bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Level of Internal Customer Satisfaction with the Android-based Laboratory Result Application in an Indonesian Tertiary Hospital
Authors: Liana Phey , Patricia Venny , Shofiarani Meika , Umar Tungki Pratama
Published: February 2024

To perform its function of providing health services, the clinical laboratory faces several challenges, especially in the speediness and accuracy of result delivery. Some issues frequently arise during the execution. An approach to overcoming obstacles and improving service quality is to use online applications delivered via the Android system to distribute the laboratory results. This study assessed internal customer satisfaction with the use of this online application. This study employs a quantitative approach with a cross-sectional approach. The customer was given a questionnaire with 15 questions covering five aspects of service quality (tangibility, reliability, responsiveness, assurance and empathy). The questionnaire’s validity and reliability were evaluated, and the Cartesian diagram analysis was used to determine the service improvement strategy. The empathy dimension has the highest satisfaction figure, with an average of 95.39%, while the assurance dimension has the lowest, with an average of 84.62%. The majority of the quality subdimensions are found in quadrants II and III of the Cartesian diagram (five parameters each). Most subdimension quality is found in quadrant II, with as many as five subdimension quality, indicating a high level of importance and satisfaction.
Toward Sustainable Climate Governance: A Case Study of Risk Assessment and Management in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh
Authors: Islam K. M. Baharul , Mitra Archan , Khan Asif , Das Sayani
Published: February 2024

The imminent climate disaster demands prompt consideration and implementation of measures in susceptible areas like Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. Utilizing secondary data, this study conducts a rigorous examination of the climate risk assessment, management, and governance dynamics within the region. It aims to elucidate the complex interaction between historical climate patterns, existing vulnerabilities, and potential approaches for mitigating risks and enhancing governance. This study examines the evolving climate patterns in Kullu’s region, highlighting the urgent requirement for effective water management practices and resilient agricultural strategies. The research provides advance notice of the forthcoming hydrological risks, emphasizing the need for a combination of scientific advancements and community involvement in developing effective governance approaches. Additionally, the researcher emphasizes the significance of improving early warning systems, promoting community-centered initiatives, and reassessing policy frameworks to cultivate a future characterized by resilience and sustainable adaptation in the region of Kullu. This study proposes that by incorporating empirical information and local knowledge, an integrative trajectory may be established to provide a sustainable road for Kullu. This pathway would enable Kullu to withstand climate adversities and promote a happy cohabitation with nature. The abstract serves as an invitation for readers to further explore the research conducted in Kullu, Himachal Pradesh. The research provides a comprehensive collection of valuable insights, strategies, and potential future directions for climate risk management in the area. It emphasizes the importance of adopting a collaborative, well-informed, and proactive approach to climate governance in the region.
Performance management in the Australian higher education system – A historically informed critique
Authors: Parker Lee D , Guthrie James , Martin-Sardesai Ann
Published: February 2024

This article aims to provide a historical perspective of neoliberalism and new public management practices in the Australian higher education system from the early 1980s to contemporary times. Drawing on historical and contemporary data sets and research articles, it evaluates historical changes in control systems and metrics applied to university teaching and research. From an audit culture framework, it examines the emerging rationales driving financially focused university governance. Organisational and individual audits of performance have become standard practice, couched in the conventional language of transparency, performance and accountability. Accounting-based performance measurement, control and audit are found to dominate university operations, fostering mass delivery of education, research outputs and knowledge commercialisation. Neoliberal performance management is shown to have dramatically altered accounting models and changed internal power relations, transforming university identities and roles into a commercialised corporate model pursuing a self-interested financial bottom line aided by a private sector performance control orientation.
Prospective Evaluation of Health-Related Quality-of-Life in Children with Craniosynostosis
Authors: Gamarra Valeria , Pearson Gregory D. , Drapeau Annie , Pindrik Jonathan , Crerand Canice E. , Rabkin Ari N. , Khansa Ibrahim
Published: February 2024

Objective

To investigate health-related quality of life (HRQL) in children aged 2 to 7 years, who have undergone surgery for craniosynostosis.

Design

Cross-sectional survey.

Setting

A tertiary pediatric academic medical center.

Participants

Children with craniosynostosis who underwent surgical correction, and who were 2–7 years old at the time of the study. Children from families that did not speak English were excluded.

Interventions

Caregivers were asked to fill out the Pediatric Quality of Life Inventory (PedsQL) Core Parent Report and the PedsQL Cognitive Functioning Scale.

Main outcome measures

PedsQL: Psychosocial Health Summary Score, Physical Health Summary Score, Total Core Score, Cognitive Functioning Scale Score. Scores range from 0 to 100, with higher scores reflecting greater QoL Subject factors: comorbidities, syndromic status, type of craniosynostosis, type of surgery

Results

The study included 53 subjects, of whom 13.2% had a syndrome. Core and cognitive scores did not depend on presence of a syndrome or suture involved. Subjects who underwent posterior cranial distraction achieved higher Total Core Scores than subjects who underwent open vault remodeling. Among subjects with sagittal craniosynostosis, there was a tendency for higher scores among children who underwent minimally-invasive surgery compared to those who underwent open vault remodeling.

Conclusions

This study demonstrates similar HRQL among children with and without a syndrome, higher HRQL among children undergoing posterior cranial distraction than those undergoing open vault remodeling, and trends towards higher HRQL in children with sagittal craniosynostosis who underwent minimally-invasive surgery compared to those who underwent open vault remodeling.
Perioperative and Anesthetic Considerations in Vascular Rings and Slings
Authors: Wadle Michael , Joffe Denise , Backer Carl , Ross Faith
Published: February 2024

Vascular rings represent an increasingly prevalent and diverse set of congenital malformations in which the aortic arch and its primary branches encircle and constrict the esophagus and trachea. Perioperative management varies significantly based on the type of lesion, its associated comorbidities, and the compromise of adjacent structures. Multiple review articles have been published describing the scope of vascular rings and relevant concerns from a surgical perspective. This review seeks to discuss the perioperative implications and recommendations of such pathology from the perspective of an anesthesia provider.
Experimentation in Qualitative Organization Research: Determinacy and Indeterminacy Through Walking Ethnography
Authors: de Vaujany François-Xavier , Leclercq-Vandelannoitte Aurélie , Islam Gazi
Published: February 2024

The current article explores walking ethnography as a mode of qualitative experimentation in organizational scholarship. Walking ethnographies allow researchers to experience the field in embodied ways that reflect the fluidity and unpredictability of contemporary organizational spaces. We identify and compare two ideal-typical approaches to open, ethnographic experimentation, involving a generative tension between determinacy and indeterminacy: pragmatist (inquiry-oriented) and phenocritical (drift-oriented) experimentation. These experimental forms replace the logic of confirmation of quantitative experimentation with a logic of consequences or critique. We examine how each mode of qualitative experimentation offers a unique relation to knowledge and experience. From our field work, relying on 30 discrete walking ethnographies of entrepreneurship and innovation spaces conducted between 2016 and 2020, we develop a taxonomy of eight modalities of inquiry-dérive encounters to better understand the experiential aspects appearing in moments of experimentation. By doing so, we show how qualitative research can rediscover the potentials of qualitative experimentation as a methodological impulse, particularly in the context of contemporary modes of organizing. We discuss methodological implications for the renewal of qualitative research on the basis of public experimentation and “radical openness” in research practices.
Indigenous knowledge of Me’en Community toward natural resource conservation: a socio-philosophical analysis
Authors: Berhane Ablel Tekeste
Published: February 2024

Indigenous peoples have strong social and cultural values, ordered social control and cohesive social systems rooted in their Indigenous knowledge of the universe in general and their locals in particular. The research assesses the Indigenous knowledge of the community in natural resource conservation practice and their perception toward natural resource. A socio-philosophical insight was employed to the analysis. The result showed that Me’en (Indigenous people of southwest Ethiopia) Community has a deep knowledge and practice of natural resource conservation in general and for soil and wildlife in particular. The study reveals the community practice contours, tracing, mulching, ridges, shifting cultivation, crop rotation, and area closure. The communities also have the knowledge to identify fertile lands by physical observation such as by its color and texture and touching. They practice a sustainable concept of utilization, but in terms of philosophical orientation, they fall in both biocentrism and anthropocentric orientation.
The role of metalinguistic knowledge in third-language development among heritage and late bilinguals
Authors: Rosales Cesar , Torres Julio
Published: February 2024

Aims and objectives:

This study examined whether bilinguals’ metalinguistic knowledge (MK) across both of their languages as well as heritage/late bilingual experience contributed to the initial development of third-language (L3) morphosyntax using Japlish, a semi-artificial language.

Methodology:

48 heritage and 63 late English-Spanish bilinguals were exposed aurally to Japlish sentences containing word order patterns and case markers. Participants completed an acceptability judgment task (AJT) and a picture-matching task (PMT) immediately after exposure and again 2 weeks later as well as English and Spanish MK tests.

Data and analysis:

Logistic mixed effects analyses were run on AJT and PMT accuracy scores, grammatical/ungrammatical items, linguistic structure, and time of testing. MK scores and heritage/late bilingual status were included as predictors in the statistical model.

Findings:

MK significantly contributed to overall AJT scores, including grammatical and ungrammatical items and time of testing. MK also contributed to ungrammatical word order and case markers. For the PMT, MK significantly contributed to scores, especially during delayed testing. A weak correlation emerged between participants’ MK across both of their languages and their rule-based knowledge of Japlish linguistic structures. Heritage and late bilingual experiences did not significantly contribute to these results.

Originality:

This study included two different bilingual groups to investigate how variation in bilingual experience shapes additional language learning. It also advances our knowledge on the role of MK in the learning of linguistic structures not involved in transfer. Furthermore, a more nuanced examination of MK is considered as it relates to type of assessment, linguistic structure, and time of testing.

Significance:

The findings highlight the critical role of MK for both bilingual populations and its facilitative role in the development of initial L3 morphosyntax. The results are interpreted under the lens of structural sensitivity theory.
The impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health in Danish school children in 5th to 7th grade
Authors: Andreasen Sarah Munk , Nielsen Sandra , Fjorback Lone Overby , Jensen Tina Kold , Juul Lise
Published: February 2024

Aim:

We wanted to examine the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on mental health in Danish school children in 5th to 7th grade (11 to 15 years), and whether the impact differed across age and sex.

Methods:

We included 793 and 391 school children from winter 2020 and winter 2021, respectively. Mental health was measured using the Short Warwick–Edinburgh Mental Well-Being Scale (SWEMWBS), Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ), and Brief Resilience Scale (BRS). Data were analyzed by sex using linear regression models adjusting for grade (age), cohabitation, geographical region, employment status of parents, and schools as clusters.

Results:

Girls in 5th grade and boys in 6th grade during Covid-19 had statistically significant lower well-being (SWEMWBS) compared with before Covid-19. Girls in 5th and 6th grade during Covid-19 had non-statistically significant lower scores on all subscales of SDQ compared with girls before Covid-19. Girls in 7th grade during Covid-19 had statistically significant lower total difficulty score (SDQ) and fewer conduct problems (SDQ) compared with girls before Covid-19. Boys in 5th grade during Covid-19 had statistically significant fewer conduct problems (SDQ) compared with boys before Covid-19.

Conclusions:

This study indicates that the Covid-19 pandemic impacted Danish school children differently across sex and grade (age). During Covid-19, mental health tended to be better among the oldest girls and worse among the youngest girls compared with girls before Covid-19. Boys in 6th grade had poorer mental well-being, and boys in 5th grade had fewer conduct problems during Covid-19 compared with before Covid-19.
Linking climate change adaptation and public health: perspectives of Norwegian policymakers
Authors: Budin-Ljøsne Isabelle , Nordeng Zuzana , Schwarze Per Everhard , Rao-Skirbekk Shilpa
Published: February 2024

Aims:

To explore the perspectives of selected Norwegian climate and health policymakers working at national and municipality level regarding how health is accounted for in climate change adaptation plans.

Methods:

Semi-structured digital interviews were conducted with representatives from eight municipalities participating in a national network for climate change adaptation, one political unit and five national public administrations working in climate, health, environment, preparedness, and civil protection.

Results:

Municipalities coordinate the development of climate change adaptation plans with support from key national actors. Although municipalities were experienced in preparing for extreme climate events and securing infrastructure, limited consideration was given to health in the climate change adaptation work. Such integration was hindered by lack of resources and knowledge regarding what to do, and lack of collaboration between municipality sectors. To connect climate change adaptation and health better, the representatives suggested providing evidence-based information regarding health impacts of climate change, developing concrete tools including warning systems, and implementing regional, national, and international projects to map the impact of climate change and raise capacity. The representatives called for more stringent national guidelines for the integration of health in climate change adaptation, and pinpointed that lessons learnt from the COVID-19 pandemic will enable municipalities to be better prepared and more adaptable in the future.

Conclusions:

Governmental authorities should provide more concrete guidance regarding the integration of health in climate change adaptation plans. Public health authorities have a central role to play in supporting such endeavours.
Representing Her Trajectory: reflections on an arts-based research on women migration and data visualization
Authors: Zeng Hong
Published: February 2024

In recent decades, women have increasingly left their countries of origin, leading to an increase in transnational migration. Her Trajectory (2020), a project created by the author, represents women migrants’ paths, affects and experiences through counter-mapping and data visualization. Presented in web form (see https://hertrajectory.com/ ), this arts-based research project shows the migratory trajectories of 18 women participants by placing them and their personal objects onto a map, alongside their own object narratives. This article reflects on how the aesthetics and deployment of the textual, visual and kinetic designs re-humanizes migrants through their own narratives. The article also discusses how arts-based research could encourage participants to contribute their vernacular creativity to emotively transform migration studies.
Mirror, Mirror on the Wall, Who’s the Fairest Third Generation Anti-Seizure Medication of All?
Authors: Karakis Ioannis
Published: February 2024

[Box: see text]
Inclusion of Black and Latina Parents With Physical Disabilities in a Qualitative Research Study: A Peer Researcher Training Model
Authors: Lee-Rambharose Jennifer , Smith Lauren D. , The Kim , Horner-Johnson Willi , Long-Bellil Linda , Watkins Heather , Senda Jennifer , Garr-Colzie Nancy , Palacios Maria R. , Mitra Monika
Published: February 2024

Public health qualitative research has largely failed to achieve full inclusion of people with disabilities and Black people and Latinx/as. Although there is a small, but growing, community of academic researchers from each of these communities, there has been limited involvement of non-academic community members in research. While Community-Based Participatory Research (CBPR) has informed the inclusion of marginalized groups in research for decades, instances of full inclusion of disabled Black people and Latinx/as in public health research have been minimal. One way to ensure the inclusion of Black/Latinx community members with disabilities is to involve them as peer researchers. As part of a qualitative study examining pregnancy experiences of individuals with physical disabilities from Black/Latinx communities, academic researchers trained four peer researchers to conduct interviews and analyze the data. This paper describes our approach, which may serve as a model for training peer researchers in qualitative research methodology for future studies. All peer researchers were women who identified as Black or Latina parents with physical disabilities. This approach was chosen due to the study’s focus on the intersections of disability, race, ethnicity, and pregnancy, and applied a disability justice lens. Although CBPR offers important principles for research existing literature suggests CBPR is not always inclusive and power sharing. Therefore, we developed a research training model which places a unique and timely focus on the intersections of CBPR, racial and disability justice, the importance of building the capacity of Black and Latina disabled peer researchers, and its importance to building community relationships and trust.
Drugs and the athlete
Authors: Morwood Dr Joseph P.
Published: February 2024

Professional athletes push themselves to physiological states few can sustain. For this reason, some athletes use medical substances to push these states further to reach higher levels of performance. Using medical substances or methods to boost performance without medical necessity (known as ‘Doping’), is not only unethical, but also potentially harmful to an athlete’s health. For this reason, strict guidelines on prohibited drugs have been created. Nonetheless, athletes will experience illnesses that require treatment with medication, and thus, their clinician should help navigate treatment plans that enable them to compete fairly and safely. This article highlights banned drugs that might commonly be encountered, alongside the clearance for athletes with legitimate medical need for medication on the prohibited list.
The drug-survival of low-dose thioguanine in patients with inflammatory bowel disease: a retrospective observational study
Authors: Gensmyr-Singer Helena , Werner Mårten , Karling Pontus
Published: February 2024

Background:

Thiopurines are commonly used to treat inflammatory bowel disease but withdrawal due to side effects are common. Thioguanine has been suggested to be better tolerated than conventional thiopurines.

Objectives:

We studied drug-survival of low dose of thioguanine in real-life clinical practice in comparison to conventional thiopurines.

Design:

Retrospective observational study.

Methods:

All patients born 1956 and later, and who at least once started thiopurine treatment between 2006 and 2022 were included. A medical chart review was performed that noted drug-survival for every thiopurine treatment attempt. The Mantel–Cox rank test was used to test differences in drug-survival for different thiopurines. Blood chemistry analysis and faecal calprotectin levels were registered for the first 5 years of treatment.

Results:

In the study population, there was 379 initiated thiopurine treatments (210 for Crohn’s disease and 169 for ulcerative colitis) in 307 patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). Low-dose thioguanine (median dose 11 mg; 25–75th percentile 7–19 mg) had been initiated in 31 patients. Overall, when including all thiopurine attempts, thioguanine had the longest drug-survival [Mantel–Cox rank test: thioguanine versus azathioprine p = 0.014; thioguanine versus 6-mercaptopurine (6-MP) p < 0.001]. For second-line thiopurine treatment thioguanine had longer drug-survival than 6-MP (Mantel–Cox rank test: p = 0.006). At 60 months, 86% of the patients who started low-dose thioguanine were still on treatment compared to 42% of the patients who started 6-MP ( p = 0.022). The median 6-thioguanine nucleotide levels in patients treated with thioguanine was 364 pmol/8 × 108. Patients on thioguanine treatment showed significantly lower values of median mean corpuscular volume at follow-up than patients treated with azathioprine and 6-MP. Patients treated with 6-MP showed significantly lower levels of FC in the third year of treatment compared to patient treated with azathioprine (59 versus 109 µg/g; p = 0.023), but there was no significant difference in FC levels for thioguanine compared to azathioprine (50 versus 109 µg/g; p = 0.33).

Conclusion:

Treatment with a low dose of thioguanine is well-tolerated in patients with IBD and had a significantly higher drug-survival than conventional thiopurines.
Orbital Fractures Treated in Auckland From 2016 to 2020: Review of Patient Outcomes
Authors: Wang Darren , Sealey Christopher M.
Published: February 2024

Orbital reconstruction is a complex procedure demanding accurate placement of implants to restore volume and anatomic shape to the orbits. Intra-operative computed-tomography (CT) and rapid-prototype (RP) biomodels have been recently introduced as surgical aids to improve outcomes. Investigation is required to determine if there is a reduction in post-operative ophthalmic complications.

Study Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Objective

To evaluate the impact of intra-operative CT and RP biomodels on the incidence of post-operative diplopia, paraesthesia, cosmetic issues and ability to return to work following orbital reconstruction surgery.

Methods

Adult (>18 years) patients treated at Counties Manukau District Health Board, Auckland, by the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery for isolated orbital fractures were retrospectively enrolled into this study. An audit of clinical records was undertaken to determine incidences of diplopia, altered sensation, cosmetic concerns and ability to return to work. These findings were compared against our previous audit which documented these findings in patients treated between 2010 and 2015, prior to the introduction of intra-operative CT and RP biomodels.

Results

Routine use of intra-operative CT and RP biomodels was associated with a reduced incidence of post-operative diplopia. No significant difference was observed with regards to paraesthesia and cosmetic deficits.

Conclusions

The relatively low radiation exposure and cost associated with intra-operative CT and RP biomodels is justified with improved outcomes in subjective diplopia. Titanium as a material for orbital reconstruction was confirmed to be associated with low complication rates.
Cerebral venous sinus thrombosis in a patient treated with ribociclib for metastatic breast cancer. Case reports and literature review
Authors: Sharaf Baha , Othman Zeina , Abu Faris Hala , Al-Bitar Malak , Al-zoubi Qasem , Abu Laban Dima , Abu-Jaish Hala , Abdel-Razeq Hikmat
Published: February 2024

Breast cancer is the most diagnosed cancer among women worldwide. Cyclin dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors (ribociclib, palbociclib, and abemaciclib) modulate endocrine resistance and are widely used treatment for patients with advanced-stage hormone receptor-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2-negative breast cancer. Reports of both venous and arterial thromboembolic events, as a complication of cyclin dependent kinase 4/6 inhibitors, are increasingly recognized, but none involved cerebral venous sinus. We herein report on a 44-year-old female patient who initially presented with an early-stage breast cancer treated with surgery, chemotherapy, radiation therapy and finished 5 years of tamoxifen uneventfully. Eight years after her initial diagnosis, she relapsed with a solitary brain lesion which was resected and treated with radiation therapy, and was then started on aromatase inhibitors. Few months later, she progressed with biopsy-proven cervical and mediastinal lymph node metastasis. She was then switched to fulvestrant and ribociclib; both were well-tolerated. However, few weeks later she presented with increasing headache and mild dizziness. Imaging studies showed right lateral sinus acute non-occlusive thrombosis with no parenchymal changes. Patient was anticoagulated with low molecular weight heparin and follow-up visits showed stable disease with no bleeding.
Infected Takayasu's arteritis presenting with aortic perforation
Authors: Lone Hafeez U , Ashraf Shady , Carr Cornelia S , Bossom Issam , Alkhulaifi Abdulaziz M
Published: February 2024

We want to remind Physicians that unusual conditions can present in unusual ways and to keep an open mind always.
Identifying metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease in patients with hypertension and pre-hypertension: An interpretable machine learning approach
Authors: Chen Chen , Zhang Wenkang , Yan Gaoliang , Tang Chengchun
Published: February 2024

Objective

Metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD) is one of the most prevalent liver diseases and is associated with pre-hypertension and hypertension. Our research aims to develop interpretable machine learning (ML) models to accurately identify MASLD in hypertensive and pre-hypertensive populations.

Methods

The dataset for 4722 hypertensive and pre-hypertensive patients is from subjects in the NAGALA study. Six ML models, including the decision tree, K-nearest neighbor, gradient boosting, naive Bayes, support vector machine, and random forest (RF) models, were used in this study. The optimal model was constructed according to the performances of models evaluated by K-fold cross-validation ( k = 5), the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC), average precision (AP), accuracy, sensitivity, specificity, and F1. Shapley additive explanation (SHAP) values were employed for both global and local interpretation of the model results.

Results

The prevalence of MASLD in hypertensive and pre-hypertensive patients was 44.3% (362 cases) and 28.3% (1107 cases), respectively. The RF model outperformed the other five models with an AUC of 0.889, AP of 0.800, accuracy of 0.819, sensitivity of 0.816, specificity of 0.821, and F1 of 0.729. According to the SHAP analysis, the top five important features were alanine aminotransferase, body mass index, waist circumference, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and total cholesterol. Further analysis of the feature selection in the RF model revealed that incorporating all features leads to optimal model performance.

Conclusions

ML algorithms, especially RF algorithm, improve the accuracy of MASLD identification, and the global and local interpretation of the RF model results enables us to intuitively understand how various features affect the chances of MASLD in patients with hypertension and pre-hypertension.
Perceiving Affective Polarization in the United States: How Social Media Shape Meta-Perceptions and Affective Polarization
Authors: Overgaard Christian Staal Bruun
Published: February 2024

Affective polarization is on the rise, not least in the United States. Recent scholarship has identified meta-perceptions, concerning how much opposing partisans think they dislike each other, as a potential driver of actual interparty animosity. I theorize that social media content shapes people’s political meta-perceptions, which in turn influence affective polarization. I integrate prior work on meta-perceptions with research on intergroup conflict and social norms to distinguish perceptions about people’s ingroup from perceptions about their outgroup. A probability sample ( n = 825) shows outgroup meta-perceptions (i.e., perceptions about the outparty’s feelings toward the inparty) are linked to actual affective polarization. Ingroup meta-perceptions do not predict affective polarization above and beyond outgroup meta-perceptions. An original experiment ( n = 541) then examines the proposed causal pathway by exposing subjects to politically unifying, divisive, or neutral media content. In line with the proposed model, unifying content reduces affective polarization, and this effect is mediated by political meta-perceptions. Surprisingly, divisive content has no effects on meta-perceptions or affective polarization. These findings have theoretical implications for research on social media, perceptions, and intergroup relations. These, as well as practical implications, are discussed in light of mounting concerns about increasing affective polarization and the role social media may play in exacerbating it.
Loved It, Miss It, Would Never Go Back: Why U.S. Local Television Sports Broadcasters are Leaving the Industry
Authors: Hull Kevin
Published: February 2024

For decades, one of the most recognizable public faces of a local television news station was the sports anchor. However, as newsrooms across the United States struggle with employee burnout, sports departments have not been immune to low job satisfaction and high turnover. The purpose of this study is to examine what factors are causing sportscasters at local television stations to leave the profession. A survey of sports broadcasters who had left their positions at a television station for a job outside of broadcasting revealed that they felt overworked and underpaid, and many placed the blame for their problems directly on newsroom management.
Frailty Influence on Postoperative Surgical Site Infections After Surgery for Degenerative Spine Disease and Adult Spine Deformity. Can a Frailty Index be a Valuable Summary Risk Indicator? A Systematic Review and Metanalysis of the Current Literature
Authors: Manzetti Marco , Ruffilli Alberto , Viroli Giovanni , Traversari Matteo , Ialuna Marco , Salamanna Francesca , Neri Simona , Faldini Cesare
Published: February 2024

Study Design

Metanalysis.

Objective

Surgical site infections (SSI) is one of the commonest postoperative adverse events after spine surgery. Frailty has been described as a valuable summary risk indicator for SSI in spine surgery. The aim of this metanalysis is to evaluate the influence of frailty on postoperative SSI in this cohort and provide hints on which index can predict the risk of SSI.

Methods

Papers describing the postoperative SSI rate in adult degenerative spine disease or adult spine deformity patients with varying degrees of frailty were included in the analysis. The SSI rate in different grades of frailty was considered for outcome measure. Meta-analysis was performed on studies in whom data regarding patients with different levels of frailty and occurrence of postoperative SSI could be pooled. P < .05 was considered significant.

Results

16 studies were included. The frailty prevalence measured using mFI-11 ranged from 3% to 17.9%, these values were inferior to those measured with mFI-5. Significant difference was found between frail and non-frail patients in postoperative SSI rate at metanalysis (z = 5.9547, P < .0001 for mFI-5 and z = 3.8334, P = .0001 for mFI-11).

Conclusion

This is the first meta-analysis to specifically investigate the impact of frailty, on occurrence of SSI. We found a relevant statistical difference between frail and non-frail patients in SSI occurrence rate. This is a relevant finding, as the ageing of population increases alongside with spine surgery procedures, a better understanding of risk factors may advance our ability to treat patients while minimizing the occurrence of SSI.
Methods Showcase—Using PLSF-SEM in Business Communication Research
Authors: Kock Ned
Published: February 2024

Structural equation modeling (SEM) is a data analysis method that is widely used in business communication research, as well as research in many other fields, when scholars need to test complex models with multiple outcomes, interactions, or operations across different situations. To date, however, researchers have had to choose between using covariance-based SEM, and dealing with convergence problems; or composite-based SEM, and facing serious methodological issues. This article describes a way to combine strong aspects of both SEM types through PLSF-SEM. By utilizing this novel method, empirical researchers can employ several of the same tests traditionally used in covariance-based SEM, as well as new tests that rely on latent variable estimates, in a succinct and scholarly way. PLSF-SEM builds on partial least squares (PLS) algorithms to generate correlation-preserving factors; the F refers to it being factor-based, as opposed to composite-based. A primer on the use of PLSF-SEM in business communication research is provided, based on an illustrative model inspired by motivating language theory, and where simulated data was analyzed with the software WarpPLS.
Exploring Patterns of Absenteeism from Prekindergarten Through Early Elementary School and Their Associations With Children’s Academic Outcomes
Authors: Wei Wendy
Published: February 2024

Using statewide administrative data from a sample of children enrolled in public prekindergarten (pre-K) programs in Massachusetts, I examined heterogeneity in children’s absenteeism patterns from pre-K to Grade 3 and linked these patterns to their Grade 3 academic outcomes. After latent class growth analysis, six absenteeism patterns emerged. The vast majority of children (85%) had consistently low absenteeism, and only a small percentage of children (1%) demonstrated consistently high absenteeism. Four patterns showed variation in absenteeism over time, with two characterized by high absenteeism in only the pre-K year, another with a peak during kindergarten, and a final one with rising absenteeism across grades. Children with always low absenteeism had higher average English language arts and math scores than did children in the other patterns, and children in the two high pre-K absenteeism patterns and peak in kindergarten pattern had higher math scores than those with rising and always high absenteeism patterns.
“The Water in Which We Swim:” A Unique, Post-Clerkship Multidisciplinary Course
Authors: Laird-Gion Jessica N. , Garabedian Laura F. , Conrad Rachel , Shaffer Adam C. , Witkowski Mary L. , Mateo Camila M. , Jones David S. , Hundert Edward , Kasper Jennifer
Published: February 2024

OBJECTIVE

To improve patient outcomes and promote health equity, medical students must be taught not only biomedicine, but also the social sciences to understand the larger contexts in which patients live and health care operates. Yet, most undergraduate medical education does not explicitly cover these topics in a required, longitudinal curriculum.

METHODS

In January 2015 at Harvard Medical School, we created a two-part sequence (pre- and post-clerkship) of required, 4-week multidisciplinary courses—“Essentials of the Profession I and II”—to fill this gap. “Essentials of the Profession II (EOP2)” is an advanced social sciences course anchored in patient narratives and the lived experiences of students and includes clinical epidemiology and population health, healthcare delivery and leadership, health policy, medical ethics and professionalism, and social medicine that engages students to conduct structural analyses to be effective healers, advocates, and leaders.

RESULTS

Per student course evaluations, the overall course rating was 1.7 (SD 0.9, 1 = excellent and 5 = poor); its overall rating has improved over time; and it has scored well even when run virtually. It was rated highly in application of critical thinking, integration of the disciplines, and relevance for clinical work. Qualitative analyses of student responses revealed the following key course strengths: breadth of topics, teaching faculty and guest speakers, and small group discussions. The weaknesses included workload, lack of diversity of opinions, repetition, and time spent in lectures.

CONCLUSIONS

We argue that EOP2 is “essential” for post-clerkship medical education. It offers an opportunity to re-ignite and enhance humanism and activism; remind students why they chose the medical profession; equip them with frameworks and toolkits to help them to overcome challenges; and devise solutions to improve health care and patient outcomes that are applicable to their future training and ongoing practice of medicine.
Ability-Responsive Instruction in Secondary Ensembles: Lessons From COVID-Era Interactions
Authors: Salvador Karen , Harry Adam G.
Published: February 2024

After making instructional changes due to COVID-19 lockdowns, secondary ensemble teachers reported stronger personal connections with students and increased focus on developing individual musicianship. Using an online survey, we examined if and how the shift to online instruction affected secondary music ensemble teachers’ perceptions and practices regarding individualizing instruction, particularly for students with Individual Education Plans (IEPs) or 504s. Respondents ( N = 99) answered short-answer and Likert-type items. Overall, they rated themselves as effective at individualizing instruction and meeting music learning needs for students with IEPs and 504s both online and in person. Participants shared strategies they used online and in person, including using individual video assessment submissions and at-home practice videos. We conclude with suggestions for how secondary music ensemble teachers could extrapolate the practices we described in this article to their classrooms.
Spatial patterns and temporal trends of trace elements in mosses from 1990 to 2020 in Germany
Authors: Schröder Winfried , Nickel Stefan , Dreyer Annekatrin , Völksen Barbara
Published: February 2024

Background

The accumulation of trace elements in mosses is used as an indirect measure of atmospheric deposition and an important complement to the techniques used to monitor the Geneva Air Pollution Convention. The aim of this paper is to quantify and map temporal and spatial trends of metal enrichment in mosses collected in Germany in 1990, 1995, 2000, 2005, 2015 and 2020. Collection and chemical analysis of the moss samples were carried out according to international guidelines.

Results

The analysis shows that since 1990, the median concentrations of As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Sb in the mosses have been decreasing significantly, with the with the highest decline of Pb (− 86%). This trend reversed in 2000 and 2005 and between 2015 and 2020 by increases in the concentrations of some trace elements. In the 2000 Moss Survey, higher concentrations were measured for Cd, Cu, Ni and Sb than in 2015, ranging from + 26% (Cu) to + 165% (Ni). For As and Pb, no significant changes can be observed in 2020 compared to 2015. The increase in metal concentrations in the mosses over the last five years does not correspond to the corresponding trends in reported metal emissions in Germany (2015–2020). In contrast, the long-term trends of the As, Cd, Cu, Ni and Pb concentrations measured in the mosses showed good overall correspondence with the emission trends in Germany (1990–2020). The long-term trends of the moss data are mostly weaker than those of the emission data. The spatial patterns of the temporal trends were mapped and discussed for As, Cd, Cu, Ni, Pb and Sb.

Conclusions

The study shows that for valid monitoring of atmospheric deposition, it is not enough to consider only emission data or the modelled deposition derived from these data. In this respect, the study provides one of many necessary contributions to the discussion on the extent to which analytes of current monitoring programmes are still relevant and up-to-date and whether there are new substances that are also relevant or even more relevant than existing analytes and to what extent this should be taken into account in designing future environmental monitoring.
Integrated transcriptome and DNA methylome analysis reveal the biological base of increased resistance to gray leaf spot and growth inhibition in interspecific grafted tomato scions
Authors: Liu Ce , Jia Yanhong , He Lixia , Li Hui , Song Jian , Ji Lizhu , Wang Chunguo
Published: February 2024

Background

Grafting is widely used as an important agronomic approach to deal with environmental stresses. However, the molecular mechanism of grafted tomato scions in response to biotic stress and growth regulation has yet to be fully understood.

Results

This study investigated the resistance and growth performance of tomato scions grafted onto various rootstocks. A scion from a gray leaf spot-susceptible tomato cultivar was grafted onto tomato, eggplant, and pepper rootstocks, creating three grafting combinations: one self-grafting of tomato/tomato (TT), and two interspecific graftings, namely tomato/eggplant (TE) and tomato/pepper (TP). The study utilized transcriptome and DNA methylome analyses to explore the regulatory mechanisms behind the resistance and growth traits in the interspecific graftings. Results indicated that interspecific grafting significantly enhanced resistance to gray leaf spot and improved fruit quality, though fruit yield was decreased compared to self-grafting. Transcriptome analysis demonstrated that, compared to self-grafting, interspecific graftings triggered stronger wounding response and endogenous immune pathways, while restricting genes related to cell cycle pathways, especially in the TP grafting. Methylome data revealed that the TP grafting had more hypermethylated regions at CHG (H = A, C, or T) and CHH sites than the TT grafting. Furthermore, the TP grafting exhibited increased methylation levels in cell cycle related genes, such as DNA primase and ligase, while several genes related to defense kinases showed decreased methylation levels. Notably, several kinase transcripts were also confirmed among the rootstock-specific mobile transcripts.

Conclusions

The study concludes that interspecific grafting alters gene methylation patterns, thereby activating defense responses and inhibiting the cell cycle in tomato scions. This mechanism is crucial in enhancing resistance to gray leaf spot and reducing growth in grafted tomato scions. These findings offer new insights into the genetic and epigenetic contributions to agronomic trait improvements through interspecific grafting.
Rapidly mining candidate cotton drought resistance genes based on key indicators of drought resistance
Authors: Geng Shiwei , Gao Wenju , Li Shengmei , Chen Qin , Jiao Yang , Zhao Jieyin , Wang Yuxiang , Wang TingWei , Qu Yanying , Chen Quanjia
Published: February 2024

Background

Focusing on key indicators of drought resistance is highly important for quickly mining candidate genes related to drought resistance in cotton.

Results

In the present study, drought resistance was identified in drought resistance-related RIL populations during the flowering and boll stages, and multiple traits were evaluated; these traits included three key indicators: plant height (PH), single boll weight (SBW) and transpiration rate (Tr). Based on these three key indicators, three groups of extreme mixing pools were constructed for BSA-seq. Based on the mapping interval of each trait, a total of 6.27 Mb QTL intervals were selected on chromosomes A13 (3.2 Mb), A10 (2.45 Mb) and A07 (0.62 Mb) as the focus of this study. Based on the annotation information and qRT‒PCR analysis, three key genes that may be involved in the drought stress response of cotton were screened: GhF6'H1, Gh3AT1 and GhPER55. qRT‒PCR analysis of parental and extreme germplasm materials revealed that the expression of these genes changed significantly under drought stress. Cotton VIGS experiments verified the important impact of key genes on cotton drought resistance.

Conclusions

This study focused on the key indicators of drought resistance, laying the foundation for the rapid mining of drought-resistant candidate genes in cotton and providing genetic resources for directed molecular breeding of drought resistance in cotton.