bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Comprehensive Examination of the Contaminants in Drinking Water in Public Schools in California, 2017-2022
Authors: Garvey Kelly A. , Edwards Marc A. , Blacker Lauren S. , Hecht Christina E. , Parks Jeffrey L. , Patel Anisha I.
Published: September 2023

Objectives:

Reports of unsafe school drinking water in the United States highlight the importance of ensuring school water is safe for consumption. Our objectives were to describe (1) results from our recent school drinking water sampling of 5 common contaminants, (2) school-level factors associated with exceedances of various water quality standards, and (3) recommendations.

Methods:

We collected and analyzed drinking water samples from at least 3 sources in 83 schools from a representative sample of California public schools from 2017 through 2022. We used multivariate logistic regression to examine school-level factors associated with lead in drinking water exceedances at the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) recommendation level (1 part per billion [ppb]) and state action-level exceedances of other contaminants (lead, copper, arsenic, nitrate, and hexavalent chromium).

Results:

No schools had state action-level violations for arsenic or nitrate; however, 4% had ≥1 tap that exceeded either the proposed 10 ppb action level for hexavalent chromium or the 1300 ppb action level for copper. Of first-draw lead samples, 4% of schools had ≥1 tap that exceeded the California action level of 15 ppb, 18% exceeded the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) bottled water standard of 5 ppb, and 75% exceeded the AAP 1 ppb recommendation. After turning on the tap and flushing water for 45 seconds, 2%, 10%, and 33% of schools exceeded the same standards, respectively. We found no significant differences in demographic characteristics between schools with and without FDA or AAP exceedances.

Conclusions:

Enforcing stricter lead action levels (<5 ppb) will markedly increase remediation costs. Continued sampling, testing, and remediation efforts are necessary to ensure drinking water meets safety standards in US schools.
Hepatitis C Cascades: Data to Inform Hepatitis C Elimination in the United States
Authors: Montgomery Martha P. , Randall Liisa M. , Morrison Monica , Gupta Neil , Doshani Mona , Teshale Eyasu
Published: September 2023

The United States has a goal to eliminate hepatitis C as a public health threat by 2030. To accomplish this goal, hepatitis C virus (HCV) care cascades (hereinafter, HCV cascades) can be used to measure progress toward HCV elimination and identify disparities in HCV testing and care. In this topical review of HCV cascades, we describe common definitions of cascade steps, review the application of HCV cascades in health care and public health settings, and discuss the strengths and limitations of data sources used. We use examples from the Massachusetts Department of Public Health as a case study to illustrate how multiple data sources can be leveraged to produce HCV cascades for public health purposes. HCV cascades in health care settings provide actionable data to improve health care quality and delivery of services in a single health system. In public health settings at jurisdictional and national levels, HCV cascades describe HCV diagnosis and treatment for populations, which can be challenging in the absence of a single data source containing complete, comprehensive, and timely data representing all steps of a cascade. Use of multiple data sources and strategies to improve interoperability of health care and public health data systems can advance the use of HCV cascades and speed progress toward HCV elimination.
Friendships in Emerging Adulthood: The Role of Parental and Friendship Attachment Representations and Intimacy
Authors: Oldeman Marie G. , Cillessen Antonius H. N. , van den Berg Yvonne H. M.
Published: September 2023

The current studies addressed the associations between attachment representations with parents and a single best friend, intimacy behaviors (self-disclosure and support-seeking), and friendship quality in emerging adulthood, using the actor–partner interdependence mediation model (APIMeM). Study 1 ( N = 186 dyads) examined whether attachment to parents predicted friendship quality, and whether this was mediated by attachment to their best friend. More avoidance or anxiety with parents predicted lower friendship quality, which was mediated by avoidance or anxiety with their best friend. Study 2 ( N = 118 dyads) examined whether self-disclosure and support-seeking mediated the link between attachment with best friend and friendship quality. Anxiety with their best friend predicted lower friendship quality, which was mediated by support-seeking. Anxiety predicted less self-disclosure and support-seeking. We found no effects of avoidance. No partner effects were found in both studies. The findings are discussed in terms of adult attachment theory.
Bibliometric mapping of current therapies for children and adolescents with a functional visual disorder (FVD)
Authors: Schraauwers R , Ketelaar ME , Sterkenburg PS
Published: September 2023

Children and adolescents with a functional neurological disorder (such as functional visual disorder [FVD]) experience a lower psychological quality of life with more mental health problems than healthy controls. While there is ample research about functional neurological disorder in general, there is also a general lack of research concerning FVD and the effectiveness of treatments given to children and adolescents suffering from it. Our aim was to provide a visual overview of common topics concerning treatments of children and adolescents with an FVD. VOSviewer is a programme that extracts information (terms) from the titles and abstracts of articles to generate bibliometric networks. The results show that common subject terms are paediatrics and children. The common diagnostic terms include conversion disorder, hysterical vision disturbance, somatoform disorders, hysterical disorders, and functional (psychogenic) visual loss. Common therapeutic terms are suggestion therapy, brief psychotherapy, hypnosis, psychiatry, therapeutic processes, and suggestibility. The results give insight into the treatments that children and adolescents with FVD currently receive. We also provide directions for future studies into the treatment of FVD in children and adolescents.
Evaluating infusion methods and simplified quantification of synaptic density in vivo with [11C]UCB-J and [18F]SynVesT-1 PET
Authors: Asch Ruth H , Naganawa Mika , Nabulsi Nabeel , Huan Yiyun , Esterlis Irina , Carson Richard E
Published: September 2023

For some positron emission tomography studies, radiotracer is administered as bolus plus continuous infusion (B/I) to achieve a state of equilibrium. This approach can reduce scanning time and simplify data analysis; however, the method must be validated and optimized for each tracer. This study aimed to validate a B/I method for in vivo quantification of synaptic density using radiotracers which target the synaptic vesicle glycoprotein 2 A: [11C]UCB-J and [18F]SynVesT-1. Observed mean standardized uptake values (SUV) in target tissue relative to that in plasma ( CT/ CP) or a reference tissue (SUVR-1) were calculated for 30-minute intervals across 120 or 150-minute dynamic scans and compared against one-tissue compartment (1TC) model estimates of volume of distribution ( VT) and binding potential ( BPND), respectively. We were unable to reliably achieve a state of equilibrium with [11C]UCB-J, and all 30-minute windows yielded overly large bias and/or variability for CT/ CP and SUVR-1. With [18F]SynVesT-1, a 30-minute scan 90–120 minutes post-injection yielded CT/ CP and SUVR-1 values that estimated their respective kinetic parameter with sufficient accuracy and precision (within 7[Formula: see text]6%) . This B/I approach allows a clinically feasible scan at equilibrium with potentially better accuracy than a static scan SUVR following a bolus injection.
Recurrent steroid cell tumor not otherwise specified with elevated testosterone and prolactin concentrations and impaired glucose metabolism: a case report
Authors: Xu Yuan , Shang Hong-Kai
Published: September 2023

Steroid cell tumor not otherwise specified (SCT-NOS) is a rare type of sex cord-stromal tumor with malignant potential. A 19-year-old woman underwent laparoscopic bilateral cystectomy, and postoperative pathology showed bilateral ovarian SCT-NOS. She had recurrence of the right tumor 8 years after the surgery, with shortened menstrual cycles, elevated testosterone and prolactin concentrations, and impaired glucose metabolism. We performed a laparoscopic right salpingo-oophorectomy. Testosterone and prolactin concentrations rapidly decreased and returned to the normal range after surgery. Subsequently, she had regular menstrual cycles and good glycemic control. The findings in our case suggest that there is a possibility of late recurrence in SCT-NOS. Therefore, we suggest that the postoperative follow-up period should be 10 years for this condition.
Keep in touch, stay in sight: locally-interpreted overt subjects in 1QIsaa
Authors: Fleck Einav
Published: September 2023

This study discusses textual variants at the sentence level in 1QIsaa, in which syntactic phrases in MT, mainly objects, seem to have been interpreted as overt subjects in the scroll. These variants are attested in two syntactic contexts: (a) clauses with non-canonical word order; and (b) subjectless clauses with third-person masculine verbs. In both contexts, an overt subject does not appear in its expected linear position. Consequently, an unintentional interpretation of the first suitable syntactic phrase as an overt subject at the closest proximity to its predicate is sometimes observed in the scroll. This (mis)interpretation is evaluated from a sentence-processing perspective and explained by (a) economic processing; and (b) the probability of comprehenders’ interpreting linguistic input as a simpler and more plausible structure in their language. A preference for subject interpretation is well attested in other Subject-before-Object languages, indicating a general bias of comprehenders toward the simplest structure of the linguistic input, in which all syntactic phrases are realized in their canonical positions with no moved or absent elements.
Studying the relationship between microstructure and properties of polylactic acid/styrene-ethylene butyl-styrene blend reinforced by graphene
Authors: Ghasemi Hossein , Arefkhani Mahdi , Babaei Amir
Published: September 2023

The main purpose of this study was to investigate the relationship between microstructure and mechanical performance of polylactic acid when mixed with styrene-ethylene butylene-styrene copolymer and also graphene nanoplatelets. For this purpose, a series of neat polymer blends were first prepared with varying mixing ratios through a one-step melt mixing technique. Subsequently, the effect of various loadings of graphene nanoplatelets on the best mixing ratio (optimal composition) of the binary blend was investigated. To understand the different performances of various nanocomposites, the correlation of mechanical, rheological, and microstructural properties was thoroughly investigated using X-ray diffraction, scanning electron microscopy, linear viscoelastic behavior, tensile testing, and impact strength analyses. Furthermore, the influence of the mixing sequence of nanocomposites preparation on the microstructure and mechanical performance of nanocomposites was studied. Results demonstrated that the incorporation of graphene nanoplatelets as well as mixing sequence has a substantial effect on the final properties of prepared nanocomposites which was deeply discussed.
Fatigue behaviour of PVC foam core sandwich with GFRP faces: Simulation and experimental analysis
Authors: Alila F. , Fajoui J. , Casari P. , Jacquemin F. , Kchaou M.
Published: September 2023

A multi-layer structure by sandwiching rigid cellular PVC (polyvinyl chloride) foam between two GFRP (glass-fibre reinforced plastic) faces is studied in order to investigate the sample edge effects on fatigue life of the sandwich structure. Therefore, a new geometry of specimen is developed based on numerical simulation approach. Compared to the results given by the ASTM C393 standard, the experimental study was confirmed that edge effects are leading to early failures as the shear stresses concentration was shifted from the new geometry. An optimal prediction of fatigue life of foam-based sandwich has been established during bending fatigue test. The different failure modes were followed by microstructural analyses to better explain the global behaviour of the structure.
Organizational Context and Quality Indicators in Nursing Homes: A Microsystem Look
Authors: Duan Yinfei , Hoben Matthias , Song Yuting , Chamberlain Stephanie A. , Iaconi Alba , Choroschun Katharina , Shrestha Shovana , Cummings Greta G. , Norton Peter G. , Estabrooks Carole A.
Published: September 2023

The association of organizational context with quality of care in nursing homes is not well understood at the clinical microsystem (care unit) level. This cross-sectional study examined the associations of unit-level context with 10 unit-level quality indicators derived from the Minimum Data Set 2.0. Study settings comprised 262 care units within 91 Canadian nursing homes. We assessed context using unit-aggregated care-aide-reported scores on the 10 scales of the Alberta Context Tool. Mixed-effects regression analysis showed that structural resources were negatively associated with antipsychotics use (B = −.06; p = .001) and worsened late-loss activities of daily living (B = −.03, p = .04). Organizational slack in time was negatively associated with worsened pain (B = −.04, p = .01). Social capital was positively associated with delirium symptoms (B = .12, p = .02) and worsened depressive symptoms (B = .10, p = .01). The findings suggested that targeting interventions to modifiable contextual elements and unit-level quality improvement will be promising.
Design and simulation of a flexible piezoelectric sensing array with stable sensitivity and high duty cycle
Authors: Wang Xin , Kang Tongtong , Zhang Jiale , Nan Xueli
Published: September 2023

Flexible piezoelectric sensing arrays (FPSA) have an irreplaceable role in the fields of stress detection and self-energy supply and are part of the current hotspots of research in flexible electronics. In this paper, a FPSA with stable sensitivity and high duty cycle is designed to achieve high sensitivity over a wide range and a high duty cycle of 84.17%. The sensing unit uses two inverted trapezoidal prismatic structures (ITPS) with piezoelectric layers with stable sensitivity to pressure. For practical fabrication, a single-electrode array and cut package are proposed to solve the crosstalk problem between the highly duty cycle array units. The single-electrode array reduces the array structure’s complexity and the process’s difficulty. The cut package reduces crosstalk between units and improves the stress sensitivity of the array. Comsol Multiphysics and Abaqus provide strong validation and analysis of this design. The designed FPSA, which has demonstrated excellent performance in simulation analysis, significantly decreases the time and economic cost of device preparation. Given the compelling features, this study offers an effective solution for mitigating unit crosstalk in flexible sensing arrays, which hold significant academic research promise and application value.
Tooth root stress reduction of plastic gears with biological inspired shape optimization
Authors: Kassem Wassiem , Oehler Manuel , Koch Oliver
Published: September 2023

The geometry of plastic gears used today is usually based on conventional steel gears, which are bound to the restrictions of the machining production of gears. The injection molding process provides more design freedom. This paper presents an approach to reduce the tooth root stress of plastic gears using a biologically inspired shape optimization method called CAO (Computer-Aided Optimization). CAO imitates the biological growth behavior from nature, such as bones or trees, which adapt to the load. It strengthens more heavily loaded areas of the surface and weakens less heavily loaded areas, resulting in an increase in load-bearing capacity. The simulation method is based on finite element analysis and considers the complex material behavior of short fiber reinforced plastics as well as the inhomogeneous fiber orientation. Object of the study are polymer gears made of polyamide 46 with and without short fiber reinforcement. By using the method presented here, it is possible to reduce the tooth root stress by up to 24% compared to a trochoidal tooth root with maximum rounding.
Identification of pedestrian motion feature in mixed traffic conditions and anti-collision algorithm of autonomous vehicle
Authors: Yuan Chaochun , Wu Xinkai , Shen Jie , Chen Long , Cai Yingfeng , He Youguo , Weng Shuofeng , Yuan Yuqi , Gong Yuxuan , Song Jinhang
Published: September 2023

To improve the safety of pedestrians crossing the road in the mixed traffic conditions, this study proposed an active collision avoidance method based on the prediction of pedestrian trajectory. A convolutional neural network is applied to identify the motion feature of pedestrians crossing the road in the image of an automated driving environment with vehicular sensors. Then combined with the pedestrian motion parameters, a new Kalman filtering algorithm is proposed to analyze the change of pedestrian motion feature and predict the trajectory of the pedestrian. Furthermore, a PDS (Pedestrian, Distance, and Speed) estimated braking distance model based on pedestrian characteristics, the distance between pedestrian and vehicle, and the speed of the vehicle is established in this study for the autonomous vehicle controlling speed in advance to avoid risks. It improves both the crossing road pedestrian safety and efficiency of traffic. Eventually, simulations based on CarSim/Simulink are designed to verify the validity of the method. Results show that the method proposed can effectively predict pedestrian trajectories and realize active collision avoidance under the time delay of the detection link.
Stress-strain and fatigue life numerical evaluation of two different dental implants considering isotropic and anisotropic human jaw
Authors: De Stefano Marco , Lanza Antonio , Sbordone Ludovico , Ruggiero Alessandro
Published: September 2023

Dental prostheses are currently a valid solution for replacing potential missing tooth or edentulism clinical condition. Nevertheless, the oral cavity is a dynamic and complex system: occlusal loads, external agents, or other unpleasant events can impact on implants functionality and stability causing a future revision surgery. One of the failure origins is certainly the dynamic loading originated from daily oral activities like eating, chewing, and so on. The aim of this paper was to evaluate, by a numerical analysis based on Finite Elements Method (FEM), and to discuss in a comparative way, firstly, the stress-strain of two different adopted dental implants and, subsequently, their fatigue life according to common standard of calculations. For this investigation, the jawbone was modeled accounting for either isotropic or anisotropic behavior. It was composed of cortical and cancellous regions, considering it completely osseointegrated with the implants. The impact of implants’ fixture design, loading conditions, and their effect on the mandible bone was finally investigated, on the basis of the achieved numerical results. Lastly, the life cycle of the investigated implants was estimated according to the well-established theories of Goodman, Soderberg, and Gerber by exploiting the outcomes obtained by the numerical simulations, providing interesting conclusions useful in the dental practice.
Research priorities for diagnostic instrumentation in urinary incontinence
Authors: Gammie Andrew , Wachter Stefan De
Published: September 2023

The International Consultation on Incontinence (ICI) captures current evidence on incontinence. The conference ‘Incontinence: The Engineering Challenge XIII’ in November 2021 heard an update on the most recent ICI summary on urodynamic testing. This paper summarises the ICI recommendations for future research in urodynamics, with a view to informing engineers of issues and challenges that could benefit from engineering solutions. Engineers are encouraged to contribute to the following areas of research, which will have a direct and positive effect on patients’ quality of life and overall health: (a) Urine flow measurement: home- and app-based devices, machine learning analysis of flow shape, (b) Pressure measurement: normal values for and validation of new technologies, including air-filled, non-invasive and urethral pressure reflectometry, (c) Ultrasound imaging: bladder wall biomechanics, bladder shape analysis, (d) Assess normal and abnormal value ranges, and diagnostic performance and (e) Specific trials in understudied patient groups including those with symptoms resistant to treatment, children and the frail elderly.
An event-triggered sliding mode control mechanism to exponential consensus of fractional-order descriptor nonlinear multi-agent systems
Authors: Meng Xin , Gao Cunchen , Jiang Baoping , Karimi Hamid Reza
Published: September 2023

The problem of leader-following exponential consensus is addressed for fractional-order descriptor nonlinear multi-agent systems by designing an event-triggered sliding mode control strategy. Such an exponential consensus is achieved by defining a suitable sliding surface and a controller under the Mittag–Leffler stability of fractional-order systems. Due to the memory nature of the fractional-order calculus operator, a new condition is established to avoid Zeno behaviors happening, which is different from existing event-triggered schemes. Finally, to illustrate the effectiveness and feasibility of the proposed method, two examples are provided.
Characteristics of LIS research articles affecting their citation impact
Authors: Järvelin Kalervo , Chang Yu-Wei , Vakkari Pertti
Published: September 2023

The paper analyzes the citation impact of Library and Information Science (LIS) research articles published in 31 leading international LIS journals in 2015. The main research question is: to what degree do authors’ disciplinary composition in association with topic, methodology, and type of contribution affect their citation impact? The impact is analyzed in terms of the number of citations received and their authority, using outlier normalization and subfield normalization. Quantitative content analysis is used to analyze article characteristics including topic, methodology, type of contribution, and the disciplinary composition of their author teams. The citations received by the articles are traced from 2015 to May 2021. Citing document authority is measured by the citations they had received up to May 2021. The overall finding was that authors’ disciplinary composition is significantly associated with citation scores. The differences in citation scores between disciplinary compositions appeared typically within information retrieval and scientific communication. In both topics LIS and computer science jointly received significantly higher citation scores than many disciplines like LIS alone or humanities in information retrieval; or natural sciences, medicine, or social sciences alone in scientific communication. The paper is original in reporting a joint analysis of content characteristics, authorship composition, and impact.
Valuing cultural public goods in times of pandemic: What happened to the libraries?
Authors: Gómez-Zapata Jonathan Daniel , Herrera-Moreno Maria Alejandra , Herrero-Prieto Luis César
Published: September 2023

Libraries are one of the most representative institutions of cultural heritage in that they are charged with safeguarding information, fostering knowledge and activating memory. Over the years, they have widened the scope of their functions to also become cultural centres geared towards dissemination and cultural creation, in addition to playing an ever more important role in terms of social interaction and inclusion. This paper seeks to estimate the economic and social value that people assign to public libraries in the city of Medellin (Colombia) which, due to the Covid-19 pandemic, were forced to temporarily halt their onsite services. The contingent valuation method was used, based on a virtual questionnaire aimed at users and non-users in order to estimate the potential value of the direct and passive use of libraries during the pandemic. In addition, certainty analysis was applied to evaluate the trend of stated contributions as reporting reliability increases. Relevant and significant positive willingness to pay was found, and was seen to be greater amongst users who were most sure of their valuations, whilst payments remained stable in the certainty range of non-users. The results highlight the key role played by libraries as local public goods, even during a pandemic and therefore, their function as a basic cultural service as well as of drivers of inclusion and urban change.
Protecting Personhood: A Classic Grounded Theory
Authors: Didier Amélia , Nathaniel Alvita , Scott Helen , Look Susanne , Benaroyo Lazare , Zumstein-Shaha Maya
Published: September 2023

The importance of perceiving and considering patients as healthcare partners has been increasingly promoted. Healthcare systems around the world are now highly interested in patient engagement, participation, collaboration, and partnership. Healthcare professionals are advised that patients, as autonomous beings, should be active in and responsible for a portion of their own care. The study presented here focused on patients’ perceptions of interprofessional collaboration. It was conducted using the classic grounded theory methodology. The theory of protecting personhood emerged as the core concept of hospitalized patients, cared for by interprofessional healthcare teams. This theory encapsulates the process hospitalized patients go through to find balance in their sense of self, oscillating between personhood and patienthood in the unfamiliar hospital environment. The process consists of four stages: the stage of introspection, during which hospitalized patients become aware of their self as a person and as a patient; the stage of preservation, when patients find a balance between the sense of personhood and patienthood; the stage of rupture, wherein patients experience an imbalance between their sense of personhood and patienthood; and the stage of reconciliation, in which personhood is restored. The theory of protecting personhood offers insights into a better understanding of hospitalized patients’ experiences and strategies, revealing the importance of relationships, and the driving force of empowerment. This study is about patients’ perspectives of interprofessional healthcare teams. A grounded theory process allowed the emergence of patients’ concerns and expectations, leading to a substantive theory grounded in the patients’ data.
Using Photographs to Understand the Context of Health: A Novel Two-Step Systematic Process for Coding Visual Data
Authors: Jih Jane , Nguyen Antony , Woo Jasmin , Ly Alison , Shim Janet K.
Published: September 2023

In qualitative research, photographs and other visual data have been used with oral narratives in ethnography, interviews, and focus groups to convey and understand the perceptions, attitudes, and lived experiences of participants. Visual methodologies that incorporate photographic data include photo elicitation, which has varied approaches with the inclusion of photographs generated by researchers or participants, and Photovoice, which is a form of photo elicitation focused on participatory action research. Current literature provides insufficient guidance on a systematic coding process of visual data elements that could maximize capturing of visual data for qualitative analysis. We describe our rationale and process for developing a two-step systematic process for coding visual data, specifically photographs. The two-step systematic process for coding photographs involves coding the foreground (focal point) and then the background of the photograph, using separate codebooks. Application of this two-step coding approach resulted in surfacing additional rich data on the health-related contexts and environments in which participants lived. Incorporation of this methodology could enhance understanding of the context of health and generate ideas and new directions of inquiry.
Bifurcation and stability analysis of a high-speed rail vehicle with active yaw dampers
Authors: Guo Jinying , Shi Huailong , Zeng Jing
Published: September 2023

Active yaw dampers (AYDs) show promise in addressing the carbody and bogie hunting issues of high-speed rail vehicles. However, the bifurcation behaviour under active control and the control law for hunting instability still require investigation. This study presents a comprehensive description of the linear control law, which can be simplified to various schemes, including skyhook damping, groundhook stiffness, modal, and blended schemes. The bifurcation behaviour under active control was analysed using a simplified lateral-dynamics-intended seven DOFs vehicle model and verified using a 3D full DOFs model in SIMPACK. Besides the well-known Hopf bifurcation, results also revealed a branching point (BP) and two new stable asymmetric equilibria. Although the asymmetric equilibria born through BP are stable, BP bifurcation should still be avoided for wheel flange contact and derailment concerns. Possible control laws are explored for two hunting scenarios: carbody hunting and bogie hunting. For carbody hunting cases, the control force can be either a linear function of bogie yaw displacement or a linear weighting function of bogie lateral and carbody roll velocity. The dominant frequency of the actuated force falls below 2 Hz, with a peak of 1.6 kN, and the allowable time delay is 70 ms. For bogie hunting cases, the control force can be a linear function of either bogie yaw displacement or velocity. In other words, both the groundhook stiffness and damping strategy are applicable. However, the actuated force contains several relatively high-frequency components (6∼13 Hz), which poses challenges to the control system and actuators, and the allowable time delay is relatively small.
The Intergroup Value Protection Model: A Theoretically Integrative and Dynamic Approach to Intergroup Conflict Escalation in Democratic Societies
Authors: van Zomeren Martijn , d’Amore Chantal , Pauls Inga Lisa , Shuman Eric , Leal Ana
Published: September 2023

Scientific Abstract

We review social-psychological evidence for a theoretically integrative and dynamic model of intergroup conflict escalation within democratic societies. Viewing individuals as social regulators who protect their social embeddedness (e.g., in their group or in society), the intergroup value protection model (IVPM) integrates key insights and concepts from moral and group psychology (e.g., group identification, outrage, moralization, protest) into a functional intergroup value protection process. The model assumes that social regulators are continuously looking for information diagnostic of the outgroup’s intentions to terminate the relationship with the ingroup, and that their specific cognitive interpretations of an outgroup’s action (i.e., as a violation of ingroup or shared values) trigger this process. The visible value-protective responses of one group can trigger the other group’s value-protective responses, thus dynamically increasing chances of conflict escalation. We discuss scientific implications of integrating moral and group psychology and practical challenges for managing intergroup conflict within democratic societies.

Public Abstract

The 2021 Capitol Hill attack exemplifies a major “trigger event” for different groups to protect their values within a democratic society. Which specific perceptions generate such a triggering event, which value-protective responses does it trigger, and do such responses escalate intergroup conflict? We offer the intergroup value protection model to analyze the moral and group psychology of intergroup conflict escalation in democratic societies. It predicts that when group members cognitively interpret another group’s actions as violating ingroup or shared values, this triggers the intergroup value protection process (e.g., increased ingroup identification, outrage, moralization, social protest). When such value-protective responses are visible to the outgroup, this can in turn constitute a trigger event for them to protect their values, thus increasing chances of intergroup conflict escalation. We discuss scientific implications and practical challenges for managing intergroup value conflict in democratic societies, including fears of societal breakdown and scope for social change.
Discursive malleability of a global policy model: How conditional cash transfers transcend political boundaries in Chile
Authors: Heimo Lauri
Published: September 2023

In Chile, a conditional cash transfer (CCT) programme was established by a left-wing government in 2004 and then re-established by a right-wing coalition in 2014. Despite some revisions and adjustments, Ingreso Ético Familiar maintained the core characteristics of its predecessor Chile Solidario. This reflected a wider trend of CCT adoption by an ideologically diverse group of governments. Against this background, it is obvious that the CCT policy model appeals to political decision-makers on a wide scale, or at least makes it acceptable to them. However, questions remain: how was this model embraced by the ideologically opposing coalitions in Chile? And more broadly: how do CCTs appeal to such a wide range of policymakers? The article explores the argumentation of Chilean Members of Parliament and examines how the ideological and political consensus around these programmes was discursively attained. Through this case, the article also sheds light on how domestic policy dynamics interact with global policy processes. The analysis revealed points of confluence, which serve to illustrate the CCT model’s capacity to convey different meanings to different people – allowing it to be interpreted to fit a variety of different perspectives. I define this quality as discursive malleability and argue that it is an important quality not only in explaining how a policy model can resonate among or appeal to such a wide range of policymakers, but also in the process where a global model is adopted in a country and becomes part of the domestic political debate.
Hip reconstruction in cerebral palsy: Lessons from a single center and 137 hips
Authors: Ayub Anoushka , Graff Christy , Horvat Lajos Maurovich , Maizen Claudia
Published: September 2023

Background:

This large, retrospective, single-center study aimed to compare the outcomes of unilateral hip reconstruction and bilateral hip reconstruction in children with non-ambulatory cerebral palsy and ascertain risk factors for recurrent instability and reoperation.

Method:

We performed a retrospective review of 137 hip reconstructions performed for patients with cerebral palsy. Preoperative and postoperative clinical and radiological parameters were documented, including hip migration percentage, acetabular index, the Gross Motor Function Classification System, the Melbourne Cerebral Palsy Hip Classification System, hip abduction, and pelvic obliquity.

Results:

Overall, 49 patients underwent bilateral hip reconstruction, and 37 patients underwent unilateral hip reconstruction. In the unilateral hip reconstruction group, the reconstructed hip remained stable (with a migration percentage < 33%) in 59% of patients compared to 74.4% of the more affected hips in the bilateral hip reconstruction group (p = 0.02). Of the unreconstructed hip in the unilateral hip reconstruction group, 74.4% remained stable (with a migration percentage < 33%), compared to 78.8% of the less affected hips in the bilateral hip reconstruction group. A level pelvis was maintained at final follow-up in significantly more patients in the bilateral hip reconstruction group than the unilateral hip reconstruction group (p = 0.002). Further surgical intervention was performed in 41% of the unilateral hip reconstruction group, compared with 11.5% in the bilateral hip reconstruction group (p = 0.001). Surgery performed under the age of 8 years and not performing an acetabular osteotomy were found to be risk factors for recurrent instability in all groups.

Conclusion:

Our series suggests that in terms of recurrent instability after hip reconstruction in cerebral palsy, protective factors against this complication include bilateral hip reconstruction, hip reconstruction after 8 years of age, and the use of an acetabular osteotomy.
TikTok as Television
Authors: Faltesek Daniel , Graalum Elizbeth , Breving Bailey , Knudsen ElseLucia , Lucas Jessica , Young Sierra , Varas Zambrano Felix Eduardo
Published: September 2023

As much as users and advertisers have flocked to it, TikTok has been a success. To this point, research on TikTok has been concerned with the nature of TikTok texts and the ways that laterally organized networks on TikTok have intermedia interface points. Instead of focusing on the text or the authors, this article argues that Raymond Williams concept of flow is critical for an initial characterization of a social media platform, proposing and implementing a Markov process model for critical media studies of the experience of TikTok flow. The result of this analysis challenges many commonly held ideas about what TikTok “is” and offers evidence that TikTok is television, not social media. We argue that this shift of perspective is important for advancing understanding of this platform.
Funny but not Credible? Why Using (Many) Emojis Decreases Message Credibility and Source Trustworthiness
Authors: Koch Thomas , Denner Nora , Crispin Melina , Hohagen Trees
Published: September 2023

Emojis are paralinguistic elements that are used in computer-mediated communication to express emotions, convey tone, or simply depict objects or statements. This study examines how the (excessive) use of emojis affects knowledge, message credibility, and source trustworthiness. To this end, we conducted three online experiments using social media posts, in which we systematically varied the number of emojis and the source of the message. The results show that displaying many emojis decreases message credibility and source trustworthiness. As a mechanism explaining this effect, we also demonstrate that displaying many emojis is perceived as a persuasive attempt, triggering affective and cognitive reactance, and ultimately reducing message credibility. Moreover, the study shows that using (a large amount of) emojis in a message negatively affects factual knowledge.
Adsorption investigation of a composite of metal-organic framework and polyethylene oxide hydrogel
Authors: AttahDaniel Emmanuel B , Dikio Ezekiel D , Ayawei Nimibofa , Wankasi Donbebe , Mtunzi Fanyana M , Diagboya Paul N
Published: September 2023

Though adsorption techniques are eco-environmentally friendly, most lack the effectiveness of complete contaminant elimination leading to increasing concerns about the presence of aqueous contaminants on humans. Thus, synergistic combination of low adsorption capacity adsorbents may be an effective method to enhance their aqueous contaminant uptake. Sol-gel synthesized lanthanum-1,4-benzene dicarboxylate metal organic framework (LaBDC MOF) and polyethylene oxide (PEO) hydrogel were combined to prepare a synergistic composite adsorbent (PEO-LaBDC) for aqueous methylene blue (MB) adsorption. Major properties of the pristine LaBDC MOF and PEO hydrogel were expressed in the characterized composite indicating successful preparation. PEO-LaBDC composite MB removal rate of MB was at least twice as fast (60 min) to those of the pristine LaBDC MOF (120 min) and PEO hydrogel (125 min). The fitting of kinetics model was fractal in nature, and optimum adsorption was on the alkaline end of the pH spectrum for all adsorbents (pH = 12, 10, and 10, respectively). Comparatively, the composite exhibited a better adsorption performance of ≈177% higher than the pristine LaBDC MOF; buttressing the idea that synergistic combination of adsorbents in composites could enhance adsorption processes. Therefore, the PEO-LaBDC composite is a promising adsorbent for the remediation of aqueous MB.
The emerging roles of SUMOylation in pulmonary diseases
Authors: Zheng Xuyang , Wang Lingqiao , Zhang Zhen , Tang Huifang
Published: September 2023

Small ubiquitin-like modifier mediated modification (SUMOylation) is a critical post-translational modification that has a broad spectrum of biological functions, including genome replication and repair, transcriptional regulation, protein stability, and cell cycle progression. Perturbation or deregulation of a SUMOylation and deSUMOylation status has emerged as a new pathophysiological feature of lung diseases. In this review, we highlighted the link between SUMO pathway and lung diseases, especially the sumoylated substrate such as C/EBPα in bronchopulmonary dysplasia (BDP), PPARγ in pneumonia, TFII-I in asthma, HDAC2 in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), KLF15 in hypoxic pulmonary hypertension (HPH), SMAD3 in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), and YTHDF2 in cancer. By exploring the impact of SUMOylation in pulmonary diseases, we intend to shed light on its potential to inspire the development of innovative diagnostic and therapeutic strategies, holding promise for improving patient outcomes and overall respiratory health.
Metabolomic-genomic prediction can improve prediction accuracy of breeding values for malting quality traits in barley
Authors: Guo Xiangyu , Sarup Pernille , Jahoor Ahmed , Jensen Just , Christensen Ole F.
Published: September 2023

Background

Metabolomics measures an intermediate stage between genotype and phenotype, and may therefore be useful for breeding. Our objectives were to investigate genetic parameters and accuracies of predicted breeding values for malting quality (MQ) traits when integrating both genomic and metabolomic information. In total, 2430 plots of 562 malting spring barley lines from three years and two locations were included. Five MQ traits were measured in wort produced from each plot. Metabolomic features used were 24,018 nuclear magnetic resonance intensities measured on each wort sample. Methods for statistical analyses were genomic best linear unbiased prediction (GBLUP) and metabolomic-genomic best linear unbiased prediction (MGBLUP). Accuracies of predicted breeding values were compared using two cross-validation strategies: leave-one-year-out (LOYO) and leave-one-line-out (LOLO), and the increase in accuracy from the successive inclusion of first, metabolomic data on the lines in the validation population (VP), and second, both metabolomic data and phenotypes on the lines in the VP, was investigated using the linear regression (LR) method.

Results

For all traits, we saw that the metabolome-mediated heritability was substantial. Cross-validation results showed that, in general, prediction accuracies from MGBLUP and GBLUP were similar when phenotypes and metabolomic data were recorded on the same plots. Results from the LR method showed that for all traits, except one, accuracy of MGBLUP increased when including metabolomic data on the lines of the VP, and further increased when including also phenotypes. However, in general the increase in accuracy of MGBLUP when including both metabolomic data and phenotypes on lines of the VP was similar to the increase in accuracy of GBLUP when including phenotypes on the lines of the VP. Therefore, we found that, when metabolomic data were included on the lines of the VP, accuracies substantially increased for lines without phenotypic records, but they did not increase much when phenotypes were already known.

Conclusions

MGBLUP is a useful approach to combine phenotypic, genomic and metabolomic data for predicting breeding values for MQ traits. We believe that our results have significant implications for practical breeding of barley and potentially many other species.
Analysis of gut microbiota in chinese donkey in different regions using metagenomic sequencing
Authors: Guo Rong , Zhang Wei , Shen Wei , Zhang Guoliang , Xie Taifeng , Li Ling , Jinmei Jiacuo , Liu Yiduan , Kong Fanyong , Guo Baozhu , Li Benke , Sun Yujiang , Liu Shuqin
Published: September 2023

Background

Gut microbiota plays a significant role in host survival, health, and diseases; however, compared to other livestock, research on the gut microbiome of donkeys is limited.

Results

In this study, a total of 30 donkey samples of rectal contents from six regions, including Shigatse, Changdu, Yunnan, Xinjiang, Qinghai, and Dezhou, were collected for metagenomic sequencing. The results of the species annotation revealed that the dominant phyla were Firmicutes and Bacteroidetes, and the dominant genera were Bacteroides, unclassified_o_Clostridiales (short for Clostridiales) and unclassified_f_Lachnospiraceae (short for Lachnospiraceae). The dominant phyla, genera and key discriminators were Bacteroidetes, Clostridiales and Bacteroidetes in Tibet donkeys (Shigatse); Firmicutes, Clostridiales and Clostridiales in Tibet donkeys (Changdu); Firmicutes, Fibrobacter and Tenericutes in Qinghai donkeys; Firmicutes, Clostridiales and Negativicutes in Yunnan donkeys; Firmicutes, Fibrobacter and Fibrobacteres in Xinjiang donkeys; Firmicutes, Clostridiales and Firmicutes in Dezhou donkeys. In the functional annotation, it was mainly enriched in the glycolysis and gluconeogenesis of carbohydrate metabolism, and the abundance was the highest in Dezhou donkeys. These results combined with altitude correlation analysis demonstrated that donkeys in the Dezhou region exhibited strong glucose-conversion ability, those in the Shigatse region exhibited strong glucose metabolism and utilization ability, those in the Changdu region exhibited a strong microbial metabolic function, and those in the Xinjiang region exhibited the strongest ability to decompose cellulose and hemicellulose.

Conclusion

According to published literature, this is the first study to construct a dataset with multi-regional donkey breeds. Our study revealed the differences in the composition and function of gut microbes in donkeys from different geographic regions and environmental settings and is valuable for donkey gut microbiome research.