bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Translanguaging in Educating Teachers of Language-Minoritized Students
Authors: España Carla , Herrera Luz Yadira , García Ofelia
Published: July 2019

Teacher education programs to prepare those who teach language-minoritized students many times continue to uphold modernist conceptions of language and bilingualism. Translanguaging disrupts the logic that nation-states have constructed around named languages, focusing instead on the language practices of people. Translanguaging theory is changing perceptions of bilingualism and multilingualism as well as the design of language education programs for language-minoritized students. And yet, teachers of language-minoritized students are educated in programs that hold on to traditional views of language, bilingualism, and language education. In the best cases, these teachers are prepared in specialized teacher education programs that credential teachers of a second language or bilingual teachers. In the worst cases, these teachers get no specialized preparation on bilingualism at all. But whether teachers are prepared as “general education” teachers, teachers of a “second language,” or “bilingual” teachers, programs to educate them most often hold on to traditional views about language and bilingualism; they then impart those views to future teachers who design instruction accordingly.

Teacher education programs need to help teacher candidates understand their own language practices and see themselves as translanguaging beings. Teacher candidates also need to understand how the students’ translanguaging is a way of making knowledge and how to design lessons that leverage the translanguaging of students and communities to democratize schooling. It is imperative that teacher preparation programs implement a new theory of bilingualism, one that rejects the compartmentalization of languages and the stigmatization of the language practices of language-minoritized students. Providing teacher candidates with the tools to reflect on their experiences and on how raciolinguistic ideologies cut across institutions can help them not only understand but also find ways not to internalize oppressive notions of self, language practices, and teaching.
Teacher Education in New Zealand
Authors: Ell Fiona
Published: July 2019

Teacher education in New Zealand for the school sector began as the British colonists started a formal schooling system in the late 19th century. Teacher preparation for early childhood educators followed in 1988. Beginning with a pupil–teaching apprenticeship model, teacher education for the school sector in New Zealand has shifted from schools to tertiary institutions, and then from stand-alone colleges of education to mostly to faculties and departments in universities following deregulation and the opening of a “market” for teacher education in 1989. Teacher education today also happens in institutes of technology and through private providers. Teacher education is now provided for people who want to teach in early childhood, primary, and secondary settings. Early childhood and primary teachers can undertake a three-year degree or a one-year diploma if they already hold a degree qualification. Secondary school teachers must hold a degree in a subject taught in secondary schools and then complete a one-year diploma in teaching. In 2015 post-graduate teacher education was introduced in the form of one-year Masters degrees. Teacher education in New Zealand has been subject to continual review and reform proposals since its inception. These reviews, coupled with periodic teacher supply crises, make teacher education unstable and problematic. In particular, the shift into universities caused a significant shift in the work of teacher educators. Research imperatives have caused changes in who teacher educators are and what they do, but have also focused attention on scholarship in teacher education.
Banda, Hastings Kamuzu
Authors: Power Joey
Published: July 2019

Dr. Hastings Kamuzu Banda was an American- and British-trained medical doctor born in Nyasaland at the turn of the last century. He became leader of the Nyasaland African Congress (NAC) from 1958 to its banning in a state of emergency in 1959; became president of its successor party, the Malawi Congress Party (MCP), after his release from detention in April 1960; and in September became that party’s “life president.” He was the prime minister of Malawi’s first independent government formed in July 1964, its first president when Malawi assumed republican status in 1966 under a single-party system, and in 1971 became its life president. Schools, airports, highways, and hospitals bore his name, and his portrait could be seen in every public and private office and home. He was the embodiment of personal rule.

The Banda regime became known for its collaborationist politics vis-à-vis apartheid South Africa and Portuguese Mozambique and for the ruthless repression of all political dissent at home. Banda defended his foreign and domestic politics as necessary evils. White regimes were far too powerful to be antagonized by a small land-locked emerging nation state. To do so would be to cut Malawi’s economic, political, and military throat. He maintained cordial relations with the United Kingdom after 1964 and formally eschewed association with communist states during the Cold War. Western states ignored widespread allegations of human rights abuses until the early 1990s when economic decline, the beginning of the end of apartheid, and the thawing of the Cold War led to a resurgence of protest, both foreign and domestic. In the face of this pressure, Banda allowed for a 1993 referendum on multiparty democracy, which led to multiparty elections the following year. He stood and lost as the MCP presidential candidate, and Bakili Muluzi, leader of the United Democratic Front (UDF), formed a government. The Muluzi administration approved a commission of enquiry into the May 1983 deaths of four MCP politicians in a “car accident” that had long been suspected as a cover for state murder. The Mwanza Enquiry (so named for the highway near the border with Mozambique where the “accident” took place) resulted in a criminal trial in which Banda and four others (see Cabinet Crisis and the Establishment of the Politics of Single-Party Personal Rule) were charged with conspiracy to murder but acquitted for lack of evidence. Banda went into retirement and stepped down as life president of the party in July 1997, a move, it has been suggested, to secure his legacy as elder statesman and father of the nation. He died at the Garden Clinic in South Africa on November 25, 1997.
Foreign Direct Investment and International Technology Diffusion
Authors: Geng Difei , Saggi Kamal
Published: July 2019

Foreign direct investment (FDI) plays an important role in facilitating the process of international technology diffusion. While FDI among industrialized countries primarily occurs via international mergers and acquisitions (M&As), investment headed to developing countries is more likely to be greenfield in nature; that is, it involves the establishment or expansion of new foreign affiliates by multinational firms. M&As have the potential to yield productivity improvements via changes in management and organization structure of target firms, whereas greenfield FDI leads to transfer of novel technical know-how by initiating the production of new products in host countries as well as by introducing improvements in existing production processes.

Given the prominent role that multinational firms play in global research and development (R&D), there is much interest in whether and how technologies transferred by them to their foreign subsidiaries later diffuse more broadly in host economies, thereby potentially generating broad-based productivity gains. Empirical evidence shows that whereas spillovers from FDI to competing local firms are elusive, such is not the case for spillovers to local suppliers and other agents involved in vertical relationships with multinationals. Multinationals have substantially increased their investments in research facilities in various parts of the world and in R&D collaboration with local firms in developing countries, most notably China and India. Such international collaboration in R&D spearheaded by multinational firms has the potential to accelerate global productivity growth.
Geography of Growth and Development
Authors: Rossi-Hansberg Esteban
Published: July 2019

The geography of economic activity refers to the distribution of population, production, and consumption of goods and services in geographic space. The geography of growth and development refers to the local growth and decline of economic activity and the overall distribution of these local changes within and across countries. The pattern of growth in space can vary substantially across regions, countries, and industries. Ultimately, these patterns can help explain the role that spatial frictions (like transport and migration costs) can play in the overall development of the world economy.

The interaction of agglomeration and congestion forces determines the density of economic activity in particular locations. Agglomeration forces refer to forces that bring together agents and firms by conveying benefits from locating close to each other, or for locating in a particular area. Examples include local technology and institutions, natural resources and local amenities, infrastructure, as well as knowledge spillovers. Congestion forces refer to the disadvantages of locating close to each other. They include traffic, high land prices, as well as crime and other urban dis-amenities. The balance of these forces is mediated by the ability of individuals, firms, good and services, as well as ideas and technology, to move across space: namely, migration, relocation, transport, commuting and communication costs. These spatial frictions together with the varying strength of congestion and agglomeration forces determines the distribution of economic activity. Changes in these forces and frictions—some purposefully made by agents given the economic environment they face and some exogenous—determine the geography of growth and development.

The main evolution of the forces that influence the geography of growth and development have been changes in transport technology, the diffusion of general-purpose technologies, and the structural transformation of economies from agriculture, to manufacturing, to service-oriented economies. There are many challenges in modeling and quantifying these forces and their effects. Nevertheless, doing so is essential to evaluate the impact of a variety of phenomena, from climate change to the effects of globalization and advances in information technology.
The Health Economic-Industrial Complex (HEIC) and a New Public Health Perspective
Authors: Temporão José Gomes , Gadelha Carlos Augusto Grabois
Published: July 2019

The health economic-industrial complex concept was developed in Brazil in the early 2000s, integrating a structuralist view of the political economy with a public health vision. This perspective advances, in relation to sectoral approaches in health industries and services, toward a systemic approach to the productive environment, focusing on the dimensions of innovation and universal access to health. Health production is seen in an interdependent way, recognizing that the different industrial and service sectors have strong articulations that need to be integrated. The shift toward a universal care model that focuses on human and social needs requires a productive knowledge base that favors promotion, prevention, and local and permanent healthcare, requiring new productive patterns of goods and services and innovation. Therefore, these dimensions are not conceptually apart from each other, considering an analytical and political point of view.

The production, care, and sustainability of universal health systems are understood in an integrated and systemic way. Within this vision, a cognitive leap is presented in relation to the traditional health economics, linked to the allocation of scarce resources, to a vision of health political economy that favors the development, expansion, and transformation of the health system and its economic and industrial base. Health is conceived as a moral right of citizenship and a vital space for the development of countries (and for global health), generating social inclusion, equity, innovation, and a possibility for the cooperation between countries and peoples.

The Brazilian experience is an exemplary case of association between the development of theoretical conception and its implementation in the national health policy that led to the link between economic development policies and social policies. It was possible to advance both conceptually in terms of a vision of health and social well-being and in contributing to a new paradigm of public policies. This perspective allowed the guidance of guide industrial development and services toward the human needs and universal health systems, considering the challenges brought by the context of an ongoing fourth technological revolution.
The Planets in Pawnee Culture
Authors: Chamberlain Von Del
Published: July 2019

We can be certain that all cultures wondered about the Sun, Moon, planets, and stars, and that they found ways of incorporating what they observed into comprehension of themselves existing within their perceptible surroundings, both on earth and in the sky. Thanks to the gleanings of anthropologists in the late 1800s and early 1900s, we have a treasure trove revealing that the Native American Skidi Band of the Pawnee Nation possessed a unique creation tradition rich in astronomical symbolism. This includes the belief that the two bright planets encompassing within their orbits the orbit of planet Earth were considered by the Skidi to be the cosmic parents of the very first human child, a girl; the Sun and Moon were considered parents of the first male child.

This story of human origin includes the legendary journey of the male Great Red Warrior from the east to court the Beautiful Bright White female star of the west, followed by the birth of their daughter transported to earth. This is a striking allegory of the apparent migrations of Mars and Venus, continually changing in brightness, undergoing retrograde motions and sometimes seeming to unite in close conjunctions. Watching these interrelations, repeated over and over with intriguing variations, likely led to and continually reinforced this tradition. Likewise, the apparent monthly relationships of Sun and Moon, with occasional eclipses, visually reinforced the account of the initial male human birth. Thus, the Skidi Pawnee tradition of human origins is an interesting, indeed beautiful, example of human interpretation of natural phenomena.
The Populist Party, Industrial Workers, and Their Unions
Authors: Pierce Michael
Published: July 2019

The People’s (or Populist) Party represented the last major third-party effort to prevent the emergence of large-scale corporate capitalism in the United States. Founded in 1891, the party sought to unite the producers of wealth—farmers and workers—into a political coalition dedicated to breaking the hold of private bankers over the nation’s monetary system, controlling monopolies through government ownership, and opening up unused land to actual settlers. Industrial workers and their unions were initially wary of the new party, but things changed after the traumatic labor unrest of 1894: Coxey’s March, the nationwide coal strike, and the Pullman boycott. At that time, the American Federation of Labor (AFL) debated some form of alliance with the Populists. Although the Federation rejected such an alliance in both 1894 and 1895 by the slimmest of margins, it did elect a labor Populist—John McBride of the United Mine Workers of America (UMWA)—to the presidency in 1894. This Populist insurgency represents the closest that the main body of the nation’s labor movement ever came to forming a labor party resembling those that arose in industrialized Europe, and its failure helps explain why American workers were unable to mobilize politically to challenge the emerging economic order dominated by large corporate enterprises.

While the agrarian leaders of the People’s Party at first sought the backing of industrial workers, especially those associated with the AFL, they shunned labor’s support after the trauma of 1894. Party officials like Herman Taubeneck, James Weaver, and Tom Watson feared that labor’s support would taint the party with radicalism and violence, warned that trade unionists sought to control the party, and took steps designed to alienate industrial workers. They even justified their retreat from the broad-based Omaha Platform (1892) on the grounds that it would drive the trade unionists they called “socialists” from the party.
The Federalist Era and US Foreign Relations
Authors: Hemmis Timothy C.
Published: July 2019

The Federalist Era (1788–1800) witnessed the birth of the new American Constitution and ushered in a period of a strong Federal government headed by a president and a bicameral Congress. The new American government sought to protect American interests in a turbulent time. From threats from Barbary pirates in the Mediterranean Sea to the turmoil in Revolutionary France and to the slave revolt in Haiti, the young republic had to navigate difficult political waters in order to protect itself. Furthermore, it also had to deal with the British and Spanish, who remained in American territory, without starting another war. Additionally, the United States had to engage with various Native American tribes in the interior of the continent to end the threat of war on the American frontier. Later in the time period, tensions between the United States and the new French Republic became strained, which led to the diplomatic embarrassment of the XYZ Affair and an undeclared naval war between the United States and France. American foreign policy during the Federalist Era was a matter of trial and error because there had been no standard protocol for dealing with international incidents under the old government.

George Washington, the first president under the new Constitution, shouldered the burden of creating the new American foreign policy. Washington, along with cabinet members such as Secretary of State Thomas Jefferson and Secretary of the Treasury Alexander Hamilton, helped shape US foreign policy in the Federalist Era. Washington was succeeded by his vice president, John Adams, who guided America through tense times, which included conflict with France. With the creation of the American Constitution, Washington and other Federalist leaders had the difficult task of creating a new nation, which included forging a foreign policy. The goal of the fledgling American republic’s foreign policy was to protect American sovereignty in an era of perpetual threats.
Tibetan Buddhist Power Objects
Authors: Gentry James Duncan
Published: July 2019

As Tibetans began to import Buddhist scriptures and translate them into the Tibetan language in the 8th and 9th centuries, they also imported items like relics, reliquaries, statues, paintings, amulets, and other material objects believed to embody and transmit power through their physical connections with buddhas, bodhisattvas, and saints of the past. Guided by scriptural pronouncements, as these resonated with indigenous sensibilities Tibetans came to hold that sensory interactions with Buddhist power objects would enable unmediated access to the powerful sources of the Buddhist tradition for a range of pragmatic and transcendent goals. Such encounters were held to be so efficacious that they were sometimes promoted as viable complements or substitutes for the study and cultivation of Buddhist doctrine.

As Tibetans integrated Buddhism into Tibetan culture they began crafting their own Buddhist power objects. These became so ubiquitous and diverse in Tibetan Buddhist societies that there is no single Tibetan term that directly corresponds with the category of “power objects” to encapsulate their full range. Patterned after Indian prototypes, Tibetans developed their own terms and rubrics for these kinds of objects. They also adapted them to include a wider spectrum of items and advanced theories of their power and efficacy that extend beyond their Indian Buddhist counterparts. On this account, controversies sometimes erupted among Tibetan ecclesiastical scholars over the purported nature and potency of such things. The prominent role given to Buddhist power objects in Tibet entailed they would serve as touchstones for the formation of Tibetan Buddhist communities, institutions, and states. Yet, sustained discussion of these kinds of objects has only been sporadic among traditional Tibetan exegetes and modern academic scholars of Tibetan Buddhism.
Filial Responsibility
Authors: Chou Rita
Published: July 2019

With the rapid rise of the aging population, how to provide support and care for older adults has become an increasingly important issue across the world. One way of such provision in many societies has been through adult children. An important concept, attitude, and practice in this regard is filial responsibility. This article first looks into the definition of filial responsibility and its ethical foundation or theoretical underpinning as manifested in various theories. Next, the article examines changes and continuity in filial responsibility in the face of modernization and other social and cultural changes. To better understand the many faces of filial responsibility, the article discusses parental expectations of filial responsibility and the attitudes and practices of adult children. The extent of offspring’s filial responsibility attitude as a predictor of actual support and care to parents is discussed. In addition, to comprehend the effects of filial responsibility on individual well-being, this article examines not only the effects of parental expectations of filial responsibility on their well-being but also the consequences of fulfilling filial responsibility on offspring’s well-being. Finally, the article examines the relationship between filial responsibility and policy and the implications of filial responsibility for the helping professions, including social work.
Persecution and resurrection
Authors: Siecienski A. Edward
Published: July 2019

The Orthodox church continued to suffer persecution through the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. In Russia, Tsar Peter the Great decreed a new system of church governance, with the tsar serving as “Supreme Judge of the Spiritual College.” ‘Persecution and resurrection’ outlines the difficulties that Orthodox Christians faced through the twentieth century: the impact of the First World War, new Soviet rule in Russia, and the Second World War. The collapse of the Soviet Union in 1991 allowed Orthodoxy to become once again an important part of Russia’s political and cultural landscape. The persecution of Orthodox Christians continued in the Arab world during the late twentieth century, resulting in a Christian exodus from the Middle East.
The mysteries
Authors: Siecienski A. Edward
Published: July 2019

The Orthodox church has blessings and ceremonies for every occasion, but among the various rites of the church, seven have taken on a special significance. ‘The mysteries’ describes these seven sacraments of the Orthodox church—baptism, chrismation (confirmation), the eucharist, reconciliation (confession), the Anointing of the Sick, marriage, and Holy Orders. The Orthodox conviction is that Christ himself is encountered in each of the seven mysteries, and it is he who provides believers with the grace needed for their particular ministry or state of life. For the Orthodox, sacraments are not just ceremonies or celebrations that mark important milestones in one’s Christian journey; they are manifestations of Christ’s ongoing presence in the world.
Orthodoxy and the modern world
Authors: Siecienski A. Edward
Published: July 2019

The twentieth and twenty-first centuries have been times of great upheaval for the Orthodox, with persecutions and mass emigrations, but also rebirth and the possibility of new growth. ‘Orthodoxy and the modern world’ considers the position of the Orthodox church on a range of matters, including its views on other churches; the attempts to create an independent church in Ukraine outside the Moscow Patriarchate jurisdiction; the role of women in the church; its advocacy of environmental issues; and issues of sexual morality. Orthodox Christianity remains vibrant and relevant; it provides millions of Christians throughout the world with their spiritual home, and continues to shape world events.
National Socialism
Authors: Caplan Jane
Published: July 2019

‘National Socialism’ argues that the roots of Nazi ideology and politics can be traced to Germany and Austria between 1890 and 1914, the era when Hitler and other leading Nazis came of age. It highlights the emergence of radical visions of identity and community in imperial Germany, and their disruption by the unexpected outcome of the First World War. Defeat, revolution, and republic changed the rules of German politics, splitting the country and amplifying the political ambitions, ideological belligerence, and antisemitism of the radical right.
3. How physics works
Authors: Perkowitz Sidney
Published: July 2019

Today, physics is firmly grounded in classical physics, which accurately describes much of our immediate and relatively nearby world, the mid-range scale of the cosmos; and in modern physics, quantum mechanics and relativity, which describe much of the small and large scales of the universe that lie far beyond direct human reach. However, physics is not stagnant, it still lacks important answers because of unexplained phenomena, because of new research tools, and because its aspirations, especially the quest for a Theory of Everything, have grown. ‘How physics works’ considers how physicists choose which experiments to perform, how to develop theories, and how these two halves of the physics equation come together.
5. A force in society
Authors: Perkowitz Sidney
Published: July 2019

Physics is intellectually significant for humanity because of its success in explaining nature, and practically significant because it powerfully affects the wider world outside the laboratory. Physicists recognize this important interaction. ‘A force in society’ looks at the range of impacts that physics has had on the world: from the devastating effects of nuclear weaponry that started with the Manhattan Project in World War II, to the more positive applications in areas such as solar energy, digital electronics, and medicine. These events and inventions have appeared within the last century, but the societal influence of physics goes much further back and comes from pure as well as applied physics.
Geopolitics: A Very Short Introduction
Authors: Dodds Klaus
Published: July 2019

From great power politics and speculation about resource scrambles, to everyday encounters and objects such as smart phones, geopolitics affects citizens, corporations, international bodies, social movements, and governments. Geopolitics is far more than simply the impact of geographical features such as rivers, mountains, and climate on political developments. Geopolitics: A Very Short Introduction explores the intellectual historical origins of geopolitics and its current concerns, drawing on regional and thematic case studies. A country’s connectivity, location, size, and resources all affect how the people that live there understand and interact with the wider world. The recent rise of populism and economic nationalism worldwide are also considered.
2. Intellectual poison?
Authors: Dodds Klaus
Published: July 2019

The notion of geopolitics has not always been well received. It has been accused of being intellectually fraudulent, ideologically suspect, and tainted with associations with Nazism and fascism. ‘Intellectual poison?’ charts a brief history of geopolitics from before World War II to the present day, looking at its origins, development, and reception. It also considers critical geopolitics. Geopolitics has attracted a great deal of academic and popular attention, often with little appreciation of its controversial intellectual history. Presidents and political commentators seem to love using the term: they associate it with danger, threats, space, and power. It is often used to make predictions about the future direction of politics.
1. The diplomat
Authors: Skinner Quentin
Published: July 2019

‘The diplomat’ describes the insight that Machiavelli gained during his diplomatic career. Machiavelli became second chancellor of the Florentine Republic aged 29, despite lacking previous administrative experience. He did so in part on the strength of his humanist credentials and family connections. As a diplomat, he went to the courts of France, the Holy Roman Empire, and the papal states, meeting many of the leading political figures of the age. He judged the rulers of the time to be too inflexible and excessively reliant on fortune. He also learned the value of decisiveness. Machiavelli’s own fortunes collapsed when the Florentine Republic was dissolved after the return of the Medici.
3. Atomic weight, triads, and Prout
Authors: Scerri Eric R.
Published: July 2019

‘Atomic weight, triads, and Prout’ discusses the shift in chemical thinking from qualitative analysis to quantitative analysis. John Dalton, drawing on the work of Antoine Lavoisier and Benjamin Richter, was the first to put forward the ideas of modern atomic theory. Avogadro realized that gases could exist as diatomic molecules, and Von Humboldt and Gay-Lussac postulated that these molecules reacted in a ratio. Prout also realized that atomic weight rose in multiples of the weight of hydrogen. Döbereiner introduced the concept of triads of similarly reacting elements, but developments of this system were flawed. It was Kremers who first started to relate elements that were chemically dissimilar, thus paving the way for periodicity.
Toward Improving Practices for Submission of Diagnostic Tissue Blocks for National Cancer Institute Clinical Trials
Authors: Makhlouf Hala , Watson Mark A , Lankes Heather A , Weil Carol , Dickler Maura , Birrer Michael , Moskaluk Christopher , Ramirez Nilsa C , Okby Nader , Alonsozana Edgar , Barnes Mark , Goldman Edward B , Enos Rebecca , Lubensky Irina
Published: July 2019

Objectives

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) National Clinical Trials Network performs phase II and III clinical trials, which increasingly rely on the submission of diagnostic formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded tissue blocks for biomarker assessment. Simultaneously, advances in precision oncology require that clinical centers maintain diagnostic specimens for ancillary, standard-of-care diagnostics. This has caused tissue blocks to become a limited resource for advancing the NCI clinical trial enterprise and the practice of modern molecular pathology.

Methods

The NCI convened a 1-day workshop of multidisciplined experts to discuss barriers and strategic solutions to facilitate diagnostic block submission for clinical trial science, from the perspective of patient advocates, legal experts, pathologists, and clinical oncologists.

Results

The expert views and opinions were carefully noted and reported.

Conclusions

Recommendations were proposed to reduce institutional barriers and to assist organizations in developing clear policies regarding diagnostic block submission for clinical trials.
The Arts of War and Deception
Authors: Samet Elizabeth D
Published: July 2019

Three recent books—Benjamin Cooper’s Veteran Americans: Literature and Citizenship from Revolution to Reconstruction (2018), Keith Gandal’s War Isn’t the Only Hell: A New Reading of World War I American Literature (2018), and Jonathan Vincent’s The Health of the State: Modern US War Narrative and the American Political Imagination, 1890–1964 (2017)—invite us to reevaluate the tradition of US war literature. Attempting to rescue it from the misunderstanding and marginalization to which it has been subject over the years, they assess its expression of persistent anxieties about national identity, citizenship, and masculinity. Covering a broad swath of US history, from the Revolutionary period through the Cold War, these books work together to illuminate crucial aspects of the perilous, enduring connection between citizenship and violence. This work is characteristic of a renewed post-9/11 attentiveness on the part of literary and cultural critics to war and its representation. Central to any exploration of the war narratives at the very core of national identity is a recognition of the intimate relation between the arts of war and those of deception.
Retracing the contours of the early angiosperm environmental niche
Authors: Pouteau Robin , Trueba Santiago , Isnard Sandrine
Published: July 2019

Background and Aims

Our aim was to understand the environmental conditions of the emergence and radiation of early angiosperms. Such a question has long remained controversial because various approaches applied in the past have drawn conflicting images of early angiosperm ecology.

Methods

We provided a new perspective on the question by using support vector machines to model the environmental niche of 51 species belonging to ten genera of extant lineages that diverged early during angiosperm evolution (basal angiosperms). Then, we analysed the resulting pattern of niche overlap and determined whether this pattern deviates from what would be expected on the basis of a null model or whether it might mirror a legacy of a common primitive niche based on a phylogenetic reconstruction.

Key Results

The niche of three-quarters of the species and all genera converged towards tropical montane cloud forests (TMCFs). The latitudinal pattern of basal angiosperm richness indeed culminated in the tropics, and the elevational pattern revealed a humpback curve peaking between 2000 m and 3500 m when accounting for the effect of area. At first glance, this diversity pattern does not significantly differ from null predictions. However, we revealed a tendency for the basal-most taxa to occur in TMCFs so that phylogenetic reconstructions indicated that the niche of the common ancestor of the sampled basal angiosperms had a probability of 0.85–0.93 to overlap with TMCFs.

Conclusions

Our new approach indicates that the environmental convergence of extant basal angiosperms towards TMCFs would reflect a legacy of an ancestral niche from which the least basal taxa would have diverged following a random pattern under geometric constraints.
The effect of transportation modality to dialysis facilities on health-related quality of life among hemodialysis patients: results from the Japanese Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Pattern Study
Authors: Yazawa Masahiko , Omae Kenji , Shibagaki Yugo , Inaba Masaaki , Tsuruya Kazuhiko , Kurita Noriaki
Published: July 2019

Background

For hemodialysis (HD) patients, travel to the dialysis facility is an issue that can affect their quality of life (QOL), both physically and mentally. However, evidence on this association of transportation modality with health-related QOL (HRQOL) is scarce.

Methods

We conducted a cohort study among maintenance HD patients participating in the Japanese Dialysis Outcomes and Practice Pattern Study Phase 5. The study included patients who were functionally independent and able to walk. The primary exposure was the means of transportation to the dialysis facility, categorized into three groups, namely transportation by other drivers (Group 1), transportation via self-driving (Group 2) and transportation by bicycle or walking with or without public transportation (Group 3). The primary outcomes were physical and mental health composite scores (PCS and MCS) in the 12-item Short Form at 1 year after study initiation.

Results

Among 1225 eligible patients (Group 1, 34.4%; Group 2, 45.0%; Group 3, 20.7%), 835 were analyzed for the primary outcomes. Linear regression analyses revealed that patients in Groups 2 and 3 had significantly higher PCS and MCS at 1 year than those in Group 1 {adjusted mean differences of PCS 1.42 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.17–2.68] and 1.94 [95% CI 0.65–3.23], respectively, and adjusted mean differences of MCS 2.53 [95% CI 0.92–4.14] and 2.20 [95% CI 0.45–3.95], respectively}.

Conclusions

Transportation modality was a significant prognostic factor for both PCS and MCS after 1 year in maintenance HD patients.
On the Security of LWE Cryptosystem against Subversion Attacks
Authors: Yang Zhichao , Chen Rongmao , Li Chao , Qu Longjiang , Yang Guomin
Published: July 2019

Subversion of cryptography has received wide attentions especially after the Snowden Revelations in 2013. Most of the currently proposed subversion attacks essentially rely on the freedom of randomness choosing in the cryptographic protocol to hide backdoors embedded in the cryptosystems. Despite the fact that significant progresses in this line of research have been made, most of them mainly considered the classical setting, while the research gap regarding subversion attacks against post-quantum cryptography remains tremendous. Inspired by this observation, we investigate a subversion attack against existing protocol that is proved post-quantum secure. Particularly, we show an efficient way to undetectably subvert the well-known lattice-based encryption scheme proposed by Regev (STOC 2005). Our subversion enables the subverted algorithm to stealthily leak arbitrary messages to the outsider who knows the backdoor. Through theoretical analysis and experimental observations, we demonstrate that the subversion attack against the LWE encryption scheme is feasible and practical.
Towards clinical utility of polygenic risk scores
Authors: Lambert Samuel A , Abraham Gad , Inouye Michael
Published: July 2019

Prediction of disease risk is an essential part of preventative medicine, often guiding clinical management. Risk prediction typically includes risk factors such as age, sex, family history of disease and lifestyle (e.g. smoking status); however, in recent years, there has been increasing interest to include genomic information into risk models. Polygenic risk scores (PRS) aggregate the effects of many genetic variants across the human genome into a single score and have recently been shown to have predictive value for multiple common diseases. In this review, we summarize the potential use cases for seven common diseases (breast cancer, prostate cancer, coronary artery disease, obesity, type 1 diabetes, type 2 diabetes and Alzheimer’s disease) where PRS has or could have clinical utility. PRS analysis for these diseases frequently revolved around (i) risk prediction performance of a PRS alone and in combination with other non-genetic risk factors, (ii) estimation of lifetime risk trajectories, (iii) the independent information of PRS and family history of disease or monogenic mutations and (iv) estimation of the value of adding a PRS to specific clinical risk prediction scenarios. We summarize open questions regarding PRS usability, ancestry bias and transferability, emphasizing the need for the next wave of studies to focus on the implementation and health-economic value of PRS testing. In conclusion, it is becoming clear that PRS have value in disease risk prediction and there are multiple areas where this may have clinical utility.
What guides lemmings movements through the snowpack?
Authors: Poirier Mathilde , Gauthier Gilles , Domine Florent
Published: July 2019

The presence of a snowpack, which may last up to 9 months in the Arctic, can provide insulation from the cold winter temperature for small mammals living beneath it, such as lemmings. Since lemmings have to move through the snowpack during that period, it is important to better understand how the physical properties of snow affect the way they dig tunnels. Here, we tested 1) whether lemmings systematically dig in the snowpack at the ground level where they can find their food plants, and 2) whether they choose the softest snow layer in which to dig, which is usually the depth hoar layer in the arctic snowpack. We found 33 lemming tunnels in 2017 and 2018 by digging through the snow at the sites of arctic fox attacks on lemmings. Contrary to our expectation, almost all the tunnels (32/33) were found to be higher than ground level, probably because of the presence of obstacles (i.e., melt-freeze crusts or hummocks) at the base of the snowpack. As predicted, all tunnels were dug in the soft depth hoar layer, which had a lower density than snow layers below and above it. Lemmings also showed a preference to dig their tunnels at the top of the depth hoar, just below a hard snow layer. Systematically digging their tunnels in the lowest-density snow layer, regardless of its height in the snow pack, could be a strategy for lemmings to minimize energy expenditure, which could improve their survival and chances of reproducing in winter.
An MRI study of immune checkpoint inhibitor–induced musculoskeletal manifestations myofasciitis is the prominent imaging finding
Authors: Daoussis Dimitrios , Kraniotis Pantelis , Filippopoulou Alexandra , Argiriadi Rafaella , Theodoraki Spyridoula , Makatsoris Thomas , Koutras Angelos , Kehagias Ioannis , Papachristou Dionysios J , Solomou Aikaterini , Kalofonos Haralabos , Liossis Stamatis-Nick
Published: July 2019

Objective

To assess: (i) the prevalence, and clinical and imaging characteristics of immune checkpoint inhibitor (ICI)-induced musculoskeletal immune-related adverse events (ir-AEs) in a prospective manner and (ii) whether serum levels of cytokines associated with the Th1/Th2/Th17 response are differentially expressed in patients with and without musculoskeletal Ir-AEs.

Methods

All patients treated with ICI who developed musculoskeletal manifestations were referred to the Rheumatology Department, and an MRI of the involved area(s) was performed.

Results

During the study period, a total of 130 patients were treated with ICIs. Of these, 10 (7.7%) developed ICI-induced Ir-AEs. The median time from ICI treatment since development of symptoms was 2.5 months. Three different patterns of musculoskeletal manifestations were found: (i) prominent joint involvement (n = 3); (ii) prominent ‘periarticular’ involvement (n = 4). These patients had diffuse swelling of the hands, feet or knees. MRI depicted mild synovitis with more prominent myositis and/or fasciitis in the surrounding tissues in all cases; (iii) myofasciitis (n = 3). Clinically, these patients presented with pain in the knee(s)/thigh(s), whereas MRI depicted myofasciitis of the surrounding muscles. Patients with musculoskeletal ir-AEs had significantly higher oncologic response rates compared with patients not exhibiting musculoskeletal ir-AEs (50% vs 12.5%, respectively, P = 0.0016). Cytokine levels associated with a Th1/Th2/Th17 response were similar between patients with and without musculoskeletal ir-AEs. Overall, symptoms were mild/moderate and responded well to treatment, with no need for ICI discontinuation.

Conclusion

In our cohort, ICI-induced musculoskeletal manifestations developed in 7.7% of patients. Imaging evidence of myofasciitis was found in most patients, indicating that the muscle/fascia is more frequently involved than the synovium.
Can artificial intelligence replace manual search for systematic literature? Review on cutaneous manifestations in primary Sjögren’s syndrome
Authors: Orgeolet Laure , Foulquier Nathan , Misery Laurent , Redou Pascal , Pers Jacques-Olivier , Devauchelle-Pensec Valérie , Saraux Alain
Published: July 2019

Objectives

Manual systematic literature reviews are becoming increasingly challenging due to the sharp rise in publications. The primary objective of this literature review was to compare manual and computer software using artificial intelligence retrieval of publications on the cutaneous manifestations of primary SS, but we also evaluated the prevalence of cutaneous manifestations in primary SS.

Methods

We compared manual searching and searching with the in-house computer software BIbliography BOT (BIBOT) designed for article retrieval and analysis. Both methods were used for a systematic literature review on a complex topic, i.e. the cutaneous manifestations of primary SS. Reproducibility was estimated by computing Cohen’s κ coefficients and was interpreted as follows: slight, 0–0.20; fair, 0.21–0.40; moderate, 0.41–0.60; substantial, 0.61–0.80; and almost perfect, 0.81–1.

Results

The manual search retrieved 855 articles and BIBOT 1042 articles. In all, 202 articles were then selected by applying exclusion criteria. Among them, 155 were retrieved by both methods, 33 by manual search only, and 14 by BIBOT only. Reliability (κ = 0.84) was almost perfect. Further selection was performed by reading the 202 articles. Cohort sizes and the nature and prevalence of cutaneous manifestations varied across publications. In all, we found 52 cutaneous manifestations reported in primary SS patients. The most described ones were cutaneous vasculitis (561 patients), xerosis (651 patients) and annular erythema (215 patients).

Conclusion

Among the final selection of 202 articles, 155/202 (77%) were found by the two methods but BIBOT was faster and automatically classified the articles in a chart. Combining the two methods retrieved the largest number of publications.
Trade Less and Exit Overcrowded Markets: Lessons from International Mutual Funds*
Authors: Dyakov Teodor , Jiang Hao , Verbeek Marno
Published: July 2019

We study active investment skills in relation to returns to scale in the active mutual fund industry. Using a sample of 13,807 funds from sixteen domicile countries investing in forty-two equity markets from 2001 to 2014, we find that they achieve negative trading performance on average, driven mainly by particularly low returns to their trades in US equities. Exploring their investment environment, we find convincing evidence of decreasing returns to scale around the world, especially for the US market. Based on theory of optimal fund size, we estimate the optimal size of the active mutual fund industry. We find that the active mutual fund industry in USA has exceeded the optimal level, whereas in the international markets, there may still be room for further expansion. Consistent with this view, we find that mutual fund managers have been gradually reallocating their assets away from the USA and more into international equity markets.
Iron Cage or Paper Cage? The Interplay of Worker Characteristics and Organizational Policy in Shaping Unequal Responses to a Standardized Decision-Making Tool
Authors: Bosk Emily A
Published: July 2019

Studies are largely optimistic about the ability of standardized procedures to constrain decision-makers’ biases and produce more equitable results across fields. However, work that embraces standardization as an equalizing force stands in contrast to research on standardization and street-level bureaucrats, which asserts that standardized procedures are not self-actuating and cannot be understood apart from the environments in which they are used. I examine how frontline workers vary in their approach to an actuarial-based tool intended to standardize judgments. In a highly controlled decision-making environment, child welfare workers whose racial and sex characteristics afford them higher status report subverting the tool; conversely, workers in the same position whose ascriptive characteristics yield them lower status in terms of race and sex describe following the rules. In an environment where the same tool is adopted only ceremonially, all workers experience decision-making as unconstrained, regardless of their ascriptive characteristics. This work fills gaps in knowledge about how social status and organizational context intersect to affect rule abidance. Examining these dynamic relationships advances understanding of how organizations reproduce inequality and the limits and potential for standardization to transform social hierarchies.