bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Early Development of Neural Speech Encoding Depends on Age but Not Native Language Status: Evidence From Lexical Tone
Authors: Novitskiy Nikolay , Maggu Akshay R. , Lai Ching Man , Chan Peggy H. Y. , Wong Kay H. Y. , Lam Hugh Simon , Leung Tak Yeung , Leung Ting Fan , Wong Patrick C. M.
Published: July 2021

We investigated the development of early-latency and long-latency brain responses to native and non-native speech to shed light on the neurophysiological underpinnings of perceptual narrowing and early language development. Specifically, we postulated a two-level process to explain the decrease in sensitivity to non-native phonemes towards the end of infancy. Neurons at the earlier stages of the ascending auditory pathway mature rapidly during infancy facilitating the encoding of both native and non-native sounds. This growth enables neurons at the later stages of the auditory pathway to assign phonological status to speech according to the infant’s native language environment. To test this hypothesis, we collected early-latency and long-latency neural responses to native and non-native lexical tones from 85 Cantonese-learning children aged between 23 days and 24 months, 16 days. As expected, a broad range of presumably subcortical early-latency neural encoding measures grew rapidly and substantially during the first two years for both native and non-native tones. By contrast, long-latency cortical electrophysiological changes occurred on a much slower scale and showed sensitivity to nativeness at around six months. Our study provided a comprehensive understanding of early language development by revealing the complementary roles of earlier and later stages of speech processing in the developing brain.
Towards Understanding Sustained Neural Activity Across Syntactic Dependencies
Authors: Cruz Heredia Aura A. L. , Dickerson Bethany , Lau Ellen
Published: July 2021

Sustained anterior negativities have been the focus of much neurolinguistics research concerned with the language-memory interface, but what neural computations do they actually reflect? During the comprehension of sentences with long-distance dependencies between elements (such as object wh-questions), prior event-related potential work has demonstrated sustained anterior negativities (SANs) across the dependency region. SANs have been traditionally interpreted as an index of working memory resources responsible for storing the first element (e.g., wh-phrase) until the second element (e.g., verb) is encountered and the two can be integrated. However, it is also known that humans pursue top-down approaches in processing long-distance dependencies—predicting units and structures before actually encountering them. This study tests the hypothesis that SANs are a more general neural index of syntactic prediction. Across three experiments, we evaluated SANs in traditional wh-dependency contrasts, but also in sentences in which subordinating adverbials (e.g., although) trigger a prediction for a second clause, compared to temporal adverbials (e.g., today) that do not. We find no SAN associated with subordinating adverbials, contra the syntactic prediction hypothesis. More surprisingly, we observe SANs across matrix questions but not embedded questions. Since both involved identical long-distance dependencies, these results are also inconsistent with the traditional syntactic working memory account of the SAN. We suggest that a more general hypothesis that sustained neural activity supports working memory can be maintained, however, if the sustained anterior negativity reflects working memory encoding at the non-linguistic discourse representation level, rather than at the sentence level.
How to Kill a Dragon in Northwest Semitic: Three Linguistic Observations regarding Ugaritic ltn and Hebrew liwyātān
Authors: Wilson-Wright Aren M. , Huehnergard John
Published: July 2021

Although scholars have generally treated Ugaritic ltn as a cognate of Hebrew liwyātān, the vocalization of this word and its relationship to the Hebrew form remain debated. In this article, we will argue that ltn should be vocalized /lītan-/ and that Ugaritic ltn and Hebrew liwyātān derive from Proto-Northwest Semitic *lawiy-(a)t-an- through a series of attested sound changes. We will also discuss the morphology of *lawiy-(a)t-an- and the syntax of the Northwest Semitic formula *lawiy(a)tanu baṯnu barīḥu … baṯnu ʕaqallatānu “Leviathan, the fleeing serpent … the twisting serpent” found in KTU 1.5 i 1–3 and Isa 27:1.
“A Tolerant Society Is the Way Forward”: Exposing Chinese Chauvinism in Singapore, 1959–1979
Authors: Lim Jason
Published: July 2021

Official narratives in Singapore have included the crackdown by the ruling People’s Action Party (pap) government under Lee Kuan Yew against the Chinese chauvinists on the city-state’s road to nationhood. From 1959 to 1976, the Lee government believed that Chinese chauvinism came from three sources: a population that was majority ethnic Chinese in Singapore, pro-communist organizations that exploited Chinese chauvinism for their own ends, and individuals or organizations that praised the People’s Republic of China at the expense of Singapore. Using newspaper articles, speeches by government ministers, oral history interviews, and declassified government records held in Singapore and overseas, this article assesses the threat of Chinese chauvinism in Singapore between the years 1959 and 1976. It argues that the Lee government made statements about Chinese chauvinists that were grounded either on truism, or on excoriating individuals, for its own political gain.
Evidence-based checklist of the Mediterranean Sea fishes
Authors: KOVAČIĆ MARCELO , LIPEJ LOVRENC , DULČIĆ JAKOV , IGLESIAS SAMUEL P. , GOREN MENACHEM
Published: July 2021

An updated and evidence-based checklist of Mediterranean Sea fishes is provided. Each of the fish species in the Mediterranean Sea listed here was either listed in the last published checklist of the Mediterranean fishes or in other articles, reports or new records, and the checklist is critically assessed. Out of the assessed 791 species previously reported from the Mediterranean, the presence of 759 species is confirmed while 32 species are excluded from the new checklist, by lacking evidence of presence or representing obvious taxonomic confusions. The net increase in known Mediterranean fish species richness since the last checklist is 11%. The non-native Mediterranean species now represent 22.1% (168 species) of the known Mediterranean fish diversity. The evidence-based protocol applied here provides a reliable checklist of marine fishes, for which each of the included species has indeed been recorded at least once within the discussed geographic area in the Mediterranean Sea.
Convective forcing of the North American Monsoon Anticyclone at intraseasonal and interannual time scales
Authors: Chang Kai-Wei , Bowman Kenneth P. , Siu Leong Wai , Rapp Anita D.
Published: July 2021

In the upper troposphere and lower stratosphere (UTLS), large-scale anticyclones associated with monsoons play major roles in tropospheric and stratospheric transport and mixing. To understand the forcing of the North American Monsoon Anticyclone (NAMA), this study examines the connection between precipitation over the tropics and subtropics of the North American longitude sector and the variability of the troposphere and lower stratosphere. Using ERA5 reanalysis and outgoing longwave radiation (OLR) data from 1979 to 2019, we assess the relationship at the intraseasonal time scale using pentad-mean time series. We show that OLR anomalies are correlated with circulation anomalies northwest and northeast of the region of precipitation. Decreased OLR (increased precipitation) corresponds to increased geopotential heights and anticyclonic circulation anomalies in the 300 – 100 hPa layer and an opposite response in the lower tropospheric 850 – 600 hPa layer. The results are consistent with the established theory of the Rossby wave response to latent heating. The increase in height, which is strongest near 150 hPa, indicates that increased precipitation is associated with a strengthened NAMA. UTLS temperatures also have significant correlations with OLR, with cold (warm) anomalies occurring above (below) the core of the anticyclonic anomaly consistent with large-scale balance. The vertical structure of geopotential and temperature anomalies is compared to simulations using an idealized general circulation model, which shows that such a vertical structure is a consistent response to diabatic heating. Correlations at the interannual time scale resemble those at the intraseasonal time scale, demonstrating that precipitation is related to the NAMA at both time scales.
Assessment of Streamflow Predictions Generated Using Multi-model and Multi-precipitation Product Forcing
Authors: Seo Bong-Chul , Krajewski Witold F. , Quintero Felipe , Buan Steve , Connelly Brian
Published: July 2021

This study assesses streamflow predictions generated by two distributed hydrologic models, the Hillslope Link Model (HLM) and the National Water Model (NWM), driven by three radar-based precipitation forcing datasets. These forcing data include the Multi-Radar Multi-Sensor (MRMS), and the Iowa Flood Center’s single-polarization-based (IFC-SP) and dual-polarization-based (IFC-DP) products. To examine forcing- and model-dependent aspects of the representation of hydrologic processes, we mixed and matched all forcing data and models, and simulated streamflow for 2016–2018 based on six forcing-model combinations. The forcing product evaluation using independent ground reference data showed that the IFC-DP radar-only product’s accuracy is comparable to MRMS, which is rain gauge-corrected. Streamflow evaluation at 140 U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) stations in Iowa demonstrated that the HLM tended to perform slightly better than the NWM, generating streamflow with smaller volume errors and higher predictive power as measured by Kling-Gupta Efficiency (KGE). The authors also inspected the effect of estimation errors in the forcing products on streamflow generation and found that MRMS’s slight underestimation bias led to streamflow underestimation for all simulation years, particularly with the NWM. The less biased product (IFC-DP), which has higher error variability, resulted in increased runoff volumes with larger dispersion of errors compared to the ones derived from MRMS. Despite its tendency to underestimate, MRMS showed consistent performance with lower error variability as reflected by the KGE. The dispersion observed from the evaluation metrics (e.g., volume error and KGE) seems to decrease as scale becomes larger, implying that random errors in forcing are likely to average out at larger scale basins. The evaluation of simulated peaks revealed that an accurate estimation of peak (e.g., time and magnitude) remains challenging, as demonstrated by the highly scattered distribution of peak errors for both hydrologic models.
The Impact of Assimilating GPS Precipitable Water Vapor in Convective-Permitting WRF-ARW on North American Monsoon Precipitation Forecasts over Northwest Mexico
Authors: Risanto Christoforus Bayu , Castro Christopher L. , Arellano Avelino F. , Moker James M. , Adams David K.
Published: July 2021

We assess the impact of GPS precipitable water vapor (GPS-PWV) data assimilation (DA) on short-range North American monsoon (NAM) precipitation forecasts, across 38 days with weak synoptic forcing, during the NAM GPS Hydrometeorological Network field campaign in 2017 over northwest Mexico. Utilizing an ensemble-based data assimilation technique, the GPS-PWV data retrieved from 18 observation sites are assimilated every hour for 12 hours into a 30-member ensemble convective-permitting (2.5 km) Advanced Research version of the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF-ARW) model. As the assimilation of the GPS-PWV improves the initial condition of WRF by reducing the root mean square error and bias of PWV across 1200-1800 UTC, this also leads to an improvement in capturing nocturnal convection of mesoscale convective systems (MCSs; after 0300 UTC) and to an increase by 0.1 mm h-1 in subsequent precipitation during the 0300-0600 UTC period relative to no assimilation of the GPS-PWV (NODA) over the area with relatively more observation sites. This response is consistent with observed precipitation from the Integrated Multi-satellitE Retrievals for Global Precipitation Measurement Final Precipitation product. Moreover, compared to the NODA, we find that the GPS-PWV DA decreases cloud top temperature, increases most unstable convective available energy and surface dewpoint temperature, and thus creates a more favorable condition for convective organization in the region.
Systemic Immune-Inflammation Index Is a Predictor of Contrast-Induced Nephropathy in Patients With ST-Segment Elevation Myocardial Infarction
Authors: Öztürk Recep , İnan Duygu , Güngör Barış
Published: July 2021

We evaluated the predictive value of admission systemic immune-inflammation index (SII) for the risk of contrast-induced nephropathy (CIN) in patients with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction (STEMI) treated with primary percutaneous coronary intervention (pPCI). The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and SII (platelet × NLR) levels were calculated in 1621 consecutive patients with STEMI. The relationship of these parameters with CIN development within 72 hours of pPCI was analyzed. Of the study population, 343 (21.1%) cases developed CIN. The frequency of CIN was 11.1% in the first SII quartile, 11.6% in the second SII quartile, 26.8% in the third SII quartile, and 35% in the fourth SII quartile, which differed significantly between groups ( P < .01). Age, baseline glomerular filtration rate, contrast media volume, hypertension, C-reactive protein levels, and the quartiles of SII were independent predictors of CIN. Patients in the third SII quartile versus first SII quartile (OR: 2.906, 95% CI, 1.903-4.437; P < .001), and fourth SII quartile versus first SII quartile (OR: 4.168, 95% CI, 2.754-6.313; P < .001) had a significantly higher risk for CIN in the multivariable model. The SII may be a promising inflammatory parameter to predict CIN after pPCI.
Short-term outcomes of the Therapist-assisted Online Parenting Strategies intervention for parents of adolescents treated for anxiety and/or depression: A single-arm double-baseline trial
Authors: Khor Sarah Pheik Hoon , Fulgoni Catherine Margaret , Lewis Deborah , Melvin Glenn A , Jorm Anthony F , Lawrence Katherine , Bei Bei , Yap Marie Bee Hui
Published: July 2021

Objective:

This study aimed to evaluate whether the Therapist-assisted Online Parenting Strategies programme increased parenting behaviours known to be supportive of adolescents experiencing anxiety and/or depression. Secondary parenting outcomes of parental self-efficacy, parental accommodation, carer burden, parent–adolescent attachment, family functioning and parent distress were also examined, along with adolescent outcomes of anxiety and depression symptoms, suicidal ideation and sleep.

Method:

Seventy-one parents (94.4% females) and their adolescents (73.2% females) aged 12–18 years (Mean = 15.02, SD = 1.56) being treated for depression and/or anxiety in Australia were recruited into a single-arm double-baseline open-label trial. Parents received Therapist-assisted Online Parenting Strategies, which comprised up to nine web-based modules each supplemented with coaching sessions via videoconferencing. Outcomes were analysed using latent growth curve modelling to determine if changes to outcomes at post-intervention (4 month post-second baseline) exceeded changes between two baselines measured 1 month apart.

Results:

Sixty-five parents (91.6%) completed at least one module of the online parenting intervention and on average received nine coaching sessions (SD = 2). Parenting behaviours targeted by Therapist-assisted Online Parenting Strategies improved at post-intervention (Cohen’s d = 1.16, 95% confidence interval [0.78, 1.51]). Parent-reported parental self-efficacy and parent−adolescent attachment increased (Cohen’s d = 1.44 [1.05, 1.82] and 0.39 [0.05, 0.74], respectively), while impairments to family functioning and parent distress decreased (Cohen’s d = −0.51 [−0.86, −0.16] and −0.84 [−1.23, −0.44], respectively). Changes to adolescent anxiety, depression and sleep were not significant.

Conclusion:

The Therapist-assisted Online Parenting Strategies intervention improved self-reported parenting behaviours, parental self-efficacy, parent levels of distress, parent–adolescent attachment, and family functioning in parents with adolescents being treated for anxiety and/or depression. However, significant changes in adolescent mental health and sleep outcomes at post-intervention were not observed. The usefulness of a therapist-supported online parenting programme in addressing a service gap for parents seeking professional help is indicated.

Trial Registration:

Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry Number (ACTRN) 12618000290291, prospectively registered on 26 February 2018; https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=368031
Climate change and security in Canada
Authors: Greaves Wilfrid
Published: July 2021

This article examines the implications of human-caused climate change for security in Canada. The first section outlines the current state of climate change, the second discusses climate change impacts on human security in Canada, and the third outlines four other areas of Canada’s national interests threatened by climate change: economic threats; Arctic threats; humanitarian crises at home and abroad; and the threat of domestic conflict. In the conclusion, I argue that climate change has clearly not been successfully “securitized” in Canada, despite the material threats it poses to human and national security, and outline directions for future research.
Witchcraft allegations and untouchability as forms of violence upon women in Nepal: A 7-year study
Authors: Nepal Samata , Atreya Alok , Nepal Binu , Shah Richa , Dhital Rolina , Aryal Shreyashi
Published: July 2021

The Nepalese constitution guarantees equal rights to both men and women regardless of caste, race, or ethnicity. However, the centuries-old superstitious practice of caste-based hierarchy in the Hindu community and discrimination against people of lower caste are still prevalent. Furthermore, witchcraft allegations are also not uncommon. Both these practices are derogatory and humiliating and violate human rights, and the law can penalise them in both instances. Due to the intersection of gender and caste, women often face multiple forms of discrimination and violence as the patriarchal society considers them a weaker gender. The present study aimed to see the trend of crimes upon women reported by Nepal Police in the form of witchcraft allegations and untouchability between the fiscal years 2013/14 and 2019/20.
The Relationships Between Personality Traits and Public Stigma Attached to Families Bereaved Due To Suicide
Authors: Weinberg Michael , Soffer Michal
Published: July 2021

Suicide is a serious global public-health issue that is perceived as the most stigmatizing of sudden losses. Most studies on this topic have examined how bereaved families perceive public stigma, paying less attention to the actual stigma experienced by those not directly bereaved. Therefore, this study examined the association between personality traits and the public stigma attached to families that have lost a member to suicide. Three hundred and eighty ( N = 380) Israeli participants completed demographic, Big 5, and stigma questionnaires. The study findings demonstrate that neuroticism and openness to experience are associated with higher levels of public stigma, while conscientiousness is associated with lower levels of public stigma. In addition, Arab participants reported higher levels of public stigma than Jewish participants. These findings make an important contribution to our understanding of the relationship between personality traits and the public stigma attached to families that have lost a member to suicide.
Effects of serum starvation and vascular endothelial growth factor stimulation on the expression of Notch signalling pathway components
Authors: Li Liming , Liu Xiaqing , Zhao Mingguang , Guo Peng , Zhang Haifeng
Published: July 2021

Brain arteriovenous malformation (BAVM) is an abnormality in the cerebral vascular system. Although the upregulation of the Notch signalling pathway is a deterministic factor in BAVM, the mechanism by which this pathway is upregulated in patients with BAVM is uncertain. The effects of serum starvation and vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) stimulation on the Notch signalling pathway in brain microvascular endothelial cells (MECs) and mouse embryonic stem (mES)/embryoid body (EB)-derived endothelial cells were investigated in this study. The duration of serum starvation and VEGF concentration were changed, cell viability was measured, and reasonable time and concentration gradients were selected for subsequent studies. Protein and mRNA expression levels of Notch signalling pathway components in both MECs and mES/EB-derived endothelial cells were detected using western blotting and real-time PCR, respectively. Expression levels of the Notch1, Notch4, Jagged1, delta-like ligand 4 (Dll4) and Hes1 proteins and mRNAs were upregulated by lower VEGF concentrations and shorter-term serum starvation but inhibited by higher VEGF concentrations and longer-term serum starvation. This study revealed effects of changes in the duration of serum starvation and VEGF concentration on the expression of Notch signalling pathway components in both MECs and mES/EB-derived endothelial cells, potentially contributing to BAVM formation.
Not diverse enough? Displacement, diversity discourse, and commercial gentrification in Santa Ana, California, a majority-Mexican city
Authors: Sarmiento Carolina
Published: July 2021

This research investigates how diversity discourse unfolds as part of commercial gentrification when public and private growth actors call for increased diversity in a city that is majority Latinx in the United States. My argument is twofold: first, commercial gentrification is itself a racialised project to manage diversity; second, the discourse around diversity foments spatial strategies used by both state and private actors that dislocate immigrant communities and economies. This in-depth case study using Santa Ana, California, provides a more nuanced understanding of the relationship between diversity and commercial gentrification in a majority Mexican immigrant city. The research finds that, as diversity discourse promotes liberal colourblind practices within a majority Latinx city, it also contributes to distributing resources along racial lines. Diversity discourse presented a liberal and inclusive form of gentrification while also providing a justification for the displacement of immigrant-serving businesses by positioning them as exclusionary or backward. The dislocation or erasure of immigrant-serving businesses occurred through spatial strategies backed by the state to make new property available in the downtown commercial area. Removal was not only physical but also occurred through assimilation, wherein businesses ‘adapted’ to survive. Planning and development actors in this case failed to recognise the value of cultural and economic community networks while also diverting attention and resources away from immigrant-serving businesses. The case provides unique insight into the multiplicity of economic and political interests in a Latinx-majority place.
Multilevel and Quasi Monte Carlo Methods for the Calculation of the Expected Value of Partial Perfect Information
Authors: Fang Wei , Wang Zhenru , Giles Michael B. , Jackson Chris H. , Welton Nicky J. , Andrieu Christophe , Thom Howard
Published: July 2021

The expected value of partial perfect information (EVPPI) provides an upper bound on the value of collecting further evidence on a set of inputs to a cost-effectiveness decision model. Standard Monte Carlo estimation of EVPPI is computationally expensive as it requires nested simulation. Alternatives based on regression approximations to the model have been developed but are not practicable when the number of uncertain parameters of interest is large and when parameter estimates are highly correlated. The error associated with the regression approximation is difficult to determine, while MC allows the bias and precision to be controlled. In this article, we explore the potential of quasi Monte Carlo (QMC) and multilevel Monte Carlo (MLMC) estimation to reduce the computational cost of estimating EVPPI by reducing the variance compared with MC while preserving accuracy. We also develop methods to apply QMC and MLMC to EVPPI, addressing particular challenges that arise where Markov chain Monte Carlo (MCMC) has been used to estimate input parameter distributions. We illustrate the methods using 2 examples: a simplified decision tree model for treatments for depression and a complex Markov model for treatments to prevent stroke in atrial fibrillation, both of which use MCMC inputs. We compare the performance of QMC and MLMC with MC and the approximation techniques of generalized additive model (GAM) regression, Gaussian process (GP) regression, and integrated nested Laplace approximations (INLA-GP). We found QMC and MLMC to offer substantial computational savings when parameter sets are large and correlated and when the EVPPI is large. We also found that GP and INLA-GP were biased in those situations, whereas GAM cannot estimate EVPPI for large parameter sets.
Human papillomavirus DNA and p16 expression in head and neck squamous cell carcinoma in young French patients
Authors: Molimard Chloé , L’Huillier Virginie , Overs Alexis , Soret Christine , Algros Marie-Paule , Mougin Christiane , Guenat David , Mauvais Olivier , Prétet Jean-Luc
Published: July 2021

Objectives

Human papillomavirus (HPV) is a risk factor for head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC), which is currently increasing worldwide. We evaluated the prevalence of HPV DNA and p16 expression in HNSCC patients age <45 years compared with patients aged ≥45 years.

Methods

Thirty-nine patients aged <45 years who presented at Besançon University Hospital with HNSCC since 2005 were included in this retrospective study. HPV DNA was detected by HPV genotyping and p16 expression was determined by immunohistochemistry using paraffin-embedded tissues. A matched-group of 38 patients aged ≥45 years from Besançon University Hospital was included.

Results

The overall prevalence of HPV infection was 11.7%. HPV16 was the only genotype detected in 4/39 and 5/38 patients, and p16 was expressed in 6/39 and 4/38 patients aged <45 years and ≥45 years, respectively.

Conclusions

HPV-positivity and p16 expression were similar in both age groups. The results suggest that p16 immunohistochemistry may provide a prognosis biomarker for all HNSCCs, not only oropharyngeal cancers, and this should be addressed in large clinical trials.
The role of the pedicle omental flap in ruptured abdominal aortic aneurysm: a case report and literature review
Authors: Fodor Marius , Samuila Sergiu , Fodor Lucian
Published: July 2021

A ruptured infrarenal abdominal aortic aneurysm (rAAA) is associated with an in-hospital mortality rate of 40% and an overall mortality rate of 60–80%. Open surgical repair for rAAA remains the principal method of treatment when endovascular repair is not available. Graft infection occurs in 1–4% of patients at 5 years, with a high incidence following emergency treatment. Other graft-related complications include pseudoaneurysm, graft occlusion and aorto-enteric fistula. This case report describes a 66-year-old male patient that was admitted to hospital complaining of intense abdominal pain, low blood pressure and tachycardia. He was diagnosed with a rAAA and treated using segmental resection of the abdominal aorta followed by reconstruction with a synthetic Dacron prosthesis. A pedicle omental flap was wrapped around the prosthetic graft and it was also used to fill the retroperitoneal cavity in order to reduce the risk of graft-related complications. Computed tomography angiography after 6 months showed good integration of the aortic prosthetic graft and the viability of the omental flap. In our opinion, vascular surgeons should consider the pedicle omental flap when they perform open surgical repair for rAAA in order to reduce the incidence of graft-related complications.
The Nature and Structure of MS-13 in Los Angeles County
Authors: Nuño Lidia E. , Maguire Edward R.
Published: July 2021

Recent descriptions of Mara Salvatrucha (MS-13) by senior U.S. government officials suggest that the gang is highly organized, has significant transnational capacity, and is heavily involved in violence. Arguably, these depictions have created moral panic among the public and have fed xenophobic attitudes toward Latin American immigrants. However, little is known from empirical research about the nature and structure of MS-13 in the United States. In this article, we draw on data from interviews with incarcerated MS-13 members in Los Angeles County, the birthplace of MS-13. We examine three key aspects of MS-13: its organizational characteristics, its transnational capacity, and its involvement in criminal behavior, including violence. Our findings provide a useful descriptive summary of MS-13 in Los Angeles County, where the gang originated. Our findings also suggest that while there are good reasons to take MS-13 seriously as a threat to public safety, much of the public discourse on the gang is based on inaccurate assumptions.
In hope that scientific nomadism may turn out to be meaningful after all
Authors: Neveu Erik
Published: July 2021

How developing useful considerations on ‘methods’ when methodology is not your major focus of theoretical concern? The answer could be by looking back at forty years of research structured by a reflexive nomadism, an investment in conceptual import-export and a passion for objects which have rarely been the most legitimate for political scientists. What emerges thus are epistemological lessons and suggestions of analytical methods. What could be a panoptical approach of cultural goods? Why should researchers value induction and adopt the habit of having more than one research topic?
Probing in online mixed-device surveys: Is a research messenger layout more effective than a traditional online layout, especially on mobile devices?
Authors: Toepoel Vera , Mathon Karlijn , Tussenbroek Puck , Lugtig Peter
Published: July 2021

This article compares the effectiveness of a research messenger layout to a traditional online layout with regards to probing. Responses to different types of probes (explanation, elaboration and category selection probes) were examined in terms of length and quality, measured by number of characters, number of themes, and an indicator for response quality. The research messenger layout, regardless of device being used, had a negative effect on both response length, number of themes and response quality. Further, we found that in both the traditional and research messenger layout, using a mobile device negatively affects the number of characters and themes used in probed responses. We conclude that probing is most effective when a traditional survey is completed on a computer. The research messenger layout was not able to generate responses of similar quality compared to the traditional layout, regardless of device being used.
The Urban–Rural Divide: The Effects of the Small Business Innovation Research Program in Small and Nonmetro Counties
Authors: Liu Shiqin
Published: July 2021

This study assesses the efficacy of the Small Business Innovation Research Program on innovation, employment, and business formation in small and nonmetropolitan counties. The primary goal is to further understand rural innovation and growth process through government intervention on small business development. Using panel data and employing fixed-effect models, the results suggest that, compared with large metropolitan counties, the Small Business Innovation Research Program may not be an effective program to generate employment and entrepreneurship opportunities in small and nonmetropolitan regions, but it could be a viable source to improve rural innovation outcome. The geographical effects of the program are heterogeneous across implementation years and award agencies. This study contributes to the innovation policy agenda in small and nonmetropolitan regions, which is an important and emerging topic in the field.
Financialization and income inequality: bringing class struggle back in
Authors: Kaldor Yair
Published: July 2021

Financialization and rising income inequality are two of the most pronounced economic developments of recent decades, and there is increasing evidence that these trends are somehow related. However, explanations of this link are still limited, and pay little attention to workers themselves. As a result, the impact of financialization on income inequality appears at most as an unfortunate side-effect. This article takes a different approach by investigating both financialization and income inequality from within the historical development of the class struggle in the United States economy. It shows that the economic problems of the 1970s that provided the impetus for financialization were closely related to the escalating conflicts between labor and capital, in which the state served as an increasingly important terrain of struggle. Viewed from this perspective, rising income inequality appears less as an unexpected outcome of financialization and more as its very raison d’etre.
Pharmacy Telehealth Services: Perspectives From an Academic Medical Center
Authors: Zhou Crystal , Pavlakos Rose , Clark Mackenzie , Jue Vicki I. , Clinard Valerie B.
Published: July 2021

Telehealth allows patients to receive healthcare with the aid of technology by overcoming physical barriers. The Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) pandemic created challenges with regards to in person patient care. The use of video visits and telehealth increased in a rapid manner due to the COVID-19 pandemic. The objective of this paper is to describe telehealth services utilized by pharmacists at a large, academic medical center. Pharmacists teaching and clinical services conducted via telehealth and remote methods in the inpatient and outpatient settings are discussed. The tools and platforms utilized for patient care, staff communications, and education are described. Telehealth is likely to remain in many clinical practices even after restrictions due to COVID-19 are removed; however, as we transition, a more sustainable model that includes faculty and staff development is needed. Additionally, clinical outcomes and patient and provider satisfaction for the varying visit types should continue to be examined. Although the switch to telehealth was rapid and unprecedented, it allowed a large academic medical center to continue providing patient care and learning experiences for most clinical pharmacy services.
The Lure of the Apocalypse: Ecology, Ethics, and the End of the World
Authors: Lambelet Kyle B. T.
Published: July 2021

What should we make of the apocalyptic tone taken up by politicians, journalists, scientists, and activists? Some environmental thinkers such as Michael Shellenberger contend that alarming rhetoric distracts us from the technological and governance challenges presented by climate change. In the article, it is argued that retrieving a practical apocalyptic political theology from the Christian tradition can both clarify conceptual contradictions within this discourse as well as offer a practical orientation toward living within ecological endings. Amid the cascade of environmental crises we are living through, apocalyptic practices of renunciation of the world offer a guide and discipline for living in the end.
Turbocharger rotor vibration reduction methodology with an active control scheme
Authors: Mutra Rajasekhara Reddy , Srinivas J , Shaik Jakeer Hussain , Chinna Obaiah Maddela , Balamurali Gunji , Kumar Puneet
Published: July 2021

The turbocharger rotors are often supported on the dual film floating ring bearings that are meant for high-speed applications. The damping ability of these bearings is relatively high. However, due to highly nonlinear bearing forces, often system instability occurs. The present work focuses on the dynamic analysis and active vibration control studies of a practical turbocharger rotor system with the use electromagnetic actuator (EMA) system. Initially, the system is analyzed using the finite element approach. The inner and outer film forces are considered along with rotor imbalance forces. The dynamic responses at the critical operating speeds are obtained numerically. To minimize the vibration amplitudes, a tiny EMA system is installed at one of the nodes along the shaft. The effect of the EMA parameters such as the number of turns of winding coil around a pole ( N c) and pole-face area ( A a) on the response of the system is studied. Further, an open-loop control configuration is practically studied by using a vibration shaker at the bearing node under different operating speeds, and the percentage reduction in critical vibration amplitudes is recorded. The EMA system is effectively controlling the high-speed rotor system vibrations. The EMA parameters N c and A a are influencing the system vibration response. Further, an experimental result has given considerable vibration reduction with the present approach.
Role of transducer inertia in generation, sensing, and time-reversal process of Lamb waves in thin plates with surface-bonded piezoelectric transducers
Authors: Kapuria Santosh , Sharma Bhabagrahi Natha , Arockiarajan A
Published: July 2021

An analytical model is presented for the generation, sensing, and time-reversible process of Lamb waves in thin isotropic plates with surface-bonded piezoelectric wafer transducers, incorporating the shear-lag effect of the bonding layer and inertia effects of the system in transducer modeling. A one-dimensional dynamic shear-lag model for the actuator-plate interaction is used to obtain the shear stress distribution at the actuator-plate interface. The Lamb wave solution for the plate under this shear traction excitation is obtained using the two-dimensional (2D) elasticity equations. A consistent sensor-plate interaction model incorporating the shear-lag and inertia effects is developed to determine the induced sensor voltage from the Lamb strain at the plate surface. The model is validated by comparing it with the 2D coupled piezoelasticity-based finite element simulation and experimental data. Detailed parametric studies are conducted to illustrate the effect of inclusion of inertia of actuator, sensor, adhesive, and plate in the transducer modeling on the Lamb wave generation, sensing, time reversibility, and the system’s best reconstruction frequency, and to ascertain how various geometrical and material parameters of the system influence the same. The developed closed-form solution will be immensely useful for the design of Lamb wave based structural health monitoring systems.
Reducing Substance Use and Improving Mental Health Among Construction Workers: An Interview With Chris Trahan Cain
Authors: Hall Alando
Published: July 2021

Construction workers, their unions, and the construction industry face important challenges in addressing substance use disorders and mental health issues. To examine these issues further, we spoke with Chris Trahan Cain, Executive Director of CPWR—The Center for Construction Research and Training, a nonprofit organization that is affiliated with North America’s Building Trades Unions and the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health. As the chair of the North America’s Building Trades Unions opioid task force, she has been working with construction unions and employers to develop primary, secondary, and tertiary prevention methods to help combat the opioid epidemic, other substance use disorders and to improve worker mental health.
Giving Voice to Aspirations: Engaging African American Parents With Children With Disabilities
Authors: Matute-Chavarria Monique
Published: July 2021

African American children and youth are disproportionately represented in special education, school suspensions, expulsion, and the school-to-prison pipeline. Research indicates that increasing the engagement of African American parents in their child’s education is an indicator of academic success for African American students. This article discusses ways that schools and educators can engage African American parents with children with disabilities in school through a parent aspirational meeting that builds on the aspirations African American parents have for their children while in school and beyond the boundaries of school.
Meaning-Making Coping With COVID-19 in Academic Settings: The Case of Sweden
Authors: Ahmadi Fereshteh , Cetrez Önver A. , Akhavan Sharareh , Zandi Saeid
Published: July 2021

In this study, we map and describe the coping methods used by members of the university community in Sweden to deal with the first wave of the coronavirus pandemic. This study, which used simple random sampling, was quantitative. It employed a modified version of the RCOPE instrument as well as items from earlier studies of meaning-making coping in Sweden. Among participants ( n = 277, 64% women), the most frequently used coping method was nature as a resource in dealing with stress and sadness, followed by listening to the sounds of surrounding nature and thinking of life as part of a greater whole; these coping methods were the most common in all subgroups studied. We used a cultural perspective to better understand the application of certain meaning-making coping methods.
Unbundling the Effects of Internationalization on Firm Performance in Emerging Economies: The Moderating Effects of Strategic Resource Decisions
Authors: Bıçakcıoğlu-Peynirci Nilay , Morgan Robert E.
Published: July 2021

The authors investigate how strategic resource decisions—regarding slack resources and strategic marketing ambidexterity—influence the relationship between internationalization and firm performance of emerging-market firms. Drawing on the resource-based view, the authors synthesize two dominant, yet divergent, perspectives that explain the respective resource slack advantages and liabilities in the internationalization literature: the flexible capacity and the efficient capacity perspectives. They also explore the moderating role of strategic marketing ambidexterity, which comprises a bundle of marketing activities covering both exploitation-dominant actions and exploration-dominant actions. The authors empirically examine the hypothesized relationships with data from a sample of 1,683 firm-year observations for the period between 2005 and 2018 and find that distinct forms of resource slack have contrasting effects on the relationship between internationalization and performance. The results provide strong evidence for a positive moderation effect of unabsorbed slack resources and a negative moderation effect of absorbed slack resources on the internationalization–performance relationship. The authors also find a nonsignificant moderating effect of strategic marketing ambidexterity, demonstrating that internationalization results in higher firm performance regardless of the firm’s exploration-dominant or exploitation-dominant strategic emphasis in emerging economies.
The Efficacy of Principle-Based Correctional Counseling for Improving the Self-Control and Mental Health of People Incarcerated for Sexual Violence
Authors: Kelley Thomas M. , Hollows Jacqueline , Pransky Jack , Kryvanos Alena , Bowen Sarah
Published: July 2021

This study is the first to test the efficacy of principle-based correctional counseling (PBCC) for improving the self-control and mental health of people incarcerated for sexual violence (SV). A total of 132 males incarcerated for SV were assigned to a treatment group that received cognitive behavior therapy (CBT) supplemented with intensive PBCC and a waitlist control group that received only CBT. Results using paired t-tests and an analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) to control for pretest scores showed that compared with the control group, treatment participants showed a significant increase in affective well-being and a significant decrease in low self-control, depression, anxiety, and anger.
Topical corticosteroids with topical cyclosporine A versus topical corticosteroids alone for immunological corneal graft rejection
Authors: Marques Raquel Esteves , Leal Inês , Guerra Paulo Silva , Barão Rafael Correia , Quintas Ana Miguel , Rodrigues Walter
Published: July 2021

Purpose:

To assess the efficacy and safety of supplementing topical cyclosporine A (CsA) to topical corticosteroids (CS), in the prophylaxis and treatment of corneal graft rejection following penetrating keratoplasty (PK).

Methods:

Meta-analysis. Search was performed in PubMed, CENTRAL, ClinicalTrials.gov, reference lists of articles and conference proceedings. Primary outcomes: 1-year rejection-free survival rate (prophylaxis); resolution rate of rejection episodes (treatment). Secondary outcomes: 6- and 24-month rejection-free graft survival rate, number of rejection episodes during follow-up, time-to-resolution of rejection episode, 12- and 24-months graft survival rate, adverse events. Subgroup analyses were planned for high-risk grafts; primary vs. secondary prophylaxis of graft rejection episodes; and CsA concentrations of 0.05%, 1%, and 2%.

Results:

Five studies of moderate methodological quality were included (one retrospective, four RCT), assessing 459 eyes (CS + CsA 226, CS 233). In the prophylaxis setting, supplemental CsA was associated with a higher rejection-free survival rate at 12-months (RR 1.25, 95% CI: 1.00–1.56, p = 0.05) and 24-months post-PK (RR 1.56, 95% CI: 1.15–2.11, p < 0.01), though no differences were found at the 6-months timepoint ( p = 0.93). This effect was mostly verified using CsA 2% in the high-risk subset of patients. In the treatment setting, no differences were found in the resolution rate of rejection episodes ( p = 0.23). No differences existed on drug-related adverse events.

Conclusion:

In the prophylaxis of rejection episodes post-PK, the combined regimen of CS + CsA was associated with a higher 1- and 2-year rejection-free graft survival rate. Subgroup analysis mostly supported the use of CsA 2% for high-risk grafts. Further studies are needed to validate these results.
“Splendid Isolation”: The reproduction of music industry inequalities in Spotify’s recommendation system
Authors: Tofalvy Tamas , Koltai Júlia
Published: July 2021

In this article, we argue that offline inequalities, such as core–periphery relations of the music industry, are reproduced by streaming platforms. First, we offer an overview of the reproduction of inequalities and core–periphery dynamics in the music industry. Then we illustrate this through a small-scale network analysis case study of Hungarian metal bands’ connections on Spotify. We show that the primary determinant of a given band’s international connectedness in Spotify’s algorithmic ecosystem is their international label connections. Bands on international labels have more reciprocal international connections and are more likely to be recommended based on actual genre similarity. However, bands signed with local labels or self-published tend to have domestic connections and to be paired with other artists by Spotify’s recommendation system according to their country of origin.