bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Is Time-Restricted Eating (Eating 12–8pm) More Effective for Weight Loss and Glycaemic Control than Calorie Restriction?
Authors: Hill Alyson
Published: April 2024

This 6-month randomized clinical trial evaluated the effectiveness and safety of time-restricted eating (TRE) compared to daily calorie restriction (CR) in individuals with type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) and obesity. The study involved 75 participants and measured changes in body weight, haemoglobin A1c (HbA1c) levels, and metabolic risk factors. Participants were randomized to 1 of 3 different groups: (1) TRE (eating from 12 to 8pm, without calorie counting), (2) CR (25% energy restriction daily), (3) control. Results showed that the TRE group experienced statistically significant weight loss and reductions in HbA1c levels compared to the control group. However, the CR group did not show significant weight loss. No serious adverse events were reported. The study suggests that TRE could be an effective strategy for weight loss and glycaemic control in individuals with T2D, but further research with larger sample sizes and longer follow-up periods is needed to confirm these findings.
População em situação de rua e o uso de drogas no Brasil: revisão de escopo
Authors: Souza Maria Regina Camargo Ferraz , Oliveira Márcia Aparecida Ferreira de , Cardoso Marília Mastrocolla de Almeida , Silva Júlia Carolina de Mattos Cerioni , Boska Gabriella de Andrade , Pinho Paula Hayasi
Published: April 2024

Objetivo: analisar a produção científica sobre o perfil dapopulação em situação de rua que faz uso de álcool e outrasdrogas publicada a partir de 2009. Metodologia: trata-sede uma revisão de escopo realizada em artigos publicadosnas bases de dados MEDLINE/PubMed, LILACS, Base deDados de Enfermagem (BDENF) e Scientific Electronic LibraryOnline (SciELO). A literatura cinzenta foi selecionada viaGoogle Acadêmico e a pesquisa de estudos e materiais nãopublicados ocorreu via acesso ao repositório da BibliotecaDigital Brasileira de Teses e Dissertações (BDTD) e aoCatálogo de Teses & Dissertações, vinculado à Coordenaçãode Aperfeiçoamento de Pessoal de Nível Superior (CAPES) eno buscador Google Acadêmico. Foram incluídos os estudoscompletos, disponíveis online, publicados a partir de 2009,nos idiomas português, inglês e espanhol. Resultados: seteartigos foram selecionados e incluídos para extração de dados.A análise das produções evidenciou a produção bibliográficanas regiões sudeste e sul do Brasil, além do crescimento nonúmero de publicações a partir de 2015. A população emsituação de rua é majoritariamente formada por homens,sendo a cor/raça predominante parda e com estudos no nívelde Ensino Fundamental incompleto. A permanência na ruafrequentemente é motivada por conflitos familiares e o usode substâncias, sendo as mais utilizadas o álcool, o tabacoe o crack. Conclusão: o estudo possibilitou a identificaçãode características importantes para a construção do perfil dapopulação em situação de rua com os problemas de saúdemental decorrentes do uso de álcool e outras drogas. Emboraseja perceptível o avanço na produção técnica-científicabrasileira sobre o tema, destaca-se a carência de estudosdirigidos nas regiões Centro-Oeste e Norte do país.
O ensino de estratégias de leitura em anos iniciais para a formação de leitores profissionais em indexação: mapeamento sistemático de literatura
Authors: Ramires Angelina Quinalia , Fujita Mariângela Spotti Lopes , Castro Fabiano Ferreira de
Published: April 2024

Reading strategies help the professional reader to read faster and considering the author’s ideas and, to develop them, prior knowledge of the reading strategies taught in the initial years of training is necessary. To study the reading strategies taught in the early years, understand how they are used and what contributions they bring to training a professional reader, a qualitative literature review research was carried out, using the systematic mapping methodology, which made it possible to survey relevant research on the topic of interest. It was found that reading is considered very important for the integral formation of the student, and is one of the main means of access to knowledge, and that the use of reading strategies enable greater textual understanding. It was found that the prior knowledge brought by the student is also fundamental for the process of understanding the text, and is essential for the formation of good readers. In conclusion, guaranteeing libraries in schools with librarianship professionals to carry out reading projects together with teachers and students is essential, and pursuing the continuing education of teachers, so that they can improve their pedagogical practices, is paramount.
A cultura do Congo Capixaba: entre práticas e documentos
Authors: Modolo Philippe Peterle , Grigoleto Maira Cristina , Costa Rosa da Penha Ferreira da , Aldabalde Taiguara Villela
Published: April 2024

Este estudo reflete sobre o Congo Capixaba por meio das práticas documentárias do programa de extensão Entre Comunidades, da Universidade Federal do Espírito Santo, tomando como base o conceito de cultura desenvolvido por Kelvin L. White em 2017. O principal objetivo é pensar o Congo Capixaba como cultura nos termos do autor, a partir dos documentos produzidos e mediados no âmbito do Entre Comunidades. De forma específica, busca-se: identificar as práticas documentárias realizadas pelo programa; mapear os símbolos, os heróis, os rituais, os valores e as performances do Congo, por meio das práticas de mediação cultural e das performadas pela comunidade; e analisar os efeitos dessa documentação para a continuidade dos rituais do Congo e como potencializadora das ações de mediação. Realizou-se pesquisa exploratória e descritiva, quanto aos objetivos, e de abordagem quanti-qualitativa. Procedeu-se às pesquisas bibliográfica, documental e arquivística, com análise de conteúdo para o tratamento dos resultados. Por meio da análise da documentação investigada, foi possível apreender os principais aspectos da cultura do Congo Capixaba, bem como contabilizar e categorizar diferentes práticas de mediação cultural nas comunidades atendidas. Concluiu-se que a documentação contribui para a permanência da cultura do Congo Capixaba e que a mediação cultural complementa as práticas documentárias, produzindo efeitos sobre a vida e a memória das comunidades.
Interplay Between Plasma Glycine and Branched-Chain Amino Acids Contributes to the Development of Hypertension and Coronary Heart Disease
Authors: Dziedzic Mateusz , Józefczuk Ewelina , Guzik Tomasz J. , Siedlinski Mateusz
Published: April 2024

BACKGROUND:

Higher levels of plasma glycine are linked to a reduced risk, while increased levels of total branched-chain amino acids (tBCAAs) are associated with a higher risk of essential hypertension and coronary heart disease (CHD). As these metabolic components are interconnected, analyzing the tBCAAs/glycine ratio may help to understand their interplay in the pathogenesis of cardiovascular disease.

METHODS:

The Cox regression approach was combined with the development of novel genetic tools for assessments of associations between plasma metabolomic data (glycine, tBCAAs, and tBCAAs/glycine ratio) from the UK Biobank and the development of hypertension and CHD. Genome-wide association study was performed on 186 523 White UK Biobank participants to identify new independent genetic instruments for the 2-sample Mendelian randomization analyses.
P
-gain statistic >10 identified instruments associated with tBCAAs/glycine ratio significantly stronger compared with individual amino acids. Outcomes of genome-wide association study on hypertension and CHD were derived from the UK Biobank (nonoverlapping sample), FinnGen, and CARDIoGRAMplusC4D.

RESULTS:

The tBCAAs/glycine ratio was prospectively associated with a higher risk of developing hypertension and CHD (hazard ratio quintile Q5 versus Q1, 1.196 [95% CI, 1.109–1.289] and 1.226 [95% CI, 1.160–1.296], respectively). Mendelian randomization analysis demonstrated that tBCAAs/glycine ratio (
P
-gain >10) was a risk factor for hypertension (meta-analyzed inverse-variance weighted causal estimate 0.45 log odds ratio/SD (95% CI, 0.26–0.64) and CHD (0.48 [95% CI, 0.29–0.67]) with an absolute effect significantly larger compared with the effect of glycine (−0.06 [95% CI, −0.1 to −0.03] and −0.08 [95% CI, −0.11 to −0.05], respectively) or tBCAAs (0.22 [95% CI, 0.09–0.34] and 0.12 [95% CI, 0.01–0.24], respectively).

CONCLUSIONS:

The total BCAAs/glycine ratio is a key element of the metabolic signature contributing to hypertension and CHD, which may reflect biological pathways shared by glycine and tBCAAs.
Characteristics and Influencing Factors of Provincial Industrial Convergence Networks in China
Authors: Yuan Yuan , Han Guoying
Published: April 2024

The 20th National Congress of the Communist Party of China proposed accelerating the promotion of Chinese-style modernization, placing higher requirements on regional economic development. In this context, interregional industrial convergence has become a new driving force for achieving high-quality economic development and regional industrial transformation and upgrading. Using the 2017 interregional input-output table provided by Carbon Emission Accounts and Datasets (CEADs), this study constructs a directed weighted network from both the supply side and the demand side, with “province-industry” as the node and the real flow between industries as the edge weight. Network analysis is used to investigate the overall status of industrial convergence in China, as well as differences according to industry and region. Finally, an exponential random graph model (ERGM) is used to examine the influencing factors and effects of network formation. The results show the following: (1) the industrial convergence relationship between regions in China is transitive and reciprocal, and the overall tendency of the network is one in which output capacity is greater than absorption capacity. (2) The marginal flow of manufacturing and services occupies an absolute advantage in China’s industrial convergence network, in which mid-end manufacturing and producer services are the most prominent. (3) Industrial convergence between provinces has formed a hierarchical spatial layout of “output-conduction-absorption”. In the absorption layer, the breadth and depth of Beijing’s industrial integration are characterized by absorption-dominant development. In the output layer, Shanghai’s capital-intensive industries have a strong external radiation capacity and generally show open-led development. (4) Interregional industrial convergence tends to occur in areas with similar economic levels and output value levels, showing a coordinated development trend of high-level output and low-level absorption, which is also affected by location proximity relationships, regional technology gaps, and employment population gaps. This research shows that China’s inter-provincial industrial convergence network generally shows the characteristics of spatial hierarchy, significant industry differences and multi-factor drivers.
Efficiency or Fairness? Research on the Allocation of Energy Consumption and Carbon Emission Rights among Chinese Provinces
Authors: Lei Anqi , Zhang Te , Yang Li
Published: April 2024

Using a dynamic ZSG-SBM model under the common frontier, this paper allocates provincial energy consumption and carbon emission rights in China and conducts theoretical analysis and efficiency analysis from the perspective of balancing efficiency and fairness. The research results show that, under the allocation method that prioritizes efficiency, fossil energy consumption and carbon emission rights are significantly adjusted from the central and western regions to the economically developed eastern regions. Under the allocation model that considers fairness indicators, the net inflow of energy consumption and carbon emission rights from the eastern region is significantly reduced, with a greater focus on regional coordinated development, and a tendency to allocate more indicators to the relatively underdeveloped central and western regions in terms of energy consumption and carbon emissions. In addition, there is a significant regional difference in the initial technical efficiency gap between different regions, with the efficiency value in the eastern region significantly higher than that in the central and western regions. The allocation method that prioritizes efficiency can significantly improve energy consumption and carbon emission efficiency nationwide, but the allocation method that balances efficiency and fairness will cause some efficiency losses. Improving the national technical efficiency is the key to achieving the national “dual-carbon” and “dual-control” goals.
Neea bradeana (Nyctaginaceae: Pisonieae), a new species with whorled leaf arrangement from the Atlantic Forest of Southeastern Brazil
Authors: SANDOLI ROSSETTO ELSON FELIPE , DA SILVA COSTA DANIEL , FERRAZ JOSÉ ROBERTO
Published: April 2024

Neea bradeana is here described for the Atlantic Rainforest of Southeastern Brazil. This new species had been confused for decades with N. verticillata, the type species of the genus which is described for Peru. N. bradeana is characterized by its unbranched shrubs with whorled sessile or short-petiolate leaves and erect-congested inflorescences. This species is here described and illustrated; remarks on taxonomic and morphologic affinities, distribution map, and conservation assessment are also provided.
The current status of Henckelia peduncularis (Gesneriaceae): Taxonomy, typification, distribution and IUCN Red List assessment
Authors: MAITY ROHAN , CHOWLU KRISHNA , DASH SUDHANSU SEKHAR
Published: April 2024

The long lost Henckelia peduncularis (Gesneriaceae), was hitherto known from its type specimens collected from Burma, in 1926. Recently described Henckelia dasii from Arunachal Pradesh, India; revealed substantial similarities with the aforementioned Burmese element. Morphological analyses based on the type specimens of both the names revealed H. dasii is appropriate to be reduced as a heterotypic synonym of H. peduncularis. The present article also deals with the Red List assessment of H. peduncularis based on IUCN criteria and lectotype designation for the name Chirita peduncularis B.L. Burtt.
Microchilus culuenensis (Orchidaceae, Goodyerinae): a new species from Southearn Brazilian Amazon
Authors: ENGELS MATHIAS E. , SMIDT ERIC C.
Published: April 2024

During the UFMT Herbarium collection study, an undescribed species of Goodyerinae (Orchidaceae) was found on the banks of the Culuene River, a tributary of the Alto Xingu basin, state of Mato Grosso, Southern Brazilian Amazon. We described and illustrated Microchilus culuenensis, a species morphologically related to M. amazonicus, M. juruenensis and M. stigmatopterus, which can be differentiated from them by a set of characteristics: narrow-lanceolate leaves, lip with an oblong callus and truncated at the mesochile, presence of a rounded, bilobed callus in the center of the epichile, and a rounded apex of the lobes of epichile. The new species is classified as Data Deficient (DD) regarding the conservation status.
Taxonomic review of Aclis Lóven, 1846 (Gastropoda, Eulimidae) from Brazil with notes on other congeners from the western Atlantic and Saint Helena
Authors: SOUZA LEONARDO SANTOS DE , ARAÚJO TARCISO ALMEIDA DE , PIMENTA ALEXANDRE DIAS
Published: April 2024

A taxonomic review of Aclis Lóven, 1846 from Brazil led to the discovery of ten species, five of them are new. Before this study, only four species were known from the area. Aclis sarissa Watson, 1881 is revised and reassessed regarding its shell variability. Aclis marplatensis (Castellanos & Landoni, 1984) comb. nov. is here revised and transferred to Aclis based on the presence of spiral keels and microscopic spiral striae on the teleoconch. Additional material of A. watsoni Barros, Lima & Francisco, 2007 is presented here. Aclis macrostoma Barros, Lima & Francisco, 2007 is still known only from the type series. The new species (Aclis pulchra sp. nov., Aclis costai sp. nov., Aclis anaglyptica sp. nov., Aclis corniculata sp. nov. and Aclis multicarinata sp. nov.) can be distinguished from other congeners mainly by the shape, size, sculpture, color pattern, and the presence or absence of an umbilicus. Besides these taxa, three morphotypes from Brazil might represent new species, but are not formally described due to the inadequate material. An overview of the remaining Aclis from the western Atlantic and Saint Helena, based on type material led to the following conclusions: Aclis dalli Bartsch, 1911, Aclis verrilli Bartsch, 1911, and Aclis fernandinae Dall, 1927 are revalidated; Aclis pendata Dall, 1927 is proposed as synonym of Aclis stilifer Dall, 1927; Aclis canaliculata (E.A. Smith, 1890) is reallocated in Aclis. Besides, some species, previously attributed to Aclis are removed from the genus, some of them being reallocated to other gastropod families.
Mines in the Sky
Authors: Russell Sara , Mokal Riz
Published: April 2024

Though once the subject of science fiction, space mining may one day be economically viable. This contribution explores how essential elements may be more accessible in celestial objects than on the surface of Earth, and discusses the challenges ahead in potentially exploiting these outer space sources of metals. Many asteroids have not undergone differentiation (melting) to form a metal-rich core, and thus retain high metal concentrations on their surface. Other asteroids are thought to represent the residual metal core of a differentiated body, while geological processing on the Moon may have concentrated important rare-earth elements in specific locations. Despite high metal concentrations in these celestial objects, many significant challenges—technical, legal, geopolitical and ethical—will have to be addressed before space mining might become realistic.
Black Panther and an Afrofuturist Vision for Mining
Authors: Ghebremusse Sara
Published: April 2024

Mining has significant social and environmental impacts on Indigenous peoples and communities living and working near mines. In the face of these challenges, how can we imagine a different future? Afrofuturism, an aesthetic and ethos that critically re-examines the past and present experiences of people of African descent, offers a vision that could shape a more equitable future for mining-affected communities. Drawing inspiration from the sci-fi world of the Black Panther movie, this essay explores how the principles of Afrofuturism—the disruption of hierarchies, sovereignty and decolonization—could guide the mineral resource sector towards greater social and environmental sustainability.
Can Small Mining Be Beautiful?
Authors: Veiga Marcello , Delgado-Jimenez J. Alejandro
Published: April 2024

The mining industry has been traditionally dominated by large companies that depend on the discovery of ‘world class’ mineral deposits. In recent decades, however, such discoveries have become increasingly rare, as mineral exploration activities yield a greater fraction of small and medium-size deposits. Small-scale deposits have been exploited by millions of artisanal miners in developing countries using rudimentary methods. Artisanal mining can bring significant economic benefits to local populations, while also creating negative social and environmental impacts. This essay discusses the uncertain future of large mineral deposits, and proposes a scenario where the future of metal supply involves mining small deposits using sophisticated techniques. The co-existence of small- to medium-size conventional mining companies with artisanal miners has been observed in various Latin American countries, creating improved oversight and efficiency, while decreasing pollution and social impacts.
UFNet: Joint U-Net and Fully Connected Neural Network to Bias Correct Precipitation Predictions from Climate Models
Authors: Yu Shuang , Chakraborty Indrasis , Anderson Gemma J. , Lucas Donald D. , Lops Yannic , Galea Daniel
Published: April 2024

Precipitation values produced by climate models are biased due to the parameterization of physical processes and limited spatial resolution. Current bias-correction approaches usually focus on correcting lower-order statistics (mean and standard deviation), which make it difficult to capture precipitation extremes. However, accurate modeling of extremes is critical for policymaking to mitigate and adapt to the effects of climate change. We develop a deep learning framework, leveraging information from key dynamical variables impacting precipitation to also match higher-order statistics (skewness and kurtosis) for the entire precipitation distribution, including extremes. The deep learning framework consists of a two-part architecture: a U-Net convolutional network to capture the spatiotemporal distribution of precipitation and a fully connected network to capture the distribution of higher-order statistics. The joint network, termed UFNet, can simultaneously improve the spatial structure of the modeled precipitation and capture the distribution of extreme precipitation values. Using climate model simulation data and observations that are climatologically similar but not strictly paired, the UFNet identifies and corrects the climate model biases, significantly improving the estimation of daily precipitation as measured by a broad range of spatiotemporal statistics. In particular, UFNet significantly improves the underestimation of extreme precipitation values seen with current bias-correction methods. Our approach constitutes a generalized framework for correcting other climate model variables which improves the accuracy of the climate model predictions, while utilizing a simpler and more stable training process.
Simplified Approximations of Direct Cumulus Entrainment and Detrainment
Authors: Kirshbaum Daniel J. , Morrison Hugh , Peters John M.
Published: April 2024

In recent years, direct calculations of simulated cumulus entrainment and detrainment have facilitated new physical insights into these highly elusive but critically important processes. However, these calculations require substantial computational resources that may limit their widespread usage. To facilitate such calculations, two simplified approximations of direct cumulus entrainment and detrainment are examined herein. The first approximation, termed the “semidirect” method, follows a standard bulk approach but makes more realistic assumptions about the sources of entrained and detrained air near the cloud edges. In contrast, the second approximation (the “projection” method) uses the governing equations of motion to project whether grid points near the cloud edge will entrain or detrain as the mean cloud ascends by one grid point. Verification exercises using large-eddy simulations reveal that both methods generally agree better with corresponding direct entrainment/detrainment estimates than the traditional bulk formulation, with the projection method outperforming the semidirect method. The two methods can be used in a synergistic fashion, with the semidirect method helping to optimize the projection method, to suit a wide range of applications. Because the latter incorporates the essential dynamics of entrainment and detrainment at the local scale, it can be used to gain physical insight into the causal mechanisms regulating these complex processes.
Compression-compression fatigue performances of hybrid unidirectional/woven carbon-fiber reinforced composite laminates after LVI
Authors: Wang Wenqian , Wang Hangchao , Feng Yu , Ma Binlin , Li Zhe , Li Jinpeng
Published: April 2024

Compression-compression fatigue behavior of hybrid unidirectional/woven carbon-fiber reinforced composite laminates after low-velocity impact (LVI) was studied in this paper. The paper contains two parts. Firstly, different levels of impact energy were introduced on the specimens. Impact damage modes were obtained and characterized as fiber breakages, matrix cracks, indentation and delamination. The relationships between indentation depth/damage area and impact energy were established. Secondly, compression-compression fatigue tests were conducted on the impact damaged specimens. Fatigue life degradation trends were analyzed and fatigue limit for different types of specimens was determined. Delamination areas by depth mode and amplitude mode of C-scan showed an increasing trend with the fatigue life increasing. Stiffness decreased sharply in the early and ending stages of fatigue life. However, stiffness exhibited stable or slightly decreasing rates in the mid-stage of fatigue life. A line-shaped failure cracks going through the impact point were observed in the fatigue failure specimens.
Mental Health of Homicidally Bereaved Individuals: A Systematic Review of Post-Homicide Factors
Authors: Lebel Sarah , Lépine Olivier , Brillon Pascale
Published: April 2024

Experiencing the homicide of a loved one has a substantial impact on the mental health of family members and friends who must survive their loved one’s tragic death. This systematic review aims to synthesize the current findings on post-homicide factors and identify the factors most frequently related to the mental health of homicidally bereaved individuals (HBI). Four databases were searched (PsycINFO, SCOPUS, Sociological Abstract, PubMed). The selection of studies was based on a peer review process conducted by two independent researchers to ensure interrater reliability. The articles were screened to ensure the presence of homicidally bereaved adults, resulting in a total of 35 eligible papers to be considered in the current review. Factors were organized into categories, with the criminal justice system-related factors ( n = 18), social factors ( n = 17), and coping factors ( n = 13) being the most prevalent. This review identifies clinical avenues for preventing distress and fostering the well-being of HBI.
Agroecology and Institutional Framework in Eastern Antioquia, Colombia: A Case Study
Authors: Mesa Valencia Andrés Felipe , Hendrickson Mary K.
Published: April 2024

Agroecology promotes the formation of networks based on principles of closeness, trust, and collective action among participating actors and with external institutions and agencies. This institutionalized vertical power is based on hierarchical relationships, which impact access to resources, policy influence, and the ability to navigate bureaucratic systems. This qualitative case study aims to investigate the intersection between power relations and linking social capital to comprehend the challenges actors in agroecological supply chains face in accessing external resources and operating under the current legal framework governing food supply chains in Colombia. We present the case of agroecological networks in Eastern Antioquia to uncover the impact of their relationships on existing power dynamics within networks and associated institutions. Our findings suggest that social capital does not consistently facilitate the enhancement of associativity within agroecological chains. Moreover, it can function as a mechanism of oppression and promote the formation of exclusive and exclusionary groups.

La agroecología promueve la formación de redes basadas en principios de cercanía, confianza y acción colectiva entre los actores participantes, así como con instituciones y agencias externas. Este poder vertical institucionalizado se basa en relaciones jerárquicas que afectan el acceso a los recursos al igual que la influencia que puedan tener las políticas y la capacidad de navegar por entramados burocráticos. Este estudio de caso de índole cualitativa tiene como propósito investigar la intersección entre las relaciones de poder y la vinculación del capital social para comprender los desafíos que enfrentan los actores de las cadenas de suministro agroecológicas que buscan acceder a recursos externos y operar bajo el marco legal que actualmente rige las cadenas de suministro alimentario en Colombia. Presentamos el caso de las redes agroecológicas en el Oriente antioqueño para estudiar el impacto de sus relaciones en las dinámicas de poder ya existentes dentro de las redes e instituciones asociadas. Nuestros hallazgos sugieren que el capital social no facilita la mejoría de la asociatividad dentro de las cadenas agroecológicas de manera consistente. Además, puede fungir como un mecanismo de opresión y promover la formación de grupos exclusivos y excluyentes.
Fixed-time second-order sliding mode control for uncertain nonlinear systems subject to non-vanishing mismatched terms
Authors: Shi Shang , Zhang Guosheng , Hu Yinlong , Min Huifang
Published: April 2024

The traditional second-order sliding mode (SOSM) algorithms can only achieve the finite-time regulation for standard integrator sliding mode systems and the convergence time of which is dependent on the system’s initial values and grows as the initial values grow. In this paper, we propose a novel fixed-time SOSM controller whose settling time is bounded by a fixed time independent of the system’s initial values. First, a new sliding mode system subjects to a non-vanishing mismatched term is developed to reduce the input uncertainties and relax the well-defined relative degree assumption. Second, a Lyapunov criterion for practical fixed-time stability with a less conservative convergence time estimation is introduced, based on which a practical fixed-time SOSM controller is designed for the new sliding mode system. Finally, a strict Lyapunov analysis demonstrates that the closed-loop system is globally practically fixed-time stable (GPFxTS). Particularly, if the mismatched term is vanishing, global fixed-time convergence of the sliding variable to zero can be achieved. Buck converter is given as an application.
Applying Event System Theory to Organizational Change: The Importance of Everyday Positive and Negative Events
Authors: Kiefer Tina , Barclay Laurie J. , Conway Neil
Published: April 2024

Decades of research have examined how employees experience organizational-level change events (e.g., “the merger”). However, employees can also experience “everyday change events” that occur at the individual-level as the change becomes routinized for their jobs. That is, individuals can react to organizational change events that are occurring at different hierarchical levels. Drawing on event system theory, we argue that employees’ commitment to the organizational-level change event can shape how employees anticipate and experience subsequent everyday change events. These negative and positive everyday change events can impact (a) how employees engage with their work, impacting their performance and (b) whether employees perceive that they are fairly treated, impacting their subsequent evaluations of organizational-level change. Our hypotheses were generally supported in a field sample in which employees were surveyed immediately after a merger was announced, participated in a daily diary study as the merger was implemented, and completed a second survey 2 weeks after the diary study. By applying event system theory to organizational change, we provide important theoretical and practical insights, including how an organizational-level event can exert top-down direct effects by impacting how employees anticipate and experience change on an everyday basis as well as how everyday negative and positive change events can subsequently impact employees’ commitment to the organizational-level change, creating bottom-up direct effects. We also illuminate the importance of considering the frequency and strength of both negative and positive events to understand what it is about everyday negative and positive events that has implications for employees and organizations.
Fear, helplessness, pain, anger: The narrated emotions of intimate femicide perpetrators in Latin America
Authors: Di Marco Martín Hernán , Sandberg Sveinung
Published: April 2024

While studies of femicide perpetrators have focused on background factors, such as criminal history and mental health conditions, little attention has been paid to their individual experiences. Perpetrators emotions and sense-making have often been overlooked and even dismissed. With a micro-sociological approach to violence, we identify the narrated emotions involved in the perpetration of intimate femicide. The data gathered are based on 33 open-ended interviews with convicted male perpetrators from Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Honduras, Mexico, and Venezuela. We identify four main emotions reflecting participants’ experiences of femicide: Fear, expressed through stories of women as threats to self, family, and community; helplessness, expressed through stories of men being trapped, judged, and persecuted; and pain, connected to stories of jealousy and belittlement. These lead to anger, expressed through stories of bodily reactions and losing control. The findings indicate that intimate femicide perpetrators resort to lethal violence to regulate self-worth and remediate actions they feel were disruptive. Our research demonstrates the importance of embodied and narrated emotions to understand femicides. We argue that viewing femicide as a product of a shared pervasive emotional economy highlights the role of emotions in maintaining a gendered social order.
Optokinetic stimulation in the rehabilitation of visually induced dizziness in people with vestibular disorders: A systematic review
Authors: Law Jessica HJ , Koh Hui Ying , Kua Agnes
Published: April 2024

Objective

This systematic review and meta-analysis investigates the effects optokinetic stimulation in people with vestibular disorders, with a specific focus on people with visually induced dizziness.

Data sources

A systematic review was conducted using three electronic databases, CINAHL, PubMed and Physiotherapy Evidence Database (PEDro), from 2000 up to February 2024.

Review methods

Randomised controlled trials were included, which compared: (a) adults above 18 years old with vestibular disorders, (b) the study evaluated interventions using optokinetic stimulation, (c) the intervention was compared with usual care; placebo or to no intervention, (d) the study included at least one outcome measure evaluating vestibular symptoms and (e) published in English. The methodological quality of the included studies was assessed using the PEDro scale and PROSPERO's registration number ID: CRD42021273382).

Results

Eleven randomised control trials, reported in 12 records, fulfilled the inclusion criteria. All of the studies were considered to have ‘good’ methodological quality according to the PEDro scale. All studies showed significant improvement in vestibular symptoms in both the intervention and control groups. A meta-analysis performed on six of the records found a preference towards the addition of OKS to conventional vestibular rehabilitation helped to further reduce dizziness symptoms for patients, but the results were not statistically significant.

Conclusion

No optimal duration or frequency for OKS has been determined. The addition of OKS to conventional vestibular rehabilitation may be beneficial in further improving vestibular symptoms in patients with dizziness. OKS could help to improve enjoyment and adherence to vestibular rehabilitation.
Emotional Responses to Music: The Essential Inclusion of Emotion Adaptability and Situational Context
Authors: Susino Marco , Thompson William Forde , Schubert Emery , Broughton Mary
Published: April 2024

The link between music and emotion, as articulated from a cognitive perspective, assumes that music carries expressive cues that convey or induce emotional responses in listeners. Studies following this paradigm often investigate how responses converge or diverge among individuals, social groups, and cultures. However, results vary from one study to another, with few satisfactory explanations as to why. We contend that emotional responses to music are adaptable, arising from a conscious and subconscious continuous processing of the overarching situational context and its interaction with psychophysical, cultural, and personal variables. By integrating theory and data from multiple domains, we present the Framework for Adaptable Musical Emotions (FAME), which explains emotional responses to music through the mechanism of emotion adaptability on a continuum of evolutionary to fleeting time frames. FAME represents an advance on models of music and emotion that primarily focus on decoding emotional signals from the sounded music. FAME provides the first basis for predictions of emotional adaptability and situational context and may explain previously observed variability in emotional responses to music, guiding future research, and novel understandings.
Can coracoacromial ligament degeneration be evaluated with preoperative MRI?
Authors: Özdemir Faruk , Ayanoğlu Tacettin , Dağıstan Emine , Kalaycıoğlu Oya , Çelik İlhan , Kalfaoğlu Melike Elif , Kanatlı Ulunay
Published: April 2024

Background

Subacromial impingement syndrome is one of the most common causes of painful shoulder in the middle-aged and elderly population. Coracoacromial ligament (CAL) degeneration is a well-known indicator for subacromial impingement.

Purpose

To examine the relationship between CAL thickness on preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), arthroscopic CAL degeneration and types of rotator cuff tears.

Material and Methods

Video records of patients who underwent arthroscopic shoulder surgery between 2015 and 2021 were retrospectively scanned through the hospital information record system. In total, 560 patients were included in this study. Video records of the surgery were used to evaluate the grade of coracoacromial ligament degeneration and the type of cuff tear. Preoperative MRI was used to measure CAL thickness, acromiohumeral distance, critical shoulder angle, acromial index, and acromion angulation.

Results

Significant differences were observed between grades of CAL degeneration in terms of CAL thickness ( P < 0.001). As CAL degeneration increases, the mean of CAL thickness decreases. According to the results of post-hoc analysis, the mean CAL thickness of normal patients was significantly higher than those of patients with full-thickness tears ( P = 0.024) and massive tears ( P <0.001). Patients with articular-side, bursal-side, and full-thickness tears had significantly higher CAL thickness averages than patients with massive tears.

Conclusion

This study showed that the CAL thickness decreases on MRI as arthroscopic CAL degeneration increases. High-grade CAL degeneration and therefore subacromial impingement syndrome can be predicted by looking at the CAL thickness in MRI, which is a non-invasive method.
Is China an imperialist power?
Authors: Harris Jerry
Published: April 2024

Among the mainstream press, western political elites and sections of the Left, China is accused of exploiting the Global South and even being an imperialist power. China argues it is pursuing a ‘win-win’ policy. To explore this question, this article looks at several factors, including labour exploitation, debt, environmental damage and military activity. Imperialism today operates through a vast network of integrated transnational investments and expansive global assembly lines, overseen by a transnational capitalist class. China’s position in the global capitalist system needs to be assessed in this context. It is certainly a major power within that system and its capitalists engage in the super-exploitation of labour, for example in Africa. At the same time, Chinese development loans have so far helped countries in the Global South build infrastructure and reduce neoliberal austerity, even as associated projects have been beset by corruption and environmental harms. China has not yet used its military in imperialist adventures, but it does apply regional pressure and cultivates military relationships with countries where it has investments. Overall, the picture that emerges is complex and contradictory.
Gramsci’s Notebooks: In these times
Authors: Beilharz Peter
Published: April 2024

The work and ideas of Antonio Gramsci continue to attract serious and sustained scholarly attention. This review essay, which might be viewed as an appendage to the earlier, 2016 Thesis Eleven essay ‘From Marx to Gramsci’, develops some of the lines of curiosity indicated there. Does the globalization of Gramsci occur at the expense of the recognition of the particularity of his thought, its specific time and place, and its clearly revolutionary intention? What do these phenomena signify, almost a century after?
An additive-multiplicative model for longitudinal data with informative observation times
Authors: Li Yang , Tu Wanzhu
Published: April 2024

Designed clinical studies often assess outcomes at pre-planned time points. In most situations, standard statistical models, such as generalized linear mixed models and generalized additive models, are sufficient to depict the temporal trends of the outcome and produce valid inference. Complicating factors, however, do exist in practical data analyses. One complication arises when the outcome and observational processes are interdependent, that is, the observational process is informative; another challenge is patient characteristics may influence the longitudinally observed outcomes in non-additive ways, for example, by multiplicative factors. In this research, we extend the standard longitudinal models to accommodate informative observation through a more flexible modeling structure—one with additive-multiplicative components that do not require explicit specification of the dependency structure between the outcome and observation processes. Along this vein, we provide the essential theory for inference in such models. Simulation studies showed the proposed method performs well for finite-sample scenarios, and the method was applied to analyze a motivating example from an alcohol-associated hepatitis observational study.
End-of-life care at home: Dignity of family caregivers
Authors: Staats Katrine , Jeppestøl Kristin , Søvde Bente Egge , Brenne Bodil Aarmo , Tarberg Anett Skorpen
Published: April 2024

Background

Healthcare services are increasingly being shifted to home settings for patients nearing end-of-life. Consequently, the burden on family caregivers is significant. Their vulnerable situation remains poorly understood and there is little information available regarding their experiences of dignity.

Aim

This study seeks to understand the experiences of family caregivers related to dignity and loss of dignity, aiming to provide a deeper insight into their situation when caring for a home-dwelling family member nearing end-of-life.

Research design and participants

This exploratory study consists of a second analysis combining data from two primary studies, including 24 family caregivers of a family member nearing end-of-life, and is founded upon Gadamer’s philosophical hermeneutics.

Ethical considerations

Approval was obtained from the Norwegian Agency for Shared Services in Education and Research and was based on voluntary participation, informed consent, and confidentiality.

Results

The following three main themes were identified: Having a meaningful existence within the living environment, being seen and valued as a family caregiver in relation with others and suffering in a space of loneliness. These contextual, relational, and existential perspectives were found to be closely interrelated.

Conclusion and final considerations

The dignity of family caregivers was closely tied to being seen as unique individuals, not merely caregivers, thereby requiring healthcare professionals (HCPs) to understand their personal needs. This study highlights the emotional distress and loneliness family caregivers feel in their dual role within the healthcare system, thereby calling for HCPs to adopt an attitude of gentleness and recognition to impart dignity-preserving care in homecare practices.
Different trajectories for becoming bilingual lead to comparable outcomes in cognitive flexibility
Authors: Gade Miriam , Philipp Andrea M. , Prior Anat
Published: April 2024

Aims and Objective:

Bilingualism has been proposed to affect cognitive flexibility, but findings in the literature are mixed. One reason for this might be the different trajectories of how participants acquired the second language, either through immersion or formal education. The present study investigates differences and commonalities of becoming bilingual depending on trajectory.

Methodology:

To assess cognitive flexibility, participants completed a task-switching and a language-switching paradigm, which were well-matched to each other. Language capabilities were assessed by self-report, objective fluency measures, and balance quotients. We assessed participants of five bilingual populations who together spoke five different languages.

Data and Analysis:

We analyzed global mixing costs, reflecting proactive language and task control, as well as local switch costs, reflecting reactive language and task control processes. The impact of language capabilities on mixing costs was assessed using linear mixed models. We also report correlations among language capability measures, sociodemographic variables, and working memory.

Findings:

We observed reliable mixing costs but no switch costs. Task and language mixing costs were smaller in participants who had a later age of L2 onset and higher L2 phonemic fluency, namely those who followed the formal education path to bilingualism. L2 phonemic fluency was the most consistent predictor for overall performance speed and reduced mixing costs.

Originality:

Using three different study sites and participants differing in their trajectory of becoming bilingual, this study provides a more diverse picture than many previous studies. Furthermore, using small language populations, the study shows the benefits of language fluency measures that are widely available.

Significance and Implications:

The present study bolsters the conceptualization of bilingualism as a multifaceted experience. Nonetheless, in the current study, bilingualism led to comparable outcomes in cognitive flexibility. Finally, measuring language capabilities should carefully consider cognitive processes not related to language that could explain variability in performance.
A review of automotive intelligent and adaptive headlight beams intensity control approaches
Authors: Nkrumah Jacob Kwaku , Cai Yingfeng , Jafaripournimchahi Ammar
Published: April 2024

The automotive headlight stands out as a critical vehicle component, particularly emphasized during nighttime driving. The high beam, designed for optimal driver visibility on long-distance roads, traditionally relies on manual control by the driver. However, this manual control poses challenges, particularly when the high beam light temporarily blinds oncoming drivers. The resultant dazzle for drivers of opposing vehicles is a significant concern. In response to these issues, there is a growing demand for adaptive and intelligent headlights that can autonomously adjust beam intensity. The intelligent headlight system takes on the responsibility of modifying the beam intensities without requiring explicit input from the drivers. This study aims to systematically review various approaches to controlling intelligent headlight beam intensity. The paper identifies four prominent approaches to intelligent headlight beam intensity control, recognized as widely used techniques. Furthermore, the study uncovers intriguing connections between some of these intensity control approaches. A survey on utilization rates indicates that sensor-based and machine learning (ML)-based intensity control approaches are the most commonly employed methods by automotive headlight designers. The paper concludes by providing insights into the future prospects of intelligent headlight technology, offering guidance for future researchers in this field.