Review of Empty Spaces by Jordan Abel

A book review of Jordan Abel\u27s Empty Spaces

Veterinary student competence in equine lameness recognition and assessment: a mixed methods study

The development of perceptual skills is an important aspect of veterinary education. The authors investigated veterinary student competency in lameness evaluation at two stages, before (third year) and during (fourth/fifth year) clinical rotations. Students evaluated horses in videos, where horses were presented during trot on a straight line and in circles. Eye-tracking data were recorded during assessment on the straight line to follow student gaze. On completing the task, students filled in a structured questionnaire. Results showed that the experienced students outperformed inexperienced students, although even experienced students may classify one in four horses incorrectly. Mistakes largely arose from classifying an incorrect limb as lame. The correct detection of sound horses was at chance level. While the experienced student cohort primarily looked at upper body movement (head and sacrum) during lameness assessment, the inexperienced cohort focused on limb movement. Student self-assessment of performance was realistic, and task difficulty was most commonly rated between 3 and 4 out of 5. The inexperienced students named a considerably greater number of visual lameness features than the experienced students. Future dedicated training based on the findings presented here may help students to develop more reliable lameness assessment skills

Corporate social responsibility as cultural meaning management: a critique of the marketing of ‘ethical’ bottled water

To date, the primary focus of research in the field of corporate social responsibility (CSR) has been on the strategic implications of CSR for corporations and less on an evaluation of CSR from a wider political, economic and social perspective. In this paper, we aim to address this gap by critically engaging with marketing campaigns of so-called ‘ethical’ bottled water. We especially focus on a major CSR strategy of a range of different companies that promise to provide drinking water for (what they name as) ‘poor African people’ by way of Western consumers purchasing bottled water. Following Fairclough's approach, we unfold a three-step critical discourse analysis of the marketing campaigns of 10 such ‘ethical’ brands. Our results show that bottled water companies try to influence consumers' tastes through the management of the cultural meaning of bottled water, producing a more ‘ethical’ and ‘socially responsible’ perception of their products/brands. Theoretically, we base our analysis on McCracken's model of the cultural meaning of consumer goods, which, we argue, offers a critical perspective of the recent emergence of CSR and business ethics initiatives. We discuss how these marketing campaigns can be framed as historical struggles associated with neo-liberal ideology and hegemony. Our analysis demonstrates how such CSR strategies are part of a general process of the reproduction of capitalist modes of accumulation and legitimation through the usage of cultural categories

Long term effects of management intensity and bioclimatic variables on leatherjacket (Tipula paludosa Meigen) populations at farm-scale.

Leatherjackets (Tipula spp.) are soil-dwelling pests associated with agriculture. Land management decisions made at farm scale can have subsequent effects on their populations. Between 1980 and 2020, surveys were conducted across Scotland to collect field histories and larval population data from grassland farms. To assess the impact of management and bioclimatic factors on leatherjacket occurrence over time, this study investigated data from fields continuously sampled between 2009 and 2018. We utilized a Generalized Linear Mixed-Effect Model on a dataset of 61 fields on 19 farms. Results indicated three significant factors affecting larval populations; field size, grazing type and application of insecticides or herbicides (referred to collectively as pesticides). Larval populations were significantly lower in fields that were larger in size and under sheep grazing, compared to no grazing. Pesticide application also caused a significant reduction in larval populations. Management variables were amalgamated to create a Management Intensity Index, revealing significantly increased larval populations under low-management systems. These results, coupled with significant effects of bioclimatic variables, pinpoint predictive signals for high infestations and potential routes for control strategies

Long‐term effects of management intensity and bioclimatic variables on leatherjacket ( Tipula paludosa Meigen) populations at farm scale

Leatherjackets (Tipula spp.) are soil‐dwelling pests associated with agriculture. Land management decisions made at farm scale can have subsequent effects on their populations. Between 1980 and 2020, surveys were conducted across Scotland to collect field histories and larval population data from grassland farms. To assess the impact of management and bioclimatic factors on leatherjacket occurrence over time, this study investigated data from fields continuously sampled between 2009 and 2018. We utilized a Generalized Linear Mixed‐Effect Model on a dataset of 61 fields on 19 farms. Results indicated three significant factors affecting larval populations; field size, grazing type and application of insecticides or herbicides (referred to collectively as pesticides). Larval populations were significantly lower in fields that were larger in size and under sheep grazing, compared to no grazing. Pesticide application also caused a significant reduction in larval populations. Management variables were amalgamated to create a Management Intensity Index, revealing significantly increased larval populations under low‐management systems. These results, coupled with significant effects of bioclimatic variables, pinpoint predictive signals for high infestations and potential routes for control strategies

The predictive performance of commodity futures risk factors

This paper investigates the time-series predictability of commodity futures excess returns from factor models that exploit two risk factors – the equally weighted average excess return on long positions in a universe of futures contracts and the return difference between the high- and low-basis portfolios. Adopting a standard set of statistical evaluation metrics, we find weak evidence that the factor models provide out-of-sample forecasts of monthly excess returns significantly better than the benchmark of random walk with drift model. We also show, in a dynamic asset allocation environment, that the information contained in the commodity-based risk factors does not generate systematic economic value to risk-averse investors pursuing a commodity stand-alone strategy or a diversification strategy

Coevolution of male and female genital morphology in Waterfowl

Most birds have simple genitalia; males lack external genitalia and females have simple vaginas. However, male waterfowl have a phallus whose length (1.5–>40 cm) and morphological elaborations vary among species and are positively correlated with the frequency of forced extra-pair copulations among waterfowl species. Here we report morphological complexity in female genital morphology in waterfowl and describe variation vaginal morphology that is unprecedented in birds. This variation comprises two anatomical novelties: (i) dead end sacs, and (ii) clockwise coils. These vaginal structures appear to function to exclude the intromission of the counter-clockwise spiralling male phallus without female cooperation. A phylogenetically controlled comparative analysis of 16 waterfowl species shows that the degree of vaginal elaboration is positively correlated with phallus length, demonstrating that female morphological complexity has co-evolved with male phallus length. Intersexual selection is most likely responsible for the observed coevolution, although identifying the specific mechanism is difficult. Our results suggest that females have evolved a cryptic anatomical mechanism of choice in response to forced extra-pair copulations.Funding was provided by an NSF post-doctoral research fellowship to P. Brennan. (NSF

Equity Premium Predictions with Adaptive Macro Indexes

Fundamental economic conditions are crucial determinants of equity premia. However, commonly used predictors do not adequately capture the changing nature of economic conditions and hence have limited power in forecasting equity returns. To address the inadequacy, this paper constructs macro indexes from large data sets and adaptively chooses optimal indexes to predict stock returns. I find that adaptive macro indexes explain a substantial fraction of the short-term variation in future stock returns and have more forecasting power than both the historical average of stock returns and commonly used predictors. The forecasting power exhibits a strong cyclical pattern, implying the ability of adaptive macro indexes to capture time-varying economic conditions. This finding highlights the importance of using dynamically measured economic conditions to investigate empirical linkages between the equity premium and macroeconomic fundamentals

Controversies concerning the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder in children

This commentary grows out of an interdisciplinary workshop focused on controversies surrounding the diagnosis and treatment of bipolar disorder (BP) in children. Although debate about the occurrence and frequency of BP in children is more than 50 years old, it increased in the mid 1990s when researchers adapted the DSM account of bipolar symptoms to diagnose children. We offer a brief history of the debate from the mid 90s through the present, ending with current efforts to distinguish between a small number of children whose behaviors closely fit DSM criteria for BP, and a significantly larger number of children who have been receiving a BP diagnosis but whose behaviors do not closely fit those criteria. We agree with one emerging approach, which gives part or all of that larger number of children a new diagnosis called Severe Mood Dysregulation or Temper Dysregulation Disorder with Dysphoria

Examining the immunoepigenetic-gut microbiome axis in the context of self-esteem among Native Hawaiians and other Pacific Islanders

Introduction: Native Hawaiian and other Pacific Islander (NHPI) populations experience higher rates of immunometabolic diseases compared to other racial-ethnic groups in Hawaii. As annual NHPI mortality rates for suicide and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) exceed those of the state as a whole, understanding the social and biological mechanisms underlying these disparities are urgently needed to enable preventive strategies.Methods: A community-based approach was used to investigate the immunoepigenetic-gut microbiome axis in an NHPI-enriched cohort of Oahu residents (N = 68). Self-esteem (SE) data was collected using a modified Rosenberg self-esteem (SE) assessment as a proxy measure for mental wellbeing in consideration for cultural competency. T2DM status was evaluated using point-of-care A1c (%) tests. Stool samples were collected for 16s-based metagenomic sequencing analyses. Plasma from blood samples were isolated by density-gradient centrifugation. Peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) were collected from the same samples and enriched for monocytes using negative selection techniques. Flow-cytometry was used for immunoprofiling assays. Monocyte DNA was extracted for Illumina EPIC array-based methylation analysis.Results: Compared to individuals with normal SE (NSE), those with low SE (LSE) exhibited significantly higher plasma concentrations (pg/ml) of proinflammatory cytokines IL-8 (p = 0.051) and TNF-α (p = 0.011). Metagenomic analysis revealed that the relative abundance (%) of specific gut bacteria significantly differed between SE groups - some of which directly correlated with SE scores. Gene ontology analysis revealed that 104 significantly differentially methylated loci (DML) between SE groups were preferentially located at genes involved in immunometabolic processes. Horvath clock analyses indicated epigenetic age (Epi-Age) deceleration in individuals with LSE and acceleration in individuals with NSE (p = 0.042), yet was not reproduced by other clocks.Discussion: These data reveal novel differences in the immunoepigenetic-gut microbiome axis with respect to SE, warranting further investigation into its relationship to brain activity and mental health in NHPI. Unexpected results from Epi-Age analyses warrant further investigation into the relationship between biological age and disparate health outcomes among the NHPI population. The modifiable component of epigenetic processes and the gut microbiome makes this axis an attractive target for potential therapeutics, biomarker discovery, and novel prevention strategies