bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Accountability through government alternation: Economic performance and the conditional role of political institutions in fifty countries, 1990–2015
Authors: Pellegata Alessandro , Quaranta Mario
Published: April 2018

Government alternation is a fundamental aspect of representative democracies because it is the most efficient mechanism of accountability through which voters can steer the course of government. Previous research on alternation has focused either on its conceptualization and measurement or on its role as a determinant of political and economic outcomes. This article attempts to investigate the factors affecting government alternation. We test research hypotheses on the direct effect of the economy on alternation and the conditional role played by political-institutional settings using an original dataset covering 50 countries from 1990 to 2015 and including 304 elections. First, the article provides an overview of the patterns of alternation in the countries we analyse. Second, it shows that alternation is less likely in times of successful macroeconomic performance, and that the effect of macroeconomic conditions on alternation is only partially conditional on the political-institutional context.
Honoring the Paradox of Education
Authors: Meadows Laura
Published: April 2018

This essay calls for academics to engage in a more publicly-focused, community-centered intellectualism. Highlighting James Baldwin’s role as a public intellectual in the civil rights movement of the tumultuous 1960s as a model, the essay argues for academics to leverage popular media to reach broader audiences, communicate truthfully but provocatively, and work with and within local communities.
Liquidity Constraints and Migration: Evidence from Indonesia
Authors: Tiwari Smriti , Winters Paul C.
Published: April 2018

Although liquidity constraints have been seen as both a factor limiting individuals from migrating and a motivation for households to send a migrant, the consequences of relaxing liquidity constraints on migration behavior have not been adequately explored due to data limitations. In this study, we take advantage of an unusual policy, Bantuan Langsung Tunai — a national-level unconditional cash transfer program targeted toward the poorest households in Indonesia — to empirically assess the impact of increased liquidity on the migration behavior of poor Indonesian households. With a highly mobile population and a long history of circular migration, Indonesia is an ideal space to study migration. Using panel data from the Indonesian Family Life Survey, the results demonstrate that a positive liquidity shock increases the probability of migration among low-asset households, among households with a migration history, and, most significantly, among low-asset households with a migration history.
A 20-year prospective study of marital separation and divorce in stepfamilies: Appraisals of family stress as predictors
Authors: Stephenson Ellen , DeLongis Anita
Published: April 2018

The current study aimed to test competing hypotheses about the role of appraisals of family stressor severity in long-term relationship outcomes. Traditional cognitive models of stress predict that those who appraise stress as most serious are at greatest risk of poor outcomes. However, social contextual and dyadic models of stress and coping argue that a belief that one’s spouse shares in this appraisal might play a protective role in marital outcomes. We examined the associations between appraisals of family stressor severity and subsequent marital dissolution in a sample of 170 couples in stepfamilies. Stepfamilies are an at-risk group, given they have been found to experience a greater number and variety of stressors as compared to traditional families, and have an increased risk of marital instability. As predicted by traditional cognitive models of stress, participants who reported family problems that they appraised as more serious were found to be at greater risk of marital dissolution over time. However, the risk of separation or divorce was lower when participants reported that their spouse also considered the problem as serious. In addition, comparing data from both spouses indicated that when both reported the same problem as their most serious, the risk of marital dissolution was also decreased. Our findings support social contextual and dyadic coping models in which shared appraisals of stress, and even the perception of such, can serve a protective function. Understanding how couples appraise the stressors they encounter may help identify useful targets for preventive marital interventions.
Functional energetic responses and individual variance of the human brain revealed by quantitative imaging of adenosine triphosphate production rates
Authors: Zhu Xiao-Hong , Lee Byeong-Yeul , Chen Wei
Published: April 2018

Cellular ATP energy metabolism and regulation are essential for brain function and health. Given the high ATP expenditure at resting-state, it is not yet clear how the human brain at working-state can effectively regulate ATP production to meet higher energy requirement. Through quantitative measurement of regional cerebral ATP production rates and associated neurophysiological parameters in human visual cortex at rest and during visual stimulation, we found significant stimulus-induced and highly correlated neuroenergetic changes, indicating distinctive and complementary roles of the ATP synthesis reactions in supporting evoked neuronal activity and maintaining ATP homeostasis. We also uncovered large individual variances in the neuroenergetic responses and significant reductions in intracellular [H+] and free [Mg2+] during the stimulation. These results provide new insights into the mechanism underlying the brain ATP energy regulation and present a sensitive and much-needed neuroimaging tool for quantitatively assessing neuroenergetic state in healthy and diseased human brain.
PDGFR-β restores blood-brain barrier functions in a mouse model of focal cerebral ischemia
Authors: Shen Jie , Xu Guihua , Zhu Runxiu , Yuan Jun , Ishii Yoko , Hamashima Takeru , Matsushima Takako , Yamamoto Seiji , Takatsuru Yusuke , Nabekura Junichi , Sasahara Masakiyo
Published: April 2018

Although platelet-derived growth factor receptor beta (PDGFR-β) mediates the recruitment of vascular pericytes into ischemic lesion to restore the blood-brain barrier (BBB) dysfunction, its mechanisms still remain elusive . Compared with control PDGFR-βfloxed/floxed mice (Floxed), postnatally induced systemic PDGFR-β knockout mice (Esr-KO) not only showed severe brain edema, neurologic functional deficits, decreased expression of tight junction (TJ) proteins, abundant endothelial transcytosis, and deformed TJs in the BBB, but also showed reduced expression of transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) protein after photothrombotic middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). In endothelial-pericyte co-culture, an in vitro model of BBB, the increment in the barrier function of endothelial monolayer induced by pericyte co-culture was completely cancelled by silencing PDGFR-β gene expression in pericytes, and was additively improved by PDGFR-β and TGF-β receptor signals under hypoxia condition. Exogenous PDGF-BB increased the expression of p-Smad2/3, while anti-TGF-β1 antibody at least partially inhibited the phosphorylation of Smad2/3 after PDGF-BB treatment in vitro. Furthermore, pre-administration of TGF-β1 partially alleviated edema formation, neurologic dysfunction, and TJs reduction in Esr-KO mice after MCAO. Accordingly, PDGFR-β signalling, via TGF-β signalling, may be crucial for restoration of BBB integrity after cerebral ischemia and therefore represents a novel potential therapeutic target.
Minimization of the perianal infection rate of hematological malignancies with agranulocytosis by quality control circle activity and patient–hospital–student win–win concept
Authors: Jiang Qianli , Zhang Dan , Majaw Jerry , Zhao Chenjing , Chai Yanyan , Xu Zehua , Wang Ruiting , Li Xiaoli , Zou Chun , Huang Liting , Wu Hansen , Hu Pingling , Xiang Ping , Chen Qiufan , Ma Weimei , Zheng Zhihao , Sun Jing , Liu Tingfang , Li Wenyuan
Published: April 2018

Objective

The agranulocytosis-associated perianal infection (PI) rate ranges from 60% to 100% among patients with hematopoietic malignancies. In this study, we assessed the efficacy of a quality control circle (QCC) to minimize the PI rate.

Methods

Among 274 patients with severe immunodeficiency (agranulocytosis of ≥2 weeks) in our bone marrow transplantation center, the PI rate was 17.20%. A QCC was established following the 10 steps of the plan-do-check-act (PDCA) model; this was scientifically supported by culturing the bacterial colony from patients’ perianal skin to determine the sanitization effect and interval time. Because a warm aqueous solution of potassium permanganate is recommended for sanitization, the bacterial colony culture was also used to determine the proper drug concentration, water temperature, and soaking time. All procedures were standardized. Patients, hospital staff, and medical students were enrolled into the QCC team based on the patient–hospital–student (PHS) win–win concept.

Results

After establishment of the PDCA model, the PI rate among 253 patients decreased from 17.20% to 5.93% and remained at 5.25% during the following year. The medical expenses and length of hospital stay consequently decreased.

Conclusion

The QCC and PHS win–win concept can reduce the PI rate and promote medical quality.
An evaluation of the fall prevention practice of community-based occupational therapists working in primary care
Authors: Mackenzie Lynette , Lovarini Meryl , Price Thomas , Clemson Lindy , Tan Amy , O’Connor Claire
Published: April 2018

Introduction

Occupational therapy in primary care settings in Australia is developing. This study aimed to examine current practice in preventing falls among older people living in the community prior to attending a home safety workshop; explore the outcomes of the workshop on fall prevention practice; and investigate self-reported changes in practice 3 months after the workshop.

Method

The 3-hour workshop was focused on evidence-based home safety interventions and was offered to occupational therapists providing community-based services in the Sydney North Primary Health Network area. Knowledge surveys were used immediately pre and post workshop, and practice surveys were collected data at baseline and at 3-month follow-up.

Results

Three workshops were run in 2015–2016, with a total of 40 occupational therapists. At follow-up, a positive impact on confidence and knowledge was reported. Less impact was observed on identifying and reducing an older person’s fall risk, and on fall prevention services provided and referrals received. Changes in practice were reported by 48% ( n = 16) of the 33 participants who returned surveys at 3 months.

Conclusion

These findings provide support for the benefit of professional development workshops to improve confidence and knowledge, but challenges remain in facilitating change in fall prevention service delivery. Further study on screening for fall risk and collaboration between community service providers in the primary care context is recommended.
Fair trade coffee exchanges and community economies
Authors: Naylor Lindsay
Published: April 2018

Despite the shortened commodity chain created for coffee through fair trade, there still exist a number of actors within certified commodity exchange. This chain is populated by disproportionately engaged actors, from a consumer looking for the certification seal, to coffee roasters working directly with coffee producing cooperatives, to producers striving to keep up with the standards for certification. Despite such disparities, connections are made between the roasters and the growers of coffee at multiple sites, from community-based projects to the transfer of knowledge and storytelling beyond the communities where coffee is cultivated. These connections suggest that fair trade exchanges potentially go beyond the sale of a commodity, the creation of surplus value and the connecting of producer and consumer. In this paper, I draw on the expanding literature on diverse and community economies to examine fair trade exchanges. The heterogeneous space of the community economy provides a platform for considering the diversity of exchanges happening within, outside, and alongside capitalism. In this paper, I focus on fair trade certified coffee, moving beyond current explanations of fair trade as “alternative” and working toward a multiplying of our understanding(s) of what fair trade is. Utilizing data collected in Chiapas, Mexico with two coffee producing cooperatives and their U.S.-based partner roasters, as well as analysis of the, 2016 celebration of Fair Trade Month, I reframe fair trade to examine the power and privilege in certified exchanges and consider the broader fair trade network as a site of community economies.
Preparation of ordered mesoporous and macroporous thermoplastic polyurethane surfaces for potential medical applications
Authors: Chennell Philip , Feschet-Chassot Emmanuelle , Sautou Valérie , Mailhot-Jensen Bénédicte
Published: April 2018

Thermoplastic polyurethanes are widely used in medical devices. In order to limit some of their shortfalls, like microbial attachment, surfaces modifications can be required. In this work, a two-step replication method was used to create ordered macroporous and mesoporous thermoplastic polyurethane surfaces using anodic aluminum oxide as master template. The intermediate mould materials that were tested were polystyrene and a polyacrylate resin with inorganic filler. All obtained surfaces were characterized by scanning electron microscopy. The initial anodic aluminum oxide surfaces possessed macro or mesopores, function of anodization conditions. The intermediate mould structure correctly replicated the pattern, but the polystyrene surface structures (pillars) were less resistant than the polyacrylate resin ones. The thermoplastic polyurethane pattern possessed macropores or mesopores of about 130 nm or 46 nm diameter and of about 300 nm or 99 nm interpore distances, respectively, in accordance with the initial pattern. Thermoplastic polyurethanes pore depth was however less than initial anodic aluminum oxide pore depth, linked to an incomplete replication during intermediate mould preparation (60 to 90% depth replication). The correct replication of the original pattern confirms that this novel fabrication method is a promising route for surface patterning of thermoplastic polyurethanes that could be used for medical applications.
Autoregressive and Cross-Lagged Associations Between Psychological Intimate Partner Aggression and Psychopathology in Newlyweds
Authors: Jarnecke Amber M. , South Susan C.
Published: April 2018

Most research to date relies on cross-sectional data to identify associations between psychopathology (i.e., internalizing and externalizing disorders) and intimate partner aggression (IPA). Studies that utilize longitudinal data tend to survey only one member of a dyad, examine only perpetration or victimization, and/or use statistical methods that converge within- and between-person effects. The current study examines the associations between psychopathology, psychological IPA perpetration, and psychological IPA victimization at three time points over the course of 1 year in a sample of newlyweds. An autoregressive latent trajectory model with structured residuals (ALT-SR) tested the hypotheses that within-person internalizing and externalizing psychopathology would predict IPA perpetration and victimization at each subsequent time point, and IPA victimization would predict subsequent internalizing and externalizing symptoms. Results of the ALT-SR model did not support hypotheses. Rather, results suggest internalizing symptoms were negatively associated with externalizing symptoms at subsequent time points, and vice versa. IPA perpetration was positively associated with IPA victimization at the following time points. These results elucidate the interplay between psychopathology and IPA, suggesting that although these constructs show bivariate relationships with one another, psychopathology is not a significant within-person predictor of subsequent psychological IPA.
“Why Should I, the One Who Was Raped, Be Forced to Take Training in What Sexual Assault Is?” Sexual Assault Survivors’ and Those Who Know Survivors’ Responses to a Campus Sexual Assault Education Program
Authors: Worthen Meredith G. F. , Wallace Samantha A.
Published: April 2018

This study critically examines sexual assault survivors’ (people with histories of sexual assault) and those who know survivors’ (those who know and/or who are close to people with histories of sexual assault) responses to a mandatory online campus sexual assault education program using both quantitative survey data ( N = 1,899) and qualitative narratives ( n = 41) from a sample of students at a large southern university with special attention to gender, sexual identity, race, ethnicity, college group affiliations (student athletics, fraternities/sororities, LGBTQ [lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender, queer] ally programs), and the intersections between these identities and affiliations. The quantitative findings show that knowing/being a woman survivor is positively related to supportive attitudes toward the sexual assault education program and inversely, knowing/being a man survivor is negatively related to support of the program. In addition, being a woman, being gay/lesbian, being Black/African American, Asian/Pacific Islander, Native American/Alaskan Native, or another race, and being a sorority member are all significantly related to supportive attitudes toward the sexual assault education program. Furthermore, qualitative analyses revealed that the majority of personal survivors’ narratives indicated traumatic/triggering responses whereas most of those who provided narratives about knowing survivors(s) indicated praiseworthy reactions. Overall, the current study offers empirically driven sexual assault education program implications that acknowledge survivors’ and those who know survivors’ experiences with the ultimate goal of determining how to best meet students’ needs.
Navigating the Margins between Consent and Dissent: Mechanisms of Creative Control and Rock Music in Late Socialist Romania
Authors: Mogoș Petrică , Berkers Pauwke
Published: April 2018

This study seeks to delineate the highly convoluted relationship between (rock) musicians and the state in late socialist Romania (1975–1985). By investigating extensive archival files originating from the Securitate records, Agitprop branches, and the ideological committees of the Romanian Communist Party, we examine how the Romanian regime employed its mechanisms of creative control and how it made sense of Romanian musicians’ attempt to navigate them. First, such intricate mechanisms ranged from rewards and penalties in order to ensure ideological compliance, to repression by means of surveillance, recruitment, and harassment. Second, in our exploration of the margins of consent and dissent, the relationship between musicians and the state fluctuated between one of duplicity (that proved beneficial for both entities) and (symbolic) resistance (through collective and individual forms of dissent). Successful dissent came mostly from abroad, while, domestically, musicians were much more rigidly controlled; without being able to articulate coherent forms of dissent through their music, musicians challenged the Securitate through issues of morality. Music also led to the formation of subcultures—csöves and punks—which practiced anti-proletarian rituals of dissent. Thus, this research throws considerable light on broader sociological debates, such as the role of musicians in totalitarian settings, the hidden mechanisms employed by the state, and the ongoing literature concerning the configuration of subcultural movements in the Eastern bloc.
Idumea and Idumeans in the Light of the Pseudepigrapha
Authors: Marciak Michał
Published: April 2018

This article offers the first-ever comprehensive philological and historical commentary on possible historical allusions to the Idumeans in the following Pseudepigrapha: Pseudo-Aristeas, Judith, Jubilees, the Testaments of the Twelve Patriarchs, the Apocalypse of Enoch, 1 Esdras, and 4 Ezra. This study argues that references to the Idumeans in the Pseudepigrapha (mostly hidden under the figure of Esau or sons of Esau) are of a very general character and as such are of little use to modern historians. Most passages are only literary expressions of the Judeans’ long-standing tradition of hostility towards the Edomites/Idumeans. Only in a few cases may we speak about general echoes of particular historical events. In 1 Esd. 4.50 and Jub. 37.1–38.14, an advanced Idumean settlement is reflected west of Arabah and south of Judea. Based on the archaeology, this settlement may have started as early as in the eighth century BCE and over time led to the emergence of a new province called Idumea in the Hellenistic period. The second-century BCE Maccabean–Idumean conflict is also echoed in several Pseudepigrapha. In general, the book of Judith reflects the strategic role of mountain passes and the use of lightly armed troops in Maccabean times. In turn, Jub. 37.1–38.14 and the T. Jud. 9.1–4 were written from a specific historical angle created by the Hasmonean conquest of Idumea, but their use of topography and chronology is so simplified that they cannot be employed by modern historians for the reconstruction of the course of the Hasmonean–Idumean conflict. Instead, both books express the ideology of territorial rights, disguised as patriarchal history. Finally, 1 Esd. 5.29 and 8.66 appear to express the ambivalent situation of the Idumeans after conversion: though they became part of the Judean community, the notion of their ethnic distinctiveness and inferiority survived.
Collision tests and model development of a train coupling system using a high-capacity energy absorber
Authors: Kim Namwook , Park Yeong-il
Published: April 2018

This study aims to provide a process for the development of a train collision model that can evaluate the performance of buffers in the coupling system of railway vehicles. The model development process is completed by testing the buffer systems, analyzing the test results, and generating empirical models based on the analyzed results. In the analysis, it is shown that the behavior of the rubber buffer and the high-capacity buffer is well reproduced by the empirical models. A simulation model developed from the process is not only able to produce response behaviors of the buffers that are close to the test results, but is also able to estimate the maximum energy within a 2% error for the rubber buffer and a 4% error for the high-capacity buffer. The validated model can be used in extended systems – when multiple trains are connected through buffer systems – to evaluate the applied force or the absorbed energy on buffer systems, to optimize the configuration of the coupling systems or to evaluate the performance of the buffers under different collision conditions.
Designing a brief behaviour change intervention to reduce sexually transmitted infections: a discrete choice experiment
Authors: Miners Alec , Llewellyn Carrie , King Carina , Pollard Alex , Roy Anupama , Gilson Richard , Rodger Alison , Burns Fiona , Shahmanesh Maryam
Published: April 2018

To understand whether people attending sexual health (SH) clinics are willing to participate in a brief behavioural change intervention (BBCI) to reduce the likelihood of future sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and to understand their preferences for different service designs, we conducted a discrete choice experiment (DCE) with young heterosexual adults (aged 16–25 years), and men who have sex with men (MSM) aged 16 or above, attending SH clinics in England. Data from 368 participants showed that people particularly valued BBCIs that involved talking (OR 1.45; 95%CI 1.35, 1.57 compared with an ‘email or text’-based BBCIs), preferably with a health care professional rather than a peer. Findings also showed that 26% of respondents preferred ‘email/texts’ to all other options; the remaining 14% preferred not to participate in any of the offered BBCIs. These results suggest that most people attending SH clinics in England are likely to participate in a BBCI if offered, but the type/format of the BBCI is likely to be the single important determinant of uptake rather than characteristics such as the length and the number of sessions. Moreover, participants generally favoured ‘talking’-based options rather than digital alternatives, which are likely to require the most resources to implement.
Impact and barriers of an HIV rapid test program implementation at an oncological referral center in Mexico
Authors: Alexandra Martin-Onraet , Carolina Perez-Jimenez , Andrea Gonzalez-Rodriguez , Patricia Volkow-Fernandez
Published: April 2018

The aim of this study was to evaluate the implementation of human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) screening with rapid tests in an oncologic center in Mexico City, report the HIV prevalence, and describe contacts screening and linkage to HIV care while identifying barriers to the performance of the program. In 2014, an HIV rapid test program was implemented in four departments of the hospital “Instituto Nacional de Cancerología”. From 2014 to 2016, 3032 HIV rapid tests were performed in the hospital. The overall HIV prevalence was 0.8%, with the highest prevalence in the Hematology Department (2.4%). In the Gynecology Department, prevalence was 0.05%. Only 25 and 22 tests were performed in the lung cancer and germ cell tumor clinic, respectively, with one positive test. The health staff not offering the test was the main limitation to the full implementation of the program in those departments. The contacts screening led to three positive cases. The acceptance of the test was 99%. Patients who tested positive were seen by an infectious diseases physician on the same day the test was performed. Rapid HIV tests are a useful tool to expand HIV diagnosis in patients with cancer and to establish a rapid linkage to HIV care. Staff education needs to be improved to raise awareness of the health staff for a successful scale up of the program.
Utility of antitreponemal IgM testing in the diagnosis of early and repeat syphilis among HIV-infected and non-infected patients
Authors: Pastuszczak Maciej , Kotnis-Gąska Agnieszka , Jakubowicz Bernadetta , Martyka Iwona , Bociaga-Jasik Monika , Wojas-Pelc Anna
Published: April 2018

Until now only non-treponemal tests (e.g. rapid plasma reagin [RPR]) have been used to monitor syphilis activity (e.g. distinguishing between treated, untreated and repeat disease) and efficacy of treatment. However, they usually require manual operation and are less specific than treponemal tests. The aim of the current study was to evaluate the use of the antitreponemal IgM testing in the diagnosis of early and repeat syphilis in HIV-infected and non-infected patients. One hundred and seventeen patients with early syphilis were included in this prospective study. RPR and anti- Treponema pallidum-IgM (TP-IgM) tests were conducted at onset and at three-month intervals during 24-month follow-up after initial treatment. In 31 of 117 syphilitic patients the co-occurrence of HIV infection was diagnosed. A positive TP-IgM test was present in 78.6% of patients with newly-diagnosed primary syphilis, 95.8% with secondary and 57.9% with early latent syphilis, but only in 38.5% patients with syphilis reinfection. There was a significant correlation between primary and secondary syphilis, higher baseline RPR titre and the pre-treatment IgM test reactivity. Regardless of the syphilis stage, HIV-seropositive individuals were more frequently positive for TP-IgM, both during the first onset of the disease (90.3%), and reinfection (71.4%), as compared to the HIV-seronegative group (71.4% and 0%, respectively, P < 0.03). TP-IgM seroreversion was observed in 115 out of 117 patients studied (98.3%) during follow-up (mean time to seroreversion 6.9 months). The time to TP-IgM seroreversion after treatment was significantly shorter in patients with early symptomatic syphilis (mean 4.9 months) when compared to early latent syphilis (7.7 months, P < 0.05). A negative TP-IgM test was found in approximately 20% and 40% of individuals with primary and early latent syphilis, respectively. The value of IgM testing in the diagnosis of syphilis reinfection is doubtful.
Defining and surveying key populations at risk of HIV infection: Towards a unified approach to eligibility criteria for respondent-driven sampling HIV biobehavioral surveys
Authors: Hakim Avi J , Johnston Lisa G , Dittrich Samantha , Prybylski Dimitri , Burnett Janet , Kim Evelyn
Published: April 2018

Substantial resources are invested in human immunodeficiency virus biobehavioral surveys using respondent-driven sampling for measuring progress towards the UNAIDS 90–90–90 goals and to obtain other essential data on key populations. Survey data are used to meet country needs as well those of development partners, whose data needs may sometimes diverge. Surveys using differing eligibility criteria impede comparisons across surveys. With scant literature and guidelines on how to approach eligibility criteria, diverse criteria are used within and across countries. We conducted a review of peer-reviewed human immunodeficiency virus respondent-driven sampling biobehavioral survey literature published through December 2013. We describe eligibility criteria of 137 articles representing 214 surveys. Reporting on age, risk behavior, and reference period of risk behavior was nearly universal; however, reporting on gender, geography, and language was less common. Multiple definitions were used for each criterion, making comparisons challenging. We provide a framework for how to approach defining eligibility to improve consistency and comparability across surveys.
Cascade proportional integral retarded control of servodrives
Authors: López Kevin , Garrido Rubén , Mondié Sabine
Published: April 2018

The goal of this work is to propose a new time-delay control law called the cascade proportional integral retarded controller, which is aimed at position control of DC servodrives. The proposed controller has a cascade inner loop-outer loop structure. The inner loop is endowed with an integral retarded algorithm, and regulates the servodrive angular velocity. A proportional controller closes the outer loop whose goal is to regulate the servodrive angular position. The tuning of the cascade proportional integral retarded controller is accomplished into two steps. In the first step, the velocity of the inner loop is tuned by assigning a triple dominant root. The second step tunes the outer position loop. It is also possible to modify the cascade proportional integral retarded controller to avoid velocity measurements without adding extra filters. Moreover, the cascade topology of the cascade proportional integral retarded controller makes it easy to introduce a nonlinear saturated gain in the outer loop. This controller termed as the cascade nonlinear proportional integral retarded controller prevents overshoots for large values of the set point, avoids excessive control effort, and maintains a prescribed value of the angular velocity. Experiments in real-time using a laboratory prototype allow assessing the performance of the proposed controllers.
The devil's in the dosing: severe drug-induced liver injury in a hydroxychloroquine-naive patient with subacute cutaneous lupus erythematosus and porphyria cutanea tarda
Authors: Sunkara B , Roofeh D , Silver S , Pearson T LeBleu , Ettel M , McCune W J
Published: April 2018

A 29-year-old woman with a 1.5 year history of photosensitive skin lesions on her hands presented with a malar rash, bullous lesions on her hands, and was diagnosed with subacute lupus erythematosus after serologies revealed a positive antinuclear antibody test (1:2560), and antibodies to Ro/SSA and dsDNA. Hydroxychloroquine (400 mg/day) was prescribed and the patient developed severe drug-induced liver injury. Biopsy of her bullous skin lesions was consistent with porphyria cutanea tarda, as were her serological and urinary exams. She was successfully treated with therapeutic phlebotomy. This case identifies porphyria cutanea tarda as an important differential diagnosis for the rheumatologist to consider when evaluating patients with bullous skin lesions. Hydroxychloroquine in lower doses is an effective treatment for porphyria cutanea tarda; at doses used to treat systemic lupus erythematosus and subacute cutaneous lupus, there is a potentially life-threatening complication of hepatotoxicity.
Sexual Violence and the Border: Colonial Genealogies of US and Australian Immigration Detention Regimes
Authors: Perera Suvendrini , Pugliese Joseph
Published: April 2018

This article is concerned with delineating the material manifestations of state violence, with a particular focus on sexual violence in immigration detention prisons in the context of two settler-colonial nation states: Australia and the United States. It draws its impetus from the projected work of the late sociolegal scholar, Penny Pether, and her outline for a large-scale project on comparative regimes of indefinite detention. In our article, we pursue an exchange between the draft of Pether’s first chapter, ‘Beginning Again’, for her projected book, and elements of a transnational project titled ‘Deathscapes: Mapping Race and Violence in Settler States’ that we initiated in partnership with colleagues in the United States, Canada and the United Kingdom. We track these linkages in order to argue that these similar, if often different, colonial histories both inform and continue to shape contemporary regimes of detention and their reproduction of sexual violence and assault against their captive populations.
Unravelling the Contextual Factors Mediating Illness Response Using Mixed Methodology
Authors: Nair Sivaja K. , Dash Umakant
Published: April 2018

The re-emergence of infectious diseases has been a rampant public health challenge in the state of Kerala over the past one decade with high rates of mortality and morbidity. In an exploration of the contextual factors determining illness response associated with these diseases, this study employed a mixed methodology including a cross sectional survey of 430 respondents and 30 in-depth interviews. Individuals having one or more cases of selected re-emerging infectious diseases (Chikungunya, Dengue, Malaria and Leptospirosis) from various socio-spatial locations were included in the study to understand the patterns and determinants of illness response across different categories. The findings demonstrated that respondents’ response to illness is jointly determined by individual and household level factors such as gender, parenthood, illness context and spatiality. The article explains the ways in which these factors have interacted and intersected at varying points to create and reinforce multiple layers of vulnerability. Results are pertinent in understanding the pathways and mechanisms through which health inequities are created and sustained among different categories in the population. The findings demonstrate that only interventions concomitantly dealing with these factors and their interactions will produce more equitable results in improving access to health services and management of morbidity associated with re-emerging infectious diseases.
Cascade Model of Field Epidemiology Training Programme (FETP)
Authors: Srivastava Dhananjay
Published: April 2018

India has the responsibility to interpret and initiate appropriate public health action and notify those events that are of public health emergencies of international concern (PHEIC) as a signatory to International Health Regulation (IHR) (2005) and Global Health Security Agenda (GHSA). The aim of the human resource goal of GHSA is to ensure adequate numbers of trained personnel for response to a public health emergency.

Epidemiologists are an essential component of the public health workforce, and in ‘ Delhi Declaration of Epidemiology’ capacity building in epidemiology was identified as an important and urgent issue. Field epidemiology training programmes (FETPs) are competency-based training and service programmes in applied epidemiology and public health for building capacity which enhances better health response in the country. The goal of FETP is to build public health and epidemiological capacity through training to create high-calibre field epidemiologists and to strengthen the disease surveillance. The proposed cascade FETP model for India in this article is to strengthen epidemiological skills and disease surveillance at every level of health system in India. Expansion of FETPs to several institutions while maintaining the quality was emphasized to meet the global requirement of public health cadre, that is, one epidemiologist per 200,000 population.
Russia’s Changing Relations with Pakistan and Taliban: Implications for India
Authors: Kaura Vinay
Published: April 2018

Historically, India–Russia cooperation has largely been dictated by geopolitical factors. During the Cold War era, their relationship was defined by their similar strategic perceptions of the world. However, post-Cold War global politics has seen several transformations in geopolitical and geostrategic configurations, influencing the strategic worldview of both New Delhi and Moscow. Recent political trends demonstrate the growing divergence between the strategic approaches of the two states toward various global issues, including Pakistan and the Taliban. The article discusses the implications of the shift in Russia’s South Asia policy as well as India’s counterterrorism efforts.
Unscheduled early revisit to emergency department
Authors: Loi Siew Ling , Hj Fauzi Mohd Hashairi , Md Noh Abu Yazid
Published: April 2018

Background:

Unscheduled revisits to the emergency department may present a considerable additional workload.

Objectives:

This study investigated the risk factors contributing to adverse event during unscheduled early revisit to Emergency Department Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia.

Methods:

A retrospective cohort study was conducted from January 2014 to January 2015 to character the nature of unscheduled early revisits to Emergency Department Hospital Universiti Sains Malaysia. It included all patients 18 years old and above, revisited emergency department within 9 days post discharge from emergency department.

Results:

Data were collected from 492 case records. The rate of emergency department unplanned revisits within 9 days of previous emergency department discharge was 0.66% for the study period. Risk factors for revisit included advance age, pre-existing co-morbidities, duration spent during first emergency department visit and health care system–related error. The independent predictors of morbidity were diabetes mellitus (odds ratio, 2.07; 95% confidential interval, 1.08–3.96), respiratory disease (odds ratio, 2.42; 95% confidential interval, 1.18–4.98), gastrointestinal disease (odds ratio, 5.93; 95% confidential interval: 1.29, 27.35), nervous system disease (odds ratio, 4.65; 95% confidential interval: 1.27, 17.02), duration spent more than 6 h during first emergency department visit (odds ratio, 3.05; 95% confidential interval: 1.53, 6.07), and medical error leading to admission (odds ratio, 8.85; 95% confidential interval: 4.43, 17.67). The overall mortality rate was 0.2% (1/492).

Conclusion:

Emergency department physicians need to be extra vigilant when managing patients with risk factors, particularly the modifiable risk factors, to curb emergency department revisit.
Creating value and mitigating harm: Assessing institutional objectives in Australian industrial relations
Authors: Cutcher-Gershenfeld Joel E , Isaac Joe
Published: April 2018

The degree to which legislation on labour relations and other societal institutions creates value and mitigates harm is explored in this article through a framework designed to guide both the authoring and the analysis of objects of such legislation. Creating value and mitigating harm are typically explicit in the objects of public policy and implicit in adjudication, administration and adherence under public policies. Although conceptually distinct, creating value and mitigating harm can be both complementary and detrimental to each other. This article reviews various combinations of legislative objects over more than a century of Australian labour and employment relations policy. The objects examined include the prevention of industrial disputes, the introduction of a social minimum wage, the expansion of enterprise bargaining, expansion or curtailment of tribunal powers by government and other developments. Questions of ‘for whom?’ value is created or harm is mitigated are key. As an inductive study, the article concludes with hypotheses to guide future research, including implications that reach beyond Australia and employment legislation.
Improvements in Tritrichomonas foetus molecular testing
Authors: Ginter Summarell Carly C. , Hairgrove Thomas B. , Schroeder Megan E. , Conley Robert , Bounpheng Mangkey A.
Published: April 2018

Bovine trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted disease that results in infertility, abortion, and calf age variability. To date, management strategies include testing for Tritrichomonas foetus and culling of infected males. Challenges associated with testing include cost of culture medium, time and labor burden of sample incubation and processing, and adverse effects of bacterial growth on detection sensitivity. To overcome these challenges, we developed a direct reverse-transcription quantitative real-time PCR (direct RT-qPCR) utilizing smegma, eliminating the use of culture medium. In an analysis of 166 field samples (56 positives and 110 negatives as determined using microscopic reading of cultures as the reference test), the direct RT-qPCR exhibited 100% diagnostic sensitivity and 100% specificity, whereas the currently employed qPCR (culture qPCR), which utilizes cultured samples, exhibited 95% diagnostic sensitivity and 100% specificity. Agreement between direct RT-qPCR and culture qPCR was 98%. Moreover, direct RT-qPCR identified 3 more positive samples and exhibited lower quantification cycle (Cq) values among positives by culture reading than did culture qPCR (direct RT-qPCR Cq range = 14.6–32.3 vs. culture qPCR Cq range = 18.7–37.4). The direct RT-qPCR enables simplified sample collection, elimination of culture medium, faster results, applicability in cows, and lower cost than culture qPCR.
Development of Electronic Chemotherapy Roadmaps for Pediatric Oncology Patients
Authors: Allen Steven W. , Hayashi Robert J. , Jones Sally J. , Drozda Mandy H. , Brown Robert L. , Lackey Ian T. , Price Andrea M. , Newland John M. , Robinson Deborah L. , Carey Christina J. , Rich E. Scott , Huang Frederick S.
Published: April 2018

A chemotherapy roadmap is a summary of the chemotherapy plan for a pediatric oncology patient. Chemotherapy roadmaps exist as paper documents for most, if not all, pediatric oncology programs. Paper chemotherapy roadmaps are associated with risks that can negatively affect the safety of the chemotherapy process. This institution explored the feasibility of converting paper chemotherapy roadmaps into an electronic form. The pediatric information systems team developed an innovative computer application that can generate electronic chemotherapy roadmaps, and the pediatric oncology program established a novel workflow that can operationalize them. Electronic chemotherapy roadmaps have been produced for 36 treatment protocols, and 369 electronic chemotherapy roadmaps have been used for 352 pediatric oncology patients. They have functioned as designed and have not had any unintended effects. In the 5 years after their implementation, the average proportion of patient safety events involving paper or electronic chemotherapy roadmaps decreased by 78.7%. This report is the first to demonstrate the feasibility of creating and implementing electronic chemotherapy roadmaps. Continued expansion of the current library will be necessary to formally test the hypothesis that electronic chemotherapy roadmaps can decrease the risks associated with their paper counterparts and increase the safety of the chemotherapy process.
The Perinatal Biopsychosocial Consequences of Various Levels of Gestational Hyperglycemia
Authors: Hung Chich-Hsiu , Yu Ching-Yun , Huang Mei-Chuan
Published: April 2018

This study was to compare biopsychosocial consequences among three groups of women with gestational hyperglycemia. We conducted a repeated-measures study at five time points among 132 women with gestational hyperglycemia. Women’s physiological indicators and their psychosocial indicators were measured. There were 22.7% of participants had gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM), 11.4% had gestational impaired glucose tolerance (G-IGT), and 65.9% had mild gestational hyperglycemia (MGH). Women with GDM had higher fasting blood glucose and systolic/diastolic blood pressure than women with MGH. Women with GDM had higher diastolic blood pressure compared to women with G-IGT. Significant differences were found between the five time points regarding women’s fasting blood glucose, diastolic blood pressure, depression, and health status. Health care providers should conduct early screening for predictors of metabolic syndrome in women with any degree of gestational hyperglycemia. Nursing interventions could be offered as early as the perinatal period to promote women’s health.
Reliability of Hypernasality Rating
Authors: Yamashita Renata Paciello , Borg Elisabet , Granqvist Svante , Lohmander Anette
Published: April 2018

Objective:

To compare reliability in auditory-perceptual assessment of hypernasality for 3 different methods and to explore the influence of language background.

Design:

Comparative methodological study.

Participants and Materials:

Audio recordings of 5-year-old Swedish-speaking children with repaired cleft lip and palate consisting of 73 stimuli of 9 nonnasal single-word strings in 3 different randomized orders. Four experienced speech-language pathologists (2 native speakers of Brazilian–Portuguese and 2 native speakers of Swedish) participated as listeners. After individual training, each listener performed the hypernasality rating task. Each order of stimuli was analyzed individually using the 2-step, VISOR and Borg centiMax scale methods.

Main Outcome Measures:

Comparison of intra- and inter-rater reliability, and consistency  for each method within language of the listener and between listener languages (Swedish and Brazilian–Portuguese).

Results:

Good to excellent intra-rater reliability was found within each listener for all methods, 2-step: κ = 0.59-0.93; VISOR: intraclass correlation coefficient (ICC) = 0.80-0.99; Borg centiMax (cM) scale: ICC = 0.80-1.00. The highest inter-rater reliability was demonstrated for VISOR (ICC = 0.60-0.90) and Borg cM-scale (ICC = 0.40-0.80). High consistency within each method was found with the highest for the Borg cM scale (ICC = 0.89-0.91). There was a significant difference in the ratings between the Swedish and the Brazilian listeners for all methods.

Conclusions:

The category-ratio scale Borg cM was considered most reliable in the assessment of hypernasality. Language background of Brazilian–Portuguese listeners influenced the perceptual ratings of hypernasality in Swedish speech samples, despite their experience in perceptual assessment of cleft palate speech disorders.