bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantitative inspiratory–expiratory chest CT to evaluate pulmonary involvement in pediatric hematopoietic stem‐cell transplantation patients
Authors: Pennati Francesca , Walkup Laura L. , Chhabra Anuj , Towe Christopher , Myers Kasiani , Aliverti Andrea , Woods Jason C.
Published: December 2020

Pulmonary complications following allogeneic hematopoietic stem‐cell transplantation (HSCT) are a significant source of morbidity and complications may arise from a myriad of infectious and noninfectious sources. These complications may occur soon or many months post‐transplantation and can have a broad range of outcomes. Surveillance for pulmonary involvement in the pediatric HSCT population can be challenging due to poor compliance with clinical pulmonary function testing, primarily spirometry, and there may be a role for clinical imaging to provide an additional means of monitoring, particularly in the era of clinical low‐dose computed tomography (CT) protocols. In this single‐site, retrospective study, a review of our institution's radiological and HSCT databases was conducted to assess the utility of a quantitative CT algorithm to describe ventilation abnormalities on high‐resolution chest CT scans of pediatric HSCT patients. Thirteen non‐contrast enhanced chest CT examinations acquired both in inspiration and expiration, from 12 deceased HSCT patients (median age at HSCT 10.4 years, median days of CT 162) were selected for the analysis. Also, seven age‐matched healthy controls (median age 15.5) with non‐contrast‐enhanced inspiration–expiration chest CT were selected for comparison. We report that, compared to healthy age‐matched controls, HSCT patients had larger percentages of poorly ventilated (median, 13.5% vs. 2.3%, p < .001) and air trapped (median 12.3% vs. 0%, p < .001) regions of lung tissue, suggesting its utility as a potential screening tool. Furthermore, there was wide variation within individual HSCT patients, supporting the use of multivolume CT and quantitative analysis to describe and phenotype post‐transplantation lung involvement.
Adherence to the 2014 American Academy of Pediatrics palivizumab prophylaxis recommendations
Authors: Sierra Caroline M. , Park Alice , Eum Eunsi , Garcia Giselle , Lopez Mireya , Daniel Shawnée N. , Bahjri Khaled , Parbuoni Kristine A.
Published: December 2020

Introduction

This study aims to describe adherence rates to the 2014 American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) Committee on Infectious Disease guidance document recommending which patients should receive palivizumab for prophylaxis against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV).

Methods

A retrospective, single‐center analysis of patients who received at least one dose of palivizumab between October 1, 2012, and March 1, 2017 was conducted. Data collected included demographics, medical history, palivizumab administration regimens, and incidence of RSV infection.

Results

Data were collected on 457 patients who received palivizumab over five RSV seasons. Approximately half of the patients (45% and 55%, respectively) received palivizumab according to the AAP recommendations in place at the time (2012 or 2014 recommendations, respectively). One percent of patients had a breakthrough RSV infection after receiving at least one dose of palivizumab. There was no significant difference in the number of breakthrough infections before and after the 2014 recommendations were released (3 vs. 2).

Conclusions

Approximately half of the patients received prophylaxis in accordance with the 2014 AAP recommendations and infrequently suffered from a breakthrough RSV infection.
Effects of Nigella sativa oil and thymoquinone against bisphenol A‐induced metabolic disorder in rats
Authors: Fadishei Masoumeh , Ghasemzadeh Rahbardar Mahboobeh , Imenshahidi Mohsen , Mohajeri Ahmad , Razavi Bibi Marjan , Hosseinzadeh Hossein
Published: December 2020

The underlying mechanisms of bisphenol A (BPA)‐induced metabolic disorder and the protective impact of Nigella sativa oil (NSO) and thymoquinone (TQ) against BPA‐induced metabolic disorder were investigated. Rats were treated as follows: Control, BPA (10 mg/kg), TQ (2 mg/kg), NSO (84 μL/kg), BPA + TQ (0.5, 1, 2 mg/kg), and BPA + NSO (21, 42, 84 μL/kg). BPA was administered by gavage, while, TQ and NSO were injected intraperitoneally (daily, 54 days). The weight, blood pressure, serum parameters [glucose, lipid profile, hepatic enzymes, insulin, interlukin‐6 (IL‐6), tumor necrosis factor‐alpha (TNF‐α), leptin, adiponectin], malondialdehyde (MDA), glutathione (GSH) and insulin signaling pathways [insulin receptor substrate (p‐IRS,IRS); kinase (p‐Akt,Akt); glycogen synthase kinase (p‐GS3K,GS3K)] were measured. BPA increased the blood pressure, MDA, lipid profile, hepatic enzymes, insulin, IL‐6, TNF‐α, and leptin, and decreased the GSH and phosphorylated forms of IRS, Akt, GS3K but did not alter weight, glucose, IRS, AKT, and GS3K in the liver. Administration of NSO or TQ with BPA reduced the blood pressure, liver level of MDA, lipid profile, hepatic enzymes, insulin, IL‐6, TNF‐α, leptin, and increased the liver level of GSH and p‐IRS, p‐AKT, p‐GS3K. TQ and NSO are thought to be effective in controlling metabolic disorders induced by BPA.
Sjögren's syndrome with nodular pulmonary amyloidosis
Authors: Wu Chang‐Wei , Chien Ying‐Chun
Published: December 2020

We report a case of Sjögren's syndrome with nodular pulmonary amyloidosis. Amyloidosis is a heterogeneous group of diseases caused by aggregation of autologous protein and its extracellular deposition as fibrils. Most cases of nodular pulmonary amyloidosis are the result of an underlying disorder such as mucosa‐associated lymphoid tissue lymphoma, rheumatoid arthritis, or multiple myeloma. Nodular pulmonary amyloidosis with Sjögren's syndrome is very rare. The clinical outcome of patients with nodular pulmonary amyloidosis is good if the underlying disease can be controlled.
Average treatment effect of robotic versus laparoscopic rectal surgery for rectal cancer
Authors: Solaini Leonardo , Perna Federico , Cavaliere Davide , Vaccaro Carla , Avanzolini Andrea , Cucchetti Alessandro , Coratti Andrea , Ercolani Giorgio
Published: December 2020

BACKGROUND

The aim of this study is to estimate what would have happened if all patients treated with laparoscopy for rectal cancer had instead been treated with the robotic technique.

METHODS

To estimate the average treatment effect (ATE) of the robotic technique over the laparoscopic approach, data from patients treated at two centres between 2007 and 2018 were used to obtain counterfactual outcomes using an inverse probability weighting (IPW) adjustment.

RESULTS

This study enrolled 261 patients, of which 177 and 84 patients had undergone robotic surgery and standard laparoscopy, respectively. After IPW adjustment, the difference between the groups was similar in the pseudo‐population. The average conversion rate would fall by an estimated 6.1% if all procedures had been robotic (p = 0.045). All other post‐operative variables showed no differences regardless of the approach.

CONCLUSION

ATE estimation suggests that robotic rectal cancer surgery could be associated with a lower conversion rate. The approach did not affect the post‐operative morbidity rates or the operative time.
Interplay between the composition of the passive film and the corrosion resistance of citric acid‐passivated AISI 316L stainless steel
Authors: da Costa Américo Tomás , de Oliveira Mara Cristina Lopes , Antunes Renato Altobelli
Published: December 2020

Citric acid passivation is an attractive alternative to increase the corrosion resistance of stainless steels. In this work, the correlation of passive film composition and the corrosion properties of citric acid‐passivated AISI 316L stainless steel samples was assessed. The concentration of citric acid in the passivating solution was varied from 10 to 30 wt.%. Passive film composition was examined by X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy. The corrosion behavior was investigated by potentiodynamic polarization curves. The citric acid passivation treatment led to Cr2O3 enrichment of the passive film, especially for the 20‐wt.% concentration. By increasing the citric acid concentration to 30 wt.%, the corrosion resistance decreased. In addition to chromium compounds, the passivation treatment also affected the relative concentrations of Fe, Mo, and Ni compounds in the passive films. The formation of Mo oxides was triggered at citric acid concentrations of 10 and 20 wt.%, contributing to slower anodic dissolution rate. The corrosion resistance of the passivated samples was favored as the relative concentration of Fe oxides (FeO and Fe2O3) increased with respect to FeOOH.
Modeling the mean time to interval cancer after negative results of periodic cancer screening
Authors: Baker Stuart G.
Published: December 2020

Interval cancers are cancers detected symptomatically between screens or after the last screen. A mathematical model for the development of interval cancers can provide useful information for evaluating cancer screening. In this regard a useful quantity is MIC, the mean duration in years of progressive preclinical cancer (PPC) that leads to interval cancers. Estimation of MIC involved extending a previous model to include three negative screens, invoking the multinomial‐Poisson transformation to avoid estimating background cancer trends, and varying screening test sensitivity. Simulations show that when the true MIC is 0.5, the method yields a reasonably narrow range of estimated MICs over the range of screening test sensitivities from 0.5 to 1.0. If the lower bound on the screening test sensitivity is 0.7, the method performs considerably better even for larger MICs. The application of the method involved annual lung cancer screening in the Prostate, Lung, Colorectal, and Ovarian trial. Assuming a normal distribution for PPC duration, the estimated MIC (95% confidence interval) ranged from 0.00 (0.00 to 0.34) at a screening test sensitivity of 1.0 to 0.54 (0.03, 1.00) at a screening test sensitivity of 0.5 Assuming an exponential distribution for PPC duration, which did not fit as well, the estimated MIC ranged from 0.27 (0.08, 0.49) at a screening test sensitivity of 0.5 to 0.73 (0.32, 1.26) at a screen test sensitivity of 1.0 Based on these results, investigators may wish to investigate more frequent lung cancer screening.
Low Temperature Adsorption Desulfurization Performance and Mechanism of CeFe/ZSM‐5 for H2S and SO2 Mixture
Authors: Wang Chenyang , Xuan Jianyu , Zhang Lin , Liu Zongjian , Cui Qun , Wang Haiyan
Published: December 2020

3Ce5Fe/ZSM‐5 adsorbent for simultaneously removal of H2S and SO2 mixture gas was prepared by wet impregnation method. The dynamic removal performance of H2S and SO2 mixture was investigated in a fixed bed reactor. The simultaneous adsorption removal mechanism of 3Ce5Fe/ZSM‐5 before and after Ce addition for H2S and SO2 mixture gas was discussed. Results show that the breakthrough sulfur capacity of 3Ce5Fe/ZSM‐5 is 211.4 mg S/g ads under temperature of 36 °C, space velocity of 500 h−1, the vapor content of 4 vol. % and oxygen sulfur ratio of 1, which is 14.5 % higher than that of 5Fe/ZSM‐5 (184.6 mg S/g ads). The sulfur species on 3Ce5Fe/ZSM‐5‐E exist in forms of S (43.5 %) and SO42− (56.5 %), and the sulfur selectivity is 18.4 % higher than that of 5Fe/ZSM‐5. The addition of Ce can improve the dispersibility and redox performance of Fe3+, resulting in the valence state of Fe3+ stable and increasing the selectivity of sulfur. Moreover, the addition of Ce can significantly improve low‐temperature removal activity of 3Ce5Fe/ZSM‐5 for H2S and SO2 mixture gas.
The Adsorption of Ozone on the Solid Catalyst Surface and the Catalytic Reaction Mechanism for Organic Components
Authors: Luo Xuan , Su Tongming , Xie Xinling , Qin Zuzeng , Ji Hongbing
Published: December 2020

Ozone is a strong gas oxidant and is often considered as an important source of atomic oxygen. It can not only sterilize but also decompose most organic components in water. In organic reactions, it can be used for carbon‐carbon double bond oxidation. Because ozone is unstable and easy to decompose, the oxidations usually need to be carried out in the presence of low temperature or catalysts to improve the ozone utilization. The adsorption mechanisms of ozone on the surface of solid catalysts are different due to the characteristics of the ozone molecule and the different reaction conditions. In this paper, the adsorption and reaction mechanisms of ozone on solid catalyst surface are reviewed: Firstly, the ozone has weak alkalinity similar to that of CO, but the distribution of electrons in the ozone molecule exists the difference. The difference in electron distribution makes ozone to be a dipole. The central oxygen atom can accept electrons as the Lewis acid, while the terminal oxygens are electron donors to be the Lewis base. Secondly, the functional groups, which have Lewis acid and base sites, such as hydroxyl groups, can be adsorbed with the central or terminal oxygen of ozone to form a surface complex. Last, the solvents also have a critical effect on the adsorption of ozone and subsequent oxidation. According to the above mechanisms, the design and preparation of ozonation catalysts are also proposed to improve the ozonation selectivity.
Privacy preserving classification over differentially private data
Authors: Zorarpacı Ezgi , Özel Selma Ayşe
Published: December 2020

Privacy preserving data classification is an important research area in data mining field. The goal of a privacy preserving classification algorithm is to protect the sensitive information as much as possible, while providing satisfactory classification accuracy. Differential privacy is a strong privacy guarantee that enables privacy of sensitive data stored in a database by determining the ratio of sensitive information leakage with respect to an ɛ parameter. In this study, our aim is to investigate the classification performance of the state‐of‐the‐art classification algorithms such as C4.5, Naïve Bayes, One Rule, Bayesian Networks, PART, Ripper, K*, IBk, and Random tree for performing privacy preserving classification. To preserve privacy of the data to be classified, we applied input perturbation technique coming from differential privacy, and observed the relationship between the ɛ parameter values and accuracy of the classifiers. To our best knowledge, this article is the first study that analyzes the performances of the well‐known classification algorithms over differentially private data, and discovers which datasets are more suitable for privacy preserving classification when input perturbation is applied to provide data privacy. The classification algorithms are compared by using the differentially private versions of the well‐known datasets from the UCI repository. According to the experimental results, we observed that, as ɛ parameter value increases, better classification accuracies are achieved with lower privacy levels. When the classifiers are compared, Naïve Bayes classifier is the most successful method. The ɛ parameter should be greater than or equal to 2 (i.e., ɛ ≥2) to achieve cloud server is malicious and untrusted, sensitive data will satisfactory classification accuracies.

This article is categorized under:

Commercial, Legal, and Ethical Issues > Security and Privacy

Technologies > Classification
Media in the Lives of Contemporary Families
Authors: Stašová Leona
Published: December 2020

The chapter on media in family life highlights the aspects of lifestyle of contemporary families in the context of the saturation of households with modern means of communication, their usage and attitudes towards them. Considerable attention was paid to the issue of family-related media in current research, as evidenced by a wide range of studies and research surveys. This chapter is devoted to several partial aspects of this attention and is based on the data of two surveys. The first research is the European representative survey Eurobarometer 88 (Eurobarometer 2017), and the other one is our research on the Lifestyle of the Contemporary Family (further LSCF, 2012–2015). These data shows an extension of selected media facilities in families, their usage and media leisure time activities and attitudes towards media. The studied countries are in some respects very similar to each other (relatively strong media saturation of households, most common daily use of television and computers, positive perception of media as a way to facilitate communication and negotiation). In other respects (joint media activities, strength of perception of negative aspects of media, usage of media by parents and by children), the countries differ.
Introduction: A Multilevel Perspective on Family Policy
Authors: Nieuwenhuis Rense , Van Lancker Wim
Published: December 2020

This chapter introduces a multilevel perspective on family policy, ranging from family policies at the levels ofsupra-national(and inter-national) organizations such as the United Nations, OECD, and the European Union;nationalor federal policies and legislation; thesubnationalmunicipalities, states, or regions in which people live; and finally theorganizationsor in which people work. At each of these levels of governance, family policies are formulated, voted for, implemented, and carried out—or not. And it is this whole set of multi-level policies that ultimately affect families’ and individuals’ choices, opportunities, constraints, and capability in terms of work, care, and wellbeing. This handbook brings together research on each of these four levels, is sensitive to heterogeneous policy impacts, and brings together scholars from different academic communities.
Separated Families and Child Support Policies in Times of Social Change: A Comparative Analysis
Authors: Skinner Christine , Hakovirta Mia
Published: December 2020

Child support policies aim to ensure separated parents continue to pay for the upkeep of their children until they reach adulthood. This is a laudable aim, often related to alleviating poverty in single parent families following relationship breakdown. There is a long policy history of this in most Western countries, but the institutional and operational challenges are considerable as policies try to keep pace with changes in family relationships, household structures, and gendered patterns of employment and childcare. Tracking changes in parents’ earning and caring responsibilities therefore matter in determining child support liabilities. The question is, how well are child support systems doing in adapting to social changes and norms of gender equality? To answer that, this chapter presents an analysis of the latest data from a comparative study of 15 countries using national informants’ accounts of the key policy principles and operational features of their child support systems.
Dual-Earner Family Policies at Work for Single-Parent Families
Authors: Maldonado Laurie C. , Nieuwenhuis Rense
Published: December 2020

This chapter sets out to examine how family policies differently affect the poverty rate of single-parent families versus couples with children and also probes whether or not there is a premium—or penalty—for single parents. This is based on a literature review and analysis of a number of comparative family policy data infrastructures. Although single parents were found to benefit from child income support, parental leave, and ECEC, important differences were found. The evidence is strong that child income support as family benefits do in fact lower poverty for all families and especially for single-parent families. On the other hand, ECEC costs in many countries represent a larger share of their household budget compared to dual-earner couples. In countries with low replacement rates during parental leave, the income position of single parents on leave is substantially worse than among dual-earner parents in which one parent is on leave.
Parentalization of Same-Sex Couples: Family Formation and Leave Rights in Five Northern European Countries
Authors: Evertsson Marie , Jaspers Eva , Moberg Ylva
Published: December 2020

This chapter introduces the concept ofparentalization, defined as the ability to become parents and be recognized as such, both legally and via social policies. Applying the concept to same-sex couples, we examine how states may facilitate or hinder the transition to parenthood through laws and policies in five Northern European countries; Denmark, Finland, Norway, Sweden, and the Netherlands. Trends in the number of children zero years of age in married/cohabiting same-sex couples suggest a link between parentalization and realized parenthood. As partly indicated by these trends, parentalization is a gendered concept, and parenthood is more readily available to some couples than to others. Perhaps most importantly, very few same-sex couples have been able to jointly adopt a child. The fact that married female couples face fewer barriers to parentalization than other non-traditional couples partly reflects dominant norms on gender and motherhood.
Family Policy in the United States: State-Level Variation in Policy and Poverty Outcomes from 1980 to 2015
Authors: Parolin Zachary , Daiger von Gleichen Rosa
Published: December 2020

This chapter investigates the diversity and divergence of three sets of family policy indicators across the 50 United States: money, services, and time. Our findings show that the 50 United States vary considerably in their family policy packages. States have become more dissimilar over time with respect to social assistance transfers and statutory minimum wages, but have become more similar in their subsidization of low-pay employment. Moreover, states vary greatly in their levels of support for early childhood education and healthcare. State-level variation in out-of-pocket medical spending has more than doubled from 1980 to 2015, in large part due to some states deciding to expand Medicaid access from 2009 onward. Despite large diversity and some divergence in states’ family policy packages, post-tax/transfer poverty rates have remained relatively stable over time. This is partially due to an increase in federally funded transfer programs mitigating the social consequences of state-level diversity.
Going Regional: Local Childcare Provision and Parental Work–Care Choices in Germany
Authors: Schober Pia S.
Published: December 2020

This chapter argues that analyzing regional and local institutional variations has great potential for generating new insights on the drivers of family policy reforms as well as on mechanisms how policies affect families’ choices and well-being. Drawing on the case of Germany and focusing on early childhood education and care (ECEC) services, this chapter first describes regional variations in ECEC provision and take-up. It then reviews theoretical perspectives and empirical evidence on drivers of regional policy variations. Next, the chapter proposes a framework for investigating socially stratified work–care choices of parents at subnational levels by connecting a macro–micro rational choice perspective with the capability approach and the accommodation model of childcare choices. After reviewing the evidence on the effects of regional ECEC variations on social inequalities in take-up, maternal employment, and work–family balance, the chapter concludes by pointing to research gaps and new frontiers of regional family policy analysis.
Managing Work-Life Tensions: The Challenges for Multinational Enterprises (MNEs)
Authors: Anne Bardoel E.
Published: December 2020

Managing work-life issues presents a number of challenges for HR departments in multinational enterprises (MNEs) because of the complexity of implementing policies that require sensitivity to local issues such as cultural traditions and legislation. However, there has been limited discussion among researchers regarding the roles and responsibilities of HR managers in MNEs and even less attention given to work-life management in the global context. A tension-centered approach to analyzing these complexities in MNEs particularly focusing on work-life management and strategy development provide insight into constraints and challenges into organizations operating globally. There is evidence that tensions often exist in MNEs between corporate/global HR, local HR, and operational line managers involved in implementing work-life policies and practices. The promise of the tension-centered approach is that is provides insight into the ways these tensions are resolved in practice, and can point toward strategies to improve practices.
Beyond the National: How the EU, OECD, and World Bank Do Family Policy
Authors: Jenson Jane
Published: December 2020

In recent decades, numerous international organizations have adopted positions that use components of a policy frame familiar from family policy at the national level. They sought to advance one or more of three classic goals of that domain: stabilizing demography, ensuring income security, and supporting parents’ labor force participation. This chapter tracks the last several decades of policy action in three international organizations—the European Union, the OECD, and the World Bank. It documents the changing interventions of each organization that touch on these three goals, whether or not the organization claims to be committed to having family policy. The analysis focuses in particular on the expressed policy goal(s), the targets and policy instruments, and the policy frame used to justify each. The main finding is that despite different trajectories over time the three share processes leading to non-familialization via greater emphasis on individuals and often children.
What Does the UN Have to Say About Family Policy? Reflections on the ILO, UNICEF, and UN Women
Authors: Razavi Shahra
Published: December 2020

This chapter considers three UN entities with mandates that have particular relevance for family policy: the ILO, UNICEF, and UN Women. Each organization sees family policy through its own lens, shaped by its mandate and institutional culture. While this means path-dependency, there is also learning. While there is no ‘one UN’ approach to family policy, there is considerable cross-fertilization across agencies. The ILO has long engaged with family policy through its standard-setting work, most notably its conventions on maternity protection, which has tended to bypass men’s role in families. Driven by its child-centric mandate, UNICEF’s focus on children, has arguably left out the needs of working parents, especially mothers who are largely seen in their maternal roles. The youngest of the three, UN Women, has expanded the terrain of family policy by centering key feminist concerns, such as domestic violence, but its work on family policy has yet to find a strong programmatic footing. The growing global interest in the care economy, reinforced by the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs), alongside transformations in gender roles, may account for the recent turn to family policy.
Conceptual Approaches in Comparative Family Policy Research
Authors: Zagel Hannah , Lohmann Henning
Published: December 2020

This chapter provides a systematic overview of some of the most widely used concepts in comparative family policy research. We situate the conceptual approaches in their respective research tradition, define the concepts’ main characteristics, and highlight differences and similarities between concepts. All approaches we discuss are rooted in feminist and mainstream comparative welfare state research that considers nation-states as the main unit of analysis. To foreclose some of our conclusions, similarities between the concepts seem often stronger than the differences. However, we show that there are important nuances, which can be critical in drawing comparative conclusions about family policy and its expected outcomes. We argue that some of the conceptual nuances have been blurred over time and this takes its toll on the conceptual rigor in the research field. The chapter provides the basis for informed choices on using one rather than another concept in empirical comparative family policy research.
Early Childhood Care and Education Policies that Make a Difference
Authors: Vandenbroeck Michel
Published: December 2020

In split systems, where childcare has historically been separated from preschool, childcare has only recently been recognized for its educational potential. Paradoxically, now that its potential for children, parents, and communities is widely recognized, accessibility, affordability and quality are under pressure. Based on—mostly European—research, we analyse structural barriers that explain unequal take-up of childcare. We look, among others, at issues of lack of places, geographical disparities, and costs. We also look at educational process quality, especially for the youngest children. In so doing, we analyze how policies affect these issues and find that policies that consider childcare as an integral part of public early childhood care and education yield better results. In contrast, the commodification (privatisation) of childcare with its shift from supply side to demand-side funding risks to hinder accessibility and to lower quality.
The Early Rise of Social Security in China: Ideas and Reforms, 1911–1949
Authors: Hu Aiqun
Published: December 2020

Applying the editor’s “onion skin model” of social policy ideas, this chapter analyses the early rise of social security ideas and policies in Republican China (1911–1949). Facing imperialism, Chinese elites turned to Western social ideas to “save the nation”. They accepted organic concepts of society, leading to a concern for societal stability and harmony. The Guomindang (GMD) state reinforced this trend in the 1930s when the party-state incorporated Confucianism into its ideology. The GMD state, thus, adopted collectivist notions of social policy, emphasising class harmonisation and productivism. During the Sino-Japanese war, Chinese elites were attracted to the idea of universal social security, which led to an intense development of social security policies. In the entire process, however, Chinese elites emphasised China’s special situation.
The Anatomy of the Social Question and the Evolution of the Brazilian Social Security System, 1919–2020
Authors: Lavinas Lena
Published: December 2020

This chapter traces the evolution of the Brazilian social security system since the beginning of the twentieth century, by examining to what extent it mirrors the changing facets of the social question throughout this long period of time. We seek to demonstrate that, in the span of just over a century, the social question took on a variety of forms, but was repeatedly marked by the struggle for recognition and the fight for inclusion—a strong indication that the process of constructing social citizenship in Brazil has been a permanent effort to break down boundaries. Only in 1988 did Brazilians ultimately achieve the implementation of a comprehensive social security system, but its scope and effectiveness are constantly at stake.
Improving Human Nutrition: A Critical Objective for Potassium Recommendations for Agricultural Crops
Authors: Stone Michael , Weaver Connie
Published: December 2020

Potassium (K) is the most abundant cation in intracellular fluid where it plays a key role in maintaining cell function. The majority of K consumed (60–100 mmol day−1) is lost in the urine, with the remaining excreted in the stool, and a very small amount lost in sweat. Little is known about the bioavailability of K, especially from dietary sources. Less is understood on how bioavailability may affect health outcomes. Potassium is an essential nutrient that has been labeled a shortfall nutrient by recent Dietary Guidelines for Americans Advisory Committees. Increases in K intake have been linked to improvements in cardiovascular and other metabolic health outcomes. There is growing evidence for the association between K intake and blood pressure (BP) reduction in adults; hypertension (HTN) is the leading cause of the cardiovascular disease (CVD) and a major financial burden (US$53.2 billion) to the US public health system and has a significant impact on all-cause morbidity and mortality worldwide. Evidence is also accumulating for the protective effect of adequate dietary K on age-related bone loss and glucose control. Understanding the benefit of K intake from various sources may help to reveal how specific compounds and tissues influence K movement within the body, and further the understanding of its role in health.
Inputs: Potassium Sources for Agricultural Systems
Authors: Mikkelsen Robert L. , Roberts Terry L.
Published: December 2020

In the potassium (K) cycle, inputs encompass all K sources that move into a given volume of soil. These inputs may include atmospheric deposition, irrigation water, runoff, erosion, as well as seeds, cuttings, and transplants. Accounting for all inputs is seldom routinely done on the farm. Many K inputs have variable concentrations, making estimations difficult. Estimates for added K are provided in some planning documents and can be used where testing of on-farm inputs is not feasible, although testing is preferred. Standard commercial fertilizers have known concentrations of K and are concentrated enough to be economical to transport long distances. The global reserves for their production have an estimated lifetime of thousands of years. This chapter emphasizes considerations for using various commercial fertilizer sources.
Rhizosphere Processes and Root Traits Determining the Acquisition of Soil Potassium
Authors: Hinsinger Philippe , Bell Michael J. , Kovar John L. , White Philip J.
Published: December 2020

Plants acquire K+ ions from the soil solution, and this small and dynamic pool needs to be quickly replenished via desorption of surface-adsorbed K from clay minerals and organic matter, by release of interlayer K from micaceous clay minerals and micas, or structural K from feldspars. Because of these chemical interactions with soil solid phases, solution K+ concentration is kept low and its mobility is restricted. In response, plants have evolved efficient strategies of root foraging. Root traits related to root system architecture (root angle and branching), root length and growth, together with root hairs and mycorrhiza-related traits help to determine the capacity of plants to cope with the poor mobility of soil K. Rooting depth is also important, given the potentially significant contribution of subsoil K in many soils. Root-induced depletion of K+ shifts the exchange equilibria, enhancing desorption of K, as well as the release of nonexchangeable, interlayer K from minerals in the rhizosphere. Both these pools can be bioavailable if plant roots can take up significant amounts of K at low concentrations in the soil solution (in the micromolar range). In addition, roots can significantly acidify their environment or release large amounts of organic compounds (exudates). These two processes ultimately promote the dissolution of micas and feldspars in the rhizosphere, contributing to the mining strategy evolved by plants. There are thus several root or rhizosphere-related traits (morphological, physiological, or biochemical) that determine the acquisition of K by crop species and genotypes.
Potassium Use Efficiency of Plants
Authors: White Philip J. , Bell Michael J. , Djalovic Ivica , Hinsinger Philippe , Rengel Zed
Published: December 2020

There are many terms used to define aspects of potassium (K) use efficiency of plants. The terms used most frequently in an agricultural context are (1) agronomic K use efficiency (KUE), which is defined as yield per unit K available to a crop and is numerically equal to the product of (2) the K uptake efficiency (KUpE) of the crop, which is defined as crop K content per unit K available and (3) its K utilization efficiency (KUtE), which is defined as yield per unit crop K content. There is considerable genetic variation between and within plant species in KUE, KUpE, and KUtE. Root systems of genotypes with greatest KUpE often have an ability (1) to exploit the soil volume effectively, (2) to manipulate the rhizosphere to release nonexchangeable K from soil, and (3) to take up K at low rhizosphere K concentrations. Genotypes with greatest KUtE have the ability (1) to redistribute K from older to younger tissues to maintain growth and photosynthesis and (2) to reduce vacuolar K concentration, while maintaining an appropriate K concentration in metabolically active subcellular compartments, either by anatomical adaptation or by greater substitution of K with other solutes in the vacuole. Genetic variation in traits related to KUpE and KUtE might be exploited in breeding crop genotypes that require less K fertilizer. This could reduce fertilizer costs, protect the environment, and slow the exhaustion of nonrenewable resources.
Patient Safety in Internal Medicine
Authors: Regina Micaela La , Vecchié Alessandra , Bonaventura Aldo , Prisco Domenico
Published: December 2020

Hospital Internal Medicine (IM) is the branch of medicine that deals with the diagnosis and non-surgical treatment of diseases, providing the comprehensive care in the office and in the hospital, managing both common and complex illnesses of adolescents, adults, and the elderly. IM is a key ward for Health National Services. In Italy, for example, about 17.3% of acute patients are discharged from the IM departments. After the epidemiological transition to chronic/degenerative diseases, patients admitted to hospital are often poly-pathological and so requiring a global approach as in IM. As such transition was not associated—with rare exceptions—to hospital re-organization of beds and workforce, IM wards are often overcrowded, burdened by off-wards patients and subjected to high turnover and discharge pressure. All these factors contribute to amplify some traditional clinical risks for patients and health operators. The aim of our review is to describe several potential errors and their prevention strategies, which should be implemented by physicians, nurses, and other healthcare professionals working in IM wards.
Measuring Clinical Workflow to Improve Quality and Safety
Authors: Tanzini Michela , Westbrook Johanna I. , Guidi Stefano , Sunderland Neroli , Prgomet Mirela
Published: December 2020

This chapter aims to illustrate the methodologies of time and motion research, the observation of clinical care activities in the field and its limits, strengths and opportunities. We discuss how such studies can be used to address questions related to the quality of care and to examine the relationships between clinical workflow and safety. Further, the chapter provides specific examples of the application of time and motion studies, the practical challenges and results obtained.
The Blind Spot
Authors: Müller Francis
Published: December 2020

In our everyday world, we operate within a reality that we experience as “normal,” and which we do not question further, although it is actually man-made and designed. In design ethnography, however, we need to define this reality not simply as given, but as constructed and contingent. We need to make blind spots visible and decompose the reality that we classify on the basis of received knowledge in a phenomenological way, which is epistemologically relevant. We must deliberately alienate ourselves from the familiar in order to seek new connections of meaning in it.
Judicial Independence and Perceptions of Judicial Independence
Authors: van Dijk Frans
Published: December 2020

The three key concepts of this study are: perceived judicial independence, respect for judicial independence and trust in the judiciary. To provide the basis for the empirical chapters that follow, theoretical considerations are explored. Due to the subjective nature of independence, perceptions matter. According to European case law, the appearance of independence needs to be taken into account when the independence of a court is evaluated. The perceptions held by parties, lawyers, media, general public and judges are not homogeneous, and depend on different sets of factors. In the literature, it is widely believed that the judiciary needs a positive perception of independence to gain the trust of society. This trust in turn bolsters the legitimacy of the judiciary. Trust and legitimacy are many-faceted concepts. In this study trust is used in the sense of diffuse institutional trust. Respect for independence is used as an expression of the legitimacy of the judiciary. These concepts apply to the national courts and to the courts at the EU/European level. To understand judicial independence in Europe, both levels need to be examined in conjunction.
Perceptions of Judicial Independence in European Countries
Authors: van Dijk Frans
Published: December 2020

The perceptions of judicial independence of judges, lawyers, general public and companies are analysed across countries. The perceptions of these categories are strongly correlated. However, the mean scores differ: judges are much more positive about their independence than lawyers, and lawyers are much more positive than the general public and companies. As to the general public, highly educated citizens are generally more positive about the presence of independence than citizens with lower education levels. The difference increases with the degree of independence. Citizens with little education in very different countries have similar perceptions of judicial independence. The limited information that is available about court users suggests that persons with recent experience with the courts are less positive about independence than persons without experience. For companies the reverse is apparent. Among both the general public and companies, the perceptions diverge more with experience than without experience, likely as a result of winning or losing a case.
Perceptions of Lay Judges About Independence of the Judiciary
Authors: van Dijk Frans
Published: December 2020

Lay judges are citizens with particular knowledge of and experience with the judiciary. The findings of a survey among the lay judges of ten judiciaries are examined in this chapter. It is found that the perceptions of lay judges of judicial independence, their own as well as that of the professional judges, are very similar to the perceptions of the professional judges. In addition, lay judges are most positive about their independence, when they participate in judicial panels together with professional judges and when they are taken seriously by the professional judges. For them, these conditions surpass sitting alone as a judge. Although selection effects may play a role, the results indicate that experience as a lay judge leads to a much higher appreciation of judicial independence than that of (highly educated) citizens in general. This in turn indicates that the views of the general public are too negative about judicial independence.
Independence and Trust
Authors: van Dijk Frans
Published: December 2020

The Chapter examines the trust of the general public in the judiciary at the national and EU-level. The starting point is that the correlation between the independence of the judiciary as perceived by the general public and the trust in the judiciary by the same public is very strong: trust in the judiciary equals trust in the independence of the judiciary. Trust in the judiciary is generally higher than that in parliament and government. However, the trust in the judiciary is generally at the same level as that in the public administration. It is likely that the general public associates the public administration with desirable, fair and impartial implementation of public policies, and not so much with (divisive) policy formation. Thus, it is too simple to conclude that the judiciary performs better than the other powers of the state. High trust in the judiciary is fostered by the nature of the tasks. At the EU-level the differentiation of trust between the three branches of government is much smaller than at the national level. Trust in the European Court of Justice (the supreme court of the European Union) is higher than in the national judiciary at low levels of trust at the national level, and smaller at high levels of trust. Still, trust in the ECJ is higher in countries with a highly trusted judiciary than in countries with a less trusted judiciary.
Judiciary in Democracy: Alignment and Disconnect
Authors: van Dijk Frans
Published: December 2020

In this last Chapter, the consequences of differences in perceptions are examined. Two concepts are used: the lack of alignment and—more extreme—the disconnect between judiciary and society. Ranking countries by trust in the judiciary, in the lowest 20% there is a disconnect of judiciary and society, in the 20% around the median and in the highest 20% there is lack of alignment. Disconnect and lack of alignment seem to be self-perpetuating, as judges do not perceive the state of independence as problematic. Indications are that even a disconnect does not reduce the use of the civil courts, but that it leads citizens to avoid administrative law procedures. A disconnect weakens the position of the judiciary within the trias politica. This reinforces the complicated relationship between the judiciary and the other state powers. Where the other state powers see an increasing influence of the judiciary, the judiciary sees its own independence endangered. These perspectives clash. For the judiciary the way out is to focus on access to justice as an alternative perspective. By addressing the urgent legal needs of citizens, the judiciary has the potential to improve its alignment with society and its position within the trias politica.
Classical Yang-Mills observables from amplitudes
Authors: de la Cruz Leonardo , Maybee Ben , O’Connell Donal , Ross Alasdair
Published: December 2020

Abstract

The double copy suggests that the basis of the dynamics of general relativity is Yang-Mills theory. Motivated by the importance of the relativistic two-body problem, we study the classical dynamics of colour-charged particle scattering from the perspective of amplitudes, rather than equations of motion. We explain how to compute the change of colour, and the radiation of colour, during a classical collision. We apply our formalism at next-to-leading order for the colour change and at leading order for colour radiation.
QQ-system and non-linear integral equations for scattering amplitudes at strong coupling
Authors: Fioravanti Davide , Rossi Marco , Shu Hongfei
Published: December 2020

Abstract

We provide the two fundamental sets of functional relations which describe the strong coupling limit in AdS3 of scattering amplitudes in $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 4 SYM dual to Wilson loops (possibly extended by a non-zero twist l): the basic QQ-system and the derived TQ-system. We use the TQ relations and the knowledge of the main properties of the Q-function (eigenvalue of some Q-operator) to write the Bethe Ansatz equations, viz. a set of (‘complex’) non-linear-integral equations, whose solutions give exact values to the strong coupling amplitudes/Wilson loops. Moreover, they have some advantages with respect to the (‘real’) non-linear-integral equations of Thermodynamic Bethe Ansatz and still reproduce, both analytically and numerically, the findings coming from the latter. In any case, these new functional and integral equations give a larger perspective on the topic also applicable to the realm of $$ \mathcal{N} $$
N
= 2 SYM BPS spectra.