bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Participation in (non)violent protests and associated psychosocial factors: sociodemographic status, civic engagement, and perceptions of government’s performance
Authors: Swart Lu-Anne , Day Sarah , Govender Rajen , Seedat Mohamed
Published: April 2020

A national representative sample of adults is used to assess whether socioeconomic circumstances, civic engagement, and perceptions about government performance are associated with participation in (non)violent protests. Blacks and those who report high levels of poverty and civic engagement are likely to participate in non-violent protests. Individuals who have not completed schooling, are members of an organisation, view government as highly corrupt, and rate government’s service delivery very unfavourably are more likely to participate in violent protests than non-violent protests. The varying paths to protests including the psychosocial factors and motivational dynamics underlying individual’s participation in protests are discussed.
Workplace biometrics: Protecting employee privacy one fingerprint at a time
Authors: Holland Peter , Tham Tse Leng
Published: April 2020

This article examines the contested terrain of protecting or providing biometric data in the workplace. Through a major case study in Australia, a decision to terminate employment on the grounds of non-consent for biometric data to be collected was overturned through the legislative system. The case is important in that it highlights the increased impetus to collect such data and the arbitrary nature of legal protection. However, the results of this significant case do provide improved clarity and guidance on the usage, collection, storage and management of biometric data. It also signals to management the need to understand employees’ rights and their own obligations around the informational privacy of employees.
Geochemical characteristics of No. 6 coal from Nanyangpo Mine, Datong coalfield, north China: Emphasis on the influence of hydrothermal solutions
Authors: Ma Jialiang , Liu Bangjun , Zhang Ke , Wang Zhenzhen , Li Jinxiao , Blokhin Maksim G , Zhao Cunliang
Published: April 2020

This paper discusses the volcanic influence on the mineralogical and elemental geochemistry of No. 6 coal from Nanyangpo Mine in the Datong coalfield, north China. Sixteen samples (14 coal and 2 partings) were analyzed by different geochemical methods. The results revealed that the No. 6 coal is a medium–high volatility, highly calorific, bituminous coal with a low-ash and medium-sulfur content. The minerals mainly consisted of kaolinite, calcite, dolomite, and pyrite. In addition, traces of apatite, sphalerite, and anatase were also found. Calcite, dolomite, and pyrite in the coal samples were mainly derived from epigenetic hydrothermal solutions, whereas kaolinite and apatite originated from volcanic ash. Harmful trace elements including Pb, Cu, Mo, Tl, and Hg in the No. 6 coal samples were higher than those of common global coals. These harmful elements mainly occurred in sulfide minerals, which were probably influenced by hydrothermal inputs.
Endoscopic Septoplasty Versus Traditional Septoplasty for Treating Deviated Nasal Septum: A Prospective, Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Na’ara Shorook , Kaptzan Boris , Gil Ziv , Ostrovsky Dimitry
Published: April 2020

Importance:

This is the first randomized study to compare the quality of life of patients undergoing endoscopic septoplasty compared to traditional trans-nasal trans-speculum (TNTS) septoplasty.

Objective:

To assess the clinical outcomes and quality of life results of endoscopic versus TNTS septoplasty in patients with septal deviation and nasal obstruction.

Design:

A prospective, randomized controlled trial comparing 2 approaches of septoplasty: endoscopic and TNTS septoplasty performed in a single institution during the years 2016 to2017. The follow-up time was 3 months.

Setting:

A single institution study in a tertiary health-care referral center.

Participants:

Patients who underwent primary surgery for repairing deviated nasal septum due to nasal obstruction, were older than 18 years old, and were eligible for study inclusion. Sixty-five patients were enrolled in this study, 34 in the endoscopic arm and 31 in the TNTS septoplasty arm. The overall follow-up rate was 94% at the first visit (2 weeks) and 92% at the last visit (12 weeks). Thus, the final cohort consisted of 60 patients, 30 in each study arm. The patients ranged in age from 18 to 71 years (mean 27 years) old.

Main Outcomes and Measures:

The primary outcome was the Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22 (SNOT-22) score. Secondary outcomes were the Short Form 36 (SF36) QOL score and complication rates. Both questionnaires were administered at 2 weeks and 3 months following surgery.

Results:

Sixty patients completed this study, 30 in each study arm. Sino-Nasal Outcome Test-22 scores were improved after 3 months, with no difference between the study arms. There were no cases of septal perforation or profound bleeding requiring repeated surgery.

Conclusions and Relevance:

Endoscopic septoplasty and TNTS show similar results for treatment of nasal septum deviation. Trial Registration: Traditional Septoplasty versus Endoscopic Septoplasty for Treating Deviated Nasal Septum, NCT02653950. https://register.clinicaltrials.gov/prs/app/action/SelectProtocol?sid=S0005ZOR&selectaction=Edit&uid=U00021YC&ts=2&cx=-2w7hot .
Effects of Peripheral Vertigo on Inflammatory and Immunologic Laboratory Markers
Authors: Temirbekov Dastan , Sakallı Erdal
Published: April 2020

The neutrophil-to-lymphocyte ratio (NLR), platelet-to-lymphocyte ratio (PLR), and mean platelet volume (MPV) are markers of subclinical inflammation and atherothrombosis. We investigated whether these easily accessible blood count parameters are affected by peripheral vertigo (PV). We studied 142 patients who were diagnosed with PV and referred to our hospital along with 135 healthy patients who were free of inflammation as a control group. The patient group was divided into 3 study groups depending on the presence of benign paroxysmal positional vertigo (BPPV): BPPV, vestibular dysfunction (VD), and BPPV + VD. The total patient group and 3 subgroups were compared to the control group with respect to the NLR, PLR, and MPV. The NLR and PLR were calculated by dividing the neutrophil and platelet values by the lymphocyte value. Of 142 patients, 43, 71, and 28 patients comprised the BPPV, VD, and BPPV + VD groups, respectively. There was no statistically significant difference ( P > .05) in the NLR, PLR, or MPV between the main patient group or the individual patient subgroups and the control group. Our findings suggest that NLR, PLR, and MPV do not change significantly either in BPPV or in other peripheral vestibular disorders.
Partitioning highly, medium and lowly cited publications
Authors: Huang Yong , Bu Yi , Ding Ying , Lu Wei
Published: April 2020

Dividing papers based on their numbers of citations into several groups constitutes one of the most common research practices in bibliometrics and beyond. However, existing dividing methods are both arbitrary and subject to bias. This article proposes a novel approach to partition highly, medium and lowly cited publications based on their citation distribution. We utilise the whole Web of Science (WoS) dataset to demonstrate how to apply this approach to scholarly datasets and examine the robustness of our algorithm in each of the six disciplines under the WoS dataset. The codes that underlie the algorithm are available online.
Transitioning to a Progressive Green Economy in the Philippines
Authors: Juan David Michael M. San
Published: April 2020

Informed by theoretical discussions and statistics on the Anthropocene and sustainable development, this article is focused on tackling Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), primarily SDG 1 (“end poverty in all its forms everywhere”); SDG 7 (“ensure access to affordable, reliable, sustainable and modern energy for all”); SDG 10 (“reduce inequality within and among countries”); and related SDGs that are at the nexus of poverty, inequality, and renewable energy. This discussion serves as a springboard for (re)crafting a state-led sustainable development plan for the progressive transition to a green economy in the Philippines, as a pro-active response to global environmental change.
Neutral Life: Roland Barthes’ Late Work – An Introduction
Authors: Manghani Sunil
Published: April 2020

As the introduction and lead article for a special issue of Theory, Culture & Society, ‘Neutral Life/Late Barthes’, this article offers an overview of the ‘new’ Barthes that emerges from the late writings and recent ‘Barthes Studies’. The account centres upon the posthumous publication of Barthes’ three key lecture courses delivered at the Collège de France, at the end of the 1970s, which reflect his preoccupation with the everyday, yet reveal a new degree of sophistication, both formal and conceptual. Presented in their original note form, the lectures present perhaps the clearest (if incomplete) affirmative project of Barthes’ entire career. The Neutral in particular is pivotal in understanding an ethics of the late works. While Barthes is perhaps most cited for his rumination on the temporality of the photograph, the lecture courses give rise to an ethics of space and distance, rather than of time and telos. Crucially, for Barthes, the Neutral is not neutrality; it is not divestment, but ‘an ardent, burning activity’. In establishing Barthes’ ethics of a Neutral Life, the articles closes – with reference to Derrida’s mourning of Barthes – with a reminder to read Barthes again, or rather a reminder of our current postponed reading of him.
No effect of attachment avoidance on visual disengagement from a romantic partner’s face
Authors: Sanscartier Shayne , Maxwell Jessica A. , Lockwood Penelope
Published: April 2020

Attachment avoidance (discomfort with closeness and intimacy) has been inconsistently linked to visual disengagement from emotional faces, with some studies finding disengagement toward specific emotional faces and others finding no effects. Although most studies use stranger faces as stimuli, it is likely that attachment effects would be most pronounced in the context of attachment relationships. The present study ( N = 92) combined ecologically valid stimuli (i.e., pictures of romantic partner’s face) with eye-tracking methods to more precisely test whether highly avoidant individuals are faster at disengaging from emotional faces. Unexpectedly, attachment avoidance had no effect on saccadic reaction time, regardless of face type or emotion. Instead, all participants took longer to disengage from romantic partner faces than from strangers’ faces, although this effect should be replicated in the future. Our results suggest that romantic attachments capture visual attention on an oculomotor level, regardless of one’s personal attachment orientations.
Retrospective analysis of tricuspid valve repair using a novel surgical technique: A 7-year single-surgeon experience
Authors: Abdul Khader Ashiq , Khan Habib , Stowell Catherine , Liu Guiqing , Sameh Mohamed , Punjabi Prakash
Published: April 2020

Objectives:

Tricuspid annuloplasty is the optimal surgical repair technique for tricuspid regurgitation which improves mortality and morbidity. Ring annuloplasties is the techniques of choice. Here, we evaluate the efficacy and durability of a new method of interrupted pledgeted suture annuloplasty.

Methods:

Between 2011 and 2018, 39 eligible patients underwent tricuspid valve repair using this novel technique. Indication for repair was a grade of regurgitation at moderate or greater, or an annular diameter >40 mm. Patients were assessed both preoperatively and postoperatively by echocardiogram. Follow-up results were split into the first postoperative echocardiogram and most recent postoperative echocardiogram undertaken.

Results:

There were two in-hospital mortalities and two patients required permanent pacemaker implantation following surgery. At the time of the first postoperative echocardiogram undertaken (median 3 months postoperatively), freedom from moderate-severe regurgitation was 92.3%. At the time of the most recent postoperative echocardiogram undertaken (median 11 months postoperatively); none or mild regurgitation was detected in 24 patients (61.5%), mild-moderate in 11 (28.2%) and moderate-severe in 4 (10.3%) patients. Freedom from moderate-severe regurgitation was 89.7%. Postoperative grade of regurgitation was significantly reduced from preoperative grades (p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Initial and midterm results of our technique show a good durability of repair. We have demonstrated recurrence rates of regurgitation equal and superior to current forms of suture annuloplasty published in the literature. This novel method of suture annuloplasty can be considered in the surgical repertoire of tricuspid valve repair techniques.
In utero Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol exposure confers vulnerability towards cognitive impairments and alcohol drinking in the adolescent offspring: Is there a role for neuropeptide Y?
Authors: Brancato Anna , Castelli Valentina , Lavanco Gianluca , Marino Rosa Anna Maria , Cannizzaro Carla
Published: April 2020

Background:

Cannabinoid consumption during pregnancy has been increasing on the wave of the broad-based legalisation of cannabis in Western countries, raising concern about the putative detrimental outcomes on foetal neurodevelopment. Indeed, since the endocannabinoid system regulates synaptic plasticity, emotional and cognitive processes from early stages of life interfering with it and other excitability endogenous modulators, such as neuropeptide Y (NPY), might contribute to the occurrence of a vulnerable phenotype later in life.

Aims:

This research investigated whether in utero exposure to Δ9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) may induce deficits in emotional/cognitive processes and alcohol vulnerability in adolescent offspring. NPY and excitatory postsynaptic density (PSD) machinery were measured as markers of neurobiological vulnerability.

Methods:

Following in utero THC exposure (2 mg/kg delivered subcutaneously), preadolescent male rat offspring were assessed for: behavioural reactivity in the open field test, neutral declarative memory and aversive limbic memory in the Novel Object and Emotional Object Recognition tests, immunofluorescence for NPY neurons and the PSD proteins Homer-1, 1b/c and 2 in the prefrontal cortex, amygdala and nucleus accumbens at adolescence (cohort 1); and instrumental learning, alcohol taking, relapse and conflict behaviour in the operant chamber throughout adolescence until early adulthood (cohort 2).

Results:

In utero THC-exposed adolescent rats showed: (a) increased locomotor activity; (b) no alteration in neutral declarative memory; (c) impaired aversive limbic memory; (d) decreased NPY-positive neurons in limbic regions; (e) region-specific variations in Homer-1, 1b/c and 2 immunoreactivity; (f) decreased instrumental learning and increased alcohol drinking, relapse and conflict behaviour in the operant chamber.

Conclusion:

Gestational THC impaired the formation of memory traces when integration between environmental encoding and emotional/motivational processing was required and promoted the development of alcohol-addictive behaviours. The abnormalities in NPY signalling and PSD make-up may represent the common neurobiological background, suggesting new targets for future research.
Framework for Drug Formulary Decision Using Multiple-Criteria Decision Analysis
Authors: Babashov Vusal , Ben Amor Sarah , Reinhardt Gilles
Published: April 2020

Background. Reviewing drugs to determine coverage or reimbursement level is a complex process that involves significant time and expertise. Review boards gather evidence from the submission provided, input from clinicians and patients, and results of clinical and economic reviews. This information consists of assessments on multiple criteria that often conflict with one another. Multiple-criteria decision analysis (MCDA) includes methods to address complex decision making problems with conflicting objectives and criteria. We propose an MCDA approach that infers a utility model based on reviews of previously submitted drugs. Methods. We use a recent extension of the UTilitiés Additives DIScriminantes approach, UTADISGMS. This disaggregation approach deconstructs a portfolio of elements such as a set of drugs that have been reviewed and for which a decision has been made. It derives global and marginal utility functions that are consistent with the preferences exhibited by the review boards in their recommendations. We apply the method to oncology drugs reviewed in Canada between 2011 and 2017. We also illustrate how to conduct scenario analyses and predict the coverage decisions for new drugs. Results. Applying the method yields a utility value for each submission along with a set of thresholds that partition the utility values based on the submission outcomes. Scenario analyses illustrate the predictive ability of the method. Conclusion. Preference disaggregation is an indirect way of eliciting an additive global utility value function. It requires less of a cognitive effort from the decision making bodies because it infers preferences from the data rather than relying on direct assessments of model parameters. We illustrate how it can be applied to validate existing decisions and to predict the recommendation of a new drug.
The validity of grayscale and color Doppler ultrasound in assessment of scrotal swellings: a retrospective study in a large case series
Authors: Almassry Hosam Nabil , Basha Mohammad Abd Alkhalik , Zaitoun Mohamed MA , Abdelazim Mohamed , Harb Ola A , Aly Sameh Abdelaziz
Published: April 2020

Background

Scrotal swellings have a non-specific clinical picture, so their clinical diagnosis is challenging. Scrotal grayscale and color Doppler ultrasound are non-invasive methods used in both adult and childhood groups and act as accurate screening and diagnostic modalities.

Purpose

To evaluate the diagnostic validity of grayscale and color Doppler ultrasound in the assessment of scrotal swelling to reach accurate diagnosis.

Material and Methods

A retrospective study included 181 patients (mean age = 35.5 ± 7.3, age range = 1–71 years) with scrotal swelling. Examinations were performed by an experienced radiologist using grayscale and color Doppler ultrasound. The diagnostic validity of grayscale and color Doppler ultrasound for diagnosing scrotal swelling were estimated using surgical findings, histopathological results, and imaging and clinical follow-up as reference standards.

Results

Overall, 202 scrotal swellings were detected. The final diagnoses were 13 (6.4%) malignant and 189 (93.6%) benign alterations. Varicocele was the most common scrotal swelling (26%), followed by hydrocele (23.8%). Matched to the reference standards, grayscale and color Doppler ultrasound represented a sensitivity of 84.6% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 54.6–98.1), a specificity of 76.2% (95% CI = 69.5–82.1), a positive predictive value of 19.6% (95% CI = 10.2–32.4), and a negative predictive value of 98.6% (95% CI = 95.1–99.8) for diagnosing scrotal tumors.

Conclusion

Scrotal grayscale and color Doppler ultrasound provide high diagnostic validity for assessment of scrotal swellings.
Three different computed tomography obesity indices, two standard methods, and one novel measurement, and their association with outcomes after colorectal cancer surgery
Authors: Frostberg Erik , Pedersen Malene RV , Manhoobi Yavar , Rahr Hans B , Rafaelsen Søren R
Published: April 2020

Background

Obesity can be measured by different indices, either as body mass index (BMI) or by more intuitive radiological measurements, and obesity has been shown to have an impact on outcome after colorectal cancer (CRC) surgery.

Purpose

To investigate whether the thickness of the subcutaneous adipose tissue (SAT) in the abdominal wall can be used as a surrogate for the visceral fat area (VFA)—both measured on computed tomography (CT)—in prediction of short- and long-term outcomes after elective CRC surgery.

Material and Methods

Preoperative CT scans of all patients having elective CRC surgery (stages I–III), in two consecutive years at a single-center institution, were used to measure the SAT (mm) and VFA (cm2). BMI was calculated for each patient. The three different obesity indices were used in different analyses in order to predict postoperative complications and overall survival.

Results

A BMI >30 kg/m2 was an independent prognostic factor in postoperative complications (odds ratio 3.2, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.43–7.03). SAT and VFA were not able to predict complications. Patients considered visceral obese according to a high VFA (>130 cm2) had poorer survival (hazard ratio 1.53, 95% CI 1.00–2.36) compared to non-obese patients, but in the adjusted model, VFA lost its predictive power. BMI and SAT were not able to predict mortality.

Conclusion

The novel measurement of the thickness of SAT in a preoperative setting before elective CRC surgery cannot predict either postoperative complications or overall survival; the other obesity indices had better predictive features.
Long noncoding RNA MACC1-AS1 promotes the stemness of hepatocellular carcinoma cells by antagonizing miR-145
Authors: Guo Yuling , Zhong Jiuhong , Wu Fang , Zhan Zhengyu
Published: April 2020

Objectives

This work aimed to investigate the roles of long noncoding (lnc)RNA MACC1-AS1 (MACC1 antisense RNA 1) in progression of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC).

Methods

Real-time quantitative PCR, western blot, spheroid formation, aldehyde dehydrogenase isoform 1 (ALDH1) activity analysis, luciferase reporter assay, and RNA pull-down analysis were used to examine MACC1-AS1–mediated effects on HCC cell stemness.

Results

MACC1-AS1 was highly expressed in HCC tissues and cells. MACC1-AS1 positively regulated the expression of stemness master regulators and inhibited spheroid-forming ability and ALDH1 activity. Furthermore, MACC1-AS1 promoted the stemness of HCC cells by antagonizing microRNA (miR)-145 activity. Overexpression of miR-145 also attenuated HCC cell stemness.

Conclusions

This work revealed a novel MACC1-AS1/miR-145 axis that regulates the stemness of HCC cells.
Embedding active learning and design-based projects in a noise and vibration course for the undergraduate mechanical engineering program
Authors: Zhu Na
Published: April 2020

The content of noise, vibration, and harshness is an important part of the undergraduate mechanical engineering program education to prepare students ready for their future career, and it has received great attention from educators. Since course content in noise, vibration, and harshness usually requires more mathematical background knowledge and skills such as problem-solving in differential equations and linear algebra, students at the undergraduate level usually experience difficulty in the problem-solving work in noise, vibration, and harshness, though they have already completed the pre-requisite mathematics courses. In this paper, a new schedule and course content design for noise and vibration courses are introduced. By embedding active learning and design during projects, the students were able to obtain a better understanding of the concept of acoustics and vibration, as well as applying the knowledge from lectures to labs so they can connect the learning to real-world applications. Four projects are introduced and explained. To evaluate the effectiveness of the course, student outcomes are assessed and discussed.
Incorporating Service-Learning in Special Education Coursework: Experiences of University Faculty
Authors: Neeper Lance S. , Dymond Stacy K.
Published: April 2020

The purpose of this investigation was to determine how service-learning (SL) is used by special education faculty in higher education courses. Participants were 13 special education faculty with documented expertise in SL pedagogy. Sources of data included a demographic questionnaire, a semistructured interview, and course documents. Interviews were analyzed using a content analysis procedure, and course documents were reviewed to confirm interpretations of interview data. Findings describe course types, topics, and enrollment; course elements; types of SL projects; course delivery methods; and selection of community partners. Faculty shared similar definitions and understanding of SL; however, they used SL differently to purposefully meet specific course and programmatic needs.
Centennial-scale interplay between the Indian Summer Monsoon and the Westerlies revealed from Ngamring Co, southern Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Sun Zhe , Yuan Kan , Hou Xiaohuan , Ji Kejia , Li Can-Ge , Wang Mingda , Hou Juzhi
Published: April 2020

The Asian summer monsoon and the mid-latitude Westerlies are major atmospheric circulation systems which influence the climate of the Tibetan Plateau (TP), and hence the water resources, ecology, and socioeconomic well-being of the region. The interplay between the monsoon and the Westerlies has been investigated on glacial–interglacial, millennial, and decadal scales. However, due to the scarcity of high-resolution climate records from the TP, there is a lack of information on the centennial scale, which is more closely related to the development of civilization. Here we present a decadal-resolution precipitation record covering the past ~3600 years from Ngamring Co in the southern TP. The record suggests the gradual weakening of the Indian Summer Monsoon (ISM) with multiple centennial-scale fluctuations, which are synchronous with temperature changes. Precipitation was relatively high during the Medieval Warm Period (MWP) and low during the Little Ice Age (LIA). A wet Roman Warm Period (RWP) and an abrupt dry spell at 2.8 ka are also identified. Comparisons suggest that an intensified Westerlies penetrated the southern TP during dry intervals, such as during the 2.8 ka event, ~1700–1450 cal yr BP, and the LIA; whereas an intensified monsoon prevailed during warm periods such as the MWP. The centennial-scale oscillations of precipitation in the southern TP during the late Holocene suggest the role of the Westerlies in regulating ISM moisture delivery to the region, which likely resulted from variations in the surface temperature of the North Atlantic together with solar activity.
Diaphragmatic muscle thickness and diaphragmatic function are reduced in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus compared to those with primary Sjögren’s syndrome
Authors: Satış Hasan , Cindil Emetullah , Salman Reyhan B , Yapar Dilek , Temel Esra , Demir Nur B , Babaoğlu Hakan , Gündoğdu Onur , Ataş Nuh , Şendur Halit , Avanoğlu Güler Aslıhan , Karadeniz Hazan , Tufan Abdurrahman , Öztürk Mehmet A , Haznedaroğlu Şeminur , Göker Berna
Published: April 2020

Introduction

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is associated with an increased risk of pulmonary infections, as well as a rare condition known as shrinking lung syndrome (SLS). The diaphragm has an important role to play in lung physiology and might also play a role in these adverse events. Here, we aimed to investigate whether SLE patients have impairment in their diaphragmatic muscle thickness and function with respect to another connective-tissue disease: primary Sjögren’s syndrome (pSS).

Method

Patients diagnosed with SLE who were in remission or who had minimal disease activity and had at least one year of follow-up were included in this study. Patients with known lung pathology and smokers were excluded. Patients with pSS constituted the second experimental group. Ultrasonographic evaluation of the diaphragmatic muscle was conducted by an experienced independent sonographer at three time points, diaphragmatic thickness during deep and quiet inspiration and maximum expiration being measured. Diaphragmatic muscle function was evaluated with maximum expiratory pressure (MEP) and maximum inspiratory pressure (MIP).

Results

A total of 115 patients were studied ( n = 39 SLE; n = 76 pSS). The mean ±  standard deviation ( SD) thickness of the diaphragmatic muscles during quiet inspiration was significantly reduced in patients with SLE compared to patients with pSS (2.32 mm vs. 2.81 mm; p < 0.05). Similarly, the thickness during deep inspiration and at maximum deep expiration were significantly lower in SLE patients (2.88 mm vs. 3.29 mm and 1.92 mm vs. 2.33 mm, respectively; p < 0.01). MIPs and MEPs, defined as the percentages of expected values, were significantly lower in patients with SLE compared to those with pSS (80% vs. 92% and 76% vs. 120%, respectively; p < 0.05). Diaphragmatic muscle thickness during deep inspiration demonstrated a moderate correlation with MIP ( r = 0.434; p = 0.001).

Conclusion

SLE patients had reduced diaphragmatic muscle thickness compared to those with pSS, which was associated with impaired functional tests. Further prospective studies are needed to investigate whether structural and functional impairments in diaphragmatic muscle play a role in an increased risk of pulmonary infections and SLS in patients with SLE.
Exploring Employee Engagement Using Grounded Theory: Experiences from the Best Firms in India
Authors: Shrotryia Vijay Kumar , Dhanda Upasana
Published: April 2020

A highly engaged workforce is being looked at as the means for attaining a sustainable competitive advantage in the dynamic business world. Research has shown that both the academicians and practitioners tout employee engagement to improve organizational and financial performance. However, numerous overlapping yet inconsistent definitions have created a conceptual chaos. Delineation between the academic and industrial view on employee engagement creates difficulty in operationalization of the construct.

This paper explores the construct of employee engagement by conducting structured interviews of HR heads of 15 best companies to work for in India. The data obtained were subjected to thematic analysis using Grounded Theory Methodology by Charmaz (2006). The emergent themes around the notion of employee engagement led to the development of a theoretical framework comprising three dimensions (Alignment, Affectiveness and Action-orientation) of employee engagement. Various drivers of employee engagement and the challenges in engaging employees were exemplified with narratives from practitioners in the Indian context.

An attempt has been made to bridge the gap between the academic and industrial view by exploring variables of the construct after taking inputs from the HR practitioners. It attempts to bring a conceptual clarity on construct which may help the organizations to develop effective engagement strategies and interventions for fostering higher engagement levels among employees.
The Colonial Genealogies of Political Decay and Legitimation Crises: An Enquiry into the Predicament of State-construction in Post-colonial South Asia
Authors: Sanjeev Kumar H. M.
Published: April 2020

This article is an attempt to conceptualise and theoretically explain the colonial genealogies of the processes of state-making and state-construction in post-colonial South Asia. In pursuit of this, the article seeks to theorise the colonial ways of providing a sense of fixity of political territoriality, held together by colonially crafted institutions of metropolitan governance, as an independent variable in determining the nature of the processes of state-making and state-construction in the region. On this count, an enquiry into the complex trajectory of these post-colonial political processes, which are the dependent variables for this article, is the fundamental problematic of analysis. This problematic would be decoded with the help of a dual conceptual framework, involving what Samuel Huntington designates as political decay and the legitimation crisis given by Jurgen Habermas. In the context of South Asia, the predicaments of political decay and legitimation crisis, according to this article, manifest as after-effects of engagement on the part of the region’s post-colonial polities with the imported values of colonial modernity and neoliberal economic reforms. By drawing instances from two countries of the Indian subcontinent, Pakistan and Bangladesh, the article tries to show how these after-effects have played out in the form of a tumultuous political history of the processes of state-making and state-construction. The article, in this way, is an attempt to theorise the inter-sectionalities between the colonial and post-colonial periods of South Asia. This has been done here by problematising such a historical inter-sectionality from the perspective of the two intervening variables—the received values of colonial metropolis and the morals of modernity—mediated through neoliberal economic reforms.
A change in practice after the introduction of a state-wide service plan: standardisation of the provision of care to patients with an eating disorder in a regional hospital including support from a new Eating Disorders Outreach Service
Authors: Yaseen Faisal , Bertram Michelle , Vickery Meg , Murphy Michael
Published: April 2020

Objective:

A state-wide service plan was introduced to guide local practice of the inpatient management of patients with an eating disorder. There was significant change in our management of such patients in our regional hospital. Our aim is to describe the changes and characterise our current practice.

Method:

We undertook a retrospective review of the characteristics of nine consecutive inpatients and a descriptive qualitative study to examine the care provided to the patients and to identify the resultant care provisions a year after the introduction of the service plan.

Results:

Patient demographics and clinical characteristics were within the expected range. By the end of the year, the following changes were identified: (i) a team of local champions emerged; (ii) a case conference and template became routine; (iii) high utilisation of the new Eating Disorder Outreach Service (EDOS); (iv) common treatment challenges and methods to address them.

Conclusions:

Standardisation of care and a systematic team approach are helpful in allowing small regional non-specialist centres to successfully manage complex patients. Funding of a local coordinator and assistance from EDOS was paramount to facilitate change. Other regional services may wish to adopt some of the practices described.
Adherence to Cervical Cancer Screening in Korean American Immigrant Women: Identifying Malleable Variables for Intervention Development
Authors: Lee Hee Yun , Choi Y. Joon , Shin Jihee , Yoon Young Ji , An Soonok
Published: April 2020

Introduction. Despite Korean American women having a high incidence rate of cervical cancer, many are unaware of the significance of Pap test. The purpose of this research was to examine the rates of Pap test receipt and factors associated with the uptake. Method. The study was guided by Andersen’s Model of Health Service Use and used a cross-sectional research design. A sample of 230 women residing in metro-Atlanta, Georgia, participated in this study. Results. Slightly more than half (55.7%) had lifetime Pap tests while less than half (45.7%) had it within the last 3 years. Binary logistic regression indicated that marital status, monthly income, and annual checkups were significantly correlated with receiving Pap tests. Discussion. Special attention is needed for women who are unmarried and have low income to increase Pap test receipt. Suggested intervention programs include better communication strategies, extended Medicare coverage, and outreach programs within Korean American community.
Online Academic Incivility Among Adult Learners
Authors: Campbell Laurie O. , Tinstman Jones Jessica , Lambie Glenn W.
Published: April 2020

More and more faculty who teach online are facing incivility in their classroom. These disruptions impede learners’ development and wellbeing and can negatively impact faculty and institutions of higher education. In this article, we review the consequences of online academic incivility and the situational factors that contribute to these disruptions. In addition, we present promising practices and strategies for faculty, including (a) functional communication, (b) empathy, (c) timely feedback, (d) active listening, and (e) clear and consistent expectations. Faculty members implementing these strategies in their online classes may be useful in reducing the challenges of academic incivilities. Future research directions and practical implications for promoting civil communications are considered.
Understanding Motivating Operations and the Impact on the Function of Behavior
Authors: Hill Doris Adams , Mantzoros Theoni , Taylor Jonté C.
Published: April 2020

Special educators are often considered the experts in their school when it comes to developing functional behavior assessments (FBA) and behavior intervention plans (BIP), yet rarely are they trained much beyond basic antecedents, behaviors, and consequences (ABC). This column discusses concepts that will expand special education professionals’ knowledge to make better decisions regarding interventions for the students they serve. Specifically, the focus is on motivating operations (MO) and function-based interventions and the implications of these on behavior. Knowledge of the concept of MOs can enhance a teacher’s ability to provide evidence-based interventions and more fully developed behavioral interventions for students in their purview.
Access and Accessibility in Domestic and Family Violence Services for Women With Disabilities: Widening the Lens
Authors: Robinson Sally , Frawley Patsie , Dyson Sue
Published: April 2020

Women with disabilities experiencing violence can face challenges accessing domestic and family violence (DFV) services. Our research explored how these services understood and operationalized access for women with disabilities. In this article, we use Levesque, Harris, and Russell’s access framework to show how to be accessible to women with disabilities, and DFV services can widen the lens of access and accessibility to respond to women’s own priorities. These centered around appropriateness, approachability, and acceptability. Addressing these broader issues of access in policy and practice alongside disability-specific needs can better align what services offer and what women need.
Online Social Support for Intimate Partner Violence Victims in China: Quantitative and Automatic Content Analysis
Authors: Chu Tsz Hang , Su Youzhen , Kong Hanxiao , Shi Jingyuan , Wang Xiaohui
Published: April 2020

To examine the nature and content of messages presented in a popular Chinese online community about intimate partner violence (IPV), this study utilized a two-step analytic approach that combined quantitative content analysis and automatic content analysis. We collected 90,040 messages from the online community’s IPV group. Study 1 analyzed 8,343 randomly selected messages. The findings suggest that social support is commonly presented, while only a few messages expressed blame toward the victims. Study 2 analyzed the whole sample via machine learning technique and further showed that this online community was a space for the victims to obtain informational resources and emotional encouragement.
Coming to Financial Close in PPPs: Identifying Critical Factors in the Case of Toll Road Projects in Indonesia
Authors: Endo Kei , Gianoli Alberto , Edelenbos Jurian
Published: April 2020

In Indonesia, public–private partnerships (PPPs) schemes have been attracting a lot of attention to meet the huge demand for infrastructure developments. However, their applications are still limited and the financial close of a project tends to be behind the planned schedule. This research therefore aims to investigate the critical success factors (CSFs) causing fast/slow progress in the processes toward the financial close of PPPs toll road projects in Indonesia. The results revealed that, to realize smoother delivery of PPPs toll road projects in Indonesia to the financial close in the future, it is important to improve coordination among the related stakeholders especially between the central and local governments, though the other CSFs are currently well developed. The research also found an issue that should be addressed from a sustainability viewpoint, namely that the government highly depends on state-owned companies (SOEs) for a timely financial close of PPPs toll road projects.
Mechanisms of micro-terror? Early career CMS academics’ experiences of ‘targets and terror’ in contemporary business schools
Authors: Ratle Olivier , Robinson Sarah , Bristow Alexandra , Kerr Ron
Published: April 2020

In this article, we apply the concept of ‘targets and terror’, previously used in the healthcare sector, to the audit culture within business schools. We explore to what extent terror, or the inculcation of fear through processes of domination, is identifiable in the micro-level experiences of early career academics. Drawing on an international study of 38 Critical Management Studies early career academics from 15 countries, we develop a theoretical framework combining Bourdieu’s modes of domination and Meyerson and Scully’s Tempered Radicalism, which helps us identify top-down and horizontal processes of micro-terror and bottom-up processes of micro-terrorism, specifically self-terrorisation and counter-terrorisation. In extending the study of ‘targets and terror’ cultures to contemporary business schools, we develop a clearer understanding of how domination plays out in the everyday processes of management and self-management. From Bourdieu’s modes of domination, we discern a dark picture of institutional and interpersonal overt and symbolic violence in the name of target achievement. The Tempered Radicalism lens helps us to understand early career academic challenges that can lead to self-terrorisation but also brings possible ways forward, showing early career academics how to resist mechanisms of micro-terror through their own small acts of counter-terrorisation, providing some hope specifically as the basis for collective resistance.
Curiosity Journalism, or the First Decades of Newsgames
Authors: Bogost Ian
Published: April 2020

As a veteran developer of newsgames and a coauthor of the book Newsgames: Journalism at Play, I revisit the origins, past promise, and current reality of the form. Like many other interventions in games outside entertainment, newsgames have great promise, but that promise has not yet been realized. Rather than ignoring these lessons, the next generation of scholars, researchers, critics, journalists, and developers should learn the difficult lessons from the past and incorporate them into their future efforts.
Breathing beyond Embodiment: Exploring Emergence, Grieving and Song in Laboratory Theatre
Authors: Gatt Caroline
Published: April 2020

Due to the simultaneous linguistic and musical quality of voicing, voiced breath poses theoretical challenges to notions of ‘embodiment’, especially as they are used in theatre practice/studies. In this article, I make two intertwining arguments to address questions of the place of semantic meaning and conscious thought in performance practice/theories as they arose in my anthropological engagement with laboratory theatre. Firstly, theatre and performance practice/theories keen to embrace ‘embodiment’ often leave out things like explicit analysis, reflexivity, referential or semantic meaning and so on because, as my ethnography shows, they are judged as secondary, and thus belonging implicitly more closely to disembodied ‘mind’. I engage in anthropological comparison to show how other ways of being/knowing complicate any sense in which practices labelled ‘embodied’ can be seen as primary in contrast to conscious, linguistic or explicit knowing. Instead I outline an onto/epistemology of emergence that offers an alternative imaginary in which no binaries exist a priori. Rather all is a matter of ongoing mutual constitution. Secondly, while the discourses of embodiment in performance practice/theory that I critique may continue to reproduce dualist assumptions, theatre approaches influenced by Grotowski’s anti-method, focusing on continual revision of practice, offer insights for scholarship concerned with the ontological indistinguishability of social, psychological and physical phenomena. Laboratory theatre practices offer a prospective way of knowing, enabling an exploration of the ontological equality of breath, in this case in song, and the sorts of meaningfulness associated with language and analysis. In 2011, my Nanna (grandmother in Maltese) passed away in circumstances that remain traumatic to me. I turned with to my daily practices to find ways to scream, to grieve: to anthropology and to a particular practice of song in laboratory theatre, where encounter is actively sought. Arising from ethnographic and analytic engagement with such practices, in this article, I offer an anthropologically inflected critique of notions of embodiment in performance studies and performance philosophy. I present the alternative imaginary of emergence onto/epistemologies and the prospective investigative practices of laboratory theatre. I do this by weaving autobiographical, ethnographic and anthropological threads to explore my own practice relating to the work of my collaborator Gey Pin Ang, a Singaporean director, actor and pedagogue.
Making Breath Visible: Reflections on Relations between Bodies, Breath and World in the Critical Medical Humanities
Authors: Macnaughton Jane
Published: April 2020

Breath is invisible and yet ever present and vital for living beings. The concept of invisibility in relation to breath operates in concrete and metaphorical ways to extend ideas about breath and breathlessness across disciplines, in clinical spaces and in life experience. Using a critical medical humanities approach, I demonstrate that the poverty of narrative accounts and language for breath outside the health context have had a crucial influence enabling clinically mediated interpretations and accounts to dominate. These third-person accounts are important in the articulation of the ‘lived body’, but I balance this with a consideration of the subjective sensation of interoception, which has important implications for the visibility of breathlessness in both clinical and lay contexts. This article illustrates the rich potential of the subjects of breath and breathlessness within body studies and this special issue is a key step in making breath such an emergent topic.
On Breath and Breathing: A Concluding Comment
Authors: Ingold Tim
Published: April 2020

To conclude the discussion of breath and breathing in the foregoing contributions, this comment sets out from a critical perspective on embodiment. For a being that breathes out and in, should we not add to embodiment its complement of vaporisation? Breath, after all, is fluid, animate and fundamental to human conviviality. While it can temporarily be put on hold, breath cannot be contained. That is why bodily breathing is unlike the ventilation of buildings. Moreover, breathing in and breathing out are dissimilar movements which cannot be reversed. This presents particular problems for those with breathing difficulties, above all in societies where speech, carried on the outbreath, is modelled on print, and where thought is attributed to a self whose powers of cognition transcend bodily experience. In place of the complementarity of self and body, we posit the soul as a vortex in which breathing, thinking, speech and song all flow into one another.