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Abstract This paper examines the ethical considerations surrounding intellectual freedom and social responsibility in public libraries (i.e., municipal and public school libraries) in the post-truth era. While libraries serve a crucial role in fostering an informed democracy, recent events have put public libraries, and front-line librarians themselves, in the “hot seat.” This paper examines the implications of recent campaigns for book bans, considerations around public libraries purchasing harmful and anti-science information, as well as political efforts to restrict the types of information public librarians are able to share with the public. Public librarians are professionally trained to value the role libraries serve as an information institution in a democracy; however, we argue that the contemporary ethical dilemmas public librarians face inflicts moral injury and may actively harm the identity central to public librarians’ motivation to serve their communities. The paper concludes with a sobering discussion of how these ethical dilemmas in public libraries might serve as a cautionary tale for bureaucrats working on the front-lines of public service in the post-truth era. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A pair of anti-segregation marches held in Georgia in 1987 provides an opportunity for historical analysis of the role of race in mainstream news coverage of social protest. These protests were somewhat unique in that both anti-segregation marchers and counter-protesters – including KKK members – were on hand for both marches. Analysis of newspaper articles shows that coverage tended to give more space to White counter-protesters than Black protesters, did little to discuss the reasons behind the marches, and cast the primarily Black anti-segregation marchers as outsiders. This reinforces central themes of the protest paradigm – whereby groups that threaten the status quo are treated more critically. Perhaps most importantly, the findings also reinforce patterns of research demonstrating a disparity in news treatment between Black protesters and White counter-protesters. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Under what circumstances do armed groups in conflict choose to use terrorist bombings? This article challenges the conventional wisdom that terrorist bombings are done by either ideologically-driven or weak armed groups who have no reasonable prospect of success on the battlefield. Drawing from Mao's theory of protracted struggle, it argues that terrorist bombings are a weapon of choice for armed groups that have transitioned into capable fighting armies but lack the degree of popular support they need to be a serious political contender. Using data on attributed terrorist bombings from 1998–2005, it finds that Islamist groups and older armed groups with sizeable membership are more likely to use terrorist bombings than smaller or newer groups. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The US will not be able to manage a long-term ideological struggle unless it addresses illiberalism in its own political institutions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

What can Marxist dialectics tell us about theatrical innovation? ‘Innovation’ saturates the world of contemporary performance, even though what the term actually means is anything but self-evident. This essay contrasts two ways scholars theorise theatrical innovation, one which owes to the work of the economist Joseph Schumpeter and the other to Bertolt Brecht. Whereas Schumpeter thought of innovation in terms of a “gale of creative destruction” that renovates capitalist society and its institutions, Brecht’s theory of innovation–what I call “Brecht’s gale”–described the measures artists must take to transform theatre into a weapon of anti-capitalist struggle. For theatre scholars and artists, distinguishing between Schumpeter’s gale and Brecht’s gale can throw into relief the aspirations we pin on theatrical innovation. To demonstrate this I turn to ongoing debates around the politics of postdramatic theatre, and take the 2015 production of Simon Stephen’sCarmen Disruptionat London’s Almeida Theatre as a case study. For some, the formal innovations that define postdramatic theatre separate it aesthetically and politically from dramatic theatre in radical ways. Yet celebrations of postdramatic theatre’s political function draw attention away from its social function. To date, theories of postdramatic theatre tell us little about the role postdramatic theatre plays in capitalist society. Instead scholars posit postdramatic theatre as the creative destruction ofdramaticform, out of whichtheatreis renovated to suit the shifting demands of capitalist society. By drawing on Brecht as well as Marxian value-form theorists like Chris Arthur and Michael Heinrich, I offer a Marxist critique of postdramatic theatre, one that insists on the role aesthetic and political innovation play in capitalist reproduction. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

The new international order will be marked by the ascendancy of illiberal states and value systems, and a diminishment of American influence. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

Objective: This study examined whether maternal psychological distress mediates the relationship between presence of adolescent asthma and number of physician visits and whether the association between maternal psychological distress and physician visits is moderated by adolescent general health. Methods: Data were obtained from the Mater University Study of Pregnancy and included 4025 adolescents. Path analysis was used to examine mediating and moderating effects. Results: Maternal psychological distress was found to partially mediate the relationship between adolescent asthma and number of physician visits, accounting for 25% of the effect of adolescent asthma on physician visits ( p = 0.046). There was no evidence to suggest that adolescent general health moderated the association between maternal psychological distress and physician visits ( p = 0.093). Conclusions: These findings suggest that maternal psychological distress is associated with increased physician visits, regardless of adolescents' general health. Lowering maternal psychological distress may serve to reduce health care utilization and costs among adolescents with asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This article examines whether American drone-based targeted killing program represents a fundamentally new challenge to the traditional legal and ethical standards of armed conflict. It argues that the novelty of drones flows less from the technology itself than from the Obama administration's articulation of a presumptive right of anticipatory self-defense, which allows it to strike anywhere in the world where al Qaeda and its allies are present. It highlights five new legal and ethical dimensions to the Obama administration's drones policy, all of which may lower the traditional barriers to the use of force if other actors begin to follow contemporary American practice. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This paper outlines the types of verbal interactions teachers engage in to challenge children's thinking and problem‐solving during cooperative learning. The paper also provides examples of how children model many of the verbal interactions they have seen demonstrated in their discourse with each other. It appears that when teachers are explicit in the types of thinking they want children to engage in, it encourages children to be more focused and explicit in the types of help they provide. Understanding the key role that teachers play in promoting thinking and problem‐solving in their students is particularly important given that it is the quality of talk that children generate that is a significant predictor of their learning. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

After September 11, 2001, many theorists saw indications of a surge in social capital, indicated by increased trust and civic engagement. This surge may have been linked to factors such as rally effects and the spiral of silence, as well as to behaviors like participation and conversation. This study analyzes panel data collected shortly after September 11 and again several months later. Predictors of civic attachment were very different from Wave 1 to Wave 2; for instance, traditional predictors of civic attachment, like participation and discussion, were significant only for the 2nd data collection. We argue that surges in attachment and other attitudes after September 11 were short-lived and distinct from standard patterns of social capital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Amidst a renewed debate over the existence of an American empire, serious questions have emerged about whether the Bush foreign policy can be described as ‘realist’ given the widespread opposition that it encounters from academic realists. This paper is an attempt to shed light on this vexing issue by interpreting the Bush foreign policy through the lens of the broader religious­political tradition of America. Specifically, it argues that the neoconservatives in the Bush administration draw on the utopian strand of this tradition when setting their foreign policy agenda and justifying their decisions to the public. With special reference to Iraq, it discusses how three key utopian themes—the perfection of human life on earth, the possibility of limiting evil through conversion and the prospect of arresting human development—are reflected in the neoconservative agenda. The paper concludes with a brief discussion of how these themes run counter to the tenets of classical realism and of the ethical and political hazards that emerge from an attempt at utopian empire. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although many studies have established that owning a home is associated with a variety of health benefits (lower mortality and morbidity rates), important gaps in our understanding of the relationship between housing tenure and health remain. In particular, previous research has tended to rely upon single, binary measures of housing tenure (home owners versus renters). These broad categories do not capture the heterogeneity that exists within housing tenure classifications. This paper uses an expanded measure to differentiate home owners with mortgages, from those who do not have mortgages and from those who live in rental accommodation. The results reveal a gradient in housing tenure and psychological distress; individuals in rental situations report the highest levels of distress, home owners without mortgages the lowest levels. Moreover, housing tenure modifies the impact of stress on distress in these data. The findings are interpreted in the context of changes to housing policy in Canada, and the economic climate during the period in which these data were collected. Future research directions are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This research examined the relationship between the nature of newspaper coverage of social protests and the level of deviance and type of protest. A content analysis of 280 protest news stories from the Milwaukee Journal. Wisconsin State Journal. Sauk Prairie Star. Watertown Times, and Park Falls Herald from, 1960 to 1499 was conducted to compare indicators of the protest paradigm between protests that either support the status quo, endorse moderate reform, or seek radical reform. Additional analyses looked at the role that the type of protest played in adherence to the protest paradigm. Results of analyses indicate that moderate reform and radical reform protests were more likely to be treated critically in both the headline and main body of the article as well as have greater emphasis plated on specific events rather than themes end goals. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although characterized as a chronic disease for more than 200 years, severe and persistent alcohol and other drug (AOD) problems have been treated primarily in self-contained, acute episodes of care. Recent calls for a shift from this acute treatment model to a sustained recovery management model will require rethinking the natural history of AOD disorders; pioneering new treatment and recovery support technologies; restructuring the funding of treatment services; redefining the service relationship; and altering methods of service evaluation. Recovery-oriented systems of care could offer many advantages over the current model of serial episodes of acute care, but such systems will bring with them new pitfalls in the personal and cultural management of alcohol and other drug problems. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Oncostatin M, a unique member of the interleukin (IL)-6 cytokine family, is thought to be involved in airway remodeling. The expression of oncostatin M in the lower airways is unknown. The aim of this study was to measure the sputum expression of oncostatin M in patients with asthma with and without irreversible airflow obstruction. Induced sputum was collected from nonsmoking adults with stable asthma (n = 53), 31 with incomplete reversibility of airflow obstruction. Peripheral blood cells were isolated and stimulated with lipopolysaccharide in 10 participants with asthma and irreversible airflow obstruction. Oncostatin M protein levels were determined in supernatant, whereas RNA was extracted to determine Oncostatin M mRNA expression using real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR). Oncostatin M mRNA expression and protein levels were significantly higher in the sputum of asthmatics with irreversible airflow obstruction. Sputum oncostatin M levels were highest in people with severe airflow obstruction and were localized to airway neutrophils and macrophages. Peripheral blood neutrophils released more oncostatin M when stimulated with lipopolysaccharide compared with unstimulated neutrophils. Sputum oncostatin M is increased in asthma with irreversible airflow obstruction and is present in airway neutrophils and macrophages. Oncostatin M may link airway inflammation to remodeling in asthma. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

With most Internet users now getting news from social media, there is growing concern about how to verify the content that appears on these platforms. Two experiments tested the effects of fact-checking labels (confirmed vs. disputed) by source (peer vs. third-party) on credibility, virality, and information seeking of news posted on social media. Study 1 (N = 312) tested the effects of these labels on memes, and Study 2 (N = 452) tested the same effects on news articles. Results indicate that, although fact-checking labels do not seem to have a beneficial effect on credibility perceptions of individual news posts, their presence does seem to increase judgments of the site's quality overall. This presents key implications for theory and design in fact-checking and news consumption on social media. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Purpose/aim: Antenatal corticosteroid (ACS) therapy has dramatically increased survival rates among extremely low birth weight (ELBW) infants. However, the long-term effects of ACS on autonomic nervous system function have not been explored. Using the world's oldest longitudinally followed cohort of ELBW infants we compared respiratory sinus arrhythmia (RSA) among ELBW survivors whose mothers received ACS (ELBW-S), those who did not (ELBW-NS) and normal birth weight (NBW) controls in their 20 and 30 s. Methods: Resting electrocardiogram (ECG) was recorded from ELBW-S (n = 28), ELBW-NS (n = 36), and matched NBW controls (n = 79) at 22–26 and 29–36 years. Resting RSA was compared across groups via analyses of covariance (ANCOVA), adjusting for sex, medication use, postnatal steroid exposure and the presence of chronic health conditions. RSA was also compared across assessments for each group. Results: At 29–36 years, resting RSA in ELBW-S was significantly lower than in NBW controls. RSA in the ELBW-NS group was intermediate between ELBW-S and NBW groups. Although the ELBW-S group also showed nominally reduced RSA compared to NBW controls at the 22–26-year visit, this difference was not statistically significant. Conclusions: ELBW survivors exposed to ACS had lower RSA than NBW controls during their 30 s, suggestive of a decline in parasympathetic input to heart. ELBW survivors who received ACS may be particularly vulnerable to cardiovascular problems in later life. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study was to examine the link between suicidal ideation in adolescence (age 12-16) and symptoms of psychopathology in adulthood (age 22-26) in a birth cohort of extremely low birth weight (ELBW; <1000g) survivors and matched normal birth weight (NBW; >2500 g) control participants. This study utilized data from a longitudinally followed cohort of 129 ELBW survivors and 116 NBW individuals born in Ontario, Canada between the years 1977 and 1982. Participants self-reported suicidal ideation via questionnaire during adolescence (age 12-16). The depression, anxiety, inattention, and antisocial behavior subscales of the Young Adult Self Report (YASR) were used to assess symptoms of psychopathology during adulthood (age 22-26). Associations were examined in each birth weight group separately prior to and after adjustment for covariates. Before and after adjustment for covariates, suicidal ideation in NBW adolescents predicted symptoms of depression, anxiety, inattention, and antisociality in adulthood. Suicidal ideation among ELBW adolescents predicted inattentive and depressive symptoms, and antisocial behavior only before adjustment. Adolescents born at NBW who endorse suicidal ideation are at elevated risk for developing symptoms of anxiety, depression, inattention, and antisocial problems in adulthood even after adjustment. Among ELBW survivors, the risks were lower and appear to be due to confounding factors. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

SWI/SNF (switching/sucrose nonfermenting)-dependent chromatin remodeling establishes coordinated gene expression programs during development, yet important functional details remain to be elucidated. We show that the Brg1 (Brahma-related gene 1; Smarca4) ATPase is globally expressed at high levels during postimplantation development and its conditional ablation, beginning at gastrulation, results in increased apoptosis, growth retardation, and, ultimately, embryonic death. Global gene expression analysis revealed that genes upregulated in Rosa26CreERT2; Brg1flox/flox embryos (here referred to as Brg1d/d embryos to describe embryos with deletion of the Brg1flox/flox alleles) negatively regulate cell cycle progression and cell growth. In addition, the p53 (Trp53) protein, which is virtually undetectable in early wild-type embryos, accumulated in the Brg1d/d embryos and activated the p53-dependent pathways. Using P19 cells, we show that Brg1 and CHD4 (chromodomain helicase DNA binding protein 4) coordinate to control target gene expression. Both proteins physically interact and show a substantial overlap of binding sites at chromatin-accessible regions adjacent to genes differentially expressed in the Brg1d/d embryos. Specifically, Brg1 deficiency results in reduced levels of the repressive histone H3 lysine K27 trimethylation (H3K27me3) histone mark and an increase in the amount of open chromatin at the regulatory region of the p53 and p21 (Cdkn1a) genes. These results provide insights into the mechanisms by which Brg1 functions, which is in part via the p53 program, to constrain gene expression and facilitate rapid embryonic growth. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

We examined the associations between childhood physical and sexual abuse and labor force outcomes in young adults and the possible mediating effects of educational attainment, current mental health, and physical health. Data from the Ontario Child Health Study (N = 1,893), a province-wide longitudinal study were analyzed. Controlling for childhood and demographic variables, severe childhood physical abuse was significantly associated with reduced income with small mediating effects. There was a sex difference in the association between child abuse and employment. Severe childhood physical abuse was significantly associated with lower likelihood of employment only among males; mediators partially reduced this association. Further research is needed to explore the mechanisms linking exposure to child abuse and economic vulnerability in young adults. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Post-treatment relapse to uncontrolled alcohol use is common. Currently available communication technology can use existing models for relapse prevention to cost-effectively improve long-term relapse prevention. This paper describes: (1) research-based elements of alcohol consumption-related relapse prevention and how they can be encompassed in self-determination theory (SDT) and Marlatt's cognitive behavioral relapse prevention model, (2) how technology could help address the needs of people seeking recovery, (3) a technology-based prototype, organized around sexual transmitted disease and Marlatt's model, and (4) how we are testing a system based on the ideas in this article and related ethical and operational considerations. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]