bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Vibration analysis and control of fluid containers using piezoelectrically-excited side wall
Authors: Mehrvarz Amin , Najafi Ardekani Ali , Khodaei Mohammad Javad , Jalili Nader
Published: February 2019

The vibration analysis and control of containers with heavy loaded fluid is undertaken in this paper. The problem of fluid–structure vibration is viewed and analyzed from several viewpoints including both analytical methods and numerical techniques. In order to effectively control the fluid–structure vibration, one of the side walls is made flexible where two piezoelectric patches are utilized to sense the distributed displacements resulting from fluid-structure movements, while the other one is used to actively control the vibration. For this, a boundary control technique is used to actively control the multi-modal vibration of fluid–structure. The simulation results for the analytical models are further validated using a comprehensive finite element method. Before applying the proposed controller, the results show that the fluid vibration is different in different heights and distances. However, the simulation results indicate that the piezoelectrically-excited beam is able to suppress the vibrations of all the positions very effectively and quickly. These results prove the feasibility of utilizing piezoelectrically-excited beams in vibration control of fluid–structure.
A displacement-based approach to geometric instabilities of a film on a substrate
Authors: Javili Ali , Bakiler A. Derya
Published: February 2019

When a thin film adhered to a compliant substrate is growing, it will eventually buckle in order to release the compressive stresses accumulated within the film due to growth. Such geometric instabilities caused by compressive stresses prevail among all living systems in nature and their outcomes range from highly beneficial to destructive. Therefore, understanding compression induced instabilities is of crucial importance. Note that the origin of the “compression” need not necessarily be differential growth, as it may be due to pre-stretch or thermal expansion. A commonly accepted solution strategy for instabilities in bilayer structures dates back to the seminal work of Allen and employs the Airy stress functions. Owing to its reliance on a stress-based approach, the Allen solution is limited to linear two-dimensional problems and its success depends entirely on choosing an appropriate Airy function. The main objective of this contribution is to circumvent these limitations via a displacement-based approach formally suitable for three-dimensional problems, anisotropic materials, and even applicable to finite deformations. Furthermore, the Allen solution in its original form is valid for the plane-stress condition but often it is mistakenly compared with the numerical simulations corresponding to the plane-strain condition. We analyze the subtle difference between the solutions associated with the plane-strain and plane-stress conditions. Next, the analytical solution is compared against the computational results using the finite element method via eigenvalue analysis. Finally, it is briefly explained how the current approach can be utilized beyond the classical bilayer systems.
Aggressive Digital Papillary Adenocarcinoma at Atypical Site
Authors: Gupta Jagdish , Gulati Anchana , Gupta Mudita , Gupta Archit
Published: February 2019

Aggressive digital papillary adenocarcinoma (ADPA) is a rare tumour of eccrine origin. They present as asymptomatic nodules with flattened and thickened surface skin, most commonly on fingers and toes. It mimics many benign entities and tumours, hence leading to a delay in diagnosis. It has a high metastasizing potential, but is slowly progressive. Histopathologically, it has both a nodular and a cystic component with papillary projections into cystic spaces. We present a 54-year man with a tumorous mass on right heel, which was diagnosed by histopathology and immunohistochemistry as ADPA. Our case had ADPA lesion, a rarely reported malignancy on an uncommon site with distant metastasis.
Infrastructure and inequality: An archaeology of the Inka road through the Amaybamba cloud forests
Authors: Wilkinson Darryl
Published: February 2019

One of the most important ways in which material inequalities are reproduced is through state infrastructure projects. Although infrastructure has long been studied in archaeology, this has mainly been as an index of complexity and centralized government—and less so as a means to create social distinctions among human subjects. This article therefore examines a precolonial highway built under the auspices of the Inka Empire, located in the cloud forests of the eastern Andes. In particular, it emphasizes the radically divergent experiences of the elites, who mostly interacted with roads as instrument of travel and knowledge, as compared with nonelites, who encountered them as objects of maintenance, cleaning, and repair. Although ethnographic research centered on modern nation-states tends to focus on variable access to infrastructure as the basis for inequality, I argue that inequality is also manifest through radically different experiences of the same infrastructures, a fact which is particularly relevant in many nonmodern contexts.
The hepatic innate immune response is lobe-specific in a murine model endotoxemia
Authors: Nguyen Leanna , Sandoval Jeryl , De Dios Robyn , Yihdego Elesa , Zarate Miguel , Castro Odalis , McKenna Sarah , Wright Clyde J
Published: February 2019

The liver plays a central role in the innate immune response to endotoxemia. While previous studies have demonstrated lobe-specific transcriptional responses to various insults, whether this is true in response to endotoxemia is unknown. We sought to assess whether there were significant intra- and inter-lobe differences in the murine hepatic innate immune transcriptional response to endotoxemia. Adult male ICR mice were exposed to i.p. LPS (5 mg/kg, 30 min, 60 min, 5 h) and primary ( Tnf, Cxcl1, Nfkbia, Tnfiap3) and secondary ( Il6, Nos2) innate immune response gene expression was assessed in the left medial, right medial, left lateral, and right lateral lobes, and the papillary and caudate processes. The expression of all innate immune response genes increased following i.p. LPS challenge. When tested at the early time points (30 and 60 min), the left medial lobe and caudate process consistently demonstrated the highest induction of gene expression. Most inter-lobe differences were attenuated at later time points (5 h). To improve reproducibility of the study of endotoxemia induced by i.p. LPS challenge, inclusion of appropriate methodological details regarding collection of hepatic tissue should be included when reporting scientific results in published manuscripts.
Presidential Control of High Courts in Latin America: A Long-term View (1904-2006)
Authors: PΈRez-Liñán Aníbal , Castagnola Andrea
Published: February 2019

In many Latin American countries the executive branch manipulates the composition of the Supreme Court, and judicial independence has remained elusive. Because high courts can exercise judicial review and influence lower courts, incoming presidents often force the resignation of adversarial justices or “pack” the courts with friends. One indicator of this problem has been the high turnover among members of the high courts. In this paper we offer systematic evidence to compare this problem across countries and to place this issue in historical perspective. Our analysis covers 11 Latin American countries (Argentina, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Guatemala, Honduras, Mexico, Panama, and Uruguay) between 1904 and 2006. We model the entrance of new justices to the Supreme Court as a function of “natural” (legal and biological) factors, political conditions empowering the president to reshuffle the Court, and institutional incentives promoting executive encroachment on the judiciary.
The Judicialization of (Separation of Powers) Politics: Lessons from Chile
Authors: Scribner Druscilla L.
Published: February 2019

Most analyses of the judicialization of politics focus on judicial policy-making and rights creation; however when judicialization of politics unfolds in a separation of powers political context courts are also involved in distributing power. The task of power delineation among branches of government is different from policy-making or rights adjudication. Judicializing political disputes about power gives courts the opportunity to alter the balance of institutional power, to create stronger executives (or legislatures) and a stronger (or weaker) role for themselves. To illustrate these points, this article examines how the Chilean Constitutional Tribunal (TC) adjudicated a specific type of separation of powers conflict between the Legislature and the Executive from 1990-2005. The analysis of the TC doctrine overtime highlights how the TC has shifted the balance of power in the policy-making process and augmented its influence within the political system.
Bridging the Participation Gap with Government-sponsored Neighborhood Development Programs: Can Civic Skills be Taught?
Authors: Nishikawa Katsuo A.
Published: February 2019

I argue that innovative development programs that require citizen participation in the production of public goods can have unexpected benefits for individuals’ dispositions toward democracy. In particular, I explore the effect of taking part in state-sponsored neighborhood development programs – direct-democracy type programs that require individuals to organize within their community as a precondition for state help – on participant dispositions toward democracy and willingness to take part in politics. To test this hypothesis, I use original survey data collected in the Mexican state of Baja California. To measure the effect of participation in neighborhood development programs, I conduct a quasi experiment via propensity score matching. I find robust evidence suggesting that participating in such programs correlates with higher levels of political participation, a better sense of community, more positive retrospective evaluations of the economy (according to both pocketbook and sociotropic measures), and overall higher support for the government.
Pastor Paulo vs. Doctor Carlos: Professional Titles as Voting Heuristics in Brazil
Authors: Boas Taylor C.
Published: February 2019

In low-information elections, voters are likely to rely on heuristics when choosing candidates. Based on survey experiments conducted prior to Brazil's 2012 municipal elections, I examine the effect of candidates’ professional titles, such as “doctor” and “pastor,” on voting behavior. Using the “pastor” title in one's electoral name tends to decrease vote intention, although evangelical Christians respond positively while members of other religious groups are repelled. The broader atmosphere of political competition between Brazilian evangelicals and Catholics helps explain the presence of both out-group and in-group cueing effects. The “doctor” title has a positive effect on vote intention that appears to be mediated by the positive stereotypes, such as intelligence and competence, associated with members of this profession.
The Limits of Labor Legislation Reforms: Rigidity, Growth, and Employment in Brazil (1995–2010)
Authors: Mayer Jean François
Published: February 2019

The literature addressing market dynamics typically assumes that reforming labor legislation has a direct impact on economic performance, the configuration of labor markets, and the strength of labor organizations. Within this literature one prevalent school of thought advocates flexibilizing labor laws as the key to creating economic prosperity, enhancing labor productivity, increasing formal sector employment, and successfully fighting poverty and socioeconomic inequality. I test these assumptions by analyzing the case of Brazil between 1995 and 2010. My findings suggest that reforms seeking to flexibilize the Brazilian labor code do not significantly change the country's labor market or economy. I propose that transformations in international economic contexts as well as differing policy orientations of successive Brazilian federal governments may hold more explanatory power in accounting for labor market changes during this time period.
(Re)Politicizing Inequalities: Movements, Parties, and Social Citizenship in Chile
Authors: Roberts Kenneth M.
Published: February 2019

For 20 years following the 1989–1990 democratic transition, Chilean politics was characterized by stable forms of party-based political representation, relatively low levels of social mobilization, and a technocratic consensus around a neoliberal development model that generated rapid and sustained, albeit highly unequal, patterns of economic growth. This sociopolitical matrix was challenged, however, when hundreds of thousands of students and their supporters took to the streets to protest against educational inequalities, while smaller numbers of protestors mobilized around a plethora of other labor, environmental, and indigenous rights claims. This wave of social protest occurred in a context of growing detachment of Chilean citizens from traditional parties and representative institutions, and it punctured the aura of inevitability and consensus that surrounded the country's economic model. The ground-swell of popular protest signified the end of a posttransition political era in Chile and the dawning of a new one defined by the repoliticization of social and economic inequalities, including vigorous debates about the social pillars of the neoliberal model and the reach of social citizenship rights. The Chilean case sheds new light on the processes by which inequalities come to be politicized or depoliticized in different structural, institutional, and ideational contexts.
Ma Ying-jeou's Presidential Discourse
Authors: Sullivan Jonathan , Sapir Eliyahu V.
Published: February 2019

Despite the substantial advances made in cross-Strait relations during Ma Ying-jeou's (Ma Yingjiu) first term, the ROC president's rhetoric varied considerably as he grappled with the difficult reality of implementing campaign and inauguration pledges to establish better relations with China while striving to maintain national respect and sovereignty. In this article, we put forward a framework for measuring, analysing and explaining this variation in President Ma's first-term discourse. Analysing a very large number of Ma's speeches, addresses, etc., we provide empirical assessments of how the content of Ma's public pronouncements has developed over time, how his rhetoric varies according to the strategic context and timing of a speech, and how his discourse compares to that of his predecessor, Chen Shui-bian (Chen Shuibian). In addressing these questions, the article contributes a quantitative perspective to existing work on political discourse in Taiwan and to the growing methodological and applied literature on how to systematically analyse Chinese political text.
The Impact of Electoral System Reform on Taiwan's Local Factions
Authors: Göbel Christian
Published: February 2019

In 2004, the single non-transferable vote (SNTV) was abolished in Taiwan. The SNTV had long been seen as a major factor in the sustenance of county- and township-level clientelist networks (“local factions”). It was also associated with phenomena such as extremism, candidate-centred politics, vote-buying, clientelism and organized crime involvement in politics. More recent scholarship, however, has led to doubts that a single formal institution like an electoral system could have such a powerful influence on electoral mobilization. This article puts these positions to an initial test. It examines the impact of the electoral reform on the mobilization capacity of a local faction in a rural county notorious for its factionalism. By illuminating its intricate mobilization structures, it provides support for the second position: These structures are too resilient to be affected by even a radical electoral reform.
The Great Urban Leap? On the Local Political Economy of Rural Urbanisation in China
Authors: Meyer-Clement Elena
Published: February 2019

This paper provides insights into the local political economy of China's current in situ urbanisation as compared to the 1980s and 1990s, focusing on the role played by county and township governments in shaping urbanisation in their localities. Marked differences were observed in the extent to which local cadres are able to steer the urbanisation process and adapt the relevant policies to local conditions and demands of the population. If leading county and township cadres are able to assert a relatively autonomous position vis-à-vis the superior municipality, a rural urbanisation process that considers both urban and rural interests and integrates local economic initiatives seems to become a potential alternative to the prevailing city-centred urban expansionism.
Sino–Indian Economic Ties since 1988: Progress, Problems, and Prospects for Future Development
Authors: Yuan Jingdong
Published: February 2019

This article takes stock of the evolution of bilateral economic ties between China and India since the early 1990s. It analyses the factors that have contributed to the expansion of this important aspect of their relationship, but also highlights the obstacles, in particular the politico-strategic variables, to further expansion of economic ties, including investments. It argues that while both Beijing and New Delhi recognise the importance of trade and investment in their relationship, future growth in bilateral economic ties depends on how the two countries can successfully deal with issues such as trade imbalance, market access, infrastructure, and regulatory environment. But more importantly, Beijing and New Delhi must seriously address each other's security concerns, including those areas that affect their perceptions of economic security and consequently their policies towards bilateral and regional cooperation.
The Crux is the Skin: Reflections on Southeast Asian Personhood
Authors: Mulder Niels
Published: February 2019

This essay is an exercise in the phenomenology of personhood based on some 25 years of field research among Javanese, Thai, and Filipinos. As I still slip up from time to time, I am convinced that it is relevant to both scholarly researchers and others with practical interests in the region to better know the people with whom they are or will be dealing. The ideas presented in this essay are grounded in my experiences with mainly members of the urban middle classes. In the narrative, they follow from the course of my fieldwork and remain close to the immediacy of situations and their interpretation, even as they result in the prospects of an action theory of Southeast Asian personhood.
Cacophony or Empowerment? Analysing the Impact of New Information Communication Technologies and New Social Media in Southeast Asia
Authors: Abbott Jason P.
Published: February 2019

The capabilities, tools and websites we associate with new information communication technologies and social media are now ubiquitous. Moreover tools that were designed to facilitate innocuous conversation and social interaction have had unforeseen political impacts. Nowhere was this more visible than during the 2011 uprisings across the Arab World. From Tunis to Cairo, and Tripoli to Damascus protest movements against authoritarian rule openly utilized social networking and file sharing tools to publicize and organize demonstrations and to catalogue human rights abuses. The Arab Spring, or Jasmine Revolution, was an event that was both witnessed and played out in real time online. This article explores the impacts and effects of these technologies on regimes in East Asia, in particular exploring the extent to which they proffer new capabilities upon activists and reformers in the region's semi-democratic and authoritarian regimes. Drawing on data on Internet and smartphone use, as well as case studies that explore the role of these technologies on the 2008 and 2011 general elections in Malaysia and Singapore respectively, this article suggests that the Internet and social networking platforms do present unique opportunities for activists, citizens and social movements.
Modern Monarchs and Democracy: Thailand's Bhumibol Adulyadej and Juan Carlos of Spain
Authors: Ünaldi Serhat
Published: February 2019

The history of democracy is typically a history of struggle against monarchs and other such autocrats. The elevation of one person over others by virtue of blood and birth has come to be seen as anachronistic; yet some monarchies have managed to survive to this day. This paper analyses two examples of the uneasy coalition between popular sovereignty and royal leadership that is constitutional monarchy. Whereas Juan Carlos of Spain has been described as having steered Spain away from dictatorship, Bhumibol of Thailand has come under scrutiny for allegedly lacking a principled approach to democracy. I argue that structural as much as personal factors influenced the ways in which the two monarchies were legitimised – one by positively responding to the modern aspirations of the king's subjects, giving him a “forward legitimacy,” the other by revitalising the king's traditional charisma and opting for “backward legitimacy.”
An Agreement to Disagree: The ASEAN Human Rights Declaration and the Absence of Regional Identity in Southeast Asia
Authors: Davies Mathew
Published: February 2019

ASEAN's engagement with human rights culminated in the creation of the ASEAN Human Rights Declaration in 2012. The Declaration is fascinating in three ways: Its institutional origins are surprising, it was agreed upon by states with very different positions on the role of human rights domestically, and it both contains commitments far in advance of some members and is at the same time dangerously regressive. The three leading frameworks that currently interrogate the Declaration fail to provide convincing insights into all three of those dimensions. To correct these shortcomings, this article applies the notion of an “incompletely theorized agreement” to the study of the Declaration, arguing that member states understand the Declaration in very different ways and agreed to it for similarly diverse reasons. Further, I argue that the Declaration neither articulates a shared regional identity relating to respect for human rights, nor can it be understood as marking an early point towards the creation of this identity. Instead, the current diversity of regional opinions on human rights and democracy is perceived as legitimate and will endure. The article concludes by considering whether this denudes the Declaration of value, arguing that its importance will vary: The more progressive the member state, the more important the Declaration will be in the future.
Governance Obstacles to Geothermal Energy Development in Indonesia
Authors: Winters Matthew S. , Cawvey Matthew
Published: February 2019

Despite having 40 per cent of the world's potential for geothermal power production, Indonesia exploits less than five per cent of its own geothermal resources. We explore the reasons behind this lagging development of geothermal power and highlight four obstacles: (1) delays caused by the suboptimal decentralisation of permitting procedures to local governments that have few incentives to support geothermal exploitation; (2) rent-seeking behaviour originating in the point-source nature of geothermal resources; (3) the opacity of central government decision making; and (4) a historically deleterious national fuel subsidy policy that disincentivised geothermal investment. We situate our arguments against the existing literature and three shadow case studies from other Pacific countries that have substantial geothermal resources. We conclude by arguing for a more centralised geothermal governance structure.
Towards the ASEAN Community: Assessing the Knowledge, Attitudes, and Aspirations of Thai University Students
Authors: Siraprapasiri Pinn , na Thalang Chanintira
Published: February 2019

This article assesses the knowledge of, attitudes towards, and aspirations for ASEAN among Thai university students, who are set to enter the ASEAN Community labour market and are among those most in touch with ASEAN issues. It uses data obtained from a countrywide survey and focus group discussions to identify variables that affect knowledge, attitudes, and aspirations and to explore the relationships between knowledge, attitudes, and aspirations. The quantitative analysis conducted here uses students’ fields of study, academic performance, and exposure to both ASEAN-related courses and also information and discussions about ASEAN in the mass media and public forums as predictors of their level of knowledge about ASEAN. The paper's results confirm that positive attitudes towards ASEAN lead to positive aspirations for ASEAN. They also reveal that significant knowledge about ASEAN cannot, in isolation, adequately explain students’ attitudes towards ASEAN and does not always lead to positive attitudes. These findings and those obtained from the focus group discussions suggest that a high level of knowledge and understanding of fellow ASEAN member countries and their people – whether attained through formal or informal education or social interaction – is needed for students to develop positive attitudes and become aspiring members of the ASEAN Community.
The Purnawirawan and Party Development in Post-Authoritarian Indonesia, 1998–2014
Authors: Aminuddin M Faishal
Published: February 2019

This study examines the role played by purnawirawan (retired military officers) in political party development in post-authoritarian Indonesia from 1998 to 2014. The role of purnawirawan remains a critical research gap in the literature on democratisation in post-authoritarian Indonesia, particularly in studies which focus on civilian–military relations. The article finds that purnawirawan have had a significant impact on the creation of a new type of party – one which combines military-centred leadership and civilian-controlled management. This new arrangement has enabled these former military officers to protect their interests. This study contributes to the existing literature on the impact of military reform on the increasing numbers of purnawirawan turning to civilian politics in order to maintain influence via electoral political contestation in the context of democratic transition.
The Role of Preah Vihear in Hun Sen's Nationalism Politics, 2008–2013
Authors: Rattanasengchanh P. Michael
Published: February 2019

From 2003 to 2013, Cambodian Prime Minister Hun Sen benefitted politically from promoting nationalism through the Preah Vihear dispute between Cambodia and Thailand. In contrast, Thai conservatives had mixed results when they laid claim to Preah Vihear and tried to use the temple to bolster their political positions. When it came to media coverage of the temple and border issue, Thailand's domestic and foreign politics, rather than Cambodia's, dominated the narrative. As a result, both countries engaged in a war of words and several military clashes between 2008 and 2013. Thailand was widely viewed as the instigator and Cambodia as the victim. However, a closer look at Cambodia's reactions to Thailand's provocations reveals an important part of the story. These quarrels and conflicts seemed to arise before major elections in Cambodia. Behind the front lines, Hun Sen used Preah Vihear and a conflict with a historical adversary to build political prestige, nationalism, and anti-Thai sentiments, co-opting it as a part of his political platform. Hun Sen employed the temple and the border dispute in his rhetoric and created public relations events celebrating the government's protection of Cambodia's sovereignty and national prestige. Among other factors, Preah Vihear helped Hun Sen win elections and maintain political power by vilifying Thailand and using nationalism. The temple became a powerful nationalistic symbol.
Branding Islam: Islam, Law, and Bureaucracies in Southeast Asia
Authors: Steiner Kerstin
Published: February 2019

Islam plays a pivotal political role in Southeast Asian countries, where the governments that have ruled since independence have been concerned with influencing the trajectory, content, hermeneutic and style of the legal traditions of their Muslim citizens and reconciling them with the states’ wider policy objectives. This contribution looks at one particular tool for this form of ‘guiding’ Islam – the codification of Islam – comparing the codes in two Muslim-majority countries (Malaysia and Brunei) and two Muslim-minority countries (Singapore and the Philippines). Utilising comparative law methodologies, this article explores the structure, style and content of the codes in order to explicate their explicit and implied function. These codes are less concerned with being a statement of substantive Islamic law than with setting up a state-sanctioned bureaucracy for the administration of law for Muslims. These bureaucratic institutions were the key instruments for the states to develop their own brand of Islam. In doing so, the state's approach towards socially engineering Islam oscillates among appropriation, accommodation, control and subjugation of Islam in different political and legal frameworks.
Reinforcing Charisma in the Bureaucratisation of Indonesian Islamic Organisations
Authors: Fogg Kevin W.
Published: February 2019

Many studies of Islam in Indonesia have focused on the mass Islamic organisations that form the backbone of civil society and Indonesian religious life. However, studies of these organisations have not appreciated the central place of charisma amid their bureaucratic features. This article looks at the case of Alkhairaat, a mass Islamic organisation headquartered in Central Sulawesi but spread throughout eastern Indonesia, as a bureaucracy built to reinforce and perpetuate the charisma of its founder, Sayyid Idrus bin Salim al-Jufri. The case of Alkhairaat demonstrates how mass Islamic organisations in Indonesia bureaucratise Islam but also, in doing this, defy the broader trend of legalisation. Instead, the on-going veneration of the founder's charisma helps to make sense of the continuing attention to supernatural occurrences among traditionalist Indonesian Muslims and the power of organisational leaders over their followers.
A deliberately delayed or forgotten issue: North Korean human rights as an international legal problem
Authors: Cho Jung-hyun , Paik Min-Jung
Published: February 2019

In spite of the recent bilateral peace talks and developments between South and North Korea and between the US and North Korea, it needs to be reminded that the human rights condition in North Korea is already an established legal subject, protected by both international and domestic law, and therefore, unless the human rights condition in North Korea is significantly improved, this issue cannot be legally terminated. In this vein, this paper intends to examine the ways that the issue on North Korean human rights is handled both in international law (especially by the UN, including criminal punishment) and domestic law (especially by the US, including human rights sanctions), and then identify some policy implications for addressing the human rights issue in the context of the Korean peninsula peace talks.
Primary Care Provider Continuity Is Associated With Improved Preventive Service Ordering During Brief Visits for Acute Symptoms
Authors: Matulis John C. , Schilling Jason J. , North Frederick
Published: February 2019

Background:

If a patient presents for an acute care visit and sees their assigned primary care provider (PCP), they may be more likely to receive preventive and other services than a patient not seeing their assigned PCP.

Methods:

After exclusion of 2 visits with insufficient information, we reviewed 98 consecutive, outpatient internal medicine 15-minute acute care visits comparing patients seeing their assigned PCP with those seeing a non-PCP provider. The primary outcome, preventive service ordering, was measured in 2 ways: percentage of patient visits with any preventive service ordered and the total number of preventive services ordered as a proportion of all preventive service items due for each entire cohort. The secondary outcome of other work completed was assessed by comparing tests and consults ordered, and by counting the number of physical examination elements and discrete medical diagnoses documented.

Results:

The PCPs were significantly more likely than non-PCPs to order any preventive service 45% versus 17% ( P = .005; odds ratio [OR]: 4.16, 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.45-12.0). The PCP cohort ordered a higher proportion of the total number of preventive services due compared with the non-PCP cohort (30% vs 11%; P = .002; OR: 3.4, CI: 1.5-7.7). The PCPs also addressed more medical diagnoses (2.3 vs 1.4; P = .008) and more frequently ordered tests outside the reason for that visit (40% vs 13%; P = .003; OR: 4.27, CI: 1.5-11.8).

Conclusion:

Patients seeing their assigned PCP in brief, acute visits have higher rates of preventive and other service ordering compared to those not seeing their assigned PCP.
Football Stadium Expansion: A Multiparty Negotiation Exercise
Authors: Bennett Andrew A. , Oksoy Aydin S.
Published: February 2019

Multiparty negotiations are a unique context in which three or more parties have different issues, priorities, and underlying interests. The Football Stadium Expansion is a four-person negotiation exercise that reinforces distributive and integrative negotiation skills (e.g., recognizing priorities, making concessions) as well as introduces three negotiation skills necessary for a multiparty context: coalition forming, decision agreement rules, and straw votes. Using a setting familiar to both students and community members—an expansion of a campus football stadium—this exercise is ideal for classes or trainings with a 50- or 75-minute limit.
Adjunctive vitamin D in tuberculosis treatment: meta-analysis of individual participant data
Authors: Jolliffe David A. , Ganmaa Davaasambuu , Wejse Christian , Raqib Rubhana , Haq M. Ahsanul , Salahuddin Nawal , Daley Peter K. , Ralph Anna P. , Ziegler Thomas R. , Martineau Adrian R.
Published: February 2019

Background

Randomised controlled trials of adjunctive vitamin D in pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) treatment have yielded conflicting results. Individual participant data meta-analysis could identify factors explaining this variation.

Methods

We meta-analysed individual participant data from randomised controlled trials of vitamin D in patients receiving antimicrobial therapy for pulmonary TB. Primary outcome was time to sputum culture conversion. Secondary outcomes were time to sputum smear conversion, mean 8-week weight and incidence of adverse events. Pre-specified subgroup analyses were done according to baseline vitamin D status, age, sex, drug susceptibility, HIV status, extent of disease and vitamin D receptor genotype.

Results

Individual participant data were obtained for 1850 participants in eight studies. Vitamin D did not influence time to sputum culture conversion overall (adjusted HR 1.06, 95% CI 0.91–1.23), but it did accelerate sputum culture conversion in participants with multidrug-resistant pulmonary TB (adjusted HR 13.44, 95% CI 2.96–60.90); no such effect was seen in those whose isolate was sensitive to rifampicin and/or isoniazid (adjusted HR 1.02, 95% CI 0.88–1.19; p-value for interaction=0.02). Vitamin D accelerated sputum smear conversion overall (adjusted HR 1.15, 95% CI 1.01–1.31), but did not influence other secondary outcomes.

Conclusions

Vitamin D did not influence time to sputum culture conversion overall, but it accelerated sputum culture conversion in patients with multidrug-resistant pulmonary TB.
High Prevalence of Growth Plate Gene Variants in Children With Familial Short Stature Treated With GH
Authors: Plachy Lukas , Strakova Veronika , Elblova Lenka , Obermannova Barbora , Kolouskova Stanislava , Snajderova Marta , Zemkova Dana , Dusatkova Petra , Sumnik Zdenek , Lebl Jan , Pruhova Stepanka
Published: February 2019

Context

Familial short stature (FSS) is a term describing a growth disorder that is vertically transmitted. Milder forms may result from the combined effect of multiple genes; more severe short stature is suggestive of a monogenic condition. The etiology of most FSS cases has not been thoroughly elucidated to date.

Objectives

To identify the genetic etiology of severe FSS in children treated with GH because of the diagnosis of small for gestational age or GH deficiency (SGA/GHD).

Design, Settings, and Patients

Of 736 children treated with GH because of GHD/SGA, 33 with severe FSS (life-minimum height −2.5 SD or less in both the patient and shorter parent) were included in the study. The genetic etiology was known in 5 of 33 children prior to the study [ACAN (in 2], NF1, PTPN11, and SOS1). In the remaining 28 of 33, whole-exome sequencing was performed. The results were evaluated using American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics standards and guidelines.

Results

In 30 of 33 children (90%), we found at least one variant with potential clinical significance in genes known to affect growth. A genetic cause was elucidated in 17 of 33 (52%). Of these children, variants in growth plate-related genes were found in 9 of 17 [COL2A1, COL11A1, and ACAN (all in 2), FLNB, FGFR3, and IGF1R], and IGF-associated proteins were affected in 2 of 17 (IGFALS and HMGA2). In the remaining 6 of 17, the discovered genetic mechanisms were miscellaneous (TRHR, MBTPS2, GHSR, NF1, PTPN11, and SOS1).

Conclusions

Single-gene variants are frequent among families with severe FSS, with variants affecting the growth plate being the most prevalent.
Condensins and cohesins – one of these things is not like the other!
Authors: Skibbens Robert V.
Published: February 2019

Condensins and cohesins are highly conserved complexes that tether together DNA loci within a single DNA molecule to produce DNA loops. Condensin and cohesin structures, however, are different, and the DNA loops produced by each underlie distinct cell processes. Condensin rods compact chromosomes during mitosis, with condensin I and II complexes producing spatially defined and nested looping in metazoan cells. Structurally adaptive cohesin rings produce loops, which organize the genome during interphase. Cohesin-mediated loops, termed topologically associating domains or TADs, antagonize the formation of epigenetically defined but untethered DNA volumes, termed compartments. While condensin complexes formed through cis-interactions must maintain chromatin compaction throughout mitosis, cohesins remain highly dynamic during interphase to allow for transcription-mediated responses to external cues and the execution of developmental programs. Here, I review differences in condensin and cohesin structures, and highlight recent advances regarding the intramolecular or cis-based tetherings through which condensins compact DNA during mitosis and cohesins organize the genome during interphase.
Therapy for acute basilar artery occlusion: a systematic review and meta-analysis
Authors: Sheng Kevin , Tong Marcus
Published: February 2019

Purpose: This study aims to analyse the efficacy of different treatment methods for acute basilar artery occlusion, with an emphasis placed on evaluating the latest treatment methods.

Method:  A systematic review and meta-analysis was performed to analyse the current data on the therapies available for treating acute basilar artery occlusion.

Results: A total of 102 articles were included. The weighted pooled rate of mortality was 43.16% (95% CI 38.35-48.03%) in the intravenous thrombolysis group, 45.56% (95% CI 39.88-51.28) in the intra-arterial thrombolysis group, and 31.40% (95% CI 28.31-34.56%) for the endovascular thrombectomy group. The weighted pooled rate of Modified Ranking Score (mRS) 0-2 at 3 months was 31.40 (95% CI 28.31-34.56%) in the IVT group, 28.29% (95% CI 23.16-33.69%) in the IAT group, and 35.22% (95% CI 32.39-38.09%) for the EVT group. Meta-analyses were also done for the secondary outcomes of recanalization and symptomatic haemorrhage. There was no difference between stent retriever and thrombo-aspiration thrombectomy on subgroup analysis in both clinical outcome and safety profile.

Limitations: The included studies were observational in nature. There was significant heterogeneity in some of the outcomes.

Conclusions:  Superior outcomes and better recanalization rates for acute basilar occlusion were seen with patients managed with endovascular thrombectomy when compared with either intravenous and/or intraarterial thrombolysis. No superiority of stent‐retrievers over thrombo-aspiration thrombectomy was seen.
A Call for Metacognitive Intervention: Improvements Due to Curricular Programming in Leadership
Authors: Terlecki Melissa S. , McMahon Anne
Published: February 2019

Metacognition is linked to academic achievement and personal development, especially as it relates to leadership education. The current study investigated the impact of a course in metacognition. Two hundred and fifty one undergraduates were surveyed for metacognitive ability using the Metacognitive Awareness Inventory (MAI) and Metacognitive Rubric (MR) before and after participating in a course either involving metacognitive training or alternative coursework. While minimal demographic differences were found, results showed significant improvement among students who trained in the metacognition class. Curricular development in the area of metacognition is recommended as it relates to leadership education.
A Psychometric Analysis of the Student Leadership Competencies Inventory
Authors: Rosch David M. , Seemiller Corey
Published: February 2019

The Student Leadership Competencies Inventory consists of eight scales, each corresponding to its relevant leadership construct within the Student Leadership Competencies framework (Seemiller, 2013). Due to the increasing use of the framework and associated inventory in leadership development programs in higher education, we conducted a thorough analysis of the psychometric properties within each scale. Specifically, using a national dataset of university student responses, we analyzed internal reliability statistics, and conducted exploratory factor analysis with varimax rotation and maximum likelihood confirmatory factor analysis for each of the eight scales. Our results suggested that all scales, overall, possess sufficient strength to be considered valid measures of the leadership constructs within the Inventory, with some notably high co-variances between certain sub-scale factors in several scales.
Topical treatment of ointment containing ethanol extract of Archidendron pauciflorum fruit peel on the wound healing in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice
Authors: MALINI DESAK MADE , MADIHAH MADIHAH , KAMILAWATI FITRI , RATNINGSIH NINING , ALIPIN KARTIAWATI , ISKANDAR JOHAN
Published: February 2019

Malini DM, Madihah, Kamilawati F, Ratningsih N, Alipin K, Iskandar J. 2017. Topical treatment of ointment containing ethanol extract of Archidendron pauciflorum fruit peel on the wound healing in streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. Nusantara Bioscience 9: 306-311. Diabetic wounds lead to severe tissue damage and are difficult to cure. One alternative medicine known well by local Indonesian communities to treat diabetic wounds is the fruit peel of djengkol. This study aimed to evaluate the ointment containing ethanol extract of djengkol fruit peel to accelerate wound healing process in the skin of streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice. The method was experimental using completely randomized design with six treatments and four replications. Diabetes was induced by intraperitoneal injection of streptozotocin 180 mg/kg BW. Mice with blood glucose level â‰¥150 mg/dL were used for diabetic mice models. The incision wound created at dorsolateral region of shaven skin at Â±1 cm2 using sterile scissors. The ointment containing extract was applied topically to the diabetic mice wounds at concentration of 5%, 10% and 15%, as well as BetadineÂ® as the reference group. The ointment basis was applied to the wound of diabetic mice as a positive control and to the wound of non-diabetic mice as a negative control. The treatment was done twice a day for 14 days. The results showed that topical application of ointment containing ethanol extract of djengkol fruit peel at concentration of 10% gave significant recovery (p<0.05) on the wounded skin by the enhancement of re-epithelization and granulation tissue, as well as the increase of capillary number and collagen density which were higher than other treatments and comparable to negative control group. It was concluded that the topical application of ointment containing ethanol extract of djengkol fruit peel can support the healing of diabetic wounds.
Dietary intake of micronutrient and Basal Metabolic Index of women in rural Pakistan
Authors: ISRAR MUHAMMAD , KHAN SALEEM , AURANGZEB AURANGZEB , ALI ABID
Published: February 2019

Setyawan. 2017. Dietary intake of micronutrient and Basal Metabolic Index (BMI) of women in rural Pakistan. Nusantara Bioscience 9: 396-402. Populationâ€™s consumption of essential nutrients and defense against diseases is best indicated by the nutritional status of the individual. Asian women as the central player of the family and, therefore, they propagate the ill effects of malnutrition to generation. In this study, nutritional status and micronutrients (dietary minerals and vitamins) intake of rural women in Pakistan were investigated. One district of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was selected, out of which, three villages were selected. From each village, 50 rural women were selected for the study. Information about food intake was obtained by a questionnaire. Nutrients intake was obtained from details of food intake in questionnaire, namely, 523 mg/day of calcium; 773 mg/day of phosphorus; 28 mg/day of Iron; 11 mg/day of zinc; 6.61 mg/day of Iodine; 172 R.E./day of Vitamin-A; 21 mg/day of Vitamin-C; 2.79 mg/day of Niacin; 0.31 mg/day of Thiamine; 0.32 mg/day of Riboflavin. The Basal Metabolic Index (BMI) was observed between 19.6 and 52.2 with a mean of 28.54. The study concluded that womenâ€™s proportion on consuming mineral and vitamins according to RDA was very small, similarly, the proportion of women in a normal range of BMI was also very small and the curve for BMI suddenly changes direction to the right which confirms that the overweight and obese rural women population was quite common.