bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Review of 20 years of vascular surgery research in Australasia: Defining future directions
Authors: Wang Judy , Coles-Black Jasamine , Radojcic Matija , Chuen Jason , Smart Philip
Published: August 2019

Objectives:

High-quality research is fundamental to the advancement of surgical practice. Currently, there is no quantitative assessment of the research output of vascular surgeons in Australia and New Zealand. By conducting this bibliometric analysis, we aim to provide an objective representation of the trends in vascular surgery and guide future research.

Methods:

A list of all current vascular surgeons in Australia and New Zealand was compiled from the Royal Australasian College of Surgeons ‘Find a Surgeon’ website tool and correlated with the Australia and New Zealand Society for Vascular Surgery database. A Scopus search of each surgeon’s author profile over the last 20 years was conducted.

Results:

In total, 2120 articles were published by 208 Australasian vascular surgeons between 1998 and July 2018, with an overall increase in publications over time. Audits or case series were the most published type of study and only 8% of the publications were of high-level evidence. The most popular topics were thoracoabdominal aortic pathologies (24%), followed by peripheral arterial disease (15%). Chronological analysis illustrates an increasing volume of peripheral arterial disease research over time and there is a clear trend towards more endovascular and hybrid surgery publications. The top 10 (5%) highest publishing authors by h-index account for 41% of all publications and 49% of all citations and are also responsible for producing significantly more high-level evidence research.

Conclusion:

Australasian vascular surgeons have made a significant contribution to medical research. However, the majority of these articles are of low-level evidence. In this time, there has been an increasing number of publications on endovascular and hybrid surgery in keeping with the trend in clinical practice. These areas, as well as research regarding peripheral arterial disease, show potential for high-evidence research in the future.
Counting the Pinocchios: The effect of summary fact-checking data on perceived accuracy and favorability of politicians
Authors: Agadjanian Alexander , Bakhru Nikita , Chi Victoria , Greenberg Devyn , Hollander Byrne , Hurt Alexander , Kind Joseph , Lu Ray , Ma Annie , Nyhan Brendan , Pham Daniel , Qian Michael , Tan Mackinley , Wang Clara , Wasdahl Alexander , Woodruff Alexandra
Published: August 2019

Can the media effectively hold politicians accountable for making false claims? Journalistic fact-checking assesses the accuracy of individual public statements by public officials, but less is known about whether this process effectively imposes reputational costs on misinformation-prone politicians who repeatedly make false claims. This study therefore explores the effects of exposure to summaries of fact-check ratings, a new format that presents a more comprehensive assessment of politician statement accuracy over time. Across three survey experiments, we compared the effects of negative individual statement ratings and summary fact-checking data on favorability and perceived statement accuracy of two prominent elected officials. As predicted, summary fact-checking had a greater effect on politician perceptions than individual fact-checking. Notably, we did not observe the expected pattern of motivated reasoning: co-partisans were not consistently more resistant than supporters of the opposition party. Our findings suggest that summary fact-checking is particularly effective at holding politicians accountable for misstatements.
Found in Translation: Reasons for Optimism in the Pursuit to Prevent Chronic Kidney Disease After Acute Kidney Injury
Authors: Silver Samuel A. , Gerarduzzi Casimiro
Published: August 2019

Purpose of review:

The current review will discuss on the progress of studying the transition phase between acute kidney injury (AKI) and chronic kidney disease (CKD) through improved animal models, common AKI and CKD pathways, and how human studies may inform different translational approaches.

Sources of information:

PubMed and Google Scholar.

Methods:

A narrative review was performed using the main terms “acute kidney injury,” “chronic kidney disease,” “end-stage renal disease,” “animal models,” “review,” “decision-making,” and “translational research.”

Key findings:

The last decade has shown much progress in the study of AKI, including evidence of a pathophysiological link between AKI and CKD. We are now in a phase of redesigning animal models and discovering mechanisms that can replicate the pathological conditions of the AKI-to-CKD continuum. Translating these findings into the clinic is a barrier that must be overcome. To this end, current efforts include prediction of AKI onset and maladaptive repair, detecting patients susceptible to the progression of chronic maladaptive repair, and understanding shared signaling mechanisms between AKI and CKD.

Limitations:

This is a narrative review of the literature that is partially influenced by the knowledge, perspectives, and experiences of the authors and their research background.

Implications:

Overall, this new knowledge from the AKI-to-CKD continuum will help bridge the discontinuity that exists between animal models and patients, resulting in more effective translational biomarkers and therapeutics to test in known AKI pathologies thereby preventing the chronicity of kidney injury progression.
Recognized ASCA Model Program (RAMP) and Student Outcomes in Elementary and Middle Schools
Authors: Akos Patrick , Bastian Kevin C. , Domina Thurston , de Luna Lucía Mock Muñoz
Published: August 2019

This study evaluates the relationship between the Recognized American School Counselor Association Model Program (RAMP) designation and students’ achievement and attendance outcomes in elementary and middle schools. We used data from 2009 through 2015 from Wake County Public Schools, the largest school district in North Carolina. Our analyses use a school fixed effects approach to assess how student outcomes change when a school receives the RAMP designation. Results indicate that RAMP boosts student attendance, particularly in middle schools, but has limited to no effect on student achievement.
Influence of Baseline Macular Edema on Cost Evaluation of Panretinal Photocoagulation vs Intravitreal Ranibizumab for Proliferative Diabetic Retinopathy
Authors: Lin James , Yannuzzi Nicolas A. , Chang Jonathan S. , Sridhar Jayanth , Smiddy William E.
Published: August 2019

Purpose:

This article evaluates the influence of baseline diabetic macular edema (DME) on cost-utility analysis of treatment for proliferative diabetic retinopathy (PDR) based on 5-year Diabetic Retinopathy Clinical Research Network ( DRCR.net ) Protocol S results.

Methods:

A decision-analysis model calculated comparative cost utility of panretinal photocoagulation (PRP) and intravitreal ranibizumab (IVR) treatment for PDR with and without baseline DME. Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services data were used to calculate associated modeled costs in a hospital/facility-based and nonfacility setting. Cost utility was calculated based on the preserved visual utility and estimated life years remaining. Sensitivity analyses were performed to evaluate the impact of the model’s assumptions.

Results:

The modeled cost per quality-adjusted life year (QALY) of treatment for PDR with baseline DME for 5 years of utility in the facility (nonfacility) setting was $280,919 ($203,444) in the PRP group and $452,387 ($339,319) in the IVR group. The estimated lifetime cost per QALY in the facility (nonfacility) setting was calculated as $84,761 ($50,077) in the PRP group and $314,483 ($230,301) in the IVR group. The cost per QALY of IVR for the first 5 years of treatment was 1.6 to 1.7 times that of PRP, whereas lifetime cost per QALY was 3.7 to 4.6 times higher. When considering all patients regardless of baseline DME status, lifetime cost per QALY of PRP was 8% to 13% higher, whereas IVR was only 1% higher compared with the cost per QALY without baseline DME.

Conclusions:

When considering the subset of patients with PDR and baseline DME, PRP maintains a more favorable cost utility compared with IVR. This augments previous reports that PRP has a more favorable cost utility than IVR for PDR without DME, given the marginal visual benefit of IVR.
Pope’s Perversity: Tastemaking in Liberal Culture
Authors: Branciforte Joshua
Published: August 2019

Alexander Pope envisioned his poetry as conducive to a social order shaped and guided by taste. However, unlike later arbiters of taste who sought to project idealized norms, Pope used techniques that were oppositional, individualized, materialist, and perverse. His aesthetic strategies aimed at achieving homogeneity across diverse populations without normative prescriptions. Pope drew on the skeptical notion of the “ruling passion” to model his understanding of taste as a social process. Construed solely as a model of personality, his theory is frequently dismissed; read as a model for tastemaking, it becomes intelligible. While Pope’s classicizing moral and aesthetic values can seem distant from the assumptions of our late liberal culture, the techniques he uses to “rule” tastes indirectly remain fundamental imperatives in liberal aesthetic culture.
Feedback to the future: motor neuron contributions to central pattern generator function
Authors: Barkan Charlotte L. , Zornik Erik
Published: August 2019

Motor behaviors depend on neural signals in the brain. Regardless of where in the brain behavior patterns arise, the central nervous system sends projections to motor neurons, which in turn project to and control temporally appropriate muscle contractions; thus, motor neurons are traditionally considered the last relay from the central nervous system to muscles. However, in an array of species and motor systems, an accumulating body of evidence supports a more complex role of motor neurons in pattern generation. These studies suggest that motor neurons not only relay motor patterns to the periphery, but directly contribute to pattern generation by providing feedback to upstream circuitry. In spinal and hindbrain circuits in a variety of animals – including flies, worms, leeches, crustaceans, rodents, birds, fish, amphibians and mammals – studies have indicated a crucial role for motor neuron feedback in maintaining normal behavior patterns dictated by the activity of a central pattern generator. Hence, in this Review, we discuss literature examining the role of motor neuron feedback across many taxa and behaviors, and set out to determine the prevalence of motor neuron participation in motor circuits.
Risk factors and complications of small for gestational age
Authors: Liu Qiang , Yang Hui , Sun Xuemei , Li Guimei
Published: August 2019

Objective: The objective of this study was to find out the maternal risk factors and perinatal complications in small for gestational age (SGA) newborns.

Methods: A total of 181 SGA cases and 1299 cases of appropriate for gestational age (AGA) with the same gestational age between January 2015 and December 2016 were enrolled in Linyi People’s Hospital, China. The risk factors were analyzed and the frequencies of perinatal complications were compared between the two groups.

Results: The frequencies of maternal risk factors such as pregnancy-induced hypertension, abnormal placenta and twins in the SGA group were significantly higher than that in the AGA group (P<0.05). The incidence of hyperbilirubinemia and hypoglycemia in the perinatal period was also higher in the SGA newborns group (P<0.05), while there were no significant differences in the incidence of pneumonia, apnea, septicemia, intracranial hemorrhage, neonatal asphyxia, congenital malformations, hypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy, respiratory distress syndrome and necrotizing enterocolitis between the two groups.

Conclusions: SGA can cause perinatal complications including neonatal hypoglycemia and hyperbilirubinemia. It is necessary to strengthen the perinatal monitoring and antenatal care to reduce SGA and the perinatal complications of SGA.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.253

How to cite this:Liu Q, Yang H, Sun X, Li G. Risk factors and complications of small for gestational age. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(5):1199-1203.  doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.253

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
The effect on morbidity of the use of prophylactic abdominal drain following elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy
Authors: Bostanci Mustafa Taner , Saydam Mehmet , Kosmaz Koray , Tastan Baki , Bostanci Erdal Birol , Akoglu Musa
Published: August 2019

Background and Objective: To evaluate the clinical role of the routine use of a drain in an elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy operation applied to patients with symptomatic cholelithiasis not showing acute inflammation.

Method: Following laparoscopic removal of the gallbladder, patients were separated into two groups of 30 each, either with subhepatic drain placement or without. The presence of subhepatic fluid collection was evaluated with transabdominal ultrasonography (USG) at 24 hours postoperatively and on the 7th day. The other parameters evaluated were postoperative morbidity, shoulder and abdominal pain.

Results: No statistically significant difference was found between the two groups in respect of demographic characteristics and operative details. The median pain score was determined to be statistically significantly higher in the group with a drain applied compared to the group without a drain (p=0.007). In the comparison between the groups of fluid collection on USG at 24 hours and shoulder pain persisting until the 7th day, although seen less in the group with no drain applied, no statistically significant difference was determined (p=0.065, p=0.159). In the examinations made on the 7th day, no hematoma or significant fluid collection was determined on USG and no wound infection was observed in any patient of either group.

Conclusion: The routine application of prophylactic subhepatic drain in laparoscopic cholecystectomy procedure did not show any benefit to the patient.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.291

How to cite this:Bostanci MT, Saydam M, Kosmaz K, Tastan B, Bostanci EB, Akoglu M. The effect on morbidity of the use of prophylactic abdominal drain following elective laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(5):1306-1311.  doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.291

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Potential effects of traditional massage on spasticity and gross motor function in children with spastic cerebral palsy: A randomized controlled trial
Authors: Mahmood Qamar , Habibullah Dr. Shaista , Babur Prof. Dr. Muhammad Naveed
Published: August 2019

Objective: To evaluate the effects of traditional massage (TM) on spasticity and gross motor function in children with cerebral palsy (CP).

Methods: This randomized control trial (RCT) was conducted with recruitment of 86 children (Dropped out= 11; Analyzed= 75) with spastic CP (diplegia) allocated randomly through sealed envelope method to intervention and control group with ages between 2-10 years from September 2016 to August 2018. Both groups received conventional physical therapy (CPT) once daily, five times a week for a period of three months. However, intervention group received TM additionally. Modified Ashworth Scale (MAS), Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM-88) and Gross Motor Function Classification System (GMFCS) were used to evaluate spasticity and gross motor function at the beginning, after six and 12 weeks of intervention. Data were compared and analyzed through SPSS-20.

Results: Mean age in control and intervention group was 6.81±2.31 and 7.05±2.47 years respectively. No statistically significant differences in MAS, GMFM and GMFCS scores were found at base line. The children in intervention group showed statistically significant reduction in MAS scores in all four limbs after six and 12 weeks of intervention (p < 0.05) in comparison with the control group. However, GMFM scores and GMFCS levels did not change significantly in intervention group as compared to control group.

Conclusion: It is concluded that TM can effectively reduce the spasticity, does not have harmful effects, so can be administered safely by mothers at home and making it suitable for the management of spastic CP. However, in order to achieve better gross motor function, it should be practiced in conjunction with CPT, functional skills and task oriented approaches.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.478

How to cite this:Mahmood Q, Habibullah S, Babur MN. Potential effects of traditional massage on spasticity and gross motor function in children with spastic cerebral palsy: A randomized controlled trial. Pak J Med Sci. 2019;35(5):1210-1215.  doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.35.5.478

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Which instruments are used to measure shared, supported and assisted healthcare decision-making between patients who have limited, impaired or fluctuating capacity, their family carers and healthcare professionals? A systematic review protocol
Authors: Fattori Francesco , O'Donnell Deirdre , Rodríguez-Martín Beatriz , Kroll Thilo
Published: August 2019

Background: Shared decision-making (SDM) is a dialogical relationship where the physician and the patient define the problem, discuss the available options according to the patient’s values and preferences, and co-construct the treatment plan. Undertaking SDM in a clinical setting with patients who have limited, impaired or fluctuating cognitive capacity may prove challenging. Supported (defined “Assisted” in the Irish context) decision-making describes how people with impaired or fluctuating capacity remain in control of their healthcare-related choices through mechanisms which build and maximise capacity.

Supported and assisted decision-making (ADM) within healthcare settings is theoretically and practically novel. Therefore, there is a knowledge gap about the validity of psychometric instruments used to assess ADM and its components within clinical settings. This systematic review aims to identify and characterise instruments currently used to assess shared, supported and assisted healthcare decision-making between patients with limited, impaired or fluctuating capacity, their family carers and healthcare professionals.

Methods: A systematic review and narrative synthesis will be performed using a search strategy involving the following databases (PubMed, Cinahl, Embase, Web of Science, Scopus and PsycINFO). Quantitative studies published in the last decade and describing psychometric instruments measuring SDM, supported decision-making and ADM with people having limited or fluctuating capacity will be considered eligible for inclusion. Title and abstract screening will be followed by full-text eligibility screening, data extraction, synthesis and analysis. This review will be structured and reported according to the PRISMA checklist. The COSMIN Risk of bias checklist will be used to assess the quality of the instruments.

Discussion: The results will inform and be useful to HCPs and policymakers interested in having updated knowledge of the available instruments to assess SDM, supported and assisted healthcare decision-making between patients who have impaired or fluctuating capacity, their family carers and healthcare professionals.

Registration: PROSPERO CRD42018105360; registered on 10/08/2018.
Reference Dependence and Market Participation
Authors: Guasoni Paolo , Meireles-Rodrigues Andrea
Published: August 2019

This paper finds optimal portfolios for the reference-dependent preferences by Kőszegi and Rabin with piecewise linear gain–loss utility in a one-period model with a safe and a risky asset. If the return of the risky asset is highly dispersed relative to its potential gains, two personal equilibria arise, one of them including risky investments and the other one only safe holdings. In the same circumstances, the risky personal equilibrium entails market participation that decreases with loss aversion and gain–loss sensitivity, whereas the preferred personal equilibrium is sensitive to market and preference parameters. Relevant market parameters are not the expected return and standard deviation, but rather the ratio of expected gains to losses and the Gini index of the return.
Revisão sobre a utilização da teoria das representações sociais nos estudos sobre homofobia no Brasil
Authors: Silva Lawerton Braga da , Aléssio Renata Lira dos Santos
Published: August 2019

Este artigo de revisão objetiva destacar as contribuições e fazer um panorama dos estudos que utilizam a teoria das representações sociais para estudar o fenômeno da homofobia no contexto da psicologia social brasileira. A pesquisa foi realizada nas bases BVS, PePSIC e SciELO, sem demarcação de tempo. Foram encontrados sete artigos empíricos realizados no contexto brasileiro, três de cunho quantitativo e quatro qualitativos. Cinco artigos deixaram claros os modelos escolhidos, entre eles a abordagem societal e abordagem estrutural. Também apontaram quatro núcleos temáticos que não são excludentes, mas dizem respeito ao foco de cada trabalho: (1) Expressão do preconceito e natureza da homossexualidade; (2) Adoção homoparental; (3) Representações sociais da homossexualidade; (4) Professores e representações sociais da homossexualidade e diversidade sexual. Duas tendências podem ser apontadas quanto aos objetivos: (1) a compreensão das expressões do preconceito (sutil e flagrante) com base nas representações sobre a natureza da homossexualidade; (2) as representações a respeito da homossexualidade. É preciso que os estudos futuros mudem seu foco, propondo formas de enfrentamento e combate a discriminação homofóbica, além de considerar o lugar de fala de LGBT. Deixando a busca pela origem da homofobia e da homossexualidade em segundo plano.
Histeria masculina: Os impasses na assunção da posição sexual
Authors: Matias Jéssica Fernanda
Published: August 2019

Dada a associação histórica da histeria com a mulher e sua relação com o feminino, muitos trabalhos buscam compreender os atravessamentos dessa posição subjetiva para a sexualidade da mulher. O presente artigo promove a urgência em discutir as implicações de sua incidência sobre os homens, anatomicamente falando. Sendo assim, visa discutir os efeitos da dinâmica da histeria para o homem, no que concerne à assunção da posição sexual. Para tanto, se tratando de uma pesquisa teórica, partiremos de um rastreamento dos textos de Freud e do primeiro ensino de Lacan, buscando referências sobre a histeria masculina e, sobretudo, considerações sobre casos de homens histéricos. Posteriormente, articularemos os aspectos destacados pelos autores com o que, na teoria psicanalítica, se apresenta como particular à posição masculina, tal como a relação com o significante falo, com a castração e a identificação simbólica, bem como os efeitos disso na dinâmica do desejo e da fantasia.
Estimating Crop Consumption of Irrigation Water for the Conterminous U.S.
Authors: Kannan Narayanan , Roy Sujoy B. , Rath John S. , Munill Carrie S. , Goldstein Robert A.
Published: August 2019

Abstract. Water consumption for crop irrigation is the largest single use of water in the U.S. but is poorly quantified because of limitations in data and the inherent challenges in measuring water consumption. In this study, water consumption for irrigated agriculture was estimated across the U.S. to improve understanding of water budgets in different regions. Published data on cropping patterns and water application were used in conjunction with a national-scale analysis to estimate water application and crop water consumption using the SWAT (Soil and Water Assessment Tool) watershed model. Crop water consumption estimates were based on evapotranspiration, with supporting information on the diversity of crops, irrigated area, water quantity and source, and local weather conditions. Quantification of water consumption supports broader analyses of the food-energy-water nexus and allows evaluation of the efficiency of irrigation water use at different spatial scales. Focusing on 2005 data, it is estimated that 60% of water reported as withdrawn from various sources is applied to fields, indicating a potentially large and poorly understood conveyance loss that occurs in a small number of states. Of the field-applied irrigation water, roughly 65% is directly used by crops or is lost in the field, with large regional variations. This may be compared to consumption estimates in prior studies that ranged from 16% to 90%. Areas that dominate the national aggregate estimate of crop water consumption include California’s Central and Imperial Valleys, areas overlying the Ogallala Aquifer in the central U.S., the Lower Colorado Basin, and the eastern part of the Pacific Northwest Basin. Keywords: Crop water use, Irrigated agriculture, SWAT, Watershed model, Water withdrawal.
Effect of Drum Drying Process on the Physico-Chemical and Antioxidant Activities of Riceberry Flakes
Authors: Chittrakorn Sasivimon , Ganesh Bora C.
Published: August 2019

Abstract. Pigmented rice, such as black or red rice, contains several antioxidant compounds. Riceberry rice, which is native to Thailand, is a colored rice variety that is rich in bioactive constituents. With several benefits from the anthocyanin and phenolic compounds in Riceberry rice, value-added products have been developed, for which the physico-chemical and mechanical properties need to be studied. This study evaluated the effects of drum drying parameters on the physico-chemical properties and bioactive compounds of Riceberry flakes. Three drum surface temperatures (130°C, 140°C, and 150°C) and three solids contents of flour slurry (35%, 45%, and 55%) were applied. Lightness (L*) of the flakes significantly decreased (p < 0.05) while redness (a*) increased compared to the flour. Bulk density, hardness, and water solubility index of the flakes increased with increasing drum temperature and solids content. The highest values were found at drum temperature of 150°Cand55% solids content.Major anthocyanins in Riceberry flour and flakes were cyanidin-3-glucoside and peonidin-3-glucoside.Total phenolic content, flavonoid content, and antioxidant activities of Riceberry flakes decreased during drum drying. The highest drum temperature (150°C) and solids content (55%) of flour slurry gave maximum contents of bioactive compounds. Results suggest that Riceberry flakes can be used as a functional ingredient for food products. Keywords: Breakfast cereal flakes, Drum drying, Riceberry rice, Rice flakes.
Overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence: findings from the UK Millennium Cohort Study, up to age 14
Authors: Pongiglione Benedetta , Fitzsimons Emla
Published: August 2019

Background:

The aims of this work are threefold: (1) Show the pathway of overweight and obesity, for the current generation of adolescents, since early childhood in the UK. (2) Identify factors associated with the risk of overweight/obesity at age 14. (3) Study transitions into and out of overweight/obesity, from early adolescence to mid-adolescence.

Methods:

A sample of 10,825 children in the UK Millennium Cohort Study was selected for analysis. BMI was calculated using measured height and weight available at every sweep since age three, and overweight and obesity were defined using the IOTF classification. Possible factors associated with the risk of excess weight include socio-demographic characteristics, early life circumstances, and behavioural and lifestyle factors in adolescence.

Results:

19.2% of the sample of 14-year-olds in 2015/16 is classified as overweight (95% CI 18.4–20.0), and 7.5% as obese (95% CI 7.0–7.9), with proportions very similar across sexes. Protective factors for excess weight include high maternal education, breastfeeding, home ownership and child’s active behaviour. The likelihood of transiting out of excess weight/ obesity between ages 11 and 14 is higher than the likelihood of transiting in. Predictors of transiting out of excess weight/obesity include child’s active behaviour and puberty onset by age 14.

Conclusions:

This study provides new evidence that the profile of rising trends in excess weight observed during childhood had stabilised by mid-adolescence. However, rates of excess weight remain high, and overweight and obesity in childhood and adolescence remain a major public health concern. The study identifies some risk and protective factors to reinforce the government commitment to reducing excess weight in childhood.
An introduction to the Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY)
Authors: Moore John , Semo Ronnie
Published: August 2019

The Longitudinal Surveys of Australian Youth (LSAY) is a large, nationally representative study that follows youth cohorts for ten years at a time as they transition from school into further study, work and other destinations. With more than 20 years of unit record data, LSAY provides researchers with information for six cohorts of Australian youth, offering insight into the pathways of young people across multiple generations. This well-established study programme provides rich information across areas of school and post-school education, employment, household characteristics and key demographics. LSAY data sets are provided free of charge and supported by a dedicated website containing user guides, technical papers and interactive online summary data tools. This study profile introduces readers to LSAY by providing a brief history of its origin and establishment, before examining its design, data collection methods and survey outputs.
Labour market entry and early career mobility shortly before, during and after the Great Recession in Germany
Authors: Blossfeld Pia N.
Published: August 2019

In December 2007, the United States subprime mortgage crisis triggered not only turbulences on global financial markets but also worldwide economic slowdown. This ‘Great Recession’ hit labour markets in Europe. Using time-series data on unemployment, fixed-term employment and real wages, this paper describes economic changes in Germany and European average before, during and shortly after the Great Recession. Based on these macro data, it is clear that Germany experienced a unique path of development compared to other European societies. We then analyse the impact of the financial crisis on labour market entry and early career processes in Germany, comparing young people who started their first jobs shortly before, during and after the Great Recession. Using longitudinal data from the National Educational Panel Study (NEPS), we apply ordinary regression analysis and discrete-time event history models. Findings show that, in Germany, job prestige at labour market entry has in fact not changed for men during the economic crisis in comparison to the situation before and afterwards. Low-educated women (only) were more likely to start employment in a lower prestige job during the crisis than at other times. However, years of schooling appeared more important for men's early upward career mobility, if they entered the labour market during the financial crisis. Furthermore, less-educated women entering employment in the crisis were even more likely to be upward mobile. We observe little change in early downward career mobility for men and women after starting their first employment in Germany over the Great Recession.
The impact of the Great Recession on Generation X
Authors: Miller Jon D. , Cepuran Claire
Published: August 2019

For people born in the 1960s and 1970s, sometimes known as Generation X, the Great Recession (GR) was the first major economic downturn that they have experienced. Using the 30+ year record of the Longitudinal Study of American Life (LSAL), this analysis examines the economic impact of the GR on an American cohort born in 1972–75 who were in their mid-40s in 2019. A confirmatory factor analysis index was constructed to summarise the economic experience of each LSAL participant in the period from 2007 (the eve of the GR) through 2014. Most of the LSAL participants did not experience negative economic consequences, but a significant subset of participants experienced substantial negative effects. A structural equation model (SEM) was used to estimate the relative influence of several educational and family variables on the nature and magnitude of the GR on employment and related economic issues. Educational attainment was the strongest predictor of the economic impact of the GR on individuals. The educational attainment of the parents of LSAL participants was the second strongest predictor, indicating the inherited advantages of social class. The impact of the GR on participants was unrelated to gender, but African-Americans were more likely to experience negative economic consequences from the GR than other young adults, holding constant differences in educational attainment, parent education attainment and other factors.
The impact of the Great Recession on educational pursuits in adulthood in the US
Authors: Ryan Lindsay H.
Published: August 2019

Economic downturns are known to spark periods of increased enrolment in traditional educational pursuits. The current study leverages 30-year longitudinal data from the Longitudinal Study of American Life (LSAL; N=1,556) to examine individual characteristics and experiences in adolescence, just prior to the Great Recession, and during it, to understand why some individuals chose to pursue new education or training in response to the recession whereas others did not. Indicators from adolescence include measures of self-esteem, locus of control, persistence, achievement in mathematics and achievement in science and were collected from 1987 to 1993. inclusive. Pre-recession indicators include level of education, occupational and marital status and were collected in 2007. Indicators of the impact of the recession were collected retrospectively in 2014 and include whether a job was lost, whether work hours were reduced, and whether there was difficulty making rent/mortgage payments. Binary logistic regression identified persistence in adolescence, pre-recession education level, reporting reduced hours and difficulty paying rent/mortgage during the recession as associated with the likelihood of pursuing new education during the recession. A follow-up analysis investigated whether the pursuit of additional education/training in response to the recession predicted the likelihood of being employed in 2017. Results indicate that obtaining new education during the recession was associated with later employment status, but the significance and direction of the effect depends on pre-recession education level. Implications of this longitudinal, life course analysis are discussed in addition to recommendation for future directions.
‘It’s a work in progress’: men’s accounts of gender and change in their use of coercive control
Authors: Downes Julia , Kelly Liz , Westmarland Nicole
Published: August 2019

Over the past ten years the theoretical framework of ‘coercive control’ has been increasingly applied, critiqued and now underpins a criminal offence. While many argue that it more accurately reflects experiences of victimisation, there has been little exploration of coercive control through the accounts of perpetrators. Through two phased interviews with 64 men attending UK Domestic Violence Perpetrator Programmes, we examine how and why men use coercive tactics and how unpicking gender norms enabled some men to recognise and reduce their use of coercive control. We argue that coercive control is more dynamic, contestable and open to change than previous research has suggested. Some men did manage to take steps away from investing in traditional masculine norms and reduce their use of coercive tactics. However, this was an uneven and contradictory process which took time – involving painful realisations of loss and harm alongside a discovery of the benefits associated with letting go of restrictive gender norms. Understanding how and why men invest in or dismantle gender norms that underpin coercive control has important implications for theory and for practice, particularly the content and focus of work with domestic violence perpetrators.
Supporting the Social Competency of Young Children in Early Childhood Music
Authors: Burton Suzanne
Published: August 2019

The foundation of social competency is developed within the first five years of child's life, affecting her later ability to function in school and form successful relationships (National Scientific Council on the Developing Child, 2005). The socially competent, or prosocial young child is capable of engaging in satisfying interactions with adults and peers, and is able to manage her emotions and behaviors, all of which lead to positive social outcomes (Berger, 2003; Fuller, 2001; McClellan & Katz, 2001;Webster-Stratton & Reid, 2004). When given opportunities to strengthen social competence in early childhood, young children benefit by being able to adapt more easily to social and emotional situations. As this occurs, cognitive development and academic success are enhanced (Kinsey, 2000; Rogoff, 1990).
An Empirical Study of Business English Teachers’ Knowledge Structures in Different Course Modules
Authors: Hu Ling , Xie Sha , Liu Yun
Published: August 2019

The establishment of Business English (abbreviated as BE hereafter) as an independent discipline for undergraduate education appeals to the higher professionalism of BE teachers’ knowledge structure. This paper introduces the results of a study that, by in-depth semi-structured interviews, investigated the knowledge structure of 18 teachers across three different BE course modules. Data are analyzed based on grounded theory. Eleven knowledge types required of a qualified BE teacher across three different structures (i.e., three BE course modules) are identified. The construction of BE teachers’ knowledge structures differs in the three BE course modules. The findings are a meaningful supplement to the theoretical analysis of the “should-be” description of BE teachers’ knowledge structure and can improve the understanding of the constituents of BE teachers’ knowledge structures at a micro-level, which should, in turn, provide references for different module teachers’ development.
Learnability of Grammatical Sequencing: A Processability Perspective of Textbook Evaluation in EFL Settings
Authors: Tang Xiaofei
Published: August 2019

This study conducts an acquisition-based evaluation of four primary-school English textbook series used in China. The evaluation aims to determine whether the sequencing of grammatical structures in the series is compatible with the L2 learning sequence stipulated in Processability Theory (PT). The results show a partial agreement between the sequencing of structures as teaching objectives in the series and the PT-based processability hierarchy. The sequencing of structures in the initial stages is consistent with the learning sequence of L2 English stated in PT. However, several structures in the intermediate or high stages are taught in a deviant way against their sequencing in PT. The deviant grading of those structures is possibly associated with the theme-based guidelines adopted in the textbooks. It appears that concerns with the utility of grammatical structures in a given context take precedence over concerns for L2 development. A number of suggestions are offered to textbook writers in terms of the role of input, the learners’ developmental readiness, and the issue of heterogeneity in L2 classrooms.
Putting inquiry-based learning into practice: How teachers changed their beliefs and attitudes through a professional development program
Authors: Hofer Elisabeth , Lembens Anja
Published: August 2019

Despite the tremendous efforts which have been made over the last few years, inquiry-based learning (IBL) has not become an established practice in science education yet. Even if teachers consider IBL an important and valuable approach, they still refrain from implementing it in their own science classes. Research findings suggest that the teachers’ beliefs and attitudes have a crucial influence on their classroom practice. Only if they are compatible with the approach of IBL, the teachers will be willing to implement IBL in their own classes. This article demonstrates how the beliefs and attitudes of three Austrian chemistry teachers changed over the period of a 9-monthly professional development program (PDP). In order to ascertain their beliefs and attitudes regarding IBL previous to and after the PDP, we conducted a group discussion and three individual interviews. The statements from both dates were analyzed using a qualitative content analysis and indicate substantial changes concerning the teachers’ beliefs about the efficacy, capability and practicability of IBL. After participating in the PDP, the teachers took a more positive attitude regarding both IBL in general and its implementation. Considering the findings from this study, we formulate implications for designing PDP at the end.
Impact of Rayleigh-Distributed PAPR on the Performance of a Pre-Clipped DCO-OFDM System
Authors: Ratnam Jayashree , Mali Sabita
Published: August 2019

The paper investigates the impact of Rayleigh-distributed statistical behavior of peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) associated with a pre-clipped signal on the performance metrics of a direct current-biased optical orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (DCO-OFDM) system. The analytical model for the system takes into consideration a pre-clipped and dc-shifted baseband OFDM signal, driving an optical source over its linear operating range. The model employs a bias-scaling factor, which is heuristically varied over the entire range (0 to 1) to examine improvement in overall power efficiency. Further, it utilizes the cumulative distribution function (CDF) of the pre-clipped signal to get a weighted estimate of the available signal power within the clipped PAPR. The model also takes into consideration the clipping noise effects due to limited linearity of the optical source during electrical-to-optical conversion of baseband OFDM signal. Using this model, the paper aims to arrive at a realistic estimate of the system behavior in terms of bit error rate, electrical power-efficiency and spectral efficiency. Using theoretical simulation results, for a given set of operating parameters viz., signal power, PAPR, bias-scaling factor, modulation order and sub-carrier count, the paper examines the trade-offs involved in optimizing the performance metrics over appropriate dynamic range of the DCO-OFDM transmitter.
Paradoxical Excitatory Impact of SK Channels on Dendritic Excitability
Authors: Bock Tobias , Honnuraiah Suraj , Stuart Greg J.
Published: August 2019

Dendritic excitability regulates how neurons integrate synaptic inputs and thereby influences neuronal output. As active dendritic events are associated with significant calcium influx they are likely to be modulated by calcium-dependent processes, such as calcium-activated potassium channels. Here we investigate the impact of small conductance calcium-activated potassium channels (SK channels) on dendritic excitability in male and female rat cortical pyramidal neuronsin vitroandin vivo. Using local applications of the SK channel antagonist apaminin vitro, we show that blocking somatic SK channels enhances action potential output, whereas blocking dendritic SK channels paradoxically reduces the generation of dendritic calcium spikes and associated somatic burst firing. Opposite effects were observed using the SK channel enhancer NS309. The effect of apamin on dendritic SK channels was occluded when R-type calcium channels were blocked, indicating that the inhibitory impact of apamin on dendritic calcium spikes involved R-type calcium channels. Comparable effects were observedin vivo. Intracellular application of apamin via the somatic whole-cell recording pipette reduced the medium afterhyperpolarization and increased action potential output during UP states. In contrast, extracellular application of apamin to the cortical surface to block dendritic SK channels shifted the distribution of action potentials within UP states from an initial burst to a more distributed firing pattern, while having no impact on overall action potential firing frequency or UP and DOWN states. These data indicate that somatic and dendritic SK channels have opposite effects on neuronal excitability, with dendritic SK channels counter-intuitively promoting rather than suppressing neuronal output.

SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENTNeurons typically receive input from other neurons onto processes called dendrites, and use electrical events such as action potentials for signaling. As electrical events in neurons are usually associated with calcium influx they can be regulated by calcium-dependent processes. One such process is through the activation of calcium-dependent potassium channels, which usually act to reduce action potential signaling. Although this is the case for calcium-dependent potassium channels found at the cell body, we show here that calcium-dependent potassium channels in dendrites of cortical pyramidal neurons counter-intuitively promote rather than suppress action potential output.
EL DILEMA ENTRE CONSERVACIÓN Y RENOVACIÓN PARA EL DESARROLLO URBANO DE LOS CENTROS HISTÓRICOS. UNA APROXIMACIÓN A SAN JUAN DE PASTO, COLOMBIA
Authors: Paradiso Michele , Gómez Arciniegas Carlos Humberto
Published: August 2019

La salvaguarda del patrimonio inmueble se consolida cada día más a nivel global como tema céntrico del urbanismo, debido a que cada ciudad aporta elementos históricos que en muchos casos se encuentran bajo riesgo. Tema céntrico, porque hablar de patrimonio implica enfrentarse al dilema entre “conservación y renovación”. Sin duda alguna, no hay contradicción entre estas dos palabras pues bien se puede renovar una ciudad sin olvidar que las prácticas que serán asumidas en pos de su desarrollo no irán en detrimento de la conservación del patrimonio existente. Al parecer, esta directriz ha sido asumida en los procesos de planificación de las grandes ciudades de Colombia, pues tanto población como dirigentes han sabido identificar los valores presentes en los centros históricos y entenderlos a su vez como productores de bienes y servicios. Sin embargo, en ciudades intermedias como Tunja, Popayán, Pasto o Socorro aún no se consolida una clara posición frente a la salvaguarda y protección del patrimonio, ignorándose los relativos lineamientos que han sido emitidos desde hace muchas décadas en ámbito internacional, los cuales deberían hacer eco por doquier en toda Colombia. El presente artículo expone por tanto los fundamentos de esta nueva y sana tendencia por la conservación del patrimonio, tema que no debería ser asumido o entendido como complejo, sino como una práctica “lógica y natural” que implica simplemente asumir algunas medidas que integren en la esfera de la sostenibilidad las eventuales intervenciones que se pretenden proponer para renovar una ciudad y en especial aquellas zonas que han sido testigo de hechos seculares. Así bien, se inicia con un abordaje del tema internacional para proseguir con la posición de Colombia frente al tema de la conservación y protección del patrimonio y de esta manera establecer puntos de reflexión a partir de la aproximación a un estudio de caso específico: la situación del centro histórico de la ciudad de San Juan de Pasto.