bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Australia and the Development of International Humanitarian Law
Authors: Starke J. G.
Published: February 2019

International humanitarian law is a subject of universal importance and relevance. Since 1974, the problems of restatement and development have engaged the attention of the Geneva Diplomatic Conference on the Reaffirmation and Development of International Humanitarian Law Applicable in Armed Conflicts.

In this article, Professor J. G. Starke, Q.C. surveys developments in international humanitarian law over the last quarter century and examines in detail Australia's contribution to those developments. The process by which the idea of “laws of war” has come to be superseded by the concept of international humanitarian law is outlined, while reference is also made to the principal sources of international humanitarian law. Australia's interest in international humanitarian law since World War II is discussed, as is the background to the present continuing Geneva Conference and proceedings at its first three sessions in 1974, 1975 and 1976. The contribution of Australia to the work of the Geneva Conference is thoroughly examined. In particular, the stance of the Australian government on various issues before the Conference is set forth in detail. The article also assesses Australia's contribution to the development of international humanitarian law.
Fractional order chaotic cryptography in colored noise environment by using fractional order interpolatory cubature Kalman filter
Authors: Ramezani Abdolrahman , Safarinejadian Behrouz , Zarei Jafar
Published: February 2019

In this paper, a novel estimation algorithm based on fractional order interpolatory cubature Kalman filter is introduced to achieve the state estimation in nonlinear discrete-time fractional order systems with colored noise. In the proposed approach, the system with colored noise is transformed to a system with correlated process and measurement noises by presenting a new auxiliary output based on the extension of the measurements differencing method. Then, the novel fractional order interpolatory cubature Kalman filter algorithm is introduced based on these new outputs. The proposed algorithm is applied for the synchronization of fractional order hyperchaotic Lorenz system targeting the cryptography in a communication system where the transmitter and the transmission channel possess colored noise. Simulation results demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed scheme.
Gain and phase margins-based delay margin computation of load frequency control systems using Rekasius substitution
Authors: Sönmez Şahin , Ayasun Saffet
Published: February 2019

This paper investigates the effect of gain and phase margins (GPMs) on stability delay margin of a two-area load frequency control (LFC) system with constant communication delay. A gain-phase margin tester (GPMT) is introduced to the LFC system as to take into GPMs in delay margin computation. A frequency domain exact method, Rekasius substitution, is proposed to compute the GPMs-based stability delay margins. The method aims to calculate all possible purely complex roots of the characteristic equation for a finite positive time delay. The approach first transforms the characteristic polynomial of the LFC system with transcendental terms into a regular polynomial. Routh-Hurwitz stability criterion is then implemented to compute the purely imaginary roots with the crossing frequency and stability delay margin. For a wide range of proportional–integral controller gains and GPMs, time delay values at which LFC system is both stable and has desired stability margin measured by GPMs are computed. The accuracy of complex roots and delay margins are verified by using an independent algorithm, the quasi-polynomial mapping-based root finder and time-domain simulations. Simulation studies indicate that delay margins must be determined considering GPMs to have a better dynamic performance in term of fast damping of oscillations, less overshoot and settling time.
Material and sensory dimensions of everyday news use
Authors: Groot Kormelink Tim , Costera Meijer Irene
Published: February 2019

This article seeks to capture material and sensory dimensions of everyday news use that usually remain unexplored. To that end, we developed a two-sided-ethnography, filming people while they use news, allowing both researchers and participants to look in and reflect on their news use. Tapping into news users’ embodied, tacit knowledge, we found that the materiality of devices and platforms and the ways users physically handle and navigate them impact how they engage with news, in ways they themselves had not realized. We also deepened our understanding of previously found news user practices, and identified the distinct practice scrolling, which is characterized by an embodied urge to keep up the movement of the hand, even when the user finds content appealing. Finally, we show how people actively ‘make’ place and time through their news practices, using coping strategies that mediate between the comfortability of ritual news use and the disruptiveness of news content. We conclude by discussing the theoretical, methodological, and epistemological implications of our research, which include a call for a more in-situ, real-time, and non-news-centric approach to studying everyday news use.
Why Is There No Statement Regarding Partial Intracapsular Tonsillectomy (Tonsillotomy) in the New Guidelines?
Authors: Parikh Sanjay R. , Archer Sanford , Ishman Stacey L. , Mitchell Ron B.
Published: February 2019

Partial intracapsular tonsillectomy (PIT) was revisited in 2003 as an alternate surgical option to total tonsillectomy for the treatment of tonsillar hypertrophy. However, evaluation of the existing literature on PIT reveals that it is largely focused on comparing perioperative outcomes after PIT and total tonsillectomy, with few data regarding long‐term outcomes. The goal of this commentary is to explain why PIT was not incorporated into the 2019 American Academy of Otolaryngology–Head and Neck Surgery Foundation clinical practice guideline for tonsillectomy, while acknowledging its use and potential advantages and disadvantages and outlining future research opportunities.
Harris Peyton Mosher, MD: The Educator, Artist, and Pioneer behind the Mosher Award
Authors: Casale Jarett
Published: February 2019

Harris P. Mosher, MD, was a pioneer in the development of modern‐day otolaryngology. The prestigious Mosher Award was named after him and is awarded annually for recognition of excellence in otolaryngology clinical research. Dr Mosher's contributions to the field include innovative research, technique and instrument development, and advancement of all national otolaryngology societies that function to this day. He was regarded as an expert and forerunner in sinus anatomy and started the first sinus anatomy course in the United States. He was also the recipient of many prestigious awards, including the Royal Society of Medicine of London's Semon Medal as well as the American Laryngological Association Gold Medal. The yearly administration of the Mosher award highlights the legacy and passion of Dr Mosher for the advancement of the field of otolaryngology.
Laryngotracheal Reconstruction in Adults Aged 60 Years and Older
Authors: Rehman Saad C. , Xie Deborah X. , Bekeny James R. , Gelbard Alexander , Wootten Christopher T.
Published: February 2019

Objective

The primary aim of this study is to evaluate the safety, efficacy, and execution of major open laryngotracheal operations for patients in the advanced decades.

Study Design

Case series with chart review.

Setting

Multidisciplinary clinic at a tertiary care academic hospital.

Subjects and Methods

Patient characteristics, operative course, and postoperative outcomes were retrospectively recorded for all airway reconstruction operations performed between 1999 and 2016 on patients aged ≥60 years Long‐term success was defined as prosthesis‐free survival at last follow‐up. Descriptive statistics were performed.

Results

Twenty‐nine patients met inclusion criteria, and the median age was 71 years (interquartile range, 63‐74). Tracheal resection was the most common procedure (13 patients), followed by laryngotracheal reconstruction (7 patients). Fifteen patients began their operation with a tracheostomy, 6 of whom underwent decannulation prior to leaving the operating room. Three additional patients underwent decannulation at follow‐up appointments and were prosthesis‐free at most recent follow‐up. The mean time to decannulation among these patients was 3 months. Of the 14 patients beginning their procedure without a tracheostomy, only 2 required permanent airway prosthesis. The overall long‐term rate of prosthesis‐free survival was 72.4% (21 of 29 patients). Factors suggestive of long‐term success include lower McCaffrey grade and lack of pulmonary disease, hypertension, or diabetes, as well as decreased red blood cell distribution width on preoperative complete blood count.

Conclusion

Through careful patient selection, preoperative workup, and meticulous postoperative care, airway reconstruction procedures in patients aged ≥60 years are reasonably successful. Of 29 patients, 21 (72.4%) were successfully breathing long‐term without airway prosthesis.
Effects of Preoperative Iodine Administration on Thyroidectomy for Hyperthyroidism: A Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis
Authors: Tsai Chung‐Hsin , Yang Po‐Sheng , Lee Jie‐Jen , Liu Tsang‐Pai , Kuo Chi‐Yu , Cheng Shih‐Ping
Published: February 2019

Objective

The current guidelines recommend that potassium iodide be given in the immediate preoperative period for patients with Graves’ disease who are undergoing thyroidectomy. Nonetheless, the evidence behind this recommendation is tenuous. The purpose of this study is to clarify the benefits of preoperative iodine administration from published comparative studies.

Data Sources

We searched PubMed, Embase, Cochrane, and CINAHL from 1980 to June 2018.

Review Methods

Studies were included that compared preoperative iodine administration and no premedication before thyroidectomy. For the meta‐analysis, studies were pooled with the random‐effects model.

Results

A total of 510 patients were divided into the iodine (n = 223) and control (n = 287) groups from 9 selected studies. Preoperative iodine administration was significantly associated with decreased thyroid vascularity and intraoperative blood loss. Significant heterogeneity was present among studies. We found no significant difference in thyroid volume or operative time. Furthermore, the meta‐analysis showed no difference in the risk of postoperative complications, including vocal cord palsy, hypoparathyroidism/hypocalcemia, and hemorrhage or hematoma after thyroidectomy.

Conclusion

Preoperative iodine administration decreases thyroid vascularity and intraoperative blood loss. Nonetheless, it does not translate to more clinically meaningful differences in terms of operative time and postoperative complications.
Correlation between diaphragmatic sagittal rotation and pulmonary dysfunction in patients with ankylosing spondylitis accompanied by kyphosis
Authors: Liu Chao , Wu Bing , Guo Yue , Song Kai , Tang Xiangyu , Fu Jun , Zhang Xuesong , Zheng Guoquan , Wang Yan
Published: February 2019

Objective

This study was performed to investigate the correlation between pulmonary dysfunction patterns and diaphragmatic sagittal rotation in patients with ankylosing spondylitis accompanied by kyphosis.

Methods

Thirty patients (27 male, 3 female) with kyphotic deformity secondary to ankylosing spondylitis underwent pedicle subtraction osteotomy and were retrospectively reviewed. All patients had undergone preoperative computed tomography with three-dimensional reconstruction, full-length spine radiographs, and pulmonary function tests. The diaphragmatic angle in the median sagittal plane (DA), pulmonary function test results, and radiological parameters were studied.

Results

Correlation coefficients were used to present the correlation between the DA and pulmonary function and the global kyphosis (GK), respectively. The data analysis presented positive correlations between the DA value and vital capacity (VC), forced vital capacity (FVC), expiratory reserve volume (ERV), inspiratory reserve volume (IRV) and peak expiratory flow (PEF). There was likewise a negative correlation between DA value and the global kyphosis (GK). Additionally, there were further significantly statistical improvements for DA, ERV, IRV, FVC, and VC, PEF, postoperatively.

Conclusions

Except for the restriction of the chest wall motion and the abnormalities of lung parenchyma, the diaphragmatic sagittal rotation is also an influencing factor of pulmonary dysfunction in patients with ankylosing spondylitis accompanied by kyphosis.
Spherical silica nanoparticles promote malignant transformation of BEAS-2B cells by stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α)
Authors: Guo Chong , You Ding-Yun , Li Huan , Tuo Xiao-Yu , Liu Zi-Jie
Published: February 2019

Objective

This study aimed to examine the role of spherical silica nanoparticles (SiNPs) on human bronchial epithelial (BEAS-2B) cells through inflammation.

Methods

Human mononuclear (THP-1) cells and BEAS-2B cells were co-cultured in transwell chambers and treated with 800 mmol/L benzo[ a]pyrene-7, 8-dihydrodiol-9, 10-epoxide (BPDE) and 12.5 µg/mL SiNPs for 24 hours. For controls, cells were treated with BPDE alone. Subcutaneous tumorigenicity and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT) of BEAS-2B cells were measured. The cells were blocked with a stromal cell-derived factor-1α (SDF-1α)-specific antibody. EMT was analyzed in cells treated with 800 mmol/L BPDE and 12.5 µg/mL SiNPs relative to matched control cells and xenografts in vivo. Serum SDF-1α levels were measured in 23 patients with lung adenocarcinoma in Xuanwei, in 25 with lung adenocarcinoma outside Xuanwei, and in 22 with benign pulmonary lesions in Xuanwei.

Results

SiNPs significantly promoted tumorigenesis and EMT, induced the release of SDF-1α, and activated AKT (ser473) in BEAS-2B cells. EMT and phosphorylated AKT (ser473) and glycogen synthase kinase-3β levels were decreased when blocked by SDF-1α antibody in BEAS-2B cells. SDF-1α was mainly secreted by THP-1 cells.

Conclusion

SiNPs combined with BPDE promote EMT of BEAS-2B cells via the AKT pathway by inducing release of SDF-1α from THP-1 cells.
Development and Initial Validation of the Computer-Delivered Test Acceptance Questionnaire for Secondary and High School Students
Authors: Lim Lyndon
Published: February 2019

This article outlines the development and validation of the Computer-Delivered Test (CDT) Acceptance Questionnaire (CTAQ). The CTAQ was designed to be a practical measure of CDT acceptance of Singapore secondary and high school students (Grades 7-12) toward taking tests within an e-assessment system. The stages of test (questionnaire item) content, response processes, and internal structure under Messick’s unified concept of validity suggested that the CTAQ had sound psychometric properties. Exploratory factor analysis (EFA; n = 485) and confirmatory factor analysis (CFA; n = 484) yielded a three-factor model (ease of use, involvement and experience) with a reduction of 21 to 13 items for CDT acceptance. Practical applications and limitations of the CTAQ are discussed.
How and Why the Collaborative Consumption of Food Leads to Overpurchasing, Overconsumption, and Waste
Authors: Parker Jeffrey R. , Umashankar Nita , Schleicher Martin G.
Published: February 2019

Overconsuming and wasting food are disadvantageous for consumers and society as a whole and, therefore, are topics of great relevance. This research identifies food-based collaborative consumption (CC) as a hitherto unrecognized cause of overpurchasing, overconsuming, and wasting food. Food-based CC, which involves members of a group contributing to and taking from a collective pool of food, is a common social practice (e.g., potlucks) and a widely adopted format by the restaurant industry (e.g., family-style and tapas dining). A combination of interviews, behavioral studies, and online experiments show that consumers purchase significantly more food per person in CC (vs. personal-consumption) group contexts, resulting in overconsumption and waste. This is shown to be the result of both generosity motives and cognitive errors (specifically, failing to account for the reciprocal nature of CC). However, inflated purchase amounts in CC contexts can be reduced (i.e., consumer well-being can be improved) by (1) having consumers explicitly focus on the amount they expect to take from others and (2) providing antiwaste persuasive messages at the point of purchase.
Effect of Pharmacy-Driven Bedside Discharge Medication Delivery Program on Day 30 Hospital Readmission
Authors: Lam Simon W. , Sokn Erick
Published: February 2019

Background:

Previous studies demonstrated that transitions of care bundles, which include bedside discharge medication delivery (BDMD), may be helpful in decreasing hospital readmissions.

Objective:

To evaluate the effects of BDMD alone on day 30 readmission rates.

Methods:

Retrospective, cohort study comparing those who received pharmacy-driven BDMD to usual discharge. Primary outcome was day 30 readmission rates. Multivariable logistic regression was used to account for baseline differences between groups.

Results:

A total of 30916 patients met inclusion and exclusion criteria. Of those, 2253 (7%) received BDMD and 28663 (93%) received usual care. Significant differences in age, distance from hospital, race, marital status, insurance type, previous hospitalizations, admission source, baseline comorbidities, and medication counts were observed between groups. Patients who received BDMD were less likely to have day 30 readmissions (10.6% vs 12.8%, P = .002). However, after adjusting for baseline characteristics, BDMD was not an independent predictor of day 30 readmission (adjusted odds ratio = 0.91, 95% confidence interval = 0.79-1.04, P = .17). BDMD was associated with decreased day 14 readmissions in an unadjusted analysis.

Conclusions:

BDMD was not independently associated with a reduction in day 30 readmissions. Future studies should focus on targeting patients who are most likely to benefit from this service.
Subtle Linguistic Cues Increase Girls’ Engagement in Science
Authors: Rhodes Marjorie , Leslie Sarah-Jane , Yee Kathryn M. , Saunders Katya
Published: February 2019

The roots of gender disparities in science achievement take hold in early childhood. The present studies aimed to identify a modifiable feature of young children’s environments that could be targeted to reduce gender differences in science behavior among young children. Four experimental studies with children ( N = 501) revealed that describing science in terms of actions (“Let’s do science! Doing science means exploring the world!”) instead of identities (“Let’s be scientists! Scientists explore the world!”) increased girls’ subsequent persistence in new science games designed to illustrate the scientific method. These studies thus identified subtle but powerful linguistic cues that could be targeted to help reduce gender disparities in science engagement in early childhood.
A paradox in the Dreyfus Affair: The curious case of Saint-Georges de Bouhélier
Authors: Cooke Roderick
Published: February 2019

During the brief flourishing of his literary movement, ‘le naturisme’, in the late 1890s, the young poet Saint-Georges de Bouhélier (1876–1947) became an active and engaged Dreyfusard, despite harbouring anti-Semitic thoughts and being an aggressive nationalist and revanchist. This article explains the ostensible paradox by tracing Bouhélier’s Dreyfusard engagement back through his evolving aesthetic doctrines of the preceding years. His conception of poetry, in which the poet was both a privileged interpreter of the hidden grandeur of common folk and a humble servant of their collective traditions, allowed him to characterise Émile Zola’s role in the Affair along similar lines. Consequently, aesthetics is able to elucidate Bouhélier’s Dreyfusism in a way that his broader ideology cannot. His intervention in the crisis is a case study in the relationship between aesthetic and political thought, demonstrating the ability of aesthetic ideas to determine political choices, rather than emanating from them.
Holocene landscape dynamics and long-term population trends in the Levant
Authors: Palmisano Alessio , Woodbridge Jessie , Roberts C Neil , Bevan Andrew , Fyfe Ralph , Shennan Stephen , Cheddadi Rachid , Greenberg Raphael , Kaniewski David , Langgut Dafna , Leroy Suzanne AG , Litt Thomas , Miebach Andrea
Published: February 2019

This paper explores long-term trends in human population and vegetation change in the Levant from the early to the late Holocene in order to assess when and how human impact has shaped the region’s landscapes over the millennia. To do so, we employed multiple proxies and compared archaeological, pollen and palaeoclimate data within a multi-scalar approach in order to assess how Holocene landscape dynamics change at different geographical scales. We based our analysis on 14 fossil pollen sequences and applied a hierarchical agglomerative clustering and community classification in order to define groups of vegetation types (e.g. grassland, wetland, woodland, etc.). Human impact on the landscape has been assessed by the analysis of pollen indicator groups. Archaeological settlement data and Summed Probability Distribution (SPD) of radiocarbon dates have been used to reconstruct long-term demographic trends. In this study, for the first time, the evolution of the human population is estimated statistically and compared with environmental proxies for assessing the interplay of biotic and abiotic factors in shaping the Holocene landscapes in the Levant.
Verruciform Xanthoma of the Oral Mucosa: A Series of Eight Typical and Three Anomalous Cases
Authors: Barrett A. W. , Boyapati R. P. , Bisase B. S. , Norris P. M. , Shelley M. J. , Collyer J. , Sneddon K. J. , Gulati A.
Published: February 2019

In this series, there are 8 typical verruciform xanthomas of the oral mucosa and 3 anomalies, 1 polypoid, 1 florid, and 1 carcinomatous. All were characterized by infiltrates of CD68-positive xanthomatous histiocytes in the lamina propria. The 11 patients comprised 6 men and 5 women (mean age = 54.5 years, range = 40-69). Both keratinized and nonkeratinized sites were affected. A history of lichenoid inflammation was recorded in 5 patients. The polypoid xanthoma presented in a woman aged 54 years as a polyp of the labial commissure. The florid lesion affected the dorsum of the tongue of a man aged 54 years and at 20 mm was the largest of the 11 lesions, but the only one with candidal infection. The squamous cell carcinoma manifested as a papilloverrucous hyperkeratosis of the palatal gingiva in a man aged 69 years. The latter 2 (and 1 “typical” verruciform xanthoma) required re-excision, but none has since recurred.
Rogues, degenerates, and heroes: Disobedience as politics in military organizations
Authors: Hundman Eric , Parkinson Sarah E
Published: February 2019

Disobedience in military organizations affects critical outcomes such as the quality of civil–military relations, the likelihood of civilian abuse, and battlefield effectiveness. Existing work on military disobedience focuses on group dynamics; this article instead investigates the circumstances under which individual officers disobey. We argue that officers interpret military orders based on their concurrent positions in multiple social networks and that, contingent on the soldier’s environment, such orders can “activate” tensions between overlapping social network identifications. These tensions create motivations and justifications for disobedience. We develop this theory via in-depth case studies of individual officers’ disobedience in the Chinese military and the Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), combined with an examination of 10 additional cases outlined in an online appendix. Relying on primary sources, we demonstrate how identifications with overlapping social networks led two ostensibly dissimilar officers to disobey in similar ways during the Sino-French War (1883–1885) and the Lebanese Civil War (1975–1989). Our theory thus shows how overlapping social networks create conditions of possibility for even well-trained, loyal commanders to disobey their superiors. In doing so, it highlights the critical fact that even within the context of intensive military discipline and socialization, individuals draw on identifications with varied social networks to make decisions. Further, it implies that individual disobedience should be studied as conceptually separate from collective events such as mass desertion or unit defection.
The End of Acts and the Jewish Response: Condemnation, Tragedy, or Hope?
Authors: Armstrong Karl L.
Published: February 2019

This article examines recent and historic views relating to the interpretation of Acts 28.26-27 (=Isa. 6.9-10) and the response of the Jews at the end of Acts. Among the conflicting views, scholars (with some overlap) fall into one of three general categories that suggest some degree of Jewish condemnation, tragedy or hope. Recent trends demonstrate a more hopeful prognosis than prior assessments with regards to Luke’s attitude towards the Jews. This trend is supported by recent studies regarding the wisdom background for the text of Isa. 6.9-10 in light of the growing recognition of and appreciation for an increasingly Jewish portrait of Paul in Acts.
What Christ Does, God Does: Surveying Recent Scholarship on Christological Monotheism
Authors: Smith Brandon D.
Published: February 2019

Wilhelm Bousset’s Kyrios Christos, which argued that ‘high’ Christology developed in the early church due to influences from Hellenism, was and still is a pivotal book in studies on early Christology. Martin Hengel, however, rebutted Bousset’s sharp distinction with his own important insight—that early ‘high’ Christology actually developed out of Christians’ Palestinian-Jewish heritage, wherein the church confessed and worshiped Jesus as divine alongside the one God of Israel. This article will survey the torchbearers of this debate, particularly noting the major ideas and contributors to the ongoing conversation about the ‘Jewishness’ and modes of divinity in early Christology.
Study on mixed H2/H∞ output feedback control of maglev actuator for microgravity vibration isolation system
Authors: Chen Changhao , Hu Yefa , Wu Huachun , Song Chunsheng , Ran Shaolin
Published: February 2019

Aiming at how to specify the fundamental trade-off between robust stability and nominal performance of mixed H2/H∞ control as well as lack of experimental studies on vibration control for the maglev actuator in microgravity vibration isolation system, a mixed H2/H∞ output feedback controller based on the linear matrix inequality method is designed and analyzed. This article establishes a state–space realization for a one-dimensional vibration isolation system and the H-norm performance indices are identified and calculated. Furthermore, the curves of threshold values and true values of H∞ and H2 norms are plotted to specify the relationship between the system’s robust stability and nominal performance. Therefore, the threshold value of system’s H∞ norm is identified through repeated simulations, and the state–space realization of optimal controller with minimum H2 norm under the constraints of H∞ norm threshold value is obtained. The vibration control experimental apparatus of one-dimensional control system is designed and manufactured to test the actual application of mixed H2/H∞ controller for the maglev actuator. The result presents that the designed mixed H2/H∞ control has a better performance in suppressing acceleration vibration and has a higher attenuation amplitude than cascade proportional–integral–derivative control at each corresponding frequency, which proves the practicability and effectiveness of the design method.
Evolution of strategy narration and leadership work in the digital era
Authors: Auvinen Tommi , Sajasalo Pasi , Sintonen Teppo , Pekkala Kaisa , Takala Tuomo , Luoma-aho Vilma
Published: February 2019

This paper examines the evolution of strategy narration, contributing to ongoing discussions in this field. Our empirical data, gathered from a large Finnish co-operative bank, cover three decades. According to our findings, digitalisation has brought about an epoch change in strategy narration, as top management has strongly adopted digital media in their leadership work, which has replaced ‘traditional’ face-to-face strategy meetings and public presentations by gatherings on digital platforms, including webcasting, intranet and Skype. This has brought about a leadership vacuum, and left organisational members long for their superiors to ‘exercise’ some traditional leadership practices, such as caring and presence, both calling for face-to-face interaction. Thus, leadership roles, in terms of human-to-human interaction, seem to still be desired, and digitalisation has not entirely replaced the importance of the presence of an embodied leader. In our data, the leaders did not resort to intentional fabrication of alternative facts in the post-truth sense, but rather fantasising in the sense that strategising always involves fictional narration without a reference to historical facts as it relates to forthcoming events. Due to this, the post-truth framework of alternative facts and intentional truth bending does not entirely fit in describing strategy narration in business context. However, increasingly digital plurivocal narration with several participants is likely to result in multiple organisational ‘truths’. Therefore, dealing with such ambiguity and the exercise of leadership power requires leaders’ awareness of the flux of quickly evolving digital organisational storytelling.
Neuroinflammation and central PI3K/Akt/mTOR signal pathway contribute to bone cancer pain
Authors: Zhang Jian , Wang Luping , Wang Hushan , Su Zhenbo , Pang Xiaochuan
Published: February 2019

Background

Pain is one of the most common and distressing symptoms suffered by patients with progression of cancer; however, the mechanisms responsible for hyperalgesia are not well understood. Since the midbrain periaqueductal gray is an important component of the descending inhibitory pathway controlling on central pain transmission, in this study, we examined the role for pro-inflammatory cytokines of the periaqueductal gray in regulating mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia evoked by bone cancer via phosphatidylinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)–mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) signals.

Methods

Breast sarcocarcinoma Walker 256 cells were implanted into the tibia bone cavity of rats to induce mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia. Western blot analysis and ELISA were used to examine PI3K/protein kinase B (Akt)/mTOR and pro-inflammatory cytokine receptors and the levels of interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-6, and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α).

Results

Protein expression levels of p-PI3K/p-Akt/p-mTOR were amplified in the periaqueductal gray of bone cancer rats, and blocking PI3K–mTOR pathways in the periaqueductal gray attenuated hyperalgesia responses. In addition, IL-1β, IL-6, and TNF-α were elevated in the periaqueductal gray of bone cancer rats, and expression of their respective receptors (namely, IL-1R, IL-6R, and tumor necrosis factor receptor (TNFR) subtype TNFR1) was upregulated. Inhibition of IL-1R, IL-6R, and TNFR1 alleviated mechanical and thermal hyperalgesia in bone cancer rats, accompanied with downregulated PI3K–mTOR.

Conclusions

Our data suggest that upregulation of pro-inflammatory cytokine signal in the periaqueductal gray of cancer rats amplifies PI3K–mTOR signal in this brain region and alters the descending pathways in regulating pain transmission, and this thereby contributes to the development of bone cancer-induced pain.
Elite-Mass Congruence, Partidocracia and the Quality of Chilean Democracy
Authors: Siavelis Peter M.
Published: February 2019

Though Chile is often lauded for its successful democratic transition and high quality democracy, there are increasing levels of citizen dissatisfaction with the functioning of democracy. This article asks whether this dissatisfaction is due to the lack of congruence between political elites and the mass public with respect to their orientations on political and economic issues. It provides tentative support for the proposition that there is growing consensus between elites and the mass public with respect to the most important issues. Rather than a lack of congruence between elites and the mass public, the paper suggests that the more likely source of citizen dissatisfaction is an emerging partidocracia (or a polity characterized by political party domination) which hampers the full functioning of democracy in terms of legitimacy, accountability and alternation of power. Because this domination has been produced by the interaction of an entrenched legislative election system and model of post-authoritarian partisan politics, it will be difficult to eliminate.
Urgency Petitions and the Informational Problem in the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies
Authors: Almeida Acir , Santos Fabiano
Published: February 2019

In the Brazilian Chamber of Deputies, an absolute majority may bring any bill out of committee and to the floor for consideration without the committee's report by approving an urgency petition. The prevailing interpretation is that urgency petitions have been used by government majorities to get round unsupportive committees. Contrary to this interpretation, we find that only rarely petitions for executive bills are approved without consensus. We identify two reasons why government majorities in Brazil hardly ever impose their agenda on the Legislature: their common agenda is small, and majority members often enjoy informational gains from letting opposition committees examine executive bills.
Dissatisfaction with Democracy: Evidence from the Latinobarómetro 2005
Authors: Berry Brian J. L. , Rodriguez Osvaldo S. Tello
Published: February 2019

Data for 17 Latin American countries collected by Latinobarómetro 2005 reveal that dissatisfaction with democracy is a sign of progress. Political stability and increased governmental effectiveness enable the better-educated leftish young to express their feelings without fear of repression and violence, which is particularly notable in countries least connected into the global economy, where inequality remains high. Dissatisfaction is thus an indicator of political modernization running ahead of progress in the economic sphere.
Political Parties and Government Coalitions in the Americas
Authors: Alemán Eduardo , Tsebelis George
Published: February 2019

This paper focuses on the process of coalition formation in presidential systems. It shows that party positions and institutions influence the formation of government coalitions. We argue that presidents will tend to include parties positioned close to their policy positions in their cabinets, and will be more inclined to do it when relative institutional authority is more advantageous to congress. We corroborate our arguments with data from 13 presidential countries in the Americas.
The Right in “New Left” Latin America
Authors: Bowen James D.
Published: February 2019

Over the past decade, there has been a surge of “new Left” governments in Latin America, yet polling data shows no comparable shift to the left among the general Latin American population. If electorates have not followed their political leaders to the left, then it is likely that new right-wing political actors will emerge to compensate for the leftward shift in Latin American politics. I propose a research agenda for studying right-wing politics in light of the current wave of left-leaning governments in the region. I argue that we should focus on four main areas of right-wing politics: the political agenda of right-wing groups; their political organization; their power capability; and the institutional environment in which they operate. This agenda requires that we move beyond the traditional focus on right-wing political parties and focus on right-wing organizations at all levels of formal politics, as well as groups that operate outside the formal political arena.
Modeling Electoral Coordination: Voters, Parties and Legislative Lists in Uruguay
Authors: Levin Ines , Katz Gabriel
Published: February 2019

During each electoral period, the strategic interaction between voters and political elites determines the number of viable candidates in a district. In this paper, we implement a hierarchical seemingly unrelated regression model to explain electoral coordination at the district level in Uruguay as a function of district magnitude, previous electoral outcomes and electoral regime. Elections in this country are particularly useful to test for institutional effects on the coordination process due to the large variations in district magnitude, to the simultaneity of presidential and legislative races held under different rules, and to the reforms implemented during the period under consideration. We find that district magnitude and electoral history heuristics have substantial effects on the number of competing and voted-for parties and lists. Our modeling approach uncovers important interaction-effects between the demand and supply side of the political market that were often overlooked in previous research.
United by Discord, Divided by Consensus: National and Sub-national Articulation in Bolivia and Peru, 2000–2010
Authors: Vergara Alberto
Published: February 2019

From 2000 to 2010, Bolivia and Peru underwent similar processes of political decentralization toward the meso level of the government. Three elections later in Peru and two in Bolivia, the ability of national political parties to articulate interests differs markedly between the two countries. Peru tends toward fragmentation with national parties incapable of participating or successfully competing in subnational elections, while in Bolivia, the Movimiento al Socialismo (MAS) – and other parties to a lesser extent – are increasingly capable of participating and winning subnational offices. This paper argues that, despite having undergone very similar institutional reforms, the difference between the cases can largely be explained by two “society-side” variables: the caliber of the political ideas in debate and political social density. The substantive quality of ideas in debate and a greater political social density have been crucial to the Bolivian trend, while their absence has lessened the possibility of anything similar occurring in Peru. In general terms, the article sheds light on the social conditions that favor party-building in a context of decentralization reform.
Party Systems in Latin America after the Third Wave: A Critical Re-assessment
Authors: Carreras Miguel
Published: February 2019

This essay calls for a more nuanced analysis of the evolution of party systems in Latin America. I contend that the general impression that party systems are collapsing in Latin America and that processes of partisan and electoral dealignment are affecting most countries in the region is incorrect. I also argue that the process of moderation and de-ideologization of the main political parties in many Latin American party systems often facilitates processes of democratic consolidation. Finally, I discuss the positive impact recent transformations of Latin American party systems had on political representation in the region, by showing that formerly excluded groups – especially indigenous groups – have been integrated into the political system.
Destroying the Opposition's Livelihood: Pathways to Violence in Bolivia since 2000
Authors: Barndt William T.
Published: February 2019

During the first decade of the 2000s, Bolivia occasionally turned violent. Yet the causes of these episodes of sustained violence have not yet been identified. To this end, this article tests which mechanisms theorized by existing scholarship produced two prolonged episodes of violence. It concludes that both episodes emerged from the same causal pathway: the national government provoked violence by seeking to raze the economic foundations of well-organized sectors – sectors that represented the mass bases of ascendant political oppositions. This finding not only sheds light on political order in Bolivia, but also opens up new directions in research on violent confrontation in Latin America.
Tall, Grande, or Venti: Presidential Powers in the United States and Latin America
Authors: Morgenstern Scott , Polga-Hecimovich John , Shair-Rosenfield and Sarah
Published: February 2019

Comparative constitutional studies rank the US president as relatively weak and most Latin American presidents as strong. However, specialized studies suggest that US presidents have great abilities to implement their agendas. We argue that presidents with weak formal powers “reinforce” their ability to impose an agenda (scope), as well as their ability to make those decisions stick (force). These reinforced powers, however, have diminishing returns as formal powers rise. As a result, the sum of presidential powers ranges from high (the US) to very high (Latin America).
Ethnic Identity, Informal Institutions, and the Failure to Elect Women in Indigenous Southern Mexico
Authors: Danielson Michael S. , Eisenstadt Todd A. , Yelle Jennifer
Published: February 2019

This article argues that the low levels of descriptive representation of women in local political office in Mexico and Latin America is much more than a problem of the purported patriarchal cultures of indigenous and rural communities. We claim, based on a comprehensive survey of 466 municipal governments in the indigenous state of Oaxaca, that the underrepresentation of women is a function of institutions limiting female candidates. We test this “candidate supply” hypothesis, adapted from US-based studies, against the hypothesis that culture – as measured by indigenous ethnicity – has an independent effect on women's representation. We disconfirm that patriarchal, traditionalist cultures of indigenous communities cause underrepresentation in the election of women and instead find that a particular set of local institutions, which are more prevalent in indigenous municipalities, blocks the supply of potential women candidates. We conclude by considering the normative implications for women's representation in local politics in Mexico and Latin America.
Rethinking Democratic Governance: State Building, Autonomy, and Accountability in Correa's Ecuador
Authors: Bowen James David
Published: February 2019

This paper argues that rather than theorize state building and democracy separately, we should direct our attention to studying the dual construction of democratic states. To do so, we must understand the contradictory relationship between the concentration of power needed to build state institutions and the constraints on this power dictated by the norms of liberal democracy. I present an outline for studying state building and democratic governance and illustrate my argument with a study of Ecuador. I argue that stable democracy must rest on three pillars: effective state institutions, the autonomy of these institutions from other powerful actors, and the existence of meaningful institutions of accountability. The challenge is that efforts to strengthen one or more of these pillars are likely to undermine the others. I argue that Ecuador, particularly under the Correa administration, has experienced substantial achievements in the area of institution building, has a mixed record with regards to autonomy, and offers little in the way of accountability.
Contentious Engagement: Understanding Protest Participation in Latin American Democracies
Authors: Moseley Mason W.
Published: February 2019

Why has protest participation seemingly exploded across much of Latin America in recent years? How do individual- and country-level characteristics interact to explain the rise of contentious politics in countries like Argentina, Brazil, and Venezuela? I contend that the recent wave of protests in Latin America is the result of trends in community engagement and institutional development across the region's young democracies. Specifically, I argue that low-quality institutions in democratic regimes push an increasingly large number of civically active Latin Americans toward more radical modes of political participation, as governments’ abilities to deliver on citizens’ expectations fail to match the capacity for mobilization of active democrats. Drawing on cross-national surveys of Latin America, I test this argument, finding that an interactive relationship between community engagement and ineffective political institutions helps explain the recent spike in protest activity in certain cases and the vast differences in protest participation observed throughout the region.
How “Participatory Governance” Strengthens Authoritarian Regimes: Evidence from Electoral Authoritarian Oaxaca, Mexico
Authors: Benton Allyson Lucinda
Published: February 2019

Research on the impact of participatory institutions in Latin America has not yet examined how they work in authoritarian settings. National autocrats in Mexico implemented participatory reforms during that country's national electoral authoritarian regime. Building on research on political decentralization in authoritarian regimes, I argue that participatory institutions can be used to channel citizen demands and to incorporate citizens into authoritarian systems, thereby strengthening authoritarian rule. However, following research on democratic participatory governance, I also argue that participatory institutions will work better in this regard when designed from the bottom up rather than from the top down. Statistical analysis of patterns of municipal-level electoral authoritarian support in Mexico shows that bottom-up-designed participatory institutions implemented during electoral authoritarian rule strengthened local political control to a greater extent than top-down-designed political systems. The study supports research revealing the anti-democratic effects of participatory institutions in democratic Latin American nations.
Realism under Hegemony: Theorizing the Rise of Brazil
Authors: Weyland Kurt
Published: February 2019

What light can international relations theory shed on how developing countries such as Brazil have achieved regional leadership and international influence? This comprehensive examination of Brazilian foreign policy over the last few decades argues that Realism provides a better account of Brazil's strategy than Liberalism and Constructivism. Despite changes of government and regime, Brasília has persistently pursued relative political gain, especially international influence. However, because this rising country has faced an established hegemon in the form of the United States, it has not been able to employ conventionally Realist instruments and tactics. Its subordinate position in the current power constellation has forced Brazil to forego political or military confrontation and instead use economic cooperation, both with the hegemon and its weaker neighbors. Through this collaboration, Brazil hopes to derive disproportionate benefits that will enhance its relative power. By elucidating these complex calculations, the present essay explains the Realist strategy that ambitious nations such as Brazil have pursued and helps design a version of Realism that captures recent power dynamics in the international system.