bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Chronic Phenotypes Underlying Radiation-Induced Salivary Gland Dysfunction
Authors: Gunning J.A. , Limesand K.H.
Published: May 2024

Head and neck cancer (HNC) is the sixth most diagnosed cancer, and treatment typically consists of surgical removal of the tumor followed by ionizing radiation (IR). While excellent at controlling tumor growth, IR often damages salivary glands due to their proximity to common tumor sites. Radiation damage to salivary glands results in loss of secretory function, causing severe and chronic reductions in salivary flow. This leads to the patient-reported sensation of dry mouth, termed xerostomia, which significantly reduces quality of life for HNC patients and survivors. The mechanisms underlying salivary gland damage remain elusive, and therefore, treatment options are scarce. Available therapies provide temporary symptom relief, but there is no standard of care for permanent restoration of function. There is a significant gap in understanding the chronic mechanistic responses to radiation as well as treatments that can be given in the months to years following cessation of treatment. HNC cases are steadily rising; particularly, the number of young patients diagnosed with nonfatal human papillomavirus + HNC continues to increase. The growing number of HNC diagnoses and improved prognoses results in more people living with xerostomia, which highlights the mounting need for restorative treatments. Mechanisms underlying chronic damage include decreases in acinar differentiation markers, increases in acinar cell proliferation, immune and inflammatory dysregulation, and metabolic changes including increases in amino acids and reductions in glycolysis and oxidative phosphorylation, fibrosis, and dysregulated neuronal responses. Currently, promising treatment options include adenoviral gene transfers and stem cell therapy. Thus, this review describes in depth known mechanisms contributing to chronic damage and discusses therapeutic advances in treating chronically damaged glands. Understanding the chronic response to radiation offers potential in development of new therapeutics to reverse salivary gland damage and improve the quality of life of HNC survivors.
A Community Data Sharing Resource: The LDbase Data Repository
Authors: Hart Sara A. , Schatschneider Christopher , Reynolds Tara , Calvo Favenzio
Published: May 2024

The purpose of this invited paper is to show the learning disabilities field what LDbase is, why it’s important for the field, what it offers the field, and examples of how you can leverage LDbase in your own work.
The Effectiveness of Verbal Mimicry in Activist Hedge Fund Campaigns
Authors: Brauer Matthias , Binder Philipp
Published: May 2024

Hedge fund activism frequently has severe consequences for target firms and their management and boards. Yet, we know little about target management and boards’ response to activist attacks. To advance our understanding in this respect, we examine how the style of target management and boards’ written communication with activists influences campaign outcomes. Building on the behavioral mimicry perspective, we propose that language style matching (LSM) and emotional tone mimicry (ETM), which constitute two distinct types of verbal mimicry, are important communication style characteristics of target management and boards’ response letters that can induce activist demand withdrawal. Though LSM and ETM are reflective of different modes of conflict behavior, we further reason based on conflict management research that ETM in conjunction with LSM is particularly effective in inducing activist demand withdrawal. The positive effects of ETM in conjunction with LSM, however, are expected to fade with increasing length of target management and boards’ written response. Results of an empirical analysis of the public communication between activists and target management and boards in 150 U.S. activist hedge fund campaigns between 2002 and 2019 support these predictions. Our study extends research on financial activism by offering a novel theoretical explanation as to why and how target management and boards can avert activist demands. Further, we contribute to behavioral mimicry research by examining the individual and joint effectiveness of distinct types of verbal mimicry in the hostile context of activist hedge fund campaigns.
Observer 8: Outliers, Attention, and Situated Knowledge in a Qualitative Behavioral Assessment of Laboratory Mouse Welfare
Authors: Tomlinson Maisie
Published: May 2024

This article explores how an innovative animal welfare methodology (Qualitative Behavior Assessment) negotiates subjectivism and objectivism in its distinctive epistemology, as it strives to produce a certain kind of laboratory mouse—a complex, social subject. Through an ethnographic study of the development of a Qualitative Behavior Assessment (QBA) tool for laboratory mouse welfare, I show how QBA foregrounds the animal’s lived emotional experience by using qualitative language to assess their welfare, while also relying on statistical methods of validation. Drawing on Mol et al.’s understanding of care as something that parses, handles, and balances diverse “goods,” I argue that QBA practitioners’ care for the data must balance competing priorities and values. I take particular interest in what makes a “good” assessor as they transform between subject and object. When two observers are found to be outliers, with their divergent judgments marring the successful statistical validation of the QBA mouse tool, the situated nature of knowledge is brought to the fore. I argue that turning to the embodied practice of attention, as distinct from care, helps us understand why, and raises questions about the epistemic culture of conventional animal welfare science and the extent to which the human observer risks reification within QBA’s formal methodological practice.
Research on content analysis and quality evaluation for online reviews of new energy vehicles
Authors: Wang Xiaoguang , Lv Tao , Cai Rongjiang , Deng Xu
Published: May 2024

The development of China's new energy vehicle industry has been gradually transformed from past policy support to the survival of enterprises determined by the market, which forces the new energy vehicle industry to accelerate towards the market-oriented direction. We collected review data from online automotive forums and generated a corpus after pre-processing. Next, we extracted the statistical and topic semantic features of online reviews for new energy vehicles and clarified the quality evaluation indicators for online reviews. Then, the entropy weight-TOPSIS method was used to determine the indicators’ weights and assign values to the quality of online reviews. Finally, the quality scoring rules of online reviews were sorted out from multidimensional perspectives. The research results have shown that the statistical features and topic semantic features of online reviews on new energy vehicles can be used as evaluation indicators to construct a quality evaluation system. It was also found that the quality scores of lower-priced vehicle reviews tend to be consistent in different price groups, while the quality scores of mid-priced vehicle reviews are the most dispersed. The quality of online reviews varies significantly among other groups or models. The study results provide a simple criterion for consumers’ cognition of the value of online reviews. The results will enhance the ability of new energy vehicle companies to carry out online marketing with the help of online reviews and transform the purchase intention of potential consumers into actual purchase behavior.
Misconceptions Still Drive Citizens’ Scepticism Towards Biotechnologically Produced Food
Authors: Spreen Nico , Klimmt Christoph
Published: May 2024

Given the invisible complexities of new food technologies, citizens oftentimes rely on the media and heuristics to form their judgments. Thus, citizens are at risk of believing in misconceptions that undermine technology acceptance and consequently hinder innovative solutions to global problems. The present study examined whether agreeing with widely spread misconceptions about biotechnologically produced food (BTF) predicts more negative attitudes among citizens. Three common misconceptions were identified: BTF is believed to be (a) unhealthy and unsafe, (b) unsustainable, and (c) unnatural - despite scientific consensus that BTF are not worse than conventional food. Descriptive statistics of a pre-registered, large-scale online-survey ( N = 2,925) conducted in November 2022 revealed that misconceptions are still widely spread. Multiple block-wise linear regression analysis showed that believing in misconceptions plays a dominant role in citizens’ attitudes about such innovative technologies and therefore contribute to public skepticism. Science communicators should develop diligent communication strategies to address these misconceptions, as reducing them would enable more people to participate in a well-prepared fashion in discourses about how BTF can be integrated in future governance frameworks that foster sustainable, socially fair food supply and consumption.
Effect of thermal fluctuations on mold coating delamination during continuous casting of high-alloy (Mn, Al) steel
Authors: Kim Hyungseok , You Donghyun
Published: May 2024

During the continuous casting of high-alloy (Mn, Al) steels, mold coating delamination occurs specifically at the narrow face (NF) mold corner immediately below the meniscus, different from where mold surface problems are generally known to occur. Most mechanical analyses have been performed assuming negligible thermal fluctuations and steady state interfacial heat fluxes. However, high-alloy steels exhibit larger thermal fluctuations than general steels during continuous casting, attributable to the reaction between the high-alloy steels and mold flux. Therefore, in this study, thermo-mechanical analyses are performed under both steady and fluctuating interfacial heat fluxes to compare the effects of thermal fluctuations on the continuous casting mold, with the results indicating that monotonic stresses are generated under steady interfacial heat fluxes at the corner of the NF mold, whereas cyclic stresses are induced by thermal fluctuations under fluctuating interfacial heat fluxes. Accordingly, the cyclic stresses at the corner of the NF mold, induced by thermal fluctuations, are determined as the major cause of mold coating delamination. These results can be applied to develop methods to reduce mold coating delamination, prevent the degradation of strand quality, and improve mold life.
Painting a (Watercolour) Picture of Flinders Petrie’s Fieldwork at Meidum
Authors: Hinson Benjamin
Published: May 2024

This short communication is a discussion of a series of watercolours of Flinders Petrie’s excavations at Meidum made by Henry Eliot Howard, a visitor to the site in 1891. These watercolours add a new visual record to the archive of nineteenth century excavations, in particular showcasing how Petrie lived and worked whilst on site.

[Formula: see text]
On the implementation of hydraulic-interconnected-suspensions at the primary suspension stage of high-speed rail vehicles
Authors: Isacchi Gioele , Ripamonti Francesco
Published: May 2024

In recent years, huge investments have been made to improve the dynamic performance of high-speed trains. Research into innovative suspension components has been part of the development of this transport system for decades. Innovative devices can allow rail vehicles to deal with the constantly increasing speed required by the global market. Among the most innovative suspension layouts proposed in railway dynamics in past years, limited attention has been given to Hydraulic Interconnected Suspensions (HIS). This layout is composed of two hydraulic cylinders with external hydraulic connections. Hydraulic Interconnected Suspensions allow promising tuning capabilities due to their ability to offer different responses based on the specific inputs given to the cylinders. This layout is rarely considered for rail vehicles, and the few previous works related to this topic considered the HIS layout to be applied at the secondary suspension stage. In this context, this paper proposes applying an HIS layout to the primary suspension stage of rail vehicles, in order to overcome the trade-offs between ride comfort, running safety and maximum car body displacement that need to be considered by bogie manufacturers when designing and optimising these mechanical systems. A nonlinear physical model of the HIS is proposed for co-simulation with a Multi-body (MB) model of a high-speed train. The improvement provided implementing an HIS at the primary suspension stage is then compared to similar enhancements that could be made when tuning and varying the standard suspension components of a bogie.
Evaluation of Effectiveness and Safety of Firstline Drugs Used in the Treatment of Peripheral Neuropathy Among Elderly Population—A Randomised, Open-label, Active Comparator Study
Authors: Balasundaram Mahesh Kumar , Kannauje Pankaj Kumar , Dhaneria Suryaprakash , Singh Alok
Published: May 2024

Background

Peripheral neuropathy is four times more common in geriatric age group patients compared to younger ones. Most of the trials have targeted adult population, and there is scarcity of data in the geriatric age group.

Purpose

A real-world study was planned on geriatric patients suffering from peripheral neuropathy to analyse the effectiveness and safety of first-line drugs used in the management of peripheral neuropathy.

Methods

It was a randomised, open-label, active comparator clinical trial in which first-line drugs for peripheral neuropathy were compared [amitriptyline (10 mg), duloxetine (30 mg), gabapentin (300 mg), pregabalin (75 mg)] for their effectiveness and safety. The trial duration was eight weeks. The modified Toronto Clinical Neuropathy Score (mTCNS), Verbal Rating Scale (VRS) and Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) were used for effectiveness. Safety was assessed by monitoring adverse events. Multiple groups were compared with Kruskal–Wallis test, and post hoc analysis was performed with Dunn’s test. A p value <.05 was considered significant.

Results

A total of 80 patients were recruited (20 patients in each arm) with a mean age of 65.4 years, and 56.3% were male. Pregabalin was superior to amitriptyline ( p = .04) and duloxetine ( p = .02) in reducing mTCNS. Similarly, pregabalin was superior to amitriptyline ( p = .041 and duloxetine ( p = .009) in reducing GDS score. All drugs were comparable in reducing VRS ( p = .17). A total of 14 adverse events were observed, out of which constipation, sedation and dizziness were common. Maximum adverse events were observed in the duloxetine arm (6/14).

Conclusion

Pregabalin was superior to amitriptyline and duloxetine, whereas it was comparable to gabapentin in effectiveness. Constipation was the most common adverse event, but the central nervous system was the most involved in adverse events.
Government Size and Corruption in Turkey
Authors: Cavusoglu Tarkan , Teoman Ozgur
Published: May 2024

Corruption has been one of the challenging topics in public economics for years, prompting extensive discussions from various perspectives. In this study, we investigate the causal relationship between government size and corruption in Turkey, where the anticorruption performance has been getting worse over time until recently. By utilizing a long-span news-based corruption index spanning approximately three-quarters of a century, we conclude that government size serves as the long-term driving force behind corruption in Turkey from 1950 to 2019. This conclusion is robustly reached through a battery of dynamic time series analyses.
Mind-Body Intervention for Diabetic Neuropathy: A Pilot Study on Yoga’s Effects on Muscle Strength, Proprioception, Fear of Falling, Pain, and Quality of Life
Authors: Faridi Dastjerdi Mohammad Ali , Ghasemi Gholamali , Esmaeili Hamed , Ghasemi Kahrizsangi Negin
Published: May 2024

Objective

The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of an 8-week yoga intervention on muscle strength, proprioception, pain, concerns about falling, and quality of life in individuals diagnosed with diabetic neuropathy.

Methods

A quasi-experimental design incorporating a pretest-posttest methodology and a control group was implemented in the present study. A total of 30 patients who were diagnosed with type 2 diabetes and neuropathy were recruited and randomly assigned to intervention ( n = 15) or non-exercise control ( n = 15). Yoga sessions were conducted for a duration of 60 min on three occasions per week, with participants requested to practice at home on other days.

Results

The results showed significant main effects of time on the muscle strength (both flexor and extensor muscles, p < .001, ηp2 = 0.652 and p < .001, ηp2 = 0.539, respectively), proprioception error ( p < .001, ηp2 = 0.807), pain intensity ( p < .001, ηp2 = 0.538), concerns about falling ( p < .001, ηp2 = 0.700), and overall score of quality of life ( p < .001, ηp2 = 0.475). Moreover, there were significant group-by-time interactions for all variables ( p < .001 for all).

Conclusion

The study reveals that yoga intervention can be an effective alternative therapeutic approach to medication for individuals with diabetic neuropathy. Yet, future studies are needed on a larger sample size to strengthen the present understanding of the advantageous impact of yoga intervention in this population.
Prognostic factors for surgical treatment of radiation-induced scleral necrosis after brachytherapy for uveal melanoma
Authors: Jabbarli Leyla , Biewald Eva , Guberina Maja , Rating Philipp , Fiorentzis Miltiadis , Flühs Dirk , Le Guin Claudia H. D. , Sokolenko Ekaterina , Sauerwein Wolfgang , Bornfeld Norbert , Stuschke Martin , Bechrakis Nikolaos E.
Published: May 2024

Purpose

Radiation-induced scleral necrosis (RISN) is a less frequent complication of brachytherapy for uveal melanoma, and may require surgical treatment in selected cases. We aimed to identify the prognostic factors for RISN treatment.

Methods

All patients with brachytherapy for uveal melanoma treated at our institution between 01/1999 and 12/2016 who developed RISN were followed until 02/2021. Various parameters were evaluated through univariable and multivariable Cox regression analysis. The surgical intervention due to RISN was the principal outcome event of this study.

Results

Of 115 patients in the final cohort, 51 individuals (44%) underwent RISN treatment (conjunctival revision [n = 2], patching [n = 46] or enucleation [n = 3]) at median 1.80 months after RISN occurrence. Significant RISN characteristics were summarized into a novel RISN severity scale – Grade I: largest diameter ≤ 5 mm and no progression; Grade II: largest diameter > 5 mm or any progression during the follow-up; Grade III: presence of uveal prolapse; and Grade IV: leakage through open eyewall perforation. In the multivariable analysis, the RISN severity scale (aHR = 2.37 per grade increase, p = 0.01) and the time between brachytherapy and RISN occurrence (<15 months, aHR = 6.33, p < 0.0001) were independently associated with the study endpoint. The RISN severity scale showed high diagnostic accuracy for prediction of RISN treatment (AUC = 0.869).

Conclusions

In our series, about the half of RISN cases underwent surgical treatment. The presented novel severity scale for RISN might become a helpful tool for clinical management of individuals with RISN. We recommend external validation of the diagnostic accuracy of the presented scale.
The role of lateral rectus muscle resection for severe esotropia after medial rectus muscle myectomy in Graves’ ophthalmopathy
Authors: Chiu Tzu-Yu , Cheng Ming-Chieh , Wei Yi-Hsuan , Liao Shu-Lang
Published: May 2024

Purpose

Persistent diplopia after rectus muscle myectomy is not uncommon but challenging in patients with Graves’ ophthalmopathy. We investigated the role of lateral rectus muscle resection for patients after medial rectus muscle myectomy in Graves’ ophthalmopathy.

Methods

We retrospectively reviewed and collected data from patients with persistent diplopia after medial rectus muscle myectomy for Graves’ ophthalmopathy who underwent unilateral or bilateral lateral rectus muscle resection. The eyeball deviations in the primary and reading positions before and after the operation were measured. A successful surgical outcome was defined as having less than five prism diopters (PD) in the primary gaze and functional binocular vision in the central 30° field postoperatively

Results

A total of fifteen patients were included (mean post-myectomy deviation: 35.9 PD, range: 14 to −75 PD). The lateral rectus muscle resection after medial rectus muscle myectomy achieved an 80.0% success rate, with one patient over-corrected and two patients under-corrected.

Conclusions

The lateral rectus muscle resection is an effective and predictable procedure for managing residual esotropia in Graves’ ophthalmopathy patients who have previously undergone medial rectus muscle myectomy.
Ocular manifestations and outcomes of OPMD- a report from the national IsrOPMD registry
Authors: Mekiten Ori , Zvulunov Alex , Ben Simon Guy , Charas Hagit , Ben-David Merav , Shelly Shahar , Greenbaum Lior , Dori Amir , Benyamini Limor , Zur Dinah , Levi Niv , Landau Prat Daphna , Zloto Ofira
Published: May 2024

Purpose

This study aims to describe the ocular manifestations, treatment, and prognosis of OPMD patients registered in the national Israel OPMD(IsrOPMD) registry.

Methods

Data was prospectively collected from patients referred to the IsrOPMD registry from January 2022 to March 2023. This included patient demographics, medical and ocular history, eye exams, eyelid evaluations, visual field exams, and orthoptic evaluations.

Results

30 patients (15 males, mean age 53 years) were treated in the ocular OPMD clinic, predominantly of Bukhari descent (86.6%). The mean visual acuity was 0.06 logMAR. Twenty-one patients (70%) had eye movement problem, mostly in horizontal gaze. 6(20%) patients’ complaint about diplopia. Ptosis surgery was performed in 21(70%) patients, with 17(56.7%) patients underwent frontalis sling surgery and 4(13.3%) patients undergoing levator advancement. The mean Margin reflex distance (MRD1) improved post-surgery (2.28 mm vs. 1.58 mm), but 11(36.6%) patients required more than one ptosis surgery.

Conclusions

The study contributes valuable insights into the ocular aspects of OPMD. It reveals that OPMD patients often experience a range of ocular symptoms, such as ptosis, abnormalities in eye movements, strabismus, and potentially diplopia, which can significantly impact their quality of life. The findings underscore the importance of regular ophthalmological follow-up for these patients to address these symptoms effectively. The study is significant in contributing to the limited but growing knowledge about the ocular manifestations of OPMD and the management of these symptoms to improve the quality of life for patients suffering from this condition.
Cultural adaption, translation, preliminary reliability and validity of psychological and behavioural measures for adolescents living with HIV in Botswana: A multi-stage approach
Authors: Evangeli Michael , Kaleva Ina , Agyemang Abigail , Williams Ivor , Chawatama Tsitsi , Jackson Rachel , Keakantse Moemedi , Morake Barnabas , Seipone Khumo , Busang Lesego
Published: May 2024

Human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) remains a significant public health issue among young people living in Botswana. There is a need for reliable and valid psychological and behavioural measures of causally important constructs for this population. We developed a new HIV knowledge measure for use with 10–19-year-olds living with HIV and translated and adapted additional tools measuring HIV adjustment, HIV disclosure cognitions and affect, HIV communication beliefs, antiretroviral (ART) adherence, and self-esteem, using a multi-step process. This included (1) item generation for the HIV knowledge questionnaire, (2) translation including back-translation and expert review, (3) cognitive interviewing, (4) reliability testing (5) preliminary validity analysis. The HIV Knowledge Questionnaire for Adolescents living with HIV, the Illness Cognition Questionnaire, the Adolescent HIV Disclosure Cognition and Affect Scale, the HIV Communication Beliefs Scale, and the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale showed acceptable or good reliability and some evidence of validity for adolescents living with HIV in Botswana.
An Australian survey of health professionals’ perceptions of use and usefulness of electronic medical records in hospitalised children’s pain care
Authors: Pope Nicole , Keyser Janelle , Crellin Dianne , Palmer Greta , South Mike , Harrison Denise
Published: May 2024

Pain in hospitalised children is common, yet inadequately treated. Electronic medical records (EMRs) can improve care quality and outcomes during hospitalisation. Little is known about how clinicians use EMRs in caring for children with pain. This national cross-sectional survey examined the perceptions of clinician-EMR users about current and potential use of EMRs in children’s pain care. One hundred and ninety-four clinicians responded ( n = 81, 74% nurses; n = 21, 19% doctors; n = 7, 6% other); most used Epic ( n = 53/109, 49%) or Cerner ( n = 42/109, 38%). Most ( n = 84/113, 74%) agreed EMRs supported their initiation of pharmacological pain interventions. Fewer agreed EMRs supported initiation of physical ( n = 49/113, 43%) or psychological interventions ( n = 41/111, 37%). Forty-four percent reported their EMR had prompt reminders for pain care. Prompts were perceived as useful ( n = 40/51, 78%). Most agreed EMRs supported pain care provision ( n = 94/110, 85%) and documentation ( n = 99/111, 89%). Only 39% ( n = 40/102) agreed EMRs improved pain treatment, and 31% ( n = 32/103) agreed EMRs improved how they involve children and families in pain care. Findings provide recommendations for EMR designs that support clinicians’ understanding of the multidimensionality of children’s pain and drive comprehensive assessments and treatments. This contribution will inform future translational research on harnessing technology to support child and family partnerships in care.
Gamification towards and alongside equity, diversity and inclusion: Looking back to move forward
Authors: Tomé Klock Ana Carolina , Palomino Paula Toledo , Rodrigues Luiz Antonio Lima , Toda Armando Maciel , Simanke Sofia , Spors Velvet , Santana Brenda Salenave , Hamari Juho
Published: May 2024

Given the urgent need for environments that enable everyone in fulfilling their fullest potential, many new media innovations have focused on equity, diversity and inclusion (EDI) actions. Gamification is one of these innovations, becoming a promising avenue to engage people towards effective social change. Yet, the intersection between EDI and gamification is incipient and fragmented, preventing a comprehensive understanding of current findings and future advancements in this field. This literature review systematically investigates the meanings, methods and effects of gamification in EDI actions (i.e. gamification towards EDI), and the design of equitable, diverse and inclusive gamification (i.e. gamification alongside EDI). Results elucidate how gamification improves performance, enriches experiences and fosters change, while analysing its design through gender, age and disability lenses. Future work calls for broader and deeper gamified EDI interventions informed by social sciences, diverse people-oriented design and empirical demonstration of sustainable social change.
Corrosion models for steel plates in ship structure based on statistical data
Authors: Esfidan Majid Rahimie , Ranji Ahmad Rahbar
Published: May 2024

To have a proper maintenance policy for ships and offshore structures, it is necessary to predict corrosion wastage accurately. It is the main aim of the present work to propose corrosion models for plates in ship structures. In total 66,480 data were collected from thickness measurements carried out by different classification societies. The data were sorted out based on the position of the plate, the age of the ship, the country where the ship was built, and the type of ship. Using regression analysis, some models were proposed as a function of the ship’s age and position of plate. Based on this study, the proposed models are checked against existing corrosion models in the literature and it is found that other corrosion models underestimate the corrosion rate in the inner bottom plates, and deck plates. However, they overestimate the amount of corrosion in the side plates of ships. The existing corrosion models are justified for the prediction of corrosion wastage in hatch-coaming plates. For corrosion of outer bottom plates, the existing corrosion models are applicable for ships under 20 years old. They overestimate corrosion wastage for ships older than 20 years. Also, existing corrosion models overestimate corrosion wastage of plates at the side structure of ships above the water line at the early age of ships and underestimate in older ships.
Blade retrofit design to reduce the noise of an axial flow fan by mitigating the tip leakage vortex
Authors: Xiao Youhong , Yang Guanghui , Lu Huabing , Yuan Ye
Published: May 2024

In the context of controlling axial fan aerodynamic noise, one effective approach involves the redesign of the blade. In the present study, a novel blade design was formulated for a specific model of axial flow fan, targeting the mitigation of the tip leakage vortex (TLV) and subsequent reduction of noise levels. The assessed noise-reduction blades have perforations drilled from the leading edge (LE) to the pressure surface (PS) of the blades. By impeding the tip leakage flow (TLF), these perforations effectively weaken the TLV. The three-dimensional non-constant flow field within the channel is computed employing the shear stress transport (SST) turbulence model. The aerodynamic noise prediction, which is based on the Lighthill’s acoustic analogy theory, shows that the designed blades can effectively reduce the aerodynamic noise of the axial fan. Specifically, enhancing the ratio of inlet area to outlet area of the ventilation holes leads to an improved noise reduction effect. Notably, for ratios of 0.44 and 1.06, the designed blades exhibit noise reductions of up to 3.3 dB(A) and 3.9 dB(A), respectively. Meanwhile, the static efficiency of these two fans is reduced by 0.50% and 0.26%, respectively. The study thus provides good theoretical support for the design of axial flow fans in the context of noise reduction.
PET/CT in the Evaluation of CAR-T Cell Immunotherapy in Hematological Malignancies
Authors: Singh Shashi B. , Bhandari Sadikshya , Siwakoti Shisir , Kumar Manoj , Singh Rajshree , Bhusal Subarna , Sharma Karuna , Bhandari Samikshya , Khanal Kishor
Published: May 2024

Chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)-T cell-based immunotherapy has emerged as a path-breaking strategy for certain hematological malignancies. Assessment of the response to CAR-T therapy using quantitative imaging techniques such as positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) has been broadly investigated. However, the definitive role of PET/CT in CAR-T therapy remains to be established. [18F]FDG PET/CT has demonstrated high sensitivity and specificity for differentiating patients with a partial and complete response after CAR-T therapy in lymphoma. The early therapeutic response and immune-related adverse effects such as cytokine release syndrome and immune effector cell–associated neurotoxicity syndrome can also be detected on [18F]FDG PET images. In otherwise asymptomatic lymphoma patients with partial response following CAR-T therapy, the only positive findings could be abnormal PET/CT results. In multiple myeloma, a negative [18F]FDG PET/CT after receiving B-cell maturation antigen-directed CAR-T therapy has been associated with a favorable prognosis. In leukemia, [18F]FDG PET/CT can detect extramedullary metastases and treatment responses after therapy. Hence, PET/CT is a valuable imaging tool for patients undergoing CAR-T therapy for pretreatment evaluation, monitoring treatment response, assessing safety, and guiding therapeutic strategies. Developing guidelines with standardized cutoff values for various PET parameters and tumor cell–specific tracers may improve the efficacy and safety of CAR-T therapy.
Recursive dynamic modeling for attitude control of fully flexible spacecraft with central body and appendages
Authors: Wang Jianyao , Wang Hongdong
Published: May 2024

A spacecraft composed of a central body and flexible appendages is a typical rigid-flexible coupling system. Current modeling methods generally regard the central body as rigid. As the central body becomes larger and more flexible, the elastic deformation of the central body may not be ignored. In this study, considering the flexibility effect of the central body and based on the recursive kinematics, a complete coupled dynamic model of the orbit, attitude, and elastic deformation of a fully flexible spacecraft is established. Compared with traditional methods, the model has smaller generalized coordinate dimension and can more clearly reveal the kinematic relationship between the appendages and the central body. By comparing the simulation results of typical working conditions with the ADAMS software, the correctness of the built model is verified. The PD controller for the attitude of the spacecraft is used, and three models of different rigid/flexible settings are compared in detail. The dynamic response of the system in uncontrolled and controlled states are discussed. Numerical simulation results show that the flexibility of the central body poses a certain influence on the attitude response of the spacecraft, the flexible vibration of the appendages, and the attitude control accuracy.
Headteachers’ leadership practices in Ghana: Does a formal qualification in educational leadership and management programme matter?
Authors: Abonyi Usman Kojo
Published: May 2024

This study investigated the leadership practices of headteachers (principals) who have obtained formal qualification/certification in educational leadership and management (ELM) programme with their counterparts who have not in a developing country context. The study, which employed the descriptive survey design and a questionnaire as the data collection instrument, was carried out in one educational district in the Greater Accra Region of Ghana. Using a proportionate stratified sampling technique, 220 teachers participated in the study while an independent sample t-test was used as the data analytical technique. Findings from the study showed that there was a statistically significant difference between headteachers who had obtained formal qualification in ELM and headteachers who had not in all six leadership functions explored in the study. The study concludes that the era where prospective headteachers in Ghana and other developing countries are appointed primarily on the basis of their teaching record and rank should give way to a system where formal qualification in ELM would be considered a condition for appointment into headship roles.
Inverse matrices with applications in public-key cryptography
Authors: Haidary Makoui Farshid , Gulliver Thomas Aaron
Published: May 2024

The applications of non-square binary matrices span many domains including mathematics, error-correction coding, machine learning, data storage, navigation signals, and cryptography. In particular, they are employed in the McEliece and Niederreiter public-key cryptosystems. For the parity check matrix of these cryptosystems, a systematic non-square binary matrix [Formula: see text] with dimensions [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], [Formula: see text], there exist [Formula: see text] distinct inverse matrices. This article presents an algorithm to generate these matrices as well as a method to construct a random inverse matrix. Then it is extended to non-square matrices in arbitrary fields. This overcomes the limitations of the Moore-Penrose and Gauss-Jordan methods. The application to public-key cryptography is also discussed.
ICP: A midwifery perspective
Authors: Briley Annette , Cooper Megan
Published: May 2024

Background

ICP is a liver condition specific to pregnancy affecting 0.5–0.6% of pregnancies in Australia.

Aims

to review the SOMANZ guidelines and extrapolate information relevant to midwives proving care for women with ICP.

Findings

Multidisciplinary input is essential in caring for women with ICP and their families. Non-fasting TSBA samples ≥19 µmol/L are diagnostic in the presence of pruritus. Peak TSBA denotes the severity of the disease. Increased risk of stillbirth is small when peak TSBA ≥100 µmol/L.

Conclusion

Midwives play an essential role in supporting women with ICP helping them navigate complex appointments and manage the pruritus and concomitant issues.
A Systematic Review of Research Gaps in the Built Environment of Inpatient Healthcare Settings
Authors: Elf Marie , Lipson-Smith Ruby , Kylén Maya , Saa Juan Pablo , Sturge Jodi , Miedema Elke , Nordin Susanna , Bernhardt Julie , Anåker Anna
Published: May 2024

Objective:

This study utilized the evidence-gap map method and critically examined the scope, methodologies, and focus of the studies that investigated the influence of the built environment on inpatient healthcare settings over a decade (2010–2021).

Methods:

We conducted a systematic review per the preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses guidelines and surveyed 406 articles, primarily from North America and Europe.

Results:

Our findings revealed a dominant focus on architectural features (73%), such as room design and ward layout. Comparatively, there was less emphasis on interior-, ambient-, social-, and nature-related features. Most previous studies explored multiple environmental features, which indicated the intricacy of this field. Research outcomes were diverse, with person-centered care (PCC) being the most frequently investigated, followed by safe care, emotional well-being, activity, and behavior. Furthermore, research methods varied considerably based on the study’s outcomes and features. Clinical outcomes and safe care favored quantitative methods, activity and behavior favored mixed methods, and PCC favored qualitative research.

Conclusion:

This review provides an in-depth overview of the existing studies on healthcare design research and sheds light on the current trends and methodological choices. The insights garnered can guide future research, policy-making, and the development of healthcare facilities.
Digital rights and mobile health in Southeast Asia: A scoping review
Authors: Poulsen Adam , Song Yun JC , Fosch-Villaronga Eduard , LaMonica Haley M , Iannelli Olivia , Alam Mafruha , Hickie Ian B
Published: May 2024

Objective

Digital technology has the potential to support or infringe upon human rights. The ubiquity of mobile technology in low- and middle-income countries (LMICs) presents an opportunity to leverage mobile health (mHealth) interventions to reach remote populations and enable them to exercise human rights. Yet, simultaneously, the proliferation of mHealth results in expanding sensitive datasets and data processing, which risks endangering rights. The promotion of digital health often centers on its role in enhancing rights and health equity, particularly in LMICs. However, the interplay between mHealth in LMICs and digital rights is underexplored. The objective of this scoping review is to bridge this gap and identify digital rights topics in the 2022 literature on mHealth in Southeast Asian LMICs. Furthermore, it aims to highlight the importance of patient empowerment and data protection in mHealth and related policies in LMICs.

Methods

This review follows Arksey and O’Malley's framework for scoping reviews. Search results are reported using the PRISMA-ScR (Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses Extension for Scoping Reviews) checklist. Frequency and content analyses were applied to summarize and interpret the data.

Results

Three key findings emerge from this review. First, the digital rights topics covered in the literature are sparse, sporadic, and unsystematic. Second, despite significant concerns surrounding data privacy in Southeast Asian LMICs, no article in this review explores challenges to data privacy. Third, all included articles state or allude to the role of mHealth in advancing the right to health.

Conclusions

Engagement in digital rights topics in the literature on mHealth in Southeast Asian mHealth is limited and irregular. Researchers and practitioners lack guidance, collective understanding, and shared language to proactively examine and communicate digital rights topics in mHealth in LMIC research. A systematic method for engaging with digital rights in this context is required going forward.
Location optimization of emergency medical services: Considering joint service coverage of ambulances and emergency centers
Authors: Luo Weicong , Yao Jing , Mitchell Richard , Zhang Xiaoxiang , Li Wenqiang
Published: May 2024

Emergency Medical Services (EMS) play an essential role in saving lives and improving health outcomes by offering immediate medical care to individuals who experience sudden illnesses or injuries. A complete EMS journey consists of two related trips: one from an EMS station to a scene (Trip 1), and the other from a scene to a definitive care location (Trip 2), where the service is coordinately provided by two types of facilities: EMS stations/ambulances and emergency centers (e.g., trauma centers or stroke centers) that are often affiliated with general hospitals. Current work on EMS location optimization considers only one trip (Trip 1 or Trip 2) which ignores the coordination between EMS stations and emergency centers, or the overall trip alone that overlooks the response time requirement. This paper proposed a spatial optimization model, the maximal coverage location problem based on joint coverage (MCLP-JC), for siting EMS stations and emergency centers simultaneously with a consideration of the two related trips. An empirical study of stroke center planning in Wuhan, China, is implemented to compare the proposed approach with the maximal coverage location problem based on overall coverage (MCLP-OC). The results demonstrate that the MCLP-JC can ensure more people being able to receive the first care from an ambulance within the response time requirement, which is critical to subsequent treatment at emergency centers and the odds of survival. The findings from the two scenarios regarding service relocation and expansion offer insights for future health facility planning.
Analysing the Adoption of Wealthtech by Individual Investors for Investment Services
Authors: Jisham Muhammed , Vanitha S. , John Abin
Published: May 2024

This research investigates the adoption of Wealthtech among individual investors in India using Partial Least Squares Structural Equation Modeling (PLS-SEM). A convenience sample technique was employed, gathering data from 280 participants through an online survey. The study applies the Theory of Planned Behavior and the Technology Acceptance Model as the theoretical framework to examine the factors influencing the intention to use Wealthtech. Additionally, the role of perceived ease of use and perceived usefulness in shaping attitudes toward Wealthtech adoption is explored. The results from the PLS-SEM analysis show significant positive associations between Attitude and Perceived Behavioral Control with the intention to use Wealthtech. These insights can help financial institutions tailor Wealthtech platforms to meet investor preferences, fostering increased adoption among individual investors. Regulatory authorities can use these findings to enhance accessibility and acceptance of Wealthtech solutions by fostering a conducive environment for technological innovation.
Urban-ward Migration and Policy Narratives: A Time to Retrospect
Authors: Bhide Amita
Published: May 2024

This article takes the COVID-19 pandemic and the resultant migrant exodus from cities as an inflexion point and engages with the new policies initiated to address the needs of migrants to cities. As against the significant and persistent invisibility and neglect of the issue of circular internal migration in the country, recent years have witnessed some shifts in the narrative and a few new policies triggered by the pandemic. The article reviews these initiatives to find that the hegemonic hold of the previous narratives and policies informed by the same is largely intact. The new policies do not account for migrant realities and needs. The article therefore calls for more migrant-aware policies based on its study of migrants in Mumbai and proposes principles by which these policies can be reimagined.
Água negra (black water) and overwhelming details: For more-than-nexus approaches to global water–energy–food challenges
Authors: Horton John , Kraftl Peter , Balestieri José Antonio Perrella , Marques Campos Arminda Eugenia , Coles Benjamin , Delamaro Mauricio Cesar , Dias Rubens Alves , Hadfield-Hill Sophie , Hall Joseph , Leal Rachel Nunes , Soares Paulo Valladares , Walker Catherine , Zara Cristiana
Published: May 2024

This paper advances multidisciplinary research, policy, education and activisms which cohere around the concept of the ‘water–energy–food (W–E–F) nexus’ via an evidence-led critique of normative forms of nexus-thinking which draws upon research with 3705 diverse young people's (aged 10–24 years) W–E–F experiences in SE Brazil. We consider how the neat, cool, ostensibly authoritative buzzword style of W–E–F nexus-thinking is radically unsettled – and sometimes conceptually-critically overwhelmed – via encounters with social scientific data in practice. In particular, the paper presents two interlinked analyses of data relating to young people's everyday engagements with water resources. First, we present a quantitative analysis of young people's everyday participation with/in water resources, highlighting diversities and inequities in relation to age, gender, ethnicity and social class, among other modes of social–cultural heterogeneity and intersectionality. Second, we present a qualitative narration of young people's water-related anxieties, evidencing their intimate everyday interrelations with watery materialities and insecurities – ‘black water’, ‘muddy water’, ‘shit water’ and all. In so doing, we advance an argument for what we term more-than-nexus-thinking: i.e., forms of research, theory and practice which value the apparent conceptual-ethical clarity and interoperability of nexus-thinking, whilst actively thinking-with complexities and deeply-affecting lived experiences of W–E–F in everyday spaces.
Theory testing and replication studies in the global work domain
Authors: Reiche B. Sebastian , Shaffer Margaret A.
Published: May 2024

Global work—any work arrangement that spans multiple countries and involves employees who are collaborating with one another, are culturally diverse and often are geographically dispersed—is a fascinating and timely research domain given the current social, technological, and geopolitical landscape. It may therefore be particularly tempting to explore novel theories and phenomena, and we have indeed seen a proliferation of new theories over recent years. However, we argue the global work domain needs to balance new theory development more carefully with theory testing and replication if it is to build cumulative scientific knowledge. In this editorial, we review established models and newer theories of global work that offer opportunities for theory testing, including (a) expatriate adjustment and adaptation theories, (b) models of global leadership effectiveness and expatriate managerial behavior, and (c) frameworks of global career consequences. We also identify existing empirical studies, whose replications would help advance the global work domain. This involves (a) deductively testing inductively developed models, (b) expanding existing studies to other types of global workers or adding meaningful new variables to a conceptual model that was examined, (c) using alternative methodological approaches to assess the predictions or research questions, or (d) adopting novel measures.