bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Protocol for a quasi-experimental, 950 county study examining implementation outcomes and mechanisms of Stepping Up, a national policy effort to improve mental health and substance use services for justice-involved individuals
Authors: Johnson Jennifer E. , Viglione Jill , Ramezani Niloofar , Cuellar Alison E. , Hailemariam Maji , Rosen Rochelle , Breno Alex , Taxman Faye S.
Published: March 2021

Background

The criminal justice system is the largest provider of mental health services in the USA. Many jurisdictions are interested in reducing the use of the justice system for mental health problems. The national Stepping Up Initiative helps agencies within counties work together more effectively to reduce the number of individuals with mental illness in jails and to improve access to mental health services in the community. This study will compare Stepping Up counties to matched comparison counties over time to (1) examine the effectiveness of Stepping Up and (2) test hypothesized implementation mechanisms to inform multi-agency implementation efforts more broadly.

Methods

The study will survey 950 counties at baseline, 18 months, and 36 months in a quasi-experimental design comparing implementation mechanisms and outcomes between 475 Stepping Up counties and 475 matched comparison counties. Surveys will be sent to up to four respondents per county including administrators of jail, probation, community mental health services, and community substance use treatment services (3800 total respondents). We will examine whether Stepping Up counties show faster improvements in implementation outcomes (number of justice-involved clients receiving behavioral health services, number of behavioral health evidence-based practices and policies [EBPPs] available to justice-involved individuals, and resources for behavioral health EBPP for justice-involved individuals) than do matched comparison counties. We will also evaluate whether engagement of hypothesized mechanisms explains differences in implementation outcomes. Implementation target mechanisms include (1) use of and capacity for performance monitoring, (2) use and functioning of interagency teams, (3) common goals and mission across agencies, and (4) system integration (i.e., building an integrated system of care rather than adding one program or training). Finally, we will characterize implementation processes and critical incidents using survey responses and qualitative interviews.

Discussion

There are few rigorous, prospective studies examining implementation mechanisms and their relationship with behavioral health implementation outcomes in justice and associated community behavioral health settings. There is also limited understanding of implementation mechanisms that occur across systems with multiple goals. This study will describe implementation outcomes of Stepping Up and will elucidate target mechanisms that are effective in multi-goal, multi-agency systems.
Medical, neurobiological, and psychobehavioral perspectives of mastocytosis: a case report
Authors: Héron A. , Papillon V. , Dubayle D.
Published: March 2021

Background

Cutaneous mastocytosis is a rare pathology characterized by an abnormal proliferation and degranulation of mast cells, affecting the skin. Here we present the case of a patient suffering from chronic resistant mastocytosis. An original integrative method of evaluation was tested in this patient, to improve therapeutic management. It integrated the interactions between stressful life events and medical history as well as psychobehavioral components and neurobiological factors.

Case presentation

The patient was a 65-year-old Caucasian woman. The cutaneous symptoms of mastocytosis had progressively evolved over the past 36 years, increasingly affecting the patient’s quality of life. At the time of the evaluation, psoralen and ultraviolet A therapy had reduced pruritus, but very unsightly brown-red maculopapules persisted on the chest, back, and arms. We proposed an integrative diagnosis that combined a semistructured interview, a psychometric assessment with the Millon Behavioral Medicine Diagnostic tool, and the collection of medical data. The medical data were compared with the analysis of the significant events in the patient’s life, to determine the threshold of tolerance to stress beyond which the skin symptoms led to profuse thrusts of pruritus. At the same time, the psychobehavioral profile of the patient was determined; this highlighted how social isolation, the denigrated coping style, and problematic compliance could influence the extension of dermatological symptoms. The effects of stressors on the infiltration and degranulation of skin mast cells have been discussed in light of the neurobiological processes currently known. At the end of the evaluation, a new therapeutic strategy was proposed.

Conclusion

This case report reveals the mind–body relationship of a patient suffering from mastocytosis. It highlights the points of vulnerability and the adaptative strategies specific to each patient to be considered in therapeutic management of other resistant chronic diseases.
Collision-aware distributed detection with population-splitting algorithms
Authors: Laitrakun Seksan
Published: March 2021

We consider the design of distributed detection algorithms for single-hop, single-channel wireless sensor networks in which sensor nodes send their local decisions to a fusion center (FC) by using a random access protocol. There is also limited time to collect local decisions before a final decision must be made. We thus propose and analyze a modified random access protocol in which the FC combines slotted ALOHA with a population-splitting algorithm called population-splitting-based random access (PSRA) and collision-aware distributed detection according to an estimate-then-fuse approach. Under the PSRA, only sensor nodes whose observations fall in a particular range of reliability will send their decisions in a specific frame by using slotted ALOHA. At the end of the collection time, the FC applies the collision-aware distributed detection to make a final decision. Here, the FC will first observe the state of each time slot—idle, successful, collision—in each frame, use this information to estimate the number of sensor nodes participating in each frame, and, then, compute a final decision using a population-based fusion rule. An approximation of the optimal transmission probability of the slotted ALOHA is determined to minimize the probability of error. Numerical results show that, unlike slotted-ALOHA-based data networks, the transmission probability maximizing the number of successful time slots does not optimize the performance of the proposed distributed detection. Instead, the proposed distributed detection performs best with a transmission probability that induces many collisions.
How do the general population behave with facemasks to prevent COVID-19 in the community? A multi-site observational study
Authors: Deschanvres Colin , Haudebourg Thomas , Peiffer-Smadja Nathan , Blanckaert Karine , Boutoille David , Lucet Jean-Christophe , Birgand Gabriel
Published: March 2021

Objective

The appropriate use of facemasks, recommended or mandated by authorities, is critical to prevent the spread of COVID-19 in the community. We aim to evaluate frequency and quality of facemask use in general populations.

Methods

A multi-site observational study was carried out from June to July 2020 in the west of France. An observer was positioned at a predetermined place, facing a landmark, and all individual passing between the observer and the landmark were included. The observer collected information on facemask use (type, quality of positioning), location and demographic characteristics.

Results

A total of 3354 observations were recorded. A facemask was worn by 56.4% (n = 1892) of individuals, including surgical facemasks (56.8%, n = 1075) and cloth masks (43.2%, n = 817). The facemask was correctly positioned in 75.2% (n = 1422) of cases. The factors independently associated with wearing a facemask were being indoors (adjusted odds ratio [aOR], 2.7; 95% confidence interval [CI] 2.28–3.19), being in a mandatory area (aOR, 6.92; 95% CI 5–9.7), female gender (aOR, 1.75; 95% CI 1.54–2.04), age 41–65 years (aOR, 1.7; 95% CI 1.43–2.02) and age > 65 years (aOR, 2.28; 95% CI 1.83–2.85). The factors independently associated with correct mask position were rural location (aOR, 1.38; 95% CI 1.07–1.79), being in an indoor area (aOR, 1.85; 95% CI 1.49–2.3), use of clothmask (aOR, 1.53; 95% CI 1.23–1.91), and age > 40 years (aOR, 1.75 95%CI 1.37–2.23).

Conclusions

During the initial phase of the COVID-19 pandemic, the frequency and quality of facemask wearing remained low in the community setting. Young people in general, and men in particular, represent the priority targets for information campaigns. Simplifying the rules to require universal mandatory facemasking seemed to be the best approach for health authorities.
Airborne laser scanning of natural
forests in New Zealand reveals the influences of wind on forest carbon
Authors: Coomes David A. , Šafka Daniel , Shepherd James , Dalponte Michele , Holdaway Robert
Published: March 2021

Background

Forests are a key component of the global carbon cycle, and research is needed
into the effects of human-driven and natural processes on their carbon pools.
Airborne laser scanning (ALS) produces detailed 3D maps of forest canopy structure
from which aboveground carbon density can be estimated. Working with a ALS dataset
collected over the 8049-km2 Wellington Region of New
Zealand we create maps of indigenous forest carbon and evaluate the influence of
wind by examining how carbon storage varies with aspect. Storms flowing from the
west are a common cause of disturbance in this region, and we hypothesised that
west-facing forests exposed to these winds would be shorter than those in
sheltered east-facing sites.

Methods

The aboveground carbon density of 31 forest inventory plots located within the
ALS survey region were used to develop estimation models relating carbon density
to ALS information. Power-law models using rasters of top-of-the-canopy height
were compared with models using tree-level information extracted from the ALS
dataset. A forest carbon map with spatial resolution of 25 m was generated from
ALS maps of forest height and the estimation models. The map was used to evaluate
the influences of wind on forests.

Results

Power-law models were slightly less accurate than tree-centric models (RMSE
35% vs 32%) but were selected for map generation for computational efficiency. The
carbon map comprised 4.5 million natural forest pixels within which canopy height
had been measured by ALS, providing an unprecedented dataset with which to examine
drivers of carbon density. Forests facing in the direction of westerly storms
stored less carbon, as hypothesised. They had much greater above-ground carbon
density for a given height than any of 14 tropical forests previously analysed by
the same approach, and had exceptionally high basal areas for their height. We
speculate that strong winds have kept forests short without impeding basal area
growth.

Conclusion

Simple estimation models based on top-of-the canopy height are almost as
accurate as state-of-the-art tree-centric approaches, which require more computing
power. High-resolution carbon maps produced by ALS provide powerful datasets for
evaluating the environmental drivers of forest structure, such as wind.
Bridging autoinflammatory and autoimmune diseases
Authors: El-Shebiny Emad M. , Zahran Enas S. , Shoeib Sabry A. , Habib Eman S.
Published: March 2021

Background

Autoimmunity is used to cause by impairment of adaptive immunity alone, whereas autoinflammatory was originally defined as a consequence of unregulated innate immunity. So, the pathogenetic mechanisms of autoimmune diseases were well-thought-out to be mediated by B and T lymphocytes. Whereas, autoinflammatory diseases were defined as unprovoked times of inflammation with the absence of a high titre of autoantibodies.

Main body of the abstract

Autoimmune and autoinflammatory diseases were split into two groups, but considering the similarities, it can be considered as only one group of diseases with a large immune pathological and clinical spectrum which involves at one end pure autoimmune diseases and the other pure autoinflammatory diseases.

Conclusions

We can safely conclude that there is bridging between autoinflammatory and autoimmune diseases.
A theoretical contribution to the 1D inverse problem of reflection seismograms
Authors: Amundsen Lasse
Published: March 2021

Least-squares full-waveform inversion (FWI) is considered in the frequency domain for a set of noise-free observations of time length [Formula: see text] at the surface obeying the 1D wave equation, with a known source. The initial model is of constant velocity. The first iteration, which equals the constant-velocity migration inversion (CVMI), is thoroughly analyzed. In CVMI, for the unit source power spectrum, it is within reach to analytically derive and interpret the mathematical formulas of the first-order partial derivatives of the modeled observations (Jacobian), and the gradient and Gauss-Newton Hessian of the objective function, and learn what information the calculation requires to obtain a successful physical result (i.e., velocity update). We recognize the gradient elements, except the last one, to be sums of reflection-amplitude weighted band-limited sign functions and the Hessian elements, except along the last column and row, to be band-limited, diagonal-centered triangle functions, which for infinite bandwidth reduces to the Kronecker delta function. When the fundamental frequency [Formula: see text] is lacking in the observations, the gradient loses information of the low-wavenumber trend of the velocity update. The Hessian becomes close to singular, and any stabilized inverse has no chance to repair the deficiencies of the gradient caused by any missing low frequency in the observations. FWI is started by applying CVMI. First, Jacobians are modeled by classic reflectivity modeling. Second, the diagonal Hessians can be used for estimating discrete velocity updates. Third, the Jacobian can be modeled in the first-order Wentzel-Kramers-Brillouin-Jeffreys (WKBJ) approximation and by neglecting transmission effects. Finally, single-frequency and low-frequency seismograms can be inverted by using broadband Hessians. The main mathematical findings are developed by simple numerical models and data.
An in-depth analysis of logarithmic data transformation and per-class normalization in machine learning: Application to unsupervised classification of a turbidite system in the Canterbury Basin, New Zealand, and supervised classification of salt in the Eugene Island minibasin, Gulf of Mexico
Authors: Ha Thang N. , Lubo-Robles David , Marfurt Kurt J. , Wallet Bradley C.
Published: March 2021

In a machine-learning workflow, data normalization is a crucial step that compensates for the large variation in data ranges and averages associated with different types of input measured with different units. However, most machine-learning implementations do not provide data normalization beyond the z-score algorithm, which subtracts the mean from the distribution and then scales the result by dividing by the standard deviation. Although the z-score converts data with Gaussian behavior to have the same shape and size, many of our seismic attribute volumes exhibit log-normal, or even more complicated, distributions. Because many machine-learning applications are based on Gaussian statistics, we have evaluated the impact of more sophisticated data normalization techniques on the resulting classification. To do so, we provide an in-depth analysis of data normalization in machine-learning classifications by formulating and applying a logarithmic data transformation scheme to the unsupervised classifications (including principal component analysis, independent component analysis, self-organizing maps, and generative topographic mapping) of a turbidite channel system in the Canterbury Basin, New Zealand, as well as implementing a per-class normalization scheme to the supervised probabilistic neural network (PNN) classification of salt in the Eugene Island minibasin, Gulf of Mexico. Compared to the simple z-score normalization, a single logarithmic transformation applied to each input attribute significantly increases the spread of the resulting clusters (and the corresponding color contrast), thereby enhancing subtle details in projection and unsupervised classification. However, this same uniform transformation produces less-confident results in supervised classification using PNNs. We find that more accurate supervised classifications can be found by applying class-dependent normalization for each input attribute.
Evaluation of a Multidisciplinary Immunotherapy Toxicity Monitoring Program for Patients Receiving Ipilimumab for Metastatic Melanoma
Authors: Menjak Ines B. , Elias Evelyn S. , Jain Sheena , Lawrie Deborah , Petrella Teresa M.
Published: March 2021

PURPOSE:

Ipilimumab is an effective treatment for melanoma; however, toxicity rates remain high. The objective of this study was to describe the rates of adverse events (AEs), emergency room (ER) visits, hospitalizations, and nursing resource utilization for patients enrolled in a nurse-led telephone toxicity monitoring program.

METHODS:

Patients received weekly telephone calls from nursing to review a toxicity checklist during ipilimumab treatment and for 8 weeks after completion. To evaluate this program, a single-center retrospective review was performed for patients treated between July 2012 and September 2017 with single agent ipilimumab for advanced melanoma. Data were collected up to 3 months post-ipilimumab.

RESULTS:

A total of 67 patients were included, with a mean (standard deviation) age of 61 (14.6) years. Thirty-three (49%) patients received four doses of ipilimumab, and 17 (25%) had one dose delay. The median (IQR) of any AEs reported per patient was 11 (8-17). There were 44 (66%) patients with AEs deemed to be definitely or probably related to ipilimumab, and of those, 3 (4%) experienced a grade 3 AE, whereas 4 (6%) experienced grade 4 AEs. Twenty patients (30%) had ER visits, and 31 (46%) were hospitalized during follow-up (9% ER visits and 6% hospitalizations were related to drug toxicity).

CONCLUSION:

Ipilimumab is associated with high rates of toxicity; however, a proactive nurse-led monitoring program was feasible and patients had low rates of grade 3-4 toxicity. Hospitalization rates and ER visits remained high; however, the minority of those were related to drug toxicity.
Assessment of Drug Delivery Kinetics to Epidermal Targets In Vivo
Authors: Hoppel M. , Tabosa M. A. M. , Bunge A. L. , Delgado-Charro M. B. , Guy R. H.
Published: March 2021

It has proven challenging to quantify ‘drug input’ from a formulation to the viable skin because the epidermal and dermal targets of topically applied drugs are difficult, if not impossible, to access in vivo. Defining the drug input function to the viable skin with a straightforward and practical experimental approach would enable a key component of dermal pharmacokinetics to be characterised. It has been hypothesised that measuring drug uptake into and clearance from the stratum corneum (SC) by tape-stripping allows estimation of a topical drug’s input function into the viable tissue. This study aimed to test this idea by determining the input of nicotine and lidocaine into the viable skin, following the application of commercialised transdermal patches to healthy human volunteers. The known input rates of these delivery systems were used to validate and assess the results from the tape-stripping protocol. The drug input rates from in vivo tape-stripping agreed well with the claimed delivery rates of the patches. The experimental approach was then used to determine the input of lidocaine from a marketed cream, a typical topical product for which the amount of drug absorbed has not been well-characterised. A significantly higher delivery of lidocaine from the cream than from the patch was found. The different input rates between drugs and formulations in vivo were confirmed qualitatively and quantitatively in vitro in conventional diffusion cells using dermatomed abdominal pig skin.
Muscle Tissue as a Surrogate for In Vitro Drug Release Testing of Parenteral Depot Microspheres
Authors: Kozak Jan , Rabiskova Miloslava , Lamprecht Alf
Published: March 2021

Despite the importance of drug release testing of parenteral depot formulations, the current in vitro methods still require ameliorations in biorelevance. We have investigated here the use of muscle tissue components to better mimic the intramuscular administration. For convenient handling, muscle tissue was used in form of a freeze-dried powder, and a reproducible process of incorporation of tested microspheres to an assembly of muscle tissue of standardized dimensions was successfully developed. Microspheres were prepared from various grades of poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) (PLGA) or ethyl cellulose, entrapping flurbiprofen, lidocaine, or risperidone. The deposition of microspheres in the muscle tissue or addition of only isolated lipids into the medium accelerated the release rate of all model drugs from microspheres prepared from ester-terminated PLGA grades and ethyl cellulose, however, not from the acid-terminated PLGA grades. The addition of lipids into the release medium increased the solubility of all model drugs; nonetheless, also interactions of the lipids with the polymer matrix (ad- and absorption) might be responsible for the faster drug release. As the in vivo drug release from implants is also often faster than in simple buffers in vitro, these findings suggest that interactions with the tissue lipids may play an important role in these still unexplained observations.
Solar system and atomic stronger bounds on exotic dyonic matter and non-associative quantum mechanics
Authors: Addazi Andrea , Marcianò Antonino
Published: March 2021

We derive stronger bounds on the magnetic monopole charge of the proton, and hence on non-associative quantum mechanics from measurements of the magnetic fields of the Earth, the Moon and Mars. Limits are several orders of magnitude stronger than the ones inferred from the hydrogen atomic levels, assuming that electrons do not retain a magnetic monopole charge. Conversely, we show how to estimate bounds on the magnetic charge of a proton correctly, when the magnetic monopole charge of the electron is taken into account.
Athermal jamming vs. glassy dynamics for particles with exponentially decaying repulsive pair interaction potentials with a cutoff
Authors: Wohlleben Nicolas , Schmiedeberg Michael
Published: March 2021

We study athermal jamming as well as the thermal glassy dynamics in systems composed of spheres that interact according to repulsive interactions that exponentially decay as a function of distance. As usual, a cutoff is employed in the simulations. While the athermal jamming transition that is determined by trying to remove overlaps is found to depend on the arbitrary and therefore unphysical choice of the cutoff, we do not find any athermal jamming transition or crossover that only relies on the physical decay length. In contrast, the glassy dynamics mainly depends on the decay length. Our findings constitute another demonstration of the fact that the athermal jamming transition is not related to thermal glassy dynamics. In addition, we argue that interactions without sharp physical cutoff should be considered more often as a model system in jamming. The reevaluation of widely used theoretical approaches or methods of analysis in the field of jamming and the task to change them such that they do not depend on unphysical cutoffs will lead to deeper insights into the nature of athermal and thermal jamming.
k-core percolation on interdependent and interconnected multiplex networks
Authors: Zheng Kexian , Liu Ying , Wang Yang , Wang Wei
Published: March 2021

Many real-world networks are coupled together to maintain their normal functions. Here we study the robustness of multiplex networks with interdependent and interconnected links under k -core percolation, where a node fails when it connects to less than k neighbors. By deriving the self-consistent equations, we solve the key quantities of interests such as the critical threshold and size of the giant component and validate the theoretical predictions by numerical simulations. We find a rich phase transition phenomenon as we tune the inter-layer coupling strength. Specifically speaking, in the ER-ER multiplex networks, with the increase of coupling strength, the size of the giant component in each layer first undergoes a first-order transition and then a second-order transition and finally a first-order transition. This is due to the nature of inter-layer links with both connectivity and dependency. The system is more robust if the dependency on the initially robust network is strong and more vulnerable if the dependency on the initial attacked network is strong. These effects are even amplified in the cascading process. When applying our model to the SF-SF multiplex networks, the type of transition changes. The system undergoes a first-order phase transition first only when the two layers' mutually coupling is very strong and a second-order transition in all other conditions.
Pseudohypoparathyroidism: Focus on Cerebral and Renal Calcifications
Authors: Mazoni Laura , Apicella Matteo , Saponaro Federica , Mantovani Giovanna , Elli Francesca M , Borsari Simona , Pardi Elena , Piaggi Paolo , Marcocci Claudio , Cetani Filomena
Published: March 2021

Context

Pseudohypoparathyroidism (PHP) is a group of disorders characterized by hypocalcemia, hyperphosphatemia, and elevated parathyroid hormone (PTH) levels as a result of end-organ resistance to PTH.

Objective

To describe a cohort of 26 patients with PHP followed in a single tertiary center.

Methods

Clinical, biochemical, radiological, and genetic analysis of the GNAS gene in 26 patients recruited since 2002.

Results

Ten patients harbored a GNAS mutation, 15 epigenetic abnormalities at the GNAS locus, and 1 did not show genetic or epigenetic abnormalities. According to clinical, biochemical, and genetic features, patients were classified as PHP1A, PHP1B, and pseudopseudohypoparathyroidism. Patients with PHP1A had an earlier diagnosis and more cases with family history, Albright hereditary osteodystrophy (AHO) features, hormonal resistance, and hypertension. Obesity was a common feature. No difference in biochemical values was present among PHP1A and PHP1B. Intracerebral calcification occurred in 72% of patients with no difference among PHP1A and PHP1B subgroups. No significant difference was observed between patients with and without intracerebral calcification for the time-weighted average values of total serum calcium, phosphate, calcium–phosphate product, and PTH fold increase. A borderline association between cerebral calcification and age at the time of diagnosis (P = .04) was found in the whole cohort of patients. No renal calcifications were found in the overall cohort.

Conclusion

Patients with PHP1A more frequently have AHO features as well as hypertension than patients with PHP1B. Patients with PHP presented a high rate of intracerebral calcification with no significant difference between subgroups. No increased risk of renal calcifications was also found in the entire cohort.
In a Viral Conjuncture
Authors: Morley David
Published: March 2021

This article offers a conjunctural analysis of the various factors that must be taken into account to explain the development of the COVID-19 pandemic. It offers an interdisciplinary perspective on questions of how virtual and material geographies are enmeshed, paying particular attention to the continuing importance of transport infrastructures. The key concerns are with the politics of differential power over—and access to—mobility, in both its actual and virtual modalities. The COVID-19 crisis is argued to have functioned both as a mode of amplification of many preexisting forms of inequality and as a powerful solvent of the unexamined presumptions of the dominant discourse of globalization.
Trump, Authoritarian Populism, and COVID-19 from a US Perspective
Authors: Kellner Douglas
Published: March 2021

This article engages the contemporary crises of health, the economy, and democracy in the United States during the era of Trump and the COVID-19 pandemic. The author begins with a discussion of the COVID-19 pandemic and Trump's chaotic and inept responses. The author follows with a discussion of Trump and authoritarian populism, arguing that Trump's floundering fortunes in the context of a hotly contested 2020 presidential campaign triggered his chaotic and contradictory responses to the COVID-19 pandemic, producing a crisis of democracy.
Life, Death, and the Living Dead in the Time of COVID-19
Authors: Der Derian James , Gara Phillip
Published: March 2021

Is COVID-19 our first global zombie event? The question leads to others that fall outside the decorum of official discourse, possibly because the answers reach beyond the pale of the state. Unable to understand the nature of the threat, national leaders failed early and caught on late to the need for a globally coordinated response. Coupled with a deep resistance by states to the alienation of any degree of sovereignty to international institutions, the prospect of a global solution to the zombie question remains elusive. This essay offers an interpandemic response to the novel coronavirus that cuts across borders and against the grain. The first is transnational, to identify from the parallax view of Sydney and Los Angeles emergent risks that defy single-state fixes. The second is transhistorical, to counter efforts by China and the United States to subsume a human security crisis into the narrative of an eternal Cold War. The third is transmedial, to acquire new political and cultural perspectives on the pandemic through the zombie cinematic genre, including our documentary film, Project Z: The Final Global Event. A zombie inquiry can help us understand how COVID-19 is both disease and potential cure of late and rising empires.
Žižek's Pandemic
Authors: Featherstone Mark
Published: March 2021

In the first part of this article on Žižek's recent book Pandemic! I show how he develops a political theology of the spirit through a discussion of social distancing. In this argument Žižek connects the idea of physical distance to the biblical story of the resurrection, in which Jesus says to Mary Magdalene “noli me tangere” (“touch me not”), in order to imagine the emergence of a community of spirit from the social, political, and economic ruin caused by the COVID-19 pandemic. Contrasting this community of spirit to the Chinese Communist Party's Foucauldian response to the outbreak of the virus, Žižek suggests a turn away from Prometheanism and the logic of domination toward a new posthuman humanitarianism based on a recognition of human weakness, vulnerability, and fragility. In Žižek's view, this turn toward a new form of humility would emerge from the final disenchantment of the spirit of capitalism and a recognition of the difference between human work, which contributes to a meaningful world, and bestial labor that dehumanizes and means nothing. Thus, the article shows how Žižek thinks about the pandemic in terms of a crisis of late capitalism and the possibility of a new spirit of communism. While the presexual nonlife of the virus is comparable to the drive of capitalism in respect of its unthinking will to replication and reproduction, Žižek founds the basis of humanity in our (human) mortality and being toward death that open out onto a new horizon of releasement (Gelassenheit) beyond biotechnoeconomic nihilism. The conclusion of the article, therefore, shows how Žižek imagines that the pandemic presents humanity with an existential choice about the way we organize social life. This choice is between the biopolitical domination of Chinese authoritarianism that seeks to control every aspect of life, American disaster capitalism that accepts the brutality of the state of nature, and finally Žižek's utopian spirit of communism based on a recognition of human and planetary finitude.
Virus Is Other People
Authors: Goh Irving
Published: March 2021

While we disavow or renounce the virus that is ourselves in viral cultures such as a pandemic or systemic racism, we envy the viral force of others who are trending on social media. In viral cultures, we tend to think that virus is other people, forgetting our own viral potential or threat. In any case, all viral cultures make us sick; if not, we make one another sick. And when a vaccine is not available, rest is all we have at our disposal. We also tend to forget or belittle this rest. To break from viral cultures, then, this intervention calls for a general pause in human activity, which must include thinking, and which, if ever possible, would take place in common among all humans.
Cell Phone Access and Election Fraud: Evidence from a Spatial Regression Discontinuity Design in Afghanistan
Authors: Gonzalez Robert M.
Published: March 2021

This paper examines the impact of cell phone access on election fraud. I combine cell phone coverage maps with the location of polling centers during the 2009 Afghan presidential election to pinpoint which centers were exposed to coverage. Results from a spatial regression discontinuity design along the two-dimensional coverage boundary suggest that coverage deters corrupt behavior. Polling centers just inside coverage report a drop in the share of fraudulent votes of 4 percentage points, while the likelihood of a fraudulent station decreases by 8 percentage points. Analyses of the effect of coverage on citizen participation in election monitoring, election-related insurgent violence, and the tribal composition of villages suggest that the observed declines in fraud are likely attributed to cell phone access strengthening social monitoring capacity. (JEL D72, K16, K42, O17, Z13)
Intergenerational Spillovers in Disability Insurance
Authors: Dahl Gordon B. , Gielen Anne C.
Published: March 2021

Using a 1993 Dutch policy reform and a regression discontinuity design, we find children of parents whose disability insurance (DI) eligibility was reduced are 11 percent less likely to participate in DI themselves, do not alter their use of other government programs, and earn 2 percent more as adults. The reduced transfers and increased taxes of children account for 40 percent of the fiscal savings relative to parents in present discounted value terms. Moreover, children of treated parents complete more schooling, have a lower probability of serious criminal arrests and incarceration, and take fewer mental health drugs as adults. (JEL H53, I12, I38, J14)
Disability and Distress: The Effect of Disability Programs on Financial Outcomes
Authors: Deshpande Manasi , Gross Tal , Su Yalun
Published: March 2021

What is the relationship between disability programs and financial distress? We provide the first evidence on this relationship using several markers of financial distress: bankruptcy, foreclosure, eviction, and home sale. Rates of these adverse financial events peak around the time of disability application. Using variation induced by an age-based eligibility rule, we find that disability allowance reduces the likelihood of bankruptcy by 20 percent, foreclosure by 33 percent, and home sale by 15 percent. We present evidence that these changes reflect true reductions in financial distress. Considering these extreme events increases the optimal disability benefit amount and suggests a shorter optimal waiting time between application and benefit receipt. (JEL G51, H55, J14)
Vorwort und Impressionen
Authors: Lassau Guido
Published: March 2021

Vorwort des Kantonsarchäologen Guido Lassau und Impressionen aus dem Berichtsjahr 2019.
Tätigkeitsbericht für das Jahr 2019
Authors: Lassau Guido
Published: March 2021

Der Tätigkeitsbericht des Kantonsarchäologen bietet einen Überblick über die wichtigsten Kennzahlen und die Arbeiten in den verschiedenen Abteilungen der Archäologischen Bodenforschung im Jahr 2019.
aDolescents gEnder surVey, rEsponsible coupLes evaluatiOn, and capacity building Project in India (DEVELOP): a study protocol
Authors: Ahankari Anand , Hayter Mark , Whitfield Clare , Ali Parveen , Giridhari Sneha , Tambe Shruti , Kabra Pratyush , Rayamane Kranti , Ovseiko Pavel
Published: March 2021

Domestic violence and assault (DVA) against women is a serious concern in India. This affects the health and wellbeing of victims and their dependents. Published evidence has documented a variety of reasons for such violence in Indian societies, paving a pathway to design, implement, and evaluate intervention models to address this issue. DEVELOP is a research study designed by UK and Indian research teams to plan future projects to address gender-based discrimination and DVA against women and girls in India. This study protocol provides detailed information on the objectives, research methods, data collection, storage, analysis, and dissemination plans of the DEVELOP phase 1 work (2018-19). The first component is a survey of adolescent boys and girls from rural areas of the Maharashtra state of India to understand their gender equality related knowledge and beliefs. The insight gathered will be used to design interventions targeted at adolescent populations through future research and development programmes. Secondly, an evaluation of the ‘Responsible Couples’ project will be conducted to assess its success and challenges, and to inform future programme activities and strategy. The ‘Responsible Couples’ project is implemented in 40 villages of Maharashtra state to improve relationships in married couples, prevent violence against women, intervene during violence, and to provide support services for women and their family members. Research findings will be disseminated though public engagement events in India, international conferences, and peer reviewed publications. Secondly, our two key partners (SWISSAID and HMF) will benefit from such evidence to inform their on-going as well as forthcoming projects on gender equality in India.  Research findings will be also useful for local government authorities and non-government agencies striving to advance gender equality.
Policy Evaluation Network (PEN): Protocol for systematic literature reviews examining the evidence for impact of policies on physical activity across seven different policy domains
Authors: Volf Kevin , Kelly Liam , García Bengoechea Enrique , Casey Bláthín , Gobis Anna , Lakerveld Jeroen , Zukowska Joanna , Gelius Peter , Messing Sven , Forberger Sarah , Woods Catherine ,   Policy Evaluation Network (PEN) Consortium
Published: March 2021

Introduction: Over 40 million deaths annually are due to noncommunicable diseases, 15 million of these are premature deaths and physical inactivity contributes an estimated 9% to this figure. Global responses have included the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Global Action Plan on Physical Activity (GAPPA). Both point to policy action on physical activity (PA) to address change, yet the impact of policy on PA outcomes is unknown.  The protocol described outlines the methodology for systematic literature reviews that will be undertaken by the Policy Evaluation Network (PEN) to address this knowledge gap.

Methods: The seven best investments for promotion of population PA identified in the Toronto Charter highlighted seven policy domains (schools, transport, urban design, primary health care systems, public education, community-wide programmes and sport) which will form the basis of these PEN reviews. Seven individual scientific literature searches across six electronic databases will be conducted. Each will use the key concepts of policy, PA, evaluation and a distinct concept for each of the seven policy domains. This will be supplemented with a search of the reference list of included articles. Methodological quality will be assessed and overall effectiveness for each included study will be described according to pre-determined criteria.

Conclusions: Each review will provide policy makers with a list of policy statements and corresponding actions which the evidence has determined impact on PA directly or indirectly. By collating the evidence, and demonstrating the depth of the science base which informs these policy recommendations, each review will provide guidance to policymakers to use evidence-based or evidence-informed policies to achieve the 15% relative reduction in physical inactivity as defined by GAPPA.

Registration:  PROSPERO CRD42020156630 (10/07/2020).
Addressing diversity and complexity in the community engagement literature: The rationale for a realist review
Authors: Richardson Emma Z.L. , Bandewar Sunita V.S. , Boulanger Renaud F. , Mehta Rukshan , Lin Tinya , Vincent Robin , Molyneux Sassy , Goldstone Arisa , Lavery James V.
Published: March 2021

In this research note we reflect on our failed attempt to synthesize the community engagement literature through a standard systematic review and explain our rationale for now embarking on a realist synthesis of community engagement in global health research. We believe this paper will be helpful for many who grapple with the lack of clarity about community engagement’s core elements and mechanisms.
The effectiveness of social bubbles as part of a Covid-19 lockdown exit strategy, a modelling study
Authors: Leng Trystan , White Connor , Hilton Joe , Kucharski Adam , Pellis Lorenzo , Stage Helena , Davies Nicholas G. ,   Centre for Mathematical Modelling of Infectious Disease 2019 nCoV Working Group, Keeling Matt J. , Flasche Stefan
Published: March 2021

Background: ​ During the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) lockdown, contact clustering in social bubbles may allow extending contacts beyond the household at minimal additional risk and hence has been considered as part of modified lockdown policy or a gradual lockdown exit strategy. We estimated the impact of such strategies on epidemic and mortality risk using the UK as a case study.

Methods: ​ We used an individual based model for a synthetic population similar to the UK, stratified into transmission risks from the community, within the household and from other households in the same social bubble. The base case considers a situation where non-essential shops and schools are closed, the secondary household attack rate is 20% and the initial reproduction number is 0.8. We simulate social bubble strategies (where two households form an exclusive pair) for households including children, for single occupancy households, and for all households. We test the sensitivity of results to a range of alternative model assumptions and parameters.

Results:  Clustering contacts outside the household into exclusive bubbles is an effective strategy of increasing contacts while limiting the associated increase in epidemic risk. In the base case, social bubbles reduced fatalities by 42% compared to an unclustered increase of contacts. We find that if all households were to form social bubbles the reproduction number would likely increase to above the epidemic threshold of R=1. Strategies allowing households with young children or single occupancy households to form social bubbles increased the reproduction number by less than 11%. The corresponding increase in mortality is proportional to the increase in the epidemic risk but is focussed in older adults irrespective of inclusion in social bubbles.

Conclusions: ​ If managed appropriately, social bubbles can be an effective way of extending contacts beyond the household while limiting the increase in epidemic risk.
Protocol for expansion of an existing national monthly survey of smoking behaviour and alcohol use in England to Scotland and Wales: The Smoking and Alcohol Toolkit Study
Authors: Kock Loren , Shahab Lion , Moore Graham , Beard Emma , Bauld Linda , Reid Garth , Brose Leonie , Horton Marie , Gould Ashley , Brown Jamie
Published: March 2021

Background

The Smoking and Alcohol Toolkit Study (STS/ATS) in England has delivered timely insights to inform and evaluate strategies aimed at reducing tobacco smoking- and alcohol-related harm. From the end of 2020 until at least 2024 the STS/ATS is expanding to Scotland and Wales to include all constituent nations in Great Britain. Expanding data collection to Scotland and Wales will permit the evaluation of how smoking and alcohol related behaviours respond to divergent policy scenarios across the devolved nations.

Methods

The STS/ATS consists of monthly cross-sectional household interviews (computer or telephone assisted) of representative samples of adults in Great Britain aged 16+ years. Commencing in October 2020 each month a new sample of approximately 1700 adults in England, 450 adults in Scotland and 300 adults in Wales complete the survey (~n = 29,400 per year). The expansion of the survey to Scotland and Wales has been funded for the collection of at least 48 waves of data across four years. The data collected cover a broad range of smoking and alcohol-related parameters (including but not limited to smoking status, cigarette/nicotine dependence, route to quit smoking, prevalence and frequency of hazardous drinking, attempts and motivation to reduce alcohol consumption, help sought and motives for attempts to reduce alcohol intake) and socio-demographic characteristics (including but not limited to age, gender, region, socio-economic position) and will be reviewed monthly and refined in response to evolving policy needs and public interests. All data analyses will be pre-specified and available on a free online platform. A dedicated website will publish descriptive data on important trends each month.

Discussion

The Smoking and Alcohol Toolkit Study will provide timely monitoring of smoking and alcohol related behaviours to inform and evaluate national policies across Great Britain.
Specificity of Interpretation of a Scientific Text in the Humanitarian Knowledge of the World
Authors: Kremer Inessa , Kalashnikova E.
Published: March 2021

The given article is devoted to the interpretation of a scientific text in the framework of humanitarian knowledge of the world. The author covers theoretical aspects of intersubjective communication. The specificity of the analysis of this type of text is to address the mental and social state of the scientist's personality. The article systematizes the dominant syntactic means that characterize the process of cognition. Special attention is paid to emotional language means and their connection with evaluative meaning.
Developing Professional Identity of Military Translators: Communicative Aspect
Authors: Shevchenko B.
Published: March 2021

The article reveals the relevance of the study due to the need to develop the professional identity of military translators in the context of their preparation for professional communication in international conflicts. The research discloses the essence of the professional identity of military translators as a psychological and pedagogical phenomenon, which is an integrative quality of the military translator's personality, characterized by understanding the social significance, purpose and meaning of military service, high motivation to fulfill professional duty, and the ability to linguistically support military activity at the international level. Special attention in the formation of the professional identity of military translators in a communicative context is paid to the mastery of military terminology and terminology combinations, linguistic realities and military slang, and the peculiarities of professional communication in the military sphere. The author concludes that the development of the professional identity of military translators contributes to the development of the personality of the future officer and is a means of improving the quality of the training of military translators for professional communication in international conflicts.