bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Progress and Applications of Polyphosphate in Bone and Cartilage Regeneration
Authors: Wang Yan , Li Min , Li Pei , Teng Haijun , Fan Dehong , Du Wennan , Guo Zhiliang
Published: June 2019

Patients with bone and cartilage defects due to infection, tumors, and trauma are quite common. Repairing bone and cartilage defects is thus a major problem for clinicians. Autologous and artificial bone transplantations are associated with many challenges, such as limited materials and immune rejection. Bone and cartilage regeneration has become a popular research topic. Inorganic polyphosphate (polyP) is a widely occurring biopolymer with high-energy phosphoanhydride bonds that exists in organisms from bacteria to mammals. Much data indicate that polyP acts as a regulator of gene expression in bone and cartilage tissues and exerts morphogenetic effects on cells involved in bone and cartilage formation. Exposure of these cells to polyP leads to the increase of cytokines that promote the differentiation of mesenchymal stem cells into osteoblasts, accelerates the osteoblast mineralization process, and inhibits the differentiation of osteoclast precursors to functionally active osteoclasts. PolyP-based materials have been widely reported in in vivo and in vitro studies. This paper reviews the current cellular mechanisms and material applications of polyP in bone and cartilage regeneration.
Stability Charts for Pseudostatic Stability Analysis of 3D Homogeneous Soil Slopes Using Strength Reduction Finite Element Method
Authors: Sun Chaowei , Chai Junrui , Ma Bin , Luo Tao , Gao Ying , Qiu Huanfeng
Published: June 2019

This paper uses the modified strength reduction finite element method to propose stability charts for pseudostatic stability analysis of three‐dimensional (3D) homogeneous soil slopes subjected to seismic excitation. These charts are developed in a wide range of input parameters for purely cohesive slopes and cohesive‐frictional slopes, respectively. Effect of the horizontal seismic load is approximately considered using the quasistatic approach. The stability charts allow to determine the factor of safety without any iterative procedure and identify the corresponding critical slope failure mechanism. A slope example is employed to illustrate the application and reliability of these stability charts.
Modeling, Assessment, and Design of Porous Cells Based on Schwartz Primitive Surface for Bone Scaffolds
Authors: Ambu Rita , Morabito Anna Eva
Published: June 2019

The design of bone scaffolds for tissue regeneration is a topic of great interest, which involves different issues related to geometry of architectures, mechanical behavior, and biological requirements, whose optimal combination determines the success of an implant. Additive manufacturing (AM) has widened the capability to produce structures with complex geometries, which should potentially satisfy the different requirements. These architectures can be obtained by means of refined methods and have to be assessed in terms of geometrical and mechanical properties. In this paper a triply periodic minimal surface (TPMS), the Schwarz’s Primitive surface (P-surface), has been considered as scaffold unit cell and conveniently parameterized in order to investigate the effect of modulation of analytical parameters on the P-cell geometry and on its properties. Several are the cell properties, which can affect the scaffold performance. Due to the important biofunctional role that the surface curvature plays in mechanisms of cellular proliferation and differentiation, in this paper, in addition to properties considering the cell geometry in its whole (such as volume fraction or pore size), new properties were proposed. These properties involve, particularly, the evaluation of local geometrical-differential properties of the P-surface. The results of this P-cell comprehensive characterization are very useful for the design of customized bone scaffolds able to satisfy both biological and mechanical requirements. A numerical structural evaluation, by means of finite element method (FEM), was performed in order to assess the stiffness of solid P-cells as a function of the changes of the analytical parameters of outer surface and the thickness of cell. Finally, the relationship between stiffness and porosity has been analyzed, given the relevance that this property has for bone scaffolds design.
Indigenous Subarctic Food Systems in Transition: Amino Acid Composition (Including Tryptophan) in Wild-Harvested and Processed Meats
Authors: Spiegelaar Nicole , Martin Ian D. , Tsuji Leonard J. S.
Published: June 2019

Indigenous people of northern Canada traditionally lived a nomadic lifestyle subsisting on wild game and fish for thousands of years. With colonization came an increasing dependence on imported processed foods. This dietary change has often been reported to be one of the factors leading to Indigenous health and wellbeing disparities worldwide. We determined the amino acid (AA) profile including tryptophan (Trp) of wild meats (game and fish) and processed meats found in the traditional and modern diets of Indigenous subarctic communities in Canada. Trp is a limited essential AA necessary for synthesis of serotonin (5-HT), an important neurotransmitter and homeostatic regulator. The dietary ratio of Trp relative to other large neutral AAs (LNAA) can alter Trp transport and 5-HT synthesis in the brain. We determined AA composition of wild meats and processed meats using standardized NaOH and HCl hydrolysis for Trp and other AAs, respectively, followed by ultraperformance liquid chromatography. A Principal Components Analysis revealed that overall AA composition is significantly different between wild and processed meats. (M)ANOVA showed significantly higher protein in wild meats (wet weight, ww). Trp was significantly lower in processed meat samples (n=15; 0.18g/100g ± 0.02 ww) compared to wild meat samples (n=25; 0.24g/100g ± 0.06 ww). The proportion of Trp:LNAA and Trp in sample protein were not significantly different between wild (1:21-1:27, 0.92-1.27 g/100g protein) and processed (1:20-1:24, 1.03-1.27 g/100g protein) meats. Within wild meats, AA composition is significantly different between fish and waterfowl, fish and moose, and moose and goose. (M)ANOVA results indicate significantly higher protein in goose compared to moose and fish and in moose compared to fish. We compared our Trp findings to previous analyses and discuss the substantial gap in human nutritional studies of Trp.
A New High-Performance Monopulse Feed with a Simple Comparator Network
Authors: Jargalsaikhan Nyambayar , Bang Jae-Hoon , Choi Seong-Gon , Ahn Bierng-Chearl , Gorshkov Andrii
Published: June 2019

This paper presents a new high-performance five-element monopulse feed with a simple comparator network for Cassegrain reflector applications. The radiating element is a tapered dielectric rod fed by a circular waveguide which is in turn excited by a printed dipole. The center element is used for the sum pattern, while top and bottom elements are used for the elevation difference pattern, and left and right elements for the azimuth difference pattern. Out-of-phase excitation for the difference pattern is obtained by antisymmetrically placing two dipoles and combining their outputs with a power combiner. The optimally designed feed has been fabricated and measured. Measurement shows that the feed has the maximum sum pattern gain of 16.8 dBi, the difference pattern null depth of –21 dBi, and the reflection coefficient of less than –10 dB over 13.9–16.7 GHz.
Speeding Violation Type Prediction Based on Decision Tree Method: A Case Study in Wujiang, China
Authors: Cheng Zeyang , Lu Jian , Zu Zhenshan , Li Yunxuan
Published: June 2019

The speeding violation has become a key concern in the traffic safety management, as it increases the risk of traffic crashes, as well as the severity of these crashes. This uncivilized phenomenon is prominent and presents an increasing trend in Wujiang in recent years, which severely endangers the road traffic safety. This study is approved by the Traffic Police Brigade of Wujiang Public Security Bureau and aims to explore the characteristic of the speeding violation behaviour and attempt to make an effective prediction about it. This study proposes a speeding violation type (including type 1 and type 2) prediction method using electronic law enforcement data obtained from the public security administration of Wujiang. Before the prediction, a speeding violation influence factor analysis based on the binary logical regression model is proposed. The binary logical regression analysis identifies that the license plate, season, speeding area, position, and rainfall are the influence factors of Wujiang’s speeding violation. Then a decision tree method is used to predict the speeding violation type according to the influence factors, and from which the speeding violation situations can be determined. The prediction results demonstrate that under the hypothetical conditions, the high speeding violation level (i.e., type 2) tends to occur under high rainfall environment, and the foreign license plate and autumn present a larger probability of high speeding violation level than the local license plate and other seasons (i.e., spring, summer, and winter), respectively. Finally, a model comparison between the proposed method and other tree-based approaches is conducted. The comparison results show that the decision tree method outperforms other methods in prediction performance (including accuracy, precision, recall, and classification error), runtime, and ROC curve, which indicates that the decision tree method is feasible in predicting the speeding violation type of Wujiang. Based on the findings, the traffic managers can macroscopically grasp the speeding violation situation of the whole road networks, which can be referred for making the related polices and taking intervention measures.
Performance Evaluation of JPCP with Changes of Pavement Mix Design Using Pavement Management Data
Authors: Oh Han Jin , Park Jun Young , Kim Hyung Bae , Jung Won Kyong , Lee Jung Hun
Published: June 2019

This study aimed to analyze long‐term performance of JPCP (jointed plain concrete pavement) according to changes in standard mix design using evaluation of concrete properties based on Korea HPMS (highway pavement management system) and Korea LTPP (long‐term pavement performance) data accumulated for over 15 years. The concrete pavements built in the 2010s by the specification of a durability‐based mix design adopted in 2010 were found to have better performance with much fewer surface distresses than the concrete pavements built before 2010 by the specification of a classical strength‐based mix design. Also, in order to realize long‐life concrete pavement, experimental construction was carried out for high‐durability concrete mix design. The performance monitoring data for the construction site implied that the high‐durability mix design can make it possible to lead a long‐life concrete pavement.
Prolyl 4-Hydroxylase Domain Protein 3-Inhibited Smooth-Muscle-Cell Dedifferentiation Improves Cardiac Perivascular Fibrosis Induced by Obstructive Sleep Apnea
Authors: Tong Jiayi , Yu Fu-chao , Li Yang , Wei Qin , Li Chen , Zhen Penghao , Zhang Guanghao
Published: June 2019

Background. Intermittent hypoxia (IH) induced by obstructive sleep apnea (OSA) is a leading factor affecting cardiovascular fibrosis. Under IH condition, smooth muscle cells (SMAs) respond by dedifferentiation, which is associated with vascular remodelling. The expression of prolyl 4-hydroxylase domain protein 3 (PHD3) increases under hypoxia. However, the role of PHD3 in OSA-induced SMA dedifferentiation and cardiovascular fibrosis remains uncertain.Methods. We explored the mechanism of cardiovascular remodelling in C57BL/6 mice exposed to IH for 3 months and investigated the mechanism of PHD3 in improving the remodelling in vivo and vitro.Results. In vivo remodelling showed that IH induced cardiovascular fibrosis via SMC dedifferentiation and that fibrosis improved when PHD3 was overexpressed. In vitro remodelling showed that IH induced SMA dedifferentiation, which secretes much collagen I. PHD3 overexpression in cultured SMCs reversed the dedifferentiation by degrading and inactivating HIF-1α.Conclusion. OSA-induced cardiovascular fibrosis was associated with SMC dedifferentiation, and PHD3 overexpression may benefit its prevention by reversing the dedifferentiation. Therefore, PHD3 overexpression has therapeutic potential in disease treatment.
Bearing Fault Diagnosis Using a Support Vector Machine Optimized by an Improved Ant Lion Optimizer
Authors: Yang Dalian , Miao Jingjing , Zhang Fanyu , Tao Jie , Wang Guangbin , Shen Yiping
Published: June 2019

Bearing is an important mechanical component that easily fails in a bad working environment. Support vector machines can be used to diagnose bearing faults; however, the recognition ability of the model is greatly affected by the kernel function and its parameters. Unfortunately, optimal parameters are difficult to select. To address these limitations, an escape mechanism and adaptive convergence conditions were introduced to the ALO algorithm. As a result, the EALO method was proposed and has been applied to the more accurate selection of SVM model parameters. To assess the model, the vibration acceleration signals of normal, inner ring fault, outer ring fault, and ball fault bearings were collected at different rotation speeds (1500 r/min, 1800 r/min, 2100 r/min, and 2400 r/min). The vibration signals were decomposed using the variational mode decomposition (VMD) method. The features were extracted through the kernel function to fuse the energy value of each VMD component. In these experiments, the two most important parameters for the support vector machine—the Gaussian kernel parameter σ and the penalty factor C—were optimized using the EALO algorithm, ALO algorithm, genetic algorithm (GA), and particle swarm optimization (PSO) algorithm. The performance of these four methods to optimize the two parameters was then compared and analyzed, with the EALO method having the best performance. The recognition rates for bearing faults under different tested rotation speeds were improved when the SVM model parameters optimized by the EALO were used.
Seismological and Hydrogeological Controls on New Zealand-Wide Groundwater Level Changes Induced by the 2016 Mw7.8 Kaikōura Earthquake
Authors: Weaver K. C. , Cox S. C. , Townend J. , Rutter H. , Hamling I. J. , Holden C.
Published: June 2019

The 2016 Mw7.8 Kaikōura earthquake induced groundwater level changes throughout New Zealand. Water level changes were recorded at 433 sites in compositionally diverse, young, shallow aquifers, at distances of between 4 and 850 km from the earthquake epicentre. Water level changes are inconsistent with static stress changes but do correlate with peak ground acceleration (PGA). At PGAs exceeding ~2 m/s2, water level changes were predominantly persistent increases. At lower PGAs, there were approximately equal numbers of persistent water level increases and decreases. Shear-induced consolidation is interpreted to be the predominant mechanism causing groundwater changes at accelerations exceeding ~2 m/s2, whereas permeability enhancement is interpreted to predominate at lower levels of ground acceleration. Water level changes occur more frequently north of the epicentre, as a result of the fault’s northward rupture and resulting directivity effects. Local hydrogeological conditions also contributed to the observed responses, with larger water level changes occurring in deeper wells and in well-consolidated rocks at equivalent PGA levels.
Remodeling the Tumor Microenvironment Sensitizes Breast Tumors to Anti-Programmed Death-Ligand 1 Immunotherapy
Authors: Clift Renee , Souratha Jennifer , Garrovillo Sheryl A. , Zimmerman Susan , Blouw Barbara
Published: June 2019

Immunotherapies targeting immune checkpoint inhibitors have changed the landscape of cancer treatment, however, many patients are resistant or refractory to immunotherapy. The sensitivity of tumor cells to immunotherapy may be influenced by hyaluronan (HA) accumulation in the tumor microenvironment (TME). Enzymatic degradation of HA by pegvorhyaluronidase alfa (PEGPH20; PVHA) remodels the TME. This leads to reduced tumor interstitial pressure and decompressed tumor blood vessels, which are both associated with increased exposure of tumor cells to chemotherapy drugs. Here, we demonstrate PVHA increased the uptake of anti-programmed death-ligand 1 (PD-L1) antibody in HA-accumulating animal models of breast cancer. The increased levels of anti-PD-L1 antibody were associated with increased accumulation of T cells and natural killer cells and decreased myeloid-derived suppressor cells. PD-L1 blockade significantly inhibited tumor growth when combined with PVHA, but not alone. Our results suggest that PVHA can sensitize HA-accumulating tumors to anti-PD-L1 immunotherapy.

Significance:

These findings show removal of hyaluronan in the tumor microenvironment improves immune cells and checkpoint inhibitors access to tumors.
Technology and Dementia: The Future is Now
Authors: Astell Arlene J. , Bouranis Nicole , Hoey Jesse , Lindauer Allison , Mihailidis Alex , Nugent Chris  , Robillard Julie M.  ,   Technology and Dementia Professional Interest Area ...
Published: June 2019

Background: Technology has multiple potential applications to dementia from diagnosis and assessment to care delivery and supporting ageing in place. Objectives: To summarise key areas of technology development in dementia and identify future directions and implications. Method: Members of the US Alzheimer’s Association Technology Professional Interest Area involved in delivering the annual pre-conference summarised existing knowledge on current and future technology developments in dementia. Results: The main domains of technology development are as follows: (i) diagnosis, assessment and monitoring, (ii) maintenance of functioning, (iii) leisure and activity, (iv) caregiving and management. Conclusions: The pace of technology development requires urgent policy, funding and practice change, away from a narrow medical approach, to a holistic model that facilitates future risk reduction and prevention strategies, enables earlier detection and supports implementation at scale for a meaningful and fulfilling life with dementia.
Incorporating Conversational Strategies in a Social Robot to Interact with People with Dementia
Authors: Cruz-Sandoval Dagoberto , Favela Jesus
Published: June 2019

Background: Socially assistive robots (SARs) have the potential to assist nonpharmacological interventions based on verbal communication to support the care of persons with dementia (PwDs). However, establishing verbal communication with a PwD is challenging. Thus, several authors have proposed strategies to converse with PwDs. While these strategies have proved effective at enhancing communication between PwDs and their caregivers, they have not been used or tested in the domain of human-robot interaction. Objectives: This study aimed to assess the effectiveness of incorporating conversational strategies proposed in the literature for caregivers, during PwD-robot interactions. Methods: We conducted a total of 23 group sessions based on music and conversation therapy, where a SAR interacted with 12 PwDs (mean = 80.25 years) diagnosed with mild to moderate-stage dementia. Using a single subject research approach, we designed an AB study to assess the effectiveness of the conversational strategies in the PwD-robot interaction. Our analysis focuses on the direct communication between the PwDs and the robot, and the perceived enjoyment of PwDs. Results: The number of utterances made from a PwD to the robot increased significantly when the conversational strategies were included in the robot. In addition, PwDs engaged in more sustained conversations. Additionally, PwDs enjoyed conversing with the robot Eva, as much as listening to music. These results indicate that the use of these conversational strategies is ­effective at increasing the interaction between PwD and a SAR. Conclusions: PwDs who participated in the study engaged and enjoyed the interaction with the SAR. The results provide evidence of the importance of incorporating appropriate conversational strategies in SARs that support interventions for the care and social stimulation of PwDs.
Methods for Involving People Living with Dementia and Their Informal Carers as Co-Developers of Technological Solutions
Authors: Kort Helianthe S.M.  , Steunenberg Bas , van Hoof Joost
Published: June 2019

This paper reports on the research methods used in five different projects aimed at supporting people living with dementia in their everyday lives and activities of daily living. In all five projects, people living with dementia and their informal carers were involved. Applied methods ranged from passive involvement in the form of observations to very active involvement consisting of consultation rounds and think-aloud sessions. The projects highlighted that people living with dementia can still contribute to the development of solutions that support them in the self-management of their symptoms and challenges, as well as technological solutions that support them in daily living.
A Search for Sex-Linked Loci in the Agamid Lizard, Calotes versicolor
Authors: Wilson Catherine A. , Priyanka  , Titus Tom , Batzel Peter , Postlethwait John H. , Raman Rajiva
Published: June 2019

The Indian garden lizard, Calotes versicolor, lacks cytologically recognizable sex chromosomes, and its mechanism of sex determination is unclear. We evaluated genotype-to-sex-phenotype association using RAD-seq in wild-caught males and females, 30 of each sex. Of 210,736 unique, 96-nt long RAD-tags, 48% contained polymorphisms, 23% of which were present in at least 40 of 60 individuals. Twenty one RAD-tags neared, but none achieved, the inclusion criteria for sex enrichment, as expected if C. versicolor lacks highly differentiated sex chromosomes. Three RAD-tags with alleles most strongly associated with sex tended to be heterozygous in females and to lack male-specific alleles, suggesting a ZW female/ZZ male system. Putative female alleles, however, were present in some males and lacking from some females, suggesting either recombination between these markers and the sex locus or sex reversal due to environmental or genetic factors. Paired-end, 250-nt reads from 1 male provided a fragmented draft genome assembly. Four sex-associated RAD-tags were identical to portions of 4 unique C. versicolor genomic contigs rather than linked to a single putative sex-linked region. The lack of strongly sex-linked loci coupled with weak evidence for temperature-associated sex determination intensifies the need for further investigation of the puzzling sex determination mechanism in C. versicolor.
Rhesus D Antigenic Determinants on Residual Red Blood Cells in Apheresis and Buffy Coat Platelet Concentrates
Authors: Thibault Louis , de Grandmont Marie Joëlle , Cayer Marie-Pierre , Dussault Nathalie , Jacques Annie , Ducas Eric , Beauséjour Annie , Lebrun André
Published: June 2019

Background: The level of residual red blood cells (RBCs) in platelet concentrates (PCs) is of interest because of clinical concerns related to alloimmunization to RBC antigens in transfused patients. This work aims at characterizing and quantifying the levels of intact and fragmented RBCs in apheresis (AP-PCs) and buffy coat PCs (BC-PCs) to assess their potential risk for RhD antigen alloimmunization. Methods: After staining with anti-CD41 (platelets) and anti-CD235a (RBCs) antibodies, the size and density of RhD antigen on intact and fragmented RBCs were analyzed by flow cytometry. Results: Residual RBC counts were 29 ± 22 × 106/unit in AP-PCs and 121 ± 54 × 106/unit in BC-PCs, which correspond to about 3 and 11 µL of RBCs by product, respectively. RhD expression was about 4 times higher on RBC particles in AP-PCs, and these particles contribute to 66 and 75% of the total antigenic load in BC-PCs and AP-PCs, respectively. Conclusions: Processing methods influence the quantity and nature of contaminating residual RBCs and RBC-derived particles in PCs. The estimation of residual RBCs in these blood products is generally based on measurements of intact RBCs, which might underestimate the risk for alloim­munization in transfused patients. The question of whether these RBC-derived particles can produce an immune response and, thus, should then be taken into consideration for Rh immune prophylactic treatments, remains to be clarified.
Health practitioner regulation in Australia: a view from the antipodes
Authors: Bec Cameron Stewart
Published: June 2019

This article reviews health practitioner regulation in Australia. It starts with a review of the constitutional powers to regulate healthcare in the Australian Federal system and the system of rights to access health that have been created. The article then examines the current National Law, which was an attempt to create a uniform regulatory system for healthcare practitioners in Australia. The paper examines the working of that system and  current data on its operation and concludes with looking to future challenges for the system.
Financiamento do direito à saúde e novo regime fiscal: a inconstitucionalidade do Artigo 110 do Ato das Disposições Constitucionais Transitórias
Authors: Moutinho Donato Volkers , Dallari Sueli Gandolfi
Published: June 2019

A saúde é uma necessidade pública, que exige a atuação concreta do Estado e movimenta sua atividade financeira. Logo, os serviços públicos de saúde são impactados pelas normas de Direito Financeiro, que orientam a distribuição de recursos. Nesse campo, o Artigo 110 do Ato das Disposições Constitucionais Transitórias ainda merece análise detida. Este trabalho tem o objetivo de preencher essa lacuna ao avaliar a constitucionalidade do referido artigo. Com base no marco teórico apoiado na doutrina de direitos humanos, sociais e fundamentais, lança mão de dados empíricos para avaliar se os efeitos que o Artigo 110 deve irradiar sobre o direito à saúde condizem com a Constituição de 1988. Como resultado, percebeu-se que o direito à saúde é um direito humano social fundamental, cujos níveis de eficácia e efetividade não podem sofrer retrocesso por qualquer medida adotada por entes federados. Observou-se que o esforço fiscal do Estado brasileiro para prover os serviços de saúde pública a sua população está aquém de sua capacidade econômica, e o referido artigo, quando permite a redução desse esforço, passa ao largo das obrigações assumidas pelo país e promove retrocesso na saúde pública e na fruição do direito à saúde. Conclui-se que o Artigo 110 do Ato das Disposições Constitucionais Transitórias é inconstitucional, que, para evitar retrocesso no direito à saúde, o Supremo Tribunal Federal deve suspender a sua eficácia e declarar essa inconstitucionalidade e que o Estado brasileiro precisa se planejar para, progressivamente, elevar seu patamar de despesas no setor.
Infection as a Stroke Trigger
Authors: Sebastian Solly , Stein Laura K. , Dhamoon Mandip S.
Published: June 2019

Background and Purpose—

The relationships between different infection types and stroke subtype are not well-characterized. We examined exposure to infections in different organ systems in different time periods before the acute ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage.

Methods—

We used the New York State Inpatient Databases and Emergency Department Databases (2006–2013). Validated
International Classification of Diseases
,
Ninth Edition
definitions identified index hospitalizations for acute ischemic stroke, intracerebral hemorrhage, and subarachnoid hemorrhage, and emergency department visits and hospitalizations for infection (skin, urinary tract infection, septicemia, abdominal, and respiratory). We used case cross-over analysis with conditional logistic regression to estimate odds ratios (OR) for the association between each infection type during case periods compared with control periods 1 year before.

Results—

Every infection type was associated with an increased likelihood of acute ischemic stroke. The greatest association was for urinary tract infection, with OR of 5.32 (95% CI, 3.69–7.68) within the 7-day window. The magnitude of association between urinary tract infection and intracerebral hemorrhage was of lesser magnitude, with OR of 1.80 (1.04–3.11) in the 14-day exposure period and OR of 1.54 (1.23–1.94) in the 120-day exposure period. Only respiratory infection was associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage, with OR of 3.67 (1.49–9.04) in the 14-day window and 1.95 (1.44–2.64) in the 120-day window.

Conclusions—

All infection types were associated with subsequent acute ischemic stroke, with the greatest association for urinary tract infection.
A new species of the genus Taikona Arita & O. Gorbunov, 2001 from Vietnam (Lepidoptera: Sesiidae)
Authors: GORBUNOV OLEG G. , ARITA YUTAKA
Published: June 2019

A new clearwing moth species is described and illustrated from South Vietnam: Taikona ikedai sp. nov. The type series is deposited in the collection of the National Museum of Nature and Science, Tsukuba (formerly Natural Science Museum Tokyo). The female and the larval host plant are unknown. The genus Taikona was previously unrecorded in the country.
Key to species of the leafhopper genus Bhatia Distant, 1908 (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Drabescini) with description of a new species from China
Authors: YU ZHOU , QU LING , DAI REN-HUAI , YANG MAO-FA
Published: June 2019

A new species of Bhatia Distant, B. longiradiata sp. nov. is described from China (Guangdong, Guangxi). A key to the Chinese species of the genus is given.
Lectotype designations, taxonomic notes and new synonymies in some species of the bee genus Centris Fabricius, 1804 described by Amédée Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau (Hymenoptera: Apidae)
Authors: VIVALLO FELIPE
Published: June 2019

In this paper the primary types of Centris described by Amédée Lepeletier de Saint-Fargeau in 1841 deposited at Muséum National d’Histoire Naturelle, France and Hope Entomological Collection, Oxford University Museum of Natural History, United Kingdom were studied. To stabilize the application of some names, lectotypes were designated for C. bimaculata, C. collaris, C. decolorata, C. denudans, C. dorsata, C. ferruginea, C. fuscata, C. maculata (= C. decolorata), C. obsoleta, C. picea, C. poecila, C. trigonoides, C. violacea and C. vittata. Centris picea nomen oblitum is withdrawn from the synonymy of C. lanipes (Fabricius) and proposed as new junior synonym of C. trigonoides nomen protectum. Centris nigrescens is removed from the synonymy of C. vittata and revalidated, proposing C. merrillae Cockerell and C. lanipes ogilviei Cockerell as its new junior synonymies. Lectotypes for this latter species and for C. rubella Smith (= C. ferruginea) were also designated. In addition, due to the impossibility of identifying C. thoracica and the misplacement of its type material, it is proposed to consider it nomen dubium and place it incertae sedis.
South Pacific Decadal Climate Variability and Potential Predictability
Authors: Lou Jiale , Holbrook Neil J. , O’Kane Terence J.
Published: June 2019

The South Pacific decadal oscillation (SPDO) characterizes the Southern Hemisphere contribution to the Pacific-wide interdecadal Pacific oscillation (IPO) and is analogous to the Pacific decadal oscillation (PDO) centered in the North Pacific. In this study, upper ocean variability and potential predictability of the SPDO is examined in HadISST data and an atmosphere-forced ocean general circulation model. The potential predictability of the IPO-related variability is investigated in terms of both the fractional contribution made by the decadal component in the South, tropical and North Pacific Oceans and in terms of a doubly integrated first-order autoregressive (AR1) model. Despite explaining a smaller fraction of the total variance, we find larger potential predictability of the SPDO relative to the PDO. We identify distinct local drivers in the western subtropical South Pacific, where nonlinear baroclinic Rossby wave–topographic interactions act to low-pass filter decadal variability. In particular, we show that the Kermadec Ridge in the southwest Pacific enhances the decadal signature more prominently than anywhere else in the Pacific basin. Applying the doubly integrated AR1 model, we demonstrate that variability associated with the Pacific–South American pattern is a critically important atmospheric driver of the SPDO via a reddening process analogous to the relationship between the Aleutian low and PDO in the North Pacific—albeit that the relationship in the South Pacific appears to be even stronger. Our results point to the largely unrecognized importance of South Pacific processes as a key source of decadal variability and predictability.
Culprit of the Eastern Pacific Double-ITCZ Bias in the NCAR CESM1.2
Authors: Song Xiaoliang , Zhang Guang J.
Published: June 2019

The eastern Pacific double-ITCZ bias has long been attributed to the warm bias of SST in the southeastern Pacific and associated local air–sea interaction. In this study, we conducted two simulations using the NCAR CESM1.2.1 to demonstrate that significant double-ITCZ bias can still form in the eastern Pacific through air–sea coupled feedback even when there is cold SST bias in the southeastern Pacific, indicating that other nonlocal culprits and mechanisms should be responsible for the double-ITCZ bias in the eastern Pacific. Further analyses show that the oversimulated convection in the northern ITCZ region and Central America in boreal winter may result in biases in the surface wind fields in the tropical northeastern Pacific in the atmospheric model, which favor the cooling of the ocean mixed layer through enhancement of latent heat flux and Ekman upwelling. These biases are passed into the ocean model in coupled simulations and result in a severe cold bias of SST in the northern ITCZ region. The overly cold SST bias persists in the subsequent spring, leading to the suppression of convection in the northern ITCZ region. The enhanced low-level cross-equatorial northerly wind strengthens the wind convergence south of the equator and transports abundant water vapor to the convergence zone, strengthening the southern ITCZ convection. All these processes lead to the disappearance of the northern ITCZ and the enhancement of the southern ITCZ in boreal spring, forming a seasonally alternating double-ITCZ bias. This study suggests that convection biases in the northern ITCZ region and Central America in boreal winter may be a culprit for the double-ITCZ bias in the eastern Pacific.
Injustice, Uselessness, and Illness: A Qualitative Study of Unemployed Graduates’ Lives in Iran
Authors: Khezri Nashmin , Rezaei Mehdi , Aram Mozafarl
Published: June 2019

Formal education in Iran, especially higher education, has been a means to smoothen the road to social mobility, provide good jobs, and boost people’s earnings. Now, being a university graduate and remaining unemployed is regarded as a challenge. In addition, governments consider this new unemployment a threat to their legitimacy. It seems that young unemployed graduates experience different problems in their social lives. This study aims to investigate the problems encountered by young unemployed graduates and to identify which aspects of situation provide a threatening condition for the society and government. This study has adopted a qualitative approach to answer these questions. It has been conducted in a Kurdish-Iranian context. The authors used a sample of 22 unemployed graduates and conducted semi-structured interviews with each of the sample members. The data gathered from the interviews were analyzed using the qualitative content analysis method. There emerged several themes that described the unemployed graduates’ lives. Findings show that the definition of job is gender based. Unemployment is interpreted as “illness,” “uselessness,” and “social injustice.” To cope with the unemployment issue, the unemployed graduates have to follow different strategies, including “seclusion,” “continuing education,” or “restarting education.” They experience in such a context different psychological, interactive, and behavioral challenges that sometimes make them adopt an anti-social position. The findings of this research contribute to a clearer understanding of the pathological aspects of unemployed graduates’ lives, which is considered a threat from their own viewpoints.
Explaining budget transparency through political factors
Authors: Citro Francesca , Cuadrado-Ballesteros Beatriz , Bisogno Marco
Published: June 2019

This study analyses various factors that can affect the level of budget transparency. It focuses on several political characteristics, investigating a pool of 95 countries for the years 2006, 2008, 2010, 2012 and 2015. Findings from this study indicate that both governments’ characteristics and the characteristics of political and electoral systems affect the level of budget transparency. These results extend findings from previous literature on determinants of open budgets by using a more extended period and additional political and electoral features, and also by adopting an international comparative approach.

Points for practitioners

The findings show essential elements for a sustainable transparency policy, suggesting that to be successful, budget transparency requires certain characteristics of both governments and electoral/political systems. Therefore, politicians are advised that reforms affecting these systems can limit their intent for opaqueness; similarly, oversight bodies are encouraged to consider the political conditions that may exert pressure to make budgeting processes public. The findings highlight the importance of the relationship between budget transparency and public-sector reforms, especially those affecting the political characteristics of a government and the institutional rules guiding its behaviour. Budgeting is not only an essential management device, but also a crucial political medium to allocate powers and resources, and a pivotal accountability tool to boost citizens’ involvement and to increase its transparency.
Suicide note written on the forearm using a sharp pointed object
Authors: Behera Chittaranjan , Rautji Ravi , Pratap Anuragi Ramesh , Niwas Yadav Ram
Published: June 2019

Suicide notes are generally written on readily available materials, such as paper, notebook, wall or mirror by means of pen, pencil, marker or chalk. They can also be communicated by telephone, text messages, internet and digital media. A case has been reported where a note was written with henna. Suicide notes written on one’s body are uncommon, and notes engraved on the body with a sharp metallic object are extremely rare. We present two cases where a sharp pointed metallic object was used to write suicide notes on the body.
Book review: Dev Nath Pathak (ed.), Another South Asia!
Authors: Mallick Sambit
Published: June 2019

Dev Nath Pathak (ed.), Another South Asia! Delhi: Primus Books, 2018, 323 pp., ₹1395 (Hardback). ISBN: 978-93-86552-58-7.
Of Private and Social in Socialist Cities: The Individualizing Turn in Housing in a Medium-Sized City in Socialist Yugoslavia
Authors: Troch Pieter
Published: June 2019

This article contributes to research on reconfiguration of social and private in socialist cities. It presents the case study of Mitrovica, a smaller and peripheral city in Socialist Yugoslavia, to compensate for the focus on big capital cities and socialist new towns in the literature. The article explores local decision-making processes leading to the upgrading of informal private housing and the parallel downgrading of social-sector housing between the 1960s and 1980s. It demonstrates the open-ended nature of socialist urban development as the processual outcome of negotiations between local actors involved in urban planning and housing strategies of individual residents within the structural framework of central-level housing policies and under-urbanization. The article argues that the individualizing discourse of urban modernity was integral to post-Second World War socialist urban development.
Identity Work, Loss and Preferred Identities: A Study of UK Business School Deans
Authors: Brown Andrew D. , Lewis Michael A. , Oliver Nick
Published: June 2019

This paper investigates how leaders construct ‘loss’ identity narratives which defuse the scope for external attack and sustain self-meanings. We draw on a sample of 31 United Kingdom business school deans, who although often depicted as multi-talented, high-status achievers, are also targets for criticism and have high rates of turnover. Our study makes two principal contributions. First, we argue that leaders may employ a specific pattern of identity work involving talk about loss to construct identities that bolster their leadership by presenting them as making sacrifices for their institutions. Losses are ubiquitous and malleable discursive resources that constitute both identity threats and opportunities for constructing preferred identities. Second, we deepen understanding of ‘preferred identities’, i.e. normative self-narratives that specify who people want to be, and to be seen to be, and which serve self-meaning and impression management functions. Preferred identities, though, do not necessarily serve people’s interests, and deans tied themselves to demanding requirements by authoring themselves as research credible, scrupulously moral, hard-working professionals.
Improving Productivity: Do Human Relations Theories Provide the Answers?
Authors: Rastogi P.N.
Published: June 2019

Productivity cannot be improved without creating the proper social conditions and individual motivation. What is called for is more than the use of techniques derived from human relations theories.

Organizations have to go beyond profit, growth, and return on investment. They have to pursue goals as efficient producers of goods and services, generators of surpluses, and creators of skills and employment in the service of society, argues P N Rastogi. They have to elevate the moral basis of work in and outside of organizations.
Abstracts Indian Management Research
Authors: Acharya Ravi
Published: June 2019

Abstracts of management research in India are intended to facilitate research in management. The Indian Council of Social Science Research. New Delhi, sponsors the abstracting service.

Vikalpa would very much appreciate it if the authors send a reprint of their articles in management and related disciplines to Vikalpa office. Their inclusion will help render the referencing service complete.

The areas of management covered in the abstracts are: Financial Management. Management Accounting, and Control; Marketing; Organization and Administration; Personnel Management and Industrial Relations; production management, Computers, and Operations Research; General Management; and Policy, Planning, and Development.
Pursuit Beyond Competitiveness and Competitive Advantage
Authors: Xavier M J , Ramachander S
Published: June 2019

In the post-industrial revolution era, the competitiveness paradigm appears to have reached its limits. In this article, the authors discuss the ineffectiveness of the paradigm and propose an approach beyond competition. Their premise is that every individual searches for something everlasting and wants to leave something behind that survives. To support this, they recommend that companies revive and imbibe pre-industrial society value systems that allowed the free expression of ‘the divinery instincts’ in individuals in the form of arts and crafts while maintaining focus and coordination through the use of information technology. They propose a 3Em's path to sustaining corporate performance, viz. Embarkation, Emulation, and Emancipation. They propose that companies should quickly get over the first two phases and get on to the emancipation phase where they concentrate on setting their own standards rather than frittering away their u energy in outsmarting competition.
Asoka Spintex
Authors: Gupta Parvinder
Published: June 2019

The October-December 1999 (Vol 24, No 4) issue of Vikalpa had published a Management Case titled “Asoka Spintex” by Parvinder Gupta. The case had focused on the turnaround of Asoka Spintex from an ailing company in 1987 to a growing company in the year 1997. We had requested the readers to respond to the question: What strategies should Anang Lalbhai adopt for the long-term survival of the company?

In this issue, we are featuring three responses on the case by Pradip N Khandwalla, S Ramnarayan and Niti Pandey, and N Ravichandran.

Asoka Spintex, a Lalbhai group company, was set up in 1920 in Ahmedabad, Gujarat, to manufacture coarse and medium fabrics with a capacity of 13,000 spindles and 350 looms. Since its inception, the company did reasonably well. However, the balance sheet for the year 1987 showed cash loss for the first time in three decades. The company was on the verge of closure in 1991-92; however, subsequently, it started showing positive results. The case discusses the background of Asoka Spintex, the troubled times (1985-1990), the phase of uncertainties (mid 1990-mid 1992), the phase of struggles and challenges (1992-1995), and the phase of consolidation and growth (1995-1997). The case concludes with a discussion on the future plans of Asoka Spintex.
A Trading Strategy for the Indian Stock Market: Analysis and Implications
Authors: Karmakar Madhusudan , Chakraborty Madhumita
Published: June 2019

A curious seasonality reported in finance is the monthly effect which implies that the mean daily return for stock is positive and higher during the first half of the month than the second half. Another related anomaly is the turn-of-the-month effect which is said to exist when the average daily return at the turn of the month is significantly higher than the daily return on the remain ing days of the month. This paper examines both the monthly effect and the turn-of-themonth effect in the Indian stock market by applying two different approaches: calendar day approach and trading day approach. The results of both the approaches reveal significantly higher return at the first half of the month than that of the second half and abnormally high returns at the turn of the month. Various explanations for the ob served anomalies have been considered including the problem of ‘data mining,’ proxy of other anomalies, etc., but none could provide adequate explanations for the observed intra-month return regularities. However, based on the findings, the study tries to evolve certain trading strategies which would benefit in the decision making of the investors concerned with timing of stock purchases and sales.
Polycarb Chemicals Limited
Authors: Ravichandran T , Banerjee Tuhin S
Published: June 2019

This case presents some of the issues in commercializing an innovation by first generation entrepreneurs in the Indian context. The case also demonstrates that a successful technical/technological innovation may not necessarily result in commercial success. Specifically, this case illustrates the problems encountered by some scientists (first generation entrepreneurs) who were euphoric about their innovation and subsequently over the recognition received for their innovation from government and other related agencies but failed to foresee the difficulties in commercialization.

Readers are invited to send their responses on the case to Vikalpa office.
Comments on the Empirical Investigation of Women Managers: Their Fears
Authors: john Rosen
Published: June 2019

In the October-December 1999 issue of Vikalpa (Vol 24, No 4), we had published an article titled “Fear of Success among Women Managers” by Sanghamitra Buddhapriya, which was an attempt to study the impact of managerial level and sex-role orientation on fear of success.

In this rejoinder to her article, Rosen John discusses some of the shortcomings of the article especially with regard to the choice of sampling techniques selected and the narrow spectrum from which the respondents were chosen.