bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
IL-1 Superfamily Members and Periodontal Diseases
Authors: Papathanasiou E. , Conti P. , Carinci F. , Lauritano D. , Theoharides T.C.
Published: August 2020

Periodontitis is a complex, multifactorial chronic disease involving continuous interactions among bacteria, host immune/inflammatory responses, and modifying genetic and environmental factors. More than any other cytokine family, the interleukin (IL)–1 family includes key signaling molecules that trigger and perpetuate periodontal inflammation. Over the years, the IL-1 family expanded to include 11 members of cytokines, some with agonist activity (IL-1α, IL-1β, IL-18, IL-33, IL-36α, IL-36β, and IL-36γ), receptor antagonists (IL-1Ra, IL-36Ra), and 2 anti-inflammatory cytokines (IL-37, IL-38). The IL-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1Ra) has emerged as a pivotal player in the defense against periodontitis. IL-33 primarily induces the production of Th2-associated cytokines but acts as an “alarmin” via stimulation of mast cells. The IL-36 subclass of cytokines may be important in regulating mucosal inflammation and homeostasis. IL-37 suppresses innate and acquired immune responses. IL-38 is the most recent member of the IL-1 superfamily and has anti-inflammatory properties similar to those of IL-37 but through different receptors. However, limited evidence exists regarding the role of IL-37 and IL-38 in periodontitis. Despite the development of IL-1 blocking agents, therapeutic blockade of select IL-1 family members for periodontitis has only been partially investigated in preclinical and clinical research, while the development of IL-37 and IL-38 as novel anti-inflammatory drugs has not been considered adequately. Here, we review the key properties of the IL-1 family members and provide insights into targeting or promoting select cytokines as new therapeutic agents.
Optimizing the Distribution of Pharmacy-Dispensed Naloxone Using Spatial Mapping Techniques in Rural Areas
Authors: Banerjee Somalee
Published: August 2020

With the worsening opioid epidemic, recent changes allow pharmacies to sell naloxone through standing orders to reverse opioid overdoses. This study assesses direct dispensed naloxone availability through pharmacy chains in California in 2016, and utilizes spatial analysis techniques to suggest optimal stocking of naloxone. Rural counties were less likely to have a pharmacy selling naloxone even though overdose death rates were higher in rural counties (odds ratio [OR] = 0.225; 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.059, 0.854]). Pharmacies closest to the center of the population in these rural counties were identified as ideal stocking locations. Rural counties with high overdose death rates have the lowest rates of naloxone, but spatial analysis can determine pre-existing chain pharmacies that can stock naloxone.
Examining Relationships Among Concert Band Directors’ Efficacious Sources, Self-Efficacy for Teaching Strategies, and Effective Teaching Skills
Authors: Regier Bradley J.
Published: August 2020

The purpose of this study was to investigate the extent that concert band directors’ self-efficacy for teaching strategies was influenced by its four sources: mastery experiences, verbal persuasions, vicarious experiences, and physiological state. A secondary purpose was to investigate possible relationships between directors’ self-efficacy and self-perceptions of effective teaching. Participants were high school concert band directors ( N = 610). They responded to the Concert Band Directors’ Self-Efficacy for Teaching Strategies Scale, Sources of Self-Efficacy for Concert Band Teaching Scale, and a scale for effective teaching abilities. Directors’ self-efficacy for teaching strategies were influenced most by mastery experiences, followed by verbal persuasions, physiological state, and vicarious experiences. Participants’ self-efficacy scores associated with their experience level and the influence of each source on self-efficacy differed between early-, mid-, and late-career directors. Furthermore, participants who reported greater self-efficacy for teaching strategies also rated themselves as more confident for using effective teaching skills.
Learning to Plan During the Clinical Experience: How Visions of Teaching Influence Novices’ Opportunities to Practice
Authors: Windschitl Mark , Lohwasser Karin , Tasker Tammy
Published: August 2020

In this study, we document pre-service teachers’ (PSTs) opportunities to learn about planning for equitable and ambitious instruction during clinical placements. We also test whether these opportunities vary by the level of participants’ perceived congruence between the vision of science teaching supported in their university coursework and the instructional practices and learning culture of their host classrooms. We analyzed interview and survey responses of 65 science PSTs from three preparation programs which required their novices to learn about planning and teaching that was consistent with research-based reforms. In placements where novices could participate in planning practices that were perceived as congruent with these reform-based visions, they were more likely than peers in low-congruence classrooms to engage in educative co-planning with a mentor, to take up responsibilities for planning lessons earlier in the school year and for longer periods of time, and to receive useful feedback from mentors.
Complicated Grief With Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder Addressed With Accelerated Resolution Therapy: Case Discussions
Authors: Tofthagen Cindy , Hernandez Diego F. , Mason Tina M. , Buck Harleah G. , Kip Kevin E.
Published: August 2020

Complicated grief is a significant health concern for older adults, resulting in significant psychological and physical morbidity. Elements of post traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) are often present in individuals with complicated grief. Accelerated Resolution Therapy (ART) is a brief form of psychotherapy that utilizes the techniques of imaginal exposure, rescripting of events, and lateral eye movements that may be useful in complicated grief with PTSD symptoms. Two cases where ART was used for complicated grief with PTSD are presented. Both individuals had attempted to come to terms with their loss through traditional grief therapy with an inadequate response and substantial residual grief symptoms. These cases illustrate how ART can be used to address CG and PTSD and describe situations where it may be appropriate. Clinical and research implications are also discussed.
Introducing the Martial Arts Inventory: Quantifying Student Training Experiences for Quality Control and Evidence of Efficacy
Authors: Sandford Glenn T. , Gill Peter R. , Morda Romana , Jago Andrew
Published: August 2020

There is a need for a questionnaire that quantifies what students actually experience during martial arts (MA) training. Although no such measure exists, having one would allow researchers to identify the specific components of the MA training experience that may benefit participants’ health outcomes, and permit MA training organizations to implement control and consistency measures. In this article we report the development and psychometric properties of the Martial Arts Inventory (MAI). This study comprised three phases: (a) question development, (b) exploratory factor analysis (EFA), and (c) a correlational validity demonstration. We developed a 106 item questionnaire and then used exploratory factor analysis ( n = 252) to extract eight distinct factors (meditative training, respectful discipline, positive training environment, streaming, training behaviour, heavy training, goal orientation, and physical challenge) that were represented by 48 items. We demonstrated convergent validity through positive correlations between this questionnaire and measures of both self-regulation and mindfulness. As a first of its kind instrument, the MAI has the preliminary psychometric basis to be used by researchers and clinicians for measuring the consistency of student experiences across MA schools, and for exploring the efficacy of MA training for various applications, including participant psychosocial health outcomes. Additionally, further refinement and validity testing of this tool will be needed.
The Florida Department of Health STEPS Public Health Approach: The COVID-19 Response Plan and Outcomes Through May 31, 2020
Authors: Rivkees Scott A. , Roberson Shamarial
Published: August 2020

In January 2020, the Florida Department of Health began planning for a potential coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak. The first 2 cases of COVID-19 in Florida were confirmed on March 1, 2020. The state’s multiagency response to the COVID-19 pandemic was based on the Florida STEPS plan: (1) social distancing, (2) testing and contact tracing, (3) elderly and medically vulnerable population protection, (4) preparing hospitals for a patient surge and health care worker protection, and (5) stopping the introduction of COVID-19 into the state. This brief report describes COVID-19 response strategies and outcomes in Florida through May 31, 2020.
The Effect of Domestic Risks and Arab Spring on Economic Risk in Northern African Countries: Findings From the First- and Second-Generation Panel Approaches
Authors: Kirikkaleli Dervis , Torun Melike , Sowah James Karmoh
Published: August 2020

For decades, domestic risks belonged to the category of issues that are difficult to understand because information is fragmented or incomplete. However, paradoxically it has been suggested by many researchers that domestic risks involve complex combinations of structural and institutional weakness, bad governance, and regional contagion wrapped in a paradigm of high levels of trade, capital, and information flows, resulting in economic risk. This study employ first- and second-generation panel-based estimators—Westerlund cointegration, fully modified ordinary least square (FMOLS), dynamic ordinary least square (DOLS), and dynamic common correlated effects mean group (D-CCEMG)—to explore both short-run and long-run nexus between domestic risks and economic risks in Northern African countries from 1997Q2 to 2018Q4. To our knowledge, no study has applied these econometric techniques to investigate interlink-ages among domestic risks, economic risks, and as well as including dummy variable of Arab Spring in Northern African countries. Our empirical findings reveal that (a) financial and political stabilities positively affect economic stability, and (b) Arab Spring negatively affected economic stability. Our analysis confirms that domestic risks involve institutional weakness and bad governance region in regional contagion. Given this new insight on economic risk, policymakers should develop a strong financial system that promotes economic growth.
The changing social structure of global cities: Professionalisation, proletarianisation or polarisation
Authors: Hamnett Chris
Published: August 2020

This paper addresses a simple, but very important, question. How has the occupational class structure of major world or global cities changed in recent decades? This has major social and theoretical implications given the claims made by Friedmann (1986) and Sassen (1991) regarding social polarisation in world or global cities. The paper outlines and compares three positions regarding the changing occupational class structure of world cities and of Western societies in general: professionalisation, proletarianisation and social polarisation. The paper does not provide original empirical evidence. Instead, it provides a wide-ranging overview of evidence from existing studies in a range of cities in both Global North and South over the last 50 years. It concludes that whereas professionalisation is common to most global cities, there is little evidence for proletarianisation, and that polarisation is a contingent outcome in certain cities at certain times. The claims for a common universal pattern are rejected and variations in national economic, political and social structure and policy are argued to be more important.
“I have grown with it”: Experiences of Spiritual Identity Development in a Group of South African Adolescents
Authors: Naudé Luzelle , Capitano Tracy-Ann
Published: August 2020

This qualitative phenomenological study aimed to capture experiences of spiritual identity development in a purposive sample of South African adolescents, using semi-structured interviews and reflective writing exercises. Participants confirmed the prominence of religiosity and spirituality, as intertwined concepts central to their sense of purpose and identity. Consistent with the ideas expressed in psychosocial theories and lifespan development approaches, these adolescents valued the importance of choice when confronted with contradiction. They prioritized personal commitment and authenticity in their spiritual journeys toward finding a sense of self. It is clear that spiritual identity development unfolds as a lifelong process, driven by an interplay between cognitive development, psychosocial experiences, and the religiocultural context. The findings of this study reiterates that, as adolescents mature into emerging adulthood and their lives and meaning-making abilities become more complex, spirituality is critical in answering intricate questions about the self, others, and purpose of life.
A Brief (Hi)Story of Just-So Stories in Evolutionary Science
Authors: Hubálek Michal
Published: August 2020

In this essay, I examine the usage of the term “just-so story.” I attempt to show that just-so storytelling can be seen as an epistemic concept that, in various ways, tackles the epistemological and methodological problems relating to evolutionary explanations qua historical/narrative explanations. I identify two main, yet mutually exclusive, strategies of employing the concept of a just-so story: a negative strategy and a positive strategy. Subsequently, I argue that these strategies do not satisfactorily capture the core of the “original” meaning advanced by Stephen Jay Gould and Richard Lewontin at the end of the 1970s. I revisit the foundation(s) of their anti-adaptationist critique in order to reframe it as a critique of distinctive methodological manners and epistemic maxims related to historical inquiry. Last but not least, I suggest that contemporary evolutionary thinkers have two conceptually different options: they can either adhere to the “original” meaning of the term “just-so story” or accept that “just-so story” is a term equivalent to “implausible narrative explanation.”
Linking Lives in Ethnically Diverse Families: The Interconnectedness of Home Leaving and Retirement Transitions
Authors: Mitchell Barbara A. , Wister Andrew V. , Li Grace , Wu Zheng
Published: August 2020

Drawing from a sociocultural life course perspective, this study examines the linkages between two age-related family transitions: young adult children leaving home and parental retirement. A sample of 580 ethnically diverse parents aged 50+ with at least one adult child aged 19–35 living in Metro Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada, was used in this study based on four cultural groups: British–, Chinese–, Persian/Iranian–, or South Asian–Canadian. Separate survival analyses are used to predict the timing of, and associations between children’s leaving home and parents’ retirement. Later timing of adult children’s leaving home is associated with delays in retirement of parents and is influenced by a number of predictors. Main and interaction effects were supported for ethnicity, where belonging to the Persian/Iranian ethnic group (compared to British) delays home leaving, and belonging to Persian/Iranian and South Asian ethnic groups (compared to British) delays retirement timing.
Cameras in Corrections: Exploring the Views of Correctional Officers on the Introduction of Body-Worn Cameras in Prisons
Authors: Dodd Shannon , Antrobus Emma , Sydes Michelle
Published: August 2020

In this article, we present the findings of a mixed-methods study of correctional officers’ views on the introduction of body-worn cameras (BWCs) within prisons. Using a statewide survey and in-depth interviews with correctional officers in Queensland, Australia, this study explored officer support for BWCs and the relationship between officer support and several key variables. We found widespread support for the use of BWCs among correctional officers. Female officers and those who held more positive views about the perceived functionality of BWCs and the implementation and training process were most supportive. However, the introduction of BWCs also raises some important considerations for prison management that may impact officer support, including whether to allow officers to access BWC footage for report writing or officer training. Consideration must also be made regarding turn-on policies for BWCs given concerns that more frequent recording has the potential to damage rapport with incarcerated individuals.
The Politics of Commemorating the Woman Suffrage Movement in New York City: On the Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument
Authors: Rooney Sierra
Published: August 2020

This article traces the commission, design, and public reception for New York City’s Women’s Rights Pioneers Monument as a case study for the contentious politics of monument-building. The Central Park statue—as of this writing, not yet realized—has followed a protracted, frequently contested path since its conception in 2015. It was originally designed to depict women’s rights activists Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton for the centennial anniversary of the Nineteenth Amendment. What began as an initially well-received initiative to correct the gender imbalance in the city’s public art became mired in controversy amid the politically charged atmosphere of the election of Donald Trump to the U.S. presidency. I argue that, while the polarity of contemporary politics amplified the statue’s controversy, the tensions at play are the product of more than 170 years of conflicts inherent in the progressive activism of the American woman suffrage movement and commemorations of it.
The design of a fractional-order sliding mode controller with a time-varying sliding surface
Authors: Eray Osman , Tokat Sezai
Published: August 2020

The novelty of this paper is the usage of a time-varying sliding surface with a fractional-order sliding mode controller. The objective of the controller is to allow the system states to move to the sliding surface and remain on it so as to ensure the asymptotic stability of the closed-loop system. The Lyapunov stability method is adopted to verify the stability of the controller. Firstly, by using the geometric coordinate transformation that is formerly defined for conventional sliding mode controller, a novel fractional-order sliding surface is defined. The time-varying fractional-order sliding surface is then rotated in the region in which the system state trajectories are stable. The adjustment of the sliding surface slope on the new coordinate axes is achieved by tuning a parameter defined as a sigmoid function. Then, a new control rule is derived. Numerical simulations are performed on the nonlinear mass-spring-damper and 2-DOF robot manipulator system models with parameter uncertainties and bounded external disturbances. The proposed controller is compared with the conventional sliding mode controller with a constant sliding surface and the fractional-order sliding mode controller with a constant sliding surface. Simulation results have shown improved performance of the proposed controller in terms of a decrease in the reaching and settling time, and robustness to disturbances as compared with the related controllers. Moreover, it is seen that the designed controller provides an improvement in the error state trajectories.
Anti-windup reconfigurable control for dynamic positioning vessel with thruster faults
Authors: Li Mingyang , Xie Wenbo , Zhang Jian
Published: August 2020

In this study, an anti-windup reconfigurable control method is developed for dynamic positioning vessel in the presence of thruster faults and input saturation. The designed reconfiguration block acting as a virtual thruster aims at hiding the faults from the nominal controller. Also, it is added into the closed-loop system between the nominal controller and the dynamic positioning system. A thruster saturation-failure fault matrix technique is proposed to regard the thruster saturation as thruster fault, meanwhile an auxiliary system is constructed to achieve extra compensation for the adverse effects induced by input saturation. Furthermore, an integral sliding mode control method is presented to accommodate the nonlinear items in the reconfiguration block. An adaptive technique is also employed to preserve robustness against the unknown uncertainties. Finally, a vessel dynamic positioning control process is adopted to evaluate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Acute Olfactory Dysfunction—A Primary Presentation of COVID-19 Infection
Authors: Brookes Natalie R. G. , Fairley James W. , Brookes Gerald B.
Published: August 2020

COVID-19 is a zoonotic illness caused by a new strain of coronavirus and has recently been declared a pandemic by the World Health Organization, with an estimated fatality rate of 1% to 2%. Early identification and isolation of patients in the preliminary infective stage has been a mainstay of most governmental strategies in order to limit transmission. Four otherwise healthy patients presented to a specialist open access Ear, Nose & Throat Clinic in central London with acute total or subtotal loss of their sense of smell in a single one-week period, coinciding with rapid escalation of COVID-19 infection in the indigenous population. The diagnosis was confirmed by the validated University of Pennsylvania Smell Identification Test (UPSIT) in 3. Endoscopic examination and magnetic resonance imaging (2 cases) excluded a range of alternative potential pathological conditions. Covid-19 antibody testing carried out 6 to 8 weeks after the onset of nasal symptoms showed positive immunoglobulin G antibodies in 3 of the 4 patients. Acute severe anosmia is therefore almost certainly an unusual presenting local nasal feature of a COVID-19 viral infection. All 4 patients achieved significant partial olfactory recovery by one week after treatment with subjective ratings of 40% to 85% of normal (mean 60%) and complete olfaction recovery after 2 to 3 weeks in all 4 patients. The significance, possible pathogenesis, and public health implications are highlighted and discussed.
Riding the tiger of performance legitimacy? Chinese villagers' satisfaction with state healthcare provision
Authors: Ratigan Kerry
Published: August 2020

Authoritarian regimes often rely on performance legitimacy, but cannot always fulfill policy promises, thereby undermining the regime. In 21st-century China, a reliance on performance legitimacy may seem unwise, as policy outcomes have been mixed. However, the Chinese government has managed to navigate gaping inequality and ineffective social policy. Why have policy failures not produced greater discontent? Using my original survey data to examine rural healthcare, I argue that the Chinese government is pursuing an objectively minimal but subjectively sufficient course of action in healthcare provision. Regression analysis of my survey data, coupled with responses from open-ended questions and semi-structured interviews, demonstrates that the deficiencies in current policy have not threatened regime legitimacy because villagers have low expectations for state provision of healthcare. The data also suggest that, as China continues to urbanize, villagers' expectations are likely to rise, presenting new policy challenges for the state.
Gender gaps in political participation in Asia
Authors: Liu Shan-Jan Sarah
Published: August 2020

Recent scholarship shows that the gender gap in political activity has diminished, particularly in Western societies. Still unknown is how gender matters for political participation in Asia. Using the 2010 Asian Barometer Survey, this article analyzes the gender gap in multiple forms of political participation in 13 countries. It also investigates how individual-level characteristics mediate the differences in men’s and women’s political participation. The article shows that Asian men and women overwhelmingly vote at an equal rate in elections, but gender gaps persist in other types of political action. This study shows that gender remains the strongest predictor of political participation and suggests that Asian women remain marginalized in the political arena. The results have important implications for how to progress gender equality in the region.
Pulled in and pushed out of politics: The impact of neoliberalism on young people’s differing political consumerist motivations in the UK and Greece
Authors: Kyroglou Georgios , Henn Matt
Published: August 2020

Political consumerism refers to citizens’ use of boycotting and buycotting as they seek to influence political outcomes within the marketplace rather than through more traditional routes such as voting. However, given the pressure that neoliberalist forces exert on the marketplace, the lack of literature problematising the relationship between political consumerism and neoliberalism is somewhat surprising. Addressing this gap, we examine how neoliberalism impacts youth political consumerism in the UK and Greece. Focus-group findings suggest the existence of two inter-connected effects. Firstly, we detect a neoliberal ‘push effect’ away from electoral politics. Secondly, we discern a parallel ‘pull effect’ as young people seek the ‘political’ within the marketplace. In Greece, youth political consumerism seems to result primarily from distrust of institutional political actors. In contrast, young political consumers in the UK appear to be principally driven by confidence in the capacity of the market to respond to their pressing needs.
Legitimation, regime survival, and shifting alliances in the Arab League: Explaining sanction politics during the Arab Spring
Authors: Debre Maria Josepha
Published: August 2020

The Arab Spring marks a puzzling shift in the sanction politics of the Arab League: for the first time, the Arab League suspended member states for matters of internal affairs by majority vote. This article argues that survival politics can explain the changing sanction politics of the Arab League. To re-legitimize rule during this unprecedented moment, member states selectively supported some protest movements to signal their understanding of public demands for change without committing to domestic reform. Contrasting case studies of the Arab League’s suspension of Libya and Syria and its simultaneous support for military intervention against protestors in Bahrain illustrate how concerns for regime legitimation and a short-lived alliance between Saudi Arabia and Qatar contributed to the sanctioning decisions. The Arab League can thus be considered a case of negative democracy protection, where regional sanctions are employed to selectively preserve authoritarian rule.
The Clean Energy Ministerial: Motivation for and policy consequences of membership
Authors: Tosun Jale , Rinscheid Adrian
Published: August 2020

What motivated national governments to join the Clean Energy Ministerial (CEM), a climate club founded in 2010? And to what extent have the club members participated in policy initiatives developed by the CEM? Our analysis shows that combinations of (a) the expected benefits of club membership and (b) the leadership of the USA induced the governments of Australia, Brazil, Canada, China and the United Arab Emirates (UAE) to join the CEM. The importance of these two factors varied across countries. Participation levels in the CEM’s policy initiatives varied over time. While this variation happened in a ‘proportionate’ manner for Australia, Canada and China, we observed singular instances of ‘disproportionate’ changes in levels of policy effort for the UAE and Brazil. Overall, our findings suggest that climate clubs constrain the behaviour of its members by discouraging them from engaging in sustained policy under-reactions.
Sylvia Wynter’s Theory of the Human: Counter-, not Post-humanist
Authors: Erasmus Zimitri
Published: August 2020

How does Sylvia Wynter’s theory of the human depart from Western bio-centric and teleological accounts of the human? To grapple with this question I clarify five key concepts in her theory: the Third Emergence, auto- and socio-poiesis, the autopoietic overturn, the human as hybrid, and sociogenesis. I draw on parts of Wynter’s oeuvre, texts she works with and my conversations with Anthony Bogues. Wynter invents a Third Emergence of the world to mark the advent of the human as a hybrid being. She challenges Western conceptions that reduce the human to biological properties. In opposition to Western teleology, her counter-cartography of a history of human life offers a relational conception of human existence which pivots around Frantz Fanon’s theory of sociogeny. She draws on Aimé Césaire’s call for a conception of the human made to the measure of the world, not to the measure of ‘Man’. This makes Wynter’s theory counter-, not post-humanist.
Using a multisensory storytelling approach to improve language and comprehension: A pilot study
Authors: Kamei-Hannan Cheryl , Chang Ya-Chih , Fryling Mitch
Published: August 2020

Tactile object boxes, object walks, and object experience books are common practices that are recommended for children with visual impairment to promote language development and early literacy skills. However, there is limited research on the effectiveness of these practices leading to variations of how these practices are implemented in the classrooms. This pilot study examined the effectiveness of a multisensory storytelling approach on listening comprehension and language use in three bilingual children with visual impairment. The results suggest that the multisensory storytelling approach is a promising intervention for children with visual impairment in increasing their language skills but there were differential effects based on child characteristic differences. Implications for practice and directions for future research toward language assessments and implementation of the multisensory storytelling approached are discussed.
Managing the paradox: Individual ambidexterity, paradoxical leadership and multitasking in entrepreneurs across firm life cycle stages
Authors: Klonek Florian E , Volery Thierry , Parker Sharon K
Published: August 2020

Ambidexterity requires both exploration and exploitation. However, our understanding of the individual ambidexterity concept, its association with multitasking behaviours and paradoxical leadership across the firm life cycle of entrepreneurs remains limited. In this article, we examine 4355 behavioural activities related to exploration and exploitation from 12 entrepreneurs. We first demonstrate that entrepreneurs display self-sustaining activity cycles; that is, exploration tended to be followed by exploration and exploitation tended to be followed by exploitation. Second, when multitasking behaviours were high, entrepreneurs had lower levels of ambidextrous switching. Third, we found an association between entrepreneurial ambidexterity and paradoxical leadership; this was moderated by the firm life cycle stage. As such, this article contributes to a better understanding of individual ambidexterity, leadership and multitasking in entrepreneurs.
US law enforcement’s role in victim compensation dissemination
Authors: Davis Robert C , Johnson Kalani , Lebron Michael J , Howley Susan
Published: August 2020

Victim compensation programs seek to alleviate adverse effects of victimization and repay victim losses. A few studies have concluded that US compensation programs are under-utilized because victims are unaware of such programs and police officers overlook sharing the information. The present study sought to further explore this issue from the perspective of state compensation directors and police executives. Survey respondents were asked their opinions about police officers’ basic knowledge of victims’ compensation programs, reasons for under-utilization of the programs, and the most effective ways to inform victims of their right to compensation. Surveys were administered to 38 state compensation directors and 23 law enforcement executives from across the US. Survey results confirmed the belief that many eligible victims are not receiving compensation and that better training of patrol officers on compensation eligibility and benefits was needed. However, just one in 10 of the state directors implicated police failure to notify victims as a major reason for victims not filing claims. The consensus of both police administrators and state compensation directors was that, while patrol officers should be tasked with providing basic notification of compensation availability, it is important that victim advocates and police detectives follow up with more detailed information in the days following victimization. Policy implications and future directions for research are discussed in light of the findings.
Interleukin-4 improves white matter integrity and functional recovery after murine traumatic brain injury via oligodendroglial PPARγ
Authors: Pu Hongjian , Zheng Xuan , Jiang Xiaoyan , Mu Hongfeng , Xu Fei , Zhu Wen , Ye Qing , Jizhang Yunneng , Hitchens T Kevin , Shi Yejie , Hu Xiaoming , Leak Rehana K , Dixon C Edward , Bennett Michael VL , Chen Jun
Published: August 2020

Long-term neurological recovery after severe traumatic brain injury (TBI) is strongly linked to the repair and functional restoration of injured white matter. Emerging evidence suggests that the anti-inflammatory cytokine interleukin-4 (IL-4) plays an important role in promoting white matter integrity after cerebral ischemic injury. Here, we report that delayed intranasal delivery of nanoparticle-packed IL-4 boosted sensorimotor neurological recovery in a murine model of controlled cortical impact, as assessed by a battery of neurobehavioral tests for up to five weeks. Post-injury IL-4 treatment failed to reduce macroscopic brain lesions after TBI, but preserved the structural and functional integrity of white matter, at least in part through oligodendrogenesis. IL-4 directly facilitated the differentiation of oligodendrocyte progenitor cells (OPCs) into mature myelin-producing oligodendrocytes in primary cultures, an effect that was attenuated by selective PPARγ inhibition. IL-4 treatment after TBI in vivo also failed to stimulate oligodendrogenesis or improve white matter integrity in OPC-specific PPARγ conditional knockout (cKO) mice. Accordingly, IL-4-afforded improvements in sensorimotor neurological recovery after TBI were markedly impaired in the PPARγ cKO mice compared to wildtype controls. These results support IL-4 as a potential novel neurorestorative therapy to improve white matter functionality and mitigate the long-term neurological consequences of TBI.
Three-dimensional independent control of multiple magnetic microrobots via inter-agent forces
Authors: Salehizadeh Mohammad , Diller Eric
Published: August 2020

This article presents a method to independently control the position of multiple microscale magnetic robots in three dimensions, operating in close proximity to each other. Having multiple magnetic microrobots work together in close proximity is difficult due to magnetic interactions between the robots, and here we aim to control those interactions for the creation of desired multi-agent formations in three dimensions. Based on the fact that all magnetic agents orient to the global input magnetic field, the local attraction–repulsion forces between nearby agents can be regulated. For the first time, 3D manipulation of two microgripping magnetic microrobots is demonstrated. We also mathematically and experimentally prove that the center-of-mass external magnetic pulling of the multi-agent system is possible in three dimensions with an underactuated magnetic field generator. Here we utilize the controlled interaction magnetic forces between two spherical agents to steer them along two prescribed paths. We apply our method to independently control the motion of a pair of magnetic microgrippers as functional microrobot candidates each equipped with a five-degree-of-freedom motion mechanism and a grasp–release mechanism for targeted cargo delivery. A proportional controller and an optimization-based controller are introduced and compared, with potential to control more than two magnetic agents in three dimensions. Average tracking errors of less than 141 and 165 micrometers are accomplished for the regulation of agents’ positions using optimization-based and proportional controllers, respectively, for spherical agents with approximate nominal radius of 500 micrometers operating within several body-lengths of each other.
Effect of cerebral microhemorrhages on neurocognitive functions in patients with end-stage renal disease
Authors: Atay Musa , Alkan Alpay , Toprak Huseyin , Halac Gulistan , Erkoc Reha
Published: August 2020

Background

Death is the most serious complication of intracerebral hemorrhage. Microbleeding can be a precursor of intracerebral hemorrhage. Susceptibility weighted imaging (SWI) should be included in imaging protocols for some specific groups such diabetic hemodialysis patients in terms of prediction of macrohemorrhages.

Purpose

To investigate intracerebral microbleeding in hemodialysis patients and the correlation between microbleeding and neurocognitive impairment.

Material and Methods

Forty-nine hemodialysis cases were involved in the study. Locations of microbleeding, correlation between microbleeding and hypertension, diabetes mellitus (DM), age, and duration of dialysis were analyzed. Standardized mini-mental test was performed. The tested cases were divided into two groups: intracerebral microbleeding (group 1, n = 26) and without intracerebral microbleeding (group 2, n = 17).

Results

Incidence of microbleeding and macrohemorrhage was noted as 59% and 14%, respectively, in all cases. All macrohemorrhagic cases also have microbleeding. In group 1, neurocognitive impairment was detected in 10 (38.4%) cases: six and four cases with moderate and mild impairment, respectively. In group 2, neurocognitive impairment was detected in 2 (11.7%) cases, both with mild impairment. A significant positive correlation was detected between microbleeding and neurocognitive impairment ( P = 0.031). Although there was no correlation between attention disorder and microbleeding, a positive correlation was detected between close memory impairment and microbleeding ( P = 0.027). A positive correlation was detected between DM and microbleeding ( P = 0.027).

Conclusion

In hemodialysis patients, microbleeding can be a cause of neurocognitive impairment which will be important for guide to treatment protocols. SWI should be included in the imaging protocol of diabetic hemodialysis patients with neurocognitive deterioration.
Texture analysis of dual-phase contrast-enhanced CT in the diagnosis of cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with papillary thyroid cancer
Authors: Su Guo-Yi , Xu Xiao-Quan , Zhou Yan , Zhang Hao , Si Yan , Shen Mei-Ping , Wu Fei-Yun
Published: August 2020

Background

Computed tomography texture analysis (CTTA) provides objective and quantitative information regarding tumor heterogeneity beyond visual inspection. However, no study has yet used CTTA to differentiate metastatic from non-metastatic cervical lymph node in patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC).

Purpose

To evaluate the value of texture analysis of dual-phase contrast-enhanced CT images in diagnosing cervical lymph node metastasis in patients with PTC.

Material and Methods

Metastatic (n = 27) and non-metastatic (n = 32) cervical lymph nodes were analyzed retrospectively. Texture analyses were performed on both arterial (A) and venous (V) phase CT images. Texture parameters, including mean gray-level intensity, skewness, kurtosis, entropy, and uniformity, were obtained and compared between groups. Receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves analyses and multivariate logistic regression analysis were used in our study.

Results

Metastatic lymph nodes showed significantly higher A-mean gray-level intensity, A-entropy, and lower A-kurtosis and V-kurtosis (all P < 0.001) than non-metastatic mimics. The ROC curve analyses indicated that A-kurtosis demonstrated an optimal diagnostic area under the curve (AUC; 0.884) and specificity (92.59%), while the A-mean gray-level intensity showed optimal diagnostic sensitivity (90.62%). Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that A-mean gray-level intensity ( P = 0.006, odds ratio [OR] = 24.297) and V-kurtosis ( P = 0.014, OR = 19.651) were the independent predictor for metastatic cervical lymph node.

Conclusion

Dual-phase contrast-enhanced CCTA—especially A-mean gray-level intensity and V-kurtosis—may have the potential to diagnose metastatic cervical lymph node in patients with PTC.
Adherence to guidelines aimed at preventing post-contrast acute kidney injury (PC-AKI) in radiology practices: a survey study
Authors: Dekkers Ilona A , Olchowy Cyprian , Thomsen Henrik S , van der Molen Aart J
Published: August 2020

Background

New insights into post-contrast acute kidney injury (PC-AKI) have recently led to the guidelines on the prevention of PC-AKI being updated. However, little is known about the barriers and facilitators involved in guideline adherence by radiology practices.

Purpose

To evaluate barriers and facilitators to the adherence of PC-AKI guidelines.

Material and Methods

Radiologists visiting the European Society of Urogenital Radiology (ESUR) 2018 meeting, as well as ESUR members were contacted to fill in an electronic questionnaire on the implementation of PC-AKI guidelines applying to their local radiology practices.

Results

Of the 145 responding radiologists representing radiology practices, 127 (88%) confirmed having a PC-AKI protocol in place in their radiology practice, of which 61 (48%) used a protocol as specified in a (inter)national guideline. The majority of radiology practices of the respondents used the ESUR guideline (40%). Barriers for not using PC-AKI prevention guidelines were related to a lack of outcome expectancy. Barriers for not using the protocol as specified were related to a lack of agreement with specific recommendations, lack of motivation, guideline-specific factors, and environmental factors. Self-reported facilitators consisted of guideline-specific factors.

Conclusion

Guidelines for the prevention of PC-AKI seem to be widely implemented among radiology practices, and regularly locally modified because of barriers involved in agreement and behavior. Knowledge of the barriers and facilitators of guideline adherence will aid future efforts aimed at bridging the gap between awareness and implementation of evidence-based guidelines in radiology practices.
Emerging anti-poverty infrastructural gaps in suburbia: Poverty and the voluntary sector across Metropolitan Sydney
Authors: DeVerteuil Geoff , Hartt Maxwell , Potts Ruth
Published: August 2020

Suburbs are subject to numerous stereotypes, including that they lack density, diversity and inclusivity. While these stereotypes have largely been dispelled, the deficit around anti-poverty infrastructure remains understudied. The focus of this paper is to systematically investigate the ostensible mismatch between (a) the emerging suburbanization of poverty, and (b) the potential lack of anti-poverty infrastructure to serve it, with a focus on suburban voluntary sector provision. These aims address the potential infrastructural deficit around voluntary sector provision in suburban areas of prosperous global cities in the Global North. Using Metropolitan Sydney as the case study, we investigate the extent of the suburban infrastructure service deficit across metropolitan space in 2016, comparing poverty patterns and supply of voluntary sector organizations. We find that poor inner and outer suburbs featured fewer services than the inner city, both per capita and per low-income residents, confirming an anti-poverty infrastructural gap.
Suffer the Children? Divorce and Child Welfare in Postwar Britain
Authors: Elliot Rosemary
Published: August 2020

This article explains why a consensus emerged in the 1950s that courts should be satisfied with the arrangements made for children before parental divorce was granted. I locate this within an evolving child welfare landscape in the context of high levels of divorce in England. The issues at stake were the relationship of child welfare to parental marital status, how this should be established in individual cases, and the legitimacy and boundaries of state intervention in divorce cases. Such developments were absent in Scotland, where the Scottish judiciary believed in upholding the autonomy of parents to make their own arrangements.
Bauman in China
Authors: Qin Jiayang , Beilharz Peter
Published: August 2020

Zygmunt Bauman was one of the most influential sociologists in the English-speaking world. His work is translated into many languages. Chinese studies of Bauman started later than in the English-speaking world but have their own characteristics. In China, the interest is in sociology, culture, Marxism and aesthetics. This article surveys the current situation of Chinese Bauman studies and establishes the state of Chinese translations and studies of Bauman, and examines Chinese reception and interpretation of Bauman’s thought, especially theories of modernity and postmodernity. Its purpose is to display the state of Chinese Bauman studies on the one hand, and to take Bauman’s thought as a lesson in the construction of Chinese sociology on the other, leaving open the question of what studies of modernity might have to learn from Chinese experience and theory.
The Social and Academic Effects of Cooperative LEARN Strategy Instruction in Inclusive Elementary Classes
Authors: Vernon D. Sue , Schumaker Jean Bragg , Deshler Donald D.
Published: August 2020

This study reports the effects of instruction of elementary students in a complex package of social and academic skills designed for use in cooperative groups while studying important information in inclusive general education classes. Twenty-five teachers and 519 fourth and fifth graders, including 45 students with learning disabilities (LD), participated. A pretest/posttest control-group design with random assignment was used to determine the effects of the instructional program. Data were analyzed for students with LD, all students with exceptionalities, and average-achieving (AA) students. Results indicated that experimental students’ scores on study-group performance, study-card creation, and tests of social and academic knowledge were significantly higher than control students’ scores. Furthermore, the number of prosocial behaviors and teamwork behaviors significantly increased for all subgroups of experimental students during study-group tasks, including students with LD and students with exceptionalities. Also, the number of antisocial behaviors significantly decreased for students with LD and students with exceptionalities.
Creation Care: A Call to Christian Educators and Church Leaders
Authors: Chandler Diane J.
Published: August 2020

Based upon the biblical mandate to care responsibly for creation, Christian educators and church pastors are in a unique position to influence their respective communities by developing and teaching values and practices that promote creation care. This article establishes the needed foundation for building ethical responsibility by addressing five primary areas that serve to advance the protection and preservation of the earth.