bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Replacing Bureaucrats with Automated Sorcerers?
Authors: Bell Bernard W.
Published: June 2021

Increasingly, federal agencies employ artificial intelligence to help direct their enforcement efforts, adjudicate claims and other matters, and craft regulations or regulatory approaches. Theoretically, artificial intelligence could enable agencies to address endemic problems, most notably 1) the inconsistent decision-making and departure from policy attributable to low-level officials' exercise of discretion; and 2) the imprecise nature of agency rules. But two characteristics of artificial intelligence, its opaqueness and the nonintuitive nature of its correlations, threaten core values of administrative law. Administrative law reflects the principles that 1) persons be judged individually according to announced criteria; 2) administrative regulations reflect some means-end rationality; and 3) administrative decisions be subject to review by external actors and transparent to the public. Artificial intelligence has adverse implications for all three of those critical norms. The resultant tension, at least for now, will constrain administrative agencies' most ambitious potential uses of artificial intelligence.
The Uncertain Future of Administrative Law
Authors: Kessler Jeremy , Sabel Charles
Published: June 2021

A volatile series of presidential transitions has only intensified the century-long conflict between progressive defenders and conservative critics of the administrative state. Yet neither side has adequately confronted the fact that the growth of uncertainty and the corresponding spread of guidance–a kind of provisional “rule” that invites its own revision–mark a break in the development of the administrative state as significant as the rise of notice-and-comment rulemaking in the 1960s and 1970s. Whereas rulemaking corrected social shortsightedness by enlisting science in the service of lawful administration, guidance acknowledges that both science and law are in need of continual correction. Administrative law has the resources to ensure that the provisionality of guidance does not lead to the abuses that conservatives fear. But to deploy those resources–and to carry through the reforms of administrative organization that are their natural complement–progressives must rethink their commitments to judicial deference to administrative authority and administrative deference to presidential authority, commitments on which the progressive defense of the administrative state currently depends.
Diplomacy vs. Economics: Examining the Roots of Decline in Sino-U.S. Trade in 1975
Authors: Ding Xiayang
Published: June 2021

In 1975, the explosive growth of Sino-U.S. trade that only had resumed after 1971 ended with a severe decline from $920 million a year to just $461 million. The cause of the collapse was the unilateral decision of the People’s Republic of China (prc) to cancel several orders from late 1974 to early 1975. Scholars have advanced three reasons for the prc’s action, blaming to trade disputes, Beijing’s desire to punish the Americans for slow progress on the Taiwan issue, and Chinese trade officials preventing radicals from labeled them “compradors.” Each explanation, however, overstates the importance of high-level politics and ignores mid-level exchanges, as trade delegations shuttled back and forth across the Pacific in 1975. The article demonstrates that the real obstacle to trade in 1975 was China’s limited ability to purchase American grain in the same quantities as in the last four years, along with indications of a good future harvest in China emerging at the end of 1974. Economic factors therefore better explain the decline in prc-U.S. trade, providing an example of how in the last years of the Cultural Revolution, Beijing’s economic policy was more pragmatic than one would expect.
Legitimacy in Multistakeholder Global Governance at ICANN
Authors: Jongen Hortense , Scholte Jan Aart
Published: June 2021

This article examines levels and patterns of legitimacy beliefs toward one of today’s most developed global multistakeholder regimes, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN). Two complementary surveys find that levels of legitimacy perceptions toward ICANN often rank alongside, and sometimes ahead of, those for other sites of global governance, both multilateral and multistakeholder. Moreover, average legitimacy beliefs toward ICANN hold consistently across stakeholder sectors, geographical regions, and social groups. However, legitimacy beliefs decline as one moves away from the core of the regime, and many elites remain unaware of ICANN. Furthermore, many participants in Internet governance express only moderate (and sometimes low) confidence in ICANN. To this extent, the regime’s legitimacy is more fragile. Extrapolation from mixed evidence around ICANN suggests that, while multistakeholder global governance is not under existential threat, its legitimacy remains somewhat tenuous.
Decorating the “Christmas Tree”
Authors: Oksamytna Kseniya , Lundgren Magnus
Published: June 2021

Contemporary peacekeeping operations carry out many disparate tasks, which has triggered a debate about “Christmas Tree mandates.” Did the UN Secretariat or the UN Security Council drive this expansion? Using original data on nineteen UN peacekeeping missions, 1998–2014, this article compares peacekeeping tasks recommended by the Secretariat to those mandated by the Council. It finds that the two bodies expressed different preferences regarding the nature, number, and novelty of peacekeeping tasks. First, the Council dropped Secretariat-recommended tasks as often as it added new ones on its own initiative. Second, the two bodies disagreed more over peacebuilding and peacemaking tasks than over peacekeeping tasks. Third, the Council preferred to be the one to introduce novel tasks that had not appeared in previous mandates. Finally, among the countries that “held the pen” on peacekeeping resolutions, the United States was the most prone to dropping Secretariat-proposed tasks and the least willing to add tasks itself.
Towards a More Varied Picture of Slavery
Authors: Hinchy Jessica , Joshi Girija
Published: June 2021

Indrani Chatterjee’s ground-breaking research has shown the centrality of obligation and provision to historical forms of slavery in South Asia, deepening our understanding of slave-using societies beyond the plantation systems that have dominated historiography, as well as historical memory. In this interview, Chatterjee explains why the crucial question in the context of South Asian slavery was: who do you serve and for what purpose? Enslavers were obliged to materially provide for their slaves, in return for the enslaved person’s service, labor and loyalty, creating varied relationships of dependence. By foregrounding the complex set of relationships and obligations in which slaves were enmeshed, Chatterjee seeks to “make people out of laborers.” This has led her to rethink the ways that resistance and agency have been conceptualized in slavery studies and Subaltern Studies, emphasizing the relationships within which a person became an agent. Her research has also deepened our understanding of colonialism and slavery. British colonizers generally ignored slaves’ entitlements to certain labor or taxation exemptions from the state, and colonial revenue-collection made the already-burdened doubly burdened. But in a hetero-temporal colonial context, older ways of identifying and forms of relationships endured. Chatterjee argues that this history of the provision of survival in contexts of enslavement is not “romanticizing,” but rather historicizes multiple forms of violence and shows a fuller, more varied picture of slavery.
Harnessing Anger and Shame: Emotional Diplomacy in Early Modern Context
Authors: Lemée Emmanuel
Published: June 2021

Emotions were, in early modern literature on diplomacy, described as a parasitic and even dangerous manifestation, and this view has endured until today. A series of recent books and articles published in the field of the history of emotions lays however the groundwork to question this traditional analysis. This article thus aims to examine the possibility of a broader and more strategic use of emotions in early modern diplomacy than is often acknowledged, and therefore the possibility of what can be called an early modern emotional diplomacy. I will first provide a summary of what the honnête homme culture of Europe’s ruling class meant for an ambassador in terms of emotion control. I will then show, through a few examples from diplomatic occurrences during Charles ii of England’s late reign, some of the possible uses of emotion in early modern diplomacy. Thirdly, I will study through one very memorable display of emotion from the English king the way such a display could be prepared and staged in order to achieve full effectiveness. Lastly, I will put these one-time emotional displays in the perspective of Charles ii’s international policy, arguing that they were not conceived as isolated occurrences but as parts of a real diplomatic strategy in which emotion played a crucial role, in other words an emotional diplomacy.
Genuine Pacifism or Soviet Infiltration? Allied Responses to West German Rearmament Protests, 1950–52
Authors: Whitworth William
Published: June 2021

This article examines the reactions of British and U.S. officials to the wave of anti-rearmament protests which erupted in West Germany in the early 1950s. It examines the discourse generated by these officials to argue that the West German protests were either encouraged or condemned by different diplomatic figures. Most officials blamed the Soviet Union for the dissent in Germany and called for widespread concessions to the German government to better calm the situation. Some officials, however, supported the protests and protesters and looked to use the demonstrations to argue for increased contact with the Soviet Union and a thawing of the Cold War. A lasting impact of this discussion was that the image of the German people began to change in the eyes of Western policy makers- with old stereotypes from the Second World War beginning to give way to a new appraisal of Germans as activists and pacifists.
The Intercity Origins of Diplomacy: Consuls, Empires, and the Sea
Authors: Leira Halvard , de Carvalho Benjamin
Published: June 2021

City diplomacy is a fairly new topic in the study of diplomacy, and, many would argue, a fairly recent empirical phenomenon. A counterpoint to this could be to reference how the alleged origin of diplomacy in Greek antiquity was city-centered, as were the earliest forms of Renaissance diplomacy in Italy. In this essay we want to probe the connections between cities and diplomacy through problematizing what has counted as diplomacy. Our starting point is that cities have always mattered to what we could analytically refer to as diplomatic practice. Being conscious of the conceptual ambiguities, we are thus not starting from a specific definition of “city diplomacy,” but from a conviction that cities have mattered and continue to matter to the practice of diplomacy.
Two new species of nopal (Opuntia, Cactaceae) from the Baja California Peninsula (Mexico)
Authors: MUÑOZ FERMÍN MERCADO , LEÓN DE LA LUZ JOSÉ LUIS , REBMAN JON P. , MEDEL NARVÁEZ ALFONSO , CAMPOS RAMOS RAFAEL
Published: June 2021

Two new species of prickly-pear/nopal (Opuntia sierralagunensis and O. caboensis, Cactaceae) are described and illustrated here; both occur in the tropical deciduous forest plant community found in the Cape region of the Baja California Peninsula, Mexico. Previously, these two species had been overlooked and were considered extreme forms of species described from the Sierra de La Giganta (e.g., O. comonduensis, O tapona), located hundreds of kilometers away. However, with an improved collection of specimens and field knowledge of the Opuntia species in the region, we have determined that these prickly-pears are new to science and are restricted to the Cape region. We provide justification to separate them from sympatric congeners and other similar species in the southern peninsula.
An updated checklist and quantitative analysis of the Marmarica Plateau flora, in the north-eastern part of Libya
Authors: SAAED MANAM W. B. , EL-BARASI YACOUB M. , RAHIL REBEH O.
Published: June 2021

The Marmarica Plateau, which is situated on both sides of the Libyan-Egyptian border, has significant historical and ecological importance. Nevertheless, its botanical components have not been updated or reviewed recently. This paper aims to study the floristic composition of the plateau on the Libyan side by a comprehensive review of the five most detailed studies conducted in the area during the period 1930−2008. The study area covers only 3.4% of the Libyan territory, while the plant inventory at the species level comprises 31% (642/2082) of the National flora. Plant life-form is dominated by therophytes (60.7%) and chamaephytes (23.7%). Seven taxa are new records for the Libyan flora, 14 are alien, 28 were cultivated, and 37 taxa are endemic or near-endemic to the Libyan flora and nearby countries. A total of 225 taxa have not been recorded since 1930, which revealed that they are scarce and may have gone locally extinct due to climatic and unsustainable anthropogenic stresses. Another possibility is that these taxa may be incorrectly identified in the original publications, and this data have never been updated. The present study highlighted the richness and importance of the flora in the Libyan part of the Marmarica Plateau, necessitating conservation intervention, particularly for protecting endemic and rare plants and the biodiversity hotspots.
Revisiting Glaziou and the botany of the second Cruls Mission: three new species and 23 accepted species of Myrcia (Myrtaceae) collected from Goiás, Brazil and a detailed description of his “Goyaz” itinerary
Authors: ROSA PRISCILA O. , VASCONCELOS THAÍS N.C. , LUCAS EVE J. , PROENÇA CAROLYN E.B.
Published: June 2021

Glaziou was one of the most prominent plant collectors in the history of Brazilian botany. His field expeditions during the second Cruls Mission (1894–1895) in the area now recognized as Goiás and Distrito Federal led him to collect 26 of the 32 species of Myrcia he was to name in his botanical career. Glaziou´s itinerary in the second Cruls Mission was reconstructed and mapped, showing he spent 40% of his collecting days in the present Distrito Federal and 60% in Goiás. His List of Species is now considered a suppressed work by the International Code of Nomenclature for the Algae, Fungi and Plants because he did not fulfill the criteria for formal species description.  After examining over 300 specimens in Brazilian and European herbaria, we concluded that 23 of his names are synonyms of older, currently accepted names. The remaining three names are new species and are here formally described. This work underlines the importance of revisiting historical collections following recent changes in Myrcia taxonomy, to improve the understanding of species diversity in ecologically heterogeneous areas in large, morphologically complex genera such as Myrcia.
Paepalanthus uai (Eriocaulaceae), a new name for the later homonym Paepalanthus petraeus Echtern. & Trovó
Authors: ANDRINO CAROLINE OLIVEIRA , COSTA FABIANE NEPOMUCENO , SAUTHIER LUANA JACINTA , SANO PAULO TAKEO
Published: June 2021

N/A
Iroquois Homeobox 5 Negatively Regulated by miRNA-147 Promotes the Proliferation, Metastasis, and Invasion by Oral Squamous Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Zhu Ziyu , Gong Jiaxing , Kong Jianlu , Qian Ying , Lu Kejie , Wang Huiming , Yu Mengfei
Published: June 2021

Oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) is one of the most common tumors worldwide and has one of the highest mortalities. The progression of OSCC is accompanied by changes in the levels of many genes. Iroquois homeobox 5 (IRX5), a novel protein involved in several embryonic developmental processes, has been found in recent years to play a significant role in regulating the growth of malignant tumors. However, its role and mechanism in OSCC are still unclear. In this study, we used nano-PCR to examine the levels of IRX5 in OSCC tissues. Through overexpression and knockdown experiments, we researched the role of IRX5 in regulating OSCC cell multiplication, metastasis, and epithelial-mesenchymal transition (EMT). The results demonstrated that IRX5 expression is higher in OSCC tissues in contrast to adjacent tissues. Overexpression of IRX5 promotes the multiplication, metastasis, invasion, and EMT of OSCC cells. Additional bioinformatics analysis showed that miRNA-147 can target the 3’UTR end of IRX5 and negatively regulate its expression, and overexpression of miRNA-147 can weaken the cancer-promoting effect of IRX5. In conclusion, this study found that IRX5 plays a role in promoting cancer in OSCC, and IRX5 is also negatively regulated by miRNA-147.
Improving Anti-Inflammatory Effect of Luteolin with Nano-Micelles in the Bacteria-Induced Lung Infection
Authors: Miao Junming , Lin Feng , Huang Ning , Teng Yan
Published: June 2021

The effective therapy for lung infectious diseases became more and more difficult since the severe antibiotic resistance of pathogenic microorganisms, it is urgent to develop new antimicrobial agents. Luteolin has been reported to play a crucial part in host immune responses. However,
the clinical use of luteolin is impeded due to its hydrophobicity and low oral bioavailability. In this study, we formulated luteolin-loaded Methoxy poly(ethylene glycol)-poly(lactide) micelles (luteolin/MPEG-PLA), to improve the bioavailability of luteolin in lung infectious diseases. The
results showed that luteolin/MPEG-PLA treatment could reduce the adhesion of Klebsiella pneumoniae (K. pneumoniae) to lung epithelial cells and enhance the germicidal ability of macrophages against K. pneumoniae compared to untreated group. Meanwhile, luteolin/MPEG-PLA showed
stronger adhesion resistance of epithelial cells and germicidal ability of macrophages compared with free luteolin. In vivo study, luteolin/MPEG-PLA administration significantly promoted the clearance of bacteria and reduced inflammatory infiltration of lung tissue in K. pneumoniae
induced lung infectious mice model. Further studies showed that treatment with luteolin/MPEG-PLA reduced the mRNA expression of LPS-induced inflammatory cytokines and chemokines in macrophages significantly. In general, luteolin/MPEG-PLA can enhance the anti-bacterial ability of lung epithelial
cells and macrophages, and has a stronger therapeutic effect than free luteolin in bacterial-induced lung infection. Luteolin/MPEG-PLA may be an excellent potential drug for bacterial-induced lung infectious diseases treatment.
Radiative Non-Coaxial Rotation of Magnetohydrodynamic Newtonian Carbon Nanofluid Flow in Porous Medium with Heat and Mass Transfer Effects
Authors: Nabilah Noranuar Wan Nura’in , Mohamad Ahmad Qushairi , Shafie Sharidan , Khan Ilyas , Jiann Lim Yeou
Published: June 2021

Non-coaxial rotation system has encountered in various fields such as engineering field in designing advanced cooling and heating system, food processing and mixer machines. In the present study, the effect of the non-coaxial rotation of a vertical disk on the heat and mass transfer
of Newtonian nanofluids in a porous medium is analytically discussed. The influence of the magnetic field and thermal radiation is also taken into the consideration. Two different types of nanofluids which are single-walled carbon nanotubes (SWCNTs) and multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs)
with water as the base fluid are analyzed and compared. Suitable dimensionless variables are utilized to convert the governing partial differential equations associated with the initial and boundary conditions into the dimensionless form. Then, the exact solutions of the dimensionless governing
equations are calculated by using the Laplace transform method. A limiting case study of the obtained analytical solutions is constructed to compare with the previously published results to verify its validity. The distributions of the velocity, temperature, and concentration along with the
Skin friction, Nusselt number, and Sherwood number due to the variation of the pertinent parameters are displayed and scrutinized through graphs and tables. In the frame of non-coaxial rotation, the nanofluid with the SWCNTs nanoparticles have illustrated a higher rate of heat transfer as
compared to MWCNTs nanofluid. Moreover, the heat transmission in the nanofluid has been enhanced by increasing the volume fraction of the nanoparticle and also the intensity of the radiation. This suggests that heating or cooling in a system such as a nuclear reactor can be improved by properly
selecting the type of the nanofluid and also the volume fraction of the nanoparticle.
The South Pacific Pressure Trend Dipole and the Southern Blob
Authors: Garreaud René D. , Clem Kyle , Veloso José Vicencio
Published: June 2021

During the last four decades, the sea level pressure has been decreasing over the Amundsen–Bellingshausen Sea (ABS) region and increasing between 30° and 40°S from New Zealand to Chile, thus forming a pressure trend dipole across the South Pacific. The trends are strongest in austral winter and have influenced the climate of West Antarctica and South America. The pressure trends have been attributed to decadal variability in the tropics, expansion of the Hadley cell, and an associated positive trend of the southern annular mode, but these mechanisms explain only about half of the pressure trend dipole intensity. Experiments conducted with two atmospheric models indicate that upper ocean warming over the subtropical southwest Pacific (SSWP), termed the Southern Blob, accounts for about half of the negative pressure trend in the ABS region and nearly all the ridging/drying over the eastern subtropical South Pacific, thus contributing to the central Chile megadrought. The SSWP warming intensifies the pressure trend dipole through warming the troposphere across the subtropical South Pacific and shifting the midlatitude storm track poleward into the ABS. Multidecadal periods of strong SSWP warming also appear in fully coupled preindustrial simulations, associated with a pressure trend dipole and reduction in rainfall over the central tropical Pacific, thus suggesting a natural origin of the Southern Blob and its teleconnection. However, the current warming rate exceeds the range of natural variability, implying a likely additional anthropogenic contribution.
Punching above Weight: How the African Union Commission Exercises Agency in Politics
Authors: Tieku Thomas Kwasi
Published: June 2021

Conventional narratives suggest that the African Union Commission (AUC), like most international public administrations and international organisations (IOs) housed in the less materially endowed regions of the world, exercises no meaningful agency on international issues. This article however seeks to show that the AUC is neither a glorified messenger and docile follower of orders of governments nor is it an empty vessel that timidly goes where the wind of governments blows. Rather, the AUC exercises significant agency on issues that affect not just the African continent but also the broader international system. The AUC is often at the heart of international agenda-setting, norm development, decision-making, rule creation, policy development, and it sometimes offer strategic leadership. The article demonstrates six pathways through which the AUC acts like a tail wagging a dog.
Ethnographic Approaches to Contentious Politics: The What, How, and Why
Authors: Fu Diana , Simmons Erica S.
Published: June 2021

How should we study contentious politics in an era rife with new forms of contention, both in the United States and abroad? The introduction to this special issue draws attention to one particularly crucial methodological tool in the study of contention: political ethnography. It showcases the ways in which ethnographic approaches can contribute to the study of contentious politics. Specifically, it argues that “what,” “how,” and “why” questions are central to the study of contention and that ethnographic methods are particularly well-suited to answering them. It also demonstrates how ethnographic methods push scholars to both expand the objects of inquiry and rethink what the relevant units of analysis might be. By uncovering hidden processes, exploring social meanings, and giving voice to unheard stories, ethnography and “ethnography-plus” approaches contribute to the study of contention and to comparative politics, writ large.
Etiology Beliefs, Religious Coping, Perceived Church Climates, and Beliefs About Psychological Services
Authors: Lee Soojung , Park Seo Jin , Yon Kyu Jin , Choi Bo Keum , Kim Paul Youngbin , Kim Chong Min
Published: June 2021

This study investigated Korean Protestants’ beliefs about psychological services (BAPS) and their associations with religiosity and church climates. Using responses of 254 Protestants from 18 different churches in South Korea, we employed three multilevel analyses to explore whether participants’ etiology beliefs, religious coping, and perceived church climates in relation to psychological services were associated with the subscales of the BAPS scale: Expertness, Stigma Tolerance, and Intent to Seek Psychological Help. The results indicated that attributions of mental illness to psychological factors were associated with stronger beliefs in the expertise of psychological services. In terms of religious coping, the deferring style was negatively associated with stigma tolerance, the self-directing style was negatively associated with expertness and stigma tolerance, and the collaborative style was positively associated with intent to seek help. Finally, church climates related to psychological services, which we considered a church-level factor, were associated with all BAPS subscales. Implications for research and practice are discussed.
How Do Workers Sustain COVID-induced Labour Market Shock: Evidence from the Indian State of Kerala
Authors: Refeque Muhammed , Azad P. , Sujathan P. K.
Published: June 2021

This article is an empirical analysis of the resilience of workers over the COVID-hit labour market in the Indian state of Kerala. Quantile regression methods are used to ascertain the impact of COVID-19 on the labour market. This method is more advantageous than the traditional OLS method as it does not presume a constant effect of explanatory variables on the distribution of dependent variable. Evidences convey that all the five categories of workers under study were disproportionately buffeted by the pandemic. However, the factors education and experience were found to have a stabilising effect on the rate of labour market participation. The article pitches for a more responsive and responsible role that the State can deliver to embolden and reinforce human capital so that the pandemic like COVID-19 can at best be averted.

JEL Codes: E24, H12, I15, J64
A New Livestream Retail Analytics Framework to Assess the Sales Impact of Emotional Displays
Authors: Bharadwaj Neeraj , Ballings Michel , Naik Prasad A. , Moore Miller , Arat Mustafa Murat
Published: June 2021

At the intersection of technology and marketing, this study develops a framework to unobtrusively detect salespeople’s faces and simultaneously extract six emotions: happiness, sadness, surprise, anger, fear, and disgust. The authors analyze 99,451 sales pitches on a livestream retailing platform and match them with actual sales transactions. Results reveal that each emotional display, including happiness, uniformly exhibits a negative U-shaped effect on sales over time. The maximum sales resistance appears in the middle rather than at the beginning or end of sales pitches. Taken together, the results show that in one-to-many screen-mediated communications, salespeople should sell with a straight face. In addition, the authors derive closed-form formulae for the optimal allocation of the presence of a face and emotional displays over the presentation span. In contrast to the U-shaped effects, the optimal face presence wanes at the start, gradually builds to a crescendo, and eventually ebbs. Finally, the study shows how to objectively rank salespeople and circumvent biases in performance appraisals, thereby making novel contributions to people analytics. This research integrates new types of data and methods, key theoretical insights, and important managerial implications to inform the expanding opportunity that livestream e-commerce presents to marketers to create, communicate, deliver, and capture value.
Disagreement and Agonistic Chance in Peer Review
Authors: Roumbanis Lambros
Published: June 2021

The purpose of grant peer review is to identify the most excellent and promising research projects. However, sociologists of science and STS scholars have shown that peer review tends to promote solid low-risk projects at the expense of more original and innovative projects that often come with higher risk. It has also been shown that the review process is affected by significant measures of chance. Against this background, the aim of this study is to theorize the notions of academic judgment and agonistic chance, and to present and analyze situations in which expert reviewers are faced with the challenge of trying to decide which grant proposals to select when there is strong disagreement. The empirical analysis is based on ethnographic observations of ten panel groups at the Swedish Research Council in the areas of natural and engineering sciences. By focusing on disagreement, the study provides a more in-depth understanding of how agonistic chance creeps into the peer review process and becomes part of the consensus that is created.
Reducing the Prevalence of Alcohol-Exposed Pregnancies in the United States: A Simulation Modeling Study
Authors: Yaesoubi Reza , Mahin Maya , Martin Geoffrey , Paltiel A. David , Sharifi Mona
Published: June 2021

Background

Public health efforts to prevent alcohol-exposed pregnancies (AEPs) primarily focus on promoting abstinence from alcohol among women if pregnant or seeking pregnancy and using effective contraception to prevent unintended pregnancies if consuming alcohol. Little is known about how programs to improve adherence to these recommendations would affect the prevalence of AEPs.

Methods

We developed an individual-based simulation model of US women of reproductive age to project the prevalence of AEPs under different public health strategies. The model varies each woman’s risk of an AEP over time depending on fertility, contraceptive use, awareness of pregnancy, sexual activity, and drinking patterns. We used the 2013–2015 National Survey on Family Growth data set to parameterize the model.

Results

We estimate that 54% (95% uncertainty interval: 48%–59%) of pregnancies that result in a live birth in the United States are exposed to alcohol, 12% (10%–15%) are ever exposed to ≥5 alcoholic drinks in a week, and 3.0% (1.3%–4.2%) to ≥9 drinks. Unintended pregnancies (either due to contraceptive failure or sex without contraceptives) account for 80% (75%–87%) of pregnancies unknowingly exposed to alcohol. We project that public health efforts that focus only on promoting alcohol abstinence among women who are aware of their pregnancy or seeking pregnancy could reduce the prevalence of AEPs by at most 42% (36%–48%). Augmenting this strategy with efforts to avert unintended pregnancies could yield an 80% (73%–86%) reduction in the prevalence of AEPs.

Conclusions

Promoting alcohol abstinence among women who are aware of their pregnancy or seeking pregnancy offers limited potential to reduce the prevalence of AEPs. Programs to avert unintended pregnancies are essential to achieve more substantial reductions in AEPs in the United States.
Homozygous spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 in China: a case report
Authors: Chen Yuchao , Li Dan , Wei Minger , Zhou Menglu , Zhang Linan , Yu Jiaoyang , Qiu Mengqiu , Jin Yi , Lu Xiaodong
Published: June 2021

Spinocerebellar ataxia type 3 (SCA3) is a neurodegenerative disease caused by a heterozygous CAG repeat expansion in the ataxin 3 gene ( ATXN3). However, patients with homozygous SCA3 carrying expanded CAG repeats in both alleles of ATXN3 are extremely rare. Herein, we present a case of a 50-year-old female who had homozygous SCA3 with expansion of 62/62 repeats. Segregation analysis of the patient’s family showed both a contraction pattern of CAG repeat length and stable transmission. The present case demonstrated an earlier onset and more severe clinical phenotype than that seen in heterozygous individuals, suggesting that the gene dosage enhances disease severity.
Validity of Research Based on Public Data in Sports Medicine: A Quantitative Assessment of Anterior Cruciate Ligament Injuries in the National Football League
Authors: Inclan Paul M. , Chang Peter S. , Mack Christina D. , Solomon Gary S. , Brophy Robert H. , Hinton Richard Y. , Spindler Kurt P. , Sills Allen K. , Matava Matthew J.
Published: June 2021

Background:

Numerous researchers have leveraged publicly available Internet sources to publish publicly obtained data (POD) studies concerning various orthopaedic injuries in National Football League (NFL) players.

Purpose:

To provide a comprehensive systematic review of all POD studies regarding musculoskeletal injuries in NFL athletes and to use anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) injuries in NFL players to quantify the percentage of injuries identified by these studies.

Study Design:

Systematic review; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

A systematic review was conducted to identify all published studies utilizing POD regarding ACL injury in NFL athletes from 2000 to 2019. Data regarding player demographics were extracted from each publication. These results were compared with prospectively collected data reported by the teams’ medical staff to the NFL Injury Surveillance System database linked to the League’s electronic health record. An ACL “capture rate” for each article was calculated by dividing the number of ACL injuries in the POD study by the total number of ACL injuries in the NFL injury database occurring in the study period of interest.

Results:

A total of 42 studies were extracted that met the definition of a POD study: 28 evaluated a variety of injuries and 14 dealt specifically with ACL injuries, with 35 (83%) of the 42 studies published during or since 2015. POD studies captured a mean of 66% (range, 31%-90%) of ACL injuries reported by the teams’ medical staff. This inability to capture all injury rates varied by position, with 86% capture of ACL injuries in skill athletes, 72% in midskill athletes, and 61% in linemen. POD studies captured 35% of injuries occurring during special teams play.

Conclusion:

The frequency of studies leveraging publicly obtained injury data in NFL players has rapidly increased since 2000. There is significant heterogeneity in the degree to which POD studies correctly identify ACL injuries from public reports. Sports medicine research relying solely on publicly obtained sources should be interpreted with an understanding of their inherent limitations and biases. These studies underreport the true incidence of injuries, with a bias toward capturing injuries in more popular players.
Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation Correlates with American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons Score for Common Elbow Pathology: A Retrospective Cohort Study
Authors: Patel Manan Sunil , Kirsch Jacob M. , Gutman Michael J. , McEntee Richard M. , Alberta Frank , Ramsey Matthew L. , Abboud Joseph A. , Namdari Surena
Published: June 2021

Background:

There are currently a variety of patient-reported outcomes (PROs) for elbow pathology, without any established gold standard. The Single Assessment Numeric Evaluation (SANE) is a single question assessment of the patient’s perceived overall function compared with normal. The SANE score has been correlated with PROs from the shoulder and knee literature.

Purpose:

To correlate the SANE score for a variety of elbow pathologies with a traditionally reported elbow outcome measure, the American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons–Elbow score (ASES-E).

Study Design:

Cohort study (diagnosis); Level of evidence, 3.

Methods:

A retrospective review was performed of all patients identified at a single center between April 2016 and January 2019 who presented as a new patient with elbow pathology. All patients prospectively completed the ASES-E along with the SANE score for elbow (SANE-E) at the time of initial consultation. Spearman correlations ( r) were performed to evaluate the correlation between the ASES-E and the SANE-E score for specific elbow pathology, along with descriptive data such as age, sex, and chronicity of the problem.

Results:

A total of 555 patients (166 women, 29.9%) with a mean ± SD age of 51.0 ± 11.7 years with the diagnoses of medial epicondylitis (n = 72; 13.0%), lateral epicondylitis (n = 224; 40.4%), biceps tendon rupture (n = 139; 25.0%), triceps tendon rupture (n = 21; 3.8%), and elbow arthritis (n = 99; 17.8%) were included in this analysis. There was moderate correlation between the SANE-E and the ASES-E ( r = 0.623; P < .001), with strongest correlation with the visual analog scale (VAS) ( r = −0.518; P < .001) compared with any individual question and moderate to strong correlations based on specific diagnoses. SANE-E and ASES-E scores for the entire cohort were 42.9 ± 26.7 and 56.9 ± 21.4, respectively ( P < .001). Age ( r = 0.027; P = .526), sex ( r = 0.026; P = .555), VAS ( r = −0.106; P = .013), and chronicity of the problem ( r = −0.037; P = .384) were not found to be correlated with differences in ASES-E and SANE-E.

Conclusion:

The SANE-E score is a simple way to assess patient-perceived function relative to normal. The findings of this study demonstrated moderate to strong correlation between the ASES-E and the SANE-E score for a variety of commonly encountered elbow conditions.
Omics in urology: An overview on concepts, current status and future perspectives
Authors: Panunzio Andrea , Tafuri Alessandro , Princiotta Alessandro , Gentile Ilaria , Mazzucato Giovanni , Trabacchin Nicolò , Antonelli Alessandro , Cerruto Maria Angela
Published: June 2021

Recent technological advances in molecular biology have led to great progress in the knowledge of structure and function of cells and their main constituents. In this setting, ‘omics’ is standing out in order to significantly improve the understanding of etiopathogenetic mechanisms of disease and contribute to the development of new biochemical diagnostics and therapeutic tools. ‘Omics’ indicates the scientific branches investigating every aspect of cell’s biology, including structures, functions and dynamics pathways. The main ‘omics’ are genomics, epigenomics, proteomics, transcriptomics, metabolomics and radiomics. Their diffusion, success and proliferation, addressed to many research fields, has led to many important acquisitions, even in Urology. Aim of this narrative review is to define the state of art of ‘omics’ application in Urology, describing the most recent and relevant findings, in both oncological and non-oncological diseases, focusing the attention on urinary tract infectious, interstitial cystitis, urolithiasis, prostate cancer, bladder cancer and renal cell carcinoma. In Urology the majority of ‘omics’ applications regard the pathogenesis and diagnosis of the investigated diseases. In future, its role should be implemented in order to develop specific predictors and tailored treatments.
Turkey’s Sub-imperialism in Sub-Saharan Africa
Authors: Uysal Gönenç
Published: June 2021

The growing economic and political roles of the so-called emerging powers in sub-Saharan Africa have attracted particular attention following the apparent decline of Western powers in the face of the global economic crisis of 2007–2008. The AKP’s “proactive” foreign policy has manifested Turkey’s burgeoning role in the region. This paper draws upon Marxism to explore the diffusion of Turkish capital and the enhancement of military relations in the region in harmony and in contradistinction with Western and Gulf countries. It discusses the AKP’s proactive foreign policy vis-à-vis sub-Saharan Africa as a particular sociohistorical form of sub-imperialism that is characterized by and reproduces economic and geopolitical rivalries and alliances among Turkey and Western and Gulf countries.

JEL Classification: F5, P1, O1
The Long-Term Impact of Multisystemic Therapy: An Experiential Study of the Adolescent-Young Adult Life Transition
Authors: Conroy Dominic , Smith Jonathan A. , Butler Stephen , Byford Sarah , Cottrell David , Kraam Abdullah , Fonagy Peter , Ellison Rachel , Simes Elizabeth , Anokhina Alisa
Published: June 2021

This qualitative study examines the possible long-term impact of multisystemic therapy (MST) as young people experience the transition from adolescence to young adulthood. MST is an intensive intervention aimed at reducing antisocial behavior among young people. Interviews were conducted with 32 young people aged 16 to 22 years at their 48-month follow-up as part of the Systemic Therapy for At-Risk Teens (START) evaluation trial in the United Kingdom. Sixteen participants had received MST while 16 received management as usual (MAU). Interviews addressed participants’ current life experiences and were analyzed with interpretative phenomenological analysis (IPA). The inductive qualitative analysis data were transformed into numerical data. Interview extracts were coded as either forward-looking and hopeful (“mature”) or static and frustrated (“stuck”). Among males, significantly more mature outcomes were found among participants who had received MST compared with MAU. No differences were seen between the female groups. A detailed qualitative commentary shows how the constructs, mature and stuck, are manifest across the four domains. The findings suggest that working with an MST therapist during adolescence helped young men cultivate more mature, forward-looking viewpoints and life activities 4 years later when transitioning into adulthood. Findings are discussed in relation to relevant theory and practical applications.
Nerve growth factor loaded macrophage-derived nanovesicles for inhibiting neuronal apoptosis after spinal cord injury
Authors: Xia Nan , Gao Zhanshan , Hu Hengshuo , Li Daoyong , Zhang Chuanjie , Mei Xifan , Wu Chao
Published: June 2021

Spinal cord injury (SCI) is an extremely destructive central nervous system lesion. Studies have shown that NGF can promote nerve regeneration after SCI. However, it cannot produce the desired effect due to its stability in the body and is difficulty in passing through the blood-brain barrier. In this study, we prepared nanovesicles derived from macrophage membrane encapsulating NGF (NGF-NVs) as a drug carrier for the treatment of SCI. Cell experiments showed that NGF-NVs were effectively taken up by PC12 cells and inhibited neuronal apoptosis. In vivo imaging experiments, a large quantity of NGF was delivered to the injured site with the aid of the good targeting of NVs. In animal experiments, NGF-NVs improved the survival of neurons by significantly activating the PI3K/AKT signaling pathway and had good behavioral and histological recovery effects after SCI. Therefore, NVs are a potential drug delivery vector for SCI therapy.
Exploring the Meaning of Spirituality and Spiritual Care with Help From Viktor Frankl
Authors: Britt Katherine C. , Acton Gayle
Published: June 2021

Problem: A difficult concept to understand, spirituality is not often addressed in healthcare. Purpose: This paper will explore the concept of spirituality and spiritual care using the theory of meaning by Viktor Frankl. Implications: Authors will provide ways for nurses to think about spiritual needs and spiritual care for patients and identify barriers to spiritual care implementation. Suggestions are made for spiritual inquiry, resources are provided for spiritual care education and training, and recommendations are made for nursing education curricula and health care policy change. Conclusions: With a greater understanding of spirituality, nurses practicing holistic care can increase their spiritual care competence and implement spiritual care into practice.
Food Insecurity and Associated Challenges to Healthy Eating Among American Indians and Alaska Natives With Type 2 Diabetes: Multiple Stakeholder Perspectives
Authors: Stotz Sarah , Brega Angela G. , Henderson J. Neil , Lockhart Steven , Moore Kelly ,   AI/AN WCIE Study Group
Published: June 2021

Objective: To examine stakeholder perspectives on food insecurity and associated challenges to healthy eating among American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) adults with type 2 diabetes (T2D). Methods: Focus groups and interviews were conducted with purposively selected stakeholders: AI/ANs with T2D, their family members, healthcare administrators, nutrition and diabetes educators, and national content experts on AI/AN health. Two coders analyzed transcripts using the constant-comparison method. Results: Key themes included (1) rural- and urban-dwelling AI/ANs experience different primary food security and associated challenges; (2) factors contributing to food insecurity extend beyond cost of healthy food; and (3) barriers to consuming fresh, healthy food include cost, preparation time, limited cooking knowledge, and challenges with gardening. Discussion: Resources for AI/ANs with T2D who experience food insecurity and associated challenges to healthy eating should be tailored based on urban versus rural location and should address cost and other barriers to consumption of fresh fruits and vegetables.
The Association of Cultural Participation and Social Engagement With Self-Reported Diagnosis of Memory Problems Among American Indian and Alaska Native Elders
Authors: Adamsen Collette , Manson Spero M. , Jiang Luohua
Published: June 2021

Objective: This study examines the association of cultural participation and social engagement with self-reported diagnosis of memory problems among older American Indians and Alaska Natives (AI/ANs). Method: We conducted a cross-sectional study of 14,827 AI/ANs using data from the 2014–2017 cycle of the Identifying Our Needs: A Survey of Elders (ION). Logistic regression was used to examine the association of cultural participation and social engagement with self-reported diagnosis of memory problems. Results: Compared to older AI/ANs who reported high cultural participation and/or high social engagement, those characterized by low cultural participation and/or low social engagement exhibited significantly higher odds of a self-reported diagnosis of memory problems (OR = 1.863, 95% CI: [1.269, 2.734], p = .001). Discussion: Older AI/ANs who described either or both low cultural participation and low social engagement endorsed far more self-reported diagnoses of memory problems, suggesting a strong association that warrants further study for potential causality.