bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A regret-based route choice model with asymmetric preference in a stochastic network
Authors: Zhao Lei , Guan Hongzhi , Zhang Xinjie , Wu Xiongbin
Published: August 2018

In this study, a stochastic user equilibrium model on the modified random regret minimization is proposed by incorporating the asymmetric preference for gains and losses to describe its effects on the regret degree of travelers. Travelers are considered to be capable of perceiving the gains and losses of attributes separately when comparing between the alternatives. Compared to the stochastic user equilibrium model on the random regret minimization model, the potential difference of emotion experienced induced by the loss and gain in the equal size is jointly caused by the taste parameter and loss aversion of travelers in the proposed model. And travelers always tend to use the routes with the minimum perceived regret in the travel decision processes. In addition, the variational inequality problem of the stochastic user equilibrium model on the modified random regret minimization model is given, and the characteristics of its solution are discussed. A route-based solution algorithm is used to resolve the problem. Numerical results given by a three-route network show that the loss aversion produces a great impact on travelers’ choice decisions and the model can more flexibly capture the choice behavior than the existing models.
Proximal humerus fracture–dislocation managed by mini-open reduction and percutaneous screw fixation
Authors: Johnson NA , Pandey R
Published: August 2018

Background

We describe a minimally open reduction and percutaneous fixation technique for three- and four-part proximal humeral fracture–dislocations which preserves soft tissues.

Methods

Eleven consecutive patients with three-and four-part proximal humeral fracture–dislocations (eight anterior, three posterior dislocations) were treated this way. The dislocation is reduced using a mini-open deltopectoral approach with a horizontal split in subscapularis. Fracture fragments are fixed with percutaneous screws. Constant and Oxford Shoulder Score were collected prospectively.

Results

Mean age was 51 years (range 32–65). Mean follow-up was 36 months (range 24–72 months). At last follow-up mean Constant score was 75 (range 64–86) compared to 88 (range 85–92) for the uninjured shoulder. Mean Oxford shoulder score was 41 (range 34–46). One patient developed avascular necrosis. Screw back out was seen in three patients. These were removed under local anaesthesia. There were no screw penetrations of articular surface. One patient suffered a radial nerve neuropraxia which resolved.

Conclusion

These results are promising and comparable to published literature with other means of fixation for this complex problem. Due to minimal soft tissue dissection the complications rate is low.
Disseminated leptomeningeal tumour mimicking a subarachnoid haemorrhage
Authors: Teoh Suliana , Hofer Monika , Kerr Richard , Warner Nicola , Kueker Wilhelm , Rothwell Peter M , Zamboni Giovanna
Published: August 2018

This article describes an unusual presentation of disseminated oligodendroglial-like leptomeningeal tumour. A previously healthy 23-year-old Caucasian woman presented with headache, photophobia and recurrent seizures. Initial investigations were suggestive of subarachnoid haemorrhage. Her symptoms deteriorated rapidly and within weeks she developed complete blindness and diffuse sensory ataxia. The aim of this article is to increase awareness of this rare disease, especially in patients who present with acute, rapidly progressive neurological symptoms with signs of acute or chronic central nervous system bleeding.
Principle of rational prescribing and deprescribing in older adults with multiple chronic conditions
Authors: Ouellet Gregory M. , Ouellet Jennifer A. , Tinetti Mary E.
Published: August 2018

Although the majority of older adults in the developed world live with multiple chronic conditions (MCCs), the task of selecting optimal treatment regimens is still fraught with difficulty. Older adults with MCCs may derive less benefit from prescribed medications than healthier patients as a result of the competing risk of several possible outcomes including, but not limited to, death before a benefit can be accrued. In addition, these patients may be at increased risk of medication-related harms in the form of adverse effects and significant burdens of treatment. At present, the balance of these benefits and harms is often uncertain, given that older adults with MCCs are often excluded from clinical trials. In this review, we propose a framework to consider patients’ own priorities to achieve optimal treatment regimens. To begin, the practicing clinician needs information on the patient’s goals, what the patient is willing and able to do to achieve these goals, an estimate of the patient’s clinical trajectory, and what the patient is actually taking. We then describe how to integrate this information to understand what matters most to the patient in the context of an array of potential tradeoffs. Finally, we propose conducting serial therapeutic trials of prescribing and deprescribing, with success measured as progress towards the patient’s own health outcome goals. The process described in this manuscript is truly an iterative process, which should be repeated regularly to account for changes in the patient’s priorities and clinical status. With this process, we aim to achieve optimal prescribing, that is, treatment regimens that maximize benefits that matter to the patient and minimize burdens and potential harms.
Not Just the Facts: Adjudicator Bias and Decisions of the Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (2006–2011)
Authors: Colaiacovo Innessa
Published: August 2018

The Immigration and Refugee Board of Canada (IRB) is Canada's largest administrative tribunal. The Refugee Protection Division (RPD) of the IRB is responsible for the adjudication of refugee claims made in Canada. In accordance with its obligations under international law, Canada grants protection to persons who have a well-founded fear of persecution because of race, nationality, religion, political opinion, or membership in a particular social group. In addition, a person may request protection in Canada on the basis of his or her fear of torture, risk to life or risk of cruel and unusual treatment or punishment. Acceptance (approval) rates of claims vary widely across members of the IRB, with some granting asylum in less than 10 percent of cases, and others granting asylum in more than 90 percent of cases. Despite this fact, there is a lack of analysis exploring whether grant rates vary systematically in relationship to observed characteristics of adjudicators. This paper presents statistical analysis of over 68,000 refugee claims adjudicated by 264 members of the board from 2006 to 2011. It finds that the probability of acceptance is associated with individual members' characteristics including education, gender, and professional experience, when holding constant the claimant's country of origin, gender, and the year and regional office of adjudication. The findings suggest that the identity of the adjudicator affects whether or not an individual receives asylum.
Identifying and Measuring the Lifelong Human Capital of “Unskilled” Migrants in the Mexico-US Migratory Circuit
Authors: Hagan Jacqueline , Demonsant Jean Luc , Chávez Sergio
Published: August 2018

Most human capital and migration studies classify migrants with limited formal education as “unskilled,” despite substantial skills developed through job and life experiences. Drawing on a binational multi-stage research project that involved interviews with 320 Mexican migrants and return migrants in North Carolina and Guanajuato, Mexico, we identify the lifelong human capital they acquired and transferred throughout their careers and discover that these include not only basic education and English, but also technical and social skills and competences acquired informally on and off the job throughout the course of one's life. We further find that the learning and transfer of skills is a lifelong, gendered process, reflecting the different social contexts and jobs in which men and women learn. In this paper we document several mobility pathways associated with the acquisition and transfer of skills across the migratory circuit, including reskilling, occupational mobility, job jumping, and entrepreneurship.

Our study has broad implications for the migration policies of both the US and Mexico. US immigration policy confers preference to “skilled” immigrants who rank high on traditional human capital characteristics, such as education levels and other formal credentials, but limits the entry of “unskilled” migrants, a categorization that ignores the substantial informal skills they bring to US labor markets. Instead of focusing only on the continued expansion of immigration policy preferences for narrowly defined skilled migrants, the US government needs to consider more carefully what we mean by skilled workers and design fairer and more effective immigration policies that match their abilities to the specific needs of US industry and thereby recognize the economic contributions of all migrants within a lifelong human capital framework. Mexico can also learn from our findings. Between 2005 and 2010 an estimated 1.4 million Mexicans returned to Mexico from the US, a figure roughly double the number who had returned in the five-year period a decade earlier (Passel et al. 2012). The government of Mexico has a history of developing programs to provide for Mexicans abroad and encourage their remittances. Our research indicates that the Mexican people and their economy would benefit by supporting entrepreneurial ventures and reintegration programs that recognize and reward the enhanced skill sets of return migrants. As we show, some of these individuals are able to fill valued positions and start businesses of their own, creating more jobs in their home communities and thus promoting local economic development.
There and Back Again: On the Diffusion of Immigration Detention
Authors: Flynn Michael
Published: August 2018

From Mexico to the Bahamas, Mauritania to Lebanon, Turkey to Saudi Arabia, South Africa to Indonesia, Malaysia to Thailand, immigration-related detention has become an established policy apparatus that counts on dedicated facilities and burgeoning institutional bureaucracies. Until relatively recently, however, detention appears to have been largely an ad hoc tool, employed mainly by wealthy states in exigent circumstances. This paper uses concepts from diffusion theory to detail the history of key policy events in several important immigration destination countries that led to the spreading of detention practices during the last 30 years and assesses some of the motives that appear to have encouraged this phenomenon. The paper also endeavors to place the United States at the center of this story because its policy decisions appear to have played an important role in encouraging the process of policy innovation, imitation, and imposition that has helped give rise to today's global immigration detention phenomenon. Nevertheless, many US offshore practices have not received nearly the same attention as those of other important destination countries. More broadly, in telling this story, this paper seeks to flesh out some of the larger policy implications of the externalization of immigration control regimes. Just as offshore interdiction and detention schemes raise important questions about custody, accountability, and sovereignty, they should also spur questions over where responsibility for the wellbeing of migrants begins and ends.
“Enemy Territory”: Immigration Enforcement in the US-Mexico Borderlands
Authors: Ewing Walter A.
Published: August 2018

For the last two decades, the guiding strategy of immigration enforcement along the US-Mexico border has been “prevention through deterrence,” or stopping unauthorized immigrants from entering the country rather than apprehending those who have already crossed the border. “Prevention through deterrence” has entailed a massive concentration of enforcement personnel and resources along the border and at ports of entry. It has also led to the detention and removal of increasing numbers of unauthorized immigrants and far greater use of “expedited removal.”

As gauged by the doubling in size of the unauthorized immigrant population over the same period, “prevention through deterrence” has not been a successful enforcement strategy. Moreover, it has funneled more migrants to their death in the deserts and mountains of the southwest as they (and smugglers) resort to increasingly dangerous routes to evade border enforcement. In addition, there has been public concern over ethnic profiling and the use of extraordinary authority by Border Patrol agents to conduct arbitrary searches within 100 miles of the border. Despite these problems, the federal government continues to spend billions of dollars each year on the “prevention through deterrence” strategy.

A first step in overcoming the deficiencies of this border enforcement strategy is to strengthen accountability within the Border Patrol, so that allegations of excessive force and abuse are investigated and adjudicated promptly and appropriately. The culture of the Border Patrol must be transformed to foster respect for rights. More broadly, the mission of the Border Patrol should be to capture dangerous individuals and to disrupt the operations of the transnational criminal organizations that traffic people, drugs, guns, and money. In addition, providing more pathways to legal entry through immigration reform would enhance border security by attenuating the flow of unauthorized immigrants within which dangerous criminals or terrorists can hide. Finally, the US government should pursue economic policies to promote development in Mexico and Central American countries in order to address the underlying causes of migration.
Reconceiving Citizenship: Noncitizen Voting in New York City Municipal Elections as a Case Study in Immigrant Integration and Local Governance
Authors: Gilbert Lauren
Published: August 2018

This paper uses New York City's consideration of an amendment to its charter that would extend voting rights to noncitizens in municipal elections as a case study in immigrant integration and local governance. It argues that New York City's biggest challenge in moving this issue forward is dealing successfully with two related questions: (1) why the New York City Council should be able to decide who “the People” are without approval from the state government in Albany and (2) whether it should attempt to enact the measure without a referendum.

The analysis first examines the role of local government in regulating the lives of immigrants, contrasting enforcement-oriented strategies with those that are more integration-oriented. It then spotlights federal law obstacles to noncitizen suffrage, concluding that while neither federal criminal nor immigration law prevents state or local governments from extending the franchise to noncitizens in state or local matters, federal law imposes impediments that may deter some noncitizens from registering or that could carry serious immigration consequences for those who vote in violation of federal law. The article then focuses on state law obstacles, including New York's constitution, its state election law and its home rule provisions. It contrasts other recent experiences with noncitizen suffrage around the country, looking at both municipal and school board elections. Finally, it provides some thoughts on best practices in moving forward the issue of noncitizen suffrage in New York City and other locales. New York law is ambiguous enough that good arguments can be made for why neither Albany's approval nor a city-wide referendum is required. However, given New York City's historic relationship with Albany and the state legislature's power to preempt local law on election matters, if the city council attempts to expand the franchise to noncitizen voters without a referendum or comparable measure, it could trigger preemptive action in Albany or lengthy, divisive, and costly battles in the courts.
Paths to Lawful Immigration Status: Results and Implications from the PERSON Survey
Authors: Wong Tom K. , Kerwin Donald , Atkinson Jeanne M. , McCarthy Mary Meg
Published: August 2018

Anecdotal evidence suggests that a significant percentage of unauthorized immigrants are potentially eligible for some sort of immigration relief, but they either do not know it or are not able to pursue lawful immigration status for other reasons. However, no published study that we are aware of has systematically analyzed this question. The purpose of this study is thus to evaluate and quantify the number of unauthorized immigrants who, during the course of seeking out legal services, have been determined to be potentially eligible for some sort of immigration benefit or relief that provides lawful immigration status. Using the recent implementation of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program as a laboratory for this work, this study attempts to answer the question of the number of unauthorized immigrants who, without knowing it, may already be potentially eligible for lawful immigration status. In surveying 67 immigrant-serving organizations that provide legal services, we find that 14.3 percent of those found to be eligible for DACA were also found to be eligible for some other form of immigration relief—put otherwise, 14.3 percent of individuals that were found to be eligible for DACA, which provides temporary relief from deportation, may now be on a path towards lawful permanent residency. We find that the most common legal remedies available to these individuals are family-based petitions (25.5 percent), U-Visas (23.9 percent), and Special Immigrant Juvenile Status (12.6 percent). These findings make clear that—with comprehensive immigration reform legislation or eligibility for administrative relief — legal screening can have significant and long-lasting implications on the lives of unauthorized immigrants and their families.
In Harm's Way: Family Separation, Immigration Enforcement Programs and Security on the US-Mexico Border
Authors: Slack Jeremy , Martínez Daniel E. , Whiteford Scott , Peiffer Emily
Published: August 2018

The Consequence Delivery System (CDS) is a suite of border and immigration enforcement programs designed to increase the penalties associated with unauthorized migration in order to convince people not to return (Rosenblum 2013). Despite its inauguration in 2011, many aspects of the CDS are not new. CDS does however, mark a shift from the deterrent strategy that, in the 1990s that relied heavily on the dangers of the natural terrain to dissuade unauthorized border crossers, to one that actively punishes, incarcerates, and criminalizes them. This article presents findings from the Migrant Border Crossing Study, a random sample survey of 1,100 recently deported migrants in six cities in Mexico conducted between 2009 and 2012. It examines the demographics and family ties of deportees, their experiences with immigration enforcement practices and programs under the CDS, and how these programs have reshaped contemporary migration and deportation along the US-Mexico border. The article covers programs such as criminal prosecutions of illegal entries under Operation Streamline, and the Alien Transfer and Exit Program (ATEP) or lateral repatriation program which returns immigrants to different locations from where they illegally entered. In relationship to these programs, it considers issues of due process and treatment of deportees in US custody. It also examines interior enforcement under Secure Communities, which, during the study period, comprised part of the overarching border security plan, and screened virtually everybody arrested in the United States against immigration databases.

The article concludes that these programs do not have a strong deterrent effect. Instead, immigration enforcement has led to a “caging effect” over the past two decades which has disrupted seasonal migration flows, increased familial and social ties to the United States, and decreased the probability of returning to Mexico once in the United States. The development of strong family and other ties to the United States contributes to a greater resolve to return post-deportation.
Humanitarian Protection for Children Fleeing Gang-Based Violence in the Americas
Authors: Carlson Elizabeth , Gallagher Anna Marie
Published: August 2018

By the end of 2011, the US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) began to see a steady rise in the number of Unaccompanied Alien Children (UAC) from Central America, particularly from the Northern Triangle countries— El Salvador, Honduras and Guatemala—arriving to the US-Mexico border. The number of children entering the United States from these countries more than doubled during fiscal year (FY) 2012 and continued to grow through FY 2014. In FY 2013, CBP apprehended over 35,000 children. That number almost doubled to 66,127 in FY 2014, with Central American children outnumbering their Mexican counterparts for the first time. Research has identified high levels of violence perpetrated by gangs and drug cartels in the Northern Triangle countries and Mexico as a primary reason for this surge. Under the William Wilberforce Trafficking Victims Protection Reauthorization Act (TVPRA) passed with bi-partisan support in 2008, children from Central America cannot be deported immediately and must be given a court hearing.

In contrast, unless there are indicia of trafficking, Mexican children are returned immediately to their country. Advocates have expressed concern that expedited removal of Mexican children places children with valid humanitarian claims at risk of being returned to harm, including forcible recruitment into drug cartels and trafficking rings. After the spike in arrivals in FY 2014, several members of Congress called for a change in the TVPRA, urging that Central American children be treated like Mexican children and undergo expedited procedures for their removal. Many of their constituents supported such measures. The Obama administration requested additional funds to strengthen border security, speed up deportation procedures and implement measures to address the humanitarian crisis in Central America. Groups and individuals across the country came together to provide shelter, medical and psychological care, and legal representation to many of these children. Despite these efforts, much needs to be done to ensure that their rights are protected.

This paper provides an overview of the violence perpetrated by gangs and other criminal organizations which compels many children to flee their communities. It describes the US government's obligations to protect UAC upon arrival, and good practices of other governments relating to the protection of child migrants and refugees. It also discusses Special Immigrant Juvenile Status, gang-related asylum case law, and the difficulty of prevailing in asylum claims based on persecution by gangs. It concludes with recommendations to the administration and policymakers to ensure compliance with US obligations under national and international laws.
Refugee, Asylum, and Related Legislation in the US Congress: 2013–2016
Authors: Magner Tara
Published: August 2018

Members of Congress have introduced numerous pieces of legislation in recent years related to refugees, asylum seekers, and other populations of migrants seeking protection in the United States. These bills were drafted in reaction to dramatic events within the United States, at its borders, and around the world. For example, roughly 400,000 children traveling alone and mothers with children have arrived at the southern US border since 2013, many seeking protection from organized crime, gang violence, and threats of human trafficking. Similarly, more than a million refugees from the Middle East, North Africa, and Asia sought to reach safety on the European continent in 2015 alone. Terrorist attacks fueled attempts to curtail the US commitment to offer protection to those fleeing persecution, even when those attacks had no connection to refugees or only tenuous links. And yet existing US law has been left virtually unchanged throughout this tumultuous period. This article describes the significant attempts to enact legislation related to refugees and international migrants since 2013 and examines the reasons why those attempts have not succeeded. It also describes American attitudes toward refugees and assesses whether those attitudes affected the fate of legislation.
The Impact of Externalization of Migration Controls on the Rights of Asylum Seekers and Other Migrants
Authors: Frelick Bill , Kysel Ian M. , Podkul Jennifer
Published: August 2018

Wars, conflict, and persecution have forced more people to flee their homes and seek refuge and safety elsewhere than at any time since the end of World War II. As displaced people and other migrants increasingly move out of the conflict-ridden and less developed regions of their displacement and into relatively rich and stable regions of the world, the countries of destination are increasingly working to contain and even stem the migration flow before it reaches their shores. Perversely, countries that have developed generally rights-sensitive standards and procedures for assessing protection claims of asylum seekers within their jurisdictions have simultaneously established barriers that prevent migrants, including asylum seekers, from setting foot on their territories or otherwise triggering protection obligations. Consequently, those who would otherwise have been able to avail themselves of asylum procedures, social support, and decent reception conditions are often relegated to countries of first arrival or transit that have comparatively less capacity to ensure protection of human rights in accordance with international standards.

This paper seeks to develop a working definition of the externalization of migration controls and how such externalization of the border implicates the human rights of migrants, and asylum seekers in particular. Although the majority of those migrants seeking legal protections stay in countries neighboring their own, hundreds of thousands continue their journeys in search of protection and stability in more distant states, including in the European Union, the United States, and Australia. In response to the significant increase in asylum seekers arriving at their borders, all three entities have significantly increased deterrence measures with the hopes of keeping new arrivals from entering. This paper will thus highlight a number of the most troubling externalization strategies used by the European Union, the United States, and Australia. Finally, because rights-threatening externalization law, policies, and practices implicate the international legal responsibility of the destination states pursuing them, the paper will conclude by presenting recommendations that could strengthen protection of human rights in the context of state actions seeking to manage migration.
How the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 Has Undermined US Refugee Protection Obligations and Wasted Government Resources
Authors: Acer Eleanor , Byrne Olga
Published: August 2018

Seeking asylum is a human right, enshrined in the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The 1951 Convention relating to the Status of Refugees (“Refugee Convention”) and its 1967 Protocol relating to the Status of Refugees (“1967 Protocol”) prohibit the United States from returning refugees to persecution, and the 1980 Refugee Act set up a formal process for applying for asylum in the United States. However, the Illegal Immigration Reform and Immigrant Responsibility Act of 1996 (IIRIRA) created a barrage of new barriers to asylum. These impediments have blocked many refugees from accessing asylum in the United States and inserted additional layers of technicalities, screening, and processing, undermining the effectiveness of the US asylum system.

The barriers imposed by IIRIRA are significant. They include a filing deadline on asylum applications, which prevents genuine refugees from receiving asylum if they cannot prove they have filed the application within one year of arriving in the United States. IIRIRA also established summary deportation procedures, including “expedited removal” and “reinstatement of removal,” which block asylum seekers from even applying for asylum or accessing an immigration court removal hearing, unless they first pass through a screening process. Finally, IIRIRA imposed “mandatory detention” on certain immigrants, including asylum seekers who are placed in expedited removal proceedings upon their arrival at a US port of entry.

Each of these provisions imposed new processes and procedures that have contributed to an increasingly ineffective immigration system. The current backlog in the immigration courts has reached a record high, surpassing half a million cases, while the backlog of affirmative asylum cases before the Asylum Division of US Citizenship and Immigration Services (USCIS) has increased by a factor of six in just three years. Backlogs, which lead to long delays in adjudication, undermine system integrity as bona fide asylum seekers wait for years in legal limbo — some with families waiting abroad in dangerous and life-threatening situations — and individuals without meritorious claims may be encouraged to file applications to receive a work permit during the lengthy waiting period.

Twenty years later, as the world faces the largest global refugee crisis since World War II, the asylum barriers injected into the US system under IIRIRA have proven harmful to refugees, and detrimental to the US asylum system. This paper highlights recent research, litigation, and advocacy efforts that have further brought to light the rights violations and systemic inefficiencies generated by IIRIRA. It concludes with a series of recommendations, calling on the US government to eliminate these counterproductive barriers and to take steps to assure access to asylum.
Social Media, Cultural Activism and Place-making in Contemporary Lucknow
Authors: Singh Binti
Published: August 2018

The growing presence of the virtual world has made inroads into new ways of citizen cultural activism that call for an exploration and re-imagining of the idea of place and place-making in contemporary networked societies, cities in particular. This article is based on an analysis of such activism in contemporary Lucknow around its distinct cultural forms such as cuisine, heritage architecture, dance, music and literature actively deploying social media. It argues that social media has bolstered new and existing citizen cultural activism and facilitates place-making by connecting citizens to the city’s cultural specificities. Together with the aggressive use of social media as part of local government strategies for citizen engagement made mandatory under the Heritage Arc and the Smart Cities Plan (SCP) launched in 2014 and 2015, respectively, place-making processes revolve around hosting festivals, street plays, crafts and arts exhibitions, book launches, discussions, film screenings, heritage walks, writers meets and marathons. Resultantly, the idea of place as having shared meanings and sentimental value is resurrected in the face of the homogenising tendencies of cultural globalisation.
Evaluation of the airway microbiome in nontuberculous mycobacteria disease
Authors: Sulaiman Imran , Wu Benjamin G. , Li Yonghua , Scott Adrienne S. , Malecha Patrick , Scaglione Benjamin , Wang Jing , Basavaraj Ashwin , Chung Samuel , Bantis Katrina , Carpenito Joseph , Clemente Jose C. , Shen Nan , Bessich Jamie , Rafeq Samaan , Michaud Gaetene , Donington Jessica , Naidoo Charissa , Theron Grant , Schattner Gail , Garofano Suzette , Condos Rany , Kamelhar David , Addrizzo-Harris Doreen , Segal Leopoldo N.
Published: August 2018

Aspiration is associated with nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) pulmonary disease and airway dysbiosis is associated with increased inflammation. We examined whether NTM disease was associated with a distinct airway microbiota and immune profile.

297 oral wash and induced sputum samples were collected from 106 participants with respiratory symptoms and imaging abnormalities compatible with NTM. Lower airway samples were obtained in 20 participants undergoing bronchoscopy. 16S rRNA gene and nested mycobacteriome sequencing approaches characterised microbiota composition. In addition, inflammatory profiles of lower airway samples were examined.

The prevalence of NTM+cultures was 58%. Few changes were noted in microbiota characteristics or composition in oral wash and sputum samples among groups. Among NTM+samples, 27% of the lower airway samples were enriched withMycobacterium. A mycobacteriome approach identifiedMycobacteriumin a greater percentage of samples, including some nonpathogenic strains. In NTM+lower airway samples, taxa identified as oral commensals were associated with increased inflammatory biomarkers.

The 16S rRNA gene sequencing approach is not sensitive in identifying NTM among airway samples that are culture-positive. However, associations between lower airway inflammation and microbiota signatures suggest a potential role for these microbes in the inflammatory process in NTM disease.
Physical activity as a moderator for obstructive sleep apnoea and cardiometabolic risk in the EPISONO study
Authors: Mônico-Neto Marcos , Moreira Antunes Hanna Karen , dos Santos Ronaldo Vagner Thomatieli , D'Almeida Vânia , Alves Lino de Souza Altay , Azeredo Bittencourt Lia Rita , Tufik Sergio
Published: August 2018

Obstructive sleep apnoea (OSA) is positively associated with cardiometabolic diseases; however, high levels of physical activity could decrease the incidence of OSA and associated comorbidities.

In this study we aimed to examine the incidence of OSA in relation to physical activity, and its role as a protective factor in individuals with OSA on the incidence of cardiometabolic diseases, in an 8–9-year follow-up study. We analysed data of 658 volunteers from the São Paulo Epidemiologic Sleep Study (EPISONO), a cohort study of individuals aged 20–80 years, collected through polysomnography, the International Physical Activity Questionnaire and an assessment of cardiometabolic profile.

Active subjects had a lower risk of developing OSA compared with nonactive subjects (relative risk 0.877, 95% CI 0.296–0.855) and there was a reduced risk of developing type 2 diabetes mellitus in active/apnoeic subjects (relative risk 0.493, 95% CI 0.252–0.961) compared with nonactive subjects. Metabolic equivalent was negatively associated to cardiometabolic markers, such as C-reactive protein (exp(B)=0.720; p=0.001), interleukin-6 (exp(B)=0.991; p=0.03), insulin (exp(B)=0.982; p=0.03), triglycerides (exp(B)=0.997; p<0.001), homeostasis model assessment for insulin resistance (exp(B)≤0.946; p<0.024), quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (exp(B)=992.4; p<0.001) and mean arterial pressure (exp(B)=0.987; p=0.001).

Physical activity was a protective factor against type 2 diabetes mellitus in apnoeic individuals; moreover, being active reduced the risk of developing OSA and was associated with a better cardiometabolic profile.
Addition of Vincristine and Irinotecan to Vincristine, Dactinomycin, and Cyclophosphamide Does Not Improve Outcome for Intermediate-Risk Rhabdomyosarcoma: A Report From the Children’s Oncology Group
Authors: Hawkins Douglas S. , Chi Yueh-Yun , Anderson James R. , Tian Jing , Arndt Carola A.S. , Bomgaars Lisa , Donaldson Sarah S. , Hayes-Jordan Andrea , Mascarenhas Leo , McCarville Mary Beth , McCune Jeannine S. , McCowage Geoff , Million Lynn , Morris Carol D. , Parham David M. , Rodeberg David A. , Rudzinski Erin R. , Shnorhavorian Margarett , Spunt Sheri L. , Skapek Stephen X. , Teot Lisa A. , Wolden Suzanne , Yock Torunn I. , Meyer William H.
Published: August 2018

Purpose

Intermediate-risk rhabdomyosarcoma (RMS) includes patients with either nonmetastatic, unresected embryonal RMS (ERMS) with an unfavorable primary site or nonmetastatic alveolar RMS (ARMS). The primary aim of this study was to improve the outcome of patients with intermediate-risk RMS by substituting vincristine and irinotecan (VI) for half of vincristine, dactinomycin, and cyclophosphamide (VAC) courses. All patients received a lower dose of cyclophosphamide and earlier radiation therapy than in previous trials.

Patients and Methods

Patients were randomly assigned at study entry to either VAC (cumulative cyclophosphamide dose, 16.8 g/m2) or VAC/VI (cumulative cyclophosphamide dose, 8.4 g/m2) for 42 weeks of therapy. Radiation therapy started at week 4, with individualized local control plans permitted for patients younger than 24 months. The primary study end point was event-free survival (EFS). The study design had an 80% power (5% one-sided α-level) to detect an improved long-term EFS from 65% (with VAC) to 76% (with VAC/VI).

Results

A total of 448 eligible patients were enrolled in the study. At a median follow-up of 4.8 years, the 4-year EFS was 63% with VAC and 59% with VAC/VI ( P = .51), and 4-year overall survival was 73% for VAC and 72% for VAC/VI ( P = .80). Within the ARMS and ERMS subgroups, no difference in outcome by treatment arm was found. Severe hematologic toxicity was less common with VAC/VI therapy.

Conclusion

The addition of VI to VAC did not improve EFS or OS for patients with intermediate-risk RMS. VAC/VI had less hematologic toxicity and a lower cumulative cyclophosphamide dose, making VAC/VI an alternative standard therapy for intermediate-risk RMS.
Minor spliceosome inactivation causes microcephaly, owing to cell cycle defects and death of self-amplifying radial glial cells
Authors: Baumgartner Marybeth , Olthof Anouk M. , Aquino Gabriela S. , Hyatt Katery C. , Lemoine Christopher , Drake Kyle , Sturrock Nikita , Nguyen Nhut , al Seesi Sahar , Kanadia Rahul N.
Published: August 2018

Mutation in minor spliceosome components is linked to the developmental disorder microcephalic osteodysplastic primordial dwarfism type 1 (MOPD1). Here, we inactivated the minor spliceosome in the developing mouse cortex (pallium) by ablating Rnu11, which encodes the crucial minor spliceosome small nuclear RNA (snRNA) U11. Rnu11 conditional knockout mice were born with microcephaly, which was caused by the death of self-amplifying radial glial cells (RGCs), while intermediate progenitor cells and neurons were produced. RNA sequencing suggested that this cell death was mediated by upregulation of p53 (Trp53 – Mouse Genome Informatics) and DNA damage, which were both observed specifically in U11-null RGCs. Moreover, U11 loss caused elevated minor intron retention in genes regulating the cell cycle, which was consistent with fewer RGCs in S-phase and cytokinesis, alongside prolonged metaphase in RGCs. In all, we found that self-amplifying RGCs are the cell type most sensitive to loss of minor splicing. Together, these findings provide a potential explanation of how disruption of minor splicing might cause microcephaly in MOPD1.
Snowden’s leak, Brazilian civil rights framework for the internet and the threat to IBM’s business model
Authors: Sarfati Gilberto
Published: August 2018

In 2013 Internet Bill was under discussion in the Brazilian Congress, but after Edward Snowden leaked National Security Agency (NSA) espionage on several top officials of many governments, among them Brazil, President Dilma decided to completely change the Bill and asked to the Congress “constitutional urgency” to vote it. Fabio Rua, Head of Government and Regulatory Affairs at IBM Brazil, faces the challenges of dealing with a new government proposal that could jeopardize IBM’s new business model based on cognitive solutions. This case provides a complex setting that allows to discuss connections between corporate strategy and corporate lobby, nonmarket strategies, stakeholder analysis, business-government relations and corporate diplomacy.
Homens em armas: a trajetória do policial civil para análise sobre vida, organização e poder
Authors: Motta Rodrigo Guimarães , Corá Maria Amélia Jundurian
Published: August 2018

Maruan, quando criança, sonhou em ser policial e, quando adulto, prestou concurso e entrou na Polícia Civil. Ao longo de sua carreira, ocupou diversas posições nessa instituição, no GOE, GER, Garra e em delegacias de polícia. Sua trajetória foi marcada por diversas disputas de poder, com superiores e pares de trabalho que influenciaram suas escolhas dentro da organização e também contribuíram para gerar significado em seu trabalho para o indivíduo.
Governança de TI na administração pública: o CIO entre a cruz e a espada
Authors: De Moura Jr Pedro Jácome
Published: August 2018

A administração pública enfrenta intensa demanda de transparência de suas ações. Essa demanda representa anseios da sociedade e é praticada por órgãos de controle como o Tribunal de Contas da União (TCU), por exemplo. Os gestores públicos se esmeram para atender às demandas, definindo e implementando mecanismos de governança que atendam às exigências regulatórias, em meio à rotina da gestão pública, plena de desafios. Na perspectiva da sociedade, no entanto, seriam esse esforço e os resultados decorrentes suficientes e satisfatórios para atender às suas demandas?
Como homens e mulheres enfrentam a competição
Authors: Dana Samy
Published: August 2018

No Brasil, as mulheres ganham 75% da renda dos homens. Nos Estados Unidos, 79%, e mesmo na Dinamarca, país com legislação avançada, o gap é de 20%.
The role of collaboration for resilience of the sugarcane-energy supply chain
Authors: Sá Marcelo Martins de , Pereira Susana Farias , Miguel Priscila Lacsynski de Souza
Published: August 2018

The drought in the sugarcane-energy supply chain of São Paulo occurred between 2014 and 2015 was the phenomenon observed in this case study whose starting point was the following question: how can collaboration bring on resilience in supply chains experiencing a disaster?  Deductive qualitative approach has empirically contributed to the knowledge of possible disruptions focused on the agribusiness. For those purposes, aspects involving vertical (suppliers, focal company and buyers) and horizontal (NGOs, government, research centers, focal company and their competitors) collaboration was analyzed among the links of the chain (triad: farmers, processers and buyers). Vertical collaboration between buyers and focal company, if compared to that of focal company and suppliers (the weakest link) is more significant. The findings in this study, however, should be considered solely within the context of the supply chain analyzed once new researches in different cultures of the agribusiness, regions and types of disasters have yet to be done.
Editorial Information 2017
Authors: Editorial Office JOSCM
Published: August 2018

Editorial Information 2017
DNA sequence features in the establishing of H3K27ac
Authors: Zubritskiy Anatoliy , Medvedeva Yulia A.
Published: August 2018

The presence of H3K27me3 has been demonstrated to correlate with the CpG content. In this work, we tested whether H3K27ac has similar sequence preferences. We performed a translocation of DNA sequences with various properties into a beta-globin locus to control for the local chromatin environment. Our results suggest that in contrast to H3K27me3, H3K27ac gain is unlikely affected by the CpG content of the underlying DNA sequence, while extremely high GC-content might contribute to the gain of the H3K27ac.
Exit, Voice, and Response on Digital Platforms: An Empirical Investigation of Online Management Response Strategies
Authors: Kumar Naveen , Qiu Liangfei , Kumar Subodha
Published: August 2018

In the past decade, we have witnessed the growing importance of management responses to online reviews on digital platforms. In this study, we examine the impact of online management responses on business performance and their spillover effect on nearby businesses. By adopting multiple causal identification strategies to address the issue of self-selected responses, we find that the responses by a business owner play a significant role in the performance of the focal business as well as in the performance of the nearby businesses. We observe that, in general, the launch of the new management response feature benefits businesses. What is more interesting is that the benefit is not observed in a consistent manner across all businesses. Only the businesses that choose to use the management response feature observe increases in check-ins. On the other hand, the businesses that are unaware of the management response feature launch on digital platforms, or are aware but choose not to use the management response feature, tend to remain at a disadvantage. Interestingly, we also uncover that the spillover effect (externality) of online management responses on the nearby businesses crucially depends on whether the focal business and the nearby businesses are in direct competition. Furthermore, we identify conditions under which business owners are more likely to respond to consumer comments. Our findings have direct implications for both business owners and digital platforms: Digital platforms can help businesses develop the right engagement strategies by taking the online response strategies of the nearby businesses into account.

The online appendix is available at https://doi.org/10.1287/isre.2017.0749 .
SUMBER DAYA GENETIK DAN PENGETAHUAN TRADISIONAL TERKAIT SUMBER DAYA GENETIK UNTUK KEMAKMURAN
Authors: Nuryanti Aktris
Published: August 2018

Indonesia as a mega biodiversity country is very attractive for bioprospectors. The complementarity between SDG and PT-SDG in the  SDG preservation considered those  must be managed by the same institutions that their function as development resource could be fullest utilized. And look at the complexity of managing the SDG and PT-SDG  it is recommended that  National Competent Authority agencies is to be set up under the president or vice president responsibilityIndonesia adalah mega biodiversity country yang sangat menarik bagi para bioprospektor. Saling kelindan SDG dan PT-SDG dalam pelestarian SDG menyebabkan SDG dan PT-SDG harus dikelola oleh lembaga yang sama agar  fungsinya sebagai sumber daya pembangunan dapat didayagunakan secara maksimal. Dan melihat pada kompleksitas pengelolaan SDG dan PT-SDG maka disarankan agar lembaga National Competent Authority yang akan dibentuk itu berada dalam tanggungjawab presiden/wakil presiden