bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Cost-Effectiveness of Polygenic Risk Scores to Guide Statin Therapy for Cardiovascular Disease Prevention
Authors: Kiflen Michel , Le Ann , Mao Shihong , Lali Ricky , Narula Sukrit , Xie Feng , Paré Guillaume
Published: July 2022

Background:

Atherosclerotic cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are leading causes of death despite effective therapies and result in unnecessary morbidity and mortality throughout the world. We aimed to investigate the cost-effectiveness of polygenic risk scores (PRS) to guide statin therapy for Canadians with intermediate CVD risk and model its economic outlook.

Methods:

This cost-utility analysis was conducted using UK Biobank prospective cohort study participants, with recruitment from 2006 to 2010, and at least 10 years of follow-up. We included nonrelated white British-descent participants (n=96 116) at intermediate CVD risk with no prior lipid lowering medication or statin-indicated conditions. A coronary artery disease PRS was used to inform decision to use statins. The effects of statin therapy with and without PRS, as well as CVD events were modelled to determine the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio from a Canadian public health care perspective. We discounted future costs and quality-adjusted life-years by 1.5% annually.

Results:

The optimal economic strategy was when intermediate risk individuals with a PRS in the top 70% are eligible for statins while the lowest 1% are excluded. Base-case analysis at a genotyping cost of $70 produced an incremental cost-effectiveness ratio of $172 906 (143 685 USD) per quality-adjusted life-year. In the probabilistic sensitivity analysis, the intervention has approximately a 50% probability of being cost-effective at $179 100 (148 749 USD) per quality-adjusted life-year. At a $0 genotyping cost, representing individuals with existing genotyping information, PRS-guided strategies dominated standard care when 12% of the lowest PRS individuals were withheld from statins. With improved PRS predictive performance and lower genotyping costs, the incremental cost-effectiveness ratio demonstrates possible cost-effectiveness under thresholds of $150 000 and possibly $50 000 per quality-adjusted life-year.

Conclusions:

This study suggests that using PRS alongside existing guidelines might be cost-effective for CVD. Stronger predictiveness combined with decreased cost of PRS could further improve cost-effectiveness, providing an economic basis for its inclusion into clinical care.
Cardiac Comorbidity Risk Score: Zero‐Burden Machine Learning to Improve Prediction of Postoperative Major Adverse Cardiac Events in Hip and Knee Arthroplasty
Authors: Onishchenko Dmytro , Rubin Daniel S. , van Horne James R. , Ward R. Parker , Chattopadhyay Ishanu
Published: July 2022

Background

In this retrospective, observational study we introduce the Cardiac Comorbidity Risk Score, predicting perioperative major adverse cardiac events (MACE) after elective hip and knee arthroplasty. MACE is a rare but important driver of mortality, and existing tools, eg, the Revised Cardiac Risk Index demonstrate only modest accuracy. We demonstrate an artificial intelligence‐based approach to identify patients at high risk of MACE within 4 weeks (primary outcome) of arthroplasty, that imposes zero additional burden of cost/resources.

Methods and Results

Cardiac Comorbidity Risk Score calculation uses novel machine learning to estimate MACE risk from patient electronic health records, without requiring blood work or access to any demographic data beyond that of sex and age, and accounts for variable/missing/incomplete information across patient records. Validated on a deidentified cohort (age >45 years, n=445 391), performance was evaluated using the area under the receiver operator characteristics curve (AUROC), sensitivity/specificity, positive predictive value, and positive/negative likelihood ratios. In our cohort (age 63.5±10.5 years, 58.2% women, 34.2%/65.8% hip/knee procedures), 0.19% (882) experienced the primary outcome. Cardiac Comorbidity Risk Score achieved area under the receiver operator characteristics curve=80.0±0.4% (95% CI) for women and 80.1±0.5% (95% CI) for males, with 36.4% and 35.1% sensitivities, respectively, at 95% specificity, significantly outperforming Revised Cardiac Risk Index across all studied age‐, sex‐, risk‐, and comorbidity‐based subgroups.

Conclusions

Cardiac Comorbidity Risk Score, a novel artificial intelligence‐based screening tool using known and unknown comorbidity patterns, outperforms state‐of‐the‐art in predicting MACE within 4 weeks postarthroplasty, and can identify patients at high risk that do not demonstrate traditional risk factors.
Plasma Levels of Advanced Glycation Endproducts and Risk of Cardiovascular Events: Findings From 2 Prospective Cohorts
Authors: Lamprea‐Montealegre Julio A. , Arnold Alice M. , McCLelland Robyn L. , Mukamal Kenneth J. , Djousse Luc , Biggs Mary L. , Siscovick David S. , Tracy Russell P. , Beisswenger Paul J. , Psaty Bruce M. , Ix Joachim H. , Kizer Jorge R.
Published: July 2022

Background

Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) have been linked to cardiovascular disease (CVD) in cohorts with and without diabetes. Data are lacking on prospective associations of various α‐dicarbonyl‐derived AGEs and incident CVD in the general population. We tested the hypothesis that major plasma AGEs are associated with new‐onset CVD in 2 population‐based cohorts of differing age and comorbidities.

Methods and Results

Analyses involved a random subcohort (n=466) from the Cardiovascular Health Study and a case‐cohort sample (n=1631) from the Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Five AGEs and 2 oxidative products were measured by liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry. Associations with CVD (myocardial infarction and stroke) were evaluated with Cox regression. Participants in the Cardiovascular Health Study were older than the Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis, and had more comorbidities, along with higher levels of all AGEs. During median follow‐up of 11 years, 439 participants in the Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis and 200 in the Cardiovascular Health Study developed CVD. After multivariable adjustment, carboxymethyl‐lysine, 3‐deoxyglucosone hydroimidazolones and a summary variable of all measured AGEs (principal component 1) were significantly associated with incident CVD in the Cardiovascular Health Study (HRs [95% CI]: 1.20 [1.01, 1.42], 1.45 [1.23, 1.72], and 1.29 [1.06, 1.56], respectively), but not the Multi‐Ethnic Study of Atherosclerosis. Oxidative products were not associated with CVD in either cohort.

Conclusions

We found α‐dicarbonyl‐derived AGEs to be associated with CVD in an older cohort, but not in a healthier middle‐aged/older cohort. Our results suggest that AGEs may exert detrimental cardiovascular effects only under conditions of marked dicarbonyl and oxidative stress. Further investigation of α‐dicarbonyl derivatives could lead to potential new strategies for CVD prevention in high‐risk older populations.
Nursing Implications of Mindfulness-Informed Interventions for Stroke Survivors and Their Families
Authors: Saban Karen L. , Tell Dina , De La Pena Paula
Published: July 2022

The consequences of stroke can be devastating and include psychological distress, such as anxiety and depression, functional deficits, pain, and cognitive impairment. Symptoms are complex and impact not only the stroke survivor but may also be challenging for family caregivers. Studies have consistently demonstrated that mindfulness-informed interventions (MBI), such as mindfulness-based stress reduction and acceptance and self-compassion therapies, improve symptoms in a wide variety of clinical populations. However, research examining MBIs within the stroke population is in its infancy. Nurses, who have traditionally focused on holistic care delivery are in a unique position to incorporate MBIs throughout the stroke care continuum. In this topical review, we examine the literature related to the use of MBIs in stroke survivors and their family caregivers. We include a critical appraisal of existing literature, discuss nursing implications, and make recommendations for future research. Mindfulness-informed interventions are feasible and acceptable within the stroke population and may be an important complementary treatment to help stroke survivors and their families manage the consequences of stroke. We recommend further research to tailor MBI programs to the unique needs of stroke survivors and their family caregivers. In addition, nurses should consider opportunities to be trained in MBIs and incorporate these programs into their practice and research.
Laboratory policies and practices for thyroid function tests in Croatia: survey on behalf of Working Group for Laboratory Endocrinology of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine
Authors: Siter Kuprešanin Marija , Đuras Anamarija , Leniček Krleža Jasna , Pezo Alenka , Lukić Iva , Bokulić Adriana , Zec Ivana , Goreta Sanja , Nikolac Gabaj Nora , Kocijančić Marija , Serdar Hiršl Tihana , Troha Mateja , Stanišić Lada , Šupe-Domić Daniela , Jelisavac Ćosić Sanda , Đurić Koraljka , Marijančević Domagoj
Published: July 2022

IntroductionLaboratory plays important part in screening, diagnosis, and management of thyroid disorders. The aim of this study was to estimate current laboratory preanalytical, analytical and postanalytical practices and policies in Croatia.
Materials and methodsWorking Group for Laboratory Endocrinology of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine designed a questionnaire with 27 questions and statements regarding practices and protocols in measuring thyroid function tests. The survey was sent to 111 medical biochemistry laboratories participating in external quality assurance scheme for thyroid hormones organized by Croatian Centre for Quality Assessment in Laboratory Medicine. Data is presented as absolute numbers and proportions.
ResultsFifty-three participants returned the questionnaire. Response rate varied depending on question, yielding a total survey response rate of 46-48%. All respondents perform thyroid stimulating hormone (TSH). From all other thyroid tests, most performed is free thyroxine (37/53) and least TSH-stimulating immunoglobulin (1/53). Laboratories are using nine different immunoassay methods. One tenth of laboratories is verifying manufacturer’s declared limit of quantification for TSH and one third is verifying implemented reference intervals for all performed tests. Most of laboratories (91%) adopt the manufacturer’s reference interval for adult population. Reference intervals for TSH are reported with different percentiles (90, 95 or 99 percentiles).
ConclusionThis survey showed current practices and policies in Croatian laboratories regarding thyroid testing. The results identified some critical spots and will serve as a foundation in creating national guidelines in order to harmonize laboratory procedures in thyroid testing in Croatia.
A practical approach example to measurement uncertainty
Authors: Kurtulmuş Yusuf , Tan Rabia , Yilmaz Mustafa
Published: July 2022

IntroductionMeasurement uncertainty is a non-negative parameter that characterizes the distribution of all values appropriate to the measured size and is associated with the measured result. In this study, we aimed to compare the results with various suggestions and produce more qualified results by calculating the measurement uncertainties of the immunoassays like fertility hormones, drug concentration tests, cardiac markers, thyroid function tests and tumour markers. Materials and methodsUncertainty calculation was made in accordance with the top-down approach according to Nordtest guide. The 12-month study of internal and external quality assessment results were used. The parameters of drug concentration tests were performed on the Abbott Architect c8000, other hormones/markers on the i2000 of the same brand. ResultsFactors that increased the measurement uncertainty of a test were due to external quality control data. The calculations showed that 13 of 26 parameters satisfied quality requirements. The highest uncertainty value, with 28% belonged to cancer antigen 19-9 test. The lowest value was calculated for prolactin with 8.3%. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulfate and phenytoin performed poorly in terms of measurement uncertainty, although internal and external quality control assessment results were considered favourable for both. ConclusionIt is recommended that the concept of measurement uncertainty, which plays an important role in the total quality performance of the laboratory, should be followed up by the clinical laboratory experts at certain time intervals and should be increased the awareness of clinicians about the subject.
Utility of serum indices in a particular case of serum protein electrophoresis
Authors: De Luisi Antonia , Vicidomini Cristina , Piccin Andrea , Daves Massimo , Mega Andrea
Published: July 2022

Screening and measurement of monoclonal (M) proteins are commonly performed using capillary zone electrophoresis (CZE). The identification of M-protein or monoclonal component (CM) is an essential requirement for diagnosis and monitoring of monoclonal gammopathies. The detection of CM has been largely improved by CZE. Capillary electrophoresis estimates CM more accurately, because absence of variation due to different dye binding affinities of proteins as instead seen with agarose gel electrophoresis. However, interferences can be present in CZE. This occurs because all substances absorbing at 200 nm can be identified. Recognition and handling of specimens exhibiting such interferences is essential to ensure accurate diagnostic and patient safety. We herein report on an unusual case of serum protein electrophoresis, to highlight that laboratory staff must be aware of and familiarise with the information provided by laboratory instruments. For example, in the case of serum indices, about specimen quality.
KATILIM BANKALARININ REEL EKONOMİ ÜZERİNE ETKİLERİ: TÜRKİYE ÖRNEĞİ
Authors: ÇALIŞ Mehtap , KAYA Ferudun
Published: July 2022

Bu çalışmada, 2003:01-2019:08 dönemi için Türkiye’de katılım bankalarının reel ekonomi üzerindeki asimetrik etkisinin incelenmesi amaçlanmaktadır. Bu kapsamda katılım bankaları tarafından kullandırılan fonların reel ekonomik göstergeler üzerindeki etkileri Hansen-Seo eşbütünleşme testi ve eşik değişkenli vektör hata düzeltme modeli (TVECM) aracılığıyla analiz edilmiştir. Elde edilen bulgular, katılım bankaları tarafından kullandırılan fon miktarının düşük olduğu rejimde, fon miktarında meydana gelen artışın ithalat, ihracat ve reel sektör güven endeksini arttırdığını; fon miktarının yüksek olduğu rejimde ise fon miktarında meydana gelen artışın ithalat, ihracat, sanayi üretim endeksi ve reel sektör güven endeksini pozitif olarak etkilediğini göstermektedir.
TÜRKİYE İLE MISIR SERBEST TİCARET ANLAŞMASININ TÜRKİYE’NİN DIŞ TİCARETİNE ETKİLERİ: İHRACATTA UZMANLAŞMA (ES) ENDEKSİ UYGULAMASI
Authors: ERKEKOĞLU Hatice , KOÇER Emre
Published: July 2022

Günümüzün küreselleşen dünyasında birçok ülke dış ticaret hacimlerini genişletmek, ekonomik büyüme sağlayabilmek ve ticari engellerini kaldırabilmek amacıyla ikili Serbest Ticaret Anlaşmaları (STA) imzalamaktadır. Buradan hareketle, bu çalışmanın amacı Türkiye ile Mısır arasındaki Serbest Ticaret Anlaşması’nın Türkiye’nin dış ticaretine etkilerini ve Türkiye’nin bu anlaşma sonrasında Mısır’a olan ihracatının ne yönde değiştiğini araştırmaktır. Bu çalışmada İhracatta Uzmanlaşma Endeksi kullanılarak literatüre katkı sağlanması beklenmektedir. Bu bağlamda, Türkiye ile Mısır arasındaki 2006-2021 yıllarını kapsayan ithalat ve ihracat rakamları ele alınarak Türkiye’nin Mısır’a ihracatının en fazla olduğu ilk beş ürün Armonize Mal Tanımı ve Kodlama Sistemine göre seçilmiş ve Türkiye’nin Mısır’a olan ihracatı ve Mısır’dan olan ithalatı analiz edilmiştir. Çalışmada elde edilen bulgulara göre, Türkiye-Mısır arasında STA imzalandıktan sonra Türkiye’nin ihracatında ciddi artışlar yaşandığı görülmüştür. Buna ilave olarak, hesaplanan endekse göre, Türkiye’nin incelenen beş ürün grubunun dördünde Mısır’a ihracatta uzmanlaştığı bir ürün grubunda ise Mısır’dan ithalatında uzmanlaştığı sonucu ortaya çıkmıştır. İncelenen beş ürün grubunda 2006-2021 arası dönemde Türkiye’nin Mısır’a ihracatında uzmanlaşma her ne kadar artmış olsa da genellikle her iki ülkenin ihracatında da artış olduğu için bu artış büyük boyutlarda olmamıştır.
Can You Hear What’s Coming? Failure to Replicate ERP Evidence for Phonological Prediction
Authors: Poulton Victoria R. , Nieuwland Mante S.
Published: July 2022

Prediction-based theories of language comprehension assume that listeners predict both the meaning and phonological form of likely upcoming words. In alleged event-related potential (ERP) demonstrations of phonological prediction, prediction-mismatching words elicit a phonological mismatch negativity (PMN), a frontocentral negativity that precedes the centroparietal N400 component. However, classification and replicability of the PMN has proven controversial, with ongoing debate on whether the PMN is a distinct component or merely an early part of the N400. In this electroencephalography (EEG) study, we therefore attempted to replicate the PMN effect and its separability from the N400, using a participant sample size (N = 48) that was more than double that of previous studies. Participants listened to sentences containing either a predictable word or an unpredictable word with/without phonological overlap with the predictable word. Preregistered analyses revealed a widely distributed negative-going ERP in response to unpredictable words in both the early (150–250 ms) and the N400 (300–500 ms) time windows. Bayes factor analysis yielded moderate evidence against a different scalp distribution of the effects in the two time windows. Although our findings do not speak against phonological prediction during sentence comprehension, they do speak against the PMN effect specifically as a marker of phonological prediction mismatch. Instead of an PMN effect, our results demonstrate the early onset of the auditory N400 effect associated with unpredictable words. Our failure to replicate further highlights the risk associated with commonly employed data-contingent analyses (e.g., analyses involving time windows or electrodes that were selected based on visual inspection) and small sample sizes in the cognitive neuroscience of language.
Understanding the Framework of Civil Conflicts and External Support for Insurgents in Africa South of the Sahara
Authors: Ameyaw-Brobbey Thomas
Published: July 2022

Since independence in Africa south of the Sahara, deadly internal conflicts have wracked the region more than any other in the world. Some of these conflicts transcended national boundaries because external states became involved in supporting rebel movements. The purpose of this paper is to contribute to an understanding of this international dimension of civil conflict. It develops a framework—unholy alignment, referring to the cooperative relationship between states and rebels—to examine how external support leads to the onset and intensification of civil conflict. I argue that external state support augments rebels’ capabilities to intensify violent demands that threaten the target government. I use data from secondary sources through historical process tracing and observation of congruence, and the case studies method, to explore three instances of Rwanda’s cooperative relations with rebels between 1994 and 1999, to show how they shaped civil wars in the DRC.
“Bel Crouches; Nebo Travails”: Reading Birth Imagery in Isaiah 46:1–4
Authors: Schoening Zachary
Published: July 2022

The traditional reading of Isa 46:1–4 understands the Babylonian gods as falling or toppling. Interpretation of the nature of their actions depends upon how one reads the verbiage applied to the deities, which hinges upon the translation of a series of either difficult or semantically diverse Hebrew terms. This essay analyzes these terms in light of comparative Semitic evidence. It also considers the passage in light of broader ancient Near Eastern ideological and mythological patterns. Finally, it explores some prominent motifs in the traditions of the Akītu festival, which constitutes the immediate frame of reference for the oracle’s imagery and against which Deutero-Isaiah was framing his rhetoric. Birth imagery, this essay contends, constitutes the primary rhetorical vehicle by which the prophet ridicules the Babylonian gods, portraying them as crouching in labor, and depicting them as inferior to Yahweh.
Benjamin and the Anonymous Ten Tribes of Israel: A Holistic Approach to Tribal Confusions
Authors: Tobolowsky Andrew
Published: July 2022

This article weighs in on new debates about the affiliation of the tribe of Benjamin between Israel and Judah in the early monarchy. It points to two underappreciated aspects of the Hebrew Bible’s account of tribal realities in the books of Kings: the anonymity of the ten tribes attributed to Israel in 1 Kgs 11–12, and how unusual the absence of a complete and detailed account of tribal arrangements in Kings is in the context of a Primary History as a whole. It argues that both of these realities reflect a deliberate effort to obscure Benjamin’s northern origins and that, in fact, it is impossible to come up with a plausible list of ten Israelite tribes without Benjamin.
Rethinking ‘August Meeting’ in Southeastern Nigeria
Authors: Onwuzuruigbo Ifeanyi
Published: July 2022

‘August Meeting’ is the annual homecoming or convention of Igbo women hometown associations of Southeastern Nigeria. For local communities in Southeastern Nigeria, August Meeting is a veritable platform for driving development, managing conflicts and building peace. But August Meeting is also a tool for hatching and promoting conflicts. While the conflict resolution and peacebuilding role of August Meeting has been acknowledged and applauded, its capacity for producing conflicts has been largely ignored. Drawing on a Nollywood film, August Meeting, and empirical research findings, this article exposes the ways in which August Meeting promotes interpersonal and intracommunal conflicts in Southeastern Nigeria.
Decolonizing the African University
Authors: Olutayo Akinpelu Olanrewaju , Olutayo Oluwaseun , Liadi Olusegun Fariudeen
Published: July 2022

This article focuses on the higher education system as an object of developmental analysis by examining the challenges and prospects of decolonizing the knowledge base of higher education systems across the Continent of Africa. The purpose of the article is to show that African countries’ seeming lack of progress relates to the character of her education system, which is deeply rooted in the context of coloniality and ‘metacolonialism.’ Using an analogical approach, the article discusses the attachment problem, which forms the pedestal for the continued undermining of indigenous knowledge as the basis of the pursuit of developmental goals. Universities in Africa have developed several kinds of attachments to and have been uncritical of received knowledge from the Western societies through their colonial roots. What African societies need at this moment is a knowledge system that integrates with the existential realities of African students and intellectuals.
The Jakabaring Sport City in Palembang, Indonesia
Authors: Trotier Friederike
Published: July 2022

A sports-themed zone—a concentrated site of sports facilities—embodies both an ambitious vision and a rather speculative and risky building project. This nature of combining visionary ideas, risk, competition and contestation makes these zones sites of worlding practices. This paper investigates the role of the sports-themed zone Jakabaring Sport City, situated in the South Sumatran capital Palembang, as a worlding site of sports, modernity, urban development and competitiveness. As a venue of prestigious sports events, Jakabaring Sport City has gained international attention and has entered the competition with other sports complexes and cities. The analysis reveals the ambitious visions and pitfalls to turn a formerly neglected and “haunted” place into a symbol of modernity and success for the city and its political leaders. It also identifies the new meanings of connectivity and competition attached to the sports complex as a site of experiments and aspirations as well as the alternation of rural, urban and global elements that characterise Jakabaring Sport City.
The Absent Player: The Soviet Union and the Genesis of the Allied War Crimes Trials Program, 1941–1943
Authors: Polunina Valentyna
Published: July 2022

During World War II, it was important for the Kremlin to be a part of the Allied effort to prosecute war criminals, and initially Moscow planned to join the UNWCC. However, attempts by the Soviet Union to increase its influence on the Commission led to the opposition of the Western Allies. The USSR wanted to demonstrate that they were capable of conducting their own investigations. With this task in mind, Moscow founded their alternative to the UNWCC – the Extraordinary State Commission. This article seeks to address the influence of Soviet legal innovations on the UNWCC – in particular on the Czechoslovak representative Bohuslav Ečer – as well as Moscow’s own attempts to investigate Nazi war crimes.
Dispute Settlement in the Law of the Sea: Survey for 2021
Authors: Churchill Robin
Published: July 2022

This is the latest in a series of annual surveys in this Journal reviewing dispute settlement in the law of the sea, both under Part XV of the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and outside the framework of the Convention. The most significant developments during 2021 were a judgment of a Special Chamber of the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea finding that it had jurisdiction to delimit a maritime boundary between Mauritius and the Maldives and a judgment of the International Court of Justice delimiting the maritime boundary between Somalia and Kenya.
Backsliding into Judicial Oligarchy? The Cautionary Tale of Georgia’s Failed Judicial Reforms, Informal Judicial Networks and Limited Access to Leadership Positions
Authors: Tsereteli Nino
Published: July 2022

This article investigates the formal and informal factors behind the persistence of judicial oligarchies in post-communist countries despite large-scale reforms. This case study on Georgia reveals that formal positions of power in these judiciaries can be monopolized by a close-knit group, with a handful of influential judges (i.e. judicial oligarchs) at the top of its hierarchical structure. Drawing on in-depth interviews with sitting as well as former judges and other stakeholders of reform processes, the article attributes the failure to dismantle the rule of judicial oligarchs at least partly to legislative flaws and loopholes. More importantly, it warns about the reliance of judicial oligarchs on informal rules and practices to undermine formal rules and procedures meant to facilitate the meaningful participation of all judges in governing the judiciary. It uncovers informal mechanisms allowing the network of powerful judges to suppress the emergence of competing judicial networks and cement itself into leadership positions. Finally, the article reflects on the implications of these findings for designing and implementing judicial reforms in Georgia and beyond.
Policy-Making in Tanzania: A Critical Analysis of Emerging Trends and Challenges in the Context of Health Policy
Authors: Marijani Ramadhani , Hussein Lufunyo
Published: July 2022

Today’s challenges such as automation, climate change, ageing populations, pandemics and deployment of artificial intelligence, have unpredictable and unintended consequences at both global and individual levels. Similarly, complex systems have become the norm rather than the exception. In this environment, “reactive” approaches to policy-making have increasingly proven ineffective. We need, therefore, to invest in anticipation policy for sustainable development. Formulating sustainable policies in developing states has been a challenge. This paper builds on Sociological Institutionalism in its attempt to discern the role of institutions in policy-making in Tanzania. The study used archival data from the Ministry of Health, Community Development, Gender, the Elderly and Children (MHCDGEC) with the National Health Policy of 2007 as the case study guided by Boomerang, Earthquake, Stalactite, and Tortoise (BEST) scheme for studying patterns of institutional change. The findings indicate that the policy-making process in Tanzania failed to domesticate some regional guidelines such as the African Agenda 2063, especially goal number three (3). However, pragmatically, the policy has registered stead increase in health facilities and improved services while politically the policy is viewed as a success as one of the pledges made in the ruling party’s manifesto that is being implemented in Tanzania. This paper concludes that Tanzania still embraces the pattern; and that it is the fidelity to the erstwhile policy-making style, which is centralized, hierarchical and managerial-a typical coercive isomorphism. Policy-making is still dominated by the central government while excluding other stakeholders such as communities. To improve policy-making in Tanzania, the paper recommends enhancement of the space for grassroots participation, domestication of regional and global policy agenda and imposition of a limitation upon the power of the elite.
Socrates’ Tomb in Antisthenes’ Kyrsas and its Relationship with Plato’s Phaedo
Authors: Luz Menahem
Published: July 2022

Socrates’ burial is dismissed as philosophically irrelevant in Phaedo 115c-e although it had previously been discussed by Plato’s older contemporaries. In Antisthenes’ Kyrsas dialogue describes a visit to Socrates’ tomb by a lover of Socrates who receives protreptic advice in a dream sequence while sleeping over Socrates’ grave. The dialogue is a metaphysical explanation of how Socrates’ spiritual message was continued after death. Plato underplays this metaphorical imagery by lampooning Antisthenes philosophy and his work (Phd. 81b-82e) and subsequently precludes him from an active role in the Phaedo. A similar case is the exclusion of Euclides of Megara. Fragments of a lost Socratic dialogue depict Apollodorus citing an unnamed Megarian in order to justify care for the remains of the dead. Similar mistaken notions explain Kyrsas’ belief when he lusts after Socrates even though he was dead. In spite of these disputes, the philosophers (Euclides, Antisthenes and Plato) each attempted to present Socrates’ moral influence as a force that continued after his death and burial.
British Commonwealth Archives from Far North to Distant South: Neglected Resources for Cold War International History
Authors: Roberts Priscilla
Published: July 2022

British Commonwealth archives constitite a rich and often under-utilized source of material for understanding the international history of the 20th and 21st centuries. From the late 19th Century onward, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand each enjoyed close and confidential relations with not just Britain, but with each other and increasingly, too, with the United States. They also participated in major international organizations at both an official and non-governmental level. Although or perhaps because each was a “middle” rather than “great” power, as each country developed its own diplomatic bureaucracy, their representatives often had informal and even intimate insights into the policies of a wide range of countries. This article introduces the highlights of each nation’s major archival repositories for materials relating to international affairs. While the holdings of the Library and Archives of Canada in Ottawa, the National Archives of Australia and the National Library of Australia in Canberra, and the National Archives of New Zealand in Wellington all feature prominently, the author casts a wider net and draw researchers’ attention to additional important and often under-utilized collections scattered across the different countries.
Quasi-Experimental and Crossover Design Methodology to Develop Undergraduate Research Competence
Authors: Uaciquete Adriano Simao , Valcke Martin
Published: July 2022

This study reports on the impact of two alternative interventions to increase undergraduate students’ research competence. In one condition students started early in the research-based learning (rbl) approach and later followed a research-led learning (rll) approach. In the second condition students started early in the rll approach and followed an rbl approach later. Research activities in both conditions were linked to a regular university course in social science. Following a 12-week crossover design, the differential impact was studied by looking at actual changes in students’ (1) research competence, (2) research self-efficacy and (3) motivation to do research – before, during and after the intervention. Focus group discussions (fgd s) helped to collect qualitative data at the end of the intervention. Analysis of the results pointed to a significantly higher impact on students’ research competence of studying first in the rbl context. Students starting in the rll condition and experiencing rbl only after the crossover moment also improved, but did not catch up. The qualitative data further underline the stronger positive impact of rbl on students’ research competence.
Khoisan Consciousness: Articulating Indigeneity in Post-Apartheid Cape Town
Authors: Verbuyst Rafael
Published: July 2022

The Khoisan were decimated, dispossessed and assimilated into the mixed-race “Coloured” group during colonialism and apartheid, spawning the notion of their supposed extinction. However, Cape Town, where colonial history runs deepest, became the epicentre of “Khoisan revivalism” after apartheid. Khoisan revivalists reject Coloured identity and campaign for cultural development, historical justice and indigenous rights. Many also claim land and traditional leadership titles. Drawing on ethnographic fieldwork among Khoisan revivalists, my PhD dissertation scrutinises Khoisan revivalism’s origins, appeal and political aspirations. It focuses on the various ways that historical events, figures and practices inform diverse articulations of indigeneity. Khoisan revivalists are primarily seeking a relatable connection with the past and select sources, mediums and content accordingly. Moreover, in simultaneously replicating, disregarding and appropriating colonial representations, they produce a “subversive authenticity”. While empowering to many, Khoisan revivalism has also emboldened some to mobilise a racialised identity politics based on prior occupancy, which today extends beyond the movement.
Minorities and Health during the Covid-19 Pandemic
Authors: Crepaz Katharina
Published: July 2022

When the Covid-19 pandemic first hit Europe in February 2020, solidarity was one of the most frequently invoked concepts. However, despite the narrative of everyone being a potential target for the virus, some groups, like minorities, were more susceptible to the virus. This can mainly be traced back to health inequalities, stemming from differences in social determinants of health: low socioeconomic status, crowded housing conditions that make social distancing impossible, employment in essential jobs with no remote working possibilities, and lack of access to health care, just to name the most prominent ones. In addition to health inequalities, minorities were also disproportionately affected by discrimination and racism, at the individual, group-related and systemic level. Addressing health inequalities, racism and discrimination is therefore the most important step in reducing minorities’ vulnerability to Covid-19 and constitutes both a foundation for societal cohesion as well as an important public health concept in the face of potential future pandemics.
The Rights of European Minorities: Justice, Public Administration, Participation, Transfrontier Exchanges and Citizenship—International Developments in 2020
Authors: Nagy Noémi
Published: July 2022

This article provides an overview of the implementation of the rights of European national, ethnic or linguistic minorities and indigenous peoples in 2020, in the fields of administration of justice, public administration, participation, citizenship and tranfrontier exchanges. Relevant legal developments are presented in the activities of the United Nations, the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe, the European Union, and the Council of Europe. Special attention is paid to the application of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages and the Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities, which are the most important international treaties on the rights of minorities in Europe.
“One Nation—One Language”
Authors: Maksimovtsova Ksenia
Published: July 2022

This article analyses the development of national legislation in the field of language and minority-related policies and the subsequent public discussions in Latvia and Ukraine in 2018–2020. During this period, major reforms in the sphere of language policy and the protection of national minorities’ rights were initiated in both countries. The analysis of these initiatives shows that despite somewhat different ways of implementing ‘nationalizing’ practices in Latvia and Ukraine since the restoration of their independence in 1991, the overall trend suggests that the trajectories of the development of the state language and minorities’ policy are increasingly converging in the two countries. The central focus of this article concerns the amendments to education laws and the subsequent appeals to the Constitutional Court of Latvia in 2018–2020 and the adoption of the Law “On Ensuring the Functioning of the Ukrainian Language as the State Language” in 2019, which have had a considerable impact on the development of minority-related policy.
The Autonomy Movement of Hungarians in Romania
Authors: Salat Levente , Székely István Gergő , Lakatos Dorottya
Published: July 2022

While the issue of the Szekler autonomy has attracted considerable tabloid interest in the past two decades, it is rarely addressed in more systematic, scholarly accounts available for a wider international audience. The political project of achieving some form of autonomy has been on the agenda of several political actors speaking in the name of Romania’s sizeable Hungarian minority after 1989 and constitutes the object of heated debate between those actors and authorities of the Romanian state. In 2020 this debate recorded a peak which will seemingly require a new approach on behalf of protagonists, if the project is meant to be kept alive. This paper aims to fill some of the above-mentioned scholarly gap by providing an account of the parliamentary reception of the draft autonomy conceptions submitted by ethnic Hungarian politicians to Romania’s parliament in the three decades that passed since the regime change. Based on a content analysis of documents produced during the legislative process, we identify the most important arguments, as well as a number of procedural tricks deployed by Romanian politicians and political parties against the autonomy initiatives. We also emphasize the differences between the reception and trajectories of the bills, which is clearly related to the authorship and political backing of the various autonomy drafts. This comparative analysis also allows the formulation of a number of conclusions concerning the prospects of the Hungarian autonomy movement.
Ancient Mousikē: Technē or Epistēmē?
Authors: Roochnik David
Published: July 2022

In Book 8 of the Politics Aristotle argues that because music can ‘fashion the character of the soul’ (1340b12) it merits a place in the paideia, the education, of the young. He then asks whether it is sufficient for students ‘to enjoy the playing of music by others’ (1339b6) or must they ‘learn by singing and actually putting their hands to the playing of instruments?’ (1340b21)? His answer will be the latter but only ‘up to a point’ (mechri tinos: 1337b15). The purpose of this paper is to explore why he thinks this. As we shall see, pursuing this question will lead to a far more general one: why does Aristotle impose strict limits on the role of technical knowledge (technē), including the playing of musical instruments, in the education of free citizens?
Ancient Greek Metrics and Music: Is It Time for a New Dialogue?
Authors: Lomiento Liana
Published: July 2022

This paper contains a survey of studies that demonstrate a new sensitivity, established over time, towards the performative dimension of ancient Greek poetic texts. Focus on the public and on the idea of consumption less as reading and more as a ‘show’ first emerged in the 1980s if not earlier, and at the same time more in-depth research on music has had a great impact on metrical studies, giving metricists a new opportunity to distance themselves from a purely verbal approach to the versified text and to turn profitably to the semantic and dramaturgical aspects implicit in the ‘scores’ of meters and rhythms.
Mice are Near Optimal Timers
Authors: Gür Ezgi , Erdağı Alihan , Balcı Fuat
Published: July 2022

Many conventional interval timing tasks do not contain asymmetric cost (loss) functions and thereby favor high temporal accuracy. On the other hand, asymmetric cost functions that differentially penalize/reinforce the early or late responses result in adaptive biases (shift) in timed responses due to timing uncertainty. Consequently, optimal performance in these tasks entails the normative parametrization of adaptive timing biases by the level of timing uncertainty. Differential reinforcement of response duration (DRRD) is one of these tasks that require mice to actively respond (e.g., continuously depressing a lever) for a minimum amount of time to be reinforced. The active production of a time interval by mice in DRRD differentiates this task from the differential reinforcement of low rates of responding (DRL) task as a passive waiting task that was used in earlier studies to investigate the optimality of adaptive biases in timing behavior. We tested 21 Th-Cre male mice (9 weeks old) in a DRRD task with a minimum requirement of 2 s. Mean response durations were positively biased (longer than the minimum requirement), and the extent of bias was predicted by the level of endogenous timing uncertainty. Mice nearly maximized the reward rate in this task. These results contribute to the accumulating evidence supporting optimal temporal risk assessment in non-human animals.
Potential uses of some Araceae species in Vietnam
Authors: Van Hong Thien
Published: July 2022

Vietnam is one of the diverse regions for Araceae and possesses a large number of endemic Araceae species. Many Araceae species in Vietnam have been used as food and traditional medicines. Accordingly, species belonging to the genera, including Amorphohallus, Aglaonema, Arisaema, Alocasia, Colocasia, Homalomena, Lasia and Typhonium possessed many potential applications. Based on my knowledge and observations as well as the literatures on values of Araceae species, the present review aims to provide the information regarding the potential uses in medicine, food and ornamental plant industry of 27 Araceae species in Vietnam. In addition, the illustrative photos of all 27 Araceae species from this study are also given.
S2 Orientation of Microfibrils in Softwood Tracheids and Hardwood Fibers
Authors: Anagnost Susan E. , Mark Richard E. , Hanna Robert B.
Published: July 2022

In this study the soft-rot method was applied to measuring the variation of microfibril angle (mfa) in loblolly pine, black cherry, sugar maple and canelo. For loblolly pine and black cherry, measurements of the radial wall indicated a gradual decrease in mfa across the earlywood portion of the growth ring, with an abrupt decrease at the latewood zone for pine, and in contrast only a slight decrease in microfibril angle across an annual ring of black cherry. In loblolly pine microfibril angle measurements indicated that the average microfibril angle in radial sections was very similar to the average for tangential sections of the same block. The average microfibril angles in the intermediate plane, or cell corner, were statistically similar to that of the tangential and radial plane, for pine, cherry, and maple. In canelo, microfibril angles in radial sections were significantly larger than in tangential and intermediate sections. In pine latewood the microfibril angles were less than the average mfa for the entire ring, and the earlywood microfibril angles were greater than the average mfa of the entire ring, thus the average mfa for the growth ring did not represent actual measured mfa values.
Radial Variation of Fiber Length Increment in ACACIA MANGIUM
Authors: Honjo K. , Furukawa I. , Sahri M.H.
Published: July 2022

The radial variation of fiber length increment (due to intrusive growth) and its relation with internal and external (climatic) factors were investigated for Acacia mangium trees collected in Indonesia and Malaysia. Wood fiber length and fiber length increment were approximated with respect to the distance from the pith (x) by a logarithmic function and vessel element length by a linear function. The results were y = 0.14 . In(x) + 0.48, y = 0.0005 . x + 0.20, and y = 0.13 . ln(x) + 0.31, respectively. The radial variation of fiber length was related to the growth rate rather than the age of the cambium. The results of the cross-correlation function between wood fiber length increment and climatic factors showed that fiber lengths responded to changes in precipitation with a time lag of between zero to four months.
A Discussion on the Ethical Worldview Established in Yang Xiong’s Fu Poetry
Authors: Xu Jie
Published: July 2022

Yang Xiong lived through the collapse of the Former Han and emergence of the Later Han dynasty. His fu poetry creations and their critiques reflect significant shifts in thinking and new ideas, a very prominent one of which is the establishment of a particular ethical perspective. Yang Xiong’s callbacks to the virtues of the Zhou dynasty exhibited in his fu poetry were used to establish his concept of “virtues of the Han”. This is reflected most conspicuously in his “Sweet Springs Palace” and his “Tall Poplars Lodge”. These demonstrate the formation of his standard for literary criticism called lize 麗則 – poetry consistent with Confucian morals – which highlights and elevates fu poetry by true fu poets rather than rhetoricians. The system of ethical thought established by Yang Xiong appears to have been based on his ideas on the Confucian Classics and discussions of fu poetry. This system became a source of imitation and guidance amongst the other great “fu masters” such as Ban Gu and Zhang Heng of the Eastern Han. Yang Xiong’s views went on to become a major focus of fu poetry studies and the fu style as a post-Wei and Jin legacy. Yang Xiong’s original work in establishing his fu poetry’s ethical system still has insights to yield to us.
Analogical Interference in Constructionalization: The Emergence of the Hebrew Desiderative ba le-X Y
Authors: Kuzai Einat , Bat-Zeev Shyldkrot Hava
Published: July 2022

This paper investigates the constructionalization of the Hebrew desiderative ba le-X Y (‘X feels like Y’; lit. ‘come.prs.m.sg to-X Y’), which exemplifies the less frequent pathway from motion to desire. Drawing on Diachronic Construction Grammar framework, we provide an account that considers both the construction’s ancestor and similar desiderative constructions existing at the time of emergence. Based on qualitative and quantitative analyses, we suggest ba le-X Y evolved via partial realization of a metaphoric construction conceptualizing experiencers as the goals of emotional forces, e.g. desires and urges. We further argue that this deviation in realization was modeled after a semantically similar, superficially resembling, desiderative construction which is more syntactically compacted. The motivation for this analogical interference is explained by the production and comprehension advantages of the resulting target construction. This paper then provides support for analogy-based interference effects in the formation of form-meaning pairings.