bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Metastasiertes malignes Melanom: Neue Kombinationstherapie bietet weitere wirkungsvolle Option
Authors: Schlaak Max
Published: December 2022

Die globale, doppelblinde, randomisierte RELATIVITY-047-Studie untersuchte die Kombination aus Relatlimab und Nivolumab im Vergleich zu Nivolumab allein für Patient*innen mit unbehandeltem metastasiertem oder inoperablem Melanom. Der primäre Endpunkt war das progressionsfreie Überleben. Das mediane progressionsfreie Überleben betrug 10,1 Monate (95% Konfidenzintervall [KI], 6,4 bis 15,7) mit Relatlimab-Nivolumab im Vergleich zu 4,6 Monaten (95% KI, 3,4 bis 5,6) mit Nivolumab (Hazard Ratio für Progression oder Tod, 0,75 [95% KI, 0,62 bis 0,92]; P=0,006 durch den Log-Rank-Test). Das progressionsfreie Überleben nach 12 Monaten betrug 47,7% (95% KI, 41,8 bis 53,2) mit Relatlimab-Nivolumab im Vergleich zu 36,0% (95% KI, 30,5 bis 41,6) mit Nivolumab. Unerwünschte Ereignisse in Folge der Behandlung des Grades 3 oder 4 traten bei 18,9% der Patienten in der Relatlimab-Nivolumab-Gruppe und bei 9,7% der Patienten in der Nivolumab-Gruppe auf. Die Autoren der Studie stellen fest, dass die Hemmung von zwei Immun-Checkpoints, LAG-3 und PD-1, einen größeren Nutzen in Bezug auf das progressionsfreie Überleben als die Hemmung von PD-1 allein bei Patienten mit zuvor unbehandeltem metastasiertem oder inoperablem Melanom erbrachte.
The Effect of Prostaglandin Analogs on Central Corneal Thickness of Patients with Glaucoma or Ocular Hypertension: A Systematic Review
Authors: Lu Ye , Zhong Enyu , Wu Jing , Cao Yang
Published: December 2022

Background: Prostaglandin analogs (PGAs) are first-line antiglaucoma agents that appear to either decrease or increase central cornea thickness (CCT), creating controversy regarding the benefits of PGAs in treating CCT. Purpose: We performed the first meta-analysis of observational studies to evaluate the effects of PGAs on CCT in patients with glaucoma or ocular hypertension (OHT). Methods: This systematic review was performed according to the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) statement. A literature search was performed of the PubMed, Embase, Cochrane Library, System for Information on Grey Literature in Europe (Open Grey), and ClinicalTrials.gov databases and the references of retrieved studies. Only observational studies were included in the meta-analysis. The final CCT of patients and 95% confidence interval (CI) of each study were extracted. Study quality was assessed using the Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) and the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality (AHRQ). A fixed-effects model was used to calculate the weighted mean difference (WMD) and 95% CI. Subgroup analyses based on several stratified factors such as public bias (Begg’s test) and sensitivity analyses were performed. Results: Five cohort, 5 case-control, and three cross-sectional studies including 2,722 subjects were included. The pooled effect of all thirteen studies showed that PGAs reduced the CCT of patients with glaucoma or OHT slightly but significantly (WMD = −9.37; 95% CI [−12.18, −6.57]; p = 0.00; I2 = 45.5%). Significant effects were also observed in all three study designs: cohort (WMD = −5.17; 95% CI [−9.52, −0.82]), case-control (WMD = -15.31; 95% CI [−22.66, −7.97]), and cross-sectional (WMD = −8.65; 95% CI [−17.30, −0.01]). In addition, subgroup analysis of exposure time showed the effect of PGAs to be more obvious in the first (WMD = −5.81; 95% CI [−9.49, −2.14]) and second (WMD = −13.73; 95% CI [−20.19, −7.28]) years. Conclusions: The pooled effects of previously reported studies suggest that PGA use can reduce the CCT of patients with glaucoma or OHT slightly but significantly, with this effect more pronounced in the first 2 years. These findings suggest that clinicians must closely monitor changes in CCT in the first 2 years of PGA use to identify cases of intraocular pressure misestimation and the efficacy of PGAs.
Birth weight is related with bone mineral content in adulthood: results of ELSA-Brasil
Authors: Tavares Nayranne Hivina Carvalho , Coelho Carolina Gomes , Barreto Sandhi M. , Giatti Luana , Araújo Larissa Fortunato
Published: December 2022

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the association between birth weight and BMC, and whether this relationship differs between men and women. METHODS: A total of 10,159 participants from the ELSA-Brasil cohort were eligible for this analysis. The outcome was the Z-score of the ratio BMC (Kg)/height (m). The exposure was the low birth weight (< 2.5Kg). The magnitude of the associations was estimated by mean differences and their respective 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) using linear regression. All analyses were presented for the total population and stratified by sex. RESULTS: Most were women (54.98%), and the mean age was 52.72 years (SD ± 6.6). In the crude model, we observed that low birth weight was associated with a lower mean BMC/height z-score, compared to adequate birth weight (mean difference: -0.30; 95%CI: -0.39 to -0.21), and this effect was stronger in men (mean difference: -0.43; 95%CI: -0.56 to -0.30) than in women (mean difference: -0.31; 95%CI: -0.44 to -0.19). After adjusting for age, sex per total population, race/skin color, maternal education, individual education, and current weight, there was a considerable reduction in the magnitude of the association (total population: -0.10; 95%CI: -0.14 to -0.06; men: -0.13; 95%CI: -0.21 to -0.06; women: -0.13; 95%CI: -0.21 to -0.05). CONCLUSION: Low birth weight is related to BMC/height z-score in both sexes with no indication of differences by sex. The magnitude of the associations was attenuated after adjustment for the current weight.
Organização da atenção primária à saúde na pandemia de covid-19: revisão de escopo
Authors: Silva Breno Ribeiro Gonçalves da , Corrêa Ana Paula de Vechi , Uehara Sílvia Carla da Silva André
Published: December 2022

OBJETIVO Mapear evidências científicas disponíveis sobre a organização dos serviços e profissionais da atenção primária à saúde durante o enfrentamento da covid-19. MÉTODO Trata-se de uma revisão de escopo, seguindo o método do Joanna Briggs Institute. Foram incluídos estudos publicados em português, espanhol e inglês, no período de janeiro/2020 a janeiro/2021, nas bases de dados CINAHL, Lilacs, Medline, PubMed e Web of Science. RESULTADOS Foram selecionados 24 artigos, que mostraram a reorganização dos serviços e profissionais da atenção primária à saúde para o atendimento de casos suspeitos ou confirmados de covid-19. As ações de coordenação do enfrentamento da doença na atenção primária à saúde colaboram no controle da infecção, especialmente por meio de busca ativa de sintomáticos respiratórios e detecção de casos novos, seguido do monitoramento dos casos confirmados. CONCLUSÕES O presente estudo mostra um panorama de como profissionais e serviços da atenção primária se organizaram no enfrentamento da pandemia, abordando as readequações adotadas na infraestrutura e fluxos de atendimentos, a exemplo da adoção de unidades específicas no atendimento para covid-19, separação de fluxos infectado/não infectado, telemedicina como alternativa de modalidade de atendimento e monitoramento dos casos por meio de aplicativos e telefone.
Expectancy Effects Threaten the Inferential Validity of Synchrony-Prosociality Research
Authors: Atwood S. , Schachner Adena , Mehr Samuel A.
Published: December 2022

Many studies argue that synchronized movement increases prosocial attitudes and behavior. We reviewed meta-analytic evidence that reported effects of synchrony may be driven by experimenter expectancy, leading to experimenter bias; and participant expectancy, otherwise known as placebo effects. We found that a majority of published studies do not adequately control for experimenter bias and that multiple independent replication attempts with added controls have failed to find the original effects. In a preregistered experiment, we measured participant expectancy directly, asking whether participants have a priori expectations about synchrony and prosociality that match the findings in published literature. Expectations about the effects of synchrony on prosocial attitudes directly mirrored previous experimental findings (including both positive and null effects)—despite the participants not actually engaging in synchrony. On the basis of this evidence, we propose an alternative account of the reported bottom-up effects of synchrony on prosociality: the effects of synchrony on prosociality may be explicable as the result of top-down expectations invoked by placebo and experimenter effects.
The introduction of three cryptic tree frog species in the Dutch coastal dunes challenges conservation paradigms
Authors: Kuijt Marit , Oskam Liam , den Boer Ingrid , Dufresnes Christophe , France James , Gilbert Maarten J. , de Visser Manon C. , Struijk Richard P.J.H. , Wielstra Ben
Published: December 2022

Invasive species are considered one of the main drivers of the sixth mass extinction. Conservation solutions depend on whether a species is also indigenous to the country it invades (i.e., beyond its native range). In the case of invasive cryptic species, genetic tools are required to establish their identity. We illustrate these issues with the human-mediated colonization of the Dutch coastal dunes by Hyla tree frogs. Although previously assumed to concern the indigenous common tree frog H. arborea, European tree frogs comprise a complex of allopatric cryptic species, meaning the taxonomic identity of introduced Dutch populations warrants investigation. We sequence mtDNA for 173 individuals from native and introduced populations across the Netherlands and compare our dataset with hundreds of Hyla haplotypes previously barcoded in the Western Palearctic. Two of the dune populations carry an mtDNA haplotype of the native species H. arborea that occurs naturally elsewhere in the Netherlands. In contrast, mtDNA assigned to the eastern tree frog H. orientalis was detected in all three other dune populations. In one of these populations mtDNA of the Italian tree frog H. intermedia was also found. Not one, but three species of tree frogs have thus been introduced to the Dutch coastal dunes, only one of them being native to the Netherlands. This situation causes a conservation conundrum as some introduced populations are lawfully protected but could pose a threat to local biodiversity. Regarding the ‘true’ exotic tree frog species, all conservation options should be considered.
Dynamic Weighting of Time-Varying Visual and Auditory Evidence During Multisensory Decision Making
Authors: Tuip Rosanne R. M. , van der Ham Wessel , Lorteije Jeannette A. M. , Van Opstal Filip
Published: December 2022

Perceptual decision-making in a dynamic environment requires two integration processes: integration of sensory evidence from multiple modalities to form a coherent representation of the environment, and integration of evidence across time to accurately make a decision. Only recently studies started to unravel how evidence from two modalities is accumulated across time to form a perceptual decision. One important question is whether information from individual senses contributes equally to multisensory decisions. We designed a new psychophysical task that measures how visual and auditory evidence is weighted across time. Participants were asked to discriminate between two visual gratings, and/or two sounds presented to the right and left ear based on respectively contrast and loudness. We varied the evidence, i.e., the contrast of the gratings and amplitude of the sound, over time. Results showed a significant increase in performance accuracy on multisensory trials compared to unisensory trials, indicating that discriminating between two sources is improved when multisensory information is available. Furthermore, we found that early evidence contributed most to sensory decisions. Weighting of unisensory information during audiovisual decision-making dynamically changed over time. A first epoch was characterized by both visual and auditory weighting, during the second epoch vision dominated and the third epoch finalized the weighting profile with auditory dominance. Our results suggest that during our task multisensory improvement is generated by a mechanism that requires cross-modal interactions but also dynamically evokes dominance switching.
Volumetric imaging by micro computed tomography: a suitable tool for wood identification of charcoal
Authors: Haag Volker , Dremel Kilian , Zabler Simon
Published: December 2022

The present study focuses on the application of state-of-the-art μCT, by using a sub-micrometre CT scanner as a tool for wood identification. Charcoal was chosen as a subject for this case study. The reason for choosing charcoal is based on economic as well as technical issues. Parallel to conventional wood anatomy, various promising approaches to identification are currently being developed worldwide in order to simplify the identification of processed wood. However, due to the carbonization process, such approaches are not applicable to charcoal. In view of the rapid development of μCT technology, it was decided to examine the extent to which wood anatomical studies can be supported and improved by modern μCT technology. About 17% of the annually harvested wood worldwide is converted to charcoal (FAO 2017), and the charcoal trade is one of the least controlled/monitored segments of the European timber market. Although charcoal has a significant market share of wood-based products, it is still not yet covered by any trade regulation, e.g. the European Timber Regulations (EUTR), (EU) No995/2010. For the present study, different wood types and the anatomical fine structural features were measured and displayed at different magnifications to visualize the performance of state-of-the-art μCT standards. Three different charcoal assortments were examined, and the results were checked against the given declarations of contents. The aim of this work is to evaluate the potential of the μCT technique in the field of wood identification and to assess its use for the regulatory control of charcoal and other wood products in the international timber trade. The results are encouraging and lead to the conclusion that the application of the μCT technique in the field of wood identification can be classified as very promising for the future.
Results from a Pseudo-Real-Time Next-Generation 1-km Warn-on-Forecast System Prototype
Authors: Kerr Christopher A. , Matilla Brian C. , Wang Yaping , Stratman Derek R. , Jones Thomas A. , Yussouf Nusrat
Published: December 2022

Since 2017, the Warn-on-Forecast System (WoFS) has been tested and evaluated during the Hazardous Weather Testbed Spring Forecasting Experiment (SFE) and summer convective seasons. The system has shown promise in predicting high temporal and spatial specificity of individual evolving thunderstorms. However, this baseline version of the WoFS has a 3-km horizontal grid spacing and cannot resolve some convective processes. Efforts are under way to develop a WoFS prototype at a 1-km grid spacing (WoFS-1km) with the hope to improve forecast accuracy. This requires extensive changes to data assimilation specifications and observation processing parameters. A preliminary version of WoFS-1km nested within WoFS at 3 km (WoFS-3km) was developed, tested, and run during the 2021 SFE in pseudo–real time. Ten case studies were successfully completed and provided simulations of a variety of convective modes. The reflectivity and rotation storm objects from WoFS-1km are verified against both WoFS-3km and 1-km forecasts initialized from downscaled WoFS-3km analyses using both neighborhood- and object-based techniques. Neighborhood-based verification suggests WoFS-1km improves reflectivity bias but not spatial placement. The WoFS-1km object-based reflectivity forecast accuracy is higher in most cases, leading to a net improvement. Both the WoFS-1km and downscaled forecasts have ideal reflectivity object frequency biases while the WoFS-3km overpredicts the number of reflectivity objects. The rotation object verification is ambiguous as many cases are negatively impacted by 1-km data assimilation. This initial evaluation of a WoFS-1km prototype is a solid foundation for further development and future testing.

Significance Statement

This study investigates the impacts of performing data assimilation directly on a 1-km WoFS model grid. Most previous studies have only initialized 1-km WoFS forecasts from coarser analyses. The results demonstrate some improvements to reflectivity forecasts through data assimilation on a 1-km model grid although finer resolution data assimilation did not improve rotation forecasts.
The Association Between No-Reflow and Serum Uric Acid/Albumin Ratio in Patients With Acute Myocardial Infarction Without ST Elevation
Authors: Nurkoç Serdar G. , Karayiğit Orhan
Published: December 2022

This study evaluated the association between no-reflow (NR) and serum uric acid/albumin ratio (UAR) in 360 consecutive patients with non-ST-elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI) undergoing primary percutaneous coronary intervention. The study population was divided into two groups as follows: reflow (n = 310) and NR (n = 50) group. The thrombolysis in myocardial infarction (TIMI) flow score was used to describe NR. High UAR (Odds Ratio: 3.495, 95% CI; 1.216–10.048; P < .001) was found to be an independent predictor of NR. Additionally, UAR was positively correlated with the SYNTAX score and neutrophil/lymphocyte ratio; UAR was negatively correlated with left ventricular ejection fraction. The highest cut-off ratio of UAR predicting NR was found to be 1.35 with 68% sensitivity and 66.8% specificity. The area under the curve (AUC) for UAR was .768 (95% CI: .690-.847) after receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curve assessment. The AUC for UAR was found to be higher than for its components: serum uric acid (AUC: .655) and albumin (AUC: .663) ( P < .001 for each evaluation).
Caring for Caregivers Experiencing Secondary Trauma: A Call to Action
Authors: Forkey Heather C. , Schulte Elaine , Thorndyke Luanne
Published: December 2022

Secondary traumatic stress (STS) is the emotional duress caused by indirect exposure to distressing events experienced by others. Health care providers are particularly susceptible to secondary stress due to regular exposure to difficult and painful clinical situations that evoke intrinsic empathy necessary to provide effective care. Understanding STS as a normal stress response not only helps to make sense of the symptoms but also suggests a way forward. Opportunities for those in health care to address STS can be found among our colleagues and in our own settings and may provide a meaningful source of support if accessed effectively.
Antenatal Hyperechogenic Colon and Cystinuria
Authors: Mekik Akar Ece , Özçakar Zeynep Birsin , Çakar Nilgün , Şeker Erdal , Koç Acar , Yalçınkaya Fatoş
Published: December 2022

A male newborn was investigated for history of antenatal hyperechogenic colon (HEC) detected at 32 weeks of gestation. In the first week of life, urinary ultrasonography showed nephrolithiasis. Urinary amino acid analysis expressed increased excretion of dibasic amino acids, and high urinary cystine levels were detected in both spot and 24-hour urine specimens. He was diagnosed as cystinuria, and genetic analysis of the patient revealed a heterozygous mutation in SLC7A9 gene. Antenatal presentation of cystinuria with HEC is rare and reported to be associated with a more severe disease course.
Emerging trends in flame retardancy of rigid polyurethane foam and its composites: A review
Authors: Muhammed Raji Abdulwasiu , Hambali Hambali Umar , Khan Zahid Iqbal , Binti Mohamad Zurina , Azman Hassan , Ogabi Raphael
Published: December 2022

Owing to the superior thermal insulating attributes of rigid polyurethane foam (RPUF) compared to other insulating materials (expanded and extruded polystyrene, mineral wool), it remains the most dominant insulating material and most studied polymer foam. Like other polyurethane foam, RPUF is highly flammable, necessitating the incorporation of flame retardants (FR) during production to lower combustibility, promoting its continuous use as insulation material in construction, transportation, and others. The popular approaches for correcting the high flammability of RPUF are copolymerization and blending (with FR). The second method has proven to be most effective as there are limited trade-offs in RPUF properties. Meanwhile, the high flammability of RPUF is still a significant hindrance in emerging applications (sensors, space travel, and others), and this has continuously inspired research in the flame retardancy of RPUF. In this study, properties, and preparation methods of RPUF are described, factors responsible for the high flammability of PUF are discussed, and flame retardancy of RPUF is thoroughly reviewed. Notably, most FR for RPUF are inorganic nanoparticles, lignin, intumescent FR systems of expandable graphite (EG), ammonium polyphosphate (APP), and hybridized APP or EG with other FR. These could be due to their ease of processing, low cost, and being environmentally benign. Elaborate discussion on RPUF FR mechanisms were also highlighted. Lastly, a summary and future perspectives in fireproofing RPUF are provided, which could inspire the design of new FR for RPUF.
Clean-catching urine from pigs: A method for collecting quality specimens for urinalysis and microbiological culturing in a laboratory environment
Authors: Stærk Kristian , Langhorn Louise , Andersen Thomas E
Published: December 2022

Urine is an important biological specimen for assessing various metabolic functions and drug clearance. In urinary tract infection research, urine is particularly important as urinary bacterial titres constitute the main diagnostic outcome for assessing the course of infection. Collecting uncontaminated urine samples from pigs can be done by bladder catheterization or suprapubic bladder aspiration, which are both laborious and invasive procedures that require the need for anaesthesia. To improve animal welfare and optimize urine sampling protocols, we developed a method of clean-catching midstream urine specimens from pigs during spontaneous micturition. The quality of urine specimens collected by clean-catch, bladder catheter and suprapubic bladder aspiration were compared using microbiological culturing. We show that urine specimens collected by clean-catch are only minimally contaminated by skin- and vaginal-commensals with no influence on urinary bacterial titres during ongoing infection. In conclusion, we describe a method in which spontaneous micturition can be prompted in pigs, facilitating fast and reliable collection of quality specimens suitable for microbiological culturing. The method supersedes the need for anaesthesia, which not only represents a considerable refinement in terms of animal welfare but also facilitates more frequent collection of specimens that can enhance the scientific outcome of experimental animal studies in pigs.
Schoolchildren’s Attitudes Toward Covid-19 Measures Scale: A Scale Development Study
Authors: Kurtuncu Meltem , Arslan Nurten , Kurt Aylin
Published: December 2022

For schools and academic studies to continue, children as well must adhere to the measures taken to prevent the spread of Covid-19. The aim of this study was to develop a scale to assess schoolchildren’s attitudes toward Covid-19 measures. The sample of this study, which was designed in a methodological type, consisted of 205 children. This study was conducted at primary schools in Zonguldak, Turkey. The validity of content and construct was examined to evaluate the validity of the Schoolchildren’s Attitudes toward Covid-19 Measures Scale. This scale is a valid and reliable measure for assessing the attitudes of schoolchildren toward Covid-19 measures. The results of the factor analysis indicated a scale with 28 items and six factors. Cronbach’s alpha value for the overall scale is 0.928. According to the results of the analysis, the developed scale was found to have excellent content and construct validity and reliability for schoolchildren.
Tactile and Auditory Stimuli Can Improve the Specific Physical Performance of Para-Judo Athletes With Varied Origins of Visual Impairment
Authors: Kons Rafael Lima , Patatas Jacqueline Martins , Franchini Emerson , Bragança Jaime Roberto , Detanico Daniele
Published: December 2022

Our aim in this study was to compare performance adaptations based on tactile or sonorous stimuli in para-judo athletes with congenital or acquired visual impairment. Twenty judo athletes with a type of visual impairment performed both the adapted Special Judo Fitness Test (SJFT) with tactile and sonorous stimuli and the standard SJFT. We used two-way ANOVA with repeated measurements in the second factor to compare the SJFT performance of athletes with visual impairment between two groups (acquired or congenital) in the two test situations, with the level of significance set at p < .05. Both groups of participants performed better on the adapted SJFT with tactile and sonorous stimuli compared to the standard condition on number of throws ( p = .029 and p < .001) and showed lower final and post 1-minute heart rates (HR) ( p < .05). There were no group differences in performance on any SJFT adaptations ( p > .05). Thus, both SJFT adaptations (tactile and sonorous stimuli) enhanced the judo-specific performance of athletes with both acquired and congenital visual impairments. However, athletes with either origin of impairment showed a better HR in the adaptive tactile stimuli testing compared to the standard SJFT testing condition.
Scaling Up? Unpacking the Effect of Deliberative Mini-Publics on Legitimacy Perceptions
Authors: Germann Micha , Marien Sofie , Muradova Lala
Published: December 2022

Deliberative mini-publics are increasingly used to try to tackle public discontent with the functioning of democracy. However, the ability of mini-publics to increase perceptions of legitimate decision-making among citizens at large remains unclear, given especially that existing studies have not considered the potentially damaging effects of mini-public recommendations not being followed. We designed, pre-registered, and ran a survey experiment in Ireland to test the effects of mini-publics on legitimacy perceptions conditional on whether or not their non-binding policy recommendations are honored ( N = 1309). We find that mini-publics increase legitimacy perceptions among the broader citizenry; however, these beneficial effects are largely limited to situations in which their recommendations are honored. Additional results suggest that it makes no difference whether mini-public recommendations are overturned by elected representatives or by citizens in a referendum. Finally, we find that the legitimacy-enhancing effects of participatory processes are driven by citizens with low political trust.
An improved dynamic model and numerical simulation of yarn in the ring spinning system
Authors: Liu Yang , Feng Zhihua , Lv Fan , Wang Gang
Published: December 2022

The nonlinear dynamic behavior of ballooning yarn in the ring spinning system is investigated. An improved dynamic model of ballooning yarn with axial conveying speed is established. Based on Hamilton’s law of variation principle, the three-dimensional dynamic differential equations are derived. Then, the shooting method is employed to solve the two-point boundary value problem of ordinary differential equations. The numerical results of balloon profiles and distribution tension curves of ballooning yarns are discussed. The numerical results imply that with the increase of Ω, the yarn conveying speed increases, the minimum tension at the guide eye increases, and the helical loops of the balloon profile decrease. It is also found that as Ω increases, the spatial area of the guide eye tension [Formula: see text] that forms the dynamic balloon decreases. When the yarn conveying speed is medium or high, under different tensions at the guide eye, the yarn tensions along the height direction of the balloon change in the same trend, and the tensions of the ballooning yarn at the same height are very close. In addition, with the increase of Ω, the distribution tension of the ballooning yarn changes significantly under the same guide eye tension.
Evaluation of Online Andrology Medical Services in Central Regions of China During the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Cross-Sectional Data Analysis Study
Authors: Liu Zhi , Zhang Chunyu , Luo Cong , Ou Junlin , Song Ming , Yang Lingxiao , Wang Xin , Chen Jinbo , Wang Guilin , Guo Tao
Published: December 2022

To provide an overview of the current situation, challenges, and trends in online medical services from the perspective of andrology and promote the development of online medical services. Users of the Learning Alliance of Urology, who mainly worked in central regions of China, were invited to complete the questionnaire that included information on the participants and their institutions and their involvement in and concerns for online medical services. We received 875 complete responses. The percentage of online andrology patients at most institutions was less than 30%. The most common services were online appointment registration (92.7%) and online payment (81.8%). Online chat consultation (77.7%) was the most common form of consultation. Only 1 in 5 of the institutions had constructed their Internet hospital. Factors related to the percentage of online andrology patients included specialized andrology clinics and wards, sufficient time for doctors to provide online services, more diversified services, and online clinic training. The biggest challenge for online medical services was diagnosis and treatment safety. It is essential to raise awareness of online medical services for hospitals and patients and strengthen standardized management and training of online medical services, especially applicable to central regions of China. However, online medical services cannot wholly replace offline services due to insufficient diagnosis and treatment.
Politics as Usual? Measuring Populism, Nationalism, and Authoritarianism in U.S. Presidential Campaigns (1952–2020) with Neural Language Models
Authors: Bonikowski Bart , Luo Yuchen , Stuhler Oscar
Published: December 2022

Radical-right campaigns commonly employ three discursive elements: anti-elite populism, exclusionary and declinist nationalism, and authoritarianism. Recent scholarship has explored whether these frames have diffused from radical-right to centrist parties in the latter’s effort to compete for the former’s voters. This study instead investigates whether similar frames had been used by mainstream political actors prior to their exploitation by the radical right (in the U.S., Donald Trump’s 2016 and 2020 campaigns). To do so, we identify instances of populism, nationalism (i.e., exclusionary and inclusive definitions of national symbolic boundaries and displays of low and high national pride), and authoritarianism in the speeches of Democratic and Republican presidential nominees between 1952 and 2020. These frames are subtle, infrequent, and polysemic, which makes their measurement difficult. We overcome this by leveraging the affordances of neural language models—in particular, a robustly optimized variant of bidirectional encoder representations from Transformers (RoBERTa) and active learning. As we demonstrate, this approach is more effective for measuring discursive frames than other methods commonly used by social scientists. Our results suggest that what set Donald Trump’s campaign apart from those of mainstream presidential candidates was not the invention of a new form of politics, but the combination of negative evaluations of elites, low national pride, and authoritarianism—all of which had long been present among both parties—with an explicit evocation of exclusionary nationalism, which had been articulated only implicitly by prior presidential nominees. Radical-right discourse—at least at the presidential level in the United States—should therefore be characterized not as a break with the past but as an amplification and creative rearrangement of existing political-cultural tropes.
From Ends to Means: The Promise of Computational Text Analysis for Theoretically Driven Sociological Research
Authors: Bonikowski Bart , Nelson Laura K.
Published: December 2022

As the field of computational text analysis within the social sciences is maturing, computational methods are no longer seen as ends in themselves, but rather as means toward answering theoretically motivated research questions. The objective of this special issue is to showcase such research: the use of novel computational methods in the service of advancing substantive scientific knowledge. In presenting the contributions to the issue, we discuss several insights that emerge from this work, which hold relevance not only for current and aspiring practitioners of computational text analysis, but also for its skeptics. These concern the central role of theory in designing and executing computational research, the selection of appropriate techniques from a rapidly growing methodological toolkit, the benefits—and risks—of methodological bricolage, and the necessity of validating all aspects of the research process. The result is a set of broad considerations concerning the effective application of computational methods to substantive questions, illustrated by eight exemplary empirical studies.
Schwannoma in the Olfactory Groove: Two Case Reports
Authors: Liu Shengyang , Liu Shanfeng , Liu Qian , Yu Liang , Yu Peng , Sun Shujuan , Shi Li , Wan Yuzhu , Chen Aiping
Published: December 2022

The occurrence of an isolated schwannoma in the olfactory groove is extremely rare. We herein present 2 cases of schwannomas in the olfactory groove that were treated with endoscopic excision. In these 2 cases, the tumor originated in the cribriform plate and cerebrospinal fluid rhinorrhea occurred after tumor resection, which was repaired using tissue grafts.
“Real-Life Needs”: How Humanitarian Techniques Produce Hierarchies of Science and Mathematics Education
Authors: Kirchgasler Kathryn L. , Yolcu Ayşe
Published: December 2022

Background and Context:

Racialized disparities in curricular tracking have long been ascribed to narrow tests that create a hierarchy of perceived ability. Consequently, teachers are urged to reject deficit views of ability and embrace more expansive techniques to reveal and respond to the real-life needs of students, especially those from minoritized groups. Paradoxically, these tools, upheld as equity strategies today, had prior careers racializing populations along a hierarchy of perceived needs. That hierarchy, which gave a humanitarian basis for curricular tracking, continues to produce racializing effects today.

Purpose:

This article rethinks how teachers are taught to distinguish the real-life needs of students from marginalized communities. As a history of the present, it examines how demographic distinctions in health-related needs emerged historically and became tied to lower track science and mathematics instruction. We ask: To what extent do current strategies persist in dividing populations and prescribing distinct pedagogies? Have the normalizing impulses of past tools been removed or rearticulated in recent reforms that promote educational and health equity?

Research Design:

We first analyzed articles reviewed as exemplary of culturally responsive science and mathematics education to identify techniques recommended to uncover students’ real-life needs. Next, we compared these techniques with similar tools promoted in early 20th-century U.S. science and mathematics education journals, when these fields began distinguishing types of students and matching them with distinct tiers of instruction.

Conclusions:

Despite key shifts over the century (e.g., from treating inherent pathologies to redressing inequities), similar tools operate as humanitarian techniques today. That is, they classify populations as having “immediate needs” for intervention in daily life that preempt “future needs” for academic preparation. The resulting hierarchy of perceived needs orders students and subject matter from applied relevance to abstract rigor. This yields four dangers: (1) positing target students and families as not-yet-capable of self-direction, (2) prioritizing for target groups an applied and often lower prestige curriculum with consequences for their academic trajectories, (3) depoliticizing systemic inequities as problems of attitude adjustment, and (4) depoliticizing mainstream science and mathematics education by isolating sociopolitical concerns as compensatory interventions. We argue that school science and mathematics are not unique in these respects but epitomize risks present whenever social scientific tools offer an ostensibly neutral basis for seeing and sorting difference.
Skin Tone and Mexicans’ Perceptions of Discrimination in New Immigrant Destinations
Authors: Marrow Helen B. , Okamoto Dina G. , García Melissa J. , Adem Muna , Tropp Linda R.
Published: December 2022

Colorism literature examines how skin tone—alongside prototypical group features and hairstyles—correlates with socioeconomic, health, and political outcomes. Yet few studies have explicitly operationalized how skin tone shapes Latinos’ experiences of racialization in “new” U.S. destinations. Here, we draw on a large, representative sample of Mexican immigrants (N = 500) living in two large metropolitan areas (Atlanta and Philadelphia) to investigate how skin tone shapes their perceptions about the frequency and sources of discrimination. Even after controlling for demographic, economic, and immigration–specific factors, including ethnoracial self–identification, we show darker skin tone is significantly associated with higher reports of racial discrimination, discrimination specifically from U.S.-born Whites, and a stronger tendency to struggle internally in response. Together, these results support colorism literature’s argument that skin tone is distinct from race and offer new insights into how skin tone shapes the lived experiences of Mexican immigrants outside the U.S. Southwest.
Facing Others’ Trauma: A Role-Taking Theory of Burnout
Authors: Groggel Anne , Davis Jenny L. , Love Tony P.
Published: December 2022

The experience of “burnout” is characterized by emotional fatigue and detachment associated with intensive stress. Burnout is prevalent across personal and professional spheres, with increasing cultural salience. Multiple factors can contribute to burnout. Here, we focus on one: exposure to others’ trauma. This circumstance spans domains from social service professions to social media newsfeeds, with potentially deleterious effects on the self. To understand the conditions under which trauma exposure results in burnout, we propose and test a role–taking model. We do so by presenting study participants (N = 723) with a first–person account of intimate partner violence, stimulating an acute instance of trauma exposure. Findings show that higher levels of role–taking increase burnout, with antecedents and outcomes tied to role-taking’s cognitive and affective components. This study clarifies how burnout occurs within the scope of trauma exposure while expanding role–taking research beyond the interpersonal benefits that have monopolized scholarly attention to date.
The meaning of imprecision: A reconsideration of marked colonoware in South Carolina
Authors: Espenshade Christopher T
Published: December 2022

A review of marked Colonoware recovered in South Carolina shows a very low level of precision. This lack of concern with aesthetics runs contrary to expectations for potters intent on placing important religious symbols, cosmograms, on their pots. This imprecision runs contrary to the high degree of precision evidenced in other Gullah-Geechee folk arts and crafts. It is suggested that many of the known, marked Colonoware vessels were incised or inscribed simply to identify the potter, the eventual owner, or the participant in a vessel-centered ritual.
Language, Figure, Landscape in Chinese Thought
Authors: Li Shiqiao
Published: December 2022

Grounded in the use of the visual, Chinese thought and language operate within a wide spectrum that includes calligraphy, poetry, literature, painting, and garden-landscapes. In languages of phonetic signifiers, the spectrum is deliberately controlled to be narrower, excluding the visual from language and delegating it to iconology. These linguistic-cultural strategies have an ancient past and produce far-reaching consequences in thought and artefacts, with garden-landscapes being one of the most substantial outcomes. Garden-landscapes are China’s equivalent to Greek architecture, leading us to both a repositioning of Chinese thought and a new framework of architecture. In this sense, the city, serving the function of thought in the expanded medium of conceptual and material units of meanings (figures), incorporates things into intellectual orders. This is perhaps the most important feature of Chinese thought and one that is the first to be obscured when it is rendered in scholarship in Indo-European languages.
“The People’s Park is bigger, more freely located, more beautiful and – Our own park”: Workers, parks, and the spaces of class struggle in turn of the century Norrköping, Sweden
Authors: Jönsson Erik , Pries Johan , Mitchell Don
Published: December 2022

Engaging with scholarship on hegemony, park history, and in particular with Sevilla-Buitrago’s analysis of Central Park as a pedagogical space, this article traces the establishment of two parks in the Swedish textile industry centre of Norrköping. These parks, bearing very similar names – Folkparken and Folkets Park – were established just six years apart. But though both parks linked “park” and “people” ( Folk), their intended political effects were radically different. The 1895 Folkparken was an elite attempt to create a de-politicised landscape park, while the 1901 Folkets Park was instead the labour movement’s attempt to create their own space. Exploring this latter park enables telling a story of park production beyond elite dominance. Like dozens of similar labour-controlled parks across Sweden, the People’s Park allowed Norrköping’s labour movement to shape their landscape long before the Social Democrats made any significant inroads into parliamentary politics. Combining a platform for socialistic agitation, with a theatre and space for recreation, this park quickly became central to Norrköping’s working class. Thereby, it could both enable social-democratic presence at an everyday level, and function as an important resource during periods of intense class-struggle.
A Space of Our Own: Exploring the Relationship Initiation Experiences of Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer, Intersex, and Asexual Dating App Users
Authors: Sharabi Liesel L , Ryder Cassandra V , Niess Lucy C
Published: December 2022

This mixed-methods study explores dating app use within the lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA+) community. LGBTQIA+ dating app users ( N = 231) from across the U.S. were surveyed about their relationship initiation experiences. Thematic analysis was used to identify the benefits and challenges participants faced on dating apps and their motives for adopting (or avoiding) dating apps specifically for the LGBTQIA+ community (e.g., Grindr, Her, Butterfly). Participants described benefitting from dating apps, but also confronting significant challenges such as discrimination and the erasure of identity. Just over half (55.0%) of the sample reported using LGBTQIA+ dating apps, which functioned as safe spaces, reduced uncertainty about others’ identities, and were better adapted to community norms. Multiple logistic regression was also used to test predictions regarding user adoption. Findings have implications for understanding how people in historically thin dating markets are using mobile technology to expand their opportunities for relationship initiation.
Association of Psychological distress and Physical Health with Subjective and Objective Memory in Older Adults
Authors: Liu Zhong-Xu , Whitehead Brenda , Botoseneanu Anda
Published: December 2022

Objectives

To investigate how indicators of psychological stress and physical health differentially influence subjective and objective memory in older adults. Methods: 404 adults aged ≥55 without cognitive impairment participated in remote assessment of physical health (PHY; multimorbidity, body-mass-index), psychological distress (PDS; perceived stress, anxiety, depression), subjective memory complaints (SM), and task-based objective memory performance (OM). Results: Separately, both PHY and PDS significantly predicted SM ( p < 0.01), but only PHY was associated with OM ( p = 0.05). Combined models showed that PHY and PDS maintained significant association with SM ( p < 0.01, R2 = 0.30), while only PHY was associated with OM ( p = .07, R2 = 0.03; for associative OM, p = 0.04). Discussion: SM is associated with participants’ psychological profile, highlighting the importance of addressing these factors when assessing SM. The results also reveal that remotely-administered OM tasks are more immune to participants’ psychological profile, and support previously-established links between physical health and objective and subjective memory function.
Influence of vibration suppression device for ladder-type sleeper track on vehicle-track system dynamic interaction
Authors: Yukui Wang , He Zhenxing , Feng Quanbao , Su Cheng , Wang Xiaotao , Bao Nengneng , Wang Haiyong , Yun Jianfeng , Li Xuqi , Bai Yanbo
Published: December 2022

The ladder-type sleeper track (LS track) is one of the traditional vibration-attenuating track systems. Based on engineering experience, a vibration suppression device (VSD) for the LS track has been developed to reduce LS track vibration caused by metro trains and improve train running stability. In this work, numerical simulation was used to investigate the effect of essential VSD parameters such as stiffness, damping, and preload on the dynamic responses of the vehicle-LS track system. Firstly, a refined vehicle-LS track coupled dynamics model involving an elaborated model of VSD was developed to investigate the action principle of VSD and the influence of various action methods on LS track vibration suppression. Then, the effects of VSD were thoroughly investigated using the proposed model from the perspectives of vehicle-track dynamic interaction, vehicle dynamics, and LS track’s stability and vibration attenuation capabilities. Finally, the influence tendency of major VSD parameters on vehicle and LS track dynamic performance, as well as the range of VSD parameters engineering feasibility, was explored. The results show that VSD features can affect the vehicle-LS track dynamics performance. VSD not only reduces LS track vibration, but also improves vehicle’s operating stability, and VSD’s influence becomes more substantial with the rise of crucial VSD parameter values.