bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Indices and Indicators Developed to Evaluate the “Strengthening Community Actions” Mechanism of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion: A Scoping Review
Authors: Saadati Fatemeh , Nadrian Haidar , Golkar Mostafa Hosseini , Taghdisi Mohammad-Hossein , Gilani Neda , Ghassab-Abdollahi Nafiseh , Fathifar Zahra
Published: January 2022

Objective

To determine 1) the indexes/indicators used for evaluating the “strengthening community actions” mechanism of the Ottawa Charter for Health Promotion and 2) to extract the characteristics and key components of the indexes/indicators using a scoping review. Data Source:In May 2020, the search was conducted across three databases: Medline (via PubMed), Embase, and Scopus. Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria: All primary studies relating to development, identification, and measurement of health promotion indices/indicators associated to the “strengthening community actions” were included. The review articles were excluded.

Data Extraction

The data were extracted to a data-charting form that was developed by the research team. Two authors reviewed the extracted data.

Data Synthesis

To summarize and report the data, a descriptive numerical analysis and a narrative descriptive synthesizing approach were used.

Results

In total, 93 study articles were included. A majority of studies (82%) were conducted in developed countries. Different types of recognized indices were categorized into seven groups: social cohesion (n = 3), community capacity (n = 1), community participation (n = 7), social capital (n = 6), social network (n = 3), social support (n = 1), and others (n = 5).

Conclusions

Having a collection of “strengthening community actions” indices/indicators in hand, health policymakers and health promotion specialists might be able to do their best in considering, selecting, and applying the most appropriate indices/indicators while evaluating community health promotion interventions in different settings.
Evaluating “The REST of Your Life,” a Workplace Health Program to Improve Employee Sleep, Health, Energy, and Productivity
Authors: Robbins Rebecca , Yi Fanchao , Chobotar Todd , Hawkins Sarah , Putt Denise , Pepe Julie , Manoucheri Manoucher
Published: January 2022

Purpose

Sleep is critical for employee health, well-being, and productivity. Our purpose is to evaluate a sleep-focused interactive workplace health promotion program.

Design

We evaluate sleep and mental health before and after exposure to the program using a pre/post quasi-experimental pilot study design with surveys administered at baseline and 1-, 6-, and 12 months post-exposure (Phase 1). We design program evaluation surveys for dissemination when the program is offered broadly to hospital employees (Phase 2).

Setting

The study was conducted at a large teaching hospital in the Southeast U.S. in 2016.

Subjects

Subjects were full-time hospital employees.

Intervention

The program was presented to subjects in one four-hour interactive session.

Measures

In Phase 1 (n = 55), surveys included the validated Apnea Risk Evaluation System, Dysfunctional Beliefs About Sleep, Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7, Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index and Patient Health Questionnaire. Phase 2 (n = 3935) utilized program evaluation surveys.

Analysis

We compare survey responses between pre- and post-program using a repeated measures analysis of variance with post-hoc tests.

Results

Statistically significant improvement in all sleep and mental health domains was demonstrated. In Phase 2, 81.9% reported “strongly agree” to willingness to recommend the program to co-workers.

Conclusion

We demonstrate improvement in employee sleep and mental health after exposure to a novel workplace health promotion program to improve sleep.
Marketization in Crisis: The Political Economy of COVID-19 and the Unmaking of Public Transport in Stockholm
Authors: Paulsson Alexander , Koglin Till
Published: January 2022

While measures to prevent the spread of COVID-19 disturbed both global and local markets, some commentators also argued that the pandemic could be seen as the beginning of the end of neoliberalism. Although neoliberal reforms have come under pressure, little is known about the implications of COVID-19 in or across specific sectors. Scaling down the rich theoretical–historical debates about neoliberalism to the regional level, we study the impact of COVID-19 on the marketized public transport system in Stockholm, Sweden. During COVID-19, ridership dropped as did ticket revenues, which put the market under operational and financial distress. Drawing on a discussion of the norms and techniques of marketization, we probe how the contracted bus operators responded to the pandemic, how they tried to save the market from collapsing, and whether the measures taken suggest an organized move away from neoliberal policies. Adding to recent debates of COVID-19 and neoliberalism’s longevity, we conclude that although the norms underpinning marketization remained unquestioned, the techniques were partly re-evaluated in the midst of the global crisis as a way to protect the established neoliberal policies from falling apart.
Experimental investigation of the effects of aging and cryogenic treatments on the mechanical properties of superelastic nickel-titanium shape-memory alloys
Authors: Güven Sedat , Altin Karataş Meltem , Gökkaya Hasan , Akinay Yüksel
Published: January 2022

In this study, electropolishing and two different heat treatments were applied to wires made of superelastic nickel-titanium (NiTi) shape-memory alloy (SMA) and their mechanical properties and stress-induced deformations were investigated. In experimental studies, cryogenic and aging heat treatments were applied to NiTi SMA wire samples and tensile test experiments were carried out to determine the effect of the heat treatments on their mechanical properties. Following the tensile test experiments conducted at room temperature (23°C), the study investigated changes in the elemental composition, fracture modes, micro cracks, and phase structures and in the mechanical properties formed in the fracture region. Intermetallic phase structures (Ti2Ni, Ni3Ti, and Ni4Ti3) were observed in the X-ray diffraction (XRD) analyses. It was concluded that the aging heat treatment had directly affected the reduction in hardness. In particular, in samples without the aging heat treatment, a stress-induced decrease in the Ni and Ti ratios and an increase in the carbon (C) ratio were observed in the chemical composition of the fracture surface of the superelastic NiTi SMA wires. It was determined that the changes in the chemical composition caused by stress had affected the mechanical properties negatively. In the fractography of the NiTi SMA wires, the samples exhibited mostly ductile fracture behavior with small dimples.
Study on structural parameters optimization of a new inclined inserting and hole plate-type combined sand barrier
Authors: Zhao Peng , Jin Afang , Xie Fanrong , Musa Reyhanguli
Published: January 2022

In this paper, a new double-row sand barrier combined inclined inserting-type and hole plate-type sand barrier is proposed. Based on the Euler two-fluid unsteady model, the protection effect and flow field characteristics of the new sand barrier with different spacings are numerically simulated. The results show that the new sand barrier proposed in this paper has better wind resistance than the double-row hole plate-type sand barrier. The new sand barrier with spacing of 1H provides the longest effective protection distance and better wind protection. And the large spacing increases the air flow across the second-row hole plate-type sand barrier, which will reduce the protective effect of the new combined sand barrier. In addition, the windproof efficiency of the first-row inclined inserting-type sand barrier is 50%, and the windproof efficiency of the second-row hole plate-type sand barrier is 96%. It can be seen that the windproof efficiency of the double-row sand barrier is not twice that of the single-row sand barrier. Taking into account the strong wind and sand environment in Northwest China, the sand resistance effect of the new sand barrier is studied in this paper. The results show that the new sand barrier has better sand resistance effect, so that the sand is mainly deposited in the middle of the new double-row sand barrier and the windward side of the first-row sand barrier, while less deposited in the leeward side of the second-row sand barrier. It indicates that the first row of sand barrier plays the main sand resistance role.
Application of response surface optimization technology and fluid-structure interaction in the engineering design of torsional flow heat exchangers
Authors: Gu Xin , Wang Guan , Li Ning , Chen Cheng , Zhang Qianxin
Published: January 2022

Shell and tube heat exchanger is an important part of industrial heating and cooling system. Because of the harsh operating conditions, and its complex fin and baffle structure with numerous holes, it is a great challenge for engineers to design and evaluate the baffle structure on the premise of ensuring the comprehensive performance. This paper aims to provide a method to optimize the baffle structure of torsional flow heat exchanger by comprehensively considering thermal, hydraulic, and mechanical properties. Based on fluid-structure interaction method, response surface methodology was applied to improve the structure configurations of torsional flow heat exchanger. The results show that the effects of various input parameters on objectives are related to each other, and the baffle width and inclination angle have a more obvious impact on heat exchanger. The tradeoff analysis is carried out for the optimization objectives, the candidate points obtained by optimization reveal that the fluid comprehensive performance of the optimal structure is increased by 10.99%, and the maximum equivalent stress is reduced by 8.74%. The research results offer theoretical guidance for the equipment maintenance and structural design of torsional flow heat exchanger.
The cutting sound effect on the power consumption, surface roughness, and machining force in dry turning of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy
Authors: Rafighi Mohammad
Published: January 2022

Titanium alloys are widely used in various industries such as aerospace, petrochemical, marine, and biomedical due to their high corrosion resistance, high strength, good heat resistance, and lightweight. However, the low thermal conductivity of titanium alloys makes their machinability poor compared to steel alloys. Therefore, it is of great importance to evaluate the machinability of titanium alloys. This experimental study presents the effects of machining parameters on the machinability factors such as surface roughness, power consumption, cutting sound, and machining force in dry turning of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy using CBN inserts. Sound emission is a substantial factor for the operator’s safety during the turning process. High cutting sound is generated due to removing a large amount of material from the workpiece using different cutting tools. Since there are not many studies related to the cutting sound in machining processes, the attempt was made to investigate the effect of cutting sound on the machinability factors. The variance analysis results presented the significant effect of cutting speed and cutting depth on power consumption. However, according to the normal plot of the standardized effect, all machining parameters have a high impact on the cutting sound. The highest level of machining parameters, especially cutting depth results in higher cutting sound due to the creation of vibration in the lathe and cutting tool. Besides, the feed rate was found to be the most influential parameter on the surface roughness with a 58.13% contribution. The machining force was affected by both cutting depth and feed rate. The findings revealed that increasing the cutting sound increases the machining force and surface roughness, while the power consumption drops. Based on the desirability function, 0.04 (mm/rev) feed rate, 0.05 (mm) cutting depth, and 60 (m/min) cutting speed were the optimum machining parameters for turning of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy.
Research on the operation mechanism and stability of marine textured directional valve
Authors: Xu Jing , You Wenchao , Ni Jing , Liu Guodong , Ma Jingxuan
Published: January 2022

Based on the vibration force analysis of the marine electromagnetic directional valve and Newton’s Second Law, the mathematical model of the displacement of the valve rod under vibration excitation state is established. The influence of vibration parameters and viscous damping coefficient on its operation stability is calculated and analyzed. Results show that the vibration stability can be improved by increasing the clearance viscous damping of the directional valve, and the textured surface affecting on the viscous force and flow resistance characteristics. All of these provide a basis for stability optimization. The on-board experiment of marine electromagnetic directional valve in real-time working condition is operated, the performance difference between the textured and untextured valve is analyzed. The results show that the pressure adjustment time and vibration impact amplitude of two kinds of directional valves decrease with the increase of oil supply pressure, and increase with the increase of navigation speed. The standard deviation of flow fluctuation of untextured directional valve increases with the increase of oil supply pressure, while the flow fluctuation of micro-textured directional valve first decreases and then increases. The unique interface characteristics of the micro-textured directional valve make the pressure adjustment time, the standard deviation of flow pulsation, and the vibration impact amplitude of the micro-textured valve smaller than that of the untextured one.
Heat-flow coupling variation in double-row tapered-roller bearings during the loss of lubrication process
Authors: Li Mou , Lu Fengxia , Bai Xueqiang , Zhu Wenlin , Zhu Rupeng
Published: January 2022

Loss of lubrication (LOL) is a severe problem in transmission systems wherein the temperature increases continuously until failure. The temperature and flow-field distributions during this process are complicated. These distributions and the heat generation of the transmission system during LOL have not been adequately studied. In this study, we used computational fluid dynamics to establish an oil–gas, two-phase flow model for asymmetric bearings and calculated the oil volume fraction on the bearing surface. A dynamic heat generation calculation method was proposed based on the kinematic viscosity variation of the oil–air mixture during the LOL process. The temperature distributions of the large and small rollers and raceway surface during the LOL process were analyzed using a simulation method. The injection parameters were optimized to avoid the gluing of the large roller. The internal temperature distribution was found to have a strong positive correlation with the lubricant distribution during the LOL process. Moreover, the lubrication and temperature distributions on the large-roller side were worse than those on the small-roller side. A temperature reduction of approximately 25% can be achieved if the number of oil inlets is increased.
Experimental study on spray diffusion characteristics at various biodiesel-butanol blended ratios and ambient conditions
Authors: Zhang Qiankun , Xia Jin , Wang Jianping , He Zhuoyao , Zhao Wenbin , Qian Yong , Zheng Liang , Liu Rui , Lu Xingcai
Published: January 2022

The depletion of fossil fuels and stringent emission regulations have encouraged the development of renewable fuels, especially biodiesel and alcohols fuels. The aim of the investigation is to explore the spray diffusion characteristics at different biodiesel-butanol blended ratios (0, 10%, 30%, and 50%), ambient temperatures (600 K, 700K, and 800 K), and pressures (1 MPa, 3 MPa, and 5 MPa). The experiment was carried out in a constant volume combustion chamber. The liquid- and vapor-phase spray images were captured by backlight illumination and schlieren imaging technique, respectively. The axial, radial, and spatial diffusion characteristics were analyzed, including spray penetration, cone angle, area, R-parameter, and perimeter ratio. Results show that in the case of biodiesel mixed with 10% n-butanol, for liquid-phase spray, the liquid-core spray with high concentration has the largest impact on axial diffusion, and for vapor-phase spray, axial dispersion is slower and radial diffusion is faster. The fuel density and ambient temperature have a more significant impact on the liquid-phase axial dispersion at the steady state compared with ambient pressure and injection pressure. At lower ambient pressures, increasing the injection pressure can accelerate the radial diffusion and increase the spray cone angle, which is opposite of the variation law at higher ambient pressures. The radial spray has a faster diffusion with adding a small or middle proportion of n-butanol, and the maximum values of liquid- and vapor-phase cone angles appear at biodiesel blended with 30% and 10% n-butanol, respectively. Moreover, the axial diffusion plays a dominant role in the spray spatial dispersion.
Product markets and working conditions on international and regional food delivery platforms: A study in Poland and Italy
Authors: Muszyński Karol , Pulignano Valeria , Marà Claudia
Published: January 2022

Researchers search for factors explaining the disruptive impact of labour platforms on work, yet very few studies explore how platforms approach product markets and the resultant effects on platform workers’ working conditions. Looking at this question, this paper studies distinct but similar international and regional food delivery platforms in Poland and Italy, exploring which factors explain differences in their working conditions. Two findings emerge. Firstly, international and regional platforms differ substantially in terms of how they approach product markets. Secondly, these differences account for the variety within (and across) platforms’ employment outcomes.
Ethical conflict among critical care nurses during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Khanal Anjita , Franco-Correia Sara , Mosteiro-Diaz Maria-Pilar
Published: January 2022

Background

Ethical conflict is a problem with negative consequences, which can compromise the quality and ethical standards of the nursing profession and it is a source of stress for health care practitioners’, especially for nurses.

Objectives

The main aim of this study was to analyze Spanish critical care nurses’ level of exposure to ethical conflict and its association with sociodemographic, occupational, and COVID-19–related variables. Research Design, Participants, and Research context: This was a quantitative cross-sectional descriptive study conducted among 117 nurses working in critical care units. Data collection tools were sociodemographic, occupational, and COVID-19–related questionnaires and previously validated Spanish version of Ethical Conflict in Nursing Questionnaire-Critical Care Version.

Ethical Considerations

We obtained permission from the Ethics Committee and participants' informed consent.

Findings

Data indicates a moderate level of exposure to ethical conflicts. The most frequent ethical conflicts were related to situations about "treatment and clinical procedures." The most intensity of ethical conflicts was related to situations about "treatment and clinical procedures" and "dynamics of the service and working environment." No statistical significance was identified between the socio-demographic variables and level of exposure to ethical conflicts. However, for critical care nurses working in ICU, nurses with perceived worked stress had a higher level of exposure to ethical conflicts. Likewise, critical care nurses whose family/friends were infected with COVID-19 had a higher level of exposure.

Conclusions

Critical care nurses experience a moderate level of exposure to ethical conflicts which is consistent with the results of previous studies. A deeper understanding of ethical conflicts in conflictive situations allows recognition of the situations that occur in everyday clinical practice, identification of the ethical conflicts, and facilitation of the nurses working in the challenging clinical situation.
Identifying Entrepreneurial Mindset at Academic Level to Create More Industrial Enterprises for Future MSME Sector
Authors: Joshi Vijay D. , Baral Sukanta Kumar , Pitke Manish
Published: January 2022

The present article aims to explore the use of new technology in creating an entrepreneurial mindset at academic levels. In the ever-fast-changing modern world, the use of digital banking services is growing gradually, and technological developments are driving the same. The article aims to propose the use of technology-based banking services such as neo-banking for supporting the innovations and ideas generated at the academic levels. This approach will create more industrial enterprises at the ground level and later with proper guidance and mentoring will take the shape of the future micro, small and medium enterprises (MSMEs). Research article findings indicate that the use of technology and identification of suitable innovations benefiting society are major factors in the establishment of an MSME at an early stage. Further, a systematic framework is required to create MSMEs in making from the academic level. Innovations must be supported so that they can be commercialised for the benefit of the innovator as well as the society. This will promote social entrepreneurship. The findings of the article will provide deeper insights for the banks as well as different government agencies to formulate their strategies in the context of supporting innovations and entrepreneurship at the academic level.
Control mechanisms: Explaining the integration and versatility of biological organisms
Authors: Bich Leonardo , Bechtel William
Published: January 2022

Living organisms act as integrated wholes to maintain themselves. Individual actions can each be explained by characterizing the mechanisms that perform the activity. But these alone do not explain how various activities are coordinated and performed versatilely. We argue that this depends on a specific type of mechanism, a control mechanism. We develop an account of control by examining several extensively studied control mechanisms operative in the bacterium E. coli. On our analysis, what distinguishes a control mechanism from other mechanisms is that it relies on measuring one or more variables, which results in setting constraints in the control mechanism that determine its action on flexible constraints in other mechanisms. In the most basic arrangement, the measurement process directly determines the action of the control mechanism, but in more complex arrangements signals mediate between measurements and effectors. This opens the possibility of multiple responses to the same measurement and responses based on multiple measurements. It also allows crosstalk, resulting in networks of control mechanisms. Such networks integrate the behaviors of the organism but also present a challenge in tailoring responses to particular measurements. We discuss how integrated activity can still result in differential, versatile, responses .
Economic Justice and Vocational Psychology: Towards Community Change
Authors: Ali Saba R. , Drustup David , Garrison Yunkyoung Loh , Mahatmya Duhita
Published: January 2022

In the present paper, we join the current dialogue in the field of vocational psychology regarding how neoliberal economic trends across the world have influenced the development of theory and approaches to vocational psychology. We propose an alternative perspective, that viewing career development from an economic justice lens, can provide an alternative to the existing neoliberal influence. An economic justice lens may aid us in moving from solely focusing on individual interventions and outcomes to those that help to create community-level change which in turn help create a more just economy for all. This is more than simply providing interventions to individuals in a community but requires shifting the locus of change to the community level. We detail four proposed career outcomes that center community-level change: Networking, Conscientization, Participation, and Liberation. Opportunities to utilize participatory action research, social network analysis, and other practice methods are encouraged. Finally, we offer examples of how vocational psychologists can take active roles in an economic justice approach to vocational psychology.
A pilot study to explore societal, patient, and public authority perception on ‘Value-Added Tax’ system for healthcare financing in Zimbabwe: A case for cancer treatment
Authors: Tavengwa Martin , Mensah Kofi Boamah , Marume Amos , Yamoah Peter , Padayachee Neelaveni , Bangalee Varsha
Published: January 2022

Background

Many of the cancer cases in Zimbabwe are HIV related, making it a significant health concern in the country. This concern requires innovative ways, such as implementing Value-Added Tax (VAT) to finance cancer management through health insurance. The study explores the general public, cancer patients, and public authorities' perception regarding using the VAT system for financing cancer treatment.

Method

A qualitative cross-sectional study was conducted to explore the perception of study participants on ‘Value Added Tax’ as a source of healthcare financing in Harare. This was done through the use of in-depth interview guides. A total of 25 participants took part in the study. Fifteen were members of the general public, 5 were cancer patients, and 5 were key informants representing public authority. Members of the general public and cancer patients were conveniently selected, while key informants were purposively selected. Data were analyzed descriptively and by grounded theory whereby codes were developed by induction.

Results

The general public and cancer patients perceived cancer treatment as generally unaffordable and showed readiness to pay for a cancer levy through VAT. Cancer patients expressed disappointment at the low support for cancer treatment compared to HIV treatment concerning the already established AIDS levy. Public authorities also perceived the VAT system as an appropriate programme for health care financing.

Conclusion

This preliminary study found that a ‘Value-Added-Tax’ system could potentially be an acceptable model to finance public healthcare, including cancer treatment in highly informal settings like Zimbabwe.
Social Support Buffers the Effects of Prenatal Depressed Mood: A Mixed-Methods Study
Authors: Modde Epstein Crystal , Rice Michael J. , French Jeffrey A. , Kupzyk Kevin A. , Houfek Julia F.
Published: January 2022

BACKGROUND: Women use various coping strategies to deal with stress and depression. These strategies are shaped by social contexts over the life course and may attenuate and/or exacerbate the physiologic effects of depression. AIMS: The purpose of this study was to determine whether coping strategies (active, disengaged, or social support coping) moderate depression-related diurnal cortisol dysregulation and to explore how social context influences women’s use of coping. METHODS: This was a mixed-methods study of pregnant women ( N = 65) during mid-pregnancy. Cortisol was measured in saliva collected during the waking hours of the day. Participants completed the Edinburgh Depression Scale and the Brief COPE. A subset of the sample participated in semistructured qualitative interviews ( n = 20). RESULTS: Social support coping, but not active or disengaged coping, moderated end-of-day cortisol levels. Among depressed women, higher use of social support was associated with lower and more dynamic (i.e., less flat) diurnal cortisol rhythms. The qualitative findings revealed how complex social dynamics related to financial insecurity, lack of mutuality, and social identity affected women’s use of and access to social support. CONCLUSION: These findings support theories of the stress-buffering effects of social support. Future research is needed to examine how social determinants affect access to social support, and how early life social experiences condition women’s adaptive formation of social support coping strategies over the life course. Clinically, these findings underscore the value of relationship-centered nursing care for depressed women.
Haʻu ka Waha i ka Nahele: Dissonance and Song in Kanaka Sites of Counter-Memory
Authors: de Silva Kahikina
Published: January 2022

Waikīkī and Maunakea are two sites of global interest and prominence, occupying a certain space in the collective consciousness of Hawaiʻi. They are not, however, often considered as sites of conscience, even though they are the sources of Kanaka counter-memory that stand in opposition to the memories codified by the settler state into narratives of Kanaka dispossession and Americanization. This article interrogates this condition of illegibility, and the role of mele, hula, and a moment of dissonance in revealing the sites and stories often overwritten by dominant, quasi-colonial narratives of tourism, capitalism, Western enlightenment, and progress. I also argue that our true sites of conscience are those that invite a change of consciousness on the part of the onlooker/participant, laying the foundation for collaborative envisioning of pono futures for Hawaiʻi, in the context of aloha ʻāina.
Musical play in girlhood: Transgenerational oral historical accounts
Authors: Watts Sarah H
Published: January 2022

Musical play is a vital aspect of children’s musical cultures. As the social and cultural experiences of children change over time, their playful engagements with music may reflect these shifts. The purpose of this oral historical research was to explore girlhood musical play experiences over the course of a span of approximately 80 years (ca. 1920–2009), as well as the influences at work in the transmission, continuity, and content of these musical play behaviors. Semi-structured interviews were implemented to illuminate the musical play experience stories of 20 female individuals spanning four generations of birth as well as the factors impacting the transmission and continuity of musical play over time through family lines and across age cohorts. Findings suggest that influences of family, temporal context and peer groups, popular culture, cultural contexts, and issues of gender identity and gender roles were all present in the transmission of musical play repertoires over time. A lack of interest in musical play was also reported, which additionally impacted transmission.
Love and Narcissism in Reality Television
Authors: Hill David W
Published: January 2022

Love Island is a reality television series structured as a dating game, where participants compete to form romantic relationships. This article puts the show in conversation with theories and philosophies of love to draw between them an idea of love as a singular moral event that is constrained by cultural imperatives. What emerges is an existential phenomenology of love in three parts: first, romantic love is framed as an opening on to moral life; then, it is argued that moral life is enacted through a love for the neighbour that constitutes and animates our being in the world; and finally, it is shown that narcissism is not straightforwardly a negative condition but a balancing force in moral life. The article concludes with reflections on what this conceptual work might offer to analyses of relationships played out on reality television.
Parent peer coaching program: A cascading intervention for parents of children with autism in Mongolia
Authors: Lee James D , Meadan Hedda , Oyunbaatar Enkhjin
Published: January 2022

Parents of children with autism in low-resource settings have reported exacerbated difficulties related to raising their children. In this single-case research using multiple probe design, four parent mentors and five parent peers and their children with autism in Mongolia participated in the parent peer coaching program. The intervention package, including training and coaching in evidence-based practices, was delivered via telepractice. Parent mentors completed online training and were coached by a bilingual and bicultural research assistant in a staggered fashion. Visual analysis revealed a functional relation between the intervention package and the coaching fidelity of parent mentors. Social validity data indicated that all participants were satisfied with the program and reported it was acceptable, feasible, and effective. Implications for conducting intervention research in a low-resource setting are described.

Lay abstract

Parents of children with autism are known to experience severe hardships related to raising their children. These hardships are exacerbated in low-resource settings internationally where there is very little resource for children and their families, including professionals who provide evidence-based treatment. Mongolia was chosen as an example of such low-resource settings in this single-case research, and four parent mentors and five parent peers and their children with autism participated and completed the study. A local parent group, the Autism Association of Mongolia, was actively involved in this study and helped with recruitment, development, adaptation, and implementation of the intervention to increase acceptability and feasibility. In addition, a local bilingual research assistant was also utilized as the purpose of this study was to build capacity of diverse stakeholders of children with autism in Mongolia. The research assistant was trained and coached by the research team on both content (communication teaching strategies and behavior management) and delivery (coaching adults), who then provided coaching to parent mentors via live videoconferencing in Mongolian. Parent mentors then similarly provided coaching to parent peers after observing the interactions with their children with autism. The findings suggest that parents can effectively deliver high-fidelity coaching to disseminate evidence-based treatment in low-resource settings when given proper training and coaching. Further examination on scalability and sustainment of effects is suggested.
Stigma, invisibility and unattainable ‘choices’ in sex work
Authors: Easterbrook-Smith Gwyn
Published: January 2022

Sex work in New Zealand was decriminalized by the Prostitution Reform Act 2003. News media is one of the key sites where stigma against sex workers is reproduced, negotiated and can be resisted. Depictions of sex workers in New Zealand vary significantly according to where and how they work. News media texts which discuss modes of sex work constructed as less acceptable sometimes call for sex workers to change how and where they work, typically to modes of work which would make them less visible, in the sense of removing them from public space or of making them invisible as sex workers. The ‘solutions’ for these sex workers are typically proposed by outsiders to the industry, who generally do not acknowledge the benefits, drawbacks and barriers which sex workers perceive to be attached to different ways of working. The demands placed upon sex workers to make the correct ‘choice’ about how and where to work recall neoliberal discourses of entrepreneurialism and further marginalize women who fail to engage in sex work in the ‘correct’ manner. This article examines these media discourses with reference to theories of neoliberal postfeminism, to establish how these discourses function to establish a mode of sex work most accessible to white, middle class, cisgender women as more ‘acceptable’. The concomitant effect of these discourses is to blame sex workers who disproportionately suffer the effects of stigma and harassment for their own ill-treatment, invoking ideas of ‘personal responsibility’.
Crosslinguistic influence in child L3 English: An empirical study on Russian-German heritage bilinguals
Authors: Kolb Nadine , Mitrofanova Natalia , Westergaard Marit
Published: January 2022

Aims and objectives:

This empirical study investigates variables affecting crosslinguistic influence (CLI) in child third language (L3) acquisition. We examine whether structural or typological similarity leads to CLI from one or both of the previously acquired languages at later stages of acquisition.

Design/methodology:

We compare Russian-German heritage bilinguals acquiring L3 English to L2 English learners with either L1 German or L1 Russian (matched in age, proficiency, age of onset, length of exposure), which allows us to assess whether CLI obtains from one language or both. We carried out an acceptability judgment task: Two of the structures under investigation in English are structurally similar to German (subject-auxiliary inversion, determiner use) and two to Russian (adverb placement, non-subject-initial declaratives).

Data and analysis:

We tested 10- to 12-year-old L3 learners ( n = 66), L2 learners with L1 Russian ( n = 26), and L1 German ( n = 33). The L3 learners were tested in both previously acquired languages.

Findings/conclusions:

Our findings suggest that structural proximity may override typological similarity at later stages and indicate that CLI obtains cumulatively from both languages. We found facilitative and non-facilitative CLI from Russian and German. For properties that are structurally similar in English and Russian, the L3 learners outperformed the L2 learners with L1 German and were outperformed by the L2 learners with L1 Russian, and vice versa for properties similar in English and German.

Originality:

Our research adds child L3 data to the current debate on whether morpho-syntactic properties from previously acquired languages are transferred wholesale or property by property, based on typological primacy or linguistic proximity.

Significance:

Previous research has shown that surface typological similarity is an important factor at early stages of acquisition. Our study investigates whether structural similarity can override this strong factor at later stages of child L3 acquisition.
For better and for worse: A panel survey of how mobile-only and hybrid Internet use affects digital skills over time
Authors: Correa Teresa , Valenzuela Sebastián , Pavez Isabel
Published: January 2022

Public policies across the world are tackling Internet access inequality through mobile connections, which has led to an increase in mobile-only use. However, digital skills remain as a stumbling block to achieve digital inclusion. Using a two-wave panel survey on a representative sample conducted in Chile between 2018 and 2020, this study investigates how different mode of access (i.e. mobile-only vs mobile and computer) affects digital abilities over time. Results show significant differences in skills by mode of access. People who became hybrid users (mobile and computer) by wave 2 significantly gained skills while those who were hybrid and became mobile-only by wave 2 significantly lost abilities. People who did not change their type of access did not change their level of digital skills, despite the past of time and gained experience using the Internet. These conclusions show how mode of access may have a key effect on people’s digital inclusion.
Division of digital labor: Partner support for technology use among older adults
Authors: Marler Will , Hargittai Eszter
Published: January 2022

Older adults often assist one another in using digital technology and tend to prefer assistance provided at home. However, research has yet to examine how life partners in this age group support one another in using technology. We interviewed 50 older adults representing 25 couples in five countries about their sources of support when using the Internet. Partner support was more common than existing literature suggests and was motivated by in-home convenience, partners’ level of digital skills, and a desire to avoid burdening other network members. At odds with a one-way view of digital assistance, partners often helped each other in different domains of Internet use based on career experience and personal interest. Partner support could both aid and discourage self-sufficiency, depending on how assistance was provided. Studying couples helps clarify how older adults develop relationships of mutual aid and dependency out of the everyday (un)availability of technology support.
Mind the (Participation) Gap: Vouchers, Voting, and Visibility
Authors: Wood Abby K. , Elmendorf Christopher S. , Spencer Douglas M. , Napolio Nicholas G.
Published: January 2022

This study exploits the introduction of a new type of public financing of elections—campaign finance vouchers—to estimate the effects of neighborhood-level political cross-pressure on citizens’ decisions to participate in low-cost political activities which vary in their publicness: voting (private) and vouchering (public). Does proximity to ideologically divergent neighbors affect one’s use of publicly disclosed campaign finance vouchers? We find that cross-pressured individuals are slightly more likely to use a campaign finance voucher than similarly situated individuals who are ideologically typical for their precinct. We also find evidence that precinct-level cross-pressure does not drive voucher users to shade their voucher donations toward candidates who are ideologically closer the precinct mean. While our study is limited to a relatively liberal city (Seattle), our results replicated across two election cycles in that city, and our methods can easily be extended to future elections. Finally, our findings raise questions about the empirical assumptions that have shaped the development of campaign finance jurisprudence since 1976.
The Electoral Consequences of Affective Polarization? Negative Voting in the 2020 US Presidential Election
Authors: Garzia Diego , Ferreira da Silva Frederico
Published: January 2022

About one third of American voters cast a vote more “against” than “for” a candidate in the 2020 Presidential election. This pattern, designated by negative voting, has been initially understood by rational choice scholarship as a product of cognitive dissonance and/or retrospective evaluations. This article revisits this concept through the affective polarization framework in the light of the rise of political sectarianism in American society. Based on an original CAWI survey fielded after the 2020 election, our regression analysis demonstrates that the predicted probability of casting a negative vote significantly increases among individuals for whom out-candidate hate outweighs in-candidate love. Negative voting is less prevalent among partisans as their higher levels of in-group affection can offset out-group contempt. By asserting the enduring relevance of negative voting in American presidential elections, we aim at stimulating further research and discussion of its implications for democratic representation.
Patient-Reported Lower Extremity Outcomes Following Fibula or Medial Femoral Condyle Free Flaps for Upper Extremity Defects
Authors: Miles Megan R. , Jacobson Lauren , Hill John B. , Higgins James P. , Giladi Aviram M. , Pet Mitchell A.
Published: January 2022

Background:

Free fibula flap (FFF) and medial femoral condyle (MFC) flap are commonly used for upper extremity osseous reconstruction, yet donor-site morbidity has never been systematically compared.

Methods:

Patients who underwent an FFF or MFC for upper extremity extra-carpal osseous reconstruction at 3 academic hand centers were retrospectively identified. Only patients who underwent reconstruction for a defect in which either flap type is routinely used or has been described in the literature were deemed eligible. Patients who agreed to participate were asked to complete the Lower Extremity Functional Scale (LEFS) and Lower Limb Core Scale (LLCS). The reported population norm median score of LEFS is 77 points. The LLCS population norm mean score is 90.52 points.

Results:

Twenty-one patients (10 MFC, 11 FFF) were enrolled. The median LEFS score for patients after MFC was 76 (interquartile range [IQR], 49-80) points and 75 (IQR, 56-79) points after FFF. The median LLCS score for patients after MFC was 96.4 (IQR, 87.9-100) points and 100 (IQR, 91-100) points after FFF. Median LEFS scores were slightly below the population norm, whereas median LLCS scores were above the norm for both FFF and MFC. All patients stated they would have the surgery again and that any dysfunction or pain in the leg was justified by the benefit in the arm.

Conclusions:

When considering whether to use an MFC or FFF for upper extremity reconstruction, both flap types appear to result in modest and comparable donor-site morbidity.
Experiences of running a stratified medicine adaptive platform trial: Challenges and lessons learned from 10 years of the FOCUS4 trial in metastatic colorectal cancer
Authors: Brown Louise C , Graham Janet , Fisher David , Adams Richard , Seligmann Jenny , Seymour Matthew , Kaplan Richard , Yates Emma , Parmar Mahesh , Richman Susan D , Quirke Philip , Butler Rachel , Shiu Kaikeen , Middleton Gary , Samuel Leslie , Wilson Richard H , Maughan Timothy S ,   On Behalf of the FOCUS4 Trial Investigators
Published: January 2022

Background:

Complex innovative design trials are becoming increasingly common and offer potential for improving patient outcomes in a faster time frame. FOCUS4 was the first molecularly stratified trial in metastatic colorectal cancer and it remains one of the first umbrella trial designs to be launched globally. Here, we aim to describe lessons learned from delivery of the trial over the last 10 years.

Methods:

FOCUS4 was a Phase II/III molecularly stratified umbrella trial testing the safety and efficacy of targeted therapies in metastatic colorectal cancer. It used adaptive statistical methodology to decide which sub-trial should close early, and new therapies were added as protocol amendments. Patients with newly diagnosed metastatic colorectal cancer were registered, and central laboratory testing was used to stratify their tumour into molecular subtypes. Following 16 weeks of first-line therapy, patients with stable or responding disease were eligible for randomisation into either a molecularly stratified sub-trial (FOCUS4-B, C or D) or non-stratified FOCUS4-N. The primary outcome for all studies was progression-free survival comparing the intervention with active monitoring/placebo. At the close of the trial, feedback was elicited from all investigators through surveys and interviews and consolidated into a series of recommendations and lessons learned for the delivery of similar future trials.

Results:

Between January 2014 and October 2020, 1434 patients were registered from 88 UK hospitals. Of the 20 drug combinations that were explored for inclusion in the platform trial, three molecularly targeted sub-trials were activated: FOCUS4-D (February 2014–March 2016) evaluated AZD8931 in the BRAF-PIK3CA-RAS wildtype subgroup; FOCUS4-B (February 2016–July 2018) evaluated aspirin in the PIK3CA mutant subgroup and FOCUS4-C (June 2017–October 2020) evaluated adavosertib in the RAS+TP53 double mutant subgroup. FOCUS4-N was active throughout and evaluated capecitabine monotherapy versus a treatment break. A total of 361 (25%) registered patients were randomised into a sub-trial. Feedback on the experiences of delivery of FOCUS4 could be grouped into three main areas of challenge: funding/infrastructure, biomarker testing procedures and trial design efficiencies within which 20 recommendations are summarised.

Conclusion:

Adaptive stratified medicine platform studies are feasible in common cancers but present challenges. Our stakeholder feedback has helped to inform how these trial designs can succeed and answer multiple questions efficiently, providing resource is adequate.