bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Long-term follow-up of residual symptoms in patients treated for stress-related exhaustion
Authors: Glise Kristina , Wiegner Lilian , Jonsdottir Ingibjörg H.
Published: March 2020

Background

Many patients with stress-related exhaustion seem to struggle with long-term recovery. The primary aim of this study was to explore residual symptoms and perceived recovery in patients previously treated for stress-related exhaustion, 7 years after seeking care.

Methods

A total of 217 former patients (74% women) previously treated for exhaustion disorder were asked to participate in follow-ups 2, 3, 5, and 7 years post treatment. Symptoms of depression, and anxiety were measured with questionnaires. Remaining symptoms of extreme fatigue, sleep disturbances, problems with concentration, problems with memory and reduced stress tolerance, were rated with single item questions. A subgroup of patients (n = 163) participated in a clinical assessment to confirm residual stress-related exhaustion not caused by other diseases.

Results

Almost half of the patients previously treated for stress-related exhaustion perceive fatigue 7 years after initially seeking care, and as many as 73% reported decreased stress tolerance. The clinical assessment confirmed that a third of the patients were clinically judged as still suffering from stress-related exhaustion. Male and female patients showed similar patterns regarding residual symptoms.

Conclusions

One third of patients with exhaustion disorder are clinically judged to have exhaustion, 7 years after seeking care. Further studies are needed to elucidate the reason for such a long-term recovery and ultimately to identify methods for prevention.
Genome-centric resolution of novel microbial lineages in an excavated Centrosaurus dinosaur fossil bone from the Late Cretaceous of North America
Authors: Liang Renxing , Lau Maggie C. Y. , Saitta Evan T. , Garvin Zachary K. , Onstott Tullis C.
Published: March 2020

Background

Exceptional preservation of endogenous organics such as collagens and blood vessels has been frequently reported in Mesozoic dinosaur fossils. The persistence of these soft tissues in Mesozoic fossil bones has been challenged because of the susceptibility of proteins to degradation and because bone porosity allows microorganisms to colonize the inner microenvironments through geological time. Although protein lability has been studied extensively, the genomic diversity of microbiomes in dinosaur fossil bones and their potential roles in bone taphonomy remain underexplored. Genome-resolved metagenomics was performed, therefore, on the microbiomes recovered from a Late Cretaceous Centrosaurus bone and its encompassing mudstone in order to provide insight into the genomic potential for microbial alteration of fossil bone.

Results

Co-assembly and binning of metagenomic reads resulted in a total of 46 high-quality metagenome-assembled genomes (MAGs) affiliated to six bacterial phyla (Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Nitrospira, Acidobacteria, Gemmatimonadetes and Chloroflexi) and 1 archaeal phylum (Thaumarchaeota). The majority of the MAGs represented uncultivated, novel microbial lineages from class to species levels based on phylogenetics, phylogenomics and average amino acid identity. Several MAGs from the classes Nitriliruptoria, Deltaproteobacteria and Betaproteobacteria were highly enriched in the bone relative to the adjacent mudstone. Annotation of the MAGs revealed that the distinct putative metabolic functions of different taxonomic groups were linked to carbon, nitrogen, sulfur and iron metabolism. Metaproteomics revealed gene expression from many of the MAGs, but no endogenous collagen peptides were identified in the bone that could have been derived from the dinosaur. Estimated in situ replication rates among the bacterial MAGs suggested that most of the microbial populations in the bone might have been actively growing but at a slow rate.

Conclusions

Our results indicate that excavated dinosaur bones are habitats for microorganisms including novel microbial lineages. The distinctive microhabitats and geochemistry of fossil bone interiors compared to that of the external sediment enrich a microbial biomass comprised of various novel taxa that harbor multiple gene sets related to interconnected biogeochemical processes. Therefore, the presence of these microbiomes in Mesozoic dinosaur fossils urges extra caution to be taken in the science of paleontology when hunting for endogenous biomolecules preserved from deep time.
Mapping the reach of a rural Transitions Nurse Program for veterans with geographic information systems
Authors: Connelly Brigid , Ujano-De Motta Lexus L. , Leonard Chelsea , Mayberry Ashlea , Kelley Lynette , Gaskin David , Gilmartin Heather M.
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Rural Veterans who receive inpatient care at a Veterans Health Administration (VA) tertiary facility can face significant barriers to a safe transition home. The VA rural Transitions Nurse Program (TNP) is a national, intensive care coordination quality improvement program for rural Veterans. To communicate the reach of TNP into rural communities, we developed geographic information system (GIS) maps. This study evaluated TNP transitions nurse and site champion perceptions of GIS as a communication tool for illustrating the reach of TNP into rural communities.

Methods

Using residence information for TNP enrollees, we built GIS maps using ArcGIS Enterprise, a mapping and analytics platform. Residential addresses were matched to Rural-Urban Commuting Area geographical categories. Transitions nurse and site champion perceptions of the local and national GIS maps were assessed through surveys and interviews. The data were analyzed using descriptive and content analytic methods to identify themes.

Results

Transitions nurses and site champions perceived GIS maps as a valuable, easy to understand, acceptable, and appropriate communication tool to illustrate the reach of TNP into rural communities. Interviews revealed three common themes: a picture is worth a thousand words, the GIS maps are an effective communication tool, and the GIS maps revealed surprising and promising information.

Conclusions

GIS is a useful communication tool to support to illustrate the reach of an intervention. The GIS maps engaged transitions nurses and site champions in discussion. The availability of open access software programs and publicly available location data will increase access to GIS for researchers and practitioners.
Petrofacies classification using machine learning algorithms
Authors: Silva Adrielle A. , Tavares Mônica W. , Carrasquilla Abel , Misságia Roseane , Ceia Marco
Published: March 2020

Carbonate reservoirs represent a large portion of the world’s oil and gas reserves, exhibiting specific characteristics that pose complex challenges to the reservoirs’ characterization, production, and management. Therefore, the evaluation of the relationships between the key parameters, such as porosity, permeability, water saturation, and pore size distribution, is a complex task considering only well-log data, due to the geologic heterogeneity. Hence, the petrophysical parameters are the key to assess the original composition and postsedimentological aspects of the carbonate reservoirs. The concept of reservoir petrofacies was proposed as a tool for the characterization and prediction of the reservoir quality as it combines primary textural analysis with laboratory measurements of porosity, permeability, capillary pressure, photomicrograph descriptions, and other techniques, which contributes to understanding the postdiagenetic events. We have adopted a workflow to petrofacies classification of a carbonate reservoir from the Campos Basin in southeastern Brazil, using the following machine learning methods: decision tree, random forest, gradient boosting, K-nearest neighbors, and naïve Bayes. The data set comprised 1477 wireline data from two wells (A3 and A10) that had petrofacies classes already assigned based on core descriptions. It was divided into two subsets, one for training and one for testing the capability of the trained models to assign petrofacies. The supervised-learning models have used labeled training data to learn the relationships between the input measurements and the petrofacies to be assigned. Additionally, we have developed a comparison of the models’ performance using the testing set according to accuracy, precision, recall, and F1-score evaluation metrics. Our approach has proved to be a valuable ally in petrofacies classification, especially for analyzing a well-logging database with no prior petrophysical information.
Footprint removal from seismic data with residual dictionary learning
Authors: Gómez Julián L. , Velis Danilo R.
Published: March 2020

Dictionary learning (DL) is a machine learning technique that can be used to find a sparse representation of a given data set by means of a relatively small set of atoms, which are learned from the input data. DL allows for the removal of random noise from seismic data very effectively. However, when seismic data are contaminated with footprint noise, the atoms of the learned dictionary are often a mixture of data and coherent noise patterns. In this scenario, DL requires carrying out a morphological attribute classification of the atoms to separate the noisy atoms from the dictionary. Instead, we have developed a novel DL strategy for the removal of footprint patterns in 3D seismic data that is based on an augmented dictionary built upon appropriately filtering the learned atoms. The resulting augmented dictionary, which contains the filtered atoms and their residuals, has a high discriminative power in separating signal and footprint atoms, thus precluding the use of any statistical classification strategy to segregate the atoms of the learned dictionary. We filter the atoms using a domain transform filtering approach, a very efficient edge-preserving smoothing algorithm. As in the so-called coherence-constrained DL method, the proposed DL strategy does not require the user to know or adjust the noise level or the sparsity of the solution for each data set. Furthermore, it only requires one pass of DL and is shown to produce successful transfer learning. This increases the speed of the denoising processing because the augmented dictionary does not need to be calculated for each time slice of the input data volume. Results on synthetic and 3D public-domain poststack field data demonstrate effective footprint removal with accurate edge preservation.
Anisotropic strength and failure behaviors of transversely isotropic shales: An experimental investigation
Authors: Wang Yang , Li Hui , Mitra Abhijit , Han De-Hua , Long Teng
Published: March 2020

The deformation and fracture of anisotropic shale rocks are of great interest to geoengineers concerned with assessing the stability of boreholes and underground excavations. However, some mechanic properties associated with anisotropic rock fracture remain ambiguous. We have purposely reported triaxial failure tests on two sets of transversely isotropic shale plugs (i.e., Marcellus and Eagle Ford shales) cutting parallel and perpendicular to the bedding planes. The experimental results suggest that the bedding planes give rise to considerable differences in the elastic properties, failure strength, and failure modes in the bedding-normal and bedding-parallel directions. In general, the static Young’s modulus is higher parallel to bedding than normal to bedding, whereas the static Poisson’s ratios measured from the vertical and horizontal shale plugs do not exhibit a certain relationship. The ratio between the bedding-parallel and bedding-normal failure strength is approximately 1.9 for Marcellus shales, whereas it is approximately 1.3 for Eagle Ford shales. At the failure point, the axial strains are appreciably larger than the radial strains. In contrast, the two orthogonal radial strains exhibit different characteristics in the bedding-normal and bedding-parallel directions, giving rise to complex failure modes. The extended cracks in the vertical plugs lead to fracturing in a shearing manner, with a single shear plane in the Eagle Ford shale and two conjugate shear planes in the Marcellus shale. In the horizontal plugs, the Eagle Ford shale exhibits shear banding in the bedding-normal direction and a combination of shear and extension in the bedding-normal direction. In contrast, the Marcellus shale exhibits three conjugated shear planes.
Transdiagnostic neurocognitive subgroups and functional course in young people with emerging mental disorders: a cohort study
Authors: Crouse Jacob J. , Chitty Kate M. , Iorfino Frank , Carpenter Joanne S. , White Django , Nichles Alissa , Zmicerevska Natalia , Tickell Ashleigh M. , Lee Rico S.C. , Naismith Sharon L. , Scott Elizabeth M. , Scott Jan , Hermens Daniel F. , Hickie Ian B.
Published: March 2020

Background

Neurocognitive impairments robustly predict functional outcome. However, heterogeneity in neurocognition is common within diagnostic groups, and data-driven analyses reveal homogeneous neurocognitive subgroups cutting across diagnostic boundaries.

Aims

To determine whether data-driven neurocognitive subgroups of young people with emerging mental disorders are associated with 3-year functional course.

Method

Model-based cluster analysis was applied to neurocognitive test scores across nine domains from 629 young people accessing mental health clinics. Cluster groups were compared on demographic, clinical and substance-use measures. Mixed-effects models explored associations between cluster-group membership and socio-occupational functioning (using the Social and Occupational Functioning Assessment Scale) over 3 years, adjusted for gender, premorbid IQ, level of education, depressive, positive, negative and manic symptoms, and diagnosis of a primary psychotic disorder.

Results

Cluster analysis of neurocognitive test scores derived three subgroups described as ‘normal range’ (n = 243, 38.6%), ‘intermediate impairment’ (n = 252, 40.1%), and ‘global impairment’ (n = 134, 21.3%). The major mental disorder categories (depressive, anxiety, bipolar, psychotic and other) were represented in each neurocognitive subgroup. The global impairment subgroup had lower functioning for 3 years of follow-up; however, neither the global impairment (B = 0.26, 95% CI −0.67 to 1.20; P = 0.581) or intermediate impairment (B = 0.46, 95% CI −0.26 to 1.19; P = 0.211) subgroups differed from the normal range subgroup in their rate of change in functioning over time.

Conclusions

Neurocognitive impairment may follow a continuum of severity across the major syndrome-based mental disorders, with data-driven neurocognitive subgroups predictive of functional course. Of note, the global impairment subgroup had longstanding functional impairment despite continuing engagement with clinical services.
The Transcription Factor NR4A2 Plays an Essential Role in Driving Prolactin Expression in Female Pituitary Lactotropes
Authors: Peel Michael T , Ho Yugong , Liebhaber Stephen A
Published: March 2020

Differentiation of the hormone-producing cells of the pituitary represents an informative model of cell fate determination. The generation and maintenance of 2 pituitary lineages, the growth hormone (GH)- producing somatotropes and the prolactin (PRL)- producing lactotropes, are dependent on the pituitary-specific transcription factor, POU1F1. While POU1F1 is expressed in both cell types, and plays a role in activation of both the Gh and Prl genes, expression of Gh and Prl is restricted to somatotropes and lactotropes, respectively. These observations imply the existence of additional factors that contribute to the somatotrope and lactotrope identities and their hormone expressions. Prior transcriptome analysis of primary somatotropes and lactotropes isolated from the mouse pituitary identified enrichment of a transcription factor, Nr4a2, in the lactotropes. Nr4a2 was shown in a cell culture model to bind the Prl promoter at a position adjacent to Pou1f1 and to synergize with Pou1f1 in driving Prl transcription. Here we demonstrate in vivo the role of Nr4a2 as an enhancer of Prl expression by conditional gene inactivation of the Nr4a2 gene in mouse lactotropes. We demonstrate that nuclear orphan receptor transcription factor (NR4A2) binding at the Prl promoter is dependent on actions of POU1F1; while POU1F1 is essential to loading polymerase (Pol) II on the Prl promoter, Nr4a2 plays a role in enhancing Pol II release into the Prl gene body. These studies establish an in vivo role of Nr4a2 in enhancing Prl expression in mouse lactotropes, explore its mechanism of action, and establish a system for further study of the lactotrope lineage in the pituitary.
An Uprising at The Perfect Moment
Authors: Cable Umayyah
Published: March 2020

This article examines two overlapping controversies at the Institute of Contemporary Art in Boston, Massachusetts, in the early 1990s over the attempted censorship of both Robert Mapplethorpe’s show The Perfect Moment and Elia Sulieman’s Palestinian film and video art exhibition Uprising. By analyzing the print news discourse on these controversies, namely, regarding the representations of children in The Perfect Moment and in two of the Uprising films (Children of Fire by Mai Masri and Intifada: Introduction to the End of an Argument by Suleiman and Jayce Salloum), the author articulates how Palestinian cultural politics were constructed as “politically queer” during the 1990s culture wars, which thereby contributed to the rise of homonormativity, increased visibility of leftist LGBTQ-Palestinian solidarity politics, and the development of Israeli pinkwashing as a political strategy. Through this analysis, the article advances a theory of “compulsory Zionism” as a concept through which to analyze the confluence of racial, ethnic, and sexual politics that haunt and animate Palestine solidarity politics in the United States.
Lifestyle
Authors: Murphy Ryan Patrick
Published: March 2020

This essay offers a genealogy of lifestyle, a category widely used in the 1960s to mark dissident kinship networks and sexual practices: single parenting, bisexuality, gender nonconformity, polyamory, cohabitation, and communal living, among many others. I argue that the concept of lifestyle emerged in a desire among white mid-twentieth-century suburbanites for the social and sexual worlds that preceded rapid suburbanization, those most visible in the immigrant industrial metropolis at its peak in the decades immediately before the United States drastically restricted immigration in 1924. Even at the apex of suburbanization in the 1960s, many people refused to comply with the demand for suburban domesticity, staying in the city, joining countercultural groups, or adopting what came to be called alternative lifestyles. But in that act of dissent, urban planners, real estate developers, and marketing experts saw an opportunity and began to sell urban lifestyle landscapes that they claimed would reproduce the sexual heterogeneity of the early twentieth-century industrial metropolis. By the 1980s, as ever more people lived outside the nuclear family, a growing lifestyle market drove up prices in central cities that amplified the class and race exclusions that the social movements of the 1960s contested. This article is therefore both a critical and a recuperative reading of lifestyle, one that uses the category to show how dissident sexualities can be both the harbinger of the niche-marketed gentrified city and an incitement to new ways of living and loving that advance the pursuit of economic justice.
5-Aza-2′-deoxycytidine advances the epithelial–mesenchymal transition of breast cancer cells by demethylating Sipa1 promoter-proximal elements
Authors: Lu Ang , Wang Wei , Wang-Renault Shu-Fang , Ring Brian Z. , Tanaka Yoshimasa , Weng Jun , Su Li
Published: March 2020

Human breast cancer cells exhibit considerable diversity in the methylation status of genomic DNA CpGs that regulate metastatic transcriptome networks. In this study, we identified human Sipa1 promoter-proximal elements that contained a CpG island and demonstrated that the methylation status of the CpG island was inversely correlated with SIPA1 protein expression in cancer cells. 5-Aza-2′-deoxycytidine (5-Aza-CdR), a DNA methyltransferase inhibitor, promoted the expression of Sipa1 in the MCF7 breast cancer cells with a low level of SIPA1 expression. On the contrary, in MDA-MB-231 breast cancer cells with high SIPA1 expression levels, hypermethylation of the CpG island negatively regulated the transcription of Sipa1. In addition, the epithelial–mesenchymal transition (EMT) was reversed after knocking down Sipa1 in MDA-MB-231 cells. However, the EMT was promoted in MCF7 cells with over-expression of SIPA1 or treated with 5-Aza-CdR. Taken together, hypomethylation of the CpG island in Sipa1 promoter-proximal elements could enhance SIPA1 expression in breast cancer cells, which could facilitate EMT of cancer cells, possibly increasing a risk of cancer cell metastasis in individuals treated with 5-Aza-CdR.
Recent developments in the intervention of specific phobia among adults: A rapid review.
Authors: Thng Christabel , Lim-Ashworth Nikki , Poh Brian , Lim Choon Guan
Published: March 2020

Specific phobia is highly prevalent worldwide. Although the body of intervention studies is expanding, there is a lack of reviews that summarise recent progress and discuss the challenges and direction of research in this area. Hence, this rapid review seeks to systematically evaluate the available evidence in the last five years in the treatment of specific phobias in adults. Studies published between January 2014 to December 2019 were identified through searches on the electronic databases of Medline and PsychINFO. In total, 33 studies were included. Evidence indicates that psychotherapy, and in particular cognitive behaviour therapy, when implemented independently or as an adjunctive, is a superior intervention with large effect sizes. Technology-assisted therapies seem to have a beneficial effect on alleviating fears and are described to be more tolerable than in vivo exposure therapy. Pharmacological agents are investigated solely as adjuncts to exposure therapy, but the effects are inconsistent; propranolol and glucocorticoid may be promising. A handful of cognitive-based therapies designed to alter fear arousal and activation pathways of phobias have presented preliminary, positive outcomes. Challenges remain with the inherent heterogeneity of specific phobia as a disorder and the accompanying variability in outcome measures and intervention approaches to warrant a clear conclusion on efficacy.
Trends and determinants of contraceptive method choice among women aged 15-24 years in Kenya
Authors: Kungu Wambui , Agwanda Alfred , Khasakhala Anne
Published: March 2020

Background: Studies show a gap in addressing the reproductive health goals of younger women whose inconsistent use of contraception is high in spite of their great need for it. The women aged 15-24 present high potential for unintended pregnancy and increase the challenge for retention of users which is key in maintaining and pushing up the current gains in contraceptive prevalence rate (CPR).

Objective: The objective of the study was to examine trends in contraceptive method choice for young women aged 15-24 years using modern methods and to determine factors associated with their choices.

Methods: The study used data from KDHS of 2003, 2008/9 and 2014 in descriptive analysis and logistic regression to determine the socio-economic variables that influence the choice of contraceptive methods for young women.

Results: Results showed a general shift in use towards long term modern contraceptives with the shift being more pronounced among young women with primary education, from rural areas, lower wealth households, and low contraceptive use regions. Women with secondary education and higher wealth status are shifting towards short term methods.

Findings confirmed socio-demographic factors of age, education, wealth status and type of region as predictors of contraceptive use.

Conclusions: Contraceptive information and services should be enhanced for young women to make informed choices concerning their reproductive and sexual health to enable them complete school and transition to colleges to acquire relevant skills that will make them optimally productive and lead Kenya to achieving the demographic dividend.
An Ensemble Integrated Security System with Cross Breed Algorithm
Authors: Mundru Suresh , Meena K
Published: March 2020

Blockchain and IoT are two technologies are most widely popular in present scenario, but technologies are more complicated. The blockchain used to transforms storage and data analysis. In recent years, the blockchain is at the heart of computer technologies. It is a cryptographically secure distributed database technology for storing and transmitting information. Various attacks are done in many networks. Many research articles discussed about the security issues over the IoT based secure using block chain technology. In this paper, an Ensemble Integrated Security System (EISS) is introduced to improve the security for the heterogeneous network which consists of normal and abnormal nodes which is processed with the block chain, IoT. Resultsshow the performance of the OUATH-2 and EISS algorithm.
Detection and Classification of 2D and 3D Hyper Spectral Image using Enhanced Harris Corner Detector
Authors: Karthikeyan A , Pavithra S , Anu P M
Published: March 2020

Image classification and visualization is a challenging task in hyper spectral imaging system. To overcome thisissue, here the proposed algorithm incorporates normalized correlation into active corner point of an image representation structure to perform hasty recognition by matching algorithm. Matching algorithms can be of two major categories, based on correlation and based on its features based on correlation and on its feature detection. Proposed algorithms often ignore issues related to scale and orientation and also those to be determined during the localization step. The task of localization involves finding the right region within the search image and passing this region to the verification process. A Harris corner detector is an advancedapproach to detect and extract a huge number of corner points in the input image. We integrate all the extracted corner points into a possible task to locate candidate regions in input image. In terms of detection and classification the proposed method has got better result.
Decreasing Hypoglycemia following Insulin Administration for Inpatient Hyperkalemia
Authors: Tran Allen Vinh , Rushakoff Robert J , Prasad Priya , Murray Sara G , Monash Bradley , Macmaster Heidemarie
Published: March 2020

BACKGROUND

Acute hyperkalemia (serum potassium ≥ 5.1 mEq/L) is often treated with a bolus of IV insulin. This treatment may result in iatrogenic hypoglycemia (glucose < 70 mg/dl).

OBJECTIVES

The aims of this study were to accurately determine the frequency of iatrogenic hypoglycemia following insulin treatment for hyperkalemia, and to develop an electronic health record (EHR) orderset to decrease the risk for iatrogenic hypoglycemia.

DESIGN

This study was an observational, prospective study.

SETTING

The setting for this study was a university hospital.

PATIENTS

All nonobstetric adult inpatients in all acute and intensive care units were eligible.

INTERVENTION

Implementation of a hyperkalemia orderset (Orderset 1.1) with glucose checks before and then one, two, four, and six hours after regular intravenous insulin administration. Based on the results from Orderset 1.1, Orderset 1.2 was developed and introduced to include weight‐based dosing of insulin options, alerts identifying patients at higher risk of hypoglycemia, and tools to guide decision‐making based on the preinsulin blood glucose level.

MEASUREMENTS

Patient demographics, weight, diabetes history, potassium level, renal function, and glucose levels were recorded before, and then glucose levels were measured again at one, two, four, and six hours after insulin was administered.

RESULTS

The iatrogenic hypoglycemia rate identified with mandatory glucose checks in Orderset 1.1 was 21%; 92% of these occurred within three hours posttreatment. Risk factors for hypoglycemia included decreased renal function (serum creatinine >2.5 mg/dl), a high dose of insulin (>0.14 units/kg), and re‐treatment with blood glucose < 140 mg/dl. After the introduction of Orderset 1.2, the rate of iatrogenic hypoglycemia decreased to 10%.

CONCLUSIONS

The use of an EHR orderset for treating hyperkalemia may reduce the risk of iatrogenic hypoglycemia in patients receiving insulin while still adequately lowering their potassium.
Using Verbal Irony to Move on with Controversial Issues
Authors: Kwon Winston , Clarke Ian , Vaara Eero , Mackay Rowan , Wodak Ruth
Published: March 2020

Irony is an effective means of dealing with controversy in organizations, but there is a paucity of knowledge of the various ways in which irony helps managers to do so without necessarily ‘solving’ those issues. By drawing on discursive incongruity theory, we examine the use of irony when managers are confronted with controversial issues in a multinational company. As a result, we identify and elaborate on four distinctively different pathways of how irony helps participants to move on: ‘acquiescing’ (framing understanding as having no alternative because of environmental constraints), ‘empowering’ (synthesizing a view through broad inputs from different individuals), ‘channelling’ (subsuming other interpretations under a single and often dominant view) and ‘dismissing’ (rejecting alternative interpretations and often reinforcing the status quo). On this basis, we develop a theoretical model that elucidates the process dynamics in dealing with and moving on with controversial issues and elaborates the specific characteristics of each of these four pathways. Our analysis also leads to a fuller understanding of the discursive underpinnings and intersubjective dynamics in irony use in organizations.
Failure of passive transfer in foals
Authors: Mackenzie Catriona
Published: March 2020

Foals are born with a naive immune system, and rely upon the ingestion and absorption of immunoglobulins from the dam's colostrum to obtain passive immunity. Failure of passive transfer (FPT) is the most common immunodeficiency disorder in the horse and is associated with an increased risk of infectious disease and mortality. Routine screening is recommended, to allow early detection and treatment. Management of failure of passive transfer is dependent on the age of the foal at the time of diagnosis, but primarily involves intravenous plasma administration or the administration of colostrum (orally or via nasogastric intubation). Given the association between IgG concentration and clinical outcome, early detection and management of FPT are important in reducing morbidity and mortality in neonatal foals.
Percutaneous leverage technique for reduction of radial neck fractures in children: Technical tips
Authors: Watkins Colyn J. , Yeung Caleb M. , Rademacher Emily , Kramer Dennis E.
Published: March 2020

Purpose

Paediatric radial neck fractures are challenging to treat. Multiple strategies exist for reduction and fixation; there is no clear consensus on the best surgical technique to achieve reduction. The percutaneous leverage technique is a method for reduction of radial neck fractures that has previously been described by Wallace, though there is a lack of published literature on this technique. We present a technical note and a modest case series on our modification to the percutaneous leverage technique accompanied by intramedullary fixation.

Methods

We describe a retrospective series of patients who underwent the modified percutaneous leverage technique for paediatric radial neck fracture reduction followed by flexible intramedullary nail fixation at a single Level I trauma centre from 2008 to 2016. This technique involves making a small incision over the dorsal border of the ulna and using a blunt curved surgical forceps to dissect towards the ulnar border of the radius just distal to the radial neck fracture site. The curved forceps is then used to push the radial shaft away from the ulnar shaft which reduces the radial neck fracture. Intramedullary fixation is then utilized to stabilize the reduction. Pre- and postoperative radiographs and clinical data from the medical record were reviewed, and patient, injury and treatment characteristics as well as complication rates are summarized.

Results

We successfully treated a series of eight radial neck fractures with the modified percutaneous leverage technique. This technique allows for a small incision and a minimally invasive method for the reduction of paediatric radial neck fractures. This allowed for subsequent intramedullary fixation and early postoperative elbow mobilization. In our series, no patients developed synostoses or sustained peripheral nerve injuries using this technique.

Conclusion

The modified percutaneous leverage technique followed by intramedullary fixation is a safe and effective technique for fixation of displaced paediatric radial neck fractures.

Level of Evidence

Level IV
Support from teachers and trainers in Vocational education and training: The pathways to career aspirations and further career development
Authors: Hofmann Claudia , Stalder Barbara E. , Tschan Franziska , Häfeli Kurt
Published: March 2020

Transition from school to work is a challenging period for young people with learning difficulties. In the dual vocational system of Switzerland, teachers at vocational educational and training (VET)-schools, as well as trainers at VET companies, provide important support. We were interested in the different pathways from this support to apprentice's career aspirations and further training. Structural equation modelling was used to analyse data from a longitudinal study in four occupational sectors. Results show that VET-teacher support is directly and indirectly related to career aspirations at the end of the apprenticeship, whereas VET-trainer support influences career aspirations only indirectly. Domain specific constructs (ability self-concept at VET-school, skill variety at the VET-company) and self-esteem are important as intermediary variables. Ability self-concept at VET-school had a strong influence on further education three years after the apprenticeship.
Interactive Research on Innovations in Vocational Education and Training (VET): Lessons from Dutch and German cases
Authors: Burchert Joanna , Hoeve Aimée , Kämäräinen Pekka
Published: March 2020

This article focuses on two examples of interactive research (IR) in vocational education and training. IR is a process which brings together practitioners and researchers with the aim to implement an innovation. This innovation in the first project meant to create a hybrid learning environment; in the second it supported introducing digital media in a training centre. The process of innovating thereby turned into a learning process for all concerned persons: original ideas of the concerned concepts matured, boundaries between research and practice were crossed and new, sometimes surprising ideas for further development emanated. These experiences point attention towards the processes of research and innovation instead of only documenting results in the sense of summative evaluation. They also show that IR requires a certain framework in order to enable important learning cycles.
Re-Contextualizing Vocational Didactics in Norwegian Vocational Education and Training
Authors: Nore Hæge
Published: March 2020

This article explores teachers and trainers didactical practices in different contexts in Norwegian VET: schools and workplaces. With the introduction of e-resources and e-portfolios in VET, learners as well as teachers and trainers experience a more hybrid learning-arena, which claims for a recontextualization of vocational didactics as well as re-defining roles and responsibilities of the actors. The article discuss new forms of boundary crossing, dealing with e-portfolios as boundary objects, increasing learner autonomy, transformative learning outcomes, interaction between actors and designing learning processes in hybrid learning-arenas. Vocational didactics as understood in a teacher-training context are challenged by more actors and new forms of interactivity with technological tools crossing sites. The study is based on a longitudinal study in a national project on quality assessment, interviews with teachers and trainers as well as apprenticeship training offices supported by documentary evidence from three trades: sales, plumbing and industrial mechanics.
Reforming Vocational Didactics by Implementing a New VET Teacher Education in Denmark: Tensions and Challenges Reflected in Interviews with Vocational College Teachers
Authors: Duch Henriette , Andreasen Karen E.
Published: March 2020

A new education program, Diploma of Vocational Pedagogy, has recently been implemented in Denmark to upskill vocational college teachers and improve didactics at VET colleges in general. Among many challenges, vocational college teachers have to adapt their pedagogy to a large number of students from backgrounds with no tradition for education. Despite historical changes, the education as vocational college teacher also struggles with the interplay between theory and practice in the program and great diversity among vocational college teachers. Based on empirical data from focus group interviews with students from the Diploma of Vocational Pedagogy program and concepts developed by Bernstein and Bourdieu, the article analyzes how these aspects might affect the development of new vocational didactics. We know that it is not easy to change the culture of educational institutions, and the analysis uncovers several factors that are expected to hamper the development processes.
Cooperative VET in Training Networks: Analysing the Free-Rider Problem in a Sociology-of-Conventions Perspective
Authors: Leemann Regula Julia , Imdorf Christian
Published: March 2020

In training networks, particularly small and medium-sized enterprises pool their resources to train apprentices within the framework of the dual VET system, while an intermediary organisation is tasked with managing operations. Over the course of their apprenticeship, the apprentices switch from one training company to another on a (half-) yearly basis. Drawing on a case study of four training networks in Switzerland and the theoretical framework of the sociology of conventions, this paper aims to understand the reasons for the slow dissemination and reluctant adoption of this promising form of organising VET in Switzerland. The results of the study show that the system of moving from one company to another creages a variety of free-rider constellations in the distribution of the collectively generated corporative benefits. This explains why companies are reluctant to participate in this model. For the network to be sustainable, the intermediary organisation has to address discontent arising from free-rider problems while taking into account that the solutions found are always tentative and will often result in new free-rider problems.
Examining Barriers to Internationalisation Created by Diverse Systems and Structures in Vocational Education and Training
Authors: Shaw Angela Joy , Shaw Kieron John , Blake Suzanne
Published: March 2020

In a global society, all educational sectors need to recognise internationalism as a core, foundational principle. Whilst most educational sectors are taking up that challenge, vocational education and training (VET) is still being pulled towards the national agenda in terms of its structures and systems, and the policies driving it, disadvantaging those who graduate from VET, those who teach in it, and the businesses and countries that connect with it. This paper poses questions about the future of internationalisation in the sector. It examines whether there is a way to create a VET system that meets its primary point of values to produce skilled workers for the local labour market, while still benefitting those graduates by providing international skills and knowledge, gained from VET institutions that are international in their outlook. The paper examines some of the key barriers created by systems and structures in VET to internationalisation and suggests that the efforts which have been made to address the problem have had limited success. It suggests that only a model which gives freedom to those with a direct vested interest, students, teachers, trainers and employers, to pursue international co-operation and liaison will have the opportunity to succeed.
Predictors of Career Adaptability Skill among Higher Education Students in Nigeria
Authors: Ebenehi Amos Shaibu , Rashid Abdullah Mat , Bakar Ab Rahim
Published: March 2020

This paper examined predictors of career adaptability skill among higher  education students in Nigeria. A sample of 603 higher education students randomly selected from six colleges of education in Nigeria participated in this study.  A set of self-reported questionnaire was used for data collection, and multiple linear regression analysis was used to analyze the data.  Results indicated that 33.3% of career adaptability skill was explained by the model.  Four out of the five predictor variables significantly predicted career adaptability skill among higher education students in Nigeria.  Among the four predictors, career self-efficacy sources was the most statistically significant predictor of career adaptability skill among higher education students in Nigeria, followed by personal goal orientation, career future concern, and perceived social support respectively.  Vocational identity did not statistically predict career adaptability skill among higher education students in Nigeria.  The study suggested that similar study should be replicated in other parts of the world in view of the importance of career adaptability skill to the smooth transition of graduates from school to the labor market.  The study concluded by requesting stakeholders of higher institutions in Nigeria to provide career exploration database for the students, and encourage career intervention program in order to enhance career adaptability skill among the students.
Supporting Vocational Students' Development of Preventive Behaviour at Work: A Phenomenological Analysis of Teachers' Experiences
Authors: Lecours Alexandra , Therriault Pierre-Yves
Published: March 2020

Statistics indicate that even if young workers complete vocational training, as a group they are at risk of sustaining injury. It appears that a lack of training in the area of injury prevention may explain some of this effect. Teachers are considered to be key actors in injury-prevention training and in the process of developing students' preventive behaviour at work, but little is known about the reality. The objective of this study was to understand how teachers experience their activities in support of students' development of injury-prevention behaviour at work. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with eleven teachers from four different vocational training programs. The content of the interviews was then examined using phenomenological analysis. Results show representations participants form of occupational health and safety, of injury-prevention behaviour and of their roles as teachers in relation to prevention. A closer look at these roles reveals the daily challenges teachers encounter. Among other things, there seems to be a lack of continuity in the training process, insufficient pedagogical resources and resistance on the students' part. Results offer an insight into teachers' experience with their part in the support of vocational students' development of injury-preventing behaviour.  It appears they recognize having to play an active role in the development of injury-preventing behaviour at work among students, but have to face daily challenges affecting their teaching. Results of this study can serve as a starting point to make improvements to the injury-prevention training offered in vocational training centres.
Finnish WorldSkills Achievers’ Vocational Talent Development and School-to-Work Pathways
Authors: Pylväs Laura , Nokelainen Petri
Published: March 2020

This paper examines the perceptions of vocational expertise and school-to-work pathways among WorldSkills Competition (WSC) achievers and their co-workers and employers within the Finnish context. At the biennial international WSC, young people (aged 18-to-23 years) from over 60 countries demonstrate their skills in more than 40 trades. Individualized training for this competition is provided through the cooperation of vocational institutions (e.g., expert coaches, team leaders and competition panellists) and industry (e.g., mentors, sponsors, materials, equipment). Semi-structured thematic interviews (N=51) were conducted in 2013 and 2014 with former Finnish WSC medal or diploma winners (n=18) who had since begun their working lives (1-to-15 years of work experience). Their employers (n=16) and colleagues (n=17) were also interviewed. Results showed that in addition to vocation-specific knowledge and skills, problem-solving skills, creativity, social skills and self-regulatory skills were acknowledged as the most significant elements of vocational expertise. The findings also indicated that formal vocational education combined with deliberate practice and training based on expert mentoring improved the long-term career progress and vocational expertise of the WSC achievers.
The Reasons Behind a Career Change Through Vocational Education and Training
Authors: Masdonati Jonas , Fournier Geneviève , Lahrizi Imane Zineb
Published: March 2020

We report the results of qualitative research on adults who enrolled in a vocational and education training (VET) program with the intention of changing their careers. The participants were 30 adults aged between 25 and 45 years. A modified version of the consensual qualitative research method was applied to transcriptions of semi-structured interviews with the participants. There appeared to be two main reasons underlying the decision to enrol in a VET program with the aim of initiating a career change. Based on the reasons given, two groups (career changers and proactive changers) and five distinct categories were recognized. The career changers included individuals who wished to change careers due to dissatisfaction with their current situation. In this group, the decisions were motivated by either health problems or personal dissatisfaction. The proactive changers included individuals who wished to reorient their career because of a desire to undertake new projects. In this group, there were three categories of reasons: a wish to attain better working conditions, a search for personal growth and a desire to have an occupation that fitted the person’s vocation. Thus, the participants reoriented their careers according to various motivations, pointing to the existence of a heterogeneous population and the complexity of the phenomenon. The results highlight the importance of understanding the subjective reasons behind career changes and the need to adjust career interventions accordingly.