bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Multi‐objective optimization of ambulance ride comfort under speed bump
Authors: Li Jie , Guo Wencui , Wang Liang , Chen Shaoshuai
Published: June 2019

Ambulance ride comfort not only impacts health of patients, but influences handling capability of drivers. Previous studies on ambulance ride comfort mainly focused on analysis and optimization of ride comfort of supine patients, but ride comfort of drivers was ignored. For solving this problem, a 10°‐of‐freedom (DOF) vibration model of ambulance was established, and a supine patient on stretcher and a driver on seat were included in the model. The excitations on front and rear wheel were proposed according to speed bump, which have a great impact on occupants. The objective function and design variables of multi‐objective optimization were determined, and the parameters of design variables were solved by using Elitist Nondominated Sorting Genetic Algorithm (NSGA‐II). Based on the parameters before and after optimization, ride comfort of supine patient and driver was analyzed. The results show that ride comfort of supine patient and driver in ambulance under speed bump was improved 20% and 7%, respectively, and ride comfort of supine patient and driver in ambulance under random road was increased by 9% after optimization. Multi‐objective optimization of ambulance ride comfort under speed bump can improve ride comfort of supine patient and driver, and has a good optimal effect. © 2019 Institute of Electrical Engineers of Japan. Published by John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Providing Readers With a Reflection
Authors: Feliciano Julie
Published: June 2019

Voices From the Classroom essays share readers’ reflections on teaching experiences, advice for new teachers, and perspectives on current issues.
Shared river basins in disputed territories: A case study of Indus and Brahmaputra
Authors: Yaqoob Asma
Published: June 2019

The present study seeks to explain how the growing water insecurity in the Brahmaputra and Indus basins has remained an underexplored factor in delaying peace building along disputed borders of Southern Tibet and Kashmir. The new water challenges such as natural flow variation, change in land use, water quality, and hydropower development posed by climate variability and domestic compulsions in both Indus and Brahmaputra have resulted in power competition for the riparian states. Mutual interests are the single most peace‐inducing force in the present international order but could only occur under particular conditions and through a set of norms. A failure of regional states to engage in institutional rapprochement to ensure water security is indicative that inter‐state conflicts may flare again especially in the wake of growing water pressures on shared water resources.
Alqueva dam in the Guadiana River Basin—Past and future of illusive water abundance
Authors: Neto Susana
Published: June 2019

The historical need for water storage in the Guadiana Basin led to the construction of a large scale dam, creating a reservoir with capacity of 4,000 million m3 and maximum flooded area of 25,000 ha. The Alqueva Dam is a large multi‐purpose project (irrigation, hydro‐electricity production, domestic supply, recreation) that answers to the old expectations of water storage in the dry region of Alentejo, Portugal. The long “stop‐start” decision process was dominated by political objectives, and both local communities and major political forces envisaged Alqueva as a “magic” solution for development of the Alentejo. This Project had a general national consensus, although many environmental NGOs were clearly against it. The final decision of the European Union to fund the Project, due to the regional development perspective, was the decisive step to resume the project. This paper discusses the “social perception of scarcity” and the paradox of how this addition of a large volume of water storage in the Guadiana basin led to a dramatic cultural change in regional landscape and livelihoods, creating new opportunities for foreign stakeholders, and users, but at the same time did not necessarily increase access to water for most of the local communities and small scale farms.
Policy diagnostics for Pakistan’s water security challenge
Authors: Khan Shahbaz
Published: June 2019

Pakistan is a country already facing water shortages for urban as well as rural water uses. A number of comprehensive water sector reports, a climate change policy, and a national water policy exist, but implementation remains limited due to financial, political, and institutional challenges. The Indus river basin water system is the backbone of the water security in Pakistan and is suffering structural and nonstructural issues of adequate water storage, timely water conveyance, efficient water distribution, and appropriate consumptive use challenges. Inspirational integrated approaches such as integrated water resources management could not be implemented due to national and provincial mandates on the management of surface and ground waters and associated equitable distribution of costs and benefits among stakeholders. This paper presents an overview of the challenges and possible policy options through a diagnostic water balance analysis considering population, cropping patterns, system efficiencies, and storage options.
The survival of mankind requires a Water Quality and Quantity Index (WQQI) and Water Applied Testing and Environmental Research (WATER) Centers
Authors: Kozicki Zigmond A. , Baiyasi‐Kozicki Stephanie J. S.
Published: June 2019

The survival of the human population requires policy changes regarding water management. Mankind needs real‐time feedback about water quality to respond to threats to the water supply from climate change, population growth, water intensive farming, industrial pollution and urbanization. With the growing scarcity of drinking water worldwide, proactive strategic thinking and planning is necessary. Investing in water quality and water quantity management ensures that the public health and economic benefits for all things related to water is maximized. By 2025, half of the world’s population will be living in water‐stressed areas (World Health Organization, Drinking water, http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs391/en/, 2016). “While the private sector has a key role to play in making innovation happen, government must provide three key public‐good inputs that allow innovation to blossom: investments in human capital, infrastructure, and research” (Pool & Erickson, The high return on investment for publicly funded research, Center for American Progress, 2012). Managing water quality and quantity is a worldwide concern that will require investing in WATER Centers. The feedback humans need to survive can best be described as a Water Quality and Quantity Index (WQQI). To create the WQQI, each country will need to create and operate a Water Applied Testing and Environmental Research (WATER) Center(s) to support public health surveillance of drinking water. Water policy makers need to keep in mind that water quality measurements should be unique to each community and determined by the actual threat to each community’s water sources. Utilizing a WQQI from many communities in a given country would be useful for national public health strategic planning. WATER Centers can improve the safety of drinking water and contribute to water conservation in community water systems worldwide. WATER Centers can facilitate the implementation of a WQQI. The Water Centers can form a global network that shares data and methods for best practices in managing drinking (potable) water. The United States is often considered as having safe drinking water. An examination of the community water systems in the United States reveals that this may be an inaccurate assessment. The testing and treatment of water in the United States is referenced in this manuscript. Water is life—and life on earth is linked to water. Our existence is dependent on water, or the lack of it, in many ways, and one could say that our whole civilization is built on the use of water (International Water Association, 2008, A brief history of water and health from ancient civilizations to modern times).
Phenomenological study of texture zeros in lepton mass matrices of minimal left-right symmetric model
Authors: Borgohain Happy , Das Mrinal Kumar , Borah Debasish
Published: June 2019

Abstract

We consider the possibility of texture zeros in lepton mass matrices of the minimal left-right symmetric model (LRSM) where light neutrino mass arises from a combination of type I and type II seesaw mechanisms. Based on the allowed texture zeros in light neutrino mass matrix from neutrino and cosmology data, we make a list of all possible allowed and disallowed texture zeros in Dirac and heavy neutrino mass matrices which appear in type I and type II seesaw terms of LRSM. For the numerical analysis we consider those cases with maximum possible texture zeros in light neutrino mass matrix M

ν
, Dirac neutrino mass matrix M

D
, heavy neutrino mass matrix M

RR
while keeping the determinant of M

RR
non-vanishing, in order to use the standard type I seesaw formula. The possibility of maximum zeros reduces the free parameters of the model making it more predictive. We then compute the new physics contributions to rare decay processes like neutrinoless double beta decay, charged lepton flavour violation. We find that even for a conservative lower limit on left-right symmetry scale corresponding to heavy charged gauge boson mass 4.5 TeV, in agreement with collider bounds, for right-handed neutrino masses above 1 GeV, the new physics contributions to these rare decay processes can saturate the corresponding experimental bound.
Time evolution of entanglement entropy of moving mirrors influenced by strongly coupled quantum critical fields
Authors: Lee Da-Shin , Yeh Chen-Pin
Published: June 2019

Abstract

The evolution of the Von Neumann entanglement entropy of a n-dimensional mirror influenced by the strongly coupled d-dimensional quantum critical fields with a dynamic exponent z is studied by the holographic approach. The dual description is a n+1-dimensional probe brane moving in the d+1-dimensional asymptotic Lifshitz geometry ended at r = r
b, which plays a role as the UV energy cutoff. Using the holographic influence functional method, we find that in the linear response region, by introducing a harmonic trap for the mirror, which serves as a IR energy cutoff, the Von Neumann entropy at late times will saturate by a power-law in time for generic values of z and n. The saturated value and the relaxation rate depend on the parameter α ≡ 1+(n+2)/z, which is restricted to 1 < α < 3 but α = 2. We find that the saturated values of the entropy are qualitatively different for the theories with 1 < α < 2 and 2 < α < 3. Additionally, the power law relaxation follows the rate ∝ t
−2α−1. This probe brane approach provides an alternative way to study the time evolution of the entanglement entropy in the linear response region that shows the similar power-law relaxation behavior as in the studies of entanglement entropies based on Ryu-Takayanagi conjecture. We also compare our results with quantum Brownian motion in a bath of relativistic free fields.
Are Pre‐hospital Trauma Deaths Preventable? A Systematic Literature Review
Authors: Pfeifer Roman , Halvachizadeh Sascha , Schick Sylvia , Sprengel Kai , Jensen Kai Oliver , Teuben Michel , Mica Ladislav , Neuhaus Valentin , Pape Hans‐Christoph
Published: June 2019

Background

The first and largest peak of trauma mortality is encountered on the trauma site. The aim of this study was to determine whether these trauma‐related deaths are preventable. We performed a systematic literature review with a focus on pre‐hospital preventable deaths in severely injured patients and their causes.

Methods

Studies published in a peer‐reviewed journal between January 1, 1990 and January 10, 2018 were included. Parameters of interest: country of publication, number of patients included, preventable death rate (PP = potentially preventable and DP = definitely preventable), inclusion criteria within studies (pre‐hospital only, pre‐hospital and hospital deaths), definition of preventability used in each study, type of trauma (blunt versus penetrating), study design (prospective versus retrospective) and causes for preventability mentioned within the study.

Results

After a systematic literature search, 19 papers (total 7235 death) were included in this literature review. The majority (63.1%) of studies used autopsies combined with an expert panel to assess the preventability of death in the patients. Pre‐hospital death rates range from 14.6 to 47.6%, in which 4.9–11.3% were definitely preventable and 25.8–42.7% were potentially preventable. The most common (27–58%) reason was a delayed treatment of the trauma victims, followed by management (40–60%) and treatment errors (50–76.6%).

Conclusion

According to our systematic review, a relevant amount of the observed mortality was described as preventable due to delays in treatment and management/treatment errors. Standards in the pre‐hospital trauma system and management should be discussed in order to find strategies to reduce mortality.
The Relationship Between Severe Complications, Beta‐Blocker Therapy and Long‐Term Survival Following Emergency Surgery for Colon Cancer
Authors: Ahl Rebecka , Matthiessen Peter , Cao Yang , Sjolin Gabriel , Ljungqvist Olle , Mohseni Shahin
Published: June 2019

Background

Emergency surgery for colon cancer carries significant morbidity, and studies show more than doubled mortality when comparing elective to emergency surgery. The relationship between postoperative complications and survival has been outlined. Beta‐blocker therapy has been linked to improved postoperative outcomes. This study aims to assess the impact of postoperative complications on long‐term survival following emergency surgery for colon cancer and to determine whether beta‐blockade can reduce complications.

Study design

This cohort study utilized the prospective Swedish Colorectal Cancer Registry to identify adults undergoing emergency colon cancer surgery between 2011 and 2016. Prescription data for preoperative beta‐blocker therapy were collected from the national drug registry. Cox regression was used to evaluate the effect of beta‐blocker exposure and complications on 1‐year mortality, and Poisson regression was used to evaluate beta‐blocker exposure in patients with major complications.

Results

A total of 3139 patients were included with a mean age of 73.1 [12.4] of which 671 (21.4%) were prescribed beta‐blockers prior to surgery. Major complications occurred in 375 (11.9%) patients. Those suffering major complications showed a threefold increase in 1‐year mortality (adjusted HR = 3.29; 95% CI 2.75–3.94; p < 0.001). Beta‐blocker use was linked to a 60% risk reduction in 1‐year mortality (adjusted HR = 0.40; 95% CI 0.26–0.62; p < 0.001) but did not show a statistically significant association with reductions in major complications (adjusted IRR = 0.77; 95% CI 0.59–1.00; p = 0.055).

Conclusion

The development of major complications after emergency colon cancer surgery is associated with increased mortality during one year after surgery. Beta‐blocker therapy may protect against postoperative complications.
Knowledge frontiers and boundaries in entrepreneurship research
Authors: Belitski Maksim , Caiazza Rosa , Lehmann Erik E.
Published: June 2019

While the disruptive potential of knowledge has been receiving growing attention in small business economics and entrepreneurship research and application over the last decade, its boundaries and frontiers, including technological, spatial, institutional, cognitive, and cultural has not been fully explored. Here we present some reflections and a collection of papers on the role of knowledge investment across different cultural, institutional, geographical, and industrial contexts for this emerging area in entrepreneurship and management research. While being careful of the swift changes in knowledge creation, dissemination, and testing in a digital age, geography of knowledge diffusion, knowledge embeddedness into industries and places, skills, and strategies continue to change the way firms assimilate, absorb, create, and transfer knowledge. In this special issue, we extend our knowledge boundaries through knowledge collaboration theory, resource theory, open innovation theory, knowledge and creativity spillover of entrepreneurship theory, economic geography, and creative class and institutional theories. We give researchers and practitioners future directions for a very relevant and fast-growing area of entrepreneurship and small business research.
Beyond the Great Recession: Labor Market Polarization and Ongoing Fertility Decline in the United States
Authors: Seltzer Nathan
Published: June 2019

In the years since the Great Recession, social scientists have anticipated that economic recovery in the United States, characterized by gains in employment and median household income, would augur a reversal of declining fertility trends. However, the expected post-recession rebound in fertility rates has yet to materialize. In this study, I propose an economic explanation for why fertility rates have continued to decline regardless of improvements in conventional economic indicators. I argue that ongoing structural changes in U.S. labor markets have prolonged the financial uncertainty that leads women and couples to delay or forgo childbearing. Combining statistical and survey data with restricted-use vital registration records, I examine how cyclical and structural changes in metropolitan-area labor markets were associated with changes in total fertility rates (TFRs) across racial/ethnic groups from the early 1990s to the present day, with a particular focus on the 2006–2014 period. The findings suggest that changes in industry composition—specifically, the loss of manufacturing and other goods-producing businesses—have a larger effect on TFRs than changes in the unemployment rate for all racial/ethnic groups. Because structural changes in labor markets are more likely to be sustained over time—in contrast to unemployment rates, which fluctuate with economic cycles—further reductions in unemployment are unlikely to reverse declining fertility trends.
Mobile Advertising and Traffic Conversion: The Effects of Front Traffic and Spatial Competition
Authors: Wang Wei , Li Gang , Fung Richard Y.K. , Cheng T.C.E.
Published: June 2019

As mobile devices gain increasing popularity in consumers’ shopping journeys, geofencing mobile advertising is widely used by retailers to convert front traffic, i.e., consumers walking in front of a store, into sales. In the process, retailers face two critical questions, i.e., how to set the fence locations and how to improve the conversion effectiveness with consideration of the advertising costs. We aim to shed light on the issues by developing an analytical model that considers two competitive retailers’ mobile advertising strategies in a linear Hotelling city. We first present the equilibrium prices (or fence locations), advertising levels, and profits. In addition, by conducting a comparative static analysis, we ascertain the separate effects and joint effects of front traffic, showing how the traffic changes caused by consumer entry and consumer switching affect the equilibrium outcomes in different competitive environments. Counter-intuitively, we find that higher front traffic, which is usually regarded as being favorable to a retailer, can lead to lower prices, advertising levels, and profits under certain conditions. The results suggest that retailers should craft and adjust mobile advertising strategies in accordance with both consumers’ movement tendency and competition intensity. Besides, by comparing the competitive retailers, we provide guidance to retailers on how to make mobile advertising strategies according to traffic advantages or disadvantages.
Catfish Bite Case Report
Authors: LeBlond Lawrence
Published: June 2019

Although catfish are found worldwide and commonly consumed in the southern United States, fatal infections from catfish are rare. Edwardsiella tarda is a bacterium known to cause gastrointestinal distress most commonly, but extraintestinal infections are a rarely considered danger for those acquiring, preparing, and consuming aquatic animals. Susceptible to all gram-negative active antibiotics, it is easily treated except in immunocompromised hosts, such as those with malignancy, diabetes, and hepatic dysfunction.
Rejecting the New Statistical Solution to the Generality Problem
Authors: Tolly Jeffrey
Published: June 2019

The generality problem is one of the most pressing challenges for process reliabilism about justification. Thus far, one of the more promising responses is James Beebe's tri-level statistical solution. Despite the initial plausibility of Beebe's approach, the tri-level statistical solution has been shown to generate implausible justification verdicts on a variety of cases. Recently, Samuel Kampa has offered anew statistical solutionto the generality problem, which he argues can overcome the challenges that undermined Beebe's original statistical solution. However, there's good reason to believe that Kampa is mistaken. In this paper, I show that Kampa's new statistical solution faces problems that are no less serious than the original objections to Beebe's solution. Depending on how we interpret Kampa's proposal, the new statistical solutioneithertypes belief-forming processes far too narrowly,orthe new statistical solution fails to clarify the epistemic implications of reliabilism altogether. Either way, the new statistical solution fails to make substantive progress towards solving the generality problem.
Mannan rich fraction from yeast modulates inflammatory responses in intestinal cells (HT-29) exposed toEscherichia coli
Authors: Browne Niall , Traynor Aimee , Horgan Karina A.
Published: June 2019

Mannan from yeast has been demonstrated to limit infection in animals susceptible to gastrointestinal infection, including pigs, poultry and cows, by blocking the mechanism by which gram-negative bacteria adhere to and invade the intestines. EnterotoxigenicEscherichia coli(ETEC) cause post weaning diarrhoea (PWD) which results in poor weight gain and potential death at great economic cost to the farmer. A mannan rich fraction (MRF) was assessedin vitrofor its impact on ETEC infection of HT-29 intestinal cell line. Gene expression markers for inflammation (TNFαandIL-1β) and TLR4 (TICAM-1andLY96) associated recognition of bacteria were significantly elevated following exposure toE. colialone, but not in combination with MRF compared to the control. HT-29 cells exposed to MRF alone demonstrated significantly reduced expression of immune signalling genesIRAK1,IRF7andJUNwhen compared to the control. HT-29 cell protein abundance for TNFα and TLR4 associated proteins were significantly increased in response toE. coliexposure alone while no significant change was observed for MRF treatment withE. coliinfection.E. coliadhesion to HT-29 cells was significantly decreased with addition of MRF compared toE. coliinfection alone. The action of MRF demonstrated its potential capacity to limit infection on anin vitrolevel through blocking bacterial interaction with the intestines that leads to infection as marked by a reduction in proinflammatory responses. MRF on its own demonstrated potential anti-inflammatory effects on intestinal cells with the reduction of proinflammatory responses observed.
The role of soluble surfactants in the linear stability of two-layer flow in a channel
Authors: Kalogirou A. , Blyth M. G.
Published: June 2019

The linear stability of Couette–Poiseuille flow of two superposed fluid layers in a horizontal channel is considered. The lower fluid layer is populated with surfactants that appear either in the form of monomers or micelles and can also get adsorbed at the interface between the fluids. A mathematical model is formulated which combines the Navier–Stokes equations in each fluid layer, convection–diffusion equations for the concentration of monomers (at the interface and in the bulk fluid) and micelles (in the bulk), together with appropriate coupling conditions at the interface. The primary aim of this study is to investigate when the system is unstable to arbitrary wavelength perturbations, and in particular, to determine the influence of surfactant solubility and/or sorption kinetics on the instability. A linear stability analysis is performed and the growth rates are obtained by solving an eigenvalue problem for Stokes flow, both numerically for disturbances of arbitrary wavelength and analytically using long-wave approximations. It is found that the system is stable when the surfactant is sufficiently soluble in the bulk and if the fluid viscosity ratio $m$ and thickness ratio $n$ satisfy the condition $m<n^{2}$. On the other hand, the effect of surfactant solubility is found to be destabilising if $m\geqslant n^{2}$. Both of the aforementioned results are manifested for low bulk concentrations below the critical micelle concentration; however, when the equilibrium bulk concentration is sufficiently high (and above the critical micelle concentration) so that micelles are formed in the bulk fluid, the system is stable if $m<n^{2}$ in all cases examined.
REPRODUCTIVE POLITICS AND POPULISM: PENTECOSTAL RELIGION AND HEGEMONY IN THE PHILIPPINES
Authors: Maltese Giovanni
Published: June 2019

Reproductive politics is thelocus classicusfor studying the entanglement of religion with politics and lawmaking processes in the Philippines. Although 25 percent of the total population participates in the Pentecostal movement, there is virtually no comprehensive work that studies this movement's attitudes about reproductive health. In this article I analyze Pentecostals’ attitude on reproductive health vis-à-vis recent studies that depict the movement as religious populism. I investigate the interests and exclusions that Pentecostals’ keywords and narratives, as well as recent scholarship on Pentecostalism, conceal. I first provide a genealogical reconstruction of the debate on reproductive health in the Philippines. Second, I provide an overview of the religious landscape and discuss Pentecostal's attitudes toward reproductive health while demonstrating that their rhetorical positions cannot be understood apart from hegemonic struggles and their entanglement with local and global discourse. Third, I draw theoretical and methodological implications for the study of Pentecostalism, politics, and lawmaking processes in the Philippines. Finally, I conclude by showing the relationship between Pentecostalism in the Philippines and the broader study of religion and politics, including making and implementing law.
Phubbing and Social Relationships: Results from an Australian Sample
Authors: Al-Saggaf Yeslam , MacCulloch Rachel
Published: June 2019

Existing research on phubbing has focused mainly on one relationship group (i.e., partner phubbing). How does phubbing differ across different relationship groups (i.e., family vss people at work)? How does phubbing differ within the same relationship group (i.e., in the case of family relations: parents vs. children)? In which situations (i.e., in bed or at the dinner table) are people more likely to phub others? An online survey of 387 participants, predominantly Australians, revealed that participants were more likely to phub family, friends and strangers than people at work, and they were more likely to phub family and friends than strangers. With regard to family relations, participants were more likely to phub parents, partners and children than grandparents. They were more likely to phub partners and children than parents. The reason certain people are phubbed more frequently than others and in specific situations more than others is due to which social norms matter the most: injunctive norms or smartphone-related internalised norms. Considering that phubbing impacts those with whom the phubber has a closer relationship and those with whom the phubber has a distant relationship, comparing how phubbing differs across different relationship groups contributes to understanding the impact of phubbing on social relationships.
Early Pottery and Construction at Nixtun-Ch'ich’, Petén, Guatemala: Preliminary Observations
Authors: Rice Prudence M.
Published: June 2019

Early occupation at Nixtun-Ch'ich’, on the western edge of Lake Petén Itzá, is dated by two ceramic complexes, K'as and Chich. These represent the Late and Terminal Early Preclassic or the early and late “Pre-Mamom” periods, respectively (ca. 1300–800 BC), including a “Transitional” period incorporating Nix Middle Preclassic (Mamom) pottery. Comparisons with complexes at other sites in the region permit the dating of 10 construction loci, including 3 in the civic-ceremonial core. Low late Pre-Mamom platforms were raised and expanded in Transitional and Early Middle Preclassic times, when they were elaborated into two E-Groups and a Triadic Structure on the central axis. This building activity is interpreted in terms of cooperative or corporate labor organization and related to evolutionary game theory. The ritual foundation of such organization is evident in the site's gridded layout based on a mythical world-creation crocodile.
The Psychopharmacological Revolution in the USSR: Schizophrenia Treatment and the Thaw in Soviet Psychiatry, 1954–64
Authors: Zajicek Benjamin
Published: June 2019

Twentieth-century psychiatry was transformed in the 1950s and 1960s by the introduction of powerful psychopharmaceuticals, particularly Chlorpromazine (Thorazine). This paper examines the reception of Chlorpromazine in the Soviet Union and its effect on the Soviet practice of psychiatry. The drug, known in the USSR by the name Aminazine, was first used in Moscow in 1954 and was officially approved in 1955. I argue that Soviet psychiatrists initially embraced it because Aminazine enabled them to successfully challenge the Stalin-era dogma in their field (Ivan Pavlov’s ‘theory of higher nervous activity’). Unlike in the West, however, the new psychopharmaceuticals did not lead to deinstitutionalisation. I argue that the new drugs did not disrupt the existing Soviet system because, unlike the system in the West, the Soviets were already dedicated, at least in theory, to a model which paired psychiatric hospitals with community-based ‘neuropsychiatric dispensaries.’ Chlorpromazine gave this system a new lease on life, encouraging Soviet psychiatrists to more rapidly move patients from in-patient treatment to ‘supporting’ treatment in the community.
‘We Won’t Ban Castrating Pervs Despite What Europe Might Think!’: Czech Medical Sexology and the Practice of Therapeutic Castration
Authors: Lišková Kateřina , Bělehradová Andrea
Published: June 2019

The Czech Republic holds one of the highest numbers of men labelled as sexual delinquents worldwide who have undergone the irreversible process of surgical castration – a policy that has elicited strong international criticism. Nevertheless, Czech sexology has not changed its attitude towards ‘therapeutic castration’, which remains widely accepted and practised. In this paper, we analyse the negotiation of expertise supporting castration and demonstrate how the changes in institutional matrices and networks of experts (Eyal 2013) have impacted the categorisation of patients and the methods of treatment. Our research shows the great importance of historical development that tied Czech sexology with the state. Indeed, Czech sexology has been profoundly institutionalised since the early 1970s. In accordance with the state politics of that era, officially named Normalisation, sexology focused on sexual deviants and began creating a treatment programme that included therapeutic castration. This practice, the aim of which is to protect society from sex offenders, has changed little since. We argue that it is the expert–state alliance that enables Czech sexologists to preserve the status quo in the treatment of sexual delinquents despite international pressure. Our research underscores the continuity in medical practice despite the regime change in 1989. With regard to previous scholarship on state-socialist Czechoslovakia, we argue that it was the medical mainstream that developed and sustained disciplining and punitive features.
Testing the Truth of Phrenology: Knowledge Experiments in Antebellum American Cultures of Science and Health
Authors: Bittel Carla
Published: June 2019

In the first half of the nineteenth century, many Americans visited phrenological practitioners. Some clients were true believers, who consulted phrenology to choose an occupation, select a marriage partner and raise children. But, as this article demonstrates, many others consumed phrenology as an ‘experiment’, testing its validity as they engaged its practice. Consumers of ‘practical phrenology’ subjected themselves to examinations often to test the phrenologist and his practice against their own knowledge of themselves. They also tested whether phrenology was true, according to their own beliefs about race and gender. While historians have examined phrenology as a theory of the mind, we know less about its ‘users’ and how gender, race and class structured their engagement. Based on extensive archival research with letters and diaries, memoirs and marginalia, as well as phrenological readings, this study reveals how a continuum of belief existed around phrenology, from total advocacy to absolute denunciation, with lots of room for acceptance and rejection in between. Phrenologists’ notebooks and tools of salesmanship also show how an experimental environment emerged where phrenologists themselves embraced a culture of testing. In an era of what Katherine Pandora has described as ‘epistemological contests’, audiences confronted new museums, performances and theatres of natural knowledge and judged their validity. This was also true for phrenology, which benefited from a culture of contested authority. As this article reveals, curiosity, experimentation and even scepticism among users actually helped keep phrenology alive for decades.
The Peculiarities of Traditional Marriage
Rituals of the Dungan Diaspora: A
Comparative-Historical Analysis
Authors: Imyarova Zulfiya
Published: June 2019

This article, through comparative historical analysis,
examines the traditional marriage rituals of the
Dungan diaspora in Kazakhstan. Dungans are
Chinese-speaking Muslims who were forced to migrate
to present-day Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, and
Uzbekistan after the defeat of their revolt against
the Qing dynasty from 1877 to 1888. The article
focuses on the diversity of wedding ceremonies in
three zones where Dungan settled in Kazakhstan:
Zhalpak Tobe and Sortobe, two rural areas in the
Zhambyl region; and Zaria Vostok, near the city of
Almaty. I find that the local variations in
traditional wedding ceremonies stem from their close
intercultural and social cooperation with non-Dungan
peoples—primarily Kazakhs, Uzbeks, Uyghurs, and
Russians. The example of wedding rituals shows that,
while Dungan existence in another cultural
environment has stimulated the consolidation of
their ethnic group, preserving many of the
traditional archaic cultural features, it has also
led to the transformation of the marriage
ceremonies. I address a much-neglected pathway—the
nature of borrowed elements in Dungan wedding
rituals—and ask why the extent of borrowing varies
from community to community even though the Dungan
arrived from China with similar traditions.
State, Nation, and the National Flag in Post-Soviet Lithuania: Legitimating Identities of the State in Institutional and Social Discourses
Authors: Kesylytė-Alliks Eglė
Published: June 2019

This article explores discursive construction of legitimating identity(-ies) of the state within official institutional and semipublic social discourses on the national flag in post-1990 Lithuania. By doing so, it contributes to the continuous discussion regarding the puzzling coexistence of a relatively stable democratic regime and a limited degree of social and ethnic unrest with signs of political alienation in Lithuania. It argues that an empirical approach to legitimacy studies paired with research on national symbols and discourse analysis can contribute to a better understanding of this problem. The article concludes that the most prominent legitimating identity of the state coming forth in the official discourse is that of the state as an object of love and respect. This view is both shared and challenged within the semipublic discourse—especially regarding issues of instrumental performance of the state as well as the ability to accommodate both the initiative and autonomy of its people within political affairs.
Making Soviet Ukraine Ukrainian: The Debate on Ukrainian Statehood in the JournalSuchasnist’(1961–1971)
Authors: Bellezza Simone Attilio
Published: June 2019

This article analyzes the debate on Ukrainian statehood going on in the 1960s inSuchasnist’, the most intellectually prestigious journal among Ukrainian emigrants in the West. These intellectuals and political activists interpreted the renaissance of Ukrainian national culture in the 1960s (the so-calledshistdesiatnytstvo) in various ways and proposed different political strategies to influence their original homeland and its future political and cultural developments. In the Ukrainian diaspora, two opposing factions emerged: the first, despite condemning Soviet imperialism, favorably evaluated the birth of a movement for the defense of human rights in Soviet Ukraine and was happy to exploit the rapprochement between the USSR and USA to finally have an opportunity to make contact with the motherland. The other did not consider the Ukrainian SSR as a real example of a Ukrainian state and acknowledged its existence only for tactical reasons; this faction thought that contact should be avoided and that the Soviets should be offered no opportunity to address the Western public. Eventually, at the beginning of the 1970s, even those who had opposed collaboration with any subject from Soviet Ukraine decided to embrace the cause of human rights and join the struggle led by the Ukrainian dissent.
What Was Soviet and Ukrainian About Soviet Ukrainian Culture? Mykola Kulish’sMyna Mazailoon the Soviet Stage
Authors: Fowler Mayhill C.
Published: June 2019

In the Soviet Union theatre was an arena for cultural transformation. This article focuses on theatre director Les Kurbas’ 1929 production of playwright Mykola Kulish’sMyna Mazailo, a dark comedy about Ukrainianization, to show the construction of “Soviet Ukrainian” culture. While the Ukrainian and the Soviet are often considered in opposition, this article takes the culture of the Ukrainian Soviet Socialist Republic seriously as a category. Well before Stalin’s infamous adage “national in form and socialist in content,” artists like Kulish and Kurbas were engaged in making art that was not “Ukrainian” in a generic Soviet mold, or “Soviet” art in a generic “Ukrainian” mold, but rather art of an entirely new category: Soviet Ukrainian. Far from a mere mouthpiece for state propaganda, early Soviet theatre offered a space for creating new values, social hierarchies, and worldviews. More broadly, this article argues that Soviet nationality policy was not only imposed from above, but also worked out on the stages of the republic by artists, officials, and audiences alike. Tracing productions ofMyna Mazailointo the post-Soviet period, moreover, reveals a lingering ambiguity over the content of culture in contemporary Ukraine. The state may no longer sponsor cultural construction, but theater remains a space of cultural contestation.
Rehabilitating a Mythology: The Ukrainian SSR’s Foundational Myth After Stalin
Authors: Dobczansky Markian
Published: June 2019

This article looks at the rehabilitation of the early history of the Communist Party of Ukraine and the Ukrainian SSR during the Thaw. It argues that the post-Stalin political moment offered the Ukrainian Party and academic establishments the opportunity to revalorize their republic’s founding narrative. In order to popularize this narrative, they produced publications on the revolution in Ukraine and early party history, rehabilitated Ukrainian Communists from the 1920s who had fallen victim to repressions, and constructed a set of monuments that embodied the new historical paradigm. These efforts aimed to de-Stalinize the country’s history as well as promote a Soviet Ukrainian patriotism that would make Ukrainians feel more integrated into the Soviet whole. Based on archival research, newspapers, and memoirs, the article suggests that rehabilitating this narrative was a strategy for the legitimization of the party within Ukraine.
Sex differences in postprandial responses to different dairy products on lipoprotein subclasses: a randomised controlled cross-over trial
Authors: Hansson Patrik , Holven Kirsten B. , Øyri Linn K. L. , Brekke Hilde K. , Gjevestad Gyrd O. , Thoresen Magne , Ulven Stine M.
Published: June 2019

Men have earlier first-time event of CHD and higher postprandial TAG response compared with women. The aim of this exploratory sub-study was to investigate if intake of meals with the same amount of fat from different dairy products affects postprandial lipoprotein subclasses differently in healthy women and men. A total of thirty-three women and fourteen men were recruited to a randomised controlled cross-over study with four dairy meals consisting of butter, cheese, whipped cream or sour cream, corresponding to 45 g of fat (approximately 60 energy percent). Blood samples were taken at 0, 2, 4 and 6 h postprandially. Lipoprotein subclasses were measured using NMR and analysed using a linear mixed model. Sex had a significant impact on the response in M-VLDL (P=0·04), S-LDL (P=0·05), XL-HDL (P=0·009) and L-HDL (P=0·001) particle concentration (P), with women having an overall smaller increase in M-VLDL-P, a larger decrease in S-LDL-P and a larger increase in XL- and L-HDL-P compared with men, independent of meal. Men showed a decrease in XS-VLDL-P compared with women after intake of sour cream (P<0·01). In men only, XS-VLDL-P decreased after intake of sour cream compared with all other meals (v. butter:P=0·001;v. cheese:P=0·04;v. whipped cream:P=0·006). Meals with the same amount of fat from different dairy products induce different postprandial effects on lipoprotein subclass concentrations in men and women.
THE HUMAN RIGHTS DEFENCE IN INTERNATIONAL INVESTMENT ARBITRATION: EXPLORING THE LIMITS OF SYSTEMIC INTEGRATION
Authors: Fahner Johannes Hendrik , Happold Matthew
Published: June 2019

In a variety of investment arbitration cases, respondent States have argued that measures impugned by investors were mandated by that State's human rights obligations. Tribunals have generally been reluctant to engage with such arguments and to interpret the relationship between investment law and human rights in a straightforward manner. This article discusses two other possibilities: harmonious interpretation and prioritization. Harmonious interpretation seeks to read provisions from investment treaties and human rights treaties together, whereas prioritization gives normative superiority to one provision over another. We conclude that harmonious interpretation is facilitated by the discretionary character of common treaty standards in both human rights and investment law, but that the final result is unlikely to be very different from prioritization, because even harmonious interpretation requires that one provision is read in the light of, and thereby subjugated to, the other.
Inclusion of grape marc in dairy cattle rations alters the bovine milk proteome
Authors: Scuderi Richard A. , Ebenstein David B. , Lam Ying-Wai , Kraft Jana , Greenwood Sabrina L.
Published: June 2019

Grape marc (GPM) is a viticulture by-product that is rich in secondary compounds, including condensed tannins (CT), and is used as a supplement in livestock feeding practices. The aim of this study was to determine whether feeding GPM to lactating dairy cows would alter the milk proteome through changes in nitrogen (N) partitioning. Ten lactating Holstein cows were fed a total mixed ration (TMR) top-dressed with either 1.5 kg dry matter (DM)/cow/day GPM (GPM group; n = 5) or 2.0 kg DM/cow/day of a 50:50 beet pulp: soy hulls mix (control group; n = 5). Characterization of N partitioning and calculation of N partitioning was completed through analysis of plasma urea-N, urine, feces, and milk urea-N. Milk samples were collected for general composition analysis, HPLC quantification of the high abundance milk proteins (including casein isoforms, α-lactalbumin, and β-lactoglobulin) and liquid chromatography tandem mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS) analysis of the low abundance protein enriched milk fraction. No differences in DMI, N parameters, or calculated N partitioning were observed across treatments. Dietary treatment did not affect milk yield, milk protein or fat content or yield, or the concentrations of high abundance milk proteins quantified by HPLC analysis. Of the 127 milk proteins that were identified by LC-MS/MS analysis, 16 were affected by treatment, including plasma proteins and proteins associated with the blood-milk barrier, suggesting changes in mammary passage. Immunomodulatory proteins, including butyrophilin subfamily 1 member 1A and serum amyloid A protein, were higher in milk from GPM-fed cows. Heightened abundance of bioactive proteins in milk caused by dietary-induced shifts in mammary passage could be a feasible method to enhance the healthfulness of milk for both the milk-fed calf and human consumer. Additionally, the proteome shifts observed in this trial could provide a starting point for the identification of biomarkers suitable for use as indicators of mammary function.
Use of physical restraint in nursing homes in Spain and relation with resident characteristics: a retrospective multi-centre cohort study with a self-organised maps approach
Authors: Blasco José-María , Igual-Camacho Celedonia , Pérez-Moltó Francisco-José , García-Molina Pablo , Gómez-Salgado Juan , Wazen-Hervás María-José
Published: June 2019

This is a retrospective cohort study based on data from five nursing homes which aims to appraise how physical and cognitive characteristics of nursing home residents were associated with the use of restraints, and to provide information on their prevalence in Spain. The goal was to assess, in a visual way, the possible interactions between the nursing homes residents’ characteristics and their association with the use of restraints. Motivation, risk factors, characteristics of the residents analysed by validated rating systems that assess mobility, level of dependence, cognitive condition and nutritional status, and their association with the use of restraints, were described by means of linear and non-linear multivariate approaches in the form of self-organised maps. Findings showed that the prevalence of restraints was high when compared to other developed countries. The visual analysis reinforced the knowledge that a greater impairment was associated with the use of restraints and vice versa. However, the residents’ characteristics were not always associated with the use of restraints. Subjective factors seem to play a relevant role in decision-making, so it is important to assess risk factors continuously and determine the actual need for the use of restraints from an individual perspective by basing the criteria on specific objectives, and on consistent, reproducible and reliable methods. Initiatives to minimise these subjective factors should be promoted. Likewise, a clear definition of physical restraints should be offered at each centre. In addition, effective legislation that clearly states the need, alternatives and motivation for the use of restraints is needed.