bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Peace for our time? Examining the effect of power-sharing on postwar rebellions
Authors: Ottmann Martin
Published: December 2019

Does power-sharing promote peace? Relying on credible commitment theory, past research has predominantly focused on one aspect of this question – namely, whether power-sharing prevents the recurrence of battle violence between agreement signatories. However, this disregards a phenomenon that plagues postwar countries across the globe: battle violence perpetrated by armed groups outside of the negotiated settlement against the postwar order. To explain this violence, I argue that we have to focus on how power-sharing redistributes power and access to resources across elites in a postwar country. By determining who gets what, when, and how, power-sharing determines the state’s counterinsurgency capabilities and thus shapes incentives and constrains for extra-agreement battle violence. Personalized power-sharing, for instance, gives elites privileged access to state resources, facilitates effective counterinsurgency strategies, and thus decreases extra-agreement violence. In contrast, structural power-sharing limits elites’ access to resources and their ability to prevent armed challenges resulting in higher levels of violence. To empirically test these propositions, I combine data from the Power-Sharing Event Dataset (PSED) with the UCDP Georeferenced Event Dataset (GED) for peace agreements in Africa and Asia signed between 1989 and 2006. I analyze these data using count models, matching procedures, and correlated random effects models. The empirical results support my expectation that personalized power-sharing is associated with fewer extra-agreement battle-deaths while structural arrangements facilitate postwar rebellions. This study contributes to an improved understanding of power-sharing as a conflict resolution tool and highlights its divergent effects on actors inside and outside of peace agreements.
Our Faith in Creation, God’s Faith in Humanity: Edward Schillebeeckx and Pope Francis on Human Transcendence and an Anthropocentric Cosmos
Authors: Minch Daniel
Published: December 2019

Edward Schillebeeckx’s theology of creation can serve as a foundation for authentic Christian self-understanding in relation to the ecological crisis. Schillebeeckx provides a Thomistic view of humanity and creation as both autonomous and “given” from God. Schillebeeckx’s anthropocentric “creation faith” and nuanced view of secularization provide a way of preserving the uniqueness of humanity without devaluing nature. Structural parallels with Pope Francis’s Laudato Si’ are developed in order to provide a fundamental-theological foundation for determining the proper role of human beings in relation to creation.
Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever in a middle Anatolian city: five years of experience
Authors: Tumturk Ayhanim
Published: December 2019

We evaluated the epidemiological features and main risk factors of Crimean-Congo haemorrhagic fever (CCHF) in Corum, where the disease is endemic, by retrospectively analysing the medical records of all patients diagnosed with CCHF over five years. Diagnosis was made by the detection of virus RNA via reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction or by demonstrating IgM antibody of CCHF virus with an ELISA blood test. Of 399 patients, 22 (5.5%) patients died but we could show that the rates of incidence and mortality have decreased over the years. Early referral to health facilities, increased awareness and experience of health personnel working in high-risk areas may well be the main factor.
Assessing unregulated electricity consumption in a case study university
Authors: Birch Christina , Edwards Rodger , Mander Sarah , Sheppard Andy
Published: December 2019

Energy consumption in buildings varies considerably depending on type and usage. However, monitoring and regulation of electrical power consumption due to user-related activities are not presently embedded in current English Building Regulations. These energy uses include lifts, server rooms, and small power loads, and are collectively referred to as unregulated energy usage. As part of a larger study of unregulated energy usage in university campus buildings, this paper describes the development and demonstration of a methodology for quantifying unregulated power usage using Building Energy Management System data for a case study university. The methodology was applied to four different buildings. This approach was applied to a Chemical Laboratory, a Physical Science Laboratory, a Library and an Administration Office. The results obtained revealed that electrical consumption was consistently much higher than traditional benchmarks suggest as being normal, particularly within the laboratories. Additionally, within the specific unregulated electricity case study, four rooms in the Physical Science Laboratory indicated very high unregulated electricity usage figures, averaging at 89 kWhm−2 per annum across just four rooms.

Practical application: Unregulated energy research, within the Higher Education Sector, is undeveloped. Previous literature focuses on specific areas of unregulated energy, such as equipment usage. However, analysis based on different room types has not been completed on a wider scale. Hence, there is a gap in the current research. This research shows analysis of unregulated energy in different university buildings. It develops a methodology to further understanding on this undeveloped area. Additionally, it advises that unregulated energy must be calculated during a building’s design stage. By using a selection of case studies, this research furthers understanding on the overall effects of unregulated energy.
Geochemical characterization and possible hydrocarbon contribution of the Carboniferous interval natively developed in the Chepaizi Uplift of Junggar Basin, northwestern China
Authors: Mao Lixin , Chang Xiangchun , Xu Youde , Shi Bingbing , Gao Dengkuan
Published: December 2019

Previous studies on Chepaizi Uplift mainly focused on its reservoirs, and the potential source rocks natively occurred was ignored. During the exploration process, dark mudstones and tuffaceous mudstones were found in the Carboniferous interval. These possible source rocks have caused great concern about whether they have hydrocarbon generation potential and can contribute to the reservoirs of the Chepaizi Uplift. In this paper, the potential source rocks are not only evaluated by the organic richness, type, maturity, and depositional environment, but also divided into different kinetics groups. The Carboniferous mudstones dominated by Type III kerogen were evolved into the stage of mature. Biomarkers indicate that the source rocks were deposited in a marine environment under weakly reducing conditions and received mixed aquatic and terrigenous organic matter, with the latter being predominant. The effective source rocks are characterized by the total organic carbon values >0.5 wt.% and the buried depth >1500 m. The tuffaceous mudstone shows a greater potential for its lower active energy and longer hydrocarbon generation time. Considering the hydrocarbon generation potential, base limits of the total organic carbon and positive correlation of oil–source rock together, the native Carboniferous mudstones and tuffaceous mudstones might contribute to the Chepaizi Uplift reservoirs of the northwestern region of the Junggar Basin, especially the deeper effective source rocks should be paid enough attention to.
Holocene faunal procurement and species response to climate change in the Ohio River valley
Authors: Tankersley Kenneth B , Lyle Nichelle
Published: December 2019

This paper examines the temporal distribution of 163 distinct species recovered from 21 well-dated Holocene age archaeological sites in the Ohio River valley to determine patterns of faunal resource procurement and their response to periods of climate change. Climate change proxies include bison, long-billed curlew, pine marten, porcupine, prairie vole, and swamp rabbit. While the rice rat may be a proxy of climate change, its initial appearance in the Archaic cultural period co-occurs with storable starchy and oily seed crops such as erect knotweed, little barley, marsh elder, maygrass, and sunflower. Subsistence proxies that transcend climate change include variety of aquatic (bass/sunfish, buffalo, channel catfish, freshwater drum, gar, mussels, snails, snapping and spiny softshell turtles, and river redhorse sucker), avian (blue-wing teal, Canada goose, and turkey), and terrestrial species (dog, eastern cotton-tail, elk, gray and fox squirrels, opossum, raccoon, timber rattlesnake, and woodchuck). Caldwell’s Primary Forest Efficiency remains a valid theoretical model of Holocene subsistence strategy in the Ohio River valley.
Older adults’ perceptions of their own and their romantic partners’ age-related communication and their associations with aging well, depressive symptoms, and alcohol use disorder symptoms
Authors: Bernhold Quinten S. , Gasiorek Jessica
Published: December 2019

Guided by the communicative ecology model of successful aging (CEMSA), this study examined how older adults’ and their romantic partners’ age-related communication indirectly predicts older adults’ perceptions of aging well, depressive symptoms, and alcohol use disorder (AUD) symptoms, via aging efficacy. Older adults were profiled as engaged, bantering, and disengaged agers. Romantic partners were profiled as engaged, bantering–high health, disengaged, and gloomy agers. Bantering older adults, disengaged older adults, and older adults with disengaged partners reported lower perceptions of aging well and more depressive symptoms, via lower aging efficacy (relative to engaged older adults and older adults with engaged partners). Also relative to engaged older adults, disengaged older adults reported more AUD symptoms, via lower aging efficacy. The indirect association involving AUD symptoms suggests that the CEMSA’s boundary conditions might be expanded to include more objective variants of successful aging. Results also suggest the merit of future family studies on how age-related communication might predict successful aging.
The relationship between small music ensemble experience and empathy skill: A survey study
Authors: Cho Eun
Published: December 2019

A small music ensemble represents a unique form of human social activity, involving a highly complex set of interpersonal communicative skills. To achieve a joint musical goal, ensemble performers actively strive to reach out to the “other,” by sensitively attending to, and aligning their emotions with, those of their co-performers. This suggests that engagement in small music ensembles may be a fruitful domain to cultivate the habit of empathizing. The current study explored the relationship between college music students’ small ensemble experiences and their empathy skills. Undergraduate music performance majors in their senior year ( N = 165) voluntarily completed an online survey that included questions about their background and participation in and attitudes toward small ensembles. They also completed a self-assessment questionnaire that measured their dispositional empathy levels. Hierarchical multiple regression analysis indicated that students’ levels of participation in various small ensemble activities significantly predicted their empathy skills, even after controlling for the effect of personal factors. Personality also appeared to play a significant role in predicting music students’ empathy skills.
Understanding neighborhood isolation through spatial interaction network analysis using location big data
Authors: Prestby Timothy , App Joseph , Kang Yuhao , Gao Song
Published: December 2019

Hidden biases of racial and socioeconomic preferences shape residential neighborhoods throughout the USA. Thereby, these preferences shape neighborhoods composed predominantly of a particular race or income class. However, the assessment of spatial extent and the degree of isolation outside the residential neighborhoods at large scale is challenging, which requires further investigation to understand and identify the magnitude and underlying geospatial processes. With the ubiquitous availability of location-based services, large-scale individual-level location data have been widely collected using numerous mobile phone applications and enable the study of neighborhood isolation at large scale. In this research, we analyze large-scale anonymized smartphone users’ mobility data in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to understand neighborhood-to-neighborhood spatial interaction patterns of different racial classes. Several isolated neighborhoods are successfully identified through the mobility-based spatial interaction network analysis.
Predicting the Criminal Records of Male-on-Female UK Homicide Offenders From Crime Scene Behaviors
Authors: Almond Louise , Matin Elias , McManus Michelle
Published: December 2019

Offender profiling follows the idea that if offenders’ crime scene actions can be empirically linked to their background characteristics, it will be possible to predict one from the other. There is a lack of research exploring whether homicide offenders’ crime scene actions are predictive of their criminal histories, despite the potential utility of such information. The current study addresses this gap in the literature. A sample of 213 adult male-on-female homicides with sexual or unknown motive was drawn from a U.K.-wide database. Relationships between 13 preconviction variables and 29 crime scene behaviors were explored using a bivariate statistical approach. Subsequently, binary logistic regression models were used to predict the presence, or absence, of specific preconvictions based on a combination of offense behaviors. Analyses highlighted 16 statistically significant associations between key offense behaviors and previous convictions, these associations were often “less likely” to result in previous conviction. The analysis failed to find any association for various other variables, most notably sexual preconvictions. Results indicate offenders’ criminal histories can be predicted from their offense behaviors, though not all preconvictions may be similarly suited. Implications for practice are discussed.
Which Factors Are Associated With Adolescent Reports of Experiencing Various Forms of Abuse at the Family Level in Post-Conflict Northern Uganda?
Authors: Natukunda Helen P. M. , Mubiri Paul , Cluver Lucie D. , Ddumba-Nyanzi Ismael , Bukenya Badru , Walakira Edward J.
Published: December 2019

Research assessing familial violence against adolescents, using caregiver–adolescent dyads, is limited in post-conflict settings. This study aimed to determine the prevalence and factors associated with adolescent-reported familial abuse in post-conflict northern Uganda. It also assessed the relationship between abuse subtypes and (a) beliefs supporting aggression and (b) adolescent well-being and life satisfaction. A randomly selected community-based sample of 10- to 17-year-old adolescents (54% girls) and their caregivers ( N = 427 dyads) in two northern Uganda districts was used. Abuse outcomes were adolescent reported. All measures used standardized tools that have been adapted for research in resource-limited settings. Analyses used multivariable linear regressions in Stata 14/IC. Overall, physical, emotional, and sexual abuse rates were 70% (confidence interval [CI] = [65.7, 74.4]), 72% (CI = [67.4, 76.0]), and 18.0% (CI = [14.0, 21.2]), respectively. Polyvictimization was 61% (CI = [55.4, 64.7]). There were no gender differences regarding adolescent reports of physical and emotional abuse, but adolescent girls were more likely to report sexual abuse and polyvictimization than adolescent boys. All forms of adolescent-reported abuse (except sexual abuse) were associated with caregiver reports of harsh disciplinary practices. In addition, emotional abuse was associated with physical and sexual abuse. Physical abuse was associated with being an orphan and emotional abuse. Sexual abuse was associated with being a girl, older adolescent age, living in a larger household, and emotional abuse. Polyvictimization was positively associated with being an orphan, younger caregiver age, caregiver-reported poor monitoring and supervision, and higher household socioeconomic status, but negatively associated with lower parental role satisfaction. Physical and emotional (but not sexual) abuse and polyvictimization were associated with beliefs supporting aggression among adolescents. All abuse subtypes were associated with lower levels of perceived well-being and life satisfaction among adolescents in this study. Child abuse prevention programs have the potential to improve adolescent–caregiver interaction and interrupt the violence transmission cycle in this setting.
Moderating Effect of Husband’s Controlling Attitudes on the Relation Between Women’s Household Decision-Making Autonomy and Intimate Partner Violence Experience in Nigeria
Authors: Sunmola Adegbenga M. , Sambo Mohammed N. , Mayungbo Olusegun A. , Morakinyo Luqman A.
Published: December 2019

Existing studies show a consensus on the importance of women’s household decision-making autonomy. However, the studies also show mixed findings of the association between the variable and intimate partner violence (IPV). In this study, moderating effects of husband’s controlling and domineering attitudes on the association between women’s household decision-making autonomy and husband-perpetrated physical, sexual, and emotional violence were investigated. Data used in the study were drawn from an existing database of a 2013 cross-sectional Demographic and Health Survey (DHS) of nationally representative sample ( N = 19,360) of Nigerian married women. Participants were interviewed on measures of women’s autonomy, husband’s attitudes, and husband-perpetrated violence. Results revealed that women who exercised high household decision-making autonomy significantly experienced more physical ( b = .31, t = 11.78, p < .001), sexual ( b = .05, t = 3.59, p < .01), and emotional ( b = .17, t = 9.76, p < .001) violence if they reported relationship with husbands who endorsed high controlling and domineering attitudes. The results represent an extension over existing research and have implications on how husband’s attitudes could improve women’s autonomy and reduce their IPV experience in various intervention settings.
Prevalence of Intimate Partner Violence and Associated Factors Among Men Who Have Sex with Men in China
Authors: Wei Dannuo , Hou Fengsu , Hao Chun , Gu Jing , Dev Rubee , Cao Wangnan , Peng Liping , Gilmour Stuart , Wang Keru , Li Jinghua
Published: December 2019

Intimate partner violence (IPV) in the heterosexual population has gained increasing public concern in China, but little is known about it among men who have sex with men (MSM).1 This study aimed to investigate the prevalence of IPV and associated factors among MSM in Chengdu, China. Participants were recruited from a local MSM-friendly health consulting center. This study used the adjusted Intimate Partner Violence Scale among Gay and Bisexual Men (IPV-GBM scale) to capture lifetime IPV experiences including physical, sexual and emotional violence, monitoring, and controlling behaviors. Among 431 participants, 153 (35.5%) reported any IPV experiences, and 119 (27.6%) reported themselves as being the perpetrator. Adjusted logistic regression models revealed that having been engaged in transactional sex was positively associated with victimization through monitoring behaviors (adjusted odds ratio [ORa] = 2.7, 95% confidence interval CI = [1.7, 7.4]) and perpetration of monitoring behaviors (ORa = 3.9, 95% CI = [1.5, 13.3]); drug use was positively associated with victimization through controlling behaviors (unadjusted odds ratio [ORu] = 2.5, 95% CI = [1.2, 5.0]) and emotional violence (ORa = 1.9, 95% CI = [1.0, 3.5]); older age (≥18 years) of first homosexual intercourse was negatively associated with perpetration of physical violence (ORu = 0.3, 95% CI = [0.2, 0.7]) and sexual violence (ORu = 0.4, 95% CI = [0.2, 1.0]); higher self-esteem was negatively associated with both victimization and perpetration of sexual and emotional violence. We found that victimization and perpetration experiences were correlated in all dimensions of IPV. Violence was prevalent among MSM and merits public attention. This study provides more evidence about IPV among Chinese MSM and identifies two significant factors contributing to IPV (self-esteem and age of first homosexual intercourse), which have been overlooked in previous studies. Researchers should take these factors into consideration for interventions developments.
Effect of alkali and silane surface treatments on the mechanical and physical behaviors of date palm seed-filled thermoplastic polyurethane eco-composites
Authors: Sismanoglu Sedef , Tayfun Umit , Kanbur Yasin
Published: December 2019

In this study, eco-grade thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), which includes 46% renewable content, was reinforced with date palm seed (DPS). Alkali and silane surface treatments were applied to DPS to increase the compatibility between DPS and TPU matrix. The oil of DPS was removed before treatments and surface functionalities of modified and pristine DPS samples were examined by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. Composites were fabricated using melt blending method and injection molding processes. Test samples of composites were characterized using tensile test, hardness test, water absorption study, dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA), melt flow index (MFI) test, thermogravimetric analysis, and scanning electron microscopy (SEM). According to test results, silane treatment led to remarkable improvement for mechanical performance of composites attributed to improvement of compatibility and interface adhesion between DPS and TPU. DMA results implied that higher storage modulus and glass transition temperature were achieved for treated DPS-containing composites compared to pristine DPS filled ones. Thermal stability of flexible segment of TPU increased with the addition of DPS regardless of surface treatment. Additionally, DPS loadings caused significant increase in MFI value of unfilled TPU. Silane-treated DPS-containing composite yielded the lowest water uptake value among samples due to the hydrophobicity of silane layer. Enrichment of interface adhesion of DPS to TPU matrix was confirmed by SEM micrographs of composites. Silane-treated DPS-containing composite displayed higher results among produced composites since the increase in interfacial interactions with TPU was achieved by silane treatment for DPS surface.
Adaptive sliding mode control of regenerative chatter and stability improvement in boring manufacturing process with model uncertainties
Authors: Moradian Hossein , Abbasi Mohammad Hossein , Moradi Hamed
Published: December 2019

In the machining processes, vibration suppression is crucial in order to achieve the high precision as well as high-quality surface and increase of the material removal rate. In this paper, an adaptive sliding mode control approach is presented to supress the chattering phenomenon in the boring process in the presence of model uncertainties and unmodeled dynamics. The boring bar is modeled as a cantilever Euler–Bernoulli beam, which is actuated by a piezo-actuator located at the bar's end. As a more realistic model, the cutting tool is modeled as an added mass at the bar's end. In order to derive the equations of motion, mode summation method with inclusion the first three modes of vibration is applied. After formulation of the problem, an adaptive sliding mode control scheme is used and an effective control law is derived, which eliminates the chatter vibration. Moreover, a full state observer is designed to estimate three dominant modes of the boring bar. The simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed control strategy against the model uncertainties and unmodeled dynamics. Also, it is observed that adaptive sliding mode control acts effectively in improving the stability lobes diagram. Consequently, after implementation of adaptive sliding mode control, more material removal rate can be obtained without stability loss.
Galectin-1 exhibits a protective effect against hepatotoxicity induced by dextran sulfate sodium in mice
Authors: Arda-Pirincci P , Sacan O , Ozal-Coskun C , Aykol-Celik G , Karabulut-Bulan O , Yanardag R , Bolkent S
Published: December 2019

Galectin-1 is an important mediator that regulates the T-cell-mediated immune response. It has many other biological functions such as cell growth, immunomodulation, and wound healing. The aim of this study was to reveal the role of galectin-1 on liver morphology, cell proliferation, apoptosis, inflammatory and anti-inflammatory mediators, oxidative stress, and antioxidant system in colitis-mediated hepatotoxicity induced by dextran sulfate sodium (DSS). In the present study, adult mice were divided into four groups: The control group intraperitoneally injected with phosphate buffer saline (I), the group which was orally administered with DSS (II), the control group which was injected with galectin-1 (III), and the group which was given DSS and galectin-1 (IV). DSS administration caused degenerative changes and diffuse necrotic damage, an increase in caspase-3 and cyclooxygenase-2 expression, the levels of lipid peroxidation and tumor necrosis factor-alpha, lactate dehydrogenase, and myeloperoxidase activities, and a decrease in cell proliferation, interleukin-10 levels, and antioxidant system parameters in liver tissues. Treatment of DSS group with galectin-1 reversed these effects and prevented liver damage. This study showed that galectin-1 has proliferative, antiapoptotic, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant effects against DSS-induced liver injury in mice. It is expected considering all results of this study that galectin-1 may be useful as a protective agent against liver toxicity.
Why I Rejected Your R&R Submission and What You Could Have Done to Secure an Acceptance
Authors: Gardner William L.
Published: December 2019

Richard Daft’s (1995) now classic chapter from Cummings and Frost’s edited volume, Publishing in the Organizational Sciences, titled “Why I Recommended That Your Manuscript Be Rejected and What You Can Do About It?” highlights the many reasons initial manuscripts are rejected. Daft presented the results of a content analysis he conducted on 111 manuscripts reviewed for Administrative Science Quarterly and the Academy of Management Journal to identify common manuscript problems. Following his lead, this manuscript includes a content analysis of manuscripts returned after a revise and resubmit decision granted by Group & Organization Management (GOM) and ultimately issued reject decisions. In effect, this manuscript, as part of the dialog on the revise and resubmit process, details “worst practices” that authors commit when returning a revision.
A Psychometric Analysis of the Brief Self-Control Scale
Authors: Manapat Patrick D. , Edwards Michael C. , MacKinnon David P. , Poldrack Russell A. , Marsch Lisa A.
Published: December 2019

The Brief Self-Control Scale (BSCS) is a widely used measure of self-control, a construct associated with beneficial psychological outcomes. Several studies have investigated the psychometric properties of the BSCS but have failed to reach consensus. This has resulted in an unstable and ambiguous understanding of the scale and its psychometric properties. The current study sought resolution by implementing scale evaluation approaches guided by modern psychometric literature. Additionally, our goal was to provide a more comprehensive item analysis via the item response theory (IRT) framework. Results from the current study support both unidimensional and multidimensional factor structures for the 13-item version of the BSCS. The addition of an IRT analysis provided a new perspective on item- and test-level functioning. The goal of a more defensible psychometric grounding for the BSCS is to promote greater consistency, stability, and trust in future results.
Bright Club: Establishing a Science Comedy Variety Night in Ireland
Authors: Roche Joseph , Fairfield Jessamyn A. , Gallagher Áine , Bell Laura
Published: December 2019

Bright Club is a public engagement initiative bringing together research communication and the performing arts since its inception in London in 2009. Bright Club Ireland was established in Dublin in 2015, and the distinctive combination of science and comedy has made it a unique event in the field of public engagement. This commentary explores why Bright Club was created, how it functions, and catalogues how the lessons learned from Bright Club Ireland might prove useful to science communication professionals working in international transdisciplinary environments seeking to bring science and comedy together at public-facing events.
Universal hepatitis B screening and management in patients with cancer who received immunosuppressive chemotherapy
Authors: Thompson Lisa A , Heath Lauren J , Freml Heather , Delate Thomas
Published: December 2019

Background

Clinical data to guide management of patients with cancer and hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection who are treated with immunosuppressive chemotherapy are lacking. The purpose of this study was to describe HBV+ rates in a population of patients with cancer and evaluate a risk-stratified management protocol for the prevention of HBV reactivation (HBVr).

Methods

This was a descriptive study conducted in an integrated healthcare delivery system. Patients with cancer and hepatitis B virus infection who received immunosuppressive chemotherapy between 1 January 2014 and 31 January 2016 were included. A risk-stratified management protocol that continued for six months after chemotherapy completion or 12 months after completion of B-cell targeted chemotherapy was assessed. Outcomes included the proportion of patients who were HBV+ and amongst patients who initiated immunosuppressive therapy, proportions who received hepatitis B virus monitoring or anti-hepatitis B virus prophylaxis, or experienced HBVr or hepatitis B virus-related complications.

Results

There were 2463 patients with cancer screened for hepatitis B virus with 114 (4.6%) HBV+ of whom 59 (51.8%) initiated chemotherapy. Included patients were primarily older, male, and white with gastrointestinal or hematologic cancers and initiated intermediate/low-risk cytotoxic chemotherapy. During follow-up, 41 (69.5%) received hepatitis B virus DNA monitoring and 17 (28.8%) initiated anti-hepatitis B virus prophylaxis. No HBVr was observed. ALT and AST abnormalities were common but mostly Grade 1 and primarily related to the patient’s malignancy or medications.

Conclusions

Universal hepatitis B virus screening coupled with a risk-stratified management strategy utilizing HBVr monitoring and anti-hepatitis B virus prophylaxis in HBV+ patients receiving immunosuppressive chemotherapy for cancer may prevent HBVr.
Using a Concept Map With RECALL to Increase the Comprehension of Science Texts for Children With Autism
Authors: Jackson Elizabeth M. , Hanline Mary Frances
Published: December 2019

Learning science is important for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), as knowledge of science allows students to understand their natural world, and science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education is increasingly emphasized in schools. Reading to learn science is, therefore, a vital skill in today’s schools for all students. Using a single-case reversal design, this study evaluated the effectiveness of Reading to Engage Children with Autism in Language and Literacy (RECALL; a shared reading intervention) combined with a concept map on the ability of young children with ASD to answer comprehension questions from science text. Two 5-year-old boys with ASD participated in this study. Results indicated that RECALL combined with a concept map was effective in increasing participants’ correct responding to comprehension questions from science text. Implications for intervention and research are discussed.
Flexural behavior of an innovative dovetail ultra-high performance concrete joint using steel wire mesh interface treatment in composite bridges
Authors: Qi Jianan , Wang Jingquan , Zhang Zhongwen , Li Wenchao , Hu Yuqing
Published: December 2019

An experimental program investigating the flexural behavior of an innovative dovetail ultra-high performance concrete joint for connecting precast ultra-high performance concrete slabs in composite bridges is reported in this study. Test parameters included interface treatment method, joint material, reinforcing bar overlapping form, and prestressing level. Specifically, a new steel wire mesh interface treatment was proposed, which could generate an additional fiber-bridging mechanism in the joint surface. An enhancement of 17.4%, 20.1%, and 50% on flexural cracking strength, ultimate strength, and ductility were obtained by using the steel wire mesh. Joint material showed no significant influence, while prestressing had obvious influence on the flexural behavior of ultra-high performance concrete joints. The post-cracking behavior, ductility performance, and stiffness degradation of the tested specimens were analyzed. Good deformability was obtained for the jointed ultra-high performance concrete slabs as the ratio of deflection to span was about 1/50 at failure. The post-cracking stiffness was retained at about 90% of the initial stiffness, while the ultimate stiffness was retained at about 10% of the initial stiffness. The research findings are useful in popularizing and applying the proposed innovative dovetail ultra-high performance concrete joints in composite bridges.
Empowering the Exclusionary Rule: Using suppression motion data to improve police searches and searches in the United States
Authors: Nir Esther
Published: December 2019

The Exclusionary Rule (i.e. a U.S. Supreme Court created rule that bars evidence, obtained in violation of a defendant’s constitutional rights, from being used by the prosecution at trial) remains a highly controversial measure, with questionable ability to deter unreasonable searches and seizures. In fact, many decades since its enactment, allegations of unconstitutional stops, searches, and seizures continue to plague police departments across the United States. Examining these allegations is a critical step toward assessing police compliance with constitutional mandates and developing needed corrective measures. Content analyses of suppression motions (brought by criminal defendants to exclude incriminating evidence from trial based on allegations of unconstitutional police action) and hearings, conducted in an urban U.S. city, demonstrate how these data provide unique information from multiple perspectives (e.g. defense, prosecution, court, lay and police witnesses)—involving pretexual stops, defendant targeting, and over-reaching searches—that may be used to develop police training protocols, support early intervention systems, and improve local patterns of officer behavior. In this way, data generated by the Exclusionary Rule may not only empower the rule to achieve its intended purpose of enforcing constitutional protections in the United States, but also provide a framework of police accountability (by demonstrating the utility of court data) that may improve police searches and seizures in other countries.
Machinic dispossession and augmented despotism: Digital work in an Amazon warehouse
Authors: Delfanti Alessandro
Published: December 2019

Amazon e-commerce operations rely upon the living labor of thousands of workers. In the company’s warehouses, barcodes allow commodities to be construed as information to be managed. Work is thus mediated and organized digitally, as algorithms assign tasks and surveil workers. But it would be futile to analyze the technical organization of labor without studying the authoritarian nature of work under capitalist relations. Interviews with workers and managers unearth the material and cultural infrastructures that underpin Amazon labor. Early Italian operaismo, or workerist theory, offers a framework to analyze digital capitalism’s strategies to secure workers’ cooperation with machinery. Algorithms datafy worker activity and incorporate it in machinery. Management enacts a form of despotism mediated and augmented by digital tools and cultures. The technical and political rationalities deployed in the warehouse aim at satiating digital capitalism’s appetite for the labor of others.
Application of a biomechanical model and combinatorial optimization to determine lower limb joints torsional stiffness in human landing
Authors: Hatamzadeh Mehran , Hassannejad Reza , Sharifnezhad Ali
Published: December 2019

Lower limb joint’s torsional stiffness is directly related to the individual’s performance and probability of injury when landing. There are various methods of calculating ankle, knee, and hip joint’s torsional stiffness in which the reliability of the achieved values by them are highly controversial. The purpose of this research is to provide a new method of calculating lower limb joint’s active torsional stiffness based on the body’s four-degrees-of-freedom biomechanical model. For this purpose, a group of subjects performs single-leg landing protocol from the box. In this method, the biomechanical model’s equations of motion are derived in the sagittal plane and are combined with a combinatorial optimization algorithm, which consists of genetic and simulated annealing. By the use of acquired data from the force plate and motion analysis system, combinatorial genetic algorithm–simulated annealing algorithm tries to minimize the differences between the model’s ground reaction force (GRFModel) and the GRFExperimental for each subject and thereby the joint’s torsional stiffness values are obtained. Results show that calculating lower limb joint’s torsional stiffness using the proposed method has good ability in simulating the GRFExperimental in the model. Also, the obtained values by the proposed method have moderate to good reliability and desirable variability in the measurements. Comparing the obtained stiffness values with the values of three conventional computation method in the literature shows that those common methods’ results have high computational errors, low reliability, and high variability in the measurement. Also, their ability to produce GRFModel similar to the GRFExperimental is weaker than the proposed method in single-leg landing protocol.
Does politics drive conflict in central banks’ committees? Lifting the veil on the European Central Bank consensus
Authors: Moschella Manuela , Diodati Nicola M
Published: December 2019

This study investigates whether and to what extent political factors drive disagreement within the allegedly consensual monetary committee of the European Central Bank. Absent voting data, the article assesses disagreement based on the semantic distance between the policy positions publicly articulated by the European Central Bank President and the central banks of Eurozone member states. The empirical analysis shows that the disagreement articulated by national central bankers is affected by the ideological inclinations of the governments of the countries they represent. Our findings thus suggest that central bankers’ position-taking is shaped not only by economic conditions but also by domestic political considerations. This result challenges the European Central Bank’s projected image of itself as an institution whose members are impermeable to domestic political pressures as a way to defend the independence of the institution to which they belong.
Post-socialist moral economies of consumption as socially embedded sites of moral tension
Authors: Swader Christopher S. , Ross Sandy
Published: December 2019

Consumption was one of the spheres of everyday life shaken and remoulded by the collapse of socialist regimes at the end of the 20th century. Especially in times of rapid change, a moral economies lens is a fruitful means to understand the contentious moral landscape and moral tensions that pervade consumption behaviour, norms and discourse. Important areas of consideration in post-socialist societies in this field include links between ideology and consumption; transformations of material culture, especially luxury culture; the retraditionalisation and polarisation of gender; and intergenerational and social class divisions. Theoretically, we stress the importance of multiple levels of analysis and address both the empirical and critical dimensions of ‘moral economy’. In particular, this recognises the importance of the Zelizerian relational approach while cautioning against the hostile worlds rhetorical frame. It is through the simultaneous critical and empirical approaches of Polanyi and Thompson that an important analytical focus for post-socialist moral economies of consumption and beyond – moral tensions – is made plain.
Thoughts about the other: A first-person inquiry
Authors: Kroeger Stephen D
Published: December 2019

The following is a report of a first-person inquiry related to an international experience where the author was aware of feelings of alienation that he brought with him into the experience. Grounded in his historical experience as a special education university faculty, an upper middle class, straight white male, the phenomenon of othering made its way into his work with a group of Palestinian teachers. The awareness described was emergent and required dialogue to unravel. This inquiry is tracked through various phases. The author benefited from significant feedback from others involved throughout the process.
Show Me the Meaning of Being Lonely (and Its Effects on Seizure Burden and Comorbidities)
Authors: Lozano Lola , Christian Catherine A.
Published: December 2019

[Box: see text]
Land Rights of Women: A Study of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana States, India
Authors: Reddy Tada Prabhakar
Published: December 2019

Empowerment of women takes place through structural changes in women’s lives such as provision of land rights, promotion of non-farm employment, self-employment and support to unleash their potential of entrepreneurial qualities and their participation in decision making at various levels. The initiatives undertaken by the Government such as promotion of rural livelihoods (NRLM) and wage employment (MGNREGS) resulted in enhancement of livelihoods and economic freedom to women. The need for the study arises from the fact that ensuring effective and independent land rights for women is critical as it can serve multiple functions in rural women’s lives and empower them to challenge the socio-economic and political inequalities prevalent in rural semi-feudal society.

The present study while looking at the situation of land rights of women covered five districts from two states, examined the efficacy of ‘Bhoomi’ initiative and studied the processes of securing land rights by eliciting the perceptions of stakeholders in a non-survey method supported by secondary data. The data from Society for Elimination of Rural Poverty of state governments established that the para-legal assistance strategy and Bhoomi Nyaya Sahaya Kendram initiative helped poor women to secure land rights and improve their status significantly. The study found that the initiative of land purchase by the government helped poor women to access land while gender mainstreaming in government departments was a felt need. It is a classic example of ensuring land rights of poor women and thus improving their status and livelihoods among others.
Antimalarial Activity of Hydroalcoholic Root Extract of Acanthus polystachyus Delile (Acanthaceae) Against Plasmodium berghei–Infected Mice
Authors: Derebe Dagninet , Wubetu Muluken
Published: December 2019

Failure of the efficacy of antimalarial drugs is recognized in different classes of medicines for treating malaria, which urges the need for new drugs. This study tried to check the in vivo antimalarial activity of the root extracts of Acanthus polystachyus Delile against Plasmodium berghei–infected mice. The study revealed that the methanolic crude extract of the root of Acanthus polystachyus Delile showed significant ( P < .01) parasitemia suppressive activities in both models compared with the negative control. Parasitemia suppressive activities were 25.26%, 33.46%, and 51.48% in a 4-day suppressive test and 23.31%, 31.20%, and 43.54% in prophylaxis test at 100, 200, and 400 mg/kg of the extract, respectively, as compared to the negative control. Besides, the extract increases mean survival time significantly in all tested doses in a 4-day suppressive test, but in the prophylaxis model, only mice treated with 200 and 400 mg/kg significantly lived longer. Based on this finding, the root of Acanthus polystachyus Delile has strong antimalarial activity, which may be a good candidate for new antimalarial agents.
Procalcitonin in respiratory disease: use as a biomarker for diagnosis and guiding antibiotic therapy
Authors: Creamer Andrew W. , Kent Alice E. , Albur Maha
Published: December 2019

Procalcitonin (PCT) is a peptide measurable in serum which becomes elevated in response to bacterial infection. Multiple trials have explored the safety and efficacy of using PCT as a biomarker to guide decisions about starting or stopping antibiotic therapy in a wide variety of situations, and PCT assays have recently been approved by the Federal Drug Administration (FDA) in the US for use in both sepsis and respiratory tract infections. While there have been a number of promising results particularly in acute respiratory tract infections and intensive care unit settings, problems including adherence to protocol, cost of the assay and improved antimicrobial stewardship more generally, have limited more widespread adoption.

This educational article summarises the evidence for the use of procalcitonin as a biomarker of bacterial infection across the spectrum of respiratory disease and reviews how the use of procalcitonin-guided antibiotic therapy is reflected in current major international guidelines.

Key points

Procalcitonin has been widely investigated as a biomarker of bacterial infection to aid diagnosis and decisions to start or stop antibiotics in a range of conditions, including in diseases of the lower respiratory tract.

Meta-analysis suggests that the use of procalcitonin to guide antibiotic therapy in acute respiratory tract infections can reduce duration of antibiotic therapy and hospital admission without adversely affecting outcomes – however, there was significant heterogeneity in methodology and population in the included studies, and more recent studies have failed to show such significant benefits.

The use of procalcitonin to guide stopping or shortening antibiotic therapy in sepsis/septic shock is suggested in the international guidelines for the management of sepsis (2016), but this is a “weak” recommendation, with a low quality of evidence recognised. Major international guidelines do not support a role for procalcitonin in the management of acute exacerbations of COPD, bronchiectasis, interstitial lung disease or pleural infection.

Regardless of situation, decisions on initiating, altering, or discontinuing antimicrobial therapy should never be made solely on the basis of changes in any biomarker – while biomarkers such as procalcitonin may provide supportive information, they should only be used alongside regular and robust clinical assessment.

Educational aims

To understand the principles of using procalcitonin to guide decisions regarding antibiotic use (procalcitonin-guided antibiotic therapy).

To review important research studies into the use of procalcitonin as a biomarker of bacterial infection across the spectrum of diseases of the lower respiratory tract.

To understand the current international guidelines regarding procalcitonin use in disease of the lower respiratory tract.