bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Anti-competition of ocean shipping alliances: a legal perspective
Authors: Tang Owen , Sun Po-wan
Published: March 2018

Purpose

Antitrust exemptions to shipping alliances in the liner shipping sector have prevailed for many years. This study aims to examine anti-competition of ocean shipping alliances from a legal perspective of the USA, the European Union (EU) and People’s Republic of China (PRC).

Design/methodology/approach

Adopting the standard “doctrinal approach to legal research and analysis” in legal literatures, this paper reviews landmark court cases and legislations in the USA relating to shipping conference system from its beginning to its erosion, followed by its latest transition to non-ratemaking agreements, with discussions on the EU and some PRC treatments on shipping conferences.

Findings

Although antitrust exemptions to shipping conferences in the liner shipping sector were eliminated in the trades to/from the USA and the EU, there is a lack of evidence of the deterioration found in the viability of liner shipping carriers in both parts of the world trades. For the USA, shipping alliances will shift the focus to sharing resources for improvement of collective operational efficiencies, whereas the shipper groups in the EU have worried that a protected system of sharing information may lead to price fixing conducts among the carriers.

Practical implications

Through the discussions on the legal treatments of shipping conferences from the USA, the EU and PRC perspectives, this paper provides legal researchers with not only a new research direction on raising collective operational efficiencies through resource sharing but also an insight into shifting their research focus from purely price determination to the area of merger.

Originality/value

This paper reviews landmark court cases and related legislations about the treatments of different regulatory regimes, including the USA, the EU and PRC, to explore the illegitimacy of anti-competition conducts in ocean shipping alliances.
CSR perception as a signpost for circular economy
Authors: Esken Björn , Franco-García María-Laura , Fisscher Olaf A.M.
Published: March 2018

Purpose

This paper aims to identify managerial implications for multinational corporations (MNCs) with regard to circular economy (CE) by using data on corporate social responsibility (CSR) perception in different types of market economies owing to diverse institutional contexts. These managerial implications can contribute to the linking of CSR and CE strategies for MNCs.

Design/methodology/approach

This is an empirical study with a mixed-methods approach using both quantitative and qualitative research elements. The varieties of capitalism (VOC) approach with its two kinds of market economies – liberal market economy (LME) and coordinated market economy (CME) – builds the theoretical foundation.

Findings

All three guiding hypotheses of the quantitative research part are confirmed, which are: there is a differing perception of CSR in the two kinds of VOC; LME corporations adopt a shareholder value perspective; and CME corporations adopt a stakeholder values perspective. Furthermore, the qualitative research part has identified several key success factors for strategically conducting CSR in nexus with CE.

Practical implications

The mentioned key success factors become managerial implications for MNCs aiming at strategically conducting CSR. Due to several crossing points between (strategic) CSR and CE, those implications are largely also eligible for CE.

Originality/value

The paper helps to propel empirical findings into a more up-to-date discourse of debate. By emphasizing that the institutional background is likely to have an effect on how CSR is perceived in different kinds of market economies, the research offers a proposition how to use CSR perception as a signpost for CE and fuel future research into this direction.
Corporate reputation
Authors: Pires Vanessa , Trez Guilherme
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the different approaches to the corporate reputation construct, in order to identify a comprehensive definition that can be used for measurement purposes, gaps identified by previous literature identified.

Design/methodology/approach

This is a theoretical essay. The authors analyzed studies that involve the relationship between corporate reputation and organizational performance, and the attributes of national and international corporate reputation ratings.

Findings

The authors identified a more comprehensive definition for the reputation construct, and indicated courses for the construct’s measurement, by considering: the judgment by the stakeholders (internal, suppliers, clients and the financial market); periodical evaluations under different organizational perspectives; attention to theoretical assumptions, among other aspects.

Research limitations/implications

The study is a theoretical paper that presents that the research field has many definitions that cannot be used interchangeably. It indicated how the reputation construct should be operationalized for measurement purposes. This study presented a reflection on the relationship between corporate reputation and performance, showing that it is not a settled topic in the academy.

Practical implications

The study advances the understanding of the reputation construct measurement, considering the adopted definition and the discussion of the attributes of the main ratings on corporate reputation. The adoption of a measurement method that takes into account the definition used in this study and the features of the methodologies discussed will improve the corporate reputation assessment.

Social implications

Literature indicates that a good corporate reputation can affect organizational performance and the inverse relationship is also true. As a social implication, it is extremely relevant to improve the understanding the definition and measurement methods of this construct.

Originality/value

This study discusses one of the most important intangible resources for organizations, contributing to the understanding of the difference between the market value and the book value of public companies. Besides it should be considered that there is one lack of a definition directly related to the measurement of the reputation construct in the literature, a gap in which this study contributes.
Towards the general mechanistic prediction of community dynamics
Authors: Paine C. E. Timothy , Deasey Anna , Duthie A. Bradley
Published: March 2018

“What controls the distribution and abundance of organisms”? This question, at the heart of the dynamics of ecological communities, would have been familiar to the earliest ecologists. Having lain effectively abandoned for many years, community dynamics today is a vibrant research topic of great conceptual interest with practical import for conservation, ecological management, ecosystem services and the responses of ecological communities to climate change.

We describe how modern coexistence theory can be used to predict community dynamics through the use of demography. We explore the challenges that limit the deployment of this demographic framework, and the tools from phylogenetic and functional ecology that have been used to surmount them.

Finding existing tools not altogether sufficient, we propose the use of “hard” functional traits and physiological tolerances of environmental conditions and low resource availability to extend the demographic framework so that the dynamics of a broader range of ecological communities can be accurately predicted.

We illustrate these new approaches with two case studies. Given the urgent need to accurately forecast the dynamics of ecological communities, we hope that many ecologists will adopt these tools.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
Management of multiple threats achieves meaningful koala conservation outcomes
Authors: Beyer Hawthorne L. , de Villiers Deidre , Loader Jo , Robbins Amy , Stigner Madeleine , Forbes Neil , Hanger Jonathan
Published: March 2018

Management actions designed to mitigate development or anthropogenic impacts on species of conservation concern are often implemented without quantifying the benefit to the species. It is often unclear what combinations and intensities of management actions are required to achieve meaningful conservation outcomes. We investigate whether disease and predator control can reverse population declines of koalas (Phascolarctos cinereus).

Based on longitudinal monitoring of the epidemiological and demographic status of over 500 animals over 4 years, coupled with an intensive disease and predator management programme, we use survival analyses to estimate annual age‐specific survival rates and population growth, and simulations to quantify the benefit of these actions.

Predation and disease accounted for 63% and 29% of mortality, respectively, across all years, with wild dog (dingoes or dingo‐hybrids: Canis dingo, C. dingo × Canis familiaris), carpet pythons (Morelia spilota) and domestic dogs (C. familiaris) accounting for 82%, 14% and 4% of confirmed predation mortalities, respectively. In the first 2 years, before disease and dog control had major impact, the population was declining rapidly with annual growth rates of 0.66 and 0.90. In the third and fourth years, after interventions had been fully implemented, the population growth rate had increased to 1.08 and 1.20. The intrinsic survival rate of joeys was 71.2% (excluding deaths resulting from the death of the mother). Adult survival rates varied as a function of sex, age and year.

Even in a declining koala population, management actions can achieve meaningful conservation outcomes (population growth rates greater than one). However, benefits may be short‐lived in the absence of longer term strategies to manage threats. This work also identifies wild dogs as a major threat to koalas, highlighting the need to better understand how wild dog impacts vary in space and time.

Policy implications. Offsetting policy that addresses habitat loss alone may achieve little or no meaningful benefit to declining koalas populations. Management must address suites of threats affecting these populations and ensure that the cumulative effects of these actions achieve positive population growth rates.
Water availability drives urban tree growth responses to herbivory and warming
Authors: Meineke Emily K. , Frank Steven D.
Published: March 2018

Urban forests provide important ecosystem services to city residents, including pollution removal and carbon storage. Climate change and urbanization pose multiple threats to these services. However, how these threats combine to affect urban trees, and thus how to mitigate their effects, remains largely untested because multi‐factorial experiments on mature trees are impractical.

We used a unique urban warming experiment paired with a laboratory chamber experiment to determine how three of the most potentially damaging factors associated with global change for urban and rural trees—warming, drought, and insect herbivory—affect growth of Quercus phellos (willow oak), the most commonly planted large shade tree in the southeastern US, which is known for its resilience to these potential stressors.

In a previous study, we found that the urban heat island effect was associated with reduced growth of Q. phellos and higher abundance of Parthenolecanium scale insects, key pests of oaks in cities. Here, we tested the hypothesis that tree water stress is the mechanism for these effects of warming. We found evidence that water stress is a major, interactive factor reducing urban tree growth, but found no evidence that water stress is associated with Parthenolecanium survival or abundance. Warming and Parthenolecanium only reduced growth in Q. phellos saplings that were simultaneously water stressed.

Synthesis and applications. Across many temperate cities worldwide, urban trees grow less than rural trees. Our results point to water stress as the most likely driver for this pattern. Importantly, we found that water stress both reduces tree growth on its own and exacerbates effects of warming and insect pests on tree growth. Therefore, management strategies targeted at increasing tree hydration in cities may reduce effects of these three key stressors that are expected to intensify with further urbanization and climate change.
Inhibition of microRNA‐21‐3p suppresses proliferation as well as invasion and induces apoptosis by targeting RNA‐binding protein with multiple splicing through Smad4/extra cellular signal‐regulated protein kinase signalling pathway in human colorectal cancer HCT116 cells
Authors: Hou Nengyi , Guo Zhiyi , Zhao Gaoping , Jia Guiqing , Luo Bin , Shen Xiaogang , Bai Yifeng
Published: March 2018

MicroRNA‐21‐3p (miR‐21‐3p), the passenger strand of pre‐mir‐21, has been found to be high‐expressing in various cancers and to be associated with tumour malignancy, which is proposed as a novel focus in malignant tumours. Colorectal cancer (CRC), currently known as one of the most prevalent malignancy, is a leading cause of cancer death. This study aimed to investigate the key role of miR‐21‐3p in CRC by inhibiting its expression using transfection with miR‐21‐3p inhibitors into human CRC HCT116 cells. Results showed that the expression of miR‐21‐3p was higher than other CRC cells used in the study including Lovo, HT29, Colo320 and SW480 cells, inhibition of which suppressed the proliferation and induced cell cycle arrest in HCT116 cells. Besides, transfection with miR‐21‐3p inhibitors also attenuated cell migration and invasion, and induced apoptosis as well. Moreover, luciferase assay confirmed RBPMS as a direct target of miR‐21‐3p in HCT116 cells. Further, miR‐21‐3p inhibitors increased the nuclear accumulation of Smad4 and reduced phosphorylation of ERK. Interestingly, we found that silence of RBPMS using RNA interference (siRNA) not only elevated the cell viability but also increased the phosphorylation of ERK and reversed the nuclear accumulation of Smad4 induced by miR‐21‐3p inhibitors in HCT116 cells. Data suggest that inhibition of miR‐21‐3p suppresses cell proliferation, invasion as well as migration and induces apoptosis by directly targeting RBPMS through Smad4/ERK signalling pathway in HCT116 cells. Our study demonstrates miR‐21‐3p as a potent target for suppressing tumour progression of CRC which may have implications in CRC therapy in the future.
Red Lines and Compromises: Mapping Underlying Complexities of Brexit Preferences
Authors: Richards Lindsay , Heath Anthony , Carl Noah
Published: March 2018

The political discourse is characterised by two opposing ideals of hard and soft Brexit. In this article, we present evidence of attitudinal types that map neatly onto these archetypal views. The hard Brexit view is defined by issues that eurosceptics prioritise, most prominently sovereignty. By contrast, europhiles prioritise cooperation with Europe in terms of scientific collaboration and market access. However, attitudinal types are not either/or in the minds of the British public, and many prioritise all or none of the issues. Further, the two opposing positions together account for 37 per cent of the public's view. That is, just over one‐third differentiate between the salient issues in ways congruent with political ideals. National identity plays a particular role in the sociodemographic profiles of these attitude types. Older people have a strong stance in any direction (sovereignty, cooperation, or both), but national identity is linked to differentiated positions (sovereignty only or cooperation only).
Social mobility and demand for redistribution in Europe: a comparative analysis
Authors: Jaime‐Castillo Antonio M. , Marqués‐Perales Ildefonso
Published: March 2018

The literature on preferences for redistribution has paid little attention to the effect of social mobility on the demand for redistribution and no systematic test of the hypotheses connecting social mobility and preferences for redistribution has yet been done to date. We use the diagonal reference model to estimate the effect of origin and destination classes on preferences for redistribution in a large sample of European countries using data from the European Social Survey. Our findings are consistent with the logic of acculturation in the sense that newcomers tend to adapt their views to those of the destination class at early stages and that upward and downward mobility do not have distinctive effects on the formation of political preferences. However, even though social origins seem to have a limited impact on preferences for redistribution, the evidence does not support the hypothesis that mobile and non‐mobile individuals are alike. We also find that the effect of social origin on preferences varies largely across countries. The empirical evidence leads to the conclusion that the effect of social origin on preferences for redistribution increases in contexts of strong familism.
Mindfulness, cognitive behavioural and behaviour‐based therapy for natural and treatment‐induced menopausal symptoms: a systematic review and meta‐analysis
Authors: van Driel CM , Stuursma A , Schroevers MJ , Mourits MJ , de Bock GH
Published: March 2018

Background

During menopause women experience vasomotor and psychosexual symptoms that cannot entirely be alleviated with hormone replacement therapy (HRT). Besides, HRT is contraindicated after breast cancer.

Objectives

To review the evidence on the effectiveness of psychological interventions in reducing symptoms associated with menopause in natural or treatment‐induced menopausal women.

Search strategy

Medline/Pubmed, PsycINFO, EMBASE and AMED were searched until June 2017.

Selection criteria

Randomised controlled trials (RCTs) concerning natural or treatment‐induced menopause, investigating mindfulness or (cognitive‐)behaviour‐based therapy were selected. Main outcomes were frequency of hot flushes, hot flush bother experienced, other menopausal symptoms and sexual functioning.

Data collection and analysis

Study selection and data extraction were performed by two independent researchers. A meta‐analysis was performed to calculate the standardised mean difference (SMD).

Main results

Twelve RCTs were included. Short‐term (<20 weeks) effects of psychological interventions in comparison to no treatment or control were observed for hot flush bother (SMD −0.54, 95% CI −0.74 to −0.35, P < 0.001, I2 = 18%) and menopausal symptoms (SMD −0.34, 95% CI −0.52 to −0.15, P < 0.001, I2 = 0%). Medium‐term (≥20 weeks) effects were observed for hot flush bother (SMD −0.38, 95% CI −0.58 to −0.18, P < 0.001, I2 = 16%). [Correction added on 9 July 2018, after first online publication: there were miscalculations of the mean end point scores for hot flush bother and these have been corrected in the preceding two sentences.] In the subgroup treatment‐induced menopause, consisting of exclusively breast cancer populations, as well as in the subgroup natural menopause, hot flush bother was reduced by psychological interventions. Too few studies reported on sexual functioning to perform a meta‐analysis.

Conclusions

Psychological interventions reduced hot flush bother in the short and medium‐term and menopausal symptoms in the short‐term. These results are especially relevant for breast cancer survivors in whom HRT is contraindicated. There was a lack of studies reporting on the influence on sexual functioning.

Tweetable abstract

Systematic review: psychological interventions reduce bother by hot flushes in the short‐ and medium‐term.
Does Organisational Form Drive Competition? Evidence from Coffee Retailing
Authors: Adams Brian , Gans Joshua , Hayes Richard , Lampe Ryan
Published: March 2018

Independent and chain coffee shops offer similar products, but differ in their organisational form and branding. We examine the entry and exit patterns of 4,768 coffee retailers in Melbourne between 1991 and 2010. Panel logit regressions indicate that chain stores have no discernible effect on the exit or entry decisions of independent stores. However, chains and independents do increase the probability of exit for neighbouring stores of their own type. These findings imply that independents and chains operate almost as though they are in separate markets.
Routine screening and related interventions significantly improve the effectiveness of emergency department detection and management of alcohol withdrawal syndrome
Authors: Lappin Julia M , Ayub Muhammad H , Rogers David , Morgan Madeleine , Kanyamibwa Jean‐Yves , Shakeshaft Anthony
Published: March 2018

Objective

To evaluate the effectiveness of a routine screening and triage tool for alcohol withdrawal syndrome (AWS) in improving clinical care delivery in an ED setting.

Methods

In a regional ED in Australia, a screening and triage tool for AWS was introduced to routine ED assessment for a 13 week period. Subjects were all presentations to ED aged 16 and above with relevant presenting problems during the pre‐intervention phase (1 January 2015–31 December 2016) and the post‐intervention phase (8 August 2016–4 November 2016). Key clinical care delivery elements related to AWS in patients presenting to ED were compared pre‐ and post‐intervention, namely proportion of presentations: (i) meeting criteria for AWS; (ii) receiving appropriate management for AWS; and (iii) with alcohol documentation in patient notes.

Results

A total of 5.8% of total ED presentations in the post‐intervention phase and 4.5% in the pre‐intervention 1 year phase had relevant presenting problems. Compared to the 1 year pre‐intervention phase, post‐intervention showed: (i) a significant decrease in the number of presentations meeting criteria for AWS (χ2 = 6.56, P = 0.01); (ii) a significant increase in appropriate management of AWS (χ2 = 17.09, P < 0.001); and (iii) a significant increase in alcohol documentation in notes (χ2 = 13.29, P < 0.001).

Conclusions

Detection and appropriate management of AWS and documentation of alcohol use can be improved significantly through adoption of a brief screening and triage tool, and related interventions to increase awareness of alcohol‐related problems.
Inference of genetic architecture from chromosome partitioning analyses is sensitive to genome variation, sample size, heritability and effect size distribution
Authors: Kemppainen Petri , Husby Arild
Published: March 2018

Genomewide association studies have contributed immensely to our understanding of the genetic basis of complex traits. One major conclusion arising from these studies is that most traits are controlled by many loci of small effect, confirming the infinitesimal model of quantitative genetics. A popular approach to test for polygenic architecture involves so‐called “chromosome partitioning” where phenotypic variance explained by each chromosome is regressed on the size of the chromosome. First developed for humans, this has now been repeatedly used in other species, but there has been no evaluation of the suitability of this method in species that can differ in their genome characteristics such as number and size of chromosomes. Nor has the influence of sample size, heritability of the trait, effect size distribution of loci controlling the trait or the physical distribution of the causal loci in the genome been examined. Using simulated data, we show that these characteristics have major influence on the inferences of the genetic architecture of traits we can infer using chromosome partitioning analyses. In particular, small variation in chromosome size, small sample size, low heritability, a skewed effect size distribution and clustering of loci can lead to a loss of power and consequently altered inference from chromosome partitioning analyses. Future studies employing this approach need to consider and derive an appropriate null model for their study system, taking these parameters into consideration. Our simulation results can provide some guidelines on these matters, but further studies examining a broader parameter space are needed.
Do Analysts Matter for Corporate Tax Planning? Evidence from a Natural Experiment
Authors: Chen Novia X. , Chiu Peng‐Chia , Shevlin Terry
Published: March 2018

We exploit an exogenous shock to analyst coverage as a result of brokerage house mergers and closures to examine whether financial analysts influence the tax‐planning activities of the firms they cover. Using a difference‐in‐differences design, we find that, on average, firms affected by broker mergers and/or closures experience a reduction in their GAAP (cash) effective tax rates (ETR) of 2.5 percent (2.6 percent), relative to control firms, translating into average tax expense (cash tax) savings of $34 ($35) million. The treatment effect is more pronounced among firms with lower pre‐event analyst coverage. To explore how analysts affect tax planning, we further document that the treatment effect is greater among firms that lose an analyst who provided an implied ETR forecast in the past, suggesting that analysts influence tax planning via their tax‐specific research efforts. In addition, we find that after merger/closure, weakly governed firms increase their use of aggressive tax strategies, and financially distressed firms experience a larger reduction of cash effective tax rates, relative to control firms. Overall, we provide evidence that a shock to analyst coverage sufficiently changes the cost‐benefit trade‐off of tax planning.
Are Nonpharmacologic Pain Interventions Effective at Reducing Pain in Adult Patients Visiting the Emergency Department? A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis
Authors: Sakamoto Jeffrey T. , Ward Heather Burrell , Vissoci Joao Ricardo Nickenig , Eucker Stephanie A.
Published: March 2018

Objectives

Pain is a common complaint in the emergency department (ED). Its management currently depends heavily on pharmacologic treatment, but evidence suggests that nonpharmacologic interventions may be beneficial. The purpose of this systematic review and meta‐analysis was to assess whether nonpharmacologic interventions in the ED are effective in reducing pain.

Methods

We conducted a systematic review of the literature on all types of nonpharmacologic interventions in the ED with pain reduction as an outcome. We performed a qualitative summary of all studies meeting inclusion criteria and meta‐analysis of randomized controlled studies measuring postintervention changes in pain. Interventions were divided by type into five categories for more focused subanalyses.

Results

Fifty‐six studies met inclusion criteria for summary analysis. The most studied interventions were acupuncture (10 studies) and physical therapy (six studies). The type of pain most studied was musculoskeletal pain (34 studies). Most (42 studies) reported at least one improved outcome after intervention. Of these, 23 studies reported significantly reduced pain compared to control, 24 studies showed no difference, and nine studies had no control group. Meta‐analysis included 22 qualifying randomized controlled trials and had a global standardized mean difference of –0.46 (95% confidence interval = –0.66 to –0.27) in favor of nonpharmacologic interventions for reducing pain.

Conclusion

Nonpharmacologic interventions are often effective in reducing pain in the ED. However, most existing studies are small, warranting further investigation into their use for optimizing ED pain management.
Glyoxalase 1 (GLO1) Inhibition or Genetic Overexpression Does Not Alter Ethanol's Locomotor Effects: Implications for GLO1 as a Therapeutic Target in Alcohol Use Disorders
Authors: Barkley‐Levenson Amanda M. , Lagarda Frances A. , Palmer Abraham A.
Published: March 2018

Background

Glyoxalase 1 (GLO1) is an enzyme that metabolizes methylglyoxal (MG), which is a competitive partial agonist at GABAA receptors. Inhibition of GLO1 increases concentrations of MG in the brain and decreases binge‐like ethanol (EtOH) drinking. This study assessed whether inhibition of GLO1, or genetic overexpression of Glo1, would also alter the locomotor effects of EtOH, which might explain reduced EtOH consumption following GLO1 inhibition. We used the prototypical GABAA receptor agonist muscimol as a positive control.

Methods

Male C57BL/6J mice were pretreated with either the GLO1 inhibitor S‐bromobenzylglutathione cyclopentyl diester (pBBG; 7.5 mg/kg; Experiment 1) or muscimol (0.75 mg/kg; Experiment 2), or their corresponding vehicle. We then determined whether locomotor response to a range of EtOH doses (0, 0.5, 1.0, 1.5, 2.0, and 2.5) was altered by either pBBG or muscimol pretreatment. We also examined the locomotor response to a range of EtOH doses in FVB/NJ wild‐type and transgenic Glo1 overexpressing mice (Experiment 3). Anxiety‐like behavior (time spent in the center of the open field) was assessed in all 3 experiments.

Results

The EtOH dose–response curve was not altered by pretreatment with pBBG or by transgenic overexpression of Glo1. In contrast, muscimol blunted locomotor stimulation at low EtOH doses and potentiated locomotor sedation at higher EtOH doses. No drug or genotype differences were seen in anxiety‐like behavior after EtOH treatment.

Conclusions

The dose of pBBG used in this study is within the effective range shown previously to reduce EtOH drinking. Glo1 overexpression has been previously shown to increase EtOH drinking. However, neither manipulation altered the dose–response curve for EtOH's locomotor effects, whereas muscimol appeared to enhance the locomotor sedative effects of EtOH. The present data demonstrate that reduced EtOH drinking caused by GLO1 inhibition is not due to potentiation of EtOH's stimulant or depressant effects.
Association of intracortical myelin and cognitive function in bipolar I disorder
Authors: Sehmbi M. , Rowley C. D. , Minuzzi L. , Kapczinski F. , Steiner M. , Sassi R. B. , Bock N. A. , Frey B. N.
Published: March 2018

Objective

Although cognitive dysfunction persists through affective and euthymic states in bipolar disorder (BD), its neurobiological correlates remain undetermined. We explore whole‐cortex intracortical myelin (ICM) and cognition in BD‐I and controls.

Methods

T1‐weighted images (3T) optimized for ICM measurement were analyzed using a surface‐based approach. MRI signal was sampled at cortical mid‐depth. Cognitive performance was measured via standardized computerized battery and paper‐and‐pencil Trails B.

Results

ICM was associated with verbal memory (VM) in BD throughout a cortical network identified with pertinence to VM function, with strongest effects in left caudal middle temporal cortex and left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (Pcorrected < 0.05). Subanalyses revealed specific association with correct word recognition, without delay. Processing speed, executive function, and reaction time were also predicted by ICM in BD, but not controls, although this did not survive Bonferroni correction.

Conclusion

This is the first study to show VM association with ICM in BD. ICM has been implicated in the integrity of neural connections and neural synchrony. VM dysfunction is one of the most replicated cognitive abnormalities in BD. Therefore, these results provide a novel mechanism for understanding cognitive dysfunction in BD, which can aid in the development of targeted therapeutics to improve cognitive outcomes in BD.
Indigenous Teachers and Learners: Higher Education and Social Justice
Authors: Sumida Huaman Elizabeth , Abeita Shawn
Published: March 2018

Reflecting on our experiences within a program of graduate education in Justice Studies, we offer a discussion of how building and maintaining an iterative teacher‐learner stance results in strengthening practices of Indigenous education toward social justice. Through this reflection, we discuss the tenets in Indigenous higher education practices that contribute to multiple approaches toward social justice among Indigenous educators, community‐based educational practitioners, Indigenous students, and Indigenous‐serving higher education stakeholders.
The Airway App: exploring the role of smartphone technology to capture emergency front‐of‐neck airway experiences internationally
Authors: Duggan L. V. , Lockhart S. L. , Cook T. M. , O'Sullivan E. P. , Dare T. , Baker P. A.
Published: March 2018

In this exploratory study we describe the utility of smartphone technology for anonymous retrospective observational data collection of emergency front‐of‐neck airway management. The medical community continues to debate the optimal technique for emergency front‐of‐neck airway management. Although individual clinicians infrequently perform this procedure, hundreds are performed annually worldwide. Ubiquitous smartphone technology and internet connectivity have created the opportunity to collect these data. We created the ‘Airway App’, a smartphone application to capture the experiences of healthcare providers involved in emergency front‐of‐neck airway procedures. In the first 18‐month period, 104 emergency front‐of‐neck airway management reports were received; 99 (95%) were internally valid and unique from 21 countries. Eighty‐one (82%) were performed by non‐surgeons and 63 (64%) were ‘cannot intubate, cannot oxygenate’ emergencies. Overall first‐attempt success varied by technique; 45 scalpel–bougie cricothyroidotomy (37 first‐attempt success), 25 surgical cricothyroidotomy (15 first‐attempt success), eight cannula cricothyroidotomy (five first‐attempt success), six wire‐guided cricothyroidotomy (three first‐attempt success) and 15 tracheostomy reports (11 first‐attempt success). The most commonly reported positive human factors were good communication, good teamwork and/or skilled personnel. The most commonly reported negative human factors were fixation on multiple tracheal intubation attempts, delay in initiating emergency front‐of‐neck airway and/or the failure to plan for failure. Due to the anonymous nature of reporting, reports are open to recollection bias and spurious reporting. We conclude collection of data using a smartphone application is feasible and has the potential to expand our knowledge of emergency front‐of‐neck airway management.
Disaster Capitalism and the Quick, Quick, Slow Unravelling of Animal Life
Authors: Collard Rosemary‐Claire
Published: March 2018

Sea otters have barely survived centuries of colonial and capitalist development. To understand why, I examine how they have been oriented in capitalist social relations in Alaska, and with what effects. I follow sea otters through three overlapping political economic episodes, each of which shapes the next: colonial expansion and the fur trade; petro‐capitalism and the negligent neoliberal state, culminating in the 1989Exxon Valdezoil spill; and finally, spill cleanup and “green” capitalism, when sea otters are produced as data points and spectacle. In each episode, I describe (1) sea otters’ orientation in relation to capitalism and the state, and (2) the nature and temporality of violence and ecological loss that attends their orientation. In conversation with theorisations of extinction as a “slow unravelling”, I suggest animal life can unravel less slowly than haltingly—quick, quick, slow—and that the unravelling and animals’ orientation in capitalism are co‐constituted.
Identification of risk for neonatal haemolysis
Authors: Bhutani Vinod K. , Maisels M. Jeffrey , Schutzman David L. , Castillo Cuadrado Martin E. , Aby Janelle L. , Bogen Debra L. , Christensen Robert D. , Watchko Jon F. , Wong Ronald J. , Stevenson David K.
Published: March 2018

Aim

To identify neonates at risk of haemolytic hyperbilirubinaemia through near‐concurrent measurements of total serum/plasma bilirubin (TB) or transcutaneous bilirubin (TcB) and end‐tidal breath carbon monoxide (CO), corrected for ambient CO (ETCOc), an index of bilirubin production and haemolysis.

Methods

Paired TB/TcB (mg/dL) and ETCOc (ppm) measurements were obtained in newborns (n = 283) at 20 to <60 hours of age in five nurseries. TB/TcB values were assigned TB/TcB percentile risk values using the Bhutani hour‐specific nomogram. In infants having two serial TB/TcB measurements (n = 76), TB rate of rise (ROR, mg/dL/h) was calculated.

Results

For the entire cohort (n = 283), 67.1% and 32.9% had TB/TcB<75th and ≥75th percentile, respectively. TB/TcB (5.79 ± 1.84 vs 9.14 ± 2.25 mg/dL) and ETCOc (1.61 ± 0.45 vs 2.02 ± 1.35 ppm, p = 0.0002) were different between the groups. About 36.6% of infants with TB/TcB ≥75th percentile had ETCOc ≥ 2.0 ppm. In the subcohort of infants with serial TB/TcB measurements (n = 76), 44.7% and 55.3% had TB/TcB<75th and ≥75th percentile, respectively. TB/TcB (5.28 ± 1.97 vs 9.53 ± 2.78 mg/dL), ETCOc (1.72 ± 0.48 vs 2.38 ± 1.89 ppm, p = 0.05) and TB ROR (0.011 ± 0.440 vs 0.172 ± 0.471 mg/dL/h) were different between the groups.

Conclusion

The combined use of TB/TcB percentile risk assessments and ETCOc measurements can identify infants with haemolytic hyperbilirubinaemia. The addition of TB ROR can identify those infants with elimination disorders.
Administering atropine and ketamine before less invasive surfactant administration resulted in low pain scores in a prospective study of premature neonates
Authors: Bourgoin L , Caeymaex L , Decobert F , Jung C , Danan C , Durrmeyer X
Published: March 2018

Aim

Less invasive surfactant administration (LISA) can avoid tracheal intubation for neonatal respiratory distress syndrome, but can be painful because it requires laryngoscopy. The aim of this study was to assess the efficacy and tolerance of intravenous atropine plus ketamine administration before LISA.

Methods

We conducted a prospective observational study of all premature infants hospitalised in our French neonatal intensive care unit treated with LISA between March 2015 and March 2016. Ketamine was titrated by 0.5 mg/kg increments. The technical conditions, pain scores, emergent intubations and vital signs were collected and analysed.

Results

Values are reported as medians (interquartile ranges). We included 29 patients with a gestational age of 29.6 (28.6–30.9) weeks and birth weight of 1290 (945–1600) grams. Technical conditions were satisfying for 24 infants (83%). The Faceless Acute Neonatal Pain Scale score was 2 (2–4); seven infants (24%) required tracheal intubation before LISA could be performed; 17 (59%) had a pulse oxymetry value under 80% that lasted more than 60 seconds. Heart rate and mean arterial blood pressure transiently increased.

Conclusion

Atropine plus ketamine before LISA resulted in low pain scores and stable haemodynamic parameters, but prolonged desaturations or apnoea leading to tracheal intubation were frequently observed.
The impact of structural adjustment on housing prices in China
Authors: Zhang Haiyong , Wang Xinyu
Published: March 2018

Studies of the factors that influence housing prices have focused on housing characteristics, governmental policies, environmental goods, macroeconomic and social fundamentals, and so on. However, the effect of industrial structural adjustment on housing prices is worthy of further investigation. In China, it would be helpful to measure this effect to coordinate housing policy and the ‘Made in China 2025’ strategy, which aims to accelerate industrial restructuring. We selected a spatial panel data model to quantify the effects of the industrial rationalisation and sophistication attributable to spatial dependence in housing prices. Estimation results show that structural adjustment has a statistically significant effect on housing prices that varies widely across regions. In descending order, the impact of industrial structure sophistication decreases in eastern, central, western, and northeastern China. This finding suggests that the government should match housing with local industry, prevent excessive real estate development in conventional agricultural areas, and pay close attention to changes in housing prices caused by increasing industrial restructuring.
Regularized Continuous-Time Markov Model via Elastic Net
Authors: Huang Shuang , Hu Chengcheng , Bell Melanie L. , Billheimer Dean , Guerra Stefano , Roe Denise , Vasquez Monica M. , Bedrick Edward J.
Published: March 2018

Continuous-time Markov models are commonly used to analyze longitudinal transitions between multiple disease states in panel data, where participants’ disease states are only observed at multiple time points, and the exact state paths between observations are unknown. However, when covariate effects are incorporated and allowed to vary for different transitions, the number of potential parameters to estimate can become large even when the number of covariates is moderate, and traditional maximum likelihood estimation and subset model selection procedures can easily become unstable due to overfitting. We propose a novel regularized continuous-time Markov model with the elastic net penalty, which is capable of simultaneous variable selection and estimation for large number of parameters. We derive an efficient coordinate descent algorithm to solve the penalized optimization problem, which is fully automatic and data driven. We further consider an extension where one of the states is death, and time of death is exactly known but the state path leading to death is unknown. The proposed method is extensively evaluated in a simulation study, and demonstrated in an application to real-world data on airflow limitation state transitions.
Linking the fine‐scale social environment to mating decisions: a future direction for the study of extra‐pair paternity
Authors: Maldonado‐Chaparro Adriana A. , Montiglio Pierre‐Olivier , Forstmeier Wolfgang , Kempenaers Bart , Farine Damien R.
Published: March 2018

Variation in extra‐pair paternity (EPP) among individuals of the same population could result from stochastic demography or from individual differences in mating strategies. Although the adaptive value of EPP has been widely studied, much less is known about the characteristics of the social environment that drive the observed patterns of EPP. Here, we demonstrate how concepts and well‐developed tools for the study of social behaviour (such as social network analysis) can enhance the study of extra‐pair mating decisions (focussing in particular on avian mating systems). We present several hypotheses that describe how characteristics of the social environment in which individuals are embedded might influence the levels of EPP in a socially monogamous population. We use a multi‐level social approach (Hinde, 1976) to achieve a detailed description of the social structure and social dynamics of individuals in a group. We propose that the pair‐bond, the direct (local) social environment and the indirect (extended) social environment, can contribute in different ways to the variation observed in the patterns of EPP, at both the individual and the population level. A strength of this approach is that it integrates into the analysis (indirect) interactions with all potential mates in a population, thus extending the current framework to study extra‐pair mating behaviour. We also encourage the application of social network methods such as temporal dynamic analysis to depict temporal changes in the patterns of interactions among individuals in a group, and to study how this affects mating behaviour. We argue that this new framework will contribute to a better understanding of the proximate mechanisms that drive variation in EPP within populations in socially monogamous species, and might ultimately provide insights into the evolution and maintenance of mating systems.
Decision‐making in child welfare services: Professional discretion versus standardized templates
Authors: Heggdalsvik Inger Kristin , Rød Per Arne , Heggen Kåre
Published: March 2018

The article explores differences in the assessment and decision‐making processes, in child welfare services where a standardized template is implemented and in services where it is not. Child welfare services in several countries use different approaches to assess children's and families' need for intervention. In Norway, as in other European countries, there is a shortage of knowledge about decision‐making strategies. The article examines how 36 child welfare caseworkers in 6 different teams in Norway investigate, assess, and make decisions at the phase of an incoming referral. The analysed data were collected by focus group interviews. We use decision theory as a theoretical frame of reference. The analysis shows variation in the assessment procedure at different points of the process, depending on which approach was used. Despite such differences, the final decisions made were almost identical. Even though the data has its limitations because of the small number of informants, the results indicate that choice of approach is not decisive for decision‐making in the child welfare services.
Factors that determine decision making in child protection investigations: A review of the literature
Authors: Lauritzen Camilla , Vis Svein A. , Fossum Sturla
Published: March 2018

The aim of the study was to conduct a systematic review of the literature on factors that determine decision making in child protection investigations. More specifically, to investigate the existing research on the 4 factors that are considered fundamental for child protection decision making: case characteristics, caseworker characteristics, organizational characteristics, and external factors. The results indicated that child welfare decisions to investigate a case and/or to implement services are influenced by characteristics of the case, the social worker, and the organization, in addition to external factors. These elements work together to determine the outcome of an investigation. There are some substantial differences between various countries connected to disparities in child welfare legislation, support apparatuses, culture, ideology, and socio‐economic factors. It is methodologically challenging to design studies that capture all possible variables associated with case factors, social workers, and organizational factors. However, multilevel analyses of the types of variables that are most significant to case outcome conclude that caseworker assessments corresponded to organizational factors. Furthermore, decisions are better explained by characteristics of the child welfare organization than by characteristics of the social worker.
The Development of Invariant Object Recognition Requires Visual Experience With Temporally Smooth Objects
Authors: Wood Justin N. , Wood Samantha M. W.
Published: March 2018

How do newborns learn to recognize objects? According to temporal learning models in computational neuroscience, the brain constructs object representations by extracting smoothly changing features from the environment. To date, however, it is unknown whether newborns depend on smoothly changing features to build invariant object representations. Here, we used an automated controlled‐rearing method to examine whether visual experience with smoothly changing features facilitates the development of view‐invariant object recognition in a newborn animal model—the domestic chick (Gallus gallus). When newborn chicks were reared with a virtual object that moved smoothly over time, the chicks created view‐invariant representations that were selective for object identity and tolerant to viewpoint changes. Conversely, when newborn chicks were reared with a temporally non‐smooth object, the chicks developed less selectivity for identity features and less tolerance to viewpoint changes. These results provide evidence for a “smoothness constraint” on the development of invariant object recognition and indicate that newborns leverage the temporal smoothness of natural visual environments to build abstract mental models of objects.