bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Artificial Intelligence for Clinical Decision Support in Acute Ischemic Stroke: A Systematic Review
Authors: Akay Ela Marie Z. , Hilbert Adam , Carlisle Benjamin G. , Madai Vince I. , Mutke Matthias A. , Frey Dietmar
Published: May 2023

Background:

Established randomized trial-based parameters for acute ischemic stroke group patients into generic treatment groups, leading to attempts using various artificial intelligence (AI) methods to directly correlate patient characteristics to outcomes and thereby provide decision support to stroke clinicians. We review AI-based clinical decision support systems in the development stage, specifically regarding methodological robustness and constraints for clinical implementation.

Methods:

Our systematic review included full-text English language publications proposing a clinical decision support system using AI techniques for direct decision support in acute ischemic stroke cases in adult patients. We (1) describe data and outcomes used in those systems, (2) estimate the systems’ benefits compared with traditional stroke diagnosis and treatment, and (3) reported concordance with reporting standards for AI in healthcare.

Results:

One hundred twenty-one studies met our inclusion criteria. Sixty-five were included for full extraction. In our sample, utilized data sources, methods, and reporting practices were highly heterogeneous.

Conclusions:

Our results suggest significant validity threats, dissonance in reporting practices, and challenges to clinical translation. We outline practical recommendations for the successful implementation of AI research in acute ischemic stroke treatment and diagnosis.
An overview of parental care in the foam-nesting frogs of the genus Leptodactylus (Anura: Leptodactylidae): current knowledge and future directions
Authors: Carrillo Juan F.C. , Santana Diego J. , Prado Cynthia P.A.
Published: May 2023

Amphibians exhibit diverse parental care behaviours, which may be performed by the female, male or both parents. In the Neotropical family Leptodactylidae, frogs in the genus Leptodactylus exhibit different parenting behaviours. The repertoire of care behaviours includes egg/nest attendance, nest chamber sealing, tadpole feeding with trophic eggs, and tadpole attendance associated with complex behaviours, such as pumping behaviour and channel digging. Based on the available information, we found that 23.8% of Leptodactylus species are known to exhibit post-fertilization parental care. Future studies should focus on mechanisms involved in parent-offspring communication, including acoustic and chemical signals. Moreover, behaviours such as provisioning with trophic eggs are not well understood and deserves further investigation. Because of these complex parental care behaviours, tadpole schooling, and relative easy observation, frogs in the genus Leptodactylus represent excellent models for studies interested in parent-offspring communication and evolution of parental care.
Societal Trust, Transparency and Accountability in Fiscal Policy During National Emergencies: A Reflection on the Unfolding Global Corona Virus Pandemic in Africa
Authors: Waris Attiya
Published: May 2023

Financing health care is growing in importance as more and more researchers, governments and other stakeholders see that public health goods and services need to be financed. This work is intended to understand what the underlying problems maybe in getting people to understand the magnitude of national and global emergencies in health and how to get them to obey state and global directives which are for their own safety from a fiscal perspective. Here we show that there is a breakdown in communication between states and their societies that is undermining the ability of African states to guide their people to follow health and safety rules. The findings provide a recommendation that an improvement in transparency and accountability will not only result in better management of emergencies but also build better long term fiscal legitimacy and management of the current and future emergencies and enhance societal trust.
On the quantitative criteria of subspecies in insects. Case study of Entomoscelis adonidis (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae) in European Russia and the Caucasus
Authors: BIEŃKOWSKI ANDRZEJ O. , ORLOVA-BIENKOWSKAJA MARINA J.
Published: May 2023

Many insect subspecies are described without a statistical assessment of differences. In this work, an attempt is made to statistically process the morphological differences of some recently described subspecies. In this regard, a taxonomic review of Entomoscelis adonidis (Pallas, 1771) (Coleoptera, Chrysomelidae) and related taxa described from European Russia and the Caucasus is presented. Statistical processing of numerous materials (782 specimens) from type localities of the nominal taxa adonidis, spuria Jacobson, 1896, caucasica Kippenberg, 2020, and bashkiriae Kippenberg, 2020, and their environs showed the presence of geographical variability in several characters, which, however, does not reach the level of species or subspecies. For subspecies, the classic “75 %” rule is applied. Therefore, all these specimens are considered to belong to the same species and subspecies. For nomenclature stability and to clarify the taxonomic position of closely related taxa, the neotype of Chrysomela adonidis Pallas is designated from the type locality; the neotype is in accordance with the currently used interpretation of E. adonidis adonidis. Besides that, the lectotype of Entomoscelis adonidis var. spuria Jacobson is designated. The paratypes of E. adonidis caucasica Kippenberg and E. dorsalis bashkiriae Kippenberg were studied. The following new synonyms are proposed: E. adonidis adonidis (Pallas, 1771) = E. adonidis caucasica Kippenberg, 2020 (syn. nov.) = E. dorsalis bashkiriae Kippenberg, 2020 (syn. nov.). The status of E. adonidis var. spuria Jacobson, 1896 as a junior synonym of E. adonidis adonidis is confirmed. The endophallus, particularly, flagellum of E. adonidis was studied for the first time. Several Brassicaceae species, namely Berteroa incana, Barbarea vulgaris, Sisymbrium officinale, Capsella bursa-pastoris, and Thlaspi arvense, as well as Adonis vernalis (Ranunculaceae) are confirmed as host plants of the adults of E. adonidis in cages.
An additional species of the genus Nemaspela Šilhavý, 1966 from a cave in Georgia, with a note on Nemaspela melouri (Opiliones: Nemastomatidae)
Authors: MARTENS JOCHEN , MAGHRADZE ETER , BARJADZE SHALVA
Published: May 2023

A cavernicolous harvestman species, Nemaspela kotia sp. nov., is described from the Kotia Cave (=Kotiasklde Cave) in Zemo Imereti plateau, Imereti Region, West Georgia. Its males lack a cheliceral apophysis, a feature shared with the Georgian cave-dwelling Nemaspela femorecurvata Martens, 2006 and N. prometheus Martens, Maghradze & Barjadze, 2021. Besides, Nemaspela melouri Martens, Maghradze & Barjadze, 2021, known only from its type locality, is found in Solkota Cave (Tskaltubo Municipality, Sataplia-Tskaltubo karst massif, Imereti region, West Georgia). A key for the identification of the known species of Nemaspela is provided.
Lifetimes of Overshooting Convective Events Using High-Frequency Gridded Radar Composites
Authors: Jellis Daniel , Bowman Kenneth P. , Rapp Anita D.
Published: May 2023

Deep convection that penetrates the tropopause, referred to here as overshooting convection, is capable of lifting tropospheric air well into the stratosphere. In addition to water, these overshoots also transport various chemical species, affecting chemistry and radiation in the stratosphere. It is not currently known, however, how much transport is a result of this mechanism. To better understand overshooting convection, this study aims to characterize the durations of overshooting events. To achieve this, radar data from the Next Generation Weather Radar (NEXRAD) network is composited onto a three-dimensional grid at 5-min intervals. Overshoots are identified by comparing echo-top heights with tropopause estimates derived from ERA5 reanalysis data. These overshoots are linked in space from one analysis time to the next to form tracks. This process is performed for 12 four-day sample windows in the months May–August of 2017–19. Track characteristics such as duration, overshoot area, tropopause-relative altitude, and column-maximum reflectivity are investigated. Positive correlations are found between track duration and other track characteristics. Integrated track volume is found as a product of the overshoot area, depth, and duration, and provides a measure of the potential stratospheric impact of each track. Short-lived tracks are observed to contribute the most total integrated volume when considering track duration, while tracks that overshoot by 2–3 km show the largest contribution when considering overshoot depth. A diurnal cycle is observed, with peak track initiation around 1600–1700 local time. Track-mean duration peaks a few hours earlier, while track-mean area and tropopause-relative height peak a few hours later.
Novel Raman Spectroscopy Method for Solutions in Uniform, High-Strength Electric Field
Authors: Anand Gaurav , Safaripour Samira , Snoeyink Craig
Published: May 2023

A novel method of measuring the influence of high electric fields on the Raman scattering of fluids is introduced, which can help understand various interactions of a fluid with the high electric field. The microfluidic chip can impose highly controlled, uniform electric fields across the measurement volume with blocked electrodes, eliminating spurious reactions at the electrode surface. The developed methodology and the experimental setup are utilized to examine the effect of the electric field on three of the stretching vibrations of ethanol in water–ethanol mixtures with varying concentrations of ethanol and effective electric fields up to 1.0MV/m. The increase in the electric field is seen to broadly decrease the intensity of Raman scattering due to a decrease in the polarizability of the ethanol molecules. Although this effect is uniform for all water-ethanol mixtures, it reduces in mixtures with high weight-fractions of water because of the already reduced polarizability of an ethanol molecule due to hydrogen bonding. The combined effect of hydrogen bonding and increase in temperature due to the alternating high electric field even results in an increase in the magnitude of peak intensity for relatively low-weight fractions of ethanol.
Employment-related mental health outcomes among Australian migrants: A 19-year longitudinal study
Authors: Maheen Humaira , King Tania
Published: May 2023

Background:

Migrants experience various stressors at different stages of migration based on their country of origin, ethnic backgrounds, migration context and host country. Employment is one important post-settlement factor associated with mental health among migrant groups. The study investigates whether the country of origin modifies the association between employment and mental health for Australian migrants.

Methods:

Nineteen waves of data from the Household Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey were used. Using fixed-effects regression, we examined the effects of within-person changes in employment status on mental health outcomes as measured by the Mental Health Inventory (MHI-5), controlling for time-varying confounders and stratified by sex and examined effect modification by country of origin.

Results:

The relationship between unemployment and mental health was modified by country of origin for men but not women. Unemployed men from Asian (β = −4.85, p < 0.001), African and Middle Eastern (β = −3.61, p < 0.05) countries had lower mental health scores compared to employed Australian-born men. For men, there was evidence of effect modification of the association between employment and mental health by country of origin, with the combined effect of being unemployed and being a migrant from an Asian country was almost three points lower than the summed independent risks of these factors (β = −2.72; p = 0.01). Also, for men, the combined mental health effect of not being in the labour force and coming from a non-English-speaking European country was greater than the summed effects of these factors (β = −2.33; p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Tailored employment-support programmes may be beneficial for migrants from ethnic minorities, particularly those from Asian, African and Middle Eastern countries in Australia. Further research is needed to understand why the mental health of migrant men from these countries is particularly vulnerable to unemployment.
Negotiating Blackness, and Culture in Brazilian Metal Scene
Authors: dos Santos Silva Melina Aparecida , Arruda Queiroz Tobias
Published: May 2023

This paper aims at discussing the presence of black individuals in the Brazilian metal music scene. To do so, we move away from a homogenizing and historically constructed cultural position that privileges certain forms of art in the building of black subjects’ authenticity to the detriment of others. We seek to highlight how racial representation works as a form of oppression. We ask: What are the ways and means that black people, as musicians and audiences, can find to re-inscribe themselves in the midst of an environment still predominantly occupied by whiteness in metal and, consequently, how can we locate those interstices to re-emerge and re-exist?
‘How can you punish a child for something that happened over a year ago?’ The impacts of COVID-19 on child defendants and implication for youth courts
Authors: Larner Samuel , Smithson Hannah
Published: May 2023

The project on which this paper is grounded is the first in-depth empirical study of the impacts of COVID-19 on each stage of the English and Welsh Youth Justice System. We take the notion of a child's right to a fair trial as the lens by which we detail the findings from our research. The paper documents the experiences of professionals working in the courts and children who had contact with the courts during the pandemic. While we concentrate on processes in England and Wales as an exemplar of the impact of COVID-19, recognising that globally, courts were experiencing similar challenges, initiates a discourse about how to re-envision their role in wider criminal justice systems in a COVID-19 world. Our research demonstrates an urgent need for renewed consideration of what support children need to effectively participate in court, and where and how children's cases should be heard. The pandemic demonstrated that creativity is possible and creates a timely opportunity to review the evidence and think more radically about a welfare-based, trauma-informed court process for children.
Politicized health emergencies and violent resistance against healthcare responders
Authors: Sauter Melanie
Published: May 2023

2019 has been the most violent year on record for health workers in the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Attacks on healthcare coincided with the first-ever Ebola outbreak in an active conflict zone. Many of the attacks on the Ebola response were perpetrated by civilians who intended to disrupt the response, which in turn contributed to the spread of the virus. Why would communities attack the very people trying to protect them from disease? This mixed-method study examines the case of violence against Ebola responders during the Democratic Republic of the Congo’s tenth Ebola outbreak from 2018 to 2020. First, an ‘explaining-outcome’ process tracing reconstructs key events that led to the violent resistance of the population. I find that – contrary to popular belief – distrust alone was not the main driver. Rather, I argue that the politicization of the response provoked violent popular resistance. Second, an interrupted time-series model shows that the exclusion of three regions from the presidential election due to Ebola led to a significant increase in attacks on Ebola responders. The analysis demonstrates that the behavior of healthcare responders has limited ability to build trust when other political dynamics are at work. The article illustrates how combining process tracing with quantitative causal inference methods enables the simultaneous inquiry of cause, mechanism, and effect.
The Relationship Between the Levels of Thanatophobia and the Attitudes Towards the Care of Dying Patients Among Student Nurses
Authors: Tanrikulu Fatma , Demir Rumeysa , Akgul Esma
Published: May 2023

This study aims to examine the relationship between the levels of thanatophobia and the attitudes towards the care of dying patients among student nurses. It is descriptive, cross-sectional, and correlational. 140 student nurses studying at the faculty of health sciences of one foundation university participated in it. We collected research data using 'Defining Features of a Student Nurse Form', 'Frommelt Attitude Toward the Care of the Dying Scale', and 'Thanatophobia Scale'. 17.1% of student nurses were deeply affected by death in the last year and 38.6% stated that a patient they cared for died during their internship. The thanatophobia scale scores of student nurses who chose their profession willingly were higher on a statistically meaningful level than those participants who did not choose their profession willingly. We found a statistically significant ( p < .05) difference between the FATCOD scale scores of interns and their gender, family type, having been affected by death, and willingness to care for dying patients. We suggest that nursing students should more often provide care to dying patients before graduation.
Hope, Belief in Just World and Trust in Government: An Interaction Amidst Covid-19 Pandemic in India
Authors: Mehrotra Sheetal , Roy Shreyasi
Published: May 2023

The outbreak of COVID 19 has brought about changes in all spheres of human life. In the present times of pandemic, human life has suffered not only from physical stresses but also encountered and endured several mental stresses. In recent times people adopted several measures to bring positivity to their life. The present study explores the relationship between- Hope, Belief in Just World, Covid −19, and Trust in the Government in India, during the Covid-19 Pandemic. Data was collected online from young adults, via Google forms, using the tools- Adult Hope scale, Covid Anxiety scale, Belief in Just world scale, and Trust in Government. Results showed a significant correlation between the three variables. Hope, Belief in Just World, and Trust in government. Regression analysis found these three variables to significantly impact Covid anxiety. Further, Belief in Just World was found to mediate the relationship between Hope and Covid anxiety. During challenging times, it is important to boost mental health in the right direction. Implications have been further discussed in the article.
Gaps in the Dynamics and Performance of the Psychiatric Care Deinstitutionalization
Authors: Vrabková Iveta , Vaňková Ivana , Moškořová Kristýna
Published: May 2023

This study objective to verify the existence of gaps in the dynamics and performance of fulfillment of the deinstitutionalization of psychiatric care in the Czech Republic (CZ) and the Slovak Republic (SR) in the period between 2010 and 2020. The introduction of this the study is a search for expert knowledge in the field of deinstitutionalization of psychiatric care. The study uses the method of multi-criteria comparison of TOPSIS variants and a cluster analysis. The results 22 variants range from (ci 0.6716-0.2571) and confirm that there are large differences between CZ and SR in performance gaps (fulfillment) of deinstitutionalization goals. The SR variants are clearly better than the CZ variants, although during the years studied, the CZ variants are improving, and the size of the gap compared to the SR variants is decreasing. In the first year of the evaluated period (2010), the performance gap was 56% and in the last year (2020), the performance gap was only 31%. The conclusion of the study confirms that the measures associated with the deinstitutionalization of psychiatric care are linked to the time they were introduced and the overall implementation period of the reform.
Modeling and control system design of 6-DOF bionic parallel mechanism with compliant modules
Authors: Li Ruyue , Zhu Yaguang , Zhou Shuangjie , He Zhimin , Sun Junli , Liu Shaokui
Published: May 2023

Quadrupeds are capable of dynamic movements such as fast running and long-distance jumping due to their flexible and elastic torso structures. In this paper, a compliant parallel mechanism is proposed as a bionic torso to simulate the diversified behaviors and agile locomotion of the tetrapod torso. The spring module is incorporated into the limb of the parallel mechanism to absorb external shocks, cushion, and dampen vibrations, thus improving the compliance performance of the bionic torso. For the compliant parallel mechanism, its kinematics and kinetics are analyzed, and the overall electromechanical system and control framework are devised. The multidimensional damping dynamic characteristics of the proposed mechanism are qualitatively analyzed by simplifying the limb into a spring–mass damping system. The parallel mechanism with compliant spring modules absorbs external forces to different degrees with different stiffness coefficients to avoid damage to the structure by external impacts. The parallel mechanism with different initial positions exhibits the inherent variable stiffness characteristics of the mechanism. The parallel mechanism simulates the diverse behavior of the animal torso, with independent and synthesized locomotor behavior of the six underlying motion patterns. Simulations and experiments demonstrated that the compliant parallel mechanism is effective in vibration damping and cushioning, with a rapid response and small steady-state error. The motion of the compliant parallel mechanism in one direction and the motion of the integrated multi-degree of freedom (DOF) are confirmed and exhibited in the behavioral experiment.
Survey of Special Education Eligibility Criteria for the Category Visual Impairment Including Blindness
Authors: Schles Rachel Anne , Travers Hilary E.
Published: May 2023

Introduction: Special education eligibility criteria vary across U.S. states; this study reports a systematic analysis of interstate eligibility criteria in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) category of visual impairments including blindness. Method: Eligibility criteria for all 56 U.S. states, territories, and Washington, DC, were collected and coded on 20 different variables. Variables included use of federal language, qualifying conditions, assessment components, and eligibility team member requirements. Results: Fourteen of 56 states use similar or identical eligibility criteria written in IDEA. Forty-one states (73%) included language that specified criteria or operationally defined what it meant to be a student with a visual impairment in their state. Although about half of the states included an eye report as part of the eligibility process, few specifically mentioned functional vision, learning media, and orientation and mobility assessments in their criteria. Discussion: Significant interstate variations in the interpretation of who qualifies as a student with a visual impairment exist in the United States. Some eligibility criteria were written in an unclear language, making the criteria hard to interpret. Given that identification and prevalence rates of students with disabilities, including students with visual impairments, correlate to components of eligibility criteria, future work should seek to develop an operationalized universal definition of who qualifies as a student with visual impairment in schools. Implications for Practitioners: Since significant interstate variations exist, students, families, and educators must have easy access to all states’ criteria so that families may understand how a student's eligibility for services may change if they move between states.
Socioeconomic Status and Meta-Perceptions: How Markers of Culture and Rank Predict Beliefs About How Others See Us
Authors: Engstrom Holly R. , Laurin Kristin , Kay Nick R. , Human Lauren J.
Published: May 2023

How does a person’s socioeconomic status (SES) relate to how she thinks others see her? Seventeen studies (eight pre-registered; three reported in-text and 14 replications in supplemental online material [SOM], total N = 6,124) found that people with low SES believe others see them as colder and less competent than those with high SES. The SES difference in meta-perceptions was explained by people’s self-regard and self-presentation expectations. Moreover, lower SES people’s more negative meta-perceptions were not warranted: Those with lower SES were not seen more negatively, and were less accurate in guessing how others saw them. They also had important consequences: People with lower SES blamed themselves more for negative feedback about their warmth and competence. Internal meta-analyses suggested this effect was larger and more consistent for current socioeconomic rank than cultural background.
Are Municipal Budget Cycles Political? Evidence From Ontario, Canada
Authors: Spicer Zachary , Kushner Joseph , Lamarche Jean-Francois
Published: May 2023

In this paper, we examine whether a political budget cycle exists in municipal governments that fall under tight financial and institutional regulation by senior orders of government. For other levels of government, there is evidence that politicians initiate popular programs in election years and delay the unpopular tax increases after the election. Using a sample of 444 Ontario municipalities, with few exceptions, no such evidence was found. The results are the same regardless of the length of the term (three or four year), municipal size (small, medium, or large), and the governance system (one or two-tier). The paper concludes with possible explanations as to why there are no opportunistic manipulations of municipal budgets.
Does High School STEMM Career Coursework Align With College Employment?
Authors: Gottfried Michael , Freeman Jennifer A. , Odle Taylor K. , Plasman Jay S. , Klasik Daniel , Dougherty Shaun M.
Published: May 2023

Background/Context:

Career and technical education (CTE) coursework in science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and medical/health (STEMM) fields has been supported by policy makers as a way to align the secondary-to-postsecondary-to-career pipeline. Yet, in the research, the focus has been on whether STEMM CTE coursetaking in high school predicts college-going or whether it predicts employment for non–college goers. Little attention has been paid to whether STEMM CTE coursetaking in high school aligns with college employment opportunities.

Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study:

This study investigates the relationship between one promising educational practice—STEMM career and technical education (STEMM CTE) coursetaking—and outcomes along students’ college employment pathways. Specifically, we asked the following research questions: Does taking more STEMM CTE courses in high school link to “general” college employment outcomes? Does taking more STEMM CTE courses in high school link to “STEMM-specific” college employment outcomes? How do these relationships vary across important student subgroups, namely, those identified by the National Science Foundation as traditionally underrepresented in STEMM fields: low-income students, students with learning disabilities, women, and Black and Hispanic students?

Research Design:

We relied on data from the High School Longitudinal Study of 2009 (HSLS). Administered by the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES), HSLS is the most current, nationally representative data set that follows a cohort of more than 20,000 ninth-grade students across the United States throughout high school and after graduation. Our regression analyses relied on data collected during the baseline year school-level survey (2009), the high school transcript update (2013), and student-level surveys from all four data-collection waves (2009, 2012, 2013, 2016).

Conclusions/Recommendations:

Using these national data, we find that taking more STEMM CTE courses was associated with a higher chance of having a STEMM job during college and having higher expectations for future STEMM employment, though not with general employment outcomes such as wages. The findings were different for students from some underrepresented backgrounds in STEMM fields, and implications are discussed.
Media, digital sovereignty and geopolitics: the case of the TikTok ban in India
Authors: Kumar Anilesh , Thussu Daya
Published: May 2023

TikTok, one of the most downloaded apps in the world, has been banned in India since June 2020, following military clashes on the India-China border. This article focuses on government narratives of the TikTok ban in the Indian media and situates the issue within the broader geopolitical framework of deteriorating Sino-Indian relations and attempts for digital sovereignty. At a time of strong nationalist discourses dominating the political and social communication in India, it is perhaps unsurprising that the narratives have been seen outside India as protectionism. However, this paper argues that the digital sovereignty in the Indian context is not exclusionary but aims to create a robust digital infrastructure that is critical for economic development and self-reliance. Highlighting the lessons from India, this paper concludes the following: (i) digital sovereignty is a form of discourse which does not imply any specific policy, (ii) digital sovereignty relates to user control over their data, however, the role and limits of the State is not clearly defined and (iii) digital platforms are highly vulnerable to changing geopolitics in which their existence is not determined by user-platform interactions but by international relations.
Parental warmth moderates the relation between children’s lying and theory-of-mind
Authors: Ding Xiao Pan , Tay Cleo , Goh Shu Juan , Hong Ryan Y.
Published: May 2023

Lying is a prevalent and normative behavior in young children. Conceptually, it is strongly linked with children’s theory-of-mind development. However, empirical studies show that the link between children’s lying and theory-of-mind is heterogeneous. This study examined whether parental control and parental warmth moderate the link between children’s lying and theory-of-mind understanding. Three- to six-year-old Singaporean children ( N = 116, Mage = 59 months, 59 male, 81.0% Chinese) participated in the temptation resistance paradigm, in which they were asked to guess the identity of a toy but instructed not to peek at it when left alone. Parental control and parental warmth were assessed via a parent–child interactive game. Results showed that the relation between children’s maintenance of their initial lie and general theory-of-mind understanding was moderated by parental warmth. Specifically, there was a negative relation between children’s lying and theory-of-mind for dyads with high parental warmth, but a positive relation between children’s lying and theory-of-mind for dyads with low parental warmth. Overall, the findings suggest that children’s lying behavior is the outcome of a complex interaction between cognitive and social factors.
A comparison between the use of two speech-generating devices: A non-speaking student's displayed communicative competence and agency in morning meetings in a compulsory school for children with severe learning disabilities
Authors: Tegler Helena , Pilesjö Maja S
Published: May 2023

This study examines the displayed communicative competence and agency of a non-speaking student at a compulsory school for children with severe learning disabilities. The use of two different speech-generating devices (a single-message versus a multi-message speech-generating device) and the assignment of participation role (having the role of ‘student’ or ‘teacher’) were compared in two morning meetings. The two interactional sequences ‘question-answers’ and ‘repair actions’ were chosen because they provide participants with opportunities to display communicative competence and agency. The analysis showed that the displayed communicative competence and agency of the non-speaking student differed in relation to the kind of speech-generating device and the associated participatory role. Furthermore, the displayed communicative competence and agency was a product of the close collaboration between the student and the assistant and teachers who scaffolded the process. The study shows that teachers and assistants can influence the communicative competence and agency of non-speaking students.
Freedom of the media, pluralism, and transparency. European media policy on new paths?
Authors: Holtz-Bacha Christina
Published: May 2023

Although the European Union has been pursuing media policy for decades, its legal competence for the media sector remains limited. Since its inception in the 1980s, the EU had to base its media policy on its responsibility to enforce the internal market and the direct application of competition law, which has led to a one-sided economic perspective on the media. With references to the EU Charter of Fundamental Rights, the enshrinement of European values in the EU Treaty, the rule of law mechanism, and driven by the European Parliament, the EU Commission has recently shown a new direction in its media-related activities, which acknowledge the important role of the media in democracy and increasingly place media freedom and media pluralism at the center of its media policy. The draft European Media Freedom Act presented by the Commission in autumn 2022 brings together the numerous activities aimed at protecting the freedom of the media and their independence, and at the same time seems to test the limits of the scope for its media policy.
Much More Than Firewood: Woody Plants in Household Well-Being Among Rural Communities in Argentina
Authors: Doumecq María Belén , Jiménez-Escobar N. David , Morales Daniela , Ladio Ana
Published: May 2023

The use of firewood as an energetic resource in various rural regions of the world is essential for the satisfaction of basic human needs. However, the role of firewood in domestic life and its link to household well-being and food sovereignty have been poorly addressed. In order to investigate these aspects, an ethnobotanical study was carried out in three socio-environmental systems of Argentina ( Chaco, Pampa, and Patagonia). Quantitative and qualitative data were gathered and analyzed. A total of 78 firewood species were recorded. The main use of firewood is for household heating, followed by food preparation and cooking, and lastly for starting and producing home fires. In total 21 firewood species are preferred over others for their various qualities and biophysical attributes, thus becoming of great cultural importance. From different examples and testimonies, we gather that the link between peoples and firewood transcends the mere utilitarian sphere, giving rise to aspects related to the symbolic, emotional, affective, and culinary, among others. These aspects contribute to the well-being of households and communities. In this way, the different firewood species become central in the domestic sphere, not only in terms of their combustion power, but also because of their importance in social, cultural and food life.
Prediction of Youth Violence Perpetration by Parental Nurturing Over Time
Authors: Cheung Chau-kiu , Yeung Jerf W. K.
Published: May 2023

Parental nurturing, including maternal and paternal caring and discussing ethics, is likely to predict violence perpetration in the youth negatively. This prediction stands on social bond theory, which specifies that parents and their bonding are crucial to curb violence perpetration. Nevertheless, the prediction is unclear from adolescence to young adulthood. To clarify this, the present study examines the effects over 6 years, using the panel data of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health on 3,947 U.S. youths. The examination controlled for prior violence perpetration and, thus, its confounding factors. Results showed that paternal nurturing but not maternal nurturing at Wave 1 and Wave 2 consistently displayed statistically significant inverse effects on violence perpetration at Wave 3. However, the significant effects were very weak. Paternal nurturing was very weakly inversely predictive of youth violence perpetration 6 years later. This conclusion implies that promoting paternal nurturing is slightly but not tremendously helpful to prevent violence perpetration in youth later. Meanwhile, practice can capitalize on the features of paternal bonding to deploy male nurturing and role modeling for such prevention.
Evaluation of a Dynamic Lane Assignment on Urban Freeways by Using a Microscopic Traffic Flow Simulation
Authors: Hattori Yuya , Shiomi Yasuhiro , Sano Masahiko , Matsunaga Hiroaki
Published: May 2023

At a merging section of freeways, the mainline traffic flow conflicts with the traffic flow from an onramp, which often causes traffic congestion. To mitigate this conflict, it is important to dynamically manage the lane utilization on the mainline at bottleneck points. Recently, connected and automated vehicles (CAVs) are expected to be widely used on freeways. Guiding CAVs to change lane to avoid conflicts with merging vehicles may alleviate traffic congestion. In this paper, we propose a novel dynamic lane guidance system that can dynamically manage the lane changes in the merging sections with urban freeway ramps. In the proposed system, CAVs are guided to change lane at the lanes upstream of bottlenecks according to traffic conditions, which are detected by the following two methods: 1) cross-sectional vehicle speed information obtained from traffic detectors and 2) vehicle speed information obtained from driving trajectories based on probe data. Then, the effectiveness of the proposed dynamic lane guidance system is evaluated by a microscopic traffic simulator, Vissim, which is calibrated to reproduce the observed traffic states based on full vehicle trajectory data collected at the section near the Tsukamoto merge area on the Hanshin Expressway Route 11 Ikeda Line in Japan. As a result, the obtained results showed that dynamic lane guidance is effective in reducing overall travel time, thus demonstrating the usefulness of dynamic lane guidance. It was also found that traffic control based on partial vehicle information, such as probe data, is sufficiently effective.
Are Benefits of Participation Higher Than Risks? An Exploration of Reactions to Participation in Research on Intimate Partner Stalking Among College Young Adults
Authors: Dardis Christina M. , Piper Cameron M.
Published: May 2023

Ethical guidelines dictate that research studies should present more benefit than harm to participants, thus, it is important to study participants’ reactions to participation, particularly in the context of potentially traumatic topics. While several studies have indicated that positive evaluations of research typically outweigh perceived harms among survivors of physical, sexual, or psychological intimate partner violence, few studies have assessed survivors of intimate partner stalking (IPS) or unwanted pursuit behaviors (UPBs). Among 602 undergraduates (78% women), the present study examined reactions to research participation in a study on IPS/UPBs. Results indicated that, among victims and non-victims of IPS, positive global evaluations and perceived benefits outweighed negative emotional reactions and perceived drawbacks to participation. While some participants (7.5%) reported emotional reactions to participation, most, on average, evaluated the study positively (94.4%), many reported benefits (45.5%), and just one (0.2%) reported drawbacks. Emotional reactions were positively correlated with both drawbacks and benefits of participation. Frequency of UPBs/IPS and IPV were positively correlated with emotional reactions to participation; however, when included in a model with psychological distress (i.e., post-traumatic stress disorder and depressive symptoms), symptom frequencies were more strongly related to reactions to research than victimization variables. In all, research on IPS/UPBs appears to be evaluated generally positively and can likely be undertaken safely when using safeguards to inform participants and debrief them following participation.
Anti-EMT properties of ergothioneine attenuate lipopolysaccharide-induced oxidative stress-mediated acute lung injury via modulating TGF-β/smad/snail signaling pathway
Authors: Iqbal Shabnoor , Jabeen Farhat , Aslam Noman , Manan Maria
Published: May 2023

Acute lung injury (ALI) is a heterogeneous pulmonary illness that is fast developing and has a high fatality rate. The current investigation set out to interpret the convergence of oxidative stress, inflammatory cytokines, TNF-α, snail, vimentin, e-cadherin, and NF-kB activation in ALI pathology. The outcome of assays of oxidative stress, ELISA, and western blot showed the declined of CAT, SOD, GPx, IL-1β, TNF-α, and upregulation of TGF-β, smad2/3, smad4, NF-kB, snail, and vimentin, concurrently with downregulation of e-cadherin expression in lung tissues as well as BALF in LPS-injected rats. The photomicrographs of the lungs marked severe congestion, infiltration of cytokines, and thickening of the alveolar walls. Pretreatments of ergothioneine after LPS-induced ALI, inhibited EMT-induction by blocking TGF-β, smad2/3, smad4, snail, vimentin, NF-kB, and inflammatory cytokines, and increased the expression of E-cadherin and antioxidant levels in a dose-dependent manner. These events helped to restore lung histoarchitecture and reduce acute lung injury. The present findings suggest that ergothioneine at 100 mg/kg is as effective as febuxostat (reference drug). The study concluded that ergothioneine may be replaced with febuxostat as a treatment option for ALI owing to its side effects after clinical trials for pharmaceutical purposes.
Placating Kin: Rituals and Infertility
Authors: Boddu Venkatesh , Narasimhan Haripriya
Published: May 2023

Newlywed couples in Telangana perform various rituals to get blessed with children, which usually take place soon after marriage. In the absence of immediate conception, the couple is advised by the extended family to perform specific rituals to appease fertility gods. This article attempts to document fertility rituals in the Telangana region and the crucial ways in which they help men diagnosed with infertility. It will discuss in detail a commonly performed ritual called Balamma. In addition, the article highlights rituals performed to propitiate snakes, the significance of horoscopes, and consultations with local “healer-astrologer-medicine man/woman”. The article suggests that the efficacy of these rituals should not be seen in whether they result in procreation. Rather, the main objective of the rituals is to placate the extended patrilineal family and shift attention and blame from the couple to angry supernatural beings. The article establishes the crucial role played by these rituals in safeguarding men diagnosed with infertility, as they are more reluctant than women to discuss their diagnosis.
How Human Became Fat? An Anthropological Approach to the Development of Fatnessin Humans
Authors: Devi Naorem Kiranmala , Murry Benrithung , Bindhani Basanta Kumar , Saraswathy Kallur Nava
Published: May 2023

Evolutionary success of Homo sapiens is best understood by referring to natural selection on the twofold structure of inheritance, that is, gene and culture and also their interaction over time. Socioeconomic and technological variations have transformed lifestyles over the years. In tandem, deviations in food and physical activity forms have been crucial to the emergence of higher fatness among the world’s populations. The burden of obesity and its consequent diseases is becoming a public health concern. This article attempts to review the anthropological aspect of body fatness and size through its evolutionary perspective and bio-cultural changes in time and space.
“Am I Really Living or Just Getting by?” Financial Security and Health-Related Decisions among International Students in Australia
Authors: Backman Bettina , Dunn Matthew , George Neetu A , Whiteside Bianca , McKay Fiona H.
Published: May 2023

International students in Australia risk financial insecurity and as a result, may make suboptimal health decisions. Limited research has explored the experiences of international students’ health-related financial decision making. In-depth interviews were conducted with 31 international students to explore how financial situation influences their decisions in Australia. Data were thematically analysed. Findings highlight that limited income can impact overall wellbeing and health-related decision making. When making financial health-related decisions, participants prioritised urgent health needs and education. Participants who perceived their financial situation limited were less willing to spend money on mental health services, social activities, and food. This study suggests that students may consider the long-term financial benefits of studying abroad when making decisions, but they do not consider the long-term health implications of stress and wellbeing. Enabling students to improve their financial situation and lower their expenses could enhance wellbeing and facilitate health-related decision making.
“I’m Fighting for My Life”: Exploring Interactions Between Black Women with Breast Cancer and Healthcare Providers
Authors: Martin Kimberly J. , Denyse Tammie , Pageot Yrvane K. , Kim Jacqueline H. J. , Owoyemi Praise , DeLuz K. Denise , Stanton Annette L.
Published: May 2023

Black Americans face a multitude of problems in the healthcare system, including challenges during interactions with healthcare providers. The present study examined the quality of healthcare provider–Black patient interactions in a sample of Black American women with a breast cancer diagnosis. More specifically, the study examined potential contributors to Black Americans’ current healthcare experiences and lack of trust by identifying their specific negative and positive encounters in the healthcare system. Three in-person Gatherings (i.e., culturally curated focus groups; N = 37) were conducted as part of a community–academic research partnership, Project SOAR (Speaking Our African American Realities). Four themes were identified through reflexive thematic analysis: Individual and Systemic Injustice Directed at Black Breast Cancer Survivors; Protecting Myself from an Untrustworthy Medical System; Stereotypes Interfered with My Care; and Good Care Should Include Compassion, Respect, Shared Decision Making, and Tailored Support. The present findings highlight the importance of addressing systemic and individual injustice toward Black Americans in healthcare settings generally, and Black women diagnosed with breast cancer specifically.