bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Psychosocial predictors of antenatal stress in Pakistan: perspectives from a developing country
Authors: Waqas Ahmed , Zubair Muhammad , Zia Sadiq , Meraj Hafsa , Aedma Kapil Kiran , Majeed Muhammad Hassan , Naveed Sadiq
Published: March 2020

Objective

Antenatal stress is highly prevalent globally and is associated with adverse physical and psychiatric morbidities and adverse neonatal outcomes. However, the burden of antenatal stress and its psychosocial predicators have not been explored in context of the Pakistani sociocultural environment. The present study explores the prevalence of antenatal stress and its association with gender of offspring, socioeconomic background, cultural beliefs, and access to healthcare in the province of Punjab, Pakistan.

Results

There was a total of 516 pregnant women. Antenatal stress was measured by the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS). The mean score of the respondents on the Perceived Stress Scale was 7.55 (3.43). A total of 218 (42.2%) respondents reported higher stress levels. Logistic regression analysis (backward method) yielded a significant model predicting high stress levels. According to it, low family income, unplanned pregnancy, increasing number of children, less autonomy in decision making, marital problems, harassment, desire to have a male offspring, and the history of birth complications, attended by midwives were associated with high stress levels.
The association of the anesthesiologist’s academic and educational status with self-confidence, self-rated knowledge and objective knowledge in rational antibiotic application
Authors: Schneider Frederick , Schulz Christian M. , May Matthias , Schneider Gerhard , Ernst Christian , Jacob Matthias , Zacharowski Kai , Hachenberg Thomas , Schmidt Maren , Kretzschmar Moritz , Graf Bernhard , Kees Martin G. , Pawlik Michael , Sander Michael , Koch Christian , Zoller Michael , Heim Markus
Published: March 2020

Objective

This study aimed to investigate the association of anesthetists’ academic and educational status with self-confidence, self-rated knowledge and objective knowledge about rational antibiotic application. Therefore, anesthetists in Germany were asked about their self-confidence, self-rated knowledge and objective knowledge on antibiotic therapy via the Multiinstitutional Reconnaissance of practice with Multiresistant bacteria (MR2) survey. Other analysis from the survey have been published elsewhere, before.

Results

361 (52.8%) questionnaires were completed by specialists and built the study group. In overall analysis the Certification in Intensive Care (CIC) was significantly associated with self-confidence (p < 0.001), self-rated knowledge (p < 0.001) and objective knowledge (p = 0.029) about antibiotic prescription. Senior consultant status was linked to self-confidence (p < 0.001) and self-rated knowledge (p = 0.005) but not objective knowledge. Likewise, working on Intensive Care Unit (ICU) during the last 12 months was significantly associated with self-rated knowledge and self-confidence (all p < 0.001). In a logistic regression model, senior consultant status was not associated with any tested influence factor. This analysis unveiled that CIC and working on ICU were more associated with anesthesiologists’ self-confidence and self-rated knowledge than senior consultant status. However, neither of the characteristics was thoroughly associated with objective knowledge.
Effect of Gum Arabic (Acacia senegal) on C-reactive protein level among sickle cell anemia patients
Authors: Kaddam Lamis AbdelGadir , Kaddam Anas Suliman
Published: March 2020

Objectives

Inflammation is ongoing process among sickle cell anemia even during steady state. C reactive protein (CRP) is cardinal marker that utilized widely as inflammatory indicator. Gum Arabic (GA) is gummy exudates from Acacia senegal tree. Fermentation by colonic bacteria increases serum butyrate concentrations, so considered as prebiotic agent. Gum Arabic (GA) has anti-inflammatory activity through butyrate. Earlier we proved that regular intake of GA increased fetal hemoglobin and anti-oxidant capacity most likely through raised level of butyrate, which would ameliorate symptoms of sickle cell anemia. Best of our knowledge this is the first study conducted to investigate GA intake on inflammatory markers among sickle patients.

Results

This was a retrospective study conducted on stored samples from trial of Gum Arabic and sickle cell anemia. Quantitative CRP was measured by Mindray BS 200 before and after Gum Arabic consumption for 12 weeks. Daily intake of GA significantly decreased C reactive protein level (P.V = 001) (95% CI 0.943–3.098). No correlation between CRP and age, fetal hemoglobin, hemolysis markers and white blood cells. Our findings revealed novel effect of GA as anti-inflammatory agent could be consumed as natural dietary supplement to modulate disease severity and downregulate inflammatory process.

Trial registration: ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier: NCT02467257. Registered 3rd June 2015
On Pólya–Szegö and Čebyšev type inequalities via generalized k-fractional integrals
Authors: Rashid Saima , Jarad Fahd , Kalsoom Humaira , Chu Yu-Ming
Published: March 2020

In this paper, we introduce the generalizedk-fractional integral in terms of a new parameter$k>0$k>0, present some new important inequalities of Pólya–Szegö and Čebyšev types by use of the generalizedk-fractional integral. Our consequences with this new integral operator have the abilities to implement the evaluation of many mathematical problems related to real world applications.
Risk of hypoglycemia associated with repaglinide combined with clopidogrel, a retrospective cohort study
Authors: Akagi Yuuki , Iketaki Akiko , Kimura Haruna , Matsudaira Yuki , Yoshida Takami , Nishimura Takahiro , Kawano Yohei , Mano Yasunari , Shigematsu Erina , Ujihara Makoto
Published: March 2020

Background

Repaglinide is widely prescribed to reduce postprandial hyperglycemia and elevated glycated hemoglobin (HbA1c) levels associated with type 2 diabetes, and clopidogrel is a thienopyridine antiplatelet agent and widely used in cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases. It has been suggested that the concomitant use of repaglinide with clopidogrel may inhibit repaglinide metabolism, because repaglinide is a substrate of cytochrome P450 2C8 (CYP2C8) and the main metabolite of clopidogrel acyl-β-D-glucuronide inhibits CYP2C8 activity. In this study, we retrospectively investigated the effect of clopidogrel with repaglinide on plasma glucose and the risk of hypoglycemia associated with the combination of both drugs.

Method

Patients were taking clopidogrel (75 mg/day) and started taking glinide (1.5 mg/day repaglinide or 30 mg/day mitiglinide) for the first time from April 2012 to March 2017. We targeted subjects who were hospitalized at the start of glinide and whose preprandial plasma glucose was measured by a nurse. The glucose levels were collected for up to 5 days before and after the glinide start date.

Results

Average fasting plasma glucose levels (before breakfast) in the repaglinide and clopidogrel group before and after starting repaglinide were 180.1±35.5 and 136.5 ± 44.1 mg/dL, with a mean decrease of 43.6 ± 33.6 mg/dL. In contrast, there was only a moderate decrease of 11.6 ± 30.0 mg/dL in the mitiglinide and clopidogrel group. Minimum plasma glucose levels in the repaglinide and clopidogrel group before and after starting repaglinide were 145.2 ± 42.9 and 93.3 ± 36.3 mg/dL, respectively. Decrease in minimum levels after starting glinide in the repaglinide and clopidogrel group (51.9 ± 47.5 mg/dL) was more significant than those in the mitiglinide and clopidogrel group (only 2.1 ± 29.1 mg/dL), and the repaglinide group (without clopidogrel, 15.5 ± 20.0 mg/dL). Hypoglycemia was observed in 6 of 15 patients in the repaglinide and clopidogrel group, but only 1 of 15 patients in the mitiglinide and clopidogrel group, and no patients in the repaglinide group.

Conclusion

These findings indicate that minimum plasma glucose levels were significantly decreased in patients taking repaglinide and clopidogrel. Considering the risk of hypoglycemia associated with taking repaglinide and clopidogrel, when a glinide is required in patients taking clopidogrel, mitiglinide may be a better choice.
Effect of cold storage on the performance of Trichogramma bourarachae (Pintureau and Babault) (Hymenoptera: Trichogrammatidae)
Authors: Abbes Khaled , Zouba Anis , Harbi Ahlem , Chermiti Brahim
Published: March 2020

In Tunisia, the use of the egg parasitoid trichogrammatid wasps to cope with several economic pests is gaining increasing attention. Trichogramma bourarachae (Pintureau & Babault) is among the Trichogramma wasps naturally present in Tunisia and regarded as a potential natural enemy to be used in biological control programs of many lepidopteran pests that cause economic losses. The propensity of T. bourarachae to cold storage with and without diapause induction was studied. The effect of this technique on its emergence rate and parasitic activity was investigated. The study showed that wasps of T. bourarachae treated at the induction temperature of 15 °C for 5 days can be stored at 4 ± 1 °C for more than 30 days without significant loss of their performances. By using this prestorage temperature, T. bourarachae could keep its emergence capacity (77.5%) up to 60 days of cold storage at 4 ± 1 °C. However, its parasitic activity decreased significantly (37.16%) after 45 days of cold storage. These results are promising for its mass production, transport, and release in the framework of national campaigns to control several agricultural pests of economic importance.
Clinical characteristics and care pathways of patients with personality disorder who died by suicide
Authors: Flynn Sandra , Graney Jane , Nyathi Thabiso , Raphael Jessica , Abraham Seri , Singh-Dernevik Sandeep , Williams Alyson , Kapur Nav , Appleby Louis , Shaw Jenny
Published: March 2020

Background

It is estimated that 1 in 10 people have a personality disorder. People with emotionally unstable personality disorder are at high risk of suicide. Despite being frequent users of mental health services, there is often no clear pathway for patients to access effective treatments.

Aims

To describe the characteristics of patients with personality disorder who died by suicide, examine clinical care pathways and explore whether the care adhered to National Institute for Health and Care Excellence guidance.

Method

National consecutive case series (1 January 2013 to 31 December 2013). The study examined the health records and serious incident reports of patients with personality disorder who died by suicide in the UK.

Results

The majority had a diagnosis of borderline/emotionally unstable or antisocial personality disorder. A high proportion of patients had a history of self-harm (n = 146, 95%) and alcohol (n = 101, 66%) or drug misuse (n = 79, 52%). We found an extensive pattern of service contact in the year before death, with no clear pathway for patients. Care was inconsistent and there were gaps in service provision. In 99 (70%) of the 141 patients with data, the last episode of care followed a crisis. Access to specialised psychological therapies was limited; short-term in-patient admissions was adhered to; however, guidance on short-term prescribing for comorbid conditions was not followed for two-thirds of patients.

Conclusions

Continuity and stability of care is required to prevent, rather than respond to individuals in crisis. A comprehensive audit of services for people with personality disorder across the UK is recommended to assess the quality of care provided.
The ACA's Choice Problem
Authors: Hoffman Allison K.
Published: March 2020

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) is in many ways a success. Millions more Americans now have access to health care, and the ACA catalyzed advances in health care delivery reform. Simultaneously, it has reinforced and bolstered a problem at the heart of American health policy and regulation: a love affair with choice. The ACA's insurance reforms doubled down on the particularly American obsession with choice. This article describes three ways in which that doubling down is problematic for the future of US health policy. First, pragmatically, health policy theory predicts that choice among health plans will produce tangible benefits that it does not actually produce. Most people do not like choosing among health plan options, and many people—even if well educated and knowledgeable—do not make good choices. Second, creating the regulatory structures to support these choices built and reinforced a massive market bureaucracy. Finally, and most important, philosophically and sociologically the ACA reinforces the idea that the goal of health regulation should be to preserve choice, even when that choice is empty. This vicious cycle seems likely to persist based on the lead up to the 2020 presidential election.
The Affordable Care Act's Enduring Resilience
Authors: Levitt Larry
Published: March 2020

The Affordable Care Act (ACA) has taken numerous blows, both from the courts and from opponents seeking to undermine it. Yet, due to its policy design and the political forces the ACA has unleashed, the law has shown remarkable resilience. While there remain ongoing efforts to undo the ACA, the smart money has to be on its continued existence.
What Is the Affordable Care Act a Case of? Understanding the ACA through the Comparative Method
Authors: Jarman Holly , Greer Scott L.
Published: March 2020

International comparisons of US health care are common but mostly focus on comparing its performance to peers or asking why the United States remains so far from universal coverage. Here the authors ask how other comparative research could shed light on the unusual politics and structure of US health care and how the US experience could bring more to international conversations about health care and the welfare state. After introducing the concept of casing—asking what the Affordable Care Act (ACA) might be a case of—the authors discuss different “casings” of the ACA: complex legislation, path dependency, demos-constraining institutions, deep social cleavages, segmentalism, or the persistence of the welfare state. Each of these pictures of the ACA has strong support in the US-focused literature. Each also cases the ACA as part of a different experience shared with other countries, with different implications for how to analyze it and what we can learn from it. The final section discusses the implications for selecting cases that might shed light on the US experience and that make the United States look less exceptional and more tractable as an object of research.
Philip Jaisohn, the Political Evangelist, 1896–98
Authors: Choi Young-Chan
Published: March 2020

The objective of this article is twofold: first to argue that Philip Jaisohn, upon his return from the United States to Korea in 1896, sought to subvert, if not overthrow, the monarchical government, and second, to argue that Jaisohn drew on specifically Christian intellectual and ideological resources to articulate his arguments. The rhetoric of loyalty, love, lawful resistance, private property, and slavery are, as such, in need of analysis through the Protestant conceptual prism. Previous studies analyzing modern political thought have focused on the nature of translation from the West; this study focuses on the conceptual aspect of the political language Jaisohn introduced in order to effect revolutionary changes in the popular vernacular. His goal was not just to present resistance against the incumbent governing authority as morally defensible, but to frame it in terms of the right of individual property. Finally the article suggests avenues through which religious thinking affected the reception and dissemination of Western political thought in Korea, and concludes by reflecting on the relevance of religious thought in the analysis of modern Korean political thought.
Creating a “Home Away from Home”: Korean Women’s Performances of the Imaginary American Home at US Military Clubs in South Korea, 1955–64
Authors: Lee Yu Jung
Published: March 2020

This article considers the proliferation of Korean native camp shows and the roles of Korean women entertainers at the military service clubs of the Eighth United States Army in Korea in the 1950s and the 1960s. The role of the “American sweethearts” in USO camp shows—to create a “home away from home” and boost the morale of the American troops during wartime—was carried out by female Korean entertainers in the occupied zone at a critical moment in US-ROK relations during the Cold War. The article argues that Korean entertainers at military clubs were meant to perform the entertainment of “home” and evoke nostalgia for American soldiers by imitating well-known American singers and songs. However, what they performed as America was not simply the reproduction of American entertainment but often a manifestation of their imagination; they were constructing their own version of the American home. Their hybrid styles of American performance were indicative of how the discourse of the American home itself was constructed around ambivalence, the very site where women entertainers were enabled to exceed the rigid boundaries of race and gender, transcend their roles as imitators, and exercise their agency by productively negotiating this ambivalence.
The Reaction Pathway Leading to Dinuclear Rhodium and Iridium Complexes from Alkyne-Containing Bisphosphine Ligands
Authors: Sasakura Kohei , Okamoto Kazuhiro , Sakaki Shigeyoshi , Ohe Kouichi
Published: March 2020

A mechanistic study of a series of dinuclear complexes produced by the complexation of alkyne-containing bisphosphine ligands with Ir and Rh has been performed by experimental analysis as well as density functional theory (DFT) calculations. The key process is oxidative cyclization involving two metals and two alkyne-containing ligands 1. The related alkyne-bridged dimer 7, considered as an intermediate, was determined using X-ray measurements. The DFT calculation supported that the core metals alter the reorganization pathways from alkyne-bridged dimer, leading to the unique structures 4 and 5.
Three-dimensional versus four-dimensional dose calculation for breast intensity-modulated radiation therapy
Authors: Chung Joo-Hyun , Chun Minsoo , Kim Jung-in , Park Jong Min , Shin Kyung Hwan
Published: March 2020

Objective:

To analyze the effect of intra- and interfractional motion during breast intensity modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) by calculating dose distribution based on four-dimensional computed tomography (4DCT).

Methods:

20 patients diagnosed with left breast cancer were enrolled. Three-dimensional CT (3DCT) along with 10 phases of 4DCT were collected for each patient, with target volumes independently delineated on both 3DCT and all phases of 4DCT. IMRT plans were generated based on 3DCT (43.2 Gy in 16 fractions). The plan parameters for each segment were split into phases based on time duration estimates for each respiratory phase, with phase-specific dose distributions calculated and summated (4D-calculated dose). The procedure is repeated for 16 fractionations by randomly allocating starting phase using random-number generation to simulate interfractional discrepancy caused by different starting phase. Comparisons of plan quality between the original and 4D-calculated doses were analyzed.

Results:

There was a significant distortion in 4D-calculated dose induced by respiratory motion in terms of conformity and homogeneity index compared to those of the original 3D plan. Mean doses of the heart and the ipsilateral lung were significantly higher in the 4D-calculated doses compared to those of the original 3D plan (0.34 Gy, p = 0.010 and 0.59 Gy, p < 0.001), respectively). The mean internal mammary lymph node (IMN) dose was significantly greater in the 4D-calculated plan, compared to the original 3D plan (1.42 Gy, p < 0.001).

Conclusions:

IMN doses should be optimized during the dose-calculation for the free-breathing left breast IMRT.

Advances in knowledge:

The interplay effect between respiratory motion and multileaf collimator modulation caused discrepancies in dose distribution, particularly in IMN.
Language Issues in former Yugoslav Space: A Commentary
Authors: Friedman Victor A.
Published: March 2020

Although the break-up of Yugoslavia has spawned an enormous literature in many fields, Language Issues in former Yugoslav Space: Current Perspectives (Aegean Working Papers in Ethnographic Linguistics Vol. 2, No. 1), 2018 ed. by Roswitha Kersten-Pejanić (general ed. Costas Canakis), is a welcome assessment of some aspects of the current state of affairs from an ethnolinguistic standpoint. The varied articles in this volume each deserve individual attention, and thus my remarks address the articles separately. [...]
Determinants of preeclampsia and eclampsia among women delivering in county hospitals in Nairobi, Kenya
Authors: Logan Gorbee G. , Njoroge Peter K. , Nyabola Lambert O. , Mweu Marshal M.
Published: March 2020

Background: Preeclampsia is defined as the onset of a new episode of high blood pressure in a woman usually after 20 weeks gestation plus proteinuria, whereas eclampsia is defined as generalized seizures in a pregnant woman who generally has preeclampsia criteria. Preeclampsia and eclampsia are hypertensive disorders of pregnancy and thus, among the top causes of maternal death worldwide. The objective of this study was to investigate risk factors for preeclampsia/eclampsia.

Methods: This was a hospital-based unmatched case-control study carried out among women of reproductive age (15-49 years) who have given birth at Nairobi County Hospitals and admitted to the postnatal ward July-September 2019 with a sample size of 352 participants (88 cases and 264 controls). All cases were selected, while controls were simple random sampled, as per eligibility criteria. Information or data were gathered using a structured interviewer-administered questionnaire and data abstraction tool. Descriptive analysis was carried out, where, categorical variables were presented in percentages or proportions, whereas; continuous variables were presented in means, standard deviations, and range. This was followed by a bivariable mixed-effect logistic regression analysis and a multivariable mixed-effect logistic regression analysis using the significant variables from bivariable analysis.

Results: Of all the 88 cases enrolled in the study 5 (5.68%) had eclampsia and 83 (94.32%) had preeclampsia. There was a significant association between personal history of hypertension (AOR=7.1; 95% CI: 2.6-19.3, p=0.001), Occupation as a housewife (AOR=3.1; 95% CI: 1.1-8.8, p=0.034), nulliparity (AOR=7.5; 95% CI: 1.5-37.5, p=0.015) ,  primiparity (AOR=2.1; 95% CI: 1.1-4.2, p=0.031), advanced maternal age 35-49 years (AOR=5.9; 95% CI: 1.1-33.3, p=0.042), and the occurrence of preeclampsia/eclampsia.

Conclusions: The following conclusions were made regarding the study findings: Personal history of hypertension, older/advanced maternal age (35-49 years), occupation, and parity were factors significantly associated with preeclampsia/eclampsia.
Composition and design of furniture
Authors: Bartashevich Aleksandr
Published: March 2020

The book outlines the types of composition, its basic properties and quality. We consider the means of compositional shaping and fundamentals of design. The role of the analysis of the composition of the furniture in the design practice. Contains a large number of pictures on formal composition and the composition of the furniture.
Designed for students enrolled in the specialty "Technology of logging and wood processing industries". Will be useful to students of the faculties of training and retraining students of colleges and technical schools woodworking profile, as well as specialists and designers of furniture enterprises.
Mathematical analysis in examples and tasks. Part 1
Authors: Zhukova Galina , Rushaylo Margarita
Published: March 2020

The purpose of the textbook is to help students to master basic concepts and research methods used in mathematical analysis. In part 1 of the proposed cycle of workshops on the following topics: theory of sets, theory of limits, theory of continuous functions; differential calculus of functions of one variable, its application to the study of the properties of functions and graph; integral calculus of functions of one variable: indefinite, definite, improper integrals; hyperbolic functions; applications of integral calculus to the analysis and solution of practical problems.
For the development of each topic the necessary theoretical and background material, reviewed a large number of examples with detailed analysis and solutions, the options for independent work. For self-training and quality control of the obtained knowledge provides exercises and problems with answers and guidance.
For teachers, students and postgraduate students studying advanced mathematics.
Mathematical analysis in examples and tasks. Part 2
Authors: Zhukova Galina , Rushaylo Margarita
Published: March 2020

The purpose of the textbook is to help students to master basic concepts and research methods used in mathematical analysis. In part 2 of the proposed cycle of workshops on the following topics: analytic geometry in space; differential calculus of functions of several variables; local, conditional, global extrema of functions of several variables; multiple, curvilinear and surface integrals; elements of field theory; numerical, power series, Fourier series; applications to the analysis and solution of applied problems. These topics are studied in universities, usually in the second semester in the discipline "Mathematical analysis" or the course "Higher mathematics", "Mathematics".
For the development of each topic the necessary theoretical and background material, reviewed a large number of examples with detailed analysis and solutions, the options for independent work. For self-training and quality control of the acquired knowledge in each section designed exercises and tasks with answers and guidance.
It is recommended that teachers, students and graduate students studying advanced mathematics.
A collection of practical and laboratory works in higher mathematics. Elements of linear and vector algebra. Workshop
Authors: Andreischeva Elena
Published: March 2020

This textbook can be considered as a basic manual to address both typical and General character of the duties of one of the sections of the course higher mathematics — "Linear and vector algebra".
The purpose of the textbook is to help the cadets of the training and methodological assistance in preparing for practical classes and during these classes to help to develop their independence, initiative and creativity in solving problems, acquire the necessary practical skills.
Meets the requirements of Federal state educational standards of higher education of the last generation.
For students of higher educational institutions studying the mathematical disciplines.
Technology training
Authors: Suhova Elena
Published: March 2020

The tutorial provides information on methodological teaching AIDS, and methods of control, the basics of andragogika, training technology, the main channels of information perception. Examples are given of the development of the training. The peculiarities of the basic psychological types of people that are important for learning. Based on the author's studies of the personal characteristics of modern workers on which to draw when developing training programs. Presents the author's method of self-transformation of the personality of the coach.
Meets the requirements of Federal state educational standards of higher education of the last generation.
For students of higher educational institutions enrolled in directions of preparation "personnel Management", "Management", and for leading training and individuals associated with staff training.
Moral and spiritual education
Authors: Shirshov Vladimir
Published: March 2020

The textbook examines the nature and function of spiritual and moral education, its principles, basic organizational forms, methods and technologies. The purpose of the publication is to familiarize readers with the methodological, theoretical and practical problems of spiritually-moral education, development of students ' potential positive motivation for self-regulation of their behavior taking into account spiritually-moral values in everyday life. Describes the issues management process of education, criteria and methods of evaluation of the results spiritually-moral development of students.
Meets the requirements of Federal state educational standard of higher education of the last generation 44.04.01 direction of preparation "Pedagogical education" (program "Social security").
Designed for students, teachers, undergraduates and postgraduates of the faculty of life safety.
The Proximal Alternating Direction Method of Multipliers in the Nonconvex Setting: Convergence Analysis and Rates
Authors: Boţ Radu Ioan , Nguyen Dang-Khoa
Published: March 2020

We propose two numerical algorithms in the fully nonconvex setting for the minimization of the sum of a smooth function and the composition of a nonsmooth function with a linear operator. The iterative schemes are formulated in the spirit of the proximal alternating direction method of multipliers and its linearized variant, respectively. The proximal terms are introduced via variable metrics, a fact that allows us to derive new proximal splitting algorithms for nonconvex structured optimization problems, as particular instances of the general schemes. Under mild conditions on the sequence of variable metrics and by assuming that a regularization of the associated augmented Lagrangian has the Kurdyka–Łojasiewicz property, we prove that the iterates converge to a Karush–Kuhn–Tucker point of the objective function. By assuming that the augmented Lagrangian has the Łojasiewicz property, we also derive convergence rates for both the augmented Lagrangian and the iterates.
Operating Room Staffing and Scheduling
Authors: Bandi Chaithanya , Gupta Diwakar
Published: March 2020

Problem definition: We consider two problems faced by an operating room (OR) manager: (1) how many baseline (core) staff to hire for OR suites, and (2) how to schedule surgery requests that arrive one by one. The OR manager has access to historical case count and case length data, and needs to balance the fixed cost of baseline staff and variable cost of overtime, while satisfying surgeons’ preferences. Academic/practical relevance: ORs are costly to operate and generate about 70% of hospitals’ revenues from surgical operations and subsequent hospitalizations. Because hospitals are increasingly under pressure to reduce costs, it is important to make staffing and scheduling decisions in an optimal manner. Also, hospitals need to leverage data when developing algorithmic solutions, and model tradeoffs between staffing costs and surgeons’ preferences. We present a methodology for doing so, and test it on real data from a hospital. Methodology: We propose a new criterion called the robust competitive ratio for designing online algorithms. Using this criterion and a robust optimization approach to model the uncertainty in case mix and case lengths, we develop tractable optimization formulations to solve the staffing and scheduling problems. Results: For the staffing problem, we show that algorithms belonging to the class of interval classification algorithms achieve the best robust competitive ratio, and develop a tractable approach for calculating the optimal parameters of our proposed algorithm. For the scheduling phase, which occurs one or two days before each surgery day, we demonstrate how a robust optimization framework may be used to find implementable schedules while taking into account surgeons’ preferences such as back-to-back and same-OR scheduling of cases. We also perform numerical experiments with real and synthetic data, which show that our approach can significantly reduce total staffing cost. Managerial implications: We present algorithms that are easy to implement and tractable. These algorithms also allow the OR manager to specify the size of the uncertainty set and to control overtime costs while meeting surgeons’ preferences.
EL GIRO DE LA TRADUCCIÓN EN LA CULTURA VISUAL
Authors: Di Paola Modesta
Published: March 2020

Este volumen de REGAC se propone investigar la alianza teórica entre el arte visual y la traducción. El concepto de traducción visual se relaciona con una noción hermenéutica que reflexiona sobre las complejidades del artefacto artístico contemporáneo, pero también con un intento epistemológico de reflexionar entorno a los intercambios culturales y lingüísticos que se dan entre sujetos y eventos internacionales. Los artículos reunidos en cuatro ejes temáticos, o zonas de contactos – lingüística, cultural, intercultural e intermedial - permiten validar la teorización de un giro de la traducción dentro de la teoría del arte visual en los últimos veinte años
Antoni Muntadas. La traducción visual como un «prototipar»: gesto poético y hospitalario
Authors: Avendaño Lynda
Published: March 2020

Antoni Muntadas, artista poliédrico, ha desarrollado una extensa producción, dentro de la que podemos encontrar proyectos paradigmáticos cuyas obras el artista denomina artefactos, que son propuestas de marcado carácter dialogante con la alteridadde la otredad. Entre ellos se encuentra The File Roomque se inicia en 1994; On Translationque comienza en 1995 —en Helsinki— que son una serie de obras-proyecto que nacen de mixturas intermediales de carácter trasnacional (un conjunto de works in progress); y Asian Protocols,proyecto que comienza 2011. Todas son proyectos —donde utiliza las exposiciones como dispositivos comunicacionales—, marcadas por una voluntad visible de que los espectadores, sean coautores o participes activos de ellas para lo cual el artista se encarga de exponer y/o destacar las consecuencias de sus artefactos. El proceso de traducción involucrado en las obras de Muntadas pasa no únicamente por la hospitalidad a la alteridadde laotredad, sino por su capacidad de asumir poéticamente que el arte en su concepción benjaminiana es uno de los instrumentos de comunicación más capaces de activar la conciencia estética y social de las personas.Y en ese «prototipar» —en la acepción del procomún—el artista busca diluir los yoconceptuales que habitan en las obras que dirigen los significados de los signos, para dar paso a un diálogo crítico y hospitalario con la alteridad de la otredad. Antoni Muntadas, a polyhedron like artist, has developed an extensive production in which we can find paradigmatic projects with works the artist calls artifacts, meaning projects with a strong conversational connotation with alterityand the otherness. Among them we find The File Roominitiated in 1994: On Translationwhich started in 1995 in Helsinki a series of works-projects arise from intermediary mixtures of transitional connotations (works in progress); and Asian Protocols, a project that started in 2011. All of them are initiatives in which exhibits are used as communication tools with a clear willingness of making the audience be them co- authors or active participants, for that purpose the artist takes responsibility on exposing and/or highlighting the consequences of its artifacts. The translation process involved in Muntade’s works does not only involve hospitality for alterityand the otherness, but it also poetically assumes that art, on its Benjaminian conception, is one of the most efficient tools when it comes to activate people’s aesthetic and social consciousness.And creating a «prototype»—in the sense of the commons— the artist tries to dilute conceptual egos in his works that direct meaning of the sign to give way to a critical and hospitable dialogue with alterityand the otherness.
Quantum phase transition of a finite number of atoms in electromagnetically induced transparency media
Authors: Robles Robles R. A. , Lee Ray-Kuang
Published: March 2020

Instead of an infinite number of atoms in the thermodynamic limit, we
study the ground states of a finite number of three-level atoms in
electromagnetically induced transparency media. With the help of a
classical control field, critical coupling strengths are derived
analytically for the existence of quantum phase transitions in the
ground states of this extended Dicke model. Compared to the classical
limit, evolution of a finite-sized excitation during the storage and
retrieval process is also illustrated, as well as atom–field
entanglement. The results derived in this work provide the connection
not only to the Dicke model, but also to the Lipkin–Meshkov–Glick
model.
Characterization of scattering losses in tapered optical fibers perturbed by a microfiber tip
Authors: Zhang Pengfei , Wang Xin , Song Lijun , Wang Chenxi , Li Gang , Zhang Tiancai
Published: March 2020

We demonstrate the characterization of the exponential-decay scattering losses in a tapered optical fiber (TOF) based on near-field-probe-induced scattering. A hemispherical microfiber tip (MFT) with a diameter of 37.3 µm is immersed into the evanescent field of a TOF and induces scattering losses of the TOF. The near-field scattering losses perturbed by the MFT depend on the distance between the MFT and the TOF. The MFT can elongate the penetration depth of the evanescent field significantly when the TOF diameter is small because the effective refractive index outside the TOF is changed by the MFT. The relationship between the scattering loss and the TOF-MFT distance is measured experimentally and is in good agreement with the numerical simulations. The lengthened evanescent field of the TOF can sense the multifarious matter on a substrate which is farther from the TOF sensitively.
Non-resonant Raman scattering of wurtzite GaAs and InP nanowires
Authors: Vainorius Neimantas , Lehmann Sebastian , Dick Kimberly A. , Pistol Mats-Erik
Published: March 2020

It is now possible to synthesize the wurtzite crystal phase of most III-V semiconductors in the form of nanowires. This sparks interest for fundamental research and adds extra degrees of freedom for designing novel devices. However, the understanding of many properties, such as phonon dispersion, of these wurtzite semiconductors is not yet complete, despite the extensive number of studies published. The

E
2

L

and

E
2

H

phonon modes exist in the wurtzite crystal phase only (not in zinc blende) where the

E
2

H

mode has been already experimentally observed in Ga and In arsenides and phosphides, while the

E
2

L

mode has been observed in GaP, but not in GaAs or InP. In order to determine the energy of

E
2

L

in wurtzite GaAs and InP, we performed Raman scattering measurements on wurtzite GaAs and InP nanowires. We found clear evidence of the

E
2

L

phonon mode at 64 cm−1 and 54 cm−1, respectively. Polarization-dependent experiments revealed similar selection rules for both the

E
2

L

and the

E
2

H

phonon modes (as expected) where the intensity peaked with excitation and detection polarization being perpendicular to the [0001] crystallographic direction. We further find that the splitting between the E1(TO) and A1(TO) modes is around 2 cm−1 in wurtzite GaAs and below 1 cm−1 in wurtzite InP. We believe these results will be useful for a better understanding of phonons in wurtzite crystal phase of III-V semiconductors as well as for testing and improving phonon dispersion calculations.
Study of UV repetition laser-induced absorption on fused silica surface using a surface thermal lensing technique
Authors: Ke Kai , Chen Jian , Gao Fan , Zhang Xiang , Yuan Xiao
Published: March 2020

A surface thermal lensing technique is used to study the time evolution of the absorption of a fused silica surface when exposed to UV pulsed laser irradiation in the nanosecond regime. The time evolution of the absorption is characterized as a saturated exponential increase, and the disruptive change indicates that the macrodamage occurs. A time-dependent absorption defect model is used to fit the experimental data, and a single-photon process is proposed to explain the results. This method can be used to estimate the operation lifetime of optical components.
Kunstapotheke: Site-responsive choreographies within the premises of an abandoned pharmacy
Authors: Rainer Lucia
Published: March 2020

Kunstapotheke is a choreographic project that was based in the premises of an abandoned pharmacy and shopping district in the northern part of Hamburg, Germany. Meandering between disused pharmacy facilities and its urban surroundings, a group of performers and myself explored how urban scores render possible to journey through time. Being interested in how past narratives might craft and shape possible urban futures, we experienced that time often shatters into fragments, evoking the question: How can urban scores respond to and subvert urban narratives and their choreographies? To be able to answer this question we explored the urban surroundings with the following choreographic tools: (1) pre-selection and re-selection, (2) combination, (3) intermedial variation and (4) contextualization and re-contextualization. Working with these choreographic tools revealed that past narratives are inevitably tied to spatiotemporal frameworks, frames and framings, which are unavoidably linked to overall complexes interrelated with autobiographical, cultural, political and economic constellations. Thus, we incessantly found ourselves within spatiotemporal encounters that allowed for different types of temporalities to not only bubble beyond the surface, but effectively irrupt and disrupt one another. In the course of this, different spatial realities unfolded, preoccupying themselves exclusively with individual processes of occurrence. The project Kunstapotheke repeatedly contextualized and re-contextualized these occurrences, defining the choreographic process as a practice of simultaneous reference and transcription.
De-centring the choreographer: Historically inspired interruptions/disruptions in an exploration between sculpture and movement1
Authors: Sarkar Kaustavi
Published: March 2020

This article reflects the process of choreographic making where the choreographer actively decentres her choreographic choices by collaborating with participating dancers and historical inspirations. It explores the creative potential of archives – a set of temple-sculptures found in eastern India called the Alasa-Kanyas (meaning indolent maidens) – as past evidence of historically marginalized bodies of the temple-dancers, also known as Maharis, in the field of the eastern Indian classical dance form called Odissi. Alasa-Kanya: Sculpture in Odissi (AK), a Practice as Research (PaR) experiment, imbricates the historical and the theoretical in choreographic practice, re-inscribing the archival traces of the Mahari as found in the sculptural traces of the Alasa-Kanyas by an inculcated deconstruction of Odissi dance vocabulary. According to philosopher Jacques Derrida, deconstruction destabilizes the hierarchy between the centres and margins of a given area of knowledge. This experiment questions the hierarchical construction of Odissi dance as technically elevated than Mahari performance. Theoretical deconstruction is complemented by an embodied investigation via structured studio improvisations using the Creative Articulations Process (CAP). Choreographic process and analysis of AK deconstructs the technicity in Odissi movement via engaging with the Alasa-Kanyas or the sculptural archives of the Maharis in Indian temples. In this way, the once marginalized interrupts the dominant historical narratives and disrupts the patriarchal construction of a male centre, in turn questioning the agency of the choreographer in the choreographic process.
On difference and repetition in cinematic adaptation: Bertolucci's Before the Revolution and Stendhal's The Charterhouse of Parma
Authors: Vallury Raji
Published: March 2020

Critical reflections on the cinematic adaptation of literary texts are usually structured by the dialectics of fidelity and betrayal, identification and estrangement. Through a theoretical framework constructed by the concepts of Gilles Deleuze, Gérard Genette and André Bazin, my article interrogates the Oedipal model of imitation and rebellion used to understand an act of cinematic adaptation. Analysing the links between Bernardo Bertolucci's and Stendhal's The Charterhouse of Parma (1838), I propose that cinematic adaptation may be understood as an engagement with a differential singularity; as the assemblage of a point of view in relation with another point of view. Adaptation is the creation and production of difference in concert with another difference, rather than the repetition of the same. Bertolucci's encounter with Stendhal expresses a type of historical consciousness; an expression that takes place on the planes of aesthetics and politics.
Gender and media studies in Italy: The GEMMA research programme
Authors: Buonanno Milly , Faccioli Franca , Panarese Paola , Comunello Francesca , Ciofalo Giovanni , Leonzi Silvia , Gavrila Mihaela , Natale Anna Lucia , Ieracitano Francesca
Published: March 2020

This multi-authored article presents new, investigative strands of the research unit GEMMA (GEnder and Media Matters, established in 2010) at the Department of Communication and Social Research of the Sapienza University of Rome. GEMMA's main objective is to explore the multi-layered relationships between gender and media in the peculiar conditions of the contemporary 'media saturated' environment, employing an approach that maps the media's potential for changing cultural representations of gender. Without renouncing the representational approach, the recent iterations of GEMMA research have shifted focus towards addressing new objects and paths of investigation. Ranging across a variety of media and genres, from television and advertising, to public communication campaigns, from web-based social networks to dating platforms, from documentary to fiction, from wellness reality to cooking shows, the latest works that have been conducted during the 2016–19 years investigate forms of agency displayed by individuals, groups or institutions directly involved and engaged in the production and consumption of media texts relevant to gender. In this article, the authors summarize their research as contributing to the composition of a polyphonic text on gender and media in Italy.
Surviving through subculture: Finding undeath in psychobilly
Authors: Kattari Kimberly
Published: March 2020

While some scholars suggest that subcultures are a thing of the past, that we are living in a post-subcultural era, an ethnographic exploration of psychobilly shows that subcultures still play a meaningful role in contemporary society. Since its development in the early 1980s, psychobilly has uniquely blended punk, rockabilly and horror to express countercultural values and aesthetics. Like the groups studied by the Centre for Contemporary Cultural Studies in the 1960s and 1970s, the psychobilly subculture is characterized by consistent and distinct values and tastes, a shared sense of collective identity, committed involvement over a long period of time, and relative independence from the culture industry. By participating in this obscure but strongly defined subculture, psychobillies not only express their resistance to mainstream culture but also find strategies to manage and improve their lived experience. As a result of their committed subcultural involvement, psychobillies feel alive, or, rather, ‘undead’, a metaphor made all the more symbolic because of the subculture’s interest in a host of undead creatures. This article thus argues for continued application of subcultural theory to understand the significant meaning and impact of participation in non-conformist communities today.
Optimism/Reject: UK DIY Punk and Post-Punk 1977–1981, 4CD Box Set, Various Artists
Authors: Bestley Russ
Published: March 2020

Review of: Optimism/Reject: UK DIY Punk and Post-Punk 1977–1981, 4CD Box Set, Various Artists

London: Cherry Red, £29.99