bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The new prison God Pods: Religious neoliberalism and evangelical “Inmate Field Ministry”
Authors: Hallett Michael
Published: November 2024

Recent exponential growth in immersive God Pod units operating in US prisons has engendered many new but still unexamined practices. Loosely-modeled off a Christian seminary planted inside Louisiana State Penitentiary, newer programs deploy privately-funded religious educators for the credentialing and training of “inmate field ministers” assigned religious work duties in public prisons. Funded by private foundations and unregulated by government oversight, Christian educators operating inside public prisons today directly influence the material conditions of incarceration for thousands of inmates. While previous God Pod programs were declared unconstitutional for use of government funding in proselytizing Christianity, newer programs use private resources for conduct of Christian ministry inside public prisons. Drawing from on-site and archival research, this article documents a shift in focus within immersive God Pod units from providing religious education at one institution to credentialing prisoners for “Inmate Field Ministry” systemwide. The article traces the ad hoc beginnings of privately-funded religious education inside US prisons, to today's emphasis on establishing Christian ministry as correctional rehabilitation. The article argues newer God Pod units engender a novel form of religious neoliberalism, abandoning previous commitments to religious neutrality while highlighting “moral rehabilitation” and deemphasizing secular rehabilitation. Directions for future research are discussed.
The relationship between news trust, mistrust and audience disengagement
Authors: Park Sora , Fisher Caroline , Tandoc Edson , Dulleck Uwe , Yao Shengnan Pinker , Lukamto William
Published: November 2024

The global decline of trust in news is a concern for democracy and news organisations. It is often assumed that distrust in news will turn citizens away from it. However, the relationship between trust and news engagement is not straightforward. Those who distrust news may continue to consume it, and those who have high trust in news may choose to disengage from it. This study addresses this puzzling phenomenon by applying the concept of ‘mistrust’ and differentiating it from low or lack of trust. Mistrust is defined as exercising scepticism towards news and deferring trust. Confirmatory factor analysis of an online survey ( n = 4401) conducted in Australia, Singapore and UK between March and April 2023 reveals that trust and mistrust are empirically separate constructs and that they co-exist. Further logistic regression analysis shows that mistrust can lead to news avoidance. This news avoidance does not necessarily mean disengagement from news. Instead, we find low trust is a factor that turns people away from news altogether. By deciphering the complex relationship between trust and mistrust, this study provides new insights into understanding audiences’ disengagement with news.
In the name of the (God) father: The unnameable name
Authors: Ndjio Basile
Published: November 2024

The article provides an answer to fundamental questions of what qualifies a name, specifically the (god) father’s name, as something unnameable comparable to the God’s name? What word is commonly used by the Bamilekes from the Grassfields region of Cameroon to name a name that cannot be named in public? What is substituted for when a name is unavailable? Why are these people engaged in a politics of sur-naming, despite the fact the fact they usually bear many names? Is the prevailing sur-naming practice justified by the lacking of proper name as Derrida argues? The text argues that in Bamileke societies where a respectable kinship system (in opposition to a joking kinship) prevails, an adult is rarely referred to by his/her name but rather by his/her ndap (eulogy name) that ends up obliterating the person’s proper name to the point of turning it into a dead name.
Witchcraft as a case of ethnographic murk: Impasse of knowledge, harshness of experience
Authors: Beneduce Roberto , Taliani Simona
Published: November 2024

Witchcraft has been described as knowledge that resists knowledge. Drawing on our field research on witchcraft, alienation, and violence in Mali and southern Cameroon as well as with migrants coming from sub-Saharan Africa, we consider two main issues. The first concerns the epistemic challenge of ‘witchcraft’ and its satellite notions (mystical weapons, animal metamorphosis, fetish and so forth). We analyse this ‘challenge’ beyond the problems of translation, both as a particular expression of African perspectivism and an unending struggle concerning epistemic sovereignty. The second issue directly originates from our field research. Prudently, we will try to give a new lease of life to an ethnographic material, studied 20 years ago. We would turn back to some drawings made by students at the primary school of Mbom (Sangmelina, southern Cameroon), and explore the power of what we provisionally define as ‘visual utterances’.
Exploring the Motivations, Challenges, and Integration of Internationally Educated Healthcare Workers in the UK: A Scoping Review
Authors: Omiyi David , Wilkinson Elaine , Snaith Beverly
Published: November 2024

Background

Healthcare worker migration, influenced by push and pull factors, is accentuated by active recruitment strategies of developed nations. This scoping review explores experiences of internationally educated nurses, midwives, and healthcare professionals in the UK since 2010, acknowledging the historical context of UK recruitment policy and the implementation of codes of practice by the World Health Organisation and the UK government.

Methods

Using the Population, Concept, and Context framework, systematic literature searches were conducted in various databases, including CINAHL, Science Direct, Scopus, PubMed/Medline, and Google Scholar. Covidence software facilitated screening, with data systematically extracted and analyzed.

Results

The scoping review included 24 papers focusing on nurses ( n = 19), midwives ( n = 1), and various allied health professions ( n = 4), spanning from 2010 to 2023. Findings revealed diverse challenges and facilitators, from professional recognition and career opportunities to discrimination, language barriers, and socioeconomic factors influencing integration and retention.

Conclusion

The review highlights the multifaceted experiences of internationally educated healthcare professionals (IEHPs) in the UK workforce. Despite their significant contributions, IEHPs face challenges such as unrecognized skills, third-party recruitment issues, and cultural adjustment difficulties. Addressing registration processes, recruitment practices, and cultural competence training is crucial to creating an inclusive environment that maximizes IEHPs’ contributions and ensures their professional growth and well-being, ultimately benefiting the healthcare sector.
Functional Outcomes and Complications of Carotid Tandem Lesions After Mechanical Thrombectomy for Treatment of Large-Vessel Occlusion Stroke
Authors: Scott Colin , Abdulrahman Lena , Snyder Mackenzie , Castillo Lidia , Lu Jeffrey , Dunlap Eleanor , Nagarsheth Khanjan
Published: November 2024

Background

Large Vessel Occlusion (LVO) stroke patients with tandem lesions (TLs) have been observed to have worse outcomes when compared to patients with simple isolated intracranial occlusions.

Objective

To examine the difference in post-operative functional status at discharge for patients treated with mechanical thrombectomy for an acute LVO stroke based on the presence of a tandem carotid lesion.

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort study of 589 patients presenting within the first 24 hours of stroke onset who underwent mechanical thrombectomy. The primary outcome was functional status quantified by modified Rankin Score (mRS) at time of discharge. The secondary outcomes were presence of hemorrhagic conversion, midline shift >5 cm, malignant cerebral edema, reocclusion, Thrombolysis in Cerebral Infarction Scale (TICI), and discharge location.

Results

Patients with tandem occlusions and those with isolated intracranial lesions had similar baseline demographics. However, in patients with TLs, there was a significantly higher NIH stroke scale at admission and a longer time to recanalization. Modified Rankin Score prior to admission was similar for both groups, but was significantly higher in patients with TLs at discharge. The secondary outcomes were similar for hemorrhagic conversion, discharge to hospice, and a TICI scale of 0, but were significantly worse for patients with TLs for in-hospital mortality, midline shift >5 mm, and malignant cerebral edema. The presence of a tandem lesion predicted a higher modified Rankin Score at discharge in univariate regression modeling (β = .45; P-value = .006).

Conclusion

The two groups were similar in baseline characteristics and cardiovascular risk factors, yet patients with tandem carotid lesions experienced more complications during their hospitalization and had greater functional disability at discharge. Patients with a TL had a longer mean time to recanalization, representing a potential explanation for these differences in outcomes.
Multimodal Neuroimaging in the Prediction of Deep TMS Response in OCD
Authors: Aşık Murat , İlhan Reyhan , Günver Mehmet Güven , Orhan Özden , Esmeray Muhammed Taha , Kalaba Öznur , Arıkan Mehmet Kemal
Published: November 2024

Backgrounds: .Brain morphological biomarkers could contribute to understanding the treatment response in patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Multimodal neuroimaging addresses this issue by providing more comprehensive information regarding neural processes and structures. Objectives. The present study aims to investigate whether patients responsive to deep Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (TMS) differ from non-responsive individuals in terms of electrophysiology and brain morphology. Secondly, to test whether multimodal neuroimaging is superior to unimodal neuroimaging in predicting response to deep TMS. Methods. Thirty-two OCD patients who underwent thirty sessions of deep TMS treatment were included in the study. Based on a minimum 50% reduction in Yale-Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) scores after treatment, patients were grouped as responders (n = 25) and non-responders (n = 7). The baseline resting state qEEG and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) records of patients were recorded. Independent sample t-test is used to compare the groups. Then, three logistic regression model were calculated for only QEEG markers, only MRI markers, and both QEEG/MRI markers. The predictive values of the three models were compared. Results. OCD patients who responded to deep TMS treatment had increased Alpha-2 power in the left temporal area and increased volume in the left temporal pole, entorhinal area, and parahippocampal gyrus compared to non-responders. The logistic regression model showed better prediction performance when both QEEG and MRI markers were included. Conclusions. This study addresses the gap in the literature regarding new functional and structural neuroimaging markers and highlights the superiority of multimodal neuroimaging to unimodal neuroimaging techniques in predicting treatment response.
Empowering mothers: Advancing maternal health literacy and numeracy through the introduction of Maternal and Child Health Calendar
Authors: Meherali Salima , Matthews Brett , Myhre David , Nisa Saba , Idrees Sobia , Faraz Ashiq , Ullah Kaleem , Shah Roheena , Lassi Zohra
Published: November 2024

Background:

The health literacy and numeracy skills of women in Pakistan are very low compared to other low- and middle-income countries.

Objective:

The aim of this study was to improve the health literacy and numeracy skills of unschooled women in Northern Pakistan by developing a Maternal and Child Health Calendar (MCHC). The MCHC utilizes locally contextualized icons to promote and enhance service utilization and maternal and child health (MCH) outcomes.

Methods:

We conducted a qualitative exploratory study design to understand the experiences and usefulness of the MCHC among women. We recruited the participants using purposive sampling. Using a semi-structured interview guide, we conducted individual interviews with nine Key informants, that is, Agha Khan Rural Support Staff and Community-based savings group staff and five focus group discussions with unschooled women. We followed Braun and Clarke’s steps to conduct an inductive thematic data analysis.

Results:

The findings of our study are categorized into the following themes: (1) the benefits of using MCHC, (2) the usefulness of the MCHC in women’s healthcare decision-making, (3) empowerment of poorly schooled women, (4) enabling numeracy and record-keeping skills, (5) MCHC implementation challenges, and (6) participants suggestions to improve the MCHC. Our findings revealed that the MCHC improved the health literacy and numeracy of illiterate or less educated women by using localized images to help them comprehend their own and their children’s health. Additionally, it effectively empowered these women in their healthcare decision-making, such as discussing family planning with their husbands. Women also suggested modifying some images in the MCHC to enhance their clarity and usefulness.

Conclusion:

The MCHC has the potential to safely and sustainably build basic MCH literacy and numeracy skills among both literate and illiterate women in Northern Pakistan. Further research is needed to assess its potential as a stand-alone intervention to improve MCH outcomes.
PrEP initiation and adherence among Black cisgender women in Mississippi: The role of HIV and PrEP stigma and social support
Authors: Knight Deja , Monger Mauda , Phillips Karlye , Antar Amina , Baral Stefan , Stockman Jamila K. , Nunn Amy , Chan Philip , Mayer Kenneth , Mena Leandro , Kershaw Trace , Willie Tiara C
Published: November 2024

Background:

Stigma and lack of social support are barriers to HIV prevention, especially among cisgender Black women in the United States. While HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis (PrEP) can decrease HIV transmission, PrEP initiation and adherence remains low among Black women, especially in the U.S. South.

Objectives:

The purpose of this study was to characterize experiences with stigma and social support among PrEP-naïve and PrEP-experienced Black cisgender women in Mississippi.

Design:

Qualitative study in which semi-structured interviews and focus groups were conducted.

Methods:

We purposively recruited PrEP-naïve cisgender Black women who met PrEP indications to participate in focus groups and all PrEP-experienced cisgender Black women at a sexual health clinic in Jackson, Mississippi to participate in one-on-one semi-structured interviews. Inductive thematic analysis was used to analyze focus group and interview transcripts.

Results:

A total of 37 PrEP-naïve Black cisgender women participated across 6 focus groups and 8 PrEP-experienced cisgender Black women completed semi-structured interviews. Four themes were identified: (1) the intersection of gendered racism, discrimination, and HIV stigma, (2) enacted and anticipated PrEP stigma, (3) stigma mitigation strategies and PrEP adherence, and (4) social support’s role in PrEP initiation and adherence. PrEP-naïve and -experienced Black women discussed the negative consequence that sexual stigmatization and gendered racism has on HIV testing. PrEP-naïve Black women discussed how HIV stigma decreases PrEP initiation. Conversely, PrEP-experienced Black women were able to identify strategies they utilized to mitigate stigma. PrEP-experienced Black women discussed how differing levels of social support impact their PrEP use.

Conclusion:

Improving social support and stigma mitigation strategies could help improve PrEP initiation and adherence among cisgender Black women at-risk of acquiring HIV in the U.S. South. Educating communities on PrEP, and training providers on stigma-mitigating strategies when serving Black women in the U.S. South who are seeking HIV prevention is paramount.
Research on reliability analysis of high-speed railway traction substation system under common cause failures
Authors: Chen Jiaxu , Yan Shanshan , Liu Xuqi
Published: November 2024

The reliability of the system is influenced by the common cause failure mode and the multi-state characteristic. This paper proposes an improved multi-state multi-value decision diagram method to analyze the reliability of high-speed railway traction substation systems. According to the requirements of safety-critical system reliability analysis, this paper begins with an analysis of the system structure and unit module status, comprehensively considering the influence of common cause failures and multi-state characteristics. In this paper, we design the principle of transforming the fault tree model into a binary decision diagram model. Fully considering common cause failures, we extend the model to a multi-state multi-value decision diagram and provide a reliability and importance model calculation method based on state probabilities. The results indicate that this method can accurately and efficiently calculate the reliability level of the high-speed railway traction substation system, effectively identifying key components and weak links within the system. By utilizing visual models, the mechanism of common cause failure in multi-state system can be explored.
The health information management professionals’ role in supporting individuals considering genetic testing: An exploratory study
Authors: Turrietta Christina , Hewitt Barbara , Moczygemba Jackie , McLeod Alexander
Published: November 2024

Background: An increasing number of people are exploring their genetic predisposition to many diseases, allowing them to make healthcare decisions with improved knowledge. Objectives: The aim of this study was to identify factors that influence individuals to consider genetic testing utilising a modified health belief model (HBM). Method: The authors tested the modified HBM using a convenience sample of individuals from across the United States after a pilot study was used to test the validity and reliability of the constructs. Using SmartPLS, the researchers determined that the modified HBM explains the decision-making process used to determine what influences individuals to consider genetic testing. Results: Results suggested that perceived susceptibility, perceived benefits, cues to action, self-efficacy, e-health literacy and normative belief all play a role in an individual’s decision to test their genetics. Conclusion: By conducting genetic testing, individuals may benefit from knowing they are predisposed to certain cancers and other diseases. Yet, research results have indicated that most individuals are unaware of resources available online that will help them in understanding genetic test results and associated diseases. Implications: Since healthcare literacy is an issue reported by these individuals, health information management professionals are well qualified to support them in e-health literacy by assisting them to evaluate the trustworthiness of available resources, and to educate them about privacy rights regarding access to and protection of their genetic information.
Clinically meaningful categorisation of ICD-10-AM (Australian modification)
Authors: Duke Graeme J. , Hirth Steven , Santamaria John D. , Read Carla , Hamilton Adina , Lau Melisa , Fernando Tharanga , Li Zhuoyang , Le Teresa , Walkley Kirstie
Published: November 2024

Background: Current methods of categorising the International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems (ICD) have limitations when deciphering administrative data and monitoring healthcare outcomes. These include many-to-one relationships, non-linear sequencing, collinearity, and ambiguous miscellaneous (residual) codes. Objective: Describe novel methodology for clinically meaningful categorisation of 12th Edition of ICD Version 10 Australian modification (ICD-10-AM). Setting: State of Victoria (Australia), population of 6.6 million with over 3 million separations per annum. Method: Diagnosis codes from ICD-10-AM were aggregated into Clinical Diagnosis Group (CDG) sets according to clinical features and associated risk of in-hospital death and complications. Residual codes were excluded. Administrative data from July 2020 to June 2023 were interrogated to ascertain frequency of diagnoses captured by CDG sets. Results: 12,716 (87.9%) of 14,470 total ICD-10-AM codes were aggregated into 406 CDG sets; mean 32 (range 1–288) codes per set. One thousand seven hundred fifty-three (12.1%) were excluded (not allocated): 775 (5.4%) residual codes; 702 (4.9%) indicating reason for healthcare encounter; and 276 (1.9%) ill-defined clinical symptom codes. Over 36-months, 11.8 million separations were coded with 11,898 (82.2%) unique ICD-10-AM diagnoses, including 10,721 (90.1%) present in a CDG set. Of the 8571 (59.2%) codes associated with death or complications, 7813 (91.2%) were present in a CDG set. Conclusion: The CDG list provides a clinically meaningful method of categorisation and interrogating datasets based on ICD-10-AM and complements existing methods.
Integrated proactive-reactive tool for dynamic scheduling of parallel machine operations
Authors: Bahroun Zied , Shamayleh Abdulrahim , As’ad Rami , Zakaria Rim
Published: November 2024

This study introduces an innovative scheduling tool for dynamic identical parallel machine environments, leveraging a non-preemptive overlapping load adjustment methodology. Central to this tool is a dual-phase proactive-reactive dynamic scheduling mechanism. Initially, in the proactive phase, the tool utilizes an earliest loading strategy to map out a range of viable scheduling alternatives, capitalizing on job slack times without cementing any schedules prematurely. This is followed by a reactive phase, wherein the tool dynamically adjusts to real-time disturbances via a user-controlled module, thereby crafting adaptable schedules while ensuring continuous feasibility. Enhanced by real-time graphical displays, the tool offers end-users a holistic view of the scheduling process and the implications of unexpected disruptions, aiding in informed decision-making. Extensive computational experiments encompassing 600 instances of varying sizes - small, medium, and large - underscore the tool’s efficiency. These experiments reveal the generation of a wide spectrum of scheduling alternatives, ranging on average from 1676 for small-sized instances to as many as 298,210 for large-sized ones. Notably, the average maximum completion time (Cmax) closely mirrors the results obtained from the Cplex optimizer, with an average deviation of merely 1.07%, 0.48%, and 12.23% for small, medium, and large instances, respectively. Moreover, despite the creation of up to 300,000 potential scheduling solutions for larger instances, the tool consistently yields a low average number of tardy jobs; 1.28, 1.87, and 2.07 for the respective problem sizes, which clearly highlights its effectiveness. The outcomes conclusively demonstrate the tool’s flexibility and efficiency, offering end-users a multitude of superior scheduling options in the presence of unforeseen disruptions that characterize today’s operating environment.
Continuous Glucose Monitoring–Derived Glycemic Phenotyping of Childhood Hypoglycemia due to Hyperinsulinism: A Year-long Prospective Nationwide Observational Study
Authors: Worth Chris , Auckburally Sameera , Worthington Sarah , Ahmad Sumera , O’Shea Elaine , Senniappan Senthil , Shaikh Guftar , Dastamani Antonia , Ferrara-Cook Christine , Betz Stephen , Salomon-Estebanez Maria , Banerjee Indraneel
Published: November 2024

Background:

The glycemic characterization of congenital hyperinsulinism (HI), a rare disease causing severe hypoglycemia in childhood, is incomplete. Continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) offers deep glycemic phenotyping to understand disease burden and individualize patient care. Typically, CGM has been restricted to severe HI only, with performance being described in short-term, retrospective studies. We have described CGM-derived phenotyping in a prospective, unselected national cohort providing comprehensive baseline information for future therapeutic trials.

Methods:

Glycemic frequency and trends, point accuracy, and patient experiences were drawn from a prospective, nationwide, observational study of unselected patients with persistent HI using the Dexcom G6 CGM device for 12 months as an additional monitoring tool alongside standard of care self- monitoring blood glucose (SMBG).

Findings:

Among 45 patients with HI, mean age was six years and 53% carried a genetic diagnosis. Data confirmed higher risk of early morning (03:00-07:00 h) hypoglycemia throughout the study period and demonstrated no longitudinal reduction in hypoglycemia with CGM use. Device accuracy was suboptimal; 17 500 glucose levels paired with SMBG demonstrated mean absolute relative difference (MARD) 25% and hypoglycemia detection of 40%. Patient/parent dissatisfaction with CGM was high; 50% of patients discontinued use, citing inaccuracy and pain. However, qualitative feedback was also positive and families reported improved understanding of glycemic patterns to inform changes in behavior to reduce hypoglycemia.

Interpretation:

This comprehensive study provides unbiased insights into glycemic frequency and long-term trends among patients with HI; such data are likely to influence and inform clinical priorities and future therapeutic trials.
Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction and Concomitant Focal Cartilage Lesions: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis of Prognosis after Surgical Treatment
Authors: Jevremovic Diko , Årøen Asbjørn , Thomas Owen Matthew Truscott , Berge Hilde Moseby , Khan Ahsan Ayub , Ulstein Svend
Published: November 2024

Objective

To synthesize available evidence on the impact of concomitant focal cartilage lesions and their surgical treatment on clinical outcomes in the setting of anterior cruciate ligament (ACL)-reconstruction at short (6-36 months) and midterm (3-8 years) follow-up.

Design

Original level 1 or 2 studies comparing any patient-reported or objective outcomes in ACL-reconstructed patients (1) with and without concomitant focal cartilage lesion(s) or (2) after any type of cartilage surgical treatment were considered for inclusion. Systematic searches were conducted in MEDLINE via Ovid, Cochrane Library, EMBASE via OvidSP, and Web of Science.

Results

In meta-analysis performed across 6 studies (n=8,789 patients), we discovered with very low certainty, the correlation of concomitant any-thickness cartilage lesions and worse Patient-Reported Outcome Measure scores (PROMS) at cumulative short to mid, (pooled standardized mean difference (psmd) = −0.36; 95% confidence interval (CI) –0.62 to −0.10), short (psmd = −0.43; 95% CI = −0.94 to 0.08), and midterm (psmd = −0.22; 95% CI –0.43 to 0.00). Full-thickness lesions predicted worse PROMS with moderate certainty at cumulative short-midterm (psmd = −0.32; 95% CI = −0.41 to −0.23) and low certainty at both short (psmd = −0.45; 95% CI –0.83 to −0.07) and midterm (psmd = −0.30; 95% CI –0.38 to −0.22). In 4 studies for each outcome, mixed results were reported on osteoarthritis (OA) and reoperation rates.

Conclusions

As the main finding, concomitant full-thickness cartilage lesions in ACL-reconstructed patients are a predictor of worse PROMS in the cumulative short to midterm. Correlations of any-thickness lesions or different cartilage treatments with short- or midterm PROMS, OA, or reoperation rates were either with very low certainty, unmeasured, or with mixed results.
Recognition of professional qualifications of third-country nationals in the European Union: A comment
Authors: McCormack-George Dáire
Published: November 2024

The regulation of the recognition of professional qualifications is an oft-overlooked and generally under-explored area of EU law. However, it is a vital facilitator of access to employment, particularly in respect of vulnerable groups such as third-country nationals. Since the 2015 European Migration Crisis, the recognition of professional qualifications of third-country nationals in the EU has attracted some significant political attention. This has recently culminated in two recommendations from the European Commission on people fleeing Russia's invasion of Ukraine and third-country nationals more generally, as well as the Commission's proposal for a regulation establishing an EU Talent Pool. This note describes and analyses the current legal position in EU law, the specific rules applicable to third-country nationals and these recent developments.
Intractable pain due to thoracic outlet syndrome successfully treated with percutaneous epidural adhesiolysis: A case report
Authors: Ishida Yusuke , Kobayashi Reon , Hara Eiko , Takaoka Haruka , Shintaku Mayo , Taketomi Asae , Mera Hitoshi , Oe Katsunori
Published: November 2024

Thoracic outlet syndrome (TOS) is characterized by intractable cervicobrachial pain caused by strangulation of the brachial plexus and subclavian artery by structures of the superior thoracic outlet. We describe percutaneous epidural adhesiolysis for refractory pain due to TOS. A man in his 40s had received nerve block therapy for right upper extremity pain of unknown origin for 5 years. Although imaging findings were negative for TOS, reproducible pain relieved by injection of a local anesthetic into the anterior scalene muscle suggested TOS due to compression by the muscle. Subsequently, since nerve block treatment had only temporary effect and the pain gradually worsened, right T1 epidural adhesiolysis was performed. Thereafter, the pain improved from a numerical rating scale score of 8-9/10 to 2-3/10, continuing for about 3 months. Epidural adhesiolysis was remarkably effective in treating intractable pain caused by TOS due to strangulation of the brachial plexus by the anterior scalene muscle.
Exploring the opportunities of large language models for summarizing palliative care consultations: A pilot comparative study
Authors: Chen Xiao , Zhou Wei , Hoda Rashina , Li Andy , Bain Chris , Poon Peter
Published: November 2024

Introduction

Recent developments in the field of large language models have showcased impressive achievements in their ability to perform natural language processing tasks, opening up possibilities for use in critical domains like telehealth. We conducted a pilot study on the opportunities of utilizing large language models, specifically GPT-3.5, GPT-4, and LLaMA 2, in the context of zero-shot summarization of doctor–patient conversation during a palliative care teleconsultation.

Methods

We created a bespoke doctor–patient conversation to evaluate the quality of medical conversation summarization, employing established automatic metrics such as BLEU, ROUGE-L, METEOR, and BERTScore for quality assessment, and using the Flesch-Kincaid grade Level for readability to understand the efficacy and suitability of these models in the medical domain.

Results

For automatic metrics, LLaMA2-7B scored the highest in BLEU, indicating strong n-gram precision, while GPT-4 excelled in both ROUGE-L and METEOR, demonstrating its capability to capture longer sequences and semantic accuracy. GPT-4 also led in BERTScore, suggesting better semantic similarity at the token level compared to others. For readability, LLaMA 7B and LLaMA 13B produced summaries with Flesch-Kincaid grade levels of 11.9 and 12.6, respectively, which are somewhat more complex than the reference value of 10.6. LLaMA 70B generated summaries closest to the reference in simplicity, with a score of 10.7. GPT-3.5’s summaries were the most complex at a grade level of 15.2, while GPT-4’s summaries had a grade level of 13.1, making them moderately accessible.

Conclusion

Our findings indicate that all the models have similar performance for the palliative care consultation, with GPT-4 being slightly better at balancing understanding content and maintaining structural similarity to the source, which makes it a potentially better choice for creating patient-friendly medical summaries. Threats and limitations of such approaches are also embedded in our analysis.
Exploring Family Resilience: Experience of Chinese Families During COVID-19 Lockdown
Authors: Shi Yan , Lau Raymond , Leung Ho Hon
Published: November 2024

Informed by the family resilience theories, the purpose of this paper is to examine the resilience of family during COVID-19 lockdown crisis in Nanjing, China. In particular, the challenges these families face, the coping strategies they use, the roles of each member plays, and the resources they have are analyzed within the framework of the theories. The interviewed families were recruited with non-probability purposive and snowball sampling strategies in a gated community in Nanjing. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted to all the family members, except those under 18, in a total of 11 families. The study finds that the fluid and dynamic family structures embedded in deeply-rooted kinship system and subsystem in everyday practice are useful and effective resources to help family members develop resilience against COVID-19 crisis. This paper advocates that more comparisons of cross-culture, cross-social categories and social status in different cities and countries can be further conducted to explore the particularity of how families develop their own family resilience to deal with the COVID-19 and/or other crises.
Unpacking the Paradoxical Impact of Ethical Leadership on Employees’ Unethical Pro-Organizational Behavior: The Interplay of Employees’ Psychological Capital and Moral Identity
Authors: Ahmed Mushtaq , Khan Muhammad Ishfaq
Published: November 2024

Despite the widely recognized positive nature of ethical leadership, recent studies have reported inconsistent findings in the link between ethical leadership and employees’ behavior. Drawing on the social cognitive theory, this study seeks to address this gap by investigating the paradoxical influence of ethical leadership on unethical pro-organizational behavior among employees. Additionally, the study aims to explore the mediating mechanism of employees’ psychological capital and the moderating effect of moral identity. Three time intervals data were collected from nursing professional from public and private hospitals in Pakistan. The data were evaluated employing PLS SEM. Interestingly, the findings contradict the hypothesis and demonstrate a positive link between ethical leadership and unethical pro-organizational behavior among employees. Moreover, the relationship is mediated by employees’ psychological capital. Furthermore, employees’ moral identity moderates this relationship. These findings furnish important insights into the paradoxical impact of ethical leadership within organizations and challenge its universal perception of positive leadership style having significant theoretical and practical implications.
Can Empowering Leadership Increase New Product Development Performance in China: The Destructive Role of Error Aversion Culture
Authors: Zhou Jianming , He Ping , Zhu Siqi , Yin Lingyun
Published: November 2024

Empowering leadership has been widely recognized as an effective approach to enhancing new product development performance in Western countries. However, it was not so prevalent in Chinese R&D team management. This study reported here examined the relationship between empowering leadership and new product development performance (i.e., new product creativity, and new product development speed) by focusing on the mediating effect of job autonomy, direct and moderating effects of error aversion culture to find out the reasons. Data collected from a two-wave survey involving 107 superiors and 387 subordinates in 107 R&D teams in China was used to conduct analysis of hierarchical multiple regression. The results revealed two key findings. Firstly, empowering leadership was found to have no significant association with new product development speed which was the primary performance target for Chinese R&D teams. Secondly, while empowering leadership was positively associated with new product creativity when mediated by job autonomy, the widespread presence of an error aversion culture in China significantly reduced job autonomy within R&D teams and negatively moderated the relationship between empowering leadership and job autonomy. Consequently, empowering leadership had no impact on new product creativity when error aversion culture was high. The implications of these findings were discussed in the context of Chinese R&D teams, aiming to highlight potential avenues for improving new product development performance through leadership interventions.
Impact of Multilingual Packaging on Tourism Products of Competence and Warmth: From the Monolingual, Bilingual and Trilingual Perspectives
Authors: Yi Kui , Wu Yingqi , Liu Yiying , Li Xi
Published: November 2024

In the post-pandemic era, a growing emphasis on elevating the quality of tourism consumption has been observed. This study explores how different language portfolios on product packaging can influence tourists’ perceptions and purchase intentions to promote sustainable consumption. Previous studies on tourism product strategies often addressed national identity, power perception, and stereotypes, but overlooked the fundamental role of multilingual packaging strategies for enterprises and tourists. This study focuses on sake, which combines cultural and natural attributes, as its experimental object. Sub-studies 1, 2, and 3 empirically analyzed how perceptions of competence and warmth are affected by monolingual, bilingual, and trilingual properties of language packaging, respectively, and their impact on tourists’ purchase intentions. The findings suggest that monolingual and bilingual packaging enhances tourists’ competence perception, while trilingual packaging enhances tourists’ warmth perception, thereby stimulating tourists’ positive purchase intentions. Additionally, cultural identity significantly moderates the effectiveness of multilingual packaging strategies. Understanding these dynamics can help tourism enterprises design more effective promotional activities and packaging language strategies for tourists’ preferences. It can also enhance the post-pandemic tourism industry.
Visualizing the Knowledge Domain of Academic Discourse Studies at the Beginning of 21st Century: A Bibliometric Analysis
Authors: Jiang Jiaxing , Zhang Jingyuan
Published: November 2024

Scholars across diverse disciplines have dedicated attention to academic discourse study (ADS), with a particular focus on the development of specific topics. However, the important research topics, methods, and divergent viewpoints within ADS remain unclear. This study adopts a bibliometric approach to systematically synthesize ADS from a disciplinary perspective, offering a comprehensive overview of relevant data over the past two decades. Using CiteSpace, the study analyzes 2,024 published articles and reviews from the Web of Science, focusing on co-citation analysis through clusters, terms, and keywords. Findings reveal that ADS encompasses a wide array of topics spanning linguistics, education, and publication practices. Researchers in ADS tend to favor employ quantitative methods for exploring the use of particular linguistic resources. However, theoretical discussions of ADS appear inadequate. Future developments in ADS may lean towards quantitative methodology and topic-driven investigations for a certain period, emphasizing the necessity for more robust theoretical inquiries.
Disentangle the Elderly’s Positive Coping Behavior in Times of COVID-19: Perspectives from the Social Network, Information Acquisition, and Perceived Community Support
Authors: Peng Chuanyu , Hu Hangyu , Yuan Guoping , Chen Junpeng , Mao Yanhui
Published: November 2024

Given the severe impact of the global COVID-19 pandemic, there is an urgent need for scientific research on strategies to help vulnerable populations, such as the elderly, cope effectively. Drawing upon the weak ties theory and information literacy, this study started with preliminary interviews to explore potential factors influencing the positive coping behavior of a group of elderly Chinese individuals. It further disentangled the impact of social networks (including network size, network strength, and network heterogeneity) and information acquisition on the elderly’s positive coping behavior during the COVID-19 pandemic and elucidated their underlying mechanisms. The hypotheses were tested by surveying 916 individuals aged 60 to 96 in southwest China. Structural equation modeling analysis conducted using AMOS (24.0) revealed that social network (network strength and heterogeneity) and information acquisition were directly associated with positive coping behavior, respectively. Perceived community support mediated such associations. Findings enrich the theoretical literature and provide new perspectives on how to help the elderly cope with health crises by enhancing social network, information acquisition, and perceived community support.
Couples’ Money Arrangements in Germany: Visualizing Cohort, Age Group, and Partnership Type Variations
Authors: Raab Marcel , Schulz Florian
Published: November 2024

This visualization illustrates patterns of income pooling among German couples using longitudinal data from the German Family Panel (pairfam), examining variations across cohorts born in the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s and among different partnership types. The findings reveal that marriage is much more strongly associated with income pooling than cohabitation or living-apart-together arrangements. A generational shift is evident: Younger cohorts are less likely to pool finances, even within marriage. The visualization suggests increasing financial independence in intimate relationships over cohorts, reflecting broader societal shifts toward individualism.
Stroke thrombectomy in the elderly: A propensity score matched study on a nationwide real-world registry
Authors: Romoli Michele , Migliaccio Ludovica , Saia Valentina , Pracucci Giovanni , Cirillo Luigi , Forlivesi Stefano , Romano Daniele , Casetta Ilaria , Fainardi Enrico , Sallustio Fabrizio , Limbucci Nicola , Nencini Patrizia , Da Ros Valerio , Diomedi Marina , Vallone Stefano , Bigliardi Guido , Vinci Sergio Lucio , La Spina Paolino , Bergui Mauro , Cerrato Paolo , Bracco Sandra , Tassi Rossana , Saletti Andrea , Azzini Cristiano , Ruggiero Maria , Castellan Lucio , Benzi Markushi Tiziana , Menozzi Roberto , Pezzini Alessandro , Lazzarotti Guido Andrea , Giannini Nicola , Castellano Davide , Naldi Andrea , Comai Alessio , Dall’Ora Elisa , Plebani Mauro , Cappellari Manuel , Frauenfelder Giulia , Puglielli Edoardo , Casalena Alfonsina , Burdi Nicola , Boero Giovanni , Nappini Sergio , Loizzo Nicola Davide , Cavasin Nicola , Critelli Adriana , Ivaldi Diego , Tassinari Tiziana , Biraschi Francesco , Nicolini Ettore , Zimatore Sergio , Petruzzellis Marco , Filauri Pietro , Orlandi Berardino , Gallesio Ivan , Ferrandi Delfina , Pavia Marco , Invernizzi Paolo , Amistá Pietro , Russo Monia , Paladini Adriana , Rizzo Annalisa , Besana Michele , Giossi Alessia , Filizzolo Marco , Mannino Marina , Mangiafico Salvatore , Toni Danilo , Zini Andrea
Published: November 2024

Introduction:

Data on safety and efficacy of endovascular thrombectomy (EVT) for acute ischemic stroke in older patients are limited and controversial, and people aged 80 or older were under-represented in randomized trials. Our aim was to assess EVT effect for ischemic stroke patients aged ⩾80 at a nationwide level.

Patients and methods:

The cohort included stroke patients undergoing EVT from the Italian Registry of Endovascular Treatment in Acute Stroke (IRETAS). Patients were a priori divided into younger and older groups (<80 vs ⩾80). Primary outcome was good functional outcome (modified Rankin scale, mRS, 0–2 at 90 days). Secondary outcomes were symptomatic intracranial hemorrhage (sICH), successful reperfusion, EVT abortion. Propensity score matching (PSM) was performed between age groups for baseline features, functional status, stroke severity and neuroradiological features. Logistic regression was implemented to test the weight of age group on the predefined outcomes.

Results:

Overall, 5872 individuals (1:1 matching, n = 2936 aged ⩾80 vs n = 2936 < 80) were matched from 13,922 records. In ⩾80 group 34.1% had good functional outcome, vs 51.2% in <80 group (absolute difference = −17.1%, p < 0.001), with a 4.4% excess in EVT abortion. Age ⩾80 was a negative independent predictor of good functional outcome (aOR = 0.4, 95% CI = 0.3–0.5), but had no impact on sICH.

Discussion and conclusion:

Age ⩾80 years represents a consistent predictor of worse functional outcome, independently from successful reperfusion and sICH. Cost-effectiveness studies are needed for tailored and implement sustainable care, and research should focus on strategies to improve functional outcome in older age patient groups.
American Foregut Society White Paper on the Endoscopic Assessment of the Gastroesophageal Valve after Anti-Reflux Surgery
Authors: Nguyen Ninh T. , Bell Reginald , Abu Dayyeh Barham , Chang Kenneth , Lipham John , Buckley Francis Paul , Hinojosa Marcelo W. , Brunaldi Vitor , Dunst Christy M. , Mittal Ravinder K. , Oelschlager Brant K. , Houghton Caitlin , Schnoll-Sussman Felice , Kahrilas Peter J.
Published: November 2024

Background:

Pathologic reflux is a common debilitating digestive condition and anti-reflux surgery is an effective treatment option. Depending on the specifics of the procedure, anti-reflux surgery leads to distinct changes in the endoscopic appearance of the esophagogastric junction (EGJ). This American Foregut Society (AFS) white paper develops nomenclature for describing the endoscopic characteristics of the EGJ after commonly performed laparoscopic antireflux operations.

Methods:

The AFS Anti-Reflux Barrier Collaborative analyzed the anatomic manipulation and corresponding endoscopic appearance of the EGJ after commonly performed anti-reflux surgery including: (1) 360° anterior/posterior (AP) fundoplication (Nissen); (2) posterior partial fundoplication (Toupet); (3) anterior partial fundoplication (Watson, Dor); (4) magnetic sphincter augmentation; and (5) concomitant hiatal hernia repair with transoral fundoplication (cTIF).

Results:

Characteristics common to the anti-reflux surgery procedures include restoration of intra-abdominal esophageal length and crural diaphragm repair such that the hiatal aperture is no longer visible in the retroflexed endoscopic view. With regard to the geometry of anti-reflux procedures, the Collaborative established that when evaluated endoscopically in retroflection, the surgically constructed valve should be described in reference to the angle of His and the extent of anatomic change described in terms of (1) the depth of the anterior and posterior grooves, (2) the apposition of the valve collar to the endoscope, (3) the length of the valve, and (4) the position of the squamocolumnar junction relative to the lip of the valve.

Conclusions:

Current anti-reflux operations share much in common but employ varying degrees of valvular reconstruction leading to distinct endoscopic characteristics. Developing a consistent nomenclature for describing the appearance of the post-surgical valve is essential to develop a better understanding of how variables such as the tightness of the hiatal repair, tightness of the valve collar, and length of the valve can impact the outcome of anti-reflux surgery and predict reflux recurrence.