bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
High sperm DNA fragmentation delays human embryo kinetics when oocytes from young and healthy donors are microinjected
Authors: Esbert M. , Pacheco A. , Soares S. R. , Amorós D. , Florensa M. , Ballesteros A. , Meseguer M.
Published: September 2018

Background

Time‐lapse monitoring (TLM) technology has been implemented in the clinical setting for the culture and selection of human embryos. Many studies have assessed the association between sperm DNA fragmentation (sDNAf) and clinical outcomes after ART, but little is known about the influence of sDNA on embryo morphokinetics.

Objectives

The objective of this retrospective study, which includes 971 embryos from 135 consecutive ICSI cycles (56 cases with own oocytes, 79 with oocytes from young and healthy donors), was to assess if sDNAf has an impact on embryo morphokinetics.

Materials and methods

Samples used to perform ICSI were analyzed by the flow cytometry TUNEL assay, and embryo development was assessed through an EmbyoScope® system. The association between sDNAf and the timings of cell cleavage was analyzed by categorizing the first variable into quartiles: ≤6.50%; 6.51–10.70%; 10.71–20.15%; >20.15%.

Results

In cases where sDNAf was above 20.15% (the upper quartile), embryos derived from donated oocytes (n = 644) showed significantly slower divisions. Such association was not observed in embryos obtained from the patients’ own oocytes (n = 327). The embryo cleavage pattern (either normal, direct from 1 to 3 blastomeres, direct from 1 to 4 blastomeres, incomplete, reversed or asynchronous) was independent of the sDNAf level. Blastocyst arrival rate was 63.0% and the rate of good quality embryos (transferred and frozen embryos divided by the number of zygotes) was 45.49%. Neither parameter was related to the levels of sDNAf.

Discussion

According to our results, the association between high sDNAf and donated oocytes led to delayed cell division. To our knowledge, this is the first study suggesting that sDNAf can delay human embryo cleavage timings when oocytes from donors are inseminated.

Conclusions

This finding may indicate that, in the presence of increased DNA damage, time is needed before the first embryonic cell division for the activation of the optimal DNA repairing machinery in higher quality oocytes.
Peripapillary microcirculation in Leber hereditary optic neuropathy
Authors: Kousal Bohdan , Kolarova Hana , Meliska Martin , Bydzovsky Jan , Diblik Pavel , Kulhanek Jan , Votruba Marcela , Honzik Tomas , Liskova Petra
Published: September 2018

Purpose

In this prospective observational comparative case series, we aimed to study the peripapillary capillary network with spectral‐domain optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT‐A) in Leber hereditary optic neuropathy (LHON).

Methods

Twelve eyes of six individuals, of these three males (five eyes) after clinical onset of visual impairment were imaged by OCT‐A with scans centred on optic discs. Control group consisted of 6 eyes with no visual impairment.

Results

The three affected individuals lost vision 6 years (at age 22 years), 2 years and 3 months (at age 26 years) and 1 year and 2 months (at age 30 years) prior to OCT‐A examination. All five affected eyes had alterations in density of the radial peripapillary microvascular network at the level of retinal nerve fibre layer, including an eye of a patient treated with idebenone that underwent almost full recovery (best corrected visual acuity 0.87). Interestingly, the other eye showed normal ocular findings 14 months after onset. Results of OCT‐A examination in this eye were unfortunately inconclusive due to a delineation error. At the level of the ganglion cell layer differences could be also noted, but only in two severely affected individuals. There were no differences between unaffected mutation carriers and control eyes.

Conclusion

Optical coherence tomography angiography scans confirmed that the peripapillary microvascular network is highly abnormal in eyes manifesting visual impairment due to LHON. These findings support the hypothesis that microangiopathy contributes to the development of vision loss in this mitochondrial disorder.
Artificial chamber and 3D printed iris: a new wet lab model for teaching Descemet's membrane endothelial keratoplasty
Authors: Famery Nicolas , Abdelmassih Youssef , El‐Khoury Sylvain , Guindolet Damien , Cochereau Isabelle , Gabison Eric E.
Published: September 2018

Purpose

To describe a new wet lab model of Descemet membrane endothelial keratoplasty (DMEK) using human corneas mounted on an artificial anterior chamber with an artificial iris and to compare the performance time and scores between beginners and experienced anterior segment surgeons.

Methods

Corneas were mounted on an artificial chamber. To simulate an anterior chamber and to avoid loosing the graft into the tubing, a 3D printed iris was added. Each DMEK procedure required only one cornea for graft preparation, insertion, orientation, unfolding and centration. Ten human research corneas were used for training purposes. Intraoperative OCT was only used to validate the different steps of the procedure. Operators were divided into two groups, two beginners and three experienced DMEK surgeons.

Results

All DMEK procedures were successfully performed. Descemet's tears were frequent but harvesting was successful in all procedures. All combinations of graft unfolding techniques were possible. Experienced surgeons performed statistically better then beginners with faster harvesting (12.8 versus 28.2 min; p = 0.02) and insertion (13.5 versus 20.8 min; p = 0.05) times and better performance score (94 versus 52; p = 0.03).

Conclusion

This DMEK wet lab model offers a close to reality, feasible, resource‐sparing and valid teaching technique that permits to perform all DMEK surgical steps. It also offers the possibility of varying the surgical difficulty by changing the anterior chamber depth.
Retinal vessel oxygen saturation and vessel diameter in healthy individuals during high‐altitude exposure
Authors: Yang Yiquan , Yang Diya , Sun Yunxiao , Xie Yuan , Zhang Zheng , Li Shuning , Wu Shizheng , Wang Ningli
Published: September 2018

Purpose

To assess changes of retinal vessel oxygen saturation and vessel diameter in healthy individuals during high‐altitude exposure.

Methods

Retinal oxygen saturation and vessel diameter were obtained at sea level (SL, 40 m) and high altitude (HA, 3681 m) on 17 healthy individuals from Beijing (six males, 28.06 ± 8.06 years) using Oxymap T1 and then compared with 21 residents from Yushu (10 males, 28.63 ± 6.00 years). Systemic and ocular parameters were also measured before and after high‐altitude exposure. Data were presented as mean ± SD and analysed using paired and independent Student t‐test with significance accepted at p < 0.05.

Results

Short‐term high‐altitude exposure of Beijing Group significantly affected all the systemic and ocular parameters, as well as retinal oxygen saturation and vessel diameter ranging from overall quadrant to different quadrants, other than retinal venous oxygen saturation and retinal arterial diameter. However, these changes were not evident in those permanently living at HA. Pearson's correlation analysis revealed correlations between retinal oxygen saturation and systemic and ocular parameters (all p < 0.05). The multivariate linear regression analysis indicated that retinal arterial oxygen saturation was significantly associated with arterial peripheral arterial oxygen saturation (SpO2) and subfoveal choroidal thickness.

Conclusion

Short‐term exposure to HA induces retinal microcirculation disturbance and auto‐regulatory response in healthy individuals, which is probably attributed to arterial SpO2 and endothelial dysfunction under hypoxic conditions.
‘Best friends forever’? Friendship stability across school transition and associations with mental health and educational attainment
Authors: Ng‐Knight Terry , Shelton Katherine H. , Riglin Lucy , Frederickson Norah , McManus I. C. , Rice Frances
Published: September 2018

Background

Friendships have been linked to mental health and school attainment in children. The effects of friendlessness and friendship quality have been well researched, but less is known about the role of friendship stability (i.e., maintaining the same friend over time), an aspect of friendship which is often interrupted by the transition between phases of schooling. Many children report concerns about the secondary school transition which introduces a number of new social and academic challenges for children.

Aims

To explore rates of friendship stability and whether maintaining a stable best friend across the primary to secondary school transition provided benefits to children's adjustment during this period.

Sample

Data were from 593 children (M age = 11 years 2 months).

Methods

This study used longitudinal data from children transitioning into 10 UK secondary schools and explored the association between self‐reported friendship stability and three outcomes: academic attainment, emotional problems and conduct problems. Analyses controlled for friendship quality and pre‐transition psychological adjustment or attainment as appropriate.

Results

Rates of friendship stability were relatively low during this period. Children who kept the same best friend had higher academic attainment and lower levels of conduct problems. Exploratory analyses indicated that secondary school policies that group children based on friendships may support friendship stability.

Conclusions

Helping maintain children's best friendships during the transition to secondary school may contribute to higher academic performance and better mental health.
Undergraduates’ perception and engagement in Facebook learning groups
Authors: Hong Yvonne , Gardner Lesley
Published: September 2018

This study presents and evaluates the educational potentials that Social Network Services (SNS) offer to students in the higher education context. The first aim of this study is to explore students’ perceptions of Facebook Learning Groups (ie, Facebook Groups that were created for learning purposes), and the learning and affective benefits that SNS offer to students. This study further explores the influence of four identified factors (ie, self‐efficacy, privacy, trust and presence of teaching members) in moderating students’ perception and learning engagements on SNS. Findings from an online survey demonstrate the usefulness of these learning groups. Trust and presence of teaching members were also indicated to have significant influences in affecting students’ perception and engagement in Facebook Learning Groups.
Scaffolding learning of language structures with visual‐syntactic text formatting
Authors: Park Youngmin , Xu Ying , Collins Penelope , Farkas George , Warschauer Mark
Published: September 2018

The current study examines the effects of digital scaffolding on the English literacy of fourth‐ and sixth‐grade students. A total of 1085 native English‐speaking and language minority students from 25 treatment classes and 20 control classes across three school districts participated in this study for one school year. Treatment students read their English language arts and social studies text in visual‐syntactic text format (VSTF) on their laptops and control students read the regular block format of the textbook either on their laptops or in print. Observations and interviews revealed that VSTF reading facilitated instruction processes and student learning in reading activities. The results of California Standard Tests (CST) before and after the treatment revealed that sixth‐graders who received syntactic scaffolding outperformed control students on the composite CST score. In particular, reading in VSTF benefited the treatment students in three CST sub‐categories: word analysis, written conventions and writing strategies. This study suggests that future research should investigate instructional strategies that support reading and writing development of adolescents, including at‐risk students, using syntactic scaffolding.
Effects of integrating a concept mapping‐based summarization strategy into flipped learning on students’ reading performances and perceptions in Chinese courses
Authors: Hwang Gwo‐Jen , Chen Mei‐Rong Alice , Sung Han‐Yu , Lin Meng‐Hsuan
Published: September 2018

The capability of reading comprehension is one of the essential skills for learning different topics, and has been recognized as a challenging objective in the Chinese curriculum. In this study, a concept mapping‐based summarization strategy was incorporated into flipped learning to improve students’ reading comprehension. The participants of the study were 45 fifth graders from two Mandarin Chinese classes at an elementary school in Taiwan. None of the students had previous flipped learning experience. A pretest and posttest of reading comprehension as well as pre‐ and post‐questionnaires for measuring the students’ reading motivation, self‐efficacy, and cognitive load were conducted. The experimental results show that the proposed approach improved the students’ summarization skills, while the impact of the approach on students’ reading comprehension was not significant. Moreover, reading comprehension and self‐efficacy showed a positive correlation, and self‐efficacy was positively correlated with both intrinsic and extrinsic motivation. Consequently, it is concluded that employing concept mapping with the summarization strategy in flipped learning and students’ summarization ability are directly related, but there may be an indirect relationship with reading comprehension.

Practitioner Notes

What is already known about this topic

The capability of reading comprehension has been recognized as a challenging objective in the Chinese curriculum.

It is time‐consuming and difficult to train students in all kinds of reading skills in class.

Flipped learning could be one of the approaches to solving this dilemma as it provides more practice and interaction time with peers and teachers in class.

The acquisition of new skills can be technically demanding.

The difficulty levels of the skills to be acquired should be considered.

What this paper adds

A concept mapping‐based summarization strategy for flipped learning is proposed to enhance students’ summarization and reading comprehension in a Mandarin Chinese course.

The proposed approach improved the students’ summarization skills.

When learning with the proposed approach, students’ reading comprehension and self‐efficacy showed a positive correlation, and self‐efficacy was positively correlated with both intrinsic motivation and extrinsic motivation.

Implications for practice and/or policy

Combining concept mapping with the summarization strategy in flipped learning mode has good potential to improve students’ summarization skills.

Dynamic instructional strategies in reading should be promoted to stimulate critical and creative thinking.

Flipped video assignments at students’ own levels should be considered.
Functional principles of steerable multi‐element probes in insects
Authors: Cerkvenik Uroš , Dodou Dimitra , van Leeuwen Johan L. , Gussekloo Sander W. S.
Published: September 2018

Hemipterans, mosquitoes, and parasitic wasps probe in a variety of substrates to find hosts for their larvae or food sources. Probes capable of sensing and precise steering enable insects to navigate through solid substrates without visual information and to reach targets that are hidden deep inside the substrate. The probes belong to non‐related taxa and originate from abdominal structures (wasps) or mouthparts (hemipterans and mosquitoes), but nevertheless share several morphological characteristics. Although the transport function clearly differs (egg laying and acquisition of liquid food), the functional demands on the mechanical behaviour of the probe within the substrate tend to be similar. The probe needs to be thin to limit substrate deformation, and long, in order to attain substantial path lengths or depths. We linked the morphology across taxa to the different functional requirements, to provide insights into the biology of probing insects and the evolution of their probes.

Current knowledge of insect probes is spread over many taxa, which offers the possibility to derive general characteristics of insect probing. Buckling during initial puncturing is limited by external support mechanisms. The probe itself consist of multiple (3–6) parts capable of sliding along one another. This multi‐part construction presumably enables advancement and precise three‐dimensional steering of the probe through the substrate with very low net external pushing forces, preventing buckling during substrate penetration. From a mechanical viewpoint, a minimum of three elements is required for 3D steering and volumetric exploration, as realised in the ovipositors of wasps. More elements, such as in six‐element probes of mosquitoes, may enhance friction in soft substrates. Alternatively, additional elements can have functions other than ‘drilling’, such as saliva injection in mosquitoes.

Despite the gross similarities, probes show differences in their cross sections, tip morphologies, relative lengths of their elements, and the shape of their interconnections. The hypothesis is that the probe morphology is influenced by the substrate properties, which are mostly unknown. Correlating the observed diversity to substrate‐specific functional demands is therefore currently impossible.

We conclude that a multipart probe with sliding elements is highly effective for volumetric substrate probing. Shared functional demands have led to an evolutionary convergence of slender multi‐element probes in disparate insect taxa. To fully understand 3D probing, it is necessary to study the sensory and material properties, as well as the detailed kinematics and dynamics of the various probes in relation to the nature of the selective pressure originating from the species‐specific substrates. Such knowledge will deepen our understanding of probing mechanisms and may support the development of slender, bio‐inspired probes.
Thymoquinone inhibits the metastasis of renal cell cancer cells by inducing autophagy via AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway
Authors: Zhang Yujiao , Fan Yizeng , Huang Shangke , Wang Guanying , Han Rui , Lei Fuxi , Luo Anqi , Jing Xin , Zhao Lin , Gu Shanzhi , Zhao Xinhan
Published: September 2018

Thymoquinone (TQ, 2‐methyl‐5‐isopropyl‐1,4‐benzoquinone), a bioactive constituent extracted from the seeds of Nigella sativa, has been proved to exert anti‐tumor efficiency in various cancers. Autophagy is a self‐digestion phenomenon, and its role in tumor formation and progression remains controversial. In the present study, we investigated the effects of TQ on renal cell cancer (RCC) cell lines (786‐O and ACHN) using wound healing assay, transwell assay and western blot analysis. We found that TQ effectively inhibited the metastatic capacity of RCC cells in vitro, which was also verified in a xenograft model. Meanwhile, we observed LC3 puncta and detected the expression of LC3 in TQ‐treated RCC cells, and then found that autophagy was induced by TQ in 786‐O and ACHN cell lines. In addition, TQ inhibited the migration and invasion as well as the EMT in RCC cells in an autophagy‐dependent manner. To further explore the underlying mechanism, we detected the AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway. The results indicated that TQ inhibited the metastasis of RCC cells by inducing autophagy via AMPK/mTOR signaling pathway. In conclusion, our findings provide a novel therapeutic strategy that aims at TQ‐induced autophagy in RCC treatment.
A support programme for caregivers of children with disabilities in Ghana: Understanding the impact on the wellbeing of caregivers
Authors: Zuurmond Maria , Nyante Gifty , Baltussen Marjolein , Seeley Janet , Abanga Jedidia , Shakespeare Tom , Collumbien Martine , Bernays Sarah
Published: September 2018

Background

Four fifths of the estimated 150 million children with disability in the world live in resource poor settings where the role of the family is crucial in ensuring that these children survive and thrive. Despite their critical role, evidence is lacking on how to provide optimal support to these families. This study explores the impact of a participatory training programme for caregivers delivered through a local support group, with a focus on understanding caregiver wellbeing.

Methods

A qualitative longitudinal study was conducted to investigate the impact of a training programme, “getting to know cerebral palsy,” with caregivers on their wellbeing. Eighteen caregivers, from four districts, were interviewed up to three times over 14 months, to assess impact and the reasons for any changes.

Results

Low levels of knowledge, high levels of stigma, physical and emotional exhaustion, and often difficult family relationships with social exclusion of the child and caregiver were common themes at the outset. Caregivers struggled to combine their caring and economic activities. This was exacerbated by the common absence of the father. Two months after completion of the training, their reported wellbeing had improved. The reasons for this were an improved understanding about their child's condition, positive attitudinal change towards their child, feelings of hope, and through the group support, a profound realisation that they are “not on their own.” While relationships within the family remained complex in many cases, the support group offered an important and alternative social support network.

Conclusions

This study illustrates the many benefits of a relatively simple caregiver intervention, which has the potential to offer a mechanism to provide sustainable social support for caregivers and children with cerebral palsy. Any future programme needs to also address more structural issues, including stigma and discrimination, and strengthen approaches to family engagement.
Ten‐year reinvestigation of ocular manifestations in Marfan syndrome
Authors: Sandvik Gunhild F. , Vanem Thy T. , Rand‐Hendriksen Svend , Cholidis Symira , Sæthre Marit , Drolsum Liv
Published: September 2018

Importance

Long‐term follow‐up of Marfan syndrome (MFS) patients.

Background

Investigate changes in ocular features in MFS patients fulfilling the Ghent‐2 criteria following a period of 10 years.

Design

Repeated cross‐sectional study with two observations.

Participants

Eighty‐four MFS patients were investigated in 2003‐2004 (baseline). Forty‐four of these patients (52%) were examined after 10 years.

Methods

A comprehensive ocular examination performed at baseline and follow‐up.

Main Outcome Measures

Development or progression of ectopia lentis (EL).

Results

At follow‐up, mean age was 50.1 ± 11.9 years (range: 30‐80 years), 74% were female and 70% of the patients were diagnosed with EL compared to 66% at baseline. Two patients (3 eyes) had developed EL over the decade, representing a 13% risk. Furthermore, one eye had progressed from a subtle tilt of the lens to dislocation. We found no significant change in the axial length (P = 0.96), the corneal curvature (P = 0.64) or the spherical equivalent (P = 0.23). Best corrected visual acuity was improved at follow‐up (P = 0.02). There were 7% and 33% risks for development of retinal detachment and cataract between baseline and follow‐up, respectively.

Conclusions and Relevance

Our study indicates that even though EL typically occurs at an early stage in most MFS patients, there is still a risk of developing EL in adulthood. The risk of developing vision‐threatening complications such as retinal detachment and cataract was much higher than in the normal population, but even so, the visual potential of the MFS patients was relatively good.
The Role of Social Media in Collective Processes of Place Making: A Study of Two Neighborhood Blogs in Amsterdam
Authors: Breek Pieter , Hermes Joke , Eshuis Jasper , Mommaas Hans
Published: September 2018

The wide use of social media has facilitated new social practices that influence place meaning. This paper uses a double case study of two neighborhood blogs in gentrifying communities, to explore the role of social media in sharing place associations and community formation. Drawing on Collins’ theory of interaction ritual chains, this research project investigates how the intertwining of online and offline interaction around the blogs creates interaction chains whereby the place associations of participants in the blog become more aligned, creating an alternative place narrative. Analyses of the dynamics of involvement with the blogs show how social interactions spurred by the blogs generate emotional energy, group solidarity, feelings of morality, meaningful symbols, and feelings of place attachment among the participants. This article illuminates how the emerging process of place (re)making spurred by interaction with the blog emerges from both everyday unplanned behavior and strategic aims of the actors.
Differential Returns?: Neighborhood Attainment among Hispanic and Non–Hispanic White New Legal Permanent Residents
Authors: Akresh Ilana Redstone , Frank Reanne
Published: September 2018

We use data from the New Immigrant Survey to examine patterns of residential attainment among Hispanic immigrants who recently became legal permanent residents (LPRs) relative to new LPR non–Hispanic white immigrants. We focus on whether these Hispanic and non–Hispanic white immigrants differ in their ability to transform human capital into residential advantage. Our results suggest that the answer depends on the neighborhood attribute in question. When predicting residence in tracts with relatively more non–Hispanic whites, the answer is yes, with evidence in support of the place stratification model of residential attainment. We find that non–Hispanic white immigrants have access to relatively whiter neighborhoods than their Hispanic immigrant counterparts, irrespective of differences in education levels. When assessing Hispanic immigrants’ ability to enter socioeconomically advantaged neighborhoods, however, the differences we observe are mostly accounted for by compositional differences in sociodemographic and acculturation factors. Taken together, our findings suggest that Hispanic immigrants are more similar to their white immigrant counterparts when it comes to converting higher education into higher income neighborhoods than into increased residential integration with whites; although their exposure to more socioeconomically advantaged neighborhoods at all levels of education remains lower than that of their white immigrant counterparts.
A Decomposition of Trends in Blacks’ and Whites’ Exposure to Other–Race Neighbors, 2001–2011
Authors: Huang Ying , South Scott J. , Spring Amy , Crowder Kyle
Published: September 2018

Using data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and two U.S. decennial censuses, we describe trends in blacks’ and whites’ exposure to other–race neighbors between 2001 and 2011 and then identify the proximate sources of these trends. Our results show that whites experienced an increase in their exposure to black and other minority neighbors and a concurrent decrease in same–race neighbors. Blacks’ exposure to both black and white neighbors declined somewhat between 2001 and 2011, while their exposure to nonblack minority neighbors increased substantially. Decomposition analysis reveals that increases in whites’ exposure to black neighbors were driven primarily by in situ neighborhood change (i.e., by change surrounding nonmobile neighborhood residents), and only secondarily by shifting patterns of migration to neighborhoods containing more blacks and fewer whites. Changes in blacks’ exposure to white neighbors were shaped by two countervailing forces. While the neighborhoods inhabited by non–mobile blacks became relatively less black and more white, residentially mobile blacks were increasingly moving to neighborhoods that were more black and less white. Increases in blacks’ and whites’ neighborhood ethnoracial diversity were driven almost entirely by in situ changes around nonmobile blacks and whites.
Ethnography, Neighborhood Effects, and the Rising Heterogeneity of Poor Neighborhoods across Cities
Authors: Small Mario L. , Manduca Robert A. , Johnston William R.
Published: September 2018

In the 1980s and 1990s, researchers came to understand poor urban neighborhoods as blighted, depopulated areas, based on important ethnographic observations in a handful of cities. This image helped inform influential theories of social isolation and de–institutionalization. However, few scholars have examined whether those observations were representative of poor neighborhoods nationwide—and whether they are representative today. Based on a descriptive analysis of the largest 100 U.S. metropolitan areas using normalized census tract boundaries, we document an important transformation in the conditions of poor neighborhoods. We find that the depopulation in poor neighborhoods often reported in cities such as Chicago and Baltimore was, in fact, typical across cities in 1990. Today, it is not. Moreover, heterogeneity across cities has increased: The experience of neighborhood poverty is likely to depend more today than in 1990 on the city in question. In fact, the most typically studied cities, such as Chicago, Baltimore, Philadelphia, and Milwaukee, are increasingly atypical in this respect. Addressing today's core questions about neighborhood effects, how and why they matter, requires paying far greater attention to heterogeneity, conducting more ethnographic observation in ostensibly unconventional cities, and addressing the historically extreme conditions in a newly unique subset of cities.
The Racial Composition of Neighborhoods and Local Schools: The Role of Diversity, Inequality, and School Choice
Authors: Bischoff Kendra , Tach Laura
Published: September 2018

In an education system that draws students from residentially based attendance zones, schools are local institutions that reflect the racial composition of their surrounding communities. However, with opportunities to opt out of the zoned public school system, the social and economic contexts of neighborhoods may affect the demographic link between neighborhoods and their public neighborhood schools. Using spatial data on school attendance zones, we estimate the associations between the racial composition of elementary schools and their local neighborhoods, and we investigate how neighborhood factors shape the loose or tight demographic coupling of these parallel social contexts. The results show that greater social distance among residents within neighborhoods, as well as the availability of educational exit options, results in neighborhood public schools that are less reflective of their surrounding communities. In addition, we show that suburban schools are more demographically similar to their neighborhood attendance zones than are urban schools.
The Connection between Neighboring and Volunteering
Authors: Wilson John , Son Joonmo
Published: September 2018

Sociological theory predicts that volunteers are likely to be more socially integrated into their communities than nonvolunteers. In this study, we test this theory by examining three dimensions of relations to neighbors—contact, social engagement, and the perception that neighbors trust each other. We hypothesize reciprocal relations between volunteering and these three measures. Using cross–lagged structural equation models applied to two waves of data from the National Survey of Midlife in the United States (MIDUS), we find that frequency of contact with neighbors is positively related to volunteering, but there is no reciprocal effect. Frequency of social engagement does not predict future volunteering but volunteers tend to become more socially engaged with their neighbors. Perceptions of neighbors as trusting are unrelated to volunteering.
Eclipsing Community? Neighborhood Disadvantage, Social Mechanisms, and Neighborly Attitudes and Behaviors
Authors: Sharp Gregory
Published: September 2018

This study investigates how objective neighborhood characteristics influence attitudinal and behavioral dimensions of community social organization. Grounded in ecological and neighborhood effects traditions, I extend prior inquiries by adjudicating the social mechanisms that link neighborhood disadvantage with residents’ satisfaction and neighboring. Results from longitudinal data from the Los Angeles Family and Neighborhood Survey indicate that the neighborhood disadvantage perspective garners support when considering neighborhood satisfaction, while the systemic model marshals support for informal neighboring. Consistent with the local danger model, experiencing fearful feelings toward the neighborhood is detrimental to both satisfaction and neighboring. In addition, a cumulative disadvantage effect exists whereby individuals who live in highly disadvantaged areas and perceive the neighborhood as dangerous exhibit the highest levels of dissatisfaction. Having friendship ties living nearby buffers the impact of fear on neighborhood satisfaction, while being socially isolated exacerbates feelings of local danger. These findings suggest that community investment initiatives could mitigate the factors contributing to disadvantaged neighborhoods and foster local satisfaction and engagement as a result.
Relying on the Census in Urban Social Science
Authors: Logan John R.
Published: September 2018

Census data have long been a key tool for urban research, and the approaching 2020 Census offers a natural moment to reflect on how we use it. The highly partisan plan to include a citizenship question has recently captured our attention. I suggest that its short–term effects may be modest since immigrant communities already are suspicious of government surveillance and many will prefer to stay hidden regardless of the census questionnaire. I raise several other kinds of questions about the reliance of urban researchers on census data. These include concerns about how we treat census tracts as neighborhoods, how we accept census statistics at face value, and how readily available and increasingly useful quantitative data sources may be crowding out ethnographic research. I also comment on new approaches such as spatial analysis and Geographic Information Systems (GIS), and opportunities for linking individual and place–level data with one another and following both over time.
Influence of the abutment height and connection timing in early peri‐implant marginal bone changes: A prospective randomized clinical trial
Authors: Borges Tiago , Leitão Bruno , Pereira Miguel , Carvalho Ágata , Galindo‐Moreno Pablo
Published: September 2018

Aim

The aim of this study was to compare the influence of the abutment height and insertion timing on early marginal bone loss (MBL) in posterior mandibular partial implant‐supported restorations.

Material and methods

The study was planned as a prospective, randomized, controlled parallel group including subjects in need of at least two implants for the restoration of an edentulous posterior mandibular area. The patients were allocated into Groups A (implants immediately connected to 2‐mm height abutments), B (immediately connected 1‐mm height abutments), and C (2‐mm abutments were inserted in a second‐stage surgery). Each subject was placed in a 1‐year follow‐up program, including examination assessment of various soft tissue and bone‐level parameters.

Results

A total of thirty‐three patients, including sixty‐eight implants, were enrolled in this study. One implant was lost on group C after the first month of healing. A mean MBL change of 0.719 ± 0.361, 0.651 ± 0.379, and 0.754 ± 0.672 mm was computed for groups A, B, and C, respectively, with no significant differences found. The early MBL at T1 was an independent predictor variable for the marginal bone alterations that were assessed at T3 (p < 0.001).

Conclusion

The first‐month MBL variation is a predictor factor of the bone alterations that might occur after 1 year of treatment. The early connection of final prosthetic abutments with distinct heights does not seem to reduce the 1‐year MBL rate when compared with traditional treatment protocols.
Distribution models predict large contractions of habitat‐forming seaweeds in response to ocean warming
Authors: Martínez Brezo , Radford Ben , Thomsen Mads S. , Connell Sean D. , Carreño Francisco , Bradshaw Corey J. A. , Fordham Damien A. , Russell Bayden D. , Gurgel C. Frederico D. , Wernberg Thomas
Published: September 2018

Aim

Understanding the relative importance of climatic and non‐climatic distribution drivers for co‐occurring, functionally similar species is required to assess potential consequences of climate change. This understanding is, however, lacking for most ecosystems. We address this knowledge gap and forecast changes in distribution for habitat‐forming seaweeds in one of the world's most species‐rich temperate reef ecosystems.

Location

The Great Southern Reef. The full extent of Australia's temperate coastline.

Methods

We assessed relationships between climatic and non‐climatic environmental data known to influence seaweed, and the presence of 15 habitat‐forming seaweeds. Distributional data (herbarium records) were analysed with MAXENT and generalized linear and additive models, to construct species distribution models at 0.2° spatial resolution, and project possible distribution shifts under the RCP 6.0 (medium) and 2.6 (conservative) emissions scenarios of ocean warming for 2100.

Results

Summer temperatures, and to a lesser extent winter temperatures, were the strongest distribution predictors for temperate habitat‐forming seaweeds in Australia. Projections for 2100 predicted major poleward shifts for 13 of the 15 species, on average losing 78% (range: 36%–100%) of their current distributions under RCP 6.0 and 62% (range: 27%–100%) under RCP 2.6. The giant kelp (Macrocystis pyrifera) and three prominent fucoids (Durvillaea potatorum, Xiphophora chondrophylla and Phyllospora comosa) were predicted to become extinct from Australia under RCP 6.0. Many species currently distributed up the west and east coasts, including the dominant kelp Ecklonia radiata (71% and 49% estimated loss for RPC 6.0 and 2.6, respectively), were predicted to become restricted to the south coast.

Main conclusions

In close accordance with emerging observations in Australia and globally, our study predicted major range contractions of temperate seaweeds in coming decades. These changes will likely have significant impacts on marine biodiversity and ecosystem functioning because large seaweeds are foundation species for 100s of habitat‐associated plants and animals, many of which are socio‐economically important and endemic to southern Australia.
Online Review Characteristics and Trust: A Cross‐Country Examination
Authors: Dong Beibei , Li Mei , Sivakumar K.
Published: September 2018

Consumers and companies are increasingly concerned about fake reviews posted online. To make appropriate managerial decisions about online reviews, it is crucial to understand what drives consumer trust in online reviews. Research examining the linkage between online reviews and trust is sporadic and lacks a comprehensive framework. To address this gap, this research investigates the individual and joint impact of three review attributes—valence, rationality, and source—on the benevolence, ability, and integrity dimensions of trustworthiness of the reviewer, which further determines trust in online reviews. Using behavioral experiments, the study finds that positive reviews, factual reviews, and reviews appearing on social networks lead to perceptions of greater benevolence, ability, and integrity than negative reviews, emotional reviews, and reviews appearing on retailer sites, respectively. In addition, review rationality and review source moderate the link between review valence and the dimensions of reviewer trustworthiness: the effect of valence is stronger for emotional reviews than for factual reviews and for retailer sites than for social networks. Furthermore, the study analyzes data from the United States and China to examine generalizability and cultural nuances of the proposed relationships. This study provides important insights into consumer trust in online reviews and offers guidelines for decision making in communication strategy, system design, and operations by manufacturers, retailers, service providers, and online platforms to more effectively manage online reviews.
Embryonic development of thecate hydrozoan Gonothyraea loveni (Allman, 1859)
Authors: Burmistrova Yulia A. , Osadchenko Boris V. , Bolshakov Fedor V. , Kraus Yulia A. , Kosevich Igor A.
Published: September 2018

Progress of Evo‐Devo requires broad phylogenetic sampling providing the data for comparative analysis as well as new objects suitable for experimental investigation. Representatives of the early‐branching animal phylum Cnidaria and particularly hydrozoans draw great attention due to the high diversity of embryonic and post‐embryonic development and life‐cycles in general. Most detailed studies on embryonic development in hydrozoans were performed on the species shedding their gametes with subsequent embryo development in the water column. Widely distributed thecate hydrozoan Gonothyraea loveni broods its embryos within reduced medusae attached to the colony until development of a free‐swimming metamorphosis competent planula‐larva. In the current essay we present a detailed description of G. loveni embryonic development based on in vivo observations, histology, immuno‐cytochemistry, and electron microscopy. Starting from early cleavage, the embryo becomes a morula without any sign of blastocoele. Gastrulation proceeds as mixed delamination and ends with parenchymula formation. The first morphological sign of primary body axis appears only in the beginning of parenchymula‐preplanula transition. In mature metamorphosis competent planula only the cells of the oral two‐thirds of endoderm retain proliferative activity resulting in accumulation of great number of i‐cells and nematoblasts, which can be used during metamorphosis accompanied with essential reorganization of larval tissues. G. loveni demonstrates the diversity as well as evolutionary plasticity of hydrozoans development: in brooding hydrozoans embryonic and larval development is highly embryonized in comparison with the spawning species with free‐swimming embryos.
From concept to practice: the long road to operationalising protection
Authors: Claire Arjun
Published: September 2018

For the past two decades, humanitarian actors have been grappling increasingly with the complex issue of protecting civilians. The definition of protection adopted by humanitarians is considered to be too broad to provide effective operational direction. This paper aims to contribute to recent initiatives to operationalise protection. Teasing out a broad typology of humanitarian protection through an examination of the scope, objectives, and strategies of a range of humanitarian actors, it suggests, would result in better identification of gaps and the channelling of efforts to support a system‐wide protection response. Emphasising recent calls for collective analysis as a means of eventuating protection, the paper also draws attention to the contested understanding that may arise concerning solutions to protection crises. Closely entwined with politics, protection defies neat technical solutions. The paper concludes that deepening knowledge of how communities conceive their own interests may provide the basis for a collective protection response.
WHO WINS IN AN ENERGY BOOM? EVIDENCE FROM WAGE RATES AND HOUSING
Authors: Jacobsen Grant D.
Published: September 2018

This article presents evidence on the distributional effects of energy extraction by examining the effect of the recent U.S. energy boom on wage rates and housing. The boom increased local wage rates in almost every major occupational category. The increase occurred regardless of whether the occupation experienced a corresponding change in employment, suggesting a tighter labor market that benefited local workers. Wage rates also increased substantially across the entire wage rate distribution, although the percentage increase was slightly higher at the bottom of the distribution than at the top. Local housing values and rental prices both increased, thereby benefiting landowners. For renters, the increase in prices was completely offset by a contemporaneous increase in income. The results suggest that bans on drilling have negative monetary consequences for a large share of local residents. (JEL J23, Q33, R31)
Seed predation by insects across a tropical forest precipitation gradient
Authors: Jeffs Christopher T. , Kennedy Patrick , Griffith Phoebe , Gripenberg Sofia , Markesteijn Lars , Lewis Owen T.
Published: September 2018

1. Pre‐dispersal predation of seeds by insects can be an important source of plant mortality, with consequences for plant population dynamics and community diversity.

2. The intensity and host‐specificity of natural enemies, including seed predators, is predicted to vary systematically across environmental gradients. These trends could contribute to large‐scale patterns in diversity, such as the widely observed positive relationship between plant species richness and precipitation. However, fundamental information on inter‐ and intraspecific seed predation is lacking at the landscape scale.

3. We assessed the intensity of seed predation by insects at eight forest sites spanning a steep precipitation and plant species‐richness gradient in Panama. We dissected freshly abscised fruits and seeds of woody plants to measure rates of predation, and assessed host‐specificity by rearing insects from them.

4. On average, 22.6% of dissected seeds were predated across 31 host species. Species‐specific and site‐level seed predation rates and the number of seed predator species reared per host were not significantly associated with annual rainfall or dry season water deficit.

5. In total, 45 seed predator morphospecies were reared from seeds of 16 plant species. Host‐specificity was high, with 91% of seed predator morphospecies associated with just one plant species.

6. Our results support evidence that pre‐dispersal insect seed predators are highly host‐specific and exhibit great intraspecific, interspecific and landscape‐scale (i.e. between‐site) variation in seed predation intensity. Host‐specific seed predators, particularly those causing moderate to high seed predation rates, could influence plant population dynamics and local community structure.
Increasing paternal age alters anxiety‐related behaviour in adult mice
Authors: Foldi Claire J. , Eyles Darryl W. , McGrath John J. , Burne Thomas H. J.
Published: September 2018

Advanced paternal age (APA) is associated with an increased risk of adverse health outcomes in offspring, including autism and schizophrenia. In the present study, we investigated the behaviour of young (3‐month‐old; Control), middle aged (12 to 15‐month‐old; APA1) and old (24‐month‐old; APA2) C57BL/6J sires and their adult offspring. Male and female mice were tested at 10 weeks of age on a behavioural test battery including the elevated plus‐maze, hole board, light/dark emergence, forced swim test, novelty‐suppressed feeding and for prepulse inhibition of the acoustic startle response. Increasing the APA sire age to 24 months was shown to be associated with increased anxiety‐related behaviour in the offspring, and indicated that increasing APA sire age produced a more robust hypoexplorative phenotype. Thus, increasing paternal age was associated with an increase in severity of an anxiogenic phenotype in their adult offspring. Ultimately, the results of these studies show that mouse models of APA are valuable for elucidating the mechanisms by which APA influences brain‐related outcomes.