bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Pediatric Ultrasound Appendicitis Score for the Diagnosis of Acute Appendicitis to Reduce Computed Tomography Scan Utilization
Authors: Nemeh Christopher , Hassan Irfan N. , Walsh Abigail , Iyer Sekhar , Gitzelmann Christopher A.
Published: August 2023

Background

Acute appendicitis is one of the most common reasons for pediatric surgical consultation in the emergency room. Although acute appendicitis is a clinical diagnosis, the use of imaging in the emergency department to assist with the diagnosis is very common. Ultrasound is frequently utilized in pediatrics because of the radiation risks associated with computed tomography (CT) scan. The risks of radiation in the pediatric population are much more significant than in adults. Reasons for this include smaller size so there is a relative higher radiation dose than for larger adults, radiosensitive organs such as thyroid, bone marrow, and gonads, and radiation exposure earlier in life allows for more time that a radiation induced cancer could develop. The risks of radiation from imaging are increased with cumulative dosing.

Methods

The purpose of this study was to incorporate the pediatric appendicitis score (PAS) and standardized ultrasound scoring system to provide a combined score that would assist with the clinical diagnosis of acute appendicitis and avoid the need for a CT scan.

Results

The presented data shows that for scores of 7 or more, the specificity and sensitivity is 90% and 90.2%, respectively for the diagnosis of acute appendicitis.

Discussion

This study validates the combined score, shows the specific cutoffs, and initiates the discussion that CT scan may not always be required for diagnosing acute appendicitis if this scoring system is used.
Inequality Based on Power and Capital is Becoming Unsolvable in China: Integrating Culture and Comprehensive Wealth to Approach a Power–Capital Economy
Authors: Kim Jinhyoung
Published: August 2023

This study assesses China’s power–capital economy model, linking it to cultural tightness and comprehensive wealth. The analysis indicates that cultural tightness interacts with the power–capital economy, and unequal distribution of diverse tangible and intangible wealth might result from differences in cultural capital. Power–capital-based inequality widened during the reign of Xi Jinping. Of note, the worsened inequality would be unsolvable because of the political power or government-led power–capital-based inequality. Viewed from the comprehensive wealth framework (CWF) perspective, enhancing a power–capital economy would not contribute to sustainability because the system might contribute to unequal distribution of comprehensive wealth between advantaged and disadvantaged groups regarding power capital.
Cyberbullying Victimization and Perpetration in South Korean Youth: Structural Equation Modeling and Latent Means Analysis
Authors: Kim Dongsim , Lee Claire Seungeun
Published: August 2023

This study explores the relationship between cyberbullying perception, social support, internet use time, cybercrime victimization, and cybercrime perpetration for adolescents by using a nationally representative sample—the 2020 Cyber Violence Survey ( N = 4,958, Grades 4–12) in South Korea. Findings include: (1) higher perceptions of cybercrime correspond to a lower likelihood of cyberbullying victimization, (2) greater support from parents and friends decreases the likelihood of cyberbullying victimization and perceptions, (3) Internet usage time is linked to increased chances of experiencing cyberbullying, (4) a significant positive relationship exists between cyber victimization and perpetration, and (5) levels of school management are associated with student cyber safety. Mitigating victimization via early intervention/prevention programs at school were discussed.
Alcohol consumption under lockdown measures during the COVID-19 pandemic in three Nordic countries
Authors: Gunnerlind Oscar , Lundqvist Robert , Ott Michael , Werneke Ursula
Published: August 2023

Background:

At the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic, concerns arose about a possible rise in alcohol consumption. Early surveys, however, more commonly pointed towards a decrease of alcohol use. But studies based on self-reports may underestimate alcohol use. They also depend on the population sampled. Because of border closures and gastronomy restrictions, countries with centralised alcohol sales provided a unique opportunity to study total domestic consumption during the pandemic without influence of private import or reliance on self-reports.

Aims:

We examined the correlation between alcohol sales and national COVID-19 restrictions in three such countries, Finland, Norway and Sweden.

Method:

We conducted this study as a mirror image study, comparing alcohol sales during the first 2 years of the COVID-19 pandemic with the two preceding years. We explored hours of daylight/season as potential confounders.

Results:

We found no relevant change in alcohol sales during the pandemic years for Finland or Sweden. For Norway, there was a level-change in sales, which could be explained by decreased imports. Sales followed a seasonal pattern. In all three countries, the initial pandemic increase in alcohol sales coincided with an underlying annually recurring seasonal variation.

Conclusions:

The COVID-19 pandemic had less of an impact on alcohol consumption in the three Nordic countries than could intuitively be expected. The increase of alcohol sales at the beginning of the COVID-19 pandemic coincided with a seasonal rise following a pre-pandemic pattern. Therefore, caution should be exercised with drawing conclusions from data with a short time perspective to avoid attribution bias.
Smallholder farmers’ perception and adoption of digital agricultural technologies: An empirical evidence from Vietnam
Authors: Hoang Hung Gia , Tran Hoa Dang
Published: August 2023

This study examines smallholder farmers’ perception of digital agricultural technology and factors that shape the smallholders’ adoption of it in South Central Vietnam. A sample size of 202 smallholder farmers was randomly chosen from a total population of 407 smallholder farmers. Descriptive statistics and a binary logistic regression were used to analyse the data. The results show that the internet and connectivity/wireless, mobile applications and digital platforms are the common digital technologies used by smallholder farmers and these are also the most effective digital technologies for dealing with agricultural production and marketing issues. It can be concluded that younger smallholder farmers who had higher education levels, who interacted with scientists and possessed large farms are in a better position to adopt digital technologies of the internet and connectivity/wireless, mobile applications and digital platforms than older smallholder farmers who had lower education levels, did not interact with scientists and owned small farms. Smallholder farmers who participated in training programs, was member of community-based organisations and contacted with extension workers tend to be digital technology users of the internet and connectivity/wireless and mobile applications. Smallholder farmers who live far from local markets tend to be digital technology users of digital platforms compared to those who live close to one. The provision of training courses on the use of digital technologies in agriculture that consider demographic, socio-economic and institutional characteristics of smallholders when designing and delivering, is a proper agricultural extension strategy which can foster the smallholder farmers to adopt digital technologies for managing agricultural production and marketing systems.
Between Here and Almost There: The Greek–Turkish Border as a Place of Passage
Authors: Dilaver Özge , Redclift Victoria
Published: August 2023

This article studies the life-stories and identity narratives of Turks of Western Thrace (Greece) focusing on the role of the Turkish–Greek border and its changing permeability. It suggests that people who have strong attachments to both sides of a national border experience spatial liminality and the border is a place of passage between not only territories, but also lived identities. For young Turks of Western Thrace, travelling to Turkey to work or study is an established strategy that is intertwined with major life events. Drawing on ride-along interviews and focusing on five participants, who travelled to Turkey during the Cyprus crisis, the article identifies the disciplinary power of bordering on identities and life-stories. By examining how different individuals dealt with this power, and how their circumstances affected the outcomes, it explores the tensions between agency and structure, state power and resistance, and categorisation and liminality during life-planning and identity construction.
‘Broadening’ and ‘deepening’ collective security in times of health crisis: the COVID-19 pandemic and beyond
Authors: Ozguc Umut , Rabbani Asima
Published: August 2023

Since the end of the Cold War, the UN’s collective security model has been questioned as to whether it has been well equipped to respond to the changing landscape of global security. By using the UN Security Council’s response to the COVID-19 pandemic as a case study, this paper traces the discursive contestations of the traditional understanding of the UN Charter-based collective security model. It examines what meanings the member states collectively attach to public health crises, how they frame the COVID-19 pandemic, and, finally how they consider the role of the Security Council in responding to non-military emergencies. An analysis of the debates by the Council members suggest that there is a slow normative change in the recognition of health security as an indivisible aspect of peace. We argue that the pandemic has created a normative environment for the Council’s members to rethink ‘broadening’ and ‘deepening’ collective security beyond military conflicts to emphasize the Council’s role in addressing health issues, structural inequalities, and other human security threats.
The World Spoken Through the Son: Divine Speech and Creation in the Epistle to the Hebrews
Authors: Pierce Madison N.
Published: August 2023

The “Word of God” plays an important role in Hebrews. The author of Hebrews uses spoken quotations to recontextualize Scripture for the contemporary age (e.g., Heb. 2.12–13) and appeals to divine speech acts that alter the course of history (e.g., Heb. 6.14; 8.5). One such speech act is his creation of the world by the word of God, which the author claims we understand “by faith” (Heb. 11.3). But what claim is the author making with respect to creation? This article will argue that the identification of the “Word of God” in Hebrews as the Son in Hebrews 11.3 is a viable reading and then show that this reading affects other passages in Hebrews. To accomplish this, I will (1) provide an overview of some relevant interpretive issues with Hebrews 11.3; (2) discuss how intermediaries (e.g., Word; Wisdom) related to creation in early Jewish literature; (3) demonstrate how the presentation of creation in Hebrews relates to those concepts in early Jewish literature; (4) provide a reading of Heb. 11.3 in light of that synthesis; and (5) offer some suggestions regarding how other passages in Hebrews might be read to highlight Christ as the Word.
Lifting Voices: An Exploration of Black Girls’ Educational Experiences
Authors: Marcellus Renée
Published: August 2023

“Lifting Voices” is a reflection on both my own identity journey and that of several Black women educators as a means of examining how schools can be more intentional in supporting the identity development of their Black female students. By drawing connections across the educational experiences of the Black women I interviewed and putting them in conversation with the issues we address as educators who work with Black female students, I assert that our experiences do not exist in isolation—rather, many aspects of them are shared and transcend time and place. To recognize the manifestations of misogynoir still present in schools is to own that there is still work to be done without minimizing the progress that has been made. I primarily highlight representation in faculty and curriculum, educator training, and access to resources as concrete steps toward greater institutional support of Black girls and more broadly, the establishment of more inclusive school communities that nurture all students and celebrate differences.
Extending the Capabilities Conception of the Individual in Economics: Relationality and Responsibility
Authors: Erasmo Valentina
Published: August 2023

This article extends the capabilities conception of individuals developed by Davis, understanding capabilities as relationships. I first introduced the main concepts that are useful for this extension, namely those of agency and capabilities. Then, I showed that agency refers to a rational and responsible exercise of capabilities through Ricoeurs analysis of Sens earlier works. I successively developed the concept of capabilities as relationships through the distinction between intrapersonal and interpersonal relationships: in this framework, self-scrutiny and relationality, respectively, become the leading capabilities of these two relationships. From this extension of the capabilities conception of the individual, two concepts arise with a certain strength, namely those of responsibility and relationality. This extension of the capabilities conception of the individual in economics also in terms of interpersonal relationships emphasises that this social conception of the individual is characterised by relationality. Thanks to responsibility and relationality, the capabilities conception of the individual might be applied in fields such as contemporary civil economy and ecological economics.

JEL Classifications: B31, B410, B59, Z13
Book review: Adnan Naseemullah, Patchwork States: The Historical Roots of Subnational Conflict and Competition in South Asia
Authors: Akhtar Mohammad Wali
Published: August 2023

Adnan Naseemullah, Patchwork States: The Historical Roots of Subnational Conflict and Competition in South Asia (Cambridge: Cambridge University Press, 2022), xvi + 309 pp.
Book review: M. Christhu Doss, India After the 1857 Revolt, Decolonizing the Mind
Authors: Menon Malavika
Published: August 2023

M. Christhu Doss, India After the 1857 Revolt, Decolonizing the Mind (Abingdon: Routledge, 2023), xxix + 221 pp.
Cytotoxic dermatitis: Review of the interface dermatitis pattern in veterinary skin diseases
Authors: Affolter Verena K.
Published: August 2023

Interface dermatitis or lichenoid interface dermatitis refers to a cutaneous inflammatory pattern in which keratinocyte cell death is the essential feature. These terms have evolved from the originally described lichenoid tissue reaction. These lesions are the basis for an important group of skin diseases in animals and people where cytotoxic T-cell-mediated epidermal damage is a major pathomechanism. Yet, for largely historical reasons these commonly used morphological diagnostic terms do not reflect the essential nature of the lesion. An emphasis on subsidiary lesions, such as the presence of a lichenoid band, and definitions based on anatomical features, such as location at the dermo-epidermal location, may cause confusion and even misdiagnosis. This review covers historical aspects of the terminology, including the origin of terms such as “lichenoid.” The types of cell death involved and the histopathologic lesions are described. Etiopathogenesis is discussed in terms of aberrations of immune/inflammatory mechanisms focusing on cutaneous lupus erythematosus, erythema multiforme, and Stevens-Johnson syndrome/toxic epidermal necrolysis. Mechanisms have most extensively been studied in humans and laboratory animals and the discussion is centered on these species. As interface dermatitis is firmly entrenched in dermatological parlance, rather than using “cytotoxic” as its substitute, the terminologies “interface cytotoxic dermatitis” and “panepidermal cytotoxic dermatitis” are recommended, based on location and extent of epithelium affected.
Outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease in captive reindeer (Rangifer tarandus)
Authors: Torii Emma H. , Wünschmann Arno , Torchetti Mia Kim , Koster Leo , van Geelen Albert , Atchison Randy , Rivas Anne
Published: August 2023

In September 2020, an outbreak of epizootic hemorrhagic disease occurred in captive reindeer ( Rangifer tarandus) and was associated with neurological signs and mortality. Four reindeer died or were euthanized after acute illness over a 12-day period. Affected reindeer displayed abnormal behavior, neurologic signs, lethargy, and/or lameness. The most consistent gross finding was dark red streaks throughout the adrenal gland cortices (4/4). One animal had acute hemorrhage involving the subcutis and skeletal muscles over the ventrolateral body wall and back, and abomasal serosa. Histologically, the most common lesions were adrenal gland cortical hemorrhage (4/4) with necrosis (3/4) and lymphoplasmacytic meningoencephalitis with gliosis, glial nodules, satellitosis, and nonsuppurative perivascular cuffing (4/4). The brain lesions were most frequent in the gray matter of the cerebrum, hippocampus, and thalamus but also involved the cerebellum and brainstem. Epizootic hemorrhagic disease virus serotype 6 was detected through PCR and sequencing of the spleen in all cases.
The use of lullaby to support social and emotional wellness among parents during the COVID-19 pandemic
Authors: Fritzson Anne E , Dimidjian Sona A , Hicks Laurel M , Law Kathleen Grace , Nytch Jeffrey , Park Bernadette
Published: August 2023

The COVID-19 pandemic has highlighted loneliness as a major risk factor for mental health difficulties among parents. Shared musical experiences may be an effective way to create social bonds. We adapted Carnegie Hall’s Lullaby Project to a remote format. Parents experiencing loneliness were enrolled in the study ( N = 40) and completed assessments at pre-intervention, post-intervention, and 1-month follow-up. Participation was associated with significant improvement in self-reported loneliness, self-reported sense of belonging, implicit sense of belonging, self-reported depression, and self-reported anxiety. However, the difference between implicit belonging and rejection did not significantly change over time, and there was no evidence for change in self-reported parent–child connection. In contrast to the quantitative findings, the qualitative responses suggested that participants experienced an enhancement in parent–child connection following intervention completion. The findings highlight the potential for remote administration of music programs to address isolation and loneliness.
Interactions between Online Shopping, In-Store Shopping and Weekly Travel Behavior: An Analysis Before and in the Aftermath of COVID-19 in Lisbon, Portugal
Authors: Colaço Rui , de Abreu e Silva João
Published: August 2023

The standard framework for evaluating the impact of online shopping on travel and shopping behavior considers the possibility of complementarity, substitution, neutrality, or modification effects. Complementarity (online shopping complementing physical purchases, or vice versa) and substitution (online shopping replacing trips to physical stores and eventually the stores altogether) have generally received more attention in research, particularly the latter, since substitution may substantially impact travel and street life within cities. This paper analyzes data from a two-wave seven-day shopping and travel survey implemented in Lisbon before the COVID-19 pandemic (January–February 2020) and in its aftermath (April–May 2022) using a structural equation model and multigroup analysis. The results show that, in 2022, variables such as education or income, often used to characterize online shoppers, have lost significance as predictors, suggesting a broader engagement with online shopping. Moreover, the complementarity effect found in 2020 has given place to substitution, which also supports that the physical–online shopping balance might have tipped toward a more generalized adoption of online shopping in the aftermath of the pandemic.
When do leader backgrounds matter? Evidence from the President’s Daily Brief
Authors: Goldfien Michael , Joseph Michael , Krcmaric Daniel
Published: August 2023

A wave of recent scholarship shows that the backgrounds of political leaders shape their behavior once in office. This paper shifts the literature in a new direction by investigating the conditions under which foreign observers think a leader's background is relevant. We argue that pre-tenure biographical attributes are most informative to outsiders during leadership transitions—unique periods where the new ruler does not yet have a track record—because a leader's background provides clues about how that leader might govern. But as time passes, foreign observers quickly discount the leader's biography and instead evaluate the leader's observable behavior. We test our theory by creating a systematic daily measure of attention to foreign leader backgrounds derived from the President's Daily Brief, a novel data source of 4991 recently declassified reports from the Central Intelligence Agency to the American president.
“We surely are researchers now!” Participatory methods as an empowering process with disabled children in research
Authors: Andersen Christina Strandholdt , Askheim Ole Petter , Dolva Anne-Stine
Published: August 2023

The purpose of this study is to illuminate how participatory methods over time in a research project with disabled children may contribute to an empowerment process. Findings indicate that appropriate use of participatory methods over time may contribute to an empowerment process with disabled children. Based on the UNCRC article 12, this paper calls for seizing the great potential that lies in building on disabled children’s inner strength and efforts to increase their own power in research processes.
Inside algorithmic bureaucracy: Disentangling automated decision-making and good administration
Authors: Roehl Ulrik , Crompvoets Joep
Published: August 2023

Public administrative bodies around the world are increasingly applying automated, administrative decision-making as underlying technologies such as machine learning mature. Such decision-making is a central element of emerging forms of algorithmic bureaucracies. With its direct exercise of public authority over individual citizens and firms, automated, administrative decision-making makes it particularly important to consider relations to values of good administration. Based on a multiple case-study, the article focuses on how empirical use of automated decision-making influences and transforms issues of good administration in four policy areas in Denmark: Business and social policy; labour market policy; agricultural policy; and tax policy. Supplementing emerging literature, the article exemplifies how public authorities struggle to apply automated decision-making in ways that support rather than undermine good administration. We identify six empirical relations of usage of automated, administrative decision-making and good administration: (I) Giving accurate and comprehensible reasons; (II) Informing addressees’ expectations; (III) Combining material and algorithmic expertise; (IV) Achieving effective oversight; (V) Continuously ensuring quality; and (VI) Managing high complexity. Additionally, we pinpoint related key capabilities for administrative bodies in order to support good administration.
Perceptual Awareness Occurs Along a Graded Continuum: No Evidence of All-or-None Failures in Continuous Reproduction Tasks
Authors: Cohen Michael A. , Keefe Jonathan , Brady Timothy F.
Published: August 2023

Does sensory information reach conscious awareness in a discrete, all-or-nothing manner or a gradual, continuous manner? To answer this question, we examined behavioral performance across four different paradigms that manipulate visual awareness: the attentional blink, backward masking, the Sperling iconic memory paradigm, and retro-cuing. We then asked how well we could account for participants’ ( N = 112 adults) behavior using a signal detection framework that factors in psychophysical scaling to model participants’ responses along a single continuum. We found that this model easily accounted for the data from each of these diverse paradigms. Moreover, we reanalyzed the data from prior studies that had posited a discrete view of perceptual awareness and found that our continuous signal detection model outperformed the models that had been used to support an all-or-nothing view of consciousness. This set of data is consistent with the idea that conscious awareness occurs along a graded continuum.
Thermal analysis of radiative and electromagnetic flowing of hybridity nanofluid via Darcy–Forchheimer porous material with slippage constraints
Authors: Israr Ur Rehman M. , Chen Haibo , Hamid Aamir , Jamshed Wasim , Eid Mohamed R. , Duraihem Faisal Z. , Alqahtani Haifa
Published: August 2023

The goal of this research is to address the electrical magnetohydrodynamic flow of hybridity nanoparticles through a stretched surface with the impact of the Darcy–Forchheimer permeable medium. By identifying appropriate similarity factors, the partial differential equation is converted into a set of ordinary differential equation with the help of R-K fourth-order approach based on shooting technique. The velocity, thermal, friction factor coefficient, and heat transport are investigated comprehensively for the influence of numerous blossoming parameters refer to in the present study by plots graphically. It is accomplished that due to the influence of the electric field associated with first- and second-order velocity slip impacts, the motion of liquid slows down. Moreover, the stream velocity grows for the boosting scales of mixed convection, which leads to eliminating sticking impact. The variation of important flowing variables on heat transport and the drag coefficient is also investigated. Here augmenting valuation of mixed convection parameter corresponds to boost up velocity curve. Furthermore, the influence of thermal field and heat transport are similar in view of the Biot number.
Aligning the Cord Blood–Bone Marrow Differences and the Post-transplantation Clinical Manifestations by Single-Cell RNA-Seq
Authors: Wang Jiali , Wang Yaping , Xu Yong , Fu Wenfeng , Rong Liucheng , Xue Yao , Fang Yongjun
Published: August 2023

Cord blood (CB) transplantation is a promising treatment for hematologic malignancies due to its strong graft-versus-leukemia effect and a low incidence of graft-versus-host disease. However, the risk of infection caused by delayed engraftment has limited its clinical application. In this study, we compared the single-cell RNA-seq of CB, bone marrow (BM), and granulocyte colony–stimulating factor primed BM to understand the differences between these grafts from a comprehensive view, and verified some differences in our clinical data of patients receiving transplantation. We focused on the biological features of key cell types involving the hematopoietic reconstitution and immune reconstitution. Based on the comparison of homing signal and differentiation potential of hematopoietic stem/progenitor cells (HSPCs), CB exhibited a lower content of HSPCs with weaker homing ability but higher stemness than BM. In addition, CB had a higher proportion of naïve T cells, while BM had a higher abundance of effector and memory T cells. Notably, the CD4+ naïve T cells in CB were prone to differentiate into Tregs. In response to neoantigens, the immune activation interactions between T cells and antigen-presenting cells were strong in CB, including CD40_CD40LG, IL16_CD4, and so on. In our clinical data, the subpopulation variations of T cells and the status of monocytes after transplantation were consistent with the results of the single-cell RNA-seq study above. CB, as a new birth system, is immature and active; several mechanisms contribute to its good anti-tumor effect, which can be introduced to other grafts. These findings provide insights into the development of new strategies for hematologic malignancies treatment.
Through Artillery from Thrust to Fire: How Prussian Military Thinking Anticipated Emergent Warfare in 1870
Authors: Loch Thorsten , Kesselring Agilolf
Published: August 2023

Reassessing the reasons for the German military success over France in War of 1870 up to the Battle of Sedan, we rely on publications of contemporary artillery generals, such as Kraft zu Hohenlohe-Ingelfingen and put the topic into the broader context of warfare since the 1866 German War. We reject the idea of success, being simply based on armament or a special ‘soldierly spirit’, but argue that the main reason for military success was based on reorganization of the Prussian artillery, which paved the way to the future ‘battle of combined arms’ and the dominance of fire over thrust.
Determining State Expenditures in India: Relative Role of Own Revenues, Central Transfers and Fiscal Deficit
Authors: Srivastava D. K. , Bharadwaj Muralikrishna , Kapur Tarrung , Trehan Ragini
Published: August 2023

This article analyses the relative role of state’s own revenues, tax and non-tax, central transfers, and borrowing in determining state expenditures. We have examined the prevailing hypotheses regarding explaining determinants of government expenditures such as the Wagner, Wiseman-Peacock and Clark’s Critical Limit hypotheses in the context of state governments in India. We have also looked at Revenue and Spend, Tax and Spend, and the Fiscal Synchronization hypotheses. We have quantified the relative magnitudes of the differential effects of these sources of financing state-level primary expenditures for two groups of states namely, medium and large states (ML) and small and hilly states (SH) in a panel data framework. In addition to the variables reflecting financing sources, this study also examines other prevailing hypotheses affecting state expenditures such as those relating to cyclical increases emanating from election years and years of economic slowdown. Based on results of the Hausman test, we have estimated a two-way random effects model. Our findings indicate that with respect to own tax revenues, the magnitude of responsiveness of primary expenditure is 0.22 for the ML group and 0.10 for the SH group of states. For fiscal transfers, these magnitudes are 0.29 for ML states and 0.20 for SH states. For borrowing, the relevant coefficients are 0.33 for ML states and 0.13 for SH states. Thus, for the ML group, the maximum responsiveness is with respect to borrowing, followed by fiscal transfers and own tax revenues. In the case of the SH group, central transfers explain the largest variation in state-level primary expenditure, followed by borrowing and own tax revenues. We also find that for two out of three general elections in the sample period namely, 2009 and 2014, there was a positive and significant response of primary expenditures. Further, in years of economic slowdown, there is a positive response except in one case where the income effect was dominant and primary expenditure also fell along with the slowdown.
Market Risk Management with Equity Derivatives
Authors: Kumar S. S. S. , Thomas Sony
Published: August 2023

This case delves into market risk management in an initial public offering (IPO) investment arising due to the unexpected onset of the pandemic. The protagonist in the case is overwhelmed by the euphoria surrounding the IPO issue of SBI Cards and turns into a speculator instead of a normal investor. He makes a leveraged bet on the likely listing gains by resorting to IPO funding. After the closure of the IPO issue, the market registered very sharp declines due to a viral fever engulfing the whole world. Now, the protagonist, who has already lost heavily from the existing portfolio, has to encounter likely losses from the loan-funded IPO investment. He had to hedge the likely losses from the possible listing day losses from the IPO. For this, he needs to put in place a hedging strategy, answering the questions on the choice of derivative contract, size and expiry date of the contract.
Acid Attacks in India and the Role of Stakeholders: A Journey From Victim to Survivor
Authors: Salmani Rashida , Mishra Geeta , Singh Ashvini Kumar
Published: August 2023

With the increase in acid-related violence in India, vitriolage has become one of the most gruesome forms of hate crimes to be conceived and committed. This crime was majorly associated with being one of the most heinous atrocities against women. Still, in recent times, it has been observed that acid attacks are not gender specific anymore. This study set out to determine the reasons why people use acid, as well as the difficulties that assault victims face. It also recommends actions taken to address such issues and the involvement of all parties engaged in rehabilitating acid attack survivors while considering gender. The researcher followed a multiple case study approach, conducted thorough semi-structured interviews of 22 acid attack survivors and used secondary data sources. We found that acid attacks happen out of jealousy, anger, greed and ego issues, among other causes, and that it is not a gender-specific crime. Stakeholders greatly help in adopting strategies and measures that facilitate acid attack survivors.
Empiric Antibiotic Use and the Outcome in Infants at Risk of Early Onset Neonatal Sepsis in a Teaching Hospital in South India: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Kumar KC Sreejith , M Shafiq Ahamed , Balasundaran Karthik
Published: August 2023

Background

Neonatal sepsis continues to be an important cause of mortality and morbidity in low- and middle-income countries. The identification and early treatment of infants at risk of early-onset neonatal sepsis (EONS) with empiric antibiotics is a preventive strategy.

Objectives

To study the use of empiric antibiotics in infants at risk for EONS and assess their outcome in terms of the development of sepsis, mortality, and duration of hospital stay.

Materials and Methods

This retrospective cohort study was done at the Special Newborn Care Unit, GMC Thrissur. The data of babies at risk of EONS over a period of 3 years (2020–2022) was collected. One thousand two hundred and thirty-two babies with at least one risk factor for sepsis, as defined by the National Neonatology Forum (NNF) 2021 guidelines, were enrolled in the study. The antibiotic prescription pattern and the outcomes were measured.

Results

Empirical antibiotic treatment was received by 61.2% (754/1232) of infants, and of those, 39.5% (298/754) developed EONS. Infants treated with Piperacillin/Tazobactam and Amikacin had a higher incidence of sepsis and mortality than those started on Ampicillin and Gentamicin ( p < .001). In infants less than 32 weeks, the incidence of sepsis increased significantly with increase in number of risk factors ( p < .001). Infants with lower birth weight and gestational age were more susceptible to developing sepsis ( p < .001). EONS was significantly associated with neonatal resuscitation, umbilical vein catheterization, and invasive ventilation ( p < .001). Infants who received empirical antibiotics had a longer hospital stay, with a mean duration of 4.38 days more compared to the no antibiotics group.

Conclusion

In infants at risk of EONS, the empirical use of antibiotics alone did not show a favorable effect on the incidence of EONS or sepsis-related mortality.
Analysing the Relationship Between Public Infrastructures and Economic Growth in Assam
Authors: Das Nihaljyoti , Dutta Parag
Published: August 2023

This article evaluates the relationship between economic growth and public infrastructures in Assam using the panel dynamic ordinary least square estimation technique and the Dumitrescu–Hurlin panel causality test for the period of 1999–2000 to 2017–18. Empirical findings suggest that there is a long-term relationship between economic growth and public infrastructure indicators, except health infrastructure. One plausible reason for an insignificant relationship between health infrastructure and economic growth may be the insufficient availability of health infrastructure. However, all other public infrastructures have significant influence on achieving high and sustainable economic growth in Assam. In the short run, no public infrastructure has been found to have a significant impact on economic growth except for village electrification. Again, unidirectional causality from economic growth to public infrastructures (except road infrastructure) is acting as a hurdle in the path of the rapid expansion of public infrastructures in Assam. However, evidence of bi-directional causality between economic growth and road infrastructure suggests for extensive government intervention in road infrastructure development to achieve higher sustainable economic growth as well as balanced development across the state of Assam.
Active Surveillance of Engineered Stone Workers Facilitates Early Identification of Silicosis: A Discussion of Surveillance of Occupational Lung Diseases
Authors: Gandhi Sheiphali A. , Heinzerling Amy , Flattery Jennifer , Fazio Jane C. , Alam Asim , Cummings Kristin J. , Harrison Robert J.
Published: August 2023

Silicosis in workers exposed to respirable crystalline silica while fabricating engineered stone products is an emerging respiratory health issue. We describe silicosis in engineered stone workers in California and examine clinical features by the source of identification. Cases were identified passively using hospital-based patient discharge data or actively through outreach and medical testing following enforcement investigation. Outcomes were examined based on the source of case identification. We identified 18 cases diagnosed between 2006 and 2020. Cases identified passively compared to other identification methods were associated with lower percent predicted forced vital capacity (FVC) ( P ≤ .01), forced expiratory volume in 1 s (FEV1) ( P ≤ .01), and diffusing capacity of the lungs for carbon monoxide (DLCO) ( P < .01) at the time of diagnosis and were more likely to be identified following death or lung transplant ( P = .01). Our experience demonstrates delays in diagnosis and case identification when relying on passive surveillance methods. Enhanced public health surveillance systems can improve the early detection of occupational lung disease and inform future prevention policies.
Licensed Clinical Social Workers’ Perceptions of Complementary and Alternative Interventions
Authors: Vitolo Tina , Cooley Morgan E. , Weissman Darren
Published: August 2023

Purpose: This article explored Licensed Clinical Social Workers (LCSWs) beliefs, attitudes, and knowledge of Complementary and Alternative Interventions (CAI). Method: We utilized a cross-sectional online survey among a sample of 193 LCSWs. Results: Approximately 60% of LCSWs assessed for and utilized CAI professionally, and 90% personally utilized CAI. LCSWs had moderately positive beliefs, neutral attitudes, and high baseline knowledge of CAI. Age and years of practice were the only significant correlates, and the only significant predictor for assessment and utilization of CAI was positive attitudes. Discussion: As the largest group of mental health providers, we found that it is vital for LCSWs to have a solid understanding of CAI to provide effective and safe services to the clients they serve. It is hoped that the results of this study will serve as a starting point for future research on CAI among social workers, with the goal of enhancing client-centered practice.
Indulge or Reduce? A Cross-Country Investigation of Consumption Patterns Following Pandemic Lockdowns
Authors: Riefler Petra , Büttner Oliver B. , Davvetas Vasileios
Published: August 2023

Pandemic lockdowns in early 2020 disrupted daily life worldwide and created an opportunity for self-reflection and consumption paradigm shifts. However, consumption patterns might take different directions, and opposing views exist about whether consumers (1) prolong reduced consumption after lockdown or (2) compensate for lockdown consumption restrictions through self-indulgence. Drawing from self-determination theory and individual–cultural values frameworks, this article develops a conceptual model of postlockdown consumption patterns related to three factors: consumers’ fulfillment of basic psychological needs during lockdowns, individual consumer values, and country-level cultural orientations. Consumer surveys conducted after the first lockdowns in three culturally different European countries (the United Kingdom, Germany, and Romania) show that both satisfaction and dissatisfaction of psychological needs during lockdown impact consumption patterns, at least in the short term. The direction of consumption patterns is driven by hedonism and universalism values at an individual level and differences in postmaterialism and indulgence at a country level. The results provide implications for international marketers and policy makers in postpandemic marketplaces.
Impact of health system specialty pharmacies on total cost of care in cancer treatment, a multisite review
Authors: Wink Scott , Schroader Bridgette Kanz , Giglio Toni , Ward Angela
Published: August 2023

Introduction

Integrated delivery networks can use medically integrated dispensing of oral oncolytics on site through health system specialty pharmacies. There is little published research examining cost savings. Our objective was to demonstrate the financial value of health system specialty pharmacies among patients receiving oral oncolytics dispensed through fully, partially, and non-integrated dispensing strategies.

Methods

This was a retrospective cohort study of adult patients from Symphony Health's Integrated Dataverse® repository who filled a prescription for an agent of interest from 7/1/16–6/30/20 that was written within 25 US health systems. Outcomes included costs, healthcare resource utilization, and duration of therapy.

Results

In total, 36,816 patients were included; 986 patients (2.7%) integrated, 1,822 (4.9%) partially integrated, and 34,008 (92.4%) non-integrated. Mean 6-month medical charge and oncolytic prescription costs were lower for the integrated group ($36,831; $55,786) than the partially integrated ($46,304, p = 0.053; $63,295, p = 0.071) and non-integrated groups ($54,261, p < 0.001; $65,005, p = 0.004). In most healthcare resource utilization categories, the integrated group had the lowest patient percentage utilizing medical care. Duration of therapy was lower on average by ∼3 months in the integrated vs non-integrated group, which may represent closer monitoring of patient medical records and need for fills vs autoship practices.

Conclusions

Patients receiving oral oncolytics through medically integrated dispensing at health system specialty pharmacies may have lower medical and pharmacy costs and decreased healthcare resource utilization. This study adds to the growing body of literature supporting integrated delivery networks and integrated dispensing. Further research is needed to demonstrate the value of medically integrated dispensing through health system specialty pharmacies in the delivery of treatment to patients with cancer and other high-cost diseases.
Adverse Childhood Experiences and Mental Health Among Home Care Aides in Washington State
Authors: Knaster Elizabeth , Moody-Burks Marcail , Dent Clyde , Banijamali Sahar
Published: August 2023

This study assessed the prevalence of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) among Home Care Aides (HCAs) and explored the relationship between ACEs and mental health. A 2017 survey of 424 HCAs assessed childhood trauma using the CDC-BRFSS ACE module. Approximately 27% of HCAs had a high ACE score (between 4 and 10). There were no associations found between ACE score and respondent demographic characteristics. HCAs with high ACE scores reported lower rates of social and emotional support and higher rates of past-month hopelessness compared with those with no or limited experience of adverse childhood events. This research suggests that HCAs have higher than average rates of ACEs, known to be linked to various negative physical and mental health outcomes.
From diagnosis to prognosis: A paradigm shift for multimodal imaging in assessing diabetic macular edema
Authors: Apuzzo Aurelio , Gravina Salvatore , Panozzo Giacomo , Lattanzio Rosangela , Cicinelli Maria Vittoria , Bandello Francesco
Published: August 2023

Diabetic macular edema (DME) is one of the leading causes of visual impairment in patients with diabetes. Multimodal imaging (MMI) has allowed a shift from DME diagnosis to prognosis. Although there are no accepted guidelines, MMI may also lead to treatment customization. Several study groups have tried to identify structural biomarkers that can predict treatment response and long-term visual prognosis. The purpose of this editorial is to review currently proposed optical coherence tomography (OCT) and optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A) biomarkers.
Quiescent caterpillar hair: A rare cause of localised lenticular opacity formation
Authors: Kapila Priya , Salhotra Sudhir , Agarwal Neetu , Karothiya Babita
Published: August 2023

Purpose

To report a rare case of a 65 year old patient with a single caterpillar hair with localised lenticular opacity around it and no active inflammation.

Observations

A single quiescent caterpillar hair embedded in the anterior lens capsule causing localised cataract around it. There was no other sign of ocular toxicosis and the patient was unaware of the presence of this intraocular foreign body.

Conclusions

Caterpillar hair (also known as setae) are a common cause of ophthalmia nodosa. These setae can penetrate intraocularly with ease to cause various forms of ocular toxicosis ranging from conjunctivitis, keratitis, pars planitis, chorioretinitis to even severe vitritis warranting enucleation. As per our knowledge and experience, no case of caterpillar hair without inflammation has been reported till date. We hereby report a rare case of a 65 year old patient with a single caterpillar hair embedded in the anterior lens capsule causing localised cataract around it without any active inflammation. In our opinion, if the eye is quiescent, the patient should be kept on close and long term follow-up and active intervention can be undertaken at the first instance of inflammation or if cataract progresses.