bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Morphological features and prognostic significance of multilayered pigment epithelium detachment in age-related macular degeneration
Authors: Kim Inhye , Ryu Gahyung , Sagong Min
Published: March 2021

Aims

To investigate the structure of multilayered pigment epithelial detachment (m-PED) in neovascular age-related macular degeneration, and its association with visual prognosis and the progression of fibrotic scars at 12 months.

Methods

We retrospectively analysed 68 eyes of 63 patients with m-PED that included a prechoroidal cleft. The compartments within m-PED were divided into neovascular tissue (layer 1), a hyper-reflective band (layer 2), and a prechoroidal cleft (layer 3). Clinical variables were compared between patients manifesting layer 2 and those who did not. Multiple regression analyses were used to find the factors related to visual outcome and fibrotic scar formation.

Results

Layer 2 was detected in 38 (55.9 %) of 68 eyes. With continuous treatment, the group with layer 2 showed gradual visual deterioration (p<0.001 at month 12), while the group without layer 2 showed visual improvement (p<0.001 at month 12). In the group with layer 2, the thickness of layer 2 significantly increased, and in the group without layer 2, if it formed, it increased gradually (p=0.004 at month 12). In both groups, other layers significantly decreased by month 12. The presence of layer 2 at baseline was significantly associated with a poor visual outcome (p=0.009) and fibrotic scar formation (p=0.023).

Conclusions

The m-PED with layer 2 had a higher risk of fibrotic scar formation and was associated with a poor visual prognosis. Layer 2 may be an early stage precursor of a fibrotic scar.
Systematic review of factors influencing decisions to limit treatment in the emergency department
Authors: Walzl Nathan , Sammy Ian A , Taylor Paul M , Smith Jason E , Lowe David J
Published: March 2021

Background

Emergency physicians are frequently faced with making decisions regarding how aggressive to be in caring for critically ill patients. We aimed to identify factors that influence decisions to limit treatment in the Emergency Department (ED) through a systematic search of the available literature.

Design

Prospectively registered systematic review of studies employing any methodology to investigate factors influencing decisions to limit treatment in the ED. Medline and EMBASE were searched from their inception until January 2019. Methodological quality was assessed using the Mixed Methods Appraisal Tool, but no studies were excluded based on quality. Findings were summarised by narrative analysis.

Results

10 studies published between 1998 and 2016 were identified for inclusion in this review, including seven cross-sectional studies investigating factors associated with treatment-limiting decisions, two surveys of physicians making treatment-limiting decisions and one qualitative study of physicians making treatment-limiting decisions. There was significant heterogeneity in patient groups, outcome measures, methodology and quality. Only three studies received a methodology-specific rating of ‘high quality’. Important limitations of the literature include the use of small single-centre retrospective cohorts often lacking a comparison group, and survey studies with low response rates employing closed-response questionnaires. Factors influencing treatment-limiting decisions were categorised into ‘patient and disease factors’ (age, chronic disease, functional limitation, patient and family wishes, comorbidity, quality of life, acute presenting disorder type, severity and reversibility), ‘hospital factors’ (colleague opinion, resource availability) and ‘non-patient healthcare factors’ (moral, ethical, social and cost factors).

Conclusions

Several factors influence decisions to limit treatment in the ED. Many factors are objective and quantifiable, but some are subjective and open to individual interpretation. This review highlights the complexity of the subject and the need for more robust research in this field.
Incidence and risk factors of delirium in surgical intensive care unit
Authors: Ali Muhammad Asghar , Hashmi Madiha , Ahmed Waqas , Raza Syed Amir , Khan Muhammad Faisal , Salim Bushra
Published: March 2021

Background

To evaluate the incidence and modifiable risk factors of delirium in surgical intensive care unit (SICU) of tertiary care hospital in a low-income and middle-income country.

Methods

We conducted a single cohort observational study in patients over 18 years of age who were admitted to the SICU for >24 hours in Aga Khan University Hospital from January to December 2016. Patients who had pre-existing cognitive dysfunction were excluded. Intensive Care Delirium Screening Checklist was used to assess delirium. Incidence of delirium was computed, and univariate and multivariable analyses were performed to observe the relationship between outcome and associated factors.

Results

The average patient age was 43.29±17.38 and body mass index was 26.25±3.57 kg/m2. Delirium was observed in 19 of 87 patients with an incidence rate of 21.8%. Multivariable analysis showed chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, pain score >4 and hypernatremia were strong predictors of delirium. Midazolam (adjusted OR (aOR)=7.37; 95% CI 2.04 to 26.61) and propofol exposure (aOR=7.02; 95% CI 1.92 to 25.76) were the strongest independent predictors of delirium while analgesic exposures were not statistically significant to predict delirium in multivariable analysis.

Conclusion

Delirium is a significant risk factor of poor outcome in SICU. There was an independent association between pain, sedation, COPD, hypernatremia and fever in developing delirium.

Level of evidence

IV.
Stability, electronic structure, mechanical properties and lattice thermal conductivity of FeS and FeS2 polymorphs
Authors: An Feipeng , Liu Qianli , Zhang Hao , Fan Jinwei , Zhang Yalai , Li Yusen , Wang Guangchi , Wu Jing , Chong Xiaoyu
Published: March 2021

First-principles calculations were used to investigate the stability, electronic structure, elastic and lattice thermal conductivity of FeS and FeS2 polymorphs ([Formula: see text]-FeS, [Formula: see text]-FeS, [Formula: see text]-FeS, [Formula: see text]-FeS2, [Formula: see text]-FeS2). The calculated lattice parameters were in agreement with experimental results. The results showed that these Fe-S binary compounds are thermodynamically and mechanically stable. The elastic anisotropies of Fe-S binary compounds were exhibited by 3D modulus ball and 2D projections. Among all the five compounds, [Formula: see text]-FeS2 compound has the largest bulk modulus and [Formula: see text]-FeS2 has the largest Young’s modulus and hardness. Furthermore, [Formula: see text]-FeS, [Formula: see text]-FeS and [Formula: see text]-FeS compounds can be regarded as ductile material according to [Formula: see text] and Poisson’s ratio. The FeS compounds show metallic character and FeS2 compounds show semiconductor character through analyzing their bandgap and density of states (DOS). The [Formula: see text]-FeS2 has the largest thermal conductivity according to the Clarke model, and the [Formula: see text]-FeS shows the strongest thermal conductivity anisotropy among the five compounds.
Positive Influence Maximization in the Signed Social Networks Considering Polarity Relationship and Propagation Probability
Authors: Qiu Liqing , Zhang Shuang , Yu Jinfeng
Published: March 2021

The purpose of influence maximization problem is to select a small seed set to maximize the number of nodes influenced by the seed set. For viral marketing, the problem of influence maximization plays a vital role. Current works mainly focus on the unsigned social networks, which include only positive relationship between users. However, the influence maximization in the signed social networks including positive and negative relationships between users is still a challenging issue. Moreover, the existing works pay more attention to the positive influence. Therefore, this paper first analyzes the positive maximization influence in the signed social networks. The purpose of this problem is to select the seed set with the most positive influence in the signed social networks. Afterwards, this paper proposes a model that incorporates the state of node, the preference of individual and polarity relationship, called Independent Cascade with the Negative and Polarity (ICWNP) propagation model. On the basis of the ICWNP model, this paper proposes a Greedy with ICWNP algorithm. Finally, on four real social networks, experimental results manifest that the proposed algorithm has higher accuracy and efficiency than the related methods.
Sports Big Data Analysis Based on Cloud Platform and Its Impact on Sports Economy
Authors: Cheng Ye , Song Yan
Published: March 2021

The service information system is constantly transforming to a networked information model, and domestic hardware equipment is constantly updated. Independent controllability has also become the basic requirement of the new information age. With the development of the information age and the new era of independent control, more and more services and applications will also be deployed on autonomous and controllable cloud platforms. With the rapid development of Internet technology in the information age and the resulting changes in productivity, people can record, store, and transmit more and more information. When information becomes recordable, storage, and easy to transmit, information becomes modern meaning nowadays, an era of information explosion characterized by massive, volatile, timely transmission, and diverse forms has truly come, forming what is now called the “big data era”. This article mainly introduces the analysis of sports big data based on the cloud platform and the research on the impact on the sports economy and intends to provide ideas and directions for the analysis of sports big data and the research on the impact on the sports economy. This paper proposes a cloud platform-based sports big data analysis and research methods for its impact on the sports economy, including the use of Hadoop cloud platform big data processing systems and support vector regression algorithms for cloud platform-based sports big data analysis and sports economy. The experimental results of this paper show that the average correlation between sports big data analysis and sports economic development is 0.5155, and appropriate cloud platform-based sports big data analysis plays a positive role in promoting sports economic development.
Safe Blood Transfusion Practices among Nurses in a Major Referral Center in Ghana
Authors: Bediako Agnes Asare , Ofosu-Poku Rasheed , Druye Andrews Adjei
Published: March 2021

Errors in transfusion of blood and blood products can lead to preventable morbidity and mortality. Nurses constitute a significant aspect of the transfusion process as they are the last in the chain of getting blood directly to the patient. They must, therefore, be conversant with the current standard of national and international guidelines on blood transfusion and appropriate management of adverse transfusion events. This study assesses the knowledge and practices of blood transfusion safety among nurses at Komfo Anokye Teaching Hospital. A descriptive cross-sectional design was employed, and structured questionnaire (Routine Blood Transfusion Knowledge Questionnaire) was used to collect data from 279 nurses from seven clinical directorates of the hospital. The data were processed with Stata version 14.0. Variables were analyzed using descriptive statistics, and relationships were drawn using inferential statistics. Over 90% of the respondents had a minimum of a diploma in nursing or midwifery, 63% had performed blood transfusion at least 5 times, and 46% had never received any training on blood transfusion. The mean score obtained in all four categories of blood transfusion knowledge assessed was 29, with 54% of the respondents scoring below the mean. The highest overall score on knowledge was 53%. This indicates that nurses had poor knowledge regarding safe blood transfusion practices as stipulated in the clinical guidelines for blood transfusion by Ghana’s National Blood Service. There was no statistically significant relationship between training/experience and knowledge of safe blood transfusion practices. Regular and continuous update training and audit are needed to safeguard patient safety during blood transfusion.
Estimated Vestibulogram (EVEST) for Effective Vestibular Assessment
Authors: Striteska Maja , Skoloudik Lukas , Valis Martin , Mejzlik Jan , Trnkova Katerina , Chovanec Martin , Profant Oliver , Chrobok Viktor , Kremlacek Jan
Published: March 2021

Background. The availability and development of methods testing the vestibuloocular reflex (VOR) brought a broader view into the lateral semicircular canal (L‐SCC) function. However, the higher number of evaluated parameters makes more difficult the specialist’s diagnose‐making process. Purpose. To provide medical specialists, a new diagnostic‐graphic tool, Estimated Vestibulogram‐ EVEST, enabling a quick and easy‐to‐read visualization and comparison of the VOR test results within the L‐SCC. Methods. The development of EVEST involved 148 participants, including 49 healthy volunteers (28 female and 21 male) and 99 (58 female and 41 male) patients affected by different degrees of peripheral vestibular deficit. The corresponding L‐SCC VOR test results, from patients meeting the diagnostic criteria, were used to create the EVEST. Results. Based on the test results, we depicted and calculated the EVEST vestibular function asymmetry (VFA) in all the groups. To assess a feasibility of EVEST to describe a vestibular function deficit, we calculated sensitivity and specificity of VFA using a receiver operating characteristic curve (ROC) and compared it to single tests. In all the tests, we determined the cutoff value as the point with the highest sensitivity and specificity. For discrimination of any vestibular deficit, the VFA with cutoff 6.5% was more sensitive (91%) and specific (98%) than single tests. Results showed that EVEST is a beneficial graphic tool for quick multifrequency comparison and diagnosis of different types of the peripheral vestibular loss. Conclusions. EVEST can help to easily evaluate various types of peripheral vestibular lesion.
The Impact of Pedestrian and Nonmotorized Vehicle Violations on Vehicle Emissions at Signalized Intersections in the Real World: A Case Study in Beijing
Authors: Huang Jianchang , Song Guohua , Zhang Jianbo , Li Zufen , Wu Yizheng , Yu Lei
Published: March 2021

Emission around intersections has become an issue in the urban traffic network. This paper aims to investigate the impact of pedestrian and nonmotorized vehicle violations on emissions at mixed-traffic flow intersection based on the volumes of vehicles, nonmotor vehicles, and pedestrians. Also, it focuses on the arterial and collector intersections with high vehicle volume and limited space. Running red light and crossing intersection diagonally are two critical violations, accounting for 91.75% of effective violations (interference with vehicles’ operation). In this context, a violation blocking model is developed to estimate the blocking probability for each vehicle based on the volumes of pedestrians and nonmotor vehicles. The model includes two scenarios. (1) Through phase: the violation blocking model of running red light is developed based on the survival curve (the relationship between waiting time and running red light probability). (2) Left-turn phase: the violation blocking model at this phase includes two parts: (i) crossing the intersection diagonally model is developed for the first vehicle and (ii) running red light model is developed for subsequent vehicles. The existing emission model can estimate the emissions based on the blocking positions. In the case study, emissions increase with the vehicle volume approaching the saturated flow rate and the volumes of nonmotor vehicles and pedestrians increasing. Results show that the maximum emission increase of CO (carbon monoxide) for through phase and left-turn phase can reach 16.7% and 36.4%.
Analysis of a Methanogen and an Actinobacterium Dominating the Thermophilic Microbial Community of an Electromethanogenic Biocathode
Authors: Kobayashi Hajime , Toyoda Ryohei , Miyamoto Hiroyuki , Nakasugi Yasuhito , Momoi Yuki , Nakamura Kohei , Fu Qian , Maeda Haruo , Goda Takashi , Sato Kozo
Published: March 2021

Electromethanogenesis refers to the bioelectrochemical synthesis of methane from CO2 by biocathodes. In an electromethanogenic system using thermophilic microorganisms, metagenomic analysis along with quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction and fluorescence in situ hybridization revealed that the biocathode microbiota was dominated by the methanogen Methanothermobacter sp. strain EMTCatA1 and the actinobacterium Coriobacteriaceae sp. strain EMTCatB1. RNA sequencing was used to compare the transcriptome profiles of each strain at the methane-producing biocathodes with those in an open circuit and with the methanogenesis inhibitor 2-bromoethanesulfonate (BrES). For the methanogen, genes related to hydrogenotrophic methanogenesis were highly expressed in a manner similar to those observed under H2-limited conditions. For the actinobacterium, the expression profiles of genes encoding multiheme c-type cytochromes and membrane-bound oxidoreductases suggested that the actinobacterium directly takes up electrons from the electrode. In both strains, various stress-related genes were commonly induced in the open-circuit biocathodes and biocathodes with BrES. This study provides a molecular inventory of the dominant species of an electromethanogenic biocathode with functional insights and therefore represents the first multiomics characterization of an electromethanogenic biocathode.
Global Left Ventricular Myocardial Work Efficiency and Long-Term Prognosis in Patients After ST-Segment–Elevation Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Lustosa Rodolfo P. , Butcher Steele C. , van der Bijl Pieter , El Mahdiui Mohammed , Montero-Cabezas Jose M. , Kostyukevich Marina V. , Rocha De Lorenzo Andrea , Knuuti Juhani , Ajmone Marsan Nina , Bax Jeroen J. , Delgado Victoria
Published: March 2021

Background:

Left ventricular (LV) global longitudinal strain has demonstrated incremental prognostic value over LV ejection fraction in patients with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction. However, LV global longitudinal strain does not take into consideration the effect of afterload. Novel speckle-tracking echocardiographic indices of myocardial work integrate blood pressure measurements (afterload) with LV global longitudinal strain. The present study aimed to investigate the prognostic value of global LV myocardial work efficiency (GLVMWE; reflecting LV performance) obtained from pressure-strain loops with echocardiography in patients with ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction.

Methods:

A total of 507 ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction patients (mean age, 61±11 years; 76% men) were retrospectively analyzed. LV ejection fraction and GLVMWE were measured by transthoracic echocardiography within 48 hours of admission. GLVMWE was defined as the ratio of constructive work divided by the sum of constructive and wasted work in all LV segments and expressed as a percentage. Spline curve analysis was used to define the association between reduced GLVMWE and all-cause death.

Results:

After a median follow-up of 80 months (interquartile range, 67–97 months), 40 (8%) patients died. Patients with reduced GLVMWE (<86%) showed higher cumulative rates of all-cause mortality (17.5% versus 4.7%; log-rank
P
<0.001) in comparison with patients with preserved GLVMWE (≥86%). Reduced GLVMWE (<86%) showed an independent association with all-cause mortality (hazard ratio, 3.167 [95% CI, 1.679–5.972];
P
<0.001).

Conclusions:

Reduced GLVMWE (<86%) measured by transthoracic echocardiography within 48 hours of admission in ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction patients is associated with worse long-term survival.
Induced Forgetting Is the Result of True Forgetting, Not Shifts in Decision-making Thresholds
Authors: Megla Emma , Woodman Geoffrey F. , Maxcey Ashleigh M.
Published: March 2021

Induced forgetting occurs when accessing an item in memory appears to harm memory representations of categorically related items. However, it is possible that the actual memory representations are unharmed. Instead, people may just change how they make decisions. Specifically, signal detection theory suggests this apparent forgetting may be due to participants shifting their decision criterion. Here, we used behavioral and electrophysiological measures to determine whether induced forgetting is truly due to changes in how items are represented or simply due to a shifting criterion. Participants' behavior and brain activity showed that induced forgetting was due to changes in the strength of the underlying representations, weighing against a criterion shift explanation of induced forgetting.
The Usage of Social Network to Students: Does It Improve Student’s Education Quality During COVID-19 Outbreak
Authors: Kolandaisamy Indraah , Kolandaisamy Raenu
Published: March 2021

In the era of technology advancement and COVID-19 outbreak period, all physical classes have been converted to online classes through social network platforms. Having online classes through social networks are actually very comfortable and flexible for students as they can have their classes at various places. This paper is focuses on the relationship between usages of social network and the quality of education during COVID-19 outbreak.
Modified Grey Wolf Optimization with Levy Flights Based Energy Efficient Clustering Technique in Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Priya R. Sathiya , Arutchelvan K. , Bhuvaneswari C.
Published: March 2021

Wireless Sensor Network (WSN) comprises a set of inexpensive, compact and battery powered sensor nodes, deployed in the sensing region. WSN is highly useful for data gathering and tracking applications. Owing to the battery powered nature of sensor nodes, energy efficiency remains as
a crucial design issue. Earlier works reported that clustering is considered as an energy efficient technique and effective selection of cluster heads (CHs) remains a major issue in WSN. Since clustering process is considered as an NP hard problem, optimization algorithms are employed to resolve
it. This paper develops a new energy efficient clustering technique using Modified Grey Wolf Optimization with Levy Flights (MGWO-LF) for WSN. The proposed MGWO-LF algorithm incorporates the levy flight (LF) mechanism into the hunting phase of traditional GWO algorithm to avoid local optima
problem. The proposed model has the ability of proficiently selecting the cluster heads (CHs), achieves energy efficiency and maximum network lifetime. The detailed simulation analysis ensured that the MGWO-LF algorithm has prolonged the network lifetime in a considerable way.
High Energy Ball Milling and Liquid Crystal Template Method: A Successful Combination for the Preparation of Magnetic Nano-Platforms
Authors: Scano Alessandra , Magner Edmond , Pilloni Martina , Peddis Davide , Sini Franca , Slimani Sawssen , Ennas Guido
Published: March 2021

In this study, we present the preparation of superparamagnetic ordered mesoporous silica (SOMS) for biomedical applications by the combination of high energy ball milling (HEBM) and the liquid crystal template method (LCT) to produce a material comprised of room temperature superparamagnetic
Fe3O4 nanoparticles in a MCM-41 like mesostructured silica. In a typical synthesis, a mixture of Fe2O3 and silica was sealed in a stainless-steel vial with steel balls. Ball milling experiments were performed in a vibratory mill apparatus. The milling
process produced nanocomposites with an average size ranging from ∼100–200 nm, where the Fe3O4 nanoparticles (4.8 nm size) are homogeneously dispersed into the amorphous SiO2 matrix. The obtained nanocomposite has been used for the preparation of
the SOMS through the LCT method. Structural, morphological and textural characterization were performed using X-ray powder diffraction, transmission electron microscopy and nitrogen sorption analysis. Field dependence of magnetization was investigated and showed superparamagnetic behaviour
at 300 K with a value of saturation magnetization (Ms) that is of interest for biomedical applications.
Air Moisture Climatology and Related Physical Processes in the Antarctic on the Basis of ERA5 Reanalysis
Authors: Naakka Tuomas , Nygård Tiina , Vihma Timo
Published: March 2021

Atmospheric moisture is a key component in the water cycle and radiative transfer. In this study, a comprehensive picture of air moisture climatology and related physical processes is presented for the first time for the circumpolar area south of 50°S. The results are based on the most modern global reanalysis, ERA5, which manages reasonably well to close the Antarctic water budget. We show that over the ocean transient cyclones have the dominant role in determining moisture conditions, whereas over the continent the moisture conditions are largely affected by the mean circulation. Over the open sea, moisture transport from lower latitudes is an equally important source of moisture compared to the local evaporation, but practically all precipitating moisture over the plateau is provided by the horizontal transport. Over the ocean and continental slopes, southward moisture transport brings warm and moist air masses from lower latitudes, notably increasing atmospheric water vapor and cloud water, and simultaneously decreasing local evaporation over the open sea. On the Antarctic plateau, radiative cooling leads to high relative humidity and causes condensation of moisture especially near the surface, causing a nearly permanent specific humidity inversion layer. As a consequence, dry air masses with extremely low specific humidity are formed. These dry air masses are transported downward from the plateau by katabatic winds, experiencing adiabatic warming. This leads to a decrease in relative humidity and to a downward-directed sensible heat flux, which enable efficient surface evaporation on the coastal slopes and farther over coastal polynyas and leads.
Paths to Mobility: A Longitudinal Evaluation of Earnings Among Latino/a DACA Recipients in California
Authors: Patler Caitlin , Hale Jo Mhairi , Hamilton Erin
Published: March 2021

Undocumented immigration status is a structural barrier to socioeconomic mobility. The regularization of legal status may therefore promote the socioeconomic mobility of formerly undocumented immigrants. The 2012 Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program provided protection against deportation and access to work authorization for eligible undocumented immigrants who came to the United States as children. While studies using cross-sectional data find that DACA led to improved socioeconomic status, no studies have examined the socioeconomic status of DACA recipients over time and few have disaggregated among groups of DACA recipients. Drawing from one of the only longitudinal studies of DACA recipients, we use growth curve models to estimate individuals’ wage trajectories from the year prior to DACA receipt up to 77 months post-DACA receipt among Latino/a DACA participants in California. In this sample, DACA is associated with improved earnings trajectories for recipients, compared with nonrecipients. Among DACA recipients, there is variation in earnings growth by stage of the life course, as measured by age and educational attainment. Notably, DACA tenure appears to be particularly beneficial for individuals who attain DACA at earlier ages and who earn college degrees. This study contributes to our understanding of the role of immigration laws and policies in structuring immigrant integration and socioeconomic mobility in the United States.
Forging Political Identities and Becoming Citizens: The Political Preferences and Engagement of South American Immigrants in the United States and Spain
Authors: Lasala-Blanco Narayani , Morales Laura , Pamies Carles
Published: March 2021

Research in the United States has emphasized the importance of anti-immigrant and anti-Hispanic hostility to galvanize shared identities and a sense of linked fate that is electorally mobilized around the pan-ethnic Latino identity. With survey data on the electoral behavior of South American immigrants in the United States and Spain spanning a decade (2006-2018), this article gauges how critical hostility is for electoral mobilization. The findings suggest that—despite very different institutional settings, hostility levels, elite strategies, and political mobilization patterns—South American immigrants are forging remarkably similar patterns of political preferences and engagement across both sides of the Atlantic. The overtime and comparative perspective calls into question that hostility is the main driving force behind Latino electoral participation and block voting in the United States and prompts greater attention to the socioeconomic status of Latinos and mobilization by political parties.
Locus of Control and the Acknowledgment of Effort
Authors: Aguiar Fernando , Álvarez María , Miller Luis
Published: March 2021

What individual characteristics predict inequality acceptance? Previous literature has focused on economic and sociological determinants of accepting inequalities. Here, we present experimental evidence of one individual correlate of inequality acceptance: the personality trait known as locus of control. In our study, inequality is induced experimentally through the exogenous assignment to one of two experimental treatments. In one treatment, initial inequalities depend on individual performance in a previous real-effort task, that is, they are earned through effort, while in the other they are randomly determined. We report that people who show an internal locus of control (the belief that life’s outcomes are under one’s control) are significantly more likely to accept both arbitrary and effort-based inequalities, although they accept the latter more often.
Intergenerational Transmission of Educational Attainment: How Important Are Children’s Personality Characteristics?
Authors: Holtmann Anne Christine , Menze Laura , Solga Heike
Published: March 2021

This study examines the role of a wide range of personality characteristics—such as the Big Five personality traits, self-esteem, goal pursuit/adjustment, social behavior, and educational aspirations—for the intergenerational transmission of educational attainment in Germany, and compares their relative importance with that of cognitive skills. We use information on more than 8,000 students from the German National Educational Panel Study. We find that personality characteristics do not mediate the association between parents’ and children’s attainment of the university entrance qualification (the Abitur) by age 19/20. Only educational aspirations are a strong mediator for intergenerational educational transmission. A few personality characteristics moderate intergenerational educational transmission, and they do so in favor of children with high-educated parents either as Matthew effects or compensatory advantages. In contrast to personality characteristics, cognitive skills act as strong mediators, while moderation is rather weak when accounting for personality characteristics—but again, they work in favor of privileged children. Our German study reveals similarities but also differences compared with the mostly U.S.- and U.K.-based research and inspires to rethink the importance of personality characteristics and cognitive skills for intergenerational education attainment.
Keeping the Women Out: A Gendered Organizational Approach to Understanding Early Career-Ending Police Misconduct
Authors: Gaub Janne E. , Holtfreter Kristy
Published: March 2021

Female representation in policing has stagnated over the past three decades, even with repeated calls for diversification. One explanation for this is that agency attempts to diversify the workforce are merely perfunctory—departments recruit and hire women to placate reformers, but then remove them at opportune times. Guided by the gendered organizations framework, this study uses secondary data from the New York Police Department (NYPD) to examine the extent to which the NYPD used the discretionary nature of probation to remove women from the ranks. We find that a substantially higher percentage of women (compared to men) were terminated from the NYPD during probation, and for relatively minor offenses. We discuss the theoretical and policy implications of these findings.
Expanding Research on the School-to-Prison Pipeline: Examining the Relationships between Suspension, Expulsion, and Recidivism among Justice-Involved Youth
Authors: Novak Abigail , Fagan Abigail
Published: March 2021

Limited research has examined the associations between different forms of school exclusion and offending, and variation in these associations according to age of first exclusionary event, among justice-involved youth. Using data from the Pathways to Desistance Study, the current study examined the associations between suspension, expulsion, and recidivism and the association between age at first suspension/expulsion and recidivism. According to Cox proportional hazard models, both expulsion and frequency of suspension increased risk of recidivism; age at first suspension was not associated with recidivism, and youth who were first expelled in childhood were significantly less likely to recidivate than youth first expelled in adolescence. Results suggest juvenile justice and educational systems should provide collaborative services to better support justice-involved youth.
The Effects of Professor Gender on the Postgraduation Outcomes of Female Students
Authors: Mansour Hani , Rees Daniel I. , Rintala Bryson M. , Wozny Nathan N.
Published: March 2021

Although women earn approximately 50% of science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) bachelor’s degrees, more than 70% of scientists and engineers are men. The authors explore a potential determinant of this STEM gender gap using newly collected data on the career trajectories of United States Air Force Academy students. Specifically, they examine the effects of being assigned female math and science professors on occupation choice and postgraduate education. The results indicate that, among high-ability female students, being assigned a female professor leads to substantial increases in the probability of working in a STEM occupation and the probability of receiving a STEM master’s degree.
COVID-19: A Comprehensive Review of Epidemiology and Public Health System Response in Nordic Region
Authors: Nanda Mehak , Sharma Rajesh
Published: March 2021

This paper investigates the epidemiology and public health response of novel coronavirus infection (COVID-19) in the Nordic region. The data on cases and deaths due to COVID-19 were drawn from the European Centre for Disease Prevention and Control. The data on age- and sex-wise cases, deaths and intensive care unit (ICU) admissions, and public health interventions in the Nordic region through November 10, 2020, were obtained from respective countries’ health ministries. Sweden accounted for 60.59% of cases (162 240 of 267 768 cases) and 81% of deaths (6057 of 7477 cases) in the Nordic region. The incidence rate for the Nordic region was 989.59 per 100 000, varying from 327.30 per 100 000 in Finland to 1616.51 per 100 000 in Sweden, and the mortality rate for the region was 27.63 per 100 000, ranging from 5.3 per 100 000 in Norway to 60.35 per 100 000 in Sweden. The case–fatality ratio of the Nordic region was 2.79%. Females were more susceptible to COVID-19 infection than males (52.30% vs 47.66%), while males had a greater proportion of deaths (54.7%) and ICU need (71.99%) than females. It is imperative to continue with social distancing, mandatory masks, testing, prohibition of mass gatherings, isolation of confirmed cases, and preventing the importation of cases from other countries to avoid the further resurgence of cases.
From Claims to Violence: Signaling, Outbidding, and Escalation in Ethnic Conflict
Authors: Vogt Manuel , Gleditsch Kristian Skrede , Cederman Lars-Erik
Published: March 2021

Do radical political demands increase the risk of ethnic civil conflict? And why do ethnic movements make radical demands in the first place? We contend that when movements are fragmented, individual organizations use far-reaching claims relative to the status quo to attract attention from the government, boost intra-organizational discipline, and outbid rivals. Yet, such radical claims also increase the risk of conflict escalation. We test our arguments at both the ethnic group and organizational levels, using a new dataset on ethno-political organizations and their political demands. Our results show that the scope of demands increases the more organizations exist within an ethnic movement and that radical demands increase the risk of civil conflict onset. This effect is specific to the dyadic government-movement interaction, irrespective of other ethnic groups in the country. Moreover, at the organizational level, radicalization in demands increases the likelihood that an organization becomes engaged in civil conflict.
Reformulating Jan Tinbergen’s normative vision on welfare and security
Authors: Murshed S Mansoob
Published: March 2021

This article builds on the intellectual legacy of Jan Tinbergen by extending his analysis on welfare and security into a framework involving strategic interaction. I first incorporate welfare and security in terms of interstate tensions into a single utility or payoff function. An uncertain world is characterized by states that are more peaceful, and others where nations are more hostile to each other. Both conflictual and peaceful outcomes lie along a spectrum of hostility short of war. The strategies adopted by the two countries, which promote peace, can be complements or substitutes. This means that they can go up or down in response to increases in the strategies of its rival. I demonstrate that non-cooperative behaviour between nations is Pareto inferior to cooperative behaviour, because the latter is associated with more actions and efforts to promote peace. Cooperative behaviour is akin to Tinbergen’s notion of world government. Non-cooperative behaviour by states also leads to moral hazard, and there can be free-riding in joint peaceful behaviour by some nations, particularly when the strategies of the countries are substitutes. The model is extended to aggressive international behaviour, including that mandated by populist plebiscites or election victories, as well as an outline of individual behaviour driven by identity-based politics.
A burden on future generations? How we learned to hate deficits and blame the baby boomers
Authors: Cooper Melinda
Published: March 2021

The idea that public borrowing places an intolerable burden on posterity is as old as the institution of public debt itself. But the debate over deficit-spending assumed an entirely new scope and import with the rise of the fiscal state in the early twentieth century, as governments assumed greater responsibilities with regard to public welfare and found themselves subject to a new kind of conflict concerning the uses and distribution of public income. In this context, the intergenerational argument against social welfare spending became an important tool in the fight against class redistribution. With a focus on American debates, this article provides a historical sociology of the idea that deficits constitute a burden on future generations, identifying the key historical turning points when this idea acquired new political resonance. In particular, the article investigates how we learned to blame baby boomers for the alleged ills of government deficit-spending and how this now ubiquitous motif of public discourse was reintroduced by the Virginia school public choice theorist James M. Buchanan and later refined by the chief proponent of generational accounting, Laurence Kotlikoff.
Examining the validity of three methods of measuring pre-readers’ knowledge of storybook events
Authors: Dempsey Lynn
Published: March 2021

Planning intervention for narrative comprehension deficits requires a thorough understanding of a child’s skill in all component domains. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of three methods of measuring pre-readers’ event knowledge, an important predictor of story comprehension. Thirty-eight typically developing children (12 males; 26 females) between the ages of 30–59 months ( M = 42.05 SD = 7.62) completed three measures – verbal account, enactment, picture-sequencing – that tapped their knowledge of two different events before listening to stories based on each of those events and completing story comprehension tasks. Scores for verbal account and enactment, but not for picture sequencing, (1) were moderately correlated with comprehension scores for the corresponding story; (2) reflected differential knowledge of the two events, though not in the expected direction; (3) were moderately correlated with one another in the case of each story. In general measures for the same event were more highly correlated with one another than with measures of the other event. Overall, results suggest that verbal account and enactment may yield information useful for clinicians planning intervention for children with narrative comprehension deficits.
Unfree Labour and the Capitalist State: An Open Marxist Analysis of the 2015 Modern Slavery Act
Authors: Pesterfield Christopher
Published: March 2021

The Modern Slavery Act was passed in 2015, ostensibly to tackle exploitation. Despite being promoted for its ‘world-leading’ qualities, the legislation’s weaknesses have, even at this relatively early stage of its implementation, been well documented. This is unsurprising; legislators were aware they were passing a bill that could have had stronger enforcement mechanisms, opting instead for a weaker alternative. This article takes these shortcomings as its starting point to ask who, or what, benefits from the Modern Slavery Act, if not those it is purportedly aimed to help. The response is that the main beneficiaries of the Modern Slavery Act are capitalism, and the Conservative government that created the bill. The Modern Slavery Act operates through the modern slavery discourse that positions unfree forms of labour as aberrations that operate outside of capitalism, and once unfree labour practices have been framed in this way, the capitalist free market is identified not as a causal factor but as the solution. In addition, the Conservative government used the Modern Slavery Act domestically as a counterpoint to its hostile environment policy to soften their image for part of the electorate. When viewed as an artefact of capitalist thinking and state management, it becomes clear that the Modern Slavery Act makes a not insignificant contribution to the legitimacy of both capitalism and the government by conferring upon them a degree of legitimacy as the routes through which the unfree will be liberated.
Silk fibroin/polyurethane patch implantation in hyperglycemic rat model
Authors: Kitpipatkun Pitipat , Sutummaporn Kripitch , Kato Konosuke , Murakami Tomoaki , Kobayashi Kyoko , Nakazawa Yasumoto , Tanaka Ryou
Published: March 2021

Purpose

To understand the complication and histopathological characteristics between the Silk Fibroin/Polyurethanes (SF/PU) and the host response, and to unveil the compatibility of the patch in diabetes individuals.

Methods

Rats were divided into DM and control (CT) groups, and the DM group was induced with streptozotocin. All groups underwent the SF/PU patch implantation in the abdominal aorta, and the implanted patches were evaluated at one, two, three, and four weeks after implantation.

Results

DM group had more fibrosis formation and a delayed endothelialization compared to the CT group. There was no evidence of chronic inflammation in both DM and CT groups.

Conclusions

Fibrosis in hyperglycemic individuals could promote the formation of new vascular structures in the implanted patch such as endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells. In summary, the SF/PU patch was no serious complications when implanted under hyperglycemia, and the patch was suitable to implant in diabetes mellitus.
Soft Spaces as a Traveling Planning Idea: Uncovering the Origin and Development of an Academic Concept on the Rise
Authors: Purkarthofer Eva , Granqvist Kaisa
Published: March 2021

This article analyses the academic concept of “soft spaces” from the perspective of traveling planning ideas. The concept has its origin in the United Kingdom but has also been used in other contexts. Within European Union policy-making, the term soft planning has emerged to describe the processes of cooperation and learning with an unclear relation to planning. In the Nordic countries, soft spaces are viewed as entangled with the logics of statutory planning, posing challenges for policy delivery and regulatory planning systems. This article highlights the conceptual evolution of soft spaces, specifically acknowledging contextual influences and the changing relation with statutory planning.
Attitudes About Forgiveness and Leaving a Relationship: The Context of Relationship Aggression
Authors: Ermer Ashley E. , Roach Andrea L. , Coleman Marilyn , Ganong Lawrence
Published: March 2021

The present study examines participant attitudes regarding whether a victim of IPV should forgive an offending partner and whether they should stay or leave a violent relationship. A total of 562 participants completed the study, which entailed responding to factorial vignettes online. Participants were primarily heterosexual, female, non-Latino, and White, with an average age of 21.75. Using logistic regressions, participants were significantly more likely to think the victim should forgive the perpetrator if the perpetrator was female and for less severe acts of aggression. Multinomial logistic regressions found that respondents were significantly less likely to state “yes” or “it depends,” compared to “no,” as to whether the victim should leave the relationship when the aggression was more severe and were more likely to say a male victim should stay in a violent relationship than a female victim. Qualitative analyses found three main themes regarding whether a victim should forgive: (1) context matters; (2) forgiveness is best … with caveats; and (3) questioning how often violence had occurred. With regard to whether a victim should leave an aggressive relationship, two main themes emerged: (1) situation matters … especially the relationship context and (2) questioning whether the violence had occurred before. This study provides insight into attitudes, by those external to a couple, regarding forgiveness and leaving a relationship after an instance of relationship aggression and has implications for both practitioners and policymakers. The constructed views about leaving a relationship may spill over into decisions regarding whether to implement policy surrounding IPV. Practitioners should also be cognizant of the varying definitions of forgiveness when working with clients who have experienced IPV as a practitioner’s definition of forgiveness may not necessarily align with a client’s definition.