign language (EFL) students’ reading comprehension, improving their reading motivation, and reducing their anxiety have always been the focus of EFL researchers. Educational board games have gradually received attention from educators. Various studies have found that board game-based teaching can improve students’ learning performance, motivation, and classroom engagement, and contribute to increasing discussion. However, there are few discussions on board games in the field of EFL, so further discussion is necessary to fill the research gap of board games in EFL reading comprehension. This study developed a dual-hierarchical scaffolding board game activity framework integrating game-based learning (GBL) and scaffolding strategies, and used card board games as teaching materials to promote EFL students’ reading comprehension. The game activity framework provides a scaffolded language learning environment with dual-hierarchy concepts to support students in building successful reading strategies. Moreover, the verbal and visual representations are displayed together on the cards game component. Game mechanics can help students to link verbal and image information. On the other hand, this framework emphasizes allowing students to first use the group discussion and collaborative reading mode to conduct self-directed and game-based learning activities with the dual-hierarchy scaffolding strategy. Then the teacher guides the students to use the concepts learned in the game activities to analyse and read the text so that they can understand the text content. A quasi-experimental design was conducted in a high school English reading course to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed framework. The experimental results showed that the proposed framework not only significantly promoted the EFL students’ reading comprehension and learning motivation and decreased their learning anxiety, but also helped them maintain a high level of learning motivation in the process of the activities. It is expected that the proposed structure can lead to better EFL teaching practices.
Ambivalent reading: Ambivalence as a reading practice in critical literacy
Authors: Zaini Amin
Published: October 2022

While previous research has suggested there are dominantly two reading practices in critical literacy, namely, reading with and against texts, this study introduces the approach of ambivalence as a third way of reading texts critically. For the purpose of this study – establishing ambivalence as a reading practice in critical literacy – four international postgraduates at an Australian University volunteered to participate in a collective case study. They read four national and politico-religious texts and showed their agreement, disagreement, and ambivalence about the texts. They also partook in individual interviews and focus group discussions (FGDs). The data obtained from 16 rounds of reading texts, 40 interviews, and four FGDs were analysed using Foucault’s conceptualization of discourse, power relations, subjectivities, and technologies of the self. The findings advocate that the participants read texts ambivalently in three directions: spontaneously when reading texts, after the initial agreement with texts, and after an earlier disagreement with them. The conclusive data discuss that: (1) participants’ state of perception, which is ambivalence, is associated with their identities and subjectivities and is in the range of active critical engagement with the texts rather than indifference or passivity; (2) ambivalence is informed by participants’ technologies of the self as well as FGDs and reading opposing texts, which buttressed their arguments by attaching their interpretations to existing or non-existent topics in the texts; and (3) ambivalence is tied with participants’ understanding of truth, which helped them not only critique texts but also modify their presuppositions and earlier interpretations of texts. Relevant pedagogical implications including a concrete question set and the adoption of a new technical term, ambivalent reading, are proposed.
Becoming teachers of emergent bilinguals: Navigating ideological and identity tensions
Authors: Uzum Baburhan , Yazan Bedrettin , Avineri Netta
Published: October 2022

Teacher candidates (TCs) go through intense identity negotiations and tensions at the intersection of personal, professional, and political dimensions of education. This iterative and complex process brings about ideological tensions. In this article, following a qualitative research design, we analysed the interviews of 48 (majority white monolingual) TCs during a semester-long practice teaching experience with emergent bilingual students (EBs) in grades 6–8 classrooms. The constant comparative method and critical discourse analysis informed our data analysis. The findings demonstrated that TCs experienced tensions related to their identities, ideologies, and future student populations. These tensions were revealed in their discourses, language choices, and the metaphors they adopted. One prevalent metaphor used was ‘language barrier’, depicting TCs’ limited agency and helplessness in their teaching if they did not speak the first language of their EBs. Another recurrent theme was the need to better understand the who, what, where, when, and why questions of teaching as TCs reflected on their professional decision-making at the intersection of personal, professional, and political discourses of teaching EBs. The study suggests that these ideological tensions should be unpacked in teacher education programs to build identity-focused critical teacher learning practices. Such practices can help TCs understand and navigate discourses that are introduced during teacher preparation in an effort to develop ideological clarity and claim ownership of their transformation into becoming social justice-oriented teachers of EBs.
Nonlinear dynamic analysis of galloping of a single iced conductor with four degrees of freedom based on curved beam theory
Authors: Han Yan , Zhang Zihang , Li Chunguang , Sheng Guogang , Cai CS
Published: October 2022

Based on the nonlinear strain-displacement relationship of spatial curved beam theory, a finite element model for galloping analysis of iced transmission lines is established, which involves three translational degrees of freedom (DOF) and one rotational degree of freedom for each node. Considering the aerodynamic nonlinearity and the geometric nonlinearity of large amplitude motions of the iced transmission line, the nonlinear dynamic finite element equation is presented by using the virtual work principle. The equation is transformed into the sub-space according to the mode superposition method and a time integration algorithm is also performed in the sub-space. Then, the element independence and modal convergence are researched. Finally, the influence of aerodynamic forces on structural frequency is analyzed. The numerical results show that aerodynamic forces will greatly affect the torsional frequency of the transmission line, which accurately reflects the dynamic characteristics of transmission lines. Furthermore, the galloping calculation of the transmission line has reliable accuracy by using 4-DOF (per node) elements for the iced conductor. On the other hand, the model can predict the actual galloping response of the transmission line, which is convenient for the implementation of subsequent control design.
Orthodontic apps: An assessment of content accuracy and validity
Authors: Prithiviraj Dharshini , Smyth Robert SD , Sharif Mohammad Owaise
Published: October 2022

Objective:

To assess the content accuracy of orthodontic treatment information in patient-focused apps.

Design:

A cross-sectional review study.

Setting:

Orthodontic apps available on the UK Android and Apple App Stores.

Methods:

Apps identified in a previous research study and those identified via a questionnaire of specialist orthodontists were assessed for accuracy of content utilising an evidence-based checklist. The checklist covered five main orthodontically relevant themes and 32 codes with respective items.

Results:

The accuracy of information content for 16 patient-focused apps was assessed. Eight apps provided information related to orthodontic treatment and handling emergencies. Five apps were reminder apps and a small number (n = 3) contained games and timers for toothbrushing and aligners. With regard to the accuracy of information content, only two apps contained information across all five themes of the evidence-based checklist. Only one app received a score of ‘fair - excellent’ under the oral hygiene theme; interestingly, this app was the most commonly used patient-focused app. Eight apps containing orthodontic treatment information scored poorly as they had inaccurate information on handling emergency situations. None of the apps were deemed excellent with regard to accuracy of information content.

Conclusion:

The orthodontic mobile apps assessed in this study mostly contained information of poor accuracy. Therefore, there is a need for high-quality apps with credible information supported by evidence to be developed.
Benefits, co-operation and development—The relationship between a music academy and four amateur symphony orchestras
Authors: Lonnert Lia
Published: October 2022

The focus in this study is the relationships between one tertiary music academy and four amateur orchestras. In this study the kinds of cooperation that exist, how students benefit from participating in amateur orchestras, and how cooperation can be further developed is identified. Four administrators from the academy and four conductors were interviewed. The study shows that the bases for cooperation are informal arrangements and personal contacts between individuals. What the interviewees considered as the main benefit for students was that participating in amateur orchestras provided opportunities for orchestral playing that were lacking within their formal education. Policy decisions were based on the interviewees ideas about students’ benefits, which could be social, musical and professional. The interviewees also respected the students’, and teachers’, autonomy in choosing their own musical and professional paths. Both the academy administrators and the amateur orchestra conductors value the cooperative relationships between academy and amateur orchestras.
Mycetism – A report of three cases with review of recent literature
Authors: Barman Bhupen , Tiewsoh Iadarilang , Nune Arvind , Wahlang Julie , Nongpiur Arvind
Published: October 2022

Wild mushroom grow abundantly in the tropical belts of India, and they form part of the diet among the ethnic tribes. However, wild mushrooms are toxic, and some cause organ failure, namely fulminant hepatitis and kidney injury. Mushroom poisoning is frequently diagnosed based on clinical suspicion, and death has been reported commonly because of the consumption of amatoxin-containing mushrooms. In this article, we discuss three cases of amatoxin-induced mushroom poisoning that resulted in acute kidney and liver failure, requiring intensive medical management and renal replacement therapy. One of these patients died from irreversible fulminant hepatitis.
A Systematic Review and Meta-Synthesis of Barriers and Facilitators of Help-Seeking Behaviors in South Asian Women Living in High-Income Countries who Have Experienced Domestic Violence: Perception of Domestic Violence Survivors and Service Providers
Authors: Sultana Razia , Ozen-Dursun Busra , Femi-Ajao Omolade , Husain Nusrat , Varese Filippo , Taylor Peter
Published: October 2022

There has been little research on domestic violence (DV) within ethnic minority communities in high-income countries. This study reports on the findings of a meta-ethnography that examined the barriers and facilitators of help-seeking behaviors in South Asian women living in high-income countries who have experienced DV to inform practice, understand the limits of the evidence, and identify research gaps. Qualitative studies were identified which were available in English by electronic databases. After an initial search, 2,465 articles were reviewed by title and abstract and 135 articles were reviewed for full text. Thirty-five papers were included for this review and were synthesized using meta-ethnography. Key findings included barriers and facilitators of help-seeking behaviors: (1) Socio-cultural norms to prohibit help-seeking behaviors, (2) Fear of negative consequences, (3) Negative aspects of immigration status, (4) Insufficient support from statutory, and voluntary agencies, (5) Safety strategies and facilitators for surviving. Although this review investigated the perceptions of two different populations (survivors and service providers) both groups had similar views about the barriers and facilitators of help-seeking behaviors. It is crucial for the government and non-government organizations to understand the barriers for women who are DV survivors to seek help from their organizations and also from South Asian ethnicities. The awareness and understanding of these barriers and facilitators may help support the development of interventions to encourage effective help-seeking amongst South Asian women affected by DV. Suggestions for research, practice, and policies are discussed.
Comics and the Colombian Peace Process: Neoliberal Discourse and the Risk of Revictimization of Displaced Peasants
Authors: Tutkal Serhat
Published: October 2022

This article explores how two comics published by Colombia’s National Center for Historical Memory engage with the ongoing peace process by promoting a neoliberal discourse. It argues that these comics are examples of narratives that focus on economic productivity to justify the peace process and restitution of lands. First, it shows how comics participate in the construction of collective memories. Second, based on critical discourse studies, it analyses the comics to trace the signs of the greater economic discourse. Finally, it underlies certain dangers of relying on this discourse to legitimize the peace process in Colombia.
Town Scheming: The Kenbi Aboriginal Land Claim and the Role of Planning in Securing Possession
Authors: Jackson Sue
Published: October 2022

This article provides a detailed history of Australia’s longest running Indigenous land claim (1978–2016), made by the Larrakia traditional owners to the coastal hinterland of Darwin, under Australia’s first land rights legislation. It reveals the efforts of the state and its planners to exercise territorial control and establish a racialised socio-political order through planning legislation and land use plans. Institutions designed to return land to Indigenous peoples represent a critical site of inquiry for understanding not only how injustice is reproduced and resisted in settler colonial contexts but how settler colonial urbanism is made and remade as imperial power.
Factors That Influence Occupational Engagement of Young Adults Who Are Cancer Survivors: A Pilot Study
Authors: Longpré Sheila M. , Rader Nadeya C. , Dougherty Kendall J. , Motai Yael , Leinhauser Kathryn C.
Published: October 2022

Cancer and its treatment can impact occupational engagement. However, occupational therapy–specific research studying young adult cancer survivors remains limited. The objective of this study to identify the type of occupations that young adult cancer survivors choose to engage in and to understand their decision-making process when choosing these occupations. A mixed-methods explanatory sequential design was used. Eleven participants, nine females and two males, between the ages of 18 and 35, were included. Several occupations were identified for engagement such as activities of daily living, leisure, work, sleep and rest, and health management. The predominant factor that influenced why occupations were chosen was that individuals purposefully selected occupations that allowed them to choose a path toward a more meaningful life. Information gained from this pilot study can be used to inform occupational therapy practitioners regarding services and interventions that promote occupational engagement for young adult cancer survivors.
Application of En Bloc and Urethral Mucosal Flap Sparing Techniques Improve the Functional Outcomes in Holmium Laser Enucleation of Prostate: A Retrospective Case Control Study
Authors: Zhou Jizhi , Hua Zengrong , Tang Min , Meng Xiaoxin , Li Pu
Published: October 2022

The purpose of the study was to study the feasibility of holmium laser enucleation of prostate (HoLEP) with en bloc and urethral mucosal flap sparing technique in treating benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) patients and to evaluate the influence of this modified technique on urinary function. A cohort of 188 BPH patients underwent HoLEP from June 2017 to October 2019. Among them, 92 patients underwent conventional en bloc HoLEP and the other 96 patients underwent HoLEP with en bloc and urethral mucosal flap sparing techniques. The basic characteristics, the volume of the prostate, urodynamic data, and perioperative parameters were recorded for comparison. The outcome parameters include international prostate symptom score (IPSS), maximum urinary flow rate (Qmax), post-voiding residual (PVR), quality of life score (QoL), and incidence of de novo stress urinary incontinence (SUI). The basic characteristics were equivalent in both groups. All HoLEP procedures were smoothly carried out. The perioperative complications were low and did not show a significant difference. The follow-up period was 12 months or longer. IPSS, Qmax, QoL, and PVR were improved postoperation in both groups. There was no statistical difference in the parameters between the two groups. When considering a postoperative SUI, the occurrence of short-term and long-term SUI in the modified HoLEP group was significantly less than those in the conventional HoLEP group ( p < 0.05). In summary, HoLEP by using en bloc and urethral mucosal flap sparing technique is a safe and effective treatment for BPH patients, especially in preventing postoperative SUI.
Women’s perceptions of domestic, intimate partner violence and the government’s interventions in Nigeria: A qualitative study
Authors: Juliet Ike Tarela , Ezekiel Jidong Dung , Ebi Ayobi Evangelyn
Published: October 2022

Domestic violence, including intimate partner violence, increased exponentially following the Covid-19 pandemic. Nonetheless, there appears to be a paucity of research that draws on a social constructionist theoretical lens to explore women’s perspectives of the Nigerian government’s interventions addressing such violence. The study recruited 24 purposively selected female participants from Delta state, Nigeria. Informed by a social constructionist thematic analysis, findings revealed that they were a perceived sense that law enforcement agencies’ gender-biased response to domestic violence complaints and lack of awareness of legal solutions fuel domestic violence. The study recommends a randomised control trial to test the efficacy of legal education interventions in improving domestic violence awareness in Nigeria.
Furosemide improves the stone clearance rate of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy for kidney stones but not ureteral stones: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Yao Feng , Li Ke , Huang ShiQuan , Cheng XueSong , Jiang XiaoLiang
Published: October 2022

Introduction:

We conducted a meta-analysis (MA) to investigate the effects of furosemide on the prognosis of extracorporeal shockwave lithotripsy (SWL) therapy to remove renal (RS) and ureteric stones (US).

Methods:

We screened scientific databases including PubMed, Clinicalkey, Google Scholar, Medline, Embase, and Cochrane, from the date of establishment until March 2022, to search for randomized controlled trials evaluating SWL, in combination with furosemide (experimental group) or with SWL alone (control group), in treating RS or US. Our search terms included furosemide, extracorporeal SWL, and urolithiasis. For this MA, we employed the Cochrane Collaboration’s RevMan version 5.3.0.

Results:

Six trials, involving 1344 participants, with RS ( n = 1097) and/or US ( n = 247), met our predefined criteria. This included 137 proximal ureteral stones (PUSs), 35 mid-ureteral stones (MUS), and 75 distal ureteral stones (DUS). In case of RS, the experimental group exhibited significantly enhanced clearance, relative to controls (risk ratio [RR] = 1.16, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.07–1.25, p = 0.0002), yet there was no obvious difference in the PUS, MUS, and DUS (RR = 1.14, 95% CI = 0.97–1.33, p = 0.10; odds ratio [OR] = 1.26, 95% CI = 1.40–3.95, p = 0.69; RR = 1.21, 95% CI = 0.99–1.49, p = 0.06). There was also no marked difference between fragmentations in either group. Only reports of SWL treatment of RS provided adequate data on shocks, sessions, and complications for our analysis. Unfortunately, there was no significant alteration between the two groups.

Conclusion:

According to our analysis, furosemide strongly accelerates the clearance rate of SWL-treated RS. However, it does not enhance the fragmentation rate. Given this evidence, we propose that furosemide does not significantly improve the efficacy of SWL therapy in removing US.

Registration:

Our work is registered with PROSPERO (CRD42020204780).
State-university relations and its implication on internationalization of higher education
Authors: Hegde Medini , Inamdar Neeta
Published: October 2022

There has always been a power struggle regarding control over the administration of the university. In the Enlightenment era, the contenders were the State and the Church. However, as the role of the Church in modern educational institutes declined, the state clamoured for greater control ( Delanty, 2001b ; Rüegg, 1992 ). In the 1990s, academic autonomy was under the purview of the university. This in turn gave impetus to greater mobility of students across borders and to the larger process of Internationalization of Higher Education (IHE). However, in the post-democratic era, the autonomy of universities was severely restricted and research and curriculum were tainted with a protectionist attitude ( Altbach and De Wit, 2018 ; Jenkins et al., 2018 ). Emerging conflicts between the state and the university highlight the urgent need to understand and assess state-university relations in the new political climate. Under these circumstances, the process of IHE has borne the brunt and in the last decade, we have seen a decrease in international outbound student mobility, an increase in the cancellation of offshore campuses and other cross-border education activities. While the process of IHE is still maintained, the original aim of this process, to tackle global issues with a local perspective while providing an inter-cultural university education is at risk. This paper examines the changing dynamics of state-university relations and their implications on the process of IHE.
Ex Vivo Maturation of 3D-Printed, Chondrocyte-Laden, Polycaprolactone-Based Scaffolds Prior to Transplantation Improves Engineered Cartilage Substitute Properties and Integration
Authors: Chiesa-Estomba Carlos M. , Hernáez-Moya Raquel , Rodiño Claudia , Delgado Alba , Fernández-Blanco Gonzalo , Aldazabal Javier , Paredes Jacobo , Izeta Ander , Aiastui Ana
Published: October 2022

Objective

The surgical management of nasal septal defects due to perforations, malformations, congenital cartilage absence, traumatic defects, or tumors would benefit from availability of optimally matured septal cartilage substitutes. Here, we aimed to improve in vitro maturation of 3-dimensional (3D)-printed, cell-laden polycaprolactone (PCL)-based scaffolds and test their in vivo performance in a rabbit auricular cartilage model.

Design

Rabbit auricular chondrocytes were isolated, cultured, and seeded on 3D-printed PCL scaffolds. The scaffolds were cultured for 21 days in vitro under standard culture media and normoxia or in prochondrogenic and hypoxia conditions, respectively. Cell-laden scaffolds (as well as acellular controls) were implanted into perichondrium pockets of New Zealand white rabbit ears ( N = 5 per group) and followed up for 12 weeks. At study end point, the tissue-engineered scaffolds were extracted and tested by histological, immunohistochemical, mechanical, and biochemical assays.

Results

Scaffolds previously matured in vitro under prochondrogenic hypoxic conditions showed superior mechanical properties as well as improved patterns of cartilage matrix deposition, chondrogenic gene expression ( COL1A1, COL2A1, ACAN, SOX9, COL10A1), and proteoglycan production in vivo, compared with scaffolds cultured in standard conditions.

Conclusions

In vitro maturation of engineered cartilage scaffolds under prochondrogenic conditions that better mimic the in vivo environment may be beneficial to improve functional properties of the engineered grafts. The proposed maturation strategy may also be of use for other tissue-engineered constructs and may ultimately impact survival and integration of the grafts in the damaged tissue microenvironment.
Biological Reconstruction of Localized Full-Thickness Cartilage Defects of the Knee: A Systematic Review of Level 1 Studies with a Minimum Follow-Up of 5 Years
Authors: Angele Peter , Zellner Johannes , Schröter Steffen , Flechtenmacher Johannes , Fritz Jürgen , Niemeyer Philipp
Published: October 2022

Objective

The objective of this study was to evaluate the best available mid- to long-term evidence of surgical procedures for the treatment of localized full-thickness cartilage defects of the knee.

Design

Systematic review using Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines of Level 1 randomized clinical trials (RCTs), meta-analyses of RCTs and systematic reviews with a minimum follow-up of 5 years. Data extracted included patient demographics, defect characteristics, clinical and radiological outcomes, as well as treatment failures.

Results

Six RCTs and 3 Level 1 systematic reviews were included. Two RCTs compared microfracture (MFx) to periosteum-covered autologous chondrocyte implantation (ACI-P), 1 to matrix-associated ACI (M-ACI) and 2 to osteochondral autograft transplantation (OAT). One study compared OAT to collagen membrane covered ACI (ACI-C). The 3 Level 1 systematic reviews/meta-analyses assessed the outcome of MFx, OAT, and various ACI methods in RCTs. OAT showed significantly better outcomes compared with MFx. In the 2 RCTs comparing ACI-P and MFx, no significant differences in clinical outcomes were seen, whereas significantly better outcomes were reported for M-ACI versus MFx in 1 study including patients with larger defects (5 cm2), and for ACI-C versus OAT in terms of Cincinnati Score. Higher failure rates were reported for MFx compared with OAT and for OAT compared with ACI-C, while no significant differences in failure rates were observed for ACI-P compared to MFx.

Conclusion

Restorative cartilage procedures (ACI-C or M-ACI and OAT) are associated with better long-term clinical outcomes including lower complication and failure rates when compared with reparative techniques (MFx). Among the restorative procedures, OAT seems to be inferior to ACI especially in larger defects after longer follow-up periods.

Level of evidence:

Level I: Systematic review of Level I studies
Relationship between bullous pemphigoid and metabolic syndrome: a 12-year case–control study conducted in China
Authors: Zhang Bingjie , Chen Xinyi , Liu Yangchun , Chen Fangyuan , Yang Nan , Li Li
Published: October 2022

Background:

Hypertension, diabetes, dyslipidemia, and obesity are prevalent in patients with bullous pemphigoid (BP) and are all components of metabolic syndrome (MS). However, the prevalence of MS in patients with BP is unknown. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between MS and BP and to define the clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with both conditions.

Methods:

This retrospective case–control study was conducted for 12 years at Peking Union Medical College (162 with BP and 162 age and sex-matched controls). The components of MS were analyzed and logistic regression was used to identify independent risk factors for BP. In addition, the clinical and laboratory characteristics of patients with BP ± MS were compared.

Results:

The prevalence of MS in patients with BP was 35.2% and that in controls was 14.8% ( p < 0.001). After adjustment for sex and age, multivariate analysis demonstrated a positive correlation between BP and MS [odds ratio (OR) 2.490, 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.040–5.963], diabetes (OR 1.870, 95% CI 1.029–3.396), and overweight or obesity (OR 1.807, 95% CI 1.026–3.182). In the BP group, participants with MS were older ( p = 0.006), were less likely to present erythema ( p = 0.028), and had higher serum C3 ( p = 0.007) and incidence of infection within 1 year of their diagnosis ( p = 0.035) than participants without MS.

Conclusion:

MS and its components hyperglycemia and overweight were found to be independently associated with BP. Therefore, clinicians should screen for MS in patients with BP, especially if they are older, present less erythema, or have a high serum C3.
Cultural Adaptation of the Preschool Anxiety Scale in Romania
Authors: Cucu Ciuhan Geanina , Iliescu Dragos
Published: October 2022

The current study investigated the psychometric proprieties of the Romanian form of the Preschool Anxiety Scale—Parent version (PAS). The sample consisted of 514 Romanian children (266 boys and 249 girls) aged 3 to 6 years. The mothers of these children completed the PAS and the Parenting Styles and Dimensions Questionnaire—Mother Form (PSDQ), and the children’s teachers completed the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition, Teacher Rating Scale (BASC-2 TRS). Results reveal that the PAS has satisfactory psychometric proprieties on the Romanian sample: it shows a good reliability and a good fit of the data with the underlying correlated five-factor structural model. The construct validity of the Romanian form of the PAS was supported by a significant relationship between the PAS total anxiety score and various BASC-2 (anxiety, withdrawal behavior, atypical behavior, learning problems, adaptability, social skills, learning skills, and leadership), and PSDQ (authoritarian, permissive, and authoritative parenting style) scales. Age had a significant effect on the generalized anxiety, physical injury fears and separation anxiety scales, and girls scored significantly higher than boys on the total anxiety score and the physical injury fears scale.
Influence of Customer Perceived Values on Organic Food Consumption Behaviour: Mediating Role of Green Purchase Intention
Authors: Kamboj Kavita , Kishor Nawal
Published: October 2022

Despite the growing popularity of organic food around the globe, there is a dearth of research that has focused on the relationship between customer perceived values and organic food consumption behaviour. The study used cross-sectional data from 202 Indian customers to examine how perceived values such as health, hedonic and social affect consumers’ green purchasing attitude towards organic foods, especially organic fruits and vegetables (OF&V) using an extended value–attitude–behaviour hierarchy (VABH). Partial least squares structural equation modelling (PLS-SEM) was used to evaluate the association among the constructs. The findings posit that perceived health, hedonic and social value positively influence consumers’ green purchase attitude (GPA), which in turn influences green purchase intention (GPI), which significantly leads to green purchase behaviour (GPB) towards OF&V. Hedonic value was found to be the strongest motivating reason for Indian customers to buy OF&V. The mediating role of GPI between GPA and GPB has also been confirmed. The study is unique in investigating how consumers’ hedonic and health values impact their attitudes, intentions and actual purchasing behaviour towards OF&V in one of the major food producing countries.
Thyrotoxicosis Due to Acute Suppurative Thyroiditis in a Pediatric Patient: A Case Report
Authors: McHan Lara , Gupta Jyotsna
Published: October 2022

Acute suppurative thyroiditis is a rare and potentially life-threatening cause of thyroid inflammation requiring prompt recognition and management. There are few reported cases of thyrotoxicosis due to acute suppurative thyroiditis. We are reporting the case of a 9-year-old boy who presented to the emergency room with fevers, neck pain and swelling, night terrors, and emotional lability. He was hemodynamically stable with initial lab work remarkable for neutrophilia without leukocytosis, elevated inflammatory markers, and hyperthyroidism. Imaging of the neck revealed a heterogenous collection in the region of the left thyroid concerning for suppurative thyroiditis and adenitis. He was admitted to the hospital and initiated on intravenous antibiotics. Given lack of significant improvement in pain, he was taken to the operating room for drainage on hospital day 4 with remarkable clinical improvement in pain. He was discharged on oral antibiotics. Lab work obtained on postoperative day 15 showed resolution of hyperthyroidism and decreasing inflammatory markers. Subsequent imaging following resolution of the acute illness did not reveal any anatomic abnormality that may have predisposed him to developing acute suppurative thyroiditis. Thyrotoxicosis as a complication of acute suppurative thyroiditis is a rare occurrence, and is thought to be due to the release of preformed thyroid hormone from damaged thyroid follicles. The thyrotoxic state is often transient and resolves with appropriate management of acute suppurative thyroiditis. This complication is important to recognize, as failure to appropriately diagnose and treat acute suppurative thyroiditis can lead to poor outcomes, such as airway compromise and death.
Improving the quality of family meeting documentation in the ICU at the end of life
Authors: Kennedy Aaron C. , Jones Daryl A. , Eastwood Glenn M. , Wellington Duncan , See Emily , Lewis Jane E.
Published: October 2022

Objective:

Improve documentation quality of end-of-life family meetings in a tertiary intensive care unit (ICU).

Design:

Before-and-after interventional quality improvement project between October 2018 and February 2020 utilising an electronic pro-forma record.

Setting:

Australian, University affiliated, mixed medical-surgical 22 bed adult ICU.

Participants:

Patients who were admitted to the ICU for active management and subsequently died during that ICU admission. We enrolled 50 patients who died before and 50 patients after the introduction of the electronic family meeting pro-forma record.

Intervention:

Through collaboration with ICU medical and nursing staff, End-of-life Special Interest Group and Clinical Documentation Committee we developed the ICU Family Meeting Discussion Note as an electronic pro-forma record with multiple key fields of entry.

Main outcome measures:

Patient records were examined for the presence of documented details around patient’s admission, family meetings and specific elements surrounding the patient’s death.

Results:

The introduction of a pro-forma record markedly improved the quality of documentation of end-of-life care related family meetings. Documentation increased in recording hospital admission date/time (6% vs 84%), meeting location (14% vs 70%), the reason patients were absent from the meeting (34% vs 72%), the Medical Treatment Decision Maker (MTDM) (10% vs 44%), the patient’s resuscitation status (22% vs 54%), and treatment options discussed (78% vs 94%) ( p ⩽ 0.005 for all).

Conclusion:

Introducing an electronic pro-forma record to facilitate family meeting documentation increased the frequency of important recorded information. Further studies are required to assess whether documentation quality improvements are sustainable and whether they affect patient- or relative-centred outcomes.
Public Perceptions of Normal and Ideal Head Shape: A Crowdsourced Survey Analysis
Authors: Bins Griffin P. , Newsom Megan , Park Jungwon G. , Hemal Kshipra , Phelan Alannah L. , Lalikos Janice F. , Runyan Christopher M.
Published: October 2022

Background:

Cephalic index (CI) is an objective measure of head shape used by craniofacial surgeons to support a diagnosis of head shape abnormality. However, the consensus on what values correspond to a normal head shape are changing following the Back to Sleep campaign. Recent work has shown an increase in mean CI from 74 to 84. Following this shift, no study has been undertaken to evaluate whether the perception of normal head shape has changed as well.

Methods:

About 1020 subjects, 18 or older, were recruited through Amazon Turk crowdsourcing platform. Subjects were asked to select the head shapes they considered most normal in a series of questions identifying ideal head shape in children 6 months or younger. Demographic information was recorded for study participants to identify differing ethnic perceptions of head shape.

Results:

The mean cephalic index preferred by a crowdsourced population was 81.84 (SD 2.48). There was a difference in mean preferred CI between people who identified as black (CI = 82.875) and people who identified as white (CI = 81.500; P = .00062). There was no difference in mean preferred CI between males and females. Education level, age healthcare occupation status, medical literacy, and work involving children did not affect preference.

Conclusions:

The typical head shape has changed following the Back to Sleep campaign and the current perception of head shape aligns with the newly described norm as opposed to the historic population data. Criteria for intervention and outcome goals should be adjusted accordingly.