bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Maternal health care for women with disabilities: perspectives of health professionals in Ghana
Authors: Obeng Bernard , Asante Emmanuel Agyemang , Agyemang Eric , Aryee Clement 
Published: May 2024

AbstractIn many developing countries, like Ghana, persons with disability face a lot of marginalisation and discrimination. Despite WHO’s assertion that disabled persons deserve equal access to healthcare, disparities remain. Health professionals play a pivotal role in reducing maternal mortality. Yet few studies engage professionals to understand these perceptions and how they shape service provision. This highlights the need for research investigating health professionals’ perceptions of delivering maternal healthcare to women with disabilities in Ghana. With the aid of a qualitative approach, this study explored the perceptions of healthcare professionals on disabled women who sought maternal healthcare in Ghana. Data was gathered from 25 healthcare workers, consisting of midwives and doctors. The thematic analysis uncovered two contrasting themes—positive perceptions highlighting the determination and strength of disabled women and negative perceptions shaped by cultural biases questioning the need for disabled women to become pregnant. Bridging this gap necessitates comprehensive training, patient-centred collaborative approaches, and anti-discrimination policies to establish an equitable Ghanaian healthcare system that safeguards the reproductive rights and options of pregnant and disabled women. Dedication from all stakeholders is imperative to ensure inclusiveness and fair treatment.
“The Dead Have Been Awakened in the Service of the Living”: Activist Community-Engaged Archaeology in Charleston, South Carolina
Authors: Gilmore Joanna K. , Ofunniyin Ajani Ade , Oubré La'Sheia O. , Fleskes Raquel E. , Schurr Theodore G. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractIn 2013, 36 Ancestors of African descent were identified in an unmarked eighteenth-century burial ground during construction in Charleston, South Carolina. The site, later referred to as the Anson Street African Burial Ground, was buried beneath the growing city and forgotten in the centuries that followed. The ethical treatment of these ancestral remains was of paramount importance to our community. Historically, narratives relating to the lives of African descendant people in Charleston have been inadequately documented and shared. For these reasons, we engaged the local African American community in a multifaceted memorialization process. Together, we sought to sensitively ensure that the Ancestors’ identities and lives were fully explored according to the collective descendant community's wishes. To this end, we involved the community in researching and celebrating the Ancestors’ lives through arts and education programs and analyzed their and community members’ DNA to elucidate their ancestry. Our engagement initiatives increased access for all ages to archaeological, historical, and genetic research and encouraged active participation in the design of a permanent memorial. The Anson Street African Burial Ground Project provides a successful example of community-engaged activist archaeology focused on honoring the Ancestors and their descendants.
To Hedge or Not to Hedge: Scientific Claims and Public Justification
Authors: Ward Zina B. , Creel Kathleen A. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractScientific hedges are communicative devices used to qualify and weaken scientific claims. Gregor Betz has argued—unconvincingly, we think—that hedging can rescue the value-free ideal for science. Nevertheless, Betz is onto something when he suggests there are political principles that recommend scientists hedge public-facing claims. In this article, we recast this suggestion using the notion of public justification. We formulate and reject a Rawlsian argument that locates the justification for hedging in its ability to forge consensus. On our alternative proposal, hedging is often justified because it renders scientific claims as publicly accessible reasons.
It's time for Africa – hidden diversity of the Aphidius colemani species group (Hymenoptera, Braconidae, Aphidiinae) south of the Sahara
Authors: Čkrkić Jelisaveta , Petrović Andjeljko , Kocić Korana , Mitrovski-Bogdanović Ana , Tomanović Željko 
Published: May 2024

AbstractAphidius colemani is an important biological control agent, used in greenhouses and open fields against aphid pests. Despite this economical importance, A. colemani, along with A. transcaspicus and A. platensis, has gone through a complex taxonomical history. The three species have only recently gained status as separate species again, comprising the morphologically defined Aphidius colemani species group. Other than sporadic records probably as a consequence of escape from greenhouses, the A. colemani species group members prefer warmer regions and there are numerous records from South America, Southern Europe and Asia. Based on slide-mounted material collected in the period 1964–2001 in Africa, we describe five new species belonging to this group, and report A. colemani, A. transcaspicus and A. platensis from several African countries. This data opens questions about the origin of the group and presents potential for the diversification of biological control agents against aphid pests.
The political economy of urban party switching in African elections: Evidence from Zambia
Authors: Siachiwena Hangala , Wahman Michael 
Published: May 2024

AbstractZambia experienced its third electoral turnover in the 2021 election. While the ruling Patriotic Front (PF) lost votes across the territory, the electoral collapse in urban Zambia was particularly remarkable. This paper argues that economic performance voting can explain urban party switching in Zambia. The argument is supported by a unique panel survey of Zambian voters in the period 2019–2022. We show that urban voters were more likely to desert the PF, even when we control for ethnicity. We also show that they were more likely to evaluate the economy poorly and more likely to change their electoral preferences in view of such poor economic evaluation. Our results stress that African elections should not be understood as static expressions of stable political cleavages but may function as real opportunities for political accountability. However, the extent to which voters are willing to re-evaluate their vote choice varies across space.
FAO’s approach to addressing non-communicable diseases
Authors: Nyemah Nyemah J. 
Published: May 2024

Non-Communicable Diseases (NCDs) constitute the most notable single killer of the population of Pacific Small Island Developing States (SIDS). It is therefore not surprising that the leaders of Pacific SIDS recognize NCDs as a crisis(1). But just as it is in many parts of the world, addressing NCDs in the Pacific is a complex challenge for many reasons. For example, and in the midst of recurrent climate change disasters, it would be fair to wonder if Pacific SIDs and development stakeholders – and academia included - have not become overwhelmed in obtaining more clarity about the main causes of NCDs, and tackling them with the relevant prioritization, policy environments that address economic and market forces, coordinated interventions, good examples from leaders, actions driven leadership, not blaming the victims, and a lot more. Maybe it is too uncritical and simplistic to continue to make the historical argument that the population of Pacific SIDS are obese, overweight, suffer from micronutrient deficiencies, stunting, and so forth because they choose poor diets and physical inactivity, or simply because all of this is cultural.The foregoing context demands more criticality and contributes to the rise of several philosopher kings who so easily describe NCDs as a disease that requires a health approach in absolutism. But if we were to invest more into obtaining deeper insights about the causes of NCDs in the Pacific, there could be a possibility for stakeholders to increasingly advocate for a systems approach to addressing NCDs in the Pacific. A systems approach would for example, recognize that as economic development receives more investments, people will conversely reduce walking in favor of vehicle transportation, children will spend less time playing outside in favor of watching television, more highly processed food of high salt, sugar and fat contents will be marketed and affordable than locally grown food, people will work in the service sector to the detriment of traditional gardening. A systems approach would account for a combination of biomedical, food systems, educational, religious, socio-cultural, recreational, etc… approaches.As one of the development stakeholders, the Food And Agriculture Organization of the United Nations (FAO) joins efforts with others to address NCDs in the Pacific(2). The entry point for FAO is through promoting the production and consumption fresh, safe, nutritious and healthy foods. My intervention at the 2023 Joint Conference of the Nutrition Societies of New Zealand will provide insights into FAO’s work from this vantage point.
Mediterranean Diet adherence and wellbeing: a preliminary analysis of the MedWalk trial
Authors: Bracci E.L. , Davis C.R. , Murphy K.J. 
Published: May 2024

Diet and diet quality have been linked to improvements to psychosocial health and wellbeing(1). However, data from national health surveys indicate that most Australian’s have poor diet quality and consume a Western style diet high in saturated fat, discretionary foods and added sugars and salt(2). The Mediterranean Diet (MedDiet), a predominantly plant-based diet rich in bioactive foods and nutrients, has been shown to improve mood and wellbeing. However, long-term effects beyond 6-months have not been thoroughly explored in older adults. MedWalk compares a 12-month MedDiet and Walking intervention with habitual lifestyle (HabDiet) in 160 older adults residing in retirement villages across South Australia and Victoria. Data from the South Australian cohort at baseline (n = 83) and 6-months (n = 74) are presented in this preliminary analysis.To determine dietary compliance, participants completed the 14-point MedDiet Adherence (MEDAS) questionnaire which assesses the intake of key MedDiet foods such as legumes, fish, and extra virgin olive oil; higher scores reflect higher adherence. Wellbeing was assessed using the Flourishing Index, which assesses life satisfaction, relationship satisfaction, happiness, mental and physical health. The total flourishing score includes 10 questions with a maximum of 100 points reflecting highest flourishing, while the secure flourishing score includes two additional questions related to safety, housing, and access to food with a maximum of 120 points to indicate highest flourishing. Group and time interactions for MEDAS and flourishing scores were analysed using linear mixed effects modelling. There were no significant differences between groups for MEDAS score at baseline (MedDiet 5.78 ± 0.34 vs HabDiet 5.74 ± 0.32). At 6 months, the MedDiet group had significantly increased their MEDAS by 4.16 points (P<0.001), (MedDiet 10.0 ± 0.42 vs HabDiet (5.85 ± 0.39). At baseline there were no significant differences between groups for the total 10-point flourishing score (MedDiet 83.5 ± 2.01 vs HabDiet 82.1 ± 2.0) or 12-point secure flourishing score (MedDiet 100.6 ± 2.2 vs HabDiet 100.4 ± 2.2). At 6 months there was a significant between-group difference in total flourishing index scores with a mean difference of 6.97 points in the MedDiet group (MedDiet 85.8 ± 1.9 vs HabDiet 78.8 ± 1.8, P = 0.010). Similarly, the secure flourishing index score was 6.18 points higher in the MedDiet group compared to the HabDiet at 6-months (MedDiet 102.9 ± 2.2 vs HabDiet 96.8 ± 2.07, P = 0.046). Adhering to a MedDiet and walking intervention may lead to positive improvements to wellbeing in an older population. The flourishing index may need to be compared with other wellbeing questionnaires and instruments to better understand the relationship between wellbeing and MedDiet adherence as there was a cross-sectional association but no positive correlation at 6-months.
Not Just a Commercial Voyage: A Cultural-Historical Perspective of the East Indiaman Compton's Voyage to Bombay (1723–26)
Authors: Grossi Erica 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThis essay aims to give an account of the untold and unexpected events faced by the crew of the Compton, one of the East India Company's vessels that set out on a routine trade voyage from Deptford to Bombay in April 1723. Under the command of Captain William Mawson, scrupulous compiler of the logbook, the ship proceeded along the known routes indicated by the East India Company (EIC) charts, and through the passages recommended by the navigation manuals. Finding consonance with recent research suggestions on “alternative histories” of the EIC, this article brings to light the narrative potentialities of the logbook, which is therefore considered not only a technical device, but also a tool for reconstructing the actual experience of navigation. This is the approach of the historical geodatabase of European global navigation Global Sea Routes (GSR), which bases its research method on ship's logs and other primary sources produced by the practitioners themselves. In order to provide a richer account of the known history of the EIC's shipping in the early modern age, this essay will analyse Mawson's logbook, highlighting its peculiarities as a container for a wealth of information useful for creating a narrative construction.
Orderings of extremes among dependent extended Weibull random variables
Authors: Samanta Ramkrishna Jyoti , Das Sangita , Balakrishnan N. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractIn this work, we consider two sets of dependent variables $\{X_{1},\ldots,X_{n}\}$ and $\{Y_{1},\ldots,Y_{n}\}$, where $X_{i}\sim EW(\alpha_{i},\lambda_{i},k_{i})$ and $Y_{i}\sim EW(\beta_{i},\mu_{i},l_{i})$, for $i=1,\ldots, n$, which are coupled by Archimedean copulas having different generators. We then establish different inequalities between two extremes, namely, $X_{1:n}$ and $Y_{1:n}$ and $X_{n:n}$ and $Y_{n:n}$, in terms of the usual stochastic, star, Lorenz, hazard rate, reversed hazard rate and dispersive orders. Several examples and counterexamples are presented for illustrating all the results established here. Some of the results here extend the existing results of [5] (Barmalzan, G., Ayat, S.M., Balakrishnan, N., & Roozegar, R. (2020). Stochastic comparisons of series and parallel systems with dependent heterogeneous extended exponential components under Archimedean copula. Journal of Computational and Applied Mathematics380: Article No. 112965).
Development of derivational morphological knowledge in monolingual and bilingual children: Effects of modality and lexicality
Authors: Michaly Tamar , Prior Anat 
Published: May 2024

Abstract
This study mapped the trajectory of developing derivational morphological knowledge in Hebrew monolingual and Russian–Hebrew bilingual children. We investigated 2nd and 4th graders, using a two-by-two structure along the dimensions of modality (comprehension, production) and type of word (real-word, pseudo-word). Performance in the morphological analogies comprehension tasks improved with grade, and monolingual and bilingual children performed equally well. A different pattern was evident in production tasks. In real-word production, monolingual children were more accurate than bilingual children, but this group difference narrowed with age. In pseudo-word production, monolingual children used more morphological elements than bilingual children, and there was also a tendency towards group differences narrowing with age. Detailed error analyses across all tasks revealed that monolingual children recruited more morphological elements than bilingual children. We present implications for assessment of morphological knowledge, and suggest that morphological intervention is a promising avenue for promoting bilingual children’s success.
Fine-scale phylogenetic diversity gradients support the Antarctic geothermal refugia hypothesis
Authors: Pearman William S. , Adams Clare I.M. , Monteiro Maria , Quesada Antonio , Fraser Ceridwen I. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe possible role of geothermal areas, such as volcanoes, in fostering biodiversity in Antarctica has received considerable recent attention. Under a geothermal refugia hypothesis, diverse life could be supported near or at geothermal sites, and we should see decreasing diversity and/or patterns of nestedness moving away from ‘hotspots’. Although there is evidence that geothermal areas have played a role in the persistence of some terrestrial species through glacial periods in Antarctica, the spatial scales at which such refugia operate is not clear. We sampled sediment from a range of locations across volcanic Deception Island in the Maritime Antarctic and used eDNA metabarcoding approaches (targeting a region of the 28S marker) to assess patterns of diversity in relation to thermal gradients. We found that although colder sites harboured significantly greater taxonomic richness than warmer sites, phylogenetic diversity was lower at colder sites (i.e. taxa at colder sites tend to be more evolutionary close to each other). We infer that increased selective processes in low-temperature environments have reduced phylogenetic diversity, supporting a hypothesis of geothermal locations acting as refugia for diverse taxa, even on fine spatial scales, in cold-climate regions such as Antarctica.
A Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Augmented Reality Just-in-Time Guidance for the Performance of Rugged Field Procedures
Authors: O’Connor Laurel , Zamani Sepahrad , Ding Xinyi , McGeorge Nicolette , Latiff Susan , Liu Cindy , Acevedo Herman Jorge , LoConte Matthew , Milsten Andrew , Weiner Michael , Boardman Timothy , Reznek Martin , Hall Michael , Broach John P. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractIntroduction:Medical resuscitations in rugged prehospital settings require emergency personnel to perform high-risk procedures in low-resource conditions. Just-in-Time Guidance (JITG) utilizing augmented reality (AR) guidance may be a solution. There is little literature on the utility of AR-mediated JITG tools for facilitating the performance of emergent field care.Study Objective:The objective of this study was to investigate the feasibility and efficacy of a novel AR-mediated JITG tool for emergency field procedures.Methods:Emergency medical technician-basic (EMT-B) and paramedic cohorts were randomized to either video training (control) or JITG-AR guidance (intervention) groups for performing bag-valve-mask (BVM) ventilation, intraosseous (IO) line placement, and needle-decompression (Needle-d) in a medium-fidelity simulation environment. For the interventional condition, subjects used an AR technology platform to perform the tasks. The primary outcome was participant task performance; the secondary outcomes were participant-reported acceptability. Participant task score, task time, and acceptability ratings were reported descriptively and compared between the control and intervention groups using chi-square analysis for binary variables and unpaired t-testing for continuous variables.Results:Sixty participants were enrolled (mean age 34.8 years; 72% male). In the EMT-B cohort, there was no difference in average task performance score between the control and JITG groups for the BVM and IO tasks; however, the control group had higher performance scores for the Needle-d task (mean score difference 22%; P = .01). In the paramedic cohort, there was no difference in performance scores between the control and JITG group for the BVM and Needle-d tasks, but the control group had higher task scores for the IO task (mean score difference 23%; P = .01). For all task and participant types, the control group performed tasks more quickly than in the JITG group. There was no difference in participant usability or usefulness ratings between the JITG or control conditions for any of the tasks, although paramedics reported they were less likely to use the JITG equipment again (mean difference 1.96 rating points; P = .02).Conclusions:This study demonstrated preliminary evidence that AR-mediated guidance for emergency medical procedures is feasible and acceptable. These observations, coupled with AR’s promise for real-time interaction and on-going technological advancements, suggest the potential for this modality in training and practice that justifies future investigation.
Mesoscale Auroral Curls in Antarctica
Authors: Li Xing‐Yu , Zong Qiu‐Gang , Hu Ze‐Jun , Wang Yong‐Fu , Liu Jian‐Jun , Zhou Xu‐Zhi , Yue Chao , Wang Shan , Xie Zi‐Kang , Zhao Xing‐Xin , Liu Zhi‐Yang , Yin Ze‐Fan , Zhao Hua‐Yu , Sun Yi‐Xin 
Published: May 2024

AbstractThe morphology and motion of auroras have been widely studied due to their indications on magnetospheric processes. Here, we report a new kind of “auroral curls,” which have wavelengths in the mesoscale (∼100 km) and propagate azimuthally. Utilizing data from the Chinese Antarctic Zhongshan Station (the all‐sky imager and the high‐frequency radar), the Active Magnetosphere and Planetary Electrodynamics Response Experiment and the Defense Meteorological Satellite Program, we analyze an event occurred on 23 April 2019. We find these curls are fine structures in the poleward boundary of multiple arcs. Corresponding field‐aligned currents manifest as a series of longitudinally arranged pairs, while ionospheric flow velocities nearby oscillate with periods in the Pc 5 band. Observational evidence suggests these curls are connected with ultra‐low frequency (ULF) waves, which opens the possibility of using auroras to globally image ULF waves.
Self Consistent Modeling of Relativistic Runaway Electron Beams Giving Rise to Terrestrial Gamma‐Rays Flashes
Authors: Gourbin P. , Celestin S. 
Published: May 2024

AbstractTerrestrial Gamma Ray Flashes (TGFs) are short bursts of gamma rays occurring during thunderstorms. They are believed to be produced by Relativistic Runaway Electron Avalanches (RREAs). In this paper, we present a new numerical model based on the Particle‐In‐Cell (PIC) method to simulate the interactions between the electromagnetic fields and the electron avalanche self‐consistently. The code uses a cylindrical Yee lattice to numerically solve the electromagnetic fields, a Monte Carlo approach to simulate collisions with air molecules, and a plasma fluid model to calculate the effects of low‐energy electrons and ions. The model is first tested through the reproduction of dispersion relations in a hot plasma. RREAs propagating under a homogeneous background electric field are then simulated. Owing to the self‐consistent nature of this description, we report here new physical properties such as saturation processes in the electron density and in the number of high‐energy electrons, detailed dynamical screening of the electric field in the ion trail of the avalanche, and the associated electric currents. We find that the saturation of RREAs is obtained when the numbers of high‐energy electrons and photons is consistent with those believed to be representative of TGF sources.