bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Employment, collective action, and satisfaction: the moderating role of acceptance of inequality
Authors: De Cristofaro Valeria , Pellegrini Valerio , Salvati Marco , Leone Luigi , Giacomantonio Mauro
Published: June 2023

The present work proposes that the relation of employment conditions (i.e., unemployment and precarious work vs. permanent employment) with participation in collective action and satisfaction with life depends on the extent to which acceptance of inequality is high or low, and that collective action mediates the association between employment conditions and satisfaction with life. We analyzed data from the European Social Survey (Round 8, 2016) and found that (1) when acceptance of inequality is low (vs. high), employment disadvantage is positively related to engagement in collective action and, in turn, satisfaction with life; (2) employment disadvantage is negatively related to satisfaction with life, and this relation increases when acceptance of inequality is low (vs. high). This study generates findings of interest to inequality researchers by showing the relevance of acceptance of inequality for collective action and life satisfaction in the context of employment.
Moving sustainability towards flourishing for all: The critical role of (toxic) leadership
Authors: Boddy Clive R.
Published: June 2023

Moving sustainability towards flourishing for all implies a care for all and for the future. However, in this commentary I note that many corporate and political leaders do not care for others or the future because, embodying egotistical, ruthless, remorseless, and dishonest (psychopathic) characteristics, their concern is only for themselves. This commentary argues that toxic leadership and governance, in the form of corporate psychopathy and corporate psychopaths, are important barriers to achieving sustainability. Notably, and of relevance to this argument, the embodiment of psychopathic traits can give people the ability to brazenly push themselves to the top, unimpeded by emotional distractions and thereby attain leadership. However, due to their deep indifference to corporate social responsibility and a readiness to falsify environmental impact reports, engage in faking corporate social responsibility and illegally dump toxic waste materials; the influence of such psychopathic leadership may be detrimental to sustainability and to flourishing for all. Leaders high in psychopathy will ignore or dismiss scientific evidence of unsustainable practices because they do not care about the future or about dismissing scientific evidence of detriments to the prospects for humanity. Accordingly toxic leadership and governance are arguably the critical factors in achieving a flourishing sustainability. The future of all life thus depends on who we choose as our leaders.
A heuristic perspective on factors that drive governments' approval of genetically modified crop commercialization
Authors: Alcantara Lailani L. , Kshetri Nir
Published: June 2023

While there is abundant research on innovations, we know little about why and when the commercialization of highly contested innovations, such as genetically modified (GM) crops, is approved by governments. In this paper, we argue that governments' decision to approve the commercialization of GM crops is influenced by heuristics based on the decisions of other governments with which they have greater trade, the gap between country performance and aspiration, and governments' prior decisions on GM crops field trials. We further propose that the effect of these heuristics weakens when the government operates in countries with higher governance quality. Using data on approval of GM crop commercialization between 1991 and 2016, we found support for these arguments and suggest the joint effects of heuristics based on the decisions of trade partners and governance quality on governments' approval of GM crop commercialization.
Mapping the intellectual linkage of sustainability in marketing
Authors: Tian Yating , Kamran Qeis
Published: June 2023

This study explores the status quo regarding the interface between marketing, social and environmental issues, culture and consumers, and strategic management by integrating sustainability. A qualitative display network technique, based on the bibliometric methodology of co‐citation analysis, was applied to examine research clusters. An integrative review was conducted to explain the connections within these clusters. To evaluate potential patterns among the studies through citations, different sets of relationships among applicable sustainability theories in marketing practice were paired in different sets and analyzed. After mapping the scientific structure of journal publications and intellectual linkages, six cluster groups emerged, reflecting the important role of marketing in linking sustainability, society, environment, consumers, and corporate sustainable development. This study contributes to social and marketing research and corporate sustainability practice by categorizing the intellectual structural network within various streams and indicating the influence of social and cultural notions on consumer‐focused sustainable marketing.
Enhanced IgG immune response to COVID‐19 vaccination in patients with sickle cell disease
Authors: Nakahara Hirotomo , Cheedarla Narayanaiah , Verkerke Hans P. , Cheedarla Suneethamma , Wu Shang‐Chuen , Hendrickson Jeanne E. , Chang Andres , McLemore Morgan L. , El Rassi Fuad , Roback John D. , Neish Andrew S. , Fasano Ross M. , Stowell Sean R.
Published: June 2023

Patients with sickle cell disease (SCD) are considered to be immunocompromised, yet data on the antibody response to SARS‐CoV‐2 vaccination in SCD is limited. We investigated anti‐SARS‐CoV‐2 IgG titres and overall neutralizing activity in 201 adults with SCD and demographically matched non‐SCD controls. Unexpectedly, patients with SCD generate a more robust and durable COVID‐19 vaccine IgG response compared to matched controls, though the neutralizing activity remained similar across both cohorts. These findings suggest that patients with SCD achieve a similar antibody response following COVID‐19 vaccination compared to the general population, with implications for optimal vaccination strategies for patients with SCD.
A recessive ACTL7A founder variant leads to male infertility due to acrosome detachment in Pakistani Pashtuns
Authors: Zhou Jianteng , Zhang Beibei , Zeb Aurang , Ma Ao , Chen Jing , Zhao Daren , Rahim Fazal , Khan Ranjha , Zhang Huan , Zhang Yuanwei , Khan Ihsan , Kakakhel Mian Basit Shah , Khan Asad , Shah Wasim , Jiang Xiaohua , Zhang Feng , Yang Xiaoyu , Xiao Jun , Xu Bo , Ma Hui , Shi Qinghua
Published: June 2023

Male infertility affects more than 20 million men worldwide and is a major public health concern. Male infertility has a strong genetic basis, particularly for those unexplained cases. Here, through genetic analysis of three Pakistani families having eight infertile men with normal parameters in routine semen analysis, we identified a novel ACTL7A variant (c.149_150del, p.E50Afs*6), recessively co‐segregating with infertility in these three families. This variant leads to the loss of ACTL7A proteins in spermatozoa from patients. Transmission EM analyses revealed acrosome detachment from nuclei in 98.9% spermatozoa of patients. Interestingly, this ACTL7A variant was frequently detected in our sequenced Pakistani Pashtuns with a minor allele frequency of ~0.021 and all the carriers shared a common haplotype of about 240 kb flanking ACTL7A, indicating that it is likely originated from a single founder. Our findings reveal that a founder ACTL7A pathogenic variant confers a high genetic susceptibility for male infertility with normal routine semen parameters but acrosomal ultrastructural defects in Pakistani Pashtun descendants, and highlight that variants not rare should also be considered when trying to identify disease‐causing variants in ethnic groups with the tradition of intra‐ethnic marriages.
Sinus floor augmentation using crestal approach in conjunction with hydroxyapatite/cross‐linked collagen sponge: A pilot study
Authors: Canullo Luigi , Del Fabbro Massimo , Colantonio Federica , Iacono Roberta , Raffone Carlo , Pedetta Andrea , Khijmatgar Shahnawaz , Shapira Lior
Published: June 2023

Background

Different biomaterials were suggested for sinus floor augmentation (SFA). Recently, new materials were launched showing true bone formation without remnants.

Purpose

The aim of this prospective study was to evaluate an hydroxyapatite‐based, sugar cross‐linked collagen sponge (OSSIX™ Bone) in transcrestal SFA (t‐SFA).

Materials and methods

Twenty‐four patients with edentulous posterior maxilla and residual bone height (RBH) >4 mm underwent t‐SFA with OSSIX™ Bone as grafting material and simultaneous implant placement. The implant Stability Quotient (ISQ) was measured by resonance frequency analysis (RFA) directly after implant insertion and at 6 months. Differences in bone height (BH) and volume were determined in CBCT and x‐rays at baseline versus 1 year of follow‐up. Graft volume was evaluated by tridimensional reconstructions. Linear regression analysis was used to evaluate the effect of bucco‐palatal sinus dimension, RBH, and length of the implant protruding (PIL) into the sinus, on the graft height (GH) changes up to 1 year, and on the graft volume at 1 year. Autocorrelation between time lag and augmented bone volume was evaluated through time series analysis correlograms. Health‐related quality‐of‐life outcomes were captured.

Results

Twenty‐two patients completed the study. The mean RBH measured at baseline was 5.81 ± 2.2 mm. The mean graft volume was 1085.8 ± 733.4 mm3. The mean GH, measured in the immediate post‐operative period, at 6 and 12 months respectively, was 7.24 mm ±1.94; 6.57 mm ± 2.30; 5.46 mm ± 2.04. The mean ISQ measured after the implant placement was 62.19 ± 8.09, and 6 months later was 76.91 ± 4.50. There was a significant correlation between buccolingual dimension and graft volume at 1 year. Neither buccolingual volume nor RBH had a significant effect on GH change, while the PIL showed a significant positive correlation (P = 0.02 and P = 0.03 at 6 and 12 months, respectively). The correlograms indicated no significant correlation, meaning that there is no tendency for graft volume to increase or decrease over time, therefore suggesting graft stability, at least up to one year of follow‐up. 86% of patients had no chewing interference.

Conclusion

Within the limitations of the study, OSSIX™ Bone could be considered a valid material for SFA due to its manageability and its positive results in promoting new bone formation with long‐term stability. T‐SFA is confirmed as a less invasive and less painful method.
Effect of left ventricular ejection fraction Spectrum on 1‐Year mortality in patients with acute ischemic stroke or transient ischemic attack
Authors: Wei Na , Wei Yufei , Nie Ximing , Liu Xiran , Xiang Xianglong , Pan Yuesong , Meng Xia , Liu Liping , Wang Yongjun
Published: June 2023

Aims

We aimed to investigate the association of the left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) spectrum with 1‐year clinical outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke (AIS) or transient ischemic attack (TIA).

Methods

In a prospective registry for the Third China National Stroke Registry (CNSR‐III), AIS or TIA patients with echocardiography records during hospitalization were recruited. All LVEFs were categorized into intervals of 5% in width. The lowest and highest intervals are ≤40% and >70%, respectively. The primary outcome was all‐cause death at 1 year. Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was performed to investigate the association between baseline LVEF and clinical outcomes.

Results

This analysis included a total of 14,053 patients. In total, 418 patients died during 1‐year follow‐up. Overall, LVEF ≤60% was associated with a higher risk of all‐cause death compared to LVEF >60%, independent of demographic and clinical characteristics (aHR 1.29 [95% CI 1.06–1.58]; p = 0.01). The cumulative incidence of all‐cause death was significantly different among the eight LVEF groups that survival declined successively with the decrease of LVEF (log‐rank p ≤ 0.0001).

Conclusions

Patients with AIS or TIA with decreased LVEF (≤60%) had a lower 1‐year survival rate after onset. LVEF 50%–60% even within the normal range, may still contribute to poor outcomes in AIS or TIA. Comprehensive evaluation of cardiac function after acute ischemic cerebrovascular disease should be strengthened.
Total response models as a conceptual management framework for conserving vulnerable secondary prey
Authors: Norbury Grant L. , Reardon James T.
Published: June 2023

Many of the world's native fauna suffer unsustainable losses from invasive mammalian predators. Conservation managers control predators on the premise that if large numbers are removed, prey will respond. This is sometimes true, but not always. Empirical relationships between predator densities and responses of vulnerable prey in Oceania often show little or no response across a broad range of predator reductions, with positive responses only at low threshold predator densities. Even then, some prey populations fail to respond. More research is required to identify predator thresholds across a range of prey taxa. This uncertainty of outcomes, coupled with the considerable cost of mammalian pest control, risks little or no return from limited conservation funds. A unifying theory is required to help understand why conservation outcomes from predator control are so variable despite the best efforts of conservation managers, and to expedite the right kind of management for a given prey species. We argue that a modern synthesis of numerical and functional response theory, in the form of total response models, provides such a theory. Stochastic consumer‐resource models are recommended for dynamic systems, but they are difficult to parameterize. Total response models, on the other hand, present a simple conceptual framework that managers can use as a heuristic to understand predator–prey systems, help explain some of the variability in predator control outcomes and stimulate thinking about other management options that can be integrated with predator control to improve conservation outcomes. Five rules of thumb are suggested to assist conservation managers.
Impacts of climate change on dragonflies and damselflies in West and Central Asia
Authors: Cadena John T. , Boudot Jean‐Pierre , Kalkman Vincent J. , Marshall Leon
Published: June 2023

Aim

To project the impact of climate change on dragonfly and damselfly diversity in West and Central Asia.

Location

West and Central Asia.

Time period

1900–2020 data used to predict distributions in 2070 and 2100.

Taxon studied

Odonata.

Methods

Based on 149,001 records, distribution models were created for 159 species using MaxEnt. Environmental variables consisted of climate variables taken from BIOCLIM, river data and soil data. The future climate data were obtained from CHELSA from CMIP6 climate models. The same variables were collected for three scenarios (SSP1‐2.6, SSP3‐7.0 and SSP5‐8.5) of shared socioeconomic pathways for the years 2050–2070 and 2080–2100. For each scenario and period, diversity maps were prepared for six species groups: all species, Lentic, Lotic, Oriental, Afrotropical and Palaearctic species.

Results

Strong declines in diversity are expected in western Turkey, the Levant and Azerbaijan, and to a lesser extent in parts of Iran and southern Central Asia. An increase is expected in eastern Turkey and at higher elevations in Central Asia with a limited increase throughout the Arabian Peninsula. In contrast to expectations, a decrease in areas with <15 species was found. Faunal composition is predicted to show strong shifts, with Palaearctic species declining and Oriental and Afrotropical species increasing. No clear difference between the trend of lentic and lotic species is found, although there are clear spatial differences in trend between these groups.

Main Conclusions

Climate change will result in strong changes in diversity and distribution of dragonflies and damselflies in West and Central Asia with regional declines and increases. None of the species are predicted to go extinct based on the impact of climate change only, however, the combined impact of climate change and anthropogenic forces is likely to push some of the species to near extinction by 2100.
Consequences of inconvenient information: Evidence from sentencing disparities
Authors: Šoltés Michal
Published: June 2023

Inconvenient information about the performance of public institutions may undermine public trust. In an experiment, I test how information about sentencing disparities among judges in the Czech Republic affects respondents' perception of the judicial system. I find no effect on respondents' declared institutional trust and willingness to rely on the formal judicial system. Instead, the information marginally increased respondents' policy involvement: they became more likely to (i) sign a petition that invites politicians to address the underlying issue, and (ii) consider the fairness of the judicial system to be a more important policy issue. The increased interest in signing the petition was driven by mothers, who are arguably more sensitive to the particular treatment information in the presented case of a failure to pay alimony.
Institutional quality and public spending in Europe: A quantile regression approach
Authors: Barra Cristian , Ruggiero Nazzareno
Published: June 2023

We appraise the effects of institutional quality on public spending for a set of 27 European countries and 18 Euro‐area economies over the 1996–2017 period. While institutions play a weak role in affecting spending once the fixed‐effects model is employed, the application of the quantile regression indicates that improved institutional quality mitigates public spending, although the effects crucially depend on the distribution of public expenditure and the sample examined. For both the Euro‐area sample and the full sample, we show that better quality of institutions reduces public spending, although the effects become less significant the higher the levels of public spending. Further, for the Euro‐area sample, institutions appear to have a stronger role in mitigating public spending. Several robustness tests confirm our findings.
Identifying environmental factors affecting the production of pea aphid dispersal morphs in field populations
Authors: Bosch Michael J. , Ives Anthony R.
Published: June 2023

Many species of insects show phenotypically plastic dispersal traits in response to suboptimal environmental conditions. These polyphenetic traits can have large impacts on the population dynamics of the dispersing insects. Therefore, it is important to understand what environmental factors affect the development of dispersal traits and how these factors affect population dynamics via immigration/emigration.

Pea aphids (Acyrthosiphon pisum) exhibit a polyphenetic wing dimorphism in which individuals are either winged (alate) or not (apterous). The production of alate offspring is determined by environmental cues experienced by the mother. Environmental factors associated with these cues have been intensively studied, with crowding, host plant quality, natural enemies, fungal infection, and viral infection being shown to affect the production of pea aphid alates under controlled laboratory conditions. Nonetheless, environmental factors affecting alate production have rarely been studied in field populations of pea aphids.

Using data from a three‐year study of alate production in 5–9 alfalfa (lucerne) fields, we examined the effects of (i) pea aphid abundance, (ii) host plant maturity, (iii) temperature, (iv) predator and herbivore abundance, (v) parasitism, and (vi) entomopathic fungal incidence. In twice‐weekly samples taken over the growing season, alate production ranged from 0% to 83% of the nymphal population.

Pea aphid abundance, temperature, and alfalfa maturity together explained 67% of the variation in alate production. The other factors we investigated explained little variation. These results suggest there is a limited number of key environmental factors that consistently predict changes in alate production in field populations, while many factors identified in lab studies may be unimportant. Our results highlight the value of investigating factors affecting the expression of plastic traits in insect species at a broad spatiotemporal scale and under natural conditions.
Abundance, cover use, and clustering of brown trout spawning redds during stream habitat rehabilitation
Authors: Mundahl Neal D. , Schnaser Avery C.
Published: June 2023

Abundance, placement beneath cover and clustering of brown trout spawning redds were monitored throughout five spawning seasons (2016–2020) in a 4.8‐km reach of a Minnesota coldwater stream to assess the potential impacts of concurrent stream habitat rehabilitation projects. We anticipated that redd abundance (redds/100 m stream segments) and placement beneath cover (e.g. logs and branches, boulders, overhanging bank vegetation, aquatic macrophytes) would increase and redd clustering (placement within 1.5 m of other redds) would decline as stream sections were rehabilitated. Repeated redd counts were conducted for the entire stream reach during each of the five spawning seasons, and redd cover and clustering were documented. Before‐after comparison of impact (BACI) tests were used to compare redd abundances in control versus rehabilitated stream sections, and before‐after distributional tests compared redd placement beneath cover and redd clustering within rehabilitated sections. In total, 1895 brown trout spawning redds were documented within the study reach during the five spawning seasons combined. Redd abundance increased nearly fivefold throughout the 5‐year study period (from 3.5 to 15.5 redds/100 m), but no significant difference was detected in redd abundances between rehabilitated versus control stream sections. Redd placement beneath cover (63% beneath cover in total) also increased throughout the study, but at a rate nine to 45 times greater in stream sections rehabilitated during the study than in control or previously rehabilitated sections. Redd clustering remained unchanged (5‐year means = 35 to 46% of all redds clustered) in rehabilitated sections, but increased significantly through time (0% to 35%) in the control section. Stream habitat rehabilitation did not increase spawning redd abundance or reduce redd clustering in rehabilitated stream sections, but redd placement beneath cover increased after rehabilitation to levels present in other stream sections.
Factors influencing the home range of freshwater fishes
Authors: Burbank Jacob , Gao Katelyn , Power Michael
Published: June 2023

Initial investigations of home range for freshwater fish noted that it scaled allometrically, with additional studies having linked home range to variations in water body size. Here, we revisit the analysis of factors influencing freshwater fish home range sizes using an expanded dataset incorporating more recent telemetry data and a meta‐analysis approach to evaluate the influence of fish length, water body size, trophic guild and latitude on the home range size of fishes in lotic and lentic systems. With the expanded data set we reaffirm that length has a significant effect on the home range size in both lentic and lotic environments, with the effect of length being more pronounced in lotic environments. Similarly, we determined water body size also significantly influences home range size and is the key determinant of home range size in both lentic and lotic environments. We also demonstrate the importance of trophic guild and latitude as determinants of home range in lentic and lotic environments. The factors influencing home range size in both environments were common (i.e. fish length, water body size, trophic guild and latitude), but varied in importance weight between the environments. The results of this study help illuminate the weight of importance of factors influencing the home range of freshwater fishes and provide useful information for conservation and environmental management planning purposes.
Alterations of sensory cell activity in the thalamic reticular nucleus by prefrontal cortex activation in anesthetized rats
Authors: Kimura Akihisa
Published: June 2023

The thalamic reticular nucleus (TRN), receiving excitatory inputs from thalamic nuclei and cortical areas, regulates thalamic sensory processing through its inhibitory projections to thalamic nuclei. Higher cognitive function has been shown to affect this regulation from the prefrontal cortex (PFC). The present study examined how activation of the PFC modulates auditory or visual responses of single TRN cells in anesthetized rats, using juxta‐cellular recording and labelling techniques. Electrical microstimulation of the medial PFC did not evoke cell activities in the TRN, but it altered sensory responses in the majority of auditory (40/43) and visual cells (19/20) with regard to response magnitude, latency and/or burst spiking. Alterations in response magnitude were bidirectional, either facilitation or attenuation, including induction of de novo cell activity and nullification of sensory response. Response modulation was observed in early (onset) and/or recurrent late responses. PFC stimulation, either before or after early response, affected late response. Alterations occurred in the two types of cells projecting to the first‐ and higher‐order thalamic nuclei. Further, auditory cells projecting to the somatosensory thalamic nuclei were affected. Facilitation was induced at relatively high incidences as compared with that in the sub‐threshold intra‐ or cross‐modal sensory interplay in the TRN where attenuation is predominated in bidirectional modulation. Highly complex cooperative and/or competitive interactions between the top‐down influence from the PFC and bottom‐up sensory inputs are assumed to take place in the TRN to adjust attention and perception depending on the weights of external sensory signals and internal demands of higher cognitive function.
Living the Apostolic Faith Together Today
Authors: Beardsall Sandra
Published: June 2023

As the Commission on Faith and Order of the World Council of Churches (WCC) prepares to mark the 1700th anniversary of the Council of Nicaea in 2025, its distinctive task is to invite the churches to commemorate ecumenically and to consider the search for visible unity under the theme “Living the apostolic faith together today.” Recognizing the diverse expectations of Christians for this anniversary, Faith and Order is planning a year of ecumenical events and opportunities, including a World Conference on Faith and Order with both in‐person and livestreamed participation. The 2025 Week of Prayer for Christian Unity will focus on the Nicaea commemoration, and Faith and Order will collaborate with other WCC units and the churches. Topics for discussion are grouped under three themes: faith, unity, and mission. Online activities will enhance the opportunities for Christians around the globe to encounter one another in a spirit of love and reconciliation.
Nicaea and Christian–Jewish Relations
Authors: Ipgrave Michael
Published: June 2023

It is widely recognized that the Council of Nicaea marks a watershed in relations between Christians and Jews – both specifically the Ecumenical Council itself and also more generally the decades around and following 325. It was at this time that the separation between Christians and Jews, and between Christianity and Judaism, can be said to have reached a definitively final form, the conclusion of the long, drawn‐out process referred to as the “parting of the ways.” Despite periods of co‐existence and mutual enrichment, the history of Christian–Jewish relations has too often been marked by toxicity and tragedy. Christians have not only distinguished themselves from Jewish peoplebut have treated them with disparagement, exclusion, and, at times, persecution; moreover, Christian anti‐Judaism prepared the ground for a still more deadly secular antisemitism. Against this background, this article approaches the question of how to mark the 1700th anniversary of the First Council of Nicaea in terms of its significance for Christian–Jewish relations in our own time.
“We Choose Abundant Life”
Authors: Kassab Najla
Published: June 2023

This article offers an overview of the document “We Choose Abundant Life”: Christians in the Middle East – Towards Renewed Theological, Social, and Political Choices, published in September 2021 by a group of Christians who belong to different churches and with different cultural perspectives, national geographies, and areas of expertise. The document offers renewed alternatives of theological, social, and political choices for the churches, peoples, authorities, and institutions in the Middle East.
Interpretable deep learning based text regression for financial prediction
Authors: Liang Rufeng , Zhang Weiwen , Ye Haiming
Published: June 2023

Text regression is an important task in natural language processing (NLP), which aims to predict continuous numerical values associated with text. Previous work focused on linear text regression requiring manual feature selection for financial prediction. Recently, non‐linear text regression through neural network models has become a trend. However, most models rely only on convolutional neural networks (CNN) and suffer from insufficient interpretability. In this paper, we propose a deep neural network model named EM‐CBA for text regression and further interpret the model. The proposed model is powered by word EMbedding, CNN, Bidirectional long short‐term memory (Bi‐LSTM) and Attention mechanism. The proposed EM‐CBA takes financial report texts as input and predicts a financial metric named return on assets (ROA). We conduct comprehensive experiments on a dataset about the reports of enterprises. Experimental results show that the proposed model provides more accurate predictions of enterprises' metrics than previous convolutional neural network models and other classical models. The validity of each module of the model is also verified. Finally, we demonstrate a way of performing analysis in words change and results errors to intuitively interpret the effect of different text inputs on the model. The analysis demonstrates that the model is able to use information about sentiment words to analyse their associated contexts to revise the predictions.
Comparing targeted intervention modalities for high conflict co‐parents: A quasi‐experimental study
Authors: Dealy Jennifer A. , Russell B. S. , Robinson J. L.
Published: June 2023

High conflict co‐parents engage in recurrent litigation that significantly strains the court system and exacerbates their conflict. Given barriers to their engagement in service delivery (e.g., level of conflict, transportation, child care), it is vital to evaluate targeted interventions and to examine different intervention modalities (e.g., online, hybrid). This study compared court involvement and rates of parental agreement among 178 high conflict cases that received a multi‐component intervention, either in‐person or in a hybrid version. Results demonstrated no significant differences between groups in the change in number of court negotiations, child‐related issues, or court services from before to after‐intervention completion or in the proportion of parenting cases who reached an agreement. Both versions demonstrated significant reductions in parents' court involvement from before to after‐intervention completion. These findings suggest the need for future research to evaluate the comparative efficacy of hybrid programs and in‐person programs for high conflict co‐parents with greater methodological rigor in light of the current study's findings and limitations.
A simplified approach to hydraulic fracturing of rocks based on Finite Fracture Mechanics
Authors: Sapora A. , Spagnoli A. , Susmel L. , Cornetti P.
Published: June 2023

This work presents a coupled approach, based on Finite Fracture Mechanics (FFM), to preliminarily investigate hydraulic fracturing of rocks. The novelty of the criterion relies on the assumption of a finite crack extension and on the simultaneous fulfillment of a stress requirement and the energy balance. Two material constants are involved, namely, the tensile strength and the fracture toughness. The FFM unknowns are represented by the critical crack advance, which results a structural parameter and not a simple material one, and the breakdown pressure. The study investigates the longitudinal failure behavior of both impermeable and permeable rocks by supposing that growing cracks are loaded by a pressure proportional to that acting on the borehole wall. The stability growth of hydraulic fractures is discussed case by case. The approach is validated against experimental data available in the literature by considering the effect of rock permeability, fluid viscosity and flow rate.
Income Segregation Analysis in Limited‐Data Contexts: A Methodology Based on Iterative Proportional Fitting
Authors: Peraza‐Mues Gonzalo , Ponce‐Lopez Roberto , Muñoz Sanchez Juan Antonio , Cavazos Alanis Fernanda , Olivera Martínez Grissel , Brambila Paz Carlos
Published: June 2023

Since the 1950s, researchers in Urban Geography have created multiple instruments for measuring income segregation. However, the computation of such indexes requires the availability of income data and population distribution for small areal units. This approach is problematic for countries and cities where a government's decennial census does not collect or report income data for small‐enough areal units to capture income variability within a neighborhood. To address this gap, we use Iterative Proportional Fitting (IPF) to combine neighborhood‐level census data with an individual‐level income survey data and then estimate small area discrete and continuous income distributions for each small area. We show that it is possible to compute segregation indices based solely on estimated probability distributions without the need to generate a full synthetic population or to obtain integer population counts. We test our empirical method with the case of Mexican cities, for which global and local indexes of segregation are computed with bootstrapped confidence intervals. The major contributions of this article are twofold. First, it uses a method for income‐data generation to measure income segregation. Secondly, it demonstrates a linkage between the computation of segregation measures based on probability distributions and the feasibility of computing them directly from the same IPF estimated distributions of income.
COVID‐19 hospitalization outcomes in adults by HIV status; a nation‐wide register‐based study
Authors: Möller Isabela Killander , Gisslén Magnus , Wagner Philippe , Sparén Pär , Carlander Christina
Published: June 2023

Objectives

To assess the outcome of patients hospitalized with COVID‐19 by HIV status and risk factors for severe COVID‐19 in people living with HIV (PWH), we performed a nationwide cohort study using register data.

Methods

All people aged ≥18 years hospitalized with a primary COVID‐19 diagnosis (U07.1 or U07.2) in Sweden between February 2020 and October 2021 were included. The primary outcome was severe COVID‐19 [intensive care unit (ICU) admission or 90‐day mortality]. Secondary outcomes were days in hospital and ICU, complications in hospital, and risk factors for severe COVID‐19 in PWH. Regression analyses were performed to assess severe COVID‐19 by HIV status and risk factors.

Results

Data from 64 815 hospitalized patients were collected, of whom 121 were PWH (0.18%). PWH were younger (p < 0.001), and larger proportions were men (p = 0.014) and migrants (p < 0.001). Almost all PWH had undetectable HIV‐RNA (93%) and high CD4 T‐cell counts (median = 560 cells/μL, interquartile range: 376–780). In an unadjusted model, PWH had statistically significant lower odds of severe COVID‐19 compared with patients without HIV [odds ratio (OR) = 0.6, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.34–0.94], but there was no significant difference after adjusting for age and comorbidity (adjusted OR = 0.7, 95% CI: 0.43–1.26). A statistically significant lower proportion of PWH (8%, 95% CI: 5–15%) died within 90 days compared with those without HIV (16%, 95% CI: 15–16%, p = 0.024). There was no statistically significant difference in days in hospital and complications during the hospital stay between PWH and patients without HIV.

Conclusions

In this nationwide study including well‐treated PWH, HIV was not a risk factor in hospitalized patients for developing severe COVID‐19.
Preparation and properties of magnesia porous ceramics by particle‐stabilized foam casting
Authors: Jiao Changfa , Li Guohua , Tian Lin , Chen Shujiang , Kang Chi , Sun Gege
Published: June 2023

In this paper, magnesia porous ceramics were prepared by particle‐stabilized foams assisted foam‐gel casting. Secondly, the performance of magnesia slurry and magnesia porous ceramics was investigated. The obtained magnesia powder manifested high adsorption amount and excellent hydrophobicity, due to the strong adsorption ability of sodium dodecyl benzene sulfonate (SDBS) on magnesia particles. When the SDBS concentration is .3 wt%, the surface tension and expansion ratio of the slurry were 45 mN·m−1 and 1.68, respectively. The shape of the pore was sphere cell structure, with uniform distribution of pores in the sample, the average pore size was in the range of 58.7–73.9 μm, and the compressive strength was in the range of 25.3 MPa to 15.5 MPa when porosity varied from 56.7% to 70.2%.
Female sexual dysfunction and lower urinary tract symptoms associated with vulvovaginal atrophy symptoms: Results of the GENJA study
Authors: Ozaki Yumi , Tomoe Hikaru , Shimomura Mayuka , Ninomiya Noriko , Sekiguchi Yuki , Sato Yoshikazu , Nagao Koichi , Takahashi Yoshimitsu , Takahashi Satoru
Published: June 2023

Objectives

To investigate the main symptoms of female sexual dysfunction (FSD) and lower urinary tract symptoms associated with vulvovaginal atrophy (VVA) symptoms as the core symptoms of genitourinary syndrome of menopause.

Methods

We extracted the data of 4134 Japanese women aged 40–79 years who participated in the GENitourinary syndrome of menopause in JApanese women (GENJA) study. All participants responded to web‐based questionnaires assessing their health situation, including the Vulvovaginal Symptoms Questionnaire, the Female Sexual Function Index (FSFI), and the Core Lower Urinary Tract Symptom Score. Multivariable regression and multivariable logistic regression analyses were applied to analyze the association between VVA symptoms and FSD, and between VVA symptoms and lower urinary tract symptoms.

Results

Multivariable regression analysis revealed that VVA symptoms were associated with lower scores for arousal, lubrication, orgasm, satisfaction, and pain domains in the FSFI in sexually active women (p < 0.01). Regression coefficients were higher for lubrication and pain domains than for the other domains. Multivariable logistic regression analysis revealed that women reporting VVA symptoms were more likely to have increased daytime urinary frequency, nocturia, urgency, slow stream, straining to void, feeling of incomplete emptying, bladder pain, and feeling a bulge/lump from or in the vagina (p < 0.05). Adjusted odds ratios were particularly high for straining to void, feeling of incomplete emptying, and bladder pain.

Conclusions

Vulvovaginal atrophy symptoms were significantly associated with decreased lubrication and dyspareunia in FSD, and urinary symptoms of straining to void, feeling of incomplete emptying, and bladder pain.
Effect of laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomy on the incidence of surgical‐site wound infection: A meta‐analysis
Authors: Kong De‐Shuai , Zhang Heng‐Le , Zhao Xiu‐Lei , Meng Yu , Chai Wei , Wang Zhen‐Yong
Published: June 2023

A meta‐analysis was conducted to assess the impact of robotic and laparoscopic pancreaticoduodenectomies on postoperative surgical site wound infections. A comprehensive computerised search of databases, such as PubMed, EMBASE, Cochrane Library, Web of Science, China National Knowledge Infrastructure, Chinese Biomedical Literature Database, and Wanfang Data, was performed to identify studies comparing robotic pancreaticoduodenectomy (PD) with laparoscopicPD. Relevant studies were searched from the inception of the database construction until April 2023. The meta‐analysis outcomes were analysed using odds ratios (OR) with corresponding 95% confidence intervals (CI). The RevMan 5.4 software was used for the meta‐analysis. The findings of the meta‐analysis showed that patients who underwent laparoscopic PD had a significantly lower incidence of surgical‐site wound (16.52% vs. 18.92%, OR: 0.78, 95% CI: 0.68–0.90, P = .0005), superficial wound (3.65% vs. 7.57%, OR: 0.51, 95% CI: 0.39–0.68, P < .001), and deep wound infections (1.09% vs. 2.23%, OR: 0.53, 95% CI: 0.34–0.85, P = .008) than those who received robotic PD. However, because of variations in sample size between studies, some studies suffered from methodological quality deficiencies. Therefore, further validation of this result is needed in future studies with higher quality and larger sample sizes.
Use of local wound infiltration in open hepatectomy to reduce wound pain: A systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: Meng Qian‐Qian , Zhao Qiu‐Cheng , Hou Dong‐Nan
Published: June 2023

The aim of this study was to assess the effects of local wound infiltration anaesthesia on postoperative wound pain in patients undergoing open liver resection. The Cochrane Library, PubMed, EMBASE, China National Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Chinese Biomedical Literature Database (CBM) and Wanfang databases were searched. The search period spanned from database creation to December 2022. All relevant studies on local wound infiltration anaesthesia for analgesia after hepatectomy were included. Two investigators independently screened the literature, extracted data and evaluated the quality of each study. Review Manager (RevMan) 5.4 software (Cochrane Collaboration) was used for the meta‐analysis, in which 12 studies with 986 patients were included. The results show that local wound infiltration anaesthesia effectively reduced surgical site wound pain at 4 h (mean difference [MD]: −1.26, 95% confidence intervals [CIs]: −2.15 to −0.37, P = .005), 12 h (MD: −0.84, 95% CIs: −1.26 to −0.42, P < .001), 24 h (MD: −0.57, 95% CIs: −1.01 to −0.14, P = .009) and 48 h (MD: −0.54, 95% CIs: −0.81 to −0.26, P < .001) postoperatively; however, there was no significant difference in analgesia at 72 h postoperatively (MD: −0.10, 95% CIs: −0.80 to 0.59, P = .77). These findings suggest that local wound infiltration anaesthesia administered to patients undergoing open liver resection provides good postoperative wound analgesia at the surgical site.
Phase transition of hafnon, HfSiO4, at high pressure
Authors: Niu Jingjing , Lu Ziyao , Nan Shuai , Wu Xiang , Qin Shan , Liu Yingxin , Li Weixing
Published: June 2023

The high‐pressure behavior of hafnon has been systematically investigated by combining in situ synchrotron X‐ray diffraction, Raman, high‐resolution transmission electron microscopy (HRTEM) techniques, and theoretical simulations. Hafnon starts phase transition at 26.6 GPa and completes the transition to an irreversible scheelite phase (, Z = 4, a0 = 4.712 Å, and c0 = 10.378 Å) at ∼45 GPa. The HRTEM observation of an interface between hafnon and scheelite phases allows atomic scale understanding of the transition process with a relationship of (200)h‖(112)s, //, and . Hafnon shows a significantly lower transition pressure (∼12.6 GPa), as calculated from the relative enthalpies, than the measured pressure (∼26 GPa), indicating a kinetically hindered process involved in the transition. A high pressure low symmetry phase in hafnon () is identified by the simultaneous appearance of two Raman modes (∼75 and 450 cm−1) at 26.6 GPa and their subsequent simultaneous disappearance at 36.7 GPa. These results are important to understanding the mechanism of the zircon‐scheelite transition for both zircon and hafnon.
A cross‐sectional study to assess faculty and student knowledge of climate change and health: Readiness for curricular integration
Authors: Breakey Suellen , Starodub Roksolana , Nicholas Patrice K. , Wong John
Published: June 2023

Aims

To examine the perceived knowledge, attitudes and beliefs regarding climate change and health of academic faculty and students in programmes for health professionals and to identify barriers/facilitators to and resources required for curriculum integration.

Design

Cross‐sectional survey eliciting quantitative and open‐ended responses.

Methods

A 22‐question survey to assess climate–health knowledge/attitudes/beliefs was distributed to all students and faculty (n = 224) at one academic institution in the United States. Open‐ended questions addressed barriers, facilitators and required resources. Descriptive statistics are reported, and thematic analysis was used to identify themes from open‐ended responses.

Results

Response rate was 15%. Most respondents (76%) were between 20 and 34 years old. The majority were from nursing (39%), occupational therapy (13%) and communication speech disorders (12.5%). Most respondents perceived climate change as relevant to direct patient care (78%) and believed that it is impacting the health of individuals (86%) and should be integrated into curricula (89%). Yet, most (60%) reported modest to no knowledge about the health impacts. Faculty reported little to no comfort teaching climate change and health concepts (76%). Open‐ended responses identified student/faculty receptivity and professional/clinical relevance as important facilitators of successful integration. Barriers included intensity of programmes; time and competing curricular priorities; and a lack of faculty expertise, resources, institutional and professional commitment.

Conclusions

Most health professions students and faculty indicated that educating future health professionals about climate change and health is important, but existing barriers must be addressed.

Impact

This study addressed student and faculty perceptions of integrating climate change and health into health professions curricula. Discipline‐specific and interprofessional educational approaches are necessary to optimize future health professionals' efforts to prevent and mitigate climate change impacts for at‐risk patients, communities and populations.
Avoiding investment in fossil fuel assets
Authors: Kennedy Christopher A. , Sers Martin , Westphal Michael I.
Published: June 2023

Reducing greenhouse gas emissions requires a transformation of capital assets in the economy, especially those for energy supply. This paper explores the hypothesis that economically efficient decarbonization occurs when the demand for fossil fuels declines at the same rate as their capital assets depreciate. In theory this means that new investments in fossil fuel assets are avoided, but without incurring stranded assets. We examine the practicality of this hypothesis using a biophysical economic model of the US energy supply system, with an example focused on impacts of electric vehicles on the petroleum supply chain. We specifically address two questions: (1) What rate of market penetration for electric vehicles is necessary to avoid investments in the petroleum‐related assets? (2) How do the costs of upstream capital assets change with the transformation to electric vehicles? High annual depreciation rates for oil refineries (δ = 9.47%) and assets for crude oil extraction (δ = 8.23%) have important impacts on results. To avoid new investment in oil refining assets through widespread electrification of light‐duty vehicles, the vehicle stock would need to be transformed in just 4 or 5 years. Under most scenarios, some petroleum pipelines will likely become stranded assets due to their low rate of depreciation (δ = 2.48%). In some scenarios, additional investments in wind and solar power generation surpass oil and gas extraction for about 5 years during the transformation to electric vehicles. Once built, however, wind and solar capital assets last longer, as shown by their low rate of depreciation (δ = 3.26%).