bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Interventions to Reduce Need for Antibiotics and Alternatives to Antibiotics
Authors: Wilson Mary Elizabeth
Published: November 2020

Are there Ways to Reduce the Risks of Infections so that we do not Need Antibiotics?

We have many tools available to reduce the need for antibiotics by reducing infections. It is worth examining several of these—keeping in mind that using antibiotics drives the appearance...
The Amazon
Authors: Plotkin Mark J.
Published: November 2020

The Amazon is a land of superlatives. The complex ecosystem covers an area about the size of the continental U.S. The Amazon River discharges 57 million gallons of water per second--in two hours, this would be enough to supply all of New York City’s 7.5 million residents with water for a year. Its flora and fauna are abundant. Approximately one of every four flowering plant species on earth resides in the Amazon. A single Amazonian river may contain more fish species than all the rivers in Europe combined. It is home to the world's largest anteater, armadillo, freshwater turtle, and spider, as well as the largest rodent (which weighs over 200 lbs.), catfish (250 lbs.), and alligator (more than half a ton). The rainforest, which contains approximately 390 billion trees, plays a vital role in stabilizing the global climate by absorbing massive amounts of carbon dioxide--or releasing it into the atmosphere if the trees are destroyed. Severe droughts in both Brazil and Southeast Asia have been linked to Amazonian deforestation, as have changing rainfall patterns in the U.S., Europe, and China. The Amazon also serves as home to millions of people. Approximately seventy tribes of isolated and uncontacted people are concentrated in the western Amazon, completely dependent on the land and river. These isolated groups have been described as the most marginalized peoples in the western hemisphere, with no voice in the decisions made about their futures and the fate of their forests. In this addition to the What Everyone Needs to Know® series, ecologist and conservation expert, Mark J. Plotkin, who has spent 40 years studying Amazonia, its peoples, flora, and fauna. The Amazon offers an engaging overview of this irreplaceable ecosystem and the challenges it faces.
Amazonian Biota
Authors: Plotkin Mark J.
Published: November 2020

Plants

What is ayahuasca?

From Argentina to Australia, from Israel to Istanbul, a once-​obscure Amazonian liana, admixed with a few other plants, is now celebrated—​and even venerated—​as a plant of power, knowledge, and healing that has spawned two state-​recognized neo-​religions.

Ayahuasca is—​first and foremost—​a...
Conclusion
Authors: Plotkin Mark J.
Published: November 2020

How can Amazonia be saved?

Protected areas form the backbone of rainforest conservation. Amazonia is home to several colossal national parks: both Chiribiquete in Colombia and Tumucumaque in Brazil are substantially larger than Belgium, while Alto Purus in Peru exceeds the size of New Jersey. These...
Fusión Latina
Authors: Stavans Ilan
Published: November 2020

What is fusión latina?

Spanish-language TV and radio have been instrumental in the forging of a Latino identity—what is called “fusión latina.” No other immigrant wave has built a media infrastructure with equal power. And media, of course, shapes behavior. The...
Environmental Pollution in China
Authors: Gardner Daniel
Published: November 2020

When Deng Xiaoping introduced market reforms in the late 1970s, few would have imagined what the next four decades would bring. China’s GDP has grown on average nearly 10 percent annually since, and its economy is now the second largest in the world. Forty years ago, the Flying Pigeon bicycle ruled the roads; today, China is the world’s largest car market. And if forty years ago you looked out across the Huangpu River from the Bund in Shanghai, you would have seen farmland and a few warehouses and wharves; now you see the stunning, futuristic cityscape of Pudong. The material progress of the past forty years has been staggering-a source of pride for the Chinese people, as well as a source of legitimacy for the ruling Chinese Communist Party. But that progress has come at great cost: the extreme pollution of China’s air, water, and soil has taken a stark toll on human health. In Environmental Pollution in China: What Everyone Needs to Know®, Daniel K. Gardner examines the range of factors-economic, social, political, and historical-contributing to the degradation of China’s environment. He also covers the public response to the widespread pollution; the measures the government is taking to clean up the environment; and the country’s efforts to lessen its dependence on fossil fuels and develop clean sources of energy. Concise, accessible, and authoritative, this book serves as an ideal primer on one of the world’s most challenging environmental crises.
Origins and Early History
Authors: Wright Dale S.
Published: November 2020

When and where did Buddhism begin?

Like Christianity and Islam, the last two of the five major world religions to emerge, Buddhism has an identifiable founder, Siddhartha Gautama, who came to be called the Buddha. Gautama was born in a village in the low Himalayan...
Contemporary Global Buddhism
Authors: Wright Dale S.
Published: November 2020

Is Buddhism a religion, and if so in what sense?

This question has perplexed Westerners ever since their first encounters with Buddhism in the eighteenth century. Early missionaries, merchants, and government officials living in Asia wrote home in confusion. On the surface, Buddhism certainly seemed...
Framing Today’s Food and Nutrition Issues
Authors: Newby P.K.
Published: November 2020

What’s this book about?

The Oxford Living Dictionary defines “food” as “a nutritious substance that people or animals eat or drink or that plants absorb in order to maintain life and growth.” It cites the often-used phrase “food for thought” as...
Contemporary Food Production, Buzzwords, and Pop Nutrition
Authors: Newby P.K.
Published: November 2020

What are “processed” foods, and how do they fit into a healthy diet?

Food processing transforms raw agricultural crops into food products. For many, “processed foods” carries a pejorative connotation, bringing to mind an array of snacks designed to tempt consumers’ taste buds, like...
Putting It All Together
Authors: Newby P.K.
Published: November 2020

Is focusing on individual nutrients and foods important for health?

Nutrition is a biomedical science with roots in analytical chemistry. As such, it has relied traditionally upon reductionism, the philosophy dominating traditional Western medicine that reduces phenomena to their smallest components. In the...
White Working-Class People and Identity
Authors: Gest Justin
Published: November 2020

Is white identity on the rise?

One of President Trump’s most enduring and foreboding achievements may be the reinvigoration of white identity in the United States and beyond. In his social policy proposals and statements during the 2016 American election, he spoke directly to a...
White Working-Class Attitudes and Beliefs
Authors: Gest Justin
Published: November 2020

What are white working-class partisan trends?

United States

One of the most staggering trends in American politics is the utter collapse of white working-class support for the Democratic Party over the last 50 years. The trend is as extraordinary for its steadiness as it is...
Origins
Authors: McAuliffe Jane
Published: November 2020

Where did the Qur’an come from?

Compared with other world scriptures—the Bible, the Bhagavad Gita, the Buddhist sutras, or the Dao De Jing—the Qur’an’s history is reasonably clear and straightforward, at least as conveyed in traditional Muslim accounts. These accounts start, of course, with the...
Religious Requirements
Authors: McAuliffe Jane
Published: November 2020

Why do Muslims Pray Five Times a Day?

Many visitors to Muslim countries retain the memory of witnessing large crowds of people praying in public spaces or in the streets around overflowing mosques. They will have seen the physical postures of ritual prayer as men...
Ritual and Prayer
Authors: McAuliffe Jane
Published: November 2020

Is the Qur’an used in Public Worship? In other Formal Ceremonies?

Observant Muslims pray five times a day, a cycle of devotion they perform in private or in the public space of a mosque or other gathering area. Each of these prayer periods follows a...
Manuscripts, Public Architecture, and Material Culture
Authors: McAuliffe Jane
Published: November 2020

How Important is the Qur’an to Art and Architecture in the Muslim World?

Millions of people have made a pilgrimage to the Taj Mahal, waking at dawn to behold this white marble mausoleum as the sun’s rays begin to make it glow. The Taj Mahal...
Mormonism (or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints)
Authors: Givens Terryl
Published: November 2020

Mormonism, or the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, is America's most successful-and most misunderstood-home grown religion. The church today boasts more than 15 million members worldwide, a remarkable feat in the face of increasing secularity. The growing presence of Mormonism shows no signs of abating, as the makeup of its membership becomes progressively diverse. The heightened contemporary relevance and increasingly global membership of the Church solidifies Mormonism as a religious sect much deserving of awareness. Covering the origins, history, and modern challenges of the church, Mormonism: What Everyone Needs to Know offers readers a brief, authoritative guide to one of the fastest growing faith groups of the twenty-first century in a reader-friendly format, providing answers to questions such as: What circumstances gave rise to the birth of Mormonism? Why was Utah chosen as a place of refuge? Do you have to believe the Book of Mormon to be a Latter-day Saint? Why do women not hold the priesthood? How wealthy is the church and how much are top leaders paid? Written by a believer and the premier scholar of the Latter-day Saints faith, this remarkably readable introduction provides a sympathetic but unstinting account of one of the few religious traditions to maintain its vitality and growth in an era of widespread disaffiliation.
Eclipses
Authors: Close Frank
Published: November 2020

Have you ever seen a total solar eclipse? If the question caused you to search your memory, the correct answer would have been “no.” A common response is: “Yes--I saw one, it was about 90% partial eclipse where I lived.” A 90% partial eclipse is indeed a remarkable phenomenon, but true totality leaves all else in the shade, in all senses of the phrase. Ask the question of anyone who has experienced the full sensation of being obliterated by the moon's shadow, and they will reply “yes”--without hesitation--and continue with a monologue describing the overwhelming experiences and unique phenomena that ensued. On 21 August 2017 millions of people across the United States witnessed “The Great American Eclipse” of the Sun. The moment it was over, people around the world were asking questions: what caused the weird shadows and colors in the build up to totality? Were those ephemeral bands of shadows gliding across the ground in the seconds before totality real or an optical illusion? Why this, what that, but above all: where and when can I see a total solar eclipse again? Eclipses: What Everyone Needs to Know helps explain the profound differences between a 99.99% partial eclipse and true totality, and inform readers how to experience this most beautiful natural phenomenon successfully. It covers eclipses of sun, moon, and other astronomical objects, and their applications in science, as well as their role in history, literature, and myth. It describes the phenomena to expect at a solar eclipse and the best ways to record them--by camera, video, or by simple handmade experiments. The book covers the timetable of upcoming eclipses, where the best locations will be to see them, and the opportunities for using them as vehicles for inspiration and education. As a veteran of seven total solar eclipses, physicist Frank Close is an expert both on the theory and practice of eclipses. Eclipses: What Everyone Needs to Know is a popular source of information on the physics of eclipses.
Recovery from Opioid Addiction
Authors: Olsen Yngvild , Sharfstein Joshua M.
Published: November 2020

What is recovery from opioid addiction?

Recovery is the process of moving beyond a pathological engagement with opioids. It includes such steps as rebuilding constructive relationships, establishing a stable living situation, and finding meaning and purpose in life. Every person has a different journey...
Prevention Policy for the Opioid Epidemic
Authors: Olsen Yngvild , Sharfstein Joshua M.
Published: November 2020

How can communities prevent opioid addiction?

Addiction involves an interaction between the substance, an individual, and the environment. This means there are three ways to prevent addiction: by reducing exposure, by helping individuals remain resilient even when exposure occurs, and by promoting a healthy...
Criminal Justice Policy and the Opioid Epidemic
Authors: Olsen Yngvild , Sharfstein Joshua M.
Published: November 2020

What is the war on drugs?

The “war on drugs” refers to the primary US approach to addressing drug use since the early 1970s. While its roots can be traced to the anti-drug rhetoric and legislation of the early 20th century, its modern...
China’s Political Economy
Authors: Kroeber Arthur R.
Published: November 2020

What is China’s political system?

Understanding China’s unique and resilient governance system is essential for making sense of the country’s economic past, present, and future. We may briefly describe it as follows: China is (1) a one-party state that (2) governs in a...
Energy and the Environment
Authors: Kroeber Arthur R.
Published: November 2020

In the preceding chapters, we have examined three of the systems that support China’s economic structure: the financial, fiscal, and enterprise systems. In this chapter, we will look at the fourth major system, energy. This is in some ways the most complex system because China’s...
Serbs
Authors: Judah Tim
Published: November 2020

Throughout history the map of Serbia has grown, shrunk, disappeared, and reappeared—several times. Sometimes Kosovo has been part of Serbia, sometimes not. Let’s look at the last hundred years: In 1912 Serbian forces retook Kosovo from the Ottomans. In 1915 they lost it, only...
Kosovo and the Region
Authors: Judah Tim
Published: November 2020

Sometimes on the graves of Kosovo Albanian fighters, on Albanian Internet sites, and elsewhere you see an unfamiliar map, one that engulfs and dwarfs Kosovo. It is Greater or, as Albanians like to call it, “ethnic Albania.” The question it raises is whether the...
Agribusiness, Supermarkets, And Fast Food
Authors: Paarlberg Robert
Published: November 2020

What does the word “agribusiness” mean?

The term “agribusiness” was coined in 1957 by two professors at the Harvard Business School, Ray Goldberg and John H. Davis, in recognition of an important change then taking place in the American agricultural sector. The “on-farm” part of...
Organic and Local Food
Authors: Paarlberg Robert
Published: November 2020

What is organic food?

The label “organic” refers to a method of food production. Organic food is produced without any human-made (i.e., synthetic) fertilizers, pesticides, or preservatives. In organic systems, farmers use a variety of methods that do not require synthetic substances. For example, soil...
Prologue
Authors: Ruse Michael
Published: November 2020

Why Should I Write—Why Should You Read—a Book on Atheism?

On September 11, 2001 (9/11), Muslim fanatics hijacked four planes. Two were flown into the World Trade Center in New York, one into the Pentagon in Washington, D.C., and the fourth failed to find its destination,...
Naturalistic Explanations
Authors: Ruse Michael
Published: November 2020

Explanations?

In the light of the issues detailed in the critical chapters, if you are a nonbeliever, you are going to ask how on earth we got ourselves into this kind of mess. Religion obviously has had and in major respects still does have...
Is Religion Evil?
Authors: Ruse Michael
Published: November 2020

Why Aren’t We Finished?

We have gone through the history. We have dug through the facts and figures. We have looked at the arguments for and against. We have peered into the naturalistic reasons for belief. Why aren’t we finished? The simple and true...
Envoi
Authors: Ruse Michael
Published: November 2020

Early in the writing of this book, I realized that I could not conceal my own thinking on the subject. My values and beliefs were bound to color what I wrote. Pretending that I do not have them or that they do not affect my writing would be...
The Ancient Origins of Military Ethics
Authors: Lucas George
Published: November 2020

Isn’t this idea of ethics and professional conduct in war a relatively recent concept?

It is certainly reasonable to conclude that the moral concerns and moral sensibilities enshrined in relatively recent international conventions to protect the rights of war’s vulnerable victims (discussed in the...
The Catholic Church 101
Authors: Allen John L.
Published: November 2020

Close your eyes and try to imagine a “typical” Catholic. If you’re like most people, you’ll probably picture a white priest or bishop, somewhere in the Western world—Rome, maybe. When Hollywood wants to depict the Church, that’s what the central casting office usually dials up....
Worship
Authors: Allen John L.
Published: November 2020

In Catholic argot, the various rites and rituals of the Church are known as “liturgies,” from the ancient Greek term leitourgia, meaning “work,” referring to the public work of the state done on behalf of the people. The term was used in Greco-Roman...
Catholicism And Sex
Authors: Allen John L.
Published: November 2020

From the beginning, Catholicism has been accused of broadcasting mixed messages about sex. On the one hand, the great heroes of the faith have typically been asexual virgins. St. Simon Stylites, for instance, was a fifth-century ascetic in Syria who sought refuge atop a pillar,...
Crisis And Scandal
Authors: Allen John L.
Published: November 2020

If a management guru were to conduct a marketing study of the Catholic Church, relying solely on newspaper articles, popular books, and Hollywood movies to get a sense of the Church’s core product, the conclusion might well be that Catholicism is in the business not...
New Frontiers
Authors: Allen John L.
Published: November 2020

Back in the early sixteenth century, things looked fairly bleak for the Catholic Church. Sensational accounts of sexual and financial scandals involving Catholic priests had inflamed public opinion, fueling perceptions of the Church as arrogant and hypocritical. Internally, the Church was torn by fierce theological...
Social and Historical Background
Authors: Ker-Lindsay James
Published: November 2020

What and where is Cyprus?

The island of Cyprus lies at the farthest eastern end of the Mediterranean Sea at the crossroads between Europe, Africa, and Asia. Its nearest neighbour, Turkey, lies approximately 50 miles north of the island. Next closest, lying 70 miles...
Constitutional Collapse, 1960–1974
Authors: Ker-Lindsay James
Published: November 2020

This is the chapter-level abstract
The Third Darfur Rebellion Continued
Authors: Natsios Andrew S.
Published: November 2020

How did the Darfuri rebels arm themselves?

To understand the complexity of the third Darfur rebellion we must now review the four sources of weapons that supported rebel combat operations. First, the rebels captured weapons, vehicles, and military equipment during their victories over the SAF...
The Future of North and South Sudan
Authors: Natsios Andrew S.
Published: November 2020

How has the NCP remained in power for two decades?

Since 1998, the NCP has used rising oil revenues to ensure its survival. Khartoum has built a domestic munitions industry, producing tanks, Kalashnikov machine guns, ammunition, and small arms to provision the SAF, should international...
Venezuela Before Oil
Authors: Tinker Salas Miguel
Published: November 2020

What groups lived in Venezuela before the arrival of the Spaniards in the sixteenth century?

With its unpredictable weather patterns, fragmented topography, and impenetrable rainforest, Venezuela proved incapable of sustaining large complex and hierarchical structured indigenous societies similar to those found in Mexico, Central...
Historical Overfishing
Authors: Hilborn Ray , Hilborn Ulrike
Published: November 2020

Is overfishing a new problem?

Although they are mammals, whales were originally thought to be fish and their exploitation was referred to as the whale fishery. As governments replaced kingdoms and fisheries regulations came into being, management of whale fisheries became the province of...
Recovery of Fisheries
Authors: Hilborn Ray , Hilborn Ulrike
Published: November 2020

Can fish stocks recover from overfishing?

Meet the striped bass. Abundant, tasty, and fights like a tiger. The perfect sport fish, Methuselahs of 70 pounds are still being caught and stand as the poster boys for a wondrous recovery from overfishing.

When Europeans first...
Trawling Impacts on Ecosystems
Authors: Hilborn Ray , Hilborn Ulrike
Published: November 2020

How do trawls and dredges work and why are they still used to catch fish?

“Enormous bottom trawl nets are dragged along the sea floor, catching all marine life and killing all habitats—they swallow and destroy everything in their path.”

This is how an environmental...
Marine Protected Areas
Authors: Hilborn Ray , Hilborn Ulrike
Published: November 2020

What are marine protected areas?

One of the crown jewels of marine ecosystems is the Great Barrier Reef (GBR) off the northeast coast of Australia. The reef stretches along 2,600 km of the Queensland coast and consists of 900 islands and 2,900 reefs. It...
The Legal Context
Authors: Solinger Rickie
Published: November 2020

Why are reproductive issues governed variously by state laws, federal laws, and court decisions?

The United States Constitution created a governing system known as federalism, under which the states and the national government share powers. The Constitution is specific about which powers the...
Single-Host Human Pathogens
Authors: Doherty Peter C.
Published: November 2020

Is an infection that is already widespread in humans likely to cause a pandemic?

As discussed previously, that really gets down to a matter of terminology. The influenza A viruses that emerge as a consequence of genetic reassortment, perhaps between viruses circulating in us...
HIV/AIDS
Authors: Doherty Peter C.
Published: November 2020

Is HIV still a concern?

That depends a lot on how and where we live. The current situation for HIV is a bit like that discussed above for the HepC virus in that, while HIV is active in every nation on the planet, the...
Government and Democracy
Authors: Brennan Jason
Published: November 2020

How do libertarians define “government”?

By definition, the government of a society is the part of that society that (1) claims a rightful monopoly on the use of coercive force, (2) claims the right to make and impose rules on others, and (3) has...
The Franco Regime, 1939–1975
Authors: Chislett William
Published: November 2020

What kind of dictatorship did General Franco establish after winning the 1936–1939 Civil War?

On top of the more than 200,000 who died at the battle fronts between 1936 and 1939, at least 150,000 people were murdered extrajudicially or executed after flimsy legal process...
A New Republic
Authors: Kamdar Mira
Published: November 2020

What challenges did India face at independence?

When India achieved independence from Britain on August 15, 1947, it faced a daunting situation. Its population of 345 million was largely poor and uneducated. Average life expectancy was just thirty-two years. Ninety-two percent of India’s people were...
Economy
Authors: Kamdar Mira
Published: November 2020

What is the size of India’s economy and how fast is it growing?

In terms of purchasing power parity, India’s $2.3 trillion economy ranked third in the world after the United States and China in 2016. Purchasing power parity means a comparison of economies in...
Is There Additional Value to Flexion-Extension Radiographs for Degenerative Spondylolisthesis?
Authors: Kashigar Aidin , Laratta Joseph L. , Carreon Leah Y. , Bisson Erica F. , Ghogawala Zoher , Yew Andrew Y. , Mkorombindo Tino , Mummaneni Praveen V. , Glassman Steven D.
Published: November 2020

Study Design.

Multicenter retrospective study.

Objective.

Flexion-extension radiographs are frequently used to assess motion in patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis. However, they expose patients to additional radiation and increase cost. The aim of this study is to determine if flexion-extension radiographs provide additional information not seen on upright neutral radiographs and supine magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) that may guide surgical decision making.

Summary of Background Data.

Supine MRI and upright neutral radiographs are routinely performed in patients with degenerative spondylolisthesis. It is unclear whether additional flexion-extension views play a significant role in surgical planning for this patient population.

Methods.

From the Quality Outcomes Database, patients who had surgery for grade 1 degenerative spondylolisthesis were identified. Magnitude of slip on pre-op supine MRI, upright neutral, flexion, and extension radiographs were measured. Additional motion was defined as 3 mm or more slip difference between radiographs. For the purpose of this analysis, patients with a slip of 7 mm or more on upright neutral radiographs were assumed to require a fusion.

Results.

A total of 191 patients were identified. Mean age was 61.6 years (114 females, 60%). Only 31 patients (16%) had additional motion on flexion-extension views not seen on upright neutral x-rays versus supine MRI. Of these 31 patients, 19 had slips less than 7 mm on upright x-ray, generating equipoise for fusion.

Conclusion.

Flexion-extension radiographs may play a limited role in management of degenerative spondylolisthesis. The subset of patients for which flexion-extension views were most likely to provide value were patients with smaller slips (<7 mm) with no evidence of motion on standing radiographs versus MRI. In 90% of spondylolisthesis cases, information used for surgical planning may be ascertained by comparing motion between supine MRI and upright lateral radiographs.

Level of Evidence: 3
Metabolic Response by 18F-FDG PET/CT in Metastatic Malignant Struma Ovarii Treated With Targeted Therapies
Authors: Seban Romain-David , Bozec Laurence , Nascimento-Leite Camila , Champion Laurence
Published: November 2020

Malignant struma ovarii (MSO) is a rare malignant ovarian tumor, histologically identical to differentiated thyroid cancers. Given the rarity of this disease, there are no treatment guidelines, and the place of imaging for response assessment remains controversial. We report a metabolic response assessed by 18F-FDG PET/CT in a 71-year-old woman with radioiodine-refractory metastatic MSO treated by targeted therapies (first line with lenvatinib and second line with pazopanib). This case of exceptional response also highlights the usefulness of 18F-FDG PET/CT for therapeutic assessment of targeted drugs in such a rare clinical entity of malignant MSO.
Paradigm Shift in Airway Management for Pierre Robin Sequence: Tongue Base Suspension
Authors: Safri Shabbir , Wickemeyer Johanna L. , Valika Taher S.
Published: November 2020

Surgical management of the airway in children with Pierre Robin Sequence (PRS) includes tongue lip adhesion and mandibular distraction. Herein, the authors report the first case of an alternative surgical approach, the tongue base suspension (TBS).

A full-term 5-week-old male with PRS with difficulty managing his airway through noninvasive mechanisms. A polysomnogram revealed severe obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) despite support. Parents desired the least invasive surgical approach, and therefore TBS was offered. Child underwent TBS without complications and weaned from 15L high flow to room air over 48 hours. Post-procedure polysomnogram revealed complete resolution of OSA. The child was discharged home without any supplemental support.

The standard of surgical care for children with PRS has been either tongue lip adhesion or mandibular distraction. While their success is well-established, no alternatives have been considered. The authors demonstrate TBS can provide a less invasive, equally viable, and improved alternative in children with PRS.
Anxiety and depression among people living in quarantine centers during COVID-19 pandemic: A mixed method study from western Nepal
Authors: Udaya Bahadur BC , Pokharel Sunil , Munikar Sabika , Wagle Chetan Nidhi , Adhikary Pratik , Shahi Brish Bahadur , Thapa Chandra , Bhandari Ram Prasad , Adhikari Bipin , Thapa Kanchan
Published: November 2020

Background

In response to the COVID-19 pandemic, incoming travelers were quarantined at specific centers in Nepal and major checkpoints in Nepal-India border. Nepal adopted a generic public health approaches to control and quarantine returnee migrants, with little attention towards the quality of quarantine facilities and its aftermath, such as the poor mental health of the returnee migrants. The main objective of this study was to explore the status of anxiety and depression, and factors affecting them among returnee migrants living in institutional quarantine centers of western Nepal.

Methods

A mixed method approach was used which included a quantitative survey and in-depth interviews (IDIs). Survey questionnaire utilized Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) and Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI) tools, which were administered among 441 quarantined returnee migrants and IDIs were conducted among 12 participants which included a mix of quarantined migrants and healthcare workers from the quarantine centres. Descriptive and inferential analyses were conducted on quantitative data; and thematic analysis was utilized for qualitative data.

Results

Mild depression (9.1%; 40/441) and anxiety (16.1%, 71/441) was common among respondents followed by moderate depression and anxiety {depression (3.4%; 15/441), anxiety (4.1%, 18/441)} and severe depression and anxiety {depression (1.1%; 5/441), anxiety (0.7%, 3/441)}. Anxiety and depression were independent of their socio-demographic characteristics. Perceived fear of contracting COVID-19, severity and death were prominent among the respondents.

Respondents experienced stigma and discrimination in addition to being at the risk of disease and possible loss of employment and financial responsibilities. In addition, poor (quality and access to) health services, and poor living condition at the quarantine centres adversely affected respondents’ mental health.

Conclusion

Depression and anxiety among quarantined population warrants more research. Institutional quarantine centers of Karnali province of Nepal were in poor conditions which adversely impacted mental health of the respondents. Poor resources allocation for health, hygiene and living conditions can be counterproductive to the population quarantined.
Human brain organoids reveal accelerated development of cortical neuron classes as a shared feature of autism risk genes
Authors: Paulsen Bruna , Velasco Silvia , Kedaigle Amanda J. , Pigoni Martina , Quadrato Giorgia , Deo Anthony , Adiconis Xian , Uzquiano Ana , Kim Kwanho , Simmons Sean K. , Tsafou Kalliopi , Albanese Alex , Sartore Rafaela , Abbate Catherine , Tucewicz Ashley , Smith Samantha , Chung Kwanghun , Lage Kasper , Regev Aviv , Levin Joshua Z. , Arlotta Paola
Published: November 2020

Genetic risk for autism spectrum disorder (ASD) has been associated with hundreds of genes spanning a wide range of biological functions. The phenotypic alterations in the human brain resulting from mutations in ASD risk genes remain unclear, and the level at which these alterations converge on shared disease pathology is poorly understood. Here, we leveraged reproducible organoid models of the human cerebral cortex to identify cell type-specific developmental abnormalities associated with haploinsufficiency in three ASD risk genes,SUV420H1(KMT5B),PTEN, andCHD8. We performed comprehensive single-cell RNA-sequencing (scRNA-seq) of over 400,000 cells, and proteomic analysis on individual organoids sampled at different developmental stages to investigate phenotypic convergence among these genes. We find that within a defined period of early cortical development, each of the three mutations demonstrates accelerated development of cortical neurons. Notably, they do so by affecting different neuronal populations: excitatory deep layer (SUV420H1) and callosal (PTEN) neurons, and inhibitory interneurons (CHD8). This work shows that haploinsufficiency in ASD risk genes converge on early developmental defects in the generation of neurons of the cortical microcircuit.
Engineered Prime Editors with PAM flexibility
Authors: Kweon Jiyeon , Yoon Jung-Ki , Jang An-Hee , Shin Ha Rim , See Ji-Eun , Jang Gayoung , Kim Jong-Il , Kim Yongsub
Published: November 2020

Although prime editors are a powerful tool for genome editing, which can generate various types of mutations such as nucleotide substitutions, insertions, and deletions in the genome without double-strand breaks or donor DNA, the conventional prime editors are still limited to its target scopes because of the PAM preference of the spCas9 protein. Here, we described the engineered prime editors to expand the range of their target sites using various PAM-flexible Cas9 variants.
Glutaric aciduria type 3 is a naturally occurring biochemical trait in inbred mice of 129 substrains
Authors: Leandro João , Bender Aaron , Dodatko Tetyana , Argmann Carmen , Yu Chunli , Houten Sander M.
Published: November 2020

The glutaric acidurias are a group of inborn errors of metabolism with different etiologies. Glutaric aciduria type 3 (GA3) is a biochemical phenotype with uncertain clinical relevance caused by a deficiency of succinyl-CoA:glutarate-CoA transferase (SUGCT). SUGCT catalyzes the succinyl-CoA-dependent conversion of glutaric acid into glutaryl-CoA preventing urinary loss of the organic acid. Here, we describe the presence of a GA3 trait in mice of 129 substrains due to SUGCT deficiency, which was identified by screening of urine organic acid profiles obtained from different inbred mouse strains including 129S2/SvPasCrl. Molecular and biochemical analyses in an F2 population of the parental C57BL/6J and 129S2/SvPasCrl strains (B6129F2) confirmed that the GA3 trait occurred inSugct129/129animals. We evaluated the impact of SUGCT deficiency on metabolite accumulation in the glutaric aciduria type 1 (GA1) mouse model. We found that GA1 mice with SUGCT deficiency have decreased excretion of urine 3-hydroxyglutaric acid and decreased levels glutarylcarnitine in urine, plasma and kidney. Our work demonstrates that SUGCT contributes to the production of glutaryl-CoA under conditions of low and pathologically high glutaric acid levels. Our work also highlights the notion that unexpected biochemical phenotypes can occur in widely used inbred animal lines.

Take home message

Glutaric aciduria type 3 is a naturally occurring trait in mice of the 129 substrains
“I voice out because I care”: the effect of online social networking on employees' likelihood to voice and retention
Authors: Mohammad Jihad , Quoquab Farzana , Sulaiman Ahmad Nuruddin , Abdul Salam Zarina
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This study aims to examine the mediating role of “employees’ likelihood to voice (ELTV)” in the relationship between “online social networking (OSN)” and “employee retention (ER)” and to predict the effect of OSN on ELTV and ER.

Design/methodology/approach

A cross-sectional study using the survey method was employed to collect data from 251 administrative staff of the healthcare industry. The partial least squares (PLS) technique, using SmartPLS3 software, was employed to test the study hypotheses.

Findings

The results of this study supported the direct effect of OSN on ELTV and ER. Moreover, the mediating effect of ELTV was also supported by the data.

Originality/value

This study provides new knowledge about the direct and indirect effects of OSN on ELTV and ER.
Conceptualizing a win–win scenario in public–private partnerships: evidence from a systematic literature review
Authors: Eshun Bridget Tawiah Badu , Chan Albert P.C. , Osei-Kyei Robert
Published: November 2020

Purpose

Achieving the win–win goal in public–private partnership (PPP) has gained much research interest in recent times. These studies have addressed the achievement of win–win from various perspectives. An integration of the constructs from these various perspectives improves approach to attaining win–win throughout the entire project delivery. This study, therefore, becomes the first systematic review to analyse PPP studies towards identifying win–win constructs and then integrates findings into a conceptual model.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted a four-staged systematic review method. This includes concept development, papers retrieval, selection of relevant papers and qualitative analysis. Thematic analysis was used at the qualitative analysis stage for the identification and categorization of constructs and finally, systems thinking was adopted in integrating the findings into a conceptual mode

Findings

The achievement of win–win between government and private investors is of much desire hence a more conscious approach towards it is ideal. A total of 40 constructs were identified and were later categorised into six components. Some constructs identified include optimal assessment and fair allocation of project risks, reasonable concessions period, flexible contracting, equal and active participation and co-ordination of public and private actors and strategic negotiation.

Originality/value

This paper provides an improved definition of win–win scenario in PPP infrastructure project delivery. Furthermore, the novel approach of integrating win–win constructs into a systemic conceptual model is very relevant to PPP body of knowledge and practice. The study concludes with plausible research directions to further improve the achievement of win–win in PPP.
Education and economic growth in South Africa: an empirical investigation
Authors: Odhiambo Nicholas M.
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This paper examines the dynamic causal relationship between education and economic growth in South Africa using annual time-series data from 1986 to 2017. The study attempts to answer one critical question: Does education, which is one of the priority sectors in South Africa, drive economic growth?

Design/methodology/approach

The study uses the ARDL bounds testing approach and ECM-based Granger causality model to examine this linkage. The study also uses three proxies to measure the level of education. In addition, the study uses two variables: investment and labour, as intermittent variables between the various proxies of education and economic growth, thereby creating a system of multivariate Granger-causality models.

Findings

The study finds that the causal relationship between education and economic growth in South Africa is dependent on the variable used to measure the level of education. In addition, the causality tends to change over time. Overall, the study finds the causal flow from economic growth to education to supersede the causal flow from education to economic growth.

Originality/value

Unlike some previous studies, the current study uses three proxies of education in South Africa and two intermittent variables in a multivariate setting. To our knowledge, this may be the first study of its kind to examine in detail the dynamic causal relationship between education and economic growth in South Africa – using the ARDL bounds testing approach and a multivariate Granger causality model.
Determinants of capital structure for firms in an Islamic equity index: comparing developed and developing countries
Authors: Kahya Evrim Hilal , Ersen Hüseyin Yiğit , Ekinci Cumhur , Taş Oktay , Simsek Koray D.
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The paper aims to identify the differences between developed and developing country firms with respect to firm-specific and country-level determinants of their capital structure. For this purpose, all constituent firms in one of the oldest Islamic equity indices, Dow Jones Islamic Market World Index (DJIM), are considered and the Muslim-majority status of each firm's domicile country is recognized.

Design/methodology/approach

The study employs Hausman–Taylor random effects regression with endogenous covariates to explain the debt ratios of firms in DJIM by separating them into developed and developing country subsamples in an unbalanced panel data setting. Developing country subsample is further split into two based on the Muslim-majority status of each firm's domicile country.

Findings

Consistent with the previous literature, this study finds that firm-specific characteristics are the main determinants of their capital structure. Additionally, the paper shows that country-level characteristics have an impact on the debt ratio, however, the types of factors vary across developed and developing countries. Debt ratios in developing country firms are lower than those in developed country firms, largely due to the significantly smaller leverage ratios of firms in Muslim-majority countries. Although the debt ratios of DJIM firms are higher in “non-Muslim” countries, the set of firm-level capital structure determinants are not statistically explained by operating in a “Muslim” country. The study also documents that, before the global financial crisis of 2008, companies in developing countries have gradually become less leveraged worldwide.

Originality/value

This paper provides a new perspective into the differences between developed and developing country firms' capital structures by focusing on a relatively homogeneous data set restricted by leverage screening rules of an Islamic equity index and recognizing the Muslim-majority status of each firm's domicile country.
The influence of zero-fare tours on the host–guest understanding
Authors: Yan Libo , Cheng Man Tat
Published: November 2020

Purpose

The aim of this study is to explore the host–guest relationship at a macro level, investigating the sociopsychological relationship between a destination and its markets.

Design/methodology/approach

This study adopted netnography to fulfill the research purpose. Data were collected from Sina Microblog, the predominant social media platform in China, focused on bloggers responses to a fatal conflict between a tour participant and the guide during a shopping tour.

Findings

Bloggers' attributional discussions help to understand the nature of the host–guest relations. Responses from Chinese and Hong Kong bloggers showcased criticism toward the other community and criticism of one's own community. These were reflected in three themes: concerns with the place of conflict or the identities of the perpetrators, hospitableness or discrimination and the Chinese and Hong Kong cultures.

Research limitations/implications

The major limitation is that the subject of this study (young bloggers) does not represent a complete cross section of the residents of China and Hong Kong. This study suggests a need for a broader theoretical perspective of the host–guest encounter. The study results have practical implications for destinations receiving Chinese group package tours.

Practical implications

The study results have practical implications for destinations receiving Chinese group package tours.

Originality/value

On-site interaction has been the focus of previous studies of the host–guest relationship, and off-site interactions were seldom explored. This study bridges the gap and extends the discourse on the host–guest relationship to a wider temporal (by taking a post event view) and spatial (by assessing the issue off-site) scale.
Effect of frontline employee's hope and consumer failure during consumer-created emergencies
Authors: Ranjan Kumar Rakesh , Dash Rupanwita , Sugathan Praveen , Mao Wen
Published: November 2020

Purpose

In important interpersonal service interactions with a frontline employee (FLE), consumers at times fail to carry out their share of responsibility in the execution of the service, resulting in a situation of “consumer created emergency”. This might defeat the consumer's goal of availing the service (termed as consumer failure). This study explains the role of employee's hope in managing consumer failure in the situation of consumer created emergencies.

Design/methodology/approach

Hypotheses were tested in three experiments that simulated service emergency across a general printing service situation and a travel service situation.

Findings

The study shows that: (1) FLE hope has a positive effect on consumer satisfaction, and is mediated by the consumer's assumed effort by the FLE; (2) the effect of FLE hope on consumer satisfaction changes with changing levels of consumer hopefulness about the service outcome; (3) despite situation of consumer created emergency, consumer failure results in low consumer satisfaction due to attribution error and (4) external attribution by the FLE could not significantly rectify consumer's attribution error and hence could not alleviate consumer dissatisfaction.

Research limitations/implications

The study suggests relevance and pathways of managing emotions and attributions of consumers and FLEs for superior performance outcomes.

Originality/value

The study theorizes and tests the role of hope, which is an important positive emotion during emergencies because frontline service settings have heretofore predominantly focused on managing negative traits and outcomes.
Commentary on a “unified approach to behaviours that challenge”: a social care provider perspective
Authors: Ockenden John
Published: November 2020

Purpose

This paper aims to consider the extent to which academic research, as described by the papers in this journal, has helped the large-scale use of positive behaviour support (PBS) with people with learning disabilities whose behaviour may be challenging.

Design/methodology/approach

The author explores the issue from the perspective of a social care provider seeking to implement PBS successfully across the organisation’s services.

Findings

The author concludes that research needs to refocus its efforts if it is to make a real contribution and argues that future emphasis should be on implementation.

Originality/value

This commentary articulates the concerns and experiences of a service provider that has striven to implement effective, evidence-based support, informed by relevant research, for many years. Such a perspective is rarely heard in academic PBS research literature.