bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Weights and Measurements Usage in Business among the Urban based Fruits and Vegetables Market Sellers in Dar es salaam
Authors: Kirumirah Mubarack Hamidu , Munishi Emmanuel
Published: January 2024

Despite the critical role played by weights and measurements in business and more specifically in the area of fresh fruits and vegetables trade, still little is known about the utilisation of weights and measures among fresh fruits and vegetable traders in big markets in Dar es salaam. In this study, we specifically assessed the usage of weights and measurements among fresh fruits and vegetables in markets. What causes low usage of weights and measures instruments among informal traders and what impact does the use of weights and measures has on traders’ businesses. The study was conducted in Dar es Salaam City at ilala and Stereo markets and used mixed methods approach with a sample of 200 respondents. Data were collected through questionnaire and in-depth interviews. Data were analysed descriptively by SPSS and content analysis manually. Findings provide that there is low usage of standard weighing and measuring instruments among fruits and vegetable traders in the markets and this was majorly caused by low awareness, traders perception and inadequate inspections. The study recommends periodic training to traders on the importance of using standard weights and measures in the businesses.
Production Practices and Marketing Strategies of Ginger (Zingiber officinale L.) in Southern Philippines
Authors: Morados Alexander N.
Published: January 2024

Ginger (Zingiber officinale L.) is one of the priority vegetables and most processed functional food in many parts of the the Philippines. This study assessed the production practices and marketing strategies of ginger in Northern Mindanao from October 2022 to October 2023. It utilized a validated survey questionnaire administered to 160 registered farmers in the provinces of Bukidnon, Camiguin, Lanao del Norte, Misamis Occidental and Misamis Occidental supplemented with key informant interviews, focus group discussion and secondary data. Findings showed that majority of the respondents belong to age bracket 50-59 years old, earn a monthly family income range of PhP 9,520.00 to PhP 19,040.00 and obtain basic education diploma. The respondents “Always Practiced” the recommended production practices and “Moderately Practiced” the suggested marketing strategies for the commodity by the Department of Agriculture. There is a significant relationship between production practices and marketing strategies. There is a significant differnce on the extent of marketing strategies when grouped according to age and monthly and highest educational attainment. Challenges include low market price and high cost of farm inputs which are threats productivity and profitability of the ginger industry.
Dynamic Prognosis Prediction for Patients on DAPT After Drug‐Eluting Stent Implantation: Model Development and Validation
Authors: Li Fang , Rasmy Laila , Xiang Yang , Feng Jingna , Abdelhameed Ahmed , Hu Xinyue , Sun Zenan , Aguilar David , Dhoble Abhijeet , Du Jingcheng , Wang Qing , Niu Shuteng , Dang Yifang , Zhang Xinyuan , Xie Ziqian , Nian Yi , He JianPing , Zhou Yujia , Li Jianfu , Prosperi Mattia , Bian Jiang , Zhi Degui , Tao Cui
Published: January 2024

Background

The rapid evolution of artificial intelligence (AI) in conjunction with recent updates in dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) management guidelines emphasizes the necessity for innovative models to predict ischemic or bleeding events after drug‐eluting stent implantation. Leveraging AI for dynamic prediction has the potential to revolutionize risk stratification and provide personalized decision support for DAPT management.

Methods and Results

We developed and validated a new AI‐based pipeline using retrospective data of drug‐eluting stent‐treated patients, sourced from the Cerner Health Facts data set (n=98 236) and Optum's de‐identified Clinformatics Data Mart Database (n=9978). The 36 months following drug‐eluting stent implantation were designated as our primary forecasting interval, further segmented into 6 sequential prediction windows. We evaluated 5 distinct AI algorithms for their precision in predicting ischemic and bleeding risks. Model discriminative accuracy was assessed using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve, among other metrics. The weighted light gradient boosting machine stood out as the preeminent model, thus earning its place as our AI‐DAPT model. The AI‐DAPT demonstrated peak accuracy in the 30 to 36 months window, charting an area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 90% [95% CI, 88%–92%] for ischemia and 84% [95% CI, 82%–87%] for bleeding predictions.

Conclusions

Our AI‐DAPT excels in formulating iterative, refined dynamic predictions by assimilating ongoing updates from patients' clinical profiles, holding value as a novel smart clinical tool to facilitate optimal DAPT duration management with high accuracy and adaptability.
A New History for Human Rights: Conflict of Laws as Adjacent Possibility
Authors: Castellanos-Jankiewicz León
Published: January 2024

The pivotal contributions of private international law to the conceptual emergence of international human rights law have been largely ignored. Using the idea of adjacent possibility as a theoretical metaphor, this article shows that conflict of laws analysis and technique enabled the articulation of human rights universalism. The nineteenth-century epistemic practice of private international law was a key arena where the claims of individuals were incrementally cast as being spatially independent from their state of nationality before rights universalism became mainstream. Conflict of laws was thus a vital combinatorial ingredient contributing to the dislocation of rights from territory that underwrites international human rights today.
From “Dar-es-Salaam” to “Brill”: Beyond the North-South Polarity in Publishing Scientific Journals
Authors: Makulilo Alexander , Henry Rodrick
Published: January 2024

The African Review (TARE) was founded in March 1971 by the Department of Political Science of the University of Dar es Salaam (UDSM), focusing primarily on decolonising the interpretation of significant events in African politics, monopolised by foreign experts. After the collapse of the Berlin Wall in 1989, the journal slightly shifted to publish contemporary issues of globalisation, development, and African affairs aiming at addressing the North-South knowledge divide. As a journal in the South, it has for many years suffered from the challenges of ineffective systems of management, processing, production and distribution. Attempting to address these challenges, in June 2019, the UDSM signed an agreement with Brill to publish TARE. In the agreement, Brill provides the journal with infrastructural systems and undertakes the final production and distribution of the journal. The UDSM, on the other hand, retains ownership of the journal copyright and performs all the editorial activities. This agreement has significantly institutionalised and improved the journal’s quality, management, processing, production, distribution and international visibility. This paper holds that the future of journals from the Global South hinges on collaboration with established publishers. The experience of TARE indicates that when a journal retains ownership and decision-making powers in a collaboration, it exhibits high potential for success.
From New Materials and New Questions to a New Methodology
Authors: Zhang Bowei
Published: January 2024

Since the 1980s, research on Sinographic literature has made significant strides. From the standpoint of academic history, this research has undergone three broad stages, which are represented respectively by new materials, new questions, and new methods. These have been the overall trends, which necessarily overlap each other. Research on Sinographic literature has diverged from a focus on new material toward the refinement of new questions and the exploration of new methodologies. One such exploratory approach is “the Sinosphere as methodology,” which addresses the shortcomings of four previous research models and seeks to put this new methodological concept into practice, to contain the expansionist impulses of cultural imperialism, and to prise apart nationalist parochialism.
Life Cycle of the Phyline Plant Bug Conostethus americanus Knight, 1939 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae) in Native Mixed-Grass Prairie in Wyoming, USA
Authors: Clark Aaron
Published: January 2024

The life cycle of the phyline plant bug Conostethus americanus Knight 1939 (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae: Phylinae) is described from native mixed-grass prairie in southeast Wyoming. The bug is monophagous, univoltine, and overwinters as eggs in tufts of its host, Sandberg bluegrass (Poa secunda J. Presl, Poaceae). Eggs are laid in the host’s leaf sheaths and occasionally along the rib of wilted leaves. The eggs hatch in April, coinciding with the host’s first spring leaf growth. During the daytime, older nymphs (instars III–V) and recently molted adults are typically found on bare ground, adjacent to the host tuft crowns. After dark, the nymphs and recently molted adults climb onto the leaves to feed. The first adults appear in early May. Males outnumber females 1.5:1. Mating and oviposition occur during the latter half of May and early June. The distribution of C. americanus and its host are mapped. Seasonality is described. Host specificity and habitat affinity, which prevent competition with the ubiquitous Labops hesperius (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Miridae), are discussed. Photographs of adults, eggs, nymphs, host feeding damage, and habitat are provided.
Three new species of sea star parasite Dendrogaster (Crustacea: Thecostraca) from Japan
Authors: SAITO NOBUHIRO , MORITAKI TAKEYA , MINAKATA KEIJI , WAKABAYASHI KAORI
Published: January 2024

Three new species of ascothoracidan crustaceans, Dendrogaster danni sp. nov., Dendrogaster tanabensis sp. nov., and Dendrogaster jinshomaruae sp. nov. are described from the sea around the Kii Peninsula on the Pacific coast of central Japan. They are found in the coelomic cavities of the sea stars, Neoferdina japonica Oguro & Misaki, 1986., Henricia sp., and Coronaster volsellatus (Sladen, 1889), respectively. Morphological examinations and DNA barcoding analyses of these new species are reported in this study. The emergence of Dendrogaster from their host sea stars is also noted. These findings represent the 11th to 13th species of Dendrogaster that infest Japanese sea stars.
The impact of marketization on school segregation and educational equity and effectiveness: Evidence from Australia and Canada
Authors: Perry Laura B , Yoon Ee-Seul , Sciffer Michael , Lubienski Christopher
Published: January 2024

While marketization has been promoted as a mechanism for improving educational equity and effectiveness, substantial evidence suggests that it may have the opposite effect. We contribute to this debate by examining educational equity and effectiveness in two similar countries that have embraced educational marketization to different degrees. Drawing on data from the Program for International Student Assessment and a causal-comparative design, we show that Australian schooling has more choice and competition, is more socially segregated, has larger school stratification of human and material resources, and has greater inequalities of educational outcomes and overall lower effectiveness than Canadian schooling. Our findings suggest that educational marketization reduces educational equity and effectiveness by increasing school social segregation and stratification of resources.
‘This Is Orders’: The Santo Pietro Massacres and the Failure of American Military Justice
Authors: Marshell Nathaniel
Published: January 2024

On 14 July 1943, soldiers of the Oklahoma Army National Guard's 1st Battalion, 180th Infantry Regiment brutally murdered more than 70 German and Italian prisoners of war in two separate incidents in the vicinity of the Santo Pietro Airfield near the village of Santo Pietro di Caltagirone, Sicily. These killings, erroneously known as the ‘Biscari Massacre,’ stand as some of the most brutal atrocities committed by American forces in Europe during the Second World War. Despite this, the US Army generally failed to hold the massacres’ perpetrators accountable for their crimes due to the US Military's desire to keep details of the atrocities secret. Of the roughly two dozen soldiers who directly participated in the killings, only two-faced indictment under the 92nd Article of War. Of these, only one suffered punishment. That said, the War Department released the convicted war criminal a mere 14 months into his life sentence due to a potential public relations crisis in relation to issues of command responsibility. In the end, the US Army refused to accept responsibility for the atrocities and actively protected those culpable at the highest levels.
The Effect of Memory and Presentation Mode in Melodic Error Detection
Authors: Nichols Bryan E. , Barrett Logan
Published: January 2024

Previous research has variably indicated the role of working memory in error detection by which working memory played a role in rhythmic error detection but not melodic error detection. Here, we devised a longer melodic error detection task for college musicians in an auditory, rather than visual, condition using classical excerpts, which we compared to briefer visual and auditory control conditions. These tests were compared to performance on a test of verbal working memory (forward digit span test) and an experimenter-created tonal working memory test. The tonal working memory test was positively related to the forward digit span test, the melodic error detection, and the visual control but not to the auditory control. Performance on the error detection test was not significantly related to year in school, level of aural skills class, years of private piano, or level of group piano class. Our participants performed similarly on the aurally presented melodic error detection of classical excerpts and the briefer visual control but not on the briefer aural control. Among other variables, years of experience on a second instrument was a significant predictor of error detection skill. High familiarity ratings with a classical excerpt did not yield a relationship to error detection performance.
Formalizing a framework of inference capabilities for Digital Twin engineering
Authors: Diakité Mama , Traoré Mamadou Kaba
Published: January 2024

Nowadays, smart systems require the use of Digital Twins (DTs) for their engineering and management. Self-updating capability is a key feature in the DT technology. This raises the challenge of model inference from data collected on the system and requires a formal framework be defined, in which a system representation can be coupled with inference methods to achieve automatic model updating. While data-based process model inference is a well-known technique, the inference of a simulation model from existing knowledge and collected data is yet an unexplored area. In this paper, we first clarify and explicitly define some key elements of the terminology related to the DT concept, including model update and model inference, and we propose a framework of inference capabilities based on a formal DT specification, which formally captures the conditions for different updating capabilities and relates them. That way, on one hand, the framework enables the use of symbolic approaches to build a DT with the desired inference capability, and on the other hand, it establishes a partial order relation between inference capabilities. Through a case study, we show how the framework helps formally specifying the DT model of a mobility system toward realizing a fully capable DT.
Thriving in a World of Giants: Craft Breweries’ Workings in a Major Tourism Destination
Authors: Carrillo Brendali , Barbieri Carla
Published: January 2024

Major tourism destinations depending on iconic resources to draw tourists are seeking to diversify their offerings. Building upon neolocalism, craft-beverage tourism has emerged as a diversification strategy. Such a strategy requires establishing a vibrant craft-beer industry that, according to the resource partitioning theory (RPT) requires applying four mechanisms (location, anti-mass production sentiment, customization, and conspicuous status). Since it is unknown how the RPT unfolds in tourism destinations, we interviewed 21 producers in Cusco (Peru), a major destination with an emerging craft-brewery industry, to identify the strategies they are utilizing to position their products when juxtaposed with tourism and neolocalism. We identified 17 actions that local craft-brewers apply and a strong tourism-neolocalism intersection, which altogether enriches the RPT. Findings suggest that craft-brewers build upon local places and culture to differentiate from, rather than fight against, their competitors. Findings can also guide agencies seeking to diversify the tourism offerings through craft-beverage tourism.
The perspectives of people with dementia and their supporters on advance care planning: A qualitative study with the European Working Group of People with Dementia
Authors: Monnet Fanny , Diaz Ana , Gove Dianne , Dupont Charlèss , Pivodic Lara , Van den Block Lieve
Published: January 2024

Background:

Advance care planning has been defined in an international consensus paper, supported by the European Association for Palliative Care. There are concerns that this definition may not apply to dementia. Moreover, it is not informed by input from people with dementia.

Aim:

To gather the perspective of the European Working Group of People with Dementia and their supporters on how advance care planning is defined and develop recommendations for changes to the definition.

Design:

An in-depth qualitative study was conducted, analysing online focus groups and interviews using thematic analysis.

Setting/participants:

We included 12 people with dementia and 9 supporters.

Results:

Participants suggested several changes to the current advance care planning definition: mentioning people with decreasing decisional capacity; better reflecting the role of family and/or trust-based relationships; reducing focus on end-of-life/medical decisions; strengthening focus on social aspects of care. Elements of the current definition that participants suggested keeping and highlighting include the framing of advance care planning as a continuous process, that is also optional; mention of communication next to documentation of decisions; and the importance of proxy decision makers. Based on this input, we developed three overarching and 16 specific recommendations for a modified definition of advance care planning that is inclusive of people with dementia.

Conclusions:

The perspectives of the European Working Group of People with Dementia and their supporters highlighted the need for a person-centred and dementia-inclusive advance care planning definition. We provide tangible recommendations for future adaptations of the definition that reflect these perspectives.
Introduction to Special Collection: Plant-Anthropo-Genesis: The Co-Production of Plant–People Lifeworlds
Authors: Flachs Andrew , Bastos Cristiana , Heath Deborah , Venkateswar Sita
Published: January 2024

Ethnobiology has long recognized that human and plant relationships produce particular ways of living. The discipline is increasingly asking how these lifeworlds reflect and create sociopolitical formations—from low-impact hunting–gathering or slash-and-burn agriculture, to colonial plantations and runaway settlements, to contemporary agribusiness and alternative biodynamic agriculture. In this special issue, we propose the concept plant-anthropo-genesis to highlight the ways in which plants and people are co-produced. We explore entanglements between plants and people over time, drawing on wide-ranging ethnographic and historical research to offer new and critical insights into the ways that plant–human lifeworlds co-produce one another—from the processes of racialization in plantation societies to the aspirational interventions of gardeners, farmers, and scientists aiming for redemption from chemical industrial agriculture. The collection centers on acts of reciprocal human and botanical labor through a variety of contexts and perspectives in crop fields, including: how monocrops and plantations reshape socioecological life; ritual dimensions of plant–human interactions; and the regenerative alternatives that re-imagine plant–human relations and agro-ecological possibilities amid the historical weight of extractivist agriculture in plant-anthropo-worlds.
Borderline personality disorder symptoms relationship with music use: Investigating the role of music preferences and functions of music
Authors: Kowalewska Karolina , Lawendowski Rafał , Karasiewicz Karol
Published: January 2024

Music preferences are molded with numerous personality variables, yet, this relation, as assumed in the study, may be mediated by functions of music expressing the psychological needs of the listener. Not many studies are devoted to the music preferences of listeners with personality disorders, whereas, none investigate this topic among people with Borderline Personality Disorder (BPD). A correlational study that was conducted among 549 individuals (274 displayed BPD symptoms). The main goal was to examine the extent to which the severity of BPD symptoms directly interacts with the following: (a) music preferences and (b) music function formation, and whether the functions of music can explain the mechanism through which BPD symptoms interact with music preference formation. Using structural equation modeling (SEM), we demonstrated that the severity of BPD-spectrum symptoms is closely related to types of music preferred. In addition, BPD symptoms severity is substantially linked to the perception of the social relatedness and self-awareness functions of music, whereas emotional function seems to be independent of the BPD symptoms aggravation. Finally, the functions of music can partly act as a mediator in shaping the mechanism of forming music preferences based on personality predispositions. Further music preference analyses among individuals with BPD is highly warranted.
Customer Choice of Different Types of Non-Autonomous and Autonomous Transportation Network Company Services in the San Francisco Bay Area
Authors: Negro Pia , Kaltenhäuser Bernd , Hottenrott Hanna , Bogenberger Klaus
Published: January 2024

In recent years, transportation network companies (TNCs) have grown rapidly. However, with the high intensity of competition caused by multi-homing and low switching costs, providers like Uber and Lyft have yet to achieve profitability. Following the winner-takes-all theory, providers fight for market dominance with price wars and incentives, expecting to achieve profitability once they gain market power. However, despite extensive research on why customers use TNCs instead of other modes, there is limited research on customer choice between competing TNCs. This study examines how customers choose among competing providers and service options for booking rides, considering the influence of service characteristics. The research questions are answered for the San Francisco Bay Area, various TNC and autonomous TNC (ATNC) services (Basic, Green, Premium, and Pool), and use cases based on time urgency and trip purpose. For this, we conducted a choice-based conjoint (CBC) analysis with 1,415 participants. Results indicate that an almost equal number of customers choose services based on loyalty or habit as those customers who switch services based on better waiting times or prices. The results confirm the importance of provider size on customer choice and indicate a high time- and price-sensitivity of customers. On average, Green services are most preferred, followed by Basic, Premium, and Pool. When comparing TNC and ATNC services, customers are positive toward autonomous services but require lower prices to switch. These findings contribute to the understanding of customer choice in competitive TNC and future ATNC markets, with relevance for both theory and practitioners.
Evaluation of the Influence of Production Tolerance Limits on Virginia Balanced Mixtures
Authors: Lynn Wright Tiana Y. , Bowers Benjamin F. , Diefenderfer Stacey D. , Boz Ilker
Published: January 2024

The Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT) is implementing balanced mixture design (BMD) to increase the longevity and durability of asphalt pavement structures. As of the time of publication VDOT has a design specification to balance common modes of pavement distress including durability issues, rutting, cracking, and stripping. This is achieved by assessing asphalt mixture performance through testing with the Cantabro mass loss test, asphalt pavement analyzer rut depth, and indirect tensile cracking test. The next step in the implementation process is to develop a quality assurance program to ensure that balanced mixtures in the laboratory remain balanced during production. The objective of this study was to evaluate the influence of current production tolerance limits for gradation and binder content on BMD performance tests results to determine if mixtures balanced in design can become unbalanced during production through plant and material variability. To simulate production variability, 14 mixture designs were altered to produce a coarse and fine gradation and high and low binder content based on current allowable tolerance limits and tested for performance. For most Virginia mixtures evaluated, it was determined that designs could become unbalanced during production. All the performance tests were sensitive to changes in asphalt content, while the Cantabro was also sensitive to a coarse gradation, and the APA was sensitive to a fine gradation. Results from this analysis are specific to the State of Virginia; however, the methodology of evaluating production tolerance limits is transferable to other agencies interested in assessing performance during production.
Multi-Stage Fusion Framework for Short-Term Passenger Flow Forecasting in Urban Rail Transit Systems Using Multi-Source Data
Authors: Chen Yijie , Zhang Jinlei , Lu Yuan , Yang Kuo , Liu Hanxiao , Liang Ying
Published: January 2024

To improve real-time operation and management in urban rail transit (URT) systems, accurate and reliable short-term passenger flow forecasting at the network level is a crucial task. Although numerous endeavors have been devoted to this field, the insufficient topological representation for passenger flows in the URT network, the overlooking of intrinsic correlations among multi-source data, and the information loss in deep-learning frameworks are still critical issues that need to be addressed. This study proposes a multi-stage fusion passenger forecasting (MSFPF) model to accomplish short-term multi-step passenger forecasting leveraging multi-source data, and overcome the above-mentioned challenges. Based on the characteristics of passenger flows in the URT network, time-based origin–destination flow data is involved and utilized to enhance the representation of flows and provide spatial-temporal features. Then, the interaction and relationship among multi-source data are estimated to capture their intrinsic correlations. To effectively and comprehensively extract temporal and spatial features, a transformer long short-term memory block and a depth-wise attention block are constructed with attention mechanisms and employed. Furthermore, we construct the multi-stage fusion (MSF) structure to alleviate the information loss during the learning process, which is a significant component in improving the forecasting accuracy. In addition, the model is applied to two large-scale real-world datasets, in which it outperforms nine widely used baselines and four specific variants of itself. The quantitative experiments demonstrate the robustness and superiority of the proposed MSFPF model, and the significant contribution of the MSF structure in the model.
Life Cycle Comparison of the Environmental and Economic Performance of an Informal Low-Capacity Passenger Transport System
Authors: Kalifa Muhammad , Özdemir Alp , Banar Müfide
Published: January 2024

This research aims at providing more information concerning the performance of public transport means that exist in most underdeveloped countries from an environmental and economic perspective. This study compares autorickshaws, motorcycles, 14-passenger, and 29-passenger minibuses. A cradle-to-grave life cycle assessment (LCA) and a life cycle cost analysis (LCC) for passenger transportation were carried out. The LCA analysis was carried out using the Center of Environmental Science, Leiden University (CML-IA) baseline impact assessment method. A cost model was developed to analyze the purchase, maintenance, and operation costs of passenger transportation. The LCA results reveal that in an informal transport system, lower-capacity vehicles have a better environmental performance per passenger-kilometer than higher passenger-capacity vehicles during off-peak hours. In the LCC analysis, motorcycles were revealed to be the most cost-inefficient alternative. Both LCA and LCC results show that the operational stage owing to fuel consumption has the highest impact on the environment and economy. To decrease the environmental and economic impacts of the transportation system, the first action should be focused on the operational stages of these types of vehicles.
Experimental Study on the Stress and Failure Mode of a Shield Tunnel Lining Under Asymmetric Thrust
Authors: Song Yang , Li Ang , Xu Xiaofeng , Wang Xin , Li Chuntao
Published: January 2024

This paper develops the "formation–shield tunnel segment–reaction frame model test system." The force and failure modes of the segment under different curvature radii and different left- and right-hand thrusts are compared and analyzed. The analysis results include the following. (1) Under asymmetric thrust, the axial force, bending moment, and deformation of the segment present an asymmetric distribution. With the increase in the ratio of the thrust between the lateral and inner jacks of the turn, the loading step of the damage inside the segment lining structure is advanced. (2) With the increase in the radius of curvature, the bending moment and deformation of the segment lining decrease, but the magnitude of the sudden change in the axial force of the segment structure increases accordingly. (3) The failure locations of the segment structure are mostly concentrated at the joints between the vault and the arch. With the increase in the jack thrust ratio, the cracks caused by segment structure failure also increase, transverse crack extension occurs where the force on the outside of the turn is large, and the peeling phenomenon occurs.
“Not Like Father, Like Son”: Public Sector Employment Reforms in Egypt
Authors: Barsoum Ghada
Published: January 2024

The slowing of public sector hiring has been a tool for sector downsizing and one of the markers of the reform trajectory in public administration in Egypt. The effect of this long-term and non-confrontational approach to downsizing on the workforce of the public sector is captured in this article using a unique national panel dataset. The analysis shows that the share of public sector employment has declined in a pattern punctuated by a number of critical junctures that shaped the trajectory of the adoption of New Public Management (NPM)-inspired policies. The data shows that the sector workforce is becoming more educated, older, and slightly more feminized. Despite the specificity of the context of Egypt, the analysis furthers the study of public sector reform trajectories and the complexity of the contextualization of NPM-inspired policies in countries with a socialist legacy in the global South.
Development and validation of a low-cost UV curing system for Direct Ink Write 3D printers
Authors: Riyaz Ahmed A , Mugendiran V
Published: January 2024

Existing Direct Ink Write 3D printers use three axis robotic drives with high-cost extrusion system and no inbuilt curing system to cure the polymer inks. This article focusses on the development of a low-cost photopolymer ultraviolet (UV) light curing system for Direct Ink Write 3D printers and optimizing the print parameters. An UV light-emitting diode (LED) light curing setup consisting of UV LED strips, UV LED holder, and a nozzle shield is designed and fabricated. The photocuring of the polymer ink is with the help of low-cost UV LED strips emitting UV light in the wavelength of 405 nm. The effect of nozzle type, stand-off distance and printing speed on the layer height and layer width were calculated. The gel content was determined by Soxhlet extraction and the maximum gel content was achieved in 120 s. The setup was also able to fabricate complex shapes like hollow cone and a hollow bend pipe without any supports which validates the effectiveness of the curing system.
Prioritizing the Health and Well-Being of the Indigenous Communities in India
Authors: Munshi Hrishikesh , Gajbhiye Rahul K
Published: January 2024

The International Day of the World’s Indigenous Peoples and the Tribal Pride Day hold significant importance in India, home to 106 million indigenous individuals. There are 705 recognized Scheduled Tribes (STs) in India that enrich the nation’s cultural fabric but experience disproportionately high morbidity and mortality. Historical injustice, geographic isolation, and cultural diversity deeply influence ST health causing disparities between indigenous and non-indigenous health indicators. To meet Sustainable Development Goals, India established the Ministry of Tribal Affairs and implemented various health initiatives. However, climate change, deforestation, limited education and employment opportunities, poverty, and under-representation pose a challenge. Empowerment, inclusive policies, community-specific targets, resource allocation, technology utilization, and multi-sectoral collaboration are vital for indigenous health. Achieving health equity for indigenous communities is a global commitment and moral imperative. By addressing historical wrongs, and working holistically, we must ensure that indigenous communities in India and beyond enjoy improved health and well-being.
The Role of Parent–Adolescent Communication Among Youth Exposed to Neighborhood Violence in Rural Mexico
Authors: Mora Andrea S. , Gutiérrez Lorraine M. , Ceballo Rosario
Published: January 2024

This study examines the potential moderating effects of mother– and father–adolescent communication on the relations between community violence exposure (i.e., witnessing violence and personal victimization), neighborhood-based sexual harassment, and adolescents’ depressive and posttraumatic stress disorder symptoms. The sample included 200 poor, rural adolescents ( Mage = 14.93, SD = 1.40), the majority of whom were girls (58%) from two public schools in the State of Mexico, Mexico. Multiple hierarchical regressions indicated high rates of exposure to neighborhood violence, as well as positive associations between violence exposure and adolescents’ psychological outcomes. Mother– and father–adolescent communication each separately functioned as distinct protective factors, weakening the associations between violence exposure and adolescents’ psychological outcomes. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
Evaluation of a Pharmacist-Led Implementation of Standardized Medication Administration Times for Inpatients Receiving Hemodialysis
Authors: Blunier Abbie L. , Cheatham Megan R. , Deodhar Karishma S. , Geik Christopher A. , Walroth Todd A. , Whitten Jessica A. , Davis Christie M.
Published: January 2024

Background:

Missed medication doses are a common and often preventable medication-related error that have been associated with an increased length of stay and mortality. Hemodialysis is a common, relatively predictable reason that patients are unavailable, resulting in missed doses.

Objective:

To evaluate the implications of a pharmacist-led intervention to standardize the medication administration times for patients requiring hemodialysis who were prescribed antihypertensives, antiepileptics, apixaban, and/or antimicrobials.

Methods:

A retrospective preanalysis and postanalysis of a pharmacist-led intervention were performed at a single-center, safety net hospital. Patients receiving dialysis and prescribed one of the targeted medications were included. The primary endpoint was the composite of missed and delayed doses.

Results:

A total of 25 patients receiving 126 dialysis sessions in the preintervention group and 29 patients receiving 80 dialysis sessions in the postintervention group were included for analysis. For the primary endpoint, 118 (18%) versus 57 (9.3%) doses were missed or delayed in the preintervention versus postintervention group, respectively ( P < 0.001). The primary endpoint was driven by fewer delayed doses in the postgroup. The number of antimicrobials given on a correct schedule increased in the postintervention group (98.3% vs 99.1%, P = 0.044).

Conclusion and Relevance:

A pharmacist-led intervention for standard medication administration times in patients requiring hemodialysis increased the number of prescribed medication doses given and given on time. The intervention also led to more antimicrobials administered at appropriate times relative to dialysis sessions.
Uncovering the Unknown: Granulomatous Peritonitis After Right Ovarian Cystectomy at a Tertiary Care Center in South India—A Case Report
Authors: Radhakrishnan Shalini , Venkataramana Chaithra Gowthuvalli , Rai Sharada , Shetty Roshan
Published: January 2024

Background. Granulomatous peritonitis is a rare postoperative complication caused by a delayed hypersensitivity reaction to foreign substances. It can be challenging to diagnose owing to its vague presentations, and its possibility is often overlooked. Tubercular peritonitis and peritoneal carcinomatosis are the 2 crucial differential diagnoses that need to be taken into account. However, making a clinical differentiation between these 2 entities is challenging and necessitates a careful histopathological and microbiological analysis. Case Presentation. In this report, we present the case of a 28-year-old female who developed granulomatous peritonitis following a right ovarian cystectomy. The diagnosis was confirmed by histopathological examination. Conclusion. We must be aware of this rare entity, which, if left untreated, could have serious consequences, and consider its possibility in cases where the patient complains of abdominal pain after any abdominal procedure. We hope to provide insights into the importance of histopathological examination in aiding a confirmatory diagnosis of this entity.
Extra-Ocular Sebaceous Carcinoma in Situ of the Arm of an Elder Male: An Unusual Presentation in an Atypical Location
Authors: Shaker Nada , Sangueza Omar P. , Shaker Nuha , Pradhan Dinesh
Published: January 2024

Background. Sebaceous carcinoma in situ outside the ocular region is an exceedingly uncommon. It is an intraepidermal neoplasm originating from sebaceous glands limited to the epidermis with no invasion into the underlying dermis or beyond. Although sebaceous carcinoma in situ is predominantly observed in ocular regions, particularly the eyelids, instances of its occurrence in extraocular locations are infrequent, with only a limited number of examples reported in the literature. Case Presentation. A 63-year-old man presented with a left posterior arm lesion. Microscopic examination revealed a proliferation of poorly differentiated atypical neoplastic sebocytes confined to the epidermis with pleomorphic nuclei, prominent nucleoli, and clear cell changes. The neoplastic cells demonstrated positive staining for adipophilin, androgen receptor, epithelial membrane antigen, P63, BerEP4, and keratin 7. Microsatellite instability markers showed preserved nuclear staining for MLH1, PMS2, MSH2, and MSH6. A definitive diagnosis of sebaceous carcinoma in situ was rendered. Discussion. The distinctive histopathologic characteristics typically involve the presence of atypical sebaceous cells confined within the epidermis. Atypical cells often exhibit enlarged nuclei, increased mitotic activity, and prominent nucleoli. A panel of epithelial membrane antigen, adipophilin, and androgen receptors is essential for ensuring an accurate diagnosis. Conclusion. This report underscores the importance of considering sebaceous carcinoma in situ in diagnosis in atypical locations, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive histopathologic examination and immunohistochemical staining panel. This article aims to demonstrate the rarity of sebaceous carcinoma in situ in extraocular sites to broaden our understanding of its diverse clinical presentations.
Has Journalism Education Kept Up With Digital Transformation?
Authors: Hossain Md Sazzad , Wenger Debora
Published: January 2024

Journalism is a highly technology-dependent profession, and students, educators, and professionals must develop specific digital skills. This study uses the theory of disruptive innovation to examine how journalism educators adapt their programs in response to changing media environments. A survey of accredited journalism and mass communication programs identified three key challenges: the need for long-term investment, the ability to predict future change and demand, and difficulty in hiring faculty expertise. When asked which technologies will affect journalism curricula in the next 3 to 5 years, artificial intelligence (AI) topped the list, followed by drone journalism, virtual reality, and augmented reality.
“Teen Fled Danger into the Arms of Death”: The Political Agenda Setting Effect of Australian News Media Framing of Violence Against Women
Authors: Son Catherine , Fielding Victoria
Published: January 2024

News framing of violence against women (VAW) has important implications for public understanding of this epidemic problem in Australian society, and in turn, politicians’ impetus to act. This article uses a frame-building model to analyze media reporting of three cases of VAW. The murder of Eurydice Dixon, who was killed by a stranger, was framed thematically and received substantial media attention. Conversely, Larissa Beilby and Qi Yu, who were killed in incidents of domestic violence (DV), were framed episodically and received less coverage. The impact of this differential media attention is compared to public and political responses to theorize that thematic frames create a larger political agenda-setting effect, despite DV presenting a larger societal problem than stranger violence.
Transcending Limitations: A Phenomenological Exploration of How Hygge Practices Enrich the Lived Experiences of Adults with Cystic Fibrosis
Authors: Pitts Leslie N. , Woods Brittany , Polen Morgan , Nichols Lynn S. , Ladores Sigrid
Published: January 2024

Hygge practices embody joy, peace, mindfulness, coziness, and conviviality. Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a progressive condition with complex therapies and physical limitations. Little is known about how hygge practice may impact individuals living with CF. A qualitative study explored how adults with CF use hygge practices to promote wellness and cope with their disease. A purposive network sample of 15 adults with CF who utilized hygge practices completed semistructured audio-recorded telephone interviews. Recordings were transcribed and analyzed using Colaizzi's thematic analysis approach. Results reveal that hygge practices influenced individuals’ aesthetics, attitudes, and activities, deeply impacting the physical and emotional experience of living with CF. Incorporating hygge into CF care may improve psychological well-being and quality of life for members of this community.
Perfusion Pressure and the Histology of Brain Death: A Unique Case in an Infant Maintained on Life Support
Authors: Chambers Meagan , Deutsch Gail
Published: January 2024

Brain death is a not uncommon phenomena in the adult and pediatric population. Most cases are removed from life support soon after brain death is declared. Less commonly, systemic perfusion is maintained by life support for some time after neurologic function stops. These cases present uncommon opportunities to explore the histology of necrosis and autolysis in the context of global hypoxic ischemic damage. Here, we describe the unusual case of an infant maintained on life support for 2 weeks after brain death was declared with an emphasis on the resulting gross and histologic findings including a discussion of their underlying physiology.
High performance computing seismic redatuming by inversion with algebraic compression and multiple precisions
Authors: Hong Yuxi , Ltaief Hatem , Ravasi Matteo , Keyes David
Published: January 2024

We present a high-performance implementation of Seismic Redatuming by Inversion (SRI), which combines algebraic compression with mixed-precision (MP) computations. Seismic redatuming entails the repositioning of seismic data recorded at the surface of the Earth to a subsurface level closer to where reflections have originated. Marchenko-based redatuming is the best-in-class SRI method from a theoretical point of view because it can accurately handle full seismic wavefields with minimal data pre-processing. However, it requires intensive data movement, a large memory footprint, and extensive computations due to the need for manipulating large, formally dense, complex-valued frequency matrices in the bandwidth of the recorded seismic data. More precisely, at the heart of Marchenko modeling operator lies a Multi-Dimensional Convolution (MDC) operator, which requires the application of repeated complex-valued Matrix-Vector Multiplications (MVMs) with chosen set of seismic frequency matrices. SRI is deemed to be too time-consuming for realistic domain sizes and therefore industrially impractical. To alleviate these computational bottlenecks, we first improve the memory footprint of the MDC operator by using Tile Low-Rank Matrix-Vector Multiplications (TLR-MVMs); this exploits the low-rank nature of seismic recordings in the frequency domain, used as the kernel of the MDC modeling operator. MP computations are further introduced to increase the arithmetic intensity of the operators. We validate the numerical robustness of our synergistic approach on a benchmark 3D synthetic seismic dataset and demonstrate its use on various hardware architectures. We develop several FP32/FP16/INT8 MP TLR-MVM implementations with a limited and controllable impact on the overall accuracy of application. We achieve up to 63X memory footprint reduction and 12.5X performance speedup against the traditional dense MVM kernel on a single NVIDIA A100 GPU. Moreover, linear scalability is attained when deploying our implementation on eight A100 GPUs. Our implementations of the MDC operator integrate with the open-source PyLops framework for large-scale, matrix-free inverse problems.