bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Breeding den selection by Arctic foxes (Vulpes lagopus) in southern Yamal Peninsula, Russia
Authors: Hofhuis Stijn P. , Ehrich Dorothee , Sokolova Natalia A. , van Hooft Pim , Sokolov Aleksandr A.
Published: November 2021

Selecting the right location for a den during the breeding season is a type of habitat selection in the Arctic fox (Vulpes lagopus) that is likely to affect its reproductive success. A den’s suitability likely depends on its ability to provide shelter, as well as its proximity to prey resources. Depending on the different relative risks that Arctic foxes may face across their broad circumpolar range, Arctic foxes may place different emphases on selection for shelter and prey resources in different ecosystems. Understanding the different requirements for reproduction under different ecological conditions is highly relevant to conservation efforts in areas where Arctic foxes are threatened by rapid environmental changes. Here, we investigated the relative selection for shelter and prey resources in southern Yamal Peninsula (Russia) using data from 45 dens collected over a 13-year period. Arctic foxes preferred to breed in dens with more den entrances; an indicator of shelter quality. Arctic foxes also preferred dens surrounded by more prey resources (quantified by the amount of river valley habitat), but this result was less conclusive. These results complement the findings reported from other study areas, illustrating that Arctic foxes in ecosystems with diverse predator communities may put emphasis on selection for shelter quality. In less productive ecosystems, Arctic foxes may rather put emphasis on selection for prey resources. As tundra ecosystems become more productive and generalist predators move north, the reproductive requirements and habitat selection of Arctic foxes may change accordingly, depending on the species’ ability to adapt.
Adherence to fecal immunochemical test screening among adults at average risk for colorectal cancer
Authors: Fisher Deborah A. , Princic Nicole , Miller-Wilson Lesley-Ann , Wilson Kathleen , DeYoung Kathryn , Ozbay A. Burak , Limburg Paul
Published: November 2021

Purpose

This study examined adherence to screening for fecal immunochemical test (FIT).

Methods

Adults (≥ 50–75) with a FIT between 1/1/2014 and 6/30/2019 in MarketScan administrative claims were selected (index = earliest FIT). Patients were followed for 10 years pre- and 3 years post-index. Patients at increased risk for CRC or with prior screening were excluded. Year over year adherence was measured post-index.

Results

Of 10,253 patients, the proportion adherent to repeat testing at year 2 was 23.4% and 10.6% at year 3. Of 76.6% not adherent in year 2, 5.4% were adherent in year 3.

Conclusion

Results suggest adherence to FIT tests is poor, minimizing potential benefits. Future studies are needed to consider alternative test options and whether more choice will improve long-term adherence.
Crossing the Red Line? Empirical Evidence and Useful Recommendations on Questionable Research Practices among Business Scholars
Authors: Latan Hengky , Chiappetta Jabbour Charbel Jose , Lopes de Sousa Jabbour Ana Beatriz , Ali Murad
Published: November 2021

Academic leaders in management from all over the world—including recent calls by the Academy of Management Shaw (Academy of Management Journal 60(3): 819–822, 2017)—have urged further research into the extent and use of questionable research practices (QRPs). In order to provide empirical evidence on the topic of QRPs, this work presents two linked studies. Study 1 determines the level of use of QRPs based on self-admission rates and estimated prevalence among business scholars in Indonesia. It was determined that if the level of QRP use identified in Study 1 was quite high, Study 2 would be conducted to follow-up on this result, and this was indeed the case. Study 2 examines the factors that encourage and discourage the use of QRPs in the sample analyzed. The main research findings are as follows: (a) in Study 1, we found the self-admission rates and estimated prevalence of business scholars’ involvement in QRPs to be quite high when compared with studies conducted in other countries and (b) in Study 2, we found pressure for publication from universities, fear of rejection of manuscripts, meeting the expectations of reviewers, and available rewards to be the main reasons for the use of QRPs in Indonesia, whereas (c) formal sanctions and prevention efforts are factors that discourage QRPs. Recommendations for stakeholders (in this case, reviewers, editors, funders, supervisors, chancellors and others) are also provided in order to reduce the use of QRPs.
Is it climate change? Coverage by online news sites of the 2019 European summer heatwaves in France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK
Authors: Painter James , Ettinger Joshua , Doutreix Marie-Noëlle , Strauß Nadine , Wonneberger Anke , Walton Peter
Published: November 2021

In 2019, several countries across Western Europe experienced record-breaking temperatures and heatwaves which, in some cases, reached temperatures of over 40 °C for three to four consecutive days during June and July. Extreme event attribution (EEA) studies show that anthropogenic climate change increased the likelihood of these events by at least three to ten times (with different results for different countries), and increased the temperature by 1.2 to 3.0 °C. The heatwaves resulted in more than 2500 deaths. Based on a content analysis of 267 articles taken from 20 of the most visited online news websites in four of the countries most affected by the heatwaves (France, Germany, the Netherlands, and the UK), we find strong variations between countries and media outlets in how much attention journalists pay to links between climate change and the heatwaves (the UK media the most, and politically left-leaning titles more than right-leaning ones); many different types of statements depicting the link but in general, the presence of accurate, science-based descriptions; a strong presence of EEA studies in the coverage; and more quotes from climate scientists than politicians and NGOs, with a minimal presence of climate change skeptics. These results contribute to our understanding of media coverage around extreme weather events in different countries and media outlets, and how such events might serve as opportunities for public engagement with climate change.
Communicating efficacy: How the IPCC, scientists, and other communicators can facilitate adaptive responses to climate change without compromising on policy neutrality
Authors: McLoughlin Niall
Published: November 2021

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) adopts a solution-oriented approach to communicating climate change, but does not advocate any specific mitigation or adaptation options. While this helps to maintain a neutral stance in relation to policy advocacy, this approach may also create reluctance amongst IPCC scientists to communicate affective information about climate change, which could help to facilitate behavioural and societal transitions to manage climate risks. Research from the social sciences demonstrates that communications can influence cognitive, affective, and behavioural engagement with climate change. Specifically, there is ample evidence that people’s sense of ‘efficacy’ — beliefs about personal or collective capacity to respond, and effectiveness of responses — must be appealed to sufficiently alongside communication about the threats posed by climate change, to help facilitate mitigation and adaptation responses. This essay draws on a range of research findings to argue that the IPCC’s scientists and communications personnel can nurture efficacy beliefs about climate change, without compromising on values of policy neutrality, or undermining public trust. Specifically, the essay draws on communications strategies related to vicarious learning, mastery experiences, highlighting success stories, and use of language and imagery, which have been shown to increase efficacy. The essay has implications for how IPCC scientists and the organisation as a whole engages with a range of audiences, and suggestions also have relevance for other communicators of climate change, such as governments, academics, journalists, health professionals, community leaders, and creative practitioners.
Smoking kills you, littering butts damages others too: analysing sustainable consumer behaviour in the era of circular economy
Authors: Rasool Shahid , Cerchione Roberto , Centobelli Piera , Oropallo Eugenio
Published: November 2021

Although litter prevention has environmental, social and economic benefits, cigarette butts are the most littered item on earth. While there has been vast research into the relationship between different factors affecting consumer behaviour, further research is needed to examine the antecedents of consumer sustainable behaviour. The aim of this study is to test the impact of feared self and landfill awareness on the sustainable behaviour of consumers using a structural equation modelling approach. Primary data of consumers are used to validate the hypothesised model. The findings highlight that feared self has a positive impact on the sustainable behaviour of consumers, while feared-self congruency and landfill awareness do not affect consumer sustainable behaviour. As for the implications, the results can support academics and strategic managers in the design process of sustainable consumer awareness programs to achieve environmental, social and economic benefits in the era of circular economy.
Unbiased Simulation of Rare Events in Continuous Time
Authors: Hodgson James , Johansen Adam M. , Pollock Murray
Published: November 2021

For rare events described in terms of Markov processes, truly unbiased estimation of the rare event probability generally requires the avoidance of numerical approximations of the Markov process. Recent work in the exact and $$\varepsilon$$
ε
-strong simulation of diffusions, which can be used to almost surely constrain sample paths to a given tolerance, suggests one way to do this. We specify how such algorithms can be combined with the classical multilevel splitting method for rare event simulation. This provides unbiased estimations of the probability in question. We discuss the practical feasibility of the algorithm with reference to existing $$\varepsilon$$
ε
-strong methods and provide proof-of-concept numerical examples.
A survey of damage observed in Izmir due to 2020 Samos-Izmir earthquake
Authors: Demirci Hasan Emre , Karaman Mustafa , Bhattacharya Subhamoy
Published: November 2021

An earthquake of magnitude 6.9 hit the city of Izmir (Turkey) on 30 October 2020, resulting in 117 deaths (in Turkey) and considerable economic losses. The earthquake also triggered a tsunami. Following the earthquake, field surveys are being conducted in a Covid-secure way to study and document the damages caused. The earthquake caused significant damages to residential buildings mainly located in the district of Bayrakli and Bornova. However, no damages were observed in railway and roadway bridges or tunnels and that helped the rescue operations. The damages were mainly structural which included the so-called pancake collapse (where the entire building collapsed) and soft storey type collapse (weak storey characterised with weak columns collapsed), and in some cases, only the ground floor completely collapsed. Due to the proximity of the epicentre and the geology of the area, it seemed that the ground motions were amplified. This technical note provides a summary of the seismological and recorded ground characteristics of the earthquake together with the lessons learnt.
The Handmade Effect: A Model of Conscious Shopping in an Industrialised Economy
Authors: Droege Jasmin
Published: November 2021

Although online marketplaces for handmade products persist, little theoretical research has been undertaken to explain why firms choose a handmade strategy. In this paper, I develop a model that can explain the persistence through a handmade effect on the consumer side. I show that when consumers are willing to pay a sufficiently high handmade premium, the firm chooses production by hand over superior machine production. When the firm is part of a duopoly, the existence of consumers who care about the conditions under which a product is manufactured can explain the firms’ specialisation and, thus, the observed co-existence of handmade and machine-made products in the economy. Such specialisation is efficient, and can be robust to collusion. The presence of shoppers who are uncertain about the appropriate behaviour may enable the monopolist to use a handmade strategy to signal a social norm of conscious consumption.
Deep convolutional tree-inspired network: a decision-tree-structured neural network for hierarchical fault diagnosis of bearings
Authors: Wang Xu , Gu Hongyang , Wang Tianyang , Zhang Wei , Li Aihua , Chu Fulei
Published: November 2021

The fault diagnosis of bearings is crucial in ensuring the reliability of rotating machinery. Deep neural networks have provided unprecedented opportunities to condition monitoring from a new perspective due to the powerful ability in learning fault-related knowledge. However, the inexplicability and low generalization ability of fault diagnosis models still bar them from the application. To address this issue, this paper explores a decision-tree-structured neural network, that is, the deep convolutional tree-inspired network (DCTN), for the hierarchical fault diagnosis of bearings. The proposed model effectively integrates the advantages of convolutional neural network (CNN) and decision tree methods by rebuilding the output decision layer of CNN according to the hierarchical structural characteristics of the decision tree, which is by no means a simple combination of the two models. The proposed DCTN model has unique advantages in 1) the hierarchical structure that can support more accuracy and comprehensive fault diagnosis, 2) the better interpretability of the model output with hierarchical decision making, and 3) more powerful generalization capabilities for the samples across fault severities. The multiclass fault diagnosis case and cross-severity fault diagnosis case are executed on a multicondition aeronautical bearing test rig. Experimental results can fully demonstrate the feasibility and superiority of the proposed method.
Thoughts Unlocked by Technology—a Survey in Germany About Brain-Computer Interfaces
Authors: Schmid J. R. , Friedrich O. , Kessner S. , Jox R. J.
Published: November 2021

A brain-computer interface (BCI) is a rapidly evolving neurotechnology connecting the human brain with a computer. In its classic form, brain activity is recorded and used to control external devices like protheses or wheelchairs. Thus, BCI users act with the power of their thoughts. While the initial development has focused on medical uses of BCIs, non-medical applications have recently been gaining more attention, for example in automobiles, airplanes, and the entertainment context. However, the attitudes of the general public towards BCIs have hardly been explored. Among the general population in Germany aged 18–65 years, a representative online survey with 20 items was conducted in summer 2018 (n = 1000) and analysed by descriptive statistics. The survey assessed: affinity for technology; previous knowledge and experience concerning BCIs; the attitude towards ethical, social and legal implications of BCI use and demographic information. Our results indicate that BCIs are a unique and puzzling way of human–machine interaction. The findings reveal a positive view and high level of trust in BCIs on the one hand but on the other hand a wide range of ethical and anthropological concerns. Agency and responsibility were clearly attributed to the BCI user. The participants’ opinions were divided regarding the impact BCIs have on humankind. In summary, a high level of ambivalence regarding BCIs was found. We suggest better information of the public and the promotion of public deliberation about BCIs in order to ensure responsible development and application of this potentially disruptive technology.
Women, Younger Clinicians’, and Caregivers’ Experiences of Burnout and Well-being During COVID-19 in a US Healthcare System
Authors: Dillon Ellis C. , Stults Cheryl D. , Deng Sien , Martinez Meghan , Szwerinski Nina , Koenig P.T. , Gregg Laurie , Cobb Jill Kacher , Mahler Elizabeth , Frosch Dominick L. , Le Sieur Sarina , Hanley Melissa , Pertsch Suzanne
Published: November 2021

Background

The COVID-19 pandemic brought rapid changes to the work and personal lives of clinicians.

Objective

To assess clinician burnout and well-being during the COVID-19 pandemic and guide healthcare system improvement efforts.

Design

A survey asking about clinician burnout, well-being, and work experiences.

Participants

Surveys distributed to 8141 clinicians from June to August 2020 in 9 medical groups and 17 hospitals at Sutter Health, a large healthcare system in Northern California.

Main Measures

Burnout was the primary outcome, and other indicators of well-being and work experience were also measured. Descriptive statistics and multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed. All statistical inferences were based on weighted estimates adjusting for response bias.

Key Results

A total of 3176 clinicians (39.0%) responded to the survey. Weighted results showed 29.2% reported burnout, and burnout was more common among women than among men (39.0% vs. 22.7%,p<0.01). In multivariate models, being a woman was associated with increased odds of reporting burnout (OR=2.19, 95% CI: 1.51–3.17) and being 55+ years old with lower odds (OR=0.54, 95% CI: 0.34–0.87). More women than men reported that childcare/caregiving was impacting work (32.9% vs. 19.0%,p<0.01). Even after controlling for age and gender, clinicians who reported childcare/caregiving responsibilities impacted their work had substantially higher odds of reporting burnout (OR=2.19, 95% CI: 1.54–3.11). Other factors associated with higher burnout included worrying about safety at work, being given additional work tasks, concern about losing one’s job, and working in emergency medicine or radiology. Protective factors included believing one’s concerns will be acted upon and feeling highly valued.

Conclusions

This large survey found the pandemic disproportionally impacted women, younger clinicians, and those whose caregiving responsibilities impacted their work. These results highlight the need for a holistic and targeted strategy for improving clinician well-being that addresses the needs of women, younger clinicians, and those with caregiving responsibilities.
Führung von und in Familienunternehmen
Authors: Wimmer Rudolf
Published: November 2021

Dieser Beitrag der Zeitschrift „Gruppe. Interaktion. Organisation. (GIO)“ geht davon aus, dass die etablierte Führungsforschung die spezifische Führungspraxis in familiengeführten Unternehmen bislang weitestgehend ignoriert. Das ist erstaunlich, sind doch weltweit, je nach Region unterschiedlich, 70–90 % der Unternehmen diesem Typus zuzurechnen. Auf der anderen Seite hat zur Zeit die stark expandierende Forschung zu den Besonderheiten von Familienunternehmen das Thema Führung auch nur sehr indirekt am Schirm nämlich als Einflussnahme der Eignerfamilie auf die Unternehmensentwicklung. Die in dieser Forschung dominierenden Theoriezugänge werden in der vorliegenden Arbeit mit Blick auf ihre Erklärungskraft bzw. auf ihre paradigmatischen Begrenzungen rekonstruiert und dem Differenzierungsvermögen eines systemtheoretischen Verständnisses von Führung und Organisation gegenübergestellt.

Ziel dieser Gegenüberstellung ist es, den theoretischen Blick auf die Besonderheiten des Führungsgeschehens in Familienunternehmen zu schärfen.
Quantile composite-based path modeling: algorithms, properties and applications
Authors: Dolce Pasquale , Davino Cristina , Vistocco Domenico
Published: November 2021

Composite-based path modeling aims to study the relationships among a set of constructs, that is a representation of theoretical concepts. Such constructs are operationalized as composites (i.e. linear combinations of observed or manifest variables). The traditional partial least squares approach to composite-based path modeling focuses on the conditional means of the response distributions, being based on ordinary least squares regressions. Several are the cases where limiting to the mean could not reveal interesting effects at other locations of the outcome variables. Among these: when response variables are highly skewed, distributions have heavy tails and the analysis is concerned also about the tail part, heteroscedastic variances of the errors is present, distributions are characterized by outliers and other extreme data. In such cases, the quantile approach to path modeling is a valuable tool to complement the traditional approach, analyzing the entire distribution of outcome variables. Previous research has already shown the benefits of Quantile Composite-based Path Modeling but the methodological properties of the method have never been investigated. This paper offers a complete description of Quantile Composite-based Path Modeling, illustrating in details the method, the algorithms, the partial optimization criteria along with the machinery for validating and assessing the models. The asymptotic properties of the method are investigated through a simulation study. Moreover, an application on chronic kidney disease in diabetic patients is used to provide guidelines for the interpretation of results and to show the potentialities of the method to detect heterogeneity in the variable relationships.
Zwischen Tradition und Sozialmanagement
Authors: Lochner Barbara , Schweitzer Helmuth , Kratz Dirk
Published: November 2021

Der einleitende Beitrag des Themenschwerpunkts zur aktuellen Situation von Wohlfahrtsverbänden zielt darauf, wesentliche Knotenpunkte der Diskussion zusammenzufassen. Er benennt vor dem Hintergrund der verbandlichen Vielfalt Forschungsdesiderata zu den Auswirkungen verschärfter sozialwirtschaftlicher Rahmenbedingungen auf die Gestaltungsspielräume bei der Sicherung nachhaltiger finanzieller Grundlagen für Existenz und Leistungserbringung der Organisationen.
Integrating philosophy of science in civil engineering: an integrative course design strategy
Authors: MacLeod Miles
Published: November 2021

Many philosophers of science think scientific practice can benefit from philosophical concepts, and as such philosophy of science should play a direct role in science and engineering education. In this paper we consider a highly integrative course design strategy for integrating philosophy of science in specific disciplinary educational programmes through adaptation, operationalization and embedding of philosophy of science material to fit both the scientific and educational structure of a programme. The goal of the strategy is to help encourage students to recognize the value of philosophical concepts to scientific decision making and to apply them in their own scientific practice. We use the example of a 7.5 ECTS civil engineering course which implements this design at a European technical university, to elaborate these concepts, and present some evidence on how students receive the course. We discuss some of challenges and limitations of implementing this kind of strategy for teaching philosophy of science.
Synergetic Modelling of Energy and Resource Efficiency as well as Occupational Safety and Health Risks of Plating Process Chains
Authors: Leiden Alexander , Thiede Sebastian , Herrmann Christoph
Published: November 2021

To meet the sustainable development goals of the United Nations, the energy and resource efficiency of industrial processes have to increase, and workplaces have to become decent for the involved workers. Plating process chains are typically associated with high energy and resource demand and the use of hazardous chemicals. For the analysis and improvement of the energy and resource efficiency as well as for modelling the occupational safety and health risks, a variety of separate approaches are available. Combined approaches are not available yet. An agent-based simulation is used as the basis for integrated energy and resource as well as occupational safety and health risk assessment. In particular, an energy and resource flow model provides the life cycle inventory data for an environmental assessment. The integration of a mechanistic inhalation exposure model through a surrogate model approach enables a combined synergetic consideration of environmental and occupational safety and health effects. A simulation case study shows the impact of chrome acid changes in chrome electroplating processes as well as the effect of different rinsing cascade settings and rinsing control strategies.
Analysis of Urban Heat Island and Heat Waves Using Sentinel-3 Images: a Study of Andalusian Cities in Spain
Authors: García David Hidalgo
Published: November 2021

At present, understanding the synergies between the Surface Urban Heat Island (SUHI) phenomenon and extreme climatic events entailing high mortality, i.e., heat waves, is a great challenge that must be faced to improve the quality of life in urban zones. The implementation of new mitigation and resilience measures in cities would serve to lessen the effects of heat waves and the economic cost they entail. In this research, the Land Surface Temperature (LST) and the SUHI were determined through Sentinel-3A and 3B images of the eight capitals of Andalusia (southern Spain) during the months of July and August of years 2019 and 2020. The objective was to determine possible synergies or interaction between the LST and SUHI, as well as between SUHI and heat waves, in a region classified as highly vulnerable to the effects of climate change. For each Andalusian city, the atmospheric variables of ambient temperature, solar radiation, wind speed and direction were obtained from stations of the Spanish State Meteorological Agency (AEMET); the data were quantified and classified both in periods of normal environmental conditions and during heat waves. By means of Data Panel statistical analysis, the multivariate relationships were derived, determining which ones statistically influence the SUHI during heat wave periods. The results indicate that the LST and the mean SUHI obtained are statistically interacted and intensify under heat wave conditions. The greatest increases in daytime temperatures were seen for Sentinel-3A in cities by the coast (LST = 3.90 °C, SUHI = 1.44 °C) and for Sentinel-3B in cities located inland (LST = 2.85 °C, SUHI = 0.52 °C). The existence of statistically significant positive relationships above 99% (p < 0.000) between the SUHI and solar radiation, and between the SUHI and the direction of the wind, intensified in periods of heat wave, could be verified. An increase in the urban area affected by the SUHI under heat wave conditions is reported.

Graphical Abstract
‘Dams and flows’: boundary formation and dislocation in the financialised firm
Authors: Leaver Adam , Martin Keir
Published: November 2021

Mainstream economic theories of the firm argue that the boundary between firm and market is determined by efficiency-enhancing logics which optimise coordination or bargaining outcomes. Drawing on social anthropological work, this paper critiques these accounts, arguing instead that firms are socially embedded and that firm boundary formation should therefore be understood as an attempt to fix the limits of certain relational rights and obligations that are moral in their conception. Consequently, boundaries are often contested and subject to renegotiation. We employ the parsimonious concepts of ‘dams and flows’ to examine how attempts to curtail the claims of some stakeholders and extend the claims of others at any one historical moment produce boundaries of different kinds. To illustrate this, we first trace the moral arguments used to advance limited liability rights to shareholders during the Companies Act in the mid-nineteenth century, which cut or ‘dammed’ obligations at a particular point and moment, directing new flows of obligation and wealth. We then explore the different moral reasoning of agency theory—the foundation of the financialised firm—which foregrounds the property rights of shareholder principles and obligations of managerial agents to them. We argue that this moral reasoning led to new dams and flows that have changed corporate governance and accounting practice, producing—counterintuitively—a reinvigorated form of managerialism, leaving the firm financially and morally unstable; its boundaries increasingly unable to contain its relational tensions.
Artificial intelligence in research and development for sustainability: the centrality of explicability and research data management
Authors: Hermann Erik , Hermann Gunter
Published: November 2021

Sustainability constitutes a focal challenge and objective of our time and requires collaborative efforts. As artificial intelligence brings forth substantial opportunities for innovations across industry and social contexts, so it provides innovation potential for pursuing sustainability. We argue that (chemical) research and development driven by artificial intelligence can substantially contribute to sustainability if it is leveraged in an ethical way. Therefore, we propose that the ethical principle explicability combined with (open) research data management systems should accompany artificial intelligence in research and development to foster sustainability in an equitable and collaborative way.
Immigrant supply of marketable child care and native fertility in Italy
Authors: Mariani R. D. , Rosati F. C.
Published: November 2021

The availability of child-care services has often been advocated as one of the instruments to counter the fertility decline observed in many high-income countries. In the recent past, large inflows of low-skilled migrants have substantially increased the supply of child-care services. In this paper, we examine if immigration has actually affected fertility exploiting the natural experiment occurred in Italy in 2007, when a large inflow of migrants—many of them specialized in the supply of child care—arrived unexpectedly. With a difference-in-differences method, we show that immigrant female workers have increased native births by a number that ranges roughly from 2% to 4%. We validate our result by the implementation of an instrumental variable approach and several robustness tests, all concluding that the increase in the supply of child-care services by immigrant women has positively affected native fertility.
Challenges of Providing Health Care in Complex Emergencies: A Systematic Review
Authors: Seyedin Hesam , Rostamian Morteza , Barghi Shirazi Fahimeh , Adibi Larijani Haleh
Published: November 2021

Providing health care in times of complex emergencies (CEs) is one of the most vital needs of people. CEs are situations in which a large part of the population is affected by social unrest, wars, and food shortages. This systematic review study was conducted to identify the challenges of health-care delivery in CEs. We searched terms related to health-care delivery and CEs in PubMed, Web of Sciences, Science Direct, and Google scholar databases, as well as Persian databases SID and Magiran. The searching keywords included: “Health Care, Complex Crises, War, Humanitarian, Refugees, Displaced Persons, Health Services, and Challenges.” Of 409 records, we selected 6 articles based on the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews (PRISMA) checklist. Studies were analyzed through qualitative content analysis. The results show that CEs affect health-care delivery in 4 primary areas: the workforce, infrastructure, information access, and organization of health services. These areas can pose potential threats for health-care providers and planners at times of emergencies. Thus, they should be informed about these challenges to strengthen the health-care system.
Core Executive Politics in the Cameron Era, 2010–16: The Dynamics of Whitehall Reform
Authors: Diamond Patrick
Published: November 2021

By the early 1990s, the core executive was established as the ‘new orthodoxy’ in the study of British government at the centre. Thirty years on, this article avers that its main assumptions are increasingly questionable in the light of more recent empirical evidence. The core executive approach may well have outlived its usefulness. This claim is derived from analysis of the Cameron premiership from 2010 to 2016. The focus is on how Whitehall reform radically altered the relationship between politicians and civil servants, reshaping prevailing public service bargains and rules of the game. Ministers identified mechanisms to rebuild political capacity, augmenting partisan control of the bureaucracy. They drew on resources from outside the core executive while politicians increased their sway over civil service appointments. As a result, officials felt they should be ‘responsive’ to ministers. The cumulative effect was to replace interpersonal and institutional resource dependency with a ‘them and us’ model. Consequently, the risk of policy disasters and fiascos grew.
An African School for African Americans: Black Demands for Education in Antebellum Boston
Authors: Mills ShaVonte’
Published: November 2021

This article examines Black parents’ efforts to establish and secure quality education for their children in antebellum Boston, Massachusetts. It situates the African School, a Black-owned cultural institution, within Black nationalist politics and reveals how the schoolhouse became a site of political tension between Black Bostonians and the Boston School Committee. Analyzing petitions, school records, and newspapers, this essay finds that the African School cultivated Black citizenship ideologies that prioritized political activism. This study invites new understandings of the political intersections of education and citizenship, and it illuminates the utility of Black nationalism in antebellum Boston.
“They will liberate themselves”: Education, Citizenship, and Civil Rights in the Appalachian Coalfields
Authors: McCullum Kristan L.
Published: November 2021

The Black Appalachian educational experience during the civil rights era has largely been obscured by mythologies of invisibility and regional racial innocence. The narrative in this article counters these myths through the stories of Black Appalachians who came of age during the 1950s and 1960s in Jenkins, a southeastern Kentucky coal town. It explores the nuances and complexities of Jim Crow in this Appalachian community and demonstrates the various ways in which the Black community navigated segregation and inequality through its commitment to education as freedom. The belief in the liberatory potential of education fostered different forms of activism, from direct-action protest to more subtle acts of resistance. This article uses oral histories to reconstruct the educational experiences of Black Appalachians during a particular transformative moment in history. Prioritizing the voices of those who lived this history not only highlights the agency of Black Appalachians, but also assigns subjectivity and agency in constructing the narrative itself.
The impact of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) response on hospital infection prevention programs and practices in the southeastern United States
Authors: Advani Sonali D. , Cromer Andrea , Wood Brittain , Baker Esther , Crawford Kathryn L. , Crane Linda , Roach Linda , Padgette Polly , Dodds-Ashley Elizabeth , Kalu Ibukunoluwa C. , Weber David J. , Sickbert-Bennett Emily , Anderson Deverick J. ,   for the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention Epicenters Program
Published: November 2021

Initial assessments of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) preparedness revealed resource shortages and variations in infection prevention policies across US hospitals. Our follow-up survey revealed improvement in resource availability, increase in testing capacity, and uniformity in infection prevention policies. Most importantly, the survey highlighted an increase in staffing shortages and use of travel nursing.
Impact of institutional support on educators' subjective well-being during the transition to virtual work due to COVID-19 lockdown
Authors: Kumpikaitė-Valiūnienė Vilmantė , Duobienė Jurga , Liubinienė Vilmantė , Kasperiūnienė Judita , Tandzegolskienė Ilona
Published: November 2021

The coronavirus disease-2019 pandemic changed regular life and work around the world. Educational institutions moved to a virtual environment, in many cases without any experience and preparation. This paper explores the impact of institutional support on educators' subjective well-being during the pandemic lockdown. A quantitative study was conducted in Lithuania with 1,851 educators in April 2020. Institutional support was found to have a positive impact on work–life balance and well-being, as well as reducing work-related, client-related and personal burnout. This study begins a dialog on institutional support and its impact on employee well-being in unexpected work and life conditions.
Divided loyalties
Authors: Kerby Martin , Baguley Margaret
Published: November 2021

St Joseph’s Nudgee College is an Irish Christian Brothers boys’ boarding school in Brisbane. It was established in 1891 to provide the children of Irish Catholics living in regional and remote Queensland and northern New South Wales with access to an education that would act as a vehicle for socio-economic advancement. The first decades of the college’s existence were nevertheless defined by two competing, sometimes contradictory imperatives. An often-belligerent determination to retain an Irish identity existed side by side with an awareness that a ‘ghetto mentality’ would hinder the socio-economic advancement of Queensland’s Catholics. The balancing act that this necessitated was particularly evident in the College’s mixed reaction to the outbreak of war in 1914 and the subsequent reticence to celebrate Anzac Day between 1916 and 1939. This article explores the College’s response through its Annuals (Year Books) and places it in the context of the Australian Irish Catholic experience of war and commemoration.
Punishment and Politicization in the International Human Rights Regime
Authors: TERMAN ROCHELLE , BYUN JOSHUA
Published: November 2021

Conventional wisdom treats politicization in the international human rights regime as invariant: for any given violation, states condemn adversaries while coddling friends. However, we find that politicization patterns vary markedly across human rights issues. Some norms are more politicized than others, and states are more likely to punish geopolitical partners on certain violations. We offer a novel theory of politicized enforcement wherein states punish human rights violations discriminatively based on their perceived “sensitivity” for the target state. Using data from the UN Universal Periodic Review, an elaborate human rights mechanism, we show that states tend to criticize their adversaries on sensitive issues that undermine the target regime’s power and legitimacy while addressing safer topics with friends. By uncovering a strategic logic of human rights enforcement, this research contributes new theoretical insights on the relationship between norms and power politics in global governance.
After dispossession: Shifting livelihoods and lives since the advent of a rubber plantation in southern Laos
Authors: Nakata Tomoko
Published: November 2021

The 2005 launch of a large-scale rubber plantation in Bachiang district, one of several in southern Laos, caused serious discontent among the local villagers whose traditional farming and foraging lands were seized and leased to a rubber company. This and other similar rubber developments based on land concessions in the south have drawn criticism from various quarters, including scholars and nongovernmental organisations. This study highlights how the locals’ views, livelihoods and lifestyles have been changing since the plantation was established, especially since rubber tapping began, and focuses on desires that may have directed their actions. Through an ethnographic approach tracing these changes over time, this study demonstrates that differentiation and diversification within the village have become increasingly apparent owing to both the recent shift to plantation work and other impacts and changes brought about by wider society.
Effect of emphasis spread on VOT in coronal stops in Qatari Arabic
Authors: Kulikov Vladimir , Mohsenzadeh Fatemeh M. , Syam Rawand M.
Published: November 2021

Emphasis (contrastive pharyngealization of coronals) in Arabic spreads from an emphatic consonant to neighboring segments. Previous research suggests that in addition to changing spectral characteristics of adjacent segments, emphasis might affect voice onset time (VOT) of voiceless stops because emphatic stops in Arabic dialects have considerably shorter VOT than their plain cognates. No study investigated whether emphatic co-articulation could shorten VOT in plain stops produced in emphatic environment. The present study investigates changes in VOT in syllable-initial /t/ using production data from sixteen speakers of Qatari Arabic, who read non-word syllables with initial plain and emphatic stops /t/ and /ṭ/ adjacent to another plain or emphatic consonant. The results show that emphasis spread is a gradient process that affects only spectral characteristics of segments, causing changes in vowel formants and spectral centre of gravity of stops. Long-lag VOT in plain /t/, however, was not shortened in emphatic syllables. The findings suggest that shorter VOT in voiceless emphatic stops in Qatari Arabic is not a mechanical aftermath of pharyngealization but, rather, a phonological requirement to maintain contrast between long-lag and short-lag VOT in plain and emphatic stops.
Dysregulation of hepatic metabolism with obesity: factors influencing glucose and lipid metabolism
Authors: Nagarajan S. R. , Cross E. , Sanna F. , Hodson L.
Published: November 2021

The liver is a key metabolic organ that undertakes a multitude of physiological processes over the course of a day, including intrahepatic lipid and glucose metabolism which plays a key role in the regulation of systemic lipid and glucose concentrations. It serves as an intermediary organ between exogenous (dietary) and endogenous energy supply to extrahepatic organs. Thus, perturbations in hepatic metabolism can impact widely on metabolic disease risk. For example, the accumulation of intra-hepatocellular TAG (IHTG), for which adiposity is almost invariably a causative factor may result in dysregulation of metabolic pathways. Accumulation of IHTG is likely due to an imbalance between fatty acid delivery, synthesis and removal (via oxidation or export as TAG) from the liver; insulin plays a key role in all of these processes.
Risk for depression tripled during the COVID-19 pandemic in emerging adults followed for the last 8 years
Authors: Alzueta Elisabet , Podhajsky Simon , Zhao Qingyu , Tapert Susan F. , Thompson Wesley K. , de Zambotti Massimiliano , Yuksel Dilara , Kiss Orsolya , Wang Rena , Volpe Laila , Prouty Devin , Colrain Ian M. , Clark Duncan B. , Goldston David B. , Nooner Kate B. , De Bellis Michael D. , Brown Sandra A. , Nagel Bonnie J. , Pfefferbaum Adolf , Sullivan Edith V. , Baker Fiona C. , Pohl Kilian M.
Published: November 2021

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic has significantly increased depression rates, particularly in emerging adults. The aim of this study was to examine longitudinal changes in depression risk before and during COVID-19 in a cohort of emerging adults in the U.S. and to determine whether prior drinking or sleep habits could predict the severity of depressive symptoms during the pandemic.

Methods

Participants were 525 emerging adults from the National Consortium on Alcohol and NeuroDevelopment in Adolescence (NCANDA), a five-site community sample including moderate-to-heavy drinkers. Poisson mixed-effect models evaluated changes in the Center for Epidemiological Studies Depression Scale (CES-D-10) from before to during COVID-19, also testing for sex and age interactions. Additional analyses examined whether alcohol use frequency or sleep duration measured in the last pre-COVID assessment predicted pandemic-related increase in depressive symptoms.

Results

The prevalence of risk for clinical depression tripled due to a substantial and sustained increase in depressive symptoms during COVID-19 relative to pre-COVID years. Effects were strongest for younger women. Frequent alcohol use and short sleep duration during the closest pre-COVID visit predicted a greater increase in COVID-19 depressive symptoms.

Conclusions

The sharp increase in depression risk among emerging adults heralds a public health crisis with alarming implications for their social and emotional functioning as this generation matures. In addition to the heightened risk for younger women, the role of alcohol use and sleep behavior should be tracked through preventive care aiming to mitigate this looming mental health crisis.
Mental health in relation to changes in sleep, exercise, alcohol and diet during the COVID-19 pandemic: examination of four UK cohort studies
Authors: Villadsen Aase , Patalay Praveetha , Bann David
Published: November 2021

Background

Responses to the COVID-19 pandemic have included lockdowns and social distancing with considerable disruptions to people's lives. These changes may have particularly impacted on those with mental health problems, leading to a worsening of inequalities in the behaviours which influence health.

Methods

We used data from four national longitudinal British cohort studies (N= 10 666). Respondents reported mental health (psychological distress and anxiety/depression symptoms) and health behaviours (alcohol, diet, physical activity and sleep) before and during the pandemic. Associations between pre-pandemic mental ill-health and pandemic mental ill-health and health behaviours were examined using logistic regression; pooled effects were estimated using meta-analysis.

Results

Worse mental health was related to adverse health behaviours; effect sizes were largest for sleep, exercise and diet, and weaker for alcohol. The associations between poor mental health and adverse health behaviours were larger during the May lockdown than pre-pandemic. In September, when restrictions had eased, inequalities had largely reverted to pre-pandemic levels. A notable exception was for sleep, where differences by mental health status remained high. Risk differences for adverse sleep for those with the highest level of prior mental ill-health compared to those with the lowest were 21.2% (95% CI 16.2–26.2) before lockdown, 25.5% (20.0–30.3) in May and 28.2% (21.2–35.2) in September.

Conclusions

Taken together, our findings suggest that mental health is an increasingly important factor in health behaviour inequality in the COVID era. The promotion of mental health may thus be an important component of improving post-COVID population health.