bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cryoprobe for Endoscopic Enucleation in Children with Pulmonary Tuberculosis: Effective but Not Without Danger – Case Report and Review of Literature
Authors: Goussard Pierre , Eber Ernst , Venkatakrishna Shyam Sunder B. , Janson Jacques , Schubert Pawel Tomasz , Ebert Lars , Verster Janette , Basson Marthinus , Gie Andre , Andronikou Savvas
Published: April 2024

Introduction: Tuberculosis (TB) in children under 15 years often results in airway compression, with bronchus intermedius (BI) being the most common site. Endoscopic enucleations can be used to remove lymph nodes and establish an airway in severe cases. Both rigid and flexible bronchoscopy are suitable, with alligator forceps being preferred for its ability to extract tissue. Recent studies have also explored cryoprobe enucleation. Case Presentation: An HIV-positive boy with persistent symptoms after 9 months of TB treatment was diagnosed based on his mother’s and sister’s Xpert MTB/RIF positive status. He was started on 4-drug TB treatment, but the child remained clinically symptomatic with abnormal chest X-ray and unconfirmed TB. Bronchoscopy was performed, revealing complete obstruction of BI due to caseating granulomas causing collapse of the right middle and lower lobes. Cryotherapy was used to recanalize the airway, and follow-up bronchoscopy confirmed patent BI. Conclusion: While cryotherapy was effective in the restoration of airway patency in this case, there is a lack of knowledge about its use in children.
Educar en la empatía para construir una cultura de convivencia escolar
Authors: Hernández-Prados Mª Ángeles , Álvarez-Muñoz José Santiago , Sánchez-Martínez Resu
Published: April 2024

(analytical)This study examines the knowledge of formal properties and referential function of drawing, writing and numerals displayed by mothers and their children (2 and a half years old and 4 years old) in a joint production task. A coding system was constructed using the constant comparative method and was analyzed using non-parametric tests. The results of the group with 2 and half year old children demonstrated the referential function of the three systems, especially the drawing. At the age of 4 children's interest in writing increased, as well as the consideration of the formal properties of writing and numerals and the children's independent production of drawing and writing. The study demonstrated that graphic production is an educational interaction in the family that stimulates the early appropriation of external representations.
A transcendência no corpo-linguagem: a concepção de dança em Rousseau
Authors: Rosa Jacira de Freitas
Published: April 2024

This paper aims at the understanding the role of Dance in Rousseau’s political philosophy and particularly in folk festivals, in spite of the few passages the philosophe has dedicated to its analysis. The discussion is mainly concerned with the definition of the essential components that define festival-dances in opposition to Ballet and mark its own performing sphere. The structural conditions for evading the solipsism in which man is trapped by society are to be found in imitation, tactile sensations and in pitié .
Fracasso e Suicídio em Emil Cioran
Authors: Piva Paulo Jonas de Lima
Published: April 2024

Um ser saudável não tem preocupações metafísicas. Um homem que sorri e canta não vai fundo em suas reflexões. Só aos rasos, aos que dormem e aos delirantes é dado o matrimônio com a Vida, Um cogito insone, obsessivo e camicase é, portanto, uma aberração fisiológica, uma patologia irremediável que institui o Nada, e com ele a maior das maldições: a lucidez. Emil Cioran (1911-1995), pensador romeno de escrita francesa, padeceu desse mal. E como um desencantado, cético e insano, fez do suicídio a sua questão visceral e onipresente.
Distributed Sensitivity to Syntax and Semantics throughout the Language Network
Authors: Shain Cory , Kean Hope , Casto Colton , Lipkin Benjamin , Affourtit Josef , Siegelman Matthew , Mollica Francis , Fedorenko Evelina
Published: April 2024

Human language is expressive because it is compositional: The meaning of a sentence (semantics) can be inferred from its structure (syntax). It is commonly believed that language syntax and semantics are processed by distinct brain regions. Here, we revisit this claim using precision fMRI methods to capture separation or overlap of function in the brains of individual participants. Contrary to prior claims, we find distributed sensitivity to both syntax and semantics throughout a broad frontotemporal brain network. Our results join a growing body of evidence for an integrated network for language in the human brain within which internal specialization is primarily a matter of degree rather than kind, in contrast with influential proposals that advocate distinct specialization of different brain areas for different types of linguistic functions.
Pupil Size and Eye Movements Differently Index Effort in Both Younger and Older Adults
Authors: Herrmann Björn , Ryan Jennifer D.
Published: April 2024

The assessment of mental effort is increasingly relevant in neurocognitive and life span domains. Pupillometry, the measure of the pupil size, is often used to assess effort but has disadvantages. Analysis of eye movements may provide an alternative, but research has been limited to easy and difficult task demands in younger adults. An effort measure must be sensitive to the whole effort profile, including “giving up” effort investment, and capture effort in different age groups. The current study comprised three experiments in which younger (n = 66) and older (n = 44) adults listened to speech masked by background babble at different signal-to-noise ratios associated with easy, difficult, and impossible speech comprehension. We expected individuals to invest little effort for easy and impossible speech (giving up) but to exert effort for difficult speech. Indeed, pupil size was largest for difficult but lower for easy and impossible speech. In contrast, gaze dispersion decreased with increasing speech masking in both age groups. Critically, gaze dispersion during difficult speech returned to levels similar to easy speech after sentence offset, when acoustic stimulation was similar across conditions, whereas gaze dispersion during impossible speech continued to be reduced. These findings show that a reduction in eye movements is not a byproduct of acoustic factors, but instead suggest that neurocognitive processes, different from arousal-related systems regulating the pupil size, drive reduced eye movements during high task demands. The current data thus show that effort in one sensory domain (audition) differentially impacts distinct functional properties in another sensory domain (vision).
Early Rise and Persistent Inhibition of Electromyography during Failed Stopping
Authors: Fisher Mitchell , Trinh Hoa , O’Neill Jessica , Greenhouse Ian
Published: April 2024

Reactively canceling movements is a vital feature of the motor system to ensure safety. This behavior can be studied in the laboratory using the stop-signal task. There remains ambiguity about whether a “point-of-no-return” exists, after which a response cannot be aborted. A separate question concerns whether motor system inhibition associated with attempted stopping persists when stopping is unsuccessful. We address these two questions using electromyography (EMG) in two stop-signal task experiments. Experiment 1 (n = 24) involved simple right and left index finger responses in separate task blocks. Experiment 2 (n = 28) involved a response choice between the right index and pinky fingers. To evaluate the approximate point of no return, we measured EMG in responding fingers during the 100 msec preceding the stop signal and observed significantly greater EMG amplitudes during failed than successful stopping in both experiments. Thus, EMG before the stop signal differentiated success, regardless of whether there was a response choice. To address whether motor inhibition persists after failed stopping, we assessed EMG peak-to-offset durations and slopes (i.e., rate of EMG decline) for go, failed stop, and successful stop (partial response) trials. EMG peak-to-offset was shorter and steeper for failed stopping compared to go and successful stop partial response trials, suggesting motor inhibition persists even when failing to stop. These findings indicate EMG is sensitive to a “transition zone” at which the relative likelihood of stop failure versus success inverts and also suggest peak-to-offset time of response-related EMG activity during failed stopping reflects stopping-related inhibition.
A Comprehensive Analysis of the Spatial and Seasonal Shifts in Tornado Activity in the United States
Authors: Coleman Timothy A. , Thompson Richard L. , Forbes Gregory S.
Published: April 2024

Recent articles have shown that the long-portrayed “tornado alley” in the central plains is not an accurate portrayal of current tornado frequency over the United States. The greatest tornado threat now covers parts of the eastern United States. This paper shows that there has been a true spatial shift in tornado frequency, dispelling any misconceptions caused by the better visibility of tornadoes in the Great Plains versus the eastern United States. Using F/EF1+ tornadoes (the dataset least affected by increasing awareness of tornado locations or by changing rating methods), a 1° × 1° grid, and data for the two 35-yr periods 1951–85 and 1986–2020, we show that since 1951, by critical measures (tornadogenesis events, tornado days, and tornado pathlength), tornado activity has shifted away from the Great Plains and toward the Midwest and Southeast United States. In addition, tornadoes have trended away from the warm season, especially the summer, and toward the cold season since 1951. Annual trends in tornadoes by season (winter, spring, summer, and autumn) confirm this. All of the increase in F/EF1+ tornadoes in the eastern United States is due to an increase in cold season tornadoes. Tornadoes in the western United States decreased 25% (from 8451 during 1951–85 to 6307 during 1986–2020), while tornadoes in the eastern United States. increased 12% (from 9469 during 1951–85 to 10 595 during 1986–2020). The cities with the largest increases and decreases in tornado activity since 1951 are determined.

Significance Statement

This paper quantifies in many ways (tornadoes, tornado days, and pathlength) the geographical shift in tornadoes from the central to the eastern United States and from the warm season to the cold season, since 1951. Where and when tornadoes most frequently occur is significant not only for the research and operational meteorology communities but also for public perception and risk awareness. Some research studies have shown that tornado casualties are more likely in the eastern United States and the cold season because of preconceived notions of a “tornado alley” in the Great Plains and a “tornado season” in the spring. Publication of the results of this research might help ameliorate this problem.
Lateral Transport Controls the Tidally Averaged Gravitationally Driven Estuarine Circulation: Tidal Mixing Effects
Authors: Kukulka Tobias , Chant Robert J.
Published: April 2024

In classic models of the tidally averaged gravitationally driven estuarine circulation, denser salty oceanic water moves up the estuary near the bottom, while less dense riverine water flows toward the ocean near the surface. Traditionally, it is assumed that the associated pressure gradient forces and salt advection are balanced by vertical mixing. This study, however, demonstrates that lateral (across the estuary width) transport processes are essential for maintaining the estuarine circulation. This is because for realistic estuarine bathymetry, the depth-integrated salt transport up the estuary is enhanced in the deeper estuary channel. A closed salt budget then requires the lateral transport of this excess salt in the deeper channel toward the estuarine flanks. To understand how such lateral transport affects the estuarine salt and momentum balances, we devise an idealized model with explicit lateral transport focusing on tidally averaged lateral mixing effects. Solutions for the along-estuary velocity and salinity are nondimensionalized to depend only on one single nondimensional parameter, referred to as the Fischer number, which describes the relative importance of lateral to vertical tidal mixing. For relatively strong lateral tidal mixing (greater Fischer number), salinity and velocity variations are predominantly vertical. For relatively weak lateral tidal mixing (smaller Fischer number), salinity and velocity variations are predominantly lateral. Overall, lateral transport greatly affects the estuarine circulation and controls the estuarine salinity intrusion length, which is demonstrated to scale inversely with the Fischer number.
Analysis and Prediction of Summer Rainfall over Southwestern Utah
Authors: Horel John D. , Powell James T.
Published: April 2024

While many studies have examined intense rainfall and flash flooding during the North American monsoon (NAM) in Arizona, Nevada, and New Mexico, less attention has focused on the NAM’s extension into southwestern Utah. This study relates flash flood reports and Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS) precipitation across southwestern Utah to atmospheric moisture content and instability analyses and forecasts from the High-Resolution Rapid Refresh (HRRR) model during the 2021–23 monsoon seasons. MRMS quantitative precipitation estimates over southwestern Utah during the summer depend largely on the areal coverage from the KICX WSR-88D radar near Cedar City, Utah. Those estimates are generally consistent with the limited number of precipitation gauge reports in the region except at extended distances from the radar. A strong relationship is evident between days with widespread precipitation and afternoons with above-average precipitable water (PWAT) and convective available potential energy (CAPE) estimated from HRRR analyses across the region. Time-lagged ensembles of HRRR forecasts (initialization times from 0300 to 0600 UTC) that are 13–18 h prior to the afternoon period when convection is initiating (1800–2100 UTC) are useful for situational awareness of widespread precipitation events after adjusting for underprediction of afternoon CAPE. Improved skill is possible using random forest classification relying only on PWAT and CAPE to predict days experiencing excessive (upper quartile) precipitation. Such HRRR predictions may be useful for forecasters at the Salt Lake City National Weather Service Forecast Office to assist in issuing flash flood potential statements for visitors to national parks and other recreational areas in the region.

Significance Statement

Summer flash floods in southwestern Utah are a risk to area residents and millions of visitors annually to the region’s national parks, monuments, and recreational areas. The likelihood of flash floods within the region’s catchments depends on the intense afternoon and early evening convection initiated by lift and instability primarily due to terrain–flow interactions over elevated plateaus and mountains. Forecasts at lead times of 13–18 h of moisture and instability from the operational High-Resolution Rapid Refresh model have the potential to predict summer afternoons that are likely to have increased risks for higher rainfall amounts across southwestern Utah, although they are not expected to predict the likelihood of flash floods in any specific locale.
The Extent, Excessiveness and Sustainability of Afghanistan’s Current Account
Authors: Sultani Abdul Hadi , Faisal U.
Published: April 2024

This article empirically investigates the extent, excessiveness and sustainability of Afghanistan’s current account (CA) deficits using quarterly data from 2004-Q2 to 2019-Q4. The framework of this article is the intertemporal approach to the CA using the present value model. First, a descriptive analysis of Afghanistan’s CA is conducted. Next, a bivariate vector auto-regressive (VAR) model is applied to estimate the optimal CA of the economy, which can be compared to the actual one to determine how excessiveness the actual CA is relative to the optimal one. The Augmented Dickey-Fuller and Johnson co-integration tests are applied to examine the necessary and sufficient conditions for the sustainability of the CA. Findings indicate that Afghanistan’s actual CA deficits are excessive and too variant relative to the optimal one; therefore, the deficit is considered problematic. The empirical results further disclose that Afghanistan’s CA is unsustainable. The lack of co-integration between real net output and real private consumption and between exports and imports suggests that the unsustainability is mainly due to the weakness of domestic production in satisfying internal demand and the failure of real export volume to equilibrate the trade balance. Hence, this study recommends increasing the level of domestic output, and reduction in imports supported by improvements in saving rate, infrastructure and export to improve the CA.

JEL Codes: F14, F32, F39, C22
Does Female on Board Affect M&A Participating Firms’ Performance? Empirical Evidence from India Using Dynamic Panel Data Analysis
Authors: Kumar Sarika , Kapil Sheeba
Published: April 2024

The aim of this research is to examine the impact of gender diversity and female leadership position on the firm performance of Indian listed firms participating in mergers and acquisitions (M&A) activities. Available research has focused on a small sample of firms and considered ‘gender diversity’ as the only variable. Bearing this in mind, this study focusses on the leadership positions females hold on corporate board along with gender diversity affecting the firm performance measures for the sample of M&A participating firms, as M&As lead to major restructuring of the board. The ‘gender diversity’ is measured with the number of females present on corporate board as directors, ‘leadership position’ is measured with females holding the position either as Chief Executive Officer (CEO) or Chairperson on the board. The study employs panel data set for Indian non-financial National Stock Exchange listed M&A participating firms for the period 2013–2020. Using a system of GMM dynamic panel estimates, the study analyses the relationship between gender diversity and females’ varied leadership position on the firm performance measures, that is, return on asset, Tobin’s q. The findings reveal that there is a positive association between gender diversity and firm performance measures. Females holding the top leadership positions as either CEO or Chairperson on the board positively impact the firm performance measures. This study adds to the existing literature on gender diversity at the board level and M&A literature in the Indian context.

JEL Codes: G 3, G 34, J 16
Assessing Inequality and Its Translation on Economic Growth and Human Development in West Africa
Authors: Shishkina Alisa , Gbeti Cyril
Published: April 2024

Sub-Saharan Africa in general and West Africa in particular are ranked as one of the most unequal regions of the world. This study aims at investigating the direct effect of inequality on economic growth and human development (HD). To assess this effect, we use three variables and rigorous estimation techniques. The indirect effect of inequality on the economic growth–HD nexus in West Africa is analyzed with a view to identifying ways of realigning the policies to bring down inequality in West African economies. For this, we compare different standpoints on how inequality affects this nexus. Then, we run fixed effect panel regression and random effect panel regression on various models to test the hypotheses. We find that the positive impact of inequality on HD and economic growth in the most developed economies of the region results from deliberate policies coupled with strong economic and socio-political foundation.
Artificial Intelligence in Orthodontics: Critical Review
Authors: Nordblom N.F. , Büttner M. , Schwendicke F.
Published: April 2024

With increasing digitalization in orthodontics, certain orthodontic manufacturing processes such as the fabrication of indirect bonding trays, aligner production, or wire bending can be automated. However, orthodontic treatment planning and evaluation remains a specialist’s task and responsibility. As the prediction of growth in orthodontic patients and response to orthodontic treatment is inherently complex and individual, orthodontists make use of features gathered from longitudinal, multimodal, and standardized orthodontic data sets. Currently, these data sets are used by the orthodontist to make informed, rule-based treatment decisions. In research, artificial intelligence (AI) has been successfully applied to assist orthodontists with the extraction of relevant data from such data sets. Here, AI has been applied for the analysis of clinical imagery, such as automated landmark detection in lateral cephalograms but also for evaluation of intraoral scans or photographic data. Furthermore, AI is applied to help orthodontists with decision support for treatment decisions such as the need for orthognathic surgery or for orthodontic tooth extractions. One major challenge in current AI research in orthodontics is the limited generalizability, as most studies use unicentric data with high risks of bias. Moreover, comparing AI across different studies and tasks is virtually impossible as both outcomes and outcome metrics vary widely, and underlying data sets are not standardized. Notably, only few AI applications in orthodontics have reached full clinical maturity and regulatory approval, and researchers in the field are tasked with tackling real-world evaluation and implementation of AI into the orthodontic workflow.
Anxious Activists? Examining Immigration Policy Threat, Political Engagement, and Anxiety among College Students with Different Self/Parental Immigration Statuses
Authors: Manalo-Pedro Erin , Enriquez Laura E. , Nájera Jennifer R. , Ro Annie
Published: April 2024

Restrictive immigration policies harm the mental health of undocumented immigrants and their U.S. citizen family members. As a sociopolitical stressor, threat to family due to immigration policy can heighten anxiety, yet it is unclear whether political engagement helps immigrant-origin students to cope. We used a cross-sectional survey of college students from immigrant families (N = 2,511) to investigate whether anxiety symptomatology was associated with perceived threat to family and if political engagement moderated this relationship. We stratified analyses by self/parental immigration statuses—undocumented students, U.S. citizens with undocumented parents, and U.S. citizens with lawfully present parents—to examine family members’ legal vulnerability. Family threat was significantly associated with anxiety; higher levels of political engagement reduced the strength of this relationship. However, this moderation effect was significant only for U.S. citizens with lawfully present parents. These findings emphasize the importance of the family immigration context in shaping individuals’ mental health outcomes.
Adaptation Process in Husbands of Iranian Women Undergoing Mastectomy From Diagnosis to Terminal Stages of the Disease: A Grounded Theory Study
Authors: Bigdeli Shamloo Marzieh Beigom , Ashrafizadeh Hadis
Published: April 2024

Introduction: Breast cancer is the most common cancer in women and the second cause of cancer-related death. This research was performed to interpret the adaptation process among husbands of Iranian women undergoing mastectomy. Materials and methods: In this grounded theory study, 23 participants were chosen purposefully and via convenient sampling. After interview with them about adaptation and ways of achieving it, note taking was done, which was analyzed via Strauss and Corbin approach. Results: Six themes were extracted: Confrontation with crisis, Challenges and opportunities, husband transformation, supportive systems, attempts for life management, accepting an uninvited guest, with each having subclasses. Conclusion: According to the results of the present study the healthcare team and psychologists should identify this issue properly so that they could apply measures for facilitating the coping and acceptance of the issue in husbands of these patients.
The Effect of a Table Tennis Exercise Program With a Task-Oriented Approach on Visual Perception and Motor Performance of Adolescents With Developmental Coordination Disorder
Authors: Kim Dongmin , Roh Woongrae , Lee Yongho , Yim Sanghun
Published: April 2024

In this study we investigated the effects of an 8-week table tennis exercise program with a task-oriented approach on visual perception and motor performance of 31 adolescents with developmental coordination disorder (DCD). The participants were identified by their teachers as having greater difficulty than their peers (450 students from three Korean middle schools) in physical education (PE) classes. On the Bruininks-Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency-2, these adolescents scored below the 15th percentile and showed difficulties in performing daily life activities due to motor performance problems; they did not have physical defects, intellectual or neurological impairments, or Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. Of 98 prospective adolescents with PE difficulties, we obtained personal assent and parents’ informed consent from 54, and 31 of these met screening criteria for DCD through the Developmental Coordination Disorder Questionnaire-Korean. This final group was divided in non-random fashion (based on the proximal geographic grouping of the children’s schools) between an experimental group ( n = 16) and a control group ( n = 15). The experimental group participated in the 8-week task-oriented table tennis training program with three 90-minute sessions per week, while the control group only participated in regular PE classes twice per week. We measured participants’ visual perception and motor performance in the same environment before and after the intervention program. Participants’ visual perception was significantly more improved in the experimental group than the control group, with specific improved skills in visual-motor search, visual-motor speed, figure-ground, and visual closure; copying and perceptual constancy skills did not improve significantly. In addition, total motor performance and motor sub-skills, including fine manual control, manual coordination, body coordination, strength, and agility were significantly more improved in the experimental group than in the control group. Thus, our task-oriented table tennis exercise program was of greater assistance than general PE classes for improving visual perception and motor performance in adolescents at risk of DCD.
Empowering everyday leaders
Authors: DaVia Rubenstein Lisa , Katherine Johnson Sydney , Southworth Allison , Ramirez Gerardo
Published: April 2024

Leadership is often conceptualized and taught through famous, world-changing individuals; however, leadership spans levels of influence, from small-group projects to global initiatives. While student leaders are present at every level, existing leadership research and programs center adults. Within this article, Lisa DaVia Rubenstein, Sydney Johnson, Allison Southworth, and Gerardo Ramirez propose the 4L Continuum of Leadership, which recognizes the distinct processes and skills necessary at each level of leadership. With an emphasis on little-l leadership, they integrate specific interpersonal and strategic skill development opportunities into existing curriculum areas. This work empowers all learners to cultivate their leadership potential.
Under The Law: The Israel-Hamas war and U.S. classrooms
Authors: Kim Robert
Published: April 2024

Students’ reactions to the Israel-Hamas war have contributed to conflict in higher education institutions and in K-12 schools. There have been numerous reports of protests, bullying, fights, violence, and anti-Semitic and anti-Islamic rhetoric. Robert Kim discusses the legal boundaries regarding free speech and the obligation to protect students from harassment and discrimination.
Taming Through Support? Youth Organisations and the Impact of Public Funding on Their Political Activities
Authors: Giugni Marco , Grasso Maria
Published: April 2024

This article investigates the relationship between public funding and the political activities of youth organisations in Europe. By analysing original data from a random sample of about 4500 youth organisations in nine countries generated through a content analysis of organisations’ websites, we examine the extent to which they engage in political activities. The analysis provides evidence for a negative impact of public funding on the engagement of youth organisations in political activities. This suggests that receiving financial resources from state institutions may lead to depoliticisation. Moreover, we also show how the effect of public funding is conditional upon the broader context, suggesting that the question of whether public funding encourages or discourages youth organisations to carry out political activities may be contingent on their broader economic and political environment.
De-centring the human: Multi-species research as embodied practice
Authors: Charles Nickie , Fox Rebekah , Miele Mara , Smith Harriet
Published: April 2024

This article focuses on embodiment and the centrality of embodied methods to multi-species research. We argue that taking the body as our methodological starting point is essential to researching human–animal relations but that bodies engage with and are engaged by the research process in a multiplicity of ways. In this we follow Vinciane Despret’s analysis of the partial affinities between animal scientists’ bodies and the animals they are researching and suggest that sociology’s distinction between sociology of and sociology with the body glosses over the complexities of inter-corporeal encounters. We explore these questions through a discussion of our multi-species ethnography of dog training cultures in the UK, looking at the training of companion dogs, guide dogs and police dogs. We pay attention to the different forms of embodied engagement that these training cultures make possible for us as researchers and reflect on the place of embodied communication in both the training and research relationship. We consider the disembodied training necessitated by the transition to online classes during the Covid pandemic and the consequences of this for our ability to create partial affinities with the dogs and their humans. We argue that the methodological challenges of our times require that we develop methods that attend to our multi-species world, rather than focusing exclusively on the human, and that bring into being a social reality which is less anthropocentric.
Memory activism in the Republic of Moldova: Last address and Stolpersteine projects
Authors: Fuksová Kateřina
Published: April 2024

Drawing on the threefold categorisation of memory as antagonistic, cosmopolitan and agonistic, proposed by Anna Cento Bull and Hans Hansen, the article examines contemporary memory activism in the Republic of Moldova and how it contributes to creating historical narratives. Through an analysis of two memory initiatives, namely ‘The Last Address’ and ‘Stolpersteine’, designed to memorialise victims of Soviet repression and atrocities committed by the Romanian and Nazi German forces, respectively, the article uncovers the many challenges facing memory activists in Moldova where there is limited openness about these periods in recent history. Instead, different versions of the past and suppression of painful truths are subservient to contemporary political agendas.
Managers Can Support Employees in Working-Class Contexts by Promoting Growth Mindsets
Authors: Han Inhyun , Belmi Peter , Thomas-Hunt Melissa , Summers Catherine
Published: April 2024

White-collar workplaces are critical “gateway” contexts. They play a crucial role in providing valuable opportunities and upward social mobility. Some groups are less likely, however, to feel they belong in these settings. For example, those with a college degree may feel relatively at ease. However, those without may be uncertain about whether they will be fully included. We examine one possibility for addressing these class-based belonging gaps. A growing education literature demonstrates the power of growth mindsets. We extend this research to the workplace and test its benefits. In two preregistered experiments ( N = 1,777), we find that endorsing growth mindsets can support working-class (WK) individuals. When managers have a growth mindset, WK individuals report high sense of belonging. The effect occurred because managers with growth mindsets reduced identity threat. A preregistered survey of employees in the real world ( N = 300) triangulated these findings. Sense of belonging was higher among those who believed their manager had a growth mindset. Furthermore, they reported greater job satisfaction and commitment. These findings have important implications for the growing conversation on addressing class divides.
Are men and women contacted differently by electoral campaigns? A cross-national examination of gender gaps
Authors: Beauregard Katrine
Published: April 2024

Although a large literature investigates cross-national differences in party mobilization, little is known about cross-national gender differences in electoral campaign contacts. Using the Comparative Study of Electoral System Module 4, which includes data from 2011 to 2016 and 32 countries, I find gendered patterns in reported contacts across different activities performed by campaigns. I test two potential explanation for these variations: electoral systems and women’s political participation. First, I find that women’s likelihood of reported contacts increases to a greater extent than men’s when electoral systems provide incentives for campaigns to increase their contact rates, decreasing and even reversing gender gaps. Second, I find limited support regarding the impact of the percentage of women in legislatures on gender differences in reported electoral campaign contacts.
Boycott of Foreign Goods in Premchand’s Stories
Authors: Yogurt Canan , Kismir Aykut
Published: April 2024

This article showcases that studies on Hindi and Urdu literature are also being conducted outside South Asia and that elsewhere, too, such literary studies and socio-political analyses are being combined in quite specific ways. Boycott of foreign goods was one of the most important parts of colonial India’s freedom struggle and many intellectuals from the literary and art worlds expressed their views on it. In his Hindi and Urdu stories, Munshi Premchand used his unique narrative technique, critical perspective on social events, and deep understanding of Indian society also to comment on the boycott of foreign goods. The article examines how such reflections of India’s struggle for independence manifest in two of Premchand’s lesser-known stories in which he argued for boycotting foreign goods. Our analysis portrays Premchand as an activist writer, who chose common people’s language to present gendered social documents, in a form akin to oral history, as his specific contribution to India’s freedom from foreign rule.
Synergistic effect of Sn + Sc on high temperature strengthening in Al–5Cu heat-resistant alloy
Authors: Yin Zhi , Mao Hongkui , Wang Mingjie , Yang Baoguo , Yang Chenglong , Xu Hong
Published: April 2024

By adding Sn and Sc alone or in combination, as well as conducting a tensile test at 573 K, the synergistic effect of Sn + Sc on high-temperature strengthening in Al–5Cu heat-resistant alloy was investigated. Transmission electron microscope, elements mapping and first-principle calculations were used to characterise the microstructure evolution of the precipitation particles at various states to uncover the processes for high-temperature strengthening. It has been discovered that adding Sn and Sc, either individually or together, can significantly improve the mechanical properties of Al–Cu alloy at elevated temperatures. Among them, the alloy performance under short-time 573 K exposure can be maximised when Sn and Sc elements are added together.
Assessing the quality of life priorities in the elderly: Application of the Turkish-Adapted Mayers’ Lifestyle Questionnaire (3)
Authors: Özata Değerli Medine Nur , Altuntaş Onur , Bumin Gonca
Published: April 2024

Introduction:

The growing aging population requires the development of new policies and programs to meet the needs and expectations of the elderly. Identifying priorities for the elderly’s quality of life can be the foundation for rehabilitation services provided to the elderly. This study aims to assess the quality of life priorities in the elderly using the Turkish-adapted Mayers’ Lifestyle Questionnaire (3).

Method:

The study included 171 elderly with a mean age of 74.72 ± 4.36 years. Participants completed a sociodemographic information form and the Turkish-Adapted Mayers’ Lifestyle Questionnaire (3).

Results:

Quality of life priorities for elderly people were independence in reading and writing, participation in paid and/or voluntary work, spiritual, and satisfying activities, and the ability to make choices about their lives.

Conclusion:

The study results showed that Mayers’ Lifestyle Questionnaire (3) supports setting priorities by examining the quality of life of elderly people from a multidimensional perspective. The use of Mayers’ Lifestyle Questionnaire (3) can contribute to the development of effective strategies aimed at improving the quality of life for elderly individuals. A holistic approach to each factor affecting quality of life will enable occupational therapists and other professionals involved with elderly people to consider person-centered factors in their interventions.
Assessing safety and feasibility of monopolar transurethral resection of the prostate without post-operative catheter traction: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: KP Abhineeth , Madhavan Kumar , Kaushal Devashish , Biswas Manoj , Plash Sonu Kumar , MR Viswas
Published: April 2024

Introduction:

Traction on the per-urethral catheter is commonly employed after monopolar transurethral resection of the prostate (mTURP) to reduce bleeding. However, its efficacy and impact on postoperative pain remain uncertain. Further, there is limited evidence to suggest any benefit regarding post-operative blood loss.

Materials and methods:

In a randomized controlled trial, 62 patients undergoing mTURP were assigned to either a traction ( n = 30) or non-traction ( n = 32) group. Blood loss, postoperative pain, and analgesic requirements were assessed between January 2022 and April 2023. {(IHEC-PGR/2021/DM/M.Ch/Jan/02), CTRI Registration: CTRI/2022/01/039199.}

Results:

No significant differences were observed between the traction and non-traction groups regarding postoperative blood loss ( p-value- 0.632), fall in hemoglobin ( p-value- 0.719) and hematocrit ( p-value- 0.937) levels, and length of postoperative hospital stay ( p-value- 0.797). However, the traction group reported significantly higher postoperative pain scores ( p-value < 0.001) and increased analgesic requirements ( p-value < 0.001).

Conclusion:

The study suggests that 12-hours catheter traction after mTURP does not reduce blood loss and is associated with increased postoperative pain.
Low-dose metformin suppresses hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis via the AMPK/JNK/IL-8 pathway
Authors: Zhao Chengwen , Zheng Lu , Ma Yuting , Zhang Yue , Yue Chanjuan , Gu Feng , Niu Guoping , Chen Yongqiang
Published: April 2024

Background and objectives

Metformin, an oral hypoglycemic drug, has been suggested to possess antitumour activity in several types of cancers. Additionally, interleukin-8 (IL-8) has been reported to be involved in the development and metastasis of many cancers. However, the effect of metformin on IL-8 expression in hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) remains unclear. Therefore, this study aimed to investigate whether metformin could inhibit IL-8 expression to exert an inhibitory effect on HCC progression.

Materials and methods

The IL-8 levels were measured in the plasma of 159 HCC patients (86 men, 73 women; average age 56 years) and in the culture supernatant of HCC cells (Hep3B and HuH7) using flow cytometry. In addition, the protein expression levels of IL-8 were also validated by the Human Protein Atlas (HPA) database. The prognostic value of IL-8 was evaluated using the Kaplan–Meier Plotter database. The association between IL-8 expression and immune checkpoints was estimated using the TIMER and The Cancer Genome Atlas (TCGA) databases. What’s more, bioinformatics analysis, western blotting, and transwell assays were conducted to illustrate the molecular mechanism of metformin (≤1 mM) on IL-8 in HCC.

Results

IL-8 expression was found to be increased in the plasma of HCC patients, which is consistent with the expression of IL-8 in HCC cells and tissues. High expression of IL-8 was significantly related to poor prognosis. In addition, IL-8 was positively correlated with immune checkpoints in HCC. Notably, we found that low-dose metformin could inhibit the secretion of IL-8 by HCC cells and the migration of HCC cells. Mechanistically, low-dose metformin significantly suppresses HCC metastasis mainly through the AMPK/JNK/IL-8/MMP9 pathway.

Conclusion

The results indicate that low-dose metformin can inhibit HCC metastasis by suppressing IL-8 expression. Targeting the AMPK/JNK/IL-8 axis may be a promising treatment strategy for patients with HCC metastasis.
Using Latent Class Analysis to Identify Need Typologies and Recidivism Likelihood Among Women Who Perpetrate Violence
Authors: Belyea Lauren , Brown Shelley L. , Van Dieten Marilyn
Published: April 2024

Understanding the heterogeneity of women who engage in violence is critical to provide effective treatment and reduce the likelihood of recidivism. Existing typologies of women who engage in violence have been created using mixed methodological approaches; the field would benefit from replication using a quantitative clustering method—latent class analysis (LCA)—as it is arguably more objective than methods used to date. A LCA was conducted using archival data involving 3,773 justice-impacted women in Western Canada to identify unique subgroups of women who perpetrate violence. Three distinct profiles emerged: (a) intimate partner violence (IPV)-only (40.5%), wherein almost all women reported only perpetrating domestic violence and had zero or only one previous violent conviction, (b) patterned (19.1%), wherein violence was perpetrated toward domestic partners and unknown victims, and the majority had two or more previous violent convictions, and (c) isolated (40.4%), wherein very few perpetrated domestic violence, some perpetrated violence toward unknowns, and the majority had either zero or only one previous conviction for a violent offense. Need profiles and recidivism outcomes were further analyzed as a function of group membership. As hypothesized, the group with the greatest criminal history and use of violence reported the greatest needs. Recidivism also increased as the number of dynamic needs increased. Notably, 80.9% of the sample was predominantly low risk/low need and were identified as IPV-only or isolated women. Implications of these findings may be used to inform risk classification, treatment targets, and treatment intensity required to reduce the likelihood of recidivism among women who perpetrate violence.
Evaluating the Relationship Between Nonprofit Capacities and Organizational Effectiveness During a Global Pandemic
Authors: Wang Rong , Hamilton Hillary
Published: April 2024

Guided by the contingency model of capacity effectiveness, we examine the relationship between organizational capacities and performance indicators during COVID-19. We conceptualized operational capacity and board leadership capacity as process oriented to ensure organizations’ effective functioning and to demonstrate accountability. Technological capacity and networking capacity were defined as resource oriented to help accomplish organizational goals. We used two effectiveness indicators to capture the input-output success measured by goal attainment and an organization’s ability to learn and adapt to improve its performances based on evaluation data (i.e., professional data use). Survey data collected from nonprofits located in a southeastern U.S. state showed that generally nonprofits were not performing well due to operation challenges. Operational capacity and technological capacity were negatively related to goal attainment; however, these two capacities and board leadership capacity were all positively related to professional data use. Implications describe how to turn a crisis into an opportunity to build resilience.
Real World Data of Viral Suppression With Darunavir/Cobicistat and Dolutegravir/Rilpivirine Among Treatment-Experienced Patients Living With Multidrug-Resistant HIV
Authors: Samuel Preethi S. , Olaleye Folake , Longo Maria , Berkowitz Leonard
Published: April 2024

Background: Despite the effectiveness of the TRIO regimen in maintaining viral suppression, as seen in the ANRS 139 TRIO trial, one drawback is the high pill burden. However, with the development of newer antiretrovirals, this regimen can be simplified. The combination of both co-formulated darunavir/cobicistat and dolutegravir/rilpivirine keeps the integrity of the TRIO regimen while decreasing daily pill count from 12 to 2 tablets daily. The purpose of this case series is to demonstrate the efficacy of this regimen as there is a current lack of data. Methods: This case series included patients with no resistance to dolutegravir, rilpivirine, or darunavir, who were switched to the modified TRIO regimen between June 1st 2018 to June 1st 2022. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with plasma HIV-RNA levels <50 copies/mL by 24 weeks. Results: At week 24, all patients (n = 9) had a HIV-RNA <50 copies/mL. At week 48, one patient did not have a VL available. However, out of the remaining 8 patients, all maintained an HIV-RNA of <50 copies/mL at week 48. Conclusion: HIV-RNA levels remained suppressed when patients were switched to the modified TRIO regimen. In addition, the pill burden was reduced which can add to overall patient satisfaction.
Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation in Sickle Cell Disease: A Multidimentional Review
Authors: Rostami Tahereh , Rad Soroush , Rostami Mohammad Reza , Mirhosseini Seied Amirhossein , Alemi Hediyeh , Khavandgar Naghmeh , Janbabai Ghasem , Kiumarsi Azadeh , Kasaeian Amir , Mousavi Seied Asadollah
Published: April 2024

While exagamglogene autotemcel (Casgevy) and lovotibeglogene autotemcel (Lyfgenia) have been approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) as the first cell-based gene therapies for the treatment of patients 12 years of age and older with sickle cell disease (SCD), this treatment is not universally accessible. Allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplant (HSCT) has the potential to eradicate the symptoms of patients with SCD, but a significant obstacle in HSCT for SCD is the availability of suitable donors, particularly human leukocyte antigen (HLA)-matched related donors. Furthermore, individuals with SCD face an elevated risk of complications during stem cell transplantation due to SCD-related tissue damage, endothelial activation, and inflammation. Therefore, it is imperative to consider optimal conditioning regimens and investigate HSCT from alternative donors. This review encompasses information on the use of HSCT in patients with SCD, including the indications for HSCT, conditioning regimens, alternative donors, and posttransplant outcomes.