bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Spectrum of preneoplastic and Neoplastic lesions of intestine in a tertiary care hospital of Karachi, Pakistan
Authors: Shabbir Asma , Qureshi Muhammad Asif , Akram Saadia , Mirza Talat
Published: December 2019

Objectives: To present 7 years data mentioning the spectrum of preneoplastic & neoplastic cases of intestine received at Dow Diagnostic Research and Reference Laboratory.

Methods: All the cases of preneoplastic & neoplastic lesions of intestine received during 2009 – 2015 were reviewed. The data obtained were subjected to descriptive statistical analysis using SPSS version 22. Furthermore, the association of diagnosis was seen with various other variables including age, gender & site of the lesion. A p-value of < 0.05 was considered as significant.

Results: The total samples were 486, out of which 33 cases were of premalignant and 453 were of malignant lesions. Out of total 33 cases of premalignant lesions of intestine, it consisted adenomatous polyp = 39.4% (n=13), dysplasia = 36.4% (n=12) and adenoma = 24.2% (n=8). From the total of 453 cases diagnosed as malignant lesions; adenocarcinoma as Grade-I were 14.2% (n=64), Grade-II were 7.6% (n=260) and Grade-III were 22% (n=99). Squamous cell carcinoma Grade-I were 0.4% (n=2), Grade-II 1.6% (n=7) and Grade-III 0.9% (n=4). 2.4% (n=11) cases were of metastatic adoncarcinoma, 0.9% (n=4) were diagnosed as neuroendocrine tumors and 0.4% (n=2) as lymphoma. A significant association was seen between site of the tumor and diagnosis, rectum was the commonest site for adenocarcinomas (p=0.001). Moderately differentiated adenocarcinoma was predominantly present in young age (p=0.001).

Conclusion: Colorectal carcinoma is on rise in Pakistan, predominantly in young males, and rectum being the commonest site. In our study, all the lesions showed male predominance with adenomatous polyp as the commonest premalignant lesion & Grade-II adenocarcinoma the most common malignancy of intestine.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.2.687

How to cite this:Shabbir A, Qureshi MA, Akram S, Mirza T. Spectrum of preneoplastic and Neoplastic lesions of intestine in a tertiary care hospital of Karachi, Pakistan. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(2):75-79. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.2.687

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Clinical exploration of marking targeting biopsy in the intraoperative localization value of colon polypectomy
Authors: Song Ling Yun , Lin Qi , Li Lian Biao , Cheng Xiu
Published: December 2019

Objective: To evaluate the feasibility and safety of marking targeting biopsy (MTB) in the intraoperative localization value of colon polypectomy.

Methods: The clinical data from patients with polyp of colon discovered under colonoscopy from January 2014 to January 2016 were retrospectively analyzed. A total of 87 patients conformed to the inclusion criteria, among them, 43 received colonoscopic polypectomy one week after MTB (MTB group), while 44 underwent colonoscopic polypectomy one week after conventional biopsy (conventional group). The time consumption in colonoscopic treatment, polypectomy rate and postoperative complications between two groups were compared.

Results: The time consumed in operation in the MTB group was 25.5 (±8.6) minutes, while that in conventional group was 42.0 (±20.5) minutes, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.01). There were a total of 86 polyps in the MTB group, among which 83 were removed, yielding the removal rate of 96.5%. There were altogether 88 polyps in the conventional group, among which 54 were removed, resulting in the removal rate of 61.4%, and the difference was statistically significant (P<0.05). three polyps in the MTB group were detached after MTB, or the wound surface became flat after gross polyp removal, and no polypectomy was required, but the marking targeting solution was clearly visible. two respective polyps in 12 cases in conventional group could not be found in colonoscopic treatment, and 10 of them had respective one polyp that could not be found again. 12 cases in MTB group suffered from abdominal pain after surgery, and no hemorrhage was seen intraoperatively and postoperatively. 10 cases in the conventional group had abdominal pain after surgery, and one case had delayed hemorrhage after surgery. The results between two groups displayed no statistical significance (P>0.05).

Conclusions: The localization value of MTB in colon polypectomy is definitely feasible, safe and effective, which can greatly shorten the time of endoscopic colon polypectomy, mitigate patient sufferings, and reduce the incidence of false negative rate of polyp. It displays favorable clinical application value and is worthy of being promoted in clinic.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.2.756

How to cite this:Song LY, Lin Q, Li LB, Cheng X. Clinical exploration of marking targeting biopsy in the intraoperative localization value of colon polypectomy. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(2):100-104. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.2.756

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Application value of color doppler ultrasound and ultrasound contrast in the differential diagnosis of ovarian tumor
Authors: Zhang Haijing , Wang Jinming , Guo Rui
Published: December 2019

Objective: To study the value of color Doppler ultrasound and ultrasound contrast in differential diagnosis of ovarian tumors.

Methods: Ninety-six patients with ovarian tumors who were treated in our hospital from May 2017 to July 2018 and confirmed by pathological examination were selected as the research subjects. All patients were examined by color Doppler ultrasound and ultrasound contrast. The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of the two methods were compared, and the parameters of ultrasound contrast in the diagnosis of benign and malignant tumors were observed and compared.

Results: The sensitivity, specificity and accuracy of ultrasound contrast in the diagnosis of ovarian tumors were higher than those of color Doppler ultrasound (P<0.05). There were significant differences in the time of initiation enhancement, time to peak and perfusion intensity in the diagnosis of benign and malignant lesions by ultrasound contrast (P<0.05).

Conclusion: In the differential diagnosis of ovarian tumors, ultrasound contrast has more advantages than color Doppler ultrasound in displaying the blood perfusion information of tumors. It has high diagnostic accuracy and clinical application value.

doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.2.847

How to cite this:Zhang H, Wang J, Guo R. Application Value of color doppler ultrasound and ultrasound contrast in the differential diagnosis of ovarian tumor. Pak J Med Sci. 2020;36(2):80-84. doi: https://doi.org/10.12669/pjms.36.2.847

This is an Open Access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited.
Strength of Association. Report 2. Graduations of Correlation Size
Authors: Koterov A. , Ushenkova L. , Zubenkova E. , Kalinina M. , Biryukov A. , Lastochkina E. , Molodtsova D. , Vaynson A.
Published: December 2019

Purpose: To summarize data on graduation of the effect size on the base of Hill’s first causality criterion ‘strength of association’ on the magnitude of the correlation coefficient (mainly Pearson r).
Material and methods: Survey of published sources: monographs, handbooks, papers, educational material on statistics in various disciplines (including on-line), etc. (121 references; of which more than 20 textbooks on statistical methods and statistics in psychology and 8 textbooks on epidemiology).
Results: Estimation of the strength of association by the correlation size is most common in psycho-sociological disciplines and is almost never used in epidemiology (since the establishment of a fact of statistically significant association/correlation in epidemiology is only the initial stage of evidence, unlike the experimental and named disciplines). A number of known scales for r were obtained: the Chaddok scale (R.E. Chaddock) from 1925, which is now apparently not used abroad, but widely represented in the countries of the former USSR, the Cohen scale (J. Cohen) from 1969–1988, reflecting the ‘soft’ criteria of causality in psychology, D.E. Hinkle with co-authors scale (1979–2003) and the Evans scale (J.D. Evans) from 1996. A number of other graduations, published in the singular, are also given. A total of at least 16 different scales of varying degrees were collected for the correlation coefficient r (1925–2019). The information about the value of r for correlations, which should be neglected was presented. Depending on the source, this is r <0.1; r <0.2 or r <0.3. The data on the possibility of transferring graduations from the Pearson coefficient r to the Spearman correlation coefficient and other parameters of the effect size are given.
The question of the difference between estimation of strength of association in epidemiology and medicine and in psycho-sociological disciplines is considered. Unlike the second, in epidemiology and medicine a small value of the correlation coefficient does not necessarily mean a small effect size.
Conclusions: To estimate the value of r one should use the most common and officially established scales, with the exception of the strongly ‘soft’ Cohen scale. The present study can be used as a reference guide on the graduations of effect size on r for a wide variety of observation disciplines.
On the Categorization of Radiological Terrorism Threats
Authors: Grachev M. , Salenko Yu. , Frolov G. , Moroz B.
Published: December 2019

Purpose: To develop approaches to categorizing (ranking) radiological terrorism (RT) threats on the basis of expert assessment of the possibility (likelihood) of the implementation of certain RT scenarios and assessment of their medical and hygienic consequences.

Results: Five categories of RT threats are highlighted. The first (most hazardous) threat category includes situations related to the use of radioactivity dispersing devices (RDD), including the “dirty bomb”. It is shown that the creation of a potential threat of radiation exposure to people at the thresholds of deterministic effects may require the activity of radionuclides in RDD in the range of several hundred TBq. The second category of threats includes scenarios of RT related to the placement of high dose rate radionuclide sources in areas of permanent location or mass gathering of people. The third category of threats includes situations when radionuclide sources maliciously place (enclose) into technological equipment and processes, which leads to radioactive contamination of the environment, industrial and socially significant facilities (water treatment plants, warehouses of food and raw materials), manufactured products. It is shown that in the case of the implementation of such RT scenarios, the dose criteria that require protective measures for the public are unlikely to be achieved. The fourth category of threats includes the physical impact on radioactive materials in the nuclear reactors, fuel element storage pools, and radioactive waste storage facilities. The fifth category of threats includes scenarios of RT related to the use of improvised nuclear devices or nuclear weapons by terrorists.

Conclusion: Threats of categories I–III, given the combination of the possibility of implementing RT scenarios and the scale of medical and hygienic consequences, are estimated as relatively high. Threats of category IV and V due to the extremely low probability of their implementation have the lowest rating, despite the great and even catastrophic nature of the consequences.
On the Selection of the Neutron to Photon Dose Ratio in Neutron-Photon Therapy for Cancer
Authors: Lisin V.
Published: December 2019

Purpose: To evaluate the methodological approaches to the prevention of radiation-induced complications after neutron-photon therapy considering the neutron-photon dose ratio in the tumor.

Material and methods: The linear-quadratic model (LQM) and principles of neutron and photon dose distributions in a tissue-equivalent medium were used. Cases with the highest risk of radiation-induced complications (treatment by a single or two opposite fields) were discussed. The number of neutron-photon therapy sessions to ensure a combined total neutron and photon dose was determined where the RBE concept was used. When calculating the total effect (TE) and TDF factor characterizing the damage to the irradiated tissue, the effect of the radiation field size and subcutaneous fat layer on their values was taken into account.

Results: Methods for selecting the ratio of the neutron and photon dose contribution to the total dose, providing the maximum permissible radiation dose, were developed. It was established that the dependences of TDF and TE factors and the differences in the values of the allowable number of photon therapy sessions on the depth of the tumor were less pronounced in cases with two opposite radiation fields compared to those with a single field. It can be explained by the fact that with increasing depth, an increase in the entrance dose is compensated by a decrease in the dose contribution formed during irradiation from the opposite field.

Conclusion: For neutron-photon therapy using a linear-quadratic model, methodical approaches that might be used to provide an acceptable level of radiation-induced skin reactions for any ratio of neutron-photon doses in a tumor were proposed. The use of these techniques for planning neutron-photon therapy will minimize the risk of radiation-induced complications.
Method of Quatitative Evaluation of the Size and Density of the Tumor During Adaptive Radiotherapy Using CT Images
Authors: Lebedenko I. , Gavrikov B. , Borisova T.
Published: December 2019

Purpose: Clinically available quantitative method for assessing the dynamics of the size and physical density (in g/cm3) of the tumor in adaptive radiotherapy for cancer patients and any cases of visualization of tumor boundaries including the cases when the border of a tumor is not clearly visualized.

Material and methods: A preliminary analysis of the images transmitted over the CT network was carried out in the Eclipse planning system (PS). The radiotherapy treatment planning using electron accelerators with a multi-leaf collimator( Varian (USA)) was carried out at the Eclipse PS. The image quality control of Light Speed RT 16 (manufactured by GE) X-ray computed tomography scanner was performed using the multi-modular phantom Catphan® 504. The assessment of the densitometric characteristics CT imaging made using eight tissue-equivalent a test object with mass densities from 0.03 to 1.37 g/cm3 which corresponding to the density of biological tissues of the human body. To quantify the size and density of the tumor in a dynamic mode, we have written and used our own Matlab program installed on a separate computer. For lossless compression of graphic information, the PNG-image scale (raster graphic information storage format) is used, which is equivalent to the scale of the original DICOM file at the Eclipse PS. A program consists of subroutines that include calibration, contour integration, and integration along a horizontal line.

Results: The quantitative information content of the method is shown. The method is used in clinical practice.

Conclusions: A clinically available quantitative method for assessing dynamics of the size and physical density of the tumor has been developed and proposed for use in adaptive radiatiotherapy for cancer patients for any cases of visualization of tumor boundaries. When a positive dynamics in the tumor, the integral index is greater than 1 (M > 1), when a negative dynamics (in the absence of response to treatment) M ≤ 1. Quantitative characteristics are objective, do not depend on the subjective assessments of personnel and can serve as a basis for rescheduling exposure plans.
Analysis of Positron Emission Tomography Providing with Radionuclides
Authors: Khmelev A.
Published: December 2019

Introduction 1. General requirements to PET-radionuclides 2. Parameters of radionuclide ranging for application in PET 3. Positron emitters for different applications. Selection criteria - PET-studies - Joint PET- and SPECT-studies - Theranostics - Special applications 4. Availability of positron emitters - Cyclotron production of PET-radionuclides - Conventional radionuclides - Radionuclides under development - Production of PET-radionuclides on radionuclide generators 5. Future development of PET providing with radionuclides Conclusion
Endovascular Embolization of Gastroduodenal Artery in its Pancreatogenous Arrosia: a Clinical Case
Authors: Popov M. , Voskanyan S. , Dunaev A. , Bashkov A. , Aronov M. , Rudakov V. , Kasum'yan A. , Maltsev V. , Kuznetsova O.
Published: December 2019

Arrosion of the peripancreatic vascular structures is a rare, but life-threatening condition and requires surgical treatment. One of the most common causes of arrosia is the presence of pancreatic pseudocyst. Imaging methods play a crucial role not only in terms of identifying the described pathology, but also in planning the tactics of surgical treatment. We present a clinical case of a patient, a 44-year-old male, with pseudocyst in the pancreatic head in the presence of chronic pancreatitis, complicated by bleeding into its cavity as a result of an arrosion of the gastroduodenal artery, which required endovascular embolization and drainage of the pseudocyst. This clinical case shows the possibility of endovascular embolization of the injured gastroduodenal artery with microspirals.
National system of standardization of the Russian Federation. Principles, goals, objectives, forecast of development
Authors: Barykin Alex , Ikryannikov Valentin , Budkin Yuriy
Published: December 2019

The monograph presents the research questions of efficiency of functioning of national standardization system of the Russian Federation, which was conducted by the authors in the framework of the analytical work on the order of Minpromtorg of Russia in 2018 (the state contract from April 17, 2018 No. 18401.16Д0190019.10.002) taking into account the actual directions of development of national standardization system of the Russian Federation and additional generalizations. The assessment of the current scenario of the development of the national standardization system of the Russian Federation was carried out using comparable indicators of the national standardization systems of France, Germany, great Britain and the USA. The findings and proposals were based on the results of a survey of civil servants at the Federal and regional levels on approaches to strategic dimensions of standardization. The methodology of forecasting the development of the national standardization system of the Russian Federation includes a scenario approach and a method of constructing dispersion diagrams (bubble diagrams) and sufficiently illustrates the current state of Affairs in the field of standardization at the national level. The developed tools will require additional configuration when changing the current development scenario from "inertial" to "progressive". A number of author's proposals to change the current scenario of development of the national standardization system of the Russian Federation are presented.
It is of interest to a wide range of readers and specialists in the field of public administration, standardization and can be used in the preparation of curricula and manuals for undergraduate, graduate and further education.
Pedagogical aspects of managing professional conflicts in the activities of the head of the local department of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia
Authors: Semchenko Aleksandr
Published: December 2019

The reform carried out in recent years in the system of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia is aimed, among other things, at focused work on the establishment and development of a professional worldview of a police officer in departmental universities of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia. The conflict in the activities of the police officers is active and professional in nature, i.e. associated with the features of professional tasks. The characteristic features for decisions made by employees in conflict situations are lack of time, often the finality of a decision, since a decision cannot be clarified later, verification of decisions by interested opponents and management, the need to make decisions based on incomplete, sometimes deliberately distorted information. With regard to the activities of the internal affairs bodies, the main reason causing conflict situations in communication is the commission of a crime, entering into conflict with society, with the law.
Methods for the formation and maintenance of professional motivation by the leader
Authors: Sepiashvili Ekaterina
Published: December 2019

The managerial activity of a leader from a psychological point of view is embodied in such a way as to select for his subordinate the conditions under which his stimulation will be carried out, namely, the conditions that enhance the motivational motives of work, increase interest, and a creative attitude to the matter. The article considers the role of the leader and his managerial activities in the formation and maintenance of professional motivation of subordinates. The basics of the formation and maintenance of professional motivation of employees are highlighted, as well as features that affect the formation of professional motivation are shown. The article identifies the most significant goals of professional motivation and gives recommendations to managers on their formation and maintenance.
Kinematics and dynamics of automobile piston engines
Authors: Vallejo Maldonado Pablo Ramon , Chaynov Nikolay
Published: December 2019

The fundamentals of kinematics and dynamics of transport piston internal combustion engines made using different layout schemes are presented. Along with the traditional in-line, V-shaped, including oppositional, arrangement of cylinders, schemes with "staggered" arrangement of cylinders in the block at the displaced connecting rod necks of the crankshaft of the engine are considered. The kinematics of the coaxial crank mechanism is considered in detail. The questions of dynamics with reduction of calculated dependences of forces, moments, a choice of a rational order of work of cylinders in relation to the considered kinematic schemes are in detail stated. Considerable attention is paid to the unevenness of the crankshaft rotation speed and engine balancing. The loads on the main and connecting rod bearings of the crankshaft, the knowledge of which is necessary in determining the bearing capacity of bearing units, are also considered.
Meets the requirements of the Federal state educational standards of higher education of the last generation.
For students of higher educational institutions studying in the direction of training 23.03.03 "Operation of transport and technological machines and complexes" and related areas.
Is an employee's commitment to an organisation related to staff productivity?
Authors: Koushki Mohammad Saleh , Valinezhad Sara , Amini Saeed
Published: December 2019

Background/Aims

The effects of organisational commitment on the overall performance of employees is significant and unique. This study aimed to determine the relationship between organisational commitment and staff productivity.

Method

The study population comprised of the staff in a health centre in the city of Khorramabad. A total of 110 questionnaires were distributed among the health centre staff and 102 completed questionnaires were collected. The Statistical Package for the Social Sciences was used to analyse the collected data using descriptive statistics.

Results

The results showed that 66.7% of the participants had an intermediate level of commitment to the organisation, while 33.3% of the participants had a good level of commitment. Furthermore, 2.9% of the participants had low levels of productivity, 91.2% of the participants had an intermediate level of productivity, and 5.9% of participants reported good productivity levels. The Pearson test showed a significant positive relationship between commitment to the organisation and productivity (r=0.365; p=0.01).

Conclusion

In this study, a significant positive correlation was found between commitment to the organisation and productivity. There is a potential to increase commitment further.
Healthcare infrastructure development in rural India: a critical analysis of its status and future challenges
Authors: Sreenu Nenavath
Published: December 2019

At present, the development of healthcare infrastructure in India is poor and needs fundamental reforms in order to deal with emerging challenges. This study surveys the growth of the healthcare infrastructure. The development of infrastructure and health care facilities, the position of the workforce, and the quality of service delivery are important challenges that are confronting healthcare centres in rural India. This article critically analyses the future challenges of Indian healthcare infrastructure development in rural areas, discussing the burden of disease, widespread financial deficiency, the vaccination policy and poor access to health care as some of the main issues. Life expectancy, literacy and per capita income are further considerations.
Managing operating performance at an ophthalmology clinic
Authors: Lowalekar Harshal , Ravichandran N
Published: December 2019

This article documents the experience of addressing improvements in the operational parameters of an ophthalmology clinic in central India. Shortcomings in the operating parameters of throughput, capacity use and patient waiting times required the immediate attention of senior management. Based on elementary data analysis, the present study advocates a scheduling system that improves all three of these operating parameters. Several administrative options to improve the overall performance of the system were identified. For a deeper understanding of the design issues, a simulation-based model was developed. The results of the simulation model were used to prioritise action areas that needed system improvement.
‘Mind the gap’: the importance of managing malnutrition in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease
Authors: Shepherd Alison Burton , Bowell Karen
Published: December 2019

Malnutrition is linked to poor outcomes in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and reduced fat free mass and low BMI are independent risk factors for increased mortality. However, weight loss is not inevitable and can be prevented or reversed so screening for malnutrition is essential. The latest guidelines for managing malnutrition in COPD recommend first-line nutritional support. In particular, patients with a BMI <20 kg/m2 should be prescribed oral nutritional supplements (ONS), which have been shown to significantly improve outcomes. However, this guidance is often not implemented locally, increasing the likelihood of malnutrition, hospital admission and increased healthcare costs. Ready-prepared, low-volume, high-protein, high-energy drinks can improve compliance with ONS, particularly in people who are unable to tolerate high volumes. ONS therefore play an important role in managing malnutrition in COPD, helping to reduce its physiological and economic effects.
Developing a ‘core of steel’: the key attributes of effective practice assessors
Authors: Hunt Louise A
Published: December 2019

Background:

the Nursing and Midwifery Council has emphasised that its recently introduced standards for student supervision and assessment aim to ‘ensure that no one gets onto the register who shouldn't be there’. A key element in achieving this is the new practice assessor role, implemented to bolster practical assessment processes.

Aim:

to identify the key personal characteristics of robust practice assessors who are prepared to fail underperforming students.

Method:

a national study, using a grounded theory approach. Thirty-one nurses were interviewed about their experiences of failing students in practice-based assessments.

Findings:

robust practical assessors have a ‘core of steel’, characterised as having five key features: solidarity, tenacity, audacity, integrity and dependability.

Conclusion:

organisations should base their selection of practice assessors on how strongly they exhibit these five characteristics. Designating all current mentors as new practice assessors, when it is known that often they are reluctant to fail, could perpetuate failure to fail.
Urinary incontinence in women: treatment recommendations
Authors: Peate Ian
Published: December 2019

Ian Peate, Editor in Chief, British Journal of Nursing, discusses treatment options for women experiencing urge, stress or mixed urinary incontinence and why a pelvic health pathway is needed
Factors influencing health-related quality of life of those in the Netherlands living with an ostomy
Authors: Goldstine Jimena , van Hees Ruud , van de Vorst Dick , Skountrianos George , Nichols Thomas
Published: December 2019

Background:

this study examined the health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and wellbeing of people in the Netherlands who had undergone ostomy surgery.

Aims:

to assess how an ostomy population perceives their HRQoL and determine key stressors that influence HRQoL in this population.

Methods:

a cross-sectional survey, including the City of Hope National Medical Center Quality of Life Questionnaire for patients with an ostomy and a Visual Analogue Scale measuring HRQoL, was used to evaluate postsurgical patients.

Findings:

people with an ostomy in the Netherlands have a generally positive HRQoL, but this may be affected by peristomal skin irritation, experience of leakage on to the peristomal skin and whether their surgery was planned.

Conclusions:

access to specialist nurse support and products designed to prevent leakage and prevent skin irritation—two key drivers of HRQoL—may be able to maximise an individual's health status throughout their lifelong journey as a person with an ostomy.
The determination of the folic acid and its selected derivatives
Authors: Krawczyk Barbara , Szczukocki Dominik , Stachniuk Justyna , DaÅ‚kowski RadosÅ‚aw , ZieliÅ„ski Marek , Juszczak Renata , MiÄ™koÅ› Ewa , Zakrzewski Robert
Published: December 2019

Folic acid (FA) belongs to vitamins from group B. The most commonly used drug from a group of structural analogues of FA is methotrexate (MTX), showing antiproliferatative properties. Unfortunately, the action of MTX is not selective. Toxic effects of methotrexate may be partially abolished by the use of leucovorin (calcium salt of folinic acid, FNA) in conserving therapy. The aim of the presented paper was to develop a new analytical procedure using the capillary electrophoresis, allowing the separation and the quantitative marking of the folic acid, methotrexate and calcium salt of folinic acid. Optimal conditions for the electrophoretic separation were obtained for the following parameters: buffer - 25 mmol/L Na2B4O7,pH 9,76; voltage -30 kV, measurement temperature -30 Â°C, the introduction of a sample to the capillary - hydrodynamically 6 s (0,5 psi). These parameters allowed to obtain LOD 0,6 Î¼M for FA, 0,65 Î¼M for FNA and 0,7 Î¼M for MTX.
Assessment of trace metal contamination in peri-urban soils in the region of Kenitra - Morocco
Authors: El Azzouzi Mohammed , El Idrissi Yahya , Baghdad Bouamar , El Hasini Soukaina , Saufi Hamid , El Azzouzi El Habib
Published: December 2019

The spatial distribution of trace metals in peri-urban soils from Kenitra city (Morocco) was investigated. A total of 10 soil samples (0-20 cm depth) were collected from the studied area. The physicochemical properties including pH, electrical conductivity and texture were determined. Contents of 6 trace metals (Cd, Cr, Cu, Ni, Zn and Pb) were measured using Atomic Absorption Spectrometry method (AAS). The results showed that soils of Kenitra city have a sandy texture with a predominance of alkaline pH. The analyzed soil samples can be considered as no salt due to low electrical conductivity values. The trace metals contents revealed that soils are uncontaminated.
The use of tris (tetraphenylimidodiphosphinate) of praseodymium chemical shift reagent in proton NMR for the evaluation of the argan oil fatty acids autoxidation and the analysis of the argan pulp fatty acids
Authors: Hamdouch Souad , Barkaoui Latifa , Tarbaoui Merriem , Ouaket Amine
Published: December 2019

Proton NMR is a method of molecular investigation that has its limitations when applied to complex molecules or molecules with many nearly equivalent sites. Previous studies have resorted to the use of paramagnetic chemical shift reagents, having as formula tris (tetraphenylimidodiphosphinate) of lanthanides ln((tpip.)3. The use of reagent Pr(tpip)3 in proton RMN has allowed us to evaluate the autoxidation of fatty acids mixture (stored 6 and 12 months after oil extraction) by the dosage of saturated and unsaturated acids on the one hand, and that of oleic and linoleic acids on the other. We note between 6 and 12 months of storage at 4°C a decrease in the percentage of unsaturated acids (76% to 63%) and an increase in the percentage of saturated acids (24% to 36%). The results show that the oleic acid maintained the same percentage (35%) as it is not easily oxidized whereas, for the linoleic acid, we observe a decrease in percentage from 22.5% to 18.5% (slow autoxidation at 4°C). We also used this NMR method for the analysis of the argan pulp fatty part. The GC analysis shows that it contains very few unsaturated fatty acids and that the main fatty acids are myristic (C14:0) and palmitic (C16:0) acids. The proton NMR with Pr(tpip)3 allowed us to confirm these results. This method that does not require derivation has proven to be interesting, simple and efficient.
Does knowledge brokering facilitate evidence-based policy? A review of existing knowledge and an agenda for future research
Authors: MacKillop Eleanor , Quarmby Sarah , Downe James
Published: December 2019

The claim that evidence-based policy (EBP) produces better outcomes has gained increasing support over the last three decades. Knowledge brokering (KB) is seen as a way to achieve improved policymaking and governments worldwide are investing significant resources in KB initiatives. It is therefore important to understand the range of these activities and to investigate whether and how they facilitate EBP. This article critically reviews the extant literature on KB. It identifies six important limitations: the existence of multiple definitions of KB; a lack of theory-based empirical analysis; a neglect of knowledge brokering organisations; insufficient research on KB in social policy; limited analysis of impact and effectiveness; and a lack of attention to the role played by politics. The paper proposes an agenda for future research that bridges disciplinary boundaries in order to address these gaps and contribute new insights into the politics of evidence use.
The struggle to provide: how poverty is experienced in the context of family care
Authors: Erhard Franz
Published: December 2019

In this paper, I argue that we look through the lens of family care to show how economic scarcity translates into an actual experience of everyday life. Referring to analyses from narrative interviews with people in deprived life circumstances who live across the UK and the Republic of Ireland, I introduce care work as one situational context in which precarious living conditions become tangible for my interviewees. In addition, I demonstrate that gendered expectations concerning mother- and fatherhood make a difference for how women and men experience poverty. Yet, as stereotypical as this may seem, there is more to tell.
The impact of social care services on carers’ quality of life
Authors: Rand Stacey , Vadean Florin , Forder Julien
Published: December 2019

Unpaid care is an important part of long-term care systems. It is increasingly recognised that carers have their own health and well-being needs. Carer-specific interventions, as well as support for the care-recipient, may enable carers to maintain their own health and well-being alongside caring. This study seeks to establish whether and how community-based care services affect carers’ quality of life. The Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit for Carers was used to capture carers’ social care-related quality of life through qualitative interviews and a survey of carers in England in order to provide insights into the impact of community-based care services on carers’ quality of life outcomes.
Taking bread off the table: race, gender, resources and political ambition in Brazil
Authors: Wylie Kristin
Published: December 2019

Traditional gender roles, gendered political institutions and resource inequities disincentivise women’s participation in formal politics. This article analyses the Brazilian case – where women comprise 9.2 per cent of federal legislators elected since 1994 – to illustrate the centrality of resources in shaping candidate emergence. I examine how entrepreneurial elections, which incentivise intra-party competition and expensive campaigns, have sustained white men’s dominance in Brazilian political institutions and deterred white and Afro-Brazilian women’s political ambition. Using the latest data on campaign finance in Brazilian legislative elections, I explain how recent campaign finance reforms and a series of injustices provoking women’s emotive power yielded important resources catalysing the candidacies of women, especially Black women. The findings suggest that defraying campaign costs offers a potent mechanism for levelling the playing field, and remind us that women’s political ambition is shaped by their ‘relationally embedded’ risk assessment, constrained in no small part by the masculinised ethos of party politics.
A Public Choice Perspective on Cartels
Authors: Spindler Zane A. , de Vanssay Xavier
Published: December 2019

Like interest groups or clubs, cartels might be regarded as associations for voluntary provision of certain unique public goods. In some markets and some technological circumstances, such public good provision might provide a rationale for cartel survival where otherwise they might be expected to fail. There might even be circumstances in which cartels serve the ‘general’ or ‘public’ interest in the process of serving their own interest. In this case, anti-cartel public policy might be reassessed and based on distribution rather than efficiency grounds. The efficiency gains from cartels might then be dissipated by factional competition over distribution of such gains.
The Rise and Decline of Rational Ignorance
Authors: Baba Stephen A.
Published: December 2019

While an individual voter’s chance of changing an election is virtually zero, and an individual voter has virtually no incentive to become well informed, Wittman [1989, 1995] and Popkin [1991] argue that voters are well informed. This paper shows that while Wittman fails to theoretically prove that voters are well informed, Wittman and Popkin deserve credit for showing that it is possible for voters to be well informed. This paper shows that all the theoretical arguments made contain questionable assumptions and that it is an open empirical question if voters are well informed, rationally ignorant or somewhere in between.
Regulation, Labor Costs and Employment in the U.S. Congress
Authors: Mixon Franklin G. , Upadhyaya Kamal P. , Gibson M. Troy
Published: December 2019

The present paper examines the impact of passage of The Congressional Accountability Act of1995 (CAA9T), which imposed 11 major federal labor laws on die U.S. Congress for the first time, on employment in Congress. By modeling Congress as a firm which purchases inputs (e.g., capital, labor, etc.) to produce output (e.g., legislation), die impact of federal laws regarding minimum wages, occupational safety and health, family and medical leave, and others is amenable to econometric testing. After subjecting the data series to various unit root and cointegration tests, an error-correction model suggests that passage of CAA95 did indeed lead to a significant reduction in congressional employment levels, ceteris paribus.
Government Debt, Taxes and Growth
Authors: Fiorito Riccardo
Published: December 2019

By using a small discrete-time model we evaluate the impact of distortionary taxation on the government debt-to-GDP ratio. Once the standard model is modified accordingly, it appears that the increase of taxation has a growth cost which increases as long as die debt-to-GDP ratio rises. The empirical implementation uses data drawn from recent Italy’s record and is based on realistic shocks to the relevant parameters. A major finding is the importance of the debt level - not only of the dynamics - to stabilize the debt-to-GDP ratio. A second finding is that sustainable tax rates are remarkably lower than those prevailing in Italy since the 80s.
Political Influence and the Demand for Publicly Provided Goods: The Interest Function Approach applied to Norwegian Local Governments
Authors: Borge Lars-Erik
Published: December 2019

The interest function approach to government behaviour, initiated by van Winden [1983], is used to investigate how demand for local public services differs among population groups and how the groups’ political influence is shaped by numerical strength and the party composition of the local council. W e improve upon earlier empirical applications of the interest function approach by clarifying the condition under which both taste and influence parameters can be identified. Moreover, the model is estimated in a situation in which the condition for identification is met.
An Empirical Analysis of the Relationships among State Transfers, Local Revenues and Expenditures in the Growth of the Italian Government
Authors: Legrenzi Gabriella
Published: December 2019

The analysis of local governments as potential devices to improve the efficiency of public sectors becomes particularly important for Italy, given both the relevant post-war growth of its public sector and the supra-national constraints imposed by the European Monetary Union. The purpose of this paper is to investigate into the relationships between central and local governments’ revenue-expenditure patterns, by considering disaggregate data on Regioni, Province and Comuni. The empirical results exhibit a high elasticity of local expenditure with respect to State transfers, and insignificance of local taxation revenues in determining local expenditure, as a strong version of the so-called flypaper effect. The identification of a second cointegrating vector between State transfers and own resources, with an ambiguous sign, is another remarkable feature of the Italian fiscal federalism, and points to die need for a more efficient monitoring in allocating State transfers.
Linguanomics: Official Language Laws, Entry Barriers and Public Goods
Authors: Anderson Gary M. , Halcoussis Dennis , Lowenberg Anton D.
Published: December 2019

Recently, the pros and cons of so-called ‘Official English’ laws have been a matter of contention. These laws vary, but all seek to mandate the language used in public transactions. We consider such regulations from the standpoint of entry barriers which both generate restriction rents and (possibly) may mitigate congestion of local public goods. Using standard econometric techniques, we examine the various factors which might tend to determine whether a state will have a law, including measures of the political clout of organized labor and the degree of congestion of local public goods within the jurisdiction.
Political Regimes, Economic Freedom, Institutions and Growth
Authors: Ali Abdiweli M. , Crain W. Mark
Published: December 2019

The impact of political systems on economic growth cannot be understood solely in terms of a simple distinction between democratic and non-democratic regimes. The democratic character of the political regime may be irrelevant when economic freedom is assessed independently from political freedom and civil liberty. This paper uses newly constructed measures of economic freedom by Gwartney-Lawson-Block [1996]. The empirical results of this paper show that economic freedom contributes to economic growth irrespective of the nature of the political regime. The empirical results also indicate that the effect of democracy on economic growth is ambiguous at best. Nonetheless, democracy may have some effect on economic growth, operating indirectly through the investment channel.
Public Budget Reform and Reform Failure in a Market Model
Authors: Andrews Matthew
Published: December 2019

Budgeting theories have not been able to explain why reforms have a limited influence on the budgeting process [JOYCE, 1993]. The current paper proposes a market-based theory of budget reform, which combines the public choice model with new institutional dunking, in the spirit of authors like Kraan [1996]. The dieory unfolds into specific hypodieses about the way in which reform adoption is dependent on the authority of budgeting bureaucrats to adopt reforms, the level of reform acceptance among these bureaucrats and politicians, and the ability of bureaucrats to adopt the reforms. The first two factors, authority and acceptance, are argued to be more important than ability in influencing the level of budget reform adoption.
On the Xenophobia of Non–Discriminated Ethnic Minorities
Authors: Ortona Guido
Published: December 2019

Sometimes the leaders of ethnic minority groups behave in a way that may promote xenophobia. A simple two-subject model is used to find out when this behaviour is rational. The conditions are briefly discussed with reference to the Italian case. An appendix illustrates die definition of xenophobia adopted in die paper.
The Differential Calculus of Consent
Authors: Parisi Francesco , Klick Jonathan
Published: December 2019

Existing treatments of the choice of an optimal voting rule ignore the effects of the rule on political bargaining. Specifically, more stringent majority requirements reduce intra-coalitional free riding in political compromise, leading to greater gains from political trade. Once this benefit of increasing the vote share necessary to enact a proposal is recognized, we suggest that the optimal voting rule in the presence of transactions costs will actually be closer to unanimity than the optimal majority derived by Buchanan - Tullock [1962].
Agency Problems and the Allocation of International Environmental Grants: The Return to Rio
Authors: Congleton Roger D.
Published: December 2019

This paper analyzes and estimates the extent to which international agency problems are present in international organizations. The paper focuses on a single environmental organization, GEF, although the analysis is general and applies to other agencies as well. Indeed, it can be argued that agency problems tend to be smaller for environmental organizations than for other international agencies. To analyze the extent of international agency costs, a model of the funding choices of sponsors and of the subsequent policy choices of an international environmental agency is developed. The funding and policy implications of the model are estimated using data from the Global Environmental Facility (GEF). The results suggest that there is a significant agency problem in GEF as it is presently organized.