bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An intergroup contact approach for understanding attitudes and behaviours towards deaf students among hearing students in Malaysia
Authors: Siah Poh Chua , Tan Chee Seng , Lee Wan Ying , Lee Mah Ngee
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This study examines the hearing students' attitudes and behaviors towards deaf students in Malaysia using the intergroup contact approach.

Design/methodology/approach

Purposive sampling was used to recruit 439 hearing students at secondary schools. Hearing students were asked to fill in questionnaires that contained four measurements: contact with deaf people, sources of knowledge about deaf people, attitudes towards deaf people and behaviors toward deaf people. A serial mediation model was proposed to investigate the hypothetical mediating role of knowledge and attitudes toward deaf students in the relationship.

Findings

The results of this study showed that contact frequency is negatively associated with attitudes towards deaf people. However, such a relationship is suppressed, only when knowledge is included as a mediator. In addition, mediation analysis supports that sources of knowledge and attitudes about deaf people mediate the relationship between contact and behaviors toward deaf people. Moreover, the frequency of contact indirectly contributes to behaviors through knowledge and attitudes.

Originality/value

The findings indicate that increasing the contact between hearing and deaf students would improve hearing students' attitudes and behaviors towards deaf students. However, this is only when the contact can improve hearing students' knowledge about deaf people and deafness.
Procurement's role in resolving demand–supply imbalances: an information processing theory perspective
Authors: Laari Sini , Lorentz Harri , Jonsson Patrik , Lindau Roger
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Drawing on information processing theory, the linkage between buffering and bridging and the ability on the part of procurement to resolve demand–supply imbalances is investigated, as well as contexts in which these strategies may be particularly useful or detrimental. Buffering may be achieved through demand change or redundancy, while bridging may be achieved by the means of collaboration or monitoring.

Design/methodology/approach

This study employs a hierarchical regression analysis of a survey of 150 Finnish and Swedish procurement and sales and operations planning professionals, each responding from the perspective of their own area of supply responsibility.

Findings

Both the demand change and redundancy varieties of buffering are associated with procurement's ability to resolve demand–supply imbalances without delivery disruptions, but not with cost-efficient resolution. Bridging is associated with the cost-efficient resolution of imbalances: while collaboration offers benefits, monitoring seems to make things worse. Dynamism diminishes, while the co-management of procurement in S&OP improves procurement's ability to resolve demand–supply imbalances. The most potent strategy for tackling problematic contexts appears to be buffering via demand change.

Practical implications

The results highlight the importance of procurement in the S&OP process and suggest tactical measures that can be taken to resolve and reduce the effects of supply and demand imbalances.

Originality/value

The results contribute to the procurement and S&OP literature by increasing knowledge regarding the role and integration of procurement to the crucial process of balancing demand and supply operations.
Exploring the agricultural platforms: do complementarity and situational normality ameliorate farmers' trust?
Authors: Singh Neeraj , Kapoor Sanjeev
Published: March 2023

Purpose

Although Agtech firms have promoted digital platforms for retailing farm supplies (RFS), farmers are sceptical while purchasing them online. As a result, they struggle to generate a sustained demand. Among other approaches, these platforms onboard complementors to become full-stack farming solution providers. Whether platform complementarity can induce farmers' trust remains ambiguous. Literature on network externality theory highlights that complementarity positively affects the perceived value for buyers. The sociotechnical systems literature indicates that perceived value is an antecedent of user trust. In this vein, the authors ask: Does perceived complementarity affect farmers' trust in the RFS platform? Alternatively, the Agtech firms augment the platform's look and feel to make the digital retail setting appear “normal” to farmers. The extant research on the social cognitive theory indicates that a retail setting conforming with the generalised expectancy of buyers harbours their trust. Against this backdrop, the authors ask whether situational normality affects farmers' trust in the RFS platform.

Design/methodology/approach

The study is based on a questionnaire survey of 212 Indian farmers using RFS platforms. The data were analysed using structural equation modelling (SEM) analysis.

Findings

This study establishes that platforms' complementarity and situational normality ameliorate farmer trust. The authors also identify the socioeconomic factors shaping the farmers' trust in platforms.

Research limitations/implications

The present study has taken all RFS together as a single umbrella category, which can be considered a limitation. Also, the study is based on the cross-sectional survey of RFS platform users; the farmers' attitudes are dynamic in nature and evolve over time; however, the temporal factors shaping the farmer attitudes have not been considered in this study.

Originality/value

The study establishes the epistemological relationship between complementarity, situational normality and farmers' trust in agricultural platforms.
Time is ticking: the dynamics of education reform in the Covid-era
Authors: Woulfin Sarah L. , Spitzer Natalie
Published: March 2023

Purpose

This paper applies concepts from organizational theory as well as physics to elucidate the role of time in the US education system’s efforts to recuperate from the pandemic. This paper contributes to an important body of work focusing on implementation of reform efforts in education that use time in innovative ways.

Design/methodology/approach

The COVID-19 pandemic disrupted time in educational organizations and, thus, for educators and students. Time has been a vital tool for educational reform, yet many applications of organizational theory and literature on educational change neglect to underscore its importance. The authors explore resources, guidelines and practices related to time employed to recuperate from pandemic-related disruptions to schooling.

Findings

The authors discuss three cases in which time has been utilized to recover from the COVID-19 pandemic: (1) accelerated learning; (2) extended time; and (3) redeveloped professional learning. For each case, the authors demonstrate how time has been conceptualized and how leaders are stretching the space-time of schooling to provide resources and learning opportunities to students and educators.

Practical implications

This article describes how district and school leaders can draw on their agency to reshape time-use in educational organizations.

Originality/value

This article advances an innovative framework demonstrating the importance of time in educational change. The authors also portray innovative models that provide time for students to receive an array of responsive, equity-centered, academic and SEL opportunities and for educators to collaborate, continuing their own development amid the ever-shifting Covid-context.
Measuring functional redundancy using generalized Hill numbers
Authors: Dick Daniel G.
Published: March 2023

A number of metrics for quantifying the amount of functional redundancy in a community have been proposed over the years.

Two of the most popular metrics are based on comparing a taxonomic diversity measure with a generalized form of the same measure that accounts for functional dissimilarities between taxa. These two metrics express redundancy as either an absolute or relative difference between the taxonomic diversity measure and its generalized form. Because they express the amount of redundancy in a community in terms of raw diversity values, both redundancy metrics are susceptible to the same issues that complicate the interpretation of most commonly used diversity indices.

It is possible to overcome these issues by restating these two indices using a Hill numbers framework. As a growing number of authors have noted, these modified metrics provide a more intuitive quantitative definition of functional redundancy when used to rank communities. Beyond this intuitive definition, measuring redundancy in terms of Hill numbers allows researchers to control the influence of rare taxa on the output value, enabling ecologists to better predict how a community is expected to respond when exposed to an external perturbation that selectively eliminates rare or common taxa.

Here I show that, of the two possible Hill number‐based redundancy metrics, the form based on a popular absolute redundancy metric is extremely sensitive to differences in taxonomic diversity and can provide a misleading picture of how much redundancy is present in a community. For this reason, I argue that Hill number‐based functional redundancy should be quantified using a relative metric that explicitly accounts for differences in effective taxonomic diversity.

The proposed Hill number‐based relative redundancy measure is shown to provide a much more complete picture of the distribution of redundant taxa within a community, highlighting subtle patterns that are completely missed by the Hill number‐based absolute redundancy metric. I include open‐source R code for calculating the indices discussed here.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Widespread controls of leaf nutrient resorption by nutrient limitation and stoichiometry
Authors: Sun Xibin , Li Dejun , Lü Xiaotao , Fang Yunting , Ma Zilong , Wang Zhenchuan , Chu Chengjin , Li Meimei , Chen Hao
Published: March 2023

Leaf nutrient resorption is a key process in nutrient cycles, but fundamental knowledge regarding its control mechanisms remains limited. Among the three proposed basic control mechanisms on leaf nutrient resorption, namely nutrient concentration control, nutrient limitation control and stoichiometry control, only the first has been demonstrated to exist globally, while the latter two have not been systematically evaluated.

Here, we conducted a global data synthesis to explore nutrient limitation and stoichiometry control on leaf resorption of carbon, nitrogen, phosphorus, sulphur, potassium, calcium and magnesium, based on 3395 data points from 109 peer‐reviewed studies.

Results showed that the nutrient limitation control existed globally, but was only applicable for the resorption of nitrogen, phosphorus and potassium. The stoichiometry control existed globally for carbon and all studied nutrients, and coexisted with nutrient limitation control. Conifers' resorption relied primarily on stoichiometry control rather than nutrient limitation control. Nutrient limitation control was stronger in evergreen angiosperms than in deciduous angiosperms.

Our findings support the ubiquity of both nutrient limitation and stoichiometry in controlling leaf resorption for multiple nutrients, such that these controls should be considered in Earth system models to better predict biogeochemical cycles in terrestrial ecosystems.

Read the free Plain Language Summary for this article on the Journal blog.
Free Trade without Words: Popular Public Rituals and Corn Law Repeal in the Early 1840s
Authors: KONISHI MASAHIRO
Published: March 2023

This article examines the folkloric protest and popular political culture during the anti‐Corn Law agitation. It offers a new analysis of the role of customary demonstration based on moral economy in supporting free importation of foreign corn. It examines previously unstudied bread processions during the 1841 general election and effigy burnings of Sir Robert Peel that occurred simultaneously against his minor revision of the Corn Laws in 1842. It argues that the practice of these traditional protests offered a basis on which plebeians understood the emerging idea of Free Trade. While the protesters and more moderate reformers represented by the Anti‐Corn Law League shared a common cause of Corn Law repeal, there was a potential conflict over respectability. Moreover, Chartists could appropriate this popular custom for promoting the People's Charter rather than Free Trade. This article contributes to understanding the relationship between popular custom and radical politics in the wider context of the emergence of Free Trade Britain in the early Victorian period.
Do opportunity zones create opportunities? The impact of opportunity zones on real estate prices
Authors: Alm James , Dronyk‐Trosper Trey , Larkin Sean
Published: March 2023

The Tax Cuts and Jobs Act of 2017 allowed governors of the 50 states to designate low‐income areas as “qualified opportunity zones” (QOZs). This designation entitled investors in these QOZs to significant tax incentives, with the goal of creating economic opportunities in these areas. In this article, we estimate the impact of QOZ designation on several dimensions of economic development—residential and business real estate prices—using data from Florida for the period 2016–2020 and controlling for endogenous QOZ designation in several estimation approaches. All estimation results indicate little consistent and robust evidence that QOZ designation had a positive impact on sales prices for single‐family homes, commercial lots, or vacant lots.
Sex‐related differences among individuals assessed for fetal alcohol spectrum disorder in Canada
Authors: Flannigan Katherine , Poole Nancy , Cook Jocelynn , Unsworth Kathy
Published: March 2023

Background

Consideration of sex‐ and gender‐related factors is critical for understanding and supporting health and wellbeing. Although both sex and gender influence people with developmental disabilities, there is relatively little research on these factors and their influences among individuals with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder (FASD), a complex neurodevelopmental disability impacting an estimated 4%–5% of the population. Understanding sex‐ and gender‐related differences in FASD is needed to facilitate evidence‐informed assessment, treatment planning, and advocacy. To begin unpacking these factors, we investigated sex‐based differences in clinical presentation and experiences among individuals assessed for FASD across the lifespan.

Methods

We analyzed 2574 clinical records from 29 FASD diagnostic centers in Canada. Participants ranged in age from 1 to 61 years (mean 15.2 years), and more than half (58.3%) were male at birth. Study variables included participant demographics, physical indicators of prenatal alcohol exposure (PAE), neurodevelopmental impairment, FASD diagnosis, co‐occurring physical and mental health diagnoses, and environmental adversity.

Results

There were no significant differences between males and females with respect to FASD diagnostic outcome or physical indicators of PAE. However, males experienced significantly more neurodevelopmental impairment. Females experienced higher rates of endocrine problems, anxiety, and depressive/mood disorders, whereas males had higher rates of attention deficit‐hyperactivity disorder, conduct disorder, and oppositional defiant disorder. Adversity also differed by sex, with females experiencing higher rates of trauma and legal problems with victimization/custody, and males having more difficulties with school and offending/incarceration. Sex‐based differences were most apparent in adolescents (13–17 years) and adults (≥25 years).

Conclusions

Individuals with PAE/FASD experience notable sex‐related differences in clinical presentation and experiences across the lifespan. Findings from this study should help to guide researchers, service providers, and policy makers to improve FASD screening, diagnosis, and intervention and better address the needs of individuals with PAE/FASD of all genders.
Are mental disorders associated with recidivism in men convicted of sexual offenses?
Authors: Biedermann Laura , Eher Reinhard , Rettenberger Martin , Gaunersdorfer Kathrin , Turner Daniel
Published: March 2023

Introduction

In offending populations, prevalence rates of mental disorders are much higher than in the general population. Nevertheless, it is unclear whether mental disorders can improve the prediction of recidivism beyond actuarial risk assessment tools.

Methods

The present prospective‐longitudinal study was conducted between 2001 and 2021 and included 1066 men convicted of sexual offenses in Austria. All participants were evaluated with actuarial risk assessment tools for the prediction of sexual and violent recidivism and the Structured Clinical Interview for Axis I and Axis II disorders. Sexual and violent reconvictions were assessed.

Results

Exhibitionism and an exclusive pedophilia showed the strongest correlations with sexual recidivism in the total sample. In the child related offense subsample additionally a narcissistic personality disorder was correlated with sexual recidivism. The strongest correlation with violent recidivism was found for an antisocial and borderline personality disorder. None of the mental disorders could improve the prediction of recidivism beyond actuarial risk assessment tools.

Conclusion

Common current actuarial risk assessment tools revealed good predictive accuracy in men convicted of sexual offenses. With few exceptions mental disorders were only weakly associated with recidivism, suggesting that there is no direct link between mental disorders and violent and sexual reoffending. Mental disorders should nevertheless be considered in treatment issues.
Grazing exclusion reduces below‐ground biomass of temperate subhumid grasslands of South America: A meta‐analysis and a database
Authors: López‐Mársico Luis , Oyarzabal Mariano , Altesor Alice , Paruelo José M.
Published: March 2023

There are several plant below‐ground biomass databases for grasslands, but the contribution from the southern hemisphere is minimal. Particularly, no study has compiled the published values of plant below‐ground biomass for the temperate subhumid grasslands of South America. In these grasslands, called Río de la Plata grasslands, grazing is the most frequent disturbance. We set two objectives: (1) to compile and synthesize data of four variables: below‐ground biomass, fraction of total biomass allocated below‐ground, below‐ground net primary productivity and below‐ground biomass turnover rate; (2) to estimate the effect of grazing exclusion on below‐ground biomass by means of a meta‐analysis. There are 15 studies published on six out of eight regional sub‐divisions of the Río de la Plata grasslands. The most evaluated variable was below‐ground biomass, followed by below‐ground net primary productivity, while the other two variables were scarcely registered. Below‐ground biomass in the shallow portion of the soil (0–10 cm) was on average 877 g m−2. Below‐ground net primary productivity resulted in an average of 245 g m−2 year−1 (estimated using the ingrowth core method) or 560 g m−2 year−1 (core method). The fraction of total biomass allocated below‐ground was on average 0.75. Below‐ground biomass turnover rate presented an average of 2.5 years. On average, the effect of grazing exclusion on below‐ground biomass depended on exclusion time. When exclusion time was shorter than or equal to 3 years, grazing exclusion did not affect below‐ground biomass. In contrast, when exclusion time was longer than 3 years, grazing exclusion reduced below‐ground biomass by 62% (0–10 cm depth) and by 40% (total depth). Excluding South American grasslands from the global databases may introduce some biases in the observed patterns.
A series of the first 13 combined Magseed and Magtrace cases in a single centre in regional Victoria
Authors: Henegan Jessica , Wynn Jessica , Bollard Ruth
Published: March 2023

Background

The standard journey for a patient with impalpable breast cancer wishing to undergo breast‐conserving surgery involves placement of a guidewire and lymphoscintigraphy pre‐operatively. Access to these procedures is limited in the regional centres, this scheduling can require overnight stays away from home and can delay theatre which can increase patient distress. The Sentimag technology uses magnetism for localisation of preoperatively inserted Magseeds (for impalpable breast lesions) and Magtrace (for sentinel node biopsy), avoiding guidewire placement and nuclear medicine. This study evaluates the first 13 cases using this combined technique by a single specialist breast surgeon in a regional centre.

Methods

Thirteen consecutive patients were enrolled with ethics approval. Magseeds were placed under ultrasound guidance preoperatively, and Magtrace was injected at the time of pre‐operative consultation.

Results

The median age of patients was 60 (range 27–78). The average distance from hospital was 81.63 km (2.8–238 km). The average operating time was 1h54m (range 1 h 17 m–2 h 39 m) and the mean total journey time was 8h54m (range 6–23 h). The earliest time‐out was 8:40 am. Re‐excision rate was 23% (n = 3), however, in each re‐excision case the lesions were in the axilla, were small (<15 mm) and were in patients with dense breasts on mammography. There were no significant adverse outcomes.

Conclusion

In this preliminary study Sentimag localisation appears to be safe and reliable when used in combination. Re‐excision rates were only slightly higher than reported in the literature and predicted to downtrend with ongoing learning curve.
The sFlt1/PlGF ratio predicts faster fetal deterioration in early fetal growth restriction: A historical cohort study
Authors: Palma dos Reis Catarina R. , Brás Sofia , Meneses Tânia , Cerdeira Ana S. , Vatish Manu , Martins Ana T.
Published: March 2023

Introduction

The velocity of fetal deterioration in fetal growth restriction is extremely variable, which makes monitoring and counseling very challenging. The soluble fms‐like tyrosine kinase to placental growth factor (sFlt1/PlGF) ratio provides a readout of the vasoactive environment that correlates with preeclampsia and fetal growth restriction and that could be useful to predict fetal deterioration. Previous studies showed a correlation between higher sFlt1/PlGF ratios and lower gestational ages at birth, although it is unclear whether this is due to the increased incidence of preeclampsia. Our goal was to evaluate whether the sFlt1/PlGF ratio predicts faster fetal deterioration in early fetal growth restriction.

Material and methods

This was a historical cohort study in a tertiary maternity hospital. Data from singleton pregnancies with early fetal growth restriction (diagnosed before 32 gestational weeks) confirmed after birth monitored between January 2016 and December 2020 were retrieved from clinical files. Cases of chromosomal/fetal abnormalities, infection and medical terminations of pregnancy were excluded. The sFlt1/PlGF ratio was acquired at diagnosis of early fetal growth restriction in our unit. The correlation of log10 sFlt1/PlGF with latency to delivery/fetal demise was assessed with linear, logistic (positive sFlt1/PlGF if >85) and Cox regression excluding deliveries for maternal conditions and controlling for preeclampsia, gestational age at time of ratio test, maternal age and smoking during pregnancy. Receiver‐operating characteristic (ROC) analysis tested the performance of sFlt1/PlGF ratio in predicting delivery for fetal reasons in the following week.

Results

125 patients were included. Mean sFlt1/PlGF ratio was 91.2 (SD 148.7) and 28% of patients had a positive ratio. A higher log10 sFlt1/PlGF ratio predicted shorter latency for delivery/fetal demise in linear regression after controlling for confounders, β = −3.001, (−3.713 to −2.288). Logistic regression with ratio positivity confirmed these findings (latency for delivery 5.7 ± 3.32 weeks for ratios ≤85 vs 1.9 ± 1.52 weeks for ratios >85); β = −0.698 (−1.064 to −0.332). Adjusted Cox regression showed that a positive ratio confers a significantly positive hazard ratio (HR) for earlier delivery/fetal demise, HR 9.869 (5.061–19.243). ROC analysis showed an area under the curve of 0.847 (SE ± 0.06).

Conclusions

sFlt1/PlGF ratio is correlated with faster fetal deterioration in early fetal growth restriction, independently of preeclampsia.
A comprehensive evaluation of hemodynamic energy production and circuit loss using four different ECMO arterial cannulae
Authors: Heinsar Silver , Bartnikowski Nicole , Hartel Gunter , Farah Samia M. , Seah E‐Peng , Wu Eric , Colombo Sebastiano Maria , Semenzin Clayton , Haymet Andrew , Rätsep Indrek , Pauls Jo , Fraser John F. , Suen Jacky Y.
Published: March 2023

Objective

Pulsatile‐flow veno‐arterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (V‐A ECMO) has shown encouraging results for microcirculation resuscitation and left ventricle unloading in patients with refractory cardiogenic shock. We aimed to comprehensively assess different V‐A ECMO parameters and their contribution to hemodynamic energy production and transfer through the device circuit.

Methods

We used the i‐cor® ECMO circuit, which composed of Deltastream DP3 diagonal pump and i‐cor® console (Xenios AG), the Hilite 7000 membrane oxygenator (Xenios AG), venous and arterial tubing and a 1 L soft venous pseudo‐patient reservoir. Four different arterial cannulae (Biomedicus 15 and 17 Fr, Maquet 15 and 17 Fr) were used. For each cannula, 192 different pulsatile modes were investigated by adjusting flow rate, systole/diastole ratio, pulsatile amplitudes and frequency, yielding 784 unique conditions. A dSpace data acquisition system was used to collect flow and pressure data.

Results

Increasing flow rates and pulsatile amplitudes were associated with significantly higher hemodynamic energy production (both p < 0.001), while no significant associations were seen while adjusting systole‐to‐diastole ratio (p = 0.73) or pulsing frequency (p = 0.99). Arterial cannula represents the highest resistance to hemodynamic energy transfer with 32%–59% of total hemodynamic energy generated being lost within, depending on pulsatile flow settings used.

Conclusions

Herein, we presented the first study to compare hemodynamic energy production with all pulsatile ECLS pump settings and their combinations and widely used yet previously unexamined four different arterial ECMO cannula. Only increased flow rate and amplitude increase hemodynamic energy production as single factors, whilst other factors are relevant when combined.
Our current clinical understanding of Candida biofilms: where are we two decades on?
Authors: Ramage Gordon , Borghi Elisa , Rodrigues Célia Fortuna , Kean Ryan , Williams Craig , Lopez‐Ribot Jose
Published: March 2023

Clinically we have been aware of the concept of Candida biofilms for many decades, though perhaps without the formal designation. Just over 20 years ago the subject emerged on the back of progress made from the bacterial biofilms, and academic progress pace has continued to mirror the bacterial biofilm community, albeit at a decreased volume. It is apparent that Candida species have a considerable capacity to colonize surfaces and interfaces and form tenacious biofilm structures, either alone or in mixed species communities. From the oral cavity, to the respiratory and genitourinary tracts, wounds, or in and around a plethora of biomedical devices, the scope of these infections is vast. These are highly tolerant to antifungal therapies that has a measurable impact on clinical management. This review aims to provide a comprehensive overight of our current clinical understanding of where these biofilms cause infections, and we discuss existing and emerging antifungal therapies and strategies.
Procedural sedation for paediatric patients with spinal muscular atrophy undergoing intrathecal treatment
Authors: Sever Feyza , Özmert Sengül , Arıbaş Öz Nefise
Published: March 2023

Aims

Nusinersen is administered intrathecally for treating spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Procedural sedation is common with intrathecal treatment in children. The purpose of this study is to emphasize that intrathecal treatment of paediatric patients with SMA I, II and III can be tolerated with procedural sedation instead of general anaesthesia.

Methods

Data were collected the from the anaesthesia charts and electronic medical records of 14 paediatric patients with SMA types I, II and III who underwent procedural sedation for repeated intrathecal treatments for SMA. Intravenous induction was performed, and patients were oxygenated with a face mask or nasal cannula while spontaneous breathing continued.

Results

Fourteen patients were included in the study: one SMA I, eight SMA II and five SMA III. They underwent 88 intrathecal nusinersen injections in total. In the one SMA I patient, of 8 months, the procedure was performed under local anaesthesia. In all other patients, the treatments were performed under procedural sedation. Different combinations of midazolam, ketamine, propofol, fentanyl and remifentanil were used. The mean doses of the agents used were 0.03 mg kg−1, 0.97 mg kg−1, 2.71 mg kg−1, 0.84 μg kg−1 and 0.5 μg kg−1, respectively. There were no intraoperative or postoperative complications.

Conclusion

We found the procedural sedation to be sufficient, safe and effective in SMA II and III paediatric patients who underwent nusinersen treatment intrathecally, provided anaesthetic agents are titrated and administered carefully.
Understanding the views of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties for person‐centred planning
Authors: Farmer Kate E. , Stringer Phil
Published: March 2023

Background

All children have the right to express their views about matters affecting them and participate in decision‐making for their future irrespective of their intellectual ability. This study explores the adult role in understanding the views of children with profound and multiple learning difficulties who are not using a formal communication system and require adults to speak on their behalf.

Methods

The study employs a qualitative multiple case study design involving three children with profound and multiple learning difficulties attending one special school. Social constructivist grounded theory approaches inform data gathering and analysis. Eight interviews are conducted with parents and professionals to explore how they understand the children's views and how this understanding informs person‐centred planning, combined with observations of the children in school and observations of their person‐centred planning meetings.

Findings

Adult participants consider the children in the study to have agency and ability to affect the world around them. They believe the children can express their likes, dislikes and what they want but they think the children would have difficulty communicating their views about their health, medical needs and disability. They describe a range of observable actions made by a child to which they give meaning when interpreting the child's views. The actions a person takes as a child's communication partner can enable the child to develop and communicate their views. A process of observation and comparison allows adults to explore different interpretations of a child's views. Perspectives offered by professionals from different fields enable a child's views to be understood in different ways.

Conclusions

Adults develop their understanding of the children's views over time in relational and social contexts. Different interpretations of a child's communication are considered when adults collaborate, leading to socially constructed understandings of a child's views. Adults infer the meaning of a child's views about what is important to them for the future from their understanding of the child's views in the present, which informs person‐centred planning.
Shared and unique characteristics of school, cyber and family victimization among school‐aged children in Hong Kong
Authors: Chen Qiqi , Lo Camilla , Chen Mengtong , Chan Ko Ling , Ip Patrick
Published: March 2023

Victimizations from online and offline violence, such as sibling violence, school violence and witness of family violence, both have negative associations with victims' mental health and may share similar individual and family characteristics. This study aims to explore the common and differentiated characteristics in the prediction of school, cyber and family victimization and whether there are unique associations within these victimization types. We employed a two‐stage stratified sampling method to collect a representative sample of 5567 children aged 3–17 from a cross‐sectional, school‐based survey in Hong Kong. Results showed that all types of child victimization, including sibling, school and cyberbullying, as well as the witness of violence at home, were positively correlated with each other. Children's age was positively related to the occurrence and cooccurrence of all types of child victimization. Frequent family residential mobility and parents' higher education level were positively related to all types of children's victimization. The scores of all aspects of children's paediatric quality of life were found negatively related to children's school victimization. This study provides insight into the unique and shared elements of children's online and offline victimization. Knowledge of the distinguished familial gradients of child victimization at home and beyond could benefit the development of child victimization prevention.
Signaling pathway mechanisms of neurological diseases induced by G protein‐coupled receptor 39
Authors: Cao Bin , Wang Jue , Feng Juan
Published: March 2023

Background

G protein‐coupled receptor 39 (GPR39) is a transmembrane zinc receptor with two splice variants, which belongs to the G‐protein‐coupled receptor growth hormone‐releasing peptide family. Its expression is induced by zinc, which activates GPR39, and its activation mediates cell proliferation, ion homeostasis, and anti‐inflammatory, antioxidant, and other pathophysiological effects via different signaling pathways.

Aims

The article reviews the latest literature in this field. In particular, the role of GPR39 in nervous system is discussed.

Materials and methods

GPR39 can be a promising target in neurological diseases for targeted therapy, which will help doctors overcome the associated problems.

Discussion

GPR39 is expressed in vivo at several sites. Increasing evidence suggests that GPR39 plays an important role as a neuroprotective agent in vivo and regulates various neurological functions, including neurodegeneration, neuroelectrophysiology, and neurovascular homeostasis.

Conclusion

This review aims to provide an overview of the functions, signal transduction pathways, and pathophysiological role of GPR39 in neurological diseases and summarize the GPR39 agonists that have been identified in the recent years.
Multi‐networks connectivity at baseline predicts the clinical efficacy of left angular gyrus‐navigated rTMS in the spectrum of Alzheimer's disease: A sham‐controlled study
Authors: Chen Hai‐Feng , Sheng Xiao‐Ning , Yang Zhi‐Yuan , Shao Peng‐Fei , Xu Heng‐Heng , Qin Ruo‐Meng , Zhao Hui , Bai Feng
Published: March 2023

Introduction

Neuro‐navigated repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation (rTMS) is effective in alleviating cognitive deficits in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, the strategy for target determination and the mechanisms for cognitive improvement remain unclear.

Methods

One hundred and thirteen elderly subjects were recruited in this study, including both cross‐sectional (n = 79) and longitudinal experiments (the rTMS group: n = 24; the sham group: n = 10). The cross‐sectional experiment explored the precise intervention target based on the cortical–hippocampal network. The longitudinal experiment investigated the clinical efficacy of neuro‐navigated rTMS treatment over a four‐week period and explored its underlying neural mechanism using seed‐based and network‐based analysis. Finally, we applied connectome‐based predictive modeling to predict the rTMS response using these functional features at baseline.

Results

RTMS at a targeted site of the left angular gyrus (MNI: −45, −67, 38) significantly induced cognitive improvement in memory and language function (p < 0.001). The improved cognition correlated with the default mode network (DMN) subsystems. Furthermore, the connectivity patterns of DMN subsystems (r = 0.52, p = 0.01) or large‐scale networks (r = 0.85, p = 0.001) at baseline significantly predicted the Δ language cognition after the rTMS treatment. The connectivity patterns of DMN subsystems (r = 0.47, p = 0.019) or large‐scale networks (r = 0.80, p = 0.001) at baseline could predict the Δ memory cognition after the rTMS treatment.

Conclusion

These findings suggest that neuro‐navigated rTMS targeting the left angular gyrus could improve cognitive function in AD patients. Importantly, dynamic regulation of the intra‐ and inter‐DMN at baseline may represent a potential predictor for favorable rTMS treatment response in patients with cognitive impairment.
UK's Association of British Clinical Diabetologist's Diabetes Technology Network (ABCD‐DTN): Best practice guide for hybrid closed‐loop therapy
Authors: Griffin Tomás P. , Gallen Geraldine , Hartnell Sara , Crabtree Thomas , Holloway Melissa , Gibb Fraser W. , Lumb Alistair , Wilmot Emma G. , Choudhary Pratik , Hussain Sufyan
Published: March 2023

This best practice guide is written with the aim of providing an overview of current hybrid closed‐loop (HCL) systems in use within the United Kingdom's (UK) National Health Service (NHS) and to provide education and advice for their management on both an individual and clinical service level. The environment of diabetes technology, and particularly HCL systems, is rapidly evolving. The past decade has seen unprecedented advances in the development of HCL systems. These systems improve glycaemic outcomes and reduce the burden of treatment for people with type 1 diabetes (pwT1D). It is anticipated that access to these systems will increase in England as a result of updates in National Institute of Health and Care Excellence (NICE) guidance providing broader support for the use of real‐time continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) for pwT1D. NICE is currently undertaking multiple‐technology appraisal into HCL systems. Based on experience from centres involved in supporting advanced technologies as well as from the recent NHS England HCL pilot, this guide is intended to provide healthcare professionals with UK expert consensus on the best practice for initiation, optimisation and ongoing management of HCL therapy.
High cereal fibre but not total fibre is associated with a lower risk of type 2 diabetes: Evidence from the Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study
Authors: Kabthymer Robel Hussen , Karim Md Nazmul , Hodge Allison M , de Courten Barbora
Published: March 2023

Aim

To assess the associations of total dietary fibre and fibre from different food sources (ie, cereal, fruit and vegetables) with the risk of diabetes.

Materials and methods

The Melbourne Collaborative Cohort Study enrolled 41 513 participants aged 40 to 69 years from 1990 to 1994. The first and second follow‐ups were conducted in 1994 to 1998 and 2003 to 2007, respectively. Self‐reported diabetes incidence was recorded at both follow‐ups. We analysed data from 39 185 participants, with a mean follow‐up of 13.8 years. The relationships between dietary fibre intake (total, fruit, vegetable and cereal fibre) and the incidence of diabetes were assessed using modified Poisson regression, adjusted for dietary, lifestyle, obesity, socioeconomic and other possible confounders. Fibre intake was categorized into quintiles.

Results

At total of 1989 incident cases were identified over both follow‐up surveys. Total fibre intake was not associated with diabetes risk. Higher intake of cereal fibre (P for trend = 0.003), but not fruit (P for trend = 0.3) and vegetable fibre (P for trend = 0.5), was protective against diabetes. For cereal fibre, quintile 5 versus quintile 1 showed a 25% reduction in diabetes risk (incidence risk ratio [IRR] 0.75, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.63‐0.88). For fruit fibre, only quintile 2 versus quintile 1 showed a 16% risk reduction (IRR 0.84, 95% CI 0.73‐0.96). Adjustment for body mass index (BMI) and waist‐to‐hip ratio eliminated the association and mediation analysis showed that BMI mediated 36% of the relationship between fibre and diabetes.

Conclusion

Intake of cereal fibre and, to a lesser extent, fruit fibre, may reduce the risk of diabetes, while total fibre showed no association. Our data suggest that specific recommendations regarding dietary fibre intake may be needed to prevent diabetes.
Value chain research and development: The quest for impact
Authors: Donovan Jason , Stoian Dietmar
Published: March 2023

Motivation

For decades, governments, donors, and practitioners have promoted market‐based development approaches (MBDA), most recently in the form of value chain development (VCD), to spur economic growth and reduce poverty. Changes in approaches have been shaped by funders, practitioners and researchers in ways that are incompletely appreciated.

Purpose

We address the following questions: (1) how have researchers and practitioners shaped discussions on MBDA?; and (2) how has research stimulated practice, and how has practice informed research? We hypothesize that stronger exchange between researchers and practitioners increases the relevance and impact of value chain research and development.

Methods and approach

We adopt Downs' (1972) concept of issue‐attention cycles, which posits that attention to a particular issue follows a pattern where, first, excitement builds over potential solutions; followed by disenchantment as the inherent complexity, trade‐offs, and resources required to solve it become apparent; and consequently attention moves on to a new issue. We review the literature on MBDA to see how far this framing applies.

Findings

We identify five cycles of approaches to market‐based development over the last 40 or more years: (1) non‐traditional agricultural exports; (2) small and medium enterprise development; (3) value chains with a globalization perspective; (4) value chains with an agri‐business perspective; and (5) value chain development.

The shaping and sequencing of these cycles reflect researchers' tendency to analyse and criticize MBDA, while providing limited guidance on workable improvements; practitioners' reluctance to engage in critical reflection on their programmes; and an institutional and funding environment that encourages new approaches.

Policy implications

Future MBDA will benefit from stronger engagement between researchers, practitioners, and funders. Before shifting attention to new concepts and approaches, achievements and failures in previous cycles need to be scrutinized. Evidence‐based practice should extend for the length of the issue‐attention cycle; preferably it should arrest the cycling of attention. Funders can help by requiring grantees to critically reflect on past action, by providing “safe spaces” for sharing such reflections, and by engaging in joint learning with practitioners and researchers.
Multifaceted role of galectin‐4 in cancer: A systematic review
Authors: Kaur Surmeet , Singh Jatinder , Kaur Manpreet
Published: March 2023

Background

Galectins are β‐galactoside‐binding proteins. Galectin‐4 has shown an effect on cancer progression/metastasis, especially in cancers of the digestive system. This can be attributed to altered glycosylation pattern of cell membrane molecules, which is a characteristic attribute of oncogenesis. The aim of this paper is to systematically review galectin‐4 in different cancers and its role in disease progression.

Methods

The study was designed on the basis of Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis (PRISMA) guidelines. PubMed, Scopus, Web of Science, and Science Direct were used to search relevant literature with keywords “galectin‐4 AND cancer”, “galectin‐4”, “LGALS4”, and “LGALS4 AND cancer”. Inclusion criteria for study selection were availability of full‐text articles, articles in English language and articles relevant to current topic, that is, galectin‐4 and cancer. Exclusion criteria were studies that investigated other disease conditions, interventions unrelated to cancer or galectin‐4 and bias outcome.

Results

A total of 73 articles were retrieved after removing duplication from databases, out of which 40 studies were included in the review that followed the inclusion criteria, including low to moderate bias. These included 23 studies in digestive system, 5 in reproductive system, 4 in respiratory system, and 2 in brain and urothelial cancers.

Conclusions

A differential expression of galectin‐4 was observed in different cancer stages/ and types. Furthermore, galectin‐4 was found to modulate disease progression. A meta‐analysis and comprehensive mechanistic studies, pertaining to different aspects of galectin‐4 biology, could give statistically driven correlations, elucidating multifaceted role of galectin‐4 in cancer.
Evaluation of the pattern of fracture formation from trauma to the human mandible with finite element analysis. Part 2: The corpus and the angle regions
Authors: Sancar Bahadır , Çetiner Yunus , Dayı Ertunç
Published: March 2023

Background/Aims

Although the mandible is the largest and strongest bone of the facial skeleton, it is frequently broken. The fracture location in the mandible depends on the biomechanical features, direction and angle of the trauma, and masticatory muscles. This study aimed to evaluate the stresses caused by trauma to the corpus and angle regions from different angles.

Materials and Methods

After computer‐based mandible models were created using finite element analysis, a force of 2000 Newton(N) was simulated with the mouth open or closed to the corpus and the angle. To the corpus: at 90° (Model 1) in the lateromedial direction, 45° (Model 2) in the lateromedial–inferosuperior direction, and 90° (Model 3) in the inferosuperior direction. To angle: 90° (Model 4) in the lateromedial direction and 45° (Model 5) in the lateromedial–inferosuperior direction. The resulting stress intensity was assessed using FEA.

Results

Following the simulated forces, the maximum stress in the mandible occurred in the condylar region, except in Model 3 (Left(L)Corpus2[36 megapascals(MPa)]) in the mouth‐closed condition. After traumas in Model 1 (open‐mouth: LCondyle2[547 MPa]) and Model 4 (closed‐mouth: LCondyle2[607 MPa]), higher stress values occurred in the condyle. In the mouth open‐closed state, there was no significant stress change in the condyle region in Model 1 (open‐mouth: LCondyle2[547 MPa], closed‐mouth:LCondyle2[546 MPa]) or in Model 2 (open mouth: Right(R)Condyle2[431 MPa], closed‐mouth:LCondyle2[439 MPa]). In Model 3, lower stress values occurred in the closed‐mouth rather than the open‐mouth (LCondyle1[167 MPa]) state. In Models 4 and 5, the stress values increased in the mouth‐closed condition compared with the mouth‐open condition.

Conclusions

Stress in the mandible is affected by the location of the trauma and the angle of incidence of the blow. In trauma to both the corpus and the angle, the most common area to be fractured is the condyle.