bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Combining Cystatin C and Creatinine Yields a Reliable Glomerular Filtration Rate Estimation in Older Adults in Contrast to β-Trace Protein and β2-Microglobulin
Authors: Werner Karin , Pihlsgård Mats , Elmståhl Sölve , Legrand Helen , Nyman Ulf , Christensson Anders
Published: April 2017

Background: The glomerular filtration rate (GFR) is the most important measure of kidney function and chronic kidney disease (CKD). This study aims to validate commonly used equations for estimated GFR (eGFR) based on creatinine (cr), cystatin C (cys), β-trace protein (BTP), and β2-microglobulin (B2M) in older adults. Method: We conducted a validation study with 126 participants aged between 72 and 98 with a mean measured GFR (mGFR) by iohexol clearance of 54 mL/min/1.73 m2. The eGFR equations (CKD-Epidemiology collaboration [CKD-EPI], Berlin Initiative Study [BIS], Full Age Spectrum [FAS], Modification of Diet in Renal Disease [MDRD]cr, Caucasian-Asian-Pediatric-Adult [CAPA]cys, Lund-Malmö Revised [LM-REV]cr, and MEAN-LM-CAPAcr-cys), were assessed in terms of bias (median difference: eGFR-mGFR), precision (interquartile range of the differences), and accuracy (P30: percentage of estimates ±30% of mGFR). The equations were compared to a benchmark equation: CKD-EPIcr-cys. Results: All cystatin C-based equations underestimated the GFR compared to mGFR, whereas bias was mixed for the equations based only on creatinine. Accuracy was the highest for CKD-EPIcr-cys (98%) and lowest for MDRD (82%). Below mGFR 45 mL/min/1.73 m2 only equations incorporating cystatin C reached P30 accuracy >90%. CKD-EPIcr-cys was not significantly more accurate than the other cystatin C-based equations. In contrast, CKD-EPIcr-cys was significantly more accurate than all creatinine-based equations except LM-REVcr. Conclusion: This study confirms that it is reasonable to use equations incorporating cystatin C and creatinine in older patients across a wide spectrum of GFR. However, the results call into question the use of creatinine alone below mGFR 45 mL/min/1.73 m2. B2M and BTP do not demonstrate additional value in eGFR determination in older adults.
MIDAS (Modafinil in Debilitating Fatigue After Stroke)
Authors: Bivard Andrew , Lillicrap Thomas , Krishnamurthy Venkatesh , Holliday Elizabeth , Attia John , Pagram Heather , Nilsson Michael , Parsons Mark , Levi Christopher R.
Published: April 2017

Background and Purpose—

This study aimed to assess the efficacy of modafinil, a wakefulness-promoting agent in alleviating post-stroke fatigue ≥3 months after stroke. We hypothesized that 200 mg of modafinil daily for 6 weeks would result in reduced symptoms of fatigue compared with placebo.

Methods—

This single-center phase 2 trial used a randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled, crossover design. The key inclusion criterion was a multidimensional fatigue inventory score of ≥60. Patients were randomized to either modafinil or placebo for 6 weeks of therapy, then after a 1 week washout period swapped treatment arms for a second 6 weeks of therapy. The primary outcome was the multidimensional fatigue inventory; secondary outcomes included the Montreal cognitive assessment, the Depression, Anxiety, and Stress Scale (DASS), and the Stroke-Specific Quality of Life (SSQoL) scale. The multidimensional fatigue inventory is a self-administered questionnaire with a range of 0 to 100. Treatment efficacy was assessed using linear regression by estimating within-person, baseline-adjusted differences in mean outcomes after therapy. This trial was registered with the Australian New Zealand Clinical Trials Registry (ACTRN12615000350527).

Results—

A total of 232 stroke survivors were screened and 36 were randomized. Participants receiving modafinil reported a significant decrease in fatigue (multidimensional fatigue inventory, −7.38; 95% CI, −21.76 to −2.99;
P
<0.001) and improved quality of life (SSQoL, 11.81; 95% CI, 2.31 to 21.31;
P
=0.0148) compared with placebo. Montreal cognitive assessment and DASS were not significantly improved with modafinil therapy during the study period (
P
>0.05).

Conclusions—

Stroke survivors with nonresolving fatigue reported reduced fatigue and improved quality of life after taking 200 mg daily treatment with modafinil.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
https://www.anzctr.org.au/Trial/Registration/TrialReview.aspx?id=368268
. Unique identifier: ACTRN12615000350527.
Colonialism and Imperialism: Indigenous Resistance on the us/Mexico Border
Authors: Resendiz Ramon , Resendiz Rosalva , Klaver Irene J.
Published: April 2017

The Rio Grande River became a boundary after the Mexican-American War (1846-1848), dividing families and communities living along its banks. In 2005 theusCongress began enacting legislation for the purposes of building a physical fence along theus-Mexico border. As such, this digital media project foregrounds the story of Dr. Tamez, a tribal elder and retired colonel, and her Lipan Apache Band in their fight for social justice, a fight that went to federal court, and spurred an inquiry and report by the United Nations Committee on the Elimination of Racial Discrimination, and the Inter-American Commission on Human Rights.
Migration as Resistance to Global Capitalism: From Cause to Action in the Migration of Central American Children to the United States, Summer 2014
Authors: Lopez Edwin
Published: April 2017

When thousands of unaccompanied child migrants arrived at the Mexico-usborder in summer 2014 a single question seemed to dominate the news—why did they come? This article suggests perspectives that relied on nation-state and binational paradigms are far too limited to explain this migration. Rather, the children’s arrival is argued to be a form of resistance to global capitalism, where the inherent subordinating relations of capitalist globalization engendered resistance in the form of migration. Children from communities with extreme poverty responded to structural and direct violence by migrating north as a way to seek alternatives to their lived experience of globalization.
Caste Diasporas beyond National Boundaries: Digital Caste Networks
Authors: Sam Jillet Sarah
Published: April 2017

Although castes are organizing as cross-border formations empirically, the literature seems preoccupied with analyzing caste diasporas in terms of the boundaries of the nation-state. This article examines how digital caste networks serve as border-spanning caste diaspora by drawing on Steven Vertovec’s conceptualization of a diaspora. The analysis draws on ethnographic data to analyze the case of theCyber Thiyyars of Malabar, a digital caste network that seeks to mobilize members of the Thiyya caste by foregrounding regional affiliations with Malabar.
Arab Children and Teens as Main Characters in Children’s Literature
Authors: Cook Tura Campanella
Published: April 2017

How meaningful is it to check out books from the library, or donate books to libraries and schools, or read and discuss books with children? When these are children’s books with Arab children and teens as main characters, such simple acts resist the cultural anti-Arab and anti-Muslim message prevalent in the media, entertainment, and textbooks. This article analyzes picture books: Silent Music by James Rumford and Sitti’s Secrets by Naomi Shihab Nye, along with two novels for early teen readers: The Turtle of Oman by Naomi Shihab Nye and The Shepherd’s Granddaughter by Anne Laurel Carter.
Seeking Identity, Changing Identity
Authors: Berruecos Luis
Published: April 2017

In any society, culture unites its members, which are represented by a host of symbols, formulas, traditions, and ways of thinking that are reflected and are present concrete and abstractly through conscious or collective ways of imagination. In this line of thinking we differentiate the concept of patriotism to the one related to national identity. In this eternal search for identity, the question is how much can it change and due to which factors?
From Pearl Harbor to the “Asian Pivot”: Contours of us Imperialism in the Pacific
Authors: Boggs Carl
Published: April 2017

This article explores the long trajectory of United States imperial strategy in the Pacific, spanning the first conquest of Hawaii in the 1890s through the naval buildup, the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, the protracted war of annihilation against Japan that followed, American establishment of its postwar hegemony over Japan, South Korea, the Philippines, and other parts of Asia, to the present-day “Asian Pivot” (including the Trans-Pacific Partnership) linking 12 nations in trade relations with efforts to contain the Chinese economic juggernaut. I argue that this will become a centerpiece of global politics heading into the future.
The New Sharing Economy: Creation of a New Serfdom?
Authors: Nnajiofor Peterson
Published: April 2017

Hailed as the embodiment of a non-capitalist and more ethical economic system, the new sharing economy appears to be far from the ideal economic dispensation and revolution it is supposed to usher in. It rather seems to be the beginning of a ruthless capitalist system of global transfer of capital and power from workers to rich investors. Applying the most recent literature and original research, this article delves into the underlying tenets of the sharing economy as a system, and highlights its shortcomings and ramifications that are leading to the creation of modern serfs and dangerous capitalist behemoths and ideologies.
Capitalism Receives a Failing Grade
Authors: Blain Bob
Published: April 2017

Cooperation®: The Wealth of Nations Game®is a simulation, a way to highlight advantages and disadvantages of economic systems, and suggest where changes might improve performance. This simulation enabled its inventors, Bob Blain and Bob Gill, to identify a set of rules that would work better than barter, socialism, and capitalism. University students graded these, along with autonomous cooperation. Barter received a C, socialism a B, capitalism an F, and autonomous cooperation an A. The latter is the result of adjusting game rules to incorporate the strengths of the other three methods of exchange while avoiding their weaknesses. How the rules of autonomous cooperation can be applied to economic policies is explained in the final section.
Yevgeniy Pashukanis, His Law and Marxism: A General Theory, and the 1922 Treaty of Rapallo between Soviet Russia and Germany
Authors: Bowring Bill
Published: April 2017

The subject matter of this article is the moment at which Soviet Russia made its first and unexpected step into international legal relations. My focus is the role played, as a legal adviser, by Yevgeniy Pashukanis. I trace the tragic trajectory of Pashukanis up to his murder by Stalin’s regime, and conclude with an evaluation of the significance of the Treaty. It is my contention that the General Theory is not at all representative of Pashukanis’ work as whole. With the exception of this text, Pashukanis was an orthodox Soviet legal scholar, adapting successfully to changes in the prevailing theoretical and ideological direction of the ussr. The Treaty between two defeated and to different extents pariah powers was of immense significance, not only for the immediate survival of Soviet Russia, and its gradual integration into the international legal order, but also for the subsequent trajectories of both countries.
Cooperation: The Path to Agricultural Development in China (合作：中国农业发展道路的讨论)
Authors: Wang (王小鲁) Xiaolu , Jiang (姜斯栋) Sidong
Published: April 2017

Chinese agriculture underwent a tortuous development process. Given relative scarcity in land, the trend of continued increases in grain output is currently close to its limit. Meanwhile, along with increasing income and diversifying demand, the agricultural sector needs to change its pattern of development from quantitative to qualitative. Farm size will increase moderately along with urbanization and labor migration, but capitalized large farms should not become the main pattern. Household farming plus cooperation suits China’s natural endowment and efficiency needs better.

中国农业过去经历了曲折的发展过程。目前在有限土地上推动粮食等传统农产品不断增产的农业道路已经临近极限，同时随着居民收入水平提高和需求变化，农业发展需要从数量满足向质量优化转型。伴随城市化进展和劳动力转移，农业会适度扩大经营规模，但资本化大农场不应成为农业的主流经营方式。农户家庭经营加合作的方式将更加适合中国的资源禀赋和总体效率要求。 (This article is in Chinese.)
Taxonomic notes and validation of the name Oenothera mollis (Onagraceae)
Authors: WOŹNIAK-CHODACKA MONIKA
Published: April 2017

The name Oenothera mollis Renner ex Rostański was not validly published in 1965 because of the lack of a type designation. In this paper the holotype is indicated and the name is validly published with a full and direct reference to Rostański’s original diagnosis.
Two new species segregated from Hymenophyllum tunbrigense (Hymenophyllaceae) in southern South America, based on morphological, anatomical, molecular and distributional evidence
Authors: LARSEN CRISTIAN , ARANA MARCELO D. , ACOSTA JUAN M. , PONCE M. MÓNICA
Published: April 2017

The cosmopolitan species Hymenophyllum tunbrigense was traditionally represented in southern South America by two allopatric varieties: H. tunbrigense var. tunbrigense in the Andean Patagonian forests of Argentina and Chile, and H. tunbrigense var. cordobense, an endemic taxon restricted to the mountain system of central and north-western Argentina. Given the diagnosable differences between these two taxa, and between these taxa and the European and African entity, based on morphological, anatomical, molecular, ecological and distributional evidence, we exclude H. tunbrigense for Southern Cone, propose to revalidate the name Hymenophyllum asperulum for the species present in the Magellanic and Valdivian forests and elevate H. tunbrigense var. cordobense to species rank. We consider these two taxa as endemic species, closely related to the widespread H. tunbrigense. We also cite Hymenophyllum cordobense for first time for the flora of Bolivia.
Critical notes on some taxa of the genus Acampe Lindl. (Orchidaceae)
Authors: BARBHUIYA HUSSAIN AHMED , VERMA DURGESH , KUMAR VIKAS , DEY SANTANU
Published: April 2017

Based on morphological studies of fresh material Acampe rigida is reduced to a variety of A. praemorsa. Types are designated for Acampe carinata and A. excavata.
The Role of Mesoscale-Convective Processes in Explaining the 21 November 2016 Epidemic Thunderstorm Asthma Event in Melbourne, Australia
Authors: Grundstein Andrew , Shepherd Marshall , Miller Paul , Sarnat Stefanie Ebelt
Published: April 2017

A major thunderstorm asthma epidemic struck Melbourne and surrounding Victoria, Australia, on 21 November 2016, which led to multiple deaths, a flood of residents seeking medical attention for respiratory problems, and an overwhelmed emergency management system. This case day had all the classic ingredients for an epidemic, including high rye grass pollen concentrations, a strong multicellular thunderstorm system moving across the region, and a large population of several million people in the vicinity of Melbourne. A particular characteristic of this event was the strong, gusty winds that likely spread the pollen grains and/or allergenic contents widely across the region to increase population exposure. This exploratory case study is the first to examine the usefulness of low-to-middle-atmospheric thermodynamic information for anticipating epidemic thunderstorm asthma outbreaks by allowing the forecast of strong downdraft winds. The authors investigated the utility of several mesoscale products derived from atmospheric soundings such as downdraft convective available potential energy (DCAPE) and indices for predicting surface wind gusts such as microburst wind speed potential index (MWPI) and a wind gust index (GUSTEX). These results indicate that DCAPE levels reached “high” to “very high” thresholds for strong downdraft winds in the lead-up to the thunderstorm, and the MWPI and GUSTEX indices accurately predicted the high maximum surface wind observations. This information may be useful for diagnostic and prognostic assessment of epidemic thunderstorm asthma and in providing an early warning to health practitioners, emergency management officials, and residents in affected areas.
Current Sociology and the challenges of inequality in academia: 65 years forging spaces of intelligibility
Authors: Martín Eloísa
Published: April 2017

Current Sociology was founded in 1952 and since then has developed into an internationalized and pluralistic journal while always pursuing its mission of sharing sociological works across the globe. Over the past 65 years, Current Sociology has played a major role in both discussions surrounding the field of production of sociological knowledge and debates on its limits and challenges. And at the same time, it has drawn up strategies to overcome these limits and challenges. Meeting these goals has been puzzling at times because within the global academic community, the very production of knowledge entails inequalities derived from a specific geopolitics inherent to the international division of academic work. This article analyses some of the main editorial policies developed over the past seven years in an attempt to face the challenges of inequality in academia and carve out spaces of intelligibility.
The Pursuit of Happiness: Racial Utilitarianism and Black Reform Efforts in John T. Clark’s Urban League
Authors: Cilli Adam Lee
Published: April 2017

This article centers on John T. Clark’s tenure as executive secretary of the Urban League of Pittsburgh (ULP) to introduce a new characterization of black reform efforts that I call racial utilitarianism. Operating at the nadir of American race relations, Urban Leaguers like Clark developed pragmatic reform strategies to mitigate the most serious physical manifestations of northern-style Jim Crow, including underemployment, inadequate housing, and disease. In pursuing their vision of the greater good, they dealt with what they saw as internal and external sources of inequality. Under Clark’s leadership, ULP staff strove to “adjust” black migrant behavior while lobbying white employers to open skilled positions to black workers and pressuring local unions to eliminate racially restrictive clauses. By sponsoring programs to inculcate migrants with the values of thrift, sobriety, hard work, and company loyalty, Clark obtained funding for the ULP, with which it developed crucial health programs in Pittsburgh’s black community.
Assessing the Effect of Preoperative Nutrition on Upper Body Function in Elderly Patients Undergoing Elective Abdominal Surgery
Authors: Sikder Tarifin , Maimon Geva , Sourial Nadia , Tahiri Mehdi , Teasdale Debby , Bernier Paule , Fraser Shannon A. , Demyttenaere Sebastian , Bergman Simon
Published: April 2017

Background: Malnutrition among elderly surgical patients has been associated with poor postoperative outcomes and reduced functional status. Although previous studies have shown that nutrition contributes to patient outcomes, its long‐term impact on functional status requires better characterization. This study examines the effect of nutrition on postoperative upper body function over time in elderly patients undergoing elective surgery. Methods: This is a 2‐year prospective study of elderly patients (≥70 years) undergoing elective abdominal surgery. Preoperative nutrition status was determined with the Subjective Global Assessment (SGA). The primary outcome was handgrip strength (HGS) at 1, 4, 12, and 24 weeks postsurgery. Repeated measures analysis was used to determine whether SGA status affects the trajectory of postoperative HGS. Results: The cohort included 144 patients with a mean age of 77.8 ± 5.0 years and a mean body mass index of 27.7 ± 5.1 kg/m2. The median (interquartile range) Charlson Comorbidity Index was 3 (2–6). Participants were categorized as well‐nourished (86%) and mildly to moderately malnourished (14%), with mean preoperative HGS of 25.8 ± 9.2 kg and 19.6 ± 7.0 kg, respectively. At 24 weeks, 64% of well‐nourished patients had recovered to baseline HGS, compared with 44% of mildly to moderately malnourished patients. Controlling for relevant covariates, SGA did not significantly affect the trajectory of postoperative HGS. Conclusion: While HGS values over the 24 weeks were consistently higher in the well‐nourished SGA group than the mildly to moderately malnourished SGA group, no difference in the trajectories of HGS was detected between the groups.
City-States, Princely States, and Warfare: Corporate Alliance and State Formation in the Holy Roman Empire (1540–1610)
Authors: Close Christopher W.
Published: April 2017

Scholars often view the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries as a period of general urban decline, when territorial rulers imposed their political agendas on smaller state actors such as city-states in ever more authoritative ways. Such a view is especially prevalent in studies based in the Holy Roman Empire. It forms part of a larger approach to studying the course of state formation that focuses too much on the building of internal bureaucratic institutions and not enough on the importance of interactions between state actors. Studies that examine the relationship between warfare and state formation in particular downplay the importance of city-states, arguing that the costs of war served as a prime vehicle for princely states to marginalize city-states during the Reformation era. This article re-evaluates this paradigm of urban decline through the comparative study of corporate alliances, formal cooperative associations between princely states and city-states. Specifically, it examines the fallout surrounding two conflicts between princes and city-states within the Schmalkaldic League and the Protestant Union. Controversies over the use of alliance military forces within these leagues reveal that rather than decline in the decades leading up to the Thirty Years War, urban influence within leagues increased over time because of the dynamics of war. This conclusion challenges the narratives of territoriality and urban decline that dominate much of the political history covering the sixteenth and early seventeenth centuries. Ultimately, it presents a new way to understand the relationship between city-states, princely states, warfare, and the course of state formation in the Reformation-era Holy Roman Empire.
Participatory Assessment of Factors Influencing Nutrition and Livelihoods in Rural Ethiopia: Implications for Measuring Impacts of Multisector Nutrition Programs
Authors: Busse H. A. , Jogo W. , Fofanah M. , Tesfay H. , Hadush M. , Kiflom E. , Schulz S.
Published: April 2017

Agricultural interventions more effectively improve nutrition when they are adapted to local contexts and engage multiple sectors. However, evidence is limited for how to design and measure the impacts of such interventions. We piloted a participatory methodology to collect community feedback to inform the design and selection of measures for a multisector nutrition intervention in Ethiopia. Study participants were purposively recruited from 6 rural districts in Tigray and the Southern Nations, Nationalities, and Peoples’ regions. Qualitative data were collected from 12 focus group discussions with smallholder farmers (men and women) participating in a nutrition-sensitive agriculture intervention. The Sustainable Livelihoods Approach (SLA) combined with an ecological systems model informed the survey tool and analyses. Analyses revealed 3 key findings. First, there were regional differences in how communities defined assets important for nutrition. Second, when asked to prioritize which assets were most important, communities selected every SLA capital category; however, the types of assets within each category differed by region. Third, the most commonly reported barriers to good nutrition were traditional feeding behaviors (eg, men eating before women) and lack of nutrition knowledge. How households use assets to enhance nutrition is influenced by diverse and dynamic cultural, social, economic, and ecological factors. The participatory methods piloted in this study present a novel approach to identify contextually relevant household, community, and institutional assets used to support food and nutrition security.
Memory, Party Politics, and Post-Transition Space: The Case of Poland
Authors: Korycki Kate
Published: April 2017

In this work I analyze and interpret Polish political field as a field of memory. I make three claims. First, I claim that programmatic identities of Polish political parties are weak. Despite this weakness political competition remains fierce, because parties fashion enduring political identities. I identify three mainstream political identities of political actors in Poland, given by their temporal orientation and their judgment of communism. Second, I claim that the field of the political competition predicated on the turn to the past and on moral opprobrium is the particular achievement of the party that captured political power in Poland in 2015. Similarly to its 2005 electoral success, the party narrated the country’s main problem as communist state-capture. It claimed that (former-) communists and their post-dissident allies captured political, material, and symbolic levers of power. This way of presenting the problem polarized the field, casting political opponents as essential enemies, and casting the narrators as country’s saviors. Third, this achievement was possible because the party narrated communism as essentially and existentially anti-Polish: it presented it as equal to Nazism, it made it foreign, and it made it coincidental with Jewishness. It then launched such discursive “weapon” against its present-day opponents.
Young Adult Propensity to Join Voluntary Associations: The Role of Civic Engagement and Motivations
Authors: Lanero Ana , Vázquez José Luis , Gutiérrez Pablo
Published: April 2017

Based on a self-selection perspective, this study analyzes the relation between personal civic engagement and the willingness to join a voluntary association by considering the mediating role of motivations. Four factors of civic engagement are considered: civic duty, civic skills, social connection, and civic participation; in addition, three motivations are considered: instrumental, expressive, and career-related. The proposed model is tested using a survey of 408 Spanish young adults with no previous experience as members of any association. The analytical technique used is partial least squares. The findings point that instrumental motivation is the main vehicle to translate the four factors of civic engagement into associational involvement, whereas expressive motivation represents a secondary mediator in the effects of civic duty and social connection. Career-related motivation is not associated with the willingness to join a voluntary association. Implications for the recruitment and retention of young adults in voluntary associations are discussed.
Improvement of the classification quality in detection of Hashimoto’s disease with a combined classifier approach
Authors: Omiotek Zbigniew
Published: April 2017

The purpose of the study was to construct an efficient classifier that, along with a given reduced set of discriminant features, could be used as a part of the computer system in automatic identification and classification of ultrasound images of the thyroid gland, which is aimed to detect cases affected by Hashimoto’s thyroiditis. A total of 10 supervised learning techniques and a majority vote for the combined classifier were used. Two models were proposed as a result of the classifier’s construction. The first one is based on the K-nearest neighbours method (for K = 7). It uses three discriminant features and affords sensitivity equal to 88.1%, specificity of 66.7% and classification error at a level of 21.8%. The second model is a combined classifier, which was constructed using three-component classifiers. They are based on the K-nearest neighbours method (for K = 7), linear discriminant analysis and a boosting algorithm. The combined classifier is based on 48 discriminant features. It allows to achieve the classification sensitivity equal to 88.1%, specificity of 69.4% and classification error at a level of 20.5%. The combined classifier allows to improve the classification quality compared to the single model. The models, built as a part of the automatic computer system, may support the physician, especially in first-contact hospitals, in diagnosis of cases that are difficult to recognise based on ultrasound images. The high sensitivity of constructed classification models indicates high detection accuracy of the sick cases, and this is beneficial to the patients from a medical point of view.
The digitalisation of service work – social partner responses in Denmark, Sweden and Germany
Authors: Ilsøe Anna
Published: April 2017

The discussion on the digitalisation of work has intensified in recent years. The literature points to two main trends accelerated by digitalisation – work automation that eliminates or changes job functions, and the creation of work without jobs via digital platforms. This article addresses the question as to how social partners define digitalisation of work and their perception of its consequences, while also looking at their recent responses to it. Drawing on interviews with unions and employers' organisations in Denmark, Sweden and Germany, it examines social partner initiatives in the unilateral, tripartite and bipartite arenas on various forms of neo-corporatist labour market regulation. The focus is on service work in the private sector, an area of the economy currently under pressure from both automation and the trend towards work without jobs. Whereas the social partners seem to be very active in the unilateral arena in all three countries, responses differ in the tripartite and bipartite arenas. The article concludes by discussing the strengths and weaknesses of the responses in the face of current digitalisation trends and existing models of labour market regulation.
Urban Indigenous cultural productions in Quebec: vital connections to cultural reconstruction
Authors: Guimont Marceau Stéphane , Gaudet Janice Cindy , Audet Véronique , Parent Marie-Josée , Lumsden Mélanie , Abitbol Jonathan
Published: April 2017

This article aims to address a gap in research regarding the dynamics that underpin Indigenous cultural productions in urban areas in Quebec (Canada), to gain an understanding of conditions, practices and relationships surrounding urban Indigenous cultural productions, and to examine their role in cultural reconstruction. The research findings point to how urban Indigenous cultural productions are vital to the survival and reconstruction of Indigenous cultures and identities. Interviews and sharing circles with cultural producers stressed that cultural productions are much more than products. They are a way of life and a way of thinking and being. The research was conducted from August 2015 to April 2016 by an urban Indigenous organization, DestiNATIONS: Carrefour International of Indigenous Arts and Cultures. It involved an intercultural and interdisciplinary research team guided by an Indigenous research methodology. We drew inspiration from the wisdom of close to a 100 cultural producers concerning their cultural productions.
Music in action: tinkering, testing and tracing over time
Authors: DeNora Tia , Ansdell Gary
Published: April 2017

In this article we draw on a recent, six-year ethnographic study of community music therapy and mental health to highlight strategies and techniques for documenting music’s role in processes of change. We place these strategies in dialogue with the ethnographic work on arts and crafts by Paul Atkinson. In tandem with Atkinson, we propose a ‘slow’ approach focused on micro-processes of musical/para-musical bricolage whereby things are made and transformed over time. A three-cornered strategy in support of this approach is described: (1) a focus on musical-practical tinkering, (2) a focus on the modification and contention or testing of idiocultural musical space and, (3) two specific techniques for tracing music-related change, the music therapy ‘index’ and the ‘musical event’ schema.
‘Where goats connect people’: Cultural diffusion of livestock not food production amongst southern African hunter-gatherers during the Later Stone Age
Authors: Russell Thembi
Published: April 2017

The frequently stated yet unexamined assumption in the debate surrounding the acquisition of livestock by hunter-gatherers in southern Africa is that this transition was about a subsistence change to food production. This interpretation ignores the archaeological evidence that hunter-gatherers remained hunter-gatherers on acquisition of stock. It also overlooks the ethnographic and historical evidence surrounding the relationships between humans and animals in Africa (and beyond), both today and in the past. Amongst the majority of the continent’s people, the primary value of domestic animals is their social and ritual value. Across all subsistence categories in eastern and southern Africa – hunter-gatherer, agro-pastoralist and pastoralist – there is a strong and well-documented shared resistance to slaughtering livestock. This has implications for our understanding of the uptake of stock by hunter-gatherers in southern African 2000 years ago and its comparison to Neolithic transitions in other parts of the world.
Cellular immune response in chickens infected with avian infectious bronchitis virus (IBV)
Authors: Zhang Tong , Li Deyin , Jia Zhihua , Chang Jianyu , Hou Xiaolin
Published: April 2017

To understand the mechanistic basis of innate immunity against the infectious bronchitis virus (IBV), the gene transcription profile of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) in SPF chicken tissues infected with an IBV-M41 strain was examined. IBV infection induced mRNA transcription of TLRs, RLRs, and NODs. TLR7, MyD88, TRAF6, MDA5, LGP2, and NLRC5 were stimulated, as well as mRNA activation of the downstream genes of NF-κB and IRF3. And mRNA for the pro-inflammatory cytokines of interferon-α (IFN)-α, IFN-β, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) showed over-expression. The IBV load in tissues gradually reduced. These results suggested that the three kinds of PRRs signaling pathways and innate immune cytokine were induced after IBV infection.
Subclinical hypothyroidism: Should we treat?
Authors: Redford Christopher , Vaidya Bijay
Published: April 2017

Subclinical hypothyroidism (also known as compensated hypothyroidism or mild hypothyroidism) is a condition associated with a raised serum concentration of thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH) but a normal serum free thyroxine (FT4). It is common, affecting about 10% of women above the age of 55 years. Autoimmunity is the commonest cause of subclinical hypothyroidism. About 2.5% of patients with subclinical hypothyroidism progress to clinically overt hypothyroidism each year; the rate of progression is higher in patients with thyroid autoantibodies and higher thyroid stimulating hormone levels. However, thyroid function normalises spontaneously in up to 40% cases. Only a small minority of patients with subclinical hypothyroidism have symptoms, and the evidence to support that levothyroxine ameliorate the symptoms in these patients is weak. Subclinical hypothyroidism in younger patients (<65 years) is associated with an increased risk of coronary heart disease, heart failure and cerebrovascular disease. The risk increases with increasing levels of thyroid stimulating hormone, and is particularly high in patients with TSH levels ≥10.0 mu/L. There is lack of evidence from randomised controlled trials as to whether levothyroxine treatment can prevent these risks, although a large observational study of the UK general practice research database has shown that levothyroxine may reduce the risk of coronary heart disease in younger patients (<70 years). Therefore, the decision whether to treat or not to treat subclinical hypothyroidism should be made after careful consideration of the patient’s age, the presence of symptoms, the presence of thyroid antibodies and other risk factors such as cardiovascular disease.
Effect of the Brazilian iron fortification of wheat and corn flour on the nutritional iron status in adolescents, 6 years after its implementation
Authors: Hirata Alexandre Massashi , Braga Josefina Aparecida Pellegrini , Vitalle Maria Sylvia de Souza , Silverio Amancio Olga Maria
Published: April 2017

Background

As it is difficult to know the content of iron added in the Brazilian iron fortification of wheat and corn flour, and if the compound has good or poor bioavailability, the objective was to assess the effect of the Brazilian iron fortification program, as it was carried out, on iron nutritional status of adolescents, 6 years after its implementation.

Methods

A cross-sectional retrospective study was conducted with adolescents aged 10 to 17 years, both sexes, treated at a primary health care center. Data were collected from medical records of patients and compared with those of a previous survey conducted at the same center in 2004. Anthropometry, iron biochemical indicators, food intake, pubertal stage, and transferrin saturation were assessed, with pubertal stage and transferrin saturation being the last two variables compared between 2004 and 2010. Mann-Whitney and chi-square tests were also used.

Results

In 2010, mean hemoglobin values and serum ferritin levels were within normal ranges for both sexes, and adolescents who consumed diets with low iron bioavailability constituted more than half of the sample (52.7%). In 2004, a 10.3 and 18.6% prevalence of iron deficiency was observed, based on low transferrin saturation, in females and males, respectively. It was noted that during the 6-year period, this prevalence decreased significantly, 4 and 10.4%.

Conclusions

Anemia and iron deficiency are not prevalent in this population, probably due to the implementation of flour fortification with iron; it is not possible, however, to attribute such a result only to the implementation of this strategy.
Using Next-Generation Sequencing to Explore Genetics and Race in the High School Classroom
Authors: Yang Xinmiao , Hartman Mark R. , Harrington Kristin T. , Etson Candice M. , Fierman Matthew B. , Slonim Donna K. , Walt David R.
Published: April 2017

With the development of new sequencing and bioinformatics technologies, concepts relating to personal genomics play an increasingly important role in our society. To promote interest and understanding of sequencing and bioinformatics in the high school classroom, we developed and implemented a laboratory-based teaching module called “The Genetics of Race.” This module uses the topic of race to engage students with sequencing and genetics. In the experimental portion of this module, students isolate their own mitochondrial DNA using standard biotechnology techniques and collect next-generation sequencing data to determine which of their classmates are most and least genetically similar to themselves. We evaluated the efficacy of this module by administering a pretest/posttest evaluation to measure student knowledge related to sequencing and bioinformatics, and we also conducted a survey at the conclusion of the module to assess student attitudes. Upon completion of our Genetics of Race module, students demonstrated significant learning gains, with lower-performing students obtaining the highest gains, and developed more positive attitudes toward scientific research.
Usefulness of Apparent Diffusion Coefficient of Diffusion- Weighted Imaging for Differential Diagnosis of Primary Solid and Cystic Renal Masses
Authors: Öztürk Mehmet , Ekinci Afra , Elbir Şenol Fatih , Okur Aylin , Doğan Serap , Karahan Ökkeş Ibrahim
Published: April 2017

Background: To evaluate the value of diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI) for distinguishing between benign and malignant renal masses.

Material/Methods: Seventy-five patients with 75 unilateral renal lesions were included, and 75 normal contralateral kidneys served as controls. The lesions were categorized into four groups as malignant cystic, malignant solid, benign cystic and benign solid. The apparent diffusion coefficients (ADCs) were evaluated for two different b values (b=600 s/mm2 and b=1000 s/mm2). Receiving operating characteristic analysis was performed to identify threshold ADCs.

Results: Sensitivity and specificity were 67% and 77% (p=0.003) at the cutoff value of 1.5 for b=600 s/mm2, and 79% and 62% (p=0.004) at the cutoff value of 1.99 for b=1000 s/mm2 as regards the differentiation between solid benign and malignant renal lesions. Sensitivity and specificity were 78% and 79% (p=0.001) at the cutoff value of 3.1 for b=600 s/mm2, and 86% and 61% (p=0.003) at the cutoff value of 2.9 for b=1000 s/mm2 as regrads the differentiation between benign and malignant cystic renal lesions.

Conclusions: DWI can be an effective diagnostic method for distinguishing between benign and malignant renal masses.
Regenerator Location Problem in Flexible Optical Networks
Authors: Yıldız Barış , Karaşan Oya Ekin
Published: April 2017

In this study, we introduce the regenerator location problem in flexible optical networks. With a given traffic demand, the regenerator location problem in flexible optical networks considers the regenerator location, routing, bandwidth allocation, and modulation selection problems jointly to satisfy data transfer demands with the minimum cost regenerator deployment. We propose a novel branch-and-price algorithm for this challenging problem. Using real-world network topologies, we conduct extensive numerical experiments to both test the performance of the proposed solution methodology and evaluate the practical benefits of flexible optical networks. In particular, our results show that, making routing, bandwidth allocation, modulation selection, and regenerator placement decisions in a joint manner, it is possible to obtain drastic capacity enhancements when only a very modest portion of the nodes is endowed with the signal regeneration capability.
Book reviews
Authors: Leonard Neil , Steane Jamie
Published: April 2017

Sustainable Graphic Design: Principles and Practices, Peter Claver Fine (2016) London: Bloomsbury, 256 pp., ISBN: 9780857850638, p/bk, £28.99

Becoming a Successful Graphic Designer, Neil Leonard (2016) London: Bloomsbury, 192 pp., ISBN: 9781472591197, p/bk, £26.99
Connecting learning from the graphic design project with thinking about approaches to design practice
Authors: Ellmers Grant
Published: April 2017

This study explores how a structured approach to reflective practice can guide graphic design students to connect their learning from the project with thinking about approaches to design practice. The research employed a case-study approach with a mixed-method research strategy, framed by theories of reflective practice and cognitive psychology. The results indicate that when guided to reflect in a structured and critical manner, students can identify and analyse learning from their project and connect this learning with thinking about approaches to practice. This occurred in a manner that has parallels with the concept of high- and low-road transfer. However, not all participants achieved this, and nor did participants achieve this all the time. This evidence-based study contributes to the limited empirical research in graphic design education, and to the role reflection can play to enhance learning opportunities from the design project.
Mais integração. O federalismo na construção europeia
Authors: Vicente Paulo Carvalho
Published: April 2017

A União Europeia é um projecto político inacabado, tornando rica a sua história ao longo de mais de sessenta anos. O que se podia ter transformado numa entidade robusta e resistente aos choques de diversa ordem carece ainda de solidez política. Desde 1950 parecia inevitável a construção de uma federação europeia, mas de Roma a Lisboa o processo tem vindo a arrastar-se. Neste artigo analisamos historicamente o reforço do papel das instituições europeias em diálogo com as pulsões nacionais, a soberania e a legitimidade para argumentar que uma federação europeia de facto é uma opção pertinente para o futuro.
O Mercosul e o compromisso com a democracia em seus estados membros. Questionamentos aos casos: Paraguai e Brasil
Authors: Souza Aline
Published: April 2017

Em tempos de agitação política na América do Sul, com a saída do presidente paraguaio em 2012 e, atualmente com o processo de impeachment contra a presidente do Brasil, voltamos nossos olhos ao Mercosul e como ele encara as crises internas de seus Estados membros. Para tal, devemos nos ater ao fato de que o bloco considera a democracia, bem como a vigência das instituições democráticas e o respeito aos direitos humanos como condições sine qua non para o contínuo processo de evolução e integralização entre os países vizinhos. De tal modo que aqui faremos uma análise sobre a forma que o bloco prosseguiu com a alegação de golpe de Estado feita pelo então presidente paraguaio e, utilizando-a como base, faremos conjecturas sobre o que podemos esperar no caso brasileiro.
Two methods to find analytical redundancy relations for fault diagnosis
Authors: Lunze Jan
Published: April 2017

The paper deals with methods to derive analytical redundancy relations for diagnosable systems. The starting point is an
over-determined set of constraints, which is obtained by a structural analysis of the linear system under consideration.
The problem is to find analytical expressions for residuals in terms of the measured signals and
the derivatives of these signals. Two new methods are described. The first method provides a representation of the
residual in terms of the observability matrix of the diagnosable subsystem. The second method replaces the derivative
constraints by a series of equations that include the derivatives of the state variables and the outputs. The result is
a matrix-vector representation of the over-determined set of equations, which leads to the analytical redundancy
relations. The methods are illustrated by their application to an automotive example.
New results on semi-explicit and almost explicit MPC algorithms
Authors: Goebel Gregor , Allgöwer Frank
Published: April 2017

New results on a particular type of state-dependent parameterization for model predictive control (MPC) are
presented. Based on such parameterizations efficient MPC algorithms can be formulated, which combine the advantages of
explicit and online optimization-based MPC. The new results comprise an offline stability check for the parameterizations
to decide if a closed-loop MPC scheme applying the parameterizations is asymptotically stabilizing. Second, a novel way of
computing the parameterizations with improved scalability in the state space dimension is included. Furthermore, new
results and simplifications of almost explicit MPC schemes based on univariate parameterizations are contributed. The
results are presented in a common framework and are illustrated in numerical examples including an almost explicit
controller for an eight-dimensional spring-damper system.
A Stable Mixed Element Method for the Biharmonic Equation with First-Order Function Spaces
Authors: Li Zheng , Zhang Shuo
Published: April 2017

This paper studies the mixed element method for the boundary value problem of the biharmonic equation

Δ
2

⁢
u

=
f

{\Delta^{2}u=f}

in two dimensions.
We start from a

u
∼

∇
⁡
u

∼

∇
2

⁡
u

∼

div
⁢

∇
2

⁡
u

{u\sim\nabla u\sim\nabla^{2}u\sim\operatorname{div}\nabla^{2}u}

formulation that is discussed in [4] and construct its stability on

H
0
1

⁢

(
Ω
)

×

H
~

0
1

⁢

(
Ω
)

×

L
¯

sym
2

⁢

(
Ω
)

×

H

-
1

⁢

(
div
,
Ω
)

{H^{1}_{0}(\Omega)\times\tilde{H}^{1}_{0}(\Omega)\times\bar{L}_{\mathrm{sym}}^%
{2}(\Omega)\times H^{-1}(\operatorname{div},\Omega)}

.
Then we utilise the Helmholtz decomposition of

H

-
1

⁢

(
div
,
Ω
)

{H^{-1}(\operatorname{div},\Omega)}

and construct a new formulation stable on first-order and zero-order Sobolev spaces.
Finite element discretisations are then given with respect to the new formulation, and both theoretical analysis and numerical verification are given.