bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Condiciones de empleo, trabajo y calidad de vida de hombres y mujeres en trabajo informal
Authors: Besoain-Saldaña Álvaro , Flores Gustavo Agurto , Muñoz Tiare Alarcón , Sanhueza Jame Rebolledo
Published: April 2022

OBJETIVO Identificar brechas de género en las condiciones de empleo, trabajo y calidad de vida de vendedores informales de la Vega Central de Chile. MÉTODOS Se realizó un estudio transversal con ochenta trabajadores, quienes respondieron módulos de la Encuesta Nacional de Condiciones de Empleo, Trabajo y Salud (ENETS) y al Cuestionario de Salud SF-36 para la recolección de datos. Se hizo un análisis descriptivo para determinar características de la población y la prueba de Chi-cuadrado para estudiar correlaciones entre cada una de las variables con el género. RESULTADOS De la muestra, cincuenta (62,5%) pertenecen al género masculino, y treinta (37,5%) al género femenino. Ambos grupos presentan condiciones de empleo, trabajo y calidad de vida similares. No obstante, las mujeres manifiestan mayor temor que los hombres a reclamar mejores condiciones de trabajo, así como más desánimo y tristeza durante la jornada y peor percepción de estado de salud. CONCLUSIONES Las estrategias de promoción y prevención de salud laboral y seguridad social deben considerar una perspectiva de género sobre las condiciones laborales e indicadores de salud, que permitan a mujeres desarrollar herramientas para demandar justas condiciones y promuevan obligaciones al empleador de preocuparse del bienestar de trabajadores y trabajadoras.
Cobertura dos dados de fluoreto em sistemas de abastecimento de água usando o software R
Authors: Paulino Camila de Moraes , Belotti Lorrayne , Azevedo Moises Kim Zanotto de , Frazão Paulo
Published: April 2022

OBJETIVO Apresentar um protocolo para a crítica dos dados sobre monitoramento do fluoreto na água com recursos de programação do software R, ilustrando sua aplicação para descrever a cobertura dos dados e a qualidade da fluoretação em 2015. MÉTODOS Foi utilizado big data proveniente do Sistema de Informação de Vigilância da Qualidade da Água para Consumo Humano que incluía todos os municípios brasileiros. Os procedimentos de crítica dos dados foram realizados com auxílio do software R. Aplicaram-se filtros para remover municípios com menos de quatro meses de registro (1), e registros com valores nulos (2) e aberrantes (3). Os municípios foram classificados quanto à presença de informações válidas e à qualidade da fluoretação segundo macrorregião, unidades da federação e porte populacional, apresentando-se o script em cada passo. RESULTADOS Foram analisados aproximadamente 134 mil registros. Dos municípios brasileiros, 39% possuíam dados sobre o parâmetro fluoreto e apenas 33,3% apresentaram quatro meses ou mais de frequência de informação. Após a aplicação dos filtros, 1.810 (32,5%) municípios apresentaram informação válida para o parâmetro fluoreto, com substancial variação entre as macrorregiões Sul (83,6%) e Norte (0,7%). Destes, 726 (40,1%) exibiram muito boa qualidade da fluoretação, determinada por 80% ou mais de registros dentro do intervalo concentração ótima para prevenção da cárie dentária, com valor mais alto (54,3%) nos municípios com 50 mil habitantes ou mais e mais baixo (34,2%) naqueles com menos de 10 mil habitantes. CONCLUSÕES Persistem importantes diferenças entre e dentro das macrorregiões brasileiras no que se refere tanto à disponibilidade da informação sobre o parâmetro quanto à qualidade da fluoretação da água nos sistemas de abastecimento público no Brasil. O protocolo para crítica e manuseio dos dados com recursos de programação do software R se mostrou bastante útil para produção de informação voltada a tomada de decisão ancorada em método padronizado.
Bridging the gap: assessing the effectiveness of rope bridges for wildlife in Singapore
Authors: Ow Sebastian , Chan Sharon , Toh Yuet Hsin , Chan Su Hooi , Lakshminarayanan Jayasri , Jabbar Sabrina , Ang Andie , Loo Adrian
Published: April 2022

Roads that dissect natural habitats present risks to wildlife, creating gaps or barriers which animals have to traverse in order to move within and between their habitats. Restoring habitat connectivity can be achieved naturally by planting trees and vines to reconnect forest gaps, or artificially by creating culverts for small ground vertebrates, building overpasses for large terrestrial animals, or installing canopy bridges for arboreal fauna. The 3-km Old Upper Thomson Road borders the eastern side of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, the largest nature reserve in Singapore, and isolates it from neighbouring forest patches. To facilitate safe crossing for tree-dwelling animals such as the critically endangered Raffles’ banded langurs (Presbytis femoralis) along Old Upper Thomson Road, two rope bridges were installed. We monitored the use of these rope bridges by vertebrates from April 2020 to August 2021 through surveillance cameras attached on one end of each bridge. A total of 64 118 videos were processed, with 6218 (9.70%) containing vertebrates. Seven species, including three primates, two squirrels and two reptiles, utilised the bridges to travel between the forests. In particular, Raffles’ banded langurs made a total of 293 successful crossings. We have shown that these rope bridges are useful for arboreal species and can complement national efforts to restore connectivity in fragmented habitats.
Cutting in the Middleman: Learning from Ancient Chinese Contract Negotiation
Authors: Hsu Emma
Published: April 2022

This article examines contract negotiations in ancient China and then addresses how they have changed in modern China. First, the broad societal contexts of these two eras are examined and compared, as well as their legal systems. This is followed by a discussion of the court system and how middlemen can be leveraged as a “golden bridge” in forming agreements. The analysis contends that despite a comprehensive legal system, the best approach to negotiate with Chinese counterparts nowadays is to leverage its tradition of using middlemen to insert personal relationships that connect private agreements to public adherence. The role of the middlemen has neglected benefits that warrant reconceptualization as Chinese negotiation practices seep into modern international systems.
Combating Ocean Debris: Marine Plastic Pollution and Waste Regulation in Indonesia
Authors: Widagdo Setyo , Anggoro Syahriza Alkohir
Published: April 2022

Marine plastic pollution (MPP) is one of the major global environmental threats in the Anthropocene era that requires a coordinated legal response from local to international levels. This article explores how the Indonesian legal and institutional framework deals with MPP. Despite the diversity of existing instruments, Indonesia has not adopted all the necessary measures to prevent, reduce and control MPP from land and marine sources. Although progress at the national level to date has been relatively slow, some local authorities have recently taken the initiative to establish single-use plastics regulations, which offer promising prospects for MPP treatment in the future. Indonesia can only change its status as the second largest MPP contributor after China through a special law targeting plastic waste based on the life cycle of plastics and supported by consistent implementation.
From a Radical-Religious Movement to a Democratic Social Sub-Movement
Authors: Beidollahkhani Arash
Published: April 2022

The Sunnis in Iran are among the Muslim minorities with a specific internal, political, and social structure and relations. They play a significant role in Iran’s foreign and domestic policy. Many researchers have considered a link between the name of Iran and Shiism as well as the relations established by Shia groups in the Middle East. The paper aimed to examines and identify the internal relations and structure of Sunnis based on the characteristics of reform movements by focusing on Sunnis as a reformist social movement. This study identifying the internal structure and international interactions of the Sunnis in Iran based on two different political perspectives governing this minority. In addition, this paper considered the political orientation of the Sunni minority in Iran as an inclusive social movement and a social sub movement. As the Sunnis in Iran may represent an inclusive socio-religious movement with some radical tendencies, they can also be considered and analysed as a sub-movement related to the larger pro-democracy movement, due to their civic demands on the Shia regime ruling Iran.
The Political Function of Religion in Kurdish and Perso-Iranian Nationalist Confrontations after the 1979 Revolution
Authors: Mofidi Sabah
Published: April 2022

During the early years (1979–1982) following the 1979 revolution, because of the prevalence of a traditional society, religion was politically more functional. Religious discourse became hegemonic and most groups, including secularists, were forced to use such a discourse to promote their politics. The Persian politicians used Islam to make Perso-Iranian nationalism dominant over others, while non-Persian politicians appealed to it to gain their ethno-national rights. Using Qualitative Content Analysis to analyse the scattered texts of speeches, interviews, messages of the Persian and Kurdish leaders published in different publications at the time (which are available in some archives and databases), this article describes how they use religion in their confrontations. The findings show both marginalisation and resistance against it appealing to Islamic discourse. Ignoring those parts of Islam that are not in their interest, the Persian nationalists use Islamic brotherhood and unity to reinforce Islamic identity over Kurdish identity in order to marginalise the Kurdish nationalist movement, as well as to mobilise ordinary people against the Kurdish forces. Conversely, the Kurdish nationalists resist, and demand equality as Muslim brethren. In this regard, while religion has uniting, mobilizing and legitimating functions for the Persian government, enabling it to pursue nationalistic aims and to justify relevant measures, it also partly has a legitimating one for the Kurdish opposition.
Variations in tension wood characteristics of Populus alba under alternate bending, nitrogen fertilization, and gibberellin treatments
Authors: Gorgij R. , Pourtahmasi K. , Maali Amiri R. , Abdolkhani A. , Porojan M.
Published: April 2022

Reaction wood formation (tension wood) in trees such as poplar is a response to stress and environmental factors. Tension wood is a rich source of cellulose that can be used for products including paper or biofuels and is thus a target product in forestry. This study aimed to evaluate the formation of tension wood in two-year-old saplings of Populus alba by using alternate bending, nitrogen fertilization, and gibberellin hormone. Saplings were bent alternately in one or another direction every month during the growing season, fertilized twice at the beginning and in the middle of the growing season, and treated with gibberellin early in the growing season. The physical and anatomical characteristics of the wood were studied after the end of the growing season. Evaluation of transverse sections of specimens stained with safranin/Astra-blue showed that, compared with straight saplings, alternate bending saplings had a wider tension wood area in the growth ring and clear formation of a gelatinous layer. The wood of alternate bending saplings with nitrogen fertilization and gibberellin hormone had a higher wood density, greater longitudinal shrinkage, and less radial and tangential shrinkage than saplings with other treatments. Moreover, the alternate bending saplings treated with nitrogen fertilization and gibberellin hormone had tension wood with the largest vessels, the lowest vessel density, and the smallest total vessel lumen area than saplings with other treatments. Wood fibers of treated saplings also had the thickest wall with the smallest fiber and lumen diameters. Overall, the bending treatment with the addition of nitrogen fertilization and gibberellin hormone was the most effective for the stimulation of tension wood formation in terms of volume and intensity.
The Will to Fight: Combat, Morale, and the Experience of National Army Soldiers during the Greek Civil War, 1946–1949
Authors: Tsoutsoumpis Spyros
Published: April 2022

Why do soldiers fight? How do they deal with the exigencies of warfare? What methods are used by military establishments to control their rank and file and motivate them? This article addresses these questions by analysing the experience of national army soldiers during the Greek Civil War (1946–1949). The research on the Greek National Army has been dominated by top-down studies that focus on issues such as tactics, logistics and the role of senior military leaders. Accordingly, the perspective and experiences of ordinary soldiers have been largely overlooked. As a result we know very little about the factors that led soldiers to take an active part in combat, their understanding of the war and how they tried to cope with the exigencies of warfare. The article fills this gap by shifting the focus to the rank and file of the Greek National Army. It explores their everyday lives, discusses the methods used by the army to shore up morale and motivate the rank and file and analyse the soldiers’ responses to these efforts. In doing so, it contributes new insights into the experiences of soldiers and the conduct of the Civil War.
The Peoples of Anatolia
Authors: LaBuff Jeremy
Published: April 2022

Studies of the peoples of Anatolia take for granted the existence and importance of regional ethnic communities on the peninsula when investigating issues of identity, ethnic origins, and cultural assimilation (especially Hellenization). In reviewing the scholarship, this work argues that such assumptions lead to problematic conclusions that ignore or poorly apply recent theoretical work on ethnicity and current critiques of the assimilation model. A critical consideration of this work leads to an appreciation for the somewhat limited, and at times non-existent, role of regional ethnicity in the experiences of the inhabitants and communities of Anatolia, who mainly promoted more local forms of belonging in the face of the attempted orderings of ethnographic and imperial discourses.
The Kiss of a Philosopher
Authors: Ellerman Carl P.
Published: April 2022

Motivated by Socrates’ warning to avoid the kisses of beautiful people, given the risk of losing rational self-government if seduced by a beautiful face, this account of Heidegger’s seemingly apolitical, Socratic defense of philosophy is a warning about the corruption of reason that may issue from commerce with the deceptively beautiful arguments, or cognitive kisses, of philosophers. Particularly philosophers who have a political agenda, this having been true of Heidegger, whose philosophy was infected with a militant fascism antithetic to truth-seeking Socratic philosophers. The test of ideas developed by America’s pragmatic philosophers, Pierce, James, and Dewey, is presented as an antidote to the malignant arguments of Nietzsche and Heidegger, whose deceptively beautiful arguments were destructive to humankind. Concluding remarks identify current threats to rational self-government writ large, by focusing on our postmodern information age in which almost anyone can become a spellbinding producer of deceptively beautiful, virulent information in cyberspace.
Maintaining Zone 1 Occlusion is a Dynamic Process: The Effects of Proximal Pressure and Blood Transfusion During REBOA
Authors: Qadri Hisham I , Patel Nathan TP , Ganapathy Aravindh S , Lane Magan R. , Jordan James E , Johnson M Austin , Williams Timothy K , Neff Lucas P
Published: April 2022

Background

Resuscitative endovascular balloon occlusion of the aorta (REBOA) provides hemodynamic support to patients with non-compressible truncal hemorrhage. As cardiac output increases due to aortic occlusion (AO), aortic diameter will increase as a function of compliance, potentially causing unintended flow around the balloon.

Materials and Methods

Swine (N = 10) were instrumented to collect proximal mean arterial blood pressure (pMAP), distal MAP (dMAP), balloon pressure (bP), balloon volume (bV), and distal aortic flow (Qaorta). A 7-Fr automated REBOA catheter was positioned in Zone 1. At T0, animals underwent 30% total blood volume hemorrhage over 30 min followed by balloon inflation to complete AO. Automated balloon inflation occurred from T30-T60 when Qaorta was detected. Period of interest was T55-T60, while the balloon actively worked to maintain AO during transfusion of shed blood.

Results

Median weight of the cohort was 73.75 [IQR:71.58-74.45] kg. During T40-T55 and T55-T60, median pMAP was 88.95 [IQR:76.80-109.92] and 108.13 [IQR:99.13-119.51] mmHg, P = 0.07. Median Qaorta during T40-T55, and T55-T60 was 0.81 [IQR:0.41-0.96], and 1.53 [IQR:1.07-1.96] mL/kg/min, P = 0.06. Median number of balloon inflations during T40-T55 was 0.00 [IQR:0.00-0.75] and increased during active transfusion to 10.00 [IQR:5.25-14.00], P = 0.001.

Discussion

In clinical practice, following initial establishment of AO, progressive balloon inflations are required to maintain AO in response to intrinsic and transfusion-mediated increases in cardiac output, blood pressure, and aortic diameter.
Blind Obturator Bypass–A Scope for Improvisation
Authors: Lohani Kush Raj , Chen Min Qi
Published: April 2022

Extra-anatomical femoral bypass in hostile condition such as an infected femoral artery pseudoaneurysm has commonly been performed by tunneling a graft via the obturator foramen. However, the rarity of such cases and very selective indications for the obturator bypass procedure (OBP) has resulted in a paucity of improvisation in this surgery. The aim of this article is to briefly discuss the difficulties faced by our team when recently performing an OBP and to highlight possible innovative approaches by introducing a laparoscope to make the blind OBP safer and more precise.
Decreasing public interest in social psychiatry: An infodemiological study of worldwide Google search volumes from 2004 to 2021
Authors: Alibudbud Rowalt
Published: April 2022

Background:

While mental disorder is an ‘intrinsically social phenomenon’, social psychiatry has been reportedly declining. Addressing public interests in social psychiatry was among the suggestions to address this decline. In recent years, public interest in social psychiatry can be explored using Google Trends, an increasingly important infodemiological tool.

Objective:

This study determined changes in global online public interest in social psychiatry from January 2004 to December 2021 using Google search volumes.

Methods:

Search query using this keyword, ‘Social Psychiatry (Topic)’, was made using the Explore feature of Google Trends. The Region and Time Filters were set to ‘Worldwide’ and January 2004 to December 2021, respectively. Afterward, the search volumes, country ranking, queries, and topics returned by the Google Trends system was described and compared.

Results:

There was a generally decreasing trend in search volumes for social psychiatry where it decreased almost 10 times between 2004 and 2021. Only 11 countries were listed in Google Trends’ ranking with the top countries including Austria, Germany, and Switzerland. Search-related topics and queries were about social psychiatry related concepts, related academic discipline, human resources, social interventions, and education activities

Conclusions:

The findings suggest that there is a decreasing public interest in social psychiatry. To improve this, social psychiatry can address public expectation through improving its connection with allied social sciences, increasing its educational activities, and expanding its social intervention services.
A real-time obstacle avoidance and path tracking strategy for a mobile robot using machine-learning and vision-based approach
Authors: Singh Rajmeet , Bera Tarun Kumar , Chatti Nizar
Published: April 2022

In this paper, an obstacle avoidance and target tracking method for both indoor and outdoor mobile robots in dynamic environment is presented, and it aims to enhance autonomous navigation capability of such robots. In the proposed method, image processing and machine-learning approaches are considered. Since obstacles have differences in color and texture and in order to identify non-navigable areas, a monocular onboard camera is used to capture the road lanes by dealing with an image processing technique. The position of the robot with respect to road lane center during navigation is calculated on the basis of a proposed fuzzy logic rules set. In order to provide fast and robust computation, the Haar cascade classifier-based machine-learning technique has been exploited to detect the different sizes and shapes of the obstacles faced by the robot during its movement from source to destination. The dynamic model of a four-wheel mobile robot is initially developed using bond graph theory and then, the proposed obstacle-avoidance strategy is applied. The effectiveness and performance of the proposed method are tested under various simulation and experimentation scenarios. The behavior of the mobile robot for detecting and avoiding static obstacle for single and double road lane change environment is analyzed and discussed.
Tracing as comparative method
Authors: Wood Astrid
Published: April 2022

Urban scholarship is bursting with comparison. We use comparison as an explicit and implicit tool to frame our urban analysis. But how do we actually do comparison? This commentary presents a fine-tuned analysis of ‘tracing’ as both a conceptual framework and a methodological process for doing comparative urbanism. It draws on the many excellent contributions in this special issue to argue for three methodological approaches to tracing – following the trace, the people doing the tracing and the pathways of tracing – adding reflections that are not only theoretically valuable but also practically useful. In concluding, I argue that this approach of tracing highlights the endless possibilities for thoughtful and productive comparison starting from everywhere and ending up anywhere.
Art in transit: Mobility, aesthetics and urban development
Authors: Enright Theresa
Published: April 2022

High-profile architecture and design, alongside integrated arts and cultural programming are now ubiquitous features of public transit networks. This article considers how and why transit-based arts and cultural programmes are proliferating globally as well as the impact of these programmes on transit and urban dynamics. Through critically analysing the discourses surrounding different transit art initiatives and the institutional structures which support them, this article shows how transit art is used today for varied – and often contradictory – ends. Based on this, it argues that we should not uncritically celebrate the rise of transit art as an unmitigated civic good. Rather, we must situate the rise of transit art within a political and aesthetic economy in which art has become ‘expedient’, and contend with the way transit art is implicated in elite, exclusionary and unsustainable processes of urbanisation.
Chemsex in Lisbon? Self-Reflexivity to Uncover the Scene and Discuss the Creation of Community-Led Harm Reduction Responses Targeting Chemsex Practitioners
Authors: Pires Cristiana Vale , Gomes Filipe Couto , Caldas João , Cunha Mar
Published: April 2022

This essay is based in a self-reflexive collective process and intends to present the chemsex scene in Lisbon and harm reduction responses implemented to address the needs of chemsex practitioners. The analysis considered professional experiences, participant observation, literature review of the relevant data in Portugal and autoethnographic data from a chemsex practitioner and peer educator. This essay aims to present the community-led creation of a transdisciplinary collaborative network able to assess and respond to chemsex-related risks in Lisbon. Specifically, we aim to: (i) present the chemsex scenes in Lisbon; (ii) discuss the setting up and preliminary results of a collaborative network and harm reduction responses targeting chemsex practitioners. The work implemented in Lisbon demonstrates that chemsex is a global trend with localized idiosyncrasies that must be addressed when designing local tailored interventions. It also reiterated that harm reduction organizations are in a privileged position to detect, monitor and respond to emerging trends at local level. Moreover, the work implemented in Lisbon demonstrated that transdisciplinary collaborative networks, involving communities—chemsex practitioners, gay-friendly and queer venues and collectives—and professionals working in the fields of intersection of chemsex (drugs, sexual health, mental health, gender diversity, gender-based violence), can be effective in the local early detection and response to chemsex-related risks.
Professional Preparation of Teachers of Students With Visual Impairments and Orientation and Mobility Specialists Regarding Physical Activity, Physical Education, and Sport
Authors: Sladewski Jennifer , Lieberman Lauren J. , Haibach-Beach Pamela , Conroy Paula
Published: April 2022

Introduction: This aim of this online study was to determine what teachers of students with visual impairments (TVIs) and orientation and mobility (O&M) specialists learned and experienced in their professional preparation programs regarding physical education, physical activity, and sport for students with visual impairments. Methods: In 2019, an initial questionnaire was sent to specialists in the field for validation. In 2020, 68 TVIs and O&M specialists participated in an online research study consisting of validated multiple choice, Likert scales, and short responses. This study was created through and accessed by participants on the website of Qualtrics, a survey tool. Results: Sixty percent of the participants did not feel that their professional preparation program provided an adequate amount of time discussing accommodations for students with visual impairments in physical education and physical activity. Eighty percent of participants learned very little or nothing at all in their courses related to physical activity, physical education, and sport; and 79% learned very little or nothing at all in their practicum experiences. Seventy-two percent of participants indicated that they wished that they had learned more about physical activity, physical education, and sport. Discussion: The findings demonstrate that TVIs and O&M specialists are not prepared to assist physical education teachers in making physical activity, physical education, and sport accessible to students with visual impairments. Implications for Practitioners: The professional preparation programs of TVIs and O&M specialists can include more information on making physical activity, physical education, and sport accessible to students with visual impairments.
Constituent Elements Affecting the Recognition of Tactile Graphics
Authors: Wu Chih-Fu , Wu Hsiang-Ping , Tu Yung-Hsiang , Yeh I-Ting , Chang Chin-Te
Published: April 2022

Introduction: Many tactile graphics designed for individuals with visual impairments consider single factors. According to the results of our previous study, there may be interactions among scale, representation, and complexity factors. We conducted this integrative study with these three factors. Additionally, for the representation factor, we introduced a new level that mixed the two common levels (line drawing, (LD), and texture picture, (TP)), into a textured-line drawing, (TLD). Methods: We included 18 participants with congenital blindness. They were asked to identify and name tactile graphics. The design of tactile graphics involved three factors, each at different levels, including scale (large, medium, and small), representation (TP, LD, and TLD), and complexity (easy and complex). We recorded the identification time and accuracy and conducted three-way analysis of variance to investigate interactions. Results: The identification time for small-scale graphics was shorter than that for large-scale graphics. The accuracy for small-scale graphics was higher than medium-scale graphics. Under the TLD mode, the accuracy for small and medium-scale graphics was higher than that for large-scale graphics. For medium-scale graphics, TLD performed better than LD. Discussion: Because the sizes of small-scale graphics were similar to those of actual objects, they were easy to identify. If the TLD mode is used for medium-scale graphics, the components in the operation area can be completely presented, which is helpful for identification. However, if large-scale graphics are used under the TLD mode, the operation area is relatively small and difficult to identify. Implications for Practitioners: It is recommended to present objects at 1:1 under the small-scale. Under the medium-scale, the operation area can be presented by closed plains, while non-operation areas can be presented using lines. Under the large-scale, it is recommended to reduce the size of the graphics to an extent where both hands can be used to explore.
A Music Teacher’s Blended Teaching and Learning Experience during COVID-19: Autoethnography of Resilience
Authors: Beirnes Sean , Randles Clint
Published: April 2022

The purpose of this co-autoethnographic qualitative case study was to chronicle the experiences of the first author as he taught general music in a blended, face-to-face, and online synchronous, environment during the COVID-19 pandemic. The co-autoethnography conveys a voice of a practicing teacher with advice and wisdom gained from living and working through the technological aspects of teaching and learning in a blended environment for practicing music teachers. His experiences chronicle how technology was used as a vehicle for amplifying the experiences of students and empowering them to creativities not possible before the pandemic. Implications for music education include exploring the stories of the lived experiences of teachers who taught through the pandemic with a focus on the possibilities and potentialities for profound change mediated by technology, learner-centered pedagogy, and creativities in practice.
Bridging the Digital Divide: Distance music learning among older adult musicians
Authors: Tsugawa Samuel
Published: April 2022

The purpose of this study was to examine the experiences of conductor-teachers and older adult musicians in a New Horizons ensemble engaged in distance online music-making and music learning. This study employed intrinsic and particularistic qualitative case study designs in which older adult musicians and conductor-teachers of a New Horizons orchestra were interviewed and observed for one year during the COVID-19 pandemic. Primary data sources included verbatim interview transcripts of 11 older adult musicians and the principal conductor, e-mail correspondences, video recordings, and the principal conductor’s journal entries. Findings distilled from the data included (a) the information communication technology (ICT) and music learning technology (MLT) introduced and the technological pedagogical and content knowledge (TPACK) needed to teach orchestra members and (b) how orchestra members navigated both ICT and MLT to engage in meaningful music-making and music learning in a distance learning environment. Implications for research and practice include challenging implicit assumptions and messages regarding technology use among older adult musicians, continuing post-COVID distance music learning that may lead to promising models for informal music learning, and continued connectivity beyond the locality of the rehearsal hall.
Exploring the nature and variation of the stigma associated with loneliness
Authors: Barreto Manuela , van Breen Jolien , Victor Christina , Hammond Claudia , Eccles Alice , Richins Matthew T , Qualter Pamela
Published: April 2022

The current study uses data from The British Broadcasting Corporation Loneliness Experiment to explore the social stigma of loneliness and how it varies by gender, age and cultural individualism. We examined stigmatizing judgements of people who are lonely (impressions of those who feel lonely and attributions for loneliness), perceived stigma in the community and self-stigma (shame for being lonely and inclination to conceal loneliness), while controlling for participants’ own feelings of loneliness. The scores on most measures fell near the mid-point of the scales, but stigmatizing perceptions depended on the measure of stigmatization that was used and on age, gender and country-level individualism. Multilevel analyses revealed that men had more stigmatizing perceptions, more perceived community stigma, but less self-stigma than women; young people had higher scores than older people on all indicators except for internal versus external attributions and people living in collectivist countries perceived loneliness as more controllable and perceived more stigma in the community than people living in individualistic countries. Finally, young men living in individualistic countries made the most internal (vs. external) attributions for loneliness. We discuss the implications of these findings for understandings of loneliness stigma and interventions to address loneliness.
You just don’t get it: The impact of misunderstanding on psychological and physiological health
Authors: Crockett Erin E , Pollmann Monique MH , Olvera Ana P
Published: April 2022

We examined the effects of felt (mis)understanding on satisfaction, stress, and motivation in two different studies. In Study 1, we used an experimental design in which 72 participants (54 women, 18 men) engaged in understanding or misunderstanding interactions. Afterward, we measured their satisfaction with the interaction and their motivation for and performance on a subsequent task. Consistent with our hypotheses, we found that people who had a misunderstanding interaction reported lower interaction satisfaction, motivation, and poorer performance than those who were given no instructions. In Study 2, we used diary methodology and measured diurnal cortisol slopes ( N = 86; 63 women, 21 men) to determine how day to day fluctuations in understanding and misunderstanding were associated with daily feelings of motivation, satisfaction, and perceived stress. Consistent with our hypotheses, the results found that feeling misunderstood predicted higher perceived stress, lower life satisfaction and motivation as well as less healthy cortisol slopes. Felt understanding predicted higher life satisfaction and higher motivation in Study 2 (not Study 1). Similar to other relationship constructs, our findings suggest that the physical and psychological impact of misunderstanding is important to consider distinct from understanding. Further, they suggest that not feeling misunderstood by our close others may matter more than feeling understood by them.
The associated effects of parent, peer and teacher attachment and self-regulation on prosocial behaviors: A person-and variable-centered investigation
Authors: Yang Pei-Jung , McGinley Meredith
Published: April 2022

Adolescence is a critical juncture in the development of prosocial behaviors, which contribute to the overall well-being of youth. Thus, it is important to understand how multiple socialization agents and self-regulation simultaneously foster prosocial behaviors. Using both variable-centered and latent person-centered approaches, the current study examined the relative, concurrent contribution of multiple socialization agents (parent, peer, and teacher attachment) and self-regulation on Taiwanese adolescents’ global prosocial behaviors. This study included 1473 Taiwanese high school students (50.4% junior high schoolers, 57.9% females, Mage = 14.87 years) who completed measures of parent, peer, and teacher attachment, self-control, and prosocial behaviors. Four profiles emerged from the person-centered approach. The profile with highest scores on self-control and all measures of attachment reported the highest prosocial behaviors. The other three profiles differed in their attachment patterns but demonstrated roughly similar levels of self-control. Among the three profiles, the groups with the lowest scores on prosocial behaviors appeared to have low to moderate attachment quality, whereas the group with high peer attachment scored significantly higher in prosocial behaviors than the other two groups. Results from the variable-centered approach found no direct effects of parent attachment on prosocial behaviors, though effects of self-control and peer and teacher attachments were evident. Our findings suggest that the quality of attachment and self-regulation commonly promote prosocial behaviors in youth. Furthermore, peer and school-based relationships may serve as unique and salient socialization contexts for prosocial behaviors during adolescence. Limitations and recommendations for future research were discussed.
Catechol-O-methyltransferase activity does not influence emotional processing in men
Authors: Martens Marieke AG , Dalton Nina , Scaife Jessica , Harmer Catherine J , Harrison Paul J , Tunbridge Elizabeth M
Published: April 2022

Background:

Catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) regulates cortical dopaminergic transmission and prefrontal-dependent cognitive function. However, its role in other cognitive processes, including emotional processing, is relatively unexplored. We therefore investigated the separate and interactive influences of COMT inhibition and Val158Met (rs4680) genotype on performance on an emotional test battery.

Methods:

We recruited 74 healthy men homozygous for the functional COMT Val158Met polymorphism. Volunteers were administered either a single 200 mg dose of the brain-penetrant COMT inhibitor tolcapone or placebo in a double-blind, randomised manner. Emotional processing was assessed using the emotional test battery, and mood was rated using visual analogue scales and the Profile of Mood States (POMS) questionnaire across the test day.

Results:

There were no main or interactive effects of Val158Met genotype or tolcapone on any of the emotional processing measures or mood ratings.

Conclusions:

Our findings suggest that, at least in healthy adult men, COMT has little or no effect on emotional processing or mood. These findings contrast with several neuroimaging studies that suggest that COMT modulates neural activity during emotional processing. Thus, further studies are required to understand how COMT impacts on the relationship between behavioural output and neural activity during emotional processing. Nevertheless, our data suggest that novel COMT inhibitors under development for treating cognitive dysfunction are unlikely to have acute off target effects on emotional behaviours.
Lucid Dreaming Frequency and Sensory-Processing Sensitivity
Authors: Schredl Michael , Zumstein Judith , Baumann Sven , Schmidt Mirja
Published: April 2022

Previous research identified personality and neurophysiological traits that are associated with inter-individual differences in lucid dreaming frequency. The present study investigated the question as to whether sensory processing sensitivity is related to lucid dreaming. Overall, 1,807 persons (1,008 woman, 799 men) with a mean age of 47.75 ± 14.41 years completed the German High Sensitive Person Scale, a Big Five personality inventory, and the lucid dream frequency scale. As expected, Aesthetic Sensitivity and Low Sensory Threshold (two of the three sensory processing factors) were positively related to lucid dream frequency. Moreover, extraversion and low agreeableness were also related to lucid dreaming frequency. Although the effect sizes of these relationships are relatively small, this research can shed light on the mechanism underlying the inter-individual differences in lucid dream frequency.
AIMing for Equity in Aviation Accessibility: Development of the Aviation-accessibility Integrated Mobility (AIM) Metric
Authors: Karam Shriya , Nam Stephanie J. , Ryerson Megan S.
Published: April 2022

As federal spending and planning for air transportation infrastructure looks to prioritize access for disadvantaged populations, aviation systems planning metrics that measure accessibility at the individual level are necessary. Existing metrics, from the mobility-driven metrics focused on efficiency and on-time performance to geographic accessibility metrics focused on connectivity, lack the detail of the multiple, interlocking constraints that limit potential travelers (especially lower-income travelers) from executing their agency and accessing the aviation system. We seek to develop a methodology, resulting in new analysis metrics, to quantify accessibility on an origin–destination basis based on individual constraints, time- and cost-based impedance, and aviation travel supply. We develop and apply our Aviation-accessibility Integrated Mobility (AIM) metric to empirically model relative accessibility based on traveler-specific constraints, accounting for individual-level sensitivity to travel costs and propensity to travel by ground access modes. We illustrate how equity-focused variables can change the calculus and geographic distribution of accessibility by applying the AIM to our case study region: Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Newark metropolitan areas, a region with significant socioeconomic disparities, to diverse markets (Austin, Atlanta, Nashville). Our findings indicate that incorporating individual constraints greatly influences the calculation of accessibility; additionally, we find that transportation supply and service characteristics alter the distribution of accessibility. Our model supports a national map of accessibility and potential policy recommendations to expand traditional federal airport infrastructure projects, such as targeted air service enhancement.
Quantifying the Benefits of Geosynthetics Reinforcement in Flexible Pavement Design Using Cyclic Plate Load Testing
Authors: Abu-Farsakh Murad Y. , Chen Qiming , Hanandeh Shadi , Saghebfar Milad
Published: April 2022

Development of pavement design over the past decades has focused on moving from empirical design equations to more powerful and adaptive design schemes. The AASHTO mechanistic–empirical pavement design guide (MEPDG) has been developed to model pavement structure and predict its service life more accurately. Although MEPDG has been widely implemented to design conventional pavement, it is not yet capable of predicting the service life of pavement reinforced with geosynthetics. Given the above concerns, seven full-scale test sections that were constructed at Louisiana Transportation Research Center-Pavement Research Facility (LTRC-PRF) were devoted to a structural experiment to investigate the performance of geosynthetic reinforced pavements. The benefits of using geosynthetics to enhance the performance of pavements constructed over soft subgrades was evaluated using cyclic plate load testing. Cyclic load at a frequency of 0.77 Hz was applied through a 305 mm diameter steel plate. The test results clearly show the benefits of geosynthetics in significantly reducing pavement rutting. The test section with double geosynthetic layers performed better than the other six sections studied. After eliminating the effect of variations in construction, the benefits of geosynthetic reinforcement are quantified within the context of the AASHTOWare Pavement ME Design Guide. The developed design procedure is capable of quantifying the contribution of geosynthetics in pavements to base reinforcement as well as subgrade stabilization. A design methodology is proposed that falls within the context of MEPDG.
Life Cycle Thinking Approach Applied to a Novel Micromobility Vehicle
Authors: Calão Júlio , Lemos Marques Daniel , Godinho Completo António , Cabrita Coelho Margarida
Published: April 2022

Although the production of cars has high environmental costs, producing and maintaining micromobility vehicles might consume fewer resources. Likewise, replacing the car with active mobility transportation modes would reduce noise and air pollution. The life cycle assessment (LCA) methodology contributes to the study of such environmentally sustainable solutions. We present a “cradle-to-grave” analysis by tracking activity from the extraction of raw materials until the end of the product’s life. The goal was to carry out an LCA of a novel micromobility vehicle, Ghisallo, from a life cycle thinking perspective. The LCA tool, ITF Good to Go? Assessing the Environmental Performance of New Mobility, developed by the International Transport Forum, was used to model the baseline and alternative scenarios. The vehicle’s materials, primary energy sources for battery charging, use of the vehicle as a shared mobility mode, among other factors, were changed to assess energy use and greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions during the life cycle chain. The LCA results of the baseline scenario for Ghisallo were similar to the values of other micromobility vehicles. Energy consumption (MJ) and GHG emissions (grams of equivalent CO2) per vehicle-kilometer (v-km) were 0.36 MJ/v-km and 29 gCO2eq/v-km, respectively. For this personal mobility vehicle, it was concluded that most GHG emissions were from its production (42% of the total). Air transport from the production to sales sites increased its impact by 10%. We present measures to decrease the energy and GHG emissions impacts of a micromobility device’s life cycle.
Impact of Bus Rapid Transit Construction and Infrastructure on Traffic Safety: A Case Study From Albuquerque, New Mexico
Authors: Bia Esther Marie , Ferenchak Nicholas N.
Published: April 2022

Bus rapid transit (BRT) systems are becoming increasingly popular, yet their interaction with traffic safety in the United States has not been fully explored. How do BRT systems affect traffic safety, specifically for vulnerable road users such as pedestrians? Albuquerque, New Mexico recently installed the Albuquerque Rapid Transit (ART) system, a BRT system running along Central Avenue, a main east/west corridor through the city. Using collision data and volume counts for three snapshots in time (before, during, and after construction of the BRT), we analyzed the safety outcomes (all collisions and fatal/serious injury collisions) for all road users and pedestrians. We compared outcomes from the ART corridor to outcomes on alternative routes, on control segments of Central Avenue (those that did not see ART construction), and across the city. Collision counts saw the strongest decreases from before to after on the ART corridor (−8.2%). These benefits were more marked for fatal and serious injury collisions, with those collisions decreasing by 64.9% on ART (compared with a 5.7% decrease on control segments). Although vehicle volumes decreased an average of 28.6% after construction on Central Avenue, per-vehicle rates of fatal and serious collisions still decreased 57.1%. These results indicate that ART made the corridor safer overall (fewer total collisions), and while the risk to individual drivers increased, an individual’s chance of being fatally or seriously injured decreased significantly (−57.1%). Findings suggest that BRT systems can play an important role in the pursuit of a safe, healthy, and efficient transportation system.