bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography to Quantify Choroidal Neovascularization in Response to Aflibercept
Authors: Takeuchi Jun , Kataoka Keiko , Ito Yasuki , Takayama Kei , Yasuma Tetsuhiro , Kaneko Hiroki , Terasaki Hiroko
Published: May 2018

Purpose: To investigate the microvascular changes in choroidal neovascularization (CNV) using optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) during anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) therapies. Methods: We retrospectively collected data on consecutive treatment-naïve eyes with typical age-related macular degeneration that initially received 3 aflibercept injections. OCTA was performed at baseline and at 1, 2, and 4 months of follow-up. The CNV images were analyzed using open-source software to assess vessel area and junction density. Results: Fifteen eyes of 15 patients were included. The mean vessel area at baseline was 0.50 ± 0.33 mm2; at 1, 2, and 4 months, the ratios of change in vessel area from baseline were 66.6 ± 38.8%, 80.5 ± 25.5%, and 94.0 ± 29.3%, respectively. The vessel area was significantly reduced at 1 month from that at baseline (p = 0.0015) but significantly increased at 4 months from that at 1 month (p = 0.011). The mean junction density was also significantly reduced from 4.70 ± 1.30/mm at baseline to 3.82 ± 1.06/mm at 1 month (p = 0.00084). However, junction density did not continue to decrease at 2 and 4 months. Conclusion: OCTA quantification revealed that CNV rebounded after repeat aflibercept injections despite shrinking in response to the first injection.
Detection of Antibiotic Resistance Determinants and Their Transmissibility among Clinically Isolated Carbapenem-Resistant Escherichia coli from South India
Authors: Mahalingam Niranjana , Manivannan Bhavani , Khamari Balaram , Siddaramappa Shivakumara , Adak Sudeshna , Bulagonda Eswarappa Pradeep
Published: May 2018

Objectives: The aim of this study was to analyze the prevalence of the CTX-M, TEM, SHV, VIM, NDM, and OXA genes in carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli and their transmissibility at a tertiary care hospital in south India. Materials and Methods: Twenty-one carbapenem-resistant E. coli (carbapenem-resistant Enterobacteriaceae; CRE) were collected from the Sri Sathya Sai Institute of Higher Medical Sciences (Puttaparthi India). Resistance to antibiotics was analyzed by Vitek-2, and the identity of the isolates was confirmed by 16S rDNA sequencing. RAPD and enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC)-PCR were performed for molecular typing. Metallo-β-lactamase production was confirmed by a double disc synergy test. The presence of the extended-spectrum β-lactamases CTX-M, TEM, and SHV and of the carbapenemases NDM, VIM, and OXA was determined by PCR. Carbapenemase variants were further confirmed by sequencing. The transmissibility of the genes was tested by conjugation. Results: Twelve of the 21 (57%) carbapenem-resistant E. coli isolates were community acquired, indicating the spread of CRE in environmental samples. TEM and NDM-5 were found to be the major β-lactamases produced by the pathogens. OXA-181 was found in 5 of the isolates. All 21 isolates were found to harbor more than one of the tested β-lactamases, and all of the isolates were found to have the capacity to participate in conjugation; 15 of the transconjugants were found to have acquired the tested β-lactamases, substantiating their ability to be transferred to other strains of bacteria. Conclusion: Monitoring of community-acquired carbapenem-resistant bacteria is very important as the association of resistance determinants with mobile genetic elements would present a serious clinical challenge.
Loss of the Liver X Receptors Disrupts the Balance of Hematopoietic Populations, With Detrimental Effects on Endothelial Progenitor Cells
Authors: Rasheed Adil , Tsai Ricky , Cummins Carolyn L.
Published: May 2018

Background

The liver X receptors (
LXRs
; α/β) are nuclear receptors known to regulate cholesterol homeostasis and the production of select hematopoietic populations. The objective of this study was to determine the importance of
LXR
s and a high‐fat high‐cholesterol diet on global hematopoiesis, with special emphasis on endothelial progenitor cells (
EPC
s), a vasoreparative cell type that is derived from bone marrow hematopoietic stem cells.

Methods and Results

Wild‐type and
LXR
double‐knockout (
Lxr
αβ

−/−

) mice were fed a Western diet (
WD
) to increase plasma cholesterol levels. In
WD
‐fed
Lxr
αβ

−/−

mice, flow cytometry and complete blood cell counts revealed that hematopoietic stem cells, a myeloid progenitor, and mature circulating myeloid cells were increased;
EPC
numbers were significantly decreased. Hematopoietic stem cells from
WD
‐fed
Lxr
αβ

−/−

mice showed increased cholesterol content, along with increased myeloid colony formation compared with chow‐fed mice. In contrast,
EPC
s from
WD
‐fed
Lxr
αβ

−/−

mice also demonstrated increased cellular cholesterol content that was associated with greater expression of the endothelial lineage markers
Cd144
and
Vegfr2
, suggesting accelerated differentiation of the
EPC
s. Treatment of human umbilical vein endothelial cells with conditioned medium collected from these
EPC
s increased
THP
‐1 monocyte adhesion. Increased monocyte adhesion to conditioned medium–treated endothelial cells was recapitulated with conditioned medium from
Lxr
αβ

−/−

EPC
s treated with cholesterol ex vivo, suggesting cholesterol is the main component of the
WD
inducing
EPC
dysfunction.

Conclusions

LXR
s are crucial for maintaining the balance of hematopoietic cells in a hypercholesterolemic environment and for mitigating the negative effects of cholesterol on
EPC
differentiation/secretome changes that promote monocyte‐endothelial adhesion.
Single‐Beat Estimation of Right Ventricular Contractility and Its Coupling to Pulmonary Arterial Load in Patients With Pulmonary Hypertension
Authors: Inuzuka Ryo , Hsu Steven , Tedford Ryan J. , Senzaki Hideaki
Published: May 2018

Background

An accurate assessment of intrinsic right ventricular (RV) contractility and its relation to pulmonary arterial load is essential for the management of pulmonary hypertension. The pressure‐volume relationship with load manipulation is the gold standard assessment used for this purpose, but its clinical application has been hindered by the lack of a single‐beat method that is valid for the human RV. In the present study, we sought to validate a novel single‐beat method to estimate the preload recruitable stroke work (PRSW) and its derivative for ventriculoarterial coupling in the human RV.

Methods and Results

A novel single‐beat slope of the PRSW relationship (M
sw
) was derived by calculating the mean ejection pressure when the end‐systolic volume was equal to volume‐axis intercept of the PRSW relationship. In addition, by using a mathematical transformation of the equation representing the linearity of the PRSW relationship, a novel index for ventriculoarterial coupling, M
sw
/mean ejection pressure, was developed. RV pressure‐volume relationships were measured in 31 patients (including 23 patients with pulmonary hypertension) who were referred for right‐sided heart catheterization. In this cohort, the single‐beat M
sw
was strongly correlated with the multiple‐beat M
sw
(
r
=0.91,
P
<0.0001). Moreover, a significant correlation was observed between the single‐ and multiple‐beat M
sw
/mean ejection pressure (
r
=0.53,
P
=0.002), with a stronger correlation in those with greater RV systolic pressure (
r
=0.70,
P
=0.003).

Conclusions

The novel single‐beat approach provided an accurate estimation of indexes for the PRSW relationship and ventriculoarterial coupling. It may be particularly useful in assessing RV adaptation to increased pressure overload.
Effect of Wave Reflection and Arterial Stiffness on the Risk of Development of Hypertension in Japanese Men
Authors: Tomiyama Hirofumi , Komatsu Shunsuke , Shiina Kazuki , Matsumoto Chisa , Kimura Kazutaka , Fujii Masatsune , Takahashi Lisa , Chikamori Taishiro , Yamashina Akira
Published: May 2018

Background

We conducted analyses of repeated‐measures data to examine whether pressure wave reflection acts additively or synergistically with arterial stiffness in the pathogenesis of hypertension.

Methods and Results

In 3172 middle‐aged (42±9 years) healthy Japanese men without hypertension at the study baseline, systolic and diastolic blood pressures, brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity, and radial augmentation index were measured annually during a 9‐year study period. Of these, 474 participants (15%) developed hypertension by the end of the study period. Binary logistic regression analysis demonstrated significant individual odds ratios for both baseline brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity and radial augmentation index for the development of hypertension. The rate of onset of hypertension during the study period was highest in the participant group with high values for both brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity and radial augmentation index at study baseline (262 of 965 participants: 27%). The generalized estimating equation analysis revealed that both radial augmentation index (estimate=0.06, SE=0.03,
P
=0.05) and brachial–ankle pulse wave velocity (estimate=0.07×10
−1
, SE=0.02×10
−1
,
P
<0.01) showed significant longitudinal association with new onset of hypertension, with no significant interaction.

Conclusions

In Japanese men, abnormal wave reflection and increased arterial stiffness may be additively associated with the risk of new onset of hypertension. Abnormal wave reflection and elevated central blood pressure may be longitudinally associated with increase in arterial stiffness, and this longitudinal association may be a mechanism underlying the additive effect of these 2 variables on the risk of new onset of hypertension.
Prevalence of Carotid Plaque in a 63‐ to 65‐Year‐Old Norwegian Cohort From the General Population: The ACE (Akershus Cardiac Examination) 1950 Study
Authors: Ihle‐Hansen Håkon , Vigen Thea , Ihle‐Hansen Hege , Rønning Ole Morten , Berge Trygve , Thommessen Bente , Lyngbakken Magnus Nakrem , Orstad Eivind Bjørkan , Enger Steve , Nygård Ståle , Røsjø Helge , Tveit Arnljot
Published: May 2018

Background

New data on extracranial carotid atherosclerosis are needed, as improved ultrasound techniques may detect more atherosclerosis, the definition of plaque has changed over the years, and better cardiovascular risk control in the population may have changed patterns of carotid arterial wall disease and actual prevalence of established cardiovascular disease. We investigated the prevalence of atherosclerotic carotid plaques and carotid intima–media thickness (
cIMT
) and their relation to cardiovascular risk factors in a middle‐aged cohort from the general population.

Methods and Results

We performed carotid ultrasound in 3683 participants who were born in 1950 and included in a population‐based Norwegian study. Carotid plaque and c
IMT
were assessed according to the Mannheim Carotid Intima–Media Thickness and Plaque Consensus, and a carotid plaque score was used to calculate atherosclerotic burden. The participants were aged 63 to 65 years, and 49% were women. The prevalence of established cardiovascular disease was low (10%), but 62% had hypertension, 53% had hypercholesterolemia, 11% had diabetes mellitus, and 23% were obese. Mean
cIMT
was 0.73±0.11 mm, and atherosclerotic carotid plaques were present in 87% of the participants (median plaque score: 2; interquartile range: 3). Most of the cardiovascular risk factors, with the exception of diabetes mellitus, obesity and waist–hip ratio, were independently associated with the plaque score. In contrast, only sex, hypertension, obesity, current smoking, and cerebrovascular disease were associated with
cIMT
.

Conclusions

We found very high prevalence of carotid plaque in this middle‐aged population, and our data support a greater association between cardiovascular risk factors and plaque burden, compared with
cIMT
.

Clinical Trial Registration

URL
:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier:
NCT
01555411.
Longitudinal Change of Perceived Salt Intake and Stroke Risk in a Chinese Population
Authors: Li Yun , Huang Zhe , Jin Cheng , Xing Aijun , Liu Yesong , Huangfu Chunmei , Lichtenstein Alice H. , Tucker Katherine L. , Wu Shouling , Gao Xiang
Published: May 2018

Background and Purpose—

Data for a relationship between salt intake and stroke have been inconsistent. This inconstancy could be because of the majority of studies evaluated salt intake at a single time point, which may be insufficient to accurately characterize salt intake throughout the observation period.

Methods—

Included were 77 605 participants from the Kailuan study. We assessed perceived salt intake via questionnaire in 2006, 2008, and 2010. Salt intake trajectories from 2006 to 2010 were identified using latent mixture models. Incident stroke cases were identified from 2010 to 2015 and confirmed by review of medical records. Cox proportional hazards model was used to examine the association between salt intake trajectories and stroke risk after adjusting for possible confounders, including age, sex, lifestyle, social economic status, body mass index, use of medicines, blood pressure, and lipoprotein profiles.

Results—

Identified were 5 distinct salt intake trajectories: moderate-stable (n=59 241), moderate-decreasing (n=9268), moderate-increasing (n=2975), low-increasing (n=2879), and high-decreasing (n=3242). During the 5-year follow-up period, there were 1564 incident strokes cases. Compared with individuals with the moderate-stable salt intake trajectory, individuals with moderate-decreasing salt intake trajectory had significantly lower cerebral infarction stroke risk (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.76; 95% confidence interval, 0.63–0.92) but not intracerebral hemorrhage risk (adjusted hazard ratio, 0.84; 95% confidence interval, 0.55–1.29). Further adjustment for 2006 or 2010 perceived salt intakes generated similar results. When baseline perceived salt intake only was used as the exposure, a significant dose–response relationship between higher perceived salt intake and higher stroke risk was observed (
P
trend=0.006).

Conclusions—

Change in salt intake was associated with the stroke risk. These data support the dietary recommendation to the reduction of salt intake.
Effect of Antihypertensive Medication on Cerebral Small Vessel Disease
Authors: van Middelaar Tessa , Argillander Tanja E. , Schreuder Floris H.B.M. , Deinum Jaap , Richard Edo , Klijn Catharina J.M.
Published: May 2018

Background and Purpose—

Hypertension is an important risk factor for cerebral small vessel disease. We aimed to study the effect of antihypertensive medication (AHM) on the progression of cerebral small vessel disease.

Methods—

We performed a systematic literature search of electronic databases up to January 30, 2017, for randomized controlled trials on the effect of AHM on ≥1 cerebral small vessel disease magnetic resonance imaging markers (ie, white matter hyperintensities, lacunes, microbleeds, enlarged perivascular spaces, acute small subcortical infarcts, and brain atrophy) after ≥1 year. We performed a random-effects meta-analysis using standardized mean difference.

Results—

We included 4 trials, including patients with stroke, with diabetes mellitus, and people ≥70 years of age. Patients in the AHM group had less progression of white matter hyperintensity during 28 to 47 months (standardized mean difference, −0.19; 95% confidence interval, −0.32 to −0.06; I
2
=20%; n=1369). Two trials reported on progression of brain atrophy with conflicting results. None of the trials reported on other cerebral small vessel disease markers.

Conclusions—

AHM has a protective effect on the progression of white matter hyperintensities, but no effect on brain atrophy. There are no trials on the effect of AHM on lacunes, microbleeds, enlarged perivascular spaces, or acute small subcortical infarcts.
What Children and Parents Think about Children’s Right to Participation
Authors: Kosher Hanita
Published: May 2018

Recent years have witnessed an increase in the global commitment to children’s rights in general and their rights to self-determination and participation in particular. This has been firmly expressed in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Children, which recognises the right of children to participate in decisions about their own lives. The present study examined perceptions and attitudes regarding the concept of children’s right to participation among children and parents from Israel. The results indicate that children showed a tendency to support the right to participation to a greater extent than the parents. The results also revealed that the attitudes of children and parents varied by the context and situation in which the right to participation is realised (school, family, and public settings). Finally, children’s actual participation was found to be associated with children’s and parents’ attitudes towards children’s right to participation.
Lichtenberg’s Point
Authors: Hennig Boris
Published: May 2018

The author argues that when Lichtenberg recommends saying “It is thinking” instead of “I am thinking”, he is not suggesting that thought might be a subjectless occurrence. Lichtenberg’s point is, rather, that we are often thepassivesubject or medium of our thoughts. The author further argues that Descartes’cogitoargument is not affected by this point, because Descartes does not claim that we must be the active subject of all our thoughts. Moreover, the author suggests that thecogitoargument operates with the notion of a qua-object: it consists in the move from “I am thinking” to “I-qua-thinking am”. Seen in this way, thecogitoargument by itself leaves entirely open what might be true of me insofar as I amnotthinking.
Mourning and Glory: Toward Affective Histories of Violence in Africa over la Longue Durée
Authors: Reid Richard
Published: May 2018

The study of emotions in African history is in its infancy, although it is expanding rapidly as a new frontier in scholarly work on the modern era. Considering the violent tumult experienced by the continent over the past two centuries, it seems apposite to begin to explore the role of emotions in the experience and interpretation of those processes of change, which are ongoing at the time of writing. This paper represents an attempt to contribute to the emerging historiography on emotions history in Africa. It is specifically concerned with the power of melancholy, mourning and memory in the context of war and other forms of violent conflict. The paper seeks to adopt a longue durée perspective, encompassing the nineteenth and twentieth centuries, though the bulk of the source material is located in the colonial and postcolonial periods and this is reflected in the weight of the analysis. The analysis itself is concerned with both individual and collective interpretations of the violent past, but the central focus is an assessment of how states and societies mourn the dead; and how they develop processes and systems of socio-political control and memory based on experiences of profound loss and bitter discontent, as well as of supposed military triumph.
Ecstatic Melancholic: Ambivalence, Electronic Music and Social Change around the Fall of the Berlin Wall
Authors: Gook Ben
Published: May 2018

The Cold War’s end infused electronic music in Berlin after 1989 with an ecstatic intensity. Enthused communities came together to live out that energy and experiment in conditions informed by past suffering and hope for the future. This techno-scene became an ‘intimate public’ (Berlant) within an emergent ‘structure of feeling’ (Williams). Techno parties held out a promise of freedom while Germany’s re-unification quickly broke into disputes and mutual suspicion. Tracing the historical movement during the first years of re-unified Germany, this article adds to accounts of ecstasy by considering it in conjunction with melancholy, arguing for an ambivalent description of ecstatic experience – and of emotional life more broadly.
Impostors: Performance, Emotion and Genteel Criminality in Late Eighteenth-Century England
Authors: Milka Amy
Published: May 2018

This article considers the performance of gentility by criminals and impostors during the eighteenth century, arguing that a genteel appearance and behaviour not only facilitated crime, but allowed the accused criminal to access sympathy in the courtroom arena. Gentility comprised a set of polite mannerisms, gestures and appearances, but also required the performance of particular emotions. The performance of ‘genteel’ emotions could bring together a socially disparate group united by a shared valuation of sympathies, feelings and values. Those who claimed gentility in the eighteenth century expressed a concern for personal and public honour, a fear of shame and the desire to be viewed as someone possessing particularly refined emotional capacities such as sensibility and sympathy. Moreover, a successful claim to gentility could secure preferential treatment even for an impostor of a doubtful background and dubious character.
Impacts of the Madden–Julian Oscillation on Storm-Track Activity, Surface Air Temperature, and Precipitation over North America
Authors: Zheng Cheng , Kar-Man Chang Edmund , Kim Hye-Mi , Zhang Minghua , Wang Wanqiu
Published: May 2018

In this study, the intraseasonal variations in storm-track activity, surface air temperature, and precipitation over North America associated with the Madden–Julian oscillation (MJO) in boreal winter (November–April) are investigated. A lag composite strategy that considers different MJO phases and different lag days is developed. The results highlight regions over which the MJO has significant impacts on surface weather on intraseasonal time scales. A north–south shift of storm-track activity associated with the MJO is found over North America. The shift is consistent with the MJO-related surface air temperature anomaly over the eastern United States. In many regions over the western, central, and southeastern United States, the MJO-related precipitation signal is also consistent with nearby storm-track activity. An MJO-related north–south shift of precipitation is also found near the west coast of North America, with the precipitation over California being consistent with the MJO-related storm-track activity over the eastern Pacific. MJO-related temperature and storm-track anomalies are also found near Alaska. Further analyses of streamfunction anomalies and wave activity flux show clear signatures of Rossby wave trains excited by convection anomalies related to MJO phases 3 and 8. These wave trains propagate across the Pacific and North America, bringing an anticyclonic (cyclonic) anomaly to the eastern part of North America, shifting the westerly jet to the north (south), thereby modulating the surface air temperature and storm-track activity over the continent. Rossby waves associated with phases 2 and 6 are also found to impact the U.S. West Coast.
Understanding the Impact of Radar and In Situ Observations on the Prediction of a Nocturnal Convection Initiation Event on 25 June 2013 Using an Ensemble-Based Multiscale Data Assimilation System
Authors: Degelia Samuel K. , Wang Xuguang , Stensrud David J. , Johnson Aaron
Published: May 2018

The initiation of new convection at night in the Great Plains contributes to a nocturnal maximum in precipitation and produces localized heavy rainfall and severe weather hazards in the region. Although previous work has evaluated numerical model forecasts and data assimilation (DA) impacts for convection initiation (CI), most previous studies focused only on convection that initiates during the afternoon and not explicitly on nocturnal thunderstorms. In this study, we investigate the impact of assimilating in situ and radar observations for a nocturnal CI event on 25 June 2013 using an ensemble-based DA and forecast system. Results in this study show that a successful CI forecast resulted only when assimilating conventional in situ observations on the inner, convection-allowing domain. Assimilating in situ observations strengthened preexisting convection in southwestern Kansas by enhancing buoyancy and locally strengthening low-level convergence. The enhanced convection produced a cold pool that, together with increased convergence along the northwestern low-level jet (LLJ) terminus near the region of CI, was an important mechanism for lifting parcels to their level of free convection. Gravity waves were also produced atop the cold pool that provided further elevated ascent. Assimilating radar observations further improved the forecast by suppressing spurious convection and reducing the number of ensemble members that produced CI along a spurious outflow boundary. The fact that the successful CI forecasts resulted only when the in situ observations were assimilated suggests that accurately capturing the preconvective environment and specific mesoscale features is especially important for nocturnal CI forecasts.
Foundations in Italy: What Roles and Challenges?
Authors: Ricciuti Elisa , Turrini Alex
Published: May 2018

This article aims at giving a portrait of Italian philanthropic organizations, highlighting strengths, weaknesses, and challenges that philanthropy is facing in Italy compared with Germany and the United States. The article underlines the extreme variety of the philanthropic sector and suggests that Italian foundations still do not exist as a homogeneous group. Rather, as subgroups, some of them have a sort of strong institutional identity (i.e., foundations of banking origin), while others seem to behave very independently and are less open not only to public oversight but also to communication and peer collaboration (i.e., family foundations, private independent foundations). Moreover, the article suggests that the Italian foundation landscape is experiencing a transition toward new institutional regimes, which will be speeded by the capacity of gaining legitimacy and acting as a more unitary group. Opportunities for growth and access to new resources will be possible only if Italian foundations will proactively contribute to the reconfiguration of welfare systems.
Foundations in the U.K.: Organizations and Nations in a State of Flux
Authors: Jung Tobias
Published: May 2018

In the absence of a legal foundation form, and with differing national legal contexts, researching U.K. foundations presents major conceptual and practical challenges. This article maps and critically discusses the U.K. foundation landscape; it highlights the blurred boundaries of foundations as an organizational form and outlines the different expressions of charity laws that foundations face across the U.K.’s constituent parts. Examining data on foundation characteristics, the article shows that although data on foundations indicate that the organizational characteristics and activities of U.K. foundations resemble those in Germany and the United States, there remains an urgent need for more, and for more robust, data and insights on U.K. foundations to allow for meaningful comparison. Pointing to increased socio-economic challenges and changes in political perspectives on foundations, the article explores the shifting attitudes towards, and expectations and roles of, U.K. foundations and reflects on the issues ahead.
A Systematic Assessment of “Axial Age” Proposals Using Global Comparative Historical Evidence
Authors: Mullins Daniel Austin , Hoyer Daniel , Collins Christina , Currie Thomas , Feeney Kevin , François Pieter , Savage Patrick E. , Whitehouse Harvey , Turchin Peter
Published: May 2018

Proponents of the Axial Age contend that parallel cultural developments between 800 and 200 BCE in what is today China, Greece, India, Iran, and Israel-Palestine constitute the global historical turning point toward modernity. The Axial Age concept is well-known and influential, but deficiencies in the historical evidence and sociological analysis available have thwarted efforts to evaluate the concept’s major global contentions. As a result, the Axial Age concept remains controversial. Seshat: Global History Databank provides new tools for examining this topic in social formations across Afro-Eurasia during the first two millennia BCE and first millennium CE, allowing scholars to empirically evaluate the varied and contrasting claims researchers have put forward. Results undercut the notion of a specific “age” of axiality limited to a specific geo-temporal localization. Critical traits offered as evidence of an axial transformation by proponents of the Axial Age concept appeared across Afro-Eurasia hundreds, and in some cases thousands, of years prior to the proposed Axial Age. Our analysis raises important questions for future evaluations of this period and points the way toward empirically-led, historical-sociological investigations of the ideological and institutional foundations of complex societies.
Five movements in an embodied feminism: A memoir
Authors: Sinclair Amanda
Published: May 2018

How can bodies, embodied experiences and feelings, be recognized as central elements of becoming and being feminist? This article – a mixture of memoir and research reflection – aims to reveal the emergent and embodied nature of feminist paths using myself as case in point. Recounting five personal ‘movements’ over three decades, I show how my material situations, physically-felt struggles and embodied encounters with others, especially women, wrested – sometimes catapulted – my precarious self-identification as a feminist. Writing this as a memoir, I hope to evoke in the reader memories and experiences that highlight their own embodied feminism. The article identifies some problems feminists commonly face, contesting unhelpful hierarchies of ‘good’ and ‘bad’ feminists. I explore some gifts of feminism – encounters with writing and people – which have provided theoretical innovation and personal insight for me, and offer fertile avenues for further research. Avoiding trying to ‘trap’ feminism as one set of views or experiences, I seek to show how our feminisms are always embodied: opportunistic, emergent, sometimes inconvenient, neither comprehensive nor respectable, but frequently bringing agency, invigoration and surprising pleasures. It gives all who call ourselves feminists, cause for optimism.
The Right to Housing
Authors: Wells Katy
Published: May 2018

The issue of justice in housing is rarely discussed in political philosophy. Yet, housing crises such as that currently faceSd by the UK highlight the importance of work in this area. In this article, I address the issue of housing justice by defending a basic right to housing. The right is in the first instance specific to a particular context, that of a Western liberal society. I defend a positive right to exercise a set of property rights called ‘lease rights’ over a self-contained living space of a certain standard, for a minimum term of 3 years. An important feature of this right is that it is a right to live alone. Where individuals have to live in communal housing because they lack the resources to do otherwise, their basic rights are violated. The account provides a distinctive understanding of how a government’s housing policy can fail its citizens.
Professional Capital and Responses to Student Diversity: A Qualitative Exploration of the Role of Teachers in Full-Service Community Schools
Authors: Sanders Mavis , Galindo Claudia , Allen Keisha McIntosh
Published: May 2018

Full-service community schools (FSCSs) are designed to provide historically underserved students with more equitable educational experiences. Yet, the literature has given scant attention to how teachers help to fulfill the promise of these schools. Integrating two critical constructs in education—professional capital and culturally relevant and responsive pedagogy (CRP)—this article addresses the current gap by examining the role of teachers in improving student outcomes at three urban FSCSs. Using qualitative methods, this study found evidence that teachers’ professional capital and CRP help to explain differences in the case schools’ effectiveness. Implications of these findings are discussed.
Small City School Districts’ Capacity for Improvement and the Struggle for Educational Equity
Authors: Duke Daniel L. , VanGronigen Bryan A.
Published: May 2018

The problems faced by many small city school districts are often overshadowed by concerns for big city and rural school districts. We focus on some of the challenges faced by three small city school districts in Massachusetts with high percentages of students from low-income homes. Comparisons are made between these districts and three relatively affluent, high-achieving districts along with three big city districts, also in Massachusetts. We found that the three small city districts with high percentages of low-income homes struggle to provide significant percentages of their students with a high-quality education. We hope policy makers and researchers devote greater attention to helping small city educators overcome their challenges.
Does urban form matter for innovation productivity? A national multi-level study of the association between neighbourhood innovation capacity and urban sprawl
Authors: Hamidi Shima , Zandiatashbar Ahoura
Published: May 2018

Geography of innovation, creative clustering, urban buzz and innovation districts are place-based concepts that have emerged as a result of the US economy’s transformation to knowledge-intensive economies. The notable built environment characteristics of these concepts are spatial clustering, walkability and proximity to urban amenities, diversity, regional connectivity and agglomeration. While several of these characteristics have been associated with urban sprawl in previous studies, there is a lack of direct evidence on how urban sprawl affects innovation productivity. This national study seeks to examine the relationship between urban sprawl, place-based characteristics and innovation productivity. We used Multilevel Modelling to account for built environment characteristics at both neighbourhood and regional levels. We found that innovative firms tend to locate more in census tracts that are less compact but offer spatial proximity to firms in related business sectors. This is likely due to the higher land and property value in compact areas, which could make it unaffordable for small businesses. We also found that the regional compactness positively and significantly affects the number of innovative firms. This is likely due to the role of compact regions in supporting public transit investments, enhancing social capital and reducing poverty and racial segregation.
Mixed neighbourhoods and native out-mobility in the Oslo region: The importance of parenthood
Authors: Wessel Terje , Nordvik Viggo
Published: May 2018

The extent to which the native-born population accept living in multi-ethnic neighbourhoods is receiving more and more attention throughout Europe. The Norwegian debate around this topic started in the 1990s and tends to centre on education and children’s welfare. Thus, our main question is whether native parents are prone to leave neighbourhoods with a high share of ethnic minorities. For this purpose, we utilise ‘white flight’ theory, particularly Ingrid Gould Ellen’s revised proxy thesis. The key mechanism, according to Ellen, is fear of neighbourhood decline. Drawing on register data for the Oslo area, and tracking moves in 2010, we provide circumstantial evidence for the thesis. Both parents and parents-to-be are more sensitive to the concentration of ethnic minorities than are households without children. The size of the effect depends upon housing tenure, with a higher level of out-mobility among homeowners. There is also a marked geographic pattern, with less stability in Oslo East. None of these patterns was found in a control group consisting of non-natives. We conclude by highlighting the importance of housing structure and housing diversity policies.
Popularity and Social Preference Pressure From Parents, Friends, and the Media
Authors: Wright Michelle F.
Published: May 2018

Little attention has focused on how adolescents’ perceptions of the pressure to be popular or socially preferred from parents, friends, and the media influence their engagement in face-to-face and cyber aggressive and prosocial behaviors. The present study examined these relationships among 857 seventh graders ( M age = 12.19; 50.8% girls) from seven middle schools in the Midwestern United States. Adolescents completed questionnaires on their perceptions of the pressure to be perceived as popular and socially preferred from parents, friends, and the media; their face-to-face and cyber social behaviors; and peer nominations of social preference and popularity. The findings revealed that adolescents’ perceptions of their parents’ and friends’ pressure for popularity and social preference related to adolescents’ social behaviors in both the face-to-face and cyber contexts, controlling for social preference and popularity. Gender did not moderate these associations.
Illness Representations of Multiple Chronic Conditions and Self-Management Behaviors in Older Adults: A Pilot Study
Authors: Heid Allison R. , Pruchno Rachel , Wilson-Genderson Maureen
Published: May 2018

This article explores the intraindividual variability in illness representations of people with multiple chronic conditions and examines how representations of hypertension and arthritis are associated with self-management. Intraclass correlations determined the proportion of within-person variability in illness representations including Timeline, Consequences, Personal Control, and Timeline—Cyclical for 25 adults aged 64 and older. Within-person consistency across illnesses was present for Timeline and Timeline—Cyclical, but variability across illnesses in Personal Control and Consequences. Correlations revealed associations of diet, exercise, and sleep with illness representations of people with arthritis and hypertension. Representations of hypertension (Personal Control, Timeline–Cyclical, and Consequences) were associated with adherence to a reduced fat diet, walking, and total sleep time. Representations of arthritis were not associated with health behaviors. Findings demonstrate that clinical practice must consider the illness representations patients have about each of their chronic illnesses to begin to sustain positive self-management behaviors.
Intermarriage and the U.S. Military
Authors: Houseworth Christina A. , Grayson Keoka
Published: May 2018

This article uses a comprehensive descriptive analysis to examine the determinants of racial intermarriage for native-born men and women using the 2012 American Community Survey. A comparison between military and civilian samples is the main focus of the article. We improve upon the existing literature by identifying the proximity of the respondent’s current residence to a military base and including an analysis of anti-miscegenation laws by state. Further, we provide a cohort analysis to parse out generational differences. We find that military members are more likely to intermarry, regardless of cohort, and that non-White military members have higher rates of education than their civilian counterparts. Black females in the military are more educated and have a significantly higher rate of intermarriage than their civilian counterparts. Additionally, the difference in intermarriage rates between civilian and military members is 31 percentage points higher for Black women than Black men.
Situation, personality and performance: An exploration of moderators and mediators
Authors: Edgar Fiona J , Zhang Jing A , Geare Alan J
Published: May 2018

Interactionist theories link individuals’ work performance to both situational and personality factors. However, while prior research finds support for the direct effects of both employees’ situational experiences and their personality on performance, empirical support for their interactional effects is lacking. This article first examines how supervisory support influences employees’ self-concept and in-role performance. Second, it investigates how perceived organisational support (POS) moderates the effects of supervisory support on employee self-concept and how employee self-concept mediates the relationship between supervisory support and employee in-role performance. Using a sample of 215 professional employees drawn from knowledge-intensive organisations in New Zealand, findings suggest that supervisory support relates positively to employees’ self-concept. Moreover, this relationship is strengthened when POS is stronger. The study also finds employee self-concept plays a partial mediating role in the relationship between supervisory support and employee in-role performance. These findings and their implications for research and practice are discussed.
Workers’ participation at plant level: A South African case study
Authors: Bischoff Christine , Masondo Themba , Webster Edward
Published: May 2018

This article examines the attempt in a democratic South Africa to shift from an adversarial class struggle approach (with heavy racial overtones) towards a more participatory and cooperative industrial relations system based on workplace forums. The authors argue that the experiment failed because this attempt at institutional transfer from the successful system of German co-determination did not take sufficient account of the specific social and economic context of South Africa’s distinct industrial relations system. The majority of organized workers in South Africa have over the past three decades opted for engagement with employers on the basis of a union agenda and union independence in order to transform and democratize the workplace. At the centre of this strategy has been the shop steward as the instrument for worker participation at plant level. However, the ethnographic account of participation at plant level suggests that workers feel disempowered and unable to significantly shape decision-making.
Cognitive and Affective Job Insecurity: A Meta-Analysis and a Primary Study
Authors: Jiang Lixin , Lavaysse Lindsey M.
Published: May 2018

Job insecurity is one of the most common stressors in contemporary working life. Although research indicates that the job insecurity construct has cognitive (i.e., the perceived negative change to one’s job) and affective (i.e., the emotional reactions to the potential change to one’s job) components, scholars rarely apply this distinction between cognitive and affective job insecurity in their conceptualization and theory development. On the basis of 535 independent samples, a meta-analysis in Study 1 found that (1) job insecurity was significantly related to 51 out of 56 outcomes and correlates; (2) affective job insecurity had stronger relations with the majority of outcomes and correlates than did cognitive job insecurity as well as explained valid, unique variance in outcomes and correlates above and beyond cognitive job insecurity; and (3) in most cases, affective job insecurity mediated the relationships between cognitive job insecurity and its outcomes. Furthermore, Study 2 examines a moderator that may explain why individuals with the same level of cognitive job insecurity may display different levels of affective job insecurity. Specifically, we found a stronger relationship between cognitive job insecurity and affective job insecurity among individuals with high work centrality with two samples. Overall, results demonstrate that it is empirically meaningful to treat cognitive job insecurity and affective job insecurity as two separate constructs and that affective job insecurity is more closely related to employee outcomes than is cognitive job insecurity. Future research could further assess affective job insecurity and continue to explore moderators and mediators in the cognitive job insecurity–affective job insecurity relationship.
In Search of Precision in Absorptive Capacity Research: A Synthesis of the Literature and Consolidation of Findings
Authors: Song Yue , Gnyawali Devi R. , Srivastava Manish K. , Asgari Elham
Published: May 2018

This paper addresses two fundamental problems in the absorptive capacity (AC) literature: conceptual ambiguity on what AC is and a lack of synthesized empirical findings showing how AC matters for firm outcomes. We take a two-pronged approach to address these problems: (1) conceptual distillation of the literature to discern the core AC dimensions, outcomes, and contingent external knowledge conditions and (2) meta-analysis of the empirical literature to synthesize the findings. For conceptual distillation, we identify three dimensions of AC: absorptive effort (i.e., the knowledge-building investments made by a firm), absorptive knowledge base (i.e., the current knowledge stock of a firm), and absorptive process (i.e., a firm’s internal procedures and practices related to knowledge diffusion). We develop these dimensions by explicating their theoretical roots, functions, mechanisms, and corresponding measures. Leveraging the conceptual distillation, we conduct meta-analyses of the empirical literature and synthesize key findings. We find that AC has a significant positive effect on firm outcomes and that the most commonly used dimension, absorptive effort, has the lowest mean effect size. We also find that knowledge acquisition and innovation generation fully mediate the effect of absorptive knowledge base but partially mediate the effects of absorptive effort and absorptive process on firm performance. Furthermore, AC’s effects on firm outcomes vary across external knowledge contingencies. Overall, this paper provides a strong theoretical and empirical basis to advance a dimensional approach in AC research and thereby facilitates a more rigorous research necessary for cumulative knowledge development on this important topic.
Physician Wellness Is an Ethical and Public Health Issue
Authors: Walker Rosandra , Pine Harold
Published: May 2018

Attention to physician well‐being has traditionally focused on substance abuse, usually with disciplinary implications. But, in recent years, greater notice has been granted toward physician burnout and overall wellness. Burnout and its sequelae not only affect physicians and physicians‐in‐training as individuals, but the impact then multiplies as it affects these physicians’ patients, colleagues, and hospital systems. In addition, the American Medical Association Code of Medical Ethics charges physicians with a responsibility to maintain their own health and wellness as well as promote that of their colleagues. Therefore, the question of physician wellness has both public health and ethical implications. The causes of burnout are multifactorial, and the solutions to sustainable change are multitiered.