bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The geometry of admixture in population genetics: the blessing of dimensionality
Authors: Oteo José-Angel , Oteo-García Gonzalo
Published: September 2023

We present a geometry-based interpretation of thef-statistics framework, commonly used to determine phylogenetic relationships from genetic data. The focus is on the determination of the mixing coefficients in population admixture events subject to post-admixture drift. The interpretation takes advantage of the high dimension of the dataset and analyzes the problem as a dimensional reduction issue. We show that it is possible to think of thef-statistics technique as an implicit transformation of the genetic data from a phase space into a subspace where the mapped data structure is more similar to the ancestral admixture configuration. The positive effect of the map can be explicitly assessed. The overarching geometric framework provides slightly more general formulas than thef-formalism by using a different rationale as a starting point. Explicitly addressed are two- and three-way admixtures. The mixture proportions are provided by suitable linear fits in two or three dimensions that can be easily visualized. The developments and findings are illustrated with numerical simulations from real world datasets.
Effect ofSargassumon the Behavior and Survival of the EarthwormEisenia fetida
Authors: Martínez-Cano Mayela , Dorantes-Acosta Ana E. , Lara-González Rogelio , Salgado-Hernández Enrique , Ortiz-Ceballos Angel I.
Published: September 2023

In the past decade,Sargassum natansandS. fluitanshave massively reached the Mexican Caribbean shores. As a result,Sargassumconfinement sites may be affecting the soil quality and health in coastal ecosystems and agroecosystems. The impact ofSargassum(e.g., polyphenols) on soil biodiversity has not yet been evaluated. Terrestrial ecotoxicological tests use the epigean earthwormEisenia fetidaas a model organism to assess the function of soil habitats. This study evaluated the behavior and survival of the earthwormE. fetidaexposed to fiveSargassumconcentrations (0, 25, 50, 75, and 100 %) using two toxicological tests. The avoidance test showed thatE. fetidarepelled (>80 %) a diet with 100 %Sargassum. In contrast, the acute test recorded a low mortality; however, the growth ofE. fetidawas lower with increasingSargassumconcentrations. It is concluded that the ability to repel andE. fetidabiomass are early warning bioindicators to predict the environmental risk ofSargassumin soil. Therefore, it is relevant to determine the potential risk of using earthworm compost andSargassumleachates as biofertilizers in agroecosystems.
Escalating High-dimensional Imaging using Combinatorial Channel Multiplexing and Deep Learning
Authors: Ben-Uri Raz , Ben Shabat Lior , Shainshein Dana , Bar-Tal Omer , Bussi Yuval , Maimon Noa , Keidar Haran Tal , Milo Idan , Goliand Inna , Addadi Yoseph , Salame Tomer-Meir , Rochwarger Alexander , Schürch Christian M. , Bagon Shai , Elhanani Ofer , Keren Leeat
Published: September 2023

Understanding tissue structure and function requires tools that quantify the expression of multiple proteins at single-cell resolution while preserving spatial information. Current imaging technologies use a separate channel for each individual protein, inherently limiting their throughput and scalability. Here, we present CombPlex (COMBinatorial multiPLEXing), a combinatorial staining platform coupled with an algorithmic framework to exponentially increase the number of proteins that can be measured fromCup to 2c− 1. In CombPlex, every protein can be imaged in several channels, and every channel contains agglomerated images of several proteins. These combinatorically-compressed images are then decompressed to individual protein-images using deep learning. We achieve accurate reconstruction when compressing the stains of twenty-two proteins to five imaging channels and demonstrate that the approach works in both fluorescence microscopy and in mass-based imaging. Combinatorial staining coupled with deep-learning decompression can escalate the number of proteins measured using any imaging modality, without the need for specialized instrumentation. Coupling CombPlex with instruments for high-dimensional imaging could pave the way to image hundreds of proteins at single-cell resolution in intact tissue sections.
Autism Caregiver Coaching in Africa (ACACIA): Protocol for a type 1-hybrid effectiveness-implementation trial
Authors: Franz Lauren , Viljoen Marisa , Askew Sandy , Brown Musaddiqah , Dawson Geraldine , Di Martino J Matias , Sapiro Guillermo , Sebolai Katlego , Seris Noleen , Shabalala Nokuthula , Stahmer Aubyn , Turner Elizabeth L , de Vries Petrus J
Published: September 2023

Background

While early autism intervention can significantly improve outcomes, gaps in implementation exist globally. These gaps are clearest in Africa, where forty percent of the world’s children will live by 2050. Task-sharing early intervention to non-specialists is a key implementation strategy, given the lack of specialists in Africa. Naturalistic Developmental Behavioral Interventions (NDBI) are a class of early autism intervention that can be delivered by caregivers. As a foundational step to address the early autism intervention gap, we adapted a non-specialist delivered caregiver coaching NDBI for the South African context, and pre-piloted this cascaded task-sharing approach in an existing system of care.

Objectives

First, we will test the effectiveness of the caregiver coaching NDBI compared to usual care. Second, we will describe coaching implementation factors within the Western Cape Department of Education in South Africa.

Methods

This is a type 1 effectiveness-implementation hybrid design; assessor-blinded, group randomized controlled trial. Participants include 150 autistic children (18-72 months) and their caregivers who live in Cape Town, South Africa, and those involved in intervention implementation. Early Childhood Development practitioners, employed by the Department of Education, will deliver 12, one hour, coaching sessions to the intervention group. The control group will receive usual care. Distal co-primary outcomes include the Communication Domain Standard Score (Vineland Adaptive Behavior Scales, Third Edition) and the Language and Communication Developmental Quotient (Griffiths Scales of Child Development, Third Edition). Proximal secondary outcome include caregiver strategies measured by the sum of five items from the Joint Engagement Rating Inventory. We will describe key implementation determinants.

Results

Participant enrolment started in April 2023. Estimated primary completion date is March 2027.

Conclusion

The ACACIA trial will determine whether a cascaded task-sharing intervention delivered in an educational setting leads to meaningful improvements in communication abilities of autistic children, and identify implementation barriers and facilitators.

Trial registration

NCT05551728 in Clinical Trial Registry (https://clinicaltrials.gov)
Relationship between Dietary Patterns with Closure Growth Plate in 12-13 Years Old Girls in Kermanshah
Authors: mirian Mahsa , Rafiei Mohammadreza , Khosravy Tina , Moradinazar Mehdi , Samadi Mehnoosh
Published: September 2023

Background & Objective

Bone linear growth during puberty depends on several factors, including nutrition. In addition, malnutrition in children and adolescents can affect both linear growth and growth plate chondrocytes. This study was conducted to determine the association between dietary patterns, bone age status, and closure growth plate in adolescent girls.

Methods and Materials

In this study, a validated semi-quantitative 167-items food frequency questionnaire was used to determine major dietary patterns. Major dietary patterns were also identified by the component analysis method. Furthermore, anthropometric data and information about physical activity were collected from participants.

Results

In the present study, 70.3% of participants had bone age less than chronological age, and the findings related to 3 main dietary patterns were identified (healthy diet, high salt and sugar diet, and western/mixed diets). Among the 3 main dietary patterns, a healthy dietary pattern showed a significant correlation with the difference between chronological age and bone age (B=-0.106). This research reveals that adherence to a healthy diet was associated with an increase in bone age (P=0.02).

Conclusion

The current study showed a significant association between healthy dietary patterns and the bone age of participants. Based on the results, it can be claimed that a lack of components in dietary patterns can have a negative effect on chondrocytes of growth plates. The present findings confirm that children and adolescents who followed suitable dietary patterns were less likely to be stunted.
Abnormal breathlessness during cardiopulmonary exercise testing - validation in people with chronic airflow limitation
Authors: Ekström Magnus , Li Pei Zhi , Lewthwaite Hayley , Bourbeau Jean , Tan Wan C. , Jensen Dennis
Published: September 2023

Background

Exertional breathlessness is the cardinal symptom in cardiorespiratory disease. We aimed to validate recently developed normative reference equations to evaluate breathlessness abnormality during cardiopulmonary exercise testing (CPET) in people with chronic airflow limitation.

Methods

Analysis of people aged ≥40 years with chronic airflow limitation undergoing CPET in the Canadian Cohort Obstructive Lung Disease (CanCOLD) study. Breathlessness intensity ratings (Borg 0-10 category ratio scale [CR10]) were evaluated in relation to power output (W), rate of oxygen uptake (V’O2), and minute ventilation (V’E) at peak exercise using normative reference equations as: 1) probability of breathlessness normality, defined as the predicted probability of the Borg CR10 rating among healthy references, with lower probability reflecting more severe breathlessness; and 2) presence of abnormal breathlessness, defined as a Borg CR10 intensity rating above the upper limit of normal (ULN). Validity of breathlessness severity (lower probability of normality) and abnormality (>ULN) was evaluated as correlations with relevant participant-reported and physiologic outcomes.

Results

We included 330 participants (44% women): mean±SD age 64±10 years (range 40– 89), FEV1/FVC 57.3±8.2%, FEV175.6±17.9%predicted. Relative to peak W, V’O2and V’E, abnormal breathlessness was present in 22.7%, 21.5%, and 15.2% of participants, respectively. For all equations, people with abnormal breathlessness had worse lung function, exercise capacity, self-reported symptom burden, physical activity, health-related quality of life, and physiological abnormalities during CPET.

Conclusion

Evaluation of breathlessness abnormality using CPET normative reference equations was valid in people with chronic airflow limitation.
Use of ChatGPT in Pediatric Urology and its Relevance in Clinical Practice: Is it useful?
Authors: Martinelli Braga Antonio Vitor Nascimento , Nunes Noel Charlles , Santos Emanoel Nascimento , Veiga Maria Luiza , Martinelli Braga Ana Aparecida Nascimento , de Abreu Glicia Estevam , Bessa Jose , Braga Luis Henrique , Kirsch Andrew J , Barroso Ubirajara
Published: September 2023

Introduction

Artificial intelligence (AI) can be described as the combination of computer sciences and linguistics, objective building machines capable of performing various tasks that otherwise would need Human Intelligence. One of the many AI based tools that has gained popularity is the Chat-Generative Pre-Trained Transformer (ChatGPT). Due to the popularity and its massive media coverage, incorrect and misleading information provided by ChatGPT will have a profound impact on patient misinformation. Furthermore, it may cause mistreatment and misdiagnosis as ChatGPT can mislead physicians on the decision-making pathway.

Objective

Eevaluate and assess the accuracy and reproducibility of ChatGPT answers regarding common pediatric urological diagnoses.

Methods

ChatGPT 3.5 version was used. The questions asked for the program involved Primary Megaureter (pMU), Enuresis and Vesicoureteral Reflux (VUR). There were three queries for each topic, adding up to 9 in total. The queries were inserted into ChatGPT twice, and both responses were recorded to examine the reproducibility of ChatGPT’s answers. After that analysis, both questions were combined, forming a single answer. Afterwards, those responses were evaluated qualitatively by a board of three specialists with a deep expertise in the field. A descriptive analysis was performed.

Results

ChatGPT demonstrated general knowledge on the researched topics, including the definition, diagnosis, and treatment of Enuresis, VUR and pMU. Regarding Enuresis, the provided definition was partially correct, as the generic response allowed for misinterpretation. As for the definition of VUR, the response was considered appropriate. And for pMU it was partially correct, lacking essential aspects of its definition such as the diameter of the dilatation of the ureter. Unnecessary exams were suggested, for both Enuresis and pMU. Regarding the treatment of the conditions mentioned, it specified treatments to Enuresis that are known to be ineffective, such as bladder training.

Discussion

AI has a wide potential to bring several benefits to medical knowledge, improving decision-making and patient education. However, following the reports on the literature, we found a lack of genuine clinical experience and judgment from ChatGPT, performing well in less complex questions, yet with a steep decrease on its performance as the complexity of the queries increase. Therefore, providing wrong answers to crucial topics.

Conclusion

ChatGPT responses present a combination of accurate and relevant information, but also incomplete, ambiguous and, occasionally, misleading details, especially regarding the treatment of the investigated diseases. Because of that, it is not recommended to make clinical decisions based exclusively on ChatGPT.
Association of heavy menstrual bleeding with cardiovascular diseases in US female hospitalizations
Authors: Dubey Pallavi , Abdeldayem Jasmin , Singh Vishwajeet , Abdelrehman Yousif , Mada Sanjana , Reddy Sireesha , Dwivedi Alok
Published: September 2023

BACKGROUND

Heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) is a common type of menstrual disorder that causes social and mental distress leading to a variety of health problems. Although limited evidence highlights the links between HMB and metabolic abnormalities, the association between HMB and CVD outcomes is unknown in the presence or absence of comorbid irregular menstruation (IM).

METHODS

All female hospitalizations between the ages of 12 to 40 years were identified using the National Inpatient Sample database in 2017 and grouped into HMB and no menstrual disorders. Outcomes including major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE), coronary heart disease (CHD), stroke/cerebrovascular accident (CVA), heart failure (HF), arterial fibrillation (AF) or arrhythmia, myocardial infarction (MI), and diabetes (DM) were extracted using ICD-10 codes. Adjusted logistic regression models were conducted to summarize associations with an odds ratio (OR) along with a 95% confidence interval (CI).

RESULTS

In the entire cohort, 8,291 (0.69%) had an HMB diagnosis including 1623 (0.14%) with IM and 6668 (0.55%) without IM. In the fully adjusted analysis, HMB was significantly associated with most CVD outcomes, including MACE (OR=1.61; 95% CI: 1.38, 1.88, p<0.001), CHD (OR=1.88; 95% CI: 1.52, 2.31, p<0.001), Stroke/CVA (OR=1.51; 95% CI: 1.1, 2.07, p=0.011), HF (OR=1.60; 95% CI: 1.33, 1.92, p<0.001), AF/arrhythmia (OR=1.93; 95% CI: 1.16, 2.45, p=0.006), and DM (OR=1.45; 95% CI: 1.33, 1.58), p<0.001). HMB without IM was strongly associated with DM, HF, AF, and MACE outcomes while HMB with IM was strongly associated with CHD and AF outcomes.

CONCLUSIONS

HMB is independently and strongly associated with CVD events among US hospitalizations of young women. Our findings suggest promoting increased awareness, early detection, and optimum management of HMB to avoid adverse CVD outcomes.

Clinical Perspective

What Is New?

Although menstruation dysfunction is associated with cardiovascular disease (CVD), the relationship between heavy menstrual bleeding (HMB) and CVD outcomes is not evaluated.

In a US sample of 1,204,715 hospitalized women, HMB was independently and strongly associated with major adverse cardiovascular events and coronary heart disease.

HMB without irregular menstruation was markedly associated with CVD outcomes than HMB with irregular menstruation.

What Are the Clinical Implications?

Our findings support that HMB as an early vital sign for CVD outcomes among young women. A routine investigation and screening of menstrual disorders, especially HMB, and its effective management is useful for the prevention of CVD risk in women.
The discriminative ability of ROTEM for Delayed Cerebral Ischemia and Poor Clinical Outcome following Aneurysmal Subarachnoid Haemorrhage
Authors: Tjerkstra Maud A. , Labib Homeyra , Coert Bert A. , Post René , Vandertop W. Peter , Verbaan Dagmar , Juffermans Nicole P.
Published: September 2023

Introduction

Aneurysmal subarachnoid haemorrhage (aSAH) and delayed cerebral ischemia (DCI) have been associated with hypercoagulability as detected by viscoelastic testing. In this study, we evaluate temporal alterations in rotational thromboelastography (ROTEM-) coagulation profiles and the discriminative ability of ROTEM-parameters for DCI and poor clinical outcome following aSAH.

Materials and Methods

ROTEM-parameters were measured on days 0, 3-5 and 9-11 after aSAH and compared between patients with and without DCI, radiological DCI and 6-months’ poor clinical outcome (modified Rankin Scale 4-6). ROC-curve analyses were used to calculate areas-under-the-curve (AUC) and to determine optimal cut-off values with a sensitivity of >90% and highest possible specificity for DCI and radiological DCI. For poor outcome, a specificity >90% with highest possible sensitivity was used.

Results

Of 160 aSAH patients, 31 (19%) had DCI, 16 (10%) radiological DCI and 68 (44%) had poor outcome at six months. DCI, radiological DCI and poor clinical outcome were associated with hypercoagulability. The ROTEM-parameter with the best discriminative ability for radiological DCI was INTEM CT (AUC: 0.75), with optimal cut-off value <153 seconds (sensitivity 94%, specificity 59%). For poor outcome, this was FIBTEM A10, (AUC: 0.85), with optimal cut-off value >27 mm (specificity 94%, sensitivity 49%).

Conclusions

Hypercoagulability, as detected by ROTEM-parameters, is an excellent marker of poor clinical outcome after aSAH and might be useful for stratifying patients for inclusion in future trials on therapeutic interventions. Conversely, the absence of hypercoagulability on ROTEM may be used to identify patients at low risk of DCI for early hospital discharge.
Sexual Gender-Based Violence among Adolescent Girls and Young Women during COVID-19 Pandemic, Mid-Eastern Uganda
Authors: Mwine Patience , Kwesiga Benon , Migisha Richard , Cheptoris Juliet , Kadobera Daniel , Bulage Lilian , Nsubuga Edirisa J. , Mudiope Peter , Ario Alex R.
Published: September 2023

Background

Global studies indicate that sexual gender based violence (SGBV) may increase during pandemics including the COVID-19. The Mid-Eastern region in Uganda was of a concern due to high prevalence of intimate partner sexual violence among adolescent girls and young women (AGYW) (13% in 2016). Due to limited data, we investigated factors associated with SGBV among AGYW during the COVID-19 pandemic in Eastern Uganda, April 2022.

Methods

We line listed all AGYW 10-24 years who obtained SGBV services at ten high-volume health facilities from March 2020 to December 2021, the main COVID-19 period in Uganda. We conducted a case-control study among these AGYW. A case was ≥1 SGBV episode experienced by an AGYW aged 10-24 years residing in Tororo and Busia Districts. For every randomly-selected case from the health facility line list, we identified two neighbourhood-matched AGYW controls who reported no SGBV. We interviewed 108 and 216 controls on socio-demographics, socio-economics, and SGBV experiences during COVID-19. We conducted logistic regression to obtain adjusted odds ratios and confidence intervals.

Results

Among 389 SGBV cases, the mean age was 16.4 (SD± 1.6: range 10-24) years, and 350 (90%) were 15-19 years. Among 108 cases interviewed, 79 (73%) reported forced sex. Most (73; 68%) knew the perpetrator. In multivariate analysis, self-reported SGBV before the COVID-19 period [aOR=5.8, 95%CI: 2.8-12] and having older siblings [aOR=1.9, 95%:CI 1.1-3.4] were associated with SGBV during the period. Living with a family that provided all the basic needs was protective [aOR=0.42, 95%: CI 0.23-0.78].

Conclusion

Previous SGBV experiences and family dynamics, such as having older siblings, increased the odds of SGBV during the COVID-19 pandemic in Uganda. Conversely, a supportive family environment was protective. Identifying, supporting, and enacting protective interventions for existing SGBV victims and socioeconomically vulnerable AGYW could reduce the burden of SGBV during similar events.
A quantitative survey of the blueberry (Vacciniumspp.) nectar microbiome: variation between cultivars, locations, and farm management approaches
Authors: Rering Caitlin C. , Rudolph Arthur B. , Li Qin-Bao , Read Quentin D. , Muñoz Patricio R. , Ternest John J. , Hunter Charles T.
Published: September 2023

Microbes in floral nectar can impact both their host plants and floral visitors, yet little is known about the nectar microbiome of most pollinator-dependent crops. In this study, we examined the abundance and composition of the fungi and bacteria inhabitingVacciniumspp. nectar, as well as nectar volume and sugar concentrations, hypothesizing that nectar traits and microbial communities would vary between plants. We compared wildV. myrsiniteswith two field-grownV. corymbosumcultivars collected from two organic and two conventional farms. Differences in nectar traits and microbiomes were identified betweenV. corymbosumcultivars but notVacciniumspecies. The microbiome of cultivated plants also varied greatly between farms, whereas management regime had only subtle effects, with higher fungal populations detected under organic management. Nectars were hexose-dominant, and sugars were depleted in nectar with higher cell densities. Bacteria were more common than fungi in blueberry nectar, although both were frequently detected and co-occurred more often than would be predicted by chance. ‘Cosmopolitan’ blueberry nectar microbes that were isolated in all plants, includingRosenbergiellasp. andSymmetrospora symmetrica, were identified. This study provides the first systematic report of the blueberry nectar microbiome, which may have important implications for pollinator and crop health.

One-sentence summary

Parallel analysis of blueberry crops and a wild relative offers insight into the impacts of management and domestication on the nectar microbiome
Droplet based low input proteomic platform for rare cell populations
Authors: Waas Matthew , Khoo Amanda , Tharmapalan Pirashaanthy , McCloskey Curtis W. , Govindarajan Meinusha , Zhang Bowen , Khan Shahbaz , Waterhouse Paul , Khokha Rama , Kislinger Thomas
Published: September 2023

Deep proteomic profiling of rare cell populations has been constrained by sample input requirements. Here, we present DROPPS, an accessible low-input platform that generates high-fidelity proteomic profiles of 100 - 2,500 cells. By applying DROPPS within the mammary epithelium, we elucidated the connection between mitochondrial activity and clonogenicity, discovering and validating CD36 as a marker of progenitor capacity in the basal cell compartment. We anticipate DROPPS will accelerate biology-driven proteomic research for a multitude of rare cell populations.
Single-plant-omics reveals the cascade of transcriptional changes during the vegetative-to-reproductive transition
Authors: Redmond Ethan J. , Ronald James , Davis Seth J. , Ezer Daphne
Published: September 2023

Plants undergo rapid developmental transitions, as well as gradual developmental processes. Moreover, individual plants within a population will undergo the developmental transitions asynchronously, so it is difficult to assemble a time series to resolve the sequence of transcriptional changes that take place during these rapid transitions. Single-plant-omics has the potential to distinguish between transcriptional events that are associated with these binary and continuous processes. Furthermore, we can utilise single-plant-omics to exploit this developmental asynchrony to order individual plants by their developmental trajectory, revealing a detailed cascade of transcriptional events.

Here, we utilise single-plant-transcriptomics to resolve the transcriptional events that coincide with the onset of bolting. We performed RNA-seq on the leaves of individual plants from a large population of wild type Arabidopsis thaliana replicated at one time point during the vegetative-to-reproductive transition. Even though more than half of transcripts were differentially expressed between bolted and unbolted plants, we were able to find a subset of regulators that were more closely associated with gradual developmental traits like leaf size and biomass. Using a novel pseudotime inference algorithm, we determined that some senescence-associated processes, such as the reduction in ribosome biogenesis, are evident in the transcriptome before a bolt is visible.

These results show the potential of single-plant-omics to reveal the detailed sequence of events that occur during rapid developmental transitions.

Graphical abstract

Graphical Abstract: Physiological changes around bolting can be categorised into: ‘binary’ processes, which appear to have either occurred or not occurred at any given timepoint; or continuous processes, which can be observed quantitatively. For binary processes, expression of strongly correlated genes can appear to follow a ‘step’ change dynamic over time. However, when considered over a shorter timescale, the dynamics appear much smoother. For continuous processes, the shorter timescale should also capture smooth changes in gene expression.
Parkinson’s genes orchestrate pyroptosis through selective trafficking of mtDNA to leaky lysosomes
Authors: Nguyen Mai , Collier Jack J , Ignatenko Olesia , Morin Genevieve , Huang Sidong , Desjardins Michel , McBride Heidi M
Published: September 2023

Inflammation is an age-related factor that underlies numerous human disorders. A key driver of inflammation is the release of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), which binds and activates cytosolic sensors. This induces transcriptional responses and, ultimately, pyroptotic cell death. The main challenge has been to understand how mtDNA can cross the two mitochondrial membranes to access the cytosol. Through a genome-wide CRISPR knockout screen we identified a new pyroptotic pathway defined by mtDNA exit within mitochondrial-derived vesicles that are delivered to lysosomes. Critically, breach of lysosomes allows mtDNA to access cytosol, requiring multiple Parkinson’s Disease-related proteins and Gasdermin pores, identified in the screen. These data place mitochondria-to-lysosome transport as a driver of pyroptosis and link multiple PD proteins along a common pathway.

One sentence summary

Parkinson’s disease-related proteins regulate pyroptosis
Social media use and internalising symptoms in clinical and community adolescent samples: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Fassi Luisa , Thomas Kirsten , Parry Douglas A , Leyland-Craggs Amelia , Ford Tamsin J , Orben Amy
Published: September 2023

Importance

There are many concerns about the link between social media use and adolescent mental health. However, most research has studied adolescents from the general population, overlooking clinical groups. To address this gap, we synthesize, quantify and compare evidence on the relationship between social media use and internalising symptoms in adolescent clinical and community samples.

Data Sources

We searched five electronic databases for peer-reviewed publications (MEDLINE, Web of Science, PsychInfo, Scopus) and preprints (Europe PMC) published in English between 2007 and 2022.

Study Selection

We included cross-sectional and longitudinal studies quantifying the relationship between social media use and internalising symptoms, excluding experimental studies and randomised controlled trials. Two blinded reviewers initially identified 7389 studies.

Data Extraction and Synthesis

We adhered to the PRISMA and MOOSE guidelines for selection and reporting. The data was pooled using a random-effect model and robust variance estimation. Two reviewers independently assessed the quality of evidence with the Quality of Survey Studies in Psychology Checklist.

Main Outcomes and Measures

We preregistered our hypotheses and primary study outcomes on PROSPERO (CRD42022321473). Articles were included if they reported at least one quantitative measure of a) social media use: time spent, active vs. passive use, activity, content, user perception, and other; and b) internalising symptoms: anxiety, depression or both.

Results

We reviewed 127 studies including 1,061,293 adolescents and 775 effect sizes, of which only 8% examined clinical samples. In these samples, we found a positive, significant yet small meta-correlation between social media use and internalising symptoms, both for time spent (N= 2893,r= .08,95% CI= [.01, .15],p= .033,I2= 57.83) and user engagement (N = 859;r= .12,95% CI= [.09, .15],p= .002,I2= 82.67). These associations mirrored those in community samples.

Conclusions and Relevance

We highlight a lack of research on clinical populations, a critical gap considering that public concerns centre on the increase in youth mental health symptoms at clinical levels. This paucity of evidence not only restricts the generalizability of existing research but also hinders our ability to effectively evaluate and compare the link between social media use and youth mental health.
1-(Pyrrolidin-1-yl)ethan-1-iminium chloride
Authors: Artis Rylan , Padgett Clifford W. , Quillian Brandon
Published: September 2023

The title compound, C6H13N2
+·Cl−, is as an amidinium salt that was isolated as unexpected product from the reaction between acetonitrile, chloroform and pyrrolidine under refluxing conditions. The packing features two N—H...Cl hydrogen bonds to generate centrosymmetric tetramers (two cations and two anions) and van der Waals interactions.
A spatial local method for solving 2D and 3D advection-diffusion equations
Authors: Tunc Huseyin , Sari Murat
Published: September 2023

Purpose

This study aims to derive a novel spatial numerical method based on multidimensional local Taylor series representations for solving high-order advection-diffusion (AD) equations.

Design/methodology/approach

The parabolic AD equations are reduced to the nonhomogeneous elliptic system of partial differential equations by utilizing the Chebyshev spectral collocation method (ChSCM) in the temporal variable. The implicit-explicit local differential transform method (IELDTM) is constructed over two- and three-dimensional meshes using continuity equations of the neighbor representations with either explicit or implicit forms in related directions. The IELDTM yields an overdetermined or underdetermined system of algebraic equations solved in the least square sense.

Findings

The IELDTM has proven to have excellent convergence properties by experimentally illustrating both h-refinement and p-refinement outcomes. A distinctive feature of the IELDTM over the existing numerical techniques is optimizing the local spatial degrees of freedom. It has been proven that the IELDTM provides more accurate results with far fewer degrees of freedom than the finite difference, finite element and spectral methods.

Originality/value

This study shows the derivation, applicability and performance of the IELDTM for solving 2D and 3D advection-diffusion equations. It has been demonstrated that the IELDTM can be a competitive numerical method for addressing high-space dimensional-parabolic partial differential equations (PDEs) arising in various fields of science and engineering. The novel ChSCM-IELDTM hybridization has been proven to have distinct advantages, such as continuous utilization of time integration and optimized formulation of spatial approximations. Furthermore, the novel ChSCM-IELDTM hybridization can be adapted to address various other types of PDEs by modifying the theoretical derivation accordingly.
Unpacking regional variations of multidimensional food security in rural Ethiopia: insights for policy
Authors: Gadiso Workicho Jateno , Alemu Bamlaku Alamirew , Shete Maru
Published: September 2023

Purpose

This study aims to measure the status of rural household food security across regions using multidimensional indicators. It also aims to identify the determinants of rural household food security in Ethiopia.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted descriptive and explanatory designs. It used data from the fourth wave of the Ethiopian socioeconomic survey that has 3,115 respondents. The authors constructed household food security index using variables that capture availability, access, utilization and stability dimensions of food security. The authors categorized households into relative food security groups, namely, alarming and moderately food insecure, as well as moderately and highly food secure. Beta regression model, which is widely used to analyze response variables that assume values between 0 and 1, is used to estimate the determinants of food security.

Findings

The study finds that 77.7% of rural households are food insecure. Of this, 90% are moderately food insecure. Regional variations in magnitude of food security showed that Harari, Gambella and Benshanguel Gumuz regional states are relatively better-off than other regions in Ethiopia. The study identified sex, education level, marital status, location and wealth status of households as significant determinants of food security.

Originality/value

This study sheds light on regional variations in multidimensional food security in Ethiopia. It thus challenged previous estimates of food security using uni-dimensional indicator. It highlighted the need for region-specific analysis of determinants and a follow up of tailored regional interventions.

Peer review

The peer review history for this article is available at: https://publons.com/publon/10.1108/IJSE-02-2023-0139
Metacognitive awareness, knowledge and regulation of cognition factors among Lithuanian university students
Authors: Butvilas Tomas , Žilinskienė Deimantė , Bubnys Remigijus , Colomer Jordi , Cañabate Dolors , Masoodi Marjan
Published: September 2023

Purpose

The importance of metacognitive awareness in learning, on the one hand, and the necessity of considering demographic variables, on the other hand, have encouraged the researchers to conduct this research. This research aims to initially determine the relationship between the level of metacognitive awareness and demographic variables of students from three Lithuanian universities, such as age, gender and area of study.

Design/methodology/approach

The quantitative research strategy was applied in this study using the survey with the students scoring the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI). The research involved 296 students from three universities in Lithuania. Data were analysed using statistical analysis methods to compare different groups of subjects according to selected criteria.

Findings

It became evident that two demographic variables of age and the field of study had a relationship with knowledge of cognition. Conditional knowledge had a positive relation with the variables of age and the field of study. Procedural knowledge was the second area which had a relation with the area of this study. Therefore, it maybe be concluded that under specific circumstances, declarative and procedural knowledge is at the same level of performance while conditional knowledge revealed the highest relation with metacognitive awareness. Furthermore, no statistically significant difference was found with gender in all metacognitive subcomponents despite the initial assumption.

Research limitations/implications

One of the limitations of this study is that the research did not address the actual application of metacognitive strategies during teaching and learning. The research would benefit from in-depth class observation and triangulation of data from various sources. The teaching model should be tested in a larger population to obtain aggregated results for a vast population.

Originality/value

Results are significant in identifying students' cognitive abilities which can be attributed to various factors such as creativity, which in turn may efficiently foster students' potential. Metacognitive awareness can be developed by explicitly informing students about the importance of metacognition and life-long learning. Lecturers' role-modelling induce students to continuously assess, monitor, plan and reflect on their own learning process as well as to recognize cognition along with metacognitive prompts, questions, checklists, reports and discussion of topics in the learning process.
Academics' perceptions regarding performance evaluations and the consequences for their professional and personal activity
Authors: Mula-Falcón Javier , Caballero Katia
Published: September 2023

Purpose

Improving and assuring the quality of higher education has become a key element of policy agendas worldwide. To this end, a complete accountability system has been developed through various evaluation procedures. Specifically, this study analyzes the perceptions of university teaching staff on the impact of performance appraisal systems on their professional activity, health and personal lives.

Design/methodology/approach

The study adopted a nonexperimental descriptive and causal-comparative design using a questionnaire that was completed by a sample of 2,183 Spanish teachers. The data obtained were analyzed using descriptive statistics and comparisons of differences.

Findings

The results show that, according to teachers, the evaluation criteria undermine the quality of their work by encouraging them to neglect teaching, increase scientific production and engage in unethical research practices. Their views also emphasize the social and health-related consequences of an increasingly competitive work climate, including increased stress levels. Finally, significant differences are observed regarding gender, professional category and academic discipline, with women, junior faculty and social sciences teachers expressing particularly strong views.

Originality/value

The originality of this study lies in the application of a method that contributes to the international debate through a national perspective (Spain) that has so far received little attention.
Understanding public opinions on Chinese short video platform by multimodal sentiment analysis using deep learning-based techniques
Authors: Shi Wei , Zhang Jing , He Shaoyi
Published: September 2023

Purpose

With the rapid development of short videos in China, the public has become accustomed to using short videos to express their opinions. This paper aims to solve problems such as how to represent the features of different modalities and achieve effective cross-modal feature fusion when analyzing the multi-modal sentiment of Chinese short videos (CSVs).

Design/methodology/approach

This paper aims to propose a sentiment analysis model MSCNN-CPL-CAFF using multi-scale convolutional neural network and cross attention fusion mechanism to analyze the CSVs. The audio-visual and textual data of CSVs themed on “COVID-19, catering industry” are collected from CSV platform Douyin first, and then a comparative analysis is conducted with advanced baseline models.

Findings

The sample number of the weak negative and neutral sentiment is the largest, and the sample number of the positive and weak positive sentiment is relatively small, accounting for only about 11% of the total samples. The MSCNN-CPL-CAFF model has achieved the Acc-2, Acc-3 and F1 score of 85.01%, 74.16 and 84.84%, respectively, which outperforms the highest value of baseline methods in accuracy and achieves competitive computation speed.

Practical implications

This research offers some implications regarding the impact of COVID-19 on catering industry in China by focusing on multi-modal sentiment of CSVs. The methodology can be utilized to analyze the opinions of the general public on social media platform and to categorize them accordingly.

Originality/value

This paper presents a novel deep-learning multimodal sentiment analysis model, which provides a new perspective for public opinion research on the short video platform.
Study of transmission and reflection of hydrophilic transparent nano-titanium dioxide coating
Authors: Syafiq Amirul , Awalin Lilik Jamilatul , Ali Syukri , Arif Mohd
Published: September 2023

Purpose

The paper aims to design the optimum formulation of the nano-titanium dioxide (TiO2) hydrophilic coating system using the synthetic polypropylene glycol (PPG), which can create the reflection and absorption property.

Design/methodology/approach

TiO2 nanoparticles are used as fillers, and PPG has been blended at the proper ratio of 1PPG: 0.2TiO2. The prepared resin has been applied onto the glass substrate at different numbers of glass immersions during the dip-coating fabrication process. One-time glass immersion is labeled as T1 coating, two-time glass immersion is labeled as T2 coating and three-time glass immersion is labeled as T3 coating. All the prepared coating systems were left dry at ambient temperature.

Findings

T3 coating showed the lowest reading of WCA value at 40.50°, due to higher surface energy at 61.73 mN/m. The T3 coating also shows the greatest absorbance property among the prepared coating systems among the prepared coating. In terms of reflectance property, the T2 coating system has great reflectance in UV region and near-infrared region, which is 16.47% and 2.77 and 2.73%, respectively. The T2 coating also has great optical transmission about 75.00% at the visible region.

Research limitations/implications

The development of thermal insulation coating by studying the relationship between convection heat and reflectance at different wavelengths of incident light.

Practical implications

The developed coating shows high potential for glass window application.

Originality/value

The application of the hydrophilic coating on light absorption, reflectance and transmission at different wavelengths.
The Rohingya refugee crisis: political and humanitarian perspectives
Authors: Md Shahin Kabir , Hasan Moyenul
Published: September 2023

Purpose

This paper aims to examine the prevailing Rohingya refugee crisis from political and humanitarian perspectives and explores the political and humanitarian aspects of the Rohingya refugee crisis.

Design/methodology/approach

Relevant literature has been reviewed for conceptual understanding. This study is descriptive and qualitative in nature and based on secondary sources of data.

Findings

The main causes of the Rohingya crisis such as political and humanitarian aspects. Issues such as discrimination and homelessness, and national security concerns that regional politics scapegoated the Rohingya to exacerbate regional tensions. Moreover, armed conflicts, political radicalization, security concerns, human rights violations and low media attention compared to other displaced families have made the future of the Rohingyas very uncertain.

Practical implications

The Rohingya crisis has far-reaching implications for domestic and regional politics as well as for relations with major world powers. In the context of regional security and geopolitics, this study provides insight into the polarization and politicization of the Rohingya minority.

Originality/value

This research offers a vital exploration of the Rohingya refugee crisis, delving into its multifaceted political and humanitarian dimensions, contributing fresh insights to address a pressing global concern.
Reframing history and listening to students through Learning Labs professional development
Authors: Monte-Sano Chauncey , Jennings Amanda , Schleppegrell Mary J.
Published: September 2023

Purpose

This practice-oriented article aims to describe the origins of the Learning Labs PD model and theory behind it, explains what it involves in social studies and illustrates this model by sharing examples from one PD session focused on facilitating inquiries into justice via Hammurabi's Code and Black Founders with seventh and eighth graders.

Design/methodology/approach

As the authors developed Learning Labs for Social Studies (LLSS), they used a Design-Based Research approach to study and iterate such that the model is supportive of teachers' and students' learning (e.g. Jennings et al., 2022). In this practice-oriented article, the authors offer a conceptual orientation to the model and some of the take-aways relevant to the demands of offering professional development in polarizing times by sharing examples from one PD day.

Findings

LLSS PD in combination with curriculum that structures critical inquiry has supported the authors and their teacher-partners by fostering a community of practitioners who work as a collective to reframe content, support one another while teaching in new ways and learn from students. Specifically, the authors have observed teachers (1) approach social studies topics with greater criticality and center Black identity and history as more than oppression, (2) develop instructional practices that create space for students to make sense of the past in the context of their lives in the present and (3) listen to and center students' thinking and knowledge.

Originality/value

This article presents and illustrates Learning Labs for Social Studies for the first time, offering a professional learning model that supports teachers in polarizing times as they work collaboratively to translate theory into practice and to problem-solve challenges that emerge within their school and classroom contexts.