Prior Experience Research Articles

Third-party intervention in high-risk situations in Africa: exploring factors influencing bystander intervention in sexual violence among college students

ABSTRACT In recent times, bystander intervention has become an integral part of the effort to address the high prevalence rates of sexual violence on college campuses. Bystanders put their lives at risk by preventing high-risk situations from happening. Despite their critical role, bystander intervention has not been adequately examined to understand their decision-making process. The current study examined the behaviour of bystanders from an African perspective using college student data from Ghana and Ivory Coast. Specifically, the study examined the influence of sexual consent attitudes, personality traits, sense of community, and prior experiences of sexual violence on two dimensions of bystander intervention. The results revealed that lack of behavioural control, sexual consent norms, and a sense of community influence bystanders’ decision to intervene. Also, while personality traits failed to explain bystander behaviour, experience with sexual violence did. These findings offer important insights into developing effective sexual assault programmes on campus.

Translation, validation, and comparison of genetic knowledge scales in Greek and German.

Introduction : Advances in biosciences have significantly expanded our knowledge and capabilities in medicine and technology. Genetic tests can now predict hereditary predisposition or susceptibility to diseases, while gene-editing tools like CRISPR/Cas enable easy repair of disease genes in both somatic and germline cells, ensuring permanent genome correction. Despite these advancements, there is a shortage of valid instruments for studying the knowledge about these technologies. To fill this gap, our study aims to translate and validate various scales to effectively measure the public's knowledge of genetics. Methods: A convenience sample of N = 567 (Germany n = 317, Greece n = 250) participants completed a Google Forms questionnaire between December 2022 and June 2023, which included the General Knowledge of Genes and Heredity (GKGH), Knowledge about Gene-Environment Interaction (KGEI), and Knowledge of Modern Genetics and Genomics (KMGG) questionnaires. Analyses included internal consistency, structural validity, construct validity, and retest reliability with a subset of n = 72 (DE) and n = 50 (GR). Correlation analyses and group differences were evaluated for gender, education, religiosity, age, prior experience with genetic testing, and preferences toward potential providers of genetic testing. This study used the STROBE checklist for reporting. Results: The GKGH exhibited low values in internal consistency and item analysis, along with a ceiling effect within the German group. However, it demonstrated good values in retest and construct validity. In the Greek group, all properties were highly satisfactory. The KMGG consistently displayed excellent properties across all analyses, whereas the KGEI only showed convincing results in construct validity and item analysis. Discussion: The GKGH and KMGG demonstrated strong psychometric properties with varying difficulty levels dependent on the sample, with the German sample demonstrating a notably higher understanding of genetic technologies. Despite displaying acceptable properties, the KGEI fell short of measuring what its title suggests. Participants' level of education showed a significant correlation with knowledge of genetic technologies, and only in the Greek sample did experiences with genetic tests influence knowledge. Preferences regarding availability of genetic testing are comparable between the two countries, with variations influenced by factors such as age, gender and religiosity.

Imprinting of serum neutralizing antibodies by Wuhan-1 mRNA vaccines.

Immune imprinting is a phenomenon in which prior antigenic experiences influence responses to subsequent infection or vaccination1,2. The effects of immune imprinting on serum antibody responses after boosting with variant-matched SARS-CoV-2 vaccines remain uncertain. Here we characterized the serum antibody responses after mRNA vaccine boosting of mice and human clinical trial participants. In mice, a single dose of a preclinical version of mRNA-1273 vaccine encoding Wuhan-1 spike protein minimally imprinted serum responses elicited by Omicron boosters, enabling generation of type-specific antibodies. However, imprinting was observed in mice receiving an Omicron booster after two priming doses of mRNA-1273, an effect that was mitigated by a second booster dose of Omicron vaccine. In both SARS-CoV-2-infected and uninfected humans who received two Omicron-matched boosters after two or more doses of the prototype mRNA-1273 vaccine, spike-binding and neutralizing serum antibodies cross-reacted with Omicron variants as well as more distantly related sarbecoviruses. Because serum neutralizing responses against Omicron strains and other sarbecoviruses were abrogated after pre-clearing with Wuhan-1 spike protein, antibodies induced by XBB.1.5 boosting in humans focus on conserved epitopes targeted by the antecedent mRNA-1273 primary series. Thus, the antibody response to Omicron-based boosters in humans is imprinted by immunizations with historical mRNA-1273 vaccines, but this outcome may be beneficial as it drives expansion of cross-neutralizing antibodies that inhibit infection of emerging SARS-CoV-2 variants and distantly related sarbecoviruses.

Short-term meditation training alters brain activity and sympathetic responses at rest, but not during meditation

Although more people are engaging in meditation practices that require specialized training, few studies address the issues associated with nervous activity pattern changes brought about by such training. For beginners, it remains unclear how much practice is needed before objective physiological changes can be detected, whether or not they are similar across the novices and what are the optimal strategies to track these changes. To clarify these questions we recruited individuals with no prior meditation experience. The experimental group underwent an eight-week Taoist meditation course administered by a professional, while the control group listened to audiobooks. Both groups participated in audio-guided, 34-min long meditation sessions before and after the 8-week long intervention. Their EEG, photoplethysmogram, respiration, and skin conductance were recorded during the mediation and resting state periods. Compared to the control group, the experimental group exhibited band-specific topically organized changes of the resting state brain activity and heart rate variability associated with sympathetic system activation. Importantly, no significant changes were found during the meditation process prior and post the 8-week training in either of the groups. The absence of notable changes in CNS and ANS activity indicators during meditation sessions, for both the experimental and control groups, casts doubt on the effectiveness of wearable biofeedback devices in meditation practice. This finding redirects focus to the importance of monitoring resting state activity to evaluate progress in beginner meditators. Also, 16 h of training is not enough for forming individual objectively different strategies manifested during the meditation sessions. Our results contributed to the development of tools to objectively monitor the progress in novice meditators and the choice of the relevant monitoring strategies. According to our findings, in order to track early changes brought about by the meditation practice it is preferable to monitor brain activity outside the actual meditation sessions.

A general framework for developing computable clinical phenotype algorithms.

Present a general framework providing high-level guidance to developers of computable algorithms for identifying patients with specific clinical conditions (phenotypes) through a variety of approaches, including but not limited to machine learning and natural language processing methods to incorporate rich electronic health record data. Drawing on extensive prior phenotyping experiences and insights derived from three algorithm development projects conducted specifically for this purpose, our team with expertise in clinical medicine, statistics, informatics, pharmacoepidemiology, and healthcare data science methods conceptualized stages of development and corresponding sets of principles, strategies, and practical guidelines for improving the algorithm development process. We propose five stages of algorithm development and corresponding principles, strategies, and guidelines: 1) assessing fitness-for-purpose, 2) creating gold standard data, 3) feature engineering, 4) model development, and 5) model evaluation. This framework is intended to provide practical guidance and serve as a basis for future elaboration and extension.

Enhancing diabetes therapy adherence: a comprehensive study on glucometer usability for type 2 diabetes patients.

Self-monitoring of blood glucose (SMBG) is a vital practice for type 2 diabetes (T2DM), and glucometers have the potential to improve therapy adherence. However, characteristics of glucometers improving their usability are underexplored. A knowledge gap exists regarding patients under 65, warranting further research for diabetes care improvement. Thus, this study aims to gather insights on glucometer accessibility, by analyzing the case of the Accu-Chek® Instant glucometer by Roche Diabetes Care GmbH. Starting from a previous study having the objective of investigating devices' features able to improve SMBG in over 65 T2DM patients, using the same device, we enlarged the scale, designing a survey that collected answers from 1145 patients of the Center and South of Italy, both under and over 65. 957 answers were analyzed, according to a threshold of 50% completion of the answers. Our results show the major characteristics presented in Accu-Chek® Instant are appreciated differently between patients under 65 and over 65, and between patients with or without previous experience with a glucometer. It emerged how Accu-Chek® was perceived as more user-friendly among individuals under 65 compared to those aged 65 and over, where more people had prior experience, indicating how such a glucometer can be particularly helpful for naive patients. The study provides valuable insights to the academic discourse on glucometer features and their influence on therapy adherence.

Enhancing Pediatric Dental Care: The Influence of Virtual Reality.

The purpose of this study was to assess the effects of virtual reality (VR) in reducing pain and anxiety levels in children. The study also compared active and passive distraction methods using VR during the delivery of inferior alveolar nerve blocks (IANBs) in dental procedures in children. The study comprised 45 preschool patients, aged between 4 and 6 years, with no prior dental anesthetic experience. The participants were randomly assigned to three groups based on the sort of management style: Group A used the tell-show-do technique, Group B engaged in passive distraction by watching cartoons using a VR headset, and Group C participated in active distraction by playing games using a controller with the VR headset. Pain and anxiety were evaluated using physiological measurements, namely by analyzing the variations in blood pressure, heart rate, and oxygen saturation before and after the administration of IANB. Psychological assessments were conducted using the Wong-Baker faces scale, Modified Dental Anxiety scale questionnaires, and Revised Face, Legs, Activity, Cry and Consolability scale after administering IANB. The physiological outcomes revealed no statistically significant differences in blood pressure and oxygen saturation. However, there was a statistically significant increase in the heart rate in group A compared with groups B and C. In terms of psychological measurements, groups B and C exhibited a significant improvement in pain experience and a decrease in anxiety. This study concluded that VR reduced pain and anxiety levels in its passive and active forms.

How students learn to lead in pre- and early-career experiences.

This study illuminates the leadership experiences of undergraduate business students undertaking a 1-year work placement. Semi-structured interviews and reflective journals were used to explore the students' leadership experiences before and during their placement. Through reflection on these experiences, students were able to make sense of their own leadership learning as well as develop their leadership identity. A main contribution of this study has been the formulation of a theoretical model that fully acknowledges prior lived experience, and the multi-layered and complex process of leadership identity development.

Balancing act: Navigating the tensions between patenting practices and open science in Chilean academic research

This study aims to understand the relationship between academic patenting and secrecy in three key areas: the delay in publishing patentable results, the refusal of requests for research outcomes, and the perception of patent clarity drafting. Based on a dataset of Chilean university researchers, we conduct logistic regression models to understand the propensity to delay the publishing of patentable results, the probability of denying requests for research outcomes, and the likelihood of researchers perceiving their patents as clearly drafted. Controls used relate to the seniority of the researcher, the scientific field, whether the university is private or public, and whether the researcher previously worked with industry. Additionally, some constructs reflecting the researcher's perception regarding the patenting system within academic research were obtained through exploratory factor analysis and then incorporated as controls. The analysis reveals a positive correlation between prior patenting experience and publication delay. However, we found no correlation between previous patenting and the propensity to reject requests for research results. Both behaviors were negatively correlated to researcher seniority, gauged by the h-index, and positively correlated to forestry and agricultural technology sciences activity. Researchers who experienced denial of their requests were more likely to reciprocate refusal. Notably, a negative perception of the patent system within academic research was associated with a belief in drafting clearer patents. These findings suggest an environment of selective openness in academic networks, with researchers balancing full disclosure and secrecy. The paper studies three dimensions of secrecy in academic patenting through the novel data set. This study deepens our understanding of academic patenting practices, uncovering some complex dynamics shaping knowledge diffusion within universities.

Challenges of disaster risk communication from the perspectives of experts and affected people: A conventional content analysis

Effective risk communication is essential for disaster risk management. It is necessary to understand the present contextual factors to select appropriate strategies to enhance risk communication. Therefore, this study aimed to explore the factors that create challenges for risk communication in Iran. Using a qualitative methodology, this research included 25 managers, rescuers, and event survivors with prior experience responding to disasters. Data were collected via semi-structured interviews and analyzed using conventional content analysis. Data analysis resulted in the identification of four categories and eleven subcategories related to the factors that facilitated the formation of challenging risk communication. These categories include distrust (distrust in public warnings, public distrust in relief organizations), ineffective information dissemination (ineffective informing authority, irresponsible dissemination of information, negligence in information transparency), insufficient educational communication (limited training capacity, universal education restriction, extensive educational infrastructure), and uncertain warning messages (uncertain content of warning messages, alert channels diversity, delayed warning messages). Multiple contextual elements thus contribute to ineffectual risk communication, the most significant of which is diminished public confidence in relief organizations. Identifying these factors provides a basis for relief organizations to anticipate and plan long-term strategies to improve communication between relief organizations and the public, thereby increasing the preparedness of individuals for disaster response.

Neuropsychological mechanisms of observational learning in human placebo effects.

Scientific evidence indicates that placebo effects are psychoneurobiological events involving the contribution of distinct central nervous systems and peripheral physiological mechanisms that influence pain perception and other symptoms. Placebo effects can occur without formal conditioning and direct prior experience because crucial information can be acquired through observational learning. Observation of benefits in another person results in placebo effects of a magnitude like those induced by directly experiencing an analgesic benefit. Understanding the psychological mechanisms of observationally induced placebo effects is a complex and multifaceted endeavor. While previous reviews have highlighted various frameworks and models to understand these phenomena, the underlying biological mechanisms have been overlooked. We summarize critically current understanding of its behavioral and neural mechanisms. Understanding the neural mechanisms of hypoalgesia driven by observation can serve as a foundation for future development of novel theoretical and methodological approaches and ultimately, applications.

Judges, Out-Of-Court Rewards, and In-Court Behavior: Evidence From an Italian Legal Reform

We empirically assess how out-of-court monetary rewards influence related in-court judicial behavior. In Italy, before a legal reform, Council of State judges were chosen by big law firms to serve as arbitrators in out-of-court arbitrations involving big law firm clients. Drawing on case-level data on Council decisions and using a difference-in-differences approach, we establish three central findings. First, before the legal reform, and consistent with the argument that judges strove to compensate big law firms for afforded out-of-court earning opportunities, big law firms were more likely to win Council cases when those cases were presided over by judges with prior arbitration experience. Second, as a result of a 2010 announcement of an anticorruption law reform that banned judicial participation in arbitrations, big law firms’ winning prospects in Council cases presided by judges with prior arbitration experience decreased by 33.4 percentage points. Third, following the law’s enactment, the success rate of big law firms in these cases converged to the success rate of big law firms in analogous court cases presided by judges without prior arbitration experience. Our analysis provides evidence of the importance of extrinsic motives for judicial behavior.

Fundamentals and emerging optical applications of hexagonal boron nitride: a tutorial

Hexagonal boron nitride (hBN), also known as white graphite, is a transparent layered crystal with a wide bandgap. Its crystal structure resembles graphite, featuring layers composed of honeycomb lattices held together through van der Waals forces. The layered crystal structure of hBN facilitates exfoliation into thinner flakes and makes it highly anisotropic in in-plane and out-of-plane directions. Unlike graphite, hBN is both insulating and transparent, making it an ideal material for isolating devices from the environment and acting as a waveguide. As a result, hBN has found extensive applications in optical devices, electronic devices, and quantum photonic devices. This comprehensive tutorial aims to provide readers with a thorough understanding of hBN, covering its synthesis, lattice and spectroscopic characterization, and various applications in optoelectronic and quantum photonic devices. This tutorial is designed for both readers without prior experience in hBN and those with expertise in specific fields seeking to understand its relevance and connections to others.

Putting the ready in readiness: A post-hoc analysis of surgeon performance during a military MASCAL in Afghanistan.

All military surgeons must maintain trauma capabilities for expeditionary care contexts, yet most are not trauma specialists. Maintaining clinical readiness for trauma and mass casualty care is a significant challenge for military and civilian surgeons. We examined the effect of a prescribed clinical readiness program for expeditionary trauma care on the surgical performance of 12 surgeons during a 60-patient MASCAL event. The sample included orthopaedic (4) and general surgeons (8) who cared for MASCAL victims at Hamad Karzai International Airport, Kabul, Afghanistan on 26 August 2021. One orthopaedic and two general surgeons had prior deployment experience. The prescribed program included three primary measures of clinical readiness: 1. expeditionary knowledge (exam score), 2. procedural skills competencies (performance assessment score), 3. clinical activity (operative practice profile metric). Data were attained from program records for each surgeon in the sample. Each of the 60 patient cases were reviewed and rated (performance score) by The Joint Trauma System's Performance Improvement Branch; a military-wide performance improvement organization. All scores were normalized to facilitate direct comparisons using effect size calculations between each pre-deployment measure and MASCAL surgical care. Pre-deployment knowledge and clinical activity measures met program benchmarks. Baseline pre-deployment procedural skills competency scores did not meet program benchmarks, however those gaps were closed through re-training, ensuring all surgeons met or exceeded the program benchmarks pre-deployment. There were very large effect sizes (Cohen's d) between all program measures and surgical care score, confirming the relationship between the program measures and MASCAL trauma care provided by the 12 surgeons. The prescribed program measures ensured all surgeons achieved pre-deployment performance benchmarks and provided high quality trauma care to our nation's servicemembers. Prognostic, Level III/IV.

Patient Attitudes Toward Self- or Partner-, Friend-, or Family-Administered Long-acting Injectable Antiretroviral Therapy: A Mixed-Methods Study Across 3 Urban Human Immunodeficiency Virus Clinics.

Long-acting injectable (LAI) cabotegravir/rilpivirine (CAB/RPV) offers a novel drug delivery option for persons with human immunodeficiency virus (PWH) but requires administration every 4 or 8 weeks by a medical professional. To facilitate LAI antiretroviral therapy (ART) scale-up, we evaluated patient interest in alternative administration approaches via a mixed-methods, serial cross-sectional study across 3 US HIV clinics. We surveyed PWH (December 2021 to May 2022) on appeal of self- or partner/friend/family-administered LAI-CAB/RPV; multivariable ordinal logistic regression explored associated characteristics. To contextualize survey results, we thematically analyzed semi-structured interview data collected from PWH (August 2020 to July 2021) on attitudes toward out-of-clinic LAI-ART administration. Among 370 surveyed PWH (median age, 46 years; 26% cisgender female, 59% Black, 56% sexual minority, 34% housing instability), self-administering LAI-CAB/RPV appealed to 67%. PWH who were White (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 3.30 [95% confidence interval {CI}, 1.42-7.64]), stably housed (aOR, 2.16 [95% CI, 1.30-3.59]), or gay/bisexual (aOR, 1.81 [1.14-2.89]) were more likely to endorse self-administration. Fewer PWH (60%) reported partner/friend/family administration as appealing; adjusted models revealed similar sociodemographic preferences for this outcome. In 72 interviews, PWH noted that acceptability of out-of-clinic LAI-ART administration was qualified by convenience, prior injection experience, and potential fear of self-inflicted pain, dependence on others, and/or HIV disclosure. In a multisite sample of PWH, self- and, to a lesser extent, partner/friend/family-administration of LAI-CAB/RPV appealed to most; however, was less appealing among populations more impacted by health disparities. Innovative LAI-ART delivery options could free up in-clinic resources to focus scale-up among marginalized populations.

Student-generated multimedia for supporting learning in an undergraduate physiotherapy course

Outside the university, rapid authoring tools and ubiquitous technologies have fuelled a rise in usergenerated multimedia and participatory culture. The educational equivalent, digital student-generated content, has been heralded as one approach for supporting active and student-centered learning. This is especially relevant in tertiary education, where multimedia is mainly used as a method for transmission of content. Though student-generated multimedia may seem pedagogically ideal, especially for applied areas such as Health Sciences, the diversity of adoptions and limited evidence in the area make broad claims to its efficacy difficult to support. This study uses mixed methods to assess the outcomes of a student-generated multimedia assignment within a third-year university physiotherapy subject. This study found that all students were able to complete the assessment task in a way that demonstrated key disciplinary learning and professional communication skills despite many not having prior experience of this kind of assessment. Student survey data demonstrated that students were able to navigate between new tools and methods to achieve a complex task. While multimedia gave students new and creative ways through which to engage with practitioners, patients and the profession, attitudes varied in accordance with student self-efficacy and confidence. The self-directed nature of the task appears to be both an opportunity and a challenge. These findings further contribute to our understanding of implementing student-generated multimedia projects and extend this knowledge to the health sciences’ discipline.

An automated approach for hemocytometer cell counting based on image-processing method

Evaluating cell viability plays an important role in routine cell culture, toxicology, and drug development. Trypan blue stain is one of the simplest assays that are used to determine the number of viable cells in a cell suspension. The stained cell suspension can then be counted under a microscope using a hemocytometer. Hemocytometers have a fixed volume, making it possible to calculate the concentration of cells in the sample and measure viability. Most of the related studies are conducted using manual counting methods. However, manual counting is time-consuming and laborious. While various automated cell counting devices have been proposed, they tend to be too expensive for widespread deployment. Although low-cost automated cell counting methods presented in the literatures provide high accuracy and cost-effective alternatives, only cells in the field of view of microscope with unknown volume are counted. This will make the concentration inestimable. Accordingly, the present study proposes a low-cost but accurate method for hemocytometer cell counting using an image-processing approach. The accuracy of the proposed method is demonstrated by comparing the cell counting results obtained for human cervical carcinoma (HeLa) cells with the manual counts. It is shown that the proposed approach has a mean absolute percentage error of less than 6.26 % for samples containing a mixture of live and dead cells. Moreover, the proposed system is equipped with a simple and intuitive human machine interface such that the counting task can be performed by individuals with no prior experience in the image-processing field.

Adaptive fast nonlinear blind deconvolution based on nonuniform particle swarm optimization for the rolling bearing fault diagnosis

Although superior fault extraction performance is possessed by fast nonlinear blind deconvolution (FNBD) through the introduction of penalty terms and nonlinear features, its wide application is limited by the complexity and diversity of parameter selection. The fault extraction performance of FNBD is impacted by the contingency of parameter selection. To reduce the prior experience dependence of FNBD and improve the performance of fault extraction, an end-to-end adaptive fast nonlinear blind deconvolution (AFNBD) is proposed. First, the proposed nonuniform particle swarm optimization (NPSO) is employed to assign parameters to be optimized for each particle to construct its Hankel matrix, nonlinear features and objective functions. Secondly, Gaussian fitting is applied to modify the filters. Then, NPSO is utilized to update relevant parameters and the corresponding filter of each particle to explore the optimum filter. Finally, simulations and experiments verify the effectiveness of AFNBD and the results indicate that AFNBD is a powerful tool for incipient fault feature extraction.

Are You Watching or Warning? the Role of Comprehension, Warning Lead Time and Prior Experience On Individual Preparation of Tornadic Events

This study examines how prior experience with tornados and predicted warning lead times of severe weather may influence one’s willingness to take protective action when a potential tornadic event is imminent. Using theoretical constructs from the Protective Action Decision Model and Risk Information Seeking and Processing model, the project examines how individuals make decisions about taking protective action and what factors motivate them during severe weather. The overall focus of the study is the impact of prior experience with tornados, geographic location and amount of warning lead time on an individual’s likelihood to prepare for potential severe weather. A survey of 679 mid-south residents provided insight into their perceptions of warning language and events. Results indicated that individuals who live in rural areas and those who have more prior experience with tornadic events are more likely to engage in protective behavior. Further, an interaction was noted, indicating those with more prior experience with tornados reporting that they needed less warning lead time to prepare when compared to those with less prior experience, who reported they wished for more lead warning time. Finally, definitions of “tornado warning” noted that more than half of participants did correctly identify its meaning.

EXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) for facilitating recognition of algorithmic bias: An experiment from imposed users’ perspectives

This study explored the potential of eXplainable Artificial Intelligence (XAI) in raising user awareness of algorithmic bias. This study examined the popular “explanation by example” XAI approach, where users receive explanatory examples resembling their input. As this XAI approach allows users to gauge the congruence between these examples and their circumstances, perceived incongruence then evokes perceptions of unfairness and exclusion, prompting users not to put blind trust in the system and raising awareness of algorithmic bias stemming from non-inclusive datasets. The results further highlight the moderating role of users’ prior experience with discrimination.