bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The needs-based health workforce planning method: a systematic scoping review of analytical applications
Authors: Asamani James Avoka , Christmals Christmal Dela , Reitsma Gerda Marie
Published: February 2021

Although the theoretical underpinnings and analytical framework for needs-based health workforce planning are well developed and tested, its uptake in national planning processes is still limited. Towards the development of open-access needs-based planning model for national workforce planning, we conducted a systematic scoping review of analytical applications of needs-based health workforce models. Guided by the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses—extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR) checklist, a systematic scoping review was conducted. A systematic search of peer-reviewed literature published in English was undertaken across several databases. Papers retrieved were assessed against predefined inclusion criteria, critically appraised, extracted and synthesized. Twenty-five papers were included, which showed increasing uptake of the needs-based health workforce modelling, with 84% of the studies published within the last decade (2010–20). Three countries (Canada, Australia and England) accounted for 48% of the publications included whilst four studies (16%) were based on low-and-middle-income countries. Only three of the studies were conducted in sub-Saharan Africa. Most of the studies (36%) reported analytical applications for specific disease areas/programs at sub-national levels; 20% focused on the health system need for particular categories of health workers, and only two (8%) reported the analytical application of the needs-based health workforce approach at the level of a national health system across several disease areas/programs. Amongst the studies that conducted long-term projections, the time horizon of the projection was an average of 17 years, ranging from 3 to 33 years. Most of these studies had a minimum time horizon of 10 years. Across the studies, we synthesized six typical methodological considerations for advancing needs-based health workforce modelling. As countries aspire to align health workforce investments with population health needs, the need for some level of methodological harmonization, open-access needs-based models and guidelines for policy-oriented country-level use is not only imperative but urgent.
Social determinants of quality of life among PLHIV in Australia: implications for health promotion
Authors: Mikołajczak Gosia , Brown Graham , Power Jennifer , Lyons Anthony , Howard Chris , Drummond Fraser
Published: February 2021

A cascade of care model is central to contemporary approaches to HIV prevention. The model prioritizes strategies to increase rates of HIV testing and promote early and sustained uptake of antiretroviral treatment (ART) among people living with HIV (PLHIV). The model aims to prevent new HIV transmissions by increasing the number of PLHIV who have achieved HIV viral suppression. However, good quality of life (QoL) among PLHIV has been proposed as an additional goal. This prioritizes the basic right of PLHIV to lead meaningful lives and acknowledges the relationship between better QoL and consistent ART use. A better understanding of factors associated with the QoL can thus inform health promotion programmes for PLHIV. In this study, N=465 Australian participants, recruited through social media and various HIV community organizations, completed an online survey that included a measure of QoL and a range of demographic, health-related and social variables. Overall, social factors accounted uniquely for the most variance in QoL (18%), followed by health-related (11%) and demographic factors (2%). Social support, HIV-related discrimination and treatment convenience were among the strongest determinants of QoL. These findings reinforce the importance of a more holistic approach to health promotion among PLHIV. Specifically, our results indicate that to improve the QoL of PLHIV and to boost related public health benefits, community advocates and healthcare professionals must be responsive to the broader psychological, social and functional needs of PLHIV.
Promoting healthy eating in the community sport setting: a scoping review
Authors: Westberg Kate , Stavros Constantino , Parker Lukas , Powell Ashleigh , Martin Diane M , Worsley Anthony , Reid Mike , Fouvy David
Published: February 2021

Community sport organizations promote beneficial health outcomes such as social connection and physical activity, yet they can also facilitate the consumption of unhealthy food and beverages. To provide a foundation for future research and to inform intervention efforts in this context, this scoping review summarizes existing knowledge of the factors that contribute to unhealthy food and beverage consumption in the community sport setting and explores the interventions to promote healthier choices. Using a qualitative process aligned with the nature of our aims, 228 articles were initially identified and subjected to a systemized appraisal, resulting in 45 articles pertinent to the review. The findings identify that the two key factors contributing to unhealthy food choices are the limited availability of healthy options within the sport setting and the presence of unhealthy food and beverage sponsorship. These factors contribute to the normalization of unhealthy eating in this context and health promotion interventions have had limited success. Barriers to change primarily stem from the revenue implications of removing unhealthy food sponsors, lack of organizational capabilities and resources, and consumer preference for unhealthy options. Public health practitioners seeking to intervene in this setting should consider adopting practices used in other settings outside of the sport environment, including the use of technology, the role of peers and mentors and the co-production of impactful material. Community sport plays a vital role in delivering health benefits but must do more to stem its facilitation of a potentially unhealthy consumptive environment.
Integrin-directed antibody-based immunotherapy: focus on VLA-4
Authors: Savino Wilson , Chaves Beatriz , Bonomo Adriana Cesar , Cotta-de-Almeida Vinicius
Published: February 2021

One major finding of chronic inflammatory diseases of various origins is the establishment of inflammatory infiltrates, bearing different leukocyte subpopulations, including activated T lymphocytes. Integrins are among the large series of molecular interactions that have been implicated as players in both triggering and maintenance of leukocyte influx from the blood into a given organ parenchyme. Accordingly, blocking the interaction between VLA-6 integrin and laminin, experimentally abrogates heart graft rejection. Many reports have shown that VLA-4 is used by T cells to cross endothelial barriers, as well as to migrate within target tissues. In this respect, a humanized IgG4 anti-VLA-4 monoclonal antibody (specific to the α4-integrin chain of VLA-4) has been successfully applied to treat multiple sclerosis as well as inflammatory bowel disease. Anti-VLA-4 monoclonal antibody has also been applied to block transendothelial passage in other autoimmune diseases, such as rheumatoid arthritis. On this same vein is the action of such a reagent in impairing in vitro transendothial and fibronectin-driven migration of CD4+ and CD8+ T cells expressing high densities of VLA-4 from Duchenne muscular dystrophy patients, thus potentially enlarging the use of this strategy to other diseases. Yet, in a small number of patients, the use of Natalizumab has been correlated with the progressive multifocal leukoencephalopathy, a serious brain infection caused by the John Cunningham virus. This issue restricted the use of the reagent. In this respect, the development of smaller and more specific antibody reagents should be envisioned as a next-generation promising strategy.
Hedging and grand strategy in Southeast Asian foreign policy
Authors: Jones David Martin , Jenne Nicole
Published: February 2021

This article examines recent interest in hedging as a feature of international politics in the Asia Pacific. Focusing on the small states of Southeast Asia, we argue that dominant understandings of hedging are misguided for two reasons. Despite significant advances in the literature, hedging has remained a vague concept rendering it a residual category of foreign policy behavior. Moreover, current accounts of hedging tend to overstate the strategic intentions of ostensible hedgers. This article proposes that a better understanding of Southeast Asia’s foreign policy behavior needs to dissociate hedging from neorealist concepts of international politics. Instead, we locate the concept in the context of classical realism and the diplomatic practice of second-tier states. Exploring Southeast Asia’s engagement with more powerful actors from this perspective reveals the strategic limitations of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations and the dilemma that Southeast Asian states face from a rising China challenging the status quo in the western Pacific.
Cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon) Is a Marginal Host for Brown Marmorated Stink Bug
Authors: Jaffe Benjamin D , Wallin Makaila , Fox Matthew , Guédot Christelle
Published: February 2021

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is a well-documented pest of agricultural crops across the globe. However, not all crops are suitable hosts for H. halys, and it is necessary to proactively document the susceptibility of economically important specialty crops, such as cranberry (Vaccinium macrocarpon; Ericaceae), a native fruit crop that contributes millions of dollars to the North American economy. In this study, we tested whether cranberry is a suitable host for H. halys by measuring the development and feeding injury inflicted by H. halys on cranberry fruit and foliage. We found that H. halys nymphs cannot successfully develop on cranberry fruit or foliage alone, but that the fruit are susceptible to adult feeding. On the basis of these findings, cranberry does not seem to be a suitable host to support nymph development, but adult feeding could negatively impact fruit quality. Future research should consider the impacts of adult feeding on fruit quality and how adult abundance in and near agricultural crops might change the risk profile of this pest.
Field Biology of Scolothrips sexmaculatus (Thysanoptera: Thripidae) as a Predator of Tetranychus pacificus (Acari: Tetranychidae) in California Almonds
Authors: Haviland David R , Rill Stephanie M , Gordon Chelsea A
Published: February 2021

Biological control of tetranychid spider mites in California almonds has predominantly been associated with predatory mites in the family Phytoseiidae. However, changes in production practices, including shifts to more sustainable chemical control programs, have resulted in a trophic shift leading to the predominance of six-spotted thrips, Scolothrips sexmaculatus Pergande, as the primary mite predator. Over a 3-yr period, we studied S. sexmaculatus biology and relationship to Tetranychus pacificus McGregor in almond orchards in the southern San Joaquin Valley of California. Scolothrips sexmaculatus had two periods of activity in response to increases in T. pacificus density, one in the spring and one in the summer. Sex ratios were consistently skewed to more than 90% females captured on yellow sticky traps, with females producing eggs from May to October. Female thrips were larger than males, and both sexes were larger from June to September when temperatures were warmer and food was more abundant. In response to spider mite outbreaks, S. sexmaculatus increased from approximately 2/trap/wk to an average of 1,272/trap/wk over a 5-wk period, representing a population doubling time of 4.0 d. Over this time, we described trends in T. pacificus and S. sexmaculatus density that are consistent with population regulation through predator–prey relationships by a specialist predator.
Floral biology of Salvia stachydifolia, a species visited by bees and birds: connecting sexual phases, nectar dynamics and breeding system to visitors’ behaviour
Authors: Barrionuevo Camila N , Benitez-Vieyra Santiago , Sazatornil Federico
Published: February 2021

Aims

Adaptive convergence in floral phenotype among plants sharing a pollinator guild has been acknowledged in the concept of pollination syndrome. However, many plants display traits associated with a given syndrome, but are visited by multiple pollinators. This situation may indicate the beginning of a pollinator shift or may result in a stable situation with adaptations to different pollinators. In Salvia stachydifolia, a previous study suggested that flower shape is optimized to maximize the contribution to pollination of bees and hummingbirds. Here, we studied three additional aspects of its floral biology: sexual phases, nectar dynamics and breeding system, and examined their connection with pollinators’ behaviour to explore the presence of adaptations to bee and/or hummingbird pollination.

Methods

Using a greenhouse population, we applied five pollination treatments to characterize breeding system. To determine sexual phases, we recorded flower opening, anther dehiscence, corolla fall and stigma receptivity. Additionally, we characterized nectar volume and concentration dynamics along the day. Finally, to determine pollinator assemblage and visitation patterns, we performed field observations and recorded pollinators’ behaviour.

Important Findings

Salvia stachydifolia was partially protandrous and self-compatible, but open-pollinated plants attained the highest reproductive success, suggesting that reproduction is mainly dependent on pollinator activity. Bombus opifex bumblebees were the most frequent visitors, but Sappho sparganura hummingbirds dominated visits early in the morning and at dusk. Nectar was typical of bumblebee pollination. We suggest that the bee–hummingbird mixed visitation constitutes an unstable evolutionary situation, making S. stachydifolia an ideal system to understand the ecological circumstances in which pollination shifts occur.
Auto-identification of unphysical source reconstructions in strong gravitational lens modelling
Authors: Maresca Jacob , Dye Simon , Li Nan
Published: February 2021

With the advent of next-generation surveys and the expectation of discovering huge numbers of strong gravitational lens systems, much effort is being invested into developing automated procedures for handling the data. The several orders of magnitude increase in the number of strong galaxy–galaxy lens systems is an insurmountable challenge for traditional modelling techniques. Whilst machine learning techniques have dramatically improved the efficiency of lens modelling, parametric modelling of the lens mass profile remains an important tool for dealing with complex lensing systems. In particular, source reconstruction methods are necessary to cope with the irregular structure of high-redshift sources. In this paper, we consider a convolutional neural network (CNN) that analyses the outputs of semi-analytic methods that parametrically model the lens mass and linearly reconstruct the source surface brightness distribution. We show the unphysical source reconstructions that arise as a result of incorrectly initialized lens models can be effectively caught by our CNN. Furthermore, the CNN predictions can be used to automatically reinitialize the parametric lens model, avoiding unphysical source reconstructions. The CNN, trained on reconstructions of lensed Sérsic sources, accurately classifies source reconstructions of the same type with a precision P > 0.99 and recall R > 0.99. The same CNN, without retraining, achieves P = 0.89 and R = 0.89 when classifying source reconstructions of more complex lensed Hubble Ultra-Deep Field (HUDF) sources. Using the CNN predictions to reinitialize the lens modelling procedure, we achieve a 69 per cent decrease in the occurrence of unphysical source reconstructions. This combined CNN and parametric modelling approach can greatly improve the automation of lens modelling.
κTNG: effect of baryonic processes on weak lensing with IllustrisTNG simulations
Authors: Osato Ken , Liu Jia , Haiman Zoltán
Published: February 2021

We study the effect of baryonic processes on weak lensing (WL) observables with a suite of mock WL maps, the κTNG, based on the cosmological hydrodynamic simulations IllustrisTNG. We quantify the baryonic effects on the WL angular power spectrum, one-point probability distribution function (PDF), and number counts of peaks and minima. We also show the redshift evolution of the effects, which is a key to distinguish the effect of baryons from fundamental physics such as dark energy, dark matter, and massive neutrinos. We find that baryonic processes reduce the small-scale power, suppress the tails of the PDF, peak and minimum counts, and change the total number of peaks and minima. We compare our results to existing semi-analytical models and hydrodynamic simulations, and discuss the source of discrepancies. The κTNG suite includes 10 000 realizations of $5 \times 5 \, \mathrm{deg}^2$ maps for 40 source redshifts up to zs = 2.6, well covering the range of interest for existing and upcoming WL surveys. We also produce the κTNG-Dark suite of maps, generated based on the corresponding dark matter-only IllustrisTNG simulations. Our mock maps are not only suitable for developing analytical models that incorporate the effect of baryons, but also particularly useful for studies that rely on mass maps, such as non-Gaussian statistics and machine learning with convolutional neural networks. The suite of mock maps is publicly available at Columbia Lensing (http://columbialensing.org).
Self-calibration of weak lensing systematic effects using combined two- and three-point statistics
Authors: Pyne Susan , Joachimi Benjamin
Published: February 2021

We investigate the prospects for using the weak lensing bispectrum alongside the power spectrum to control systematic uncertainties in a Euclid-like survey. Three systematic effects are considered: the intrinsic alignment of galaxies, uncertainties in the means of tomographic redshift distributions, and multiplicative bias in the measurement of the shear signal. We find that the bispectrum is very effective in mitigating these systematic errors. Varying all three systematics simultaneously, a joint power spectrum and bispectrum analysis reduces the area of credible regions for the cosmological parameters Ωm and σ8 by a factor of 90 and for the two parameters of a time-varying dark energy equation of state by a factor of almost 20, compared with the baseline approach of using the power spectrum alone and of imposing priors consistent with the accuracy requirements specified for Euclid. We also demonstrate that including the bispectrum self-calibrates all three systematic effects to the stringent levels required by the forthcoming generation of weak lensing surveys, thereby reducing the need for external calibration data.
Mapping exomoon trajectories around Earth-like exoplanets
Authors: Zotos Euaggelos E , Papadakis Konstantinos E , Wageh S
Published: February 2021

We consider a system in which both the parent star and the Earth-like exoplanet move on circular orbits. Using numerical methods, such as the orbit classification technique, we study all types of trajectories of possible exomoons around the exoplanet. In particular, we scan the phase space around the exoplanet and we distinguish between bounded, collisional, and escaping trajectories, considering both retrograde and prograde types of motion. In the case of bounded regular motion, we also use the grid method and a standard predictor-corrector procedure for revealing the corresponding network of symmetric periodic solutions, while we also compute their linear stability.
The Transcriptional and Splicing Changes Caused by Hybridization Can Be Globally Recovered by Genome Doubling during Allopolyploidization
Authors: Qin Jinxia , Mo Ruirui , Li Hongxia , Ni Zhongfu , Sun Qixin , Liu Zhenshan
Published: February 2021

Polyploidization is a major driving force in plant evolution. Allopolyploidization, involving hybridization and genome doubling, can cause extensive transcriptome reprogramming which confers allopolyploids higher evolutionary potential than their diploid progenitors. To date, little is known about the interplay between hybridization and genome doubling in transcriptome reprogramming. Here, we performed genome-wide analyses of transcriptome reprogramming during allopolyploidization in wheat and brassica lineages. Our results indicated that hybridization-induced transcriptional and splicing changes of genes can be largely recovered to parental levels by genome doubling in allopolyploids. As transcriptome reprogramming is an important contributor to heterosis, our finding updates a longstanding theory that heterosis in interspecific hybrids can be permanently fixed through genome doubling. Our results also indicated that much of the transcriptome reprogramming in interspecific hybrids was not caused by the merging of two parental genomes, providing novel insights into the mechanisms underlying both heterosis and hybrid speciation.
Guidelines for biomarker discovery in endometrium: correcting for menstrual cycle bias reveals new genes associated with uterine disorders
Authors: Devesa-Peiro Almudena , Sebastian-Leon Patricia , Pellicer Antonio , Diaz-Gimeno Patricia
Published: February 2021

Transcriptomic approaches are increasingly used in reproductive medicine to identify candidate endometrial biomarkers. However, it is known that endometrial progression in the molecular biology of the menstrual cycle is a main factor that could affect the discovery of disorder-related genes. Therefore, the aim of this study was to systematically review current practices for considering the menstrual cycle effect and to demonstrate its bias in the identification of potential biomarkers. From the 35 studies meeting the criteria, 31.43% did not register the menstrual cycle phase. We analysed the menstrual cycle effect in 11 papers (including 12 studies) from Gene Expression Omnibus: three evaluating endometriosis, two evaluating recurrent implantation failure, one evaluating recurrent pregnancy loss, one evaluating uterine fibroids and five control studies, which collected endometrial samples throughout menstrual cycle. An average of 44.2% more genes were identified after removing menstrual cycle bias using linear models. This effect was observed even if studies were balanced in the proportion of samples collected at different endometrial stages or only in the mid-secretory phase. Our bias correction method increased the statistical power by retrieving more candidate genes than per-phase independent analyses. Thanks to this practice, we discovered 544 novel candidate genes for eutopic endometriosis, 158 genes for ectopic ovarian endometriosis and 27 genes for recurrent implantation failure. In conclusion, we demonstrate that menstrual cycle progression masks molecular biomarkers, provides new guidelines to unmask them and proposes a new classification that distinguishes between biomarkers of disorder or/and menstrual cycle progression.
The spectrum of kidney biopsies in hospitalized patients with COVID-19, acute kidney injury and/or proteinuria
Authors: Ferlicot Sophie , Jamme Matthieu , Gaillard François , Oniszczuk Julie , Couturier Aymeric , May Olivia , Grünenwald Anne , Sannier Aurélie , Moktefi Anissa , Le Monnier Ophélie , Petit-Hoang Camille , Maroun Nadine , Brodin-Sartorius Albane , Michon Arthur , Dobosziewicz Hélène , Andreelli Fabrizio , Guillet Matthieu , Izzedine Hassane , Richard Christian , Dekeyser Manon , Arrestier Romain , Stehlé Thomas , Lefèvre Edouard , Mathian Alexis , Legendre Christophe , Mussini Charlotte , Verpont Marie-Christine , Pallet Nicolas , Amoura Zahir , Essig Marie , Snanoudj Renaud , Brocheriou-Spelle Isabelle , François Hélène , Belenfant Xavier , Geri Guillaume , Daugas Eric , Audard Vincent , Buob David , Massy Ziad A , Zaidan Mohamad ,   the AP-HP/Universities/Inserm COVID-19 research collaboration
Published: February 2021

Background

The coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) may be associated with kidney injury, which may impact patient's prognosis.

Methods

We report a multicentric retrospective case series of patients with COVID-19 who developed acute kidney injury (AKI) and/or proteinuria and underwent a kidney biopsy in Paris and its metropolitan area.

Results

Forty-seven patients (80.9% men) with COVID-19 who underwent a kidney biopsy between 8 March and 19 May 2020 were included. The median age was 63 years (interquartile range 52–69). Comorbidities included hypertension (66.0%), diabetes mellitus (27.7%), obesity (27.7%), history of chronic kidney disease (25.5%), cardiac diseases (38.6%) and respiratory diseases (27.3%). Initial symptoms were fever (85.1%), cough (63.8%), shortness of breath (55.3%) and diarrhoea (23.4%). Almost all patients developed AKI (97.9%) and 63.8% required renal replacement therapy. Kidney biopsy showed two main histopathological patterns, including acute tubular injury in 20 (42.6%) patients, and glomerular injury consisting of collapsing glomerulopathy (CG) and focal segmental glomerulosclerosis in 17 (36.2%) patients. Two (4.3%) patients had acute vascular nephropathy, while 8 (17%) had an alternative diagnosis most likely unrelated to COVID-19. Acute tubular injury occurred almost invariably in the setting of severe forms of COVID-19, whereas patients with glomerular injury had various profiles of COVID-19 severity and CG was only observed in patients harbouring a combination of APOL1 risk variants. At the last follow-up, 16 of the 30 patients who initially required dialysis were still on dialysis, and 9 had died.

Conclusions

This study describes the spectrum of kidney lesions in patients with COVID-19. While acute tubular injury is correlated with COVID-19 severity, the pattern of glomerular injury is intimately associated with the expression of APOL1 risk variants.
Japan’s Grand Strategy for a Free and Open Indo-Pacific
Authors: Michishita Narushige
Published: February 2021

There are two major objectives in Japan’s grand strategy: to maintain the balance of power in the face of a rising China, and to bring about economic prosperity, peace, and stability in the Indo-Pacific region. To achieve these objectives, Japan is strengthening its defense capabilities, security ties with the United States, and security partnerships with the countries such as Australia, India, Southeast Asian nations, and South Korea; it also seeks to promote the rule of law, freedom of navigation, and free trade; enhance connectivity; and provide capacity-building assistance to regional partners. Japan’s vision of Free and Open Indo-Pacific has evolved over time. In 2018 the Japanese government desecuritized its FOIP concept in order to ease China’s concern and to make the policy more acceptable to China’s neighbors. It also stopped emphasizing the importance of “universal values” so that countries such as Vietnam and Myanmar could sign up for it. Those decisions indicate that Japan’s guiding principle is based more on realist calculations than liberal ideologies.
Musical Borrowings, Copyright, and the Canard of “Cultural Appropriation”
Authors: Manuel Peter
Published: February 2021

This essay reviews the basic contours of the cultural appropriation controversies as they have been waged in reference to music in both academic and vernacular circles. It discusses some of the debates that have involved white performers’ musical borrowings from African American culture, and also musical flows outside the Euro-American mainstream. It explores relations of these ethical polemics to notions of copyright and argues that the latter can provide a moral guide to the propriety of many cultural interactions. It further critiques the terminological and conceptual distortions and obfuscations that have tended to plague discussions, both on scholarly and popular levels. These problems are evident in the very notion of “cultural appropriation,” which can be seen to emerge as a confused attempt to reconcile the anxiety generated by hegemonic borrowings, on the one hand, with the inevitability and ultimate desirability of cultural flows on the other.
Key Issues in the Political Economy of the Gulf Cooperation Council States
Authors: Hanieh Adam
Published: February 2021

The six Gulf Cooperation Council monarchies—Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Qatar, and Oman—hold a distinctive position in the Middle East. Located on the strategically significant Arabian Peninsula, they rank among the most important producers of oil and gas in the world. This chapter examines some of the key political economy issues in the Gulf, including the role of the region’s hydrocarbon production within global oil markets, debates around the nature of state and class in the Gulf, and the Gulf’s growing political and economic influence on the wider Middle East. The possible implications of these dynamics for the Gulf’s future trajectories—and those of the wider Middle East—are surveyed.
The Social Life of Nonprofit and Third Sector in the Middle East
Authors: Challand Benoît
Published: February 2021

The chapter reconstructs the moments and turning points in which the themes of “not-for-profit” and “third sector” emerge as a basis for the creation of new institutions and new types of social research, both in the Western and Middle Eastern contexts. Such institutions are connected to the (re-)emergence of the theme of civil society in the 1990s in Middle Eastern studies and request a critical reappraisal since the blooming of these concepts was deeply connected to the spread of neoliberal ideology and practices. The chapter maps the various origins of civil society, some in Arab philosophy, and the recent trends in the use of these concepts in the Middle East as well as in academic and professional literature dedicated to the third sector. It shows how a rich internal debate around civil society has existed within the Middle East itself, disproving theories that civil society is only a “Western” concept or practice. The chapter finally argues that, like civil society, the third sector entails a zone of shadow and exclusions.
Youth Unemployment and Alienation in the Middle East
Authors: De Bel-Air Françoise
Published: February 2021

The chapter highlights the structural reasons behind the persistence of youth unemployment in the Mashreq and the Gulf Cooperation Council countries. Youth unemployment is a major focus of public policymaking in the region, especially since 2011. In a political demography approach, which uses labor and population statistics, the chapter questions, deconstructs, and re-politicizes the issue of youth unemployment. The demonstration questions the prominence of graduates’ unemployment. It also highlights the scale of inactivity, which compounds unemployment among youth, especially women. Youth unemployment incurs “waithood” and delayed adulthood and underscores youth’s political alienation from the social contract. The chapter concludes that the main obstacle to channeling young Arabs to sustainable employment is political by essence. It is structurally incompatible with the current clientelist, authoritarian systems ruling in the region. Policies currently enacted to alleviate youth unemployment address its political consequences (youth discontent), not its root causes.
Introduction to Incomplete Commodification and Its Creeping Counterpart
Authors: Ram Natalie , Hennette Vauchez Stéphanie
Published: February 2021

This chapter provides an overview of incomplete commodification and its creeping counterpart. The course of commodification of human tissues—including blood, sperm, and eggs—is both the same and opposite for the United States and Europe. The law on the ground in each system may be quite different, but the lived experiences of individuals providing these body products are becoming increasingly similar. Within both systems, compensation for human transplantable organs—and at least some tissues—is proscribed by law. Even where the law does not formally proscribe remuneration for body product providers, many continue to donate without payment. But monetary exchange also appears in both systems to some degree. In Europe, even though voluntary unpaid donation remains the norm, most systems allow forms of compensation. Moreover, the US prohibition on profit-seeking in body products is only partial. These similarities in policy and practices might appear commonsensical, yet they also reflect a remarkable convergence in international norms despite substantially different background assumptions and legal frameworks.
Land and Climate
Authors: Goebel McDermott Anthony
Published: February 2021

The purpose of this chapter is to develop an overall view of the relations between human societies and the natural world in Central America from the beginning of human settlement to our time. The main findings reveal how the Isthmus’s biophysical features deeply conditioned human material and cultural development by playing a decisive though inconspicuous role in shaping the human societies that once inhabited the region and do so in present times. As to the socioenvironmental transformations generated by human action on the ecosystems, it is argued that the Isthmus’s environmental history was marked by brakes and jerks due to its structural character of extractive and productive activities that witnessed important modernization processes. Furthermore, the modernizing imprint of more recently developed activities significantly affected ecological change and landscape transformation. It is believed that regional history can be thought of as a long, complex socioecological transition, whose corollary is the significant dilapidation of the greatest wealth this geographical space has boasted since the beginning of human settlement: its biological and cultural diversity.
Youth of the Global South and Why They Are Worth Studying
Authors: Cooper Adam , Swartz Sharlene , Ramphalile Molemo
Published: February 2021

While real place-based differences exist between groups of youth, the simple global North-South binary is problematic. This essay explores this paradox arguing that differences and the binary itself are the result of historical processes that are continually in flux. These histories-in-the-present are illuminated with descriptive statistics (wealth, violence, human development, inequality) that illustrate empirical differences between Southern and Northern youth. Unpacking the concept of Southern youth using Southern theory shows that material conditions in the Global South mean that many more Southern youth diverge from what is considered a normal transition into adulthood in industrialized nations in late modernity, with implications for the category or life-phase of ‘youth.’ The concepts of ‘precarity’ and the practice of ‘the hustle’ are then used to suggest how a Global South youth studies agenda might simultaneously center issues like livelihoods, struggle, and the formation of sociopolitical consciousness. Southern youth as maestros of the hustle simultaneously assert a form of being young that is not based on deficit or romanticism, is thoroughly modern, and which foreground material realities.
Social Network Interviewing as an Emancipatory Southern Methodological Innovation
Authors: Swartz Sharlene , Mahali-Bhengu Alude
Published: February 2021

This essay offers an example of a new methodology developed by Southern scholars in the Global South that takes seriously the aim of emancipation: research that attempts to include and benefit those who participate. Called Social Network Interviewing, the method draws on participatory action research as well as theories of social capitals in order to offer a scaffolded series of questions with which young people can engage with their networks about an issue of interest or concern for both. Drawing on three research studies in which it was used, the eight stages of Social Network Interviewing are described, which include selecting appropriate members of social networks to interview, formulating the topic for investigation, and developing questions collaboratively while aligning them to a conceptual framework. These questions include discussing current scripts and norms circulating within social networks, interrogating contexts for barriers and enablers of action, self-reflection and critique of current behaviors, differentiating between individual and collective action, developing strategies for social and systemic change, and enlarging supportive networks.
The Rise and Impact of Muslim Women Preaching Online
Authors: Nielsen Richard A.
Published: February 2021

Female Muslim preachers are on the rise online, including in some conservative Islamic traditions such as the Salafi movement. The prevailing wisdom is that religion is the key factor explaining the increase and impact of women’s preaching. In this view, religious ideas about gender segregation create a need for female preachers who preach about “women’s issues” to exclusively female audiences. This chapter argues instead for a social movement logic: female preachers help Islamic social movements reach new audiences of both women and men. In this view, religious ideas prohibiting gender mixing are not the cause of women’s preaching, but rather a normative constraint that female preachers circumvent by preaching online. Data from a large Islamic website show that female preachers are reaching mixed gender audiences and eliciting positive reactions, especially from men, supporting the social movement logic.
Integrity and Accountability in Australian Government and Politics
Authors: Nwokora Zim
Published: February 2021

The integrity and accountability research agenda in Australia has been primarily concerned with the problem of corruption in public life. This chapter provides an overview of this scholarship, including its central concepts and motivations, and develops the argument that the anti-corruption research agenda has been heavily influenced by public debates about corruption. Therefore, as the problem of corruption (and, just as importantly, the perceptions of this problem) has changed in form, so too has the focus of anti-corruption research. The chapter tracks the development of this literature against the backdrop of the practical history of corruption in Australia. The author argues that in recent years there has been a significant shift towards a more politicized and less bureaucratic understanding of corruption. This break from the past has serious implications for how corruption might be effectively confronted in the future.
Political Psychology and Experimentation
Authors: Martin Aaron
Published: February 2021

Political psychology has much to say about, for example, the role of emotion in shaping political attitudes and behaviours, intergroup conflict, and individual and group decision-making. This chapter defines what is meant by the term ‘political psychology’ and then traces the roots of political psychology in Australia, concentrating on the contributions of A. F. Davies and Graham Little. This chapter also highlights developments in political psychology, the most notable of which has been the rise in the use of experiments in the last few decades. The chapter concludes by outlining the growing field of behavioural insights—which draws heavily on political psychology—that has been taken up by government and other public organizations, and by pointing to the strengths and deficits in Australian political psychology.
Clinical Utility of TMS-EMG Measures
Authors: Chen Robert , Chen Kai-Hsiang Stanley
Published: February 2021

This chapter focuses on the utility of transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS) for clinical diagnosis and follow-up. We first introduce methods to measure corticospinal excitability, intracortical inhibitory and facilitatory circuits and cortico-cortical connections. We then discuss the use of TMS in several neurological disorders. Central motor conduction time (CMCT) can be used to detect myelopathy and to localize the lesions, while the triple stimulation technique has higher sensitivity. CMCT can also detect upper motor neuron involvement in amyotrophic lateral sclerosis and multiple sclerosis. The ipsilateral silent period and CMCT are helpful for differentiating atypical parkinsonism from Parkinson’s disease. Distinct patterns of cortical excitability findings can be obtained from different genetic forms of hereditary spinocerebellar ataxia. Reduction of short afferent inhibition (SAI) in Alzheimer disease and reduction of short-interval intracortical inhibition (SICI) in fronto-temporal dementia can be reliable indicators to differentiate these two diseases. Patients with diffuse Lewy body dementia and hallucination also have reduced SAI. The results of motor evoked potential measurements in the early stage of stroke are predictive of the long-term motor outcome. SICI, CMCT, and rest motor threshold are useful measurements to monitor extent of clinical disability. We conclude that TMS has clinical diagnostic utility in a broad range of neurological diseases.
Constitution Making
Authors: van Lier Felix-Anselm , Seidel Katrin
Published: February 2021

Be it in established democracies or in countries emerging from violent political conflict, constitution-making processes have become a key activity in moments of profound political and social change. Over the last three decades, the field of constitution making has witnessed an explosion of academic research from a variety of disciplines. This chapter sketches recent developments in the field, both in academia and in practice, and offers an overview of the conceptual and methodological approaches that have informed the study of such processes so far. The aim of the chapter is to introduce the reader to nascent anthropological research on constitution making and to explore how anthropological methods and theory can serve to address existing knowledge gaps and complement, nuance, and perhaps challenge existing approaches to constitution making.
The Overstretched Economy
Authors: Hesse Jan-Otmar , Marx Christian
Published: February 2021

The chapter starts from the assumption that the Weimar economy was subject both to several extraordinary strains and new societal claims that were difficult to reconcile. Thus, the economic history of the Weimar Republic can be described as a continuous compromise. Many social political goals could be achieved and wishes of the consumer society fulfilled, even under difficult conditions: a profound redistribution of income and wealth, an expansion of the welfare state, and the rudimentary beginnings of mass consumption. Nonetheless, economic development also remained fragile during the so-called ‘Golden Twenties’. Building upon the widespread assessment among economic historians of a ‘structurally sick economy of the Weimar Republic’, this chapter addresses several areas under which the economy’s strengths and weaknesses are investigated. This includes the fraught consequences of war, such as the reparation claims, as well as the loss of territories and the reintegration of German companies into a changed global economy. For the majority of the German people, opportunities for consumption improved only gradually—despite the economic and social successes of the Weimar economy. While the standard of living in 1920s Germany was lower than in other European industrial societies, the (old) industry swiftly regained its former strength by forming cartels and big corporations and by influencing the press. Key reasons for Germany’s economy tumbling into the Great Depression in the late 1920s were the low equity ratio of the banking sector and a growing foreign debt.
The Impact of Childhood Obesity on Joint Alignment: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Molina-Garcia Pablo , Miranda-Aparicio Damian , Ubago-Guisado Esther , Alvarez-Bueno Celia , Vanrenterghem Jos , Ortega Francisco B
Published: February 2021

Objective

It has been suggested that overweight/obesity (OW/OB) impairs the normal alignment of children and adolescents’ musculoskeletal system. However, to date, no study has systematically reviewed or quantified the effect of OW/OB on the development of joint malalignments in children and adolescents. The purpose of this study was to systematically review the association between OW/OB and joint alignment in children and adolescents and to quantify the evidence on whether children and adolescents with OW/OB have a higher risk of developing joint malalignments than their peers of normal weight.

Methods

PubMed and Web of Science databases were systematically searched from inception to March 9, 2020. Studies investigating the association between OW/OB and joint alignment in children and adolescents were selected. Nonoriginal articles, participants with movement pattern diseases, and adolescents studied while pregnant were excluded. Two independent reviewers conducted the study selection and data extraction. Qualitative synthesis of evidence and random effect meta-analyses (risk ratio [RR]) were performed.

Results

Seventy-three studies (5 longitudinal and 68 cross-sectional) met the inclusion criteria involving 1,757,107 children and adolescents. There was consistent evidence supporting associations of OW/OB with rounded shoulder, lumbar hyperlordosis, genu valgum, and flatfoot. Our meta-analysis showed that children and adolescents with OW/OB had a significantly higher risk of lumbar hyperlordosis (RR = 1.41), genu valgum (RR = 5.92), flatfoot (RR = 1.49), and any joint malalignment (RR = 1.68) when compared with their peers of normal weight. The presence of genu valgum and flatfoot were the most robust results.

Conclusion

Based on these findings, OW/OB is associated with the presence of joint malalignments in children and adolescents.

Impact

This is the first study that has systematically reviewed the effect of OW/OB on the development of joint malalignments in children and adolescents.
Hope as fundamental human response to loss and grief experiences in the time of COVID-19
Authors: Gopez Jose Ma W
Published: February 2021

The COVID-19 pandemic has forced changes in almost every aspect of human life, including the process of grieving. Due to strict safety measures, the grieving experience of the bereaved becomes more overwhelming and challenging. In this testing time, Gabriel Marcel’s ideas on hope can be a fundamental response to loss and grief. In situations wherein despair is experienced, responding with hope can help us cope with the complicated process of grieving.