The FDA's potential decision to prohibit menthol cigarettes could lead to some current menthol smokers exploring other tobacco products. This qualitative research delved into the experiences surrounding the transition from menthol cigarettes to OTPs. A behavioral economic study involving 40 participants who smoke menthol cigarettes measured the effects of menthol cigarette price hikes on over-the-counter (OTP) purchasing behaviors. Menthol cigarettes, commanding the highest possible price, were prohibitively expensive for many participants. Rather than those options, individuals could opt for non-menthol cigarettes, little cigars/cigarillos (LCCs), electronic cigarettes, smokeless tobacco, or medicinal nicotine, or they could choose not to consume tobacco products. The OTPs, purchased by participants, provided three days of access. In follow-up sessions, 35 participants underwent semi-structured interviews, detailing their purchasing choices and experiences with OTPs in place of menthol cigarettes. Reflexive thematic analysis methods were utilized in the evaluation of the interviews. The purchasing decisions were influenced by multiple factors: flavor, price, history with OTPs, interest in exploring new OTPs, and the perceived capacity to reduce nicotine cravings. E-cigarette users reported positive outcomes, praising the invigorating menthol flavor, the practicality of use in smoke-free zones, and the convenience surpassing that of smoking. narrative medicine A significant portion of non-menthol cigarette smokers perceived the cigarettes as acceptable, yet less satisfying than their menthol counterparts; others described negative reactions, like a cardboard-like taste. Reactions to the act of smoking LCCs were overwhelmingly unfavorable, but participants highlighted its use as a lighting implement. The prospect of menthol cigarette regulation prompts a multifaceted analysis of OTP adoption, including the availability of menthol substitutes and (dis)satisfaction with existing OTPs.
Africa, with a relatively low smoking rate, provides scarce information concerning hardening or softening indicators. Our objective was to explore the drivers of hardening across nine African countries. Using data from the recent Global Adult Tobacco Survey encompassing Botswana, Cameroon, Egypt, Ethiopia, Kenya, Nigeria, Senegal, Tanzania, and Uganda (72,813 participants), we performed two separate analyses: 1) a multilevel logistic regression to determine individual and country-level variables associated with hardcore, heavy, and light smoking; 2) a Spearman rank correlation to analyze the association between daily smoking and hardcore, heavy, and light smoking patterns at a national level. Egypt displayed the highest age-standardized daily smoking prevalence among men at 373% (95% CI 344, 403), significantly higher than Nigeria's 61% (95% CI 35, 63); conversely, Botswana's women showed a smoking prevalence of 23% (95% CI 07, 39), contrasting with the extremely low 03% (95% CI 02, 07) in Senegal. Male smokers, particularly those with a high dependence, showed a greater prevalence compared to women, while the opposite trend was observed among light smokers. At the individual level, an association was found between higher age and lower education, and a greater chance of being a hardcore smoker with high dependence. Policies discouraging smoking within the home revealed lower chances of individuals being categorized as both hardcore and heavily dependent smokers. Daily smoking rates exhibited a weak negative correlation with hardcore smoking (r = -0.243, 95% CI -0.781, 0.502) amongst men, and a negative association with high dependence (r = -0.546, 95% CI -0.888, 0.185) and a positive correlation with light smokers (r = 0.252, 95% CI -0.495, 0.785) among women. Bafilomycin A1 Variations in hardening determinants were observed among nations within the African region. Heavy smoking exhibits pronounced sex-based and social inequalities, issues that necessitate intervention.
The COVID-19 pandemic spurred an impressive outpouring of social science research. This study analyzes the burgeoning COVID-19 literature by implementing bibliometric co-citation network analysis. The investigation draws on 3327 peer-reviewed studies published during the initial pandemic year from the Clarivate Web of Science database, and their shared references, totalling 107396. A central medical core of COVID-19 pandemic research is the focus of nine distinct disciplinary research clusters, as indicated by the findings. Initial analyses of the COVID-19 pandemic's global spread revealed a complex interplay of emerging trends, including the downturn in tourism, the escalation of fear, the contagion of financial markets, intensified health monitoring, shifts in criminal activity, the mental health toll of isolation, and the collective impact of trauma, and others. The early challenges in communication, exacerbated by an infodemic, necessitate a broader effort to mitigate the harmful effects of misinformation. Across the social sciences, as this corpus of work continues to develop, crucial points of contact, consistent subjects, and enduring consequences of this momentous occasion are revealed.
Regarding AI patents in EU countries, we present two models that analyze spatial and temporal patterns. Importantly, models possess the ability to numerically represent interactions between nations, and elucidate the substantial growth trends in AI patents. Poisson regression models collaboration between nations, as measured by shared patent counts. We applied Bayesian inference to measure the potency of interactions between European Union countries and the broader international sphere. Precisely, a substantial lack of cooperation was identified within certain country interactions. A logistic curve growth model, interwoven with an inhomogeneous Poisson process, accurately represents the temporal trend through a precise trend line. Analysis of patent filings over time, using Bayesian techniques, predicted a slowdown to come.
Oral implantology's dynamic nature is demonstrably clear through the substantial quantity of research publications annually appearing in scientific journals. Journal articles, when subjected to bibliometric analysis, showcase the evolution and prevailing trends in their publications. In order to determine the development and tendencies of scientific production within Clinical Implant Dentistry and Related Research (CIDRR) from 2016 to 2020, a comprehensive bibliometric analysis was implemented. We also explored the interplay between these variables and the citations they garnered. In order to ascertain certain insights, 599 articles were investigated. Of all publications, seventy-seven point four percent were authored by four to six individuals, with seventy-eight point four percent having affiliations within one to three institutions. In both the initial and concluding author positions, male researchers were overwhelmingly present. China demonstrated a higher volume of publications when examining individual authors' affiliations; notwithstanding, the bulk (409%) of researchers were located within the European Union's Western European region. Extensive research of implant/abutment design and surface treatment yielded 191% focus. A substantial 9299% of the published works were clinical research articles, showcasing a strong dominance of cross-sectional observational studies, amounting to 217%. Articles originating from the United States of America, Canada, the EU, and Western Europe demonstrated a positive association with the impact factor. The study uncovered an upward trend in Asian research output, particularly from China, while European research output experienced a downturn. Translational studies suffered a decline in influence, as clinical trials rose in significance. A rising preponderance in the relative weight of female authors' writings was acknowledged with appreciation. The occurrence of journal citations was related to the study variables.
This paper assesses the accuracy and comprehensiveness of Wikipedia's portrayal of the Nobel Prize-winning CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing technique. nonsense-mediated mRNA decay We propose and evaluate various heuristics for aligning publications from multiple corpora with the central Wikipedia article on CRISPR, as well as its entire revision history, to discover related Wikipedia articles and study its referencing structure. By comparing Wikipedia's CRISPR lead article with the Web of Science (WoS) database, a WoS-based field-specific corpus, top-cited articles within that corpus, and publications referenced in field-specific reviews, we evaluate the extent to which its cited literature conforms to scientific standards and inner-disciplinary perspectives. We examine the temporal lag in citations, comparing citation delays in Wikipedia articles referencing publications to the evolution of citation patterns over time for those same publications. Our investigation reveals that searches employing the title, DOI, and PMID are sufficient, with no substantial improvement achievable through more advanced search techniques. Wikipedia's use of references showcases a reliance on significant publications that are both highly cited and recognized by experts, but it also incorporates lesser-known materials, and to a degree, even literature that falls outside the strictly scientific category. Compared to publication years, Wikipedia entries, especially concerning the central CRISPR article, show a connection between the ongoing development within the field and the editor's subsequent engagement and activity.
The research evaluation procedures of numerous countries and institutions today utilize bibliometric appraisals for assessing the quality of academic journals. Although metrics like impact factor and quartile ranking are often used to evaluate journal quality, these measures might produce a skewed appraisal for new, regional, or less prominent journals, as such publications typically lack a prolonged history and may be absent from indexing systems. In order to diminish the information gap between the academic community (researchers, editors, and policymakers) and journal management, we present a new method for evaluating journal quality based on authors' past publication records.