bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Legislative approaches to nondiscrimination at work: a comparative analysis across 13 groups in 193 countries
Authors: Heymann Jody , Bose Bijetri , Waisath Willetta , Raub Amy , McCormack Michael
Published: July 2020

Purpose

There is substantial evidence of discrimination at work across countries and powerful evidence that antidiscrimination laws can make a difference. This study examines the extent of protections from discrimination at work in countries around the world and which groups were best covered.

Design/methodology/approach

This study assesses legal protections in hiring, pay, promotions/demotions, terminations and harassment for 13 different groups across 193 countries using a database the authors created based on analysis of labor codes, antidiscrimination legislation, equal opportunity legislation and penal codes. Differences in levels of protection were examined across social groups and areas of work, as well as by country income level using Chi-square tests.

Findings

Protection from gender and racial/ethnic discrimination at work was the most common, and protection across migrant status, foreign national origin, sexual orientation and gender identity was among the least. For all groups, discrimination was more often prohibited in hiring than in promotion/demotion. There was inconsistent protection from harassment and retaliation.

Research limitations/implications

Addressing discrimination at work will require a broad range of synergistic approaches including guaranteeing equal legal rights, implementation and enforcement of laws and norm change. This study highlights where legislative progress has been made and where major gaps remain.

Originality/value

This article presents findings from an original database containing the first data on laws to prevent discrimination in the workplace in all 193 countries around the world. The study analyzes legal protections for a wide range of groups and considers a full range of workplace protections.
(Responding to) Youth epistemologies to create a third space: a reclamation of learning in an English language arts classroom
Authors: Green Keisha L. , Morales Morales Daniel , George Mwangi Chrystal , Bettencourt Genia M.
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to focus on the construction of a third space within a high school. Specifically, the authors consider how youth of color engage the educational context of an 11th grade English language arts (ELA) class as a basis for (re)imagining their history, culture and themselves to construct counter-narratives away from framing their lived educational experiences as failures, deficient and depicted in “damage-centered” (Tuck, 2009) ways. The research engages the process and challenges of creating this type of space within a school setting, as well as examining the ways in which students envision these locations.

Design/methodology/approach

Critical ethnography centered the emphasis on youth engagement for social change, as well as the inquiry on how the classroom space was constructed, shared and navigated by the students and ourselves (Madison, 2005). In addition, the research design reflects critical ethnography through the use of prolonged participation in the field (nine and half months), a focus on culture (specifically school and classroom culture/climate) and a critical theory-based framework [hybridity, third space and youth participatory action research (YPAR)].

Findings

Three major themes emerged from the data that demonstrate how instructors and students collectively engaged in a third space through the YPAR project. These themes include developing an ethic of care with students and among instructors, cultivating an atmosphere of social justice awareness and the contrast of the classroom space with the wider-Hillside Vocational High School environment.

Originality/value

The study engages the use of YPAR within a high school class that became a unique space for students to learn and develop. The ELA class did not just reflect adding the first space and second space together or merging the two. Instead, it seemed to demonstrate the creation of a new type of space or the development of a third space. In this space, students could bring and bridge their out-of-school and in-school experiences to develop new knowledge and ways of seeing the world.
Hot and cold seasons in Texas housing markets
Authors: Hattapoglu Mustafa , Hoxha Indrit
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to use statistical analyses to understand the trends on housing liquidity and pricing by accounting for macroeconomic factors that vary at national level and at metropolitan statistical area level for all metropolitan statistical areas in Texas. In addition, the authors test for seasonality in all the metropolitan statistical areas in Texas.

Design/methodology/approach

Using publicly available data from Zillow a listing website, the authors conduct an analysis of all housing markets at metropolitan statistical area level in Texas to understand the factors that drive the liquidity and pricing. The authors use two measures for liquidity, namely, time to sell the house and sales to list ratio. The authors also try to understand the decision to lower the price of the listed houses. In addition, the authors conduct a test for seasonality within the year in these housing markets.

Findings

The analyses conclude that there is a significant impact of listing prices, unemployment rates, 30-year mortgage rates, consumer sentiment and oil price changes on the liquidity of the housing markets and decisions of sellers to adjust the prices down. In addition, the authors provide evidence of the existence of seasonality in most metropolitan statistical areas in Texas both for pricing and volume of transactions.

Originality/value

This is the first study to look at housing liquidity and pricing trends for about 25 markets in Texas. In addition, the authors provide evidence of the importance of oil prices for the housing markets in Texas metropolitan statistical areas.
Resilient homeownership: how partnership-based finance would have prevented the 2008 US mortgage crisis
Authors: Bahlous-Boldi Mejda
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to demonstrate that the conventional mortgage system is not appropriate for household finance because it encourages equity extraction and excessive leverage during housing boom and leads to negative equity during a housing bust, a situation that translates into mortgage defaults and foreclosures. Home financing could alternatively be structured as a diminishing partnership preventing the homeowner from ever having negative equity.

Design/methodology/approach

Using Johansen’s cointegration test, the authors provide evidence of a long-run relationship between the delinquency rates, volume of refinancing and the change in house price index (HPI) during the 1994–2019 period. To unravel the short run dynamics between these variables, the authors used a Granger causality test that concludes that the volume of refinancing and the change in the HPI Granger cause default rates.

Findings

The authors provide evidence that under the current conventional mortgage system, excessive refinancing opportunities and equity extraction that are the main factors determining delinquency rates leading to a non-sustainable homeownership.

Practical implications

If mortgages were such that they do not incentivize defaults and foreclosures during a housing downturn, the recovery of the housing market always leads to capital gains. Therefore, disincentivizing refinancing and equity extraction would lead to a more sustainable homeownership.

Social implications

Households would be encouraged to pursue sustainable homeownership through a partnership-based model with long-term wealth accumulation for themselves and their heirs rather than short-term home ownership through the conventional mortgage system, leading to negative equity and defaults when the housing market slumps.

Originality/value

Policymakers ought to rethink the mortgage design by promoting partnership-based finance to protect the equity a household accumulates over a lifetime and thereby enhancing stable and sustainable homeownership.
Designing the model of factors affecting in the implementation of social and environmental accounting with the ISM approach
Authors: Sayyadi Tooranloo Hossein , Askari Shahamabad Mahdi
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Solely focusing on economic development and financial issues have led to insufficient attention to society and the environment, which has increased the injustice in this area. Accounting can aid to compensate for this harm and improve environmental issues. That is why social and environmental accounting (SEA) is rapidly growing and evolving. However, it has not been fully implemented yet. May be one cause for this issue is the lack of identifying the factors that influence SEA implementation in all dimensions. The purpose of this paper seeks to identify these factors.

Design/methodology/approach

Based on the existing theoretical foundations and expert opinions, the factors influencing SEA implementation were divided into seven categories, namely, accounting requirements, environmental justice, environmental responsibility, legal requirements, organizational factors, pollution control and business issues. Interpretative structural modeling and MICMAC techniques were applied to examine the relationships between these categories and model design.

Findings

The results revealed that the legal requirement dimension is one of the effective factors and which has been identified as the cause. However, the rest of the dimensions are influenced by legal requirements. As a result, as the legal requirements are considered as the foundation of establishing the model, this factor must be seriously considered for the effective implementation of the SEA.

Social implications

As the environment is not a unique environment and it has given the pivotal role of the environment in the sustainable development of communities, this leads to an increased demand for improved environmental quality. As a result, public expectations of the accounting profession to increase SEA have increased. In this paper, using the opinions of 12 environmental accounting professionals, a model for Implementation of SEA was designed to avoid social and environmental costs and damages.

Originality/value

Considering that identified factors are of great importance in the implementation of SEA, it seems that using a comprehensive framework that includes all the factors, can have a great impact on how to improve and enhance SEA. This study is the first to provide comprehensive model for SEA implementation.
FE simulation of sealing ability for premium connection based on ISO 13679 CAL IV tests
Authors: Dou Yihua , Li Yufei , Cao Yinping , Yu Yang , Zhang Jiantao , Zhang Lin
Published: July 2020

Purpose

To maintain the well integrity, the strength and sealing ability of premium connection should be in the safe scope. ISO 13679 is widely used for evaluating the ability of tubing and casing connection all over the world. FE is adopted to simulate the ISO 13679 tests.

Design/methodology/approach

Because of the disadvantage of experiment such as long period, high cost and high requirement on the facility, considering the convenience and universality of finite element method, as well as the contacting nonlinearity and material nonlinearity, three-dimensional finite element model of a certain type of premium connection is established with the consideration of helix angle. The loads exerted on the premium connection are the loads in series B test and thermal cycle test of ISO 13679. The distributions of Von Mises stress and contact pressure in various cases were studied.

Findings

The results showed that the bending load has a great influence on the distribution of Von Mises stress and contact pressure for premium connection. The Von Mises stress and contact pressures on the sealing surface are smaller on the tension side and greater on the compression side. With increasing axial compression load, the contact pressures on the tension side are too small, which may lead to sealing failure. The influence of temperature on the performance of premium connection cannot be ignored when choosing or designing premium connections. Both the Von Mises stress and contact pressure decrease slightly during a period of thermal cycle. Although the performance of the premium connection is good in a period of thermal cycle, its performance in a long period should be evaluated. Finite element simulation can effectively simulate the ISO 13679 test procedure and obtain the stress and contact pressure distribution. It can be used as a reference for evaluating the performance of premium connections.

Originality/value

Considering the convenience and universality of finite element method, as well as the contacting nonlinearity and material nonlinearity, three-dimensional finite element model of a certain type of premium connection is established with the consideration of helix angle.
Comparison of cross-generational work values of the millennial generation and their parents in the People's Republic of China
Authors: James Mark X. , Colemean Xue Yang , Li Jessica
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper compares the work values of the People's Republic of China's (PRC) millennials with their parents.

Design/methodology/approach

The Chinese version of the multidimensional work ethic profile (1. productive use of time; 2. centrality of work; 3. hard work; 4. delay of gratification; 5. leisure; 6. self-reliance; and 7. moral reasoning) was used to survey PRC millennials and their parents. A repeated measures analysis of variance (ANOVA) was used for comparing work values for a subsample of 68 same-gender parent/child dyads. A one-way ANOVA was used for comparing the work values of the total sample of 217 PRC millennials and their parents.

Findings

The repeated measures ANOVA found that one of the seven work values for the male dyads and three of the seven work values for the female dyads were significantly different. The one-way ANOVA found that four of the seven work values for males grouping and five of the seven work values for the females grouping were significantly different.

Research limitations/implications

Social norms and socialization by parents may moderate the influences of changing social conditions on personal values formation predicted by the theory of generations. Researchers need to sample across demographic and socioeconomic subgroups to understand subgroup differences when conducting cross-generational research. Taking large samples, aggregating data and drawing conclusions about cross-generational values may not be a valid approach in trying to understand the complexity of cross-generational values differences.

Practical implications

Managers should be wary of broad declarations about cross-generational values differences. The differences in generational values are nuanced.

Originality/value

This paper shows when controlling for same-gender parents, cross-generational values are very similar. This contrasts other findings on cross-generational values.
Technology and social care in a digital world: challenges and opportunities in the UK
Authors: Hamblin Kate
Published: July 2020

Purpose

Technology enabled care (TEC) equipment has been a part of adult social care (ASC) in most areas of the UK for decades. More recently, commissioners have been exploring mainstream technologies’ potential to support older people living in the community. The purpose of this paper is to examine the challenges and opportunities presented by the growing application of mainstream technologies in ASC against the backdrop of the planned UK-wide switchover from analogue to digital telecommunications by 2025.

Design/methodology/approach

This general review uses research evidence, literature, industry standards and policy documents to address the challenges presented by the UK’s digital switchover and the potential role of mainstream technologies such as “smart speakers” in ASC.

Findings

The use of digital TEC and mainstream devices in ASC brings challenges related to access to reliable internet connections in parts of the UK; the need to update TEC safety standards; the ethics, privacy and data security measures that ensure digital products and services safeguard the interests of users; and evidence and commissioning practice.

Originality/value

This general review explores emerging areas of policy and research related to the planned UK digital switchover and the use of mainstream technologies in ASC. It offers a conceptual approach and suggests ways forward for research, regulatory and commissioning agendas.
The role of government in promoting Halal logistics: a systematic literature review
Authors: Ab Talib Mohamed Syazwan , Pang Li Li , Ngah Abdul Hafaz
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to identify the roles of government in promoting halal logistics.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper applied a systematic literature review (SLR) technique to assess published halal logistics academic literature.

Findings

The review identified six roles, namely, regulation, financial incentives, taxation, infrastructure, guidance and encouragement and education and labour supply.

Originality/value

This systematic review paper is considered amongst the first to attempt to consolidate the dispersed halal logistics literature and to systematically accentuate the pivotal role of government in the halal logistics industry.
Public procurement performance and the challenge of service complexity – the case of pre-hospital healthcare
Authors: Pettersen Inger Johanne , Nyland Kari , Robbins Geraldine
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to study the links between contextual changes, contract arrangements and resultant problems when changes in outsourcing regulatory requirements are applied to complex pre-hospital services previously characterized by relational contracting.

Design/methodology/approach

The study deployed a qualitative design based on interviews with key informants and extensive studies of documents. It is a longitudinal study of a procurement process taking place in a regional health authority covering the period 2006 to 2017.

Findings

A complex and longitudinal public procurement process where pre-hospital (ambulance) services are transformed from relational and outsourced governance to more formal arrangements based on legal and transactional controls, is described in detail. After several years, the process collapsed due to challenges following public scrutiny, legal actions and administrative staff resignations. The public body lacked procurement competencies and the learning process following the regulations was lengthy. In the end, the services were in-sourced.

Research limitations/implications

This study is based on one case and it should, therefore, not be generalized without limitations.

Practical implications

One practical implication of this study is that transactional contracts are not optimal when core and complex services are produced in inter-organizational settings. In public sector health-care contexts, the role of informal and social controls based on relational exchanges are particularly applicable.

Social implications

Acute health-care services essential to citizens’ security and health imply high asset specificity, frequency and uncertainty. Such transactions should according to theory be produced in-house because of high agency costs in the procurement process.

Originality/value

The paper contributes to the understanding of how the public procurement process can itself be complex, as managerial challenges and solutions vary along several dimensions and are contingent upon external factors. In particular, the study increases knowledge of why the design and implementation of outsourcing models may create problems that impede and obstruct control in a particular public sector context.
Are rankings and accreditation related? Examining the dynamics of higher education in Poland
Authors: Rybinski Krzysztof
Published: July 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to analyse the relationship between two measures of university quality, the outcome and other characteristics of a mandatory accreditation and the university position in the national ranking.

Design/methodology/approach

Natural language processing (NLP) models are used to calculate the sentiment indicators for 1,850 accreditation reports from the Polish Accreditation Agency. The sentiment indicators, accreditation frequency and outcomes for 203 HEIs are used in correlation analysis, automated linear regressions and quantile regressions with the university position in the Polish Perspektywy rankings as the outcome variable.

Findings

High/low frequency of accreditation visits, excellent/poor accreditation outcomes and low/high frequency of negative inclination words in the accreditation report are followed by high/low university rankings. Quantile regressions reveal that these relationships vary with the quality of the university.

Practical implications

Publishers of university rankings may consider adding the accreditation features to the set of indicators used in such rankings. The machine learning methodology presented allows cross-country inconsistencies to be identified in the approaches used by accreditation agencies in Europe. The authors of the accreditation reports should be aware they can be mined by machine learning models and this should be considered when the reports are drafted.

Originality/value

This is a novel application of NLP models for analysing the relationship between the accreditation and rankings of universities. In other research, the author has applied NLP models to test whether quality assurance agency (QAA) accreditation in the UK can predict how students rate their university on whatuni.com website.
TQM's presence within legal systems: example of impact on Australian higher education
Authors: Padró Fernando F. , Trimmer Karen , Chang Heejin , Green Jonathan H.
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this study is to investigate the extent to which TQM has influenced the legal system in Australia, an area seldom investigated in the quality or legal literature.

Design/methodology/approach

Documentary and policy analysis of legislation, rules and rulemaking documentation based on a partial application of historical-policy analysis (HPA). Textual analysis was based on Dean and Bowen's (1994) definition of TQM and Vinni's (2007) review of new public management and Swiss (1992) “reformed TQM” concepts.

Findings

Australia's Tertiary Education Quality and Standards Agency Act of 2011 and supporting legal documents such as Guidance Notes include language reflective of TQM principles, providing evidence that present-day administrative law schemes include TQM practices and tools to undergird procedures of regulatory expectations (sometimes in the form of standards), monitoring and general operations. Oftentimes, it is the supporting legal documentation where TQM practices are found and operationalized.

Research limitations/implications

This is a proof-of-concept research study to determine the feasibility to identify TQM concepts within the existing language of legal statutes and supporting regulatory documentation. As such this study worked out the preliminary research challenges in performing this type of analysis.

Practical implications

Understanding TQM's impact on legal systems expands the system's perspective of organizations that do not always factor in the influence government policy has on organizational behaviours and outlooks. More specifically, understanding TQM's influence sheds insight on regulatory requirements imposed on a sector and the normative aspects of regulatory compliance that impact the operations and strategic planning of organizations.

Social implications

The article provides an example of how legal administrative rulemaking influences organizational operational and strategic activities to remain viable in the organization's business or industrial sector.

Originality/value

There are few research papers or literature reviews pertaining to the subject of TQM concepts embedded in laws and regulations, most of which date from the 1980s through early 2000s.
Structure and performance of the Italian alpine “core”: a counterfactual analysis
Authors: Bramanti Alberto , Ricci Sofia
Published: July 2020

Purpose

The competitiveness of the Alpine regions is strongly influenced by environmental constraints and its relationship with the urban network in the valley floor, which cannot be one of pure dependence. This study aims to analyse the health of the Italian Alpine economy through the performance of its capital companies, defined as those operating in the strictly mountainous are-as within the territories covered by the Alpine Convention. The authors compare the performance (2012-2018) of the “inner core” firms with a counterfactual sample of companies from neighbouring territories to delineate the strengths and weaknesses of the Alpine enterprises. The paper addresses policymakers and practitioners who will design the future policies for the high lands, exploiting a vast collaborative planning network.

Design/methodology/approach

The study analyses two broad strands of literature on territorial competitiveness. It uses the coarsened exact matching techniques for the selection of a counterfactual sample at the enterprise level. The study follows a policy-oriented design, offering answers to future challenges.

Findings

The Alpine region has several different local production systems, with a significant level of heterogeneity among firms that differentiate the top 25% from the rest. The counterfactual analysis carried out does not provide clear evidence of significant differences. Instead, it con-firms strong similarities between the Alpine core and the peri-Alpine belt. It is only in terms of employment growth that the core grows less (with a high statistical significance). Finally, the authors introduce the analysis of sustainable value added (SVA) in the core area and use the “tourism chain” to compare different models. The focus here is on two keywords – rarefied and uncontaminated – that enable the transformation of some typical weaknesses of the “minor (or marginal) mountain” into assets for development, provided that place-based and network policies are activated.

Research limitations/implications

The study focusses on the Italian Alps and could be extended in the future to the other countries participating in the Alpine Convention. It may also be enriched by qualitative analyses of partnerships and sole proprietorships that are not identified by the balance sheet analysis.

Practical implications

The study follows a policy-oriented design, offering possible solutions to future challenges.

Social implications

The study offers some suggestions on the post-COVID-19 phase. The bottom-up, reluctant and community dimension are possible strengths to face the challenges that are opening up.

Originality/value

The study is one of the very few to carry out a counterfactual analysis of Alpine enterprises. It offers evidence on the strengths and weaknesses of the productive fabric of the high lands and updates the assessment of the health status of Alpine enterprises to accompany future fact-based policies after the COVID pandemic.
Durvalumab‐induced de novo annular psoriasiform drug eruption successfully treated with a combination of narrowband ultraviolet B phototherapy and topical treatment
Authors: Lin Wei‐Hsi , Lee Kang‐Yun , Lee Woan‐Ruoh , Shih Yi‐Hsien
Published: July 2020

Immune checkpoint inhibitors, including anti‐programmed death 1 and anti‐programmed death ligand 1, have become prominent treatment options for various types of cancers. However, immune checkpoint inhibitors are associated with various cutaneous adverse events, one of which is psoriasiform drug eruption. Some cases of psoriasiform drug eruption can only be controlled through the cessation of immune checkpoint inhibitors and administration of systemic immunosuppressants, such as corticosteroids and methotrexate. However, no clear guideline is available on the management of this specific rash, and the use of systemic immunosuppressants is contraindicated in selected conditions. In this article, we report a case of annular psoriasiform drug eruption induced by an anti‐programmed death ligand 1 monoclonal antibody, durvalumab. The patient responded well to the combination of phototherapy and topical treatment, which allowed continuation of durvalumab treatment without concomitant systemic immunosuppressants in a 2‐year follow up.
Higher early life mortality with lower infant body mass in a free‐ranging primate
Authors: Lee D. Susie , Mandalaywala Tara M. , Dubuc Constance , Widdig Anja , Higham James P.
Published: July 2020

Traits that reflect the amount of energy allocated to offspring by mothers, such as infant body mass, are predicted to have long‐lasting effects on offspring fitness. In very long‐lived species, such as anthropoid primates, where long‐lasting and obligate parental care is required for successful recruitment of offspring, there are few studies on the fitness implications of low body mass among infants.

Using body mass data collected from 253 free‐ranging rhesus macaque Macaca mulatta infants on Cayo Santiago, Puerto Rico, we examined if lower infant body mass predicts lower chance of survival through to reproductive maturation (4th year of life). We also used data on inter‐birth intervals and suckling behaviours to determine whether the duration of maternal care was adjusted to infant body mass.

Rhesus macaque infants experienced on average 5% reduced hazard of death for an increase in body mass of 0.1 SD (~100 g) above the mean within their age–sex class. The positive association between body mass and early life survival was most pronounced in the 1st year of life.

Infant body mass tended to be lower if mothers were young or old, but the link between infant body mass and early life survival remained after controlling for maternal age. This finding suggests that maternal effects on early life survival such as maternal age may act through their influence on infant body mass.

Mothers of heavier infants were less likely to be delayed in subsequent reproduction, but the estimated association slightly overlapped with zero. The timing of the last week of suckling did not differ by infant body mass.

Using infant body mass data that has been rarely available from free‐ranging primates, our study provides comparative evidence to strengthen the existing body of literature on the fitness implications of variation in infant body mass.
Association between secondhand smoke exposure and diabetes mellitus in 131 724 Korean never smokers using self‐reported questionnaires and cotinine levels: Gender differences
Authors: Kim Byung Jin , Kim Ji Hye , Kang Jeong Gyu , Kim Bum Soo , Kang Jin Ho
Published: July 2020

Objective

The aim of this study is to compare the gender‐different associations between secondhand smoke (SHS) exposure and diabetes in self‐reported never smokers verified by cotinine.

Methods

Self‐reported never smokers verified by cotinine levels (<50 ng/mL) enrolled in the Kangbuk Samsung Health Study between April 2011 and December 2016 were included for this study. SHS exposure was defined as current exposure to passive smoke indoors at home or workplace. The gender‐specific association between SHS exposure and diabetes was assessed using multivariable regression analyses.

Results

Of the total 131 724 individuals (mean age 35 years, SD 7.1 years), 66.8% were female, and the prevalence of SHS exposure in the entire population was 22.9%. The prevalence of diabetes in the group exposed to SHS was higher than that in the group unexposed to SHS only in females (1.8% vs 1.2%, P < .001 for females; 2.2% vs 2.2%, P = .956 for males). A significant gender interaction existed for the relationships between SHS exposure and diabetes (P for interaction <.001). The multivariate regression model showed that SHS exposure was significantly associated with diabetes only in females (odds ratio [95% CI], 1.40 [1.20, 1.65] for females; 1.00 [0.85, 1.19] for males). In particular, females with SHS exposure ≥1 hour/day, ≥3 times/week, and ≥10 years showed an increased risk of diabetes by more than 50% compared to those without SHS exposure.

Conclusions

SHS exposure was significantly associated with diabetes in female never smokers with dose‐dependent relationship. However, further longitudinal studies are needed to elucidate the gender difference in the incidence of diabetes associated with SHS exposure.
Jonathan Swift and the Transgender Classroom
Authors: Ftacek Julia
Published: July 2020

Eighteenth‐century studies has seen a flourishing of queer scholarship aimed at recovering the non‐normative sexualities of eighteenth‐century people and the contexts in which they existed. This article calls for an extension of this scholarship into issues of gender, citing both the existence of transgender students in eighteenth‐century classrooms and the potential existence of transgender identities, aesthetics and materials in the period itself. It ends with a model transgender reading of Jonathan Swift’s ‘The Lady’s Dressing Room’ as a demonstration of trans scholarship in the field.
Temperature impacts community structure and function of phototrophic Chloroflexi and Cyanobacteria in two alkaline hot springs in Yellowstone National Park
Authors: Bennett Annastacia C. , Murugapiran Senthil K. , Hamilton Trinity L.
Published: July 2020

Photosynthetic bacteria are abundant in alkaline, terrestrial hot springs and there is a long history of research on phototrophs in Yellowstone National Park (YNP). Hot springs provide a framework to examine the ecophysiology of phototrophs in situ because they provide natural gradients of geochemistry, pH and temperature. Phototrophs within the Cyanobacteria and Chloroflexi groups are frequently observed in alkaline hot springs. Decades of research has determined that temperature constrains Cyanobacteria in alkaline hot springs, but factors that constrain the distribution of phototrophic Chloroflexi remain unresolved. Using a combination of 16S rRNA gene sequencing and photoassimilation microcosms, we tested the hypothesis that temperature would constrain the activity and composition of phototrophic Cyanobacteria and Chloroflexi. We expected diversity and rates of photoassimilation to decrease with increasing temperature. We report 16S rRNA amplicon sequencing along with carbon isotope signatures and photoassimilation from 45 to 72°C in two alkaline hot springs. We find that Roseiflexus, Chloroflexus (Chloroflexi) and Leptococcus (Cyanobacteria) operational taxonomic units (OTUs) have distinct distributions with temperature. This distribution suggests that, like phototrophic Cyanobacteria, temperature selects for specific phototrophic Chloroflexi taxa. The richness of phototrophic Cyanobacteria decreased with increasing temperature along with a decrease in oxygenic photosynthesis, whereas Chloroflexi richness and rates of anoxygenic photosynthesis did not decrease with increasing temperature, even at temperatures approaching the upper limit of photosynthesis (~72–73°C). Our carbon isotopic data suggest an increasing prevalence of the 3‐hydroxypropionate pathway with decreasing temperature coincident with photoautotrophic Chloroflexi. Together these results indicate temperature plays a role in defining the niche space of phototrophic Chloroflexi (as has been observed for Cyanobacteria), but other factors such as morphology, geochemistry, or metabolic diversity of Chloroflexi, in addition to temperature, could determine the niche space of this highly versatile group.
Perioperative hyperglycaemia in elective arthroplasties. Should we do better?
Authors: Ylikoski Marianne , Jokinen Janne J. , Lahtela Jorma , Kauppi Markku J. , Huhtala Heini , Immonen Heidi , Tiihonen Raine
Published: July 2020

Background

Perioperative dysglycaemia is associated with deleterious outcomes but guidelines to improve glucose management are poorly or inconsistently adhered to. We evaluated glucose management among diabetic and non‐diabetic patients undergoing elective hip or knee arthroplasty.

Methods

Capillary plasma glucose (CPG) was measured prospectively four times daily of 209 patients undergoing elective hip or knee surgery. Actions of the attending teams to CPG values and detection of patients at risk were analysed.

Results

A total of 209 patients were enrolled. All diabetic patients on insulin (6/6) had hyperglycaemia (≥7.8 mmol/l) more than twice and severe hyperglycaemia (>10 mmol/l) at least once. Of the 27 diabetic patients not on insulin 26 (96.3%) had CPG ≥ 7.8 mmol/l ≥ 2 times and 17 (63%) >10 mmol/l. The corresponding figures of the 176 non‐diabetic patients were 137 (77.8%) and 61 (34.7%). Severe hyperglycaemia occurred in 54/176 (30.1%) of the non‐diabetic patients with pre‐operative HbA1c < 42 mmol/mol and random plasma glucose < 7.8 mmol/l. Of the 84 hyperglycaemic episodes > 10 mmol/l, none was treated. Patients with a FINDRISC score ≥ 12 (corresponding to moderate to high risk of diabetes) and hyperglycaemia went unnoticed.

Conclusions

Hyperglycaemia is common among elective orthopaedic surgery patients with or without diabetes. More than 80% of the 209 patients had hyperglycaemia and 40% had severe hyperglycaemia. None of the patients was treated according to guidelines and none of the patients at risk of hyperglycaemia or diabetes was noticed. There is an obvious need for further education and support by diabetes specialists.

Clinical trial registration

Clinical trials, gov. NCT03306810.
Factors associated with the biphasic kinetics of serum HBV RNA in patients with HBeAg‐positive chronic hepatitis B treated with nucleos(t)ide analogues
Authors: Liu Shi , Liu Zhihong , Li Wanying , Zhou Bin , Liang Xieer , Fan Rong , Deng Rui , Hou Jinlin , Sun Jian
Published: July 2020

Background

Serum hepatitis B virus (HBV) RNA is a novel biomarker for evaluating treatment response. Detailed information regarding serum HBV RNA kinetics during treatment with nucleos(t)ide analogues (NAs) is limited.

Aims

To ascertain serum HBV RNA kinetics during long‐term NA treatment and identify associated factors.

Methods

We enrolled 76 HBeAg‐positive chronic hepatitis B patients receiving NA from randomised controlled trials. Laboratory assays were undertaken every 3 months. Factors associated with serum HBV RNA kinetics were identified by generalised estimating equations.

Results

Baseline serum HBV RNA was 8.5 ± 1.0 log10 copies/mL. Decline in serum HBV RNA during NA therapy was biphasic: the first phase (HBV DNA detectable) had a fast decrease (median slope, −0.207 log10 copies/mL/month) and was followed by a second phase (HBV DNA undetectable) with slow decrease (median slope, −0.071 log10 copies/mL/month). In the first phase, factors independently associated with lower initial serum HBV RNA were male sex (OR, 0.685, P = 0.044), low baseline HBsAg (OR, 0.525, P = 0.001) and rapid virological response (RVR) (OR, 0.624, P = 0.031). In the second phase, only RVR was independently associated with serum HBV RNA kinetics, including its lower initial level (OR, 0.694, P = 0.043) and greater decline (OR, 0.966, P = 0.002). Based on viral dynamics, time needed to achieve undetectable serum HBV RNA from baseline was 43.56 (IQR: 29.49‐66.40) months.

Conclusion

RVR was a significant determinant for biphasic decline in serum HBV RNA during NA treatment, which significantly influenced the treatment duration required to achieve undetectable serum HBV RNA.
Effects of beak trimming on the performance, beak length, behavior, and carcass traits of a local broiler breed reared in battery cages
Authors: Li Junying , Chen Hong , Dai Cong , Sa Renna , Wang Zhicheng , Wang Jiangxian , Su Hu , He Xinxin , Guo Xing , Jiang Runshen
Published: July 2020

This study investigated the effects of beak trimming on a local broiler breed. A total of 648 one‐day‐old birds were randomly allocated into three treatments: no trimming (NBT), infrared beak trimming (IRBT), and hot‐blade beak trimming (HBBT). The performance, beak length, behavior, carcass traits, organ percentages, and meat quality were inspected. The body weight (BW) from 7 to 35 days in the IRBT group was significantly lower than that in the NBT group, and the BW from 7 to 49 days was lower than that in the HBBT group (p < .05). Compared with untrimmed birds, birds in the IRBT group had lower average daily feed intake (ADFI) from 15 to 21 days, and higher heart percentage and L* value in the breast muscle. The upper beak length at 28 and 49 days of age were longest in untrimmed birds, intermediate in birds in the HBBT group, and shortest in the IRBT groups (p <.05). No evidence was found that HBBT caused changes in performance, behavior, carcass traits, organ percentages, and meat quality except for lower change in spleen percentage. Taken together, IRBT had more influence at inhibiting early BW, ADFI, and upper beak length than HBBT in the local broiler breed.
Genetic impact of CDHR3 on the adult onset of asthma and COPD
Authors: Shigemasa Rie , Masuko Hironori , Hyodo Kentaro , Kitazawa Haruna , Kanazawa Jun , Yatagai Yohei , Iijima Hiroaki , Naito Takashi , Saito Takefumi , Hirota Tomomitsu , Tamari Mayumi , Sakamoto Tohru , Hizawa Nobuyuki
Published: July 2020

Background

Adult‐onset asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) are heterogeneous diseases caused by complex gene‐environment interactions. A functional single nucleotide polymorphism of cadherin‐related family member 3 (CDHR3), known as a receptor of rhinovirus‐C, is associated with childhood‐onset asthma especially in atopic individuals.

Objective

Here, we identified risk factors for adult‐onset asthma and COPD, focusing on the impact of the CDHR3 variant in atopic individuals.

Methods

We conducted a longitudinal, retrospective, observational cohort study of 1523 healthy adults with baseline examinations at Tsukuba Medical Center Hospital in 2008 and retrospectively identified new‐onset, physician‐diagnosed asthma or COPD from 2009 to 2018. We assessed risk factors by the Cox regression analysis. The impact of CDHR3 variant rs6967330 was also examined in individuals with pre‐existing atopy.

Results

Over 10 study years, 103 people developed airway diseases (79 asthma and 24 COPD; 52 females, average onset‐age 55 years old, range 38‐80). Higher body mass index (BMI) and lower forced expiratory volume in one second/forced vital capacity (FEV1/FVC) ratio were significant risk factors (BMI: HR 1.072 [95% CI 1.005‐1.14], P = .034; FEV1/FVC ratio: HR 1.091 [1.044‐1.14], P = .00011). Restriction to atopic individuals saw the A allele at rs6967330 and lower FEV1/FVC ratio to associate with adult‐onset disease (A allele: HR 2.89 [1.57‐5.20], P = .00062; FEV1/FVC ratio: HR 1.10 [1.04‐1.17], P = .0010).

Conclusion and clinical relevance

Genetic susceptibility to rhinovirus‐C infection in atopic individuals is a risk factor for chronic airway diseases even in later life.
An exome‐wide exploration of cases of primary ovarian insufficiency uncovers novel sequence variants and candidate genes
Authors: Alvarez‐Mora Maria Isabel , Todeschini Anne‐Laure , Caburet Sandrine , Perets Lilach Peled , Mila Montserrat , Younis Johnny S. , Shalev Stavit , Veitia Reiner A.
Published: July 2020

Primary ovarian insufficiency (POI) implies the cessation of menstruation for several months in women before the age of 40 years and is a major cause of infertility. The study of the contribution of genetic factors to POI has been fueled by the use of whole exome sequencing (WES). Here, to uncover novel causative pathogenic variants and risk alleles, WES has been performed in 12 patients with familial POI (eight unrelated index cases and two pairs of sisters) and six women with early menopause and family history of POI (four index cases and one pair of sisters). Likely causative variants in NR5A1 and MCM9 genes were identified as well as a variant in INHA that requires further investigation. Moreover, we have identified more than one candidate variant in 3 out of 15 familial cases. Taken together, our results highlight the genetic heterogeneity of POI and early menopause and support the hypothesis of an oligogenic inheritance of such conditions, in addition to monogenic inheritance.
Unsettling Stories of Eviction from the New Saigon
Authors: Harms Erik
Published: July 2020

Stories of settling and civilizing a landscape often mask or conceal stories of displacement. Settling stories are often unsettling stories—and scholarship on urban settlement should strive to show both faces of the settlement process. This article analyzes interview excerpts collected between 2010 and 2012 from residents who have been evicted from an urban development site located across the Saigon River from Ho Chi Minh City’s central business district. I highlight how evictees evoke their own histories of settlement as a way of unsettling the triumphalist story of contemporary urban development in the city. Along the way, an unexpected, yet equally unsettling, irony emerges. The settlement stories evictees rely upon to prove their own status as legitimate urban settlers evoke the larger story of Vietnamese manifest destiny, which is also an unsettling tale of conquest, displacement, and settler colonialism.
Voluntary pursuit of negatively valenced stimuli from childhood to early adulthood
Authors: Grisanzio Katherine A. , Sasse Stephanie F. , Nook Erik C. , Lambert Hilary K. , McLaughlin Katie A. , Somerville Leah H.
Published: July 2020

Although common sense suggests that we are motivated to pursue positive and avoid negative experiences, previous research shows that people regularly seek out negative experiences. In the current study, we characterized this tendency from childhood to young adulthood. Due to the known increases in risky behavior and sensation seeking in adolescence, we hypothesized that adolescents would show an increased engagement with negatively valenced stimuli compared to children and adults. Participants aged 4–25 (N = 192) completed a behavioral task assessing motivation to engage with negative, positive, and neutral images. On each trial, participants viewed two small images and selected one to view at a larger size for up to 10s. Trials were organized into three valence conditions: negative versus positive images (matched on arousal), negative versus neutral images, and positive versus neutral images. Although participants chose positive images more than neutral or negative images, participants selected negative images frequently, even when given a positive (28% of trials) or neutral (42% of trials) alternative. Contrary to expectations, the tendency to choose negative images was highest in early childhood and decreased linearly with increasing age, and the tendency to choose positive images increased linearly with age. These results provide insight into how motivation to engage with emotional stimuli varies across age. It is possible that the novelty and rarity of negative experiences drives children to pursue these stimuli. Alternatively, children may find negative images less aversive, which would caution against assuming that these stimuli elicit the same motivational states in individuals of all ages.
Caring for children with neurological disorders in China during the COVID‐19 pandemic
Authors: Jiang Yuwu , Liu Zhisheng
Published: July 2020

Mandarin translations of this letter to the editor are available in the online issue.