bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Seismic Stability of Loess Tunnel with Rainfall Seepage
Authors: Cheng Xuansheng , Zhang Wanlin , Fan Jing , Zhang Xiaoyan , Liu Haibo , Zhou Xinhai
Published: September 2020

Rainfall seepage changes the mechanical properties of loess masses. Considering fluid‐solid coupling, the calculation model of a loess tunnel is established according to the finite element method (FEM). Based on porous media seepage theory and rainfall infiltration depth theory and considering the infiltrated depth of the loess surface for different rainfall intensities over a certain period, the stability of a loess tunnel under different rainfall amounts and loess cover thicknesses is studied using the dynamic finite element static strength reduction method. The results show that under the same rainfall intensity, the safety factor increases with the depth of the tunnel; the safety factor of the loess tunnel with the same loess cover thickness decreases with increasing infiltration depth. The plastic strain is mainly distributed on both sides of the vault and the arch feet. The stability of the loess tunnel is directly related to the loess cover thickness and rainfall seepage.
Expression of Matrix Metalloproteinases and Their Tissue Inhibitors in Peripheral Blood Leukocytes and Plasma of Children with Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease
Authors: Trojanek Joanna B. , Michałkiewicz Jacek , Grzywa-Czuba Renata , Jańczyk Wojciech , Gackowska Lidia , Kubiszewska Izabela , Helmin-Basa Anna , Wierzbicka-Rucińska Aldona , Szalecki Mieczysław , Socha Piotr
Published: September 2020

Gene expression profiles of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) were evaluated in peripheral blood leukocytes of children with nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD). Gene expression patterns were correlated with their plasma protein counterparts, systemic parameters of liver injury, and selected markers of inflammation. The MMP-2, MMP-9, MMP-12, MMP-14, TIMP-1, TIMP-2, TGF-β, and IL-6 transcripts levels were tested by the real-time PCR. Plasma concentrations of MMP-9, TIMP-1, MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio, MMP-2/TIMP-2 ratio, sCD14, leptin, resistin, IL-1 beta, and IL-6 and serum markers of liver injury were estimated by ELISA. The MMP-9, TIMP-2 expression levels, plasma amounts of MMP-9, TIMP-1, and the MMP-9/TIMP-1 ratio were increased in children with NAFLD. Concentrations of AST, ALT, GGT, and leptin were elevated in serum patients with NAFLD, while concentration of other inflammatory or liver injury markers was unchanged. The MMP-2 and MMP-9 levels correlated with serum liver injury parameters (ALT and GGT concentrations, respectively); there were no other correlations between MMP/TIMP gene expression profiles, their plasma counterparts, and serum inflammatory markers. Association of MMP-2 and MMP-9 expression with serum liver injury parameters (ALT, GGT) may suggest leukocyte engagement in the early stages of NAFLD development which possibly precedes subsequent systemic inflammatory responses.
Augmented Reality Interface for Complex Anatomy Learning in the Central Nervous System: A Systematic Review
Authors: Wirza Rahmita , Nazir Shah , Khan Habib Ullah , García-Magariño Iván , Amin Rohul
Published: September 2020

The medical system is facing the transformations with augmentation in the use of medical information systems, electronic records, smart, wearable devices, and handheld. The central nervous system function is to control the activities of the mind and the human body. Modern speedy development in medical and computational growth in the field of the central nervous system enables practitioners and researchers to extract and visualize insight from these systems. The function of augmented reality is to incorporate virtual and real objects, interactively running in a real-time and real environment. The role of augmented reality in the central nervous system becomes a thought-provoking task. Gesture interaction approach-based augmented reality in the central nervous system has enormous impending for reducing the care cost, quality refining of care, and waste and error reducing. To make this process smooth, it would be effective to present a comprehensive study report of the available state-of-the-art-work for enabling doctors and practitioners to easily use it in the decision making process. This comprehensive study will finally summarise the outputs of the published materials associate to gesture interaction-based augmented reality approach in the central nervous system. This research uses the protocol of systematic literature which systematically collects, analyses, and derives facts from the collected papers. The data collected range from the published materials for 10 years. 78 papers were selected and included papers based on the predefined inclusion, exclusion, and quality criteria. The study supports to identify the studies related to augmented reality in the nervous system, application of augmented reality in the nervous system, technique of augmented reality in the nervous system, and the gesture interaction approaches in the nervous system. The derivations from the studies show that there is certain amount of rise-up in yearly wise articles, and numerous studies exist, related to augmented reality and gestures interaction approaches to different systems of the human body, specifically to the nervous system. This research organises and summarises the existing associated work, which is in the form of published materials, and are related to augmented reality. This research will help the practitioners and researchers to sight most of the existing studies subjected to augmented reality-based gestures interaction approaches for the nervous system and then can eventually be followed as support in future for complex anatomy learning.
An Efficient Anonymous Authentication Scheme for Mobile Pay-TV Systems
Authors: Li Yuting , Cheng Qingfeng , Cao Jinzheng
Published: September 2020

As a component of mobile communication, the pay-TV system has attracted a lot of attention. By using mobile devices, users interact with the head end system in service providers to acquire TV services. With the growth of mobile users, how to protect the privacy of users while improving efficiency of the network has become an issue worthy of attention. Anonymous authentication schemes for mobile pay-TV systems came into being. In this paper, we analyze the shortcomings of the existing authentication protocol and then propose an improved one, which is secure against stored set attack and user traceability attack. The proposed scheme is proved to be secure. Moreover, our new scheme performs better in efficiency and storage, compared with several other schemes.
Coupling Effect of Creep Deformation and Prestress Loss of Anchored Jointed Rock
Authors: Zhu Bairu , Song Yang , Wang Heping , Li Yongqi
Published: September 2020

To explore the variation behaviour of anchor jointed rock subject to high in situ stress states, a coupling effect calculation model based on stress equality was established based on the original rheological model of rock by combining element combination theory and experiment, and the model was verified. The coupling effect between rock mass creep and bolt prestress loss is established by setting the deterioration function of bolt prestress loss. The uniaxial creep test is performed on specimens with different joint angles, and the results show that the prestress loss time in anchor rods decreases linearly with increasing stress level. With increasing stress level, the time of prestress loss decreases linearly with the increase in stress level. With increasing axial load, the deformation caused by the transverse expansion stress of the specimen can offset the compression deformation of the prestressed anchor rod. The relationship between prestress loss in anchors and creep of rock is solved theoretically, and the stability criterion for anchor jointed rock is proposed. The results of this study provide a scientific reference for anchor design of deep jointed rock mass.
Control and Stability Analysis of Double Time-Delay Active Suspension Based on Particle Swarm Optimization
Authors: Wu Kaiwei , Ren Chuanbo
Published: September 2020

With the application of an active control unit in the suspension system, the phenomenon of time delay has become an important factor in the control system. Aiming at the application of time-delay feedback control in vehicle active suspension systems, this paper has researched the dynamic behavior of semivehicle four-degree-of-freedom structure including an active suspension with double time-delay feedback control, focusing on analyzing the vibration response and stability of the main vibration system of the structure. The optimal objective function is established according to the amplitude-frequency characteristics of the system, and the optimal time-delay control parameters are obtained by using the particle swarm optimization algorithm. The stability for active suspension with double time-delay feedback control by frequency-domain scanning method is analyzed, and the simulation model of active suspension with double time delay based on feedback control is finally established. The simulation results show that the active suspension with double time-delay feedback control could reduce the body’s vertical vibration acceleration, pitch acceleration, and other indicators significantly, whether under harmonic excitation or random excitation. So, it is indicating that the active suspension with double time-delay feedback control has a better control effect in improving the ride comfort of the car, and it has important reference value for further research on suspension performance optimization.
Emotion Analysis of College Students Using a Fuzzy Support Vector Machine
Authors: Ding Yan , Chen Xuemei , Zhong Shan , Liu Li
Published: September 2020

With the rapid development of society, the number of college students in our country is on the rise. College students are under pressure due to challenges from the society, school, and family, but they cannot find a suitable solution. As a result, the psychological problems of college students are diversified and complicated. The mental health problem of college students is becoming more and more serious, which requires urgent attention. This article realizes the monitoring of university mental health by identifying and analyzing the emotions of college students. This article uses EEG to determine the emotional state of college students. First, feature extraction is performed on different rhythm data of EEG, and then a fuzzy support vector machine (FSVM) is used for classification. Finally, a decision fusion mechanism based on the D-S evidence combination theory is used to fuse the classification results and output the final emotion recognition results. The contribution of this research is mainly in three aspects. One is the use of multiple features, which improves the efficiency of data use; the other is the use of a fuzzy support vector machine classifier with higher noise resistance, and the recognition rate of the model is better. The third is that the decision fusion mechanism based on the D-S evidence combination theory takes into account the classification results of each feature, and the classification results assist each other and integrate organically. The experiment compares emotion recognition based on single rhythm, multirhythm combination, and multirhythm fusion. The experimental results fully prove that the proposed emotion recognition method can effectively improve the recognition efficiency. It has a good practical value in the emotion recognition of college students.
Genetic Diversity of HIV‐1 in Krasnoyarsk Krai: Area with High Levels of HIV‐1 Recombination in Russia
Authors: Maksimenko Lada V. , Totmenin Aleksey V. , Gashnikova Mariya P. , Astakhova Ekaterina M. , Skudarnov Sergey E. , Ostapova Tatyana S. , Yaschenko Svetlana V. , Meshkov Ivan O. , Bocharov Evgeniy F. , Maksyutov Rinat А. , Gashnikova Natalya M.
Published: September 2020

More than a quarter of HIV‐infected individuals registered in Russia live in Siberia. Unlike Central Russia where HIV‐1 subtype A6 is predominant, in most Siberian regions since 2012, a new HIV‐1 CRF63_02A1 genetic variant has spread, with the share of this variant attaining 75–85% among newly identified HIV cases. Krasnoyarsk Krai is considered to be a high‐risk territory according to morbidity rate and HIV infection incidence among the population. The current paper aims to study the molecular epidemiologic characteristics of HIV‐1 spreading in Krasnoyarsk Krai. Phylogenetic and recombination analyses of pol (PR‐RT, IN) and env regions of the virus were used for genotyping 159 HIV‐1 isolated in Krasnoyarsk Krai. 57.2% of the isolates belonged to subtype A (A6) specific to Russia, 12.6% to CRF63_02A1, and 0.6% to CRF02_AGСА, and in 29.6% HIV‐1 URFs were detected, including URF63/А (23.9%), URFА/В (4.4%), and URF02/А (1.3%). In 6 of 7, HIV‐1 URFА/В identical recombination model was detected; the origin of 38 URF63/А was proven to be the result of individual recombination events. Since 2015, a share of the population with newly diagnosed HIV who were infected with HIV‐1 URF reached an exceptionally high rate of 38.6%. As distinct from adjacent Siberian regions, the HIV‐1 CRF63_02A1 prevalence rate in Krasnoyarsk Krai is within 16%; however, the increased contribution of new HIV‐1 into the regional epidemic development was observed due to the recombination of viruses of subtypes А, В, and CRF63_02A1. The difference between the described molecular epidemiologic picture in Krasnoyarsk Krai and in adjacent areas is likely caused by differences in predominant routes of HIV transmission and by more recent HIV‐1 CRF63_02A1 transmission in the PWID group, which had a high prevalence of HIV‐1 subtype A by the time of the new virus transmission, resulting in increased possibility of coinfection with various HIV‐1 genetic variants.
Clinical Trials in Metastatic Uveal Melanoma: Current Status
Authors: Sussman Tamara A. , Funchain Pauline , Singh Arun
Published: September 2020

Background: Uveal melanoma is a rare subtype of melanoma. Prognosis and survival rates for patients with metastatic uveal melanoma remain poor. No current FDA-approved standard of care therapy is available for patients with metastatic uveal melanoma. Thus, clinical trials are essential for the development of new therapies and to provide patients hope for improved survival and outcomes. Summary: In this article, we review clinical trials identified on the database https://clinicaltrials.gov that are open and enrolling patients with metastatic uveal melanoma as of November 26, 2019. This search produced 17 active trials involving liver-directed therapy, CNS-directed therapy, and systemic therapy with immunotherapy, targeted therapy, or oncolytic virus therapy. Here, we discuss liver and CNS-directed therapy as well as systemic targeted therapy and oncolytic virus therapy. Immunotherapy clinical trials are discussed in a companion review article by Dr. Marlana Orloff. Key Messages: Various novel therapeutic targets and immunomodulatory approaches are on the horizon for patients with metastatic uveal melanoma and may yield incremental therapeutic benefit. Selecting a clinical trial must be individualized and made jointly with the patient and his/her oncologist.
Use of Remifentanil for Open in utero Fetal Myelomeningocele Repair Maintains Uterine Relaxation with Reduced Volatile Anesthetic Concentration
Authors: Marsh Benjamin J. , Sinskey Jina , Whitlock Elizabeth L. , Ferschl Marla B. , Rollins Mark D.
Published: September 2020

Introduction: Open fetal repair of myelomeningocele (MMC) is an option for prenatally diagnosed spina bifida. Historically, high-dose volatile anesthetic was used for uterine relaxation but is associated with fetal cardiovascular depression. We examined the impact of administering a supplemental remifentanil infusion on the concentration of inhaled anesthetic required for intraoperative uterine relaxation. Methods: We retrospectively analyzed 22 consecutive patients who underwent open fetal MMC repair with desflurane anesthesia from 2014 to 2018. The anesthetic protocol was modified to include high-dose opioid with remifentanil in 2016. We examined intraoperative end-tidal desflurane concentrations, vasopressor use, incidence of umbilical artery Doppler abnormalities, and incidence of preterm labor and delivery. Results: Patients (n = 11) who received desflurane and remifentanil (Des/Remi) were compared to patients (n = 11) who received desflurane (Des) alone. Intraoperatively, the maximum end-tidal desflurane required to maintain uterine relaxation was lower in the Des/Remi group (7.9 ± 2.2% vs. 13.1 ± 1.2%, p < 0.001). The mean phenylephrine infusion rate was also lower in the Des/Remi group (36 ± 14 vs. 53 ± 10 mcg/min, p = 0.004). Discussion: Use of opioid with supplemental remifentanil was associated with lower volatile anesthetic dosing and decreased vasopressor use; fetal outcomes were not different. Remifentanil may allow for less volatile anesthetic use while maintaining adequate uterine relaxation.
Inventory of the Recommendations for Patients with Pollen Allergies and Evaluation of Their Scientific Relevance
Authors: Roubelat Solenne , Besancenot Jean-Pierre , Bley Daniel , Thibaudon Michel , Charpin Denis
Published: September 2020

Pollens are responsible for allergic rhinitis, conjunctivitis, and asthma. The incidence of these diseases, which have adversely impacted the social and professional lives of people who are allergic to pollen, has tripled in the past 25 years. Official institutes, health care institutions, public interest groups, and mainstream news media provide people who are allergic to pollen with advice aimed at reducing their symptoms. The aim of this work was to provide an inventory of the prevention guidelines in the world and to evaluate their scientific relevance. A PubMed search was carried out using specific keywords. The scientific relevance of the recommendations was evaluated based on the publications disproving or confirming their merit. The guidelines issued by 12 countries in Europe, North America, and Australia were inventoried. The recommendations for avoidance were most often based on scientific data regarding their impact on pollen exposures, but they have not been clinically validated. Several studies provided additional details, however, that allowed the guidelines to be further substantiated. These guidelines have been adopted in numerous industrialized countries in the world, and they generally appear to be of relevance.
Protein-Defined Subspecies of HDLs (High-Density Lipoproteins) and Differential Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in 4 Prospective Studies
Authors: Sacks Frank M. , Liang Liang , Furtado Jeremy D. , Cai Tianxi , Davidson W. Sean , He Zeling , McClelland Robyn L. , Rimm Eric B. , Jensen Majken K.
Published: September 2020

Objective:

HDL (high-density lipoprotein) contains functional proteins that define single subspecies, each comprising 1% to 12% of the total HDL. We studied the differential association with coronary heart disease (CHD) of 15 such subspecies.

Approach and Results:

We measured plasma apoA1 (apolipoprotein A1) concentrations of 15 protein-defined HDL subspecies in 4 US-based prospective studies. Among participants without CVD at baseline, 932 developed CHD during 10 to 25 years. They were matched 1:1 to controls who did not experience CHD. In each cohort, hazard ratios for each subspecies were computed by conditional logistic regression and combined by meta-analysis. Higher levels of HDL subspecies containing alpha-2 macroglobulin, CoC3 (complement C3), HP (haptoglobin), or PLMG (plasminogen) were associated with higher relative risk compared with the HDL counterpart lacking the defining protein (hazard ratio range, 0.96–1.11 per 1 SD increase versus 0.73–0.81, respectively;
P
for heterogeneity <0.05). In contrast, HDL containing apoC1 or apoE were associated with lower relative risk compared with the counterpart (hazard ratio, 0.74;
P
=0.002 and 0.77,
P
=0.001, respectively).

Conclusions:

Several subspecies of HDL defined by single proteins that are involved in thrombosis, inflammation, immunity, and lipid metabolism are found in small fractions of total HDL and are associated with higher relative risk of CHD compared with HDL that lacks the defining protein. In contrast, HDL containing apoC1 or apoE are robustly associated with lower risk. The balance between beneficial and harmful subspecies in a person’s HDL sample may determine the risk of CHD pertaining to HDL and paths to treatment.
Increased ABCA1 (ATP-Binding Cassette Transporter A1)-Specific Cholesterol Efflux Capacity in Schizophrenia
Authors: Luquain-Costaz Céline , Kockx Maaike , Anastasius Malcolm , Chow Vincent , Kontush Anatol , Jessup Wendy , Kritharides Leonard
Published: September 2020

Objective:

Patients with schizophrenia have increased long-term mortality attributable to cardiovascular disease and commonly demonstrate features of mixed dyslipidemia with low HDL-C (high-density lipoprotein cholesterol). The removal of cholesterol from cells by HDL via specific ATP-binding cholesterol transporters is a major functional property of HDL, and its measurement as cholesterol efflux capacity (CEC) can predict cardiovascular risk. Whether HDL function is impaired in patients with schizophrenia is unknown.

Approach and Results:

We measured basal and ABCA1 (ATP-binding cassette transporter A1)- and ABCG1 (ATP-binding cassette transporter G1)-dependent CEC, comparing patients with schizophrenia with age- and sex-matched healthy controls, and related our findings to nuclear magnetic resonance analysis of lipoprotein subclasses. Total plasma cholesterol and LDL-C (low-density lipoprotein cholesterol) were comparable between healthy controls (n=51) and patients (n=120), but patients with schizophrenia had increased total plasma triglyceride, low HDL-C and apo (apolipoprotein) A-I concentrations. Nuclear magnetic resonance analysis indicated a marked (15-fold) increase in large triglyceride-rich lipoprotein particle concentration, increased small dense LDL particles, and fewer large HDL particles. Despite lower HDL-C concentration, basal CEC was 13.7±1.6% higher, ABCA1-specific efflux was 35.9±1.6% higher, and ABCG1 efflux not different, in patients versus controls. In patients with schizophrenia, ABCA1-specific efflux correlated with the abundance of small 7.8 nm HDL particles but not with serum plasminogen or triglyceride levels.

Conclusions:

Patients with schizophrenia have increased concentrations of atherogenic apoB-containing lipoproteins, decreased concentrations of large HDL particles, but enhanced ABCA1-mediated CEC. In this population, preventative strategies should focus on reducing atherogenic lipoproteins rather than increasing CEC.
Electrocardiographic QT Intervals in Infants Exposed to Hydroxychloroquine Throughout Gestation
Authors: Friedman Deborah M. , Kim Mimi , Costedoat-Chalumeau Nathalie , Clancy Robert , Copel Joshua , Phoon Colin K. , Cuneo Bettina F. , Cohen Rebecca , Masson Mala , Wainwright Benjamin J. , Zahr Noel , Saxena Amit , Izmirly Peter M. , Buyon Jill P.
Published: September 2020

Background:

Based on inhibition of viral replication and limited reports on clinical efficacy, hydroxychloroquine is being considered as prophylaxis and treatment of coronavirus disease-19 (COVID-19). Although hydroxychloroquine is generally considered safe during pregnancy based on studies in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus and other rheumatic conditions, there may still be reluctance to institute this antimalarial during pregnancy for the sole purpose of antiviral therapy.

Methods:

To provide data regarding any potential fetal/neonatal cardiotoxicity, we leveraged a unique opportunity in which neonatal ECGs and hydroxychloroquine blood levels were available in a recently completed study evaluating the efficacy of hydroxychloroquine 400 mg daily to prevent the recurrence of congenital heart block associated with anti-SSA/Ro (anti-Sjögren’s Syndrome A/Ro) antibodies.

Results:

Forty-five ECGs were available for corrected QT interval (QTc) measurement, and levels of hydroxychloroquine were assessed during each trimester of pregnancy and in the cord blood, providing unambiguous assurance of drug exposure. Overall, there was no correlation between cord blood levels of hydroxychloroquine and the neonatal QTc (
R
=0.02,
P
=0.86) or the mean of hydroxychloroquine values obtained throughout each individual pregnancy and the QTc (
R
=0.04,
P
=0.80). In total 5 (11% [95% CI, 4%–24%]) neonates had prolongation of the QTc >2 SD above historical healthy controls (2 markedly and 3 marginally) but ECGs were otherwise normal.

Conclusions:

In aggregate, these data provide reassurances that the maternal use of hydroxychloroquine is associated with a low incidence of infant QTc prolongation. However, if included in clinical COVID-19 studies, early postnatal ECGs should be considered.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT01379573.
How can citation impact in bibliometrics be normalized? A new approach combining citing-side normalization and citation percentiles
Authors: Bornmann Lutz
Published: September 2020

Since the 1980s, many different methods have been proposed to field-normalize citations. In this study, an approach is introduced that combines two previously introduced methods: citing-side normalization and citation percentiles. The advantage of combining two methods is that their advantages can be integrated in one solution. Based on citing-side normalization, each citation is field weighted and, therefore, contextualized in its field. The most important advantage of citing-side normalization is that it is not necessary to work with a specific field categorization scheme for the normalization procedure. The disadvantages of citing-side normalization—the calculation is complex and the numbers are elusive—can be compensated for by calculating percentiles based on weighted citations that result from citing-side normalization. On the one hand, percentiles are easy to understand: They are the percentage of papers published in the same year with a lower citation impact. On the other hand, weighted citation distributions are skewed distributions with outliers. Percentiles are well suited to assigning the position of a focal paper in such distributions of comparable papers. The new approach of calculating percentiles based on weighted citations is demonstrated in this study on the basis of a citation impact comparison between several countries.
Patronymic particle and bibliographic citation

Authors: FRÉTEY THIERRY
Published: September 2020

We offer a review of the correct way of writing the names of authors with a patronymic particle in scientific papers, bibliographic lists and indexes.
New records and two new species of Xiphocentron Brauer 1870 (Trichoptera, Xiphocentronidae) from southern Atlantic Forest, Brazil
Authors: VILARINO ALBANE , BISPO PITÁGORAS C.
Published: September 2020

Xiphocentron is the most species-rich genus of the pantropical family Xiphocentronidae. Among its five subgenera, Antillotrichia is the most diverse and the only one to occur in South America and Antilles. In the present study, two new species of Xiphocentron (Antillotrichia) are described from southern Atlantic Forest, Brazil. Xiphocentron gwarakeraba sp. nov. is diagnosed by the very elongate inferior appendage not bearing spines and with a simple mesal sclerite; X. muelleri sp. nov. is diagnosed by the inferior appendage with its ventral margin produced posterad and distinctly truncate. New distributional records are provided for X. acqualume, X. jaguare, X. kamakan, and X. maracanan. Additional non-genital diagnostic characters are presented for X. jaguare, and intraspecific morphological variations of forewing fork II (R3 and R4) and male genitalia are described for X. maracanan.
A morphological and molecular phylogenetic analysis of relationships between genera of the nematode sub-family Cloacininae (Stossich) (Strongyloidea: Chabertiidae) parasitic in kangaroos, wallabies and rat-kangaroos (Marsupialia: Macropodoidea)
Authors: BEVERIDGE I. , JABBAR A. , KOEHLER A. , SUKEE T.
Published: September 2020

A phylogenetic analysis of the genera of the strongyloid sub-family Cloacininae from macropodoid marsupials in Australasia was undertaken based on morphological characteristics and analysis of concatenated sequences (ITS+) of the first (ITS-1) and second (ITS-2) internal transcribed spacers of nuclear ribosomal DNA. Neither approach provided a robust phylogeny, but similarities between the two methods in terms of generic groupings suggested that substantial revision is needed of the current phenetic classification, with some of the key morphological characteristics currently used to define genera and tribes proving to be homoplasious.
Genus Torodora Meyrick (Lepidoptera, Lecithoceridae, Torodorinae) in Laos, with descriptions of five new species and two newly recorded species
Authors: PARK KYU-TEK , BAE YANG-SEOP
Published: September 2020

Genus Torodora Meyrick of the family Lecithoceridae in Laos is reviewed, describing five new species and reporting two unrecorded species of the genus. The new species are T. barathrona Park, sp. nov., T. canalis Park, sp. nov., T. cordisigna Park, sp. nov., T. digitalis Park, sp. nov., and T. multispinata sp. nov. In addition, T. metasaris (Meyrick, 1911), comb. nov. and Torodora pegasana Wu & Liu, 1994 are reported for the first time from Laos. Images of adults and genitalia for the new species and the first known species are provided, along with a list of the previously known species with new collected localities.
4. The Geography of Separation
Authors: Ali Grace
Published: September 2020

In ‘The Geography of Separation,’ Grace Aneiza Ali writes about women and girls who have known both spectrums of the migration arc: to leave and to be left. The essay is a travelogue, composed of four vignettes, each focusing on a woman or girl Grace encountered in a precise moment in time and in a particular place—Guyana, India, and Ethiopia. Each abstract is framed as an ‘Arrival’ or ‘Departure’ to situate the author's accountability to these places and to the ways she entered into or departed the lives of the people who live there. Twenty-five years after her first departure from Guyana and many miles circling the globe since, all roads still seem to lead back to Guyana. Whether Grace is in Hyderabad or Harrar or Harlem, she finds herself weaving the stories of these places and the people she has encountered with those of Guyana. For now, this is how she psychically returns. And yet she know it is not enough. In her collection of memoir-essays, Create Dangerously: The Immigrant Artist at Work, the Haitian-American writer Edwidge Danticat examines what it means to write stories about a land she no longer lives in. ‘Some of us think we are accidents of literacy,’ she says. Each time Grace boards a plane for another far-off land, she grapples with the guilt that it is not bound for Guyana. She is haunted by the what-ifs. What if I had stayed? What kind of stories should I be telling of Guyana? What do I owe this country? Am I guilty, too, of forgetting?
9. Revisionist
Authors: Mattai Suchitra
Published: September 2020

Throughout her oeuvre, artist Suchitra Mattai artistically reimagines and disrupts idealized landscapes. Her migratory path through three countries, Guyana, Canada, and the United States, informs her artistic practice, characterized by what she deems ‘disconnected “landscapes” that are unreal but offer a lingering familiarity.’ In the selection of work featured in her art essay, ‘Revisionist,’ Mattai uses landscapes as both a symbolic device and a canvas to illustrate the liminal space of disorientation when one transitions through multiple cultural spheres. Mattai invokes a migration story started long before she left Guyana—that of her Indian ancestors brought by the British from India to the Caribbean, beginning in the 1830s and throughout the early 1900s, to work as indentured servants on British Guiana’s sugar cane plantations. Mattai’s landscapes, used to explore her relationship to the idea of homelands in transition, teem with texture, materiality, and laborious detail. To make this work, Mattai utilizes a bounty of objects and processes that are hand-done. They are a nod to the Guyanese women in her family who are experts in crocheting, weaving, embroidering, needlepointing, and sewing. With each puncture of embroidery, each woven thread, Mattai centers Indian women and the essential role they have played in three centuries of migration movements in and out of Guyana.
10. Memories from Yonder
Authors: Neptune Christie
Published: September 2020

In her art essay, ‘Memories from Yonder,’ American-born artist Christie Neptune mines childhood memories of her mother, a Guyanese immigrant in New York, and her love of crocheting—a craft popular among Guyanese women (as we also see in Mattai’s essay) and passed down through generations. For Neptune, the art of crocheting becomes a metaphor for the necessary acts of unfurling a life in a past land to construct a new life in a new land. Neptune unpacks her artistic process in making her multi-media installation. She portrays Ebora Calder, a fellow Guyanese immigrant and elder. Like the artist’s mother, Ebora migrated to New York in the late 1950s and represents a generation of Guyanese women who in the past sixty years have been part of the mass migration from Guyana to New York City. In the installation, Neptune features a diptych of Ebora that has been distorted and obscured as well as a pixelated short video. In both photograph and video, Calder can be seen quietly engrossed in the slow, methodical, rhythmic act of crocheting a red bundle of yarn. ‘The gesture serves as a symbolic weaving of the two cultural spheres,’ writes Neptune, ‘to reconcile the surmounting pressures of maintaining tradition whilst immersed in an Americanized culture.’
The Impact of Lean Management Implementation on Waiting Time and Satisfaction of Patients and Staff at an Outpatient Pharmacy of a Comprehensive Cancer Center in Jordan
Authors: Hammoudeh Suzan , Amireh Abdullah , Jaddoua Saad , Nazer Lama , Jazairy Enas , Al-Dewiri Ronza
Published: September 2020

Background: Patient satisfaction with outpatient pharmacy services at our institution was below the target level, due mainly to long waiting times. A lean management strategy to reduce patient waiting time and increase the satisfaction of both patients and staff was developed and implemented. Methods: The project was conducted in the outpatient pharmacy of a comprehensive cancer center in Amman, Jordan. The process started with formation of a multidisciplinary team and A3 problem-solving, which is a 10-step scientific method with measurable patient-centered outcomes. Average patient waiting time and level of patient satisfaction were compared before and after full implementation of the process. In addition, a survey was conducted among the pharmacy staff who worked in the outpatient pharmacy during the process to determine its impact on staff satisfaction. Results: Patient waiting time for prescriptions of fewer than 3 medications and of 3 medications or more decreased significantly (22.3 minutes vs 8.1 minutes, P < .001, and 31.8 minutes vs 16.1 minutes, P < .002, respectively), and patient satisfaction increased (62% vs 69%; P = .005) after full implementation of the project. The majority of the pharmacy staff reported that the process motivated them in their work and that both their jobs and their relationships with their managers and colleagues had improved. Conclusion: Application of lean management in an outpatient pharmacy was effective in reducing patient waiting time and improving the satisfaction of both patients and employees.
Challenging the cross-national transfer of diversity management in MNCs: Exploring the ‘identity effects’ of diversity discourses
Authors: Fernando Dulini
Published: September 2020

I develop a critique of the cross-national transfer of diversity management in multinational companies. Adopting a critical approach to diversity management, and considering diversity as a discourse, I examine how and why employees in an overseas subsidiary challenged the diversity practices transferred by their foreign parent company. Drawing on a case study of a Sri Lankan knowledge work firm that was in the process of implementing its Western parent company’s Diversity Management agenda, which they had had little input in shaping, I highlight how challenge is triggered by a desire to reject unfavourable subject positions attributed to individuals in transferred discourses of diversity and to reposition the self more favourably. My contribution involves showing how dynamic power relations between parents and subsidiaries shape the global transfer of diversity across MNCs, depicting subsidiary employees as agentic subjects as opposed to passive recipients.
Sexual orientation and gender identity in Canada’s “feminist” international assistance
Authors: Aylward Erin , Brown Stephen
Published: September 2020

Canada’s Feminist International Assistance Policy (FIAP), launched in June 2017, marks the first time that sexual orientation and gender identity (SOGI) have been mentioned in an overarching Canadian aid policy. The inclusion of SOGI in the policy document sent an important signal to domestic and international development partners on the need to consider these sources of discrimination and marginalization. This article asks two basic research questions. First, what is the place of SOGI in Canada’s “feminist” international assistance? Second, what additional steps does Canada’s development program need to take to protect the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) people in the Global South? Based on an analysis of official documents and secondary sources, we argue that FIAP itself sends only a weak signal about the importance of SOGI-related concerns, but Canadian foreign aid has expanded its understanding of LGBTI issues and has begun to commit dedicated resources to addressing them. Nonetheless, the initial programming (2017–2019) was channelled in an ad hoc manner and through one, major stand-alone commitment, rather than through a broader framework that would guide SOGI’s integration into Canadian programs over the long term. If serious about addressing LGBTI rights more systematically, the Canadian government needs to expand its definition of what SOGI entails and move beyond niche programming to recognize the cross-cutting dimension of LGBTI rights in foreign aid, especially in the area of sexual and reproductive health and rights.
Responses to the Problem of OD Stagnation: A Tribute to Warner Burke
Authors: Cameron Kim
Published: September 2020

As our most qualified inspector, sage, and futurist for organizational development (OD), Warner has set the standard for what great organizational change and development should be. He has recently accused the field of being stagnant and in need of new approaches to organizational change. In his view, there has been no innovation in OD since appreciative inquiry was introduced in 1987. This article takes seriously Warner’s challenge and discusses positive organizational scholarship (POS) as a step forward in innovative OD scholarship. POS highlights some phenomena that have largely been overlooked in mainline OD articles, and the article provides illustrations of successful POS interventions relying on a POS–OD approach to change. A sampling of new OD-type intervention practices is introduced.
Discourse as Social Representations: A Historical Perspective of Illicit Drugs in People’s Daily (1949–2016)
Authors: Tang Qingye , He Liang
Published: September 2020

This article draws on critical discourse analysis to examine how China’s mainstream newspaper People’s Daily represents illicit drugs from 1949 to 2016. The quantity of drug reports varies but has steadily increased with the severity of drug situations. Lexical variations show the prevalence of synthetic drugs and the newspaper’s major concern about drugs at different times. The diverse representations of drug types reveal the historical change in illicit drug use, production, and trafficking, and the rhetorical use of drug argots and metaphors disguises the outcomes of addiction and drug trade. The discursive variations in the reporting on illicit drugs are markedly conditioned by the social change and the domestic and global drug context and also reflect the evolution in China’s drug policies and attitudes toward drugs in society. The findings reveal the gradual shifts from the government’s strong ideological vigilance, concerns over Western imperialism, and the advocacy for strict law enforcement and draconian punishment to the people-oriented and public health approach.
Competitive Effects of Front-of-Package Nutrition Labeling Adoption on Nutritional Quality: Evidence from Facts Up Front–Style Labels
Authors: Lim Joon Ho , Rishika Rishika , Janakiraman Ramkumar , Kannan P.K.
Published: September 2020

“Facts Up Front” nutrition labels are a front-of-package (FOP) nutrition labeling system that presents key nutrient information on the front of packaged food and beverage products in an easy-to-read format. The authors conduct a large-scale empirical study to examine the effect of adoption of FOP labeling on products’ nutritional quality. The authors assemble a unique data set on packaged food products in the United States across 44 categories over 16 years. By using a difference-in-differences estimator, the authors find that FOP adoption in a product category leads to an improvement in the nutritional quality of other products in that category. This competitive response is stronger for premium brands and brands with narrower product line breadth as well as for categories involving unhealthy products and those that are more competitive in nature. The authors offer evidence regarding the role of nutrition information salience as the underlying mechanism; they also perform supplementary analyses to rule out potential self-selection issues and conduct a battery of robustness checks and falsification tests. The authors discuss the implications of the findings for public policy makers, consumers, manufacturers, and food retailers.
Public Support for Policies to Reduce School Shootings: A Moral-Altruistic Model
Authors: Burton Alexander L. , Pickett Justin T. , Jonson Cheryl Lero , Cullen Francis T. , Burton Velmer S.
Published: September 2020

Objectives:

The recurring mass murder of students in schools has sparked an intense debate about how best to increase school safety. Because public opinion weighs heavily in this debate, we examine public views on how best to prevent school shootings. We theorize that three moral-altruistic factors are likely to be broadly relevant to public opinion on school safety policies: moral intuitions about harm, anger about school crime, and altruistic fear.

Methods:

We commissioned YouGov to survey 1,100 Americans to explore support for a range of gun control and school programming policies and willingness to pay for school target hardening. We test the ability of a moral-altruistic model to explain public opinion, while controlling for the major predictors of gun control attitudes found in the social sciences.

Results:

The public strongly supports policies that restrict who can access guns, expand school anti-bullying and counseling programs, and target-harden schools. While many factors influence attitudes toward gun-related policies specifically, moral-altruistic factors significantly increase support for all three types of school safety policies.

Conclusions:

The public favors a comprehensive policy response and is willing to pay for it. Support for prevention efforts reflects moral intuitions about harm, anger about school crime, and altruistic fear.
Philosophies and Decision Making in Parole Board Members
Authors: Ruhland Ebony L.
Published: September 2020

Parole boards have discretion to make prison release decisions by applying a number of factors. While prior research has identified factors that are important, little is known about how parole board members interpret the factors and the degree to which members’ characteristics affect decision making. Using board transcripts, this study explored: (1) how members’ philosophies influence factors used in release decisions and; (2) how board members define and frame factor meanings. The findings provide insights into decisions that may create release disparities.
Ugly progress: W. E. B. Du Bois’s sociology of the future
Authors: Davidson Joe P. L.
Published: September 2020

The work of W. E. B. Du Bois is a powerful but unjustly neglected resource for sociological enquiry. Powerful insofar that it cuts against the grain of sociology as it exists today, offering a distinctive set of tools that allow the social world to be approached, conceptualised and studied in new ways. Unjustly neglected insofar that the explicit and implicit racism of sociology has positioned Du Bois as a peripheral figure. The purpose of this article is to contribute to the task of recuperating Du Bois’s hidden potency by considering his theory of social time. I argue that Du Bois’s essay ‘Of the Meaning of Progress’ presents an incisive critique of the triumphalist conception of progress that was dominant in the nineteenth and twentieth centuries and the diffuse desire for a better future common in sociology today. Du Bois rejects the idea that history moves in a necessary and ameliorative fashion towards an ever better world. Instead, drawing on the black experience of slavery and racial violence, Du Bois proposes a notion of ugly progress: a looping conception of time that involves shuffling between the disappointments of the past and utopian hopes for the future. To conclude, I suggest the ugly conception of progress offers a fresh perspective on how marginalised figures from the past, such as Du Bois himself, should be positioned within the discipline of sociology.
The Constitutional Role of Electoral Management Bodies: The Case of the Australian Electoral Commission
Authors: Kildea Paul
Published: September 2020

Electoral management bodies are increasingly being recognised as ‘fourth branch’ institutions that have a role to play in safeguarding electoral democracy against government attempts to undermine the fairness of the electoral process. This article explores the extent to which the Australian Electoral Commission (‘AEC’) fulfils that constitutional function by facilitating and protecting electoral democracy. It demonstrates that independence, impartiality and a supportive legislative framework help the AEC to be effective in performing these roles, but that inadequate powers, lack of budgetary autonomy and answerability to political actors operate as constraints. More generally, the analysis presented shows the value of expanding our understanding of the role of fourth branch institutions so that we take account of their activities in both fostering and safeguarding key democratic values.
Political Constitutionalism: Individual Responsibility and Collective Restraint
Authors: Ng Yee-Fui
Published: September 2020

Australia’s Constitution has been shaped by a blend of legal and political constitutionalism; yet there is limited attention given to political mechanisms of control in Australia. With the recent developments in the United Kingdom and the turmoil of Brexit that shifted the balance between legal and political constitutionalism, it is timely to examine how political constitutionalism has evolved in Australia. This article argues that Australian political constitutionalism is distinct from the United Kingdom as it is shaped not by internal conflict about the nature of the constitution but rather by the significant evolutionary development of fundamental institutions. In particular, it is argued that there are three critical junctures for political constitutionalism in Australia: the foundations of the Commonwealth, the formation of disciplined political parties and the rise of oversight bodies. It is contended that Australia may be reaching a new critical juncture due to the fragmentation of responsible government from privatisation and outsourcing and the rise of ministerial advisers.