Dynamic Interrelationships Research Articles

Substance use and suicide among men in Ghana: A qualitative study

A known risk factor for suicide globally is substance use. Despite being public health problems across the globe, research on the association between suicide and substance use have often ignored the socio-cultural context in which these behaviors play out. This qualitative study examines bereaved persons’ perception of the roles of substance use in the lifestyles and the suicides of their deceased relations. We conducted an in-depth qualitative interview with between two to seven close relations of nine men who killed themselves in Ghana in the period 2014 and 2015. A qualitative content analysis of bereaved persons’ accounts shows three themes: Behavioral changes connected with substance use, Consequences of substance use and misuse, and Alcohol presence in the suicide act. Thus, novel and excessive alcohol or drug use followed economic, financial, or relational stressors faced by the men. Personal disruption and social disintegration occurring as consequences of continued substance use triggered suicidal behaviors, which in turn appeared to have shaped in particular, use of alcohol as ingredients or tools in the suicide acts itself in some of the suicides. Contextual nuances shaping a dynamic interrelationship between substance use and suicide calls attention to viewing substances as ingredients with shifting functions during the suicidal process. We propose that encouraging emotional disclosure, supporting men with problem-solving skills, and regulating the availability and use of substances through effective alcohol and drug policies may be vital for an integrative public health approach towards suicide prevention in Ghana.

Predictive Modeling of Covid-19 Data in the US: Adaptive Phase-Space Approach.

There are currently intensified efforts by the scientific community world-wide to analyze the dynamics of the Covid-19 pandemic in order to predict key epidemiological effects and assist the proper planning for its clinical management, as well as guide sociopolitical decision-making regarding proper mitigation measures. Most efforts follow variants of the established SIR methodological framework that divides a population into “Susceptible”, “Infectious” and “Recovered/Removed” fractions and defines their dynamic inter-relationships with first-order differential equations. Goal: This paper proposes a novel approach based on data-guided detection and concatenation of infection waves – each of them described by a Riccati equation with adaptively estimated parameters. Methods: This approach was applied to Covid-19 daily time-series data of US confirmed cases, resulting in the decomposition of the epidemic time-course into five “Riccati modules” representing major infection waves to date (June 18th). Results: Four waves have passed the time-point of peak infection rate, with the fifth expected to peak on July 20th. The obtained parameter estimates indicate gradual reduction of infectivity rate, although the latest wave is expected to be the largest. Conclusions: This analysis suggests that, if no new waves of infection emerge, the Covid-19 epidemic will be controlled in the US (<5000 new daily cases) by September 26th, and the maximum of confirmed cases will reach 4,160,000. Importantly, this approach can be used to detect (via rigorous statistical methods) the emergence of possible new waves of infections in the future. Analysis of data from individual states or countries may quantify the distinct effects of different mitigation measures.

Price and Volatility Spillovers between Global Equity, Gold, and Energy Markets Prior to and during the COVID-19 Pandemic

This study sets out to provide fresh evidence on the dynamic interrelationships, at both return and volatility levels, between global equity, gold, and energy markets prior to and during the outbreak of the novel coronavirus. We undertake our analysis within a bivariate GARCH(p, q) framework, after orthogonalizing raw returns with respect to a rich set of relevant universal factors. Under the COVID-19 regime, we find bidirectional return spillover effects between equity and gold markets, and unidirectional mean spillovers from energy markets to the equity and gold counterparts. The results also suggest the presence of large reciprocal shock spillovers between equity and both of energy and gold markets, and cross-shock spillovers from energy to gold markets. Most probably driven by the recent oil price collapse, energy markets appear to have a substantial cross-volatility spillover impact on the others. Our results offer implications for policymakers and investors.

First Approach of Abiotic Drivers of Soil CO2 Efflux in Barro Colorado Island, Panama

Soil CO2 fluxes from tropical forests into the atmosphere are expected to increase due to global warming. Studies of environmental conditions that contribute to carbon flux are now an important focus for climate change research. However, carbon flux in tropical areas such as Panama has received less attention. In Panama, water sources, rainforests, and soil conditions are vital natural resources, particularly within the Panama Canal watershed. Mature and secondary forests represent around 60% of Panama land cover. Secondary forests are considered potential carbon sinks and they are of economic interest as a means of mitigating increasing anthropogenic CO2 emissions; however, the dynamics of carbon fluxes in the soil of secondary forests remain poorly understood. This research investigated which environmental factors influence soil CO2 efflux. We used a closed chamber method to measure soil CO2 in the tropical forest of Barro Colorado Island, Panama. During 2016 to 2017, humidity had a significant effect on CO2 flux (average: 4.36 μmol/m2s), which was substantially lower than expected for this type of tropical forest. These findings will contribute to a better understanding of the complex and dynamic interrelationships between the water and carbon cycle, as well as abiotic drivers of soil CO2 fluxes. Our use of soil respiration chambers and infrared gas analyzer systems represents an innovative contribution to the water-carbon nexus of Panama and potentially of other countries.

Can the rectal size of prostate patients at MRI be used as a predictor of rectal size at CT for patients referred for radiotherapy planning?

Keywords: Prostate cancer, computed tomography, magnetic resonance Introduction: To audit the dynamic interrelationship between rectal distension at diagnosis magnetic resonance (MRI) scan with the computed tomography (CT) radiotherapy planning scan; to determine the effect of rectal movement on the position of the prostatic gland. This review will examine the efficacy of rectal preparation. At present rectal distension at RT CT planning scan is assessed on control slices using GSTT protocol prior to having a full CT scan. If this is outside tolerance a repeat CT scan appointment whereby the patient is given an enema. If rectal size can be predicted prior to the CT planning scan, bowl preparation can be pre-empted to ensure efficiencies in the patient pathway. Method: A retrospective audit looking at the MRI diagnostic scans and radiotherapy CT planning scans of 141 patients with adenocarcinoma of the prostate between May to August 2019. To find out if rectal size at MRI serves as an indicator of rectal size at planning RT CT. Dependent on the outcome of the retrospective study, a prospective study will then be undertaken to assess if an intervention prior to RT CT scan such as a prescription of Docusate Sodium enema help resolve the issue of rectal size at planning. Results: Results pending. Conclusions & Discussion: The outcome should inform clinical practice, benefit patients and clinicians and provision of service. The audit may result in reduction of rebooking patients for repeat CT scan and cease the delay of treatment processes. Numerical

My role and responsibility: mothers' perspectives on overload in caring for children with cancer.

To understand the experience of maternal overload in caring for children with cancer from the mother's perspective. Symbolic Interactionism was adopted as a theoretical framework and the Grounded Theory as methodological framework. The study was conducted in a public hospital, which is reference in pediatric oncology. Data was collected from six mothers through semi-structured interviews in the second semester of 2017. Mothers of children with cancer attributed meaning to the care experience when trying to cope with the emotional, social, physical, financial, family-related, information and moral overload. Maternal overload arises as a dynamic inter-relation process between the many types of overload. The maternal figure is the main person involved in care and experiences overload in caring for their sick child, facing limitations and responsibilities. The research acted as a key element to broaden the analysis and intervention of the family nurse, not only contributing to the theoretical construct related to maternal overload, but also and mainly to the scope of practice in patient care.

Czernowitz/Cernăuţi/Chernovtsy/Chernivtsi/Czerniowce: A Testing Ground for Peaceful Coexistence in a Plural Society

In light of the growing xenophobia, racism, and neo-fascism evident in our world today, pre–World War II Czernowitz gains added significance. For Czernowitz was a center of intense intercultural exchange in a multiethnic sociotope where several different nationalities and religious denominations coexisted relatively peacefully. For the residents there, the homeland produced a multifaceted Austro-German, Austro-Jewish, Romanian, Ukrainian, and Yiddish literature. Some Bukovinian writers, journalists, historians, and political figures portrayed their homeland as a haven of peace and mutual understanding, while others invoked the conflicts that undermined ethnic and religious interrelations in the region. Several authors considered the precarious balance between tolerance and intolerance as Bukovina's salient feature. This essay analyzes the ways in which the master tropes inherent in different discourses about Czernowitz and Bukovina disclose the dynamic interrelations between several paradigms of pluralistic societies in their relationship to images of the "Other," calling into question epistemological premises of contemporary debates on multiculturalism.

On the Problems of Optimal and Minmax Type Control Under Vector Criteria

The topic of this paper is to solve two types of problems in controlled system dynamics formulated in terms of vector-valued criteria whose application depends on the type of ordering for the scalar participants of each such criterion. The first problem is that of optimal control under vector criterion with ordering of the Pareto type. The problem is to indicate the dynamics of the Pareto front. The second is that of finding vector-valued controls of the minmax type. Here the internal problem of dynamic maximization is due to a vector criterion with given type of ordering while the external problem is that of vector-valued dynamic minimization under another type of ordering. A similar situation arises for controls of the maxmin type. The paper indicates a variety of solution formulas that describe vector-valued dynamic interrelations for the problems of minmax and maxmin. The solutions are reached by using the Hamiltonian formalism. The suggested vector type of control problem settings are motivated by structure of system dynamics for physical motions, economics, finance, environmental models and related issues. Examples of applications are indicated.

Resonances of Chindon-ya: Sounding Space and Sociality in Contemporary Japan by Marié Abe

Reviewed by: Resonances of Chindon-ya: Sounding Space and Sociality in Contemporary Japan by Marié Abe Julia Topper Resonances of Chindon-ya: Sounding Space and Sociality in Contemporary Japan. By Marié Abe. Middletown, CT: Wesleyan Univer sity Press, 2018. [xxvi, 252 p. ISBN 9780819577788 (hardcover), $85; ISBN 9870819577795 (paperback), $27.95; ISBN 9780819577801 (e-book), price varies.] Online music and video examples, bibliography, index. Filling in a long-overlooked gap in ethnomusicological studies of Japanese music cultures, Marié Abe's richly detailed ethnographic work focuses on the practices of chindon-ya, the Japanese advertising bands. More specifically, Abe's work explores the ability of chindon-ya to both reinforce and challenge accepted narratives of homogeneity, difference, sociality, and public space in Japan. In trying to understand why chindon-ya—typically thought of as an old-fashioned, apolitical practice—has survived and has renewed relevance today, Abe demonstrates how sound, history, and sociality are interrelated through the soundings of chindon-ya and how they mutually produce space. Although it may be tempting to explain today's chindon-ya away as a nostalgic throwback to a prewesternized Japan, Abe's analysis delves much deeper, with very satisfying results. She demonstrates how chindon-ya performances enact a multiplicity of histories. These performances simultaneously attend to listeners in such a way that the troupes' goals of economic success and the creation of interpersonal sociality are successfully met. The book has three main tropes that serve to structure Abe's analysis: hibiki (resonance), bachigai (out of place), and nigiyakasa (noisiness/liveliness). Abe does an excellent job utilizing these concepts to tie together understandings of chindon-ya's affective soundings. The use of these three themes serves to analyze several aspects of chindon-ya: how its soundings create sociality; the sense of social, temporal, and spatial difference created and attended by chindon-ya's presence; and the festive and lively feelings indexed in the sounds of chindon-ya. All together, these tropes structure Abe's exploration of chindon-ya's contradictory nature, demonstrating how chindon-ya is both inherently grounded in capitalist modernity while also representing those marginalized by it and how it has become politicized. I especially appreciated how she firmly grounded chindonya as a product of Japanese culture while pushing against (and not resorting to) the trap of nihonjinron (theories that assume cultural, racial, and economic homogeneity of Japan through claims to a special uniqueness of the Japanese people), the echoes of which still threaten to come out in some ethnographic works on Japan. From the beginning, Abe's ethnographic stories draw the reader into the streets of Osaka and Tokyo, watching the chindon-ya and the effects of its resonances on listeners right alongside her. These types of depictions are crucial in bringing a living tradition off the page and into the reader's mind; [End Page 89] without them, there is a danger in such studies losing their vitality in a forest of dense academic prose. And while Abe's writing at times finds itself in danger of wandering into such a forest, her lively depictions of her interlocutors and their soundings keep the reader coming back to learn more. Abe's depictions are further enriched by the excellent photos and audiovisual fieldwork recordings that make up the accompanying media website at http://www.resonancesofchindon-ya.com (accessed 27 March 2020), which she encourages readers to refer to regularly while moving through the book. The prologue and introduction, ripe with ethnographic snapshots of chindon-ya, set the scene for the book and present its main arguments. As Abe writes, "Chindon-ya's sounds proffer a historical continuity in the understanding of streets as always heterogeneous and dynamic space produced through social relations, practices, and imaginaries. … At the center of this study of chindon-ya is a simple claim that dynamic interrelations of sound, history, and sociality produce space" (p. xxii). The introduction goes on to describe the sounds and practices of chindon-ya and an overview of its roots, history, and current form. Abe also introduces chindon-ya's ambiguities and contradictory nature through its transcultural root in both Japanese and European music—the debate of chindon-ya being understood as "not...

Risk preference: How decision maker's goal, current value state, and choice set work together.

When and why do people choose a more or a less risky option? To answer this question, we propose that it is essential to examine the dynamic interrelations among three factors-the decision maker's goal (e.g., promotion vs. prevention goal), the current value state (e.g., the domain of gains vs. losses), and the choice set (i.e., perceived available options). We review previous theories that highlight the significance of each of these three factors. We then propose a motivational framework of risk preference that describes how these three factors work together motivationally to impact risk preference, illustrated by evidence from regulatory focus research. We then draw on this new motivational framework to examine the ways in which achievement motivation, need for power, and need for relational security are related to decision under risk, and discuss the broader implications of this motivational framework of risk preference. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2019 APA, all rights reserved).

서울시 주택시장에서 주택유형별 매매가격과 전세가격의 동태적 상호관계

서울시 주택시장에서 주택유형별 매매가격과 전세가격의 동태적 상호관계

Digital consumer culture and digital acculturation

The advent of digital technology has significantly transformed human lives and added new dimensions to our consumption behaviours. Responding to these constant changes in socio-cultural dynamics, this commentary defines and theorises digital consumer culture and explains how digital consumer culture facilitates digital acculturation. We pioneer a conceptual framework that explains the reciprocal, iterative and dynamic inter-relationships between digital consumer culture and digital acculturation and spells out the three inherence characteristics of digital consumer culture. These include consumer empowerment, reciprocity between online and offline worlds and decompartmentalisation of identities; together they make digital consumer culture unique. Finally, by identifying and discussing three outcomes of digital acculturation: digital integration, digital separation and digital deprivation, we make further contribution to theories, with the view of generating debates in studying acculturation in the digital age.

System dynamics analysis of dental caries status among Thai adults and elderly

Purpose The purpose of this paper is to estimate the changes of dental caries status among Thai adults and elderly under the different policy options using system dynamics modeling. Design/methodology/approach A multi-sector system dynamics model was developed to capture the dynamic interrelationship between dental caries status changes and oral health behavior – including self-care, dental care utilization and sugar consumption. Data used to populate the model was obtained from the Thai national oral health survey in 2000, 2006, 2012 and Thailand Official Statistics Registration. Three policy scenarios were experimented in the model: health promotion policy, dental personnel policy and affordable dental care service policy. Findings Dental caries experiences among Thai adults and elderly were projected to increase from now to 2040, as the elderly population increases. Among all policies experimented herein, the combined policies of health promotion, increased affordability and capacity of dental health service were found to produce the highest improvement in dental caries status with 3.7 percent reduction of population with high decayed, missing and filled teeth (DMFT) and 5.2 percent increase in population with very low DMFT. Originality/value This study is the first comprehensive simulation model that attempts to explore the dynamic interrelationship among dental caries experiences and behavioral factors that impact on oral health outcomes. In addition, the simulation model herein offers a framework for policy experimentation that provides policymakers with additional insights to inform health policy planning.

FDI Inflow, ICT Expansion and Economic Growth: An Empirical Study on Asia-Pacific Developing Countries

This article attempts to examine the dynamic interrelationships among foreign direct investment (FDI) inflows, information and communication technology (ICT) expansion and economic growth empirically in the Asia-Pacific developing countries over the period of 2001–2017. Besides the significant economic effects of FDI inflows, several existing evidence also documents that progress of ICT plays a crucial role in promoting the productivity and efficiency particularly in developing economies during the present period, implying that ICT should be incorporated in a wide discussed FDI and economic growth relationship as per current necessitate. Moreover, different theories and empirics refer that FDI and ICT are also interrelated in various ways. In this context, 30 developing countries are chosen from the Asia-Pacific region to conduct some advanced panel data econometric exercises using the World Bank (2018) and World Telecommunication Indicators (2018) databases. Empirical estimations applying the panel fully modified ordinary least square, dynamic ordinary least square, pooled mean group estimator, mean group estimator and dynamic fixed effect methods reveal that both FDI and ICT have positive and significant effects on economic growth, and ICT expansion also positively influences FDI inflows in those countries. So, the ICT should be improved more as an infrastructure to receive more FDI inflows and also to experience better economic growth.

Export Performance of Linseed and Its Determinant in Ethiopia

This empirical study investigates the determinants of linseed export performance of Ethiopia over a period 1983-2017. The study identified four factors influencing export performance in terms of export earned like GDP, gross capital formation as a ratio of GDP, openness to trade and world price. As a first step unit root analysis was conducted to test the stationarity of the variables. The variables were non stationary at levels but stationary at their first difference. Second co integration test were employed to check the existence of long run relationship between non stationary variables and found that on co integrating relationship exists in the long run. As a last step vector error correction model was employed to describe the dynamic interrelationship between variables both in the short and long run. The results derived from this study suggest that all variables are significantly influencing on the export in the long run. In the long run, GDP and openness to trade are found to have a positive impact whereas; world price and capital formation had a negative impact. In the short run capital formation and world price had significantly influencing export performance whereas: GDP and openness to trade was insignificant Keywords: export, vector error correction model DOI : 10.7176/DCS/9-12-03 Publication date: December 31 st 2019

Diurnal Variation in Systemic Acute Inflammation and Clinical Outcomes Following Severe Blunt Trauma.

Animal studies suggest that the time of day is a determinant of the immunological response to both injury and infection. We hypothesized that due to this diurnal variation, time of injury could affect the systemic inflammatory response and outcomes post-trauma and tested this hypothesis by examining the dynamics of circulating inflammatory mediators in blunt trauma patients injured during daytime vs. nighttime. From a cohort of 472 blunt trauma survivors, two stringently matched sub-cohorts of moderately/severely injured patients [injury severity score (ISS) >20] were identified. Fifteen propensity-matched, daytime-inured (“mDay”) patients (age 43.6 ± 5.2, M/F 11/4, ISS 22.9 ± 0.7) presented during the shortest local annual period (8:00 am−5:00 pm), and 15 propensity-matched “mNight” patients (age 43 ± 4.3, M/F 11/4, ISS 24.5 ± 2.5) presented during the shortest night period (10:00 pm−5:00 am). Serial blood samples were obtained (3 samples within the first 24 h and daily from days 1–7) from all patients. Thirty-two plasma inflammatory mediators were assayed. Two-way Analysis of Variance (ANOVA) was used to compare groups. Dynamic Network Analysis (DyNA) and Dynamic Bayesian Network (DyBN) inference were utilized to infer dynamic interrelationships among inflammatory mediators. Both total hospital and intensive care unit length of stay were significantly prolonged in the mNight group. Circulating IL-17A was elevated significantly in the mNight group from 24 h to 7 days post-injury. Circulating MIP-1α, IL-7, IL-15, GM-CSF, and sST2 were elevated in the mDay group. DyNA demonstrated elevated network complexity in the mNight vs. the mDay group. DyBN suggested that cortisol and sST2 were central nodes upstream of TGF-β1, chemokines, and Th17/protective mediators in both groups, with IL-6 being an additional downstream node in the mNight group only. Our results suggest that time of injury affects clinical outcomes in severely injured patients in a manner associated with an altered systemic inflammation program, possibly implying a role for diurnal or circadian variation in the response to traumatic injury.

Optimization model and solution method for dynamically correlated two-product newsvendor problems based on Copula

<p style='text-indent:20px;'>In this paper, a two-product newsvendor problem is taken into consideration, where the demands of products are correlated random variables and the buyer is risk-averse. Some important qualitative properties of the constructed model are analyzed, particularly the gradient information of the model is obtained and incorporated into solution method of the model. Based on the theory of Copulas, an efficient algorithm, called the feasible-direction based BFGS algorithm, is developed for solution of the constrained optimization model. Case study shows the efficiency of model and algorithm, and numerical results demonstrate that compared with the situation of independent demands, the total order quantity reduces against the high dynamic interrelation coefficient of two demands with the same degree of risk-aversion, and the optimal order quantity decreases as the degree of risk-aversion becomes greater.

Rethinking Suicide in Rural Australia: A study Protocol for Examining and Applying Knowledge of the Social Determinants to Improve Prevention in Non-Indigenous Populations.

Disproportionate rates of suicide in rural Australia in comparison to metropolitan areas pose a significant public health challenge. The dynamic interrelationship between mental and physical health, social determinants, and suicide in rural Australia is widely acknowledged. Advancement of this knowledge, however, remains hampered by a lack of adequate theory and methods to understand how these factors interact, and the translation of this knowledge into constructive strategies and solutions. This paper presents a protocol for generating a comprehensive dataset of suicide deaths and factors related to suicide in rural Australia, and for building a program of research to improve suicide prevention policy and practice to better address the social determinants of suicide in non-indigenous populations. The two-phased study will use a mixed-methods design informed by intersectionality theory. Phase One will extract, code, and analyse quantitative and qualitative data on suicide in regional and remote Australia from the National Coronial Information System (NCIS). Phase Two will analyse suicide prevention at three interrelated domains: policy, practice, and research, to examine alignment with evidence generated in Phase One. Findings from Phase One and Two will then be integrated to identify key points in suicide prevention policy and practice where action can be initiated.

Music Within and About Myth / Myths About and Within Music: 30+ Years of Decentering Approaches to Discourse in Native Amazonia

This article starts by revisiting Sherzer and Urban's 1986 volume on Native South American Discourse as an important beginning for more integrative ways of exploring the dynamic interrelations between musicality and lexicality in native Amazonian discourse. Sherzer and Urban's focus on the intimate relationship between musicality and speech was a radical decentering of traditional linguistic approaches and was nicely complemented by the inclusion of a cassette recording that allowed readers to hear the sounds of native discourse genres in actually occurring performances. My article will survey some of the intellectual genealogies that have descended from the discourse‐centered approach during the three decades since 1986. Attention will be given to the diverse ways in which researchers have combined discourse‐centered approaches with music‐centered studies that attach equal significance to musicality and lexicality.

The PHD Method for Psychotherapy: Integrating Phenomenology, Hermeneutics, and Psychodynamics

This paper, endorsing the dialogical perspective in psychotherapy, provides a synopsis of the PHD psychotherapy method, based on the integration of phenomenology, hermeneutics and psychodynamics. The first section covers the background knowledge required for PHD psychotherapy, consolidating and extending three basic concepts: life-world (the originary domain of a person’s experience), dialectical principle (psychopathological symptoms are the result of a disproportion between the occurrence of alterity and the person’s capacity to make sense of it), dialogical principle (individual human consciousness is inherently dialogical since it is formed in the dynamic interrelation of self and other). The second section describes the know-how or practical implementation of these principles, including (1) the phenomenological unfolding (P) of the patient’s experiences, which equips the clinician and patient with a systematic knowledge of the abnormal phenomena that affect the patient and are part of her life-world; (2) the hermeneutic moment (H), which focuses on the patient’s default interpretation of her experiences and then encourages her to actively take a different perspective towards her experiences, aiming at the resignification of these experiences in order to restore a sense of agency or responsibility; (3) the (psycho-)dynamic moment (D), which aims to contextualize the patient’s psychopathological experiences and position-taking within the personal life-history in which they are embedded, and to trace back psychopathological symptoms to the limit-situation from which they emerge. The final section discusses the “something more” or knowing how-to-be that is required of a clinician who aims to apply this therapeutic method; it includes a concise discussion of how psychotherapeutic dialogue is a kind of practice that moves in unpredictable directions to experience something new for both partners.