bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Comparison of the Energy Properties of Sunflower Stalk Fibers for Solid Biofuel Production
Authors: Kindzera Diana , Kochubei Viktoria
Published: January 2025

The possibility of producing solid biofuels from sunflower stalks, an agricultural residue that is currently underused, has been investigated. By cutting the tissues along the sunflower stalks and mechanical grinding, samples were obtained, namely, sunflower stalk rind (SSR), sunflower stalk intermediate (SSI), and sunflower stalk pith (SSP), and by grinding sunflower stalks, as a whole, sunflower stalk general (SSG) sample was obtained. Different chemical compositions of sunflower stalk samples, according to the cellulose, hemicellulose, and lignin, influenced their thermal decomposition behavior. The lignin contents were found to be 19.8 wt.% in the SSR, 16.6 wt.% in the SSI, 3.8 wt.% in the SSP, and 15.8 wt.% in the SSG samples. The results were useful to forecast different calorific values of samples—higher for SSR, SSI, and SSG compared to the SSP sample. According to the results of comprehensive thermal analysis, the thermal decomposition of all samples occurred in five stages, different in their temperature ranges for every individual sample and mass loss of substances. By DTA curves comparison, the highest calorific value for the SSB sample, lower for the SSI and the SSG samples, and the lowest for the SSP sample were established. Calorific values determined by the calorimetric method were 18.2 MJ/kg for the SSR, 14.7 MJ/kg for the SSІ, 7.4 MJ/kg for the SSP, and 14.2 MJ/kg for the SSG samples. The results of the experimental determination of ash content showed 8.8 wt.% for SSR, 7.6 wt.% for SSI, 16.1 wt.% for SSР, and 10.2 wt.% for SSG samples. Due to the adequate calorific value, but the excessive level of ash content, the rind, intermediate segments of sunflower stalks, and sunflower stalks as a whole were recommended as components of solid composite fuel based on woody biomass.
Supplementary Table S2 from Preoperative Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and a New Inflammatory Biomarkers Prognostic Index for Primary Retroperitoneal Sarcomas: Retrospective Monocentric Study
Authors: Fiore Marco , Ljevar Silva , Pasquali Sandro , Morelli Daniele , Callegaro Dario , Sanfilippo Roberta , Barisella Marta , Sangalli Claudia , Miceli Rosalba , Gronchi Alessandro
Published: January 2025

Supplemental Table 2. Prognostic Index of Inflammatory Biomarkers for primary Retroperitoneal Sarcoma (IBPI)
Supplementary Table S1 from Preoperative Neutrophil-to-Lymphocyte Ratio and a New Inflammatory Biomarkers Prognostic Index for Primary Retroperitoneal Sarcomas: Retrospective Monocentric Study
Authors: Fiore Marco , Ljevar Silva , Pasquali Sandro , Morelli Daniele , Callegaro Dario , Sanfilippo Roberta , Barisella Marta , Sangalli Claudia , Miceli Rosalba , Gronchi Alessandro
Published: January 2025

Supplemental Table 1. NLR changes after neoadjuvant treatments*
Editorial 2023 _ 20 anos da Revista Risco
Authors: Portela Negrelos Eulalia , Cristiano Tavares Jeferson
Published: January 2025

Sem resumo
Presente, passado, futuro: planejamento e institucionalidades no Brasil na década de 1970
Authors: Feldman Sarah
Published: January 2025

La década de 1970 es abordada como un momento en que un presente autoritario, herencias del pasado y un futuro esperanzador repercutieron en la institucionalización de la planificación territorial. Estos múltiples horizontes se centran en los agentes implicados en la organización y asignación de competencias en la formulación del sistema de planificación asociado a la seguridad para el desarrollo del país; los enfrentamientos con la dictadura cívico-militar, tanto por parte de los sectores organizados de la sociedad como de los profesionales de la administración federal, y los estudios sobre las condiciones urbanas que abordaron las prácticas sociales y los territorios. Al dar sentido a este entramado de contextos, el texto pretende contribuir a la reflexión sobre las marcas de la dictadura en el campo de la planificación territorial, y al desafío de las revisiones conceptuales e institucionales que surgen en el cambiante presente.
Palabras clave: planificación territorial, institucionalidad, dictadura cívico-militar, reforma administrativa, centralización, territorio
O Plambel e o planejamento da Região Metropolitana de Belo Horizonte nos anos 1970: ideias, embates, resistências
Authors: Chiquito Elisângela de Almeida
Published: January 2025

The experiences of urban and metropolitan planning implemented in Brazil during the civil-military dictatorship (1964-1985) were for a long time the object of criticism and contestation for the methods and approaches used, for the dissociation between the political and technical spheres and for their ineffectiveness. This reading was important to materialize a break with the authoritarian regime, but the understanding of planning institutions as homogeneous entities, free of dissent, and their direct association with the political context overshadowed the complexity of planning experiences in terms of the thinking and performance of professionals, which are far from being neutral and free of clashes. This text seeks to illuminate the experience of Plambel - a planning institution in the Metropolitan Region of Belo Horizonte - in the 1970s, as a space for debate and clashes between different conceptions of the world and planning, and as a possible space for resistance and counter-hegemonic practices.
Atividade profissional e ciclos do planejamento urbano: 1961/2024
Authors: Francisconi Jorge Guilherme
Published: January 2025

There is no summary, because it is a testimony.
Viabilidade do uso de Resíduos da Cerâmica Vermelha em materiais da construção civil uma revisão de literatura
Authors: Alves Everton Rodrigues , Barros Tiago Santino da Silva , Silva Denney Wesley da , Nascimento Maria Victória Leal de Almeida
Published: January 2025

Nas construções, demolições e no processo de fabricação de telhas, tijolos, dentre outros produtos de cerâmica vermelha, geram-se os Resíduos de Cerâmica Vermelha (RCV). Usualmente, o RCV não tem destinação adequada, fazendo com que percam tanto a indústria quanto a sociedade em função da falta de sustentabilidade nessa operação. Este estudo tem por objetivo fazer uma análise de revisão literária quanto a viabilidade da utilização do RCV em matrizes da construção civil. Foram levantados dados de propriedades físicas, mecânicas e compatibilidade química explorando artigos de 2014 a 2023, em inglês e português, disponíveis no Portal de Periódicos da CAPES e SciElo, incluindo aqueles que apresentaram incorporação do RCV. Os resultados obtidos foram satisfatórios para as matrizes estudadas, cimento, pastas, argamassas e concreto, tanto pela compatibilidade química como por apresentar bons resultados mecânicos. Baseando-se nesses resultados, a utilização do RCV pode ser viável para a sustentabilidade e proporcionar adequada destinação desse resíduo.
O sonho surreal(ista) de Gabiru no Húmus
Authors: Fernando Gabriel Fallaci
Published: January 2025

Este artigo pretende apresentar a temática do sonho presente na obra Húmus, de Raul Brandão e seu paralelismo com as bases teóricas presentes na primeira fase do Surrealismo. Para a realização deste objetivo, primeiro buscaremos realizar uma breve introdução acerca do movimento e do recorte de nossa análise para, então, discutir como a personagem Gabiru detém um sonho completamente mergulhado no caráter de revolta contra a sociedade e suas convenções. Neste desenvolvimento, pretende-se apresentar as características gerais do sonho segundo a Psicanálise e que foram utilizadas pelo Surrealismo em sua luta pela liberdade. Por fim, pretende-se demonstrar o como a questão social é a grande causadora dos sonhos e desejos que se encontram reprimidos na interioridade humana e como estes mesmos sonhos e desejos são também a chave para a insurreição contra o sistema social opressor.
O gênero conto e o ensino de espanhol como língua estrangeira: aliando a tradução funcionalista ao procedimento de sequência didática (SD)
Authors: Pontes Valdecy Oliveira , Pereira Livya Lea Oliveira , Duarte Denísia Kênia Feliciano
Published: January 2025

In the national context, some investigations applied to the Teaching of Spanish Language in the University Education ally the Didactic Sequence (DS) procedure to the translation process, namely: Barrientos (2014) and Laiño (2014). The researchers attest that this correlation provides the qualified writing, in addition to the awareness of linguistic-cultural similarities and differences and the comprehension of the translation process. In this article, we aim to illustrate an SD proposal, by the translation of the tale genre, in order to the teaching of textual production. Therefore, this proposal is based on the Functionalist Translation Theory, with the perspective of Christiane Nord (1991, 1994, 2009, 2012, 2016), in addition to researches about the SD procedure, developed by Grupo de Genera and adapted by brazilian strand, such as: Dolz, Pasquier and Bronckart (1993), Dolz, Noverraz and Schneuwly (2004), Machado and Cristóvão (2006), Barros (2012), Costa-Hürbes and Simioni (2014). We propose that this procedure, in the process of textual production in foreign language, may allow not just the domain of genres in a base language and culture, but the perception of the linguistic, textual, pragmatics and cultural similarities and differences in both languages and cultures engaged in the translation process.
Science, technology, and humanism in Pat Boran’s poetry
Authors: Huguenin José
Published: January 2025

We present the translation of three poems by the Irish poet Pat Boran: “Bed time in the Scientist house”, where we perceive a close relationship between the poet and science; “Answering Machine”, where the man-machine relationship emerges as a mitigating factor for loneliness; and, finally, “The Bomb”, where the terrors of war are presented in an illusionary perspective. Translation issues and challenges are presented.
Revealing layer-specific cortical activity in human M1 using high-resolution line-scanning fMRI
Authors: Nothnagel Nils , Morgan A. Tyler , Muckli Lars , Goense Jozien
Published: January 2025

In recent years, ultra-high field functional MRI has allowed researchers to study cortical activity at high spatiotemporal resolution. Advancements in technology have made it possible to perform fMRI of cortical laminae, which is crucial for understanding and mapping of local circuits and overall brain function. Unlike invasive electrophysiology, fMRI provides a non-invasive approach to studying human and animal brain function. However, achieving high spatial resolution has often meant sacrificing temporal resolution. In contrast, line-scanning fMRI maintains both high spatial and temporal resolution, and has been successfully applied to animals to detect laminar differences of the hemodynamic response. Although this method has been extended to human brain imaging in initial studies, staying within SAR safety limits while maintaining a well-defined saturation profile at a short TR is a major challenge. We present a method for gradient-echo-based human line-scanning that uses four saturation regions to achieve a line with narrow FWHM (3.9 mm) at high spatiotemporal resolution (voxel size 0.39 x 3.0 x 3.0 mm3, TR = 250 ms). We demonstrate its use for laminar fMRI by measuring laminar time courses in the hand knob of the primary human motor cortex during a finger-tapping task. Our findings indicate differences in the onset and temporal characteristics of the hemodynamic response across cortical layers. Deeper layers exhibited distinct temporal dynamics compared with the gray matter near the cortical surface. Specifically, the BOLD response reached 95% of the maximum amplitude earlier than the superficial layers, and demonstrated a faster return to baseline after stimulus offset. We demonstrate that line-scanning fMRI offers a valuable tool for investigating recordings at a very high temporal and spatial resolution and could help advance our understanding of the mechanistic nature of the BOLD response.
Is the Lack of Inter-referee Reliability a Threat to the Effectiveness of Peer Review in Science?
Authors: Wray K. Brad
Published: January 2025

Many have criticized the peer-review system employed in scientific publication because of the apparent lack of inter-referee reliability. It is often remarked that if referees cannot agree about the quality of a scientific manuscript, then the selection of manuscripts for publication is arbitrary. Some critics have even called for abolishing pre-publication peer-review. I argue that too much emphasis has been put on inter-referee reliability. As such, a lack of inter-referee reliability in the current peer-review system is not damning for the system. I argue that peer review is effective at finding mistakes.
Vacuous Diversity: Caste and Secularism in Indian Diplomacy
Authors: Krishna Sankaran
Published: January 2025

Through the life and times of Mani Shankar Aiyar (b. 1941), this article shows the centrality of caste in the conduct of Indian diplomacy and the ways in which a commitment to an anaemic secularism diverts our attention from such casteism. Aiyar exemplifies the schizoid character of an Indian diplomatic class wherein a rhetorical commitment to egalitarianism, secularism and anti-racism is often accompanied by casteist elitism and disdain for those regarded as less meritorious and cultured than oneself. Diplomatic practice, facility in English and allegiance to a narrow definition of secularism are critical components in the production and sustenance of inequality, distinction and status within India. By focusing on Aiyar’s memoirs, public pronouncements and political life, this study critically engages the study of diplomacy and international relations in post-independence India.
Bundling Procedures in Critically Ill Trauma Patients: Should It Be Done?
Authors: Shin Hannah , Young Amy , Morgan Madison E. , Kim Hanna , Brown Catherine T. , Moore Katherine , Lamberg James J. , Perea Lindsey L.
Published: January 2025

Background

The precautions brought on by the COVID-19 pandemic led to the growing practice of bundling lines in patients requiring intubation. Our study aims to examine the effect of immediate bundled lines (IBL) on traumatic injuries. We hypothesized that severely injured patients may benefit from IBL.

Methods

A retrospective review of all intubated trauma patients (1/2015-12/2020) at a Level I Trauma Center was conducted. Patients ≤18 years and those who died or were transferred prior to intensive care unit (ICU) admission were excluded. IBL was defined as placement of central venous catheter (CVC) and arterial line (AL) ≤4 hours after intubation. Delayed lines were any lines placed >4 hours after intubation. Primary outcome was time from intubation to CVC and AL.

Results

728 patients were included. The majority received CVC and/or AL with 17.7% in a delayed fashion. Severe head injury (AIS ≥3) most often had immediate AL or delayed bundled lines ( P < 0.001). IBL were more common with gunshot wounds (GSW) ( P < 0.001) and blood transfusions ( P < 0.001). IBL were associated with significantly lower GCS ( P = 0.018) and higher median ISS. Multivariate logistic regression revealed severe/profound ISS, GSW, and pedestrian struck were predictive of IBL.

Discussion

Intubated trauma patients who presented with certain mechanisms (GSW, pedestrian struck), received blood transfusions, or exhibited severe/profound ISS may be more likely to receive IBL. IBL is not superior to either immediate AL or to no lines in terms of mortality. No lines had a significant effect on ICU LOS or hospital LOS, except in the setting of severe head injury.
Living with(out) Citizenship: The Impact of Naturalization on Mortality Risk among U.S. Immigrants
Authors: Khuu Thoa V. , Van Hook Jennifer , Lowrey Kendal L.
Published: January 2025

In recent decades, naturalization rates among U.S. immigrants have surged as many seek citizenship to regain lost rights and protections. However, the impact of naturalization on immigrants’ life outcomes, such as health, remains underexplored in academic research. Challenges arising from selection processes complicate the interpretation of any observed health disparities between naturalized citizens and noncitizens. To address this gap, we link restricted-use data from the 2000 U.S. census to individual Social Security records on citizenship change and death, enabling a 20-year observation of naturalization and mortality. Results from discrete-time hazard analysis of mortality risk reveals a significant protective health effect from naturalization, which increases in magnitude among long-term naturalized citizens. The effect is particularly strong across older ages and among groups with lower education, refugee entry status, Hispanic origin, and health limitations. These findings suggest that naturalization represents an important but stratifying source of institutional support for socially vulnerable immigrants.
A randomised control trial testing the impact of police reassurance contact on hate crime victim withdrawal
Authors: Whitten Dan , Went Craig
Published: January 2025

Hate crime has an extremely detrimental impact on victims and minority communities. Despite this, the policing response is oft criticised and investigations are characterised by high levels of victim withdrawal. Consequently, offenders are rarely prosecuted. This exposes victims to elevated risk of repeat victimisation and undermines trust in communities with historically limited confidence in the police service. This study reports on a randomised control trial testing whether Secondary Reassurance Contact (SRC), a follow up from a neighbourhood police officer not connected with the investigation, can reduce victim withdrawal of support for a prosecution (attrition) in hate crime investigations. Findings indicate that SRC results in a 12–15% reduction in victim withdrawal. The practical implications are considerable and if scaled nationally SRC may result in tens-of-thousands fewer victims withdrawing support for hate crime investigations each year. SRC therefore offers police decision-makers a tangible and deliverable option to improve hate crime outcomes and to bolster confidence amongst minority communities.
SMARCB1/INI-1-Deficient sinonasal carcinoma demonstrates a poor prognosis but favorable clinical outcomes after PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor therapy: A case series
Authors: Zhao Shuhan , Du Hao , Zhang Zhanjie , Yang Jinsong , Zhou You , Xiao Guixiang , Ma Hui , Lan Caini , Liang Jinzi , Yang Kunyu , Wen Lu
Published: January 2025

Despite advances in multimodal cancer therapy, such as combining radical surgery with high-intensity chemoradiotherapy, for SMARCB1/INI-1-deficient sinonasal carcinoma (SDSC), the prognosis of patients remains poor. Immunotherapy is gaining increasing popularity as a novel treatment strategy for patients with SMARCB1/INI-1-deficient tumors. Herein, we report on the management of three patients with SDSC who received PD-1/PD-L1 inhibitor therapy as a part of multimodal therapy based on surgery and chemoradiotherapy. All three patients survived and demonstrated good clinical remission and disease control. To our knowledge, this is the first case series reporting the use of immunotherapy to improve clinical outcomes in neoadjuvant, adjuvant, and late first-line stages of treatment in patients with SDSC. Furthermore, we reviewed the relevant literature and further explored the correlation between SMARCB1/INI-1 deletion and immunotherapy.
Beyond binaries in the urban politics of the senses: Ambivalent sensory encounters in French medium-sized shrinking cities
Authors: Le Borgne Solène
Published: January 2025

This article contributes to scholarly analyses of urban sensory politics, which emphasise the ‘othering’ strategies of middle-class residents targeting the sensory practices and embodied presence of marginalised urban residents. It introduces greater nuance to three structuring binaries that are readily apparent in current scholarly understandings of urban sensory politics: disrupted/disruptive; familiar/unfamiliar; and oppressive/emancipatory. The article focuses on the sensory politics at work in contexts of urban shrinkage. Shrinking cities are characterised by specific processes of economic, spatial and social change, where affordable housing continues to attract new residents, including a growing proportion of socially and economically marginalised people, even as demographic decline eats away at the urban core. The proximity of people of varied socioeconomic statuses with different lifestyles gives rise to sensory encounters marked by difference, and at times tension. I ask, how can we understand the complex and ambivalent sensory experiences of urban change in medium-sized shrinking cities? Drawing on ethnographic material collected in two French shrinking cities, Dieppe and Nevers, and focusing on more vulnerable residents attracted by affordable housing, I analyse a series of ambivalent sensory encounters, marked by intricate, plural, sometimes contradictory feelings and meanings.
Impact of public investment on residential gentrification: Individual-level evidence from Shanghai’s rail transit expansion
Authors: Kuang Deng Kuang , Li Ling , Chen Jie
Published: January 2025

Increasing concerns have been raised about rail transit acting as a catalyst for gentrification because of mass rail transit investments around the world. The evidence, however, is mixed regarding transit-induced gentrification. This article addresses this issue by examining two key features of gentrification-style neighbourhood change, namely, whether housing costs rise as a result of the opening of new rail stations and whether this has resulted in the displacement of low-income residents. Our method relies on a difference-in-differences model and a unique dataset of individual-level housing rental records collected in Shanghai, China. According to the results, housing rents within 1.8 km from the new station have increased significantly in the year following its opening. In contrast to those living outside the station catchment area, housing renters living inside are more likely to move to locations that are more distant from rail stations, the city centre and their workplace and to be displaced by better educated, older and wealthier newcomers. Rent increases and the exodus of low-income renters together provide further evidence of transit-induced gentrification, which calls for the attention of urban planners and policymakers.
Capturing Nonlinear Intercultural Development via Student Reflective Writing
Authors: Sims Rebekah , Tran Phuong Minh , Banat Hadi , Panahi Parva , Dilger Bradley
Published: January 2025

This article reports on a qualitative assessment of intercultural competence (IC) in U.S. first-year writing (FYW) courses designed to increase intercultural exposure and interaction among domestic and international students. To measure students’ intercultural development via a series of reflective writings, we designed two innovative qualitative analysis tools: a grounded-theory coding scheme and a mapping procedure aligned to the Developmental Model of Intercultural Sensitivity. Our results show that qualitative assessment of reflective writing reveals dynamic, complex IC development trajectories, displaying nonlinearity, nondiscrete phases, and development within phases. Specifically, we noted that reflective writing helped students engage with and become attuned to aspects of cultural difference. Affordances of the FYW context indicated that students strongly engaged the cognitive domain of IC, and that this domain appears to be activated by reflective writing.
Composite materials from waste plastics: A sustainable approach for waste management and resource utilization
Authors: Nuruzzaman Md. , Shathi Asma Shafiq , Yousuf Abu , Islam Md. Jahirul , Rana Md. Shohel , Alam Md. Sha , Biswas Pradip Kumar , Rahman Md. Aminur , Mondal Md. Ibrahim H.
Published: January 2025

The increasing production and improper disposal of plastic waste present a major global environmental challenge, highlighting the need for sustainable solutions. This review thoroughly examines the use of waste plastics in composite material production, providing a dual benefit: reducing environmental impact while creating valuable materials. This review examines the scale and ecological impact of plastic waste, focusing on various types of waste plastics, such as thermoplastics and thermosets. In-depth discussion includes various processing techniques such as melt blending, compression molding, extrusion, and injection molding. The review discusses various reinforcing materials used with waste plastics, including other polymers, natural and synthetic fibers, sand, clay, fly ash, and additional recycled materials. The focus is on analyzing mechanical, thermal, physical, and chemical properties, considering factors like waste plastic-type, reinforcement type, processing parameters, and additives. This review serves as a valuable resource for researchers, engineers, and policymakers aiming to find sustainable solutions for plastic waste management and to promote a circular economy.
AIE-active sulfone infused two-dimensional manganese(II) porphyrin based covalent organic framework as an effective photocatalytic tool for oxidative construction of N-S bond
Authors: Nautiyal Anshita , Rana Vivek Singh , Devi Renu , Shahin Rehana , Churchill David G. , Yadav Rajesh Kumar , Singh Atul Pratap
Published: January 2025

Sulfone-infused AIE-active 2-D manganese-porphyrin-based microporous COF (Mn-P) has been synthesized through a C-S coupling reaction. This process involved reacting manganese(II) tetra(p-bromophenyl) porphyrin with sulfur powder, using a catalytic amount of benzotriazole and copper iodide, under an inert nitrogen atmosphere at 100°C for 10–11 h. Mn-P has been used as a potential candidate for photocatalytic investigation due to its favorable optical and electrochemical band gap (1.78 eV). The size distribution study shows a narrow and uniform microporous structure with an average pore diameter of 1.80 nm along with ∼20.23 m2/g surface area. In the presence of sunlight as well as in aerobic conditions, the Mn-P proved its efficient photocatalytic role in the oxidative construction of N-S bond and the generation of 1,2,4-thiadiazole in excellent yield (93–97%).
Undergraduate Clinical Education Environment Measure (UCEEM) of a dental program in Jouf University and Qassim University: A bi-institutional study
Authors: Sghaireen Mohammed Ghazi , Kanwal Humera , Shah Shahzad Ali , Bader Alzarea K , Almaeen Saud Hamdan , Khan Zafar Ali , Issrani Rakhi , Prabhu Namdeo
Published: January 2025

Background

There has been a growing interest in defining the educational environment in medical and dental institutes that includes different measures to rate and improve it. Evidence suggests that the educational environment directly impacts teaching, learning, well-being, and students’ involvement and their successful professional performance. The Undergraduate Clinical Education Environment Measure (UCEEM) is widely used in medical and allied health sciences institutions to evaluate students’ perceptions of their clinical learning environment.

Objectives

This study aimed to characterize and contrast how students in two Saudi Arabian dental institutes’ bachelor's degree programs perceive their clinical learning environment, to assess how the academic year influences the student behavior and perception as well as find out the strengths and weaknesses of each of the five domains of the questionnaire used in this study.

Methods

This was a cross-sectional survey study that was conducted from 15th October 2023 till 15th December 2023. Students from two Saudi Arabian colleges - College of Dentistry, Jouf University, and College of Dentistry, Qassim University who met the selection criteria were included in the study using the convenience-sampling method. A 38-item modified UCEEM questionnaire, piloted and tested for reliability and internal consistency, consists of 38 items congregated into five overarching dimensions and was mailed to the third-, fourth- and fifth-year UG students and interns of College of Dentistry, Jouf University, and Qassim University. The modified version was developed through quantitative data from various core groups, comprehensive dialogues with students, and the clinical committees of both colleges. Mann Whitney U and Kruskal-Wallis tests were performed.

Results

The survey achieved a response rate of 69.0%. Among the respondents, there were 85 (57.8%) males and 62 (42.2%) females, aged between 23 and 32 years. The mean total score for all students was 138.45. Notably, students from Qassim University gave significantly higher scores than the students of Jouf University (p = 0.01). Furthermore, students from Qassim University provided higher ratings for most of the overarching dimensions of experiential learning as compared to the students of Jouf University.

Conclusion

The significant differences between universities highlight the need for tailored interventions to improve the quality of clinical education, particularly in areas related to supervision and experiential learning. We recommend implementing continuing education programs for supervisors to enhance their pedagogical competencies in overseeing students’ clinical practice.
The Resilience of Fashion Retail Stores
Authors: Martnez-de-Albéniz Victor , Aparicio Diego , Balsach Jordi
Published: January 2025

Retail stores are an essential sales channel in the economy. What makes them resilient to external shocks? We propose a conceptual framework in which resilience is determined by (a) the intrinsic stability of the customer pool that the store serves and (b) the actions the store implements to cope with external shocks. We apply our framework to study the impact of COVID-19 pandemic on thousands of fashion stores across the world, using a novel high-frequency scraping method to infer daily sales. Our results indicate a severe impact of lockdown regulations, with remarkable store-level heterogeneity. Stores of smaller size, in high-income lower-density areas, catering to non-touristic demand, and not located in shopping malls were intrinsically more resistant to external shocks. Furthermore, stores that chose to be more differentiated (reduced assortment similarity) and to keep a fresher inventory (faster inventory days) were also able to attenuate the impact of the pandemic. Our framework can be useful for policymakers, who are interested in identifying and targeting most vulnerable businesses, as well as managers, who would like to build a network of stores sufficiently resistant to shocks.
Cross-National Validation of the WHO-5 Well-Being Index Within Adolescent Populations: Findings From 43 Countries
Authors: Sischka Philipp E. , Martin Gina , Residori Caroline , Hammami Nour , Page Nicholas , Schnohr Christina , Cosma Alina
Published: January 2025

The five-item World Health Organization Well-Being Index (WHO-5) is among the most frequently used brief standard measures to assess hedonic well-being. Numerous studies have investigated different facets of its psychometric properties in adult populations. However, whether these results apply to adolescents is uncertain, and only few psychometric studies employed adolescent populations. Thus, the current study aimed to conduct an in-depth psychometric item response theory analysis of the WHO-5 among adolescents from 43 countries using the Health Behaviour in School-aged Children (HBSC) 2022 data set and investigated its (a) dimensionality and measurement structure, (b) test information values and marginal reliability, (c) cross-country measurement invariance and differential item/test functioning, and (d) convergent validity with other measures related to mental health and well-being across countries. The WHO-5 showed a unidimensional measurement structure and overall high test information values and marginal reliability. Furthermore, although a large proportion of parameters were flagged as non-invariant, differential test functioning of the WHO-5 was only modest. Moreover, the WHO-5 mainly showed a concurring nomological network with the other measures related to mental health and well-being across countries, although with some differences in effect sizes. The WHO-5 Well-Being Index is a psychometrically sound measure that has shown promise for cross-cultural research among adolescents in the included European, Central Asia, and North American countries. The translated versions of the WHO-5 are available at https://osf.io/pbexq.
Expect the unexpected: The importance of school leaders in university-school partnerships
Authors: Jones Mari-Ana , Dehlin Erlend , Bergh Camilla
Published: January 2025

In this article we utilise interview data to explore the roles of school leaders in a university-school partnership. The partnership was established within a pioneer national initiative in Norway to support persistently underperforming municipalities and paired selected schools with university staff with the aim of building capacity for improvement. Our work as advisers and researchers in the partnership afforded us the opportunity to explore how the school leaders we worked with in a co-created action learning process reflected on their experiences, practices and outcomes. The leaders described how instability in staffing and unforeseen pressures hindered their work in leading the action learning process and supporting improvement. Mistrust and disinclination among school staff increased over time. Findings suggest that efforts to co-create understandings and structures throughout the partnership were insufficient to mitigate against unpredictability and uncertainty, leading us to frame these aspects of university-school partnerships as unavoidable and unexceptional. This research provides an opportunity to explore the implications of this through the experiences of school leaders in university-school partnerships. Findings confirm that the abilities of school leaders to navigate the complexities of university-school partnerships are vital to their success, demonstrating a need for greater focus on how school leaders work with such partnerships within their organisations.
Post-COVID challenges to the China-Pakistan economic corridor: A power transition theory
Authors: Usman Sahibzada Muhammad
Published: January 2025

This research examines the post-COVID challenges faced by the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC), a prominent project under the Belt and Road Initiative (BRI). The literature on this topic has identified various challenges, including militant attacks and reservations from regional and external powers, such as the US and India. Reviewing the existing literature, we find that there is a need for more theoretical rigor to fully understand the reasons behind the difficulties encountered by the CPEC project. We intend to fill this theoretical gap with the help of power transition theory from both the perspectives of global hierarchy and regional hierarchy. The study locates that as China tightens the power gap pertaining to the United States and enhances collaboration via CPEC with Pakistan, India locates itself in a safety issue. The study likewise discovers that various other obstacles to CPEC come from Pakistan’s lack of reforms and safety laps, which exacerbate these obstacles.
Change in self-determination-related constructs in persons with severe or profound intellectual and multiple disabilities in the context of transitions
Authors: van Tuyll van Serooskerken Jacqueline M , Willemen Agnes M , Embregts Petri JCM , Schuengel Carlo
Published: January 2025

Background: This study explored the changes in self-determination-related constructs during transitions in the lives of persons with severe or profound intellectual and multiple disabilities. Method: Questionnaires about autonomy support, basic psychological need expressions, and subjective well-being were filled out twice by family caregivers who foresaw an important transition in the near future ( N = 40; pre-post design). Results: Average changes in outcomes across a period of 6-13 months were not statistically significant. Reliable change was observed for 5.6 to 24% of individuals, depending on the outcome variable. Caregiver engagement in and period of impact of the transition, as well as prior expectations, were not associated with these changes. Conclusions: Self-determination-related constructs appear robust against life transitions for most persons with complex support needs. From the caregivers’ perspective, improvements and deteriorations were unexpected, underscoring the need for a better understanding of the role of context for self-determination in this population.
Efficacy and retention rate of secukinumab in psoriatic arthritis across different clinical phenotypes: insights from the Italian GISEA Registry
Authors: Lopalco Giuseppe , Morrone Maria , Atzeni Fabiola , Bazzani Chiara , Bianchi Francesco Paolo , Cantatore Francesco Paolo , Caporali Roberto , Carletto Antonio , Cauli Alberto , Chimenti Maria Sole , Colella Sergio , Conti Fabrizio , Corrado Addolorata , Favalli Ennio Giulio , Floris Alberto , Fornaro Marco , Foti Rosario , Foti Roberta , Fracassi Elena , Frediani Bruno , Gentileschi Stefano , Gorla Roberto , Gremese Elisa , Praino Emanuela , Ramonda Roberta , Rotondo Cinzia , Sebastiani Marco , Semeraro Angelo , Ferraccioli Gianfranco , Lapadula Giovanni , Iannone Florenzo
Published: January 2025

Background:

Randomized clinical trials have demonstrated the efficacy of secukinumab (SECU) in reducing disease activity in psoriatic arthritis (PsA), while real-world studies prove a broader perspective on SECU’s usefulness in everyday clinical practice.

Objectives:

To assess the effectiveness of SECU by evaluating drug survival and identifying potential predictors of clinical response and treatment discontinuation in patients with moderate-to-severe PsA, using real-world data from the Italian Group for the Study of Early Arthritis (GISEA) registry.

Design:

This longitudinal retrospective study included PsA patients treated with SECU, spanning from May 2016 to November 2023.

Methods:

Data from 1045 PsA patients, including 783 with peripheral-only PsA (perPsA) and 262 with peripheral and axial involvement (mixed PsA) were analyzed. Drug survival was estimated by Kaplan–Meier analysis. Clinical outcomes, including Disease Activity Index for Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA), Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI), Ankylosing Spondylitis Disease Activity Score (ASDAS, C-Reactive Protein (CRP)-based), and Visual Analogue Scale (VAS) measures, were evaluated at baseline and at 6, 12, and 24 months. Adjusted hazard ratios (aHRs) for discontinuing SECU were determined using multivariate Cox regression models.

Results:

SECU survival at 24 months was 63.24%, significantly higher in mixed PsA compared to perPsA ( p = 0.036). In the overall PsA population, DAPSA scores decreased significantly at 6 months, and further at 24 months (all p < 0.0001). In mixed PsA, ASDAS-CRP scores were significantly reduced at 6 months and remained stable through 24 months (all p < 0.0001). VAS pain scores also improved already at 6 months and continued to improve at 24 months (all p < 0.0001). Higher age (aHR = 0.98, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.96–0.99, p = 0.007) and lower baseline DAPSA scores (aHR = 1.02, 95% CI: 1.01–1.03, p = 0.014) were associated with greater persistence of SECU treatment. SECU was well tolerated, with no serious adverse events.

Conclusion:

SECU showed sustained clinical improvements in both peripheral and axial involvement of PsA patients over 24 months, with higher persistence observed in mixed PsA patients. Our findings highlight the favorable clinical and safety profile of SECU in real world.
Super-philanthropy, repetition, difference, and decolonial possibilities and postcapitalist futures
Authors: Healy Stephen
Published: January 2025

Pablo Fuentenebro et al.’s ‘Geographies of Super-Philanthropy: Disaggregating the Global Philanthropic Complex’ describes the power of contemporary philanthropy. Their piece is highly insightful, and I appreciate their deep engagement with a topic central to how communities might address climate change and other pressing global challenges. While the comparison is wildly inappropriate, James Ferguson’s (2015) description of tech sector wealth as a ‘great gusher’, like an oil field to be tapped for the benefit of humanity, comes to mind. The philanthropic ‘gushers’ discussed here represent the kind of power that could contribute to the global climate reparations envisioned by Olúfẹ´mi O. Táíwò (2022). To see this potential requires us to engage in both an appreciative and a critical reading of their argument about contemporary philanthrocapitalism, which rests upon both key differences between this form of philanthropy and what’s come before, as well as their acknowledgement that it is also a repetition – that there is a resemblance between Bill Gates’ charity and Carnegie Mellon’s. Within this framework of difference and repetition, I explore the various reimaginations of philanthropy that emerged during the pandemic, when it seemed possible to pause the global order and envision something new.
Revisiting ‘infrastructures of social reproduction’
Authors: McFadden Keavy
Published: January 2025

This response engages with the three generative commentaries on my original article, ‘Infrastructures of social reproduction: Schools, everyday urban life, and the built environment of education’ (2023). I address Tanyildiz's (2023) call for greater conceptual and empirical specificity in how I engage with the relationship between social reproduction and infrastructure, Rodriguez's (2023) insights on the exclusionary construction of education as a public good, and Cohen's (2023) emphasis on financialization's impact on the reproduction–resistance dialectic of education and its connection to the built environment. Taken together, the dialogue of this forum strengthens ‘infrastructures of social reproduction’ as a conceptual tool for understanding struggles over education.
Implementing a teleophthalmology referral platform in routine practice: Understanding a digital health intervention implementation using normalisation process theory
Authors: Abdi Sarah , Patel Dilisha , Carmichael Josie , Balaskas Konstantinos , Blandford Ann
Published: January 2025

Objective

Digital health interventions have the potential to improve clinical processes and patient outcomes; however, many face challenges during the adoption and implementation stages, hindering their overall impact. Our study uses normalisation process theory (NPT) as a theoretical approach to explore the facilitators and barriers to the implementation of a teleophthalmology referral platform in the United Kingdom, as an illustrative case of the implementation of a digital health intervention in routine practice.

Methods

Semistructured interviews were conducted with 24 health professionals (18 optometrists and 6 ophthalmologists) involved in the implementation of a teleophthalmology referral platform. NPT guided data collection and analysis.

Results

Most participants were ready to engage with the teleophthalmology referral platform, recognising its potential value and benefits. However, during implementation, participants’ perceptions varied; a major factor was whether their expectations from the technology were met, particularly regarding the feedback from the secondary eye care component of the referral platform. Several additional factors were identified that would influence the adoption of the platform. These included individual aspects (e.g. participants’ IT skills), technology-related factors (e.g. the time required to complete referrals) and organisational factors (e.g. investment in community optometry services).

Conclusions

To successfully implement the teleophthalmology platform into routine practice, particularly on a large scale, multiple factors at different levels must be considered. This study highlights the complexity associated with implementing digital health interventions in routine practice and the contribution of NPT in untangling some of these complexities.
Performance assessment of ChatGPT 4, ChatGPT 3.5, Gemini Advanced Pro 1.5 and Bard 2.0 to problem solving in pathology in French language
Authors: Tarris Georges , Martin Laurent
Published: January 2025

Digital teaching diversifies the ways of knowledge assessment, as natural language processing offers the possibility of answering questions posed by students and teachers.

Objective

This study evaluated ChatGPT's, Bard's and Gemini's performances on second year of medical studies’ (DFGSM2) Pathology exams from the Health Sciences Center of Dijon (France) in 2018–2022.

Methods

From 2018 to 2022, exam scores, discriminating powers and discordance rates were retrieved. Seventy questions (25 first-order single response questions and 45 second-order multiple response questions) were submitted on May 2023 to ChatGPT 3.5 and Bard 2.0, and on September 2024 to Gemini 1.5 and ChatGPT-4. Chatbot's and student's average scores were compared, as well as discriminating powers of questions answered by chatbots. The percentage of student–chatbot identical answers was retrieved, and linear regression analysis correlated the scores of chatbots with student's discordance rates. Chatbot's reliability was assessed by submitting the questions in four successive rounds and comparing score variability using a Fleiss’ Kappa and a Cohen's Kappa.

Results

Newer chatbots outperformed both students and older chatbots as for the overall scores and multiple-response questions. All chatbots outperformed students on less discriminating questions. Oppositely, all chatbots were outperformed by students to questions with a high discriminating power. Chatbot's scores were correlated to student discordance rates. ChatGPT 4 and Gemini 1.5 provided variable answers, due to effects linked to prompt engineering.

Conclusion

Our study in line with the literature confirms chatbot's moderate performance for questions requiring complex reasoning, with ChatGPT outperforming Google chatbots. The use of NLP software based on distributional semantics remains a challenge for the generation of questions in French. Drawbacks to the use of NLP software in generating questions include the generation of hallucinations and erroneous medical knowledge which have to be taken into count when using NLP software in medical education.