bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Urban volumetrics: From vertical to volumetric urbanisation and its extensions to empirical morphological analysis
Authors: Bruyns Gerhard JB , Higgins Christopher D , Nel Darren H
Published: July 2020

While cities have become gradually more vertical and complex over the past century, our methods for conceptualising their characteristics and measuring their forms and functions are still largely based in a horizontal mindset. Recent work has sought to shift urban discourse towards understanding cities according to their volumetric properties. Moving the debate further, this paper approaches volumetric urbanism from a morphological perspective, setting out a research agenda that operationalises the concept as a means of better capturing the morphological characteristics of cities as volumetric entities. First, we deconstruct volumetric urbanism into the five basic building blocks that define volumetric morphologies: density, functional mix, compaction and compression, complex networks and interaction intensity. Next, we propose two methods for capturing the urban volumetrics of cities based on spatial and network interaction and apply them to a hypothetical case and a preliminary study of Hong Kong. We conclude by arguing that a volumetric approach is required to capture the complex form of compressed, multi-layered and highly connected cities. In response, urban morphological and planning discourses must move away from the horizontal analytical mindset, embrace a multi-layered three-dimensional view of cities and place greater emphasis on spatial configurations and network relations by measuring interaction.
Children’s Health Insurance Status and Emergency Room Utilization: An Examination of Complex Survey Data
Authors: Muraleetharan Daenuka , Gilreath Tamika D. , Primm Kristin M. , Lautner Shelby C.
Published: July 2020

Since the Children’s Health Insurance Program’s passage into law in 1997, the program has increased in cost to over $15 billion in recent years. Emergency room usage has also increased throughout the United States, leading to nationwide issues in overcrowding and surges in service costs. This study seeks to examine emergency room utilization of children insured under Children’s Health Insurance Program to determine if Children’s Health Insurance Program enrollees use the emergency room more or less frequently than their privately insured counterparts. The data used in this study were from the 2017 National Health Interview Survey. SAS statistical software was used to conduct a multinomial regression assessing the relationship between insurance type (private v. Children’s Health Insurance Program) and frequency of emergency room utilization over the last 12 months. The analysis results indicate no statistically significant difference between Children’s Health Insurance Program insured and privately insured children in terms of frequency of emergency room utilization and suggest a need to explore other factors that more directly influence Children’s Health Insurance Program costs.
An Examination of the Professional Override of the Level of Service Inventory–Ontario Revision
Authors: Orton Laura C. , Hogan Neil R. , Wormith J. Stephen
Published: July 2020

This study examined the nature and impacts of the professional override on the Level of Service Inventory–Ontario Revision (LSI-OR), using a large archival database of 40,539 individuals’ information. Research questions focused on the predictive validity of various LSI-OR risk metrics, including total risk/need scores, initial risk categories, and adjusted risk categories, for various types of recidivism; how professional overrides were used; whether they were used more with some groups than others; and whether their impacts varied depending on recidivism type. Overrides were applied in 15.4% of cases, most often (94.1%) to increase risk levels. Override use varied based on gender, race, and the nature of index offenses. Based on receiver operating characteristic analyses, the results generally indicated that adjusted risk levels (incorporating professional overrides) demonstrated inferior predictive validity relative to unadjusted metrics. The results suggest a need for increased caution and consistency in the application of professional overrides.
Black Tree Play: Learning From Anti-Lynching Ecologies in The ‘Life and Times’ of an American Called Pauli Murray
Authors: Thomas Virginia
Published: July 2020

This article reads the photo album, The ‘Life and Times’ of an American Called Pauli Murray as an archive of anti-lynching pasts and futures. While scholarly discourses have leveraged Murray’s archive for evidence of her ‘true’ gender and sexual orientation, this article uses the reading practice of ‘accompaniment’ to reframe investigations of Murray’s identity into thinking with and learning from the strategies she archived in the album for living in atmospheres of antiblackness. Working with Christina Sharpe’s (2016) concept of ‘weathering’, I read several photographs in Murray’s album as burgeoning ecologies of repair in relation to visual technologies of racial capture, particularly that of lynching photography. Reading passages in which Murray talks about lynching and race as atmospheric from Proud Shoes (1999 [1956]) and Song in a Weary Throat (1987) alongside The ‘Life and Times’, I read Murray’s portraits as rupturing white property relations through turning lynching photography’s scripts inside out.
Lasers in Rhinology—An Update
Authors: Lau Kimberley , Stavrakas Marios , Ray Jaydip
Published: July 2020

Objectives:

A wide and evolving range of lasers and their applications often makes it difficult for a busy surgeon to choose the ideal laser for a specific indication. With this in mind, this article aims to summarize the most recent literature concerning laser application in rhinology.

Methods:

A literature search from 2000 to 2020 using the PubMed database was employed. Keywords used included “laser,” “rhinology,” “endonasal endoscopic surgery,” “hereditary haemorrhagic telangiectasia,” “rhinitis,” “refractory rhinitis,” “Inferior turbinate hypertrophy,” “dacryocystorhinostomy,” “septoplasty,” “cartilage reshaping” and “choanal atresia.” The most up to date studies published for each rhinology condition that could potentially be treated with laser surgery was included.

Results:

Rhinological conditions appropriate for laser applications are discussed. We identified articles related to a number of applications including hereditary hemorrhagic telangiectasia, rhinitis, turbinate surgery, dacryocystorhinostomy, septoplasty, choanal atresia, and sphenopalatine artery ligation, paying attention to the outcomes of the studies and their limitations.

Conclusions:

There is currently no one-size-fits-all laser and therefore being up to date on the latest clinical application results can help the clinician decide which are the best treatments to offer their patients.
Gender and Perception of Justice in Housework Division between Unemployed Spouses
Authors: Aguiar Joyce , Sequeira Claudia Filipa , Matias Marisa , Coimbra Susana , Fontaine Anne Marie
Published: July 2020

Division of family tasks between the members of a couple often reflects gender (in)equality in the family. Identifying how couples with different unemployment configurations divide family tasks may contribute to a better understanding of the process. In this study, we evaluated how unemployed couples (only husbands, only wives, and both; n = 291) distributed different types of family tasks (domestic, maintenance/repair, and childcare), the effects of this division on the perception of justice, and the influence of attitudes towards gender roles in their perception of justice. We verified that unemployment introduces some changes, for both men and women. Namely, individuals when unemployed start performing more family tasks. However, division is still unequal, with wives performing more domestic and childcare tasks than their husbands. Nevertheless, men and women have a greater perception of justice towards a more equal division, even after we control the effect of traditional gender attitudes.
Intergenerational Value Similarity in Adulthood
Authors: Hoellger Christian , Sommer Sabrina , Albert Isabelle , Buhl Heike M.
Published: July 2020

This investigation concentrates on value similarity between parents and their children during adulthood. The interplay between gender, age, relationship quality, and frequency of contact on value similarity was analyzed. A total of 600 adult German children (53.8% women) and their parents took part in a questionnaire study. Value orientation was measured with a short version of Schwartz’s Portrait Values Questionnaire, and relationship quality with the Network of Relationships Inventory (Furman & Buhrmeister, 1992).Value similarity was higher in mother–daughter dyads compared to mother–son dyads, but in the other dyads, no significant differences were found. Regarding relationship quality, verbal intimacy was not related to value similarity. Parental satisfaction was associated with value similarity in the father–child dyads. Satisfaction, as perceived by adult children, was linked to value similarity in mother–child and father–son dyads. Furthermore, the frequency of contact related to value similarity between mothers and sons.
Does gamification improve fruit and vegetable intake in adolescents? a systematic review
Authors: Yoshida-Montezuma Yulika , Ahmed Mustafa , Ezezika Obidimma
Published: July 2020

Background:

Nutrition and diet-related non-communicable diseases are a major cause of death worldwide. Food preferences and eating behaviours are likely to be established during adolescence, making it an important period to promote healthy behaviours.

Aim:

To review the effectiveness of gamification to improve fruit and vegetable intake in adolescents.

Methods:

A systematic search was conducted using eight databases and grey literature sources for articles published to date on the effectiveness of gamification on fruit and vegetable intake in adolescents. Search criteria included articles that were complete and peer reviewed, conducted empirical research, described gamified elements used, focused on individuals between 10 and 24 years, and were available in English.

Results:

Out of 402 studies identified by the search, 7 were included in the review. Overall, short-term gamified interventions showed promise in improving fruit and vegetable intake in those aged 10 to 24 years old. Gamification was primarily facilitated through extrinsic motivation (i.e. points, badges, vouchers, leaderboard, narration, avatars, challenges) rather than intrinsic motivation (i.e. team-based competition). Studies were moderate in quality and key methodological issues related to non-randomized study design, lack of comparison group, inadequate control for confounding, and small sample size.

Conclusions:

Gamification can be an effective tool in changing nutrition-related behaviour in adolescents over the short term. Future research should consider gamified interventions that are of longer duration, incorporate additional intrinsic gamified elements, tailor game elements for population subgroups, and address methodological issues.
Concrete violence, indifference and future-making in Mozambique
Authors: Archambault Julie Soleil
Published: July 2020

In the Mozambican suburb of Inhapossa, piles of fresh concrete blocks vividly convey a sense of the momentous transformation under way in a place where building is now described as being ‘in fashion’. Exuding promises of a better future, this fresh concrete is emerging amidst the ruins of a not so distant violent past, in a country where the built environment has been scarred by decades of war, economic decline, neglect and vegetalization. If ruins are reminders of what once was or of what could have been, what do they become in a context of growing prosperity? The contrast between fresh and rotting concrete seemed to beg for anthropological attention, to call for an approach that would simultaneously capture the poetics and politics of concrete throughout its life and even longer afterlife. What my ethnography revealed, however, was that unlike the fresh concrete, which inspired songs and made people fall in love, the decaying concrete scattered across the suburb often inspired little more than indifference. By examining how Mozambicans remember the past and project themselves into the future through their engagement with the built environment, I propose to approach indifference neither as refusal to engage, nor simply as silence, and certainly not as political illiteracy, but rather as an affective experience in its own right that speaks of a particular orientation towards the future.
Comparative Analysis of Pedestrian Injuries using Police, Emergency Department, and Death Certificate Data Sources in North Carolina, U.S., 2007–2012
Authors: Sandt Laura S. , Proescholdbell Scott K. , Evenson Kelly R. , Robinson Whitney R. , Rodríguez Daniel A. , Harmon Katherine J. , Marshall Stephen W.
Published: July 2020

Pedestrian safety programs are needed to address the rising incidence of pedestrian fatalities. Unfortunately, most communities lack comprehensive information on the circumstances of pedestrian crashes and resulting injuries that could help guide decision-making for prevention program development and implementation. This study aimed to evaluate how three commonly available data sources (police-reported pedestrian crashes, emergency department [ED] visits, and death certificates) define and capture pedestrian injury data, and to compare the distribution of pedestrian injuries and fatalities across these data sources. Existing state-wide data sources in North Carolina, U.S.A.,—police-reported pedestrian crashes, ED visits, and death certificates—were used to perform a descriptive analysis of temporal and demographic pedestrian injury severity distributions for a 6-year period (2007–2012). After excluding non-relevant cases, there were 12,646 police-reported pedestrian crashes, 17,369 pedestrian-injury-related ED visits, and 993 pedestrian-related death certificate cases. Pedestrian injury distributions appeared similar across the three data sets in relation to pedestrian sex, age, and temporality. Police data (which represented crashes rather than all pedestrians involved in a crash) likely underrepresented pedestrian injury incidence, while ED data (which represented ED visits, with multiple visits per person possible) likely overrepresented pedestrian injury incidence. The study provides a better understanding of the discrepancies between pedestrian injury data sources and key considerations when using police, ED, and death certificate data for surveillance or injury prevention efforts.
Production of high-performance lead(II) ions adsorbents from pea peels waste as a sustainable resource
Authors: Novoseltseva Viktoriia , Yankovych Halyna , Kovalenko Olena , Václavíková Miroslava , Melnyk Inna
Published: July 2020

This research deals with a highly efficient, selective, low-cost, and recyclable adsorbent for the fast removal of lead (Pb)(II) ions from aqueous solutions, and an investigation of the related adsorption mechanisms. Three types of materials were prepared from pea peels waste using simple, energy-efficient and environmentally friendly treatment. Obtained adsorbents were characterized by elemental analysis, infrared spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, Boehm titration, and the main parameters were determined. The highest adsorption capacity was observed for the biochar prepared by heating of pea peels at 600°C for 30 minutes. The uptake of Pb(II) ions on pea peels-derived samples was examined as a function of pH, contact time, and initial Pb2+ concentration. Obtained results from adsorption experiments of Pb(II) ions on the biochar surface indicate high adsorption capacity, and the possibility of its preconcentration and selective removal in the presence of zinc(II) and cadmium(II) ions. This confirms a potential application of such materials in water remediation.
Approach to Ventricular Arrhythmias in the Intensive Care Unit
Authors: Senaratne Janek M. , Sandhu Roopinder , Barnett Christopher F. , Grunau Brian , Wong Graham C. , van Diepen Sean
Published: July 2020

Arrhythmias are commonly encountered in the intensive care unit as a primary admitting diagnosis or secondary to an acute illness. Appropriate identification and treatment of ventricular arrhythmias in this setting are particularly important to reduce morbidity and mortality. This review highlights the epidemiology, mechanisms, electrocardiographic features, and treatment of ventricular arrhythmias.
Bullying in Old Age: A Qualitative Study on Older Adults’ Perceptions About Being Bullied
Authors: von Humboldt Sofia , Ribeiro-Gonçalves José Alberto , Leal Isabel
Published: July 2020

Significant demographic changes and a growing aging population increasingly emphasize the importance of assessing phenomena of violence against older adults, who constitute a vulnerable population. Therefore, bullying in old age is a poorly studied phenomena, but of growing importance. This study aims to analyze the perspectives of bullying in old age, using qualitative research at a cross-national level. We interviewed 173 older participants aged 65–91 years. Participants were Portuguese and English and lived in the community. Participants were subjected to semi-structured interviews. All the interviews went through a process of content analysis. Sample recruitment occurred through initial telephone contact, followed by a request to participate. Outcomes of content analysis produced seven themes, all of them associated with bullying experiences such as compromised learning capacity, loss of sense of agency and decision-making, asexuality, less attractive appearance, less social skills, gender discrimination, and less financial resources. Portuguese older adults felt mostly bullied for their loss of sense of agency and decision-making, less attractive appearance, less social skills, and less financial resources, while English participants mostly felt bullied for their compromised learning capacity, gender discrimination, and asexuality. The themes identified as being the most prominent in bullying are valuable guidelines for social policies and interventions toward bullying among older adults. Considering the scarcity of studies on bullying in older adults, this study is relevant for understanding the experience of older adults in relation to being bullied and for implementing psychosocial intervention programs including bullying situations that affect community-dwelling older adults.
Management of peritoneal dialysis under COVID-19: The experience in Sichuan Province People’s Hospital, China
Authors: Chen Jin , Yin Lijuan , Chen Xiuling , Gao Hui , Zhou Qin , Li Pengli , Liu Wenshu , Ding Hanlu , Hong Daqing , Li Guisen , Wang Li
Published: July 2020

The outbreak of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) is becoming a severe challenge to China and the whole world. By now, there is no report about medical support to peritoneal dialysis (PD) patient during COVID-19 pandemic. In this essay, we summed up our safety measures on how to protect PD patients and our staffs, and our experience on how to ensure the dialysis treatment of PD patients during the pandemic period. Using of telehealth has potential to improve patient care quality. As a result, by applying all the actions and efforts above, most of patients got enough medical support. According to the patient survey, 11 patients (3.3% of the total) reduced their treatment of dialysis exchange due to the shortage of PD solution or the affection of the pandemic. None of the PD patient and staff reported COVID-19. We successfully prevented COVID-19 transmission and ensured medical safety in our PD patients during the crisis.
Move on, no matter what . . . Young refugee’s accounts of their displacement experiences
Authors: Iraklis Grigoropoulos
Published: July 2020

This study focused on the uniqueness and complexity of refugee children’s experiences on their way and upon arrival to Greece. The study involved 18 students, 13 Iraqi Kurds, 2 Afghans, 1 Kuwaiti and 2 Syrians, from an integration programme at a Greek elementary school in central Macedonia. Children’s narratives were analysed using interpretative phenomenological analysis. Three overarching themes emerged from the data: (1) open wounds, (2) a never-ending journey and (3) restricted mobility – mental immobility
Chinese New Age milieu and the emergence of homo sentimentalis in the People’s Republic
Authors: Iskra Anna
Published: July 2020

The accelerating speed of economic, social, and cultural reforms in the past three decades in mainland China has created an atmosphere of moral uncertainty that encouraged many people to search for happiness by turning inwards. Shen xin ling (身心灵, translated as Body-Heart-Soul) fever refers to the growing interest among Chinese urbanites in various seminars that creatively transform the guiding principles of the Euro-American New Age movement, incorporating China into transnational networks of alternative spiritualities. This anthropological investigation into the shen xin ling milieu locates its genealogy in the progression of several post-Maoist self-cultivation fevers, most notably the recent ‘psycho-boom’. It focuses on Chinese New Agers’ practices of emotional release, conceptualizing them as ‘psy-venting’ spaces where the emotions that could result in resentment at those who perpetuate structural inequalities are released, dispersed, and channelled back to the individual. In so doing, these affective flows become carriers for Chinese state discourses related to therapeutic governing. This process is characterized by tensions as shen xin ling practitioners find themselves positioned at the intersections of state-endorsed discourses on consumerism, entrepreneurialism, the re-traditionalization of gender roles, and anxieties over multilevel marketing schemes and accusations of ‘evil cult’.
Dominance-Driven Autocratic Political Orientations Predict Political Violence in Western, Educated, Industrialized, Rich, and Democratic (WEIRD) and Non-WEIRD Samples
Authors: Bartusevičius Henrikas , van Leeuwen Florian , Petersen Michael Bang
Published: July 2020

Given the costs of political violence, scholars have long sought to identify its causes. We examined individual differences related to participation in political violence, emphasizing the central role of political orientations. We hypothesized that individuals with dominance-driven autocratic political orientations are prone to political violence. Multilevel analysis of survey data from 34 African countries ( N = 51,587) indicated that autocracy-oriented individuals, compared with democracy-oriented individuals, are considerably more likely to participate in political violence. As a predictor of violence (indexed with attitudinal, intentional, and behavioral measures), autocratic orientation outperformed other variables highlighted in existing research, including socioeconomic status and group-based injustice. Additional analyses of original data from South Africa ( N = 2,170), Denmark ( N = 1,012), and the United States ( N = 1,539) indicated that the link between autocratic orientations and political violence reflects individual differences in the use of dominance to achieve status and that the findings generalize to societies extensively socialized to democratic values.
Near-infrared hyperspectral image at a glance: Some personal thoughts
Authors: Amigo José Manuel
Published: July 2020

First of all, I want to transmit my most humble thanks to all people who believe that I deserve the “2019 Thomas Hirschfeld” award (kindly supported by FOSS) for my work on near-infrared spectroscopy and, especially, applied on hyperspectral images. I must confess that this award caught me by surprise and that I felt a bit overwhelmed when I received it. It is an honour full of respect and responsibility. I have been given the opportunity of writing this article, and I will profit it to express different personal thoughts about general but relevant aspects of near infrared applied to hyperspectral imaging. Also, since I am more a practitioner in chemometrics (or machine learning or data mining, or …) than a developer, I will also include some insights about the beautiful combination of near-infrared hyperspectral image with chemometrics. This article is just a glimpse of constructive criticism with personal thoughts that comes from my little experience in this field. Therefore, and of course, all opinions here are open for constructive discussion with the only purpose of learning (like the machines do nowadays).
Caffeine intake influences disease activity and clinical phenotype in systemic lupus erythematosus patients
Authors: Orefice Valeria , Ceccarelli Fulvia , Barbati Cristiana , Lucchetti Ramona , Olivieri Giulio , Cipriano Enrica , Natalucci Francesco , Perricone Carlo , Spinelli Francesca Romana , Alessandri Cristiano , Valesini Guido , Conti Fabrizio
Published: July 2020

Objective

Caffeine, one of the most widely consumed products in the world, seems to interact with multiple components of the immune system by acting as a non-specific phosphodiesterase inhibitor. In vitro dose-dependent treatment with caffeine down-regulates mRNA levels of key inflammation-related genes in peripheral blood mononuclear cells. So far, no robust data are available about the possible contribution of caffeine in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The aim of this study was to evaluate the impact of caffeine consumption on SLE-related disease phenotype and activity, in terms of clinimetric assessment and cytokine serum levels.

Methods

We performed a cross-sectional study, enrolling consecutive patients and reporting their clinical and laboratory data. Disease activity was assessed by SLE Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K). Caffeine intake was evaluated by a 7-day food frequency questionnaire, including all the main sources of caffeine. As previously reported, patients were divided into four groups according to the daily caffeine intake: <29.1 mg/day (group 1), 29.2–153.7 mg/day (group 2), 153.8–376.5 mg/day (group 3) and >376.6 mg/day (group 4). At the end of questionnaire filling, blood samples were collected from each patient to assess cytokine levels. These were assessed by using a panel by Bio-Plex assays to measure the levels of IL-6, IL-10, IL-17, IL-27, IFNγ, IFNα and BLyS.

Results

We enrolled 89 consecutive SLE patients. We observed a negative correlation between caffeine consumption and disease activity, measured with SLEDAI-2K. A significantly higher prevalence of lupus nephritis, neuropsychiatric involvement, haematological manifestations, hypocomplementaemia and anti-dsDNA positivity was observed in patients with a low intake of caffeine. Furthermore, patients with a low intake of caffeine were more frequently treated with glucocorticoids. Regarding cytokine analysis, a negative correlation between daily caffeine consumption and serum level of IFNγ was found ( p = 0.03, r = –0.2); furthermore, patients with a high intake of caffeine showed lower serum levels of IFNα ( p = 0.02), IL-17 ( p = 0.01) and IL-6 ( p = 0.003).

Conclusions

In this report we demonstrated the impact of caffeine on SLE disease activity status, as confirmed by the inverse correlation between its intake and both SLEDAI-2K values and cytokine levels. Moreover, patients with a low caffeine consumption seem to have a more severe disease phenotype.
Evaluation of human papillomavirus self-collection offered by community health workers at home visits among under-screened women in Brazil
Authors: Pantano Naitielle de Paula , Fregnani José H , Resende Júlio CP , Zeferino Luiz C , Fonseca Bruno de Oliveira , Antoniazzi Márcio , Oliveira Cristina M de , Sant’ana Gisele da Rocha , Longatto-Filho Adhemar
Published: July 2020

Objective

To explore the acceptability of high-risk human papillomavirus self-testing, involving community health workers, for never/under-screened Brazilian women. Cervical cancer is the most common cause of cancer-related death among adult women in a large number of low-income and lower-middle-income countries, where it remains a major public health problem. High-risk human papillomavirus persistence is required for the development of cervical neoplasia.

Methods

The target population was all women aged 30+ from the list of families available in healthcare centre data, who had never been screened or were not screened in the previous 3 years (under-screened women), and who were living in the 17 cities included in this study.

Results

Of the 377 women included, 16.9% ( n = 64) had never had a pap smear. Of all samples included in the study, 97.1% ( n = 366) were considered adequate for evaluation, as 2.9% ( n = 11) were considered invalid for all high-risk human papillomavirus types. Analysing these 366 samples, 9.6% ( n = 35) of the women were infected by at least one high-risk human papillomavirus type and 90.4% ( n = 331) had no infection with any high-risk type of the virus.

Conclusions

Vaginal self-sampling is an adequate strategy to improve the effectiveness of the cervical cancer program by increasing screening in a high-risk group.
From non-runner to parkrunner: Subjective athletic identity and experience of parkrun
Authors: Bowness James , McKendrick John , Tulle Emmanuelle
Published: July 2020

Parkrun is a mass sporting community event which presents itself as a global social movement that aims to create a healthier and happier population. Existing research has explored the impact of parkrun on physical and mental wellbeing, and the mechanisms through which it may change physical activity behaviours. This paper draws upon a UK-wide survey of 8157 parkrunners to explore the subjective athletic identities of those who initially self-identified as non-runners. We examine how identity change is associated with perceptions and experiences of parkrun and demonstrate that parkrun has facilitated subjectivity change that leads many former non-running parkrunners to engage in running outside of the event. Using a Bourdieusian framework we argue that those who frequently engage in parkrun perceive a variety of health and performance changes that become legitimising factors for new health/sport behaviours. Our data add to existing research by demonstrating that parkrun provides a platform for individuals to become ‘runners’, whilst also offering a sociological explanation of how behaviour change may occur.
The fourth industrial revolution and labour market regulation in Singapore
Authors: Waring Peter , Bali Azad , Vas Chris
Published: July 2020

The race to develop and implement autonomous systems and artificial intelligence has challenged the responsiveness of governments in many areas and none more so than in the domain of labour market policy. This article draws upon a large survey of Singaporean employees and managers (N = 332) conducted in 2019 to examine the extent and ways in which artificial intelligence and autonomous technologies have begun impacting workplaces in Singapore. Our conclusions reiterate the need for government intervention to facilitate broad-based participation in the productivity benefits of fourth industrial revolution technologies while also offering re-designed social safety nets and employment protections.

JEL Codes: J88, K31, O38, M53
Productivity-Based Wages and Employment of People With Disabilities: International Usage and Policy Considerations
Authors: Lysaght Rosemary , Bobbette Nicole , Ciampa Maria Agostina
Published: July 2020

The legal requirement for employers to compensate workers at standard market wages, even if their work falls below competitive levels, is cited as a barrier to job entry for people with high support needs. Productivity-based wage systems have been implemented in some jurisdictions with a goal of addressing this challenge by providing an option for paying workers at rates commensurate with work output. This scoping review explored the international use of productivity-based wage systems, the theoretical and practical arguments that have been advanced for and against productivity-based wage systems, and the relative impact of such policies on employment outcomes. The review followed the procedures outlined by Arksey and O’Malley and included papers published from 2008 to 2017. The search identified 27 papers that were pertinent to at least one of the research questions. Only three countries emerged in the literature as having discernable productivity-based wage policies: Australia, Israel, and the United States. Limited evaluative evidence was identified on the impact of productivity-based wage systems on employment outcomes. There is, however, a robust debate evident concerning the socioeconomic, moral, and legal implications of this practice. Ongoing research is needed to inform policy on this contentious issue.
Parental Experiences of Engaging With the National Disability Insurance Scheme for Their Children: A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Russo Fiona , Brownlow Charlotte , Machin Tanya
Published: July 2020

The Australian National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) reached full national implementation in July 2019. It supports Australians with disabilities via individualized funding packages for disability-specific services and assistive technology. This systematic review of literature presents research describing the experiences of parents of children with disabilities in accessing and participating in the fledgling NDIS and makes recommendations to assist the Agency in better supporting new participant families.
Column Guest Editor’s Introduction: A Tactic for Clarifying the Teacher’s Role in Universal Design for Learning
Authors: Edyburn Dave L.
Published: July 2020

Readers with an interest in Universal Design for Learning (UDL) will recognize the fundamental challenge presented in this month’s guest column, “Classroom Menus for Supporting the Academic Success of Diverse Learners.” That is, who is responsible for preparing the UDL environment before students enter a classroom? The authors describe three essential knowledge and skills needed by teachers, instructors, and college professors: (a) acquire UDL philosophy, (b) create a toolkit, and (c) create choice menus. They offer practical resources and tools for educators interested in each component. More importantly, after this baseline was established, they argue that it is necessary to evaluate teachers’ UDL knowledge and skills. Toward this end, they propose three UDL Design Challenges and provide a rubric for evaluating a teacher’s claim that they have designed an UDL intervention for their classroom.
Plasma Level of von Willebrand Factor Propeptide at Diagnosis: A Marker of Subsequent Renal Dysfunction in Autoimmune Rheumatic Diseases
Authors: Yada Noritaka , Yoshimoto Kiyomi , Kawashima Hiromasa , Yoneima Ryo , Nishimura Nobushiro , Tai Yoshiaki , Tsushima Emiko , Miyamoto Makiko , Ono Shiro , Matsumoto Masanori , Fujimoto Takashi , Nishio Kenji
Published: July 2020

Introduction:

Patients with systemic autoimmune rheumatic diseases (SARDs) such as rheumatoid arthritis, systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), Sjögren syndrome, and systemic sclerosis, which are chronic inflammatory diseases, are prone to develop renal dysfunction, which is related to vascular endothelial cell damage.

Material and Methods:

We evaluated plasma levels of von Willebrand factor (VWF), VWF propeptide (VWF-pp), disintegrin-like and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13 (ADAMTS13), and VWF multimer pattern in patients with SARDs at diagnosis and investigated whether they may serve as markers to identify patients destined to develop renal dysfunction within 1 year. Renal dysfunction was defined as subsequent reduced estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) by >25% or the new appearance of abnormal urine findings such as proteinuria (protein > 30 mg/dL) or hematuria (red blood cells >20/HPF in urine sediments). Overall, 63 patients with SARDs were studied.

Results and Conclusions:

We observed a significant increase of VWF-pp and a significant decrease of ADAMTS13 in patients with SARDs compared with normal healthy controls. The highest level of VWF-pp was observed in patients with SLE among the groups. The levels of VWF and multimer pattern of VWF were not different compared with normal healthy controls. Von Willebrand factor propeptide predicted a subsequent decrease in eGFR at a cutoff point of 210% (sensitivity, 78.6%; specificity, 73.5%) and new urinary abnormal findings at a cutoff point of 232% (sensitivity, 77.8%; specificity, 77.8%) Using these cutoff points, multivariable analysis revealed that VWF-pp was a significant risk factor for renal dysfunction at an odds ratio of 8.78 and 22.8, respectively, and may lead to a new therapeutic approach to prevent vasculitis and renal dysfunction.
Coagulation Status and Venous Thromboembolism Risk in African Americans: A Potential Risk Factor in COVID-19
Authors: Frydman Galit H. , Boyer Edward W. , Nazarian Rosalynn M. , Van Cott Elizabeth M. , Piazza Gregory
Published: July 2020

Severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 infection (COVID-19) is known to induce severe inflammation and activation of the coagulation system, resulting in a prothrombotic state. Although inflammatory conditions and organ-specific diseases have been shown to be strong determinants of morbidity and mortality in patients with COVID-19, it is unclear whether preexisting differences in coagulation impact the severity of COVID-19. African Americans have higher rates of COVID-19 infection and disease-related morbidity and mortality. Moreover, African Americans are known to be at a higher risk for thrombotic events due to both biological and socioeconomic factors. In this review, we explore whether differences in baseline coagulation status and medical management of coagulation play an important role in COVID-19 disease severity and contribute to racial disparity trends within COVID-19.
Post-Intentionally Considering Post-Qualitative Inquiry
Authors: Vagle Mark D.
Published: July 2020

I wrote this article during and immediately following what I have deemed a serenity quest, where I traveled quite aways from home, by myself, with not all that much pre-planning to “be with” myself. I use this particular moment I am living right now and some of what has been provoked and produced to work through the two questions this special issue is taking up: What does “post-qualitative” mean to you? And why do you think the “post-qualitative” movement is so important to the field of qualitative inquiry?
Supporting Democracy Through Leadership in Organizations
Authors: Redondo-Sama Gisela
Published: July 2020

Research on successful cooperativist actions has been found to generate social impact through the creation of employment and the promotion of economic growth. In this article, we present the way in which leaders in nontraditional businesses assess qualitatively the social impact of the improvements linked to such actions beyond the economic dimension. The interviews include the voices of members and nonmembers of cooperatives occupying diverse positions in organizations and illustrate how the exercise of dialogic leadership supports the strength of democratic principles and the quality of employment. The results revealed that the processes of empowerment related to cooperative organizations enable a kind of qualitative assessment of social impact that provides evidence of how successful cooperativist actions play a role in the development of more democratic and participatory organizations.
Advancing an LGBTI-inclusive curriculum in Scotland through critical literacy
Authors: Stone Kelly , Farrar Jennifer
Published: July 2020

Following the announcement, in November 2018, that Scotland would be the first educational system to introduce an LGBTI-inclusive curriculum in all of its state schools, this position paper advocates critical literacy as a theoretically congruent framework within which LGBTI issues can be explored. We suggest educators could do this by problematising social structures and language practices including our own professional actions beyond what we teach, and by using children’s literature to actively teach LGBTI issues and to open up spaces for discussion of these issues across curricular areas. What we propose is challenging in a Scottish educational context since Curriculum for Excellence (CfE) presents critical literacy as ‘finding and using information’, and it is not grounded in any wider theoretical basis, effectively removing the active, challenging and transformative aspects of critical literacy pedagogies. As Vasquez et al. argue, one of the key ways for teachers to engage with critical literacy is through the literature on its implementation in different contexts; in this position paper we hope to provide both a theoretical framework and practice accounts of LGBTI education from the wider literature to inform the development of an LGBTI-inclusive curriculum in Scotland and elsewhere.
Coronavirus, domestic labour and care: Gendered roles locked down
Authors: Craig Lyn
Published: July 2020

The Covid-19 pandemic turned daily lives upside down. Lockdowns and physical distancing meant hundreds of thousands of people switched to working from home, significantly blurring the temporal and spatial boundaries between paid work, domestic labour and caring for others. This article explores gender relations, and the division of employment, domestic labour and care, drawing on early results from an online survey, Work and Care in the Time of Covid-19, carried out between 7 May and 4 June 2020.
A Taiwan knowledge keeper of indigenous Bunun: An ethnographic historical narrative of Laipunuk (內本鹿), southern mountain range
Authors: Martin Steven Andrew
Published: July 2020

This paper offers an ethnographic life history account of a Bunun hunter, Tama Biung Istanda, from Laipunuk, Taiwan, based on academic research and fieldwork. Audio-visual tapes recorded by the author in Taitung County, Taiwan, were reviewed and translated alongside extant Chinese, Japanese and English sources. The study constructs a remembered life into readable coherent sequences on behalf of an indigenous peoples, many of whom now seek international recognition as part of their struggle for essential entitlements such as land rights, access to traditional hunting grounds, and other natural, legal, and cultural resources. The testimony of Tama Biung Istanda, translated into English and summarised here for future generations, provides a compelling new source of data on the Bunun heritage that can help to assist knowledge for the local and scholarly community and cultural resource management practices.
The empty form of fairness: Equality of educational opportunity as an instrumentalizing force in education
Authors: Blumsztajn Anna
Published: July 2020

The article investigates the instrumentalizing and ontological effects of the concept of equality of educational opportunity (EEO). Starting with the Coleman report ( Coleman et al., 1966 ), through the democratization of secondary and tertiary education, and reading it in light of the recent debate on educationalization of social problems ( Smeyers and Depaepe, 2008 ), the text inquires what has become of education under the influence of this powerfull concept. The evolution of this becoming is shaped by the paradox of equal treatment and selection, two fundamental principles on which the EEO ideal is based. ( Dubet, 2008 ). The objectivity of evaluation and comparability of results that this ideal implies sets EEO as one of the most important bases for the development of quantitative evaluation and testing, thus transforming the curriculum and shaping educational practices ( Stańczyk, 2013 ; Terrail, 2002 ). Moreover, the EEO principle brings the educational system to legitimize social inequalities: since it means treating students equally while they have to be ranked and come out segregated, the belief in inequality of intelligence is being reinforced, and inequalities are educationalized instead of being alleviated. Finally, the research shows that EEO policy and the EEO concept is pedagogically empty, mainly serving as an expression, or allegory of our concern with social inequalities ( Labaree, 2008 ; Rancière, 2002 ), with no real educational means serving this concern. The good news here is that such emptiness leaves room for practices of pedagogical equality being invented and introduced into the school.
Identification of Hidradenitis Suppurativa-Related mRNA Expression Patterns Through Analysis of Gene Expression Omnibus
Authors: Teng Yan , Tao Xiaohua , Lu Wei , Huang Youming , Xu Danfeng , Li Meng , Fan Yibin
Published: July 2020

Background:

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a chronic, follicular, and inflammatory skin disease with multifactorial pathogenesis, and its definite molecule mechanism is still not fully elucidated.

Objective:

The purpose of this research was to identify crucial differentially expressed genes (DEGs) and biological processes and pathways involved in HS through bioinformatics analysis.

Methods:

A total of 30 tissues from patients with HS, 17 lesional and 13 healthy, were obtained from the GSE72702 data set of the Gene Expression Omnibus database. The DEGs were sorted by GEO2R and analyzed by Gene ontology and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes analysis. MCODE analysis was visualized using Cytoscape.

Results:

Of the 723 identified DEGs, 364 were upregulated and 359 were downregulated. Upregulated DEGs were significantly enriched in immune response, inflammatory response, tumor necrosis factor signaling pathway, and so on and downregulated DEGs were enriched in the positive regulation of the peroxisome proliferators-activated receptor pathways, the regulation of lipolysis in adipocytes, and so on. The most significant DEGs group of 35 genes were screened.

Conclusion:

The internal biological information in HS can be revealed by bioinformatic methods, providing direction for further research and potential therapeutic targets.
Drug-coated balloon angioplasty for the treatment of edge stenosis after self-expanding covered stent placement for superficial femoral artery occlusive disease
Authors: van Wijck Iris PS , Holewijn Suzanne , van Walraven Laurens A , Reijnen Michel MPJ
Published: July 2020

Background

Edge stenoses are the predominant limitation of self-expanding covered stent treatment of superficial femoral artery (SFA) occlusive disease, necessitating reinterventions. Angioplasty of an edge stenosis is associated with a high recurrence rate. Drug-coated balloon (DCB) treatment of edge stenoses might improve outcomes by decreasing the incidence of restenosis.

Purpose

The aim of this study was to evaluate the outcomes of using a DCB for the treatment of edge stenoses after self-expanding covered stent placement for SFA occlusive disease.

Method

We performed a retrospective analysis of patients treated with a DCB for edge stenoses after self-expanding covered stent placement. The primary endpoint was primary patency at one year. The secondary endpoints included procedure-related complications, secondary patency, and freedom from target lesion revascularization (TLR).

Results

A total of 21 patients with 28 edge stenoses were included. The time from primary treatment to treatment of the edge stenosis was 19 months (interquartile range (IQR) 8; 52 months). Primary patency and assisted primary patency at one year were 66.7% with a secondary patency of 90.9%. Freedom from TLR was 86.1%, and freedom from clinically driven TLR was 89.4%. Four patients presented with a hemodynamically significant restenosis, and three of those patients had an occlusion. Median time to failure was six months (IQR 3.5; 7.0 months), and median time to occlusion was four months (IQR 3.0; 6.0 months).

Conclusion

The treatment of edge stenoses using a DCB is associated with a safe one-year outcome; however, this has to be confirmed in larger prospective studies. The continuous surveillance of patients is indicated.