bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Recuperación del río Bogotá: análisis del proceso de ampliación de la Planta de Tratamiento de Aguas Residuales Salitre
Authors: Merchán Gaitán Mario Andrés
Published: May 2024

Este capítulo también contiene los resultados principales de la investigación realizada sobre la expansión de la Planta de Tratamiento de Aguas Residuales (PTAR Salitre Fase II), una de las dos plantas ubicadas en el Distrito Capital que busca mejorar la descontaminación del río Bogotá y garantizar la sostenibilidad de las fuentes hídricas.
Seguridad social y cuarta revolución industrial: desafíos para el sistema colombiano
Authors: Barbosa Ramírez David H.
Published: May 2024

En este capítulo, se analizan los desafíos actuales y futuros que enfrenta el Estado colombiano en torno a garantizar el derecho a la seguridad social de la población, en el contexto de los cambios que traen consigo los desarrollos tecnológicos que impactan de manera directa los riesgos y las contingencias que asegura la seguridad social, tales como las enfermedades, la maternidad, la invalidez, la muerte y la vejez. En primer lugar, se demarca el alcance y contenido del derecho a la seguridad social en Colombia, posteriormente se contextualiza la cuarta revolución industrial, en un tercer momento se reflexiona en torno al impacto de los desarrollos de la cuarta revolución industrial en las variables clave de la seguridad social y, por último, se presentan conclusiones para el entorno colombiano.
The Impact of Positivity in Multi Business Model Innovation in a World of VUCA – How Can Positive Emotions Stimulate the MBMI Process?
Authors: Flarup Jane , Lindgren Peter
Published: May 2024

The importance of right speed, effectiveness, efficiency and learning in Multi Business Model Innovation (MBMI) is vital to meet today’s Volatile, Uncertainty, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) challenges to survive as a Business in Business Model EcosystemS (BMES). Coronavirus pandemic, war in Ukraine, volatile global material and resource prices and deliveries, cyberattacks make big external VUCA events to Businesses. VUCA can also come from the inside of the Business as management style change, interventions or a burn down of the Business.
How can Businesses under these VUCA conditions still do high quality MBMI? How can MBMI participants and teams in these processes increase their MBMI output?
This paper investigates the impact of positive emotions, relatedness and creativity on the outcome of three different MBMI processes in three different Business Model Ecosystems influenced by VUCA. Positivity, relatedness and creativity are hypothesized as components to strengthen the individuals’ search for meaning in VUCA and for their motivation to act in MBMI processes influenced by VUCA.
The study is conducted as a mix method research project in the view of MBMI and psychological theory – particularly the concept of positive emotions and relatedness as mental states for learning and knowledge creation. Interviews and observations show that individuals in networks and teams with a mood of positivity strengthen MBMI and the MBMI learning and creation process. Thus, our intention for further research is twofold: Training in positivity in teams can stimulate the courage to make disruptive solutions sufficient for VUCA. Secondly, in searching for the MBMI mindset psychological traits will be studied by the Big Five profile test. This opens for recruitment of participants to optimizing MBMI teams. Main contributions are:
• Positive emotions and relatedness strengthen the urge to learn and to create in VUCA – searching for meaning and motivation to act is related to this concept.
• Learning and creative processes increase, since the basis of positivity and relatedness in individuals, teams and networks are strengthened.
• Innovative outcome seems of a higher quality when based on positive emotions. Research in positive emotions in Business Model Innovation is rare.
• Positive emotion is the core concept and by training of positivity, it may strengthen the MBMI processes and the VUCA competences.
• The outcomes and solution of the MBMI processes in the case study show mainly incremental and radical MBMI – only one is disruptive.
On equivalence classes of Butson Hadamard Matrices BH(4,2k)
Authors: Wu William , Etriana P. Pritta
Published: May 2024

A Butson Hadamard matrix of order n over the kth root of unity is a square matrix H which entries are some complex kth root of unity such that HH∗ = nIn, where H∗ is the complex conjugate of H. A set of Butson Hadamard matrices of order n over the kth root of unity is denoted by BH(n,k). It is well-known that a Butson Hadamard matrices is a generalization of a Hadamard matrix. In this paper, we give some properties of Butson Hadamard matrices of order 4 which implies to the upper and the lower bounds of the number of its equivalence classes. We also showed that the entries of Butson Hadamard matrices of order 4 is 2kth root of unity for some integer k. Furthermore, we describe the equivalence classes of Butson Hadamard matrices of order 4 by constructing the representative of the class.
Positive harmonic functions on biregular trees
Authors: Gonzalez Francisco Javier
Published: May 2024

We show that if f is a positive harmonic function on a biregular tree which has maximal growth along an infinite path in the tree, then every harmonic function g on the tree with 0 ≤ g ≤ f is a multiple of f, thus generalizing a result of Cartier about regular trees.
Prodromal Status of Rapid Eye Movement Sleep Behavior Disorder: Clinical Significance and Future Perspectives
Authors: Lee Woo-Jin , Yun Chang-Ho
Published: May 2024

Rapid eye movement (REM) sleep behavior disorder (RBD) is a prodromal stage for major neurodegenerative diseases, particularly α-synucleinopathies. Recently, the spectrum of RBD is expanding and its prodromal state has been recognized and categorized into isolated REM sleep without atonia and isolated dream-enacting behavior. Although unclear, prodromal RBD frequently occurs in the aged population, with a significantly high phenoconversion rate to RBD and an increased risk of developing neurodegenerative disorders. More active and structured general surveillance of this condition may contribute to the effective modulation of major neurodegenerative diseases. However, the clinical and polysomnographic profiles of prodromal RBD, methods for effective screening and diagnosis of prodromal RBD, and biomarkers for disease progression and phenoconversion must be investigated.
COVID-19-Related Emotional Impact and Personal Experiences, Family Income, and Sleep Hygiene of Early Appalachian Adolescents
Authors: Layman Hannah M. , Lilly Christa L. , Dino Geri A. , Jarrett Traci D. , Rishel Carrie W. , Kristjansson Alfgeir L.
Published: May 2024

Objectives: The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has negatively impacted the lifestyles and routines of adolescents, making it difficult to prioritize sleep. This has raised concerns regarding the sleep hygiene of young individuals, as good sleep is important for healthy youth development. Therefore, understanding how the pandemic has disproportionally affected the sleep of specific youth subgroups is essential for developing interventions to alleviate poor sleep and its adverse consequences. Methods: School-based survey data from the Young Mountaineer Health Study (YMHS) was used to create generalized estimating equation models to predict daytime sleepiness and the amount of sleep among early adolescents on weekday and weekend nights. The study included data from 2,322 students collected over three waves ~6 months apart. COVID-19-related emotional impact (scale range: 5–25) was considered the independent variable. Results: The average age of the participants in wave 1 was 11.50 (male, 44.1%). COVID-19-related emotional impact was positively associated with daytime sleepiness (estimate=0.25, p<0.001) and increased the odds of receiving less than the recommended average amount of sleep on weekdays (odds ratio [OR]=1.05, p<0.001) and weekends (OR=1.04, p<0.001). Conclusions: Thus, we recommend targeting proper sleep interventions for individuals deeply affected by the pandemic and young individuals from lower-income families. Moreover, despite a decrease in the emotional impact of COVID-19 over time, its potential negative effects on sleep persisted. Therefore, efforts should focus on educating young individuals regarding the health benefits of proper sleep, with an emphasis on integrating this information into the health curricula of secondary schools in the Appalachian region.
Reading Texts with Objects: Rethinking Rabbinic Materiality by the Light of Early Sabbath Laws
Authors: Gardner Gregg E.
Published: May 2024

Abstract: Classical rabbinic literature is intensely material, as it invokes numerous objects on seemingly every page. Through the earliest rabbinic discussions on kindling Sabbath lights (M. Shabbat 2), this paper explores new pathways into rabbinic materiality or "talmudic archaeology." Whereas texts can promote a narrow focus on unique or exceptional objects, I argue that they could also provide a promontory to help us see more typical and widely used artifacts, which nets a broader understanding of the material culture that was more likely to be known by most people in Roman Galilee, including rabbis. The "Palestinian Discus Lamp" was the lighting device of choice for most people in the place and time when the Mishnah took shape. Its popularity, I argue, demonstrates the importance of design and practical use, functional aspects that have received insufficient attention. This paper contributes to rabbinics, late antique Judaism, and Jewish material culture studies, while building bridges to design theory, economics, and material religion. Abstract: Classical rabbinic literature is intensely material, as it invokes numerous objects on seemingly every page. Through the earliest rabbinic discussions on kindling Sabbath lights (M. Shabbat 2), this paper explores new pathways into rabbinic materiality or "talmudic archaeology." Whereas texts can promote a narrow focus on unique or exceptional objects, I argue that they could also provide a promontory to help us see more typical and widely used artifacts, which nets a broader understanding of the material culture that was more likely to be known by most people in Roman Galilee, including rabbis. The "Palestinian Discus Lamp" was the lighting device of choice for most people in the place and time when the Mishnah took shape. Its popularity, I argue, demonstrates the importance of design and practical use, functional aspects that have received insufficient attention. This paper contributes to rabbinics, late antique Judaism, and Jewish material culture, while building bridges to design theory, economics, and material religion.
Alexander the Macedonian's Image in the Jewish Temple: A Medievaval Tale of Jewish–Non-Jewish Encounter
Authors: Kogman-Appel Katrin
Published: May 2024

Abstract: Narratives about Alexander the Macedonian's life were extremely popular throughout the Middle Ages all over Europe and beyond. Crossing cultural boundaries, they were also adopted and adapted for a Jewish readership. In the latter context, the episode about the king's visit to Jerusalem served as a topos of interreligious encounter between the Jews and their non-Jewish rulers. It was first told by Flavius Josephus in the first century as a tale that sets idolatry in contrast with monotheism. Among other episodes, the text reports a dramatic encounter with the Jewish high priest. In medieval versions, Alexander suggests that the high priest erect a golden statue of himself in the sanctuary to honor God. The paper offers an in-depth analysis of this latter motif in different versions of the narrative against the background of medieval Jewish-Christian relations. Abstract: Narratives about Alexander the Macedonian's life were extremely popular throughout the Middle Ages all over Europe and beyond. Crossing cultural boundaries, they were also adopted and adapted for a Jewish readership. In the latter context, the episode about the king's visit to Jerusalem served as a topos of interreligious encounter between the Jews and their non-Jewish rulers. It was first told by Flavius Josephus in the first century as a tale that sets idolatry in contrast with monotheism. Among other episodes, the text reports a dramatic encounter with the Jewish high priest. In medieval versions Alexander suggests that the high priest erect a golden statue of himself in the sanctuary to honor God. The paper offers an in-depth analysis of this latter motif in different versions of the narrative against the background of medieval Jewish-Christian relations.
Kaniuk's Canine Writing
Authors: Mendelson-Maoz Adia
Published: May 2024

Abstract: Dogs are omnipresent in Yoram Kaniuk's work. They occupy a significant space in nearly all his books and take on a wide range of meanings. Many of his protagonists interact with or are assimilated with dogs, whether metaphorically or physically. Some dogs have human attributes, others appear as a flash of the unconscious and are traces of nightmarish traumas that foreshadow danger. This essay discusses the role of dogs in Kaniuk's work while connecting two theoretical fields—animal studies and trauma studies. It focuses on situations where the distinction between dogs and people is blurred, when an individual's doggish nature emerges, or when dogs exhibit facets of human nature. In these instances, the relationship between dogs and people reveals the depths of unvoiced trauma and enables its written expression. In this triangle of dog-trauma-writing and the aesthetic connections between them, Kaniuk provides a unique take on the person/animal dichotomy.
The Digital Reframing of a Study Collection
Authors: Backman Agnieszka
Published: May 2024

Abstract: Manuscript fragments that have been reused can pose a challenge for their digital reproduction. They may have been cut up, folded, pasted down, and then, often through conservation, extracted to become their own items in digital repositories. The fragments’ complex materiality is not always the best fit for standard digitization. This article analyses Stanford, CA, Stanford University Libraries, M0299, a medieval fragments study collection, with documents spanning the eleventh to the sixteenth century. By tracing the story of its use and digitization, this essay problematizes how the study of a fragments collection differs between a reading room and online context. Special attention is given to the evolution and change in the study aids for the collection as they migrated from the analogue to the digital domain.
Thoughts on a Decade of Fragments, Reconstructions, and IIIF
Authors: Albritton Benjamin L.
Published: May 2024

Abstract: Digital image interoperability has helped to fuel the growth of interest in, and emerging practices to support, areas of fragmentology devoted to reunification and aggregation. From early thought-experiments hypothesizing the possibility of regathering the dispersed Ege fragments through non-interoperable static websites and finally to re-usable digitally resequenced manuscripts, this essay traces the driving use-cases that led to the development of the International Image Interoperability Framework (IIIF) and that protocol’s current role in digital fragment studies. The author reflects on the state of the field after nearly a decade of IIIF use and development, offers cautionary thoughts for both current software design and data modeling practices, and suggests potential strategies for ensuring long-term sustainability for the scholarly outputs of digital reconstruction projects.
The Paradox of Diasporic Peacebuilding Amidst Violence: Providing Reparations to Colombians Abroad
Authors: Hamlin Rebecca , Rowen Jamie , Sanchez Luz Maria
Published: May 2024

ABSTRACT: This article uses the case of Colombian migrants in the United States (U.S.) who are registered with the Colombian Unit for Victims to illustrate the tension that emerges when a home country commits to reparations for nationals in exile when violence in their home country has not ceased. Bridging studies on transitional justice, diasporas, and displacement, we show the disconnect between the Colombian state's original goal to assist with return as the primary form of reparation and displaced Colombians' goals for stability, particularly legal status, abroad. Through interviews with Colombian officials and U.S.-based migrants, our findings show the unique dynamics of transnational reparations and the specific issue facing migrants from war-torn countries when their country of origin engages in transitional justice interventions.
Southeast Asian Refugee Resettlement in Philadelphia Through the Shifting Frames of Racialization
Authors: Tran Jacinda S.
Published: May 2024

Abstract: As the largest concentration of Southeast Asian refugees re-settled on the East Coast, Philadelphia is a case study for investigating how local administration, police, residents, and media in the 1980s and 1990s collectively shaped the framing of refugees through “interracial” urban violence. This article investigates how the public navigated and contributed to the optics and racialization of refugees from Cambodia, Laos, and Vietnam as boundary objects teetering between victimization and criminalization in the aftermath of the Vietnam War. These visual, affective, and discursive lenses of urban policing—both by the city and its residents—redefined the literal and metaphorical edges of US citizenship and belonging throughout the late twentieth century.
The Elasticity Of Caste In The Sikh Diaspora: Jat Cool and Caste Masculinities in the Pacific Northwest
Authors: Sabherwal Sasha
Published: May 2024

Abstract: This article examines the transnational dimensions of caste and gender in the Punjabi Sikh diaspora of the Pacific Northwest. I explore how Jats (a landowning caste from Punjab, India) have positioned themselves at times as superior to Chamars (Punjabi Dalits or caste oppressed peoples) in the US-Canada borderland diaspora. Though Sikhism is a religion founded on anti-caste origins, the simultaneous repudiation of caste and celebration of Jat pride paradoxically illustrates structures of caste within the religion. The article unsettles the ways in which Jat men in the diaspora can be implicated in Jat pride and Jat cool: a social currency intertwined with popular culture and social media that reveals a particular caste masculinity. While not all Jats engage with Jat pride, and in fact many are involved in anti-caste praxis, it is important to situate the pervasiveness of these hierarchical ideologies within intra-Sikh communities to understand the permutations and stickiness of caste within the diaspora. I build on Asian American approaches to theorizing caste, youth cultures, and notions of “cool” to ultimately reveal how caste, rather than fixed or natural, is an elastic concept that is contingent upon how it is deployed within Sikh diasporic geographies and temporalities.
Responsible Mischief: Roth as Reader
Authors: Tisch Jesse
Published: May 2024

Abstract: Roth, as we know, had many identities, but he was always a reader. This paper explores how literature helped him forge an identity, starting in adolescence, his book-besotted college years, and beyond. Like all great writers, Roth was a great reader, consuming novels, stories, and essays in great, gluttonous gulps. Roth read for many reasons, some banal, some surprising, but in a life of flux, books were a constant. They offered pleasure, stimulation, and distraction. In a way, Roth's longest, deepest relationship was with literature. What he read nourished what he wrote; indeed, Roth's books would have many blank pages if one removed the literary allusions. The intimate connection between the man, his reading, and his writing is what we'll explore—in several ways. First, through a discursive peek into Roth's vast library, donated to the Newark Public Library and carefully preserved per Roth's instructions. Second, by reading Roth's own testimony, in interviews, public events, and private correspondence. By way of context, we'll consider libraries—what they reveal, what they conceal—and the paradoxical nature of reading itself. Finally, we'll shine a bright biographical light on Roth himself. Using his reading as a lens, we'll explore periods of formation and transformation, including the late-life changes that produced his haunted (and haunting) final novels. Throughout our investigation, we'll attempt to answer a single question: how was Roth-the-reader different from the other Roths we've come to know?
Lolita x Six
Authors: Nadel Ira
Published: May 2024

Abstract: Vladimir Nabokov and Philip Roth had much in common, from an intense commitment to their art to an appreciation of so-called May-December relationships. Roth's personal library includes twenty-four Nabokov titles with six copies of Lolita (1955). His underlinings and marginal notes in two editions confirm his study of the book, which he also taught, and underscore his belief that "sex is but the ancilla of art," as Humbert Humbert states. But the influence of Nabokov goes beyond the single text. Elements of Nabokov exist in various Roth works. Lolita may have also provided license for Roth's uncensored sex in Portnoy's Complaint (1969), although Roth began to question whether art alone could vindicate immoral actions. Could art actually shelter the artist? Both authors attempted to distance themselves from their characters, but the public would not allow such separation. Nevertheless, the aesthetic of accumulation, sense of satire, and use of a self-conscious first-person narrator, added to the theme of sexual desire, cement the Nabokov-Roth nexus rooted in the numerous Nabokov titles found in the Philip Roth Personal Library. Abstract: Vladimir Nabokov and Philip Roth had much in common, from an intense commitment to their art to an appreciation of so-called May-December relationships. Roth's personal library includes twenty-four Nabokov titles with six copies of Lolita (1955). His underlinings and marginal notes in two editions confirm his study of the book, which he also taught, and underscore his belief that "sex is but the ancilla of art," as Humbert Humbert states. But the influence of Nabokov goes beyond the single text. Elements of Nabokov exist in various Roth works. Lolita may have also provided license for Roth's uncensored sex in Portnoy's Complaint (1969), although Roth began to question whether art alone could vindicate immoral actions. Could art actually shelter the artist? Both authors attempted to distance themselves from their characters, but the public would not allow such separation. Nevertheless, the aesthetic of accumulation, sense of satire, and use of a self-conscious first-person narrator, added to the theme of sexual desire, cement the Nabokov-Roth nexus rooted in the numerous Nabokov titles found in the Philip Roth Personal Library.
"Censor It Out": The Missing Chapters of Operation Shylock
Authors: Sannio Simone
Published: May 2024

Abstract: This essay considers how specific instances of censorship and self-censorship may have influenced Roth's choice of a "missing chapter" as a powerful ending for Operation Shylock: A Confession (1993). By drawing from recently disclosed archive material at the Philip Roth Personal Library, I provide evidence of the author responding to the contemporary debate over free speech and reconstruct how his references to recent occurrences of textual suppression shaped his "unfinished" novel. I focus primarily on three sources that Roth read for research during the composition of Operation Shylock : The Sanctity of Speech (1986) by Yisroel Kolman Krohn and Yisroel Meir Shain, On Clowns (1992) by Norman Manea, and "Truth Whereby Nations Live" (1988) by Peretz Kidron—all in Roth's Personal Library at the Newark Public Library. A comparison with selected passages from these and other nonfictional texts reveals Roth's career-long interest in how different forms of political, social, and textual repression have been working in the context of Jewish writing and across Jewish institutions, in the US and abroad. It also underscores that the novel—far from being merely self-referential—was meant to represent censorship as accurately as in the historical examples one could easily find outside the book, in the political events of the late twentieth century.
Design for a virtual reality head-mounted display with holographic pancake optics
Authors: Yang Ching-Shun , Pan Jui-Wen
Published: May 2024

A design for a head-mounted display using holographic optical elements (HOEs) and pancake optics is presented. The pancake optics assembly consists of a circular polarization, quarter-wave film, and a coated 50/50 (semi-transmissive and semi-reflective) aspherical lens. The HOE and pancake optics combination was employed to reduce the volume of the system. For this design, the effective focal length was 10.901 mm, the field of view was 30 deg, and the f-number was 3.633. In terms of image quality, the modulation transfer function (MTF) values for all fields exceeded 0.3 at 65 lp/mm. The MTF values for all fields under the tolerance error also exceeded 0.3 lp/mm. The maximum optical distortion was less than 2%. The impact of the efficiency of diffracted and non-diffracted light on the visibility was analyzed to select the appropriate reflectance for the coating of the 50/50 aspherical lens and the highest hologram diffraction efficiency to achieve the best visibility.
Depth-resolved water temperature measurements using Raman LiDAR
Authors: Spence D. J. , Kitzler O. , Taylor C. J. , Curtis S. A. , Neimann B. R. , Dawes J. M. , Downes J. E. , Pask H. M.
Published: May 2024

We present the retrieval of depth-resolved temperature measurements in
water using Raman LiDAR. Using a 5 m pipe of laboratory water,
we recover non-homogeneous temperature profiles with a temperature
accuracy ranging between 0.35°C and 0.85°C, and a position resolution
of 28 cm.
Pebble to the Metal: A Boulder Approach to Enrichment for Danio rerio
Authors: Byrd Kyna A. , Theil Jacob H. , Geronimo Jerome T. , Ahloy-Dallaire Jamie , Gutierrez Michael F. , Hui Emily I. , Felt Teagan K. , Coden Kendall M. , Ratuski Anna S. , Felt Stephen A. , Chu David K. , Garner Joseph P.
Published: May 2024

Zebrafish are an established and widely used animal model, yet there is limited understanding of their welfare needs. Despite an increasing number of studies on zebrafish enrichment, in-tank environmental enrichment remains unpopular among researchers. This is due to perceived concerns over health/hygiene when it comes to introducing enrichment into the tank, although actual evidence for this is sparse. To accommodate this belief, regardless of veracity, we tested the potential benefits of enrichments presented outside the tank. Thus, we investigated the preferences and physiological stress of zebrafish with pictures of pebbles placed underneath the tank. We hypothesized that zebrafish would show a preference for enriched environments and have lower stress levels than barren housed zebrafish. In our first experiment, we housed zebrafish in a standard rack system and recorded their preference for visual access to a pebble picture, with two positive controls: visual access to conspecifics, and group housing. Using a crossover repeated-measures factorial design, we tested if the preference for visual access to pebbles was as strong as the preference for social contact. Zebrafish showed a strong preference for visual access to pebbles, equivalent to that for conspecifics. Then, in a second experiment, tank water cortisol was measured to assess chronic stress levels of zebrafish housed with or without a pebble picture under their tank, with group housing as a positive control. Cortisol levels were significantly reduced in zebrafish housed with pebble pictures, as were cortisol levels in group housed zebrafish. In fact, single housed zebrafish with pebble pictures showed the same cortisol levels as group housed zebrafish without pebble pictures. Thus, the use of an under-tank pebble picture was as beneficial as being group housed, effectively compensating for the stress of single housing. Pebble picture enrichment had an additive effect with group housing, where group housed zebrafish with pebble pictures had the lowest cortisol levels of any treatment group.
Health-related quality of life among people with diabetes: A cross-sectional study in Hail region, Saudi Arabia ​
Authors: Alshammari Farhan , Ansari Mukhtar , Khan Kashif Ullah , Neupane Dinesh , Hussain Arshad , Anwar Sirajudheen , Alshammari Bushra , Alrasheeday Awatif , Jamshed Shazia , Sapkota Binaya , Rasheed Abdur
Published: May 2024

Background

Diabetes Mellitus is a serious and expanding health problem, together with the issues of health- related quality of life (HRQoL). This further puts pressure on the government to allocate more funds for public healthcare.

Objectives

This study was devised to evaluate the health-related quality of life of people living with diabetes in Hail region of Saudi Arabia.

Methods

This cross-sectional research was carried out at eight locations in the Hail region of Saudi Arabia between 21st March-20th May 2022 using the adapted version of the Euro QoL-5 dimension (EQ-5D-3L) questionnaire. A multistage random sample approach was used to choose the diabetes clinics, and data collectors approached the participants in the waiting areas to collect the information. The data were analyzed using logistic regression analysis, Mann-Whitney test, and Kruskal-Wallis tests in IBM SPSS statistics 21.0.

Results

The mean HRQoL score was 0.71±0.21 with a visual analog score of 68.4±16.2. Despite having much higher levels of quality of life in terms of self-care (85.8%), regular activity (73.8%) and anxiety (71.8%), nearly one half of the people reported moderate pain or discomfort, and more than one third reported having moderate mobility issues. In general, the quality of life for women was poorer than for men. Individuals with diabetes who were unmarried, young, educated, financially secure, and taking only oral medication had much improved HRQoL. The Euro QoL of people with diabetes patients were significantly influenced by gender, marital status, age, education, employment and treatment modality (p-values < 0.05), whereas only treatment modality had a significant impact on the patients’ visual analogue measures (p-values < 0.05).

Conclusions

The HRQoL of people with diabetes in Hail region was moderate in general, with pain and mobility issues being particularly prevalent. Gender, marital status, age, education, employment and type of medication therapy are significant predictors of HRQoL of patients with diabetes. Hence, planning and programs to enhance the HRQoL of people with diabetes, especially women is recommended.
Association between hyperuricemia and the risk of mortality in patients with osteoarthritis: A study based on the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database
Authors: Hao Ye , Tang Xin , Xu Feng
Published: May 2024

Background

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the relationship between hyperuricemia and the risks of all-cause mortality and cardiovascular disease (CVD) mortality in patients with osteoarthritis (OA).

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was performed on 3,971 patients using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey database between 1999 and 2018. OA was diagnosed through specific questions and responses. The weighted COX regression models were used to explore the factors associated with all-cause mortality/CVD mortality in OA patients. Subgroup analyses were conducted based on age, gender, hypertension, dyslipidemia, CVD, and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Hazard ratio (HR) and 95% confidence interval (95% CI) were measured as the evaluation indexes.

Results

During the duration of follow-up time (116.38 ± 2.19 months), 33.69% (1,338 patients) experienced all-cause mortality, and 11.36% (451 patients) died from CVD. Hyperuricemia was associated with higher risks of all-cause mortality (HR: 1.22, 95% CI: 1.06–1.41, P = 0.008) and CVD mortality (HR: 1.32, 95% CI: 1.02–1.72, P = 0.036) in OA patients. Subgroup analyses showed that hyperuricemia was related to the risk of all-cause mortality in OA patients aged >65 years (HR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.01–1.36, P = 0.042), in all male patients (HR: 1.41, 95% CI: 1.10–1.80, P = 0.006), those diagnosed with hypertension (HR: 1.17, 95% CI: 1.01–1.37, P = 0.049), dyslipidemia (HR: 1.18, 95% CI: 1.01–1.39, P = 0.041), CVD (HR: 1.30, 95% CI: 1.09–1.55, P = 0.004), and CKD (HR: 1.31, 95% CI: 1.01–1.70, P = 0.046). The association between hyperuricemia and a higher risk of CVD mortality was found in OA patients aged ≤ 65 years (HR: 1.90, 95% CI: 1.06–3.41, P = 0.032), who did not suffer from diabetes (HR: 1.36, 95% CI: 1.01–1.86, P = 0.048), who did not suffer from hypertension (HR: 2.56, 95% CI: 1.12–5.86, P = 0.026), and who did not suffer from dyslipidemia (HR: 2.39, 95% CI: 1.15–4.97, P = 0.020).

Conclusion

These findings emphasize the importance of monitoring serum uric acid levels in OA patients for potentially reducing mortality associated with the disease.
Importance of small vessel disease as a possible cause of sudden sensorineural hearing loss
Authors: Yoon Chul Young , Lee Junhun , Kong Tae Hoon , Seo Young Joon
Published: May 2024

Objective

Vascular disease like small-vessel disease (SVD) is the most likely cause among the potential causes of Sudden sensorineural hearing loss (SSNHL). Understanding the relationship between SVD and SSNHL is crucial for developing effective prevention and treatment strategies. To confirm the relationship between SVD and SSNHL, the effect of SVD is confirmed by focusing on the duration and recurrence of SSNHL.

Methods

This article reports a retrospective observational study that investigated the relationship between SVD and SSNHL using the South Korea Health Insurance Review and Assessment Service (HIRA) database from 2010 to 2020. This retrospective observational study included 319,569 SSNHL patients between 2010 and 2020.

Results

Participant demographics were controlled using Propensity Score Matching. The hazard ratios (HR) for the effect of SVD on the duration of SSNHL were 1.045 for the group with SVD before the onset of SSNHL and 1.234 for the group with SVD after the onset of SSNHL. SVD was statistically significant for the recurrence of SSNHL, with an odds ratio of 1.312 in the group with SVD compared to the group without SVD. The HR for the period until a recurrence in the group with SVD was 1.062.

Conclusions

The study identified SVD as a possible cause of SSNHL and found that the duration of SSNHL increased only in the presence of SVD. SVD also affected the recurrence of SSNHL, with the recurrence rate being 1.312 times higher in the group with SVD.
Male nurses’ adaptation experiences after turnover to community institutions in Korea: A grounded theory methodology
Authors: Kim Ja-Sook , Kim Suhyun , Chung Hyang-In Cho
Published: May 2024

We aimed to develop a substantive theory according to the associations between adaptation experience-related factors identified in male nurses after turnover to community institutions. From April through August 2019, data were collected through direct observations and in-depth interviews of 22 male nurse participants who were recruited purposively and analyzed simultaneously with the method proposed by Strauss and Corbin. Furthermore, 29 subcategories were derived from 11 categories, including: (1) leaving the clinical sector and changing jobs, (2) shaking while settling, (3) characteristics of the new job, (4) personal disposition, (5) support system, (6) finding my place, (7) solidifying my place, (8) demonstrating my professional competence, (9) stable settlement in my place, (10) preparing for a better future, and (11) still confused. The core category was identified as “putting down roots in another place for myself.” The verification of this theory in this study’s results indicates a need for research into the evaluation and development of professional development programs and related policies to provide support to male nurses who are pursuing opportunities in community institutions to maintain their nursing identity and further their efforts for developing a nursing specialty.
Efficacy and safety of onasemnogene abeparvovec for the treatment of patients with spinal muscular atrophy type 1: A systematic review with meta-analysis
Authors: Fernandes Brígida Dias , Krug Bárbara Corrêa , Rodrigues Fernanda D’Athayde , Cirilo Hérica Núbia Cardoso , Borges Stéfani Sousa , Schwartz Ida Vanessa D. , Probst Livia Fernandes , Zimmermann Ivan
Published: May 2024

Background

Onasemnogene abeparvovec has been approved for the treatment of spinal muscular atrophy 5q type 1 in several countries, which calls for an independent assessment of the evidence regarding efficacy and safety.

Objective

Conduct a meta-analysis to assess the efficacy and safety of onasemnogene abeparvovec in patients diagnosed with SMA type 1, based on the available evidence.

Methods

This article results from searches conducted on databases up to November 2022. Outcomes of interest were global survival and event-free survival, improvement in motor function and treatment-related adverse events. Risk of bias assessment and certainty of evidence were performed for each outcome. Proportional meta-analysis models were performed when applicable.

Results

Four reports of three open-label, non-comparative clinical trials covering 67 patients were included. Meta-analyses of data available in a 12-month follow-up estimate a global survival of 97.56% (95%CI: 92.55 to 99.86, I2 = 0%, n = 67), an event-free survival of 96.5% (95%CI: 90.76 to 99.54, I2 = 32%, n = 66) and a CHOP-INTEND score ≥ 40 points proportion of 87.28% (95%CI: 69.81 to 97.83, I2 = 69%, n = 67). Proportion of 52.64% (95%CI: 27.11 to 77.45, I2 = 78%, n = 67) of treatment-related adverse events was estimated.

Conclusion

The results indicate a potential change in the natural history of type 1 SMA, but the methodological limitations of the studies make the real extent of the technology’s long-term benefits uncertain.
Dietary adherence among persons with type 2 diabetes: A concurrent mixed methods study
Authors: Wilson Dorothy , Diji Abigail Kusi-Amponsah , Marfo Richard , Amoh Paulina , Duodu Precious Adade , Akyirem Samuel , Gyamfi Douglas , Asare Hayford , Armah Jerry , Enyan Nancy Innocentia Ebu , Kyei-Dompim Joana
Published: May 2024

Background

Poor adherence to dietary recommendations among persons with type 2 diabetes (T2D) can lead to long-term complications with concomitant increases in healthcare costs and mortality rates. This study aimed to identify factors associated with dietary adherence and explore the barriers and facilitators to dietary adherence among persons with T2D.

Methods

A concurrent mixed methods study was conducted in two hospitals in the Ashanti Region of Ghana. One hundred and forty-two (142) persons with T2D were consecutively sampled for the survey. Dietary adherence and diabetes-related nutritional knowledge (DRNK) were assessed using the Perceived Dietary Adherence Questionnaire (PDAQ) and an adapted form of the General Nutritional Knowledge Questionnaire (GNKQ-R) respectively. A purposive sample of fourteen participants was selected for interviews to explore the factors that influence dietary adherence. Qualitative data were analysed using NVivo version 20 software and presented as themes. Furthermore, binary logistic regression was performed using IBM SPSS version 29.0 to identify the factors associated with dietary adherence.

Results

Nearly fifty-one percent (50.7%) of the participants in this study had good dietary adherence. In multivariable logistics regression, it was found that increase in DRNK (AOR = 1.099, 95% CI: 1.001–1.206, p = 0.041) score and living in an urban area (AOR = 3.041, 95% CI: 1.007–9.179, p = 0.047) were significantly associated with good dietary adherence. Inductive thematic analysis revealed four facilitators of dietary adherence (access to information on diet, individual food preferences and eating habits, perceived benefits of dietary adherence, and presence of social support) and four barriers (inability to afford recommended diets, barriers related to foods available in the environment, conflict between dietary recommendations and individual eating habits, and barriers related to the social environment).

Conclusion

The findings support the need for interventions including continuous dietary education tailored to individual preferences and dietary habits, expansion of poverty reduction social interventions and formulation of policies that will improve access to healthy foods in communities.
Efficacy of neuromobilization in the treatment of low back pain: Systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Chen Quanzheng , Wang Zhenshan , Chen Xian , Du Jinchao , Zhang Shuna
Published: May 2024

Background

Low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of disability. Neuromobilization (NM) as a physical therapy technique, offers some degree of symptom improvement. However, some studies have shown that NM can significantly reduce the symptoms of LBP, while others have failed to find similar positive effects.

Objective

This study aims to investigate the effectiveness of NM for LBP.

Data sources

A literature search was conducted across five databases (MEDLINE, Embase, Cochrane Library, PubMed, and Web of Science) from their inception to December 2023. Study main measures assessed pain, disability, and straight leg raise angle to determine the degree of improvement in patients.

Results

Seven randomized controlled trials were included in the analysis. The findings indicated that NM interventions in patients with LBP were more effective than control groups in improving Visual Analog Scale scores (mean difference = 0.62, 95% CI (0.03, 1.21)) and Oswestry Disability Index scores (mean difference = 7.54, 95% CI (4.98, 10.10)). There was no significant difference in straight leg raise results (mean difference = 0.18, 95% CI (-0.08, 0.44)).

Conclusions

NM demonstrated effectiveness in improving Visual Analog Scale and Oswestry Disability Index outcomes in patients with LBP, but straight leg raise outcomes are still uncertain and until more high-quality studies are included, the effectiveness of NM for SLR remains unknown.
1.7 GHz long-term evolution radiofrequency electromagnetic field with stable power monitoring and efficient thermal control has no effect on the proliferation of various human cell types
Authors: Goh Jaeseong , Suh Dongwha , Park Gyuyeon , Jeon Sangbong , Lee Youngseung , Kim Nam , Song Kiwon
Published: May 2024

Long-term evolution (LTE) radiofrequency electromagnetic field (RF-EMF) is widely used in communication technologies. Thus, the influence of RF-EMF on biological systems is a major public concern and its physiological effects remain controversial. In our previous study, we showed that continuous exposure of various human cell types to 1.7 GHz LTE RF-EMF at a specific absorption rate (SAR) of 2 W/Kg for 72 h can induce cellular senescence. To understand the precise cellular effects of LTE RF-EMF, we elaborated the 1.7 GHz RF-EMF cell exposure system used in the previous study by replacing the RF signal generator and developing a software-based feedback system to improve the exposure power stability. This refinement of the 1.7 GHz LTE RF-EMF generator facilitated the automatic regulation of RF-EMF exposure, maintaining target power levels within a 3% range and a constant temperature even during the 72-h-exposure period. With the improved experimental setup, we examined the effect of continuous exposure to 1.7 GHz LTE RF-EMF at up to SAR of 8 W/Kg in human adipose tissue-derived stem cells (ASCs), Huh7, HeLa, and rat B103 cells. Surprisingly, the proliferation of all cell types, which displayed different growth rates, did not change significantly compared with that of the unexposed controls. Also, neither DNA damage nor cell cycle perturbation was observed in the 1.7 GHz LTE RF-EMF-exposed cells. However, when the thermal control system was turned off and the subsequent temperature increase induced by the RF-EMF was not controlled during continuous exposure to SAR of 8 W/Kg LTE RF-EMF, cellular proliferation increased by 35.2% at the maximum. These observations strongly suggest that the cellular effects attributed to 1.7 GHz LTE RF-EMF exposure are primarily due to the induced thermal changes rather than the RF-EMF exposure itself.
Factors of prescribing phage therapy among UK healthcare professionals: Evidence from conjoint experiment and interviews
Authors: McCammon Sophie , Makarovs Kirils , Banducci Susan , Gold Vicki
Published: May 2024

With the global challenge of antimicrobial resistance (AMR), interest in the development of antibiotic alternatives has surged worldwide. While phage therapy is not a new phenomenon, technological and socio-economic factors have limited its implementation in the Western world. There is now a resurged effort, especially in the UK, to address these challenges. In this study, we collect survey data on UK general practitioners (n = 131) and other healthcare professionals (n = 103), as well as interviews with medical professionals (n = 4) and a focus group with medical students (n = 6) to explore factors associated with their willingness to prescribe phage therapy to patients. The interviews with medical professionals show support for the expansion of bacteriophage clinical trials and highlight their role as a viable alternative to antibiotics. A conjoint experiment reveals that success rate, side effect rate, and patient attitude to treatment are the decisive factors when it comes to phage therapy prescription; in contrast, the effects of administration route, type of treatment, and severity of infection were not statistically significant. Moreover, we show that general practitioners overall are more likely to recommend phage treatment to patients, compared to other healthcare professionals. The results of the study suggest that phage therapy has a potential to be widely accepted and used by healthcare workers in the UK.
Transgendering-assemblages: Sin Wai Kin’s trans techniques and acts of boybanding
Authors: Hann Rachel
Published: May 2024

This article investigates the artist Sin Wai Kin’s (單慧乾) speculative approach to drag through the prism of ‘transgendering-assemblages’. Influenced by the assemblage theory of Manuel DeLanda and Jasbir Puar, I propose that transgendering-assemblages actualize the properties of transness (Marquis Bey) through particular trans techniques (Grace E. Lavery). I introduce Sin’s more-than-human trans techniques, from make-up to costume, and approach to nonbinary storytelling to investigate identity assemblages more broadly. With explicit attention to their engagement with Chinese opera and Taoism, the speculative boyband in Sin’s Turner Prize nominated work It’s Always You (2021) prompts my proposal for ‘boybanding’ as a technique for investigating identity assemblages. The final section is focused on the genderings of East Asian masculinities in Sin’s work to argue how all gender-assemblages are also ‘racializing assemblages’ (Alexander G. Weheliye). I conclude with a provocation on what assemblage as a nonbinary concept (defined by what it does rather than what it is) can offer studies of gender.
Drama therapy for all: A call towards universal design in training and practice
Authors: Glick Shoshana T.
Published: May 2024

This clinical commentary explores how drama therapy (DT) can become more inclusive for dis/abled trainees and clients. The author shares their subjective experiences as a dis/abled DT clinician-in-training, including how and when they have felt marginalized as a result of their body and identity. Challenges with training are explored in the context of reflecting on how they conflate with narratives shared by trainees who also identify as dis/abled. The pitfalls of self-advocacy and accommodations are examined through a social justice framework supported by the author’s personal narrative. An argument is made for universal design, followed by recommendations about how DT training and practice might achieve this.