Grants Priority Research Articles

Images of a Statist Ethic in “Western” and Chinese IR Theory: Locating (and Deciphering) the “Moral Realism” of the Tsinghua Approach

Abstract In this article, we identify—and interrogate—one thematic thread that is intricately woven through prominent positions within classical realism, normative international relations (IR) theory, and what Zhang Feng (2012) has called Chinese IR’s “Tsinghua approach.” This thread is the often-controversial notion of a statist ethic for international politics or an ethical perspective that grants priority to one’s state, fellow citizens, and the national interest. Positions within each of these theoretical traditions—what we label “egoistic realism” and “responsible realism” within the classical realist tradition, “communitarian realism” and “impartialist statism” within normative IR theory, and what others have described as “moral realism” within the Tsinghua approach—share a commitment to an ethical approach variously defined in terms of the protection of, and preference for, one’s state and compatriots. We take this rich collection of positions, and the points of comparison that it affords, as an opportunity to better understand the possibilities and limits of a statist ethic for international politics. Specifically, we endeavour to illustrate four points: (1) that a morality defined in terms of the priority of the state, one’s fellow citizens, and the national interest is neither impossible nor a contradiction in terms; (2) that such a perspective can constitute a sophisticated theoretical position; (3) that it can be conceived in radically different ways, including with respect to the source of value to which it appeals and who it deems to matter; and (4) that these differences have profound practical consequences. In terms of contributing to a conversation between Western and Chinese IR theory, this analysis helps us not only to explore how the “moral realism” of the Tsinghua approach relates to positions within classical realism and normative IR theory but also to evaluate the practical implications of its points of theoretical convergence and divergence.

Association of infertility with type and timing of menopause: a prospective cohort study.

What is the association between past infertility and the type and timing of menopause in midlife women? Women with a history of infertility were more likely to experience surgical menopause overall and had elevated risk of earlier surgical menopause until age 43 years but experienced no differences in the timing of natural menopause. Infertility is experienced by 12-25% of women and is thought to reveal a propensity for poor health outcomes, such as chronic illness, later in life. However, little is known about whether infertility is linked with characteristics of the menopausal transition as women age, despite possible shared underlying pathways involving ovarian function and gynecologic disease. Secondary analysis of a prospective cohort study of 13 243 midlife females recruited in Phase 1 of the Alberta's Tomorrow Project (Alberta, Canada) and followed approximately every 4 years (2000-2022). Data were collected through standardized self-report questionnaires. History of infertility, defined as ever trying to become pregnant for more than 1 year without conceiving, was measured at baseline. Menopause characteristics were measured at each study follow-up. Menopause type was defined as premenopause, natural menopause, surgical menopause (bilateral oophorectomy), or indeterminate menopause (premenopausal hysterectomy with ovarian conservation). Timing of natural menopause was defined as the age at 1 full year after the final menstrual period, and timing of surgical and indeterminate menopause was defined as the age at the time of surgery. We used flexible parametric survival analysis for the outcome of menopause timing with age as the underlying time scale and multinomial logistic regression for the outcome of menopause type. Multivariable models controlled for race/ethnicity, education, parity, previous pregnancy loss, and smoking. Sensitivity analyses additionally accounted for birth history, menopausal hormone therapy, body mass index, chronic medical conditions, and age at baseline. Overall, 18.2% of women reported a history of infertility. Past infertility was associated with earlier timing of surgical menopause exclusively before age 43 years (age 35: adjusted hazard ratio 3.13, 95% CI 1.95-5.02; age 40: adjusted hazard ratio 1.83, 95% CI 1.40-2.40; age 45: adjusted hazard ratio 1.13, 95% CI 0.87-1.46) as well as greater odds of experiencing surgical menopause compared to natural menopause (adjusted odds ratio 1.40, 95% CI 1.18-1.66). Infertility was not associated with the timing of natural or indeterminate menopause. Information on the underlying cause of infertility and related interventions was not collected, which precluded us from disentangling whether associations differed by infertility cause and treatment. Residual confounding is possible given that some covariates were measured at baseline and may not have temporally preceded infertility. Women with a history of infertility were more likely to experience early surgical menopause and may therefore benefit from preemptive screening and treatment for gynecologic diseases to reduce bilateral oophorectomy, where clinically appropriate, and its associated health risks in midlife. Moreover, the lack of association between infertility and timing of natural menopause adds to the emerging knowledge that diminishing ovarian reserve does not appear to be a primary biological mechanism of infertility nor its downstream implications for women's health. Alberta's Tomorrow Project is only possible due to the commitment of its research participants, its staff and its funders: Alberta Health, Alberta Cancer Foundation, Canadian Partnership Against Cancer and Health Canada, and substantial in-kind funding from Alberta Health Services. The views expressed herein represent the views of the author(s) and not of Alberta's Tomorrow Project or any of its funders. This secondary analysis is funded by Project Grant Priority Funding in Women's Health Research from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research (Grant no. 491439). N.V.S. is supported by a Banting Postdoctoral Fellowship from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. H.K.B. is supported by the Canada Research Chairs Program. E.A.B. is supported by an Early Career Investigator Award in Maternal, Reproductive, Child and Youth Health from the Canadian Institutes of Health Research. A.K.S. has received honoraria from Pfizer, Lupin, Bio-Syent, and Eisai and has received grant funding from Pfizer. N.V.S., H.K.B., and E.A.B. have no conflicts of interest to report. N/A.

Tunnel bottleneck management with high-occupancy vehicle priority on intelligent freeways

Abstract Tunnels on freeways, as one of the critical bottlenecks, frequently cause severe congestion and passenger delay. To solve the tunnel bottleneck problem, most of the existing research can be divided into two types. One is to adopt variable speed limits (VSLs) to regulate a predetermined speed for vehicles to get through a bottleneck smoothly. The other is to adopt high-occupancy vehicle (HOV) lane management. In HOV lane management strategies, all traffic is divided into HOVs and low-occupancy vehicles (LOVs). HOVs are vehicles with a driver and one or more passengers. LOVs are vehicles with only a driver. This kind of research can grant priority to HOVs by providing a dedicated HOV lane. However, the existing research cannot both mitigate congestion and maximize passenger-oriented benefits. To address the research gap, this paper leverages connected and automated vehicle (CAV) technologies on intelligent freeways and develops a tunnel bottleneck management strategy with a dynamic HOV lane (DHL). The strategy bears the following features: 1) enables tunnel bottleneck management at a microscopic level; 2) maximizes passenger-oriented benefits; 3) grants priority to HOVs even when the HOV lane is open to LOVs; 4) allocates right-of-way segments for HOVs and LOVs in real time; and 5) performs well in a mixed-traffic environment. The proposed strategy is evaluated through comparison against the non-control baseline and a VSL strategy. Sensitivity analysis is conducted under different congestion levels and penetration rates. The results demonstrate that the proposed strategy outperforms in terms of passenger-oriented delay reduction and HOVs' priority level improvement.

National Experience on Waitlist Outcomes for Down-Staging of Hepatocellular Carcinoma: High Dropout Rate in All-Comers

The United Network for Organ Sharing (UNOS) grants priority listing for liver transplant for patients with hepatocellular carcinoma after successful down-staging to Milan criteria. We evaluated the national experience on down-staging by comparing 2 down-staging groups: tumor burden meeting UNOS down-staging (UNOS-DS) inclusion criteria, and all-comers (AC)-DS with initial tumor burden beyond UNOS-DS criteria vs patients always within Milan criteria. We performed a retrospective analysis of the UNOS database of 23,398 patients listed for liver transplant who had submitted a hepatocellular carcinoma Model for End-Stage Liver Disease exception application from 2010 to 2019, classified as always within Milan (n= 20,579), UNOS-DS (n= 2151), and AC-DS (n= 668). The 2-year cumulative probabilities of dropout were 19% for Milan, 25% for UNOS-DS (P < .001), and 30% for AC-DS (P < .001). In multivariate analysis of the down-staging groups, factors predicting dropout included Model for End-Stage Liver Disease at listing (hazard ratio [HR], 1.06; P < .001) and initial total tumor diameter (HR, 1.04; P= .002). Compared with α-fetoprotein (AFP) level ≤20 ng/mL, AFP levels of 21 to 100, 101 to 1000, and greater than 1000 ng/mL were associated with a higher risk of dropout (HRs, 1.63, 2.06, and 4.58, respectively; P < .001). A subset of all-comers with AFP levels greater than 100 ng/mL had a 2-year probability of dropout of 52% vs 26% for all others beyond Milan criteria (P < .001). All-comers had a significantly higher risk for waitlist dropout compared with the UNOS-DS and Milan groups after initial successful down-staging to Milan criteria. In particular, the subgroup of AC-DS with an AFP level greater than 100 ng/mL had a greater than 50% probability of dropout in the next 2 years. These observations suggest a high likelihood of failure when expanding the indications for down-staging.

Public administration and politics meet turbulence: The search for robust governance responses

Public administration and politics meet turbulence: The search for robust governance responses

Optimal organ allocation policy under blood‐type barriers with the donor‐priority rule

Shortages in organs for transplantation have resulted in a renewed interest in designing incentive policies to promote organ supply. The donor‐priority rule, which grants priority for transplantation based on deceased organ donor registration status, has proven to be effective in both theory and practice. This study investigates the implications of the donor‐priority rule for optimal deceased organ allocation policy design under a general formulation of blood‐type barriers. We find that for any blood typing and organ matching technology, reserving type X organs for only type X patients maximizes the aggregate donation rate under regular distributions, which also ensures equity in organ sharing. Moreover, this is the unique optimal allocation policy if and only if the directed compatibility graph that corresponds to a given organ matching technology is acyclic.

Priority care with the statute of the person with a disability and the principle of priority in real estate registration

The present study aims to analyze the apparent conflict between the priority care of the status of the person with disabilities and the principle of priority of the registration of real estate, that is, if this legal guarantee, gives the person with disabilities priority when noting rights in Notatories. With regard to the methodology used, it is noteworthy that, regarding the purposes of this study, this study is classified as descriptive and explanatory and, as for the means, it is classified as bibliographic, using materials such as books, articles, magazines and reports on the subject. The research is also characterized as a qualitative approach. It was intended to demonstrate that the person with disabilities has the right guaranteed under Law 13.143/2015 to be served quickly, effectively and individually, including in Real Estate Records Registry, but does not enjoy privileges in view of the registral priority in view of the principle of registration priority. From decisions taken by the registered courts of São Paulo, as a result, it is found that the specific provision of Law No. 6,015/1973 prevails in relation to the right of priority care of certain publics, Law 13,143/2015, since it is a material right of priority, and it is understood that granting priority care outside the requirements of art. 186 of Law No. 6,015/1973, is understood to grant priority care outside the requirements of Art. 186 of Law No. 6,015/1973, would represent undeniable affront to legal dictates, which would compromise the service of the right to equality, a premise also of the Statute of persons with disabilities.

The Effect of Priority Given to Donor Card Holders on the Allocation of Livers for Transplant-Evidence From 7 Years of the Israeli Priority Program.

The Israeli Transplant Law grants priority in organ allocation to patients signing a donor card. Liver transplant candidates get additional 2 points on their Model for End Stage Liver Disease score for signing a donor card, 0.1 points for a relative holding a card, and 5 points if a relative donated an organ. We studied the effect of the priority program on waiting list mortality and allocation changes due to priority. Using Israeli Transplant data of 531 adult liver transplant candidates with chronic liver disease listed between 2012 and 2018 we compared waitlist mortality and transplant rate of candidates with and without priority. Then we analyzed liver allocations resulting from additional priority points and followed outcome of patients who were skipped in line. Of the 519 candidates, 294 did not sign a donor card, 82 signed, 140 had a relative sign, and for 3, a relative donated an organ. The rates of waitlist mortality in these 4 groups were 22.4%, 0%, 21.4%, and 0%, respectively, and the transplant rates were 50%, 59.8%, 49.3%, and 100%, respectively. Of the 30 patients who were skipped because of priority, 24 subsequently underwent transplant, 2 are on the waiting list, and 4 died within 0.75, 1.75, 7, and 17 mo. The 2 points added to the Model for End Stage Liver Disease score were associated with lower waitlist mortality and higher transplant rate for candidates signing a donor card without significantly affecting access to transplant during allocation. Further research and consideration of optimal policy when granting priority for candidates signing a donor card should continue.

Police Officer Assignment and Neighborhood Crime

We develop an empirical model of the mechanism used to assign police officers to Chicago districts and examine the efficiency and equity of alternative allocations. We document that the current bidding process, which grants priority based on seniority, results in the assignment of more experienced officers to less violent and high-income neighborhoods. Our empirical model combines estimates of heterogeneous officer preferences underlying the bidding process with causal estimates of the effects of officer experience on neighborhood crime. Equalizing officer seniority across districts would reduce violent crime rate by 4.6 percent and significantly decrease inequality in crime, discretionary arrests, and officer use of force across neighborhoods. Moreover, this assignment can be achieved in a revenue-neutral way while resulting in small welfare gains for police officers, implying that it is more equitable and efficient.

Kosmopolityczny monizm versus kosmopolityczny pluralizm: cynicyzm i stoicyzm – dwa filary moralnego kosmopolityzmu

Przedmiot badań. Na przełomie XX i XXI w. kosmopolityzm stał się przedmiotem intensyw­nych badań. Jednym z kluczowych zagadnień będących przedmiotem zainteresowania jest pro­blematyka relacji pomiędzy narodową a kosmopolityczną tożsamością.&#x0D; Cel badawczy. Celem prowadzonego badania jest porównanie dwóch modeli kosmopolityzmu, dla których relacja ta stanowi centralny punkt odniesienia. Za najbardziej charakterystyczne i jed­nocześnie najlepiej ilustrujące tę kwestię autor uznaje koncepcje moralnego kosmopolityzmu re­prezentowane z jednej strony przez greckich cyników, a z drugiej przez stoików.&#x0D; Metoda badawcza. Korzystając z metody historyczno-porównawczej i krytycznej, artykuł przedstawia dwie starożytne odpowiedzi na to kluczowe pytanie. Koncepcja cyników zawiera monistyczny, podczas gdy koncepcja stoików pluralistyczny model relacji między tożsamo­ścią narodową i kosmopolityczną. Zgodnie z cynickim podejściem monistycznym lojalność wobec uniwersalnych, kosmopolitycznych „praw cnoty” ma zawsze pierwszeństwo przed lojalnością wobec lokalnej lub narodowej wspólnoty, podczas gdy oparta na idei oikeiosis pluralistyczna koncepcja stoicka daje pierwszeństwo raczej tożsamości lokalnej i narodowej niż kosmopolitycznej.&#x0D; Wyniki. Porównanie tych dwóch hellenistycznych koncepcji prowadzi do wniosku, że nacecho­wana radykalnym etycznym naturalizmem monistyczna postawa cynicka, choć psychologicz­nie mniej wiarygodna niż stoicka, jest moralnie spójna i nie prowadzi cynika do etyczno-psy­chologicznego rozdarcia. Natomiast pluralistyczna postawa stoicka, mimo iż zdecydowanie bardziej wysublimowana i psychologicznie znacznie bardziej wiarygodna, może wprowadzać element wewnętrznego konfliktu pomiędzy lojalnością wobec państwa i lojalnością wobec „praw cnoty” rządzących wspólnotą kosmopolityczną. Podkreślając za cynikami wierność wobec uniwersalnych praw cnoty, stoicy pragną bowiem jednocześnie pozostać lojalni wobec własnego państwa.

Do Stable Patients Supported with Long-Term Mechanical Circulatory Support Device Have Equitable Access to Donor Hearts in the New French Allocation System?

The new French allocation system grants priority to patients on long-term mechanical circulatory support (MCS) with device complications but does not prioritize stable long-term MCS candidates. Some experts expressed concerns regarding waiting time of long-term MCS candidates without complication. The aim of this study was to evaluate the access to transplantation of long-term MCS candidates. The study included all candidates on long-term MCS without complication registered on the French heart transplant waiting list between January 2018 and March 2019 (group 1, n=65) and those ambulatory without circulatory support(group 2, n=220). The main outcomes were 6-month cumulative incidence (CI) of transplantation, and, of waitlist mortality or delisting for worsening medical condition. The CI were estimated using the competing risk analyses and compared using Gray's test. In addition, the restricted mean survival was used to estimate the difference in access to transplantation between the 2 groups. Among the 65 stable long-term MCS candidates, 37 were on support at listing and 28 were implanted while listed. The 6-month CI of transplantation was significantly lower in patients on long-term MCS than in ambulatory candidates (25% vs 49%; p<0.01). The difference of restricted mean survival between the groups was 37 days. The 6-month CI of waitlist mortality was higher in long-term MCS candidates implanted while listed (19%) than in patients on MCS at listing (8 %) and in ambulatory patients (1%). Access to transplantation was lower in stable long-term MCS patients than in ambulatory candidates. The increased waitlist mortality was only observed in candidates implanted while listed. The French allocation system is being revised with a new version granting a provision in stable long-term MCS candidates.

Agglomeration Effects in Spatial Development of Russia’s Regions

The article addresses the issue of the twofold role of territorial agglomeration entities in the spatial development of Russian regions. The authors look at the possibilities of both stimulating and dissimulating effects of expansion of urban agglomerations on the socioeconomic status and innovation development of Russia’s regions, which cause the economic growth on the national level to speed up or slow down. On the one hand, urban agglomerations become “growth poles” that help spread business activity from the centre to the periphery and stimulate the diffusion of innovations. On the other hand, agglomeration trends in spatial development create centripetal economic effects that lead to greater inter- and intraregional socioeconomic disparity. The authors pay special attention to the forming of urban agglomerations as a socioeconomic phenomenon that preconditions economic disparity between territories. This becomes a problem from the viewpoint of state management, as Russia’s federative model of government grants priority to regulative influence in the economic space of regions. As a result, the socioeconomic development gap grows quite large, making national economic and innovation policies less effective in general. Based on the conducted studies, the authors demonstrate that it is necessary to transfer to a balanced combination of interregional cooperation aimed at eradication of regional disparity.

FDA Grants Priority Review for Keytruda in SCLC

Clinical OMICsVol. 6, No. 2 NewsFDA Grants Priority Review for Keytruda in SCLCPublished Online:27 Mar 2019https://doi.org/10.1089/clinomi.06.02.04AboutSectionsView articleView Full TextPDF/EPUB Permissions & CitationsPermissionsDownload CitationsTrack CitationsAdd to favorites Back To Publication ShareShare onFacebookTwitterLinked InRedditEmail View article"FDA Grants Priority Review for Keytruda in SCLC." , 6(2), p. 4FiguresReferencesRelatedDetails Volume 6Issue 2Mar 2019 InformationCopyright © GEN PublishingTo cite this article:FDA Grants Priority Review for Keytruda in SCLC.Clinical OMICs.Mar 2019.4-4.http://doi.org/10.1089/clinomi.06.02.04Published in Volume: 6 Issue 2: March 27, 2019PDF download

Management of Knowledge Transfer for Capacity Building in Africa

Between sporadic remittances and training of a qualified manpower mastering new technologies, what does Africa expect from its diaspora to fill its development gap in the current context of globalization? When it comes to capital building, defined as the process or strategy to endow or increase the technical, managerial, or intellectual skills of an individual or a group, its know-how or knowledge, and financial capital or purchasing power, the World Bank and other development partners seem to grant priority to remittances. This paper strongly suggests that attention may be granted to the transfer of scientific knowledge between Africa and its diaspora, as many believe that progressing knowledge would help bring out a neglected source of wealth to fight the scourges responsible for political and economic backwardness in industrial countries. The development models based on the diaspora’s contribution in several countries and regions of the world, particularly in Asia, show the importance of knowledge transfer in capacity building. Similarly, Silicon Valley in California demonstrates the role of emigrants in the knowledge industry. As the brain drain is a normal phenomenon of globalization, emigration of African professionals is no more an obstacle to Africa’s development. Rather, the African diaspora constitutes a pool of human and investment capital that can strongly contribute to the continent’s development. From our point of view, the diaspora has an important role to play in capacity building, provided respective governments come up with sound policies to promote its participation. The diaspora’s participation in nation-building without physical relocation on the one hand, and the existence of the first generation of retired researchers and academics organized into civil society associations such as AED (Association for Education and Development) in Cameroon, on the other hand, constitute the pipeline of knowledge transmission. African partners and its diaspora can build a genuine partnership to create sustainable and competitive scientific institutions in Africa on this foundation. Improved governance, leadership, regulations, and immigration policy of sending and receiving countries are necessary for transnational scholarly/economic engagement.

Case law note: ECJ Clarifies Conditions for VAT Exemption on Import Followed by Intra-Community Supply or Transfer in Enteco Baltic Case

In the recent Enteco Baltic case, the Court of Justice of the European Union confirmed the application of the VAT exemption on the import of fuel from Belarus to Lithuania, which was then dispatched or transported to other Member States, without adhering to all the formalities provided for in Article 143(2) of Council Directive 2006/112/EC (the VAT Directive) as amended by the Council Directive 2009/69/EC (Directive 2009/69). Thus, the Court, once again, grants priority to material conditions over formal conditions.

How visual spatial attention alters perception.

Visual attention is essential for visual perception. Spatial attention allows us to grant priority in processing and selectively process information at a given location. In this paper, I explain how two kinds of spatial attention: covert (allocated to the target location, without accompanying eye movements) and presaccadic (allocated to the location of the upcoming saccade's target) affect performance and alter appearance.First, I highlight some behavioral and neuroimaging research on covert attention, which alters performance and appearance in many basic visual tasks. Second, I review studies showing that presaccadic attention improves performance and alters appearance at the saccade target location. Further, these modulations change the processing of feature information automatically, even when it is detrimental to the task at hand. We propose that saccade preparation may support transsaccadic integration. Systematically investigating the common and differential characteristics of covert attention and presaccadic attention will continue to further our understanding of the pervasive selective processing of information, which enables us to make sense of our complex visual world.

Title V Maternal and Child Health Services Block Grant Priority Needs and Linked Performance Measures: Current Patterns and Trends (2000-2015).

Objective As part of the Title V Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Services Block Grant, administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration's (HRSA's) Maternal and Child Health Bureau (MCHB), states are required to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment identifying MCH priorities every 5years. The most current needs assessment (2015) occurred after a transformation of the program, in which a new performance measurement framework was created. This analysis examined current patterns and trends in state MCH priorities and selected performance measures to identify changing needs and inform technical support. Methods Multiple coders categorized: (1) state priority needs from 2000 to 2015 into focus areas and subcategories for examination of current, diminishing, and emerging needs; and (2) the selection of linked national and state performance measures in 2015 for all 59 states and jurisdictions. Results Between 2000 and 2015, the proportion of states with a need around pre- and inter-conception care increased from 19% to 66%. More states had needs in the breastfeeding subcategory (42%) compared with 20% of states or less in previous years. Fewer states had needs around data capacity than in past years. Emerging needs included supporting families/relationships. The most commonly selected national performance measures (NPMs) were around breastfeeding and well-woman visits. The state performance measures (SPMs) analysis also emphasized assets, with measures around community/context and positive development. Teen births and postpartum depression were areas where multiple states had SPMs. Conclusions for practice Increasing and emerging needs may help to inform technical assistance and future national measures for the Title V program.

Enzalutamide Granted Priority Review for Non-Metastatic CRPC

Enzalutamide Granted Priority Review for Non-Metastatic CRPC

Daratumumab Granted Priority Review for Multiple Myeloma

Daratumumab Granted Priority Review for Multiple Myeloma

Cabozantinib Granted Priority Review for Advanced RCC

Cabozantinib Granted Priority Review for Advanced RCC