bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Identification and Analysis of Collisional Breakup in Natural Rain
Authors: D’Adderio Leo Pio , Porcù Federico , Tokay Ali
Published: May 2015

Numerous laboratory and numerical studies have been dedicated to understanding collisional breakup as one of the most important processes in rain formation. The present study aims to identify when, in natural rain, collisional breakup is dominant and thus able to modify the shape of the raindrop size distribution (DSD), up to the equilibrium DSD. To this end, an automated objective algorithm has been developed and applied to a total of more than 6000 two-minute-averaged DSDs. Since breakup is mostly observed in heavy precipitation, the method was applied to the DSDs where rain rate was above 5 mm h−1. The selected breakup DSDs had good agreement with those predicted to be the equilibrium DSD by different theoretical models. The equilibrium DSD was found in a variable fraction of the total samples (0%–7%), confirming that the onset of equilibrium is a rare event in natural rain. The occurrence of a DSD in which breakup is dominant and modifies the DSD but the equilibrium DSD is not reached is higher (15%–47%). The gamma distribution, which has been widely used in the parameterization of observed size spectra, had a poor fitting in breakup-induced DSD, especially in the 1.0–2.6-mm-diameter interval. This can impact applications for which the parameterization of DSD is needed, such as in the retrieval of a DSD integral parameter (such as rain rate) from active remote sensor data.
Northern East Asian Monsoon Precipitation Revealed by Airmass Variability and Its Prediction
Authors: Seo Kyong-Hwam , Son Jun-Hyeok , Lee June-Yi , Park Hyo-Seok
Published: May 2015

This work provides a new perspective on the major factors controlling the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) in July and a promising physical–statistical forecasting of the EASM ahead of summer. Dominant modes of the EASM are revealed from the variability of large-scale air masses discerned by equivalent potential temperature, and they are found to be dynamically connected with the anomalous sea surface temperatures (SSTs) over the three major oceans of the world and their counterparts of prevailing atmospheric oscillation or teleconnection patterns. Precipitation over northern East Asia (NEA) during July is enhanced by the tropical central Indian Ocean warming and central Pacific El Niño–related SST warming, the northwestern Pacific cooling off the coast of NEA, and the North Atlantic Ocean warming. Using these factors and data from the preceding spring seasons, the authors build a multiple linear regression model for seasonal forecasting. The cross-validated correlation skill predicted for the period 1994 to 2012 is up to 0.84, which far exceeds the skill level of contemporary climate models.
Eulerian Volume Transport Induced by Spatially Damped Internal Equatorial Kelvin Waves
Authors: Weber Jan Erik H.
Published: May 2015

The Eulerian volume transport in internal equatorial Kelvin waves subject to viscous attenuation is investigated theoretically by integrating the horizontal momentum equations in the vertical. In terms of small perturbations, the time-averaged horizontal transports are determined to second order in wave steepness. The total Lagrangian volume transport in this problem consists of a Stokes transport plus an Eulerian transport. It is known that the Stokes transport, that is, the vertically integrated Stokes drift, in inviscid internal equatorial Kelvin waves vanishes identically in the rigid-lid approximation for arbitrary vertical variation of the Brunt–Väisälä frequency. The present study considers spatial wave damping due to viscosity. The Stokes transport still becomes zero, but now the radiation stresses due to decaying waves become source terms for the Eulerian mean transport. Calculations of the wave-induced Eulerian transport yield a jetlike symmetric mean flow along the equator from west to east for each baroclinic component, with compensating westward flows on both sides. The flow system scales as the internal equatorial Rossby radius in the north–south direction. The total eastward part of the Eulerian volume flux centered about the equator is estimated to about 0.2 Sv (1 Sv ≡ 106 m3 s−1) for the first baroclinic mode.
Analog-Based Ensemble Model Output Statistics
Authors: Junk Constantin , Delle Monache Luca , Alessandrini Stefano
Published: May 2015

An analog-based ensemble model output statistics (EMOS) is proposed to improve EMOS for the calibration of ensemble forecasts. Given a set of analog predictors and corresponding weights, which are optimized with a brute-force continuous ranked probability score (CRPS) minimization, forecasts similar to a current ensemble forecast (i.e., analogs) are searched. The best analogs and the corresponding observations form the training dataset for estimating the EMOS coefficients. To test the new approach for renewable energy applications, wind speed measurements at 100-m height from six measurement towers and wind ensemble forecasts at 100-m height from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF) Ensemble Prediction System (EPS) are used. The analog-based EMOS is compared against EMOS, an adaptive and recursive wind vector calibration (AUV), and an analog ensemble applied to ECMWF EPS. It is shown that the analog-based EMOS outperforms EMOS, AUV, and the analog ensemble at all measurement sites in terms of CRPS and Brier score for common and rare events. The CRPS improvements relative to EMOS reach up to 11% and are statistically significant at almost all sites. The reliability of the analog-based EMOS ensemble for rare events is better compared to EMOS and AUV and is similar compared to the analog ensemble.
Violence risk assessment in psychiatric patients in China: A systematic review
Authors: Zhou Jiansong , Witt Katrina , Xiang Yutao , Zhu Xiaomin , Wang Xiaoping , Fazel Seena
Published: May 2015

Objectives:

The aim of this study was to undertake a systematic review on violence risk assessment instruments used for psychiatric patients in China.

Methods:

A systematic search was conducted from 1980 until 2014 to identify studies that used psychometric tools or structured instruments to assess aggression and violence risk. Information from primary studies was extracted, including demographic characteristics of the samples used, study design characteristics, and reliability and validity estimates.

Results:

A total of 30 primary studies were identified that investigated aggression or violence; 6 reported on tools assessing aggression while an additional 24 studies reported on structured instruments designed to predict violence. Although measures of reliability were typically good, estimates of predictive validity were mostly in the range of poor to moderate, with only 1 study finding good validity. These estimates were typically lower than that found in previous work for Western samples.

Conclusion:

There is currently little evidence to support the use of current violence risk assessment instruments in psychiatric patients in China. Developing more accurate and scalable approaches are research priorities.
Bipolar patients referred to specialized services of care: Not resistant but impaired by sub-syndromal symptoms. Results from the FACE-BD cohort
Authors: Henry Chantal , Etain Bruno , Godin Ophelia , Dargel Aroldo Ayub , Azorin Jean-Michel , Gard Sébastien , Bellivier Frank , Bougerol Thierry , Kahn Jean-Pierre , Passerieux Christine , Aubin Valerie , Courtet Philippe , Leboyer Marion ,   FACE-BD group
Published: May 2015

Objective:

A national network of expert centers for bipolar disorders was set up in France to provide support, mainly for psychiatrists, who need help for managing bipolar disorder patients. The aims of this article are to present the main characteristics of the patients referred to an expert center in order to highlight the major disturbances affecting these patients and to understand the most significant difficulties encountered by practitioners dealing with bipolar disorder patients.

Methods:

Patients were evaluated by trained psychiatrists and psychologists, with standardized and systematic assessment using interviews and self-report questionnaires.

Results:

All patients ( n = 839) met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders–Fourth Edition criteria for bipolar disorder I (48.4%), bipolar disorder II (38.1%) or bipolar disorder–not otherwise specified (13.5%). Mean illness duration was 17 years (±11.3), with 41.9% of patients having a history of suicide attempts. Lifetime comorbidities were 43.8% for anxiety disorders and 32.8% for substance abuse. At the point of inclusion, most patients (76.2%) were not in an acute phase, being considered to have a syndromal remission, but which still required referral to a tertiary system of care. Among these patients, 37.5% had mild to moderate residual depressive symptoms (Montgomery and Asberg Depression Rating Scale ranging from 7 to 19) despite 39% receiving an antidepressant. However, 47.8% were considered to be poorly adherent to medication; 55% showed evidence of sleep disturbances, with half being overweight; 68.1% of patients showed poor functioning (Functioning Assessment Short Test ⩾ 12) with this being linked to residual depressive symptoms, sleep disturbances and increased body mass index.

Conclusions:

It appears that bipolar disorder patients referred to an expert center in most cases do not suffer from a severe or resistant illness but they rather have residual symptoms, including subtle but chronic perturbations that have a major impact on levels of functioning. The longitudinal follow-up of these patients will enable a better understanding of the evolution of such residual symptoms.
The Matching Criterion Purification for Differential Item Functioning Analyses in a Large-Scale Assessment
Authors: Lee HyeSun , Geisinger Kurt F.
Published: May 2015

The current study investigated the impact of matching criterion purification on the accuracy of differential item functioning (DIF) detection in large-scale assessments. The three matching approaches for DIF analyses (block-level matching, pooled booklet matching, and equated pooled booklet matching) were employed with the Mantel–Haenszel procedure. Five factors—the length of a test, the proportion of items exhibiting DIF, a sample size, a ratio of a reference and focal group, and the existence of an average ability difference between two groups—were manipulated. The three matching approaches were used with and without purification. Also, a systematic test form difference was considered. The results indicated that overall, matching criterion purification in the three approaches contributed to the improvement of power in the detection of DIF. Depending on the psychometric characteristics of items exhibiting DIF and the existence of an average ability difference, the amount of power improvement due to matching criterion purification was different across the three approaches. The purification of a matching criterion contributed to the slight reduction of Type I error rates in the three approaches when no mean ability difference existed between the two groups. Considering power improvement with the control of Type I error rates, the purification of a matching criterion in the pooled booklet matching and the equated pooled booklet matching approaches can be recommended for DIF analyses in large-scale assessments.
Careering through academia: Securing identities or engaging ethical subjectivities?
Authors: Clarke Caroline A , Knights David
Published: May 2015

This article reflects upon careering, securing identities and ethical subjectivities in academia in the context of audit, accountability and control surrounding new managerialism in UK Business Schools. Drawing upon empirical research, we illustrate how rather than resisting an ever-proliferating array of governmental technologies of power, academics chase the illusive sense of a secure self through ‘careering’; a frantic and frenetic individualistic strategy designed to moderate the pressures of excessive managerial competitive demands. Emerging from our data was an increased portrayal of academics as subjected to technologies of power and self, simultaneously being objects of an organizational gaze through normalizing judgements, hierarchical observations and examinations. Still, this was not a monolithic response, as there were those who expressed considerable disquiet as well as a minority who reported ways to seek out a more embodied engagement with their work. In analysing the careerism and preoccupation with securing identities that these technologies of visibility and self-discipline produce, we draw on certain philosophical deliberations and especially the later Foucault on ethics and active engagement to explore how academics might refuse the ways they have been constituted as subjects through new managerial regimes.
Palestinian Collaboration with the British: The Peace Bands and the Arab Revolt in Palestine, 1936–9
Authors: Hughes Matthew
Published: May 2015

This article examines an aspect of British counter-insurgency in Palestine in the 1930s during the Arab revolt there against British colonial rule and Jewish settlement: the pro-British, anti-rebel Palestinian militia ‘peace bands’, associated with the Palestinian Nashashibi family and raised with British and Jewish military and financial assistance, and with support from the British Consul in Damascus, Gilbert MacKereth. Using Hebrew, Arabic and untapped local British regimental sources, it details how the British helped to raise the peace bands and the bands’ subsequent activities in the field; it assesses the impact of the bands on the course of the Arab revolt; and it sets out the views of the British Army towards those willing to work with them. In doing this, it extends the recent thesis of Hillel Cohen on Palestinian collaboration with Zionists to include the British and it augments the useful but dated work of Yehoshua Porath and Yuval Arnon-Ohanna on the subject. Such a study is significant for our understanding of British methods of imperial pacification, especially the British Army’s manipulation during colonial unrest of ‘turned’ insurgents as a ‘loyalist’ force against rebels, an early form of ‘pseudo’ warfare. The collaboration by Palestinians resonates with broader histories of imperial and neo-imperial rule, it extends military histories on colonial pacification methods, and it provides rich, new texture on why colonial subjects resisted and collaborated with the emergency state, using the Palestinians as a case study.
Credit and Trust
Authors: Moeller Kim , Sandberg Sveinung
Published: May 2015

Objectives:

This study examines the use of credit, or “fronting,” in the illegal drug economy. We study how fronting affects transaction costs and insulates against law enforcement in drug distribution networks and what role fronting plays in the management of interpersonal network ties. The emphasis is on the cooperative dimension of credits.

Methods:

Qualitative interviews were conducted with 68 incarcerated drug dealers in Norwegian prisons. Most were mid-level dealers (66 percent), dealing with many different drugs, but amphetamines were the main drugs distributed (38 percent). Using qualitative content analysis, we explore their perspective on the fronting of illegal drugs and associated practices in the illegal drug economy.

Results:

We find that dealers are generally skeptical toward fronting drugs, and accepting fronted drugs, but that this practice still is common. The main reason is that the practice secures a faster turnaround. Credits are embedded in social relationships both economically and socially. Previous social relationships are often a prerequisite, but fronting is also used to build trust.

Conclusion:

Although transaction cost economics captures the economic dimension of credit, insights from economic sociology and in particular the social embeddedness approach are necessary to understand the interplay between economic and social factors when drugs are fronted in the illegal economy.
The Status of the Initial Rise as a Marker of Focus in French
Authors: German James Sneed , D’Imperio Mariapaola
Published: May 2015

This study addresses the relationship between information structure and intonation in French. Using an interactive speech production experiment, it tests the hypothesis that the French initial rise (LHi) is used to mark the left edge of a contrastively focused constituent. Since the occurrence of the initial rise is also known to be sensitive to the length of an Accentual Phrase (AP), AP length was manipulated within the same experiment in a 2 × 2 design. This made it possible to explore the issue of whether the initial rise represents a true marker of focus in the traditional sense, or whether the association is less direct. The results show that focus and phrase length make contributions to the distribution of the initial rise, but with no interaction. It is argued that these findings are incompatible with a model that assumes a direct mapping between focus and the initial rise, and that the relatively weak association can nevertheless be informative in a model of interpretation that integrates multiple probabilistic inputs to initial rise occurrence. These findings represent the first quantitative experimental assessment of focus realization in French in a non-corrective context, and establish a previously undocumented link between the initial rise and discourse-level meaning.
A Problem with PIRLS: A Bogus Dip in Attitudes toward Reading between 2006 and 2011
Authors: Krashen Stephen , Loh Elizabeth Ka Yee
Published: May 2015

There appears to be a dramatic decline in attitude toward reading between 2006 and 2011 for ten year-olds taking the Progress in International Reading Literacy Study (PIRLS) examination. This ‘decline’, however, is probably not real but is the result of a change in the attitude questionnaire, mentioned only in the fine print in the 2011 PIRLS publication. The scoring of the 2011 version of the questionnaire was profoundly influenced by students’ report of outside school reading; the scoring of the 2006 version was not.
Prediction of needle heating in an industrial sewing machine
Authors: Mazari Adnan , Bal Kausik , Havelka Antonin
Published: May 2015

In industrial sewing, needle heating is a key problem that limits the further increase of sewing speed, and hence the productivity. Heat is generated during the sewing process because of friction between the needle and the sewing thread as well as between the needle and the fabric. The high temperature of the needle affects the quality and productivity of the sewing. The problem of needle temperature rise due to friction heat generation is considered in this paper and a simple analytical model is developed to predict needle temperature. The predicted needle temperature is compared with the experimental results by the inserted thermocouple method. Some of the process parameters, used as input variables, were also measured experimentally and experimentally observed values of needle temperature were compared with the theoretical prediction. It was observed that the temperature of the needle increases significantly with the presence of the sewing thread. Both the theory and the experimental results show that the needle temperature increases linearly with the machine speed within the ranges studied.
Effect of fabric structure and polymer matrix on flexural strength, interlaminar shear stress, and energy dissipation of glass fiber-reinforced polymer composites
Authors: Patel Jignesh S , Boddu Veera M , Brenner Matthew W , Kumar Ashok
Published: May 2015

We report the effect of glass fiber structure and the epoxy polymer system on the flexural strength, interlaminar shear stress (ILSS), and energy absorption properties of glass fiber-reinforced polymer (GFRP) composites. Four different GFRP composites were fabricated from two glass fiber textiles of different fabric count and strand density and two resin systems, a cycloaliphatic and a linear aliphatic system. These composites were fabricated using the vacuum-assisted resin transfer method. The flexural stress and ILSS data were obtained using a three-point bending test following ASTM 790-10 and ASTM D2344/D2344M standards. The GFRP composite sheet fabricated using a larger fabric count showed weak flexural strength as well as poor ILSS properties. However, it showed an average increase in energy dissipation of 95% and 7%, for resins SC780 and SC15, respectively, after five compression cycles over the measured range of compression strain. In comparison with the SC15 resin, the SC780 resin proved to have better flexural and ILSS properties but decreased energy dissipation. The results of this investigation help with the design of textile-reinforced composites for applications where bending strength, ILSS, and energy absorption are important.
Spatial agglomeration and location determinants: Evidence from the US communications equipment manufacturing industry
Authors: He Zekai , Romanos Michael
Published: May 2015

This paper examines the spatial agglomeration of the communications equipment manufacturing (CEM) industry in the US metropolitan statistical areas. We examine the influence of vertical industrial linkages, horizontal industrial linkages and corporate taxation on the locational choice of CEM establishments using discrete count data regression models. Panel data regression models are used for sensitivity tests. Our results suggest that both types of linkages have significant positive impacts on the spatial agglomeration of the CEM industry, indicating that input-output connections are geographically localised. Our findings support the hypothesis that the presence of vertical linkages suppliers and horizontal linkages in a metropolitan area could facilitate the spatial agglomeration of CEM establishments there. We also find that higher state corporate taxes can impede the choice of location of CEM establishments within a state. These findings suggest that state policymakers can improve the pro-business environment and attract CEM establishments in their state by lowering corporate taxes and by increasing potential horizontal and vertical industrial linkages.
Does Informal Participation Increase Job Satisfaction in Public Organizations? A Study on Civil Servants in Beijing, China
Authors: Wang Weijie , Yang Xingkun
Published: May 2015

The current literature has deepened our understanding of the participation–job satisfaction relationship in public organizations. However, employee participation has various forms and each form may produce different effects on job satisfaction. The literature often fails to account for the effects of different forms of participation. This article fills this gap by specifically examining the effects of informal participation and the possible moderating effects of interpersonal relationships and career development support. Based on a survey of civil servants in Beijing, the article finds that informal participation has positive and statistically significant influence over job satisfaction. The effects are positively moderated by interpersonal relationships and negatively moderated by career development support. The results help us to gain a fine-grained understanding of the effects of informal participation and may serve as a starting point for more research on different forms of employee participation.
Considering the Effects of Time on Leadership Development
Authors: Getha-Taylor Heather , Fowles Jacob , Silvia Chris , Merritt Cullen C.
Published: May 2015

As local governments across the United States adapt to economic shifts, workforce reshaping, and continued demand for services, training to confront these challenges has become more important. However, training resources are limited, investment in these programs is not always prioritized, and evaluating outcomes is difficult. This study analyzes data from a local government leadership development program to examine training impacts over time. It focuses on leadership skills and the ways in which individual’s self-assessments change over time. The findings indicate that although leadership training is an important factor in the development of both conceptual and interpersonal leadership skills, the long-term effects of training on these two types of skills vary significantly. Understanding the training effect decay associated with leadership skills development can help human resource managers and public organizations strategically plan, evaluate, and invest in these training activities to better prepare their workforce to meet future challenges.
Why do social network site users share information on Facebook and Twitter?
Authors: Syn Sue Yeon , Oh Sanghee
Published: May 2015

Users join social network sites (SNSs) for social network building and information sharing, however, little has been ascertained as to why users share information on SNSs. This study examined why SNS users share information, knowledge, and personal experiences with others on SNSs. Through an online survey, 10 motivation factors were tested with Facebook and Twitter users. The findings indicate that the motivations of SNS users in sharing information could be attributed to various aspects such as demographic characteristics, experiences of SNSs and Internet usage, as well as the characteristics and features of SNSs. SNS users could be highly motivated by the learning and social engagement aspects of SNS services. It is also found that the motivations could vary depending on the characteristics of services. The results of this study could be helpful for researchers in understanding the underlying reasons for social activities as well as for SNS developers in improving SNS services.
The Aesthetics of Leadership: Beau Geste as Critical Behaviour
Authors: Bouilloud Jean-Philippe , Deslandes Ghislain
Published: May 2015

This paper focuses on the role of beau geste in organizations, showing that it is endowed with a specifically critical dimension as it challenges both the established order and customary practices. We also scrutinize its unique role that consists in critically resisting economic norms. Analysing the beau geste actually offers an opportunity to broaden the scope of our vision of leadership by relying on aesthetics rather than conventionally viewing the leader as an artist. In the first part, we thus concentrate on the way leadership scholars have so far dealt with aesthetics. In the second part, through a series of examples and by adopting a historical perspective, we describe the defining features of the beau geste in organizations: gratuity effect, impact on the common good, size effect and surprise effect. We then analyse how beau geste indeed constitutes a form of provocation against an ‘organized’ world in which economic rationality seems to prevail. In the conclusion, we outline future prospects for research.
Personalisation in disability services and healthcare: A critical comparative analysis
Authors: Mladenov Teodor , Owens John , Cribb Alan
Published: May 2015

Personalisation is a key term in contemporary British social policy. This article conceptualises personalisation as embodying two aspects – marketisation and social justice – and explores their interaction in discourses and practices of personalisation in disability services and healthcare. Comparing the application and reception of personalisation in these two social policy domains, the article identifies a tendency of marketisation to override social justice and highlights the negative implications of this tendency. The analysis is further contextualised by looking at the uses of personalisation to legitimise retrenchment of public provision in the context of post-2008 austerity. In conclusion, the article calls for a critical engagement with the dominant interpretations of personalisation in order to prevent its reduction to a vehicle for unchecked marketisation of social policy.
Pseudo Names Are More Than Hollow Words
Authors: Lange Benjamin P. , Zaretsky Eugen , Euler Harald A.
Published: May 2015

Many studies demonstrate sex differences in communication. We investigated whether also pseudonyms used in anonymity revealed the sex of the pseudonym user and whether male and female pseudonyms were perceived differently regarding sex-typical attributes (partially taken from the Bem Sex-Role Inventory), the Big Five, and creativity. Pseudonyms chosen by 19 men and 19 women were randomly selected from a list of 2,096 pseudonyms used in written university tests and then rated by a total number of 346 participants (41% men) on the above-mentioned attributes. Results showed that the pseudonym users’ sex was guessed correctly above chance. Male more than female pseudonyms were perceived as showy, aggressive, self-reliant, extrovert, and creative. Female pseudonyms were rated higher on the attributes cute, peaceful, romantic, and agreeable. We further found sex differences with respect to linguistic patterns (e.g., pseudonym length) that were, however, able to explain neither guessed sex, nor the higher creativity ratings for male pseudonyms. We conclude that even single words are used by individuals to infer significant information (e.g., sex) about their users.
Caregiver Perceptions of Their Influence on Cancer Treatment Decision Making
Authors: Krieger Janice L. , Palmer-Wackerly Angela L. , Krok-Schoen Jessica L. , Dailey Phokeng M. , Wojno Julianne C. , Schoenberg Nancy , Paskett Electra D. , Dignan Mark
Published: May 2015

Serious illness of a loved one can disrupt a caregiver’s sense of self and relationships. We examined the language caregivers use to describe the cancer treatment decision making of a loved one to understand how caregivers frame their own identity relative to a patient’s illness. We analyzed transcripts from in-depth interviews conducted with caregivers ( N = 58) of cancer patients to examine the intersection among language, identity, and illness. Caregivers with a patient-level personal identity frame used phrases such as their body, their decision. Caregivers with a relational identity frame used plural pronouns such as we or our when describing the treatment decision. Importantly, some caregivers perceived an illness identity gap in that the patients’ perceptions of their illness identity differed from their own. Illness identity gaps are theorized to be associated with treatment decision making more closely aligned with intergroup, rather than interpersonal, processes.
Effect of palliative care nurse champions on the quality of dying in the hospital according to bereaved relatives: A controlled before-and-after study
Authors: Witkamp Frederika Erica , van Zuylen Lia , van der Rijt Carin CD , van der Heide Agnes
Published: May 2015

Background:

To improve the quality of end-of-life care, hospitals increasingly appoint palliative care nurse champions.

Aim:

We investigated the effect of nurse champions on the quality of life during the last 3 days of life and the quality of dying as experienced by bereaved relatives.

Design:

A controlled before-and-after study (June 2009–July 2012). Halfway, in each of seven intervention wards, two nurse champions were appointed; 11 wards served as control wards. The quality of life during the last 3 days of life, quality of dying and multiple dimensions of quality of dying were compared before and after the introduction of nurse champions.

Setting:

In a university hospital, each death at non-intensive care units was followed up by an invitation to relatives (10–13 weeks later) to answer a questionnaire.

Results:

For the two periods, data were collected on 86 and 84 patients in intervention wards and on 108 and 118 patients in control wards (overall response: 52%). In the intervention wards, no differences were found in the quality of life during the last 3 days of life and the quality of dying scores: in both periods, median score for the quality of life during the last 3 days of life was 3.0 and for the quality of dying 7.0. No differences were found in multiple quality of dying dimensions. In control wards, the median quality of dying score was 7.0 pre-intervention and 6.0 post-intervention ( p = 0.04). Other scores were comparable with those in intervention wards.

Conclusion:

Performing a complex intervention study in palliative care proved to be feasible. This study showed no differences in the experiences of bereaved relatives after introduction of nurse champions. The complexity of palliative care in the hospital might require more intensive and longer training of nurse champions.
Recreational 3,4-methylenedioxy-N-methylamphetamine (MDMA) or ‘ecstasy’ and self-focused compassion: Preliminary steps in the development of a therapeutic psychopharmacology of contemplative practices
Authors: Kamboj Sunjeev K , Kilford Emma J , Minchin Stephanie , Moss Abigail , Lawn Will , Das Ravi K , Falconer Caroline J , Gilbert Paul , Curran H Valerie , Freeman Tom P
Published: May 2015

3,4-methylenedioxy- N-methylamphetamine (MDMA) produces diverse pro-social effects. Cognitive training methods rooted in Eastern contemplative practices also produce these effects through the development of a compassionate mindset. Given this similarity, we propose that one potential mechanism of action of MDMA in psychotherapy is through enhancing effects on intrapersonal attitudes (i.e. pro-social attitudes towards the self). We provide a preliminary test of this idea. Recreational MDMA (ecstasy) users were tested on two occasions, having consumed or not consumed ecstasy. Self-critical and self-compassionate responses to self-threatening scenarios were assessed before (T1) and after (T2) ecstasy use (or non-use), and then after compassionate imagery (T3). Moderating roles of dispositional self-criticism and avoidant attachment were examined. Separately, compassionate imagery and ecstasy produced similar sociotropic effects, as well as increases in self-compassion and reductions in self-criticism. Higher attachment-related avoidance was associated with additive effects of compassionate imagery and ecstasy on self-compassion. Findings were in line with MDMA’s neuropharmacological profile, its phenomenological effects and its proposed adjunctive use in psychotherapy. However, although conditions were balanced, the experiment was non-blind and MDMA dose/purity was not determined. Controlled studies with pharmaceutically pure MDMA are still needed to test these effects rigorously.
Signal intensity of superficial white matter on phase difference enhanced imaging as a landmark of the perirolandic cortex
Authors: Kakeda Shingo , Yoneda Tetsuya , Ide Satoru , Watanabe Keita , Hiai Yasuhiro , Korogi Yukunori
Published: May 2015

Background

The superficial white matter (SWM), which fills the space between the deep white matter and the cortex, has not been well characterized.

Purpose

To determine whether the assessment of the relative signal intensity (SI) of the SWM in the precentral and postcentral gyri on phase difference enhanced (PADRE) images contributes in establishing anatomical landmark.

Material and Methods

The study population consisted of 43 normal subjects (28 women, 15 men; mean age, 52.9 years; age range, 22–90 years). By the consensus of two observers, the precentral gyri, postcentral gyri, and superior frontal cortex (SFC) were identified based on the established anatomical methods. The SI of the SWM in the precentral and postcentral gyri on PADRE images was divided into three grades in comparison with that of the SFC: Grade I, isointense; Grade II, slightly hypointense; and Grade III, markedly hypointense.

Results

The SWM in the precentral and postcentral gyri showed hypointensity on PADRE images. In the SI analyses of the PADRE images, the Grade I, Grade II, and Grade III appearances were found in one (1%), 20 (23%), and 65 (76%) of the 86 precentral gyri (43 subjects), respectively, and in one (1%), 23 (27%), and 62 (72%) of the 86 postcentral gyri, respectively.

Conclusion

On PADRE images, the perirolandic SWM showed hypointensity compared to other cerebral cortices, which probably reflects differences in the concentrations of the nerve fibers, as well as the higher myelin content. PADRE may be useful for the identification of the central sulcus by assessing the SI of the SWM.
Career Commitment as a Mediator between Organization-Related Variables and Motivation for Training and Turnover Intentions
Authors: Kim Hayeon , Kang Dae-seok , Lee Sang-won , McLean Gary
Published: May 2015

This study examined how the perception of a linkage between organizational ethical behavior and career success, representing ethical orientation of the organization, influences employees’ perceptions of organizational politics and their subsequent career motivation, that is, career commitment, motivation to participate in training, and turnover intentions. The results obtained using data collected from 389 employees in Korea indicate that career commitment fully mediated the relationship between the ethical behavior–career success association and both outcome variables (motivation to participate in training and turnover intentions) as well as the relationship between the perception of organizational politics and motivation to participate in training. However, the relationship between the perception of organizational politics and turnover intentions was only partially mediated by career commitment. These findings suggest that managers cope with employees’ careerist orientation by developing a sound perceptual set for career progress.
Human finger mechanical impedance modeling: Using multiplicative uncertain model
Authors: Bi Qian , Yang Can-Jun , Deng Xue-Lei , Fan Jing-Chang
Published: May 2015

To design a controller for the purpose of control of hand exoskeleton force, the critical question is to model the human finger impedance properly. The difficulty is that the parameters of the impedance model are perturbative in different postures. In this paper, multiplicative uncertain models of human finger impedance are presented. We describe the impedance as a mass-spring-damping system. The experiments are set in extension, half-flexion, flexion and synthesis postures. The parameters of nominal model as well as their perturbation range are identified by the forgetting factor recursive least square method. The weighting functions are constructed accordingly. The results show that the uncertain model of synthesis posture can represent the magnitude-frequency characteristic at low frequency, while, for high frequency, the uncertain models composed by the weighting function of synthesis posture and the corresponding nominal model are feasible. These provide effective approaches for hand exoskeleton force control issues.
Research on the vertical stiffness of a rolling lobe air spring
Authors: Li Xuebing , He Yuan , Liu Wanqiang , Wei Yintao
Published: May 2015

A new analytical formula to describe the vertical stiffness of a rolling lobe spring has been established; the equation incorporates the rate of change of the effective area of the spring. Two rolling lobe air springs were studied by performing analytical calculations, and the results were verified by comparisons to finite element simulations and experimental data. The analytical formula can be used to qualitatively predict the vertical stiffness of a rolling lobe air spring. Precise prediction of the value of the vertical stiffness can be obtained using the formula in cases where the reservoir volume is not very large. The influence of geometric parameters on the vertical stiffness of a rolling lobe air spring has been studied using the proposed formula and a guideline for its design has been obtained by plotting a cause–effect chart.
Linearized J2 and atmospheric drag model for satellite relative motion with small eccentricity
Authors: Cao Lu , Misra Arun K
Published: May 2015

A new set of linearized differential equations governing relative motion between satellites in a formation is derived, taking into account the effects of [Formula: see text] as well as atmospheric drag. This set of equations is more convenient than the corresponding nonlinear equations for designing formation control system or for implementing guidance algorithms. It is assumed that the eccentricity of the chief's orbit is small. In addition, the corresponding constant linearized equations are also proposed without numerical integrated, which is more convenient for engineering applications. Simulations show that the results obtained from the linearized model are quite close to those obtained by integrating the nonlinear dynamics model.
Shifting Institutional Boundaries Through Cross-Border Higher Education
Authors: Amaral Alberto , Tavares Orlanda , Cardoso Sónia , Sin Cristina
Published: May 2015

Cross-border higher education (CBHE) has been changing the organizational boundaries of higher education institutions (HEIs). This study aims to analyze the shifting boundaries of Portuguese HEIs through the lens of the identity concept in organization theories, considering three contexts with different levels of regulation: African Portuguese-speaking countries, Brazil, and Europe. These different regulation contexts allow to analyze how the level of national regulation influences CBHE, how this relates to the shifting boundaries of HEIs, and how the public or private character of the institutions plays a role in influencing boundary shifts. This research indicates that shifting boundaries through CBHE are influenced by institutional identities shaped by different rationales and conditioned by local policy contexts. Public universities have refrained from creating campuses abroad or from franchising activities, and their international activities seem driven by academic and cultural rationales. Public polytechnics, more recent than universities, seem more open to embarking on CBHE, suggesting the existence of a malleable identity. Contrary to the public sector, private institutions have created campuses abroad, mainly in African Portuguese-speaking countries, apparently following an economic rationale to guide their CBHE activities.
A competitive mechanism driven damage-plasticity model for fatigue behavior of concrete
Authors: Liang Junsong , Ren Xiaodan , Li Jie
Published: May 2015

In this paper, an innovative three-dimensional plastic-damage model is proposed to describe the behavior of concrete material under fatigue loading. In the proposed model, two damage variables are defined to describe the fatigue degradation of the mechanical properties of concrete under tension and shear, respectively. Meanwhile, by adopting the elastoplastic damage energy release rates, which are derived from the elastoplastic Helmholtz free energy potentials, a novel fatigue damage evolution law is developed. Specifically, the damage evolution process is governed by the competition between the damage healing effect and the damage driving effect induced by the propagation and closure of micro cracks under fatigue loading. The proposed model also allows the accumulation of fatigue damage within the classical damage surface by adopting the loading/unloading irreversibility concept. Moreover, the evolution of plastic strains is considered within the framework of the effective stress space plasticity. In the end, a set of numerical tests is presented, and the validity and effectiveness of the proposed model are illustrated according to the simulated results and the comparisons with the experimental data in literatures.
Current Status and Future Directions of the Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Ipilimumab, Pembrolizumab, and Nivolumab in Oncology
Authors: Barbee Meagan S. , Ogunniyi Adebayo , Horvat Troy Z. , Dang Thu-Oanh
Published: May 2015

Objective: To provide the clinician with an update and the current status and future direction of approved immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) in oncology. Data Sources: A PubMed search from January 1, 1966 to March 13, 2015 was performed using the key terms ipilimumab, pembrolizumab, lambrolizumab, nivolumab, immune checkpoint inhibitor, MDX-010, MDX-101, BMS-734016, MK-3475, SCH 900475, MDX-1106, BMS-936558, ONO-4538, CTLA-4, PD-1, or PD-L1 and cancer, oncology, or neoplasm. Additional references were identified from the investigators’ personal files, recent oncology meetings, review articles, clinical guidelines, and package inserts. Study Selection and Data Extraction: All English-language clinical trials assessing the safety and efficacy of ipilimumab, nivolumab, and pembrolizumab in cancer were considered. The PubMed search resulted in 215 trials; 33 met inclusion criteria. A further 28 trials were identified from the above sources; 61 trials from 2005 to 2015 were included. We consolidated and clarified treatment recommendations for the management of immune-related adverse events (irAEs), assessed response criteria, and calculated the clinical utility of leading tumor profiling options. Data Synthesis: Ipilimumab and nivolumab, but not pembrolizumab, have an overall survival (OS) advantage over chemotherapy first line in unresectable/metastatic melanoma. Nivolumab has an OS advantage versus chemotherapy in second-line squamous non-small-cell lung cancer. Data in other settings are promising. Nivolumab and pembrolizumab are better tolerated than ipilimumab. Further validation of response criteria is needed. Tumor profiling to predict clinical benefit is premature but promising. Conclusions: The treatment landscape in oncology is quickly evolving with the advent of ICIs.
Surgical Treatment of Insertional Achilles Tendinopathy With or Without Flexor Hallucis Longus Tendon Transfer
Authors: Hunt Kenneth J. , Cohen Bruce E. , Davis W. Hodges , Anderson Robert B. , Jones Carroll P.
Published: May 2015

Background:

Chronic insertional Achilles tendinopathy is a common pathology that can be difficult to manage. Some experts have advocated augmentation with the flexor hallucis longus (FHL) tendon in patients over age 50 and those with more severe tendon disease. We hypothesized that FHL augmentation would be associated with superior clinical outcome scores and greater ankle plantar flexion strength compared with Achilles debridement alone.

Methods:

Consecutive patients older than 50 years who had failed nonoperative treatment for chronic insertional Achilles tendinopathy were randomly assigned to Achilles decompression and debridement alone (control group) or Achilles decompression and debridement augmented with FHL transfer (FHL group). Outcome measures included American Orthopaedic Foot & Ankle Society (AOFAS) ankle/hindfoot score, visual analog scale (VAS) for pain, ankle and hallux plantar flexion strength, and a patient satisfaction survey. A total of 39 enrolled patients had a minimum 1-year follow-up, 18 in the control group and 21 in the FHL transfer group. The average patient age was 60.5 years.

Results:

AOFAS and VAS scores improved in both groups at 6 months and 1 year with no difference between groups. There was greater ankle plantar flexion strength in the FHL group at 6 months and at 1 year compared with the control group ( P < .05). There was no difference between the 2 groups in hallux plantar flexion strength preoperatively and at 1 year after surgery. Some 87% of patients were satisfied with the outcome of their procedure. There was no significant increase in wound complications in the FHL group ( P < .05).

Conclusion:

We found no differences in pain, functional outcome (as measured by the AOFAS ankle/hindfoot scale), and patient satisfaction when comparing patients treated with Achilles debridement alone versus FHL augmentation for chronic Achilles tendinopathy. Ankle plantar flexion strength appeared to be improved with FHL transfer, with no loss of hallux plantar flexion strength. Although FHL transfer was a safe adjunct to tendon debridement and partial ostectomy for insertional Achilles tendinopathy in older patients with little compromise in function, it may not be necessary for primary cases.

Level of Evidence:

Level 1, prospective randomized trial.