bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Myrtus communis leaf extracts repel Meloidogyne spp. second‐stage juveniles and prevent root infection
Authors: Oka Yuji
Published: August 2024

The use of repellents for nematode control has not been established. Leaf extracts of Myrtus communis, an evergreen shrub with wide distribution in the Mediterranean and some other regions, were tested for repellence of second‐stage juveniles (J2s) of Meloidogyne species. Extracts obtained with several solvents and water repelled M. javanica J2s on agar plates, with the 60% methanol extract showing the highest repellent activity. M. hapla J2s were also repelled by the aqueous and 60% methanol extracts. Adding the 60% methanol extract to fluopyram, a chemical J2 attractant, reduced and abolished, respectively, the attraction of M. javanica and M. hapla J2s to it. When the methanolic extract was added near lettuce seedling roots on an agar plate, the number of M. javanica, M. incognita and M. hapla J2s attracted to the root tips was reduced by 70.0%–98.2%, infection rates decreased by 50.1%–95.8% and root length increased by 61.8%–186.7% compared to control seedlings grown on the same plates. When the methanol extract was mixed into the agar plate, the three Meloidogyne species' attraction to and infection of lettuce seedlings was reduced by up to 75.4% and 100%, respectively, and root length increased up to 3.4‐fold. The acetone extract mixed into the agar reduced the attraction of M. javanica J2s to fluopyram but did not affect their repellence by KNO3. The results suggest that M. communis leaf extracts have repellent and infection‐inhibitory activity against Meloidogyne J2, offering potential control means for Meloidogyne species.
Development of the Life Emotions Rating Scale for Older Children and its Reliability Tests
Authors: Zhou Feiyue
Published: August 2024

The cultivation of the emotion of life is the core of life education, which truly conforms to the logic of life education and truly reflects the value of life education. However, limited to the monistic characteristics of the evaluation of the kindergarten and the abstract characteristics of the emotion of life, the cultivation of the emotion of life of young children in the kindergarten has been neglected, and it is difficult for life education to play the real value. Based on an extensive literature review, we developed the "Kindergarten Children's Life Emotions Assessment Scale," designed to visualize life emotions. This assessment aims a't enhance the feasibility of cultivating these emotions by making them more visible. The development process included conducting initial and formal measurements with 148 questionnaires, performing item analyses, and conducting reliability tests.The results show that the reliability and validity of the Kindergarten Early Childhood Life Emotions Assessment Scale meets the requirements of psychometrics, and that this assessment scale has good statistical significance.
Coarse cubical rigidity
Authors: Fioravanti Elia , Levcovitz Ivan , Sageev Michah
Published: August 2024

We show that for many right‐angled Artin and Coxeter groups, all cocompact cubulations coarsely look the same: They induce the same coarse median structure on the group. These are the first examples of non‐hyperbolic groups with this property. For all graph products of finite groups and for Coxeter groups with no irreducible affine parabolic subgroups of rank , we show that all automorphisms preserve the coarse median structure induced, respectively, by the Davis complex and the Niblo–Reeves cubulation. As a consequence, automorphisms of these groups have nice fixed subgroups and satisfy Nielsen realisation.
Tuberculous aortitis with jejunal artery mycotic pseudoaneurysm managed by endovascular coil embolisation
Authors: Tripathy Taraprasad , Patel Ranjan Kumar , Fatima Kaneez , Dutta Tanmay
Published: August 2024

Mycotic aneurysm in a visceral artery due to tuberculosis (TB) is a rare occurrence. Imaging plays a critical role in its diagnosis. Over the last few years, minimally invasive interventional radiological treatment has replaced more invasive surgical procedures. Here, we report a case presenting with abdominal pain, diagnosed with jejunal artery mycotic pseudoaneurysm (PSA) secondary to TB, managed by endovascular coiling. Coil embolisation of the superior mesenteric artery branch was done using three coils, closing both the front door, back door and sac of the mycotic aneurysm. Visceral PSA following TB infection is rare and can be fatal if left untreated. Coil embolisation is a minimally invasive procedure with a high success rate and comparatively fewer complications.
Cardiovascular disease risk factors and their associations with inflammation among US adolescents: NHANES, 2015 to March 2020
Authors: Casagrande Sarah S , Lawrence Jean M
Published: August 2024

Introduction

The prevalence of obesity and glycemic dysfunction in adolescents has increased over the past several decades but less is known on how these conditions are associated with systemic inflammation in this population. This study determined the associations between cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and inflammation among a nationally representative sample of US. adolescents.

Research design and methods

Cross-sectional analyses were conducted among 2693 adolescents aged 12–19 years who participated in the 2015 to March 2020 National Health and Nutrition Examination Surveys. Chronic inflammation was determined using laboratory measures for high-sensitivity C reactive protein (hs-CRP). Adjusted ORs (aOR, 95% CI) were calculated from logistic regression models to determine the association between CVD risk factors (obesity, overweight, dysglycemia, hypertension, hyperlipidemia) and elevated hs-CRP (>3.0 mg/L) while controlling for sociodemographic characteristics and other CVD risk factors.

Results

Overall, 15.3% of adolescents had elevated hs-CRP. Adolescents who were older (16–19 years vs 12–15 years), obese, had A1c ≥5.7% (≥39 mmol/mol), high total cholesterol, or low high-density lipoprotein had hs-CRP distributions that were more high risk (χ2p value <0.001). Adolescents with obesity or A1c ≥5.7% had a sixfold and a nearly twofold higher odds of elevated hs-CRP compared those without obesity and A1c <5.7% after full adjustment (aOR=6.39, 4.64 to 8.79 and aOR=1.70, 1.05 to 3.06, respectively). Adolescents with hypertension or hyperlipidemia were significantly more likely to have elevated hs-CRP compared with those without these conditions after adjustment for sociodemographic characteristics (aOR=2.46, 1.08 to 5.60 and aOR=2.19, 1.36 to 3.54, respectively), but the association was not significant after further adjustment for obesity.

Conclusions

Among US adolescents, obesity was strongly associated with elevated hs-CRP, a marker for future CVD risk. Given the obesity epidemic and the marked proportion with elevated CRP, concern should be given to future CVD risk in younger adults.
Meniscal Transplant surgery or Optimised Rehabilitation full randomised trial (MeTeOR2): a study protocol
Authors: Arnold Susanne , Spalding Timothy , Parsons Helen , Beard David , Bradley Helen , Crisford Peter , Ellard David R , Ferreira Manuela , Getgood Alan , Guck Jonathan , Haque Aminul , Khan Iftekhar , Mason James , Milroy Bryony , Myers P , Parker David , Price Andrew James , Smith Amy , Smith NA , Smith Toby , Stewart Kimberley , Underwood Martin , Verdonk Peter , Metcalfe Andrew
Published: August 2024

Introduction

Pain and disability after meniscectomy can be a substantial lifelong problem. There are few treatment options, especially for young people. Non-surgical management (rehabilitation) is an option but increasingly surgeons are performing meniscal allograft transplants (MATs) for these individuals. However, this is still an uncommon procedure, and availability and usage of MAT vary widely both in the UK and internationally. It is not known which treatment option is the most effective and cost-effective.

Methods and analysis

The Meniscal Transplant surgery or Optimised Rehabilitation trial is an international, multicentre, randomised controlled trial. The aim is to compare the clinical and cost effectiveness of MAT versus an optimised package of individualised, progressive, rehabilitation that we have called personalised knee therapy (PKT).

Participants will be recruited from sites across the UK, Australia, Canada and Belgium. The planned 144 participants provide at least 90% power to detect a 10-point difference in the Knee injury and Osteoarthritis Outcome Score (KOOS4) at 24-months post randomisation (primary outcome). A prospectively planned economic evaluation will be conducted from a healthcare system and personal social services perspective. Secondary outcome data including health utility, occupational status, sports participation, mental well-being, further treatment, and adverse events will be collected at 3, 6, 12, 18, and 24 months. Analysis will be on an intention-to-treat basis and reported in-line with the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials statement.

Ethics and dissemination

The trial was approved by the London�Bloomsbury Research Ethics Committee on 19 August 2022 (22/LO/0327) and Northern Sydney Local Health District Human Research Ethics Committee, NSW, Australia on the 13 March 2023 (2022/ETH01890).

Trial results will be disseminated via peer-reviewed publications, presentations at international conferences, in lay summaries and using social media as appropriate.

This protocol adheres to the recommended Standard Protocol Items: Recommendations for Interventional Trials (SPIRIT) checklist.

Trial registration number

ISRCTN87336549
.
From impact to recovery: tracking mild traumatic brain injury with MRI—a pilot study and case series
Authors: To Xuan Vinh , Cumming Paul , Nasrallah Fatima
Published: August 2024

Background

Diagnosis and recovery tracking of mild traumatic brain injury (mTBI) is often challenging due to the lack of clear findings on routine imaging techniques. This also complicates defining safe points for returning to activities.

Hypothesis/purpose

Quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) can provide information about cerebral venous oxygen saturation (CSvO2) in the context of brain injury. We tested the prediction that these imaging modalities would enable the detection of changes and recovery patterns in the brains of patients with mTBI.

Study design

In a case-control study, we recruited a cohort of 24 contact sport athletes for baseline QSM and resting-state functional MRI (rs-fMRI) scanning. Two of those who subsequently experienced head impact with significant post-injury symptoms underwent scans at 3, 7, 14 and 28 days post-injury; one had a boxing match without classical mTBI symptoms were also followed-up on.

Results

The cohort baseline QSM measurements of the straight sinus were established. The two injured athletes with post-impact symptoms consistent with mTBI had susceptibility results at days 3 and 7 post-impact that fell below the 25th percentile of the baseline values. The per cent amplitude fluctuation quantified from rs-fMRI agreed with the susceptibility trends in the straight sinus.

Conclusion

QSM holds promise as a diagnostic tool for tracking mTBI progression or recovery in contact sport head injury.
Immunoglobulin use in neurology: a practical approach
Authors: Kapoor Mahima , Khoo Anthony , Lunn Michael P T , Reddel Stephen , Carr Aisling S
Published: August 2024

Human immunoglobulin, delivered either intravenously (IVIg) or subcutaneously, is used to treat a range of immune-mediated neurological disorders. It has a role in acute or subacute inflammatory disease control and as a maintenance therapy in chronic disease management. This review considers mechanisms of IVIg action and the evidence for IVIg in neurological conditions. We use Guillain-Barré syndrome and chronic inflammatory demyelinating polyradiculoneuropathy (CIDP) as frameworks to demonstrate an approach to IVIg use in acute and chronic dysimmune neurological conditions across two different healthcare systems: the UK and Australia. We highlight the benefits and limitations of IVIg and focus on practical considerations such as informed consent, managing risks and adverse effects, optimal dosing and monitoring response. We use these basic clinical practice principles to discuss the judicious use of an expensive and scarce blood product with international relevance.
Palliative care healthcare professionals’ perspective on the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 in Ireland
Authors: Featherstone Hannah Joan , McQuilllan Regina , Lombard John , Foley Geraldine
Published: August 2024

Objectives

People receiving end-of-life care often require assistance with decision-making. We aimed to ascertain from the perspective of palliative care healthcare professionals in Ireland, the impact of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 (as amended) in Ireland on their practice for end-of-life care decision-making with patients and family caregivers.

Methods

A qualitative study comprising focus groups was conducted with 22 healthcare professionals from different healthcare professions. Participants were recruited from a large regional specialist palliative care service in Ireland comprising two hospice sites. Data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results

Participants reported uncertainty about the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act 2015 (as amended) and emphasised a need for more public education to avoid misinterpretation of the Act. Participants felt that patients who need assistance with decision-making should be autonomous in decision-making but expressed concerns when patients made decisions about care that participants considered unwise. Participants considered that the Act would be beneficial in situations to support early communication between patients and their family caregivers about patient preferences for care.

Conclusions

Larger scale multicentre examination of the Assisted Decision-Making (Capacity) Act among specialist palliative care providers in Ireland is needed to better understand its utility for practice.
A Stochastic SIR Epidemic with Nonlinear Power Functions and Logistic Growth
Authors: Aznague Soulaimane , Harchaoui Bilal , Brahim Abdeladim Nait , Settati Adel , Lahrouz Aadil , Amtout Tarik , El Idrissi Mourad
Published: August 2024

This research conducts a comprehensive analytical investigation into a stochastic SIR epidemic model that integrates nonlinear power functions and logistic growth dynamics. We examine the intricacies of model behavior, demonstrating its capability to produce a positive global solution. Utilizing precisely defined Lyapunov functions, we demonstrate the essential prerequisites for establishing the ergodicity of this particular model. Furthermore, the research deduces adequate criteria for predicting the eventual eradication of infectious diseases within this theoretical framework. Ultimately, we supplement the study with numerical simulations to elucidate and substantiate the analytical findings. This work contributes to comprehending epidemic systems with nuanced growth patterns and intricate disease transmission mechanisms, offering insights into real-world epidemic potential behaviors and outcomes.
Branch‐First Technique of Aortic Arch Replacement: A Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Bakr Lubna , Wijesena Tharushi , De Silva Ravi , Ali Jason M.
Published: August 2024

Objectives. Aortic arch replacement is a major surgical intervention. This meta‐analysis aims to combine the international literature on the branch‐first technique to describe its outcomes and offer a comparison to the standard techniques. Methods. PubMed and Cochrane were searched for studies on the branch‐first technique in aortic arch surgery including those comparing this technique with the conventional ones. Mortality, neurological complications, bleeding, and renal replacement therapy were the major endpoints of interest. Subgroup analysis was performed for both single‐ and double‐armed studies. Odds ratios with 95% confidence interval were used as summary estimates. The random‐effects model was used for all outcomes. Results. Ten studies from three countries with a total of 498 patients were included. Proportional analysis of the branch‐first technique estimated mortality of (3%, 95% CI [0.02–0.05]), neurological complications of (8%, 95% CI [0.03–0.13]), re‐exploration for bleeding of (9%, 95% CI [0.05–0.13]), and renal replacement therapy of (9%, 95% CI [0.05–0.12]). This meta‐analysis revealed no significant differences between the branch‐first technique and the conventional technique in mortality (5% vs. 15%, OR = 0.32, 95% CI [0.08–1.18], p = 0.09, I2 = 40%), neurological complications (10% vs. 16%, OR = 0.53, 95% CI [0.24–1.21], p = 0.13, I2 = 0%), or renal replacement therapy (12% vs. 14%, OR = 0.72, 95% CI [0.33–1.59], p = 0.41, I2 = 0%). Conclusions. Branch‐first technique provides a promising alternative approach in aortic arch surgery with no different surgical risks and potentially reduced operative complexity. Randomised controlled trials are needed to further investigate the safety and advantages of this technique.
‘Recognising Merit’ in late British colonial Cyprus
Authors: Hadjiathanasiou Maria
Published: August 2024

By interrogating the role of status symbols in Britain’s (de)colonial management practices, this article joins an emerging body of International Relation (IR) scholarship that conducts historical analyses of international status dynamics. Situated within the context of the age of the mid-20th century, at a time when empires were increasingly contested by their colonial subjects via near-simultaneous violent insurgency campaigns, this article aims to further our understanding on the (mis)use of imperial status symbols, using the case study of the British colony of Cyprus. Drawing upon unpublished material accessed via the Cyprus State Archives, the article reads this newly found material, such as Savingrams, Circulars and private correspondence between Empire officials in the metropole and the colony, to explore how Britain introduced several status symbols on its colonial subjects. The article argues that Britain did so, for a specific purpose, namely to maintain an informal empire as soon as ‘boots were off the ground’, by influencing and managing selected colonial subjects, thus safeguarding its imperial legacy. At the same time, the article investigates how these colonial subjects successfully leveraged the prospect of a lingering ‘British connection’, while simultaneously a large part of the Greek Cypriot community stood, and even fought, against this connection.
Constructing promissory futures to defer moral scrutiny: The dilemma of healthcare austerity
Authors: Van Elk Sam , Reinecke Juliane , Trenholm Susan , Ferlie Ewan
Published: August 2024

How can actors use the future to politically navigate moral disputes today? This article examines how projected futures are constructed and mobilised to suspend present-day moral dilemmas. Utilising the Economies of Worth and Barbara Adam’s sociology of time, we discursively analyse the moral dilemma between civic virtues and financial savings in UK healthcare austerity (2010–2018). This reveals how the pro-austerity government avoided moral scrutiny of their posited solutions to apparently intractable moral struggles using future projections we term ‘promissory futures’. Promissory futures project desirable futures that ambiguously seem both secured enough to be reliable, and open enough to escape today’s moral dilemmas. Thus, government could use them to shift the temporal focus away from present-day moral critique of how they were balancing austerity’s financial savings against civic virtues, and into a future where savings and civic virtues were compatible. However, promissory futures contain a contradiction: the future cannot be both already-secured and still-open. Thus, critics could eventually deconstruct promissory futures, requiring government to repeatedly reconstruct them. There thus emerges less a definitive moral settle- ment and more a continual process of moral settl- ing, whereby a series of promissory futures together forestall critique of underlying settlements, thus delaying moral struggles’ denouements.
The Judgment of the Nations: Structural Sin, Social Ontology, and Social Eschatology
Authors: McCullough Ross
Published: August 2024

Can social groups, as social groups, sin? Can they be judged? There is an ambivalence in late 20th-century Catholicism in this regard, between a form of personalism on the one hand, in which only individuals are persons and hence moral subjects, and traditional Thomists along with revisionary liberation theologians on the other. This paper argues that we can accommodate the worries of the first group with the more robust social ontology implied by the second. This social ontology can be found both in the work of contemporary analytic philosophers and, inchoately at least, in traditional Aristotelianism, and it allows us to give a more precise account of the metaphysics of structural sin than the alternatives. The paper concludes by suggesting that there is a way in which social groups, as social groups, might face judgment and then persist eschatologically.
Being before God: Fabro’s Thomistic approach to Kierkegaard’s Theological Anthropology
Authors: Furnal Joshua
Published: August 2024

In this article, I uncover a point of contact between Cornelio Fabro’s philosophical theology and Søren Kierkegaard’s theological anthropology. I survey how Fabro’s metaphysical account of the human person as a created ‘synthesis’ between the infinite and finite, also invites a soteriological account of the call of Christian discipleship. My wider argument is that Fabro unearthed a structural feature in Kierkegaard’s theological approach to free creation from nothing, human subjectivity, suffering, and freedom that mapped on to Fabro’s philosophical theology of participation. In doing so, Fabro recovered the missing metaphysical and soteriological elements of Kierkegaard’s theological emphasis on the task and goal of selfhood beyond the atheistic existentialist stereotypes of God-denial, acosmic individualism, and self-annihilation. Often construed as polar opposites, I claim that Thomistic philosophy and Kierkegaard’s existential approach can be juxtaposed fruitfully as sharing an important point of departure with free creation from nothing. In short, Fabro’s creative link between Kierkegaard and Thomas Aquinas affords a unique theological development in post-Kantian approaches to the topic of existential freedom.
Exploring the Role of Fear, Civic Disengagement, and Economic Disenfranchisement Within Communities that Experience Gun Violence
Authors: Ziminski Devon , Harmon-Darrow Caroline , Westley-Henson Kiersten , Ross Samuel
Published: August 2024

A growing body of research has documented how gun violence can affect mental and physical health outcomes among adults. Likewise, the literature is also beginning to reveal negative psychological effects related to distress and hypervigilance and sociological implications around diminished community engagement and economic opportunity. However, there remains a need to fully explore the role of fear related to the experience of gun violence. Through a qualitative inquiry consisting of community resident focus groups and community leader interviews, this study examined how participants’ perceptions of fear related to their exposures to and experiences of gun violence. The findings highlight the pervasive emotional experience of existing in a fearful, distressed, and/or anxious state within certain communities, and how civic disengagement, neighborhood disconnection, and economic disenfranchisement exist in communities that disproportionately experience violence.
Veterans with familial ALS and bulbar and respiratory presentations at onset had shorter survival
Authors: Rabadi Meheroz H , Russell Kimberly A , Xu Chao
Published: August 2024

Objective:

We sought to characterize the clinical prognostic factors in veterans with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) followed in our ALS clinic.

Background:

ALS is a rare, progressive neurodegenerative condition associated with decreased survival compared to that in the normal population.

Method:

The electronic medical records of 105 veterans diagnosed with ALS who are followed in our ALS clinic between 2010 and 2021 were reviewed. Approval from the institutional review board was obtained from the study protocol. Demographic and clinical variables included age at symptom onset, age at initial evaluation, survival (from symptom onset to death), gender, site of onset (appendicular, bulbar, and respiratory), initial amyotrophic lateral sclerosis functional-related score-revised (ALSFRS-R), total functional independence measure (TFIM) scores, initial forced vital capacity (FVC), and interventions (Riluzole, gastrostomy, noninvasive ventilation [NIV], and tracheostomy). Normally distributed data was expressed as mean ± standard deviation. Fischer's exact analysis of the distribution differences of categorical data. The Kaplan–Meier plot analyzed the time-to-event.

Results:

The mean (SD) age at symptom onset was 62.0 (11.1) years, age at diagnosis was 65 (11) years, with 72% of the patients being over 60 years at diagnosis. The median survival time from symptom onset was 4.12 (3) years. Limb-onset ALS (appendicular) was the most frequent (52%) followed by bulbar-onset ALS (43%). The mean ALSFRS-R and TFIM scores were 31 (8) and 91 (25), respectively. Family history (familial), bulbar, and respiratory presentation at diagnosis were associated with shorter survival times.

Conclusion:

This study suggests that of the clinical prognostic factors veterans with familial ALS, bulbar, and respiratory onset at presentations had shorter survival. The presence of Agent Orange, PEG placement, and NIV did not affect survival.
AIE-YOLO: Effective object detection method in extreme driving scenarios via adaptive image enhancement
Authors: Guo Qianren , Wang Yuehang , Zhang Yongji , Zhao Minghao , Jiang Yu
Published: August 2024

The widespread research and implementation of visual object detection technology have significantly transformed the autonomous driving industry. Autonomous driving relies heavily on visual sensors to perceive and analyze the environment. However, under extreme weather conditions, such as heavy rain, fog, or low light, these sensors may encounter disruptions, resulting in decreased image quality and reduced detection accuracy, thereby increasing the risk for autonomous driving. To address these challenges, we propose adaptive image enhancement (AIE)-YOLO, a novel object detection method to enhance road object detection accuracy under extreme weather conditions. To tackle the issue of image quality degradation in extreme weather, we designed an improved adaptive image enhancement module. This module dynamically adjusts the pixel features of road images based on different scene conditions, thereby enhancing object visibility and suppressing irrelevant background interference. Additionally, we introduce a spatial feature extraction module to adaptively enhance the model's spatial modeling capability under complex backgrounds. Furthermore, a channel feature extraction module is designed to adaptively enhance the model's representation and generalization abilities. Due to the difficulty in acquiring real-world data for various extreme weather conditions, we constructed a novel benchmark dataset named extreme weather simulation-rare object dataset. This dataset comprises ten types of simulated extreme weather scenarios and is built upon a publicly available rare object detection dataset. Extensive experiments conducted on the extreme weather simulation-rare object dataset demonstrate that AIE-YOLO outperforms existing state-of-the-art methods, achieving excellent detection performance under extreme weather conditions.
Using a Multimodal Digital Platform to Communicate About Students’ Learning Progress
Authors: Anderson Susan E. , Kyzar Kathleen B. , Hulce Julie
Published: August 2024

This article addresses practice guidelines for applying High Leverage Practices (HLPs), Universal Design for Learning (UDL) guidelines, and effective communication strategies when using multimodal digital communication platforms to document learning and support reciprocal teacher-family interactions about student academic performance in special education and inclusive contexts. Additionally, the article includes important considerations such as support needs and potential pitfalls associated with using digital communication tools. In providing multimodal evidence of learning using digital communication platforms, teachers can document learning in multiple ways, share learning artifacts with families, and track progress toward learning goals. When using digital tools to communicate about learning progress, teachers can ask students to reflect on artifacts, provide action-oriented feedback, and model learning interactions and strategies. Adhering to these practice guidelines helps teachers maximize the ways in which such tools enhance the implementation of HLPs and UDL strategies to improve teacher-family relationships and enhance student learning.
You Did That! Let Data Illustrate Your Effectiveness
Authors: Didion Lisa
Published: August 2024

It is critical that teachers use evidence-based practices for students with disabilities. With data, teachers can evaluate if their instruction is impactful. Teachers are encouraged to use data-based decision-making and intensive intervention to improve the outcomes of students with disabilities. With data, teachers can illustrate their instructional effectiveness or advocate for additional supports they may need. Foundational practices and components related to data use are defined with examples. Step-by-step guidance is provided for using data. Recommended practices to incorporate data into instruction and daily routines are provided with examples. Finally, resources related to how to use data in the classroom are identified.
Heuristic Phenomenological Approach to Christian Wisdom Themes from Cynthia Bourgeault's Works
Authors: Edwards Stephen David
Published: August 2024

Cynthia Bourgeault is a prolific author and workshop leader deeply committed to Christianity's apparent need to rediscover its integrity, and deep heart wisdom. This heuristic phenomenological contribution documents some of the author's personal experiences and resonances with wisdom themes from Bourgeault's books. The main theme is that Bourgeault's works reveal a transcendent level of consciousness that runs through wisdom traditions in general and Christianity in particular. This is evident in her wisdom teaching, especially through transformations of consciousness, universal heart awakening, and Centering Prayer. Her committed contribution to teaching and spreading the rediscovery of the wisdom path has valuable future implications for healing and holiness.
Verbal -s Variation in Earlier African American English
Authors: Sims Nandi
Published: August 2024

The origins of the variable - s-marking patterns of present-tense verbs in earlier African American English (AAE) have been widely argued, with one of the most common arguments stating that the pattern is indicative of the Northern Subjects Rule (NSR), a variable - s-marking rule common in the northern British Isles. I explored verbal - s in the Federal Writers’ Project ex-slave narratives to understand what patterns of - s-marking existed in earlier AAE and how these patterns differed across regions. Statistical analysis suggested no NSR influence in AAE as a whole or within any of the regions, but - s-marking still significantly differed between and within regions. I discuss other possible causes of this variation, including influence from other concord patterns, aspectual marking, and phonotactics, but highlight the difficulty of proposing concrete hypotheses due to change over time and a dearth of data.
When an AI Doctor Gets Personal: The Effects of Social and Medical Individuation in Encounters With Human and AI Doctors
Authors: Chen Cheng , Liao Mengqi , Walther Joseph B. , Sundar S. Shyam
Published: August 2024

How do we know when someone knows us? Does it matter whether the knower is a human or a machine? Following the theory of interpersonal knowledge, a between-subjects experiment investigated whether a doctor’s incorporation of individualized knowledge about a patient’s social or medical history enhances doctor-patient relationships in online conversations. Patients in this study conversed with either a human doctor, an AI doctor, or an AI-assisted human doctor. Following previous research, additional factors such as perceptions of effort, relational closeness, privacy intrusiveness, and the provision of privacy control were assessed. Results showed that an AI doctor enhanced patient satisfaction when it employed social individuation messages, which triggered perceptions of increased effort, but only when patients could activate privacy control. Perception of relational closeness with a human doctor and an AI-assisted human doctor did not seem to require social individuation and privacy control. The study concludes with implications for the theory of interpersonal knowledge and AI-mediated communication research, as well as practical implications for improving chatbot medical systems.
Wernicke’s Encephalopathy (WE) Associated with Hyperemesis Gravidarum (HG) Presenting with Psychiatric Morbidity: Description of Two Cases
Authors: Grover Sandeep , Kathiravan Sanjana , Kale Akshyee , Dua Devakshi , Sikka Pooja , Dutta Usha
Published: August 2024

Background:

Hyperemesis gravidarum (HG) refers to intractable vomiting during pregnancy and is rarely associated with Wernicke’s encephalopathy (WE). HG-associated WE can lead to mortality and permanent cognitive impairment if left untreated. In this report, we present two cases of WE following HG occurring in the context of comorbid severe depression.

Case Description:

In the first case, a 29-year-old female developed HG and WE during the second month of pregnancy, followed by an episode of severe depression with catatonia. In the second case, a 23-year-old female with bipolar disorder presented with HG for two months during pregnancy, followed by an episode of severe depression and a fractured mandible due to a fall.

Conclusion:

Thiamine should be considered in women experiencing prolonged vomiting during pregnancy, and they should be closely monitored for features of WE.
Secular trends in incidence and mortality of non-Hodgkin’s lymphoma in China, 1990–2019, and predictions to 2030: Outlook for the future burden of disease
Authors: Su Hongbo , Xie Shuping , Lyu Jun , Liu Yan , Zhang Yanbo
Published: August 2024

Background:

The aim of this study was to analyze the trend of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma incidence and mortality in China from 1990 to 2019, along with assessing the effects of age, period, and cohort, as well as to predict future trends.

Material and Methods:

Using data from the Global Burden of Disease Study 2019 we calculated the estimated annual percentage changes in the incidence and mortality of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Age-period-cohort analysis was used to assess the independent effects of these elements. Incidence and mortality until 2030 were predicted using a Bayesian age-period-cohort approach.

Results:

During 1990–2019, there was a significant increase in the age-standardized incidence and mortality rate in non-Hodgkin's lymphoma. Strong effects of birth cohort and period on non-Hodgkin's lymphoma incidence and mortality were observed. In terms of prediction, future non-Hodgkin's lymphoma incidence and mortality in China will continue to increase, while the mortality rate will decrease; for women, both the rates are projected to rise, but they will remain lower than men.

Conclusions:

Currently, the non-Hodgkin's lymphoma burden is high in China, and it is expected to continue increasing in the future. Policymakers need to prioritize addressing the factors contributing to sex differences in disease burden, including variations in environmental exposures and lifestyles among men and women.
Meta-Analysis on the Indirect Impacts of Highway Investment: Evidence from Japan
Authors: Kanai Yoshikazu , Wetwitoo Jetpan , Kato Hironori
Published: August 2024

This study performed a meta-analysis on the indirect effects of national highway projects in Japan to identify the project characteristics that contribute to the indirect effects, focusing on manufacturing transactions, business establishments, and employment. The dataset was developed from publicly available ex post evaluation reports of 243 national highway projects from 2013 to 2022. Univariate and multivariate binary probit models were estimated with the empirical dataset. The results showed that the length of the highway had significantly positive associations with all types of indirect effects, suggesting that longer highways enhanced economic activities in the highway vicinities. They also indicated that improved access to seaports and increased cargo weight limits also had positive associations with manufacturing transactions, whereas improved access to central cities had a weak positive association with employment. The formation of ring roads was also associated with increased employment, suggesting that businesses such as logistics facilities and warehouses prioritized proximity to cities. Finally, policy implications are presented in this study, for example, highway planning with improved accessibility covering both logistics and commuting could enhance the indirect effects of highway investments.
Impact of Sea Level Rise-Induced Hazards on Airfield Pavement Performance: A Simulation Study
Authors: Chen Xiao , Wang Hao
Published: August 2024

Sea level rise (SLR) caused by climate change has posed great challenges to coastal infrastructure. It is important for airport agencies to take SLR impact into account for resilient pavement design and maintenance. This study aims to develop a methodological framework to evaluate the impact of SLR on airfield pavement considering three different SLR-induced hazards, namely extreme precipitation, flooding, and groundwater rise. For each hazard, moisture variations in unbound materials of the airfield pavement were first analyzed using hydraulic models. The floodwater can flow to the area beneath the aircraft loading position via both the unpaved zone and surface cracks. Based on the moisture-dependent modulus, critical pavement responses under aircraft loading were then calculated using mechanical models. Finally, cumulative damage factors caused by each hazard were calculated using existing airfield pavement failure models to quantify the damage caused by SLR. The results show that extreme precipitation causes little damage to the structural life of airfield pavement, while groundwater level rise can cause 29% damage to pavement subgrade when the subbase was immersed. The impact of flooding on subgrade is much more remarkable than that on the asphalt layer, with the damage changing from 25% to 50% depending on the recovery process.
Toward Race-Conscious Care-Based Healing to Support Latino Immigrant Youth
Authors: Rodriguez Sophia , Lopez-Escobar Lisa , Pippin-Kottkamp Staci
Published: August 2024

This longitudinal convergent mixed-methods study sheds light on how school-based personnel such as educators, counselors, and district leaders perceive the needs of immigrant youth. Additionally, we explore how immigrant youth experience belonging and well-being in school and community spaces to advance a conceptual framework for ecosystems of care. The research questions ask how school-personnel manage the welcome of immigrant youth and how youth perceive belonging and well-being in schools. This study uses survey data from school and district personnel ( N = 80) and qualitative data such as interviews and participant-observations with 41 Latino immigrant youth from school districts on the east coast. The study reports adult perceptions of immigrants’ needs and school climates as well as professional role constraints in fostering belonging for youth. The qualitative data shows the individual and structural level factors that impact Latino immigrant youth belonging and well-being. We theorize what we term race-conscious care-based healing in nested educational systems for Latino immigrant youth. We urge school systems, as an important nested context of reception, to consider forms of care-based healing to improve well-being, belonging and educational mobility for immigrant youth. We expand educational policy and sociological literature about schools as important contexts of reception for mitigating inequality. Implications for policy and practice are discussed.
Scholarship Denied: The Phelps Stokes Fund’s Use of the ‘Race Relations’ Paradigm to Silence Du Bois’ Critiques of Racial Capitalism
Authors: Bates Julia
Published: August 2024

Sociologists commonly trace the concept of racial capitalism to Cedric Robinson. However, this lineage is problematic because it strips the theoretical framing of its radical origins. Recent scholarship argues the term racial capitalism originates earlier in the Marxist tradition in South Africa. Furthermore, the broader problematic of racism as integral to the maintenance and promotion of capitalism, originates even earlier than the term itself. I argue, the problematic of racial capitalism, in which ideologies of human differentiation are used to maintain and promote dispossession and coerced labor within capitalism, is integral to W.E.B. Du Bois’ scholarship on US imperialism during the Cold War. Furthermore, Du Bois articulated a critique of racial capitalism that also functioned as a critique of the American sociology of race. However, the Phelps Stokes Fund promoted American sociology’s ‘race relations’ paradigm to marginalize this critique.
A multi-phase lane change decision-making method for autonomous vehicles
Authors: Cai Lei , Guan Hsin , Hong Xu Qi , Jia Xin , Zhan Jun
Published: August 2024

Lane changing is one of the common behaviors in urban and highway scenarios. Therefore, lane-changing behavior is very important in autonomous driving decisions. First, lane change (LC) decisions are divided into waiting to LC, overtaking, LC, and returning to the original lane (RTOL). The LC can be divided into a lane change preparation phase (LCPP), a lane change execution phase (LCEP) 1, and a LCEP 2. The driving intention during the LCPP is further determined by determining the optimal longitudinal acceleration during the LCPP. Second, the conditions under which the host vehicle (HV) chooses to overtake, wait to LC, and choose to LC are proposed, that is, a method for determining the choice of different LC driving options. A condition is proposed for HV to give up overtaking. Third, the practice of determining the interaction process between the host and rear vehicles based on the potential conflict area (PCA) is proposed in LCEP 1. The interaction between the two cars is constructed using a dynamic game method. Finally, VTD (Virtual Test Drive) simulates and verifies the proposed LC decision system.
Transactional sex and risky sexual practices in Jamaica
Authors: Silvera Christina G. , Jarrett Sharlene , Skyers Nicola
Published: August 2024

Background

Transactional sex relationships (TSRs) create financial and emotional support for men and women, as well as an increased sexual risk. Studies have reported high HIV and STI transmission rates among young women in transactional sex relationships. However, little is known about TSR prevalence in Jamaica and risky sexual practices among participants. This study investigates the sexual behaviour of Jamaicans in TSR.

Methods

Secondary data analysis of a national survey revealed that 586 participants (38%) self-reported being in at least one TSR in the last 12 months. We also identified a third category called “Benefluids”, who play both roles of benefactor and beneficiary in transactional sex relationships.

Results

59 percent of male Benefluids had two to five transactional sex relationship partners in the last 12 months, compared to 40% of female Benefluids. Twenty-eight percent of female Benefluids reported sexually transmitted infection symptoms in the last 12 months compared to 13.5% of male Benefluids. While females reported more sexually transmitted infection symptoms, young men had the highest sexual risk precursors.

Conclusions

People in transactional sex relationships often play the role of beneficiaries and benefactors to meet material and sexual needs but this increases the risk of STI symptoms.
Help or harm? Examining the effects of active labour market programmes on young adults’ employment quality and the role of social origin
Authors: Knize Veronika J , Wolf Markus
Published: August 2024

Active labour market programmes (ALMPs) should help young adults who collect welfare benefits ‘get back on track’. Despite the recent proliferation of research on ALMPs, only scant attention has been paid to their employment quality effects. Aiming to fill this gap, this article evaluates the long-term effects of German ALMPs on young adults’ employment quality. We measure employment quality with two indicators: one on whether someone has a job with earnings below the low wage threshold and the other on whether they have a job with earnings above the low wage threshold. These measures help us assess whether ALMPs prevent young adults from being at risk of poverty again. In addition, we study whether ALMP effects vary by social origin. We distinguish young adults by whether their families collected benefits when they were adolescents, as a marker for disadvantaged social origin. We analyse in-firm training and one-euro jobs as examples for enabling and workfare programmes, which exist across other welfare states as well. Empirically, we apply an entropy balancing approach to a self-drawn sample from registry data to analyse ALMP treatment effects. Results show that in-firm training enhances young adults’ employment quality in the long run. The effects tend to be lower for those from disadvantaged families though, indicating that disadvantages embedded in social origin remain. The workfare programme harms participants’ employment quality, with those less disadvantaged suffering the greatest damage. Overall, our research provides evidence that in-firm training effectively enables young adults to find a job of higher quality, addressing their risk of social exclusion and proving useful in promoting upward social mobility. Nonetheless, the article also raises urgent issues concerning how the needs of those most vulnerable can be addressed by social policy.
A charge dynamics model for state-of-charge estimation by Kalman filter and lithium-ion battery parameters observation in real-vehicle
Authors: He Lin , Yin Guangwei , Pan Renjie , Wang Guoqiang , Liu Jichao , Zhou Wenshan
Published: August 2024

State-of-charge estimation by Kalman filter requires a linear dynamics model of lithium-ion battery. This is particularly challenging for formulating a battery dynamics model by a set of linear differential equations, for which battery dynamic characteristics are nonlinear. While much of the research on battery dynamics models has focused on linearizing the battery model by some mathematical methods, comparatively little is known about how to directly model a linear differential equation containing some nonlinear characteristics. In this article, we are trying to build a linear charge dynamics model that consists of equivalent circuit model and voltage charge characteristics, based on which a Kalman filter is designed for state-of-charge estimation. The designed approach is deployed in a battery electric vehicle for some validations. According to some experimental results, it can be concluded that the charge dynamics model of lithium-ion battery is a good linear model for direct application of Kalman filter.