bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Brief destructions of basic nodes of excavators and critical size of cracks
Authors: Makhno D E , Avdeev A N , Bolotnev A Yu
Published: January 2020

The article studies brittle fractures of metal structures of mine and hydraulic excavators basic units. Based on the data analyzed and physics of the brittle fracture process, recommendations are given to improve the reliability of machines. For the analysis of brittle fractures, statistical data on machine failures under the conditions of the Korshunovsky GOK and ALROSA quarries were used. The approach to the control of nucleation and formation of brittle fractures by non-destructive methods, which substantially reduces the costs of repair works is described. The analysis of brittle fractures of mining excavators basic units revealed general patterns of destruction causes. Accurate identification of brittle fractures requires simplification of repair works. The method of nondestructive control of machines should be applied. The non-destructive control method is used to control the a brittle cracking in advance and eliminate during scheduled repairs. The scheduled identification and elimination of cracks reduces laboriousness of repair and recovery operations of large-sized units and aggregates of excavators.
Natural reservoir as a geological body for storing helium reserves
Authors: Rapatskaya L A , Tonkikh M E , Ustyuzhanin A O
Published: January 2020

In connection with the start of field operation of large oil-and-gas bearing deposits of helium in the south of the Siberian platform (SP) the problem of long-term helium storage arises. Some researchers propose to use reliable underground storages for this purpose. Natural reservoirs, geological bodies representing an association of rocks in which fluids can be contained and circulated, can serve as such a natural depository for the injection and preservation of helium reserves. Therefore, the permeability of caprocks in natural reservoir that can hold helium for a long time is of particular importance. The paper presents the results of lithologic composition, thickness and condition of the caprock formation as the regional impervious fluids in natural reservoir of the SP south. The Lower Cambrian deposits of the Usolie formation being a part of the Vendian-Cambrian oil and gas complex can serve as such a regional impervious fluid.
Assessment of conditions and experience of technogenic placer dredging
Authors: Talgamer B L , Dudinskiy F V , Murzin N V
Published: January 2020

The article describes the dredging method used for developing technogenic placers. Quantitative indicators and qualitative characteristics of rocks were described. Positive and negative experience of placer dredging was analyzed; research results were interpreted. The dredging of technogenic placers using multi-unit dredges was described in terms of specific conditions and parameters. Observation results reflecting changes in dredging parameters, equipment utilization coefficients and uneven operation of dredges were analyzed. Recommendations on dredging efficiency improvement, including the use of controlled dredging, were given. Controlled dredging will help change parameters of chip removed by dippers. Directions of placer dredging involving improvement of existing technical solutions, justification of rational parameters of technological schemes and development of mass conversion technologies were substantiated.
Endogenous phthalates in plants and their alleged participation in defense response against phytopathogens
Authors: Shafikova T N , Maksimova L A , Omelichkina Yu V , Enikeev A G , Semenov A A
Published: January 2020

Endogenous phthalates (esters of o-phthalic acid) have been revealed in plant in situ and in vitro. Phthalates reduced biofilm formation and growth of Clavibacter michiganensis ssp. sepedonicus and changed morphology of colonies. So phthalates were considered to be a part of plant defense against bacterial phytopathogens. Meanwhile, phthalates have been found in the cells of phytopathogenic bacteria. It was suggested that the physiological and biochemical role of phthalates can be much more complex and not be limited to the participation of plant organisms in the protective process.
Use of rhizosphere microorganisms for bioremediation of oil contaminated soils
Authors: Belovezhets L A , Tretyakova M S , Markova Yu A , Levchuk A A
Published: January 2020

Microbial soil remediation is one of the most promising methods for soil cleaning from oil and oil products. In order to search for promising oil destructors from the rhizosphere of plants growing in oil-polluted soils, bacteria that effectively destroy oil within a short time and belong to the genera Rhodococcus and Acinetobacter have been determined. Their ability to survive and decompose oil at its high and extremely high concentrations as well as at low positive temperatures has been shown. Microbial decomposition of oil model compounds (naphthalene, anthracene and phenanthrene) has been studied. All the studied strains have been established to be able to utilize these compounds with the formation of a group of metabolites, among which phthalic, gentisic and protocatechuic acids have been identified. The model compounds decrease ranged from 30 to 70% within 10 days.
Expansion properties for finite subdivision rules II
Authors: Floyd William , Parry Walter , Pilgrim Kevin
Published: January 2020

We prove that every sufficiently large iterate of a Thurston map which is not doubly covered by a torus endomorphism and which does not have a Levy cycle is isotopic to the subdivision map of a finite subdivision rule. We determine which Thurston maps doubly covered by a torus endomorphism have iterates that are isotopic to subdivision maps of finite subdivision rules. We give conditions under which no iterate of a given Thurston map is isotopic to the subdivision map of a finite subdivision rule.
A curable pseudo-dementia related to an atypical presentation of giant cell arteritis
Authors: Lahaye Clément , Sanchez Manuel , Rouet Audrey , Gross Ariane , Faucher Nathalie , Raynaud-Simon Agathe , Lilamand Matthieu
Published: January 2020

A 70-year-old patient was admitted with rapidly progressive cognitive decline associated with limitations in activities of daily living, weight loss and cerebellar ataxia. The diagnosis of giant cell arteritis (GCA) with vascular involvement was made, based on the presence of a metabolically active vasculitis of the brachiocephalic trunk on 18FDG-PET imaging. Temporal artery biopsy also revealed pan-arteritis. A progressive regression of cognitive disorders occurred under corticosteroid treatment and immunosuppressive therapy. Previously published case reports concerning this atypical presentation of GCA are scarce. They suggest that numerous cognitive symptoms, such as impairment of short-term memory, disorientation, delirium, impaired attention or visual hallucinations might be related to GCA. Thus, this diagnosis should be considered as a curable cause of unexplained cognitive impairment associated with weight loss and systemic inflammation.
Long-term outcomes of pulmonary valve replacement in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot
Authors: Lee Cheul , Choi Eun Seok , Lee Chang-Ha
Published: January 2020

OBJECTIVES

The objectives of this study were to evaluate long-term outcomes of pulmonary valve replacement (PVR) in patients with repaired tetralogy of Fallot (TOF) and to identify the factors associated with adverse clinical events (ACEs).

METHODS

A total of 190 patients who underwent PVR between 1998 and 2015 after repair of TOF were retrospectively analysed. ACE was defined as all-cause death, heart transplantation or new-onset sustained arrhythmia. Univariable Cox proportional hazards regression analysis was used to identify the factors associated with ACE after PVR.

RESULTS

The median age at PVR was 19 years. Preoperative magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) was performed in 143 (75%) patients, and the median right ventricular (RV) end-diastolic and end-systolic volume index was 164 and 82 ml/m2, respectively. The follow-up completeness was 94%, and the median follow-up duration was 9.8 years. The transplantation-free survival and freedom from ACE at 15 years was 95% and 90%, respectively. The factors associated with ACE were older age at PVR, older age at TOF repair, New York Heart Association functional class III or IV, presence of tachyarrhythmias, longer cardiopulmonary bypass time and concomitant arrhythmia surgery. In a subgroup analysis of 143 patients with preoperative MRI data, larger RV end-systolic volume index, larger left ventricular end-systolic volume index and lower left ventricular ejection fraction were associated with ACE.

CONCLUSIONS

Long-term outcomes of PVR in patients with repaired TOF were satisfactory. Proactive PVR before the onset of advanced symptoms, tachyarrhythmias and ventricular dysfunction may further improve the long-term survival of this patient population.
Deletion of the Golgi Ca2+-ATPasePMR1gene potentiates antifungal effects of dodecanol that depend on intracellular Ca2+ accumulation in budding yeast
Authors: Oyama Masahiro , Tamaki Hiroyuki , Yamaguchi Yoshihiro , Ogita Akira , Tanaka Toshio , Fujita Ken-ichi
Published: January 2020

One strategy for overcoming infectious diseases caused by drug-resistant fungi involves combining drugs rendered inactive by resistance with agents targeting the drug resistance mechanism. The antifungal activity of n-dodecanol disappears as incubation time passes. In Saccharomyces cerevisiae, anethole, a principal component of anise oil, prolongs the transient antifungal effect of dodecanol by downregulating genes of multidrug efflux pumps, mainly PDR5. However, the detailed mechanisms of dodecanol's antifungal action and the anethole-induced prolonged antifungal action of dodecanol are unknown. Screening of S. cerevisiae strains lacking genes related to Ca2+ homeostasis and signaling identified a pmr1Δ strain lacking Golgi Ca2+-ATPase as more sensitive to dodecanol than the parental strain. Dodecanol and the dodecanol + anethole combination significantly increased intracellular Ca2+ levels in both strains, but the mutant failed to clear intracellular Ca2+ accumulation. Further, dodecanol and the drug combination reduced PMR1 expression and did not lead to specific localization of Pmr1p in the parental strain after 4-h treatment. By contrast with the parental strain, dodecanol did not stimulate PDR5 expression in pmr1Δ. Based on these observations, we propose that the antifungal activity of dodecanol is related to intracellular Ca2+ accumulation, possibly dependent on PMR1 function, with anethole enabling Ca2+ accumulation by restricting dodecanol efflux.
The Reproducibility of an Inferred Tree and the Diploidization of Gene Segregation after Genome Duplication
Authors: Katsura Yukako , Nei Masatoshi
Published: January 2020

We previously introduced a numerical quantity called the stability (Ps) of an inferred tree and showed that for the tree to be reliable this stability as well as the reliability of the tree, which is usually computed as the bootstrap probability (Pb), must be high. However, if genome duplication occurs in a species, a gene family of the genome also duplicates, and for this reason alone some Ps values can be high in a tree of the duplicated gene families. In addition, the topology of the duplicated gene family can be similar to that of the original gene family if such gene families are identifiable. After genome duplication, however, the gene families are often partially deleted or partially duplicated, and the duplicated gene family may not show the same topology as that of the original family. It is therefore necessary to compute the similarity of the topologies of the duplicated and the original gene families. In this paper, we introduce another quantity called the reproducibility (Pr) for measuring the similarity of the two gene families. To show how to compute the Pr values, we first compute the Pb and Ps values for each of the MHC class II α and β chain gene families, which were apparently generated by genome duplication. We then compute the Pr values for the MHC class II α and β chain gene families. The Pr values for the α and β chain gene families are now low, and this suggests that the diploidization of gene segregation has occurred after the genome duplication. Currently higher animals, defined as animals with complex phenotypic characters, generally have a higher genome size, and this increase in genome size appears to have been caused by genome duplication and diploidization of gene segregation after genome duplication.
Exploring the Reciprocal Associations of Perceptions of Aging and Social Involvement
Authors: Schwartz Ella , Ayalon Liat , Huxhold Oliver
Published: January 2020

Objective

Positive perceptions of aging are known to have beneficial effects for older adults’ health and well-being, but less is known regarding their social correlates. The current study aimed to disentangle the bidirectional associations of perceptions of aging with informal and formal social involvement.

Method

Data for this study came from the 2008 and 2014 waves of the German Ageing Survey (DEAS). Informal social involvement was assessed as the frequency of providing advice and emotional support to others. Formal social involvement was measured as the number of groups and organizations one participates in and the frequency of attending them. A latent change score model was used to assess the bidirectional links between the constructs.

Results

Adults with more positive aging perception at baseline were likely to become more informally and formally socially involved over time. Informal social involvement predicted better perceptions of aging, but not formal social involvement. These trends were consistent across age groups.

Conclusions

The results suggest that having positive expectations regarding one’s aging might encourage adults to maintain a more engaged and socially productive lifestyle. In addition, informal social involvement, characterized by the provision of advice and support to others, is beneficial for experiencing the aging process more positively.
Life Beyond 65: Changing Spatial Patterns of Survival at Older Ages in the United States, 2000–2016
Authors: Vierboom Yana C , Preston Samuel H
Published: January 2020

Objectives

To identify levels and trends in life expectancy at age 65 (e65) by geographic region and metropolitan status in the United States.

Methods

Using county-level data on population and deaths from the Census and National Center for Health Statistics, we consider spatial inequality in e65 across 4 metropolitan types and 10 geographic regions from 2000 to 2016. We examine whether changes in e65 are driven by mortality developments in metro types or geographic regions, and compare spatial patterns in the United States to mortality trends in other Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD) countries. We use decomposition and regression methods to estimate the contributions of 10 causes of death to changes and inequalities in e65.

Results

Life expectancy at age 65 increased in all spatial units from 2000 to 2016. Areas with higher e65 in 2000 also experienced larger gains. Longevity increases were greatest in large metropolitan areas and coastal regions. Nonmetropolitan areas and the interior lagged far behind not only other parts of the United States but all OECD comparison countries. Metropolitan status was a better predictor of mortality changes than geographic region. Circulatory diseases and diseases associated with smoking were the principal sources of life expectancy gains and spatial differentiation in those gains. Larger gains in smoking-related mortality accounted for greater improvements among men than women.

Discussion

Even at advanced ages, large geographic disparities in life expectancy remain. And as mortality has declined, these disparities have widened. Public health efforts should pay special attention to identifying and ameliorating the sources of lagging life expectancy in nonmetropolitan regions.
Knowing Persecution When We See It: Non-State Actors and the Measure of State Protection
Authors: Zambelli Pia
Published: January 2020

Whether to grant asylum to claimants who are victimized by non-State actors is one of the thorniest questions in refugee law, particularly in Canada. Numerous questions have arisen around how to measure State protection in such circumstances. The result is a convoluted array of legal determinants – a situation that may be placing some claimants at risk. This article attempts to forge a more accessible framework of analysis for non-State actor claims. The suggested framework restores the absence of ‘State protection’ to its traditional role within the refugee definition of the 1951 Refugee Convention – as one prong of a test for persecution, not a stand-alone criterion for refugeehood. Accordingly, it is suggested that decision makers approach non-State actor claims as simply an assessment of whether the situation is one of ‘persecution’, a term that has been defined by leading scholars. By applying these definitions of persecution to typical refugee claim scenarios, it is demonstrated that a persecution-centred heuristic in non-State actor claims provides a clearer and more principled framework of analysis – one that gravitates towards stable and measurable criteria for assessing State protection.
Removing a Ray from a Noncompact Symplectic Manifold
Authors: Tang Xiudi
Published: January 2020

We prove that any noncompact symplectic manifold that admits a properly embedded ray with a wide neighborhood is symplectomorphic to the complement of the ray by constructing an explicit symplectomorphism in the case of the standard Euclidean space. This allows us to excide a ray from a symplectic manifold and we use this excision trick to find a nowhere vanishing Liouville vector field on every cotangent bundle.
M184V/I does not impact the efficacy of abacavir/lamivudine/dolutegravir use as switch therapy in virologically suppressed patients
Authors: Jary Aude , Marcelin Anne-Geneviève , Charpentier Charlotte , Wirden Marc , Lê Minh P , Peytavin Gilles , Descamps Diane , Calvez Vincent
Published: January 2020

Background

M184V/I NRTI resistance mutations can be selected by either lamivudine/emtricitabine or abacavir. There are controversies about the use of abacavir/lamivudine/dolutegravir combinations in HIV-1-infected treatment-experienced patients with a fully suppressed HIV viral load (VL) and harbouring M184V/I.

Objectives

We assessed the efficacy of abacavir/lamivudine/dolutegravir when used in HIV-infected pretreated patients with an undetectable VL who previously harboured M184V/I as a unique NRTI resistance mutation in a genotypic resistance test and had no resistance to integrase inhibitors.

Patients and methods

A total of 154 patients with a fully suppressed HIV-1 plasma VL (<50 copies/mL) treated with tenofovir disoproxil fumarate/emtricitabine/boosted PI or abacavir/lamivudine/boosted PI who switched to an abacavir/lamivudine/dolutegravir regimen and had M184V/I as a unique NRTI resistance mutation in their therapeutic history were retrospectively analysed up to 12 months after the switch to abacavir/lamivudine/dolutegravir. Assessment of residual viraemia was performed at Months 1, 3, 6 and 12. Plasma VL with undetectable HIV-1 RNA corresponded to an absence of residual viraemia.

Results

During the 12 months of follow-up, three patients had a blip of VL (53, 62 and 106 copies/mL) at Month 3 followed by a subsequent VL <50 copies/mL. No patient harboured a virological failure during the follow-up. Moreover, there was no change in residual viraemia during the follow-up.

Conclusions

M184V/I as a unique NRTI resistance mutation, regardless of possible selection by regimens containing lamivudine/emtricitabine or abacavir, does not affect the virological response of well-controlled patients who switched to abacavir/lamivudine/dolutegravir for at least 12 months.
Wortmannin, a specific inhibitor of phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase, induces accumulation of DNA double-strand breaks
Authors: Ihara Makoto , Shichijo Kazuko , Takeshita Satoshi , Kudo Takashi
Published: January 2020

Wortmannin, a fungal metabolite, is a specific inhibitor of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K) family, which includes double-stranded DNA dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK) and ataxia telangiectasia mutated kinase (ATM). We investigated the effects of wortmannin on DNA damage in DNA-PK-deficient cells obtained from severe combined immunodeficient mice (SCID cells). Survival of wortmannin-treated cells decreased in a concentration-dependent manner. After treatment with 50 μM wortmannin, survival decreased to 60% of that of untreated cells. We observed that treatment with 20 and 50 μM wortmannin induced DNA damage equivalent to that by 0.37 and 0.69 Gy, respectively, of γ-ray radiation. The accumulation of DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs) in wortmannin-treated SCID cells was assessed using pulsed-field gel electrophoresis. The maximal accumulation was observed 4 h after treatment. Moreover, the presence of DSBs was confirmed by the ability of nuclear extracts from γ-ray-irradiated SCID cells to produce in vitro phosphorylation of histone H2AX. These results suggest that wortmannin induces cellular toxicity by accumulation of spontaneous DSBs through inhibition of ATM.
A new 3D model for genotoxicity assessment: EpiSkin™ Micronucleus Assay
Authors: Chen Lizao , Li Nan , Liu Yanfeng , Faquet Brigitte , Alépée Nathalie , Ding Chunmei , Eilstein Joan , Zhong Lingyan , Peng Zhengang , Ma Jie , Cai Zhenzi , Ouedraogo Gladys
Published: January 2020

The European Regulation on Cosmetics (no. 1223/2009) has prohibited the use of animals in safety testing since March 2009 for ingredients used in cosmetics. Irreversible events at the chromosome level (clastogenesis and aneugenesis) are commonly evaluated by scoring either micronuclei or chromosome aberrations using cell-based genotoxicity assays. Like most in vitro genotoxicity assays, the 2D in vitro micronucleus assay exhibits a poor specificity and does not mimic the dermal route. To address these limitations, the current project aims to develop and validate a 3D micronucleus assay using the EpiSkin™ model. This project is scientifically supported by the Cosmetics Europe Genotoxicity Task Force. In a first step, two key criteria for the development of micronucleus assay, namely, the sufficient yield of cells from the EpiSkin™ model and an acceptable proliferation rate of the basal layer, were assessed and demonstrated. Subsequently, six chemicals (vinblastine, n-ethylnitrosourea, β-butyrolactone, 2-acetylaminofluorene, 2,4-dichlorophenoland d-limonene) were evaluated in the EpiSkin™ Micronucleus Assay. At least two independent experiments using 48- and 72-h incubations were performed for each chemical. Results showed good inter-experimental reproducibility, as well as the correct identification of all six tested chemicals. The metabolism of 2-acetylaminofluorene on the EpiSkin™ model was also investigated and confirmed by the formation of an intermediate metabolite (2-aminofluorene). These preliminary results from the EpiSkin™ Micronucleus Assay indicate that it is a promising in vitro assay for assessing genotoxicity. The availability and suitability of this test method contribute significantly to the development of non-animal testing methods in China and its impact on the worldwide field.
The C-terminal tail of the yeast mitochondrial transcription factor Mtf1 coordinates template strand alignment, DNA scrunching and timely transition into elongation
Authors: Basu Urmimala , Lee Seung-Won , Deshpande Aishwarya , Shen Jiayu , Sohn Byeong-Kwon , Cho Hayoon , Kim Hajin , Patel Smita S
Published: January 2020

Mitochondrial RNA polymerases depend on initiation factors, such as TFB2M in humans and Mtf1 in yeast Saccharomyces cerevisiae, for promoter-specific transcription. These factors drive the melting of promoter DNA, but how they support RNA priming and growth was not understood. We show that the flexible C-terminal tails of Mtf1 and TFB2M play a crucial role in RNA priming by aiding template strand alignment in the active site for high-affinity binding of the initiating nucleotides. Using single-molecule fluorescence approaches, we show that the Mtf1 C-tail promotes RNA growth during initiation by stabilizing the scrunched DNA conformation. Additionally, due to its location in the path of the nascent RNA, the C-tail of Mtf1 serves as a sensor of the RNA–DNA hybrid length. Initially, steric clashes of the Mtf1 C-tail with short RNA–DNA hybrids cause abortive synthesis but clashes with longer RNA-DNA trigger conformational changes for the timely release of the promoter DNA to commence the transition into elongation. The remarkable similarities in the functions of the C-tail and σ3.2 finger of the bacterial factor suggest mechanistic convergence of a flexible element in the transcription initiation factor that engages the DNA template for RNA priming and growth and disengages when needed to generate the elongation complex.
Time for clinical decision support systems tailoring individual patient therapy to improve renal and cardiovascular outcomes in diabetes and nephropathy
Authors: de Zeeuw Dick , Heerspink Hiddo J L
Published: January 2020

The current guideline treatment for patients with diabetes and nephropathy to lower the high risk of renal and cardiovascular (CV) morbidity and mortality is based on results of clinical studies that have tested new drugs in large groups of patients with diabetes and high renal/CV risk. Although this has delivered breakthrough therapies like angiotensin receptor blockers, the residual renal/CV risk remains extremely high. Many subsequent trials have tried to further reduce this residual renal/CV risk, without much success. Post hoc analyses have indicated that these failures are, at least partly, due to a large variability in response between and within the patients. The current ‘group approach’ to designing and evaluating new drugs, as well as group-oriented drug registration and guideline recommendations, does not take this individual response variation into account. Like with antibiotics and cancer treatment, a more individual approach is warranted to effectively optimize individual results. New tools to better evaluate the individual risk change have been developed for improved clinical trial design and to avoid trial failures. One of these tools, the composite multiple parameter response efficacy score , is based on monitoring changes in all available risk factors and integrating them into a prediction of ultimate renal and CV risk reduction. This score has also been modelled into a clinical decision support system for use in monitoring and changing the therapy in individual patients to protect them from renal/CV events. In conclusion, future treatment of renal/CV risk in diabetes should transition from an era of ‘one size fits all’ into the new era of ‘a fit for each size’.
William Chambliss
Authors: Burke Alison S.
Published: January 2020

William “Bill” Chambliss is best known for his pioneering work in critical criminology, conflict theory, and state crime. Many of his seminal works focus on lawmaking, corruption, power discrepancies, and inequality. Chambliss was a professor of sociology at George Washington University for more than twenty years and in his impressive career, published more than twenty books and well over a dozen articles relating to conflict criminology and social problems. He received numerous awards, including two Lifetime Achievement Awards and the prestigious Edwin H. Sutherland Award, which recognizes outstanding contributions to theory or research in criminology, law, or justice, both from the American Society of Criminology. He also received the Bruce Smith Lifetime Achievement Award from the Academy of Criminal Justice Sciences, the PASS Award from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency, and in recognition of his outstanding accomplishments as an educator, he was inducted into the George Washington University Chapter of Golden Key International Honor Society and the National Honor Society for Outstanding Teachers. Chambliss’s primary contribution to criminology was to advance knowledge about who makes laws, how and why they are enforced, and who benefits from them. This is explored in relation to power structures, political economy, and social class and is exemplified in his fifty years of research on organized crime, corrupt politicians, drug dealers, and gang members.
Gender Quotas in Politics
Authors: Dahlerup Drude
Published: January 2020

Gender quotas in politics, also named “electoral gender quotas,” represent one of the major electoral reforms in world politics since the 1990s. It is an affirmative action measure, which requires a certain number or proportion of women—or of both men and women—among those nominated or elected. Previously, rather unpopular quotas for women existed in various forms in most communist countries, and in Pakistan since 1956, Bangladesh since 1972 with some interruptions, and in Egypt from 1979 to 1984. However, in the 1970s and 1980s, Greens, Left Socialist, and Social-Democratic parties in the Nordic countries started using minimum quotas for women for their internal organization and their lists for elections, so-called party quotas. The recent trend in quota adoption by law, i.e., legislated quotas, binding for all parties, started with Argentina’s quota law of 1991, which requires a minimum of 30 percent of candidates of each gender on the electoral lists. India was also among the first, although with a different, third type, named reserved seats quotas: Through a constitutional amendment, 1993–1994, one-third of the seats in the local councils, the Panchayats, was reserved for women in advance of the election. By the end of the 2010s, more than half the world’s countries had adopted some type of electoral gender quotas. It remains a controversial policy, even among feminist researchers, yet has proven to be an efficient affirmative action measure (a fast track policy), depending, however, on how quota rules fit the electoral system in place, additional rank order rules, and sanctions for non-compliance. The legitimacy of electoral gender quotas depends on the quota design and on the prevailing discourses on why women are under-represented—or why men are over-represented—seen in relation to their share of the population. Research on gender quotas in politics emerged with the rapid expansion of quotas, and this research, which is predominantly, but not exclusively, conducted by political scientists, has in itself contributed to the effectiveness of quotas, including through international consultancy. The CEDAW convention from 1979 paved the way for gender quotas by stating that the adoption of “temporary special measures aimed at accelerating de facto equality between men and women shall not be considered discrimination” (Art.4.1). Later, the UN Platform for Action, adopted in Beijing in 1995, linked equal participation of women and men in decision-making to the development of democracy. Transnational women’s movements have been instrumental to the adoption of this new global discourse, and national women’s movements to the implementation.
Electoral Institutions and Women’s Representation
Authors: FitzGerald Michael , Valdini Melody E.
Published: January 2020

While there are many factors that drive women’s descriptive representation (i.e., the percentage of women in the legislature) the electoral institutions generate some of the most powerful and consistent effects. In the first breaths of this literature, the focus was firmly on the impact of majoritarian electoral systems versus proportional representation (PR) systems on women’s descriptive representation. Since then, the literature has grown to engage broader ideas regarding the complicated nature of analyzing institutions in different cultural contexts and under different social conditions. Particularly in the later decades of the 20th century, scholars found that structural factors, such as economic disparities between men and women and the balance of women in careers that are typical paths to political office, were important to consider in concert with electoral rules. More recently, as more women gain access to the economic elite, the literature has focused more on cultural factors such as the historical legacies of Communism and the general societal reactions to women’s leadership. These non-institutional factors are now widely engaged as an important component of understanding why and to what extent we can expect an electoral system to generate a certain outcome. Beyond the impact of the electoral system itself, there is also relevant literature that engages how electoral institutions such as gender quotas and candidate selection processes affect women’s descriptive representation. There is wide variation in the design of gender quotas as well as candidate selection processes, just as there is in the design of electoral systems, and therefore a fuller understanding of the relationship between electoral institutions and women’s representation requires consideration of the interaction of candidate selection procedures, gender quotas, and electoral systems. For example, the presence of a placement mandate (i.e., a requirement stipulating where on the list women candidates must be positioned) or a decentralized candidate selection process each has a different effect on women’s representation in an electoral system that includes a preference vote. The sections below highlight some of the existing literature on electoral institutions and their impact on women’s descriptive representation. This is by no means an exhaustive list but does offer insight into the general themes and research areas that are common in this field of study.
Intersex
Authors: Carpenter Morgan
Published: January 2020

Intersex people are described by United Nations institutions as born with variations of sex characteristics that differ from medical and social norms for female or male bodies (see, for example, the 2019 report “Human Rights Violations against Intersex People,” by the Office of the High Commissioner for Human Rights). These variations are diverse and innate. Intersex human rights defenders and human rights institutions challenge the stigma and discrimination that intersex people face because of their physical variations, but few jurisdictions so far have tackled the human rights violations that intersex people suffer. There are multiple additional, contested, and incommensurate lenses through which intersex people are viewed. These express different values and beliefs about the same people, including their meaning, treatment, concerns, and demands. Medical lenses view intersex traits as “disorders of sex development” (DSD), and people with those traits are viewed as female or male and subjects for treatment. Anthropology and queer and gender studies have viewed intersex as an illustration of fallacies that underpin subjective cultural norms for sex and gender. Law increasingly views intersex people as members of a third sex. Historical research shows that intersex people, often termed hermaphrodites, have always existed, and often been accommodated.
Africa’s International Intellectual Property Law Regimes
Authors: Ncube Caroline B.
Published: January 2020

Intellectual property (IP) law is a knowledge governance system for creative works, marks, products, and processes that exists at domestic, regional, and international levels. National legislation creates economic and moral rights in works, marks, products, and processes. Generally, IP is categorized into two main classes, namely (i) industrial property and (ii) copyright and related rights. Industrial property encompasses patents, which protect product and process inventions; trademarks, which protect marks such as logos and brands; industrial designs; and geographical indications. Copyright protects creative works, including those of a literary, dramatic, musical, and artistic nature. Related rights protect performers, producers of phonograms or sound recordings, and broadcasters of radio and television programs. National IP legislation on each of these aspects is informed by binding international norms contained in agreements which the relevant state is party to. African states are party to several IP law regimes with other countries within the continent and beyond. International here means beyond continental borders, that is, arrangements for IP regulation with non-African state parties. This article outlines the literature on the engagement with, and participation in, international IP law regimes by African states and related literature on topical issues such as access, regional integration, international relations, innovation, development, biodiversity, plant breeders’ rights, and the protection of traditional knowledge. This work is based on the research supported in part by the National Research Foundation (NRF) of South Africa. Any opinion, finding and conclusion or recommendation expressed in this material is that of the author and the NRF does not accept any liability in this regard.
War Crimes
Authors: Kalpouzos Ioannis
Published: January 2020

The law of war crimes consists of the criminalization of the violations of the law of armed conflict (LOAC), also known as international humanitarian law (IHL), leading to individual criminal liability. Accordingly, the understanding of the law requires a discussion of a) the underlying regime of the LOAC, its general principles, and their application in specific rules; b) the relation between LOAC/IHL and the international criminal law (ICL) of war crimes; and c) the process of criminalization and enforcement, often through judicial institutions. All three steps are necessary for a doctrinal as well as a critical historical understanding of the legal regime and an appreciation of the role that the concept of war crimes plays in the regulation of war. The literature is rich with references to these questions, and to the tensions inherent in the relations between legal regimes or the process of criminalization and enforcement. This is evident whether the sources address ICL as a whole, the relationship between ICL and IHL, the role of courts and tribunals, or specific (categories of) war crimes. An interpretation of the underlying principles of IHL, its relation to ICL, and the process of criminalization and enforcement will also determine the stance of an author when they intervene in the development of the law of war crimes, for example by commenting on recent jurisprudence. Over the 20th century, the literature has encompassed arguments for the expansion of applicable law as well as more skeptical or conservative interpretations. Alongside and through formalist doctrinal arguments, different positions in the literature are informed by different understandings of the proper balance in the regulation of war and in the development of international law.
Land-Atmosphere Interactions
Authors: Henebry Geoffrey M. , Moore Nathan J. , Chen Jiquan
Published: January 2020

Land-atmosphere interactions encompass a multitude of processes that link the land surface with the atmospheric boundary layer. Interactions are bidirectional, include energy and material exchanges, and can include feedbacks that can amplify or attenuate coupled processes. Shortwave radiation drives most of the biogeophysical processes at the land surface. Photosynthetically active radiation (PAR) is the subset of shortwave radiation (400–700 nanometers) and is critical for most life on the planet. Thermal infrared is the more energetic subset of terrestrial radiation that results primarily from interactions of solar radiation with the land surface. Microwaves are an important subset of terrestrial radiation that facilitate monitoring both atmosphere and land surface. Net radiation is the energy left over after accounting for incoming direct and indirect solar radiation less outgoing solar radiation reflected by the surface, plus incoming longwave radiation (from water vapor and other gases in the atmosphere and terrestrial materials within view of the surface), less outgoing longwave radiation from the land surface. This radiation remaining at an “ideal surface” can be simply partitioned into energy transferred into the surface (ground heat flux) plus energy transferred to heat the atmosphere above the surface (sensible heat flux) plus energy transferred via evapotranspiration (latent heat flux) to moisten the atmosphere. Additionally, objects on the surface can absorb radiation and later radiate this stored heat. Photosynthesis uses only a small portion of incident energy. Precipitation on the surface may (1) return to the atmosphere as water vapor (latent heat flux), (2) move as liquid laterally to another surface point (runoff), (3) move as liquid below the surface (drainage), (4) be retained at or below the surface, including in the soil (storage), (5) be transported away, if frozen, from the surface by wind (advection), or combinations of these. Material exchanges between surface and atmosphere include mineral dust, organic particles, biota, and biological materials such as pollen, seeds, combustion products, volcanic ash and ejecta, trace gas emissions, and anthropogenic emissions from stationary and mobile sources. Interactions between the land surface and lower portion of the atmosphere at various time scales from seconds to centuries are influenced by the amount and type of incident sunlight, radiative characteristics of the materials at the surface, amount of moisture at and below the surface, vegetation amount and type, soils and substrate, vertical structures at the surface that affect wind, land cover type and arrangement, atmospheric constituents, and recent weather. Here we focus on interactions moving from land to the atmosphere.
“Asking Is Never Bad, I Would Venture on That”: Patients’ Perspectives on Routine Pain Screening in VA Primary Care
Authors: Giannitrapani Karleen F , Haverfield Marie C , Lo Natalie K , McCaa Matthew D , Timko Christine , Dobscha Steven K , Kerns Robert D , Lorenz Karl A
Published: January 2020

Objective

Screening for pain in routine care is one of the efforts that the Veterans Health Administration has adopted in its national pain management strategy. We aimed to understand patients’ perspectives and preferences about the experience of being screened for pain in primary care.

Design

Semistructured interviews captured patient perceptions and preferences of pain screening, assessment, and management.

Subjects

We completed interviews with 36 patients: 29 males and seven females ranging in age from 28 to 94 years from three geographically distinct VA health care systems.

Methods

We evaluated transcripts using constant comparison and identified emergent themes.

Results

Theme 1: Pain screening can “determine the tone of the examination”; Theme 2: Screening can initiate communication about pain; Theme 3: Screening can facilitate patient recall and reflection; Theme 4: Screening for pain may help identify under-reported psychological pain, mental distress, and suicidality; Theme 5: Patient recommendations about how to improve screening for pain.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that patients perceive meaningful, positive impacts of routine pain screening that as yet have not been considered in the literature. Specifically, screening for pain may help capture mental health concerns that may otherwise not emerge.
Remission and low disease activity in psoriatic arthritis publications: a systematic literature review with meta-analysis
Authors: Hagège Benjamin , Tan Elina , Gayraud Martine , Fautrel Bruno , Gossec Laure , Mitrovic Stéphane
Published: January 2020

Objectives

Remission (REM) or low disease activity (LDA) is the treatment target in psoriatic arthritis (PsA). The objective of this study was to assess the reporting and prevalence of REM/LDA in published studies of PsA.

Methods

This was a systematic literature review of all clinical papers published in PubMed, EMBASE or Cochrane database in English between 2012 and 2019 in the field of PsA. Data were collected regarding reporting of REM/LDA by very low disease activity/minimal disease activity (VLDA/MDA), Disease Activity index for Psoriatic Arthritis (DAPSA), or Disease Activity Score 28 joints (DAS28). The pooled rates of REM and LDA by each definition were calculated by random effect meta-analysis.

Results

In all, 258 publications (corresponding to 114 651 patients), of which 81 (31%) were randomized controlled trials, were analysed: patients’ mean age was 49.4 ( 4.4) years; with a mean disease duration of 8.5 ( 3.8) years. REM/LDA was reported in 91/258 (35.3%) publications. VLDA/MDA was used in 61/91 (67.0%) studies, DAPSA in 27/91 (29.6%) and DAS28 in 28/91 (30.7%), with 40/91 (43.9%) papers reporting several of these definitions. The pooled prevalence (lower–upper limits) of REM was 13.1% (10.9–15.4), 23.1% (16.8–30.1) and 42.1% (33.9–50.4) using VLDA, DAPSA-REM and DAS28, respectively. For LDA the pooled prevalence was 36.3% (32.3–40.5), 52.8% (41.8–63.6) and 60.4% (52.5–68.0) using MDA, DAPSA-LDA and DAS28, respectively.

Conclusion

REM/LDA status was reported in only1/3 of recent studies on PsA, with important variations in the frequency of these outcomes according to the definition used: 13.1–42.1% for REM, and 36.3–60.4% for LDA. This highlights the need for consensus.
Timing of Repair in Tetralogy of Fallot: Effects on Outcomes and Myocardial Health
Authors: Peck Daniel , Tretter Justin , Possner Mathias , Yutzey Katherine , Zafar Farhan , Morales David , Alsaied Tarek
Published: January 2020

Early complete repair of tetralogy of Fallot (ToF) prior to 1 year of age has been demonstrated to be safe and has survival benefits over late repair. The age at repair of ToF affects long-term outcomes. This may largely be related to preserved, or comparatively better, myocardial health. Most studies advocate for an age of repair between 3 and 6 months and certainly below the age of 1 year. Patients with severe right ventricular outflow tract obstruction represent an exception to this rule and may require neonatal repair or surgical and catheter-based palliation before surgery. Older age at repair beyond the first birthday leads to unfavorable right ventricular remodeling with increased right ventricular stiffness and hypertrophy and is associated with increased long-term ventricular tachycardia and all-cause mortality. In this article, we review the short- and long-term benefits of early repair, with a focus on long-term morbidity. In conclusion, we emphasize the importance of myocardial health and the relationship to early repair and advocate for the use of magnetic resonance imaging in adult patients with repaired ToF to detect myocardial fibrosis.
Catecholaminergic Polymorphic Ventricular Tachycardia
Authors: Kim Chan W. , Aronow Wilbert S. , Dutta Tanya , Frenkel Daniel , Frishman William H.
Published: January 2020

Catecholaminergic polymorphic ventricular tachycardia (CPVT) is a rare congenital arrhythmogenic disorder induced by physical or emotional stress. It mainly affects children and younger adults and is characterized by rapid polymorphic and bidirectional ventricular tachycardia. Symptoms can include dizziness, palpitations, and presyncope, which may progress to syncope, hypotonia, convulsive movements, and sudden cardiac death. CPVT is the result of perturbations in Ca2+ ion handling in the sarcoplasmic reticulum of cardiac myocytes. Mutations in the cardiac ryanodine receptor gene and the calsequestrin isoform 2 gene are most commonly seen in familial CPVT patients. Under catecholaminergic stimulation, either mutation can result in an excess Ca2+ load during diastole resulting in delayed after depolarization and subsequent arrhythmogenesis. The current first-line treatment for CPVT is β-blocker therapy. Other therapeutic interventions that can be used in conjunction with β-blockers include moderate exercise training, flecainide, left cardiac sympathetic denervation, and implantable cardioverter-defibrillators. Several potential therapeutic interventions, including verapamil, dantrolene, JTV519, and gene therapy, are also discussed.