bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
17β-estradiol alters mRNA co-expression after murine muscle injury and mild hypobaria
Authors: Moore Scott Emory , Voss Joachim G , St. Pierre Schneider Barbara
Published: September 2019

Here, we assessed the effects of 17β-estradiol exposure on mRNA co-expression patterns of muscle tissue during recovery in a closed muscle crush injury and hypobaria exposure murine model. Eighteen ovariectomized placebo-treated and 18 ovariectomized 17β-estradiol-treated female mice underwent closed muscle crush injury and hypobaric simulated flight. The mice recovered for 32, 96, or 192 h, and then were euthanized. Their harvested injured lateral gastrocnemius muscles underwent microarray analysis. We used weighted gene co-expression network analysis to construct a co-expression network for the control mice, and then applied the same network to the estrogen-treated mice. We compared the relationships between co-expression in gene modules over time between the two experimental groups. Enriched functional cluster analyses of significant co-expression network modules document a variety of different pathways of interest. Some of the functional cluster enrichments within several of the significantly correlated modules are related to the formation and function of microtubules. Our findings demonstrate that following a closed muscle crush injury in a murine model, the presence of 17β-estradiol alters mRNA co-expression patterns over time. It appears that estrogen promotes the expression of mRNA related to microtubule activity within the cytoskeleton of myofibers and in movement of organelles and receptors. Further study is needed, but the enrichment of these microtubule-related pathways may be integral in the muscle tissue regeneration process, and thus suggests that the presence of estrogen may promote muscle recovery through the work of the microtubules.

Impact statement

This study uses a murine model to address the clinical situation of transporting soldiers or civilians who have sustained skeletal muscle trauma by air. Our findings show that crush-injured muscle tissue of ovariectomized, 17β-estradiol-treated mice exposed to mild hypobaric hypoxia exhibited mRNA co-expression patterns among pathways associated with microtubule-dependent processes. Palmitoylation and other pathways necessary for movement of estrogen receptors to the cell membrane were also differentially enriched in the estrogen-treated mice. These first findings reframe the discussion regarding estrogen effects during muscle recovery from an inflammation-oriented inquiry to that of a structural, cytoskeletal inquiry and support additional research to understand the non-inflammation-related influences of estrogen during muscle recovery. Also, these results may suggest a role for estrogen or estrogen-like substances to treat muscle trauma.
Phase Space Reconstruction of EEG Signals for Classification of ADHD and Control Adults
Authors: Kaur Simranjit , Singh Sukhwinder , Arun Priti , Kaur Damanjeet , Bajaj Manoj
Published: September 2019

Attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is a childhood behavioral disorder that can persist into adulthood. Electroencephalography (EEG) plays a significant role in assessing the neurophysiology of ADHD because of its ability to reveal complex brain activity. The present study proposes an EEG-based diagnosis system using the phase space reconstruction technique to classify ADHD and control adults. Electric activity is recorded for 47 ADHD and 50 control adults during the eyes-open, eyes-closed, and Continuous Performance Test (CPT) condition. Various statistical features are extracted from Euclidean distances based on phase space reconstruction of signals. The proposed system is evaluated with 2 feature selection methods (correlation-based feature selection and particle swarm optimization) and 5 machine learning methods (neural dynamic classifier, support vector machine, enhanced probabilistic neural network, k-nearest neighbor, and naive-Bayes classifier). Experimental results showed the highest testing accuracy of 93.3% under the eyes-open, 90% under the eyes-closed, and 100% under the CPT condition. This study focused on the utility of phase space reconstruction of brain signals to discriminate between ADHD and control adults.
What Can Chemical Carcinogenesis Shed Light on the LNT Hypothesis in Radiation Carcinogenesis?
Authors: Trosko James E.
Published: September 2019

To protect the public’s health from exposure to physical, chemical, and microbiological agents, it is important that any policy be based on rigorous scientifically based research. The concept of “linear no-threshold” (LNT) has been implemented to provide guideline exposures to these agents. The practical limitation to testing this hypothesis is to provide sufficient samples for experimental or epidemiological studies. While there is no universally accepted understanding of most human diseases, there seems to be better understanding of cancer that might help resolve the “LNT” model. The public’s concern, after being exposed to radiation, is the potential of producing cancer. The most rigorous hypothesis of human carcinogenesis is the “multistage, multimechanism” chemical carcinogenesis model. The radiation carcinogenesis LNT model, rarely, if ever, built it into their support. It will be argued that this multistage, multimechanism model of carcinogenesis, involving the “initiation” of a single cell by a mutagen event, followed by chronic exposure to threshold levels of epigenetic agents or conditions that stimulate the clonal expansion of the “initiated” cell, can convert these benign cells to become invasive and metastatic. This “promotion” process can be interrupted, thereby preventing these initiated cells from transitioning to the “progression” process of invasion and metastasis.
Communicating bad news in corporate social responsibility reporting: A genre-based analysis of Chinese companies
Authors: Lin Yuting
Published: September 2019

In corporate social responsibility (CSR) reporting, companies are expected to fully disclose the negative social and environmental impacts of their activities. This study investigates how Chinese companies respond to this challenge by analyzing the representations of occupational fatalities and injuries in 92 CSR reports from 37 Chinese Fortune 500 companies. A move-step analysis was performed on one part of the CSR report, which is the section providing information on occupational incidents. It was found that the negative information was typically disclosed via four rhetorical moves, which are ‘preparing the reader’, ‘delivering the bad news’, ‘mitigating the bad news’ and ‘reassuring the reader’. Communicating bad news through the four moves helps manage the reader’s perception of the reporting company and its CSR performance. The study calls for greater attention to the impression-managing aspects of companies’ self-disclosure of organizational bad news.
Mourning leather: Queer histories, vegan futures
Authors: Hamilton Carrie
Published: September 2019

This article brings memory studies and queer theory into conversation with animal studies through an examination of the process of mourning involved in giving up the use of animal products. Focusing on the use of leather in some queer subcultures, and combining autoethnographic reflection with other forms of testimony, the article argues that giving up leather involves a dual process of mourning: for the lives of the animals whose skins are used in those practices and for the intrahuman attachments and forms of care, pleasure and memory facilitated through those practices. Inspired by recent queer research on leather as a material and ‘mnemonic technology’, the article contributes to research on the use of animal products in the transmission of transgenerational human memory, going beyond food and the heteronormative framework of the family. It also adds new dimensions to the growing literature on veganism by asking readers to take seriously the ambivalence involved in giving up animal products where their use is saturated with memories of human community.
Antiplasmodial Studies Within the Plant Family Amaryllidaceae
Authors: Nair Jerald J. , van Staden Johannes
Published: September 2019

Plants have long served as a first line of defense response to malaria. They have also spawned several classes of antimalarial drugs such as quinine and artemisinin. However, most if not all of these drugs have succumbed to multidrug resistance, thus reigniting interest in the identification of novel chemotherapies against this parasitic disease. The starting point for many of such endeavors lies with the plants themselves whose extracts have served as herbal remedies, which originate from traditional medicine (TM). Several species of the Amaryllidaceae have been shown to have such functions in TM. This survey examines those plants of the family, which have hitherto been examined for antiplasmodial effects against the malarial parasite Plasmodium falciparum. Also considered are the alkaloid constituents of these plants, which have demonstrated activities against various strains of the pathogen. Particular emphasis is made on those plants which both demonstrate such activity as well as have a place in traditional therapies for malaria.
User Group Consultation: Design Quality and Project Success
Authors: Carthey Jane
Published: September 2019

Aim:

User group consultation is more effective when participants work toward commonly agreed goals and objectives. To understand how they set these goals, this research explored how “user group” participants from diverse professional discipline backgrounds define the concepts of “design quality” and “project success,” and their connection on a healthcare facility design project.

Background:

User group consultation is often time-consuming, frustrating, and expensive. Rarely are design quality or project success clearly defined, nor is the connection between them communicated well either in the literature or by project clients.

Method:

Using an online survey, respondents were asked to rank frameworks of components for design quality and project success in order of importance and to indicate how they believed their project clients would assess the same items. They were asked about the connection between the terms, and how well each was achieved on their healthcare projects, both from their personal and their client’s point of view.

Results:

Design quality and project success were personally valued highly by respondents, with a strong connection seen between the concepts. By contrast, respondents perceived their clients saw the connection as less important. Functionality was essential to all, especially clinicians, but designers and other consultants demonstrated a broader perspective on all design outcomes.

Conclusions:

Healthcare designers should take the lead on project teams in defining design quality and its connection to project success as part of setting clear goals and objectives for more effective user group consultation.
The challenge of multiple cardiovascular risk factor control outside Western Europe: Findings from the International ChoLesterol management Practice Study
Authors: Blom Dirk J , Santos Raul D , Daclin Veronique , Mercier Florence , Ruiz Alvaro J , Danchin Nicolas ,   on behalf of the ICLPS study group
Published: September 2019

Background

Comprehensive control of multiple cardiovascular risk factors reduces cardiovascular risk but is difficult to achieve.

Design

A multinational, cross-sectional, observational study.

Methods

The International ChoLesterol management Practice Study (ICLPS) investigated achievement of European Society of Cardiology (ESC)/European Atherosclerosis Society (EAS) guideline low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) targets in patients receiving lipid-modifying therapy in countries outside Western Europe. We examined the rate of, and association between, control of multiple risk factors in ICLPS participants with dyslipidaemia, diabetes and hypertension (N = 2377).

Results

Mean (standard deviation) age of patients was 61.4 (10.4) years; 51.3% were male. Type 2 diabetes was the most common form of diabetes (prevalence, 96.9%). The prevalence of metabolic syndrome was 67.8%, obesity 40.4%, atherosclerotic disease 39.6% and coronary artery disease 33.5%. All patients were at high (38.2%) or very high (61.8%) cardiovascular risk according to ESC/EAS guidelines. Body mass index (BMI) was <25 kg/m2in 20.3% of patients, 62.8% had never smoked and 25.2% were former smokers. Overall, 12.2% achieved simultaneous control of LDL-C, diabetes and blood pressure. Risk factor control was similar across all participating countries. The proportion of patients achieving individual guideline-specified treatment targets was 43.9% for LDL-C, 55.5% for blood pressure and 39.3% for diabetes. Multiple correspondence analysis indicated that control of LDL-C, control of blood pressure, control of diabetes, BMI and smoking were associated.

Conclusion

Comprehensive control of multiple cardiovascular risk factors in high-risk patients is suboptimal worldwide. Failure to control one risk factor is associated with poor control of other risk factors.
Can Split Renal Volume Assessment by Computed Tomography Replace Nuclear Split Renal Function in Living Kidney Donor Evaluations? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Habbous Steven , Garcia-Ochoa Carlos , Brahm Gary , Nguan Chris , Garg Amit X.
Published: September 2019

Background:

As part of their living kidney donor assessment, all living donor candidates complete a computed tomography (CT) angiogram, but some also receive a nuclear renogram for split renal function (SRF%).

Objective:

We considered whether split renal volume (SRV%) assessed by CT can predict SRF%.

Design:

Systematic review and meta-analysis.

Setting:

Living donor candidates undergoing evaluation as potential living kidney donors.

Patients:

Living donor candidates who received both a nuclear renogram for split function and CT for SRV as part of their living donor work-up.

Measurements:

Split renal volume from CT scans and SRF from nuclear renography.

Methods:

We performed a systematic review and meta-analysis of the literature, abstracting data and digitizing plots where possible. We searched Medline, EMBASE, and the Cochrane Library. We added data from donor candidates assessed in London, Ontario from 2013 to 2016. We used fixed and random-effects models to pool Fisher’s z-transformed Pearson’s correlation coefficient ( r). We conducted random-effects meta-regression on digitized and aggregate data. Studies were restricted to living kidney donors or living donor candidates.

Results:

After pooling 19 studies (n = 1479), we obtained a pooled correlation of r = 0.74 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.61-0.82). By linear regression using individual-level data, we observed a 0.76% (95% CI = 0.71-0.81) increase in SRF% for every 1% increase in SRV%. Split renal volume had a specificity of 88% for discriminating SRF at a threshold that could influence the decision of which kidney is to be removed (between-kidney difference ≥10%). Predonation SRV and SRF both moderately predicted kidney function 6 to 12 months after donation: r = 0.75 for SRV and r = 0.73 for SRF; Δ r = 0.05 (–0.02, 0.13).

Limitations:

Most studies were retrospective and measured SRV and SRF only on selected living donor candidates. Efficiency gains in removing the SRF from the evaluation will depend on the transplant program.

Conclusion:

Split renal volume has the potential to replace SRF for some candidates. However, it is uncertain whether it can do so reliably and routinely across different transplant centers. The impact on clinical decision-making needs to be assessed in well-designed prospective studies.

Trial registration:

The digitized data are registered with Mendeley Data (doi10.17632/dyn2bfgxxj.2).
Spindle cell sarcomas, suggestive of peripheral nerve sheath tumours, arising in the tongues of two cats
Authors: Dobromylskyj Melanie J , Martinez Fernando , Lovell Anna
Published: September 2019

Case summary

Two domestic shorthair cats, one an 11-year-old female neutered cat and the other a 13-year-old male neutered cat, presented with partly raised, well-demarcated masses at the rostral tip of the tongue. Histological examination and immunohistochemical staining were consistent with sarcomas, and were most suggestive of peripheral nerve sheath tumours. One tumour had histological features consistent with a malignant peripheral nerve sheath tumour (PNST).

Relevance and novel information

Feline PNSTs arising on the tongue are rarely described in the published literature, and, to our knowledge, a case of malignant PNST originating at this site has not been described to date. Therefore, this represents a new differential diagnosis for cats presenting with a lingual mass. Regardless of histological malignancy, in cats these tumours have the potential for local recurrence but appear very unlikely to metastasise.
Disrobed and dissenting bodies of the Meira Paibi: Postcolonial counterpublic activism
Authors: Basnet Minu
Published: September 2019

In this essay, I explore Manipur-based women’s group called Meira Paibi as a postcolonial counterpublic. I suggest that when we use the lens offered by counterpublic studies and postcolonial studies, we can trace activism that delivers a sharp critique on the politics of a democracy. The current research on Meira Paibi’s activism has specifically focused on their naked protest of 2004 and their peacebuilding activities in the northeast region in India. While scholarship on the Meira Paibi offers critiques on their activism in the face of human rights violations and the postcolonial condition of the state, their impact in relation to the Indian democracy is lacking. Therefore, in this essay, I focus on the creation of the Meira Paibi postcolonial counterpublic that not only seeks to maintain order in the midst of chaos but also challenges the Indian democracy and poses a threat to its neoliberal aspirations in Southeast Asia.
A network analysis of political incivility dimensions
Authors: Hopp Toby
Published: September 2019

Although online political incivility has increasingly become an object of scholarly inquiry, there exists little agreement on the construct’s precise definition. The goal of this work was therefore to explore the relational dynamics among previously identified dimensions of online political incivility. The results of a regularized partial correlation network indicated that a communicator’s desire to exclude attitude-discrepant others from discussion played an especially influential role in the variable network. The data also suggested that certain facets of incivility may be likely to be deployed together. Specifically, the data suggested the existence of two identifiable groupings of incivility factors: (1) variables pertaining to violation of speech-based norms and (2) variables pertaining to the violation of the inclusion-based norms that underlie democratic communication processes. These results are discussed in the context of political discussion and deliberation.
Contribution of Beef, Mutton, and Poultry Meat Production to the Agricultural Gross Domestic Product of Pakistan Using an Autoregressive Distributed Lag Bounds Testing Approach
Authors: Rehman Abdul , Deyuan Zhang , Chandio Abbas Ali
Published: September 2019

Meat is considered an important nutrient of human’s life to gain energy. It accounts as a significant portion of the typical diet in the globe and provides vitamins, minerals, protein, and fats, which are important and have a beneficial effect on the well-being. The major aim of this article is to investigate and explore the association between beef, mutton, poultry meat production, and agricultural gross domestic product in Pakistan. An Augmented Dickey–Fuller unit root test was applied to check the variables’ stationarity, while an autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) bounds testing approach to cointegration was used to investigate the association among the study variables. Furthermore, a forecasting technique was used to project the future production of beef, mutton, and poultry meat in Pakistan. Study results demonstrated the long-standing associations amid the variables. In the long-run analysis, the coefficient of beef production showed a positive effect on the agricultural gross domestic product, while the coefficients of mutton production and poultry meat production showed a nonsignificant association with the agricultural gross domestic product of Pakistan. By applying the ARDL bounds testing approach to cointegration that examines the association between agricultural gross domestic product, beef, mutton, and poultry meat production in Pakistan makes the present study distinctive.
On the Dynamic Effect of Bilateral Concessional Debts on Living Standards in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Ezeaku Hillary Chijindu , Nwakoby Ifeoma C. , Egbo Obiamaka P. , Onwumere Josaphat U. J.
Published: September 2019

This article assesses the effectiveness of bilateral concessional debts on living standards in 29 sub-Saharan African (SSA) countries over the period 1999-2017 using the system generalized method of moments (SGMM). The SGMM linear estimate is based on a two-step procedure, which controls for heteroscedasticity. The results provide evidence that bilateral concessional debts had positive and significant impact on living standards as proxied by the human development index (HDI) within the period. It is observed that 1% change in bilateral concessional debts is associated with about 8.4% improvement in living standards. Gross domestic savings are positively and significantly related to living standards and account for 3.1% increase in living standards. However, gross domestic investment and population growth exerted a negative influence on living standards during the period, whereas a 1% increase in gross domestic investment and population led to approximately 1.40% and 1.63% decline in living standards in the region, respectively. We therefore conclude that, although bilateral concessional debts have yielded the desired effect on living standards in the SSA, there is need for improvements in aid effectiveness. Thus, improved donor effort and collaboration with beneficiary governments in determining development needs and priorities in the region is critical.
Searching for the Sound of a Cochlear Implant: Evaluation of Different Vocoder Parameters by Cochlear Implant Users With Single-Sided Deafness
Authors: Karoui Chadlia , James Chris , Barone Pascal , Bakhos David , Marx Mathieu , Macherey Olivier
Published: September 2019

Cochlear implantation in subjects with single-sided deafness (SSD) offers a unique opportunity to directly compare the percepts evoked by a cochlear implant (CI) with those evoked acoustically. Here, nine SSD-CI users performed a forced-choice task evaluating the similarity of speech processed by their CI with speech processed by several vocoders presented to their healthy ear. In each trial, subjects heard two intervals: their CI followed by a certain vocoder in Interval 1 and their CI followed by a different vocoder in Interval 2. The vocoders differed either (i) in carrier type—(sinusoidal [SINE], bandfiltered noise [NOISE], and pulse-spreading harmonic complex) or (ii) in frequency mismatch between the analysis and synthesis frequency ranges—(no mismatch, and two frequency-mismatched conditions of 2 and 4 equivalent rectangular bandwidths [ERBs]). Subjects had to state in which of the two intervals the CI and vocoder sounds were more similar. Despite a large intersubject variability, the PSHC vocoder was judged significantly more similar to the CI than SINE or NOISE vocoders. Furthermore, the No-mismatch and 2-ERB mismatch vocoders were judged significantly more similar to the CI than the 4-ERB mismatch vocoder. The mismatch data were also interpreted by comparing spiral ganglion characteristic frequencies with electrode contact positions determined from postoperative computed tomography scans. Only one subject demonstrated a pattern of preference consistent with adaptation to the CI sound processor frequency-to-electrode allocation table and two subjects showed possible partial adaptation. Those subjects with adaptation patterns presented overall small and consistent frequency mismatches across their electrode arrays.
Combination therapy with bosentan and sildenafil for refractory digital ulcers and Raynaud’s phenomenon in a 30-year-old woman with systemic sclerosis: Case report and literature review
Authors: Rademacher Jan-Gerd , Wincup Chris , Tampe Björn , Korsten Peter
Published: September 2019

Background:

Systemic sclerosis is a rare autoimmune disease characterized by skin and organ fibrosis, and vasculopathy. Raynaud’s phenomenon is almost universally present in systemic sclerosis and can be the most debilitating symptom. Raynaud’s phenomenon may lead to the development of digital ulcers, potentially complicated by infection, tissue necrosis, and auto-amputation. Recommended treatments have variable efficacy.

Methods:

We report the case of a 30-year-old woman with diffuse systemic sclerosis suffering from severe Raynaud’s phenomenon and digital ulcers with digital tissue necrosis who was treated with combination therapy of an endothelin receptor antagonist and phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor. In addition, we reviewed the literature on the topic.

Results:

Previous therapy with calcium-channel blockers, intravenous iloprost, and bosentan had all failed to control symptoms. We added sildenafil in combination with bosentan and observed a rapid and sustained treatment effect. Raynaud’s phenomenon severity, number of attacks, and attack duration decreased within 2 weeks of initiating treatment. Furthermore, this resulted in the healing of established digital ulcers.

Conclusion:

Our case report suggests that combination therapy may be a feasible treatment for the most severely affected and refractory patients. In our literature review, we found one retrospective study and three additional cases with similarly encouraging results.
Representation of therapy-related myelodysplastic syndrome in clinical trials over the past 20 years
Authors: Borate Uma , Norris Brianna A. , Statler Abby , Fu Rongwei , Bucy Taylor , Sekeres Mikkael A.
Published: September 2019

Key Points

Patients with t-MDS are underrepresented in clinical trials when taking into account the prevalence of such patients. Eligibility criteria and sponsorship type may contribute to t-MDS patient exclusion.
Income inequality and mass shootings in the United States
Authors: Kwon Roy , Cabrera Joseph F.
Published: September 2019

Background

Mass shootings are an increasingly common phenomenon in the United States. However, there is little research on whether the recent growth of income inequality is associated with this rise of mass shootings. We thus build on our prior research to explore the connection between income inequality and mass shootings across counties in the United States.

Methods

We assemble a panel dataset of 3144 counties during the years 1990 to 2015. Socioeconomic data are extracted from the U.S. Bureau of the Census. Mass shootings data are from three databases that compile its information from the Federal Bureau of Investigation and media sources, respectively. These data are analyzed using random effects negative binomial regressions, while controlling for seven additional predictors of crime.

Results

Counties experiencing a one standard deviation growth of income inequality witnessed 0.43 more mass shootings when using the definition of three or more victim injuries (incidence rate ratio [IRR] = 1.43; 95% confidence interval [CI] = 1.24, 1.66; P < .001) and 0.57 more mass shootings when using the designation of four or more victim deaths (IRR = 1.57; 95% CI = 1.26, 1.96; P < .001).

Conclusions

Counties with growing levels of income inequality are more likely to experience mass shootings. We assert that one possibility for this finding is that income inequality fosters an environment of anger and resentment that ultimately leads to violence.
Assessing prior knowledge types as predictors of academic achievement in the introductory phase of biology and physics study programmes using logistic regression
Authors: Binder Torsten , Sandmann Angela , Sures Bernd , Friege Gunnar , Theyssen Heike , Schmiemann Philipp
Published: September 2019

Background

Increasingly, high dropout rates in science courses at colleges and universities have led to discussions of causes and potential support measures of students. Students’ prior knowledge is repeatedly mentioned as the best predictor of academic achievement. Theory describes four hierarchically ordered types of prior knowledge, from declarative knowledge of facts to procedural application of knowledge. This study explores the relevance of these four prior knowledge types to academic achievement in the introductory phase of the two science subjects, biology and physics.

Results

We assessed the knowledge types at the beginning and student achievement (measured by course completion) at the end of the first study year. We applied logistic regression models to evaluate the relationship between the knowledge types and academic achievement. First, we controlled for a well-established predictor of academic achievement (high school grade point average). Second, we added the knowledge types as predictors. For biology, we found that only knowledge about principles and concepts was a significant predictor in the first year. For physics, knowledge about concepts and principles as well as the ability to apply knowledge to problems was related to academic achievement.

Conclusion

Our results concerning the knowledge types, which are of special relevance in biology and physics studies, could lead to effective measures, e.g. for identifying at-risk students and course guidance. Furthermore, the results provide a profound starting point for controlled intervention studies that systematically foster the identified relevant knowledge types in each subject and aim at a theory- and empirical-based optimization of pre- and introductory courses.
Systems Analysis as Infrastructural Knowledge
Authors: Rindzevičiūtė Eglė
Published: September 2019

This article explores the political effects of the development of systems analysis as a form of “infrastructural knowledge”—that is, as a form of knowledge concerned with infrastructure, and an infrastructure of knowledge—that contributed to internal dissensus among scientific experts in the Soviet Union. Systems expertise is largely missing from existing work on the history of Soviet infrastructure. The article analyzes the development of governmental, managerial, and industrial applications of systems analysis in the Soviet context, as well as the transfer of Soviet systems expertise to developing countries. It argues that systems analysis constitutes a form of infrastructural knowledge that enabled Soviet scientists to criticize governmental policies, particularly largescale, top-down infrastructure projects. This critique is interpreted as an expression of a new normativity about what constitutes good governance; it became particularly salient when Soviet scientists were facing infrastructural projects in the global South. Systems analysis, in this way, constituted an important intellectual resource for endogenous liberalization of the authoritarian regime.
A Legacy of Exclusion: The Geopolitics of Immigration and Latinas/os in the South
Authors: Matos Yalidy
Published: September 2019

“A Legacy of Exclusion” briefly traces the historical migration of Latinas/os to the US South, countering the myth that the migration of Latinas/os to the region is new. Additionally, the piece argues that the exclusion Latinas/os face in the region is a continuation of racist policies and unequal power dynamics in the South that link Latina/o presence to a longer historical past and legacy. Through an examination of Alabama’s anti-immigration legislation, HB 56, I make two interrelated arguments. First, I argue that although there is nothing new about Latina/o migration to the region, what is new is the geopolitics of immigration — specifically, the proliferation of immigration enforcement within the interior of the United States. Second, these kinds of racist exclusionary projects have historical precedent. The contemporary regulation of nonwhite bodies is part of a much longer legacy of social control in the United States. Moving forward, I urge scholars of Latina/o studies and related fields whose focus is on the US South to engage with the history of settler colonialism, the displacement of native peoples, and the African American history of this region as a way to make important historical connections among and across racialized and otherized groups.
Fetal exposure to maternal inflammation interrupts murine intestinal development and increases susceptibility to neonatal intestinal injury
Authors: Elgin Timothy G. , Fricke Erin M. , Gong Huiyu , Reese Jeffrey , Mills David A. , Kalantera Karen M. , Underwood Mark A. , McElroy Steven J.
Published: September 2019

Fetal exposure to chorioamnionitis can impact the outcomes of the developing fetus both at the time of birth and in the subsequent neonatal period. Infants exposed to chorioamnionitis have a higher incidence of gastrointestinal (GI) pathology, including necrotizing enterocolitis (NEC); however, the mechanism remains undefined. To simulate the fetal exposure to maternal inflammation (FEMI) induced by chorioamnionitis, pregnant mice (C57BL/6J, IL-6−/−, RAG−/− or TNFR1−/−) were injected intraperitoneally on embryonic day (E)15.5 with lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 100 µg/kg body weight). Pups were delivered at term, and reared to postnatal day (P)0, P7, P14, P28 or P56. Serum and intestinal tissue samples were collected to quantify growth, inflammatory markers, histological intestinal injury, and goblet and Paneth cells. To determine whether FEMI increased subsequent susceptibility to intestinal injury, a secondary dose of LPS (100 µg/kg body weight) was given on P5, prior to tissue harvesting on P7. FEMI had no effect on growth of the offspring or their small intestine. FEMI significantly decreased both goblet and Paneth cell numbers while simultaneously increasing serum levels of IL-1β, IL-10, KC/GRO (CXCL1 and CXCL2), TNF and IL-6. These alterations were IL-6 dependent and, importantly, increased susceptibility to LPS-induced intestinal injury later in life. Our data show that FEMI impairs normal intestinal development by decreasing components of innate immunity and simultaneously increasing markers of inflammation. These changes increase susceptibility to intestinal injury later in life and provide novel mechanistic data to potentially explain why preterm infants exposed to chorioamnionitis prior to birth have a higher incidence of NEC and other GI disorders.
Self-management and its associated factors among people living with diabetes in Blantyre, Malawi: a cross-sectional study
Authors: Kwanjo Banda Chimwemwe , Gombachika Belinda T. , Nyirenda Moffat J. , Muula Adamson Sinjani
Published: September 2019

Background: Self-management is key to the control of glycaemia and prevention of complications in people living with diabetes. Many people living with diabetes in Malawi have poorly controlled glucose and they experience diabetes-related complications. This study aimed to assess diabetes self-management behaviours and to identify factors associated with it among people living with diabetes at Queen Elizabeth Central Hospital (QECH), Blantyre, Malawi.

Methods: This cross-sectional study recruited 510 adults attending a diabetes clinic at a teaching referral hospital in southern Malawi. The social cognitive theory was applied to identify factors associated with following all recommended self-management behaviours. Data on participants’ demographics, clinical history, diabetes knowledge, self-efficacy, outcome expectations, social support, environmental barriers and diabetes self-management were collected. Univariate and multivariate logistic regression analyses were conducted to identify factors associated with following all self-management behaviours.

Results: The mean age of participants was 53.6 (SD 13.3) years. Self-reported medication adherence within the last seven days was 88.6% (n=494); 77% reported being physically active for at least 30 minutes on more than three days in the previous seven days; 69% reported checking their feet every day and inspecting inside their shoes; 58% reported following a healthy diet regularly. Overall, only 33% reported following all the self-management behaviours regularly.  Multiple logistic regression analysis showed that self-efficacy was the only social cognitive factor associated with following all the self-management practices (p < 0.001).

Conclusions: Participants in our study were not consistently achieving all self-management practices with dietary practices being the least adhered to behaviour by many. To improve self-management practices of people living with diabetes, current health education programs should not only aim at improving diabetes related knowledge but also self-efficacy. Adopting interventions that promote self-efficacy in diabetes patients such as exposure to role models, peer education, providing positive feedback, and counselling is recommended.
Data Analytics in Operations Management: A Review
Authors: Mišić Velibor V. , Perakis Georgia
Published: September 2019

Research in operations management has traditionally focused on models for understanding, mostly at a strategic level, how firms should operate. Spurred by the growing availability of data and recent advances in machine learning and optimization methodologies, there has been an increasing application of data analytics to problems in operations management. In this paper, we review recent applications of data analytics to operations management in three major areas—supply chain management, revenue management, and healthcare operations—and highlight some exciting directions for the future.
Behavioral Operations: Past, Present, and Future
Authors: Donohue Karen , Özer Özalp , Zheng Yanchong
Published: September 2019

Behavioral operations is now an established and fundamental research field dedicated to understanding how the behavior of managers, workers, and customers influences operational decisions and outcomes. Just 20 years ago, behavioral research within operations management was relatively small and dispersed. Manufacturing & Service Operations Management has played an integral role in the field’s development since then through its openness to new research questions and methodologies. In this article, we reflect on the research goals pursued in behavioral operations as well as the operational contexts explored. We also share thoughts on promising areas for future research.
Developing clinical academic researchers: insights from practitioners and managers in nursing, midwifery and allied health
Authors: Roddam Hazel , Cross Lucy , Georgiou Rachel , Gibson Josephine , Jones Stephanie , Olive Philippa , Smith Grete , Thomas Lois
Published: September 2019

Background/Aims

Developing a clinical academic role in nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions is challenging because of the lack of a national career pathway, recognition and understanding of the role. This evaluation aimed to explore perspectives of aspiring, or active clinical academics, and healthcare managers in nursing, midwifery and the allied health professions about the benefits, barriers and enablers of engagement in these career pathways.

Methods

In total, eight workshops were facilitated across England (four each for managers and prospective clinical academics), where 162 participants shared their experiences and perceptions of clinical academic research activities.

Results

Three major themes were identified that related to the perceived benefits, barriers and enablers of engagement in these career pathways: building health research capacity, building individuals' health research capability, and improving patient care.

Conclusion

This article demonstrates factors that are valued and perceived to be working well by practitioners and their clinical service managers, and highlights key priorities for further strategic support.
Postwar Prospects in the U.S.
Authors: Woloch Isser
Published: September 2019

This chapter explores the launching of progressive visions for the postwar in the U.S. As the CIO-PAC (CIO-Political Action Committee) produced a flurry of electoral activism, it also crystalized a progressive program for postwar America. Its principal manifesto, The People's Program for 1944, raised a progressive standard for renewal in the postwar moment. The manifesto demanded jobs for all with adequate wages; affordable housing; provision for all of adequate medical care; equality of educational opportunity; and improved protection from the economic perils of old age, sickness, accident, or unemployment. The chapter then considers Franklin Roosevelt's re-election campaign; Harry Truman's approach to reconversion after V-J Day; the conflicts between big business and big labor during the postwar moment; the impact of the G.I. Bill of Rights; and the Republican sweep of Congress in the election of 1946 and its direct result: passage of the anti-union Taft–Hartley labor law.
John Claudius Loudon and the New Suburban Landscape
Authors: Bilston Sarah
Published: September 2019

John Claudius Loudon was an early proponent of the suburbs. His work represented the new spaces as places of meeting, community, modernity, and middle-class happiness. Loudon suggested that women were especially likely to benefit from, and contribute successfully to, this new landscape.
“Art at Home”
Authors: Bilston Sarah
Published: September 2019

Later Victorian interior design manuals presented design as a way of rescuing home life and, by extension, society and the nation, from the forces of capitalism and commodity culture. They treat the suburban home, not as a terrible modern malaise, but rather the solution to a national problem, so long as a reading, thinking, and vigorously practicing female interior decorator is present to work, decorate, and design. A surprising number of texts argue explicitly that for women’s decorating to have its full moral and social regenerative effect, women need to become professional, paid interior designers.
Identity
Authors: Moss Candida R.
Published: September 2019

The chapter uses the mark of the nails in the hands of the risen Jesus in John to investigate the question of identity and recognition in the resurrection. It asks which aspects of bodily identity are integral parts of ourselves and how that identity remains stable over time. It uses medical and philological evidence to argue that the nail-marks on Jesus’s body should be read as scars, not open wounds.
Aesthetics
Authors: Moss Candida R.
Published: September 2019

This chapter uses the white garments given to the saints in the book of Revelation to probe the importance of aesthetics, social status and class in depictions of heaven. It argues that the shining garments of Revelation are encoded with systems of wealth and privilege and that depictions of the resurrection, similarly, are bound up in cultural assumptions that link beauty and wealth.
Jesus: “Cleansing,” Trial, and Last Supper
Authors: Regev Eyal
Published: September 2019

This chapter discusses Jesus's attitude toward the Temple, which plays an important role throughout the gospels' narratives. The gospels seemingly describe a relationship of conflict between Jesus and Temple authorities but lack any straightforward statement by the evangelists about Jesus's attitude toward the Temple. The chapter focuses on three episodes upon whose authenticity most scholars agree: the act of “cleansing” the Temple; the accusation that Jesus says he will destroy (and rebuild) the Temple; and the Last Supper. These episodes offer sufficient opportunities to reconstruct Jesus's understanding of the problems related to the Temple of his day, his expansion of cultic symbolism, and the reactions he engenders as a potential enemy of the Temple. The chapter then considers how the Jewish establishment responds to Jesus's approach to the Temple.
Luke–Acts: Living and Dying with the Temple
Authors: Regev Eyal
Published: September 2019

This chapter assesses both the gospel of Luke and the Acts of the Apostles. Some claim that Luke actually contests the holiness of the Temple in Jewish tradition while situating Jesus within it. For Luke, Jesus becomes more important than the Temple. He provides forgiveness, brings peace between God and humankind, and eventually takes over the function of the Temple, extending it to the Gentiles. The divine presence in the Temple stems from Jesus—and he actually transforms the Temple's sacredness. It is not uncommon to find scholars who argue that from Luke's perspective the Christian community in Jerusalem represents the new Temple. Support for this idea is presented from Acts, but it is not sufficient. The chapter then considers whether or not Luke's understanding of the Temple continues traditional Jewish views or merely uses the Temple as a platform for Christian doctrine.
Relating to Judaism, Experiencing the Sacred
Authors: Regev Eyal
Published: September 2019

This chapter examines how early Christian attitude toward the Temple changed and why. First-century early Christianity was a religious and social movement at the beginning of the process of identity formation. Its members had yet to determine who they were: what part of their identity was contiguous with Judaism and what part comprised all-new elements. During this process they undoubtedly looked to other non-Christian Jews as a point of reference. Literary engagement with the Temple granted the New Testament writers and their contemporary readers the opportunity to express their debt to Jewish tradition, while at the same time their distinctiveness from it. Moreover, this engagement enhanced their sense of being powerful, genuine, and sacred—that is, close to God. For them, the Temple is a means of experiencing the sacred in both old and new fashion, somewhere on the spectrum between what would later be termed “Judaism” and “Christianity.”
Civil Disobedience in the Nineteenth Century
Authors: Shklar Judith N.
Published: September 2019

This chapter focuses on the problem of unconditional loyalty and looks at the case of slavery and the problems it caused for the relatively young American democracy. More specifically, Shklar discusses abolition and calls for civil disobedience as a legitimate form of response to such a challenge. Thoreau in particular is discussed in this context.
Civil Disobedience in the Twentieth Century
Authors: Shklar Judith N.
Published: September 2019

In this chapter Shklar takes the argument about civil disobedience into the twentieth century. The American civil rights movement and in particular its leader Martin Luther King serve as her prime examples to discuss moral questions in theory and practice, The chapter closes with a discussion of the limits of civil disobedience.
Consent and Obligation
Authors: Shklar Judith N.
Published: September 2019

In this short chapter, which mainly consist of board notes which accompanied her lectures, the reader is given a hint at what Shklar intended to argue: the complex relationship between democracy, tacit consent, law-bound rule, justice, and public conduct.
From the Mindfulness Revolution to the Mindfulness Wars
Authors: Gleig Ann
Published: September 2019

This chapter examines the ambivalent relationship between American Buddhist convert communities and the mindfulness movement, and tracks some of the major patterns around mindfulness that have emerged from within those communities. It argues that the mindfulness movement should be located in the lineage of scientific rationalism, one of the three main discourses of modern Buddhism, and is clearly traceable from U Ba Khin's modernist reframing of mindfulness as a nonsectarian practice to Kabat-Zinn's scientific universal iteration. Indeed, Buddhist scholars such as McMahan, Wilson, Sharf, and Braun are united in seeing secular mindfulness as an extension and expression of Buddhist modernism. Buddhist critiques of mindfulness, however, show considerable opposition to core modernist components: universalism, individualism, an emphasis on the experiential, and the scientific-rational lineage.