bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Photoplethysmogram Signal Quality Assessment Using Support Vector Machine and Multi-Feature Fusion
Authors: Zhang Jie , Yang Licai , Su Zhonghua , Mao Xueqin , Luo Kan , Liu Chengyu
Published: February 2019

Background: Noise is unavoidable in the physiological signal measurement system. Poor quality signals can affect the results of analysis and disable the following clinical diagnosis. Thus, it is necessary to perform signal quality assessment before we interpreting the signal.
Objective: In this work, we describe a method combing support vector machine (SVM) and multi-feature fusion for assessing the signal quality of pulsatile waveforms, concentrating on the photoplethysmogram (PPG). Methods: PPG signals from 53 healthy volunteers were recorded. Each
had a 5 min length. Signal quality in each heart beat was manual annotated by clinical expert, and then the signal quality in 5 s episode was automatically calculated according to the results from each beat segments, resulting in a total of 13,294 5-s PPG segments. Then a SVM was trained to
classify clean/noisy PPG recordings by inputting a set of twelve signal quality features. Further experiments were carried out to verify the proposed SVM based signal quality classifier method. Results: An average accuracy of 87.90%, a sensitivity of 88.10% and a specificity of 87.66%
were found on the 10-fold cross validation. Conclusions: The signal quality of PPGs can be accurately classified by using the proposed method.
An Analysis on the Change Rule of Eyeball's Biological Parameters of Different Types in the Refraction State and Vision Before and After Refraction
Authors: Yingmei Jiang , Tao Jin , Xueqi Yang , Xiaoli Dai , Ri Jin , Huancai Xu , Xiuying Wang
Published: February 2019

The ametropia is the most widespread eye disease for the humans. Wherein, the myopia is the commonest ophthalmological reason influencing the distant vision. The excimer laser corneal refractive surgery has always been an operation mode most widely used in myopic correction operations
for a number of years. The laser assisted in-situ keratomi (LASIK) mainly transforms the frontal surface appearance of the cornea to change the corneal refraction power, and its correction effect is influenced by a great many factors such as regression and hydration of cornea. Thus,
a lot of surgeons would combine own experience in conducting LASIK myopic correction. The myopic regression would affect the foreseeability, operation effect and stability of corneal refractive surgery, which results in reduction of the patients' visual quality in turn. The pathogenesis still
needs further study. The change of lens thickness does not only lead to change in depth of central anterior chamber, but also would cause the change in refractive power of lens, thereby influencing the whole dioptric system of the eyeball. The previous research on postoperative regression
was mostly focused on the corneal refraction, while few efforts were put in the changes of lens thickness and refractive power after LASIK.
Social Research and Development Policy: Two Approaches to West African Land-tenure Problems
Authors: Stamm Volker
Published: February 2019

This article analyses the extent to which the concepts underlying land policies in West Africa that prevail amongst the development organisations most active in this field correspond to the results of the intense debate on the same subject over the last three decades, which has involved almost all branches of the social sciences: ethnology, legal anthropology, sociology, history and rural economics. It is found that the outcomes of these academic analyses are in sharp contrast to the approaches propagated and translated into practice by development agencies, which often start from oversimplified and inadmissibly generalised assumptions, so that one must ask whether the diverging logics of these two disciplines are responsible for this marked difference.
The South African Election of 2009
Authors: Southall Roger , Daniel John
Published: February 2019

South Africans voted in their country's fourth democratic general election on 22 April 2009. The African National Congress (ANC) again secured a substantial victory. It might seem that the 2009 Elections proved to be “business as usual”. Yet such a conclusion is unjustified, for events had conspired to generate excitement about this particular contest, which rivalled that leading up to the “liberation election” of 1994. The reasons for this were several, but the most important revolved around Jacob Zuma, who had risen to the presidency of the ANC in December 2007, and the formation of a new party of opposition, the Congress of the People (COPE), by dissidents from within the ANC. In the elections, however, the ANC reasserted its dominance. Even so, the results of the 2009 election at national and provincial level indicate change. The ANC has maintained its electoral dominance, yet its grip on the electorate has been somewhat weakened, while the opposition – although remaining very much in the minority – has consolidated.
Beyond Polarity: Negotiating a Hybrid State in Somaliland
Authors: Walls Michael , Kibble Steve
Published: February 2019

Many African states struggle to reconcile traditional social institutions with the precepts of nation-state democracy within colonially defined borders. Since the 1991 fall of the dictatorial Somali regime of Siyaad Barre, Somaliland has gradually pieced together what appear to be a durable peace and an increasingly sophisticated, constitutionally based nation-state democracy. It is still negotiating the relationship between identity, nation and territory in which there is a differential commitment to democracy between the political elite and the wider population. Accommodation between a clan-based social structure and a representative democracy has been enabled by local socio-cultural traditions. External intervention, while minimal, has on occasion proved fruitful in providing a way out of crises. The territory has escaped the violence and political breakdown experienced in Southern Somali areas. This contribution argues that the remarkable resilience of the present socio-political system in Somaliland is challenged by present and forthcoming problems in the fields of democratic representation (inter alia of women), delivery of public goods, a fragile sub-regional context and foreign investment.
The Democratic Impact of ICT in Africa
Authors: Dobra Alexandra
Published: February 2019

This paper takes a critical look at the view that the Internet can serve as a laboratory of political experimentation for reconfiguring the repertories of political actions. The overall discourses on information and communications technology (ICT) are too often focused on technology and infrastructure, when the question of its use should be central. In order to comprehend how ICT can serve as a democratic enhancer, this paper critically examines the African anthropology of the state and of the public sphere. It captures the African endogenous productions of political modernity and the subsequent way ICT is appropriated and indigenized by African local instances. African states and civil societies do not fit into prescriptive Western paradigms. In order to encourage the effective use of new technologies, this paper has developed the so-called “African model of ICT practice”, which proposes a set of hypotheses that aim to enable the effective usage and integration of ICT within the democratic process in the context of an African self-defined political reality.
Transparency and Accountability in the Management of Oil Revenues in Ghana
Authors: Van Gyampo Ransford Edward
Published: February 2019

This paper undertakes a five-year review of the management of oil revenues in Ghana since the commencement of oil production in 2010. Using reports from the Petroleum Transparency and Accountability Index, official records from key state agencies, and interviews with core individuals within the petroleum sector, the paper assesses the quality of transparency and accountability in the management of Ghana's oil revenue. It argues that even though some progress has been made in the transparent and accountable use of oil revenues, more can be achieved if certain critical bills are passed and proactive interventions pursued without further delay on the part of government and policymakers within Ghana's petroleum sector. These would help prevent both potential social conflict that may result from a lack of information on how oil revenues are utilised and the corrupt use of oil funds by politicians and people in authority within the oil industry.
The Power of Mixed Messages: Women, Peace, and Security Language in National Action Plans from Africa
Authors: Hudson Heidi
Published: February 2019

Against the backdrop of global and continental women, peace, and security discourses, this contribution analyses the gender and women-focused language of national action plans from four African countries (Kenya, Liberia, Nigeria, and Uganda), which were drafted with a view to United Nations Security Council Resolution 1325. I argue that national action plans have the potential to transcend the soft-consensus language of Security Council resolutions because they create new spaces for feminist engagement with policy and practice. The analysis reveals three discursive themes – namely, the making of “womenandchildren,” women civilising war, and making women responsible for preventing gender-based violence. The themes relate to the construction of, respectively, gender(ed) identities, security, and violence. To varying degrees, the plans reflect a combination of predominantly liberal-feminist language interspersed with some examples of critical insight. I conclude that the ambiguous nature of the messages sent out by these plans serves as a reminder that discourses are fragmented and therefore offer an opening for nuanced contextual analyses and implementation.
Conference Report: Middle Classes, Protest, and Social Change in Africa and Beyond
Authors: Daniel Antje , Stoll Florian
Published: February 2019

South Africa is one of the world's most unequal societies. Social disparities provoke massive social protests, considered to be among the most frequent worldwide. Some of these are class-based, and members of the middle class are often perceived as part or even at the core of such initiatives. However, neither in South Africa nor in other cases is it clear how stratification – and middle-class positions in particular – relate to and translate into protest and political goals for social change. Against this backdrop, a conference on middle classes and protest, which took place from 17 to 21 March 2017 at the Stellenbosch Institute for Advanced Study (STIAS), explored and discussed how middle classes and social protest are linked in African settings and other contexts of the so-called global South.
“Vernacularising Modernity?” Rural–Urban Migration and Cultural Transformation in the Northern Mandara Mountains
Authors: Chétima Melchisedek
Published: February 2019

This article explores the different ways in which new houses built by migrants from the Mandara Mountains to bigger cities in Cameroon function as an important site for studying their relations within the cities and within their communities of origin. I argue that these new houses constitute both a powerful resource for addressing migrants’ stories about their migratory experiences and a constituent element of these experiences. In many circumstances, the migrants interviewed were unable to speak separately of their migratory experiences and their homes. Thus, the impact of their mobility to cities goes far beyond the mere ownership of the houses; they also manage to change their perceptions of themselves, to restructure their models of social interaction with other migrants, and to change the balance of their relations with the village. The article ends by proposing to connect the two sides of the village/city duality to find out how the local is a product of the global and how the local has reappropriated the global, giving it a meaning.
From Oil to Water? The Deepening Crises of Primitive Accumulation in the Waterscapes of Nigeria's Niger Delta
Authors: Okorie Victor Ogbonnaya
Published: February 2019

Using the case of groundwater pollution in Nigeria's Niger Delta, this paper examines the shifting contours of primitive accumulation in the region. Based on two years of ethnographic research, the paper unravels the losses experienced by individuals and their dependents whose privately owned sources of water were polluted. It argues that the groundwater pollution is a deadly but less discussed form of primitive accumulation that has strong implications for peace and development in the affected communities. The paper concludes that accumulation by dispossession driven by oil exploration in the Niger Delta operates in complex ways and generates multifaceted crises; as such, the prospects for resolving the conflicts lie in addressing various strands of the dispossession, including groundwater pollution in the region.
Frontiers of Ethnic Brutality in an African City: Explaining the Spread and Recurrence of Violent Conflict in Jos, Nigeria
Authors: Madueke Kingsley L. , Vermeulen Floris F.
Published: February 2019

There is considerable consensus among scholars of ethnic riots that ethnically mixed areas are more prone to collective violence than segregated ones. The conclusion is based on studies that compare levels of violence between segregated and mixed localities. While this addresses disparities between settlements of dissimilar ethnic composition, variations in the spread of violence across ethnically mixed areas remain a mystery. Seeking to explicate these variations, we propose an approach that examines not only the ethnic composition of a neighbourhood, but also its location in relation to adjoining neighbourhoods of similar or dissimilar ethnic makeup and their shared boundaries. Based on ethnographic fieldwork in Jos, a violence-ridden Nigerian city, we demonstrate that ethnically mixed areas located between segregated ones experience more incidents of violence than mixed neighbourhoods not comparably located. Our findings have both academic and practical implications.
Crude Moves: Oil, Power, and Politics in Niger
Authors: Schritt Jannik , Schareika Nikolaus
Published: February 2019

In this article, we analyse the political and social process through which Niger has emerged as a new oil state since 2008. Instead of viewing the situation as a clear-cut resource-curse scenario, we see oil as an important, but by no means determining factor in the country's current political workings. Analysing the main features and narratives of the Nigerien political game in this time of incipient oil production, we first of all observe how various political actors, including the government, political parties, civil society, and wealthy businesspeople, transform oil into a political resource by developing particular notions, images, and meanings of it, including scenarios of a resource curse or resource blessing. We thus argue that in the formative moment of Niger becoming a new oil state, oil appears as an idiom within which Niger's current political and social processes are framed.
Does Wealth Matter for Responsible Investment? Experimental Evidence on the Weighing of Financial and Moral Arguments
Authors: Døskeland Trond , Pedersen Lars Jacob Tynes
Published: February 2019

Responsible investment is increasingly prevalent, and both financial and moral concerns can drive such investment. In this article, we investigate how responsible investors of different wealth weigh financial and moral arguments. Prior research on different factors that may codetermine responsible investment behavior yield competing predictions about the influence of personal wealth on investment. We conduct a large-scale natural field experiment on responsible investment, wherein we treat investors with financial, moral, and no arguments. We find that there is a statistically and economically significant difference in responsiveness to financial and moral arguments between investors of different wealth. Specifically, financial arguments are more effective than are moral arguments for high wealth investors but not for low wealth investors, and the effect is particularly high for the wealthiest investors. The findings hold for several different measures of wealth. Our findings contribute to the understanding of the moderating effect of wealth on responsible investment choice. Furthermore, these insights may enable more fine-tuned strategies to stimulate responsible investment among different individual investor segments.
What’s in the Stomach is Used to Carry What’s on the Head: An Ethnographic Exploration of Food Metaphors in Efik Proverbs
Authors: Mensah Eyo Offiong , Eni Rosemary Arikpo
Published: February 2019

Food and foodways are essential components of the Efik biocultural system, as the Efik people of Southern Cross River State, Southeastern Nigeria, are famous for their rich dietary history and cuisine tradition. Food and foodways are, therefore, quintessential aspects of the Efik cultural history and social structure, which are intergenerational. This article explores the use of food symbolisms (embedded in rich metaphors) in Efik proverbs, which are perceptual frameworks or conceptual grids that highlight fundamental cultural values and mores as well as reinforce and instill acceptable social behavior. The study is rooted in the Afrocentric paradigm, which re-asserts the interpretation of Efik proverbs based on African values, perspectives, and narratives, and adds relevant ontological and epistemological analytic dimensions in operationalizing the collective and contextual understanding of Efik (African) proverbs. In this context, the Efik view the world through the lens of food, exploring the role of food and eating correlates as means of addressing their society’s psychodynamic challenges, which paradoxically are not about food.
Enchanted consumption and the gift(s) of diaspora
Authors: Jung Nathan A.
Published: February 2019

This article explores consumption practices in Paule Marshall’s Praisesong for the Widow (1983) and Helen Oyeyemi’s The Opposite House (2007), which it reads as a macroeconomic critique. This critique repositions “diaspora” as a concept with a distinctive lineage in modern and contemporary migration literary narratives that articulate alternative models of economic exchange through representations of food and eating. In my reading, diaspora is not only a sociological group orientation or a conceptual lens on the interiorized subjectivity arising from involuntary migration; it is also a set of alternative economic practices that confront global commodity culture through quotidian acts of consumption. Marshall and Oyeyemi both employ the literary device of “enchanted consumption” to contest the premise of consumer passivity found in traditional models of commodity fetishism. Enchanted consumption accomplishes this by overlying global material exchange networks, local embodied consumption practices, and generic alternations between realism and fabulism. When read together, these three elements in particular suggest an under-examined economic dimension of diaspora that challenges dominant systems of valuation and exchange through the enactment of alternative gift economies. More specifically, Marshall and Oyeyemi depict black female characters struggling with choices about foodstuffs. This specificity is important, as it suggests that enchanted consumption derives most directly from the experiences of women in African diasporic culture. By including food in the constellation of other concerns faced by these women (domestic labour and childbirth, in particular) and, further, by understanding their consumption of food as a critical commentary on exchange systems, these authors disclose how the deeply personal consumption acts of black diasporic women advance an embodied critique of transnational capitalism that connects the globally dispersed sites of diaspora through local, gift-oriented approaches to food.
Norbert Elias’s extended theory of community: From established/outsider relations to the gendered we–I balance
Authors: Crow Graham , Laidlaw Maggie
Published: February 2019

Norbert Elias and John Scotson’s analysis of the interconnection between positive and negative community identities in The Established and the Outsiders is well-known. Elias’s subsequent writing about community offers a more rounded analysis, going beyond established/outsider configurations by exploring community’s gendered character and the forces involved in the ‘we–I balance’ that counteract the pervasive process of individualization. Elias’s use of personal pronouns to reveal how community identity (‘we’) relates not only to outsiders (‘they’) but also to an individual member (‘I’) of communities is central to his extended theory of community.
Conducting research on nonsuicidal self-injury in schools: Ethical considerations and recommendations
Authors: Hasking Penelope A. , Lewis Stephen P. , Robinson Kealagh , Heath Nancy L. , Wilson Marc S.
Published: February 2019

Research on nonsuicidal self-injury (NSSI) has grown significantly over the last 15 years, with much of this work focused on factors that initiate and maintain NSSI among school-aged youth. Although this work is important, it does raise several ethical concerns. In this article we outline key ethical issues underlying NSSI research in schools and offer recommendations for conducting ethically sound and productive research in this area. Ethical concerns addressed include: 1) recruitment of minors to research; 2) disclosure and confidentiality; 3) the risk of iatrogenic effects; 4) duty of care; 5) engaging schools in research; and 6) safety of the researchers. In each area, we offer recommendations to assist researchers, ethics committees, and schools in working together to conduct ethical NSSI research, further our understanding of NSSI, and address and respond to these behaviors in schools.
Aesthetic labouring and the female entrepreneur: ‘Entrepreneurship that wouldn’t chip your nails’
Authors: Pritchard Katrina , Mackenzie Davey Kate , Cooper Helen
Published: February 2019

Recognising significant interrelations between neoliberal and postfeminist discourses, we advance understandings of constructions of female entrepreneurs by unpacking their visual representation and exploring the role of aesthetic labour. Given the impact of contemporary media, we focus on key images integral to the marketing of Mattel’s Entrepreneur Barbie as a postfeminist cultural icon and investigate how these representations of female entrepreneurship are consumed. First, we highlight the practical demands and emotional risks of the aesthetic labour required to achieve such postfeminist glamour. Second, links between conventional femininity and entrepreneurial success are both celebrated and challenged, highlighting perceived limits to achievement. Finally, we unpack understandings of the relations between entrepreneurialism and aesthetic labour to move beyond assumptions of the instrumental power of the makeover. Our findings thus enrich understandings of the consumption of postfeminist images of entrepreneurs.
Deformation of breast masses between supine ultrasound and prone magnetic resonance imaging
Authors: Yoshida Mariko , Goto Mariko , Sakai Koji , Kiba Maki , Nagano Hitomi , Yamada Kei
Published: February 2019

Background

Breast masses will deform between different postures and modalities in the background mammary gland. However, this difference in deformation between benign and malignant masses has not been studied.

Purpose

To investigate the feasibility of using the change of the longitudinal-transverse ratio (L/T) of a breast mass from supine ultrasonography (US) and prone magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) as representing deformation in differentiating between benign and malignant masses.

Material and Methods

The participants were 197 consecutive patients with 201 breast masses (55 benign, 146 malignant) who had undergone both US and MR examinations with histological diagnoses at our hospital from January 2012 to December 2014. On US, the largest transverse diameter of the mass (TUS) parallel to the pectoral muscle and the longitudinal diameter (LUS) perpendicular to the muscle were measured. On prone MRI, the largest transverse diameter of the mass (TMR) parallel to the pectoral muscle and the orthogonally oriented diameter as the longitudinal direction (LMR) were measured. The change of the L/T between these modalities was compared between benign and malignant masses.

Results

Malignant breast masses showed significantly smaller change of the L/T (median [interquartile range (IQR)] = 13.5% [4.29–24.4]) than benign ones (36.7% [24.3–52.4]) ( P < 0.001). The optimum cut-off value of the change of the L/T for differentiating malignant from benign was 19.1%, with sensitivity, specificity, and area under the curve of 63.7%, 90.9%, and 0.834, respectively.

Conclusion

The change of the L/T may be a feasible and useful quantitative index for differentiating breast masses.
High-resolution vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging of carotid and intracranial vessels
Authors: Sui Binbin , Gao Peiyi
Published: February 2019

Carotid and intracranial imaging play an essential role in the comprehensive evaluation and prevention for stroke patients. High-resolution vessel wall magnetic resonance imaging (HR VW-MRI) has been applied in carotid and intracranial arteries with optimal ability in displaying the features of various vascular diseases. Recent advanced MRI techniques can not only help in the differential diagnosis of vascular diseases but can also provide information on pathogenesis exploration of underlying mechanisms, follow-up monitoring, and determination of prognosis for patients with cerebral strokes. The aim of this article was to review the applications of HR VW-MRI in various pathologic conditions of carotid and intracranial arterial imaging.
Epicardial fat, left ventricular strain, and T1-relaxation times in obese individuals with a normal ejection fraction
Authors: Homsi Rami , Yuecel Seyrani , Schlesinger-Irsch Ulrike , Meier-Schroers Michael , Kuetting Daniel , Luetkens Julian , Sprinkart Alois , Schild Hans H. , Thomas Daniel K
Published: February 2019

Background

Cardiac magnetic resonance (CMR) may detect early signs of cardiomyopathy.

Purpose

The purpose of this CMR study was to evaluate epicardial fat volume (EFV), T1-relaxation times (T1), and left ventricular (LV) strain in non-obese (<30 kg/m2) and obese (>30 kg/m2) individuals with no other cardiovascular risk factor and with a normal LV ejection fraction (LVEF) to detect early changes of obesity cardiomyopathy.

Material and Methods

Seventy-five individuals (38 men) without additional cardiovascular risk factors were examined at 1.5 T. EFV was assessed by a 3D-Dixon sequence. A 3(3)3(3)5 MOLLI scheme was used to assess T1 (ms). Myocardial strain (%) was evaluated by longitudinal (LS) and circumferential strain (CS) analysis.

Results

Obese individuals (n = 34; age = 55.6 ± 13.8 years; BMI = 33.4 ± 2.9 kg/m2) had higher EFVs (70.2 ± 27.9 vs. 56.1 ± 25.2 mL/m2; P < 0.05) and T1 values (991.0 ± 38.6 vs. 974.6 ± 32.0; P = 0.061) as well as worse LS and CS values (LS = −21.0 ± 4.8 vs. −23.2 ± 3.7; CS = −23.8 ± 5.7 vs. −27.7 ± 4.2; P < 0.05, for all) compared to non-obese individuals (n = 41; age = 57.2 ± 15.5 years; BMI = 25.1 ± 2.3 kg/m2). Individuals with severe obesity (BMI > 35 kg/m2) had a significantly higher T1 compared to non-obese (1010.5 ± 39.9 vs. 974.6 ± 32.0 ms; P < 0.05). There were no significant differences regarding age or gender.

Conclusion

Obesity is associated with an increased EFV and a disturbed LV contractility despite a normal LVEF. Myocardial fibrosis as well as metabolic and inflammatory mechanisms of increased epicardial fat may play role. Multi-parametric CMR may be a valuable tool for the detection of such early signs of an obesity cardiomyopathy.
Allowing for Heterogeneity in the Consideration of Airport Access Modes: The Case of Bari Airport
Authors: Bergantino Angela S. , Capurso Mauro , Dekker Thijs , Hess Stephane
Published: February 2019

Mode choice models traditionally assume that all objectively available alternatives are considered. This might not always be a reasonable assumption, even when the number of alternatives is limited. Consideration of alternatives, like many other aspects of the decision-making process, cannot be observed by the analyst, and can only be imperfectly measured. As part of a stated choice survey aimed at unveiling air passengers’ preferences for access modes to Bari International Airport in Italy, we collected a wide set of indicators that either directly or indirectly measure respondents’ consideration of the public transport alternatives. In our access mode choice model, consideration of public transport services was treated as a latent variable, and entered the utility function for this mode through a “discounting” factor. The proposed integrated choice and latent variable approach allows the analyst not only to overcome potential endogeneity and measurement error issues associated with the indicators, but also makes the model suitable for forecasting. As a result of accounting for consideration effects, we observed an improvement in fit that also held in a validation sample; moreover, the effects of policy changes aimed at improving the modal share of public transport were considerably reduced.
The Addition of Hip Arthroscopy to Periacetabular Osteotomy Does Not Increase Complication Rates: A Prospective Case Series
Authors: Sabbag Casey M. , Nepple Jeffrey J. , Pascual-Garrido Cecilia , Lalchandani Gopal R. , Clohisy John C. , Sierra Rafael J.
Published: February 2019

Background:

Previous studies on periacetabular osteotomy (PAO) reported complication and reoperation rates of 5.9% and 10%, respectively. Hip arthroscopy is increasingly utilized as an adjunct procedure to PAO to precisely treat associated intra-articular pathology. The addition of this procedure has the potential of further increasing complication rates.

Purpose:

To determine the rates of complication and reoperation of combined hip arthroscopy and PAO for the treatment of acetabular deformities and associated intra-articular lesions.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

Using a prospective database, the authors retrospectively reviewed 248 hips (240 patients) that underwent combined hip arthroscopy and PAO between 2007 and 2016. Data were collected at scheduled follow-up visits at approximately 1 month, 3 to 4 months, and 1 and 2 years after surgery. Mean follow-up from surgery was 3 years (range, 1-8 years). A total of 220 PAOs were done for symptomatic acetabular dysplasia, 18 for symptomatic acetabular retroversion, and 10 for combined acetabular dysplasia and acetabular retroversion. Central compartment arthroscopy was performed for treatment of intra-articular chondrolabral pathology in all cases. Select cases underwent femoral head-neck junction osteochondroplasty either arthroscopically before the PAO or through an open approach after it. Complications were graded according to the modified Dindo-Clavien complication scheme, which was validated for hip preservation procedures. Reoperations (excluding hardware removal) were recorded.

Results:

Grade III complications occurred among 7 patients (3%) while there were no grade IV complications. Grade III complications included deep infection (n = 3), wound dehiscence (n = 1), hematoma requiring exploration (n = 1), symptomatic heterotopic ossification requiring excision (n = 1), and deep venous thrombosis (n = 1). There were 13 reoperations (5%), and 3 were repeat hip arthroscopy. Univariate Cox hazard models were used to estimate the relative risk factors for complication and reoperation. Increased age (per decade) showed over twice the increased likelihood for complications (hazard ratio, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.67-3.74). Also, preoperative diagnosis of acetabular retroversion, not acetabular dysplasia, showed >3 times the increased risk of reoperation (hazard ratio, 3.05; 95% CI, 1.41-6.61).

Conclusion:

The rate of complications reported is comparable (3%) with previously published complication rates of PAO without hip arthroscopy. In this cohort, increasing age and diagnosis of acetabular retroversion were associated with higher complication and reoperation rates.
Same but Different: Using Anthropomorphism in the Battle Against Food Waste
Authors: Cooremans Katrien , Geuens Maggie
Published: February 2019

Food waste is a major threat to global sustainability. Much of it is caused by the aesthetic requirements imposed by retailers, which assume that consumers are not interested in buying misshapen produce unless it is accompanied by significant price discounts. This article proposes an alternative way to market such produce. A pilot study confirms consumers’ aversion to misshapen produce and identifies inferior taste perceptions as its dominant driver. Three studies then show that using anthropomorphism (i.e., attributing human characteristics to nonhuman objects) can increase purchase intentions for misshapen produce. Specifically, displaying misshapen produce with a smiling face and presenting shape abnormalities as body parts in point-of-purchase stimuli trigger positive affective reactions. These affective reactions enhance taste perceptions, thereby leading to higher purchase intentions and food choice. In addition, this research tests environmental concern as a moderator and measures actual behaviors in a grocery shopping context. The findings suggest an intervention that could be more effective than current public campaigns in the effort to curb waste along the entire food chain.
Analysis of Factors Associated With Malpractice Litigation in Rhinoplasty
Authors: Raggio Blake S. , Harris William C. , Winters Ryan D. , Graham H. D.
Published: February 2019

Rhinoplasty, the third most common cosmetic surgical procedure in the United States, represents the second most litigated facial plastic surgery procedure. Previous examinations of litigation specific to rhinoplasty are limited. The objective of this study was to comprehensively evaluate rhinoplasty malpractice litigation over the past 30 years and to investigate the financial burden of medical malpractice litigation associated with rhinoplasty, as well as factors that contribute to litigation and negative defendant outcomes. Jury verdict and payment reports related to rhinoplasty malpractice litigations over the past 30 years (1988-2018) were obtained using the WestlawNext and Nexis Uni subscription-based legal databases. The term “malpractice” was searched in combination with “rhinoplasty” and various names associated with the procedure. Cases included in the analysis were reviewed for outcomes, verdict payments, defendant specialty, and allegations raised in proceedings. Of the 46 cases identified, 12 (26%) were resolved with a plaintiff verdict payment. The median payment awarded was $127 500 (standard deviation, $96 590.63). The surgeon specialties found for 35 cases included otolaryngology (17 [49%]), plastic surgery (13 [37%]), facial plastic surgery (3 [9%]), and oral/maxillofacial surgery (OMFS; 2 [6%]). A greater proportion of cases involving otolaryngologists were resolved with payment compared with cases involving plastic surgeons (4 [24%] vs 1 [8%]), though this difference did not reach statistical significance ( P = .26). The most common allegations raised among the 46 cases were poor cosmesis (20 [43%]), intraoperative negligence (18 [39%]), inadequate informed consent (13 [28%]), and nasal function deficits (13 [28%]). Cases had a higher likelihood of being resolved in payment when allegations of cosmetic deformity (7%, 95% confidence interval [CI], −17.55 to 31.91) and nasal function deficit (17%, 95% CI, −9.29 to 45.32) were present, nevertheless these findings did not reach statistical significance ( P = .60 and P = .24, respectively). Rhinoplasty malpractice litigation resulting in payments can create substantial financial burden for the defendant. Common factors cited by plaintiffs for pursuing rhinoplasty malpractice litigation included cosmetic deformity, intraoperative negligence, lack of informed consent, and nasal function deficit. Cosmetic deformity and nasal function deficit allegations tended to result in negative defendant outcomes, though these findings are inconclusive. Our findings reinforce the importance of physician-patient communication, including conducting a comprehensive informed consent process, to limit or avoid postsurgical allegations.
Is left populism the radical democratic answer?
Authors: la Torre Carlos de
Published: February 2019

This commentary challenges views of left populism as the normative desirable path for radical democracy. It disentangles populist diagnosis of the failures and deficits of democracy from its solutions. It argues that the logic of populism so well analyzed by Laclau leads to the appropriation of people’s power by a clique of politicians and ultimately by a leader.
MindMasters 2: A 3-Month Pilot Study Evaluating Grade 3 Children’s Social and Emotional Skills
Authors: Santos Alexandre , Langill Corrine
Published: February 2019

The purpose of this pilot study was to evaluate the preliminary effects of a curriculum resource on elementary school children’s social and emotional skills. In total, 98 Grade 3 children were randomly allocated to either a control or experimental group and evaluated before and after a 3-month implementation period. Experimental group showed improved prosocial behaviors ( p < .01), concern for others ( p = .02), and emotional skills ( p < .01) over time, as well as improved relaxation levels ( p < .01) after partaking in relaxation activities. Compared with the control group, experimental group’s emotional skills were significantly higher at posttest ( p < .01). No significant differences were observed for children’s self-perceptions ( p > .05). Results from this study indicate that the curriculum resource may facilitate the development of children’s social and emotional skills. A future definitive randomized-controlled trial should strive for a longer implementation period in response to small effect sizes, taking into account target population, sample size, and persistence of effects over the life span and in different environmental contexts.
Female sex workers in Kigali, Rwanda: a key population at risk of HIV, sexually transmitted infections, and unplanned pregnancy
Authors: Ingabire Rosine , Parker Rachel , Nyombayire Julien , Ko Jasmine E , Mukamuyango Jeannine , Bizimana Jean , Price Matt A , Laufer Dagna , Tichacek Amanda , Wall Kristin , Allen Susan , Karita Etienne
Published: February 2019

Female sex workers (FSWs) were recruited from known hotspots in Kigali, Rwanda, and offered free, anonymous human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) counseling and testing, diagnosis and treatment of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and long-acting reversible contraception (LARC). From September 2012 to March 2015, 1168 FSWs sought services, including 587 (50%) who were HIV-positive. More than 90% had previously tested for HIV, and 26% who reported previously testing negative had seroconverted. Of the 349 who already knew their HIV-positive status, 74% were on antiretroviral treatment. The prevalence of serologic syphilis was 43% in HIV-positive and 19% in HIV-negative FSWs (p < 0.0001), and Trichomonas vaginalis was found in vaginal wet mounts in 21% of HIV-positive and 13% of HIV-negative FSWs (p < 0.0001). Signs and symptoms of STIs were found in 35% of HIV-positive compared with 21% of HIV-negative FSWs (p < 0.0001). Only one-third reported consistent condom use in the last month. Modern contraceptive use was reported by 43% of HIV-positive and 56% of HIV-negative FSWs (p < 0.0001). Current pregnancy was reported by 4% of HIV-positive and 6% of HIV-negative FSWs (p = 0.0409). Despite Rwanda’s successes with preventing 70% of new infections in the general population through nationwide couples’ testing in antenatal clinics, prevention and timely treatment in key populations including FSWs are lacking. The prevalence of HIV – including many new cases – and STIs among FSWs in Kigali is high and condom and contraceptive use are low. Tailored and integrated HIV/STIs and family planning programs are urgently needed for FSWs.
Operational modal analysis using lifted continuously scanning laser Doppler vibrometer measurements and its application to baseline-free structural damage identification
Authors: Xu Y.F. , Chen Da-Ming , Zhu W.D.
Published: February 2019

A continuously scanning laser Doppler vibrometer (CSLDV) system is capable of efficient and spatially dense vibration measurements by sweeping its laser spot along a scan path assigned on a structure. This paper proposes a new operational modal analysis (OMA) method based on a data processing method for CSLDV measurements of a structure, called the lifting method, under white-noise excitation and applies a baseline-free method to identify structural damage using estimated mode shapes from the OMA method. The lifting method enables transformation of raw CSLDV measurements into measurements at individual virtual measurement points, as if the latter were made by use of an ordinary scanning laser Doppler vibrometer in a step-wise manner. It is shown that a correlation function with nonnegative time delays between lifted CSLDV measurements at two virtual measurement points on a structure under white-noise excitation and its power spectrum contain modal parameters of the structure, that is, natural frequencies, modal damping ratios, and mode shapes. The modal parameters can be estimated by using a standard OMA algorithm. A major advantage of the proposed OMA method is that curvature mode shapes associated with mode shapes estimated by the method can reflect local anomaly caused by small-sized structural damage, while those estimated by other existing OMA methods that use CSLDV measurements cannot. Numerical and experimental investigations are conducted to study the OMA method and baseline-free structural damage identification method. In the experimental investigation, effects of the scan frequency of a CSLDV system on the two methods were studied. It is shown in both the numerical and experimental investigations that modal parameters can be accurately estimated by the OMA method and structural damage can be successfully identified in neighborhoods with consistently high values of curvature damage indices.
The spectrum of spinal cord lesions in a primate model of multiple sclerosis
Authors: Lefeuvre Jennifer A , Guy Joseph R , Luciano Nicholas J , Ha Seung-Kwon , Leibovitch Emily , Santin Mathieu D , Silva Afonso C , Jacobson Steven , Lehéricy Stéphane , Reich Daniel S , Sati Pascal
Published: February 2019

Background:

Experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis (EAE) in the common marmoset is a nonhuman primate model of multiple sclerosis (MS) that shares numerous clinical, radiological, and pathological features with MS. Among the clinical features are motor and sensory deficits that are highly suggestive of spinal cord (SC) damage.

Objective:

To characterize the extent and nature of SC damage in symptomatic marmosets with EAE using a combined magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and histopathology approach.

Materials and Methods:

SC tissues from five animals were scanned using 7 T MRI to collect high-resolution ex vivo images. Lesions were segmented and classified based on shape, size, and distribution along the SC. Tissues were processed for histopathological characterization (myelin and microglia/macrophages). Statistical analysis, using linear mixed-effects models, evaluated the association between MRI and histopathology.

Results:

Marmosets with EAE displayed two types of SC lesions: focal and subpial lesions. Both lesion types were heterogeneous in size and configuration and corresponded to areas of marked demyelination with high density of inflammatory cells. Inside the lesions, the MRI signal was significantly correlated with myelin content ( p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

Our findings underscore the relevance of this nonhuman primate EAE model for better understanding mechanisms of MS lesion formation in the SC.
Music and the politics of the past: Kizito Mihigo and music in the commemoration of the genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda
Authors: Mwambari David
Published: February 2019

After the 1994 genocide against the Tutsi in Rwanda, the post-genocide government spearheaded the creation of genocide commemorations. Over the past two decades, political elites and survivors’ organizations have gone to great lengths to institutionalize the memorialization, including creating laws to protect the memory of the genocide from denialism. Ordinary Rwandans have responded to the annual commemorations using creative means of support for and disagreement with the government’s interpretation of their shared violent past. Music has been used as citizen-driven tool to both spread and criticize genocide memorialization nationally and beyond. While scholars have explored the politicization of state-organized mechanisms such as memorials, citizen-driven creative means remain largely unexplored. Addressing this gap in Rwandan memory scholarship, I examine how Kizito Mihigo, a famous post-genocide musician, used his individual memory of surviving the genocide against the Tutsi through music to contribute and respond to the annual commemorations of the genocide. I argue that Mihigo’s story and commemoration songs were politicized from the start but were intensified when he used his music to go beyond promoting genocide commemorations to questioning the events and when he pleaded guilty to terrorism charges.
MicroRNA expression profiles from HEK293 cells expressing H5N1 avian influenza virus non-structural protein 1
Authors: Jiao Hanwei , Zheng Zonglin , Shuai Xuehong , Wu Li , Chen Jixuan , Luo Yichen , Zhao Yu , Wang Hongjun , Huang Qingzhou
Published: February 2019

H5N1 avian influenza poses a serious threat to the poultry industry and human health. Non-structural protein 1 (NS1) plays an important role in the replication and pathogenesis of avian influenza virus (AIV). However, the function of the NS1 gene is still unclear. In this study, illumina genome analyzer iix screening was used to identify the differentially expressed microRNAs (miRNAs) in HEK293 cells expressing H5N1 AIV NS1. There were 13 differentially expressed miRNAs (hsa-miR-17-5p, hsa-miR-221-3p, hsa-miR-22-3p, hsa-miR-31-5p, hsa-miR-20a-5p, hsa-miR-222-3p, hsa-miR-24-3p, hsa-miR-3613-3p, hsa-miR-3178, hsa-miR-4505, hsa-miR-345-3p, hsa-miR-3648, and hsa-miR-455-3p) ( P < 0.01). The qRT-PCR validation results demonstrated that hsa-miR-221-3p, hsa-miR-22-3p, hsa-miR-20a-5p, and hsa-miR-3613-3p were upregulated, while hsa-miR-3178 and hsa-miR-4505 were down-regulated. The softwares targetscan and miranda were further used to predict their target genes, and the gene ontology (GO) and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) analysis results showed that 20 GO terms and 20 KEGG pathways were significantly enriched. Our findings are the first to report expression profiling of miRNA and their functions in H5N1 AIV NS1-expressing HEK293 cells, and pave the way to further elucidating the accurate interaction mechanism between NS1 and virus replication, thus providing brand new insight into the prophylaxis and treatment of H5N1 AIV.
Electoral Reform, Regional Cleavages, and Party System Stability in Bolivia
Authors: Centellas Miguel
Published: February 2019

This research note considers the effects of electoral system reform in Bolivia. In 1995, Bolivia moved from a list-proportional to a mixed-member proportional electoral system. The intervening years saw growing regional polarization of politics and a collapse of the existing party system. Using statistical analysis of disaggregated electoral data (at department, municipality, and district level), this paper tests whether electoral system reforms may have contributed to the current political crisis. Research findings show that regional cleavages existed prior to electoral system reform, but suggest that reforms aggravated their effects. Such evidence gives reason to question the recent popularity of mixed-member proportionality.