bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
New Russian Legislative Approaches and Navigational Rights within the Northern Sea Route
Authors: Solski Jan Jakub
Published: December 2020

The regulation of foreign navigation in the Northern Sea Route (NSR) has been dominated by the rules of international law applicable to merchant ships only. Neither the domestic set of rules of navigation on the NSR, based on Article 234 of UNCLOS nor the Polar Code applies to State-owned vessels. While the application of Article 234 has so far let Russia evade discussion on the navigational rights, one can expect an increasing spotlight on this issue.

In response to the recent crossing of the NSR by a French warship, as well as the voices from the United States indicating similar plans, Russia has signalled the intention to adopt more stringent rules for passage of warships, potentially including the requirement of prior notification and pilotage.

The aim of the paper is twofold. First, examine the navigational rights as applicable in the NSR. As such, the paper will discuss historical State practice and relevant international law to demonstrate, among other things, that the enclosure with straight baselines preserved innocent passage in all Russian Arctic straits. Second, examine the international legality of prior notification and pilotage in the context of the applicable navigational rights on the NSR.
Prevalence of Soft Law in the Arctic
Authors: Nadarajah Hema
Published: December 2020

Soft law has been observed to be increasing within the frontiers – regions and issue-areas that extend beyond national jurisdiction, and where governance substantively integrates scientific and technological knowledge. The often-used assumption for the prevalence of such instruments has been the uncertainty of scientific knowledge. This paper takes this facile analysis further by examining the dynamic changes to the number and diversity of state and non-state actors as well as their relative influence. Using a revised definition of soft law which encompasses both binding and non-binding forms, this article shows that this has not been the case. Through analysis of the legal framework within which the region is governed and a mixed methodology drawing from the fields of international relations and international law, this research confirms that soft law is prevalent within the Arctic and that it is an outcome of domestic politics, as well as geopolitical tensions among the relevant states.
From the Indian Ocean to the Arctic: What the Chagos Archipelago Advisory Opinion Tells Us about Greenland
Authors: Johnstone Rachael Lorna
Published: December 2020

On February 25, 2019, the International Court of Justice issued its advisory opinion on Legal Consequences of the Separation of the Chagos Archipelago from Mauritius in 1965. The judges held by a majority of 13:1 that the process of decolonisation of Mauritius is incomplete, owing to the separation of the Chagos Archipelago shortly before Mauritian independence, that the United Kingdom should end its administration of the Chagos Archipelago as rapidly as possible, and that all Member States of the United Nations should cooperate to complete the decolonisation of Mauritius.

The (partial) decolonisation of Mauritius in 1968 and the treatment of the Chagos islanders (Chagossians) have important parallels with the purported decolonisation of Greenland in 1952–54. In both cases, the consultative body of the colonised people was neither fully independent nor representative of all the people concerned. No real choice was given to either body; rather the colonial power offered only the continuation of the status quo or professed self-determination on terms defined by the colonial power itself. Furthermore, the process of decolonisation was inherently linked to the forcible transfer of people in order to make way for a United States military facility.

Nevertheless, there are some relevant differences. First of all, Greenland was purportedly decolonised in 1953, some seven years before the UN General Assembly Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial Countries and Peoples (UNGA Res. 1514(XV) 1960). Second, the UN General Assembly accepted the Danish government’s representations regarding the full decolonisation of Greenland (UNGA Res. 849 (1954), in contrast to their position regarding Mauritius that decolonisation was and remains incomplete, owing to the separation of the Chagos Archipelago (UNGA Res(XX) 1965). Third, though the Chagossians have been recognised as indigenous at the UN, the British government has continually denied this status and (mis)characterises them as a transient people, while Denmark has accepted the status of the Greenlanders as both an indigenous people and a colonial people, entitled to self-determination.

This article examines the implications for the judgment for the Greenland case as well as broader questions of self-determination of peoples. It concludes that the colonial boundaries continue to govern in decolonisation cases, with the consequence that the Greenlanders are likely to be held to be a single people; that the erga omnes character of the right to self-determination means that all States must cooperate to facilitate Greenlanders’ choices for their future; and that there remain significant procedural hurdles that prevent colonial and indigenous peoples having their voices heard, even in the matters that concern them most of all.
Communities’ Reflections on Oil Companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility Activities in Utqiaġvik, Alaska
Authors: Cao Yu
Published: December 2020

This paper explores the reflections of Utqiaġvik community members on oil companies’ Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) activities within the region of North Slope, Alaska. The research question is: how have the people of Utqiaġvik responded to the CSR activities of oil companies whose oil extractive industry operations impact the region’s social, economic, and environmental welfare? In particular, this paper seeks to understand why CSR activities sometimes fail to achieve their purported goals. By interviewing residents from the community of Utqiaġvik, this paper obtained perspectives on the impacts of oil development on the local environment and community, bringing to light the limits of current CSR activities, such that this research might provide recommendations for rectifying CSR shortfalls. The argument is: while oil companies’ profit motives tend to restrict the potential of CSR activities, local people should be able to influence the types of CSR activities corporations pursue, given that they experience the local impacts of the industry. The paper concludes by offering recommendations to the oil companies regarding the nature and desired impacts of their CSR activities.
Investigating a Learning Progression for Reasoning Practices of Geocognition Using GeoMapApp-Based Assessment
Authors: Maeng Seungho
Published: December 2020

This study examined a case of GeoMapApp-based assessment to investigate a learning progression for middle school students’ understanding of geoscience content and geocognition (spatial, temporal, and retrospective reasoning and system thinking). A 2-year GeoMapApp-based assessment process was administered along with a double-round of the construct modeling approach. Based on the measurement of Rasch analysis, the geocognition learning progression was described in terms of data-driven level, meaning-acquiring level, knowledge-constructing level, and complex reasoning with geocognition level. The geocognition learning progression developed in this study had significant implications in terms of the progress variables integrating geoscientific reasoning practices with geoscience content and the perspective on learning with adopting work-with-it view. While this content is applicable in all regions, it is especially helpful for science teachers in the Asia-Pacific region to understand geocognition learning progressions to improve teaching and better support students to understand local geological environments in terms of plate tectonics.
Inequity and Cultural Differences in Out-of-School Science Education: The Case of the Arab Minority in Israel
Authors: Tal Tali
Published: December 2020

This paper examines the gap between Jewish and Arab students in Israel in the context of learning in informal environments. I attempted to understand whether the difference is a matter of inequity in terms of resource allocation and opportunities provided to the schools. I present the socio-historical-political context and the current situation, based on formal documents. To gain an insiders’ views, I interviewed five Arab science educators and an Arab superintendent. These conversations highlighted the cultural aspect of the gap and a cultural change toward integrating more learning opportunities in out-of-school environments. Using Gutiérrez and Rogoff (2003), rather than taking a deficit view, repertoires of practice is suggested to understand differences. Several implications relevant to other places where different cultural groups live and where educational and social practices affect the ways people use out-of-school time and resources are offered.
A Global Environmental Pact and Ecological Civilization
Authors: Liu Bingyu
Published: December 2020

A draft instrument, entitled a Global Pact for the Environment, was launched in Paris in June 2017, which subsequently resulted in a series of UN General Assembly resolutions, a Report by the UN Secretary General, and a report and recommendations by a specifically established ad hoc open-ended working group. Together, these processes identified a range of gaps in existing international environmental law, instruments, and governance. Though this global pact process was a significant milestone in recognising the need for improved global environmental governance, a new ‘umbrella’ international environmental law agreement such as a pact or similar—has not yet been recommended. This article argues that the time for a legally binding global pact is premature. In support of this contention, this article examines the causes leading to the current stage of the process. It does so by analysing the main disagreements and key issues that arose during three substantive meetings of an ad hoc open-ended working group in 2019. It also analyses the content of UNGA’s 2019 Resolution 73/333, which adopted the report of the working group, and considers the implications of this for the future development of the draft Global Pact. China’s growing role as an important advocate for global environmental governance is illustrated by its active engagement in the negotiation process for the Global Pact. It is suggested that China’s future participation in any follow-up negotiations relating to the Global Pact should be actively pursued, with specific reference to the concept of ecological civilization and its potentially important conceptual contribution to the substance of the final negotiation document. This would also reflect China’s commitment to the development of an ecological civilization on a global basis.
New names for a few Indian flowering plants

Authors: KUMAR VENKATACHALAM SAMPATH , KARTHIKEYAN SARAVANAM
Published: December 2020

While preparing the checklist of Indian flowering plants, it was noticed that some of the plant names currently accepted are indeed later homonyms. New names are proposed here for such later homonyms. Apart, while transferring the species from Gymnema Robert Brown (1810: 461) to Marsdenia Robert Brown (1810: 460) and from Pauia Deb & Ratna Dutta (1965: 363) to Atropa Linnaeus (1753: 181), the specific epithets are pre-empted in the respective genus and hence new names are proposed here.
Comparative analysis of the chondrocranium and hyobranchial skeleton of bromeliad arboreal frog larvae of the genus Phyllodytes Wagler, 1830 (Anura, Hylidae)
Authors: DA MOTA PATRÍCIA SOUZA , DE OLIV MARIANNA ISABELLA ROSA RODRIGUES , NAPOLI MARCELO FELGUEIRAS , WEBER LUIZ NORBERTO
Published: December 2020

The genus Phyllodytes comprises 15 species, ten of them having their tadpole external morphology described in the literature. However, there are few descriptive studies on chondrocranium and hyobranchial skeleton. In this work, we describe the chondrocranium and hyobranchial skeleton of Phyllodytes larvae and discuss shared features and interspecific variation. Our findings suggest that the skeletal morphology is mostly conserved in the genus, with common features including a single suprarostral cartilage, short infrarostral cartilages, and overall short trabecular horns. Main intrageneric variations include the arrangement of the ascending process, the presence of larval otic process, and the configuration of the crista parotica. These variations are not correlated with the phylogenetic structure of the genus. Some distinctive aspects of P. praeceptor and P. gyrinaethes are also described in tadpoles of Osteopilus ocellatus, and could be related to oophagous habits in these tadpoles.
New genus and new species of the tribe Augilini (Hemiptera, Fulgoromorpha: Caliscelidae) from Yunnan Province in China
Authors: GONG NIAN , YANG LIN , CHEN XIANG-SHENG
Published: December 2020

New genus and new species of bamboo-feeding planthopper tribe Augilini, Neosymplana vittatum gen. et sp. n. is described from southwestern China. A key to Chinese genera of Augilini is given. The photos of the habitat of the species described are provided.
Combined Effects of Midlevel Dry Air and Vertical Wind Shear on Tropical Cyclone Development. Part I: Downdraft Ventilation
Authors: Alland Joshua J. , Tang Brian H. , Corbosiero Kristen L. , Bryan George H.
Published: December 2020

This study examines how midlevel dry air and vertical wind shear (VWS) can modulate tropical cyclone (TC) development via downdraft ventilation. A suite of experiments was conducted with different combinations of initial midlevel moisture and VWS. A strong, positive, linear relationship exists between the low-level vertical mass flux in the inner core and TC intensity. The linear increase in vertical mass flux with intensity is not due to an increased strength of upward motions but, instead, is due to an increased areal extent of strong upward motions (w > 0.5 m s−1). This relationship suggests physical processes that could influence the vertical mass flux, such as downdraft ventilation, influence the intensity of a TC. The azimuthal asymmetry and strength of downdraft ventilation is associated with the vertical tilt of the vortex: downdraft ventilation is located cyclonically downstream from the vertical tilt direction and its strength is associated with the magnitude of the vertical tilt. Importantly, equivalent potential temperature of parcels associated with downdraft ventilation trajectories quickly recovers via surface fluxes in the subcloud layer, but the areal extent of strong upward motions is reduced. Altogether, the modulating effects of downdraft ventilation on TC development are the downward transport of low–equivalent potential temperature, negative-buoyancy air left of shear and into the upshear semicircle, as well as low-level radial outflow upshear, which aid in reducing the areal extent of strong upward motions, thereby reducing the vertical mass flux in the inner core, and stunting TC development.
Combined Effects of Midlevel Dry Air and Vertical Wind Shear on Tropical Cyclone Development. Part II: Radial Ventilation
Authors: Alland Joshua J. , Tang Brian H. , Corbosiero Kristen L. , Bryan George H.
Published: December 2020

This study demonstrates how midlevel dry air and vertical wind shear (VWS) can modulate tropical cyclone (TC) development via radial ventilation. A suite of experiments was conducted with different combinations of initial midlevel moisture and VWS environments. Two radial ventilation structures are documented. The first structure is positioned in a similar region as rainband activity and downdraft ventilation (documented in Part I) between heights of 0 and 3 km. Parcels associated with this first structure transport low–equivalent potential temperature air inward and downward left of shear and upshear to suppress convection. The second structure is associated with the vertical tilt of the vortex and storm-relative flow between heights of 5 and 9 km. Parcels associated with this second structure transport low–relative humidity air inward upshear and right of shear to suppress convection. Altogether, the modulating effects of radial ventilation on TC development are the inward transport of low–equivalent potential temperature air, as well as low-level radial outflow upshear, which aid in reducing the areal extent of strong upward motions, thereby reducing the vertical mass flux in the inner core, and stunting TC development.
The Effect of Language Barriers at Discharge on Pediatric Adenotonsillectomy Outcomes and Healthcare Contact
Authors: Dai Xi , Ryan Marisa A. , Clements Anna Christina , Tunkel David E. , Links Anne R. , Boss Emily F. , Walsh Jonathan M.
Published: December 2020

Objective:

Effective delivery of discharge instructions and access to postoperative care play a critical role in outcomes after pediatric surgery. Previous studies in the pediatric emergency department suggest that caregivers with language barriers have less comprehension of discharge instructions despite use of interpretation services. However, the impact of language barriers during discharge on surgical outcomes in a pediatric surgical setting has not been studied. This study examined the effect of parental language during discharge on number and mode of healthcare contact following pediatric adenotonsillectomy.

Methods:

A retrospective cohort study was conducted on children who underwent adenotonsillectomy at a tertiary care pediatric academic medical center from July 1, 2016 to June 1, 2018. Data were collected on consecutive patients with non-English-speaking caregivers and a systematic sampling of patients with English-speaking caregiver. Surgery-related complications and healthcare contacts within 90 days after discharge were collected. Two-tailed t tests, χ2 tests, and logistic regression were performed to assess the association between parental primary language and incidence of healthcare contact after surgery.

Results:

A total of 136 patients were included: 85 English-speaking and 51 non-English-speaking. The groups were comparable in age, sex, and comorbidities. The non-English group had more patients with public insurance (86% vs. 56%; P < .001). Number of encounters and types of complications following discharge were similar, but the non-English group was more likely to utilize the emergency department compared to phone calls (OR, 9.3; 95% CI, 2.3-38.2), even after adjustment for insurance type (OR, 7.9; 95% CI, 1.6-39.4).

Conclusion:

Language barriers at discharge following pediatric otolaryngology surgery is associated with a meaningful difference in how patients utilized medical care. Interventions to improve comprehension and access may help reduce preventable emergency department visits and healthcare costs.
Managing Competing Demands: Coping With the Inclusiveness–Efficiency Paradox in Cross-Sector Partnerships
Authors: Henry Leona A. , Rasche Andreas , Möllering Guido
Published: December 2020

This article discusses how cross-sector partnerships (CSPs) for sustainability manage the paradoxical tension between stakeholder inclusiveness and administrative efficiency. Drawing on qualitative data from a case study of a CSP focused on urban sustainability, we show how the inclusiveness–efficiency paradox unfolded throughout the studied collaboration. We discuss how the paradox reemerged in a different guise within each phase of the partnership and how three practices of paradox management helped actors to cope with the tension: “customized inviting” (during the formation phase), “sequential including” (during the preparation phase), and “tailored instructing” (during the implementation phase). On the basis of these findings, we argue that (a) the paradox reoccurred throughout the phases of the CSP because the three paradox management practices accentuated boundaries, thereby helping to resolve the paradox temporarily while at the same time creating grounds for the paradox to resurface, and (b) that the three paradox management practices can be theorized as a special type of boundary work that “plays up” relevant differences between actor groups and thereby ensures collaboration.
ThyroidEx: Development and Preliminary Validation of a Thyroid Surgery Expectations Measure
Authors: Patel Snehal G. , Atkinson Thomas M. , Tuttle R. Michael , Pusic Andrea L. , Shah Jatin P. , Shaha Ashok R. , Lynch Kathleen , DiLorenzo Monica , Ali Safina , Wong Richard J. , Cracchiolo Jennifer R.
Published: December 2020

Objective

To address the lack of validated patient‐reported outcome (PRO) instruments that define and quantify patient expectations in thyroid cancer surgery, we developed and initially validated ThyroidEx, a novel disease‐specific PRO instrument.

Study Design

Survey study.

Setting

Single‐institution tertiary care cancer center.

Methods

An expert panel drafted an initial set of thyroid cancer–specific concepts, which was used in semistructured concept elicitation interviews with patients with thyroid cancer 4 weeks before and 8 weeks after surgery. Candidate items were generated per patient responses and refined via cognitive interviewing and additional review by the expert panel. The draft ThyroidEx was then preoperatively administered to a separate cohort undergoing thyroid cancer surgery to establish a final item set and initial psychometric evidence.

Results

Prospective concept elicitation interviews generated 358 patient‐elicited concepts (n = 15 patients). These were then placed into 70 unique subcategories from which 41 items were generated for cognitive interviews with 20 patients preoperatively and 28 postoperatively. After expert panel review, ThyroidEx included 18 items across 2 scales (Expectations and Concerns), with an additional item about beliefs. In the preoperative cohort in phase 2 (n = 67), internal consistency Cronbach’s α values ranged from 0.81 to 0.89. Descriptive analysis showed significant differences between patients’ concerns and expectations and clinicians’ perceptions.

Conclusion

Defining expectations represents an important modifier in the measurement of PROs. Preliminary validation of ThyroidEx revealed incongruent expectations between expert opinion and patients. Future development and implementation of ThyroidEx may affect preoperative consultation and the consent process.
Oregon’s Clean Fuels Program: A Review and Status Update
Authors: Witcover Julie , Murphy Colin
Published: December 2020

Oregon implemented a fuel carbon policy called the Clean Fuels Program (CFP) in 2016. Modeled largely on the Low Carbon Fuel Standard (LCFS) operated by California, the CFP sets a declining target for the average life cycle carbon intensity (CI) of transportation fuels used in the state. The CFP incentivizes the deployment of emissions-reducing fuels and vehicles, and can contribute toward economy-wide greenhouse gas reduction goals. This paper reviews program data from the first three years of the CFP’s operation, provides an overview of program characteristics, identifies key trends, and compares the CFP to the LCFS. While it is early in the program’s operational history and CI reduction targets are small, the available data indicate a program functioning as expected based on the experience of jurisdictions with similar programs. Aggregate emissions reductions have slightly exceeded targets resulting in the accumulation of a small bank of credits. Early compliance has largely been driven by blending of ethanol into retail gasoline and the introduction of greater volumes of diesel substitutes. Electric vehicles are a small but rapidly growing contributor to compliance. As targets grow more stringent, compliance will require greater volumes of low carbon fuels to be brought to market.
Children Prioritize Humans Over Animals Less Than Adults Do
Authors: Wilks Matti , Caviola Lucius , Kahane Guy , Bloom Paul
Published: December 2020

Is the tendency to morally prioritize humans over animals weaker in children than adults? In two preregistered studies (total N = 622), 5- to 9-year-old children and adults were presented with moral dilemmas pitting varying numbers of humans against varying numbers of either dogs or pigs and were asked who should be saved. In both studies, children had a weaker tendency than adults to prioritize humans over animals. They often chose to save multiple dogs over one human, and many valued the life of a dog as much as the life of a human. Although they valued pigs less, the majority still prioritized 10 pigs over one human. By contrast, almost all adults chose to save one human over even 100 dogs or pigs. Our findings suggest that the common view that humans are far more morally important than animals appears late in development and is likely socially acquired.
Air Power and Allenby’s Army: Combined Arms in Palestine 1917–1918
Authors: Halstead James
Published: December 2020

Historians have overlooked the important role played by airpower in combined arms during the Palestine Campaign, 1917–1918. This article argues the Egyptian Expeditionary Force adopted Western Front command structures, successfully integrating airpower within their command and control systems. Tactical and strategic airpower provided intelligence which allowed Corps and Army Headquarters to control the tempo of operations, while ground attack operations disrupted Ottoman command and control arrangements. This integration made a clear contribution to the success of the Egyptian Expeditionary Force at the crucial battles of Third Gaza and Megiddo.
Do Investors Overreact for Property and Financial Service Sectors?
Authors: Dong Zhi , Sing Tien Foo
Published: December 2020

There are limitations in the understandings of investors’ overreaction to the volatility in less transparent industrial sectors. Investors investing in a less transparent sector are likely to over-interpret available market information. This article compares investors’ reaction to market shocks across different industrial sectors, through analyzing the information content in implied volatility using financial derivatives of individual companies in Singapore. Investors in the less transparent property and financial service sector are found to overreact on market shocks, further destabilizing the market. The findings imply that regulatory measures that increase the level of transparency could aid the stabilization of markets.

JEL Classification: G13, G14, G18
A world-involving theory of agency: review of Sensorimotor Life: An Enactive Proposal by Ezequiel Di Paolo, Thomas Buhrmann, and Xabier Barandiaran. Oxford University Press, Oxford, 2017
Authors: Ramírez-Vizcaya Susana
Published: December 2020

Sensorimotor theory of perception has been criticized for its ambiguity about the need for internal representations and the lack of a proper account of agency and subjective experience. The book under review offers a compelling non-representational, world-involving interpretation, and operationalization of this theory, showing that alternatives to representationalism are viable. It also provides a thought-provoking theory of sensorimotor agency and the pre-reflective experience of action that builds on the enactive notions of autonomy and sense-making. The account provided in this book fits into a radically embodied, enactive, and extended cognitive science. However, the notion of the environment requires further conceptual clarification by the enactive camp.
Is an Emphasis on Dignity, Honor and Face more an Attribute of Individuals or of Cultural Groups?
Authors: Smith Peter B. , Easterbrook Matthew J. , Koc Yasin , Lun Vivian Miu-Chi , Papastylianou Dona , Grigoryan Lusine , Torres Claudio , Efremova Maria , Hassan Bushra , Abbas Ammar , Ahmad Abd Halim , al-Bayati Ahmed , Selim Heyla A. , Anderson Joel , Cross Susan E. , Delfino Gisela Isabel , Gamsakhurdia Vladimer , Gavreliuc Alin , Gavreliuc Dana , Gul Pelin , Günsoy Ceren , Hakobjanyan Anna , Lay Siugmin , Lopukhova Olga , Hu Ping , Sunar Diane , Texeira Maria Luisa Mendes , Tripodi Doriana , Diaz Rivera Paola Eunice , van Osch Yvette , Yuki Masaki , Ogusu Natsuki , Kwantes Catherine T. , Diaz-Loving Rolando , Pérez-Floriano Lorena , Chaleeraktrakoon Trawin , Chobthamkit Phatthanakit
Published: December 2020

This study compares the individual-level and sample-level predictive utility of a measure of the cultural logics of dignity, honor, and face. University students in 29 samples from 24 nations used a simple measure to rate their perceptions of the interpersonal cultural logic characterizing their local culture. The nomological net of these measures was then explored. Key dependent measures included three different facets of independent versus interdependent self-construal, relevant attitudes and values, reported handling of actual interpersonal conflicts, and responses to normative settings. Multilevel analyses revealed both individual- and sample-level effects but the dignity measure showed more individual-level effects, whereas sample-level effects were relatively more important with the face measure. The implications of this contrast are discussed.
Feeling correct is feeling prejudiced: The differential effects of attitude correctness and attitude clarity on evaluations of outgroups
Authors: Roth Zachary C. , Rios Kimberly
Published: December 2020

Global attitude certainty consists of two subconstructs: attitude clarity—certainty that one is aware of one’s true attitudes—and attitude correctness, certainty that one’s attitudes are morally correct and valid. Attitude correctness is more often associated with group-related psychological and behavioral outcomes than attitude clarity. As such, we expected that attitude correctness, but not attitude clarity, would be associated with more negative attitudes toward outgroups when group boundaries are defined by attitudes. Across four studies, greater attitude correctness related to more negative attitudes toward attitudinal outgroups regardless of context (e.g., political, religious); attitude clarity’s relationship to prejudice was inconsistent (Studies 1a and 2: positive or no relationship; Study 3: negative; Studies 1b and 4: no relationship). In Studies 2 and 3, mediational analyses showed that greater attitude correctness was associated with stronger beliefs that group boundaries are sharp and distinct (i.e., discreteness beliefs), which in turn was associated with greater prejudice. Finally, Study 4 demonstrated that the attitude correctness–prejudice link was associated with greater intention to engage in competitive behaviors in a conflict resolution scenario with an outgroup member.
Statistical Considerations for Drawing Conclusions About Recovery
Authors: Lohse Keith R. , Hawe Rachel L. , Dukelow Sean P. , Scott Stephen H.
Published: December 2020

Background

Numerous studies have found associations when change scores are regressed onto initial impairments in people with stroke (slopes ≈ 0.7). However, there are important statistical considerations that limit the conclusions we can draw about recovery from these studies.

Objective

To provide an accessible checklist of conceptual and analytical issues on longitudinal measures of stroke recovery. Proportional recovery is an illustrative example, but these considerations apply broadly to studies of change over time.

Methods

Using a pooled data set of n = 373 Fugl-Meyer Assessment upper extremity scores, we ran simulations to illustrate 3 considerations: (1) how change scores can be problematic in this context; (2) how “nil” and nonzero null-hypothesis significance tests can be used; and (3) how scale boundaries can create the illusion of proportionality, whereas other analytical procedures (eg, post hoc classifications) can augment this problem.

Results

Our simulations highlight several limitations of common methods for analyzing recovery. We find that uniform recovery leads to similar group-level statistics (regression slopes) and individual-level classifications (into fitters and nonfitters) that have been claimed as evidence for the proportional recovery rule. New analyses, however, also speak to the complexities in variance about the regression slope.

Conclusions

Our results highlight that one cannot identify whether proportional recovery is true or not based on commonly used methods. We illustrate how these techniques, measurement tools, and post hoc classifications (eg, nonfitters) can create spurious results. Going forward, the field needs to carefully consider the influence of these factors on how we measure, analyze, and conceptualize recovery.
Early childhood education and care in the app generation: Digital documentation, assessment for learning and parent communication
Authors: Stratigos Tina , Fenech Marianne
Published: December 2020

While early childhood educators’ use of digital applications (apps) to document children’s experiences and support parent communication is increasing, there is limited empirical research about the impact of these applications on children’s experiences and educators’ practices. This article provides a critical analysis of the findings from this body of research with a focus on affordances and challenges. While the research supports potential benefits for parent engagement and pedagogy, a range of challenges relating to content, access, equity, workload and ethics are highlighted. Features of the neoliberal contextual that may enable the increasing use of apps and shape the way they are used are considered, and opportunities for future research to further critique, enhance understandings and inform practice proposed.
#FeministAntibodies: Asian American Media in the Time of Coronavirus
Authors: Kuo Rachel , Zhang Amy , Shaw Vivian , Wang Cynthia
Published: December 2020

This article examines the tensions, communal processes, and narrative frameworks behind producing collective racial politics across differences. As digital media objects, the Asian American Feminist Collective’s zine Asian American Feminist Antibodies: Care in the Time of Coronavirus and corresponding #FeministAntibodies Tweetchat responds directly to and anticipates a social media and information environment that has racialized COVID-19 in the language of Asian-ness. Writing from an autoethnographical perspective and using collaborative methods of qualitative discourse analysis as feminist scholars, media-makers, and interlocuters, this article looks toward the technological infrastructures, social economies, and material forms of Asian American digital media-making in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The Directional Nature of Organizational Relationships and Their Effect on Individual Performance and Turnover
Authors: Quttainah Majdi Anwar , Said Dina Sabry
Published: December 2020

The article identifies how differences in employee relationships with supervisors and co-workers affect employee performance and propensity to leave the organization. The study uses the leader–member exchange (LMX) and co-worker exchange (CWX) perspectives to understand these differences and the social capital theory to identify their impact, resulting in four relationship configurations with varying potential for success and vulnerability in organizations.
Finding Solace Behind Bars: Experiences of Inmates in Kumasi Central Prison
Authors: Ofori-Dua Kwadwo , Forkuor John Boulard , Onzaberigu Nachinaab John
Published: December 2020

Most studies on prisoners in West Africa and Ghana have been on prisoners’ rehabilitation services and overcrowding conditions of inmates. This study sought to explore how inmates find solace while in prison given the poor prison conditions reported in many studies in developing countries. It aimed, among others, to examine the activities or things that give solace and happiness within the prison environment as well as the strategies inmates adopt to sooth their conditions in prison. Qualitative approaches were adopted in the study. Data were collected mainly through the use of interviews. The study involved a sample size of 31 male inmates within the Kumasi Central Prison. It was found that inmates form social networks in the cell to find peace (solace) and relief in prison cells. They also engage in indoor games, religious activities and skills training as ways of coping with the harsh conditions. It was also found that family network and support were central to inmates’ solace in prison custody. Survival and finding solace in cell were also dependent on the kind of friendship support inmates acquire in the prison.
Memorialisation during COVID-19: implications for the bereaved, service providers and policy makers
Authors: Lowe Jennifer , Rumbold Bruce , Aoun Samar M.
Published: December 2020

Background:

The aim of this rapid perspective review is to capture key changes to memorialisation practices resulting from social distancing rules implemented due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.

Method:

As published peer-reviewed research pertaining to memorialisation practices during the COVID-19 pandemic is lacking, this rapid review includes academic literature from the pre-COVID-19 period and international media reports during the pandemic.

Findings:

Changes to memorialisation practices were under way before COVID-19, as consumer preferences shifted towards secularisation and personalisation of ritual and ceremony. However, several key changes to memorialisation practices connected with body preparation, funerals, cremation, burials and rituals have taken place as a consequence of the COVID-19 pandemic.

Discussion:

Although boundaries between public and private memorialisation practices were already blurred, the COVID-19 pandemic has accelerated this process. Without access to public memorialisation, practices are increasingly private in nature. A number of implications are considered for the bereaved, service providers and policy makers.

Conclusion:

Forms of memorialisation and bereavement support emerging during the pandemic that blend the public and the private are likely to persist in a post-pandemic world.
Incidental squamous cell carcinoma of renal pelvis presenting as skin invasion: a case report
Authors: Sun Xinghui , Li Yongqing
Published: December 2020

Introduction

Squamous cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis is a rare neoplasm, accounting for less than 0.8% of malignant renal tumors. Chronic irritation is believed to be the primary pathogenic cause for squamous cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis. The most frequently reported cases of squamous cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis generally present with hydronephrosis, pyelonephritis, or nephrolithiasis. The skin of the flank is a very uncommon site of clinical presentation. Here, we report an exceedingly rare case of squamous cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis presenting as skin invasion of the flank.

Case presentation

A 66-year-old Han Chinese man consulted our hospital because of a right lumbar skin lesion lasting more than 3 months. His physical examination revealed that he had a palpable mass about 6.0 cm × 5.0 cm in size at the posterior axillary line in the right low back with skin ulceration 3 mm in diameter and exudation on it. Magnetic resonance imaging showed hydronephrosis of the right kidney and plaque-like abnormal signal in the middle portion of the kidney. The patient underwent a right nephrectomy. The sinus tract formation between the ulcerative skin in the right low back and the middle portion of the right kidney could be found. The distended kidney could not be excised entirely for tight adhesion. Pathological examination showed moderately differentiated renal squamous cell carcinoma with invasion of the renal parenchyma and perirenal adipose tissue.

Conclusion

It is extremely rare for renal squamous cell carcinoma to present as skin invasion. Recurrent percutaneous nephrolithotomy may be a risk factor for squamous cell carcinoma of the renal pelvis. The possibility of renal squamous cell carcinoma should be kept in mind in patients who have hydronephrosis, nephrolithiasis, or chronic pyelonephritis for a long time or with renal anomalies. More radiological examinations are suggested for such patients.
Chemokines during anaphylaxis: the importance of CCL2 and CCL2-dependent chemotactic activity for basophils
Authors: Vantur Romana , Rihar Marusa , Koren Ana , Rijavec Matija , Kopac Peter , Bidovec-Stojkovic Urska , Erzen Renato , Korosec Peter
Published: December 2020

Background

The role of chemokines in anaphylaxis is unclear.

Methods

We prospectively recruited 49 patients presenting to the emergency department with an acute episode of anaphylaxis and 28 healthy subjects. We measured serum levels of the chemokines CCL2, CCL5, CCL7, CCL8, CCL11, CCL13, CCL17, CCL21, CCL22, CCL24, and CCL26, tryptase, the absolute number of circulating basophils, monocytes, lymphocytes, and PMNs, and whole bloodFCER1A,CPA3andHDCgene expression at two time points: during the anaphylactic episode and in convalescent samples collected approximately 3 months later. We then investigated the in vitro chemotactic activity of chemokines induced during anaphylaxis for the in vitro migration of the corresponding cells.

Results

Only CCL2 chemokine levels were significantly increased in anaphylaxis samples (median 514 pg/ml) compared to convalescent samples (284 pg/ml,P < 0.0001) and healthy subjects (279 pg/ml,P < 0.0001); there was no significant difference in any of the other chemokines. There was a significant positive correlation between the rates of increase of serum CCL2 (median [range]: 106.0% [− 44.7% to 557.4%]) and tryptase (133.8% [− 6.6% to 893.4%]; r = 0.68, P < 0.0001) and between the acute concentration of serum CCL2 and the acute concentration of serum tryptase (r = 0.77, P < 0.0001). The number of circulating basophils, but not other blood cells, significantly decreased during anaphylaxis (median 5.0 vs. 19.1 cells/µl in convalescent samples;P < 0.0001); a decrease in whole-blood gene expression of basophil markers (P ≤ 0.0018) confirmed these changes. Anaphylactic serum enhances the in vitro migration of basophils via CCL2-dependent chemotactic activity; in contrast, no CCL2-dependent chemotactic activity was observed for convalescent samples.

Conclusions

Our findings imply an important and specific role for CCL2-mediated chemotactic activity in the pathophysiology of human anaphylaxis.
Renal complications in coronavirus disease 2019: a systematic review
Authors: Minami Taichiro , Iwata Yasunori , Wada Takashi
Published: December 2020

The world today is facing a pandemic caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus-2 (SARS-CoV-2), which mainly causes a respiratory disease known as coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19). Therefore, its pathogenesis and complications should be identified and understood. SARS-CoV-2 infects the host using the angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) as its receptor, which is expressed in several organs including the lungs, heart, kidneys, and intestines. Kidney complications are relatively common, and acute kidney injury (AKI) is a life-threatening complication in patients with COVID-19. In this review, the renal histological patterns of COVID-19 are described in detail, and its potential mechanisms associated with AKI are discussed.
On the combination of data augmentation method and gated convolution model for building effective and robust intrusion detection
Authors: Wang Yixiang , lv Shaohua , Liu Jiqiang , Chang Xiaolin , Wang Jinqiang
Published: December 2020

Deep learning (DL) has exhibited its exceptional performance in fields like intrusion detection. Various augmentation methods have been proposed to improve data quality and eventually to enhance the performance of DL models. However, the classic augmentation methods cannot be applied to those DL models which exploit the system-call sequences to detect intrusion. Previously, the seq2seq model has been explored to augment system-call sequences. Following this work, we propose a gated convolutional neural network (GCNN) model to thoroughly extract the potential information of augmented sequences. Also, in order to enhance the model’s robustness, we adopt adversarial training to reduce the impact of adversarial examples on the model. Adversarial examples used in adversarial training are generated by the proposed adversarial sequence generation algorithm. The experimental results on different verified models show that GCNN model can better obtain the potential information of the augmented data and achieve the best performance. Furthermore, GCNN with adversarial training can enhance robustness significantly.
Cardiovascular protection effect of chlorogenic acid: focus on the molecular mechanism
Authors: Lukitasari Mifetika , Saifur Rohman Mohammad , Nugroho Dwi Adi , Widodo Nashi , Nugrahini Nur Ida Panca
Published: December 2020

Vascular endothelial cells have a variety of functions such as the control of blood coagulation, vascular permeability, and tone regulation, as well as quiesce of immune cells. Endothelial dysfunction is a cardiovascular events predictor, which is considered the initial stage in atherosclerosis development. It is characterized by alterations in endothelium functions due to imbalanced vasodilators and vasoconstrictors, procoagulant and anticoagulant mediators, as well as growth inhibitor and promotor substances. Chlorogenic acid (CGA) is the primary polyphenol in coffee and some fruits. It has many health-promoting properties, especially in the cardiovascular system. Many studies investigated the efficacy and mechanism of this compound in vascular health. CGA has several vascular benefits such as anti-atherosclerosis, anti-thrombosis, and anti-hypertensive. This review focuses on the molecular mechanism of CGA in vascular health.