bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Confidence levels and likelihood terms in IPCC reports: a survey of experts from different scientific disciplines
Authors: Kause A. , Bruine de Bruin W. , Persson J. , Thorén H. , Olsson L. , Wallin A. , Dessai S. , Vareman N.
Published: July 2022

Scientific assessments, such as those by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC), inform policymakers and the public about the state of scientific evidence and related uncertainties. We studied how experts from different scientific disciplines who were authors of IPCC reports, interpret the uncertainty language recommended in theGuidance Note for Lead Authors of the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report on Consistent Treatment of Uncertainties. This IPCC guidance note discusses how to use confidence levels to describe the quality of evidence and scientific agreement, as well likelihood terms to describe the probability intervals associated with climate variables. We find that (1) physical science experts were more familiar with the IPCC guidance note than other experts, and they followed it more often; (2) experts’ confidence levels increased more with perceptions ofevidencethan withagreement; (3) experts’ estimated probability intervals for climate variables were wider when likelihood terms were presented with “medium confidence” rather than with “high confidence” and when seen in context of IPCC sentences rather than out of context, and were only partly in agreement with the IPCC guidance note. Our findings inform recommendations for communications about scientific evidence, assessments, and related uncertainties.
Evaluating students’ experiences in self-regulated smart learning environment
Authors: Gambo Yusufu , Shakir Muhammad Zeeshan
Published: July 2022

The increasing development in smart and mobile technologies transforms a learning environment into a smart learning environment that can support diverse learning styles and skills development. An online learner needs to be supported for an engaging and active learning experience. Previously, this progressive research developed and implemented a self-regulated smart learning environment (mobile app) among final-year undergraduate students to support online learning experiences. To understand students' experiences, there is a need to evaluate the mobile app. However, there is a lack of a well-documented study investigating students' experiences in terms of usability, challenges, and factors influencing satisfaction to inform a decision regarding future implementation. This study attempts to fill these gaps by exploring these experiences for sustainable future implementation. The study used cyclical mixed-method evaluations to explore the experiences of 85 final-year undergraduate students. The quantitative data were collected using a survey on the constructs of the research model previously developed to evaluate factors influencing students' satisfaction, and the qualitative used focus group discussions to explore usability experiences and challenges of implementations. The quantitative data were analyzed using SPSS 25 to confirm the structural equation model's relationship. The qualitative data were analyzed using a thematic process to understand students' experiences. The findings from the first mixed-method evaluation show that students were able to follow the learning process, and the application supported their online learning experiences. However, a student expressed the need to improve user functionalities to motivate and engage them in the learning process. The suggestions were incorporated into the mobile app development for the second evaluation. The findings from the second evaluation revealed similar support. However, students suggested a web-based version to support different operating systems and improve interactions. Furthermore, the information system qualities and moderating factors investigated supported students' satisfaction. Future research could explore facilitators' experiences in the mobile app for sustainable development and implementation for engaging online learning experiences and skills development.
A Systematic Review of Evidence-Based Wellbeing Initiatives for Schoolteachers and Early Childhood Educators
Authors: Berger Emily , Reupert Andrea , Campbell Timothy C. H. , Morris Zoe , Hammer Marie , Diamond Zane , Hine Rochelle , Patrick Pamela , Fathers Chantel
Published: July 2022

Schoolteacher and early childhood educator wellbeing is associated with their ability to provide high-quality educational experiences to students and children in their care. Given the importance of this topic, this systematic review sought to (1) identify available evidence-based wellbeing initiatives for educators and schoolteachers, (2) appraise the quality of evidence demonstrating the efficacy of these initiatives, and (3) summarise the characteristics of these initiatives. In total, 23 studies on 19 distinct initiatives were identified. Although most initiatives improved schoolteacher wellbeing, the quality of available evidence is modest, especially for early childhood educators. Existing teacher and educator wellbeing initiatives predominantly target individual and not systematic determinants of educator wellbeing, even though wellbeing of these groups is determined by a combination of personal and education setting influences. More research is needed to improve the evidence on teacher and early childhood educator wellbeing initiatives, as well as development of initiatives that aim to change workplace demands and education setting culture.
The asymptotic distribution of the condition number for random circulant matrices
Authors: Barrera Gerardo , Manrique-Mirón Paulo
Published: July 2022

In this manuscript, we study the limiting distribution for the joint law of the largest and the smallest singular values for random circulant matrices with generating sequence given by independent and identically distributed random elements satisfying the so-called Lyapunov condition. Under an appropriated normalization, the joint law of the extremal singular values converges in distribution, as the matrix dimension tends to infinity, to an independent product of Rayleigh and Gumbel laws. The latter implies that a normalized $$\textit{condition number}$$

condition number

 converges in distribution to a Fréchet law as the dimension of the matrix increases.
The role of stream restoration in enhancing ecosystem services
Authors: Verdonschot P. F. M. , Verdonschot R. C. M.
Published: July 2022

Striving for an integrated semi-natural stream-floodplain system as restoration target would optimally serve biodiversity and the provisioning of ecosystem services. This pursuit is currently limited by multiple pressures and constraints that come with, amongst others, a high human population density and intensive land-use. To be able to weigh the ecological and societal needs in lowland-stream watersheds, we analysed the developments in lowland-stream restoration in relation to the actual and potential state of ecosystems services these systems provide. To reach an ecological-societal balance in stream restoration, we pose five steps: (i) Choose a clear and realistic restoration target, (ii) Map and quantify environmental stressors at local to watershed scale, (iii) Map and quantify biological indicators at local to regional scale, (iv) List potential restoration measures to remove or mitigate stressors, and (v) Build scenarios, composed of combinations of measures fitting the societal context of the watershed. The most promising scenarios make use of watershed processes and involve establishing a transverse landscape zonation, from the streams’ riparian zone to the uplands. Such landscape transition poses a challenge for policy makers and implies a strong societal change. Therefore, a framework is provided with building blocks that help to find a suitable balance in practice.
Changes of macular blood flow and structure in acute primary angle closure glaucoma
Authors: Wang Rui , Yang Jin , Shi Liukun , Qu Yue , Xu Dan , Liu Yufeng , Li Xuan
Published: July 2022

Purpose

We assessed the relationship between acute primary angle closure glaucoma (APACG) severity and macular microcirculation, as well as the diagnostic ability of blood flow and macular structural parameters on optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) for APACG.

Methods

APACG patients were assigned to mild, moderate, and severe groups in this cross-sectional study. Age-matched primary angle closure suspect (PACS) and healthy control groups were also recruited. The vessel density (VD) and foveal avascular zone (FAZ) in each macular superficial area were measured using OCTA. The retinal nerve fiber layer thickness (RNFLT) and ganglion cell complex thickness (GCCT) of the corresponding regions were measured using OCT.

Results

All parameters in the control, PACS, and mild APACG groups differed significantly from those in the moderate and severe APACG groups (all P < 0.05). VD and RNFLT showed high and moderate diagnostic ability, respectively, to distinguish moderate APACG from PACS, with significant differences (P < 0.05) in areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUCs) for VD and RNFLT in six macular areas. The diagnostic abilities of VD and RNFLT for distinguishing severe APACG from PACS were increased, with significant differences in the AUCs for VD and RNFLT in five macular areas (P < 0.05). All macular VDs and GCCTs were similar among the three APACG groups (P > 0.05).

Conclusions

Damage to the VD and FAZ in the macula increased with APACG severity. VD in the macular superficial layer showed a higher diagnostic ability than RNFLT, which was equivalent to that of GCCT.
‘If I don’t Do It, I’m Out of Rhythm and I Can’t Focus As Well’: Positive and Negative Adult Interpretations of Therapies Aimed at ‘Fixing’ Their Restricted and Repetitive Behaviours in Childhood
Authors: McCormack Lynne , Wong Sze Wing , Campbell Linda E.
Published: July 2022

Restricted and repetitive behaviours (RRBs) are observed in many children presenting with characteristics of autism and are frequently the targets of psychological interventions. This study used Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA) to identify positive and negative interpretations from four young adults who received behavioural interventions in their childhood designed to ‘fix’ RRBs. Two superordinate themes were identified: (1) Doubt, stigma and being fixed according to others, and (2) Embracing Authenticity. They highlighted juxtaposed positions from exclusion, rejection, criticism, and self-doubt in childhood, to rejecting societal censure and embracing authentic growth in adult life. As adults, though the participants recognised themselves as neurologically different from others, they redefined themselves through a lens of neurodiversity, and therefore as not needing to be fixed.
Interdisciplinary Trauma-focused Therapy and Return-to-work Support for A Police Officer with Work-related PTSD: A Case Study
Authors: Torchalla Iris , Killoran John
Published: July 2022

Police officers carry a high risk of exposure to traumatic events in their everyday work duties and are at an increased risk for work-related posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD). Practitioners lack clear guidance on how to support these individuals to facilitate both mental health recovery and return to work, particularly for those receiving treatment in the context of a claim with a workers’ compensation board. The following case study describes the treatment of a female police officer who had experienced numerous traumatic events over the course of her career, and subsequently filed a claim with the workers’ compensation board of British Columbia. She was referred to an interdisciplinary program that involved both psychology and occupational therapy interventions, including a trauma-focused cognitive behaviour therapy intervention followed by a gradual return to work. The outcome suggests that intensive, interdisciplinary trauma-focused treatment is a promising approach for supporting police officers with their recovery and return to work.
Human capital transfers and sub-national development: Armenian and Greek legacy in post-expulsion Turkey
Authors: Arbatlı Cemal Eren , Gokmen Gunes
Published: July 2022

Can the economic legacy of highly skilled groups persist long after they were uprooted from their homelands? To answer this question, we study long-term sub-national development in Turkey after the mass expulsions of the Armenian and Greek communities of the Ottoman Empire in the early 20th century. Since these events led to an almost complete and permanent removal of both communities from Turkey within a short time period, they provide a unique quasi-natural experiment that rules out any direct minority influence on development in the post-expulsion period. By exploiting local variations in historical minority population shares and community buildings across modern districts and villages/neighborhoods within each district, we document a sizable Armenian and Greek legacy effect on contemporary measures of economic development. We argue that this persistent influence is grounded on the significant contribution of Armenian and Greek communities to human capital accumulation among Muslims. We show evidence that inter-group transfers of skills and knowledge were instrumental in this process, leading to greater human capital among Muslims in minority regions both in the past and today.
Preparation and characterization of wet adhesives based on (poly (vinyl butyral-co-vinyl alcohol-co-vinyl acetate)/castor oil/styrene butadiene rubber) using gamma irradiation for trapping of reptiles and rodents
Authors: Awadallah-F Ahmed , Elhady M. A. , Mousaa I. M.
Published: July 2022

Wet adhesives from poly (vinyl butyral-co-vinyl alcohol-co-vinyl acetate), castor oil, and styrene butadiene rubber were prepared at variable compositions. These components were exposed to a certain range of irradiation dose for γ-rays. Wet adhesives were characterized by adhesion force, Fourier transform infrared, thermogravimetric analysis and derivative thermal gravimetric, gel permeation chromatography, proton nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy and scan electron microscopy. Results declared that dose and composition have significant effect on features of wet adhesives. Further, the adhesion force and thermal stability of wet adhesives improved by increasing the irradiation dose. Moreover, the adhesion force reached ~ 690 (kPa). The analysis of gel permeation chromatography showed that molecular weight of wet adhesive 48,921 (g/mol). The wet adhesives were exploited to trap reptiles and rodents. Through the results, it can be observed that the wet adhesives had good efficiency for trapping the reptiles and rodents. The results showed that the best sample of wet adhesive was from 98% of [poly (vinyl butyral-co-vinyl alcohol-co-vinyl (10%)/castor oil (90%))] to [2% of styrene butadiene rubber] at 30 kGy In conclusion, this study referred that this type of wet adhesive has an excellent ability to adhere and trap of reptiles and rodents such as geckos and mice respectively. Consequently, these wet adhesives could be utilized in pilot scale.
Calorimetric adaptation of the inhibited autoxidation method to determine the activity of individual antioxidants and natural extracts
Authors: Mosibo Ornella Kongi , Scampicchio Matteo , Ferrentino Giovanna
Published: July 2022

This work aims to determine the antioxidants activity of individual antioxidants and natural extracts by isothermal calorimetry. The proposed method is an adaptation of the “inhibited autoxidation method”. It consists of the monitoring of the heat-flow signal evolved during the autoxidation of styrene, in the presence of 2,2′-azobis(isobutyronitrile) as radical initiator, with individual antioxidants or plant extracts as inhibitors, and under isothermal conditions (303 K). The resulting calorimetric traces were transformed in conversion fractions over time. The antioxidant activity was expressed with the initial slope of the inhibited period of styrene autoxidation. Also, the induction period observed at the onset of the uninhibited styrene autoxidation leaded the stoichiometry number of the reaction between antioxidants and free radicals. The approach was very simple, and it allowed to rank individual antioxidants (α-tocopherol >  > gallic acid = quercetin > syringic acid >  > synaptic acid > 4-hydroxybenzoic acid) and plant extracts (Olea europea > Melissa officinalis > Fraxinus excelsior >  > Papaver rhoeas), based on their ability to decrease the conversion rate of styrene autoxidation. The results on plant extracts were critically compared with those from the DPPH assay. Differently to the many antioxidant assays widely used nowadays, the proposed approach has the merit to test the activity of micromolar quantities of antioxidants to inhibit the autoxidation of a large excess of an oxidizable substrate, whose oxidation is induced by a constant rate of free radicals formation under well controlled and reproducible experimental conditions.
G-CSF promotes the viability and angiogenesis of injured liver via direct effects on the liver cells
Authors: Liu Zifeng , Zhang Guiling , Chen Jing , Tong Jingjing , Wang Hongmin , Chen Jing , Yang Dong , Hu Jinhua
Published: July 2022

Background

Presently, liver transplantation is the only treatment strategy for liver failure (LF). Although granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) exhibits protective functions in LF, it is not clear whether it directly affects the liver cells.

Methods and Results

We established an injured liver cell model and observed that G-CSF treatment promoted cell viability and enhanced Ki67 and VEGF-A expression. Thereafter, human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were cultured in a conditioned medium collected from the G-CSF-treated injured liver cells. HUVECs’ proliferation and tubule formation were promoted. Furthermore, in an injured liver mouse model, confirmed via haematoxylin–eosin staining, we evaluated serum alanine aminotransferase activity, Ki67 expression, and microvessel density (MVD). G-CSF treatment significantly relieved liver injury, upregulated Ki67 expression, and enhanced MVD in the injured mouse liver tissue. Additionally, AKT and ERK signal targets were explored, and it was demonstrated that the effects of G-CSF on injured liver cells were mediated through the AKT and ERK signalling pathways.

Conclusions

G-CSF promotes injured liver viability and angiogenesis by directly affecting injured liver cells via the AKT and ERK signalling pathways. These findings improve our understanding of the role of G-CSF in recovery from LF.
Dynamic assessment as a predictor of reading development: a systematic review
Authors: Dixon Chris , Oxley Emily , Gellert Anna Steenberg , Nash Hannah
Published: July 2022

Assessments of reading and reading-related skills which measure acquired knowledge may pose problems for the prediction of future reading performance. Such static measures often result in floor effects in the early stages of reading instruction, and may be particularly inaccurate predictors for children from culturally and linguistically diverse (CLD) backgrounds. Dynamic assessment (DA), in contrast, focuses on learning potential by measuring response to teaching, and may therefore be a less biased form of assessment. We conducted a systematic review of the literature to assess the ability of dynamic measures of reading and related skills to predict variance in the growth of children’s reading skills over time. Seventeen peer-reviewed articles met inclusion criteria, representing 18 studies published between 1992 and 2020. After static predictors were accounted for, dynamic measures of phonological awareness and decoding explained a significant amount of variance in the growth of word reading accuracy (1–21%) and word reading fluency (typically 1–9%), while variance in reading comprehension outcomes was accounted for by dynamic measures of morphological awareness (4–33.4%) and one dynamic decoding assessment (1%). Finally, a single paired-associate nonword learning task predicted 6% unique variance in future nonword reading accuracy and fluency. Results support the ability of DA to tap into variance unexplained by traditional static measures, though no studies explicitly examined the validity of DA for children from CLD backgrounds. We call for future studies of DA of reading to adopt longer developmental windows and assess proximal as well as distal reading outcome measures.
Help from the past—coworker ties and entry wages after self-employment
Authors: Lappi Emma
Published: July 2022

This paper empirically estimates how referrals mitigate the risk associated with hiring formerly self-employed individuals. We do this by comparing the networks and entry wages for two groups of new hires: those who exit self-employment to become wage-employed and those who change employers as wage employees, i.e., job changers. Referrals are defined as coworker ties through which the new hire and an incumbent worker share a common employment history before their current employment. We use longitudinal Swedish register-based data to evaluate the entry wages of the two groups of new hires for the years between 2010 and 2013. The results show that having coworker ties is associated with 2.9% higher entry wages and that this network premium is uniform across the formerly self-employed and job changers. However, the new hires from self-employment have consistently lower entry wages than the job changers, even if the exiting self-employed have coworker ties.
A visual analytics approach for the assessment of information quality of performance models—a software review
Authors: Angelini Marco , Daraio Cinzia , Urban Luca
Published: July 2022

In this paper we provide a review of the main functionalities of a Visual Analytics Environment (VAE) developed for the assessment of data and information quality in the context of performance evaluation of research organizations. Performing data and information quality tests are necessary procedures to ensure the bibliometric and research performance evaluation analysis of organizations have the necessary robustness. The proposed environment is helpful to guide the user to an Information Quality-aware development of Performance models. This interactive visual analytics environment offers to the user the possibility to produce and compare information quality-aware indicators, exploring and defining correct behavior, identifying anomalous cases from both data quality and information quality perspectives, and supporting the user in forming hypotheses on possible causes for those anomalies. The proposed approach, exploiting visual interactive exploration results in a more efficient process, minimizing the number of cases for which a manual investigation is needed. The illustration on European higher education institutions data demonstrates the use of the presented functionalities and their benefits.
The interplay of math anxiety and math competence for later performance
Authors: Weissgerber Sophia C. , Grünberg Chawwah , Neufeld Luisa , Steppat Tobias , Reinhard Marc-André
Published: July 2022

Math anxiety’s negative effects on performance are well-documented. The interplay of math anxiety and mathematical competence regarding later performance is underexplored. We investigated whether math anxiety’s detrimental effects on learning depend on previous mathematical competence. Hypothesizing a moderation effect, we expected that trait math anxiety should affect pupils of higher competence to a greater extent than pupils with lesser competence. Based on 8th graders in secondary school, we found the expected interaction of math anxiety and math competence (represented by previous math grade) predicting performance three months later. The interaction of math anxiety and math competence on later performance remained despite controlling for math self-concept and gender (and previous topic-specific performance). The moderation showed differential slopes for the effects of math competence on later performance depending on trait math anxiety: At lower competence levels, math anxiety played a lesser role than for higher competence levels. Later performance was lowest for more competent pupils with higher math anxiety relative to their peers with similar competence levels but lower math anxiety. Although the data imply directionality, our design cannot imply causality. Nevertheless, one interpretation of the results is in line with the notion of greater performance losses over time for more competent pupils with higher levels of math anxiety: the learning progress may be aggravated for those, who have the prerequisite in ability to advance their performance. The optimal development of math capabilities may be compromised by math anxiety; good math abilities and low math anxiety may both be prerequisites for long-term learning success.
Efficacy and safety of percutaneous renal biopsy performed using 18G needle versus 16G needle: a single-center retrospective study
Authors: Xu Senyin , Ma Lili , Lin Jiazhen , Zhang Zhengxian , Wang Xiaoya , Yin Jiazhen
Published: July 2022

Background

At present, both 16G and 18G needles are used for percutaneous renal biopsy in China. This study aimed to compare the efficacy and safety of biopsy performed with the 18G needle vs. the 16G needle.

Methods

The data of patients who underwent percutaneous renal biopsy at our hospital between January 2015 and December 2019 were retrospectively analyzed. The number of glomeruli obtained by puncture and postoperative complications were compared between patients undergoing biopsy with the 16G and 18G needles. Continuous variables were compared by the t test or the Mann–Whitney U test, and categorical variables by the chi-square test. Correlation analysis was used to examine the relationship of different variables with hematoma size.

Results

Of the total 3138 kidney biopsies, 2526 were performed with the18G needle and 612 with the 16G needle. The number of glomeruli obtained was not significantly different between the two groups (P = 0.078). Large hematomas were significantly more common the 16G group than in the 18G group (9.31% vs. 5.98%, P = 0.003). Arteriovenous fistula was also more common in the 16G group (1.14% vs. 0.23%, P = 0.005). Other complications were rare, with similar incidence in the two groups.

Conclusion

The 18G needle is as effective as the 16G needle for percutaneous renal biopsy. The risk of large hematoma and arteriovenous fistula appear to be lower with the 18G needle.
Application of DSM–BIA in dry weight assessment in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis
Authors: Chen Qi , Wang Zheng , Liu Na , Mu Shujuan , Guo Peng , Li Shichao , Zhou Jingwei , Li Yan
Published: July 2022

Objectives

Dry weight assessment (DWA) is an important part of dialysis and fluid management in patients receiving renal replacement therapy. With the development of bioimpedance analysis (BIA), the development of the direct segmental multi-frequency BIA (DSM–BIA) has provided a more convenient measure for DWA of dialysis patients, but its accuracy remains unclear. This study was designed to evaluate the application of DSM–BIA in DWA of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) patients.

Design

This is a cross-sectional study. Using the conventional BIA as a reference, we examined the accuracy of the DSM–BIA technique for assessing dry weight in CAPD patients and analyzed the potential factors influencing their fluid volume status.

Setting and participants

A total of 31 patients with end-stage renal disease receiving CAPD and 310 healthy volunteers were recruited for this study.

Methods

The intraclass correlation coefficients (ICC) and Bland–Altman plots were used to assess the consistency between DSM–BIA and the conventional BIA for DWA. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analyses were used to explore the influencing factors associated with the edema index.

Results

DSM–BIA and the conventional BIA technology were consistent in DWA in CAPD patients (ICC female 0.972, ICC male 0.882, ICC total 0.960). Similarly, Bland–Altman plots showed good agreements between the two methods in DWA for both genders. Univariate and multivariate linear regression analysis showed both eGFR level (P = 0.04) and serum NT-pro BNP concentration (P = 0.007) were positively correlated with the ratio of extracellular water to total body water (ECW/TCW).

Conclusions

DSM–BIA in DWA has good accuracy in clinical applications and has potential application value for fluid volume management in CAPD patients.
Plant-based diets and risk of frailty in community-dwelling older adults: the Seniors-ENRICA-1 cohort
Authors: Maroto-Rodriguez Javier , Delgado-Velandia Mario , Ortolá Rosario , Carballo-Casla Adrián , García-Esquinas Esther , Rodríguez-Artalejo Fernando , Sotos-Prieto Mercedes
Published: July 2022

Frailty is a geriatric syndrome that leads to increased risk of hospitalization, disability, and death. The effect of plant-based diets defined by the quality of their plant foods is unclear. Our objective is to study the association between two plant-based diet indices and the occurrence of frailty among community-dwelling older adults in Spain. We analyzed data from 1880 individuals aged ≥ 60 years from the Spanish Seniors ENRICA-1 cohort. We used a validated diet history to build two indices: (a) the healthful Plant-based Diet Index (hPDI) where healthy plant foods received positive scores, whereas less-healthy plant foods and animal foods received reverse scores; and (b) the unhealthful Plant-based Diet Index (uPDI), with positive scores to less-healthy plant foods and reverse scores to animal and healthy plant foods. Incident frailty was defined with the Fried phenotype. Study associations were summarized with odds ratios (OR) and 95% confidence intervals (CI) obtained from multivariable logistic models. After 3.3 years of follow-up, 136 incident frailty cases were ascertained. Comparing the highest vs. the lowest tertile of adherence, the OR [95% CI] for frailty was 0.43 (0.25–0.74; p-trend = .003) for the hPDI, and 2.89 (1.73–4.84; p-trend < .001) for the uPDI. Higher consumption of healthy plant foods was inversely associated with frailty (0.39 [0.23–0.66; p-trend < 0.001]); higher consumption of unhealthy plant foods was associated with higher frailty risk (2.40 [1.23–4.71; p-trend = .01]). In older adults, the hPDI was associated with lower risk of frailty, while the opposite was found for the uPDI.
The anti-COVID-19 drug Favipiravir: Degradation, Method development, Validation, NMR/LC–MS characterization, and In-vitro safety evaluation
Authors: Abdallah Inas A. , El-Behairy Mohammed F. , Ahmed Rasha M. , Fayed Marwa A. A.
Published: July 2022

It is critical to characterize the degradation products of therapeutic drugs to determine their safety as these degradation products may possess fatal effects on the human physiological system. Favipiravir (FVP), a novel anti-Covid-19 drug, that is recently used all over the world with a great impact on humanity was our target to explore more about its toxicity, the margins of its safety, and its degradants in different degradation conditions. The goal of this study is to identify, characterize, and confirm the structures of FVP oxidative and alkaline breakdown products, as well as to assess their safety utilizing in-vitro SRB cytotoxicity assay on normal human skin fibroblasts (NHSF) cell lines. After oxidative and alkaline degradation of FVP, one degradation product was produced in each condition which was isolated from FVP using flash chromatography, characterized by 1HNMR and LC–MS/MS techniques. A reversed-phase Thermo Fischer Hypersil C18 column (4.6 × 150 mm, 5 m) was used to achieve HPLC chromatographic separation. Acetonitrile-5 mM potassium dihydrogen phosphate (pH 2.5) (50:50, v/v) was employed as the mobile phase, with a flow rate of 1 mL/min. At 332 nm, the column effluent was measured. Over the concentration range of 0.5–100 µg/mL, the calibration curve was linear. The intra-day and inter-day relative standard deviations were less than 2%, and good percentage recoveries were obtained that fulfilled the acceptance criteria of the International Conference on Harmonization (ICH) recommendations. The Plackett–Burman design was used to assess the robustness. Each degradant was isolated single using Flash chromatography and methylene chloride: methanol gradient mobile phase. The chemical structures of the degradation products have been confirmed and compared to the intact FVP using 1H-NMR, and Mass spectroscopy. A postulated mechanism of the degradation process has been depicted and the degradants fragmentation pattern has been portrayed. In addition, the in vitro SRB cytotoxicity assay to evaluate the safety profile of FVP and the degradation end products showed their high safety margin in both conditions with IC50 ˃100 µg/ml with no signs of toxicity upon examination of the treated NHSF cells under the optical microscope
Wie Familienmerkmale und Lernverhalten von Schüler*innen den Effekt von Herkunft auf den Lernzuwachs im Fernunterricht während der COVID-19 Pandemie erklären – eine mehrperspektivische Analyse
Authors: Neuenschwander Markus P. , Niederbacher Edith , Garrote Ariana
Published: July 2022

Die COVID-19 Pandemie führte im Frühling 2020 zu einer unerwarteten flächendeckenden Unterbrechung des Präsenzunterrichts in allen Schulen der Schweiz und zur Einführung von Fernunterricht. Durch die Verlagerung des Unterrichts in die Familie könnten die ungleichen familiären Ressourcen zu einer Verstärkung der Herkunftseffekte auf den Lernzuwachs der Schüler*innen führen. Wie sehr hatten der sozioökonomische Status und die Familiensprache von Schüler*innen einen Effekt auf den Lernzuwachs während des Fernunterrichts? Diese Frage wurde mit einer Stichprobe von 1321 Schüler*innen, 851 Erziehungsberechtigten und 108 Klassenlehrpersonen aus der Nordwestschweiz, die im Juni/Juli 2020 einen Online-Fragebogen ausfüllten, bearbeitet. Ein Pfadmodell mit Berücksichtigung der Mehrebenenstruktur der Daten zeigte vergleichbare Ergebnisse für die Primarstufe und die Sekundarstufe I sowie für Mädchen und Jungen. Der sozioökonomische Status erklärte den Lernzuwachs im Lehrpersonenurteil vermittelt über das Leistungsniveau der Schüler*innen (Lehrpersonenurteil). Die Familiensprache hat einen indirekten Effekt über das Leistungsniveau der Schüler*innen auf den Lernzuwachs. Das Leistungsniveau der Schüler*innen, die Selbstwirksamkeitserwartung der Eltern und die Verfügbarkeit eines ruhigen Lernortes im Schülerurteil erklären, vermittelt über das Lernverhalten im Elternurteil, den Lernzuwachs der Schüler*innen. Das Modell liefert eine Erklärung zu Bildungsungleichheit während des Fernunterrichts. Allerdings sind in den vorliegenden Daten die Effekte des sozioökonomischen Status und der Fremdsprachigkeit auf den Lernzuwachs nicht stärker als in vergleichbaren Studien zur Situation vor der Pandemie. Die wenigen Wochen Fernunterricht haben daher möglicherweise weniger zu einer Verstärkung der Bildungsungleichheit beigetragen als befürchtet.
Possible added value of thyroglobulin antibody (TgAb) testing in the evaluation of thyroidal status of subjects with overweight or obesity
Authors: Fierabracci P. , Basolo A. , Scartabelli G. , Bechi Genzano S. , Salvetti G. , Sotgia G. , Rotondi M. , Chiovato L. , Ceccarini G. , Santini F.
Published: July 2022

Purpose

An increase in serum TSH concentrations in the absence of thyroid disease, named isolated hyperthyrotropinemia, is frequently observed in subjects with obesity. It is directly associated with body mass index, and it is reversible following weight loss. Autoimmune hypothyroidism is frequently associated with obesity, it is usually progressive and needs replacement treatment with L-thyroxine. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of thyroglobulin antibodies (TgAb) to define the thyroidal status in subjects with overweight or obesity.

Methods

This is a retrospective study including 749 consecutive adult patients with overweight or obesity. Of those, 76 were excluded from the analysis due to hyperthyroidism, previous thyroidectomy or radioiodine therapy for hyperthyroidism, hemiagenesis or drug-induced hypothyroidism. Serum thyrotropin (TSH), free thyroxine (FT4), free 3,5,3’-triiodothyronine (FT3), TgAb and thyroperoxidase antibodies (TPOAb) were measured in all patients.

Results

Out of 673 patients, 408 did not have thyroid disease. Among patients with thyroid disease (n = 265), 130 had nodular disease with no humoral signs of thyroid autoimmunity and 135 (20%) had autoimmune thyroiditis, defined by the presence of TPOAb and/or TgAb. The prevalence of hyperthyrotropinemia, either directly measured or presumed based on L-thyroxine treatment at the time of data collection, was 63.9% in patients with both TgAb and TPOAb, 47.1% in those with isolated positivity of TPOAb, 42.8% in patients with isolated positivity of TgAb, and 14.5% in those with no detectable TgAb or TPOAb.

Conclusions

Our results confirm a high prevalence of autoimmune thyroiditis (20%) in patients with obesity. TgAb may be associated with hypothyroidism in the absence of TPOAb. TgAb measurement may turn helpful to unravel a proportion of subjects that may have or may develop primary hypothyroidism requiring specific substitutive treatment.
Bullying by Teachers Towards Students—a Scoping Review
Authors: Gusfre Kari Stamland , Støen Janne , Fandrem Hildegunn
Published: July 2022

Bullying between peers is a well-known fact and during the last 20 years there has been considerable research on this topic. A topic that has received much less attention is bullying by teachers towards students. This article aims to review the research literature that exists on this important topic. The review covers articles about teacher bullying in elementary, primary, lower, and upper secondary schools, in a retrospective, prospective, or current perspective. The results show that teacher bullying occurs within school contexts all over the world in various ways and to various extents. Although the prevalence rates of bullying behaviors from school staff towards students vary greatly, from 0.6 to almost 90%, this review clearly shows there is a need to pay more attention to this challenge. Several studies show that being exposed to teacher bullying can adversely affect a child’s physical and mental health, participation in education and working life, and sense of well-being in adulthood. There is a need to address this topic in practical work, in teacher education, and in anti-bullying programs. Teacher bullying is also an important topic for future research.
Expediting the Implementation of Closed-Loop Supply Chain Management: a Facilitated Case Study on Re-using Timber in Construction Projects
Authors: Coenen Jannie , van der Heijden Rob E. C. M. , van Riel Allard C. R.
Published: July 2022

An increasing number of firms are aiming to implement closed-loop supply chain (CLSC) management to contribute to a more circular economy. However, for many of these firms, it is difficult to translate this strategic aim into fruitful operational decisions. They need to address many deep uncertainties and dynamic complexities in their supply chain system, which make their transition towards CLSC management challenging. This article aims to develop a better understanding of how supply chain actors taking steps towards CLSC management could be supported to reach higher levels of maturity in dealing with deep uncertainty and dynamic complexity. This is investigated in a single, facilitated, embedded case study: a future-oriented decision-making process regarding the use of timber with four real-world actors in the construction industry. The process is structured and supported with analyses, following a methodology based on the capability maturity approach. In this empirical context, the selected approach is shown to have positive effects on clarifying the potential impact of transitions to CLSC management. Furthermore, it stimulates important learning processes during the transition, and as such supports actors to achieve higher levels of maturity and to take further steps towards CLSC management. In this context, a conceptual distinction is made between ‘situational maturity’ and ‘mental maturity’, which enriches double-loop learning theory in the context of transitions.
Improving quality and efficiency of translational research: Environmental scan of adaptive capacity and preparedness of Clinical and Translational Science Award Program hubs
Authors: Shah Raj C. , Hoyo Verónica , Moussatche Patricia , Volkov Boris B.
Published: July 2022

Translational science is, by definition, groundbreaking; however, without an emphasis on quality and efficiency, some innovations in healthcare may translate into unnecessary risk, suboptimal solutions, and potentially loss of well-being and even lives. The COVID-19 pandemic and the Clinical and Translational Sciences Award Consortium’s response created an opportunity for quality and efficiency to be better defined, expediently and thoughtfully addressed, and further studied as central foundations in the translational science mission. This paper presents findings of an environmental scan of adaptive capacity and preparedness to illuminate the assets, institutional environment, knowledge, and forward-looking decision-making needed to optimize and sustain research quality and efficiency.
Dealing in Debt: The Role of Credit in Early Sino–U.S. Trade
Authors: Maggard Alicia
Published: July 2022

This essay explores the development of Sino–U.S. commercial and arbitration practices that grew out of credit transactions and operated in relation to, but distinct from, the greater Canton system that primarily served Beijing and London. Without dismissing the importance of silver and Pacific trade goods to early Sino–U.S. trade, this essay traces the financializing trade practices and emerging regulatory strategies that rose alongside the traffic in specie and commodities. Chinese merchants who traded with foreigners at Canton became increasingly eager for U.S. specie payments as China’s imperial policies as well as Britain- and India-based traders siphoned silver away from Canton. The eagerness for American specie remittances coupled with the relationships cultivated by resident American agents like John Perkins Cushing led Chinese merchants to increasingly trade with Americans on credit. Credit transactions facilitated the expansion of Sino–U.S. trade, the movement of opium, and the entry of Chinese merchants into Atlantic commodity and capital markets. Credit transactions also presented the problem of how to enforce payment and collect bad debts. Whenever the informal personal networks they had forged to secure credit relationships proved insufficient, merchants on both sides of the globe looked to U.S. legal institutions to mediate commercial disputes. Thus, even as the silver U.S. traders supplied in Canton worked to integrate Americans more firmly into Britain’s commercial empire in Asia, credit transactions and formal and informal dispute resolutions arising therefrom carved out separate avenues of direct Sino–U.S. exchange that were of mutual interest.
How proactive personality and ICT-enabled technostress creators configure as drivers of job crafting
Authors: Philip Jestine , Kosmidou Vasiliki
Published: July 2022

The purpose of this research is to examine configurations of proactive personality and ICT-enabled technostress creators as drivers of job crafting for Gen Z, Gen Y, and Gen X+ workers. Adhering to configurational theorizing, the study was conducted using fuzzy set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA). Survey responses collected from 335 full-time workers revealed that the presence of a proactive personality was a necessary condition for job crafting to occur within the context of ICT demands for these generations. Four configurations for Gen Z, five configurations for Gen Y, and four configurations for Gen X+ workers revealed sufficient conditions for job crafting. The present research contemporizes Job Demands-Resources (JD-R) theory by incorporating ICT as a modern-day job demand. In using fsQCA as a novel qualitative methodological tool, this research offers new meaning to the prior regression-based findings regarding proactive personality trait's relationship with job crafting.
Building Spectatorial Solidarity against the “War on Terror” Media-Military Gaze
Authors: Osman Wazhmah
Published: July 2022

At the dawn of the 21st century the “War on Terror” ushered in an era in which some were besieged by wars and others by war-related imagery. For the fortunate who live outside of war zones, mostly in the Global North and West, the experience of war has been primarily a mediated one. With the advent of digital imagery and its many evolving and developing technological transmutations, the possibilities of reproduction, representation, manipulation, and circulation have grown exponentially in the past twenty years. Yet in the grand scheme of human communication history, the “pictorial turn” is a relatively recent phenomenon that requires further analysis. In this article, I unpack and analyze some of the key media moments from the vast visual lexicon and iconography of the “War on Terror” to reveal its scaffolding and machinations and offer counterstrategies of resistance. I argue that the “War on Terror” is the orchestrated sum of literal and figurative imagery, a coordinated public relations disinformation media campaign designed to hide real wars and their true destruction and costs.
“Concrete Soldiers”: T-walls and Coercive Landscaping in Iraq
Authors: Rubaii Kali
Published: July 2022

Standing inside a t-wall factory in Erbil in the summer of 2021, I was struck by the fact that, nearly twenty years after the US invasion of Iraq, these military walls were still in production. T-walls are six-ton steel-reinforced, blast-proof concrete wall segments named for their upside-down t-shape (Fig. 1). They were introduced to Afghanistan and Iraq in the early 2000s. Derivative of the Berlin wall's design, they are recognizable to those who have witnessed the Israeli separation wall, which is composed of thousands of t-walls lined up.
High-resolution computed tomography and pure-tone audiometry in patients with otosclerosis in the spongiotic phase
Authors: Zanini O P L , Coelho L O , Hamerschmidt R , Buschle M , Matias J E F
Published: July 2022

Objective

There is no consensus in the literature regarding the relationship between high-resolution computed tomography findings and hearing thresholds in pure-tone audiometry in otosclerosis. This study evaluated the association between high-resolution computed tomography findings and pure-tone audiometry in otosclerosis in the spongiotic phase.

Methods

A cross-sectional study was conducted of 57 ears with surgically confirmed stapes fixation and tomographic findings. Air conduction and bone conduction thresholds on audiometry, and air–bone gap, were analysed.

Results

There were no correlations between sites affected by otospongiosis and air conduction threshold, bone conduction threshold or air–bone gap in the analysed tomographic images, but the diameter of the otospongiotic focus was greater in the presence of extension of the otospongiotic foci to the cochlear endosteum.

Conclusion

There were no relevant associations between high-resolution computed tomography findings and pure-tone audiometric measurements. However, the diameter of the otospongiotic focus was greater in the presence of extension of the otospongiotic foci to the cochlear endosteum.