bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stratified Care in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: A Comparative Evaluation of Predictive Modelling Approaches for Individualized Treatment: La stratification des soins pour l’orientation vers une thérapie cognitivo-comportementale: une évaluation comparative des approches de modélisation prédictive pour un traitement individualisé
Authors: Jamieson Margaret , Putman Andrew , Bryan Marsha , Hansen Bojay , Klassen Phillip E. , Li Nicholas , McQuaid Bethany , Rudoler David
Published: November 2024

Objective

In response to high demand and prolonged wait times for cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) in Ontario, Canada, we developed predictive models to stratify patients into high- or low-intensity treatment, aiming to optimize limited healthcare resources.

Method

Using client records ( n = 953) from Ontario Shores Centre for Mental Health Sciences (January 2017–2021), we estimated four binary outcome models to assign patients into complex and standard cases based on the probability of reliable improvement in Patient Health Questionnaire-9 (PHQ-9) and Generalized Anxiety Disorder-7 (GAD-7) scores. We evaluated two choices of cut-offs for patient complexity assignment: models at an ROC (receiver operating characteristic)-derived cut-off and a 0.5 probability cut-off. Final model effectiveness was assessed by assigning treatment intensity (high-intensity or low-intensity CBT) based on the combined performance of both GAD-7 and PHQ-9 models. We compared the treatment assignment recommendations provided by the models to those assigned by clinical assessors.

Results

The predictive models demonstrated higher accuracy in selecting treatment modality compared to provider-assigned treatment selection. The ROC cut-off achieved the highest prediction accuracy of case complexity (0.749). The predictive models exhibited large sensitivity and specificity trade-offs (which influence the rates of patient assignment to high-intensity CBT) despite having similar accuracy statistics (ROC cut-off = 0.749, 0.5 cut-off = 0.690), emphasizing the impact of cut-off choices when implementing predictive models.

Conclusions

Overall, our findings suggest that the predictive model has the potential to improve the allocation of CBT services by shifting incoming clients with milder symptoms of depression to low-intensity CBT, with those at highest risk of not improving beginning in high-intensity CBT. We have demonstrated that models can have significant sensitivity and specificity trade-offs depending on the chosen acceptable threshold for the model to make positive predictions of case complexity. Further research could assess the use of the predictive model in real-world clinical settings.

Plain Language Summary Title:

Stratified Care in Cognitive Behavioural Therapy: A Comparative Evaluation of Predictive Modeling Approaches for Individualized Treatment
The Psychological Health of Iranian Citizens Protesting the Actions of Their Country's Morality Police: La santé psychologique des citoyens iraniens qui manifestent contre les actions de la police des mœurs de leur pays
Authors: Marchetti Sophia , Feinstein Anthony
Published: November 2024

Objective

To determine the mental health of Iranian citizens protesting the actions of their country's Morality Police. Street protests across Iran were met with violent suppression that included security forces reportedly targeting protestors’ eyes.

Method

A group of 63 Iranian protestors (58.7% female; mean age 32.0 [SD = 9.43] years, from all socio-economic classes) who had been part of street protests against the regime's morality police, was recruited by convenience sampling between May and August 2023 by journalists working underground in Iran. The study was conducted in Farsi by telephone ( n = 60) and in-person ( n = 3). Demographic and psychometric data were collected, the latter including symptoms of posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD; Impact of Events Scale–Revised) and depression (Beck Depression Inventory–Revised), in Farsi-validated scales. Between-group comparisons were undertaken with one-way ANOVA and post-hoc Tukey comparisons. Significance was set at P < 0.05.

Results

The protestors comprised three groups: not wounded ( n = 27: 59.26% female, mean age 34.44 [SD = 12.11] years), non-eye wound ( n = 23; 60.87% female, mean age 32.61 [SD = 5.89] years) and eye-wound ( n = 13; 53.85% female, mean age 27.54 [SD = 6.58] years). The eye wound group (blinded in one or both eyes) had less severe intrusion symptoms of PTSD ( P = 0.048) and depression ( P = 0.0001) than the non-eye wound group. The not wounded group had less severe symptoms of depression than the non-eye wound group ( P = 0.003). Every protestor who had lost sight regarded their actions, notwithstanding their physical consequences, in a positive psychological light.

Conclusions

Contrary to our a-prior hypothesis, Iranian protestors blinded in one or both eyes were faring better psychologically than protestors with non-eye wounds. Possible reasons for this included higher rates of psychological treatment and social support in the eye-wound group compared to the other two groups post-injury and the nascent development of posttraumatic growth.
Buy! Buy! Buy!—How Multilevel Marketing Companies Pressure Their Participants to Buy Their Products
Authors: Groß Claudia , Vriens Dirk
Published: November 2024

Despite the popularity of multilevel marketing (MLM) companies and their ability to attract many distributors worldwide with the promise of an income opportunity, the financial outcomes for participants are often unfavorable. Many distributors invest more money in internal products and business expenses than they earn. Drawing on the professional and business ethics literature, this article develops a conceptual framework to understand how organizational characteristics collectively create pressure for distributors to overspend on internal products. The framework integrates legal, financial, and social dimensions, emphasizing the dual roles of MLM distributors as both victims and potential offenders. Utilizing this framework, the article discusses the limited effectiveness of current safeguard policies at preventing the problematic effects of the MLM industry, including pyramid schemes. The article proposes new directions for research on MLMs and other distinct areas within marketing and public policy, particularly addressing the broader category of deceptive income opportunity providers.
Establishing a peritoneal dialysis technique survival core outcome measure: A standardised outcomes in nephrology-peritoneal dialysis consensus workshop report
Authors: Elphick Emma H , Manera Karine E , Viecelli Andrea K , Craig Jonathan C , Cho Yeoungjee , Ju Angela , Shen Jenny I , Wilkie Martin , Anumudu Samaya , Boudville Neil , Chow Josephine SF , Davies Simon J , Gooden Patricia , Harris Tess , Jain Arsh K , Liew Adrian , Matus-Gonzalez Andrea , Amir Noa , Nadeau-Fredette Annie-Claire , Nguyen Thu , Wang Angela Yee-Moon , Ponce Daniela , Quinn Rob , Jaure Alison , Johnson David W , Lambie Mark ,   on behalf of the SONG-PD Technique Survival Workshop Investigators
Published: November 2024

Background

Technique survival, also reported with negative connotations as technique failure or transfer from peritoneal dialysis to haemodialysis, has been identified by patients, caregivers and health professionals as a critically important outcome to be reported in all trials. However, there is wide variation in how peritoneal dialysis technique survival is defined, measured and reported, leading to difficulty in comparing or consolidating results.

Methods

We conducted an online international consensus workshop to establish a core outcome measure of technique survival. Discussions were analysed thematically.

Results

Fifty-five participants including 14 patients and caregivers from 13 countries took part in facilitated breakout discussions using video-conferencing. The following themes were identified: capturing important aspects of the outcome (requiring a core event to define the outcome, distinguishing temporary from permanent events, recognising heterogeneous experiences of transfers), adopting appropriate neutral nomenclature (conveying with clarity, avoiding negative connotations), and ensuring feasibility and applicability (capturing data relevant to clinical and research settings, ease of adoption). The suggested definitions for the core outcome measure were ‘the event of a transfer to haemodialysis’, or ‘discontinuation of peritoneal dialysis’. Applying the principles described within the workshop, defining the outcome measure as a ‘transfer to haemodialysis’ was preferable.

Conclusions

It is proposed that the core outcome of technique survival is redefined as ‘transfer to haemodialysis’ and that its components are standardised using simple, neutral terminology Components considered important by stakeholders included recording the reasons for transfer from peritoneal dialysis, and focussing on permanent events whilst ensuring the outcome remains easy to implement.
Health Experiences of LGBTQ+ People Living With Dementia and Their Care Partners: A Scoping Review of Research and Policy
Authors: Harris-Gersten Melissa , Simmons Ames , Hendren Stephanie , May Jennifer
Published: November 2024

Objectives

This scoping review aimed to synthesize research on the health experiences of LGBTQ+ people living with dementia (PLWD) and their caregivers, and the impact of health policies on this population.

Methods

Six databases were searched for research studies and policy literature. Titles, abstracts, and full texts were reviewed by a three-member team. Data was extracted and thematically analyzed. Feedback from 7 LGBTQ+ adults was collected through a community consultation session.

Results

A total of 9257 unique research and 945 policy citations were identified, of which 60 research and 19 policy papers were reviewed. Nine research studies and ten policy papers met eligibility criteria. Themes emerged through the analysis of research findings, the community listening session, and policy findings.

Discussion

Future work needs to disentangle the impact of policies on the health experiences of this population. Dementia-specific and LGBTQ+ inclusive services and policies are needed to address growing health disparities.
The essential factors in higher education – Industry collaboration when developing video-supported collaborative learning
Authors: Laitinen-Väänänen Sirpa , Parjanen Satu , Hyypiä Mirva , Cattaneo Alberto AP , de Jong (emeritus) Frank
Published: November 2024

The collaboration between higher education (HE) and education technology (EdTech) companies plays a vital role in developing digitallyembedded learning in the contemporary digital era. The partnership between HE and industry is widely recognized as a means to promote innovation. Moreover, it provides advantages to companies striving to fulfill client requirements. The HE-industry collaboration has garnered increasing attention in academic research. However, there is a lack of studies on the actors’ perspectives and on the required processes and other elements for conducting effective HE-EdTech collaboration in developing learning and teaching in HE. This study addresses this research gap by examining the interprofessional collaborative development process involved in the creation of video-supported collaborative learning. The qualitative research examines the factors of successful collaboration between HE and EdTech companies within the knowledge-building ecosystem framework, using ethnographic data. The findings indicate that the establishment of a knowledge-building ecosystem for the development of digitally-embedded learning in based on collaboration between key actors: teachers, teacher educators, EdTech companies, HE institutions, and students, the end-users and ultimate beneficiaries. The collaboration is manifested in open innovation, practice-based research, and research-based service development processes, and relies on goal setting, continuous dialogue, reflective assessment, commitment, and trust as key elements.
‘Wundt's work is merely an incident in one of the challenging scholarly careers on recent history’: The media and academic reception of Völkerpsychologie, 1900–1920
Authors: Millán Juan David , Salas Gonzalo
Published: November 2024

Wundt's Völkerpsychologie (VP) is an exceptional case in the history of psychology. Outlined in 1863 in the second volume of Vorlesungen über Menschen- und Thierseele (Lectures on the Human and Animal Soul), VP was finally published 37 years later in 10 volumes during the last 20 years of the author's life. The work was characterized by an ambitious program of multimethod and transdisciplinary research. This article explores the intellectual and contextual reasons for the early successes and failures of VP. We analyzed n = 264 articles published in the German press and n = 220 books, reviews, and articles published in scientific journals that explicitly cited the 10 volumes between 1900 and 1920. VP received considerable criticism from linguists and philologists, who claimed that its results were of little practical use for their research. The first volumes of VP were criticized for their abstract character and psychological indifferentism; on the other hand, positive reviews emphasized their attempt to systematize and give a philosophical order to the individual investigations of philology, linguistics, comparative history, religious studies, and so on. The normative-methodological role that VP tried to play in relation to the other historical sciences was significantly criticized, and this was a determining factor in its diminishing impact over time. Some of Wundt's hypotheses were philosophically at odds with the project of German cultural imperialism that was being developed at the time and with which most of his intellectual enemies agreed.
Sharing a Team’s Vision: Discretionary Behavioral Expectations, Trust, and Team Autonomy, oh my!
Authors: Cruz Kevin S.
Published: November 2024

Despite knowing that a shared vision can result in a number of positive outcomes for groups and teams, we have a very limited understanding of what potentially contributes to group and team members sharing the same vision. This study seeks to contribute to our very limited understanding of what potentially contributes to team members sharing their team’s vision by focusing on team members’ expectations of their teammates engaging in discretionary behaviors directed toward the organization, the degree to which team members trust their teammates, and the degree to which team managers provide their teams autonomy. Using 197 team members across 46 teams/team managers and 13 organizations, I find that team members’ expectations of their teammates engaging in citizenship behaviors directed toward the organization is positively associated with team members sharing their team’s vision, but I find no association for team members’ expectations of their teammates engaging in deviant behaviors directed toward the organization and sharing their team’s vision. However, I find that trust weakens and team autonomy strengthens the negative relationship between team members’ expectations of their teammates’ deviant behaviors directed toward the organization and sharing their team’s vision. I find no conditional effects of trust and team autonomy on the relationship between OCBO expectations and shared vision. These results suggest that both properties of individual team members as well as the team may play an important role in sharing a team’s vision.
Variational evolution of discrete one-dimensional second-order functionals
Authors: Defranceschi Anneliese , Lussardi Luca , Vitali Enrico
Published: November 2024

A variational scheme of evolution (minimizing movements) is applied to a sequence of discrete functionals converging, as the mesh size tends to zero, to the prototypical second-order functional with free-discontinuities. At fixed mesh size, a discrete evolution can be defined, depending on a (small) time parameter. We study the limit problem when both the mesh size and the time step tend to zero. The method provides a function which matches the expected evolution of the free-discontinuity limit functional. From a mechanical point of view, the model can be interpreted as the evolution from a non-equilibrium state, of a rod with possible crease discontinuities and fracture.
Video games as cultural studies other
Authors: Shaw Adrienne
Published: November 2024

Why are video games always discussed separately from other types of media and popular culture? Although many scholars have utilized cultural studies approaches to understanding games and gaming culture, the relationship between games and popular culture more broadly is more problematic than one might assume. Despite their ubiquity, video games are consistently positioned—by cultural studies and game studies, by popular and video game cultures, and by our phenomenological experiences with them—as ‘other’ within popular media. This has important implications for how cultural studies might approach video games, and how critiques of and solutions to issues of diversity and inclusivity in games can be addressed.
Research on intelligent optimal allocation control strategy for stability and braking of heavy tyre blowout vehicle
Authors: Han Zexuan , Lu Yongjie , Li Haoyu , Zhang Junning
Published: November 2024

The traditional control strategy mainly compensates and corrects the driving state of heavy vehicles with a tyre blowout, and rarely considers the need for emergency braking. It is also difficult to effectively coordinate the problems of lateral yaw, slip and tailspin, and longitudinal braking performance degradation. For this, an intelligent optimization allocation control strategy combining stability control and braking control is innovatively designed in this article. The joint simulation model for heavy tyre blowout vehicles is built based on the Dugoff tyre blowout model and the TruckSim vehicle model. A linear quadratic form regulator stable control based on the particle swarm optimization algorithm optimization is used to dynamic equilibrium of the additional yaw moment generated by the vehicle tyre blowout. A logic threshold braking control based on adaptive adjustment is adopted to achieve an ideal braking effect for the vehicle. In order to simultaneously consider the stability and braking performance of vehicles with blowout tyre, a braking force distribution strategy and a fuzzy optimization allocation algorithm are proposed to achieve coordination of lateral and longitudinal control strategies. The results indicate that intelligent optimized allocation control can effectively correct the deviation trajectory of a heavy tyre blowout vehicle, enabling it to achieve rapid braking while maintaining stability.
‘Never the twain shall cross’: scripts of children's play and adult desire in Barbie
Authors: King Helen
Published: November 2024

Greta Gerwig's Barbie (2023) is deeply invested in the liberatory and transformative potential of children's play. Children's play in Barbie is the site of self-actualisation for adult women, whereby the subversive potential of Barbie-play facilitates nostalgia, self-discovery and choice for the film's adult protagonists. This move towards self-actualisation is core to Barbie's feminist ethic, which I argue is a type of ‘commodity feminism’ that reasons that such female empowerment can be marketed and purchased. The invocation of the playing child throughout Barbie, accompanied by scant representations of actual playing children, is central to this ethic, performing what Jacqueline Rose calls a ‘mystification of the child’ as a product of adult desires and anxieties. In Barbie, children's play is a blank screen onto which can be projected adult female desires for self-actualisation, concealing concomitant anxieties about the role of capitalist patriarchy in this commodity-feminist project. Drawing on Robin Bernstein's conception of dolls as ‘scriptive things’, I explore how Barbie and its doll characters script forms of play. I demonstrate that the rhetorical power of children's play can be co-opted into feminism and corporate capitalism alike, and used to disguise the uneasy but often very profitable marriage between the two.
Enabling pharmacist prescribing: Lessons learned in Nova Scotia using behaviour change theory
Authors: Grant Amy , Kennie-Kaulbach Natalie , Bishop Andrea , Isenor Jennifer E.
Published: November 2024

Background:

The COVID-19 pandemic alongside increased patient demand, enablement of scope, and government funding has accelerated the need and demand for pharmacist prescribing in Nova Scotia.

Methods:

A sequential explanatory mixed-methods study was undertaken to understand barriers and facilitators to pharmacist prescribing in Nova Scotia, Canada. This consisted of: 1) a cross-sectional survey and 2) semistructured, qualitative interviews with pharmacists practising in the community. The survey and interviews were designed using the Behaviour Change Wheel that encompasses the Capability Opportunity Motivation Model of Behaviour Change (COM-B) and Theoretical Domains Framework version 2 (TDFv2).

Results:

Of 190 survey respondents, the percentage who prescribed 15+ times/month increased from 49% before to 80% during the COVID-19 pandemic (P<0.001). Pharmacists identified knowledge, social norms/pressures, and rewards or consequences related to how and when to prescribe as facilitators (Knowledge, Social Influences, and Motivation TDFv2 domains, respectively). Barriers included the environmental context and fear of negative outcomes (Environmental Context and Resources and Beliefs about Consequences, respectively). Through the interviews, the presence of prescribing decision tools (Memory, Attention and Decision Processes) and a supportive organizational culture (Environmental Context and Resources) were facilitators. Worry was expressed about making mistakes (Beliefs about Consequences) and feeling significant pressure to meet patient demand (Social Influences) in a busy setting (Environmental Context and Resources).

Discussion:

Supports to better enable pharmacist prescribing are described, with key messages for pharmacists, pharmacy owners/managers, educators, advocacy bodies, regulators, and government identified.

Conclusion:

Pharmacist prescribing has increased significantly over a short period of time. Environmental supports (e.g., time, space, access to patient records), government funding, peer support, and public awareness are needed to optimize and fully implement these practice changes.
“I don’t like guns but having one in Winnipeg right now would feel safer”: Crime, liquor theft, and online fantasies of punishment and control
Authors: Maier Katharina , Kohm Steven
Published: November 2024

In 2018–2019, there was a surge of local news media coverage in Winnipeg, Canada about what news media described as “brazen” liquor store theft. Online discussion and social media platforms provided segments of the public with opportunities to assert claims about the causes and consequences of this putative crime wave as well as potential solutions within and outside the penal system. These online fora allowed internet communities to imagine new methods of crime control and vocalize a range of emotions about crime and punishment. Employing a thematic analysis of reader comments across several online and social media platforms, we argue that these online discussions about liquor theft provide an empirical case study of the new digital media logic that facilitates highly volatile and short-lived moral panics or “firestorms.” We draw upon cultural criminology scholarship to highlight the centrality of emotion in online discussions on liquor theft. By making emotion central, online discussions provide a clearer glimpse into the displaced rage that is thought to set moral panics in motion. We argue that online platforms constitute an important medium to understand how people imagine and envision punishment and control, as well as how they construct/conceive of offenders and the purported problems underlying crime.
Impact of COVID-19 on intrapartum care at public hospitals in the Sidama region, Ethiopia: A mixed-methods study
Authors: Kassa Zemenu Yohannes , Scarf Vanessa , Turkmani Sabera , Fox Deborah
Published: November 2024

Background:

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly impacted the health of pregnant women and their unborn babies.

Objective:

To explore the impact of COVID-19 on intrapartum care in Ethiopia.

Design:

A concurrent mixed-methods design was employed.

Methods:

An interrupted time series analysis was implemented using a Poisson regression model to estimate monthly changes in the incidence rates of institutional childbirth, instrumental vaginal birth, caesarean section, stillbirth, institutional neonatal death, institutional maternal death and availability of essential medical supplies before and during COVID-19. The dataset included data from all women who gave birth in 15 public hospitals, and the total number of childbirths in the cohort study before COVID-19 (12 months of data from March 2019 to February 2020) was 24,478, while during COVID-19 (6 months of data from March to August 2020), the total number of childbirths in the cohort study was 11,966, forming a combined final dataset of 36,444. Simultaneously, a descriptive qualitative study using a purposive sampling technique was conducted through in-depth interviews until data saturation was reached, with data were collected from 14 February to 10 May 2022. Data from the interviews were imported into NVivo 12 Plus to perform an inductive thematic analysis. Quantitative and qualitative data were integrated using joint display methods to identify corroboration or contradiction between the different forms of evidence.

Results:

Our findings indicate that the incidence rates of caesarean sections and instrumental vaginal births significantly increased in the first 6 months of COVID-19. Three themes were identified: ‘ Barriers to providing intrapartum care during COVID-19’, ‘ Delays to provision of intrapartum care during COVID-19’ and ‘ Inadequate COVID-19 preventive measures’.

Conclusion:

In combination, the three themes contributed to a considerable increase in neonatal and maternal deaths. Interventions such as fully equipped labour wards and obstetric triage systems are needed to restore disrupted maternal and perinatal care during the ongoing and future pandemics. In addition, stakeholders should inform the public that blood donations can help the community recover from recent shocks in emergency health and future pandemics. Further research should investigate the long-term impact of COVID-19 on maternity care and maternal and infant outcomes.
Identifying the Relationship Between CGM Time in Range and Basal Insulin Adherence in People With Type 2 Diabetes
Authors: Nørlev Jannie Toft Damsgaard , Kronborg Thomas , Jensen Morten Hasselstrøm , Vestergaard Peter , Hejlesen Ole , Hangaard Stine
Published: November 2024

Background:

The study aimed to determine the relationship between basal insulin adherence and glycemic control evaluated by time in range (TIR) in people with insulin-treated type 2 diabetes (T2D), using data from both continuous glucose monitors (CGM) and connected insulin pens. Furthermore, the study aimed to determine the best basal insulin adherence metric.

Methods:

CGM data and basal insulin data were collected from 106 insulin-treated people (aged ≥18 years) with T2D. Three different adherence metrics were employed (dose deviation, dose deviation ≤20%, and a traditional metric) and a three-step methodology was used to measure insulin adherence level. The coefficient of determination (R2), based on a univariate linear regression analysis, was used to determine the relationship between each adherence metric and TIR.

Results:

A statistically significant relationship was observed between TIR and adherence quantified as the dose deviation ≤20% metric (R2 = 0.67, P = .006). Neither the relationship between the dose deviation metric and TIR (R2 = 0.43, P = .08) nor the relationship between the traditional metric and TIR (R2 = 0.35, P =.23) was found to be statistically significant.

Conclusions:

Our study indicates a relationship between basal insulin adherence and TIR in people with insulin-treated T2D. This seems to underscore the role of basal insulin adherence for optimal glycemic outcomes and utilizing TIR as a clinical marker. Furthermore, the results suggest that the magnitude of deviation from the recommended basal insulin dose impacts glycemic control, indicating dose deviation ≤20% as a more accurate metric for quantifying adherence.
Biodegradable nanocellulose hydrogels from agricultural waste: Impact of defibrillation on mechanical and antimicrobial properties
Authors: Hongrattanavichit Intatch , Somsesta Noppon , Aht-Ong Duangdao
Published: November 2024

Food spoilage, which often leads to food waste, occurs throughout the entire food supply chain, from the upstream to downstream stages of food production. Biobased hydrogels made from cellulose nanofiber (CNF) have emerged as potential materials for extending food shelf-life. Despite this potential, the impact of defibrillation time during the production of CNF on the properties of CNF-based hydrogels (CNF-H) has not been thoroughly investigated. In this study, the defibrillation time of CNF was varied at 50–90 min to examine its effect on both the CNF itself and the resulting hydrogel properties. The findings revealed that longer mechanical defibrillation times significantly reduced the size of the CNF, leading to a denser CNF-H structure. At extended defibrillation times, the diameter of the CNF decreased from 25 to 20 nm, which strengthened the inter- and intramolecular forces between CNF fibers, resulting in a more crystallinity (from 66.64% to 77.51%) and compact hydrogel network. This denser structure reduced water absorption capacity, thereby limiting moisture penetration and decreasing biodegradability. Additionally, the antimicrobial activity of CNF-H, tested after soaking in ethanol, showed enhanced effectiveness against both gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria with increased defibrillation time, all without exhibiting cytotoxic effects.
Strong or thin digital democracy? The democratic implications of Taiwan's open government data policy in the 2010s
Authors: Chen Terrence Ting-Yen
Published: November 2024

What kind of “democracy” do new government-led digital initiatives facilitate? This paper discusses the issue by investigating the open government data policy in Taiwan in the 2010s, asking whether the policy encouraged “strong democracy.” Using interviews, written records, and an analysis of platform design, I argue that the implementation of Taiwan's open data policy has not institutionalized the engagement of civil society groups or ordinary citizens in government decision-making processes, which is at odds with the claims that open government data encourages “strong democracy.” Instead, open government data in Taiwan has facilitated monitorial democracy, which presupposes watchful but not active citizens, and neoliberal democracy, which presupposes profit-pursuing citizens. Both are more in line with “thin democracy,” which focuses more on individual rights and private interests than on participation and political community. The finding sheds light on why conservative governments around the world often embrace open government initiatives.
Towards privacy-preserving Alzheimer’s disease classification: Federated learning on T1-weighted magnetic resonance imaging data
Authors: Sahid Md Abdus , Uddin Md Palash , Saha Hasi , Islam Md Rashedul
Published: November 2024

Objective

This study aims to address the challenge of privacy-preserving Alzheimer’s disease classification using federated learning across various data distributions, focusing on real-world applicability. The goal is to improve the efficiency of classification by minimizing communication rounds between clients and the central server.

Methods

The proposed approach leverages two key strategies: increasing parallelism by utilizing more clients in each communication round and increasing computation per client during the intervals between rounds. To reflect real-world scenarios, data is divided into three distributions: identical and independently distributed, non-identical and independently distributed equal, and non-identical and independently distributed unequal. The impact of extreme quantity distribution skew is also examined. A convolutional neural network is used to evaluate the performance across these setups.

Results

The empirical study demonstrates that the proposed federated learning approach achieves a maximum accuracy of 84.75%, a precision of 86%, a recall of 85%, and an F1-score of 84%. Increasing the number of local epochs improves classification performance and reduces communication needs. The experiments show that federated learning is effective in handling heterogeneous datasets when all clients participate in each round of training. However, the results also indicate that extreme quantity distribution skew negatively impacts classification performance.

Conclusions

The study confirms that federated learning is a viable solution for Alzheimer’s disease classification while preserving data privacy. Increasing local computation and client participation enhances classification performance, though extreme distribution imbalances present a challenge. Further investigation is needed to address these limitations in real-world scenarios.
How Social Determinants of Health Shape Parental Concern and Teacher Recognition of Student Speech-Language Needs
Authors: Vuolo Janet , Vuolo Mike
Published: November 2024

Despite the importance of receiving speech-language therapy for educational outcomes, the role of language in all subject learning, and parental language complexity as a hypothesized mechanism for reproducing educational inequalities, there is a surprising lack of attention to speech-language issues within sociology. The authors link theories from sociology of education and medical sociology and use the prospective longitudinal nationally representative UK Millennium Cohort Study to examine the roles that social determinants of health, teacher bias, and parental concern play in teacher recognition of speech-language needs in early childhood, net of a measure of speech-language ability. Although social determinants affect ability, there is little evidence of bias in teacher recognition once controlling for said ability, with the exception of lower recognition of female speech-language needs. However, social determinants also drive whether parents are concerned about their children’s speech-language ability, which has a striking association with teacher recognition for both under- and overperforming children.
Exploring challenges and politics of knowledge production in the global South - Evidence from Bangladesh’s aid and development sector
Authors: Kamruzzaman Palash
Published: November 2024

This article takes Bangladesh as a case study and explores the motivations (or lack of), challenges, and politics of knowledge production with a particular focus on development scholarship and practice. This piece is based on qualitative research methods and draws from 25 semi structured interviews with highly experienced and senior Bangladeshi development practitioners and academics. Empirical evidence and consequent analysis presented in this work contribute to the debates around the schism in access to resources, politics of aid, and power over knowledge production. This article also reveals local cultural contexts as consultancy works are perceived to be more financially rewarding. This is manifested through current practices that have created a condition where local researchers and practitioners feel they have no time (or incentive and motivation) to engage in knowledge production. Moreover, this article explores whether one’s race and/or nationality play any role in knowledge production, and how the respondents reflect about these issues based on their lived experience. In doing so, findings of this study further the arguments of structural inequality and colour-blind approach within aid and global development landscape. This article offers a rich account of how existing practices favour staff members from the donor countries and exclude Bangladeshi researchers and practitioners from knowledge production processes. This article also brings forward an important issue which highlights that, as perceived by the respondents of this study, one’s institutional affiliation with prestigious Western institutions might matter more in knowledge production (as we know it) than the content, ideas and credibility of knowledge that are generated in the global South. This article contends that by excluding, rejecting, side-lining, and subjugating knowledges produced in the global South development policies and practices will continue to manufacture a particular type of knowledge that will circumvent equity in knowledge production and perpetuate Western hegemony.
Impulse oscillometry system and pulmonary function test assessment of the impact of tumor location, staging, and pathological type on lung function in primary lung cancer
Authors: Li Jia , Wan Xiaoxu
Published: November 2024

Purpose

To study the effects of tumor site, stage, pathologic type and imaging findings on lung function in primary lung cancer, as well as the correlation between impulse oscillometry system (IOS) and pulmonary function test (PFT) parameters.

Methods

The impact of tumor location, staging, and pathological type on lung function were evaluated in 219 patients with primary lung cancer through IOS and PFT. Spearman correlation coefficient was used to analyze the relationship between IOS parameters and PFT parameters.

Results

The PFT parameters in adenocarcinoma were significantly higher than those in SCLC, while the other parameters in IOS were obviously lower than those in SCLC except X5Hz (P < 0.05). The PFT parameters of FVC%, FEV1% and MVV% in SCC were evidently higher than those in SCLC, while the parameters of IOS were significantly lower than those in SCLC (P < 0.05). The PFT parameters of adenocarcinoma were higher than those of SCC (P < 0.05). In the PFT parameters of stage I patients, FEV1/FVC%, MEF50%, MMEF75/25%, and DLCO% were markedly higher than those of stage II patients, and FVC%, FEV1%, FEV1/FVC%, MEF50%, MEF25%, PEF%, MMEF75/25%, TLC%, and DLCO% were obviously higher than those of stage III and IV patients; and the MVV%, Z5Hz%, R5Hz% in IOS parameters were obviously lower than those in stage III, while Fres (1/s) and X5Hz were significantly lower than those in stage IV (P < 0.05). Compared with Phase IV, the X5Hz of stage II patients was clearly higher (P = 0.023). Besides, PFT parameters of peripheral lung cancer were obviously higher than those of central lung cancer (P < 0.05), while Z5Hz%, Fres (1/s) and R5Hz% of IOS parameters were clearly lower than those of central lung cancer (P < 0.05). Moreover, for patients without and with other pulmonary imaging manifestations, the PFT parameters of the former were significantly higher than those of the latter (P < 0.05), while only Fres (1/s) of IOS parameters was significantly lower than the latter (P < 0.05). Furthermore, there is a low to moderate correlation between IOS parameters and PFT parameters.

Conclusion

Patients with central SCLC and SCC and advanced lung cancer had the worst lung function. The IOS parameters show a good correlation with the traditional PFT parameters, and IOS can be used as an alternative measurement method for PFT when necessary.
Explainable machine learning model for predicting the risk of significant liver fibrosis in patients with diabetic retinopathy
Authors: Zhu Gangfeng , Yang Na , Yi Qiang , Xu Rui , Zheng Liangjian , Zhu Yunlong , Li Junyan , Che Jie , Chen Cixiang , Lu Zenghong , Huang Li , Xiang Yi , Zheng Tianlei
Published: November 2024

Background

Diabetic retinopathy (DR), a prevalent complication in patients with type 2 diabetes, has attracted increasing attention. Recent studies have explored a plausible association between retinopathy and significant liver fibrosis. The aim of this investigation was to develop a sophisticated machine learning (ML) model, leveraging comprehensive clinical datasets, to forecast the likelihood of significant liver fibrosis in patients with retinopathy and to interpret the ML model by applying the SHapley Additive exPlanations (SHAP) method.

Methods

This inquiry was based on data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey 2005–2008 cohort. Utilizing the Fibrosis-4 index (FIB-4), liver fibrosis was stratified across a spectrum of grades (F0-F4). The severity of retinopathy was determined using retinal imaging and segmented into four discrete gradations. A ten-fold cross-validation approach was used to gauge the propensity towards liver fibrosis. Eight ML methodologies were used: Extreme Gradient Boosting, Random Forest, multilayer perceptron, Support Vector Machines, Logistic Regression (LR), Plain Bayes, Decision Tree, and k-nearest neighbors. The efficacy of these models was gauged using metrics, such as the area under the curve (AUC). The SHAP method was deployed to unravel the intricacies of feature importance and explicate the inner workings of the ML model.

Results

The analysis included 5,364 participants, of whom 2,116 (39.45%) exhibited notable liver fibrosis. Following random allocation, 3,754 individuals were assigned to the training set and 1,610 were allocated to the validation cohort. Nine variables were curated for integration into the ML model. Among the eight ML models scrutinized, the LR model attained zenith in both AUC (0.867, 95% CI: 0.855–0.878) and F1 score (0.749, 95% CI: 0.732–0.767). In internal validation, this model sustained its superiority, with an AUC of 0.850 and an F1 score of 0.736, surpassing all other ML models. The SHAP methodology unveils the foremost factors through importance ranking.

Conclusion

Sophisticated ML models were crafted using clinical data to discern the propensity for significant liver fibrosis in patients with retinopathy and to intervene early.

Practice implications

Improved early detection of liver fibrosis risk in retinopathy patients enhances clinical intervention outcomes.
Separation properties and fouling resistance of polyethersulfone membrane modified by fungal chitosan
Authors: Iman Hilya N. , Susilo Henry , Satriyatama Adhi , Budi Ignatius D. M. , Kurnia Kiki A. , Wenten I. G. , Khoiruddin K.
Published: November 2024

This research explores the enhancement of polyethersulfone (PES) membranes through the incorporation of chitosan derived from the lignicolous fungus Ganoderma sp. Utilizing wet phase inversion and solution casting techniques, chitosan was successfully integrated into the PES matrix, as confirmed by Fourier Transform Infrared Spectroscopy (FT-IR), which indicated a high deacetylation degree of 75.7%. The incorporation of chitosan significantly increased the membrane hydrophilicity, as evidenced by a reduction in the water contact angle and a substantial improvement in pure water permeability, from 17.9 L m-2 h-1 bar-1 to 27.3 L m-2 h-1 bar-1. The membrane anti-fouling properties were also notably enhanced, with the Flux Recovery Ratio (FRR) increasing from approximately 60–80%. Moreover, the chitosan-modified PES/CS membrane, particularly at a 5% chitosan concentration, demonstrated exceptional efficacy in pollutant removal, achieving over 90% elimination of total suspended solids, cadmium (Cd), and lead (Pb), alongside a 79% reduction in color during the treatment of textile wastewater.
Senolysis potentiates endothelial progenitor cell adhesion to and integration into the brain vasculature
Authors: Lam Tri Duc , Tóth István , Hermenean Anca , Wilhelm Imola , Kieda Claudine , Krizbai István , Farkas Attila E.
Published: November 2024

Background

One of the most severe consequences of ageing is cognitive decline, which is associated with dysfunction of the brain microvasculature. Thus, repairing the brain vasculature could result in healthier brain function.

Methods

To better understand the potential beneficial effect of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) in vascular repair, we studied the adhesion and integration of EPCs using the early embryonic mouse aorta–gonad–mesonephros – MAgEC 10.5 endothelial cell line. The EPC interaction with brain microvasculature was monitored ex vivo and in vivo using epifluorescence, laser confocal and two-photon microscopy in healthy young and old animals. The effects of senolysis, EPC activation and ischaemia (two-vessel occlusion model) were analysed in BALB/c and FVB/Ant: TgCAG-yfp_sb #27 mice.

Results

MAgEC 10.5 cells rapidly adhered to brain microvasculature and some differentiated into mature endothelial cells (ECs). MAgEC 10.5-derived endothelial cells integrated into microvessels, established tight junctions and co-formed vessel lumens with pre-existing ECs within five days. Adhesion and integration were much weaker in aged mice, but were increased by depleting senescent cells using abt-263 or dasatinib plus quercetin. Furthermore, MAgEC 10.5 cell adhesion to and integration into brain vessels were increased by ischaemia and by pre-activating EPCs with TNFα.

Conclusions

Combining progenitor cell therapy with senolytic therapy and the prior activation of EPCs are promising for improving EPC adhesion to and integration into the cerebral vasculature and could help rejuvenate the ageing brain.
Soil biological health assessment based on nematode communities under maize and peanut intercropping
Authors: Liang Siwei , Feng Chen , Li Na , Sun Zhanxiang , Li Yingbin , Zhang Xiaoke , Liang Wenju
Published: November 2024

Background

Cereal/legume intercropping can enhance crop productivity and improve soil health in dryland farming. However, little is known about soil biological health under maize/peanut intercropping. The aim of this study was to assess soil biological health based on nematode communities in a maize/peanut intercropping system.

Methods

We conducted a field experiment with different planting patterns, including monoculture maize (M), monoculture peanut (P), and maize intercropped with peanut (IM, intercropped maize; IP, intercropped peanut) to determine the influence on soil biological health. We measured soil physicochemical properties and nematode communities, and employed exploratory factor analysis combined with cumulative normal distribution curve scoring to identify potential soil biological health traits.

Results

The intercropped maize gave the highest plant parasitic nematode abundance, trophic diversity index, evenness index, and structure index. The monoculture peanut gave the highest enrichment index and least plant parasitic nematode abundance, trophic diversity index, Shannon diversity index, evenness index, structure index, and channel index. We identified four soil biological health traits, including basic nutrients and biodiversity, food web complexity, slow energy channel, and fast energy channel, mainly represented by soil ammonium nitrogen and Shannon diversity index, structural index and omnivore-predator nematode abundance, fungivorous nematode abundance and plant parasitic nematode abundance, microbial biomass carbon and bacterivorous nematode abundance, respectively. The intercropping systems improved the comprehensive score of soil biological health, especially maize intercropping soil. Intercropping maize and intercropping peanut significantly improved soil biological health traits representing the food web complexity compared with the corresponding monoculture soils.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that soil nematode and physicochemical indicators reflect different soil biological health traits. Among those traits, the improvement of basic nutrients and biodiversity and the complexity of the food web were the main reasons for improving soil biological health through the intercropping system.