To investigate the associations of the presence, duration, and co-occurrence of chronic inflammatory diseases with age-related hearing loss. This cross-sectional investigation included 583 subjects aged over 60 years. The participants were divided into two categories: healthy cohort (Group H, n = 65) and inflammation cohort (Group I, n = 518). Group I was defined by the presence of at least one chronic inflammatory condition. Participants’ smoking history was gathered and evaluated as a possible confounding factor. Hearing assessments were conducted using extended high-frequency audiometry, measuring thresholds from 125-18000 Hz. To analyze the association between hearing thresholds and inflammation duration, regression analysis was employed, with age as a controlled variable. Participants in Group I demonstrated significantly elevated hearing thresholds at extended high frequencies compared to those in Group H ( p < 0.05). The duration of chronic inflammatory diseases was significantly associated with elevated hearing thresholds at high frequencies (4000, 8000, 10000, and 12500 Hz) ( p < 0.05) regardless of age. The presence of co-occurring inflammatory conditions did not show a significant impact on hearing thresholds. The impact of aging on hearing thresholds, particularly at higher frequencies, appears to be more pronounced in individuals with longer durations of chronic inflammatory conditions.
This study analyses the effects of justice on economic growth. In this context, the study investigates the impact of justice on per capita income in 43 middle-income countries between 2005–2021 with Parks-Kmenta, Beck-Katz estimators and the extended mean group estimator (AMG). Rule of law and democracy variables are used as justice indicators. National income per capita is used as an indicator of economic growth, and national income, fixed capital investments, fertility rates, public expenditures, education expenditures, life expectancy and openness to internationalization are used as control variables. The findings show that the rule of law has a positive effect on per capita GDP in Albania, Armenia, Ecuador, Jordan, Malaysia, North Macedonia, South Africa, Thailand and El Salvador. Democracy only has a positive effect on GDP per capita in Turkey. The study contributes to the limited literature on the relationship justice and economic grow. It differs from the literature by analysing the effects of the rule of law and democracy both on a country group basis and country-specific effects.
Poor infrastructure and high domestic shipping costs are often cited as important impediments to economic activity in developing countries. Domestic shipping being mostly overland, understanding the level and structure of costs in road freight transportation could thus help formulate policies that aim to lower them. This review provides a summary of overland transport cost estimates with a focus on trucking, the dominant mode of domestic freight. By describing conceptual issues, highlighting sources of data and alternative methodologies with their key findings, it is intended to help practitioners and researchers navigate the literature.
Psoriasis is a chronic inflammatory skin disease associated with significant sexual health burdens. Sexual dysfunction in patients with psoriasis is closely linked to psychological factors. This study aimed to examine the mediating roles of anxiety, depression, self-esteem, and body image in the relationship between psoriasis severity and sexual dysfunction. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 160 patients with psoriasis and 183 healthy controls. Psoriasis severity was assessed using the Psoriasis Area Severity Index (PASI), and participants completed self-report measures, including the Golombok-Rust Inventory of Sexual Satisfaction (GRISS), Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS), Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale (RSES), and Body Image Scale (BIS). The results revealed that body image significantly mediated the relationship between psoriasis severity and sexual dysfunction (B = −0.177, p = .002), while anxiety, depression, and self-esteem did not. Compared to controls, patients with psoriasis reported significantly lower body image satisfaction ( p < .001) and self-esteem ( p < .001), as well as greater sexual dysfunction ( p < .001). Sexual dysfunction was more pronounced in patients with moderate to severe psoriasis. These findings highlight the importance of incorporating body image–focused psychological interventions into the comprehensive management of psoriasis to improve sexual health.
As autocratisation gains global momentum, research on democratic resistance has expanded significantly. This introductory article to Limits of Autocratisation examines the actors, institutions, and practices that challenge, resist, or inadvertently enable autocratisation. It develops a framework for understanding opposition(s) across political, civic, and transnational dimensions. Rather than viewing autocratisation as linear, we conceptualise it as an uneven and contested process in which opposition actors navigate multiple constraints to hinder, disrupt, or potentially reverse autocratic advances. The article explores key questions guiding this volume’s case studies from countries at various stages of autocratisation: Which actors and institutions seek to limit autocratisation? What structural, institutional, and agency-related barriers do they face? How do they strategise to overcome these challenges? Rather than proposing universal solutions, we advance a nuanced theorisation of opposition(s) and resistance that accounts for structural conditions, timing, and strategic agency in shaping responses across divergent contexts. The article cautions against simplistic definitions of success or failure when theorising resistance and opposition to autocratisation, emphasising the fluid, contested, and ongoing nature of autocratisation. Ultimately, we propose a context-sensitive yet versatile framework for studying autocratisation’s limits by integrating regional contexts, interdisciplinary and comparative insights, and historical trajectories.
We study the portfolio optimization problem of an investor seeking to maximize his terminal wealth. The portfolio is composed of one risky asset, a stock, and one riskless asset, a bond. We assume there is Knightian uncertainty on the stochastic drift term representing the long-term growth rate of the risky asset whose values are not necessarily bounded. We further assume that the investor has a prior estimate about the drift term and quantifies the diffidence of the investor in his prior about the mean. It is assumed that the investor has a logarithmic or power utility. Explicit solutions with unbounded, stochastic and uncertain drift terms have been retrieved. Numerical illustrations revealing the effect of risk awareness and uncertainty on the value function and optimal parameters are also presented.
This study investigated the effect of limb occlusion pressure (LOP) position on exercise performance, cardiovascular responses, and perceptual experiences during seated bilateral leg extensions with and without blood flow restriction (BFR). Thirty resistance-trained males (age: 22 ± 2 years; weight: 74.4 ± 13.6 kg; height: 177.4 ± 6.4 cm; BMI: 23.5 ± 3.3 kg/m 2 ) participated. Each performed exercise to failure (4 sets, 30% 1RM, 1 min rest) in three conditions: Supine LOP-BFR, Seated LOP-BFR, and no-BFR. BFR was applied at 60% LOP. Significant interaction effects were found for RPE ( p = 0.021, d = 0.76), RPD ( p < 0.01, d = 1.72), and DOMS ( p < 0.01, d = 2.28). Statistically significant fewer repetitions were completed in Supine LOP-BFR vs. no-BFR ( p < 0.01, d = 0.5), Seated LOP-BFR vs. no-BFR ( p < 0.01, d = 1.0), and Seated LOP-BFR vs. Supine LOP-BFR ( p < 0.01, d = 0.6). RPE was higher in Seated LOP-BFR vs. no-BFR ( p < 0.01, d = 0.52). RPD was higher in Supine LOP-BFR vs. no-BFR ( p < 0.01, d = 0.62) and Seated LOP-BFR vs. no-BFR ( p < 0.01, d = 1.25). DOMS was higher in Supine LOP-BFR vs. no-BFR ( p < 0.01, d = 0.77) and Seated LOP-BFR vs. no-BFR ( p < 0.01, d = 3.52). Seated LOP-BFR increased perceptual demands and reduced repetitions compared to Supine LOP-BFR. Both LOP-BFR conditions reduced repetitions compared to no-BFR without affecting cardiovascular measures.