bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
No Provision Left Behind – Law of the Sea Convention’s Dispute Settlement System and Obligations Erga Omnes
Authors: Fasia Eirini-Erasmia
Published: December 2021

The article argues that the Law of the Sea Convention’s (LOSC) dispute settlement system (DSS) is attuned only to certain types of disputes (bilateral) and does not allow for the effective enforcement of obligations erga omnes reflected in the Convention. Mechanisms established to address enforcement of communitarian norms specifically are scarce in international law and the traditional bilateral structure of adjudicatory dispute settlement circumscribes the ability of states to act as advocates of the international community to which obligations erga omnes are owed. The article identifies the obligations erga omnes reflected in the LOSC and assesses the extent to which its dispute settlement framework is suited to address their breach. It is submitted that some of the community interest obligations of the LOSC are “left behind” by the function of the system itself.
The “Struggle” to Dissolve the Kosovo Specialist Chambers in The Hague: Stuck between Constitutional Text and Mission to Pursue Justice
Authors: Puka Avni , Korenica Fisnik
Published: December 2021

The Kosovo Specialist Chambers (KSC) manifest the first effort of the European Union to participate in an international criminal law project by running a hybrid criminal tribunal, vested with jurisdiction to investigate the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe’s Marty Report. The KSC is entrusted with a mandate originating in a number of legal instruments. A “termination clause” is also present in the Constitution of the Republic of Kosovo. The Specialist Constitutional Chamber has recently ruled on an amendment discreetly activating the termination of the KSC. The Chamber’s decision outlawing “the amendment” manifests an attempt to reinforce the constitutive nature of the EU’s proprietorship over the KSC, attaching to it an international personality detached from that of Kosovo. The decision contends that the “power to dissolve” the KSC is basically vested with the EU, and Kosovo’s internal law cannot affect that relationship unilaterally. The article argues that the strong adherence of the Chamber’s decision on fundamental rights is an attempt to expose the victim-rights-centered mission of the KSC, clearly leaning towards a legitimacy rather than a legalistic exercise. The article concludes that the decision will have ample effect on the EU’s responsibility over the KSC, the nature of the “power to dissolve”, and the KSC’s mission in the European fundamental rights landscape in general.
What Were the Processes and Outcomes of Offering Shared Reading as an Intervention for Veterans in Prison?
Authors: Baverstock Alison , Boorman Elaine , Morgan-Armstrong Corin , Jenkins Leanne , Morgan Helen
Published: December 2021

The charity Reading Force encourages Forces families to read together in order to build social, emotional, and mental well-being and offset the impact of the changes and separations routine in military life. They distribute reading scrapbooks and free books and encourage families to work on them together. It was suggested that a version of the project might usefully be developed for veterans in prison, whose families experience many of the same issues. Scrapbook Dads was developed for veterans housed in the Endeavour Wing at Parc Prison, South Wales. The materials were adapted for use by prisoners and their families. They had just been distributed when the pandemic struck, visiting and social/educational activities were cancelled, and the prison went into lockdown. With the materials readily available, the project was heavily used by prison staff to seek to maintain prisoner morale and support family connectivity. This paper charts the process, comments on what was learned, and makes recommendations for how shared reading can be used in prisons in future.
The Infinite Pleasure of Reading
Authors: Nadal Jordi
Published: December 2021

Irene Vallejo11 has perfectly demonstrated the accuracy of Nuccio Ordine’s thesis on the usefulness of the useless. In a screenobsessed world that often destroys our serenity and the pleasure to be found in slowness, this wonderful author has found a direct line to the relevance of the ancient world and, by extension, to the world of books and many of the things they do to make life worth living. Kant distinguished between what has a price – and what has dignity.
L’urbanisation, entre la déviance et l’éthique
Authors: Ramazani Bishwende Augustin , Alberto Tello Carlos
Published: December 2021

Deux études de cas de villes très étalées (Kinshasa et Mexico) illustrent mieux la question de l’urbanisation de grandes villes du point de vue de la déviance et de l’éthique. À travers une analyse méthodologique de faits concrets nous parlons de l’espace urbain comme probable conducteur de la ségrégation sociale. L’article considère qu’il faudrait gérer la déviance le mieux possible, parce qu’elle travaille contre toute initiative d’éthique et de développement durable. Une discussion indique que sans une approche sociale, sans des politiques urbaines justes; des espaces de ségrégation sociale continueront d’exister avec des fortes conséquences sur l’étalement urbain et la qualité de vie (qdv) et la qualité d’un lieu (qdl) des populations. Pour mieux gérer cette situation, l’accent est mis sur le principe du développement durable afin de remédier aux problèmes de la déviance. L’article conclut qu’une nouvelle configuration urbaine beaucoup plus éthique serait plus bénéfique aux populations et aux nombreuses villes du monde dans l’avenir.
Ṣàngó’s Incest, Oxala’s Equanimity and the Permanence of African Myth-Legends in Atlantic Yorùbá Dramaturgy
Authors: Adeniyi Emmanuel
Published: December 2021

This article discusses the permanence of Yorùbá myth-legends in Atlantic Yorùbá dramaturgy. The dramaturgy is conceived as a genre of Atlantic Yorùbá literature produced by the scions of Yorùbá slaves in the New World and some òrìṣà worshippers in the Americas who claim an affiliative relationship with continental Yorùbá. I argue in favour of a myth-legend taxonomy of oral prose narratives as against the Western classification of traditional tales into myth, legend and folktale. Yorùbá traditional tales, also called pataki by the Atlantic Yorùbá, are dubbed myth-legends due to the shared features of myths and legends immanent in them. The article examines these traditional tales, drawing insights from psychoanalytic and postcolonial models to foreground the Ọbàtálá–Jesus parallelism, primeval rivalry between Ṣàngó and Ògún, and the paraphilia of certain Yorùbá hero-gods. It affirms the Euhemerisation of these deities to accentuate their apotheosis and possession of human attributes.
La colpa del bevitore: iṯm e riǧs nelle interpretazioni classiche e moderne dei passi relativi al ḫamr nel Corano e nella Sunna
Authors: Capezzone Leonardo
Published: December 2021

In contemporary Muslim world, wine and its condemnation have acquired a particular importance in the processes of re-Islamisation. Compared to the classical period, the referential value – in terms of Muslim identity and belonging to the Islamic community – of the term ḫamr has taken a restrictive meaning. This article deals with the intellectual production related to the Islamic interdiction of wine. Firstly, it examines the evidence in the Qurʾān, its exegesis, and the canonical traditions, and then in Sunni and Shiite traditions. It privileges a permanent form of normative reference to the sense of revelation, found as much in the classical period as in the modern one. It is within this permanence, and with a sort of “sampling technique”, that this study aims at evaluating the cultural change at the turn of the contemporary period. It examines the works of authors such as al-Ṭabarī, Rašīd Riḍà, Sayyid Quṭb, al-Buḫārī, al-Kulaynī, Ibn Taymiyyah, Muḥammad Šalṭūṭ and ʿAbd al-Wahhāb ʿAbd al-Salām Ṭawīlah.
Un rapporto di Ferigo Foscari, Bailo veneto a Costantinopoli nel 1795: “l’Arsenale dei Dardanelli”
Authors: İşler Didem
Published: December 2021

The report of Bailo Ferigo Foscari dated April 10, 1795, protect in the Venetian State Archive today, includes an unpublished architectural drawing about the renovation of Gallipoli Shipyard that with its strategic location and production capacity one of the most important naval bases of the Ottoman Empire. The drawing, which is among the “Senato Dispacci Costantinopoli” documents that not only provides contributions to the history studies by shedding light on the political and military developments of the periods in terms of Venetian-Ottoman relations in archival studies, but also is an extremely valuable evidence that contributes to the art and architectural history as a visually documenting the Gallipoli shipyard, which has not survived to the present day.
Bibliophilia: the Passion of Ming Dynasty Private Book Collectors
Authors: Ng Ashton
Published: December 2021

In the Ming dynasty (1368–1644), book collecting evolved from an elite pastime into a widespread obsession. ‘Bibliophilia’—the passionate love for books—drove many book collectors to exhaust their fortunes or even trade their concubines for books. As books became indispensable towards gaining respectability in Chinese society, scholars, merchants, and landowners ensured that their residences were thoroughly infused with the prestigious “fragrance of books”. Some literati even regarded book collecting as a man’s most important undertaking in life. Ming private book collectors broke away from tradition and made their private collections available for others to view, exchange, or copy, greatly promoting the circulation of books. Through their incredible attention to the collection, classification, storage, and proofreading of books, Ming bibliophiles contributed enormously to the preservation and transmission of Chinese culture.
Heritage of Liminality: Remnants of the Military in the Istrian City of Pula in the Aftermath of Yugoslav Socialism
Authors: Petrović Tanja
Published: December 2021

This article is devoted to the meanings of the liminality that shaped the (self-) perception of the Croatian city of Pula and came as a result of the long-term presence of the military (and heavy industry) in the city. The study discusses the modalities of cohabitation of the Yugoslav People’s Army and the citizens of Pula, who lived together, interacted, and shaped each other during the period of Yugoslav socialism, and highlights the consequences of this mutual shaping in the aftermath of the Yugoslav socialist project. In the ongoing process of Pula’s contentious urban transformation, in which several military and industrial facilities, complexes, and areas still wait for their new functions and new owners, the city’s military nature and liminality have been identified as a problem by authorities and policy makers: they see the material and immaterial traces of the presence of the military in the city as an “unwanted heritage”. In opposition to the view that Pula’s military (and industrial) heritage is a problem to be overcome/eliminated, the article argues for a more inclusive approach that would acknowledge the fact that this heritage is perceived by citizens as closely related to their city’s multicultural and working-class tradition, and that would recognize its potential to produce meanings, values, histories, and memories.
Studying the Post-Socialist City in Yugoslavia: An Examination of Multi-Disciplinary Methodologies and Theoretical Approaches
Authors: Babić Maja
Published: December 2021

Since the end of the state-socialist era in the early 1990s – and effectively, since the end of the Yugoslav federation and the subsequent wars that had engulfed the Western Balkans for almost a decade – the study of the twentieth-century South-Eastern Europe has intensified. The scholarship on the region’s twentieth-century architecture has been prolific since the early years of the new millennium, and the new generation of urban and architectural scholars has further amplified this trend. However, an inquiry into the post-socialist city in Western Balkans has been relegated largely to the secondary position to the study of the Yugoslav modernist architecture and its role within the socio-political mechanisms of the Cold War era. In this discourse, the study of the post-socialist urban space remains lacking in architectural and urban history – it is mainly conducted within the methodological and theoretical frameworks of sociology, socio-cultural anthropology, and urban geography.
To bridge this scholarly gap and identify possible new trajectories of inquiry, I probe into the different scholarship dealing with the post-socialist city and the urban, ideological, and social remnants of the state-socialist era in former Yugoslavia. I argue that the study of the multi-disciplinary nature of the scholarship examining the state-socialist and post-socialist city serves as a vital step in the more comprehensive understanding of the (post-)Yugoslav architectural space, its particulars, and idiosyncrasies. Methodologically, I identify and outline the different disciplinary strands in the study of the post-socialist space in general, and post-Yugoslav space in particular, followed by an analysis of the established discourses and their points of interference and overlap. By investigating qualitative methodologies and different theoretical approaches in the study of the Central-East European and Yugoslav post-socialist city, I explore the post-socialist urban space in former Yugoslavia in a wide-ranging manner, ultimately identifying conduits for future research.
Reinforcing Place Attachment Through its Disruption: An Ethnographic Example from the Solidarita Housing Estate in Prague
Authors: Hodúlová Tereza
Published: December 2021

The Solidarita housing estate was built during the years 1946–1951 as one of the first post-war housing estates in Prague, former Czechoslovakia. Inspired by Scandinavian urban standards, architects designed Solidarita as an urban architectural experiment that combined innovative urban strategies, new technologies, collective approach, and cooperative financing. The socio-spatial structure of Solidarita was influenced by the ideology of socialism – the production of an egalitarian society through a centrally planned economy and collective ownership. As a result, the estate was self-sufficient and conducive to neighborly meetings, and it strengthened their relations through its form. The political transformation, commercialization, and privatization in the 1990s caused a gradual change of the socio-spatial image of the neighborhood. Some elements of the housing complex started to lose their original function and the community character of Solidarita could be jeopardized. Using the theoretical concept of place attachment and the concept of social production of place, the aim of this paper is to show how residents of the Solidarita housing estate in Prague are attached to the place of their home and neighborhood and how this attachment is reconceptualized through the post-socialist socio-spatial changes of the place.
Rain Drop Size Distributions Estimated from NOAA Snow-Level Radar Data
Authors: Johnston Paul E. , Williams Christopher R. , White Allen B.
Published: December 2021

Using NOAA’s S-band High-Power Snow-Level Radar (HPSLR), a technique for estimating the rain drop size distribution (DSD) above the radar is presented. This technique assumes the DSD can be described by a four parameter, generalized gamma distribution (GGD). Using the radar’s measured average Doppler velocity spectrum and a value (assumed, measured, or estimated) of the vertical air motion w, an estimate of the GGD is obtained. Four different methods can be used to obtain w. One method that estimates a mean mass-weighted raindrop diameter Dm from the measured reflectivity Z produces realistic DSDs compared to prior literature examples. These estimated DSDs provide evidence that the radar can retrieve the smaller drop sizes constituting the “drizzle” mode part of the DSD. This estimation technique was applied to 19 h of observations from Hankins, North Carolina. Results support the concept that DSDs can be modeled using GGDs with a limited range of parameters. Further work is needed to validate the described technique for estimating DSDs in more varied precipitation types and to verify the vertical air motion estimates.
A trans-scalar approach to peacebuilding and transitional justice: Insights from the Democratic Republic of Congo
Authors: Hellmüller Sara
Published: December 2021

Peace research has taken a local turn. Yet, conceptual ambiguities, risks of romanticization, and critiques of co-option of the “local” point to the need to look for novel ways to think about the interactions of actors ranging from the global to the local level. Gearoid Millar proposes a trans-scalar approach to peace based on a “consistency of purpose” and a “parity of esteem” for actors across scales. This article analyzes the concept of trans-scalarity in the peace process in Ituri, a province in the northeastern Democratic Republic of Congo (DRC). Drawing on qualitative data from more than a year of research in the DRC, I argue that while a trans-scalar approach was taken to end violence, it was not applied to transitional justice initiatives. The result was a negative, rather than a positive peace. By showing the high, but still untapped, potential of trans-scalarity, the article makes three contributions. First, it advances the debate on the local turn by adding empirical insights on trans-scalarity and further developing the concept’s theoretical foundations. Second, it provides novel empirical insights on the transitional justice process in the DRC. Third, it links scholarship on peacebuilding and transitional justice, which have often remained disconnected.
Climate Change, Human Insecurity and Conflict Dynamics in the Lake Chad Region
Authors: Ehiane Stanley , Moyo Philani
Published: December 2021

Climate change impacts on human development have been an issue of global concern in the past few decades. Over the past few years, there is increasing interest on the impacts of climate change on conflict, peace and security in Africa. This paper explores the extent to which climate change impacts and attendant effects on environmental resources are drivers of some of the conflicts in the Lake Chad region, specifically in Chad, Cameroon, Niger and Nigeria. It applies the human security theory to establish the interface between climate impacts, human insecurity and local conflicts. We find that reduced access to natural resources such as fertile land, water and pasture is undermining livelihoods of vulnerable people and communities in the Lake Chad region, which triggered recurrent conflicts.
Reconceptualizing Tourists’ Extraordinary Experiences
Authors: Goolaup Sandhiya , Nunkoo Robin
Published: December 2021

Research that conceptualizes tourist extraordinary experiences both from the structural and anti-structural perspective is limited in the tourism literature. The purpose of this research is to develop a new theoretical perspective that re-conceptualizes our understanding of tourists’ extraordinary experience by taking into consideration both the structural and anti-structural elements of an experience. It draws on phenomenological interviews with 26 food tourists. The study finds that extraordinary experience consists of elements such as profaneness, collaborative interactions and conflict-easing, which represent both the structural and anti-structural elements. The findings of this study allow us to question whether extraordinary experience is purely structural or anti-structural as suggested by previous research. Rather, based on the findings, we argue that extraordinary experience is the positive co-existence of both the ordinary and the non-ordinary. As a result, we use the term “synstructure” to conceptualize the tourist extraordinary experience.
‘Hitting to Teach is One Thing, but to Hurt is a Different Thing, isn’t it?’: Understanding Cycles of Intergenerational Violence within Families
Authors: Medeiros Jaqueline K. , Pessoa Alex S. G. , Barbosa Amanda F. , Liebenberg Linda
Published: December 2021

Using a qualitative case study approach, this study aimed to investigate the family context in the childhood of adults who themselves have been violent toward their own children. The study, conducted in Brazil, included the participation of three adults, of both genders, who were neglectful as well as physically and psychologically violent toward their children. Data collection was carried out using the Interview About the Past of Parents (IAPP) and family genograms. Findings demonstrate factors that contribute to the perpetuation of violence across generations, and explain the difficulties in breaking cycles of violence. Importantly, findings highlight how the discipline practices used with their own children were reproductions of the models of parenting and related manifestations of violence that the participants themselves were exposed to in childhood. From these findings, the importance of psychosocial interventions that assist family members in replacing coercive parenting practices with healthier strategies is reiterated.
Institutional listening in deliberative democracy: Towards a deliberative logic of transmission
Authors: Scudder Mary F , Ercan Selen A , McCallum Kerry
Published: December 2021

This article explores the role of institutional listening in deliberative democracy, focusing particularly on its contribution to the transmission process between the public sphere and formal institutions. We critique existing accounts of transmission for prioritizing voice over listening and for remaining constrained by an ‘aggregative logic’ of the flow of ideas and voices in a democracy. We argue that formal institutions have a crucial role to play in ensuring transmission operates according to a more deliberative logic. To substantiate this argument, we focus on two recent examples of institutional listening in two different democracies: Australia’s Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Sexual Abuse and the United States’ Senate Judiciary Committee’s confirmation hearing for Supreme Court nominee, Brett Kavanaugh. These cases show that institutional listening can take different forms; it can be purposefully designed or incidental, and it can contribute to the realization of deliberative democracy in various ways. Specifically, institutional listening can help enhance the credibility and visibility of minority groups and perspectives while also empowering these groups to better hold formal political institutions accountable. In these ways, institutional listening helps transmission operate according to a more deliberative logic.
Radiomics and stacking regression model for measuring bone mineral density using abdominal computed tomography
Authors: Dai Hong , Wang Yutao , Fu Randi , Ye Sijia , He Xiuchao , Luo Shuying , Jin Wei
Published: December 2021

Background

Measurement of bone mineral density (BMD) is the most important method to diagnose osteoporosis. However, current BMD measurement is always performed after a fracture has occurred.

Purpose

To explore whether a radiomic model based on abdominal computed tomography (CT) can predict the BMD of lumbar vertebrae.

Material and Methods

A total of 245 patients who underwent both dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry (DXA) and abdominal CT examination (training cohort, n = 196; validation cohort, n = 49) were included in our retrospective study. In total, 1218 image features were extracted from abdominal CT images for each patient. Combined with clinical information, three steps including least absolute shrinkage and selection operator (LASSO) regression were used to select key features. A two-tier stacking regression model with multi-algorithm fusion was used for BMD prediction, which can integrate the advantages of linear model and non-linear model. The prediction results of this model were compared with those using a single regressor. The degree-of-freedom adjusted coefficient of determination (Adjusted-R2), root mean square error (RMSE), and mean absolute error (MAE) were used to evaluate the regression performance.

Results

Compared with other regression methods, the two-tier stacking regression model has a higher regression performance, with Adjusted-R2, RMSE, and MAE of 0.830, 0.077, and 0.06, respectively. Pearson correlation analysis and Bland–Altman analysis showed that the BMD predicted by the model had a high correlation with the DXA results (r = 0.932, difference = −0.01 ± 0.1412 mg/cm2).

Conclusion

Using radiomics, the BMD of lumbar vertebrae could be predicted from abdominal CT images.
Adolescent Violent Delinquency Associated With Increased Emergency Department Usage in Young Adulthood
Authors: Portnoy Jill , Schwartz Joseph A.
Published: December 2021

Limited research has examined the extent to which adolescent delinquency predicts healthcare usage in young adulthood, including emergency department (ED) visits. This study used data from 3,310 adolescents (52.05% female; mean age at Wave I = 16.04 years) from the sibling subsample of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent to Adult Health (Add Health). We examined whether adolescent delinquency at Wave I predicted ED visits at Wave III using sibling fixed effects models to adjust estimates for within-family unobserved heterogeneity. Increased violent, but not nonviolent, delinquency predicted a higher number of ED visits in early adulthood in the sibling fixed effects models. To our knowledge, this is the first study to examine the relationship between delinquency and ED usage using a sibling fixed effects design. Findings demonstrate that violent adolescent delinquency may increase healthcare usage and suggest the potential role of healthcare providers in improving outcomes for delinquent youth.
Effects of plasma treatments of polypropylene adhesive joints used in the automotive industry
Authors: Ciardiello Raffaele , D’Angelo Domenico , Cagna Laura , Croce Alessandro , Paolino Davide Salvatore
Published: December 2021

Plasma treatment has been used in recent years to activate the surfaces of adhesive substrates and thus as an adhesion promoter between adhesive and substrates. The use of plasma treatments is widely adopted in the automotive industries especially for polymers that present low surface energy, such as polypropylene. In this work, polypropylene substrates used in the automotive industries have been treated with two different techniques: vacuum and atmospheric plasma. Then, polyurethane and methacrylate adhesives have been used to bond single lap joints (SLJs). Typically, these two adhesives cannot bond polypropylene substrates without surface treatments. An experimental plan has been designed to investigate the process parameters that can increase the functional polar groups (FPGs) maximizing the adhesion strength. Besides the types of plasma, two different gas carriers (air and nitrogen) and different treatment times have been investigated. The substrates, treated and not treated, have been assessed through scanning electron microscopy, energy-dispersive X-ray analysis, and Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy to quantitatively assess the increment of FPGs after the different treatments. The experimental plan shows that the atmospheric plasma can improve the surface of the substrates by using a smaller time. Mechanical tests on SLJs show that methacrylate and polyurethane cannot bond polypropylene substrates without the plasma treatment. On the other hand, the treated substrates can form a strong bonding with the adhesive since all SLJs exhibit a substrate failure. Mechanical tests have been also carried out after three different aging cycles showing that the adopted plasma treatment is not affected by the aging cycles.
Effects of the highway live load on the additional forces of the continuously welded rails of a long-span suspension bridge
Authors: Yu Xiangdong , Cheng Nengyu , Jing Haiquan
Published: December 2021

High-speed running trains have higher regularity requirements for rail tracks. The track-bridge interaction of long-span bridges for high-speed railways has become a key factor for engineers and researchers in the last decade. However, studies on the track-bridge interaction of long-span bridges are rare because the bridges constructed for high-speed railways are mainly short- or moderate-span bridges, and the effects of the highway live load on the additional forces of continuously welded rails (CWRs) have not been reported. In the present study, the effects of the highway live load on the additional forces of a CWR of a long-span suspension bridge are investigated through numerical simulations. A track-bridge spatial analysis model was established using the principle of the double-layer spring model and the bilinear resistance model. The additional stress and displacement of the rail are calculated, and the effects of the highway live load are analyzed and compared with those without a highway live load. The results show that the highway live load has an obvious effect on the additional forces of a CWR. Under a temperature force, the highway live load increases the maximum tensile stress and compressive stress by 10 and 13%, respectively. Under a bending force, the highway live load increases the maximum compressive rail stress and maximum displacement by 50 and 54%, respectively. Under a rail breaking force, when the highway live load is taken into consideration, the rail displacement at both sides of the broken rail varies by 50 and 42%, respectively. The highway live load must be taken into consideration when calculating the additional forces of rails on highway-railway long-span bridges.
Investigating environmental regulation effects on technological innovation: A meta-regression analysis
Authors: Sun Zhuanlan , Zhu Demi
Published: December 2021

The relationship between environmental regulation (ER) and any associated innovative technologies has been studied in the previous decades; however, the estimated results have varied with no obvious consensus. To analyse what drives the different estimates in existing studies, we investigated the regulation–innovation relationship through a meta-analysis of 1276 estimates reported in 49 studies. In our analysis, 41 aspects of study design were controlled, Bayesian model averaging (BMA), and frequentist model averaging (FMA) methods were used to address model uncertainty problems. Our results suggested that controlling resources and ignoring endogeneity problems both played robust and methodical roles in explaining the differences in individual study results. Additionally, our results also indicated that five factors (middle year, publication year, usage of province-level data, linear model function, and the difference-in-differences (DID) model) consistently explained the differences in the reported estimates. We found that the ER had almost zero influence on technical innovation; more than one flexible policy instrument was required to trigger innovative activities among firms and sectors.
How Perceptions of Responsibility and Affective Consequences Influence Parents’ Digital Media Engagement in Relation to Human Papillomavirus Vaccination
Authors: Nordtug Maja
Published: December 2021

Individuals are expected to be responsible for their own health and that of their families—and act accordingly. Yet, being in a position of responsibility might be undesirable for individuals either unable or reluctant to comply with the expectations this responsibility entails. In this article, I explore how parents experience the process of engaging responsibly with digital media in relation to the question of human papillomavirus vaccination. The study is based on interviews with eighteen Danish parents, and my findings show that these parents not only understand themselves but also other actors in terms of responsibility, and that being positioned in terms of responsibility can have negative affective consequences. I argue that meeting the expectations of biological citizenship should not necessarily be a goal in relation to complex health topics.
Private Sector Investment in Infrastructure in Sub-Saharan Africa Post-COVID-19: The Role of Law
Authors: Edobor Arimoro Augustine
Published: December 2021

Sub-Saharan Africa (SSA) is the lowest income region of the world with a considerable number of low-income countries. The region is challenged by a massive infrastructure deficit. In recent years, the governments of the countries in the region have expressed the desire to bridge the huge gap in infrastructure assets through a partnership with the private sector using the public-private partnership model. However, the advent of the Coronavirus (COVID-19) pandemic which has resulted in unplanned public sector expenditure poses a new kind of hurdle to climb for states in the region. As such, there is a need for governments in SSA to create and sustain efficient opportunities for private sector investment in infrastructure procurement and maintenance. This article adopted the doctrinal legal research method as well as review of literature in the examination of the role of law in creating a healthy and sustainable business environment for private sector participation in infrastructure financing and operation in a post-COVID-19 era in the SSA region. The article recommends among others, the enactment of legislation to create an enabling environment for raising domestic capital for the purposes of private sector–led public infrastructure procurement as well as the implementation of strategies suited for developing economies to attain successful outcomes in private sector backed infrastructure procurement.
Receptiveness to Opposing Views: Conceptualization and Integrative Review
Authors: Minson Julia A. , Chen Frances S.
Published: December 2021

The present article reviews a growing body of research on receptiveness to opposing views—the willingness to access, consider, and evaluate contradictory opinions in a relatively impartial manner. First, we describe the construct of receptiveness and consider how it can be measured and studied at the individual level. Next, we extend our theorizing to the interpersonal level, arguing that receptiveness in the course of any given interaction is mutually constituted by the dispositional tendencies and observable behaviors of the parties involved. We advance the argument that receptiveness should be conceptualized and studied as an interpersonal construct that emerges dynamically over the course of an interaction and is powerfully influenced by counterpart behavior. This interpersonal conceptualization of receptiveness has important implications for intervention design and raises a suite of novel research questions.
Length of stay and satisfaction shaping the competitiveness of international business tourism in São Paulo city, Brazil
Authors: Feitosa Paulo H A , Silva Amanda B A
Published: December 2021

The notion of competitiveness receives growing attention in the tourism literature as it is recognized as a central factor for success in the visitor economy. Despite the enthusiasm for the promised benefits of this approach, there are gaps in understanding the limits and possibilities of making the destination competitive by attracting visitors and expanding their spending, providing a satisfying experience. We study international business tourism in Sao Paulo city to empirically explore how length of stay determines different dimensions of tourist satisfaction. Estimates indicate that length of stay negatively affects the satisfaction dimensions studied. Likewise, there is no evidence of the existence of a curvilinear relationship between these variables. Implications for policy makers and business management are presented.
Assessing medical mistrust in organ donation across countries using item response theory
Authors: Ghoshal Arunangshu , O’Carroll Ronan E , Ferguson Eamonn , Shepherd Lee , Doherty Sally , Mathew Mary , Morgan Karen , Doyle Frank
Published: December 2021

Although medical mistrust (MM) may be an impediment to public health interventions, no MM scale has been validated across countries and the assessment of MM has not been explored using item response theory, which allows generalisation beyond the sampled data. We aimed to determine the dimensionality of a brief MM measure across four countries through Mokken analysis and Graded Response Modelling. Analysis of 1468 participants from UK ( n = 1179), Ireland ( n = 191), India ( n = 49) and Malaysia (n = 49) demonstrated that MM items formed a hierarchical, unidimensional measure, which is very informative about high levels of MM. Possible item reduction and scoring changes were also demonstrated. This study demonstrates that this brief MM measure is suitable for international studies as it is unidimensional across countries, cross cultural, and shows that minor adjustments will not impact on the assessment of MM when using these items.
Modeling and performance analysis of diesel engine considering the heating effect of blow-by on cylinder intake gas
Authors: Shen Zhenyu , Li Yanjun , Xu Nan , Sun Baozhi , Fu Yunpeng , Wang Jiameng
Published: December 2021

Recently, the stringent international regulations on ship energy efficiency and NOx emissions from ocean-going ships make energy conservation and emission reduction be the theme of the shipping industry. Due to its fuel economy and reliability, most large commercial vessels are propelled by a low-speed two-stroke marine diesel engine, which consumes most of the fuel in the ship. In the present work, a zero-dimensional model is developed, which considers the blow-by, exhaust gas bypass, gas exchange, turbocharger, and heat transfer. Meanwhile, the model is improved by considering the heating effect of the blow-by gas on the intake gas. The proposed model is applied to a MAN B&W low-speed two-stroke marine diesel engine and validated with the engine shop test data. The simulation results are in good agreement with the experimental results. The accuracy of the model is greatly improved after considering the heating effect of blow-by gas. The model accuracy of most parameters has been improved from within 5% to within 2%, by considering the heating effect of blow-by gas. Finally, the influence of blow-by area change on engine performance is analyzed with considering and without considering the heating effect of blow-by.
Creating Comics to Address Well-Being and Resilience During the COVID-19 Pandemic
Authors: West Kathryn , Jackson Karen R. , Spears Tobias L. , Callender Brian
Published: December 2021

In this descriptive case series, we detail the theoretical basis, methodology, and impact of a small-scale pilot implementation of graphic medicine workshops as an innovative approach to well-being and resilience in the age of COVID-19 and increasing awareness of racial injustice. The data provided in this article are anecdotal and based on participation in the workshops. Images created during the workshops are also shared as examples of the types of reflection that graphic medicine can enable. The workshops themselves were designed collaboratively and are based on the theoretical principles of graphic medicine, narrative medicine, and racial and social justice. They were conducted as part of a larger wellness initiative and were offered to health care-focused faculty at our academic medical institution. Our findings suggest that this was a beneficial activity which helped participants to reflect and reconsider their experiences with the COVID-19 pandemic and surging awareness of racial injustice. Reflections also showed that drawings were correlated with ProQOL scores and may, in larger numbers, also help to mitigate or bring attention to issues of burnout in frontline providers. Drawings shared show the tremendous impact of COVID-19 and the simultaneous chaos and emptiness of practicing during dual pandemics. Our workshops engaged about 20 frontline health care providers and other health care faculty and highlight the utility of graphic medicine as a tool for building resilience and encouraging self-reflection. Further study is necessary, as is more rigorous analysis of the relationship between the graphics created and the ability to recognize and mitigate burnout.
Response and survival predictors in a cohort of 319 patients with Waldenström macroglobulinemia treated with ibrutinib monotherapy
Authors: Castillo Jorge J. , Sarosiek Shayna R. , Gustine Joshua N. , Flynn Catherine A. , Leventoff Carly R. , White Timothy P. , Meid Kirsten , Guerrera Maria L. , Kofides Amanda , Liu Xia , Munshi Manit , Tsakmaklis Nicholas , Hunter Zachary R. , Patterson Christopher J. , Branagan Andrew R. , Treon Steven P.
Published: December 2021

Bruton tyrosine kinase (BTK) inhibitors are the only FDA-approved treatments for Waldenström macroglobulinemia (WM). Factors prognostic of survival and predictive of response to BTK inhibitors remained to be clarified. We evaluated 319 patients with WM to identify predictive and prognostic factors on ibrutinib monotherapy. Logistic and Cox proportional-hazard regression models were fitted for response and survival. Multiple imputation analyses were used to address bias associated with missing data. Major (partial response or better) and deep responses (very good partial response or better) were attained in 78% and 28% of patients. CXCR4 mutations were associated with lower odds of major (odds ratio [OR], 0.2; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.1-0.5; P < .001) and deep response (OR, 0.3; 95% CI, 0.2-0.6; P = .001). CXCR4 mutations (hazard ratio [HR], 2.0; 95% CI, 1.2-3.4; P = .01) and platelet count 100 K/uL or less (HR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.3-4.9; P = .007) were associated with worse progression-free survival (PFS). We proposed a scoring system using these 2 factors. The median PFS for patients with 0, 1, and 2 risk factors were not reached, 5 years and 3 years (P < .001). Patients with 2 risk factors had HR 2.2 (95% CI, 1.3-3.8; P = .004) compared with 1 factor, and patients with 1 factor had HR 2.3 (95% CI, 1.1-5.1; P = .03) compared with 0 factors. Age ≥65 years was the only factor associated with overall survival (HR, 3.2; 95% CI, 1.4-7.0; P = .005). Multiple imputation analyses did not alter our results. Our study confirms the predictive and prognostic value of CXCR4 mutations in patients with WM treated with ibrutinib monotherapy.
Splanchnic venous thrombosis in a nephrotic patient following COVID-19 infection: a case report
Authors: Hussein Maged H. , Alabdaljabar Mohamad S. , Alfagyh Noorah , Badran Mohammad , Alamiri Khalid
Published: December 2021

Background

As the COVID-19 pandemic spread worldwide, case reports and small series identified its association with an increasing number of medical conditions including a propensity for thrombotic complications. And since the nephrotic syndrome is also a thrombophilic state, its co-occurrence with the SARS-CoV-2 infection is likely to be associated with an even higher risk of thrombosis, particularly in the presence of known or unknown additional risk factors. Lower extremity deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and pulmonary embolism (PE) are the most common manifestations of COVID-19-associated hypercoagulable state with other venous or arterial sites being much less frequently involved. Although splanchnic vein thrombosis (SVT) has been reported to be 25 times less common than usual site venous thromboembolism (VTE) and rarely occurs in nephrotic patients, it can have catastrophic consequences. A small number of SVT cases have been reported in COVID-19 infected patients in spite of their number exceeding 180 million worldwide.

Case presentation

An unvaccinated young adult male with steroid-dependent nephrotic syndrome (SDNS) who was in a complete nephrotic remission relapsed following contracting SARS-CoV-2 infection and developed abdominal pain and diarrhea. Abdominal US revealed portal vein thrombosis. The patient was anticoagulated, yet the SVT rapidly propagated to involve the spleno-mesenteric, intrahepatic and the right hepatic veins. In spite of mechanical thrombectomy, thrombolytics and anticoagulation, he developed mesenteric ischemia which progressed to gangrene leading to bowel resection and a complicated hospital course.

Conclusion

Our case highlights the potential for a catastrophic outcome when COVID-19 infection occurs in those with a concomitant hypercoagulable state and reminds us of the need for a careful assessment of abdominal symptoms in SARS-CoV-2 infected patients.
Three-year observational study of immediate post-abortion insertion versus menstrual insertion of etonogestrel contraceptive implant
Authors: Zheng Wanren , Tang Yibo , Wang Chunfen , Niu Xiaocen , Qian Zhida , Huang Lili
Published: December 2021

Objective

This study aimed to estimate the difference in vaginal bleeding pattern, discontinuation rate, and satisfaction between immediate after abortion and menstrual insertions of etonogestrel contraceptive implants.

Study design

Between May 2013 and November 2015, 66 women were recruited in the abortion group who selected etonogestrel implants as their contraceptive immediately after induced abortion. 84 women who underwent the placement of the etonogestrel implant during their menstrual period were enrolled as the menstrual group. The two groups participated in 3-year follow-up outpatient visits at 1, 6, 12, 24, and 36 months after implantation. The vaginal bleeding pattern, discontinuation rate, satisfaction rate were recorded and compared.

Results

No woman had pregnancy over the study period of 3 years. The incidence of amenorrhea/infrequent bleeding did not differ between the two groups after 12, 24, and 36 months of implantation (53.0% vs. 58.4%, 47.8% vs. 51.6%, and 48.6% vs. 55.6%, respectively). In the abortion group, the incidences of frequent/prolonged bleeding were 15.1%, 32.6%, and 27.0% after 12, 24, and 36 months of implantation, respectively, while the other group showed 27.3%, 25.8%, and 20.4%, respectively. After 12 and 24 months, the continuation use rates were 69.7% and 56.1% in the abortion group and 73.8% and 64.2% in the menstrual group. The 12-month satisfaction rate between abortion group and menstrual group was 69.6% versus 72.6%. Statistical analyses show that there was no difference in vaginal bleeding pattern, discontinuation rate or satisfaction between the two groups.

Conclusions

Immediately post-abortion may be also a favorable time to undergo etonogestrel implantation.