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This article explores the importance of emotional resilience in personal and professional success. It presents 11 papers that provide evidence-based insights on learning methodologies and teaching practices that promote emotional resilience. The articles discuss various resources that contribute to emotional resilience, including personal and organizational resources. The research emphasizes the significance of emotional resilience in enhancing wellbeing and employee performance. It also highlights the importance of decent work, team cohesion, and peer support in fostering resilience and reducing burnout. The text suggests that future research should focus on effective intervention strategies and expanding research across different fields and cultural contexts. [Extracted from the article]

Collectives form nonequilibrium social structures characterized by volatile dynamics. Individuals join or leave. Social relations change quickly. Therefore, unlike engineered or ecological systems, a resilient reference state cannot be defined. We propose a novel resilience measure combining two dimensions: robustness and adaptivity. We demonstrate how they can be quantified using data from a software-developer collective. Our analysis reveals a resilience life cycle (i.e., stages of increasing resilience are followed by stages of decreasing resilience). We explain the reasons for these observed dynamics and provide a formal model to reproduce them. The resilience life cycle allows distinguishing between short-term resilience, given by a sequence of resilient states, and long-term resilience, which requires collectives to survive through different cycles. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Subjective social class identities—lower, working, middle, and upper—are conditioned by culture and social interactions. I argue that conservative Christianity influences subjective class identification because conservative Christian social networks are highly insular, and its culture prioritizes lower- and working-class ideologies. Using nationally representative data, I find that conservative Christians—operationalized with views of the Bible and religious tradition—are relatively likely to identify as lower and working class, and unlikely to identify as middle and upper class; that these associations are partially but not wholly mediated by higher education and family income; and that there are robust associations between religion and subjective class among those with a bachelor's degree and above-average family incomes, but not among less-educated and lower-income Americans. These results indicate that conservative Christianity promotes a specific class culture, and that this class culture more closely aligns with biblical literalism than with affiliation with evangelical Protestant churches. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We propose an adaptive methodology for the curricular redesign based on the performance indicators of the student progression observed after a follow-up period. The feasibility of adopting the same approach should be thoroughly studied to assess its compatibility with institutions and countries that employ an academic credit system based on student workload, such as the European Credit Transfer System. This approach was applied here for the Chilean system, which is highly consistent with the European case. The resulting methods can be automated and integrated into institutional databases for the management of teaching-learning processes to enhance decision-making. Special attention is devoted to the methods for estimating the credit points and the relative position of each course in the curriculum sequence chart of a university degree. As an example of application, we discuss the curriculum redesign of the B.Sc. degree in Physics offered by the Universidad Católica del Norte. The analysis is based on the statistical report of performance indicators of this undergraduate program during the follow-up period 2015–2019 (five years). We report a certain correspondence between the problem of credit allocation and the behavior in the student progression, which represents an empirical evidence of the effectiveness of the associated credit points estimation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research suggests that migrants' well-being varies with their lived environment. This variation's potential but under-researched driver is non-migrants' attitude towards immigrants (ATI). Using pooled European Social Survey data (2010–18) for twenty-two destination countries, I address the question, 'Are more positive ATI in regions where migrants live associated with their higher life satisfaction?'. To answer it, I estimate models of life satisfaction regressed on a summed index of six measures of ATI aggregated to the regional level and control for individual-level predictors and country, year, and origin fixed effects. I find a significant association between more negative regional ATI and lower migrant well-being. Its strength is comparable with the most important known individual-level predictors of well-being (e.g. education). My descriptive results further show that the length of stay at the destination moderates the strength of association (only those more recently arrived are affected). Despite well-attested links between feelings of discrimination and well-being, I show that those who express greater discrimination are not more sensitive to ATI. This suggests that each measure speaks to a separate mechanism for experiencing discrimination. Showing that ATI is strongly related to migrants' well-being implies that the lived environment should be at the forefront of the migration outcomes research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Ekonomista is the property of Polskie Towarzystwo Ekonomiczne & Institute of Economic Sciences of the Polish Academy of Sciences and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

There is an expectation that health professions schools respond to priority societal health needs. This expectation is largely based on the underlying assumption that schools are aware of the priority needs in their communities. This paper demonstrates how open-access, pan-national health data can be used to create a reliable health index to assist schools in identifying societal needs and advance social accountability in health professions education. Using open-access data, a psychometric evaluation was conducted to examine the reliability and validity of the Canadian Health Indicators Framework (CHIF) conceptual model. A non-linear confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) on 67 health indicators, at the health-region level (n = 97) was used to assess the model fit of the hypothesized 10-factor model. Reliability analysis using McDonald's Omega were conducted, followed by Pearson's correlation coefficients. Findings from the non-linear CFA rejected the original conceptual model structure of the CHIF. Exploratory post hoc analyses were conducted using modification indices and parameter constraints to improve model fit. A final 5-factor multidimensional model demonstrated superior fit, reducing the number of indicators from 67 to 32. The 5-factors included: Health Conditions (8-indicators); Health Functions (6-indicators); Deaths (5-indicators); Non-Medical Health Determinants (7-indicators); and Community & Health System Characteristics (6-indicators). All factor loadings were statistically significant (p < 0.001) and demonstrated excellent internal consistency (ω >0.95). Many schools struggle to identify and measure socially accountable outcomes. The process highlighted in this paper and the indices developed serve as starting points to allow schools to leverage open-access data as an initial step in identifying societal needs. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Journal of Universal Excellence (JUE) / Revija za Univerzalno Odličnost (RUO) is the property of Fakulteta za Organizacijske Studije v Novem mestu and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Our study investigated the effects of combining project-based learning (PBL) and flipped classroom (FC) methods in university education on the learning motivation and learning outcomes of students at the bachelor (BSc), master (MSc), and higher vocational education and training (HVET) levels. We aimed to explore how these modern teaching methods can influence students' performance and motivation at different levels of education. The research used cross-sectional analysis and quantitative methods to evaluate the impact of FC and combined PBL and FC methods. This study followed groups of students for two academic years, comparing their results with control groups that did not benefit from the combined teaching method but were studied in a same FC environment. The results showed that students at the BSc and HVET levels significantly improved their learning motivation and achievement by combining PBL and FC methods (BSc: p = 0.0001248, HVET: p = 0.0485), while at the MSc level, this effect was not significant (p = 0.1000). These data support that an effective combination of PBL and FC methods can improve learning motivation and outcomes at certain levels of education, but further research is needed better to understand the effects for students at the MSc level. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Socio-communicative difficulties are a core symptom of autism that deeply impact interaction with others. Despite that, research on bidirectional caregiver-child interaction variables has been notably scant and predominantly focused on autistic children's interactive differences and the consequences on parenting behaviors. Aim: The study aimed to assess parent-child interaction in the context of autism through observational validated instruments that consider qualitative and structural features in a complementary way to obtain a comprehensive characterization of the exchange within the dyad. Methods and procedures: This study involved 56 paired parent-child dyads of 28 autistic children (mean age = 38.60 months, sd = 9.50) playing with their mothers and their fathers for 10 min. The video-recorded sessions were coded through the Emotional Availability Scales (EAS) and the Interpersonal Synchrony (IS) coding system. Outcomes and results: Fathers and mothers do not show significant differences in ISexcept for mother widenings, which are more frequent and successful, and in Emotional Availability. Further, dyads present moderate levels of Emotional Availability, indicating that parents may struggle with structuring, sensitivity, and interactive abilities with their autistic children, which in turn present low levels of responsiveness and involvement. Further, we explored an association between IS and EA characteristics. Conclusion and implications: This study suggests the need for interventions to target interaction considering both caregivers, ultimately targeting both interaction structure and affect features. Research that includes fathers fosters strategies for individualization and treatment optimization.

Purpose: The main aim of this paper is to present and discuss the application of Structural Equation Modelling (SEM) in accounting research. Following an overview of the terminology, statistical concepts, and software used in SEM, the results of a systematic review of the accounting literature are presented, with a focus on the benefits and challenges identified in prior studies. Methodology/approach: This paper is based on a traditional literature review, which helps to demonstrate SEM as a research technique. It is also based on a systematic literature review, which is used to present previous applications of SEM in accounting studies. Findings: SEM offers the possibility to model statistically complex theoretical issues using specialised software. It is a flexible and universal approach used by quantitative accounting scholars to test and develop theories. SEM research is heterogeneous and encompasses different research strategies, theories tested, branches of accounting, data collection methods, and types of statistical analyses. Research limitations/implications: The main limitation of this study is that the complexity of SEM statistical analyses cannot be discussed in detail within the scope of this paper. Originality/value: SEM is gaining popularity among accounting scholars; however, it is not widely used by Polish researchers. Therefore, this paper is a kind of invitation to quantitative scholars to examine SEM and its potential. It is also a contribution to the current discussions on the automation of research processes.

The article is devoted to the analysis of the current state of the methodological debate. This is a classic debate, which, however, should not be oversimplified: methods, paradigms, and research strategies form systems that go beyond the qualitative vs. quantitative dichotomy. The debate is in the center of attention, because, firstly, empirical texts are now written, read and cited more often than theoretical ones, secondly, new data and methods of their analysis appear, and thirdly, there is a simultaneous emergence of common ground and deepening methodological contradictions.One of the key differences between qualitative and quantitative proponents is the paradigms that underpin their work. However, the correspondence between the paradigm and the method is not always universal: for example, in qualitative methodology, both interpretive and post-positivist trends can be observed, and some quantitative researchers are close to the ideas of author's reflection and standpoint.Tools based on artificial intelligence can simplify the work of a researcher by solving some of the routine tasks, while the availability of big data allows you to go beyond survey and statistical databases and analyze new fields. However, the development of new tools leads to a number of problems. These are issues related to digital literacy and skills inequality, ethics and non-transparency of data production. Collaborative methodological work may be able to mitigate these kinds of difficulties and strengthen the position of sociology in an era of changing data and competing approaches.

The promotion of entrepreneurship is a priority objective for the European Union. Each country develops the most appropriate instruments for its economic structure; however, its effects are different depending on the conditions of its environment. The objective of this work is to study whether there are significant differences among European countries depending on whether or not they belong to the Eurozone. A panel data regression model is used to assess the contribution of the different policies to the rate of entrepreneurial activity. The results show that the experts’ evaluations of the implemented policies are higher in the member states of the monetary union. Policies with a negative impact are recurring demands from employers (bureaucracy, tax barriers, improve physical infrastructure).

In Sweden, as in many European countries, the involvement of for-profit and non-profit actors in complex welfare services such as housing services for persons living in homelessness has raised concerns regarding contradictory aims, quality control and a lack of insight into publicly financed services. This paper uses data from Statistics Sweden Business Register to explore how housing services for persons living in homelessness were expanded and changed from 2011 to 2018 as well as how they varied between different types of municipalities. The analysis explores how these factors relate to the number of persons who receive housing due to homelessness as well as the threshold for entry to local rental housing markets across Swedish municipalities. Preliminary findings suggest that there is a mix of for-profit and non-profit actors involved in homeless housing services and that municipalities are still a major provider of services in Sweden. The results suggest that the availability of housing through public housing companies positively affects the number of actors involved in local housing services for persons living in homelessness. As a case study, these results could provide useful insights for cross-national European comparative research of the changes and effects of different types of actors’ involvement in the local housing services for persons living in homelessness.

The paper deals with the poetics of the novels of the Peruvian writer Mario Vargas Llosa and the evolution of his style. To solve research problems, it is used the Delta method which is the most authoritative and reliable stylometric tool that allows you to compare texts based on the distribution of most frequent words. The work poses three questions: 1) Do Vargas Llosa's early total novels The Time of the Hero, The Green House, and Conversation in the Cathedral differ at the level of style from the later novels, forming a separate group, as the literary hypothesis claims? Answer: the hypothesis is confirmed; 2) Is it possible to divide the fifteen texts of the second period into smaller groups based on stylistic similarities? Answer: novels of the second period are divided into three large groups. Moreover, an interesting correlation is revealed: the novels grouped into separate groups have similarities not only at the level of style, but also at the level of themes, composition and narrative features; 3) Whether the “boom” is a stylistically isolated period in the poetics of its key authors? Answer: the novels written by Latin American authors during the boom period (1960–1970s) are not stylistically isolated: the authorial signal is stronger, and the case of Vargas Llosa with a clear differentiation of groups of novels is unique.

Construction accidents pose significant risks to workers and the public, affecting industry productivity and reputation. While several reviews have discussed risk assessment methods, recent advancements in artificial intelligence (AI), big data analytics, and real-time decision support systems have created a need for an updated synthesis of the quantitative methodologies applied in construction safety. This study systematically reviews the literature from the past decade, following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines. A thorough search identified studies utilizing statistical analysis, mathematical modeling, simulation, and artificial intelligence (AI). These methods were categorized and analyzed based on their effectiveness and limitations. Statistical approaches, such as correlation analysis, examined relationships between variables, while mathematical models, like factor analysis, quantified risk factors. Simulation methods, such as Monte Carlo simulations, explored risk dynamics and AI techniques, including machine learning, enhanced predictive modeling, and decision making in construction safety. This review highlighted the strengths of handling large datasets and improving accuracy, but also noted challenges like data quality and methodological limitations. Future research directions are suggested to address these gaps. This study contributes to construction safety management by offering an overview of best practices and opportunities for advancing quantitative risk assessment methodologies.

This study uses the Scopus and Web of Science databases to review quantitative methods to forecast electricity consumption from 2015 to 2024. Using the PRISMA approach, 175 relevant publications were identified from an initial set of 821 documents and subsequently subjected to bibliometric analysis. This analysis examined publication trends, citation metrics, and collaboration patterns across various countries and institutions. Over the period analyzed, the number of articles has steadily increased, with a more rapid rise observed after 2020. Although China dominates this research field, strong bibliographic coupling worldwide indicates significant international collaboration. The study suggests that no single method consistently outperforms others across all contexts and that forecasting methods should be adapted to regional contexts, considering specific economic, social, and environmental factors. Furthermore, we emphasize that review papers should compare methods and results regarding both time horizon and temporal resolution, as these aspects are crucial for the accuracy and applicability of the forecasts.

Purpose: To examine the workplace experience of physical education teacher educators while accounting for gender and institution type. Method: Participants included 286 U.S. faculty members (151 females and 135 males). Data were collected using an online survey that included measures of negative (i.e., marginalization, isolation, role stress, emotional exhaustion) and positive (i.e., perceived mattering, perceived organizational support) workplace experiences. Primary analyses began with a multivariate analysis of covariance followed up by univariate analyses of covariance to examine the differences in study variables based on gender and institution type. Results: Doctoral institution faculty members reported higher marginalization and lower perceived mattering and organizational support. Female faculty members reported higher role overload and emotional exhaustion. Discussion: Results highlight differences in the faculty experience across institution types as well as gender disparities. Recommendations are provided for improving the faculty experience as well as for future research in the area. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Background: Poor sleep can contribute to poorer health and socioemotional outcomes. Sleep health can be influenced by a range of individual and other socioecological factors. Perceptions of neighborhood physical and social characteristics reflect broader social-level factors that may influence sleep, which have not been well studied in the Australian context. This study examined the association between perceived neighborhood characteristics and sleep in a large sample of Australians. Methods: Data were from 9,792 people aged 16 years or older, from Waves 16 and 17 of the nationally representative Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia Survey. Associations between perceived neighborhood characteristics (neighborly interaction and support, environmental noise, physical condition, and insecurity) and self-reported sleep duration, sleep disturbance, and napping were examined using multiple logistic regression models. Results: "Neighborhood interaction and support" and "neighborhood physical condition" were not significantly associated with any sleep outcomes after adjusting for relevant covariates. However, "environmental noise" and "neighborhood insecurity" remained significantly associated with sleep duration and sleep disturbance. None of the neighborhood characteristics were associated with napping. Furthermore, associations did not significantly vary by gender. Conclusions: This study highlights the potential benefit of public health policies to address noise and safety in neighborhoods to improve sleep. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Labour unrest by platform workers is a growing global phenomenon, but several questions require deeper understanding. What motivates platform labour unrest? Which actors and strategies are involved? How does this vary across regions? Systematic answers are hindered by the lack of large datasets. Uniquely, this article analyses a global dataset comprising 1271 instances of platform labour unrest. It reveals two main dimensions of platform labour struggle: those defending or extending protective regulatory institutions (regulatory protests); and those seeking a larger share of value created (distributive protests). The former more often involve mainstream unions and methods like legal challenges. The latter more often involve grassroots organisation, and the collective withdrawal of labour and demonstrations. Theoretically, the article elaborates on Silver's distinction between Marx-type and Polanyi-type labour unrest to explain and contextualise these findings. These patterns reveal variation within the growing wave of platform labour unrest that have not yet been systematically examined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Higher degree research students in education are largely underprepared for understanding or employing statistical data analysis methods. This is despite their need to read literature in their field which will indubitably include such research. This weakness may result in students choosing to use qualitative or interpretivist methodologies, even though education data are highly complex requiring sophisticated analysis techniques to properly evaluate the impact of nested data, multi-collinear factors, missing data, and changes over time. This paper describes a research methods course at a researchintensive university designed for students in a thesis-only degree program. The course emphasizes the logic and conceptual function of statistical methods and exposes students to hands-on tutorials in which students are required to conduct analyses with open-access data. The first half of the 12-week course focuses on core knowledge, normally taught in first-year probability and statistics courses. The second half focuses on introducing and modeling advanced statistical methods needed to handle complex problems and data. The course outline is provided along with descriptions of teaching and assessments. This exemplar functions as a potential model of how relative novices in statistical methods can be introduced to a conceptual use of statistical methods to raise the credibility of research. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article empirically assesses competing perspectives of the relationship between democracy and political trust. We conduct multilevel analyses on a cross-national panel dataset of 82 countries for the period 1990–2020. The findings suggest that there is a strong, negative relationship between democracy and political trust that cannot easily be dismissed as an artifact of model misspecification or response bias. Moreover, we re-examine the critical citizens thesis by disaggregating political trust into trust in partisan and "non-partisan" institutions to test the claim that well-functioning democracies contain and channel distrust into the more partisan political institutions to keep distrust from generalizing to the entire political system. The results fail to find a statistically significant difference of the effect of democracy on trust between partisan and non-partisan institutions, suggesting that low political trust within democracies may be a more acute problem than much of the literature suggests. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this work was to develop a valid and reliable scale to measure Basic Psychological Need Satisfaction for Technology Use (BPN-TU). According to the self-determination theory, satisfaction of the Basic Psychological Needs (BPNs) for Autonomy, Competence, and Relatedness is crucial to well-being and autonomous motivation. Research into the role of BPN Satisfaction in technology use is scarce, partly due to a lack of appropriate measuring tools. To develop a pool of original BPN-TU scale items, we held 10 interviews. Based on these items, we conducted four validation studies with four independent samples (total N = 821), collecting user responses to different technologies: digital voice assistant, exoskeleton, chatbot, and social robot. Good model fit was supported by confirmatory factor analyses for a twelve-item scale, containing three items each for satisfaction of users' Autonomy, Competence, Relatedness to Others, and Relatedness to Technology. The scale was validated in English and German. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Communication scholars have studied the persuasive power of humor messages, but research provides mixed results. Also, the literature has been slow in demonstrating the practical effects of humorous messages on desired outcomes (e.g., organization–public relationships). Through an online experiment in the context of weather messages with samples of U.S. adults residing in the Southeastern U.S. (N = 209), we compared a humorous social media message designed to build relationships with the public to a non-humorous message in predicting OPRs and perceived community resilience when there is no high-impact weather on the horizon. Compared to a humorous message, a non-humorous message appeared to be more effective in increasing perceived community resilience and three dimensions of positive OPRs – trust, control mutuality, and commitment. The effects were more robust for community members with low to moderate levels of weather salience (i.e., the psychological value and importance that people have for the weather). [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study intends to extend the work of ecological predictors of tolerance of deviance to state terror. Utilizing a multilevel model and a cross-national survey of 125,129 respondents from 72 countries, this study finds that state terror and a worse perception of human rights correlates with a lower tolerance of deviance in line with Rational Choice Deterrence Theory (RCDC). The effect of state terror on tolerance of deviance is moderated by perception of human rights with those perceiving a worse respect for human rights in milieus of higher state terror are less open to deviance in line with RCDC. Further support for RCDC comes from those living in over policed neighborhoods being less open to deviance when they perceive a worse respect for human right. However, lower confidence in security services and greater interference by the same predicts greater tolerance of deviance. Support for Weberian legitimacy also comes from higher country level corruption, more terrorism incidents in a country, greater fear of crime and crime victimization of respondent or immediate family predicting greater justifiability of deviance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: In India, even with planned health services, it is difficult to reach the health goals without community participation. While Community needs assessment approach (CNAA) tools like Focussed group Discussion (FGD), Village mapping and matrix ranking have been effective in quickly gathering information, surveys have been conventionally preferred. Aim & Objective: The present study compares qualitative and quantitative methods t o understand feasibility of using CNAA tools in place of survey as an alternative tool Methodology: Mixed Method research employing Survey and CNAA methods of FGD, Village Mapping, transect walk and Matrix ranking score was carried out as a part of academic activity of National Service Scheme(NSS). Data was represented in form of percentages and frequency tables. Association was measured using Chi Square using Epi Info TM version 7.2.1software. Results: Using quantitative survey, we found that 71% used piped supply and 93.1% of the households used toilets. But 6.9% of them still preferred open fields for defecation. Amongst the participants of FGD, it was found that 90% participants preferred going to government hospitals. Comparable data found for variables like Maternal and child health indicators, Sanitation practices and burden of Non communicable diseases. Partially comparable results were found for burden of communicable diseases. Conclusion: CNAA research tools demonstrated comparability with survey in most areas of health concern and reduced the time required for conducting research without compromising the quality of results [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Objectives Cognitive and physical functions are both associated with disability and death. Recent studies have addressed the relationship between cognitive declines and physical declines; however, whether various facets of cognition are diversely associated with specific physical functions is yet to be ascertained. The present work examines the longitudinal associations between fluid and crystallized cognitive functions (Gf and Gc) and physical functions. Methods The sample consisted of 863 community-dwelling older adults (baseline age 60–79 years) from the National Institute for Longevity Sciences-Longitudinal Study of Aging. The participants were tested on a set of Gf and Gc tests and physical tests (grip strength and gait speed). We ran a series of Multivariate Latent Growth Curve models. Specifically, we tested the relationship between cognitive and physical functions in terms of baseline performance (intercept) and rate of change (slope). Results The slope–slope correlations between Gf and physical function were large (grip strength r = 0.64 and gait speed r = 0.68, p s <.001). By contrast, the slope correlations between Gc and physical functions were weak (r s ≤ 0.31) and barely or marginally significant (p s ≤.06). Discussion The results show that distinct domains of cognitive functions have different associations with physical functions. Namely, the aging-associated declines in the tested physical functions are robustly correlated with the declines in Gf , but are only weakly correlated with the declines in Gc. Therefore, Gc measures may be poor proxies for the patient's frailty and should be considered with caution in clinical assessment. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Matica Srpska Journal of Slavic Studies / Zbornik Matice Srpske za Slavistiku is the property of Matica srpska and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

For sexual minority men (SMM), attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance are evidenced to predict poor mental health (e.g., depression and anxiety). While mindfulness is known to mediate this relationship among the general population, it has yet to be examined among SMM. This study examined the interaction of attachment anxiety and avoidance, and the mediating effect of mindfulness, in predicting symptoms of depression and anxiety among a sample of gay and bisexual men (GBM) in the U.S. We used regression-based path analyses to test the interaction of attachment anxiety and avoidance on symptoms of anxiety and depression. Attachment anxiety and avoidance were positively associated with mental health symptoms. In the model predicting anxiety, we found a significant interaction, indicating that individuals high in attachment anxiety and avoidance had the highest BSI scores. In model 2, direct effects for attachment anxiety and avoidance remained significant, and mindfulness was negatively associated with both mental health symptoms. Significant indirect effects from attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, through mindfulness, to both depressive and anxiety symptoms were observed. No evidence of mediated moderation was found. Our findings show that attachment is an important predictor of mental health among GBM and support previous research on the mediating role of mindfulness in this association. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The internet provides opportunities for social interactions which first occur in an online environment that can lead to meeting up in real life. However, growing concerns around safety and privacy warrant greater study of this modern-day phenomenon. Using a longitudinal dataset of approximately 4,300 20-year-olds in Ireland, this study finds one-in-three report meeting someone from online. Multiple regression reveals that females are less likely to engage in such behaviour, while the trait of 'openness', spending more time on the internet, being non-heterosexual, using dating apps, and being sexually active at 17 years are positively associated. Early exposure to information and communication technologies, as indicated by mobile phone ownership at 9 years, is also associated with online-to-offline encounters. A range of policy considerations are discussed, including the continued need for education in e-safety and cyber safety awareness from a young age through young adulthood, particularly for groups such as LGBT communities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The purpose of this study is to review and reflect upon the qualitative and quantitative methods applied and lessons learned in the process of completing the project "Creating accessibility and usability of digital library (DL) guidelines to support blind and visually impaired (BVI) users." This study focuses on the following issues: 1) The recruitment of BVI users, scholars/experts, and DL developers and associated challenges and solutions; 2) The use of data collection methods for diverse DL stakeholders and associated challenges and solutions; 3) The application of data analysis techniques and associated challenges and solutions. It is a challenge to recruit large numbers of BVI participants, and it is an effective approach to establish connections with trusted organizations and institutions - particularly BVI-related organizations - to promote the studies. Multiple data collection methods (questionnaires, think-aloud protocols, transaction logs, diaries, interviews, and focus groups) were used throughout the research project. As BVI users utilize screen readers to understand DL interfaces and simultaneously express their actions and thoughts, the challenge associated with think-aloud protocols can be resolved by offering orientation training and clear instructions. Both quantitative and qualitative data analysis methods were used throughout the project. Descriptive analysis is the most commonly employed quantitative method since statistical analysis cannot be performed due to small sample size. For qualitative analysis, it is critical for sighted researchers to understand BVI users by collaborating with blind researchers and carefully reviewing the video and transcript data to enhance the open coding process. Future research on the methodology applied in BVI-related studies is also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Renal allograft hypothermic machine perfusion results in a decreased incidence of delayed graft function compared with static cold storage. Ensuring perfusate temperatures remain within the target range of 4-10 °C may impact delayed graft function rates. Project Aims: To identify whether this target was achieved and, if not, whether higher perfusate temperature was associated with delayed graft function. Design: In this retrospective cohort study, transplanted grafts from deceased donors placed on hypothermic machine perfusion pump from June 2019 to August 2020 were analyzed. Measurements were recovered after 5, 15, 60, and 180 min of perfusion. Univariable and multivariable analyses were performed to identify predictors of delayed graft function. Results: A total of 113 grafts from 94 donors were analyzed. Of these, 21 (19%) developed delayed graft function. On univariable logistic regression, variables associated with delayed graft function included older donor age (OR 1.08, P =.002), higher Kidney Donor Profile Index score (OR 1.03, P =.024), and higher 5-min perfusate temperature (T5 min; OR 1.49, P =.014). A higher T5 min was also associated with delayed graft function in multivariable logistic regression models (OR 1.58, P =.005; OR 1.37, P =.08). Grafts with T5 min >10 °C were more likely to experience delayed graft function than those with T5 min <10 °C (OR 4.5, P =.006). Conclusion: Higher early perfusate temperature was an independent predictor of delayed graft function and may be due to inadequate cooling of the circuit prior to placing grafts on pump. Quality improvement initiatives targeting early perfusate temperatures of ≤10 °C may reduce delayed graft function incidence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Organ recovery facilities address the logistical challenges of hospital-based deceased organ donor management. While more organs are transplanted from donors in facilities, differences in donor management and donation processes are not fully characterized. Research Question: Does deceased donor management and organ transport distance differ between organ procurement organization (OPO)-based recovery facilities versus hospitals? Design: Retrospective analysis of Organ Procurement and Transplant Network data, including adults after brain death in 10 procurement regions (April 2017-June 2021). The primary outcomes were ischemic times of transplanted hearts, kidneys, livers, and lungs. Secondary outcomes included transport distances (between the facility or hospital and the transplant program) for each transplanted organ. Results: Among 5010 deceased donors, 51.7% underwent recovery in an OPO-based recovery facility. After adjustment for recipient and system factors, mean differences in ischemic times of any transplanted organ were not significantly different between donors in facilities and hospitals. Transplanted hearts recovered from donors in facilities were transported further than hearts from hospital donors (median 255 mi [IQR 27, 475] versus 174 [IQR 42, 365], P =.002); transport distances for livers and kidneys were significantly shorter (P <.001 for both). Conclusion: Organ recovery procedures performed in OPO-based recovery facilities were not associated with differences in ischemic times in transplanted organs from organs recovered in hospitals, but differences in organ transport distances exist. Further work is needed to determine whether other observed differences in donor management and organ distribution meaningfully impact donation and transplantation outcomes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Living donor discussions in which kidney transplant candidates discuss living kidney donation with their social network are an important step in the living donor kidney transplant process. No prior research has investigated whether who initiates discussion or influences evaluation agreement rates or how these processes may contribute to disparities. Research Questions: This study aimed to determine how common candidate- and potential-donor-initiated discussions were, at what rate each discussion type resulted in agreement to be evaluated for living donation, and what sociodemographic characteristics predicted living donor discussion and agreements. Design: A 2015 cross-sectional survey at a single, large Southeastern US transplant center measured kidney transplant candidates' social networks, including whether they had a donor discussion, who initiated it, and whether the discussion resulted in the donor evaluation agreement. Candidate-network member pairs' probability of having a candidate-initiated discussion, potential-living donor-initiated discussion, or no discussions were compared in multinomial logistic regression, and the probability of the discussion resulted in evaluation agreement was evaluated in multinomial logistic regression. Results: Sixty-six kidney transplant candidates reported on 1421 social network members. Most (80%) candidate/network-member pairs did not have a living donor discussion, with candidate-initiated discussions (11%) slightly more common than potential-donor-initiated discussions (10%). Evaluation agreement was much more common for potential-donor-initiated (72%) than for candidate-initiated discussions (39%). Potential-donor-initiated discussions were more common for White candidates (16%) than for Black candidates (7%). Conclusion: Potential-donor-initiated discussions resulted in evaluation agreement much more frequently than candidate-initiated discussions. This dynamic may contribute to racial living donation disparities. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Little is known about COVID-19 impact on patient medication management. Research Question: The aim was to describe medication management, healthcare team interactions, and adherence during the COVID-19 pandemic in kidney transplant patients and those on the kidney transplant wait list. Design: Using a descriptive, correlational design 340 adults from a midwestern US transplant program were recruited. The Managing Medications in the Midst of a Pandemic Survey measured healthcare team encounters and medication management. The Basel assessment of adherence to medications scale measured medication adherence. Results: The response rate was 35% (119/340). During the pandemic, 88% had practiced/were currently practicing socially distancing, 85% had worn/were currently wearing a face mask in public, 18% had been/were currently diagnosed with COVID-19 and 82% received the vaccine. Medication management: 76% planned and organized their own medications. Healthcare team interactions: 89% met in the office, 20% via phone, 12% telehealth, and 13% delayed seeing a healthcare provider because of COVID-19 concerns. Pharmacy interactions: 11% changed their method of obtaining medications from pharmacy due to social distancing. Medication adherence implementation was problematic with 19% missing a dose; results from the binary logistic regression suggested that those with higher levels of education were more likely to report missing a dose. Conclusions: Patients acted to prevent COVID-19 but some still contracted the virus. The pandemic changed healthcare team medication management interactions. Adherence implementation problems were nearly 20%. Findings are relevant to the transplant healthcare team to understand the impact of a pandemic on patient/team interactions and medication adherence. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

News reporting has long been seen as involving a form of storytelling but techniques for revealing narrative constructions in audiovisual news remain limited. As the forms of expression mobilised for news become ever more diverse and multimodal, the challenges posed for analysis grow accordingly. The present paper asks to what extent we can pursue more differentiating accounts of the increasingly diverse audiovisual features employed in news video by employing recent advances in multimodal discourse analysis. Specifically, we explore how to recognise storytelling strategies deployed in audiovisual news reporting both more reliably and in ways that complement conventional journalistic labels, such as those discussed in research into news sensationalism. As an illustration, we offer a contrastive analysis of the specific reporting strategies of 'individualisation' employed in 166 news reports from two leading German news channels, Tagesschau and Bild TV, produced between 1 January 2022 and 15 March 2022. We show how we scale analysis methods to achieve greater coverage of data and discuss how this meets several recurring challenges for multimodal analysis more generally. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The technology acceptance model (TAM) has not been applied beyond the technological context, despite its widespread applications. This study extends the TAM to consumer goods and validates the conceptualised consumer goods acceptance model (CGAM) using tea-to-go as a proxy for consumer goods. An exploratory research approach based on a quota sample is used to adjust and test the CGAM, showing that the adjusted CGAM and its measures are reliable and valid, thus supporting the hypothesis that extending the TAM to a non-technological context is possible. The results are discussed in light of the data collection, which is based on a cross-sectional setting, assuming consumers’ knowledge of the good and forcing answers based on assumptions. The results show that despite major changes to the exogenous variables, the difference in variance levels between perceived usefulness (PU) and perceived ease of use (PEOU) is in accordance with TAM 3. Thus, PU is the strongest predictor of behavioural intention (BI), supporting the choice of constructs influencing PU. This also indicates that usefulness outweighs ease of use. The findings demonstrate that each variable category has a favourable influence on PU and PEOU. Specifically, cognitive instrumental processes (CIP) and value-related aspects (VRA) are significant predictors of PU, whereas CIP is the most critical driver, highlighting that consumer actions are driven by factors correlated with lifestyle, trends, and price. VRA_1 had the strongest impact on PU, accentuating the high potential of functional ingredients, such as vitamins. Furthermore, the results show that the anchor variables have a stronger impact on PEOU than the adjustment variables, emphasising the importance of enjoyment and indulgence in consumer goods, especially tea-to-go. These findings show that the empirically tested and adjusted CGAM provides a solid basis for measuring the acceptance of consumer goods and identifying key drivers.

Abstract Objective Diagnosis of small airway disease on computed tomography (CT) scans is challenging in patients with a history of chemical warfare exposure. We developed a software package based on different methodologies to identify and quantify small airway disease in CT images. The primary aim was to identify the best automatic methodology for detecting small airway disease in CT scans of Iran-Iraq War victims of chemical warfare. Methods This retrospective case–control study enrolled 46 patients with a history of chemical warfare exposure and 27 controls with inspiratory/expiratory (I/E) CT scans and spirometry tests. Image data were automatically segmented, and inspiratory images were registered into the expiratory images' frame using the locally developed software. Parametric response mapping (PRM) and air trapping index (ATI) mapping were performed on the CT images. Conventional QCT methods, including expiratory/inspiratory mean lung attenuation (E/I MLA) ratio, normal density E/I (ND E/I) MLA ratio, attenuation volume Index (AVI), %low attenuation areas (LAA)

For sexual minority men (SMM), attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance are evidenced to predict poor mental health (e.g., depression and anxiety). While mindfulness is known to mediate this relationship among the general population, it has yet to be examined among SMM. This study examined the interaction of attachment anxiety and avoidance, and the mediating effect of mindfulness, in predicting symptoms of depression and anxiety among a sample of gay and bisexual men (GBM) in the U.S. We used regression-based path analyses to test the interaction of attachment anxiety and avoidance on symptoms of anxiety and depression. Attachment anxiety and avoidance were positively associated with mental health symptoms. In the model predicting anxiety, we found a significant interaction, indicating that individuals high in attachment anxiety and avoidance had the highest BSI scores. In model 2, direct effects for attachment anxiety and avoidance remained significant, and mindfulness was negatively associated with both mental health symptoms. Significant indirect effects from attachment anxiety and attachment avoidance, through mindfulness, to both depressive and anxiety symptoms were observed. No evidence of mediated moderation was found. Our findings show that attachment is an important predictor of mental health among GBM and support previous research on the mediating role of mindfulness in this association.