bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Role of Optical Coherence Tomography Angiography in Ranibizumab-Treated Choroidal Neovascularization in Choroidal Osteoma
Authors: Carroll William J. , Zhang Yi Stephanie , Jampol Lee M. , Gill Manjot K.
Published: July 2020

In this study, we report the initial evaluation of choroidal neovascularization (CNV) secondary to choroidal osteoma and subsequent response to anti-vascular endothelial growth factor (anti-VEGF) treatment monitored with optical coherence tomography angiography (OCT-A). A 38-year-old female presented with an initial visual acuity of 20/150 in the left eye. Clinical examination revealed a choroidal osteoma. OCT demonstrated both subretinal and intraretinal fluid. OCT-A was performed and showed CNV. A course of ten treatments with ranibizumab showed an improvement of visual acuity to 20/30–3, improvement of subretinal and intraretinal fluid, as well as attenuation of CNV. Our report demonstrates OCT-A as a useful tool for both initial evaluation of CNV and following treatment response to anti-VEGF therapy.
Déficits en la acción socioeducativa dirigida a adolescentes vulnerables latinoamericanos residentes en España
Authors: Fernández-Simo Deibe , Cid-Fernández Xosé Manuel , Carrera-Fernández María Victoria
Published: July 2020

El Sistema de Protección a la Infancia y a la Adolescencia español utiliza los mismos mecanismos con la población tutelada nacional que con la extranjera de origen latinoamericano. Con esta investigación se pretende conocer las dificultades específicas de la juventud procedente de América Latina, en edad de emancipación y que tiene expediente de protección, así como identificar estrategias eficaces para la actuación socioeducativa. Mediante metodología cualitativa, en el marco de la teoría fundamentada, se realizan con juventud tutelada seis seguimientos longitudinales y cuatro relatos de vida. Se concluye con dos grupos de discusión con figuras profesionales especializadas. Los resultados muestran déficits en el acompañamiento socioeducativo, especialmente producto del choque entre las metas del proyecto migratorio y la rigidez del sistema. Se constata la ausencia de redes sociales de apoyo para la emancipación.
Inter-and intra-rater analysis of hemiparetic shoulder abduction using PhysioPlay™
Authors: Ferreira Daiane Marques , Carvalho Leonardo César , Kosour Carolina , Santos Adriana Teresa Silva , Marin Lucas Fechio , Santos Gabriela Xavier , Bressan Paulo Alexandre , Reis Luciana Maria dos
Published: July 2020

Changes in balance are observed in some hemiparetics following a stroke, generating significant physical, social, and economic impacts; thus, an assessment was developed to facilitate treatment plans for patients. Goniometry is currently used as an evaluation tool for range of motion (ROM); however, the development of exergames has brought a new perspective to the assessment, which uses a dynamic mechanism and has little subjectivity. Objective: This study evaluates the inter-and intra-rater reliability of ROM measurement of the shoulder abduction in post-stroke patients using the exergame PhysioPlay™. Method: Thirteen volunteer chronic stroke survivors, aged 58.23 ± 9.96 years (men and women), participated in this study. Two physiotherapists evaluated the abduction of the shoulder using goniometry and the exergame PhysioPlay™. A retest was performed one week later. Clinical trial registry number – RBR-55smwr. Results: The results of the analyses using intraclass correlation coeficient (ICC) showed an excellent inter- and intra-rater reliability level (r > 0.90; p < .05). The Pearson correlation between the maximum measures obtained in the goniometry and the software PhysioPlay™ showed a high correlation (r > 0.90, p= .001). Conclusion: The Kinect associated with the exergame PhysioPlay™ presented excellent reliability in capturing the ROM measure compared to the conventional goniometry.
Obesidade como fator de risco para neuropatia periférica induzida pela quimioterapia em pacientes portadoras de câncer de mama em tratamento com Paclitaxel
Authors: Adan Luca Bacellar Fernandes , Medina Xaari Wani , Imamura Marta , Brito Christina May Moran de , Battistella Linamara Rizzo , Cecatto Rebeca Boltes
Published: July 2020

Neuropatia periférica induzida por quimioterapia (NIPQ) é uma condição incapacitante resultante de tratamento quimioterápico para câncer. Dentre os fatores de risco destaca-se a presença de neuropatia prévia e baixo clearance de creatinina. Objetivo: Avaliar a ocorrência de NPIQ entre os pacientes portadores de câncer de mama submetidos ao uso do Paclitaxel (taxol) adjuvante e sua relação com obesidade. Métodos: Estudo observacional, retrospectivo, que avaliou os prontuários médicos de portadores de câncer de mama em tratamento adjuvante com uso do Paclitaxel no primeiro semestre de 2019, coletando dados referentes a CIPN, peso, altura e índice de massa corpórea (IMC). Resultados: Dentre os 70 pacientes avaliados, 44,3% apresentaram IMC entre 25,0 e 29,9 kg/m2, 15,7% entre 30,0 e 34,9 Kg/m2,, 8,6% entre 35,0 e 39,9 kg/m2, e 1,4% maior do que 40,0 kg/m2. A presença de neuropatia periférica foi documentada em 57,14 % dos pacientes. A média do IMC encontrado nos pacientes sem neuropatia foi de 25,05 e  nos pacientes com neuropatia foi de 29,10 (p = 0,0005). A correlação de Spearman entre a presença de neuropatia e valores do IMC mostrou correlação positiva com r=0,40 e p=0,0006. O Risco Relativo RR para o surgimento de neuropatia em relação aos valores de IMC foi de 1.833 para o IMC acima de 25 (IC 95%). Conclusões: Há correlação positiva entre valores de IMC e o surgimento da NPIQ nesta amostra de pacientes, o que sugere que a obesidade pode ser um fator de risco para o surgimento da NPIQ.
Reduced Rivaroxaban Dose Versus Dual Antiplatelet Therapy After Left Atrial Appendage Closure
Authors: Duthoit Guillaume , Silvain Johanne , Marijon Eloi , Ducrocq Grégory , Lepillier Antoine , Frere Corinne , Dimby Solohaja-Faniaha , Popovic Batric , Lellouche Nicolas , Martin-Toutain Isabelle , Spaulding Christian , Brochet Eric , Attias David , Mansourati Jacques , Lorgis Luc , Klug Didier , Zannad Noura , Hauguel-Moreau Marie , Braik Nassim , Deltour Sandrine , Ceccaldi Alexandre , Wang Hui , Hammoudi Nadjib , Brugier Delphine , Vicaut Eric , Juliard Jean-Michel , Montalescot Gilles ,   for the ADRIFT Investigators
Published: July 2020

Background:

Percutaneous left atrial appendage closure (LAAC) exposes to the risk of device thrombosis in patients with atrial fibrillation who frequently have a contraindication to full anticoagulation. Thereby, dual antiplatelet therapy (DAPT) is usually preferred. No randomized study has evaluated nonvitamin K antagonist oral anticoagulant after LAAC, and we decided to evaluate the efficacy and safety of reduced doses of rivaroxaban after LAAC.

Methods:

ADRIFT (Assessment of Dual Antiplatelet Therapy Versus Rivaroxaban in Atrial Fibrillation Patients Treated With Left Atrial Appendage Closure) is a multicenter, phase IIb study, which randomized 105 patients after successful LAAC to either rivaroxaban 10 mg (R
10
, n=37), rivaroxaban 15 mg (R
15
, n=35), or DAPT with aspirin 75 mg and clopidogrel 75 mg (n=33). The primary end point was thrombin generation (prothrombin fragments 1+2) measured 2 to 4 hours after drug intake, 10 days after treatment initiation. Thrombin-antithrombin complex, D-dimers, rivaroxaban concentrations were also measured at 10 days and 3 months. Clinical end points were evaluated at 3-month follow-up.

Results:

The primary end point was reduced with R
10
(179 pmol/L [interquartile range (IQR), 129–273],
P
<0.0001) and R
15
(163 pmol/L [IQR, 112–231],
P
<0.0001) as compared with DAPT (322 pmol/L [IQR, 218–528]). We observed no significant reduction of the primary end point between R
10
and R
15
while rivaroxaban concentrations increased significantly from 184 ng/mL (IQR, 127–290) with R
10
to 274 ng/mL (IQR, 192–377) with R
15
,
P
<0.0001. Thrombin-antithrombin complex and D-dimers were numerically lower with both rivaroxaban doses than with DAPT. These findings were all confirmed at 3 months. The clinical end points were not different between groups. A device thrombosis was noted in 2 patients assigned to DAPT.

Conclusions:

Thrombin generation measured after LAAC was lower in patients treated by reduced rivaroxaban doses than DAPT, supporting an alternative to the antithrombotic regimens currently used after LAAC and deserves further evaluation in larger studies.

Registration:

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT03273322.
Between Ottomans and Gujaratis: D. Diogo de Noronha, the Repositioning of Diu in the Indian Ocean, and the Creation of the Northern Province (1548–1560)
Authors: Vila-Santa Nuno
Published: July 2020

This article analyzes the role of Diu in the reconfiguration of the Northern Province during the 1550s by focusing on the career of D. Diogo de Noronha, whose role in the consolidation of the Portuguese presence in Diu has received little attention. After defeating the Abyssinian forces of the lord of Diu and seizing over half of the custom house revenue of the city from the Gujarati sultan, Noronha ensured a safer position for Diu and also contributed to the creation of the Northern Province in the late 1550s. What was the true role played by Diu after the difficult sieges of 1538 and 1546, when the Ottoman naval defeat of 1554 renewed the project of expansion to the North? What was the importance of Noronha in that project and how did he influence the spheres of decision in both Asia and Portugal? How did he leverage the struggles within the Gujarati court to achieve his goals? What were the main consequences of his actions for the later development of Diu in the second half of the sixteenth century? These are some of the questions we attempt to answer in this article.
What is Left of Migrants’ Spaces?
Authors: Tazzioli Martina
Published: July 2020

This article deals with the political legacy of migrants’ spaces across Europe that are the outcome of border enforcement policies but that are also shaped by migrants’ struggles and movements. It interrogates what is left, after their vanishing forced eviction, at the level of spatial-political traces, as well as in the collective memory of the citizens of those places. The main argument of the piece is that in order to come to grips with these spaces beyond their ephemeral dimension, we need to consider the temporality of migrant struggles and of solidarity practices – between migrants and citizens. The article focuses, first, on the French-Italian Alpine border, and analyses how the sedimented memory of the struggles in that valley has been reactivated in the present to support the migrants in transit. Then, the article moves on by developing the notion of transversal alliances through an insight into the Gilets Noirs movement in France, a collective of undocumented migrants which mobilised towards getting to permit to stay and accommodation, while at the same time framing their struggle as a broader battle against precarity and exploitation. The piece concludes suggesting that by bringing in the genealogy of struggles and solidarity practices, migrants’ spaces appear as part of a precarious mobile common in the making.
Composing Collaborationist Collages about Commercial Security
Authors: Leander Anna
Published: July 2020

This article is an argument about why it is worth taking the trouble to work with feminist, new materialist approaches inspired by Haraway, Mol, Stengers and others, when studying IR questions. It introduces and exemplifies one specific analytical strategy for doing so, namely one of “composing collaborationist collages”, focusing first on the main building blocks of the approach and then on the (dis-)advantages of working with it. In terms of the building blocks, I underline that composing makes it possible to join the heterogeneous and unlikely, that collaging accentuates the scope for playing with heterogeneity and that collaborating is a necessary part of this process as a well as a helpful check on one’s positionality. I then proceed by focusing on the (dis-)advantages of composing collaborationist collages, making the arguments that this research strategy directs attention to (dis-)connections and to the temporal politics of emergence. It also requires a willingness to face the uncertainties associated with creative academic work. The article introduces composing collaborationist collages as a research strategy. It does so working with material from feminist new materialism, practice theories, the exhibition War Games featuring installations by Hito Steyerl and Martha Rosler and my own work on the politics of commercial security.
Investigating the Internationalisation of State Nobility: A Reflexive Return to Double Game Strategies – An interview with Yves DEZALAY
Authors: Bigo Didier , Cohen Antonin
Published: July 2020

This interview with Yves Dezalay focuses on his research strategy and the link between a Bourdieusian approach and a multi-sited ethnography. Yves Dezalay explains his strategy of doing interviews with the lawyers who are part of their “state nobilities”, in what order to interview them, with whom to begin and for what reasons. He warned about the dangers of trying to reproduce the ways of questioning elite actors as if they were important individuals without taking into account more socio genetic perspectives and especially the prosopography of the group and their respective positions. Collective biographies analysing the relations between the actors are the most important part of the research.
Globe-trotting Sociology
Authors: Vauchez Antoine , Daho Gregory
Published: July 2020

This article takes stock of Yves Dezalay’s original path at the heart of the sociology of globalization. Anchored in the theory of social fields and forms of social capital pioneered by Pierre Bourdieu, but always eclectic in his own theoretical stance, Dezalay has constructed a unique account of the intricate relationship between law, power and globalization tracking the internationalization strategies of national elites and the transformation of forms of state knowledge.
Taxonomic identity of Alysicarpus pokleanus (Papilionoideae: Leguminosae)

Authors: TIWARI ARJUN PRASAD
Published: July 2020

The taxonomic identity of recently described Alysicarpus pokleanus is resolved here as synonym of A. hamosus. The image of type specimen of A. hamosus and A. pokleanus along with colour photographs of fresh collection of A. hamosus from the type locality are also provided. Further, the inconsistencies in the protologue of A. pokleanus are discussed in the present paper.
Revision of the genus Oxyscelio Kieffer (Hymenoptera, Scelionidae) from China
Authors: MO WEN-HUI , CHEN HUA-YAN , JOHNSON NORMAN F. , PANG HONG , MA LI , LIU JING-XIAN
Published: July 2020

The genus Oxyscelio Kieffer from China is revised. Thirty-four species are recognized, of which two species are described as new: O. nullicarina Mo & Chen, sp. n., O. paracuculli Mo & Chen, sp. n., and fourteen species are newly recorded from China: O. aclavae Burks, O. arcus Burks, O. brevidentis Burks, O. excavatus (Kieffer), O. flabelli Burks, O. jaune Burks, O. kiefferi Dodd, O. labis Burks, O. mesiodentis Burks, O. mollitia Burks, O. nasolabii Burks, O. nubbin Burks, O. ogive Burks, and O. reflectens Burks. Keys to the Chinese species are provided.
Description of a new species of Platyparadonus Etzler and Ivie, 2019 (Coleoptera: Elateridae), with an updated key to species
Authors: PANDOLFI ALESSANDRA , ETZLER FRANK E.
Published: July 2020

A new species of the genus Platyparadonus Etzler & Ivie, 2019, is described from St. John (United States Virgin Islands). Taxonomic and diagnostic remarks are provided along with a map of distribution and a key to the species. The misinterpretation of female paratypes belonging to P. marleyi Etzler & Ivie, 2019 from St. John is also clarified.
Response of Vertical Velocities in Extratropical Precipitation Extremes to Climate Change
Authors: Li Ziwei , O’Gorman Paul A.
Published: July 2020

Precipitation extremes intensify in most regions in climate model projections. Changes in vertical velocities contribute to the changes in intensity of precipitation extremes but remain poorly understood. Here, we find that midtropospheric vertical velocities in extratropical precipitation extremes strengthen overall in simulations of twenty-first-century climate change. For each extreme event, we solve the quasigeostrophic omega equation to decompose this strengthening into different physical contributions. We first consider a dry decomposition in which latent heating is treated as an external forcing of upward motion. Much of the positive contribution to upward motion from increased latent heating is offset by negative contributions from increases in dry static stability and changes in the horizontal length scale of vertical velocities. However, taking changes in latent heating as given is a limitation when the aim is to understand changes in precipitation, since latent heating and precipitation are closely linked. Therefore, we also perform a moist decomposition of the changes in vertical velocities in which latent heating is represented through a moist static stability. In the moist decomposition, changes in moist static stability play a key role and contributions from other factors such as changes in the depth of the upward motion increase in importance. While both dry and moist decompositions are self-consistent, the moist dynamical perspective has greater potential to give insights into the causes of the dynamical contributions to changes in precipitation extremes in different regions.
Temporal Upscaling of Rice Evapotranspiration Based on Canopy Resistance in a Water-Saving Irrigated Rice Field
Authors: Liu Xiaoyin , Xu Junzeng , Yang Shihong , Lv Yuping , Zhuang Yang
Published: July 2020

An important element of the hydrologic cycle, the hydrometeorological parameter of evapotranspiration (ET), is critical in the development of effective water resources planning and irrigation scheduling. The ET varies in response to changes in resistance at the canopy surface rc and soil moisture content θ, especially under water-saving irrigation (WSI) practices. Drawing on data collected by eddy covariance in WSI rice paddies in eastern China in 2015 and 2016, variations in ET were studied by calculating and analyzing hourly canopy resistance and daily canopy resistance . Discrepancies were noted between true daily ET with respect to the estimated daily ET at different periods [0700–1600 local time (UTC + 8)]. To estimate in the WSI rice fields, the mean value between 0900 and 1000 LT, and between 1000 and 1100 LT performed considerably better than for a single time. Seasonal estimated ET can be accurately calculated by interpolating at different time intervals, thereby achieving a greater correlation and consistency at 2-day intervals. Then a generalized two-segment line of variation was used to calculate , achieving good results and showing that in the absence of observational data, could be easily calculated through a simplified pattern of variability. In conclusion, an ET temporal upscaling method for a WSI paddy, based on variation in and values, was optimized and is recommended for local application. Future work will focus on temporal upscaling of ET by extrapolating remote sensing instantaneous estimates to daily values.
Marginal Instability and the Efficiency of Ocean Mixing
Authors: Smyth W. D.
Published: July 2020

The mixing efficiency of stratified turbulence in geophysical fluids has been the subject of considerable controversy. A simple parameterization, devised decades ago when empirical knowledge was scarce, has held up remarkably well. The parameterization rests on the assumption that the flux coefficient Γ has the uniform value 0.2. This note provides a physical explanation for Γ = 0.2 in terms of the “marginal instability” property of forced stratified shear flows, and also sketches a path toward improving on that simple picture by examining cases where it fails.
Youth, Institutional Trust, and Democratic Backsliding
Authors: Kwak Joonghyun , Tomescu-Dubrow Irina , Slomczynski Kazimierz M. , Dubrow Joshua K
Published: July 2020

In recent decades, many countries ranging from quasidemocratic regimes to well-established democracies have faced democratic backsliding. In this study, we draw on Foa and Mounk and other related literature to examine the effects of regime delegitimation on democratic backsliding, focusing on youth’s trust in political institutions—parliament, legal systems, and political parties—relative to trust of the older population. We use an unbalanced panel data set that combines a country-year indicator of liberal democracy from the Varieties of Democracy project with aggregate survey-based measures of absolute and relative institutional trust from the Survey Data Recycling database; the data set covers 46 countries from 2009 to 2017. We find that the ratio of youth’s institutional trust to that of older persons has a substantive effect on the quality of liberal democracy in the future, and that the effect is amplified by the relative size of the youth population.
Prognostic Significance of Serum Albumin in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndrome
Authors: Polat Nihat , Oylumlu Mustafa , Işik Mehmet Ali , Arslan Bayram , Özbek Mehmet , Demir Muhammed , Kaya Hasan , Toprak Nizamettin
Published: July 2020

In patients with unstable angina pectoris (UAP) or non-ST elevation myocardial infarction (NSTEMI), long-term mortality remains high despite improvements in the diagnosis and treatment. In this study, we investigated whether serum albumin level is a useful predictor of long-term mortality in patients with UAP/NSTEMI. Consecutive patients (n = 403) who were hospitalized with a diagnosis of UAP/NSTEMI were included in the study. Patients were divided into 2 groups based on the presence of hypoalbuminemia and the relationship between hypoalbuminemia and mortality was analyzed. Hypoalbuminemia was detected in 34% of the patients. The median follow-up period was 35 months (up to 45 months). Long-term mortality rate was 32% in the hypoalbuminemia group and 8.6% in the group with normal serum albumin levels ( P < .001). On multivariate analysis, hypoalbuminemia, decreased left ventricular ejection fraction, and increased age were found to be independent predictors of mortality ( P < .05). The cutoff value of 3.10 g/dL for serum albumin predicted mortality with a sensitivity of 74% and specificity of 67% (receiver-operating characteristic area under curve: 0.753, 95% CI: 0.685-0.822). All-cause long-term mortality rates were significantly increased in patients with hypoalbuminemia. On-admission albumin level was an independent predictor of mortality in patients with UAP/NSTEMI.
Incidence and Geographical Variability of Pediatric Inflammatory Bowel Disease in Croatia: Data From the Croatian National Registry for Children With Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Ivković Lana , Hojsak Iva , Trivić Ivana , Sila Sara , Hrabač Pero , Konjik Vlatka , Senečić-Čala Irena , Palčevski Goran , Despot Ranka , Žaja Orjena , Kolaček Sanja
Published: July 2020

The aim of this study was to determine the annual incidence and geographic distribution of pediatric inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) in Croatia. This is a prospective, cohort, multicenter observational study based on the data obtained from the Croatian national registry for children with IBD. Children and adolescents younger than 18 years diagnosed with IBD, in time period between June 1, 2016, and May 31, 2017, were recruited. In total, 51 new cases were identified; 19 Crohn’s disease, 28 ulcerative colitis, and 8 IBD-unclassified. Male preponderance of all 3 types of the disease was noticed. The median age at diagnosis was 14.8 years. The calculated annual incidence of pediatric IBD per 100 000 persons per year was 7.05 (2.63 for Crohn’s disease, 3.87 for ulcerative colitis, and 0.55 for IBD-unclassified). A north to south gradient was observed with almost 2 times higher incidence in the northern region of the country.
Toward a Theory of Visual Information Acquisition in Driving
Authors: Wolfe Benjamin , Sawyer Ben D. , Rosenholtz Ruth
Published: July 2020

Objective

The aim of this study is to describe information acquisition theory, explaining how drivers acquire and represent the information they need.

Background

While questions of what drivers are aware of underlie many questions in driver behavior, existing theories do not directly address how drivers in particular and observers in general acquire visual information. Understanding the mechanisms of information acquisition is necessary to build predictive models of drivers’ representation of the world and can be applied beyond driving to a wide variety of visual tasks.

Method

We describe our theory of information acquisition, looking to questions in driver behavior and results from vision science research that speak to its constituent elements. We focus on the intersection of peripheral vision, visual attention, and eye movement planning and identify how an understanding of these visual mechanisms and processes in the context of information acquisition can inform more complete models of driver knowledge and state.

Results

We set forth our theory of information acquisition, describing the gap in understanding that it fills and how existing questions in this space can be better understood using it.

Conclusion

Information acquisition theory provides a new and powerful way to study, model, and predict what drivers know about the world, reflecting our current understanding of visual mechanisms and enabling new theories, models, and applications.

Application

Using information acquisition theory to understand how drivers acquire, lose, and update their representation of the environment will aid development of driver assistance systems, semiautonomous vehicles, and road safety overall.
Experiences and psychosocial problems of nurses caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Turkey: A qualitative study
Authors: Kackin Ozlem , Ciydem Emre , Aci Ozgur Sema , Kutlu Fatma Yasemin
Published: July 2020

Background:

Nurses, who are playing an important role during the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) outbreak, are exposed to a range of psychosocial stressors due to unforeseen risks.

Objectives:

The objective of this study is to determine the experiences and psychosocial problems of nurses caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Turkey.

Settings:

The data were collected between 9 May and 12 May 2020, in Istanbul, Turkey.

Participants:

The study sample consisted of 10 nurses, who cared for patients diagnosed with COVID-19.

Methods:

The research employed the descriptive phenomenological approach. The interviews were conducted face-to-face via the internet and were analysed with Colaizzi’s seven-step method.

Results:

The experiences and psychosocial problems among nurses caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 were categorised under three themes, which were further divided into subcategories. The theme of the effects of the outbreak was divided into working conditions, psychological effects and social effects; the theme of short-term coping strategies was divided into normalisation, refusal to dwell on experiences, avoidance, expression of emotions and distraction; and the theme of necessities was divided into psychosocial support and resource management.

Conclusion:

The nurses caring for patients diagnosed with COVID-19 in Turkey were adversely affected, both psychologically and socially, by the pandemic; they used short-term coping strategies, and they needed psychosocial support and resource management. They also faced stigmatising attitudes and experiencing burnout and were at risk for secondary traumas due to witnessing disease and death.
Political Parties and the Political System in Iraqi Kurdistan
Authors: Hama Hawre Hasan , abdullah Farhad hassan
Published: July 2020

The Kurdistan Region of Iraq has a multi-party system which has been held up as a model for democratic pluralism in the whole region. The nature of Kurdistan’s political parties is strongly related to the position of Kurds in Iraq. From the mid-twentieth century, the dominant Kurdish political party in Iraq was the Kurdistan Democratic Party; in a later partisan split the Patriotic Union of Kurdistan was born. Moreover, in the last three decades other political parties have come into being, which have all influenced the characteristics of Iraqi Kurdistan’s political system. This paper’s main argument is that Iraqi Kurdistan shares many of the characteristics of its main political parties, including reliance on charismatic leadership, a focus on nationalism, and the lack of transparency. This paper analyzes the primary characteristics of the Kurdish political parties and their influence on the institutional functions of the political system in the Kurdistan Region.
Sox2 Controls Periderm and Rugae Development to Inhibit Oral Adhesions
Authors: Sweat Y.Y. , Sweat M. , Yu W. , Sanz-Navarro M. , Zhang L. , Sun Z. , Eliason S. , Klein O.D. , Michon F. , Chen Z. , Amendt B.A.
Published: July 2020

In humans, ankyloglossia and cleft palate are common congenital craniofacial anomalies, and these are regulated by a complex gene regulatory network. Understanding the genetic underpinnings of ankyloglossia and cleft palate will be an important step toward rational treatment of these complex anomalies. We inactivated the Sry (sex-determining region Y)–box 2 ( Sox2) gene in the developing oral epithelium, including the periderm, a transient structure that prevents abnormal oral adhesions during development. This resulted in ankyloglossia and cleft palate with 100% penetrance in embryos examined after embryonic day 14.5. In Sox2 conditional knockout embryos, the oral epithelium failed to differentiate, as demonstrated by the lack of keratin 6, a marker of the periderm. Further examination revealed that the adhesion of the tongue and mandible expressed the epithelial markers E-Cad and P63. The expanded epithelia are Sox9-, Pitx2-, and Tbx1-positive cells, which are markers of the dental epithelium; thus, the dental epithelium contributes to the development of oral adhesions. Furthermore, we found that Sox2 is required for palatal shelf extension, as well as for the formation of palatal rugae, which are signaling centers that regulate palatogenesis. In conclusion, the deletion of Sox2 in oral epithelium disrupts palatal shelf extension, palatal rugae formation, tooth development, and periderm formation. The periderm is required to inhibit oral adhesions and ankyloglossia, which is regulated by Sox2. In addition, oral adhesions occur through an expanded dental epithelial layer that inhibits epithelial invagination and incisor development. This process may contribute to dental anomalies due to ankyloglossia.
Oral Health Birth Cohort Studies: Achievements, Challenges, and Potential
Authors: Peres K.G. , Thomson W.M. , Chaffee B.W. , Peres M.A. , Birungi N. , Do L.G. , Feldens C.A. , Fontana M. , Marshall T.A. , Pitiphat W. , Seow W.K. , Wagner Y. , Wong H.M. , Rugg-Gunn A.J.
Published: July 2020

Birth cohorts are those among observational studies that provide understanding of the natural history and causality of diseases since early in life. Discussions during an International Association for Dental Research symposium in London, United Kingdom, in 2018, followed by a workshop in Bangkok, Thailand, in 2019, concluded that there are few birth cohort studies that consider oral health and that a broader discussion on similarities and differences among those studies would be valuable. This article aims to 1) bring together available long-term data of oral health birth cohort studies from the low, middle, and high-income countries worldwide and 2) describe similarities and differences among these studies. This work comprises 15 studies from all 5 continents. The most studied dental conditions and exposures are identified; findings are summarized; and methodological differences and similarities among studies are presented. Methodological strengths and weaknesses are also highlighted. Findings are summarized in 1) the negative impact of detrimental socioeconomic status on oral health changes over time, 2) the role of unfavorable patterns of dental visiting on oral health, 3) associations between general and oral health, 4) nutritional and dietary effects on oral health, and 5) intergenerational influences on oral health. Dental caries and dental visiting patterns have been recorded in all studies. Sources of fluoride exposure have been documented in most of the more recent studies. Despite some methodological differences in the way that the exposures and outcomes were measured, some findings are consistent. Predictive models have been used with caries risk tools, periodontitis occurrence, and permanent dentition orthodontic treatment need. The next steps of the group’s work are as follows: 1) establishing a consortium of oral health birth cohort studies, 2) conducting a scoping review, 3) exploring opportunities for pooled data analyses to answer pressing research questions, and 4) promoting and enabling the development of the next generation of oral health researchers.
Effects of thermal stress, magnetic field and rotation on the dispersion of elastic waves in an inhomogeneous five-layered plate with alternating components
Authors: Nuruddeen Rahmatullah Ibrahim , Nawaz Rab , Zaigham Zia Qazi Muhammad
Published: July 2020

This study explores the effects of the thermal stress, rotation, and magnetic fields on the propagation of surface waves in a symmetric five-layered inhomogeneous elastic plate. The harmonic wave solution was adopted to reduce the given partial differential equations to their corresponding ordinary differential equations, which were later solved using a classical method. The Mathematica software was also employed for the numerical simulations. The dispersion relations associated with both the symmetric and antisymmetric modes have been determined and analyzed with regard to the aforementioned external effects and rotation. The variations in thermal stress positively affect the wave propagation in the plate even for relatively smaller values of the temperature variation. Also, the same trend is observed in the case of the magnetic field, but for higher values. Finally, for the rotation, it was found that the angular velocity must reach at least 104 before a significant change is observed; which in fact differs from the situations of half-plane reflection and single-layered.
Electro-textile wearable antennas in wireless body area networks: materials, antenna design, manufacturing techniques, and human body consideration—a review
Authors: Almohammed Bahaa , Ismail Alyani , Sali Aduwati
Published: July 2020

The latest progress in the emerging wireless technology has resulted in the development of wearable antennas made of various fabrics. This unique antenna is an integral part of the wireless body area network (WBAN). A wide range of applications are made by the wearable antennas in the fields of the Internet of Things, sport, defense, public safety, telemedicine, navigation, and tracking. The focus point of the current review is the recent progress of electro-textiles research with special attention on the materials properties, criteria, and manufacturing techniques. Existing as well as upcoming materials specifically and potentially used for electro-textile fabrication are discussed. Various manufacturing techniques are discussed to match the importance of material selection. The current work highlights the performance when the antennas tagging are applied in WBAN objects and illustrates how the human body affects the performance of the wearable antenna and vice versa. The findings of this review by introducing the best materials, techniques, and designs could be used in future to provide high-performance materials for body-centric applications.
Quaestio Disputata: Aquinas’s Virtuous Vision of the Divine Ideas
Authors: DeSpain Benjamin
Published: July 2020

Paul DeHart has recently proposed that Thomas Aquinas did not elaborate on the ethical and anthropological implications of his position on the divine ideas. The author challenges DeHart’s interpretive assumption by demonstrating that Thomas consciously and deliberately extended the divine ideas into his vision of virtue through a network of subtle allusions to the doctrine in the Summa Theologiae. Specifically, the article considers the place of the divine ideas in Thomas’s appeal to Macrobius’s categorical division of the cardinal virtues into political, purifying, purified-in-mind, and exemplar. It further examines the relation of this gradation of virtue to Thomas’s thought on the ontological correlation between each person’s creational formation and the eschatological perfection of virtue.
Conversion: Falling into Friendship Like No Other
Authors: Ryliškytė Ligita
Published: July 2020

In the context of contemporary vicissitudes, this article examines how Lonergan’s grasp of the meaning of redemption illuminates our understanding of Christian conversion. Lonergan’s Law of the Cross implies that the effectiveness of Christian conversion hinges on one’s antecedent willingness to undertake suffering for the sake of the transformation of evil into good. His analogies for Christ’s salvific work with the sacrament of reconciliation and with friendship further clarify the christomorphic, penitential, and community-building character of conversion, which proceeds from the total, transformative, and diffusive falling into friendship with God.
“In Despair, Despair Not”: Ways to God for a Secular Age
Authors: Duns Ryan
Published: July 2020

While theological reflection on the question of secularism has been illuminating, it has not always provided resources for those still seeking to encounter God. By responding to Karl Rahner’s paradoxical counsel—“in despair, despair not”—this article engages William Desmond and René Girard to uncover two distinct, yet complementary, “Ways” capable of returning seekers to God. When undertaken as a theological meditation, these “Ways” can awaken us to the graced order, the “order of charity,” in which we live.
Quaestio Disputata: Divine Virtues and Divine Ideas of Virtues
Authors: DeHart Paul
Published: July 2020

Benjamin DeSpain has taken issue with my claim that the divine ideas according to Aquinas’s conception cannot be the objects of our moral striving, nor can they be approximated by us. I argue that he has not attended to a necessary distinction between the divine essence as single exemplar and the ideas as multiple exemplars of the varied imitability of that essence. The result is that Macrobius’s “exemplar virtues” are the divine essence; they are not divine ideas, nor are they eternal law. Approximation to these virtues is possible, but not to the ideas. I conclude with some reflections on Aquinas’s use of tradition, and on the question of his “Platonism.”
Polycentricity and framing battles in the creation of regional norms on violence against women
Authors: van der Vleuten Anna , Roggeband Conny , van Eerdewijk Anouka
Published: July 2020

In Latin America and Southern Africa, norms on violence against women have developed with ups and downs, not simply in reaction to global norms, but sometimes even preceding global norm diffusion or surpassing it in terms of scope, framing and binding character. The classic global-to-local account with a single source of norm creation cannot capture these dynamics. Including the regional level in a dynamic model of norm diffusion enables us to understand the changing contents of a norm and to acknowledge transregional agency. We show (1) how norm contestation is an ongoing, multidirectional and polycentric process; (2) how the regional level opens up opportunities for feminists and femocrats; and (3) under which conditions regional norms can be both more progressive than global ones and more adapted to regional needs, and, in turn, are thus able to strengthen the ‘global’ norm.
Erodes and bleeds, fistulises and obstructs: Bouveret’s syndrome
Authors: Kakadiya Rinkal B , Thakur Uttam , Kaman Lileshwar , Mandavdhare Harshal S
Published: July 2020

One of the rare complications of cholelithiasis is gallstone ileus which occurs in <5% of patients. Among them, <3% develop Bouveret’s syndrome: gastric outlet obstruction by a large gallstone in the pylorus or duodenum. One large review of 128 patients showed it to present at a mean age of 74.1 ± 11.1 years with a mean gallstone size of 4.6 ± 1.5 cm, with nausea or vomiting in 86%, abdominal pain in 71% and haematemesis in 15%. The diagnosis is usually clear on oesophagogastroduodenoscopy or abdominal contrast-enhanced computed tomography. We present a case with massive upper gastrointestinal bleeding, due to erosion of a cystic artery pseudoaneurysm.
The Promises and Perils of Technological Solutions to the Troubles with Capital Punishment
Authors: Linders Annulla , Kansal Shobha Pai , Shupe Kyle , Oakley Samuel
Published: July 2020

In this article, we interrogate the entanglement of technology with the moral dilemmas of capital punishment in the United States. Although death is obviously front and center of capital punishment, it is often backgrounded analytically speaking, serving as a looming backdrop that rarely makes it to the center of analysis. For the purposes of this article, however, death is an important focal point precisely because it is the direct target of execution technology and also the most crucial element implicated when something goes wrong with executions. Using the introduction of new execution technology (the electric chair, the gas chamber, and lethal injection) in every state as our empirical case, we enhance our understanding of the promises and perils of new execution technology by showing how the boundaries between acceptable and unacceptable executions get redrawn with each new technology, thus undermining the prospects of a technological solution to the dilemmas with capital punishment. We argue that technology cannot fix capital punishment and that is because the problem, at its root, is not about how efficiently and painlessly we kill but instead the fact that we kill at all. And this, we conclude, is a moral, not technological, problem.
‘Within my work environment I don’t see gender as an issue’: Reflections on gender from a study of criminal justice social workers in Scotland
Authors: McCulloch Trish , Cree Viviene E , Kirkwood Steve , Mullins Eve
Published: July 2020

Community justice professionals operate within deeply gendered territory, yet there has been little attention to how gender is understood and embodied by the workforce. Building on findings from a mixed method study, this article explores professional perceptions of how gender plays out in criminal justice social work (CJSW) in Scotland. Our findings demonstrate that gender is an important but neglected dimension of CJSW. We conclude that advancing gender in this field requires a more inclusive theorising of gender in professional education and research, a more practical commitment to gender equality in policy and practice, and more routine opportunities for dialogue on issues of gender and justice within and across these domains.
Using coaching tools to develop professional practice holistically
Authors: Wolfenden Sarah
Published: July 2020

Do you teach or train others? Are you passionate about delivering a great learning experience to them? Are you considering working towards professional accreditation and have been putting it off? Are you tired of faffing around and want to get your focus back? Are you ambitious but concerned about burning out? Do you need some space and time – where no-one is vying for your attention – to gain clarity, develop your practice and explore how you can be of service to your participants, your colleagues and your loved ones while not losing yourself in the process? If the answer to any of these questions is yes, then you may find this article helpful. Its aim is to provide an overview of a few select tools to help teaching and training professionals articulate their purpose, craft a teaching identity and philosophy, and get the most out of training received – with a few self-care tips thrown in for good measure! As we move to a world where increasingly roles are being replaced by automation, we need to focus on what makes us individual, personalised humans (Gleeson, 2018). I hope that this article will provide a starting point.
Rasch analysis of the anterior knee pain scale in adolescents with patellofemoral pain
Authors: Selhorst Mitchell , Fernandez-Fernandez Alicia , Cheng M Samuel
Published: July 2020

Objective:

The aim of this study was to evaluate the Anterior Knee Pain Scale in a cohort of adolescents being treated conservatively for patellofemoral pain using Rasch analysis.

Design:

This is a psychometric study.

Setting:

Physical therapy clinics of a large pediatric hospital in Columbus, Ohio (United States)

Subjects:

A total of 646 adolescent patients with patellofemoral pain (76% female, 14.6 ± 1.6 years old).

Intervention:

Not applicable.

Main Measure:

The Anterior Knee Pain Scale.

Results:

The median Anterior Knee Pain Scale score was 73 (interquartile range 64–81), with scores ranging from 7 to 100 on the 100-point scale. The Rasch person reliability for the Anterior Knee Pain Scale was 0.74 and the Cronbach’s alpha was 0.75, representing an acceptable person reliability. Principal component analysis revealed a ratio of 5.2:1 demonstrating acceptable unidimensionality of the Anterior Knee Pain Scale. A significant misfit was observed in the item “Abnormal Painful Kneecap Movements” (Outfit Means Square 2.74, Infit Means Square 1.41). Ordering of item responses was unsatisfactory as only five of the 13 items demonstrated appropriate distinction between each of the responses. There was no differential item functioning for sex or age for all items of the Anterior Knee Pain Scale, based upon the criterion of ⩾ 0.5 logit difference.

Conclusion:

The Anterior Knee Pain Scale does not meet interval-level measurement criteria and should be considered ordinal level data.
Direct and Compensatory Parental Responses to Peer Victimization
Authors: Erath Stephen A. , Pettit Gregory S. , Troop-Gordon Wendy
Published: July 2020

Scientific evidence for effective parental responses to peer victimization (PRPV) is sorely lacking. In this conceptual article, we first consider direct parental efforts to reduce peer victimization (i.e., direct PRPV) through explicitly coaching children about how to cope with peer victimization or intervening in the situation. We encourage researchers to examine whether and how direct PRPV may be successful, acknowledge possible limitations, and explore other forms of parental influence in the context of peer victimization. As an alternative or supplemental approach, we describe indirect, or compensatory, parental efforts to support the psychological health of children who experience peer victimization (i.e., compensatory PRPV). We provide illustrations of compensatory PRPV in which parents step up their efforts to encourage positive self-appraisals, facilitate positive social interactions, and support activity involvement in response to children’s experiences of peer victimization. We also suggest directions for future research on PRPV.
India’s Response to Coronavirus Pandemic: Nine Lessons for Effective Public Management
Authors: Trivedi Prajapati
Published: July 2020

COVID-19 pandemic has spared no country. Yet, the degree of infection and consequent deaths have differed vastly. There is, as yet, no scientific explanation based on climatic or genetic differences in populations. However, there seems to be an emerging consensus that public management matters. This article looks at three largest countries in the World and finds that outcomes in India, measured in terms of deaths from COVID-19 virus, are a fraction of deaths compared to other two large populous countries and appears to be an outlier. This article examines the public management response of a democratic government and draws lessons for effective public management in dealing with other grand public management challenges of our times.