bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Nexus of Resistance and Neoliberalism in Social Work and Social Welfare: A Scoping Review
Authors: Cherry Kevin , Leotti Sandra
Published: September 2024

This study intervenes in a growing scholarly dialogue about neoliberalism in social work and social welfare by addressing the undertheorized concept of resistance. We conduct a scoping review of 54 articles published from 2008–2023 to answer two questions: how is resistance discussed in relation to neoliberalism, and what are the practice elements of resistance? Findings highlight resistance as a diverse phenomenon enacted in relation to context-specific manifestations of neoliberalism. A range of actors engage in resistance, including individual practitioners, social service organizations and collective action entities, among others. Resistance occurs across all scales of practice and takes many forms, from subtle, individual acts to publicly organized, confrontational acts. The findings also reveal a paradox: in resisting neoliberal norms, practitioners may inadvertently reinforce them through self-exploitative practices or resilience strategies that function more as adaptation than opposition. Overall, we find the concept of resistance to be complex and broad when discussed in relation to neoliberalism; this is further muddied by its frequent interchangeable use with terms like social justice, anti-oppressive practice, advocacy, subversion, and so forth. Additional inquiry is warranted to clarify the conceptual and practical boundaries of resistance for critical social work.
My Cigarette Wife and Other Queer Tales of Kinship from Tunisia’s Contemporary Public Art Scene
Authors: Malachowski Justin
Published: September 2024

This article explores the contradictions and political possibilities of creating a “safe space” using “family” as an organizational concept in a contemporary public art project in Tunisia. Amidst the backdrop of foreign development funding for the arts flowing into Tunisia and a global contemporary art scene where “patriarchal structures” are taken as antithetical to collaborative practices, family has been an intuitive and meaningful mode of organizing artistic projects in Tunisia, particularly as it relates to fostering safe spaces for queer youth. As opposed to “participation,” “commoning,” and other institutionally supported art concepts, family is not a concept widely exhibited. In relation to tendencies toward “sensible” approaches to the political efficacy of contemporary art, the artistic practice of making family points to a “nonsensible” politics of aesthetics, where the aesthetic is better understood not as the location of politics but as a quality of feeling that enables spaces of political possibility.
Urban Sprawl and Intergenerational Mobility: City- and Neighborhood-Level Effects of Sprawl
Authors: Carlston Kelsey , Wei Yehua Dennis
Published: September 2024

Characteristics of sprawl, like decreased social cohesion and lower accessibility to jobs and services, could negatively affect economic opportunity and intergenerational mobility. City-level studies have found mixed results, but neighborhood effects have been largely ignored. This study uses census tract and city-level data in a multilevel model to develop a richer understanding of the scale-dependent relationship between sprawl and intergenerational mobility. The authors found that a 1 standard deviation (SD) increase in sprawl at the tract level is associated with a 0.07 SD decrease in upward economic mobility, while a 1 SD increase in city-level sprawl is associated with a 0.08 SD decrease. Sprawl negatively affects upward intergenerational mobility at the metropolitan level and the census tract level. The negative relationship of economic outcomes to sprawl does not hold for high-income children, indicating that there may be conflicting benefits for different income families. Policy makers should understand these conflicting pressures.
Functional Social Support Subtypes Are Associated With Executive Function in Middle-Aged and Older Adults: Findings From the Baseline Comprehensive Cohort of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging
Authors: Rutter Emily C. , Oremus Mark , Maxwell Colleen J. , Tyas Suzanne L.
Published: September 2024

Objectives

We investigated whether functional social support—the degree to which one perceives support is available when needed—is associated with executive function, a key cognitive domain for everyday functioning and adaptation to change.

Methods

Analyses ( n = 23,491) utilized cross-sectional data from the Comprehensive cohort of the Canadian Longitudinal Study on Aging (CLSA), a population-based study of community-dwelling adults aged 45–85 years. Executive function was assessed by neurocognitive battery. Perceived social support was measured using the 19-item Medical Outcomes Study-Social Support Survey. Logistic regression models were adjusted for sociodemographic, health, and social covariates.

Results

Positive social interactions as well as affectionate and emotional/informational functional social support were positively associated with executive function.

Discussion

Social support plays an important role in cognitive health. Diversifying social programming beyond tangible social support to target other subtypes of support may help preserve executive function in middle-aged and older adults.
Reciprocal Associations Between Relative or Absolute Physical Activity, Walking Performance, and Autonomy in Outdoor Mobility Among Older Adults: A 4-Year Follow-Up
Authors: Lindeman Katja , Koivunen Kaisa , Rantalainen Timo , Rantakokko Merja , Portegijs Erja , Rantanen Taina , Karavirta Laura
Published: September 2024

Objectives: To examine the reciprocal associations between walking performance, physical activity (PA), and perceived autonomy in outdoor mobility in 322 older adults. Methods: At baseline and four years later, a 6-min walk test assessed walking performance. A thigh-mounted accelerometer monitored relative PA (acceleration exceeding the individual’s preferred walking intensity on the walk test) and absolute MVPA (acceleration exceeding 3 METs) in free-living. Autonomy in outdoor mobility was self-reported using the IPA subscale. Cross-lagged panel model was used for analyses. Results: Higher relative PA at baseline predicted better walking performance four years later and vice versa ( p < .05). Baseline MVPA did not predict subsequent walking performance, but better initial walking performance predicted higher subsequent MVPA ( p < .001). In both models, only walking performance predicted perceived autonomy at follow-up ( p < .05). Discussion: Accumulating enough PA of a sufficient relative intensity can maintain good walking performance, which in turn helps to maintain perceived autonomy in mobility.
Play tales: Co-creating stories of childhoodnature play in an urban forest school
Authors: Hogarth Hannah , Wonderboy  , Fairy  , Miss Daisy  , Tinkerbell  , Zak  , Fatima  , Donut  , Stickman
Published: September 2024

This article shares several co-created stories of play that we have named ‘Play Tales’. These are about our experiences of researching ‘childhoodnature play’ (playing in a place with more-than-human nature) in an urban forest school in London, England. The article offers insights about the emergence of childhoodnature play. We found out that play changes with the seasons, involves a mix of home, digital, school and outdoor worlds and you know you’re playing because of how you feel. Researching together takes time and space but it is important to work together in research because there are some things only children know.
Structure, properties, forming, and applications of alginate fibers: A review
Authors: Qosim Nanang , Dai Yanqi , Williams Gareth R. , Edirisinghe Mohan
Published: September 2024

Alginate has gained extensive attention due to its versatile properties and numerous applications in different fields. Due to the abundant availability of raw alginate in nature and its advantage of being easily recycled, alginate-based materials are conducive to advancing the shift away from an economy dependent on fossil fuels to a more environmentally friendly and sustainable one. In addition, its inherent biocompatibility makes alginate a fascinating biomedical material. This comprehensive review presents a detailed analysis of alginate, focusing on its structural characteristics, physicochemical and biological properties, current processing technologies, and modification strategies. This review explores the diverse applications of alginate-based materials in biomedicine and healthcare, considering drug delivery systems, tissue engineering, and wound dressings. Additionally, this review looks into the environmental applications of alginate in biosensors and waste-water treatment. The challenges associated with alginate utilization and future perspectives for research and development are also presented. This review provides a comprehensive overview of alginate, offering valuable insights into its properties, applications, and potential for future applications across various industries.
Cooperative energy optimal control involving optimization of longitudinal motion, powertrain, and air conditioning systems
Authors: Zhang Yanbei , Wei Mingliang , Ren Meilin , Liu Chongfan , Han Mengwei , Zhu Jingyu
Published: September 2024

This paper is concerned with the optimal control strategies for the longitudinal control, powertrain, and air conditioning (A/C) system of connected four-wheel hub-drive electric vehicles (EVs). A hierarchical control framework is developed to enhance the energy economy of the vehicle. Real-time connected information is utilized in the upper layer to determine the travel mode. Then, a multi-objective motion planning system (MOMPS) is proposed to plan the optimal acceleration trajectory. In the lower layer, an offline global optimization approach is employed to find the torque combinations that minimize the total power loss. The proposed A/C controller operates based on the bi-level model predictive control (Bi-level MPC) algorithm. A novel prediction model is developed to enable the A/C system to decrease energy consumption by leveraging the speed of the vehicle. The performance of the MOMPS is evaluated using urban test road data, demonstrating that the MOMPS can balance multiple objectives compared to global dynamic programing (Global DP) and the intelligent driver model (IDM). In addition, the proposed torque distribution strategy results in a 4.98% energy-savings rate through comparison with the even torque distribution strategy. Moreover, the A/C controller proposed in this paper can optimize energy consumption by 13.57% compared to a baseline strategy that maintains a constant setting.
The influence of semi-actively controlled magnetorheological bogie yaw dampers on the guiding behaviour of a railway vehicle in an S-curve: Simulation and on-track test
Authors: Jeniš Filip , Michálek Tomáš , Kubík Michal , Strecker Zbyněk , Šlapák Jiří , Mazůrek Ivan
Published: September 2024

Many publications have shown that semi-actively controlled dampers could significantly improve the behaviour of a road or rail vehicle. In the case of a railway vehicle, these dampers promise to solve the contradiction between the damping requirements of different running modes (fast running on a straight track vs negotiating a tight curve). It is known that semi-active control of a bogie yaw damper can improve the vehicle behaviour when running fast on a straight track, but it is not known whether such semi-active control worsens the vehicle behaviour when negotiating a tight curve. This paper investigates the application of magnetorheological bogie yaw dampers in the locomotive bogie to reduce guiding forces and wear in wheel-rail contact when the vehicle negotiates the S-curve. The paper describes the magnetorheological damper, its mathematical model and the strategies for its semi-active control, followed by the results of simulations on a complex multi-body locomotive model and on-track testing on a real vehicle. The simulations and on-track tests have shown that the use of semi-active control of the yaw dampers reduces the guiding force by about 10%. The reduction in these forces will lead to a reduction in wear in the wheel-rail contact.
Event-triggered-based distributed differential game guidance laws
Authors: Xi Axing , Cai Yuanli
Published: September 2024

To reduce computational loads and save communication resources of multi-missile systems, event-triggered-based distributed differential game guidance laws for the nonlinear cooperative multi-missile system are investigated. First, the cooperative multi-missile interception problem is converted into multi-player zero-sum differential games, where all missiles minimize the cost function while the target maximizes the cost function. Second, event-triggered conditions are designed, for implementing the proposed guidance laws, Adaptive Dynamic Programming technique is adopted to approximate the couple event-triggered Hamilton-Jacobi–Isaacs equation, and adaptive weight-tuning laws are proposed. Furthermore, the proposed guidance laws can guarantee the stability of the nonlinear multi-missile system, which is proved by Lyapunov theory. The estimated weights of neural network and consensus tracking errors are ensured to be Uniformly Ultimately Bounded. Besides, a minimal inter-sample time is established to avoid the Zeno behavior. Finally, experiments show that the number of controller updates can be reduced to 65.36% by the proposed algorithm.
Optimization of kinematic parameters of dragonfly wing section in forward flapping flight
Authors: Ansari Mohd I , Anwer Syed F , Siddique Mohammed H , Alam Tabish
Published: September 2024

A numerical investigation is conducted on the two-dimensional corrugated wing section of the dragonfly Aeshna cyanea in forward flapping flight mode. The analysis aimed to determine the impact of various kinematic parameters on the aerodynamic performance and to identify the optimal kinematic conditions for achieving maximum mean lift ([Formula: see text]) and minimum mean drag coefficient ([Formula: see text]). In forward flapping flight mode, the insect moves forward by flapping its wings, and the forward velocity is not zero. The study used the QUICK (Quadratic Upstream Interpolation for Convective Kinetics) scheme for spatial discretization of convective terms and first-order accurate implicit for temporal discretization. The dynamic mesh method following the Arbitrary Lagrangian Eulerian (ALE) formulation is used to track the moving interface of rigid wing section in the fluid domain. It has been observed that the maximum of lift and drag occur during the downstroke of flight. The vortical structures are larger in size at the leading and trailing edges when the peak of lift occurs. The larger leading-edge vortex on the lower surface of the airfoil creates a low-pressure region, thus increasing the peak drag. The kinematic parameters of best performance varied depending on the performance parameter being considered. The Pareto optimal front (POF) is obtained using multi-objective optimization method using surrogate models, which is a set of various design points obtained considering the maximum mean lift and lowest mean drag as objectives. From the POF, one can obtain the corresponding drag and optimum kinematic parameters for a particular lift, and vice versa, for an optimum design.
Artificial intelligence and health-related data: The patient’s best interest and data ownership dilemma
Authors: Dziedzic Arkadiusz , Issa Julien , Chaurasia Akhilanand , Tanasiewicz Marta
Published: September 2024

The rapid advancement of artificial intelligence (AI) in healthcare has the potential to revolutionize the global healthcare sector and medicine in general. However, integrating AI technologies in healthcare requires access to large amounts of personal health-related data (HRD), which raises concerns regarding confidential personal information considering unregulated and not transparent data ownership. Setting up the patient’s welfare as an unquestionable principle, this commentary explores the various ethical aspects of using HRD in AI applications, focusing on informed consent, data ownership, data sharing, financial considerations, accountability, and ethical standards. Three models of potential collaboration between AI-specializing firms and healthcare providers are evaluated: the commercial model, the equitable profit-sharing model, and the public-funded non-profit model. Each model has its advantages and challenges, necessitating a careful balance between ethical considerations, financial implications, and technological advancements. Policymakers and healthcare regulators are urged to establish transparent legislation to safeguard patient privacy, ensure informed consent, and promote the responsible use of HRD in AI applications. This commentary emphasizes the importance of addressing ethical issues to protect basic patient rights, foster responsible collaborations, and ensure the ethical use of health-related data in AI-based healthcare applications. While the coexistence of regulated AI and healthcare professionals is inevitable for validating the cost-effectiveness of AI use in healthcare economics, the transparency of HRD sources is deemed of utmost importance in the best interest of the patient.
BASHH UK guidelines for the management of syphilis 2024
Authors: Kingston Margaret , Apea Vanessa , Evans Ceri , Fifer Helen , Foster Kirsty , Patrick Patrick , Grant Alison , Manns Vicky , Ramsden Sophie , Sinka Katy , Sukthankar Ashish , Sullivan Ann , Tyler Stephanie
Published: September 2024

The 2024 UK guidelines for the management of syphilis are in line with current evidence and practice within the UK. Key updates are detailed at the start of the article. These guidelines are accompanied by the first UK guidelines for the management of syphilis in pregnant people and children, 2024.
Corymbiform syphilis: A rare dermatological presentation
Authors: Al-Ali Alya , Almarzooqi Khulood , Padovese Valeska
Published: September 2024

Syphilis is often referred to as the ‘great imitator’ due to its diverse clinical manifestations throughout its clinical stages and polymorphic nature. We report a case of a 24-year-old man-who-has-sex-with-men presenting with an atypical syphilitic rash on the trunk, with a corymbiform appearance. This case highlights the necessity for clinicians to maintain a high index of suspicion for sexually transmitted infections, especially when there are skin manifestations of an uncertain nature.
Assessing the power of biofuels and green technology innovation on the environment: The LCC perspective
Authors: Pata Ugur Korkut , Karlilar Pata Selin
Published: September 2024

The global concerns over the climate crisis have led countries to reconsider their energy options, directing the focus of policymakers toward clean energy sources that can support a transition to a more sustainable future. Herein, biofuel energy, with its clean characteristics, has become a vital alternative to fossil fuels, paving the way for a sustainable environment. In this context, this study explores the impact of biofuel consumption and green technology (GT) innovation on the load capacity factor. To this end, the study applies the regularized common correlated estimation to panel data from the top five biofuel consumer countries over the period 2002–2021. The empirical outcomes reveal that (i) the load capacity curve (LCC) hypothesis is invalid; (ii) biofuels are essential elements of a sustainable energy system that ensure better access to eco-friendly energy and contribute to environmental quality; and (iii) innovation in GTs contributes to environmental quality. In light of the findings, the study reveals the essential role of biofuels and GT innovation on the path toward a greener future, and policymakers should consider the power of these factors in formulating environmental policies.
The Gibsonian movement and Koffka’s Principles of Gestalt Psychology
Authors: Withagen Rob
Published: September 2024

In recent decades, several ecologically inclined authors have adopted the Gestalt idea of demand characters. Yet, James Gibson, the founder of the ecological approach, although being inspired by Koffka, was critical of many of his ideas, including the contention that the environment calls for certain actions. This article examines why Gibson was so reluctant to accept this concept of demand characters. To that end, the relationship between Gibson’s ecological approach and Gestalt psychology is scrutinized. After an exploration of the parallels between the frameworks of Gibson and Koffka, Gibson’s critique of Koffka’s masterpiece Principles of Gestalt Psychology is evaluated. It is argued that although Gibson’s claim about the mind–world dualism in which Koffka’s perspective is rooted is arguably valid, neither Gibson nor some of his recent devotees take Koffka’s insights into the qualities of experience sufficiently seriously in their theorizing.
Joint meta-analysis of two diagnostic tests accounting for within and between studies dependence
Authors: Nikoloulopoulos Aristidis K
Published: September 2024

There is an extensive literature on methods for meta-analysis of diagnostic test accuracy, but it mainly focuses on a single test. A multinomial generalised linear mixed model was recently proposed for the joint meta-analysis of studies comparing two tests on the same participants in a paired tests design with a gold standard. In this setting, we propose a novel model for joint meta-analysis of studies comparing two diagnostic tests which assumes independent multinomial distributions for the counts of each combination of test results in diseased and non-diseased patients, conditional on the latent vector of probabilities of each combination of test results in diseased and non-diseased patients. For the random effects distribution of the latent proportions, we employ a one-truncated D-vine copula that can provide tail dependence or asymmetry. The proposed model includes the multinomial generalised linear mixed model as a special case, accounts for the within-study dependence induced because the tests are applied to the same participants, allows for between-studies dependence, and can also operate on the original scale of the latent proportions. The latter enables the derivation of summary receiver operating characteristic curves. Our methodology is demonstrated with simulation studies and a meta-analysis of screening for Down’s syndrome with two tests: shortened humerus and shortened femur.
How Can Deep Neural Networks Inform Theory in Psychological Science?
Authors: McGrath Sam Whitman , Russin Jacob , Pavlick Ellie , Feiman Roman
Published: September 2024

Over the last decade, deep neural networks (DNNs) have transformed the state of the art in artificial intelligence. In domains such as language production and reasoning, long considered uniquely human abilities, contemporary models have proven capable of strikingly human-like performance. However, in contrast to classical symbolic models, neural networks can be inscrutable even to their designers, making it unclear what significance, if any, they have for theories of human cognition. Two extreme reactions are common. Neural network enthusiasts argue that, because the inner workings of DNNs do not seem to resemble any of the traditional constructs of psychological or linguistic theory, their success renders these theories obsolete and motivates a radical paradigm shift. Neural network skeptics instead take this inability to interpret DNNs in psychological terms to mean that their success is irrelevant to psychological science. In this article, we review recent work that suggests that the internal mechanisms of DNNs can, in fact, be interpreted in the functional terms characteristic of psychological explanations. We argue that this undermines the shared assumption of both extremes and opens the door for DNNs to inform theories of cognition and its development.
The Legal Profession in Battle: Cause Lawyers Versus State-Embedded Lawyers in Hong Kong's Democratization
Authors: Kwong Ying-ho
Published: September 2024

The existing literature has long recognized that cause lawyers play important roles in fighting for political justice. However, the implications of how the state responds to these lawyers have yet to be comprehensively explored. This article argues that the state in Hong Kong has co-opted “state-embedded lawyers” against cause lawyers for the counter-mobilizing of public opinion. Thus, both cause lawyers and state-embedded lawyers engage in political battles with polarized objectives, either for democratic reform or regime stability. Theoretically, this paper contributes to analyzing the state's response to cause lawyering and its counter-mobilization actions by developing state-embedded lawyers. Empirically, the case of Hong Kong helps enrich the existing literature by exploring the confrontational relations within polarized legal professions. The conclusion shows that such tensions can stimulate further polarization with different business paths between lawyers, consumption patterns among citizens and understanding of the rule of law and responses from mainland China.
Modelling and characterising FFF process of semi-crystalline polymers: Warpage formation and mechanism analysis
Authors: Yu Yuesheng , Jiang Bingnong , Chen Yuan , Ye Lin
Published: September 2024

Fused filament fabrication (FFF) is commonly utilised for 3D printing of semi-crystalline polymers, i.e., polypropylene (PP), while warpage deformation can often be observed in the printed products, with significantly reduced surface quality and mechanical properties. This study develops computational models for predicting rectangular boxes made of PP with different thicknesses under the FFF process to study the stress concentration and warpage mechanisms during 3D printing. Numerical models were established based on heat transfer, thermoelasticity, and crystallisation kinetics, with an activating elemental approach to calculate the FFF process of PP. The numerical models were validated with repetitive printing tests to study the mechanisms and relationships of stress conditions and warpage formation in PP boxes under FFF. The results show that the boxes with the thinnest thickness exhibited mostly severe warpage deformation (6.8 mm/5.9 mm in experiment and simulation, respectively), which is much more than that of the thickest box (1.3 mm/1.6 mm in experiment and simulation, respectively). The average crystallinity of the three boxes increases as the box thickness increases, but to a lesser extent. In terms of residual stress, the thinner box has a smaller residual stress (25.1 MPa, almost 45% of the thicker box).
Gig Workers: A Paradigm Shift in the Indian Workforce—A Bibliometric Analysis and Future Directions
Authors: Ramachandran Murali , Kulandai Arockiam
Published: September 2024

Gig workers across India seem to be looming large. Though it is in its infancy stage, it has led to millions of jobs being created for workers. It can penetrate Indian urban towns and cities, connecting workers with consumers and clients. Currently, the gig-platform economy is aiming to unfold a paradigm shift. The gig-workers number is on the rise, but its nature happens to be temporary. Technology advancement linked to Industry 4.0, the global financial crisis of 2007–2009, and the Coronavirus-2019 abnormal emergency have led the gig economy to grow faster. The workforce is currently about 8 million in 2020–2021, found in India being employed, which which eventually increase. A bibliometric analysis is adopted in this study. Out of 247 documents retrieved, ranging from 2009 to 2022, 242 papers from Scopus were considered. Data visualization and quantitative analysis were done using VOSviewer and RStudio. Top cited countries, research contribution of countries, authors impact, most global cited documents, and journal impact are the analyses carried out using RStudio. Apart from this quantitative analysis, the findings of 11 articles were synthesized and tabulated. The overlay visualization of keywords revealed that a shift is taking place from digital platforms like information systems, information use, gamification, and crowdsourcing to COVID-19, workers, psychology, and human experiments. The keywords like “Employment”, “Workers”, “Human”, “Gig Economy”, and “HRM” have the highest frequency in the “word cloud”. Thus, human aspects like recognition, rewards, and health protections ought to be given importance for the work they are doing.
Ramanov Contractors: Adoption of Project Risk Management Framework
Authors: Phadtare Milind T.
Published: September 2024

The case deals with the concept of project risk management and its adoption in a small-sized contracting firm. It demonstrates the dilemma faced by a typical small-sized contracting firm vis-à-vis setting project objectives, defining key elements for structuring the risk management process, number of data points, choice of techniques of different steps involved in project risk management and development of a team to practice the process flawlessly. The case would be suitable for postgraduate students of the management programme as well as participants of management development programmes on project management.
Feasibility and Safety of Accelerated Sequential Theta Burst Stimulation for Adolescent Obsessive-compulsive Disorder: A Case Report
Authors: Joseph Jithin Thekkelkuthiyathottil , Jammigumpula Ashok , Prakash Anjali , Radhakrishna Amrtavarshini , Jaise Jithin , Naik Prathvi , Purohith Abhiram N. , Shenoy Sonia , Praharaj Samir Kumar
Published: September 2024

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) has been shown to be effective for treatment-resistant obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) in adults; however, it has not yet been studied in adolescents with OCD. This report details the feasibility and safety of administering sequential accelerated theta burst stimulation (sequential aTBS) in an adolescent with treatment-resistant OCD. Despite completing 29 continuous TBS sessions over the right dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) and an additional 15 intermittent TBS sessions on the left DLPFC, our patient did not show any symptom improvement. This case represents the first documentation of the feasibility, safety, and tolerability of sequential aTBS in adolescents with OCD. The patient tolerated the aTBS sessions well, experiencing only mild tingling and local muscle twitches.
Geopolitical Implications of Educational Diplomacy: The Fulbright Program, 1958–2023
Authors: Lally Marisa
Published: September 2024

This article combines archival research and critical discourse analysis to examine 33 evaluation and report documents that evaluate the effectiveness of the Fulbright Program from 1958–2023. Specifically, the study employs argumentation analysis to understand the underlying ideological strategies used to discursively construct the Fulbright Program's multiple purposes. The study finds that the documents argue that education and mutual understanding are ephemeral concepts, the Fulbright Program has geopolitical justifications, and academic disciplines are a source of geopolitical power. This approach to analyzing the Fulbright Program's historical documents provides a model for understanding educational diplomacy schemes that use higher education as a geopolitical tool.
Performance of the Vetscan Imagyst in point-of-care detection of Giardia duodenalis in canine fecal samples
Authors: Kanski Sabrina , Busch Kathrin , Hailmann Regina , Weber Karin
Published: September 2024

Giardia duodenalis is a common parasite of the gastrointestinal tract of dogs, with an especially high prevalence in dogs <1-y-old. Methods for detecting G. duodenalis are point-of-care (POC) tests such as lateral-flow tests or fecal flotation. The Vetscan Imagyst (Zoetis) is a new POC device for the detection of G. duodenalis in fecal samples using zinc sulfate flotation, automated slide scanning, and image recognition with artificial intelligence. Vetscan results are the number of Giardia cysts per coverslip. We compared the performance of the Vetscan and another POC test (SNAP Giardia test; Idexx) with a direct immunofluorescence assay (IFA) performed in a specialized parasitology laboratory as the reference test. We included 164 dogs <19-mo-old. We used pooled fecal samples from 3 defecations gained within 2–3 d and tested the repeatability of the Vetscan by triplicate measurement. Compared to IFA, Vetscan had a diagnostic sensitivity of 88.4% and specificity of 98.1%; SNAP had a diagnostic sensitivity of 74.4% and specificity of 98.1%. A variation coefficient of 67.0% was determined for the Vetscan results. The performance of the Vetscan is acceptable for the qualitative evaluation of fecal samples ( Giardia positive or negative), and the device can be used by untrained personnel. Given its high variation coefficient, we do not recommend the Vetscan for monitoring the number of cysts.
Striking a Balance: The Effect of Capability and Character Reputation Claims on Crowdfunding Performance
Authors: Chandler Jeffrey A. , Wolfe Marcus T. , Oo Pyayt P.
Published: September 2024

Drawing from expectancy violations theory, we examine the effect of entrepreneurs’ claims about their ventures’ capability reputation and character reputation on crowdfunding performance. We propose that capability reputation and character reputation claims benefit crowdfunding performance—but only up to a point—until crowdfunding backers begin to perceive it as over-claiming (inverted-U relationship). We also suggest the effect of entrepreneurs’ capability and character reputation claims are highly contingent upon whether the entrepreneur has launched a commercial or social campaign. Our analysis of 68,899 crowdfunding campaigns strongly supports our theoretical predictions.
Experiences and Supportive Care Needs of Latinx Millennial Caregivers
Authors: Cleary Catie , Dupree Galilea , Welling Anna , Hernandez Janice F. , Cuevas Heather , Thomas Michael , Peterson Neil , Horner Sharon D. , Thomas Hebdon Megan
Published: September 2024

Introduction:

Latinx Millennial caregivers are an understudied minority group in the United States. Due to life stage and cultural values, these caregivers struggle to balance conflicting priorities with career, family, and caregiving. They also face systemic barriers and healthcare disparities.

Methods:

Participants ( N = 29) were recruited locally and nationally. Qualitative data were collected using five focus groups and one individual interview. Interviews were analyzed by seven coders using thematic analysis with an inductive approach.

Results:

Meta-themes included (a) the Latinx experience with culture, immigrant status, and structural barriers; and (b) being a super caregiver: being everything to everyone. Additional main themes were identified including family well-being, occupational and financial well-being, social support dynamics, challenges and rewards of family caregiving, and coping strategies.

Discussion:

Clinical interventions for Latinx Millennial caregivers should address cultural background, value of family/community, and systemic barriers for care and support.
Mother’s Experiences in Caring for Children with Stunting in Rural Indonesia
Authors: Wiliyanarti Pipit Festi , Choliq Idham , Hasanah Uswatun , Lin Shu-Yuan
Published: September 2024

Introduction:

Stunting is a major health problem in Indonesia. The aim of this study is to explore the experiences of mothers who take care of stunted children in rural Pamekasan Madura, Indonesia.

Methods:

This research employed a phenomenological approach and conducted in-depth interviews with 11 mothers in rural Pamekasan Madura, Indonesia, using purposive sampling. Data collection took place from June to September 2023.

Results:

This study presents Madurese mothers’ experiences caring for their children with stunting through two themes and five sub-themes: (a) beliefs passed down for generations: strong ancestral influence on feeding behaviors, traditional food, and traditional health-seeking behavior; and (b) insufficient resources on nutrition: a lack of time and money to provide nutrition-rich food and a lack of nutrition information.

Discussion:

Cultural beliefs, a lack of nutrition education, and economic barriers contribute to stunting in children. Our findings guide the design of tailored interventions for preventing stunting in Indonesian families and global communities.
Trends in Privacy of Adults With Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities Before and After the Home and Community-Based Services Final Rule
Authors: Tichá Renáta , Pettingell Sandra L. , Houseworth James , Bershadsky Julie , Stancliffe Roger J. , Smith John G.
Published: September 2024

In 2014, the U.S. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) launched the Home and Community-Based Services (HCBS) Final Rule intended to improve the quality of HCBS for people with disabilities. The Rule focuses on improving outcomes through person-centered services and supports. These outcomes include privacy and dignity. This study reviewed state compliance with the Final Rule by examining statewide transition plans and investigating the Final Rule’s impact on privacy outcomes of adults with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). We compared cross-sectional National Core Indicators® (NCI®) Adult Consumer Survey (ACS) 2012 to 2013 and Adult In-Person Survey (IPS) 2018 to 2019 data. Privacy (people letting them know before entering their home; being alone with friends/visitors at home) increased after Final Rule implementation. Individuals in the 2018 to 2019 group had 36% and 29% higher odds of being asked for permission to enter their home and of being alone with friends/guests, respectively. Age, gender, severity of intellectual disability, and several co-occurring conditions were also predictive of improvement in privacy.
Simultaneous position and force control of a SMA-actuated continuum robotic module
Authors: Hadi Alireza , Shamshirgaran Hourieh , Tarvirdizadeh Bahram , Alipour Khalil
Published: September 2024

Continuum manipulators with controllable shape and exerting force are attractive devices. Utilizing great features of shape memory alloys (SMAs), thin continuum modules are developed. SMAs are embedded around an elastic rod and activated through a control algorithm to set a desired shape. However, complex behavior of SMAs in such a multi-input multi-output system, make the control challenging. Additionally, simultaneous control of position and the force applied by the module, as a challenging problem, has not been investigated so far. Handling this problem may increase the application of continuum robots when utilized as manipulators or when pass through narrow and complex canals with sensitive wall. In this research, position and force control of such continuum module is under focus for achieving a more practical tool for better non-invasive medical devices. Further to the position control, the amount of force applied to the environment is adjusted in different locations of the workspace through a novel fuzzy controller. The results indicate the possibility of simultaneous control of the position and force using fuzzy controller with a reasonable accuracy of 0.5° for angle and 0.05 N for the force. The concluded results may be utilized in developing smarter soft robots.
A modified parametric model to predict visco-elastic properties of magneto-rheological elastomers at non-LVE region
Authors: Patel Dipal , Upadhyay Ramesh V , Mazlan Saiful Amri , Choi SB
Published: September 2024

The magneto-rheological elastomer is mostly used in vibration isolation, for which higher modulus and lower Payne effect factors are crucial parameters. Strain amplitudes and frequencies influence many applications under dynamic modes. In this work, the dynamic viscoelastic properties of MRE, fabricated using electrolyte iron (EI) particles, were measured for varying strain amplitude, magnetic field and frequency. A fractional Kelvin-Voigt (KV) model is used in a frequency region from 0.01 to 40 Hz to predict the rheological behaviour. However, the available models failed to explain the observed behaviour at low frequencies and high magnetic fields and increasing strain amplitude (i.e. in the non-viscoelastic region). Therefore, a new modified KV model is proposed in this work to incorporate the drawbacks and hence can validate for varying frequency, magnetic field and strain amplitudes. The added terms can also be used in the fractional derivative Maxwell model to explain the effect of strain amplitude and magnetic field at various frequencies. The proposed model significantly improves the quality of experimental prediction in the low-frequency range, corresponding to a slow dissipative process at different strain amplitudes.
Toxicity or Prosociality?: Civic Value and Gaming Citizenship in Competitive Video Game Communities
Authors: Kim Jin , Ortiz Naishly
Published: September 2024

Background

Online multiplayer video games are characterized by competitiveness and collaboration: the former resonates with toxicity and the latter with civic values. While it is urgent to consider efficient ways to cope with toxicity, it is worth interrogating how gamers shift between toxic competitiveness and gaming citizenship.

Aim

Drawing on feminist game studies, gaming citizenship, and ludic ethics approaches, this study examined how gamers embrace and resist toxic behaviors simultaneously in community contexts.

Method

We conducted in-depth interviews with twenty-two Overwatch players from June 2021 to May 2023 to elaborate the players experiences of toxic behaviors, their coping mechanisms, and the roles of gaming communities. Purposive and snowball samplings were used to recruit participants who regularly played competitive modes in Overwatch.

Results

From the interviews, two types of toxicity (tolerable, intolerable) were identified. Of the anti-toxic measures, ignoring was addressed as a common but problematic measure, while intervention as most effective measure. Gamers’ involvement in communities was discussed within three common frameworks: prosociality, gamer education, and gamer transformation. Overall, the interviewees showed ambivalence toward usage of anti-toxic measures. With limitations, we found that game communities can serve a venue for gaming citizenship to provide institutional supports for gamers.

Conclusion

This study contributes to scholarship on gaming toxicity and gaming citizenship. Our study illustrated that gaming communities are battlegrounds between prosociality and toxicity. We do not see vilification of toxicity as a panacea for toxic gaming problems. In that sense, gaming citizenship discourses helps to rekindle debate about stigmatized assumptions about toxicity.
Intersectionality and Caregiving: The Exclusion Experience and Coping Resources of Immigrant Women Caring for a Family Member With Severe Mental Illness
Authors: Knaifel Evgeny , Rubinstein Ludmila
Published: September 2024

Intersectionality has become a central analytical framework in the study of exclusion and empowerment experiences among women from marginalized communities. However, the relevance of intersectionality to informal caregiving in mental healthcare has hardly been explored to date. The purpose of the current study is to examine the exclusion experiences and coping resources of immigrant women caring for a family member with a severe mental illness (SMI) through the lens of intersectionality theory. Semi-structured in-depth interviews were conducted with 26 informal female immigrant caregivers from the former Soviet Union residing in Israel. The interviews were analyzed using a qualitative content approach. The findings revealed that the participants experienced stigma and exclusion in several intersecting categories: economic marginalization of immigrant single mothers, ethnic and gender-based stigma of Russian-speaking women, gender-based domestic violence, and mental health stigma by professionals. The participants’ coping resources included spirituality and religious faith, support groups, and social activism. The study provides insights into the burdens and rewards experienced by female immigrant caregivers of family members with SMI through the lens of intersectionality theory. Implications for adapting services to the contextual characteristics of female immigrant caregivers and minimizing intersectional stigma and inequities in informal healthcare are discussed.
Use of Animation in Design Education—A Review of Literature
Authors: Singh Pankaj Kumar , Ozarkar Anantkumar
Published: September 2024

With technological advancements, animation has become an integral part of various industries including advertising, film, and education. This article focuses specifically on the role of animation in design education, an area that, despite the widespread application across educational fields like architecture, medicine, and elementary education, has not been extensively explored. The purpose of this study is to explore and identify how animation specifically enhances design education, distinct from its application in other educational fields. This focus is critical as animation can transform the delivery of design education by facilitating more effective visual communication, enhancing student engagement, and improving comprehension and retention of complex design principles. Although animation is prevalent in many educational sectors, its targeted impact on design education is less documented, and this study aims to fill that gap. The increasing incorporation of animation in classrooms underscores its potential in enriching design educational processes, suggesting that a deeper investigation into its specific benefits in this field is timely and relevant.
A novel statistical damage constitutive model of rock joints considering normal stress and joint roughness
Authors: Gu Qiuxin , Zhang Qiang , Dai Wanli , Quan Xiaowei , Ye Sizhe , Li Tao
Published: September 2024

The shear constitutive model of rock joints is of great significance to the stability analysis in rock engineering, and it is closely related to the normal stress ([Formula: see text]) and joint roughness coefficient ( JRC). However, the existing investigations seldom consider the influences of [Formula: see text] and JRC simultaneously. Therefore, a novel damage constitutive model considering the [Formula: see text] and JRC is developed in this work. In the presented model, it is assumed that the rock materials are composed of damaged and undamaged microunits, and the damage evolution law of the microunits conforms to the Weibull distribution in the shear process. Based on the proposed assumption, the constitutive relationship between shear stress and shear displacement is deduced. The evolutions of the mechanical parameters and damage variable versus [Formula: see text] and JRC are analyzed in detail. The proposed damage model that involves [Formula: see text] and JRC is verified by comparing theoretical values with the laboratory results. The results show that the damage constitutive model is in good agreement with the test results. Additionally, the influences of [Formula: see text] and JRC on the shear stress-displacement curves are studied. This work can provide a valuable theoretical method for analyzing the shear mechanical characteristics and damage evolution laws of rock joints.