bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Educational interventions to promote adolescents’ mental health: A scoping review
Authors: Daniele Katia , Gambacorti Passerini Maria B , Palmieri Cristina , Zannini Lucia
Published: June 2022

Background:

Adolescents often experience discomfort due to individual experiences and the influence of their environment. This discomfort sometimes leads to mental health problems. Education is pivotal in promoting adolescents’ mental health through dedicated prevention interventions and through everyday educational practice, both at school and in the community.

Objective:

To develop an overview of the types of educational interventions aimed at promoting the mental health of adolescents and young adults, providing helpful guidance and insights to teachers/educators.

Methods:

We conducted a scoping review developed through searches in the CINAHL, Eric, PsycINFO and PubMed databases. We summarised data using descriptive analysis, grouping educational interventions category according to their goals and purposes.

Results:

Of the initial 704 articles identified, 19 met the study inclusion criteria. Consistent with Dewey’s educational theory, most of the interventions reported in the selected studies can be viewed as genuine ‘educational’ interventions, in that they involved experiential and interactive activities such as discussion groups, role-play and art-based activities. Fewer interventions involved less participatory and more ‘information-based’ activities, such as lessons. However, in many interventions, the role of teachers/educators in promoting young people’s mental health was underestimated; indeed, in only a few cases were they the providers/co-providers of the activities described, and rarely was there continuity/alignment between the interventions and everyday school activities.

Conclusions:

Conducting a greater number of formal/informal educational interventions to promote adolescents’ mental health is imperative, especially in the current socio-historical context, but this enterprise must acknowledge, value and support the important role of teachers/educators as leaders and participants in this endeavour.
The Bone Sialoprotein RGD Domain Modulates and Maintains Periodontal Development
Authors: Nagasaki K. , Chavez M.B. , Nagasaki A. , Taylor J.M. , Tan M.H. , Ma M. , Ralston E. , Thew M.E. , Kim D.-G. , Somerman M.J. , Foster B.L.
Published: June 2022

Bone sialoprotein (gene: Ibsp; protein: BSP) is a multifunctional extracellular matrix protein present in bone, cementum, and dentin. Accumulating evidence supports BSP as a key regulator of mineralized tissue formation via evolutionarily conserved functional domains, including a C-terminal integrin-binding Arg-Gly-Asp (RGD) domain implicated in extracellular matrix–cell signaling. Ablation of Ibsp in mice ( Ibsp−/−) results in impaired bone growth and mineralization and defective osteoclastogenesis, with effects in the craniofacial region including reduced acellular cementum formation, detachment of the periodontal ligament (PDL), alveolar bone hypomineralization, and severe periodontal breakdown. We hypothesized that BSP-RGD plays an important role in cementum and alveolar bone formation and mineralization, as well as periodontal function. This hypothesis was tested by replacing the RGD motif with a nonfunctional Lys-Ala-Glu (KAE) sequence in ( IbspKAE/KAE) mice and OCCM.30 murine ( IbspKAE) cementoblasts. The RGD domain was not critical for acellular or cellular cementum formation in IbspKAE/KAE mice. However, PDL volume and thickness were increased, and significantly more tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase–positive osteoclasts were found on alveolar bone surfaces of IbspKAE/KAE mice versus wild type mice. PDL organization was disrupted as indicated by picrosirius red stain, second harmonic generation imaging, dynamic mechanical analysis, and decreased asporin proteoglycan localization. In vitro studies implicated RGD functions in cell migration, adhesion, and mineralization, and this was confirmed by an ossicle implant model where cells lacking BSP-RGD showed substantial defects as compared with controls. In total, the BSP-RGD domain is implicated in periodontal development, though the scale and scope of changes indicated by in vitro studies indicate that other factors may partially compensate for and reduce the phenotypic severity of mice lacking BSP-RGD in vivo.
Life After Death: A Narrative Exploration of Near-Death Experiences
Authors: Seifu Feven , Maurya Rakesh , DeDiego Amanda C.
Published: June 2022

Death awareness and near-death experiences initiate shifts in awareness, priorities, and relationships. This narrative inquiry explored the stories of four individuals who had near-death experiences. Participants shared their experiences before and after the experiences. Findings include considerations of how mortality awareness connects with life experiences. Resonant threads across narratives included Interactions with Death, Life after Death, and Meaning in Life after Death. Specifically, findings explore near-death experiences, how life was changed following interactions with death, and the meaning-making process through death awareness. Findings and discussion explore the impact of death awareness as well as considerations for those in death and trauma-related fields.
Racial Profiling and Second-Class Citizenship
Authors: Carpan Catalina
Published: June 2022

I argue that racial profiling gives minority groups reason to perceive a threat of violence and wrongful arrest when interacting with the criminal justice system, consequently leading them to engage in self-limiting conduct in order to avoid being profiled. As a result, they may ultimately exercise a de facto second-class citizenship status through a limited exercise of basic rights and access to public services. This would suggest, contra consequentialist defenders of the practice, that a public ban on profiling would serve to contain an important, but often overlooked source of racial injustice and that a thorough cost–benefit analysis should include these costs.
Space and secularism: Laïcité, spatial governmentality, and exclusion in French hijab stories
Authors: Almeida Dimitri
Published: June 2022

The article frames current practices of French laïcité in terms of spatial governmentality. It builds upon this notion to explore spatialised representations of religion and secularism in ‘hijab stories’ (narratives of the self that focus on the daily experiences of women who wear a hijab). The analysis of Fatimata Diallo’s Sous mon voile and Nargesse Bibimoune’s Confidence à mon voile reveals an ever-expansive reach of an exclusionary reading of laïcité. This phenomenon has severely restricted the spatial practice of hijabi women in French society favouring adaptive strategies that include the creation of counter-spaces of subjectivation and self-expression.
Temporalities of Friendship: Adults’ Friends in Everyday Family Life and Beyond
Authors: Luotonen Aino
Published: June 2022

This study examines how adults’ close friendships are lived using different temporalities. The modern ideal of friendship underlining individual choice and affinity is challenged by marriage and family. Using a temporal approach, I aim to grasp the variety of experiences of individuals during the early years of marriage. Drawing from qualitative interviews with 32 individuals forming 16 couples, I distinguished between three temporalities of friendship: (1) friendship here and now; (2) friendship in cyclical time; and (3) friendship based on the past and revived by timeless moments. I argue that, while some friendships entangle everyday family practices, other friendships are lived among two individuals, involving intimacy as outlined by Simmel, and simultaneously challenging the experience of linear time. This study contributes to an understanding of how friendships are lived within and beyond the family, and, furthermore, to a wider sociological discussion on the use of temporality in analysing social life.
Leveraging Community Schools for Community Development: Lessons from Baltimore's 21st Century School Buildings Program
Authors: Butler Alisha , Bierbaum Ariel , O’Keefe Erin
Published: June 2022

This study leverages data collected from a study of Baltimore's 21st Century School Buildings Program to understand the potential of a school facilities investment to catalyze community development. We leverage a school-community partnership typology to examine partnerships at 21CSBP schools in three neighborhoods. We found that schools provided critical resources to their school and place-based communities and were linked to community development efforts. We argue that community development partnership models are possible when schools and their partners view their work as going beyond the schoolhouse door. The study extends the field's understanding of the interdependence of school and neighborhood improvement.
COVID-19 AND SOUTH AFRICA–CHINA ASYMMETRIC RELATIONS
Authors: Akinola Adeoye O. , Tella Oluwaseun
Published: June 2022

While South Africa–China relations were only formalized in 1998, relations between these states date back to the 1800s. South Africa's quest for sustainable development through partnerships with global powers motivated its close ties with China. The 2015 Cape Town Declaration committed the two countries to improve health facilities and disease control. The coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic presents an opportunity to rethink this partnership. Drawing on desktop research, this article engages the reality of COVID-19 and explores South Africa–China relations in the context of the pandemic. The emergence of the virus in China, its rapid spread, and the high fatality rate have had devastating repercussions across the world. This article argues that Beijing's response to COVID-19 raises more questions than it answers. The outbreak of the virus in China, its response, and emerging cases of racism and xenophobia against Africans in China also raise concerns about the future of South Africa–China relations.
The Effect of Access to Training and Development Opportunities, on Rates of Work Engagement, Within the U.S. Federal Workforce
Authors: Hassett Michael P.
Published: June 2022

This study aims to identify how the access to training and development opportunities influence rates of work engagement in the U.S. federal workforce. Organizations with high rates of work engagement tend to be happier and more efficient than those with lower rates of work engagement. Studies have evidenced that organizational and managerial characteristics can promote work engagement among employees. Through the lens of high-performance work systems and the job demands-resource theory, access to training and development is used as both a high-performance work practice and a job resource to explore its effect on work engagement. Data were drawn from the 2017 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey, a nationally representative sample of U.S. federal employees. By employing ordinary least squares analyses, this study shows that there is a positive correlation between having access to training and development opportunities and higher rates of work engagement across the federal workforce.
Figures of Misery: The Berlin Housing Survey (1901-1920) as an Epistemic Project
Authors: Strunz Stephan
Published: June 2022

From 1901 until 1920, Albert Kohn, director of the Berlin insurance organization Allgemeine Ortskrankenkasse, conducted a systematic housing survey of defective apartments. The work included statistics, reports, and photographs. I situate the project within the context of social surveys in the years around 1900. In the larger history of housing surveys, Kohn’s project was one of the first that amalgamated diverse media and data visualizations. The original publication exhibits a crucial connection between statistics, reports, and apartment photographs. I will show that both reports and photographs epistemically hinged on numerical data gained from a questionnaire. The assemblage of shocking figures in statistics, reports, and photographs was intended to make visible an epistemic object: the misery of the lower classes. Hence, Kohn’s depictions of urban misery did not depend on a specific form of representation, but rather on the consistency between descriptive registers.
Relaxed stability analysis and sampled-data controller design for networked control systems with network-induced delays
Authors: Rouamel Mohamed , Bourahala Fayçal , Guelton Kevin
Published: June 2022

This paper is devoted to the stability analysis and sampled-data controller design problem for networked control systems subject to network-induced delays. The objective is to provide relaxed conditions in terms of linear matrix inequalities. Indeed, reducing the conservatism of such conditions allows to maximize the admissible range of the network-induced delays. To do so, an augmented Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional is proposed, which involves a novel augmented state vector to include as much as possible the information from the time-varying network-induced delay into the stability conditions, together with the use of extended Wirtinger-based inequalities, an extended reciprocal convexity approach and the Finsler’s lemma. Then, declined from the proposed stability conditions, new relaxed delay-dependent conditions for the design of networked sampled-data controllers are proposed. These allow to obtain simultaneously the controller gains and the maximal allowable bound of the network-induced delays with regards to its lower bound. Three illustrative examples are provided to show the effectiveness of the proposed networked control systems stability and controller design conditions, as well as to highlight the so raised conservatism improvements regarding the previous relevant results from the literature.
Successful Management of Esophageal Perforation by Intraoperative Microscopy and Esophagoscopic Assistance: A Case Report
Authors: Chen Yan , Jia Yukun , Peng Zhan , Lv Zhiwu , Wang Guangye
Published: June 2022

Surgical repair of esophageal perforation is a challenging procedure with a high risk of secondary complications, such as early esophageal leakage and late esophageal stricture, which can significantly reduce the patient's quality of life. A 34-year-old man underwent anterior cervical corpectomy decompression and fusion. On the ninth day post-operation, the patient developed fever and neck swelling. A computed tomography scan of the neck showed multiple subcutaneous pneumatosis. An esophageal perforation of approximately 1.5 cm in diameter was identified by esophagoscopy. During the operation, the fistula was first located using an esophagoscope. The distal end of the esophagoscope was then placed into the stomach to support the damaged segment of the esophagus. The esophageal mucosa was sutured under the microscope, and the perforation was successfully repaired. Postoperatively, the patient's body temperature decreased, and the infection indexes gradually returned to normal. Three months after the operation, the esophagoscopic review showed complete healing of the perforation. Esophagoscopy plays an important role in diagnosing and repairing esophageal perforations. The esophagoscope provides direct visualization of the perforation during diagnosis and detects smaller and not yet fully penetrated esophageal injuries. During the repair process, the esophagoscope immobilizes the esophagus, prevents its movement and facilitates suturing, maintains proper dilatation of the esophagus, provides space for suturing, and prevents esophageal stricture.
The Corroboration Role of Management Earnings Forecasts in Private Loan Markets
Authors: Gao Xinghua , Jia Yonghong , Krupa Nicholas R. , Tucker Jennifer Wu
Published: June 2022

Management earnings forecasts (MEFs) may reduce information risk by corroborating the inferences that lenders draw from their private communication with borrowers. Consistent with this idea, we find that among firms with a general policy of issuing MEFs, those providing MEFs in the 6 months before loan origination with a forecast horizon beyond the origination date enjoy lower loan spreads. The frequency and precision of MEFs are also negatively associated with loan spreads. The associations are stronger when lenders’ need for corroboration of their private information is expected to be greater. The associations are not driven by a firm’s general information environment, signaling of managerial ability, opportunistic disclosure, or competition between public and private debt markets. Moreover, the issuance, frequency, and precision of MEFs are associated with loan amounts more spread out among participating lenders, suggesting that MEFs also reduce information asymmetry within a loan syndicate. Our study provides insight into the corroboration role of publicly disseminated MEFs in private loan markets.
Getting the duty to resist right: Remarks on Candice Delmas’s book a duty to resist: When disobedience should be uncivil
Authors: Lafont Cristina
Published: June 2022

In her book A Duty to Resist, Candice Delmas defends the view that we are not only permitted to disobey gravely unjust laws, but we may have a duty to do so. Moreover, not only civil but also uncivil disobedience may be justified in such cases. To justify both claims she argues that the same principles that justify a duty to obey the law—such as the principle of fairness, Samaritan duty, and associative obligations—also justify a duty to disobey the law. The problem with this argumentative strategy is that it amounts to an attempt to derive the duty to disobey gravely unjust laws (or to resist them) from less stringent duties than the ones that can plausibly ground it. Against this strategy, I argue that the focus on laws that violate fundamental rights is what does all the normative work for justifying the duty to disobey/resist such laws, and the appeal to weaker principles is not only superfluous but also misleading. It has negative consequences for our understanding of what is owed to victims, in virtue of what, and by whom.
‘I’m not going anywhere near that': Expert stakeholder challenges in working with boys and young men regarding sex and sexual consent
Authors: Waling Andrea , James Alexandra , FAIRCHILD JACKSON
Published: June 2022

This article explores findings from 23 expert stakeholder interviews on working with cisgender heterosexual men and boys in the fields of gendered violence prevention, relationships and sexuality education (RSE), sexual health, sport, and emotional and mental well-being. It focuses on how organisations and individual consultants navigate political and social tensions when working with boys and young men. Findings from these interviews note several significant challenges and barriers stakeholders face in implementing programs designed to support cisgender, heterosexual boys and young men, particularly in areas of sex, sexual health and wellbeing. These include 1) broader questions as to who is responsible for teaching about sex, relationships, and sexuality; 2) the lack of public support in running programs about sex and sexuality, 3) uncertainty as to the best settings to engage boys and young men, and 4) hostility or lack of engagement with program content. We highlight the implications of these challenges for policy and practice, as well as recommendations for how to address some of these issues.
Information systems as a nexus of information technology systems: A new view of information systems practice
Authors: Baskerville Richard L , Davison Robert M , Kaul Mala , Malaurent Julien , Wong Louie HM
Published: June 2022

The close relationship between the concepts of information systems and information technology creates issues for researchers. Usefully distinguishing between the concepts is problematic. We investigate the use of the systems concept in practice, finding a pragmatic distinction between an information system (IS) and an information technology system (IT system). In a practice view, an IS incorporates an emphasis on both a technical and a social subsystem, while an IT system predominantly emphasizes the technical elements. This distinction becomes useful in practice because contemporary IS practitioners are often involved in acquiring and integrating IT systems into an organizational IS. This involvement leads to a viewpoint on the organizational IS (including the social subsystem) as a nexus of multiple IT systems. This nexus creates issues in practice for not only integrating IT systems into the organizational IS, but also integrating multiple IT systems with each other in the context of the organizational IS. These issues lead to research opportunities such as the need for new methodologies for IT system acquisitions and new theories that accommodate the social integration of IT systems and IS.
Energy efficiency: The evolution of a motherhood concept
Authors: Dunlop Tessa
Published: June 2022

Energy efficiency is a popular policy strategy to reduce energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions. The concept of energy efficiency is relatively simple – to use less energy for the same level of output. However, complexities emerge when applying efficiency concepts to real world processes and practices of energy consumption: subjective judgments when defining, measuring and applying energy efficiency principles, how efficiency is conceptualized and applied in policy, and how policy is designed and implemented, given social and environmental tradeoffs. This article traces the evolution of EU energy efficiency policy over seven decades to better understand underlying values and tradeoffs from a sociological perspective. Using insights from critical policy studies, the article reveals how certain values are reflected in how energy efficiency is defined and measured over time. It highlights how the conceptualization of energy efficiency has been used as an effective rhetorical device – and how some potentially relevant concepts and issues get sidelined in favor of others. The analysis illustrates how narrow conceptualizations of energy efficiency has put blinders on wider environmental and social issues. This points to the need for a more nuanced policy approach that takes into account the complexities and uncertainties of societal and policy challenges. The findings point to the need for energy efficiency policy that pays closer attention to citizens’ views and collective solutions in order to formulate more effective policy to reduce energy consumption.
OD-Based Partition Technique to Improve Arterial Signal Coordination Using Connected Vehicle Data
Authors: Xu Jianyuan , Tian Zong
Published: June 2022

Maximizing two-way arterial bands often plays a critical role in signal coordination along urban arterials. With an increasing number of signals involved, the arterial bands tend to shrink to some extent resulting in inefficient arterial signal coordination, and not all vehicles fully take advantage of the arterial bands to travel through the entire corridor. In response to that, system partition is a technique for handling arterials with many signals. Rather than designing end-to-end signal coordination, efficient arterial signal coordination is highly reliant on traffic origin and destination (OD) patterns on the arterial, which have been difficult to obtain using conventional data collection methods. The emerging big data sources, such as connected vehicles, provide great potential to gather such invaluable OD information for improving arterial signal coordination. This research proposes an easy-to-implement OD-based partition technique to improve arterial signal coordination by utilizing vehicle trajectory data automatically collected from connected vehicles. The proposed signal timing technique was tested using an arterial with 17 signalized intersections in Orange County, California. The results demonstrated that the OD-based partition technique improved the arterial average travel speed by 2.7% and 12.1% for the eastbound and westbound directions, respectively. At the same time, the proposed technique shortened the arterial average travel time by 2.6% and 11.1% for the eastbound and westbound directions, respectively. The total travel time was shortened both for the main-street and side-street major traffic flows.
Free to Choose? The Gendered Impacts of Flexible Working Hours in Brazil
Authors: Sabbag Fares Lygia , de Oliveira Ana Luíza Matos
Published: June 2022

This article examines the effects of the flexibilization of working time in terms of gender segmentation in the labor market. It proposes and analyzes eight categories of women’s participation in the labor market and the effects of flexibilization on each of them. By using household survey data and case studies, the research shows that some forms of flexibilization reinforce the sexual division of labor, for example, low pay for precarious, part-time home-based work, and low social status that perpetuate caregiving roles for women in the private realm. Concurrently, forms of flexibilization associated with better pay do not consider the existing sexual division of labor, in that they demand women’s total availability for work, thus impacting their careers and lives negatively.

JEL Classification: J01, J16, D63
Psychometric Properties and Measurement Invariance of the Academic Procrastination Scale-Short Form in Spanish Children and Adolescents
Authors: Martín-Puga M. Eva , Pelegrina Santiago , Gómez-Pérez M. Mar , Justicia-Galiano M. José
Published: June 2022

The objectives were to examine the factorial structure of the Academic Procrastination Scale-Short Form (APS-S) and the measurement invariance across gender and educational levels, to determine possible differences in procrastination across gender, educational levels, and grades. The sample was formed of 1486 Spanish primary and secondary school students between the ages of 7 and 19 years. A one-factor model provided an adequate fit. Scalar and partial scalar invariance were achieved through gender and educational levels, respectively. Internal consistency was good and slightly higher for secondary school students than primary school students. Moderate convergent validity was obtained. The APS-S scores showed a weak but significant correlation with math anxiety. Procrastination scores increased with grade, and males showed significantly higher procrastination scores than females. The Spanish APS-S demonstrated adequate reliability and validity scores and could be a useful tool for examining academic procrastination in children and adolescents.
Bright Light Increases Alertness and Not Cortisol in Healthy Men: A Forced Desynchrony Study Under Dim and Bright Light (I)
Authors: Lok R. , Woelders T. , van Koningsveld M. J. , Oberman K. , Fuhler S. G. , Beersma D. G. M. , Hut R. A.
Published: June 2022

Light-induced improvements in alertness are more prominent during nighttime than during the day, suggesting that alerting effects of light may depend on internal clock time or wake duration. Relative contributions of both factors can be quantified using a forced desynchrony (FD) designs. FD designs have only been conducted under dim light conditions (<10 lux) since light above this amount can induce non-uniform phase progression of the circadian pacemaker (also called relative coordination). This complicates the mathematical separation of circadian clock phase from homeostatic sleep pressure effects. Here we investigate alerting effects of light in a novel 4 × 18 h FD protocol (5 h sleep, 13 h wake) under dim (6 lux) and bright light (1300 lux) conditions. Hourly saliva samples (melatonin and cortisol assessment) and 2-hourly test sessions were used to assess effects of bright light on subjective and objective alertness (electroencephalography and performance). Results reveal (1) stable free-running cortisol rhythms with uniform phase progression under both light conditions, suggesting that FD designs can be conducted under bright light conditions (1300 lux), (2) subjective alerting effects of light depend on elapsed time awake but not circadian clock phase, while (3) light consistently improves objective alertness independent of time awake or circadian clock phase. Reconstructing the daily time course by combining circadian clock phase and wake duration effects indicates that performance is improved during daytime, while subjective alertness remains unchanged. This suggests that high-intensity indoor lighting during the regular day might be beneficial for mental performance, even though this may not be perceived as such.
Wound healing and anti-inflammatory effects of Anethum graveolens extract loaded in PVA fibers: An in vitro and in vivo study
Authors: Li Linli , Wang Fengjuan
Published: June 2022

Anethum graveolens extract (AGE) is known for its anti-inflammatory, antioxidative, and antibacterial activities. As wound infection, hyperactivity of inflammatory responses, and high oxidative stress are the leading causes of delayed wound healing, we were encouraged to design a delivery vehicle for AGE to develop a potential wound dressing material. In the current study, AGE was incorporated into the polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) scaffolds matrix via the electrospinning method. Various characterization methods were applied to assess the physicochemical and biological properties of the dressings. Cell culture studies with fibroblast cell line showed that AGE-loaded dressings could significantly promote cell viability under normal and oxidative stress conditions. The prepared wound dressings’ wound healing and anti-inflammatory properties were investigated on an excisional injury rat model. Wound healing assay showed that AGE-delivering wound dressings could significantly improve the wound healing response, as evidenced by a significantly higher rate of wound closure, epithelial thickness, and collagen deposition. Gene expression analysis revealed that the produced dressings downregulated inflammation-associated genes such as IL-1β and NFK-β. This preliminary research suggests the potential applicability of AGE-loaded PVA dressings in the clinic.
The Evolution of Civic Activism in Contemporary Russia
Authors: Sundstrom Lisa McIntosh , Henry Laura A. , Sperling Valerie
Published: June 2022

This article examines Russian citizens’ support for and participation in civic activism today, nearly three decades after the collapse of the Soviet Union. Specifically, we consider how activism has evolved over time in two key issue sectors—environmentalism and women’s rights. We draw on a recent nationally representative survey that challenges existing stereotypes of Russians as apathetic and/or fearful of participating in civic activism, showing, to the contrary, that Russians are willing and interested in engaging in public activities. Data from field interviews with environmental and feminist activists, along with the authors’ past twenty-five years of research in these areas of Russian civic activism, allow us to identify an ongoing shift from professionalization and formalization of NGOs in the 1990s and early 2000s, to informal organizing, often assisted by social media platforms, today. We argue that the three major social and political drivers of this change in Russian civic activism are the contraction of political freedoms, the decline in foreign funding, and the availability of web-based communication and fundraising technologies.
Introduction: Civic Activism in Central and Eastern Europe Thirty Years After Communism’s Demise
Authors: Pietrzyk-Reeves Dorota , McMahon Patrice C.
Published: June 2022

Thirty years ago, many credited civil society for communism’s sudden and mostly peaceful demise in Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). In the decades since, scholars have debated the definition, structure, impact, and strength of civil societies in this region. This article introduces a special section that provides theoretical, methodological, and empirical considerations of civil society activism in CEE thirty years after the end of communist regimes in the region. Based on our new multi-country survey instrument and extensive field research, we contend that despite important differences in civil society and democracy’s trajectories within the region, there are commonalities emerging, with new forms of civic activism which are more informal, more dynamic, and ad hoc, often focused on “everyday issues” that average people identify as important and worthy of engagement. Unlike much previous research that focused on formal organizations and institutional conditions, we argue that civil society development in CEE needs to be analyzed from the perspective of actors—activists and citizens—and the concrete concerns that motivate the varied forms of their civic activism.
The Power of Consumer Activism: An Interview With Leah Margulies [Part 1]
Authors: Margulies Leah , Arendt Maryse
Published: June 2022

Leah Margulies was Director of the Infant Formula Program at the Interfaith Center on Corporate Responsibility in NYC from 1975 to 1985. She is a founder of the International Nestlé Boycott, Corporate Accountability (formerly INFACT), and one of the founders of the International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN). She was hired at UNICEF in 1982 to set up the legal office for implementation of the International Code of Marketing Breast-Milk Substitutes, as part of the Baby Friendly Hospital Initiative. Previously, she was legal advisor to the Environment Unit of the United Nations Centre on Transnational Corporations. From 2006 to 2016, she was Project Director of LawHelpNY at the NYC Bar Association. Currently, she works for a legal non-profit, representing low-income Brooklynites, defending them against eviction. She is a lawyer, a second Wave Feminist, and a member of Veteran Feminists of America. She is also a musician and founding member of a pioneering women’s rock band that played at the first national women’s march for abortion rights in Washington, DC, 1972.
Optimizing the structural properties of electrospun polyimide membranes by response surface method
Authors: Parsaei Solmaz , Zebarjad Seyed Mojtaba , Moghim Mohammad Hadi
Published: June 2022

Recently, there has been a rising tendency for the fabrication of membranes using the electrospinning method because it can control the properties of the fibrous mats by changing the parameters of the process. For this reason, in the current research, polyimide (PI) membranes were fabricated by the electrospinning method. The effect of electrospinning parameters on the content of porosity and tensile properties of the electrospun PI mats were investigated. Solution concentration, device voltage, and feed rate were considered the process parameters. Response surface methodology was adopted to design the electrospinning experiments. The results showed that the feed rate had the most contribution to the content of porosity of electrospun PI membranes which increased by decreasing the feed rate. On the other hand, the polymer concentration had a remarkable effect on the tensile strength. Indeed, the tensile strength improved as the solution concentration increased. The optimized electrospinning parameters to achieve both the highest porosity (97.66%) and the highest tensile strength (2.25 MPa) in the PI membrane were as follows: solution concentration 16.78%wt, device voltage 17 kV, and feed rate 1.4 mL h−1. The experimental results were in good agreement with the predicted values.
Identification method on stiffness weak part of cantilever structure on machine tool based on flexibility matrix
Authors: Guo Tieneng , Ma Yunfei , Ji Ruguo
Published: June 2022

Identifying the weak link of structural stiffness is one of the important issues in improving machine tool stiffness. Aiming at the cantilever structure in machine tool, this paper proposes a new weak index to identify the weak link of stiffness. The weak index is based on the modal parameters obtained by vibration test method. In this method, the weak parameter matrix is obtained by multiplying the difference between the reciprocal of the flexibility matrix of the overall structure and the stiffness matrix of the overall structure. The diagonal elements of the weak parameter matrix are extracted to obtain the weak index. And the change of weak index is adopted to identify the weak link of structural stiffness. The method of element stiffness reduction is used to simulate the weak link of stiffness, so as to verify the proposed method. Finite element simulation is used to verify different noises and single and multiple stiffness weak links. The method is verified by numerical examples of cantilever beam and elastic support beam structure. It has higher recognition accuracy under noise interference, which is more advantageous than the flexibility difference method. Finally, an experimental study on the elastic supported cantilever beam structure and the tailstock of machine tool are carried out to verify the effectiveness of the method.
An energy efficiency-based optimization of the rough honing process of hardened 5150 alloy
Authors: Van An-Le , Nguyen Trung-Thanh
Published: June 2022

The honing operation is maned as an effective and efficient finishing solution to achieve better surface properties and machining efficiency. However, quality and productivity indicators are primary considerations of published investigations. In this study, the rough honing operation of the hardened 5150 alloy has been addressed and optimized to decrease the energy efficiency ( EF), surface roughness ( SR), and material removal rate ( MRR). The optimizing factors include tangential speed ( T), linear speed ( L), honing pressure ( P), and honing depth ( D). The artificial neural network (ANN) method is utilized to present the non-linear relations between the process parameters and performance measures. The Taguchi method is applied to select the best architecture of ANN models. The Entropy and the vibration and communication particle swarm optimization (VCPSO) algorithm is applied to compute the weight factors of response and find optimal data. The total honing cost ( THC) model is proposed to compute the honing expenses. The results indicated that the optimal values of the T, L, P, and D are 32.0 m/min, 8.0 m/min, 3.3 MPa, and 0.01 mm, respectively, while the improvements in the EF, SR, MRR, and THC were 15.17%, 44.7%, 134.19%, and 25.0%, as compared to the initial values. The optimizing technique comprising the ANN, Entropy, and VCPSO could be named as an effective and efficient method to solve complicated optimization issues. The optimal data could help the machine operator to improve the honing performances with regard to saving trial costs and essential efforts.
Deception Cues During High-Risk Situations: 911 Homicide Calls
Authors: Markey Patrick M. , Feeney Erika , Berry Brooke , Hopkins Lauren , Creedon Isabel
Published: June 2022

During everyday interactions, cues tend to be weakly related to deception. However, there are theoretical reasons to suspect that such cues will be more prominent during high-risk interactions. The current study explored deception cues during one particular high-risk interaction—911 homicide calls placed by adults. In Sample 1, judges coded 911 homicide calls ( n = 82) by Q-sorting 86 cues. Results indicated that deceptive callers tended to display emotional cues (e.g., self-dramatizing, moody, worried, emotional, nervous), appeared overwhelmed, and related narratives that lacked structure, clarity, and focus. Judges coded a separate sample of 911 calls ( n = 64), and deception scores were computed using a template-matching approach based on the findings from Sample 1. Results indicated that deceptive 911 callers had higher deception scores than honest callers. The effect sizes yielded in this study highlight the relevance of deception cues during high-risk interactions and the usefulness of the person-centered Q-sort method.
Development of autonomous vehicle lateral control using time-varying asymmetric barrier Lyapunov function via ADRC approach
Authors: Parkash Aman , Swarup Akhilesh
Published: June 2022

In a surface vehicle ride, the passenger’s comfort is desirable, ensuring safety under various tight constraints. To consider this requirement, this article has proposed a lateral control for autonomous vehicle considering the lateral offset error constraints. A reduced-order dynamics of the vehicle has been considered for improving and easy implementation of backstepping. A nonlinear control has been developed by utilizing the Time-varying Asymmetric Barrier Lyapunov Function via the Active Disturbance Rejection Control (ADRC) approach. The Extended State Observer, a component of applied ADRC, estimates all unknown system states as well as the unknown disturbance. The desired trajectories (smooth and non-smooth) based on the yaw rate profile have been synthesized to test the performance of the vehicle. Simulation results are presented to show the effectiveness of the proposed closed-loop control strategy. The vehicle performance has been compared using the proposed method, the conventional Quadratic Lyapunov Function and Symmetric Barrier Lyapunov Function based control. The proposed control provides a smoother control signal, small tracking error and robustness in presence of hard road constraints for smooth/non-smooth vehicle motion.
Well-Being After Psychopathology: A Transformational Research Agenda
Authors: Rottenberg Jonathan , Kashdan Todd B.
Published: June 2022

If one struggles with depression, anxiety, or suicidal impulses, what is the best outcome that one can hope for? Can psychopathology be a bridge to a better place where people operate with autonomy and self-mastery, enjoy healthy relationships, experience frequent positive emotions, and view life as meaningful and purposeful? Studies of national samples have revealed that a substantial number of people with depression, panic disorder, and suicidal impulses go on to achieve high levels of psychological well-being. We consider the practical and theoretical implications of these findings and call for a transformational mental-health agenda that focuses on good outcomes.
Impact of Government Policy Measures on Small and Medium Enterprises of Automotive Component Industry Working in Pune Auto Cluster
Authors: Katti V. P. , Mujumdar Padmashri
Published: June 2022

The government policy has a huge nexus with the development of the industrial sector and with the development of any specific industry. The automotive component industry is not an exception to this. This paper reviews the impact of policy measures adopted by the government pertaining to the automotive component industry in India on the small and medium enterprises of Pune Auto Cluster. The sample of 170 small and medium enterprises was considered to know their opinion about the government policy through a structured questionnaire based on the Likert scale. The technique of factor analysis is used as a construct validity tool and to reduce the number of variables into a few factors to understand the impact of government policy on small and medium enterprises in a better manner. The impact of government policy is remarkable on small and medium enterprises. Medium enterprises are affected more than the small enterprises in the case of regulatory policy measures. However, both small and medium enterprises perceived the operational policy measures equally. Small-scale industries have more impact of the difficulty in receiving benefits of any government schemes like duty drawbacks. On the other hand, medium enterprises perceived Goods and Services Tax and the tax policy as the most troublesome policy measures.
Exploring a Design of Carbon Tax for Coal- and Lignite-Based Thermal Power Sector in India
Authors: Mukherjee Sacchidananda
Published: June 2022

According to India’s ‘Third Biennial Update Report to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change’, electricity production contributes half of India’s total carbon dioxide (CO2) emission (without land use, land-use change and forestry [LULUCF]) and 40% of CO2e (CO2 equivalent) emission in 2016. Coal- and lignite-based thermal power sector is the predominant source of electricity generation in India, and it contributes 74% in 2019–2020. In the 26th Conference of the Parties (COP26), India has committed to achieve net zero (in CO2e emission) target by 2070. Therefore, any strategy to reduce the total CO2e emission in India cannot spare emission reductions from coal- and lignite-based thermal power plants (TPPs).

To accelerate achieving India’s emission intensity reduction target to 45%, we explore a design of carbon tax for coal- and lignite-based TPPs. Given the constraints involved in designing carbon tax based on cost-benefit analysis as well as integrated assessment models, we estimate a revenue neutral rate of tax on CO2e emission by converting taxes on coal and lignite. Our carbon tax proposal sets the floor (minimum) rate, and it requires regular upward revisions to induce TPPs to take action. To reduce disruptions in tax administrations, we propose adjustments of input tax credits with carbon tax liability.

JEL Classification: H23, Q54, Q4, P43
How Mexicans’ Emotional Responses to Non-Alcoholic Fatty Liver Disease Can Help Inform Culturally Congruent Health Care
Authors: Crocker Rebecca M. , Morrill Kristin E. , Villavicencio Edgar A. , Garcia David O.
Published: June 2022

Introduction:

This article aims to increase understanding of how Mexican immigrants respond to learning about non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), a spectrum disease with a heavy burden among Mexican-origin people.

Methodology:

This article presents findings from qualitative interviews ( n = 26) that formed part of a mixed-methods study of foreign-born Mexican immigrants carried out in 2019 to 2020 in southern Arizona to assess NAFLD awareness.

Results:

We documented common experiences of surprise, fear, and hope during study participation, all of which motivated research participants to reduce their NAFLD risk by seeking additional information, sharing it with others, and making lifestyle changes.

Discussion:

Understanding how these emotional experiences are tied to cultural and historical factors—including Mexico’s high rates of liver disease, participant’s limited access to health care, and the ability to address the NAFLD risk with lifestyle changes—may promote the development of more effective and culturally congruent care in this population.
Live-Action Role Playing for Safety Training: Effectiveness Evaluation in two Italian Companies
Authors: Ricci Federico , Bravo Giulia
Published: June 2022

Researchers, corporate decision-makers, government agencies, and international bodies want to know how to improve safety and limit the serious social and economic consequences of occupational injuries. Understanding how to deliver effective training is important to achieving this aim. Gamification is considered a new frontier in effective safety training. This study tested the use of gamification in safety training, considering two Italian companies that used a live-action role-play methodology called “PratiCARE la Sicurezza.” Workers who were required by Italian law to receive safety training or retraining participated in a pre–post study. Collection of measures relating to knowledge, attitudes, behaviors, and perception of the health and safety climate took place at baseline and immediately after the intervention. Participants’ average safety knowledge at the end of the training was significantly better than the initial level, indicating that the training improved workers’ knowledge level.