bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
T.F. Torrance’s Theology of Mission and Analytic Theology’s Contribution to Missiology
Authors: Woznicki Christopher
Published: April 2024

This article demonstrates analytic theology’s contribution to missiology by turning to T.F. Torrance’s theology of mission as a test case. Upon examining Torrance’s missiological contribution, it becomes apparent that his notion of the end of mission—the personalization of humanity—is conceptually fuzzy. I demonstrate how analytic theology can clarify, and further develop, this aspect of Torrance’s missiology, and thus conclude that if analytic theology can help to bring clarity to the missiological proposals of one missional theologian, then perhaps analytic theology might lay claim to the possibility of playing a greater role within the discipline of missiology.
Women, Sex, and Privative Violence in the Council of Elvira Canons
Authors: Baldrick-Morrone Tara
Published: April 2024

This article analyzes forms of ecclesiastical punishments found in the fourth-century Council of Elvira canons. Previous work on the council and canons has rightly argued that the regional bishops were concerned with policing the boundaries of their communities, especially when it comes to marriage, women, and sexual behavior. Yet rather than see the punishments and preoccupation with women as representing a natural result of heterosexual male desire or sexual anxiety, a re-evaluation of the canons reveals that church leaders used excommunication as a punishment to exercise social control. In effect, the efforts to deprive community members of communion and baptism function as a form of privative violence. The article analyzes how the canons use the most severe forms of privative violence, near-total and total excommunication, for situations that concerned the sexual behavior of women. By situating the Council of Elvira canons in their sociocultural context in Roman Hispania, as well as among other examples of early Christian texts focused on women’s supposedly deviant bodies, this article contributes to efforts to expand our understanding of the intersection of gender and violence. More importantly, it addresses how these acts of privative violence, particularly against women, shaped the contours of ancient Christian communities.
Nurturing and Caring?
Authors: Fehleison Jill
Published: April 2024

This essay examines Francis de Sales’s Introduction to the Devout Life through the framework of caregiving. It also uses de Sales’s correspondence with two elite women, Jeanne de Chantal and Marie Brûlart, to demonstrate how de Sales’s guidance for laity was put into practice. Exploring women that yearned for a richer spiritual yet also had extensive caregiving obligations that did not allow for complete withdrawal from the secular world, reveals the increased labor these women faced. Women could not neglect household and family to spend more time in prayer and devotional practices. Caregiving duties were ongoing for most women of Early Modern Europe and continue today. Exploring how caring was viewed as part of women’s obligations as Christians, highlights the often-hidden labor of women.
‘Thy Servant Forever’
Authors: Leal K. Elise
Published: April 2024

This article expands scholarly definitions of female religious authority—conversations that typically focus on women—by situating girlhood as an equally important site of receiving, developing, and performing religious agency. Using a biographical case study approach, the article examines the life of Mary Chrystie, a deeply pious American girl who lived from 1825–1841 in the mid-Atlantic region and left one of the most substantial extant primary source collections produced by a child from this period. Her life represents the religious potency of girlhood’s “in-between status” to building female-centric sacred repositories. To demonstrate this dynamic, the article analyzes Mary’s stewardship over her spiritual interiority, participation in religious communities, and her engagement with voluntarism. Ultimately, this article demonstrates the necessity of incorporating age as a category of analysis into gendered reformulations of religious authority, allowing girls to be integrated into scholarly narratives of women’s religious history as actors in their own right.
The Grip of the Past
Authors: Lennon Kathleen
Published: April 2024

This article explores Simone de Beauvoir’s account of old people’s relationship to time in her groundbreaking Old Age. Her dominant view is that, for the old, the past is fixed and it fixes us. Here this picture of a frozen past is contrasted with Maurice Merleau-Ponty’s claim that the past is what gives “the atmosphere” to our present, providing its affective texture. This article highlights alternative and parallel strands in Beauvoir’s own thinking that challenge her dominant view.
‘Those Who Plead for Thee’
Authors: Haykin Michael A. G.
Published: April 2024

The Particular Baptists are often regarded as a marginal group in the panorama of British Christianity, and yet by the close of the long eighteenth century a number of sterling preachers had emerged from their ranks, including Benjamin Beddome and Robert Hall, Jr. This essay provides an overview of the fundamental ideas behind Particular Baptist preaching in the eighteenth century and details of the plain-style preaching promoted in this community.
Establishing Recapitulation as a Unique and Fully-Fledged Atonement Model
Authors: Adefope André
Published: April 2024

The recapitulation theme, which focuses on Jesus as the obedient Second Adam, provides insight into many theological topics. When examined in relation to the atonement though, it is regularly deemed insufficient to construct a fully developed model because it emphasises Jesus’s obedient Incarnation and life, which seemingly makes his death insignificant. Consequently, recapitulation concepts are often combined with other atonement theories to gain validity. In contrast, this article argues recapitulation theology can create a fully-fledged atonement model that makes Jesus’s death on the cross essential because his willing obedience towards God is only complete when he endures unto death. Furthermore, the cross signals total rejection of the innocent Jesus, which makes his crucifixion the climax of the biblical pattern where God’s obedient messengers are rejected.
Risk Factors for Empyema Following Penetrating Diaphragmatic Injuries
Authors: Rewerts Lydia C. , Stuke Lance E. , Hunt John P. , Marr Alan B. , Schoen Jonathan E. , Greiffenstein Patrick , Smith Alison A.
Published: April 2024

Empyema resulting as a complication of penetrating diaphragmatic injuries is a subject that requires further investigation, and the aim of this study was to determine the risk factors associated with empyema in patients with penetrating trauma. Consecutive adult trauma patients from a level 1 trauma center were searched for penetrating diaphragm injuries. Data were collected on patient demographics, pre-existing conditions, injury type and severity, hospital interventions, in-hospital complications, and outcomes. Patients were stratified by empyema formation and univariant analyses were performed. 164 patients were identified, and 17 patients (10.4%) developed empyema. Empyema was associated with visible abdominal contamination (35.3% vs 15%, P = .04), thoracotomy (35.5% vs 13.6%, P = .03), pneumonia (41.2% vs 14.3%, P = .01), sepsis (35.3% vs 8.8%, P = .006), increased hospital length of stay (25.5 vs 10.1 days, p =<.001), increased intensive care unit length of stay (9.6 vs 4.3 days, P = .01), and decreased in-hospital mortality (0% vs 20.4%, P = .04).
Income-Based Disparities in Outcomes Following Pediatric Appendectomy: A National Analysis
Authors: Ali Konmal , Vadlakonda Amulya , Sakowitz Sara , Gao Zihan , Kim Shineui , Cho Nam Yong , Porter Giselle , Benharash Peyman
Published: April 2024

Background

Appendectomy remains a common pediatric surgical procedure with an estimated 80,000 operations performed each year. While prior work has reported the existence of racial disparities in postoperative outcomes, we sought to characterize potential income-based inequalities using a national cohort.

Methods

All non-elective pediatric (<18 years) hospitalizations for appendectomy were tabulated in the 2016-2020 National Inpatient Sample. Only those in the highest ( HI) and lowest income ( LI) quartiles were considered for analysis. Multivariable regression models were developed to assess the independent association of income and postoperative major adverse events (MAE).

Results

Of an estimated 87,830 patients, 36,845 (42.0%) were HI and 50,985 (58.0%) were LI. On average, LI patients were younger (11 [7-14] vs 12 [8-15] years, P < .001), more frequently insured by Medicaid (70.7 vs 27.3%, P < .05), and more commonly of Hispanic ethnicity (50.8 vs 23.4%, P < .001). Following risk adjustment, the LI cohort was associated with greater odds of MAE (adjusted odds ratio [AOR] 1.30 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.06-1.64). Specifically, low-income status was linked with increased odds of infectious (AOR 1.65, 95% CI 1.12-2.42) and respiratory (AOR 1.67, 95% CI 1.06-2.62) complications. Further, LI was associated with a $1670 decrement in costs ([2220-$1120]) and a +.32-day increase in duration of stay (95% CI [.21-.44]).

Conclusion

Pediatric patients of the lowest income quartile faced increased risk of major adverse events following appendectomy compared to those of highest income. Novel risk stratification methods and standardized care pathways are needed to ameliorate socioeconomic disparities in postoperative outcomes.
Walking together in friendship: Learning about cultural safety in mainstream mental health services through Aboriginal Participatory Action Research
Authors: Milroy Helen , Kashyap Shraddha , Collova Jemma , Mitchell Michael , Ryder Angela , Cox Zacharia , Coleman Mat , Taran Michael , Cuesta Briand Beatriz , Gee Graham
Published: April 2024

Objective:

Culturally safe service provision is essential to improving social and emotional wellbeing among Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander communities, and to eliminating health inequities. Cultural safety is about ensuring that all people have a safe and healing journey through services, regardless of their cultural background. In this project, we aim to (1) understand how Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples conceptualise cultural safety, and (2) co-design a qualitative interview for the next phase of this project, where we plan to learn about experiences of cultural safety within mental health services.

Methods:

We conducted six focus groups (in one metro and two regional areas, Western Australia). Following an Aboriginal Participatory Action Research methodology, we yarned with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander mental health service users, carers, community members, mental health professionals and Cultural Healers about cultural safety.

Results:

Participants described a culturally safe service as one where Aboriginal cultural knowledges, life experiences, issues and protocols are understood and acknowledged, and reported that mainstream mental health services are not currently culturally safe. Participants emphasised the importance of building trust, rapport, reciprocity and following appropriate relational processes when designing a qualitative interview for the next phase.

Conclusions:

A lack of cultural safety in mental health services is likely to contribute to the disparity in outcomes between Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples and non-Indigenous Australians. Embedding cultural safety into research design allows for authentic community engagement and facilitates knowledge sharing around ways to improve cultural safety in mental health services.
Residential Apartheid in India: A Matter of People or State? Case of Ahmedabad
Authors: Saba Bushra , Gupta Sumana
Published: April 2024

The study investigates imposition of the Disturbed Areas Act (DAA), or Ashant dhara, and its impact at an unexplored micro-level. There has been a rise in the ‘declared disturbed areas’; until 2023, there were 1971 areas. The intent of DAA was to protect tenants’ rights from eviction; it divided the city into religious lines. The argument is based on excerpts from Stakeholder narratives and Collectorate data. It presents mapping of the unpublished 2023 notification. The article proposes to understanding that ‘Right to the city’ beams beyond the matter of State as DAA has led to social elusion and Ghettoization.
Drug Use Stigma and Public Preferences for Public Health Versus Legal System Responses
Authors: Kort-Butler Lisa A. , Tyler Kimberly A. , Mays Cindy
Published: April 2024

This study explored what perceptions and beliefs about substances and substance users, personal experiences, and network experiences with substance use were related to people’s preferences for public health and legal system responses to substance use. Social context was also considered, including location of residence, political ideology, and a sense of insecurity. Data were from the Nebraska Annual Social Indicators Survey, a cross-sectional omnibus mail survey of public attitudes in Nebraska, conducted in fall 2021. Approximately 1700 adults completed the survey. Controlling for demographic characteristics, the study found stigmatized attitudes about substance use, limited or no personal history with substance use, rural residence, and political conservatism were associated with more support for legal system responses. In contrast, less stigmatized attitudes about substance use, personal history of marijuana use, urban residence, political liberalism, and a sense of security were all associated with more support for public health responses.
Integrating emotion regulation, emotional intelligence, and emotion-focused coping in the entrepreneurial context: A review and research agenda
Authors: Schmodde Lynn , Wehner Marius Claus
Published: April 2024

Existing research in the entrepreneurial context tends to treat emotions as static phenomena, paying limited attention to the question of how entrepreneurs can actively shape their emotional experiences through emotion management to enhance their well-being and performance. Furthermore, the exploration of how entrepreneurs manage their emotions to sustain their entrepreneurial activities often employs different concepts and terminologies resulting in a fragmented literature that lacks continuity. To extract a common thread from this research field, we conducted a systematic integrative review and integrated research on emotional intelligence, emotion regulation, and emotion-focused coping in the entrepreneurial context using the umbrella term of emotion management. With a comprehensive framework, we organised the emotion management literature around perspectives on an entrepreneur’s individual ability, a trait, and situation-specific strategies. Additionally, we highlighted contextual factors, specifically macro- and meso-level factors, individual factors, antecedents, and consequences. Drawing upon our findings, we reveal existing gaps and propose future directions for emotion management in entrepreneurship research.
Mining and analysis of security alert signals of valbenazine based on the Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System database
Authors: Wang Qi , Qu Kankan , Du Zhiqiang , Shen Yuan , Jiang Ying , Zhu Haohao
Published: April 2024

Background:

Valbenazine is used for tardive movement disorders in adults. Current studies on its safety are mostly from clinical trials and small case reports, limiting information on rare adverse reactions. This study investigated valbenazine-related adverse event (AE) risk signals using the U.S. Food and Drug Administration Adverse Event Reporting System (FAERS) database.

Methods:

Valbenazine AEs data were collected from the FAERS database from 2017 Q2 to 2023 Q1, employing methods like reporting odds ratio (ROR), proportional reporting ratio (PRR), Bayesian confidence propagation neural network, and empirical Bayesian geometric mean.

Results:

After data cleaning and drug screening, there were 20,837 AEs primarily suspecting valbenazine, involving 26 system organ classes and 125 AEs related to valbenazine at the preferred terms level. AEs related to valbenazine were mainly concentrated in nervous system disorders, general disorders and administration site conditions, and psychiatric disorders. Eye disorders and gastrointestinal disorders are new AEs not labeled in the valbenazine instructions. In addition, some new potential AE signals were found, such as Tardive dyskinesia and eyelid function disorder.

Conclusion:

The common AEs of valbenazine in the real world are consistent with the instructions, but there are some newly discovered suspicious AEs.
Melan-A immunolabeling in canine extramedullary plasmacytomas
Authors: Schuwerk Lukas , Ulianytska Anastasiia , Baumgärtner Wolfgang , Reineking Wencke
Published: April 2024

Histologic diagnosis of less well-differentiated cases of canine extramedullary plasmacytomas (CEMPs) may require immunohistochemical confirmation to discriminate these tumors from other round cells tumors including lymphoma, cutaneous histiocytoma, and amelanotic melanomas. CEMPs are characterized by widespread immunoreactivity for multiple myeloma 1 (MUM1) antigen and λ light chains, while the melanocytic marker melan-A has been reported to yield negative results. Here, 33 randomly selected CEMPs, 20 melanocytomas, and 20 malignant melanomas were immunohistochemically tested for MUM1, melan-A, and PNL2. In addition, CEMPs were examined for PAX5, E-cadherin, CD3, CD18, CD20, S100, as well as λ and κ light chain immunoreactivity. All CEMPs were characterized by labeling for MUM1 and λ light chain, as well as variable immunopositivity for the remaining antibodies. Notably, 13 cases of CEMPs (39.4%) exhibited immunolabeling for melan-A. Melanocytic tumors immunolabeled for melan-A (40/40; 100%) and PNL2 (34/40; 85%). An unexpected cytoplasmic immunoreactivity for MUM1 was observed in 2 melanocytic tumors. Summarized, MUM1 or melan-A immunomarkers alone are not sufficient to differentiate between CEMPs and amelanotic melanomas and should be part of a larger immunopanel including λ light chain, CD20, and PNL2.
Investigation into Behavioral Change Patterns of Dine-In at Restaurant, Food Delivery, and Food Take-Out Resulting from the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study in South Korea
Authors: Kim Woojung , Hur Sung Ho
Published: April 2024

This paper examines behavioral change patterns of food consumption through three channels—dine-in at restaurant, food delivery, and food take-out—during and after the recent COVID-19 pandemic. The unique feature of the behaviors during the COVID-19 pandemic that set them apart from those during previous pandemics was the rise of online shopping. Thus, it is important to understand the new consumer behaviors for the three food consumption channels over time (before, during, and after the pandemic), for example, how they were affected by the pandemic, what dominant change patterns were, and how the intertwined relationship between the channels evolved. This study develops a latent class model using survey data collected by the Korea Rural Economic Institute in 2021 to jointly investigate the behavioral change patterns of dine-in at restaurant, food delivery, and food take-out. The results showed that there existed six latent groups, namely, 1) “status quo maintainers,” 2) “dine-in minimizers,” 3) “mild online adopters,” 4) “temporary shifters,” 5) “food expenditure cutters,” and 6) “strong online adopters.” The results highlighted that the behavioral change pattern varied by the persistence of the changes and the consumption channel choice. The socio-economic and demographic characteristics of each group were also discussed.
L’alimentation locale peut-elle devenir une pratique inclusive en zone urbaine ? Une approche par les community provisioning systems
Authors: Mourre Marie-Laure , Gonzalez Christine , Djedidi Amina
Published: April 2024

En contexte de crise, comme la pandémie et la guerre en Ukraine, l’alimentation locale apparaît comme une solution possible aux enjeux de souveraineté et de durabilité alimentaires. Cependant, elle peine à se diffuser en tant que pratique. L’objectif de cette recherche est d’identifier les leviers amenant l’alimentation locale à devenir une pratique inclusive en zone urbaine. Nous adoptons une approche systémique pour analyser les dynamiques des systèmes d’approvisionnement et des communautés, dans une ville de région parisienne, en combinant des données géographiques, ethnographiques et documentaires. Nos résultats font apparaître une pratique timide et un décalage entre l’offre et les usages de la population. Notre recherche met en lumière la façon dont les comportements alimentaires s’inscrivent dans des systèmes en interaction. Elle invite les pouvoirs publics à faire du local un vrai chantier pour la grande distribution et la sphère économique à reconcevoir ses modèles d’affaires et chaînes de valeur.
Parents’ Vicarious Event Centrality of Their Child’s Interpersonal Trauma
Authors: Willcott-Benoit Whitney , Cummings Jorden A.
Published: April 2024

This study aimed to understand parents’ process of centering their child’s interpersonal traumatic event in their lives post-disclosure. Specifically, how it informed their understanding of themselves, their lives, and the world. This phenomenon of centering a traumatic event in one’s life is termed event centrality and has not been previously applied to qualitative research or this population. Participants were 17 primary caregivers (14 maternal caregivers and 3 paternal caregivers) of 27 victims of child interpersonal trauma (14 males and 13 females) located in Canada. The age of participants ranged from 35 to 75 years (average = 54.5 years) and majority self-identified as Caucasian (70.6%). Grounded theory was used to analyze the data. The resulting model was labeled Vicarious Event Centralization and Decentralization, indicating that parents center their child’s interpersonal trauma across many areas of their lives, which orients them to focus on protecting and healing the child. After the child’s functioning improves, parents are then able to reorient to life beyond the trauma, representing decentralization. The grounded theory consists of three phases: Centralization, Decentralization Gateway, and Decentralization. These results illustrate that parents’ centralization of the trauma may be an adaptive mechanism that promotes child recovery, which in turn allows parents to begin to decentralize the trauma and move toward recovery. This study supports that parents are affected by their child’s trauma in a myriad of ways and require unique services to address their needs. This study can help practitioners understand the post-trauma experience for parents and target areas likely to increase recovery.
Take It Easy! Serotonin Syndrome Precipitated by the Rapid Titration of Sertraline and Trazodone in the Setting of Risperidone Use
Authors: Martino Julie , Elfessi Zane , Szaflarska Katarzyna , Suh Melody , Antonishina Katerina
Published: April 2024

Serotonin syndrome is a potentially life-threatening condition caused by a toxic excess of serotonin leading to overstimulation of the nervous system. Because it is a diagnosis of exclusion, it can be underrecognized, making the true incidence unknown. The classic triad of serotonin syndrome includes neuromuscular excitation, autonomic instability and altered mental status. If left unrecognized and untreated, patients are at a high risk of mortality. The most common class of medication that carries an increased risk of serotonin syndrome, when used in combination, is selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs); however, medications that increase serotonin production, increase serotonin release, inhibit serotonin metabolism and stimulate serotonin receptors can increase the possibility of serotonin syndrome. We report a case that details the presentation and treatment of a 25-year-old man who developed serotonin syndrome in the setting of rapid titration of risperidone, trazodone, and sertraline. The patient presented to the ED with acute agitation, diaphoresis, and altered mental status. He also had lower extremity myoclonus and was tremulous with an oral temperature of 100°F (37.8°C) and heart rate of 103 beats per minute. Serotonin syndrome was confirmed and the patient was treated successfully with benzodiazepines before being discharged from the hospital after 4 days.
Historical and conceptual features of acute polymorphic psychosis: a myth of European psychiatry from bouffée délirante to ICD-11 acute and transient psychotic disorder
Authors: Castagnini Augusto C
Published: April 2024

This paper deals with the history and epistemology of acute polymorphic psychosis. We undertook a comparative study of short-lived psychotic disorders used in different European countries since the late nineteenth century. The theory of degeneration offered a speculative basis to conceptualization of conditions such as bouffée délirante, cycloid psychosis and reactive psychosis, but it seems likely that different factors contributed to the profusion of clinical concepts with adverse effects on both nomenclature and classification. The resulting picture suggests that earlier nosological concepts tend to converge on common descriptive features and challenge the diagnostic categories for short-lived psychotic disorders listed in modern symptom-based psychiatric classifications.
Awareness and Knowledge of Chikungunya Virus Infection Among Healthcare Workers in Hulu Langat District, Selangor, Malaysia
Authors: Selamat Ummi Ainaa , Hairi Noran Naqiah , Suli Zailiza
Published: April 2024

As Chikungunya virus (CHIKV) infection continues to rise globally, including in Malaysia, it is essential for healthcare workers (HCWs) to have adequate knowledge about the disease for diagnostic accuracy and to improve public health surveillance systems. This study aimed to assess awareness and measure the level of knowledge of CHIKV infection among HCWs in the Hulu Langat district and explore associated sociodemographic and skill-related factors. This was a cross-sectional study in which the questionnaire was physically distributed to participants using the universal sampling method. All participants (100%) were aware of CHIKV infection, and most (80.1%) had knowledge of the disease. Furthermore, networks such as professional members, family, and friends (27.8%), followed by professional development programs (23.1%), were identified as the common platforms utilized by HCWs to access information regarding CHIKV infection. Ordinal logistic regression analysis further demonstrated that the level of education (odds ratio [OR] = 2.23,) and HCWs who attended Continuing Medical Education (CME)/courses on CHIKV infection (OR = 1.73,) and had experience in handling the case (OR = 3.23,) were significantly associated with awareness and knowledge of the disease. Implementing continuous education and training can enhance HCWs’ understanding of CHIKV infection.
Perpetrator Involvement in Domestic Homicide Reviews in England and Wales
Authors: Rowlands James
Published: April 2024

In England and Wales, Domestic Homicide Reviews (DHRs) examine domestic abuse (DA)-related deaths. Despite perpetrators being a potentially important albeit difficult source of information, no study has investigated perpetrator involvement in DHRs or that of others like their family. Data is reported from a documentary analysis of 60 DHR reports and a reflective thematic analysis of 29 stakeholder interviews. This paper explores if, why, when, and how perpetrators—directly or by proxy—are involved in DHRs and the potential benefits but also perceived or actual risks and challenges. Practice and policy implications, and areas for future research, are identified.
Breaking the sound of silence: Professional learning in an early career music teacher conversation group
Authors: Snell Alden H. , Burton Suzanne L.
Published: April 2024

Professional development, typically initiated by administrators to improve student achievement outcomes, is often irrelevant to the needs of early career music teachers. As music teacher educators, we were concerned about issues of importance to early career music teachers as they entered the music teaching profession. We explored conversation as a conduit of reflection and professional learning by convening a conversation group of five early career music teachers who gathered over six, one-hour-long meetings. Guiding their discussions were topics they identified in questionnaires administered before and during the study. Data included audio-visual recordings of the meetings, questionnaires, and researcher memos. Four themes emerged from our analysis of their conversations: (a) educating administrators and mentors, (b) knowing their place, (c) overcoming a lack of resources, and (d) giving students lifelong musical skills. We interpreted these findings through the lens of Snow’s principles of symbolic interactionism. The conversation group facilitated the music teachers’ move from the initial shock of sedimented school culture to a position of agency. The freedom of conversation around chosen topics of professional and personal importance provided the early career music teachers with choice, self-direction, collective support, and agency—key components of professional learning.
Acoustic properties of two emblematic theaters in Algeria: The case of the National Theater of Algiers TNA and the Regional Theater of Bejaia TRB
Authors: Saidane Feriel , Benzineb Omar , Chergui Samia , Ciaburro Giuseppe , Iannace Gino
Published: April 2024

In this paper, the acoustics of multi-purpose colonial theaters in Algeria, those of Algiers and Bejaia, are studied to evaluate their acoustic conditions (suitability for music and speech) in view of their architecture’s evolution. To do, acoustics measurements were performed inside them according to the ISO 3382-1 Standard in unoccupied conditions. The average values of acoustic parameters (EDT, T30, C80, and D50) are reported in frequency domain from 125 to 4 kHz. Furthermore, maps of spatial distribution of T30, C80 at the frequency of 1 kHz, and STI are reported. Results show that the Algiers theater is the more appropriate venue for multipurpose performances (with a fairly low RT of 1.5 s in average mid-frequencies), whereas the Bejaia theater is only suitable for musical performances (with a high RT of 2.5 s in average mid-frequencies).
Sense of coherence and Covid-19 related stress: A three-wave longitudinal study
Authors: Danioni Francesca , Sorgente Angela , Lanz Margherita , Iafrate Raffaella , Regalia Camillo , Rosnati Rosa , Barni Daniela
Published: April 2024

Sense of coherence (SOC) is the fundamental concept of the salutogenic approach to health promotion. The main aim of the current longitudinal study is to consider whether SOC has had a positive effect in reducing people’s levels of stress during the prolonged time of the pandemic or rather stress has posed a threat to SOC. A large sample of Italian adults completed an online questionnaire at three different moments of the Covid-19 pandemic (from March 2020 to May 2021). To test the reciprocal associations between SOC and stress we estimated a cross-lagged panel model. Results questioned the stability of SOC, which changed across the different moments of the pandemic, and its causal role with respect to stress since, after controlling for gender and age, it emerged a significant effect only from stress to SOC. The implications of these results and the further expansions of the study are discussed.
Patients’ subjective well-being: Determinants and its usage as a metric of healthcare service quality
Authors: Lee Henry A , Poon Neo , Dolan Paul , Darzi Ara , Vlaev Ivo
Published: April 2024

It is commonly suggested that patients’ subjective well-being (SWB) can be affected by pre-treatment conditions and treatment experiences, and hence SWB can be used to measure and improve healthcare quality. With data collected in a hospital in the UK ( N = 446), we investigated the determinants of patients’ SWB and evaluated its use in healthcare research. Our findings showed strong relationships between pre-treatment conditions and patients’ SWB: anxiety and depression negatively predicted SWB across all three domains, mobility positively predicted the life satisfaction and happiness domains, while the ability to self care and pain and discomfort also predicted SWB in some domains. In contrast, patients’ satisfaction with the treatment only played minor roles in determining SWB, much less so the characteristics of their nurses. The general lack of associations between treatment experiences and patient’s SWB highlighted the challenges of using SWB to measure healthcare quality and inform policy making.
Picturing innovation in higher education: A photovoice study of innovative pedagogies
Authors: Ciolan Lucian , Manasia Loredana
Published: April 2024

In recent years, higher education institutions have been under increasing pressure to innovate in teaching, research, and learning methodologies. This longitudinal study adopts a participatory research approach, utilizing photovoice techniques, narrative methodologies, and focus groups to explore student perceptions of innovative pedagogies within a specialized Higher Education Institution (HEI). Spanning three academic semesters and involving 43 students from a variety of disciplines, the research integrates photographs and self-authored narratives as data sources. Interpretative Phenomenological Analysis (IPA), in conjunction with photovoice, facilitated a detailed data analysis, revealing four main clusters of pedagogies viewed as innovative by students: “Hero Pedagogies,” highlighting emotional engagement and storytelling; “Community and Solidarity Pedagogies,” emphasizing community involvement; “Sustainable Green Pedagogies,” focusing on sustainability; and “Technology Enhanced Pedagogies,” which utilize technology to improve learning experiences. Students expressed a strong preference for pedagogical strategies that promote emotional connections and incorporate storytelling, stressing the importance of human interaction in the learning process. They also valued approaches that foster community-centered learning, interdisciplinary methods, and experiential education for tackling broader societal and economic challenges. The role of technology in bridging theory with practical application was also underscored. These findings offer insights into effective pedagogical practices by highlighting student-supported approaches. Integrating these innovative pedagogical clusters can enhance the educational experience for institutions, communities, and learners alike, fostering active engagement in the learning journey.
Urban dark fiber distributed acoustic sensing for bridge monitoring
Authors: Rodet Julie , Tauzin Benoit , Amin Panah Mohammad , Guéguen Philippe , Nziengui Bâ Destin , Coutant Olivier , Brûlé Stéphane
Published: April 2024

Distributed acoustic sensing (DAS) technology applied to telecommunication optical fiber networks offers new possibilities for structural health monitoring. The dynamic responses of five bridges are extracted along a 24-km long optical fiber crossing the Lyon metropolitan area in France. From their characteristics signals, three physical parameters informing on the health of structures have been determined: vibration frequencies, damping and modal shapes. The fiber measurements are in agreement with velocimetric data serving as reference. The telecom optical fiber records the dynamic response of bridges in several directions and thus allows the reconstruction of 3D deformation modes using their orthogonality properties. Time tracking of frequencies, commonly used to assess structural integrity, shows that the average values of natural frequencies vary cyclically between day and night. The increase in frequencies during the night does not exceed 2% and probably reflects an overall stiffening of the structures due to the drop in temperature. The telecom fiber allows to obtain deformation and damping identity of structures, highlighting soil-structure coupling between the bridge and underlying soil. This study shows that it is possible to assess the spatial and temporal variability of bridge dynamic response from DAS data using existing fiber networks.
Rounding theory and method for the pitch curves of the variable center distance non-circular gear pair based on working conditions
Authors: Li Botao , Hu Jiquan , Chen Dingfang
Published: April 2024

Based on the working conditions of the variable center distance non-circular gear pair, this research provides the rounding theories and methods for the theoretical pitch curves of the gear pair, including establish the working conditions model of the variable center distance non-circular gear pair; group and classify the instantaneous working conditions and the instantaneous meshing arcs; design rounding algorithms for instantaneous meshing arc group category 1, 2, and 3; and propose the dynamic allocation strategy for distribute the total rounding amount on each pair of instantaneous meshing arcs. Finally, with the help of a variable center distance non-circular gear pair example, this research successfully proved the correctness and effectiveness of the above rounding theory and method, achieve the goal of rounding the theoretical pitch curves of the variable center distance non-circular gear pair.
Ethical considerations in a pan-European project targeting adolescent cybercrime prevention
Authors: Parder Mari-Liisa , Gryffroy Pieter , Juurik Marten
Published: April 2024

The growing importance of researching online activities, such as cyber-deviance and cyber-crime, as well as the use of online tools (e.g. questionnaires, games, and other interactive tools) has created new ethical and legal challenges for researchers, which can be even more complicated when researching adolescents. In this article, we highlight the risks emerging from the current European legal and ethical landscape when researching potentially vulnerable groups, with a special focus on online research. It is not always clear how to differentiate research ethics consent from consent for data processing activities: when can an adolescent independently consent to research, or when is parental consent needed? Additional problems emerge when parents do not consent to research activities, but their adolescent children do. A serious ethical challenge can arise when the parents do not communicate with researchers, but the adolescent wishes to participate, especially when weak parental oversight is coupled with research on sensitive topics. We offer some guidance on what to keep in mind when conducting online research with adolescents and highlight possible ways that these issues can be dealt with in pan-European projects.
The role of patient-reported outcomes in peripheral nerve surgery
Authors: Calcagni Maurizio , Besmens Inga S.
Published: April 2024

Measuring the outcome of peripheral nerve surgery is challenging because of the spectrum of functional impairment is dependent on the level and severity of the lesion. There are no nerve-specific patient-reported outcome measures, and no universally accepted outcome measurement both in terms of the parameters to be assessed and the methods and timing of the assessment. Nevertheless, the use of patient-reported outcome measures is fundamental to better understand the needs and expectations of patients, to take advantage of all treatment opportunities to offer the best possible support to these patients. This paper outlines current concepts in the measurement of outcome in peripheral nerve surgery.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who Is the Whitest of All? Racial Biases in Social Media Beauty Filters
Authors: Riccio Piera , Colin Julien , Ogolla Shirley , Oliver Nuria
Published: April 2024

Digital beauty filters are pervasive in social media platforms. Despite their popularity and relevance in the selfies culture, there is little research on their characteristics and potential biases. In this article, we study the existence of racial biases on the set of aesthetic canons embedded in social media beauty filters, which we refer to as the Beautyverse. First, we provide a historic contextualization of racial biases in beauty practices, followed by an extensive empirical study of racial biases in beauty filters through state-of-the-art face processing algorithms. We show that beauty filters embed Eurocentric or white canons of beauty, not only by brightening the skin color, but also by modifying facial features.
An overview of current advances in perinatal alcohol exposure and pathogenesis of fetal alcohol spectrum disorders
Authors: Zeng Xingdong , Cai Yongle , Wu Mengyan , Chen Haonan , Sun Miao , Yang Hao
Published: April 2024

The adverse use of alcohol is a serious global public health problem. Maternal alcohol consumption during pregnancy usually causes prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE) in the developing fetus, leading to a spectrum of disorders known as fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and even fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) throughout the lifelong sufferers. The prevalence of FASD is approximately 7.7 per 1,000 worldwide, and is even higher in developed regions. Generally, Ethanol in alcoholic beverages can impair embryonic neurological development through multiple pathways leading to FASD. Among them, the leading mechanism of FASDs is attributed to ethanol-induced neuroinflammatory damage to the central nervous system (CNS). Although the underlying molecular mechanisms remain unclear, the remaining multiple pathological mechanisms is likely due to the neurotoxic damage of ethanol and the resultant neuronal loss. Regardless of the molecular pathway, the ultimate outcome of the developing CNS exposed to ethanol is almost always the destruction and apoptosis of neurons, which leads to the reduction of neurons and further the development of FASD. In this review, we systematically summarize the current research progress on the pathogenesis of FASD, which hopefully provides new insights into differential early diagnosis, treatment and prevention for patents with FASD.
Noisecut: a python package for noise-tolerant classification of binary data using prior knowledge integration and max-cut solutions
Authors: Samadi Moein E. , Mirzaieazar Hedieh , Mitsos Alexander , Schuppert Andreas
Published: April 2024

Background

Classification of binary data arises naturally in many clinical applications, such as patient risk stratification through ICD codes. One of the key practical challenges in data classification using machine learning is to avoid overfitting. Overfitting in supervised learning primarily occurs when a model learns random variations from noisy labels in training data rather than the underlying patterns. While traditional methods such as regularization and early stopping have demonstrated effectiveness in interpolation tasks, addressing overfitting in the classification of binary data, in which predictions always amount to extrapolation, demands extrapolation-enhanced strategies. One such approach is hybrid mechanistic/data-driven modeling, which integrates prior knowledge on input features into the learning process, enhancing the model’s ability to extrapolate.

Results

We present NoiseCut, a Python package for noise-tolerant classification of binary data by employing a hybrid modeling approach that leverages solutions of defined max-cut problems. In a comparative analysis conducted on synthetically generated binary datasets, NoiseCut exhibits better overfitting prevention compared to the early stopping technique employed by different supervised machine learning algorithms. The noise tolerance of NoiseCut stems from a dropout strategy that leverages prior knowledge of input features and is further enhanced by the integration of max-cut problems into the learning process.

Conclusions

NoiseCut is a Python package for the implementation of hybrid modeling for the classification of binary data. It facilitates the integration of mechanistic knowledge on the input features into learning from data in a structured manner and proves to be a valuable classification tool when the available training data is noisy and/or limited in size. This advantage is especially prominent in medical and biomedical applications where data scarcity and noise are common challenges. The codebase, illustrations, and documentation for NoiseCut are accessible for download at https://pypi.org/project/noisecut/. The implementation detailed in this paper corresponds to the version 0.2.1 release of the software.
A protein network refinement method based on module discovery and biological information
Authors: Pan Li , Wang Haoyue , Yang Bo , Li Wenbin
Published: April 2024

Background

The identification of essential proteins can help in understanding the minimum requirements for cell survival and development to discover drug targets and prevent disease. Nowadays, node ranking methods are a common way to identify essential proteins, but the poor data quality of the underlying PIN has somewhat hindered the identification accuracy of essential proteins for these methods in the PIN. Therefore, researchers constructed refinement networks by considering certain biological properties of interacting protein pairs to improve the performance of node ranking methods in the PIN. Studies show that proteins in a complex are more likely to be essential than proteins not present in the complex. However, the modularity is usually ignored for the refinement methods of the PINs.

Methods

Based on this, we proposed a network refinement method based on module discovery and biological information. The idea is, first, to extract the maximal connected subgraph in the PIN, and to divide it into different modules by using Fast-unfolding algorithm; then, to detect critical modules according to the orthologous information, subcellular localization information and topology information within each module; finally, to construct a more refined network (CM-PIN) by using the identified critical modules.

Results

To evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method, we used 12 typical node ranking methods (LAC, DC, DMNC, NC, TP, LID, CC, BC, PR, LR, PeC, WDC) to compare the overall performance of the CM-PIN with those on the S-PIN, D-PIN and RD-PIN. The experimental results showed that the CM-PIN was optimal in terms of the identification number of essential proteins, precision-recall curve, Jackknifing method and other criteria, and can help to identify essential proteins more accurately.
Drug-Online: an online platform for drug-target interaction, affinity, and binding sites identification using deep learning
Authors: Zeng Xin , Su Guang-Peng , Li Shu-Juan , Lv Shuang-Qing , Wen Meng-Liang , Li Yi
Published: April 2024

Background

Accurately identifying drug-target interaction (DTI), affinity (DTA), and binding sites (DTS) is crucial for drug screening, repositioning, and design, as well as for understanding the functions of target. Although there are a few online platforms based on deep learning for drug-target interaction, affinity, and binding sites identification, there is currently no integrated online platforms for all three aspects.

Results

Our solution, the novel integrated online platform Drug-Online, has been developed to facilitate drug screening, target identification, and understanding the functions of target in a progressive manner of “interaction-affinity-binding sites”. Drug-Online platform consists of three parts: the first part uses the drug-target interaction identification method MGraphDTA, based on graph neural networks (GNN) and convolutional neural networks (CNN), to identify whether there is a drug-target interaction. If an interaction is identified, the second part employs the drug-target affinity identification method MMDTA, also based on GNN and CNN, to calculate the strength of drug-target interaction, i.e., affinity. Finally, the third part identifies drug-target binding sites, i.e., pockets. The method pt-lm-gnn used in this part is also based on GNN.

Conclusions

Drug-Online is a reliable online platform that integrates drug-target interaction, affinity, and binding sites identification. It is freely available via the Internet at http://39.106.7.26:8000/Drug-Online/.