bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Point-of-Care Lung Ultrasound to Diagnose the Etiology of Acute Respiratory Failure at Admission to the PICU*
Authors: DeSanti Ryan L. , Al-Subu Awni M. , Cowan Eileen A. , Kamps Nicole N. , Lasarev Michael R. , Schmidt Jessica , Kory Pierre D.
Published: March 2021

OBJECTIVES:

Determine the sensitivity and specificity of point-of-care lung ultrasound in identifying the etiology of acute respiratory failure at admission to the PICU.

DESIGN:

Prospective observational study.

SETTING:

Tertiary PICU.

PATIENTS:

Children older than 37 weeks gestational age and less than or equal to 18 years old admitted to the PICU with acute respiratory failure from December 2018 to February 2020.

INTERVENTION:

Point-of-care lung ultrasound performed within 14 hours of admission to the PICU by physicians blinded to patient history and clinical course. Two physicians, blinded to all clinical information, independently interpreted the point-of-care lung ultrasound and then established a consensus diagnosis (ultrasound diagnosis). The ultrasound diagnosis was compared with an independent, standardized review of the medical record following hospital discharge (final diagnosis).

MEASUREMENTS AND RESULTS:

Eighty-eight patients were enrolled in the study. Forty-eight patients had a final diagnosis of bronchiolitis/viral pneumonitis (55%), 29 had pneumonia (33%), 10 had status asthmaticus (11%), and one was excluded because of an inability to differentiate the final diagnosis. Point-of-care lung ultrasound correctly identified the etiology of acute respiratory failure in 56% of patients (49/87; 95% CI, 46–66%). It identified bronchiolitis/viral pneumonitis with 44% sensitivity (95% CI, 0.31–0.58) and 74% specificity (95% CI, 0.59–0.85), pneumonia with 76% sensitivity (95% CI, 0.58–0.88) and 67% specificity (95% CI 0.54–0.78), and status asthmaticus with 60% sensitivity (95% CI, 0.31–0.83) and 88% specificity (95% CI, 0.79–0.94).

CONCLUSIONS:

In contrast to literature demonstrating high utility differentiating the cause of acute respiratory failure in adults, blinded point-of-care lung ultrasound demonstrates moderate sensitivity and specificity in identifying the etiology of pediatric acute respiratory failure at admission to the PICU among children with bronchiolitis, pneumonia, and status asthmaticus.
SCAPTURE: a deep learning-embedded pipeline that captures polyadenylation information from 3’ tag-based RNA-seq of single cells
Authors: Li Guo-Wei , Nan Fang , Yuan Guo-Hua , Tian Bin , Yang Li
Published: March 2021

Single-cell RNA-seq (scRNA-seq) profiles gene expression with a resolution that empowers depiction of cell atlas in complex systems. Here, we developed a stepwise computational pipeline SCAPTURE to identify, evaluate, and quantify cleavage and polyadenylation sites (PASs) from 3’ tag-based scRNA-seq. SCAPTURE detects PASsde novoin single cells with high sensitivity and accuracy, enabling detection of previously unannotated PASs. Quantified alternative PAS transcripts refine cell identities, enriching information extracted from scRNA-seq.
Environmental persistence but not per capita transmission rates of a chytrid fungus determines infection prevalence
Authors: Rumschlag Samantha L. , Roth Sadie A. , McMahon Taegan A. , Rohr Jason R. , Civitello David J.
Published: March 2021

Abstract

Understanding local-scale variability in disease dynamics can be important for informing strategies for surveillance and management. For example, the amphibian chytrid fungus (Batrachochytrium dendrobatidis; Bd), which is implicated in population declines and species extinctions of amphibians, causes spatially variable epizootics and extirpations of its hosts. Outbreak heterogeneity could be driven by differential survival of zoospores, the free-living infectious life stage of Bd, or the persistence of dead zoospores and/or its metabolites in water, which could induce resistance among hosts. To gain a mechanistic understanding of the potential for variation in local transmission dynamics of Bd, we conducted Bd survival and infection experiments and then fit models to discern how Bd mortality, decomposition, and per-capita transmission rate vary among water sources. We found that infection prevalence differed among water sources, which was driven by differences in mortality rates of Bd zoospores, rather than differences in per-capita transmission rates. Specifically, zoospore mortality rates varied significantly among pond water treatments and were lower in artificial spring water compared to pond water sources. These results suggest that variation in Bd infection dynamics could be a function of differences in exposure of hosts to live Bd. In contrast to the persistence of live zoospores, we found that rates of decomposition of dead zoospores did not vary among water sources. These results may suggest that exposure of hosts to dead Bd or its metabolites, which have been shown to induce acquired resistance, might not commonly vary among nearby sites. Ultimately, a mechanistic understanding of the drivers of variable epizootics of Bd could lead to increases in the effectiveness of surveillance and management strategies.
Glucoregulation and coping behavior after chronic stress: sex differences across the lifespan
Authors: Dearing Carley , Morano Rachel , Ptaskiewicz Elaine , Mahbod Parinaz , Scheimann Jessie R , Franco-Villanueva Ana , Wulsin Lawson , Myers Brent
Published: March 2021

Exposure to prolonged stress during adolescence taxes adaptive and homeostatic processes leading to deleterious behavioral and metabolic outcomes. Although previous pre-clinical studies found effects of early life stress on cognition and stress hormone reactivity, these studies largely focused on males. The purpose of the current study was to determine how biological sex shapes behavioral coping and metabolic health across the lifespan after chronic stress. We hypothesized that examining chronic stress-induced behavioral and endocrine outcomes would reveal sex differences in the biological basis of susceptibility. During the late adolescent period, male and female Sprague-Dawley rats experienced chronic variable stress (CVS). Following completion of CVS, all rats experienced a forced swim test (FST) followed 3 days later by a fasted glucose tolerance test (GTT). The FST was used to determine coping in response to a stressor. Endocrine metabolic function was evaluated in the GTT by measuring glucose and corticosterone, the primary rodent glucocorticoid. Animals then aged to 15 months when the FST and GTT were repeated. In young animals, chronically stressed females exhibited more passive coping and corticosterone release in the FST. Additionally, chronically stressed females had elevated corticosterone and impaired glucose clearance in the GTT. Aging affected all measurements as behavioral and endocrine outcomes were sex specific. Furthermore, regression analysis between hormonal and behavioral responses identified associations depending on sex and stress. Collectively, these data indicate female susceptibility to the effects of chronic stress during adolescence. Further, translational investigation of coping style and glucose homeostasis may identify biomarkers for stress-related disorders.
Groundwater bacterial communities evolve over time, exhibiting oscillating similarity patterns in response to recharge
Authors: Yan Lijuan , Hermans Syrie M. , Totsche Kai Uwe , Lehmann Robert , Herrmann Martina , Küsel Kirsten
Published: March 2021

Time series analyses are a crucial tool for uncovering the patterns and processes shaping microbial communities and their functions, especially in aquatic ecosystems. Subsurface aquatic environments are perceived to be more stable than oceans and lakes, due to the lack of sunlight, the absence of photosysnthetically-driven primary production, low temperature variations, and oligotrophic conditions. However, periodic groundwater recharge should affect the structure and succession of groundwater microbiomes. To disentangle the long-term temporal changes in groundwater bacterial communities of shallow fractured bedrock community, and identify the drivers of the observed patterns, we analysed bacterial 16S rRNA gene sequencing data for samples collected monthly from three groundwater wells over a six-year period (n=230) along a hillslope recharge area. We show that the bacterial communities in the groundwater of limestone-mudstone alternations were not stable over time and showed oscillating dissimilarity patterns which corresponded to periods of groundwater recharge. Further, we observed an increase in dissimilarity over time (generalized additive modelP< 0.001) indicating that the successive recharge events result in communities that are increasingly more dissimilar to the initial reference time point. The sampling period was able to explain up to 29.5% of the variability in bacterial community composition and the impact of recharge events on the groundwater microbiome was linked to the strength of the recharge and local environmental selection. Many groundwater bacteria originated from the recharge-related sources (mean = 66.5%, SD = 15.1%) and specific bacterial taxa were identified as being either enriched or repressed during recharge events. Overall, similar to surface aquatic environments, groundwater microbiomes vary through time, though we revealed groundwater recharges as unique driving factors for these patterns. The high temporal resolution employed here highlights the complex dynamics of bacterial communities in groundwater and demonstrated that successive shocks disturb the bacterial communities, leading to decreased similarity to the initial state over time.
Curtobacterium glycinissp. nov. fromGlycine max, Curtobacterium gossypiisp. nov. fromGossypium hirsutumandCurtobacterium oryzaesp. nov. fromOryza sativa, three newCurtobacteriumspecies and endophytes from agricultural crops
Authors: Seaton Sarah , Lemaire Jacqueline , Inderbitzin Patrik , Knight-Connoni Victoria , White James F. , Trujillo Martha E.
Published: March 2021

Three newCurtobacteriumspecies from healthy tissues of agricultural crop plants in the United States are reported. They areCurtobacterium glycinissp. nov. from soybean in Missouri,Curtobacterium gossypiifrom cotton in Puerto Rico and corn in Missouri, andCurtobacterium oryzaesp. nov. from rice in Texas.
Electrophysiological signatures of brain aging in autism spectrum disorder
Authors: Dickinson Abigail , Jeste Shafali , Milne Elizabeth
Published: March 2021

Emerging evidence suggests that aging processes may be altered in adults with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). However, it remains unclear if oscillatory slowing, a key neurophysiological change in the aging brain, manifests atypically in this population. This study sought to examine patterns of age-related oscillatory slowing in adults with ASD, captured by reductions in the brain’s peak alpha frequency. Resting-state EEG data from adults (18-70 years) with ASD (N=93) and age-matched neurotypical (NT) controls (N=87) were pooled from three independent datasets. A robust curve-fitting procedure quantified the peak frequency of alpha oscillations (7-13Hz) across all brain regions. Associations between peak alpha frequency and age were assessed and compared between groups. Consistent with characteristic patterns of oscillatory slowing, peak alpha frequency was negatively associated with age across the entire sample (p<.0001). A significant group by age interaction revealed that this relationship was more pronounced in adults with ASD (p<.01), suggesting that that age-related oscillatory slowing may be accelerated in this population. Scalable EEG measures such as peak alpha frequency could provide insights into neural aging that are crucially needed to inform care plans and preventive interventions that can promote successful aging in ASD.
The Vaginal Microbiome in Women of Reproductive Age with Healthy Weight versus Overweight/Obesity
Authors: Allen Natalie G. , Edupuganti Laahirie , Edwards David J. , Jimenez Nicole R. , Buck Gregory A. , Jefferson Kimberly K. , Strauss Jerome F. ,   Vaginal Microbiome Consortium, Wickham Edmond P. , Fettweis Jennifer M.
Published: March 2021

Objective

Evaluate differences between the vaginal microbiome of reproductive-aged women with overweight and obesity (Ow/Ob) compared with healthy weight (HW).

Methods

A cohort of 367 non-pregnant women (18-40 years) with Ow/Ob (body mass index [BMI] ≥25 kg/m2) was case-matched with 367 women with HW (BMI 18.0-24.9 kg/m2). The study was a secondary analysis of 16S rRNA vaginal microbiome surveys through the Vaginal Human Microbiome Study (VaHMP). Groups were matched on age, race/ethnicity, income, and nulliparity status.

Results

Mean age and BMI of Ow/Ob and HW groups were 26.8 versus 26.7 years and 37.0 versus 22.1 kg/m2, respectively. The overall vaginal microbiome composition differed between groups (PERMANOVA, p=0.035). Women with Ow/Ob had higher alpha-diversity compared with women with HW (Wilcoxon test, Shannon index p=0.025; Inverse Simpson index p=0.026).Lactobacillusdominance (≥30% proportional abundance) was observed in a greater proportion of women with HW (48.7%) compared with Ow/Ob (40.1%; p=0.026).

Conclusions

The vaginal microbiome differs in reproductive-aged women with Ow/Ob compared with women with HW, with increased alpha-diversity and decreased predominance ofLactobacillus. Observed differences in vaginal microbiome may partially explain differences in preterm birth and bacterial vaginosis risk between these populations.
Testingin vitrotoxicity of nanoparticles in 3D cell culture with various extracellular matrix scaffold
Authors: Choi Jae Won , Bae Song-Hwa , Kim In Young , Kwak Minjeong , Lee Tae Geol , Heo Min Beom
Published: March 2021

Nanomaterials are used in a variety of fields and toxicity assessment is paramount for their development and application. Although most toxicity assessments have been performed in 2D (2-Dimensional) cell culture, the inability to adequately replicate thein vivoenvironment and toxicity is a limitation. To overcome the limitation, a 3D (3-Dimensional) cell culture method has been developed to make an environment closer to anin vivosystem. In this study, 20 nm SiO2nanoparticles were dispersed in serum-containing (SC) and serum-free (SF) media to compare 2D cell culture and 3D cell culture toxicity. The cells were subjected to a 3D cell culture method in which HepG2, a human-derived liver cancer cell line, was mixed on a scaffold. We found that nanoparticles induced toxicity in 2D cell culture, but toxicity was not observed in 3D cell culture similar toin vivoenvironment. However, differences in toxicity were observed between the three types of scaffolds in the absence of serum as the number of cells decreased.
Structural insights into hormone recognition by the human glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide receptor
Authors: Zhao Fenghui , Zhang Chao , Zhou Qingtong , Hang Kaini , Zou Xinyu , Chen Yan , Wu Fan , Rao Qidi , Dai Antao , Yin Wanchao , Shen Dan-Dan , Zhang Yan , Xia Tian , Stevens Raymond C. , Xu H. Eric , Yang Dehua , Zhao Lihua , Wang Ming-Wei
Published: March 2021

Glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIP) is a peptide hormone that exerts crucial metabolic functions by binding and activating its cognate receptor, GIPR. As an important therapeutic target, GIPR has been subjected to intensive structural studies without success. Here, we report the cryo-EM structure of the human GIPR in complex with GIP and a Gsheterotrimer at a global resolution of 2.9 Å. GIP adopts a single straight helix with its N terminus dipped into the receptor transmembrane domain (TMD), while the C-terminus is closely associated with the extracellular domain and extracellular loop 1. GIPR employs conserved residues in the lower half of the TMD pocket to recognize the common segments shared by GIP homologous peptides, while uses non-conserved residues in the upper half of the TMD pocket to interact with residues specific for GIP. These results provide a structural framework of hormone recognition and GIPR activation.
Comparative fatigue properties estimation of composite structural nodes
Authors: Rodzewicz Miroslaw
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to present the concept of the author’s method of fatigue properties assessment of polymer composite structures, especially structures having nodes of concentrated force introduction (NCFI) using fatigue test data of coupons of similar composites and the ratio of their structural stress rate factors.

Design/methodology/approach

Basing on fatigue properties of pure composite shells coupons subjected to cyclic loads, and basing on the static strength difference between pure composite shells and shells having the structure affected by NCFI – (considered here as not only a manner of load introduction but also a kind of structural discontinuity), a method of relative fatigue properties reduction (RFPR) was developed. In the RFPR evaluation process, the author used the results of experiments on a special type of an NCFI named “a labyrinth non-adhesive node of concentrated force introduction” (LNA-NCFI) applied in certain composite gliders for fitting glider wings with the fuselage and also referred to design directives relating to primary structure of composite gliders, which are presented in the form of lightness factors linking stress with a structural mass.

Findings

The result of RFPR method application matched well with the results of fatigue tests of the LNA-NCFI type of a NCFI. The RFPR method may significantly facilitate the estimation of fatigue life of a structure with a structural discontinuity or an NCFI.

Practical implications

The RFPR method may significantly facilitate the estimation of fatigue life of a structure with a structural discontinuity or an NCFI.

Originality/value

The paper presents a proposal of a novel simplified method for fatigue life estimation of composite structures having a kind of structural discontinuity or an NCFI.
Optimal customer participation and the role of relationship length
Authors: Wang Chung-Yu , Wu Li-Wei , Wei Chung-Lun
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This study aims to examine how customers derive satisfaction and affective commitment from their participation in financial services, which is conditional on their relationship length.

Design/methodology/approach

Student interviewers approached customers who were exiting banks at two skip intervals in Taiwan. The final survey sample consists of 227 respondents.

Findings

Empirical results confirm that optimal customer participation (CP) influences affective commitment through increased customer satisfaction. The optimal level of CP with customer satisfaction and affective commitment is high if the relationship length is long.

Originality/value

This article shows that the marginal benefits of CP on customer satisfaction and affective commitment become negative after an optimum level. Furthermore, relationship length moderates the aforementioned relationships.
Dynamic co-movement and interdependency among real estate index in China: a multi-scale multiple correlation analysis
Authors: Khalfaoui Rabeh , Tiwari Aviral Kumar , Alqahtani Faisal , Hammoudeh Shawkat , Sarwar Suleman
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This study aims to investigate the dynamic co-movement and interconnection among 69 security investment indices in China using the multi-time scale framework.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors first use the multiple coherence analysis method to exhibit the degree of relationships among the variables under study. In addition, the wavelet multiple correlation and wavelet multiple cross-correlation analyses are used to examine the time-frequency synchronization interdependence structure among the variables.

Findings

From the empirical findings, one may infer less opportunity for portfolio diversification at higher time scales. Obviously, at these scales, the authors find that the 69 Chinese investment indices generate a simple security investment class, as indicated by higher interconnection between the indices.

Research limitations/implications

Further research can increase the sample size to re-investigate the empirical relationship for security investment indices.

Practical implications

In the nutshell, the results demonstrate the potential for Chinese investors to invest in security investment indices to earn from portfolio diversification at lower time frequencies. The Chinese investment market indices under study yield further opportunities of portfolio diversification toward the short-term investors than the long-term investors.

Originality/value

To the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first paper to examine the dynamic co-movement and interconnection for security investment indices in China.
Social networking information and pre-employment background check: mediating effects of perceived benefit and organizational branding
Authors: Hosain Md Sajjad , Liu Ping , Mustafi Mohitul Ameen Ahmed
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this empirical paper is to identify the role of social networking information (SNI) on job candidates' pre-employment background checking (PBC) process. SNI was further divided into three elements: perceived availability of information (PAI), perceived accuracy of information (PACI) and perceived reliability of information (PRI). In addition, the authors employed two mediating variables: perceived benefit (PB) and organizational branding (OB) to study the influence of each element of SNI on PBC.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors used primary data collected from a valid sample of 465 using a structured questionnaire survey selected through purposive sampling. For descriptive analysis, SPSS 24 and for testing the hypothesized relationships, structural equation modeling technique (with AMOS 24) were utilized.

Findings

The results indicated that only PAI had strong positive influence on PBC. The other two independent variables: PACI and PRI had insignificant positive influence on PBC. In case of mediators, OB was found to partially mediate the relationship between PAI and PBC while it did not mediate two other direct relationships. Further, PB did not mediate any relationship at all.

Research limitations/implications

The paper is expected to be useful for the academicians involved in investigating the role of SNI on PBC as a lucrative research topic.

Practical implications

The hiring professionals can utilize the findings of this primary research as the guidelines for formulating effective social media background checking policies.

Originality/value

Using SNI for different HRM practices is comparatively new but a growing practice. However, the empirical investigation covering this area is almost absent in academia. This paper as one of the very initial attempts to reveal the role of SNI on PBC can fill that severe gap to some extent and guide future research attempts. Furthermore, the HR professionals are expected to be benefitted from the empirical results in formulating and implementing an effective media policy that will help them in utilizing the SNI in an efficient and rightful manner.
Exploring the interrelationship among job resources, job demands, work and organizational engagement
Authors: Rai Alka , Chawla Ginni
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This study aims to test the hypothesized moderated mediation process combining job resources, job demands, work engagement, job satisfaction and organizational engagement, which proposes that work engagement can be considered as a mediator between the relationship of job resources with job satisfaction and organizational engagement, and such mediation effect is moderated by level of job demand.

Design/methodology/approach

Data were collected from Junior Management Grade–Scale I officers of 442 branches of 27 public sector banks situated across four States in North India. The final responses stood at 704. Regression analyses was performed through the SPSS macro (developed by Preacher and Hayes, 2004) for testing of H1 and H2 on the mediation effects. H3 was tested by moderated hierarchical regression analysis. The last two H4 and H5 proposing the moderated mediation mechanism were examined in lines with the four conditions suggested by Mulleret al.(2005) and Preacheret al.(2007).

Findings

It is suggested that job demands should ideally be adequate and job resources ample to deal with the former, because a suitable fit between these two aspects is related to work engagement, which would further contribute positively to job satisfaction and organizational engagement.

Originality/value

There is dearth of research hypothesizing the moderated mediation process proposing job demands as a moderator in job resources, work and organizational engagement and other work-related outcome relationships. Resting on various propositions and of job demands–resources (JD-R) model, and empirical outcomes of the studies of JD-R perspective, and research gaps identified, this study attempts to propose a unique model of engagement hypothesizing a moderated mediation process, where work engagement might be a mediator between the relationship of job resources with job satisfaction and organizational engagement; such mediation effect is moderated by the level of job demands.
Determinants of family meetings in private family businesses
Authors: Cicek Akif , Kelleci Rüveyda , Vandekerkhof Pieter
Published: March 2021

Purpose

Family governance mechanisms serve to govern and strengthen relations between the family and the business, as well as the relationships between the members of the business family itself. However, despite agreement on the importance of adopting family governance structures, explicit research on the determinants of family governance mechanisms is currently missing. Therefore, the purpose of this study is to uncover the determinants of family meetings. In order to do so, the social systems theory is used to unravel several determining factors of this crucial form of family governance mechanisms in private family firms.

Design/methodology/approach

The authors perform a qualitative study by conducting semi-structured interviews in eight Belgian private family firms in order to discover the antecedents of the implementation of family meetings. The authors use a pattern-matching technique as an analytical strategy.

Findings

The findings of the study highlight the importance of “soft,” relational, qualitative issues as antecedents of family meetings as opposed to previous research on family governance, which predominantly focused on “hard,” quantitative measures (e.g. family ownership). The findings of the study also provide novel insights into the origins of the family component (i.e. family meetings) of family business governance.

Originality/value

While the current literature has only focused on describing the different types of family governance and their positive consequences for the family firm, the authors take a step back to explain why family meetings, as a form of family governance, are adopted in the first place. Second, the authors demonstrate the instrumentality of the social systems theory in understanding the family's needs that necessitate the implementation of family governance mechanisms.
Appropriate leadership in nursing home care: a narrative review
Authors: Zonneveld Nick , Pittens Carina , Minkman Mirella
Published: March 2021

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to synthesize the existing evidence on leadership that best matches nursing home care, with a focus on behaviors, effects and influencing factors.

Design/methodology/approach

A narrative review was performed in three steps: the establishment of scope, systematic search in five databases and assessment and analysis of the literature identified.

Findings

A total of 44 articles were included in the review. The results of the study imply that a stronger focus on leadership behaviors related to the specific context rather than leadership styles could be of added value in nursing home care.

Research limitations/implications

Only articles applicable to nursing home care were included. The definition of “nursing home care” may differ between countries. This study only focused on the academic literature. Future research should focus on strategies and methods for the translation of leadership into behavior in practice.

Practical implications

A broader and more conceptual perspective on leadership in nursing homes – in which leadership is seen as an attribute of all employees and enacted in multiple layers of the organization – could support leadership practice.

Originality/value

Leadership is considered an important element in the delivery of good quality nursing home care. This study provides insight into leadership behaviors and influencing contextual factors specifically in nursing homes.
Aging researchers in early stages (ARIES): a model for career development collaboration of researchers in aging
Authors: Ouchi Kei , Bhasin Shalender , Orkaby Ariela R.
Published: March 2021

Purpose

Individuals over age 65 represent the fastest-growing segment of the population, yet they are also the least studied group and are most likely to be excluded from research most likely to apply to them. A significant reason for this deficit has been a dearth of scientists and clinicians to care for and study the many diseases that impact older adults. The purpose of this manuscript is to help early-stage clinician-scientists develop local forums fostering their career developments.

Design/methodology/approach

In this manuscript, the difficulties associated with raising new generations of researchers in aging and offer suggestions for how early-stage clinician-scientists can foster career development in aging are discussed. This paper draws upon a local example, ARIES, to explain how early-stage investigators can be brought together with the goal of creating a pipeline of future leaders in aging research.

Findings

The model may empower more early-stage clinicians to successfully pursue aging research.

Originality/value

The current success of aging researchers in the early stages serves as a model for creating similar career development programs designed for early-stage researchers in aging.
Social media and disaster management: influencing e-participation content on disabilities
Authors: Alathur Sreejith , Kottakkunnummal Manaf , Chetty Naganna
Published: March 2021

Purpose

This study aims to analyse the nature and forms of digital content that may influence e-participation for persons with disabilities (PWDs) during a flood disaster.

Design/methodology/approach

This paper undertakes a case study of the 2019 and 2020’s flood in Kerala, India. In-depth interviews with rehab workers during the flood are used in the study. Topic modelling and sentiment analysis are carried out using Twitter data. The native language responses from Facebook forums related to PWDs are analysed manually to construct taxonomy of problematic content

Findings

The results show that problematic content toward PWDs in the social media occurs during a flood. The extreme and exploitative content results in disability exclusion. Thus, e-participants fail to address the actual disability-specific requirements through social media during a disaster.

Research limitations/implications

The paper explores social media content toward PWDs. Implications of findings on citizens’ e-participation competency are delineated. Existing e-participation literature reports a low degree of disability e-participation in social media. Exploring disability e-participation helps to design more inclusive participation platforms. Further studies can explore the disability consciousness among e-participants for a more inclusive space.

Practical implications

The development of problematic content in the social media environment is alarming. Regulatory frameworks are also less adequate. Hence, policies for enabling inclusive participation that is not limited to the information technology infrastructure is needed.

Social implications

First, the citizens will get more insights for meaningful disability e-participation. Second, inclusive e-participation platform designs will help to reduce problematic content generation.

Originality/value

Disability e-participation requires regional studies. But there are fewer studies on disability e-participation from developing nations. The current study considered the regional context and complexities of disability e-participation. This paper gives policy recommendations for an inclusive e-participation.
Becoming data: biometric IDs and the individual in ‘Digital India’
Authors: Nair Vijayanka
Published: March 2021

Aadhaar (literally ‘foundation’) is the largest national biometric identification drive the world has witnessed. An Aadhaar is a twelve‐digit ID number linked to its holder's iris scans, fingerprints, facial photograph, and demographic information in a centralized database. In but a decade, India has expeditiously enrolled over 90 per cent of its billion‐strong population into a Central Identities Data Repository. This essay is an ethnographic consideration of the processes by which Aadhaar enrollees become data, focusing on the sociopolitical valence of biometric data. It argues that the datafication of the body via Aadhaar occasions re‐examinations of – and contestations over – the idea of the individual in postcolonial India, a country often deemed sociocentric in popular and scholarly discourse alike. Further, it suggests that biometric socialization facilitates belonging in a ‘Digital India’, often rendered as a data cosmopolis in emergent technocratic imaginations.
Pedigree‐based assessment of recent population connectivity in a threatened rattlesnake
Authors: Martin Scott A. , Lipps Gregory J. , Gibbs H. Lisle
Published: March 2021

Managing endangered species in fragmented landscapes requires estimating dispersal rates between populations over contemporary timescales. Here, we developed a new method for quantifying recent dispersal using genetic pedigree data for close and distant kin. Specifically, we describe an approach that infers missing shared ancestors between pairs of kin in habitat patches across a fragmented landscape. We then applied a stepping‐stone model to assign unsampled individuals in the pedigree to probable locations based on minimizing the number of movements required to produce the observed locations in sampled kin pairs. Finally, we used all pairs of reconstructed parent‐offspring sets to estimate dispersal rates between habitat patches under a Bayesian model. Our approach measures connectivity over the timescale represented by the small number of generations contained within the pedigree and so is appropriate for estimating the impacts of recent habitat changes due to human activity. We used our method to estimate recent movement between newly discovered populations of threatened Eastern Massasauga rattlesnakes (Sistrurus catenatus) using data from 2996 RAD‐based genetic loci. Our pedigree analyses found no evidence for contemporary connectivity between five genetic groups, but, as validation of our approach, showed high dispersal rates between sample sites within a single genetic cluster. We conclude that these five genetic clusters of Eastern Massasauga rattlesnakes have small numbers of resident snakes and are demographically isolated conservation units. More broadly, our methodology can be widely applied to determine contemporary connectivity rates, independent of bias from shared genetic similarity due to ancestry that impacts other approaches.
Opioid use disorder and overdose among youth following an initial opioid prescription
Authors: Hadland Scott E. , Bagley Sarah M. , Gai Mam Jarra , Earlywine Joel J. , Schoenberger Samantha F. , Morgan Jake R. , Barocas Joshua A.
Published: March 2021

Background and Aims

Some adolescents and young adults (termed “youth”) prescribed an opioid will develop opioid use disorder or experience overdose. This study aimed to identify patient and prescription characteristics associated with subsequent risk of opioid use disorder or overdose during the year after an opioid is first dispensed.

Design

Retrospective cohort study.

Setting

Commercial health insurance claims in a large United States (US) database from 2006 to 2016.

Participants

Youth age 11 to 25 years filling an initial opioid prescription (n = 3 278 990).

Measurements

The primary outcome was development of an ‘opioid‐related complication’ (a diagnosis of opioid use disorder or opioid‐related overdose) during the subsequent 12 months. Exposures of interest were patient (sociodemographic information, and physical and mental health diagnoses) and prescription characteristics (opioid formulation, dose, and duration).

Findings

Among youth filling an initial opioid prescription, median age was 18 years (interquartile range [IQR] = 16–21) and 56.1% were female. During the subsequent 12 months, 10 405 (0.3%) youth experienced an opioid‐related complication. Conditions associated with increased risk included mood/anxiety disorders (adjusted relative risk [aRR] = 4.45; 95% CI = 4.25–4.66) and substance use (aRR = 20.77; 95% CI = 19.74–21.84). Comorbid substance use disorders were present among 72.8% of youth experiencing an opioid‐related complication and included alcohol (33.4%), cannabis (33.0%), nicotine (43.2%), and other substance use disorders (75.5%). Long‐acting opioids (aRR = 2.59; 95% CI = 2.18–3.09) and longer durations were associated with increased risk (7–14 days: aRR = 1.15; 95% CI = 1.08–1.22; ≥15 days: aRR = 1.96; 95% CI = 1.80–2.12) compared with short‐acting formulations and durations ≤3 days, respectively.

Conclusions

Among United States youth, complications after an initial opioid prescription appear to be relatively rare and appear to be associated with mood/anxiety disorders, substance use, comorbid substance use disorders, and prescriptions involving long‐acting opioids or long durations.
Attributable fractions for substance use in relation to crime
Authors: Young Matthew M. , De Moor Chealsea , Kent Pam , Stockwell Tim , Sherk Adam , Zhao Jinhui , Sorge Justin T. , Farrell MacDonald Shanna , Weekes John , Biggar Emily , Maloney‐Hall Bridget
Published: March 2021

Aims

Building upon an existing methodology and conceptual framework for estimating the association between the use of substances and crime, we calculated attributable fractions that estimate the proportion of crimes explained by alcohol and six other categories of psychoactive substances.

Design

Cross‐sectional surveys.

Setting

Canadian federal correctional institutions.

Participants

Canadian men (n = 27 803) and women (n = 1335) offenders who began serving a custodial sentence in a Canadian federal correctional institution between 2006 and 2016.

Measurements

Offenders completed the computerized assessment of substance abuse, a self‐report tool designed to assess (1) whether the offence for which they were convicted would have occurred had they not been intoxicated from alcohol or another substance, (2) whether they committed the offence to support their alcohol or other substance use and (3) whether they were dependent on alcohol (alcohol dependence scale) or another substance (drug abuse screening test). Offences were grouped into four mutually exclusive categories: violent crimes, non‐violent crimes, impaired driving and substance‐defined crimes. This study focused on violent and non‐violent crime categories. Substances assessed were: alcohol, cannabis, opioids, other central nervous system (CNS) depressants, cocaine, other CNS stimulants and other substances.

Findings

According to offender self‐report, 42% of all violent and non‐violent crime would probably not have occurred if the perpetrator had not been under the influence of, or seeking, alcohol or other substances. Between 2006 and 2016, 20% of violent crimes and 7% of non‐violent crimes in Canada were considered attributable to alcohol. In contrast, all other psychoactive substance categories combined were associated with 26% of all violent crime and 25% of non‐violent crime during the same time‐frame.

Conclusions

Attributable fraction analyses show that more than 42% of Canadian crime resulting in a custodial sentence between 2006 and 2016 would probably not have occurred if the perpetrator had not been under the influence of or seeking alcohol or other drugs. Attributable fractions for alcohol and substance‐related crime are a potentially useful resource for estimating the impact of alcohol and other substances on crime.
The Aesthetics of Extractivism: Violence, Ecology, and Sensibility in Turkey’s Kurdistan
Authors: Çaylı Eray
Published: March 2021

Focusing on dams and sand quarries, I discuss extractivism’s racialised workings along the uppermost stretch of the Tigris river in Turkey’s Kurdistan. In conversation with decolonial scholarship on “the Anthropocene”, I theorise through aesthetics the symbolic, epistemic, and corporeal violence of reducing the value of human and nonhuman life and agency to that of an extractable resource. My contribution to this scholarship involves a twofold argument. First, extractivism is upheld not only by the negation (or rendering insensible) of humans and nonhumans, but also the affirmation (or rendering excessively sensible) thereof, insofar as the latter shares the former’s racialised logic of valuing life and agency quantifiably. Second, the affirmations are not always straightforwardly territorialisable as they are often geographically entangled with the negations, particularly in times of crises that throw extractivist excesses into sharp relief. I conclude by thinking with activism to flesh out the counter‐extractivist implications of my argument.
Posterior uveal melanoma incidence and survival by AJCC tumour size in a 70‐year nationwide cohort
Authors: Smidt‐Nielsen Isabel , Bagger Mette , Heegaard Steffen , Andersen Klaus Kaae , Kiilgaard Jens Folke
Published: March 2021

Purpose

While early treatment of posterior uveal melanoma can save the eye, the effect of early treatment on survival remains unknown. Therefore, we aimed to determine whether the tumour size at diagnosis has changed over time, and if this has affected survival rates of patients with posterior uveal melanoma in Denmark.

Methods

Nationwide retrospective cohort study linking data from registry‐based resources to data from clinical charts and pathology records. Including all Danish patients diagnosed with posterior uveal melanoma from 1943 to 2017. Incidence rates were estimated as annual percentage change (APC) overall and by American Joint Committee on Cancer (AJCC) tumour sizes. The age‐period‐cohort model was applied to estimate the relative risk of calendar period. The cox proportional hazards model, relative survival Kaplan–Meier curves and cumulative incidence curves were applied to estimate the effect of calendar period on survival.

Results

An overall increase in incidence rate of uveal melanoma was found (APC = 0.25%, 0.08–0.42; 95% CI). This was due to increasing incidence rate of AJCC T1 + T2 tumours (APC = 0.97%, 0.57–1.37; 95% CI), whereas no increase in incidence rates of AJCC T3 + T4 tumours was found (APC = −0.01%, −0.26 to 0.25; 95% CI). The disease‐specific survival improved with calendar period for all tumour sizes (HR = 0.988; 0.984–0.993; 95% CI).

Conclusion

Increasing incidence rate and improved survival rate for uveal melanoma was found concordantly with a decrease in tumour size during a 70‐year period.
I Am, a Central Concept of Winnicott
Authors: Brogan Chris
Published: March 2021

The attainment of unit status or I AM is a crucial stage in Winnicott's theory of development and arguably ranks amongst Winnicott's more well known ideas, such as transitional object, true and false self, and primary maternal preoccupation. Using Winnicott's 1968 paper ‘Sum, I am’, the author traces the dangers inherent in attaining I AM and what might hamper this achievement, the personal significance of numbers and divisibility, and how this links with his subsequent ideas on monotheism and a radical revision of Freud's dual drive theory. Returning to the ‘Sum, I am’ paper, the author briefly explores the importance Winnicott places on play in pedagogy and the significance of an intermediate space followed by Winnicott's thoughts about death, dissociation, and the importance of a mouse! Four clinical examples are used to illustrate difficulties in achieving I AM. Finally, the author suggests the spatula game in ‘Observation of infants in a set situation’ published over a quarter of a century earlier is a prime example of an I AM experience, with a beginning, middle and end.
In Pursuit of Knowledge: Preschoolers Expect Agents to Weigh Information Gain and Information Cost When Deciding Whether to Explore
Authors: Aboody Rosie , Zhou Caiqin , Jara‐Ettinger Julian
Published: March 2021

When deciding whether to explore, agents must consider both their need for information and its cost. Do children recognize that exploration reflects a trade‐off between action costs and expected information gain, inferring epistemic states accordingly? In two experiments, 4‐ and 5‐year‐olds (N = 144; of diverse race and ethnicity) judge that an agent who refuses to obtain low‐cost information must have already known it, and an agent who incurs a greater cost to gain information must have a greater epistemic desire. Two control studies suggest that these findings cannot be explained by low‐level associations between competence and knowledge. Our results suggest that preschoolers’ theory of mind includes expectations about how costs interact with epistemic desires and states to produce exploratory action.
The Specificity Principle in Young Dual Language Learners’ English Development
Authors: Sun He , Bornstein Marc H. , Esposito Gianluca
Published: March 2021

This study employs the Specificity Principle to examine the relative impacts of external (input quantity at home and at school, number of books and reading frequency at home, teachers’ degree and experience, language usage, socioeconomic status) and internal factors (children’s working memory, nonverbal intelligence, learning‐related social‐skills, chronological age, gender) on children’s English‐language development in phonological awareness (PA), receptive vocabulary (RV), and word reading (WR). Altogether, 736 four‐ to five‐year‐old Singaporean Mandarin‐English speaking kindergarteners were assessed twice longitudinally. Their English‐language PA, RV, and WR development was predicted using the eight external factors and five internal factors with Bayesian least absolute shrinkage and selection operators. Internal factors explained more variance than external factors in all three language domains. External factors had their largest impact on RV.
Corporate governance “bundles” and firm acquisitiveness
Authors: Panayi Evridiki , Bozos Konstantinos , Veronesi Gianluca
Published: March 2021

Research Question/Issue

We explore how the interrelations of governance mechanisms (“bundles”) influence a firm's propensity for corporate acquisitions. Focusing on four key internal and external mechanisms, namely, board of directors monitoring, CEO pay incentives, takeover market discipline, and institutional investor monitoring, we use a sample of 1171 completed M&A deals by 799 U.S. firms during the period 1998–2015 to test the Substitution versus Complementarity Hypotheses.

Research Findings/Insights

The findings provide, in the main, support for both the Substitution and the Complementarity Hypotheses, with several incentives alignment, internal and external monitoring mechanisms acting as substitutes and complements of each other toward firm acquisitiveness.

Theoretical/Academic Implications

Our results challenge the notion that corporate governance mechanisms purely function as independent factors and contribute to the configurational perspective of corporate governance. They offer new evidence that combinations or “bundles” of firm‐level governance mechanisms can allow for differing degrees of firm acquisitiveness.

Practitioner/Policy Implications

Different governance “bundles” will have different implications for major strategic decisions such as corporate acquisitions. Firms seeking to control or increase acquisition propensity can thus consider “equifinal” governance configurations, whereby alternative combinations of governance mechanisms can lead to comparable, desired outcomes.