bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Grandparent Caregiver Wellbeing: A Strengths-Based Approach Utilizing the Positive Emotions, Engagement, Relationships, Meaning, and Accomplishment (PERMA) Framework
Authors: Stephan Abigail T.
Published: December 2021

Grandparent caregivers experience a complex web of rewards and challenges as the primary source of support for their grandchildren. Consistent with the trend towards a more positive framing of grandparent caregiving, this paper explores the grandparent caregiver experience through a strengths-based approach and makes the case for Seligman's Wellbeing Theory, or PERMA model, being used to support research, programming, and policy. A scoping review of 16 current empirical articles relevant to grandparent caregiver wellbeing revealed the experience of grandparent caregivers aligns well with the five components of Seligman’s PERMA model: positive emotions, engagement, relationships, meaning, and accomplishment. Using this framework with grandparent caregivers, both in theory and in practice, can provide relevant stakeholders with a more comprehensive picture of the needs of this population, enabling them to more effectively support wellbeing for grandparent caregivers and positive developmental outcomes for the growing number of children in their care.
Difficulties Imposed on the Parent–Child Relationship Due to the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: Grigoropoulos Iraklis
Published: December 2021

The present study tested whether emotionally burdened parents due to the COVID-19 pandemic might appraise their relationship with their children more negatively. The current cross-sectional study was circulated through social media. A total of 265 respondents took part in the study. Multiple linear regression analysis was used to examine the association between predictor variables and the parent–child relationship. This study’s results report that older fathers with higher levels of COVID-19 related fear are more likely to appraise negatively their relationship with their children. Therefore, this study suggests the need for family-level strategies to address better the psychological aspects related to the pandemic outbreak.
Learning, translating, and applying the perceive, recall, plan, perform system of task analysis assessment to practice: Occupational therapists’ experiences
Authors: Burrows Wendy , Hocking Clare , Chapparo Christine
Published: December 2021

Introduction

This study explored occupational therapists’ experiences of embedding the Perceive, Recall, Plan, Perform System of Task Analysis (PRPP) assessment in practice and gained understandings of the clinical utility.

Methods

Qualitative interpretive description research using data from semi-structured interviews with 11 New Zealand registered occupational therapists and a focus group with two Māori occupational therapists. Thematic data analysis was used to develop themes.

Results

Five themes emerged: Resonating with practice as it should be, Translating to practice, Communicating assessment findings using an occupational performance focus on cognition, Validating the practice fit and Cultural application. Participants described the PRPP assessment as a flexible tool, which was applied in different ways in varied practice settings, with clients performing a range of culturally specific occupations. Embedding the assessment in practice was an involved process that challenged many participants’ existing assessment procedures and included managing team expectations to perform cognitive-based assessments.

Conclusions

The PRPP assessment added value to occupational therapists’ practice. Effective implementation of the assessment required a secure occupation-focused perspective and client-centred culturally responsive communication skills. Commitment was needed to both adopt a new assessment process and to communicate occupation-based assessment results. Participants connected as social learners to address practice challenges post-training.
Labour, Efficiency, Critique: writing the plantation into the technological present-future
Authors: Ouma Stefan , Premchander Saumya
Published: December 2021

In this commentary, we call upon critical labour scholars, including labour geographers, to feature what sociologist Palmer called the ‘thrust of efficiency’ more centrally in their work. We put forth that the push for efficiency, as made possible by digital technology, needs to be analysed in terms of its historical lineage as well as in terms of its geographical scope. Centreing efficiency in critical labour studies, necessitates three scholarly moves. These are particularly relevant for labour geography, a field that has so far tended to circumvent questions of coloniality/labour, digital Taylorism, and the politics of (re-)writing economic geographies, in by-passing the literatures that deal with them. The plantation, an analytical category and ontic reality that stretches across several yet often unconnected bodies of literature – literary studies, Black Geographies, Caribbean studies, and the Black Radical Tradition, as well as in Global History – is central to our effort. Eventually, writing the plantation into the technological present-future can be the starting point for a larger and historico-geographically informed critique, in economic geography and beyond, of efficiency, a mode of thinking-cum-praxis based on input–output calculations, objectifying practices, violent value extraction and the removal of undesired ‘social frictions’ for the sake of capital accumulation.
Value-Engineering Methodology for the Selection of an Optimal Bridge System
Authors: Mousa Ahmad A. , Hussein Mohab , Kineber Ahmed Farouk
Published: December 2021

Maintaining and enhancing the functionality of the infrastructure at an affordable cost are major challenges for decision makers, particularly given the need to cope with growing societal and transportation demands. This study introduces a systematic multi-criteria value engineering (VE) approach for the selection of a sustainable bridge system. A thorough VE analysis for a proposed long-span bridge in New Jersey, USA was carried out as a pilot study. The function analysis system technique was used to develop logical relationships between the project’s functions. A detailed 100-year life-cycle cost analysis (LCCA) was conducted. The study developed and evaluated eight alternative designs for deck and superstructure systems against set VE criteria comprising constructability, maintenance strategies, and environmental impact. A relative value index was used as an unbiased measure for the selection of the optimal structural system. With total savings of approximately 21% of the original design ($132.5 million), steel plate girders with a high-performance lightweight steel grid deck system have proven to “outvalue” the other alternatives, including the preferred preliminary alternative (PPA). Design engineers and decision makers can use this methodology as a systematic and convenient guide for the selection of economical and sustainable bridge systems. As such, it is necessary to re-evaluate the current practices and policies used for this purpose.
Safety Evaluation of Pedestrian Countdown Signals: Definitive Results from Two Cities in the United States
Authors: Srinivasan Raghavan , Lan Bo , Carter Daniel , Smith Sarah , Persaud Bhagwant , Signor Kari , Saleem Taha
Published: December 2021

The pedestrian countdown signals (PCS) treatment involves the display of a numerical countdown that shows how many seconds are left in the flashing DON’T WALK interval. Although many studies have attempted to evaluate the safety of PCS, the results have been inconsistent for many reasons, including inadequate sample size and the inability to control for possible bias from regression to the mean and from exposure. This study performed a before-after empirical Bayes analysis using data from 115 treated intersections in Charlotte, North Carolina and 218 treated intersections in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to evaluate the safety effects of PCS. The evaluation also included 136 reference intersections in Charlotte, and 597 reference intersections in Philadelphia. Following the implementation of PCS, total crashes decreased by approximately 8% and rear-end crashes decreased by approximately 12%, and these reductions were statistically significant at the 95% confidence level. Pedestrian crashes decreased by about 9% and this reduction was statistically significant at the 90% confidence level. Economic analysis revealed a benefit-cost ratio of 23 with a low of 13 and a high of 32.
Developing a Theory of Program Vision as Professional Socialization in Special Education Teacher Preparation
Authors: Mathews Hannah Morris
Published: December 2021

In general education, researchers find candidates’ pre-service experiences are a tool for socialization into the knowledge, norms, and values of the profession. An important aspect of this process is program vision—the collective understanding of teaching put forth by a preparation program. Yet, few investigations in special education examine program vision. Using interviews with candidates across six teacher preparation programs, the author generates theory to understand the role of vision in special education teacher candidates’ professional socialization and how experiences of program vision are associated with their conceptions of their future roles and responsibilities. Candidates’ conception of special educators’ roles reflected three characterizations consistent within, but distinct across programs: Direct Instructor, Supportive Differentiator, and General Responder. Each profile was associated with unique roles and responsibilities for special educators. Findings draw attention to the importance of examining vision as a tool for professional socialization in special education teacher preparation.
Advancing a Three-Tier Personality Framework for Posttraumatic Growth
Authors: Weststrate Nic M. , Jayawickreme Eranda , Wrzus Cornelia
Published: December 2021

Adversity has been assumed to foster positive personality change under certain conditions. In this article, we examine this assumption within the context of the three-tier personality framework integrating traits, characteristic adaptations, and narrative identity to provide a comprehensive understanding of personality growth. We first review findings on how adverse events affect personality on each of these three levels. Second, we summarize knowledge on event-based and person-based predictors of personality change in the face of adversity. Third, we specify affective, behavioral, and cognitive processes that explain personality change across levels of personality. Innovatively, our proposed process model addresses change at all three levels of personality, as well as similarities and differences in processes across the levels. We conclude by discussing unresolved issues, asking critical questions, and posing challenging hypotheses for testing this framework.
Digital Socialligators? Social Media-Induced Perceived Support During the Transition to the COVID-19 Lockdown
Authors: Sitar-Taut Dan-Andrei , Mican Daniel , Frömbling Lena , Sarstedt Marko
Published: December 2021

The sudden COVID-19-induced transition from a physical university life to a virtual one was a painful one for many students. Social distancing measures mean more than a simple change from face-to-face to online education. This study investigates how different social aspects, such as the students’ psychological sense of community, social capital, and use of social media, facilitated the perceived social support during the transition to the COVID-19 lockdown. Our results not only underline social media’s role, but also indicate that the perceived social support, as well as the bonding and bridging social capital, were particularly relevant during the transition process. Our findings are aimed at organizational management by recommending actionable ways in which they could improve social support by organizing computer-supported social networks, social support predictors, and specialized interventions for students with less perceived social support. As such, the study provides unique insights into the COVID-19-induced lockdown situation among students, while offering a transition model that also generalizes to other settings.
Effect of novel continuous friction model on nonlinear dynamics of the mechanisms with clearance joint
Authors: Javanfar Amirhosein , Bamdad Mahdi
Published: December 2021

A general methodology for the dynamic modelling and analysis of planar multi-body systems with a continuous friction model in joint clearance is presented. Joint clearance is the critical factor that influences the dynamic response and the performance of mechanisms for high-speed application. In light of recent developments in the joint clearance studies, the number of contact force models has been introduced with ignoring friction continuity. The selection of an appropriate continuous friction model is still challenging and essential, which requires further development. Therefore, a perfect continuous friction model, including the Stribeck effect, static, dynamic and viscous friction terms, is proposed and validated. Investigating the dynamic modelling and analysis of double rocker four-bar linkage mechanisms with frictional revolute clearance joints is presented to investigate friction models' effect when surfaces collide with a non-zero tangential velocity. Unlike the smooth crank input mechanism, a double rocker four-bar linkage mechanism is analysed as a challenging problem in the impact mode. Resolving this concern, the novel friction model avoids discontinuity at zero velocity considering the accurate static friction zone. The results reveal that the novel friction model, compared with the piecewise friction model, is more effective in reflecting the mechanical systems' dynamic behaviour. In order to grasp the nonlinear characteristics of the high-speed four-bar linkage mechanism with our model in joint clearance, the Poincaré portrait, and Fast Fourier transformation plot are employed. It is proved that chaos exists in the dynamic response with the influence of the restitution coefficients and kinetic coefficient of friction.
Cash and accrual: A dual system of accountability for salient stakeholders by the first Italian higher school of commerce
Authors: Agostini Marisa , Sostero Ugo
Published: December 2021

This study considers the accountability practices implemented in the first schools of commerce to effectively communicate with stakeholders. Specifically, it analyses the initial system of accountability implemented by the first Italian higher school of commerce in the nineteenth century, with a particular focus on the use of cash and accrual methods. The microhistorical analysis draws on accountability and stakeholder theories and uses both primary and secondary information sources to investigate the original, hybrid approach adopted by the school, focusing on its dual accountability system. The results section explains the involvement of the government in establishing and recognising the school as a strategic asset for the entire kingdom, contradicting criticisms present in the extant literature; we also examine the innovative accountability process implemented by the school to satisfy the reporting needs of its salient stakeholders. The school was able to apply its accountability competences to implement a dual system, preserving its priorities as based on the relationships between its stakeholders’ needs (the old accountability system), educational skills (teaching the new accountability system) and the wider (national) implications resulting in an improvement of the entire accountability system.
Factors Affecting the Quality of Bowel Preparation Before Colonoscopy in Outpatient: A Prospective Observational Study
Authors: Jun-li Shi , Lei Wang , Chun-ying Ying , Xin-zi Fu , Bing-qing Li
Published: December 2021

Colonoscopy is an effective method for screening colorectal cancer and adenoma, but the adenoma detection rate depends on the quality of bowel preparation. Our study investigates the influencing factors of the quality of bowel preparation before colonoscopy in outpatients and the influence of the number of walking steps on the quality of bowel preparation. We prospectively collected the clinical data of 150 outpatients undergoing colonoscopy in our department in 2019. Ordinal logistic regression shows that the overweight, not drinking, the number of walking steps before colonoscopy, and the time interval between start PEG and colonoscopy (4–6 hours) were independent factors affecting bowel preparation quality. There was a curving relationship between the reciprocal of Ottawa score and the number of walking steps before colonoscopy, and the regression equation is 1/ Ottawa score = −0.198 + 0.062 × ln steps ( p = .035), a minimum of 5,270 walking steps before a colonoscopy is required for a high quality of bowel preparation.
Cryptococcal Prostatitis Forming Caseous and Suppurative Granulomas Diagnosed by Needle Biopsy: A Case Report
Authors: Takada-Owada Atsuko , Fuchizawa Hirotaka , Kijima Toshiki , Ishikawa Mihoko , Takaoka Mina , Nozawa Yumi , Nakazato Yoshimasa , Kamai Takao , Ishida Kazuyuki
Published: December 2021

Cryptococcal granulomatous prostatitis is extremely rare, and there have been few reports of its diagnosis by prostate needle biopsy. The patient, an 81–year–old man, was receiving immunosuppressive treatment for rheumatoid arthritis. He had an oropharyngeal ulcer, and it was diagnosed alongside a methotrexate-related diffuse large B-cell lymphoma. A systemic imaging examination revealed a prostatic tumor-like mass clinically suspected to be prostatic cancer, and a needle biopsy was performed. The biopsy specimen showed various types of inflammatory cell infiltration, and suppurative granuloma and caseous granuloma were observed. Both granulomas showed multiple round and oval organisms that were revealed with Grocott methenamine silver staining. Acid–fast bacilli were not detected by Ziehl–Neelsen staining. We histologically diagnosed granulomatous prostatitis caused by Cryptococcus infection. Caseous granulomas often develop in the prostate after bacillus Calmette–Guerin immunotherapy for bladder cancer, although the possibility of cryptococcal granulomatous prostatitis should also be considered.
Malignant Transformation of Metaplastic Thymoma into High-Grade Sarcomatoid Carcinoma: A Case Report
Authors: Piao Zheng Hua , Chen Jin Ping , Chen Hai Ren , Zhou Xin Cheng
Published: December 2021

The correlation of histogenesis between metaplastic thymoma and thymic sarcomatoid carcinoma is unclear. We report a case of metaplastic thymoma transformed into high-grade sarcomatoid carcinoma. A 64  ×  54  ×  32 mm anterior mediastinal mass in a 61-year-old woman microscopically consisted mainly of classic metaplastic thymoma, with the center dominated by high-grade sarcomatoid carcinoma. In some areas, both epithelial and spindle cell components of the metaplastic thymoma showed increased cellular atypia, mitotic activity, and focal necrosis and gradually transformed into the polygonal/pleomorphic and spindle cell components of sarcomatoid carcinoma. Immunohistochemically, the characteristics of the polygonal/pleomorphic sarcomatoid cells were similar to those of the epithelial component of metaplastic thymoma, while the spindle sarcomatoid cells were more similar to the spindle cells component of metaplastic thymoma. The Ki-67 index was less than 5% in the metaplastic thymoma areas but up to 70% in the sarcomatoid carcinoma area. Radical operation and postoperative radiotherapy were performed. Multifocal relapses at the pleura occurred 13 months after surgery.
Screening for Perinatal OCD: A Comparison of the DOCS and the EPDS
Authors: Fairbrother Nichole , Albert Arianne , Keeney Cora , Tchir Devan , Cameron Rose B.
Published: December 2021

Screening for perinatal-occurring obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) is rare. We sought to evaluate the Dimensional Obsessive-Compulsive Scale (DOCS) as a screening tool for perinatal OCD and compare the screening accuracy of the DOCS with the commonly recommended Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS). English-speaking, pregnant individuals aged 19+ ( N = 574) completed online questionnaires and diagnostic interviews to assess for OCD prenatally and twice postpartum. The DOCS total score demonstrated the highest level of accuracy. Neither the EPDS-Full nor the three-item Anxiety subscale of the EPDS (EPDS-3A) met the criteria of a sufficiently accurate screening tool for OCD at any of the assessment points. Findings provide support for the DOCS as a screening tool for perinatal OCD and indicate a need for disorder-specific screening for perinatal anxiety and their related disorders (AD). Generalizability of findings is limited to Canada only. Future research would benefit from comparisons with measures of perinatal OCD (e.g., the Perinatal Obsessive-Compulsive Scale).
Development and Validation of a Smartphone-Based App for the Longitudinal Assessment of Anxiety in Daily Life
Authors: Fortea Lydia , Tortella-Feliu Miquel , Juaneda-Seguí Asier , De la Peña-Arteaga Víctor , Chavarría-Elizondo Pamela , Prat-Torres Laia , Soriano-Mas Carles , Lane Sean P. , Radua Joaquim , Fullana Miquel A.
Published: December 2021

Current methods to assess human anxiety often ignore that anxiety is a dynamic process and have limitations such as high recall bias and low generalizability to real life. Smartphone apps using ecological momentary assessment (EMA) may overcome such limitations. We developed a smartphone app for the longitudinal evaluation of anxiety symptoms using EMA. We assessed the feasibility (retention and compliance) and psychometric properties (reliability and validity) of the app over 6 months in a sample of 99 participants with different levels of anxiety. The EMA-based smartphone app was highly feasible. It showed excellent within-person and between-person reliability, high convergent and moderate discriminant validity, and significant incremental validity. Assessing anxiety longitudinally using a smartphone and following EMA principles is feasible and can be reliable and valid. Studies combining EMA-based anxiety longitudinal assessments with other assessment methods deserve further research and may offer novel insights into human anxiety.
Agency and Identity in the Collective Self
Authors: Shteynberg Garriy , Hirsh Jacob B. , Garthoff Jon , Bentley R. Alexander
Published: December 2021

Contemporary research on human sociality is heavily influenced by the social identity approach, positioning social categorization as the primary mechanism governing social life. Building on the distinction between agency and identity in the individual self (“I” vs. “Me”), we emphasize the analogous importance of distinguishing collective agency from collective identity (“We” vs. “Us”). While collective identity is anchored in the unique characteristics of group members, collective agency involves the adoption of a shared subjectivity that is directed toward some object of our attention, desire, emotion, belief, or action. These distinct components of the collective self are differentiated in terms of their mental representations, neurocognitive underpinnings, conditions of emergence, mechanisms of social convergence, and functional consequences. Overall, we show that collective agency provides a useful complement to the social categorization approach, with unique implications for multiple domains of human social life, including collective action, responsibility, dignity, violence, dominance, ritual, and morality.
Hunting in a Hostile Climate?: Hegemonic Masculinity and Emphasized Femininity on a Hunting Message Board
Authors: Lindemann Danielle J. , Doggett Anna , Getsis Sharon
Published: December 2021

Based on prior research about other male-dominated leisure pursuits, we might expect game hunting to present a hostile climate for its women participants. However, our qualitative analysis of 293 threads posted between 2005 and 2019 on an online hunting message board suggests that women were welcomed within the pastime. While they did not overtly exclude women from their ranks, however, posters curated the boundary between masculinity and femininity, as well as staking out the territory of emphasized femininity. They accomplished this via benevolent sexism, hostile sexism, and sexual objectification. Our findings not only shed additional light on the gendered dynamics of this pastime but also enriched our knowledge of the ways that hegemonic masculinity and emphasized femininity can work in tandem—within male-dominated recreational activities, and more broadly.
Effects of temperature and thermal cycles on the mechanical properties of expanded polystyrene foam
Authors: Tahir Muhammad Naeem , Hamed Ehab
Published: December 2021

Understanding the effects of high temperature and thermal cycles on the mechanical properties of expanded polystyrene (EPS) foam is critical for its use in sandwich panels. This paper presents an experimental investigation of these effects in typical environmental conditions that exist in construction applications. A total of 117 small specimens were cut from metal-faced sandwich panels with EPS core and were exposed to different numbers of thermal cycles and/or sustained high temperatures. The specimens were then loaded under compression, tension, and four-point bending for evaluating the degradation of the mechanical properties of the foam. The thermal cycles reflect typical surface temperature during daily summer conditions, with a period of 24 h each and with a temperature varying between 24°C to 80°C. The results show that the modulus of elasticity of EPS foam in compression reduced by about 38% after exposure to thermal cycles for 45 days, whereas the tensile and shear moduli reduced by about 5.7% and 13.8%, respectively. Exposure to sustained high temperature after thermal cycles led to larger degradation of the elastic and shear moduli in the range of 38%–50%. These degradations can lead to early failures in applications that rely on the EPS foam as a structural component like in insulating sandwich panels.
Memory Surrounding a Mausoleum: Transforming Spain’s Valley of the Fallen Into a Site of Conscience
Authors: Goldberger Tyler J.
Published: December 2021

Francisco Franco announced the construction of the Valley of the Fallen in 1940, a year following the end of the Spanish Civil War, and incorporated overt iconography that honored the struggle of Nationalists without memorializing the Republican victims during this war. This memorial distinguished the names of two fascist leaders, Jose Antonio Primo de Rivera and Franco, buried in the center of the basilica in 1959 and 1975, respectively. However, this site, as of June 2021, has failed to acknowledge the over 33,000 victims, both Nationalists and Republicans, interred in this site, many of whom remain unidentified. The signification of the Valley of the Fallen has transformed since the turn of the 21st century due to recent memory practices that increasingly commemorate Republican victims of the Spanish Civil War. This article illustrates how the persistence of memory and counter-memory practices have shifted the meaning of the Valley of the Fallen, creating a site of conscience through changes affecting place and space, particularly in light of Franco’s legacy.
Effects of third-language learning on inhibitory control with consideration of task complexity and language proficiency
Authors: Ma Dongmei , Wang Xinyue , Gao Xuefei
Published: December 2021

Aims and Objectives:

The present study explores the question of whether learning a third language (L3) in an English as a foreign language (EFL) classroom setting induces improved inhibitory control compared with that found in bilinguals, considering task complexity and language proficiency.

Methodology:

Thirty-six Chinese–English second language (L2) young adult learners and 121 Chinese–English–Japanese/French/Russian/German L3 young adult learners with three levels of L3 proficiency participated in the study. Simon arrow tasks were employed to measure two types of inhibitory control: response inhibition (the less complex task with univalent stimuli) and interference suppression (the more complex task with bivalent stimuli).

Data and Analysis:

Statistics using ANOVAs and multiple comparisons were employed to analyze the effects of L3 learning on the reaction time and accuracy for response inhibition and interference suppression, respectively.

Findings:

The results demonstrated that L3 learners did not outperform L2 learners in the two types of inhibitory control: response inhibition (less complex) and interference suppression (more complex). Moreover, L3 learners with a higher proficiency did not display better inhibitory control than those with a lower proficiency in response inhibition and interference suppression. However, as the L3 proficiency increased, some specific aspects of inhibitory control did improve and exhibited a nonlinear pattern.

Originality:

The present study extends bilingual advantage in inhibitory control to formal L3 learning, exploring whether bilingual advantage in inhibitory control also appears in L3 learners, considering task complexity and language proficiency.

Significance/implications:

The present study contributes to the theory of the relationship between multilingualism and inhibitory control by showing that this relationship may be more complex than it is understood currently. Learning an additional language to L2, particularly short-term learning, may not lead to an incremental advantage in overall inhibitory control. However, as learning time increases, changes may appear in specific aspects of inhibitory control, and may be a nonlinear one.
The associations of active and passive social media use with well-being: A critical scoping review
Authors: Valkenburg Patti M , van Driel Irene I , Beyens Ine
Published: December 2021

A recurring claim in the literature is that active social media use (ASMU) leads to increases in well-being, whereas passive social media use (PSMU) leads to decreases in well-being. The aim of this review was to investigate the validity of this claim by comparing the operationalizations and results of studies into the association of ASMU and PSMU with well-being (e.g. happiness) and ill-being (e.g. depressive symptoms). We found 40 survey-based studies, which utilized a hodgepodge of 36 operationalizations of ASMU and PSMU and which yielded 172 associations of ASMU and/or PSMU with well-/ill-being. Most studies did not support the hypothesized associations of ASMU and PSMU with well-/ill-being. Time spent on ASMU and PSMU may be too coarse to lead to meaningful associations with well-/ill-being. Therefore, future studies should take characteristics of the content of social media (e.g. the valence), its senders (e.g. pre-existing mood), and receivers (e.g. differential susceptibility) into account.
Logics, tensions and negotiations in the everyday life of a news-ranking algorithm
Authors: Svensson Jakob
Published: December 2021

This article attends to tensions and negotiations surrounding the introduction and development of a news-ranking algorithm in a Swedish daily. Approaching algorithms as culture, being composed of collective human practices, the study emphasizes socio-institutional dynamics in the everyday life of the algorithm. The focus on tensions and negotiations is justified from an institutional perspective and operationalized through an analytical framework of logics. Empirically the study is based on interviews with 14 different in-house workers at the daily, journalists as well as programmers and market actors. The study shows that logics connected to both journalism and programming co-developed the news-ranking algorithm. Tensions and their negotiations around these logics contributed to its very development. One example is labeling of the algorithm as editor-led, allowing journalists to oversee some of its parameters. Social practices in the newsroom, such as Algorithm-Coffee, was also important for its development. In other words, different actors, tensions between them and how these were negotiated, co-constituted by the algorithm itself.
A possible review by the European ministry of education in 2050—by a reluctant manager of Europe’s path towards educational dependency
Authors: Benz Thomas
Published: December 2021

Murat Adam is head of policy and curriculum for the European ministry of education. Political pressure is rising. Media channels across the European federation are labeling the continent as the most recent member of the education periphery. In Mr Adam’s world, curricular authority transpires from the big 3, the North American Union (NAU), China, and Russia. Credibility and endorsement are educational currencies—institutional capital as Bourdieu once defined it, reigns. Mr Adam’s battle is already lost, member states of the European federation have lost their educational means of production, but he cannot afford to admit that. European teachers’ credentials increasingly force graduates into care taking jobs at digital day cares. These are a response to US teachers’ and practitioners’ revolts of the late 20s, linked to perceived multisensory impoverishment of digitally schooled children. Just like in South Asia, Africa, and South America, digital day cares merely provide the digital and social framework and setup K-12 students to listen to internationally accredited professionals teach from China, Russia, and the NAU. Day and night shifts are common. He knows that the European federation lost the contest, by the time it decided not to invest into its own internet infrastructure. The educational first world’s curricular authority would not have been possible without the three nations’ proprietary server architecture, which commodified bandwidth and connectivity. The internet of the past is nothing more than a front for the three de-facto mutually exclusive digital ecosystems, provided by China, the NAU, and Russia.
Does the Introduction of Online Voting Create Diversity in Representation?
Authors: Wigginton Michael J , Stockemer Daniel
Published: December 2021

The Internet’s effect on political communication is omnipresent. However, very few jurisdictions around the globe allow their citizens to cast their ballot online. What are the electoral consequences of this reform? Research, so far, has mainly looked at security considerations and effects on turnout. In this research note, we broaden the scope of prior studies by examining the effect of online voting on diversity in representation. Using the voting results of municipalities in the Canadian province of Ontario both before and after the implementation of online voting, we test whether this reform has increased the representation of women and youth. We do not find that Internet voting has any significant impact on which candidates are elected, with both the gender and age of elected mayors being constant across online and traditional elections. We further find that the number of woman candidates does not increase with online voting.
Successful Sac Embolization to Eliminate a Type 2 Endoleak After Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair by Penetration of a Vascular Plug Implanted in a Left Subclavian Artery
Authors: Nagatomi Satoru , Ichihashi Shigeo , Kanamori Daigo , Yamamoto Hiroshi
Published: December 2021

Purpose:

To describe a technique of vascular plug penetration by a guidewire with a heavy tip load for additional embolization of a type 2 endoleak after endovascular aortic aneurysm repair (EVAR).

Technique:

The technique of vascular plug penetration is effective for additional embolization of a type 2 endoleak, when large arteries such as left subclavian artery (LSA) or hypogastric artery remain patent even after the embolization of the vessel has been performed using a vascular plug and are responsible for the endoleak. A tapered guidewire with a heavy tip load enables the penetration of the disk of the plug, followed by introduction of a microcatheter into the endoleak nidus. In the presented case, the technique successfully eliminated a type 2 endoleak in a thoracic aortic aneurysm for which a patent LSA despite the embolization by a vascular plug was responsible.

Conclusion:

The technique of vascular plug penetration allows an access to an endoleak cavity via a vascular plug placed in an aortic side branch for additional embolization of a type 2 endoleak after EVAR.
Association of High-Sensitivity C-Reactive Protein With Aneurysm Sac Shrinkage in Patients Undergoing Endovascular Abdominal Aneurysm Repair
Authors: Kano Masaki , Nishibe Toshiya , Dardik Alan , Iwahashi Toru , Ogino Hitoshi
Published: December 2021

Purpose:

The factors associated with aneurysm sac shrinkage after endovascular aneurysm repair (EVAR) are not well established. As inflammation is implicated in aneurysm pathophysiology, we hypothesized that high-sensitivity C-reactive protein (hsCRP) was associated with aneurysm sac shrinkage after EVAR and compared the preoperative level of hsCRP between patients with and without postoperative aneurysm sac shrinkage after EVAR.

Methods:

From November 2013 to April 2019, 143 patients undergoing EVAR using Gore C3 Excluder (W. L. Gore & Associates, Inc, Flagstaff, Arizona) at our university hospital were included in this study. Aneurysm sac size was compared between that on baseline preoperative computed tomography (CT) and that on postoperative CT scans. A change in aneurysm sac size ≥5 mm was considered to be significant, whether due to enlargement or shrinkage.

Results:

Aneurysm sac size showed a significant decrease from 50.6 ± 9.8 mm to 47.1 ± 10.3 mm at 1 year. At 1 year postoperatively, aneurysm sac shrinkage (≥5 mm) was observed in 48 patients (34%), a stable aneurysm sac was noted in 93 patients (65%), and aneurysm sac enlargement was noted in 2 patients (1.4%). The mean preoperative hsCRP was 0.33 ± 0.54 mg/dL. Univariable analysis showed that preoperative hsCRP (p=0.029) and the presence of a renal cyst (p=0.002) were associated with aneurysm sac shrinkage. Multivariable analysis showed that preoperative hsCRP [>0.19mg/dL] (odds ratio [OR] = 0.22; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.05–0.96; p=0.042), and the presence of a renal cyst (OR = 0.31; 95% CI = 0.15–0.67; p=0.002) were independent risk factors for aneurysm sac shrinkage after EVAR.

Conclusions:

The level of preoperative hsCRP was independently associated with aneurysm sac shrinkage after EVAR in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms. These data suggest that the high level of hsCRP can be a negative predictor for aneurysm sac shrinkage after EVAR.
Human Resource Development Review’s 20th Anniversary of Publication: Main Topics and Influence
Authors: Park Sunyoung
Published: December 2021

To celebrate Human Resource Development Review’s ( HRDR’s) 20th anniversary of publication, I was asked by the HRDR Editor-in-Chief to conduct a topic analysis of HRDR articles over the past two decades. The purpose of this study, therefore, is to identify major topics from all HRDR articles published from 2002–2021 by reviewing keywords and citation frequency. After identifying 394 articles (excluding editorials), the main topics and the most influential articles were identified. Literature review articles followed by employee engagement were the most frequently cited over the past 20 years. In the future, there is a need to conduct more in-depth analysis to better understand the relevant topics and influence of HRDR articles using accurate categories and advanced techniques.
Carotid Artery Dissection and Ischemic Stroke Following Cervical Chiropractic Manipulation: Two Case Reports
Authors: Chen Yimin , Mofatteh Mohammad , Nguyen Thanh N. , Wellington Jack , Wei Wenlong , Liang Wenjun , Chen Gan , Hu Zhaohui , Ouyang Kexun , Yang Shuiquan
Published: December 2021

Objective

Patients can be at risk of carotid artery dissection and ischemic stroke after cervical chiropractic manipulation. However, such risks are rarely reported and raising awareness can increase the safety of chiropractic manipulations.

Case Report

We present two middle-aged patients with carotid artery dissection leading to ischemic stroke after receiving chiropractic manipulation in Foshan, Guangdong Province, China. Both patients had new-onset pain in their necks after receiving chiropractic manipulations. Excess physical force during chiropractic manipulation may present a risk to patients. Patient was administered with recombinant tissue plasminogen activator after radiological diagnoses. They were prescribed 100 mg and clopidogrel 75 mg daily for 3 months as dual antiplatelet therapy. There were no complications over the follow-up period.

Conclusion

These cases suggest that dissection of the carotid artery can occur as the result of chiropractic manipulations. Patients should be diagnosed and treated early to achieve positive outcomes. The safety of chiropractic manipulations should be increased by raising awareness about the potential risks.
Adaptation and Preliminary Validation of the Arabic Version of the Role Checklist Version 3 (RCv3)
Authors: Abu Tariah Hashem , Scott Patricia J , Almhdawi Khader A. , Alotaibi Naser M. , Nafai Said
Published: December 2021

Arab occupational therapists are in need either to develop their own outcome measures or to translate well-known outcome measures to their culture. The objective of this study was to translate, cross-culturally adapt, and validate preliminarily the Role Checklist Version 3 (RCv3) into Arabic language. The translation and cross-cultural adaptation process of the RCv3 into Arabic language was conducted in four main steps: (a) forward translation, (b) back translation, (c) expert panel review process, and (d) psychometric testing (Validity). The expert panel established the face validity and the content validity of the Arabic RCv3. Pilot testing was conducted, and the utility and content validity of the tool were confirmed. The final version of the Arabic RCv3 is now available for use in the Arab countries. However, further psychometric properties including reliability and responsiveness of this tool is warranted, thus supporting its wide use and proper application.
Landmine Clearance and Peacebuilding: Evidence from Somaliland
Authors: Ikpe Eka , Njeri Sarah
Published: December 2021

The mine action sector has struggled to demonstrate the socioeconomic benefits of mine clearance. Previous academic studies have made important contributions but have been limited in offering in-depth discussions of causal pathways. This paper seeks to fill that gap. It proposes a new framework, the Mine Clearance and Peacebuilding Synergies (MPS) framework that combines the Humanitarian Mine Action Peacebuilding Palette, the Mine Action- Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) framework and theoretical considerations from the Infrastructure as Peacebuilding framework to interrogate this interaction. Using Somaliland's post-conflict reconstruction as a case study, we analyze qualitative and quantitative data to map both the direct and indirect benefits of mine clearance in relation to infrastructure development. We find that mine clearance can influence both economic and physical reconstruction through its impact on dominant economic sectors as well as critical strategic infrastructure, including ports and roads, and demonstrate the synergies therein with an array of SDGs.
Multimodal Imaging Biomarker-Based Model Using Stratification Strategies for Predicting Upper Extremity Motor Recovery in Severe Stroke Patients
Authors: Lee Jungsoo , Kim Heegoo , Kim Jinuk , Chang Won Hyuk , Kim Yun-Hee
Published: December 2021

Background. Various prognostic biomarkers for upper extremity (UE) motor recovery after stroke have been reported. However, most have relatively low predictive accuracy in severe stroke patients.

Objective. This study suggests an imaging biomarker-based model for effectively predicting UE recovery in severe stroke patients.

Methods. Of 104 ischemic stroke patients screened, 42 with severe motor impairment were included. All patients underwent structural, diffusion, and functional magnetic resonance imaging at 2 weeks and underwent motor function assessments at 2 weeks and 3 months after stroke onset. According to motor function recovery at 3 months, patients were divided into good and poor subgroups. The value of multimodal imaging biomarkers of lesion load, lesion volume, white matter integrity, and cortical functional connectivity for motor recovery prediction was investigated in each subgroup.

Results. Imaging biomarkers varied depending on recovery pattern. The integrity of the cerebellar tract ( P = .005, R 2 = .432) was the primary biomarker in the good recovery group. In contrast, the sensory-related corpus callosum tract ( P = .026, R 2 = .332) and sensory-related functional connectivity ( P = .001, R 2 = .531) were primary biomarkers in the poor recovery group. A prediction model was proposed by applying each biomarker in the subgroup to patients with different motor evoked potential responses ( P < .001, R 2 = .853, root mean square error = 5.28).

Conclusions. Our results suggest an optimized imaging biomarker model for predicting UE motor recovery after stroke. This model can contribute to individualized management of severe stroke in a clinical setting.
Startle-elicited Event-Related Potentials to Affective Stimuli are Associated with Recent Illicit Opioid use among Patients Receiving Opioid Agonist Treatment
Authors: Garfield Joshua BB , Cheetham Ali , Allen Nicholas B , Sanfilippo Paul G , Lubman Dan I
Published: December 2021

Opioid use disorder (OUD) has been linked to exaggerated attentional, affective, and arousal responses to opioid-related stimuli, as well as altered responses to other affective (eg, naturally rewarding or aversive) stimuli, particularly blunted responses to pleasant/rewarding stimuli. Both exaggerated responses to drug-related stimuli and reduced response to pleasant stimuli may influence the course of OUD and its treatment, however interpretation of studies thus far is limited by methodological issues. In the present study, we examined subjective ratings, and attenuation of the P3 component of the acoustic startle-evoked event-related potential (as a measure of attention), while viewing neutral, pleasant, unpleasant, and drug-related images. Participants prescribed opioid agonist treatment (OAT) for OUD (n = 82) were compared to a carefully-matched control group (n = 33) and to recently-abstinent participants with OUD (n = 22). Relative to controls, participants prescribed OAT gave higher positive valence ratings of drug images, and blunted valence responses to other affective images, but groups did not differ in terms of arousal ratings or P3 amplitude. Within the OAT group, linear modeling of associations between frequency of recent illicit opioid use and startle P3 amplitude found an association between increased recent illicit opioid use and reduced attention to pleasant, relative to unpleasant, images. The latter finding may have implications for interventions targeting cognitive biases in people with substance use disorder. In particular, they suggest that enhancing attention to pleasant stimuli may be as, if not more important, than the typical approach of trying to reduce attentional bias to drug-related stimuli.