bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Examining college student retention: a closer look at low self-control
Authors: Stephenson Amber L. , Heckert D. Alex , Yerger David B.
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to comprehensively explore the association between low self-control and college student retention.

Design/methodology/approach

Cross-sectional survey data were obtained from 369 undergraduate students in the USA and combined with follow-up data on retention. Factor analysis was used to develop and validate the abbreviated eight-item low self-control instrument. Propensity score matching, an analytic technique that permits the assertion of causality without the need for experimental design, was used to examine the relationship between low self-control and second-semester college retention. Use of propensity score matching permitted the pairing of survey respondents under the defined circumstance of low self-control with those respondents not having low self-control under multiple relevant covariates.

Findings

The results showed a relationship between low self-control and college retention. Specifically, in the matched sample, those students with low self-control were 8 percent less likely to be retained at the institution at the onset of the second year than their counterparts with higher self-control.

Practical implications

The results of the study prompt the important question of how colleges and universities can alter their structures and processes to better support students with low self-control. Key managerial and administrative implications from the findings of this study revolve around the recognition, motivation, and subsequent performance appraisals of those students with low self-control.

Originality/value

This study extends the quite limited research on how low self-control correlates with retention and subsequently offers insights on how to further support students with low self-control as a way to improve retention outcomes. Additionally, the validated eight-item survey provides a quick, low-cost assessment tool for interested researchers and managers.
Designing predictive maintenance systems using decision tree-based machine learning techniques
Authors: Kaparthi Shashidhar , Bumblauskas Daniel
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The after-sale service industry is estimated to contribute over 8 percent to the US GDP. For use in this considerably large service management industry, this article provides verification in the application of decision tree-based machine learning algorithms for optimal maintenance decision-making. The motivation for this research arose from discussions held with a large agricultural equipment manufacturing company interested in increasing the uptime of their expensive machinery and in helping their dealer network.

Design/methodology/approach

We propose a general strategy for the design of predictive maintenance systems using machine learning techniques. Then, we present a case study where multiple machine learning algorithms are applied to a particular example situation for an illustration of the proposed strategy and evaluation of its performance.

Findings

We found progressive improvements using such machine learning techniques in terms of accuracy in predictions of failure, demonstrating that the proposed strategy is successful.

Research limitations/implications

This approach is scalable to a wide variety of applications to aid in failure prediction. These approaches are generalizable to many systems irrespective of the underlying physics. Even though we focus on decision tree-based machine learning techniques in this study, the general design strategy proposed can be used with all other supervised learning techniques like neural networks, boosting algorithms, support vector machines, and statistical methods.

Practical implications

This approach is applicable to many different types of systems that require maintenance and repair decision-making. A case is provided for a cloud data storage provider. The methods described in the case can be used in any number of systems and industrial applications, making this a very scalable case for industry practitioners. This scalability is possible as the machine learning techniques learn the correspondence between machine conditions and outcome state irrespective of the underlying physics governing the systems.

Social implications

Sustainable systems and operations require allocating and utilizing resources efficiently and effectively. This approach can help asset managers decide how to sustainably allocate resources by increasing uptime and utilization for expensive equipment.

Originality/value

This is a novel application and case study for decision tree-based machine learning that will aid researchers in developing tools and techniques in this area as well as those working in the artificial intelligence and service management space.
Selecting a proper construction system in small and medium mass housing projects, considering success criteria and construction volume and height
Authors: Noorzai Esmatullah , Golabchi Mahmood
Published: February 2020

Purpose

As the population grows, one of the major global crises is the management of human settlement. A proper solution to deal with this issue is mass housing. Given the variable needs in these projects, two constraints of height and volume of construction play an essential role in fulfilling success criteria. Hence, this paper aims to choose the most appropriate building method to satisfy time, cost, quality and safety factors considering the volume and height of construction.

Design/methodology/approach

In this research, the proper construction methods in mass housing projects in two volumes of up to 1000 (small) and 1000-3000 (medium) residential units in three ranges of the height of 5, 5-10, and higher than ten floors were determined with a focus on the success criteria based on real experiences through questionnaires and interviews.

Findings

The results show that steel bolt and nut and tunnel framework systems in higher than five-floor building projects act better than other methods, while in up to five-floor building projects, LSF saves time and cost and steel bolt and nut provides higher quality and safety.

Originality/value

Given the extent of work, the results of this research can be considered as a benchmark in the mass housing industry.
Facility management services and employee well-being
Authors: Arampatzi Efstratia , Burger Martijn
Published: February 2020

Purpose

Although a large number of studies have examined the relationship between the physical work environment and employee performance, the relationship between employee well-being and facility management (FM) has received limited attention. The purpose of this paper is to explore the relationship between FM services and employee well-being in terms of job satisfaction, satisfaction with the workplace, job affect and engagement within the context of the job demands-resources (JD-R) model, distinguishing between soft FM services and hard FM services.

Design/methodology/approach

The analysis is based on the responses of 1,390 employees, who responded to all the relevant items used in this analysis. In addition to the linear estimations, the research uses an instrumental variable (IV) estimation, the Lewbel IV estimator (Lewbel, 2012), to establish a causal relationship between FM services and employee well-being.

Findings

The findings of this paper suggest that there is a positive relationship between the FM index and the four well-being proxies. In addition, the findings indicate that the effect of soft FM on employee well-being is generally weaker than the effect of hard FM, especially with regard to job affect and engagement.

Originality/value

The current research treats FM services as a resource instead of a cost and goes beyond the financial value of FM by providing a quantitative analysis on the added value of FM services in terms of employee well-being. Most importantly, this study incorporates FM services in the JD-R model and uses an alternative approach to linear regression and traditional IV regression to solve for endogeneity issues.
Simulation educators in clinical work: the manager's perspective
Authors: Tamás Éva , Södersved Källestedt Marie-Louise , Hult Håkan , Carlzon Liisa , Karlgren Klas , Berndtzon Magnus , Hultin Magnus , Masiello Italo , Allvin Renée
Published: February 2020

Purpose

Information is scarce on healthcare managers' understanding of simulation educators' impact on clinical work. Therefore, the aim of this study was to explore healthcare managers' perceptions of the significance of clinically active simulation educators for the organisation.

Design/methodology/approach

Healthcare managers were invited to be interviewed in a semi-structured manner. Inductive thematic analysis was used to identify and analyse patterns of notions describing the managers' perceptions of simulation educators' impact as co-workers on their healthcare organisations.

Findings

The identified relevant themes for the healthcare unit were: (1) value for the manager, (2) value for the community and (3) boundaries. Simulation educators were perceived to be valuable gatekeepers of evidence-based knowledge and partners in leadership for educational issues. Their most prominent value for the community was establishing a reflective climate, facilitating open communication and thereby improving the efficacy of teamwork. Local tradition, economy, logistics and staffing of the unit during simulation training were suggested to have possible negative impacts on simulation educators' work.

Practical implications

The findings might have implications for the implementation and support of simulation training programs.

Social implications

Healthcare managers appreciated both the personal value of simulation educators and the effect of their work for their own unit. Local values were prioritised versus global. Simulation training was valued as an educational tool for continual professional development, although during the interviews, the managers did not indicate the importance of employment of pedagogically competent and experienced staff.

Originality/value

The study provided new insights about how simulation educators as team members affect clinical practice.
Employer branding through crowdsourcing: understanding the sentiments of employees
Authors: Kashive Neerja , Khanna Vandana Tandon , Bharthi Manish Naresh
Published: February 2020

Purpose

The purpose of this paper is to explore the role of social media in creating an attractive employer brand for any organization. It investigates one of the social media Glassdoor, which is an online employer branding platform, where employees put their reviews which are both positive and negative. Analysis of these reviews can generate a lot of insights into employer branding.

Design/methodology/approach

The data was collected as 1,243 reviews from Glassdoor, an online crowdsourced employer branding platform for 40 top-rated employers across four different sectors, namely, Pharma, IT, retail and FMCG. Text and sentimental analyses were done using SAS visual analytical for these reviews.

Findings

Ten themes were generated from the text analytics which is nothing but the employer value propositions (EVPs), and they were social, interest, development and economic value as given by Berthon et al. (2005) and also others, such as work–life, management and brand value emerged. Social value came as a significant EVP followed by interest value and work–life values.

Research limitations/implications

This research is providing only ways to show that crowdsourced data can also be used to understand the mindset of employees regarding an employer’s image but is not providing any idea regarding how to generate the right employee value proposition.

Originality/value

The research has shown that employers can use crowdsourced employer branding insights to see where they stand in the employer's attractiveness spectrum. They can use innovative data analytics techniques, such as visualization for text and sentimental analysis to create employer branding intelligence strategies.
Processing and utilization of snail meat in alleviating protein malnutrition in Africa: a review
Authors: Adeyeye Samuel Ayofemi Olalekan , Bolaji Olusola Timothy , Abegunde Titilope Adebusola , Adesina Taofeek Olawale
Published: February 2020

Purpose

This study aims to review processing and utilization of snail meat in alleviating protein malnutrition in Africa. Most countries in Africa are faced with a major challenge of protein malnutrition as a result of high cost of animal proteins. This has encouraged more research works in the use of wild or game meat to meet the much-needed animal proteins.

Design/methodology/approach

Previous literatures on the above subject matter were reviewed. In many African countries, the use of snails, rodents and other small livestock in the wild could help in improving the nutritional needs of the people in both urban and rural areas, as well as adding economic value through income generation to the local people.

Findings

Snails are very rich in dietary protein, low in fat and cholesterol and are good sources of iron, magnesium, calcium and zinc. Previous studies showed that snail meat contains 70 per cent of water and its dry matter contains high amounts of essential amino acids such as lysine, leucine, arginine and tryptophan. Research studies have shown that snail contains calcium orthophosphate, a chemical substrate that could alleviate and reduce kidney diseases. Also, the glandular substances found in edible snails were found to have antimicrobial activities that cause agglutination of certain bacteria, which could be used against some ailments like whooping cough. As snail meat products have high nutritional value, spoilage sets in after one or two days after harvesting, and therefore, the preservation of snail meat has become a major concern to farmers, processors and consumers. Several preservation techniques could be adopted, which include smoking, sun drying, convectional drying and the use of natural or artificial preservatives. These methods have been found to reduce microbial load of snail meat and help to extend shelf life and keeping quality of snail meat.

Originality/value

This review X-rayed the importance of snail meat in the human diet and how this could be explored to enhance protein nutrition in developing countries.
MP Firefighting and the Partisan Logic
Authors: West Hallbera
Published: February 2020

Control of executive power is a central accountability concern. This article focuses on ways for parliament and MPs to assist the voter in this important task. Parliamentary systems empower parliaments by a range of control institutions, but the role of political parties challenges MPs incentives to engage in control of government. This article focuses on Fire Alarm control activity, but argues that Fire Alarms call for MP Firefighting. In parliament, MPs have the opportunity to respond to reports from decentral control institutions about government mal‐administration. Building on models of rational politicians, this paper investigates when MPs in fact engage in Firefighting related to Fire Alarm cases from the Ombudsman and audit institution. The article argues that MPs engage in Firefighting when it serves partisan purposes. The paper relies on a medium‐N dataset of reports from the Faroese Ombudsman and Audit General (52 cases) and applies a mixed‐method research design. The results show that the partisan logic dominates MP Firefighting. Opposition MPs use government mistakes to damage government reputation. However, the paper argues of the possibility of a more parliamentarian outcome, since focus on Fire Alarm cases puts pressure on government to make amends.
Stratified users and technologies of empowerment: theorising social inequalities in the use and perception of diabetes self‐management technologies
Authors: Øversveen Emil
Published: February 2020

Medical technologies of various kinds play an increasingly important role in medical treatment, but may also increase health inequalities if they are primarily used by high‐status patients. While many have problematised inequalities in the material access to medical technologies, differences in use and perception are also salient for explaining the relationship between medical technologies and health inequalities. This article attempts to theorise these inequalities by bringing health inequality research into dialogue with social constructivist perspectives on user‐technology relations. Based on qualitative interview data from a case study of the technological self‐management of type 1 diabetes, I construct three clusters of technological practices and perceptions corresponding to three broad user types. These user types are then discussed in the context of patient empowerment and the promotion of the active, autonomous and self‐reflective ‘expert’ patient in European health care systems. To the extent that they materialise and enforce institutional expectations which only the most resourceful patients will be able to live up to, medical technologies may serve to entrench and legitimate social inequalities in health and medical care. Research therefore needs not only to consider how medical technologies are distributed, but also their design and appropriation by users.
Distribution of the Minutiae in Hypothenar Palm Prints in Slovak Adults: Indications for Personal Identification
Authors: Kondeková Mária , Beňuš Radoslav , Masnicová Soňa , Švábová Petra
Published: February 2020

Minutiae are small distinguishing features found along every ridge flow, which make each friction ridge print unique. The most common friction ridge prints found at the crime scene are fingerprints; therefore, the most of the minutiae studies are focused exactly on this kind of prints. The authors believe that further examination and enlargement of the palm print database could result in better use of the palm prints for personal identification. We analyzed a total of 160 palm prints from 40 females and 40 males aged between 18 and 70 years from Slovakia. For the evaluation of the minutiae, the area of the hypothenar had to be marked out. The classification of the minutiae used for this study was based on a modified version of the classification system using the total of 13 types of minutiae. The frequency of every minutiae type was calculated and, using the chi‐square test with Yates's correction, bilateral and sex differences were assessed. The relationship between the different types of minutiae was examined with Pearson's correlation test. During the initial phases of the identification process, the focus should be on the least common types of minutiae (Y or M and return), which were found not to correlate; thus, their mutual occurrence is random (e.g., overlap—Y or M, crossbar—return, or Y or M—dock). The results of the present study show which specific minutiae types are the most suitable for personal identification. These findings may be beneficial in more effective outcome of the identification process.
Effect of 6% hydroxyethyl starch 130/0.4 on kidney and haemostatic function in cardiac surgical patients: a randomised controlled trial
Authors: Duncan A. E. , Jia Y. , Soltesz E. , Leung S. , Yilmaz H.O. , Mao G. , Timur A. A. , Kottke‐Marchant K. , Rogers H. J. , Ma C. , Ince I. , Karimi N. , Yagar S. , Trombetta C. , Sessler D. I.
Published: February 2020

Whether third‐generation hydroxyethyl starch solutions provoke kidney injury or haemostatic abnormalities in patients having cardiac surgery remains unclear. We tested the hypotheses that intra‐operative administration of a third‐generation starch does not worsen postoperative kidney function or haemostasis in cardiac surgical patients compared with human albumin 5%. This triple‐blind, non‐inferiority, clinical trial randomly allocated patients aged 40–85 who underwent elective aortic valve replacement, with or without coronary artery bypass grafting, to plasma volume replacement with 6% starch 130/0.4 vs. 5% human albumin. Our primary outcome was postoperative urinary neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin concentrations, a sensitive and early marker of postoperative kidney injury. Secondarily, we evaluated urinary interleukin‐18; acute kidney injury using creatinine RIFLE criteria, coagulation measures, platelet count and function. Non‐inferiority (delta 15%) was assessed with correction for multiple comparisons. We enrolled 141 patients (69 starch, 72 albumin) as planned. Results of the primary analysis demonstrated that postoperative urine neutrophil gelatinase‐associated lipocalin (median (IQR [range])) was slightly lower with hydroxyethyl starch (5 (1–68 [0–996]) ng.ml−1) vs. albumin (5 (2–74 [0–1604]) ng.ml−1), although not non‐inferior [ratio of geometric means (95%CI) 0.91 (0.57, 1.44); p = 0.15] due to higher than expected variability. Urine interleukin‐18 concentrations were reduced, but interleukin‐18 and kidney injury were again not non‐inferior. Of 11 individual coagulation measures, platelet count and function, nine were non‐inferior to albumin. Two remaining measures, thromboelastographic R value and arachidonic acid‐induced platelet aggregation, were clinically similar but with wide confidence intervals. Starch administration during cardiac surgery produced similar observed effects on postoperative kidney function, coagulation, platelet count and platelet function compared with albumin, though greater than expected variability and wide confidence intervals precluded the conclusion of non‐inferiority. Long‐term mortality and kidney function appeared similar between starch and albumin.
Retrospective analysis of a Bi‐National Colorectal Cancer Audit to characterize stage II colon cancer patients who were offered adjuvant chemotherapy
Authors: Cooper Edward A. , Buxey Kenneth N. , Maslen Ben J. , Muhlmann Mark
Published: February 2020

Background

Adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II colon cancer is a controversial area with treatment often reserved for patients with high‐risk clinicopathological features. The aim of this study was to characterize which patients with stage II disease were offered adjuvant chemotherapy in an Australian and New Zealand setting.

Methods

Data was retrospectively collected from the prospectively maintained Bi‐National Colorectal Cancer Audit. Data from all patients with their first episode of stage II colon cancer from January 2007 to January 2019 were included.

Results

A total of 3763 patients were identified in the Bi‐National Colorectal Cancer Audit database with stage II colon cancer, of which 715 were offered chemotherapy (19%). Patients were at significant greater odds of being offered chemotherapy for stage II disease if they were <55 years old, from an urban area, discussed in a multidisciplinary team (MDT) meeting, had a greater operative urgency, a lower American Society of Anesthesiologists score, had a T4 tumour or had less than 12 lymph nodes harvested.

Conclusion

In Australia and New Zealand the appropriate patients with high‐risk features are more likely to be offered chemotherapy in line with current guideline recommendations; however, this may not be the case for regional patients. A large proportion of patients were not discussed at MDT meeting– given the decision to provide adjuvant chemotherapy for stage II disease remains a controversial area, and the likely small survival benefit offered by adjuvant chemotherapy, appropriate patient selection is critical and best discussed in an MDT setting.
Risk factors for poor neonatal outcome in pregnancies with decreased fetal movements
Authors: Sterpu Irene , Pilo Christina , Koistinen Ina S. , Lindqvist Pelle G. , Gemzell‐Danielsson Kristina , Itzel Eva W.
Published: February 2020

Introduction

The incidence of Swedish stillbirths has varied little in the past 40 years, with a reported frequency of 400‐450 stillbirths/y (approximately 4‰), despite increased information about fetal movement in the media and awareness among healthcare providers. The objectives of this project were to describe the outcome of pregnancies with reduced fetal movement in a Swedish context and to investigate factors associated with poor neonatal outcome in this group.

Material and methods

A retrospective cohort study was performed at Soder Hospital, Stockholm, Sweden. All single pregnancies at the hospital from January 2016 to December 2017 presenting with reduced fetal movement after 22 gestational weeks were included in the study. A composite neonatal outcome was constructed: 5‐minute Apgar score ≤7, arterial pH in the umbilical cord ≤7.10, transfer to neonatal care unit for further care or intrauterine fetal death.

Results

For women seeking care for reduced fetal movement, the occurrence of composite poor neonatal outcome ranged from 6.2% to 18.4% within different groups. The highest risk for poor neonatal outcome (18.4%) was found in the group of women with a small‐for‐gestational‐age fetus. Another high‐risk group (12.8%) was the one comprising women with normal birthweight/large‐for‐gestational‐age fetuses with an in vitro fertilization pregnancy.

Conclusions

The highest incidence of poor neonatal outcome among women with reduced fetal movement was found in the groups with small‐for‐gestational‐age fetuses in nulliparous and multiparous women. A routine ultrasound assessment for fetal growth in third trimester is supposedly most efficient to identify undiagnosed small for gestational age.
Marginal analysis of multiple outcomes with informative cluster size
Authors: Mitani A. A. , Kaye E. K. , Nelson K. P.
Published: February 2020

In surveillance studies of periodontal disease, the relationship between disease and other health and socioeconomic conditions is of key interest. To determine whether a patient has periodontal disease, multiple clinical measurements (eg, clinical attachment loss, alveolar bone loss, and tooth mobility) are taken at the tooth‐level. Researchers often create a composite outcome from these measurements or analyze each outcome separately. Moreover, patients have varying number of teeth, with those who are more prone to the disease having fewer teeth compared to those with good oral health. Such dependence between the outcome of interest and cluster size (number of teeth) is called informative cluster size and results obtained from fitting conventional marginal models can be biased. We propose a novel method to jointly analyze multiple correlated binary outcomes for clustered data with informative cluster size using the class of generalized estimating equations (GEE) with cluster‐specific weights. We compare our proposed multivariate outcome cluster‐weighted GEE results to those from the convectional GEE using the baseline data from Veterans Affairs Dental Longitudinal Study. In an extensive simulation study, we show that our proposed method yields estimates with minimal relative biases and excellent coverage probabilities.
The prevalence and associated mortality of non‐anaemic iron deficiency in older adults: a 14 years observational cohort study
Authors: Philip Keir E. J. , Sadaka Ahmed S. , Polkey Michael I. , Hopkinson Nicholas S. , Steptoe Andrew , Fancourt Daisy
Published: February 2020

Iron is central to multiple biological pathways, and treatment of non‐anaemic absolute iron deficiency (NAID) is beneficial in certain conditions. However, it is unknown if NAID is associated with increased mortality in older adults. A nationally representative sample of 4451 older adults from the English Longitudinal Study of Ageing was used. NAID was defined as serum ferritin < 30 μg/l and haemoglobin ≥ 120 g/l (women) or ≥ 130 g/l (men). Cumulative mortality was estimated by Kaplan–Meier method. Unadjusted and adjusted hazard ratios (HRs) of mortality were calculated using Cox proportional hazards regression models. Baseline NAID prevalence was 8·8% (95% confidence interval [CI] 8·0–9·7%); 10·9% (95% CI 9·7–12·3%) for women and 6·35% for men (95% CI 5·3–7·5%). The HR for mortality for individuals with NAID compared with non‐anaemic individuals without iron deficiency over the 14‐year follow‐up was 1·58 (95% CI 1·29–1·93). This association was independent of all identified demographic, health‐related and biological covariates, and robust in multiple sensitivity analyses. In older adults in England, NAID is common and associated with an increased mortality rate compared to non‐anaemic individuals with normal serum ferritin. The association is principally driven by an excess mortality in women.
Collaborative Work with Parents
Authors: Magagna Jeanne , Piercey Jude
Published: February 2020

The importance of working with the parents in a collaborative way when undertaking a therapy with a young child is demonstrated. This paper illustrates the depth and the different quality of the work when both the child and the parents are helped simultaneously. The paper illustrates the movement in the parents’ thinking from just reacting to the child's behaviour as ‘being difficult’ to being able to think about the behaviour in terms of it ‘having meaning’ in which the child is conveying a feeling through her behaviour. As well as showing the parents’ psychological development, the clinical example describes the child's more age appropriate developmental progress. More specifically, it shows how the child was able to relinquish her omnipotent behaviours of ‘always being in charge’ in favour of relying on parents who were psychologically more available to her. Observations show how, as they realized their child's behaviour wasn't simply designed to persecute them, the parents were jointly able to create ‘the cradle of concern’ to care for her. As the therapy progressed there was a diminution of unhelpful transgenerational family patterns.
On the use of geochronology of detrital grains in determining the time of deposition of clastic sedimentary strata
Authors: Copeland Peter
Published: February 2020

Placing geologic events in a temporal framework is essential to telling the story of Earth history. However, clastic sedimentary rocks can be difficult to date in an absolute reference because they are made up of grains that are older than the rock in which they are now found, and some clastic rocks do not contain fossils that allow precise reference to the Geologic Timescale. For such rocks, the isotopic dating of detrital minerals can be used to estimate the time of deposition; the clastic rock must be younger than the youngest grain analysed. However, many researchers eschew this simple and straightforward approach in favour of schemes that estimate the maximum allowable depositional age as the weighted mean of the age of several grains, chosen by a variety of selection criteria. This is a mistake; in the absence of a geochemical resemblance apart from the similarity of their age, detrital grains should not be assumed to have originated in the same system and therefore any averaging or other manipulation of such data is statistically invalid and produces results without geologic significance. In the absence of interbedded volcanic rocks or index fossils, dating of detrital minerals can be an important aid in understanding the time of deposition of clastic rocks, but the best estimate will come from taking note of the youngest single grain and not by inappropriately averaging data.
Recreational shark fishing in Florida: How research and strategic science communication helped to change policy
Authors: Shiffman David S.
Published: February 2020

Sharks are taxa of significant conservation concern, and while commercial overfishing is the leading cause of population declines, recreational angling poses an increasing threat to some coastal shark populations. Here, I present a detailed case study of my role in a multi‐stakeholder process to improve policy surrounding recreational fishing for threatened sharks in Florida. While many other people including other scientists, concerned citizens, responsible conservation‐minded anglers, and environmental activists played key roles throughout this process, my scientific research and public engagement contributed significantly, and is the focus of this case study. Over the course of several years, my research documented the scope of several unnecessary angler practices that were harmful to threatened shark species. As a result of my research and stakeholder interactions, I was able to propose science‐based politically feasible policy solutions, and I strategically communicated the problem and possible solutions to policymakers, journalists, environmental activists, scientific professional societies, and the public. In July of 2019, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission enacted new rules for land‐based shark fishing in Florida waters, incorporating several of my proposed solutions. This case study demonstrates that through careful planning, understanding policy, developing a strategic communication plan, and networking with key stakeholders, even early career researchers can successfully help to change policy and help protect threatened species. Supplementary materials (Data S1) contain detailed background information, a timeline of events, and a diverse set of examples of my science communication.
Hong Kong: Inevitably irrelevant to China?
Authors: Liu Kerry
Published: February 2020

The protests in Hong Kong that took place in 2019 and are still ongoing in 2020 have attracted worldwide attention. This article presents an analysis of the relationship between Hong Kong and Mainland China through a number of different lenses, including past economic relations in financing, trade, capital flow, and renminbi (the Chinese currency) internationalisation, future economic relations against the background of China's growth model transition and global investment environment, and future political relations against the background of the China model under the leadership of President Xi Jinping. This article finds that Hong Kong has in the past mattered to Mainland China, may in the present matter to Mainland China to some extent, but in future may matter less or become irrelevant.
Attacks by predators on artificial cryptic and aposematic insect larvae
Authors: Aslam Muhammad , Nedvěd Oldřich , Sam Kateřina
Published: February 2020

Colour and colour patterns seem to be especially important visual warning signals for predators, which might have innate or learned ability to avoid aposematic prey. To test the importance of larval colour pattern of the aposematic ladybird Harmonia axyridis (Pallas) (Coleoptera: Coccinellidae), an invasive alien species in Europe, we presented the plasticine models of aposematic larvae to wild and naïve birds. We studied the attacks on aposematic larvae of various patterns and colours in nature and in an outdoor aviary. The larvae were cryptic (green), aposematic (resembling those of the H. axyridis larvae), and semi‐aposematic (i.e., black but missing the typical orange patches of H. axyridis larvae). We detected attacks on 71 larvae out of 450 (i.e., 2.6% daily predation). Twenty‐nine attacks were made by birds, 37 by arthropods, and five by gastropods. Wild birds attacked green and black larvae significantly more often than aposematic larvae. Colour did not have an effect on attacks by arthropods. The experiment with naïve birds was conducted in an outdoor aviary, where naïve great tits, Parus major L., were offered the same artificial larvae as in the first experiment. In total, 57 of 90 exposed larvae were attacked by birds (i.e., 28% daily predation), and green larvae were attacked significantly more than the aposematic larvae (but not more than black larvae). Our results imply that aposematic larvae of H. axyridis are more than 12× less likely to be predated by birds than green larvae in nature. The aposematic pattern represented a more effective signal than the semi‐aposematic signal. The ability to reject aposematic prey seemed to be innate in our birds.
The struggle for recognition of what?
Authors: Congdon Matthew
Published: February 2020

In order for the concept, “recognition,” to play a critical role in social theory, it must be possible to draw a distinction between due recognition and failures of recognition. Some recognition theorists, including Axel Honneth, argue that this distinction can be preserved only if we presuppose that due recognition involves a rational response to “evaluative qualities” that can be rightly perceived in the context of social interaction. This paper points out a problem facing recent defenses of this “perception model” and proposes a solution. I begin by making explicit three criteria broadly shared by recognition theorists: an adequate theory of recognition must be (a) critical, capable of drawing a distinction between due recognition and recognitive failure; (b) minimally idealist, able to accommodate the mediating role of subjectivity in human receptivity to value; and (c) historicist, should not rule out a priori that the values involved in recognitive practice are historically emergent. I then argue that Honneth's version of the perception model cannot fulfill these criteria simultaneously. Drawing upon an Aristotelian notion of evaluative perception and working through an example from Zadie Smith's On Beauty, I defend an alternative view that is, I argue, better equipped to meet these three criteria.
Is scan‐negative cauda equina syndrome a functional neurological disorder? A pilot study
Authors: Gibson L. L. , Harborow L. , Nicholson T. , Bell D. , David A. S.
Published: February 2020

Background and purpose

Cauda equina syndrome (CES) is a neurosurgical emergency which warrants lumbar magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Many patients with suggestive symptoms of CES have no radiological correlate. A functional (non‐organic) aetiology has been proposed in some, but currently little is known about this patient group and their clinical outcomes.

Methods

At a tertiary referral centre, 155 adult patients underwent urgent lumbar MRI for suspected CES in 1 year from December 2014. Data regarding clinical symptoms and follow‐up were obtained from records. Patients were divided into CES (n = 25), radiculopathy (n = 68) and scan‐negative (SN) groups (n = 62) from scans. Up to 3 years post‐discharge, postal questionnaires were sent to patients with Oswestry Disability Index, Pain Catastrophizing score, Patient Health Questionnaire (PHQ) 9, Generalized Anxiety Disorder (GAD) 7, PHQ 15 and Work and Social Adjustment Scale measures.

Results

No clinical symptoms were found to differentiate CES from SN patients. Functional comorbidities were significantly more common in SN patients but mental health diagnosis frequency did not differ. Follow‐up was variable with no consistent referral pathways, particularly for the SN group. 33% (n = 47) responded to the postal questionnaires; high levels of pain, symptom chronicity and disability were ubiquitous but self‐reported mental health diagnoses and PHQ 15 were higher for SN patients.

Conclusions

Conflicting data suggest further research is needed to investigate the prevalence of mental illness and somatic symptoms in SN cases. SN patients have higher rates of comorbid functional disorders and inconsistent referral pathways. Self‐report measures indicate impaired quality of life across all groups. The low response rate limits the generalizability of findings but neuropsychiatric assessment and care pathway optimization should be considered.
Mesial temporal resection following long‐term ambulatory intracranial EEG monitoring with a direct brain‐responsive neurostimulation system
Authors: Hirsch Lawrence J. , Mirro Emily A. , Salanova Vicenta , Witt Thomas C. , Drees Cornelia N. , Brown Mesha‐Gay , Lee Ricky W. , Sadler Toni L. , Felton Elizabeth A. , Rutecki Paul , Shin Hae Won , Hadar Eldad , Hegde Manu , Rao Vikram R. , Mnatsakanyan Lilit , Madhavan Deepak S. , Zakaria Tarek J. , Liu Anli A. , Heck Christianne N. , Greenwood Janet E. , Bigelow Jeffrey K. , Nair Dileep R. , Alexopoulos Andreas V. , Mackow Michael , Edwards Jonathan C. , Sotudeh Nadia , Kuzniecky Ruben I. , Gwinn Ryder P. , Doherty Michael J. , Geller Eric B. , Morrell Martha J.
Published: February 2020

Objective

To describe seizure outcomes in patients with medically refractory epilepsy who had evidence of bilateral mesial temporal lobe (MTL) seizure onsets and underwent MTL resection based on chronic ambulatory intracranial EEG (ICEEG) data from a direct brain‐responsive neurostimulator (RNS) system.

Methods

We retrospectively identified all patients at 17 epilepsy centers with MTL epilepsy who were treated with the RNS System using bilateral MTL leads, and in whom an MTL resection was subsequently performed. Presumed lateralization based on routine presurgical approaches was compared to lateralization determined by RNS System chronic ambulatory ICEEG recordings. The primary outcome was frequency of disabling seizures at last 3‐month follow‐up after MTL resection compared to seizure frequency 3 months before MTL resection.

Results

We identified 157 patients treated with the RNS System with bilateral MTL leads due to presumed bitemporal epilepsy. Twenty‐five patients (16%) subsequently had an MTL resection informed by chronic ambulatory ICEEG (mean = 42 months ICEEG); follow‐up was available for 24 patients. After MTL resection, the median reduction in disabling seizures at last follow‐up was 100% (mean: 94%; range: 50%‐100%). Nine patients (38%) had exclusively unilateral electrographic seizures recorded by chronic ambulatory ICEEG and all were seizure‐free at last follow‐up after MTL resection; eight of nine continued RNS System treatment. Fifteen patients (62%) had bilateral MTL electrographic seizures, had an MTL resection on the more active side, continued RNS System treatment, and achieved a median clinical seizure reduction of 100% (mean: 90%; range: 50%‐100%) at last follow‐up, with eight of fifteen seizure‐free. For those with more than 1 year of follow‐up (N = 21), 15 patients (71%) were seizure‐free during the most recent year, including all eight patients with unilateral onsets and 7 of 13 patients (54%) with bilateral onsets.

Significance

Chronic ambulatory ICEEG data provide information about lateralization of MTL seizures and can identify additional patients who may benefit from MTL resection.
Can We Uncouple Neighborhood Disadvantage and Delinquent Behaviors? An Experimental Test of Family Resilience Guided by the Social Disorganization Theory of Delinquent Behaviors
Authors: Lei Man‐Kit , Beach Steven R. H.
Published: February 2020

Although the influence of neighborhood disadvantage on youth development of delinquent behavior is well established, findings from this research have yet to inform the development of family‐centered prevention programming to protect youth from these erosive effects. The current paper examines the role of family integration in buffering the impact of social disadvantage in a sample of N = 298 families randomly assigned either to a control condition or to a family‐based prevention program previously shown to enhance marriage and parenting. We first confirmed that neighborhood concentrated disadvantage predicted change in delinquent behaviors across the course of the study. Additionally, replicating prior work, parents participating in the Protecting Strong African American Families (ProSAAF) program, relative to those randomly assigned to the control group, significantly improved their use of effective communication strategies with each other and reduced ineffective conflict in front of youth. This resulted in a significant indirect effect of ProSAAF on change in youth delinquent behaviors. Furthermore, using mediated moderation analysis, the study tested the buffering effect of greater family integration, showing that experimentally produced change in interparental communication skills and the resulting reduction in youth exposure to parental conflict buffered the effect of neighborhood disadvantage on change in youth delinquent behaviors, supporting a mediated moderation model in which family environments buffer neighborhood effects.
Pediatric Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy (PCRRT) expert committee recommendation on prescribing prolonged intermittent renal replacement therapy (PIRRT) in critically ill children
Authors: Sethi Sidharth Kumar , Mittal Aliza , Nair Nikhil , Bagga Arvind , Iyenger Arpana , Ali Uma , Sinha Rajiv , Agarwal Indira , de Sousa Tavares Marcelo , Abeyagunawardena Asiri , Hanif Mohammed , Shreshtha Devender , Moorani Khemchand , Asim Sadaf , Kher Vijay , Alhasan Khalid , Mourani Chebl , Al Riyami Mohammed , Bunchman Timothy E. , McCulloch Mignon , Raina Rupesh
Published: February 2020

Introduction

Recently, prolonged intermittent renal replacement therapies (PIRRT) have emerged as cost‐effective alternatives to conventional CRRT and their use in the pediatric population has started to become more prominent. However, there is a lack of consensus guidelines on the use of PIRRT in pediatric patients in an intensive care setting.

Methods

A literature search was performed on PubMed/Medline, Embase, and Google Scholar in conjunction with medical librarians from both India and the Cleveland Clinic hospital system to find relevant articles. The Pediatric Continuous Renal Replacement Therapy workgroup analyzed all articles for relevancy, proposed recommendations, and graded each recommendation for their strength of evidence.

Results

Of the 60 studies eligible for review, the workgroup considered data from 37 studies to formulate guidelines for the use of PIRRT in children. The guidelines focused on the definition, indications, machines, and prescription of PIRRT.

Conclusion

Although the literature on the use of PIRRT in children is limited, the current studies give credence to their benefits and these expert recommendations are a valuable first step in the continued study of PIRRT in the pediatric population.
The stratification of cirrhosis
Authors: Maurice James , Pinzani Massimo
Published: February 2020

Cirrhosis is traditionally seen as an irreversible stage of chronic liver disease although its clinical course may last several years. Overall, the clinical management of patients with cirrhosis is based on the observation of clinical events mostly related to complications of portal hypertension. Each event of cirrhosis decompensation has clear prognostic implications although it is not precisely predictable. In practice, the advancement in the knowledge of the mechanisms responsible for disease progression is not yet translated in clinical tools allowing the stratification of the cirrhotic stage according to pathophysiological mechanisms. This article provides a review of the main clinical and histopathological features of liver cirrhosis that are relevant for its clinical stratification together with the advancements provided by the introduction of non‐invasive measures of portal hypertension. Other clinical aspects that have a major impact on the quality of life and the possibility of liver transplantation are also discussed.