bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Immersive Intercultural Learning Experiences in High School: Reflections From Independent School Alumni
Authors: Sisisky Clare
Published: September 2023

Many educators are considering ways to increase student intercultural competence and support student identity development as they seek to create more inclusive and equitable schools and contribute to more just societies. This study provides analysis of one type of learning experience intentionally designed around intercultural engagement—independent high school programs that immerse students in international contexts for short-term learning experiences. This mixed-method study included 191 young alumni from six different independent schools in North America and focused on better understanding how these learning experiences have lived with their participants over time. Due in part to adolescent neuroplasticity, the study demonstrates that intercultural experiences that immerse students in relational learning beyond their home culture can influence them over time, including in their intercultural and identity development. The study specifically demonstrates that participants self-report continued influence of the program on their intercultural communication and perspective-taking skills and behavior frequency. The study identified two areas of limitations, namely that participants reported a conflicted or negative response to community service-focused programs over time and that participants with a transnational identity reported limited influence. These limitations and the participant reflections on the importance of relational learning suggest a dialectic approach as an effective way to reach the full potential of immersive learning for adolescents. Educators who strive to teach essential intercultural competencies that support school or districtwide efforts to create more inclusive and equitable school cultures might gain insights from this study's findings on the power of relational intercultural engagement for student learning.
The association between school burnout, school connectedness, and bullying victimization: A longitudinal study
Authors: Lo Cricchio Maria Grazia , Zambuto Valentina , Palladino Benedetta Emanuela , Nocentini Annalaura , Salmela-Aro Katariina , Menesini Ersilia
Published: September 2023

Despite the importance of school connectedness and bullying victimization in students’ school burnout, to our knowledge, very few studies have analyzed their reciprocal associations, and most of them have used cross-sectional designs. So, the nature and directions of these relations have not been established yet. The general aim of this study was to address this gap by testing a longitudinal model of the association between the mentioned variables in a group of Italian students. The participants are 363 students from Italian secondary schools (34% females; Mage = 13.35, SD = 1.47), who took part in three waves of data collection. One hundred and eighty-four students attended middle school (45% females; Mage  = 12.01, SD = 0.46), and 179 students attended high school (22% females; Mage = 14.62, SD = 0.836). The adolescents filled out a questionnaire containing self-report measurements of studied variables three times, with an interval of 6 months. At both school levels, the results show the reciprocal and longitudinal role of school connectedness in reducing burnout, and of school burnout in reducing the sense of connectedness to school, both directly and indirectly. On the contrary, bullying victimization is not longitudinally associated with school burnout, whereas it negatively predicts the level of students’ connectedness to school. The study findings have revealed the importance of considering longitudinal and reciprocal associations among school burnout, connectedness, and bullying victimization, and are discussed referring to their implications for research and intervention efforts aimed at promoting students’ school well-being.
Long-term Care Facility Staff’s Experience of Safety Activities: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Min Deulle , Yu Soo-Young
Published: September 2023

Background:

Ensuring the safety and quality of care is paramount in long-term care facilities due to residents’ vulnerability.

Objective:

We explored the experiences of long-term care facility staff (eg, registered nurses [RNs], certified nursing assistants [CNAs], care workers, social workers, and physical therapists) in safety activities, aiming to understand their meaning and nature.

Methods:

We conducted qualitative focus group interviews with 25 participants, specifically addressing safety issues in long-term care facilities through the use of open-ended questions. We transcribed the data and conducted thematic analysis.

Results:

Participants engaged in discussions about various challenges, including assisting residents in maintaining physical comfort, managing behavioral and psychological symptoms of dementia, ensuring medication safety, implementing infection control practices, and providing adequate training on fire prevention, evacuation, and response protocols. Themes identified were “physical comfort,” “managing dementia symptoms,” “drug administration,” “infection control,” and “fire prevention.”

Conclusions:

The staff emphasized the safety of residents as their highest priority. Considering the lack of registered nurses in long-term care facilities, ongoing training and supervision are necessary to ensure that other long-term care facility staff can perform safety activities.
Parental and Child Factors Associated With Internet Addiction in Children
Authors: Lee Mee Kyung , Kim Yujeong
Published: September 2023

Background:

Internet addiction has negative effects on psychological development, interpersonal relationships, and social adaptation in 10-year-old elementary school students.

Objective:

This study aimed to identify parental and child characteristics related to Internet addiction in lower-grade elementary school children.

Methods:

This study used a secondary data analysis. Data from the tenth Panel Study on Korean Children were used. In total, 1224 ten-year-old elementary school students were included in the analysis. The questionnaire included general, parental, and child characteristics.

Results:

Of all child participants, 18.5% were in the high-risk group for Internet addiction. Lower paternal and maternal spousal satisfaction, maternal education level of high school graduate or lower, and greater permissive parenting by the mother were associated with higher odds of Internet addiction among their children. Moreover, boys and children who spent more than an hour per day without adults showed higher odds of Internet addiction.

Conclusions:

The results of this study indicate that the implementation of an intervention that improves parenting and family relationships and positively changes the environment in which children are brought up is necessary.
Circular movements: Migratory citizenships in anticolonial Athens
Authors: Western Tom
Published: September 2023

This essay remaps geographies of belonging in Athens. It thinks the city in circles and circulations, writing an anticolonial Athens made out of nonlinear geographies and histories, anti-border struggles, anticolonial pasts and futures, migrations and mobilisations. The essay writes three circular movements: narrating how Athens is part of a Mediterranean feedback loop in which struggles are in constant circulation; thinking a circular square in the middle of the city as a polis not dictated by ideas of ethnos; and following the ways that people make new choreographies of belonging in the dance circle, finding footwork out of step with the restrictive rhythms of the nation. These movements are forms of spatial resistance, and the essay closes by sharing some methods of movement writing. Through these circular movements, the essay seeks to map ways out of the linear geographies and histories of empire, and the ongoing colonialities of citizenship.
Factors influencing smartphone usage of rural farmers: Empirical analysis of five selected provinces in China
Authors: Ma Wanglin , Owusu-Sekyere Enoch , Zheng Hongyun , Owusu Victor
Published: September 2023

The increasing usage of smartphones by practitioners in various fields of expertise is attracting global attention. However, scanty evidence exists on smartphone usage among rural farmers in developing countries. Using data collected from 1286 rural farming households in five provinces in China, this study investigates the factors influencing rural farmers’ decisions to use smartphones. The findings from a Probit model reveal that education, health condition, asset ownership, income levels, peers’ smartphone usage, internet access, cooperative membership, access to credit, and off-farm work participation are the main factors driving smartphone usage of rural farmers. The age of the farmer rather affects smartphone usage negatively and significantly. Further heterogeneous analysis shows that the influences of factors on smartphone usage vary across the survey provinces.
Harms Versus Harms: Rethinking Treatment for Patients on Long-Term Opioids
Authors: Lagisetty Pooja , Kertesz Stefan
Published: September 2023

In 2022, the CDC revised its and encourage clinicians to weight the risks versus harms of continued therapy and empathetically engage patients in patient-centered discussions around continued therapy while avoiding patient abandonment. This commentary discusses how the emphasis on “benefit” will almost always lead to discordance between the patient and provider since many clinicians find little benefit in opioid therapy for chronic pain with evidence questioning its efficacy for chronic pain. This disagreement between patients and providers has the potential to lead to unilateral tapers or patient abandonment and further increase patient harm. Considering this dilemma, we propose a revised framework that emphasizes weighing the harms of continuation of therapy against the harms of discontinuation of therapy when caring for patients on long-term opioid therapy. This revised harm-reductive decisional framework has the potential to retain patient-provider trust and increase opportunities for engagement in evidence-based multi-modal pain treatment, including non-opioid based treatment options.
EGR1 Promotes Ovarian Hyperstimulation Syndrome Through Upregulation of SOX9 Expression
Authors: Wang Huihui , Chen Weijia , Huang Yinan , Sun Yuan , Liu Yuanhua , Zhu Yuanchao , Lu Zongxuan
Published: September 2023

Angiogenesis is strongly associated with ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome (OHSS) progression. Early growth response protein 1 (EGR1) plays an important role in angiogenesis. This study aimed to investigate the function and mechanism of EGR1 involved in OHSS progression. RNA-sequencing was used to identify differentially expressed genes. In vitro OHSS cell model was induced by treating KGN cells with human chorionic gonadotropin (hCG). In vivo OHSS model was established in mice. The expression levels of EGR1, SOX1, and VEGF were determined by Quantitative Real-Time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR), Western blot, immunofluorescence staining, and immunochemistry assay. The content of VEGF in the culture medium of human granulosa-like tumor cell line (KGN) cells was accessed by the ELISA assay. The regulatory effect of EGR1 on SRY-box transcription factor 9 (SOX9) was addressed by luciferase reporter assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation. The ERG1 and SOX9 levels were significantly upregulated in granulosa cells from OHSS patients and there was a positive association between EGR1 and SOX9 expression. In the ovarian tissues of OHSS mice, the levels of EGR1 and SOX9 were also remarkedly increased. Treatment with hCG elevated the levels of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), EGR1, and SOX9 in KGN cells. Silencing of EGR1 reversed the promoting effect of hCG on VEGF and SOX9 expression in KGN cells. EGR1 transcriptionally regulated SOX9 expression through binding to its promoter. In addition, administration of dopamine decreased hCG-induced VEGF in KGN cells and ameliorated the progression of OHSS in mice, which were companied with decreased EGR1 and SOX9 expression. EGR1 has a promoting effect on OHSS progression and dopamine protects against OHSS through suppression of EGR1/SOX9 cascade. Our findings may provide new targets for the treatment of OHSS.
What triggers perceptions of racism in Heart of Darkness? A reader-response analysis
Authors: Mastropierro Lorenzo , Conklin Kathy
Published: September 2023

This paper combines reader-response analysis and stylistic insights to investigate what may be triggering perceptions of racism in Joseph Conrad’s Heart of Darkness. It presents the results of a survey that asked participants to read extracts from the novel in which Africans are described and to highlight words and phrases they found problematic. Participants were then asked to answer some questions about their perception. Linking quantitative examination of the patterns emerging from participants’ highlighting with a qualitative analysis of participants’ answers, this paper provides a comprehensive picture of the linguistic features and structures that contribute to the perception of racism in Heart of Darkness. By doing so, this paper not only offers a novel perspective on the discussion about race and racism in Conrad’s canonical text, but it also provides further empirical evidence of the relationship between language and reader response.
Do Destination Identity, Memorable Experiences and Perceived Risks Matter to Revisit a Destination in the Age of Global Pandemic?
Authors: Mishra Sita , Malhotra Gunjan , Arora Vibha , Tiwari Shalini Rahul
Published: September 2023

COVID-19 pandemic affected businesses and sectors across the world. The worst affected sector was hospitality, as the people could not travel because of government restrictions. Since travel and tourism constitute a significant portion of GDP across nations, it will be a matter of concern for businesses to know if tourists would be keen to revisit their choice destinations, especially the ones affected by COVID-19. The study used the ‘theory of reasoned action’ and ‘perceived risk theory’ to examine 282 Indian tourists’ revisit intention for destination identity, memorable experiences and subjective norms. SPSS Amos 25 and SPSS PROCESS macro were used to verify the proposed conceptual model and test hypotheses. The results display a positive relationship among destination identity, memorable experience, subjective norms and revisit intention. The association was found to be mediated by the attitude towards revisit intention and moderated by perceived risk, both of which were also found to be significant. Earlier studies have neither been conclusive nor the models very comprehensive; hence, this study makes a substantial contribution in this regard.
Analysing Literature on Financial Well-being: A Bibliometric Approach
Authors: Bashir Ifra , Qureshi Ishtiaq Hussain
Published: September 2023

This study performs a bibliometric analysis to assimilate the most influential research on financial well-being and identify research gaps. A total of 313 research articles between 1 January 1989 and 4 July 2022 were identified using financial well-being synonyms linked by OR Boolean operator: ‘financial well-being’ OR ‘economic well-being’ OR ‘financial satisfaction’ OR ‘financial wellness in the title and abstract using the Web of Science (WoS) Core Collection database. VOSviewer software was used to analyse bibliometric data. To identify the contributions of important authors, organizations and nations, the study examined bibliographic coupling, citation and co-authorship networks. Based on network analysis, five major themes were identified: individual skills and financial capability, socio-economic factors, financial well-being indicators and links, life stages and negative events, and work–life spillovers. Analysis of the five thematic categories revealed important insights regarding prior research in the field and pointed out potential directions for future research. The study fulfils an informational role by showing that financial well-being is an emerging discipline with an asymmetrical literature base. It also provides key insights into the evolution of financial well-being literature over time.
Environmental Health Problems Among Children in North Eastern States of India
Authors: Ghosh Atanu , Dey Sourav , Singha Rajdeep
Published: September 2023

In 2015, India has faced the largest number of under 5 (U5) death than all other countries, with regional disparities. Childhood diarrhoea and pneumonia are the major cause of U5 death. Using the data from the fourth round of National Family Health Survey (NFHS-IV, 2015–2016) for the eight North Eastern state we have tried to understand the prevalence of environmental health problems like ARI and diarrhoea and their correlates. These two diseases are the major cause of U5 deaths in low- and middle-income countries including India. Apart from bivariate analysis and logistic regression analysis we have also conducted spatial association to identify the regional variation in diarrhoea and ARI among U5 children in NE states. Household’s environmental factors and socio-economic characteristics are found to have significant impact on child mortality. Among the NE states Sikkim found to be better off and Meghalaya is worse in terms of child health outcome. Policies aimed at achieving the goal of reduction of child mortality should be directed on improving the household’s environmental and or socio-economic status if this goal is to be realised. India must analyze the process achieved and contemplate the consequences for reaching the Sustainable Development Goal’s targets for child survival.
Outcomes of a Design Thinking Program on Social Workers: An Evaluation Study
Authors: To Siu-ming , Cheung Johnson Chun-Sing , Chan Man-yuk Adam , Lau Cheryl Danielle , Zhao Rui-ling
Published: September 2023

Purpose: This study explored the outcomes of a youth empowerment program guided by design thinking on social workers’ innovations in youth service. Method: Forty-seven practitioners joined this program with two stages: the capacity-building stage and the implementation stage. A pretest-intermediate test-posttest design survey was used to explore practitioners’ changes. Results: Significant differences were found in creative self-efficacy and innovative behavior, with the posttest mean scores of these indicators being higher than those of the pretest. Additionally, the results indicated significant differences in youth-practitioner partnerships and inter-professional learning. The posttest mean score of youth-practitioner partnerships was higher than those of the pretest and intermediate test, while the posttest and intermediate test mean scores of interprofessional learning were higher than that of the pretest. Conclusion: The findings suggest that participants need both opportunities to learn about design thinking through capacity-building and to integrate what they have learned during project implementation.
Cervical Ligament Insufficiency in Progressive Collapsing Foot Deformity: It May Be More Important Than We Know
Authors: Kim Jaeyoung , Mizher Rami , Cororaton Agnes , Greditzer Harry , Sofka Carolyn , Ellis Scott , Deland Jonathan
Published: September 2023

Background:

Subluxation at the subtalar joint is one of the major radiographic features that characterize progressive collapsing foot deformity (PCFD). Although it is recognized that the cervical ligament plays an important function in maintaining the subtalar joint’s stability, its role and involvement in PCFD is largely unknown. The purpose of this study was to assess the prevalence of cervical ligament insufficiency in patients with PCFD and to establish if the degree of its pathology changes with increasing axial plane deformity.

Methods:

This study retrospectively reviewed magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of 78 PCFD patients and age- and gender-matched controls. The structures evaluated were the cervical, spring, and talocalcaneal interosseous ligaments. Structural derangement was graded on a 5-part scale (0-4), with grade 0 being normal and grade 4 indicating a tear of greater than 50% of the cross-sectional area. Plain radiographic parameters (talonavicular coverage angle [TNC], lateral talo–first metatarsal [Meary] angle, calcaneal pitch, and hindfoot moment arm) as well as axial plane orientation of the talus (TM-Tal) and calcaneus (TM-Calc) relative to the transmalleolar axis and talocalcaneal subluxation (Diff Calc-Tal) were correlated with the cervical ligament MRI grading system.

Results:

The overall distribution of the degree of cervical ligament involvement was significantly different between the PCFD and control groups ( P < .001). MRI evidence of a tear in the cervical ligament was identified in 47 of 78 (60.3%) feet in the PCFD group, which was significantly higher than the control group (10.9%) and comparable to that of superomedial spring (43.6%) and talocalcaneal interosseous (44.9%) ligaments. Univariate ordinal logistic regression modeling demonstrated a predictive ability of TM-Calc (odds ratio [OR] 1.17, 95% CI 1.06-1.30, P = .004), Diff Calc-Tal (OR 1.15, 95% CI 1.06-1.26, P = .002), TNC (OR 1.08, 95% CI 1.03-1.13, P = .003), and Meary angle (OR 1.05, 95% CI 1.02-1.10, P = .006) in determining higher cervical ligament grade on MRI.

Conclusion:

This study found that cervical ligament insufficiency is more often than not associated with PCFD, and that an increasing axial plane deformity appears to be associated with a greater degree of insufficiency.

Level of Evidence:

Level III, case-control study.
Centering Negative Emotional Responses: The Utility of Strategic Membership Researcher Status in Sino-German Cross-Cultural Trainings
Authors: Spiegelberg Mei-Chen
Published: September 2023

This article explores the utility of strategic membership researcher status in the case of Sino-German cross-cultural training courses to understand the paradoxical practices that reinforce and mitigate cross-cultural conflicts in transnational contexts. Drawing upon autoethnographic positioning analysis, I connect my own negative emotional experiences with positioning dynamics to reconstruct conflictual social events. This approach not only exposes the implicit field logic but also reveals the arrangement of social relations in an unexpected way. These findings highlight the epistemic potential of combining position-analytic and emotion-analytic reflexivity. In so doing, this article provides a practical, methodological model and furthers scholarship on the utility of autoethnography for the study of social relations.
“Darn It, This Pen Leaks! But Wasn’t It a Pretty Design?” Tracing Contours of the Aesthetic in One Young Woman’s Letters Home From Camp
Authors: Freeman Melissa
Published: September 2023

Everyday aesthetics offers a way to disclose the complexity of a seemingly routine activity like doing the dishes. In this article, I consider the aesthetic allure of one 15-year-old’s letters home from camp preserved in a university’s archives. By returning aesthetics to experience, philosophical hermeneutics restores the experience of understanding to its multi-sensuous materialization. When things speak to us and we in turn respond to them, we are both transformed. Betty Kaufman’s letters vividly depict her experiences at the Laurel Falls Camp for Girls. How, I wondered, does aesthetics perform its mode of being? What are its topological contours? What might qualitative researchers co-responding with archival materials gain from this form of entanglement with understanding?
Surgical Therapy of Congenital Nevi in the First Year of Life—Psychological Impact on Parents
Authors: Schwenk Lena , Graf Johanna , Kofler Katrin , Häfner Hans-Martin , Kofler Lukas
Published: September 2023

Background

The birth of a child with a congenital melanocytic nevus (CMN) can lead to distress in the parents. Surgical treatment of CMN can begin in infancy.

Objectives

To provide insight into the perspective of parents of children with CMN regarding their experienced psychological burden and motivation to undergo surgery as well as their satisfaction.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of patient data of infants (< 1 year of age), who were surgically treated by power stretching for CMN using subcutaneous infiltration anesthesia (SIA) from 01/01/2020 to 08/31/2021. To evaluate the parent’s motivation and psychological burden during the surgical treatment of their child, a questionnaire was designed to interview them in a standardized telephone-based interview.

Results

Out of 45 interviewed parents, 62.2% indicated “severe” or “very severe” distress at the time of their child’s birth. Distress was mostly reduced by information about diagnosis and treatment (n = 34) and treatment-progress (n = 27). Stigmatization was experienced by 35.6% of parents. 84,5% of parents were highly satisfied with early initiation of surgical therapy. 69% felt “very satisfied” or “satisfied” with the outcome of surgery. Motivation for surgical therapy was concern about malignant transformation of the, possible stigmatization of the child due to the nevus, while most of the parents (73.3%) mentioned both.

Conclusions

Surgical treatment of CMN by power stretching in SIA in infancy is associated with high levels of satisfaction among the children’s parents. Early initiation of surgical therapy and education about the diagnosis can reduce the psychological burden of the parents and can prevent psychosocial problems in affected children.
Investigating the impact of suboptimal prescription of preoperative antiplatelets and statins on race and ethnicity-related disparities in major limb amputation
Authors: Kalbaugh Corey A , Witrick Brian , Howard Kerry A , Sivaraj Laksika Banu , McGinigle Katharine L , Robinson William P , Cykert Samuel , Hicks Caitlin W , Lesko Catherine R
Published: September 2023

Background:

Non-Hispanic Black and Hispanic patients with symptomatic PAD may receive different treatments than White patients with symptomatic PAD. The delivery of guideline-directed medical treatment may be a modifiable upstream driver of race and ethnicity-related disparities in outcomes such as limb amputation. The purpose of our study was to investigate the prescription of preoperative antiplatelets and statins in producing disparities in the risk of amputation following revascularization for symptomatic peripheral artery disease (PAD).

Methods:

We used data from the Vascular Quality Initiative, a vascular procedure-based registry in the United States (2011–2018). We estimated the probability of preoperative antiplatelet and statin prescriptions and 1-year incidence of amputation. We then estimated the amputation risk difference between race/ethnicity groups that could be eliminated under a hypothetical intervention.

Results:

Across 100,579 revascularizations, the 1-year amputation risk was 2.5% (2.4%, 2.6%) in White patients, 5.3% (4.9%, 5.6%) in Black patients, and 5.3% (4.7%, 5.9%) in Hispanic patients. Black (57.5%) and Hispanic patients (58.7%) were only slightly less likely than White patients (60.9%) to receive antiplatelet and statin therapy. However, the effect of antiplatelets and statins was greater in Black and Hispanic patients such that, had all patients received these medications, the estimated risk difference comparing Black to White patients would have reduced by 8.9% (–2.9%, 21.9%) and the risk difference comparing Hispanic to White patients would have been reduced by 17.6% (–0.7%, 38.6%).

Conclusion:

Even though guideline-directed care appeared evenly distributed by race/ethnicity, increasing access to such care may decrease health care disparities in major limb amputation.
Behaviour of concrete-Filled steel tube having granulated blast furnace slag as fine aggregate in normal strength concrete after exposure to elevated temperature
Authors: Gupta Pramod Kumar , Patra Rakesh Kumar
Published: September 2023

The significant growth of steel production in India has led to a considerable increase in the production of granulated blast furnace slag (GBS). To resolve the environmental concerns associated with GBS production, it can be used as a substitute for natural fine aggregate in concrete within concrete-filled steel tube (CFST). However, literatures regarding the behaviour of GBS aggregate added concrete-filled steel tubular columns (GBSCFST) after exposure to fire is very limited. Hence the present research work aims to investigate fill the aforementioned research gap. A total 30 number of GBSCFST specimens having square, circular and rectangular shapes, including both intermediate and stub columns, are tested. GBS is used as fine aggregate for preparing infill concrete. All the specimens are heated to varying target temperatures of 200°C, 400°C, 600°C and 800°C with a temperature holding time of 2 h in a furnace. Afterwards, the specimens were left inside the furnace for cooling purposes. Axial compression load was applied to all the specimens by using a compression testing machine with a strain-controlled procedure. The reduction in the load carrying capacity ranged from 1.07% to 12.68% for stub specimens and 1.05% to 19.35% for intermediate specimens heated upto 600°C. However, the load carrying capacity experienced a significant reduction reaching a maximum percentage decrease of 24% and 34% when heated at 800°C. The primary failure shapes observed were local buckling and bulging in stub specimens and mid-height buckling in intermediate specimens.
Colonial injustice, legitimate authority, and immigration control
Authors: Schmid Lukas
Published: September 2023

There is lively debate on the question if states have legitimate authority to enforce the exclusion of (would-be) immigrants. Against common belief, I argue that even non-cosmopolitan liberals have strong reason to be sceptical of much contemporary border authority. To do so, I first establish that for liberals, broadly defined, a state can only hold legitimate authority over persons whose moral equality it is not engaged in undermining. I then reconstruct empirical cases from the sphere of international relations in which what I call ‘colonial norms’ continue to play significant structuring roles. I argue that it is sometimes only by unveiling these colonial norms and the roles they play that we can understand how some states today culpably contribute to undermining the moral equality of persons over whom they will come to claim immigration-related authority. I thus contend that paying attention to colonial norms distinctly enables us to reveal a set of instances in which all liberals should agree that states forfeit legitimate authority over would-be immigrants.
Egbé and Kánàkò traditional hunting methods: Implications for community policing and women’s involvement in socio-economic sustainability in South West Nigeria
Authors: Anyikwa Blessing Egbichi , Yinusa Oyekunle , Akin-Otiko Akinmayowa , Eleshin Adedoyinsola , Mujeed Adedeji Olabode , Adewunmi Adetomiwa Anuoluwapo
Published: September 2023

Over the years, Nigerian society has the belief that given the potency of kánàkò (collision of time and space) and egbé (teleportation), it can only be applied by men while neglecting the role of women in its application for national safety. The study examines egbé and kánako and implications for community policing and women’s involvement in socio-economic sustainability in South West Nigeria. Three research questions were raised and answered to guide this study. The study adopts the qualitative research approach anchored on ethnographic research design. A purposive sampling technique was used to select 36 participants from six (6) communities in Ógun, Oyó, and Osun states. Recordings, observations, key informant interviews, and focus group discussions were used to gather qualitative data. Findings from the study revealed that egbé and kánàkò could be useful for military and paramilitary agencies if appropriately implemented to ensure community policing and national safety, amongst others. The study recommends, amongst others, that the hunters’ association and government should properly sensitize women in the hunting profession on their role to enhance the preservation of these traditional means of fortifications and not become weapons that will render these fortifications irrelevant.
CT-Guided Percutaneous Cryoablation for Lung Metastasis of Colorectal Cancer: A Case Series
Authors: Wang Fu-ming , Luo Rong , Tian Jin-ming , Liu Hang , Yang Ji-jin
Published: September 2023

Purpose

This study aimed to evaluate the efficacy of computed tomography (CT) guided percutaneous cryoablation (CA) for the management of lung metastases in patients with metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC).

Methods

Retrospective analysis was performed on 38 mCRC patients with lung metastases, who underwent CT-guided percutaneous CA at our center from May 1, 2020 to November 1, 2021. The technical success rate, 1-year local control (LC) rate, recurrence-free survival (RFS) and treatment-related complications were analyzed.

Results

The CA procedure was successfully performed in all patients, with a technical success rate of 100%. The 1-year LC rate was 94.7% (36/38), while 16 patients experienced new distant lung metastases during the follow-up period. The median RFS was 20 months (95% CI: 13.0-27.0). The median RFS of patients with and without extrapulmonary metastasis was 15 and 23 months, respectively. Complications were reported in 18 (47.4%) patients following the CA procedure. Pneumothorax was discovered in 15 (39.5%) patients, and five of these patients (13.2%) required chest tube intubation. Two patients (5.3%) presented with hemoptysis during the CA procedure. One patient developed subcutaneous emphysema as detected in the post-procedure follow-up imaging. All patients tolerated the peri-procedural pain well under local anesthesia, and the mean visual analog scale (VAS) score was 2.8.

Conclusion

Lung CA is a safe and well-tolerated treatment with a satisfactory local control rate for patients with lung metastases derived from mCRC.
Robit regression in Stata
Authors: Newson Roger B. , Falcaro Milena
Published: September 2023

Logistic and probit models are the most popular regression models for binary outcomes. A simple robust alternative is the robit model, which replaces the underlying normal distribution in the probit model with a Student’s t distribution. The heavier tails of the t distribution (compared with the normal distribution) mean that model outliers are less influential. Robit regression models can be fit as generalized linear models with the link function defined as the inverse cumulative t distribution function with a specified number of degrees of freedom; they have been advocated as being particularly suitable for estimating inverse-probability weights and propensity scoring more generally. Here we describe a new command, robit, that implements robit regression in Stata.
hdps: A suite of commands for applying high-dimensional propensity-score approaches
Authors: Tazare John , Smeeth Liam , Evans Stephen J. W. , Douglas Ian J. , Williamson Elizabeth J.
Published: September 2023

Large healthcare databases are increasingly used for research investigating the effects of medications. However, a key challenge is capturing hard-to-measure concepts (often relating to frailty and disease severity) that can be crucial for successful confounder adjustment. The high-dimensional propensity score has been proposed as a data-driven method to improve confounder adjustment within healthcare databases and was developed in the context of administrative claims databases. We present hdps, a suite of commands implementing this approach in Stata that assesses the prevalence of codes, generates high-dimensional propensity-score covariates, performs variable selection, and provides investigators with graphical tools for inspecting the properties of selected covariates.
Review of Environmental Econometrics Using Stata, by Christopher F. Baum and Stan Hurn
Authors: Thombs Ryan P.
Published: September 2023

In this article, I review Environmental Econometrics Using Stata, by Christopher F. Baum and Stan Hurn (2021, Stata Press).
Racial Disparities in Surgical Versus Nonsurgical Management of Distal Radius Fractures in a Medicare Population
Authors: Joo Peter Y. , Halperin Scott J. , Dhodapkar Meera M. , Adeclat Giscard J. , Elaydi Ali , Wilhelm Christopher , Grauer Jonathan N.
Published: September 2023

Background:

As racial/ethnic disparities in management of distal radius fractures (DRFs) have not been well elucidated in the literature, this study sought to evaluate the correlation of race/ethnicity on surgical versus nonsurgical management of DRFs in a Medicare population.

Methods:

The PearlDiver Standard Analytical Files Medicare claims database was used to identify patients ≥65 years old with isolated DRF. Patients with polytrauma or surgery performed for upper extremity neoplasm were excluded. Surgical versus nonsurgical management was compared based on demographics, comorbidity (Elixhauser Comorbidity Index, ECI), race/ethnicity, and whether the fracture was open or closed. Univariate and multivariable analyses were used to assess for independent predictors.

Results:

Of 54 564 isolated DRFs identified, surgery was performed for 20 663 (37.9%). On multivariable analysis, patients were independently less likely to receive surgical management if they were: older (relative to 65- to 69-year-olds, incrementally decreasing by age bracket up to >85 years where odds ratio [OR] was 0.27, P < .001), higher ECI (per 2 increase OR: 0.96, P < .001), and closed fractures (OR: 0.35, P < .001). For race/ethnicity: black (OR: 0.64, P < .001), Hispanic (OR: 0.71, P < .001), and Asian (OR: 0.60, P < .001) patients were less likely to undergo surgery.

Conclusions:

While age, comorbidities, and fracture type are known to affect surgical decision-making for DRF, race/ethnicity has not previously been reported, and its independent prediction of nonsurgical management for several groups points to a disparity in surgical decision-making/access to care. This highlights the need for increased attention to initiatives that seek to provide equitable care to all patients.

Level of Evidence:

Level III—Retrospective review of national database
Numerical investigation of the effect of altitude on diesel engine combustion and soot emissions
Authors: Li Zhipeng , Zhang Qiang , Zhang Fujun , Liang Hongbo , Zhang Yu
Published: September 2023

It is increasing concerned that the plateau environment will potentially increase fuel consumption in engines. Despite this, the current state of research on high altitude engines is still inadequate in providing sufficient and detailed information to counteract the decrease in engine efficiency. In addition, one of the novelty of this study was that the investigated altitudes is up to 4500 m, of which the previous studies was limited. Therefore, this study aims to investigate the effect of altitude on in-cylinder spray, combustion, and soot formation processes in diesel engines. A calibrated three-dimensional (3D) computational fluid dynamics (CFD) model of a single-cylinder, four-strokes, direct injection (DI) compression ignition, intake boost research diesel engine is established. The numerical CFD model used in this study has been validated through comparison with experimental data. It effectively investigates the in-cylinder activities and provides insights into the causes behind combustion and soot emission deterioration. The simulation is operated at altitudes of 0, 1500, 3000, 4500 m with corresponding intake pressure. It has been observed that engine performance and soot emissions deteriorate as altitude increases, and a sharp drop occurs when the altitude exceeds 3000 m, which can be attributed to the dramatic decline in combustion efficiency. The extended spray leads to a decrease in air utilization, which ultimately results in a sudden drop in combustion efficiency at altitudes above 3000 m. Overall, this study has identified that the extended penetration of the spray, caused by reduced pressure and air density, leads to poor air utilization, resulting in decreased performance and increased emissions. Hence, it is recommended that optimization of the combustion chamber geometry and injection strategies of diesel engines operating at high altitudes be undertaken to improve air utilization and combustion quality. This will serve as an avenue for further research in the future.
Numerical simulation of the effects of non-Newtonian property of the solvent on particle suspension rheology
Authors: Masuyama Naoki , Fukui Tomohiro
Published: September 2023

To investigate the effects of the non-Newtonian properties of solvents on particle suspension rheology (non-Newtonian property and viscosity), we analyzed suspension flows with different solvent characteristics. We used the power-law model to express the non-Newtonian properties of solvents. The power-law index of the suspension was denoted as nsus. and that of the solvent as [Formula: see text] to distinguish between their non-Newtonian properties. Besides, to evaluate the non-Newtonian property of the particle suspension, we estimated its power-law index [Formula: see text] by comparing its particle velocity with the velocity profile of a power-law fluid. As a result, regardless of the different area fraction, the power-law index of the particle suspension was lower than that of the solvent for [Formula: see text], 0.8, and 1.0. On the other hand, for [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text], the power-law index of the particle suspension was higher than that of the solvent. Regarding the particle position, particles for [Formula: see text] were more concentrated on the wall side than those of the suspensions with [Formula: see text], 0.8, and 1.0. Thus, this study confirms that a change in the non-Newtonian property of a suspension due to interactions between particles and power-law fluids is an essential factor when discussing the rheology of suspensions.
Analytical simulation of magneto-marangoni convective flow of Walter-B fluid with activation energy and Soret–Dufour effects
Authors: Abbas Munawar , Khan Nargis , Shehzad Sabir Ali
Published: September 2023

Marangoni convection is discovered by varying gradients of surface tension. Marangoni induced flow plays a vital role in melting of coating flow technology, drying wafers, crystals, soap film stabilization, wielding and microfluidics, in which the flow creates unwanted impacts under gravity on micro-level in the same manner as buoyancy-induced natural convection. The Magneto-Marangoni convective flow of Walter-B fluid over a vertical permeable surface is addressed in the current research. The Dufour–Soret effects are taken into account along with activation energy and radiation. Flow through a porous media is modeled via Darcy and Forchheimer theory. The surface tension gradient becomes stronger by increasing the Marangoni convection parameter, which results in stronger induced flows and more efficient heat and mass movement inside the liquid. The result is a more uniform distribution of these qualities throughout the liquid as the temperature and concentration profiles drop. With higher viscoelastic parameter levels, the fluid accelerates and the velocity profile increases due to decreased viscosity. Due to an augmentation in the Dufour and Soret number, the thermal and concentration of the Walter-B fluid boost up respectively.
Anxiety and Depression Prevalence in Incoming Division I Collegiate Athletes From 2017 to 2021
Authors: Sanfilippo Jennifer L. , Haralsdottir Kristin , Watson Andrew M.
Published: September 2023

Background:

Young adults report increased rates of anxiety and depression than other age groups. Furthermore, young adult athletes experience additional stressors that may negatively impact their mental health. The aim of this study was to investigate the prevalence of anxiety and depression symptoms among Division I collegiate athletes and the influences of sex, sport type, and distance from home.

Hypothesis:

It was hypothesized that self-reported levels of anxiety and depression would increase among this population during this timeframe.

Study Design:

Cross-sectional.

Level of Evidence:

Level 3.

Methods:

Participants included 792 incoming Division I collegiate athletes. The Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) and Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) scores were completed by all incoming student athletes at a single institution as part of their preparticipation examination over 5 years. Both survey scores were categorized into different levels of severity and separately compared with chi-square tests. Continuous scores were modeled separately using negative binomial regression models including year, sex, sport type, and home location as covariates.

Results:

Results showed consistent levels of anxiety and depression over time. Female athletes reported higher levels of both anxiety and depression than male athletes, and individual sport athletes reported higher levels of depression than team sport athletes. Distance from home was not associated with anxiety or depression levels.

Conclusion:

Overall, levels of anxiety and depression did not change in this population over this time period. However, differences in anxiety and depression were seen between sexes and depression between sport types.

Clinical Relevance:

Understanding anxiety and depression risk factors among collegiate athletes can enhance early identification and intervention to improve mental health and allow for better allocation of resources to at-risk groups among Division I collegiate athletes.
The enigmatic ear: Unveiling a rare case of a primary cutaneous CD8+ acral T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder with a literature review
Authors: Sahraoui Ghada , Sassi Farah , Charfi Lamia , Doghri Raoudha , Mrad Karima
Published: September 2023

Introduction: Primary cutaneous CD8+ acral T-cell lymphoproliferative disorder (CD8+ ATCLPD) is a rare form of cutaneous T-cell lymphoma that commonly presents on the acral regions of the body. We report a case of a 61-year-old man diagnosed with primary cutaneous CD8+ ATCLPD of the ear. Case presentation: A 61-year-old man presented with a non-healing, erythematous painful macule on the ear that had been evolving for the past 3 months. The lesion was resected, and histopathological examination revealed a primary cutaneous CD8+ ATCLPD with acral localization. Further investigations including CT scan of the thorax, abdomen and pelvis were done to stage the disease. The results showed no extracutaneous involvement. Conclusion: Accurate identification of primary cutaneous CD8+ ATCLPD is crucial due to its distinct prognostic and therapeutic implications compared to other CD8+ cytotoxic lymphoid proliferations. Primary cutaneous CD8+ ATCLPD can be treated conservatively and typically follows a slow clinical course, regardless of the treatment method. Understanding the clinical context, as well as the morphological and immunophenotypic characteristics, can assist in making a precise diagnosis.