bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The predictability of a lake phytoplankton community, from hours to years
Authors: Thomas Mridul K. , Fontana Simone , Reyes Marta , Kehoe Michael , Pomati Francesco
Published: December 2017

Forecasting anthropogenic changes to ecological communities is one of the central challenges in ecology. However, nonlinear dependencies, biotic interactions and data limitations have limited our ability to assess how predictable communities are. Here we used a machine learning approach and environmental monitoring data (biological, physical and chemical) to assess the predictability of phytoplankton cell density in one lake across an unprecedented range of time scales. Communities were highly predictable over hours to months: model R2 decreased from 0. 89 at 4 hours to 0.75 at 1 month, and in a long-term dataset lacking fine spatial resolution, from 0.46 at 1 month to 0.32 at 10 years. When cyanobacterial and eukaryotic algal cell density were examined separately, model-inferred environmental growth dependencies matched laboratory studies, and suggested novel trade-offs governing their competition. High-frequency monitoring and machine learning can help elucidate the mechanisms underlying ecological dynamics and set prediction targets for process-based models.
Assessment of hydrophobicity scales for protein stability and folding using energy and RMSD criteria
Authors: Haimov Boris , Srebnik Simcha
Published: December 2017

De novoprediction of protein folding is an open scientific challenge. Many folding models and force fields have been developed, yet all face difficulties converging to native conformations. Hydrophobicity scales (HSs) play a crucial role in such simulations as they define the energetic interactions between protein residues, thus determining the energetically favorable conformation. While many HSs have been developed over the years using various methods, it is surprising that the scales show very weak consensus in their assignment of hydrophobicity indexes to the various residues. In this work, several HSs are systematically assessed via atomistic Monte Carlo simulation of folding of small proteins, by converting the HSs of interest into residue-residue contact energy matrices. HSs that poorly preserve native structures of proteins were tuned by applying a linear transformation. Subsequently, folding simulations were used to examine the ability of the HSs to correctly fold the proteins from a random initial conformation. Root mean square deviation (RMSD) and energy of the proteins during folding were sampled and used to define an ER-score, as the correlation between the 2-dimensional energy-RMSD (ER) histogram with 50% lowest energy conformations and the ER histogram with 50% lowest RMSD conformations. Thus, we were able to compare the ability of the different HSs to predictde novoprotein folding quantitatively.
Diminished Cortical Thickness is Associated with Impulsive Choice in Adolescence
Authors: Pehlivanova Marieta , Wolf Daniel H. , Sotiras Aristeidis , Kaczkurkin Antonia , Moore Tyler M. , Ciric Rastko , Cook Philip A. , Garcia de La Garza Angel , Rosen Adon , Ruparel Kosha , Sharma Anup , Shinohara Russell T. , Roalf David R. , Gur Ruben C. , Davatzikos Christos , Gur Raquel E. , Kable Joseph W. , Satterthwaite Theodore D
Published: December 2017

Adolescence is characterized by both maturation of brain structure and increased risk of negative outcomes from behaviors associated with impulsive decision-making. One important index of impulsive choice is delay discounting (DD), which measures the tendency to prefer smaller rewards available soon over larger rewards delivered after a delay. However, it remains largely unknown how individual differences in structural brain development may be associated with impulsive choice during adolescence. Leveraging a unique large sample of 427 human youths (208 males and 219 females) imaged as part of the Philadelphia Neurodevelopmental Cohort, we examined associations between delay discounting and cortical thickness within structural covariance networks. These structural networks were derived using non-negative matrix factorization, an advanced multivariate technique for dimensionality reduction, and analyzed using generalized additive models with penalized splines to capture both linear and nonlinear developmental effects. We found that impulsive choice, as measured by greater discounting, was most strongly associated with diminished cortical thickness in structural brain networks that encompassed the ventromedial prefrontal cortex, orbitofrontal cortex, temporal pole, and temporoparietal junction. Furthermore, structural brain networks predicted DD above and beyond cognitive performance. Taken together, these results suggest that reduced cortical thickness in regions known to be involved in value-based decision-making is a marker of impulsive choice during the critical period of adolescence.

SIGNIFICANCE

Risky behaviors during adolescence, such as initiation of substance use or reckless driving, are a major source of morbidity and mortality. In this study, we present evidence from a large sample of youths that diminished cortical thickness in specific structural brain networks is associated with impulsive choice. Notably, the strongest association between impulsive choice and brain structure was seen in regions implicated in value-based decision-making; namely, the ventromedial prefrontal and orbitofrontal cortices. Moving forward, such neuroanatomical markers of impulsivity may aid in the development of personalized interventions targeted to reduce risk of negative outcomes resulting from impulsivity during adolescence.
(E)-1-[5-Methyl-1-(p-tolyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl]-3-{3-[5-methyl-1-(p-tolyl)-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl]-1-phenyl-1H-pyrazol-4-yl}prop-2-en-1-one
Authors: Abu El-Enin Mohammed Abu Bakr , Abdel-Wahab Bakr F. , Baashen Mohammed , Ghabbour Hazem A. , El-Hiti Gamal A.
Published: December 2017

In the title compound, C32H28N8O, the central pyrazole ring makes dihedral angles of 10.04 (14) and 11.37 (13)° with the two 1,2,3-triazole rings. In the molecule, there are weak intramolecular C—H...O and C—H...N contacts present that affect the molecular conformation. The configuration about the C=C bond isE. In the crystal, molecules are linked by C—H...π interactions, forming slabs parallel to theacplane.
Asymmetric and nonlinear inter-relations of US stock indices
Authors: Vortelinos Dimitrios , Gkillas (Gillas) Konstantinos , Syriopoulos Costas , Svingou Argyro
Published: December 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to examine the inter-relations among the US stock indices.

Design/methodology/approach

Data of nine US stock indices spanning a period of sixteen years (2000-2015) are employed for this purpose. Asymmetries are examined via an error correction model. Non-linear inter-relations are researched via Breitung’s nonlinear cointegration, a M-G nonlinear causality model, shocks to the forecast error variance, a shock spillover index and an asymmetric VAR-GARCH (VAR-ABEKK) approach.

Findings

The inter-relations are signiﬁcant. The results are robust across all types of inter-relations. They are highest in the Lehman Brothers sub-period. Higher stability after the EU debt crisis, enhances independence and growth for the US stock indices.

Originality/value

To the best of the knowledge, this is the first study to examine the inter-relations of US stock indices. Most studies on inter-relations concentrate on the portfolio analysis to reveal diversification benefits among various asset markets internationally. Hence this study contributes to this literature on the inter-relations of a specific asset market (stock), and in a specific nation (USA). The evident inter-relations support the notion of diversification benefits in the US stock markets.
Workplace safety events and firm performance
Authors: Kabir Qazi S. , Watson Kevin , Somaratna Theekshana
Published: December 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to address a deficiency in the literature by exploring the impact of negative workplace safety announcements on firm performance. The authors analyze the issue from a corporate social responsibility perspective and explore ways supply chain managers can contribute to improve firm performance through the development of safe working environments.

Design/methodology/approach

Utilizing a sample of 227 negative workplace safety announcements, this paper explores the implications of negative workplace safety announcements on the stock price of a firm using event study methodology.

Findings

The authors find that negative workplace announcements are associated with an abnormal decrease in shareholder value. Furthermore, the authors find evidence that negative workplace safety announcements have a more pronounced negative effect on firm value in the present environment than in any previous time period.

Practical implications

Operations managers need to play leading roles in ensuring safe working environments. The results provide the support needed to acquire the financial resources necessary to mitigate exposure to unsafe working conditions.

Originality/value

This study explores the impact of negative workplace safety announcements on a firm’s stock performance. It is the first large-scale study to look at public announcements of workplace incidents and to explore the impact of such announcements in the context of time.
Engaged scholarship on the High Street: the case of HSUK2020
Authors: Ntounis Nikos , Parker Cathy
Published: December 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to introduce engaged scholarship as a method for addressing the “wicked problem” of High Street change through successful collaboration and co-production of knowledge between academics, practitioners, citizens and other place stakeholders.

Design/methodology/approach

The first part of this paper introduces engaged scholarship as a participatory form of research and situates it within the context of the High Street. The second part presents the case of High Street UK 2020 (HSUK2020) via Van de Ven’s diamond model of engaged scholarship as a guide.

Findings

Engaged scholarship’s focus on knowledge production and on collaboration between the research team and the community enabled us to improve the understanding of factors affecting High Streets amongst a diverse group of stakeholders and focus on what works for the towns. The ongoing impact of HSUK2020 on the project towns’ action plans and on this current research is testament to how engaged scholarship research can drive the agendas for both academics and communities.

Originality/value

The paper presents engaged scholarship as an alternative collaborative method of conducting research on the High Street, one that is more in line with the current trends in retailing and works as a motivating factor for community engagement.
Improving the vitality and viability of the UK High Street by 2020
Authors: Parker Cathy , Ntounis Nikos , Millington Steve , Quin Simon , Castillo-Villar Fernando Rey
Published: December 2017

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to document the results and the impact of the ESRC-funded High Street UK 2020 (HSUK2020), a project designed to take the existing academic knowledge relating to retail and high street change directly to UK High Streets, to improve local decision-making and, ultimately, their vitality and viability.

Design/methodology/approach

Through a systematic literature review, and by following the tenets of engaged scholarship, the authors identified 201 factors that influence the vitality and viability of town centres. Through the consensus-building Delphi technique, a panel of 20 retail experts identified the top 25 priorities for action.

Findings

Taking a place management approach led to the development of a more strategic framework for regeneration, which consisted of repositioning, reinventing, rebranding and restructuring strategies (4R’s of regeneration). Collaboration with the project towns resulted in identification of the strategy area that would add the most value, and the impact of the 4R’s and the top 25 priorities is demonstrated via numerous town examples.

Originality/value

Knowledge exchange projects, such as High Street UK2020, have an important contribution to make, not by developing even more theory that is unlikely to get utilised, instead their contribution is to bring existing theory into practical use.
The impact of story: measuring the impact of story for organisational change
Authors: Rossetti Lisa , Wall Tony
Published: December 2017

Purpose

The role of dialogue has recently been identified as being important in generating impact in organisations, but the purposeful use of narrative or story-based approaches to effect organisational change and service improvement is still relatively innovative. The purpose of this paper is to document and examine two projects in health and social care settings which aim to generate organisational development and service improvement.

Design/methodology/approach

The paper evaluates and compares two case studies of story-based organisational development and service improvement projects in the UK. This involved developing an appropriate evaluation framework and assessing the impacts in each case using semi-structured interviews and thematic content analysis.

Findings

This paper reports the diversity of impacts and outcomes that were generated by the projects. Specifically, it is argued that there is a strong indication that story-based projects best achieve their objectives when clearly linked to key organisational strategic drivers or pathways, as evidenced by robust evaluation.

Practical implications

This paper recommends that researchers and practitioners, working with story-based methods, design credible and robust evaluative practices, in order to evidence how their work supports organisations to meet current sector challenges. The paper recommends a flexible evaluation framework for evaluating story-based projects in the workplace.

Originality/value

This paper offers new evidence and insight into the impacts and outcomes of using story-based approaches, and a new evaluation framework for these sorts of projects.
Consequences of grazer‐induced vegetation transitions on ecosystem carbon storage in the tundra
Authors: Ylänne Henni , Olofsson Johan , Oksanen Lauri , Stark Sari
Published: December 2017

Large herbivores can control plant community composition and, under certain conditions, even induce vegetation shifts to alternative ecosystem states. As different plant assemblages maintain contrasting carbon (C) cycling patterns, herbivores have the potential to alter C sequestration at regional scales. Their influence is of particular interest in the Arctic tundra, where a large share of the world's soil C reservoir is stored.

We assessed the influence of grazing mammals on tundra vegetation and C stocks by resampling two sites located along pasture rotation fences in northern Norway. These fences have separated lightly grazed areas from heavily grazed areas (in close proximity to the fences) and moderately grazed areas (further away from the fences) for the past 50 years. Fourteen years earlier, the lightly and moderately grazed areas were dominated by dwarf shrubs, whereas heavy grazing had promoted the establishment of graminoid‐dominated vegetation. Since then, both reindeer densities and temperatures have increased, and more time has passed for transient dynamics to be expressed. We expected that the vegetation and C stocks would have changed under all grazing intensities, but not necessarily in the same way.

At the site where relative reindeer numbers and trampling intensity had increased the most, graminoid‐dominated vegetation was now also found in the moderately grazed area. At the other site, the dominant vegetation types under all grazing intensities were the same as 14 years earlier.

We show that the heavily grazed, graminoid‐dominated areas stored less C above‐ground than the lightly grazed, shrub‐dominated areas. Yet, the below‐ground consequences of grazing‐induced grassification varied between the sites: Grazing did not alter organic soil C stocks at the site where both evergreen and deciduous shrubs were abundant in the lightly grazed area, whereas heavy grazing increased organic soil C stocks at the site where the deciduous shrub Betula nana was dominant.

Our results indicate that, despite the negative impacts of grazers on above‐ground C storage, their impact on below‐ground C may even be positive. We suggest that the site‐specific responses of organic soil C stocks to grazing could be explained by the differences in vegetation under light grazing. This would imply that the replacement of deciduous shrubs by graminoids, as a consequence of grazing could be beneficial for C sequestration in tundra soils.

A plain language summary is available for this article.
Effectiveness of vocabulary intervention for older children with (developmental) language disorder
Authors: Wright Lisa , Pring Tim , Ebbels Susan
Published: December 2017

Background

Children with developmental language disorder (DLD) frequently have difficulties with word learning and understanding vocabulary. For these children, this can significantly impact on social interactions, daily activities and academic progress. Although there is literature providing a rationale for targeting word learning in such children, there is little evidence for the effectiveness of specific interventions in this area for children with identified DLD.

Aims

To establish whether direct one‐to‐one intervention for children with DLD over 9 years of age leads to improved abilities to identify, comprehend, define, and use nouns and verbs targeted in intervention as compared with non‐targeted control items and whether or not the participants’ rating of their own knowledge of the words changes with intervention.

Methods & Procedures

Twenty‐five children and young people with language disorder (aged 9;4–16;1) participated in the study: 18 with DLD and seven with a language disorder associated with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). Two assessments of different levels were created: a higher ability (less frequent words) and a lower ability (more frequent words). Participants’ speech and language therapists (SLTs) decided which level would be the most appropriate for each participant. Four tasks were carried out as part of the assessment and the scores were used to identify which words each participant worked on. Participants received one 30‐min session per week one‐to‐one with their own SLT for 7 weeks, plus a 5‐min revision session in between each main session. During each of the first five sessions, participants learned two new words; the two final sessions were spent revising the 10 words which had been targeted.

Outcomes & Results

Post‐intervention assessment showed an increase in scores for both treated and control words. However, progress on treated words was significantly greater than on control words (d = 1.07), indicating effectiveness of intervention. The difference between progress on targeted and control words was found both for nouns (d = 1.29) and verbs (d = 0.64), but the effect size was larger for nouns. Whether or not the participants had an associated ASD did not affect the results. The children's self‐rating of their knowledge of the targeted words was also significantly higher than for control words post‐intervention.

Conclusions & Implications

The intervention delivered one‐to‐one by the participants’ usual SLT was effective in teaching new vocabulary to older children with language disorders. This shows that older children with language disorders can make progress with direct one‐to‐one intervention focused on vocabulary.
Worlding Water Supply: Thinking Beyond the Network in Jakarta
Authors: Furlong Kathryn , Kooy Michelle
Published: December 2017

This article draws on scholarship in Southern theory to ‘world’ the study of water’s urbanization. This means complicating scholarship by widening the focus beyond the application of Northern norms to engage with complex and diverse practices in Southern cities. For water’s urbanization, this means focusing on what water supply is for the majority: neither the centralized piped‐water network nor its absence, but the range of practices and technologies that unite people, nature and artefacts in a complex socio‐ecological politics of water. Drawing on scholarship from Southern urbanisms, urban political ecology, and science and technology studies, we illustrate how expanding water’s urbanization to include more than networked infrastructure in Jakarta draws attention to the importance of ecological connections between piped water, groundwater, wastewater and floodwater. Thinking beyond the network requires deeper engagement with the ecological connections between the diverse flows of water in and around urban environments. These produce distinct forms of fragmentation that are missed when analysis is limited to piped‐water supply. The emphasis on ecological connections between flows of water and power seeks to draw attention back to the importance of the uneven exposure to environmental hazards in cities in which neither water nor nature are wholly contained by infrastructure.
Writing Across Contexts: Urban Informality and the State in Tallinn, Bafatá and Berlin
Authors: Hilbrandt Hanna , Alves Susana Neves , Tuvikene Tauri
Published: December 2017

Urban research has long related informality to a lack of state capacity or a failure of institutions. This assumption not only fails to account for the heterogeneous institutional relations in which informality is embedded, but has also created a dividing line between states. Whereas some states are understood to manage urban development through functioning institutions, others, in this view, fail to regulate. To deconstruct such understandings, this article explores informal practices through a multi‐sited individualizing comparison between three case studies of water governance, parking regulation and dwelling regimes in Bafatá (Guinea‐Bissau), Tallinn (Estonia) and Berlin (Germany), respectively. Our approach to understanding informality starts from the negotiation and contestation of order between differently positioned actors in the continuous making of states. From this point of view, informality is inherent in the architecture of states––emerging through legal systems, embedded in negotiations between and within institutions, and based on conflicts between state regulations and prevailing norms. Tracing how order takes shape though negotiation, improvisation, co‐production and translation not only highlights how informality constitutes a modus operandi in the everyday workings of the state in all three cases, but also provides a way to talk across these cases, i.e. to bring them together in one frame of analysis and overcome their presumed incommensurability.
Gall mite Fragariocoptes setiger (Eriophyoidea) changes leaf developmental program and regulates gene expression in the leaf tissues of Fragaria viridis (Rosaceae)
Authors: Paponova S.S. , Chetverikov P.E. , Pautov A.A. , Yakovleva O.V. , Zukoff S.N. , Vishnyakov A.E. , Sukhareva S.I. , Krylova E.G. , Dodueva I.E. , Lutova L.A.
Published: December 2017

The interaction of plants with certain types of parasites leads to the formation of galls, organised structures that create the habitat of the parasite, caused by an abnormal proliferation of host plant's cells under the influence of growth regulators, secreted by the parasite, or by the plant itself under the influence of the parasite. Arthropods, mites in particular, are the largest group of gall‐inducing phytoparasites, but the mechanisms of their interaction with plants remain virtually unexplored. The interaction of the gall‐inducing eriophyoid mite Fragariocoptes setiger with Fragaria viridis plants was used as a model gall–mite system where data were obtained on the changes in the histological structure of F. viridis leaf blades under the influence of the mites as well as F. viridis gene expression during gall formation. For histological purposes, gall formation was split into four stages with each corresponding to the age of the gall as well as to specific changes that occur during that period. A dramatic change of adaxial–abaxial polarity of the lamina throughout the four stages was observed. Moreover, qRT‐PCR analysis of F. viridis gene expression in the developing gall revealed changes in the expression levels of certain meristem‐specific genes, as well as the genes that determine adaxial–abaxial polarity and signalling of phytohormones.
High Risk Clinical Features for Acute Aortic Dissection: A Case–Control Study
Authors: Ohle Robert , Um Justin , Anjum Omar , Bleeker Helena , Luo Lindy , Wells George , Perry Jeffrey J.
Published: December 2017

Background

Acute aortic dissection (AAD) is a rare condition with a high mortality that is often missed. The objective of our study was to assess the diagnostic accuracy of clinical and laboratory findings for AAD, in confirmed cases of AAD and in a low‐risk control group.

Methods

This was a historical matched case–control study: participants were adults > 18 years old presenting to two tertiary care emergency departments (EDs) or one regional cardiac referral center. Cases were patients with new ED or in‐hospital diagnosis of nontraumatic AAD confirmed by computed tomography or echocardiography. Controls were patients with a triage diagnosis of truncal pain (<14 days) and an absence of a clear diagnosis on basic investigation. Cases and controls were matched in a 1:4 ratio by sex and age. A sample size of 165 cases and 660 controls was calculated based on 80% power and confidence interval of 95% to detect an odds ratio of greater than 2.

Results

Data were collected from 2002 to 2014 yielding 194 cases of AAD and 776 controls (mean ± SD age = 65 ± 14.1 years; 66.7% male). Absence of abrupt‐onset pain (sensitivity = 95.9%, negative likelihood ratio = 0.07 [0.03–0.14]) can help rule out AAD. Presence of tearing/ripping pain (specificity = 99.7%, positive likelihood ratio [LR+] = 42.1 [9.9–177.5]), aortic aneurysm (specificity = 97.8%, LR+ = 6.35 [3.54–11.42]), hypotension (specificity = 98.7%, LR+ = 17.2 [8.8–33.6]), pulse deficit (specificity = 99.3, LR+ = 31.1 [11.2–86.6]), neurologic deficits (specificity = 96.9%, LR+ = 5.26 [2.9–9.3]), and a new murmur (specificity = 97.8%, LR+ = 9.4 [5.5–16.2]) can help rule in the diagnosis of AAD.

Conclusions

Patients with one or more high‐risk feature should be considered high risk, whereas patients with no high‐risk and multiple low‐risk features are at low risk for AAD.
Enhancing student engagement in large management accounting lectures
Authors: Frick Hermann , Birt Jacqueline , Waters Jenny
Published: December 2017

The education literature suggests a student‐focused teaching strategy to improve students’ engagement in a lecture. However, in traditional accounting lectures students take the role of passive and anonymous recipients of knowledge. This paper reports on two cycles of an action research project, developing and refining a blended learning model, with the purpose of enhancing students’ engagement in the lectures of a large management accounting course. Results of our study find that engagement was enhanced with the implementation of this model. This study contributes to the accounting education literature through reporting evidence from action research and the effective implementation of a blended learning model that accounting educators can use.
Use and clinical efficacy of standard and health information technology fall risk assessment tools
Authors: Teh Ruth C , Wilson Anne , Ranasinghe Damith , Visvanathan Renuka
Published: December 2017

Objective

To evaluate the health information technology (HIT) compared to Fall Risk for Older Persons (FROP) tool in fall risk screening.

Methods

A HIT tool trial was conducted on the geriatric evaluation and management (GEM, n = 111) and acute medical units (AMU, n = 424).

Results

Health information technology and FROP scores were higher on GEM versus AMU, with no differences between people who fell and people who did not fall. Both score completion rates were similar, and their values correlated marginally (Spearman's correlation coefficient 0.33, P < 0.01). HIT and FROP scores demonstrated similar sensitivity (80 vs 82%) and specificity (32 vs 36%) for detecting hospital falls. Hospital fall rates trended towards reduction on AMU (4.20 vs 6.96, P = 0.15) and increase on GEM (10.98 vs 6.52, P = 0.54) with HIT tool implementation.

Conclusions

Health information technology tool acceptability and scoring were comparable to FROP screening, with mixed effects on fall rate with HIT tool implementation. Clinician partnership remains key to effective tool development.
Ageing and the economic life cycle: The National Transfer Accounts approach
Authors: Temple Jeromey B , Rice James M , McDonald Peter F
Published: December 2017

Objective

To illustrate the use of National Transfer Accounts (NTA) for understanding ageing and the economic life cycle in Australia.

Methods

The NTA methodology is applied utilising a range of unit record, demographic and administrative data sets from 1981 to 2010.

Results

During early and later life, total consumption (public and private) is greater than labour income. On a time series and cohort basis, we show that each successive generation has improved their level of well‐being (as measured by consumption) relative to the previous years or previous cohorts from 1981 to 1982 onwards. We also show a substantial increase in labour income earned by mature age workers over this period. International comparisons show Australia to have consumption and labour income age profiles very similar to those of Canada but dissimilar to many other countries, driven by differences in demographic and policy settings.

Conclusion

The NTA approach provides a powerful framework to track differences in the economic life cycle across age groups, across time, across cohorts and across countries.
Population ageing and the labour force: 2000–2015 and 2015–2030
Authors: Temple Jeromey B , McDonald Peter F
Published: December 2017

Objective

To examine the role of variations in mature age labour force participation on labour force outcomes over Australia's recent past (2000–2015) and immediate future (to 2030).

Methods

To estimate the impact of rises in mature age participation on observed labour supply, we utilise demographic decomposition techniques. To examine future labour supply (to 2030), we simulate scenarios utilising a cohort‐component projection model.

Results

Observed increases in mature age participation between 2000 and 2015 added approximately 786 000 mature age workers to the Australian labour force. Over the proceeding 15 years (2015–2030), conservative changes to prevailing mature age participation would add 304 000 additional workers. The speed of ageing is projected to increase and labour supply growth decrease in the next 15 years relative to that observed from 2000 to 2015.

Conclusion

To benefit from increased mature age labour force participation, the barriers to mature age participation must be addressed.
Epidemic of large babies highlighted by use of INTERGROWTH21st international standard
Authors: Park Felicity J. , de Vries Brad , Hyett Jon A. , Gordon Adrienne
Published: December 2017

Objective

To compare birth weights in central Sydney to the INTERGROWTH21st international standard to describe current trends in relation to optimal growth and to define areas that may benefit from improved obstetric surveillance and intervention.

Methods

Retrospective analysis of prospectively collected cohort. Design: hospital‐based cohort study. Setting: Sydney Local Health District, Australia. Population or sample: women with singleton pregnancies who had first trimester screening for aneuploidy between 16 April, 2010 and 9 March, 2012. Analysis of 2966 births. Main outcome measures: Large for gestational age (LGA) >4000 g, >4500 g, >5000 g, >90th, >95th, >97th centiles and small for gestational age (SGA) <1500 g, <2500 g, <third, <fifth, <10th centiles.

Results

The proportion of infants classified as LGA was significantly higher than expected by the international standard, with relative risks (RRs) of 1.66 (1.44–1.88), 1.81 (1.50–2.21) and 2.07 (1.61–2.65) for the 90th, 95th and 97th centiles, respectively (P < 0.0001). The number of infants classified as SGA was significantly lower with RRs of 0.32 (0.21–0.49), 0.38 (0.28–0.52) and 0.45 (0.37–0.55) for the 3rd, 5th and 10th centiles, respectively (P < 0.0001). Maternal body mass index (BMI) and height were significantly associated with LGA infants as were parity and pre‐existing diabetes.

Conclusion

Comparing the international INTERGROWTH21st standards to our population has revealed a markedly high prevalence of LGA infants. The most important modifiable risk factors identified in early pregnancy were maternal BMI and pre‐existing diabetes.
Jeremy Bentham, John Stuart Mill and the Secret Ballot: Insights from Nineteenth Century Democratic Theory
Authors: Theuns Tom
Published: December 2017

As part of a series of demands for political reform in Britain in the late eighteenth and early nineteenth century, Jeremy Bentham famously made a case for use of the secret ballot in elections. The advocacy of Bentham and his disciples on this issue fed into broader and at times robust public debate, particularly in the 1830s. On the opposite side of this debate was another leading political theorist, John Stuart Mill, who opposed secret ballot reform. This paper re‐examines the contours of this debate, making the case that it has important implications for contemporary political theory and debates about democracy. Firstly, and in terms of making sense of the debate itself, it points to the need to make a distinction between the “voter intimidation” argument and the Benthamite preference aggregation argument. Secondly, it suggests that distinguishing between vote‐buying and voter's dependence provides support for defenders of the secret ballot. Thirdly, it demonstrates the potential application of the idea of voting held in “trust” to the so‐called boundary problem in democratic theory. Finally, it points to the potentially wide but overlooked application of the Chartist idea of open voting (allowing the oppressed to identify their allies) in contemporary political theory.
Addressing the needs of first‐time fathers in Tasmania: A qualitative study of father‐only antenatal groups
Authors: Nash Meredith
Published: December 2017

Objective

To examine how first‐time fathers in rural Tasmania experienced father‐only antenatal support/education groups.

Design

Semistructured interviews with expectant fathers were used for this study. Purposive sampling was used to recruit fathers in 2014. Participants were recruited face‐to‐face via email through a government health service and not‐for‐profit organisation that runs a state‐wide fatherhood program. Several participants were recruited through a company that holds antenatal education classes for men in a pub. Data were analysed thematically.

Setting

Three rural Tasmanian areas (South, Central Coast and Northern Midlands)

Participants

Twenty‐five men from three rural areas of Tasmania, ≥18 years, about to become first‐time father with partner at least 20 weeks pregnant.

Main outcome measure(s)

Semistructured interviews explored men's experiences of father‐only antenatal education groups.

Results

Four themes emerged from the thematic analysis: (i) motivations for attending antenatal groups; (ii) the effect of the group setting on men's experiences; (iii) masculine stereotypes in antenatal groups; and (iv) strategies to support fathers. Data show men wanted to join the groups and learn about being an involved father. They often felt uncomfortable sharing experiences in discussion‐based groups. They tended to prefer information‐based groups which were not premised on sharing emotions. Men offered strategies to improve father‐only antenatal education groups.

Conclusion

Tasmanian antenatal education/support programs need improvement. Providing men with multiple opportunities to connect with other fathers is critical to improving support. Groups can be improved by accounting for multiple and complex constructions of masculinity, increasing the number of sessions offered and altering the structure.
Heart rate recovery fast‐to‐slow phase transition: Influence of physical fitness and exercise intensity
Authors: Bartels Rhenan , Prodel Eliza , Laterza Mateus C. , de Lima Jorge Roberto P. , Peçanha Tiago
Published: December 2017

Background

Postexercise heart rate (HR) recovery presents an exponential decay, with two distinct phases: a fast phase, characterized by abrupt decay of HR, and determined by parasympathetic reactivation; and a slow phase, characterized by gradual decay of HR, and predominantly determined by sympathetic withdrawal. Although several methods have been proposed to assess postexercise HR recovery, none of those methods selectively assesses the time of transition from the fast to the slow phase of the HR recovery curve (HRRPT), and the magnitude of decay prior to (HRRFP) and after this point (HRRSP). Therefore, the aim of the present study was to propose a method to identify HRRPT, HRRFP, and HRRSP and to verify the effects of exercise intensity and physical fitness on such parameters.

Methods

Ten healthy young participants (24 ± 3 years; 23.6 ± 1.7 kg/m2) randomly underwent two exercise sessions (30 min of cycling), at moderate (MI) and high intensity (HI); followed by 5 min of inactive recovery. HR was continuously recorded during the sessions. The algorithm for HRRPT analysis was written in Python and is freely available online.

Results

HRRPT and HRRSP were increased in HI session compared with MI (81 ± 24 vs. 60 ± 20 s; 8 ± 10 vs. 1 ± 5 bpm; p = .04), and there was no difference in HRRFP between sessions (49 ± 15 vs. 46 ± 10 bpm; p = .17). In addition, HRRPT for MI exercise session was significantly and negatively associated with VO2max (r = ‐0.85, p < .05).

Conclusion

The method herein presented was sensitive to exercise intensity, and partially responsive to aerobic fitness. Next studies should perform the pharmacological and clinical validations of the method.
Patient compliance with surveillance colonoscopy: patient factors and the use of a graded recall system
Authors: Gauci Chahaya , Lendzion Rebecca , Phan‐Thien Kim‐Chi , King Denis , Perera Dayashan S.
Published: December 2017

Background

Surveillance colonoscopy allows for the early detection and improved treatment outcomes in colorectal neoplasms but compliance rates and factors require further investigation.

Methods

This is a retrospective cohort study examining 816 patients recalled for surveillance colonoscopy at an Australian colorectal practice over a 6‐month period. Primary outcome was compliance with colonoscopy within 12 months of recall. The secondary outcome of this study was to identify factors affecting compliance including patient factors and the practices’ graded recall system.

Results

A total of 715 patients (87.6%) were compliant with recall requests for repeat colonoscopy. Significantly higher compliance rates were noted with a personal history of adenomatous polyps (90.9% versus 85.6%, P = 0.025). Those with private insurance or Department of Veterans Affairs were more likely to be compliant than those publicly funded (89.0% versus 93.3% versus 79.0%, P = 0.007). No statistically significant difference in compliance was shown with a personal history of colorectal cancer, diverticular disease, perianal disease, National Health and Medical Research Council risk category, gender, time associated with the practice or the clinician. There was a significant positive correlation between the number of letters sent and compliance with recall, with 61.8% being compliant after a single letter, and a final cumulative compliance after five letters of 87.6% (R = 0.882, P = 0.048).

Conclusion

A graded recall system can achieve compliance rates as high as 87.6% compared to a single letter only achieving 61.8% compliance. A history of adenomatous polyps and insurance status were the only factors shown to result in higher recall compliance.
Unconditional analogues of Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel tests
Authors: Rayner J.C.W. , Best D.J.
Published: December 2017

The Cochran–Mantel–Haenszel tests are a suite of tests that are usually defined as conditional tests, tests that assume all marginal totals are known before sighting the data. Here unconditional analogues of these tests are defined for the more usual situation when the marginal totals are not known before sighting the data.
Domestic Violence Spillover into the Workplace: An Examination of the Difference between Legal and Ethical Requirements
Authors: Katz Marsha , Lopez Yvette P. , LaVan Helen
Published: December 2017

Domestic violence is a growing societal concern that often spills over into the workplace. However, employers are not recognizing the spillover of domestic violence as a workplace issue. This is problematic considering the serious financial, legal, and ethical consequences for organizations. We analyzed six cases involving domestic violence that were litigated under specific legal bases: Violence Against Women Act, discrimination laws including Title VII, Family and Medical Leave Act, Americans with Disabilities Act, Social Security Disability, Occupational Safety and Health Act, and associated state and municipal ordinances. We chose cases that illustrate the problems of companies meeting the legal standards but not necessarily reaching ethical expectations. Our approach is congruent with the perspective that both legal and ethical analyses should be used in organizational decision making. We suggest for future research the analysis of additional litigated cases, other ethical perspectives, and additional sources of data. In addition, we suggest that companies who are striving for corporate social responsibility should integrate the ethical treatment of domestic violence victims.
Standard of Living as a Right, Not a Privilege: Is It Time to Change the Dialogue from Minimum Wage to Living Wage?
Authors: Adams Ronald
Published: December 2017

Dating back to the 1930s, President Franklin D. Roosevelt argued that workers were entitled to a wage that allowed them to enjoy a decent standard of living—a conviction that led the president to propose the first federally‐mandated minimum wage. Mr. Roosevelt’s proposal was met with highly partisan resistance in congress and the courts—reactions not different in kind from the highly partisan resistance former President Obama experienced in his proposal to increase the federal minimum wage from its current level of $7.25 per hour. Reflecting President Roosevelt’s convictions, it is clear that many low wage workers today are not, and cannot, enjoying a decent standard of living at current minimum wage levels. Further, many of the economic arguments raised in opposition to increasing the minimum wage have been thoroughly discredited: empirical evidence suggests that increased minimum wages would not lead to dramatic spikes in unemployment, massive substitutions of capital for labor, business closings, and significantly increased consumer prices. However, as compelling as arguments for increasing the minimum wage may be, the reality is that this may not be sufficient to alleviate the plight of low income workers, particularly given the political nature of minimum wage adjustments. Indeed, it may be time to shift the national focus away from the minimum wage to an emphasis on viable living wage legislation, a proposition consistent with the social justice perspective of contemporary ethicists.
Undertreatment of hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia in children and adolescents with type 1 diabetes: long‐term follow‐up on time trends in the occurrence of cardiovascular disease, risk factors and medications use
Authors: Ahmadizar Fariba , Souverein Patrick , de Boer Anthonius , Maitland‐van der Zee Anke H.
Published: December 2017

Aims

The aims of the present study were, firstly, to evaluate long‐term trends in the occurrence and treatment of cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk factors and the occurrence of CVD events in children with type 1 diabetes mellitus (T1DM) and, secondly, to assess the determinants of undertreatment of CVD risk factors.

Methods

A retrospective cohort study was conducted in 3728 children (<19 years of age) with T1DM and up to 5 age‐ and gender‐matched diabetes‐free children (reference cohort) (n = 18 513) using data from the Clinical Practice Research Datalink (CPRD).

Results

Compared with diabetes‐free subjects, children with T1DM had significantly higher annual prevalence rates of CVD risk factors and cardiovascular (CV) medication use 20 years after the onset of diabetes (index date): hypertension: 35.2% vs. 11.4%, P < 0.001; hypercholesterolaemia: 66.7% vs. 7.14%, P < 0.001; and CV medication use: 37.0% vs. 3.6%, P < 0.001. The significant differences between prevalence rates in the two cohorts started from 1 year before the index date. Furthermore, 50% of the children in the T1DM cohort with hypertension and 53% with hypercholesterolaemia remained untreated with CV drugs for a period of 2–5 years during the 20‐year follow‐up. Age was the only determinant associated with undertreated hypertension in the T1DM cohort.

Conclusions

Children with T1DM had substantially higher prevalence rates of hypertension and hypercholesterolaemia from 1 year before up to 20 years after the onset of diabetes compared with nondiabetics. There is a substantial undertreatment of CVD risk factors with CV drugs. In children with T1DM, screening for CVD risk factors and adequate treatment are of the utmost importance to prevent CVD later in life.
Neighborhood and Identity: An Explorative Study of the Local and Ethnic Identities of Young Ethnic Minorities in Belgium
Authors: Waerniers Rachel
Published: December 2017

In this paper, a qualitative study is conducted in different neighborhoods in the Belgian city of Ghent to investigate the local attachments of young ethnic minorities and how these are related to ethnic identities. Analysis of the narratives of the young people shows that ethnic and local identities do not have to be mutually exclusive but are in a complex interaction. The first narrative distinguished is characterized by the expression of a strong neighborhood identity along with positive attitudes toward others. A second narrative contains the expression of a strong ethnic identity in the form of ties with a small local ethnic community, accompanied with negative attitudes toward other inhabitants. A third narrative is characterized by the expression of a strong anti–neighborhood identity and a disconnection of their ethnic identity from the local environment, as a strategy to cope with the bad reputation of the neighborhood.
Impact of Crop Diversification on Rural Poverty in Nepal
Authors: Thapa Ganesh , Kumar Anjani , Roy Devesh , Joshi P.K.
Published: December 2017

Crop diversification into high‐value crops (HVCs) can be an important strategy to augment income, generate employment, and reduce poverty in developing countries. We study the impact of crop diversification (share of production value obtained from the HVCs) on household (HH) welfare measures in Nepal. We use three rounds of the nationally representative Nepal Living Standard Surveys: NLSS I (1994/95), NLSS II (2004/05), and NLSS III (2010/11). The dose–response function, propensity score matching, and instrumental variable techniques are used to estimate the impact of crop diversification. Results show the positive impact of HVCs on the monthly per capita consumption expenditure and poverty outcomes. Among HVCs growers, HHs growing vegetables have the better welfare outcomes. While establishing the relationship between degree of agricultural diversity and poverty measures, we find that the marginal farmers need to at least derive 35% of the share of revenue from HVCs to escape from poverty.