bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
GOWAWA Aggregation Operator‐based Global Molecular Characterizations: Weighting Atom/bond Contributions (LOVIs/LOEIs) According to their Influence in the Molecular Encoding
Authors: García‐Jacas César R. , Cabrera‐Leyva Lisset , Marrero‐Ponce Yovani , Suárez‐Lezcano José , Cortés‐Guzmán Fernando , García‐González Luis A.
Published: August 2018

A different perspective to compute global weighted definitions of molecular descriptors from the contributions of each atom (LOVIs) or covalent bond (LOEIs) within a molecule is presented, using the generalized ordered weighted averaging – weighted averaging (GOWAWA) aggregation operator. This operator is rather different from the other norm‐, mean‐ and statistic‐based operators used up to date for the descriptors calculation from LOVIs/LOEIs. GOWAWA unifies the generalized ordered weighted averaging (GOWA) and the weighted generalized mean (WGM) functions and, in addition, it uses a smoothing parameter to assign different importance values to both functions depending on the problem under study. With the GOWAWA operator, diversity of novel global aggregations of molecular descriptors can be determined, where the influence that each atom (or covalent bond) has on the molecular characterization is taken into account. Therefore, this approach is completely different from the ones reported in the literature, where the values of LOVIs/LOEIs are considered equally important. To demonstrate the feasibility of using this operator, the QuBiLS‐MIDAS descriptors (http://tomocomd.com/qubils‐midas) were used and, as a result, a module was built into the corresponding software to compute them, being thus the only software reported in the literature that can be employed to determine weighted descriptors. Moreover, several modeling studies were performed on eight chemical datasets, which demonstrated that, with the GOWAWA aggregation operator, weighted QuBiLS‐MIDAS descriptors that contribute to develop models with greater predictive power can be computed, if compared to the models based on the non‐weighted descriptors calculated from the other operators used up to date. A non‐parametric statistical assessment confirmed that the GOWAWA‐based predictions are significantly superior to the others obtained. Therefore, all in all, it can be concluded that, from the results achieved, the GOWAWA operator constitutes a prominent alternative to codify relevant chemical information of the molecules, ultimately useful in improving the modeling ability of several old and recent descriptors whose definition is based on the LOVIs/LOEIs calculation.
Basic concepts in nocturia, based on international continence society standards in nocturnal lower urinary tract function
Authors: Hashim Hashim , Drake Marcus J.
Published: August 2018

Aims

To review the recommendations on nocturia in the International Continence Society (ICS) Standardization documents, setting out key definitions and parameters for use in clinical practice.

Methods

Definitions and evaluations described in the ICS Standards on Nocturia and Terminology for Lower Urinary Tract Function were identified and summarized.

Results

The terms have been divided into signs and symptoms. Nocturia as a symptom is waking at night to pass urine and as a sign is the number of times an individual passes urine during their main sleep period. Nocturnal polyuria as a symptom is passing large volumes of urine at night and as a sign is the excessive production of urine during the individual's main sleep period. These should be quantified using a 3‐day bladder diary, thereby facilitating identification of 24‐h polyuria, nocturnal polyuria, lower urinary tract dysfunction, or sleep disorder.

Conclusions

The summary reflects the multifactorial influences in nocturia and provides a pragmatic insight into bladder diary analysis for deriving key parameters relevant to clinical therapy.
White paper on the future of plasma science for optics and glass
Authors: Šimek Milan , Černák Mirko , Kylián Ondřej , Foest Rüdiger , Hegemann Dirk , Martini Rainer
Published: August 2018

This paper reflects on the future of low‐temperature plasma science in relation to the manufacturing and novel uses of glass. The text summarizes the current state of the art on the major topics discussed, such as glass processing, optics and photonics, healthcare issues, building and fenestration applications. It also identifies several challenges that are driven by applications, and which are compatible with roadmaps for their respective industries. The frontiers of plasma science are discussed, for example, in relation to the use of plasmas as an active optical element in fast‐response adaptive optics systems, optical metamaterials, and the development of next‐generation nanolithography. Future demand for the successful implementation of plasma‐based technologies in the glass, optics, and photonic industries will depend on further progress in plasma science. Hence, some needs and recommendations concerning both fundamental and applied plasma research are summarized.
Study on a New Cleaner Emulsion Explosive Containing Common Clay
Authors: Zhou Guoan , Ma Honghao , Shen Zhaowu , Chen Peiyuan , Yu Yong
Published: August 2018

This paper introduces a novel emulsion explosive, which has three primary advantages, namely, the ability to easily adjust various detonation properties to desired values, decrease the overall cost of civil explosive products, and minimize environmental pollution during use. Immediate and time‐related experiments are performed in order to identify changing detonation properties of these new formulas. Our results show that both common clay and hollow glass micro‐spheres (HGMs) function as thermal diluents, which indicates that for a larger quantity of these additives, the weaker are the detonation properties under the condition of our experimental ratios (HGMs: from 5 wt.% to 15 wt.%; common clay: from 0 wt.% to 20 wt.%). Furthermore, a comparison of four alternative emulsion explosive compositions reveals that the longest storage time in this study is 5 weeks with No. 3‐3, which contains 15 wt.% HGMs and 10 wt.% common clay. In addition, nonlinear attenuation is observed and explained for that period.
Mechanism Improvement and Process Optimization of the One‐Pot Synthesis of 3.7‐Dinitro‐1,3,5,7‐Tetraazabicyclo[3,3,1]nonane from Urea
Authors: Zhu Chao , Meng Zihui , Liu Yue , Xu Zhibin , Song Hongyan , Wang Peng
Published: August 2018

As a key precursor in the preparation of octahydro‐1,3,5,7‐tetranitro‐1,3,5,7‐tetrazocine (HMX), 3,7‐dinitro‐1,3,5,7‐tetraazabicyclo[3,3,1]nonane (DPT) prepared from urea by a modified one‐pot method has a bright future. On the basis of our previous work (Reaction Mechanism of One‐Pot Synthesis of Dinitro Pentamethylene Tetramine, Chinese Journal of Organic Chemistry 2010, 30 (3), 414–418.) [1], a novel intermediate 3‐nitro‐1,3,5,7‐tetraazabicyclo[3,3,1]nonane was captured and isolated, and the key reactive intermediate hexahydro‐1‐nitro‐1,3,5‐triazine was directly captured and confirmed by HPLC‐MS. Thus, a modified synthetic mechanism for DPT was elaborated, and based which DPT preparation process was optimized.
Enhanced Damage Effects of Multi‐Layered Concrete Target Produced by Reactive Materials Liner
Authors: Xiao Jianguang , Zhang Xuepeng , Guo Zhangxia , Wang Haifu
Published: August 2018

Physical experiments were performed to investigate the enhanced lethality of reactive materials (RMs) shaped charge liner against concrete target. The results show that the shaped charge with RMs liner left a funnel shaped hole on the pure concrete target front surfaces, whereas the Cu liner just left a slender penetration hole and produced less damage in comparison. The damage events were recorded by high‐speed photography with the frame rate up to 10,000 frames/s, and the results indicate that deflagration reaction of RMs has occurred inside the target after the detonation of main charge. By comparison of damage effects between RMs and inert Cu liners, we conclude that the gaseous products of the deflagration are the main inducement of catastrophic damage. For multi‐layered concrete targets, a cavity inside the target and several cracks on the targets front surfaces were formed, and the formation mechanisms are deeply discussed in this paper. Based on the isentropic expansion and crack growth theories, the computational formula for crack length was developed, and the influences of the mass of RMs and initiation depth on crack effects are achieved.
Model‐Based Prediction of Plasma Concentration and Enterohepatic Circulation of Total Bile Acids in Humans
Authors: Guiastrennec Benjamin , Sonne David P. , Bergstrand Martin , Vilsbøll Tina , Knop Filip K. , Karlsson Mats O.
Published: August 2018

Bile acids released postprandially can modify the rate and extent of lipophilic compounds’ absorption. This study aimed to predict the enterohepatic circulation (EHC) of total bile acids (TBAs) in response to caloric intake from their spillover in plasma. A model for TBA EHC was combined with a previously developed gastric emptying (GE) model. Longitudinal gallbladder volumes and TBA plasma concentration data from 30 subjects studied after ingestion of four different test drinks were supplemented with literature data. Postprandial gallbladder refilling periods were implemented to improve model predictions. The TBA hepatic extraction was reduced with the high‐fat drink. Basal and nutrient‐induced gallbladder emptying rates were altered by type 2 diabetes (T2D). The model was predictive of the central trend and the variability of gallbladder volume and TBA plasma concentration for all test drinks. Integration of this model within physiological pharmacokinetic modeling frameworks could improve the predictions for lipophilic compounds’ absorption considerably.
Microvoids in Solids: Synchrotron Radiation Phase Contrast Imaging and Simulations
Authors: Kohn Victor G. , Argunova Tatiana S. , Je Jung Ho
Published: August 2018

Phase contrast imaging study and computer simulations of microvoids located in solid materials of complex structure have been reported. Images of microvoids arise as interference fringes due to coherent scattering of synchrotron radiation (SR) in matter. In the first part of this work, the simulation of the experimental image of a single tubular microvoid in a SiC crystal to illustrate the advantages and limitations of one‐dimensional (1D) phase‐contrast method and to discuss the approach to 2D objects has been performed. In the second part, a new iterative method for the variable wave function of radiation is employed to examine the applicability of the phase‐contrast method for an array of tubules. The latter method has been shown to be sufficiently accurate to be useful when a number of tubules along the beam is limited. Finally, the interference patterns generated by waves passing through a phantom dentin specimen have been calculated and analyzed. It has been demonstrated that both methods have extensive possibilities to determine the period in the lattice of tubules, even in the presence of some disorder.
Wave‐Function Topology Effects on Charged Excitons in Type‐II InAs/GaAsSb Quantum Dots and Rings
Authors: Llorens José M. , Alén Benito
Published: August 2018

InAs self‐assembled quantum dots capped with GaAsSb exhibit type‐II band alignment and singly or doubly connected hole wave‐function topology depending on the thickness of the capping layer or the Sb concentration. A configuration interaction analysis of the excitons complexes X0, X−1, and X+1 for different overlayer thicknesses is presented. A characteristic double line structure of the X+1 recombination is predicted for the doubly connected topology. A hallmark is established to identify the optical Aharonov–Bohm transition in addition to the well‐known intensity fade‐out of the X0.
Craniosynostosis affects the majority of mucopolysaccharidosis patients and can contribute to increased intracranial pressure
Authors: Oussoren Esmee , Mathijssen Irene M. J. , Wagenmakers Margreet , Verdijk Rob M. , Bredero‐Boelhouwer Hansje H. , van Veelen‐Vincent Marie‐Lise C. , van der Meijden Jan C. , van den Hout Johanna M. P. , Ruijter George J. G. , van der Ploeg Ans T. , Langeveld Mirjam
Published: August 2018

Background

The mucopolysaccharidoses are multisystem lysosomal storage diseases characterized by extensive skeletal deformities, including skull abnormalities. The objective of this study was to determine the incidence of craniosynostosis in the different mucopolysaccharidosis (MPS) types and its clinical consequences.

Methods

In a prospective cohort study spanning 10 years, skull imaging and clinical evaluations were performed in 47 MPS patients (type I, II, VI, and VII). A total of 215 radiographs of the skull were analyzed. The presence and type of craniosynostosis, the sutures involved, progression over time, skull shape, head circumference, fundoscopy, and ventriculoperitoneal shunt (VPS) placement data were evaluated.

Results

Craniosynostosis of at least one suture was present in 77% of all 47 MPS patients (≤ 6 years of age in 40% of all patients). In 32% of all MPS patients, premature closure of all sutures was seen (≤ 6 years of age in 13% of all patients). All patients with early closure had a more severe MPS phenotype, both in the neuronopathic (MPS I, II) and non‐neuronopathic (MPS VI) patient groups. Because of symptomatic increased intracranial pressure (ICP), a VPS was placed in six patients, with craniosynostosis as a likely or certain causative factor for the increased pressure in four patients. One patient underwent cranial vault expansion because of severe craniosynostosis.

Conclusions

Craniosynostosis occurs in the majority of MPS patients. Since the clinical consequences can be severe and surgical intervention is possible, skull growth and signs and symptoms of increased ICP should be monitored in both neuronopathic and non‐neuronopathic patients with MPS.
Phase II randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study of tivantinib in men with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic metastatic castration-resistant prostate cancer (mCRPC)
Authors: Monk Paul , Liu Glenn , Stadler Walter M. , Geyer Susan , Huang Ying , Wright John , Villalona-Calero Miguel , Wade James , Szmulewitz Russell , Gupta Shilpa , Mortazavi Amir , Dreicer Robert , Pili Roberto , Dawson Nancy , George Saby , Garcia Jorge A.
Published: August 2018

Background Tivantinib is a non-ATP competitive inhibitor of c-MET receptor tyrosine kinase that may have additional cytotoxic mechanisms including tubulin inhibition. Prostate cancer demonstrates higher c-MET expression as the disease progresses to more advanced stages and to a castration resistant state. Methods 80 patients (pts) with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic mCRPC were assigned (2:1) to either tivantinib 360 mg PO BID or placebo (P). The primary endpoint was progression free survival (PFS). Results Of the 80 pts. enrolled, 78 (52 tivantinib, 26 P) received treatment and were evaluable. Median follow up is 8.9 months (range: 2.3 to 19.6 months). Patients treated with tivantinib had significantly better PFS vs. those treated with placebo (medians: 5.5 mo vs 3.7 mo, respectively; HR = 0.55, 95% CI: 0.33 to 0.90; p = 0.02). Grade 3 febrile neutropenia was seen in 1 patient on tivantinib while grade 3 and 4 neutropenia was recorded in 1 patient each on tivantinib and placebo. Grade 3 sinus bradycardia was recorded in two men on the tivantinib arm. Conclusions Tivantinib has mild toxicity and improved PFS in men with asymptomatic or minimally symptomatic mCRPC.
Financially Overextended: College Attendance as a Contributor to Foreclosures During the Great Recession
Authors: Faber Jacob W. , Rich Peter M.
Published: August 2018

Although subprime mortgage lending and unemployment were largely responsible for the wave of foreclosures during the Great Recession, additional sources of financial risk may have exacerbated the crisis. We hypothesize that many parents sending children to college were financially overextended and vulnerable to foreclosure as the economy contracted. With commuting zone panel data from 2006 to 2011, we show that increasing rates of college attendance across the income distribution in one year predict a foreclosure rate increase in subsequent years, net of fixed characteristics and changes in employment, refinance debt, house prices, and 19-year-old population size. We find similar evidence of college-related foreclosure risk using longitudinal household data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics. Our findings uncover a previously overlooked dimension of the foreclosure crisis, and highlight mortgage insecurity as an inadvertent consequence of parental investment in higher education.
Dance to the beat: Synchronizing motion to audio
Authors: Bellini Rachele , Kleiman Yanir , Cohen-Or Daniel
Published: August 2018

In this paper we introduce a video post-processing method that enhances the rhythm of a dancing performance, in the sense that the dancing movements are more in time to the beat of the music. The dancing performance as observed in a video is analyzed and segmented into motion intervals delimited by motion beats. We present an image-space method to extract the motion beats of a video by detecting frames at which there is a significant change in direction or motion stops. The motion beats are then synchronized with the music beats such that as many beats as possible are matched with as little as possible time-warping distortion to the video. We show two applications for this cross-media synchronization: one where a given dance performance is enhanced to be better synchronized with its original music, and one where a given dance video is automatically adapted to be synchronized with different music.
An Elementary Social Studies Teacher's Quest to Develop Democratic Citizens: The Boundaries of Ambitious Teaching
Authors: Heafner Tina L. , Norwood Jessica
Published: August 2018

Developing informed and participatory citizens is one of the aims of the National Council for the Social Studies’ (NCSS) vision of civic education. However, when aspiring to meet the call for meaningful civic education, teachers may find themselves at odds with other goals of accountability-driven school environments, creating contexts in which ambitious teaching becomes the answer to instilling democratic citizenship in students. The purpose of this study is to document the experience of such an ambitious teacher, chronicling a fifth-grade teacher's quest for ensuring her students’ access to civic education in an urban, highly-structured, and accountability-based school environment. Through describing her teaching philosophy, instructional strategies, and experience with administration hampering her ability to promote civic education, a pattern of ambitious social studies teaching commensurate with existing literature is supported and questioned.
Exploring Patterns of Change Processes Over Distinct In-Treatment Phases of Cognitive and Exposure Therapies for Electronic Gaming Machine Problem Gamblers
Authors: Smith David , Fairweather-Schmidt A. Kate , Pols Rene , Harvey Peter , Battersby Malcolm
Published: August 2018

Little is known about the change processes in gambling disorder-specific cognitive therapy (CT) and exposure therapy (ET). These therapies are underpinned by the cognitive approach (i.e., restructuring gambling cognitions) and the psychobiological approach (i.e., elimination of gambling urges) to treating problem gambling. Here, piecewise-linear modelling is used in a secondary analysis of randomised trial data for a CT group (n = 44) versus an ET group (n = 43) with the aim to open a discourse on how individuals respond to CT and ET relative to theory. Measures were administered between therapy sessions (average = 6.2 per individual) across 18 weeks for gambling urge (GUS) and gambling cognitions (GRCS). Results indicated the ET group had a stronger reduction in GUS (p < .01) in the first 4 weeks of treatment. Between 4–12 weeks, improvement in GUS (p < .01) and GRCS (p = .02) was more rapid in the CT group. Both groups experienced comparable improvements from 12–18 weeks. These findings have implications for further treatment development, including a combined cognitive and exposure approach that is flexibly adapted to the patient. A larger trial is needed to formally establish change processes and identify differences in problem gambler subgroups. This would provide therapists capacity to offer each patient a clear direction and an expedited pathway to their preferred outcome.
Distribution of gyrotactic micro-organisms in complex three-dimensional flows. Part 1. Horizontal shear flow past a vertical circular cylinder
Authors: Zeng L. , Pedley T. J.
Published: August 2018

As a first step towards understanding the distribution of swimming micro-organisms in flowing shallow water containing vegetation, we formulate a continuum model for dilute suspensions in horizontal shear flow, with a maximum Reynolds number of 100, past a single, rigid, vertical, circular cylinder that extends from a flat horizontal bed and penetrates the free water surface. A numerical platform was developed to solve this problem, in four stages: first, a scheme for computation of the flow field; second, a solver for the Fokker–Planck equation governing the probability distribution of the swimming direction of gyrotactic cells under the combined action of gravity, ambient vorticity and rotational diffusion; third, the construction of a database for the mean swimming velocity and the translational diffusivity tensor as functions of the three vorticity components, using parameters appropriate for the swimming alga, Chlamydomonas nivalis; fourth, a solver for the three-dimensional concentration distribution of the gyrotactic micro-organisms. Upstream of the cylinder, the cells are confined to a vertical strip of width equal to the cylinder diameter, which enables us to visualise mixing in the wake. The flow downstream of the cylinder is divided into three zones: parallel vortex shedding in the top zone near the water surface, oblique vortex shedding in the middle zone and quasi-steady flow in the bottom zone. Secondary (vertical) flow occurs just upstream and downstream of the cylinder. Frequency spectra of the velocity components in the wake of the cylinder show two dominant frequencies of vortex shedding, in the parallel- and oblique-shedding zones respectively, together with a low frequency, equal to the difference between those two frequencies, that corresponds to a beating modulation. The concentration distribution is calculated for both active particles and passive, non-swimming, particles for comparison. The concentration distribution is very similar for both active and passive particles, except near the top surface, where upswimming causes the concentration of active particles to reach values greater than in the upstream strip, and in a thin boundary layer on the downstream surface of the cylinder, where a high concentration of active particles occurs as a result of radial swimming.
Data-driven reduced modelling of turbulent Rayleigh–Bénard convection using DMD-enhanced fluctuation–dissipation theorem
Authors: Khodkar M. A. , Hassanzadeh Pedram
Published: August 2018

A data-driven model-free framework is introduced for the calculation of reduced-order models (ROMs) capable of accurately predicting time-mean responses to external forcings, or forcings needed for specified responses, e.g. for control, in fully turbulent flows. The framework is based on using the fluctuation–dissipation theorem (FDT) in the space of a limited number of modes obtained from dynamic mode decomposition (DMD). Use of the DMD modes as the basis functions, rather than the commonly used proper orthogonal decomposition modes, resolves a previously identified problem in applying FDT to high-dimensional non-normal turbulent flows. Employing this DMD-enhanced FDT method ($\text{FDT}_{DMD}$), a linear ROM with horizontally averaged temperature as state vector is calculated for a 3D Rayleigh–Bénard convection system at a Rayleigh number of$10^{6}$using data obtained from direct numerical simulation. The calculated ROM performs well in various tests for this turbulent flow, suggesting$\text{FDT}_{DMD}$as a promising method for developing ROMs for high-dimensional turbulent systems.
A Note on Listwise Deletion versus Multiple Imputation
Authors: Pepinsky Thomas B.
Published: August 2018

This letter compares the performance of multiple imputation and listwise deletion using a simulation approach. The focus is on data that are “missing not at random” (MNAR), in which case both multiple imputation and listwise deletion are known to be biased. In these simulations, multiple imputation yields results that are frequently more biased, less efficient, and with worse coverage than listwise deletion when data are MNAR. This is the case even with very strong correlations between fully observed variables and variables with missing values, such that the data are very nearly “missing at random.” These results recommend caution when comparing the results from multiple imputation and listwise deletion, when the true data generating process is unknown.
Information and its Presentation: Treatment Effects in Low-Information vs. High-Information Experiments
Authors: Andersen David J. , Ditonto Tessa
Published: August 2018

This article examines how the presentation of information during a laboratory experiment can alter a study’s findings. We compare four possible ways to present information about hypothetical candidates in a laboratory experiment. First, we manipulate whether subjects experience a low-information or a high-information campaign. Second, we manipulate whether the information is presented statically or dynamically. We find that the design of a study can produce very different conclusions. Using candidate’s gender as our manipulation, we find significant effects on a variety of candidate evaluation measures in low-information conditions, but almost no significant effects in high-information conditions. We also find that subjects in high-information settings tend to seek out more information in dynamic environments than static, though their ultimate candidate evaluations do not differ. Implications and recommendations for future avenues of study are discussed.
Isotopic Evidence for Landscape use and the Role of Causewayed Enclosures During the Earlier Neolithic in Southern Britain
Authors: Neil Samantha , Evans Jane , Montgomery Janet , Scarre Chris
Published: August 2018

The nature of landscape use and residence patterns during the British earlier Neolithic has often been debated. Here we use strontium and oxygen isotope analysis of tooth enamel, from individuals buried at the Hambledon Hill causewayed enclosure monument complex in Dorset, England to evaluate patterns of landscape use during the earlier Neolithic. Previous analysis suggests that a significant proportion of the artefacts found at the site may originate from lithology of Eocene and Upper to Middle Jurassic age that the enclosures overlook to the immediate west and south. The excavators therefore argued that the sector of landscape visible from Hambledon Hill provides an approximate index for the catchment occupied by the communities that it served. Most of the burial population exhibit isotope ratios that could be consistent with this argument. Connections between Hambledon Hill and regions much further afield are also hypothesised, based on the presence of artefacts within the assemblage that could have been sourced from lithology in Somerset, Devon, and Cornwall in south-west England. However, few of the sampled individuals have strontium isotope ratios consistent with having obtained the majority of their diet from such areas during childhood. The individuals who exhibit the highest strontium isotope ratios are all adult males, whom the excavators suggest to have died during one or more episodes of conflict, following the burning and destruction of surrounding defensive outworks built during the 36th centurybc. At least one of these individuals, who was found with an arrowhead amongst his ribs, did not obtain his childhood diet locally and has87Sr/86Sr values that could be comparable to those bioavailable in the south-west peninsula.
RURAL DEVELOPMENT, ROYAL HISTORY, AND THE STRUGGLE FOR AUTHORITY IN EARLY APARTHEID ZULULAND (1951–4)
Authors: PARCELLS ASHLEY
Published: August 2018

From 1951, apartheid officials sought to implement soil rehabilitation programs in Nongoma, the home district of Zulu Paramount Chief Cyprian Bhekuzulu. This article argues that these programs brought to the surface fundamental questions about political authority in South Africa's hinterland during the first years of apartheid. These questions arose from ambiguities within native policy immediately after the passage of the 1951 Bantu Authorities Act: while the power of chiefs during the colonial and segregationist era in Zululand had been tied to their control of native reserve land, in Nongoma, these development interventions threatened that prerogative at the very moment apartheid policy sought to strengthen ‘tribal’ governance. In response, the Zulu royal family in Nongoma called on treaties with the British from the conquest era, colonial law, and the very language of apartheid to reassert chiefly control over land, and more importantly, to negotiate this new apartheid political order.
Empirical Evidence of Overbidding in M&A Contests
Authors: de Bodt Eric , Cousin Jean-Gabriel , Roll Richard
Published: August 2018

Surprisingly few papers have attempted to develop a direct empirical test for overbidding in merger and acquisition contests. We develop such a test grounded on a necessary condition for profit-maximizing bidding behavior. The test is not subject to endogeneity concerns. Our results strongly support the existence of overbidding. We provide evidence that overbidding is related to conflicts of interest, but also some indirect evidence that it arises from failing to fully account for the winner’s curse.
Land investments in Tanzania: assessing the role of state brokers
Authors: Bélair Joanny
Published: August 2018

Focusing on one of the most targeted areas for land investments in Tanzania (Rufiji district), this article compares the involvement of two Tanzanian state agencies in land acquisition, in the context of the central government's new strategy on productive investors. Given the fragmented and contentious authority of many African states, I investigate the impact of state intermediaries on the relationships between investors and local populations and consider bureaucrats as a group of actors to analyse flows of power within the state. I make two main points. First, the central state's weak infrastructural power and resulting lack of local knowledge, and, conversely, local bureaucrats’ possession of these valuable resources, reverses the flow of power from local to central. Second, a central monitoring process might have a negative effect. Instead of protecting vulnerable populations, it fosters institutional innovations that protect local bureaucrats’ opportunities for accumulation with investors, to the detriment of local populations.
Playing the ‘fragile state’ card: the SPLM and state extraversion in South Sudan
Authors: de Simone Sara
Published: August 2018

Southern Sudan's past crises have mobilised consistent flows of humanitarian assistance. Recalling the humanitarian catastrophes and international interventions of the 1990s–2000s, the war that exploded in South Sudan in 2013 has been no exception. This paper shows that the SPLM/A political elite promptly incorporated these flows of external resources into its extraverted strategies of state-building. Similar to the current situation, it did so by appropriating not only material assets but also discourses, playing the ‘fragile state’ card and raising fears of governance failure and state collapse. This paper analyses two specific aspects of international support to Southern Sudan in the 1990s–2000s: the political legitimisation of the movement through the negotiation of relief delivery, and direct support to rebel local government structures. These two aspects contributed to the creation of a state that substantially overlapped with the SPLM/A structure, thanks to the movement's capacity to capitalise on external resources, a subject worth analysing in future research.
Regulating the old game of smuggling? Coltan mining, trade and reforms in the Democratic Republic of the Congo
Authors: Wakenge Claude Iguma , Dijkzeul Dennis , Vlassenroot Koen
Published: August 2018

This article examines the smuggling of coltan into and out of artisanal mining areas in northern Katanga where the ITRI Tin Supply Chain Initiative (iTSCi), a policy on conflict minerals, tries to improve transparency in trading tin, tantalum (coltan) and tungsten. The article approaches smuggling from a sociology of economic life perspective, closely examining how and why artisanal miners and mine-based middlemen (négociants) helped smugglers (hiboux) in the trafficking of coltan. The findings indicate that the social networks in which miners and mine-basednégociantsare embedded allow the miners,négociantsand smugglers to maintain close relationships and to breach official regulations, but miners and mine-basednégociantsalso rely on the same networks to cheat in their dealings with the smugglers. This article concludes that, rather than considering coltan mining areas to be ‘enclaves of regulations’, understanding and addressing smuggling at both local and broader contexts call for a comprehensive, more contextualised approach.
International commissions as norm entrepreneurs: Creating the normative idea of the responsibility to protect
Authors: Madokoro Daisuke
Published: August 2018

Discussion in international relations often centres on a wide variety of norms, such as sustainable development, global governance, human security, and the responsibility to protect. A significant amount of work focuses on not only the theoretical and policy development of these norms but also the role of various norm entrepreneurs in promoting norm emergence and diffusion. Yet there are still knowledge gaps regarding the norm entrepreneurship role of international commissions that engage in the early stage of the emergence of these norms and their processes. This article elucidates the process of creation of normative ideas by analysing the role of international commissions as norm entrepreneurs, utilising a case study of the International Commission on Intervention and State Sovereignty (ICISS), which proposed the normative idea of the responsibility to protect (R2P) in 2001. The theoretical contribution of this article is to expand the understanding of norm entrepreneurship by adding international commissions to the universe of norm entrepreneurs and illuminating their strategies for constructing normative ideas. Empirically, it explores the role and activities of the ICISS in creating the normative idea of R2P, which contrasts the existing literature that has only focused on the development of R2P after the Commission has finished its work.
The role of philanthropy in international relations
Authors: Youde Jeremy
Published: August 2018

Global philanthropy is a significant source of financial resources in contemporary international relations, and it has provoked intense debates about the appropriateness of involving private foundations in global policymaking. Despite these facts, International Relations as a discipline has shown remarkably little reference to philanthropy as an important and relevant actor in global politics. In this article, I make the case for explicitly incorporating philanthropy into international relations analyses. Drawing on both historical examples and contemporary cases from the global health space, I show how philanthropy exerts a unique and independent influence within international society and that it needs to be understood holistically rather than focusing solely on individual philanthropic organisations. I also discuss how this expanding influence raises serious questions about accountability and legitimacy. Rather than making an argument about the appropriateness of philanthropy’s involvement in international society, this article aims to make the case for philanthropy’s analytical inclusion within the discipline.
Behavioural preference for low levels of UV-B radiation in two neotropical frog species from Costa Rica
Authors: DeMarchi Joseph A. , Britton Andrew , O'Donnell Kaylee , Saporito Ralph A.
Published: August 2018

Tropical frogs experience damaging effects from exposure to UV-B radiation, and some diurnally active, conspicuous species exhibit avoidance behaviours to high levels of UV-B. To determine if similar behaviours are present in other diurnal frogs, we experimentally compared UV-B avoidance in two common species of neotropical diurnal frogs –Oophaga pumilio, an aposematic poison frog andCraugastor bransfordii, a cryptic leaf-litter frog – in response to different levels of UV-B. Wild-caught frogs were tested in experimental arenas fitted with filters that permitted two different levels of UV-B (low: 14% vs. high: 84% UV-B). Both species spent significantly more time under the low UV-B filter, suggesting that behavioural preferences for lower levels of UV-B are common to different diurnal species. Furthermore, maleO. pumiliosignificantly preferred lower levels of UV-B, whereas females did not exhibit a preference for lower UV-B, which may suggest differences in UV-B exposure or sensitivity and/or alternative mechanism(s) to avoid UV-B between sexes. Although limited in scope, the findings of our study suggest that UV-B avoidance may be a behavioural adaptation common to all diurnal frogs.
Moral Status and Agent-Centred Options
Authors: LAZAR SETH
Published: August 2018

If we were required to sacrifice our own interests whenever doing so was best overall, or prohibited from doing so unless it was optimal, then we would be mere sites for the realization of value. Our interests, not ourselves, would wholly determine what we ought to do. We are not mere sites for the realization of value – instead we, ourselves, matter unconditionally. So we have options to act suboptimally. These options have limits, grounded in the very same considerations. Though notmerelysuch sites, you and I arealsosites for the realization of value, and our interests (and ourselves) must therefore sometimes determine what others ought to do, in particular requiring them to bear reasonable costs for our sake. Likewise, just as my moral status grounds a requirement that others show me appropriate respect, so must I do to myself.
Utilisation of medications to reduce symptoms in children with postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome
Authors: Boris Jeffrey R. , Bernadzikowski Thomas
Published: August 2018

Background

Postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome encompasses multiple disabling symptoms that interfere with daily activities. Non-pharmacologic approaches can be insufficient and can require adjunctive medications to manage symptoms. Minimal data exist in the literature on medication outcomes in these patients. We reviewed our database for medication management outcomes.

Materials and Methods

Patients aged 18 years and younger at initial diagnosis met the inclusion criteria. All prescribed patient medications were extracted from the electronic health record, excluding medications for unrelated symptoms or comorbid diseases. Medications were grouped by symptom class consistent with our programme utilisation protocol. Within symptom classification, therapy was deemed successful when a specific dose was prescribed at least five consecutive times without changes; this was confirmed by chart review. Individual medications and overall percentage of successful therapies within symptom classifications were assessed, with further analysis by gender. t-Test, χ2, and Mann–Whitney U-test were used to assess for differences in specific variables, as appropriate.

Results

A total of 708 patients met the study criteria. The percentage of patients with effective therapy by symptom includes light-headedness (52.2%), headache (48.2%), nausea (39.1%), dysmotility (43.4%), pain (53.4%), and insomnia (42.8%). Insomnia therapy was better for females; all other therapies showed no gender difference. The median number of therapies prescribed per patient per symptom was 2 for light-headedness, headache, and insomnia, and 1 for nausea, dysmotility, and pain.

Discussion

Symptoms associated with this disorder can be effectively managed with various medications. Further randomised studies are needed to better ascertain true efficacy compared with placebo.
Process evaluation of a national, community-based, food supplementary programme for improving the nutritional status of children in Iran
Authors: Ghodsi Delaram , Rashidian Arash , Omidvar Nasrin , Eini-Zinab Hassan , Raghfar Hossein , Ebrahimi Marziyeh
Published: August 2018

Objective

To evaluate the process of implementation of a national nutritional programme for improving the nutritional status of children in Iran.

Design

A cross-sectional process evaluation was carried out using field observations, document reviews, semi-structured interviews and focus group discussions.

Setting

Data were collected across urban and rural areas of Qazvin and Semnan provinces of Iran, March–September 2014.

Subjects

Mothers (n 362) of children under programme coverage were chosen for the survey. Senior nutrition officers, the head of Hygiene, Remedy and Insurance Affairs at Imam Khomeini Relief Foundation and community health workers were selected purposively for interviews. Mothers with at least one child under 6 years of age covered by the programme were selected to participate in focus group discussions.

Results

Five steps of programme implementation were identified: supplementary food basket content, food basket distribution methods, selection of eligible children, distributed food consumption, and child growth monitoring and nutrition training sessions for mothers. The distributed food baskets did not have enough milk/dairy products, vegetables and fruits. Nearly 50 % of children consumed 75–100 % of the distributed milk and cake/biscuit, while staple foods were shared with other family members. When electronic cards were offered instead of food baskets, attendance for child growth monitoring and the food items participants chose with the cards tended to differ from what was originally designed.

Conclusions

Focusing on food items that are mostly being used for child feeding (e.g. eggs or milk in food baskets) may be beneficial to assure the target child is receiving the distributed foods.
The effects of bowl size and portion size on food intake and fullness ratings in a sample of Japanese men
Authors: Shimpo Misa , Akamatsu Rie
Published: August 2018

Objective

Portion sizes and bowl sizes may be related to food intake and perceived fullness. The objective of the present study was to investigate the effects of portion size and bowl size and possible interactions between these variables on food intake and fullness in a sample of Japanese men.

Design

Participants ate four different experimental meals across four weeks and completed questionnaires about their fullness using a visual analogue scale administered before and after meals. The four meal patterns included consistent portions of several foods commonly eaten together in typical Japanese meals, along with 150 g of rice served in a small rice bowl (diameter of 11·5 cm), 150 g of rice served in a large rice bowl (diameter of 13·5 cm), 250 g of rice served in a small rice bowl or 250 g of rice served in a large rice bowl.

Setting

Tokyo.

Subject

Twenty-one adult men participated in the study.

Results

Portion size had a significant main effect on rice intake (F(1,20)=83, P<0·001) and fullness (F(1,20)=8·0, P=0·010), but no significant effects of bowl size on the outcome variables were found. The interactions between portion size and bowl size on intake and fullness were not significant.

Conclusions

The sample of Japanese men showed an influence of portion size on food intake. Further research is needed to clarify the combined effects of bowl size and portion size on intake and fullness.
A comparison of Monte Carlo, anisotropic analytical algorithm (AAA) and Acuros XB algorithms in assessing dosimetric perturbations during enhanced dynamic wedged radiotherapy deliveries in heterogeneous media
Authors: Zaman Ashfaq , Kakakhel Muhammad Basim , Hussain Amjad
Published: August 2018

Background

A comparison of anisotropic analytical algorithm (AAA) and Acuros XB (AXB) dose calculation algorithms with Electron Gamma Shower (EGSnrc) Monte Carlo (MC) for modelling lung and bone heterogeneities encountered during enhanced dynamic wedged (EDWs) radiotherapy dose deliveries was carried out.

Materials and methods

In three heterogenous slab phantoms: water–bone, lung–bone and bone–lung, wedged percentage depth doses with EGSnrc, AAA and AXB algorithms for 6 MV photons for various field sizes (5×5, 10×10 and 20×20 cm2) and EDW angles (15°, 30°, 45° and 60°) have been scored.

Results

For all the scenarios, AAA and AXB results were within ±1% of the MC in the pre-inhomogeneity region. For water–bone AAA and AXB deviated by 6 and 1%, respectively. For lung–bone an underestimation in lung (AAA: 5%, AXB: 2%) and overestimation in bone was observed (AAA: 13%, AXB: 4%). For bone–lung phantom overestimation in bone (AAA: 7%, AXB: 1%), a lung underdosage (AAA: 8%, AXB: 5%) was found. Post bone up to 12% difference in the AAA and MC results was observed as opposed to 6% in case of AXB.

Conclusion

This study demonstrated the limitation of the AAA (in certain scenarios) and accuracy of AXB for dose estimation inside and around lung and bone inhomogeneities. The dose perturbation effects were found to be slightly dependent on the field size with no obvious EDW dependence.
Beyond “Market” and “State” Feminism: Gender Knowledge at the Intersections of Marketization and Securitization
Authors: Stachowitsch Saskia
Published: August 2018

This article assesses the implications of the shifting market-state relationship for feminism in the neoliberal era. In a case study of the private military and security industry as an actor that is uniquely positioned at the intersections of security governance and global markets, the analysis combines feminist security studies’ critique of securitized gender discourses and feminist global political economy scholarship on corporate-led equality initiatives. Based on a critical discourse analysis of documents from industry and nongovernmental organizations, such as codes of conduct and policy recommendations, I argue that the discourses on gender put forward in the context of security privatization merge securitized and marketized discourses to the effect that the emancipatory potential of “gender” is further curtailed, raising new challenges for feminist knowledge in powerful organizations. The article thus contributes to the critical gender research on private security, debates on the neoliberalization and securitization of feminism, and the integration of feminist security studies and feminist global political economy.
Is universal and uniform health insurance better for China? Evidence from the perspective of supply-induced demand
Authors: Yu Jianxing , Qiu Yue , He Ziying
Published: August 2018

China has achieved nearly universal social health insurance (SHI) coverage by implementing three statutory schemes, but gaps and differences in benefit levels are apparent. There is wide agreement that China should merge the three schemes into a universal and uniform SHI. However, data on the medical expenses of all inpatients in 2014 at a public Tier-three hospital suggests that supply-induced demand (SID) is a serious concern and that, under the design of the current schemes, a higher benefit level has a greater impact on the total expenses of insured patients. Thus, if SID is not effectively controlled, a universal and uniform SHI may be more harmful than beneficial in China. Finally, we suggest that China should substitute the existing fee-for-service design with a suite of bundled provider payment methods; furthermore, China should replace its current system of pricing drugs that encourages hospitals and doctors to use costlier medications.