bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
“My life’s blueprint”: publishing critical youth narratives in community-based organizations
Authors: Lee Crystal Chen , Schoonover Nina R.
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to explore how currently underserved young adults engaged in a community-based organization (CBO), Bull City YouthBuild, wrote and published a book together, and how this work impacted them and their communities. Through a critical literacy framework, the research asked: How do students in a community-based writing project demonstrate self-empowerment and agency through narrative writing?

Design/methodology/approach

This qualitative case study examined the students’ published narratives. The researchers used ethnographic methods in data collection, and the qualitative data analysis approaches were developed through a critical conceptual framework.

Findings

The students’ narratives expressed self-empowerment and agency in the ways the young adults wrote against a dominant discourse; they wrote about repositioning their lives and redesigning their futures to reveal how they wanted to be externally perceived and to be leaders in their communities. The students expressed how the CBO offered them freedom to write their stories as they found new ways of using their historical and cultural backgrounds to collectively pursue success.

Social implications

This work offers implications of how CBOs can meet the needs of currently underserved young adults through centering their voices. The authors see the writing process as crucial for student engagement in finding agency and self-empowerment with their words.

Originality/value

Critical literacy foregrounds the voices of young adults as they push back against dominant narratives and stereotypes. This research hopes to reveal the intersections between CBOs and the communities they serve to develop literacies that are relevant and meaningful to young adults’ lives.
What culture is your university? Have universities any right to teach entrepreneurialism?
Authors: Bamber Christopher John , Elezi Enis
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the need for universities to develop an entrepreneurial culture and assess higher education practitioners’ opinions of the culture of the university they are working in.

Design/methodology/approach

The research provides empirical data collected through a survey instrument originally used for a PhD research study; however, this paper focuses on the question set related to culture, which was based on the organisational culture model presented by Quinn in 1988.

Findings

The findings indicate that a number of respondents reported from a heterogeneous population of higher education institutes predominantly responded they were working within a hierarchy cultural type with many reporting a market cultural type. While respondents from a homogeneous group from a single university reported in the main they were working in a market-driven cultural type with the next main category being a clan culture.

Research limitations/implications

The study population reported in the main that there is predominantly a market culture in UK universities. However, this research has focussed entirely on respondents working within the UK HE sector, thus, has ignored potential differences that could be present within the global HE emerging markets.

Originality/value

The paper strengthens understanding of the critical importance of innovation and entrepreneurship in universities. Students, scholars, HE policy makers and HE practitioners can gather a range of insights pointed at university culture and rest assured in the main they are market focussed.
Proposed evacuation safety index (ESI) for school buildings
Authors: Cariño Jan Mae Nigos , Garciano Lessandro Estelito O.
Published: January 2020

Purpose

Schools are vulnerable to strong-magnitude earthquakes. The purpose of this study is to develop a seismic evacuation safety index (ESI) to assess school’s safety as a function of the following parameters: means of egress, disaster preparedness and disaster response. Moreover, the study aims to simulate and study an evacuation model to estimate evacuation time for a realistic understanding of the evacuation processes.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper used a semi-quantitative risk assessment method in developing the ESI. This was used to evaluate schools and classify them according to their level of evacuation safety. To estimate the evacuation time of each school, cellular automata theory and static floor field were used.

Findings

The paper provides primary school stakeholders important parameters that they should consider in preparing pre-disaster plans to ensure safe evacuation of school children.

Research limitations/implications

ESI focuses only on the means of egress, disaster preparedness and disaster response as the contributing factors. The structural conditions of each school building and assessment of non-structural elements are not considered.

Practical implications

The ESI and the evacuation model can be used as a basis for evacuation planning and decision-making. This can help building owners and administrators in strengthening their disaster risk management plan by enforcing mitigating measures.

Originality/value

ESI is an original idea and fills the gap regarding the safe evacuation of school children especially during a major seismic event.
Vulnerability assessment of reinforced concrete buildings in Indonesia subjected to tsunami inundation forces
Authors: Hanggara Dicky , Wijeyewickrema Anil Christopher
Published: January 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to evaluate the vulnerability of typical low-rise reinforced concrete (RC) buildings located in Indonesia subjected to tsunami loading.

Design/methodology/approach

The vulnerability of typical three-story RC buildings located in Indonesia subjected to tsunami loading is discussed using fragility curves. Buildings without openings in all stories and buildings with openings in the first story are considered. The fragility curves are obtained by performing tsunami pushover analysis for several load cases, using different tsunami load estimation standards and references. The generalized linear method is used as a curve fitting method to construct the fragility curves.

Findings

The fragility curves show that the three-story RC buildings without openings in all stories subjected to tsunami loading have a high probability of collapse. Openings in the first story will reduce the vulnerability of the buildings.

Originality/value

Fragility curves are obtained by carrying out tsunami pushover analysis to evaluate the vulnerability of typical three-story RC buildings located in Indonesia. The results of this study show the need to include tsunami loads in the design code for Indonesian buildings and the benefits of having openings in the first story of the building.
Modeling of integrated solar combined cycle power plant (ISCC) of Hassi R'mel, Algeria
Authors: Abdelhafidi Nedjma , Bachari Nour El Islam , Abdelhafidi Zohra , Cheknane Ali , Mokhnache Abdelmotaleb , Castro Loranzo
Published: January 2020

Purpose

Integrated solar combined cycle (ISCC) using parabolic trough collector (PTC) technology is a new power plant that has been installed in few countries to benefit from the use of hybrid solar-gas systems. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the challenges in modeling the thermal output of the hybrid solar-gas power plant and to analyze the factors that influence them.

Design/methodology/approach

To validate the proposal, a study was conducted on a test stand in situ and based on the statistical analysis of meteorological data of the year 2017. Such data have been brought from Abener hybrid solar-gas central of Hassi R’mel and used as an input of our model.

Findings

The proposal made by the authors has been simulated using MATLAB environment. The simulation results show that the net solar electricity reaches 18 per cent in June, 15 per cent in March and September, while it cannot exceed 8 per cent in December. Moreover, it shows that the power plant responses sensibly to solar energy, where the electricity output increases accordingly to the solar radiation increase. This increase in efficiency results in better economic utilization of the solar PTC equipment in such kind of hybrid solar-gas power plant.

Practical implications

The obtained results would be expected to provide the possibility for designing other power plants in Algeria when such conditions are met (high DNI, low wind speed, water and natural-gas availability).

Originality/value

This paper presents a new model able to predict the thermal solar energy and the net solar-electricity efficiency of such kind solar hybrid power plant.
Sport event tourists’ (SET’s) behavior: a case study of the PyeongChang Winter Olympics
Authors: Park Jinwoo , Kim Minhong , Nauright John , Kim Young Hoon
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the relationships among athlete star power, enjoyment and revisit intention of sport event tourists in a sport mega-event (SME).

Design/methodology/approach

This study was conducted in the context of 2018 PyeongChang Winter Olympic Games. A total of 419 respondents completed a survey. Structural equation modeling was used to analyze the data.

Findings

This study proved the final structure model fit well by having the values and scores higher than the minimum cutoff in all categories. Path coefficients indicate that H1a, H1c and H2 were supported while H1b was not supported by the analysis. In addition, enjoyment partially mediated the relationship between athlete star power and revisit intentions. In particular, two mediating effects were found: enjoyment mediated trustworthiness and revisit intention and expertise and revisit intention. However, enjoyment did not mediate the relationship between attractiveness and revisit intentions.

Research limitations/implications

The limitation of this study lies within two perspectives. Since the data have been collected in one country, the results may be viewed and interpreted for a specific location and time. Thus, it is strongly recommended to conduct the similar studies in the future Olympic Games. In the other perspective, the results could be different from one to another sport game because of the popularity by star power and game itself.

Originality/value

This study adds the literature on sport event research. Although there were a few studies on the effect of athlete star power, a dearth of research examined the relationships among athlete star power (trustworthiness, attractiveness and expertise), enjoyment and revisit intention. These results are valuable to SME managers to increase the propensity of tourists’ revisit intention at sport mega-event by understanding the factors that lead to increased tourist enjoyment.
Financial risk attitudes and aging in Australia
Authors: Kesavayuth Dusanee , Myat Ko Kaung , Zikos Vasileios
Published: January 2020

A number of empirical studies document that people tend to become more risk averse as they get older. But other studies find only little evidence that age matters for financial risk attitudes. This prompts a call for revisiting the relationship between age and risk attitude to better support policy recommendations. The current paper contributes to this effort by utilising large‐scale population data to conduct a dynamic panel analysis. Care is taken to avoid the problem of endogeneity of lagged risk attitude in modelling its effects. Analysis reveals that individuals' past risk attitude has a positive effect on their current risk attitude. However, there is only little evidence that risk attitude and age are systematically related. Our results shed some light on the previous contradictory empirical findings in the literature and suggest that past risk attitude is potentially of greater relevance than chronological age in determining current risk attitude.
Maternal Mortality and Public Health Programs: Evidence from Florida
Authors: BERNET PATRICK , GUMUS GULCIN , VISHWASRAO SHARMILA
Published: January 2020

Policy Points

US maternal mortality rates (MMRs) display considerable racial disparities and exceed those of other developed countries. While worldwide MMRs have dropped sharply since the 1990s, the US MMR appears to be rising.

We provide strong evidence of the effectiveness of pregnancy‐related public health spending on improvements in maternal health.

Using longitudinal data from Florida counties, we found that spending on public health significantly reduced the MMR among black mothers and narrowed black‐white outcome disparities. Each 10% increase in pregnancy‐related public health expenditures was associated with a 13.5% decline in MMR among blacks and a 20.0% reduction in black‐white disparities.

Context

Maternal mortality rates in the United States exceed those of other developed countries. Moreover, these rates show considerable racial disparities, in which black mothers are at three to four times the risk compared with their white counterparts. With more than half of all maternal deaths deemed to be preventable, public health interventions have the potential to improve maternal health along with other pregnancy outcomes. This rigorous longitudinal study examines the impact of a package of pregnancy‐related public health programs on maternal mortality rates.

Methods

We analyzed administrative data on pregnancy‐related public health expenditures, maternal mortality rates, and sociodemographic factors from all 67 Florida counties between 2001 and 2014. Florida provides consistent counts of maternal deaths for the entire period of this analysis. We estimated both fixed‐effects ordinary least squares regressions (OLS) and generalized method of moments (GMM) models. GMM enabled us to identify the impact of public health expenditures on maternal mortality rates while also addressing both potential endogeneity and serial correlation problems. We also provide a series of robustness and falsification tests.

Findings

Overall, a 10% increase in targeted public health expenditures led to a weakly significant decline in overall maternal mortality rates of 3.9%. The estimated effect for white mothers was not statistically significant. However, we found statistically significant improvements for black mothers. Specifically, a 10% increase in pregnancy‐related public health spending led to a 13.5% decline in maternal mortality rates among black mothers and a 20.0% reduction in the black‐white maternal mortality gap.

Conclusions

Our analysis provides strong evidence of the effectiveness of public health programs in reducing maternal mortality rates and addressing racial disparities.
Outcomes of primary care delivery by nurse practitioners: Utilization, cost, and quality of care
Authors: Liu Chuan‐Fen , Hebert Paul L. , Douglas Jamie H. , Neely Emily L. , Sulc Christine A. , Reddy Ashok , Sales Anne E. , Wong Edwin S.
Published: January 2020

Objective

To examine whether nurse practitioner (NP)‐assigned patients exhibited differences in utilization, costs, and clinical outcomes compared to medical doctor (MD)‐assigned patients.

Data Sources

Veterans Affairs (VA) administrative data capturing characteristics, outcomes, and provider assignments of 806 434 VA patients assigned to an MD primary care provider (PCP) who left VA practice between 2010 and 2012.

Study Design

We applied a difference‐in‐difference approach comparing outcomes between patients reassigned to MD and NP PCPs, respectively. We examined measures of outpatient (primary care, specialty care, and mental health) and inpatient (total and ambulatory care sensitive hospitalizations) utilization, costs (outpatient, inpatient and total), and clinical outcomes (control of hemoglobin A1c, LDL, and blood pressure) in the year following reassignment.

Principal Findings

Compared to MD‐assigned patients, NP‐assigned patients were less likely to use primary care and specialty care services and incurred fewer total and ambulatory care sensitive hospitalizations. Differences in costs, clinical outcomes, and receipt of diagnostic tests between groups were not statistically significant.

Conclusions

Patients reassigned to NPs experienced similar outcomes and incurred less utilization at comparable cost relative to MD patients. NPs may offer a cost‐effective approach to addressing anticipated shortages of primary care physicians.
The real problem: The deadly combination of psychologisation, scientism, and normative promotionalism takes strategic human resource management down a 30‐year dead end
Authors: Kaufman Bruce E.
Published: January 2020

This paper engages with Troth and Guest (2019) on psychology in HRM. I argue they misframe the central issue in debate. The real problem is not psychology per se but psychologisation—the drive to reduce explanation of macro‐level HRM outcomes to individual‐level psychological‐behavioural factors and individual differences. Accordingly, the most visible and harmful effects of psychologisation are in strategic HRM and the HRM‐performance literature but Troth and Guest's defence of psychology does not cover them. I use this response to re‐establish that it is psychologisation, not psychology per se, that is the critics' focal concern and describe how the three‐decade advance of psychologisation, along with scholastic scientism and normative promotionalism, have created severe theoretical and empirical problems in the high‐performance research programme and taken the strategic HRM field down a 30‐year dead‐end. Suggestions for a turn‐around are provided.
Mild steel and stainless steel welding fumes elicit pro‐inflammatory and pro‐oxidant effects in first trimester trophoblast cells
Authors: Olgun Nicole S. , Morris Anna M. , Bowers Lauren N. , Stefaniak Aleksandr B. , Friend Sherri A. , Reznik Sandra E. , Leonard Stephen S.
Published: January 2020

Problem

As more women join the skilled‐trade workforce, the effects of workplace exposures on pregnancy need to be explored. This study aims to identify the effects of mild steel and stainless steel welding fume exposures on cultured placental trophoblast cells.

Method of study

Welding fumes (mild steel and stainless steel) were generously donated by Lincoln Electric. Electron microscopy was used to characterize welding fume particle size and the ability of particles to enter extravillous trophoblast cells (HTR‐8/SVneo). Cellular viability, free radical production, cytokine production, and ability of cells to maintain invasive properties were analyzed, respectively, by WST‐1, electron paramagnetic resonance, DCFH‐DA, V‐plex MULTI‐SPOT assay system, and a matrix gel invasion assay.

Results

For all three welding fume types, average particle size was <210 nm. HTR‐8/SVneo cells internalized welding particles, and nuclear condensation was observed. Cellular viability was significantly decreased at the high dose of 100 µg/mL for all three welding fumes, and stainless steel generated the greatest production of the hydroxyl radical, and intracellular reactive oxygen species. Production of the cytokines IL‐1β and TNFα were not observed in response to welding fume exposure, but IL‐6 and IL‐8 were. Finally, the invasive capability of cells was decreased upon exposure to both mild steel and stainless steel welding fumes.

Conclusion

Welding fumes are cytotoxic to extravillous trophoblasts, as is evident by the production of free radicals, pro‐inflammatory cytokines, and the observed decrease in invasive capabilities.
Sarcopenia increases 1‐year mortality after surgical resection of hepatocellular carcinoma
Authors: Salman Mohamed A. , Omar Haitham S. E. , Mikhail Hani M. S. , Tourky Mohamed , El‐ghobary Mohamed , Elkassar Hesham , Omar Mahmoud G. , Matter Mohamed , Elbasiouny Ahmed M. , Farag Ayman M. , Shaaban Hossam El‐Din , Atallah Mohamed , Elshabacy Omar , Salman Ahmed A.
Published: January 2020

Background

Liver resection is a well‐recognized modality for hepatocellular carcinoma. Cirrhotic patients are more prone to adverse consequences after liver resection. This work assesses the prognostic significance of sarcopenic hepatocellular carcinoma cases for whom surgical resection was performed.

Methods

The present prospective work included 52 cirrhotic cases. Computed tomography scans were used to determine the skeletal muscle index (SMI) at the plane of the third lumbar vertebra (L3). L3 SMI was used for the definition of sarcopenia. The primary outcome measure was the predictive value of sarcopenia for 1‐year post‐hepatectomy mortality.

Results

Sarcopenia was diagnosed in 27 patients (51.9%). All patients had a Child‐Turcotte‐Pugh score A. At a 1‐year follow‐up, 20 cases died; that is the 1‐year mortality rate was 38.5%. Sarcopenia was more commonly associated with older age and non‐viral causes of cirrhosis. The risk of 1‐year mortality is 7.6 times higher in sarcopenic patients with a risk ratio of 3.7 (95% confidence interval 1.4–9.6).

Conclusion

Sarcopenia diagnosed using L3 SMI is an independent prognostic factor for 1‐year deaths in cases with hepatic malignancy with Child‐Turcotte‐Pugh score A undergoing surgical resection.
Comparison of three‐dimensional and 4K imaging systems in novice surgeons: a cross‐over study
Authors: Rana Abdullah Muhammad , Rana Abdul Ahad , Hewett Peter J.
Published: January 2020

Background

Laparoscopy has revolutionized the surgical field with the advent of minimally invasive techniques leading to smaller surgical wounds, enhanced recovery, early discharge from the hospital and early return to work. Since the initiation of three‐dimensional (3D) systems, studies have failed to prove significant advantages over traditional two‐dimensional systems which could be attributed to suboptimal image quality, poor illumination and high cost of earlier systems. Recent advances in stereoscopy have led to the introduction of high‐definition (HD) systems with improvement in image quality in both two‐dimensional and 3D systems. With HD and new 4K imaging system, the previous data are now obsolete.

Methods

We devised a cross‐over study using the Olympus 4K camera imaging system compared with the HD 3D systems using 40 novice surgeons with no prior surgical skills to perform standardized surgical tasks and the groups were crossed over to assess any difference in the learning curve with the imaging systems.

Results

The data showed a statistically significant difference in errors performed with the 3D imaging system with reduction in errors for passing needle through a ring, knot tying, cutting circle and touching circles with a needle. The time taken to perform those tasks was comparable except in knot tying where there was significant reduction in the time taken to tie knots with a P‐value of <0.001 in both groups.

Conclusion

The study showed no significant difference in the time to perform tasks. The precision of the tasks was significantly improved with the 3D systems.
Pupillary light responses in type 1 and type 2 diabetics with and without retinopathy
Authors: Ba‐Ali Shakoor , Brøndsted Adam Elias , Andersen Henrik Ullits , Jennum Poul , Lund‐Andersen Henrik
Published: January 2020

Objective

We assessed the function of rod/cones and melanopsin in type 1 (T1DM) and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) with and without non‐proliferative diabetic retinopathy (NPDR).

Methods

We performed pupillometry on 22 healthy controls and four diabetic groups: 12 T1DM patients without NPDR and 12 with moderate NPDR, and 16 T2DM patients without NPDR and 12 with moderate NPDR. Monocular stimulations of 20 seconds with red (λ = 633 nm) and blue light (λ = 463 nm) at ~15 log quanta/cm2/second were performed. The primary outcome was the melanopsin‐mediated late redilation phase of postillumination pupillary light response (PIPRLate) to blue light. The secondary outcomes were the mixed rod/cone and melanopsin responses, that is maximal pupil constriction and the early redilation phase of PIPR (PIPREarly).

Results

Late redilation phase of PIPR (PIPRLate) to blue and red light stimuli was not significantly different between healthy control and the four diabetic groups (n.s.). The maximal pupil contractions to blue light stimulus were significantly reduced in T1DM patients as well as in T2DM patients with NPDR (p ≤ 0.02), whereas for red light stimuli, the maximal pupil constriction was only reduced in T2DM with NPDR (p < 0.01). Early redilation phase of PIPR (PIPREarly) to blue and red light stimuli was not significantly different between healthy controls and diabetic patients (n.s.).

Conclusion

Neither the PIPREarly nor the PIPRLate was significantly reduced in diabetics with or without NPDR compared to healthy controls. The reduced maximal pupil constrictions in diabetics with NPDR indicate decreased mixed rod/cone and melanopsin responses.
Neonatal vitamin D status and myopia in young adult men
Authors: Specht Ina Olmer , Jacobsen Nina , Frederiksen Peder , Heitmann Berit L.
Published: January 2020

Purpose

The prevalence of myopia is increasing worldwide, and modifiable risk factors are thus important to identify. Season of birth has been associated with later myopia risk. Neonatal vitamin D status is highly dependent on season of birth due to maternal sun exposure late in gestation. We hypothesize that prenatal exposure to low levels of vitamin D can interfere with visual development in term‐born infants and that this might contribute to adult visual dysfunction. The aim of this study was thus to compare neonatal vitamin D levels from stored dried blood spots taken shortly after birth among young term‐born men with myopia (cases) and random controls with emmetropia.

Methods

In this case–control study, we analysed neonatal 25(OH)D3 levels of 457 myopic male cases and 1280 emmetropic male controls assessed for myopia at the mandatory Danish conscript examination. Data were analysed using logistic regression analysis and results presented as crude and adjusted for potential confounders namely maternal age, maternal ethnicity, maternal and paternal education and season of birth.

Results

We did not observe a seasonal variation in myopia risk, neither did we observe increased odds of myopia in relation to low neonatal 25(OH)D3 levels.

Conclusion

The rapid increase in myopia does not seem related to neonatal vitamin D status.
Moral injury from war and other severe trauma
Authors: Koenig Harold G. , Al‐Zaben Faten N.
Published: January 2020

Moral injury (MI) is a relatively new syndrome among military personnel with symptoms of post‐traumatic stress disorder (PTSD). While MI has received considerable attention in the psychological sciences, the syndrome has received relatively little notice within psychiatry. MI has been defined as the negative emotions that emerge from transgressing moral boundaries by military personnel during combat such as killing enemy combatants or innocent civilians, failing to protect innocents or fellow combatants, or observing others transgress moral boundaries. MI may also be frequent among civilians and health professionals, although, as in military personnel, is often unrecognized.
Petrographic thin sections and exotic rocks provenience among hunter–gatherer societies in the eastern Pampa–Patagonia Transition (lower basin of the Colorado River, Argentina)*
Authors: Martínez G. , Valero F. Santos
Published: January 2020

Lithic assemblages recovered from sites located in the eastern Pampa–Patagonia transition include a great diversity of raw materials, some from neighbouring regions, such as the Humid and Dry Pampa subregions and Northpatagonia. Lithic raw material assignments to specific procurement areas were preliminarily proposed based on macroscopic characterizations. The aim of the paper is to present the results obtained from the petrographic thin sections of archaeological artefacts from Middle and Late Holocene sites recorded at the study area. The analyses corroborate most of the macroscopic determinations, and more detailed knowledge of the acquisition areas of these raw materials was obtained.
Ensuring meaningful access to easy‐to‐read information: A case study
Authors: Callus Anne‐Marie , Cauchi Dorianne
Published: January 2020

Accessible Summary

This article is about easy‐to‐read information and how to make sure that it is really accessible for people with intellectual disability.

We carried out research in a day centre and spoke to service users and staff about how they use easy‐to‐read information.

We found that there are a lot of factors which influence the lives of service users with intellectual disability and the use of easy‐to‐read documents.

Background

This article presents research on the use of easy‐to‐read documents to ensure meaningful access to information for persons with intellectual disability. The research questions focus on the factors that influence the use of easy‐to‐read documents and what needs to be considered to ensure that these documents are used meaningfully.

Materials and Methods

A case study was carried out in a day centre for persons with intellectual disability in Malta, using a focus group, an interview and an observation session as research tools. Thematic analysis was used to analyse the data, in conjunction with the social model of disability and an adapted version of Bronfenbrenner's ecosystem model.

Results

The research found that the effectiveness of easy‐to‐read documents is contingent on a multiplicity of factors which interact with one another.

Conclusion

Easy‐to‐read forms can become more meaningful if these factors are attended to within the wider context.
Modelling monotonic effects of ordinal predictors in Bayesian regression models
Authors: Bürkner Paul‐Christian , Charpentier Emmanuel
Published: January 2020

Ordinal predictors are commonly used in regression models. They are often incorrectly treated as either nominal or metric, thus under‐ or overestimating the information contained. Such practices may lead to worse inference and predictions compared to methods which are specifically designed for this purpose. We propose a new method for modelling ordinal predictors that applies in situations in which it is reasonable to assume their effects to be monotonic. The parameterization of such monotonic effects is realized in terms of a scale parameterbrepresenting the direction and size of the effect and a simplex parametermodelling the normalized differences between categories. This ensures that predictions increase or decrease monotonically, while changes between adjacent categories may vary across categories. This formulation generalizes to interaction terms as well as multilevel structures. Monotonic effects may be applied not only to ordinal predictors, but also to other discrete variables for which a monotonic relationship is plausible. In simulation studies we show that the model is well calibrated and, if there is monotonicity present, exhibits predictive performance similar to or even better than other approaches designed to handle ordinal predictors. Using Stan, we developed a Bayesian estimation method for monotonic effects which allows us to incorporate prior information and to check the assumption of monotonicity. We have implemented this method in the R packagebrms, so that fitting monotonic effects in a fully Bayesian framework is now straightforward.
Bats use live fences to move between tropical dry forest remnants
Authors: Martínez‐Fonseca José G. , Chávez‐Velásquez Marlon , Williams‐Guillen Kimberly , Chambers Carol L.
Published: January 2020

Linear features can benefit wildlife by assisting animal movement. We captured bats along barbed‐wire and live‐tree fences connecting tropical dry forest patches in Nicaragua. Bat species richness and captures were higher along live fences but we noted differences in sex ratios, richness, and species composition compared to surrounding natural forests.

Abstract in Spanish is available with online only
Shared Book Reading in Preschool Supports Bilingual Children’s Second‐Language Learning: A Cluster‐Randomized Trial
Authors: Grøver Vibeke , Rydland Veslemøy , Gustafsson Jan‐Eric , Snow Catherine E.
Published: January 2020

This cluster‐randomized controlled study examined dual language learners (DLLs) in Norway who received a book‐based language intervention program. About 464 DLLs aged 3–5 years in 123 early childhood classrooms participated in the study. The children were acquiring Norwegian as their second language in preschool and spoke a variety of first languages at home. They received a researcher‐developed intervention that was organized around loosely scripted, content‐rich shared reading in school and at home. Receiving the intervention had significant impacts on the children’s second‐language skills (effect sizes of d = .25–.66). In addition to supporting second‐language vocabulary and grammar, the program with its focus on perspective taking during shared reading resulted in impacts on children’s ability to shift perspectives and understand others’ emotional states.
Removing gender barriers: Promoting inclusion for trans and non‐binary carers in fostering and adoption
Authors: Brown Claire , Rogers Michaela
Published: January 2020

This paper offers a conceptually informed analysis of fostering and adoption social work and argues for more consistent inclusion of trans and non‐binary people. The conceptual framework through which we explore current policy and practice is set out to provide clarity about the ways in which we employ the concepts of trans, gender diversity, and cisgenderism (a prejudicial ideology). We employ the notion of cisgenderism as a critical lens through which to overview fostering and adoption social work within the context of trans inclusion. Focus is turned to the existing literature relevant to trans parenting, trans‐headed families, and the field of fostering and adopting. We highlight significant knowledge gaps in this regard. We then argue that if fostering and adoption social work is to embody inclusive practice with trans people, a new culture must be embedded to promote collaborative working, enhance knowledge, and improve service provision. The paper concludes by asserting that such an approach must be underpinned by an understanding, acceptance, and appreciation of people who identify as trans and/or as non‐binary.
Blockade of JAK2 protects mice against hypoxia‐induced pulmonary arterial hypertension by repressing pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell proliferation
Authors: Zhang Lei , Wang Yi , Wu Guorao , Rao Lizong , Wei Yanqiu , Yue Huihui , Yuan Ting , Yang Ping , Xiong Fei , Zhang Shu , Zhou Qing , Chen Zhishui , Li Jinxiu , Mo Bi‐Wen , Zhang Huilan , Xiong Weining , Wang Cong‐Yi
Published: January 2020

Objectives

Hypoxia is an important risk factor for pulmonary arterial remodelling in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), and the Janus kinase 2 (JAK2) is believed to be involved in this process. In the present report, we aimed to investigate the role of JAK2 in vascular smooth muscle cells during the course of PAH.

Methods

Smooth muscle cell (SMC)‐specific Jak2 deficient mice and their littermate controls were subjected to normobaric normoxic or hypoxic (10% O2) challenges for 28 days to monitor the development of PAH, respectively. To further elucidate the potential mechanisms whereby JAK2 influences pulmonary vascular remodelling, a selective JAK2 inhibitor was applied to pre‐treat human pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (HPASMCs) for 1 hour followed by 24‐hour hypoxic exposure.

Results

Mice with hypoxia‐induced PAH were characterized by the altered JAK2/STAT3 activity in pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells. Therefore, induction of Jak2 deficiency in SMCs protected mice from hypoxia‐induced increase of right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP), right ventricular hypertrophy and pulmonary vascular remodelling. Particularly, loss of Jak2 significantly attenuated chronic hypoxia‐induced PASMC proliferation in the lungs. Similarly, blockade of JAK2 by its inhibitor, TG‐101348, suppressed hypoxia‐induced human PASMC proliferation. Upon hypoxia‐induced activation, JAK2 phosphorylated signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3), which then bound to the CCNA2 promoter to transcribe cyclin A2 expression, thereby promoting PASMC proliferation.

Conclusions

Our studies support that JAK2 could be a culprit contributing to the pulmonary vascular remodelling, and therefore, it could be a viable target for prevention and treatment of PAH in clinical settings.
Investigating assumptions of vulnerability: A case study of the exclusion of psychiatric inpatients as participants in genetic research in low‐ and middle‐income contexts
Authors: Palk Andrea C. , Bitta Mary , Kamaara Eunice , Stein Dan J. , Singh Ilina
Published: January 2020

Psychiatric genetic research investigates the genetic basis of psychiatric disorders with the aim of more effectively understanding, treating, or, ultimately, preventing such disorders. Given the challenges of recruiting research participants into such studies, the potential for long‐term benefits of such research, and seemingly minimal risk, a strong claim could be made that all non‐acute psychiatric inpatients, including forensic and involuntary patients, should be included in such research, provided they have capacity to consent. There are tensions, however, regarding the ethics of recruiting psychiatric inpatients into such studies. In this paper our intention is to elucidate the source of these tensions from the perspective of research ethics committee interests and decision‐making. We begin by defining inpatient status and outline some of the assumptions surrounding the structures of inpatient care. We then introduce contemporary conceptions of vulnerability, including Florencia Luna’s account of vulnerability which we use as a framework for our analysis. While psychiatric inpatients could be subject to consent‐related vulnerabilities, we suggest that a particular kind of exploitation‐related vulnerability comes to the fore in the context of our case study. Moreover, a subset of these ethical concerns takes on particular weight in the context of genetic research in low‐ and middle‐income countries. At the same time, the automatic exclusion of inpatients from research elicits justice‐related vulnerabilities.
Children and adolescents with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus in the Pediatric Diabetes Consortium Registries: comparing clinical characteristics and glycaemic control
Authors: Van Name M. A. , Cheng P. , Gal R. L. , Kollman C. , Lynch J. , Nelson B. , Tamborlane W. V. ,   for the Pediatric Diabetes Consortium
Published: January 2020

Aim

To compare the characteristics of children and adolescents with type 1 vs. type 2 diabetes in the Pediatric Diabetes Consortium (PDC) registries.

Methods

Participants were 10 to < 21 years of age at diagnosis; there were 484 with type 1 diabetes and 1236 with type 2 diabetes.

Results

Children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes were more likely to be female, overweight/obese, and from low‐income, minority ethnic families. Children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes were more likely to present with diabetic ketoacidosis and have higher mean HbA1c levels at diagnosis. More than 70% in both cohorts achieved target HbA1c levels < 58 mmol/mol (< 7.5%) within 6 months, but fewer participants with type 1 than type 2 diabetes were able to maintain target HbA1c levels after 6 months consistently throughout 3 years post diagnosis. Of the 401 participants with type 2 diabetes with ≥ 24 months diabetes duration on enrolment in the registry, 47% required no insulin treatment. Median C‐peptide levels were 1.43 mmol/l in the subset of participants with type 2 diabetes in whom it was measured, but only 0.06 mmol/l in the subset with type 1 diabetes.

Conclusions

Although families of children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes face greater socio‐economic obstacles and risk factors for poor diabetes outcomes, the greater retention of residual endogenous insulin secretion likely contributes to the increased ability of children and adolescents with type 2 diabetes to maintain target HbA1c during the first 3 years of diabetes diagnosis.
Comparison of the glucagon‐like‐peptide‐1 receptor agonists dulaglutide and liraglutide for the management of diabetes in solid organ transplant: A retrospective study
Authors: Singh Priyamvada , Taufeeq Maryam , Pesavento Todd E. , Washburn Kenneth , Walsh Debbie , Meng Shumei
Published: January 2020

Glucagon‐like peptide‐1 receptor agonists (GLP‐1RAs) are gaining popularity in the management of diabetes in solid organ transplant (SOT) recipients. There are no studies available comparing the two GLP‐1RAs dulaglutide and liraglutide in SOT. We performed a retrospective chart review to assess the safety and effectiveness of these agents in adult SOT with diabetes at 6, 12 and 24 months. There were 63 and 25 recipients on dulaglutide and liraglutide, respectively. There was a sustained reduction in primary endpoints of weight, BMI and insulin requirement with dulaglutide when compared to liraglutide. Decrease in weight was 2%, 4% and 5.2% with dulaglutide and 0.09%, 0.87% and 0.89% with liraglutide at 6, 12 and 24 months respectively. BMI reduction followed the same trend in the two groups. The percentage reduction for insulin was 26% with dulaglutide and 3.6% with liraglutide. There was a 10% reduction in creatinine and a 15% increase in estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) at the end of 24 months with dulaglutide. However, there was an increase in creatinine by 7% and an 8% decrease in eGFR at the end of 24 months with liraglutide.
Meta‐analysis on pulse disturbances reveals differences in functional and compositional recovery across ecosystems
Authors: Hillebrand Helmut , Kunze Charlotte
Published: January 2020

Most ecosystems are affected by anthropogenic or natural pulse disturbances, which alter the community composition and functioning for a limited period of time. Whether and how quickly communities recover from such pulses is central to our understanding of biodiversity dynamics and ecosystem organisation, but also to nature conservation and management. Here, we present a meta‐analysis of 508 (semi‐)natural field experiments globally distributed across marine, terrestrial and freshwater ecosystems. We found recovery to be significant yet incomplete. At the end of the experiments, disturbed treatments resembled controls again when considering abundance (94%), biomass (82%), and univariate diversity measures (88%). Most disturbed treatments did not further depart from control after the pulse, indicating that few studies showed novel trajectories induced by the pulse. Only multivariate community composition on average showed little recovery: disturbed species composition remained dissimilar to the control throughout most experiments. Still, when experiments revealed a higher compositional stability, they tended to also show higher functional stability. Recovery was more complete when systems had high resistance, whereas resilience and resistance were negatively correlated. The overall results were highly consistent across studies, but significant differences between ecosystems and organism groups appeared. Future research on disturbances should aim to understand these differences, but also fill obvious gaps in the empirical assessments for regions (especially the tropics), ecosystems and organisms. In summary, we provide general evidence that (semi‐)natural communities can recover from pulse disturbances, but compositional aspects are more vulnerable to long‐lasting effects of pulse disturbance than the emergent functions associated to them.
Nitrogen storage regulation by PII protein: lessons learned from taxonomic outliers
Authors: Rubio Vicente , Marco‐Marín Clara , Llácer José Luis
Published: January 2020

The paper ‘Interaction of N‐acetyl‐l‐glutamate kinase with the PII signal transducer in the non‐photosynthetic alga Polytomella parva: Co‐evolution towards a hetero‐oligomeric enzyme’ by Selim et al. highlights how the study of a true taxonomic oddity, the heterotrophic unicellular alga P. parva, has been instrumental in uncovering the large potential for adaptive variation in the signaling complex of PII with the enzyme N‐acetylglutamate kinase (NAGK). This complex modifies the regulatory properties of NAGK, allowing nitrogen stockpiling as arginine. In P. parva, a stable PII‐NAGK complex is formed which lacks regulation by canonical PII effectors but which exhibits novel adaptive responses to nitrogen abundance mediated by glutamine, a neo‐effector of PII proteins of photosynthetic eukaryotes.
HERTA MÜLLER'S RESHAPING OF GERMAN CULTURAL MEMORY
Authors: Bauer Karin
Published: January 2020

Seeking to explore the contemporary relevance of Herta Müller's work in the context of national and transnational memory cultures, this article examines the constitution of individual and collective memory and the ethical implications it carries for envisioning a more just future. My interest lies in exploring the challenge that Müller's approach to the labour of memory poses to conceptions of cultural memory and, related to it, to notions of national identity, national literary canons, and authorship. I ask how the ethical and aesthetic precepts of Müller's disruptive memories in her written work and her numerous public interventions may contribute to an affirmation of human rights today – at a time when democratic values are increasingly under threat. I argue that Müller's work – augmented by her public engagement – contributes to the reshaping of cultural memory from a narrowly conceived national one toward a deterritorialised collective memory that may transcend national and ethnic boundaries and foster new kinds of solidarity.
HERTA MÜLLER, OSKAR PASTIOR, AND ATEMSCHAUKEL AS POETIC ASSEMBLAGE
Authors: Vinter Hannah
Published: January 2020

This study explores Herta Müller's engagement with the poet Oskar Pastior's life and work in her novel Atemschaukel (2009). The novel is largely based on Pastior's experience as one among the thousands of Romanian‐Germans deported to Gulags in 1945, and the poet worked with Müller both as a source and a literary collaborator before his death. Müller does not directly reproduce Pastior's poetics or his experience in her novel, but she engages with both using dynamic, paratactical structures reminiscent of Gilles Deleuze and Félix Guattari's notion of ‘assemblage’. Müller's interaction with Pastior benefits from an overlap between their poetic concerns: both writers’ oeuvres are marked by traumatic experiences of totalitarianism, and by a desire to undermine the master‐narratives of ideology. In Atemschaukel their poetics become entangled, evoking both resistance to totalitarian structures, and the trauma these same structures inflict. The dynamic poetic forms Müller uses to engage with Pastior also help her to negotiate a fraught memory space that not only includes Soviet crimes, but is also overshadowed by Nazi atrocity. Through the use of paratactical poetic motifs Müller acknowledges the presence of multiple painful historical currents, without shaping them into an undifferentiated whole.