bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mediators of Parental Attachment and Internalized Transnegativity for Korean Transgender and Nonbinary People
Authors: Lee Joonwoo , Hoyt William T. , Budge Stephanie L. , Lee Bora
Published: December 2024

Internalization of stigmatizing messages from society is a primary risk factor for transgender and nonbinary (TNB) people. To locate points of intervention for TNB people with a high level of internalized transnegativity, the present study examined predictors of internalized transnegativity in Korean TNB adults ( N = 268) using a multiple mediator model. We hypothesized that parental attachment would predict internalized transnegativity through the mediating effect of self-shame, rejection sensitivity, and self-concept clarity. The analysis provided partial support for the mediator hypothesis. The results were consistent with a model in which self-shame fully mediates the relation between parental attachment and internalized transnegativity, with no evidence of a mediating role for self-concept clarity or rejection sensitivity. This study shows that TNB individuals reporting insecure attachment with parents are more likely to experience internalized transnegativity, and the relation is largely accounted for by the indirect effect via general self-shame.
Glare at Night-Time Driving: Effect of Correlated Color Temperature of Led Lamps
Authors: Matesanz Beatriz M. , Vicente Eduardo G. , Issolio Luis , Rodríguez Merino Fernando , Arteaga M Teresa G. , Arranz Isabel
Published: December 2024

Objective

This study aims to analyze the effect of correlated color temperature from LED glare sources on driving performance. The evaluation includes assessing the effect of disability glare on visual reaction time and rating discomfort glare using a standardized scale.

Background

LED technology is widely incorporated into various lighting systems; however, the impact of glare from oncoming car headlamps on driving performance at night-time is crucial for road safety.

Method

Twenty-three healthy young subjects participated in a laboratory-based experiment simulating night driving using a two-channel Maxwellian view optical system. Two LED lamps with correlated color temperature of 2800 K and 6500 K were used to generate a glare of 52 lx. Disability glare was quantified in terms of foveal reaction time and discomfort glare was rated using the de Boer scale.

Results

The results show that glare-induced effect is mitigated by an increase in background luminance. The correlated color temperature of the LED lamp does not affect either reaction time or discomfort glare rating.

Conclusion

The greater short-wavelength emission of 6500 K lamp does not intensify the effect of disability or discomfort glare, probably due to the macular pigment absorption on foveal vision and the transparency of ocular media, coupled with the involvement of other contributing factors. The correlated color temperature of the lamp is not the best descriptive parameter to identify its effect on glare.

Application

It is important to consider the impact of LED technology on visual performance to enhance road safety in critical glare situations during night driving.
Does Education Make Local Elected Officials Perform Better?—A Case of Gram Panchayats in India
Authors: Joshi Gaurav , Joshi Amit , Pant Abhishek Kumar
Published: December 2024

In India, in keeping with constitutional provisions, some states have started prescribing educational qualification criteria for candidates contesting elections to Panchayati Raj system of local self-government bodies. This study attempts to analyse whether educational qualifications indeed enable a local elected official (LEO) perform better. The study was conducted in Uttarakhand state of India. Two-stage cluster (probability) sampling was used. Data for the study were collected from 128 gram panchayats in four blocks of the state, selected randomly using the two-stage cluster sampling method. Results showed that educational background has a significant impact on the LEO’s performance, with secondary education having the largest impact followed by tertiary education.
The Law Behind Dispute Onset: How Legal Uncertainty Drives Maritime Boundary Disputes
Authors: Yüksel Umut
Published: December 2024

The making of international law through multilateral conventions and adjudication often leads to periods of legal uncertainty, times in which there are alternative rules and divergent views on how they ought to be applied to particular cases. I argue that legal uncertainty gives states opportunities and incentives to formulate excessive unilateral claims, thus making disputes more likely to arise. I illustrate my argument with a comprehensive analysis of maritime boundary disputes in the aftermath of the Second World War. In this period, the law regulating maritime boundary-making has been marked by varying degrees of uncertainty due to different rules and interpretations proffered by various multilateral and judicial lawmaking attempts. I find strong evidence that high legal uncertainty is associated with an increased probability of dispute onset. The analysis calls for an important rethinking of the impact of legalization on international affairs, both in maritime boundary-making and in other issues areas.
Body Image and Self-Harming Behaviors in Adolescents: The Mediating Effect of Somatization
Authors: Campos Rui C. , Marmelo Marta , Holden Ronald R.
Published: December 2024

In the present investigation, we used structural equation modeling with 251 adolescents to reveal, through path analyses, the degree to which somatization might mediate the relationships between body image and self-harming behaviors. After controlling for the effects of (a) age, (b) gender, and (c) having previously visited a psychologist, we observed that somatization fully mediated both the relationship between body image and self-harming behaviors and the relationship between gender and self-harming behaviors. These results suggest that having a less satisfied relationship with the body or a more negative body image is closely related to a somatic experience of greater psychological suffering, which could lead, in turn, to a more active expression of this suffering through self-harming behaviors.
Integrative physiology-coupled pilot-centered flight simulation
Authors: Harrison Shawn C , Clipp Rachel B , Mitchum Marsha D , Bulysheva Anna A , Webb Jeff B , Newman Brett A , Landman Drew , Sadagic Amela , Audette Michel A
Published: December 2024

Maintaining the pilot’s physiological performance envelope within the limits of human capabilities may be crucial for avoiding hazardous physiological episodes in fighter aircraft that compromise safety. The main physiological episode of interest is impaired pilot respiration, better known as hypoxia, caused by a high fraction of inspired oxygen (FiO2) at high altitudes and variation in accelerative gravitational forces (g-forces). This research focuses on coupling FlightGear and Pulse Physiology Engine (Pulse) simulations to recreate and understand hypoxic events related to a combination of high g-forces and high-FiO2. By coupling interactive simulations based on FlightGear and Pulse, hypoxia was recreated from two scenarios: simulated accelerative atelectasis, achieved by using high g-forces output from FlightGear with a modified Pulse tension pneumothorax scenario, and the combination of high g-forces and high-FiO2, based on a prototype OBOGS simulation. Each scenario resulted in hypoxic events after executing three consecutive simulations, validated by the ratio mismatch of pulmonary ventilation ([Formula: see text]) and perfusion ([Formula: see text]) rates, [Formula: see text], due to a reduction in ventilation. Eventually, a detailed atelectasis simulation founded on multi-physics finite elements (FE) is planned in future work, where real-time efficiency is feasible through a deep neural network implementation trained on FE experiments. Using neural networks based on biometrics and pre-existing health conditions, if any, will result in the development of a predictive analytics model to determine whether pilots are susceptible to hypoxia prior to flight.
Erosion wear performance of titania filled ramie-epoxy composites: A data driven optimization study using supervised machine learning approach
Authors: Mahapatra Sourav Kumar , Satapathy Alok
Published: December 2024

This paper reports on a data driven machine learning (ML) approach to analyze and predict the erosion behavior of titanium oxide (titania) filled ramie-epoxy composites. ML models are extensively used in recent years to mimic human decisions in various industries. After fabrication and well-designed erosion trials following design of experiments, the experimental data is critically analyzed to examine the effect of each input factor (erodent temperature, striking angle, striking velocity and filler content) on the output that is erosion wear rate. It is found that the erosion wear rate increases with increase in striking velocity and striking angle and decreases with increase in filler content. The experimental data is further used to feed five different ML models. The performance and adequacy of ML models are compared using five different performance metrics. It is noticed that although all the machine learning techniques effectively predicted the erosion rate, the Gradient boosting machine (GBM) model exhibited superior performance with an R2 value of 0.9486. The feature importance plot confirms that the, filler content, striking velocity and the striking angle played a major role in predicting the erosion rate of the hybrid composites.
Vicarious Experiences with Police Violence: Examining Psychosocial Factors that Predict Black Individuals’ Negative Affect and Intentions to Engage in Collective Action
Authors: Sheehan Brynn E. , Totonchi Delaram A. , Derlega Valerian J.
Published: December 2024

In the present study, we examined whether willingness to participate in collective action and feelings of negative affect in response to the police killing of a Black man can be explained by individual differences in racial identity, identification with the shooting victim, and feeling personally threatened by the shooting incident. Participants ( N = 328 Black university students) completed online questionnaires after reading one of two non-fictional vignettes of a fatal police shooting of a Black American. Three components of racial identity were assessed (racial centrality, private regard, and public regard). Results indicated that all three racial identity variables predicted negative affect through a sequence of greater identification with the shooting victim and concerns about personal threat. When predicting collective action, however, only racial centrality predicted the outcome via these sequential mediators. Implications for research and theory on vicarious racism and the need for mental health resources in communities are discussed.
Clear Cell Sarcoma of the Parotid Gland: Case Report and Review of the Literature
Authors: Lahham Elias Edward , Abualia Nasser , Ghweir Abdalrazeq A. , Fatayer Mohammad , Atrash Fadi , Billan Salem
Published: December 2024

Clear cell sarcoma (CCS) of the parotid gland is a rare and aggressive cancer, predominantly affecting the deep soft tissues of the lower extremities, and is more frequently observed in the elderly. Its occurrence in the head and neck area, particularly in the parotid gland, is exceedingly rare. This study presents a 75-year-old male who exhibited a substantial, swiftly-enlarging mass on the left side of the mandible, which was diagnosed as CCS of the parotid gland. Morphologically and immunohistochemically, CCS shares characteristics with melanomas, and Ewing sarcoma, complicating differential diagnosis. The primary treatment for localized CCS typically involves surgical excision with clear margins. However, due to its resistance to conventional chemotherapy, there is ongoing research regarding the efficacy of adjuvant therapies such as chemoradiation, lymphadenectomy as well as immunotherapies such as immune checkpoint inhibitors. Further research is imperative to enhance our understanding of CCS and to develop more effective treatment strategies.
Syndromic Association of Depigmentation With Congenital Hearing Loss: A Review of Three Children With Auditory Pigmentary Disorders
Authors: Ghosh Shabari , Dutta Mainak , Mukherjee Diptanshu , Raychaudhuri Dibyendu , Bandyopadhyay Saumendra Nath
Published: December 2024

Background: Congenital depigmentation may be associated with congenital sensorineural hearing loss leading to non-development of verbal speech. Objective: To illustrate the clinical features and work-up of 3 children diagnosed with auditory pigmentary disorders (APDs). Methodology: Case series with a review of the literature. Results: The APDs presented here in the 3 children include Waardenburg syndrome type 1, Clouston syndrome, and Waardenburg syndrome type 4 (Waardenburg-Shah syndrome). The characteristic clinical features, audiologic tests, imaging, and the necessary genetic tests carried out subsequently were noted and evaluated. All the children were male and were aged 2 years, 1 year, and 14 months, respectively. All of them had hearing loss and non-development of verbal speech and had some form of oculocutaneous depigmentation. The challenges in the diagnosis, the work-up, and the close differentials were discussed, and the relevant literature was reviewed. Conclusions: The APDs connect congenital depigmentation with prelingual hearing loss through various syndromic disorders. These disorders are not commonly encountered in routine clinical practice; therefore, their proper knowledge is essential for early diagnosis of congenital hearing loss and timely initiation of auditory and speech rehabilitation. This case series deals with a detailed illustration of a few syndromes of the APDs and highlights their clinical presentation and genetic background.
Contemporary Partner Preferences in Mate Selection: An Expanded List of Characteristics and the Addition of Constraints
Authors: Simons Leslie Gordon , Sutton Tara E. , Hanus-Knapp Stephanie , Clark Shelby
Published: December 2024

There is a long history of research on the topic of mate selection using college student samples. Much of this research focuses on desired partner characteristics using an instrument developed in 1939. While the data accrued over more than three-quarters of a century have provided insights about the ways in which evolving cultural values influence the importance of these characteristics, there has been little research on how well this list of characteristics reflects contemporary mate selection criteria. The current study addresses this gap in the research in two ways, First, an expanded list of partner characteristics, more reflective of contemporary mate selection criteria, was developed. Second, a constrained approach in assigning value to each characteristic was employed in order to assess the relative importance of each characteristic. Results indicate that several of the new characteristics were significantly more important than some in the original measure, demonstrating a need for an update to the 1939 instrument. Additionally, when choices were constrained, a clearer picture of priorities emerged. Finally, results produced categories of desired mate characteristics identified as deal breakers, necessities, preferences, luxuries, and unimportant.
Effect of AI literacy on online information search competencies among medical students in Pakistan
Authors: Ali Muhammad Asif , Mughari Shahzeb
Published: December 2024

In today's technology-driven healthcare landscape, AI competencies are essential for medical students. This study assessed AI literacy and online information search (OIS) skills among 336 students from 12 public medical institutions in Sindh, Pakistan. The survey revealed strong AI literacy in areas such as hardware, software, data literacy, content creation, safety, and problem-solving, but students struggled with understanding AI errors. They also demonstrated sufficient behavioral, procedural, and meta-cognitive competencies in online information searching. A significant positive correlation between AI literacy and OIS skills was found, indicating that higher AI literacy improves students’ search abilities. These findings underscore the need to integrate AI-related skills into medical education to better prepare students for the evolving healthcare environment. The study offers insights for AI developers, AI vendors, medical educators, librarians, medical institution administrators, and policymakers on how they can play a significant role in enhancing AI literacy and search competencies in medical education.
Retrospective cohort study of fluctuations in emergency department visits for nonspecific back and neck pain during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Ohana Nissim , Baruch Yuval , Tavdi Alex , Palmanovich Ezequiel , Benharroch Daniel , Engel Itzhak , Yaacobi Eyal
Published: December 2024

Objective

We examined fluctuations in emergency department (ED) visits for nonspecific back and neck pain during the COVID-19 pandemic and explored potential contributing factors.

Methods

This retrospective cohort study included patients who presented to the ED with nonspecific back and neck pain between January 2019 and December 2021. Demographic data, visit frequencies, and clinical outcomes were analyzed to assess the impact of the pandemic on visit patterns.

Results

A total of 1245 ED visits were recorded. Visits decreased by 30% during the peak of the pandemic, with a gradual return to baseline by mid-2021. No significant changes in patient demographics or clinical outcomes were noted during the pandemic. However, a proportional increase in neck pain visits was observed.

Conclusions

The observed decline in visits may be linked to pandemic-related concerns, such as fear of exposure in the hospital and reduced activities. The increased neck pain visits highlights the potential influence of pandemic-related stress and lifestyle changes. Visit patterns rebounded as the pandemic eased, indicating a temporary decrease unrelated to condition severity. The COVID-19 pandemic temporarily affected ED visits for nonspecific back and neck pain. Further research is needed to explore the long-term effects of the pandemic on health care utilization.
Social and cultural geographies of economic innovation: Proliferation of meanings, articulation with user cultures, and dialectical power relations
Authors: Lyu Zuyi , Qian Junxi
Published: December 2024

Sociocultural mechanisms figure prominently in geographical accounts of economic innovation. At their heart lies a theoretical schema comprising relational assets and market rationality. This paper proposes an alternative epistemological framework for understanding social and cultural geographies of economic innovation by integrating the diverse actors, motives, power dynamics, and contexts that shape contemporary knowledge economies and technoscapes into a coherent theoretical unity. Specifically, three theoretical inquiries are proposed to explore the mutual constitution between socio-spatial dynamics of economic innovation and proliferating meaning systems adopted by knowledge workers, lived material cultures of users, and dialectical power relations inherent in knowledge economies.
Are Historically Black Colleges and Universities an Ecosystem for Black Entrepreneurship? Some Evidence From the Brookings Institution 2022 Black Progress Index Data
Authors: Price Gregory N. , Toney Susanne L.
Published: December 2024

Historically, Black Americans have owned businesses at a lower rate than White Americans. While there is a vast literature on the factors that explain this disparity, machine-learning analytics have not been exploited to capture relevant predictive determinants of the formation of Black-owned Businesses. In this paper, we utilize the Brookings Institution 2022 Black Progress Index Data to explore, similar to the approaches in criminology, the attractors and generators of Black-owned businesses across US counties. We augment the Brookings data to account for the presence of a Historically Black College/University (HBCU) in the county, and deploy a rigorous least absolute shrinkage and selection operator—a machine-learning analytical tool—to identify the best predictors of Black-owned businesses in a county, and classify them as attractors and/or generators in regression specifications. Parameter estimates from several mixed effects regressions specifications reveal that HBCUs are an attractor/generator of Black entrepreneurship. Treatment effect matching parameter estimates suggest that the HBCU effects on Black entrepreneurship outcomes are causal. Overall, our findings suggest that HBCUs constitute an ecosystem for Black entrepreneurship as they are an important catalyst and driver of Black-owned businesses, and can serve a substantive role in reducing racial entrepreneurship disparities. Our results suggest that policies that engender private or public investments in HBCU capacity to enhance their Black entrepreneurship ecosystem can be effective in reducing Black-White disparities in entrepreneurship and business ownership.
Cross-cultural Validation of Achievement Motivation and General Mattering Measures in Latinx Culture
Authors: Karaman Mehmet Akif , Sarı Halil İbrahim , Cavazos Vela Javier
Published: December 2024

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the psychometric evidence for Achievement Motivation and General Mattering scores among Latinx college students in Mexico and the United States based on degree of measurement invariance. Validating instruments in cross-cultural contexts is essential to ensure that psychological constructs are measured reliably across populations with distinct cultural experiences, such as family dynamics, schooling, mental health, and acculturation. A total of 505 participants, with 263 from Mexico and 242 from the United States, participated in the study (U.S. sample: 71.9% female, ages 18–57, M = 23.65; Mexican sample: 55.9% female, ages 15–56, M = 26.69). The results indicated that the Spanish version of the Achievement Motivation scale had partial strict invariance, and the General Mattering scale had metric invariance when used with these two groups of Spanish-speaking Latinx college students. This study highlighted the need of using accurate, trustworthy, and culturally sensitive measures to comprehend the psychological experiences of Latinx college students.
Emotional Wellbeing of Asylum-Seeking Children After Release From Immigration Detention
Authors: Zayas Luis H. , Villatoro Alice P. , Londoño Tatiana , Fuentes-Balderrama Jaime
Published: December 2024

Families seeking asylum in the United States are often placed in detention centers after fleeing crime, violence, and government ineffectiveness in their countries. Migration brings more hardship, terror, and trauma. The cumulative psychological and social effects from detention need to be better understood. This exploratory study examines the effects of detention and family separation on immigrant children’s psychosocial wellbeing after released. We recruited 81 Central American children previously detained with their parents to assess their wellbeing since release. A third of the children had been separated from their parents during detention. Over a third of parents and less than a fifth of children reported verbal and psychological abuse by staff and other detainees. Children who reported abuse showed higher anxiety and sense of inadequacy than those who did not. About 12.5% of children met clinical criteria for anxiety while 25% were at high risk, and those who had been released from detention for over a year had more depressive symptoms. To reduce psychological harm, changes in detention policies are needed. Community-based, child-directed, and family-centered interventions can assist with settlement to a new environment and psychological adjustment. Research with larger samples, longitudinal follow-up, refined measures, and qualitative data is needed.
Review of Imaging Peritoneal Disease and Treatment
Authors: McQuade Colin , Renton Mary , Chouhan Ashvina , MacDermott Roisin , O’Brien Ciara
Published: December 2024

Peritoneal disease can be classified as either benign or malignant in nature. Malignant peritoneal disease can be further considered as either primary or secondary in origin. Primary peritoneal malignancy includes peritoneal mesothelioma, serous carcinoma, and desmoplastic small round cell tumour. Peritoneal carcinomatosis is the most commonly encountered secondary malignant peritoneal disease, typically of ovarian, gastric, colorectal, pancreatic, small bowel neuroendocrine, or breast origin. Others include peritoneal lymphomatosis and sarcomatosis. Benign peritoneal pathology may mimic malignant disease. Differentiating benign from malignant peritoneal pathology can be challenging, but is critical to guide appropriate care and avoid unnecessary intervention. Cytoreductive surgery (CRS) and hyperthermic intraperitoneal chemotherapy (HIPEC) offers potentially curative treatment for patients with peritoneal carcinomatosis, pseudomyxoma peritonei, and peritoneal mesothelioma. For such patients, the radiologist provides crucial pre-operative information highlighting sites of disease involvement, particularly for sites which are challenging to assess at laparotomy or laparoscopy, including the hepatic dome, subdiaphragmatic space and mesenteric root. The radiologist is also essential to identify potential contraindications to surgery, as well as interpreting normal post-operative appearances, complications and assessing for disease recurrence.
Reflections on Machiavelli’s Prince of Chapter 9 ‘Civil Principality’ for an academic that finds themself becoming a manager during a crisis
Authors: Stewart Ian
Published: December 2024

University academics face distinctive challenges when becoming managers of other academics. The following reflection is on my experience of becoming the Academic Lead of our Research Group just before the outbreak of COVID-19. The position here is similar to Machiavelli's Prince of Chapter 9 ‘Civil Principality’, specifically the precarity of an academic of one contract type, being set between the ‘people’ of another contract type who had appointed him by common assent and the ‘nobles’ above who accepted this situation. The threats to the rule of this Prince noted by Machiavelli were revealed as the pandemic set in and its consequences became felt in lives and careers. Machiavelli's recommendation of encouragement, proved difficult to apply during the pandemic. This reflection might be useful for those who find themselves in a similar situation. This is also a unique autoethnographic account of an unusual route into higher education middle management during a global crisis. Currently, there are few firsthand accounts of academic management in higher education during COVID.
Pattern, severity, and preventability of adverse drug reactions from a Northern Indian tertiary care facility: A retrospective analysis
Authors: Lhamo Yangshen , Purohit Kalpana , Singh Sunita , Chopra Deepti , Bharti Mani
Published: December 2024

Background

Over the years, it has been observed that adverse drug reaction (ADR) is a major cause of mortality and morbidity and a major cause of concern for all healthcare professionals. ADR is a leading cause for hospitalisation and increases the financial burden of the patient. Thus, it is imperative that we need steps and strategies to decrease the burden of ADRs and effectively reduce the cost of therapy to treat ADR.

Objective

This study evaluated the pattern, severity, and preventability of ADRs in a tertiary care hospital.

Methods

A retrospective observational study of all the ADR reports due to medications submitted to the ADR monitoring centre in a Northern Indian tertiary care hospital from October 2017 to December 2019. Causality assessment of the ADRs was done using the WHO-UMC causality assessment scale, and the severity was assessed using the modified Hartwig scale. Furthermore, the preventability of the ADR was assessed using the Schumock and Thornton scale.

Results

A total of 252 ADRs were reported. A maximum number of the ADRs (33%) were due to antimicrobials followed by analgesics (16%) and antihypertensives (10%). Amongst the analgesics, a majority of ADRs were associated with Diclofenac (16 ADRs). Amlodipine was associated with maximum ADRs (10) amongst the antihypertensives. The ADRs of gastrointestinal systems (34.5%) were most common among all system organ class (SOCs) followed by skin and subcutaneous tissue disorders (32%). Majority of ADRs were probable and mild in severity. According to the Schumock and Thornton preventability scale 69% were not preventable while 12% were definitely preventable.

Conclusions

Antimicrobials were associated with majority of ADRs with gastrointestinal system being the most commonest organ involved. It was also observed that most of the ADRs were not preventable but some were definitely preventable. The awareness regarding preventability of ADRs needs to be emphasised and further studies to elaborate on the preventability of ADRs needs to be carried out.
A new method of shrink fit design for large-sized prestress die of hot extrusion: An example of large fan shaft
Authors: Liu Zuofa , Zhou Jie , Zhou Wenwu , Yang Jingyun
Published: December 2024

Due to the remarkable increase in the geometric size, interference fit amount and assembly difficulty of large-sized hot extrusion prestress die, the conventional methods (such as thick wall cylinder theory and empirical value method) of shrink fit design were inapplicable to the pre-stressed die for hot extrusion of fan shaft with a maximum radius of 255 mm. In this study, a new shrink fit design method for large-sized prestress die was proposed by using the finite element method, and two sets of the formulas and nomograms that were easy to use were obtained to determine the interference fit ratio β, the radius ratio of die and stress ring a21, a31. Finally, the shrink fit of the prestressed die for the hot extrusion of the large fan shaft was designed by adopting the introduced new approach, and the hot extrusion experiment was carried out. The results show that the prestressed die for hot extrusion of the large fan shaft designed by the new method not only reduced the material cost by 58.6% compared with the integral die, which had considerable economic advantages but also had outstanding stress-bearing capacity, which could be safely applied for the manufacture of large aero-engine fan shaft, which also verified the feasibility of the new shrink fit design method for large-sized hot extrusion prestress die.
Abnormalities in Attention and Working Memory in Schizophrenia: The Hyperfocusing Hypothesis
Authors: Gold James M. , Luck Steven J.
Published: December 2024

People with schizophrenia suffer from hallucinations and delusions as well as from significant cognitive impairments. Working memory is a critical resource for many complex cognitive operations and is a critical area of impairment in schizophrenia. Here we present our hyperfocusing hypothesis, which suggests that an overly narrow and intense focusing of attention may underlie the working memory deficits seen in schizophrenia. The hyperfocusing hypothesis also provides an account of some areas of surprisingly intact cognitive performance also seen in people with schizophrenia.
AI-Based Digital Product ‘Robo-Advisory’ for Financial Investors
Authors: Khanna Preeti , Jha Sumi
Published: December 2024

The financial industry is seeing a rise in the use of AI-based research, with robo-advisory solutions being one of its most prominent applications. By utilizing complex datasets and algorithms, these robo-advisory solutions can offer customized solutions that improve a person’s efficiency when it comes to investing, saving and retiring. The emergence of robo-advisors, algorithm-based digital products that evaluate customer data to automatically design and maintain investment portfolios, is a significant advancement in this industry. One of the drivers is the use of mobile applications in banking, insurance and other financial organizations, which has grown manifold due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and the trend is expected to witness further growth. Financial firms have opportunities to adopt AI-driven algorithm-based solutions, such as robo-advisory ones that can anticipate customer needs in advance and offer highly personalized services at the right time. The purpose of the research is to employ the extended unified theory of acceptance and use of technology (UTAUT) model to identify the factors that determine consumers’ decision to adopt robo-advisory in the financial services setting. The primary data includes 864 responses gathered from a pool of financial advisors. The study contributes to the literature by identifying the determinants of robo-advisory services by extending the UTAUT model.
Shielding competitiveness: Germany’s wage policy during the inflation shock years in comparative perspective
Authors: Höpner Martin , Di Carlo Donato , Hassel Anke
Published: December 2024

We analyse wage developments in Germany during the inflation shock years of 2021–2023 from three perspectives: cost of living, supply-side cost pressure, and relational. With an export-led growth model, Germany is dependent on a favourable real effective exchange rate. Because of its above-average exposure to the energy crisis and low unemployment, Germany was particularly vulnerable to strong wage demands, putting at risk its cost competitiveness. In response to the inflation crisis, moderate collective bargaining outcomes have resulted from widespread use of one-off payments, longer duration of collective agreements, and ‘zero-month’ clauses, which have delayed wage increases. As in all other eurozone countries, employees have suffered real wage losses, but nominal wage increases at the lower end of the labour market fared better than average. Major competitiveness shifts have occurred in the eurozone, particularly to the detriment of Eastern European countries and the Baltics, but not Germany.
Anticipatory evaluation
Authors: Copestake James
Published: December 2024

Starting with the Australian Evaluation Society 2024 Conference theme of ‘wayfinding’, the article reflects on how evaluators navigate time as well as space, with particular reference to how they incorporate qualitative approaches to ‘futures thinking’ into their evaluative practice. The article takes a reflexive case study approach, drawing on a simple model of evaluative practice to review the role of futures thinking in evaluation of doctoral research projects, impact investments, social assistance, and development studies as an academic field. The article focuses particularly on the role of ‘backcasting’, as well as deliberative processes and the causal mapping of narrative claims linking future possibilities to current thinking and activities.
Understanding Cultural Values and Beliefs of Puerto Ricans Regarding Suicide and Suicide Prevention: An Ethnonursing Study
Authors: Batista Griselle , Zoucha Rick , Colbert Alison M. , Duarté-Vélez Yovanska
Published: December 2024

Introduction:

Suicide is a Latinx leading cause of death. A deeper understanding of the cultural factors that can inform suicide prevention efforts among specific Latinx subgroups, such as Puerto Ricans, is needed. This study aimed to explore the cultural values and beliefs of Puerto Rican adults pertaining to suicide and its prevention.

Methodology:

The Ethnonursing Research Method, a qualitative approach, was used for this study. Semi-structured interviews were conducted via Zoom with 27 Puerto Rican adults in the U.S. Southwest. Data were analyzed using Leininger’s four phases of data analysis.

Results:

Three major themes were abstracted: (a) family should play a central role in suicide prevention, (b) a concern for what people will say or think can influence help-seeking, and (c) suicide prevention includes the provision of care that fosters confianza (relational trust, safe space).

Discussion:

Culture care values, such as confianza and familismo, must inform suicide prevention efforts and stigma campaigns targeting Puerto Rican communities in the U.S. mainland.
Approach to optimize poling conditions of metal matrix piezoelectric composite
Authors: Shirai Ryo , Yanaseko Tetsuro
Published: December 2024

An approach for optimizing the poling conditions of metal matrix piezoelectric composite (MMPC) using a series capacitor model is proposed and its verification is performed. The oxide film formed around the electrodes in MMPC is necessary for insulation between the electrodes and the metal matrix, however, during the poling process, the oxide film deprives the polarizing electric field and prevents polarization of piezoelectric ceramics. Therefore, a method to optimize the polarizing voltage using the thickness and dielectric constant of the oxide film in a series capacitor model with a simplified structure of the MMPC is required. In addition, the validity of the proposed method is investigated by output voltage obtained from fabricated composites that performed the poling process. The results of the optimization show that optimal polarization is not possible with the Ni and Ti oxide films used in this study. However, the results of the polarization treatment of the actual composite material confirmed the validity of the proposed method, as the output voltage improvement is in line with the proposed method.
Modeling nonlinear behavior of piezoelectric actuators using improved WT-GRU neural network
Authors: Hu Yaqian , Jin Herong , Chu Xiangcheng , Chen Meiyu
Published: December 2024

The coupling of hysteresis and low damping vibration in a piezoelectric actuator results in low modeling accuracy and adversely affects output motion precision. To mitigate this problem, this paper proposes an improved wavelet transform gated recurrent unit (WT-GRU) model. This model integrates a convolutional layer with WT-GRU to enhance its capability to express complex relationships. Firstly, the input voltage sequence undergoes wavelet transform to decompose it into a set of frequency subsequences. Then, using the feature extraction and representation ability of the convolutional layer, significant features are extracted from subsequences to construct a time series feature vector. Finally, a gated recurrent unit is trained to predict the output displacement sequence accurately. Statistical metrics such as mean absolute error (MAE), root mean square error (RMSE), and coefficient of determination ( R2) were utilized to evaluate the model performance. Additionally, experimental tests were conducted with frequency excitation signals at 80–120 Hz. Experimental results show that the proposed model achieves a MAE of 0.0102 mm, an RMSE of 0.0148 mm, and an R2 value of 0.9478. This model exhibits a significant advantage in accurately predicting the output displacement of piezoelectric actuators, thereby providing a reliable foundation for designing piezoelectric actuator control systems.
Using Brief Habit Reversal to Decrease Speech Disfluencies in Public Speaking. A Systematic Replication
Authors: Göhring Anja , Bördlein Christoph
Published: December 2024

Purpose: Many social workers are concerned about public speaking because of their use of speech disfluencies. Perrin et al. (2021) used brief habit reversal to reduce public-speaking speech disfluencies. The study was systematically replicated to evaluate the benefit of brief habit reversal training for social workers in decreasing speech disfluencies. Method: Nine students of social work, divided into three groups, participated in this study. After baseline, they received brief habit reversal, consisting of awareness training and instruction on a competing response. Results: The results showed that compared to baseline, all participants reduced speech disfluencies during brief habit reversal. The low rates of speech disfluencies were maintained during postsessions. At follow-up 2.5 to 6 weeks after training, six of nine participants achieved a reduction of at least 80 percent from baseline. Discussion: To further adapt the training to the field of social workers, further research would be necessary.
Improving the Ethics Review of Qualitative Health Research: A Comparison of Review Practices and Suggestions for Improvement by Researchers and Members of Research Ethics Committees
Authors: Potthoff Sarah , Roth Fee , Vollmann Jochen , Scholten Matthé
Published: December 2024

Most qualitative health research is subject to ethics review and approval by a research ethics committee (REC). While many studies have identified the challenges that current ethics review practices pose to qualitative health research, there is currently a call to move the research focus from the shortcomings of ethics review practices to the possibilities for improvement. The aim of this grounded theory study was to identify possibilities for improvement of current ethics review practices which can count on endorsement from qualitative health researchers and members of REC alike. To this end, we developed interventions for improving review practices through a comparative analysis of qualitative health researchers’ experiences with review practices and REC members’ discussions about how their review practices operate. Data collection proceeded by means of problem-centered interviews with seven qualitative health researchers and three focus group discussions with 14 REC members in Germany. Our analysis shows two overarching dimensions in the ethics review practice related to the distribution of responsibility for ethically legitimate research and the reasons for ethical concerns about qualitative health research studies. While there was disagreement about concrete suggestions for improvement, our analysis shows that researchers and REC members pursue three shared overarching aims: increasing expertise in qualitative methods among REC members and researchers, improving communication between researchers and RECs, and tailoring ethics review procedures to qualitative health research. We conclude that researchers and REC members need to promote collaboration and collegiality to ensure ethically appropriate review practices for qualitative health research.
Exploring the relationship between COVID-19 risk and employment quality among a sample of individuals with disabilities
Authors: Brehmer Chelsea E , Fry Hannah , Bishop Malachy , Hall Jean P , Kurth Noelle K
Published: December 2024

Background

Physical and psychosocial contexts of employment and the quality of the work environments impact both physical and mental health, particularly among individuals with disabilities.

Objective

Given the relationship between health and employment and the need to understand the relationship between quality of work and COVID-19 acquisition risk, this project focused on studying the impacts of job quality following the emergence of the COVID-19 virus.

Method

GLM logistic regression to explore odds ratios of employment quality factors on our dependent variable, contracting COVID-19.

Results

The overall model was significant, indicating selection of predictor and control variables have an impact on COVID-19 risk (χ2(11) = 59.53, p < .001, N = 2325). Age and race were significant individual predictors. Finally, among the employment quality variables, only one comparison was significant. Individuals with some but not all markers of employment quality, compared to individuals who were unemployed, were 1.3 times more likely to contract COVID-19 (OR = 1.3, p = 0.03).

Conclusion

Employment, in light of COVID-19, is full of complexity and nuances. Even more so is the relationship between COVID-19, health, and employment for PWDs. The significant findings from the current study have important implications for the incorporation of employment, and specifically quality employment, as a predictor of physical health among PWDs.
Impact of SGLT2 Inhibitors on Left Ventricular Remodeling in Diabetic Patients with Acute Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Wan Jun , Xu Feng , Zuo Heping , Jiang Xin , Wang Yulin , Jiang Yang , Chen Cai , Yin Chunlin , Cheng Jinglin , Li He
Published: December 2024

Objective

To assess the effect of sodium-glucose cotransporter 2 inhibitors (SGLT2-I) on cardiac remodeling and prognosis in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) patients presenting with acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Methods

In this single-center retrospective active-comparator study, consecutive diabetic AMI patients undergoing percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) between 2021 and 2023 were enrolled. Patients were divided into SGLT2-I users and non-SGLT2-I users based on discharge medications. The primary endpoint was the left ventricular remodeling index (LVRI), defined as the relative change in LV end-diastolic volume after six months. The secondary outcomes included major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), comprising all-cause mortality, hospitalization for heart failure, nonfatal MI, and nonfatal stroke.

Results

The study comprised 423 T2DM AMI patients(with or without ST-segment elevation), with 239 SGLT2-I users and 184 non-SGLT2-I users. At six months, LVRI was significantly lower in the SGLT2-I users compared to the non-SGLT2-I users (3.49 ± 19.71 vs 7.06 ± 15.15, P = .042). The non-SGLT2-I users exhibited a higher prevalence of positive LVR (LVRI > 0%) (64.67% vs 50.63%, P = .004) and pathological LVR (LVRI > 20%) (19.57% vs 12.13%, P = .036). Multivariate logistic regression indicated that SGLT2-I was associated with a reduced risk of LVR (OR 0.6; 95%CI 0.38-0.97; P = .035). During a mean follow-up of 25 ± 8 months, Kaplan-Meier analysis demonstrated a lower rate of MACE-free survival in the non-SGLT2-I users ( P = .005).

Conclusions

SGLT2-I protects against LVR and lowers the risk of adverse cardiovascular outcomes in T2DM AMI patients.
Port malposition in the anterior mediastinum resulting in chemotherapy extravasation into the pleural cavity: A case report and literature review
Authors: He Jiaobo
Published: December 2024

We present a rare case of port malposition into the anterior mediastinum resulting in chemotherapy extravasation into the pleural cavity. While management of extravasation into soft tissues has been established, the data on treatment of mediastinal and intrapleural extravasation is limited. This case underscores how utilizing state-of-the-art technology like real-time intracavitary electrocardiography(IC-ECG) or transthoracic/subxiphoid ultrasound with the “bubble test”, rather than reliance on postoperative chest radiography, can help eliminate catheter malposition and its potential catastrophic consequences.
Pre-sleep arousal and poor sleep quality link experiential avoidance to depressive symptoms in young adults
Authors: Pantesco Elizabeth J , Schanke Melanie R
Published: December 2024

Higher levels of experiential avoidance are associated with increased risk for depression. Here, we examined the mediating roles of pre-sleep arousal and sleep quality in the relationship between experiential avoidance and depressive symptoms. Undergraduate students ( N = 173) completed self-reports of experiential avoidance, pre-sleep arousal, habitual sleep quality, and depressive symptoms. The indirect effect of experiential avoidance on depressive symptoms through pre-sleep arousal and sleep quality was examined in a set of serial mediation analyses. Effect estimates supported a pathway in which higher experiential avoidance was associated with heightened pre-sleep arousal, and heightened pre-sleep arousal was associated with poor sleep quality. Poor sleep quality, in turn, was associated with increased depressive symptoms. Follow-up analyses showed that the indirect path was driven by cognitive, rather than somatic, arousal. Future research assessing the role of pre-sleep cognitive arousal in the relationship between experiential avoidance and mood disruption using longitudinal design is warranted.