bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Stress concentration due to an elliptic hole in a porous elastic plate
Authors: Vajipeyajula Bhaskar , Murru Pavitra , Rajagopal Kumbakonam Ramamani
Published: June 2022

We study the state of stress and strain in a square plate containing an elliptic hole in the case of a porous elastic solid undergoing small strain, using a constitutive relation that has been put into place recently to describe the response of such solids undergoing small strains. We carry out the study by solving the problem numerically. We verify that our numerical solutions agree with those for the classical linearized elastic solid when certain appropriate material parameters are set to zero. We show that the stress concentration factor in the case of the porous elastic solid can be much higher, as much as 300% of the stress concentration in the case of the classical linearized elastic solid, when the aspect ratio is sufficiently small, depending on the values of certain material parameters. The difference between the stress concentration for the porous solid increases as the aspect ratio (the ratio of the major axis to the minor axis) decreases. By allowing the aspect ratio of the ellipse to go to zero, we can obtain the state of stress and strain adjacent to a crack in the square plate; however, in this limit, the strains would greatly exceed the assumption under which the constitutive theory is derived.
Let’s Profitably Fight Poverty, Shall We? How Managers Use Emotional Framing to Develop Base of the Pyramid Ventures Inside a Large Fast-moving Consumer Goods Company
Authors: Geradts Thijs , Jansen Justin , Cornelissen Joep
Published: June 2022

Entering the Economic Base of the Pyramid (BoP) is often portrayed as an effective way for multinational corporations (MNCs) to grow and alleviate poverty, yet only few MNCs succeed. Although scholars have suggested that emotional arguments may be critical in motivating MNCs to engage at the BoP, it has remained unexplored how managers who develop BoP ventures inside MNCs use emotional framing to persuade organizational members to support their initiatives. Building on a multiple-case study of a Fast-Moving Consumer Goods Company, we find that captivating, solidifying, and perpetuating emotional frames allowed managers to earn and maintain commitment from volunteers and senior managers and sustain venturing efforts up until a stage where ventures were considered for launch despite an obvious sense of profitability. These findings contribute to a theoretical understanding of processes that enable BoP venture development inside MNCs, and contribute to the literatures on emotional framing and corporate entrepreneurship.
Evaluation of Pharmaceuticals for DNA Damage in the Chicken Egg Genotoxicity Assay (CEGA)
Authors: Kobets Tetyana , Duan Jian-Dong , Vock Esther , Deschl Ulrich , Williams Gary M.
Published: June 2022

DNA damage is an established initiating event in the mutagenicity and carcinogenicity of genotoxic chemicals. Accordingly, assessment of this endpoint is critical for chemicals which are being developed for use in humans. To assess the ability of the Chicken Egg Genotoxicity Assay (CEGA) to detect genotoxic pharmaceuticals, a set of 23 compounds with different pharmacological and reported genotoxic effects was tested for the potential to produce nuclear DNA adducts and strand breaks in the embryo-fetal livers using the 32P-nucleotide postlabeling (NPL) and comet assays, respectively. Due to high toxicity, two aneugens, colchicine and vinblastine, and an autophagy inhibitor, hydroxychloroquine, could not be evaluated. Out of the 20 remaining pharmaceuticals, 10 including estrogen modulators, diethylstilbestrol and tamoxifen, antineoplastics cyclophosphamide, etoposide, and mitomycin C, antifungal griseofulvin, local anesthetics lidocaine and prilocaine, and antihistamines diphenhydramine and doxylamine, yielded clear positive outcomes in at least one of the assays. The antihypertensive vasodilator hydralazine and antineoplastics streptozotocin and teniposide, produced only DNA strand breaks, which were not dose-dependent, and thus, the results with these 3 pharmaceuticals were considered equivocal. No DNA damage was detected for 7 compounds, including the purine antagonist 6-thioguanine, antipyretic analgesics acetaminophen and phenacetin, antibiotic ciprofloxacin, antilipidemic clofibrate, anti-inflammatory ibuprofen, and sedative phenobarbital. However, low solubility of these compounds limited dosages tested in CEGA. Overall, results in CEGA were largely in concordance with the outcomes in other systems in vitro and in vivo, indicating that CEGA provides reliable detection of DNA damaging activity of genotoxic compounds. Further evaluations with a broader set of compounds would support this conclusion.
Hygienic Food Handling Practices and Associated Factors Among Food Handlers in Ethiopia: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Negassa Belay , Ashuro Zemachu , Soboksa Negasa Eshete
Published: June 2022

Background:

The food handling practices of food handlers can have a significant impact on the hygienic status of the food. The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence and factors associated with hygienic food handling practices among food handlers in Ethiopia.

Methods:

PubMed, Science Direct, Google Scholar, and the Cochrane Library databases were used to find articles. Only cross-sectional studies that met the criteria for inclusion were considered. STATA version 16 statistical software was used to perform the meta-analysis. The study’s heterogeneity was determined using Cochrane Q test statistics and the I2 test. A random effect model was used to calculate the pooled prevalence of hygienic food handling practices.

Results:

To estimate the pooled prevalence of hygienic food handling practices in Ethiopia, 9 out of 33 reviewed studies were included. The prevalence of hygienic food handling practices was found to be 48.36% (95% CI: 39.74-56.99) in this study. Factors associated with hygienic food handling practices included; lack of food safety training (OR = 5.38; 95% CI: 1.71, 16.89), negative attitude (OR = 3.28; 95% CI: 1.50, 7.13), lack of access to handwashing facilities (OR = 4.84; 95% CI: 1.72, 13.65), lack of regular medical checkup (OR = 5.37; 95% CI: 3.13, 9.23), and lack of secondary education (OR = 2.51; 95% CI: 1.46, 4.32) among food handlers.

Conclusion:

In this study, the prevalence of hygienic food handling practices among Ethiopian food handlers was significantly low. Unhygienic food handling practices were attributed to a lack of food safety training, regular medical checkups, handwashing facilities, an unfavorable attitude toward food hygiene practices, and a lack of formal education. As a result, food handlers should receive ongoing food safety and hygiene training.
Bachelard, Besson and Bakhtin: A Dialogical Discourse on the Potential of Intimate Space
Authors: Brown Robert
Published: June 2022

Bachelard’s The Poetics of Space ponders the image of the wardrobe. Fixated by the figurative nature of its inner space, for Bachelard, the wardrobe is intimate, secret, and ordered. It is a space of protected memories, accessed more through the imagination than the everyday. Besson’s The Fifth Element opens up intimate space. Its external envelope offers no impenetrable boundary but instead a permeable threshold. The Fifth Element suggests an alternative for intimate space, where the incongruous, even conflicting, come together. Such a possibility evokes Bakhtin’s construct of dialogism, which reveled in the potential of dialogue between one and other, across both literal and figurative thresholds. This article brings together disparate strands from philosophy, film, and architecture. Through their juxtaposition, it will consider the potential for a new perspective on intimate space as dialogical space, in which private and public might meet, interact and even embrace, and so see themselves anew.
Serum neurofilament light chain concentration predicts disease worsening in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Brune Synne , Høgestøl Einar A , de Rodez Benavent Sigrid A , Berg-Hansen Pål , Beyer Mona K , Leikfoss Ingvild Sørum , Bos Steffan D , Sowa Piotr , Brunborg Cathrine , Andorra Magi , Pulido Valdeolivas Irene , Asseyer Susanna , Brandt Alexander , Chien Claudia , Scheel Michael , Blennow Kaj , Zetterberg Henrik , Kerlero de Rosbo Nicole , Paul Friedemann , Uccelli Antonio , Villoslada Pablo , Berge Tone , Harbo Hanne F
Published: June 2022

Background:

Serum neurofilament light (sNfL) chain is a promising biomarker reflecting neuro-axonal injury in multiple sclerosis (MS). However, the ability of sNfL to predict outcomes in real-world MS cohorts requires further validation.

Objective:

The aim of the study is to investigate the associations of sNfL concentration, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and retinal optical coherence tomography (OCT) markers with disease worsening in a longitudinal European multicentre MS cohort.

Methods:

MS patients ( n = 309) were prospectively enrolled at four centres and re-examined after 2 years ( n = 226). NfL concentration was measured by single molecule array assay in serum. The patients’ phenotypes were thoroughly characterized with clinical examination, retinal OCT and MRI brain scans. The primary outcome was disease worsening at median 2-year follow-up.

Results:

Patients with high sNfL concentrations (⩾8 pg/mL) at baseline had increased risk of disease worsening at median 2-year follow-up (odds ratio (95% confidence interval) = 2.8 (1.5–5.3), p = 0.001). We found no significant associations of MRI or OCT measures at baseline with risk of disease worsening.

Conclusion:

Serum NfL concentration was the only factor associated with disease worsening, indicating that sNfL is a useful biomarker in MS that might be relevant in a clinical setting.
Summary metrics of memory subnetwork functional connectivity alterations in multiple sclerosis
Authors: Leavitt Victoria M , Dworkin Jordan D , Buyukturkoglu Korhan , Riley Claire S , Ritchey Maureen
Published: June 2022

Background:

Memory dysfunction is common in multiple sclerosis (MS); mechanistic understanding of its causes is lacking. Large-scale network resting-state functional connectivity (RSFC) is sensitive to memory dysfunction.

Objective:

We derived and tested summary metrics of memory network RSFC.

Methods:

Cognitive data and 3T magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans were collected from 235 MS patients and 35 healthy controls (HCs). Index scores were calculated as RSFC within (anteriority index, AntI) and between (integration index, IntI) dorsomedial anterior temporal and medial temporal memory subnetworks. Group differences in index expression were evaluated. Associations between index scores and memory/non-memory cognition were evaluated; relationships between T2 lesion volume (T2LV) and index scores were assessed.

Results:

Index scores were related to memory and T2LV in MS patients, who showed marginally elevated AntI relative to HC ( p = 0.06); no group differences were found for IntI. Better memory was associated with higher AntI (β = 0.15, p = 0.018) and IntI (β = 0.16, p = 0.014). No associations were found for non-memory cognition. Higher T2LV was associated with higher AntI and IntI; exploratory mediation analysis revealed significant inconsistent mediation, that is, higher index scores partially suppressed the negative association between T2LV and memory.

Conclusion:

Summary, within-subject metrics permit replication and circumvent challenges of traditional (incommensurate) RSFC variables to advance development of mechanistic models of memory dysfunction in MS.
Beyond the Timeline of Progress: Comparing Online Sources with Lived LGBTQ+ Experiences in Guyana
Authors: Istodor Luca
Published: June 2022

Current maps, reports, and articles available online on LGBTQ+ rights in Guyana, catering to white Western readers, perpetuate a colonial image of the country as a “violent,” “savage,” “uncivilized” space, placing it “behind” on a Western timeline of progress. When comparing these sources with the lived experiences of research participants, we find that, in addition to exclusion, there are many positive changes and aspects of their lives that are left out of most online sources. By looking at the particular case study of Guyana, this article calls for an approach to LGBTQ+ Global South representations that center the nuances and complexities of intersectional local voices and activism, going beyond liberal Western ideals around LGBTQ+ rights.
Robotic liver resection in Denmark: Report of the first 50 cases at Rigshospitalet Copenhagen
Authors: Fukumori Daisuke , Tschuor Christoph , Penninga Luit , Hillingsø Jens , Svendsen Lars B. , Larsen Peter N.
Published: June 2022

While most centers around the globe still consider open hepatic resection as the standard, innovative centers step in light of future developments of the robotic platform forward and introduce a robotic liver program while skipping the laparoscopic approach for its technological flaws. This applies also for our Department of Surgery and Transplantation at Rigshospitalet, Copenhagen University Hospital in Denmark. We herewith present as—to our best knowledge—the first center in Scandinavia our experience with the initial 50 robotic liver resections.
Analysis of the effects of the free semester system on academic achievement and career maturity
Authors: Choi Yeseul , Eom Moonyoung
Published: June 2022

In this study, we examined the longitudinal effect of the free semester system on middle school students’ academic achievement and career maturity using the Korean Education Longitudinal Study data, cohort 2013. We performed Difference-in-Difference (DiD) method to analyze whether the free semester system has effects on academic achievement and career maturity using the model moderated by parental academic support. We furthermore utilized quantile DiD method to examine whether the effects of the free semester system differ across the distribution of academic achievement and career maturity. As a result, we first found the significant positive effect of the free semester system on middle school students’ academic achievement and career maturity. Second, we found that parental academic support mediated its effects on math performance. Third, our findings indicate that the free semester system improves students’ academic achievement and career maturity, especially among students who performed to the bottom of its distribution. Based on these findings, practical implications and future research are discussed.
A Community-Engaged Process for Adapting a Proven Community Health Worker Model to Integrate Precision Cancer Care Delivery for Low-income Latinx Adults With Cancer
Authors: Wood Emily H. , Leach Maria , Villicana Gerardo , Goldman Rosas Lisa , Duron Ysabel , O’Brien Dale G. , Koontz Zachary , Patel Manali I.
Published: June 2022

Introduction

Disparities in precision cancer care delivery among low-income Latinx adults are well described. In prior work, we developed a community health worker-led goals of care and cancer symptom assessment intervention. The objective of this study was to adapt this intervention for a community setting, incorporating precision cancer care delivery.

Methods

We used a two-phased systematic approach to adapt an evidence-based intervention for our community. Specifically, we used the Reach, Effectiveness, Adoption, Implementation, and Maintenance (RE-AIM) framework to identify barriers and facilitators to precision cancer care delivery via 1-hr interviews with Latinx adults with cancer, Latinx caregivers, community leaders, primary care and oncology clinicians, and community health workers. Interviews were recorded, transcribed, and analyzed using the constant comparative method and grounded theory analysis. Phase 2 involved interviews with key community advisors using the Expert Panels Method to decide on final adaptations.

Results

Using this community-engaged approach, we identified specific intervention adaptations to ensure precision cancer care delivery in a community setting, which included: (a) expansion of the intervention inclusion criteria and mode of delivery; (b) integration of low-literacy precision cancer care intervention activities in Spanish in collaboration with community-based organizations; (c) ensuring goals reflective of patient and community priorities.

Conclusions

This systematic and community-engaged approach to adapt an intervention for use in delivering precision cancer care strengthened an evidence-based approach to promote the needs and preferences of patients and key community stakeholders.
Dravet Syndrome as an Example of Precision Medicine in Epilepsy
Authors: Sullivan Joseph , Wirrell Elaine C.
Published: June 2022

Dravet syndrome (DS) is a drug-resistant, early-onset, developmental and epileptic encephalopathy where there have been many recently approved therapies with many more in development. With the availability of more syndrome specific treatment options coupled with an earlier diagnosis, DS is well-positioned to be an example of how a precise syndromic diagnosis can guide treatment choices and improve overall outcomes and also allow for the development of potential disease modifying therapies to address more than just seizures. In this review we summarize the current state of DS approved therapies and those that are in various stages of development.
Talk shows: A thematic exploration deciphering commodification, branding and links to capitalism in the media sphere
Authors: Srikrishna Vasupradha
Published: June 2022

Celebrity talk shows are perceptive illustrations of how they are rooted in profusion of flattery for the bourgeois class, and applaud class consciousness to the extent of normalizing it. This paper encapsulates the trends and patterns in the media sphere through the talk show, Simi Selects India’s Most Desirable and how it flourished as a celebrity’s brand augmenting platform. The study reads into commodification of content, links it to capitalism and also how it is a celebrity branding or rebranding platform. Using the talk show as an apparatus, this work integrates the political economy of communication approach with Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA).
Effects of administration of α2 adrenergic receptor agonist into psoas major muscle on inflammatory pain induced by injection of complete Freund’s adjuvant in rats
Authors: Guo Xingxing , Xue Yan , Ji Wenjin , Liang Jiexian , Qingshi Zeng
Published: June 2022

α2 adrenergic agonists are widely used in clinical anesthesia and ICU sedation owing to their effective sedative and analgesic effects. Lumbago and leg pain is the most common clinical pain disease. Studies have reported that lumbago and leg pain is associated with dysregulation of paravertebral muscles, especially psoas major muscles. In the present study, a unilateral lower extremity chronic inflammation and pain model was established by subcutaneous administration of low-dose complete Fredrin’s adjuvant (CFA) into the posterior paw of rats. α2 adrenalin receptor agonist was then injected into the psoas major muscle. Behavioral tests were conducted for 21 days. Psoas major muscle tissue was harvested for evaluation of biochemical indexes related to pain. The effect of α2 adrenergic receptor agonist injected into psoas major muscle on chronic inflammatory pain of lower extremities in rats was explored. The results showed that injection of α2 adrenergic receptor agonist into the psoas major muscle relieved CFA-induced mechanical hyperalgesia. Administration of α2 adrenergic receptor antagonist yohimbine reversed the analgesic effect of α2 adrenergic receptor agonists. Administration of dexmedetomidine into psoas major muscle downregulated the levels of norepinephrine, interleukin-6 and tumor necrosis factor-α in tissues. The findings of the present study show that administration of α2 adrenoceptor agonists into the psoas major muscle relieves chronic inflammatory pain induced by CFA. Local injection of dexmedetomidine also exerted anti-inflammatory and anti-sympathetic effect by activating α2-adrenoceptor in the psoas major muscle.
Multisensory perception of natural versus unnatural motion
Authors: Tsutsuse Kayla Soma , Vibell Jonas , Sinnett Scott
Published: June 2022

Previous research has shown that visual perception is influenced by Newtonian constraints. Kominsky et al. showed humans detect unnatural motion, where objects break Newtonian constraints by moving at a faster speed after colliding with another object, faster than collisions that do not violate Newtonian constraints. These findings show that the perceptual system distinguishes between realistic and unrealistic causal events. However, real-world collisions are rarely silent. The present study extends this research by including sound at the collision point between two objects to evaluate how multisensory integration influences the perception of natural versus unnatural colliding events. Participants viewed an array of three simultaneous videos, each depicting two objects moving in a horizontal back and forth motion. Two of the videos showed the objects moving at the same speed while the third video was an oddball that either moved faster before the collision and slower after (natural target), or slower before the collision and faster after (unnatural target). A brief click was presented at the collision point of one or none of the videos. Participants were asked to indicate the oddball video via keypress. Replicating Kominsky et al., participants were faster when identifying unnatural target motion events compared with natural target motion events, both with and without sound. The findings also demonstrated lower accuracy rates for unnatural events compared with natural events, especially when a sound was added. These findings suggest that the addition of a sound could be distracting to participants, possibly due to limitations in attentional resources.
‘It was Bauhaus without realising we were Bauhaus:’ BBC women and Youth and Entertainment programming in the North
Authors: Gorton Kristyn , Helsby Mark
Published: June 2022

This working paper focuses on women in leadership roles in the Entertainment Department of BBC North, based at New Broadcasting House on Oxford Road, Manchester and subsequently at Media City UK. In so doing, it considers the role of the department’s founder, Janet Street-Porter, and her leadership of the then Youth Programmes department in the late 80s/early 90s. Drawing on interviews with six women professionals who worked either during or just after Street-Porter’s leadership and scholarship on women in the UK media industry, this paper considers some of the reasons why this environment proved so fertile for our interviewees. We also reflect on some of the key issues the interviews provoked: the issue of balancing motherhood with a career in the UK television industry, the importance of women’s networks, and the impact of class in terms of working in the BBC. In this sense, the BBC was formative for our interviewees, particularly through the leadership of an ‘outsider’ like Street-Porter despite structural issues of exclusion that remained present in the organisation.
Do Japanese students lack critical thinking? Addressing the misconception
Authors: Egitim Soyhan
Published: June 2022

In recent years, content integrated language education has taken center stage in Japanese university English-as-a-foreign-language (EFL) settings. The emphasis on content has created an opportunity for students to demonstrate analytical thinking, assessment, inference, and problem-solving skills through oral communication activities in English (L2). However, the opportunity may be perceived as a challenge by students, who were exposed to teacher-centered pedagogy during their pre-tertiary language education and raised with cultural values that conflict with the expectations. Therefore, some students may remain disengaged or give short answers when they are asked to demonstrate critical thinking. Students’ lack of response is often misconstrued as the absence of critical thinking, leading to a misconception among language educators. The present article attempts to offer insights into the challenges facing Japanese EFL students when they attempt to demonstrate critical thinking and emphasizes the role of language teachers’ intercultural competence in understanding the challenges students experience and proposes learner autonomy as a critical step towards overcoming this challenge.
Clinical predictors of survival in patients with relapsed/refractory small-cell lung cancer treated with checkpoint inhibitors: a German multicentric real-world analysis
Authors: Stratmann Jan A. , Timalsina Radha , Atmaca Akin , Rosery Vivian , Frost Nikolaj , Alt Jürgen , Waller Cornelius F. , Reinmuth Niels , Rohde Gernot , Saalfeld Felix C. , von Rose Aaron Becker , Acker Fabian , Aspacher Lukas , Möller Miriam , Sebastian Martin
Published: June 2022

Objectives:

Small-cell lung cancer (SCLC) is a lung malignancy with high relapse rates and poor survival outcomes. Treatment-resistant disease relapse occurs frequently and effective salvage therapies are urgently needed.

Materials and Methods:

We aimed to define efficacy and safety of checkpoint inhibitors (CPIs) in a heterogeneous population of relapsed and refractory SCLC patients in a large retrospective multicentric real-world cohort across German tertiary care centers.

Results:

A total of 111 patients from 11 treatment centers were included. Median age of all patients was 64 years, and 63% were male. Approximately one-third of all patients had poor performance status [Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group (ECOG) ⩾ 2], and 37% had known brain metastases. Patients were heavily pretreated with a median number of prior therapy lines of 2 (range, 1–8). Median follow-up of the entire cohort was 21.7 months. Nivolumab and Nivolumab/Ipilimumab were the most common regimens. Overall disease control rate was 27.2% in all patients and was numerically higher in CPI combination regimens compared with single-agent CPI (31.8% versus 23.8%; p = 0.16). Median overall survival (OS) was 5.8 months [95% confidence interval (CI), 1.7–9.9 months]. The 12- and 24-month survival rates were 31.8% and 12.7%, respectively. The 12-week death rate was 27.9%. Disease control and response rate were significantly lower in patients with liver metastases. Platinum sensitivity (to first-line treatment), metastatic burden, and lactate dehydrogenase (LDH) showed prognostic impact on survival in univariate analysis. Neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR) was a significant and independent predictor of survival in univariate ( p = 0.01) and multivariate analyses [hazard ratio (HR), 2.1; 95% CI = 1.1–4.1; p = 0.03].

Conclusion:

CPI in patients with relapsed or refractory (R/R) SCLC is of limited value in an overall patient cohort; however, long-term survival, in particular with CPI combination strategies, is possible. Clinical characteristics allow a more differentiated subgroup selection, in particular patients with low NLR showed less benefit from CPI in R/R SCLC.
Health Care Professionals’ Perspectives on Use of Diabetes Technologies for Managing Visually Impaired Patients With Diabetes
Authors: Akturk Halis Kaan , Snell-Bergeon Janet , Shah Viral N.
Published: June 2022

Background:

Despite well-established safety and efficacy of diabetes technologies in management of diabetes, their utility in visually impaired patients is currently unknown. We aimed to identify providers’ preferences and challenges to prescribing diabetes technologies for visually impaired patients.

Methods:

A survey-based study among health care providers in the United States seeing visually impaired patients with diabetes and using diabetes technologies was conducted. The quantitative and qualitative responses were analyzed using Student t test and χ2 tests.

Results:

Of 79 providers, 66 completed the survey and were included in the analysis. Insulin pens and hybrid closed-loop systems were preferred insulin delivery systems for managing visually impaired patients with diabetes. Despite 96% of the providers recommending continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for their visually impaired patients with diabetes, only 55% were aware of the voice-activation feature of Dexcom G6. Voice activation to announce glucose values and audible glucose alerts were two major incentives for selecting CGM. System initialization was seen as a prevalent challenge of using CGM in visually impaired patients with diabetes. Providers who are using CGM for visually impaired patients reported benefits for patients using the voice-activation feature for six months included HbA1c reductions of >0.5% (by 87% of providers) and less hypoglycemia (by 45% of providers).

Conclusions:

The CGM is the preferred glucose monitoring method for managing visually impaired patients with diabetes. Providers face many challenges of initiating CGM in these high-risk patients. Voice-activation feature of G6 CGM is underutilized and providers who used the system reported positive outcomes in visually impaired patients.
Maladaptive perfectionists are more impulsive than adaptive perfectionists in a monetary gambling task
Authors: Karami Isheqlou Leyla , Zarean Mostafa , Saeedi Mohammad Taghi , Soltanlou Mojtaba , Heysieattalab Soomaayeh
Published: June 2022

Perfectionism is a personality disposition usually defined considering the demands toward performance outcomes. Maladaptive perfectionists have more concerns over getting adverse performance outcomes than adaptive perfectionists. As an indicator of impulsivity, individuals' reaction time is significantly shorter after getting negative performance feedback than positive feedback. We conducted the present study to investigate the differences among perfectionists concerning the task-based impulsivity measures after getting negative and positive performance outcomes in a gambling task. A sample of 60 adults (22 adaptive, 20 maladaptive, and 18 non-perfectionists) performed a monetary gambling task while receiving positive or negative feedback. The findings revealed that maladaptive perfectionists had more impulsive responses than the other groups regardless of the feedback. The adaptive perfectionists spent more time choosing answers after each kind of feedbacks to make accurate decisions. The reinforcement sensitivity probably addresses the between-group differences of perfectionists in impulsivity. The findings of this study will help clarify the complex process of learning.
Social Impact of COVID-19 First Wave in India: Issues and Challenges
Authors: Sathish C.
Published: June 2022

The Government of India announced its nationwide lockdown to prevent the spread of COVID-19 first wave in Indian society. It urged people for major behavioural changes of wearing mask, maintaining physical distance, preventing social gathering, work from home, and frequent hand washing. However, these lockdown restrictions gave rise to various social issues and social challenges. Against this backdrop, this article examines the major social impact of COVID-19 first wave under the theoretical framework of social inequality and social upheaval. This study unfolds that COVID-19 has not only widened the social inequalities between the rich and the poor but also paved the way for poverty, unemployment, starvation, domestic violence and unorganised workers. It forced nearly 400 million people into poverty while the unemployment rate was unprecedented from April to September 2020 in the last four decades. The non-universalisation of public distribution system and the bereft financial package posed challenges to people against starvation. The rate of domestic violence is unusual and such magnitudes of complaints have not been reported in the last decade. The unorganised workers lost their jobs, income and lives due to lack of social support, abject poverty and political reasons.
Faciobrachial Dystonic Seizures as a Sign of Relapse in a Child with LGI-1 Encephalitis
Authors: Alotaibi Wajd , Bashir Shahid , Mir Ali
Published: June 2022

We report an interesting case of a young girl with LGI1-antibody encephalitis who presented at 7 years old with very frequent seizures and severe neurocognitive decline. She responded very well to high dose corticosteroids and intravenous immunoglobulin (IVIG) initially but relapsed after 7 months. The relapse included frequent faciobrachial dystonic seizures (FBDS) that were successfully treated with rituximab. This case report highlights a few important points about LGI1-antibody encephalitis in children to help clinicians recognize this condition early and start prompt treatment with immunosuppressants. Data is lacking about LGI1-antibody encephalitis in children as it is mostly reported in adults. Our patient presented with frequent drug-resistant seizures including FBDS, along with amnesia, confusion, medial temporal lobe involvement, and hyponatremia similar to the presentation in adults. In contrast, none of the patients in the recent systematic review had FBDS or hyponatremia, making our case unique and suggesting variability in clinical presentation in children similar to adults. To our knowledge, FBDS have never been reported in children and our patient was initially misdiagnosed as having Childhood Epilepsy with Centrotemporal spikes. Since receiving rituximab, our patient is seizure-free for 1 year and 9 months and was successfully weaned of topiramate. She is going to school and has normal attention, concentration, memory, and mood. We propose early consideration of rituximab to accelerate recovery and prevent relapse.
What Predicts Falls, and what are the Circumstances and Consequences of Falls in Community-Dwelling Older Adults Who Need Walking Aids or Home Help Service
Authors: Tuvemo Johnson Susanna , Anens Elisabeth , Johansson Ann-Christin , Hellström Karin
Published: June 2022

The objective was to analyze predictive variables for falls in older community-dwelling adults who needed walking aids or home help service, to describe the circumstances and consequences of falls and fall injuries, and to describe the activities preceding falls, n = 175, mean age 83 years. Falls were self-reported monthly in a fall calendar and were followed up by a telephone interview. A logistic regression analysis was performed to investigate predictive baseline variables for falls. Injuries were reported in 82 of the 185 fall events. Previous falls and a high level of education had a significant association with falls odds ratios 1.9 (95% CI 1.3–2.7), and 2.7 (95% CI 1.4–5.3). Activities preceding the falls were classified according to the International Classification of Functioning (ICF). Falls and fall injuries were most common while moving around within the home and rising from sitting to standing.
Staff Assessment Person-Directed Care Questionnaire: Adaptation and Validation for the Portuguese Population
Authors: Barbosa Maria M. , Teixeira Laetitia , Yanguas Javier , Paul Constança , Afonso Rosa M.
Published: June 2022

Person-centered care aims to increase and guarantee the quality of care at residential care facilities for older adults. The implementation and development of this approach requires validated assessment tools, which are still lacking in Portugal. This study aims to adapt and validate for the Portuguese population the internationally and widely used essential instrument that is the Staff Assessment Person-Directed Care (SAPDC). The adaptation of the SAPDC included its translation, back translation, and a pilot-study. For validation, staff members were recruited by distributing the study via email and on social media. Respondents included 546 native Portuguese-speaking staff members working at residential care facilities for over 6 months. The mean score of SAPDC was 165.74 (SD = 36.78). The exploratory factor analysis showed eight conceptually distinct dimensions, considered adequate by the expert team. The total scale showed a very good internal consistency (α = .96) and excellent temporal stability assessed by Intraclass Correlation Coefficient (> .90). Providing a Portuguese version of the SAPDC is useful to substantiate technical and scientific advancements and define policies with implications on evolving care approaches. This tool helps optimize the quality and dignification of gerontological practices, which is urgent at Portuguese residential care facilities.
Construction of Jewish Women in Ihsan Abdel Quddous’s Fiction
Authors: Alwuraafi Ebrahim Mohammed
Published: June 2022

The article examines Ihsan Abdel Quddous’s literary texts that deal with Egyptian Jewish women to explore how Egyptian Jewesses figure in these texts to disrupt, disturb, or offset prevailing historical and fictional discourses and explore his attitude toward Egyptian Jews in general and Jewish women in particular. Deploying post-colonial feminist theory, the article argues that in Quddous’ works, Jewish women represent a highly-educated and liberal community with fluid, transnational identities that serve to foil exclusionary discourses, and that Quddous increasingly has given Egyptian Jewish women, more than any other Arab writer of the period, a voice and an active role in his works. As a result, he has articulated their hopes, fears, and needs in a period dominated by political and social instability. The article aims at identifying and categorizing major tropes and characteristics pertaining to the portrayal of Jewish women in Ihsan Abdel Quddous’ fiction, and how these portrayals adhere to or play on the universal stereotypes of Jews.
Re-examining Jane Jacobs’ doctrine using new urban data in Hong Kong
Authors: Huang Jianxiang , Cui Yuming , Li Lishuai , Guo Mengdi , Ho Hung Chak , Lu Yi , Webster Chris
Published: June 2022

Jane Jacobs (1961) theorized that four urban form conditions, namely, mixed use, short block, aged buildings and density, are indispensable for the ‘exuberant diversity’ and conducive to, or perhaps even determinant of, the success of a city district. Jacobs’ theory has been used widely as a reference point in case study research and policy and design prescriptions. We found five studies that attempted to test it more formally, using various performance indicators such as mobile phone activities, walking, crime and mortality. Their findings were inconsistent and unable to settle theoretical controversies. Questions remained as what performance indicators are most strongly associated with her urban form conditions? Are these conditions independently associated with desired outcomes or in combination and what are the interaction effects? Our study aimed to test Jacobs’ theory that urban form conditions contribute to the vitality and success of city districts. Jacobs’ urban form conditions were measured using GIS data for each of Hong Kong’s Tertiary Planning Unit. Performance outcomes were gauged using a combination of ‘new urban data’, comprising Twitter activities, sentiment tones and Point-Of-Interest (POI), and ‘traditional data’, comprising walking commute, employment and mortality. Urban context, income and demographic indicators were used as controls in fitting spatial regression models to predict measures of performances based on urban conditions. Results showed that Jacobs’ urban form conditions contribute positively to ‘vitality’ indicators such as the density of tweets, walking trips and POI, but not with ‘failure and success’ indicators such as expressed sentiment on Twitter, employment, or mortality. Out findings suggest that her theory largely hold for Hong Kong, except that dwelling density should be substituted by building density, whilst tall buildings associated positively with desirable outcomes, contrary to Jacobs’ observation in the American context. More generally, we demonstrate how new urban data can be used to evaluate classic planning theories at scale.
Spatial variations of the third and fourth COVID-19 waves in Hong Kong: A comparative study using built environment and socio-demographic characteristics
Authors: Yu Zidong , Liu Xintao
Published: June 2022

Since the first confirmed case was reported in January 2020, Hong Kong has experienced multiple waves of COVID-19 outbreaks. Recent literature has explored the spatial patterns of disease incidence and their relationships with the built environment and demographic characteristics. Nonetheless, few studies aim at the comparative patterns of different epidemic waves occurring in the same spatial context. This study analyses spatial patterns of the third and fourth COVID-19 epidemic waves and then evaluates the spatial relationship between case incidence and built environment and socio-demographic characteristics. By collecting local-related cases, this study incorporates a two-fold analytical strategy: (1) Using rank-size distribution and log-odd ratio to depict the spatial pattern of COVID-19 incidence rates; (2) through global and local regression models, investigating incidence’s associations with the urban built environment and socio-demographic characteristics. The results reveal that the two different epidemic waves have far distinct spatial tendencies to their infection risk factors, reflecting location-specific associations with the built environments and socio-demographics. Collectively, we discover that the third and fourth COVID-19 waves are likely associated with residential context and urban activities, respectively. Practical implications are discussed that would be of interest to policymakers and health professionals.
Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy Events in Patients With Diabetic Macular Edema: Post Hoc Analysis of VISTA and VIVID Trials
Authors: Do Diana V. , Gordon Carmelina , Suñer Ivan J. , Reed Kimberly , Moini Hadi , Gibson Andrea , Du Weiming , Shah Chirag P.
Published: June 2022

Purpose:

This work aimed to assess the incidence of proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) events and improvement to mild non-PDR (NPDR) or better after intravitreal aflibercept injection (IAI) or laser treatment (control) in diabetic macular edema (DME).

Methods:

PDR events in the VISTA (NCT01363440) and VIVID (NCT01331681) phase 3 clinical trials were evaluated in a combined IAI-treated group (IAI 2 mg every 4 weeks or 2 mg every 8 weeks after 5 initial monthly doses; n = 475) and a macular laser control group (n = 235) through week 100 in eyes without PDR at baseline (Diabetic Retinopathy Severity Scale [DRSS] score ≤ 53). Improvement in the DRSS score to 35 or better was evaluated in those with a baseline DRSS score of 43 or greater.

Results:

A lower proportion of eyes in the IAI group than in the laser group developed a PDR event through week 100 (4.4% vs 11.1%; adjusted difference, −6.7%; 97.5% CI, −11.7 to −1.6; nominal P = .0008). All PDR events occurred in eyes with a baseline DRSS score of 43, 47, or 53 and not in those with a score of 35 or less. A greater proportion of eyes in the IAI group than in the control group achieved a DRSS score of 35 or less (20.0% vs 3.8%; nominal P < .0001).

Conclusions:

Fewer eyes with NPDR and DME treated with IAI than eyes treated with a laser had a PDR event. More eyes treated with IAI improved to mild NPDR or better (DRSS score ≤ 35) through 100 weeks.
High robustness does not always imply low uncertainty of treatment rankings: An empirical study of 60 network meta-analyses
Authors: Wu Yun-Chun , Tu Yu-Kang
Published: June 2022

Background: Network meta-analysis computes treatment ranking to assist with clinical decision making, but it is not always clear how reliable the ranking is and how likely the accumulation of new evidence may alter the ranking. Uncertainty and robustness of ranking are two concepts related to the reliability of ranking. However, it is still unclear whether these two approaches would always yield similar conclusions on the reliability of ranking, i.e., a robust ranking is also one of low uncertainty.

Purpose: This study aimed to investigate the relationship between the uncertainty and robustness of treatment ranking by using normalized entropy and quadratic weighted Cohen’s kappa, respectively. Data. We used datasets of previously published NMAs from a database maintained by Petropoulou et al. at the University of Bern. Analysis. Scatter plots and Pearson’s correlation coefficients were used to demonstrate the direction and strength of the association between uncertainty and robustness of ranking for NMA-level and treatment-level evaluation. 

Results: We found that when the uncertainty of ranking is very low, treatment ranking is unlikely to be altered by deleting a trial from the complete data. However, network meta-analysis with robust treatment ranking may have high uncertainty of treatment ranking.

Conclusions: Therefore, although the robustness of the ranking can find the trial that has the most significant impact on the ranking, the high robustness of ranking does not mean that the ranking would not easily change when new trials are added in the future.
Care Partner Support Following a Diabetes Self-Management Education and Support Intervention
Authors: Mansfield Kelly J. , Colicchio Vanessa D. , Kauwe Tuitama Adonica I. , Tracy Eunjin Lee , Neuberger Julie D. , Litchman Michelle L.
Published: June 2022

Purpose:

The purpose of the study was to understand care partner (CP) perceptions of an interdisciplinary diabetes self-management education and support (DSMES) intervention and explore how the interdisciplinary DSMES intervention influences diabetes-specific day-to-day interactions from the CP’s perspective.

Methods:

A multiple-methods research design comprised of an online survey including demographics and supportive behaviors and a semistructured interview was conducted. The survey was completed by 16 CPs. Of the 16 CPs, 11 participated in semistructured interviews. Survey data were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Thematic analysis of semistructured interviews was conducted.

Results:

CPs provided support in 3 primary areas: (1) meal planning and preparation (87.5%), (2) participating in physical activity (56.3%), and (3) assisting with technology (43.8%). The main themes described by CPs include (1) the importance of diabetes education for caregivers, including the information they retained from the program, the acquisition of tools to support the person with diabetes, and the desire for more and ongoing education; (2) diabetes education enhances the CP’s ability to provide social support and the challenges associated with support; and (3) partners described collaborative diabetes management such as finding middle ground and making changes together.

Conclusion:

CPs play a significant role in patient diabetes self-management by providing social support and partnership. DSMES programs should seek to include CPs to enhance patient support.