Early 1990s Research Articles

Increased use of mud bottom by juvenile American Lobsters (Homarus americanus) in Maces Bay and Seal Cove, Bay of Fundy, after 3 decades of population increases and predator declines

In the Bay of Fundy, American lobster (Homarus americanus) abundance has soared since the early 1990s, and predators have declined, either of which could have caused juvenile lobster populations in preferred hard-bottom habitat to expand onto less-protective mud bottom. To investigate whether juvenile lobsters have increased use of mud bottom, we used SCUBA surveys (1989-2021) in Maces Bay and Seal Cove, in the Bay of Fundy. Whereas the 1990s surveys found no juveniles on mud at either site (though they were present on hard bottom), in subsequent decades, juveniles inhabited mud burrows at densities of 0.00039 m-2 to 0.0081 m-2. In Maces Bay, mud occupancy occurred after juvenile density increases on hard bottom, but evidence was mixed as to whether increased competition within hard-bottom habitat drove this change. Concurrent cod, haddock, hake, and wolffish declines suggest reduced predation also increased occupancy and survival on mud. Although it supports low juvenile densities, mud habitat may contribute to recruitment given its prevalence, particularly as warming seas allow lobster recruitment into cooler, deeper water over mud bottom.

CIRSE Standards of Practice on Transjugular Intrahepatic Portosystemic Shunts.

Proposed in the early 1980s as a solution for managing complications of portal hypertension, the percutaneous creation of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt has consistently gained a central role. Increasingly lower complication rates have been observed thanks to improvements in both technologies and the skills of interventional radiologists. This document is aimed at interventional radiologists and provides best practice recommendations for transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt creation, describing patient selection, intraprocedural management and follow-up, in addition to recommendations in paediatric settings. The CIRSE Standards of Practice Committee established a writing group consisting of seven European clinicians with recognised expertise in the creation of transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt. The writing group reviewed the existing literature performing a pragmatic evidence search using PubMed to select relevant publications in the English language and involving human subjects, preferably published from 2009 to 2024. The final recommendations were developed by consensus. TIPS creation has an established role in the successful management of portal hypertension and its complications. This Standards of Practice document provides up-to-date recommendations for patient selection, materials, its safe performance, and follow-up with complications management.

Fractional change of scattering and absorbing aerosols contributes to Northern Hemisphere Hadley circulation expansion.

The relative amount of scattering and absorbing aerosols is essential in determining the aerosol radiative and climate effects. Using reanalysis datasets and climate simulations, here, we show that changes in the relative amount of scattering and absorbing aerosols in the Northern Hemisphere (NH) high latitudes, manifested as long-term decreasing trends in aerosol single-scattering albedo (SSA), have played an important role in driving the widening and weakening trends of the NH Hadley circulation (HC) since the early 1980s. Decreasing SSA in the NH middle and high latitudes can notably warm the troposphere there, thus reducing the equator-to-pole temperature gradient, increasing static stability in mid-latitude regions, and leading to the widening and weakening trends of NH HC. Further analysis of the Coupled Model Intercomparison Project Phase 6 (CMIP6) aerosol forcing-only simulations also supports the importance of SSA trends in perturbing NH HC through the above mechanism.

The politics of pretrial detention: Mapping the development of Swedish remand policy

Since the early 1990s, Sweden has received severe criticism from international human rights monitoring bodies for their pretrial detention regimes. Contrary to its acknowledged humane prison conditions, the majority of individuals held on remand are confined in conditions that resemble solitary confinement. While all Nordic countries have received similar criticism, Sweden has been argued to have done the least to change their remand practices. This article provides an in-depth analysis of the development and political processes that has shaped Swedish remand policy since the establishment of the 1948 Swedish Code of Judicial Procedure and the 1958 Act on Detention. The article shows that despite political concerns of the harms and infringements that the remand practices entail, the outcomes of reforms have been limited: due to administrative burdens, legal constraints, and increased punitive demands. The article elucidates the actors and conflicting agendas involved in shaping remand policy—of penal, political, humanitarian, administrative and legal nature—that are unattainable in structural analyses, and have application beyond the Swedish context and future in-depth examinations of developments in remand policy.

Physician Burnout: The Making of a Crisis.

This essay places contemporary efforts to understand and respond to the crisis of physician burnout in historical perspective, proposing that the origins of such efforts lie in nineteenth century concerns over "nervous exhaustion," well before the term "physician burnout" was coined by social scientists in the early 1970s. Only very recently, however, have physician-scholars started to bring more sophisticated tools to bear in conceptualizing the problem, moving from a "systems approach" to the most recent efforts to frame the issue as a problem of corporate culture. The essay proposes that these different approaches to physician burnout illustrate the changing self-images of the medical profession over the last century and a half. Because such self-images are embedded in normative assumptions, contextualizing physician burnout in these terms reveals the crisis to be as much social and political as professional.

Complete genome sequence of a nitrogen-fixing bacterium, Klebsiella pasteurii (formerly Klebsiella oxytoca) NG13, a rice rhizosphere isolate.

Klebsiella oxytoca NG13 was isolated from the rice rhizosphere in the early 1980s, and its nitrogen-fixing ability has been investigated. For the further advanced research, we sequenced its genome. NG13 contains one chromosome of 5,897,538 bp and no plasmid. NG13 should be classified to Klebsiella pasteurii based on ANI.

Local ecological knowledge reveals an undocumented population of Reeves’ butterfly lizard (Leiolepis reevesii) in Zhuhai, China

Though widespread and categorized as least concern by the IUCN Red List, Reeves’s butterfly lizard (Leiolepis reevesii) is considered critically endangered in China. Up-to-date data are warranted to inform future assessments and conservation measures. Through local ecological knowledge surveys and corroborated by field surveys, we discovered an undocumented L. reevesii population on Qi’ao Island of Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province, China. This discovery is the first record of the species in the Pearl River Delta since the early 2010s and represents the only remaining population from the vicinity of its type locality. It was reported to be very rare on the island now and has been extirpated from most of its previous range due to overharvesting, habitat loss and degradation. Our findings also raised concerns about the erosion of local ecological knowledge among local communities. Urgent conservation action and education campaigns are required to prevent further declines and raise awareness of this important and threatened population.

A new clinical entity bridging the cardiovascular system and the kidney: The Chronic Cardiovascular-Kidney Disorder.

Background The complex relationship between heart and kidney dysfunction has been a subject of medical inquiry since the 19th century. The term "cardio-renal syndrome" (CRS) was introduced in the early 2000s and has since become a focal point of research. CRS is typically categorized into five subtypes based on the sequence of cardiovascular and kidney disease events. Summary The Cardiovascular-Kidney-Metabolic (CKM) syndrome, as defined by the American Heart Association (AHA), describes a set of interrelated metabolic risk factors and their effects on the kidneys and cardiovascular system. This syndrome emphasizes the complexity of managing patients with combined conditions and identifies several knowledge gaps, including disease mechanisms, clinical phenotype variability, and the impact of social determinants of health. The Chronic Cardiovascular-Kidney Disorder (CCKD) framework proposes a shift from the term "syndrome" to "disorder," focusing on concurrent cardiovascular and kidney problems regardless of their sequence. Key messages • The CCKD concept calls for simplification and conceptual clarity, arguing that understanding the bidirectional acceleration of disease progression between heart and kidney dysfunction can lead to more effective treatment strategies. • Both CKM and CCKD share common pathophysiological mechanisms and risk factors, including hypertension, diabetes, obesity, and dyslipidemia. Managing these conditions requires a comprehensive approach that addresses the underlying risk factors and pathophysiological mechanisms. • Future directions include embracing precision medicine, public health strategies, interdisciplinary care models, and ongoing research and innovation. Both frameworks underscore the need for comprehensive, interdisciplinary care models and innovative treatment strategies to address the complex interplay between cardiovascular and kidney diseases.

Need for belonging: Exploring subcultural identity in the Chinese Lolita online community

This study explores the evolution of the Chinese Lolita fashion online communities. The inception of Lolita fashion in China began in the early 2000s and Lolita dressing culture has gained popularity with the development of digital media. We draw on 53 qualitative interviews, alongside ethnographic research, to understand Lolita participants’ perception of Lolita dressing culture and their experience with the Lolita online communities. We critique existing studies that classify Lolita dressing practice as a fashion or popular culture, and we argue that Chinese Lolita participants identify Lolita fashion participation as a subculture, with evidence of community building and identity construction involving rebellion against mainstream culture. This inquiry into the dynamics of digitally mediated communities formed by dedicated Lolita participants uncovers the evolution of Lolita online communities which exhibit a three-type typology: cohesive community, loose community and deconstructed community. We further critique the existing definitions and understanding of online communities. We argue that components such as a sense of belonging, alongside clear boundaries and rules, should still be integral to the definition of online communities. Lolita participants persistently desire a cohesive online community to attain a sense of belonging and to exhibit their subcultural identity.

Emerging Long-Term Risks of the Use of Proton Pump Inhibitors and Potassium-Competitive Acid Blockers.

Acid-related disorders represent a significant global health burden. Pharmacological treatment of these conditions has at times been challenged and limited by incomplete effectiveness, antibiotic resistance, adverse medication effects and/or interactions, and disease recurrence. Since the early 1990s, the mainstay of treatment has been proton pump inhibitors (PPIs). Recently, the US Food and Drug Administration issued a clearance for vonoprazan, a potassium-competitive acid blocker (PCAB). PCABs are a new class of acid-suppressing agents that may overcome some of these challenges. The aim of this review is to evaluate and compare the emerging long-term risks of PPI and PCAB therapies.

Optimising school leadership development for 21st-century learning: An in-depth analysis of South African private secondary schools in KwaZulu-Natal

There have been significant and rapid improvements in information and communication technology (ICT) since the early 1990s. Subsequent global changes have increased with the onset of the Fourth Industrial Revolution and have dictated pedagogical transformation. Many countries have moved from traditional approaches of education to 21st-century Learning (21CL). 21CL is ICT-aligned, inquiry-based, and includes the development of affective abilities. School leadership influences all structures and individuals directly in a school. It has the potential to be one of the cornerstones of the paradigm shift to 21CL. I investigated how school leadership is developed to facilitate 21CL and how it can be improved. I required quantitative and qualitative data to achieve the research objectives. Therefore, I adopted a mixed methods research approach that is underpinned by the positivist and interpretivist paradigms. I used a case study design. The data collection methods I employed were questionnaires, semi-structured interviews, and focus group interviews. Phase one of the research involved the quantitative data collection from twenty-five schools, of which five schools were purposely sampled for the second qualitative phase. The use of transformational leadership, strategic leadership, system leadership, and ecological leadership in enacting 21CL featured prominently in the reviewed literature. However, the research findings show that, largely, these four leadership theories were not incorporated in leadership development in South Africa. The results also show that school leadership development specifically designed for 21CL, was limited. The leadership training that is available focused more on administrative tasks instead of on leadership theories and skills to facilitate 21CL. I recommend that further research be conducted in both private and public schools in other South African provinces.

Ecofeminism: Resistance to Ecological and Female Oppression

Eco-feminism is a movement and an ideology against the oppression of nature and females. It shows a link between nature and females that are exploited and oppressed by males in the world. It discovers that the position of the nature and women is similar and both are treated as submissive and subservient subjects. It is related to masculine domination in the society. Historically, it appeared as a great political movement in the late 1970s and early 1980s in the west. It was Francoise d'Eaubonne who first developed the term ecological feminism in 1972 discussing that the destruction of the planet is due to the profit motive of the males. Since both nature and female are violated and suppressed by patriarchal or male superiority ideology, ecofeminism as a movement appears powerful to resist the oppression of both nature and female. The principal objective of the research is to explore how ecofeminism acts a defense for preserving the rights of both women and nature. Hence, this paper explores how ecofeminism as a movement and ideology defends the rights of women and nature that should be preserved for the preservation of ecology and human rights on the earth. According to Greta Gaard, eco-feminism provides a theoretical bridge for women working in the related movements of environmentalism, animal liberation and feminism. Linking both rights of nature and women, it includes the voices of trees, animals and women and fights for the liberation of them resisting any force against the exploitation and oppression of both nature and women. Therefore, becoming aware of Gaard’s views on ecofemenism, her theory of ecofeminism can be applied as a major theoretical lens for the broad theoretical framework. The major finding of the paper is that ecofeminism as a theory or movement or ideology is needed to fight to resist the oppression of women and nature globally to maintain ecology rights of women.

Facial Gold Reinforcement: 28 Years of Experience in the Use of Gold Threads

Introduction: Gold threads became widely used in esthetic surgery in the early 1990s. Produced in Spain, these threads consisted of a gold thread (5/0) with a diameter of 0.1 mm, composed of 99.99% pure gold, which was combined with a polyglycolic thread. Since then, discussions about their effectiveness have continued, which is the focus of our study. Patients and Methods: Gold thread implantation was performed on 11,062 patients in four clinics in Moscow over the course of 28 years. This study used a comparative analysis of photo collages created for the visual representation of data and changes before and after the procedure, as well as patient satisfaction assessments using the Patient Satisfaction Scale (PSS). We examined the results of 492 patients who underwent gold thread implantation in the face between 1996 and 2024. Of these patients, 86% were women aged 30 to 60 years, 11% were women aged 20 to 30 years, and 3% were men aged 25 to 60 years. Results: One year after thread implantation, the PSS assessment showed a 91% success rate with minimal complications. Patient satisfaction was high, with an average score of 4.8 out of 5 after one month, 4.7 after six months, and 4.6 after one-year post-procedure. Discussion: Gold thread implantation is a minimally invasive procedure that has demonstrated a high level of safety, making it an effective option for facial rejuvenation. Histological studies have shown that gold threads stimulate the production of collagen and elastin and activate angiogenesis, thereby improving skin nourishment and hydration, as well as enhancing the skin tone, elasticity, and turgor. To improve the qualitative characteristics of the skin, it is necessary to work in the subcutaneous layer. Conclusions: Gold thread implantation strengthens the connective tissue framework at the implantation site, thus improving skin nourishment and hydration. Gold threads provide a long-term rejuvenating effect, slowing the ptosis of the soft tissue of the face and neck. Gold thread implantation does not interfere with tissue dissection during surgical interventions or the performance of any cosmetic procedures, including hardware-based treatments.

Spatial governmentality and the rhetoric of scarce resources: ‘Scientific and reasonable’ points systems in Shenzhen (China)

Since the early 2010s, all Chinese megacities have adopted points systems that allow ordinary people to apply for urban citizenship (hukou) in the city where they live. Although intended for applicants other than ‘talents’, points systems are highly selective. They are used to adjust urban population growth to economic development and to available resources. Based on research in Shenzhen, and combining Foucault and Gramsci, this article makes three arguments: first, points systems intensify the hukou system’s spatial governmentality, in that they set up a competition for scarce resources that shapes self-governing urban citizens; second, they are justified in ways that seek to produce consent, by giving them uncontestable grounding in science; and third, the gap between their proclaimed benefits and their actual, complex workings gives rise to critique, and even class-based critique.

Research on the Script of Huazhou “Tiaohuapeng"

The Huazhou Folk Dance "Tiaohuapeng" in Guangdong is a national intangible cultural heritage. During the Cultural Revolution, all the masks, costumes, props, and written materials for the performances were destroyed. Only a hand-copied script was preserved. This script was copied in the early 1950s by the artists based on the script from the Qing Dynasty and is a precious historical relic. This article analyzes and studies the origin, the characteristics of the script itself, and its cultural value.

Waves of Islamic Radicalism

Islamic radicalism has become a constant disturbing issue in world politics. Since the early 1980s, the dormant madness of Islamic radicalism has exploded in vicious waves of terrorist attacks around the world. Previous studies, though they contributed enormously to understanding this issue, fell short in analyzing the process that led to the dominance of Islamic radicalism and the damping of Islamic moderateness. This article (a) models the rise and fall of Islamic radical/ moderate waves utilizing Fourier series and the damping notion of waves (2) Identify and test empirically the factors that advance/hamper radicalism using time-series and panel data from 1980 to 2015 across six Islamic countries: Algeria, Bangladesh, Egypt, Jordan, Morocco, and Turkey.

Foreign Finance, FDI-Climate Interaction and Economic Development in Ethiopia: A Time Series Analysis

Developing countries such as Ethiopia, over the years particularly after the cold war, starting from early 1990s have adopted neoliberal policies through reforms to attract foreign finance for development needs in view of inadequacy of domestic capital for public and private investment. However, despite the inflow of foreign capital into the economy, it is still grappling with major development challenges. It is in view of this that this study examines the impact of foreign finance on the economy, and whether FDI-climate interaction limits the potential impact of foreign direct investment (FDI) as an important component of foreign capital, on economic development in Ethiopia. The study further reveals the implications of post-cold war adoption of market-oriented policies in Ethiopia. The study uses autoregressive distributed lag (ARDL) model with data spanning from 1981 to 2020. It is found that FDI has positive and significant impact on economic development in the long run, but the positive effect is revealed to be insignificant in the short run. On the other hand, foreign debt is revealed to have long term negative though insignificant impact on economic development of the country. Furthermore, it is revealed that FDI-climate interaction has negative implication on the economy in both the long run and short run. Therefore, the effectiveness and efficiency of foreign finance on growth and development outcome in Ethiopia is conditional on whether it produces long run sustainable environmental outcome. Also, the adoption of neoliberal policies has not resulted in development of Ethiopia. Hence, the study recommends among others, the need for consideration of absorptive capacity of the country as a recipient economy and in its reforms, as well as the need for the government and development partners to ensure assessment of the long run potential environmental impact of foreign capital before they are deployed on the economy.

Mapping Anti-Refugee Attitude Networks in the Classroom: Examining the Relationship Between Migrant Children’s Attitude Alignment and National Identification

ABSTRACT Irish schools have been rapidly diversifying since the early 2000s. As increased diversity often leads to increased prejudicial attitudes, children with migration backgrounds may struggle to gain acceptance and a sense of belonging as Irish. There are several strategies migrant children may take in response to prejudicial attitudes they perceive in their classroom, including adopting prejudicial attitudes toward other migrant groups – such as refugees – to align with the majority, or distancing themselves from the negative attitudes of the majority at the expense of national identification. We examine these strategies using a novel network method which identifies the positions of each child in relation to others in their classroom based on their attitude similarity. The study uses data from 54 primary school classes (N = 969 children). We find that migrant children were not identifiable by distinct patterns of anti-refugee attitudes compared to those of Irish national children. National identification was not related to the alignment of attitudes to Irish peers. Alignment of attitudes toward one’s classmates, however, was associated with higher identification with the class, for both migrant and non-migrant children. These findings highlight the class context as a relevant environment in which attitudes and identity are jointly navigated.

Exploring the Mechanisms of the Development of Social Welfare Policies for Vulnerable Children in China—A Multicase Study

ABSTRACTWith China's shift from its planned economy to a market economy in the early 1980s, followed by the tremendous socioeconomic changes in the 1990s and beyond that were initiated by the reform and opening‐up, vulnerable children have emerged as a growing population. In response to the rising needs of those vulnerable children, the Chinese government has developed a series of social welfare policies (SWPs). However, few studies have examined the policymaking processes and the mechanisms for forming and changing China's SWPs for vulnerable children. Therefore, to bridge that research gap we have focused in this study on the agenda‐setting of SWPs for vulnerable children in China. We selected the Multiple Streams Framework (MSF) as our conceptual framework, and we used the process‐tracing approach to analyse the mechanisms of China's SWP development for vulnerable children. Using a multicase study, we found that a specific ‘focusing event’ formed a problem stream in each case. Then, helped by the media and the Internet, those focusing events triggered the national mood and shaped public opinion, which in turn formed a politics stream. Feeling growing pressure from the public, political leaders assigned tasks via written instructions intended to solve the problems and ensure that local governments act immediately. Hence, written instructions became a policy stream, and political leaders were the policy entrepreneurs. This article contributes to the theory by examining the MSF with China's cases and then modifying the framework with Chinese characteristics.

A double nightmare of racist violence in bande dessinée and film: Cauchemar Blanc (Moebius, 1974 and Kassovitz, 1991)

The following article offers a comparative, contextualized analysis of two versions of Cauchemar Blanc: its initial iteration as a bande dessinée published in 1974 by Moebius and its cinematic adaptation in 1991 by Mathieu Kassovitz. By analyzing the aesthetic and discursive strategies used, the study demonstrates how the authors use visual media to expose the pervasiveness of racism in France. Though Kassovitz remains faithful to the original, his adaptation intensifies Moebius's critique of French attitudes toward immigration and the ethnic diversification of society through the addition of humor, which functions as a call for collective action and sociopolitical reform. A comparative analysis of the film and comic within their historical contexts reveals the aesthetic and political nuances of transitioning between mediums and highlights evolving discursive strategies used by Left-leaning artists between the mid-1970s and early 1990s, emphasizing the persistence of racism in France despite institutional efforts against it.