bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quality Gratitude Expressions and Happiness at Work
Authors: Cardon Peter W. , Wong Janna
Published: July 2024

This research involved a mixed-methods study to explore the nature and outcomes of gratitude expressions in the workplace. A qualitative journaling study revealed that quality gratitude expressions in the workplace involve the following traits: genuine, acknowledgement of positive outcomes, acknowledgement of time and effort, acknowledgement of social support, personalized, and playful. The interview study revealed that key outcomes of quality gratitude expressions were feeling valued, a sense of attachment, and engagement. A follow-up survey of professionals showed that while the quality and quantity of verbal gratitude expressions contribute to higher perceptions of feeling valued and attachment to colleagues, the quality and quantity of written gratitude expressions contribute to all three aspects of happiness: feeling valued, attachment, and engagement. These findings suggest that gratitude expressions are aspects of positive communication that contribute significantly to thriving individuals and communities in the workplace.
Rejecting Multiracial Stereotypes: Parental Socialization Practices at the Intersection of Race and Gender
Authors: Johnson Katherine
Published: July 2024

Stereotypes surrounding multiracial individuals include being viewed as inherently attractive because of their mixed-race background, and, therefore, having a superiority complex, which reinforces racial hierarchies and creates division and tension within communities of color. This superiority complex is often rooted in colorism and proximity to White beauty standards. Drawing upon in-depth, semistructured interviews with 19 sets of interracial parents in the United States, I describe parents’ awareness and perceptions of these stereotypes at the intersection of race and gender. Parents understand that their Black multiracial boys must contend with both multiracial stereotypes and controlling images of Black men and boys. I argue that parents’ understanding of both multiracial stereotypes, like the Biracial Beauty Stereotype, and controlling images of Black boys and men informs their racial socialization practices as they help their child(ren) build a positive racial identity and prepare for discrimination.
Effectiveness of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy on Death Anxiety and Depression During the COVID-19 Disease: A Historical Approach
Authors: Ndukwu Eric C , Iwunna Peter U , Ndukwu Edith N , Orifamah Daniel
Published: July 2024

This research study investigated the effectiveness of Rational Emotive Behavior Therapy (REBT) on depression and anxiety during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in Nigeria. REBT is used in correcting irrational beliefs and behaviors. This study adopted a randomized pretest, post-test, control group design. Two trial-tested instruments covering; depression, anxiety, and irrational beliefs were for data collection. Data obtained with the instruments were analyzed using mean, standard deviation, and analysis of variance. The study revealed that REBT was effective in reducing depression and death anxiety in COVID-19 patients. The result of this study also showed that the introduction of REBT helped to curb the spread of COVID-19 disease by letting Nigerians to know that the existence, mode of spread, and consequences of the disease is real and not a myth.
Health Promotion in Early-Stage Dementia: A Focused Ethnographic Study of a 12-Week Group-Based Educational Intervention
Authors: Kajander Martine , Gjestsen Martha Therese , Ballard Clive , Næss Halvor , Testad Ingelin
Published: July 2024

Introduction

Educational health promotion interventions for people with early-stage dementia have shown promising results, including empowering the person with dementia to live well and cope with their condition.

Objective(s)

The aim of this study was to explore how group interactions, course structure, and facilitation by healthcare professionals in a 12-week educational health promotion course promote coping, healthy behaviors, and empowerment in people with early-stage dementia.

Method

A focused ethnographic approach was employed, collecting data through moderate participant observations of people with early-stage dementia who attended the health promotion course and field conversations with the facilitators. Additionally, before and after the participants had completed the course, the participants and their care partners were interviewed individually.

Results

The findings showed that group discussions provided an opportunity for the facilitators to identify knowledge gaps, correct misinterpretations of symptoms, and tailor the information to the participants’ specific needs, thereby promoting healthy behaviors and empowering the participants. The consistent and structured format of the course appeared to reduce stress and promote learning. Learning about dementia first-hand, reminiscing, using humor, receiving support from others facing similar challenges, and receiving support and validation from facilitators all contributed to participants coping with their condition, processing negative emotions, and reducing internalized stigma.

Conclusion

This study emphasized the importance of providing people living with early-stage dementia educational opportunities that combine first-hand information, peer and facilitator support, reminiscing, humor, recognition, and validation. These interventions can contribute to promote coping, healthy behaviors, and empowerment in people living with early-stage dementia.
Organizational Isomorphism during Crisis: Market Practices and U.S. Art Museums, 2006–2011
Authors: Lee Kangsan , Carruthers Bruce
Published: July 2024

How do organizations respond to extreme environmental challenges? We revisit DiMaggio and Powell and examine the shift in isomorphic behaviors that occur during a crisis, illustrating how shocks result in the use of nontraditional practices. We empirically examine the impact of the 2008 economic crisis on U.S. art museums’ isomorphic referent transitions in the use of market practices before and after the crisis, covering 2006 to 2011. Our findings indicate that museums altered the scope of mimetic isomorphism, and as a result, U.S. art museums sought solutions by shifting reference groups that were structurally (leader vs. peer), physically (geographical region), or organizational (social networks) proximate during the crisis. We elaborate our understanding of isomorphic behavior as a key factor during times of crisis that destabilized institutional environments, both symbolic and resource spaces. This finding can be generalized to other organizational settings beyond art museums.
Exploring the Usage of ChatGPT Among Medical Students in the United States
Authors: Zhang Janice S. , Yoon Christine , Williams Darnell K. Adrian , Pinkas Adi
Published: July 2024

OBJECTIVES

Chat Generative Pretrained Transformer (ChatGPT) is a large language model developed by OpenAI that has gained widespread interest. It has been cited for its potential impact on health care and its beneficial role in medical education. However, there is limited investigation into its use among medical students. In this study, we evaluated the frequency of ChatGPT use, motivations for use, and preference for ChatGPT over existing resources among medical students in the United States.

METHODS

Data was collected from an original survey consisting of 14 questions assessing the frequency and usage of ChatGPT in various contexts within medical education. The survey was distributed via email lists, group messaging applications, and classroom lectures to medical students across the United States. Responses were collected between August and October 2023.

RESULTS

One hundred thirty-one participants completed the survey and were included in the analysis. Of the total, 48.9% respondents responded that they have used ChatGPT in medical studies. Among ChatGPT users, 43.7% of respondents report using ChatGPT weekly, several times per week, or daily. ChatGPT is most used for writing, revising, editing, and summarizing purposes. 37.5% and 41.3% of respondents reported using ChatGPT more than 25% of the working time for these tasks respectively. Among respondents who have not used ChatGPT, more than 50% of respondents reported they were extremely unlikely or unlikely to use ChatGPT across all surveyed scenarios. ChatGPT users report they are more likely to use ChatGPT over directly asking professors or attendings (45.3%), textbooks (42.2%), and lectures (31.7%), and least likely to be used over popular flashcard application Anki (11.1%) and medical education videos (9.5%).

CONCLUSIONS

ChatGPT is an increasingly popular resource among medical students, with many preferring ChatGPT over other traditional resources such as professors, textbooks, and lectures. Its impact on medical education will only continue to grow as its capabilities improve.
Investigating the effect of external surface layer on high pressure phase evolution in a single crystal: A mechanics-based phase field study
Authors: Mirmahdi Seyed Hamed , Javanbakht Mahdi
Published: July 2024

In this paper, effect of the external surface layer on low pressure phase (LPP)-high pressure phase (HPP) transformation in a single crystal is investigated using a phase field model. It consists of a kinetic equation to represent the LPP-HPP transformation and another one to introduce the external surface layer between the bulk and surrounding phase within which the surface energy is properly distributed. After resolving a stationary layer, the coupled elasticity and phase field equations are solved to capture the HHP evolution. The variation of the critical thermal driving force ([Formula: see text]) versus the ratio of the external surface layer width to the HPP-LPP interface width ([Formula: see text]) is found for different boundary conditions, uniaxial pressures and transformation strains. The external surface layer reveals a similar nonlinear increase of [Formula: see text] versus [Formula: see text], in agreement with previous numerical and experimental data on thermal induced transformation/melting at the nanoscale. Without vertical constraint, [Formula: see text] nonlinearly increases versus [Formula: see text] and remains constant for [Formula: see text]. It also linearly reduces versus the pressure/transformation strain, independent of [Formula: see text]. With vertical constraint, [Formula: see text] is larger and weakly dependent on [Formula: see text]. Under applied pressure, the transformation work linearly increases with the transformation strain for [Formula: see text] and consequently, [Formula: see text] reduces. The obtained results help to understand the effect of the external surface layer on the HPP evolution in relation to other key parameters depending on its width.
Spatial inequalities and cities: A review
Authors: Sarkar Somwrita , Cottineau-Mugadza Clémentine , Wolf Levi J
Published: July 2024

This special issue of Environment and Planning B focuses on Spatial Inequalities and Cities. As the world progresses to almost a fully urban state, locations, networks, and access shape the everyday lives lived in cities, alongside being the movers and shapers of the future of sustainable and equitable urbanization. This special issue brings together a set of peer-reviewerd papers spanning urban science, urban analytics, geographic information / spatial science, network science, and quantitative socio-economic-spatial analysis, to explore and examine how the morphological, structural and spatial form of cities is linked to the production, maintenance and exacerbation of socio-economic inequalities and injustices. The issue also presents a critical angle on data, methods, and their use, and on how novel data and methods can help shed light on new dimensions of spatial inequalities. This editorial presents a brief critical review of the field of urban spatial inequalities and a summary of the special issue.
Co-cultural Communication and Resistant Language: Dalit Women’s Social Strategy in Urmila Pawar’s The Weave of My Life: A Dalit Woman’s Memoirs and We Also Made History: Women in the Ambedkarite Movement, and Viramma’s Viramma, life of an untouchable
Authors: Badyal Surbhi , Kumar Anurag
Published: July 2024

Muted group theory has considerably reflected on marginalized groups that remain muted and underrepresented. The distinct standpoint of these marginal groups gives them a voice to represent themselves in the dominant social structure, specifically the men of the marginal groups, forming a co-cultural group. Women, on the other hand, have been placed in a space that neither includes nor completely excludes them. Their voices remain unheard and are often misrepresented by the various interlocutors that have been appointed to present their issues upfront. The article analyses the communication strategies of Dalit women in a dominant public sphere and their oppressed position by delving into the distinct ways in which they communicate with each other as well as the dominant group, sharing experiences of oppressive realities and atrocities. The article contextualizes the arguments in Urmila Pawar’s The Weave of My Life: A Dalit Woman’s Memoirs (2008) and We Also Made History: Women in the Ambedkarite Movement (2008) and Viramma’s Viramma, life of an untouchable (1997). It suggests a co-cultural communication framework as a viable tool for studying Dalit women’s experiences and the various communicative approaches they follow. In addition, it also employs Cheris Kramarae’s strategy approach to critically analyse how co-cultural groups use language as a resistant tool. The study infers that Dalit women follow a co-cultural communicative framework to assert their position and a resistant language that does not adhere to the aesthetics of the dominant literature, rather it disturbs the reader to make them experience the same pain that they have suffered.
Monoclonal IgY antibodies: advancements and limitations for immunodiagnosis and immunotherapy applications
Authors: Tabll Ashraf A. , Shahein Yasser E. , Omran Mohamed M. , Hussein Nahla A. , El-Shershaby Asmaa , Petrovic Ana , Glasnovic Marija , Smolic Robert , Smolic Martina
Published: July 2024

Due to their high specificity and scalability, Monoclonal IgY antibodies have emerged as a valuable alternative to traditional polyclonal IgY antibodies. This abstract provides an overview of the production and purification methods of monoclonal IgY antibodies, highlights their advantages over polyclonal IgY antibodies, and discusses their recent applications. Monoclonal recombinant IgY antibodies, in contrast to polyclonal IgY antibodies, offer several benefits. such as derived from a single B-cell clone, monoclonal antibodies exhibit superior specificity, ensuring consistent and reliable results. Furthermore, it explores the suitability of monoclonal IgY antibodies for low- and middle-income countries, considering their cost-effectiveness and accessibility. We also discussed future directions and challenges in using polyclonal IgY and monoclonal IgY antibodies. In conclusion, monoclonal IgY antibodies offer substantial advantages over polyclonal IgY antibodies regarding specificity, scalability, and consistent performance. Their recent applications in diagnostics, therapeutics, and research highlight their versatility.
Parent-Based Prevention Group to Address Alcohol-Related Sexual Assault Among College Students: A Pilot Study
Authors: Vaughan Ellen L. , McKean Nancy , Klann Elyssa M. , Gonzalez Patricia D. , Zounlomè Nelson O. O. , Otte Natalie J. , Reed April
Published: July 2024

This study reports the results of a pilot study of a parent-based intervention to address alcohol-related sexual assault on a college campus. Parents of incoming college students were recruited to participate in a small group intervention during summer orientation. The intervention was designed to last between 60 and 90 min. The content included the following: alcohol use and sexual assault on campus, the role alcohol plays in sexual assault, principles of bystander intervention, and tools for communication about alcohol and sexual assault. Participants completed a survey measure at pre-test, post-test, and follow-up with measures of alcohol and consent, rape myths, and ratings of confidence in talking about alcohol and sexual assault. A total of 53 parents attended the group. Results indicated a medium effect for change over time with a decrease in the acceptability of giving consent for sexual activity while using alcohol from pre-test to post-test, but no change from post-test to follow-up. There was a medium effect for change over time in the rejection of rape myths with an increase in endorsement of rape myths between post-test and follow-up. Parents rated their confidence in talking with their students about alcohol and sexual assault. Initially, 75% of parents reported being “very confident” in their ability to talk with their child about sexual assault. At the end of the intervention, their confidence increased to 92% of parents feeling “very confident.” The results of this pilot study show promise for parent-based prevention that addresses alcohol-related sexual assault and sets the stage for further studies.
Is Resilience Enough? COVID-Related Stress and Traumatic Stress for Black Adults
Authors: Douglas Robyn D. , Brooks Jasmin R. , Tambedou Tida , Busby Danielle R.
Published: July 2024

Sars-CoV-2 COVID-19-related stress has been associated with post-traumatic stress symptoms in several communities; however, insight into protective factors for pandemic stressors and trauma symptoms in Black Adults remains limited. While research suggests that resilience, or the ability to bounce back following exposure to stressful events, is an essential factor in how individuals cope with trauma symptoms, few studies have examined its role in COVID-19-related stress. This preliminary study aimed to examine the association between COVID-19-related stress and post-traumatic stress symptoms and the moderating effect of resilience for Black adults. The sample included 169 Black adults (52.9% female; Mage = 28.21) who endorsed experiences of COVID-19-related stress. Participants completed a questionnaire battery consisting of self-report measures of COVID-19-related stress, trauma symptoms within the past month, and resilience. Sixty-two percent of the sample demonstrated a pattern of responding to survey measures consistent with high or very high risk for post-traumatic stress disorder. Consistent with hypotheses, bivariate correlation analyses revealed a significant positive association between COVID-related stress and trauma symptoms ( r = .29, p < .001), such that higher self-reported COVID-related stress was related to higher levels of trauma symptoms. Resilience, however, did not serve as a significant moderator of this association (β = .23, 95% CI [−0.06, 0.17], p = .35). Findings suggest that an individual conceptualization of resilience may not be a sufficient buffer for the heavier allostatic load and the cumulative impact of COVID-related stress on traumatic stress for Black communities, who culturally tend to center communal relationships.
Salt and Cardiovascular Disease
Authors: Vala Dayasagar Rao , Azam Mohammed Sadiq
Published: July 2024

Heart disease is a leading cause of mortality and morbidity globally. Sedentary lifestyle, bad eating habits, and little to no exercise have led to an alarming rise of lifestyle-mediated diseases in recent times. Table salt is one of the staples of all our kitchens and dining tables. Salt contains almost 98% sodium chloride. The unregulated amount of salt in our diet has led to adverse cardiovascular consequences. Fast foods such as salted French fries and Chinese cuisine may contain as much as 7,000 mg of sodium in a single meal! The American Heart Association (AHA) recommends a daily intake of not more than 2.3 g of salt per day (roughly one teaspoon). For patients with hypertension, heart failure, or kidney disease, a lower daily cut-off of 1.5 g of salt has been proposed but is still under debate. There is conflicting evidence of going too low with salt restriction as recent studies have shown increased adverse events when salt was restricted to beyond the recommended per-day threshold. The DASH (dietary approaches to stop hypertension) diet is a novel dietary pattern that is recommended for patients with hypertension. The DASH diet is not a restrictive or short-term diet but rather a sustainable and balanced approach to eating. It promotes a wide variety of foods, focusing on whole, unprocessed options, and encourages portion control. Adhering to a DASH eating pattern by itself can lower the systolic blood pressure by 6–11 mm Hg. Reducing salt intake can be challenging, as salt is present in many processed and packaged foods, restaurant meals, and fast food. More than 70% of the salt we eat, according to the AHA, comes from processed, prepackaged, and restaurant foods.

“Salt Lite” is often marketed as a healthier alternative for individuals looking to lower their sodium intake. It typically contains a blend of potassium chloride with sodium chloride and is hence not totally “sodium free.” Individuals considering the use of “Salt Lite” should be aware of its higher potassium content and should not use it if they have a kidney disease or are on drugs that can cause hyperkalemia. There is a common misconception that pink Himalayan salt is lower in sodium than regular table salt. However, both types consist of approximately 98% sodium chloride. Research has not shown that Himalayan salt has any unique health benefits compared to other dietary salts.

It is hence imperative for all individuals to restrict dietary salt intake to the recommended levels—as a measure toward a healthy lifestyle as well as a therapeutic modality for those with established cardiovascular diseases.
Patient organization perspective: a research roadmap for Okur-Chung Neurodevelopmental Syndrome
Authors: Rushing Gabrielle V. , Sills Jennifer
Published: July 2024

Okur-Chung neurodevelopmental syndrome (OCNDS) is an ultra-rare disorder caused by variants in the CSNK2A1 gene. CSNK2A1 encodes for the alpha subunit of casein kinase 2 (CK2), a serine/threonine kinase critical in neural development. CK2 is implicated in many human pathologies, including viral infections, cancer, inflammation, cardiovascular, neurodegenerative, and psychiatric diseases. However, the mechanism of action for the CSNK2A1 variants observed in OCNDS is not fully understood, although studies suggest a loss of function or altered substrate specificity. There are no approved treatments for OCNDS, and current treatments focus on symptom management. The CSNK2A1 Foundation was established in 2018 and aims to find a cure for OCNDS and provide support to affected individuals. OCNDS presents with symptoms at varying severity, including developmental delay/intellectual disabilities, autism, disrupted sleep, speech delays/inability to speak, short stature, and, in ~25% of cases, epilepsy. The foundation has developed a research toolbox that is readily available to researchers worldwide and has awarded ~$1 million in grant funding. These efforts have provided valuable insights into CK2 biology and the natural history of OCNDS. However, additional efforts are needed to fully characterize the disease mechanism and investigate potential treatment interventions. Continued investigation into CK2 and its role in neural development holds promise for a better understanding of OCNDS and related disorders in the future. To accelerate research, we have developed a research roadmap highlighting key focus areas of landscape analysis/toolbox expansion, biomarker development, and therapeutic testing through a series of steps that are nonlinear; we expect these efforts to guide decision-making for therapeutic exploration whether that be drug repurposing, gene therapy, novel drug discovery, or a combination. In this perspective article, we describe OCNDS and the CSNK2A1 gene, highlight gaps in OCNDS research, discuss the research roadmap, and offer the founder’s perspective on our growth and future opportunities.
Nostalgia, anomia and the fear of crime
Authors: Hirtenlehner Helmut , Farrall Stephen
Published: July 2024

In times of change, individuals may feel disoriented and alienated, be afraid of crime and long for a supposedly better past. Despite these interdependencies, the interrelationships between anomia, nostalgia and fear of crime have remained under-researched. In order to close this gap, the current study investigates whether feelings of nostalgia increase fear of crime and what role sentiments of anomia might play in this context. The results of a university student survey in Austria indicate that both nostalgia and anomia affect the levels of fear of crime reported, and that the influence of sentiments of anomia on worry about crime is partially mediated by feelings of nostalgia. Instrumental variables analyses, employed to defuse the endogeneity issue, confirm the nostalgia effect.
Speed as an expression and texture of space: Theory at play in a movement activity
Authors: Andrews Gavin J , Griffin Meridith , Phoenix Cassandra
Published: July 2024

In recent years, following new materialist, posthumanist and non-representational turns, human geography has increasingly understood the worlds it studies as vital, immediate and emergent. As part of this vision, studies have empirically animated and theoretically articulated various expressions/textures in the movement of space, including its rhythms, shapes, timings, repetitions, sensuousness and infections. Speed is one such expression/texture that has received some empirical attention but, in comparison to most others, it has not been so thoroughly theorized. In response, this article conducts a reconnaissance into speed, its intentions being to convey some foundational theoretical understandings of speed and, through empirical research, show these at play in social contexts. Specifically, naturalistic participant observations of forms of the movement activity of cycling are used to animate how (1) speed can be represented and affective as a scalar quantity, (2) all objects possess speeds and affect other speeds, (3) speeds and objects are known through relative positions and speeds, (4) speeds create rates of happening, (5) speeds occur in all expressions/textures of space and (6) the accelerating world is engaged at relational speeds. From this reconnaissance, to assist future research on speed, the article closes with some suggested avenues for further inquiry.
Why psychological scientists should disdain determinism
Authors: Baumeister Roy F , Lau Stephan
Published: July 2024

This essay strives to challenge a conceptual foundation of psychology that is questioned all too rarely: causal determinism. Specifically, the issue we have an argument with is the idea that human behavior is characterized by strict and inevitable sequences of cause and effect. We make two arguments against this notion. First, we argue that, even if true, this conception of determinism is useless and misleading for psychological theories, because psychological theories typically must explain how agents respond to situations defined by having multiple alternative possible outcomes. Second, we argue that this determinism is probably wrong, outdated, and circular in its reasoning. Alongside these arguments, we present results of a survey among fellow researchers, assessing their beliefs on the topic. Results show that psychologists are indeed discordant about this issue, and tendencies to endorse notions of causal determinism are more prevalent in younger than older scientists. We respect this diversity of opinion and seek to make the case that psychology theory would be best served by abandoning the wrongheaded idea of human behavior being inevitable and physically predetermined and replacing it with a brain-based agent operating in a world defined by multiple genuine possibilities and probabilistic causation.
Demand and Supply Drivers of Medicare and Non-Medicare Health Spending: An Analysis of U.S. States, 1991–2019
Authors: Gaffney Adam , McCormick Danny , Himmelstein Gracie , Woolhandler Steffie , Himmelstein David U.
Published: July 2024

For the last four decades, policymakers have attempted to control the United States's high health care costs by reducing patients’ demand for care (e.g., by imposing managed-care restrictions or high costs on patients at the time of use). Yet studies based mostly on data from the public Medicare program, which covers mostly elderly Americans, suggest that supply (e.g., number of physicians or hospital beds) rather than demand drives aggregate service use and, hence, costs. Using variation between U.S. states in per enrollee Medicare spending versus per capita spending of all other (non-Medicare) individuals, we find that greater supply boosts costs for the entire population. Furthermore, we find that factors that suppress demand in the non-Medicare population do reduce non-Medicare health care spending, but simultaneously increase Medicare spending. This suggests that for a given supply of medical resources, suppressing demand for one group of patients may produce a compensatory increase in provision of care to those whose demand has not been suppressed. Health planning to assure adequate medical resources where they are needed while preventing excess supply where it is duplicative and wasteful is likely a more effective cost control strategy than the imposition of managed-care restrictions or imposing higher costs onto patients seeking care.
Probabilistic curvature limit states of corroded circular RC bridge columns: Data-driven models and application to lifetime seismic fragility analyses
Authors: Xu Bo , Wang Xiaowei , Yang Chuang-Sheng Walter , Li Yue
Published: July 2024

Reinforcement corrosion has been recognized as an influential factor in the seismic fragility, both demand and capacity models, of aging reinforced concrete (RC) bridges. For capacity models, accurate and applied prediction tools accounting for aging effects are yet to be well established. Current practices usually perform numerical analyses to obtain time-variant capacity models, which are time-consuming particularly when multi-source structural and environmental uncertainties are considered and sometimes even suffer computational non-convergence. To address these issues, this study leverages a rigorously optimized artificial neural network architecture to develop data-driven models for rapid estimates of probabilistic curvature capacity of corroded circular RC bridge columns with flexural failure modes. An extensive database of multi-level curvature limit states (i.e. slight, moderate, severe, and complete) is created through experimentally validated moment–curvature analyses. A new threshold for the moderate limit state is defined based on the strain of core concrete, rather than cover concrete, to account for the potential full erosion of the cover with drastic corrosion. The data-driven probabilistic capacity models are applied to aid the lifetime seismic fragility assessment of a typical highway bridge, where the spectral acceleration at 1.0 s (Sa-10), peak ground velocity (PGV), and Housner intensity (HI) are found consistently, for the first time, as optimal intensity measures for probabilistic demand modeling of RC columns with different extents of aging effects. For the ease of application, the database and code for the data-driven probabilistic capacity models are accessible at https://bit.ly/3uAa8EY .
Damage to stone masonry buildings in historical centers due to the 2023 earthquake sequence in Turkey
Authors: Vintzileou Elizabeth , Palieraki Vasiliki
Published: July 2024

Unreinforced stone masonry buildings represent a significant part of the building stock in the areas affected by the recent devastating earthquakes of 6 February 2023 in Turkey. Most of them were built before 2000, and, hence, they are not compliant with current seismic provisions. Severe damage or collapse was observed in a large number of low-rise stone masonry buildings, including many listed as monuments ones. The structural systems of masonry buildings in the historical center of two cities (namely, Gaziantep and Antakya) are presented herein, along with the typical damage observed. The causes of damage are qualitatively interpreted, wherever relevant evidence is available. To this purpose, the observed damage is compared to that occurred in other parts of the world, in structural systems similar to those of the area affected. Furthermore, the detrimental effect of inadequate pre-earthquake interventions is identified, while a critical discussion regarding frequently applied interventions, and the availability of design rules in current Codes and Guidelines, is initiated to pave the way toward efficient measures to be taken for the protection of surviving stone masonry buildings in Turkey and beyond.
TaSPL6B, a member of the Squamosa promoter binding protein-like family, regulates shoot branching and florescence in Arabidopsis thaliana
Authors: Dong Feiyan , Song Jinghan , Zhang Huadong , Zhang Jiarun , Chen Yangfan , Zhou Xiaoyi , Li Yaqian , Ge Shijie , Liu Yike
Published: July 2024

Background

Squamosa promoter-binding protein-like (SPL) proteins are essential to plant growth and development as plant-specific transcription factors. However, the functions of SPL proteins in wheat need to be further explored.

Results

We cloned and characterized TaSPL6B of wheat in this study. Analysis of physicochemical properties revealed that it contained 961 amino acids and had a molecular weight of 105 kDa. Full-length TaSPL6B transcription activity was not validated in yeast and subcellular localization analysis revealed that TaSPL6B was distributed in the nucleus. Ectopic expression of TaSPL6B in Arabidopsis led to increasing number of branches and early flowering. TaSPL6B was highly transcribed in internodes of transgenic Arabidopsis. The expression of AtSMXL6/AtSMXL7/AtSMXL8 (homologous genes of TaD53) was markedly increased, whereas the expression of AtSPL2 (homologous genes of TaSPL3) and AtBRC1 (homologous genes of TaTB1) was markedly reduced in the internodes of transgenic Arabidopsis. Besides, TaSPL6B, TaSPL3 and TaD53 interacted with one another, as demonstrated by yeast two-hybrid and bimolecular fluorescence complementation assays. Therefore, we speculated that TaSPL6B brought together TaD53 and TaSPL3 and enhanced the inhibition effect of TaD53 on TaSPL3 through integrating light and strigolactone signaling pathways, followed by suppression of TaTB1, a key repressor of tillering.

Conclusions

As a whole, our findings contribute to a better understanding of how SPL genes work in wheat and will be useful for further research into how TaSPL6B affects yield-related traits in wheat.
The genetic effects of hormones modulated by the Pituitary-Thyroid/Adrenal/Gonadal axis on the risk of developing venous thromboembolism: a mendelian randomization study
Authors: Tian Hao , Xie Chaozheng , Teng Biyun , Zeng Qiu , Zhao Yu , Li Fenghe , Jiang Chuli , Chen Zheng
Published: July 2024

Background

The aim of this study was to explore the genetic effects of hormones modulated through the pituitary-thyroid/adrenal/gonadal axis on the risk of developing venous thromboembolism (VTE) and to investigate the potentially causal relationships between them.

Methods

A two-sample Mendelian randomization (MR) design was used. The single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) used as instrumental variables for various hormones and hormone-mediated diseases were derived from published genome-wide association studies (GWASs). Summary statistics for the risk of developing VTE (including deep venous thrombosis [DVT] and pulmonary embolism [PE]) were obtained from the UK Biobank and the FinnGen consortium. Inverse-variance weighting (IVW) was applied as the primary method to analyse causal associations. Other MR methods were used for supplementary estimates and sensitivity analysis.

Results

A genetic predisposition to greater free thyroxine (FT4) concentrations was associated with a greater risk of developing DVT (OR = 1.0007, 95%CI [1.0001–1.0013], p = 0.0174) and VTE (OR = 1.0008, 95%CI [1.0002–1.0013], p = 0.0123). Genetically predicted hyperthyroidism was significantly associated with an increased risk of developing DVT (OR = 1.0685, 95%CI [1.0139–1.1261], p = 0.0134) and VTE (OR = 1.0740, 95%CI [1.0165–1.1348], p = 0.0110). According to the initial MR analysis, testosterone concentrations were positively associated with the risk of developing VTE (OR = 1.0038, 95%CI [1.004–1.0072], p = 0.0285). After sex stratification, estradiol concentrations were positively associated with the risk of developing DVT (OR = 1.0143, 95%CI [1.0020–1.0267], p = 0.0226) and VTE (OR = 1.0156, 95%CI [1.0029–1.0285], p = 0.0158) in females, while the significant relationship between testosterone and VTE did not persist. SHBG rs858518 was identified as the only SNP that was associated with an increased risk of developing VTE, mediated by estradiol, in females.

Conclusions

Genetically predicted hyperthyroidism and increased FT4 concentrations were positively associated with the risk of developing VTE. The effects of genetically predicted sex hormones on the risk of developing VTE differed between males and females. Greater genetically predicted estradiol concentrations were associated with an increased risk of developing VTE in females, while the SHBG rs858518 variant may become a potential prevention and treatment target for female VTE.
Investigation of acute encephalitis syndrome with implementation of metagenomic next generation sequencing in Nepal
Authors: Rajeev Shrestha , Nishan Katuwal , Dipesh Tamrakar , M Tato Cristina , Manu Vanaerschot , Vida Ahyong , Juliana Gil , Surendra Kumar Madhup , Binod Gupta , Runa Jha
Published: July 2024

Background

The causative agents of Acute Encephalitis Syndrome remain unknown in 68–75% of the cases. In Nepal, the cases are tested only for Japanese encephalitis, which constitutes only about 15% of the cases. However, there could be several organisms, including vaccine-preventable etiologies that cause acute encephalitis, when identified could direct public health efforts for prevention, including addressing gaps in vaccine coverage.

Objectives

This study employs metagenomic next-generation-sequencing in the investigation of underlying causative etiologies contributing to acute encephalitis syndrome in Nepal.

Methods

In this study, we investigated 90, Japanese-encephalitis-negative, banked cerebrospinal fluid samples that were collected as part of a national surveillance network in 2016 and 2017. Randomization was done to include three age groups (< 5-years; 5-14-years; >15-years). Only some metadata (age and gender) were available. The investigation was performed in two batches which included total nucleic-acid extraction, followed by individual library preparation (DNA and RNA) and sequencing on Illumina iSeq100. The genomic data were interpreted using Chan Zuckerberg-ID and confirmed with polymerase-chain-reaction.

Results

Human-alphaherpes-virus 2 and Enterovirus-B were seen in two samples. These hits were confirmed by qPCR and semi-nested PCR respectively. Most of the other samples were marred by low abundance of pathogen, possible freeze-thaw cycles, lack of process controls and associated clinical metadata.

Conclusion

From this study, two documented causative agents were revealed through metagenomic next-generation-sequencing. Insufficiency of clinical metadata, process controls, low pathogen abundance and absence of standard procedures to collect and store samples in nucleic-acid protectants could have impeded the study and incorporated ambiguity while correlating the identified hits to infection. Therefore, there is need of standardized procedures for sample collection, inclusion of process controls and clinical metadata. Despite challenging conditions, this study highlights the usefulness of mNGS to investigate diseases with unknown etiologies and guide development of adequate clinical-management-algorithms and outbreak investigations in Nepal.
Parkinson's image detection and classification based on deep learning
Authors: Li Hui , Yang Zixuan , Qi Weimin , Yu Xinchen , Wu Jiaying , Li Haining
Published: July 2024

Objective

There are two major issues in the MRI image diagnosis task for Parkinson's disease. Firstly, there are slight differences in MRI images between healthy individuals and Parkinson's patients, and the medical field has not yet established precise lesion localization standards, which poses a huge challenge for the effective prediction of Parkinson's disease through MRI images. Secondly, the early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease traditionally relies on the subjective judgment of doctors, which leads to insufficient accuracy and consistency. This article proposes an improved YOLOv5 detection algorithm based on deep learning for predicting and classifying Parkinson's images.

Methods

This article improves the YOLOv5s network as the basic framework. Firstly, the CA attention mechanism was introduced to enable the model to dynamically adjust attention based on local features of the image, significantly enhancing the sensitivity of the model to PD related small pathological features; Secondly, replace the dynamic full dimensional convolution module to optimize the multi-level extraction of image features; Finally, the coupling head strategy is adopted to improve the execution efficiency of classification and localization tasks separately.

Results

We validated the effectiveness of the proposed method using a dataset of 582 MRI images from 108 patients. The results show that the proposed method achieves 0.961, 0.974, and 0.986 in Precision, Recall, and mAP, respectively, and the experimental results are superior to other algorithms.

Conslusion

The improved model has achieved high accuracy and detection accuracy, and can accurately detect and recognize complex Parkinson's MRI images.

Significance

This algorithm has shown good performance in the early diagnosis of Parkinson's disease and can provide clinical assistance for doctors in early diagnosis. It compensates for the limitations of traditional methods.
Exploring the levels of persistent organic pollutants in umbilical cord blood and their connection to gestational age and birth weights in Şanlıurfa, Turkey
Authors: Yalçin Sıddika Songül , Güneş Bülent , Arikan Kalender , Balçik Orhan , Kara Özcan , Yalçin Suzan
Published: July 2024

Background

Controversy surrounds the impact of persistent organic pollutants (POPs) on fetal development. This study aimed to investigate levels of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and organochlorine pesticides (OCPs) in umbilical cord blood from Şanlıurfa mothers in Turkey, exploring associations with gestational age and birth weight.

Methods

Participants included voluntary mothers pregnant with a single fetus, providing details on maternal factors. Cord blood samples were collected immediately after delivery. Samples were extracted with a modified QuEChERS method, and OCPs (17 pesticides) and PCBs (11 congeners) compound levels were analyzed with a gas chromatograph/mass spectrometry. Detection frequencies and levels of POPs by single pollutant type and pollutant groups were calculated and compared according to gestational duration and birth weight. We used partial least squares discriminant analysis to identify the key chemicals and distinguish their respective statuses.

Results

Among 120 infants, 35 were preterm but appropriate for gestational age, 35 were term but small for gestational age (SGA), and 50 were term and appropriate for gestational age (AGA). Beta HCH, Oxy-Chlordan, and PCB 28, were not detected in cord blood samples. Half of the samples contained at least 4 types of OCPs, with a median OCP level of 38.44 ng/g. Among the DDT, 2,4’-DDE was found at the highest concentration in cord plasma samples. The PCB congeners with a frequency exceeding 50% were ranked in the following order: 151, 149, 138, 146. The median level of ∑PCBs was 5.93 ng/g. Male infants born at term with SGA status exhibited lower levels of ∑DDTs, ∑OCPs compared to male infants born preterm or at term with AGA status. Di-ortho-substituted PCBs and hexachlorinated PCBs were higher in male infants born at term with SGA status than male infants born preterm with AGA status.

Conclusion

Overall, exposure to DDT and PCBs demonstrates varying effects depending on gestational duration and birth weight, with exposure levels also differing by gender. This underscores the necessity for studies across diverse populations that investigate the combined effects of multiple pollutant exposures on gestational age, birth weight, and gender simultaneously.
Prevalence of anxiety and depression and their associated risk factors throughout pregnancy and postpartum: a prospective cross-sectional descriptive multicentred study
Authors: Jimènez-Barragan Marta , Falguera-Puig Gemma , Curto-Garcia Jorge Juan , Monistrol Olga , Coll-Navarro Engracia , Tarragó-Grima Mercè , Ezquerro-Rodriguez Olga , Ruiz Anna Carmona , Codina-Capella Laura , Urquizu Xavier , Pino Gutierrez Amparo del
Published: July 2024

Objective

To assess the prevalence of anxiety and depression and their associated risk factors throughout the pregnancy and postpartum process using a new screening for the early detection of mental health problems.

Design

A prospective cross-sectional descriptive multicentred study. Participants were consecutively enrolled at ≥ 12 weeks’ gestation and followed at three different time points: at 12–14 weeks of pregnancy, at 29–30 weeks of pregnancy, and 4–6 weeks postpartum. All women completed a mental screening at week 12–14 of pregnancy consisting of two questions from the Generalised Anxiety Disorder Scale (GAD-2) and the two Whooley questions. If this screening was positive, the woman completed the Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPDS).

Setting

Seven primary care centres coordinated by a Gynaecology and Obstetrics Department in the city of Terrassa (Barcelona) in northern Spain.

Participants

Pregnant women (N = 335, age 18–45 years), in their first trimester of pregnancy, and receiving prenatal care in the public health system between July 2018 and July 2020.

Findings

The most relevant factors associated with positive screening for antenatal depression or anxiety during pregnancy, that appear after the first trimester of pregnancy, are systematically repeated throughout the pregnancy, and are maintained in the postpartum period were: a history of previous depression, previous anxiety, abuse, and marital problems. In weeks 12–14 early risk factors for positive depression and anxiety screening and positive EPDS were: age, smoking, educational level, employment status, previous psychological/psychiatric history and treatment, suicide in the family environment, voluntary termination of pregnancy and current planned pregnancy, living with a partner and partner’s income. In weeks 29–30 risk factors were: being a skilled worker, a history of previous depression or anxiety, and marital problems. In weeks 4–6 postpartum, risk factors were: age, a history of previous depression or anxiety or psychological/psychiatric treatment, type of treatment, having been mistreated, and marital problems.

Conclusions

Early screening for anxiety and depression in pregnancy may enable the creation of more effective healthcare pathways, by acting long before mental health problems in pregnant women worsen or by preventing their onset. Assessment of anxiety and depression symptoms before and after childbirth and emotional support needs to be incorporated into routine practice.