bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Docetaxel-induced severe neuropathy, a case of breast cancer with GTSP1 polymorphism
Authors: Değerli Ezgi
Published: August 2024

Introduction

Breast cancer, the most prevalent cancer among women, often requires chemotherapy with docetaxel being a key agent. However, docetaxel-inducted peripheral neuropathy (DIPN) can adversely impact patients’ quality of life. This case discusses an unusual instance of severe DIPN leading to wheelchair dependence in a 35-years old woman undergoing neoadjuvant treatment for locally advanced breast cancer.

Case

Following anthracycline and cyclophosphamide cycles without neurological symptoms, docetaxel administration resulted in progressive neuropathy. Despite dose reduction, the patient developed severe paraesthesias, foot weakness, and eventually wheelchair dependence.

Management and outcome

Docetaxel's microtubule-stabilizing mechanism, vital for cell division, may disrupt axonal structures, causing sensory and motor neuropathy. While rare, severe motor neuropathy, leading to wheelchair dependence, poses a significant challenge. The frequency of DIPN varies, with docetaxel exhibiting lower neuropathy rates than other taxanes. Risk factors include age, diabetes mellitus, cumulative dose, and genetic polymorphisms in GSTP1 and ABCB1. In our case, despite the patient being young, fit and without diabetes, severe DIPN occured, suggesting a potential genetic predisposition. Genetic variations, such as GSTP1 polymorphisms have been associated with DIPN. Our patient carried GSTP1 (I1e105Val) mutations, emphasizing the need for further research to establish their role as risk factors.

Discussion

This case underscores the importance of recognizing severe DIPN, even in atypical patient profiles. Genetic factors, like GSTP1 polymorphisms, may contribute to DIPN risk. Large-scale studies are crucial to establishing the significance of these genetic variations in DIPN susceptibility.
Anterior chamber retained lens fragments: A novel approach with Nd:Yag laser
Authors: Meduri Alessandro , Oliverio Giovanni William , De Luca Laura , Borroni Davide , Frisina Rino , Aragona Pasquale
Published: August 2024

The retention of lenticular fragments (LF), either cortical or nuclear, in the anterior chamber after cataract surgery are a rare but important complication that may lead to patient discomfort and visual decrease. In this multicenter case series, we report the use of Neodymium:Yag laser to fragment LF effectively in twenty patients.

Methods

Multicenter retrospective case series of nd:Yag laser fragmentation of LF in twenty eyes at different clinics discovered after cataract surgery performed through phacoemulsification and implant of intraocular lens (IOL).

Conclusion

Early nd:Yag laser procedure is a good option to use for retained lenticular fragments in the anterior chamber after cataract extraction, to reduce damages to the endothelium caused by the LF, to lower patient discomfort to re-enter surgery, to minimize costs of surgical re-intervention and to avoid possible inflammatory complications given by the retained fragments that may not be reabsorbed properly and may even present several years after primary surgery leading to damages to endothelium caused by the lenticular fragments and visual disturbances.
Nine Human Leukocyte Antigen (HLA) Class I Alleles are Omnipotent Against 11 Antigens Expressed in Melanoma Tumors
Authors: Georgopoulos Apostolos P , James Lisa M , Sanders Matthew
Published: August 2024

Objective:

Host immunogenetics (Human Leukocyte Antigen, HLA) play a critical role in the human immune response to melanoma, influencing both melanoma prevalence and immunotherapy outcomes. Beneficial outcomes hinge on the successful binding of epitopes of melanoma antigens to HLA Class I molecules for an effective engagement of cytotoxic CD8+ lymphocytes and subsequent elimination of the cancerous cell. This study evaluated the binding affinity and immunogenicity of HLA Class I to melanoma tumor antigens to identify alleles best suited to facilitate elimination of melanoma antigens.

Methods:

In this study, we used freely available software tools to determine in silico the binding affinity and immunogenicity of 2462 reported HLA Class I alleles to all linear nonamer epitopes of 11 known antigens expressed in melanoma tumors (TRP2, S100, Tyrosinase, TRP1, PMEL(17), MAGE1, MAGE4, CTA, BAGE, GAGE/SSX2, Melan).

Results:

We identified the following 9 HLA Class I alleles with very high immunogenicity and binding affinity against all 11 melanoma antigens: A*02:14, B*07:10, B*35:10, B*40:10, B*40:12, B*44:10, C*07:11, and C*07:13, and C*07:14.

Conclusion:

These 9 HLA alleles possess the potential to aid in the elimination of melanoma both by themselves and by enhancing the beneficial effect of immune checkpoint inhibitors.
A frequent mistake in aggregate tourism demand modeling: The use of a composite price index of competing destinations
Authors: Rosselló-Nadal Jaume , Sansó-Rosselló Andreu
Published: August 2024

Price is a cornerstone of aggregate tourism modelling, and yet its measurement poses considerable challenges. In this study, we propose a theoretical framework for accurately assessing destination and substitute destination prices, comparing it with empirical methodologies and examining their impact on elasticity estimations. Our findings show that while destination price can be gauged by comparing the consumer price indices of the destination and origin adjusted by the nominal exchange rate, using a weighted measure of substitute prices across various destinations can bias the elasticity estimations of the remaining variables. We advocate separate assessments of the prices of alternative destinations, as opposed to an aggregate one.
Dual drivers of bilingual semantic accent: Semantic relations and input limitations
Authors: Malt Barbara C. , Yang Xingjian
Published: August 2024

Research question:

Second language (L2) learners may have a “semantic accent,” using L2 words differently from a native speaker. The current studies investigate how learning conditions and the need to use different semantic dimensions may constrain the acquisition of L2 meanings.

Approach:

In Experiment 1, we asked whether first language (L1) Mandarin speakers would successfully learn English carry and hold with intensive input in a laboratory training procedure. In Experiment 2, we asked whether the difficulties observed were due to differing semantic dimensions per se or to the need to move from a larger number of fine-grained native distinctions to a smaller number of broader English meanings.

Data and analysis:

Word definitions and label choice after training were scored for consistency with native performance.

Conclusions:

Experiment 1 supported the idea that intensive input helps, but Experiment 2 suggested that any kind of semantic difference from L1 is challenging even with intensive input.

Originality:

The current study clarifies the contributions of learning conditions and L1-L2 semantic differences in semantic accent.

Implications:

Reducing semantic accent may require instruction in specific L1-L2 differences and cultivation of metacognitive sensitivity to the potential for differences.
“Track every move”: Analyzing developers’ privacy discourse in GitHub README files
Authors: Levi-Eshkol Keren , Ribak Rivka
Published: August 2024

We adopt a socio-material perspective to examine how developers translate privacy, as a social value, into user applications. Our comprehensive survey of the research on developers’ privacy highlights their key position as privacy mediators and their forums as productive settings for unobtrusive studies of their discourse. The open-source code-sharing platform GitHub contains both discourse and code; by focusing on GitHub, we analyzed nearly 60,000 README files created between 2008 and 2020 that include the term “privacy,” studying quantitatively and qualitatively how discourse is translated into code. Using VOSviewer.com, we identified two main word clusters: “security” and “privacy policy.” Voyant-tools.org confirmed these findings, suggesting that some references elaborate on practices that safeguard privacy, while others discuss policy as a means of complying with both public and, ironically, commercial regulations. A closer reading of the files reveals that even privacy enthusiasts may inadvertently promote code that poses threats to privacy.
Corridors of countersovereignty: Insurgency, smuggling, and post-nation-state politics in Turkey's Kurdish highlands
Authors: Bozçalı Fırat
Published: August 2024

In Turkey's Kurdish borderlands, smugglers occasionally entered insurgent corridors, the guerrilla-controlled mountainous passages, to bypass state control. This article takes insurgent corridors to frame sovereignty as monopolization of space-making and proposes space-making as a key analytic to examine the forms of sovereignty that facilitate or undermine specific extractive practices. As a spatial form, corridors are central to the claiming and exercising sovereignty and extraction without having complete territorial control across a bounded space or the whole population in that space, the territoriality identified with nation-states. By controlling corridor space and monopolizing the traffic in them, colonial empires, nation-states, corporations, and rebel movements exercised sovereignty and extracted value that is carried or generated by corridor traffic. The insurgent corridors further complicate corridor sovereignty as the Kurdish guerillas monopolized corridor-making without monopolizing and extracting the corridor traffic under a post-nation-state political vision that favors grassroots democratized organization of mobilities and livelihoods rather than centralized exclusive authority and biopolitical governance on them. The insurgent corridors constituted what I call countersovereignty, a practice contesting not only the existing state sovereignty but also political models of nation-state sovereignty and territoriality. While anthropologists understand refusal as disengagement from actors claiming sovereign superiority, the insurgent corridor countersovereignty entailed a distinct form of political refusal that rejects mimicking state sovereignty and associated forms of biopolitical governance.
A sovereign grant and a franchised state: Tin mineral supply chains in south Kivu of eastern Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Makori Timo
Published: August 2024

In resource extraction regions, nation-states tend to be depicted as the legal authority sanctioning profitable mining operations in close collaboration with corporate actors in their domestic territories. Especially in post-colonial contexts, corporate sovereignty is the term deployed by anthropologists to depict the acts of power by legally sanctioned corporate actors within a space of negotiation authorised by the state. A problem arises with this framing of sovereignty in contexts where the international norms of liberal democracy and development are violated due to constraints on the domestic authority of the state. In this scenario, the international order imposes itself to restore the authority of the state by governmentalising the security, territory, and market access of the state. Through ethnographic and field survey research in south Kivu of eastern Congo, I argue that the restoration and extension of state authority is a grant given to the state on condition of the responsible exercise of norms and practices of international markets. The tin, tantalum and tungsten (3T) mineral supply chain in south Kivu are an example of such a grant extended by international market actors and their related resource policy regimes to strengthen the state by franchising its apparatuses through practical mechanisms and discourse aimed at implementing traceability of so-called conflict minerals. Here, sovereignty is a position that is made by international market rule delivered through infrastructure in the form of 3T-mineral supply chains that franchise the state with the aim of optimising its fiscal reach and penetration among upstream mineral producers in south Kivu.
Sovereign extractions, extractive sovereignty
Authors: Bieberstein Alice von , Evren Erdem
Published: August 2024

Within the broader context of a financialised supply-chain capitalism and the international governance of statehood in the wake of decolonisation and European integration, this special issue asks how sovereignty figures in relation to extraction at this conjuncture. In this introduction, we outline the issue's conceptual framework. We argue that sovereignty manifests as a space-making power, across different scales, which delineates and crafts various sites and zones of contemporary processes of extraction as various kinds of ‘outside’. We understand this ‘outside’ not only from the structural point of view of capital accumulation or simply in terms of its function for the stabilisation of capitalism. Rather, we understand it as shaped and saturated by symbolic investments and determinations, through discursive formations, fantasies and patterns of racialisation and dehumanisation, which assist the operations of extractive capital but which may also feature histories and genealogies not reducible to the logics of capital. But we also take distance from an Agambenian take on the ‘outside’, which would figure its sovereign dimension in terms of negativity, as a withdrawal of the law and a form of abandonment. Our interest lies in tracing the mutual articulation and implication of (genocidal, colonial, imperial) violence and capitalist extractions of value and wealth as they intersect, often conjointly, at times in tension, in the crafting and delineation of space.
Storying hopeful resistances to datafication: Cracks, spacetimematterings and figurations of agency within the more-than-human ecologies of early childhood education and care
Authors: Albin-Clark Jo , Archer Nathan , Chesworth Liz
Published: August 2024

In this paper, we ponder the ecologies of spacetimematterings folded into resistance practices and their relationality with figurations of agency outside and beyond datafication agendas. Accountability cultures bound up with datafication have consequences that include a diminished agency for both children and educators. We take inspiration from the idea that enactments of resistance can cause cracks to appear that forge creative spaces where different kinds of doings related to agency emerge. The context, potentiality and storyings of cracking encounters is where our interest lies. To ponder crackings, we play with feminist posthuman and materialist theorising with research-creation approaches to notice resistances as material-discursive intra-actions amongst the lively materiality of educational life. From there we notice resistance practices as ecologies. Those ecologies are complex and lively yet often concealed in more-than-human cracks by the grand narrative of datafication. Through storytelling, we reimagine these cracks as dynamic resistances, often unresolving the relationality between power and the collective more-than-human modes of resistance we witnessed. Different kinds of noticing mattered and amplifying the sharing of resistance stories brings attention to hopeful agencies already and always at work. Sharing stories can strengthen the connectivity of resistances to datafication and build a stronger autonomy and agency for early childhood education and care. Our provocation is to pay attention to the spacetimematterings of ecologies where resistance practices are already at work cracking cracks for different doings. From there, further activisms can mobilise a larger fracturing to the dominance of datafication narratives.
Activist work is care work: conceptualising resistance in Indonesia and the Philippines through feminist ethics
Authors: Imray Papineau Elise
Published: August 2024

This article draws on interview data collected in 2021 from Indonesia and the Philippines to argue that activist work should fundamentally be understood as care work. The first part of the article advocates for a novel inductive theorisation of intersectional care ethics in social movement studies and activist-centred research. The second part of the article utilises this conceptual framework to discuss the paramount role of women in grassroots activist spaces both on the frontlines and behind the scenes. The stories of resistance by women activists, which comprise the core of this article, help to illustrate how the patriarchy and other structures of power may simultaneously be subverted and reproduced in grassroots community spaces.
Mechanical and failure behaviour of PLA FFF printed part under sweat absorption: Splint arm application
Authors: Ghorbel Atidel , Traoré Adama , Elloumi Ahmed
Published: August 2024

This study focuses on the selection of printing parameters for arm splint to support forces under sweat exposure. We investigated the influence of varying infill density and raster angle on flexural properties after sweat diffusion. In particular, polylactic acid (PLA) beams were printed in the edge direction with different infill densities (60%, 80% and 100%) and raster angles (0°, 45° and 90°). We evaluated the flexural properties of the beams before and after aging in sweat, and analysed the failure mode based on the printing parameters. Additionally, we quantified the porosity of the samples and correlated it with sweat absorption and mechanical properties. Degradation of PLA in water and sweat is assessed by the Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy analysis. Our findings revealed that a higher strength and stiffness were achieved with a 45° raster angle and higher infill density. Interestingly, the parameters that resulted in optimal properties before and after sweat absorption aren’t the same. Sweat absorption depends on the architecture leads to the change in failure mode which initiated fracture. The findings provide valuable insights into the optimisation of printing parameters for arm splints, considering both mechanical performance and the impact of sweat interaction on fracture behaviour.
Justification regimes and crisis practices: International educational collaboration amidst pandemic and war
Authors: Juusola Henna , Nokkala Terhi
Published: August 2024

This research investigates how international educational collaboration (IEC) as a social activity adapts to global crises: COVID-19 and the Russian’s invasion in Ukraine. We focus on Finnish higher education institutions (HEIs) and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) that actively provide IEC activities, such as student exchange, education export and educational capacity building abroad. Drawing from the sociology of conventions (SC) and the concept of social practices, we formulate a multidimensional framework that connects regimes of justification, and social practices that emerge in crises. Considering crises as a critical test, we analyse how IEC cope with unexpected situations that require establishing new justifications of public accountability and morality, and practices that fit the crises situation. Our empirical data collected through a two-stage open-ended questionnaire in 2021 and 2022 enables us to consider the recent trends and potential future(s) of IEC. Empirically, we conclude that coping with global crises requires IEC actors to make changes in IEC practices. Analytically, we theorise that regimes of justification and social practices that emerge during crises (crisis practices) are interconnected. Thus, this study contributes to practice-oriented frame by considering accountability of practices in the unexpected circumstances, enhancing the understanding of how different organisations adapt to turbulent times.
Damage detection and classification of carbon fiber-reinforced polymer composite materials based on acoustic emission and convolutional recurrent neural network
Authors: Shao Yun-Fei , Guo Fuping , Jiang Peng , Li Wei , Zhang Wei-Qiang
Published: August 2024

Carbon fiber-reinforced polymer (CFRP) composite laminates generate acoustic emission signals during the tensile process, which can be used to identify the type of acoustic emission (AE) signal at a given moment and determine the current damage condition. However, due to the large number and complexity of AE signals generated during the tensile process of carbon fiber composite laminates, it is challenging to manually identify and annotate them. To address this issue, we propose a low-complexity classification and detection network model based on the convolutional recurrent neural network (CRNN) architecture. First, we construct a dataset of composite damage signals for a single damage category and use log-mel spectrogram features to train the model for that specific category of damage signals. Then, we utilize the trained model to recognize the AE signals of CFRP composite laminates. The proposed method achieves an accuracy of 99.02% in classifying single damage modes in the test set and effectively distinguishes the types of AE signals generated during the damage process of CFRP composite laminates. Compared with the classic classification model using AE signals, the number of parameters in our proposed low-complexity CRNN model is reduced by 94.42%. It also demonstrates that 19.4% of the AE signals during the damage process are in a superimposed state, indicating the simultaneous occurrence of multiple damage modes in CFRP composite laminates.
Composite waste-based aramid aerogel separators
Authors: Bulbul Hale , Yanilmaz Meltem , Kim Juran
Published: August 2024

Lithium ion batteries are one of the most promising electrochemical energy storage systems. They generally consist of four components: anode, cathode, electrolyte, and separator. The separators are crucial for batteries since they prevent physical contact of electrodes and thus short circuit. In this study, reutilization of aramid fabric was highlighted by transforming it into a high value product: battery separator. A waste aramid fabric was used to synthesize aramid aerogels by deprotonation, sol-gel, and freeze-drying processes and then investigated as lithium ion battery separators. Aramid fabric was collected from a scrap plant of an industrial automotive company. Nanoclay or TiO2 nanoparticles were added into this waste-based aramid aerogel matrix in the sol-gel stage to further enhance the performance of the separators. The samples were characterized by scanning electron microscope (SEM), linear sweep voltammetry, electrochemical impedance spectroscopy (EIS) and galvanostatic charge/discharge tests. A uniform and bead-free morphology was observed for all samples with over 60% porosity. Electrolyte uptake and ionic conductivity test results showed that addition of TiO2 nanoparticles increased electrolyte uptake and ionic conductivity up to 365% and 2.2 mS/cm, respectively. The cells prepared by using nanocomposite aramid aerogels with TiO2 exhibited excellent cycling performance with a capacity of around 160 mAh/g in 200 cycles.
FXR, MRP-1 and SLC7A5: New Targets for the Treatment of Hepatocellular Carcinoma
Authors: Zhang Xi-yue , Luo Ming , Qin Shu , Fu Wen-guang , Zhang Meng-yu
Published: August 2024

Detect the expression of Farnesoid X Receptor(FXR), Multiple Drug Resistance Associated Protein-1(MRP-1) and Solute Carrier Family 7, Member 5 (SLC7A5) in hepatocellular carcinoma(HCC) of rat model, so as to provide new therapeutic targets for gene therapy of HCC. Sixty male Wistar rats were randomly divided into three groups. The rats in experimental group were given 0.2% diethylnitrosamine (DEN) by gavage with a dose of 10 mg/kg, 3 times a week, and it stopped at 12 weeks. The control group rats were given physiological saline by gavage, while the sham operation group did not receive anything by gavage. At 10 weeks, one rat in the experimental group was euthanized, and the changes of livers were recorded. The procedure was repeated at 12 weeks. After 12 weeks, HCC only occurred in the experimental group. After confirming the formation of the tumor through pathological examination, liver tissues and tumor tissues were taken from the three groups. FXR, MRP-1 and SLC7A5 expression in liver tissues and tumor tissues was detected. After 7 weeks the rats in experimental group ate less, and their weight was significantly reduced. Three months later, HCC was detected in 15 rats in the experimental group. The ratio of FXR/GAPDH mRNA, MRP-1/GAPDH mRNA, SLC7A5/GAPDH mRNA were significantly different among the three groups. Under the light microscope the FXR protein, MRP-1 protein, and SLC7A5 protein react with their respective antibodies, and they showed granular expression. Every pathological section included different numbers of positive cells in each group. FXR expression in HCC of rats was significantly lower than that in normal liver tissues, but MRP-1 and SLC7A5 expression in HCC were significantly higher than that in normal liver tissues, suggesting that drugs targeting FXR, MRP-1 and SLC7A5 may be new strategies for the treatment of HCC.
Frontal Activity of Recent Suicide Attempters: EEG spectrum Power Performing Raven Task
Authors: Rasouli Nafee , Malakouti Seyed Kazem , Bayat Masoumeh , Mahjoubnavaz Firouzeh , Fallahinia Niloofar , Khosrowabadi Reza
Published: August 2024

Background: Deficits in problem-solving may be related to vulnerability to suicidal behavior. We aimed to identify the electroencephalographic (EEG) power spectrum associated with the performance of the Raven as a reasoning/problem-solving task among individuals with recent suicide attempts. Methods: This study with the case-control method, consisted of 61 participants who were assigned to three groups: Suicide attempt + Major Depressive Disorder (SA + MDD), Major Depressive Disorder (MDD), and Healthy Control (HC). All participants underwent clinical evaluations and problem-solving abilities. Subsequently, EEG signals were recorded while performing the Raven task. Results: The SA + MDD and MDD groups were significantly different from the HC group in terms of anxiety, reasons for life, and hopelessness. Regarding brain oscillations in performing the raven task, increased theta, gamma, and betha power extending over the frontal areas, including anterior prefrontal cortex, dlPFC, pre-SMA, inferior frontal cortex, and medial prefrontal cortex, was significant in SA + MDD compared with other groups. The alpha wave was more prominent in the left frontal, particularly in dlPFC in SA + MDD. Compared to the MDD group, the SA + MDD group had a shorter reaction time, while their response accuracy did not differ significantly. Conclusions: Suicidal patients have more frontal activity in planning and executive function than the two other groups. Nevertheless, it seems that reduced activity in the left frontal region, which plays a crucial role in managing emotional distress, can contribute to suicidal tendencies among vulnerable individuals. Limitation The small sample size and chosen difficult trials for the Raven task were the most limitations of the study.
How Making Consent Procedures More Interactive can Improve Informed Consent: An Experimental Study and Replication
Authors: aan het Rot Marije , Wessel Ineke
Published: August 2024

Prospective research participants do not always retain information provided during consent procedures. This may be relatively common in online research and is considered particularly problematic when the research carries risks. Clinical psychology studies using the trauma film paradigm, which aims to elicit an emotional response, provide an example. In the two studies presented here, 112–126 participants were informed they would be taking part in an online study using a variant of this paradigm. The information was provided across five digital pages using either a standard or an interactive format. In both studies, compared to the control condition, participants in the interactive condition showed more retention of information. However, this was only found for information about which they had been previously asked via the interactive format. Therefore, the impact of adding interactivity to digital study information was limited. True informed consent for an online study may require additional measures.
Evaluation of the trueness and precision of ceramic laminate veneers fabricated with four computer-aided manufacturing methods
Authors: Nguyen Anh Viet , Vo Ngoc Truong Nhu , Nguyen Tra Thu , Tong Son Minh
Published: August 2024

The accuracy of computer-aided design/computer-aided manufacturing (CAD/CAM) methods plays an important role in the clinical success of ceramic veneers. This study aimed to evaluate the impact of different CAD/CAM methods, including subtractive, hybrid, and additive manufacturing, on the trueness and precision of ceramic veneers. A typodont central incisor was prepared for a laminate veneer, followed by the design of a veneer with CAD software. Ceramic veneers were fabricated with four different CAD/CAM methods, including milled lithium disilicate, pressed lithium disilicate with three-dimensional (3D) printed wax patterns, milled zirconia, and 3D-printed zirconia. All veneers were scanned and imported to 3D inspection software for trueness and precision evaluation. Laminate veneers fabricated with all investigated methods exhibited clinically acceptable trueness and precision. Pressed lithium disilicate veneers from 3D-printed wax patterns and 3D-printed zirconia veneers showed lower precision of the fitting surfaces compared to their milled counterparts.
The impact of a virtual wellness course for adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities in the third year of COVID-19
Authors: St John Laura , Borschneck Gregory , Volpe Tiziana , Thakur Anupam , Lake Johanna , Mallet Heidi , Pereira Victor , Lunsky Yona
Published: August 2024

The current study examines how a virtual wellness intervention may improve health outcomes in adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Thirty-six adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities participated in the wellness intervention. Outcome measures related to satisfaction, mental health, wellbeing, health behaviours and overall health were completed at three time points (pre, post and follow-up). Participants reported high levels of satisfaction and had significant improvements in outcomes related to mental health and wellbeing. Changes in sleep, sedentary behaviour and overall health were not reported, though qualitative evidence suggests that some changes were implemented. The study provides evidence to support the use of virtual interventions to address health concerns in individuals with intellectual and developmental disabilities.
The importance of paddling to surfing performance: Insights from elite athletes, coaches, and performance support practitioners
Authors: MacDonald Luke A , Chalkley Daniel , Parsonage Joanna , Gosney Sienna , Webster Hannah , Minahan Clare L
Published: August 2024

Although paddling has been widely studied, there remains a limited understanding of how a surfer's paddling ability directly influences their wave-riding performance. Using an ecological approach, this study examined the importance of paddling to surfing performance from the perspective of elite Australian athletes, coaches, and performance support practitioners. Ten elite Australian surfing coaches, ten elite Australian surfing athletes, and eight performance support practitioners completed semi-structured interviews. This approach underscores the significance of incorporating experiential knowledge from coaches, athletes, and performance support practitioners, particularly in surfing where the nature of high-performance sport requires a multi-disciplinary approach and highlights the potential value of qualitatively exploring expert perspectives. Findings showed that all participants agree that paddling is an integral aspect of surfing performance despite not being directly scored in competition. The ecological dynamics approach provided a framework for understanding the function of paddling as a tool that enables surfers to exploit the affordances of the environment and support positive performance outcomes under highly variable conditions. The findings highlight the complexities of the performer-environment relationship in surfing and draw attention to the potential for improvements in surfing performance that may be elicited by enhancing a surfer's paddling ability. This study contributes to a growing body of sports science literature investigating paddling performance in surfers and underscores the importance of paddling to surfing performance.
The dynamic game of risk default in microcredit
Authors: Kaicer Mohammed , Oudgou Mohamed , Kaddar Abdelilah , Arbi Adnène
Published: August 2024

In this paper we present a new approach to solve a risk default, under asymmetric information, between Micorfinance Institutions MFIs and borrowers excluded from the conventional financial systems (financial exlusion). To solve this problem we propose the model, as a system of two differential equations to describe the evolution of some safe and risky borrowers. In fact, the population of borrowers is divided into two compartments: Safe and Risky having an interaction, it is a SR model. With numerical simulations of the SR model, we can describe the evolution of some safe and risky borrowers. The result provides to manage the portfolios of all agencies controlled from the MFIs, by predictions of safe and risky borrowers. Then, define or redefine the management strategies of development and investment, and thus strengthen financial inclusion.
The Social Media Comment Section as an Unruly Public Arena: How Comment Reading Erodes Trust in News Media
Authors: Dobber Tom , Hameleers Michael
Published: August 2024

The comment section accompanying news stories on social media offers an important interactive context for news, but may also afford the possibility to spread anti-establishment, trust-eroding comments. Exposure to such comments may affect social media users’ trust in news media. However, evidence of over-time effects is scarce. This study draws upon cultivation theory and uses a three-wave panel survey in the Netherlands ( N = 906). Findings indicate that increased comment reading at T2 exacerbates and deepens news media mistrust at T3, suggesting that exposure to the comment section accompanying news stories posted on social media indeed has negative ramifications for news media trust. News media seem to be closing off their own comment section and delegating commenting to social media in part to create a buffer between themselves and trust-eroding comments. Our findings suggest this buffer is not as solid as news media might hope.
Phytochemical Analysis and in vivo Toxicity Study of Extracted Walnut oil in Sprague Dawley Rats
Authors: Mohammed Talar Hamaali , Rahman Heshu Sulaiman , Omer Shirwan Hamasalih
Published: August 2024

Background: Medicinal plants have been the focus of scientific research for many decades worldwide, especially those used in traditional medicine. Objective: To perform the phytochemical analysis of extracted walnut oil (EWO) and its subchronic toxicity profile in Sprague Dawley rats. Methods: In this experimental study, the collected Kurdish walnut was authenticated by an authorized taxonomist and the core was obtained. Then, the walnut oil was extracted using the cold press method and sent for phytochemical analysis using GC-MS. Accordingly, the male Sprague Dawley rats were treated with varying doses of the EWO for four consecutive weeks, and animals were checked daily for abnormality and toxicity behaviours while they were weighed each week. At the end of the study, animals were sacrificed under deep anaesthesia, blood samples and organs were collected, and various hematological and biochemical tests were performed together with histopathological analysis. Results: GC-MS analysis showed that EWO contained 49 compounds, some critical in biomedical fields. The body weight of all treated animals was increased significantly. No significant changes were seen for hematological tests except platelets, which decreased in all treated groups (p = 0.015) compared to the control group. At the same time, AST and chloride levels were decreased (p = 0.002 and p = 0.012, respectively), while total protein and calcium were increased (p = 0.004 and p = 0.033, respectively). Simultaneously, histopathological analysis showed no severe lesions in the brain, moderate lesions in the liver and mild, moderate and severe lesions in the kidneys. Conclusions: EWO is rich in various compounds that contain active medicinal components. The EWO can be used at low doses as it does not affect most hematological and biochemical tests and has no significant toxicity in the vital organs of experimental rats.
Does Russian Propaganda Lead or Follow? Topic Coverage, User Engagement, and RT and Sputnik’s Agenda Influence on US Media
Authors: Yang Yunkang , McCabe Stefan , Hindman Matthew
Published: August 2024

Russian state propaganda outlets Russia Today (RT) and Sputnik are an important part of Russian foreign policy and key global sources of disinformation. Previous work has argued that they focus on exploiting social divisions among foreign audiences and worried that Russian propaganda may influence the broader media agenda. To date, though, there has been no comprehensive study of what RT and Sputnik actually cover, or any quantitative analysis of their influence on other coverage. We analyze 4.7 million English-language news articles from RT, Sputnik, and sixty-seven other news outlets linked to on Facebook from 2017 to 2021, articles that collectively generate 22.6 billion user interactions. Contrary to assumptions in previous studies, RT and Sputnik gave modest attention to US domestic politics, focusing instead on a set of geopolitical issues including the Middle East, armed conflicts, and international statecraft. Using a VAR model, we show that RT and Sputnik Granger-cause coverage on its high-priority issues across all categories of US media: center, left-wing, right-wing, and far-right. On domestic issues, RT and Sputnik follow center and far-right outlets instead of leading. Our study is an important corrective to earlier scholarship, which has overstated RT and Sputnik’s engagement with US domestic issues and blurred the specialized roles different Russian organizations play in malign influence operations.
Are Psychological Variables and Time Since Surgery Related to Rotator Cuff Strength and Functional Performance in Cadets After Shoulder Stabilization Surgery?
Authors: Casper Preston C. , Benedict Timothy , Morris Jamie , McHenry Paige , Dummar Max , Crowell Michael S.
Published: August 2024

Background:

Traumatic shoulder instability is a common injury in the general population and the military. Surgical stabilization surgery reduces recurrence rates compared with nonsurgical management. Time since surgery is generally the primary measure of return to sport. There is a gap in knowledge on psychological variables and time since surgery and their relationship to rotator cuff strength and functional performance.

Hypothesis:

It was hypothesized that, after shoulder stabilization surgery, psychological factors and time since surgery will be associated positively with objective physical performance tests, that physical performance will differ significantly between postsurgery cadets and healthy controls, and that surgical stabilization of the nondominant arm will demonstrate greater range of motion deficits than surgical intervention on the dominant arm.

Study Design:

Case-control study.

Level of Evidence:

Level 4.

Methods:

The 52 participants (26 postsurgical [6-24 months after surgery] and 26 healthy controls) were all military cadets. Outcome measures were patient-reported outcomes, range of motion, isometric strength, and functional performance.

Results:

No significant relationships existed between time since surgery and psychological factors to rotator cuff strength or functional performance. Significant differences were found between groups in self-reported outcomes, including the Shoulder Instability Return to Sport After Injury scale, Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation, Numeric Pain Rating Scale, quickDASH, flexion and external rotation (ER), and ER limb symmetry. Those who received dominant-sided shoulder surgery demonstrated a greater mean active range of motion deficit than those who received nondominant-sided surgery. Both groups demonstrated a significant loss in ER, but dominant-sided surgical participants also demonstrated significant flexion loss.

Conclusion:

Time since surgery and psychological variables did not demonstrate a relationship to rotator cuff strength and functional performance. Significant differences existed between the stabilization surgical participants and healthy controls in all patient-reported outcomes. Surgical participants with dominant-sided shoulder surgery demonstrated a greater mean motion deficit when compared with those who received nondominant-sided surgery.
The impact of changes in Russian log export tariffs on China's log imports
Authors: Guan Zhijie , Yang Yang
Published: August 2024

Russia is a major log supplier to China, and in order to control log exports, Russia has adjusted its log export tariffs. This paper analyzes the impact of changes in Russian log export tariffs on China's log imports using a gravity model based on China-Russia log trade data from 2003 to 2022. The conclusions show that the difference in forest resource endowment between the two countries promotes China's log imports, while the distance between China and Russia and Russia's log export tariffs harm China's log imports, and the effect of export tariffs is significant. The further research shows that the suppression effect of the changes in Russian log tariffs on China's log imports is very significant in the short term, but relatively weak in the long term. Based on the above conclusions, this paper recommends some policies from both short-term and long-term perspectives.
The sustainability of blended learning in Zimbabwean state universities in the post-COVID-19 era
Authors: Chitanana Lockias
Published: August 2024

This study delves into the sustainability challenges of blended learning within the context of selected state universities in Zimbabwe. Using a qualitative research methodology, the investigation engaged key stakeholders, including two Faculty Deans, two Information Technology (IT) directors, 15 lecturers, and 50 students, all purposefully selected for their involvement in blended learning initiatives. Through interviews, observation and document analysis, data was meticulously collected. The findings underscored the benefits of blended learning, such as enhanced accessibility, personalised learning experiences and flexibility. However, the study identified significant hurdles, including inadequate infrastructure and the need for lecturer training. To ensure the sustainability of blended learning practices, continual investments in technology and infrastructure are imperative. Additionally, the study recommends targeted lecturer training programs and initiatives to bolster student readiness, thus fostering improved pedagogical skills and heightened student engagement. Although focused on Zimbabwe’s state universities, this research contributes valuable insights into blended learning within higher education and offers actionable recommendations to enhance its sustainability on a broader scale.
Gaia and the repositioning of the state territoriality: A dialogue with critical geopolitical ecology
Authors: Hung Po-Yi
Published: August 2024

Recent discussions of critical geopolitical ecology provide both a theoretical framework and a methodological approach to the dialogue between state territoriality and the Gaia politics. Specifically, I highlight the intersection of terrestrial territories and critical geopolitical ecology with three key terms, partition, share, and multiple materialities, to reposition the state territoriality in the Gaia politics. Based on the discussions, I argue for an alternative territorial subjectivity for the future Earth.
Understanding the effect of term limits on voter turnout: Evidence from a quasi-experiment in Costa Rica based on a registered report
Authors: Kouba Karel
Published: August 2024

Imposing term limits on elected officials is expected to increase turnout due to enhanced competition by one theoretical perspective, while another predicts depressed turnout as a result of clientelist turnout buying. These puzzling contradictory predictions are examined by a quasi-experiment (using a difference-in-differences approach) based on a 2022 reform which introduced term limits for Costa Rican mayors that were applied for the first time in the 2024 municipal election. Over one half of mayors suddenly faced retroactive term limits, while the remaining ones were eligible for reelection. This analysis was pre-registered following the 2022 reform but before the 2024 election, that is, at a time when treatment assignment already occurred but the post-treatment outcomes were not known and the analysis could still not be performed. The analysis could only be completed after the February 2024 election. The results suggest that the adoption of term limits reinvigorated electoral competition but that its participatory gains were only modest, fostering turnout only in the largest cities. The analysis contributes by advancing the—still uncommon—practice of pre-registering observational research after the treatment assignment but prior to the release of the data (and even prior to the processes that produce that data).
Fitting z-curves to estimate the size of the UESD file drawer and the replicability of published findings
Authors: Frese Joris
Published: August 2024

The unexpected event during survey design (UESD) established itself as a viable causal inference design across multiple social science disciplines in the past few years. The distribution of UESD test statistics has not yet been scrutinized for potential anomalies to the same degree as those from other causal inference methods, such as DiD, RDD, or IV. In this article, I leverage recent advances in meta-analytical methodology to estimate the replicability of statistically significant UESD findings and quantify the size of the file drawer of non-significant findings. Precisely, I aggregate 1095 ITT coefficients and standard errors from UESD studies published between 2019 and 2023 to fit their z-curve and estimate their observed discovery rate, expected discovery rate, and expected replication rate. While most statistically significant UESD findings are predicted to be replicable, the distribution of z-values also indicates publication bias toward marginally significant findings and a large file drawer of non-significant findings. The innovative z-curve methodology, which has not seen much (or any) use in political science yet, provides promising new insights beyond established tools for the assessment of publication bias, such as funnel plots or caliper tests, and can readily be applied to entire subfields of quantitative political science.