bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Accuracy of Enzyme-Linked Immunosorbent Assays (ELISAs) in Detecting Antibodies againstMycobacterium lepraein Leprosy Patients: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Espinosa Omar Ariel , Benevides Ferreira Silvana Margarida , Longhi Palacio Fabiana Gulin , Cortela Denise da Costa Boamorte , Ignotti Eliane
Published: November 2018

IgM againstMycobacterium lepraemay be detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs) based on phenolic glycolipid I (PGL-I) or natural disaccharide octyl bovine serum albumin (ND-O-BSA) as antigens, and the IgG response can be detected by an ELISA based on lipid droplet protein 1 (LID-1). The titers of antibodies against these antigens vary with operational classification. The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of ELISAs involving PGL-I and ND-O-BSA with that involving LID-1. We included studies that analyze multibacillary and paucibacillary leprosy cases and evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of ELISAs based on LID-1 and/or PGL-I or ND-O-BSA as antigens to measure antibody titers againstM. leprae. Studies were found via PubMed, the Virtual Health Library Regional Portal, Literatura Latino-Americana e do Caribe em Ciências da Saúde, Índice Bibliográfico Espanhol de Ciências de Saúde, the Brazilian Society of Dermatology, National Institute for Health and Clinical Excellence, Cochrane Library, Embase (the Elsevier database), and Cumulative Index to Nursing and Allied Health Literature. The Quality Assessment of Diagnostic Accuracy Studies served as a methodological validity tool. Quantitative data were extracted using the Standards for Reporting of Diagnostic Accuracy. Sensitivity, specificity, and a diagnostic odds ratio were calculated, and a hierarchical summary receiver-operating characteristic curve and forest plots were constructed. The protocol register code for this meta-analysis is PROSPERO 2017: CRD42017055983. Nineteen studies were included. ND-O-BSA showed better overall performance in terms of sensitivity, specificity, positive and negative likelihood ratios, and diagnostic odds ratio when compared with PGL-I and LID-1. The multibacillary group showed better performance on these parameters (than the paucibacillary group did), at 94%, 99%, 129, 0.05, and 2293, respectively. LID-1 did not provide any advantage regarding the overall estimate of sensitivity in comparison with PGL-I or ND-O-BSA.
Analysis and Design of Short FRP-Confined Concrete-Encased Arbitrarily Shaped Steel Columns under Biaxial Loading
Authors: He Wei , Fu Bing , An Feng-Chen
Published: November 2018

The FRP-confined concrete-encased steel column is a new form of hybrid column, which integrates advantages of all the constituent materials. Its structural performance, including load carrying capacity, ductility, and corrosion resistance, has been demonstrated to be excellent by limited experimental investigation. Currently, no systematic procedure, particularly for that with reinforced structural steel of arbitrary shapes, has been proposed for the sectional analysis and design for such novel hybrid columns under biaxial loading. The present paper aims at filling this research gap by proposing an approach for the rapid section analysis and providing rationale basis for FRP-confined concrete-encased arbitrarily shaped steel columns. A robust iterative scheme has been used with a traditional so-called fiber element method. The presented numerical examples demonstrated the validity and accuracy of the proposed approach.
Targeting HIF-1α to Prevent Renal Ischemia-Reperfusion Injury: Does It Work?
Authors: Sethi Kapil , Rao Kenny , Bolton Damien , Patel Oneel , Ischia Joseph
Published: November 2018

Partial nephrectomy (open or minimally invasive) usually requires temporary renal arterial occlusion to limit intraoperative bleeding and improve access to intrarenal structures. This is a time-critical step due to the critical ischemia period of renal tissue. Prolonged renal ischemia may lead to irreversible nephron damage in the remaining tissue and, ultimately, chronic kidney disease. This is potentiated by the incompletely understood ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). A key mechanism in IRI prevention appears to be the upregulation of an intracellular transcription protein, Hypoxia-Inducible Factor (HIF). HIF mediates metabolic adaptation, angiogenesis, erythropoiesis, cell growth, survival, and apoptosis. Upregulating HIF-1α via ischemic preconditioning (IPC) or drugs that simulate hypoxia (hypoxia-mimetics) has been investigated as a method to reduce IRI. While many promising chemical agents have been trialed for the prevention of IRI in small animal studies, all have failed in human trials. The aim of this review is to highlight the techniques and drugs that target HIF-1α and ameliorate IRI associated with renal ischemia. Developing a technique or drug that could reduce the risk of acute kidney injury associated with renal IRI would have an immediate worldwide impact on multisystem surgeries that would otherwise risk ischemic tissue injury.
Proposed Classification System for Retinal Capillary Angiomatosis
Authors: Venkatesh Pradeep , Takkar Brijesh
Published: November 2018

Retinal angiomas are rare tumors that develop within the vascular bed of the retina. Their occurrence may be sporadic or as part of the multisystem disorder called von Hippel-Lindau disease. It is well established in literature that retinal angiomas have a natural history of evolving as small aneurysmal dilatations and progressing to vision-threatening retinal detachments. Several approaches to the management of these angiomas have been reported in the literature, but it is difficult to decipher which modality is best suited for which type of angioma. A classification of retinal angiomas is proposed herein. A classification system may help in developing future guidelines for the study, screening, treatment, and prognostication of patients with retinal angiomas.
Newly Proposed ALBI Grade and ALBI-T Score as Tools for Assessment of Hepatic Function and Prognosis in Hepatocellular Carcinoma Patients
Authors: Hiraoka Atsushi , Kumada Takashi , Michitaka Kojiro , Kudo Masatoshi
Published: November 2018

Background: Because of the rapid progression of antiviral treatment options and the increasing frequency of nonviral-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) due to the aging of society, the number of HCC patients with good hepatic function has been increasing and a more detailed method of assessment of hepatic function is needed. The Child-Pugh classification (CP) is used worldwide as an assessment tool for hepatic reserve function, even though it has some weaknesses. Recently, the albumin-bilirubin (ALBI) grade, calculated based on only albumin and total bilirubin, was proposed, and recent investigations have suggested that ALBI grade instead of CP can be used as an assessment tool for hepatic function as part of therapeutic strategies such as Barcelona Clinic Liver Cancer staging and a practical guideline presented by the Japan Society of Hepatology as well for total staging scoring systems. There has been an increasing number of reports showing that it has better capability than CP for HCC patients who undergo not only curative but also palliative treatments. Transcatheter arterial chemoembolization (TACE) is a major palliative treatment used for unresectable HCC, and the idea of TACE-refractory status has been proposed to indicate the possibility of switching to a tyrosine kinase inhibitor (TKI). However, TKI administration requires a maintained hepatic reserve function, thus the importance of assessment of hepatic function in patients undergoing TACE treatments has increased. We consider that ALBI grade might also play a significant role as part of a detailed assessment of relative changes in hepatic function during treatment. In this review, we evaluate the practical usefulness of ALBI grade for assessing hepatic function and HCC prognosis. Key Message: A detailed assessment of hepatic function is required for recent HCC therapeutic strategies. ALBI grade may be a powerful tool to improve treatment options for affected patients.
Notes on Territory
Authors: Whitehead Anna Martine
Published: November 2018

Notes on Territory is adapted from a performance-lecture and installation for the study of containment architecture and embodied resistance. It considers recurring motifs in the development of the modern prison, exploring how those same motifs are repurposed in bodies and movements of people in prison as freedom practices.
Roshan Ara Begum: Performing Classical Music, Gender, and Muslim Nationalism in Pakistan
Authors: Afzal-Khan Fawzia
Published: November 2018

The imbrication of issues of nation, class, gender, and religion necessitates a critical revision of the so-called secular postcolonial modernity embraced by Indian nationalists, including musicologists. The life and struggle of Roshan Ara Begum — Pakistan’s first and, to date, arguably greatest singer of classical music — is an instructive example of the complex intertwining of agency, resistance, and resignation in Muslim-identified Pakistan and Hindu-identified India.
A Drama of Saintly Devotion: Performing Ecstasy and Status at the Shaam-e-Qalandar Festival in Pakistan
Authors: Jaffer Amen
Published: November 2018

The event of Shaam-e-Qalandar is a recent addition to Pakistan’s largest Sufi festival and represents an emerging performative religiosity characterized by a mixture of ecstatic devotion, conspicuous consumption, and aesthetic and stylistic inspirations from Lollywood films, wedding celebrations, and pop concerts. Sponsored mostly by small business owners, this new religiosity also reflects a shift in the distribution of power and authority in Pakistan’s religious communities.
From Object to Performance in Israeli Art: A Historiography
Authors: Harari Dror
Published: November 2018

Israeli art of the 1960s–’70s was a thriving scene of performative art practices, of which very little is known to the international community of performance researchers. Evolving gradually in response to new trends on the American and European art scenes, these performative manifestations reacted to and reflected the specific local circumstances that would eventually result in a major change in the country’s life, culture, and art.
Hissing, Bidding, and Lynching: Participation in Brandon Jacobs-Jenkins’s An Octoroon and the Melodramatics of American Racism
Authors: Preston Carrie J.
Published: November 2018

Branden Jacobs-Jenkins’s 2016 An Octoroon encouraged Boston theatregoers to hiss and cheer like the audiences for Boucicault’s 1859 The Octoroon, then encouraged them to bid for slaves and scream for a lynching. For some, participation may have encouraged a self-satisfied post-racial bliss; for others, it may have bolstered psychic investments in racism and misogyny. Many, however, were confused: What is an appropriate response to the melodramatic extremes of American race relations?
Eye Contact: Mesmeric Revelations in Baltimore
Authors: Ball James R.
Published: November 2018

In Baltimore in 2015, Submersive Productions staged The Mesmeric Revelations! of Edgar Allan Poe, an immersive spectacle based on the women populating Poe’s fiction and personal life. Also in Baltimore in 2015, Freddie Gray, an African American man, was killed by Baltimore police, leading to mass protests and civil unrest. A striking coincidence between the two events suggests that immersive spectatorship intensifies our political experience of the social forces that make us subjects, indicating new ways for theatre to address a nation that has always been fractious and fractured.
Good Talk and an Aesthetics of Good Sounding in Madagascar
Authors: Emoff Ron
Published: November 2018

Over the past decades it has become less acceptable simply to acquire new musical knowledge and to present it judiciously, wisely, and authoritatively. The presentation, usually in the form of academic writing, is often assessed as much for its subject positioning or authorial tone as it is for its relevance or accuracy of content. How might a system of valuation be established by which sound writing may be sanctioned to be really sound, effective, veridical, ethnographically sensitive?
The Mice Will Play: Theatre in a Psychiatric Clinic
Authors: Pfaff Walter
Published: November 2018

At playing theatre in the clinic, a stigmatized group of long-term psychiatric patients can strengthen their self-respect. The playing space becomes a space of possibilities. Gradually, playing together becomes more and more of an experiment for an imagined departure from the clinic.
The Theorist and the Theorized: Indigenous Critiques of Performance Studies
Authors: Teves Stephanie Nohelani
Published: November 2018

Performance studies requires an engagement with Native studies scholarship and settler colonial critiques to be fully accountable to the global stakes of indigeneity and Indigenous performance. An exploration of the legacies of colonialism, scholarly misinterpretation, and the pressures of cultural authenticity reveals the division between performance studies and Native studies and the need for performance studies to engage Native studies scholarship and settler colonial critiques to enrich analyses of Native/Indigenous performance and the field in general.
Aromatheatre: Communication and Multimedia Design’s Famous Deaths
Authors: Mee Erin B.
Published: November 2018

In Famous Deaths, spectators experience the final moments of a celebrity’s life (John Fitzgerald Kennedy, Whitney Houston, Lady Diana, and Muammar Gaddafi) through only sound and scents — from inside a morgue drawer. The site-specific piece is an example of what I call aromatheatre, which is apprehended through the olfactory system.
Curating Dialogue: The Bridge Project’s Radical Movements
Authors: LaVigne Michelle , Nicely Megan V.
Published: November 2018

A renowned gender theorist and a female drag performer move language and gestures as they trade stories and share bodywork. A gender-ambiguous performer and a trans and queer scholar volley moments of physical intensity and textual analysis in a lecture-demonstration format. These were just some of the ways that the fall 2017 Bridge Project’s Radical Movements festival challenged performance models for dialogic exchange and what constitutes a radical body in motion.
This Dance Which Is Not One: Carole McCurdy’s ((waver))
Authors: DeLand Lauren
Published: November 2018

Carole McCurdy’s ((waver)) illuminates the cross-cultural histories of the butoh and tango dance forms that inspire it and approximates the sometimes harmonious, sometimes contradistinctive structuring rhythms of the two dance forms. In staging the impossible yet omnipresent desire to unite self and other, McCurdy and her cast perform the limitations of intimacy.
Fair play and its connection with social tolerance, reciprocity and the ethology of peace
Authors: Palagi Elisabetta , Cordoni Giada , Demuru Elisa , Bekoff Marc
Published: November 2018

The concept of peace, with its corollary of behaviours, strategies and social implications, is commonly believed as a uniquely human feature. Through a comparative approach, we show how social play in animals may have paved the way for the emergence of peace. By playing fairly, human and nonhuman animals learn to manage their social dynamics in a more relaxed and tolerant way that results in a more effective management of conflicts. We show that play promotes tolerance, cooperation, fairness and reciprocity, which are essential elements of the so-called positive peace. This kind of peace is reached through an evolving process in which individuals continually modify social relationships to attain peaceful coexistence. In conclusion, we assume that the concept of peace has deep biological roots that constitute the basis for more sophisticated cultural constructions.
Leon Trotsky and the Prohibition against Secret Treaties
Authors: Quigley John
Published: November 2018

A requirement was written into the Covenant of the League of Nations that treaties be communicated to the League for publication. This innovation is widely attributed to US President Woodrow Wilson, who drafted the language for the League Covenant on this issue. What is less remembered is that behind Wilson’s initiative lay an action by Leon Trotsky, Commissar for Foreign Affairs of the fledgling Soviet Russian government, who revealed treaties that had been concluded secretly on the Allied side during World War i in which various states were promised territorial gains upon the anticipated successful conclusion of the war. Trotsky’s revelation gained world attention and mobilized public sentiment against secret arrangements between governments. Wilson took his initiative in this context. The registration of treaties, which later was carried over into the Charter of the United Nations, has become one of the most important institutions of the modern international order.
Soviet International Law: Between Slogans and Practice
Authors: Cherviatsova Alina , Yarmysh Oleksandr
Published: November 2018

This article is devoted to an analysis of the Soviet doctrines of foreign policy, international law and relations. It is claimed that Soviet international law was based on two conflicting ideas – the idea of universal peace and the idea of world revolution. These ideas were reflected in two conflicting principles of Soviet international law – the principle of peaceful coexistence and the principle of socialist internationalism. Throughout its history the ussr was balancing between these ideas and principles depending on its internal and external interests and the current political situation, moving its foreign policy from the first principle to the second one, and vice versa. The article divides the history of Soviet foreign policy into five major stages – the foreign policy of Lenin, Stalin, Khrushchev, Brezhnev and Gorbachev – to analyse each of these stages in turn.
Delaying Pre-trial Therapy to Child Victims of Sexual Abuse: An Unfounded Prevailing Culture in South Africa?
Authors: Fouché Daniël F. , Fouché Ansie
Published: November 2018

Due to the statutory obligation to report child sexual abuse to the authorities, children in South Africa are increasingly called to testify in criminal proceedings. A recent qualitative study found that South African parents and social workers are often advised by legal professionals to postpone pre-trial therapy (therapy provided to child witnesses prior to testimony) until after the child’s testimony, based on concerns that therapy could contaminate the child’s version of events, and might ultimately lead to an acquittal of the accused. In this study, the authors analysed selected authoritative documents to explore whether or not any directives exist in respect of the provision of pre-trial therapy to child victims of sexual abuse in South Africa. Our findings suggest that none of the authoritative documents included in our document review specifically mention the rendering of pre-trial therapy to child victims of sexual abuse. Recommendations for policy reform and research are made.
Key to the Species of Cosmetidae (Arachnida, Opiliones) of Central America, with Notes on Penis Morphology and Sexual Dimorphisms
Authors: TOWNSEND, JR. VICTOR R. , VÍQUEZ CARLOS , VANZANDT PETER A. , PROUD DANIEL N.
Published: November 2018

To facilitate identification of harvestmen of the family Cosmetidae in Central America, we developed dichotomous keys that distinguish the 33 known genera and the 133 described species for this region. Couplets are based upon characters found in the literature and examinations of museum specimens. Important characters include the number of tarsomeres on leg I, armature of the dorsal scutum, free tergites and legs, as well as the coloration and relative length of the body and legs. In addition, we provide a summary of sexually dimorphic features and comment on the potential usefulness of penis morphology and coloration as characters for distinguishing taxa.
Teachers’ Conversational Style and Children’s Language Development in German Childcare Centers: A Culture-Sensitive Intervention
Authors: Schröder Lisa , Dintsioudi Anna , List Marit Kristine , Keller Heidi
Published: November 2018

Instructional language programs in German childcare centers have shown limited effectiveness. Two reasons may be that (a) the training is unconnected with everyday situations in which children typically acquire language and (b) the programs adopt a cultural model of psychological autonomy, a model that may be inconsistent with some children’s background. In the present study, we implemented an everyday-based language intervention in four German childcare centers. In a prepost design, teachers ( N = 37, M = 32.97 years) were first trained to adopt an elaborative, socially oriented style. Their language behavior, videotaped and analyzed during daily routines over 1 year, demonstrated significant changes (e.g., asking more open-ended questions, referring to social content and decontextualized content more often). Independent of their families’ cultural orientation. children’s ( N = 85, M = 3.42 years) language competencies significantly increased beyond age-related development norms. In comparison with a control group of children who visited childcare centers implementing instructional language programs, children of the intervention group performed significantly better in nonword repetition (an indicator of lexical knowledge) after 1 year. The results demonstrate that, in a brief intervention, teachers’ conversational style could be effectively changed toward promoting language development in a culture-sensitive way. Although the direct link to children’s language development remains to be proven, results indicate that children with different cultural backgrounds could profit from this everyday-based approach without using extra settings, materials, or instructions.
Female Vocal Identity Development: A Phenomenology
Authors: Sweet Bridget , Parker Elizabeth Cassidy
Published: November 2018

The purpose of our phenomenology was to investigate the lived experiences of emerging female vocal identity development (ages 19–35 years) and how participants’ lived experiences shaped their future as musicians and music educators. Thirty-nine participants, freshmen through graduate students, enrolled in vocal music education or vocal performance programs within two large universities in the United States completed written responses to an open set of questions that were then discussed during a corresponding in-depth interview. Our analysis revealed four themes: (a) others as powerful influences, (b) voice classification, (c) omnipresent emotion, and (d) perceptions of future involvement. Time underwrote each theme as participants shared lived experiences that took place from age 11 into their 20s and some into the mid-30s. Therefore, consideration of chronological age within each of the themes provided deeper insight on the evolution of female vocal identity development. We found that intrapersonal and interpersonal interactions, both past and present, fostered emotional responses that influenced female vocalists’ perceptions of their voice. These, in combination with encounters with voice classifications and tensions between vocal and choral teachers, influenced their ever-evolving relationship with their instrument. In addition, participants actively used lived experiences to build futures for themselves and their vocal students.
Humanae Vitae: Fifty Years Later
Authors: Curran Charles
Published: November 2018

This article considers what has transpired in the Catholic Church on the issue of contraception in the fifty years since the encyclical Humanae Vitae in 1968. The author argues that today there are sufficient reasons to support a consideration of change in the teaching. Without such a consideration that works toward development or change in this teaching, the church risks continuing loss of credibility and will not be able to address honestly other important contemporary issues.
A Status-Seeking Account of Psychological Entitlement
Authors: Lange Jens , Redford Liz , Crusius Jan
Published: November 2018

We propose that people high in entitlement are characterized by motivation to attain status. Five studies (total N = 2,372) support that entitlement promotes motivation to seek status. This motivation, in turn, relates to affective processes when facing upward comparisons and contributes to status attainment. Specifically, entitlement fostered prestige and dominance motivation. These, in turn, predicted greater benign and malicious envy, respectively, when encountering high-status others. The indirect effects occurred when entitlement was measured (Studies 1A and 1B) and manipulated (Studies 2A and 2B). Finally, entitlement related to status attainment, yet not always in line with more entitled people’s motivation. Although they ascribed themselves both more prestige and dominance, others ascribed them only more dominance, yet less prestige (Studies 3A, 3B, and 3C). These findings suggest that a status-seeking account offers important insights into the complexities of entitled behavior and its social consequences.
Space, state-building and the hydraulic mission: Crafting the Mozambican state
Authors: Rusca Maria , dos Santos Tatiana , Menga Filippo , Mirumachi Naho , Schwartz Klaas , Hordijk Michaela
Published: November 2018

This article explores the role of large-scale water infrastructure in the formation of states in sub-Saharan Africa. We examine this through a focus on government agents and their shifting hydro-developmental visions of the state in colonial and post-colonial Mozambique. Over time, the focus, underlying principles and goals of the hydraulic mission shifted, triggered by contextual factors and historical developments within and outside the country. We identify the making of three hydraulic paradigms, fostering different imaginaries of ‘the state’ and social and spatial engineering of the territory: the ‘Estado Novo’ (1930–1974), the socialist post-independence state-space (1974–1987) and the neoliberal state (1987–present). We then conclude by discussing how the shifting discursive justifications for infrastructure projects consolidate different state projects and link these to material re-patterning of hydrosocial territories. Whilst promoted as a rupture with the past, emerging projects tend to reaffirm, rather than redistribute, power and water within the country.
Innovation in newly public firms: The influence of government grants, venture capital, and private equity
Authors: Shinkle George A , Suchard Jo-Ann
Published: November 2018

We investigate the influence of government grants, venture capital (VC), and private equity (PE) funding on innovation in newly public firms. We examine innovation inputs (R&D), innovation outputs (patents), and the quality thereof (patent citations). We contribute to understanding of the mechanisms between government grants and subsequent VC and PE funding and innovation. We find that grants encourage VC funding but not PE funding. Grants and VC/PE funding are generally complements regarding innovation except grants substitute for VC funding on innovation inputs. Furthermore, we observe that the firm-level heterogeneity of VC/PEs significantly influences innovation in portfolio companies.

JEL Classification: G24, G32, L53, O31, O38
A high-strength PPESK/PVDF fibrous membrane prepared by coaxial electrospinning for lithium-ion battery separator
Authors: Gong Wenzheng , Wang Xinyu , Li Zheng , Gu Junfeng , Ruan Shilun , Shen Changyu
Published: November 2018

Electrospinning fibrous membranes have attracted a great deal of attention because of their advantages, including uniform pore size, large ratio surface area, and high porosity. For extended application in lithium-ion battery, it is essential to further improve their electrochemical, mechanical, and thermal properties. In this work, a new poly (phthalazine ether sulfone ketone) (PPESK)/polyvinyli-denefluoride (PVDF) core/shell fibrous membrane was fabricated via the coaxial electrospinning technique, followed by hot press. The PPESK/PVDF membrane hot pressed at 160°C exhibits excellent comprehensive performance, including large porosity (80%), high electrolyte uptake (805%), and excellent thermal stability (at 200°C). Moreover, due to the improved bonding effect derived from the solidification of the PVDF shell layer after the hot press, the mechanical property of the membrane is effectively enhanced. The electrochemical tests also indicate that the PPESK/PVDF membrane shows larger ionic conductivity and lower interfacial resistance when compared with commercial microporous polypropylene separator. In addition, simulated cells assembled with the PPESK/PVDF membrane present superior discharge capacity, stable cycle performance, and excellent rate capability. Therefore, the hot-pressed coaxial PPESK/PVDF fibrous membrane has the potential to be a promising candidate as the separator for high-performance lithium-ion battery.
Energy–environment–society relations in early modern Korea: Lessons learned from the electrification of Seoul, 1876–1905
Authors: Lee Taehwa , Lee Youngho , Yun Sun-Jin
Published: November 2018

This study explores the relationship between energy, the environment, and society in early modern Korea, after its initial contact with electricity and fossil fuels. After reviewing the literature and original sources, the study reached four findings. First, the introduction of electricity and new energy sources was intensely pursued under the belief that civilization and enlightenment based on electricity, fossil fuels, and their relevant Western technologies could help Korea retain its national sovereignty and compete with imperial powers during the gaehwa period. Second, the traditional Korean worldview regarding the interrelationship between humans and nature was partially changed by the introduction of electricity and new energy sources. Third, using electricity and new energy sources changed the way traditional social relations were experienced in Korea, as well as conventional notions of time and space. Lastly, Seoulites in early modern Korea were psychologically prepared to accept and become familiar with electricity and new energy sources, which eventually became the foundation for mentally reorienting Korea toward future industrialization.
Edoxaban for Venous Thromboembolism Treatment—The New Kid on The Block for Latin America. A Practical Guide
Authors: Ramacciotti Eduardo , Aguiar Valéria Cristina Resende , Júnior Valter Castelli , Casella Ivan Benaducce , Zerati Antonio Eduardo , Fareed Jawed
Published: November 2018

Edoxaban, a direct factor Xa inhibitor (FXa), is the fourth direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) approved for clinical use in the treatment of venous thromboembolism (VTE) in Latin America, following global approvals for this indication. Edoxaban features some particular characteristics when compared to the previously approved DOACs. This review summarizes the main properties of edoxaban, the outcomes results of its pivotal global clinical trials and the peculiar clinical features of this compound. This practical guide aims to help Latin America clinicians understand edoxaban, its proper indication and its use for the appropriate patients with VTE.
Evaluation and exploration of a social prescribing initiative: Study protocol
Authors: Halder Moon M , Wakefield Juliet RH , Bowe Mhairi , Kellezi Blerina , Mair Elizabeth , McNamara Niamh , Wilson Ian , Stevenson Clifford
Published: November 2018

Attention is being given to healthcare initiatives with the potential to save money and improve lives. One example is social prescribing, which supports patients whose ill-health is exacerbated by loneliness. While evidence has accumulated attesting to social prescribing’s efficacy, one limitation has been the lack of a theoretical framework, which limits understanding of how tackling loneliness improves health. In our evaluation of a social prescribing pathway, we adopt a ‘Social Cure’ approach, which posits that social relations affect health. Our study will evaluate the efficacy of the pathway and determine the extent to which group processes are responsible for health improvements.
Physical activity in young adults with autism spectrum disorder: Parental perceptions of barriers and facilitators
Authors: Nichols Chad , Block Martin E , Bishop Jason C , McIntire Brandon
Published: November 2018

The importance of physical activity in persons with disabilities is well known, yet the prevalence of inactivity remains high. The physical activity behaviors among adults on the autism spectrum are largely unexplored. It is presumed that sedentary behavior and obesity are a greater health issue among young adults on the autism spectrum who no longer receive Individuals with Disabilities Education Act services and supports such as school-based physical education. Using a phenomenology approach, the parents of eight young adults on the autism spectrum were interviewed about their perceptions of the barriers and facilitators to getting their young adults on the autism spectrum physically active. The purpose of this study was to investigate parent’s perspective of physical activity barriers and facilitators of their adult children on the autism spectrum. Common themes of both physical activity barriers and facilitators included parents, behaviors associated with autism spectrum disorder, and access and opportunities.
The meanings of racist and sexist trash talk for men of color: A cultural sociological approach to studying gaming culture
Authors: Ortiz Stephanie M
Published: November 2018

Scholars have documented how people of color experience gaming culture as violent, yet it is unclear how this violence shapes conceptualizations of gaming culture. Undertaking a cultural sociological approach that foregrounds meaning-making, I demonstrate that trash talk is a useful site to explore how social actors construct and negotiate gaming culture. Analyzing data from 12 qualitative interviews with men of color, I argue that trash talk is a practice of boundary-making that reproduces racism and sexism. Respondent narratives about gaming culture vis-à-vis trash talk thus show how gaming culture is socially constructed in everyday interactions, and bound to cultural repertoires and structural conditions that exist outside of gaming. This study provides a potential avenue to explore the socially constructed and dynamic nature of gaming culture and gamer identity.
Temperature-insensitive cable tension monitoring during the construction of a cable-stayed bridge with a custom-developed pulse elasto-magnetic instrument
Authors: Feng Huan , Liu Xiucheng , Wu Bin , Wu Donghang , Zhang Xiaodong , He Cunfu
Published: November 2018

Pulse elasto-magnetic method has numerous applications for monitoring cable tension force in cable-stayed bridges. In conventional pulse elasto-magnetic measurements, the feature parameters in frequency domain are seldom discussed. In this study, attempts are made to seek new parameters in frequency domain which are mainly influenced by cable tension force and less sensitive to temperature. A custom-developed pulse elasto-magnetic instrument is employed to conduct cable tension monitoring in the construction stage of a cable-stayed bridge. The field testing results show that only after temperature compensation, the monitoring results of the feature parameters extracted from the magnetic characteristic curve can reflect the stepped changes of cable tension force. Surprisingly, a new frequency-domain parameter, the summation of spectra amplitudes in a carefully selected frequency range, is found to be insensitive to temperature and can well reflect the stepped change behavior of cable tension force. The feasibility of this temperature-insensitive parameter for cable force measurements was verified by field test in two stay cables. The averaged value of the new parameter at each stage linearly depends on cable tension force. The findings about the new frequency-domain parameter may facilitate temperature-insensitive cable tension monitoring in cable-stayed bridge with a pulse elasto-magnetic instrument.
Digital provenance and material metadata: Attribution and co-authorship in the age of artificial intelligence
Authors: Doyle Shelby , Senske Nick
Published: November 2018

This speculative essay examines a single drawing, produced in a collaboration between the authors and a Turtle robot, in a search for methods to evaluate and document provenance in artificial intelligence and robotic design. Reflecting upon the layers of authorship in our case study reveals the complex relationship that already exists between human and machine collaborators. In response to this unseen provenance, we propose new modes to document the full range of creative contribution to the design and production of artifacts from intellectual inputs to digital representations to physical labor. A more comprehensive system for artificial intelligence/robotic attribution could produce counter-narratives to technological development which more fully acknowledge the contributions of both humans and machines. As artificially intelligent design technologies distinguish themselves with distinct capabilities and eventual autonomy, a system of embedded attribution becomes the basis for human–machine collaboration, indeterminacy, and unexpected new applications for existing tools and methods.
What’s in a Name? Effects of Alternative Forms of Addressing Households on Response Rates and Data Quality in an Address-based Mail Survey
Authors: Dykema Jennifer , Assad Nadia , Sanchez-Diettert Griselle , Elver Kelly , Stevenson John
Published: November 2018

Best practices in mail survey design advise personalizing correspondence, but most research predates the use of address-based sampling (ABS) in which a householder’s name either cannot be matched to an address or may be matched incorrectly. Further, recent evidence casts doubt on the effectiveness of personalization. The current study examines the impact of using a personalized versus a generic salutation on response rates and data quality in an ABS mail survey of the general population. A sample of 2,000 household addresses in Wisconsin was randomly selected from the U.S. Postal Service Delivery Sequence File. For households in the personalized salutation group, all materials used the surname of the household; cases in the generic salutation group referred to the state conducting the survey. While personalization was not related to response rates, it was associated with higher levels of item nonresponse. Findings support current recommendations not to use names in ABS mail surveys.
Impact of a Pharmacist-Led Intervention on 30-Day Readmission and Assessment of Factors Predictive of Readmission in African American Men With Heart Failure
Authors: McKinley DeAngelo , Moye-Dickerson Pamela , Davis Shondria , Akil Ayman
Published: November 2018

Heart failure (HF) is responsible for more 30-day readmissions than any other condition. Minorities, particularly African American males (AAM), are at much higher risk for readmission than the general population. In this study, demographic, social, and clinical data were collected from the electronic medical records of 132 AAM patients (control and intervention) admitted with a primary or secondary admission diagnosis of HF. Both groups received guideline-directed therapy for HF. Additionally the intervention group received a pharmacist-led intervention. Data collected from these patients were used to develop and validate a predictive model to evaluate the impact of the pharmacist-led intervention, and identify predictors of readmission in this population. After propensity score matching, the intervention was determined to have a significant impact on readmission, as a significantly smaller proportion of patients in the intervention group were readmitted as compared to the control group (11.5% vs. 42.9%; p = .03). A predictive model for 30-day readmission was developed using K-nearest neighbor (KNN) classification algorithm. The model was able to correctly classify about 71% patients with an AUROC of 0.70. Additionally, the model provided a set of key patient attributes predictive of readmission status. Among these predictive attributes was whether or not a patient received the intervention. A relative risk analysis identified that patients who received the intervention are less likely to be readmitted within 30 days. This study demonstrated the benefit of a pharmacist-led intervention for AAM with HF. Such interventions have the potential to improve quality of life for this patient population.
Middle meningeal artery occlusion for intra-arterial chemotherapy of retinoblastoma
Authors: Bartolini Bruno , Puccinelli Francesco , Hajdu Steven D , Stathopoulos Christina , Beck-Popovic Maja , Munier Francis L , Saliou Guillaume
Published: November 2018

We report the intentional occlusion of the middle meningeal artery arising from the lacrimal artery, a novel technique to improve drug delivery in a 14-month-old boy with a history of right sporadic unilateral cavitary retinoblastoma group D. The patient was referred to our institution for intra-arterial chemotherapy after two systemic chemotherapy treatments. The digital subtraction angiography showed a large middle meningeal artery arising from the right lacrimal artery and decrease choroidal enhancement thus decreased flow to the tumor. The ophthalmological examination after the first intra-arterial chemotherapy observed no tumor regression. Assuming a vascular steal, in the second intra-arterial chemotherapy session, the origin of the middle meningeal artery was occluded. Following this treatment, a significant response was observed at ophthalmological follow up. In the presented case, the efficacy of intra-arterial chemotherapy was improved after occlusion of a meningeal branch arising from the lacrimal artery, which was responsible for the vascular steal.
Betrieblich beeinflußbare Sozialleistungen als Entgeltbestandteile
Authors: Grawert Achim , Wagner Dieter
Published: November 2018

Die betrieblichen Sozialleistungen stehen als nicht zu unterschätzender Anteil an den betrieblichen Personalkosten in einem zunehmenden Interesse personalwirtschaftlicher Überlegungen. Erstens werden Anreizsysteme immer häufiger als ein wichtiger Baustein des strategischen (Personal-) Managements angesehen. Besondere Bedeutung gewinnt dabei z.B. das strategische Leistungsverhalten, aber auch die Förderung der Innovationsfähigkeit. Zweitens ist zu beachten, daß Aspekte der Individualisierung und Flexibilisierung zunehmend thematisiert werden, wie es etwa durch die verstärkte Diskussion um Cafeteria-Systeme zum Ausdruck kommt (vgl. Schulte/Dycke 1988, Wagner 1982). Dabei spielt die Beachtung individueller Werte und Präferenzen bei der Gestaltung von Anreizsystemen eine wichtige Rolle.

Durch die Einbindung der betrieblichen Sozialleistungen in ein strategisch orientiertes Anreizsystem haben sich zugleich Ziele der betrieblichen Sozialpolitik gewandelt. Demzufolge hat sich auch der Inhalt des Begriffes derjenigen betrieblichen Sozialleistungen geändert, die dem Unternehmen als motivationale Anreize der Arbeitnehmer zur Verfügung stehen und insofern als wichtige Bezugspunkte eines entsprechenden Sozialleistungsmanagemensts anzusehen sind.

Im folgenden wird versucht, als ersten Schritt auf diesem Wege eine aufgabenbezogene inhaltliche Begriffsbestimmung dieser Sozialleistungen zu erarbeiten. Dabei werden zunächst die Ziele analysiert, die für die Gewährung betrieblicher Sozialleistungen von Bedeutung sind.
Systematic evaluation of the efficacy–effectiveness gap of systemic treatments in metastatic nonsmall cell lung cancer
Authors: Cramer-van der Welle Christine M. , Peters Bas J.M. , Schramel Franz M.N.H. , Klungel Olaf H. , Groen Harry J.M. , van de Garde Ewoudt M.W.
Published: November 2018

The divergence between clinical trial results and real-world outcomes is largely unknown for many cancer types. The present study aims overall to assess the efficacy–effectiveness gap (difference between outcomes in clinical trials and the real world) in systemic treatment for metastatic nonsmall cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

All patients diagnosed with stage IV NSCLC between 2008 and 2014 within a network of seven Dutch large teaching hospitals (Santeon) were studied. For every patient, an efficacy–effectiveness (EE) factor was calculated by dividing individual patients' overall survival (OS) by the pooled median OS assessed from clinical trials with the respective treatment.

From 2989 diagnosed patients, 1214 (41%) started with first-line treatment. For all studied regimens, real-world OS was shorter than OS reported in clinical trials. Overall, the EE factor was 0.77 (95% CI 0.70–0.85; p<0.001). Real-world patients completed their treatment plan less often and proceeded less frequently to further lines of treatment. These parameters together with Eastern Cooperative Oncology Group performance status explained 35% of the variation in EE factor.

Survival of patients with metastatic NSCLC treated with chemotherapy or targeted therapy in real-world practice is nearly one-quarter shorter than for patients included in trials. Patients' performance status, earlier discontinuation and fewer subsequent lines of treatment partly explained this difference.
Traces in the desert: use of new technologies for the study and valorization of the Pachacamac sanctuary—Lima, Peru
Authors: Pozzi-Escot Denise , Oshiro Janet , Romano Gerardo , Capozzoli Luigi , Lasaponara Rosa , Masini Nicola
Published: November 2018

Through time, the large ceremonial centers of the Peruvian pre-Hispanic coast have played an important role as Pachacamac, renowned for its famous oracle, which was an important site for cult and pilgrimage, where the use of water entered largely into ritual functions during Inca age and before. The sanctuary’s landscape included sea, valley and lomas (ecosystem of grassy, seasonal knolls), and a complex and elaborate system of springs and canals which seem to use both the natural water table and the waters of the nearby Lurin river. In this sacred landscape there are over fifty buildings associated to springs and canals, built during a long occupation spanning over a 1000 years. This entire system must have been connected to Urpiwachaq lagoon, located to the northeast and only a few kilometers away from the sea. The origins of the lagoon and its relationship with the archaeological site evoke creation myths for the waters and marine species of the central coast. In this paper we discussed the results obtained from the geophysical investigations performed to define the water management system in the sanctuary and their connection with the lagoon. In particular, geo-electric, geomagnetic and ground penetrating radar prospections were carried out in the monumental area to determine the trajectory of the waters that drained into the lagoon from a series of ponds and canals. The interdisciplinary work in both the lagoon and monumental area provided a valuable source of information useful to better understand the history and function of the Pachacamac sanctuary in prehispanic times.
Notas sobre o compliance no direito brasileiro
Authors: Oliva Milena Donato , Silva Rodrigo Da Guia
Published: November 2018

O escopo central do presente estudo consiste na investigação dos efeitos jurídicos do compliance no direito brasileiro. Examinam-se, nesse sentido, as principais decisões judiciais e as principais normas que tratam do compliance, seja a título de incentivo, seja como mandamento legal. Além disso, analisa-se o crescimento da importância atribuída pelos agentes econômicos ao compliance em razão das vantagens que este propicia para a inserção e valorização da empresa no mercado. O texto também examina o tratamento da matéria pelo tribunais, que têm cada vez mais se utilizado da noção de compliance como parâmetro interpretativo para a resolução de questões as mais variadas envolvendo a atividade empresarial. Por fim, investiga-se a repercussão da adoção de programas de integridade no âmbito das sanções administrativas aplicáveis às pessoas jurídicas.