bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Hounsfield Unit Values of Talar Subchondral Bone Predict Articular Cartilage Degeneration in Patients With Ankle Osteoarthritis
Authors: Ishibashi Saori , Nakasa Tomoyuki , Ikuta Yasunari , Kawabata Shingo , Moriwaki Dan , Sakurai Satoru , Adachi Nobuo
Published: August 2024

Background:

Therapeutic strategies for ankle osteoarthritis (OA) are determined based on OA staging, alignment, and articular cartilage conditions. However, it is difficult to evaluate the degeneration of the remaining cartilage using imaging modalities. Subchondral bone plays a crucial role in maintaining cartilage homeostasis. Measurement of local Hounsfield unit (HU) values allows for the quantitative assessment of small changes in the subchondral bone. This study aimed to evaluate a relationship between the HU values of the subchondral bone and the histologic findings of articular cartilage in ankle OA.

Methods:

The talar articular surface was harvested from 14 ankles during arthroplasty. The talus was divided into anterior, middle, and posterior parts, and histologic specimens were prepared. Safranin O staining was performed and histologic findings were evaluated using the modified Mankin score. The regions of interest (ROIs) were set in the medial, central, and lateral regions of the specimens and computed tomography (CT) images, and the relationship between the HU values and histologic findings was analyzed.

Results:

As OA progressed, cartilage defects increased. In conjunction with cartilage degeneration, the subchondral bone plate thickened, and the HU values increased. The HU value significantly and positively correlated with the modified Mankin score ( r = 0.756), subchondral bone thickness ( r = 0.674, P < .01), and trabecular bone area ( r = 0.637). The cutoff HU values were 594 (sensitivity, 0.813; specificity, 0.944) for 3 points and 727 (sensitivity, 0.929; specificity, 0.782) for 11 points on the modified Mankin score.

Conclusion:

Significant correlations between HU values and cartilage degeneration in ankle OA were noted. Measuring HU values on CT images can be useful for evaluating the joint surface condition, including histologic findings of the remaining cartilage.
Applying a Racial Lens to the “Cycle of Violence”
Authors: Widom Cathy Spatz , Allwood Maureen , Chauhan Preeti , Li Xuechen , Courtney Kellie , Are Funlola G.
Published: August 2024

One overlooked result in a 1989 Science paper on the “cycle of violence” was a race-specific increase in risk for arrest for violence among Black maltreated children, but not White maltreated children. We examine whether race differences in the cycle of violence are explained by risk factors traditionally associated with violence. Using a prospective design, maltreated and non-maltreated children were matched on age, sex, race, and approximate family social class and interviewed at mean age 28.7 years ( N = 1196). Arrest histories were obtained through age 50.5. Regression analyses included maltreatment, race, self-reported violent behavior, and risk factors (e.g., family, school, neighborhood variables). For arrests for violent crime, race was a significant predictor, whereas childhood maltreatment was not significant. For violent arrests, there was a significant race × maltreatment interaction when the total number of risk factors were included controlling for self-reported violent behaviors. For self-reported violent behaviors, childhood maltreatment remained significant for some risk factors. However, race did not predict self-reported violent behaviors. Offending behavior and traditional risk factors did not explain the disproportionate arrests among Black maltreated children. This disparity in the cycle of violence may reflect complex processes influenced by racial bias or structural racism.
A Framework of Services-as-Practices
Authors: Skålén Per
Published: August 2024

The idea of conceptualizing services as a type of discrete entity that are different from goods provided the initial conceptual foundation of service research. Today, this foundation has been denounced and replaced by the service-dominant logic (SDL), which suggests that service is a logic reffering to how resources are integrated by actors in order to cocreate value-in-use. However, researchers and practitioners still commonly refer to services as a type of discrete entity. To facilitate the understanding of services, this paper develops a services-as-practices (SaP) framework consisting of six propositions. Key to the SaP framework is the fact that services are conceptualized as bundles of value cocreation practices (VCPs). These VCPs are organized and recurring activities that are intended to cocreate value, but they can also codestroy (i.e., diminish) value when performed. The SaP framework contributes to service research by developing: (1) a novel conceptualization of services that realizes the long-lasting opportunity to understand services-as-activities, (2) a novel conceptualization of value that aligns theoretically with this understanding of services, and (3) the service research discipline as a whole. The latter contribution is accomplished by revising the notion of services as a type of discrete entity in such a way that a fruitful alternative perspective to focusing on service as a logic along the lines of the SDL is achieved. The SaP framework also provides practitioners with a novel perspective as regards understanding, managing, and developing services.
Global Public Health Implications of Traffic Related Air Pollution: Systematic Review
Authors: Debelu Desi , Mengistu Dechasa Adare , Aschalew Alemayehu , Mengistie Bizatu , Deriba Wegene
Published: August 2024

Background:

Traffic-related air pollution (TRAP) has significant public health implications and a wide range of adverse health effects, including cardiovascular, respiratory, pulmonary, and other health problems. This study aimed to determine the public health impacts of traffic-related air pollution across the world that can be used as an input for protecting human health.

Methods:

This study considered studies conducted across the world and full-text articles written in English. The articles were searched using a combination of Boolean logic operators (AND, OR, and NOT), MeSH, and keywords from the included electronic databases (SCOPUS, PubMed, EMBASE, Web of Science, CINAHL, and Google Scholars). The quality assessment of the articles was done using JBI tools to determine the relevance of each included article to the study.

Results:

In this study, 1 282 032 participants ranging from 19 to 452 735 were included in 30 articles published from 2010 to 2022. About 4 (13.3%), 9 (30.0%), 12 (40.0%), 8 (26.7%), 2 (6.7%), 15 (50.0%), 3 (10.0%), 3 (10.0%) 1 (3.3%), and 3 (10.0%) of articles reported the association between human health and exposure to CO, PM10, PM2.5, NOx, NO, NO2, black carbon, O3, PAH, and SO2, respectively. Respiratory diseases, cancer, cognitive function problems, preterm birth, blood pressure and hypertension, diabetes, allergies and sensitization, coronary heart disease, dementia incidence, and hemorrhagic stroke were associated with exposure to TRAP.

Conclusions:

Exposure to nitrogen dioxide, nitrogen oxide, sulfur dioxide, and fine particulate matter was associated with various health effects. This revealed that there is a need for the concerned organizations to respond appropriately.
The Influence of Institutional Logics and Emotions on the Uptake of Cervical Cancer Screening: A Case Study From Xai-Xai, Mozambique
Authors: Fulane Gefra , Major Maria , Lorenzoni Cesaltina , Munguambe Khatia
Published: August 2024

This study investigates the role of emotional attachment to competing institutional logics on women’s uptake of cervical cancer screening in Mozambique. Through a qualitative study conducted in Xai-Xai, Southern Mozambique, we identify 2 concurrent logics in the context of screening: preservation logic, influenced by social-cultural norms, and the prevention logic, centered around screening. Women, affected by emotions such as shame, fear, and marital subordination, often become attached to the preservation logic, which influences their values and contradicts acceptance of screening. However, some women with marital autonomy may reflect on both logics and gradually detach themselves from the preservation norms and show their intention to adopt life-saving behavior by accepting screening. It is through their emotions that women show their attachment to and detachment from competing logics, reinforcing traditional norms on the one hand, or giving them the means to adopt preventive measures on the other. The study indicates that cultural expectations, shame and the desire to preserve intimacy tie women to the logic of preservation and have a negative impact on participation in cervical cancer screening. Consequently, to improve screening uptake in Mozambique, the authorities need to adapt screening to socio-cultural and emotional factors, empower women, and effectively engage communities.
Adaptation of Chinese traditional villages from the perspective of locality preservation
Authors: Xue Pengcheng , Zhang Jiayin , Wang Fang , Wang Leye
Published: August 2024

Recently, traditional villages in China have received multiple policy protections and capital injections. While these external interventions protect the cultural heritage of traditional villages and provide opportunities for development, they have gradually eroded their intrinsic adaptive cycle system. This study focused on 6819 traditional villages, revealed the characteristics and transitions of the adaptive cycle stages in traditional villages and described the internal mechanisms of adaptability within these villages. The research findings are as follows: Regarding adaptability characterisation, the adaptability of traditional villages has developed a regionally significant imbalance. The highest proportion of adaptability cycle stages was found in the poverty trap, exploration (r) and gambling traps. Traditional villages are mostly in a rigid state, with a few adaptive processes shifting between the poverty trap and exploration (r), requiring a new impetus to guide positive cycles. In terms of adaptability mechanisms, there was a significant negative relationship between locality, mobility and resilience in traditional villages. Intrinsic adaptive mechanisms gradually disintegrate, and there is an increasing risk of falling into a lock-in trap. This study provides empirical evidence for analysing the issues in traditional villages and offers recommendations for long-term planning and policy formulation of locality protection in traditional villages.
Tasmanian forests and their people: Self-narrative, forests and temporalities
Authors: Banham Rebecca
Published: August 2024

This paper explores the role of forests in the formation and maintenance of self-identity, drawing on the experiences of 27 people from Tasmania, Australia. Specifically, I argue that forest experiences play an important role shaping some people's ‘self-narrative’ – the biography of their personal experience of the familiar past and anticipated future – framed through three temporal forms: ‘personal’ time, ‘external’ time and ‘ontological’ time. Participants’ recollections show how forest help make time ‘knowable’, in terms of one's own self-trajectory, and time scales which far exceed individual human lives. This link between forests, time and narrative has important implications for the ongoing conversation about temporality in the social sciences, contextualising the reciprocal, subjunctive relationship between humans and nonhumans. This article closes with an invitation to further the ongoing conversation about temporality in the social sciences, particularly in the field of qualitative environmental sociology.
Seismic assessment of cylindrical storage tanks to records with different frequency contents considering fluid–structure–soil/foundation interaction
Authors: Abd-Elhamed Ayman , Mahmoud Sayed
Published: August 2024

This study aims to primarily assess the dynamic behavior of ground-supported cylindrical tanks to real near-fault earthquake records with different frequency contents including soil-structure interaction effects. A cylindrical tank’s fluid-tank-soil interaction is modeled using a three-degree-of-freedom lumped mass model for the fluid. A mass-spring-dashpot model with frequency independence is used to model the soil/foundation system. Broad, medium, and slender tank models are developed considering and ignoring the soil flexibility effect. An algorithm based on discrete-time state-space approaches is developed for performing numerical simulations of the modeled tanks excited by the low-, medium-, and high-frequency contents. The obtained results for the modeled tanks in terms of base shear, overturning moment, and connective and impulsive mass displacements incorporating the influence of supporting soils as well as the frequency contents of excitation records are evaluated and compared with the corresponding results for modeled tanks with a fixed base. In addition, the liquid sloshing height for all aspect ratios is also evaluated and compared. The study’s findings clearly indicate that records with low-frequency contents require significantly more seismically demanding than other records for the considered soil types. Remarkably, soil-tank interaction under earthquake motions substantially amplifies the induced response.
Understanding the caring professional dispositions of the early childhood education teacher assistants in Chile
Authors: Godoy Felipe , Duhn Iris , Quiñones Gloria
Published: August 2024

Despite their crucial global importance in the daily work within classrooms, teacher assistants are barely addressed in early childhood education (ECE) teaching policy and research. In this context, little is known about features of their role – more commonly studied in the case of lead teachers – such as their professional dispositions. This paper analyses the discourses of a group of Chilean ECE teacher assistants about their dispositions, exploring possible intersections and dissonances of an ethics of care and mainstream technical practice approaches in ECE. Sixteen assistants from two ECE centres located in an urban suburb of Santiago de Chile took part in focus groups and interviews, and their discourses were analysed through a Reflexive Thematic Analysis. Findings show that teacher assistants address their role by producing a discourse informed by an ethics of care, but also drawing marginally on a mainstream technical perspective. The findings may help inform future ECE teaching policy in Chile, embracing new approaches to ECE professionalism that foreground caring practices and acknowledge the diversity of the workforce.
Social media symbiosis: Understanding the dynamics of online political persuasion in social media ecologies
Authors: Jordá Beatriz , Goyanes Manuel , Borah Porismita , Gil de Zúñiga Homero
Published: August 2024

Research has noted that political content on social media, both accurate and fake, may lead users to reconsider their political opinions and be persuaded. This study contributes to this topic by examining how political attitude change in social media unfolds according to users’ perceptions. Our findings, based on in-depth interviews with 30 Spanish social media users, show how the centrality of social media in citizens’ everyday life nudges them into a persuasive relationship in these ecologies. We conceptualize this dynamic relationship as social media symbiosis, an analogy that draws on the biological concept of symbiosis, and that explains the characteristics of perceived online persuasion: (1) the primacy of social media persuasion over other information sources, (2) its gradual and evolutionary nature, and (3) the persuasive relationships in which users may engage: mutualism, in which both sender and receiver reciprocally benefit and persuade each other; and parasitism, in which fake news creators harmfully persuade receivers while benefitting. Our study contributes to extant literature by theorizing about the persuasive relationship in which users perceive to engage in social media, and the rationales that facilitate it.
Nellix Device Failure Mechanisms Analysis on Explanted Grafts
Authors: Christ Léna , Kuntz Salomé , Vakhitov Damir , Raibaut Laurent , Neumann Nicole , Heim Frédéric , Chakfé Nabil , Lejay Anne
Published: August 2024

Objective:

To understand possible reasons for poor durability of the Nellix (Endologix Inc., Irvine, USA) endovascular aneurysm sealing (EVAS) device.

Materials and Methods:

21 Nellix endoprostheses explanted for endoleaks and migration underwent visual examinations of stent structures and instrumental examinations of the polymer endobags on 4 devices. We harvested 2.0-gram polymer slices out of each of them and tested the samples in an in vitro implantation replication that included wet and dry exposures. During the wet phase, we placed samples in a beaker with saline, mimicking the filling of the endobags during implantation. An exposure to a 37°C environment with 60% humidity during the dry phase replicated the postimplantation conditions inside the aneurysmal sac.

Results:

Iatrogenic defects affected 16 (76%) metal stents and 20 (95%) endobags. The polymer was disintegrated owing to degradation in 15 (71%) cases. The polymer could lose more than 70% of its initial weight when partially dehydrated and regain 80% when placed in saline. We observed volume decrease and polymer fragmentation during these study phases.

Conclusions:

The polymer can lose weight and volume while it dehydrates. This structural degradation of the polymer could lead to the development of endoleaks and/or migration of the device.

Clinical Impact

Based on the results of previous investigations, due to possible endovascular device degradation, patients with endografts should be offered life-long surveillance, and the Nellix device is no exception. Herein we suggest polymer degradation as one of the possible reasons for the device failure. Although Nellix has been withdrawn from the market, there are numerous patients with this type of endograft. Due to its unpredictable performance in the medium and long term, these patients should be recommended enhanced life-long surveillance every 6 months. Any suspicious conditions during the follow-up must be taken seriously and explantation should be considered.
Asthma and Participation: A Scoping Review
Authors: Yoo Madelyn Grace , Collier Avery , Minor Timira , Lipsey Kim , Harris Kelly M
Published: August 2024

Asthma is a widespread pediatric chronic disease, but there is limited understanding of its impact on participation (other than physical activity) and the conceptualization of participation. We conducted a scoping review to explore the evidence on the relationship between pediatric asthma and participation in several domains of occupation outlined in the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework 4th Edition. A structured literature search was implemented in PubMed/MEDLINE, Elsevier EMBASE, CINAHL, SCOPUS, Clarivate Web of Science Core Collection, and APA PsycINFO. Data were extracted by occupational domain and analyzed using a stoplight categorization. Of the 3444 identified articles, 10 met inclusion criteria, five of which were categorized as green (addressing specific occupational activities). No article explicitly defined participation. Asthma’s influence on nonphysical activity occupations remains unclear. Future research must clarify both the meaning and measures that best capture participation, and further explore the relationship between asthma and participation.
When a gatekeeper denies a researcher access: circumstances of gate closure in social work research
Authors: Gřundělová Barbora , Broskevičová Zuzana , Kowolová Iveta
Published: August 2024

Social work research often requires the exploration of sensitive topics that concern hard-to-reach populations. In order to gain access to these groups, researchers are often forced to rely on gatekeepers during the research process. Gatekeepers become intermediaries who help the researchers to establish this access. In this article, we focus on institutional gatekeepers and the circumstances under which they deny access to research participants. And how the researchers themselves react to this situation in the context of Czech social work research. We used qualitative research, in particular semi-structured interviews with researchers. Based on the research, we identified three main practices of researchers when gatekeepers refuse access. These are conducting research despite denial, making changes to methodology and conducting covert research. The identified procedures bring with them a number of ethical questions that need to be addressed.
Pattern of pareses in 5q-spinal muscular atrophy
Authors: Uzelac Zeljko , Schwäble Beate , Dorst Johannes , Rosenbohm Angela , Wollinsky Kurt , Wurster Claudia D. , Steinbreier Janna S. , Ludolph Albert C.
Published: August 2024

Background:

This prospective study investigates the pattern of pareses in 5q-associated spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) to identify disease-specific characteristics and potential differences from amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and spinobulbar muscular atrophy (SBMA). Detailed knowledge about pareses patterns in SMA facilitates differential diagnosis and supports therapeutic monitoring.

Methods:

Between January 2021, and June 2021, 66 SMA patients (59.1% male, aged 33.6 ± 15.2 years) were included in the study. Most patients had SMA type II ( n = 28) or SMA type III ( n = 28), seven patients had SMA type I, and three patients had SMA type IV. We analyzed the pattern of pareses using the UK Medical Research Council (MRC) scoring system.

Results:

In both, upper and lower limbs muscle weakness was less pronounced in distal (upper limbs: MRC median 3.0 (interquartile range 1.5–3.5); lower limbs: 1.5 (0.5–3.0)) compared to proximal muscle groups (upper limbs: 2.0 (1.5–2.6); p < 0.001; lower limbs: 0.5 (0.5–1.5); p < 0.001). Thenar muscles were stronger than other small hand muscles (3.0 (2.0–3.5) vs 3.0 (1.5–3.5); p = 0.004). Muscles had more strength in upper (2.3 (1.5–3.1)) compared to lower limbs (1.1 (0.5–2.3); p < 0.001) and in flexors compared to extensors.

Conclusion:

We identified a specific pattern of muscle paresis in SMA which is different from the pattern of paresis in ALS and SBMA. As a rule of thumb, the pattern of pareses is similar, but not identical to ALS in distal, but different in proximal muscle groups.
Bridging the Gap Between Training and Competition in Elite Rink Hockey: A Pilot Study
Authors: Ferraz António , Pérez-Chao Enrique Alonso , Ribeiro João , Spyrou Konstantinos , Freitas Tomás T. , Valente-dos-Santos João , Duarte-Mendes Pedro , Alcaraz Pedro E. , Travassos Bruno
Published: August 2024

Background:

Monitoring training load and competition load is crucial for evaluating and improving athlete performance. This study proposes an applied approach to characterize and classify the training task specificity in relation to competition in a top-level rink hockey team, considering external and internal load from training tasks and competition.

Hypothesis:

Training tasks and game demands have significant dose-response differences, and exercises can be classified successfully based on their physiological and biomechanical demands.

Study Design:

Cross-sectional study.

Level of Evidence:

Level 5.

Methods:

Ten elite-level male rink hockey players participated in this study. Players were monitored on 6 different task categories during 8 training sessions and 2 official games. A linear mixed model with random intercepts was used to compare training tasks and competition load, accounting for individual repeated measures. A 2-step cluster analysis was performed to classify the training tasks and games based on physiological and biomechanical load, employing log-likelihood as the distance measure and Schwartz’s Bayesian criterion.

Results:

Average heartrate, maximum heartrate, and high-speed skating (18.1-30 km/h) were the best physiological load predictors, while the most effective biomechanical load predictors were impacts [8-10] g(n), decelerations [-10 to -3]m/s²(n), and accelerations [3-10]m/s²(n). Different physiological and biomechanical responses were verified between training tasks and match demands. A 4-quadrant efforts assessment for each task category revealed that training tasks used by the team in the analysis presented lower biomechanical and physiological load demands than competition.

Conclusion:

Training tasks failed to adequately replicate the specific demands of competition, especially regarding high mechanical stress, such as the absence of high-intensity impacts and decelerations.

Clinical Relevance:

This method of classification of training tasks may allow coaches to understand further the specificity and contribution of each task to competition demands, consequently improving the capacity of load management and the preparedness and readiness of players for competition.
An Improved Scoring Algorithm for Indirect Evaluation Measurement With the Evaluative Priming Task
Authors: Segal-Gordon Noga , Kuperwasser Inbal , Bar-Anan Yoav
Published: August 2024

People tend to categorize the valence of a target stimulus more quickly and accurately if the target appears after a prime stimulus of the same (than of the opposite) valence. The evaluative priming task (EPT) utilizes this priming effect for indirect evaluation measurement but suffers from low reliability. The present research compared the reliability and validity of 2,160 EPT scoring algorithms across 12 datasets. In contrast to current norms to delete trials with error responses and to rely solely on differences in response latency between different task conditions, superior performance was found when incorporating latency and accuracy data, and when basing the score on differences in mean ranking of each condition’s trials by performance (a scale-invariant non-parametric dominance score named G score). We recommend seven new scoring algorithms that, in comparison to current scoring norms, increase internal consistency by a mean of 41% and correlations with other measures by 17%.
3D-QSAR, ADMET, and molecular docking studies of aztreonam analogs as E. colis inhibitors
Authors: Mitku Melese Legesse , Simegn Wudneh , Chanie Gashaw Sisay , Mohammed Seid Abdulwase , Beyna Alemante Tafese , Kebad Mengesha Assefa , Melese Mihret , Esubalew Dereje , Gela Yibeltal Yismaw , Ayenew Wondim , Limenh Liknaw Workie
Published: August 2024

Background:

The development of multidrug resistant strains of extended-spectrum β-lactamase-producing Escherichia coli has become a global problem; therefore, the discovery of new antibacterial agents is the only available solution.

Objective:

To improve and propose new compounds with antibacterial activity, the three-dimensional quantitative structure–activity relationship and molecular docking studies were carried out on Aztreonam analogs as E. coli inhibitors in DNA gyrase B

Method:

This study’s 3D-Quantitative structure–activity relationship model was created using on the Comparative Molecular Field Analysis and the Comparative Molecular Similarity Indices Analysis. Using the Comparative Molecular Field Analysis ( Q2 = 0.73; R2 = 0.82), excellent predictability was achieved, and the best Comparative Molecular Similarity Indices Analysis model ( Q2 = 0.88; R2 = 0.9). The generated model’s ability to predict outcomes was assessed through external validation using a test set compound and an applicability domain technique. In this study, the steric, electrostatic, and hydrogen bond acceptor fields played a key role in antibacterial activity.

Results:

The results of the molecular docking revealed that the newly generated compound A6 has the highest binding affinity with DNA gyrase B. It forms 10 hydrogen bonds with amino acid residues of Asn104, Asn274, Asn132, Ser70, Ser237, Thr105, Glu273, and 2 salt bridges with amino acid residues of Ser70 and Glu273 and one pi–pi interacting with Gys271 amino acid residue in the binding site of 5G1, and this result was validated by a new assessment method. We created some novel, highly effective DNA gyrase B inhibitors based on the earlier findings, and the most accurate model predicted their inhibitory actions. The ADMET characteristics and pharmacological similarity of these novel inhibitors were also examined.

Conclusion:

These findings would be very beneficial in guiding the optimization process for the identification of novel drugs that can address the issue of multiple drug resistance.
Predictive value of isolated very low QRS voltage in tilt-table test for neurally mediated syncope
Authors: Chen Haichao , Cao Yiwei , Liang Lei , Gao Yan , Feng Jing , Zhang Le , Shi Lingxia , Chang Fengjun , Cheng Gong , Wu Haoyu
Published: August 2024

Objective:

The cause of syncope is generally determined based on clinical manifestations. There has been little discussion about the value of electrocardiograms for diagnosing neurally mediated syncope. The aim of this study was to test the predictive value of the isolated very low QRS voltage in tilt-table testing for suspected neurally mediated syncope in a Chinese population.

Methods:

This retrospective study enrolled patients with suspected neurally mediated syncope. Tilt-table testing was a part of the diagnostic examination. Each patient underwent echocardiography and electrocardiogram. isolated very low QRS voltage referred to a voltage of ⩽0.3 mV for the QRS complex in an isolated frontal lead or ⩽0.7 mV for the QRS complex in an isolated precordial lead.

Results:

In total, 157 patients were included in the tilt-table testing positive group, and 242 patients were included in the tilt-table testing negative group. Compared with the testing negative group, the testing positive group had more patients with isolated very low QRS voltage in the frontal leads ( p < 0.001). Moreover, for patients with isolated very low QRS voltage in the precordial leads, no significant difference was noted between the testing positive group and testing negative group ( p = 0.289). Isolated very low QRS voltage in the frontal leads demonstrated 84.08% sensitivity and 74.38% specificity for a positive tilt-table testing response. The area under the curve of isolated very low QRS voltage for a positive tilt-table testing response in frontal leads was 0.806 ( p < 0.0001).

Conclusion:

In patients with suspected neurally mediated syncope, isolated very low QRS voltage in the frontal leads is a parameter that can predict a positive tilt-table testing response. The presence of isolated very low QRS voltage in frontal leads can serve as a parameter for evaluating syncope patients.
Assessment of the hospital pharmacy quality assurance system in selected hospitals in the Amhara Regional State, Ethiopia
Authors: Anagaw Yeniewa Kerie , Feleke Melaku Getahun , Mekuriaw Endalew Temesgen , Mitku Melese Legesse , Limenh Liknew Workie , Bayleyegn Zemenu Wube , Worku Minichil Chanie , Denekew Tewodros , Geremew Derso Teju , Ayenew Wondm
Published: August 2024

Introduction:

Pharmacy services in hospitals are designed to meet the needs of all patients. This is undoubtedly one of the most complex services provided by hospitals. In government hospitals, including those in Ethiopia, pharmacies mainly serve as drug stores and dispensaries. To the best of our knowledge, this study is the first to assess and ensure better quality assurance for hospital pharmacy services in Ethiopia. Therefore, the objective of this article was to assess the current status of the quality assurance of pharmacy services in hospitals.

Methods:

A cross-sectional survey was conducted. The data were collected from hospital pharmacy heads using the Kobo Collect mobile application and then exported to the Statistical Package for Social Science (SPSS) version 25 for analysis. Descriptive statistics for categorical variables are presented as percentages and frequencies.

Results:

All (100%) of the studied hospital pharmacies had a qualified pharmacy director and worked in the pharmacy full-time. Only 40% had a drug information center and a functional drug formulary committee. All pharmacies had their own disposal facilities but did not regularly dispose of expired or unfit medications. The results revealed that all hospital pharmacies did not have a responsible body delegated for quality evaluation.

Conclusion:

The findings of this study clearly show that quality assurance services in hospital pharmacies are compromised. The findings can be used to identify areas of improvement and develop strategies to enhance the quality of hospital pharmacy services.
Artificial intelligence and machine learning a new frontier in the diagnosis of ocular adnexal tumors: A review
Authors: Qurban Qirat , Cassidy Lorraine
Published: August 2024

In our article, we explore the transformative potential of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in oculo-oncology, focusing on the diagnosis and management of ocular adnexal tumors. Delving into the intricacies of adnexal conditions such as conjunctival melanoma and squamous conjunctival carcinoma, the study emphasizes recent breakthroughs, such as Artificial Intelligence-driven early detection methods. While acknowledging challenges like the scarcity of specialized datasets and issues in standardizing image capture, the research underscores encouraging patient acceptance, as demonstrated in melanoma diagnosis studies. The abstract calls for overcoming obstacles, conducting clinical trials, establishing global regulatory norms and fostering collaboration between ophthalmologists and Artificial Intelligence experts. Overall, the article envisions Artificial Intelligence’s imminent transformative impact on ocular and periocular cancer diagnosis.
Playful Trauma: TikTok Creators and the Use of the Platformed Body in Times of War
Authors: Divon Tom , Eriksson Krutrök Moa
Published: August 2024

Amid the Russian invasion of Ukraine, TikTok has emerged as a pivotal platform, where creators utilize its compressed video formats to mediate the harsh realities of war zones. In this article, we examine 97 videos produced by 12 Ukrainian and Russian TikTok creators in response to the 2022 war in Ukraine. We focus on the playful embodiment of trauma using digital ethnography, analyzing creators’ practices and their interconnected memetic communication on TikTok. We identified the use of play through three dynamic practices where platforms, bodies, and trauma converge: (1) the utilization of POV (point-of-view) aesthetic in shareable templates to convey the realities of war from engaging first-person perspectives; (2) the incorporation of dance as a means of embodied creative expression and amplification of trauma; and (3) the harnessing of platform features to facilitate whimsical dialogues with followers about life under war. We argue that playfulness is entrenched in and enacted through platform vernacular modes, driving creators to forge communal ties during adversities and shape the ongoing representation of trauma and its accelerated visibility in digital spaces. We present the concept of playful trauma as a framework for understanding the structural dissonance that arises when creators utilize their bodies alongside platform-specific humorous, ironic, or subversive dialects to perform and amplify the gravity of trauma. This tension provides a unique space for creators to convert their shared experiences of grief and resilience into participatory coping mechanisms. In doing so, they subject and harness their playful platformed body as both the medium and the message, documenting injustices, bearing witness, and galvanizing crowds into action during times of war.
Digital Access, Digital Literacy, and Afterlife Preparedness: Societal Contexts of Digital Afterlife Traces
Authors: Park Lance Yong Jin , Oh Yu Won , Sang Yoonmo
Published: August 2024

This study aims to evaluate how individuals are prepared to cope with or plan for their afterlife digital footprints, by examining how (1) access, (2) literacy, and (3) preparedness for digital afterlife work in concert to influence one’s wellbeing. We found the indirect relationship between access and wellbeing and the influence of digital literacy on wellbeing was indirect, illustrating that the key to the puzzle is in the sequential step in which digital literacy incubates the readiness to cope with digital remains, which influences one’s subjective wellbeing. One of the most unrecognized challenges facing digital traces is the exploitation of post-life remain of data, as the question of who accesses, owns, or controls personal data after death remains largely unanswered. We argue that the preparedness for digital afterlife represents a new form of social concern with real-life consequences, or even a newer space for inequality debates.
Valuing Trans Lives After Suicide: Rituals of Commemoration in Digital Social Media Culture
Authors: Hatfield Joe Edward
Published: August 2024

In 2014, a trans teenager named Leelah Alcorn posted a suicide letter to her public Tumblr account. Almost a decade later, in 2023, Eden Knight, another young trans woman, posted a suicide letter to her public Twitter account. Both suicide letters went viral and inspired memorial hashtags on the platforms where they initially circulated. In this article, I identify similarities between the cases, conceptualizing both as rituals of commemoration aimed toward restoring value to trans lives lost too soon. My analysis shows how ordinary users leverage the connective affordances embedded within popular social media platforms to sustain structured, value-laden acts of remembrance and mourning. In doing so, I elucidate four stages of the ritual process: (1) sharing suicide letters, (2) enshrining selfies, (3) modulating memories, and (4) casting blame. Ultimately, I argue that trans-led rituals of commemoration can function as justice-oriented tactics of resistance against engrained systems of oppression that perpetuate disproportionally high rates of early death within trans communities.
Antenatal Depressive Symptoms and Its Associated Factors Among Pregnant Women in Northeast, Ethiopia
Authors: Anbesaw Tamrat , Ejigu Hana , Abegaz Zinet , Arefaynie Mastewal
Published: August 2024

Antenatal depression is of utmost concern to public health due to its potential to negatively impact both mother and child health. Less research has been done on it, and it is not receiving enough attention in the study area. This study aimed to assess the magnitude of antenatal depressive symptoms and its associated factors among pregnant mothers in Dessie City administration, Ethiopia. From March 1 to 30, 2021, a cross-sectional study was conducted among 451 pregnant mothers in Dessie City Administration. Edinburgh Postnatal Depression Scale (EPND) was used to assess antenatal depression. A multivariable logistic regression analysis was used to assess the determinants of depressive symptoms among the women. The proportion of antenatal depressive symptoms was 18.6% with 95% CI [15.1%, 22.2%]. Age greater than 30, monthly income less than 1,500 Ethiopian Birr, history of mental illness family member, a recent intimate partner violence history, death of a close family in recent year, and insomnia were significant factors affecting antenatal depression among pregnant mothers. Depression during pregnancy are high in the study area. Age >30 years, monthly income <1,500 Ethiopian Birr, history of mental illness in the family, experiencing recent intimate partner violence, death of a close family in recent year, and insomnia were independent predictors of depressive symptoms. Considering the integration of mental health services with maternal health care and providing attention to pregnant women during follow-up are recommended actions to reduce depressive symptoms.
English as a Foreign Language (EFL) Teachers’ Voices: English as an International Language (EIL) in Cyprus Context
Authors: Uyar Taner , Erozan Fatoş
Published: August 2024

This research study reports on the in-service English as a Foreign Language teachers’ perceptions of and needs and expectations regarding EIL and EIL-informed pedagogy in Northern Cyprus, which is a multilingual and multicultural teaching-learning context. A mixed method research design was utilized by collecting data through a questionnaire and interviews. A total of 152 in-service EFL teachers responded to the questionnaire, and 23 of them participated in the interviews. The findings of the study indicated that although the teachers welcomed the inclusion of EIL-aware pedagogy, they were hesitant to implement it in their classrooms due to lack of EIL-bound materials and existence of native speaker bound tests. The analysis also showed that teachers are aware of the EIL and EIL-aware pedagogy to some extent, however they lack the practical experience and expertise in order to implement such an approach to their daily practices. The findings of the study are believed to help raise EFL teachers’ awareness on how to integrate an EIL-informed approach in not only the local context but also in other multilingual and multicultural teaching-learning contexts worldwide.
Exploring the Significance of Soft Skills in Enhancing Employability of Taif University Postgraduates: An Analysis of Relevant Variables
Authors: Hussein Mohamed G.
Published: August 2024

Securing employment is a primary objective for many individuals, particularly among the youth, after completing their education. Nevertheless, with the growing number of graduates, organizations seek additional qualities beyond academic qualifications. In this regard, soft skills have gained prominence in the contemporary workforce as they facilitate achievement in the workplace, and are a pivotal component of academic and professional triumph. Therefore, the goal of this study was to ascertain how soft skills can improve postgraduate employability at Taif University. The significance of the findings can be seen in investigating the nature of the connection between soft skills and improving employability for postgraduate students at Taif University may also be helpful to universities in creating their plans to enhance and develop students’ abilities to find employment. Both qualitative and quantitative data were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and the questionnaire’s validity and dependability were confirmed. The study found that postgraduate students possess a notable level of networking abilities, anger-management skills, and understanding of employability. These individuals also exhibit a moderate degree of proficiency in negotiating and engaging in self-promotion. Furthermore, the study established a direct and statistically significant correlation between soft skills and employability. As such, the research recommended an expansion of soft skills development initiatives for postgraduate students to enhance their self-sufficiency and equip them with appropriate soft skills that align with the demands of the labor market.
Impact of Pesticide Training on Safety Climate Perception Among French Cereal Farmers
Authors: Grimbuhler Sonia , Werlen Théo , Viel Jean-François
Published: August 2024

Background: The training of farmers in pesticide safety is of prime importance for reducing pesticide use and exposure through the implementation of sustainable management practices. This study aimed to assess the impact of compulsory training on the knowledge and perceptions of cereal farmers, with the help of a safety climate scale. Method: We approached cereal farmers throughout France during compulsory training and certification procedures for pesticide-related activities. Trainees were asked to complete a safety climate questionnaire at the start and end of the course. In total, 733 cereal farm managers or workers completed the questionnaire at the start of the study, 131 of whom declined to complete the questionnaire at the end of the training session, leaving 602 subjects available for pre-training/post-training comparisons. Statistical analyses were based on paired t-tests and mixed models for repeated measures. Findings: The mean safety climate score increased from 82.37 to 88.22 after the training course (7.1 %, p < .001) in both univariate and multivariate analyses. Mean increases were also found for each of its seven dimensions ( p < .001), ranging from 2.8% for “rules and best practices” to 12.4% for “communication and feedback.” Few covariate-by-time interactions were found to be significant. Conclusion/Application to Practice: This study demonstrates that pesticide training is highly effective in increasing safety climate perception among cereal farmers and provides hints for improving the design of educational programs. Promoting the development and facilitation of lifelong learning with continuously updated training programs should be a top priority for minimizing pesticide exposure.
Effects of Cohesion With Teammates on Division-I Student-Athletes’ Mental Health: An Application of the Human Need to Belong and Transactional Stress Frameworks
Authors: Cranmer Gregory A. , Cox Emma G. , Rey Rikishi T. , Browning Blair , Holbert Leland G.
Published: August 2024

Collegiate student-athletes are experiencing an ongoing mental health epidemic, especially concerning anxiety and depression. This study builds upon the meta-theory of the human need to belong and the transactional theory of stress and coping by framing stress as a mediator for the benefits of cohesion between teammates on mental health. Data from 121 Division-I student-athletes demonstrated a fully mediated model whereby task cohesion indirectly benefited anxiety and depression through lower stress levels. Social cohesion, however, was not significantly associated with either stress or anxiety and depression. These findings underscore teammate relationships are appraised as social stimuli and that the lack of shared task approaches and understandings among teammates can be distressing and detract from general well-being. Coaches, athletic departments, and other academic stakeholders may use this information to guide their efforts to lower student-athlete stress through their social relationships with others. This aim can become an emphasis on pre-season training, team meetings, and athlete check-ins.
Knowledge, attitude, and practice towards dengue fever among medical students in Sudan: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Ahmed Muhannad Bushra Masaad , Ahmed Ahmed Balla M. , Alrawa Salma , Yeddi Ahmed A. , Talha Asim Jamal Mustafa , Ahmed Sohaib Mohammed Mokhtar
Published: August 2024

Background:

Dengue fever, a neglected tropical disease, exhibits a total seroprevalence of 27% in Sudan. During the recent outbreak, medical students actively participated in health education and community outreach programs. This study aims to assess the knowledge, attitude, and practice (KAP) of medical students regarding Dengue Fever (DF) during its current outbreak in Sudan.

Design and methods:

We conducted a cross-sectional study involving medical students from more than 15 Sudanese universities, encompassing 11 states. Data collection took place between October 23 and November 10, 2023, utilizing a Google Form questionnaire. A convenient sampling technique was employed to reach students due to its accessibility and feasibility during the ongoing conflict in Sudan. Correlation and regression analyses were used to identify predictors of KAP and establish associations between KAP domains and socio-demographic factors.

Results:

Of 694 medical students, 11% reported a previous infection with DF. Among the participants, 58% demonstrated good knowledge, 74.1% exhibited a positive attitude, and less than half (46.7%) demonstrated good preventive practices. There was a positive correlation between knowledge and attitude levels with the practice level ( p < 0.001). Gender, age, and previous DF infection emerged as significant predictors ( p < 0.05) of the overall KAP level in multiple logistic regression.

Conclusions:

Our study revealed a commendable level of knowledge and attitude but a suboptimal level of practice regarding DF among medical students. This inadequacy in practice, particularly among medical students who are expected to set an example, is concerning and warrants further investigation.