bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Models of the Sociology Minor at Institutions of Higher Education in the United States
Authors: Messineo Melinda , Howard Jay
Published: August 2021

Although the structure and content of the sociology major has been addressed by a variety of scholars and several American Sociological Association (ASA) task forces over the past three decades, the structure, content, and even the purpose of the sociology minor has been ignored. In this article, we address this gap in the literature through two investigations. The first utilizes an examination of the websites and academic handbooks of 248 bachelor’s degree-granting institutions to discern the structure and contents of the sociology minor. We identify four models for the sociology minor found in U.S. higher education. The second study utilizes data gathered through the ASA 2019–2020 Department Survey. Included in the survey were a variety of questions regarding department chairs’ perceptions of the sociology minor. We conclude by suggesting that we should not only be concerned with what the sociology minor currently is but also consider what the minor could be.
The Effect of Cultural Trust on Cooperation in Two Behavioral Experiments
Authors: Doyle Joshua
Published: August 2021

Trust is an important factor for cooperation in social dilemmas because of uncertainty and free-riding fears. Many contemporary social problems are characterized by uncertainty because they depend on the cooperation of thousands to resolve. Social trust as a personal belief is necessary but not sufficient for cooperation under these conditions. In contemporary social dilemmas, the trust-cooperation relationship likely depends on cultural trust: what people believe most other people believe about the trustworthiness of people in general. I test this theory in two experimental studies. In the first, cultural trust has an effect on cooperation independent of participants’ first-order social trust. In the second, I find that if participants learn that others expect them to not believe information on the trustfulness of most other people, they will behave more or less cooperatively, depending on whether the information indicates most others’ trust is high or low. I end with a discussion of the implications my findings have for addressing social dilemmas in an era of declining social trust.
Access to Information and Other Correlates of Vote Buying and Selling Behaviour: Insights from Philippine Data
Authors: Canare Tristan , Mendoza Ronald U.
Published: August 2021

Access to information is a key factor influencing political behaviour and decisions. Recent studies on vote buying and selling have tried to unpack the possible drivers behind this phenomenon; yet, few studies have empirically examined the role of different sources of information. This study contributes to the nascent literature in this area by turning to a unique dataset from a survey of low-income voters in Metro Manila, the Philippines. It empirically examined the relationship between access to information and vote selling behaviour by low-income voters. It also studied other correlates of vote selling and the possible factors linked to receiving an offer. The results suggest that the quantity of information has no significant relationship with the likelihood of accepting the offer and voting for the candidate for whom the offer was made. However, the quality of information does matter. In particular, access to sources of ‘good quality information’ is negatively associated with completing the vote selling transaction (i.e., accepting the offer and voting for the candidate). This study also found evidence that when money is used for vote buying, it appears to be targeted at those with greater needs, confirming the literature that vote buying activities tend to be well targeted at poor and low-income communities. Unsurprisingly, vote buying offers are more likely in areas where elections are closely contested, and they are also more likely in socially cohesive communities. Our findings also suggest that vote buying may not necessarily be effective in the sense that it encourages only few voters to change their candidate preference. This coheres with earlier studies suggesting that vote buying and selling merely caps a longstanding patron–client relationship between politicians and low-income voters.

JEL: D72, D91, K49
Body-worn cameras, police violence and the politics of evidence: A case of ontological gerrymandering
Authors: Henne Kathryn , Shore Krystle , Harb Jenna Imad
Published: August 2021

Public demands for greater police accountability, particularly in relation to violence targeting Black and Brown communities, have placed pressure on law enforcement organisations to be more transparent about officers’ actions. The implementation of police body-worn cameras (BWCs) has become a popular response. This article examines the embrace of BWCs amidst the wider shift toward evidence-based policing by scrutinising the body of research that evaluates the effects of these technologies. Through an intertextual analysis informed by insights from Critical Race Theory and Science and Technology Studies, we illustrate how the privileging of certain forms of empiricism, particularly randomised controlled trials, evinces what Woolgar and Pawluch describe as ontological gerrymandering. In doing so, the emergent evidence base supporting BWCs as a policing tool constitutively redefines police violence into a narrow conceptualisation rooted in encounters between citizens and police. This analysis examines how these framings, by design, minimise racialised power relations and inequalities. We conclude by reflecting on the implications of these evidence-based claims, arguing that they can direct attention away from – and thus can buttress – the structural conditions and institutions that perpetuate police violence.
Networks of power and counterpower in social work with children and families in England
Authors: Hanley Joe
Published: August 2021

This article applies the work of Spanish sociologist Manuel Castells to contemporary children and families’ social work in England. Castells’ work suggests that the intractability of many of the issues facing the profession is the result of the new type of society that emerged around the turn of the millennium: the network society. Within this society, the interests and values of dominant networks are imposed upon those who are selectively excluded. Several challenges for the social work profession stemming from this analysis are posed, including in relation to challenging networks and promoting transparency. However, it is suggested that the most significant contribution Castells’ work has for social work lies in shifting the discussion from an analysis of dominant networks, as has been undertaken elsewhere, towards an understanding of how social workers can, and do, build networks of counterpower capable of effectively challenging dominant networks in the space they occupy.
Evaluation of the predictive validity of the Hessisch Oldendorf Risk of Falling Scale (HOSS)
Authors: Schmidt Simone B , Boltzmann Melanie , Rollnik Jens D
Published: August 2021

Objective:

This study aims to further validate the Hessisch Oldendorf Risk of Falling Scale (HOSS) for neurological rehabilitation patients.

Design:

The overall scale performance and fall rate was calculated in a retrospective data analysis.

Setting:

The study was performed in a subacute care facility during inpatient neurological rehabilitation.

Subjects:

The study population ( n = 512) included neurological and neurosurgical patients with heterogeneous levels of disability.

Main measures:

The HOSS total score and the suspected risk of falling were compared with the number of falls. Characteristics of fallers and non-fallers were compared using non-parametric group comparisons. Overall scale performance was assessed by calculating the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the HOSS as well as by calculating the sensitivity and specificity.

Results:

A total of 82 (16%) patients experienced at least one fall. Fallers were characterized by an older age, a longer length of stay, a more severe impairment in the activities of daily living upon admission, a hemiparesis, an orientation disorder, a need of a walking aid device and an urinary incontinence. The number of falls was associated with the HOSS total score. Sixty-four fallers and two hundred seventy-four non-fallers were correctly categorized leading to a sensitivity of 78.0% and a specificity of 63.7%. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of the HOSS was 0.778 ± 0.25 (CI = 0.729–0.828, P < 0.001).

Conclusion:

The scale performance of the HOSS showed a good sensitivity and an adequate specificity to identify neurological patients who are at high risk of falling during inpatient rehabilitation.
Introducing the Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB) and its Common-Language Marketing Dictionary: Background, Description, Vision, and Prospects
Authors: Gaski John F.
Published: August 2021

For the benefit of marketing's worldwide academic community, not least this journal's high-end readership, a relatively new, specialized, marketing-focused organization of ascending impact merits formal introduction. The Marketing Accountability Standards Board (MASB), founded only in 2007, is a group of marketing academics, financial professionals, other business executives, and professional association representatives organized for and committed to improving the financial accountability of the corporate marketing function through enhanced performance measurement. That informational notice is one purpose of this communication. Then, the report segment per se outlines MASB's current initiatives in furtherance of the accountability aim, with special emphasis on one that may first appear a lesser function: creation of an official, authoritative marketing language dictionary. The endeavor's justification is that a common language as embodied in a good dictionary would benefit marketing theory and practice through improved communication, thereby enabling better accountability. Yet the ultimate reach of such a language resource should transcend any impact on financial accountability.
Progranulin promotes osteogenic differentiation of periodontal membrane stem cells in both inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions
Authors: Yu Miao , Sun Long , Ba Pengfei , Li Linxia , Chen Jing , Sun Qinfeng
Published: August 2021

Objective

The growth factor progranulin (PGRN) is widely expressed and plays important roles in anti-inflammatory signaling and bone regeneration. However, the anti-inflammatory and pro-osteogenic roles of PGRN in periodontitis are seldom studied. We used an in vitro model to investigate whether PGRN can promote osteogenic differentiation of periodontal ligament stem cells (PDLSCs).

Methods

PDLSCs were treated with PGRN (0 to 100 ng/mL) and the optimal concentrations required to induce proliferation and osteogenesis were identified. PDLSCs were cultured with 10 ng/mL tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, 25 ng/mL PGRN, or 10 ng/mL TNF-α + 25 ng/ml PGRN; untreated PDLSCs were used as controls. The effects of PGRN on PDLSC proliferation and osteogenic differentiation were assessed.

Results

PGRN (5, 25, and 50 ng/mL) promoted PDLSC proliferation and osteogenic differentiation, with the 25-ng/mL dose showing the largest effect. Furthermore, 25 ng/mL PGRN reversed inhibition of osteogenic differentiation by TNF-α.

Conclusion

PGRN promotes PDLSC proliferation, osteogenic differentiation, and mineralization in both inflammatory and non-inflammatory conditions. The 25-ng/mL PRGN dose was the most suitable for inducing proliferation and osteogenesis. Further studies using animal models will be required to obtain pre-clinical evidence to support using PGRN as a treatment for periodontitis.
A model of access to information among Nigerian rice farmers
Authors: Fidelugwuowo Ugonna Benedette
Published: August 2021

Facilitating access to information has been and will continue to be a dynamic process in light of the growing importance of information. Many studies have explored the socio-economic characteristics or attributes of farmers that affect access to information. Studies on models for their prediction are often lagged, particularly in developing countries. In this article, data on access to information and other attributes was collected from 1920 randomly selected rice farmers in Nigeria using structured interviews. Half of the farmers (49.0%) had access to information on rice farming and more than half (64.9%) belonged to a farmers group. The majority of the rice farmers were married (90.7%) and educated (73.1%). A logistic regression model with a 54.4% correct prediction showed age, education and membership of a farmers group to be predictors of access to information. Librarians should ascertain the attributes of rice farmers to enable them to repackage information for easy access.
Synthetic PVA Osteochondral Implants for the Knee Joint: Mechanical Characteristics During Simulated Gait
Authors: Chen Tony , Brial Caroline , McCarthy Moira , Warren Russell F. , Maher Suzanne A.
Published: August 2021

Background:

Although polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) implants have been developed and used for the treatment of femoral osteochondral defects, their effect on joint contact mechanics during gait has not been assessed.

Purpose/Hypothesis:

The purpose was to quantify the contact mechanics during simulated gait of focal osteochondral femoral defects and synthetic PVA implants (10% and 20% by volume of PVA), with and without porous titanium (pTi) bases. It was hypothesized that PVA implants with a higher polymer content (and thus a higher modulus) combined with a pTi base would significantly improve defect-related knee joint contact mechanics.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Four cylindrical implants were manufactured: 10% PVA, 20% PVA, and 10% and 20% PVA disks mounted on a pTi base. Devices were implanted into 8 mm–diameter osteochondral defects created on the medial femoral condyles of 7 human cadaveric knees. Knees underwent simulated gait and contact stresses across the tibial plateau were recorded. Contact area, peak contact stress, the sum of stress in 3 regions of interest across the tibial plateau, and the distribution of stresses, as quantified by tracking the weighted center of contact stress throughout gait, were computed for all conditions.

Results:

An osteochondral defect caused a redistribution of contact stress across the plateau during simulated gait. Solid PVA implants did not improve contact mechanics, while the addition of a porous metal base led to significantly improved joint contact mechanics. Implants consisting of a 20% PVA disk mounted on a pTi base significantly improved the majority of contact mechanics parameters relative to the empty defect condition.

Conclusion:

The information obtained using our cadaveric test system demonstrated the mechanical consequences of femoral focal osteochondral defects and provides biomechanical support to further pursue the efficacy of high-polymer-content PVA disks attached to a pTi base to improve contact mechanics.

Clinical Relevance:

As a range of solutions are explored for the treatment of osteochondral defects, our preclinical cadaveric testing model provides unique biomechanical evidence for the continued investigation of novel solutions for osteochondral defects.
Creation and Validation of a Shorthand Magnetic Resonance Imaging Bone Age Assessment Tool of the Knee as an Alternative Skeletal Maturity Assessment
Authors: Politzer Cary S. , Bomar James D. , Pehlivan Hakan C. , Gurusamy Pradyumna , Edmonds Eric W. , Pennock Andrew T.
Published: August 2021

Background:

In managing pediatric knee conditions, an accurate bone age assessment is often critical for diagnostic, prognostic, and treatment purposes. Historically, the Greulich and Pyle atlas (hand atlas) has been the gold standard bone age assessment tool. In 2013, a shorthand bone age assessment tool based on this atlas (hand shorthand) was devised as a simpler and more efficient alternative. Recently, a knee magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) bone age atlas (MRI atlas) was created to circumvent the need for a left-hand radiograph.

Purpose:

To create a shorthand version of the knee MRI atlas.

Study Design:

Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2.

Methods:

A shorthand bone age assessment method was created utilizing the previously published MRI atlas, which utilizes several criteria that are visualized across a series of images. The MRI shorthand draws on characteristic criteria for each age that are best observed on a single MRI scan. For validation, we performed a retrospective assessment of skeletally immature patients. One reader performed the bone age assessment using the MRI atlas and the MRI shorthand on 200 patients. Then, 4 readers performed the bone age assessment with the hand atlas, hand shorthand, MRI atlas, and MRI shorthand on a subset of 22 patients in a blinded fashion. All 22 patients had a knee MRI scan and a left-hand radiograph within 4 weeks of each other. Interobserver and intraobserver reliability, as well as variability among observers, were evaluated.

Results:

A total of 200 patients with a mean age of 13.5 years (range, 9.08-17.98 years) were included in this study. Also, 22 patients with a mean age of 13.3 years (range, 9.0-15.6 years) had a knee MRI scan and a left-hand radiograph within 4 weeks. The intraobserver and interobserver reliability of all 4 assessment tools were acceptable (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC] ≥ 0.8; P < .001). When comparing the MRI shorthand with the MRI atlas, there was excellent agreement (ICC = 0.989), whereas the hand shorthand compared with the hand atlas had good agreement (ICC = 0.765). The MRI shorthand also had perfect agreement in 50% of readings among all 4 readers, and 95% of readings had agreement within 1 year, whereas the hand shorthand had perfect agreement in 32% of readings and 77% agreement within 1 year.

Conclusion:

The MRI shorthand is a simple and efficient means of assessing the skeletal maturity of adolescent patients with a knee MRI scan. This bone age assessment technique had interobserver and intraobserver reliability equivalent to or better than the standard method of utilizing a left-hand radiograph.
Conducting Intervention Research With Immigrant Survivors of Intimate Partner Violence: Barriers and Facilitators of Recruitment and Retention
Authors: Sabri Bushra , Lee Jennifer , Saha Jyoti
Published: August 2021

Research is needed to support culturally informed interventions for diverse groups of survivors of intimate partner violence (IPV), such as immigrant women. Researchers, however, often face numerous barriers in recruiting and retaining immigrant survivors of IPV in intervention research. This qualitative study explored strategies to enhance recruitment and retention of immigrant survivors of IPV in intervention research from the perspective of immigrant survivors of IPV and providers serving immigrant women. Forty-six in-depth interviews were conducted with diverse groups of immigrant women (Africans, Asians, and Latinas) and 17 key informant interviews were conducted with providers serving immigrant women. The interviews focused on perceived facilitators and barriers to recruitment and retention including strategies to form partnerships with domestic violence organizations. Data were analyzed using systematic inductive thematic analysis. Participants identified barriers to recruitment such as fear of being judged, lack of familiarity with the recruiter, normalcy of abuse in some cultures, undocumented status, and fear related to legal implications of reporting IPV. Barriers to study retention included lack of motivation, time burden related to study participation, and emotional strain with recounting abuse experience. Participants also shared strategies to facilitate recruitment and retention such as engaging with the community, forming partnerships with domestic violence organizations, using recruiters with similar background and experiences as potential participants, using snowball sampling strategies, recruiting in locations frequently visited by immigrant survivors, providing adequate incentives, ensuring confidentiality, educating survivors about IPV, and conducting periodic check-ins throughout the study period. Findings can be useful for researchers conducting intervention studies with immigrant survivors of IPV.
Criminal Protection Orders: Implications of Requested Versus Issued Orders on Domestic Violence Revictimiztion and Mental Health Among Women
Authors: Sullivan Tami P. , Weiss Nicole H. , Woerner Jacqueline , Belliveau Diana
Published: August 2021

Criminal protection orders (POs), with varying degrees of restrictions on offenders’ behavior, are issued by the criminal justice (CJ) system to enhance the safety and well-being of victims of domestic violence (DV). Yet, little research exists to elucidate outcomes associated with their issuance, and no research has examined outcomes of POs that are issued with greater restrictions than what victims requested. Among 187 women who were victims in a criminal DV case with a male intimate partner and who voiced their preference about a PO in the court system, this study examined if women’s DV revictimization by their partner and mental health (i.e., posttraumatic stress disorder and depression symptom severity, perceived stress, and fear) are differentially impacted by whether criminal POs issued by the court were more restrictive than what was requested by victims. Results showed that regardless of whether the level of criminal PO issued was more restrictive or not, victims reported significant decreases in victimization and improvement in mental health over time. However, there was greater benefit regarding victimization and mental health outcomes in the degree of change over time for victims with POs that were not more restrictive than those whose POs were more restrictive. Findings are discussed in the context of Therapeutic Jurisprudence and survivor-defined practice, which underscore the importance of victims’ input and requests in criminal PO proceedings.
Professional codes of conduct: A scoping review
Authors: Collings-Hughes Derek , Townsend Ruth , Williams Brett
Published: August 2021

Background:

Professional ethical codes are an important part of healthcare. They are part of the professionalisation of an occupation, are used for regulation of the professions and are intended to guide ethical behaviour in healthcare. However, so far, little is known about the practical use of professional codes in healthcare, particularly in paramedicine.

Objective:

The aim of this scoping review was to determine what is known in the existing literature about health professionals’ knowledge, awareness and use of their professional codes.

Method:

A scoping review was performed based on a six-stage framework as described by Levac et al. Six databases were searched: OVID Medline, EMBASE, EMCARE, CINAHL, ProQuest and Scopus, in September 2020. Google Scholar, Trove and Google using .gov and .org websites were also searched for grey literature. Two reviewers independently assessed study eligibility.

Results:

The search yielded 1162 results after duplicate removal. Thirty-nine studies remained after title and abstract review. Twenty-five articles were included after full-text review. Sixteen examined nursing, eight examined medicine and one examined both nursing and medicine. No studies were identified that examined paramedicine. Twenty-one studies were of a cross-sectional design and four studies were of a qualitative design.

Conclusion:

Most health professionals know the codes exist, but do not think they know the content. Despite valuing professional codes highly, healthcare professionals do not use them regularly in clinical practice. Further research is needed, and professional codes should be made useful for practice and consideration given to how codes can be written, communicated and implemented to increase their actualisation in healthcare. Research should also begin in paramedicine to identify clinician’s knowledge and use of codes in this profession.

Review registration:

Open Science Framework – doi:10.17605/OSF.IO/NKBY4

Ethics Statement:

This article does not contain any studies involving human participants performed by any of the authors. The review followed good scientific conduct.
Accounting and music: The role of Giuseppe Verdi in shaping the nineteenth-century culture industry
Authors: Balluchi Federica , Lazzini Arianna , Torelli Riccardo
Published: August 2021

The aim of this research is to investigate the contribution of Giuseppe Verdi and Casa Ricordi in shaping the nineteenth-century music culture industry by adopting a new perspective on accounting and history. In nineteenth-century Italy, opera represented an important phenomenon, both artistically and socially, playing a fundamental role of intermediary between society and the political sphere. The complex relationships between the composer (artist) and the publisher (cultural intermediary) are analysed in the specific field of opera music, outlining the evolution and interweaving of artistic, social and economic aspects. The study embraces the period 1839–1893 and examines the economic and private relations between Giuseppe Verdi and Casa Ricordi and their impacts on the culture industry to this day. This article’s novelty is to adopt a historical perspective to broaden accounting into the field of high music offering possibilities for further studies.
Capital Punishment in Brazil: Exploring Factors That Predict Public Support for the Death Penalty
Authors: Boateng Francis Danso , Dzordzormenyoh Michael K.
Published: August 2021

The primary purpose of this study was to examine public support for the death penalty in Brazil and to determine factors that influence such support. Currently, Brazil has the death penalty for cases involving war crimes, genocides, terrorism, and crime against humanity. The country’s constitution, however, prohibits the use of the death penalty in ordinary crimes. Analyzing individual-level cross-sectional data collected by the American Barometer Survey, we found that a significant majority of Brazilians support the death penalty, with more than two thirds expressing greater support. In terms of factors, it was revealed that frequency of murders, sense of insecurity, and perceived institutional legitimacy largely influence support for the death penalty. In addition, ethnicity, religiosity, and religious affiliation affect citizens’ attitudes toward the death penalty. The findings of this study have serious implications for research and practice.
Personalization and the Smart Home: questioning techno-hedonist imaginaries
Authors: Dahlgren Kari , Pink Sarah , Strengers Yolande , Nicholls Larissa , Sadowski Jathan
Published: August 2021

Smart home futures predicted and promoted in the discourses and practices of industry increasingly figure forms of automated decision making (ADM) into existing narratives of technological solutionism. This article interrogates how these narratives are constituted, the futures they imagine, predict and promote, and how people and households are presented within these futures. Our discussion is based on a content analysis of technology industry reports. The reports emphasize that the key to business success in the future is to use ADM to instantly satisfy individual preferences and to tailor products and services to the “market of one.” While the role of AI and algorithms in the creation of personalized media—particularly social media feeds—has garnered attention for its role in increasing political divisiveness around the world, less attention has been paid to the consequences of this individualized logic when applied and recreated in the design and installation of automated smart home technology. The technology sector’s emphasis on personalization treats the household as an individual self-motivated decision-making entity, despite the home being a complex socio-material assemblage shaped by constantly negotiated power differentials, such as by age, gender, and species. Thus, the discourse of “personalization” underpinning the imagination of emerging technology for the home and the individualized conception of human behavior which underpins it, lead to significant oversights when situated in the complexity of domestic life. Further we argue that this risks embedding an alienated understanding of human behavior—techno-hedonism—into ADM systems. We discuss how a persona of the techno-hedonist underlies visions of the personalized smart home, and its potential consequences through three interrelated concepts: convenience, control, and choice.
Why is classical theory classical? Theorizing the canon and canonizing Du Bois
Authors: Burawoy Michael
Published: August 2021

One of the most contentious debates coursing through sociology is what to do with the canon of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim: abandon the canon, start afresh with a new canon, or reconstruct the existing canon? In this paper I examine the claims of Connell, the foremost advocate of abandoning the cannon. She claims the canon is an arbitrary imposition that bears no relation to the actual history of sociology and we would be better off examining how the canon came to be. She does not consider the intrinsic value of the canon and instead advances the idea of Southern theory. It is not clear what is Southern about Southern theory nor what holds together the array of theorists she proposes. As an alternative I propose reconstructing the canon with the life and work of W.E.B. Du Bois who was propelled by precisely the issues that concern Connell. The canon is relational so that Du Bois is not simply added but brought into conversation with Marx, Weber, and Durkheim, leading to a rereading of each theorist. The canon has always been subject to revision when it atrophies, when it moves out of sync with questions raised by the world and by sociology. I agree with others that contemporary questions push Du Bois to the forefront—however, not at the expense of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim but in dialogue with them. I outline a possible direction of such dialogues from which all would benefit. Just as the inclusion of Marx had dramatic consequences for the recalibration of Weber and Durkheim, so the same will happen with the inclusion of Du Bois with regard to Weber, Durkheim, and Marx, and, at the same time, stiffening and advancing a Du Boisian sociology. Incorporating Du Bois into the existing canon may appear to be a reformist move but if attention is paid to the whole gamut of Du Bois’s oeuvre, then the consequences could be revolutionary, even to the point of sidelining one or more of Marx, Weber, and Durkheim.
A Conceptualization Framework of Allyship: Bidirectional Allyship Between Black Heterosexual Women and White Gay Males
Authors: Scaramuzzo Peter , Bartone Michael D. , Young Jemimah L.
Published: August 2021

Allyship is a complicated idea laden with multiple, layered assumptions. One should not presume that allyship conceptually permeates all social justice movements. One should not presume that allyships develop to combat or dismantle a predefined socially constructed ism. A critical interrogation of allyship and allyship constructions necessitates recognition of broader, universal tenets of allyships anywhere. This must go further to embrace the nuanced, situated, dynamic, critically problematic, and complex dimensions rooted in individual lived experiences intersecting multiple marginalizations which contribute as praxis toward an actualizing of individual allyships. Although we will blur constructed distinctions as we progress, here, we endeavor to surface and deliberate upon the derivations and functions and shapes of allyships between two demographic categories, made arbitrarily distinct here for the purposes of engaging in discursive analysis: cisgender heterosexual Black women and cisgender gay White men. In short, we are proposing a way to view this allyship as bidirectional allyships, grounded in social justice frames of existing: a way to see each respective group as traveling within their own lane down a collectively traveled highway. Each traverses the space along their own course, traveling down “their own road.”
Nano-Curcumin Protects Against Sodium Nitrite–Induced Lung Hypoxia Through Modulation of Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases/c-Jun NH2-Terminal Kinase Signaling Pathway
Authors: Alhusaini Ahlam , Alhumaidan Sara , Almogren Renad , Alsaif Shaikha , Alsultan Ebtesam , Hussein Iman
Published: August 2021

Background and objective

This study was designed to compare the efficacy of curcumin (CRN) with that of nano-curcumin (N-CRN) in the mitigation of various biochemical indices in hypoxic lung induced by sodium nitrite (SN) in rats.

Methods

Twenty-four adult male albino rats were divided into 4 groups. Group 1: control group received carboxy methyl cellulose; Group 2: hypoxic group injected with single dose of SN (60 mg/kg, s.c.); Group 3: SN-intoxicated rats pre-injected with CRN (100 mg/kg, i.p.); and Group 4: SN-intoxicated rats pre-injected with N-CRN (100 mg/kg, i.p.). Curcumin and N-CRN were administered intraperitoneally 2 hour prior to SN intoxication. Hemoglobin concentration, serum tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α), and caspase-3 were analyzed. Gene expression of hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1α), matrix metallo-proteinases (MMP)-2, and tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs)-2, as well as the protein expression of mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) and c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) were examined in lung tissues.

Results

Hemoglobin level was markedly reduced, and serum TNF-α and caspase-3 were significantly elevated post SN intoxication. The lung MMP-2 and HIF-1α mRNA were overexpressed in the hypoxic group; while TIMP-2 mRNA was downregulated. Sodium nitrite administration increased proteins’ expressions of MAPK and JNK. Pretreatment with CRN or N-CRN markedly mitigated those alterations. These results were supported by histopathological examinations of lung tissue.

Conclusion

Interestingly, N-CRN exhibited a pronounced protective effect via suppression of inflammatory and apoptotic biomarkers and modulation of MAPK/JNK signaling pathway.
Positron emission tomography and single photon emission computed tomography imaging of tertiary lymphoid structures during the development of lupus nephritis
Authors: Dorraji Esmaeil S , Oteiza Ana , Kuttner Samuel , Martin-Armas Montserrat , Kanapathippillai Premasany , Garbarino Sara , Kalda Gustav , Scussolini Mara , Piana Michele , Fenton Kristin A
Published: August 2021

Lymphoid neogenesis occurs in tissues targeted by chronic inflammatory processes, such as infection and autoimmunity. In systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), such structures develop within the kidneys of lupus-prone mice ((NZBXNZW)F1) and are observed in kidney biopsies taken from SLE patients with lupus nephritis (LN). The purpose of this prospective longitudinal animal study was to detect early kidney changes and tertiary lymphoid structures (TLS) using in vivo imaging. Positron emission tomography (PET) by tail vein injection of 18-F-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose (18F-FDG)(PET/FDG) combined with computed tomography (CT) for anatomical localization and single photon emission computed tomography (SPECT) by intraperitoneal injection of 99mTC labeled Albumin Nanocoll (99mTC-Nanocoll) were performed on different disease stages of NZB/W mice ( n = 40) and on aged matched control mice (BALB/c) ( n = 20). By using one-way ANOVA analyses, we compared two different compartmental models for the quantitative measure of 18F-FDG uptake within the kidneys. Using a new five-compartment model, we observed that glomerular filtration of 18FFDG in lupus-prone mice decreased significantly by disease progression measured by anti-dsDNA Ab production and before onset of proteinuria. We could not visualize TLS within the kidneys, but we were able to visualize pancreatic TLS using 99mTC Nanocoll SPECT. Based on our findings, we conclude that the five-compartment model can be used to measure changes of FDG uptake within the kidney. However, new optimal PET/SPECT tracer administration sites together with more specific tracers in combination with magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) may make it possible to detect formation of TLS and LN before clinical manifestations.
In Search of a Blue Ocean in the Indian Wine Industry
Authors: Devi Toijam Sarika , Sarmah Bijoylaxmi , Dewangan K. N. , Phookan Neeraj Kumar
Published: August 2021

Naara-Aaba is an indigenous wine innovated by a woman who could predict a beautiful end to her vision of brewing wine from the sacred but exotic fruit kiwi. The brand was launched in 2017 at Hong village of Ziro, Arunachal Pradesh by Tage Rita Takhe; an engineer turned entrepreneur through her venture M/s Lambu Subu Food & Beverages. The brand was named after her late father-in-law lovingly known as ‘Naara’ and ‘Aaba’ meaning father. The motto of the company is to fight a social problem that wreaks havoc across the region, namely the suicides of thousands of farmers who cannot pay back their debt due to drought, poor harvest, and sometimes exacerbated by climate. Rita started her winery facing these hurdles and a field abundant in kiwi fruits. Despite facing many challenges such as lack of efficient production infrastructure, market connectivity, and minimum support from the government machinery, she has created a niche market in the wine industry.

This case aims to establish the applicability of the Blue Ocean strategy by applying the tools to create an uncontested market space for Naara-Aaba, the first organic kiwi wine from the north-eastern states of India and second in the world after New Zealand.

Research question:

How to apply Blue Ocean strategy for the brand Naara-Aaba so that the competition becomes irrelevant?

Theory:

Blue Ocean theory

Type of the case:

Applied problem solving

Basis of the case:

Phenomenon-creating uncontested space in the market

Protagonist:

Present

Findings:

The findings revealed that implementing a Blue Ocean strategy will open up new uncontested market spaces for the brand to grow profitably. This case study shows how to apply Blue Ocean strategy for a wine brand.

Discussion:

Blue Ocean strategy advocates that by eliminating unnecessary attributes, reducing all features that pushes up the cost, raising utility, and creating higher value, a brand can redefine its market where competition is non-existent.
Sleep problem screening of young children by speech-language pathologists: A mixed-methods feasibility study
Authors: Bonuck Karen , Battino Risa , Barresi Ida , McGrath Kathleen
Published: August 2021

Background & Aims

Poor sleep in young children imperils language learning and use. Both sleep and language problems are prevalent in early childhood. Speech-language pathologists are in a unique position to expand surveillance of sleep problems, which in turn may contribute to communication difficulties. We conducted a feasibility study of speech-language pathologist screening for behavioral sleep problems and sleep-disordered breathing symptoms at a multidisciplinary evaluation and treatment center.

Methods

Speech-language pathologists administered screeners to parents of 2–6-year-olds: the Short Form-Children's Sleep Habits Questionnaire (for behavioral sleep problems) which includes an item asking if the child has a sleep problem (yes/no), and the pediatric sleep questionnaire (for sleep-disordered breathing). Speech-language pathologists participated in pre- and post-screening focus groups. Pre-screening topics included professional preparation and clinical experience regarding pediatric sleep issues. Post-screening, speech-language pathologists provided feedback about the screening experience and feasibility of incorporating such screening into practice.

Results

Among 51 children, 31% (16/51) screened positive for sleep-disordered breathing, 78% for behavioral sleep problems (40/51), and 43% (12/28) per parent report. Parent-reported problems were associated with sleep-disordered breathing ( p = 0.00) but not behavioral sleep problems ( p = 0.24). During focus groups, speech-language pathologists reported no formal pediatric sleep training, high parent concern about sleep, and agreed that screening fit their professional mandate. Speech-language pathologists affirmed that the ≤15 min screenings integrated seamlessly into practice but that additional training, particularly for sleep-disordered breathing, was needed.

Conclusions

The prevalence of sleep problems in 2–6-year-olds presenting to speech-language pathologists was higher than in community samples, but consistent with data from young children with developmental disabilities. Speech-language pathologists endorsed the utility and feasibility of sleep problem screening and education in their clinical practice.

Implications

Integrating sleep problem screening and education into speech-language pathologist practice is feasible and could widen surveillance of both sleep problems and risk factors for developmental language disorders. Further research should include larger samples and other settings, e.g. home or school.
Lung transplantation for interstitial lung disease
Authors: Kapnadak Siddhartha G. , Raghu Ganesh
Published: August 2021

Lung transplantation (LTx) can be a life-extending treatment option for patients with advanced and/or progressive fibrotic interstitial lung disease (ILD), especially idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF), fibrotic hypersensitivity pneumonitis, sarcoidosis and connective tissue disease-associated ILD. IPF is now the most common indication for LTx worldwide. Several unique features in patients with ILD can impact optimal timing of referral or listing for LTx, pre- or post-transplant risks, candidacy and post-transplant management. As the epidemiology of LTx and community practices have evolved, recent literature describes outcomes and approaches in higher-risk candidates. In this review, we discuss the unique and important clinical findings, course, monitoring and management of patients with IPF and other progressive fibrotic ILDs during pre-LTx evaluation and up to the day of transplantation; the need for co-management with clinical experts in ILD and LTx is emphasised. Some post-LTx complications are unique in these patient cohorts, which require prompt detection and appropriate management by experts in multiple disciplines familiar with telomere biology disorders and infectious, haematological, oncological and cardiac complications to enhance the likelihood of improved outcomes and survival of LTx recipients with IPF and other ILDs.
Enable a Facile Size Re-distribution of MBE-Grown Ga-Droplets via In Situ Pulsed Laser Shooting
Authors: Geng Biao , Shi Zhenwu , Chen Chen , Zhang Wei , Yang Linyun , Deng Changwei , Yang Xinning , Miao Lili , Peng Changsi
Published: August 2021

A MBE-prepared Gallium (Ga)-droplet surface on GaAs (001) substrate is in situ irradiated by a single shot of UV pulsed laser. It demonstrates that laser shooting can facilely re-adjust the size of Ga-droplet and a special Ga-droplet of extremely broad size-distribution with width from 16 to 230 nm and height from 1 to 42 nm are successfully obtained. Due to the energetic inhomogeneity across the laser spot, the modification of droplet as a function of irradiation intensity (IRIT) can be straightly investigated on one sample and the correlated mechanisms are clarified. Systematically, the laser resizing can be perceived as: for low irradiation level, laser heating only expands droplets to make mergences among them, so in this stage, the droplet size distribution is solely shifted to the large side; for high irradiation level, laser irradiation not only causes thermal expansion but also thermal evaporation of Ga atom which makes the size-shift move to both sides. All of these size-shifts on Ga-droplets can be strongly controlled by applying different laser IRIT that enables a more designable droplet epitaxy in the future.
A unified framework for the integration of multiple hierarchical clusterings or networks from multi-source data
Authors: Hulot Audrey , Laloë Denis , Jaffrézic Florence
Published: August 2021

Background

Integrating data from different sources is a recurring question in computational biology. Much effort has been devoted to the integration of data sets of the same type, typically multiple numerical data tables. However, data types are generally heterogeneous: it is a common place to gather data in the form of trees, networks or factorial maps, as these representations all have an appealing visual interpretation that helps to study grouping patterns and interactions between entities. The question we aim to answer in this paper is that of the integration of such representations.

Results

To this end, we provide a simple procedure to compare data with various types, in particular trees or networks, that relies essentially on two steps: the first step projects the representations into a common coordinate system; the second step then uses a multi-table integration approach to compare the projected data. We rely on efficient and well-known methodologies for each step: the projection step is achieved by retrieving a distance matrix for each representation form and then applying multidimensional scaling to provide a new set of coordinates from all the pairwise distances. The integration step is then achieved by applying a multiple factor analysis to the multiple tables of the new coordinates. This procedure provides tools to integrate and compare data available, for instance, as tree or network structures. Our approach is complementary to kernel methods, traditionally used to answer the same question.

Conclusion

Our approach is evaluated on simulation and used to analyze two real-world data sets: first, we compare several clusterings for different cell-types obtained from a transcriptomics single-cell data set in mouse embryos; second, we use our procedure to aggregate a multi-table data set from the TCGA breast cancer database, in order to compare several protein networks inferred for different breast cancer subtypes.
Regional effect on the molecular clock rate of protein evolution in Eutherian and Metatherian genomes
Authors: Huttener Raf , Thorrez Lieven , Veld Thomas in‘t , Potter Barney , Baele Guy , Granvik Mikaela , Van Lommel Leentje , Schuit Frans
Published: August 2021

Background

Different types of proteins diverge at vastly different rates. Moreover, the same type of protein has been observed to evolve with different rates in different phylogenetic lineages. In the present study we measured the rates of protein evolution in Eutheria (placental mammals) and Metatheria (marsupials) on a genome-wide basis and we propose that the gene position in the genome landscape has an important influence on the rate of protein divergence.

Results

We analyzed a protein-encoding gene set (n = 15,727) common to 16 mammals (12 Eutheria and 4 Metatheria). Using sliding windows that averaged regional effects of protein divergence we constructed landscapes in which strong and lineage-specific regional effects were seen on the molecular clock rate of protein divergence. Within each lineage, the relatively high rates were preferentially found in subtelomeric chromosomal regions. Such regions were observed to contain important and well-studied loci for fetal growth, uterine function and the generation of diversity in the adaptive repertoire of immunoglobulins.

Conclusions

A genome landscape approach visualizes lineage-specific regional differences between Eutherian and Metatherian rates of protein evolution. This phenomenon of chromosomal position is a new element that explains at least part of the lineage-specific effects and differences between proteins on the molecular clock rates.