bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Bordering through recalibration: Exploring the temporality of the German “Ausbildungsduldung”
Authors: Anne Drangsland Kari
Published: April 2020

The past decades of inquiry into the “what, where, and who” of borders have more recently been followed by an interest in borders’ temporal dimensions. In this article, I contribute to this research by analyzing how border temporalities operate on the scale of the lived experiences of rejected asylum seekers in Germany. My point of departure is the so-called Ausbildungsduldung, which since 2016 has permitted the suspension of deportation for rejected asylum seekers who start vocational training. After three years of training glimmers a promised residency permit. I approach the Ausbildungsduldung as a biopolitical technique of bordering and focus on its temporal aspects. Based on ethnographic fieldwork, I investigate how young Afghan asylum seekers negotiate the Ausbildungsduldung and how they can make its promised future their own. I show how the state deploys techniques of “future giving,” suspension, and deportability to produce skilled workers, and argue that the Ausbildungsduldung works as a bordering technique by producing affective attachments to a particular future trajectory, and by elevating certain ways of dealing with suspension and deportability in support of this trajectory. Showing how migrants are compelled to “wait well” while confined to a condition of deportability, the paper highlights how migrants’ experiences and practices of time become central to processes of bordering.
Inter-governmental Fiscal Transfers in the Presence of Revenue Uncertainty: The Case of Goods and Services Tax (GST) in India
Authors: Mukherjee Sacchidananda
Published: April 2020

A comprehensive multistage Value Added Tax (VAT) system, namely Goods and Services Tax (GST), is introduced in India since 1 July 2017. GST encompasses various taxes from Union and State indirect tax bases, and it is a dual VAT system with concurrent taxation power to Union and State governments. It was envisaged that removal of cascading of taxes and enshrining destination based consumption tax system under GST will encourage investment and improve ease-of-doing business in India. Though it is not right time to comment on success or failure of Indian GST system unless the tax system stabilises, so far revenue mobilisation from GST is not encouraging. The shortfall in GST collection has been acknowledged in the ‘Medium Term Fiscal Policy cum Fiscal Policy Strategy Statement’ of the Union Budget 2019–2020. The genesis of revenue shortfall may be design and structural in nature and/or compliance and tax administration related. However, the uncertainty surrounding GST revenue collection is an issue which needs an in-depth assessment for fiscal management of Union and State governments. The impact of revenue uncertainty will not be restricted to Union finances alone; it will spill over to state finances through inter-governmental fiscal transfers. Therefore, depending on seriousness of the uncertainties associated with GST revenue collection, devising an inter-governmental fiscal transfer framework may be a challenging task for the Fifteenth Finance Commission. Given the information available in the public domain, this article attempts to explore possible causes of revenue shortfall and assess possible impacts of revenue shortfall on Union and State finances.
Political Economy of ASEAN Open Skies Policy: Business Preferences, Competition and Commitment to Economic Integration
Authors: Permana Prayoga , Hoen Herman W. , Holzhacker Ronald L.
Published: April 2020

Despite significant growth of the domestic airline industry, Indonesia was hesitant to ratify the ASEAN Open Skies Policy (OSP) until 2016. One of the recent findings exposed the increasing concern over foreign–domestic airline competition with too little attention in exploring airline aspirations and the potential interplay between the airline preferences and the state interest. This study empirically investigates the dynamics of domestic resistance to the implementation of OSP, and to what extent the interplay of Indonesian airlines’ business preferences, ASEAN contexts and state interests have contributed to the OSP ratification postponement. Taking some lessons from the OSP ratification, we argue that the efforts towards advancing ASEAN economic integration through the open skies are contested domestically when business preferences showed mixed reactions. There has been little agreement on how the OSP could benefit the domestic airlines following their own business strategy. In the meantime, state principles indicated certain priorities for domestic interests, while ASEAN contexts allowed a member state to practice a negotiated move. The study was conducted using a qualitative method, with semi-structured interviews involving three Indonesian airlines (state and privately owned, full service and budget airlines), government officials, a civil society element and the Indonesian national air carriers association.

JEL Classification: F0, F5
A factorial cluster-randomised controlled trial combining home-environmental and early child development interventions to improve child health and development: rationale, trial design and baseline findings
Authors: Hartinger Stella M. , Nuño Nestor , Hattendorf Jan , Verastegui Hector , Karlen Walter , Ortiz Mariela , Mäusezahl Daniel
Published: April 2020

Background

Exposure to unhealthy environments and inadequate child stimulation are main risk factors that affect children’s health and wellbeing in low- and middle-income countries. Interventions that simultaneously address several risk factors at the household level have great potential to reduce these negative effects. We present the design and baseline findings of a cluster-randomised controlled trial to evaluate the impact of an integrated home-environmental intervention package and an early child development programme to improve diarrhoea, acute respiratory infections and childhood developmental outcomes in children under 36 months of age living in resource-limited rural Andean Peru.

Methods

We collected baseline data on children’s developmental performance, health status and demography as well as microbial contamination in drinking water. In a sub-sample of households, we measured indoor kitchen 24-h air concentration levels of carbon monoxide (CO) and fine particulate matter (PM2.5) and CO for personal exposure.

Results

We recruited and randomised 317 children from 40 community-clusters to four study arms. At baseline, all arms had similar health and demographic characteristics, and the developmental status of children was comparable between arms. The analysis revealed that more than 25% of mothers completed primary education, a large proportion of children were stunted and diarrhoea prevalence was above 18%. Fifty-two percent of drinking water samples tested positive for thermo-tolerant coliforms and the occurrence of E.coli was evenly distributed between arms. The mean levels of kitchen PM2.5 and CO concentrations were 213 μg/m3 and 4.8 ppm, respectively.

Conclusions

The trial arms are balanced with respect to most baseline characteristics, such as household air and water pollution, and child development. These results ensure the possible estimation of the trial effectiveness. This trial will yield valuable information for assessing synergic, rational and cost-effective benefits of the combination of home-based interventions.

Trial Registry

ISRCTN-26548981.
Metastatic colorectal cancer prior to expanded RAS assessment: evidence from long-term outcome analysis of a real-life cohort within a dedicated colorectal cancer unit
Authors: Bertero Luca , Spadi Rosella , Osella-Abate Simona , Mariani Sara , Castellano Isabella , Gambella Alessandro , Racca Patrizia , Morino Mario , Cassoni Paola
Published: April 2020

Background

Molecular assessment and treatment of metastatic colorectal cancer (mCRC) quickly evolved during the last decades, hampering longitudinal evaluation of prognostic markers. The aim of this study was to evaluate prognostic predictors of long-term survival in a retrospective series of mCRC, treated prior to the expanded RAS assessment era.

Methods

mCRC cases treated at the Città della Salute e della Scienza University Hospital (Turin, Italy) between January 2004 and December 2012 were evaluated, including cases with ≥ 5-year follow-up only. Long-term survival was defined as an overall survival (OS) ≥ 4 years based on the observed OS interquartile range values. Univariate/multivariate Cox proportional hazards regression models were performed to assess the prognostic significance of the clinical/biological features, while binary logistic regression models were used to verify their associations with long-term survival.

Results

Two hundred and forty-eight mCRC cases were included and analyzed. Sixty out of two hundred and forty-eight (24%) patients were long-term survivors. Univariate binary logistic regression analysis demonstrated a significant association between long-term survival and age at diagnosis < 65 (OR = 2.28, p = 0.007), single metastatic site (OR = 1.89, p = 0.039), surgical resection of metastases (OR = 5.30, p < 0.001), local non-surgical treatment of metastases (OR = 4.74, p < 0.001), and a bevacizumab-including first-line treatment schedule (OR = 2.19, p = 0.024). Multivariate binary logistic regression analysis confirmed the prognostic significance of surgical resection of metastases (OR = 3.96, p < 0.001), local non-surgical treatment of metastases (OR = 3.32, p = 0.001), and of bevacizumab-including first-line treatment schedule (OR = 2.49, p = 0.024).

Conclusion

Long-term survival could be achieved in a significant rate of patients with mCRC even in an era of limited molecular characterization. Local treatment of metastases proved to be a significant predictor of long-term survival.
Unanticipated critical findings on echocardiography in septic patients
Authors: Beesley Sarah J. , Egan Ezekiel , Lanspa Michael J. , Wilson Emily L. , Hirshberg Elliotte L. , Grissom Colin K. , Burk Rebecca , Brown Samuel M.
Published: April 2020

Background

Echocardiography is increasingly performed among septic patients as a routine part of evaluation and management in the intensive care unit (ICU). The rate of unanticipated critical findings (e.g., severe left or right ventricular dysfunction or pericardial tamponade) on such echocardiograms is unknown. We evaluated a retrospective cohort of septic ICU patients in whom transthoracic echocardiography was performed as a routine part of sepsis management. In addition to identifying critical findings, we defined whether each critical finding was anticipated, and whether the clinical team responded to the critical finding. The primary outcome was rate of unanticipated critical findings, which we hypothesized would occur in fewer than 5% of patients. We also performed an exploratory analysis of the association between unanticipated critical finding and mortality, controlling for severity of illness.

Results

We studied 393 patients. Unanticipated critical findings were identified in 5% (95% CI 3–7%) of patients (n = 20). Among the 20 patients with unanticipated critical findings, a response to the unanticipated critical finding was identified in 12 (60%) patients. An unanticipated critical finding was not significantly associated with 28-day mortality when controlling for admission APACHE II (p = 0.27).

Conclusions

Unanticipated critical findings on echocardiograms in septic ICU patients are uncommon. The potential therapeutic relevance of echocardiography to sepsis is more likely related to hemodynamic management than to traditional cardiac diagnoses. Research studies that employ blinded echocardiograms in septic patients may anticipate unblinding for critical findings approximately 1 in every 20 echocardiograms.
Industrial dry spinning processes: algorithmic for a two-phase fiber model in airflows
Authors: Wieland Manuel , Arne Walter , Marheineke Nicole , Wegener Raimund
Published: April 2020

The dry spinning of fibers can be described by three-dimensional multi-phase flow models that contain key effects like solvent evaporation and fiber-air interaction. Since the direct numerical simulation of the three-dimensional models is in general not possible, dimensionally reduced models are deduced. We recently developed a one-two-dimensional fiber model and presented a problem-tailored numerical solution strategy in Wieland et al. (J Comput Phys 384:326–348, 2019). However, in view of industrial setups with multiple fibers spun simultaneously the numerical schemes must be accelerated to achieve feasible simulation times. The bottleneck builds the computation of the radial concentration and temperature profiles as well as their cross-sectionally averaged values. In this paper we address this issue and develop efficient numerical algorithms.
Machine learning for screening prioritization in systematic reviews: comparative performance of Abstrackr and EPPI-Reviewer
Authors: Tsou Amy Y. , Treadwell Jonathan R. , Erinoff Eileen , Schoelles Karen
Published: April 2020

Background

Improving the speed of systematic review (SR) development is key to supporting evidence-based medicine. Machine learning tools which semi-automate citation screening might improve efficiency. Few studies have assessed use of screening prioritization functionality or compared two tools head to head. In this project, we compared performance of two machine-learning tools for potential use in citation screening.

Methods

Using 9 evidence reports previously completed by the ECRI Institute Evidence-based Practice Center team, we compared performance of Abstrackr and EPPI-Reviewer, two off-the-shelf citations screening tools, for identifying relevant citations. Screening prioritization functionality was tested for 3 large reports and 6 small reports on a range of clinical topics. Large report topics were imaging for pancreatic cancer, indoor allergen reduction, and inguinal hernia repair. We trained Abstrackr and EPPI-Reviewer and screened all citations in 10% increments. In Task 1, we inputted whether an abstract was ordered for full-text screening; in Task 2, we inputted whether an abstract was included in the final report. For both tasks, screening continued until all studies ordered and included for the actual reports were identified. We assessed potential reductions in hypothetical screening burden (proportion of citations screened to identify all included studies) offered by each tool for all 9 reports.

Results

For the 3 large reports, both EPPI-Reviewer and Abstrackr performed well with potential reductions in screening burden of 4 to 49% (Abstrackr) and 9 to 60% (EPPI-Reviewer). Both tools had markedly poorer performance for 1 large report (inguinal hernia), possibly due to its heterogeneous key questions. Based on McNemar’s test for paired proportions in the 3 large reports, EPPI-Reviewer outperformed Abstrackr for identifying articles ordered for full-text review, but Abstrackr performed better in 2 of 3 reports for identifying articles included in the final report. For small reports, both tools provided benefits but EPPI-Reviewer generally outperformed Abstrackr in both tasks, although these results were often not statistically significant.

Conclusions

Abstrackr and EPPI-Reviewer performed well, but prioritization accuracy varied greatly across reports. Our work suggests screening prioritization functionality is a promising modality offering efficiency gains without giving up human involvement in the screening process.
Exploring the prevalence of gaming disorder and Internet gaming disorder: a rapid scoping review
Authors: Darvesh Nazia , Radhakrishnan Amruta , Lachance Chantelle C. , Nincic Vera , Sharpe Jane P. , Ghassemi Marco , Straus Sharon E. , Tricco Andrea C.
Published: April 2020

Background

Internet gaming disorder (IGD) was included in the DSM-5 in 2013 as a condition requiring further research, and gaming disorder (GD) was included in the ICD-11 in 2018. Given the importance of including these conditions in diagnostic guidelines, a review was conducted to describe their prevalence.

Methods

Using guidance from the Joanna Briggs Institute and the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses extension for Scoping Reviews (PRISMA-ScR), we conducted a rapid scoping review. MEDLINE, Embase, PsycINFO, and the Cochrane library were searched for literature published from inception to July 2018. All review stages were pilot-tested to calibrate reviewers. The titles/abstracts and full-text articles were screened by one reviewer to include quantitative primary studies that reported GD or IGD prevalence. Excluded citations were screened by a second reviewer to confirm exclusion. Charting was conducted by one reviewer and verified by another, to capture relevant data. Results were summarized descriptively in tables or text.

Results

We assessed 5550 potentially relevant citations. No studies on GD were identified. We found 160 studies of various designs that used 35 different methods to diagnose IGD. The prevalence of IGD ranged from 0.21–57.50% in general populations, 3.20–91.00% in clinical populations, and 50.42–79.25% in populations undergoing intervention (severe cases). Most studies were conducted in the Republic of Korea (n = 45), China (n = 29), and the USA (n = 20). Results are also presented for severe IGD and by geographic region, gender/sex, and age groups (child, adolescent, adult). The five most frequently reported health-related variables were depression (67 times), Internet addiction (54 times), anxiety (48 times), impulsiveness (37 times), and attention-deficit hyperactivity disorder (24 times).

Conclusions

Due to the variability in diagnostic approaches, knowledge users should interpret the wide IGD prevalence ranges with caution. In addition to further research on GD, consensus on the definition of IGD and how it is measured is needed, to better understand the prevalence of these conditions.
A protocol for a systematic review and meta-analysis of the diagnostic accuracy of mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin in predicting invasive bacterial infection in children
Authors: Corr Michael , Waterfield Thomas , Fairley Derek , McKenna James , Shields Michael D.
Published: April 2020

Background

The early recognition of invasive bacterial infections (IBI) in children can be difficult. Clinically it is often challenging to differentiate between the early stages of an IBI and a benign self-limiting viral infection. These challenges mandate a cautious approach resulting in the overuse of antimicrobial drugs with resultant antimicrobial resistance. Due to these challenges, there is growing research into the role of biomarkers for the early identification of children with IBI. Earlier and more accurate diagnoses may lead to improved clinical outcomes for children and reduced antimicrobial resistance. Mid-regional pro-adrenomedullin (MR-proADM) is a biomarker that has been shown to be elevated in patients with IBI. The aim of this systematic review is to determine the diagnostic accuracy of MR-proADM at identifying children with IBI.

Methods

To identify relevant studies we will search MEDLINE, Embase, Web of Science and Scopus from 1980 to the present day for all human clinical trials involving children that report the test accuracy of MR-proADM. We will include case-control studies, cohort studies and randomised control trials reported in any language. In addition, we will hand-search reference lists and grey literature including conference abstracts and web searches. Two reviewers will independently screen study titles and abstracts for eligibility followed by full-text assessment and data extraction including population, setting, timing and use of index test and reference standard used. Methodological quality will be assessed, by two authors, according to the revised tool for the quality assessment of diagnostic accuracy studies (QUADAS-2), any discrepancies will be resolved by a third author. The following test characteristics will be extracted into 2 × 2 tables for all included studies: true positives, false positives, true negatives and false negatives. Study-specific estimates of sensitivity and specificity with 95% confidence intervals will be displayed in forest plots.

Discussion

This review will report the normal ranges for MR-proADM in health and the diagnostic accuracy of MR-proADM at identifying children with IBI. The review will help to define where in the diagnostic pathway MR-proADM could be useful including potential as a point-of-care test for children at first presentation with IBI.

Systematic review registration

PROSPERO CRD42018096295
Linking individuals on probation to health care: a pilot randomized trial
Authors: O’Connell Daniel J. , Visher Christy A. , Becker Patricia
Published: April 2020

Background

Probation offices represent a location where at-risk individuals in need of health care appear on a known and regular basis. We sought to study how providing linkages to health care could improve the proportion of underserved, justice-involved individuals accessing the health care system. This study tested a linkage and referral to health care intervention for individuals on probation designed by a local change team that brought together actors from multiple agencies and tasked them with increasing general practitioner physician access for probationers. The pilot trial randomized 400 individuals on probation in Delaware during 2016–2018 to determine the effectiveness of placing a health navigator in an urban probation office to refer people to an appointment with a primary care physician. The project also tested the impact of offering an incentive to probationers for attending a doctor’s appointment.

Results

Referral by a health navigator to a primary care physician was associated with a modest but significant increase in the proportion of individuals accessing care through a general practitioner physician. Offering an incentive had no significant impact on keeping the medical appointment above the effect of referral by the health navigator.

Conclusions

Probation offices represent a location where at-risk individuals in need of health care appear on a known and regular basis. This study highlights how providing linkages to health care can improve the proportion of underserved individuals accessing the health care system.
Price variation among different brands of anticancer medicines available in hospital pharmacies of Nepal
Authors: Shrestha Sunil , Poudel Ramesh Sharma , KC Bhuvan , Poudel Bhupendra Kumar , Sapkota Binaya , Sharma Sabina , Khadka Anil
Published: April 2020

Objective

To assess the variation in price among different brands of anticancer medicines available in hospital pharmacies at Nepalese cancer hospitals.

Methods

The price of different brands of the same anticancer medicines available in the hospital pharmacies of two cancer hospitals was assessed. Prices of different dosage forms such as a single tablet, capsule and vial were calculated. The difference in the maximum and minimum price of the same drug manufactured by different pharmaceutical industries was determined, and the percentage variation in price was calculated. The prices of medicines (brands) were also compared with the price determined by the government where available.

Results

Price variation was assessed for 31 anticancer medicines belonging to six broad categories. Prices were found to vary maximally among the following medicines, each belonging to separate categories: among alkylating agents, the price of temozolomide 100 mg capsule varied 308%; among antimetabolite agents, the price of pemetrexed 500 mg injection varied 134%; among hormonal drugs, the price of letrozole 2.5 mg tablet varied 200%; among antibody class, the price of trastuzumab 440 mg injection varied 73%; among natural products, the price of irinotecan 100 mg injection varied 590%; and among miscellaneous agents, the price of bortezomib 2 mg injection varied 241%. There was a significant difference in the mean MRP of the alkylating agents with the antimetabolites (p-value 0.006) and the monoclonal antibody (p-value <.001). Antimetabolites, natural products, hormonal therapy all had significant mean differences in their MRPs with the monoclonal antibodies. (p-value <.001) and the monoclonal antibodies had a significant mean difference in the MRP with the miscellaneous agents. (p-value <.001).

Conclusions

There was a considerable variation in the price of different brands of anticancer medicines available in the Nepalese market. The Government of Nepal has regulated the prices of some medicines, including anticancer medicine. However, it is not enough as prices of the majority of anticancer medicines are still not regulated. Therefore, further strategies are needed to address the variation in the prices of anticancer medicines available in the Nepalese market.
Burden and risk factors for snakebite in India: protocol for a systematic review
Authors: Bhaumik Soumyadeep , Norton Robyn , Jagnoor Jagnoor
Published: April 2020

Introduction: Snakebite is a neglected tropical disease with a high burden in South and South-East Asia and sub-Saharan Africa. In 2019, the World Health Organization (WHO) released a roadmap which aims for a 50% reduction in death and disability due to snakebite globally by 2030. It is estimated that India has the highest number of snakebite deaths in the world.

Objective: To synthesize evidence on the burden (incidence/ prevalence, mortality, morbidity, health facility and economic), and risk factors for snakebite in India.

Methods: We will search for peer-reviewed literature and grey literature in six electronic databases (MEDLINE, EMBASE, Global Health, PsychInfo, CENTRAL, SafetyLit) and hand-search IndMed, conference abstracts, relevant websites and citation tracking. Two reviewers will screen and extract data independently with a third reviewer acting as an arbiter for any inconsistencies. Quality of the included studies will be assessed using the Joanna Briggs Institute (JBI) critical appraisal tools.

For burden, data from facility based and community-based studies will be synthesised and reported separately, except for studies conducted concurrently. We will conduct meta-analysis for community-based studies at state-level for incidence/prevalence, mortality and morbidity , if appropriate. The PROGRESS Plus lens will be used to explore equity .

Analyses for each individual risk factor-outcome pair will be conducted and reported separately. If appropriate, meta-analyses will be conducted as per JBI guidelines, assessing heterogeneity using Tau-squared, Cochran’s Q test and Chi-squared (p > 0.05) tests. We plan to conduct sub-group analyses based on pre-specific parameters. A funnel plot will be generated if there are more than nine studies included in a specific meta-analysis, to assess publication bias

When meta-analysis is not appropriate, structured tabulation of results across studies and/or by vote counting based on the direction of effect as per guidelines in the Cochrane Handbook.
First derivative ATR-FTIR spectroscopic method as a green tool for the quantitative determination of diclofenac sodium tablets
Authors: Fahelelbom Khairi M. S. , Saleh Abdullah , Mansour Ramez , Sayed Sadik
Published: April 2020

Background: Attenuated total reflection-Fourier transform infrared (ATR-FTIR) spectroscopy is a rapid quantitative method which has been applied for pharmaceutical analysis. This work describes the utility of first derivative ATR-FTIR spectroscopy in the quantitative determination of diclofenac sodium tablets.

Methods: This analytical quantitative technique depends on a first derivative measurement of the area of infrared bands corresponding to the CO stretching range of 1550-1605 cm-1. The specificity, linearity, detection limits, precision and accuracy of the calibration curve, the infrared analysis and data manipulation were determined in order to validate the method. The statistical results were compared with other methods for the quantification of diclofenac sodium.

Results: The excipients in the commercial tablet preparation did not interfere with the assay. Excellent linearity was found for the drug concentrations in the range 0.2 – 1.5 w/w %.  (r2= 0.9994). Precision of the method was assessed by the repeated analysis of diclofenac sodium tablets; the results obtained showed small standard deviation and relative standard deviation values, which indicates that the method is quite precise. The high percentage of recovery of diclofenac sodium tablets (99.81, 101.54 and 99.41%) demonstrate the compliance of the obtained recoveries with the pharmacopeial percent recovery. The small limit of detection and limit of quantification values (0.0528 and 0.1599 w/w %, respectively) obtained by this method indicate the high sensitivity of the method.

Conclusions: First derivative ATR-FTIR spectroscopy showed high accuracy and precision, is considered as nondestructive, green, low cost and rapid, and can be applied easily for the pharmaceutical quantitative determination of diclofenac sodium tablet formulations.
Oral squamous cell carcinoma: metastasis, potentially associated malignant disorders, etiology and recent advancements in diagnosis
Authors: Bugshan Amr , Farooq Imran
Published: April 2020

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is a commonly occurring head and neck cancer. It has a high prevalence in certain parts of the world, and is associated with a high mortality rate. In this review, we describe metastasis related to OSCC, and disorders that could lead to OSCC with common etiological factors. In addition, a brief account of the diagnosis of OSCC and role of salivary biomarkers in its early detection has also been highlighted. Google Scholar and PubMed search engines were searched with keywords including “oral squamous cell carcinoma”, “OSCC”, “oral cancer”, “potentially malignant disorders in oral cavity”, “etiological factors of OSCC”,  “diagnosis of OSCC”, and “salivary biomarkers and OSCC” to gather the literature for this review. The review concludes that OSCC has the potential for regional as well as distant metastasis, and many potentially malignant diseases can transform into OSCC with the help of various etiological factors. Diagnosis of OSCC involves traditional biopsy, but salivary biomarkers could also be utilized for early recognition.
Prediction of local COVID-19 spread in Heidelberg
Authors: Koeppel Lisa , Gottschalk Claudius , Welker Andreas , Knorr Britta , Denkinger Claudia M.
Published: April 2020

Since the first identified case of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, the disease has developed into a pandemic, imposing a major challenge for health authorities and hospitals worldwide. Mathematical transmission models can help hospitals to anticipate and prepare for an upcoming wave of patients by forecasting the time and severity of infections. Taking the city of Heidelberg as an example, we predict the ongoing spread of the disease for the next months including hospital and ventilator capacity and consider the possible impact of currently imposed countermeasures.
A living systematic review protocol for COVID-19 clinical trial registrations
Authors: Maguire Brittany J. , Guérin Philippe J.
Published: April 2020

Since the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak was identified in December 2019 in Wuhan, China, a strong response from the research community has been observed with the proliferation of independent clinical trials assessing diagnostic methods, therapeutic and prophylactic strategies. While there is no intervention for the prevention or treatment of COVID-19 with proven clinical efficacy to date, tools to distil the current research landscape by intervention, level of evidence and those studies likely powered to address future research questions is essential.

This living systematic review aims to provide an open, accessible and frequently updated resource summarising the characteristics of COVID-19 clinical trial registrations. Weekly search updates of the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) and source registries will be conducted. Data extraction by two independent reviewers of trial characteristic variables including categorisation of trial design, geographic location, intervention type and targets, level of evidence and intervention adaptability to low resource settings will be completed. Descriptive and thematic synthesis will be conducted.

A searchable and interactive visualisation of the results database will be created, and made openly available online. Weekly results from the continued search updates will be published and made available on the Infectious Diseases Data Observatory (IDDO) website (COVID-19 website).

This living systematic review will provide a useful resource of COVID-19 clinical trial registrations for researchers in a rapidly evolving context. In the future, this sustained review will allow prioritisation of research targets for individual patient data meta-analysis.
Continuity of Preschool and Primary School Education (to the Problem Statement)
Authors: Kartvelishvili N.
Published: April 2020

The article explores the problem of ensuring continuity between preschool education and primary school education. The approaches to the

interpretation of the concept of “continuity” are considered. The main directions for the implementation of continuity are identified, which relate

to the content, forms and methods of organizing the educational activities of preschoolers and elementary school students. The continuity of

preschool and primary school education is presented as a unity of its components such as target, substantive and organizational-activity
The Use of the Project Method in the Development of Students of the Second – Fourth Grades of the Russian Language Program
Authors: Oleynik O.
Published: April 2020

The article reveals the experience of using the project activities of younger schoolchildren in the process of forming their informed literacy when

learning the Russian language. Examples of projects are described in which various language problems are solved. A course “Extracurricular

activities”, created by the author taking into account the requirements of the Federal State Educational Standard of Primary General Education

and the Russian language program for extracurricular activities, is offered. The course content includes a variety of didactic word games, game

exercises that stimulate students’ interest in the Russian language, develop their imagination and creative abilities.
Concentración bancaria, competencia y estabilidad financiera en Colombia
Authors: Torres Alejandro , Castaño Juan David
Published: April 2020

El aumento reciente en los niveles de concentración y regulación de los sistemas financieros alrededor del mundo ha revivido el debate sobre la relación entre concentración bancaria, competencia y estabilidad financiera. En este trabajo se analiza la relación entre estas variables para el caso colombiano a partir del uso de diferentes indicadores de concentración y competencia relevantes en la literatura. Los resultados obtenidos confirman la existencia de un fuerte proceso de concentración del mercado bancario durante la última década, que ha estado acompañado a su vez de una disminución en el nivel de competencia entre los participantes. Sin embargo, este proceso no ha comprometido la estabilidad financiera. Pese a ello, se evidencia la existencia de una relación no lineal entre estas variables, que sugiere que no es recomendable continuar aumentando los niveles de concentración a futuro.
Expectations-Based Loss Aversion in Auctions with Interdependent Values: Extensive vs. Intensive Risk
Authors: Balzer Benjamin , Rosato Antonio
Published: April 2020

We analyze the bidding behavior of expectations-based loss-averse bidders in auctions with interdependent values. We emphasize the difference between the risk bidders face over whether they win the auction (extensive risk) and the risk they face over the value of the prize conditional on winning (intensive risk). The extensive risk creates an “attachment” effect, whereas the intensive risk operates via a “comparison” effect. How loss-averse bidders react to these different risks depends on whether they incorporate their bid into their reference point. Under “unacclimating personal equilibrium” (UPE), where bidders keep their expectations fixed when choosing their bids, both the extensive and intensive risks induce them to bid more aggressively. Moreover, bidders are exposed to the “winner’s curse” and a seller can attain higher revenue by hiding information in order to leverage the intensive risk. By contrast, under “choice-acclimating personal equilibrium” (CPE), where a bid determines both the reference lottery and the outcome lottery, the intensive risk creates a “precautionary bidding” effect that pushes bidders to behave less aggressively; whether this effect is reinforced or undermined by the extensive risk depends on a bidder’s likelihood of winning the auction. Furthermore, bidders are less aggressive than under UPE and can be subject to a “loser’s curse.” Yet, by committing to bidding less aggressively, such as by engaging in proxy bidding, loss-averse bidders are better off under CPE than UPE.

This paper was accepted by Ilia Tsetlin, decision analysis.
Exploring problematic substance use among registered midwives
Authors: Pezaro Sally
Published: April 2020

A national call for midwives to participate in research to explore their own and others' personal substance use
What is a professional midwifery advocate?
Authors: Kerelo Sydney
Published: April 2020

Sydney Kerelo hones in on the new job role that will offer support to midwives dealing with career stressors
First week on the job
Authors: Wilson Alice
Published: April 2020

Following three years of study, it was time to step out into the role Alice Wilson had been training for. Here, she recounts her first week as a newly qualified midwife
Dental nursing – a career of aspirations and possibilities
Authors: Reed Debbie
Published: April 2020

Dental nurse Dr Debbie Reed on the key considerations before embarking on a fresh return to study
Gingival Veneers
Authors: Venugopal Sumalatha , Garnett Matthew , Lim Ghee Seong
Published: April 2020

This paper aims to present information about the provision of gingival prostheses or gingival veneers. These appliances are most commonly provided for patients with gingival recession and attachment loss. The paper will highlight the indications and advantages for providing prostheses, and inform the reader of the risks or complications that may arise. The clinical and laboratory stages will be explained and advice provided on maintenance. A case series will demonstrate some of the patient-related benefits and difficulties that can be encountered. A final aspect to the paper will present the results of a survey undertaken in the north-east of England, exploring the provision of these appliances in primary care.

CPD/Clinical Relevance: Good aesthetics relating to the gingival margin can be difficult to achieve and the use of gingival veneers may provide a solution.
Reconceptualizing hegemony in a global American century
Authors: Skerritt Leon
Published: April 2020

The concept of hegemony has been a mainstay in academic discourse since Greek writers coined the term during the conflicts between city states in ancient times. However, it was not until Antonio Gramsci produced his unfinished, seminal work, thePrison Notebooks, that the concept became a topic of intense discussion in the political sphere. Hegemony has been applied to the international global system relatively unchanged from Gramsci's social application of the concept. Whilst the underlying principles of Gramsci's conception can be applied in international relations without issue, some aspects are not so forthcoming. It is the intention of this paper to attempt to fill the void in international relations theory and provide a succinct and robust re-conception of Hegemony, how to attain it and maintain it. There will be no reinvention of the wheel; Hegemony will still mean dominance over all. Only now there will be a specific conception that can be applied to the current globalized liberal system.The Four Waves of Hegemonyare presented here as an alternative to the current conception. Whilst there are inherent limitations mainly being the scope and size of the work presented, these are addressed and signposted for further research.
Capital Outflow and the Place of Russia in Core–Periphery Relationships
Authors: Komolov Oleg
Published: April 2020

The problem of capital outflow from the Russian economy is considered in three aspects: export of capital, flight of capital and drain of capital. Permanent net capital outflow through private and public channels allows the state to devalue the ruble and create a favorable environment for export-oriented mining industries. This circumstance, firstly, inhibits the qualitative growth of the Russian economy, and secondly, is a sign of its peripheral nature in the global capitalism.
Digressions on Davis and the Natterjack Toad
Authors: Haskell Dennis
Published: April 2020

A series of humorous anecdotes about the author’s friendship with Geoff Davis and a poem written in his honour.
A totara has fallen
Authors: Prentice Chris
Published: April 2020

A tribute to Geoff Davis as a committed Commonwealth scholar and promotor of Inclusive Education, Indigenous Rights and Climate Justice.
An Open Letter to Geoff Davis
Authors: Riemenschneider Dieter
Published: April 2020

An open letter in which the author remembers the various conferences in which he coincided with Geoff and the friendship that the two built up over the years.
Empathy for the Dispossessed
Authors: Devy Ganesh
Published: April 2020

A brief history of how Geoff Davis became involved with the Adivasi Academy in Baroda and how the Chotro conferences came into being
Imaging of surface plasmon polaritons in low-loss highly metallic titanium nitride thin films in visible and infrared regimes
Authors: Gadalla Mena N. , Chaudhary Kundan , Zgrabik Christine M. , Capasso Federico , Hu Evelyn L.
Published: April 2020

Titanium nitride (TiN) has been identified as a promising refractory material for high temperature plasmonic applications such as surface plasmon polaritons (SPPs) waveguides, lasers and light sources, and near field optics. Such SPPs are sensitive not only to the highly metallic nature of the TiN, but also to its low loss. We have formed highly metallic, low-loss TiN thin films on MgO substrates to create SPPs with resonances between 775-825 nm. Scanning near-field optical microscopy (SNOM) allowed imaging of the SPP fringes, the accurate determination of the effective wavelength of the SPP modes, and propagation lengths greater than 10 microns. Further, we show the engineering of the band structure of the plasmonic modes in TiN in the mid-IR regime and experimentally demonstrate, for the first time, the ability of TiN to support Spoof Surface Plasmon Polaritons in the mid-IR (6 microns wavelength).
Low-cost biosensors based on a plasmonic random laser on fiber facet
Authors: Shi Xiaoyu , Ge Kun , Tong Jun-Hua , Zhai Tianrui
Published: April 2020

Low-cost and miniaturized biosensors are key factors leading to the possibility of portable and integrated biomedical system, which play an important role in clinical medicine and life sciences. Random lasers with simple structures provide opportunities for detecting biomolecules. Here, low-cost biosensors on fiber facet for label-free detecting biomolecules are demonstrated based on a plasmonic random laser. The random laser is achieved resorting to a self-assembled plasmonic scattering structure of Ag nanoparticles and polymer film on fiber facet. Refractive index sensitivity and near-surface sensitivity of the biosensor are systematically studied. Furthermore, the biosensor is used to detect IgG through specific binding to protein A, exhibiting the detecting limit of 0.68 nM. It is believed that this work may promote the applications of a plasmonic random laser bio-probe in portable or integrated medical diagnostic platforms, and provide fundamental understanding for the life science.
Calibration of paracatadioptric cameras based on sphere images and pole-polar relationship
Authors: Zhao Yue , Wang Siwen , You Jian
Published: April 2020

With a paracatadioptric camera, according to the projective antipodal properties of the space sphere in the unit sphere model, two infinity points and a symmetric axis can be obtained. On the image plane, the image of the symmetric axis is the vanishing point’s polar with respect to the image of the absolute conic (IAC), and an infinity point is orthogonal to the polar direction of a circle. Thus, we obtain three vanishing points orthogonal to each other. This study extends research into the internal sphere parameters and the vanishing point in a paracatadioptric camera. The results of tests confirm the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed calibration algorithms.
Widefield light sheet microscopy using an Airy beam combined with deep-learning super-resolution
Authors: Corsetti Stella , Wijesinghe Philip , Poulton Persephone B. , Sakata Shuzo , Vyas Khushi , Simon Herrington C. , Nylk Jonathan , Gasparoli Federico , Dholakia Kishan
Published: April 2020

Imaging across length scales and in depth has been an important pursuit of widefield optical imaging. This promises to reveal fine cellular detail within a widefield snapshot of a tissue sample. Current advances often sacrifice resolution through selective sub-sampling to provide a wide field of view in a reasonable time scale. We demonstrate a new avenue for recovering high-resolution images from sub-sampled data in light sheet microscopy using deep-learning super-resolution. We combine this with the use of a widefield Airy beam to achieve high-resolution imaging over extended fields of view and depths. We characterise our method on fluorescent beads as test targets. We then demonstrate improvements in imaging amyloid plaques in a cleared brain from a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, and in excised healthy and cancerous colon and breast tissues. This development can be widely applied in all forms of light sheet microscopy to provide a two-fold increase in the dynamic range of the imaged length scale. It has the potential to provide further insight into neuroscience, developmental biology, and histopathology.
Horizontal GeSn/Ge multi-quantum-well ridge waveguide LEDs on silicon substrates
Authors: Peng Linzhi , Li Xiuli , Liu Zhi , Liu Xiangquan , Zheng Jun , Xue Chunlai , Zuo Yuhua , Cheng Buwen
Published: April 2020

A horizontal

p
−
i
−
n

ridge waveguide emitter on a silicon (100) substrate with a

Ge

0.91

Sn

0.09

/
Ge

multi-quantum-well (MQW) active layer was fabricated by molecular beam epitaxy. The device structure was designed to reduce light absorption of metal electrodes and improve injection efficiency. Electroluminescence (EL) at a wavelength of 2160 nm was observed at room temperature. Theoretical calculations indicate that the emission peak corresponds well to the direct bandgap transition (

n

1
Γ

−

n

1
H
H

). The light output power was about 2.0 μW with an injection current density of

200
  
kA
/

cm

2

. These results show that the horizontal GeSn/Ge MQW ridge waveguide emitters have great prospects for group-IV light sources.
Blind position detection for large field-of-view scattering imaging
Authors: Wang Xiaoyu , Jin Xin , Li Junqi
Published: April 2020

Prior-free imaging beyond the memory effect (ME) is critical to seeing through the scattering media. However, methods proposed to exceed the ME range have suffered from the availability of prior information of imaging targets. Here, we propose a blind target position detection for large field-of-view scattering imaging. Only exploiting two captured multi-target near-field speckles at different imaging distances, the unknown number and locations of the isolated imaging targets are blindly reconstructed via the proposed scaling-vector-based detection. Autocorrelations can be calculated for the speckle regions centered by the derived positions via low-cross-talk region allocation strategy. Working with the modified phase retrieval algorithm, the complete scene of the multiple targets exceeding the ME range can be reconstructed without any prior information. The effectiveness of the proposed algorithm is verified by testing on a real scattering imaging system.