bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
No wings attached? Civil–military relations and agent intrusion in the procurement of fighter jets
Authors: Reykers Yf , Fonck Daan
Published: May 2019

This article studies civil–military relations in defence procurement. Applying insights from the principal–agent model, we argue that decision-making about defence procurement is inherently vulnerable to agency problems. Given the technical nature of these dossiers, governments and parliaments are often heavily dependent upon military expertise, creating leeway for defence administrations to steer decision-making towards their preferences. By means of a case study of the replacement of the F-16 fighter jets in Belgium, we examine whether and how complex defence procurement dossiers allow for exploitation of expertise through strategic information management from the defence administration to the Minister of Defence. In addition, empirics reveal a to date unexplored phenomenon of agent intrusion. It captures the situation in which an agent takes a prominent formal advisory position within the decision-making apparatus of its political principal, providing additional means to outplay its information advantage over the principal in favour of its own interests.
“An absolutely Chilean institution”. Línea Aérea Nacional, Chile (1929–45)
Authors: Barría Traverso Diego
Published: May 2019

This article analyses the early Chilean State experience in the management of its flag-carrying airline, Línea Aérea Nacional. Drawing on Línea Aérea Nacional documents as well as newspapers, laws, and parliamentary debates, the article reconstructs the development of the company between 1929 and 1945. The central argument of this article is that, although Línea Aérea Nacional was created as an instrumental State-owned enterprise to ensure national sovereignty, the airline lived through three stages, each one of them dependent on the economic policy priorities of the different governments. The first stage started with Línea Aérea Nacional's initial activities; the second stage covers the period 1932–40 and was characterised by a financial and operational crisis. During the third stage (1941 onwards) a scheme of long-lasting State financing was granted. It allowed Línea Aérea Nacional to renew its fleet, expand – nationally and internationally – its routes, and improve its financial and operational outcomes.
The Use of Vowel Length in Making Voicing Judgments by Native Listeners of English and Spanish: Implications for Rate Normalization
Authors: Viswanathan Navin , Olmstead Annie J. , Aivar M. Pilar
Published: May 2019

Among other characteristics, voiced and voiceless consonants differ in voice onset time (VOT; Lisker & Abramson, 1964). In addition, in English, voiced consonants are typically followed by longer vowels than their unvoiced counterparts (Allen & Miller, 1999). In Spanish, this relationship is less systematic (Zimmerman & Sapon, 1958). In two experiments, we investigated perceptual sensitivities of English and Spanish native speakers to following vowel length (VL) in categorizing syllables that ranged from a prevoiced bilabial stop [ba] to a long-lag bilabial stop [pa]. According to our results, English speakers show sensitivity to following vowels with VLs falling within an English-typical range (Experiment 1), but not when vowels are shorter and in a Spanish-typical range (Experiment 2). Interestingly, Spanish native speakers do not show sensitivity to following VL in either condition. These results suggest that VOT-VL tradeoffs in perception reflect phonological sensitivities of listeners and are not reducible to speech rate compensation.
Quantitative parametric maps of O-(2-[18F]fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine kinetics in diffuse glioma
Authors: Koopman Thomas , Verburg Niels , Pouwels Petra JW , Wesseling Pieter , Hoekstra Otto S , De Witt Hamer Philip C , Lammertsma Adriaan A , Yaqub Maqsood , Boellaard Ronald
Published: May 2019

Quantitative parametric images of O-(2-[18F]fluoroethyl)-L-tyrosine kinetics in diffuse gliomas could be used to improve glioma grading, tumour delineation or the assessment of the uptake distribution of this positron emission tomography tracer. In this study, several parametric images and tumour-to-normal maps were compared in terms of accuracy of region averages (when compared to results from nonlinear regression of a reversible two-tissue compartment plasma input model) and image noise using 90 min of dynamic scan data acquired in seven patients with diffuse glioma. We included plasma input methods (the basis function implementation of the single-tissue compartment model, spectral analysis and Logan graphical analysis) and reference tissue methods (basis function implementations of the simplified reference tissue model, variations of the multilinear reference tissue model and non-invasive Logan graphical analysis) as well as tumour-to-normal ratio maps at three intervals. (Non-invasive) Logan graphical analysis provided volume of distribution maps and distribution volume ratio maps with the lowest level of noise, while the basis function implementations provided the best accuracy. Tumour-to-normal ratio maps provided better results if later interval times were used, i.e. 60–90 min instead of 20–40 min, leading to lower bias (2.9% vs. 10.8%, respectively) and less noise (12.8% vs. 14.4%).
Accounting for accountable care: Value-based population health management
Authors: Hogle Linda F
Published: May 2019

Accountable Care Organizations (ACOs) are exemplars of so-called value-based care in the US. In this model, healthcare providers bear the financial risk of their patients’ health outcomes: ACOs are rewarded for meeting specific quality and cost-efficiency benchmarks, or penalized if improvements are not demonstrated. While the aim is to make providers more accountable to payers and patients, this is a sea-change in payment and delivery systems, requiring new infrastructures and practices. To manage risk, ACOs employ data-intensive sourcing and big data analytics to identify individuals within their populations and sort them using novel categories, which are then utilized to tailor interventions. The article uses an STS lens to analyze the assemblage involved in the enactment of population health management through practices of data collection, the creation of new metrics and tools for analysis, and novel ways of sorting individuals within populations. The processes and practices of implementing accountability technologies thus produce particular kinds of knowledge and reshape concepts of accountability and care. In the process, account-giving becomes as much a procedural ritual of verification as an accounting for health outcomes.
Association between hydroxychloroquine levels and disease activity in a predominantly Hispanic systemic lupus erythematosus cohort
Authors: Geraldino-Pardilla L , Perel-Winkler A , Miceli J , Neville K , Danias G , Nguyen S , Dervieux T , Kapoor T , Giles J , Askanase A
Published: May 2019

Objectives

Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is a key therapy in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Medication non-adherence is reported in up to 80% of lupus patients and results in increased morbidity, mortality, and health care utilization. HCQ levels are a sensitive and reliable method to assess medication adherence. Our study evaluated the role of HCQ level measurement in routine clinical care and its association with disease activity in a predominantly Hispanic population.

Methods

SLE patients from the Columbia University Lupus cohort treated with HCQ for ≥ 6 months and reporting medication adherence were included. HCQ levels were measured by whole blood high performance liquid chromatography. Non-adherence was defined as an HCQ level <500 ng/ml. The association between HCQ levels and disease activity measured by Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Disease Activity Index 2000 (SLEDAI-2K) was evaluated.

Results

One hundred and eight patients were enrolled; the median age was 38 years, 91% were female, and 63% were Hispanic. The median SLEDAI-2K was 4.3 (0–20). Forty-one percent of patients had an HCQ level <500 ng/ml consistent with non-adherence, of which 19% had undetectable levels. A higher SLEDAI-2K score was associated with low HCQ levels ( p = 0.003). This association remained significant after adjusting for depression ( p = 0.0007).

Conclusion

HCQ levels < 500 ng/ml were associated with higher disease activity and accounted for 32% of the SLEDAI-2K variability. HCQ blood measurement is a simple and reliable method to evaluate medication adherence in SLE. Reasons for non-adherence (levels < 500 ng/ml) should be further explored and addressed.
Immunological Characteristics and Properties of Glial Restricted Progenitors of Mice, Canine Primary Culture Suspensions, and Human QSV40 Immortalized Cell Lines for Prospective Therapies of Neurodegenerative Disorders
Authors: Klimczak Aleksandra , Kozłowska Urszula , Sanford Joanna , Walczak Piotr , Małysz-Cymborska Izabela , Kurpisz Maciej
Published: May 2019

Neurodegeneration can be defined as a process in which neuronal structures and functions undergo changes leading to reduced neuronal survival and increased cell death in the central nervous system (CNS). Neuronal degeneration in specific regions of the CNS is a hallmark of many neurodegenerative disorders, and there is reliable proof that neural stem cells bring therapeutic benefits in treatment of neurological lesions. However, effective therapy with neural stem cells is associated with their biological properties. The assessment of immunological properties and comprehensive studies on the biology of glial restricted progenitors (GRP) are necessary prior to the application of these cells in humans. This study provides an in vitro characterization of the QSV40 glial human cell line, as well as murine and canine primary culture suspensions of GRPs and their mature, astrocytic forms using flow cytometry and immunohistochemical staining. Cytokines and chemokines released by GRPs were assessed by Multiplex ELISA. Some immunological differences observed among species suggest the necessity of reconsidering the pre-clinical model, and that careful testing of immunomodulatory strategies is required before cell transplantation into the CNS can be undertaken.
Preparing chitosan–polyaniline nanocomposite film and examining its mechanical, electrical, and antimicrobial properties
Authors: Mohammadi Behzad , Pirsa Sajad , Alizadeh Mohammad
Published: May 2019

In recent years, development and progress in modern packaging resulting from degradable natural resources have grown remarkably. In this study, chitosan–polyaniline film was prepared with a combination of different concentrations of polyaniline and various synthesis times to produce antimicrobial and biodegradable packaging film. The physical, electrical, and mechanical properties of the films were investigated. The interaction between chitosan and polyaniline was confirmed by Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) and X-ray diffraction patterns. The size and morphology of the synthesized particles were examined by scanning electron microscopy. The results indicated that the synthesized polyaniline particles had a spherical shape (45–100 nm). The antimicrobial and antifungal activity of the films against Aspergillus niger fungi (antifungal area: 61.47 mm2) and Escherichia coli bacteria (antimicrobial area: 187.27 mm2) increased with increasing the concentration of polyaniline. The results obtained from the study of the effect of polyaniline on the electrical conductivity of the chitosan film showed that increasing the polyaniline concentration and synthesis time resulted in decreased electrical resistance of the film, for which the film with the highest aniline concentration and the highest synthesize time had the lowest resistance. According to the mechanical property results, tensile strength (TS) and elastic modulus were increased due to the addition of the polyaniline to the polymer matrix. The chitosan blank film had a lower TS than nanocomposites. As the final results, the chitosan–polyaniline film has good electrical conductivity, indicating that the produced film could be used in intelligent food packaging.
A National Careers and Course Information Service for Australia: Exploring the Possibility
Authors: Inglis Alistair
Published: May 2019

In an earlier article in this Journal (Inglis, 1993) a historical account was given of the various attempts made since the early 1980s in Australia to develop national course information directories. It was pointed out there that, although a variety of directories had been launched during that period, none had satisfied the full range of needs for course information. As a result several overlapping directories now compete for government funding and user support. It was argued that the full range of course and careers information needs that can be seen in Australia could only be satisfied by the establishment of a single course and careers information service capable of delivering a comprehensive range of information through a variety of delivery channels. This paper takes up from that point. It explores what form such a course and careers information service should take, the needs it would meet, and how it might be established and maintained.
Time-harmonic dislocations in a multilayered transversely isotropic magneto-electro-elastic half-space
Authors: Moshtagh Ehsan , Eskandari-Ghadi Morteza , Pan Ernian
Published: May 2019

Modeling layered systems with dislocations is very challenging; yet, it is important since most smart structures are made of multilayers to make best use of the combined effective property. As such, during the manufactures, defects, such as dislocations, could be introduced in the multilayers. In this article, we analytically find, for the first time, the response of three-dimensional multilayered magneto-electro-elastic systems due to time-harmonic dislocations. The dislocations are the most general, containing the elastic dislocations and discontinuity of the electric potential and/or magnetic potential over a circular region in any layer in the medium. The fully coupled partial differential equations of motion and the Gauss law for the magneto-electro-elastic materials are solved in terms of cylindrical system of vector functions, and the dual variable and position method is further introduced to treat the multilayers. Numerical examples are carried out based on the derived analytical solution to demonstrate the effects of the time-harmonic dislocations on the induced magneto-electro-elastic fields. This analytical solution is important in both electrodynamics and elastodynamics, with possible applications in material sciences and physics. The numerical results are useful in design process of smart devices made of magneto-electro-elastic solids applicable to other engineering fields like renewable energy.
The Dynamics of Media Landscape and Media Policy in Indonesia
Authors: Sukmayadi Vidi
Published: May 2019

Democratization in communication is the starting point for mass media in achieving a prosperous information society. However, building an ideal democratic role of media is not trouble free. The incredible pace of the development of media industry in Indonesia in the last two decades poses at least two main threats to media consumers. First, the growth of the media industry in Indonesia has been driven by capital interests that lead to media oligopoly. Second, the integration of conventional media and the internet and social media technology place our society information flow on a stranglehold. The media consolidation gives the audience an illusion of information choice without realizing that actually they are losing their rights for reliable information. Hence, an upgrade of media literacy skill and a proper media policy are needed to cope with the current fast-paced world.
Interpersonal and community influences affecting childhood vaccination decision-making among Nigerian caregivers: Perceptions among frontline workers in Nigeria
Authors: Limaye Rupali J , Sara Anne Ballard , Siddique Anisur Rahman , Vivas Claudia , Malik Suleman , Omonoju Kanayo
Published: May 2019

Although routine immunization has contributed to a substantial reduction in mortality from vaccine-preventable diseases globally, vaccine-preventable diseases are attributable for 22% of childhood deaths in Nigeria. Individual and structural level factors that influence vaccination uptake in Nigeria have been well documented. However, there is limited information about the role of interpersonal and community level factors. Frontline workers play a crucial role in delivering life-saving vaccines in Nigeria, as they are tasked with ensuring that all children are vaccinated, within the health system as well as traveling to underserved areas, where health systems are not able to reach. This qualitative study conducted focus groups to examine frontline workers’ perceptions of influences affecting caregivers’ vaccine-related decision-making. Community- and facility-based frontline workers ( n = 47) identified village and community chiefs, as well as religious leaders as influential within the context of immunization uptake because of their trusted role within communities. Male partners and husbands were identified as also holding an enormous level of influence over childhood vaccination, and the credibility of frontline workers influenced vaccination coverage. Immunization programs should target not only caregivers but also key influencers—such as interpersonal and community sources—to make progress in reaching vaccination coverage goals.
High-Frequency Activity During Stereotyped Low-Frequency Events Might Help to Identify the Seizure Onset Zone
Authors: Ahmed Omar J. , Sudhakar Shyam Kumar
Published: May 2019

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Review of Interventions Supporting Secondary Students with Intellectual Disability in General Education Classes
Authors: Kuntz Emily M. , Carter Erik W.
Published: May 2019

Instruction and support for students with intellectual disability in general education classes should be informed by research-based interventions. In this systematic review, we examined the focus and impact of interventions delivered in inclusive classes to support middle and high school students with intellectual disability. We identified 40 intervention studies involving 177 secondary students with intellectual disability attending a range of core academic and elective classes. These multicomponent interventions fell within five primary categories: systematic instruction, peer support arrangements, self-management strategies, peer-mediated communication interventions, and educational placement changes. Although the overall focus was fairly balanced across academic, social, and behavioral outcomes, each intervention approach prioritized somewhat different dependent measures. Moreover, although the impact of the interventions on most outcomes was positive, the methodological quality of these studies was somewhat varied. We offer recommendations for future research and practice aimed at strengthening the availability and implementation of effective interventions within inclusive secondary school classes.
An Alternative Approach to Treatment of Hypophosphatemia in Nonsurgical Critically Ill Patients in Countries With Limited Resources
Authors: Kovačević Tijana , Kovačević Peđja , Tomić Boris , Dragić Saša , Momčičević Danica
Published: May 2019

Background:

Hypophosphatemia can complicate and prolong the treatment of critically ill patients, and it is even thought to be related to mortality rate.

Objectives:

The aim of this study is to determine whether using extemporary prepared phosphate buffer in pharmacy would help correct serum phosphate in critically ill patients.

Methods:

A prospective study was conducted at the medical intensive care unit over a period of 1 year and included 50 patients who were diagnosed with hypophosphatemia. Phosphate buffer was prepared at the pharmacy, and the dose range was recommended by a clinical pharmacist.

Results:

Patients were administered phosphate buffer via the nasogastric tube, and the doses chosen by the physicians depended on serum phosphate level and the severity of the patients’ clinical status. Serum phosphate levels were successfully corrected in all treated patients. The most frequently used dose was 60 mmoL/d, and in most patients 1-day therapy was sufficient. No adverse effects were observed.

Conclusion:

The phosphate buffer is an adequate alternative for the treatment of hypophosphatemia of nonsurgically critically ill patients. One-day therapy with the 60 mmoL phosphate dose divided into 3 single doses resulted in normalization of serum phosphate values in most patients.
Design Strategies to Improve Emergency Departments’ Performance During Mass Casualty Incidents: A Survey of Caregivers
Authors: Valipoor Shabboo , Hakimjavadi Hesamedin , De Portu Giuliano
Published: May 2019

Objectives:

To identify effective facility design strategies to improve the performance of healthcare providers and patient flow during mass casualty incidents (MCIs) in emergency departments.

Background:

Emergency departments (EDs) are the first line of medical care in MCIs. While operational surge management plans are well described in literature, physical design strategies to improve performance and patient flow during disasters are discussed scarcely.

Method:

An online questionnaire was sent to EDs’ caregivers nationwide asking them to rate the effectiveness of nine physical design strategies, discussed in the literature, to improve caregivers’ performance and patient flow during MCIs. Assessed strategies were about providing expandable departments and care areas, alternate care facilities for the least sick to maximize care areas for critical patients, care areas from nonemergency units, increased number of decontamination units, dedicated isolation units, within-hospital and close emergency operation centers, and within-hospital media areas.

Results:

All suggested strategies were rated as effective. The most effective and agreed-upon solution was identified as maximizing the care area for critical patients by establishing an alternate care facility with separate entrance and exit doors from the emergency department for the least critical patients. The least effective and agreed-upon strategy was identified as locating a media unit within the hospital outside of the ED.

Conclusions:

Caregivers who work in EDs consider design strategies to be effective in surge management during disasters. Designers can consider implementing identified strategies in designing new emergency departments or expansion and renovation projects.
Trends of case-fatality rate by acute coronary syndrome in Portugal: Impact of a fast track to the coronary unit
Authors: Abreu D , Pinto FJ , Matias-Dias C , Sousa P
Published: May 2019

Introduction

Efforts were made to improve management of coronary disease as the fast-track system to the Coronary Unit. We aim to analyse case-fatality rates by acute coronary syndrome in Portugal from 2000 to 2016, mainly the impact of the fast-track system and the proportion of patients that activate the fast-track system.

Methods

We analysed monthly acute coronary syndrome case-fatality before and after the implementation of the fast-track system in 2007. Impact of the system was assessed through regression models for interrupted time-series. We calculated annual proportion of fast-track system admissions.

Results

After 2007 case-fatality by acute coronary syndrome decreased (β=−1.27, p-value < 0.01). The estimates obtained for ST Elevation Myocardial Infarction suggest a reduction of nearly 86 monthly deaths prevented after 2007. The highest percentage of patients admitted through the fast-track system was 35%.

Conclusions

Our results suggest fast-track system may have contributed to a decline in acute coronary syndrome case-fatality. However, more than half of patients were not admitted through the system. This should encourage health authorities to make efforts to ensure compliance.
Screening for retroviruses and hepatitis viruses using dried blood spots reveals a high prevalence of occult hepatitis B in Ghana
Authors: de Mendoza Carmen , Bautista José M. , Pérez-Benavente Susana , Kwawu Roger , Fobil Julius , Soriano Vicente , Díez Amalia
Published: May 2019

Background:

Recent advances in antiviral therapy show potential for a cure and/or control of most human infections caused by hepatitis viruses and retroviruses. However, medical success is largely dependent on the identification of the large number of people unaware of these infections, especially in developing countries. Dried blood spots (DBS) have been demonstrated to be a good tool for collecting, storing and transporting clinical specimens from rural areas and limited-resource settings to laboratory facilities, where viral infections can be more reliably diagnosed.

Methods:

The seroprevalence and virological characterization of hepatitis B virus (HBV) and hepatitis C virus (HCV), as well as human retroviruses (HIV-1, HIV-2, human T-cell leukaemia virus type 1 [HTLV-1] and human T-cell leukaemia virus type 2 [HTLV-2]), were investigated in clinical specimens collected from DBS in Ghana.

Results:

A total of 305 consecutive DBS were collected. A high prevalence of chronic HBV (8.5%) and occult hepatitis B (14.2%) was found, whereas rates were lower for HIV-1, HTLV-1 and HCV (3.2%, 1.3% and 0.6%, respectively). HIV-2 and HTLV-2 were absent. CRF02_AG was the predominant HIV-1 subtype, whereas genotype E was the most frequent HBV variant.

Conclusions:

DBS are helpful in the diagnosis and virological characterization of hepatitis and retrovirus infections in resource-limited settings. The high rate of hepatitis B in Ghana, either overt or occult, is noteworthy and confirms recent findings from other sub-Saharan countries. This should encourage close clinical follow up and antiviral treatment assessment in this population, as well as universal HBV vaccine campaigns.
Performance of the PROMIS After Operative Interventions for Shoulder Instability
Authors: Hajewski Christina J. , Glass Natalie A. , Westermann Robert W. , Bollier Matthew , Wolf Brian R. , Hettrich Carolyn
Published: May 2019

Background:

The Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) was developed to capture patient-reported outcomes (PROs) in an efficient manner. Few studies have assessed this instrument postoperatively.

Purpose:

To compare the PROMIS Physical Function computer adaptive test (PROMIS PF CAT) and Upper Extremity (PROMIS UE) item bank to other previously validated PRO instruments and to evaluate ceiling and floor effects and construct validity responsiveness in patients who underwent operative interventions for shoulder instability.

Study Design:

Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 2.

Methods:

A total of 72 patients who underwent operative interventions for shoulder instability completed the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) assessment form, Marx shoulder activity scale (Marx), 36-Item Short Form Health Survey physical function (SF-36 PF) and general health (SF-36 GH), Western Ontario Shoulder Instability Index (WOSI), PROMIS PF CAT, and PROMIS UE before surgery and then at 6 weeks and 6 months postoperatively. Correlation coefficients were calculated among these tools. The effect size of change was also calculated for each tool at each time point. A total of 91 patients who had also undergone surgery for shoulder instability completed these PRO instruments 2 years postoperatively. The percentage of patients hitting the ceiling and floor effects of each of the PRO instruments was calculated at all time points.

Results:

The PROMIS PF CAT demonstrated excellent-good correlation with the SF-36 PF at all postoperative time points (0.61 at 6 weeks, 0.68 at 6 months, and 0.64 at 2 years; P < .01 for all). The PROMIS UE showed excellent correlation with the ASES at 6 weeks postoperatively (0.73, P < .01). Both the PROMIS PF CAT and PROMIS UE demonstrated the ability to detect change after surgical interventions with a medium to large effect size. The PROMIS UE demonstrated a ceiling effect at 6 months (68.1%) and 2 years (67.0%) postoperatively. The PROMIS PF CAT demonstrated no ceiling effect at any time point.

Conclusion:

The PROMIS PF CAT demonstrated good to excellent correlation with other previously validated PRO instruments that assess physical function in patients with shoulder instability postoperatively. The PROMIS UE demonstrated good correlation with other PRO tools but had a significant ceiling effect and is not recommended for this patient population. Both tools demonstrated an ability to detect change after surgical interventions with a good effect size.
Complex Pathways to Transfer: A Qualitative Comparative Analysis of the Transition From Community College to 4-Year University
Authors: Jabbar Huriya , McKinnon-Crowley Saralyn , Serrata Carmen
Published: May 2019

Many community college students express a desire to transfer to a 4-year institution, but few achieve that goal. In this article, we examine what conditions lead to successful student transfer and which serve as barriers. Drawing on data from a longitudinal qualitative study of 61 transfer-intending students in Texas and using qualitative comparative analysis, we investigate the student-level conditions and experiences that contribute to successful or unsuccessful transfer to a 4-year institution. We find that there is no single condition that can predict success. Instead, we describe how factors such as social capital, students’ family background, and advising supports interact with one another to determine student success or failure in the transfer process. We identify specific pathways to transfer, with implications for policies and programs that can help bolster students in the face of potential barriers. We provide suggestions for policy, practice, and future research.
Impregnation of silver in zeolite–chitosan composite: thermal stability and sterility study
Authors: Taaca Kathrina Lois M. , Olegario Eleanor M. , Vasquez Magdaleno R.
Published: May 2019

The solvent-casting method was used to synthesize a silver–zeolite–chitosan (AgZ-Ch) composite from Philippine natural zeolites. X-ray diffraction, ultraviolet–visible (UV-Vis) spectroscopy, optical emission spectroscopy (OES), thermogravimetric analysis (TGA) and differential thermogravimetry (DTG) were used to investigate the different properties of the composite before and after plasma treatment. The major phase of the zeolite is Na-clinoptilolite with trace amounts of mordenite, feldspar and quartz. UV-Vis and OES analyses confirmed the presence of Ag and zeolite on the chitosan matrix. The decrease in the transmittance signal at 290 nm and the emission spectra of the discharge showed the presence of Ag I, Al I and Si I signals at 705–852 nm. The TGA and DTG curves revealed the thermal stability of the natural zeolites after ion exchange and after incorporation in the chitosan matrix, where the onset of degradation was observed to occur above ~37°C, the human body temperature. Bacterial count showed minimal growth of colonies on all samples, both pristine and plasma-treated, suggesting that the surface of the composites does not influence bacterial habitation. The fabricated composites meet the minimum requirements for biomedical application such as thermal stability with respect to the average human body temperature and absence of bacteria.
Gene expression signature that predicts early molecular response failure in chronic-phase CML patients on frontline imatinib
Authors: Kok Chung H. , Yeung David T. , Lu Liu , Watkins Dale B. , Leclercq Tamara M. , Dang Phuong , Saunders Verity A. , Reynolds John , White Deborah L. , Hughes Timothy P.
Published: May 2019

In chronic-phase chronic myeloid leukemia (CP-CML) patients treated with frontline imatinib, failure to achieve early molecular response (EMR; EMR failure: BCR-ABL1 >10% on the international scale at 3 months) is predictive of inferior outcomes. Identifying patients at high-risk of EMR failure at diagnosis provides an opportunity to intensify frontline therapy and potentially avoid EMR failure. We studied blood samples from 96 CP-CML patients at diagnosis and identified 365 genes that were aberrantly expressed in 13 patients who subsequently failed to achieve EMR, with a gene signature significantly enriched for stem cell phenotype (eg, Myc, β-catenin, Hoxa9/Meis1), cell cycle, and reduced immune response pathways. We selected a 17-gene panel to predict EMR failure and validated this signature on an independent patient cohort. Patients classified as high risk with our gene expression signature (HR-GES) exhibited significantly higher rates of EMR failure compared with low-risk (LR-GES) patients (78% vs 5%; P < .0001), with an overall accuracy of 93%. Furthermore, HR-GES patients who received frontline nilotinib had a relatively low rate of EMR failure (10%). However, HR-GES patients still had inferior deep molecular response achievement rate by 24 months compared with LR-GES patients. This novel multigene signature may be useful for selecting patients at high risk of EMR failure on standard therapy who may benefit from trials of more potent kinase inhibitors or other experimental approaches.
CMAB009 plus irinotecan versus irinotecan‐only as second‐line treatment after fluoropyrimidine and oxaliplatin failure in KRAS wild‐type metastatic colorectal cancer patients: promising findings from a prospective, open‐label, randomized, phase III trial
Authors: Shi Yuankai , Li Jin , Xu Jianming , Sun Yan , Wang Liwei , Cheng Ying , Liu Wei , Sun Guoping , Chen Yigui , Bai Li , Zhang Yiping , He Xiaohui , Luo Yi , Wang Zhehai , Liu Yunpeng , Yao Qiang , Li Yuhong , Qin Shukui , Hu Xiaohua , Bi Feng , Zheng Rongsheng , Ouyang Xuenong
Published: May 2019

Background

The 5‐fluorouracil/leucovorin plus oxaliplatin (FOLFOX) regimen is the standard first‐line treatment for metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC), however, the optimal second‐line regimen for KRAS wild‐type mCRC patients is still investigational. In this study, we aimed to determine the clinical efficacy and safety of CMAB009 plus irinotecan compared to irinotecan‐only as a second‐line regimen for treating KRAS wild‐type mCRC patients.

Methods

Patients with KRAS wild‐type mCRC who had previously failed to respond to FOLFOX treatment were randomly assigned in a 2:1 ratio, to receive CMAB009 plus irinotecan or irinotecan‐only. Patients receiving irinotecan‐only were permitted to switch to CMAB009 therapy on disease progression and were grouped as the sequential‐CMAB009 arm. The primary endpoints were overall response rate (ORR) and median progression‐free survival (PFS). The secondary endpoints were median overall survival (OS), disease control rate (DCR), clinical benefit rate (CBR), and duration of response (DOR).

Results

The CMAB009 plus irinotecan arm demonstrated significantly improved ORR (33.2% vs. 12.8%; P < 0.001) and longer median PFS (169 days vs. 95 days; P < 0.001) as compared to the irinotecan‐only arm. Patients receiving CMAB009 plus irinotecan also demonstrated improved DCR (80.1% vs. 65.2%, P < 0.001), CBR (30.0% vs. 14.6%, P < 0.001), and DOR (210 days vs. 109 days; P< 0.001) as compared to irinotecan‐only. However, patients treated with CMAB009 had an increased risk of skin rash (66.9% vs. 5.5%, P < 0.001) and paronychia (9.8% vs. 0.0%, P < 0.001). Anti‐drug antibodies (ADA) were detected in 3.6% of patients, and only 0.9% of patients who received CMAB009 experienced hypersensitivity reactions. In patients receiving sequential‐CMAB009 therapy after failure with irinotecan, their median PFS was 84 days (95% CI 65 to 113 days). The median OS was 425 days for patients receiving CMAB009 plus irinotecan and 401 days for those with sequential‐CMAB009 (P= 0.940).

Conclusions

Treatment with CMAB009 plus irinotecan was found to be a superior second‐line regimen in comparison to irinotecan‐only in KRAS wild‐type mCRC patients. Further, switching to CMAB009 can be considered as an efficient third‐line of treatment after treatment failure with second‐line irinotecan‐only.

Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov: NCT01550055, retrospectively registered on March 9, 2012.
Non-BRCA1/2 Variants Detected in a High-Risk Chilean Cohort With a History of Breast and/or Ovarian Cancer
Authors: Adaniel Christina , Salinas Francisca , Donaire Juan Manuel , Bravo Maria Eugenia , Peralta Octavio , Paredes Hernando , Aliaga Nuvia , Sola Antonio , Neira Paulina , Behnke Carolina , Rodriguez Tulio , Torres Soledad , Lopez Francisco , Hurtado Claudia
Published: May 2019

PURPOSE

Little is known about the genetic predisposition to breast and ovarian cancer among the Chilean population, in particular genetic predisposition beyond BRCA1 and BRCA2 mutations. In the current study, we aim to describe the germline variants detected in individuals who were referred to a hereditary cancer program in Santiago, Chile.

METHODS

Data were retrospectively collected from the registry of the High-Risk Breast and Ovarian Cancer Program at Clínica Las Condes, Santiago, Chile. Data captured included index case diagnosis, ancestry, family history, and genetic test results.

RESULTS

Three hundred fifteen individuals underwent genetic testing during the study period. The frequency of germline pathogenic and likely pathogenic variants in a breast or ovarian cancer predisposition gene was 20.3%. Of those patients who underwent testing with a panel of both high- and moderate-penetrance genes, 10.5% were found to have pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants in non- BRCA1/2 genes.

CONCLUSION

Testing for non- BRCA1 and -2 mutations may be clinically relevant for individuals who are suspected to have a hereditary breast or ovarian cancer syndrome in Chile. Comprehensive genetic testing of individuals who are at high risk is necessary to further characterize the genetic susceptibility to cancer in Chile.
Introduction
Authors: Chaturvedi Ruchi , von Schnitzler Antina
Published: May 2019

This essay introduces the special section “Political Society and Popular Politics in Africa” and sets out some of the key debates and concepts that animate the contributions. It focuses in particular on the specific terrains of postcolonial governmentality and the diverse practices of political society on the continent today. The vivid ways in which various African states have combined and/or moved between liberal and authoritarian modalities of power, attended to biopolitical concerns while also exercising strong coercive force, and dealt with the question of citizenship presents the contributors to the section with important analytical opportunities. They examine the multiple lineages and formations of popular politics on the continent, outline how the concept of “political society” enables novel ways of charting and unraveling the political in African settings, and unpack the ways in which African contexts help clarify and elaborate the concept.
The Two Economies, Primitive Accumulation, and the Government of the State
Authors: Veriava Ahmed
Published: May 2019

This article is about representations of poverty and governmental frameworks for addressing poverty in postapartheid South Africa. It is, therefore, also about “the poor,” about their place in society and the ways they intervene in the making of the present. The article returns to a South African metaphor—Thabo Mbeki's “two economies” thesis—focused on the problem of poverty, its causes, and the governmental approach to combating it. This discussion shows how the work of Partha Chatterjee helps us understand the governmental problems Mbeki's representations reframe and their relationship to forms of contemporary capitalism and governmentality, as well as the emerging practices through which the poor “invade” the political and impact the frameworks targeting them. But the essay also suggests that, in following these threads, we need to push beyond Chatterjee's conceptual framework, with implications for how we think about the state, its relationship to capitalist development, and the political practices of subaltern classes.
“He Will Know How to Explain”
Authors: Croese Sylvia
Published: May 2019

This article applies Partha Chatterjee's concept of political society to the case of postwar urban Angola in order to draw attention to the everyday ways in which popular politics are practiced in Africa beyond episodic moments of popular revolt. It looks at the case of the Zango social-housing project, which was created to resettle evicted shack dwellers in Luanda. While in the initial stages of the project responses to resettlement were marked by bouts of protest and resistance against the state, over time these shifted to the emergence and formulation of informal strategies, arrangements, and understandings to claim, gain, and explain access to housing in the project, often in collaboration with state officials. Although the application of Chatterjee's work to Angola opens up useful avenues for comparative analysis, it also shows the particularities of the workings of popular politics under conditions of nondemocratic rule. It is by studying the daily workings of popular politics in relation to the actual and fragmented workings of the state that insight can be gained into the variegated nature of political practice and agency across the global south.
Heartless Acts
Authors: Tabor Nathan Lee Marsh
Published: May 2019

This article examines a posthumous literary gathering held at the grave of eighteenth-century Persian-language poet ‘Abd al-Qadir Bedil (1642–1720) in order to trace varying uses of a peculiar shrine space and its Persianate textual practices in late-Mughal Delhi. This graveside mushā‘irah was a setting for the competitive exchange of poetry and one of the most well-documented gatherings of the mid-1700s. In anecdotes and verse written between 1721 and 1784, attendees at this event reveal their implicit and explicit associations between elite and nonelite classes. This article provides a genealogy of the normative literary acts and material practices at the grave. The tomb's space and its texts reveal a setting that overturns assumptions about vernacular and elite literatures, as it hosted Urdu poetry recitation and cutting-edge Persian verse as well as a medicines market and space for Sufi devotional practices, institutions with contradictory social expectations. This setting and its varied social practices provide an example of a late Mughal cultural institution formed outside of the court, which forces us to redefine precolonial forms of publicity in light of localized linguistic and social hierarchies.
Mastering the Wheel of Chance
Authors: Krais Jakob
Published: May 2019

During the 1920s and 1930s, French Algeria and Italian Libya witnessed spectacular motor-sports events: desert rallies as well as car races on closed circuits. Speed sports events, in this context, served three main purposes: they integrated or reconquered the colonial territory symbolically; they demonstrated the advancement and technological superiority of the conquerors vis-à-vis the “backward” indigenous population; and beyond that, they established the colonies as laboratories of modernity and experimentation grounds of progress. In this sense, this essay employs the Foucauldian term heterotopia to designate the sites of motor sports competitions in Libya and Algeria. The colonies now were even more modern than France or Italy itself, or, put differently, they served as showcases for a possible future. Motor sports were especially apt to serve the outlined purposes. Road races and new circuits constantly referred to colonial claims about the progress of infrastructure. “Automobilism” was perceived as the very epitome of modernity and progress, set to take over the colonies, which were imagined as a tabula rasa. Finally, mastery of a car at a “devilish speed” was metonymically extended to represent the taming of the wheel of contingency in an uncertain situation and staying in control of the colonies.
From Camel to Truck?
Authors: Sakatni Mehdi
Published: May 2019

A conventional view of nomadic tribes is that motorization—the passage from animal to automobile transportation—brought about the transformation and eventually the obliteration of the nomadic pastoralist lifestyle in the long twentieth century. But through the example of nomadic tribes in French mandate Syria, this essay shows that creative appropriation of the automobile actually helped nomadic groups to strengthen their position and to defend their economic and political interests. Automobiles allowed tribal chiefs to experience enhanced mobility, facilitating a faster connection between the bulk of the tribe and the towns. Nomads could thereby reliably sell their livestock and products more easily. Motorcars also presented nomads with a new weapon with which to challenge the technical hegemony commonly associated with colonial power. Consequently, it forced mandate authorities to adapt and transform their own ways of policing and controlling the steppe to counter the pioneering use of cars by armed Bedouins. Last, it enabled tribal chiefs to gain social prestige and, therefore, to assert themselves as ruling elites in the soon-to-be-born independent state. Overall, the Syrian nomads should be seen as pioneers of automobile culture at the start of the global Fordist period, rather than as its victims.
Ambedkar's Agonism
Authors: Kapila Shruti
Published: May 2019

In focusing primarily on B. R. Ambedkar, this essay will reconstruct and interpret the work on hostility and antagonism that was central to his political thought and writings. As a thinker, Ambedkar remained singular in taking account of the full and potential measure of violence predominantly in caste relations, but also beyond, in the comparative contexts of revolutions and formations of nation-states in the modern world. The essay reconstructs and interprets Ambedkar as a foundational thinker of sovereignty, republicanism, and agonism. In so doing, it analyzes in the same analytic rubric his writings on caste and Pakistan and the salience of separation to his political thought. Violence, power, and antagonism are elaborated here, as these were redirected to agonistic ends for the assumption of republicanism. The consideration of Pakistan as a political idea, the essay argues, needs to be understood in relation to the historic source of sovereignty, as Ambedkar uncovered namely in the figure of the Brahmin as a dispersed monarchy. Noting the singularity of his apprehension over the radical futurity of the idea of Pakistan, the essay intervenes in and contributes to global political thought and modern Indian history and the formation of Pakistan.