bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Children Who Offend in Turkey: The Case of the Ankara Child Education Center
Authors: Çağlar Türken
Published: February 2023

This paper investigates the underlying causes of children’s involvement in criminal behavior, and the rehabilitation programs which seek to reintegrate them into society after their release. The data needed were gathered from children’s case files and semi-structured interviews with professionals who work in a child education institution. The findings of the study, which include the demographic and socio-economic background of children who offend, the types of crimes they have committed, their causes, and the nature of the applied rehabilitation programs provided for the children who were serving their sentences in the education center are explained and discussed. It is found that these children are victims of social, cultural, economic, and political structures of the society. They are generally from migrants’ families with middle and low incomes and live in gecekondu neighborhoods.1 Poor living conditions, lack of parental affection, poverty, deprivation, neglect, abuse, addiction, the lack of preventive and protective institutions, the lack of NGOs which work with children, are, inter alia, among the causes of youth crime in Turkey. A lack of engagement or intervention by local authorities or municipalities to tackle the problem of youth crime in their regions is a further factor. The problems are aggravated by a trial and prosecution process that takes up to 2 years. When pending trial, children receive almost no training or rehabilitation in institutions, and this impairs their personal development. There is an urgent need to establish a monitoring system which can regularly monitor children who offend and provide support for at least several months after their release. This would help children to reintegrate into society on a more positive level.
Adjustment speed of capital structure: A literature survey of empirical research
Authors: Thanh Nguyen Ha , Muniandy Balachandran , Henry Darren
Published: February 2023

We synthesize empirical studies on the determinants of the heterogeneity in the adjustment speed (speed of adjustment; SOA) of capital structure. These determinants are categorized into six groups, namely, (1) firm-specific characteristics, (2) financial reporting and managerial incentives, (3) corporate governance, (4) informal institutions, (5) financial market attributes and (6) economy-wide attributes. From this analysis, we perceive important potential research questions linked to identifying channels associated with the costs and frictions explaining SOA heterogeneity, including financial reporting quality aspects, firm internal and external monitoring mechanisms and institutional and cultural elements. Interesting avenues for future research also include considering SOA dynamics for comparable cross-country samples and the investigation of the subsequent consequences of capital structure adjustments.

JEL Classification: G30, G32, G34, M41
The Effects of Rest on Concussion Symptom Resolution and Recovery Time: A Meta-analytic Review and Subgroup Analysis of 4329 Patients
Authors: Kontos Anthony P. , Eagle Shawn R. , Braithwaite Rock , Preszler Jonathan , Manderino Lisa , Turner Rose L. , Jennings Sabrina , Trbovich Alicia , Hickey Robert W. , Collins Michael W. , McCrea Michael , Nelson Lindsay D. , Root Jeremy , Thomas Danny G.
Published: February 2023

Background:

Numerous individual studies suggest that rest may have a negative effect on outcomes following concussion.

Purpose:

To perform a systematic meta-analysis of the effects of prescribed rest compared with active interventions after concussion.

Study Design:

Meta-analysis; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

A meta-analysis (using the Hedges g) of randomized controlled trials and cohort studies was conducted to evaluate the effects of prescribed rest on symptoms and recovery time after concussion. Subgroup analyses were performed for methodological, study, and sample characteristics. Data sources were obtained from systematic search of key terms using Ovid Medline, Embase, Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, APA PsycINFO, Web of Science, SPORTDiscus, and ProQuest dissertations and theses through May 28, 2021. Eligible studies were those that (1) assessed concussion or mild traumatic brain injury; (2) included symptoms or days to recovery for ≥2 time points; (3) included 2 groups with 1 group assigned to rest; and (4) were written in the English language.

Results:

In total, 19 studies involving 4239 participants met criteria. Prescribed rest had a significant negative effect on symptoms ( k = 15; g = −0.27; SE = 0.11; 95% CI, −0.48 to −0.05; P = .04) but not on recovery time ( k = 8; g = −0.16; SE = 0.21; 95% CI, −0.57 to 0.26; P = .03). Subgroup analyses suggested that studies with shorter duration (<28 days) ( g = −0.46; k = 5), studies involving youth ( g = −0.33; k = 12), and studies focused on sport-related concussion ( g = −0.38; k = 8) reported higher effect sizes.

Conclusion:

The findings support a small negative effect for prescribed rest on symptoms after concussion. Younger age and sport-related mechanisms of injury were associated with a greater negative effect size. However, the lack of support for an effect for recovery time and the relatively small overall numbers of eligible studies highlight ongoing concerns regarding the quantity and rigor of clinical trials in concussion.

Registration:

CRD42021253060 (PROSPERO).
Meniscal Ramp Lesions in Adolescent Patients Undergoing Primary Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: Significance of Imaging and Arthroscopic Findings
Authors: Hollnagel Katharine F. , Pennock Andrew T. , Bomar James D. , Chambers Henry G. , Edmonds Eric W.
Published: February 2023

Background:

Meniscal ramp lesions are associated with anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries and may affect knee stability when left untreated. The diagnostic accuracy of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) to identify this meniscocapsular injury of the posterior horn of the medial meniscus remains poor, and the arthroscopic findings require vigilance.

Purpose:

To determine the concordance of arthroscopic and MRI findings to better identify the presence of a ramp lesion in children and adolescent patients undergoing primary ACL reconstruction.

Study Design:

Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2.

Methods:

Patients aged <19 years who underwent primary ACL reconstruction at a single institution between 2020 and 2021 were included. Two cohorts were developed by the presence of a ramp lesion arthroscopically. Basic patient descriptive data, preoperative imaging (radiologist assessment and independent reviewer assessment), and concomitant arthroscopic findings at the time of ACL reconstruction were recorded.

Results:

An overall 201 adolescents met criteria with a mean age of 15.7 years (range, 6.9-18.2) at the time of injury. A ramp lesion was identified in 14% of patients (28 children). No differences were detected between cohorts with regard to age, sex, body mass index, weeks from injury to MRI, or weeks from injury to surgery ( P > .15). The primary predictor of an intraoperative ramp lesion was the presence of medial femoral condylar striations, with an adjusted odds ratio of 722.2 (95% CI, 59.5-8768.2; P < .001); the presence of a ramp lesion on MRI had an adjusted odds ratio of 11.1 (95% CI, 2.2-54.8; P = .003). Patients with neither a ramp lesion on MRI nor medial femoral condylar striations had a 2% rate (2/131) of ramp lesion; those with either of the significant risk factors had a 24% rate (14/54). All patients with both risk factors (100%; n = 12) had a ramp lesion noted on intraoperative examination.

Conclusion:

The concordance of medial femoral condylar chondromalacia, particularly striations, noted during arthroscopy and posteromedial tibial marrow edema on MRI with or without direct evidence of posterior meniscocapsular pathology should increase suspicion for the presence of a ramp lesion in adolescents undergoing ACL reconstruction.
To determine correlation between VIRADS scoring and pathological staging in bladder cancer: A prospective study and review of literature
Authors: Gupta Prateek , Sarangi Shakti Swarup , Singh Mahendra , Pandey Himanshu , Choudhary Gautam Ram , Madduri Vijay Kumar Sarma , Bhirud Deepak Prakash , Sandhu Arjun Singh , Jena Rahul
Published: February 2023

The development of standardized reporting systems is of paramount importance in medical-imaging. Based on the “RADS” methodology, PIRADS and BI-RADS have been successfully used. The management of bladder cancer (BC) depends on the stage at the time of identification. Accurate assessment of the muscle-invasive stage can alter therapies that are radically different. MRI can accurately diagnose this in a standardized manner (Vesical Imaging-Reporting and Data System: VIRADS) and spare additional procedures. The aim of the study is to determine diagnostic accuracy of VIRADS scoring in evaluation of muscle invasiveness in patients with BC. This study was conducted in a single center over a period of 2 years from April 2020. A total of 76 patients with bladder SOL/diagnosed BC were included. Final VIRADS scoring was calculated and compared with histopathological report.

76 patients were evaluated which included 64 males and 12 females. Most of the cases came under the VIRADS-II category (23, 30.26%) followed by VIRADS-V (17, 22.36%). VIRADS-I was reported in 14 cases (18.42%). A total of 8 cases (10.52 %) were reported as VIRADS III and 14 cases (18.42%) as VIRADS IV. VIRADS-III was taken as cut off and found to have a sensitivity of 94.44%, a specificity of 87.50%, a positive predictive value of 87.17% and a negative predictive value of 94.59%. Though number of cases are still less to accurately predict test characteristics of VIRADS, our results are consistent with previously done retrospective studies and VIRADS has got good correlation with pathological staging.
A mini review on the main challenges of implementing mechanical biological treatment plants for municipal solid waste in the Latin America region: Learning from the experiences of developed countries
Authors: Lara-Topete Gary Ossmar , Robles-Rodríguez Carlos Eduardo , Orozco-Nunnelly Danielle A , Vázquez-Morillas Alethia , Bernache-Pérez Gerardo , Gradilla-Hernández Misael Sebastián
Published: February 2023

Most of the municipal solid waste (MSW) generated in the Latin America (LATAM) region is currently disposed of in landfills and dumpsites, which results in many negative environmental impacts. Mechanical biological treatment (MBT) is a strategy that combines the mechanical separation of recoverable materials with the biological stabilization of organic matter. MBT plants have proven to be a good alternative for the management of MSW and have been successfully implemented in developed countries for more than 30 years. However, the efficient introduction of these facilities in developing countries, such as those in the LATAM region, requires further feasibility studies. Therefore, this mini review seeks to offer significant insights into the main challenges that must be overcome to facilitate the implementation and operation of MBT plants, considering the unique technological, sociocultural, economic and political context of the LATAM region, through a comparison of the reported experiences of MBT plants in more developed countries with those in the LATAM region. The analysis herein indicates that key actions for the successful operation of MBT plants in the LATAM region include both the implementation of source separation as well as selective collection practices. Moreover, this work shows that other factors, like the establishment of valorization markets with safe working conditions for informal collectors, the development of intermunicipal cooperation schemes and the enforcement of strong regulatory frameworks for waste disposal specifications, are important contextual factors that have allowed the efficient operation of MBT plants in developed countries. Although the implementation of many of these practices will be challenging, such measures are necessary to increase the sustainability of MSW treatment practices in the LATAM region.
Towards a Better Understanding of Compact Cities
Authors: Anabtawi Sanaa
Published: February 2023

Compact city policy applications are expanding rapidly worldwide, and so is research on the topic. This review sampled 92 publications from the last 5 years mentioning this model in their titles. A theme-centric approach was used to analyze them in order to shed light on three central questions: how do recent contributions understand and operationalize the composition of compact cities? How do they enhance existing knowledge about the model's externalities and impacts on sustainability objectives? And finally, what lessons can be learned regarding strategies of implementation and how they map onto persistent challenges and evolving policy instruments?
Protective Community Norms and Mental Health Risks for Severe Physical Abuse: Lessons From a Nationally Representative Study of Ghana
Authors: Emery Clifton R. , Abdullah Alhassan , Jordan Lucy P.
Published: February 2023

Although it has become axiomatic to quote an African proverb in discussions of child well-being, attempts to draw concrete and positive lessons from how African communities respond to and mitigate child maltreatment are comparatively few. This study tested the hypothesis that the collective value of Abiriwatia in Ghana, which supports legitimate norms of community obligations to care for children, could be protective against physical abuse. It also examined the claim that knowledge of the familial situation of community members, generated through Abiriwatia, may help them to act to mitigate the risk of caregiver’s borderline personality disorder (BPD) features. We obtained a nationally representative sample of 1,100 female caregivers from 22 Ghanaian settlements and tested the hypotheses using multilevel models. Controlling for community-level physical abuse, living in a community with high levels of Abiriwatia childcare and community authority values is associated with lower levels of very severe physical abuse, and Abiriwatia childcare may mitigate risk from the caregiver’s BPD features. Within Ghana, encouraging positive and protective aspects of traditional Ghanaian values and working to reinstate respect for these values may have positive outcomes for children. Interventions to reduce child maltreatment should be developed with reference to Abiriwatia childcare values.
The Racial and Spatial Impacts of the Paycheck Protection Program
Authors: Lester T. William , Wilson Matthew D.
Published: February 2023

The Paycheck Protection Program (PPP), with spending of nearly $800 billion, was the largest component in the United States’ economic response to the COVID-19 pandemic. The intention of the program was to provide emergency economic relief to small businesses and help them keep employees on their payroll. Critics of the PPP program feared that its reliance on private lending institutions would exacerbate racial and spatial injustice by mirroring existing inequalities in access to capital by race and across space. The authors compare PPP to existing residential and small business lending patterns, and test whether Black and Latinx neighborhoods were disadvantaged in receiving PPP loans. The authors find that majority Black and Latinx neighborhoods received disproportionately fewer PPP loans than majority White and Asian neighborhoods, but that policy changes during the third phase of the PPP resulted in better targeting of lending to lower-income areas, minority borrowers, and smaller businesses.
Matching Candidates to Culture: How Assessments of Organisational Fit Shape the Hiring Process
Authors: Tholen Gerbrand
Published: February 2023

Organisational fit represents a crucial criterion in the hiring process. This article aims to understand how employers and external recruitment consultants define and apply organisational fit in professional labour markets, such as engineering, marketing and finance. It also investigates how the use of organisational fit in hiring can lead to social bias within these labour markets. It relies on semi-structured interviews with 47 external recruitment consultants who assist employers in these sectors. The article draws on Relational Inequality Theory to demonstrate how hiring managers and consultants use organisational fit to create and justify boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable candidates. Claim-making supports the rationalisation and legitimisation in the exclusion of groups of candidates. The article critically informs human resource management, business and psychology literature that perceive organisational fit as a largely benign criterion for recruitment. It also extends sociological and critical management literature by delineating three main exclusionary mechanisms in matching candidates for organisational fit.
Facilitating knowledge creation and team performance through behavioral integration and skill-based identity
Authors: Hawkins Matthew A , Biga-Diambeidou Mahamadou , Jacob-Leal Sandrine
Published: February 2023

Building on social identity theory, the paper sheds new light on knowledge creation and performance within teams by enhancing our understanding of the role played by shared skill-based identity on knowledge creation and team performance. Besides addressing team coordination issues, this study helps bridge the gap between shared skill-based knowledge and knowledge creation as well as team performance. Based on two field studies, the authors found that (1) a shared skill-based identity leads to higher behavioral integration; (2) having skill-based knowledge enhances shared skill-based identity; (3) behavioral integration mediates the shared skill-based identity–team performance relationship. Overall, our findings demonstrate that shared skill-based identity plays a crucial role in team performance and knowledge creation by enhancing behavioral integration. However, although shared skill-based knowledge positively impacts shared skill-based identity, it has no direct effect on knowledge creation and team performance. The authors hence demonstrate that the factors influencing team performance are complex and individuals need to feel integrated in teams to create knowledge. Furthermore, the study provides empirical evidence that may advance the study of team performance and inform managers on how to form effective teams. For instance, the authors suggest that, when forming teams, managers should consider how each potential member defines their identity.
CO2 hydrogenation over cubic yttrium oxide support: Effect of metal type
Authors: El-Salamony Radwa A. , El-Sharaky Sara A. , Al-Temtamy Seham A. , Al-Sabagh Ahmed M. , Killa Hamada M. , Said Said A.
Published: February 2023

CO2 methanation is an effective strategy for making full use of waste gases and converting them into valuable chemicals. Nowadays, the key challenge is the design of efficient catalysts to enhance low-temperature catalytic performance. The present work studies the effect of metal type on the catalytic performance of yttrium oxide-supported catalysts for CO2 methanation reaction. Ru/Y2O3, Ni/Y2O3, and Co/Y2O3 catalysts were prepared by wetness incipient impregnation method, characterized using N2-adsorption/desorption isotherm, XRD, FTIR, and H2-TPR and TGA techniques to evaluate the surface, crystal phase, and thermal stability. The catalytic test was conducted with the use of a fixed-bed reactor under atmospheric pressure. The temperature of catalytic performance was 350 °C with a supply of H2: CO2 molar ratio of 4 and a total flow rate of 200 mL/min. The main products of the reaction were CH4, and traces of carbon monoxide were present among the products. The methane yield reached 64.67%, 60.03%, and 50.82% over Ru/Y2O3, Ni/Y2O3, and Co/Y2O3 catalysts, respectively.
Hidden Markov model-based finite-time H∞ control for singular Markovian jump delay systems with input saturation
Authors: Zhao Junjie , Li Bo , Wo Songlin , Han Xiaoxin
Published: February 2023

This article considers the finite-time [Formula: see text] control problem for singular Markovian jump systems with time-varying delay subject to input saturation. Considering the discontinuities caused by the mode-dependent singular matrix and Markovian jump switching behavior, the result of this article is more practical. First, a hidden model-based state feedback controller is designed to guarantee that the considered system is mean-square locally finite-time [Formula: see text] stabilizable by employing an appropriate Lyapunov function. Second, some sufficient conditions for the solution to this problem are derived in terms of linear matrix inequalities which considers the time-varying delay and input saturation. Finally, the correctness of the proposed method is verified by three numerical examples.
Decolonising Mind and Being Associated with Marriage: Perspectives from Ghana
Authors: Adjei Stephen Baffour , Mpiani Anthony
Published: February 2023

Colonialism was not only a political imposition but also a cultural one that both affected and infected institutions and ways of knowing and being of colonised societies. The vestiges of colonial power that originated during the colonial period of European global domination persistently influence minds and behaviours associated with the institution of marriage through the axes of meta-colonialism, and represent forms of epistemic violence against indigenous people. The depiction of modern/colonial mentalities about marriage (e.g., the so-called White wedding) as an optimal expression of human nature and love—and thus a key to personal happiness—have become part of the Ghanaian/African cultural experience. For example, Eurocentric practice of White wedding has been systematically naturalised and pushed down on Ghanaian/African people as the most enlightened, valid and standard form of marriage, supplanting the indigenous and ancestral forms of knowledge and being associated with marriage. Drawing insights from cultural psychology, we discuss the coloniality of mind and being associated with marriage, particularly the popular practice of White wedding, and examine how marriage practices in Ghana have become associated with Western social, cultural and economic interests propagated by colonial discourses of modernity, social change and development. We argue that the valorisation of European White wedding and the inferiorisation of African traditional marriage practices are corollary of colonial and meta-colonial narratives that promote(d) White normativity. We posit that psychological knowledge and practice, informed by Western ontologies and epistemologies, provided ideological support for colonisation and the perpetration and perpetuation of scientific racism. We thus contend that, given its complicity, the present discipline of scientific psychology cannot be an effective tool to dismantle the ill-effects of past and present unequal power relationships that result(ed) from colonisation. A decolonial psychological science that enables critical consciousness and serves as a necessary catalyst for liberating minds and being is thus required.
Exploring Education Beyond Traditional Contexts: An Interview With Dr. Sarup Mathur
Authors: Marsh Robbie J. , Brandon Regina R. , Cumming Therese M.
Published: February 2023

Dr. Sarup Mathur is the Ryan C. Harris Professor of Special Education in the Division of Educational Leadership at Arizona State University. She is nationally recognized as a leader in the fields of emotional and behavioral disorders and juvenile justice, particularly specializing in the areas of social skills and re-entry of adjudicated youth. She has been the co-editor of a yearly special issue of Education and Treatment of Children on severe behavior disorders of children and youth, is the former secretary and president of the Council for Exceptional Children’s Division of Emotional and Behavioral Health, and has enabled teachers in juvenile justice to support adjudicated youth by developing transitioning planning processes. She has written numerous scholarly articles, published and edited books, and has secured extensive grant funding to support the training of doctoral students specializing in working with adjudicated youth.
A Review of the Data Supporting Use of COVID-19 Vaccinations in the Pediatric Population
Authors: Stultz Jeremy S. , Eiland Lea S.
Published: February 2023

Objective:

The objective of this study was to review the effectiveness and safety of COVID-19 vaccinations in the pediatric population.

Data Sources:

PubMed/Medline (September 2020 to December 2022), the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, and Food and Drug Administration (FDA) websites.

Study Selection and Data Extraction:

Publications regarding the safety and efficacy of COVID-19 vaccinations in children were included.

Data Synthesis:

Vaccines authorized for use in children include two monovalent mRNA vaccines (≥6 months old) and one monovalent protein subunit adjuvant vaccine (adolescents only). Omicron-specific mRNA bivalent boosters are authorized for children ≥6 months old. Studies after monovalent vaccine authorization illustrated efficacy in children >5 to 6 years of age, specifically decreased severe COVID-19 (including mortality) and multisystem inflammatory response syndrome occurrence (including during Omicron predominance). Available data for children <5 to 6 years suggests efficacy, although data are limited. Monovalent vaccine efficacy against Omicron infections may wane as early as 2 months, but protection against severe disease complications may last longer, and bivalent Omicron boosters are anticipated to increase effectiveness. Myocarditis/pericarditis is a safety concern associated with the COVID-19 vaccinations but occurs less frequently then COVID-19 complications and thus the benefit outweighs the risks.

Relevance to Patient Care and Clinical Practice:

Caregivers seek information from health care professionals regarding vaccine safety and efficacy. Pharmacists can use the objective information in this review to educate caregivers and effectively administer COVID-19 vaccines to patients.

Conclusions:

There is sufficient and continually growing safety and efficacy data available to recommend COVID-19 vaccinations for children ≥6 months of age.
Changing or Acknowledging Cognitions: A Meta-Analysis of Reducing Depression in Adolescence
Authors: Uluköylü Şeyma , Leijten Patty , Assink Mark
Published: February 2023

Negative cognitions play a key role in the development and maintenance of depression. To reduce depressive symptoms, most interventions either encourage adolescents to change negative cognitions, theorizing that the presence of negative cognitions underlies depression, or to acknowledge negative cognitions, theorizing that one’s reaction to negative cognitions underlies depression. We compared these two therapeutic strategies in a multilevel meta-analysis of the effects of changing versus acknowledging cognitions on adolescent depression. We searched three databases in June 2022 and identified 104 randomized controlled trials (335 effect sizes). The sample comprised 27,978 adolescents (sample mean age 14−18 years) with all levels of depressive symptoms ( Mage = 15.6 years; 63% female; 65% ethnic majority). The overall effect of interventions on depression was small ( d = 0.21, p < .001). We found no evidence that either strategy was superior to the other. Strategies to acknowledge ( d = 0.23, p = .016) or change cognitions ( d = 0.20, p < .001) both reduced adolescent depression. Our findings suggest, though based on self-reported outcomes, that both strategies are effective in reducing adolescent depression, which allows for flexibility for clinicians and patients. The next step to further understand these strategies is to scrutinize the relative effects of single versus combined approaches to change and acknowledge negative cognitions.
Carcinoid-Like Cell Arrangements in Basal Cell Carcinoma: A Study of 11 Cases
Authors: Goto Keisuke , Oishi Takuma , Yoshikawa Shusuke
Published: February 2023

Background. Carcinoid-like pattern in basal cell carcinoma is extremely rare and has only been documented in a textbook. The aim of this study is to reveal the characteristics of the carcinoid-like pattern in basal cell carcinoma as well as to establish the concept of the tumor pattern. Methods. Of 355 basal cell carcinoma cases (355 lesions of 308 patients), 11 tumors with histopathological features of carcinoid-like pattern were retrieved. Results. The patients included 5 males and 6 females with a median age of 73 years (range 38-86 years). Of the 11 lesions, 10 were observed on the head. Histopathologically, a carcinoid-like pattern with branching and anastomosing of trabecular structures was observed in 30% to 95% of the tumor area. No differentiation to sebocytes was observed in any of the tumors. The tumors were well-circumscribed, although 3 lesions contained an infiltrative-type component as well. The carcinoid-like pattern areas in all 11 lesions exhibited diffuse BerEP4 immunoexpression but no KIT, synaptophysin, or vimentin expression. Keratin 20-positive Merkel cells were not observed in the tumor areas. Conclusions. Basal cell carcinoma can show a carcinoid-like pattern cell arrangement. Based on the histopathological and immunohistochemical findings from our study, we collectively conclude that the carcinoid-like pattern in basal cell carcinoma does not seem to represent sebaceous mantle differentiation. Carcinoid-like pattern basal cell carcinoma can be distinguished from other tumors by the favorite site of the head, the co-existence of conventional basal cell carcinoma components, lack of sebaceous differentiation, and diffuse BerEP4 immunoexpression.
Optimal regimen of levetiracetam for prevention of busulfan-induced seizure in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation: A review of available evidence
Authors: Tavajohi Rayeheh , Shahrami Bita , Rostami Tahereh , Kiumarsi Azadeh , Honarmand Hooshyar , Hadjibabaie Molouk
Published: February 2023

Objective

This review aimed to summarize the available data and offer a practical recommendation regarding the optimal regimen of levetiracetam (LEV) for the prevention of busulfan-induced seizure (BIS) in patients undergoing hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT).

Data Sources

Published articles by searching databases (PubMed, Google Scholar, Cochrane Library, ScienceDirect) were reviewed. All types of original studies performed in pediatric and adult populations have been investigated and required data was extracted.

Data Summary

Eleven articles were eligible to be included in this review. A loading dose was not used in any of the studies. LEV had been started from 6 to 48 h before busulfan (Bu) initiation and continued up to 24 to 48 h after its termination. The dose range of LEV was 10 to 20 mg/kg/day divided every 12 h in pediatrics and 500 to 1000 mg twice daily in adults. Both oral and intravenous (IV) routes of administration were used. Except for three studies, no seizure had occurred in patients who had received LEV.

Conclusions

Considering the available evidence, LEV with the dose range from 500 to 1000 mg twice daily in adults and 10 mg/kg twice daily (20 mg/kg/day in 2 divided doses) in children orally or IV started from 6 to 24 h before Bu initiation up to 24 to 48 h after the last dose of Bu seems to prevent BIS appropriately. More prospective clinical trials with a larger population are needed to validate the optimal dosing of LEV for BIS prophylaxis in patients undergoing HSCT.
Accurately Assessing Teacher ADHD-Specific Attitudes Using the Scale for ADHD-Specific Attitudes
Authors: Mulholland Sarah , Cumming Therese M. , Lee Jihyun
Published: February 2023

Objective:

The aim of this study is therefore twofold, first to accurately examine the ADHD-specific attitudes of New South Wales Government school in-service teachers using the Scale for ADHD-Specific Attitudes (Authors 2016), and second, to determine if any of their socio-demographic features could predict their attitudes

Method:

Exploratory factor analysis found a 5-factor structure, and multiple regression analysis was performed to establish the existence of groups of variables with respect to teacher attitudes towards ADHD-type behaviours and any demographic predictors of teacher attitudes.

Results:

The final regression model found significant predictors of each factor with R2 values ranging from .007 to .147.

Conclusion:

This study illustrated that teachers had generally positive attitudes towards students who display ADHD-type behaviours, however, they found the externalised behaviours of ADHD irritating in the classroom and found teaching students with ADHD-type behaviours difficult, and teachers want more information about ADHD and how to manage it in the classroom.
Construction of Meta-Thinking Educational Program Based on Mental-Brain Simulation (MTMBS) and Evaluating its Effectiveness on Executive Functions, Emotion Regulation, and Impulsivity in Children With ADHD: A Resting-State Functional MRI Study
Authors: Abed Mahdavi , Mansureh Haj-Hosseini , Masoud Gholam-Ali Lavasani , Elaheh Hejazi , Mohammad-Hossein Nili H.K , Yamin Bagheri Davisaraei , Abdol-Hossein Vahabie
Published: February 2023

Objective:

The aim of present research was to make a Meta-Thinking educational program based on mental-brain simulation and to evaluate its effectiveness on executive functions, emotion regulation and impulsivity in children with ADHD.

Methods:

The research method was Embedded Design: Embedded Experimental Model. The research sample included 32 children with ADHD who were randomly assigned to two experimental and control groups. The intervention was implemented for eight sessions of 1.5 hr for the experimental group, and fMRI images were taken from them, while the control group didn’t receive any treatment. Finally, using semi-structured interviews, coherent information was collected from the parents of the experimental group about the changes made. Data were analyzed with SPSS-24, MAXQDA, fMRIprep, and FSL software.

Results:

The Meta-Thinking Educational Program had effect on performance of ADHD children and suppressed brain regions related to DMN.

Conclusion:

The Implementation of this educational program plays a vital role in improving psychological problems of children with ADHD.
An Historical Causal-Chain Theory of Conceptions of Intelligence
Authors: Sternberg Robert J. , Preiss David D. , Karami Sareh
Published: February 2023

Lurking behind every conception of intelligence—whether an implicit (folk) or explicit (expert-generated) conception—is an underlying theory of meaning that specifies the form the theory of intelligence does and, indeed, can take. These underlying theories of meaning become presuppositions for the conception’s form. The theories of meaning have different origins—for example, psycholinguistic, philosophical, and anthropological. This essay reviews the different underlying theories of meaning and proposes a new historical causal-chain theory of conceptions of intelligence. The underlying theories of meaning affect the flexibility and modifiability of laypersons’ (implicit) and experts’ (explicit) conceptions of intelligence. As a result, these historical causal chains have profound but largely invisible effects on societies.
Integrating Public Health Research and Teaching With Social Justice Activism: Lessons From 80 Years of Practice
Authors: Freudenberg Nicholas , Israel Barbara
Published: February 2023

In this commentary, we reflect on the lessons we have learned from our successes and failures in aligning the roles of scholars and activists. Our hope is to provide insights that can guide public health students, faculty, practitioners, and activists seeking to chart their professional, political, and personal futures in today’s polarized and catastrophe-burdened world. Several experiences motivate us to write this commentary now. In the last few years, inspired in part by the new activism against systemic racism sparked by the murder of George Floyd and others, growing climate emergencies, the COVID pandemic, anti-immigrant politics, increasing anti-Asian acts of violence, gun bloodshed, attacks on the right to reproductive and sexual health, resurgence of interest in worker organizing, and the ongoing quest for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTQI+) rights, we are impressed by the number of young people engaged in activism to defend and expand their rights and show that another world is possible.
Humanitarian Crises: The (Un)Certainty of Servicescapes and Their Impact on Frontline Actors
Authors: Kuppelwieser Volker G. , Spielmann Nathalie , Vega Diego
Published: February 2023

Prior works discuss servicescapes as a stable environment but abstain from examining servicescapes in crisis situations and how they impact frontline employees (FLEs). This paper investigates servicescapes as something other than static and planned, and it accounts for the uncertainty often present in servicescapes. Specifically, we conceptualize servicescapes in crisis situations on a continuum that takes into account the landscape’s (in)stability and the processes’ (un)predictability. In so doing, we provide a more nuanced understanding of FLE experience and job satisfaction in crisis servicescapes, such as humanitarian contexts. Our research on these rarely surveyed but highly important service-providing circumstances identifies how FLEs need to reconcile the dynamic contextual facets and the variables likely to influence their job satisfaction. Across two studies of humanitarian aid contexts, including one with the United Nations, we show that servicescape processes and/or landscapes are often dynamic. We further show that organizational value’s congruence, pleasantness, and convenience have a positive impact on FLE job satisfaction in crisis servicescapes by decreasing their perceived level of uncertainty.
Utility of a ML analytics on real time risk stratification and re-intervention risk prediction on AV access outcomes and cost
Authors: Balamuthusamy Saravanan , Dhanabalsamy Nisha , Thankavel Bharath , Bala Manu S , Pfaffle Anthony
Published: February 2023

Background:

Vascular access is the lifeline for patients on hemodialysis. The average survival rates of dialysis dependent patients have been improving over the last 5 years and hence their dialysis access needs longevity for uninterrupted optimal dialysis. With the lack of genomic vascular access failure predictors, there is an unmet need for predicting an event and the appropriate approach to mitigate recurrence of the event that could have cost and outcome implications.

Methods:

We performed a single center experience that extracted relevant clinical (access flow, laboratory data and CKD details), access intervention (prior interventions, type & location of lesion, type of balloon used, use of stents etc.) and demographic (age, vintage on dialysis, sex, social determinants, other medical conditions) data in real time and feeds it into validated ML algorithms to predict risk of reintervention. (Plexus EMR LLC).

Results:

About 200 prevalent hemodialysis patients with a AV graft or AV fistula were included for this analysis. Need for re-intervention and use of stent/ flow reduction/new access creation were the outcomes analyzed. Plexus EMR is a licensed Azure based platform. R software was used to develop the ML algorithms. Regression factors were developed to assess and test the validity of individual attributes across all the data attributes. Each patient had a real time risk calculator available to the interventionalist on risk of reintervention/ year. Of the 200 patients, 148 had a AV fistula and the remaining 52 had a AV graft. Mean interventions in the year prior to analysis was 1.8 in patients with AV fistulas and 3.4 in AV grafts which decreased to 1.1 in AV fistulas and to 2.4 in AV grafts ( p < 0.01) post tool deployment. There were 62 AV graft thrombectomies done in the observation year and 62% of those were repeat thrombectomies. Stent utilization increased to 37 (22 in AV grafts and 15 in AV fistulas) and 2 patients had AV access flow reduction surgery. The cumulative cost (predicted) preintervention was $712,609 and decreased to $512,172 post intervention. Stent utilization increased by 68% in the evaluation year and 89% of the stents used were PTFE coated stents.

Conclusion:

Utilizing AI with ML based algorithms that includes clinical, demographic and patency maintenance variables could become new standards of care to optimally manage AV accesses and lower cost of care.
Decolonial Māori memes in Aotearoa
Authors: Morrison-Young Ia , Bres Julia de
Published: February 2023

This article examines the contemporary phenomenon of decolonial Māori memes, created by young urban Māori to advance the project of decolonizing Aotearoa (New Zealand). We weave Kaupapa Māori (philosophy and practice of Māori people) theory with Foucauldian visual analysis and critical multimodality to analyze 154 memes posted on three Instagram accounts from 2019 to 2021. We demonstrate how the Māori meme creators use discursive strategies to advance decolonization locally, drawing on Māori concepts and practices, including kotahitanga (solidarity), whanaungatanga (relationship-building), whakapapa (ancestry), tino rangatiratanga (self-determination), and use of te reo Māori (the Māori language). We distinguish two functional categories: boundary-marking memes that reference racist Pākehā (New Zealander with European ancestry) behaviors that perpetuate colonization, and solidarity-building memes that reference Māori acts of decolonization. We argue that the humor of the memes provides a potential decolonization roadmap for New Zealanders via its critique of Pākehā actions and cultivation of kotahitanga among Māori.
An Integrated Approach of Learning Genetic Networks From Genome-Wide Gene Expression Data Using Gaussian Graphical Model and Monte Carlo Method
Authors: Zhao Haitao , Datta Sujay , Duan Zhong-Hui
Published: February 2023

Global genetic networks provide additional information for the analysis of human diseases, beyond the traditional analysis that focuses on single genes or local networks. The Gaussian graphical model (GGM) is widely applied to learn genetic networks because it defines an undirected graph decoding the conditional dependence between genes. Many algorithms based on the GGM have been proposed for learning genetic network structures. Because the number of gene variables is typically far more than the number of samples collected, and a real genetic network is typically sparse, the graphical lasso implementation of GGM becomes a popular tool for inferring the conditional interdependence among genes. However, graphical lasso, although showing good performance in low dimensional data sets, is computationally expensive and inefficient or even unable to work directly on genome-wide gene expression data sets. In this study, the method of Monte Carlo Gaussian graphical model (MCGGM) was proposed to learn global genetic networks of genes. This method uses a Monte Carlo approach to sample subnetworks from genome-wide gene expression data and graphical lasso to learn the structures of the subnetworks. The learned subnetworks are then integrated to approximate a global genetic network. The proposed method was evaluated with a relatively small real data set of RNA-seq expression levels. The results indicate the proposed method shows a strong ability of decoding the interactions with high conditional dependences among genes. The method was then applied to genome-wide data sets of RNA-seq expression levels. The gene interactions with high interdependence from the estimated global networks show that most of the predicted gene-gene interactions have been reported in the literatures playing important roles in different human cancers. Also, the results validate the ability and reliability of the proposed method to identify high conditional dependences among genes in large-scale data sets.
Primary results of a phase-III, randomized controlled trial of the Behavioral Intervention for increasing Physical Activity in Multiple Sclerosis project
Authors: Motl Robert W , Kidwell-Chandler Ariel , Sandroff Brian M , Pilutti Lara A , Cutter Gary R , Aldunate Roberto , Bollaert Rachel E
Published: February 2023

Background

We undertook a phase-III, randomized controlled trial (RCT) that examined the effectiveness of a behavioral intervention based on social cognitive theory (SCT) and delivered through the Internet using e-learning approaches for immediate and sustained increases in physical activity among persons with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Method

The study followed a parallel group RCT design. Persons with MS ( N = 318) were randomized into either behavioral intervention ( n = 159) or attention/social contact control ( n = 159) conditions. The conditions were administered over a 6-month period by persons who were uninvolved in screening, recruitment, random assignment, and outcome assessment. There was a 6-month follow-up period without access of conditions. We collected outcome data every 6 months over the 12-month period. The primary outcome was device-measured minutes/day of moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA). The data analysis involved a modified intent-to-treat approach (i.e. those who received the allocated conditions) using a linear mixed model.

Results

There was a significant group by time interaction on the primary outcome of device-measured minutes/day of MVPA ( p < 0.005). MVPA was increased immediately after the 6-month period in the behavioral intervention compared with control, and this difference was sustained over the 6-month follow-up.

Conclusion

This study provides evidence for the effectiveness of a widely scalable approach for increasing MVPA in persons with MS.
Blurred positions: The ideological ambiguity of valence populist parties
Authors: Zulianello Mattia , Larsen Erik Gahner
Published: February 2023

While the diversity of populism has received considerable attention, surprisingly little is known about populist parties that defy clear-cut left-right categorization. We show that valence populist parties are non-positional and substantially different from both left-wing and right-wing populist parties. First, we demonstrate that valence populist parties deliberately take blurry positions on both the economic and socio-cultural dimensions of competition. Second, we show that such an ambiguity is counterbalanced by a disproportionate emphasis on anti-corruption appeals, the most paradigmatic example of a non-positional dimension. Our results have important implications for our understanding of varieties of populism, in particular, and the positional and non-positional competition strategies of political parties, in general.
Overview of recent cases before the Court of Justice of the European Union (September-December 2022)
Authors: Melin Pauline , Sivonen Susanne
Published: February 2023

Five judgments from the Court of Justice on social security are reported on in this case note. First, Raad van bestuur van de Sociale verzekeringbank v X and Y (C-713/20) concerns the legislation applicable under Regulation 883/2004 to temporary agency workers in relation to periods between contracts. Second, DN v Finanzamt Österreich (Recouvrement de prestations familiales) (C-199/21) deals with the right to receive family benefits for a parent not residing with his child but bearing the costs of maintenance. Third, MCM v Centrala studiestödsnämnden (C-638/20) is about the export of student financial assistance for family members of migrant workers under Article 45 TFEU. Fourth, the requirement to register a partnership for the purpose of accessing a survivor's pension in a Member State, although that partnership was lawfully concluded and registered in another Member State, is under scrutiny in Caisse nationale d’assurance pension (C-731/21). Fifth and finally, FK v Rechtsanwaltskammer Wien (C-58/21) discusses the requirement to waive one's right to practise as a lawyer in other Member States in order to be granted an early retirement pension in light of Articles 45 TFEU and Article 49 TFEU.