bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Selectieve uitsluiting in het Belgisch politiek systeem : Innovatie en protest door nieuwe sociale bewegingen
Authors: Hooghe Marc
Published: July 2021

The Belgian political system is generally portrayed as being closed for outsiders. In this article we ascertain how the system responded to the challenge of the new social movements. The Belgian political elite developed a response strategy, based on thematical openness and actorial closure. The issues of the new social movements were admitted on the political agenda, but the movements themselves were excluded from access to the decision making process. Only those actors were allowed which were willing to accomodate themselves to the traditional elite consensus, based on neo-corporatism, pillarisation and a politically passive population.  Confronted with this elite strategy, the new social movements were able to fulfil their agenda function (bringing new issues on the political agenda), but they had little opportunity for introducing new cultural codes into the political decision making process. This lack of innovation enhances the legitimation crisis of the Belgian political system.
The Potential Relevance of Belgian Minority Protection for South Africa
Authors: Alen André , Henrard Kristien
Published: July 2021

This paper focusses on the Belgian constitutional and legal regulations which are clearly and relatively directly linked to minority protection as welt as their relevance for South Africa by way of analogy, taking into account South Africa's specific circumstances.Generally, what seems to be highly relevant for South Africa is the different kind of solutions in Belgium for its three categories of minorities as related to a different degree of territorial concentration. Going from an emphasis on territorial federalism, providing autonomy, for the highly territorial concentrated linguistic groups, over the use of the relative concentrations of the ideological and philosophical groups in certain federated entities, to a combination of individual human rights and group rights without a territorial  connection whatsoever for the religious groups which are highly dispersed throughout the country.An analogous differentiation ofseveral types ofminority protection could bedivised in South Africa as the genera! lack of territoria! concentration of thecountry's several population groups bas a different degree for the ethnic/linguistic groups as compared to the religious ones.
Het gebruik van de meervoudige voorkeurstem bij de parlementsverkiezingen van 21 mei 1995
Authors: Smits Jozef , Thomas Inge
Published: July 2021

In Belgium the multiple preferential voting system was for the first time applied to parliamentary elections in 1995. Since then the electorate has the possibility to cast a vote for several candidates figuring on the same party list.As a result of this voting system change, more voters used the possibilities offered by the preferential voting system than during the 1991 elections: almost 57% of the electorate of 1995 cast a multiple vote on candidates for the House of Representatives - this was an increase of 8,6% compared to the 1991 results. For the Senate, the trend is even clearer: 59% of the electorate expressed their preference for one or more candidates of the Senate, resulting in an increase of 18,3% compared to 1991. Though one has to add that the above mentioned increases are only partly due to the election system change. Part of the increase is actually also due to a more accurate handling by the Ministery of Internal Affairs of the multiple preferential voting data figuring on the ballot-papers.Compared to previous elections the use of preferential voting was for the first time higher for the Senate than for the House of Representatives. Furthermore, the analysis showed that the use of the multiple preferential vote is varying from one constituency to another, from Flemings to Walloons and from one political party to another.
Streekgebonden spreiding van voorkeurstemmen
Authors: Wauters Bram
Published: July 2021

The way in which preferential votes of a candidate are spread over a large constituency is analysed for the Belgian Senate elections of 1995 and the European elections of 1994 in Belgium, which are both held in large constituencies.  A formula that indicates the concentration of preferential votes controls in each sub-unit of the constituency for the number of votes, the number of votes of the candidate's party and the number of preferential votes. When this variabele is combined with a variabele indicating the total number of preferential votes of a candidate, an interesting classification of nine categories of candidates is archieved.The fact that some candidates have a weak concentration of preferential votes in a sub-unit can be explained either by the social distance between candidate and citizen or by the f act that some candidates, due to their media appearences, are welt known all over the constituency and hence that they obtain an equal share of preferential votes in each sub-unit. The place on the party list and the visibility of a candidate in the campaign have an influence upon the category under which a candidate ressorts.
Hoe machtig is een minister ? : De politicus in de netwerkmaatschappij
Authors: Eyskens Mark
Published: July 2021

Defining a minister's power is not an easy exercise. It bas to be put in a broader framework: a pluralistic democracy, that has respect for human rights and basic freedoms and a market economy that is developping towards a national border crossing competition and cooperation. But there are also some basic rules coming from national but also regional and supranational institutions. There nowadays exists a so called 'Gulliver-effect': the state represented by the governement is like a giant that is threatened by a lot of surrenders whoforce him towards a powerless existence. Although citizens often have the impression politics is capable of doing anything it wants to, policy makers more often have to cope with restrictions that obstruct them in their policy aims.At the beginning of the twenty-first century ministers are heavily counterbalanced by other institions. Trade unions, big lobby groups, administration, the cabinets, the party executive and party president, parliament and the media: they all threaten a minster's power. Also the rising power of regional and supranational decision levels makes the power of a politician decline. In the future, rising information and communication skills will not only change the character of politics but also that of modern society. The internet, the globalisation ofeconomy and other changes will transform politics in a fundamental way. Leadership, power and authority will change strongly and the relationship between the citizens and their authority will never be the same again.
Het aandeel van de Volksunie in de federalisering van België in de jaren 80 en 90 : Een getuigenis.
Authors: Schiltz Hugo
Published: July 2021

The Volksunie, partly from the opposition and partly from its participation in cabinet/coalitions made an important contribution to the processes of state reforms that remodeled Belgium in the 80's and 90's into a federal state. The party strongly introduced the federalist ideas in the political arena. In the seventies it played a pro-active role in the negociations with the French interlocuteurs. Although these negociations did not succeed, the solutions advocated in that period went on as possible outcomes for later negociations and played a catalyst role. When taking part in the cabinets either the national and for the Flemish cabinets in the 80's and the 90's, its minister(s) advocated and carried on a maximalizing federalist policy. Inside and outside the party, it was not easy to perform this policy. Even the electorate did not reward the party that much for its achievements, which can be summarized as an undeniable contribution to the federal state reform of Belgium.
Vakbonden en sociaal overleg in het laatste kwart van de XX° eeuw
Authors: Peirens Willy
Published: July 2021

The unique character of the socio-economic negociations in Belgium has lost much of its glamour and prestige during the last quarter of the 20th century.  While before 1975, there was more or less agreement among the social partners to redistribute welfare to the whole society, after the first oil crisis employers tended to see themselves in competition with other employers, with the trade unions and with the state. Both employers' organisations as trade unions wanted to safeguard their own priorities, respectively the competitiveness of the enterprises and the system of indexation. As a consequence, it became very difficult to reach agreements and hence, there have been no or only very small interprofessional agreements signed since 1975.The role of the government in this period evolved from the role of host for the negociations to that of co-actor and finally to director. When no agreement was possible between the social partners, the govenrment itself took the initiative and both trade unions and employers' organisations tried to lobby the government rather than being partners in negociations. The measures of the government, especially those taken with extra-ordinary powers, were often beneficial for the employers. Despite the emphasis by the trade unions on employment, their efforts beared not much fruit. The first priority of both the government and the employers was the enhancement of the financial and the economic situation of the country. Since the interprofessional agreement of 1999-2000, a new period bas begun. Trade unions and employers' organisations are constrained by what happens in the rest of Europe. Between these constaints, they can negociate and conclude agreements on the basis of freedom and responsibility.The level of negociations shifted in this period from the interprofessional level to the level of the sector or even to the level of the enterprise. Another trend is the creation of an institutional framework for social talks on the Flemish level.The challenges for the future are the installation of a European or even an international world-wide institutional framework for social negociations and the development of themes as permanent education, quality of life and work and the enhancement of the socio-economic democracy.
Fractiecohesie en effectiviteit van parlementen
Authors: Depauw Sam
Published: July 2021

Although parliamentary government is generally taken to be party government and party cohesion is acknowledged a key element thereof, it seems an accepted part of comparative parliamentary research that the effectiveness of parliaments and the level ofparty cohesion are negatively related. This is in part a remnant of the Anglo-American comparative studies that have dominated the discipline for a long time. Within reactive parliaments, this negative relation fails to materialise.  Combining results from earlier research and original data, it is demonstrated that a high level ofparty cohesion does not prevent parliaments to be an effective, independent player in government formation, the recruitment of cabinet ministers or policy making. Comparing ten European parliaments, the more effective parliaments do encompass parliamentary parties with the highest level ofcohesion. A more crucial element isperhaps the characteristic of parliamentary parties as essentially oriented to the extra-parliamentary party or as a dominant element in the party-as-a-whole. Further research is however necessary.
De vraagstelling in volksraadplegingen en referenda
Authors: Billiet Jaak
Published: July 2021

In the domain of survey research, it is well known and documented that the structure, wording, and context of questions may affect the distributions of the responses to choice questions. Surprisingly, the application of the knowledge about these effects is not often made in the domain of referendums. Only few studies deal with the effects of question characteristics in referendums, although in the field, there are many discussions about the results obtained by problematic questions.  In this study, a number of wording effects that can be expected in referendums are discussed in the context of the actual state of theory and knowledge in the research on question wording effects in surveys. Some are well known and others are new, but also very relevant. The expected problems deal with: the choice between real alternatives; the decision about the majority in the case of multiple choice questions; the ambiguity in the choice between "yes" and "no"; the bidden response scale behind "yes-no" questions and the selection of the of verbs or qualifiers; the use of"double barrelled questions"; the suggestive wordings in the question text or in the introduction; the context of the questions when several questions are asked response sets. The importance and seriousness of each ofthese effects is evaluated, and reflections are made on the quality of the questions in referendums. Consequently suggestions are made about the kind of questions that can be used in referendums.
Politieke instituties, strategieën en beleid : de consequenties van multi-level governance
Authors: Deschouwer Kris
Published: July 2021

Multi-level governance is a fairly new concept, that has however travelled well in modern political science. The status of the concept remains a bit unclear, mainly because it tries to grasp quite a set of (mutually linked) societal and institutional changes, as well as changes in policy style and policy outputs. We try to use multi-level governance as a heuristic tool, and we focus on the potential consequences of the changes that it describes. Four types of consequences are briefly discussed. First we look at efficiency, at the way in which and the degree in which complex institutions can produce policy paralysis. Secondly we deal with representation and accountability, discussing the meaning of these concepts in multilayered settings. Then we look at the way in which territorial representation seems to (re)gain importance as a result of the erosion of the borderlines between domestic and international polities. And finally we look at the way in which legitimacy of politicalauthorities and policies can be organized within the framework of multi-level governance.  The other articles of this special issue all deal in more detail with one or more of these four types of consequences of multi-level governance.
België, Vlaanderen en multilaterale fora : De samenwerking en het gegenereerde imago in de Wereldhandelsorganisatie en de Raad van Europa
Authors: Salomonson Timon Bo , Criekemans David
Published: July 2021

This article tries to answer two questions : 1) How does the cooperation between the Belgian (federal) and Flemish (regional) government work within the field of multilateral policy ?; 2) How is the multilateral policy of the Belgian federation and the Flemish government received at the multilateral level (especially within the CoE en the WTO) ? The Belgian constitution has foreseen a system in which all governments (federal en regional) are equal. This has important consequences for Belgian delegations in multilateral fora : in 'mixed' dossiers, no government has decisive power. Thus, all Belgian governments are objective allies in guarding the externally projected image of the federation. Nevertheless, this seems to be a 'grey area' in the cooperation among the various Belgian governments.
Eigen democratie eerst ! : Een comparatief onderzoek naar het intern democratisch gehalte van de Vlaamse politieke partijen
Authors: Jagers Jan
Published: July 2021

In Flanders, the political scene is divided in two by the 'cordon sanitaire' : none of the Flemish political parties want to make any political arrangement with the Vlaams Blok (Flemish Bloc), an extreme-right populistic party that is considered to be undemocratic. The undemocratic reproaches not only refer to the extreme-right ideology, but also point at the internal functioning of the Vlaams Blok. In this article we discuss the results of a comparative study of the articles ofassociation ofthe Flemish political parties. This study was set up to test the undemocratic reproaches by practical experience, and shows that the internal organisation ofthe Vlaams Blok reallyfunctions undemocraticly compared to the other Flemish political parties.
In het oog, in het hart ? : De Antwerpse districtsraadsverkiezingen en de kloof tussen burger en bestuur
Authors: Thijssen Peter , Van Assche Danny
Published: July 2021

Together with the city council elections, the citizens of Antwerp elected on 8 October 2000 nine district councils. This new decentralised political level is primarily initiated to restore the confidence of the citizens in the city (and district) government(s). By analysing the results of the city and the district elections we try to find indications whether citizens feel closer to their new district governments or not. Apparently district elections resulted neither in a higher voter turn-out, nor in less blank votes. Nevertheless, there is a significant correlation of voter turn-out and blank votes with population (density) of the districts. And although the differences between the electoral results of the city elections and the district elections are not huge, a different political landscape comes more or less into existence in the several districts. Quite surprisingly the number of list votes is higher on the district elections than on the city elections, while we would have expected a higher number of preferential votes. Correctingfor incumbents and famous candidates on the lists, our initial expectations hold much better. Generally spoken, we can conclude that the district elections do not give much proof of a closer connection between the citizens and the city government. Nevertheless we find some important differences between the districts.
Politiek als One-Man-Show : Over de rol van kranten in de personalisering van de politiek
Authors: Van Aelst Peter , Van Mierlo Kristel
Published: July 2021

There seems a growing consensus on the personalisation of politics, meaning that not parties but more and more individual politicians have become the central actors in politics.  The media, and especially television, are given a prominent role in this tendency towards 'candidate centred politics'. In this article we discuss the role of newspapers in this regard.  Is there a more personalised and less party political way of reporting in the written press ?  On the basis of a longitudinal study (1958-1999) of two Flemish newspapers we found only a modest and gradual tendency towards a personalisation of politics. Political parties have not been removed to the backstage of political reporting and remain a dominant player in the written press.
Lobbying in de Europese Unie : Is er nog toekomst voor nationale belangengroepen ?
Authors: Bouwen Pieter
Published: July 2021

This article studies the lobbying strategies of national business associations against the background of increasing Europeanization. It addresses the question whether national associations have withered away during the process of European integration. On the basis of neo-functionalist integration theory and the multi-level governance (MLG) perspective, a number of hypotheses are generated about the fate of national associations in the European integration process. An extensive empirica[ study of the EU financial services sector analyzes these hypotheses. The data show that European financial integration has not caused the withering away of national business associations as predicted by neofunctionalist theory. The data not only confirm the MLG hypothesis that national associations develop direct lobbying strategies at different levels of the EU multi-level system in order to gain access to the European decision-making process. In addition, the results also confirm the hypothesis that national associations undertake indirect lobbying strategies (through membership in European associations) with the aim of gaining institutional access. Finally, the degree to which national associations gain access to the European institutions is explained in terms of a theory of supply and demand for access goods.
Alternatieve consumptie als vorm van politieke participatie ? : Een onderzoek naar de politieke motivatie voor het lidmaatschap van Voedselteams in Vlaanderen
Authors: Baetens Marleen , Hooghe Marc
Published: July 2021

Despite the fact that various authors have expressed concern about a general decline of civic engagement in Western societies, other indicators portray a transition from traditional and formal participation formats to more informal participation forms. This replacement thesis, however, entails the question whether these new forms can still be regarded as a form of political participation. The Alternative Food Circles in Belgium can be considered as a typical grass-roots example of 'political consumerism', which is portrayed as a contemporary alternative for institutionalised politics. In a member survey, 163 members of the Circles were questioned about their motives to participate. They clearly paid little attention to influencing the political system, but notions of solidarity and social change were clearl y present. This form of political consumerism therefore cannot be considered a full form of political participation (using an institutionalist definition of 'politics'), but it clearly is a form of 'life style politics' (Giddens).
De kracht van de definitie : een vergelijking van quotawetten in Argentinië, België en Frankrijk
Authors: Meier Petra
Published: July 2021

Gender quota do not always go hand in hand with a considerable rise in the number of women elected. Although the number of fe/male representatives elected depends on several factors, we argue that the stipulations of gender quota acts influence to a large extent their impact on the sex ratios in politics. This is not so much due to the share of fe/male candidates parties have to present than to the extent to which a gender quota act anticipates the particularities of the electoral system. A comparative analysis of three prominent cases, the Argentinean, Belgian and French gender quota acts, shows that the more a gender quota rule targets at the specificities of the electoral system in order to promote a gender balance in political representation, the more this rule 'guarantees' a result, even though gender quota acts concern but the input side of the electoral process.
Les élections régionales et européennes du 13 juin 2004 : Analyse des résultats
Authors: Fraeys William
Published: July 2021

In Belgium the European elections and those for the regional councils were held on the same day. The elections of June 13th 2004 deserve a threefold analysis. First a comparison can be made with the results obtained five years ago for the same assemblies. lt shows that in Flanders the socialist party has progressed but that this advance was mainly due to the constitution of a cartel with one faction - Spirit - of the defunct Volksunie. The christian democrats made headway, their progress being enhanced by the contribution of N-VA, the other faction stemming from the Volksunie. The liberals declined fairly markedly as did the green party but to a lesser extent than in the elections for the federal parliament. The June 2004 elections saw above all progress for the extreme right Vlaams Blok, which has become the second biggest party of Flanders with 24 pct of the vote. In the Walloon provinces the socialists progress most thereby increasing the gap separating them from the liberals. The christian democrats advance somewhat while the green party Ecolo declines substantially.  The parties of the far right gain support and reach 8.73 pct of the vote. In Brussels the socialist advance is very marked allowing this party to conquer first place to the detriment of the liberals who are in decline. The progress made by frenchspeaking christian democrats is significant.A second approach for the analysis consists in comparing the results of the regional elections with those of the European ones. The differences are slight and rnainly due to the popularity of the candidates. In Belgium there was no "eurosceptic" or "sovereignty" list.  The third angle consists in comparing the 2004 results with the ones of the parliamentary elections of 2003. One then observes in Flanders a decline of the socialists, a significant fall in support for the liberals and a progression of the christian democrats. But the main development remains the progression of the Vlaams Blok which gains more than 6 pct compared to its good result of 2003.  In the Walloon provinces, the socialists remain at their 2003 level but increase their positive gap with regard to the liberals who are in decline. The christian democrats advance by some 2 pct whereas Ecolo recovers a small part of its 2003 loss. The parties of the far right gain some 1.5 pct. In Brussels, the most noteworthy developrnent is the progress of the frenchspeaking socialists who take over the first place from the liberals.In genera!lthese elections are characterised by a reinforcement of the far right to the detriment of the centre parties and by a status quo of the aggregate consisting of socialists and greens, but to the benefit of the former.
In het belang van vrouwen : Vertegenwoordigers (m/v) en de constructie van de vertegenwoordigde (v)
Authors: Celis Karen
Published: July 2021

This contributions tests the hypotheses that women MPs have a specific potential to 'construct' the represented female citizen. This ste rns from the combination of two theoretical propositions: the thesis that representatives 'create' the represented in the course of the representational process and the statement that women MPs might contribute in a unique way to the substantive representation of women due to a 'shared' life experience. A detailed reading of the interventions of women and men MPs in favour of women over eighty years of budget debates in the Belgian Lower House (1900-1979), learns that women MPs indeed did broaden the construction of the represented women. lndependently from the dominant vision with in the parliament or their parliamentary party, they contributed to the construction of the female citizen as mother and wife, with a female specific role in society, and in particular to the construction of women as individuals with equal rights.
L'institutionnalisation de l'évaluation des politiques publiques en Belgique : entre balbutiements et incantations
Authors: Jacob Steve
Published: July 2021

Since a few decades, policy evaluation is a main topic in Western democracies. lt identifies, measures and appreciates effects, outcomes and impacts of a policy. Yet, there is not a common way to institutionalise that policy instrument; one can observe many differences in terms of its intensity and maturity, as well as a diversity of institutional device. Compared to other countries, Belgium is characterized by a low visibility and weak decisional impact of evaluation. Public demand for enlightening state action rarely takes the form of a demand for evaluation. The word 'Evaluation' is frequently pronounced, but most often in a political sense.In this article three types of arguments can be put forward to explain this Jack of evaluation: a lacking commitment of Parliament and political staff, the fragmentation and weak autonomy of the civil service and the domination of political parties upon the Belgian political and administrative system.
Evaluation of reading pleasure character in SMPN 19 and SMP Adhyaksa 1 of Jambi City
Authors: Tanti Tanti , Kurniawan Dwi Agus , Zain Muhammad Sofyan , Winda Febrina Rosa , Fitriani Rini Siski
Published: July 2021

This study was conducted to determine the reading pleasure of junior high school students through four indicators. The research was conducted with a total sample of 281 students from grades VII, VIII, and IX in junior high schools. The sampling technique used was purposive sampling. The research design used is an explanatory design. The quantitative instrument in the form of a reading pleasure instrument consists of 40 statements, while the qualitative instrument is in the form of interviews with ten students, four teachers, and two heads of the library. The data collection technique was carried out by survey (field research). The results of this study indicate that the indicators of general attitudes towards reading are on a neutral scale, the indicators of reading preferences are on a neutral scale, the indicators of the effects of reading on ability are on the agreeing scale, the indicators of students' negative views on reading are on the disagree scale. The results of interviews with the teacher can be seen that the teacher has reminded students always to read books other than in face-to-face activities in class, then the results of interviews with the head of the library can be seen that junior high school students have high enthusiasm for reading and borrowing books in the library, the results of interviews with male students and female students show that female students have better reading pleasure than male.
Assessment of management modules against yellow stem borer in paddy
Authors: BHUSHAN SURYA , SHANKER RAVI
Published: July 2021

Yellow stem borer (YSB) is one of the most serious and monophagous pest of paddy in India. Field experiments were carried out to assess the different management modules against the yellow stem borer in paddy during the Kharif season of 2019 and 2020. The results on efficacy of modules revealed that during both the years the minimum ‘Dead Heart’ (DH) (10.1 and 11.4% during the year 2019 and 2020, respectively) was recorded in M3 (clipping of terminal shoots at the time of transplanting and application of cartap hydrochloride 50 SP) followed by M2 (11.9 and 14.5% during the year 2019 and 2020, respectively) in which 1st application was done with fipronil 0.3G and 2nd with NSKE 5% and M1 (19.6 and 20.9% during the year 2019 and 2020, respectively) i.e. farmers’ practice where only carbofuran 3G was applied. ‘White Ear Head’ (WEH) was also recorded minimum in M3 (11.6 and 12.1% in the year 2019 and 2020, respectively) followed by M2 (13.3 and 16.4% in the year 2019 and 2020, respectively) and M1 (20.8 and 22.4% in the year 2019 and 2020, respectively) in paddy. Maximum yield (33.8 and 43.1 q/ha during the year 2019 and 2020, respectively) was also recorded in Module 3 practiced clipping of terminal shoots and spraying with cartap hydrochloride 50 SP with the highest BC(Benefit: Cost) ratio 1.52:1 and 1.94:1 in the year 2019 and 2020, respectively. The overall results of the present study indicating the overall superiority of M3 (clipping of terminal shoots at the time of transplanting and two applications of cartap hydrochloride 50 SP at 40 and 60 DAT) in all the aspects i.e. DH, WEH, yield and BC ratio.
Design consideration of smart solar dryer for precision drying
Authors: DEVI TH BIDYALAKSHMI , KALNAR YOGESH B
Published: July 2021

A sensor based solar dryer was designed to control the drying environment for precision drying of agricultural produce. The system entirely used solar energy utilizing both thermal and electrical effect. Paraffin wax (PCM) was used for storage of thermal energy whereas solar battery was used to store the electrical energy. Hot air blower was also provided to supply heat when there is less or no solar radiation. Temperature sensors were provided to control the environment of drying chamber. The exhaust fan started operating depending on the set temperature and thus control the drying environment. Load cells were provided below each tray to measure the dry weight. The drying chamber was made of mild steel with glass wool insulation. The capacity of the designed dryer was 10-15 kg with 6 trays. The designed dryer has target temperature of 55-60oC.
Fabrication and study of laboratory scale rainfall simulator for soil erosion assessment
Authors: CHERAKU SRIVALLI , SWATHI P , SUSHMITHA Y , PRANEETHA D , RADHA SRIVALLI CH
Published: July 2021

A rainfall simulator is an ideal tool for infiltration, soil erosion and other related research areas for replicating the process and characteristics of natural rainfall. The present paper describes the design of a comprehensive rainfall simulator. In this study a laboratory scale rainfall simulator is developed, which is particularly meant for the assessment of soil erosion at plot scale by considering various soil grain types, soil slope angles and surface exposures under different rainfall conditions. The Rainfall characteristics including the rainfall intensity and its spatial uniformity raindrop size and kinetic energy confirm that natural rainfall conditions are simulated with sufficient accuracy. The comparative measurement was carried out in a laboratory using rainfall simulator fabricated of 4 feet length and 2.5 feet width, where the applied slope angle is 3% with 39 mm/hr rainfall intensity. The runoff and soil loss for different samples were assessed by conducting number of trials. From the results it was found that the soil tilled and keeping it as a bare plot is more prone to runoff compared to soil without tilled and straw mulching has helped to reduce the runoff by 57% as compared to soil without mulching.
Whole Body Vibration on drivers seat and fender with fully loaded double axle tractor-trailers under different operating conditions
Authors: DEO MAN MOHAN , KUMAR ADARSH , MANI INDRA
Published: July 2021

Tractors play an important role in Indian agriculture; it is used for agricultural operations and as a common means of transportation in rural areas. It exposes the drivers and workers sitting on fenders to whole body vibration. which results into back pain, spine degeneration and even spine disc problems. Keeping this in mind a study was carried out to measure the whole body vibration on driver and fender seat with fully loaded double axle tractor-trailer under different operating conditions. Vibration was measured on two terrains (Asphalt, Farm), at three speed (10, 12, 14 km/h on asphalt terrain and 4, 5, 7 km/h on farm terrain, as per ISO-5008 (1979)), in three directions (longitudinal, transverse, and vertical) using tri-axial accelerometers. Data was taken for 120 s each and analyzed using vibration meter and analyzer for three replications of each treatments. Vector sum of vibration and Health Guidance Caution Zone upper and lower limit were obtained for different operating conditions to know the health effect of vibration.
Patient Perceptions on Data Sharing and Applying Artificial Intelligence to Health Care Data: Cross-sectional Survey
Authors: Aggarwal Ravi , Farag Soma , Martin Guy , Ashrafian Hutan , Darzi Ara
Published: July 2021

Background

Considerable research is being conducted as to how artificial intelligence (AI) can be effectively applied to health care. However, for the successful implementation of AI, large amounts of health data are required for training and testing algorithms. As such, there is a need to understand the perspectives and viewpoints of patients regarding the use of their health data in AI research.

Objective

We surveyed a large sample of patients for identifying current awareness regarding health data research, and for obtaining their opinions and views on data sharing for AI research purposes, and on the use of AI technology on health care data.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey with patients was conducted at a large multisite teaching hospital in the United Kingdom. Data were collected on patient and public views about sharing health data for research and the use of AI on health data.

Results

A total of 408 participants completed the survey. The respondents had generally low levels of prior knowledge about AI. Most were comfortable with sharing health data with the National Health Service (NHS) (318/408, 77.9%) or universities (268/408, 65.7%), but far fewer with commercial organizations such as technology companies (108/408, 26.4%). The majority endorsed AI research on health care data (357/408, 87.4%) and health care imaging (353/408, 86.4%) in a university setting, provided that concerns about privacy, reidentification of anonymized health care data, and consent processes were addressed.

Conclusions

There were significant variations in the patient perceptions, levels of support, and understanding of health data research and AI. Greater public engagement levels and debates are necessary to ensure the acceptability of AI research and its successful integration into clinical practice in future.
Home Treatment for Acute Mental Health Care: Protocol for the Financial Outputs, Risks, Efficacy, Satisfaction Index and Gatekeeping of Home Treatment (FORESIGHT) Study
Authors: Levati Sara , Mellacqua Zefiro , Caiata-Zufferey Maria , Soldini Emiliano , Albanese Emiliano , Alippi Maddalena , Bolla Emilio , Colombo Raffaella Ada , Cordasco Severino , Kawohl Wolfram , Larghi Giuseppina , Lisi Angela , Lucchini Mario , Rossa Simona , Traber Rafael , Crivelli Luca
Published: July 2021

Background

Crisis Resolution and Home Treatment (CRHT) teams represent a community-based mental health service offering a valid alternative to hospitalization. CRHT teams have been widely implemented in various mental health systems worldwide, and their goal is to provide care for people with severe acute mental disorders who would be considered for admission to acute psychiatric wards. The evaluation of several home-treatment experiences shows promising results; however, it remains unclear which specific elements and characteristics of CRHT are more effective and acceptable.

Objective

This study aims to assess the acceptability, effectiveness, and cost-effectiveness of a new CRHT intervention in Ticino, Southern Switzerland.

Methods

This study includes an interventional, nonrandomized, quasi-experimental study combined with a qualitative study and an economic evaluation to be conducted over a 48-month period. The quasi-experimental evaluation involves two groups: patients in the northern area of the region who were offered the CRHT service (ie, intervention group) and patients in the southern area of the region who received care as usual (ie, control group). Individual interviews will be conducted with patients receiving the home treatment intervention and their family members. CRHT members will also be asked to participate in a focus group. The economic evaluation will include a cost-effectiveness analysis.

Results

The project is funded by the Swiss National Science Foundation as part of the National Research Program NRP74 for a period of 48 months starting from January 2017. As of October 2021, data for the nonrandomized, quasi-experimental study and the qualitative study have been collected, and the results are expected to be published by the end of the year. Data are currently being collected for the economic evaluation.

Conclusions

Compared to other Swiss CRHT experiences, the CRHT intervention in Ticino represents a unique case, as the introduction of the service is backed by the closing of one of its acute wards. The proposed study will address several areas where there are evidence gaps or contradictory findings relating to the home treatment of acute mental crisis. Findings from this study will allow local services to improve their effectiveness in a challenging domain of public health and contribute to improving access to more effective care for people with severe mental disorders.

Trial Registration

ISRCTN registry ISRCTN38472626; https://www.isrctn.com/ISRCTN38472626

International Registered Report Identifier (IRRID)

DERR1-10.2196/28191
Ambulatory Risk Models for the Long-Term Prevention of Sepsis: Retrospective Study (Preprint)
Authors: Lee Jewel Y , Molani Sevda , Fang Chen , Jade Kathleen , O'Mahony D Shane , Kornilov Sergey A , Mico Lindsay T , Hadlock Jennifer J
Published: July 2021

BACKGROUND

Sepsis is a life-threatening condition that can rapidly lead to organ damage and death. Existing risk scores predict outcomes for patients who have already become acutely ill.

OBJECTIVE

We aimed to develop a model for identifying patients at risk of getting sepsis within 2 years in order to support the reduction of sepsis morbidity and mortality.

METHODS

Machine learning was applied to 2,683,049 electronic health records (EHRs) with over 64 million encounters across five states to develop models for predicting a patient’s risk of getting sepsis within 2 years. Features were selected to be easily obtainable from a patient’s chart in real time during ambulatory encounters.

RESULTS

The models showed consistent prediction scores, with the highest area under the receiver operating characteristic curve of 0.82 and a positive likelihood ratio of 2.9 achieved with gradient boosting on all features combined. Predictive features included age, sex, ethnicity, average ambulatory heart rate, standard deviation of BMI, and the number of prior medical conditions and procedures. The findings identified both known and potential new risk factors for long-term sepsis. Model variations also illustrated trade-offs between incrementally higher accuracy, implementability, and interpretability.

CONCLUSIONS

Accurate implementable models were developed to predict the 2-year risk of sepsis, using EHR data that is easy to obtain from ambulatory encounters. These results help advance the understanding of sepsis and provide a foundation for future trials of risk-informed preventive care.
Levers of Control and Managerial Performance: The Importance of Belief Systems
Authors: Hermawan Ancella Anitawati , Bachtiar Emil , Wicaksono Panggah Tri , Sari Nia Pramita
Published: July 2021

Belief systems, which are one of the four levers of control, play a vital role in an organization. This study is primarily aimed at examining the effects of belief systems on managerial performance. Since the four levers of control jointly function in management control systems, we extend our study by investigating whether the contingent-fit between strategic risk, strategic uncertainty, and the other three levers of control (i.e., boundary systems, diagnostic control, and interactive control) strengthens the association between belief systems and managerial performance. A survey questionnaire was distributed to the upper-level management of various companies or strategic business units in Indonesia during the fourth quarter of 2017, resulting in 81 respondents. Hypotheses testing were conducted using the OLS regression model. This research found that belief systems are positively associated with managerial performance, indicating that the implementation of effective belief systems leads to higher managerial performance. This study also found that the contingent-fit between strategic risk, strategic uncertainty, and the other three levers of control does not have any effect on how belief systems are positively associated with managerial performance. This finding indicates that although management does not adopt a fit combination between its level of strategic risk and strategic uncertainty and the boundary systems, diagnostic control, and interactive control, it can still achieve good performance as long as strong belief systems are implemented. These findings confirm the critical role of belief systems in the levers of control. Thus, management needs to ensure the establishment of more effective belief systems if the company or business unit wants to produce optimal performance.
Editorial
Authors: Perdomo Omar Paíno
Published: July 2021

No precisa de un resumen.
Guía Ecoturística del Sistema Nacional de República Dominicana
Authors: Mota Julia Matilde
Published: July 2021

No precisa de un resumen.
El Manejo Integrado de los Recursos Hídricos en el acuífero insular de Cozumel, Quintana Roo, México
Authors: Hernández-Flores Gerardo , Gutiérrez-Aguirre Martha Angélica , Cervantes Martínez Adrián
Published: July 2021

El Manejo Integrado de los Recursos Hídricos (MIRH) es de vital importancia para ambientes insulares donde el volumen del acuífero es limitado y el incremento en la demanda, junto con el deterioro en su calidad, amenazan su disponibilidad para el futuro. En el siguiente ensayo se analiza el MIRH en la isla Cozumel (México) a partir de la definición de la Asociación Mundial para el Agua (AMA), con lo cual se caracteriza la situación actual de las políticas, instituciones e instrumentos (PIeIs) en el contexto local y federal. El análisis bajo la definición de la AMA permite homologar criterios para abordar el MIRH y así aportar al enriquecimiento del concepto a través del estudio del caso particular en la isla Cozumel; además de contribuir a identificar los retos para la implementación del MIRH en la zona de estudio. Mediante este ensayo fue posible identificar las bases de las PIeIs y su sincronización local con la federal, así como el manejo actual del acuífero, y se detectó una falta de instrumentos para la planeación participativa con los cuales se involucre a los usuarios del recurso, a nivel local, dentro de las decisiones referentes a su manejo.
Diseño mecánico de palas para un aerogenerador de 250w de potencia
Authors: La Paz Feliz Joel , Rodríguez Carr Héctor , Rosario-Weeks Dinelson , Aybar Mejía Miguel , Mariano-Hernández Deyslen , Fernández Bonilla Alexeis
Published: July 2021

Las zonas rurales tienen una deficiencia de suministro eléctrico importante, ya que las comunidades están alejadas de las redes de transmisión eléctrica, por lo que el desarrollo se delimita apresuradamente en estos lugares. En zonas de este tipo, donde se dispone del recurso renovable del viento, la implantación de máquinas eólicas o aerogeneradores puede representar una solución viable e inmediata al problema energético de necesidades eléctricas básicas. Los aerogeneradores están planificados para áreas con fuertes corrientes de viento para generar la energía, y los mismos presentan de manera más eficiente una solución viable e inmediata, especialmente para el problema energético de las necesidades eléctricas básicas. El diseño experimental propuesto se basó en la literatura existen sobre el diseño de palas para generadores eólicos tomando en cuenta las condiciones locales de áreas rurales de la República Dominicana que tengan las condiciones de viento mínima para que estas funcionen. Sin embargo, la indicación más significativa para seleccionar los materiales es la disponibilidad local. El diseño final presentado en las conclusiones es el resultado de una investigación teórica, una solución de ecuaciones matemáticas y un montaje experimental realizado en el Instituto Tecnológico de Santo Domingo, INTEC. Se espera que este trabajo sea un punto de partida para nuevas investigaciones relacionadas o mejoras al diseño actual en la República Dominicana.
Factores patológicos asociados a demencia senil en adultos mayores de un centro médico
Authors: Vásquez Edquén Katia Liseth , Asenjo-Alarcón José Ander
Published: July 2021

Introducción: la demencia senil es una patología degenerativa, en la actualidad su frecuencia está incrementándose en adultos mayores, debido, esencialmente, a comorbilidades o complicaciones inherentes a su condición fisiológica; las investigaciones apuntan a que su ocurrencia se asocia a hipertensión arterial y diabetes mellitus tipo 2.

Objetivo: la investigación tuvo como objetivo comparar la demencia senil presuntiva en adultos mayores con y sin factores patológicos del Centro Médico EsSalud de Chota, Cajamarca.

Metodología: el estudio fue relacional, transversal, realizado en 178 adultos mayores atendidos en el Centro Médico EsSalud, se utilizó una ficha de factores patológicos y el Test Mini Mental.

Resultados: como factores patológicos, el 39,9 % de adultos mayores presentaron hipertensión arterial de leve a severa y el 21,9 % presentaron diabetes mellitus tipo 2. El 84,3 % de adultos mayores presentaron demencia senil presuntiva de leve a severa.

Conclusión: se concluye que existen diferencias estadísticas significativas entre la demencia senil presuntiva en adultos mayores con y sin factores patológicos (hipertensión arterial [p= 0,000] y diabetes mellitus tipo 2 [p= 0,000]).