bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Naturalistic outcomes of patients discharged from a community treatment order: QA project
Authors: Dhawan Manpreet Kaur , Ganapathy Ramanathan , Sankaranarayanan Anoop , Maldonado Ricardo
Published: September 2024

Objective

To study outcomes for patients after they are discharged from Community treatment orders (CTO) including rate of relapse, median time to relapse and to identify the risk factors associated with relapse.

Method

The study population included patients discharged from CTO from July 2017 to December 2021, managed by a major metropolitan* case management team (CMT). The data were collected from electronic medical records (EMR). Descriptive analysis was conducted to study the sample characteristics. Logistic regression using univariate and multivariate analysis was performed to examine the associations between factors related to relapse.

Results

A total of 128 patients were studied. The relapse rate was 27.4% with median time to relapse of 72 days. Poor insight, poor treatment compliance, duration of CTO and number of CMT contacts were significantly associated with relapse while substance use, psychiatric comorbidities and psychosocial factors were not.

Conclusions

The findings suggest that people who relapsed had poor insight and poor medication adherence, had CTO for a longer period and had frequent contact from CMT even after discharge from CTO.
TANF Leavers and Debt: An Exploratory Study From Georgia
Authors: Brooks Fred P. , Riley Halley E. M. , Whitley Deborah M.
Published: September 2024

This exploratory study measured the types and amounts of debt experienced by families in Georgia that exited Temporary Assistance for Needy Families (TANF) between 2009 and 2015. The research employed a cross-sectional, descriptive, survey research design. A sample of 87 participants was interviewed individually and self-reported their levels of consumer debt. The median level of debt across the entire sample was $7,000. The largest category of debt was student loan debt; 51% of the sample owed an average of $23,276 (median $12,771) in student loan debt. The next most frequent forms of debt were medical (median $2,000), credit card (median $950), and utility (median $261). Considering only 41% of respondents were employed full-time in the formal economy earning an average hourly wage of $12.18, this level of consumer debt suggests a majority of this sample of TANF leavers is debt stressed. These findings highlight the importance of future studies with larger samples exploring the various impacts of debt on low-income families.
Exploring Innovative U.S. School Health Delivery Models: A Narrative Review
Authors: Bennett Sheryl , Maughan Erin D. , DeCato Sarah , Poland Emily , Jameson Beth E.
Published: September 2024

School health services have been described as the “hidden healthcare” system because of their isolation within schools and from other healthcare providers. This isolation may inhibit innovations in school healthcare delivery. Hence, there is a need to identify and characterize various delivery models. This review examines models to identify innovative approaches and formulate suggestions for public health departments, local and state educational agencies, and policymakers. Toward this goal, published and gray literature were studied and synthesized, identifying three delivery models: the traditional model of school-based nursing and two alternative models: school-based health centers and community partnerships. Mechanisms of delivery included telehealth, mobile clinics, and system-level care. Although no innovative, comprehensive approaches to school health services models were found, innovation generally focused on improving equitable delivery to vulnerable populations. Policies must be formulated and funded to integrate such innovations into a comprehensive, preventative approach, including improved care coordination and data sharing.
Industry 4.0 implementation barriers in automotive manufacturing industry: Interpretive structural modelling approach
Authors: Ojha Radhe Shyam , Kumar Amit , Kumar Vineet , Raja Avinash Ravi , Singh Sudesh
Published: September 2024

Industry 4.0 manufacturing practices are the trends of automation and data exchange, which involve heavy investment to adopt the latest modern technologies for improving the manufacturing process in terms of productivity, efficiency, flexibility, and profitability. In this context, the current study focuses on the key implementation barriers of Industry 4.0 in the automotive industry. An interpretive structural model of the barriers to implement Industry 4.0 in the automotive industry has been proposed to create a hierarchical order of key barriers, find the relationships among them, and create a graphical model of the system. Based on the review of available literature and discussion with experts in the automotive field, thirteen barriers have been identified to frame the model. Further, out of these thirteen, two barriers have been found to be dependent, another two as driving barriers, the remaining nine as linkage barriers, and none as autonomous barriers. Based on the developed model, ‘Great Risk of Obsolescence’ has been found to be the top-level dependent barrier and geographical risk to be the lowest-level independent barrier. A clear comprehension of the interactions between the key barriers can help in deciding priorities and managing the same to have higher efficacy and efficiency in implementing Industry 4.0. Overall, we aim to identify Industry 4.0 barriers in the automotive industry and prioritize them during the implementation of Industry 4.0. The structured model, so designed and developed, is expected to facilitate the understanding of the interdependence of the barriers of the Industry 4.0 manufacturing system amid its implementation.
Can Experience with International Alliances Help Firms Navigate Jolts? A Study of Resilience Amid the Dot-Com Bubble Burst
Authors: Tower Annette Popp , Nath Pravin
Published: September 2024

Environmental jolts, which are unanticipated and disruptive changes in the external environment, can render firms’ strategies ineffective. Despite their frequency, research examining how firms become resilient to this negative impact of jolts remains scarce. Drawing on the knowledge-based view of international alliances, the authors propose that international alliances are a source of novel knowledge and resources, and in learning the routines and processes to assimilate them, firms acquire dynamic capabilities that enable them to overcome the lack of strategic fit with the environment triggered by jolts. Using a quasi-experimental research design and data from firms exposed to the dot-com bubble burst, the authors find that emphasizing value creation in international alliances attenuates the negative impact of jolts on sales growth. Additionally, for sales and profit growth, international alliance partner diversity positively influences resistance to jolts, while market diversity shows no effect. This study contributes to the literature by demonstrating (1) how international alliances enhance the knowledge, resources, and dynamic capabilities of the firm, (2) the impact of international alliances on firm performance in the face of severe environmental turbulence, and (3) the importance of obtaining competencies from value creation activities and collaborating with diverse partners as resilience-building strategies.
Impact of Estetrol Combined with Drospirenone on Blood Coagulation and Fibrinolysis in Patients with Endometriosis: A Multicenter, Randomized, Open-Label, Active-Controlled, Parallel-Group Study
Authors: Kobayashi Takao , Hirayama Masashi , Nogami Masayoshi , Meguro Kanna , Iiduka Masato , Foidart Jean-Michel , Douxfils Jonathan , Harada Tasuku
Published: September 2024

Venous thromboembolism is a serious safety concern in women using combined oral contraceptives; ethinyl estradiol (EE) is widely used as an estrogen. Estetrol (E4) is a native estrogen with selective tissue activity and exclusively produced by the fetal liver. This study used a multicenter, randomized, open-label, active-controlled, parallel-group design to evaluate the effects of E4 combined with drospirenone (DRSP) on coagulation and fibrinolysis in Japanese patients with endometriosis. Participants were randomized to receive either E4 15 mg/DRSP 3 mg or EE 20 µg/DRSP 3 mg for 12 weeks. E4/DRSP and EE/DRSP were administered orally once a day in a cyclic regimen, ie, 24-day active use followed by a 4-day hormone-free period, and a flexible extended regimen, respectively, and blood coagulation and fibrinolysis markers were measured. The effect on coagulation and fibrinolysis was considerably less in the E4/DRSP group than in the EE/DRSP group. Major anticoagulant proteins, protein S (free, total) and tissue factor pathway inhibitor (free), were reduced following EE/DRSP treatment. Consequently, thrombin generation determined by the activated protein C sensitivity ratio was increased by approximately 4-fold in the EE/DRSP group than in the E4/DRSP group. Eventually, the fibrinolysis cascade was triggered to compensate for disturbed coagulation, and D-dimer levels were 4.7-fold higher in the EE/DRSP group than in the E4/DRSP group. This study demonstrated that the effect of E4/DRSP on the blood coagulation and fibrinolysis cascades was significantly less than that of EE/DRSP in participants with endometriosis, a disease of women of advanced and reproductive age (jRCT2080225090, https://jrct.niph.go.jp/en-latest-detail/jRCT2080225090 ).
Contact modeling and anti-disturbance control of flexible spacecraft for failed satellite detumbling
Authors: Wang Hongwei , Dai Honghua , Zhao Hongqian
Published: September 2024

On-orbit detumbling of failed satellites has become an urgent mission nowadays. An efficient detumbling approach is to use a servicing spacecraft mounted with highly flexible operation devices to manipulate the failed satellites. The contact processes are crucial for detumbling dynamics analysis. The traditional Coulomb friction model is commonly used for describing contact processes. However, due to the unwanted discontinuity at some critical points, this model is detrimental to the accurate dynamics analysis. Besides, severe impactive disturbance caused by contact processes makes the existing controllers difficult to meet the demand for the strong robustness and high accuracy. To solve these problems, the LuGre friction model is utilized to characterize contact processes by integrating a dissipative contact force model, based on which the detumbling dynamics is studied through comparative analysis. Moreover, a novel anti-disturbance controller is proposed by combining a fast terminal sliding mode control and an adaptive finite time disturbance observer in a unified framework, wherein the observer is employed to effectively estimate the disturbance without requiring the upper bound information of the disturbance and its derivative. A prominent advantage of the proposed controller is that the finite time stability can be achieved a priori with consideration of disturbance rejection performance. Extensive simulations are carried out to validate the effectiveness of the improved model and proposed controller.
Sliding mode control of the active suspension system using a nonlinear sliding surface with considering the stochastic nature of uncertainties
Authors: Zahiripour Seyed Ali , Ghorbani Samira
Published: September 2024

This paper proposes a novel approach to designing a stochastic sliding mode controller for a suspension system. The controller takes into account the stochastic nature of uncertainties in the system, assuming that all random uncertainties are independent and have arbitrary intensity. The suspension system is modeled using Ito stochastic equations, considering both parametric stochastic perturbations and uncertainty of the road roughness. A nonlinear sliding surface is designed and a sliding mode controller is implemented for the proposed model, to ensure the stability of the stochastic system dynamics. This method guarantees asymptotic stability with probability one for all admissible mismatched uncertainties. Additionally, the synthesized sliding mode controller ensures the reachability of the specified sliding surface. Numerical simulations are conducted to validate the effectiveness of the proposed method. Also, it is compared with the deterministic sliding mode controller. The results demonstrate the efficiency of the designed stochastic sliding mode controller in providing better performance in terms of energy consumption and response rate of the suspension system.
Water, Sanitation, and Hygiene (WASH) in Ethiopia: An International Human Rights Framework
Authors: Zegeye Meriam
Published: September 2024

Human rights are the legal claims that individuals have on society on the basis of being human. It is surprising then that water, a basic necessity to life, has only been explicitly recognized as a human right since 2002 by the Committee on Economic, Social, and Cultural Rights (CESCR) and since 2010 by the United Nations General Assembly. Recognition as a human right makes its fulfillment a duty of the state to its citizens, obligating steps towards implementation accountable to international law. Access to safe drinking water, adequate sanitation, and hygiene (WASH) would alleviate 10% of the global disease burden. The magnitude of its effect on health is seen clearly in Ethiopia where 60% to 80% of communicable diseases are attributable to limited access to WASH. Ethiopia has achieved MDG 7c for access to clean water supply and has made good progress on ending open defecation. However, its progress on handwashing lags far behind despite its cost-effectiveness. This is partly because of the differences in the codification of the rights to water, sanitation, and hygiene individually. This paper will examine the implications of the international law framework for WASH implementation in Ethiopia.
Radio frequency-only thermal processing of skimmed milk powder: Case study on the influence of RF heating profile on quality and Salmonella Typhimurium inactivation
Authors: Tonti Maria , Verheyen Davy , Kozak Dmytro , Tsakali Efstathia , Skåra Torstein , Van Impe Jan F.M.
Published: September 2024

Radio frequency (RF) is a dielectric heating technology that allows rapid and volumetric heating of milk powder, outperforming the heating uniformity of conventional powder heating methods. Typically, RF milk powder processing consists of a fast RF heating phase, followed by an oven heating phase in temperatures around 90 °C. This methodology can result in milk powder quality deterioration due to non-uniform temperature distributions and local overheating. Radio frequency-only processes with a more gradual heating rate are alternative solutions to minimise the impact on milk powder quality. This study investigated the effect of the heating rate on the microbial inactivation of Salmonella Typhimurium inoculated in skimmed milk powder, as well as the effect of each process on two quality characteristics, colour and solubility. Overall, a slower heating profile resulted in sufficient inactivation rates of Salmonella in skimmed milk powder, while still providing a high-quality end product. A 4-log reduction was achieved by treating the skimmed milk powder up to 95 °C using a slower, longer heating rate. No statistically significant changes were observed in the solubility of skimmed milk powder and only the harshest treatment to 95 °C led to a slight increase in the yellowness of the skimmed milk powder colour.
Twelfth Triennial Toxicology Salary Survey
Authors: Gad Shayne C. , Sullivan Dexter , Pitts Danika A.
Published: September 2024

This is the 12th in a series of salary surveys conducted at approximately 3-year intervals for toxicologists that began in 1988. Previous salary surveys were conducted in 1988,1 1991,2 1995,3 1998,4 2001,5 2004,6 2007 (which was posted electronically, but not published), 2012,7 2016,8 2020,9 and 2022.10 In addition to presenting the 2024 results, herein we are providing additional data and an analysis of the trends for employment and pay in toxicology over the last 37 years.
Queer Terrorists, Terrorist Queers: The Sexual Politics of Turkey’s War on Terror
Authors: Aciksoz Salih Can
Published: September 2024

How do the so-called wars on terror impact queer lives and politics? This article addresses this question by exploring the racialized gender and sexual politics of Turkey’s own brand of war on terror and its ramifications for LGBTQI+ lives. Building on long-term ethnographic fieldwork with the disabled veterans of Turkey’s Kurdish war and public culture analysis, I reveal how the political construction of Kurdish militants as queer figures goes hand in hand with state terrorization of LGBTQI+ people in contemporary Turkey. I anchor my analysis in a novel counterinsurgency trope—“terrorists in skirts”—a trope popularized by the state-controlled media for psychological warfare purposes. I argue that the voyeuristic media fascination with cross-dressing militants is both symptomatic and constructive of an Islamist-nationalist authoritarian regime where terrorism and gender and sexual nonnormativity are violently conflated in state discourse and practice.
Clinical outcomes of peripherally inserted central catheters in patients with gastroenterological diseases: Report of a 9-year experience
Authors: Yamamoto Takehito , Uchida Yoichiro , Yano Jo , Nakano Reo , Oshimo Yoshiki , Fujimoto Takashi , Hisano Koji , Nakano Kenzo , Kawai Takayuki , Okuchi Yoshihisa , Iguchi Kohta , Tanaka Eiji , Fukuda Meiki , Taura Kojiro , Terajima Hiroaki
Published: September 2024

Background:

Peripherally inserted central catheters (PICCs) are safe and useful alternatives to centrally inserted central catheters (CICCs). Several studies have investigated the effectiveness and safety of PICCs; however, few have focused on their use in patients with gastroenterological diseases. In the present study, we evaluated the outcomes of patients with gastroenterological diseases who received PICCs and identified the risk factors associated with central line–associated blood stream infection (CLABSI).

Methods:

We retrospectively examined hospitalized patients at our institution who received PICCs between 2015 and 2023. We evaluated the data on their clinical characteristics, complications, and outcomes. Furthermore, we investigated the risk factors for CLABSIs.

Results:

A total of 405 patients were included (262 men and 143 women). The median age was 71 (range, 15–94) years. The vessels were inserted in the basilic, cephalic, and brachial veins in 366 (90%), 22 (6%), and 17 (4%) patients, respectively. The median procedure time was 32 [6–149] min. The median dwell time was 16 [0–188] days. CLABSI, catheter occlusions, phlebitis, and exit-site skin infection occurred in 14 (3.5%; 1.77/1000 catheter days), 6 (1.5%; 0.76/1000 catheter days), 3 (0.7%; 0.38/1000 catheter days), and 1 (0.2%; 0.13/1000 catheter days) patients, respectively. There was no case of deep vein thrombosis or pulmonary thrombosis due to PICC placement. Multivariate analysis performed using a Cox’s proportional hazard regression model revealed that patients with gastroenterological malignancies had an independently higher risk for CLABSIs (odds ratio [OR]: 3.25, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.05–10.05, p = 0.041) and that older age (⩾70 years) tended to be associated with CLABSIs (OR: 3.61, 95% CI: 0.98–13.32, p = 0.054).

Conclusions:

Gastroenterological malignancies and older age were associated with a higher risk of CLABSIs. Rigorous catheter management is crucial for preventing complications, particularly in vulnerable patient subgroups.
Te Tiriti o Waitangi—neither “one people” nor partners: rangatiratanga and inclusive democratic kāwanatanga
Authors: O’Sullivan Dominic
Published: September 2024

Te Pati Māori (The Māori Party) proposes removing the British monarch as head of state so that Te Tiriti o Waitangi’s (the Māori text of the Treaty of Waitangi) (Te Tiriti) promise of fulfilling partnership may be realized. The ACT (Association of Consumers and Taxpayers) Party’s alternative argument is that partnership is among a body of treaty principles that give Māori people (Indigenous peoples of New Zealand) political advantage over others. These alternative perspectives transcend time because neither partnership nor equality as the ACT party presents it meets the possibilities of liberal democratic citizenship that may be read into Te Tiriti. Instead, equality is enhanced by interpreting Te Tiriti as constituting a commonwealth with hapū (sub-tribes) as existing political communities, and kāwanatanga (government) as a new one, with powers and responsibilities grounded in equal tikanga (cultural practices and proper conduct). The powers of government may then be shared, through participatory parity.
The pandemic of ‘the other half’: Patriarchy, capitalism and technology during COVID-19
Authors: Giugni Lilia
Published: September 2024

This essay explores how patriarchy, capitalism and technology intersected during the COVID-19 pandemic: an ‘extreme contest’, thus able to provide especially sharp insights into empirical phenomena as well as theoretical conversations. Conceptualising patriarchy and capitalism as two dominant, intersecting societal logics, I consider their embedment into gendered processes of digital technology production, use and distribution, and how these specifically played out during the pandemic crisis. The essay starts with a set of vignettes capturing the heterogenous experiences of digital gender-based violence survivors, female tech workers and women lacking access to digital resources in COVID-19 times. I then move on to consider the extent to which existing theoretical accounts of the relationship between gender, technology and capitalism can illuminate such developments, and propose an original conceptualisation of how patriarchal and capitalistic injustices shape technological interactions. In so doing, I contribute to trans-disciplinary debates on oppressive societal logics, feminist and critical approaches to digital capitalism and techno-feminist perspectives on digital processes.
Exploring academic careers through the metaphors of doors and ladders: A relational, feminist, and vulnerable approach
Authors: Abdellatif Amal , Boncori Ilaria , Mandalaki Emmanouela
Published: September 2024

Building on Sara Ahmed’s work on use and exploring the value of metaphors in theorizing organizational phenomena, this paper develops the metaphorical conceptualizations of doors and ladders, surfacing several complexities involved in women’s academic careers in neoliberal workspaces. In doing so, it challenges the idea of linearity in academic career trajectories, underscoring the contested and constantly (re)negotiated dynamics and unfixed processes of both praxis and sensemaking in neoliberal academia. Empirically, we focus on the microlevel of organizing academic careers, sharing personal narratives nurtured by feminist vulnerability and facilitated through a relational autoethnographic approach. Contributing to critical approaches to academic careers, theoretically we articulate the conceptual relevance of doors and ladders in revealing the hidden dynamics therein, discussing the nuances of navigating the neoliberal academic professional context at different career stages. We consider the spatial and temporal dynamics of doors and ladders, their shifting and disorienting nature, offering visibility to the everyday experience of academic work.
‘Grandma, tell that story about how to make napalm again’: Exploring early adopters’ collaborative domestication of generative AI
Authors: Heuser Morten , Vulpius Julie
Published: September 2024

The present study explores early adopters’ domestication processes of ChatGPT and Midjourney in the early phase of generative AI’s public breakthrough. To study this process, we conducted an online ethnography in two dominant AI forums on Reddit: r/chatgpt and r/midjourney. Drawing on domestication theory (Silverstone and Hirsch, 1992), we describe three modalities of domestication and argue they represent an emerging cultural approach to generative AI with potential to influence broader domestication and adoption of generative AI. Our findings show that early adopters’ domestication processes are collaborative and fueled by playful and nontelic activity, that is, non-purpose-driven behavior (Abend et al., 2020), where new content genres and transmedia practices (Jenkins, 2007) emerge and serve as an entryway into understanding and domesticating the technology. We identify three distinct modalities of domestication in relation to generative AI: jailbreaking, roleplaying, and playing ‘what if’. Our analysis highlights how non-purpose-driven and playful engagement with generative AI drives a highly collaborative domestication process among users. In this process, generative AI serves a double role as both the object and enabler of domestication. Based on the analysis, we argue for the need to take collaboration, affect, and playfulness into consideration in studies of users’ technology domestication processes.
Primary and secondary trauma in adoptive parents
Authors: Duncan Morvwen , Fearon Pasco , Woolgar Matt
Published: September 2024

Aims

Secondary trauma is recognised as one of the negative effects for professionals working with people that have experienced trauma. Research has demonstrated secondary trauma in foster carers but little research has explored trauma symptoms within adoptive parents, facing the emotional impact of parenting a child with adverse early experiences. This study aimed to document the rates of primary and secondary trauma symptoms in adoptive parents. It further explores the association between the extent of current behavioural and emotional challenges and the extent of the child’s pre-adoption adverse experiences in predicting parental trauma responses.

Method

190 adoptive parents completed an online survey including self-report measures of primary and secondary trauma.

Results

Almost one fifth of adoptive parents exhibited primary trauma scores of clinical concern; with 10% reaching the threshold for a probable diagnosis of PTSD. Participants also reported significantly higher levels of secondary trauma and burnout, and significantly lower levels of compassion satisfaction than population norms. The current behavioural and emotional challenges, including child-to-parent violence, predicted higher trauma scores more so than the extent of their child’s past adverse experiences.

Conclusions

The findings have clinical implications for identifying trauma symptoms within adoptive parents and wider implications for how we understand secondary and primary trauma. They further highlight the importance of firstly addressing current child behaviour, including child-to-parent violence when treating trauma symptoms. Limitations of this study and recommendations for further research are discussed.
A century of queerness after dark: A socio-historical review of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and queer nights in Lisbon (1920-2020)
Authors: Vale Pires Cristiana , Garcia-Ruiz Manuel , Couto Gomes Filipe , Nofre Jordi
Published: September 2024

This article intends to explore the dynamic interplay between queer nightlife, societal changes, and drug use over the last century in Portugal by taking Lisbon as a case study as well as selecting critical historical periods, namely the Années Folles of the 1920s; the authoritarian Estado Novo (1926-75); the post-revolution phase (1975-2000), and the first two decades of the new millennium (2000-2020). The article therefore presents a socio-historical review of queer nightlife in Lisbon over the last century (1920-2020) to understand the evolution of LGBTQ + nightlife in Lisbon from a comprehensive perspective.
How do we feel about borrowed words? Affective and lexico-semantic norms for most frequent unadapted English loanwords in Croatian (ENGRI CROWD)
Authors: Bogunović Irena , Ćoso Bojana , Guasch Marc , Pavlinušić Vilus Eva , Ferré Pilar , Hinojosa José Antonio
Published: September 2024

Aims and objectives:

English has become the dominant donor language for many languages, including Croatian. Perception of English loanwords has mainly been investigated through corpus-based studies or attitude questionnaires. At the same time, normative data for unadapted English loanwords are still mainly unavailable. This study aims to fill that gap by collecting affective and lexico-semantic norms for unadapted English loanwords in Croatian.

Methodology:

Valence, arousal, familiarity, and concreteness ratings for unadapted English loanwords and three types of Croatian equivalents were collected from 565 participants.

Data and analysis:

Affective and lexico-semantic norms for each word on the four variables are available in the database. In addition, the relationship between different variables was examined. Finally, the differences between English loanwords and three types of Croatian equivalents (in-context, out-of-context, and adapted forms) are reported.

Findings:

Valence ratings for unadapted English loanwords differed from out-of-context equivalents and adapted forms. Unadapted English loanwords were rated as more arousing than Croatian equivalents. Finally, unadapted English loanwords were less familiar and less concrete than in-context and out-of-context equivalents. The findings suggest that Croatian speakers perceive unadapted English loanwords differently on affective and lexico-semantic levels compared with Croatian equivalents.

Originality:

This is the first study to provide affective and lexical norms for 391 most frequent unadapted English loanwords in Croatian.

Implications:

The reported normative data will contribute to the existing knowledge about the processing of English loanwords by enabling experimental research on this topic.
Children’s and parents’ attitudes to and knowledge about HPV vaccination following a targeted information intervention
Authors: Runngren Eva , Blomberg Karin , Schollin Ask Lina , Appelqvist Emma , Danielsson Madelene , Eriksson Mats
Published: September 2024

The aim of this study was to investigate Swedish children’s and parents’ attitudes and knowledge about human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination a year after gender-neutral HPV vaccination was introduced in Sweden’s national immunization program (NIP). Additional information about HPV and vaccine was provided in the extended immunazation program. In total, 276 parents and 206 children from 22 School Health Services responded to a web-based survey. Results showed that half of the children and about a third of the parents received additional Public Health Agency information about HPV vaccination, and a majority were satisfied. Parents considered HPV vaccination being important for their children’s health, and both children and parents considered it important to vaccinate all genders against HPV. Both children and parents rated school nurses as most reliable source of HPV vaccination information. Teachers were also a common source of HPV and HPV vaccination information for children. Further research among teachers in Sweden is needed to explore their knowledge and abilities to inform students and parents about HPV and vaccination.
How to improve group affirmation manipulations: A systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Smith Heather J. , Grant Diana R.
Published: September 2024

Researchers often ask participants to affirm positive aspects or shared values for a group important to them (a group affirmation manipulation) in order to encourage healthy behavior, acknowledge historical harm, accept group-based criticism, or diffuse the impact of social exclusion. An exploratory meta-analysis of 92 experiments that included a group affirmation manipulation and a threat to participants’ self-integrity revealed an average g of −0.03, 95% CI [−0.10, 0.05], and enormous heterogeneity ( I 2 = 77.15%). Group affirmations predicted a larger effect size if participants in the comparison condition completed the dependent variable immediately afterwards, compared to other comparison conditions. They also predicted stronger positive self-evaluations compared to dependent measures such as behavioral intentions or attitudes. Group value affirmations slightly reduced defensive information processing, whereas affirmations of positive group characteristics increased ingroup bias; a pattern that reflected researchers’ decisions to treat group affirmation as either an opportunity to reduce defensiveness or to increase the pursuit of collective interests. Careful consideration of the intergroup context and group norms should improve the effectiveness of group-based affirmations.
Basic income for creative justice: Weathering inequity in the creative industries during COVID-19
Authors: Cannizzo Fabian , Strong Catherine , Whiting Sam
Published: September 2024

The idea of a basic income has produced both staunch advocates and detractors in economic policy debates. This article explores the potential for a basic income to produce more just outcomes for workers in cultural sectors by focusing on a case study of music industries in Melbourne, Australia. We draw on data from a 2020 study of the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic and the associated public health response on the Melbourne music industries to explore how music industry workers experienced loss of income as individualised harms and uncertainties about their roles within the music industry. We argue that Mark Banks’ concept of ‘creative justice’ offers a means of evaluating the utility and limitations of a basic income for achieving more equitable outcomes in music industries.
Intercultural training as paradigm juxtaposition, and the need to differentiate critical cross-cultural management studies: The example of ‘managing Muslim minorities at work’
Authors: Mahadevan Jasmin
Published: September 2024

Cross-cultural management (CCM) studies is a multi-paradigmatic discipline which is commonly differentiated into functionalist (positivist), interpretive and critical, and intercultural training is its applied version in practice. Paradigms are ‘lenses’ from which to view reality. If paradigms are juxtaposed – considered in light of each other – apparent contractions across paradigms might be resolved and metatheoretical insights across multiple paradigms may be achieved. This article exemplifies paradigm juxtaposition based on a clearly specified empirical problem, namely: ‘how to manage Muslim minorities at work’. Based on the Burrell and Morgan taxonomy, paradigms may be differentiated based on two dimensions, namely objective and subjective, and regulative and radical change approaches. This article firstly shows how juxtaposing these four paradigmatic lenses enables a more holistic and sophisticated approach to the ‘problem’ for which the intercultural training is ordered and thus results in a better-fitting and more nuanced intercultural training practice. Secondly, this article establishes why the present academic practice of subsuming multiple approaches under the umbrella term “critical CCM” is insufficient for solving contemporary cross-cultural management problems. Consequently, critical CCM studies need to be re-differentiated into objectivist and subjectivist worldviews.
Oncogenic microRNA-1290 and SCAI Gene as Potential Biomarker for Colorectal Carcinoma
Authors: Naseem Rashida , Shahid Samiah , Shahid Wajeehah , Abbas Ghulam
Published: September 2024

Introduction

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is the world's third most frequent cancer, with a significant mortality rate due to late detection. There is a need to search for biomarkers that can detect colorectal cancer at an early stage. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) regulate several targets that function as oncogenes and/or tumor suppressor genes, so any change in microRNA expression level can predict abnormality.

Objective

The objective of the study was to evaluate the expression of miR-1290, and Suppressor of cancer cell invasion ( SCAI) gene that may be used as biomarkers for early diagnosis of colorectal carcinoma.

Methodology

This study included 50 subjects consisting of newly diagnosed colorectal carcinoma patients ( n = 25), and healthy controls ( n = 25). After RNA isolation and reverse transcription, the expression level of miR-1290 and SCAI gene in the tissues and plasma samples of CRC patients were analyzed using real time PCR and compared with healthy individuals as normal controls. The 2−ΔΔCt formula was used to compute the fold-change, while using miR-16 and GAPDH as reference genes for normalization.

Results

We found that miR-1290 is upregulated, whereas SCAI gene is downregulated in both plasma and tissue samples of CRC patients. For miR-1290, the sensitivity was 96% and specificity was 100%, and for SCAI, 100% sensitivity and 88% specificity was calculated by ROC analysis.

Conclusion

The expression of miR-1290 and SCAI gene may be utilized as biomarkers for diagnosis of colorectal carcinoma.
Free Flap Limb Salvage and Ulcer Recurrence in Chronic Limb-threatening Ischemia
Authors: Matsuda Norifumi , Seo Dongkyung , Suzuki Riho , Dannoura Yutaka , Horiuchi Katsumi
Published: September 2024

Free flap transfer is a well-established treatment for foot reconstruction in patients with chronic limb-threatening ischemia (CLTI) and can achieve prolonged amputation-free survival. However, reports on ulcer recurrence after free flap transfer are scarce, with most focusing on trauma patients. Therefore, we retrospectively reviewed patients with CLTI who underwent free flap reconstruction at our institution over a 17-year period. Patient characteristics, ulcer recurrence rates, activity level, and variables associated with ulcer recurrence were investigated in patients who met the following criteria: successful reconstructive surgery, complete wound healing, and at least 1 year of follow-up. Free flap foot reconstruction was performed in 42 patients (92.9% male, 7.1% female; mean age 57.1 years, range 37-81 years). Among them, 39 patients (92.9%) had diabetes mellitus, 15 (35.7%) had critical limb ischemia, and 15 (35.7%) had end-stage renal disease/hemodialysis. Mean postoperative follow-up was 60.5 (range 12.0-208.0) months. The 5-year primary ulcer recurrence-free survival rate was 48.7%. High activity level and selection of the posterior tibial artery as the recipient artery were significantly associated with ulcer recurrence [hazard ratio, 3.59 and 9.81; P = .046 and P < .001, respectively]. Activity levels were not significantly different before and 1 year after surgery. In conclusion, survival analysis revealed that ulcer recurrence is most likely to occur within the first 2 years after surgery. Although recurrence occurred in approximately half of the patients, most patients maintained activity levels comparable to their preoperative levels.
Meeting the Needs of People With Severe Quadriplegia in the 21st Century: The Case for Implanted Brain–Computer Interfaces
Authors: Sawyer Abbey , Cooke Lily , Breyman Erica , Spohn Steve , Edelman Sandy , Saravanan Krisha , Putrino David
Published: September 2024

Background

In recent decades, there has been a widespread adoption of digital devices among the non-disabled population. The pervasive integration of digital devices has revolutionized how the majority of the population manages daily activities. Most of us now depend on digital platforms and services to conduct activities across the domains of communication, finance, healthcare, and work. However, a clear disparity exists for people who live with severe quadriplegia, who largely lack access to tools that would enable them to perform daily tasks digitally and communicate effectively with their environment.

Objectives

The purpose of this piece is to (i) highlight the unmet needs of people with severe quadriplegia (including cases for medical necessity and perspectives from the community), (ii) present the current landscape of assistive technology for people with severe quadriplegia, (iii) make the case for implantable BCIs (how they address needs and why they are a good solution relative to other assistive technologies), and (iv) present future directions.

Results

There are technologies that are currently available to this population, but these technologies are certainly not usable with the same level of ease, efficiency, or autonomy as what has been designed for the non-disabled community. This hinders the ability of people with severe quadriplegia to achieve digital autonomy, perpetuating social isolation and limiting the expression of needs, opinions, and preferences.

Conclusion

Most importantly, the gap in digital equality fundamentally undermines the basic human rights of people with severe quadriplegia.
Effects of a Wearable-Based Intervention on the Hemiparetic Upper Limb in Persons With Stroke: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Toh Fong Mei , Lam Winnie W. T. , Cruz Gonzalez Pablo , Fong Kenneth N. K.
Published: September 2024

Introduction

Wearables have emerged as a transformative rehabilitation tool to provide self-directed training in the home. Objective. In this study, we examined the efficacy of a novel wearable device, “Smart Reminder” (SR), to provide home-based telerehabilitation for hemiparetic upper limb (UL) training in persons with stroke.

Methods

Forty stroke survivors from community support groups were randomized (stratified by the period after stroke onset and impairment severity) to either the SR group or the sham device group. Participants received either 20 hours of telerehabilitation using the SR device or training with pictorial handouts and a sham device over 4 weeks. In addition, all participants wore a standard accelerometer for 3 hours each day, 5 times a week, outside the prescribed training. Participants were assessed by a masked assessor at baseline, post-intervention (week 4), and follow-up (week 8). The outcome measures included Fugl-Meyer Assessment for Upper Extremity (FMA-UE), Action Research Arm Test, Motor Activity Log, muscle strength, active range of motion and amount of movement of the UL, and compliance rate of training.

Results

The SR group improved substantially in their FMA-UE scores after treatment (mean difference = 2.05, P  =  .036) compared to the sham group. Also, adherence to the training using the SR device was significantly higher, 97%, than the sham group, 82.3% ( P  =  .038).

Conclusion

The 4-week telerehabilitation program using a “SR” device demonstrated potential efficacy in improving FMA-UE scores of the hemiparetic upper limb. However, it did not significantly enhance the performance of the affected limb in daily activities. The trial was registered on ClinicalTrial.gov (URL: http://www.clinicaltrials.gov ) with the identifier NCT05877183.
Classification of life satisfaction by occupational gaps and its characteristics among older adults with care needs
Authors: Misu Yuka , Hayashi Shintaro , Yamamoto Taisei
Published: September 2024

Objective

Occupational therapy aims at enhancing people’s life satisfaction, it is important to focus on the occupational gap between “what they want to do” and “what they actually do.” This study aimed to describe the characteristics of occupational gap of older adults with care needs who are residing at home, and clarify how the occupational gap patterns classify their life satisfaction.

Method

The Occupational Gap Questionnaire was used to assess the occupational gaps of 209 older adults with care needs (80.1 ± 7.5 years old, 42.1% male), and a Classification and Regression Tree analysis was performed.

Results

The most important factor in classifying participants’ life satisfaction was the number of social activities that “they do and want to do,” followed by the number of instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs) that “they do not do but want to do”.

Conclusion

Our results suggest that promoting participation in social activities and IADLs that participants want to do may improve life satisfaction even when care is needed. Our findings indicate that it is important not only to reduce the occupational gap but also to increase the number of meaningful activities they want to do.
The significance of stent sizing for parent vessel stenosis after flow diversion of MCA bifurcation aneurysms
Authors: Matanov Svetozar , Vladev Georgi , Sirakov Alexander , Ninov Kristian , Penkov Marin , Tsonev Hristo , Sirakova Kristina , Karakostov Vasil , Sirakov Stanimir
Published: September 2024

Background

Wide-necked bifurcation aneurysms (WNBA) of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) present significant therapeutic challenges. Flow-diverter stents have been increasingly adopted for their management, though they may give rise to adverse outcomes such as in-stent stenosis (ISS). This study explores the association between stent oversizing and the incidence of ISS following flow-diverter stent placement in MCA bifurcation aneurysms.

Methods

A retrospective study included 34 patients who underwent flow-diverter stent placement for MCA bifurcation aneurysms between 2020 and 2023. Data on patient demographics, aneurysm morphology, and stent sizing were collected. ISS was evaluated through follow-up imaging at 6-month post-procedure. Stent oversizing was determined by calculating the difference between the stent diameter and the proximal and distal parent vessel diameters. Statistical analyses included Pearson correlation and chi-square tests, with significance established at p < 0.05.

Results

The studied group had a mean age of 57.8 years, with 81.6% female patients. The average aneurysm neck size was 3.6 mm, with a mean dome-to-neck ratio of 1.6. ISS was detected in 64.7% of cases proximally and 88.2% distally. A statistically significant negative correlation ( r = −0.496, p = 0.003) was observed between stent oversizing and ISS, indicating that increased stent oversizing was associated with a higher incidence of ISS, particularly in the distal vessel segments.

Conclusion

The findings indicate that stent oversizing is significantly associated with the development of ISS in MCA bifurcation aneurysms treated with flow-diverter stents. Careful consideration of stent sizing, particularly minimizing oversizing in distal segments, may mitigate the risk of ISS and improve clinical outcomes. These results underscore the importance of meticulous stent selection and procedural planning in neurointerventional practice.