bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Abstract WP95: Combination Of Steroid And Anticoagulant Therapy To Treat Acute/subacute Severe Cerebral Venous Thrombosis
Authors: Duan Jian Gang
Published: February 2023

Introduction:
Endovascular treatment combined with standard anticoagulant treatment often fails to improve functional outcomes of patients with severe cerebral venous thrombosis (CVT). Accumulating evidence suggests that inflammatory response plays a vital role in severe CVT pathogenesis and is strongly associated with a poor prognosis.

Hypothesis:
To investigate the efficacy and safety of steroids combined with anticoagulant therapy in acute/subacute severe CVT patients.

Methods:
Patients with first-episode acute/subacute CVT between January 2018 and June 2021 were enrolled. We retrospectively reviewed data of patients with acute/subacute severe CVT treated with and without 500mg methylprednisolone pulse therapy for 3 days. We compared functional outcomes and major adverse events 6 months after discharge between two groups using propensity score matching for the purpose of completion.

Results:
In this study, 248 patients with acute/subacute severe CVT were included, and 93 (37.50%) patients with severe CVT were treated with steroids. After propensity score matching, there were 85 patients each in the steroid and nonsteroid groups. Patients in the steroid group had lower mRS scores (0-2) (P=0.03) and a lower likelihood of residual headache (19.28% vs. 47.50%, P<0.01) than patients in the nonsteroid group at the 6-month follow-up after discharge. Regarding steroid safety, the likelihood of CVT recurrence (6.02% vs. 6.25%, P=0.95), lower extremity deep venous thrombosis (3.61% vs. 1.25%, P=0.33), pulmonary embolism (1.20% vs. 1.25%, P=0.98), infection (1.20% vs. 1.25%, P=0.98), and mortality (2.35% vs. 5.88%, P=0.25) did not differ between both groups. Steroid treatment (OR: 4.685, 95% CI: 1.629-13.476, P=0.00) was independently associated with favorable outcomes in the matched cohort. During the follow-up period, patients treated with steroids did not experience spontaneous fractures, osteonecrosis, or gastroduodenal ulcers.

Discussion:
Steroid pulse therapy combined with anticoagulant therapy may be effective and safe for improving the prognosis of patients with acute/subacute severe CVT. These findings shed light on the potential ameliorative effects of anti-inflammatory treatments in acute/subacute severe CVT.
Tenecteplase Treatment and Thrombus Characteristics Associated With Early Reperfusion: An EXTEND-IA TNK Trials Analysis
Authors: Yogendrakumar Vignan , Churilov Leonid , Guha Prodipta , Beharry James , Mitchell Peter J. , Kleinig Timothy J. , Yassi Nawaf , Thijs Vincent , Wu Teddy Y. , Brown Helen , Dewey Helen M. , Wijeratne Tissa , Yan Bernard , Sharma Gagan , Desmond Patricia M. , Parsons Mark W. , Donnan Geoffrey A. , Davis Stephen M. , Campbell Bruce C.V. , Dowling Richard , Bush Steven , Scroop Rebecca , Brooks Mark , Asadi Hamed , Ang Timothy , Miteff Ferdinand , Levi Christopher , Zhao Henry , Ng Felix , Alemseged Fana , Rice Henry , de Villiers Laetitia , Redmond Kendal , Leggett David
Published: February 2023

Background:

Intracranial occlusion site, contrast permeability, and clot burden are thrombus characteristics that influence alteplase-associated reperfusion. In this study, we assessed the reperfusion efficacy of tenecteplase and alteplase in subgroups based on these characteristics in a pooled analysis of the EXTEND-IA TNK trial (Tenecteplase Versus Alteplase Before Endovascular Therapy for Ischemic Stroke).

Methods:

Patients with large vessel occlusion were randomized to treatment with tenecteplase (0.25 or 0.4 mg/kg) or alteplase before thrombectomy in hospitals across Australia and New Zealand (2015–2019). The primary outcome, early reperfusion, was defined as the absence of retrievable thrombus or >50% reperfusion on first-pass angiogram. We compared the effect of tenecteplase versus alteplase overall, and in subgroups, based on the following measured with computed tomography angiography: intracranial occlusion site, contrast permeability (measured via residual flow grades), and clot burden (measured via clot burden scores). We adjusted for covariates using mixed effects logistic regression models.

Results:

Tenecteplase was associated with higher odds of early reperfusion (75/369 [20%] versus alteplase: 9/96 [9%], adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.18 [95% CI, 1.03–4.63]). The difference between thrombolytics was notable in occlusions with low clot burden (tenecteplase: 66/261 [25%] versus alteplase: 5/67 [7%], aOR, 3.93 [95% CI, 1.50–10.33]) when compared to high clot burden lesions (tenecteplase: 9/108 [8%] versus alteplase: 4/29 [14%], aOR, 0.58 [95% CI, 0.16–2.06];
P
interaction
=0.01). We did not observe an association between contrast permeability and tenecteplase treatment effect (permeability present: aOR, 2.83 [95% CI, 1.00–8.05] versus absent: aOR, 1.98 [95% CI, 0.65–6.03];
P
interaction
=0.62). Tenecteplase treatment effect was superior with distal M1 or M2 occlusions (53/176 [30%] versus alteplase: 4/42 [10%], aOR, 3.73 [95% CI, 1.25–11.11]), but both thrombolytics had limited efficacy with internal carotid artery occlusions (tenecteplase 1/73 [1%] versus alteplase 1/19 [5%], aOR, 0.22 [95% CI, 0.01–3.83];
P
interaction
=0.16).

Conclusions:

Tenecteplase demonstrates superior early reperfusion versus alteplase in lesions with low clot burden. Reperfusion efficacy remains limited in internal carotid artery occlusions and lesions with high clot burden. Further innovation in thrombolytic therapies are required.
Underfilled blood tube containing EDTA
Authors: Can Murat , Guven Berrak , Benice Ismail
Published: February 2023

IntroductionBlood samples having inappropriate volume are a substantial part of preanalytical errors. Inadequate sample volume for glycated haemoglobin (HbA1c) test may be a common problem of patients with diabetes mellitus having vascular changes. In this study, we compared HbA1c concentrations of underfilled and appropriately filled blood collection tubes.
Materials and methodsTo compare HbA1c concentrations, blood samples were collected into 2 mL tubes containing K3-EDTA from 109 subjects. Two blood samples (underfilled and appropriately filled) were drawn from a patient by the same personnel and materials. HbA1c measurements were assayed on a Cobas 6000 analyser module c 501 (Roche Diagnostics, Mannheim, Germany). The HbA1c% results were compared by t-test and Wilcoxon’s signed-rank statistical methods (SPSS Inc., Chicago, USA). Bias analysis was performed using Microsoft Excel 4.0.
ResultsUnderfilled samples were classified three groups (group 1, N = 44; group 2, N = 36; and group 3, N = 29) according to the filling ratio of the samples; 0.5 mL and below (< 25%), 0.5-1.0 mL (25-50%), and 1.0-2.0 mL (> 50%), respectively. When we compared underfilled tubes with pairing filled tubes, there was a statistically significant difference only with tubes filled less than 25% (P = 0.030). Furthermore, we have done bias analysis between paired tubes according to the diagnostic cut-off value of 6.5%. The bias was more prominent in up to 50% underfilled blood tubes (1.1%), when HbA1c concentrations were below the diagnostic cut-off of 6.5%.
ConclusionsWe suggest that the blood tubes with EDTA for HbA1c measurement should be filled with at least 50% to avoid clinical variations.
Certified Robustness to Text Adversarial Attacks by Randomized [MASK]
Authors: Zeng Jiehang , Xu Jianhan , Zheng Xiaoqing , Huang Xuanjing
Published: February 2023

Very recently, few certified defense methods have been developed to provably guarantee the robustness of a text classifier to adversarial synonym substitutions. However, all the existing certified defense methods assume that the defenders have been informed of how the adversaries generate synonyms, which is not a realistic scenario. In this study, we propose a certifiably robust defense method by randomly masking a certain proportion of the words in an input text, in which the above unrealistic assumption is no longer necessary. The proposed method can defend against not only word substitution-based attacks, but also character-level perturbations. We can certify the classifications of over 50% of texts to be robust to any perturbation of five words on AGNEWS, and two words on SST2 dataset. The experimental results show that our randomized smoothing method significantly outperforms recently proposed defense methods across multiple datasets under different attack algorithms.
An annotated and illustrated Type Catalogue of the predacious Shieldbugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Asopinae) in the Collection of the Natural History Museum, London
Authors: ROELL TALITA , LEMAÎTRE VALÉRIE A. , WEBB MICHAEL D. , CAMPOS LUIZ A.
Published: February 2023

We present an annotated and illustrated type catalogue of the predacious shieldbugs (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Pentatomidae: Asopinae), housed in the collection of the Natural History Museum, London. This work involves recognising types and their status, recording their label data and providing images of both the types and their labels. Although we personally refrain from designating lectotypes as the International Code of Zoological Nomenclature recommends that it should be done “as part of a revisionary or other taxonomic work” (ICZN 1999: Recommendation 74G), we have nevertheless accepted that lectotypes were designated before 2000 (see ICZN 1999: Art. 74 §§ 5 and 6), for the following 43 species: by Distant (1880) for Apateticus halys Dallas, Arma fuscescens Dallas, Arma modesta Dallas, Arma tincta Dallas, Oplomus rutilus Dallas, Oplomus ventralis Dallas, Stiretrus ornatus Dallas, Stiretrus ruficeps Dallas; by Synave (1969) for Mecosoma floridum Distant and Podisus volxemi Distant; by Thomas (1992) for Arma ampla Walker, Arma grandis Dallas, Arma lateralis Walker, Arma nigrispina Dallas, Arma obscura Dallas, Mormidea semialba Walker, Oplomus equestris Distant, Oplomus festivus Dallas, Oplomus nigripennis Dallas, Oplomus pulcher Dallas, Oplomus stellatus Distant, Oplomus violaceus Dallas, Platynopus conspersus Walker, Podisus amulae Distant, Podisus falcatus Distant, Podisus gaumeri Distant, Podisus insignis Distant, Podisus nigriventris Distant, Podisus sculptus Distant, Podisus smithi Distant, Stiretrus annulatus Distant, Stiretrus caeruleus Dallas, Supputius typicus Distant, Tynacantha marginata Dallas, Tynacantha splendens Distant, Zicrona cuprea Dallas and Zicrona marginella Dallas; and by Thomas (1994) for Anasida funebris Distant, Damarius bicolor Distant, Neoglypsus opulentus Distant, Neoglypsus viridicatus Distant, Incitatus primus Distant, and Jalloides versicolor Distant. We have also found out that Synave (1969) had designated the lectotype of Glypsus erubescens Distant before Linnavuori (1975). A syntype of Oplomus distinctus Distant, 1880 is located and Thomas’s (1992: 57) synonymy of this species with O. catena (Drury, 1782) is confirmed. Informations regarding labels used by the first five curators of Hemiptera at the Natural History Museum, London (Adam White, William S. Dallas, Francis Walker, William L. Distant and William E. China) are provided. In total, we list herein 248 specimens examined in NHMUK (49 holotypes, 41 lectotypes, 84 syntypes, 17 paratypes, 25 paralectotypes, and 32 non-types which are historical specimens), representing 149 nominal species or 104 currently valid species (ca. 34% of the just over 300 valid Asopinae species worldwide).
Application of bone morphogenetic protein 2 derived peptide loaded onto nano hydroxyapatite for periodontal bone regeneration
Authors: Li Zhangyi , Liu Peicai
Published: February 2023

To explore the feasibility of utilizing a nano drug delivery system for the promotion of periodontal bone regeneration, we constructed a hydroxyapatite-bone morphogenetic protein-2 (HA-BMP-2) nanocomposite. Through characterization by X-ray diffraction and Fourier transform infrared
spectroscopy, the synthesized nanocomposite was confirmed to be HA, and nano HA (nHA) could prolong the half-life of BMP-2 by 10 times. In the cell test, we found that compared with nHA, nHA-BMP-2 improved the activity and migration of human periodontal ligament stem cells (HPLSCs) to promote
the reconstruction of bone defects. Moreover, nHA-BMP-2 could improve the mineralization of HPLSCs, including increased levels of alkaline phosphatase, collagen I, and osteocalcin, thus enhancing osteogenesis. In the animal experiments, nHA-BPM-2 was further confirmed to effectively improve
the area of new bone formation, bone density, bone volume percentage, and trabecular number in periodontal bone defect areas and reduce the repair time. Therefore, nHA-BMP-2 shows great potential for periodontal bone regeneration.
Engaging Undergraduate Students in Collaborative Field Research with the U.S. National Weather Service: The SCORCHER Study
Authors: Crosman Erik , Ward Aaron M. , Bieda Stephen W. , Lindley T. Todd , Gittinger Mike , Pal Sandip , Vepuri Hemanth
Published: February 2023

While numerous collaborations exist between the atmospheric sciences research community and the U.S. National Weather Service (NWS), collaborative research field studies between undergraduate (UG) students at universities and the NWS are less common. The Summertime Canyon Observations and Research to Characterize Heat Extreme Regimes (SCORCHER) study was an UG student-driven research field campaign conducted in Palo Duro Canyon State Park, Texas, United States, during the summer of 2021. The SCORCHER campaign was mainly aimed at improving our basic scientific understanding of extreme heat, public safety, and forecasting applications, and creating an empowering UG educational field research experience. This “In Box” article highlights the collaborative study design, execution, and lessons learned.
Upstream Large-Scale Control of Subtropical Low-Cloud Climatology
Authors: Lewis Hamish , Bellon Gilles , Dinh Tra
Published: February 2023

This study investigates the impact of the adjustment times of the atmospheric boundary layer (ABL) on the control of low-cloud coverage (LCC) climatology by large-scale atmospheric conditions in the subtropics. Using monthly data, we calculate back-trajectories and use machine learning statistical models with feature selection capabilities to determine the influence of local and upstream large-scale conditions on LCC for four physical cloud regimes: the stratocumulus (Sc) deck, the along-flow transition into the Sc deck (“Inflow”), the Sc-to-cumulus transition, and trade-cumulus clouds. All four regimes have unique local and upstream relationships with the large-scale meteorological variables within our parameter space, with upstream controls of LCC being the dominant processes in Sc deck and Sc-to-cumulus transition regimes. The time scales associated with these upstream controls across all regimes are consistent with known adjustment time scales of the ABL, determined in both modeling and observational studies. We find that low-level thermodynamic stratification (estimated inversion strength) is not the most important large-scale variable for LCC prediction in transition and trade-cumulus regimes despite its ubiquitous use as a proxy for LCC throughout the subtropics. Including upstream control provides significant improvements to the skill of statistical models predicting monthly LCC, increasing explained variance on the order of 15% in the Inflow, Sc deck, and transition regimes, but provides no improvement in the trade-cumulus regime.
Searching for Alternatives to the Savitzky–Golay Filter in the Spectral Processing Domain
Authors: Kałka Andrzej J. , Turek Andrzej M.
Published: February 2023

An elegant, well-established effective data filter concept, proposed originally by Abraham Savitzky and Marcel J.E. Golay, is undoubtedly a very effective tool, however not free from limitations and drawbacks. Despite the latter, over the years it has become a "monopolist” in many fields of spectra processing, claiming a "commercial" superiority over alternative approaches, which would potentially allow to obtain equivalent or in some cases even more reliable results. In order to show that basic operations performed on spectral datasets, like smoothing or differentiation, do not have to be equated to the application of the one particular single algorithm, several of such alternatives are briefly presented within this paper and discussed with regard to their practical realization. A special emphasis is put on the fast Fourier methodology (FFT), being widespread in the general domain of signal processing. Finally, a user-friendly Matlab routine, in which the outlined algorithms are implemented, is shared, so that one can select and apply the technique of spectral data processing more adequate for their individual requirements without the need to code it prior to use.
Comorbid attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder
Authors: Parker Gordon
Published: February 2023

The rate of comorbid attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder and bipolar disorder far exceeds chance if the two are independent conditions. Explanations for such a high comorbid prevalence and management implications are considered.
Historical Inequality at the Grassroots: Local Public Goods in an Indian District, 1905–2011
Authors: Lee Alexander
Published: February 2023

How do historical inequalities influence modern public goods provision? This paper analyses a new panel dataset of local public goods provision in a single North Indian district with observations at the village-decade level going back to 1905 and detailed information on colonial land tenure institutions and demographics. The presence of large colonial landowners is positively associated with rural public goods provision when the landlord was resident in the early 20th century and has a null effect when the landlord was an absentee. Villages inhabited or owned by upper castes had an advantage in the colonial and immediate post-independence eras, but not afterward. The results suggest that within unequal societies, economic and status inequalities can have positive effects on public goods provision when they link elites to extralocal decision-makers.
Debating nationalism: Bihari intelligentsia and the Swadeshi movement of Bengal
Authors: Kumar Sanjay
Published: February 2023

During the Swadeshi movement in Bengal, the bhadralok advocated an idea of Indian nationalism that freely used Hindu myths, symbols and imagery and hence tended to exclude several multi-ethnic religious communities from its reach. A section of intellectual and political elites in Bihar saw this as a narrow projection of the idea of Indian nationalism. They challenged it as a form of Hindu nationalism and argued that a true idea of nationality could evolve in India only when backward regions like Bihar achieved a certain level of progress and development, as well as a separate sub-national political identity. They also rejected the revolutionary militant, nationalism that was gaining popularity among the youth. Exploring the tensions that played out between the bhadralok political elites and the intelligentsia in Bihar over the question of Indian nationalism during the Swadeshi movement of Bengal, this article argues for an emphasis on the sub-regional and secular aspects of nationalism and that the non-violent freedom struggle against colonialism was a critical dimension for understanding the rise of nationalism in early twentieth-century India.
Democracy Without Development: An Assessment of the Moderating Factors in Nigeria
Authors: Emegwa Tochukwu J.
Published: February 2023

This paper assesses the performance of democratic leadership in the Nigerian state in sub-Saharan Africa to determine if democracy dividends accrue to the citizens. The study suggests that in the fight against corruption, the government must guarantee the independence of the anticorruption institutions and fix the socioeconomic factors plaguing the nation. Evidence from the descriptive statistical outputs of the moderator factors such as corruption, inflation, infrastructure and insecurity suggests a deleterious moderation in the relationship between ‘democratic leadership performance’ and ‘democracy dividends’. Thus, the diminutive influence of the former on the latter potentially leaves the citizens vulnerable.
Attendance zones in the suburbs
Authors: Asson Sarah , Frankenberg Erica , Fowler Christopher S. , Buck Ruth Krebs
Published: February 2023

While suburban schools across the country have become increasingly racially and economically diverse in recent decades, many remain highly segregated. School attendance zone boundaries (AZBs) play a critical role in shaping these patterns of within-district segregation. AZBs are especially important in suburban areas with growing and diversifying student populations. Using novel, longitudinal AZB data dating back to 1990, authors Sarah Asson, Erica Frankenberg, Christopher Fowler, and Ruth Krebs Buck studied the relationship between AZBs and segregation over time in three large suburban districts. They found AZB changes have not yet been realized as a force for desegregation. To do so will require more explicit action prioritizing racial and economic diversity.
The CRT culture war in the suburbs
Authors: Farag Antony
Published: February 2023

The suburbs are on the frontlines of a politicized culture war with critical race theory (CRT) at its center. States are passing legislation censoring teachers and administrators from using CRT in schools. This war threatens the intellectual freedom of educators and school leaders. The voices of the teachers, especially teachers of color, are largely absent. Antony Farag shares his experiences on the front lines and provides strategies for teachers and school leaders to navigate this war. He suggests that educators need to be a unifying force and that they must not be limited by censorship laws taking away their intellectual freedoms.
On Leadership: A leader’s equity journey
Authors: Starr Joshua P.
Published: February 2023

Teresa Lance came to her position as assistant superintendent for equity and innovation in School District U-46 in Elgin, Illinois, after leaving a superintendency where community leaders were unwilling to change the status quo. Joshua P. Starr describes how Lance’s previous experiences led to her current role and what she learned along the way.
What Was the ‘Alt’ in Alt-Right, Alt-Lite, and Alt-Left? On ‘Alt’ as a Political Modifier
Authors: Moffitt Benjamin
Published: February 2023

What was the ‘alt’ in alt-right, alt-lite, and alt-left? Tracing these controversial terms’ development over the 2010s, this article interrogates the construction, meaning, and utility of the ‘alt’ modifier in US politics. Contextualizing the emergence of ‘alt’ among wider debates about how to spatially conceptualize anti-system politics beyond the left-right spectrum, it argues that ‘alt’ was used to name a tendency that moved beyond traditional ideological questions about what society should look like, and instead signified a preference about how politics should be done: namely, a rejection of the mainstream norms of political conduct, and an embrace of vulgarity, incivility and an extremely adversarial approach to political opposition. It shows how a popular-cultural understanding of ‘alternative’ was used to give this approach a countercultural sheen, and maps out the cleavages between groups that the alt/mainstream binary opened up. Finally, it considers the legacy of the ‘alt’ modifier in contemporary politics.
A novel ultrasonic inspection method of the heat exchangers based on circumferential waves and deep neural networks
Authors: ugli Malikov Azamatjon Kakhramon , Cho Younho , Kim Young H. , Kim Jeongnam , Kim Hyung-Kyu
Published: February 2023

The heat exchanger (HE) is an important component of almost every energy generation system. Periodic inspection of the HEs is particularly important to keep high efficiency of the entire system. In this paper, a novel ultrasonic water immersion inspection method is presented based on circumferential wave (CW) propagation to detect defective HE. Thin patch-type piezoelectric elements with multiple resonance frequencies were adopted for the ultrasonic inspection of narrow-spaced HE in an immersion test. Water-filled HE was used to simulate defective HE because water is the most reliable indicator of the defect. The HE will leak water no matter what the defect pattern is. Furthermore, continuous wavelet transform (CWT) was used to investigate the received CW, and inverse CWT was applied to separate frequency bands corresponding to the thickness and lateral resonance modes of the piezoelectric element. Different arrangements of intact and leaky HE were tested with several pairs of thin piezoelectric patch probes in various instrumental setups. Also, direct waveforms in the water without HE were used as reference signals, to indicate instrumental gain and probe sensitivity. Moreover, all filtered CW corresponding to resonance modes together with the direct waveforms in the water were used to train the deep neural networks (DNNs). As a result, an automatic HE state classification method was obtained, and the accuracy of the applied DNN was estimated as 99.99%.
‘I Hadn’t Realised That Change Is Not a Difficult Thing’: Mobilising Football Fans on Climate Change
Authors: Amann Jennifer , Doidge Mark
Published: February 2023

The damaging consequences of anthropogenic climate change are well documented. In order to engage the public on the serious question of climate change, there is a need to use different approaches to connect climate change with other concerns. This study is the first to understand how football fans engage with climate change and how a campaign should engage with them. It does this through an analysis of fans’ engagement with a campaign to engage fans (Pledgeball). It is situated within the literature, which argues that climate change communication needs to engage with the culture, values and worldviews of the target audience. It argues that football fans could be a significant form of collective behaviour to engage with climate change; and that aligning with the identity and worldview of fans, as well as the broader culture of football, can promote engagement and possible social change.
Progressive cities: Urban–rural polarisation of social values and economic development around the world
Authors: Luca Davide , Terrero-Davila Javier , Stein Jonas , Lee Neil
Published: February 2023

In contrast to the conservative values of rural populations, cities are often seen as bulwarks of more tolerant, liberal and progressive values. This urban–rural divide in values has become one of the major fault lines in Western democracies, underpinning major political events of the last decade, not least the election of Donald Trump. Yet, beyond a small number of countries, there is little evidence that cities really are more liberal than rural areas. Evolutionary modernisation theory suggests that socio-economic development may lead to the spread of progressive, self-expression values but provides little guidance on the role of cities in this process. Has an urban–rural split in values developed across the world? And does this gap depend on the economic development of a country? We answer these questions using a large cross-sectional dataset covering 66 countries. Despite the inherent challenges in identifying and operationalising a globally-consistent definition of what is ‘urban’, we show that there are marked and significant urban–rural differences in progressive values, defined as tolerant attitudes to immigration, gender rights and family life. These differences exist even when controlling for observable compositional effects, suggesting that cities do play a role in the spread of progressive values. Yet, these results only apply at higher levels of economic development suggesting that, for cities to leave behind rural areas in terms of liberal values, the satisfying of certain material needs is a prerequisite.
Brazil’s Cultural Battleground: Public Universities and the New Right
Authors: Fiori Juliano , Fiori Arantes Pedro
Published: February 2023

After assuming the presidency in January 2019, Bolsonaro used the machinery of government to wage culture warfare. Public universities, sites of cultivation of a new moral radicalism of the left over recent decades, became primary cultural battlegrounds. With its attacks on public universities (demonization, unconstitutional government interference, budget cuts, and political persecution), Bolsonaro’s government nurtured the reactionary imagination of Brazil’s new right and challenged the cultural hegemony of the left and thus undermined a biopolitical pact that once tied public universities to the defense of a right to life.

Depois de assumir a presidência em Janeiro 2019, Bolsonaro utilizou a máquina do governo para fazer uma guerra cultural. As universidades públicas, viveiros pela formação de um novo radicalismo moral da esquerda durante as últimas décadas, se convertiram em importantes campos de batalha culturais nessa guerra. Com sua ofensiva contra as universidades públicas (demonização, interferência do governo inconstitucional, cortes orçamentais e persecuções políticas), o governo Bolsonaro fomentou um imaginário reacionário na direita brasileira que desafiou a hegemonia cultural da esquerda e, por conseguinte, minou um pacto biopolítico que anteriormente vinculava as universidades públicas à defesa do direito à vida.
Brazil and the “Bolsonaro Phenomenon”: Politics, the Economy, and the COVID-19 Pandemic, 2019–2020
Authors: Moura de Oliveira Gustavo , Verissimo Veronese Marília
Published: February 2023

From a document corpus taken from leading journals recording the discourses and actions of President Jair Bolsonaro and his team in managing the economy, politics, and the COVID-19 pandemic, it is more than clear that this administration refuses to play by the rules of the democratic game. There is a close relationship between the authoritarian administration and the naturalization of a logic that prioritizes market interests above all, producing an ultra-neoliberalism that not only operates within the economic and financial sphere but also produces antidemocratic modes of social subjectivity.

Segundo um corpus de documentos proveniente dos jornais principais que registravam os discursos e ações do Presidente Jair Bolsonaro e seu equipe com respeito a sua gerência da economia, da polítca e da pandemia do COVID-19, fica muito claro que este governo se recusa a cumprir as regras do jogo democrático. Ademais, existe uma relação íntima entre o governo autoritário e a uniformização de uma lógica que prioriza os interesses do mercado sobre todo, produzindo um ultra-neoliberalismo que não somente opera dentro da esféra econômica e financeira mas também gera modos antidemocráticos de subjetividade social.
Silent Finns and Talkative Italians? An investigation of communicative differences and similarities as perceived by parents in typically developing children
Authors: Gabbatore Ilaria , Dindar Katja , Pirinen Veera , Vähänikkilä Hannu , Mämmelä Laura , Kotila Aija , Bosco Francesca M. , Leinonen Eeva , Loukusa Soile
Published: February 2023

Effective communication is a fundamental aspect of children’s daily living, enabling interaction with adults and peers. A rich literature suggests that communicative abilities develop with age, while little is known about cross-cultural differences and similarities. This study presents a comparison of the communicative performance of Finnish ( n = 147) and Italian ( n = 147) typically developing children, aged 4–8 years old, as assessed by the widely used Children’s Communication Checklist–2 (CCC-2). The results reveal an effect of nationality in 9 of the 10 subscales. Finnish parents scored their children’s communicative skill higher than Italian parents in eight of those subscales, but for the social relation subscale, Italian parents scored their children higher than the Finnish parents. Some of these differences are evident for the different age groups and are already present at early developmental stages. In both the Finnish and Italian samples, the parents rated the girls’ communicative performance as more competent than the boys’ on a number of CCC-2 subscales. The results are discussed in light of previous evidence highlighting that cultural features affect and shape communicative style within society, leading to differences (and similarities) that should be considered when assessing children’s communicative abilities.
L2 and L1 semantic context indices as automated measures of lexical sophistication
Authors: Monteiro Kátia , Crossley Scott , Botarleanu Robert-Mihai , Dascălu Mihai
Published: February 2023

Lexical frequency benchmarks have been extensively used to investigate second language (L2) lexical sophistication, especially in language assessment studies. However, indices based on semantic co-occurrence, which may be a better representation of the experience language users have with lexical items, have not been sufficiently tested as benchmarks of lexical sophistication. To address this gap, we developed and tested indices based on semantic co-occurrence from two computational methods, namely, Latent Semantic Analysis and Word2Vec. The indices were developed from one L2 written corpus (i.e., EF Cambridge Open Language Database [EF-CAMDAT]) and one first language (L1) written corpus (i.e., Corpus of Contemporary American English [COCA] Magazine). Available L1 semantic context indices (i.e., Touchstone Applied Sciences Associates [TASA] indices) were also assessed. To validate the indices, they were used to predict L2 essay quality scores as judged by human raters. The models suggested that the semantic context indices developed from EF-CAMDAT and TASA, but not the COCA Magazine indices, explained unique variance in the presence of lexical sophistication measures. This study suggests that semantic context indices based on multi-level corpora, including L2 corpora, may provide a useful representation of the experience L2 writers have with input, which may assist with automatic scoring of L2 writing.
On digital theorizing, clickbait research, and the cumulative tradition
Authors: Baiyere Abayomi , Berente Nicholas , Avital Michel
Published: February 2023

The pursuit of novel and indigenous digital theories is a thought-provoking call by Grover and Lyytinen. Such a piece is direly needed, and we hope it will spark a reinvigoration of the field. However, despite its many merits and our alignment with its message, we have two comments or caveats for readers of their piece. These are—a) a need to re-emphasize the value of attending to the cumulative tradition in our pursuit of digital theorizing, and relatedly b) an unreflective reading of the paper may risk mobilizing IS scholarship towards clickbait research. We further highlight three anchors that future scholarship can consider in attending to these issues a) problematization anchor, b) implications anchor, and c) boundary-spanning anchor. With these points, we add more volume to amplify the message of G&L and offer suggestions for pursuing innovative digital theories that go beyond ephemeral theorizing.
Reflecting on challenges and opportunities for the practice of person-centred rehabilitation
Authors: Kayes Nicola M , Papadimitriou Christina
Published: February 2023

Objectives

To (1) reflect on challenges to the practice of person-centred rehabilitation; and (2) propose opportunities for the development of person-centred rehabilitation.

Challenges

Person-centred practice has received widespread endorsement across healthcare settings and is understood to be an important, positive approach in rehabilitation. However, the rhetoric of this approach does not always translate meaningfully into practice. Emphasis on patient choice, patient involvement in decision making, and increasing patient capacity for self-management have become a proxy for person-centred rehabilitation in lieu of a more fundamental shift in practice and healthcare structures. System (e.g. biomedical orientation), organisational (e.g. key performance indicators) and professional (e.g. identity as expert) factors compete with person-centred rehabilitation.

Opportunities

Four key recommendations for the development of person-centred rehabilitation are proposed including to: (1) develop a principles-based approach to person-centred rehabilitation; (2) move away from the dichotomy of person-centred (or not) rehabilitation; (3) build person-centred cultures of care in rehabilitation; and (4) learn from diverse perspectives of person-centred rehabilitation.

Conclusion

Fixed assumptions about what constitutes person-centred rehabilitation may limit our ability to respond to the needs of persons and families. Embedding person-centred ways of working is challenging due to the competing drivers and interests of healthcare systems and organisations. A principles-based approach, enabled by person-centred cultures of care, may achieve the aspirations of person-centred rehabilitation.
Understanding Bitumen Aging through Interrelationships and Aging Ratios
Authors: Goosen Elaine Simone , Jenkins Kim Jonathan
Published: February 2023

Aging of bitumen can lead to fatigue and non-load-associated cracking of asphalt pavements. Performance grade specifications include threshold limits for rheological properties from specific ranges of binder behavior after laboratory aging. Some specifications include aging ratios (ARs) to limit the rate at which properties deteriorate. This study compares the evolution of interrelationships and ARs of performance parameters in specific areas in Black Space to understand the relative susceptibility of the binder behavioral spectra to aging. Unmodified and polymer modified binders are aged with the rolling thin film oven and pressure aging vessel, and tested with the dynamic shear and bending beam rheometers. It is seen in the study that there are both related and unrelated aging trends in the distinct stiffness-related ranges. Correlations in parameter development significantly improve when binders are grouped by similar features such as modification type or origin. Binder source and modification type and degree greatly dictate aging trends in the high-stiffness range. In the low-stiffness range, the initial hardness of the binder is indicative of aging potential. The evolution of properties may be influenced by either modification or binder source in the intermediate domain. When considering ARs for specifications, combining complementary ARs may provide reciprocal insights into binder aging.
The relationship between connexin-43 expression and Ki67 in non-glial central nervous system tumors
Authors: Krigers Aleksandrs , Moser Patrizia , Fritsch Helga , Demetz Matthias , Kerschbaumer Johannes , Brawanski Konstantin R. , Thomé Claudius , Freyschlag Christian F.
Published: February 2023

Background

Advanced intercellular communication is a known oncogenic factor. In the central nervous system, Connexin-43 (Cx43) forms this junctional networking. Moreover, it correlates with the proliferation rate, and thus behavior, of gliomas. We assessed the expression of Cx43 and its relationship to Ki67 in other common central nervous system tumors.

Methods

The expression of Cx43 and Ki67 were assessed in formalin-fixed paraffin embedded samples of human brain metastases, meningiomas, and neurinomas using immunohistochemistry. Neurinomas and meningiomas were jointly evaluated due to similar non-malignant behavior.

Results

A total of 14 metastases of different extracerebral carcinomas, 6 meningiomas, and 10 neurinomas were evaluated. Five (36%) metastases and 5 (31%) meningiomas/neurinomas showed minor expression, whereas 6 (43%) metastases and 2 (13%) meningiomas/neurinomas showed no Cx43 expression at all. In 3 (21%) metastases and 9 (56%) meningiomas/neurinomas, moderate or strong expression of Cx43 was identified. The higher expression of Cx43 in meningiomas and neurinomas directly correlated with Ki67, r = 0.53 ( P = 0.034). For metastases no significant correlation was found. Mitotic index in meningiomas/neurinomas correlated with Ki67 expression, r = 0.74 ( P < 0.001), but did not show statistically significant correlation with Cx43 expression in these tumors.

Conclusions

The expression of Cx43 as a marker of cell-to-cell networking exposed a significant correlation with the Ki67-defined proliferation index in case of primary central nervous system neuroectodermal neoplasms. However, it does not seem to play a comparable role in metastases with extracerebral origin.
Sex-Moderated Socio-Labor Aspects as Mediators of a Cognitive Stimulation Program in Older Adults: Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Calatayud Estela , Ferreira Chelo , Oliván-Blázquez Bárbara , Aguilar-Latorre Alejandra , Gómez-Soria Isabel
Published: February 2023

Cognitive stimulation is essential for successful aging. The influence of sex and socio-occupational elements on this area remains unknown. This study aimed to analyze the possible mediation of those elements in the effectiveness of a cognitive stimulation program in primary care. A randomized clinical trial was conducted with 232 adults aged 65 years or older without cognitive impairment. The intervention produced significant cognitive improvements. Women improved independently of social and occupational factors, while men’s improvement occurred at a low role level (zero to one), a medium level of interests (two to three), with a medium level of mental occupation (neither high nor low), and with marked personal values. The mediating variables were the intervention group in both sexes and, also in men, a low and medium role level. Therefore, the intervention and roles appear as mediating variables moderated by sex. In conclusion, cognitive stimulation programs should be adapted.
The Impact of COVID-19 on the Person-Centered Care Practices in Nursing Homes
Authors: Morgan Jennifer Craft , Ahmad Waqar , Chen Yun-Zih , Burgess Elisabeth O.
Published: February 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has had a significant impact on long-term care residents, family, and staff. Nursing homes are facing persistent challenges such as staff shortage, lack of personal protective equipment (PPE), and staff experiencing mental health issues including burnout. COVID-19 precautions may have made implementing person-centered care (PCC) in nursing homes more difficult. This report provides a descriptive analysis of perceived COVID-19 impact on the PCC practice in nursing homes. Surveys ( N = 379) were collected from 11 nursing homes across Georgia. PCC practice barriers include reduced choice for residents, staff anxiety related to COVID-19 precautions, increased prevalence of short-staffing, and expanded duties for direct care workers. Facilitators for PCC were also present and included staff engagement, the provision of mental health resources, supervisor support, and empowerment of staff. Applied practice and research to address these barriers and expand implementation of facilitators is needed.
Curriculum Reform for Christian Education (Part 1): A Research-Based Inquiry Design Method (IDMCE)
Authors: Wilkerson Lindsey
Published: February 2023

This is the first article of a two-part series. The article presents a curriculum design reformation for Christian education built upon unit planning and instructional strategies representing the latest findings in neuroscience and educational research. The Inquiry Design Method for Christian Education (IDMCE) is explained and analyzed based upon research-based practices. IDMCE provides a strong foundation for curriculum design in Christian education by targeting student interest and an understanding of Scripture that promotes Christlike transformation.
Conceptualizing Dialogic Literary Argumentation: Inviting Students to Take a Turn in Important Conversations
Authors: VanDerHeide Jennifer , Newell George E. , Olsen Allison Wynhoff
Published: February 2023

Although authors often create literary texts in order to comment on issues of personhood and human relationships, reading and writing about literary texts in schools is often focused on close analysis of literary elements or exploration of one’s own experience with the text. Thus, students’ written arguments about literature typically do little work in the world toward understanding the human condition. In response, we argue for a theoretical and instructional framework of reading and writing about literature called Dialogic Literary Argumentation. Dialogic literary argumentation asks students and teachers to engage in reading, dialogue, and argumentative writing about how they and others make meaning out of literary texts, what the meaning says about what it means to be human together, and how we might act in and on the worlds in which we live. In this article, we explicate the various elements of this theoretical framework that situates the student’s literary argument within their own cognitive processes, social interactions in classroom events, and broader sociocultural contexts. Students’ composed arguments draw on multiple texts (the literary text, others in and beyond the classroom, their own experiences, the literary discipline, and the world), which are mediated by various classroom dialogues, scaffolds, and supports.
Social and Emotional Intervention Research as Justice: A Case for Accountability
Authors: Wahman Charis L. , Fettig Angel , Zimmerman Kathleen
Published: February 2023

The field of special education is recognized for conducting research designed to improve the quality of life for the children and families we serve. However, our field has been criticized for empirical approaches that are inconsistent with the values and beliefs we articulate as central to our scientific practice. As such, a shift in our research endeavors is warranted. Given the specific calls within early childhood special education for research programs that consider the marginalized experiences of children and families, we posit five guidelines to reframe social and emotional intervention research in early childhood special education as justice-oriented. These guidelines are (a) understand the historical and immediate context of research participants; (b) incorporate best practices in social and emotional assessment to reduce bias; (c) center children’s and families’ voices in social validity measures; (d) address confounding variables to fidelity of implementation; and (e) examine diversity in research team composition.