bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025_split huggingface dataset:
Dramatic Dissent in Wole Soyinka’s Metaphysical Play Death and the King’s Horseman (1975) and Biyi Bandele’s Netflix Adaptation Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman (2022)
Authors: Pardey Hannah 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Approaching the theme of this special issue as a dramatic structure, the contribution investigates the representation of dissenting practices in Wole Soyinka’s Death and the King’s Horseman and Biyi Bandele’s Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman. First published in 1975, Soyinka’s metaphysical play dramatises the events surrounding the eponymous protagonist Elesin Oba who, according to Yoruba cosmology, must follow the king in death to ensure harmony between this world and the next. Questioning both metaphysical and Marxist readings of the play, I argue that its employment of ritual as a dramaturgical device functions to explore the intricate reasons for failed leadership in post-independence Nigeria. This re-reading of Soyinka’s classic is informed by its recent screen adaptation, Elesin Oba: The King’s Horseman, which was co-produced by Ebonylife Films and Netflix and directed by the late Nigerian playwright and filmmaker Biyi Bandele. Reinforcing new Nollywood’s budding relationship with Netflix and its accompanying globalisation, Bandele’s movie appropriates the play’s dramatic structure of dissent on the levels of cinematography and editing, mise-en-scène and sound, inviting its transnational viewers to consider past and present manifestations of dissent as a means of managing and envisioning possible solutions to contemporary conflicts. The conclusion stresses that the ritual form presents a flexible device to interrogate historically specific power relations and encourage distinct generations of audiences to imagine their forms, causes, and alternatives; whereas Soyinka’s play suggests that these alternatives rest on the capabilities of the educated middle classes, Bandele’s movie constructs more diversified audiences which may settle for its consoling or dissenting aesthetics, respectively.
Literature as Worldly Action
Authors: Di Pietro Alessandra 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
This paper aims to demonstrate how the various declinations of public and private dissent represented in a contemporary work of African literature, The Death of Vivek Oji (2020) by Akwaeke Emezi, can be read as an instance of literature’s world-making capacity. As the novel’s title anticipates, The Death of Vivek Oji reconstructs the life of its eponymous protagonist and the events that led to their death (Vivek is a non-binary, transgender person and both male and female pronouns are used to refer to them). Emezi’s novel is set in Nigeria during the late 1990s and the narrative actively engages in a representation of the socio-political situation of the country back then, covering the impact that the sudden death of the head of state, Sani Abacha, had on the population. Throughout the novel, dissent is depicted on two levels: on the one hand, it appears as an expression of democratic desire through the public protests against the country’s politics, as well as acts of violence against and among ethno-religious groups; on the other hand, there is also a parallel representation of private dissent in terms of the affirmation of one’s own identity. Vivek’s decision to not cut their long hair becomes, therefore, a form of personal opposition against society’s pre-imposed gendered constructs. In this sense, if the social stigma attached to members of the LGBT community is personified by the incapacity of Vivek’s parents to accept and understand their non-binary child, Vivek’s friends represent a communal act of resistance against such an oppressive social system. Ultimately, the opposition between public and private dissent finds its climax in Vivek’s death, in its causes and consequences. Building the critical analysis of the novel upon recent conceptualisations of literature as an active force that provokes dissent (Cheah 2016, Burns 2019), this paper demonstrates how Emezi’s narrative uses representations of public and private dissent to contest the current world in order to engage in the construction of a more equal one.
Violence-as-Norm in the Postcolony
Authors: Orhero Mathias Iroro , Nwoke Chikezirim 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
In this paper, we explore forms of statist violence in both colonial and postcolonial contexts to underscore it as a constant in a postcolonial location like Nigeria. In addition to exploring how statist violence works, we also position civic dissent as a strategy employed in the colony and postcolony to confront statist violence. Our theorization of “violence-as-norm” is motivated by earlier ideas like the works of the South Asian Subaltern Studies Collective, Tejumola Olaniyan’s “postcolonial incredible,” Toyin Falola’s views on violence within Nigerian history, and Achille Mbembe’s notions of banality and vulgarity in the postcolony. Our paper engages with Peter Omoko’s Majestic Revolt to demonstrate how “violence-as-norm” mediates colonial violence and civic dissent. Furthermore, by close-reading Chiedozie Omeje’s “When Cowards Win,” we explore postcolonial forms of violence through the EndSARS movement against police brutality in Nigeria to demonstrate how civic dissent is performed and ruptured in the contemporary moment. Ultimately, our research positions the Fanonist category of violence as a way to imagine the inherent coloniality of postcolonial nation-states, thereby extending the critique of the nation-form in postcolonial studies.
Association of systemic immune inflammatory index with all-cause and cause-specific mortality among individuals with type 2 diabetes
Authors: Chen Chaoyang , Chen Yuwen , Gao Qiyue , Wei Qucheng 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Background
The evidence regarding the association between the systemic immune inflammatory index (SII) and mortality among individuals with diabetes is limited. This study aims to evaluate the associations between SII and all-cause and cause-specific mortality among individuals with diabetes.

Methods
The study included 8,668 participants with diabetes from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2018 with follow-up until 31 December 2019. The calculation of SII in this study was performed using the following formula: the neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio multiplied by the platelet count (10^9 cells/µL).

Results
The study documented 2,463 deaths over 68,542 person-years, including 853 deaths from CVD and 424 from cancer. An increase in SII was significantly associated with higher all-cause and CVD mortality risk after multivariate adjustment. For each standard deviation increment in natural log transformed SII (lnSII), all-cause mortality increased by 17%, and CVD mortality increased by 34% (both P < 0.001). Additionally, the association between SII and all-cause mortality was U-shaped, with the inflection point at 6.02. The association between SII and CVD mortality was non-linear and J-shaped, where the risk increased significantly when lnSII exceeded 6.22. Furthermore, the association between SII and CVD mortality was attenuated in female and hyperlipidemia patients.

Conclusion
In this study, we observed a significant positive association between the SII and both all-cause and CVD mortality in patients with diabetes. Additionally, it was discovered that this association exhibited a non-linear pattern. These findings suggest that maintaining SII within an optimal range may play a critical role in mitigating the risk of mortality.
Time and change: a typology for presenting research findings in qualitative longitudinal research
Authors: Audulv Åsa , Westergren Thomas , Ludvigsen Mette Spliid , Pedersen Mona Kyndi , Fegran Liv , Hall Elisabeth O. C. , Aagaard Hanne , Robstad Nastasja , Kneck Åsa 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Background
Qualitative longitudinal research (QLR) is an emerging methodology used in health research. The method literature states that the change in a phenomenon through time should be the focus of any QLR study, but in empirical studies, the analysis of changes through time is often poorly described, and the emphasis on time/change in the findings varies greatly. This inconsistency might depend on limitations in the existing method literature in terms of describing how QLR studies can present findings. The aim of this study was to develop and describe a typology of alternative approaches for integrating time and/or change in QLR findings.

Methods
In this method study, we used an adapted scoping review design. Articles were identified using EBSCOhost. In total, methods and results sections from 299 QLR articles in the field of health research were analyzed with inspiration from content analysis.

Results
We constructed a typology of three types and seven subtypes. The types were based on the underlying structural principles of how time/change was presented: Type A) Findings have a low utilization of longitudinal data, Type B) Findings are structured according to chronological time, and Type C) Findings focus on changes through time. These types differed in 1) the way the main focus was on time, change or neither; 2) the level of interpretation in the findings; and 3) how theoretical understandings of time/change were articulated in the articles. Each type encompassed two or three subtypes that represented distinct approaches to the aim and results presentation of QLR findings.

Conclusions
This method study is the first to describe a coherent and comprehensive typology of alternative approaches for integrating time/change into QLR findings in health research. By providing examples of various subtypes that can be used for results presentations, it can help researchers make informed decisions suitable to their research intent.
Biomechanical characteristics of a novel interspinous distraction fusion device in the treatment of lumbar degenerative diseases: a finite element analysis
Authors: Chen Mengmeng , Deng Jiechao , Bao Li , Jia Pu , Feng Fei , Shi Guan , Tang Hai , Chen Hao 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Background
A novel interspinous distraction fusion (ISDF) device has been used to treat lumbar degenerative diseases. As a minimally invasive technique, ISDF differs from the traditional interspinous process distraction devices. Currently, biomechanical studies on ISDF are rare.

Objective
To investigate the biomechanical properties of the ISDF device (BacFuse) which is used to treat lumbar degenerative diseases.

Methods
Three-dimensional L3-L5 models were created. The models were divided into four groups: intact (M1), local decompression alone (M2), internal fixation alone (M3) and local decompression combined with internal fixation (M4), based on different surgical procedures. Local laminectomy was performed to resect the lower part of the L4 lamina and the upper part of the L5 lamina at the right lamina of L4/5 in the M2 and M4 groups. After meshing the models elements, Abaqus were used to perform the finite element (FE) analysis. The intervertebral range of motion (ROM) was measured during flexion, extension, left lateral bending, right lateral bending, left rotation and right rotation under a follower load of 400 N with a 7.5Nm moment. The distributions of disc and facet joint stresses were observed and recorded. Spinal vertebral stress was compared, and internal fixation device stress was observed.

Results
The ROM of L4/5 in M2 increased in flexion, extension, left lateral bending, right lateral bending, left rotation and right rotation compared with that in M1. In all motion directions, the ROM at L4/5 decreased, and the ROM at L3/4 increased after implantation of the ISDF device in M3 and M4 groups. The disc stress and facet joint stresses in the instrumented segment decreased after implantation of the ISDF device. The spinous process loaded a certain amount of stress in M3 and M4 groups. The spikes of the internal fixation device were loaded with the maximum stress.

Conclusion
BacFuse exhibited a reduction in intervertebral ROM, as well as decreased stress on the intervertebral disc and facet joint, while also demonstrating a discernible impact on the upper adjacent segment.
Association between serum osteocalcin and atherosclerosis in Type-2 diabetes mellitus: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Sharma Vishal Chandra , Vidyasagar Sudha , Sukumar Cynthia Amrutha , Krishna B Nanda , Shree Sharanya 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Background
The past few decades have seen a marked increase in the macrovascular complications of Type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) such as coronary heart disease, peripheral arterial disease, and cerebrovascular disease. This has been predominantly attributed to the increased atherosclerosis in these patients. Atherosclerosis usually remains an asymptomatic condition and this poses a significant challenge in its early diagnosis and timely intervention. Hence, there is an immediate need for exploring novel tools to aid in the early detection of atherosclerosis, especially in T2DM patients. Osteocalcin (OC), synthesized by osteoblasts, is a protein hormone found in the skeletal system. This protein is considered as a marker for bone density and in recent times has been gaining interest due to its protective role in cerebrovascular diseases(CVD).

Methods
We conducted a cross-sectional study and evaluated the association between serum OC levels and atherosclerosis in 113 T2DM patients. Carotid intima-media thickness (CC-IMT) was used as an estimate of atherosclerosis and patients were divided into two groups (CC-IMT < 0.9 and ≥ 0.9). Correlation of serum OC levels and glycemic parameters and lipid profiles were studied and compared between both groups.

Results
There is a significant negative correlation between the CC-IMT estimates and serum OC levels. CC-IMT also has a significant association with other biochemical parameters such as fasting blood sugar, glycated hemoglobin and high-density lipoprotein.

Conclusion
Although the independent association of serum OC could not be established in the T2DM patient population, overall, the results favor low serum OC as a prognostic marker for atherosclerosis.
An in vitro study measuring marginal gaps of inlay restorations fabricated from different CAD-CAM materials after thermocycling
Authors: Taha Ahmed Ismail , Hafez Mona Elshirbini 
Published: December 2023

AbstractBackgroundMany monolithic machined materials have been introduced and provided a suitable mechanical and physical properties for inlay restorations. However, there is shortage in the studies evaluating the marginal adaptation using these materials.PurposeThis study aimed to compare the effect of fabricating inlay restorations from 3 different CAD-CAM materials on marginal gaps before and after thermocycling.Materials and methodsSixty human premolars were randomly divided into 3 groups (n = 20) according to the material used: (e.max CAD, Ivoclar AG, Schaan, Liechtenstein), (HC, Shofu, Koyoto, Japan) and (Brilliant Crios, Coltene, Altstätten, Switzerland) (n = 20). A scanning electron microscope (SEM) (JSM- 6510 lv, JEOL, Tokyo, JAPAN) was used to for measuring the marginal gaps after cementation of inlay restorations. The magnification was adapted to 250x. Marginal gaps were revaluated with SEM after thermocycling. The temperatures of baths were 5 and 55 °C was applied for a total of 5000 cycles. All data were statistically analyzed by using ANCOVA to demonstrate if there were any statistically significant differences between the gap measures after thermocycling of the three independent (unrelated) groups. A Bonferroni adjustmen was used to perform post hoc analysis (α = 0.05).ResultsPost-intervention marginal gap was statistically significantly lower in group EX (110.8 μm) which was statistically significant compared with group SF (112.5 μm) (mean difference=-1.768,P = .007) and group BR (113 μm) (mean difference=-2.272,P = .001), however, in. comparing SF and BR groups, there was no significant difference (mean difference=-0.5,P = .770).ConclusionsThermocycling affected the marginal gaps of composite based restoration and resin-modified ceramics widely. However, it had a very small effect on glass ceramics marginal adaptation.Clinical implicationsThe marginal gaps of CAD-CAM inlays varied according to material used (ceramic based, combination, or resin based). Thermocycling has a minor effect on the marginal adaptation of lithium disilicate glass-ceramic inlays, where it affected the margin of resin-modified ceramic and composite based inlays greatly. Using lithium disilicate glass-ceramic might improve the clinical longevity of inlay restored teeth.
The design and psychometric evaluation of a COVID-19 social stigma questionnaire in nurses
Authors: Rahmani Narges , Roshan FatemehSadat SeyedNematollah , Nabavian Majedeh , Alipour Hossein 
Published: December 2023

Abstract
Background
The patient’s fear of social reactions, the disease stigma, and being a transmission agent is a psychological and social consequence of contracting some diseases, especially infectious ones, in any society. The present study aimed to design and psychometrically evaluate a COVID-19 social stigma questionnaire in nurses.

Methods
This mixed-method study was conducted using a sequential exploratory approach according to the Creswell method in Mazandaran Province (Iran) during 2021-22. The study was performed in three phases: (1) a qualitative phase to explain the key concept, (2) designing the scale items, and (3) an experimental phase with the scale psychometric evaluation. In the first phase, nurses’ experiences regarding the concept of COVID-19 social stigma were evaluated using a qualitative method with an inductive qualitative content analysis approach. In this phase, the lived experiences of 12 nurses working at hospitals of Babol University of Medical Sciences were extracted through in-depth interviews with semi-structured questions and analyzed by conventional content analysis. The main classes are contradictory feelings, rejection, and adaptation strategies. In the second phase, the designed items were validated by determining face validity, content validity, and construct validity using exploratory factor analysis (EFA). In addition, the scale’s reliability was determined through internal consistency and stability.

Results
Following the study’s first phase, a pool of questions with 64 initial items was formed. After evaluating face and content validity, the number of items was reduced to 24 cases. An excellent total content validity (S-CVI/Ave) of 0.93 was calculated for the scale. According to EFA outputs, three factors accounted for the most variance (52.82%), and four items were excluded in this phase. The Kaiser-Meyer-Olkin (KMO) statistic and Bartlett’s test of sphericity were calculated at 0.776 and P < 0.001, respectively. The results of Cronbach’s alpha (0.796) and intraclass correlation (0.793) indicated the correlation and internal consistency of the scale.

Conclusion
This scale can help healthcare managers and policymakers apply necessary protective measures by evaluating the social stigma of COVID-19 in nurses and emerging infectious diseases that may occur in the future.
Validation of the Chinese version of academic goals orientation questionnaire in nursing student: a study based on SEM and IRT multidimensional models
Authors: Li Yuqing , Guo Lei-lei , Gui Jiaofeng , Zhang Xiaoyun , Wang Ying , Liu Haiyang , Li Jinlong , Lei Yunxiao , Li Xiaoping , Sun Lu , Yang Liu , Yuan Ting , Wang Congzhi , Zhang Dongmei , Wei Huanhuan , Li Jing , Liu Mingming , Hua Ying , Zhang Lin 
Published: December 2023

AbstractObjectiveTo translate the Academic Goals Orientation Questionnaire (AGOQ) into Chinese and to determine the validity and reliability of the (AGOQ) in Chinese nursing students based on SEM and IRT multidimensional models.MethodsThe participants were 654 nursing students with an age range of 17–26 years (mean age 21.61 ± 1.73 years). The psychometric properties of AGOQ were investigated based on a dual analytical perspective of structural equation modeling (SEM) and item response theory (IRT).ResultsThe Cronbach’s α value of the questionnaire is 0.895. A four-factor model was obtained by exploratory factor analysis, which explained the variance of 71.892%. With confirmatory factor analysis, a new four-factors model was built and showed an acceptable goodness-of-fit, chi-square/degree of freedom (CMIN/DF) = 4.008, goodness of fit index (GFI) = 0.932, adjusted goodness of fit index (AGFI) = 0.905, comparative fit index (CFI) = 0.952, incremental fit index (IFI) = 0.952, Tucker Lewis index (TLI) = 0.941. In the analysis part of IRT, according to the comparison between Akek’s information criterion (AIC) and Bayesian information criterion (BIC), we choose the Graded Response Model (GRM) for analysis. The results show that the difficulty value is monotonically increasing, and the discrimination of all items is greater than 0.19, which shows that 16 items can be retained.ConclusionsThis study tested the psychometric characteristics of AGOQ of nursing students in China. The results confirmed that the Chinese version of AGOQ has good psychometric characteristics and can be used to measure the academic goal orientation of nursing students in China.
PTK2-associated gene signature could predict the prognosis of IPF
Authors: Feng Anlin , Caro Yesenia Moreno , Gardner Colin , Grischo Garrett , Liang Ying , Wickremasinghe Praveen D. , Polmann Michaela , Kala Mrinalini , Marlowe Timothy , Black Stephen M. , Knox Kenneth S. , Wang Ting 
Published: December 2023

AbstractIdiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a progressive and fatal lung disease with a poor prognosis. Current/available clinical prediction tools have limited sensitivity and accuracy when evaluating clinical outcomes of IPF. Research has shown that focal adhesion kinase (FAK), produced by the protein tyrosine kinase 2 (PTK2) gene, is crucial in IPF development. FAK activation is a characteristic of lesional fibroblasts; Thus, FAK may be a valuable therapeutic target or prognostic biomarker for IPF. This study aimed to create a gene signature based on PTK2-associated genes and microarray data from blood cells to predict disease prognosis in patients with IPF. PTK2 levels were found to be higher in lung tissues of IPF patients compared to healthy controls, and PTK2 inhibitor Defactinib was found to reduce TGFβ-induced FAK activation and increase α-smooth muscle actin. Although the blood PTK2 levels were higher in IPF patients, blood PTK level alone could not predict IPF prognosis. From 196 PTK2-associated genes, 11 genes were prioritized to create a gene signature (PTK2 molecular signature) and a risk score system using univariate and multivariate Cox regression analysis. Patients were divided into high-risk and low-risk groups using PTK2 molecular signature. Patients in the high-risk group experienced decreased survival rates compared to patients in the low-risk group across all discovery and validation cohorts. Further functional enrichment and immune cell proportion analyses revealed that the PTK2 molecular signature strongly reflected the activation levels of immune pathways and immune cells. These findings suggested that PTK2 is a molecular target of IPF and the PTK2 molecular signature is an effective IPF prognostic biomarker.