bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Embracing Complexity: Developing a Framework for Evaluating a Multi-Faceted Training and Technical Assistance System
Authors: Stanley Ayana R. , Jamison Calla , Chen Alice , Barranco Lindsey , Welsh Delaney , Jones Katie
Published: November 2024

The benefits of training and technical assistance (TTA) have been well documented. There is limited literature that explores how complex systems of TTA are implemented and evaluated particularly in the violence prevention field. The Violence Prevention Practice and Translation Branch (VPPTB) within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s (CDC) Division of Violence Prevention funds multiple technical assistance providers who are tasked with building the capacity of program recipients to implement comprehensive approaches to prevent multiple forms of violence. VPPTB designed the Violence Prevention Technical Assistance Center (VPTAC) with the goal of implementing and evaluating comprehensive TTA efforts that integrates the work of multiple TTA providers to build the capacity of recipients to plan, implement, and evaluate violence prevention efforts. The VPTAC evaluation incorporates data from program recipients, TTA providers, and TTA modalities enabling the VPPTB staff to show improvement in technical knowledge, gather examples of enhanced implementation, and facilitate proactive TTA planning. An important step in the process of evaluating VPTAC from a system-level perspective required an expansion beyond evaluating a single TTA event, provider, or engagement. This is essential to understand how a diverse set of TTA activities and partners work together in their efforts to build capacity.
The Technical Assistance (TA) Effectiveness Logic Model: A Tool for Systematically Planning, Delivering, and Evaluating TA
Authors: Scott Victoria C. , Chagnon Elizabeth , Wandersman Abraham
Published: November 2024

Technical assistance (TA) is a tailored approach to capacity building that has grown in use across diverse settings over the past two decades, particularly in the domains of health improvement, child welfare, youth development, and education. In practice, TA services often include a combination of activities (e.g., coaching, professional development, site visits, and resource sharing) and vary in dosage, modality, and numerous other dimensions. While tailoring to recipient needs holds significant value, the individualized nature of TA creates challenges for assessing the effectiveness of TA. The difficulty of determining what contributes to TA outcomes is amplified when TA delivery is largely reactive (rather than proactive) and unaccompanied by a systematic approach to planning, delivery, and evaluation. Logic models are a well-established tool and a straightforward way to make TA more systematic. In this article, we introduce the TA Effectiveness Logic Model as a skeletal framework to guide systematic TA planning, delivery, and evaluation. The TA Effectiveness Logic Model graphically presents the rationale and expectations for how TA works in a setting. We describe two types of TA effectiveness logic models: basic and contextual. In addition, we offer a case example from work based on a national training and TA center to illustrate both types of logic models. Lastly, we discuss practical implications of TA effectiveness logic models for TA collaborators (funders, training and TA center administrators, TA providers, TA recipients, and researchers). Routinizing the use of TA effectiveness logic models has benefits for both the science and practice of TA.
Improving School Mental Health via National Learning Collaboratives With State and Local Teams: Components, Feasibility, and Initial Impacts
Authors: Bohnenkamp Jill , Robinson Perrin , Connors Elizabeth , Carter Taneisha , Orenstein Shawn , Reaves Samantha , Hoover Sharon , Lever Nancy
Published: November 2024

School systems need practical and effective quality improvement strategies to advance school mental health promotion, prevention, and treatment services. Collectively, these efforts can be used to promote child and adolescent mental health, well-being, and academic success. The current study reports on the feasibility, initial impacts of, and recommendations from a national, multi-level learning collaborative conducted by the National Center for School Mental Health, University of Maryland School of Medicine and administered throughout the United States. The mixed-methods evaluation results support the feasibility of a learning collaborative and reinforce its positive initial impact on comprehensive school mental health system change. Participants indicated comprehensive school mental health quality improvements such as collaboration across diverse partners and spread of evidence-informed best practices that support high-quality services for students. The multi-level learning collaborative model is promising for future efforts to advance the dissemination of comprehensive school mental health systems and other state and local system change efforts. School mental health learning collaboratives may help address the ongoing youth mental health crisis by promoting high-quality mental health supports and services for youth.
Advancing the Science and Practice of Training and Technical Assistance to Improve the Equitable Implementation of Evidence-Based Practices
Authors: Acosta Joie , Shearer Amy , Chinman Matthew
Published: November 2024

Health inequities in the US are greater than those in other industrialized countries and have shown little improvement over the past 20 years. Training and technical assistance centers (TTACs) could be a potential mechanism to address inequities, but to date, have lacked an explicit equity-focus. In this paper we describe how to apply equitable implementation strategies when using an evidence-based training and technical assistance process (Getting To Outcomes®) and offer the Health Equity Interactive Systems Framework to support the dissemination and implementation of readily applicable equitable implementation strategies. Proposed improvements to implementation strategies’ equity focus could provide a scalable way for TTACs to promote implementation strategies that are equity-focused. Findings could also inform continuous quality improvement frameworks used by TTACs to close the research to practice gap and make progress towards reducing health inequities.
Strategic Inter-agency Capacity Building for Primary Prevention of Harmful Behaviors in the Military: Current and Future Directions
Authors: Gallagher Sarah , Maxwell Shannon , Jones Katie , Kelley Lynne M. , Fortson Beverly L.
Published: November 2024

The Department of Defense (DoD) remains committed to mitigating harmful behaviors that harm personnel and hinder military readiness. DoD’s Sexual Assault Prevention and Response Office (SAPRO) and the Division of Violence Prevention (DVP) within the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) established a partnership to build capacity for primary prevention though a wide-ranging training and technical assistance (TTA) system, The Integrated Prevention Technical Assistance Center (IPTAC). The system serves as a support system within the Interactive Systems Framework (ISF). The goal for IPTAC’s TTA support is to build capacity for integrated primary prevention and build sustainability for prevention in complex military environments. To assess the effectiveness of IPTAC, the system is evaluated on what TTA is delivered, the skills and knowledge increase in TTA participants, participant satisfaction with TTA received, and participant application or intent for application of skills. Early results are positive; however, these results could be improved partly through ensuring a larger focus on tailoring to military contexts within all TTA activities. This article describes the creation of IPTAC, the role of the ISF in the implementation of TTA, and the evaluation of IPTAC. Implications for TTA delivery in the military and civilian sectors are discussed.
Antecedents of employee engagement: Examining the moderating role of work life conflict for flight attendants
Authors: Riaz Adnan , Joo Baek-Kyoo (Brian) , Jamil Syed Ahsan , Bakhsh Rasool
Published: November 2024

Background

Flight attendants have direct contact with customers and are believed to be the face of the company. Therefore, factors causing employee engagement of flight attendants are important to understand.

Objectives

The purposes of this study are two-fold: (a) to investigate the impact of authentic leadership and group cohesiveness on employee engagement; (b) to examine the moderating role of work-life conflict on the hypothesized relationships.

Methods

Data was collected from 253 flight attendants from different Pakistani airlines with two separate time frames. This research study applies the hierarchical linear model to analyze the survey data.

Results

Results confirmed the significant and positive relationship between authentic leadership and group cohesiveness with employee engagement. In addition, work-life conflict was found to be a significant moderator for the relationships between the authentic leadership and flight attendants’ engagement. However, if there is a high level of work-life conflict, flight attendants who perceived a strong group cohesiveness turned out to indicate a high engagement level.

Conclusion

This study is the first to examine the work-life conflict faced by female flight attendants in association with authentic leadership, group cohesiveness, and employee engagement and the boundary conditions created by work-family conflict.
CRAFTS: Co-Designing Reflective Approaches for the Teaching of Sustainability
Authors: Higgins Kieran , Calvert Alison
Published: November 2024

Education for Sustainable Development (ESD) provides a viable framework for integrating sustainability into higher education curriculum design. This article proposes the CRAFTS (Co-Designing Reflective Approaches for the Teaching of Sustainability) methodology, leveraging Design Thinking principles to seamlessly incorporate ESD into curricula. The stages of CRAFTS—Co-Design, Theoretical Alignment, Learning Design, Curriculum Planning, Curriculum Testing and Empathize Further—offer a structured yet flexible approach to curriculum development through stakeholder collaboration, alignment with ESD theory and the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals and the use of transformative pedagogy and active learning strategies, consolidated into actionable curriculum plans and supported by continuous evaluation and iterative improvement. This methodology not only prepares students to address complex sustainability issues but also ensures higher education institutions fulfil their ethical and moral responsibilities. By embedding ESD principles authentically and dynamically, CRAFTS can cultivate future-ready graduates who are passionate advocates for a sustainable world.
Home Sweet Home: Does Family Physical Environment Impact Couple Relationship Quality
Authors: Zhang Lixia , Romney Justin , Topitzes James
Published: November 2024

This study aimed to explore the relationship between family physical environment and couple relationship quality. The study analyzed data from 698 families who participated in both year 3 and year 5 surveys of the Future of Families and Child Wellbeing Study (FFCWS). Multivariate regression model was run to test if family physical environment at year 3 was related to couple relationship quality at year 5, while controlling for a series of confounding variables. Results indicated that adverse family physical environment (B = −0.39, 95% CI = −0.70 – -0.09), number of children, maternal engagement with child, and family adversities were all significant predictors of reduced couple relationship quality. This study implies that there is significant negative association between adverse family physical environment and couple’s relationship quality. Family physical environment should be considered an important factor in the assessment and treatment of couple relationships.
Decolonizing IR’s Environmental Racial and Colonial Temporality: Frantz Fanon, John Akomfrah, and the Politics of Invention
Authors: Agathangelou Anna M.
Published: November 2024

International Relations (IR) bends the time of global warming into a linear event, an abstract and cumulative representation, missing something more singular. First, I begin with a critique of IR and its disciplinary history and aesthetic, arguing both are informed and shaped by global racial capital’s tendency to sequence heterogeneous entities under its abstract temporality and accumulation imperatives reinforced by Anthropocene narratives. Second, I reckon with Fanon’s politics of invention and his refusal of a segregated ‘history’ and ‘aesthetics’ as an invitation for IR to leap, that is to decolonize the world marked by climate change, itself a colonial aesthetic paradigm defined by a linear and colonial temporality. Finally, I read Vertigo Sea, an art installation by John Akomfrah, as an aesthetics of invention, a creation of forces both refusing capital’s demands and unshackling existence from the temporality of environmental racial coloniality.
The Relationship Between Energy and Capital: Insights from The Wealth of Nations
Authors: Mair Simon
Published: November 2024

To deliver low-carbon transitions, we must understand the dynamics of capital. To this end, I develop a theory of energy-capital relations by reading Adam Smith’s The Wealth of Nations from an energy-analysis perspective. I argue that, for Smith, capital is any resource used to support production with the intention of generating profits through market exchange. In The Wealth of Nations, capital enables access to new sources of energy and increases energy efficiency. This theory of energy-capital relations explains trends seen in historical energy data: because it is profit driven, capital does not save energy, it redirects it to new uses. This suggests that low-carbon investment can only enable a low-carbon transition if coupled to a systematic challenge to the profit drive.

JEL Classification: B12, O44, P18, Q43, Q57
Credit and Its Legal Context in Sharecropping Relations in Postbellum Mississippi Delta: From Ownership to Controlling of Laboring Bodies
Authors: Kayatekin Serap Ayșe
Published: November 2024

This article examines the role of credit and its framing by lien and vagrancy laws in the postbellum Mississippi delta. It is argued that the credit system that was established after the abolition of slavery ensured the control of the formerly enslaved population through the institution of “furnishing.” The credit system of postbellum South represented a new mode of control of the bodies of the laborers through a direct and personal control of their necessary labor. This control was nourished by a legal framework that secured the priority of the landowner's share of the crop over the merchant's and the laborer's. Another important dimension of the mode of control over the bodies of the sharecroppers was the vagrancy laws through the restriction of the mobility of the newly freed laboring populations. All these conditions were embedded in a context of structural and direct violence. Further analyses of this history are necessary in order to understand better some of the existing patterns of racialized capitalism in the United States.

JEL Classification: K0, N5, P0, Q1
Validation and TaqMan Conversion of a Molecular Chronotype Assessment Approach
Authors: Biscontin Alberto , Russo Antonella , Marnetto Davide , Pagani Luca , Costa Rodolfo , Montagnese Sara
Published: November 2024

The present study aimed to develop a TaqMan genotyping card for molecular chronotype assessment based on a predictive panel of 35 previously identified genetic variants. A reliable TaqMan assay was successfully developed for 33 out of the 35 chronotype-predictive variants. The resulting TaqMan genotyping card was utilized to genetically characterize 196 new individuals (in addition to the previously studied 96) and the Morningness-Eveningness Questionnaire was utilized for their phenotypical chronotype assessment. The predictive panel performance was validated on (a) a group of morning and evening individuals (logistic regression model), (b) a representative sample of the original study population also including intermediate chronotypes (linear regression model) and, (c) 25,986 individuals from the Estonian Biobank, for whom Munich Chronotype Questionnaire scores were available. The validation of the morningness-eveningness logistic regression model on 25 morning and 21 evening types resulted in a predictive value of 72%, confirming the reliability of the predictive panel and the success of its conversion into a TaqMan genotyping card. By contrast, the inclusion of intermediate individuals in the model led to a significant decrease in predictive performance (45% on 100 individuals [25 morning, 54 intermediate, and 21 evening]), with intermediate types being the most affected. No significant associations were observed between the genotype panel and chronotype in the Estonian Biobank sample. In conclusion, our genotyping card might represent a promising molecular chronotyping tool for the Italian population. Its performance in other populations is worthy of further study.
Effect of irradiation on Co0.72Sr0.07Ni0.21Fe2O4 ferrite nanoparticles and their catalytic efficiency in water treatment
Authors: Elbasiony AM , Alkhaldi Huda , Ghobashy Mohamed Mohamady , Madani Mohamed , Ghoneim Amina I , Al-Gahtany Samera Ali , Shaban Mohamed , Alharthi Salha , AlGhamdi Hind A , AlZahrani Yasmeen M , Alharthi Sarah , Al-Shaalan Nora Hamad , Darwesh Reem , Boraie Waleed E , Attia Mohamed S , Sharshir AI
Published: November 2024

This study investigates the magnetic, thermal, and electrical properties of Co0.72Sr0.07Ni0.21Fe2O4 ferrite nanoparticles under different conditions, including as-prepared, irradiated (at a dose of 100 kGy in CO2 atmosphere), and aged (at 1000°C). The magnetic properties are analyzed using M-H loops, revealing that the aged sample exhibits the highest magnetization values. The observed decrease in magnetization after irradiation and increase after aging is consistent due to the presence of a new phase (γ-FeOOH) in the irradiated sample that XRD confirms. Electrical conductivity measurements demonstrate that the aging sample exhibits the highest electrical conductivity due to increased grain boundaries, while the irradiated sample shows increased conductivity attributed to oxygen vacancies. As well as the nanocomposite of PVP and Co0.72Sr0.07Ni0.21Fe2O4 nanoparticles aged (at 1000°C) is found to be effective in degrading the Toluidine Blue (TB) dye through catalytic oxidation and photodegradation mechanisms. The catalytic degradation of TB dye provides valuable insights into the potential application of these ferrite nanoparticles in environmental remediation and wastewater treatment. Also, nanocomposite demonstrated significant antimicrobial activity against five pathogenic bacterial strains commonly found in contaminated water, with superior effectiveness against Gram-negative bacteria, particularly Salmonella enterica and Pseudomonas aeruginosa, suggesting its potential as an effective water treatment agent. The novelty and the aims are to analyze the changes in magnetization and conductivity of the nanoparticles under different conditions, including as-prepared, irradiated, and aged samples. Additionally, the catalytic efficiency of the aged nanoparticles in degrading Toluidine Blue (TB) dye is examined, providing insights into their potential application in environmental remediation and wastewater treatment.
The ethnoracial commodification of Brazilianness at cultural festivals in Toronto, Canada
Authors: Enriquez Falina
Published: November 2024

This article analyzes representations of Brazilianness at festivals in Toronto, Canada, to understand how ethnoracialized groups are negotiating cultural commodification and neoliberal entrepreneurship. At these festivals, Brazilian immigrants employ specific semiotic assemblages to present themselves as a culturally rich, entrepreneurially successful group. They uphold Canadian multicultural ideals while avoiding negative stereotypes associated with Latin Americans. Entrepreneurship is thus a key idiom through which ethnoracial and cultural differences are managed and transformed for profit within a neoliberal regime where minoritized groups compete for visibility and resources. Current forms of cultural commodification therefore merit study because they illuminate how capitalism reproduces ethnoracial inequalities.
Compliance with good storage practices in drug import warehouses in Syria
Authors: Al-Hawasli Hasan , Rajab Anas
Published: November 2024

Background

Ensuring the quality of pharmaceutical products is essential for effective healthcare delivery. Good storage practices (GSPs) play a crucial role in maintaining drug integrity and safety.

Objectives

This study aimed to evaluate the adherence of Syrian drug import warehouses to GSP and identify key factors influencing compliance.

Methods

A mixed-methods research design was employed, involving questionnaires and observations of drug import warehouses in Syria. Data were collected from June to August 2022. The first questionnaire assessed the reality of applying GSP, while the second explored perceived benefits and obstacles. The majority of respondents (>80%) had at least 6 years of working experience in the drug warehouse field.

Results

Twenty-three public and private warehouses participated out of the 26 warehouses that were the subject of our study (88%). The study found that in Syria, a significant difference has been detected between existing requirements in drug import warehouses and the needed requirements for the successful implementation of GSP ( p = 0.000). Key constraints to GSP implementation included a lack of a quality-oriented culture among warehouse owners (100%) and inadequate equipment (87%). Regarding the benefits of GSP application, respondents identified ensuring the quality of sensitive products (100%) and reducing waste and damage (96%) as the most important.

Conclusions

To enhance GSP adherence, warehouses should prioritize staff training, adopt electronic data loggers, secure fuel for generators, obtain GSP certificates, and raise public awareness. Government agencies and international organizations should support these efforts and provide financial incentives.
The agricultural basis for the continuous development of the Central Plains civilization: A systematic radiocarbon dating and archaeobotanical study at the Qingtai site, central China
Authors: Yang Miaomiao , Yang Yuzhang , Gu Wanfa , Wei Qingli , Li Mengwei , Ding Lanpo , Zhang Juzhong
Published: November 2024

The area surrounding Songshan Mountain is the core area where the Central Plains civilization originated and developed. However, the agricultural basis of the Central Plains civilization is still not very clear, especially lacking a high-precision chronological framework. In this paper, archaeobotanical analysis and AMS 14C dating test were conducted at the Qingtai site, with 935 soil samples and 20 dating materials collected. And 106,106 charred plant remains were recovered. Abundant charred seeds and high-precision chronological data indicated that from the mid-late Yangshao to the early Longshan period (ca. 5500–4700 BP), the Qingtai site developed mixed farming that foxtail millet ( Setaria italica) dominated, while common millet ( Panicum miliaceum) and rice ( Oryza sativa) occupied a relatively lower position. Combining with archaeobotanical data from other sites spanning from the late Yangshao to the Longshan period (ca. 5300–4000 BP) in the Central Plains, this study demonstrated that the mixed farming which has existed in the Songshan region since the middle Peiligang period provided the basis for social complexity and the continuous development of the Central Plains civilization. During the late Longshan period, the ancestors increased efforts to cultivate soybean ( Glycine max) and introduced wheat ( Triticum aestivum). Research also showed that crop structure was more closely related to geographical location and site areas. During the late Yangshao period, the large-scale settlements in northern Songshan promoted dry farming, in which foxtail millet was the staple food. However, the crop system in southern middle-size and small sites had local features, in which rice or common millet played a relative important role in farming. During the late Longshan period, five crops were more likely to be cultivated at the large-scale settlements. This study provides the latest archaeobotanical evidence, contributing to a further exploration of the relationship between agriculture development and the civilization process in Central Plains.
Record of two Late-Holocene tsunamis along the north Peruvian coast and their relation to archaeological sites of the Chicama River valley
Authors: Goodbred Steven L , Dillehay Tom D
Published: November 2024

South America’s Pacific margin is subject to recurring subduction-zone earthquakes that have generated devastating historical tsunamis, as well as earlier events impacting indigenous populations that have lived along the region’s rich upwelling coastlines throughout the Holocene. Despite recurring events, the geologic record of paleo-tsunamis is relatively sparse. Here we report evidence for two paleo-tsunamis striking the Chicama River coastline (8°S) around 2.8 and 2.0 ka. The two sedimentary deposits are amalgamated in many locations and can be difficult to distinguish, but floodplain or shoreface deposits separate the two units when traced landward and seaward, respectively. The magnitude of each event was sufficient to erode coarse cobbles (13–25 cm) from the shoreface and transport them ~100 m before being deposited as rapidly thinning and fining gravel units. Based on the distribution of mobilized cobbles, we consider plausible flow characteristics for the two tsunamis suggesting that each was on the order of at least a few meters in height with most of the cobble transport occurring only under critical to supercritical flow at the wave front. Previous archaeological reports from the area correctly recognized the older tsunami event but did not describe the younger, better-preserved second event. Further, we revisit the archaeological evidence for the tsunami and recast the older event as likely being more moderate than previously suggested. Broader archaeological evidence from this 30-km reach of the Chicama valley shoreline also suggests that the late Cupisnique to Salinar and Gallinazo cultures were not severely disrupted by the tsunamis, even with these events undoubtedly impacting nearshore inhabitants at the time.
Proliferative Effects of Curcuma zedoaria Extract on Ovarian Tumor Cells
Authors: Song Na , Wang Xiuyun , Yuan Mingxing
Published: November 2024

Background

Curcuma zedoaria is a common traditional herbal medicine that contains mainly curcumin and volatile oils with antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and antitumor properties.

Purpose

This study aimed to investigate the effects of C. zedoaria extract on the biological behavior of ovarian cancer (OC) cells.

Methods

Active compounds were extracted from C. zedoaria, and the content of different active compounds was quantified. Their scavenging abilities against DPPH and -OH free radicals were analyzed, and the minimum inhibitory concentrations (MICs) against different bacterial strains were determined. The human OC cell line SK-OV-3 was divided into four groups and cultured in media containing C. zedoaria extract at concentrations of 0.0, 0.3, 0.6, and 1.2 g/L. The proliferation, inhibition, migration, and apoptosis of primary OC cells were then assessed using the methyl tetrazolium (MTT) assay, the scratch-healing assay, and flow cytometry. Tumor cell invasion and clonogenicity were also assessed. Finally, the status of MEK/ERK signaling in the cells was examined by protein imprinting.

Results

C. zedoaria extract contained 0.18% curcumin, 0.04% demethoxycurcumin, and 0.02% bisdemethoxycurcumin. When the concentration of C. zedoaria extract was ≥10 mg/mL, it exhibited a scavenging rate of over 85% for DPPH and -OH free radicals. In addition, C. zedoaria extract effectively inhibited the growth of Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis, with lower MICs observed for gram-positive bacteria. MTT cell proliferation and scratch assay results showed significant inhibition of SK-OV-3 cell proliferation and migration by C. zedoaria extract. Flow cytometry results indicated that the extract strongly promoted apoptosis in SK-OV-3 cells. Compared with the control group, the invasive and clonogenic abilities of SK-OV-3 cells decreased with increasing concentration of the extract. Protein imprinting results showed that treatment with C. zedoaria extract led to a concentration-dependent decrease in p-MEK1/2 and p-ERK1/2 protein levels in SK-OV-3 cells.

Conclusion

C. zedoaria extract possesses potent antioxidant, antibacterial, and antitumor properties. In addition, C. zedoaria extract can suppress the activation of MEK/ERK signaling, thereby inhibiting the proliferation and migration of SK-OV-3 cells, inducing apoptosis, and reducing the invasive and clonogenic potential of SK-OV-3 cells. It provides a theoretical basis for the discovery of novel drugs using C. zedoaria extract and its clinical applications in the treatment of OC.
Sharenting Marketing: Unveiling the Gender Dynamics of Sharenting Influence
Authors: Murugan Nithya , Madathil Johnson Clement
Published: November 2024

Sharenting (the practice of sharing child photos by parents on social media) with brand collaborations is termed sharenting marketing. In this research, we aim to unravel the differential effects of parent gender on parent and brand outcomes in the context of sharenting marketing. A nuanced experimental design that addresses the current criticisms of experimental designs is used to test the hypothesis. Structured means modelling and ANOVA analysis are used for data analysis. The findings indicate that when the sharing influencer is a mother and the post content is self-motivated, the effects are less favourable, compared to when the sharenting influencer is a father. This effect is greater when the social media post has negative user- or follower-generated comments. Furthermore, this research shows that if the post-text contents are framed as less self-motivated, the impact of parent gender on parent and brand outcomes is mitigated.
Role of Public Health Expenditure on Health Infrastructure and Manpower in India: A State-Level Analysis of the Nexus Between Indicators
Authors: Das Tiken
Published: November 2024

This paper analyses the trends in health infrastructure and manpower (HIM) indicators across Indian states and regions from 2006 to 2020 using a composite index. It assessed the financial factors impacting HIM nationwide, particularly in rural and tribal areas, through a panel regression model. The findings revealed that economically advanced states like Haryana and Maharashtra underperformed in health indicators, while disadvantaged states like Odisha and Rajasthan performed better. Smaller states delivered more effective healthcare services in rural areas. Low public health expenditure (PHE) was associated with lower composite index values and higher infant mortality rates in Bihar, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh, with Kerala showing a notable reversal. The analysis indicated that increased per capita PHE was not linked to improvements in HIM across Indian states, including tribal regions. However, in rural areas, PHE as a percentage of gross state domestic product significantly enhanced HIM.
Counter-Stereotype Portrayals: Exploring Factors Affecting Young Men’s Perception Towards Contemporary Indian Advertising
Authors: Shaw Priya
Published: November 2024

Counter-stereotype advertising is a new phenomenon to portray gender roles in contemporary advertising. Advertisers no longer stick with the traditional portrayals of women but instead promote gender equality in household and office chores. The necessity of teaching household chores to a man is a trend in recent advertisements. The study aims to identify factors affecting young men’s perception towards counter-stereotype gender role portrayals in contemporary Indian advertisements. The sample included 200 young men from central universities located in Delhi. Five factors were identified that affect men’s perception of gender role portrayals. The study will help advertisers understand what men are liking in cross-gender advertisements. On this ground, advertisers can introduce new strategies to attract maximum male audiences.
Moving from guideline to measure to findings: The Australian Evaluation Society and the Learn Evaluation Assessment Portal
Authors: Gullickson Amy M , Siddiqi Taimur , Lloyd Delyth , Stephens Anne , Argyrous George , Wildschut Lauren
Published: November 2024

In 2013, the Australasian Evaluation Society (AES) launched the Evaluators’ Professional Learning Competency Framework. In 2020, the AES (now Australian Evaluation Society) partnered with learnevaluation.org to develop an online self-assessment for the AES community. The AES Competencies were explicitly designed to support professional learning, not as any kind of assessment instrument. Therefore, work was needed to update the competencies into a measurable format. The authors report the history of the competencies, developments made before and after pilot testing them in the online Learn Evaluation Assessment Portal (LEAP), and the findings from the data collected over two and a half years of using the LEAP. The AES Competencies Framework remains one of the few competency sets with explicit knowledge and skill statements related to the logic of evaluation.
FEM modeling of magnetoelectric composites using line elements for thin film structure
Authors: Huang Tianwen , Talleb Hakeim , Gensbittel Aurélie , Becerra Loïc , Zheng Yunlin , Marangolo Massimiliano , Ren Zhuoxiang
Published: November 2024

This study conducts a comprehensive computational analysis of thin film deposited magnetoelectric (ME) composites, focusing on two distinct configurations: the self-biased Ni/(YXl)163° LiNbO3/Ni and the non-self-biased Ni/PZT-5H/Ni. This involves employing a multiphysics simulation tool based on the Finite Element Method (FEM). Our FEM modeling utilizes the line elements formulation, to facilitate the simulation of thin magnetostrictive Ni layers (10 µm thick), and integrates a magnetoelastic anhysteretic model to account for the nonlinear interactions within the magnetostrictive coupling. This FEM model is capable of predicting the anhysteretic nonlinear ME behavior and the ME performance under optimal working condition.
Achieving Universal Healthcare Coverage in a Multilingual Care Setting: Linguistic Diversity and Language Use Barriers as Social Determinants of Care in Ghana
Authors: Kwame Abukari
Published: November 2024

The Health Sustainable Development Goal (SDG3) focuses on achieving universal healthcare coverage (UHC) through people-centered primary care and access to affordable high-quality healthcare services, medicines/vaccines, and specialized care professionals without undue financial stress. However, achieving UHC can be challenging if healthcare providers and patients cannot communicate meaningfully. Severe language barriers affect access to healthcare services. This study explores how linguistic diversity and language use barriers impact person-centered care delivery and access to healthcare services in a multilingual Ghanaian healthcare setting. Data were collected through in-depth individual interviews with patients ( n = 17), caregivers ( n = 11), and nurses ( n = 11), one group interview with four patients, and participant observations. Data transcripts and field notes were inductively and manually coded and analyzed thematically. The study revealed that language barriers affect effective nurse–patient communication and interaction. Healthcare professionals and patients shop for translators and interpreters to overcome communication challenges. The study also found that healthcare professionals used medical jargon to emphasize their identity as experts despite its consequences on nurse–patient interactions and patient care. Miscommunication and misunderstanding due to language barriers derail nurse–patient therapeutic relationships and undermine patient disclosure, participation in the care process, and care quality, leading to adverse UHC outcomes. Therefore, serious attention must be paid to language use contingencies to achieve universal care, especially in resource-scared and multilingual healthcare contexts.
Digital Goods Reselling: Implications on Cannibalization and Price Discrimination
Authors: Chen Hongqiao , Chen Ying-Ju , Li Yang , Zhang Xiaoquan (Michael) , Zhou Sean X
Published: November 2024

The resale of used products presents the challenge of cannibalization, particularly pronounced in digital goods markets where perfect substitutes are easily replicable. In this article, we assert that, rather than a threat, resale can serve as an effective pricing tool for managing heterogeneous demand. We consider a seller of digital goods/services who offers a contract to a heterogeneous group of customers at a fixed price for a specified amount of usage allowance. Rather than imposing restrictive sharing barriers, the seller allows subscribers to share their allowances with others in a secondary market. Our analysis reveals that the seller’s optimal strategy involves facilitating resale by eliminating transaction costs. The sharing contract effectively achieves the same outcome as a two-part tariff, wherein subscribers pay an entry fee along with a marginal usage rate. Both approaches generate equivalent revenue and market coverage, and result in idential demand and individual surplus for customers of the same type. Consequently, the sharing contract acts as a mechanism for price discrimination. Our finding provides a new perspective on peer-to-peer resales and also challenges the conventional belief that successful price discrimination hinges on preventing resale.
Redesign of Virtual Power Plant-led Electricity Demand Response Program
Authors: Wu Xuanyu , Yang Min , Liang Liang , Chen Jingxian
Published: November 2024

As the scale of renewable energy on the demand side continues to grow, a new demand response program (DRP), the virtual power plant (VPP), pays a rebate to the consumer and purchases his rooftop solar electricity. This electricity is dispatched to areas of electricity shortages, which is vital in balancing electricity loads and avoiding energy waste. However, the new DRP differs from the traditional DRP in terms of paying rebates. The traditional DRP requires consumers to respond above a specified baseline to receive a rebate. In contrast, in the new DRP, consumers can receive a rebate even if their response is small (i.e., no baseline). There is no research that addresses this divergence. Therefore, we construct a supply chain consisting of a consumer and a VPP for this novel DRP and analyze the strategic interactions between them in two situations where a baseline is not set/set. Our results show room for improvement in the DRP that dispatches electricity generated from rooftop solar. If the consumer generates more electricity from rooftop solar, the baseline, rather than frustrating the consumer, motivates the consumer to be more responsive. While the baseline also discourages the demand response process, it reduces the emissions generated from the consumer’s over-responsiveness. Additionally, our study suggests that a baseline, whether it facilitates or hinders the DRP, could benefit the VPP, depending on the business model of the VPP. In addition, we add several extensions to demonstrate the robustness of our model.
Measurement Equivalence of Family Functioning and Psychosis Risk Measures in the Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM Study
Authors: Su Charlie C. , Ruggero Camilo J. , Neumann Craig S. , Cicero David C.
Published: November 2024

Decades of research show a clear link between family factors and psychopathology. Family functioning varies across cultures, suggesting potential cultural differences in the association between family factors and psychopathology. In addition, assessing family functioning generally involves tools not systematically validated for diverse cultural backgrounds. Using the Adolescent Brain Cognitive DevelopmentSM data ( N = 11,864), this study found: (a) full scalar invariance was tenable for the Children’s Reports of Parental Behavior Inventory (CRPBI) and Prodromal Questionnaire—Brief Child Version (PQ-BC) across race/ethnicity, but not for the Family Environment Scale (FES) and Parental Monitoring Survey (PMQ); (b) the CRPBI and PMQ were significantly associated with the PQ-BC, and (c) all three family scales had equivalent relations with the PQ-BC across groups. This highlights the importance of evaluating scales for measurement invariance across race/ethnicity. Results also help to connect specific family factors to the etiology of psychosis risk among U.S. children and adolescents.
Fabrication and mechanical behaviors of recoverable thermoplastic sandwich structures with circular honeycomb cores based on the continuous approach
Authors: Fu Qiang , Zhang Rui , Xiong Jian
Published: November 2024

Recyclable, lightweight materials using advanced processing techniques are essential for the sustainable development of future wind turbine blades. Thermoplastic composite sandwich structures were developed to satisfy this need. This study presents a novel continuous approach for fabricating recoverable fully thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich structures. Finite element models of the honeycomb and sandwich plate, accounting for surface-to-surface contact between cells, were developed. Uniaxial compression analysis was performed on honeycombs to investigate their failure modes and energy absorption characteristics. Furthermore, the deformation mode and load-bearing capacity of thermoplastic composite honeycomb sandwich panels were examined under out-of-plane compression and shear loads. Our comprehensive finite element model, incorporating the intricate contact behavior of individual cells, demonstrated a remarkable concordance with experimental outcomes. Insightful predictions were given regarding the correlation between contact areas and load-bearing capacities.
Gendered Peer Friendships and Romantic Relationships Among Youth with Cross-cultural Upbringings: Exploring Social Control
Authors: Bojovic Tina , Enoksen Elisabeth , Studsrød Ingunn
Published: November 2024

Research and political discourse primarily emphasize social control within minority families, overlooking a broader perspective concerning diverse agents and contexts. This study examines how 15 youths with cross-cultural backgrounds experience and navigate social control in relation to gendered friendships and romantic relationships in Norway. We applied a framework by Honkatukia and Keskinen (2017) that proposes a four-dimensional approach to social control. Our findings reveal an interplay of normative social control from parents, informal control from minority communities and peers from the majority community, as well as formal control from the broader majority society. The participants adopt several strategies in navigating social control, including internalizing, conforming, contesting, and resisting control. These findings provide a deeper and more nuanced understanding of the complex dynamics of ethnic, religious, gendered, age-related, and cultural social control exerted by several agents thereby challenging the predominant culturalist perspective on friendships and romantic relationships among cross-cultural youth.
CBL syndrome presenting with severe EBV infection and panuveitis masquerade
Authors: Abramowicz Stéphane , Chabbi Inès , Fardeau Christine , Touhami Sara , Bodaghi Bahram
Published: November 2024

Purpose

To describe a case of CBL syndrome presenting with life-threatening pediatric Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) infection and sight-threatening rod-cone dystrophy (RCD) masquerading as severe panuveitis.

Methods

Single case report with results of whole-exome sequencing (WES) analysis in the proband and his parents. Data were collected from July 2009 to December 2022.

Results

A 35-month-old boy presented with severe primary EBV infection complicated by encephalitis and hemophagocytic lymphohistiocytosis. The clinical picture abated with systemic corticosteroids. Genetic testing revealed a heterozygous germline pathogenic variant in the CBL gene c.1141T > G (p.Cys381Gly). At 6 years old, he developed a severe bilateral panuveitis requiring multiple lines of immunosuppressants, mostly to control refractory cystoid macular edema (CME). During follow-up, intraretinal pigment deposits and peripheral retinal atrophy started to appear. Full-field electroretinogram (ffERG) revealed a pattern consistent with RCD. Repeat WES targeting known inherited retinal disease (IRD) genes was negative. A diagnosis of CBL syndrome complicated by RCD masquerading as severe bilateral panuveitis was made, and CME treatment was switched to oral acetazolamide.

Conclusions

CBL syndrome can present with severe EBV infection early in life. RCD masquerading as severe panuveitis is also a possible feature of CBL syndrome. RCD should be kept in mind in patients with this syndrome who present with idiopathic intraocular inflammation and are refractory to IMT. Carbonic anhydrase inhibitors (CAI) should be tried early to treat CME.
Transition from straight lateral to direct anterior approach in total hip arthroplasty: a retrospective single-centre study
Authors: Visser Lambert C E , Ponds Noa H M , Landman Ellie B M , N Bolink Stijn A A
Published: November 2024

Introduction:

The muscle-sparing direct anterior approach (DAA) for total hip arthroplasty (THA) has gained popularity for reduced postoperative pain and faster rehabilitation. The aim of this study was to evaluate the potential benefits of transitioning from straight lateral approach (SLA) THA to DAA THA, and investigate whether these benefits outweigh potential disadvantages of the DAA learning curve.

Method:

Patients undergoing surgery between 2015 and 2020 ( n = 2275) were categorised into three periods: pre-transition period (2015-2016) utilizing SLA exclusively, transition period (2017–2018) incorporating both SLA and DAA, and post-transition period (2019–2020) employing only DAA. The Hip disability and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score – Physical function Short-form (HOOS-PS) was recorded pre-surgery and one-year post-surgery. Furthermore, complications, blood loss, duration of surgery and length of stay were compared between groups.

Results:

A larger improvement in HOOS-PS score was found for DAA in comparison with SLA (37.13 ± 18.62 vs. 32.55 ± 22.83; p < 0.001). Significant improvements were found for the DAA group regarding duration of surgery (70:02 ± 15:54 min vs. 79:47 ± 15:03 min; p < 0,001) and length of stay (1.68 ± 1.80 days vs. 3.39 ± 1.85 days; p < 0,001) compared to the SLA group. Total number of complications was higher for SLA ( n = 87 (9.2%)) compared to DAA ( n = 77 (6.5%); p = 0.018), with more femoral fractures for SLA ( n = 35 (3.7%) vs. n = 6 (0.5%); p < 0.001) whereas more dislocations were found for DAA ( n = 24 (2.0)% vs. n = 7 (0.7%); p = 0.017). More specifically, a higher number of dislocations occurred during the DAA transition period when compared to the SLA pre-transition period ( n = 12 (2.7%) vs. n = 4 (0.6%); p = 0.008).

Conclusions:

Transitioning from SLA to DAA for THA improves patient-reported outcomes but does not seem to result in a higher overall complication rate. Suggesting the advantages of the DAA outweigh the potential disadvantages of the learning curve.