bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Platform Mergers: Lessons from a Case in the Digital TV Market*
Authors: Ivaldi Marc , Zhang Jiekai
Published: March 2022

We contribute to the analysis of mergers in two‐sided markets, in which a platform provides its service for free on one side but obtains all its revenues from the other. A structural model allowing for multi‐homing of advertisers is developed to assess a decision of the French competition authority, which approves the merger of the broadcasting services of TV channels but prohibits the merger of their advertising sales services through a behavioral remedy. We show that ignoring the interaction between the two sides of platforms in designing competition or regulatory policy can result in unexpected outcomes.
Pricing Patterns in Wholesale Electricity Markets: Unilateral Market Power or Coordinated Behavior?*
Authors: Brown David P. , Eckert Andrew
Published: March 2022

We examine allegations that firms in Alberta's electricity industry manipulated public information to coordinate in the wholesale market. We investigate whether bids by firms who employed unique pricing patterns were consistent with unilateral expected profit maximization. Our results suggest that these firms could have increased expected profits through unilateral deviations. For one firm, the potential to increase profits is greater on days when certain offer patterns are observed, providing support for the claim that such patterns may have assisted coordination on high‐priced outcomes. These results suggest that regulators should exercise caution when designing information disclosure policies in concentrated electricity markets.
The anatomy of immigration enforcement: Long‐standing socio‐emotional impacts on children as they age into adulthood
Authors: Dreby Joanna , Silveira Florencia , Lee Eunju
Published: March 2022

Objective

This article identifies how experiences with immigration enforcement during childhood come to have long‐standing socio‐emotional impacts in adulthood.

Background

Scholarship shows adverse experiences in childhood to have enduring effects and that enforcement causes a series of hardships, particularly for children. Yet no research to date explains what specifically about enforcement shapes children's lives over time.

Methods

Using in‐depth interviews collected between 2019 and 2021 from 84 young adults, all who were minors raised during the period of increased immigration enforcement during the mid‐2000s, we use qualitative analytical techniques to explore enforcement as a possible source of traumatic experience outside of the household.

Results

We find that long‐term socio‐emotional effects related to enforcement are likely tied to three elements of children's lived experiences: (a) the extent of exposure to enforcement episodes, (b) the chronicity of exposure, and (c) the timing of exposure in a child's life course and that these three elements unfold within family contexts. Children with direct and chronic exposure and for whom exposure spans middle childhood describe negative consequences on their well‐being in adulthood particularly when they experience other forms of family adversity. Supportive family contexts can mitigate exposure, chronicity, and timing of exposure.

Conclusion and Implications

This framework for understanding the anatomy of enforcement can improve how we theorize immigration‐related trauma and can—in the absence of federal reform–provide local‐level policymakers and officials with guidelines to help lessen hardship caused by enforcement practices.
Experiences of a cognitive behavioural therapy (CBT) intervention for fatigue in patients receiving haemodialysis
Authors: Waite Frances , Chilcot Joseph , Moss‐Morris Rona , Farrington Ken , Picariello Federica
Published: March 2022

Background

A feasibility randomised‐controlled trial found that a cognitive‐behavioural therapy intervention for renal fatigue has the potential to reduce fatigue in patients receiving haemodialysis, but uptake was low.

Objectives

Nested in the randomised‐controlled trial (RC) qualitative interviews were undertaken to understand the acceptability of renal fatigue, the facilitators of, and barriers to, engagement, and the psychosocial processes of change.

Design

The trial included 24 participants at baseline. Semi‐structured interviews were conducted with nine participants from the intervention arm (n = 12). Approach Interviews were carried out immediately following treatment (3 months post‐randomisation). Data were analysed using inductive thematic analysis.

Findings

Five main themes were formulated. The overarching theme was a sense of coherence (whether the illness, symptoms and treatment made sense to individuals), which appeared to be central to acceptability and engagement. Two themes captured the key barriers and facilitators to engagement, cognitive and illness/treatment burdens and collaboration with the therapist. Participants described changes related to their activity, thoughts and social identity/interactions, which shaped perceptions of change in fatigue. Lastly, participants discussed the optimal delivery of the intervention.

Conclusions

This study revealed the importance of patients' understanding of fatigue and acceptance of the treatment model for the acceptability of and engagement with a cognitive‐behavioural therapy‐based intervention for fatigue. Overall, there was an indication that such an intervention is acceptable to patients and the mechanisms of change align with the proposed biopsychosocial model of fatigue. However, it needs to be delivered in a way that is appealing and practical to patients, acknowledging the illness and treatment burdens.
Patient perspectives and experiences of remote consultations in people receiving kidney care: A scoping review
Authors: Ewart Catriona , Baharani Jyoti , Wilkie Martin , Thomas Nicola
Published: March 2022

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID‐19) pandemic resulted in a rapid and sometimes chaotic change in how clinical care was delivered for people living with kidney disease, with increased reliance on digital technologies and the introduction of remote services.

Objectives

To conduct a scoping review of studies about patients' experiences and perspectives in receipt of remote consultations for kidney care.

Design

Using Arksey and O'Malley's framework, three databases were searched on EBSCO (CINAHL, MEDLINE and Psych INFO). The search included studies published in English from August 2010 to August 2021.

Results

Eight studies met the scoping review criteria (two cross‐sectional, two mixed‐method and four qualitative). Five themes were identified: overall satisfaction with remote services, benefits to patients (convenience, involvement in care and patient safety), barriers to remote consultations (technical difficulties, digital literacy and loss of interpersonal communication), patient concerns (need for physical examination, privacy and confidentiality) and prerequisites for successful remote care (existing patient–practitioner relationship, stable illness phase and access to technology).

Conclusion

Remote consultations confer multiple advantages to patients; therefore, remote consultations should be offered as an option to patients living with kidney disease beyond the COVID‐19 pandemic. However, there are several barriers to remote consultation that need to be addressed and understood before implementing remote care long‐term. Future research should examine the impact of remote consultations on people living with kidney disease from under‐served groups to identify barriers and ensure their suitability and accessibility to the wider population for a more patient‐centred approach to kidney care.
Effect of exercise on cognitive impairment in patients undergoing haemodialyses: A systematic review and meta‐analysis of randomised controlled trials
Authors: Liu Huan , Song Yan , Zhao Danyan , Zhan Minqi
Published: March 2022

Background

The influence of exercise on cognition in patients undergoing haemodialysis has been examined. However, evidence elucidating the effects in this patient group is scarce.

Objective

To examine the effect of exercise on cognitive impairment in patients undergoing haemodialysis and provide insight into the effects of various characteristics of exercise on cognitive impairment in this population.

Design

A systematic review and meta‐analysis, following the guidance of PRISMA was undertaken.

Participants

Adult patients undergoing haemodialysis.

Results

This review found that exercise significantly improved cognitive impairment in patients undergoing haemodialysis (SMD = 0.37, 95% CI: 0.13, 0.60, p = 0.002). Subgroup analyses demonstrated that both intradialytic exercise (SMD = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.37, 1.26, p < 0.001) and interdialytic exercise (SMD = 0.24, 95% CI: 0.01, 0.47, p = 0.038), exercise for 16 weeks or over (SMD = 0.33, 95% CI: 0.07, 0.58, p = 0.012), and lasting for more than 30 minutes (SMD = 0.52, 95% CI: 0.17, 0.86, p = 0.004) significantly alleviated cognitive impairment. The effect of exercise on cognitive impairment in patients less than 65 years of age (SMD = 0.39, 95% CI: 0.10, 0.68, p = 0.009) was significantly better than those over 65.

Conclusion

Exercise significantly improves cognitive impairment in patients undergoing haemodialysis. Both Intradialytic and interdialytic exercise of at least 30 minutes duration, 3 times weekly, and at least for 16 weeks may play a significant role in alleviating cognitive impairment in patients under 65 years of age.
Illuminating opposing performance effects of stressors in innovation teams
Authors: Razinskas Stefan , Weiss Matthias , Hoegl Martin , Baer Markus
Published: March 2022

Despite the clear relevance of stressors for the creative work performed by individuals, how they affect teams in their ability to innovate is poorly understood. Thus, the question as to what kind of, and by which mechanisms, team stressors may give rise to better innovation team performance needs further consideration. We address this issue by applying the challenge–hindrance stressor framework to the team level of analysis in the context of innovation teams. By integrating insights from social identity theory and the attentional focus model, we highlight the importance of identity‐ and information‐based mechanisms in transmitting the differential effects of challenge and hindrance team stressors on the performance of innovation teams. We test our arguments for two of the most prominent indicators of innovation team performance (i.e., team creativity and team efficiency) in a multi‐informant sample of team members, team‐internal leaders, and team‐external managers from 114 innovation teams. Our findings support the opposing effects of challenge and hindrance team stressors in predicting innovation team performance through the two differential mechanisms. Specifically, for team efficiency, both team stressors come with the cost of team task conflict (i.e., the information‐based mechanism). However, whereas challenge team stressors enhance collective team identification (i.e., the identity‐based mechanism), hindrance team stressors undermine collective team identification, thereby aggravating their already negative effect on team efficiency. In terms of team creativity, our results suggest that both types of team stressors exert their indirect effects solely via the identity‐based mechanism. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
A method for evaluating time‐resolved rheological functionalities of fluid foods
Authors: Ohie Kohei , Chiba Haruko , Kumagai Satomi , Yoshida Taiki , Tasaka Yuji
Published: March 2022

We have developed an effective method for evaluating time‐resolved rheological functionalities of swallowed foods using ultrasonic spinning rheometry (USR). USR can obtain variations over time in the rheological properties of fluids despite the fluids being in heterogeneous and nonequilibrium conditions. In addition, USR can evaluate time variations of shear‐thinning property changing in a few seconds. Demonstrations were conducted with typical thickener solutions: starch, guar gum, and xanthan gum‐based solutions, with alpha‐amylase as a digestive enzyme. The flow curve of the starch‐based solutions lowered with time, and a few minutes after addition of the amylase, the viscosity dropped to one‐hundredth of the original value. In contrast, the guar gum‐ and xanthan gum‐based solutions maintained the original viscosities as generally known. Applying the power law fitting to series of these flow curves, the time variation of the shear‐thinning property is quantitatively characterized by the plots on typical K‐n space, where K and n are parameters in the model, consistency index and power law exponent. The qualitative characteristics of the thickeners are successfully quantified in the K‐n space, and this will be a practical tool for evaluating the time‐resolved rheological properties of swallowed foods.
Petrogenesis of Northwest Africa 8686: A ferroan olivine‐phyric shergottite
Authors: Nicklas Robert W. , Day James M. D. , Vaci Zoltan , Udry Arya
Published: March 2022

Northwest Africa (NWA) 8686 is an olivine‐phyric shergottite containing up to ~500 μm long olivine crystals in a fine‐grained groundmass of augite, pigeonite, and maskelynite, with accessory merrillite, pyrrhotite, and oxides. Bulk rock and mineral major and trace element concentrations are reported for NWA 8686, along with bulk rock highly siderophile element (HSE: Os, Ir, Ru, Pt, Pd, Re) abundances and 187Re‐187Os data. Based on its mineralogy, texture, and bulk rock rare earth element (REE) abundances, NWA 8686 is classified as an intermediate olivine‐phyric shergottite. It is notable for having some of the most ferroan olivine macrocrysts (forsterite content = 51.5 ± 3.5) of any olivine‐phyric shergottite. Olivine is absent from the NWA 8686 groundmass, which is unique for olivine‐phyric shergottites, and the calculated groundmass composition is also not olivine normative. The bulk meteorite has a low Mg# of 59 yet has HSE in broadly chondritic proportions (~0.005 × CI chondrite). The bulk rock REE pattern for NWA 8686 shows depletions in both the light and heavy REE relative to the middle REE. Compiled olivine and bulk rock data for olivine‐phyric shergottites indicate that olivine macrocrysts in almost all these meteorites are the result of entrainment of antecrysts or xenocrysts. The combination of low Mg# and chondritic HSE signatures in NWA 8686 means that it may have been formed either from the mixing between an evolved lava and early‐formed HSE‐rich phases such as Os‐Ir alloys or by the melting of a low Mg# mantle source with chondritic HSE abundances. The elevated Gd/Yb ratio in both NWA 8686 and other intermediate olivine‐phyric shergottites indicates that garnet was involved as either a residual or fractionating phase in their petrogenesis.
Visiting Hours: Spacetimes of Human–Animal Interaction in South African Elder Care
Authors: Golomski Casey
Published: March 2022

This article examines human–animal interaction in elder care by focusing on an old age home in postapartheid South Africa. Residents admire and desire to be near animals, but staff mostly prohibit pets and service animals due to regulations about hygiene and frailty. Instead, people make meaningful relationships with media representations of animals and wilder animals in the home's yard. This article uses the clinical timescale of visiting hours to interpret these alternative human–animal interactions and their temporal incongruities—to show how people make sense of differences they perceive between their own and animals’ mortality and longevity, and how animals enable remembering and articulations of aging selfhood and social relations across the life course. A reinterpretation of visiting hours reveals the making of self–other distinctions in late life and temporal aspects of medical institutionalism that shape multispecies relations.
Two‐component sensor histidine kinases of Mycobacterium tuberculosis: Beacons for niche navigation
Authors: Stupar Miljan , Furness Juanelle , De Voss Christopher J. , Tan Lendl , West Nicholas P.
Published: March 2022

Intracellular bacterial pathogens such as Mycobacterium tuberculosis are remarkably adept at surviving within a host, employing a variety of mechanisms to counteract host defenses and establish a protected niche. Constant surveying of the environment is key for pathogenic mycobacteria to discern their immediate location and coordinate the expression of genes necessary for adaptation. Two‐component systems efficiently perform this role, typically comprised of a transmembrane sensor kinase and a cytoplasmic response regulator. In this review, we describe the role of two‐component systems in bacterial pathogenesis, focusing predominantly on the role of sensor kinases of M. tuberculosis. We highlight important features of sensor kinases in mycobacterial infection, discuss ways in which these signaling proteins sense and respond to environments, and how this is attuned to their intracellular lifestyle. Finally, we discuss recent studies which have identified and characterized inhibitors of two‐component sensor kinases toward establishing a new strategy in anti‐mycobacterial therapy.
Activating ATF6 in spinal muscular atrophy promotes SMN expression and motor neuron survival through the IRE1α‐XBP1 pathway
Authors: D'Amico Domenico , Biondi Olivier , Januel Camille , Bezier Cynthia , Sapaly Delphine , Clerc Zoé , El Khoury Mirella , Sundaram Venkat Krishnan , Houdebine Léo , Josse Thibaut , Della Gaspera Bruno , Martinat Cécile , Massaad Charbel , Weill Laure , Charbonnier Frédéric
Published: March 2022

Aim

Spinal muscular atrophy (SMA) is a neuromuscular disease caused by survival of motor neuron (SMN) deficiency that induces motor neuron (MN) degeneration and severe muscular atrophy. Gene therapies that increase SMN have proven their efficacy but not for all patients. Here, we explored the unfolded protein response (UPR) status in SMA pathology and explored whether UPR modulation could be beneficial for SMA patients.

Methods

We analysed the expression and activation of key UPR proteins by RT‐qPCR and by western blots in SMA patient iPSC‐derived MNs and one SMA cell line in which SMN expression was re‐established (rescue). We complemented this approach by using myoblast and fibroblast SMA patient cells and SMA mouse models of varying severities. Finally, we tested in vitro and in vivo the effect of IRE1α/XBP1 pathway restoration on SMN expression and subsequent neuroprotection.

Results

We report that the IRE1α/XBP1 branch of the unfolded protein response is disrupted in SMA, with a depletion of XBP1s irrespective of IRE1α activation pattern. The overexpression of XBP1s in SMA fibroblasts proved to transcriptionally enhance SMN expression. Importantly, rebalancing XBP1s expression in severe SMA‐like mice, induced SMN expression and spinal MN protection.

Conclusions

We have identified XBP1s depletion as a contributing factor in SMA pathogenesis, and the modulation of this transcription factor proves to be a plausible therapeutic avenue in the context of pharmacological interventions for patients.
When Do We See Poverty Convergence?*
Authors: Crespo Cuaresma Jesús , Klasen Stephan , Wacker Konstantin M.
Published: March 2022

We show why convergence in mean income levels and the negative relation between mean income growth and poverty changes need not lead to proportionate poverty convergence across countries. We propose an analytical framework that highlights that poverty convergence depends on the speed of income convergence relative to a complex interaction of initial inequality, mean income levels, and inequality dynamics. Our framework allows us to investigate poverty convergence, or the lack thereof, under different plausible dynamics of mean income and inequality.
Queer disorientation in The Optimist’s Daughter
Authors: Chen Kewei
Published: March 2022

This essay investigates the embedding of queerness into the visual/spatial/temporal aesthetics and quotidian objects in Eudora Welty’s The Optimist’s Daughter (1972), under the overarching theme of ‘disorientation’. The novel revolves around the return of the childless middle‐aged widow Laurel McKelva to her provincial home town, Mount Salus, for her father’s funeral. After multiple agitated encounters with a myriad of small‐town characters, Laurel grapples with her complicated family history and comes to a changed understanding of herself and the world. Filtered through Laurel’s intensely disorienting point of view, the story ends with the collapse and disintegration of her once persistent heteronormative vision. Disorientation in this novel is often subjective, internal and static, rather than being invoked by fantastical spatial settings. Through strenuous close reading, I show how the slipping‐away of elusive everyday objects—such as misarranged furniture, disused utensils and forgotten family heirlooms—imbricates queer traces into the texture of the narrative by evoking minoritarian sexual and temporal existences. While my conceptual framework is based on Sara Ahmed’s queer phenomenology, I eclectically reference theorists ranging from Lee Edelman and Kathryn Bond Stockton to Judith Butler. My central claim postulates disorientation as Welty’s queer politics to critique and renegotiate boundaries of heteronormativity.
The axiology of theism: Problems and prospects
Authors: Lougheed Kirk
Published: March 2022

Roughly put, the axiology of theism asks whether God's existence would be good, bad, or neutral. Thus far the literature has focused on comparing theism as represented by ‘Western monotheism’ to atheism as represented by ‘metaphysical naturalism’. Furthermore, the comparison has focused on comparing the actual world to a nearby epistemically possible world. I begin by surveying the literature comparing the value of such worlds before turning to explore a recent view offered by Klaas J. Kraay which expands the comparison between theism and atheism to include all of modal space (2021). Global, wide modal space pro‐theism is the view that the entirety of modal space containing every possible world is better on theism than on atheism. One reason for holding this view is that God's existence logically entails that there is no gratuitous evil in every single possible world. I object that one potential downside of this view is that theists now have to explain how God's existence is compatible with all of the evil throughout modal space instead of just the evil in our own world. I conclude by pointing to a number of ways the current literature could be expanded, including adding different worldviews to the comparison class.
Topical Brimonidine Delays Ultraviolet Radiation‐Induced Squamous Cell Carcinoma in Hairless Mice
Authors: Pinto Fernanda E. , Olsen Peter , Glud Martin , Wulf Hans Christian , Lerche Catharina M.
Published: March 2022

We investigated whether topical brimonidine delayed or enhanced the development of squamous cell carcinoma (SCC) when ultraviolet radiation (UVR) was applied to a well‐established murine model. Hairless female mice (n = 125) were randomized into five groups and treated as follows: 1% brimonidine cream before UVR (Group 1), 0.33% brimonidine gel before UVR (Group 2), 1% brimonidine cream after UVR (Group 3), UVR only (control; Group 4) and 1% brimonidine cream only (control; Group 5). For each animal, the first four tumors were recorded and followed until three tumors reached 4 mm or one tumor reached 12 mm in diameter. All animal experiments continued for up to 365 days or until death. Application of 1% brimonidine cream before UVR delayed tumor development relative to control mice treated with UVR alone (P = 0.000006). However, when 0.33% brimonidine gel was applied before UVR (P = 0.313) or 1% brimonidine cream was applied after UVR (P = 0.252), there was no significant delay in tumor development relative to control mice treated with UVR alone. The development of the second and third tumors followed a similar pattern. Topical 1% brimonidine cream applied before UVR exposure delayed SCC development in hairless mice. In contrast, when brimonidine was applied after UVR there was no significant delay in tumor development. These results suggest that the 1% brimonidine cream probably absorbed the UVR, and therefore, a delay in tumor formation was only seen when brimonidine was applied before irradiation. However, there can be multiple reasons for this delay in photocarcinogenesis.
Multidisciplinary R&D project success in small firms: The role of multiproject status and project management experience
Authors: Pan Mengyang , Chandrasekaran Aravind , Hill James , Rungtusanatham Manus
Published: March 2022

R&D projects in small biotechnology firms frequently involve knowledge from multiple technical fields and research in different problem domains. An increase in project knowledge scope, defined as the number of technical fields an R&D project covers, can be challenging for resource‐constrained small firms. These firms often rely primarily on their principal investigators (PIs), who act as heavyweight project managers in guiding project ideas to successful R&D outcomes. PIs also work concurrently on multiple projects, a strategy to promote learning across projects. To better understand how small firms PIs manage projects with high knowledge scope, our research assembles and analyzes a data set of 1374 R&D projects conducted by 933 small firms in the context of U.S. Small Business Administration awards. Results, after accounting for endogeneity, suggest a negative association between project knowledge scope and project success, which we measured using patent forward citation counts. We also find that a PI's multiproject status negatively moderates (i.e., amplifies) this association, while project management experience positively moderates (i.e., weakens) it. A follow‐up post hoc analysis suggests that a shared problem domain is a key contingency for the moderation effects of both multiproject status and project management experience. Taken together, our research offers insights on how to effectively manage R&D projects in resource‐constrained small firms.
Engel’s law in China: Some new evidence
Authors: Chen Menggen
Published: March 2022

Engel's law states that the proportion of food in total consumption expenditure is negatively associated with household income. Different from other studies with time series, this paper investigates the applicability of Engel's law in China, with a sample of cross‐sectional data in 2016 covering the 31 provincial regions of China. The empirical results support Engel's law, and, especially after the consideration of food prices, which is represented by regional food purchasing power parities, the negative impact of income on Engel's coefficient becomes more statistically significant. Meanwhile, Engel's coefficient is positively related to the food price. According to different types of income elasticity, food is divided into two groups: life necessities and life nonnecessities. Then, the inferior Engel's coefficient (IEC) and superior Engel's coefficient (SEC) are calculated with the expenditures of necessary and nonnecessary food, respectively, and a further study shows that the negative relationship between income and the SEC is much weaker than that between income and the IEC. Besides, Engel's coefficient is more strongly affected by the price of food necessities than by that of food nonecessities.
Estimating Individual Treatment Effects using Non-Parametric Regression Models: a Review
Authors: Caron Alberto , Baio Gianluca , Manolopoulou Ioanna
Published: March 2022

Large observational data are increasingly available in disciplines such as health, economic and social sciences, where researchers are interested in causal questions rather than prediction. In this paper, we examine the problem of estimating heterogeneous treatment effects using non-parametric regression-based methods, starting from an empirical study aimed at investigating the effect of participation in school meal programs on health indicators. First, we introduce the setup and the issues related to conducting causal inference with observational or non-fully randomized data, and how these issues can be tackled with the help of statistical learning tools. Then, we review and develop a unifying taxonomy of the existing state-of-the-art frameworks that allow for individual treatment effects estimation via non-parametric regression models. After presenting a brief overview on the problem of model selection, we illustrate the performance of some of the methods on three different simulated studies. We conclude by demonstrating the use of some of the methods on an empirical analysis of the school meal program data.
A Bayesian Non-Linear State Space Copula Model for Air Pollution in Beijing
Authors: Kreuzer Alexander , Dalla Valle Luciana , Czado Claudia
Published: March 2022

Air pollution is a serious issue that currently affects many industrial cities in the world and can cause severe illness to the population. In particular, it has been proven that extreme high levels of airborne contaminants have dangerous short-term effects on human health, in terms of increased hospital admissions for cardiovascular and respiratory diseases and increased mortality risk. For these reasons, an accurate estimation of airborne pollutant concentrations is crucial. In this paper, we propose a flexible novel approach to model hourly measurements of fine particulate matter and meteorological data collected in Beijing in 2014. We show that the standard state space model, based on Gaussian assumptions, does not correctly capture the time dynamics of the observations. Therefore, we propose a non-linear non-Gaussian state space model where both the observation and the state equations are defined by copula specifications, and we perform Bayesian inference using the Hamiltonian Monte Carlo method. The proposed copula state space approach is very flexible, since it allows us to separately model the marginal distributions and to accommodate a wide variety of dependence structures in the data dynamics. We show that the proposed approach allows us not only to accurately estimate particulate matter measurements, but also to capture unusual high levels of air pollution, which were not detected by measured effects.
Me and us: Cultivating presence and mental health through choir singing
Authors: Damsgaard Janne Brammer , Brinkmann Svend
Published: March 2022

Background

An increasing body of qualitative and quantitative research suggests that choir singing can improve mental and physical health and wellbeing. A recurring phenomenon is social agency and social and emotional competences. However, there is little consensus about the underlying impact mechanisms and the special nature of music as a medium for music‐based social–emotional competence.

Aim

This research was carried out to explore how the participants experienced engaging and singing in the choir A Song for the Mind in order to understand the social and emotional aspects in relation to choir singing and mental health.

Method

Six women and two men were interviewed. The study involved open‐ended interviews and applied Paul Ricoeur's phenomenological–hermeneutic theory of interpretation in processing the collected data.

Findings

Two themes emerged—The Singing Me and Cultivating Us. Joining the choir, singing and engaging with the lyrics, helped the participants get in contact with complex feelings and visualise and express challenges. This formed feelings of connecting to oneself and opening up to become aware of the world such as nature, the other person and the choir. Songs, melodies, tones, lyrics—singing together—formed a relation between the participants and the other and the group. This was a meaningful, and to some, a life‐changing experience, and an important learning process to the professionals. As the participants are sensing and connecting to themselves, there is an opening for growing a nascent presence and awareness.

Conclusion

Joining the initiative A Song for the Mind instils an attention to the other person(s). The singing process seems to evoke presence, leading to awareness towards relational aspects and solidarity. In a choir singing perspective, and health care practice in general, this can be seen as a budding and ground‐breaking formation of cultural activities holding learning and empowering potentials instilling mental health.
Allogeneic blood transfusions and infection risk in lumbar spine surgery: An American College of Surgeons National Surgery Quality Improvement Program Study
Authors: Falsetto Amedeo , Roffey Darren M. , Jabri Hussam , Kingwell Stephen P. , Stratton Alexandra , Phan Philippe , Wai Eugene K.
Published: March 2022

Background

Allogenic blood transfusions can lead to immunomodulation. Our purpose was to investigate whether perioperative transfusions were associated with postoperative infections and any other adverse events (AEs), after adjusting for potential confounding factors, following common elective lumbar spinal surgery procedures.

Study design and methods

We performed a multivariate, propensity‐score matched, regression‐adjusted retrospective analysis of the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database between 2012 and 2016. All lumbar spinal surgery procedures were identified (n = 174,891). A transfusion group (perioperative transfusion within 72 h before, during, or after principal surgery; n = 1992) and a control group (no transfusion; n = 1992) were formed. Following adjustment for between‐group baseline features, adjusted odds ratios (aOR) and 95% confidence intervals (95% CI) were calculated using a multivariate logistic regression model for any surgical site infection (SSI), superficial SSI, deep SSI, wound dehiscence, pneumonia, urinary tract infection, sepsis, any infection, mortality, and any AEs.

Results

Transfusion was associated with an increased risk of each specific infection, mortality, and any AEs. Statistically significant between‐group differences were demonstrated with respect to any SSI (aOR: 1.48; 95% CI: 1.01–2.16), deep SSI (aOR: 1.66; 95% CI: 0.98–2.85), sepsis (aOR: 2.69; 95% CI: 1.43–5.03), wound dehiscence (aOR: 2.27; 95% CI: 0.86–6.01), any infection (aOR: 1.46; 95% CI: 1.13–1.88), any AEs (aOR: 1.80; 95% CI: 1.48–2.18), and mortality (aOR: 2.17; 95% CI: 0.77–6.36).

Conclusion

We showed an association between transfusion and infection in lumbar spine surgery after adjustment for various applicable covariates. Sepsis had the highest association with transfusion. Our results reinforce a growing trend toward minimizing perioperative transfusions, which may lead to reduced infections following lumbar spine surgery.
Political Advertisement and Voter Behaviour during the 2019 Presidential Election in South-South Region of Nigeria
Authors: Uwalaka Temple , Nwala Bigman
Published: March 2022

The debate on the influence of political advertisements is an ongoing one. It has been argued that political messages advertised during elections tends to change voter choice and preference of candidates during an election while others show contrary findings to the question. This study attempts to lend a voice to the debate by investigating the impact of political advertisements in voter behaviour during the 2019 general elections in South-South region of Nigeria. The study reports data from a paper-based survey (N=400) of voters in the South-South region of Nigeria. Findings uncovered that a substantial number of voters in South-South region of Nigeria were exposed to newspapers political advertisements during the 2019 presidential elections in Nigeria. Data further demonstrate that voters who reported to have been motivated to vote due to issues advertised in the newspapers by the two political parties (PDP and APC) were married, civil servants and those who factored the advertised issues in their preference for a political candidate. The study concludes that the media played an agenda setting role during the 2019 presidential election campaigns.
Sports Media as Empathy Facilitator: The Contrasting Influence of Paralympic and Olympic Content
Authors: Bissell Kim , Billings Andrew C. , Park Bumsoo
Published: March 2022

The number of people accessing the Paralympic Games is growing at a time when few television ratings rise, warranting study of the influence that exposure to Paralympic media has on viewers. This study contrasts two forms (Olympic, Paralympic) of exposure to sport competition while testing other potential moderating factors, including personal experiences with persons with disabilities, trait and state empathy, and attitude toward disability. An online experiment with a national sample of 411 subjects reveals further variables that influence empathy for Paralympic athletes and potentially contribute to stigma reduction. The most holistic finding uncovered was that personal experience with a disability was the biggest predictor of everything else. Experience with disability also served as a key moderator or media exposure.
“I Didn’t Talk to Anybody”: An Ethnography of Basketball as a Communicative Act of Resilience
Authors: Higgins Matthew Charles
Published: March 2022

Combining the communication theory of resilience and ethnography of communication, this study explored resilience as developed through basketball and basketball culture. The central inquiry of the study focused on the communication processes of resilience enacted by members of basketball culture to develop resilience. Using ethnographic methods and a lens of communication, in-depth interviews with 12 professional basketball players and coaches were used to collect data regarding basketball culture and the participants’ own experiences of resilience. The data were analyzed using ethnography of communication to identify key elements of basketball culture. Furthermore, the data were analyzed with a framework of the communication processes of resilience: crafting normalcy, affirming identity anchors, maintaining communication networks, putting alternative logics to work, and backgrounding negative feelings while foregrounding productive action. Findings show that basketball culture limits discourse regarding adversity; therefore, basketball players and coaches used the act of participating in basketball as an adaptive response to communicatively develop resilience.
Effect of Different Exercise Training Modalities on Fasting Levels of Oxylipins and Endocannabinoids in Middle-Aged Sedentary Adults: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Jurado-Fasoli Lucas , Yang Wei , Kohler Isabelle , Dote-Montero Manuel , Osuna-Prieto Francisco J. , Di Xinyu , Hankemeier Thomas , Krekels Elke H.J. , Harms Amy C. , Castillo Manuel J. , Amaro-Gahete Francisco J. , Martinez-Tellez Borja
Published: March 2022

This study aimed to investigate the effects of different exercise training programs on fasting plasma levels of oxylipins, endocannabinoids (eCBs), and eCBs-like molecules in middle-aged sedentary adults. A 12-week randomized controlled trial was conducted using a parallel group design. Sixty-five middle-aged adults (40–65 years old) were randomly assigned to: (a) no exercise (control group), (b) concurrent training based on international physical activity recommendations (PAR group), (c) high-intensity interval training (HIIT group), and (d) HIIT together with whole-body electromyostimulation (HIIT + EMS group). Plasma levels of oxylipins, eCBs, and eCBs-like molecules were determined in plasma samples before and after the intervention using targeted lipidomics. Body composition was assessed through dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry, and dietary intake through a food frequency questionnaire and three nonconsecutive 24-hr recalls. The physical activity recommendations, HIIT, and HIIT-EMS groups showed decreased plasma levels of omega-6 and omega-3-derived oxylipins, and eCBs and eCBs-like molecules after 12 weeks (all Δ ≤ −0.12; all p < .05). Importantly, after Bonferroni post hoc corrections, the differences in plasma levels of omega-6 and omega-3 oxylipins were not statistically significant compared with the control group (all p > .05). However, after post hoc corrections, plasma levels of anandamide and oleoylethanolamide were increased in the physical activity recommendations group compared with the control group (anandamide: Δ = 0.05 vs. −0.09; oleoylethanolamide: Δ = −0.12 vs. 0.013, all p ≤ .049). In conclusion, this study reports that a 12-week exercise training intervention, independent of the modality applied, does not modify fasting plasma levels of omega-6 and omega-3 oxylipins, eCBs, and eCBs-like molecules in middle-aged sedentary adults.
Development of Dynamic Measures to Assess Balance Confidence and State Anxiety While Walking at Increasing Speeds in Young and Older Adults
Authors: Kongsuk Jutaluk , Perumean-Chaney Suzanne E. , Knight David C. , Brown Cynthia J. , Amara Amy W. , Hurt Christopher P.
Published: March 2022

The purpose of this study was to determine the test–retest reliability and construct validity of tools to assess how balance confidence (BC) and state anxiety (SA) change with progressively increasing walking speeds. Sixteen young adults and 15 older adults attended two sessions. Individuals began walking on a treadmill at 0.4 m/s Participants chose to continue increasing the treadmill speed (up to 2.0 m/s) or to discontinue the protocol while rating their BC and SA after completing each speed. BC at participants’ fastest speed attempted demonstrated high and moderate test–retest reliability among young (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] = .908) and older adults (ICC = .704). SA for young adults and older adults was good (ICC = .833) and fair (ICC = .490), respectively. Our measures also correlated with measures of dynamic stability while walking for young (r = −.67, p = .008) and older adults (r = .54, p = .046). Our dynamic measures of BC and SA are valid and reliable in young and older adults.
A Voltage-Controlled, Oscillation-Based ADC Design for Computation-in-Memory Architectures Using Emerging ReRAMs
Authors: Mayahinia Mahta , Singh Abhairaj , Bengel Christopher , Wiefels Stefan , Lebdeh Muath A. , Menzel Stephan , Wouters Dirk J. , Gebregiorgis Anteneh , Bishnoi Rajendra , Joshi Rajiv , Hamdioui Said
Published: March 2022

Conventional von Neumann architectures cannot successfully meet the demands of emerging computation and data-intensive applications. These shortcomings can be improved by embracing new architectural paradigms using emerging technologies. In particular,
Computation-In-Memory (CiM)
using emerging technologies such as
Resistive Random Access Memory (ReRAM)
is a promising approach to meet the computational demands of data-intensive applications such as neural networks and database queries. In CiM, computation is done in an analog manner; digitization of the results is costly in several aspects, such as area, energy, and performance, which hinders the potential of CiM. In this article, we propose an efficient Voltage-Controlled-Oscillator (VCO)–based analog-to-digital converter (ADC) design to improve the performance and energy efficiency of the CiM architecture. Due to its efficiency, the proposed ADC can be assigned in a per-column manner instead of sharing one ADC among multiple columns. This will boost the parallel execution and overall efficiency of the CiM crossbar array. The proposed ADC is evaluated using a Multiplication and Accumulation (MAC) operation implemented in ReRAM-based CiM crossbar arrays. Simulations results show that our proposed ADC can distinguish up to 32 levels within 10 ns while consuming less than 5.2 pJ of energy. In addition, our proposed ADC can tolerate ≈30% variability with a negligible impact on the performance of the ADC.
The Bitlet Model: A Parameterized Analytical Model to Compare PIM and CPU Systems
Authors: Ronen Ronny , Eliahu Adi , Leitersdorf Orian , Peled Natan , Korgaonkar Kunal , Chattopadhyay Anupam , Perach Ben , Kvatinsky Shahar
Published: March 2022

Currently, data-intensive applications are gaining popularity. Together with this trend, processing-in-memory (PIM)–based systems are being given more attention and have become more relevant. This article describes an analytical modeling tool called Bitlet that can be used in a parameterized fashion to estimate the performance and power/energy of a PIM-based system and, thereby, assess the affinity of workloads for PIM as opposed to traditional computing. The tool uncovers interesting trade-offs between, mainly, the PIM computation complexity (cycles required to perform a computation through PIM), the amount of memory used for PIM, the system memory bandwidth, and the data transfer size. Despite its simplicity, the model reveals new insights when applied to real-life examples. The model is demonstrated for several synthetic examples and then applied to explore the influence of different parameters on two systems — IMAGING and FloatPIM. Based on the demonstrations, insights about PIM and its combination with a CPU are provided.
CrimeTensor
: Fine-Scale Crime Prediction via Tensor Learning with Spatiotemporal Consistency
Authors: Liang Weichao , Wu Zhiang , Li Zhe , Ge Yong
Published: March 2022

Crime poses a major threat to human life and property, which has been recognized as one of the most crucial problems in our society. Predicting the number of crime incidents in each region of a city before they happen is of great importance to fight against crime. There has been a great deal of research focused on crime prediction, ranging from introducing diversified data sources to exploring various prediction models. However, most of the existing approaches fail to offer fine-scale prediction results and take little notice of the intricate spatial-temporal-categorical correlations contained in crime incidents. In this article, we propose a tailor-made framework called
CrimeTensor
to predict the number of crime incidents belonging to different categories within each target region via tensor learning with spatiotemporal consistency. In particular, we model the crime data as a tensor and present an objective function which tries to take full advantage of the spatial, temporal, and categorical correlations contained in crime incidents. Moreover, a well-designed optimization algorithm which transforms the objective into a compact form and then applies CP decomposition to find the optimal solution is elaborated to solve the objective function. Furthermore, we develop an enhanced framework which takes a set of pre-selected regions to conduct prediction so as to further improve the computational efficiency of the optimization algorithm. Finally, extensive experiments are performed on both proprietary and public datasets and our framework significantly outperforms all the baselines in terms of each evaluation metric.
Image-Based Personality Questionnaire Design
Authors: Huang Xiaowen , Sang Jitao , Xu Changsheng
Published: March 2022

This article explores the problem of image-based personality questionnaire design. Compared with the traditional text-based personality questionnaire, the image-based personality questionnaire is more natural, truthful, and language insensitive. Instead of responding to textual questions, the subjects are provided a set of “choose-your-favorite-image” visual questions. With each question, consisting of image options describing the same semantic concept, the subjects are requested to choose their favorite image. Based on responses to typically 15 to 25 questions, we can accurately estimate the subjects’ personality traits in five dimensions. The solution to design such an image-based personality questionnaire consists of concept-question identification and image-option selection. We have presented a preliminary framework to regularize these two steps in this exploratory study. A demo automatically adapting between desktop and mobile devices is available at
http://120.27.209.14/vbfi
. Subjective and objective evaluations have demonstrated the feasibility of accurately estimating a subject’s personality in a limited round of questions.