bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Laboratory testing of extravascular body fluids: National recommendations on behalf of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine. Part II – Synovial fluid
Authors: Jokic Anja , Milevoj Kopcinovic Lara , Culej Jelena , Kocijan Irena , Bozovic Marija
Published: July 2020

Joint diseases are conditions with an often progressive and generally painful nature affecting the patient’s quality of life and, in some cases, requiring a prompt diagnosis in order to start the treatment urgently. Synovial fluid (SF) laboratory testing is an important part of a diagnostic evaluation of patients with joint diseases. Laboratory testing of SF can provide valuable information in establishing the diagnosis, be a part of a patient’s follow-up and treatment with the purpose of improving the patient’s health and quality of life. Synovial fluid laboratory testing is rarely performed in Croatian medical biochemistry laboratories. Consequently, procedures for SF laboratory testing are poorly harmonized. This document is the second in the series of recommendations prepared by the members of the Working group for extravascular body fluid samples of the Croatian Society of Medical Biochemistry and Laboratory Medicine. It addresses preanalytical, analytical, and postanalytical issues and the clinical significance of tests used in SF laboratory testing with the aim of improving the value of SF laboratory testing in the diagnosis of joint diseases and assisting in the achievement of national harmonization. It is intended for laboratory professionals and all medical personnel involved in synovial fluid collection and testing.
A method comparison study of a point-of-care blood gas analyser with a laboratory auto-analyser for the determination of potassium concentrations during hyperkalaemia in patients with kidney disease
Authors: Chothia Mogamat-Yazied , Kassum Patricia , Zemlin Annalise
Published: July 2020

Introduction: Hyperkalaemia is a common electrolyte disorder that may cause life-threatening cardiac arrythmias. We aimed to determine the
agreement of potassium concentrations between GEM premier 3500 point-of-care blood gas analyser (POC-BGA) and Roche Cobas 6000 c501 autoanalyser
in patients with hyperkalaemia.
Methods: A prospective, cross-sectional study of all consecutive adult patients referred to the Renal Unit with a serum potassium concentration ≥
5.5 mmol/L was performed. A total of 59 paired venous blood samples were included in the final statistical analysis. Passing-Bablok regression and
Bland Altman analysis were used to compare the two methods.
Results: The median laboratory auto-analyser potassium concentration was 6.1 (5.9-7.1) mmol/L as compared to the POC-BGA potassium concentration
of 5.7 (5.5-6.8) mmol/L with a mean difference of - 0.43 mmol/L and 95% upper and lower limits of agreement of 0.35 mmol/L and - 1.21
mmol/L, respectively. Regression analysis revealed proportional systematic error. Test for linearity did not indicate significant deviation (P = 0.297).
Conclusion: Although regression analysis indicated proportional systematic error, on Bland Altman analysis, the mean difference appeared to remain
relatively constant across the potassium range that was evaluated. Therefore, in patients presenting to the emergency department with a
clinical suspicion of hyperkalaemia, POC-BGA potassium concentrations may be considered a surrogate for laboratory auto-analyser measurements
once clinicians have been cautioned about this difference.
The Contribution of International Organizations to the Formation, Interpretation and Identification of International Law
Authors: Barkholdt Janina
Published: July 2020

In light of increased pressure on multilateral institutions, this article assesses the contribution of international organizations (IOs) to shaping international law. For that purpose, it analyses the recent work of the International Law Commission (ILC) regarding the role of IOs and its reception by States. The article argues that States do not perceive IOs as a relic of bygone times. Instead, the sceptical attitude of some States seems to be based primarily on a lack of conceptual clarity with regard to IO practice. Yet, a changing geopolitical landscape increases the pressure on lawyers to explain firstly, that the relevance of IO practice finds support in international law (and not only in favourable power relations), and secondly, that the law provides means to integrate a more plural international order within a common framework. On that basis, the article sketches possible approaches to four issues which were left open by the ILC.
Jordan’s Commitment towards Compulsory and Free Basic Education as a Constitutional Right: An Analytical Field Study
Authors: Aldabbas Ali Mohamed , Alawamleh Kamal Jamal , Awamleh Worud Jamal
Published: July 2020

This study examines the extent to which Jordan is committed to principles of compulsory and free basic education, by analyzing legislation in light of constitutional and international standards regarding the right to education. Methodology includes quantitative assessment of these principles using a questionnaire distributed to students and their teachers in a number of public schools in three Jordanian governorates. Three focus group sessions composed of students and their teachers were held. The study suggests that, whilst the Jordanian Constitution has explicitly adopted such principles, Jordanian law yet includes provisions that diminish providing free basic education to all children of compulsory age and that mitigate the number of students who drop out of school. This study proposes amending the title of Chapter II of the Constitution and Article 20 to ensure that all children living in Jordan enjoy the right to education.
Procedural Haze: The ICC’s Jurisdiction over the Situation in Palestine
Authors: Al-Khudayri Yassir
Published: July 2020

Palestine’s ratification of the Rome Statute, and limited retroactive acceptance of the jurisdiction of the International Criminal Court (ICC, or the Court), constitutes one of the major legal developments of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in the past decade. But such a milestone does not come without contentious legal and political challenges. Several procedural obstacles are likely to arise, especially relating to jurisdiction and admissibility, which will determine whether the ICC even gets to substantive questions of accountability. No matter which cases might ultimately be prosecuted, any ICC investigation – and perhaps even the preliminary examination – is thus likely to confront the antagonisms surrounding Palestinian statehood, bilateral agreements between Israel and the Palestinians, border disputes, and domestic criminal proceedings.
Typification of the names Epilobium lanceolatum, Lotus requienii, Orchis romana, and Romulea columnae described from Rome (Italy)

Authors: IAMONICO DUILIO , MILLOZZA ANNA , IBERITE MAURO
Published: July 2020

The names Epilobium lanceolatum, Lotus requienii (currently accepted as Lotus conjugatus subsp. requienii), Orchis romana (currently accepted as Dactylorhiza romana subsp. romana), and Romulea columnae are lectotypified on specimens kept at RO and BOLO, and on a Sebastiani’s illustration published in his Romanarum plantarum fasciculus primus. An epitype (at RO) for the name Epilobium lanceolatum is also designated.
First description of neonate Batagur trivittata (Testudines: Geoemydidae)
Authors: PLATT STEVEN G. , LWIN TINT , WIN MYO MIN , PLATT KALYAR , HAISLIP NATHAN A. , DIJK PETER PAUL VAN , RAINWATER THOMAS R.
Published: July 2020

The Burmese Roofed Turtle (Batagur trivittata Duméril & Bibron, 1835) is a large (straight-line carapace length [CL] to 620 mm; Platt et al., 2019), aquatic, herbivorous turtle endemic to the major river systems of Myanmar (Smith 1931; TTWG 2017). Although historically widespread and apparently abundant, long-term population declines resulted from chronic egg collecting, subsistence harvesting of adults, and loss of critical nesting habitat (Platt et al. 2017a). By the late 1990s B. trivittata was considered a candidate for Extinct status (Bhupathy et al. 2000) until a living specimen purchased in a Chinese wildlife market came into the possession of an American turtle collector in the early 2000s (Platt et al. 2005; W.P. McCord, pers. comm.). Shortly thereafter, field surveys “rediscovered” two remnant populations in the Dokhtawady and upper Chindwin Rivers (Platt et al. 2005; Kuchling et al. 2006). Intense ex- and in-situ recovery efforts were launched shortly thereafter and continue today (Kuchling & Tint Lwin 2004; Çilingir et al. 2017).
Review of the leafhopper genus Anaceratagallia Zachvatkin, 1946 (Homoptera: Auchenorrhyncha: Cicadellidae: Megophthalminae: Agalliini) from Russia, Kazakhstan, and Central Asia
Authors: TISHECHKIN DMITRI YU.
Published: July 2020

In Russia, Kazakhstan, and Central Asia the genus Anaceratagallia includes 14 species from two subgenera; all species except one belong to the nominotypical subgenus and can be classified into four groups according to the structure of male genitalia. The illustrated descriptions for all species are given, with male calling signal oscillograms provided for nine species. Ten new synonyms are established. Comparative investigation of morphological and acoustic characters of Anaceratagallia species showed that small differences in the structure of male genitalia and 2nd abdominal apodemes are not species-specific traits. All species studied in nature appeared to be polyphagous feeding on different species of herbaceous dicotyledons. It is assumed that closely related species within each group of the subgenus Anaceratagallia arose as a result of allopatric speciation and became secondarily sympatric due to subsequent range expansions.
The Influence of Atlantic Variability on Asian Summer Climate Is Sensitive to the Pattern of the Sea Surface Temperature Anomaly
Authors: Ratna Satyaban B. , Osborn Timothy J. , Joshi Manoj , Luterbacher Jürg
Published: July 2020

We simulate the response of Asian summer climate to Atlantic multidecadal oscillation (AMO)-like sea surface temperature (SST) anomalies using an intermediate-complexity general circulation model (IGCM4). Experiments are performed with seven individual AMO SST anomalies obtained from CMIP5/PMIP3 global climate models as well as their multimodel mean, globally and over the North Atlantic Ocean only, for both the positive and negative phases of the AMO. During the positive (warm) AMO phase, a Rossby wave train propagates eastward, causing a high pressure and warm and dry surface anomalies over eastern China and Japan. During the negative (cool) phase of the AMO, the midlatitude Rossby wave train is less robust, but the model does simulate a warm and dry South Asian monsoon, associated with the movement of the intertropical convergence zone in the tropical Atlantic. The circulation response and associated temperature and precipitation anomalies are sensitive to the choice of AMO SST anomaly pattern. A comparison between global SST and North Atlantic SST perturbation experiments indicates that East Asian climate anomalies are forced from the North Atlantic region, whereas South Asian climate anomalies are more strongly affected by the AMO-related SST anomalies outside the North Atlantic region. Experiments conducted with different amplitudes of negative and positive AMO anomalies show that the temperature response is linear with respect to SST anomaly but the precipitation response is nonlinear.
Near-Inertial Energy Propagation inside a Mediterranean Anticyclonic Eddy
Authors: Lelong M.-Pascale , Cuypers Yannis , Bouruet-Aubertot Pascale
Published: July 2020

Motivated by observations of a strong near-inertial wave signal at the base of the semipermanent anticyclonic Cyprus Eddy during the 2010 Biogeochemistry from the Oligotrophic to the Ultraoligotrophic Mediterranean (BOUM) experiment, a numerical study is performed to investigate the role of near-inertial/eddy interactions in energy transfer out of the mixed layer. A hybrid temporal–spatial decomposition is used to split all variables into three independent components: slow (eddy) and fast (inertial oscillations + waves), which proves useful in understanding the flow dynamics. Through a detailed energy budget analysis, we find that the anticyclonic eddy acts as a catalyst in transferring wind-driven inertial energy to propagating waves. While the eddy sets the spatial scales of the waves, it does not participate in any energy exchange. Near-inertial propagation through the eddy core results in the formation of multiple critical levels with the largest accumulation of wave energy at the base of the eddy. A complementary ray-tracing analysis reveals critical-level formation when the surface-confined inertial rays originate within the negative vorticity region. In contrast, rays originating outside this region focus at the base of the eddy and can propagate at depth.
Adjoint-Derived Impact of Assimilated Observations on Tropical Cyclone Intensity Forecasts of Hurricane Joaquin (2015) and Hurricane Matthew (2016)
Authors: Hoover Brett T. , Velden Chris S.
Published: July 2020

The adjoint-derived observation impact method is used as a diagnostic to derive the impact of assimilated observations on a metric representing the forecast intensity of a tropical cyclone (TC). Storm-centered composites of observation impact and the model background state are computed across 6-hourly analysis/forecast cycles to compute the composite observation impact throughout the life cycle of Hurricane Joaquin (2015) to evaluate the impact of in situ wind and temperature observations in the upper and lower troposphere, as well as the impact of brightness temperature and precipitable water observations, on intensity forecasts with forecast lengths from 12 to 48 h. The compositing across analysis/forecast cycles allows for the exploration of consistent relationships between the synoptic-scale state of the initial conditions and the impact of observations that are interpreted as flow-dependent interactions between model background bias and correction by assimilated observations on the TC intensity forecast. The track of Hurricane Matthew (2016), with an extended period of time near the coasts of Florida, Georgia, and the Carolinas, allows for a comparison of the impact of aircraft reconnaissance observations with the impact of nearby overland rawinsonde observations available within the same radius of the TC.
Forecasts of Hurricanes Using Large-Ensemble Outputs
Authors: Lin Jonathan , Emanuel Kerry , Vigh Jonathan L.
Published: July 2020

This paper describes the development of a model framework for Forecasts of Hurricanes Using Large-Ensemble Outputs (FHLO). FHLO quantifies the forecast uncertainty of a tropical cyclone (TC) by generating probabilistic forecasts of track, intensity, and wind speed that incorporate the state-dependent uncertainty in the large-scale field. The main goal is to provide useful probabilistic forecasts of wind at fixed points in space, but these require large ensembles [O(1000)] to flesh out the tails of the distributions. FHLO accomplishes this by using a computationally inexpensive framework, which consists of three components: 1) a track model that generates synthetic tracks from the TC tracks of an ensemble numerical weather prediction (NWP) model, 2) an intensity model that predicts the intensity along each synthetic track, and 3) a TC wind field model that estimates the time-varying two-dimensional surface wind field. The intensity and wind field of a TC evolve as though the TC were embedded in a time-evolving environmental field, which is derived from the forecast fields of ensemble NWP models. Each component of the framework is evaluated using 1000-member ensembles and four years (2015–18) of TC forecasts in the Atlantic and eastern Pacific basins. We show that the synthetic track algorithm generates tracks that are statistically similar to those of the underlying global ensemble models. We show that FHLO produces competitive intensity forecasts, especially when considering probabilistic verification statistics. We also demonstrate the reliability and accuracy of the probabilistic wind forecasts. Limitations of the model framework are also discussed.
“There’s a Bit of a Ripple-effect”: A Social Identity Perspective on the Role of Third-Places and Aging in Place
Authors: Fong Polly , Haslam Catherine , Cruwys Tegan , Haslam S. Alexander
Published: July 2020

Urban sociology highlights an important role that a city’s social infrastructure, or “third-places,” play in supporting healthy communities. Informed by social identity theorizing, this study explores when and why older adults engage with third-places and how a sense of wellbeing can be derived from their participation. Focus-group interviews were conducted with a sample of community-dwelling older adults ( N = 31) to examine the nature of one such third-place, a suburban neighborhood bridge club. Thematic analysis suggests that (a) the socio-spatial context of third-places can both enable and restrict participation, (b) third-places can support positive social identities (as bridge players, club members, locals), (c) enacting these identities in third-places facilitates a sense of wellbeing, and (d) third-places are potential connectors to the wider community. We discuss the policy implications for the development of age-friendly cities and the role of social identity processes in engaging with community groups in third-places.
Multitasking in Driving as Optimal Adaptation Under Uncertainty
Authors: Jokinen Jussi P. P. , Kujala Tuomo , Oulasvirta Antti
Published: July 2020

Objective

The objective was to better understand how people adapt multitasking behavior when circumstances in driving change and how safe versus unsafe behaviors emerge.

Background

Multitasking strategies in driving adapt to changes in the task environment, but the cognitive mechanisms of this adaptation are not well known. Missing is a unifying account to explain the joint contribution of task constraints, goals, cognitive capabilities, and beliefs about the driving environment.

Method

We model the driver’s decision to deploy visual attention as a stochastic sequential decision-making problem and propose hierarchical reinforcement learning as a computationally tractable solution to it. The supervisory level deploys attention based on per-task value estimates, which incorporate beliefs about risk. Model simulations are compared against human data collected in a driving simulator.

Results

Human data show adaptation to the attentional demands of ongoing tasks, as measured in lane deviation and in-car gaze deployment. The predictions of our model fit the human data on these metrics.

Conclusion

Multitasking strategies can be understood as optimal adaptation under uncertainty, wherein the driver adapts to cognitive constraints and the task environment’s uncertainties, aiming to maximize the expected long-term utility. Safe and unsafe behaviors emerge as the driver has to arbitrate between conflicting goals and manage uncertainty about them.

Application

Simulations can inform studies of conditions that are likely to give rise to unsafe driving behavior.
Research on dyeing workshop scheduling methods for knitted fabric production based on a multi-objective hybrid genetic algorithm
Authors: Zhou Yaqin , Wang Junliang , Zhang Peng , Wang Pan , Lu Yingtao , Zhang Jie
Published: July 2020

As the most important core process in the dyeing and finishing workshop of knitting companies, the dyeing process has the characteristics of multi-variety, small-batch, parallel machine processing of multiple types, and high cost in equipment cleaning, which render the dyeing scheduling problem a bottleneck in the production management of a dyeing and finishing workshop. In this paper, the dyeing process scheduling problem in dyeing and finishing workshops is described and abstracted, and an optimized mathematical model of dyeing scheduling is constructed with the goal of minimizing the delay cost and switching cost. Constraints such as multiple types of equipment, equipment capacity, weights of orders and equipment cleaning time are considered. For the sub-problem of equipment scheduling in the dyeing scheduling problem, a heuristic rule that considers equipment utilization and order delay is proposed. For the sub-problem of order sorting of the equipment in the dyeing scheduling problem, a hybrid genetic algorithm with a variable neighbourhood search strategy has been designed to optimize sorting. The algorithm proposed in this paper has been demonstrated via case simulation to be effective in solving the scheduling problem in dyeing and finishing workshops.
Effect of Copayment on Dental Visits: A Regression Discontinuity Analysis
Authors: Cooray U. , Aida J. , Watt R.G. , Tsakos G. , Heilmann A. , Kato H. , Kiuchi S. , Kondo K. , Osaka K.
Published: July 2020

Despite their prevalence and burdens, oral diseases are neglected in universal health coverage. In Japan, a 30% copayment (out of pocket) by the user and a 70% contribution by Japan’s universal health insurance (JUHI) are required for dental and medical services. From the age of 70 y, an additional 10% is offered by JUHI (copayment, 20%; JUHI, 80%). This study aimed to investigate the effect of cost on dental service use among older adults under the current JUHI system. A regression discontinuity quasi-experimental method was used to investigate the causal effect of the JUHI discount policy on dental visits based on cross-sectional data. Data were derived from the 2016 Japan Gerontological Evaluation Study. This analysis contained 7,161 participants who used JUHI, were aged 68 to 73 y, and responded to questions regarding past dental visits. Analyses were controlled for age, sex, number of teeth, and equalized household income. Mean ± SD age was 72.1 ± 0.79 y for the discount-eligible group and 68.9 ± 0.78 y for the noneligible group. During the past 12 mo, significantly more discount-eligible participants had visited dental services than noneligible participants (66.0% vs. 62.1% for treatment visits, 57.7% vs. 53.1% for checkups). After controlling for covariates, the effect of discount eligibility was significant on dental treatment visits (odds ratio [OR], 1.36; 95% CI, 1.32 to 1.40) and dental checkups (OR, 1.49; 95% CI, 1.44 to 1.54) in the regression discontinuity analysis. Similar findings were observed in triangular kernel-weighted models (OR, 1.38 [95% CI, 1.34 to 1.44]; OR, 1.52 [95% CI, 1.47 to 1.56], respectively). JUHI copayment discount policy increases oral health service utilization among older Japanese. The price elasticity for dental checkup visits appears to be higher than for dental treatment visits. Hence, reforming the universal health coverage system to improve the affordability of relatively inexpensive preventive care could increase dental service utilization in Japan.
When COVID-19 Meets Pandemic Hope: Existential Care of, and in, the Impossible
Authors: DuBose Todd
Published: July 2020

This article is an adaptation of a talk given to the International Institute for Existential-Humanistic Psychology in Beijing, China, March 14, 2020. I describe the existential concerns embedded in the biological discourse related to COVID-19, and offer the proposal that hope is as pandemic as COVID-19, if not more so, and invite us to think of the category, ”pandemic,” in existential terms. Shortly after this talk was given, I found out that I tested positive with COVID-19, thus adding a lived existentiality to what was written.
Customization in Luxury Brands: Can Valentino Get Personal?
Authors: Moreau C. Page , Prandelli Emanuela , Schreier Martin , Hieke Silke
Published: July 2020

Luxury brands have started to offer consumers the opportunity to customize their exclusive products by making certain aesthetic decisions, such as the color, fabric, or cut of their products. A robust finding in the marketing literature is that consumers place a greater value on customized than on standard products because these unique products better fit and communicate their tastes, preferences, and identity. However, the majority of focal products in these studies fall outside the luxury segment. The authors demonstrate that consumers’ customization preferences differ between mainstream and luxury brands. In the luxury segment, consumers pay a premium for the designer’s expertise and the status that it can convey. As such, the consumers’ desire for self-expression can potentially erode the product’s signaling value. Through a series of four experiments, the authors demonstrate that luxury brands can benefit from customization but they can also take customization too far. Their findings suggest that brand managers should allow consumers to make fewer design decisions for luxury versus mainstream brands to preserve the signal value created by the designer.
Social Support Moderates the Relationship Between Death Anxiety and Psychological Distress Among Israeli Nurses
Authors: Kagan Maya
Published: July 2020

Based on the stress-buffering model, the current study sought to examine the moderating role of perceived social support in the association between death anxiety and psychological distress among nurses. Select variables found in previous studies to correlate with psychological distress served in the current study as covariates to control for their relationship with psychological distress among nurses. These include gender, years of professional experience, self-rated health, self-efficacy, and self-defined burnout. Structured questionnaires were administered to a sample of 795 professionally active nurses in Israel. Psychological distress was assessed by the 6-item Kessler Psychological Distress Scale (K6), death anxiety was assessed by a single item scale designed by Abdel-Khalek, and perceived social support was assessed by the Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS). The research findings show that higher levels of death anxiety were associated with higher levels of psychological distress only among nurses with lower levels of perceived social support. The study indicates that in order to reduce the level of distress experienced by nurses it is important to take action to reduce their death anxiety and enhance their social support mechanisms.
Differential Association of HIV Funding With HIV Mortality by Race/Ethnicity, United States, 1999-2017
Authors: Truman Benedict I. , Moonesinghe Ramal , Brown Yolanda T. , Chang Man-Huei , Mermin Jonathan H. , Dean Hazel D.
Published: July 2020

Objective

Federal funds have been spent to reduce the disproportionate effects of HIV/AIDS on racial/ethnic minority groups in the United States. We investigated the association between federal domestic HIV funding and age-adjusted HIV death rates by race/ethnicity in the United States during 1999-2017.

Methods

We analyzed HIV funding data from the Kaiser Family Foundation by federal fiscal year (FFY) and US age-adjusted death rates (AADRs) by race/ethnicity (Hispanic, non-Hispanic white, non-Hispanic black, and Asian/Pacific Islander and American Indian/Alaska Native [API+AI/AN]) from Centers for Disease Control and Prevention WONDER detailed mortality files. We fit joinpoint regression models to estimate the annual percentage change (APC), average APC, and changes in AADRs per billion US dollars in HIV funding, with 95% confidence intervals (CIs). For 19 data points, the number of joinpoints ranged from 0 to 4 on the basis of rules set by the program or by the user. A Monte Carlo permutation test indicated significant ( P < .05) changes at joinpoints, and 2-sided t tests indicated significant APCs in AADRs.

Results

Domestic HIV funding increased from $10.7 billion in FFY 1999 to $26.3 billion in FFY 2017, but AADRs decreased at different rates for each racial/ethnic group. The average rate of change in AADR per US billion dollars was −9.4% (95% CI, −10.9% to −7.8%) for Hispanic residents, −7.8% (95% CI, −9.0% to −6.6%) for non-Hispanic black residents, −6.7% (95% CI, −9.3% to −4.0%) for non-Hispanic white residents, and −5.2% (95% CI, −7.8% to −2.5%) for non-Hispanic API+AI/AN residents.

Conclusions

Increased domestic HIV funding was associated with faster decreases in age-adjusted HIV death rates for Hispanic and non-Hispanic black residents than for residents in other racial/ethnic groups. Increasing US HIV funding could be associated with decreasing future racial/ethnic disparities in the rate of HIV-related deaths.
California’s Prisoner Protections for Family and Community Health Act
Authors: Lucas Kimberley D. , Bick Joseph , Mohle-Boetani Janet C.
Published: July 2020

In 2014, California passed Assembly Bill 966, which required condom access for persons incarcerated in all 35 California state prisons (33 men’s and 2 women’s prisons). The California Correctional Health Care Services and the Sexually Transmitted Disease Control Branch and the Office of AIDS of the California Department of Public Health collaborated in a prison administration–led multidisciplinary implementation workgroup. Our workgroup, representing public health, correctional health, legal and legislative affairs, labor relations, and prison staff members, participated in 4 planning meetings during May–September 2015. We surveyed prison staff members and incarcerated men to identify and address potential challenges; conceptualized a tamper-resistant condom dispenser; developed educational materials, frequently asked questions for staff members, and fact sheets for the public; and conducted forums for custody and medical staff members at each prison. Key lessons learned included the need for high-level custody support, engagement of labor unions early in the decision-making process, and flexibility within defined parameters for sites to determine best practices given their unique institutional population, culture, and physical layout. Condom access was initiated at 4 prisons in July 2015 and expanded incrementally to the remaining 29 men’s prisons through July 2016. A total of 243 563 condoms were accessed in the men’s prisons, for an average of 354 condoms per 1000 population per month. The start-up dispenser cost was $69 825 (735 dispensers at $95 each). We estimated an annual condom cost of $0.60 per person. Although staff members and incarcerated men expressed concern that this legislation would condone sex and provide repositories for contraband, no serious adverse incidents involving condoms were reported. California demonstrated that condom access is a safe, low-cost intervention with high uptake for a large correctional system and provided a replicable implementation model for other states. Prison condom programs have the potential to decrease transmission of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among incarcerated persons and their communities, which are often disproportionately affected by STIs, HIV, and other chronic diseases.
A Rapid Review of the Impact of Systems-Level Policies and Interventions on Population-Level Outcomes Related to the Opioid Epidemic, United States and Canada, 2014-2018
Authors: Ansari Bahareh , Tote Katherine M. , Rosenberg Eli S. , Martin Erika G.
Published: July 2020

Objectives

In the United States, rising rates of overdose deaths and recent outbreaks of hepatitis C virus and HIV infection are associated with injection drug use. We updated a 2014 review of systems-level opioid policy interventions by focusing on evidence published during 2014-2018 and new and expanded opioid policies.

Methods

We searched the MEDLINE database, consistent with the 2014 review. We included articles that provided original empirical evidence on the effects of systems-level interventions on opioid use, overdose, or death; were from the United States or Canada; had a clear comparison group; and were published from January 1, 2014, through July 19, 2018. Two raters screened articles and extracted full-text data for qualitative synthesis of consistent or contradictory findings across studies. Given the rapidly evolving field, the review was supplemented with a search of additional articles through November 17, 2019, to assess consistency of more recent findings.

Results

The keyword search yielded 535 studies, 66 of which met inclusion criteria. The most studied interventions were prescription drug monitoring programs (PDMPs) (59.1%), and the least studied interventions were clinical guideline changes (7.6%). The most common outcome was opioid use (77.3%). Few articles evaluated combination interventions (18.2%). Study findings included the following: PDMP effectiveness depends on policy design, with robust PDMPs needed for impact; health insurer and pharmacy benefit management strategies, pill-mill laws, pain clinic regulations, and patient/health care provider educational interventions reduced inappropriate prescribing; and marijuana laws led to a decrease in adverse opioid-related outcomes. Naloxone distribution programs were understudied, and evidence of their effectiveness was mixed. In the evidence published after our search’s 4-year window, findings on opioid guidelines and education were consistent and findings for other policies differed.

Conclusions

Although robust PDMPs and marijuana laws are promising, they do not target all outcomes, and multipronged interventions are needed. Future research should address marijuana laws, harm-reduction interventions, health insurer policies, patient/health care provider education, and the effects of simultaneous interventions on opioid-related outcomes.
The Impact of Syringe Services Program Policy on Risk Behaviors Among Persons Who Inject Drugs in 3 US Cities, 2005-2015
Authors: Nassau Tanner , Al-Tayyib Alia , Robinson William T. , Shinefeld Jennifer , Brady Kathleen A.
Published: July 2020

Objectives

The impact of a syringe services program (SSP) policy on risk behaviors and its durability are not as well studied as the impact of the SSPs themselves. We examined whether trends in syringe sharing among persons who inject drugs (PWID) were associated with changes to syringe access policies in 3 US cities: Denver, New Orleans, and Philadelphia.

Methods

PWID were surveyed through National HIV Behavioral Surveillance System surveys in each city in 2005, 2009, 2012, and 2015. We assessed changes in syringe sharing from 2005 to 2015 by city. We used multivariable stepwise logistic regression analysis to measure the associations among syringe sharing and injection works sharing, time, and SSP access.

Results

From 2005 to 2015, syringe sharing decreased significantly from 49.1% to 33.1% in Denver ( P < .001), increased significantly from 32.0% to 50.5% in New Orleans ( P < .001), and remained unchanged in Philadelphia (30.4% to 31.5%; P = .87). Compared with persons who obtained syringes from any nonsterile source, the adjusted odds of syringe sharing among PWID were significantly lower in each city if syringes were obtained from sterile sources only: Denver adjusted odds ratio (aOR) = 0.23 (95% confidence interval [CI], 0.18-0.30; New Orleans aOR = 0.26 (95% CI, 0.19-0.35), and Philadelphia aOR = 0.43 (95% CI, 0.33-0.57).

Conclusions

The lowest proportion of PWID reporting syringe sharing was in Philadelphia, which has a long-standing legal SSP. Implementation of a legal SSP in Denver in 2012 corresponded to a decrease in sharing, whereas the lack of a legal SSP in New Orleans corresponded to an increase in sharing. Universal long-term access to legal SSPs could further the progress made in HIV prevention among PWID.
Effect of CDC 2006 Revised HIV Testing Recommendations for Adults, Adolescents, Pregnant Women, and Newborns on State Laws, 2018
Authors: Salvant Valentine Sheila , Caldwell Joseph , Tailor Amrita
Published: July 2020

In 2006, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention updated its recommendations for HIV testing of 4 population groups in health care settings: adults, adolescents, pregnant women, and newborns. Important components of the revised recommendations included opt-out routine HIV screening; eliminating prevention counseling for opt-out routine HIV screening; repeat HIV testing in the third trimester for all women at high risk for acquiring HIV and for women receiving health care in facilities and/or jurisdictions with high HIV burden; testing during labor and delivery for women with undocumented HIV status; and testing the newborn when the mother’s HIV status is unknown. To assess the integration of these testing recommendations into state laws and to inform future recommendations, we researched and assessed statutes and regulations that addressed HIV testing in the 4 population groups in all 50 states and the District of Columbia in 2018. We then classified the laws, based on their consistency with the recommendations for each of the 4 population groups. Of 31 states and the District of Columbia that had relevant laws, all addressed at least 1 component of the recommendations. Although no state had laws that incorporated all the recommendations for all the population groups, 5 states (Delaware, Illinois, Louisiana, Maryland, and New Hampshire) had incorporated all the recommendations for adults and adolescents, and 4 states (Connecticut, Nevada, North Carolina, and West Virginia) had incorporated all the recommendations for pregnant women and newborns.
Encountered Space and Situated Lay-Knowledge: A Mixed Methods Approach
Authors: Ji Kate Mingjie , Wong IpKin Anthony , Eves Anita , Scarles Caroline
Published: July 2020

This research draws on the geographical concept of situated lay-knowledge to highlight how the formation of tourists’ attitudes to travel destinations challenges the theoretical foundation of the theory of planned behavior (TPB). It suggests that situated lay knowledge is dynamic as opposed to static, which is the accepted basis of TPB, and subsequently, proposes a “Situated Lay-Knowledge Travel Behavior Model” (SLKTB). The model was tested in a mixed methods approach where Chinese tourists, who knew little about Portugal, encountered Portuguese culture and cuisine in Macau. The overall results demonstrate that the formation of tourists’ attitudes about travel destinations is not preexisting or static but dynamic and created from their ongoing encounters.
“A Life Lived”: Collective Memory and White Racial Framing in Digital Opioid Overdose Obituaries
Authors: Revier Kevin
Published: July 2020

With a rise in overdose deaths in the United States, opioid awareness has come in a variety of ways. One of these, as reporters suggest, is obituary writing. Obituaries are considered in news media as offering “brutally frank” depictions of addiction that “chronicle the toll of heroin.” Moreover, obituary sharing by parents and loved ones has increasingly taken place on digital platforms, memorial websites expanding the visibility of overdose death while facilitating the building of virtual grief communities. Not solely commemorating individual loss, obituaries thus contain symbolic power—they reflect dominant social values and shape collective memory. As such, overdose obituaries inform how opioid crisis is framed, represented, and addressed. From a qualitative content analysis of 533 opioid-related U.S. obituaries published on Legacy.com and ObitTree.com , I find that while obituaries reduce stigma associated with drug use, addiction, and overdose, they primarily tell white tales of addiction. In affording a white racial framing of drug addiction, obituary writing corresponds with a larger whitewashing of the opioid crisis while implicitly constructing symbolic boundaries between those memorialized, who are predominantly white and middle-class, and those who are deemed as raced and classed Others. Such storytelling, particularly when popularized in news media and made visible on digital platforms, contributes to ongoing systemic inequality in the prevailing drug war.
Structural modeling and evolution of the piedmont zone in north margin of Qaidam Basin, northeastern Tibetan Plateau
Authors: Zongxing Li , Dahua Wang , Xianchao Wang , Yongjun Xiao , Bo Peng
Published: July 2020

The analysis and interpretation of the Dachaidan area, Qaidam Basin, is difficult, owing to the co-location of two groups of thrust faults (N–E faults and N–W faults) there and the area’s complicated structural deformation history. To address this problem, field geological investigation, seismic study, well logging, and drilling data were used to identify the key fault systems and their distribution patterns through the area. By integrating surface and subsurface structural features and seismic and non-seismic data, we carried out studies using structural modeling and analysis of the Dachaidan area. Study results identified two systems of thrust faults (N–W faults and W–E faults). We found that these faults could be categorized into three systems: a basin-margin thrust system, an intro-basin thrust system, and an intro-basin compression and strike-slip fault system. These systems showed different features in different areas and zones. We also constructed interpretation models of different deformation mechanisms in the basin and on basin margins. Three tectonic systems (compression, extension, and strike-slip) were identified, which were further divided into eight structural domains. We also established structure coexistence and distribution patterns. The overall structural character of the area was summarized as the northern and southern parts belonging to different zones, with the western and eastern parts belonging to different systems. By analyzing the SW–NE tectonic evolution sections, we defined the back-propagation structural evolution sequences of thrust nappes (on the basin margin or in the basin) and back-thrust structures (in the basin) as well as their influence on the residual Mesozoic strata.
Women Prophets in the Old Testament: Implications for Christian Women in Contemporary Southeastern Nigeria
Authors: Amaefule Adolphus Ekedimma
Published: July 2020

There is a close relationship between the traditional Igbo-African culture and its treatment of women and the traditional Jewish culture and the status of women therein. This article examines the implications that the life, ministry, actions and inactions, of women prophets in the Old Testament hold for Christian women in contemporary Southeastern Nigeria where the Igbos live. Despite the obvious difference in time and clime, it is discovered, among other things, that the life and ministry of these women prophets challenge present-day Igbo Christian women to be much more courageous and self-confident, to raise their moral bars, to speak out all the more, to participate more actively in the political leadership of their region and the nation at large, to be much more committed to the Word of God, to be given, as women of fewer words but of mighty deeds, to a much more prophetic witnessing anywhere they find themselves.
Fathers, Mothers, Sons, and Silence: Rhetorical Reconfiguration in Proverbs
Authors: Petrany Catherine
Published: July 2020

In the royal instruction of Proverbs 31:1–9, a Queen Mother exhorts her royal son Lemuel to “open your mouth” on behalf of another, namely those who cannot themselves speak, the mute, the poor, and the needy. While the didactic relationship between mother and son in this passage in part mirrors the relationship between the proverbial father and son in chapters 1–9, the maternal demand for her son to speak on behalf of some silent other distinguishes her teaching. Here, the listening son’s entrance into words, into the art of becoming a verbal advocate in the judicial sphere, points beyond the rhetorical environment offered by the father, who envisions his son as a speaker only insofar as he might repeat the didactic words of the father’s own wisdom discourse.
Called to Bless: Considering an Under-appreciated Aspect of “Doing Good” in 1 Peter 3:8–17
Authors: Shaw David M.
Published: July 2020

This article investigates the notion of mission as blessing in 1 Peter 3:8–17. Drawing on insights from both Social Identity Theory (SIT) and Narrative Transportation Theory (NTT), I consider how the use of Old Testament quotations and allusions are deployed in such a way as to subvert normal social identity processes by exhorting the recipients of 1 Peter to pursue a life oriented towards blessing one’s opponents through the refusal to retaliate; the pursuit of holistic well-being; and the willingness to defend the hope of one’s faith.
Localized intravascular coagulation in venous malformations: A system review
Authors: Han Yu-Yu , Sun Li-Ming , Yuan Si-Ming
Published: July 2020

Venous malformation is one of the slow-flow vascular malformations. Dysfunction of coagulation often occurs in most venous malformations, especially the diffuse and multifocal lesions, referred to as localized intravascular coagulopathy. It is characterized by the elevation of D-dimers and fibrin degradation products, low levels of fibrinogen, FV, FVIII, FXIII, and antithrombin III, and sometimes minor-to-moderate thrombocytopenia. Here we reviewed the clinical manifestations, pathogenesis, diagnosis, and treatment of localized intravascular coagulopathy in venous malformations.
“Now, I am Empowered. Now, I am a Woman With Spirit”: Evaluating CARE’s Public Health Work Through a Community-Organizing Framework in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh
Authors: Saxon Andrew , Ford Jessie V.
Published: July 2020

Community-based interventions are crucial to reducing health-care disparities throughout the world. CARE, an international development nongovernmental organization (NGO), is a global leader in using a community-based approach in public health. This qualitative study sought to understand the processes through which community organizing functions to effectively facilitate change and improve health among underserved populations in three programs in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. Sixteen in-depth interviews and two focus groups were conducted with NGO staff, partner organization staff, and community change agents. Programs are assessed through Ganz’s community-organizing model, which includes (a) leadership development, (b) storytelling strategies, and (c) team building. Our findings confirm existing literature showing that public health approaches can be augmented by using community organizing to develop local engagement. Results show that program success relates to developing community members’ understanding of social inequality and its impact on society. Other important strategies include systems strengthening, political engagement, coalition building, and government outreach. Empowered communities were created through recruiting, activating, and investing in community members, their stories, and their collaborative potential, at least in the sites studied here. Collectively, these programs have begun to create empowered communities among some of the most marginalized people in Sri Lanka and Bangladesh.