bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Coalescence preference dynamics for droplet growth during single-component fluid phase separation
Authors: Singh Juhi , Roy Sutapa
Published: November 2022

When two unequal sized droplets coalesce to form a final product drop, the product forms closer to the larger of its two parents—a phenomenon known as the coalescence-preference dynamics. In this paper, using the state-of-the-art molecular dynamics simulations, we study the time-dependent properties of coalescence preference for phase segregating single-component fluids, over a broad range of fluid density and temperature. Hydrodynamics is fully taken into account. Coalescence time is observed to be shorter for parents with larger size ratio. Our simulation data also points towards an interesting power-law dependence of the coalescence time on the droplet size ratio, which is universal for both droplets and microbubbles.
Influence of growth temperature and miscut angle of m-plane sapphire substrate on the semi-polar (11–22) AlN film grown by HVPE
Authors: Maosong Sun , Ting Liu , Yong Lu , Shuxin Tan , Xu Li , Jicai Zhang , Wenhong Sun
Published: November 2022

The high-quality semi-polar (11-22) AlN thin films were grown on m-plane sapphire substrates by hydride vapor phase epitaxy (HVPE). The surface morphology and crystalline quality of the AlN film were greatly influenced by the growth temperature and the substrate miscut angle. As the temperature increased, the grain size on the surface increased and the grain density decreased. In addition, the higher growth temperature also resulted in smaller values of the full width at half maximum (FWHM) of X-ray rocking curves (XRC) when temperature was more than 1,460 °C. At high temperature of 1,530 °C, the introduction of 1° -off miscut angle to the substrate resulted in smooth surface, low density of stacking faults and low FWHM of XRC. The misfit dislocation density was calculated from the tilt angle of epilayer measured by X-ray reciprocal space mappings along [−1−123] AlN. The misfit dislocation density of the sample grown on 1° -off substrates was 6.7 × 105 cm−2. The improvement of crystal quality is believed to be due to the enhancement of adatom mobility at higher temperatures and also the appropriate miscut variation.
Recovery of the physiological status in professional basketball players using NESA neuromodulation treatment during different types of microcycles in season: A preliminary randomized clinical trial
Authors: García F. , Fernández D. , Vázquez-Guerrero J. , Font R. , Moreno-Planas B. , Álamo-Arce D. , Medina-Ramírez R. , Mallol-Soler M.
Published: November 2022

The purpose of the study was to describe and compare recovery status after official basketball competition in players who underwent NESA neuromodulation treatment (NNT) in weeks with one or two matches. The recovery parameters of 12 professional male basketball players (mean ± SD, age: 20.6 ± 2.7 yr; height: 197.8 ± 11.7 cm; and body mass: 89.0 ± 21.2 kg) that competed in the LEB Plata (Spanish third division) were monitored 2 days after match-play over 6 weeks, and included: 1) the Hooper Test, which combines four subjective variables (sleep, stress, fatigue and soreness); 2) common biochemical markers (e.g., testosterone, cortisol and ratio T:C); and 3) lowest heart rate [HR], average HR, HR variability, sleep duration, awake time during night and onset latency before asleep). Players that completed NNT presented differences compared to the control group in sleep data. For instance, the lowest HR (p < 0.001), average HR (p < 0.001) and total awake time (p = 0.04) were significantly reduced in the NNT group. On the contrary, the control group presented greater values than the NNT group in the subjective Hooper Test, although only stress presented significant differences (Control 2.5 ± 1.2 vs. NNT cost or 3.2 ± 0.9; p = 0.01). Additionally, there were no significant differences in recovery parameters between weeks with one or two matches. In conclusion, the results suggest that players that underwent NNT tended to improve their sleep quality. Nevertheless, player’s values in the biochemical markers and wellness status remained similar in both groups. The fact that no significant differences were found between weeks with one or two matches could help basketball professionals to determine that a congested schedule does not seem to negatively alter recovery status.

Clinical Trial Registration:https://clinicaltrials.gov/ct2/show/NCT04939181?term=NCT04939181, NCT04939181
Predicting acute termination and non-termination during ablation of human atrial fibrillation using quantitative indices
Authors: Kappel Cole , Reiss Michael , Rodrigo Miguel , Ganesan Prasanth , Narayan Sanjiv M. , Rappel Wouter-Jan
Published: November 2022

Background: Termination of atrial fibrillation (AF), the most common arrhythmia in the United States, during catheter ablation is an attractive procedural endpoint, which has been associated with improved long-term outcome in some studies. It is not clear, however, whether it is possible to predict termination using clinical data. We developed and applied three quantitative indices in global multielectrode recordings of AF prior to ablation: average dominant frequency (ADF), spectral power index (SPI), and electrogram quality index (EQI).

Methods: In N = 42 persistent AF patients (65 ± 9 years, 14% female) we collected unipolar electrograms from 64-pole baskets (Abbott, CA). We studied N = 17 patients in whom AF terminated during ablation (“Term”) and N = 25 in whom it did not (“Non-term”). For each index, we determined its ability to predict ablation by computing receiver operating characteristic (ROC) and calculated the area under the curve (AUC).

Results: The ADF did not differ for Term and Non-term patients at 5.28 ± 0.82 Hz and 5.51 ± 0.81 Hz, respectively (p = 0.34). Conversely, the SPI for these two groups was. 0.85 (0.80–0.92) and 0.97 (0.93–0.98) and the EQI was 0.61 (0.58–0.64) and 0.56 (0.55–0.59) (p < 0.0001). The AUC for predicting AF termination for the SPI was 0.85 ([0.68, 0.95] 95% CI), and for the EQI, 0.86 ([0.72, 0.95] 95% CI).

Conclusion: Both the EQI and the SPI may provide a useful clinical tool to predict procedural ablation outcome in persistent AF patients. Future studies are required to identify which physiological features of AF are revealed by these indices and hence linked to AF termination or non-termination.
Sprayer boom height measurement in wheat field using ultrasonic sensor: An exploratory study
Authors: Zhao Xueguan , Zhai Changyuan , Wang Songlin , Dou Hanjie , Yang Shuo , Wang Xiu , Chen Lipin
Published: November 2022

In order to explore the influencing factors and laws of ultrasonic sensor detecting wheat canopy height, designed an ultrasonic sensor detection height test platform with speed adjustable function. Taking step surface, bare soil and wheat canopy as the research objects, a canopy height calculation method based on K-mean clustering is proposed, and the response characteristics of ultrasonic detection to three media under different operating speeds are explored. Firstly, the step detection test results show that the average detection error of ultrasonic sensor is 1.35%. When the sensor detection distance is switched at the step, with the increase of detection distance, the actual offset at the step increases first and then tends to be stable, and the maximum offset is 10.4cm. The test results of bare soil slope show that the relative error between the detection distance and the manual measurement distance is 1.4% under quasi-static conditions. The leading or lagging of detection under moving conditions is affected by multiple factors such as terrain undulation, speed and detection range. The detection test results of wheat canopy showed that the detection distance was larger than the manual measurement distance, and the smaller the canopy density, the greater the detection error and error variance. When the moving speed is 0.3m/s-1.2m/s, the average detection deviation of the ultrasonic sensor for five kinds of wheat canopy density is 0.14m, and the maximum variance of the detection deviation is 0.07cm2. In this paper, the research on the response characteristics of ultrasonic to the detection of bare soil and sparse canopy in wheat field can provide technical support for the detection of crop canopy in the field.
Genotype determines Arbutus unedo L. physiological and metabolomic responses to drought and recovery
Authors: Martins João , Pétriacq Pierre , Flandin Amélie , Gómez-Cadenas Aurelio , Monteiro Pedro , Pinto Glória , Canhoto Jorge
Published: November 2022

Strawberry tree (Arbutus unedo) is a small resilient species with a circum-Mediterranean distribution, high ecological relevance in southern European forests and with several economical applications. As most orchards are usually installed on marginal lands where plants usually face severe drought, selecting plants that can better cope with water restriction is critical, and a better understanding of the tolerance mechanisms is required. Strawberry tree plants under drought follow a typical isohydric strategy, by limiting transpiration through stomata closure. However, the contribution of genotype and its bio-geographic origin on plant performance needs clarification, as well as the involvement of a specific metabolic reactions associated with the mechanical response. To test this hypothesis, several eco-physiological and biochemical parameters were assessed on different genotypes, and the metabolic profiles studied, including important stress-related phytohormones, on plants under different water regimes (plants watered to 70% and 18% field capacity) and a recovery assay. A contrasting drought tolerance was found in plants from different genotypes, associated with physiological and metabolic responses. Metabolomics revealed more than 500 metabolic features were differentially accumulated, including abscisic and salicylic acids, for the genotype with better performance under drought (A4). This genotype also recovered faster when the imposed stress was interrupted, thus indicating the relevance of metabolic adaptation under water deficit conditions. By correlating carbon assimilation with identified metabolites, some proved to be satisfactory predictors of plant performance under drought and might be used for marker assisted breeding. Therefore, our study proves the importance of genotype as a major selection criterion of resistant plants to drought and provides empirical knowledge of the metabolic response involved. We also hypothesized the involvement of phenolics on response mechanisms under drought, which is worth to be explored to shed light on the metabolic pathways involved in plant response to water stress.
Intercropping with Achyranthes bidentata alleviates Rehmannia glutinosa consecutive monoculture problem by reestablishing rhizosphere microenvironment
Authors: Liu Yazhou , Liu Ye , Zeng Chunli , Wang Juanying , Nyimbo Witness Joseph , Jiao Yanyang , Wu Linkun , Chen Ting , Fang Changxun , Lin Wenxiong
Published: November 2022

Background

The consecutive monoculture of Rehmannia glutinosa leads to a serious decrease in its production and quality. Previous studies have demonstrated that intercropping altered species diversity and rhizosphere microbial diversity. However, it remained unknown whether the impaired growth of monocultured plants could be restored by enhanced belowground interspecific interactions.

Method

In the present research, a continuous cropping facilitator Achyranthes bidentata was intercropped with R. glutinosa under pot conditions, and three different types of root barrier treatments were set, including that complete belowground interaction (N), partial belowground interaction (S), and no belowground interspecies interaction (M), with the aims to investigate belowground interaction and the underlying mechanism of alleviated replanting disease of R. glutinosa by intercropping with A. bidentata.

Results

The results showed that the land equivalent ratio (LER) of the two years was 1.17, and the system productivity index (SPI) increased by 16.92 % under S treatment, whereas no significant difference was found in N and M regimes. In the rhizosphere soil, intercropping systems had significantly increased the contents of sugars and malic acid in the soil of R. glutinosa, together with the content of organic matter and the invertase and urease activities. Meanwhile, intercropping increased the community diversity of fungi and bacteria, and the relative abundance of potential beneficial bacteria, such as Bacillus, Nitrospira, and Sphingomonas, despite the pathogenic Fusarium oxysporum was still the dominant genus in the rhizospheric soil of R. glutinosa under various treatments. The results of antagonism experiments and exogenous addition of specific bacteria showed that Bacillus spp. isolated from rhizosphere soil had a significant antagonistic effect on the pathogen of R. glutinosa.

Conlusion

Taken together, our study indicated that the R. glutinosa//A. bidentata intercropping systems alleviate the consecutive monoculture problem of R. glutinosa by recruiting beneficial bacteria. The studies we have conducted have a positive effect on sustainable agricultural development.
Forage quality and physiological performance of mowed alfalfa (Medicago sativa L.) subjected to combined light quality and drought
Authors: He Chunxia , Zhao Yan , Wang Yao , Cai Jinfeng , Gao Jun , Zhang Jinsong
Published: November 2022

Alfalfa (Medicago sativa) can dwell in water-deficient habitats, where it is difficult to predict dry mass (DM) production and forage quality due to understory transmittance. Mowing is a recommended practice for alfalfa populations under drought, but its effect on forested land receives less attention. In a controlled indoor experiment, we found that drought better reduces shoot DM weight and crude fiber content (CFi) in blue light (33.7% red, 48.5% green, and 17.8% blue lights) than red light (71.7% red, 13.7% green, and 14.6% blue lights). Mowing decreases carbon (C) isotope signature (δ13C), CFi, and total C content in shoots but increases their accumulations in DM, nonstructural carbohydrates, and crude fat content (CFa). The results also demonstrated that mown alfalfa has higher starch content when exposed to green light (26.2% red, 56.4% green, and 17.4% blue lights) compared to the other two spectra. Multiple factorial regression indicated that higher soluble sugar content accounted for the increase of CFa and DM weight for CFi. Overall, mowing in blue-light–enriched understory stands is recommended and produces high-forage–quality alfalfa, which can be used as a lowered crude fiber component.
Construction of a density mutant collection in bitter gourd via new germplasms innovation and gene functional study
Authors: Yu Renbo , Niu Yu , Wang Xiaoyi , Yang Kaili , Han Xu , Liu Zhaohua , Qi Zhiqiang , Yang Yan
Published: November 2022

Although a few studies have elucidated the creation of bitter gourd mutants, the suitable concentration and duration of ethyl methanesulfonate (EMS) mutagenesis have not been determined. In this study, mutant collection was conducted to create new germplasms and widen genetic diversity. By employing the seeds of the inbred line Y52 as the mutagenic material, EMS as the mutagen, and the suitable mutagenic conditions for bitter gourd seeds (EMS concentration 0.2%, mutagenic time 10 h), we mutated 10,000 seeds and acquired 3223 independent M1 lines. For the randomly selected 1000 M2 lines, 199 M2 lines with visible phenotypes were found, and 167 M2 lines were mutants of fruit shape, size, and tubercles. Furthermore, fourteen dwarf, eleven leaf color, five leaf shape, and eight meristem defect mutants were discovered in this mutant collection. In addition, three lines of 1253, 2284, and 3269 represented recessive mutants crossed with Y52. Furthermore, the yellow leaf lines of 2284 and 3269 were not mutated at the same gene locus. This study constructed a mutant collection through innovative new germplasms and provided valuable resources for bitter gourd breeding and functional gene research.
The moderating effect of appearance on the impact of performance rankings in the live streaming market
Authors: Chen Yasheng , Huang Xian , Zhao Sijia
Published: November 2022

The live streaming market is becoming increasingly competitive, and relative performance information regarding broadcasters is available to all participants in the live streaming industry, exacerbating the level of competition. Using data from 42,166 live streams by 293 broadcasters, we investigated two benefits of relative performance information in relation to the live streaming business and how these effects vary when the broadcaster appears competent, trustworthy, likable, or attractive. On the basis of economic and social comparison theory, as well as insights from the herd behavior and beauty premium literature, we predicted and found that relative performance information can improve live streaming performance by either increasing broadcaster effort (the effort-eliciting effect) or encouraging viewer participation (the informational effect), with these effects being stronger when broadcasters look more competent, trustworthy, likable, or attractive. The findings of this study contribute to the live streaming literature by demonstrating that providing relative performance information in the live streaming business can yield both effort-eliciting and informational benefits.
Meta-analysis as an emerging trend to scrutinize the effectiveness of L2 pragmatics instruction
Authors: Shakki Farzaneh
Published: November 2022

How efficient is instruction in pragmatics? We have attempted to answer this question through meta-analyses. Considering the plethora of studies conducted in L2 pragmatics instruction, it is still challenging for researchers to keep up with the literature, so aggregating the findings across multiple studies and comparing their results systematically in various dimensions can be pivotal to deciding whether this kind of research is effective or not. This review paper delineates the previous meta-analyses and reviews conducted in the field of instructed second language pragmatics in EFL/ESL context to explore the importance of conducting meta-analyses and to recommend some suggestions and pedagogical implications for further studies.
Recognition of students’ abnormal behaviors in English learning and analysis of psychological stress based on deep learning
Authors: Lu Mimi , Li Dai , Xu Feng
Published: November 2022

The recognition of students’ learning behavior is an important method to grasp the changes of students’ psychological characteristics, correct students’ good learning behavior, and improve students’ learning efficiency. Therefore, an automatic recognition method of students’ behavior in English classroom based on deep learning model is proposed. The deep learning model is mainly applied to the processing of English classroom video data. The research results show that the video data processing model proposed in this paper has no significant difference between the data obtained from the recognition of students’ positive and negative behaviors and the real statistical data, but the recognition efficiency has been significantly improved. In addition, in order to verify the recognition effect of the deep learning model in the real English classroom environment, the statistical results of 100 recognition result maps are compared with the results of manual marking, and the average recognition accuracy of 100 recognition effect maps is finally obtained, which is 87.33%. It can be concluded that the learning behavior recognition model proposed in this paper has a high accuracy and meets the needs of daily teaching. It further verifies that the developed behavior recognition model can be used to detect students’ behavior in English class, which is very helpful to analyze students’ psychological state and improve learning efficiency.
Money lies and extramarital ties: Predicting separate and joint occurrences of financial deception and extramarital infidelity
Authors: Dew Jeffrey P. , Saxey Matthew T. , Mettmann Alison
Published: November 2022

Introduction

Although spouses frequently financially deceive each other (MFD; i.e., marital financial deception), few studies have examined this relationship behavior. The purpose of our study is to examine predictors of separate and joint occurrences of MFD and extramarital affairs (EMI). We chose the predictors we tested using social exchange theory (SET).

Methods

We used a national sample of married individuals and multinomial logistic regression analyses to examine how different predictors were associated with membership in three different groups (MFD with no EMI, EMI with no MFD, and both MFD and EMI) relative to the group of participants who reported neither behaviors.

Results

Relationship satisfaction was associated with a lower likelihood of being in the MFD-only group, moral commitment was negatively associated with membership in both EMI groups, and personal dedication commitment was negatively associated with membership in both MFD groups. Flirting with someone other than one’s spouse was positively associated with being in all three groups relative to the reference group. The personal importance of religion was not associated with group membership.

Discussion

Moral commitment, personal dedication commitment, and flirting with someone other than one’s spouse predicted these two types of marital deception. It is likely that other issues that affect marital outcomes, comparisons, and monitoring alternatives to the relationship may predict MFD and/or EMI.
Museums and art therapy: A bibliometric analysis of the potential of museum art therapy
Authors: Wei Zhizi , Zhong Chaofang
Published: November 2022

In this paper, the current promotion of art therapy in museum development and the potential value of the combination of museum and art therapy on mental health are explored. Individuals who usually evade any treatment may experience art therapy in a museum setting as a release from their suppressed emotions. Furthermore, art therapy may enable them to discover how to express themselves, thereby reducing anxiety and promoting a sense of social belonging, which may be unattainable in other healing settings. Moreover, this literature review afforded us a preliminary understanding of issues in museum education and art therapy, which require further examination, including implications for China’s museum art therapy in practice and future research directions.
The impact of entrepreneurial education on the propensity of business students to support new ventures: A moderated mediation model
Authors: Khuram Shahzad , Ahmed Hina , Ali Shahzad
Published: November 2022

This research aims to investigate the role of financial self-efficacy in mediating the relationship between entrepreneurial education and venture capital intention, as well as the moderating influence of government support on the relationship between financial self-efficacy and venture capital intention. The target population consists of Lahore students from public and private universities who have already studied entrepreneurship. Based on the 250 responses to the online survey the findings show the mediating role of financial self-efficacy between entrepreneurial education and intention toward venture capital. Moreover, it also indicates the moderated effect of government support on the relationship between financial self-efficacy and intention toward venture capital. This study will not only help the curriculum committees in business schools to design entrepreneurial education outlines that enable the students to explore the different financing modes by including financial knowledge to cope with financial challenges but also to the government officials in devising financing plans accompanied by their expertise in the development of a business.
Online taxi users' optimistic bias: China youths' digital travel and information privacy protection
Authors: Meng Xiaoyang , Feng Bobo
Published: November 2022

Digital travel platforms not only provided people with convenient travel but also raised a series of problems regarding information privacy protection. In order to analyze privacy protection behavior, this study surveyed 441 subjects aged 18–35 who utilized digital travel platforms based on a structural model of protective motivation theory. The results indicated that a perceived threat, self-efficacy, and response efficacy positively and significantly impacted youths' privacy concerns. Furthermore, privacy concerns were positively related to privacy protection behavior and were an intermediate variable between the relationships among perceived threat, self-efficacy, response efficacy, and privacy protection behavior. This study identified the moderating effect of youths' knowledge of platform privacy settings on the relationship between privacy concerns and protection behavior. In addition, the results confirmed that an optimistic bias did exist among talented youth with high privacy knowledge in terms of a practical level of privacy management. These unique findings represent the exceptional contributions and innovation points of this study.
Sample size determination for Bayesian ANOVAs with informative hypotheses
Authors: Fu Qianrao , Moerbeek Mirjam , Hoijtink Herbert
Published: November 2022

Researchers can express their expectations with respect to the group means in an ANOVA model through equality and order constrained hypotheses. This paper introduces the R package SSDbain, which can be used to calculate the sample size required to evaluate (informative) hypotheses using the Approximate Adjusted Fractional Bayes Factor (AAFBF) for one-way ANOVA models as implemented in the R package bain. The sample size is determined such that the probability that the Bayes factor is larger than a threshold value is at least η when either of the hypotheses under consideration is true. The Bayesian ANOVA, Bayesian Welch's ANOVA, and Bayesian robust ANOVA are available. Using the R package SSDbain and/or the tables provided in this paper, researchers in the social and behavioral sciences can easily plan the sample size if they intend to use a Bayesian ANOVA.
Research on farmers’ households credit behavior and social capital acquisition
Authors: Ping Li , Xiaosong Song , Jinzhao Li
Published: November 2022

Farmer’s credit is significant to growing the farmer’s revenue and the progression of the rural economy. Several scholars have focused on the impact of social capital on the farmers’ credit availability, but the research deduction is still not combined. In addition, credit behavior is an important element that researchers pay attention to. However, the study mainly focuses on the effects of social capital on the credit behavior of farmer households and its large positive effect, a scientific approach for measuring farmer households’ social capital was presented. The strategy attempted to develop an empirical model of farmer households’ loan behavior based on business performance and the role of social capital. Through regression analysis of the influence of social capital on the channels of farmer households’ access to credit, it was determined that the error correlation coefficients of the credit by the formal channel and the informal channel were 0.153, 0.158, and 0.152, respectively, for the three models. The significance levels of the correlation coefficients were all greater than 1 percent, showing that the regression results were relatively accurate and passed the significance test. However, these results indicated that financial channels pay attention to farmers’ credit and social capital acquisition to reduce the risk of advancing. Moreover, informal money lenders such as friends and relatives focused on the social capital of the farmer. The study is helpful for policymakers to make the strategies for the farmer to get credit behavior from financial institutions. Moreover, this study is beneficial in highlighting some limitations and giving future directions to researchers.
A novel task to evaluate irony comprehension and its essential elements in Spanish speakers
Authors: Valles-Capetillo Elizabeth , Ibarra Cristian , Martinez Domingo , Giordano Magda
Published: November 2022

An ironic statement transmits the opposite meaning to its literal counterpart and is one of the most complex communicative acts. Thus, it has been proposed to be a good indicator of social communication ability. Prosody and facial expression are two crucial paralinguistic cues that can facilitate the understanding of ironic statements. The primary aim of this study was to create and evaluate a task of irony identification that could be used in neuroimaging studies. We independently evaluated three cues, contextual discrepancy, prosody and facial expression, and selected the best cue that would lead participants in fMRI studies to identify a stimulus as ironic in a reliable way. This process included the design, selection, and comparison of the three cues, all of which have been previously associated with irony detection. The secondary aim was to correlate irony comprehension with specific cognitive functions. Results showed that psycholinguistic properties could differentiate irony from other communicative acts. The contextual discrepancy, prosody, and facial expression were relevant cues that helped detect ironic statements; with contextual discrepancy being the cue that produced the highest classification accuracy and classification time. This task can be used successfully to test irony comprehension in Spanish speakers using the cue of interest. The correlation of irony comprehension with cognitive functions did not yield consistent results. A more heterogeneous sample of participants and a broader battery of tests may be needed to find reliable cognitive correlates of irony comprehension.
Conversational hypnosis versus standard of care to reduce anxiety in patients undergoing marker placement under radiographic control prior to breast cancer surgery: A randomized, multicenter trial
Authors: Lemoine Lydie , Adam Virginie , Galus Xavier , Siles Pascale , Coulon Agnès , Grenier-Desforges Jeannette , Orabona Joseph , Kergastel Isabelle , Wagner Pierre , Salleron Julia , Tosti Priscillia , Huin-Schohn Cécile , Merlin Jean-Louis , Etienne Rémi , Henrot Philippe
Published: November 2022

Background

Surgery is a cornerstone of breast cancer management. Prior to surgery, a wire marker is placed at the site of the tumor, to enable the surgeon to accurately localize the lesion during later surgery. This procedure can generate considerable anxiety for many patients. We investigated the value of conversational hypnosis (CH) in reducing anxiety in patients undergoing preoperative wire placement under radiographic control.

Methods

Randomized, multicentre study in 7 centers in France. Inclusion criteria were patients aged >18 years with an Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status ≤2, scheduled to undergo preoperative wire placement in one or several breast lesions. Patients were randomized in a 1:1 ratio, stratified by center to undergo preoperative wire placement with or without the use of CH by a radiological technician trained in the CH technique. The primary endpoint was the percentage of patients with an anxiety score ≥ 6 on a visual analog scale ranging from 0 (absence of anxiety) to 10 (maximal anxiety). Secondary endpoints were pain score, perceived duration reported by the patient, technician satisfaction with their relationship with the patient, and ease of marker insertion reported by the radiologist. Semi-structured interviews were performed with patients to assess their perception of the marker placement procedure.

Results

The trial was prematurely interrupted for futility after a planned interim analysis after accrual of 167 patients, i.e., half the planned sample size. Prior to marker placement, 29.3% (n = 24) of patients in the control group had an anxiety score ≥ 6, versus 42.3% (n = 33) in the CH group (p = 0.08). After marker placement, the change of anxiety score was not significantly different between groups (11.0% (n = 9) versus 14.3% (n = 11), p = 0.615). There was no significant difference in any of the secondary endpoints. In the interviews, patients from both groups frequently spoke of a feeling of trust.

Conclusion

This study failed to show a benefit of conversational hypnosis on anxiety in patients undergoing marker placement prior to surgery for breast cancer. The fact that some caregivers had learned this personalized therapeutic communication technique may have had a positive impact on the whole caregiving team.

Trial registration

The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov (NCT02867644).
Cultural similarity predicts social inclusion of Muslims in Canada: A vignette-based experimental survey
Authors: Tahir Hajra , Safdar Saba
Published: November 2022

Based on acculturation psychology and intergroup emotions theory, the current experimental study assessed the effects of Muslims’ perceived acculturation strategies by the majority group on social exclusion of Muslims in Canada, and to what extent religious resentment mediated the relationship between Muslims’ perceived acculturation strategies and social exclusion. The experimental study used a vignette-based approach. This model was examined among 190 non-Muslim Canadians. Results showed that when Muslims were viewed as assimilated in Canadian society, social exclusion of Muslims and religious resentment toward Muslims decreased. Furthermore, religious resentment mediated the association between Muslims’ perceived acculturation strategies and social exclusion only when Muslims were perceived as assimilated. Our findings suggest that Canadian majority-group members indicated positive attitude toward Muslims when they were identified as assimilated in Canadian society. Results are discussed in terms of implications for future studies and intergroup relations.
Educational values and challenges of i-STEM project-based learning: A mixed-methods study with data-transformation design
Authors: Chang Chi-Cheng , Chen Yi-Kai
Published: November 2022

Integrated science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) embedding project-based learning (i-STEM PjBL) is still faced with challenges, and its educational values have not been revealed, which is what the study aimed to explore. Participants consisted of 48 freshmen from a senior high school, including 27 male students and 21 female students. The open-ended questionnaire and the interview for the students were administrated after the i-STEM PjBL. The qualitative data were converted into quantitative data counted by the occurrence frequencies of the codes. The results based on the integration and comparison of the open-ended questionnaire and interview outcomes showed that i-STEM PjBL provided students with positive educational values (including learning acquisition, performance, and perception), but there were also learning challenges in the process. Learning acquisition focused on the basic structure and components of a robot, principles of robot motion, hull structure, principles of sailboat navigation, and skills of designing and assembling sailboats. Learning performance referred that students were satisfied with their hands-on performances and confident of their abilities to perform better in similar disciplines, but did not learn well on programming. Learning perception indicated that students felt interested in i-STEM PjBL materials could acquire knowledge and skills from various fields, PjBL could be helpful to complete works, and principles could be helpful in practice, while programming design learning materials were not enough. Learning challenges indicated that students were unfamiliar with the usage of tools and hands-on operation, and they also felt challenged by programming. Students' feedback can be taken as references to modify and improve i-STEM PjBL and the materials in the future.
Testing some psychometric properties of the Italian version of the Skin Cancer Index: A questionnaire for measuring quality of life in patients with non-melanoma skin cancer
Authors: Samela Tonia , Raimondi Giulia , Sampogna Francesca , Ricci Francesco , Fania Luca , Mastroeni Simona , Fusari Roberta , Salcedo Nidia Melo , Dattolo Anna , Papanikolaou Elena Sofia , Abeni Damiano
Published: November 2022

Objectives

Non-melanoma skin cancers (NMSC) include two main types: basal cell carcinoma (BCC) and cutaneous squamous cell carcinoma (cSCC). Generic Health-Related Quality of Life (HRQoL) instruments revealed little to no HRQoL impairment in NMSC patients. Instead, the use of specific skin disease HRQoL tools contradicted those observations. For example, the Skin Cancer Index (SCI) was suggested as a validated instrument for the evaluation of the impact of skin cancers on HRQoL, and has already been validated in several languages, but not in Italian. The aim of this study is to testing some psychometric properties of the Italian version of the SCI questionnaire in a large sample of NMSC patients.

Methods

This is a cross-sectional, single-center, observational study. Firstly, different factor models proposed in the literature were compared and the model with the best fit was identified. Secondly, the psychometric properties of the SCI, convergent validity and reliability, were evaluated.

Results

The sample was composed of 371 NMSC patients. The factor analysis revealed that a revised version of the original model had the best fit [χ2(df = 85) = 354.53, p < 0.001, RMSEA = 0.09, CFI = 0.98, TLI = 0.97, SRMR = 0.03]. The SCI had satisfactory internal consistency for all subscales (Emotional subscale: ordinal alpha = 0.95; Social subscale: ordinal alpha = 0.94; Appearance subscale: ordinal alpha = 0.94). The convergent validity with Skindex-17 psychosocial subscale was adequate for all the SCI subscales (Emotional Subscale: rho = −0.50; Social Subscale: rho = −0.54; Appearance subscale: rho = −0.44; Total Skin Cancer Index: rho = −0.56; and p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The tested psychometric properties of the Italian version of the SCI may suggest that it is an appropriate tool to measure the HRQoL in NMSC patients, however, further studies are needed in order to confirm and tested other psychometric features of this tool.
The physiological mechanism and effect of resistance exercise on cognitive function in the elderly people
Authors: Cheng Aijie , Zhao Zhiwei , Liu Hengxu , Yang Jinxin , Luo Jiong
Published: November 2022

Background

As brain function declines and cognitive ability declines, the benefits of resistance exercise to the brain of older people are gradually gaining attention.

Objective

The purpose of this review is to explore the mechanism and relationship between physiological factors such as vascular and neuronal degeneration and cognitive decline, and to categorize the differences in the effects of an acute and chronic resistance exercise intervention on cognitive function in healthy elderly people and the possible regulators of cognitive effects.

Methods

Using PubMed, Elsevier, Web of Science, X-MOL, CNKI, and Taiwan academic literature database, the research papers published in relevant journals at home and abroad until April 2022 were searched with Chinese and English keywords such as Resistance exercise, the elderly, hippocampus, memory performance, neurons, cognitive function. Pedro scale was used to check the quality of various documents, and the relevant research documents were obtained with the resistance exercise elements as the main axis for comprehensive analysis.

Results and conclusion

(1) Resistance exercise can have a beneficial effect on the brain function of the elderly through blood flow changes, stimulate nerve conduction substances and endocrine metabolism, promote cerebrovascular regeneration and gray matter volume of the brain, and prevent or delay the cognitive function degradation such as memory and attention of the elderly; (2) Acute resistance can temporarily stimulate hormone secretion in vivo and significantly improve the effect of short-term memory test, but it has little effect on the cognitive performance of the elderly; (3) Moderate-high intensity resistance exercise (50–80%1RM, 1–3 times/week, 2–3 groups/time) lasting for at least 6 months is more prominent for the improvement of cognitive function of the elderly, while the parameters such as resistance exercise intensity, exercise amount, duration, evaluation test time and differences of subjects may have different degrees of influence on cognitive benefits.
Association between socioeconomic status and arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease risk and cause-specific and all-cause mortality: Data from the 2005–2018 National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey
Authors: Shen Ruihuan , Zhao Ning , Wang Jia , Guo Peiyao , Shen Shuhui , Liu Detong , Liu Donghao , Zou Tong
Published: November 2022

Background

Morbidity and mortality of arteriosclerotic cardiovascular disease (ASCVD) varied according to socioeconomic status (SES), and evidence on the association between SES and ASCVD risk, and cause-specific and all-cause mortality was nevertheless lacking in large-scale or population-based studies.

Methods

A multicycle cross-sectional design and mortality linkage study was conducted using data from Continuous National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) in the United States, including public use linked mortality follow-up files through December 31, 2019. Poverty income ratio (PIR) served as a SES index. A series of weighted Logistic regressions and Cox proportional hazards regressions were used to investigate the association between the SES and the risk of ASCVD and mortality, respectively.

Results

The study sample was comprised of 30,040 participants aged 20–85 years old during the 2005–2018 period. Weighted Logistic regression models consistently indicated significant relationship between people experiencing poverty and increased risk of ASCVD, and linear trend tests were all statistically significant (all P for trend < 0.001). Additionally, weighted Cox regression analysis consistently demonstrated that the hazards of cause-specific and all-cause mortality increased, with the decrease of each additional income level, and trend analyses indicated similar results (all P for trend < 0.001).

Conclusions

Our study confirmed that the SES was strongly linked to living with ASCVD, and cause-specific and all-cause mortality, even after adjusting for other factors that could impact risk, such as the American Heart Association (AHA)'s Life's Simple 7 cardiovascular health score and variables of age, sex, marital status, education, and depression severity.
Improvements in protective measures in factories with acetylene hydrochlorination and ethylene oxychlorination techniques declined risk assessment levels and affected liver health status
Authors: Dong Yiwen , Wang Xingang , Hu Weijiang , Bian Hongying , Wang Xin , Kang Ning , Han Feng , Zhang Siyu , Ye Meng
Published: November 2022

Acetylene hydrochlorination and ethylene oxychlorination are the two most common methods of producing vinyl chloride monomer (VCM), which has been linked to liver impairment, hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), and angiosarcoma of the liver (ASL) in occupational settings. However, whether and how these impairments could be effectively improved from workplace root causes has yet to be discovered. This study aimed to evaluate whether improvements in protective measures in groups Y (408 subjects) and Z (349 subjects) could have an influential impact on the alleviation of liver impairment by comparing risk assessment levels under several semi-quantitative models and results from liver ultrasound detection and liver function tests before and after the improvement. Importantly, significant differences in constituent ratio involved in parameters among age, length of employment, weekly exposure time, smoking status, alcohol consumption, and sleeping quality were found between Y and Z before improvement took place in 2020 (P < 0.05 or P < 0.001), and population distribution by gender between Y and Z was in a large homogeneity with differences in age and length of employment. CSTE involves ore breaking, acetylene generation, steam stripping, outward processing, and welding maintenance, was disqualified in 2020 compared to OEL, and was said to have declined to meet OEL requirements by 2021. Further, a negative correction of fresh air requirement and ventilation air changing rate with ambient concentration toward hazards in Y was stronger in 2021 than in 2020. Significant differences in risk levels in Y between 2020 and 2021 were found as ore breaking, acetylene generation, steam stripping, outward processing, VCM polymerization, welding, and repairing, decreasing to relatively lower risk levels in 2021 from the original ones in 2020 only under the semi-quantitative comprehensive index model. Abnormal rates toward other hepatic symptoms decreased in the majority of positions after the improvement, as referred to by alterations such as ALT, AST, and GGT. Overall, the effect of improvements on protective measures effectively reduced positions' risk assessment levels through ventilation enhancement and airtight strengthening, which further affected abnormal rates toward other hepatic symptoms, and alterations such as ALT, AST, and GGT were much more significant in Y than effect in Z.
Associations of physical activity with cognitive function and daily physical function among Chinese individuals with heart disease: A cross-sectional study
Authors: Dong Xiaosheng , Yi Xiangren , Jia Ningxin , Ding Meng , Zhou Yanan , Tian Caijun
Published: November 2022

Background

To investigate the associations between different dimensions of physical activity (PA), cognitive function, and daily physical function in Chinese individuals with heart disease.

Materials and methods

This study included 2,792 individuals from the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study conducted in 2015. Physical activity (PA) was divided into vigorous PA (VPA), moderate PA (MPA), and light PA (LPA). Linear and logistic regression models were established to assess the associations among the indicators.

Results

Compared with taking no PA, MPA, and VPA at a frequency of 6–7 d/w had lower risks of impaired daily physical function (OR = 0.47, 95% CI: 0.25, 0.91; OR = 0.57, 95% CI: 0.37, 0.88) and higher cognitive function scores (β = 1.22, 95% CI: 0.42, 2.03; β = 1.08, 95% CI: 0.43, 1.73), while VPA at 3–5 d/w had lower cognitive function scores (β = −1.96, 95% CI: −3.51, −0.40). Light PA (LPA) with a duration of 30–119 min/d had a lower risk of impaired daily physical function (OR = 0.59, 95% CI: 0.36, 0.97). Moderate PA (MPA) and VPA of 30–119 min/d had higher cognitive function scores (β = 1.43, 95% CI: 0.49, 2.37; β = 1.30, 95% CI: −0.56, 2.06). The 1,800–2,999 METs had the lowest risks of impaired daily physical function and the highest cognitive function scores (OR = 0.18, 95% CI: 0.04, 0.75; β = 2.94, 95% CI: 1.67, 4.21).

Conclusion

Moderate PA (MPA) and LPA with a frequency of 6–7 d/w and a duration of 30–119 min/d, and PA in 1,800–2,999 MET min/week were most closely related to better cognitive and daily physical function, while VPA (3–5 d/w; ≥300 min/w) may be related to low cognition, but high-quality research is necessary to prove causality.

Trial registration

IRB00001052-11015.