bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Danhong Injection Protects Against Hypertension-Induced Renal Injury Via Down-Regulation of Myoglobin Expression in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats
Authors: Owoicho Orgah John , Wang Miao , Yang Xiaohu , Wang Zhilong , Wang Dandan , Zhang Qi , Fan Guanwei , Han Jihong , Qin Gangjian , Gao Xiumei , Zhu Yan
Published: January 2018

Background/Aims: High blood pressure is a major risk factor for chronic kidney disease. Currently, single-target anti-hypertensive drugs are not designed for high blood pressure-related organ damages. Danhong injection (DHI), made from the aqueous extracts of Radix Salviae miltiorrhizae and Flos Carthamus tinctorius, has various pharmacological effects, including BP lowering in SHR, mediated by the reduction of vascular remodeling and the up-regulation of Kallikrein-kinin system published recently by our team, yet if it renders renal protection remains unknown. The current study demonstrated a protective role of DHI in renal injury caused by hypertension and identified its molecular targets in the kidney of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Methods: Adult SHR and age/gender-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were treated with DHI, Losartan, or saline for 4 weeks. Serum levels of Creatinine (CRE), Micro-albumin (mAlb), Beta2-microglobulin (β2-MG), and Uric acid (UA) were detected using ELISA kits. Renal pathology was examined by hematoxylin and Eosin (H&E) stains. Microarray analysis was performed on kidney tissues, and gene expression changes were validated by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) and Western blot analyses. Results: Renal histopathological scores showed that SHR exhibited serious kidney injury compared to normotensive WKY rats. The intervention with DHI potently suppressed the renal injury biomarker (KIM-1) and kidney lesions compared to the untreated hypertensive subjects. Microarray analysis revealed that among the 124 genes that were differentially expressed by DHI treatment in SHR kidney, down-regulation of renal myoglobin (Mb) gene was the most prominent and was subsequently confirmed by qRT-PCR and Western blot analysis. Conclusion: Hypertension-induced renal injury in SHR may be alleviated by DHI in part by local suppression of Kidney injury molecule-1 and down-regulation of Myoglobin. However, if this effect is independent of the known anti-hypertensive action of DHI in blood vessel remains to be determined.
La literatura entre fragmentos de pérdida y exploraciones autorreferenciales
Authors: González Susana
Published: January 2018

Se pretende problematizar algunas cuestiones del sentido del lenguaje literario y del estatuto de la ficción. Se tendrán en cuenta una selección de textos de la obra de dos imprescindibles pensadores: Maurice Blanchot y Michel Foucault, además de otros textos críticos de Paul de Man y Walter Benjamin. La intención es partir de estos acercamientos para dar cabida a obras representativas de la literatura hispanoamericana actual, que hacen precisamente de la exploración de la pérdida de la palabra, sentidos de ficción, y una auténtica poética auto-reflexiva sobre el mismo acto de escritura. Presento una selección de relatos de tres escritoras contemporáneas. De Sylvia Molloy (Argentina), Desarticulaciones; de Diamela Eltit (Chile), Padre mío; y de Piedad Bonnett (Colombia), Lo que no tiene nombre.
Historicising the Left in the Middle East: On Agency, Archives and Anti-capitalism
Authors: Salem Sara
Published: January 2018

This article is a review of Ilham Khuri-Makdisi’s bookThe Eastern Mediterranean and the Making of Global Capitalism, 1860–1914. I argue that this book is a valuable contribution to historiographies of the Left in the Middle East, a field that remains under-represented given the importance of labour to the nationalist movements as well as broader worker-activism in the region throughout the twentieth and twenty-first centuries. I review the main debates of the book, and raise critical questions about aspects that could have been probed further, among them the questions of imperialism and race in contexts such as Egypt and Lebanon, and the relationship(s) between workers and the radical intellectuals discussed throughout the book.
In Sudan’s Eastern Borderland: Frontier Societies of the Qwara Region (ca. ad 600-1850)
Authors: González-Ruibal Alfredo , Falquina Álvaro
Published: January 2018

The Sudanese-Ethiopian borderland has seen interaction between state and non-state peoples for at least two millennia. However, little is known about these interactions from an archaeological point of view. Our research project intends to cast light on this topic by looking at the lowlands ofnwEthiopia. Surveys conducted during three field seasons in the Metema and Qwara regions – in the Atbara-Dinder watershed – have allowed us to document different cultural traditions that are related to Sudan in medieval and post-medieval times. Here, we present the data and discuss the relevance of the findings to understand border dynamics from the mid-first millenniumadonwards.
Segregation and Integration of Cortical Information Processing Underlying Cross-Modal Perception
Authors: Kumar G. Vinodh , Kumar Neeraj , Roy Dipanjan , Banerjee Arpan
Published: January 2018

Visual cues from the speaker’s face influence the perception of speech. An example of this influence is demonstrated by the McGurk-effect where illusory (cross-modal) sounds are perceived following presentation of incongruent audio–visual (AV) stimuli. Previous studies report the engagement of specific cortical modules that are spatially distributed during cross-modal perception. However, the limits of the underlying representational space and the cortical network mechanisms remain unclear. In this combined psychophysical and electroencephalography (EEG) study, the participants reported their perception while listening to a set of synchronous and asynchronous incongruent AV stimuli. We identified the neural representation of subjective cross-modal perception at different organizational levels — at specific locations in sensor space and at the level of the large-scale brain network estimated from between-sensor interactions. We identified an enhanced positivity in the event-related potential peak around 300 ms following stimulus onset associated with cross-modal perception. At the spectral level, cross-modal perception involved an overall decrease in power at the frontal and temporal regions at multiple frequency bands and at all AV lags, along with an increased power at the occipital scalp region for synchronous AV stimuli. At the level of large-scale neuronal networks, enhanced functional connectivity at the gamma band involving frontal regions serves as a marker of AV integration. Thus, we report in one single study that segregation of information processing at individual brain locations and integration of information over candidate brain networks underlie multisensory speech perception.
An effective validated method for HPTLC-fingerprinting of alkaloids and glycosides from multiple plant parts of three Terminalia spp.
Authors: Hakim Masuma , Rathod Dipika , Trivedi Devanshi A. , Panigrahi Jitendriya , Gantait Saikat , Patel Illa C.
Published: January 2018

Our study developed a HPTLC fingerprint profile of alkaloids and glycosides obtained from the methanol extracts of four different plant parts of Terminalia arjuna, T. bellerica and T. chebula, trees with cardio-protective values. The multiple qualitative phytochemical analyses of water, acetone, petroleum ether and methanol extracts from all the plant parts of Terminalia spp. detected the presence of alkaloids and glycosides, wherein the methanol extracts exhibited the presence of maximum alkaloids and glycosides. The chromatographic analysis of methanol extracts was carried out on silica gel 60F254HPTLC aluminium sheets with CAMAG Linomat 5 applicator. The plates were developed using ethyl acetate:toluene:formic acid (10:10:1; v/v/v) mobile phase. Alkaloids and glycosides were detected at 254 nm, 366 nm and 540 nm (after derivatization). These developed fingerprints would eventually be of great benefit in identifying or differentiating the alkaloids and glycosides in the form of marker compounds in the three Terminalia spp. mentioned.
New Cheilostomata (Bryozoa) species from sublittoral and bathyal zones off the Faroe Islands, with some comments on allied taxa
Authors: DENISENKO NINA V.
Published: January 2018

Two new species of cheilostome Bryozoa are described from the Faroe Islands archipelago. Cinclidia aculeata n. gen. et sp. is a new cribrilinid taxon, distinguished from other cribrimorphs by the skeletal characters of the frontal shield and ooecium, and the absence of avicularia. A second new species, Turbicellepora faroensis n. sp., is distinguished by the shape of the orificial sinus, peristome, and suboral and interzooidal avicularia as well as by the presence of distolateral, tube-shaped adventitious avicularia (paired or single). Examination of new material of congeneric species supports the validity of the new taxon and further clarifies the separate status of Turbicellepora tuberosa (Smitt, 1868) sensu Hansen (1962) and T. hansenae Denisenko, 2016.
A review of the genus Saccharicoccus Ferris, 1950 (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Pseudococcidae) in China, with description of a new species
Authors: ZHANG JIANG-TAO , WU BO-WEN , WU SAN-AN
Published: January 2018

The mealybug genus Saccharicoccus Ferris includes three species: S. isfarensis (Borchsenius, 1949), S. sacchari (Cockerell, 1895) and a new species, S. chinensis Zhang, Wu & Wu sp. n. The new species, collected on Miscanthus sp. (Poaceae) and other poaceous weeds in China, is described and illustrated, and molecular analyses based on the mitochondrial gene cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) are provided. Additional data on the distribution and host-plants of each species are given, and a key to the adult females of Saccharicoccus species is provided.
A ‘model of reconciliation’? Fifty years of German–Israeli relations
Authors: Wittlinger Ruth
Published: January 2018

This article argues that German–Israeli reconciliation after 1945 has not been as exemplary as is often suggested. Drawing on key aspects which emerge from a discussion of relevant concepts in the first part of the article – transitional justice and reconciliation – it will show that Germany’s memory culture, as evidenced in the elite discourse, has indeed developed in a way that points to a successful reconciliation between the two countries. On the other hand, however, German regret emerged only reluctantly, was by and large confined to West Germany, and took a long time to establish itself formally, with emphasis on German suffering rather than suffering caused by Germans always playing an important role in German collective memory after 1945. It will also show that at grass-roots level, reconciliation between Germany and Israel is far from unproblematic. Apart from providing a critical assessment of the reconciliation between Germany and Israel after 1945, the article contributes to current academic literature on transitional justice, reconciliation and the role of memory which suggests that even though commemoration and micro-level reconciliation might be important, the geopolitical context in which reconciliation takes place and strategic security considerations also play a significant role.
Examining the Antiascetic Hypothesis Through Social Control Theory: Delinquency, Religion, and Reciprocation Across the Early Life Course
Authors: Miller Ty , Vuolo Mike
Published: January 2018

With empirical research in both sociology of religion and criminology finding conflicting evidence of the directional relationship between religious institutions and delinquency, we test the temporal order of religiosity and delinquency in the early life course. We motivate this research through theories from both subfields, namely, the antiascetic hypothesis from the sociology of religion and social control theory from criminology. We fit cross-lagged panel models to three waves of the National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health to examine the relationship between secular, or mala in se, forms of crime and ascetic, or mala prohibita, forms of crime with the elements of religious social bonds from adolescence through young adulthood. We find support for the antiascetic hypothesis in that religion has effects on mala prohibita behaviors, but not mala in se. Findings regarding bidirectional and reciprocal effects between religion and delinquency encourage extending the antiascetic hypothesis, as well as social control theory, to account for this possibility.
Grief and Healing Trajectories of Drug-Death-Bereaved Parents
Authors: Feigelman William , Feigelman Beverly , Range Lillian M.
Published: January 2018

We explored parents’ views of the trajectories of their adult children’s eventual deaths from drugs with in-depth qualitative interviews from 11 bereaved parents. Parents reported great emotional distress and high financial burdens as their children went through death spirals of increasing drug involvements. These deaths often entailed anxiety-inducing interactions with police or medical personnel, subsequent difficulties with sharing death cause information with socially significant others, and longer term problems from routine interactions. Eventually, though, many of these longer term bereaved parents reported overcoming these obstacles and developing posttraumatic growth. Openly disclosing the nature of the death seemed to be an important building block for their healing.
Estimating Putting Outcomes in Golf: Experts Have a Better Sense of Distance
Authors: Tanaka Hideyuki , Iwami Masato
Published: January 2018

In putting, golfers require an internal forward sense of the causal relationship between putting actions and outcomes—a sense of distance—to decide appropriate impact intensity. As no previous work has shown such a cognitive ability in skilled golfers, we sought to quantify sense-of-distance skill differences between experts and novice golfers in both putting-swing consistency and accuracy of outcome estimation. We compared nine expert and nine novice golfers on putting-outcome estimation by having them putt a golf ball to a target located at three distances (1.2, 2.4, and 3.6 m), and then, after automatic closure of their electric-shutter spectacles immediately following putter impact with the ball, they gave their best estimate of where the ball stopped. We assessed outcome-estimation accuracy by calculating the absolute error between the stopped ball’s actual and estimated positions. We also measured and analyzed putter head-swing movements during the task using a motion-capture system. Two-way, mixed-design analysis of variance tests revealed that expert golfers achieved both significantly lower variability in putter-head kinematics and higher accuracy at outcome estimation than the novices. Linear partial correlation analyses with target distance as the control variable tested the relationship between outcome-estimation performance and putter-head variability kinematic measurements. There were no significant correlations between them for experts and novices in separate databases, while medium correlations were found in a collective database. Thus, swing consistency and a sense of distance are independent skills that both account for putting expertise, and specific training is required for each to improve putting skills.
The inclusion of nonreligion in religion and human rights
Authors: Beaman Lori G. , Steele Cory , Pringnitz Keelin
Published: January 2018

An aspect of the protection of religious belief and expression is the protection of those who are nonreligious. Though this may seem counter-intuitive, the rising number of ‘nones’ in many countries reveals the extent to which religious establishments shape day-to-day life in a manner that is experienced as coercive by the nonreligious. Examples include: the recitation of prayers in state spaces (municipal councils, legislatures); the display of religious symbols in schools or legislative bodies; the performance of religious rituals such as baptism to ensure one’s children have access to schools and so on. This article examines the growing area of tension between ‘the religious’ and ‘the nonreligious’ using the examples of the display of majoritarian religious symbols in public spaces and religion in education to explore: (1) the contours of religious establishment; (2) the narratives of exclusion that are woven through contests between the religious and nonreligious; and (3) the coercive impact of majoritarian religion.
Fixity and flux: A critique of competing approaches to researching contemporary Jewish identities
Authors: Samson Maxim GM , Vanderbeck Robert M , Wood Nichola
Published: January 2018

Jewish identities are becoming increasingly pluralised due to internal dynamics within Judaism and wider social processes such as secularisation, globalisation and individualisation. However, empirical research on contemporary Jewish identities often continues to adopt restrictive methodological and conceptual approaches that reify Jewish identity and portray it as a ‘product’ for educational providers and others to pass to younger generations. Moreover, these approaches typically impose identities upon individuals, often as a form of collective affiliation, without addressing their personal significance. In response, this article argues for increased recognition of the multiple and fluid nature of personal identities in order to investigate the diverse ways in which Jews live and perform their Jewishness. Paying greater attention to personal identities facilitates recognition of the intersections between different forms of identity, enabling more complex understandings of the ways in which individuals both define their own identities and contribute to redefining the boundaries of Jewishness.
Subjective Age and Its Correlates Among Middle-Aged and Older Adults
Authors: Shinan-Altman Shiri , Werner Perla
Published: January 2018

The present study evaluates discrepancies in subjective age as reported by middle-age persons (aged 44–64 years) in comparison to older adults (aged 65 years and older), using a multidimensional definition of the concept. A convenience sample of 126 middle-aged and 126 older adults completed subjective age measures (felt age, desired age, and perceived old age), attitudes toward older adults, knowledge about aging, and sociodemographic questionnaires. Overall, participants reported feeling younger than they actually were and wanting to be younger than their chronological age. Perceived mean for old age was about 69 years. Discrepancies in felt age and desired age were significantly larger for the older group compared to the middle-aged group. Regarding perceived old age, compared to the younger group, older adults reported that old age begins at an older age. Findings suggest that middle-aged and older adults’ perceptions regarding themselves and regarding old age in general are independent and need, therefore, separate research and practical attention.
Reliability and Validity of the Short Falls Efficacy Scale International in English, Mandarin, and Bahasa Malaysia in Malaysia
Authors: Tan Maw Pin , Nalathamby Nemala , Mat Sumaiyah , Tan Pey June , Kamaruzzaman Shahrul Bahyah , Morgan Karen
Published: January 2018

While the prevalence of falls among Malaysian older adults is comparable to other older populations around the world, little is currently known about fear of falling in Malaysia. The Falls Efficacy Scale International (FES-I) and short FES-I scales to measure fear of falling have not yet been validated for use within the Malaysian population, and are currently not available in Bahasa Malaysia (BM). A total of 402 participants aged ≥63 years were recruited. The questionnaire was readministered to 149 participants, 4 to 8 weeks after the first administration to determine test–retest reliability. The original version of the 7-item short FES-I is available in English, while the Mandarin was adapted from the 16-item Mandarin FES-I. The BM version was translated according to protocol by four experts. The internal structure of the FES-I was examined by factor analysis. The 7-item short FES-I showed good internal reliability and test–retest reliability for English, Mandarin, and BM versions for Malaysia.
Advice Giving: A Subtle Pathway to Power
Authors: Schaerer Michael , Tost Leigh P. , Huang Li , Gino Francesca , Larrick Rick
Published: January 2018

We propose that interpersonal behaviors can activate feelings of power, and we examine this idea in the context of advice giving. Specifically, we show (a) that advice giving is an interpersonal behavior that enhances individuals’ sense of power and (b) that those who seek power are motivated to engage in advice giving. Four studies, including two experiments ( N = 290, N = 188), an organization-based field study ( N = 94), and a negotiation simulation ( N = 124), demonstrate that giving advice enhances the adviser’s sense of power because it gives the adviser perceived influence over others’ actions. Two of our studies further demonstrate that people with a high tendency to seek power are more likely to give advice than those with a low tendency. This research establishes advice giving as a subtle route to a sense of power, shows that the desire to feel powerful motivates advice giving, and highlights the dynamic interplay between power and advice.
Test Review: Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language–Second Edition
Authors: Rehfeld David M. , Padgett R. Noah
Published: January 2018

This article presents a review of the Comprehensive Assessment of Spoken Language–Second Edition (CASL-2), in which reliability, utility, and validity are analyzed and discussed. Some limited recommendations for practice are made based on a review of the information provided by the publisher for clinicians.
Effects of WhatsApp's Use on Working Memory Performance Among Youth
Authors: Aharony Noa , Zion Avi
Published: January 2018

The current study seeks to shed light on the usage habits of the WhatsApp application among teenagers, exploring the effect of mobile instant messaging distractions on pupils' working memory performance. Research was conducted in Israel during 2016 school year. The study sample was divided into two groups randomly—a control group and an experimental group. Researchers used six questionnaires to gather personal details, execution assessment questionnaire, and Working Memory Index from the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children-IV. The main findings show that WhatsApp's distractions, transmitted via smartphones, decrease pupils' performance of working memory. In addition, students are aware of the difficulty WhatsApp causes while performing a learning task and of the decrease in learning effectiveness. The present study displays a unique experiment that explored the direct effect of the distractions stemming from a new technological platform— WhatsApp—on young pupils' working memory. Further, it suggests that instructors and teachers should be aware of the potential damage of multitasking caused by smartphone use during learning tasks.
Acceleration of the healing process of full-thickness wounds using hydrophilic chitosan–silica hybrid sponge in a porcine model
Authors: Park Ji-Ung , Jeong Seol-Ha , Song Eun-Ho , Song Juha , Kim Hyoun-Ee , Kim Sukwha
Published: January 2018

In this study, we evaluated the surface characterization of a novel chitosan–silica hybridized membrane and highlighted the substantial role of silica in the wound environment. The chemical coupling of chitosan and silica resulted in a more condensed network compared with pure chitosan, which was eventually able to stably maintain its framework, particularly in the wet state. In addition, we closely observed the wound-healing process along with the surface interaction between chitosan–silica and the wound site using large-surface-area wounds in a porcine model. Our evidence indicates that chitosan–silica exerts a synergetic effect of both materials to promote a remarkable wound-healing process. In particular, the silica in chitosan–silica accelerated wound closure including wound contraction, and re-epithelialization via enhancement of cell recruitment, epidermal maturity, neovascularization, and granulation tissue formation compared with pure chitosan and other commercial dressing materials. This advanced wound dressing material may lead to effective treatment for problematic cutaneous wounds and can be further applied for human skin regeneration.
Calcium carbonate end-capped, folate-mediated Fe3O4@mSiO2 core-shell nanocarriers as targeted controlled-release drug delivery system
Authors: Liu Min-Chao , Liu Bing , Chen Xian-Li , Lin Hui-Chao , Sun Xiang-Yu , Lu Jia-Zheng , Li Yan-Yu , Yan Si-Qi , Zhang Lu-Yong , Zhao Ping
Published: January 2018

Magnetic mesoporous silica nanospheres (MMSN) were prepared and the surface was modified with cancer cell-specific ligand folic acid. Calcium carbonate was then employed as acid-activated gatekeepers to cap the mesopores of the MMSN, namely, MMSN-FA-CaCO3. The formation of the MMSN-FA-CaCO3 was proved by several characterization techniques, viz. transmission electron microscopy, zeta potential measurement, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, BET surface area measurement, and UV–Vis spectroscopy. Daunomycin was successfully loaded in the MMSN-FA-CaCO3 and the system exhibited sensitive pH stimuli-responsive release characteristics under blood or tumor microenvironment. Cellular uptake by folate receptor (FR)-overexpressing HeLa cells of the MMSN-FA-CaCO3 was higher than that by non-folated-conjugated ones. Intracellular-uptake studies revealed preferential uptake of these nanoparticles into FR-positive [FR(+)] HeLa than FR-negative [FR(-)]A549 cell lines. DAPI stain experiment showed high apoptotic rate of MMSN-FA-DNM-CaCO3 to HeLa cells. The present data suggest that the CaCO3 coating and folic acid modification of MMSN are able to create a targeted, pH-sensitive template for drug delivery system with application in cancer therapy.
Evaluation of Time Spent by Pharmacists and Nurses Based on the Location of Pharmacist Involvement in Medication History Collection
Authors: Chhabra Anmol , Quinn Andrea , Ries Amanda
Published: January 2018

Background:

Accurate history collection is integral to medication reconciliation. Studies support pharmacy involvement in the process, but assessment of global time spent is limited. The authors hypothesized the location of a medication-focused interview would impact time spent.

Methods:

The objective was to compare time spent by pharmacists and nurses based on the location of a medication-focused interview. Time spent by the interviewing pharmacist, admitting nurse, and centralized pharmacist verifying admission orders was collected. Patient groups were based on whether the interview was conducted in the emergency department (ED) or medical floor. The primary end point was a composite of the 3 time points. Secondary end points were individual time components and number and types of transcription discrepancies identified during medical floor interviews.

Results:

Pharmacists and nurses spent an average of ten fewer minutes per ED patient versus a medical floor patient ( P = .028). Secondary end points were not statistically significant. Transcription discrepancies were identified at a rate of 1 in 4 medications. Post hoc analysis revealed the time spent by pharmacists and nurses was 2.4 minutes shorter per medication when interviewed in the ED ( P < .001).

Discussion:

The primary outcome was statistically and clinically significant. Limitations included inability to blind and lack of cost-saving analysis.

Conclusion:

Pharmacist involvement in ED medication reconciliation leads to time savings during the admission process.
A novel optimized cyclic part feeding system with line-integrated supermarkets
Authors: Zhou Binghai , Xu Jiahui
Published: January 2018

To unify the merits of traditional in-plant parts logistics alternatives such as line stocking and kitting, the concept of line-integrated supermarkets is introduced to improve the part feeding in mixed-model assembly lines. First, the highly interdependent optimization problems of assigning stations and scheduling logistics operators are described, and mathematical models are established with the aim to minimize the fleet size of logistics operators and unit part delivery time as well. Together with particular theorems and lemmas, a nested dynamic programming is presented to obtain global optimum for small-sized instances while a modified harmony search algorithm is constructed for medium- or large-sized instances. Benefit from repeatedly dividing and reconstructing the harmony memory, the computation speed is significantly enhanced. Meanwhile, crossover and mutation operations effectively improve the diversity of solutions to overcome deficiencies such as limited search depth and tendencies to trapping into local optimum. Finally, experimental results validate that the proposed algorithm is of competitive performance in effectiveness and efficiency compared to some other basic or modified meta-heuristics.
Facilitating creativity in interdisciplinary design teams using cognitive processes: A review
Authors: Reiter-Palmon Roni , Leone Salvatore
Published: January 2018

Interdisciplinary, or cross-functional, teams have become quite common for engineering and design. Many of today’s scientific breakthroughs occur in interdisciplinary teams, as the increasingly complex problems facing society often cannot be addressed by single disciplines alone. However, fostering creative and productive collaboration in interdisciplinary teams is no easy challenge. First, leading creative teamwork is difficult by itself. Second, many of the factors that impede teams and teamwork in general are exacerbated in interdisciplinary teams as a result of differences between team members. In this paper, we will review the team creativity psychology and management literature, and discuss how cognitive processes that facilitate creativity can be used by engineering and design teams. Specifically, past research has shown problem construction that allows teams to develop a structure to guide solving ambiguous problems. Further, problem construction allows teams to develop a shared understanding of the problem which aids in later processes. While there is significant research on idea generation, results suggest that teams may not be better at this than individuals. In this review, we discuss how idea generation in teams can mitigate some of the issues that lead to this effect. Finally, team research has only recently began to determine what factors influence idea evaluation and selection for implementation.
Evaluation of exhaust gas recirculation techniques on a high-speed direct injection diesel engine using first law analysis
Authors: Papaioannou Nick , Leach Felix CP , Davy Martin H , Weall Adam , Cooper Brian
Published: January 2018

The effects of different exhaust gas recirculation (EGR) strategies on engine efficiency and the resulting energy flows at two speed/load conditions (1500 r/min/6.8 bar net indicated mean effective pressure (nIMEP) and 1750 r/min/13.5 bar nIMEP) were studied using a first law analysis approach. The EGR strategies tested were as follows: cooled high-pressure exhaust gas recirculation (baseline), the application of exhaust gas recirculation with the swirl flap closed and the use of exhaust gas recirculation under constant λ conditions. The closed swirl flap exhaust gas recirculation strategy reduced brake efficiency under high load conditions and increased heat transfer to the coolant for both load cases. Soot and CO emissions increased at high load, however, with an increase in NOx relative to the baseline case. The constant λ exhaust gas recirculation strategy reduced brake efficiency under low load, as well as the heat flow to the coolant for both load cases. The constant λ exhaust gas recirculation strategy benefited smoke emissions and increased combustion exhaust gas recirculation tolerance, albeit with a penalty in NOx emission.
Tensor voting based road lane recognition algorithm with geometric constraints for lane departure warning system
Authors: Wei Hanbing , Chen Yao , Peng Zhiyuan
Published: January 2018

In view of the restricted performance in terms of accuracy, anti-disturbance, and robustness of the current road lane recognition algorithm for Lane Departure Warning System, tensor voting–based road lane recognition algorithm with road lane geometric constraints is presented in this paper. It extracts road lane information from random images using voting decayed function optimized from geometric constraints of road lanes. The entire framework of the algorithm consists of pre-processing, vote-processing, and post-processing. First, white points which represent the potential road lanes are selected and remaining points are discarded for reducing noise and computation burden in binary image. Next, the most likely connection between voters and receivers can be characterized as decayed function. Road lane geometric constraints determined by calibration results of the camera are utilized to optimize decayed function in tensor voting in order to emphasize road lane points in vote-processing. At last, these points are clustered and fitted into road lanes in post processing. The experimental results indicate that accuracy of this method is superior in terms of traditional road lane extraction in complicated traffic condition.
Recent Threats to Multilateralism
Authors: Linn Johannes
Published: January 2018

Multilateralism and the multilateral institutions face serious threats. This in turn threatens the continuing progress in solving critical global economic and social challenges: slowing global economic growth and recurring global financial crises; growing inequality and—despite significant improvements in living conditions worldwide in recent decades—persistent deprivation due to poverty, hunger, conflict and fragility, especially in Africa; rising challenges to an open global trading regime; and the pervasive risks of pandemics, natural disasters, and climate change. This article aims to assess the threats faced by multilateralism and multilateral institutions and to develop some ideas on how they might be addressed. Just to be clear, though, multilateralism is not just about the financing of investments. It is also very important about developing and maintaining rules-based and fair global economic and social relations among countries and peoples, about setting widely accepted norms and monitoring their adherence, about establishing networks to create, collect, and exchange knowledge and data, and about resolving potential conflicts among partners and competitors for global resources, markets, and influence.
Development of Employment Sub-centres in the City of Ahmedabad, India
Authors: Munshi Talat , Brussel Mark , Zuidgeest Mark , Van Maarseveen Martin
Published: January 2018

This article describes how employment sub-centres can be identified applying geo-spatial modelling techniques in the context of metropolitan areas in India, and how the development of these employment centres can be linked to the levels of accessibility to labour, access to transport infrastructure as well as land use mix and land use diversity. For the city of Ahmedabad, employment sub-centres are identified for the year 2010, while the progression of employment in retail, commercial and industrial sectors in each of these centres is studied for the period from 1980 to 2010. Definite the signs of sprawl-type development and polarization reversal are observed, including the emergence of new employment sub-centres across the urban area, and the rapid growth of centres further away from the central business district. Retail and commercial sectors have grown exponentially, whereas industrial and manufacturing sector’s growth is stagnant. This development is mixed and heterogeneous, with the growth of the retail and the commercial sectors found to have a significant and positive relation with access to labour and transport infrastructure. These identified patterns of development provide important information to urban planners enabling them to make informed decision, for example, in locating future employment activities, identifying future transit-oriented development nodes, etc.
The Weight of Things: Understanding African American Women’s Perceptions of Health, Body Image, and Attractiveness
Authors: Cameron Nicole Ola , Muldrow Adrienne Fayola , Stefani Whitney
Published: January 2018

Negative attitudes toward being overweight or obese are widespread, and these notions perpetuate into conceptions about one’s health. Clinically, being overweight is associated with health problems such as diabetes, hypertension, heart disease, and many other illnesses. African American women, who are generally larger in body size, are a particular target for health interventions. However, these women have resisted the “obesity” label, arguing that dominant measures of health are White norms and oppressive. Through the use of in-depth interviews, this study investigates how African American women understand and experience healthfulness, body image, and barriers to each. Findings show that African American women are ambivalent in their acceptance of dominant markers of health and expressed an almost universal disdain for the thin ideal as a marker of “good” health and a positive body image. Moreover, participants articulated a suspicion of formal medical measurements of obesity.
Overcoming the Problem With Solving Business Problems: Using Theory Differently to Rejuvenate the Case Method for Turbulent Times
Authors: Bridgman Todd , McLaughlin Colm , Cummings Stephen
Published: January 2018

A questioning of the neoliberal consensus in the global economic order is creating turbulence in Western democracies. Long regarded as the only viable capitalist model, neoliberalism is now subjected to increasing scrutiny. Management education that has been aligned to a neoliberal worldview must now respond to this shifting landscape in order to retain its legitimacy. One core element of management education undergoing revision as a result is the case method of teaching. The case method’s traditionally narrow focus on training students to solve business problems is increasingly problematic in an environment where the structure of the capitalist system in which firms operate is now a topic of debate. To address this, we argue for a reconceptualization of the case method’s relationship with theory. This has conventionally taken two forms: a hostility to any inclusion of theory in the analytical process and an approach that uses theory as an instrument for profit maximization. We propose an alternative third approach that encourages students to engage in a critical questioning of business-as-usual capitalism from the perspective of multiple stakeholders, including managers, employees, unions, not-for-profit organizations, government, and the natural environment.
Are Female Political Leaders Role Models? Lessons from Asia
Authors: Liu Shan-Jan Sarah
Published: January 2018

Despite vast research on women’s descriptive representation, little is known about its influence on women’s political engagement in East and Southeast Asia where gender norms are different from those in other parts of the world. I theorize that the discrepancy between women’s political and social rights in the region makes it difficult for women to envision themselves as equal to their male counterparts. Thus, women are less reluctant to play a “man’s game” even when they see female political leaders. Using a multilevel model with data from the Asian Barometer Survey and various additional sources, I examine the impact of female parliamentarians in the region and find that they significantly reduce women’s political participation. My results suggest that the female legislators’ role model effect found in existing literature on Western democracies does not apply to East and Southeast Asia. Instead, female political leaders generate a backlash effect on women’s political engagement. This research raises implications for the role of context in the effectiveness of women’s symbolic representation and calls for further exploration on the connection between women’s symbolic and descriptive representation.
Policy Design and the Politics of City Revenue: Evidence from California Municipal Ballot Measures
Authors: Martin Isaac William , Lopez Jane Lilly , Olsen Lauren
Published: January 2018

Residents of the United States rely on municipal governments to deliver important public goods but are often reluctant to pay for those goods. Can tax policy design affect voters’ propensity to say yes to local taxes? We answer this question by analyzing a new database of 929 tax increases of heterogeneous design that were proposed to California voters from 1996 to 2010. We find that voters’ willingness to raise a municipal tax varies with the choice of tax base, as well as with such policy design features as its timing and its symbolic links to particular purposes. The political limits on city revenue may vary substantially depending on how a tax is designed, and theories that assume otherwise—including several classic models of urban politics—may exaggerate the degree to which municipal revenues are constrained.
Crizotinib-induced erosive esophagitis in a pediatric patient with neuroblastoma
Authors: Lubcke Nicole , Van Camp Kevin
Published: January 2018

Crizotinib is an oral tyrosine kinase inhibitor, approved by the FDA in 2011, for use in anaplastic lymphoma kinase positive, metastatic, non-small cell lung cancer. Crizotinib inhibits oncogenic protein expression and impairs cellular proliferation in tumors with an overexpressed anaplastic lymphoma kinase gene. Currently used most frequently in the adult patient population, pediatric use is becoming more prominent, specifically in disease states exhibiting anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive, metastatic disease, such as neuroblastoma. Approximately 8% of neuroblastomas have activating anaplastic lymphoma kinase-mutations, making this a promising target for a difficult-to-treat disease. Studies in the pediatric population are limited. However, targeted anaplastic lymphoma kinase-inhibitor therapies have shown improved outcomes at both one-year and two-year marks in both overall survival and progression free survival in anaplastic lymphoma kinase-positive adult patients with non-small cell lung cancer. One Children’s Oncology Group phase I trial examined toxicities associated with anaplastic lymphoma kinase inhibitor therapy in pediatric patients. Results revealed varying grades in severity of neutropenia, dizziness, and liver function test elevation. In the adult population, severe toxicities reported by the manufacturer include effects on liver, cardiac and lung function. Additionally, several cases of severe, erosive, pill-esophagitis due to crizotinib therapy have been documented in the adult population. Erosive esophagitis is common in the pediatric population due to a variety of factors. Ingestion of medications or other corrosive agents accounts for approximately 3–5% (5000–10,000 cases per year) of esophagitis presentation in the pediatric population. Common causative medications include non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, antibiotics such as doxycycline and tetracycline, and ferrous sulfate. Presented here is the first reported case of crizotinib-induced pill esophagitis in a pediatric patient.
Case-Based Learning in Dermatology
Authors: Liu Annie , Zhou Linghong Linda , Lam Andrea , Dahlke Erin
Published: January 2018

Importance:

The instruction of dermatology can be challenging due to its large scope, heavy clinical nature, and limited curriculum space. Case-based learning (CBL) is an emerging education paradigm and has no current literature on its use in dermatology.

Objectives:

Assess CBL in undergraduate dermatology medical education.

Methods:

Case-based learning was implemented in the preclerkship dermatology curriculum at the University of Toronto to 3 student cohorts (totaling 710 students and 93 tutors) between May 2016 and April 2017. We analyzed assignment performance, pre- and post-CBL knowledge test scores, and experience surveys on students and tutors. Surveys were evaluated using aggregate descriptive statistics for quantitative data and thematic data analysis for qualitative data. All assessments were anonymous and voluntary.

Results:

We received strong positive feedback on the CBL experience, with no score less than 3.8 on a 5-point scale (where 5 indicated strongly agree with a positively phrased question). Thematic data analysis revealed several key themes, including positive comments for a specialist tutor, the use of visual media, and the “mini-cases” style of CBL, while challenges included a lack of motivation. Group assignments scored high, ranging from 88.9% to 99.3%. Tracked pre- and post-CBL knowledge test scores showed a 32% (from 42% to 74%) increase in scores after the CBL experience.

Conclusion and Relevance:

CBL in dermatology medical education was well received by students and tutors, with high scores in content evaluation and knowledge assessment. Future studies should examine optimal delivery methods and its long-term effects on knowledge retention.
Life-threatening autoimmune warm hemolytic anemia following treatment for multiple sclerosis with alemtuzumab
Authors: Meunier Benoit , Rico Audrey , Seguier Julie , Boutiere Clemence , Ebbo Mikael , Harle Jean Robert , Schleinitz Nicolas , Pelletier Jean
Published: January 2018

Background:

Alemtuzumab is a humanized monoclonal antibody directed at CD52 approved as a disease-modifying therapy for relapsing forms of multiple sclerosis (MS).

Objective:

To describe a case of a life-threatening autoimmune anemia occurring after a first course of alemtuzumab for relapsing-remitting MS in a 28-year-old male.

Methods:

Case report.

Results:

A 28-year-old male developed a life-threatening autoimmune anemia occurring 11 months after first alemtuzumab course.

Conclusion:

We report the third case of autoimmune hemolytic anemia following treatment with alemtuzumab in a young MS patient. Due to the severity of this adverse event, neurologists using this treatment should be alert.
Chronotype is associated with psychological well-being depending on the composition of the study sample
Authors: Dimitrov Annika , Veer Ilya M , Kleeblatt Julia , Seyfarth Florian , Roenneberg Till , Ising Marcus , Uhr Manfred , Keck Martin E , Kramer Achim , Berger Maximilian , von Koch Lara , Walter Henrik , Adli Mazda
Published: January 2018

Past studies examining the effect of chronotype and social jetlag on psychological well-being have been inconsistent so far. Here, we recruited participants from the general population and enquired about their natural sleeping behavior, sleep quality, depressive symptoms, and perceived stress. Partial correlations were computed between sleep variables and indicators of psychological well-being, controlling for age and sex. Less sleep during work days was found a good indicator for impairments in psychological well-being. In exploratory follow-up analyses, the same correlations were calculated within groups of early, intermediate, and late chronotype. We observed that the composition of the sample in terms of chronotype influenced whether associations between sleep variables and psychological well-being could be observed, a finding that is advised to be taken into account in future studies.