bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Effect of fingolimod on health-related quality of life in paediatric patients with multiple sclerosis: results from the phase 3 PARADIGMSStudy
Authors: Krupp Lauren , Banwell Brenda , Chitnis Tanuja , Deiva Kumaran , Gaertner Jutta , Ghezzi Angelo , Huppke Peter , Waubant Emmanuelle , DeLasHeras Virginia , Azmon Amin , Karan Rajesh
Published: February 2022

Background

In the PARADIGMSStudy, fingolimod demonstrated superior efficacy versus interferon (IFN) β-1a and comparable overall incidence of adverse events but slightly higher rate of serious adverse events in patients with paediatric-onset multiple sclerosis (PoMS). Here, we report the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) outcomes from PARADIGMS.

Methods

Patients with PoMS (N=215; aged 10–<18 years) were randomised to once-daily oral fingolimod (N=107) or once-weekly intramuscular IFN β-1a (N=108). HRQoL outcomes were assessed using the 23-item Pediatric Quality of Life (PedsQL) scale that comprises Physical and Psychosocial Health Summary Scores (including Emotional, Social and School Functioning). A post hoc inferential analysis evaluated changes in self-reported or parent-reported PedsQL scores from baseline up to 2 years between treatment groups using an analysis of covariance model.

Results

Treatment with fingolimod showed improvements versus IFN β-1a on the PedsQL scale in both the self-reported and parent-reported Total Scale Scores (4.66 vs −1.16, p≤0.001 and 2.71 vs −1.02, p≤0.05, respectively). The proportion of patients achieving a clinically meaningful improvement in the PedsQL Total Scale Score was two times higher with fingolimod versus IFN β-1a per the self-reported scores (47.5% vs 24.2%, p=0.001), and fingolimod was favoured versus IFN β-1a per the parent-reported scores (37.8% vs 24.7%, p=non-significant). Group differences in self-reported Total Scale Scores in favour of fingolimod were most pronounced among patients who had ≥2 relapses in the year prior to study entry or who showed improving or stable Expanded Disability Status Scale scores during the study.

Conclusion

Fingolimod improved HRQoL compared with IFN β-1a in patients with PoMS as evidenced by the self-reported and parent-reported PedsQL scores.
Engaging diverse community members to enhance analysis and interpretation: processing qualitative interview data
Authors: Brewer Sarah E , Scandlyn Jean
Published: February 2022

As the USA becomes more diverse, the inclusion of patients from diverse backgrounds in research becomes ever more important to ensuring a complete understanding of the patient experience in primary care. Language and cultural barriers are important areas in which researchers face substantial challenges. Primary care researchers need tools and approaches to include diverse communities in qualitative interviews. Here, we describe one way primary care researchers can apply an adapted, engaged transcription and interpretation method in qualitative research to improve retention of nuance and meaning across language and cultures, specifically with non-English, non-Spanish-speaking resettled refugees. We also discuss how the approach provided additional information that increased the validity of interpretation and analysis and improved the retention of nuance in a qualitative primary care study. The methodological and practical value, scope of application and potential limitations and improvements of this method through future research are addressed.
A proposed laboratory method to evaluate the durability of concrete pavement joints against freezing in the presence of deicer salts
Authors: Elbakari Ramy , Shehata Medhat H.
Published: February 2022

Deicer salts were found to cause deterioration to the concrete pavement, particularly at joints. This paper introduces a laboratory procedure that engineers and scientists can use to evaluate the durability of joints. Concrete samples were tested under different salt concentrations and exposure conditions, including freeze–thaw cycles, wet–dry cycles, and a combination thereof. The test sample comprises a square slab measuring 200 mm × 200 mm × 120 mm and a joint running in the middle at 40 mm depth. The results showed that the test method needs to include two salts with two exposure conditions for accelerated damage. The first exposure used NaCl at a 10% concentration with 50 cycles of freeze/thaw–wet/dry alternating every 5 consecutive cycles. The second exposure used CaCl2 at a 15% concentration with 50 cycles of wetting and drying at 5 and 35 °C, respectively. Damage is assessed using the following two approaches: (1) strength loss under flexural loading and (2) visual damage.
Designing Creative AI Partners with COFI: A Framework for Modeling Interaction in Human-AI Co-Creative Systems
Authors: Rezwana Jeba , Maher Mary Lou
Published: February 2022

Human-AI co-creativity involves both humans and AI collaborating on a shared creative product as partners. In a creative collaboration, interaction dynamics, such as turn-taking, contribution type, and communication, are the driving forces of the co-creative process. Therefore the interaction model is a critical and essential component for effective co-creative systems. There is relatively little research about interaction design in the co-creativity field, which is reflected in a lack of focus on interaction design in many existing co-creative systems. The primary focus of co-creativity research has been on the abilities of the AI. This article focuses on the importance of interaction design in co-creative systems with the development of the Co-Creative Framework for Interaction design (COFI) that describes the broad scope of possibilities for interaction design in co-creative systems. Researchers can use COFI for modeling interaction in co-creative systems by exploring alternatives in this design space of interaction. COFI can also be beneficial while investigating and interpreting the interaction design of existing co-creative systems. We coded a dataset of existing 92 co-creative systems using COFI and analyzed the data to show how COFI provides a basis to categorize the interaction models of existing co-creative systems. We identify opportunities to shift the focus of interaction models in co-creativity to enable more communication between the user and AI leading to human-AI partnerships.
Financial Self-Service Transaction Method Based on Wireless Communication Network
Authors: Xie Wangsong
Published: February 2022

With the advent of the new era and the rapid development of the service industry, a self-contained terminal control business with its high-performance operation provides reliable information, saves a lot of manpower and time resources, and maintains flexibility, thus becoming an insignificant and important part of the financial services industry. This article aims to study the financial self-service transaction method based on a wireless communication network. This article starts from three stages such as functional planning, future direction, and final management and makes every effort to help the bank focus on three-dimensional and intelligent development of main business channel services from three levels such as technology, facilities, and channels, so as to realize the banking business from “production and direction” to “the transformation of marketing and experience,” providing end users with a brand-new work experience at anytime and anywhere to increase productivity and reduce labor costs. The research results show that more than 80% of the interviewed people have expressed affirmation of the financial self-service transaction service under the wireless communication network, and the interactive design of the operation interface and the information data and security system need to be further improved.
Intelligent Blockchain-Based Secure Routing for Multidomain SDN-Enabled IoT Networks
Authors: Zeng Zhihao , Zhang Xiaoning , Xia Zixiang
Published: February 2022

The development of fifth-generation (5G) mobile communication technology has become a major driver to the growth of Internet of Things (IoT) applications. As a promising networking paradigm, software-defined networking (SDN) makes IoT more flexible and agile by decoupling control plane from data plane. With a large number of heterogeneous devices accessing to the network, we need to divide the network into several domains and each domain is managed by an SDN controller. Controllers share topologies with each other to form global view of the entire network, which is used for crossing-domain path routing. However, crossing-domain routing requires global trust between multiple controllers. The reason is that if the malicious controller shares misleading topologies, the rest of controllers may calculate mistaken crossing-domain paths. As a result, packets are forwarded to the domain that is managed by the malicious controller and dropped deliberately, which is known as the black-hole attack. To this end, we present a blockchain-based architecture to ensure secure routing among multiple domains in SDN-enabled IoT networks. All SDN controllers are equipped with blockchains, and they upload abstract topologies to the blockchain via the smart contract. Thus, the genuine view of the entire network can be gained from the blockchain due to its consensus and immutability. In addition, we use the concept of reputation that consists of the local reputation and the global reputation to further protect routing reliability, and the global reputation is reserved in the blockchain. Compared with benchmark architectures, the emulation results show that our proposed method can effectively build trust between multiple controllers and ensure secure routing among multiple domains.
Finite Element Analysis of Unilateral versus Bipedicular Bone‐Filling Mesh Container for the Management of Osteoporotic Compression Fractures
Authors: Lu Hui , Zhang Qichuan , Ding Fan , Wu Qimei , Liu Rong
Published: February 2022

The effect of unilateral and bilateral bone‐filling mesh containers (BFC) on osteoporotic vertebral compression fracture (OVCF) was analyzed by the finite element method. The CT scan data of the T12‐L2 vertebral body were obtained from a healthy female volunteer with no history of lumbar spine injury or obvious abnormality of vertebral body morphology. The normal finite element model of the T12‐L2 vertebral body and the finite element model of osteoporosis were established, and the models were validated. The L1 in the normal model of the vertebral body was used to simulate the vertebral compression fracture, after which the unilateral and bilateral BFC were simulated to establish models representing the two surgical approaches. We analyzed changes in the deformation and von Mises stress in vertebral bodies and intervertebral discs in the two models under seven working conditions (axial direction, anteflexion, rear protraction, left‐side bending, right‐side bending, left rotation, and right rotation) and found that the unilateral and bilateral approaches are biomechanically comparable, with no statistical difference between the two overall models.
Transanal Endoscopic Microsurgical Submucosal Dissection for Recurrent Rectal Adenomas
Authors: Kouladouros Konstantinos , Baral Jörg
Published: February 2022

Background: The local resection of recurrent rectal adenomas is a technically challenging task associated with increased local recurrence rate. Transanal endoscopic microsurgical submucosal dissection (TEM-ESD) uses traction to better expose the fibrotic submucosal layer, and therefore, is a valuable alternative for the treatment of such lesions. The aim of our study was to assess the feasibility and outcomes of TEM-ESD for the resection of recurrent rectal adenomas. Methods: We retrospectively analysed all TEM-ESD procedures performed in the Karlsruhe Municipal Hospital between 2012 and 2021 and isolated all cases of recurrent adenomas. Subsequently, we matched these cases 1:1 to TEM-ESD cases for primary rectal adenomas according to the size, localization, and histological type of the lesions and compared the outcomes between the two groups. Results: We identified 19 cases matching our criteria. The median diameter of the lesions was 25 mm and the median operating time 39 min. Macroscopic en bloc resection was achieved in 100% of the cases and histological complete en bloc resection in 78.9%. There was 1 case of conservatively treated postoperative bleeding. After a median follow-up period of 36 months, there was one local recurrence. After comparing those findings to the outcomes of TEM-ESD for primary rectal lesions, we found no significant differences on total operating time, complete en bloc resection rates, adverse events, and local recurrence. Conclusion: TEM-ESD is a feasible therapeutic option for the resection of recurrent rectal adenomas, offering short operating times as well as high en bloc resection and low recurrence rates.
Repeated Neonatal Exposure to Sevoflurane Induces Age-Dependent Impairments in Cognition and Synaptic Plasticity in Mice
Authors: Zhao Xiaoyan , Shi Dongjing , Du Yingjie , Hu Chunhua , Li Yun , Liu Jinsheng , Pan Chuxiong
Published: February 2022

Background: Sevoflurane is a volatile anesthetic that is widely used in pediatric anesthesia due to its low toxicity. However, whether neonatal exposure to sevoflurane induces long-lasting cognitive impairment remains unclear. It has been reported that neuronal injury is the main cause of sevoflurane-induced learning and memory disabilities in the development of brain. But, the specific mechanism is not well elucidated. The injury of synapse occurs earlier than that of neuronal cell in brain injury. The synaptic plasticity is involved in learning and memory. Methods: We compared the learning and memory ability of neonatal mice to sevoflurane for once or three times in vitro and synaptic plasticity as well as neuronal excitability in vivo. In this study, neonatal C57BL/6J mice were exposed to 3% sevoflurane for 2 h on postnatal day 7 (P7) or once daily for 3 consecutive days (P7/8/9). The Morris water maze test was performed to evaluate the cognitive performance on P31 and P61, respectively. Theta burst stimulation-induced long-term potentiation (LTP) was measured in acute hippocampal slices from P38 and P68 mice to assess the synaptic plasticity. Primary hippocampal neurons were isolated from 24-h-old mice and exposed to different doses of sevoflurane (1, 2, and 3 minimum alveolar anesthetic concentration [MAC]) for 6 h to examine the neuronal excitability. Results: The results showed that compared with the control, repeated exposure to sevoflurane resulted in significant cognitive impairment in adolescent mice, while showing no effect on adult mice. Repeated exposure to sevoflurane remarkably attenuated hippocampal LTP of adolescent mice, which turned to normal in adult mice. No significant difference of LTP was observed between control mice and one-dose sevoflurane-treated mice both in adolescent and adult mice. In primary hippocampal neurons, 2 MAC and 3 MAC sevoflurane delayed neuronal excitation and dose-dependently reduced the number of evoked action potentials compared with control. These effects disappeared after a 24-h recovery. Conclusions: These data suggested that sevoflurane may impair cognitive performance and neuronal plasticity when administered repeatedly or in a high MAC during infancy, which is noticeable during adolescence but alleviates during adulthood.
Telerehabilitation during the COVID-19 Pandemic: Patients and Physical Therapists’ Experiences
Authors: Buabbas Ali Jasem , Albahrouh Sarah Ebraheem , Alrowayeh Hesham N. , Alshawaf Hamza
Published: February 2022

Objectives: This study aimed to explore satisfaction and attitudes of patients towards the use of telerehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic and to report the experience of physical therapists (PTs) with the use of telerehabilitation. Subjects and Methods: A modified Telemedicine Satisfaction and Usefulness Questionnaire was used to assess the satisfaction and attitudes of musculoskeletal patients who had received telerehabilitation services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Face-to-face semi-structured interviews were conducted with eight PTs to explore their experiences with telerehabilitation, including difficulties and benefits. Results: Out of 53 patients who received telerehabilitation, 46 questionnaires were completed, with a response rate of 86.8%. In general, the patients were satisfied with and had positive attitudes towards the telerehabilitation services. The majority (89.2%) of the patients felt more involved in their care via telerehabilitation and a majority (93.5%) believed that video call sessions were a convenient form of telerehabilitation during the COVID-19 pandemic. Seven out of 8 PTs reported benefits of telerehabilitation (i.e., reduced patients’ waiting lists and improved access to physical therapy care). Also, they were in favour of continuing using telerehabilitation to support the conventional physical therapy care, despite the lack of technological infrastructure. Conclusion: The patients as well as the PTs were generally satisfied with their telerehabilitation experiences. Using telerehabilitation in Kuwait was favoured as an adjunct method during and after the COVID-19 pandemic. However, with extensive training, optimal allocation of resources, and the development of local guidelines, telerehabilitation would become an effective mean for the health delivery system in Kuwait.
Efficacy and safety of ustekinumab in the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in Singapore
Authors: Chan Wai Sze Agnes , Wong Yisheng , Oon Hazel Hwee Boon , Theng Colin Thiam Seng , Chong Wei-Sheng
Published: February 2022

Introduction:

Ustekinumab is a human monoclonal antibody that binds to the p40 subunit of both interleukin (IL)-12 and IL-23, and it is approved for the treatment of moderate to severe plaque psoriasis. In this study, we assessed the efficacy and safety of patients receiving ustekinumab for psoriasis.

Methods:

This retrospective study included all adults with chronic plaque psoriasis who were prescribed ustekinumab in a tertiary dermatologic centre between December 2009 and December 2015. Efficacy end points included a proportion of patients achieving at least 50% and 75% improvement from baseline psoriasis area and severity index (PASI) and body surface area (BSA) at Weeks 4 and 16.

Results:

A total of 99 patients were prescribed ustekinumab; 69% of these were Chinese, followed by 15% Indians and 9% Malays. 31 patients had documented PASI scores and 55 patients had documented BSA improvements. In patients with recorded PASI scores, 29 (93.5%) of 31 patients achieved PASI 50, and 21 (67.7%) of 31 achieved PASI 75 at week 16. In patients with recorded BSA, 43 (78.2%) of 55 had at least 50% BSA improvement, and 31 (56.4%) of 55 achieved 75% BSA improvement at 16 weeks. Regarding safety, no patient experienced tuberculosis reactivation. A total of 11 (11%) of 99 patients had latent tuberculosis infection and were treated with prophylactic isoniazid. No patient experienced serious adverse events. No cardiovascular events, cutaneous malignancies or deaths were reported over six years.

Conclusion:

Ustekinumab is safe and efficacious in the treatment of patients with moderate to severe plaque psoriasis in a multiethnic Asian population.
Management of acute testicular pain in children: changing trends with improvements in scrotal ultrasonography over 18 years
Authors: Kyaw Lin , Choo Candy Suet Cheng , Ong Lin Yin , Yap Te-Lu , Teo Harvey James , Nah Shireen Anne
Published: February 2022

Introduction:

Doppler scrotal ultrasonography (US) is the modality of choice in diagnosing testicular torsion. We aimed to evaluate the performance of scrotal US in diagnosing testicular torsion over the past 18 years in our institution and determine the factors contributing to the length of wait times for it.

Methods:

A retrospective review was conducted of boys who presented with acute scrotal pain from 2014 to 2015. US reports, operative findings, final diagnosis and key time points of the patients’ journey (time to emergency department consultation, time to admission, time to US and time to operating theatre [OT]) were collected. US performance results were compared with those observed in a historical cohort from 1998 to 2004. Wait times were compared between operated and non-operated patients.

Results:

Data from 519 boys with a mean age of 9.15 years was collected. Of these, 438 (84.4%) boys had undergone initial scrotal US; of these scrotal US cases, 28 were surgically explored, with 23 confirmed to have torsion. Another five cases were explored without prior US, and all were confirmed to have torsion. Performance analysis of US showed a sensitivity of 100% and a specificity of 98.8%. There was no significant difference between wait times of operated and non-operated patients. Time to US (P < 0.0001, r = 0.96) and time to OT (P < 0.0001, r = 0.64) correlated significantly with the total time from presentation to surgery.

Conclusion:

There has been an improvement in the diagnostic performance of scrotal US for testicular torsion over the past 18 years. Quality improvement programmes targeted at reducing wait times for patients presenting with acute scrotum should target time to US and time to OT.
A new species of Philoria (Anura: Limnodynastidae) from the uplands of the Gondwana Rainforests World Heritage Area of eastern Australia
Authors: MAHONY MICHAEL J , HINES HARRY B , BERTOZZI TERRY , MAHONY STEPHEN V , NEWELL DAVID A , CLARKE JOHN M , DONNELLAN STEPHEN C
Published: February 2022

The six species of mountain frogs (Philoria: Limnodynastidae: Anura) are endemic to south-eastern Australia. Five species occur in headwater systems in mountainous north-eastern New South Wales (NSW) and south-eastern Queensland (Qld), centred on the Gondwana Rainforests of Australia World Heritage Area. A previous molecular genetic analysis identified divergent genetic lineages in the central and western McPherson Ranges region of Qld and NSW, but sampling was inadequate to test the species status of these lineages. With more comprehensive geographic sampling and examination of the nuclear genome using SNP analysis, we show that an undescribed species, P. knowlesi sp. nov., occurs in the central and western McPherson Ranges (Levers Plateau and Mount Barney complex). The new species is not phylogenetically closely related to P. loveridgei in the nuclear data but is related to one of two divergent lineages within P. loveridgei in the mtDNA data. We postulate that the discordance between the nuclear and mtDNA outcomes is due to ancient introgression of the mtDNA genome from P. loveridgei into the new species. Male advertisement calls and multivariate morphological analyses do not reliably distinguish P. knowlesi sp. nov. from any of the Philoria species in northeast NSW and southeast Qld. The genetic comparisons also enable us to define further the distributions of P. loveridgei and P. kundagungan. Samples from the Lamington Plateau, Springbrook Plateau, Wollumbin (Mt Warning National Park), and the Nightcap Range, are all P. loveridgei, and its distribution is now defined as the eastern McPherson Ranges and Tweed caldera. Philoria kundagungan is distributed from the Mistake Mountains in south-eastern Qld to the Tooloom Scrub on the Koreelah Range, southwest of Woodenbong, in NSW, with two subpopulations identified by SNP analysis. We therefore assessed the IUCN threat category of P. loveridgei and P. kundagungan and undertook new assessments for each of its two subpopulations and for the new taxon P. knowlesi sp. nov., using IUCN Red List criteria. Philoria loveridgei, P. kundagungan (entire range and northern subpopulation separately) and P. knowlesi sp. nov. each meet criteria for “Endangered” (EN B2(a)(b)[i, iii]). The southern subpopulation of P. kundagungan, in the Koreelah Range, meets criteria for “Critically Endangered” (CE B2(a)(b)[i, iii]). These taxa are all highly threatened due to the small number of known locations, the restricted nature of their breeding habitat, and direct and indirect threats from climate change, and the potential impact of the amphibian disease chytridiomycosis. Feral pigs are an emerging threat, with significant impacts now observed in Philoria breeding habitat in the Mistake Mountains.
Phlaeothripidae (Thysanoptera) diversity in Australia, with three new generic records and two new species
Authors: MOUND LAURENCE A. , TREE DESLEY J.
Published: February 2022

The genera Ponticulothrips, Trichinothrips and Tylothrips are newly recorded from Australia. Litotetothrips symplocosae sp.n. is described as the fourth species from Australia of this Asian genus, and Ponticulothrips mudloi sp.n. is described as the second known species in this genus that was previously known only from Japan. Trichinothrips and Tylothrips are each represented in Australia by single species, each of which is known from several countries.
Short-term Outcomes of Emergent Versus Elective Gastrectomy for Gastric Adenocarcinoma: A National Surgical Quality Improvement Program Study
Authors: Fisher Benjamin W. , Jammula Shreya , Wang Shengxuan , Fluck Marcus , Young Katelyn , Shabahang Mohsen , Blansfield Joseph
Published: February 2022

Background

Gastric adenocarcinoma is a leading cause of cancer death worldwide and in the United States, and can present emergently with upper GI hemorrhage, obstruction, or perforation. Few large studies have examined how emergency surgery for gastric cancer affects patient outcomes.

Methods

All patients from National Surgical Quality Improvement Program with gastric adenocarcinoma from 2005 to 2017 were examined retrospectively. Univariate and multivariate analysis of patient factors and perioperative outcomes was performed. P-values < .05 were significant.

Results

Of 4663 total patients, 115 had emergency surgery and 4548 had elective surgery. Emergency surgery patients were more likely to be non-white, underweight, higher ASA class, require a preoperative blood transfusion, and were less likely to be functionally independent. Multivariate analysis demonstrates an increased likelihood of unplanned intubation, prolonged ventilation, and deep vein thrombosis (DVT).

Discussion

There are no significant differences in mortality, reoperation, or infection when comparing emergent surgery for gastric cancer and elective surgery; however, there is an increased risk of reintubation, prolonged intubation, and DVT in patients undergoing emergent surgery. Patients requiring emergent surgery have more comorbidities, higher blood transfusion requirements, and worse preoperative functional status, and this study demonstrates that they also have worse perioperative outcomes. Previous studies have shown that long-term oncologic outcomes are worse for patients undergoing urgent surgery, and this study shows that perioperative outcomes are also somewhat worse. Thus, definitive surgery performed on a patient who presents emergently with gastric cancer should be considered but may come at the cost of increased perioperative respiratory complications, DVTs, and worse oncologic outcomes.
Duped by Bots: Why Some are Better than Others at Detecting Fake Social Media Personas
Authors: Kenny Ryan , Fischhoff Baruch , Davis Alex , Carley Kathleen M. , Canfield Casey
Published: February 2022

Objective

We examine individuals’ ability to detect social bots among Twitter personas, along with participant and persona features associated with that ability.

Background

Social media users need to distinguish bots from human users. We develop and demonstrate a methodology for assessing those abilities, with a simulated social media task.

Method

We analyze performance from a signal detection theory perspective, using a task that asked lay participants whether each of 50 Twitter personas was a human or social bot. We used the agreement of two machine learning models to estimate the probability of each persona being a bot. We estimated the probability of participants indicating that a persona was a bot with a generalized linear mixed-effects model using participant characteristics (social media experience, analytical reasoning, and political views) and stimulus characteristics (bot indicator score and political tone) as regressors.

Results

On average, participants had modest sensitivity (d’) and a criterion that favored responding “human.” Exploratory analyses found greater sensitivity for participants (a) with less self-reported social media experience, (b) greater analytical reasoning ability, and (c) who were evaluating personas with opposing political views. Some patterns varied with participants' political identity.

Conclusions

Individuals have limited ability to detect social bots, with greater aversion to mistaking bots for humans than vice versa. Greater social media experience and myside bias appeared to reduce performance, as did less analytical reasoning ability.

Application

These patterns suggest the need for interventions, especially when users feel most familiar with social media.
Lived Experiences of Widows of Armed Conflict in Kashmir: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Mir Afaq Ahmad , Jahan Zaraq , Ahmad Rayees
Published: February 2022

Armed conflicts create significant risks on almost every section of the society, as new forms of violence arise and the existing ones get exaggerated. In Kashmir, the long-standing conflict has resulted in the number of widows, orphans and enforced disappearance; however, little in-depth attention has been given in the literature on widows to the impact of this conflict. This present study examined the lived experiences of Kashmiri widows who had lost their husbands to the on-going conflict. Using the snowball sampling approach, 12 women were recruited for the face-to-face in-depth interviews. The findings of the study gained an in-depth understanding of the experiences of violence, deprivation, social stigma and psychological trauma, followed by their strategies for coping and struggle for justice. Widows are the worst hit victims of armed conflict and, therefore, inclusive interventions are needed to enhance the status of widows in a long run.
Ethological Problems with the Interpersonal Theory of Suicide
Authors: Soper C. A.
Published: February 2022

Joiner and colleagues’ Interpersonal Theory of Suicide (IPTS), a prominent “desire-capability” model of suicide—based on the common-sense idea that people take their own lives because they want to, and can—is critiqued from a biological perspective. Tinbergen’s ethological “four questions” guide the analysis: evolution, survival value, ontogeny, and proximate causation, each addressing a different aspect of biological understanding. Problems for IPTS emerge with all four. As a parsimonious solution, the desire-capability hypothesis is reconceived as an ultimate, instead of proximate, mode of explanation. By this light, desire and capability for suicide combined in our species’ ancestral past, thus making suicide a recurrent survival threat, and driving the evolution of special-purpose defensive adaptations. This stance tallies with the pain-brain theory of the evolution of suicide, and with Joiner and colleagues’ own investigation into organismic anti-suicide defenses, which appears to conflict conceptually with IPTS. These defenses’ evolved algorithm may make suicide an intrinsically aleatory phenomenon, opaque to usefully accurate prediction. Positive implications for prevention and research are proposed.
Music and Lyric Characteristics of Popular Dutch Funeral Songs
Authors: Hanser Waldie E. , Mark Ruth E. , Vingerhoets Ad J. J. M.
Published: February 2022

This study compared the characteristics of 150 songs (Dutch lyrics, N = 47, English lyrics, N = 103), popular at Dutch funerals, to an equal number of non-funeral songs. The variables explored included those linked with the music (valence, energy, danceability, acousticness, key, and tempo); and lyrics, namely: linguistics-related (first-person singular/plural, second-person pronouns; past, present, future tense; expressed emotion (positive, negative words, and the discrete emotional categories anger, anxiety, sadness); and category words (those relating to family, friends, death, religion). Funeral music was lower in valence, energy, and danceability and higher in acousticness than non-funeral music. Furthermore, English funeral music lyrics contained more second-person pronouns and were more future-focused than comparison songs. Funeral lyrics were not particularly negative, but English texts contained more words relating to sadness. In conclusion, funeral music differs in severable notable respects from general popular songs that may reflect the special purpose of this music.
Observer-based self-organizing adaptive fuzzy neural network control for non-linear, non-affine systems with unknown sign of control gain and dead zone: A case study of pneumatic actuators
Authors: Mawlani Peyman , Arbabtafti Mohammadreza
Published: February 2022

In this paper, an observer-based self-organizing adaptive fuzzy neural network (OSOAFNN) control for non-linear, non-affine systems with the unknown sign of control gain and dead zone is presented. First, a reverse dead-zone compensator scheme to cope with the impact of dead-zone phenomenon existing in control input is investigated. Then, an observed-based control approach to address immeasurable states of the system is proposed, utilizing this approach all states of the system are not needed to be available. A self-organizing fuzzy neural network (SOFNN) technique is presented to approximate the non-linear and unknown function of the observer error dynamics. The proposed fuzzy neural network (FNN) model benefits from two main advantages: (1) the number of rules is automatically generated or pruned and (2) the parameters of antecedent and consequent part of SOFNN are updated through the hybrid tuning, simultaneously. Furthermore, the control law contains a Nussbaum function which deals with the unknown sign of control gain. As the system states are immeasurable, the strictly positive real (SPR) Lyapunov function to guarantee the closed-loop system stability, and tracking error convergence to zero is employed, as well as the boundedness of control parameters are assured through a projection law merged with adaptive law. Finally, the controller is practically implemented on a non-linear, non-affine pneumatic system with unknown dead zone which exploits just a sensor for output measuring. Experimental results show that the proposed controller has satisfactory performance in tracking different trajectories, and tracking error for desired signal case I and case II is limited to [−1.5, 1.5] and [−1,1]mm, respectively.
A case study: 30 elementary music education majors’ perceptions of preparedness, interest, and comfort teaching choir before and after taking a choral methods course
Authors: Kim Ji-Eun
Published: February 2022

The purpose of this case study was to evaluate the elementary general music education majors’ perceptions of preparedness, interest, and comfort with the choral skills presented in a choral methods course. Thirty elementary general music education majors ( N = 30) enrolled in a choral methods course responded to a pre- and post-course survey. Participants self-assessed their feelings of preparedness to teach choir, stated their interest in teaching choir, and specified their comfort levels teaching seven choral skills. It was found that there were differences between the participants’ feelings of preparedness to teach choir at the beginning and the end of the semester and in the participants’ indication of interest in teaching choir before and after taking the choral methods course. Participants’ overall comfort ratings on the seven choral music teaching skills increased from the beginning to the end of the semester; choral repertoire was the area that participants felt most comfortable, which is indispensable to provide meaningful choral experiences to young singers. Implications for music education are that music education students’ feelings of preparedness, interest in teaching choir, and their comfort in acquiring the required teaching skills to do so, provides insights into effective preservice music teacher preparation.
An Exploratory Factor Analysis on the Boundary Questionnaire 18: Insights for Future Research
Authors: Mathe John R. , Kelly William E.
Published: February 2022

The current study examines some Boundary Questionnaire 18 (BQ18) psychometric properties, a shorter version of the Boundary Questionnaire (BQ). The current study examines the BQ18 through factor analysis to understand more about the structure of the inventory. At this point, the BQ18 has not been examined in depth. Further, the authors suggest a shorter version of the BQ18 termed "BQ13" with stronger reliability. The current study also examines the utilization of the "BQ13" as a unidimensional scale. The authors discuss the positive outcomes of having a new scale to measure mental boundaries that are more up-to-date and can be utilized not only in research settings but clinical settings as well.
Validity of chronic restraint stress for modeling anhedonic-like behavior in rodents: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Mao Ye , Xu Yongkang , Yuan Xia
Published: February 2022

Background

Chronic restraint stress (CRS) is widely used to recapitulate depression phenotypes in rodents but is frequently criticized for a perceived lack of efficacy. The aim of this study was to evaluate anhedonic-like behavior in the CRS model in rodents by performing a meta-analysis of studies that included sucrose preference tests.

Methods

This meta-analysis was conducted following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) recommendations. We comprehensively searched for eligible studies published before June 2021 in the PubMed, Embase, Medline, and Web of Science databases. We chose sucrose preference ratio as the indicative measure of anhedonia because it is a core symptom of depression in humans.

Results

Our pooled analysis included 34 articles with 57 studies and seven rodent species/strains and demonstrated decreased sucrose preference in the stress group compared with controls. The duration of CRS differentially affected the validity of anhedonic-like behavior in the models. Rats exhibited greater susceptibility to restraint stress than mice, demonstrating inter-species variability.

Conclusions

Our meta-analysis of studies that used the CRS paradigm to evaluate anhedonic-like behavior in rodents was focused on a core symptom of depression (anhedonia) as the main endpoint of the model and identified species-dependent susceptibility to restraint stress.
Impacts of COVID-19 Pandemic on Household Food Security and Access to Social Protection Programs in the Philippines: Findings From a Telephone Rapid Nutrition Assessment Survey
Authors: Angeles-Agdeppa Imelda , Javier Charina A. , Duante Charmaine A. , Maniego Ma. Lynell V.
Published: February 2022

This study assessed the status and factors that affected the food security of Filipino households and their access to social protection programs and coping mechanisms during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic in the Philippines. A rapid nutrition assessment survey through telephone interview was conducted on November 3 to December 3, 2020, among households covered in the 2019 Expanded National Nutrition Survey (ENNS) to compare the status of household food security before and during the pandemic. A total of 9 provinces and highly urbanized areas were selected as study sites based on risk to COVID-19 infection categorized as low, medium, and high. A total of 5717 households with contact numbers participated in the study. Results showed that almost two-thirds (62.1%) of the households experienced moderate to severe food insecurity when strict community quarantines started. The increase in the proportion of moderate to severe food insecurity was higher in the low- and medium-risk areas of COVID-19 infection than in high-risk areas ( P < .05). The poorest households were 1.7 times more likely to become moderate to severely food insecure compared to middle-income households. No money to buy food (22.1%) was the top concern of food-insecure households. Purchasing food on credit, borrowing food from family, and loans from relatives and friends are the top coping strategies of food-insecure households. The results imply the need to extend assistance equitably to households and areas with fewer resources and minimal or no benefactors.
C1q/TNF-related protein-1: Potential biomarker for early diagnosis of autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Raeisy Hamed , Bayati Paria , Noorbakhsh Farshid , Hakim Shooshtari Mitra , Eftekhar Ardebili Mehrdad , Shekarabi Mehdi , Mojtabavi Nazanin
Published: February 2022

Introduction

Autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) are neurodevelopmental diseases characterized by communication inabilities, social interaction impairment, repetitive behavior, as well as learning problems. Although the exact mechanism underlying this disease is still obscure, researchers believe that several factors play a significant role in its development and pathogenesis. Some authors have reported an association between adipokines family and autism. C1q/TNF-related protein-1 (CTRP1) is a member of the adipokines family, and we hypothesized that this adipokine might have an influential role in the pathogenesis of ASDs. Since there is no specific marker for screening the disease, we evaluated CTRP1 as a potential marker for achieving this purpose.

Methods

Blood samples were collected from 82 (41 ASDs boys, 41 healthy boys as controls) children aged 5–7 years old. CTRP1 gene expression and CTRP1 serum level were measured by quantitative realtime-PCR and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay methods, respectively.

Results

It was found that CTRP1 is significantly elevated in autistic children in comparison to healthy controls, both at the gene expression level, as well as at the serum level; demonstrating a good diagnostic value with a good range of sensitivity and specificity for detecting ASDs.

Conclusion

CTRP1 expression is elevated in ASDs boys aged 5–7 years old, suggesting a role for this adipokine in ASDs pathophysiology. Also, receiver operating characteristic curve analyses revealed that this adipokine could be utilized as a diagnostic biomarker for differentiating ASDs patients from healthy individuals along with other recently proposed biomarkers.
Support for Informal Caregivers in Canada: A Scoping Review from a Hospice and Palliative/End-of-Life Care Lens
Authors: Wan Andrew , Lung Elaine , Ankita Ankita , Li Zoey , Barrie Carol , Baxter Sharon , Benedet Lisa , Mirhosseini Mehrnoush (Noush) , Mirza Raza M. , Thorpe Karla , Vadeboncoeur Christina , Klinger Christopher A.
Published: February 2022

Objective: Informal caregivers (ICs) providing care for those at the end-of-life face physical, psycho-social, emotional, and/or financial challenges. However, there is a paucity of research towards the effectiveness of available interventions for this vulnerable population. The purpose of this scoping review was to investigate the availability and efficacy of interventions for ICs providing hospice and palliative/end-of-life care in Canada. Methods: Using Arksey and O’Malley's five step framework, a scoping review was conducted in the spring of 2020. Key electronic healthcare, social sciences, and grey literature databases were searched. Relevant publications from 2005 to 2019 were screened for inclusion criteria, and a thematic content analysis was conducted to summarize all key findings. Results: Initial searches yielded 145 results out of which 114 distinct articles were obtained. De-duplication and final screening yielded 28 sources which met inclusion criteria (22 peer-reviewed articles [78%] and 6 grey sources [22%]; 12 qualitative papers [42%]). Through thematic content analysis, four major themes were identified: [1] Direct financial support, [2] Direct psycho-sociospiritual support, [3] Indirect patient information provision/education, and [4] Indirect patient support. Conclusions: Healthcare practitioners should provide information on patient care and financial aid to ICs. Policies should aim to expand eligibility for and access to financial aid, in particular the Compassionate Care Benefits (CCB). Future research should focus on exploring other interventions, such as physical activities, to better support this vulnerable population. The results from this review will help inform and improve the well-being of ICs providing end-of-life care in Canada and beyond.
The Applicability of Social Structure and Social Learning Theory to Explain Intimate Partner Violence Perpetration Across National Contexts
Authors: Li Carrie K. W.
Published: February 2022

Intimate partner violence (IPV) affects men and women worldwide. However, a comprehensive examination of the etiology of IPV perpetration across national contexts is limited. Since Aker’s Social Structure and Social Learning (SSSL) theory was developed as a general theory of crime, national differences in social structure should explain social learning, which in turn should explain IPV perpetration. Therefore, the current study tests the applicability of SSSL and the mediation effect of the social learning process on the connection between social structural factors and IPV perpetration. Data on IPV perpetration by both male and female college students in 30 nations were taken from the International Dating Violence Study. Structural-level indicators of gender equality for individual nations were taken from Global Gender Gap Index. Findings suggest that national-level gender equality is partially mediated by definitions favorable to breaking the law; a component of SSSL theory. However, other components of the social learning process, such as differential association, differential reinforcement, and imitation, were not found to have mediating effects. The findings only partially support SSSL theory that social learning variables mediate the effect of gender equality on IPV perpetration. Implications of the findings are discussed.
Structural Basal Ganglia Correlates of Subjective Fatigue in Middle-Aged and Older Adults
Authors: Banerjee Nikhil , Kaur Sonya , Saporta Anita , Lee Sang H. , Alperin Noam , Levin Bonnie E.
Published: February 2022

Objective

Fatigue is among the most common complaints in community-dwelling older adults, yet its etiology is poorly understood. Based on models implicating frontostriatal pathways in fatigue pathogenesis, we hypothesized that smaller basal ganglia volume would be associated with higher levels of subjective fatigue and reduced set-shifting in middle-aged and older adults without dementia or other neurologic conditions.

Methods

Forty-eight non-demented middle-aged and older adults ( Mage = 68.1, SD = 9.4; MMMSE = 27.3, SD = 1.9) completed the Fatigue Symptom Inventory, set-shifting measures, and structural MRI as part of a clinical evaluation for subjective cognitive complaints. Associations were examined cross-sectionally.

Results

Linear regression analyses showed that smaller normalized basal ganglia volumes were associated with more severe fatigue (β = −.29, P = .041) and poorer Trail Making Test B-A (TMT B-A) performance (β = .30, P = .033) controlling for depression, sleep quality, vascular risk factors, and global cognitive status. Putamen emerged as a key structure linked with both fatigue ( r = −.43, P = .003) and TMT B-A (β = .35, P = .021). The link between total basal ganglia volume and reduced TMT B-A was particularly strong in clinically fatigued patients.

Conclusion

This study is among the first to show that reduced basal ganglia volume is an important neurostructural correlate of subjective fatigue in physically able middle-aged and older adults without neurological conditions. Findings suggest that fatigue and rapid set-shifting deficits may share common neural underpinnings involving the basal ganglia, and provide a framework for studying the neuropathogenesis and treatment of subjective fatigue.