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Background: Initiatives aiming to assess the impact of rare diseases on population health might be hampered due to the complexity of disability-adjusted life years (DALYs) estimation. This study aimed to give insight into the epidemiological data sources and methodological approaches used in studies that estimated DALYs for chronic non-communicable rare diseases (CNCRD), and compare its results. Methods: A literature strategy was developed for peer-review search in Embase and Medline, and also performed on grey literature databases and population health and/or rare disease-focused websites. We included studies that determined the burden of CNCRD listed on the Orphanet's and/or the Genetic and Rare Diseases information center (GARD) websites. We excluded communicable and occupational diseases, rare cancers, and cost-effectiveness/benefit studies. Two researchers independently screened the identified records and extracted data from the final included studies. We used the Guidelines for Accurate and Transparent Health Estimates Reporting (GATHER) statement to assess the quality of reporting of the included studies. The data synthesis depicted the studies' characteristics, their distribution by geographic coverage and the group of disease(s) they focused on, the methods and data input sources used and estimated DALY per case. Results: In total, 533 titles were screened, and 18 studies were included. These studies covered 19 different CNCRDs, of which most fell in the disease category "Diseases of the nervous system". Diverse methodological approaches and data input sources were observed among burden of CNCRD studies. A wide range of DALY per case was observed across the different studies and diseases included. Conclusions: A low number of burden of CNCRD studies was observed and most estimates resulted from multi-country studies, underlining the importance of international cooperation to further CNCRD research. This study revealed a lack of epidemiological data and harmonization of methods which hampers comparisons across burden of CNCRD studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Reviews of articles from social and personality psychology journals have been largely limited to subsets of publications from particular years and to a focus on descriptive qualities of articles. This paper compares the methods and measures employed in all empirical articles published in 1982 to those that appeared in 2016 from Journal of Personality and Social Psychology. There has been an increase in self-report data, a decline in behavioral observations, and an increase in detailed reports of procedures and analyses. A heavy reliance on laboratory experimentation involving college students has been supplanted by online participant pools and data collection procedures. Compared to 1982, articles in 2016 were fewer in number but longer in length, included more studies per article, and had a greater number and diversity of authors. Explanations are offered for these findings along with implications for social and personality psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We reflect on our fieldwork experience from the Climate Heat Maternal and Neonatal Health Africa (CHAMNHA) project in Kilifi, Kenya, which focused on studying the effects of extreme heat on women during pregnancy, delivery and the post-partum period. We describe the ethical and practical challenges encountered, highlighting valuable lessons learned. We propose potential solutions to address issues concerning the reciprocity of vulnerable participants and the provision of childcare and food for accompanying children. Further, we address challenges related to engaging specific participants, interview cancellations attributed to extreme temperatures and discuss the perpetuation of inequalities by ethics and academic institutions. With the anticipated increase in research at the intersection of climate change–induced heat exposure and its impacts on human populations, research institutions and ethics committees in low- and middle-income countries are responsible for instituting guidelines that account for the risks for the subjects under study and the field researchers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper uses Levitas's (2013) 'utopia as method' as a way to approach the histories of digital education and its utopian possibilities. The themes of emergence, openness and desire are woven through the three modes of Levitas's method. First, an archaeological analysis considers the relationship between digital education, lifelong learning and utopia in the political programmes of UNESCO, OECD and the UK government. Second, Levitas's 'utopia as ontology' considers how critical digital education might help move us from the paradigm of the locked-down 'data subject' within a human capital model of education toward emergent and more-than-human ways of understanding. Third, the method's architectural phase is used to explore how a future for digital education might be imagined through the themes of ecopedagogy, diversity of knowledge and the end of institutions. The paper argues that the new twenty-first century utopian imagination might help us to imagine and build better futures for digital education. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The authors discusses the wide availability of analytical procedures for determining exercise physiology thresholds that has led to uncertainty about the method that may offer the highest precision or accuracy for regular testing. They explain the need for a consensus about exercise threshold determination to validate the pioneering physiological models proposed by the research groups of Wildor Hollman and Karlman Wasserman.

This paper discusses how integrating digital technologies such as cell phones and digital cameras with face-to-face participatory methodologies can help enhance community engagement and cultural preservation in ICT for Development (ICTD) initiatives in remote regions with limited connectivity and digital literacy. This view from practice presents participatory methods in the ‘Leadership, Communication, and Climate Change’ program in the context of environmental conservation and indigenous community development in the Vaupés region of the Colombian Amazon. The primary goal of the program is to contribute to the formulation of indigenous community development projects that enhance environmental protection and improve the quality of life for participating communities, while respecting and promoting the cultural identity of indigenous peoples. The ‘Leadership, Communication, and Climate Change’ program aims to foster an exchange of knowledge between academics, environmental practitioners, and indigenous leaders from the region of Vaupes, in the eastern boundaries of the Colombian Amazon. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Worldwide, synthetic compounds are used for both in-office and at-home dental care. They are a valuable resource for both prophylactic and curative treatments for various dental problems, such as tooth decay, periodontal diseases, and many more. They are typically preferred due to their broad range of actions and ability to produce targeted, rapid, and long-lasting effects. Using a 0.12% chlorhexidine mouthwash is capable of reducing the plaque index from 47.69% to 2.37% and the bleeding index from 32.93% to 6.28% after just 2 weeks. Mouthwash with 0.1% OCT is also highly effective, as it significantly lowered the median plaque index and salivary bacterial counts in 152 patients in 5 days compared to a control group (p < 0.0001), while also reducing the gingival index (p < 0.001). When povidone-iodine was used as an irrigant during the surgical removal of mandibular third molars in 105 patients, it resulted in notably lower pain scores after 2 days compared to a control group (4.57 ± 0.60 vs. 5.71 ± 0.45). Sodium hypochlorite is excellent for root canal disinfection, as irrigating with 1% NaOCl completely eliminated the bacteria from canals in 65% patients. A 0.05% CPC mouthwash proved effective for perioperative patient care, significantly decreasing gingival bleeding (p < 0.001) and suppressing Streptococcus levels even one week post-surgery. Lastly, a 6% H2O2 paint-on varnish and 6% H2O2 tray formulations successfully bleached the teeth of 40 patients, maintaining a noticeably whiter appearance up to the 6-month follow-up, with significant color differences from the baseline (p < 0.005). Synthetic compounds have a large research base, which also provides a greater awareness of their mechanism of action and potential adverse effects. For a better understanding of how they work, several methods and assays are performed. These are protocolary techniques through which a compound's efficacy and toxicity are established. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amongst a myriad of articles, chapters and books that argue for different ways to understand and conduct creative practice research – or as it is otherwise known, artistic research, arts-based research, practice-led research, practitioner-based research, and so on – this article goes to the heart of the affordances of creative practice research and offers what the authors believe is more generative model for this work, with more productive terminology. By focusing on a process of research enabling, as opposed to research being led by, based on or taken through practice (and vice versa), the article seeks clarity on the relationship between research questions, research design and methods; where a contribution to knowledge resides; how, accordingly, a research project might be written up; and who, indeed, creative practice researchers are. From our experience of undertaking, supervising and evaluatingcreative practice research, we have come to realise that some of the fundamental challenges of this work reside in a basic understanding of what, why, how and by whom. We believe that some of the definitions and models of creative practice research are a contributor to these challenges, hence a new model with alternative terminology to help untangle some of the intellectual complexities we have seen. The discussion uses screen practice as its disciplinary site, encompassing media/screen production and screenwriting. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

When using uranium-238, thorium-232 and plutonium-239 isotopes, there is no need for expensive isotopic enrichment, and the use cycle of such nuclear fuel can be extended to 10-15 years. At the same time, the predicted reserves of thorium in the earth's crust are 3-5 times greater than uranium, and the use of ceramic nuclear fuel from oxide compositions based on thorium will make it possible to create ultra-small and small power plants for use in remote and hard-to-reach regions, in mines and quarries. However, ceramic nuclear fuel still has a significant drawback - low thermal conductivity. One of the promising areas for the further development of nuclear energy is the use of dispersion nuclear fuel, in which inclusions of fissile metals (uranium, thorium, plutonium) in the form of granulated oxide compositions (microspheres) are placed in a matrix with a high thermal conductivity coefficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The ability to screen for agents that can promote the development and/or maintenance of neuronal networks creates opportunities for the discovery of novel agents for the treatment of central nervous system (CNS) disorders. Over the past 10 years, advances in robotics, artificial intelligence, and machine learning have paved the way for the improved implementation of live-cell imaging systems for drug discovery. These instruments have revolutionized our ability to quickly and accurately acquire large standardized datasets when studying complex cellular phenomena in real-time. This is particularly useful in the field of neuroscience because real-time analysis can allow efficient monitoring of the development, maturation, and conservation of neuronal networks by measuring neurite length. Unfortunately, due to the relative infancy of this type of analysis, standard practices for data acquisition and processing are lacking, and there is no standardized format for reporting the vast quantities of data generated by live-cell imaging systems. This paper reviews the current state of live-cell imaging instruments, with a focus on the most commonly used equipment (IncuCyte systems). We provide an in-depth analysis of the experimental conditions reported in publications utilizing these systems, particularly with regard to studying neurite outgrowth. This analysis sheds light on trends and patterns that will enhance the use of live-cell imaging instruments in CNS drug discovery. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article from the journal Paediatric & Perinatal Epidemiology, the authors discuss the challenges of studying early pregnancy exposures and outcomes using routinely collected healthcare data. They focus on the use of target trial emulation, a method that emulates the design and analysis of an intervention study, to minimize biases in observational studies. The authors present a specific study that estimates the effect of initiating levothyroxine on the risk of non-live birth in pregnant individuals with subclinical hypothyroidism. They highlight the complexities of using healthcare data for research purposes, including issues related to immortal person time, left truncation, competing events, and missing data. The study provides insights into the effect of levothyroxine initiation after entry into prenatal care, but does not address the potential benefits of treatment early in pregnancy. The authors emphasize the importance of aligning the research question with the available data and acknowledge the limitations of feasible analyses in routinely collected healthcare data. [Extracted from the article]

Background/Aim. Given that frequent manipulation of the abutment during immediate loading can have a negative impact on the surrounding peri-implant hard and soft tissues, the concept "one abutment at one time" (OAO) has been introduced and documented in daily clinical practice. The a im of the study was to evaluate c hanges i n p eriimplant bone levels, clinical and radiographic parameters, and patient perspectives during the six-month follow-up period. Methods. The study was designed as a randomized controlled clinical trial. Patients with bilaterally healed sites in the posterior mandible received implants with a diameter of no less than 3.5 mm and a length of at least 8 mm. Based on randomization, patients were divided into a test group and a control group. Patients who were in the test group received implants that were immediately loaded with definitive abutments. In contrast, patients in the control group received implants where healing abutments were placed, followed by temporary abutments. Implants were immediately loaded with provisional restorations within the first seven days. They were delivered over the test group's definitive abutment and the control group's temporary abutment. Probing depth, bleeding on probing, clinical attachment level, plaque index, and keratinized tissue width were measured. Patient-Reported Outcome Measures and the Oral Health Impact Profile - 19 (OHIP-19) questionnaires were noted. Results. Out of 24 included patients, 22 completed the six-month follow-up. Peri-implant bone loss between study groups was comparable (mesial: t = -0.798, df = 21, p = 0.434; distal: t = 1.688, df = 21, p = 0.106), without statistical inter-group significance. OHIP-19 total scores significantly decreased after three months and remained similar six months after the implant placement in both groups without statistically relevant clinical inter-group changes. Conclusion. The OAO approach and provisional abutments showed comparable effectiveness regarding the immediate loading of posterior single implants. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Polygenic indices (PGI)—the new recommended label for polygenic scores in social science applications—are genetic summary scales often used to represent an individual's liability for a disease, trait, or behavior on the basis of the additive effects of measured genetic variants. Enthusiasm for linking genetic data with social outcomes and the inclusion of premade PGIs in social science data sets have facilitated increased uptake of PGIs in social science research, a trend that will likely continue. Yet most social scientists lack the expertise to interpret and evaluate PGIs in social science research. Here, I provide a primer on PGIs for social scientists focusing on key concepts, unique statistical genetic considerations, and best practices in calculation, estimation, reporting, and interpretation. I summarize recommended best practices as a checklist to aid social scientists in evaluating and interpreting studies with PGIs. I conclude by discussing the similarities between PGIs and standard social science scales and unique interpretative considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Natural compounds have been used since the earliest civilizations and remain, to this day, a safer alternative for treating various dental problems. These present antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, analgesic, and antimutagenic effects, making them useful in the prophylactic and curative treatment of various oral diseases such as infections, gingivitis, periodontitis, and even cancer. Due to the high incidence of unpleasant adverse reactions to synthetic compounds, natural products tend to gradually replace conventional treatment, as they can be just as potent and cause fewer, milder adverse effects. Researchers use several methods to measure the effectiveness and safety profile of these compounds, and employing standard techniques also contributes to progress across all medical disciplines. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives: Maternal mortality and morbidity disproportionately affect birthing people from racialized populations. Unfortunately, researchers can often compound these poor outcomes through a lack of authentic community engagement in research beyond the role of the research subject, leading to ineffective strategies for improving care and increasing equity. This article details the real-life strategies utilized to develop a community-engaged research project of a phased federally funded grant employing community engagement principles of co-leadership and co-creation. It also includes reflections from the researchers and advisory board on promising practices and lessons learned for equitably engaging patients and community partners in research. Methods: This article details the application of principles of community-engaged research in a federally funded phased research project focused on understanding disparities in maternal sepsis to develop better clinical and community interventions. Specifically, it discusses early steps in the research partnership to create a sustainable partnership with a Community Leadership Board guided by the principles of transparency, respect, compensation, and increasing research justice. Results: Based on the authors' experience, recommendations are provided for funders, researchers, and institutions to improve the quality and outcomes of communityengaged research. This work adds to community-based participatory and community-engaged research literature by providing concrete and practical steps for equitably engaging in research partnerships with a variety of collaborators. Conclusions: In conclusion, integrated patient and community co-leadership enhances research by providing insight, access to communities for education and dissemination of information, and identifying critical areas needing change. This report may help others address fundamental principles in this journey. Significance: Community-engaged research can be an equitable approach to research that involves communities most affected by empowering them to guide the research as equal partners. This article serves as a guide for researchers to form these critical partnerships, sustain relationships, and recommend solutions to common challenges based on the reflections of the researchers and advisory board. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Yellowing viruses are an increasing threat to sugar beet cultivation, due to limitations on insecticide usage and climate change. Virus detection, monitoring and resistance breeding are key to secure high sugar beet yields in the future. For this research, a one‐step multiplex reverse transcription (mRT)‐PCR method was designed to detect simultaneously beet mild yellowing virus, beet chlorosis virus, beet yellows virus (BYV), beet mosaic virus and turnip yellows virus. The addition of Luminex xTAG array technology was used as a follow‐up method to increase assay specificity. The one‐step mRT‐PCR was evaluated on 22 field samples with single and mixed virus infections. The xTAG assay works as expected both in a simplex and multiplex setting, except that BYV detection needs optimization in the multiplex setting. In the future, the Luminex xTAG assay would be an excellent method for the detection of beet yellowing viruses due to its high specificity and the potential to increase the number of targets. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The parietal P300 wave of event‐related potentials (ERPs) has been associated with various psychological operations in numerous laboratory tasks. This study aims to decompose the P3 wave of ERPs into subcomponents and link them with behavioral parameters, such as the strength of stimulus–response (S‐R) links and GO/NOGO responses. EEGs (31 channels), referenced to linked ears, were recorded from 172 healthy adults (107 women) who participated in two cued GO/NOGO tasks, where the strength of S‐R links was manipulated through instructions. P300 waves were observed in active conditions in response to cues, GO/NOGO stimuli, and in passive conditions when no manual response was required. Utilizing a combination of current source density transformation and blind source separation methods, we decomposed the P300 wave into two distinct components, purportedly originating from different parts of the parietal lobules. The amplitude of the parietal midline component (with current sources around Pz) closely mirrored the strength of the S‐R link across proactive, reactive, and passive conditions. The amplitude of the lateral parietal component (with current sources around P3 and P4) resembled the push–pull activity of the output nuclei of the basal ganglia in action selection‐inhibition operations. These findings provide insights into the neural mechanisms underlying action selection processes and the reactivation of S‐R links. We aimed to associate subcomponents of P3 waves in event‐related potentials with behavioral parameters in cued GO/NOGO tasks. The parietal midline component was shown to reflect the strength of stimulus–response (S‐R) links across proactive, reactive, and passive conditions. The lateral parietal component mirrored basal ganglia activity in action selection. These results illuminate neural mechanisms for S‐R links and action selection operations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantitative assessment of biotribological properties requires expensive specialized equipment. The aim was to: i) adapt an open-source load cell-based platform (PASTA) for biotribometric analysis; ii) study the effects of oxidation on the water-based lubricant using PASTA. Water-based lubricant was treated with 2,2'-azobis(2-amidinopropane) dihydrochloride and/or glutathione. The samples were analyzed with the ORP-146S redox microsensor and PASTA using a modified HX711 integrated circuit bord, NodeMCU ESP-32S, and an open-source Python script. PASTA can be adapted for affordable and reliable quantitative biotribometric assessment. Glutathione can prevent the loss of lubrication capacity of a water-based lubricant upon exposure to air. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The proper measurement of emotion is vital to understanding the relationship between emotional expression in social media and other factors, such as online information sharing. This work develops a standardized annotation scheme for quantifying emotions in social media using recent emotion theory and research. Human annotators assessed both social media posts and their own reactions to the posts' content on scales of 0 to 100 for each of 20 (Study 1) and 23 (Study 2) emotions. For Study 1, we analyzed English-language posts from Twitter (N = 244) and YouTube (N = 50). Associations between emotion ratings and text-based measures (LIWC, VADER, EmoLex, NRC-EIL, Emotionality) demonstrated convergent and discriminant validity. In Study 2, we tested an expanded version of the scheme in-country, in-language, on Polish (N = 3648) and Lithuanian (N = 1934) multimedia Facebook posts. While the correlations were lower than with English, patterns of convergent and discriminant validity with EmoLex and NRC-EIL still held. Coder reliability was strong across samples, with intraclass correlations of.80 or higher for 10 different emotions in Study 1 and 16 different emotions in Study 2. This research improves the measurement of emotions in social media to include more dimensions, multimedia, and context compared to prior schemes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper analyses the integration of social considerations into public transport planning. It addresses the challenge of balancing social benefits against objectives such as efficiency and cost minimization. Through a literature review, this paper examines methods for assessing public transport accessibility for potentially disadvantaged groups and identifies knowledge gaps in existing research. The analysis reveals a predominant focus on post-implementation (ex-post) accessibility assessments and a lack of research examining potential impacts (ex-ante) during planning stages. Furthermore, the paper identifies a lack of research on how to weigh social benefits against other more conventional objectives such as efficiency and cost minimization and also against environmental considerations. Research usually proposes changes ex-post based solely on a desire to improve accessibility for potentially disadvantaged groups. Therefore, there is a need for more research on how to manage conflicting interests in planning, for example through composite methods. The paper also highlights the tendency of research to overlook the practical usability of methods developed. The relevance of methods to policy makers and planners responsible for planning public transport systems remains largely unexplored. To develop practically useful methods, research needs a better understanding of the norms governing planning practices. It is common to discuss how the mobility needs of potentially disadvantaged passenger groups should be met in isolation from policy contexts. More research is needed about how the potential tensions between social, economic, and environmental considerations play out in public transport planning practices. All of this leads to a risk of a theory–practice gap, marked by a disconnect between research and the practical needs of the public transport providers. By proposing a more nuanced research approach that better reflects the complexity of real-world planning and the different needs of user groups, research can enable public transport planning for what we term 'sustainable accessibility'. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

• Compost organic matter was characterized with a color sensor. • Compost organic matter content was differentiated by principal components analysis. • Accurate compost organic matter quantification is possible in seconds. Composted materials serve as an effective soil nutrient amendment. Organic matter in compost plays an important role in quantifying composted materials overall quality and nutrient content. Measuring organic matter content traditionally takes considerable time, resources, and various laboratory equipment (e.g., oven, muffle furnace, crucibles, precision balance). Much like the quantitative color indices (e.g., sRGB R, sRGB G, sRGB B, CIEL*a* b*) derived from the low-cost NixPro2 color sensor have proven adept at predicting soil organic matter in-situ , the NixPro2 color sensor has the potential to be effective for predicting organic matter in composted materials without the need for traditional laboratory methods. In this study, a total of 200 compost samples (13 different compost types) were measured for organic matter content via traditional loss-on-ignition (LOI) and via the NixPro2 color sensor. The NixPro2 color sensor showed promising results with an LOI-prediction model utilizing the CIEL*a* b* color model through the application of the Generalized Additive Model (GAM) algorithm yielding an excellent prediction accuracy (validation R2 = 0.87, validation RMSE = 4.66 %). Moreover, the PCA scoreplot differentiated the three lowest organic matter compost types from the remaining 10 compost types. These results have valuable practical significance for the compost industry by predicting compost organic matter in real time without the need for laborious, time-consuming methods. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In a reflection upon Alexander's (2024. The Asian Gang Revisited: Changing Muslim Masculinities. London: Bloomsbury Publishers.) The Asian Gang Revisited, I highlight challenges with “revisits”. They rest on a colonialist anthropological assumption: that you can go back to your tribe, and as a primitive community you’re welcome to assume that they are largely stuck in place. It’s thereby easy enough to reevaluate your claims. Alexander provides us with a powerful solution to this troubling problem: “Salvage ethnography”. This approach suggests both treasures and wreckage. Salvage creates real challenges for explanation, but also evokes an archaeological approach fruitfully deployed in other epistemic communities. It opens the possibility for a broader archaeological ethnographic practice that can help us think through what we should do with data yielded from methods that might not get us to the truth but may achieve understanding. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The performance of the antennas, which plays an important role in millimeter-wave astronomy and space communication, is often limited by their reflector surface accuracy. Microwave holography is a fast and effective technique for measuring the surface profile of reflector antenna. In this paper, the antenna aperture phase profile is obtained by microwave holography to estimate the deviation between the reflector of the Tianma 65 m radio telescope and the ideal paraboloid. The panels of the Tianma 65 m radio telescope is in radial pattern with 14 rings. Each corner of the panel is fixed on the screw of the actuator to move up and down, and the adjacent corners of the four panels share an actuator. We use the method of plane fitting to calculate the adjustment value of every panels corner. But one actuator, which simultaneously controls the common corner of the adjacent panels, will have different adjustment values according to the plane fitting equation based on adjacent panels. In this paper, an adjustment value at the corner of the adjacent panel is obtained by plane fitting and adjustment calculation method with the antenna illumination function as the weight, that is, the optimal adjustment value of 1104 actuators of the Tianma 65 m radio telescope. Through many adjustments and the application of new algorithms, the surface accuracy of the reflector of the Tianma 65 m radio telescope has gradually improved to the current 0.24 mm. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The mobilization of the Movement for Peace with Justice and Dignity (mpjd) in Mexico is acknowledged as a key moment in the country’s contemporary history. We analyze how the mpjd has been studied and what we know about this social movement. Based on a review of articles published in the most prestigious journals in Mexico, we argue, first, that most studies about the mpjd are characterized by a non-systematic treatment of information that leads to conclusions that are rather hypotheses that need to be tested; second, that the academic production on this social movement has provided reflections and analyses around six themes relevant to social movement studies. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Pain and anxiety during childbirth are significant concerns during labour, especially in first-time mothers. This can increase labour time, increase stress hormones and affect the condition of the mother and newborn. This study aimed to determine trends in the number of publications on labour pain interventions, the number of citations and the direction of future research topics. The research method applied in this study was Preferred reporting items for systematic reviews and meta-analyses (PRISMA) which uses 158,201 scientific articles or proceedings sourced from the Dimensions database. Articles were reviewed by using the VOSviewer application. The results of the research revealed that the number of publications on the topic of labour pain intervention had an upward trend, the number of citations on the topic of labour pain intervention had increased. Network visualisation on the topic of labour pain intervention provided information to find newness on topics that were not yet connected, there were 4 clusters reviewing it from co-occurrence, overlay visualisation on the topic of labour pain intervention provided a trend towards future research topics, density visualisation on a topic that was still rare. The conclusion from the results of this research is that it contributes to the development of a research roadmap on labour pain interventions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Simple Summary: This review reports on the current and potential utility of the "koala scat" sample to provide a range of ecological and physiological assessments both at the population and individual animal level and do so in a non-invasive manner. DNA recovered from the scat sample provides useful information on koala distribution, diet, genetics and disease, whereas hormone metabolites can inform physiology. While there are still limitations with respect to the decay of quality DNA (host, microbiome, and pathogen) over time related to climate and sample handling, some of these issues can be overcome with timely sample collection. Other current limitations include an inability to detect and quantify particular hormone metabolites such as oestrogens and/or an appropriate biological interpretation of glucocorticoid metabolite secretion when measured in the faecal sample. The use of samples or scats to provide important ecological, genetic, disease and physiology details on free-range populations is gaining popularity as an alternative non-invasive methodology. Koala populations in SE Queensland and NSW have recently been listed as endangered and continue to face anthropomorphic and stochastic environmental impacts that could potentially lead to their extinction. This scoping review examines the current and potential utility of the koala scat to contribute data relevant to the assessment of koala conservation status and decision making. Although we demonstrate that there is great potential for this methodology in providing details for both individual wild animal and population biology (distribution, abundance, sex ratio, immigration/emigration, genetic diversity, evolutionary significant unit, disease epidemiology, nutrition, reproductive status and stress physiology), the calibre of this information is likely to be a function of the quality of the scat that is sampled. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Within palliative care research, best practice guidelines to conduct scientifically rigorous clinical trials for neurodegenerative diseases are underexplored. This patient population experiences unique challenges, including fluctuations in cognitive capacity, care partner (CP) and proxy involvement, and high adverse events (AEs), that necessitate special consideration when designing clinical trials. Objective: The objective of this study was to describe and identify clinical trial design features that have been documented in studies involving a neuropalliative intervention for persons with neurodegenerative diseases, highlighting features that have been adapted for this unique patient population. Design: We conducted a scoping review of clinical trials with a neuropalliative intervention for persons with neurodegenerative disease. We searched Cochrane, Web of Science, EMBASE, Scopus, and PubMed (MEDLINE) databases for articles published in English between 1950 and 2023. Two reviewers screened, extracted, and synthesized data from the included articles. A third reviewer adjudicated instances of conflict. The data were analyzed using a thematic framework approach. Results: Of 1025 texts, 44 articles were included. Seven study design features were analyzed: (1) consent, (2) proxies and CPs, (3) recruitment strategies, (4) retention strategies, (5) choice of comparator, (6) AEs, and (7) internal validity. This scoping review found disparities in study design features around structured consent, proxies and CPs, comparators, and AEs. Conclusions: To date, neuropalliative care clinical trials have had varied study designs and the majority of research has focused on dementia. Research guideline development for high-quality neuropalliative care clinical trials is greatly needed across the range of neurodegenerative diseases. To increase the scientific rigor of clinical trials and neuropalliative care, we recommend a standardized capacity assessment for consent, defining conditions for the CP, proxy, and AEs, systematizing appropriate comparators, and outlining preemptive recruitment and retention strategies to address the broader unpredictable challenges of palliative care research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Quantifying stroke incidence and mortality is crucial for disease surveillance and health system planning. Administrative data offer a cost-effective alternative to "gold standard" population-based studies. However, the optimal methodology for establishing stroke deaths from administrative data remains unclear. We aimed to determine the optimal method for identifying stroke-related deaths in administrative datasets as the fatal component of stroke incidence, comparing counts derived using underlying and all causes of death (CoD). Using whole-population multijurisdictional person-level linked data from hospital and death datasets from South Australia, the Northern Territory, and Western Australia, we identified first-ever stroke events between 2012 and 2015, using underlying CoD and all CoD to identify fatal stroke counts. We determined the 28-day case fatality for both counts and compared results with gold standard Australian population-based stroke incidence studies. The total number of incident stroke events was 16,150 using underlying CoD and 18,074 using all CoD. Case fatality was 24.7% and 32.7% using underlying and all CoD, respectively. Case fatality using underlying CoD was similar to that observed in four Australian "gold standard" population-based studies (20%–24%). Underlying CoD generates fatal incident stroke estimates more consistent with population-based studies than estimates based on stroke deaths identified from all-cause fields in death registers. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Epiglottis abnormality is rare condition and can lead embarrassing intubation to anesthesiologists. Here, we reported a case of successful management in a patient with unexpected hidden vocal cords due to epiglottis adhesion to the posterior wall of the laryngeal cavity. Case: A 60-year-old female with no underlying disease was scheduled for general anesthesia to undergo a left-cochlear implant operation. After the induction procedure (including intravenous injection of rocuronium), an epiglottic adhesion to the posterior wall of the laryngeal cavity and invisible vocal cords were confirmed. Although the first trial of intubation failed, the patient’s airway was successfully managed using a technique that combined a video-styletscope (Markstein Sichtec Medical Co., 5.0 mm ID) with a video-laryngoscope (Insighters®, Cedrus Medical). Conclusions: Anesthesiologists may unexpectedly encounter asymptomatic abnormal airways with unknown causes. In such a situation, it is essential to establish a strategy and to select appropriate device according to patient circumstances. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present SPICE , a new suite of radiation-hydrodynamic, cosmological simulations targeting the epoch of reionization. The goal of these simulations is to systematically probe a variety of stellar feedback models, including 'bursty' and 'smooth' forms of supernova energy injection, as well as poorly explored physical scenarios such as hypernova explosions and radiation pressure on dust. We show that even subtle differences in the behaviour of supernova feedback drive profound differences in reionization histories, with burstier forms of feedback causing earlier reionization. However, we also find that some global galaxy properties, such as the dust-attenuated luminosity functions and star formation main sequence, remain degenerate between models. In particular, we show that stellar feedback and its strength determine the morphological mix of galaxies emerging by |$z \, = \, 5$| and that the reionization history is inextricably connected to intrinsic properties such as galaxy kinematics and morphology. While star-forming, massive discs are prevalent if supernova feedback is 'smooth', 'bursty' feedback preferentially generates dispersion-dominated systems. Different modes of feedback produce different strengths of outflows, altering the interstellar/circumgalactic medium in different ways, and in turn strongly affecting the escape of Lyman continuum (LyC) photons. We establish a correlation between galaxy morphology and LyC escape fraction, revealing that dispersion-dominated systems have escape fractions 10–50 times higher than their rotation-dominated counterparts at all redshifts. At the same intrinsic luminosity, dispersion-dominated systems should thus preferentially generate large H  ii regions as compared to their rotation-dominated counterparts. Since dispersion-dominated systems are more prevalent if stellar feedback is more explosive, reionization occurs earlier in our simulation with burstier feedback. We argue that statistical samples of post-reionization galaxy morphologies (using both stellar and gaseous components) probed with telescopes such as JWST , ALMA, and MUSE can constrain stellar feedback at z > 5 and models of cosmic reionization. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We present an analysis of the ellipticities of galaxy groups, derived from the spatial distribution of member galaxies, revealing a notable incongruity between the observed local galaxy groups and their counterparts in the Lambda cold dark matter cosmology. Specifically, our investigation reveals a substantial disparity in the ellipticities of observed groups with masses 10 13.0 < M h < 10 14.5 M ⊙ h − 1 exhibiting significantly higher ellipticities (at a confidence level of approximately 4 σ ) compared to their simulated counterparts. Notably, the consistent use of the same group finder for identifying galaxy groups in both observational and simulated datasets underscores the robustness of this result. This observation may imply a potential incongruence between the inferred age of the Universe from observations and the predictions of the model, which aligns with the younger Universe hypothesis suggested by the elevated fraction of observed satellite pairs with correlated line-of-sight relative velocities compared to simulations. Our findings significantly strengthen the plausibility of a younger age for our Universe. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose: Polyaniline (PANI) has garnered attention for its potential applications in anticorrosion fields because of its unique properties. Satisfactory outcomes have been achieved when using PANI as a functional filler in organic coatings. More recently, research has extensively explored PANI-based organic coatings with self-healing properties. The purpose of this paper is to provide a summary of the active agents, methods and mechanisms involved in the self-healing of organic coatings. Design/methodology/approach: This study uses specific doped acids and metal corrosion inhibitors as active and self-healing agents to modify PANI using the methods of oxidation polymerization, template synthesis, nanosheet carrier and nanocontainer loading methods. The anticorrosion performance of the coatings is evaluated using EIS, LEIS and salt spray tests. Findings: Specific doped acids and metal corrosion inhibitors are used as active agents to modify PANI and confer self-healing properties to the coatings. The coatings' active protection mechanism encompasses PANI's own passivation ability, the adsorption of active agents and the creation of insoluble compounds or complexes. Originality/value: This paper summarizes the active agents used to modify PANI, the procedures used for modification and the self-healing mechanism of the composite coatings. It also proposes future directions for developing PANI organic coatings with self-healing capabilities. The summaries and proposals presented may facilitate large-scale production of the PANI organic coatings, which exhibit outstanding anticorrosion competence and self-healing properties. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Using a dynamic spatial panel model applied to 377 US Metropolitan Statistical Areas (MSAs), estimated over the period 2011-2021, significant differences are found between large MSAs regarding the relationship between labour productivity and economic mass, as measured by GDP. The methodology adopted illustrates the state of the art for spatial econometric modeling as it is often needed in practice, allowing for multiple endogenous regressors and dynamic effects. The estimation method applies synthetic instruments designed to limit negative effects of instrument overabundance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Lung cancer, the second most common cancer, presents persistently dismal prognoses. Radiomics, a promising field, aims to provide novel imaging biomarkers to improve outcomes. However, clinical translation faces reproducibility challenges, despite efforts to address them with quality scoring tools. Objective: This study had two objectives: 1) identify radiomics biomarkers in post-radiotherapy stage III/IV nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC) patients, 2) evaluate research quality using the CLEAR (CheckList_for_EvaluAtion_of_Radiomics_research), RQS (Radiomics_Quality_Score) frameworks, and formulate an amalgamated CLEAR-RQS tool to enhance scientific rigor. Materials and methods: A systematic literature review (Jun-Aug 2023, MEDLINE/PubMed/SCOPUS) was conducted concerning stage III/IV NSCLC, radiotherapy, and radiomic features (RF). Extracted data included study design particulars, such as sample size, radiotherapy/CT technique, selected RFs, and endpoints. CLEAR and RQS were merged into a CLEAR-RQS checklist. Three readers appraised articles utilizing CLEAR, RQS, and CLEAR-RQS metrics. Results: Out of 871 articles, 11 met the inclusion/exclusion criteria. The Median cohort size was 91 (range: 10–337) with 9 studies being single-center. No common RF were identified. The merged CLEAR-RQS checklist comprised 61 items. Most unreported items were within CLEAR's "methods" and "open-source," and within RQS's "phantom-calibration," "registry-enrolled prospective-trial-design," and "cost-effective-analysis" sections. No study scored above 50% on RQS. Median CLEAR scores were 55.74% (32.33/58 points), and for RQS, 17.59% (6.3/36 points). CLEAR-RQS article ranking fell between CLEAR and RQS and aligned with CLEAR. Conclusion: Radiomics research in post-radiotherapy stage III/IV NSCLC exhibits variability and frequently low-quality reporting. The formulated CLEAR-RQS checklist may facilitate education and holds promise for enhancing radiomics research quality. Clinical relevance statement: Current radiomics research in the field of stage III/IV postradiotherapy NSCLC is heterogenous, lacking reproducibility, with no identified imaging biomarker. Radiomics research quality assessment tools may enhance scientific rigor and thereby facilitate radiomics translation into clinical practice. Key Points: There is heterogenous and low radiomics research quality in postradiotherapy stage III/IV nonsmall cell lung cancer. Barriers to reproducibility are small cohort size, nonvalidated studies, missing technical parameters, and lack of data, code, and model sharing. CLEAR (CheckList_for_EvaluAtion_of_Radiomics_research), RQS (Radiomics_Quality_Score), and the amalgamated CLEAR-RQS tool are useful frameworks for assessing radiomics research quality and may provide a valuable resource for educational purposes in the field of radiomics. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What is a queer feminist method? Both feminists and queer scholars attend to the issue of power, but in somewhat divergent ways. Feminist scholars focus social justice concerns on modernist notions of experience and agency within systems of inequalities, while queer theorists shun a modernist notion of rational actors and focus on the poststructuralist goal of demonstrating the organizing power of discourse. (How) Can social scientists translate these two epistemologies into empirical methods? We consider how traditional social science methods have not been conducive to studying power as everyday discursive marginalization and how interpretive methods can attend to feminist and queer analytical and activist goals. We identify four analytic methods (queer feminist discourse analysis, Loseke's formula stories, queer feminist ethnography, and interpretive materialism) as potentially feminist and queer. In doing so, we find resonances between feminist and queer epistemologies, which, unlike some of our forebearers, we see as entirely compatible. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThe emergence of deepfake geographies and the growing role that maps play in shaping public opinion on key issues has prompted cartographers to interrogate the concept of map trust. However, this growing area of research is hampered by inconsistent and untested measures of map trust. This study addresses this critical gap by developing and validating a numerical rating scale that exclusively measures map trust. A model of map trust consisting of specific indicators is derived from an exploratory factor analysis. This model is then evaluated using a confirmatory factor analysis. The results indicate that map trust can be explained from a single factor related to veracity and reliability. Two factors pertaining to bias and appearance did not explain enough variance in the model. Findings also suggest that map trust can be measured by having participants evaluate maps according to twelve empirically-derived indicators: accurate, correct, error-free, honest, trustworthy, credible, fair, reliable, reputable, objective, authentic, and balanced. Measurement validity and reliability assessments of this new scale are not only based on theory but are also empirically validated. This scale can be a useful tool for researchers and practitioners alike to measure an individual’s trust in maps. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: There is an evaluation crisis in mobile health (mHealth). The majority of mHealth apps are released with little evidence base. While many agree on the need for comprehensive evaluations to assess the efficacy and effectiveness of mHealth apps, the field is some way from achieving that. This scoping review describes the current state of direct-to-consumer mHealth app evaluations so as to inform how the situation can be improved. Results: Findings showed a predominance of wellness management apps, focusing on fitness, diet, mental health, or other lifestyle factors. Evaluations were conducted by companies at varied financing stages, with a mix of start-ups, scale-ups, and public companies. Most studies employed full-scale or pilot randomised controlled trial designs. Conclusions: Participant demographics indicate a need for more inclusive recruitment strategies around ethnicity and gender so as to avoid worsening health inequalities. Measurement tools varied widely, highlighting the lack of standardisation in assessing mHealth apps. Promoting evidence-based practices in digital health should be a priority for organisations in this space. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Universal health visiting has been a cornerstone of preventative healthcare for children in the United Kingdom (UK) for over 100 years. In 2016, Scotland introduced a new Universal Health Visiting Pathway (UHVP), involving a greater number of contacts with a particular emphasis on the first year, visits within the home setting, and rigorous developmental assessment conducted by a qualified Health Visitor. To evaluate the UHVP, an outcome indicator framework was developed using routine administrative data. This paper sets out the development of these indicators. Methods: A logic model was produced with stakeholders to define the group of outcomes, before further refining and aligning of the measures through discussions with stakeholders and inspection of data. Power calculations were carried out and initial data described for the chosen indicators. Results: Eighteen indicators were selected across eight outcome areas: parental smoking, breastfeeding, immunisations, dental health, developmental concerns, obesity, accidents and injuries, and child protection interventions. Data quality was mixed. Coverage of reviews was high; over 90% of children received key reviews. Individual item completion was more variable: 92.2% had breastfeeding data at 6–8 weeks, whilst 63.2% had BMI recorded at 27–30 months. Prevalence also varied greatly, from 1.3% of children's names being on the Child Protection register for over six months by age three, to 93.6% having received all immunisations by age two. Conclusions: Home visiting services play a key role in ensuring children and families have the right support to enable the best start in life. As these programmes evolve, it is crucial to understand whether changes lead to improvements in child outcomes. This paper describes a set of indicators using routinely-collected data, lessening additional burden on participants, and reducing response bias which may be apparent in other forms of evaluation. Further research is needed to explore the transferability of this indicator framework to other settings. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We argue that walking as a method provides an integrative approach to advance epistemic justice in sustainability research. The theory and practice of walking as a method has grown quickly within the social sciences and arts but remains underrepresented in sustainability research, where walking is typically an object of study (e.g., urban walkability). We argue that walking should be valued as an important mode of knowledge production that simultaneously widens sustainability knowledge, integrates diverse knowledge systems, and supports transdisciplinary sustainability solutions. In this perspective article, we consider the following questions: (1) Why is walking important to sustainability knowledge? (2) How can walk-based methods advance epistemic justice in sustainability knowledge? (3) What outcomes might we expect from cultivating walking as a method for sustainability knowledge? We reflect on how walking as a method centers equity and the contributions of walk-based sustainability knowledge for research and policy. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Health researchers have had increasing calls to include vulnerable populations in research to tailor inclusive evidence-based practice interventions. The inclusion of vulnerable populations in research is sensitive and complex. Sensitive topics such as dating and sexual violence are especially complex, with emerging adults the highest risk group for all forms of sexual violence and an especially hard-to-reach population for inclusion in research. Impacts of trauma, including physiological and psychological, complex needs of survivors, and potential for revictimization during interactions when participating in research must be considered. Researchers must be equipped with specialized, trauma-informed skills to safely and ethically conduct all aspects of research. Using the trauma-informed framework, the purpose of this paper is to discuss the complexities of conducting research with emerging adult survivors of sexual violence and to explore evidence-based approaches that can safely include this vulnerable population through the application of trauma-informed approaches. The use of evidence-based, trauma-informed research approaches tailored to engage this population in research can further help to develop effective interventions that are context-sensitive to emerging adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Rehabilitation is a vital component of health care, aiming to restore function and improve the well-being of individuals with disabilities or injuries. Nevertheless, the rehabilitation process is often likened to a "black box," with complexities that pose challenges for comprehensive analysis and optimization. The emergence of large language models offers promising solutions to better understand this "black box." Large language models excel at comprehending and generating human-like text, making them valuable in the healthcare sector. In rehabilitation, healthcare professionals must integrate a wide range of data to create effective treatment plans, akin to selecting the best ingredients for the "black box." Large language models enhance data integration, communication, assessment, and prediction. This article delves into the ground-breaking use of large language models as a tool to further understand the rehabilitation process. Large language models address current rehabilitation issues, including data bias, contextual comprehension, and ethical concerns. Collaboration with healthcare experts and rigorous validation is crucialwhen deploying large language models. Integrating large language models into rehabilitation yields insights into this intricate process, enhancing data-driven decision making, refining clinical practices, and predicting rehabilitation outcomes. Although challenges persist, large language models represent a significant stride in rehabilitation, underscoring the importance of ethical use and collaboration. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Implementation science (IS) offers methods to systematically achieve the Ending the HIV Epidemic goals in the United States, as well as the global UNAIDS targets. Federal funders such as the National Institutes of Mental Health (NIMH) have invested in implementation research to achieve these goals, including supporting the AIDS Research Centres (ARCs), which focus on high‐impact science in HIV and mental health (MH). To facilitate capacity building for the HIV/MH research workforce in IS, "grey areas," or areas of IS that are confusing, particularly for new investigators, should be addressed in the context of HIV/MH research. Discussion: A group of IS experts affiliated with NIMH‐funded ARCs convened to identify common and challenging grey areas. The group generated a preliminary list of 19 grey areas in HIV/MH‐related IS. From the list, the authors developed a survey which was distributed to all ARCs to prioritize grey areas to address in this paper. ARC members across the United States (N = 60) identified priority grey areas requiring clarification. This commentary discusses topics with 40% or more endorsement. The top grey areas that ARC members identified were: (1) Differentiating implementation strategies from interventions; (2) Determining when an intervention has sufficient evidence for adaptation; (3) Integrating recipient perspectives into HIV/MH implementation research; (4) Evaluating whether an implementation strategy is evidence‐based; (5) Identifying rigorous approaches for evaluating the impact of implementation strategies in the absence of a control group or randomization; and (6) Addressing innovation in HIV/MH IS grants. The commentary addresses each grey area by drawing from the existing literature (when available), providing expert guidance on addressing each in the context of HIV/MH research, and providing domestic and global HIV and HIV/MH case examples that address these grey areas. Conclusions: HIV/MH IS is key to achieving domestic and international goals for ending HIV transmission and mitigating its impact. Guidance offered in this paper can help to overcome challenges to rigorous and high‐impact HIV/MH implementation research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

INTRODUCTION The e-cigarette market is large and diverse. Traditional smoking cessation trials involving a control group and a 6-month observation period are an inefficient methodology for testing the multiple treatment options e-cigarettes provide for harm reduction in cigarette smokers. We determined when product substitution occurred in the e-cigarette provision arm of an e-cigarette substitution trial for cigarette smokers who were not interested in quitting. METHODS We conducted a secondary analysis of 120 cigarette smokers with severe mental illness (recruitment 2017-2020) who were given disposable e-cigarettes for 8 weeks and assessed at weeks 0 (t0), 2, 4, 6, and 8. We explored product substitution through visit-to-visit correlations in change in product use, then developed a dual process growth model for cigarette and e-cigarette use to test the association between increases in e-cigarette use and concurrent decreases in cigarettes smoked. RESULTS Mean age of the participants was 45.9 years, and 42.7% smoked >20 cigarettes per day. Almost all product substitution occurred between t0 and t2. For the average smoker (18 cigarettes per day), t2 cigarette frequency decreased by 0.39 (95% CI: -0.56 - -0.22) cigarettes for each additional e-cigarette session. There was effect modification (p=0.033), such that baseline light smokers (<10 cigarettes/day) had no significant decrease in t2 cigarette frequency, regardless of their initial increase in e-cigarette use, while heavy smokers (38 cigarettes/day) switched products nearly on a one-to-one basis. CONCLUSIONS In this study, most product substitution occurred early, and heavier smokers had larger t2 decreases in cigarettes/day with increased e-cigarette use. If confirmed with replication studies, the findings could suggest establishment of a novel outcome for e-cigarette studies - early product substitution - and support the value of short-term comparative effectiveness trials that compare multiple potentially lower harm tobacco products. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This debate issue centers on the question of whether psychology should follow the methods and principles of the natural sciences. Answers to this question are often implicitly assumed but rarely explicitly debated among psychologists. This issue contains eight invited contributions by scholars whom we anticipated would have strong and divergent positions on the question. The articles present a broad range of perspectives, ranging from phenomenological psychology to cognitive neuroscience. They broadly line up with a "yes" or "no" answer to the question, four authors favoring a "yes" and four authors a "no" response, although nearly all authors advance more nuanced positions that challenge a simple classification. In this introduction, we first discuss the historical roots of the question and our motivation behind this specific formulation of it. Then we briefly summarize the contributions and place them in a broader context. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cognitive neuroscience seeks to pinpoint the neural basis of cognitive function. Application of scientific methods can be credited for its advancement within the field of psychology. Past approaches such as phrenology, that linked bumps on the skull to mental capabilities, initially gained popularity, but the lack of experimental testing contributed to its demise. Research in neuropsychology and the use of the double dissociation experimental technique subsequently emerged. Objective measurements of behaviour following selective damage within the brain led to a paradigm shift. More recently, application of the subtraction technique, coupled with the emergence of cognitive neuroimaging tools, has allowed psychologists to isolate and measure specific functions such as language, vision, memory, and recognition of emotion. Importantly, these approaches enable reliable prediction of behaviours, given parameters of brain integrity, a key goal within the field of psychology. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Numerous immunoassays have been commercialized to determine pancreatic elastase (PE) in feces in screening for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency (EPI), but how the different assays compare to one another is controversial, especially in the context that all methods use the same cut-off values for interpreting the results obtained on the presence or absence of EPI or the degree of insufficiency if it is present. Our aim was to analytically verify a new method for determining PE, compare the results with a previous method, and verify the declared cut-off values for interpretation of the results. Methods: PE in the stool was assayed using a previous monoclonal enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay ("ScheBo ELISA") and a new polyclonal particle-enhanced turbidimetric immunoassay ("Bühlmann PETIA"). The direct method comparison of two immunoassays was performed in 40 samples. Clinical comparisons were conducted against each other for the binary determination of "abnormal/normal" elastase levels and the three-way determination of "severe/moderate/no" EPI in 56 samples. The indirect comparison method used external quality assessment (EQA) data to compare the monoclonal and polyclonal immunoassays for PE, and additionally compare the monoclonal ScheBo ELISA to a monoclonal chemiluminescence immunoassay ("DiaSorin CLIA"). Results: Precision in the series and intra-laboratory precision for Bühlmann PETIA met the manufacturer's specifications for the concentration range of limit/lower values and the range of normal values. The Bühlmann PETIA immunoassay on different analytical platforms yielded comparable results and nearly perfect agreement in the case of three-way classification (kappa = 0.89 with 95%CI from 0.79 to 1.00. ScheBo ELISA tends to generate higher values of pancreatic elastase than the Bühlmann PETIA; agreement between the methods was moderate in the case of binary classification (kappa = 0.43; 95% CI 0.25 to 0.62), and substantial in the case of three-way classification (kappa = 0.62; 95% CI 0.50 to 0.75). EQA data analysis showed a statistically significant difference between ScheBo ELISA and Bühlmann PETIA peer groups (p = 0.031), as well as the DiaSorin CLIA and ScheBo ELISA peer groups (p = 0.010). Conclusion: The ScheBo ELISA and Bühlmann PETIA do not appear to be commutable in the analytical and clinical context. Our data address a discordance between different mono- and polyclonal immunoassays for pancreatic elastase and the potential of misclassification using its universal cut-off values in screening suspected patients for exocrine pancreatic insufficiency. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Social needs such as housing, employment, food, income and social isolation are having a significant impact on individuals, families and communities. Individuals are increasingly presenting to health settings with social needs, which are ill‐equipped to address nonmedical needs. Social prescribing is a systematic approach connecting the health, social and community sectors to better address social needs and improve health and wellbeing. Social prescribing interventions are being implemented world‐wide. With variability in health and social care systems internationally, it is important that social prescribing interventions are co‐designed with key stakeholders to ensure they can be implemented and sustained within local systems. Methods: This Australian case study provides a detailed description of the process undertaken to co‐design a social prescribing service model in a regional area. Four co‐design workshops were undertaken, two with health and social care professionals and two with community members. The project followed an iterative process of resourcing, planning, recruiting, sensitising, facilitation, reflection and building for change across the workshops. Results: Through this process, key stakeholders were able to successfully co‐design a social prescribing model of care for the region. Conclusion: By demonstrating the process and materials used in our project, we aim to open the 'black box' of co‐design for social prescribing and provide ideas and resources for others to adapt and utilise. Patient or Public Contribution: The project was designed and undertaken by a steering committee comprising university‐based researchers (authors C. O. and S. B.), local government (author D. A.) and health, social and community services (authors B. G., M. W., J. O. and S. R.). Members of the steering committee participated in project design, participant recruitment, workshop facilitation, data analysis and interpretation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Current methods used to investigate emotional inference and conflict resolution knowledge are limited in their suitability for use with children with language disorders due to a reliance on language processing. This is problematic, as nearly 8% of the population are estimated to have developmental language disorder (DLD). In this paper, we present 'Zoti's Social Toolkit', a set of animated scenarios that can be used to assess emotion inferencing and conflict resolution knowledge. All animated scenarios contain interpersonal situations centred around a gender‐neutral alien named Zoti. Four studies investigated the face and construct validity of the stimuli. The final stimulus set can be used with children, who may or may not have language difficulties and is openly available for use in research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

AbstractThis article explores historical research methods used to locate lesbians and queer women, especially within American and Canadian contexts from the 1960s onward. It begins by discussing methods such as analyzing women’s and lesbian travel guides, directories, maps, periodicals, newsletters, newspapers, websites, oral histories, social media, archival fonds and collections. In particular, this article explores how utilizing lesbian and queer women musicians’ tour schedules, calendars, correspondence, and contracts for shows and appearances can be a valuable historical research method, especially for locating impermanent historical lesbian and queer women’s spaces off the beaten track. The article focuses on the Alix Dobkin Papers as a case study to explore aspects of historical lesbian and queer women’s spaces and demonstrate the utility of this historical research method beyond Dobkin. The papers of Alix Dobkin include business correspondence, fan mail, fliers and programs from concerts, subject files, t-shirts, photographs, and memorabilia. As Dobkin played an important role in the women’s music movement and toured regularly, her papers provide useful insight into historical debates about lesbian anti-racist politics, ethical consumption, community organizing, and transgender inclusion and exclusion. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Even as geographers increasingly examine their embodied experiences as field researchers, limited attention has been given to the reproductive labor of pregnancy and mothering in shaping field work. As early career geographers experiencing a range of reproductive positions before motherhood, during pregnancy, and becoming mothers, we build on the foundational work of feminist scholars to examine our evolving subjectivities and the reciprocal influence of mothering and field research. We argue, first, that the dual demands of field work and care work affect mothers’ access and experiences in academia. Second, through our concept of situating reproduction, we unpack mothers’ changing standpoints and show that the experience of mothering shapes the knowledge we produce. Finally, we advocate that academic institutions recognize and support mother-field workers, particularly at early career stages. We advocate for increased researcher reflexivity to better understand the shifting positionalities of mother-field researchers and how motherhood affects geographical scholarship. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]