bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ejection Fraction by Echocardiography for a Selective Use of Magnetic Resonance After Infarction
Authors: Marcos-Garces Victor , Gavara Jose , Lopez-Lereu Maria P. , Monmeneu Jose V. , Rios-Navarro Cesar , de Dios Elena , Perez Nerea , Cànoves Joaquim , Gonzalez Jessika , Minana Gema , Nunez Julio , de la Espriella Rafael , Santas Enrique , Moratal David , Chorro Francisco J. , Valente Filipa , Lorenzatti Daniel , Rodríguez-Palomares Jose F. , Ortiz-Pérez Jose T. , Bodi Vicente
Published: December 2020

Background

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) permits robust risk stratification of discharged ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction patients, but its indiscriminate use in all cases is not feasible. We evaluated the utility of left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) by echocardiography for a selective use of CMR after ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction.

Methods

Echocardiography and CMR were performed in 1119 patients discharged for ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction included in a multicenter registry. The prognostic power of CMR beyond echocardiography-LVEF was assessed using adjusted C statistic, net reclassification improvement index, and integrated discrimination improvement index.

Results

During a 4.8-year median follow-up, 136 (12%) first major adverse cardiac events (MACE) occurred (47 cardiovascular deaths and 89 readmissions for acute heart failure). In the entire group, CMR-LVEF (but not echocardiography-LVEF) independently predicted MACE occurrence. The MACE rate significantly increased only in patients with CMR-LVEF<40% (≥50%: 7%, 40%–49%: 9%, <40%: 27%,
P
<0.001). Most patients displayed echocardiography-LVEF≥50% (629, 56%), and they had a low MACE rate (57/629, 9%). In patients with echocardiography-LVEF<50% (n=490, 44%), the MACE rate was also low in those with CMR-LVEF≥40% (24/278, 9%) but significantly increased in patients with CMR-LVEF<40% (55/212, 26%;
P
<0.001). Compared with echocardiography-LVEF, CMR-LVEF significantly improved MACE prediction in the group of patients with echocardiography-LVEF<50% (C statistic, 0.80 versus 0.72; net reclassification improvement index, 0.73; integrated discrimination improvement index, 0.10) but not in those with echocardiography-LVEF≥50% (C statistic 0.66 versus 0.66; net reclassification improvement index, 0.17; integrated discrimination improvement index, 0.01).

Conclusions

A straightforward strategy based on a selective use of CMR for risk prediction in ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction patients with echocardiography-LVEF<50% can provide insights into patient care. The cost-effectiveness of this approach, as well as the direct implications in clinical management, should be further explored.
Automated Electronic Phenotyping of Cardioembolic Stroke
Authors: Guan Wyliena , Ko Darae , Khurshid Shaan , Trisini Lipsanopoulos Ana T. , Ashburner Jeffrey M. , Harrington Lia X. , Rost Natalia S. , Atlas Steven J. , Singer Daniel E. , McManus David D. , Anderson Christopher D. , Lubitz Steven A.
Published: December 2020

Background and Purpose:

Oral anticoagulation is generally indicated for cardioembolic strokes, but not for other stroke causes. Consequently, subtype classification of ischemic stroke is important for risk stratification and secondary prevention. Because manual classification of ischemic stroke is time-intensive, we assessed the accuracy of automated algorithms for performing cardioembolic stroke subtyping using an electronic health record (EHR) database.

Methods:

We adapted TOAST (Trial of ORG 10172 in Acute Stroke Treatment) features associated with cardioembolic stroke for derivation in the EHR. Using administrative codes and echocardiographic reports within Mass General Brigham Biobank (N=13 079), we iteratively developed EHR-based algorithms to define the TOAST cardioembolic stroke features, revising regular expression algorithms until achieving positive predictive value ≥80%. We compared several machine learning-based statistical algorithms for discriminating cardioembolic stroke using the feature algorithms applied to EHR data from 1598 patients with acute ischemic strokes from the Massachusetts General Hospital Ischemic Stroke Registry (2002–2010) with previously adjudicated TOAST and Causative Classification of Stroke subtypes.

Results:

Regular expression-based feature extraction algorithms achieved a mean positive predictive value of 95% (range, 88%–100%) across 11 echocardiographic features. Among 1598 patients from the Massachusetts General Hospital Ischemic Stroke Registry, 1068 had any cardioembolic stroke feature within predefined time windows in proximity to the stroke event. Cardioembolic stroke tended to occur at an older age, with more TOAST-based comorbidities, and with atrial fibrillation (82.3%). The best model was a random forest with 92.2% accuracy and area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 91.1% (95% CI, 87.5%–93.9%). Atrial fibrillation, age, dilated cardiomyopathy, congestive heart failure, patent foramen ovale, mitral annulus calcification, and recent myocardial infarction were the most discriminatory features.

Conclusions:

Machine learning-based identification of cardioembolic stroke using EHR data is feasible. Future work is needed to improve the accuracy of automated cardioembolic stroke identification and assess generalizability of electronic phenotyping algorithms across clinical settings.
Territoriality and Violent Conflicts in Tivland
Authors: Arowosegbe Jeremiah O.
Published: December 2020

Ethno-territorial struggles affect the manner in which political authority is constituted and legitimized throughout the world. Their impact on the trajectories of power and the state in Africa have not received the attention deserved in the literature on political development and state building. In majoritarian agrarian societies, land tenure, just like the granting of usufruct rights to water, shapes economic and political dynamics. Conflicts over land and struggles over access to the key resources of agricultural production – fertile soils, green vegetation and water – are widespread throughout Africa and are likely to intensify in the light of ongoing climate change-induced production constraints. Drawing on the farmer-herder conflicts between Fulani pastoralists and Tiv agriculturalists in Tivland, North-Central Nigeria, over land and water resources, this study establishes how the struggles over agricultural resources, governance and political power have shaped the violent transformations in colonial and post-colonial Nigeria.
Three Fragments of a Judaeo-Arabic Translation of Ecclesiastes with Full Tiberian Vocalisation
Authors: Posegay Nick , Arrant Estara J
Published: December 2020

Judaeo-Arabic manuscripts with complete vocalisation are rare, a problem which makes reconstructing the pronunciation of the medieval language challenging. This study presents an edition of a Judaeo-Arabic translation of Ecclesiastes from the Cairo Genizah with full Tiberian vocalisation. This manuscript exhibits noteworthy features of dialectal medieval Arabic and a palaeographic style which places it in twelfth-century Egypt-Palestine. The transcription system provides specific evidence for the pronunciation of a type of medieval Judaeo-Arabic, while the translation offers a window into the culture of popular Bible translations and scribal activity in the medieval Middle East.
Assessing the Spatiotemporal Uncertainties in Future Meteorological Droughts from CMIP5 Models, Emission Scenarios, and Bias Corrections
Authors: Wu Chuanhao , Yeh Pat J.-F. , Ju Jiali , Chen Yi-Ying , Xu Kai , Dai Heng , Niu Jie , Hu Bill X. , Huang Guoru
Published: December 2020

Drought projections are accompanied with large uncertainties due to varying estimates of future warming scenarios from different modeling and forcing data. Using the standardized precipitation index (SPI), this study presents a global assessment of uncertainties in drought characteristics (severity S and frequency Df) projections based on the simulations of 28 general circulation models (GCMs) from phase 5 of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project (CMIP5). A hierarchical framework incorporating a variance-based global sensitivity analysis was developed to quantify the uncertainties in drought characteristics projections at various spatial (global and regional) and temporal (decadal and 30-yr) scales due to 28 GCMs, three representative concentration pathway scenarios (RCP2.6, RCP4.5, RCP8.5), and two bias-correction (BC) methods. The results indicated that the largest uncertainty contribution in the globally projected S and Df is from the GCM uncertainty (>60%), followed by BC (<35%) and RCP (<16%) uncertainty. Spatially, BC reduces the spreads among GCMs particularly in Northern Hemisphere (NH), leading to smaller GCM uncertainty in the NH than the Southern Hemisphere (SH). In contrast, the BC and RCP uncertainties are larger in the NH than the SH, and the BC uncertainty can be larger than GCM uncertainty for some regions (e.g., southwest Asia). At the decadal and 30-yr time scales, the contributions for three uncertainty sources show larger variability in S than Df projections, especially in the SH. The GCM and BC uncertainties show overall decreasing trends with time, while the RCP uncertainty is expected to increase over time and even can be larger than BC uncertainty for some regions (e.g., northern Asia) by the end of this century.
The Cost of Disbelief: Fracturing News Ecosystems in an Age of Rampant Media Cynicism
Authors: Mihailidis Paul , Foster Bobbie
Published: December 2020

In the United States, and around the world, journalism and public information exist across broken media architectures. Citizens are at the mercy of those eager to take advantage of platform infrastructures in which access, quality, and diversity varies so wildly. Increasingly, politicians are taking advantage of these platform architectures to position people against one another. The result is a fracturing of belief, where truths splinter and trust erodes. Our digital environments are at the center of this fracturing, and our social and civic cohesion is at risk. What has resulted is a rampant cynicism, which is reflected in an intentional disengagement from the information infrastructures that provide civic cohesion. This is buoyed by an erosion of local news environments, which has further disconnected communities or forced them to rely on large scale digital media companies. This article will detail three areas eroding public trust and engagement— distributed propaganda, hijacking of local news, and reifying polarization—and their contributions to growing cynicism toward our current civic and political environments. It will unpack the frame of cynicism to articulate a lack of willingness to participate in civic processes that are seen as inclusive and reach beyond differences. The essay will pivot to the concept of civic-mindedness to promote an approach to combat the cynicism that has engulfed our political and civic infrastructures.
Two-Person Colonoscopy as a Training Approach to Non-sedation Colonoscopy
Authors: Wu Po-Hsien , Tsai Nien-Ying , Hsiao Cheng-Wen , Jao Shu-Wen , Cheng Yi-Chiao
Published: December 2020

Background

Reported learning curves of colonoscopy vary from 94 to 275 cases and focus on one-person colonoscopy. Our aim was to evaluate the learning curve of two-person non-sedation colonoscopy for trainees in a single tertiary care hospital.

Patients and Methods

We conducted a retrospective study in 1264 patients who underwent diagnostic or screening colonoscopies in a single institution from August 2012 to January 2013. Most of the patients (1174/1264) did not receive sedation during the procedure. All procedures were performed under two-person control. Two third-year residents who received previous colonoscopic training via a plastic model were the trainees.

Results

In comparison to the performance of 5 staff members, the colonoscopic outcomes showed no significant differences in the completion rates (77.2% vs. 79.8%, P = .382), average polyp numbers (.9 ± 1.7 vs. 1.0 ± 1.8, P = .453), polyp detection rates (43.5% vs. 46.3%, P = .434), or intubation lengths (96.4 ± 29.3 vs. 96.3 ± 26.7 cm, P = .939). The total procedure times for the 2 groups were 17.2 ± 10.6 minutes (trainees) and 12.9 ± 7.8 minutes (staff) ( P < .001).

Conclusion

Trainees achieved acceptable outcomes over an 81-97 case learning curve under a two-person non-sedation colonoscopy technique, an approach with potential as a transition to single-operator colonoscopy.
Predictors of Operative Intervention in Patients With Lactic Acidosis
Authors: Bankhead-Kendall Brittany , Slama Eliza M. , Isanaka Pavan , Braddock Amy
Published: December 2020

Background

Lactate levels in clinical practice are often used as a quantitative indicator for the severity of hypoperfusion and the responsiveness to therapeutic interventions. In the hospital acute care setting, lactic acidosis combined with the appropriate clinical exam signs warrants surgical evaluation. The purpose of our study was to evaluate all surgical consults for lactic acidosis in a single community hospital to identify what cofactors were most often predictive of the need for surgical management and operative intervention.

Materials and Methods

A retrospective chart review within a 5-year period was conducted on all consultations to general surgery in which patients additionally had lactic acidosis defined as >2mEq. Within this population, various subjective and objective parameters were evaluated. Final analysis compared these parameters between patients with lactic acidosis who underwent surgical intervention and those who did not require operative intervention.

Results

Within the 5-year period, 432 patients met our criteria of a surgical consult placed for lactic acidosis. Final results from the highest quality statistical model showed significant variables as diffuse tenderness on physical exam ( P-value = .0010, Odds Ratio (OR) = 2.77) and focal tenderness on physical exam ( P-value = .0440, OR = 1.76). The presence of peritoneal signs ( P-value = .0521, OR = 2.02) resulted in operative intervention twice as often in patients with lactic acidosis.

Discussion

To better appropriate health care costs, measures need to be taken to ensure resources are being utilized properly. In patients with lactic acidosis, one should go “back to the basics” with the physical examination to determine which patients truly need a surgical consultation.
A Prospective Study of Family Satisfaction Changes After Tracheostomy Placement in Trauma Patients
Authors: Trust Marc D. , Lara Sabino , Hecht Jonathan , Teixeira Pedro G. , Coopwood Ben , Aydelotte Jayson , Cardenas Tatiana C. P. , Guerra Erin , Ali Sadia , Brown Carlos V. R.
Published: December 2020

Background

Tracheostomy is a commonly performed procedure in surgical intensive care units. Although the indications and benefits of this procedure are well known, little has been studied in the adult surgical/trauma population about patient family satisfaction after tracheostomy placement.

Materials and Methods

We performed a prospective study at our academic level I trauma center from 2015-2016 in patients who underwent elective tracheostomy. Family members were asked to complete an eight-point questionnaire using a forced Likert scale of graded responses. Questionnaires were administered prior to tracheostomy and again at 24-and 72-hour post-tracheostomy placement. Responses were compared using univariate analysis.

Results

A total of 26 family members completed all 3 surveys. Family members believed loved ones appeared more comfortable, were more interactive, and were better progressing clinically. After 72 hours, family members felt less anxiety. There was no difference in perceptions of patient distress, ability to provide support, or their worry about scars, or comfort in visiting them.

Discussion

Family members believed tracheostomies provided greater patient comfort, increased interactive abilities, better progress in their care, and experienced less anxiety after placement. Family satisfaction may therefore be an additional benefit in support of earlier tracheostomy.
Opioid Requirements in Laparoscopic Colectomies: Do Enhanced Recovery After Surgery Protocols Make a Difference?
Authors: Kawak Samer , Wasvary Joanna F. , Ziegler Matthew A.
Published: December 2020

Background

With the growing opioid epidemic and recent focus on the quantity of opioids prescribed at discharge after surgery, enhanced recovery pathways provide another tool to counteract this epidemic. The aim of this current study is to analyze the differences in opioid requirements and pain scores in the immediate postoperative period for patients who underwent laparoscopic colectomies before and after the implementation of enhanced recovery after surgery (ERAS) protocols.

Materials and Methods

This study is a retrospective review of patients and was conducted at an academically affiliated tertiary care hospital. In patients undergoing elective laparoscopic colectomies before December 1, 2013-July 31, 2015 and after September 1, 2015-May 31, 2018, the implementation of enhanced recovery pathways was included. The primary end point was opioid consumption from the end of surgery until 48 hours after surgery. Secondary end points included pain scores, surgery length of time, and hospital length of stay after surgery.

Results

A total of 242 patients (122 pre- and 120 postimplementation) were analyzed. Patient characteristics were similar between groups. Pain scores were higher in the preimplementation patients for postoperative day (POD) 0 scores ( P = .019). There was a decrease in the morphine milligram equivalents (MME) on POD 0-2 for the postimplementation patients. This decrease resulted in a 61% reduction in opioid requirements after implementation of ERAS protocols (32 vs. 12.5 MME, P < .0001).

Discussion

Enhanced recovery after surgery protocols can reduce opioid requirements after elective laparoscopic colectomies without negatively affecting pain scores.
Surgical Faculty Perception of Service-Based Advanced Practice Provider Impact: A Southwestern Surgical Congress Multicenter Survey
Authors: Eaton Barbara C. , Vesselinov Roumen , Ahmeti Mentor , Stansbury Jessica Jean , Regner Justin , Sadler Craig , Nevarez Stephanie , Lissauer Matthew , Stout Lauren , Harmon Laura , Glassett Brittany , Hampton David A. , Castro Helen J. , Cunningham Kyle , Mulkey Sarah , O’Meara Lindsay , Dia Jose J. , Bruns Brandon R.
Published: December 2020

Background

A previous single-center survey of trauma and general surgery faculty demonstrated perceived positive impact of trauma and surgical subspecialty service-based advanced practice providers (SB APPs). The aim of this multicenter survey was to further validate these findings.

Methods

Faculty surgeons on teams that employ SB APPs at 8 academic centers completed an electronic survey querying perception about advanced practice provider (APP) competency and impact.

Results

Respondents agreed that SB APPs decrease workload (88%), length of stay (72%), contribute to continuity (92%), facilitate care coordination (87%), enhance patient satisfaction (88%), and contribute to best practice/safe patient care (83%). Fewer agreed that APPs contribute to resident education (50%) and quality improvement (QI)/research (36%). Although 93% acknowledged variability in the APP level of function, 91% reported trusting their clinical judgment.

Conclusion

This study supports the perception that SB APPs have a positive impact on patient care and quality indicators. Areas for potential improvement include APP contribution to resident education and research/QI initiatives.
Tension Pneumoperitoneum Following Attempted Pneumatic Reduction of Intussusception
Authors: Parikh Rajavi S. , Weiner Timothy , Dehmer Jeffrey
Published: December 2020

Tension pneumoperitoneum is a life-threatening complication of pneumatic reduction for intussusception if not immediately recognized and treated. We describe a 3-month-old woman who presented with intussusception, underwent attempted pneumatic reduction, and subsequently developed tension pneumoperitoneum with associated hemodynamic instability requiring emergent laparotomy. This is a known, rare complication of pneumatic reduction which highlights the need to have a high index of suspicion for early surgical management to obtain a positive outcome.
Predisposing, enabling and need factors associated with increased use and ongoing increased use of inpatient mental health care: A population-based longitudinal study
Authors: Suesse Bianca , Lago Luise , Westley-Wise Victoria , Cuenca Jose , Pai Nagesh
Published: December 2020

Objective:

The study investigated factors associated with frequent (admissions), high (total length of stay) or heavy (frequent and high) hospital use, and with ongoing increased hospital use, for mental health conditions in a regional health district.

Methods:

A retrospective population-based study using longitudinal hospital, emergency department and community service use data for people admitted with a mental health condition between 1 January 2012 and 31 December 2016. Multivariate logistic regression models assessed the association of predisposing, enabling and need factors with increased, and ongoing increased, hospital use.

Results:

A total of 5,631 people had at least one mental health admission. Frequent admission was associated with not being married (odds ratio = 2.3, 95% confidence interval = [1.5, 3.3]), no private hospital insurance (odds ratio = 2.2, 95% confidence interval = [1.2, 3.8]), previous mental health service use (community, emergency department, lengthy admissions) and a history of a substance use disorder, childhood trauma, self-harm or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. High and heavy hospital use was associated with marital status, hospital insurance, admission for schizophrenia, previous mental health service use and a history of self-harm. Ongoing frequent use was less likely among those aged 65 and older (odds ratio = 0.2, 95% confidence interval = [0.1, 1.0]) but more likely among those with a history of depression (odds ratio = 2.2, 95% confidence interval = [1.1, 4.4]). Ongoing high use was also associated with admissions for schizophrenia and a history of self-harm.

Conclusion:

Interventions targeted at younger people hospitalised with schizophrenia, a history of depression or self-harm, particularly with evidence of social and or health disadvantage, should be considered to improve long-term consumer and health system outcomes. These data can support policymakers to better understand the context and need for improvements in stepped or staged care for people frequently using inpatient mental health care.
Increases in youth mental health services in Australia: Have they had an impact on youth population mental health?
Authors: Jorm Anthony F , Kitchener Betty A
Published: December 2020

Background:

Mental disorders often have their first onset during youth, which justifies targeting treatment services at this age group. Australia has had a substantial increase in youth mental health services since the introduction of the Medicare Better Access scheme and headspace services in 2006–2007. This paper examines trends in the mental health of Australian youth before and after this time using available national and state datasets.

Methods:

The following data were examined for age groups available in the age range of 12–25 years: use of mental health services per 100,000 population provided under Medicare by GPs, psychiatrists, clinical psychologists, other psychologists and allied health professionals; per capita accessing of headspace services; and prevalence of high and very high psychological distress (using the K10) in youth age groups in the National Health Survey, the Victorian Population Health Survey and the New South Wales Population Health Survey between 2001 and 2018.

Results:

There has been a large increase in use of mental health services since the introduction of Better Access and headspace. No significant improvement in youth mental health was evident following the introduction of these schemes. Rather, there appeared to be a worsening of youth mental health from around 2015 onwards.

Conclusion:

Despite a large increase in the provision of mental health services to Australian youth, there has not been a detectable reduction in the prevalence of psychological distress. There may be other factors that have worsened youth mental health in recent years.
Ready or Not: Managers’ and Employees’ Different Perceptions of Digital Readiness
Authors: Gfrerer Anne , Hutter Katja , Füller Johann , Ströhle Thomas
Published: December 2020

Shared beliefs on digital readiness among management and employees are a precursor to successfully guide and implement organizational change. There is, however, little examination of how digital knowledge and skills are distributed among managers and employees, or whether their perceptions of digital readiness systematically differ. The findings of a survey of the banking industry reveal that, while there are similar perceptions of attitude and empowerment toward change, perceptions of individual readiness, competences, and innovation barriers differ significantly. This research advances the framework of change readiness toward digital readiness with theoretical as well as practical implications for digital transformation management.
Corrigendum to “Marginal Effects in Interaction Models: Determining and Controlling the False Positive Rate”
Authors: Esarey Justin , Sumner Jane L.
Published: December 2020

After publication of Esarey and Sumner, we recognized substantively significant errors in the paper. We correct those errors here. We discovered these errors as part of work on another, unrelated paper to which one co-author hoped to apply similar methods. The Brambor et al. procedure is overconfident when separately testing multiple hypotheses, as correctly stated in our paper. However, when conjointly testing multiple hypotheses, the Brambor et al. procedure is appropriate. The procedure we suggest on pp. 1161–1163 to correct for overconfidence in the case of separate testing of multiple hypothesis (based on Benjamini and Hochberg) is (to our knowledge) correct, but subject to several limitations unstated in the paper. This corrigendum lays out all errors and limitations and adds a more robust procedure to our interactionTest software.
Advantages of Matched Over Unmatched Opt-in Samples for Studying Criminal Justice Attitudes: A Research Note
Authors: Graham Amanda , Pickett Justin T. , Cullen Francis T.
Published: December 2020

Despite the growing popularity of online opt-in samples in criminology, recent work shows that resultant findings often do not generalize. Not all opt-in samples are alike, however, and matching may improve data quality. Replicating and extending prior work, we compare the generalizability of relational inferences from unmatched and matched opt-in samples. Estimating identical models for four criminal justice outcomes, we compare multivariate regression results from national matched (YouGov) and unmatched (MTurk) opt-in samples to those from the General Social Survey (GSS). YouGov coefficients are almost always in the same direction as GSS coefficients, especially when statistically significant, and are mostly of a similar magnitude; less than 10% of the YouGov and GSS coefficients differ significantly. By contrast, MTurk coefficients are more likely to be in the wrong direction, more likely to be much larger or smaller, and are about three times as likely to differ significantly from GSS coefficients. Matched opt-in samples provide a relatively inexpensive data source for criminal justice researchers, compared to probability samples, and also appear to carry a smaller generalizability penalty than unmatched samples. Our study suggests relational inferences from matched opt-in samples are more likely to generalize than those from unmatched samples.
Horizontal and vertical labour market movements in Austria: Do occupational transitions take women across gendered lines?
Authors: Fritsch Nina-Sophie , Liedl Bernd , Paulinger Gerhard
Published: December 2020

The gendered division of occupations is a persistent characteristic of the Austrian labour market. Furthermore, we can observe more flexible employment biographies, where sequential employment episodes and occupational transitions become an important part. On this account, the article argues that both gender inequalities and labour market movements need to be examined simultaneously. The authors therefore analyse gender-(un)typed horizontal occupational transitions and their influence on the vertical positioning, based on the Austrian Micro Census (2008–2018). The results reveal that gender-typed occupational transitions are regaining relevance and that the gender effect is reversing in that women increasingly leave gender-untyped occupations. The findings also demonstrate that this gender-typed horizontal movement yields a significant decline in occupational status for women, which even increases when women become mothers. Based on their models the authors find no negative effects for fathers.
Has the Allocation of Certain Teachers Impacted Student Achievement and Upward Economic Mobility? The Case of Forsyth County, NC Elementary Schools
Authors: Blizard Zachary D.
Published: December 2020

Forsyth County, North Carolina has one of the lowest rates of upward economic mobility in the entire United States. Researchers find that one of strongest correlates of upward mobility is the quality of schools in the local system. Using 2018 and 2017 NC Public School Report Card (SRC) data for Forsyth County elementary schools, I find that the percentage of experienced teachers at a school is a significant predictor of school performance. At high-performing schools, a much larger share of their faculties consist of highly experienced and educated teachers, compared to low-performing schools that predominately serve economically disadvantaged children. Experienced and high-quality teachers can have significant long-term impacts on elementary school children, especially those who come from underprivileged families. Yet in Forsyth County, schools with greater shares of economically disadvantaged children have lower percentages of teachers with these characteristics. I argue that the Forsyth County school system can assist in reversing low mobility rates by allocating more experienced teachers toward low-performing elementary schools that serve mostly disadvantaged children. This will insure that these schools have higher experienced-to-inexperienced teacher ratios, while also helping to reduce teacher turnover.
Going Restorative, Staying Tough: Urban Principals’ Perceptions of Restorative Practices in Collocated Small Schools
Authors: Lustick Hilary
Published: December 2020

Drawing on data from a year-long multi-case ethnography of three secondary urban public schools implementing restorative practices, the current piece examines how principals negotiate restorative practices despite conflicting pressures to maintain order and compel obedience. I frame my inquiry through Sergiovanni’s (2000) concept of “systems” in the “lifeworld,” asking whether principals use restorative practices as systems in service of cultural transformation or merely as a replacement for suspension. Findings suggest tensions between principals’ purposes for implementing restorative practices and the pressure they feel to maintain an image of “school order” and “toughness” in the eyes of internal and external stakeholders. I close with recommendations for research and practice. I also make some preliminary recommendations for principal preparation.
The Dynamics of Export Diversification, Economic Complexity and Economic Growth Cycles: Global Evidence
Authors: Canh Nguyen Phuc , Thanh Su Dinh
Published: December 2020

This article investigates the dynamics of export diversification, economic complexity and economic growth cycles. By applying several econometric techniques for estimating a panel data set of 70 economies over the period from 1996 to 2014, the results have been threefold. First, there is Granger bi-directional causality between economic complexity and export diversification, while unidirectional Granger causality exists from economic complexity to economic growth cycles. Second, the result attained from the three-stage least squares estimate demonstrates that economic complexity and export diversification significantly impact each other. Notably, the effect of economic complexity is found to be negative on economic growth cycles, implying that the dynamics of economic complexity and export diversification generate a reduction in economic fluctuations. Third, by splitting the sample into two subsamples (i.e., 32 high-income economies and 38 low- and middle-income economies) and two sub-periods (i.e., 1994–2007 and 2008–2014), the results show that the positive dynamics between economic complexity and export diversification are consistent with income levels and time periods. However, the negative impact of economic complexity on economic growth cycles is statistically significant only for the group of high-income economies and during the 1996–2007 period. These findings are checked by several estimators and different proxies of export diversification, economic growth cycles and economic complexity.

JEL: F13, F14, O19, E32
Impact of a school-based cooking programme on home cooking participation in Japan
Authors: Yoshii Emi , Akamatsu Rie , Ishihara Yoko , Izumi Betty
Published: December 2020

Background:

Children’s participation in cooking activities at home may have positive effects on diet quality. In Japan, schools are the primary site for food education, which includes cooking. Very few studies have assessed the impact of school-based cooking programmes on children’s participation in cooking activities at home.

Objective:

The objective of the study was to assess the impact of the cooking programme on children’s participation in cooking at home and their self-efficacy and attitudes towards cooking.

Design:

Quasi-experimental study with an intervention and a comparison group. Outcomes were measured using pre- and post-programme surveys.

Setting:

Two public elementary schools (A, B) in Tokyo, Japan.

Method:

One hundred-seventy children in the third and fourth grades at School A (intervention group) and 142 children at School B (comparison group) completed pre- and post-programme surveys. Students in the intervention school received three 45-minute cooking lessons, including two lessons that focused on peeling apples and one hands-on cooking experience. The main outcome measures were participation in cooking at home, attitudes towards cooking, and self-efficacy with respect to cooking and peeling apples.

Results:

The number of children participating in cooking-at-home activities increased in the intervention group ( p = .005). Children who started cooking at home during the intervention period improved their cooking self-efficacy ( p = .012) and attitudes towards cooking ( p = .002).

Conclusion:

Implementation of a short-duration cooking programme focused on improving children’s cooking attitudes, and self-efficacy can encourage participation in cooking activities at home.
Effect of an adolescent peer-led health curriculum on peer educators and participants
Authors: Thompson Michelle A , Nigg Claudio R
Published: December 2020

Objective:

To assess the effectiveness of an adolescent peer-led health curriculum in changing physical activity and fruit and vegetable social-cognitive and behavioural variables among Filipino American adolescents in Hawai’i for participants and peer educators.

Design:

Quasi-experimental design.

Setting:

One high school on Oahu, Hawai’i.

Method:

Filipino American adolescents aged 16–18 years from a grade 12 health class were recruited and trained as peer educators to deliver a health curriculum to grades 9–11 health classes over 8 months. We examined peer educators’ influence on physical activity and fruit and vegetable social-cognitive (knowledge, stage of change, self-efficacy and enjoyment) and behavioural variables (physical activity and consumption). Participants and peer educators completed baseline and follow-up questionnaires.

Results:

Compared with controls, intervention students showed an increase in physical activity knowledge and self-efficacy. Multiple regression analysis predicted higher physical activity knowledge and moderate-vigorous physical activity follow-up scores for members of the intervention group. A significant effect was found for physical activity stage of change and moderate-vigorous physical activity for peer educators over time. No significant effect was found for any fruit and vegetable variables.

Conclusion:

A peer-led health curriculum may be a viable method to change physical activity social-cognitive and behavioural variables in Filipino American adolescents and peer educators.
COVID-19 as Cause versus Trigger for the Collapse of Capitalism
Authors: Waitzkin Howard
Published: December 2020

According to the official narrative of COVID-19, the pandemic has caused the global capitalist economy to collapse, or at least to enter a deep recession and possibly a great depression. Assigning blame to a virus takes attention away from the structural contradictions and instabilities of capitalism that would have led to a crash in any case. This narrative also helps justify non-evidence-based public health policies, including lockdowns, travel bans, closed schools and factories, and forced quarantines of large populations rather than individuals and clustered groups who harbor the infection. Advantages of such drastic measures happen primarily in countries that did not prepare adequately, that did not respond quickly enough with more focused measures to test and isolate people infected with the virus, and that have health care systems either organized by capitalist principles or suffering cutbacks and privatization as a result of capitalist economic ideologies, such as austerity. Authoritarian tactics purportedly intended to protect public health pave the way to antidemocratic rule, militarism, and fascism. These harsh policies also exert their most adverse effects on poor, minority, incarcerated, immigrant, and otherwise marginalized populations, who already suffer from the worsening economic inequality that global, financialized capitalism has fostered.
Current status and associated factors of psychological resilience among the Chinese residents during the coronavirus disease 2019 pandemic
Authors: Shen Xin , Li Yuting , Feng Jing , Lu Zuxun , Tian Kunming , Gan Yong
Published: December 2020

Background:

Since December 2019, over 4,600 deaths and 84,000 confirmed cases were reported in China because of the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic. However, there is a dearth of studies on the psychological resilience in residents.

Aims:

This study aims to measure the psychological resilience of Chinese residents to reflect their psychological status as well as influencing factors during the pandemic.

Method:

We conducted a combination of stratified sampling and snowball sampling to select survey subjects. We employed the psychological resilience and influencing factor questionnaire based on the 10-item Connor and Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC10) for survey. We collected data from 3,398 residents in China between 31 January and 29 February 2020. Multivariable linear stepwise regression analysis was used to determine factors associated with psychological resilience in residents.

Results:

The mean score of psychological resilience among Chinese residents was 27.11 ± 8.45 ( SD = 7.98). There were some factors significantly associated with psychological status among the Chinese residents during the COVID-19 outbreak. Residents with lower financial status, living in rural areas, unmarried, lacking fixed employment or retirement guarantees, and lacking knowledge of policies were more likely to report a lower level of psychological resilience.

Conclusion:

Health service policy makers in many countries should adopt relevant measures to improve the psychological resilience of residents during the pandemic. This includes short-term aggressive treatment, strengthening health education, and improving the awareness of residents with respect to emergency health policies. In addition, the financial status, health levels, and risk management capabilities of residents should be increased over the long term.
Lewin’s Democratic Style of Situational Leadership: A Fresh Look at a Powerful OD Model
Authors: Crosby Gilmore
Published: December 2020

Kurt Lewin’s (1890-1947) democratic style of leadership was infused into his methods and research. Lewin’s democratic style combines degrees of leadership and freedom as an effective situational model. Applying democratic principles throughout his career, he documented reliable results such as increases in industrial performance and successful implementation of change. This article reintroduces Lewin’s “leadership as a triangle” concept and explores those implications with explanations from Lewin’s own action research and illustrations from the author’s OD practice. It should be noted that Lewin’s social science was a system, and that the democratic leadership style should be understood within the broader framework of Lewin’s field theory and other constructs, an exploration beyond the current scope. Nonetheless, Lewin’s leadership model holds clear implications for research and practice regarding leadership, change, engagement, and other contemporary concerns.
Facilitating Cross-Border Criminal Justice Cooperation Between the UK and Ireland After Brexit: ‘Keeping the Lights On’ to Ensure the Safety of the Common Travel Area
Authors: Davies Gemma
Published: December 2020

Much of the cooperation on criminal justice matters between the United Kingdom and the Republic of Ireland is based on EU level instruments. While there has been consideration of the broader impact of Brexit on the Good Friday Agreement and consensus on the need to avoid a return to a hard border between Ireland and Northern Ireland, more detailed consideration has not been given to the effect that Brexit may have on continued criminal justice cooperation across the border. This article highlights the combined risks that Brexit presents for Northern Ireland in the form of increased criminality at a time when the loss of EU police cooperation mechanisms may result in a reduction of operational capacity and the removal of the legal architecture underpinning informal cooperation. Part 1 seeks to highlight the historical context of UK-Irish cooperation in policing matters. Part 2 explores the risk that post Brexit the Irish border may become a focus for criminal activity. The risks relating to increased immigration crime, smuggling of commodities and potential rise in terrorist activities are explored. Part 3 considers how the risks of increased criminal threats are exacerbated by the loss of EU criminal justice cooperation mechanisms and how this will affect UK-Irish cooperation specifically. Consideration is particularly given to the loss of information sharing systems. Part 4 considers how loss of EU level cooperation mechanisms could be mitigated. The viability of bilateral agreements between the UK and Ireland is considered alongside ways which police cooperation can be formalised to compensate for the potential loss of EU criminal justice information sharing systems. Nordic police cooperation is considered as a potential blueprint for the UK and Ireland.
Extradition Between the UK and Ireland After Brexit—Understanding the Past and Present to Prepare for the Future
Authors: Davies Gemma , Arnell Paul
Published: December 2020

The Republic of Ireland and the United Kingdom have a long, close and difficult history. The most recent phase of which dates from 1998 and the conclusion of the Good Friday Agreement. Since 1921, however, there has been unique practice between Ireland and the UK as regards the transfer of accused and convicted persons from one to the other. Indeed, there has been a special and close relationship between the two in that regard; albeit one not without difficulties. In recent times EU Justice and Home Affairs measures and the Good Friday Agreement have supplemented and strengthened the relationship. These include, since January 2004, the European Arrest Warrant (EAW). The EAW has been particularly important in streamlining the extradition process between the Ireland and the UK. This phase of history and co-operation is coming to an end. The UK’s membership of the EU has now ceased, and a transition period during which the UK remains part of the EAW will end on 31st December 2020. The extradition relationship between the two is therefore facing a considerable challenge. There are several options open to Ireland, the UK and the EU as a replacement. Time, political will and the interests of third states, however, may well stand in the way of the conclusion of an agreement that optimally serves the interests of all parties and criminal justice. This paper considers the origins of extradition between the UK and Ireland and the alternative methods of extradition open to the UK and Ireland after Brexit. Consideration is given to the likely operation of a Norway-Iceland style agreement and whether such an agreement will be in place by the end of the transition and, if it was, whether its terms are likely to be sufficient for the needs of Ireland and the UK. The possibility of a bilateral arrangement on extradition between Ireland and the UK is also explored. Underlying the discussion is the critical point that the future extradition relationship must retain its ‘special’ characteristics, and therefore maintain the trust and good will that has developed over the years and given rise to an effective extradition relationship between the two countries. In other words, the lessons of history must be remembered.
Stressors and Subjective Well-Being among Chinese Older Adults: Uncovering the Buffering Roles of Tangible Support Patterns
Authors: Mao Xupeng , Zhang Liwei , Liu Yuerong
Published: December 2020

Using data from two waves of the China Health and Retirement Longitudinal Study ( N ≈ 5,500), this study used latent class analysis to identify tangible support patterns among Chinese older adults based on types and sources of support. Furthermore, multivariate regression was used to examine the stress-buffering roles of tangible support patterns in the relationships between two stressors (i.e., poor health and functional dependence) and older adults’ subjective well-being (i.e., depressive symptoms and life satisfaction). We found four distinct tangible support patterns (i.e., semitraditional, traditional, formal financial-spousal instrumental, and restricted) among Chinese older adults. Poor health and functional dependence were significantly associated with lower subjective well-being. The moderating role of support differed significantly by patterns. Two patterns, formal financial-spousal instrumental and restricted, mitigated or reversed the negative relationships between both stressors and older adults’ subjective well-being. In addition, the traditional Chinese support pattern reduced the positive relationship between poor health and depressive symptoms. Implications for the well-being of the Chinese older adult population are discussed.