bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Indebtedness and the Curation of a Black Archive: Comments on David Goldberg’s Conversation with Achille Mbembe
Authors: Shilliam Robbie
Published: November 2018

Addressing Mbembe’s interview with Goldberg and reflecting upon the book – Critique of Black Reason (2017) – that the interview probes, the author points to a tension in Mbembe’s thought. Mbembe apprehends black reason as all-at-once ‘reason’s unreason’ and the remaking-reasonable of reason. In this respect, there is a clear sense of a simultaneity of imposition–struggle and destruction–repair. Yet this ethos of simultaneity is in tension with Mbembe’s sequential exposition of the black archive, especially the indebtedness of the ‘response’ by blacks to the reasoning about blacks. In his response, the author works through the productive tension between ethos and sequence as a way to demonstrate the richness of Mbembe’s curation of a black archive.
Assistance and resistance of (hydro-)power: Contested relationships of control over the Volta River, Ghana
Authors: Wissing Kirsty
Published: November 2018

In this article, I examine human attempts to control water, and water’s inherent potential for disorder, by focusing on the Volta River and Akosombo Dam in Ghana. I suggest that, in regard to the work of Wittfogel, Kwame Nkrumah’s famous vision of Ghanaian nationalism and pan-African sovereignty was a kind of Wittfogelian reading of waterscapes as manipulated to facilitate political power. In the conception and construction of the massive Akosombo Dam in the traditional area of the Akwamu people in southern Ghana, Nkrumah attempted to reshape society through the control of water. Local Akwamu people have different visions about who can control water, how water can (or sometimes cannot) be controlled, and how deities are the most authoritative actors in any human engagements with water and its flow. Akwamu understandings of hydro-sociality can be seen as a critique of Wittfogelian models of hydraulic societies. I also draw on the work of Fontein and also Keane, to suggest how water’s ‘indexical’ (causal or connective) relationship to power is always a matter of contest, and water’s material properties means it ultimately escapes definitive human control.
Development of a fluid-structure interaction model to simulate mitral valve malcoaptation
Authors: Hassani Kamran , Karimi Alireza , Dehghani Ali , Tavakoli Golpaygani Ali , Abdi Hamed , Espino Daniel M.
Published: November 2018

Object:

Mitral regurgitation (MR) is a condition in which the mitral valve does not prevent the reversal of blood flow from the left ventricle into the left atrium. This study aimed at numerically developing a model to mimic MR and poor leaflet coaptation and also comparing the performance of a normal mitral valve to that of the MR conditions at different gap junctions of 1, 3 and 5 mm between the anterior and posterior leaflets.

Results:

The results revealed no blood flow to the left ventricle when a gap between the leaflets was 0 mm. However, MR increased this blood flow, with increases in the velocity and pressure within the atrium. However, the pressure within the aorta did not vary meaningfully (ranging from 22 kPa for a ‘healthy’ model to 25 kPa for severe MR).

Conclusions:

The findings from this study have implications not only for understanding the changes in pressure and velocity as a result of MR in the ventricle, atrium or aorta, but also for the development of a computational model suitable for clinical translation when diagnosing and determining treatment for MR.
Dynamic analysis of a closed-circuit hydraulic drive system used in the rotary head of blasthole drilling machine using MATLAB–Simulink environment
Authors: Vardhan Alok , Dasgupta K , Mishra Santosh Kumar
Published: November 2018

Hydraulic drive system plays a critical and important role in blasthole drilling machines. Such machines are used for drilling the soft and the medium-hard formations of rocks in open-pit mines. In the present work, the dynamic analysis linked with a closed-circuit hydraulic drive system intended for the rotary head of blasthole drilling machine is executed in order to examine its performance with respect to two different operating conditions of the drilling machine. Based on this perspective, the comprehensive modelling, simulation and the testing of the drive have been carried out. Simulations are performed in MATLAB–Simulink environment. Under the conditions of steady-state nature of the model, the analytical relations among the loss coefficients associated with the drive and the other variables of the system are got by means of test investigations. Utilising them and the parametric values obtained from the manufacturer’s data, the test validation corresponding to the overall dynamic model of the hydraulic drive system is accomplished. A thorough examination has been conducted focussing on the effects of the vital parameters upon the performance linked with the hydraulic drive system. The studies are also made with respect to the efficiency and the energy consumption of the drive.
Farm animal protection policymaking and the law: The impetus for change
Authors: White Steven
Published: November 2018

This article explores problems underpinning standard-setting for the protection of farm animals in Australia which have provoked calls for change and considers the approach recently advocated by the Productivity Commission.
Damage localization using shape change in uniform load surface for civil large-span space structures
Authors: Yan Guirong , Li Tiantian , Yu Jianxin , Feng Ruoqiang , Shao Xiaoyun
Published: November 2018

Civil large-span space structures have been widely built for public assembly venues. The failure of this type of structure may endanger the lives of many people. Considering that the member configuration of this type of structure may follow a regular pattern and damage in a local region may destroy the regular pattern, a damage detection approach based on the change in structural shape has been proposed by the present authors. In that approach, to obtain the change in structural shape due to damage, the displacements at joints between members are required to be measured. Since it is difficult to measure displacements on this type of structure in practice, in this study, the authors proposed to use the shape change of the uniform load surface for damage localization. Uniform load surface physically represents the deflection profile of the structure under the assumed uniformly distributed loading and can be calculated from the flexibility matrix constructed from the identified natural frequencies and mode shapes. This approach can locate damage to exact structural members. It will avoid costly and tedious work in measuring displacements. This approach has been numerically validated on single-layer space structures with two different member configurations.
Capital Cities in Interurban Competition: Local Autonomy, Urban Governance, and Locational Policy Making
Authors: Kaufmann David
Published: November 2018

Capital cities are government cities that tend to lack a competitive political economy. Especially secondary capital cities—defined as capitals that are not the primary economic centers of their nation-states—are pressured to increase their economic competitiveness in today’s globalized interurban competition by formulating locational policies. This article compares the locational policies agendas of Bern, Ottawa, The Hague, and Washington, D.C. The comparison reveals that (1) secondary capital cities tend to formulate development-oriented locational policies agendas, (2) local tax autonomy best explains the variance in locational policies agendas, and (3) secondary capital cities possess urban governance arrangements where public actors dominate and where developers are the only relevant private actors. The challenge for secondary capital cities is to formulate locational policies that enable them to position themselves as government cities, as well as business cities, while not solely relying on the development of their physical infrastructure.
From non-local Eringen’s model to fractional elasticity
Authors: Evgrafov Anton , Bellido José C.
Published: November 2018

Eringen’s model is one of the most popular theories in non-local elasticity. It has been applied to many practical situations with the objective of removing anomalous stress concentrations around geometric shape singularities, which appear when local modelling is used. Despite the great popularity of Eringen’s model within the mechanical engineering community, even the most basic questions such as the existence and uniqueness of solutions have been rarely considered in research literature for this model. In this work we focus on precisely these questions, proving that the model is in general ill-posed in the case of smooth kernels, the case which appears rather often in numerical studies. We also consider the case of singular, non-smooth kernels and for the paradigmatic case of Riesz potential we establish the well-posedness of the model in fractional Sobolev spaces. For such a kernel, in dimension one the model reduces to the well-known fractional Laplacian. Finally, we discuss possible extensions of Eringen’s model to spatially heterogeneous material distributions.
Unthinking images of time in organizations: ‘The shopping centre keeps time with a rubato waltz’
Authors: Mohammed Sideeq
Published: November 2018

Drawing on a recent ethnographic enquiry, this article reports on a series of encounters with organization at a British shopping centre that can shed light on the ways in which time is understood by organizational scholars. This article argues that research on time has a tendency to reproduce certain images and metaphors which indicate an unquestioned set of metaphysical assumptions about the nature of time that dictate how it can be understood. These habits of thinking time render organization studies unable to conceptualize or adequately describe the encounters that characterize ethnography as a mode of research inquiry. As such, following in the tradition of Gilles Deleuze, this article advances the idea of a ‘conceptual entanglement’ and suggests thereby that the problem of time is an aesthetic one which is part of a complex and almost ineffable series of sensoria and connections; describable only by saying that the shopping centre keeps time with a rubato waltz. This work of unthinking time will be presented as a part of an account of ethnography as the tracing and parsing of the entanglements of many different concepts and field encounters.
The sociocultural realm in relation to environment, biology, and history: Notes on Van Gennep and the emerging social sciences of his day
Authors: Goldberg Harvey E
Published: November 2018

Van Gennep’s research interests were located in the region where the fields of folklore, anthropology, sociology, and religion overlapped. His Rites de passage reflected a broad approach to ritual and social life that took into account the natural environment, biology, and history. This article scans his interests and emphases in relation to the American school of cultural anthropology that developed in the twentieth century. It assesses parallels and differences, and points to areas deserving further clarification such as Van Gennep’s understanding of language.
The ambivalence of purification and the challenge of transformation in The Rites of Passage and in early Christian texts
Authors: Blidstein Moshe
Published: November 2018

In this article I analyze Van Gennep’s understanding of purity, impurity, and purification and its relationship with ancient Christian texts discussing these subjects. Through this comparison, I show how modern and ancient theories of ritual can illuminate each other, and more specifically, how purification was a problematic and ambivalent concept for both ancient Christian writers and for Van Gennep, making it a fruitful one for investigating the thought of both.
Gifts in Rites of Passage or gifts as rites of passage? Standing at the threshold between Van Gennep and Marcel Mauss
Authors: Silber Ilana F
Published: November 2018

This article revisits Arnold Van Gennep’s Rites de passage from the point of view of gift theory. Gifts emerge as quasi-omnipresent and in association with all sorts as well as all phases of rites of passage in Van Gennep’s text. However, he never explicitly addresses nor problematizes this pervasive connection between gifts and rites of passage. In contrast with Marcel Mauss’s later Essai sur le don, moreover, Rites de passage tends to relate to gift-exchange in either mere instrumental, economic terms, or as a rather simple and efficient, binding and “unifying” mechanism, while displaying none of Mauss’s complementary attentiveness to the agonistic as well as more complex and contradictory features of gift processes. Yet, precisely the ideas of margin and liminality for which Van Gennep’s became best known, but which did not seep at all into his own treatment of gifts, may be drawn upon to approach gift interactions as ritual processes, perhaps even rites of passage, with liminal phases and anti-structural features of their own kind. Such an angle of analysis happens to converge with current approaches to the gift that have underscored the part it may play in fraught dynamics of mutual definition and recognition in human interactions. It might also suggest new ways of interpreting the deep, recurrent association between gifts and rites of passage, which Rites de passage unwittingly contributed to highlight, but still needs to be further explored and conceptualized.
Reliability-based load-carrying capacity assessment of bridges using structural health monitoring and nonlinear analysis
Authors: Jamali Shojaeddin , Chan Tommy HT , Nguyen Andy , Thambiratnam David P
Published: November 2018

For assessment of existing bridges, load rating is usually performed to assess the capacity against vehicular loading. Codified load rating can be conservative if the rating is not coupled with the field data or if simplifications are incorporated into assessment. Recent changes made to the Australian Bridge assessment code (AS 5100.7) distinguish the difference between design and assessment requirements, and include addition of structural health monitoring for bridge assessment. However, very limited guidelines are provided regarding higher order assessment levels, where more refined approaches are required to optimize the accuracy of the assessment procedure. This article proposes a multi-tier assessment procedure for capacity estimation of existing bridges using a combination of structural health monitoring techniques, advanced nonlinear analysis, and probabilistic approaches to effectively address the safety issues on aging bridges. Assessment of a Box Girder bridge was carried out according to the proposed multi-tier assessment, using data obtained from modal and destructive testing. Results of analysis at different assessment tiers showed that both load-carrying capacity and safety index of the bridge vary significantly if current bridge information is used instead of as-designed bridge information. Findings emerged from this study demonstrated that accuracy of bridge assessment is significantly improved when structural health monitoring techniques along with reliability approaches and nonlinear finite element analysis are incorporated, which will have important implications that are relevant to both practitioners and asset managers.
A privacy-preserving Internet of Things device management scheme based on blockchain
Authors: He Qingsu , Xu Yu , Liu Zhoubin , He Jinhong , Sun You , Zhang Rui
Published: November 2018

Blockchain as a new technique has attracted attentions from industry and academics for sharing data across organizations. Many blockchain-based data sharing applications, such as Internet of Things devices management, need privacy-preserving access services over encrypted data with dual capabilities. On one hand, they need to keep the sensitive data private such that others cannot trace and infer sensitive data stored in the block. On the other hand, they need to support fine-grained access control both from time and users’ attributes. However, to the best of our knowledge, no blockchain systems can support time-bound and attributes-based access with high efficiency. In this article, we propose a privacy-preserving Internet of Things devices management scheme based on blockchain, which provides efficient time-bound and attribute-based access and supports key automatic revocation. The analysis and experiments show that our scheme is quite efficient and deployable.
Reliability evaluation of wireless multimedia sensor networks based on instantaneous availability
Authors: Yang Yi , Wang Sixin , Xu Wei , Wei Kunlun
Published: November 2018

With the widespread application of wireless multimedia sensor networks, the issue of network reliability has attracted more and more attention. In this article, a new reliability evaluation method of wireless multimedia sensor network is proposed. The failure is regarded as a percolation process, and the percolation threshold is taken as the failure indicator in this method. Accordingly, instantaneous availability model of wireless multimedia sensor network is established combining percolation theory and Markov process on the basis of reliability characteristics analysis. By Laplace transformation, the analytic solution is worked out, and one numerical example is given to verify the model comparing with existing studies. Finally, numerical simulation analyses are used to show the impact of different parameters on instantaneous availability, and the ways to suppress fluctuations are obtained by comparing with fluctuation images.
Community Surveillance of Child Nutrition
Authors: Taylor Carl E.
Published: November 2018

A new approach to community-based nutritional surveillance has potential for improving programmes for growth promotion by focusing on the children at greatest risk and increasing the capacity for appropriate action. First, cross-sectional surveys can help to identify where malnutrition is distributed in the community so that high-risk groups can be targeted for intensive monitoring. Second, field studies can be conducted in parallel with general implementation to help define causal factors influencing local patterns of growth faltering and guide selection of an appropriate mix of interventions and methods to suit local conditions. This information can provide a better basis for training mothers, volunteers, and service personnel.

Cultural, ecological, and economic constraints need to be identified as part of stimulating self-reliant community action. Demonstration of locally relevant and simplified procedures by a field research unit in each region should be linked with systematic extension to all parts of that region. These field research units should themselves be linked in a mutually supportive national and international network. Feedback of information from community-based surveillance can assist policy and administrative decisions for programme correction. These methods may provide our most direct means of introducing and measuring “adjustment with a human face.”
The Contribution of Severe Malnutrition to Child Mortality in Rural Bangladesh: Implications for Targeting Nutritional Interventions
Authors: Fauveau Vincent , Briend André , Chakraborty Jyotsnamoy , Sarder Abdul Majid
Published: November 2018

The contribution of severe malnutrition to child mortality was examined in a rural Bangladeshi population of 200,000 under intensive demographic surveillance. In 1986–1987 one-third of all the deaths in children between 6 and 36 months of age were associated with severe malnutrition, and 79% of those deaths were associated with persistent diarrhoea. The relative risk of dying from diarrhoea among severely malnourished children, as opposed to those who were not severely malnourished, was 17. The attributable risk was 49%. For all causes of death combined, the relative risk was 8 and the attributable risk 30%. Sixty per cent of all deaths in this age group occurred during the five post-monsoon months. The risk of dying from severe malnutrition was more than twice as high among girls as among boys. The specific mortality due to severe malnutrition was significantly lower in the half of the surveillance area covered by an intensive mother-child health and family planning (MCH-FP) programme than in the half covered by the regular national health services, suggesting the programme's effectiveness.
Relationship between Iron Bio-Availability from Diets and the Prevalence of iron Deficiency
Authors: Layrisse Miguel , Martínez-Torres Carlos , Méndez-Castellano Hernán , Taylor Peter , Fossi Marlene , de Blanco Mercedes López , Landaeta-Jiménez Maritza , Jaffe Werner , Leets Irene , Tropper Eleonora , García-Casal Maria Nieves , Ramirez José
Published: November 2018

Iron bioavailability was determined by the extrinsic label method in seven diets consumed by low, middle, and high socio-economic strata of the Venezuelan population. The results were compared with physiologic iron requirements and the prevalence of iron deficiency according to age and sex of others in the same strata. The iron metabolic balance obtained by comparing the iron absorption from diets with the physiologic iron requirement was negative in subjects consuming the low-bioavailability diets, being more marked in children below four years of age, and in adolescents and adult females. These groups also showed the highest prevalence of iron deficiency with and without anaemia. The metabolic iron balance in subjects consuming high iron-bioavailability diets was less negative among vulnerable groups consuming low-bioavailability diets and positive in the age and sex groups less vulnerable to iron deficiency. This information was used to identify the principal categories of dietary iron bioavailability in various regions of the world and their effect on the prevalence of iron deficiency.
Caracterización De La Lactancia Materna En Cuba
Authors: Amador Manuel , Silva Luis C. , Uriburu Graciela , Valdés Francisco
Published: November 2018

Data from a national sample of 6,688 infants from birth to one year old are analysed. The children were studied by the “status quo” method, using univariate logistic regression, together with several specially created indices, which constitute a methodological contribution. Very low/levels of exclusive breast-feeding were found, particularly at three months of age (prevalence of 25% for the whole country, when it should still be being practiced for all children. In a considerable number of cases it had been begun but then abandoned: flour out of ten babies who were breast-fed at birth were consuming other milk 90 days/later. The geographic pattern of breast-feeding across the country reveals a historical/truck of cultural influence that has weakened natural/habits through the incorporation of Western behavioural values.
Some Issues and Problems in the Usefulness of Chemical Composition Data across Boundaries
Authors: Bressani Ricardo
Published: November 2018

This paper discusses some of the issues and problems of using Latin American food composition tables. Little effort has been made to upgrade the quality of the data and increase the number of nutrients per food since 1960, when most of the tables were published. Four main issues which may cause problems in the interchange of food composition data are discussed: (I) identification, classification, and description of the sample; (2) specific factors that influence the chemical composition of the food; (3) processing factors, and (4) analysis of the sample. The paper concludes that the analytical values of the foods of one region can be used in another region if there is a process of selection that takes into consideration all possible information on the sample. Increased communication between countries would enhance the use of foreign data.
Objectives, Research Design, and Implementation of the Incap Longitudinal Study
Authors: Habicht Jean-Pierre , Martorell Reynaldo
Published: November 2018

The INCAP longitudinal study (1969–1977) was carried out in four Guatemalan villages to assess the effects of intra-uterine and preschool malnutrition on growth and mental development. To achieve this, food supplements were provided to pregnant women and young children. Two villages were given a high-protein, high-energy drink and two a no-protein, low-energy drink. Both supplements contained vitamins and minerals. The key features of the final study design implemented in 1969 are noted, together with its strengths and weaknesses. The selection of the study villages is described in detail, and the nature of the randomized nutritional intervention and that of the medical care programme offered to all the villages are presented. The methods of data collection and quality-control procedures are also detailed. The information should be of interest to those wishing to use and understand the INCAP/Cornell data set.
Home Garden Agriculture in Kerala Revisited
Authors: Salam M. Abdul , Babu K. Sathees , Mohanakumaran N.
Published: November 2018

We studied the characteristics of home gardens in Kerala and compared them with commercial agriculture. Based on this study, home garden agriculture as practiced in the tropics may be defined as a need-oriented, intensive, and integrated multi-species production system around the dwellings in small-holdings (not exceeding 1 ha), aimed to achieve greater resource use efficiency with biological productivity and environmental sustainability.
Review of Surveys and Supplementation Studies of Anaemia in Indonesia
Authors: Muhilal  , Sumarno Iman , Komari
Published: November 2018

Iron-deficiency anaemia is one of the main nutritional problems in Indonesia, with a prevalence of 63.5% in pregnant women and 55.5% in pre-school children. Its frequency is related to low iron and folic acid contents of the diet. Intervention programmes to alleviate irondeficiency anaemia are iron tablets for adults, iron syrup for infants and schoolchildren, and iron fortification of foods. Our studies have demonstrated that iron supplementation can reduce the prevalence of anaemia in pregnant women by 20% to 25%, and iron fortification can reduce it by 20% for those consuming the fortified foods. If iron-supplementation, iron-fortification, and diet-modification programmes were fully implemented in a community, the expected reduction in the prevalence of anaemia would be greater.
Effects of Iron Fortification in a School Feeding Scheme and Anthelmintic Therapy on the Iron Status and Growth of Six- to Eight-Year-Old Schoolchildren
Authors: Kruger Marita , Badenhorst Chad J. , Mansvelt Erna P. G. , Laubscher Jacoba A. , Benadé A. J. Spinnler
Published: November 2018

The effect of iron fortification of soup in a school feeding scheme (20 mg iron and 100 mg vitamin C per portion) and anthelmintic therapy on haematological and iron status and on growth was studied in 179 schoolchildren age six to eight years. Measurements were performed before and at the end of a six-month intervention and repeated five months later. In children with low baseline iron stores (serum ferritin <20 μg/L), iron fortification was associated with increases in haemoglobin (p <.05), mean corpuscular volume (p <.01), and serum ferritin (p<.0001), compared with children who received unfortified soup. Significant positive effects of the anthelmintic therapy on haemoglobin concentrations (p < .05) and height-for-age Z scores (p<.01) were found. Children with adequate baseline iron stores showed smaller but similar changes.
A shortcut method for solving long-term thermal dynamic analysis of aircraft fuel tank by thermal node network analysis and OpenFOAM software
Authors: Wang Ri , Dong Sujun , Meng Fanchao , Guo Dechun
Published: November 2018

This article addresses a long-term thermal dynamic analysis problem for aircraft fuel tank and the related solution. The new method combines the thermal node network analysis and the finite element numerical calculation based on the OpenFOAM software. Compared to the thermal node network analysis algorithm, the computational precision is significantly improved by numerical calculation on more delicate grid in the solid region. On the other hand, compared to conventional finite element numerical calculation method, the computational efficiency is significantly improved since the liquid level at every moment is determined by the volume integral of every grid along the gravity direction instead of volume of fluid method on the Fluent software and two thermal nodes are used to represent the air and the fuel, respectively, and solve the two-phase heat transfer with the fuel tank by the aid of grid computation of the heat exchange area. Taken a typical fuel tank heated by aerodynamic heat as an example, the results comparing to the volume of fluid calculation by Fluent software show that the computation time is reduced to 10.3%, while the max deviation of the tank wall temperature is kept within 6.5%, which meets the requirements of engineering calculation precision.
Gear fault diagnosis method based on wavelet-packet independent component analysis and support vector machine with kernel function fusion
Authors: Pan Lizheng , Zhu Dashuai , She Shigang , Song Aiguo , Shi Xianchuan , Duan Suolin
Published: November 2018

Aiming at the problem of gear fault diagnosis, in order to effectively extract the features and improve the accuracy of gear fault diagnosis, the method based on wavelet-packet independent component analysis and support vector machine with kernel function fusion is proposed in this research. The proposed wavelet-packet independent component analysis feature extraction method can effectively combine the advantages of wavelet packet and independent component analysis methods and acquire more comprehensive feature information. Besides, the proposed kernel-function-fusion support vector machine can well integrate the advantage characteristics of each kernel function. The energy features of wavelet packet coefficients are acquired with four-layer wavelet packet decomposition and then the extracted energy features are further optimized by the independent component analysis method. The kernel-function-fusion support vector machine method is adopted to realize the gear fault diagnosis. Two kernel function models with the best self-classification accuracy are employed to serve the gear fault diagnosis corporately. The test samples are primarily classified by the main kernel function model, and then some samples are selected to be reclassified with the other kernel function model. Finally, the two kernel function models cooperate to determine the type of test samples. The comparison investigations demonstrate that the proposed method based on wavelet-packet independent component analysis and support vector machine with kernel function fusion achieves very high diagnosis accuracy.
Bayesian information fusion for degradation analysis of deteriorating products with individual heterogeneity
Authors: Guo Junyu , Huang Hong-Zhong , Peng Weiwen , Zhou Jie
Published: November 2018

Degradation analysis is a popular and effective method for reliability analysis of long-life and high-reliability products. However, for newly developed products, especially for highly customized products with small sample size, the challenge of sparse degradation observations with product heterogeneity is still an open issue deserving further research. In this article, Bayesian degradation analysis is presented for reliability analysis of products with heterogeneity. The degradation process is modeled by a Gamma process. Random effects are incorporated in the Gamma process model for characterizing the individual heterogeneity. To improve the precision of parameter estimation and degradation analysis, a Bayesian information fusion is presented to leverage degradation information from multiple sources. The proposed model is demonstrated through degradation-based reliability analysis of heavy-duty machine tool’s spindle system, which is characterized as degradation analysis with individual heterogeneity and information fusion.
Challenging consultations
Authors: Neighbour Roger
Published: November 2018

A typical surgery in general practice will usually contain at least one consultation that does not go well, leaving doctor or patient, or both, feeling puzzled, dissatisfied or frustrated. And every GP will be able to name a few individuals whom they find so consistently debilitating as to be labelled ‘heart-sink patients’. You know who they are: the ‘Unrealistic expecters’; the ‘Nothing ever works’ or the ‘While I’m here’ brigade; the people with long lists or short fuses; the somatisers; the sufferers from medically inexplicable symptoms who nevertheless want endless investigations and referrals; those who have already consulted Dr Google. In this article I will try to tease out why it is that we find some patients difficult, and offer some suggestions for what we can do about it, (or at the very least make our consultations with them easier to bear).
Evaluation of pregnancy outcomes in patients with multiple sclerosis after fingolimod exposure
Authors: Geissbühler Yvonne , Vile Jere , Koren Gideon , Guennec Morgane , Butzkueven Helmut , Tilson Hugh , MacDonald Thomas M. , Hellwig Kerstin
Published: November 2018

Background and Methods:

Limited data are available on the safety of fingolimod in pregnant women. We estimated the risk of adverse pregnancy outcomes in women with multiple sclerosis (MS) exposed to fingolimod either shortly before or during pregnancy in prospectively collected cases from clinical trials, observational studies, surveillance programs, and spontaneous reports.

Results:

The prevalence of major malformations among live births does not appear to be significantly higher than those in the general population and the unexposed MS population. Similarly, the prevalence of cardiac malformations observed in this analysis was not significantly different from that of the general population. Proportions of miscarriage were in line with those of the general and unexposed MS population and no specific pattern of birth defects was identified.

Conclusions:

These data can help inform healthcare professionals and women with MS exposed to fingolimod during conception.
Liver iron sensing and body iron homeostasis
Authors: Wang Chia-Yu , Babitt Jodie L.
Published: November 2018

The liver orchestrates systemic iron balance by producing and secreting hepcidin. Known as the iron hormone, hepcidin induces degradation of the iron exporter ferroportin to control iron entry into the bloodstream from dietary sources, iron recycling macrophages, and body stores. Under physiologic conditions, hepcidin production is reduced by iron deficiency and erythropoietic drive to increase the iron supply when needed to support red blood cell production and other essential functions. Conversely, hepcidin production is induced by iron loading and inflammation to prevent the toxicity of iron excess and limit its availability to pathogens. The inability to appropriately regulate hepcidin production in response to these physiologic cues underlies genetic disorders of iron overload and deficiency, including hereditary hemochromatosis and iron-refractory iron deficiency anemia. Moreover, excess hepcidin suppression in the setting of ineffective erythropoiesis contributes to iron-loading anemias such as β-thalassemia, whereas excess hepcidin induction contributes to iron-restricted erythropoiesis and anemia in chronic inflammatory diseases. These diseases have provided key insights into understanding the mechanisms by which the liver senses plasma and tissue iron levels, the iron demand of erythrocyte precursors, and the presence of potential pathogens and, importantly, how these various signals are integrated to appropriately regulate hepcidin production. This review will focus on recent insights into how the liver senses body iron levels and coordinates this with other signals to regulate hepcidin production and systemic iron homeostasis.
SNARE-dependent membrane fusion initiates α-granule matrix decondensation in mouse platelets
Authors: Pokrovskaya Irina D. , Joshi Smita , Tobin Michael , Desai Rohan , Aronova Maria A. , Kamykowski Jeffrey A. , Zhang Guofeng , Whiteheart Sidney W. , Leapman Richard D. , Storrie Brian
Published: November 2018

Platelet α-granule cargo release is fundamental to both hemostasis and thrombosis. Granule matrix hydration is a key regulated step in this process, yet its mechanism is poorly understood. In endothelial cells, there is evidence for 2 modes of cargo release: a jack-in-the-box mechanism of hydration-dependent protein phase transitions and an actin-driven granule constriction/extrusion mechanism. The third alternative considered is a prefusion, channel-mediated granule swelling, analogous to the membrane “ballooning” seen in procoagulant platelets. Using thrombin-stimulated platelets from a set of secretion-deficient, soluble N-ethylmaleimide factor attachment protein receptor (SNARE) mutant mice and various ultrastructural approaches, we tested predictions of these mechanisms to distinguish which best explains the α-granule release process. We found that the granule decondensation/hydration required for cargo expulsion was (1) blocked in fusion-protein-deficient platelets; (2) characterized by a fusion-dependent transition in granule size in contrast to a preswollen intermediate; (3) determined spatially with α-granules located close to the plasma membrane (PM) decondensing more readily; (4) propagated from the site of granule fusion; and (5) traced, in 3-dimensional space, to individual granule fusion events at the PM or less commonly at the canalicular system. In sum, the properties of α-granule decondensation/matrix hydration strongly indicate that α-granule cargo expulsion is likely by a jack-in-the-box mechanism rather than by gradual channel-regulated water influx or by a granule-constriction mechanism. These experiments, in providing a structural and mechanistic basis for cargo expulsion, should be informative in understanding the α-granule release reaction in the context of hemostasis and thrombosis.
The dynamic of asymptomatic Plasmodium falciparum infections following mass drug administrations with dihydroarteminisin–piperaquine plus a single low dose of primaquine in Savannakhet Province, Laos
Authors: Pongvongsa Tiengkham , Phommasone Koukeo , Adhikari Bipin , Henriques Gisela , Chotivanich Kesinee , Hanboonkunupakarn Borimas , Mukaka Mavuto , Peerawaranun Pimnara , von Seidlein Lorenz , Day Nicholas P. J. , White Nicholas J. , Dondorp Arjen M. , Imwong Mallika , Newton Paul N. , Singhasivanon Pratap , Mayxay Mayfong , Pukrittayakamee Sasithon
Published: November 2018

Background

The increase in multidrug resistant Plasmodium falciparum infections threatens the malaria elimination goals in countries within the Greater Mekong Sub-region. A multi-pronged approach assuring access to basic malaria control measures, including insecticide-treated bed nets and early diagnosis and treatment was followed by mass drug administrations (MDA) in southern Savannakhet Province, Laos. The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of mass drug administrations as well as their effects on the dynamic of asymptomatic P. falciparum infections in 4 malaria endemic villages.

Methods

Two villages were randomized to early MDA consisting of 3 rounds of a 3-day course of dihydroartemisinin–piperaquine with a single low dose of primaquine. In the other 2 villages MDA was deferred by 1 year. A total of 1036 residents were enrolled in early MDA villages and 883 in control villages (deferred-MDA). Tri-monthly parasitaemia surveys using uPCR were conducted for a year in the 4 villages.

Results

Eighty-four percent (872/1036) of the residents participated in the MDAs, of whom 90% (781/872) completed 3 rounds of MDA (9 doses). In intervention villages, the prevalence of asymptomatic P. falciparum infections decreased by 85% after MDA from 4.8% (95% CI 3.4–6.4) at baseline (month 0 or M0) to 0.7% (95% CI 0.3–1.6) at month 12. In control villages there was a decrease of 33% in P. falciparum prevalence between M0: 17.5% (95% CI 15.9–20.3) and M12: 11.6% (95% CI 9.3–14.2). In bivariate and multivariate analyses P. falciparum infections were significantly reduced with early MDA (adjusted incidence rate ratios (AIRR): 0.08, CI 0.01–0.091) and completion of 3 MDA rounds (AIRR: 0.06; CI 0.01–0.66). A quarter of participants (226/872) reported adverse events of which 99% were mild.

Conclusion

The study found a significant reduction in P. falciparum prevalence and incidence following MDA. MDA was safe, well tolerated, feasible, and achieved high population coverage and adherence. MDAs must be integrated in multi-pronged approaches such as vector control and preventive measures with a focus on specific risk groups such as mobile, migrant population and forest goers for a sustained period to eliminate the remaining parasite reservoirs.

Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT01872702
Developing a systemic functional approach to teach multimodal literacy
Authors: Lim Fei Victor
Published: November 2018

This article argues for the importance of teaching multimodal literacy in schools so as to adequately equip students to navigate the multimodal communicative landscape. Developing multimodal literacy in students is about developing in them the ability to view multimodal texts critically and for them to represent their ideas through the production of effective multimodal texts. This article describes an instructional approach developed to teach multimodal texts and describes the trial of the approach in a secondary school in Singapore. The approach is informed by Systemic Functional Theory and is aligned to the Learning by Design Framework widely used in multiliteracies. The systemic functional approach provides scaffolds for students to access the meanings made in multimodal texts by introducing the features and typical functions of the text, as well as highlighting the common strategies used in these multimodal texts to make meaning.
Dissecting human disease with single-cell omics: application in model systems and in the clinic
Authors: Strzelecka Paulina M. , Ranzoni Anna M. , Cvejic Ana
Published: November 2018

Probing cellular population diversity at single-cell resolution became possible only in recent years. The popularity of single-cell ‘omic’ approaches, which allow researchers to dissect sample heterogeneity and cell-to-cell variation, continues to grow. With continuous technological improvements, single-cell omics are becoming increasingly prevalent and contribute to the discovery of new and rare cell types, and to the deciphering of disease pathogenesis and outcome. Animal models of human diseases have significantly facilitated our understanding of the mechanisms driving pathologies and resulted in the development of more efficient therapies. The application of single-cell omics to animal models improves the precision of the obtained insights, and brings single-cell technology closer to the clinical field. This Review focuses on the use of single-cell omics in cellular and animal models of diseases, as well as in samples from human patients. It also highlights the potential of these approaches to further improve the diagnosis and treatment of various pathologies, and includes a discussion of the advantages and remaining challenges in implementing these technologies into clinical practice.
Treating mucormycosis using a multimodality approach: a case series
Authors: Gupta Anubhav K. , Parwal Chirayu , Mangal Mahesh , Gambhir Swaroop Singh , Nanda Bheem Singh , Sarangi Kiranmoy
Published: November 2018

Most fungal infections found in wounds are secondary or superadded, and are generally benign in their clinical course in healthy individuals, with the exception of mucormycosis. This is a life-threatening infection caused by fungi of the order Mucorales. Primary cutaneous disease may occur following traumatic implantation of spores, or use of contaminated bandages, or as a complication of extensive burns, diabetic acidosis and other specific immunocompromised conditions. The clinical spectrum is highly non-specific and is often triggered by seemingly innocuous trauma. The superficial vesicles or patchy erythema rapidly degrade to haemorrhagic necrosis and rapidly progressive gangrenous lesion. The problem with diagnosing mucormycosis remains, therefore, that the condition has poor clinical indicators and requires reliance on microscopy and fungal culture. Management starts with a clinical suspicion, taking into account the risk factors and lack of response to first-line agents, as well as an aggressive clinical course. Treatment is multimodal, with medical correction of the risk factors and optimisation of limiting factors, such as diabetes, neutropenia and immunosuppressants. Treatment generally involves radical and repetitive surgical debridement, intravenous amphotericin B with monitoring of the nephrotoxicity, along with adjuvant modalities, such as hyperbaric oxygen therapy, colony stimulating factor, interferons gamma and white blood cell transfusion. Successful courses of therapy typically last 4–6 weeks and require cumulative doses that are equivalent to >2g of amphotericin B deoxycholate.
Yang sheng, care and changing family relations in China: about a ‘left-behind’ mother’s diet
Authors: Lin Xiaodong
Published: November 2018

Drawing on my mother’s yang sheng (养生, life-nurturing) practices through food consumption as an autoethnographic ‘vignette’, this article seeks to tease out the different layers of sociocultural meanings underpinning a ‘left-behind’ ageing mother’s changing diet. It brings to light the underlying gendered embodiment of food practices articulated through changing family relations (that is, a left-behind mother and an absent son). This is of particular salience within the context in which issues of ageing and care for older family members have become of major public concern in contemporary China. The article highlights the relational accounts of food practices as care, imbued with shifting personal relations within the family, which are intertwined with social and historical transformations. In particular, it develops some critical insights on food practices that are beyond an individual’s reflection on self-responsibility for health. Thus, it illustrates how intergenerational family care and love are facilitated through the negotiation with everyday materiality and its practices in China.
Resisting the commodification of intimate life? Paternal love, emotional bordering and narratives of ambivalent family consumerism from Scottish and Romanian fathers
Authors: Macht Alexandra
Published: November 2018

Romantic love has been conceptualised as an emotional resource that promotes consumerism, by deeply affecting the creation of the modern self (Illouz, 2012). Simultaneously, both research and media discourses present the modern ‘good’ father’s role as one of enhanced intimacy (Dermott, 2008), and one in which fathers’ experiences of paternal love are routinely overlooked. I argue that paternal love as a different form of love than romantic love can resist commodification to a certain extent. Based on data from 47 qualitative interviews with Scottish and Romanian fathers, I argue that involved fathers have an ambivalent relationship to consumerism. Far from uniformly adopting it, data reveal that fathers resist it by focusing on the emotional value of gifts and developing their children’s warmth and confidence (încredere in sine).1 This happens in a social context where fathers shift emotionally between love and stoicism as they flexibly adopt either an intimate or provider role according to different contexts. Exploring paternal love is important in understanding how fathers, in relation to their children, not only participate but can also resist the commodification of their intimate lives, and can contest the general discourse of the commodification of love.