bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The 1956 Suez Crisis as a Perfect Case for Crisis Research
Authors: Verbeek Bertjan
Published: September 2020

The Suez Crisis of 1956 is a perfect case for crisis research in the domain of international relations: the events leading to an Israeli attack on Egypt and an Anglo-French military invasion in the Suez Canal area seriously endangered regional and global peace and security. It also had major long-lasting consequences, notably the end of British influence in the Middle East, the expansion of the Cold War into that region, severe damage to the Western alliance, and, related to that, the acceleration of European integration as well as the development of the French nuclear bomb. An analysis of the Suez Crisis allows for a useful comparison of objectivistic and subjectivistic conceptualizations of the notion of crisis. This bears out that different actors attached, and still attach, different meanings to the events of 1956. Consequently, they look back on, and evaluate, the crisis in different terms. Also, Suez invites a confrontation of rationalist and constructivist approaches to the crisis phenomenon in the international relations literature. Furthermore, it invites an assessment of different approaches to foreign policy crisis decision-making, as they are employed in the comparative foreign policy analysis literature. In addition, the crisis serves to dissect important methodological issues regarding crisis research, particularly regarding causality and the issue of the decision unit. Finally, Suez offers insights into the specific legal and normative constraints faced by democracies seeking to go to war.
The International Crisis Behavior Project
Authors: Beardsley Kyle , James Patrick , Wilkenfeld Jonathan , Brecher Michael
Published: September 2020

Over the course of more than four decades the International Crisis Behavior (ICB) Project, a major and ongoing data-gathering enterprise in the social sciences, has compiled data that continues to be accessed heavily in scholarship on conflict processes. ICB holdings consist of full-length qualitative case studies, along with an expanding range of quantitative data sets. Founded in 1975, the ICB Project is among the most visible and influential within the discipline of International Relations (IR). A wide range of studies based either primarily or in part on the ICB’s concepts and data have accumulated and cover subjects that include the causes, processes, and consequences of crises. The breadth of ICB’s contribution has expanded over time to go beyond a purely state-centric approach to include crisis-related activities of transnational actors across a range of categories. ICB also offers depth through, for example, potential resolution of contemporary debates about mediation in crises on the basis of nuanced findings about long- versus short-term impact with regard to conflict resolution.
Networks and Crisis Management
Authors: Scott Ryan , Nowell Branda
Published: September 2020

Managing complexity requires appropriate governance structures and effective coordination, communication, and action within the incident response network. Governance structures serve as a framework to understand the interrelated relationships that exist during a crisis. Governance structures can be classified as either hierarchical and managed, autonomous and networked, or a hybrid of hierarchies and networks, and represent a continuum of crisis response systems. As such, effective crisis management is first a function of a leader’s ability to leverage hierarchical, hybrid, and network forms of crisis management governance to manage complex disasters. Second, it hinges on the proficiency of the disaster response network in managing distributed information, coordinating operations, and collaborating among jurisdictions. Combining these two points results in high-performing disaster response networks that operate fluidly between governing structures and across jurisdictions, thus increasing our national capacity to manage complex disasters.
Party Systems: Types, Dimensions, and Explanations
Authors: Enyedi Zsolt , Casal Bértoa Fernando
Published: September 2020

The study of political parties and party systems is intimately linked to the development of modern political science. The configuration of party competition varies across time and across polities. In order to capture this variance, one needs to go beyond the analysis of individual parties and to focus on their numbers (i.e. fragmentation), their interactions (i.e. closure), the prevailing ideological patterns (i.e. polarization), and the stability of the balance of power (i.e. volatility) in all spheres of competition, including the electoral, parliamentary, and governmental arenas. Together, these factors constitute the core informal institution of modern politics: a party system. The relevant scholarship relates the stability of party systems to the degree of the institutionalization of individual parties, to various institutional factors such as electoral systems, to sociologically anchored structures such as cleavages, to economic characteristics of the polity (primarily growth), to historical legacies (for example, the type of dictatorship that preceded competitive politics) and to the length of democratic experience and to the characteristics of the time when democracy was established. The predictability of party relations has been found to influence both the stability of governments and the quality of democracy. However, still a lot is to be learned about party systems in Africa or Asia, the pre-WWII era or in regional and/or local contexts. Similarly, more research is needed regarding the role of colonialism or how party system stability affects policy-making. As far as temporal change is concerned, we are witnessing a trend towards the destabilization of party systems, but the different indicators show different dynamics. It is therefore crucial to acknowledge that party systems are complex, multifaceted phenomena.
Uruguay: No Country for a Military?
Authors: Altman David , Jenne Nicole
Published: September 2020

Scholars have paid little attention to the Uruguayan armed forces, an institution that has never been fully entrusted with the country’s external security. This is explained by Uruguay’s geographical condition as a buffer state, sandwiched between South America’s biggest countries, Brazil and Argentina. The power differential with either one of them has rendered the prospect of a viable defense futile. Accordingly, those who have studied the Uruguayan military concur that it has traditionally had difficulties finding a place and recognition within the state and society. Throughout its history, the military has been a rather weak institution mostly subordinate to democratic control.

After the creation of Uruguay in 1828, it took several decades until a truly national military was established. The late 19th and early 20th century represent an exception in the country’s history as the armed forces underwent a modernization process backed by government resources. Military professionalization consolidated civilian control. Yet, soon after, the strengthening of democratic institutions and a high degree of social stability maneuvered the armed forces into a position of political neglect. This changed rather abruptly in the late 1960s, when a severe social, economic, and political crisis drove the ruling elites to call upon the armed forces to restore order. The military launched a coup d’état in 1973 and remained in power until 1985, when a negotiated transition put an end to the dictatorship and the U.S.-supported National Security Doctrine.

Subsequent democratic governments gradually reestablished civilian control and reduced the budget and size of the institution. However, given the stigmas from the dictatorship, together with the traditionally low esteem in which the military has been held, politicians have been slow in taking on necessary reforms in the military and defense sectors. Political neglect has allowed the armed forces considerable autonomy in military and defense policymaking, due to lack of civilian involvement. The decision to have the armed forces participate in UN peacekeeping—since 1992, Uruguay has almost consistently been among the top peacekeeping contributors per capita—has provided solutions to a number of pending questions regarding the role of the armed forces. Participation in peacekeeping allows for financial resources to supplement military salaries and acquisition funds. It provides the armed forces with a mission and has brought them closer to the civilian foreign policy elite. Yet, Uruguay still seems to wonder whether the country wants to have its armed forces.
Computational Models of Political Decision Making
Authors: Kim Sung-youn
Published: September 2020

A growing body of research uses computational models to study political decision making and behavior such as voter turnout, vote choice, party competition, social networks, and cooperation in social dilemmas. Advances in the computational modeling of political decision making are closely related to the idea of bounded rationality. In effect, models of full rationality can usually be analyzed by hand, but models of bounded rationality are complex and require computer-assisted analysis. Most computational models used in the literature are agent based, that is, they specify how decisions are made by autonomous, interacting computational objects called “agents.” However, an important distinction can be made between two classes of models based on the approaches they take: behavioral and information processing. Behavioral models specify relatively simple behavioral rules to relax the standard rationality assumption and investigate the system-level consequences of these rules in conjunction with deductive, game-theoretic analysis. In contrast, information-processing models specify the underlying information processes of decision making—the way political actors receive, store, retrieve, and use information to make judgment and choice—within the structural constraints on human cognition, and examine whether and how these processes produce the observed behavior in question at the individual or aggregate level. Compared to behavioral models, information-processing computational models are relatively rare, new to political scientists, and underexplored. However, focusing on the underlying mental processes of decision making that must occur within the structural constraints on human cognition, they have the potential to provide a more general, psychologically realistic account for political decision making and behavior.
International Courts and Tribunals
Authors: Findlay Mark
Published: September 2020

Despite political interference and jurisdictional partiality, the formal institutions of international criminal justice are positive development for global governance in their existence alone. The unique aims for global justice enunciated in the Preamble to the Rome Statute are a manifesto for how humanity expects to be protected from atrocity, and where responsibility should lie. As the example of rape in war demonstrates, translating these noble aspirations into trial practice and justice outcomes is often sullied by discriminatory externalities common in domestic criminal justice and exacerbated as the degree of victimization escalates. The lasting measure of the courts and tribunals is not successful prosecutions but rather the satisfaction of legitimate victim interests.
Octopus Motor Control
Authors: Nesher Nir , Levy Guy , Zullo Letizia , Hochner Benyamin
Published: September 2020

The octopus, with its eight long and flexible arms, is an excellent example of the independent evolution of highly efficient motor behavior in a soft-bodied animal. Studies will be summarized to show that the amazing behavioral motor abilities of the octopus are achieved through a special embodied organization of its flexible body, unusual morphology, and a unique central and peripheral distribution of its extremely large nervous system. This special embodied organization of brain–body–environment reciprocal interactions makes it possible to overcome the difficulties involved in generation and control of movement in an animal, which unlike vertebrates and arthropods lacks rigid skeletal appendages.
Forgotten but Crucial Aspects of Transition Planning for Inclusion
Authors: Strnadová Iva
Published: September 2020

Transition planning can increase positive post-school outcomes and inclusion for students with intellectual disabilities. Kohler’s Taxonomy for Transition Programming 2.0 is a useful tool for all stakeholders engaged in transition planning for this population. Grounded in research, the Taxonomy highlights five key practices: (a) student-focused planning; (b) student development; (c) interagency collaboration; (d) family involvement; and (e) program structures and attributes. Student-focused planning, and especially the student’s active involvement in transition planning, tend to be forgotten when it comes to students with intellectual disabilities.

While transition planning is oriented toward positive post-school outcomes in areas such as employment, independent living, and education, there are still two areas that remain largely ignored for students with intellectual disabilities—self-advocacy and sexuality education. Teachers, parents, and other relevant stakeholders need to provide more opportunities for development of self-advocacy skills, and for sexuality education. Kohler’s Taxonomy for Transition Programming 2.0 can serve as a useful tool when planning on how to integrate these two areas into transition-focused education.
Universal Design for Learning: Changing the Way We Interact With Diversity
Authors: Stolz Suzanne
Published: September 2020

Universal Design for Learning, widely known as UDL, is a framework for creating flexible curriculum and pedagogy that provides access for all students, giving the opportunity to build from their strengths. First introduced in 1998, UDL is centered on three principles: (a) provide multiple means of engagement, (b) provide multiple means of representation, and (c) provide multiple means of action and expression. In applying the framework in K–12 or postsecondary schools, educators first consider the diversity of students, their assets and needs, the barriers that interfere with their success, and then plan lessons that are widely accessible. UDL has close relationship with technology as it provides various ways to present content, engage students, and demonstrate their learning.

Research and policy, largely in the United States, support the growth of UDL. Research has created UDL tools like the Strategic Reader, produced recommendations for implementation, and measured efficacy. The National UDL Task Force, a coalition of stakeholder organizations has worked for the integration of UDL principles into local, state, and federal policies. Critiques of the framework note a dearth of empirical evidence and inconsistency in the research. They also help identify a path forward in designing new research and attending to complications in the framework that might better address diversity and bring students to the center.
Evidence-Based Practices for Teaching Learners With Mild to Moderate Disabilities
Authors: Jez Rebekka J.
Published: September 2020

With the rise in inclusive practices, information on evidence-based practices for teaching learners with mild to moderate disabilities is an important topic. Many professional and government organizations are working to disseminate this information to educators; however, the process can be thwarted by time, resources, training, and implementation of practices. By using multi-tiered systems of support (MTSS) such as response to intervention (RtI) or positive behavior interventions and support (PBIS), schools can assess for, identify, and implement supports for all learners. If a learner continues to encounter challenges, even with high-quality teaching and strategies, then a more intensive intervention may be needed. One schoolwide change would be to use universal design for learning (UDL) to ensure strategies and supports are provided to all learners. Additionally, students may benefit from assistive technology. Teachers can learn about free and commercial evidence-based educational practices to create a safe environment, implement positive behavioral supports, and provide systematic, explicit instruction in academic areas of reading, writing, mathematics, science, and social sciences.
Education as a Human Science
Authors: Higgs Philip
Published: September 2020

The debate concerning the nature of education, and more particularly the debate as it is directed toward the discourse and logic of schooling, has customarily taken place within the social science tradition. As a result, educational research has been characterized by a modern positivist science which has tended to privilege knowledge relevant to a technocratic evaluation and control of educational relationships and achievements through a process of socialization. From the relationship between student and teacher to the relationship between school and society, the widespread acceptance of quantitative research findings and behavioristic theory reveals that the evaluation of educational issues has been tied to an understanding of reality as ideological as it is “scientific.” What should constitute a scientific inquiry that effectively counters positivist assumptions and what should characterize the inquirer’s relation to the real are still central questions within educational theory and practice in the philosophy of education.

In responding to these questions, the positioning of education in the social science tradition has given rise to the politicization of education in an ideologically directed process of socialization which, in turn, has resulted in education, including schooling, being subjected to the idiosyncratic stranglehold and abuse of ideological and cultural considerations propagated in the name of a pseudo-scientific scientism. Furthermore, the problem concerning the nature of education is more authentically situated within the human science tradition than within the social sciences. This argument is grounded on a fundamental objection to positivism and the influence that this has had on the tradition of the social sciences.
Behavioral Corporate Finance: The Life Cycle of a CEO Career
Authors: Guenzel Marius , Malmendier Ulrike
Published: September 2020

One of the fastest-growing areas of finance research is the study of managerial biases and their implications for firm outcomes. Since the mid-2000s, this strand of behavioral corporate finance has provided theoretical and empirical evidence on the influence of biases in the corporate realm, such as overconfidence, experience effects, and the sunk-cost fallacy. The field has been a leading force in dismantling the argument that traditional economic mechanisms—selection, learning, and market discipline—would suffice to uphold the rational-manager paradigm. Instead, the evidence reveals that behavioral forces exert a significant influence at every stage of a chief executive officer’s (CEO’s) career. First, at the appointment stage, selection does not impede the promotion of behavioral managers. Instead, competitive environments oftentimes promote their advancement, even under value-maximizing selection mechanisms. Second, while at the helm of the company, learning opportunities are limited, since many managerial decisions occur at low frequency, and their causal effects are clouded by self-attribution bias and difficult to disentangle from those of concurrent events. Third, at the dismissal stage, market discipline does not ensure the firing of biased decision-makers as board members themselves are subject to biases in their evaluation of CEOs.

By documenting how biases affect even the most educated and influential decision-makers, such as CEOs, the field has generated important insights into the hard-wiring of biases. Biases do not simply stem from a lack of education, nor are they restricted to low-ability agents. Instead, biases are significant elements of human decision-making at the highest levels of organizations.

An important question for future research is how to limit, in each CEO career phase, the adverse effects of managerial biases. Potential approaches include refining selection mechanisms, designing and implementing corporate repairs, and reshaping corporate governance to account not only for incentive misalignments, but also for biased decision-making.
Tribes
Authors: Salzman Philip Carl
Published: September 2020

A tribe is a regional security organization. It ties together a number of local primary face-to-face groups. It is charged with control of territory, defense against outside intruders, and protection of humans, livestock, and productive resources, such as wells and cultivation. Whatever productive activity tribesmen are primarily engaged in, such as pastoralism or cultivation, each male, with the exception of holy men, serves also as a warrior.

Tribes are usually defined by a symbolic idiom that asserts a primordial connection among tribesmen. Descent from a common ancestor is an idiom used to define many tribes. Tribal names are often those of the ancestor that all members share. Internal divisions may also be defined by ancestry; a descent idiom allows group divisions at every level of the genealogy.

Tribal subgroups are also charged with security and are defined as having “collective responsibility”; that is, the moral norm is that each member is responsible for what other members do and, as a consequence, all members are seen by outsiders as equivalent. There is also a moral norm to aid fellow tribesmen, the obligation stronger for close kin, weaker for more distant kin. Internal tribal relations among subgroups are based on what anthropologists call “balanced opposition” or “complementary opposition.” Each tribal subgroup is “balanced” against other subgroups of the same genealogical order, which in principle, and often in practice, serves as a deterrent against hostile acts.

Tribal leadership can take the form of primus inter pares. However, in tribes in contact with states, more formal leadership roles, with at least the trappings of authority and power, can develop. Whatever the role of the tribal leader, he depends upon consent of the tribesmen. In tribal subgroups, political process tends to be highly democratic, and leaders are those who can elicit agreement among the members and then carry out the will of the community.

Tribes are social organizations that are not static and do not always maintain form. They respond to environmental opportunities and constraints. If a state nearby is in trouble, with failing leadership and an unruly population, a tribe may mount a campaign to invade and conquer the state, setting itself up as a ruling dynasty. In these cases, tribes lose their tribal characteristics and become a ruling elite. However, if a nearby state gains strength and expands its territorial control, it may overrun and defeat the tribe, encapsulating it, incorporating it, and even assimilating it.
Latinx Business and Entrepreneurship
Authors: Regalado Pedro A.
Published: September 2020

Entrepreneurship has been a basic element of Latinx life in the United States since long before the nation’s founding, varying in scale and cutting across race, class, and gender to different degrees. Indigenous forms of commerce pre-dated Spanish contact in the Americas and continued thereafter. Beginning in the 16th century, the raising, trading, and production of cattle and cattle-related products became foundational to Spanish, Mexican, and later American Southwest society and culture. By the 19th century, Latinxs in US metropolitan areas began to establish enterprises in the form of storefronts, warehouses, factories, as well as smaller ventures including peddling. At times, they succeeded previous ethnic owners; in other moments, they established new businesses that shaped everyday life and politics of their respective communities.

Whatever the scale of their ventures, Latinx business owners continued to capitalize on the migration of Latinx people to the United States from Latin America and the Caribbean during the 20th century. These entrepreneurs entered business for different reasons, often responding to restricted or constrained labor options, though many sought the flexibility that entrepreneurship offered. Despite an increasing association between Latinx people and entrepreneurship, profits from Latinx ventures produced uneven results during the second half of the 20th century. For some, finance and business ownership has generated immense wealth and political influence. For others at the margins of society, it has remained a tool for achieving sustenance amid the variability of a racially stratified labor market. No monolithic account can wholly capture the vastness and complexity of Latinx economic activity. Latinx business and entrepreneurship remains a vital piece of the place-making and politics of the US Latinx population. This article provides an overview of major trends and pivotal moments in its rich history.
The Problem of Fire in the American City, 1750–Present
Authors: Alexander Anna Rose
Published: September 2020

Fires have plagued American cities for centuries. During the 18th century, the Great Fire of Boston (1760), the First Great Fire of New York City (1776), the First Great New Orleans Fire (1788), and the Great Fire of Savannah (1796) each destroyed hundreds of buildings and challenged municipal authorities to improve safety in an increasingly risky environment. Beginning in the 19th century, with increasing commerce, rapid urbanization, and the rise of industrial capitalism, fires became more frequent and destructive. Several initiatives sought to reduce the risk of fire: volunteer fire companies emerged in all major cities, fire insurance developed to help economic recovery, and municipal infrastructure like fire hydrants became ubiquitous to combat blazes. Despite significant efforts to curb this growing urban problem, fire dangers increased in the late 19th century as cities became epicenters of industry and the populations boomed. The “great” fires of the late 19th century, like those that took place in Chicago (1871), Boston (1872), Seattle (1889), Baltimore (1904), and San Francisco (1906), fundamentally altered cities. The fires not only destroyed buildings and took lives, but they also unearthed deep-rooted social tensions. Rebuilding in the aftermath of fire further exacerbated inequalities and divided cities. While fire loss tapered off after 1920, other issues surrounding urban fires heated up. The funneling of resources to suburbs in the post-war white-flight period left inner cities ill-equipped to handle serious conflagrations. In last few decades, suburban sprawl has created exurban fire regimes, where wildfires collide with cities. Extreme weather events, dependence on fossil fuels, deregulation of risky industries, and a lack of safe and affordable housing has put American metropolitan areas on a path to experience another period of “great” fires like those of the late 19th and 20th centuries.
Hypotheses on a tree: new error rates and testing strategies
Authors: Bogomolov Marina , Peterson Christine B , Benjamini Yoav , Sabatti Chiara
Published: September 2020

We introduce a multiple testing procedure that controls global error rates at multiple levels of resolution. Conceptually, we frame this problem as the selection of hypotheses that are organized hierarchically in a tree structure. We describe a fast algorithm and prove that it controls relevant error rates given certain assumptions on the dependence between the $p$-values. Through simulations, we demonstrate that the proposed procedure provides the desired guarantees under a range of dependency structures and that it has the potential to gain power over alternative methods. Finally, we apply the method to studies on the genetic regulation of gene expression across multiple tissues and on the relation between the gut microbiome and colorectal cancer.
Stage at Diagnosis and Survival of Colorectal Cancer With or Without Underlying Inflammatory Bowel Disease: A Population-based Study
Authors: Arhi Chanpreet , Askari Alan , Nachiappan Subramanian , Bottle Alex , Arebi Naila , Athanasiou Thanos , Ziprin Paul , Aylin Paul , Faiz Omar
Published: September 2020

Background

Inflammatory bowel disease [IBD] is a risk factor for colorectal cancer [CRC]. The aim of this study is to determine whether stage at diagnosis and survival differ between sporadic, ulcerative colitis [UC]- and Crohn’s disease [CD]-related CRC.

Methods

The English National Cancer Registry [NCIN], Hospital Episode Statistics [HES] and Office for National Statistics [ONS] datasets between 2000 and 2010 were linked, providing data on comorbidities, stage and date of death. A logistic regression model determined whether IBD was associated with an early [I/II] or late [III/IV] cancer. Cox regression analysis was used to examine survival differences between sporadic, UC- and CD-related cancers.

Results

A total of 234 009 patients with CRC were included, of whom 985 [0.4%] and 1922 [0.8%] had CD and UC, respectively. UC, but not CD, was associated with an earlier stage compared with sporadic cancers (odds ratio [OR] 0.88, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.79 to 0.98, p = 0.02). CD had a significantly worse survival compared with sporadic patients for stage II [HR = 1.71, CI 1.26 to 2.31 p <0.005] and III [1.53, CI 1.20 to 1.96, p <0.005] cancer. UC patients were associated with worse survival compared with the sporadic group for both stage III [1.38, CI 1.17 to 1.63, p <0.0005] and IV [1.13, CI 1.01 to 1.28, p = 0.04] cancer. After excluding sporadic patients, UC was associated with improved survival compared with CD [0.62, CI 0.43 to 0.90, p = 0.01] for stage II cancer.

Conclusions

Patients with IBD are diagnosed at an earlier stage but tend to have a worse survival compared with sporadic cases of CRC, in particular for nodal disease [stage III].Specifically, patients with CD-related CRC appear to fare worst in terms of survival compared with both the sporadic and UC groups.
Wall shear stress in the thoracic aorta at rest and with dobutamine stress after arterial switch operation
Authors: van der Palen Roel L F , Juffermans Joe F , Kroft Lucia J M , Hazekamp Mark G , Lamb Hildo J , Blom Nico A , Roest Arno A W , Westenberg Jos J M
Published: September 2020

OBJECTIVES

Progressive root dilatation is an important complication in patients with transposition of the great arteries (TGA) after arterial switch operation (ASO) that may be caused by altered flow dynamics. Aortic wall shear stress (WSS) distribution at rest and under dobutamine stress (DS) conditions using 4D flow magnetic resonance imaging were investigated in relation to thoracic aorta geometry.

METHODS

4D flow magnetic resonance imaging was performed in 16 adolescent TGA patients after ASO (rest and DS condition) and in 10 healthy controls (rest). The primary outcome measure was the WSS distribution along the aortic segments and the WSS change with DS in TGA patients. Based on the results, we secondary zoomed in on factors [aortic geometry and left ventricular (LV) function parameters] that might relate to these WSS distribution differences. Aortic diameters, arch angle, LV function parameters (stroke volume, LV ejection fraction, cardiac output) and peak systolic aortic WSS were obtained.

RESULTS

TGA patients had significantly larger neoaortic root and smaller mid-ascending aorta (AAo) dimensions and aortic arch angle. At rest, patients had significantly higher WSS in the entire thoracic aorta, except for the dilated root. High WSS levels beyond the proximal AAo were associated with the diameter decrease from the root to the mid-AAo (correlation coefficient r = 0.54–0.59, P = 0.022–0.031), not associated with the aortic arch angle. During DS, WSS increased in all aortic segments (P < 0.001), most pronounced in the AAo segments. The increase in LV ejection fraction, stroke volume and cardiac output as a result of DS showed a moderate linear relationship with the WSS increase in the distal AAo (correlation coefficient r = 0.54–0.57, P = 0.002–0.038).

CONCLUSIONS

Increased aortic WSS was observed in TGA patients after ASO, related to the ASO-specific geometry, which increased with DS. Stress-enhanced elevated WSS may play a role in neoaortic root dilatation and anterior aortic wall thinning of the distal AAo.
Draft genome sequences of concurrent Escherichia coli blood and fecal isolates from a patient with bacteremia and diarrhea belie BioFire-based detection of fecal enteropathogenic E. coli
Authors: Singh Pradip Kumar , Johnston Brian D , Johnson James R , Donnenberg Michael S
Published: September 2020

The BioFire FilmArray® Gastrointestinal panel is a multiplex PCR assay widely used to determine the etiology of infectious gastroenteritis directly from stool specimens. Recently a positive BioFire result for fecal enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC) was reported by a clinical microbiology laboratory for an adult patient with diarrhea and bacteremia. Since EPEC infrequently infects adults and rarely causes bacteremia, we isolated fecal E. coli and characterized the patient's blood and fecal E. coli isolates. Draft genome sequencing using a combination of methods indicated that the blood and fecal strains are virtually identical, are from sequence type 963 (phylogroup D) and exhibit neither the virulence genes characteristic of EPEC and extraintestinal pathogenic E. coli (ExPEC) nor classic EPEC-associated phenotypes. These findings support a gut source for the patient's bacteremia but exclude EPEC as the causative organism, and suggest that results of multiplex PCR assays from complex samples can be misleading, and should be interpreted with caution when they are discordant with clinical information. BioProject accession numbers for strains MVAST5574 and MVAST5635 genomes are PRJNA611789 and PRJNA611804, respectively.
Multifaceted anti-colorectal tumor effect of digoxin on HCT8 and SW620 cells in vitro
Authors: Hou Yong-Qiang , Wang Ying-Ying , Wang Xing-Can , Liu Yao , Zhang Chun-Ze , Chen Zhe-Sheng , Zhang Zhe , Wang Wei , Kong De-Xin
Published: September 2020

Background

Colorectal cancer (CRC) is one of the leading causes of cancer death worldwide. Novel drugs for CRC therapy are urgently needed. Digoxin has been in clinical use for treatment of heart failure and atrial arrhythmias for many years. Fragmentary reports suggested that digoxin might have antitumor efficacy on CRC. Here, we aimed to investigate the antitumor effect of digoxin on human CRC cells and the underlying mechanism.

Methods

Cell viability was determined using 3-(4,5-dimethyl-2-thiazolyl)-2,5-diphenyl-2-H-tetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay and plate colony formation assay. The effects of digoxin on cell-cycle distribution and apoptosis were analysed by flow cytometry. The anti-metastatic effect on tumor cells was determined by wound-healing assay and transwell assay. Anti-angiogenic effect was examined by determining the inhibition against proliferation, migration, and tube formation of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Mechanism study was performed by Western blot, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), and gelatin-zymography assay.

Results

Digoxin potently inhibited cell proliferation, induced G1-phase and G2/M-phase arrest in colorectal-cancer HCT8 and SW620 cells, respectively. No obvious apoptosis was observed in the treated cells. Anti-metastatic activities were shown on HCT8 cells by inhibiting the migration and invasion. Meanwhile, the expression of MMP2, MMP9, and phosphorylated Integrinβ1 were decreased. Digoxin inhibited the proliferation, migration, and tube formation of HUVECs and reduced HIF1α expression and vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) secretion in HCT8 cells, suggesting anti-angiogenic activity. Furthermore, digoxin significantly reversed ABCB1-mediated multidrug resistance on SW620/Ad300 cells.

Conclusion

Our findings suggest that digoxin has the potential to be applied as an antitumor drug via inhibiting proliferation and metastasis as well as reversing the ABCB1-mediated multidrug resistance of colorectal cancer.
Taking Investors’ Rights Seriously: The Achmea and CETA Rulings of the European Court of Justice do not Bar Intra-EU Investment Arbitration
Authors: Reuter Alexander
Published: September 2020

In its 2018 Achmea ruling, the European Court of Justice (ECJ) found intra-European Union (EU) investment arbitration incompatible with EU law, and in its 2019 opinion on the proposed Canada–EU Trade Agreement (CETA), the ECJ has set out requirements for the recognition by the EU of investor–State arbitration at large. On the other hand, in the last few years a great many tribunals (under both International Centre for the Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) and non-ICSID regimes) have dealt with intra-EU investment arbitrations, most of them under the Energy Charter Treaty (ECT). None of these tribunals found the proceedings to be incompatible with EU law.

The reason for this discrepancy is that the tribunals deal with investors’ rights, while the ECJ, in contrast, is concerned with intra-EU governance issues. However, individual rights are not alien to EU law. Against that background, this note is based on the established finding that investment treaties bestow private investors with individual rights under public international law. These rights need to be taken seriously: as third parties, investors can, under both public international law and EU law, draw upon these rights, irrespective of the internal EU governance rules with which the ECJ was concerned. Hence, this note2 is not meant to be a further contribution to the voluminous debate on the internal EU governance rules drawn upon by the ECJ. In contrast, it is based on the binding effect on the EU of the investors’ individual rights. Furthermore, it shows that the ECJ’s rulings do not have an adverse precedent effect on the pursuit of investors’ rights and that, in addition, the ECT meets the criteria under which the ECJ has assessed EU compatibility of investment arbitration. Last but not least, the denial by EU institutions of investors' rights under the ECT may, in itself, constitute an infringement of the ECT.
Engaging ethnic minority communities through performance and arts: health education in Cambodian forest villages
Authors: Callery James J , Sanann Nou , Tripura Rupam , Buntau Thoek , Peto Thomas J , Kunthea Pich , Pell Christopher , Soviet Ung , Nguon Chea , Lek Dysoley , Cheah Phaik Yeong
Published: September 2020

Background

In Siem Pang, northeastern Cambodia, malaria transmission persists in remote forested areas populated by ethnic minorities. Engaging affected communities in health education campaigns is challenging due to language, access and literacy constraints. During 2018, a newly established medical research station conducted a health education programme in local villages harnessing traditional songs, arts and crafts, along with theatre, comedy and health talks and quizzes. Health education topics were proposed by community leaders and focused on maternal and child health and malaria. This article describes a process evaluation of these activities, the community's response and whether this was an appropriate form of health education in this context.

Methods

In-depth interviews were conducted with community members, leaders and performers. Interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed and translated to English for thematic analysis.

Results

In total, 65 interviews were conducted; 20 of these were follow-up interviews with respondents interviewed prior to the performances. Respondents were able to recall the key health messages about malaria, antenatal care and infant vaccination. They also showed good awareness of malaria transmission and prevention and described how they enjoyed the events and appreciated the efforts of the project team.

Conclusions

In isolated communities in Cambodia, a health education programme harnessing performance and arts engaged the whole community and its messages were readily recalled and prompted reflection.
Diminished Consciousness in a Woman Following an Unsuspected Scopolamine Overdose
Authors: Barceló Bernardino , Gomila Isabel , de-Castro-Ríos Ana , Perez-Barcena Jon , Jimenez Carmen , Lendoiro Elena , Elorza Miguel Ángel
Published: September 2020

Scopolamine is used clinically, but it is also used as a recreational drug and as an incapacitating drug, in sexual crimes and robberies. In this paper, the authors report the case of a woman with a diminished consciousness following an unsuspected overdose with scopolamine and review published articles on scopolamine poisoning that included concentrations in biological samples. Scopolamine was identified in the patient’s serum and urine samples collected 1 h post-admission to intensive care unit at concentrations of 8.4 ng/mL and 62,560 ng/mL (169,539 ng/mg creatinine), respectively. In non-fatal cases, the median [interquartile range] of serum scopolamine levels was 1.9 [2.1] ng/mL. The serum concentration found in our case would explain the abrupt clinical presentation suffered by the patient. Scopolamine in urine could be detected up to 48 h after admission. This report illustrates that broad toxicology screening, including scopolamine, should be considered when patients with diminished consciousness are attended after ruling out infection or cerebrovascular disease. This can play an important role in identifying this potentially life-threatening etiology.
The Impact of Different System Call Representations on Intrusion Detection
Authors: Wunderlich Sarah , Ring Markus , Landes Dieter , Hotho Andreas
Published: September 2020

Over the years, artificial neural networks have been applied successfully in many areas including IT security. Yet, neural networks can only process continuous input data. This is particularly challenging for security-related, non-continuous data like system calls of an operating system. This work focuses on five different options to preprocess sequences of system calls so that they can be processed by neural networks. These input options are based on one-hot encodings and learning word2vec, GloVe or fastText representations of system calls. As an additional option, we analyse if mapping system calls to their respective kernel modules is an adequate generalization step for (i) replacing system calls or (ii) enhancing system call data with additional information regarding their context. When performing such preprocessing steps it is important to ensure that no relevant information is lost during the process. The overall objective of system call analysis in the context of IT security is to categorize a sequence of them as benign or malicious behavior. Therefore, this scenario is used to evaluate different system call representations in a classification task. Results indicate that a broader range of attacks can be detected when enriching system call representations with corresponding kernel module information. Prior learning of embeddings does not achieve significant improvements. This work is an extension of the work by Wunderlich et al. [1] published in Advances in Intelligent Systems and Computing (AISC, volume 951).
Failure Types and Related Factors of Spinopelvic Fixation After Long Construct Fusion for Adult Spinal Deformity
Authors: Park Se-Jun , Park Jin-Sung , Nam Yunjin , Yum Tae-Hoon , Choi Youn-Taek , Lee Chong-Suh
Published: September 2020

BACKGROUND

Rigid internal fixation of the spine is an essential part of adult spinal deformity (ASD) surgery. Despite the use of pelvic fixation and anterior column support, spinopelvic fixation failure (SPFF) still remains an issue. Few studies have evaluated the types of such failure or its related factors.

OBJECTIVE

To classify the types of SPFF and investigate its risk factors, including the fusion status at L5-S1 on CT scan.

METHODS

The study cohort consisted of ninety-eight ASD patients who underwent more than 4-level fusions to the sacrum with interbody fusion at L5-S1. Patients with SPFF were divided into the two groups: above-S1 and below-S1 failure groups. The patient, surgical, and radiographic variables in each group were compared to those of the no-failure group. The L5-S1 fusion status was assessed using 2-yr computed tomography (CT) scan. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to determine the risk factors for each failure group.

RESULTS

The mean age was 68.5 yr. Follow-up duration was 55.7 mo. The SPFF developed in 46 (46.9%) patients at 32.7 mo postoperatively. There were 15 patients in the above-S1 failure group and 31 patients in the below-S1 failure group. Multivariate analysis revealed that nonunion at L5-S1 was a single risk factor for above-S1 failure. In contrast, the risk factors for below-S1 failure included a greater number of fused segments and postoperative less thoracic kyphosis.

CONCLUSION

SPFF develops in different patterns with different risk factors. Above-S1 SPFF was associated with nonunion at L5-S1, while below-S1 SPFF was associated with mechanical stress.
Endovascular Selective Intra-Arterial Infusion of Mesenchymal Stem Cells Loaded With Delta-24 in a Canine Model
Authors: Srinivasan Visish M , Gumin Joy , Camstra Kevin M , Collins Dalis E , Chen Melissa M , Shpall Elizabeth J , Parker Kerrigan Brittany C , Johnson Jeremiah N , Chen Stephen R , Fueyo Juan , Gomez-Manzano Cande , Lang Frederick F , Kan Peter
Published: September 2020

BACKGROUND

Delta-24-RGD, an oncolytic adenovirus, shows promise against glioblastoma. To enhance virus delivery, we recently demonstrated that human bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stem cells loaded with Delta-24-RGD (hMSC-D24) can eradicate glioblastomas in mouse models. There are no studies examining the safety of endovascular selective intra-arterial (ESIA) infusions of MSC-D24 in large animals simulating human clinical situations.

OBJECTIVE

To perform canine preclinical studies testing the feasibility and safety of delivering increasing doses of hMSCs-D24 via ESIA infusions.

METHODS

ESIA infusions of hMSC-D24 were performed in the cerebral circulation of 10 normal canines in the target vessels (internal carotid artery [ICA]/P1) via transfemoral approach using commercially available microcatheters. Increasing concentrations of hMSC-D24 or particles (as a positive control) were injected into 1 hemisphere; saline (negative control) was infused contralaterally. Toxicity (particularly embolic stroke) was assessed on postinfusion angiography, diffusion-weighted magnetic resonance imaging, clinical exam, and necropsy.

RESULTS

ESIA injections were performed in the ICA (n = 7) or P1 (n = 3). In 2 animals injected with particles (positive control), strokes were detected by all assays. Of 6 canines injected with hMSC-D24 through the anterior circulation, escalating dose from 2 × 106 cells/20 mL to 1 × 108 cells/10 mL resulted in no strokes. Two animals had ischemic and hemorrhagic strokes after posterior cerebral artery catheterization. A survival experiment of 2 subjects resulted in no complications detected for 24-h before euthanization.

CONCLUSION

This novel study simulating ESIA infusion demonstrates that MSCs-D24 can be infused safely at least up to doses of 1 × 108 cells/10 mL (107 cells/ml) in the canine anterior circulation using commercially available microcatheters. These findings support a clinical trial of ESIA infusion of hMSCs-D24.
“An Outlet to the Western Sea”: Puget Sound, Terraqueous Mobility, and Northern Pacific Railroad’s Pursuit of Trade with Asia, 1864–1892
Authors: Fraga Sean
Published: September 2020

The Northern Pacific Railroad saw Puget Sound harbors as environments uniquely suited to connect the North American interior with the Pacific Ocean and enable U.S. trade with East Asia. But in building the physical infrastructure to link transcontinental trains with transpacific ships, Northern Pacific significantly altered Commencement Bay’s shoreline and displaced Puyallups from their traditional territory. The articles uses a terraqueous perspective, emphasizing movement between terrestrial and aqueous environments, to demonstrate how U.S. pursuit of transpacific trade shaped the North American West.