bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Age, period and cohort effects of heavy episodic drinking by sex/gender and socioeconomic position in Canada, 2000–2021
Authors: Andreacchi Alessandra T. , Hobin Erin , Siddiqi Arjumand , Smith Brendan T.
Published: September 2024

Background and Aims

Heavy episodic drinking (HED) trends have not been comprehensively examined in Canada. We measured age, period and birth cohort trends in HED in Canada by sex/gender and socioeconomic position.

Design and setting.

We analyzed repeat cross‐sectional data from the 10 provinces in the Canadian Community Health Surveys from 2000 to 2021 using hierarchical cross‐classified random effects logistic regression.

Participants

1 167 831 respondents aged 12+ .

Measurements

HED was defined as 4+ standard drinks for women or 5+ for men at least monthly in the past 12 months. Socioeconomic position was measured using household income and education.

Findings

We observed steeper HED decreases in young adult men (aged 18–29) than women (by 14.4% and 8.7%, respectively, from 2015 to 2021) and HED increases in middle adult women (ages 50–64) (by 8.0% from 2000 to 2014). Sex/gender‐specific age‐period‐cohort models revealed strong age and birth cohort effects. In women and men, respectively, HED peaked in young adulthood (18.2% and 33.8%) and decreased with age, and HED was greatest in the 1980–1989 cohort (20.7% and 35.8%) and decreased in the most recent cohort born in 1990–2009 (15.6% and 19.8%), particularly in men. Higher household incomes had greater HED across age, periods and cohorts, while trends varied by education. Compared with lower education groups, people with a bachelor's degree or above had the lowest HED in middle adulthood. People with a bachelor's degree or above had low HED in earlier cohorts, which converged with other education groups in recent cohorts due to a pronounced HED increase, particularly in women.

Conclusion

The sex/gender gap in heavy episodic drinking (HED) appears to be converging in Canada: current young adult men are reducing HED, while high‐risk cohorts of women are aging into middle adulthood with greater HED. Recent birth cohorts with a bachelor's degree or above experienced pronounced HED increases, which among women suggests greater educational attainment contributes to the converging gender gap in HED.
Positivity of high‐sensitivity HBsAg test, not previous HBV infection, indicates poor prognosis in patients with non‐HBV‐related HCC
Authors: Yasuura Naohiro , Suda Goki , Ohara Masatsugu , Meno Akimitsu , Sho Takuya , Kohya Risako , Sasaki Takashi , Yoda Tomoka , Yoshida Sonoe , Fu Qingjie , Yang Zijian , Hosoda Shunichi , Maehara Osamu , Ohnishi Shunsuke , Saitou Tomoya , Sugiyama Masaya , Fukuhara Takasuke , Baba Masaru , Kitagataya Takashi , Kawagishi Naoki , Nakai Masato , Natsuizaka Mitsuteru , Ogawa Koji , Taketomi Akinobu , Sakamoto Naoya
Published: September 2024

Background and Aims

The prognostic impact of previous‐HBV‐infection (pHBV) in non‐HBV‐related hepatocellular carcinoma (non‐HBV‐related‐HCC) and the prevalence, characteristics and significance of recently developed high‐sensitivity HBs antigen positivity (hHBsAg+) in these patients remain unclear. We aimed to close these gaps.

Methods

We retrospectively screened patients with newly diagnosed non‐HBV‐related‐HCC (standard HBsAg‐test negative) at Hokkaido University. Patients with complete clinical information and preserved serum for hHBsAg+ were included. We evaluated the prevalence, characteristics and prognostic impact of pHBV and hHBsAg+ in non‐HBV‐related‐HCC.

Results

A total of 401 non‐HBV‐related‐HCC patients were included (288 with pHBV/113 without pHBV). In non‐HBV‐related‐HCC, pHBV did not affect overall survival (OS). Among non‐HBV‐related‐HCC patients with pHBV, 11.8% (34/288) were hHBsAg+ and had more advanced stages of HCC, higher AFP levels, higher vascular invasion rates, and significantly shorter OS than others (OS: 19.3 vs. 61.4 months, p = 0.012). Comparison of OS among non‐HBV‐related‐HCC patients without pHBV (group 1), those with pHBV and without hHBsAg+ (group 2), and those with pHBV and hHBsAg+ (group 3) revealed significantly shorter OS in group 3 (19.3, 56.6 and 66.4 months in groups 1, 2 and 3, respectively; p = 0.036). Multivariate Cox regression indicated that compared with group 1, only group 3 was significantly and independently associated with shorter OS (HR: 2.044, p = 0.011). Subgroup analysis revealed that this association was particularly evident in non‐HBV‐related‐HCC patients with non‐B‐non‐C aetiology and advanced HCC.

Conclusions

In non‐HBV‐related‐HCC patients, hHBsAg+, not pHBV, is significantly and independently associated with poor prognosis.
Slow violence on the Yarmouk River: Encounters from the river‐border environments
Authors: Dajani Muna
Published: September 2024

This paper aims to disrupt hegemonic ideas in transboundary water governance literature about rivers and borders being fixed and rigid. I argue that rivers are sites of uneven experiences not only in terms of access and use, but also in the way they are experienced as ‘borders’ by different communities, reflecting wider settler colonial dynamics and legacies. On the Yarmouk Tributary of the Jordan River, the river environments are borderised and territorialised in very unequal ways by nation‐states and through bilateral river basin agreements. Through paying attention to how river‐border environments have been transformed and how they function, this paper explores how the border is experienced and navigated in three border environments on the Yarmouk. This paper complicates the river‐as‐border scholarship by attending to how river borders are environments which are experienced differently by communities living in them through different forms of infrastructural and slow violence. Centring slow violence in this analysis offers a window into unexamined social worlds and experiences, showing how infrastructures on the border become environments and not just banal assemblages of pipes and pumps separate from people and land. It also presents an original contribution to examine transboundary river politics in the Jordan River Basin from the vantage points of the communities that continue to re‐configure ways to forge and mend relations with the river and border environments.
The plant extract PNS mitigates atherosclerosis via promoting Nrf2‐mediated inhibition of ferroptosis through reducing USP2‐mediated Keap1 deubiquitination
Authors: Zhao Yun , Zheng Guobin , Yang Shu , Liu Shangjing , Wu Yifan , Miao Yaodong , Liang Zhen , Hua Yunqing , Zhang Jing , Shi Jia , Li Dan , Cheng Yanfei , Zhang Yunsha , Chen Yuanli , Fan Guanwei , Ma Chuanrui
Published: September 2024

Background and purpose

Atherosclerosis is the basis of cardiovascular disease. Ferroptosis is a form of programmed cell death characterized by lipid peroxidation, which contributes to atherogenesis. The plant extract PNS (Panax notoginseng saponins), containing the main active ingredients of Panax notoginseng, exhibits anti‐atherogenic properties. Herein, we determined whether PNS and its major components could attenuate atherosclerosis by suppressing ferroptosis and revealed the underlying mechanism(s).

Experimental approach

The anti‐atherogenic effects of PNS and their association with inhibition of ferroptosis was determined in apoE−/− mice. In vitro, the anti‐ferroptotic effect and mechanism(s) of PNS components were demonstrated in the presence of ferroptosis inducers. Expression of ferroptosis markers and the ubiquitination of Keap1 were evaluated in USP2−/− macrophages. Finally, the anti‐atherogenic effect of USP2 knockout was determined by using USP2−/− mice treated with high‐fat diet (HFD) and AAV‐PCSK9.

Key results

PNS inhibited ferroptosis and atherosclerosis in vivo. PNS suppressed ferroptosis and ferroptosis‐aggravated foam cell formation and inflammation in vitro. Mechanistically, PNS and its components activated Nrf2 by antagonizing Keap1, which was attributed to the inhibition of USP2 expression. USP2 knockout antagonized ferroptosis and ferroptosis‐aggravated foam cell formation and inflammation, thus mitigating atherosclerosis. USP2 knockout abolished inhibitory effects of PNS on foam cell formation and inflammation in vitro.

Conclusion and implications

PNS reduced USP2‐mediated Keap1 de‐ubiquitination and promoted Keap1 degradation, thereby activating Nrf2, improving iron metabolism and reducing lipid peroxidation, thus contributing to an anti‐atherosclerotic outcome. Our study revealed the mechanism(s) underlying inhibition of ferroptosis and atherosclerosis by PNS.
Misallocation in the Chinese land market
Authors: Fei Xuan , Hu Yumin , Xu Mingzhi (Jimmy)
Published: September 2024

We develop a spatial equilibrium model to quantify welfare losses from land market distortions in China. In the model, heterogeneous firms in various sectors choose their locations across regions with costly trade, frictional labour migration and land market distortions. We match land transaction and firm‐level survey data to estimate land market distortions for firms. Misallocation arises when similar firms are faced with land prices that effectively prevent productive firms from establishing in large cities where they can benefit from agglomeration forces and access higher productivity. Our framework incorporating land market distortions also sheds light on the mystery of China's undersized big cities, a phenomenon noted by Au and Henderson (2006) and Chauvin et al. (2017). Our estimates suggest large negative effects of land policies on the economic welfare in China. We end with a counterfactual exercise revealing that a coordinated land and labour migration reform would generate welfare gains and reduce regional inequality.
Optimizing Surface Voxelization for Triangular Meshes with Equidistant Scanlines and Gap Detection
Authors: Delgado Díez S. , Cerrada Somolinos C. , Gómez Palomo S. R.
Published: September 2024

This paper presents an efficient algorithm for voxelizing the surface of triangular meshes in a single compute pass. The algorithm uses parallel equidistant lines to traverse the interior of triangles, minimizing costly memory operations and avoiding visiting the same voxels multiple times. By detecting and visiting only the voxels in each line operation, the proposed method achieves better performance results. This method incorporates a gap detection step, targeting areas where scanline‐based voxelization methods might fail. By selectively addressing these gaps, our method attains superior performance outcomes. Additionally, the algorithm is written entirely in a single compute GLSL shader, which makes it highly portable and vendor independent. Its simplicity also makes it easy to adapt and extend for various applications. The paper compares the results of this algorithm with other modern methods, comprehensibly comparing the time performance and resources used. Additionally, we introduce a novel metric, the ‘Slope Consistency Value’, which quantifies triangle orientation's impact on voxelization accuracy for scanline‐based approaches. The results show that the proposed solution outperforms existing, modern ones and obtains better results, especially in densely populated scenes with homogeneous triangle sizes and at higher resolutions.
Guided bone regeneration at dehiscence comparing synthetic bone substitute versus bovine bone mineral: A multicenter, noninferiority, randomized trial
Authors: Cha Jae‐Kook , Jung Ui‐Won , Montero‐Solis Eduardo , Sanz‐Sánchez Ignacio , Sanz‐Alonso Mariano
Published: September 2024

Aim

To evaluate the efficacy of guided bone regeneration (GBR) for the treatment of peri‐implant dehiscence defects using a synthetic bone substitute (SBS) or a deproteinized bovine bone mineral (DBBM) as a bone substitute.

Methods

Patients with expected dehiscence defects following implant placement were randomized to use either SBS or DBBM together with a bioabsorbable collagen membrane over dehiscenced implant surfaces aimed for GBR. The changes in the bone defect size were measured before the GBR procedure and 6 months after implant placement at the re‐entry surgery. Secondary outcomes included peri‐implant health outcomes, implant cumulative survival rates, bone level changes, and patient‐reported outcomes (PROMs) at prosthesis delivery and 1‐year follow‐up.

Results

Of the 49 included patients, 24 were treated with SBS and 25 with DBBM. In the SBS group, the defect height (DH) at implant insertion was 5.1 ± 2.6 mm and was reduced at re‐entry to 1.3 ± 2.0 mm (74.5%). In the DBBM group, the respective changes in DH were 4.1 ± 1.7 mm and 1.5 ± 1.9 mm (63.4%). These differences were not statistically significant (p = 0.216). The complete defect resolution rate was also comparable in both groups without statistical difference (62.5% of patients (15/24) vs. 44% of patients (11/25)). Overall, the marginal bone levels remained stable during the 1‐year follow‐up in both groups.

Conclusion

The SBS is noninferior to DBBM for simultaneous GBR to implant placement at implant sites with buccal dehiscences in terms of defect resolution and evaluated secondary outcomes (KCT0008393 − this clinical trial was not registered before participant recruitment and randomization).
Kin Cognition and Communication: What Talking, Gesturing, and Drawing About Family Can Tell us About the Way We Think About This Core Social Structure
Authors: Devylder Simon , Hinnell Jennifer , van de Weier Joost , Brink Andersen Linea , Laporte‐Devylder Lucie , Kulukul Heron Ken Tomaki
Published: September 2024

When people talk about kinship systems, they often use co‐speech gestures and other representations to elaborate. This paper investigates such polysemiotic (spoken, gestured, and drawn) descriptions of kinship relations, to see if they display recurring patterns of conventionalization that capture specific social structures. We present an exploratory hypothesis‐generating study of descriptions produced by a lesser‐known ethnolinguistic community to the cognitive sciences: the Paamese people of Vanuatu. Forty Paamese speakers were asked to talk about their family in semi‐guided kinship interviews. Analyses of the speech, gesture, and drawings produced during these interviews revealed that lineality (i.e., mother's side vs. father's side) is lateralized in the speaker's gesture space. In other words, kinship members of the speaker's matriline are placed on the left side of the speaker's body and those of the patriline are placed on their right side, when they are mentioned in speech. Moreover, we find that the gesture produced by Paamese participants during verbal descriptions of marital relations are performed significantly more often on two diagonal directions of the sagittal axis. We show that these diagonals are also found in the few diagrams that participants drew on the ground to augment their verbo‐gestural descriptions of marriage practices with drawing. We interpret this behavior as evidence of a spatial template, which Paamese speakers activate to think and communicate about family relations. We therefore argue that extending investigations of kinship structures beyond kinship terminologies alone can unveil additional key factors that shape kinship cognition and communication and hereby provide further insights into the diversity of social structures.
Small Donors, Big Impact: Optimizing Organ Utilization in Simultaneous Pancreas and Kidney Transplantation From Extra Small Pediatric Donors
Authors: Choudhary Devprakash , Rally Sahil , Panjathia Arun , Bamaniya Bharat , Matar Abraham , Sethi Jasmine , Patil Shivakumar S. , Singh Sarbpreet , Kenwar Deepesh , Bhadada Sanjay , Kandaswamy Raja , Sharma Ashish
Published: September 2024

Introduction

Simultaneous pancreas–kidney transplantation (SPK) is the preferred treatment for individuals with type‐1 diabetes and end‐stage renal disease. However, a limited supply of “Ideal Pancreas Donors” contributed to a growing disparity between available organs and recipients. Even though SPK outcomes from pediatric donors match those from adult donors, unclear guidelines on minimum age and weight criteria for extra small pediatric pancreas donors lead to hesitancy among several transplant centers to utilize these grafts due to concerns about inadequate islet mass, technical challenges, and increased risk of allograft thrombosis.

Methods

This report details the successful outcomes of SPK transplantations performed at the study center between December 2021 and January 2024, using four extra small pediatric brain‐dead donors (ESPDs). Each donor was aged ≤5 years and weighed <20 kg.

Results

All SPK recipients achieved immediate posttransplant euglycemia without requiring insulin. None of the recipients experienced graft pancreatitis, graft thrombosis, allograft rejection, or required re‐exploration. During a 5–27‐month follow‐up period, all ESPD recipients maintained optimal graft function, as evidenced by normal glucose tolerance tests and HbA1c (4.9%–5.2%), with 100% graft and patient survival.

Conclusion

This report examines the usage of ESPDs in SPK transplantation, highlighting their potential to expand the donor pool and reduce wait times in areas with scarce deceased organ donations, thereby increasing the number of available organs for transplantation with acceptable outcomes. Revising donor selection guidelines to reflect the diverse risk–benefit profiles of waitlisted individuals is crucial to addressing geographical disparities and reducing organ discard rates.
Risk and Reward: Nationwide Analysis of Cardiac Transplant Center Variation in Organ Travel Distance and the Effects on Outcomes
Authors: Seadler Benjamin D. , Karra Hamsitha , Zelten James , Rein Lisa E. , Durham Lucian A. , Joyce Lyle D. , Kohmoto Takushi , Joyce David L.
Published: September 2024

Background

The 2018 UNOS allocation policy change deprioritized geographic boundaries to organ distribution, and the effects of this change have been widespread. The aim of this investigation was to analyze changes in donor transplant center distance for organ travel and corresponding outcomes before and after the allocation policy change.

Methods

The UNOS database was utilized to identify all adult patients waitlisted for heart transplants from 2016 to 2021. Transplant centers were grouped by average donor heart travel distance based on whether they received more or less than 50% of organs from >250 miles away. Descriptive statistics were provided for waitlisted and transplanted patients. Regression analyses modeled waitlist mortality, incidence of transplant, overall survival, and graft survival.

Results

Centers with a longer average travel distance had a higher mean annual transplant volume with a reduction in total days on a waitlist (86.6 vs. 149.2 days), an increased cold ischemic time (3.6 vs. 3.2 h), with no significant difference in post‐transplant overall survival or graft survival.

Conclusions

The benefits of reducing waitlist time while preserving post‐transplant outcomes extend broadly. The trends observed in this investigation will be useful as we revise organ transplant policy in the era of new organ procurement and preservation techniques.
Mutational profile of the KIT gene and its heterogeneity in primary and metastatic melanomas
Authors: Quintana Castillo Jesús José André , Landman Gilles , Fernandes Mariana , Barcelos Denise
Published: September 2024

Background

This study investigates the mutational profile of the KIT gene in primary and metastatic melanomas, highlighting the significance of genetic heterogeneity.

Methods

This research is a retrospective cohort that includes formalin‐fixed and paraffin‐embedded melanoma samples obtained from Hospital São Paulo, Brazil, between the years of 1996 and 2010. The research encompasses primary melanomas of the superficial spreading (SSM) and acral lentiginous (AL) subtypes and their metastases, using next‐generation sequencing to explore genetic heterogeneity.

Results

Despite losing 57 samples due to quality issues, 27 samples from 20 patients were analyzed, revealing a nearly equal distribution between AL and SSM subtypes. Both histological subtypes revealed KIT gene variants, including previously undescribed variants and polymorphisms, emphasizing the role of such mutations in melanoma pathogenesis and the potential for targeted therapies. Tumor heterogeneity was also observed in both histological subtypes.

Conclusions

The study underscores the complexity of melanoma, driven by diverse mutational landscapes within and across tumors and advocates for personalized treatment approaches based on detailed molecular profiling. Despite limitations like sample size, this research lays the groundwork for further investigation into melanoma's genetic intricacies and therapeutic vulnerabilities.
Tobacco retail availability and smoking—A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Martin‐Gall Veronica , Neil Amanda , Macintyre Kate , Rehman Sabah , Nguyen Thuy Phuong , Harding Ben , Gall Seana
Published: September 2024

Issues

Health policy makers worldwide have adopted evidence‐based legislation, largely directed at consumers, to reduce tobacco‐related harm. It is suggested that limiting supply by decreasing retail availability can also reduce cigarette smoking. To inform policy makers this systematic literature review assesses whether reducing availability is associated with smoking behaviours.

Approach

Systematic literature searches of five databases were carried out up to January 2023. Included studies had at least one exposure (tobacco retail density, proximity or mixed measures thereof) and outcomes of smoking behaviour. Meta‐analysis of effect estimates were undertaken if there were at least three studies with similar population, exposure and outcome measures.

Key Findings

Sixty‐two studies were included, and positive associations were found between tobacco outlet density and cigarette smoking in pregnancy, youth, adults and cessation. Meta‐analyses were undertaken for retail density and ever smoking (odds ratio [OR] 1.20; 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.04, 1.37; I2 = 87.3%), and current youth smoking (OR 1.23; 95% CI 1.08, 1.40; I2 = 0.0%), adult smoking (OR 1.11; 95% CI 1.01, 1.22; I2 = 74.8%); and mixed measures of retail availability near schools and current youth smoking (OR 1.03; 95% CI 1.01, 1.05; I2 = 0.0%).

Implications and Conclusion

There is evidence higher tobacco retail density is consistently associated with cigarette smoking in pregnant women, young people and adults when ecological studies are included in meta‐analysis. Meanwhile, evidence synthesis reveals restrictive tobacco retail laws based on proximity or mixed measures near home or very near school may not reduce smoking except in men who smoke heavily. Mechanisms to reduce retailer density should be thus considered part of tobacco control strategies.
Abound in hope: An invitation to a hopeful theological agenda after the thirteenth assembly of the LWF
Authors: Kit Sivin
Published: September 2024

The Thirteenth Assembly of the Lutheran World Federation (LWF) marked a pivotal moment for global Lutheranism. The assembly served as a platform for Lutherans worldwide to converge in Krakow, where they collectively discerned their shared future. While critics have claimed that the LWF has departed from its confessional identity, the Thirteenth Assembly of the LWF nevertheless demonstrated continuity with its historical and confessional roots, now underscored by a renewed focus on hope as the central theological principle. Numerous contextual and global challenges necessitate a theological agenda for a unified movement forward. Through an eschatological lens of hope, Lutherans globally are encouraged to deepen their reflection on biblical interpretation, theological contributions, and ecclesial missional practice. A realistic understanding of Christian hope shapes how one thinks and acts in the here and now in the most difficult of circumstances. This shift is already evident in the new LWF strategy and has begun to manifest regionally. This essay is an invitation to a hopeful theological agenda for the Lutheran communion and aims to make a significant contribution to world Christianity and society at large.
Possibilities and limitations of anticipatory action in complex crises: acting in advance of flooding in South Sudan
Authors: Easton‐Calabria Evan
Published: September 2024

Little evidence exists on the design and implementation of anticipatory action (AA) in complex crises. This article examines a 2022 United Nations ‘early action’ pilot in South Sudan in advance of extreme flooding. As a case study of efforts to act in a complex crisis, it contributes to learning on assisting conflict‐affected and displaced populations in advance of extreme weather events. The research points towards the possibility and value of implementing forecast‐informed early action in complex contexts with limited forecast skills and multiple hazards when trigger‐based AA is not possible. It also argues for the need to link AA implemented in complex crises to development and peacebuilding actors and processes. More broadly, examining the perceptions and processes of AA in the form of early action, rather than a formal AA framework, is highly relevant for the AA community as attention is increasingly placed on providing AA in countries affected by fragility and conflict.
Fracture risk revisited: Bone mineral density T‐score and fracture risk in type 2 diabetes
Authors: Van Hulten V. , Driessen J. H. M. , Andersen S. , Kvist A. , Viggers R. , Bliuc D. , Center J. R. , Brouwers M. C. J. G. , Vestergaard P. , van den Bergh J. P.
Published: September 2024

Aim

To study the association between femoral neck (FN) bone mineral density (BMD) T‐score and fracture risk in individuals with and without type 2 diabetes (T2D).

Materials and Methods

We performed a single‐centre retrospective cohort study using the Danish National Health Service. BMD of the FN was measured by dual‐energy X‐ray absorptiometry. Cox proportional hazards regression models were used to study the association between FN BMD T‐score and fractures in individuals with and without T2D separately, adjusted for age, comorbidities and comedication. The results from this analysis were used to estimate the 10‐year absolute fracture risk.

Results

In total, there were 35,129 women (2362 with T2D) and 7069 men (758 with T2D).

The FN BMD T‐score was significantly associated with risk of any, hip and major osteoporotic fracture in men and women with [adjusted hazard risk ratios (aHR) women, hip: 1.57; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.24–2.00, incidence rate (IR) 8.7; aHR men, hip: 1.55; 95% CI 1.01–2.36, IR 4.6] and without T2D (aHR women, hip: 1.75; 95% CI 1.64–1.87, IR 7.0; aHR men, hip: 1.97, 95% CI 1.73–2.25, IR 6.3), and its ability to predict fracture risk was similar. Fracture IRs were not significantly different for individuals with or without T2D, nor was the estimated cumulative 10‐year fracture risk.

Conclusions

The FN BMD T‐score was significantly associated with hip, non‐spine and major osteoporotic fracture risk in men and women with and without T2D. Fracture risk for a given T‐score and age was equal in individuals with and without T2D, as was the ability of the FN BMD T‐score to predict fracture risk.
Patriarchy, pandemics, and the gendered resource curse thesis: Evidence from petroleum geology
Authors: Animashaun Jubril , Wossink Ada
Published: September 2024

This study examines features shared by societies built around petroleum and the impact of COVID‐19. For our cross‐sectional analysis, we use epidemiological data on COVID‐19, country‐level long‐run oil production data, and data on petroleum geology for econometric identification. We first document that a country's long‐run oil production is associated with significantly higher COVID‐19 deaths. Exploring mechanisms, we find that women's election into political offices reduces the risk from COVID‐19, but only in oil‐poor countries. Furthermore, we find robust evidence that petroleum wealth reduces the percentage of women in parliament. These findings highlight the risk and plausible mechanisms of COVID‐19 vulnerability in oil‐exporting countries. Policymakers should be aware of these effects.
Imagining personal and social futures: Representations of secondary school students and the influence of teacher training in education for the future
Authors: Ortega‐Sánchez Delfín , Fernández Antoni Santisteban , González‐Valencia Gustavo A. , Hernández Carretero Ana María
Published: September 2024

This study analyses the images of the future of Spanish secondary school students (n = 252) from two perspectives. First, from the relationship between representations of the personal future and the social future. Second, the potential influence of the specific training of Geography and History teachers in education for the future on the construction of these representations. From a descriptive, predictive‐correlational and relational design, the results obtained report the existence of significant positive correlations, high effect sizes and optimal statistical power between the ways in which students conceive the social future and their own personal future. They also show the existence of statistically differential proportions between the two representations, less optimistic and progressive when thinking about the future of society. Similarly, the results report evidence of higher probabilities of obtaining positive perceptions about the social future when teachers have previous training in education for the future. The findings also show the need to rethink the concept of the future, in close connection with historical‐temporal awareness, as the core of the aims of social science teaching.
Comparative evaluation of Large Language Models using key metrics and emerging tools
Authors: McAvinue Sarah , Dev Kapal
Published: September 2024

This research involved designing and building an interactive generative AI application to conduct a comparative analysis of two advanced Large Language Models (LLMs), GPT‐4, and Claude 2, using Langsmith evaluation tools. The project was developed to explore the potential of LLMs in facilitating postgraduate course recommendations within a simulated environment at Munster Technological University (MTU). Designed for comparative analysis, the application enables testing of GPT‐4 and Claude 2 and can be hosted flexibly on either Amazon Web Services (AWS) or Azure. It utilizes advanced natural language processing and retrieval‐augmented generation (RAG) techniques to process proprietary data tailored to postgraduate needs. A key component of this research was the rigorous assessment of the LLMs using the Langsmith evaluation tool against both customized and standard benchmarks. The evaluation focused on metrics such as bias, safety, accuracy, cost, robustness, and latency. Additionally, adaptability covering critical features like language translation and internet access, was independently researched since the Langsmith tool does not evaluate this metric. This ensures a holistic assessment of the LLM's capabilities.
Parenting, self‐regulation, and sibling relationship dynamics in early childhood
Authors: Su‐Russell Chang , Killoren Sarah , Palermo Francisco
Published: September 2024

Objective

This study examined the associations between mothers' support of children's basic psychological needs (e.g., autonomy, competence, and relatedness) and children's sibling relationship quality in early childhood. We also examined the mediating role of older siblings' self‐regulation among these associations.

Background

According to self‐determination theory (SDT; Deci & Ryan, 2000), autonomy, competence, and relatedness are fundamental psychological necessities that support children's socioemotional well‐being and social relationship qualities.

Method

Our knowledge of how these family processes operate, however, is unclear, especially among families with young children (aged ≤6 years). The study involved 275 Latina, non‐Hispanic Black, or non‐Hispanic White mothers in the United States. They were asked to report their levels of support for children's basic needs, self‐regulation, and sibling relationship qualities.

Results

Mothers' support of children's competence and relatedness, but not autonomy, was positively related to children's positive involvement with their younger siblings. However, mothers' support of autonomy, competence, and relatedness was unassociated with children's sibling rivalry. Further, older siblings' self‐regulation mediated the positive association between mothers' support for children's autonomy and sibling positive involvement. Older siblings' self‐regulation did not mediate the associations between mothers' support for children's relatedness or competence and their positive sibling involvement.

Conclusion

Both maternal support for basic psychological needs and older siblings' self‐regulation may contribute to positive sibling relationships in early childhood.

Implications

Our findings inform practitioners, educators, and caseworkers that interventions enhancing children's self‐regulation may foster positive sibling relationships in early childhood.
Influence of children's disaster anxiety on their mental well‐being: Focusing parental warmth and gender
Authors: Yoo Changmin
Published: September 2024

Objective

This research analyzed the influence of children's anxiety of disaster on their life satisfaction and depression, as well as examined parental warmth's effect on this relationship.

Background

Recent disasters have been causing various anxieties. However, there are not many studies that observe the association between such anxieties related to disasters and children's psychosocial well‐being.

Method

There were 2,411 children responding to questions on their disaster‐related anxiety (49.8% girls, average age 12 years old). Measures evaluating children's perceptions of their disaster‐related anxiety, warmth of their parents, life satisfaction, and depression were administered.

Results

The results revealed a notable association between children's disaster‐related anxiety and their satisfaction. It was also observed that parental warmth partially mediated this relationship among boys, suggesting that positive parenting is related to how children's anxiety is associated with their life satisfaction. However, no significant gender differences were detected except for the path from anxiety of disaster to parental warmth.

Conclusions

This study explores the impact of children's levels of disaster‐related anxiety on their life satisfaction and highlights the crucial role of parental warmth in reducing this effect.

Implications

With the negative influence of disaster‐related anxiety on life satisfaction, it is important to provide various interventions that address this issue. Amid the aftermath of a disaster, appropriate psychological support and various programs should be implemented to help parents support children in coping and managing anxiety.
Institutional trading around M&A announcements
Authors: Fich Eliezer M. , Lantushenko Viktoriya , Sialm Clemens
Published: September 2024

We contrast the investment strategies of hedge funds and mutual funds around mergers and acquisitions (M&A). We find that hedge funds, on average, increase their holdings of soon‐to‐be takeover targets by 7.5% during the quarter before M&A announcements. Conversely, mutual funds, on average, reduce their equity holdings in impending targets by 3.0% over the same time period. The reduction in M&A holdings by mutual funds is less pronounced for more actively managed funds. Our results suggest that hedge funds enjoy superior access to private information or possess superior ability to process public information related to M&A transactions.
Allostatic load in rat model: An efficient tool for evaluating and understanding aging
Authors: Chen Dandan , Deng Xiaohong , Jia Yuxin , Sun Xianjun , Duan Xiaohong , Yan Shikai , Huang Jianhua
Published: September 2024

Aim

Aging and age‐related diseases are an ever‐increasing social and public health problem. Allostatic load (AL) shows great potential as an interdisciplinary tool for assessing the aging of human beings but as yet lacks investigation in animal models which is our study focus at.

Methods

Here a continuous study of AL was conducted on naturally aging rats. Blood samples were collected from the rats at ages of 5, 8, 14, 18, and 21 months. Dozens of blood biochemical indicators, including serum corticosterone, total cholesterol, low‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, high‐density lipoprotein cholesterol, triglycerides, C‐reactive protein, interleukin‐6, 25‐hydroxyvitamin D, free fatty acid, CD3+ T cell count, CD4+/CD3+ T cell ratio, CD8+/CD3+ T cell ratio, and CD3/4/8+ T cell apoptosis, were determined.

Results

AL was scored from those indicators, and we found that AL score gradually increased with age.

Conclusions

AL can reliably reveal the cumulative and systemic changes in aging. Geriatr Gerontol Int 2024; ••: ••–••.
Headache diagnosis and treatment: A pilot knowledge and needs assessment among physical therapists
Authors: Minen Mia T. , Whetten Christopher , Messier Danielle , Mehta Sheena , Williamson Anne , Verhaak Allison , Grosberg Brian
Published: September 2024

Objective

The objective of this pilot study was to assess physical therapists’ (PTs) knowledge and needs regarding headache diagnosis and management.

Background

While there is significant research on physical therapy and cervicogenic headache, studies suggest that migraine is often under‐recognized, misdiagnosed, and inadequately treated across society despite its high prevalence and burden. Because migraine commonly includes concurrent neck pain and/or vestibular symptoms, patients with migraine may present to PTs for treatment. Very little is known about PTs' headache and migraine education, knowledge, and clinical practices.

Methods

A team of headache specialists and PTs adapted a previously used headache knowledge and needs assessment survey to help ascertain PTs' knowledge and needs regarding headache treatment. The cross‐sectional survey was distributed online via Research Electronic Data Capture (REDCap) to PTs within a large healthcare system in Connecticut.

Results

An estimated 50.5% (101/200) of PTs invited to complete the survey did so. Only 37.6% (38/101) of respondents reported receiving any formal headache or migraine education in their professional training, leading to knowledge gaps in differentiating and responding to headache subtypes. Only 45.5% (46/101) were able to identify that migraine is characterized by greater pain intensity than tension‐type headache, and 22.8% (23/101) reported not knowing the duration of untreated migraine. When asked about the aspects of care they believe their patients with headache would like to see improved, PTs reported education around prevention and appropriate medication use (61/100 [61.0%]), provider awareness of the degree of disability associated with migraine (51/100 [51.0%]), and diagnostics (47/100 [47.0%]).

Conclusion

This sample of PTs from one healthcare system demonstrates knowledge gaps and variations in clinical practice for managing their patients with headache. Future research on integrating additional opportunities for headache education for physical therapists, including evidence‐based behavioral therapies, is needed to ascertain whether it is likely to improve patient care.
Digital‐sustainable business models: Definition, systematic literature review, integrative framework and research agenda from a strategic management perspective
Authors: Palmié Maximilian , Aebersold Andreas , Oghazi Pejvak , Pashkevich Natallia , Gassmann Oliver
Published: September 2024

The era of digitization coincides with a growing interest in social and environmental sustainability. Management scholars, therefore, turned their attention to the intersection of both trends, seeking a better understanding of how firms can manage digital sustainability. Business models are a central element in the strategic management of digital sustainability. Due to the diverse roots in the digitization literature, the sustainability literature and the business model literature, previous work on digital‐sustainable business models is highly fragmented. We, therefore, develop a strategic management framework and conduct an integrative literature review to synthesize fragmented insights, covering 134 studies published between 2007 and 2023 in leading academic journals. Examining the synthesized body of knowledge from the lens of affordances and our framework's inclusive strategic management perspective, we then identify promising avenues for further strategy research. Among others, future research should examine complementarities and conflicts between the three business model dimensions (value propositions, value creation and delivery processes, value capture mechanisms), between multiple options within each dimension, between different digital technologies, between various digital affordances, between digitalization and sustainability and between the outcomes of the triple‐bottom‐line. More efforts should also be directed towards the antecedents and boundary conditions of digital‐sustainable business models and towards questions of generalizability, especially towards generalizable theoretical mechanisms. Our framework, synthesis and research agenda support strategy scholars in advancing our understanding of business models for digital sustainability.
Study on impact damage visualization of honey peach based on finite element
Authors: Li Bin , Wan Xia , Zou Ji‐ping , Su Cheng‐tao , Lu Ying‐jun , Liu Yan‐de
Published: September 2024

Visualization and analysis of damage in honey peaches is important to reduce the occurrence of impact damage during postharvest handling. The finite element simulation method was used to visualize impact damage of honey peach. Firstly, the mechanical parameters such as maximum force, damage area, damage volume and absorbed energy during the collision between honey peaches and the surfaces of alloy steel, high density polyethylene (HDPE) and expandable polyethylene (EPE) were obtained by the collision device. Then, the elastic modulus and Poisson's ratio were obtained by compression tests of honey peach pulp. Finally, the process of collision between honey peaches and different material surfaces were simulated by finite element method. The results showed that the maximum error between the measured and simulated values of parameters were less than 25.1%. The study provides a reference for the selection of packaging materials for honey peaches and the biomechanical properties of various agricultural products.

Practical applications

Impact damage is one of the most common mechanical injuries in postharvest handling of honey peaches, and it is of great significance to quantitatively study the impact damage of honey peaches to reduce the occurrence of impact damage of honey peaches during packaging and transportation. The study shows the feasibility of using the finite element method for quantitative prediction and assessment of impact damage in honey peaches. In addition, the selection of suitable packaging materials can be used to effectively reduce the occurrence of impact damage of honey peaches in the transportation process. The results of the study can not only provide theoretical support for the packaging and transportation of honey peaches and other aspects, but also provide a reference for the biomechanical properties of various agricultural products.
Recognition of catfish fillets using computer vision toward automated singulation
Authors: Yao Tianqi , Jing Yi , Lu Yuzhen , Liu Wenbo , Lyu Jiaqi , Zhang Xin , Chang Sam
Published: September 2024

Catfish fillets are produced from whole catfish through a series of processing operations including de‐heading, gutting, filleting, skinning, trimming, and freezing. Catfish processing facilities usually chill or freeze a certain number of catfish fillets as backup storage. Later, catfish fillets are pulled out of storage for further processing, where significant manual labor is needed to separate and flatten all the fillets for downstream processing, such as portioning, breading, and individually quick‐frozen (IQF). Due to the labor force shortage and increasing labor cost, there is a pressing need to automate the singulation task, thereby reducing labor dependence. Machine vision technology has been researched for automated quality evaluation of fish products. However, research is lacking on using machine vision for automated singulation of fish fillets. This study presents a novel machine vision system consisting of a color camera for the recognition of the folding status and orientations of catfish fillets toward realizing automated fillet singulation. A set of 400 images of catfish fillets in four different orientations was captured and annotated for each catfish fillet. Two deep learning‐based image segmentation models, that is, YOLOv8 and SegFormer‐B5, were trained on the dataset for catfish fillet recognition. YOLOv8 outperformed SegFormer in catfish recognition and achieved overall masked mAP (mean average precision) scores of 97.1% and 97.4% for underwater and out‐of‐water catfish fillets, respectively. The vision system combined with YOLOv8 has the potential to automate the recognition and subsequent handling operations of catfish fillets.

Practical applications

The U.S. catfish industry is shrinking and facing great challenges because of international market competition and increasing production costs. The outbreak of COVID‐19 revealed a sharp deficiency in the labor force for the entire catfish industry, which has relied on manual labor for various processing operations. Mandatory lockdowns severely disrupted seafood supply chains and labor access. The tightening labor market has resulted in the delay of not only catfish processing but also production and distribution. It is imperative to increase the level of automation for processing operations such as IQF preparation process. At present, each processing facility needs 6–10 laborers for the manual catfish fillet IQF preparation process, implying that automating the process would potentially save hundreds of thousands of dollars in annual labor costs per processing line. The automation technology developed in this article has the potential to benefit the U.S. catfish processor by minimizing labor dependence and costs.