bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Tendência e caracteristicas clínico epidemiológicas da tuberculose no nordeste brasileiro (2012 - 2021)
Authors: Lima Cynthia Cardozo Dias , Pascoal Livia Maia , Bezerra Janaina Miranda , Santos Floriacy Stabnow , Costa Ana Cristina Pereira de Jesus , Santos Leonardo Hunaldo dos , Araújo Marcio Flávio Moura de , Santos Neto Marcelino
Published: December 2024

Introdução: A tuberculose continua ocupando destaque entre as principais doenças infectocontagiosas pelo mundo e é considerada uma das principais causas de morte. Assim, estudos epidemiológicos que abordem acerca da tuberculose em áreas caracterizada por intensas desigualdades sociais são oportunos para a compreensão de aspectos que necessitam de atenção especial por parte da gestão e dos serviços de saúde. Objetivo: Descrever a tendência da incidência e o perfil clínico-epidemiológico dos casos de tuberculose na região Nordeste do Brasil. Métodos: Trata-se de um estudo epidemiológico descritivo de séries temporais, realizado na região Nordeste do Brasil. Foram incluídos dados de domínio público referentes aos casos novos de tuberculose notificados junto ao Sistema de Informação de Agravos de Notificação (SINAN) entre janeiro de 2012 e dezembro de 2021. Para determinar a tendência da incidência, foram empregados modelos de regressões de Prais-Winsten, considerando-se a autocorrelação em series temporais. Ademais, foram expressos valores absolutos e relativos das variáveis clínico-epidemiológicas sob investigação. Resultados: Detectou-se uma tendência estável das taxas de incidência na região nordeste e na maioria dos estados, sendo que o Maranhão apresentou tendência crescente e Alagoas decrescente. A maioria dos casos ocorreu em indivíduos do sexo masculino, raça/cor parda, com primeira baciloscopia de escarro positiva, que não realizaram cultura de escarro, baixa escolaridade, baixa renda, zona urbana, com forma clínica pulmonar, sorologia negativa para HIV e com situação de encerramento cura. Conclusão: A tendência estável da incidência, bem como as características clínico-epidemiológicas evidenciadas dos casos de tuberculose destacam a necessidade de implementar medidas efetivas de controle e vigilância da doença, através de intervenções de saúde, desenvolvendo ações direcionadas para a prevenção e controle da doença.
A endometriose e sua realidade epidemiológica no Nordeste Brasileiro
Authors: Sombra Mirella Pascoal Pereira , Silva Júnior José Antonio , Nascimento Ellany Gurgel Cosme do
Published: December 2024

Fundamentos: A endometriose é uma condição na qual tecido semelhante ao endométrio, o revestimento do útero, se desenvolve fora da cavidade uterina. O processo de investigação diagnóstica pode ser prolongado, pois exige muita atenção do médico às diversas manifestações clínicas que o quadro pode apresentar, sendo doença altamente prevalente subdiagnosticada e subtratada que causa repercussões negativas na saúde da mulher. Objetivo: Mapear a prevalência e o perfil socioeconômico das internações hospitalares por endometriose nas Unidades Federativas da região Nordeste. Métodos: Estudo epidemiológico, observacional e transversal, utilizando dados do Sistema de Informações Hospitalares, do número de internações por endometriose em mulheres, na região Nordeste, de 2012 a 2021. Resultados: Foram notificadas 32.465 internações por endometriose, tendo os estados do Ceará, Maranhão e Rio Grande do Norte as maiores prevalências. O pico de hospitalizações ocorreu no ano de 2012, sucedido de um declínio até o ano de 2020. A predominância ocorre na faixa etária adulta (20 a 59 anos), na raça parda, no caráter de atendimento eletivo, em caráter de urgência, em estabelecimentos privados e o valor gasto no atendimento totalizou R$ 23.812.361. Conclusão: Identificou-se uma redução de hospitalizações por endometriose na região, podendo esse resultado estar relacionado ao subdiagnóstico e ao subtratamento da doença. Por tanto, fazem-se necessários estudos complementares que esclareçam os motivos do declínio.
Follistatin From hiPSC-Cardiomyocytes Promotes Myocyte Proliferation in Pigs With Postinfarction LV Remodeling
Authors: Wei Yuhua , Walcott Gregory , Nguyen Thanh , Geng Xiaoxiao , Guragain Bijay , Zhang Hanyu , Green Akazha , Rosa-Garrido Manuel , Rogers Jack M. , Garry Daniel J. , Ye Lei , Zhang Jianyi
Published: December 2024

BACKGROUND:

When human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) that CCND2-OE (overexpressed cyclin-D2) were differentiated into cardiomyocytes (
CCND2-OE
hiPSC-CMs) and administered to the infarcted hearts of immunodeficient mice, the cells proliferated after administration and repopulated >50% of the scar. Here, we knocked out human leukocyte antigen class I and class II expression in
CCND2-OE
hiPSC-CMs (
KO/OE
hiPSC-CMs) to reduce the cells’ immunogenicity and then assessed the therapeutic efficacy of
KO/OE
hiPSC-CMs for the treatment of myocardial infarction.

METHODS:

KO/OE
hiPSC-CM and wild-type hiPSC-CM (
WT
hiPSC-CM) spheroids were differentiated in shaking flasks, purified, characterized, and intramyocardially injected into pigs after ischemia/reperfusion injury; control animals were injected with basal medium. Cardiac function was evaluated via cardiac magnetic resonance imaging, and cardiomyocyte proliferation was assessed via immunostaining and single-nucleus RNA sequencing.

RESULTS:

Measurements of cardiac function and scar size were significantly better in pigs treated with
KO/OE
hiPSC-CM spheroids than in animals treated with medium or
WT
hiPSC-CM spheroids.
KO/OE
hiPSC-CMs were detected for just 1 week after administration, but assessments of cell cycle activity and proliferation were significantly higher in the endogenous pig cardiomyocytes of the hearts from the
KO/OE
hiPSC-CM spheroid group than in those from the other 2 groups. Single-nucleus RNA-sequencing analysis identified a cluster of proliferating cardiomyocytes that was significantly more prevalent in the
KO/OE
hiPSC-CM spheroid–treated hearts (3.65%) than in the hearts from the medium (0.89%) or
WT
hiPSC-CM spheroid (1.33%) groups at week 1. YAP (Yes-associated protein) protein levels and nuclear localization were also significantly upregulated in pig cardiomyocytes after treatment with
KO/OE
hiPSC-CM spheroids. Follistatin, which interacts with the HIPPO/YAP pathway, was significantly more abundant in the medium from
KO/OE
hiPSC-CM spheroids than
WT
hiPSC-CM spheroids (30.29±2.39 versus 16.62±0.83 ng/mL,
P
=0.0056). Treatment with follistatin increased
WT
hiPSC-CM cell counts by 28.3% over 16 days in culture and promoted cardiomyocyte proliferation in the infarcted hearts of adult mice.

CONCLUSIONS:

KO/OE
hiPSC-CM spheroids significantly improved cardiac function and reduced infarct size in pig hearts after ischemia/reperfusion injury by secreting follistatin, which upregulated HIPPO/YAP signaling and proliferation in endogenous pig cardiomyocytes.
Barriers for Responding to Pediatric Out‐of‐Hospital Cardiac Arrest During Emergency Medical Calls: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Kragh Astrid Rolin , Kjærholm Sofie Have , de Claville Holland Flarup Louise , Juul Grabmayr Anne , Borch‐Johnsen Liv , Folke Fredrik , Tjørnhøj‐Thomsen Tine , Hassager Christian , Malta Hansen Carolina
Published: December 2024

Background

Rapid recognition of pediatric out‐of‐hospital cardiac arrest (POHCA) is a critical component to prompt initiation of bystander interventions. We aimed to investigate barriers for responding to POHCA during emergency medical calls.

Methods and Results

We included all POHCA calls (aged 0–18 years) from the emergency dispatch center in the Capital Region of Denmark between 2018 and 2021 and excluded POHCAs with no resuscitation order, found dead, where trained health professionals were on site, or where there was no possibility for initiation of cardiopulmonary resuscitation. A qualitative analysis was undertaken. POHCA calls were divided according to the speed of telecommunicator‐recognition into 3 groups: POHCA recognition within 90 seconds (group 1), POHCAs recognition >90 seconds (group 2), and POHCAs recognized by the emergency medical services at ambulance arrival (group 3). A total of 20 calls were included. We identified 3 major barriers to telecommunicator recognition of POHCA. First, prolonged conversations between callers and telecommunicators focusing on the cause of the child's condition rather than adherence to the assessment of consciousness and breathing. Second, challenges in assessing breathing such as cases where the child had agonal or unregular breathing or gasping breaths. Finally, callers who were unable to communicate or follow instructions from the telecommunicator.

Conclusions

Telecommunicator recognition of POHCA is challenged by factors such as prolonged conversations focusing on causes rather than initiating bystander interventions, barriers in assessing breathing, as well as callers' abilities to partake in communication with telecommunicators. Efforts to address these barriers in current dispatch protocols may improve recognition of POHCA.
Trends in Sudden Cardiac Death Among Adults Aged 25 to 44 Years in the United States: An Analysis of 2 Large US Databases
Authors: Zuin Marco , Mohanty Sanghamitra , Aggarwal Rahul , Bertini Matteo , Bikdeli Behnood , Hamade Nada , Leyva Hannah , Natale Andrea , Boriani Giuseppe , Piazza Gregory
Published: December 2024

Background

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) in early adults aged 25 to 44 years represents an important and unexpected cause of death. We assessed trends in SCD‐related mortality in the United States from 1999 to 2020 among early adults to determine differences by sex, ethnoracial groups, urbanization, and census region.

Methods and Results

Mortality data were retrieved from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Wide‐Ranging Online Data for Epidemiologic Research (CDC WONDER) data set from 1999 to 2020. Age‐adjusted mortality rates were assessed using the Joinpoint regression modeling and expressed as estimated average annual percentage change with relative 95% CIs. Trends in prevalence of coronary artery disease/myocardial infarction, heart failure, and stroke, which may have contributed to SCD‐related mortality over the same period, were obtained from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey. From 1999 to 2020, 10 516 US early adults aged 25 to 44 years had SCD (7832 men and 2684 women), resulting in 3.72 deaths per 1000 population, or a mean of 478 deaths annually. The relative age‐adjusted mortality rate increased linearly (average annual percentage change: +1.0% [95% CI, 0.3–1.8]), without sex differences. The age‐adjusted mortality rate increase was more pronounced in Black patients, Hispanic/Latinx patients, and residents of rural areas. Higher absolute numbers of SCDs were clustered in the South (47.6%). During the same period, the prevalence of coronary artery disease/myocardial infarction, heart failure, and stroke plateaued. SCD‐related mortality associated with opioids/stimulants overdose significantly increased over the entire study period.

Conclusions

SCD‐related mortality among early adults has increased over the last 2 decades in the United States with notable racial and regional disparities.
Survival Differences in Asian and Hispanic Patients With In‐Hospital Cardiac Arrest
Authors: Sherrod Charles F. , Moskowitz Ari L. , Kennedy Kevin F. , Khan Mirza S. , Mohamed Amira M. , Ikemura Nobuhiro , Chan Paul S. ,   for the American Heart Association's Get With The Guidelines–Resuscitation Investigators
Published: December 2024

Background

Although they are fast‐growing populations in the United States, little is known about survival outcomes of Hispanic and Asian patients after in‐hospital cardiac arrest.

Methods and Results

In Get With The Guidelines–Resuscitation, we identified Asian, Hispanic, and White adults with in‐hospital cardiac arrest during 2005 to 2023. Using multivariable models, we compared rates of survival to discharge separately for Asian and Hispanic patients versus White patients, as well as rates of sustained return of spontaneous circulation for ≥20 minutes and favorable neurologic survival as secondary outcomes. Of 189 557 in‐hospital cardiac arrests, 167 640 (88.4%), 16 800 (8.9%), and 5117 (2.7%) patients were White, Hispanic, and Asian, respectively. Compared with the survival rate to discharge for White patients (22.0%), rates were lower for Hispanic (19.4%; adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.93 [95% CI, 0.89–0.97];
P
<0.001) and Asian patients (17.8%; adjusted OR, 0.90 [95% CI, 0.83–0.97];
P
=0.008), and these differences were attenuated after accounting for the hospital at which patients received care (adjusted OR: Hispanic patients, 0.95 [95% CI, 0.91–1.00]; Asian patients, 0.91 [95% CI, 0.84–0.99]). Although there were no differences in rates of return of spontaneous circulation between White (68.7%), Hispanic (69.0%), and Asian patients (69.7%), both Asian and Hispanic patients were less likely to have favorable neurologic survival (White: 18.3%; Hispanic: 15.4%; adjusted OR, 0.88 [95% CI, 0.84–0.93]; Asian: 13.2%; adjusted OR, 0.80 [95% CI, 0.73–0.87]). These differences were also attenuated after accounting for hospital site.

Conclusions

Compared with White patients, Hispanic and Asian patients with in‐hospital cardiac arrest had lower rates of overall survival and favorable neurologic survival. Some of these differences were associated with the hospital at which patients received care.
Nursing Wellness in Academic and Clinical Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing: A Scientific Statement From the American Heart Association
Authors: Pike Nancy A. , Dougherty Cynthia M. , Black Terrie , Freedenberg Vicki , Green Theresa L. , Howie‐Esquivel Jill , Pucciarelli Gianluca , Souffront Kimberly , St. Laurent Paul ,   the American Heart Association Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; Council on Clinical Cardiology; and Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health
Published: December 2024

Nursing is an essential part of our health care system workforce. Cardiovascular and stroke nursing represents one of the largest specialty areas requiring expert knowledge and clinical proficiency to ensure safety and quality patient outcomes. To support the growth and sustainability of the various nursing roles in clinical practice, academia, and research, it is vital to attract, engage, mentor, and retain nurses. However, as the health care needs of the nation rise, staff nurses, advanced practice registered nurses, nursing educators, and nurse scientists are experiencing unprecedented demands, and individual wellness and burnout are being more closely examined at both the university and health care system levels. The goal of this scientific statement is to outline the drivers of burnout or intent to leave the profession that impact wellness specific to academic and clinical cardiovascular and stroke nursing and propose system‐level interventions to mitigate and support future and current nurse clinicians, nurse educators, and nurse scientists.
Evaluating permutation-based inference for partial least squares analysis of neuroimaging data
Authors: Danyluik Matthew , Zeighami Yashar , Mukora Alice , Lepage Martin , Shah Jai , Joober Ridha , Misic Bratislav , Iturria-Medina Yasser , Chakravarty M. Mallar
Published: December 2024

Partial least squares (PLS) is actively leveraged in neuroimaging work, typically to map latent variables (LVs) representing brain–behaviour associations. LVs are considered statistically significant if they tend to capture more covariance than LVs derived from permuted data, with a Procrustes rotation applied to map each set of permuted LVs to the space defined by the originals, creating an “apples to apples” comparison. Yet, it has not been established whether applying the rotation makes the permutation test more sensitive to whether true LVs are present in a dataset, and it is unclear whether significance alone is sufficient to fully characterize a PLS decomposition, given that complementary metrics such as strength and split-half stability may offer non-redundant information about the LVs. Accordingly, we performed PLS analyses across a range of simulated datasets with known latent effects, observing that the Procrustes rotation systematically weakened the null distributions for the first LV. By extension, the first LV was nearly always significant, regardless of whether the effect was weak, undersampled, noisy, or simulated at all. But, if no rotation was applied, all possible LVs tended to be significant as we increased the sample size of UK Biobank datasets. Meanwhile, LV strength and stability metrics accurately tracked our confidence that effects were present in simulated data, and allowed for a more nuanced assessment of which LVs may be relevant in the UK Biobank. We end by presenting a list of considerations for researchers implementing PLS permutation testing, and by discussing promising alternative tests which may alleviate the concerns raised by our findings.
Have public universities in Germany become more isomorphic? Methodology and empirical test, 1995–2020
Authors: Heinze Thomas , Josek Rafael
Published: December 2024

Despite being a well-known concept in neo-institutional organization theory, isomorphism (or structural similarity) has been conceptualized and empirically examined by very few studies. This paper examines isomorphism quantitatively in German higher education, using the Relative Specialization Index. Drawing on a comprehensive data set that includes information on professorial staff and students, as well as basic and grant funding, our paper shows, first, that most variables show an isomorphic pattern, and second, that German universities have become more isomorphic over time. We discuss possible explanations of this result and avenues for future research.
Global mobility of the recent STEM postdoctoral workforce registered in ORCID
Authors: Kim Hyunuk
Published: December 2024

Postdoctoral researchers contribute to scientific, technological, and societal innovations under the supervision of academic faculty and domain experts. Their international movements facilitate the advancement and diffusion of knowledge and thus are important for research and development. To understand postdoctoral mobility at a global scale, this paper analyzes self-reported career trajectories of postdoctoral researchers by leveraging Open Researcher and Contributor ID (ORCID), focusing on five STEM fields: Biological Sciences, Biomedical and Clinical Sciences, Chemical Sciences, Engineering, and Physical Sciences. The United States and European countries are major destinations for the first postdoctoral position across the selected fields, and three Asian countries—China, Japan, and the Republic of Korea—also attract postdoctoral researchers in Chemical Sciences and Engineering. Gender differences are observed for some specific cases mainly due to the tendency that female postdoctoral researchers are more likely to stay in a single country or less likely to move to the United States for the second postdoctoral position compared to male postdoctoral researchers. The results would be leveraged to design science and technology policies for postdoctoral researchers in consideration of additional factors, such as culture and language.
The transformative relation between publishers and editors: Research quality and academic autonomy at stake
Authors: Beigel Fernanda
Published: December 2024

The prevalence of scientific journals amid the expansion of digital platforms and mega-infrastructures features the persistent will of scholars to give part of their time to this endeavor, which is frequently a thankless task and subject to intense pressures. In this paper, we focus on scholarly editorship and the existing commercial interferences to explore whether this has an equal incidence in publishing circuits outside the mainstream. For this purpose, we describe the case of Latin America, where a parallel value system is observed through indexation criteria focused on academic quality and independent editorship. We examined 1,971 SciELO and Redalyc journals, stressing the features of editorial teams and publishing institutions, and calibrating the penetration of the article processing charge (APC) business model. We argue that the development of this regional publishing circuit, along with the value system that explains its survival, finds its main strength in its public nature and the crucial role of universities’ autonomy. Its main weakness in the absence of an interoperable infrastructure capable of broadening its circulation. We also discuss the idea of predatory publishing and its evolution from the representation of journal backwardness to fraudulent for-profit publications, proposing to reorient the value of scientific journals onto their academic autonomy.
A framework for demonstrating, forecasting, and explaining topic evolution by analyzing geometrical motion of topic embeddings
Authors: Huang Shengzhi , Lu Wei , Cheng Qikai , Huang Yong , Yi Fan , Zhu Liang
Published: December 2024

Topic analysis aims to study topic evolution and trends in order to help researchers understand the process of knowledge evolution and creation. This paper develops a novel topic evolution analysis framework, which we use to demonstrate, forecast, and explain topic evolution from the perspective of the geometrical motion of topic embeddings generated by pretrained language models. Our data set comprises approximately 15 million papers in the computer science field, with 7,000 “fields of study” to represent the topics. First, we demonstrate that over 80% of topics have undergone obvious motion in the semantic vector space, based on the hyperplane and its normal vector generated by a support vector machine. Subsequently, we verified the predictability of the motion based on three vector regression models by predicting topic embeddings. Finally, we employed a decoder to explain the predicted motion, whose forecast embeddings can capture about 50% of unseen topics. Our research framework shows that topic evolution can be analyzed via the geometrical motion of topic embeddings, and the semantic motion of old topics nurtures new topics. The current study opens new research pathways in topic analysis and sheds light on the topic evolution mechanism from a novel geometric perspective.
Using Rubrics to Enhance Accuracy of Peer Assessment and Self-Judgment in Biology Learning
Authors: Fadillah Sarah Meilani , Ha Minsu
Published: December 2024

This study investigated the potential of rubrics to enhance science learning outcomes and the accuracy of peer and self-assessments. We randomly divided 230 upper-secondary students from nine classrooms in public schools into two groups: rubric and non-rubric groups. The research concentrated on five open-ended items pertaining to cell biology and applied a pretest-posttest design. The students participated in online peer assessment activities, including independently scoring and providing feedback for five unique responses per question. The findings revealed that both groups displayed (1) a notable correlation between peer and expert scores and (2) learning improvement, with the rubric group outperforming the non-rubric group in terms of effect size, and that (3) male students in the rubric group demonstrated a significant reduction in overconfidence, although the regression results suggested that gender did not influence the learning outcomes. This research supports the claim that rubrics can elevate formative assessment by enhancing learning outcomes and facilitating more reliable judgments.
Science and Engineering Practices: a Comparative Analysis of Indonesian, Thai and Vietnamese Science Curricula
Authors: Prasoplarb Tharuesean , Faikhamta Chatree , Khan Samia , Lertdechapat Kornkanok , Van Bien Nguyen , El Islami R. Ahmad Zaky , Xue Song , Khwaengmek Vipavadee , Hennessey Alison
Published: December 2024

Southeast Asian countries are embracing updated integrated curricula, such as STEM, which are impacted by socio-scientific, political, and economic reasons related to global educational reform. This study compares science curricula regarding science and engineering practices (SEP s) in Indonesian, Thai, and Vietnamese science curricula. The SEP s in the curricular learning outcomes were examined using qualitative content analysis. According to the analysis, the learning outcomes of the three Southeast Asian countries were more aligned with science than engineering. Students most often practiced ‘constructing scientific explanations,’ while the least common was ‘asking questions and defining problems’ across countries. Compared to Indonesia and Vietnam, the Thai curriculum typically included ‘developing a model’, a key science and engineering practice. The findings suggest that curriculum design may reconsider integration, curricular coherence, and learning goals for modelling, asking questions, and engineering to increase engagement with diverse activities.
Preceding sevoflurane inhalation in rats reduces the stress of intraperitoneal injection both in inexperienced experimenters and subject rats
Authors: Ishibashi Hidetoshi , Motohashi Hideyuki
Published: December 2024

In this study, we found that sevoflurane inhalation in rats prior to intraperitoneal injection decreased stress in both inexperienced experimenters and subject rats. Inexperienced experimenters anaesthetised male Sprague Dawley rats by intraperitoneal injection of anaesthetics, with or without preceding sevoflurane inhalation. Analysis using a visual analogue scale indicated that participating experimenters felt less stress when they performed intraperitoneal injections on rats after subjecting them to sevoflurane inhalation than when performing intraperitoneal injections alone. Plasma corticosterone concentrations of the anaesthetised subject rats were lower when the intraperitoneal injection was preceded by sevoflurane inhalation. Thus, our results demonstrated that it is advisable for inexperienced experimenters, until they gain confidence with experience, to perform sevoflurane inhalation on male rats before intraperitoneal injections.
Pitfalls in the analysis conditions of canine brain perfusion computed tomography
Authors: Kushida Kazuya , Tashiro Kodai , Katayama Masaaki , Fukushima Ryuji , Kishimoto Miori
Published: December 2024

This study aimed to investigate the impact of selected analysis conditions on blood flow values and color maps in canine brain perfusion computed tomography (PCT) and to propose optimal analysis conditions. Dynamic computed tomography imaging was performed on six beagle dogs. Color maps were generated using a combination of analysis algorithms (box-modulation transfer function (Box-MTF) and singular value deconvolution plus (SVD+) methods), slice thicknesses (4.0 and 8.0 mm), analysis matrix sizes (512 × 512, 256 × 256, and 128 × 128), and noise reduction levels (strong and weak). Cerebral blood flow (CBF) and cerebral blood volume (CBV) were calculated for gray matter, white matter, basal ganglia, hippocampus, thalamus, and cerebellum in each map. CBF and CBV values obtained using SVD+ were significantly higher than those obtained using Box-MTF. Noise reduction was more effective with larger matrix sizes; however, excessive noise reduction led to the blurring of anatomical structures in the color map. Across all analysis algorithms, anatomical structures were challenging to visualize at 8.0 mm. For canine brain PCT, it is essential to choose a straightforward algorithm that remains unaffected by circulatory velocity or intracranial bone structure. Given the brain’s size, the slice thickness should be minimal, noise reduction level should be suitable for the targeted area, and matrix size should be maximized.
Semantic segmentation models with frozen weights for railway track detection
Authors: Lee Seungmin , Kim Beomseong , Lee Heesung
Published: December 2024

In recent years, the application of pretrained models in specialized domains has become increasingly important. Traditionally, adapting these models involved fine-tuning their parameters and structures through retraining. However, these fine-tuning methods can be inefficient, particularly when addressing data from specific domains or when modifications are needed in the lower layers of large-scale pretrained models. This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of using pretrained models with frozen weights for downstream tasks in the context of railway track detection, particularly focusing on the railway system. To achieve this, we employed a large-scale semantic segmentation model that had been pretrained on extensive datasets. The models utilized were kept with fixed weights, eliminating the need for retraining. We conducted a comparative analysis of various pretrained models sourced from different datasets to identify the most suitable model for the track detection system. The findings from our experiments revealed the performance metrics of the selected pretrained models, highlighting their effectiveness in the specific domain of railway track detection. Overall, this research demonstrates the practical applicability of pretrained models with frozen weights in specialized fields such as railway systems, offering insights into their usefulness and potential for improving detection algorithms in this domain.
a communal and intergenerational dialogue among Indigenous women leaders on decolonial feminist democracy in Ecuador
Authors: Gallardo Lastra Gabriela , Machoa Katy , López López Mónica
Published: December 2024

In contrast to the dominant paradigm of liberal feminist democracy, which operates from a top-down approach and emphasises individual empowerment, this article explores the alternative framework of radical feminist democracy. This alternative model is grounded in collective action from grassroots movements and aims to centre the voices of subaltern women who have often been marginalised in mainstream discourse that focuses on the role of women in democracy. The primary objective of this article is to contribute to the development of a concept of decolonial feminist democracy that is rooted in specific contexts and experiences, particularly those of subaltern women. It seeks to understand how decolonial democratic values are transmitted intergenerationally, particularly through the relationships between mothers and children. To achieve this, we analyse a significant social protest event in Ecuador: the June 2022 Strike led by the Indigenous movement. Through in-depth interviews with adult and young Indigenous women leaders who played key roles in this mobilisation, the article explores various aspects including gender roles, democratic practices within the Indigenous movement and perspectives on feminism. The findings highlight a form of community democracy and the interconnected struggle against neoliberalism, colonialism, patriarchy and extractivism, which Indigenous women actively engage in both on the streets and within their communities. Furthermore, the research uncovers evidence of the intergenerational transmission of democratic values, particularly the ethos of resistance.
becoming-woman: exploring decolonial feminist possibilities with Bhawaiya folk songs of Bengal
Authors: Khandoker Nasrin
Published: December 2024

This article explores the possibilities of decolonial subjectivity constructed through the lyrics, performances and tunes of a Bangla folk song genre, Bhawaiya, through the concept of ‘becoming-woman’. Postcolonial scholars have shown that new gender norms for Bengali women were made by the political, religious and cultural encounter between British colonial mechanisms and the nationalist collective struggle of reconstructing the traditions of the Indian subcontinent. While marriage was established as one of the most potent social contracts through that encounter, in Bengal, the words of the embodied or sensual love of ‘illicit’ relations beyond the marital boundary expressed through many lyrics of the Bhawaiya songs show the existence of sexual desire beyond this heteropatriarchal norm. The female subject of Bhawaiya lyrics expressing ‘illicit’ desire is fictional but symbolises the permissiveness of real women’s defiant and deviant emotions. Moreover, the emotions of Bhawaiya folk songs not only connect singers, performers and listeners with the instruments and environments but also create the embodied-atmospheric environment, process and experience of ‘becoming-woman’. In between the colonial and nationalist binary narratives, Bhawaiya exists with sexually subversive emotional elements and with the emotional atmosphere of ‘becoming-woman of Bhawaiya’. The decolonial feminist political potential of this ‘becoming’ challenges the coloniality of gender by evoking ‘female’ emotions that exceed the logic of categorical binaries. This article examines that subversive female subjectivity for a decolonial disjuncture from existing colonial and national narratives.
rematerialising Chinese feminism: socialist memories and new problematics
Authors: Ni Yanping
Published: December 2024

This article examines a theoretical strand that has emerged in the past decade in mainland China. The strand, tentatively called ‘critical socialist feminism’ (CSF), is characterised by its dedication to criticising mainstream liberal feminism, recuperating Marxist critiques of the political economy and revisiting the country’s socialist memories. Yet it so far has remained marginal and has yet to resonate with newer generations of feminist ideas and practices. This article seeks to reframe CSF into a flexible analytical framework that will be of critical relevance to our understanding of the situation facing women in contemporary China. Following ethnographic and historical reflections on Chinese feminism and its contestations, three problematics are offered to expand CSF’s theoretical capacity: 1) the necessity to rematerialise Chinese feminism, 2) the ambiguous relationship between Chinese feminists and the Chinese state and 3) the crucial and critical imperative to diversify Chinese feminist voices.
Power Distance Moderates the Relation Between Income Inequality and Life Satisfaction: A Cross-Country Longitudinal Analysis
Authors: Kusano Kodai , Giuntoli Laura , Maass Anne
Published: December 2024

Despite extensive research, the relationship between income inequality and life satisfaction remains unclear, with some countries experiencing negative consequences, while others show neutral or positive outcomes. Using data from the Gallup World Poll (2006–2022) with nearly two million respondents from more than 110 countries, we disentangle the distinct within-country and between-country effects of inequality. Our multilevel analyses reveal a significant within-country effect: Temporal increases in inequality are associated with decreases in life satisfaction. At the between-country level, power distance—a cultural dimension reflecting tolerance for social disparities—moderates the relationship. In low power distance countries, higher inequality strongly predicts lower life satisfaction, whereas in high power distance countries, the effect is nonsignificant. These findings are robust across two measures of income inequality and controls for wealth and individualism, offering a refined methodological and cultural interpretation to resolve inconsistencies in prior cross-national research.
The metabolic hypothesis for restrictive eating behaviors: A computational and evolutionary approach
Authors: Tarchi Livio , Merola Giuseppe Pierpaolo , Maiolini Gaia , D’Areglia Eleonora , Ricca Valdo , Castellini Giovanni
Published: December 2024

Background

Restrictive eating behaviors, widespread in humans and animals, are often conceptualized as maladaptive, but may serve adaptive purposes under specific circumstances.

Aim

To investigate the adaptive potential of restrictive eating behaviors.

Methods

Computational models explored the relationship between food availability, basal metabolic rate, and restrictive eating behaviors. The evolutionary conservation of genes associated with both basal metabolic rate and restrictive eating behaviors was evaluated.

Results

The propensity to engage in restrictive eating behaviors protected against negative energy balances at times of food volatility, implying ecological fitness potential. A high degree of conservation across species was observed in retrieved genes, implying selective evolutionary constraints.

Conclusion

Restrictive eating behaviors may represent a maladaptive outcome of evolutionary constraints on protective metabolic mechanisms. The higher prevalence of restrictive eating in women could stem from a greater reliance on protective strategies, highlighting the need for further exploration of sex-specific genetic and environmental interactions.
Alienated Leisure: Reflections on The Tourist
Authors: MacCannell Dean
Published: December 2024

The Tourist: A New Theory of the Leisure Class was published in 1976 and has been republished in multiple printings, editions and translations. The original English text has been continuously in print, unmodified from its first publication. This essay suggests that The Tourist can be read today as an account of baseline socio-cultural and economic conditions at the moment just before tourism began its rapid growth to become the world’s largest industry. Several enduring and unique qualities of the tourist commodity and tourist consumption are posited as reasons for the unconstrained growth of the industry. The essay further argues that new cultural models and psychoanalytic frameworks are needed for the analysis of capitalism’s shift from alienated labor to alienated leisure as its primary engine of profitability.
Activating Academic Voice: Explorations of the Media Landscape
Authors: Mizukoshi Shin
Published: December 2024

This essay examines the role of voice-centred media practices in promoting public engagement and enhancing academic research in a media environment dominated by platform capitalism. It argues that developing academic researchers’ media literacy is essential to their understanding of how communication spaces are created and managed. Through the ‘Let’s Read the “Terms of Service” Out Loud!’ workshop, participants explored the often-overlooked implications of digital media and platform use. This activity raises awareness of the personal data exchange inherent in platform capitalism. The essay also introduces the telephonoscope, an experimental medium that combines digital apps with classic black dial phones, enabling participants to engage in personal storytelling. These media practices offer alternative methods for engaging with media platforms, fostering reflection on their societal impact. Integrating media theory into research and embracing voice-based storytelling practices can bridge the gap between academic researchers and the public, creating more profound insights into digital media.
Effects of Al–La alloy ratios on the modification behaviours of the TiN and sulphide inclusions in 20CrMnTi steel under composite deoxidations
Authors: Li Yujie , Liu Shuang , Yang Fan , Tang Hao , Liu Lixia , Peng Jun , An Shengli
Published: December 2024

The morphology of inclusion is one of the important causes of fatigue failure in 20CrMnTi gear steel. Strictly controlling the size and morphology of inclusion in steel is of great significance for improving the quality of the 20CrMnTi gear steel. The main inclusions in 20CrMnTi gear steel are TiN and sulphide. The effects of different ratios of Al–La composite deoxidiser on the modification behaviour of TiN and sulphide inclusions in 20CrMnTi steel are studied by experiments and thermodynamic calculations. The results show that the TiN inclusion in steel will be transformed into small size LaAlO3–TiN inclusion under different deoxidation conditions of Al–La alloy. When the ratio of Al to La in Al–La alloy is 8:2, the modification effect of TiN inclusion in steel is the best, and the average size of TiN inclusion after modification is 1.86 μm. The sulphur oxides containing rare earth La will be formed in smaller size after the sulphide is modified, and the sulphur inclusions are mainly LaAlO3–MnS–TiN composite inclusions. When the ratio of Al to La in Al–La alloy is 9:1, the sulphur-containing inclusion in steel has the best modification effect, and the average size of sulphur-containing inclusion after modification is 1.05 μm.
The potential of GPTs for enhanced information access and user services at academic libraries
Authors: Hamad Faten , Shehata Ahmed
Published: December 2024

Generative pre-trained transformers (GPTs) hold the promise of revolutionizing information access and user services. The purpose of this study is to examine the possible uses and applications of GPTs in academic libraries. One important objective is to investigate how GPTs can improve information access and user services within academic library environments. In this research, 10 information specialists from academic libraries in Oman were interviewed using a semi-structured interview design. The results highlighted an in-depth understanding of the underlying potential of GPTs in academic libraries and their challenges. GPTs can enhance users’ experience by facilitating an interactive user-based language information retrieval model. They can also support library technical operations. However, there are also challenges related to information quality and reliability, as well as ethical considerations mainly related to user data privacy and security. These insights, coming from information specialists, can contribute to advancing future integration frameworks that enforce the regulation, integration, and use of information.
FDG PET/CT Performed Prior to CT-Guided Percutaneous Biopsy of Lung Masses is Associated With an Increased Diagnostic Rate and Often Identifies Alternate Safer Sites to Biopsy
Authors: Haidey Jordan , Abele Jonathan T.
Published: December 2024

Purpose: To determine the benefit of a FDG PET/CT scan prior to CT-guided lung biopsy on the rate of diagnosis, rate of complication, and the identification of potentially safer biopsy sites. Methods: This retrospective observational cross-sectional study evaluated consecutive adult patients who underwent CT-guided lung biopsy in 2020 or 2021 at 2 Canadian tertiary care hospitals. These patients were grouped into those that had PET/CT performed within 8 weeks prior to biopsy, within 8 weeks after biopsy, or no PET/CT scan within this time frame. Biopsy complication rates and pathology diagnostic rates were compared. The PET/CT images of those performed after biopsy were reviewed to determine if alternate safer biopsy sites could be identified. Categorical variables were compared using Pearson chi square test ( P < .05 significant). Results: 547 patients who had CT-guided lung biopsy were included. Patients with lung masses (≥3 cm) who had a PET/CT scan prior to biopsy had a higher diagnostic rate (90.8%) compared to those that did not (80.2%). The overall post-biopsy pneumothorax rate was 43.3% with 11.3% overall requiring chest tube insertion and 13.9% requiring hospitalization. There was no difference in complication rate for those who had PET/CT prior to biopsy and those that did not. 28.9% to 42.1% of patients who had PET/CT after biopsy had safer sites amenable to biopsy identified retrospectively outside of the lungs. Conclusion: PET/CT prior to CT-guided lung biopsy improves the diagnostic rate in 10.6% of patients with lung masses (≥3 cm) and identifies alternate safer sites to biopsy in 28.9% to 42.1% of patients (any size lesion).
Power Through Anonymity: Exploring Barriers to Reporting Sexual Assault Through Analysis of Reddit Data
Authors: Maxwell December , Leat Sarah R. , Thomas Johanna , Coad Siobhan
Published: December 2024

In 2018, Dr. Christine Blasey-Ford's accusations of sexual assault against Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh and sexual assault convictions of Hollywood mogul Harvey Weinstein prompted questioning of why sexual assault victims do not report incidents of sexual violence to law enforcement. A hashtag movement, #whyididntreport was started wherein people began sharing their stories of sexual violence and the reasons they didn’t report. Even though research investigating barriers to reporting sexual violence exists such open, voluntary accounts have not existed before nor have been studied. This study used data from a social media website Reddit to capture barriers to reporting sexual assaults. A qualitative thematic analysis was used to identify six themes through the lens of feminist and social control theories. These findings indicate that even with more readily available knowledge about sexual assault, understanding of consent is still lacking. In addition, the current political climate is adding to fear of consequences when reporting sexual assaults. The implications of these findings for social workers indicate the necessity of social worker's role not only in reporting and clinical work, but also in advocacy and policy work relating to sexual assault.
Characterizing Violent Fatalities Among People Experiencing Homelessness Using the National Violent Death Reporting System, 2010 to 2021
Authors: Duffy Bridget , Bista Saroj , Michaels Nichole L.
Published: December 2024

Homelessness continues to be a serious public health problem in the United States. People experiencing homelessness (PEH) face stark health inequities, including high mortality rates and increased risk of violence victimization. Little is known about the risk factors around PEH dying violently. The objective of this study is to comprehensively describe these fatalities to inform future research and prevention efforts for this population. This retrospective study utilized data from the National Violent Death Reporting System from 2010 to 2021 to characterize and compare fatalities among PEH versus people who were not experiencing homelessness (PNEH). This study identified 7,231 PEH and 423,363 PNEH victims. Among PEH, the most common manners of death were suicide (44.9%) and homicide (31.0%), most were male (83.0%), and White, non-Hispanic (59.3%). Compared to PNEH, a significantly greater proportion of PEH had an alcohol problem (26.9% vs. 15.2%; p < .001) or other substance use problem (48.8% vs. 19.6%; p < .001). Among decedents who had a current mental health problem (PEH: 33.6% vs. PNEH: 36.7%), a smaller percentage of PEH were currently receiving treatment (PEH: 13.9% vs. PNEH: 20.7%; p<.001). Among those who died by suicide, more PEH had a recent eviction/loss of home that contributed to the death, compared to PNEH (21.0% vs. 2.8%; p < .001). Among individuals who died by homicide, PEH were significantly more likely to be killed by a random act of violence (PEH: 5.1% vs. PNEH: 2.6%; p < .001). These findings highlight unique characteristics of violent deaths among PEH, including circumstances involving mental health and substance use problems, and identify key intervention points for suicide prevention among this population. Future research to help prevent violence-related deaths among PEH would benefit by improved data collection methods to reduce missing data and linkages with other data sources.