bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Teacher Students’ Experienced Challenges in the Beginning of Their Education
Authors: Ståhle Ylva , Aspán Margareta
Published: March 2019

This article explores Swedish students’ perspectives on being new to teacher education and what challenges they meet. Nineteen students were interviewed in three focus groups. The analytical framework draws on the theory of situated learning and the concept of enculturation, and the empirical data have been categorized through a thematic content analysis, which revealed two qualitatively different categories of challenges: as academic student, and as trainee teacher. Conclusively, the study shows how the education can support or obstruct the enculturation into the educational practices. Conceiving such hinders can facilitate the students’ understanding of both the studies and their future profession.
Riding the rails of removal: The impact of railways on border controls and expulsion practices
Authors: Feys Torsten
Published: March 2019

Nineteenth-century Belgian authorities liked to consider themselves as liberal towards migrants, but the 340,000 expulsions carried out between 1835 and 1913 paint a different picture. This article assesses how the development of Belgian railway networks influenced controls of entry and expulsion practices through seven borderland hubs with international rail connections. It first details how control stations followed changes in transport infrastructure and that some form of border control on human mobility was upheld throughout the nineteenth century. Second, it explains how railways drastically changed expulsions allowing the Sûreté Publique (i.e. the Belgian Foreigners Police) to establish a well-oiled deportation apparatus which became a central pillar of migration policies. Using Walters' concept of “viapolitics”, it details how transport systems and infrastructure shaped the state's ability to govern migrants.
Investigation on improving banana fiber fineness for textile application
Authors: Balakrishnan S , Wickramasinghe GLD , Wijayapala UG Samudrika
Published: March 2019

The banana is one of the most commonly consumed fruits in Sri Lanka; after the fruit is harvested, the pseudostem is thrown down as waste. The banana pseudostem is a good source of natural fiber. The purpose of this project is to investigate the effects of banana fiber extraction, examine treatment parameters on fiber fineness and establish suitable methods to reduce the fineness that enable banana fibers to be used as textile materials. Ten popular Sri Lankan varieties of banana pseudostem were selected for this study. From the mechanically extracted banana fiber of these 10 varieties, Ambun (genome AAA) was selected for further analysis because it had the lowest fiber fineness. Four layers from the pseudostem of Ambun were extracted and put through a fineness and single fiber strength test. Scanning electron microscopy and fiber linear density were used to observe and determine the fineness of the enzyme and chemical treated banana fiber. The mechanical strength of the treated banana fibers was obtained by using a universal tensile tester machine. The test result showed the second and the third layers of the pseudostem to be the finest. The mechanically extracted fiber of the second and third layers of the pseudostem were put through an enzyme and chemical treatment. Results showed enzyme and chemical combined treated fibers to be the finest, with a reduced diameter from 168.4 µm to 48.8 µm, which is about 71% reduction compared to mechanical extraction.
Pacification, Capital Accumulation, and Resistance in Settler Colonial Cities: The Cases of Jerusalem and Rio de Janeiro
Authors: Huberman Bruno , Nasser Reginaldo Mattar
Published: March 2019

Approaching urban social conflicts in Brazil and in Palestine/Israel in terms of settler colonial theory allows the identification of the historical racist structures involved in the violent pacification of racialized native populations. Settler colonialism does not end with the declaration of independence but persists in the postcolonial context through the constant expropriation, extermination, confinement, and assimilation of racialized populations in the service of capitalist accumulation by settler elites. The cases of Jerusalem and Rio de Janeiro exemplify this process.

Analisando conflitos urbanos sociais no Brasil e na Palestina com respeito à teoria de colonização permite a identificação das estruturas racistas históricas envolvidas na pacificação violenta de populações nativas. O colonialismo não termina com a declaração de independência. Ele persiste no contexto pós-colonial por meio de constantes expropriações, extermínio, encarceramento e assimilação das populações nativas. Tudo a serviço da acumulação capitalista das elites colonizadoras. Os casos de Jerusalém e Rio de Janeiro ilustram esse processo.
“Let Go of Your Ball, This Is Not the NBA!”: The Influence of Hip-Hop Ball on Institutional Basketball Around Paris (France): Cultural Antagonisms and Difficult Cohabitation
Authors: Sudre David , Joncheray Helene , Lech Antoine
Published: March 2019

The nature of the game of basketball, which is to score more hoops than the opposing team while respecting a set of rules, has often been questionned. Young players have been developing new ways to play and think basketball ever since the advent of the American hip-hop basketball (“hip-hop ball”) culture in France in the noughties. However, this way of playing basketball is viewed negatively by club coaches, who are the guardians of institutional basketball. Through participant observation and the interviewing of five coaches and 32 players, this article seeks to measure the consequences of what may be seen as a cultural divide. Our findings show how coaches depreciate hip-hop ball culture and sometimes stigmatize players to reinforce their own legitimacy within institutional basketball. Also, our data illustrate the players’ ability to shift from one basketball culture to the next in an attempt to gain recognition in institutional basketball.
Does Increasing Racial Minority Representation Contribute to Overall Organizational Performance? The Role of Organizational Mission and Diversity Climate
Authors: Lee Hongseok
Published: March 2019

One underexplored question in the representative bureaucracy literature is whether public employees advocate for their demographic groups at the expense of other groups or their organizational roles. Many studies have focused on the link between passive representation, or the extent to which the public workforce reflects the demographic characteristics of its clients, and active representation, or the extent to which policies advance the interests of those people. However, little research has been done on whether and when increased representation by a certain group enhances overall organizational performance. This study examines the relationship between racial minority representation in U.S. federal agencies and the agencies’ goal achievement while considering the moderating role of organizational mission and diversity climate. The panel data analysis shows that increased minority representation lowers agencies’ goal achievement. However, a positive relationship exists between the two in agencies that mainly work to promote social equity for disadvantaged populations and foster a positive diversity climate in the workplace. These findings suggest that racial minority employees can better contribute to organizational success in agencies where they balance advocacy and organizational roles well and they are treated fairly and respectfully.
Developing vocational rehabilitation services for people with long-term neurological conditions: Identifying facilitators and barriers to service provision
Authors: Hayward Kate , Mateen Bilal A , Playford E Diane , Eva Gail
Published: March 2019

Introduction

This study aimed to understand existing vocational rehabilitation service provision in one locality in London (population 3.74 million), identify any gaps and explore reasons for this, to support service development.

Method

Using soft systems methodology to guide the research process, semi-structured interviews were completed with nine participants, who were clinicians and managers providing vocational rehabilitation within a National Health Service context. Data were analysed thematically to build a ‘rich picture’ and develop a conceptual model of vocational rehabilitation service delivery. Findings were then ratified with participants at an engagement event.

Results

The findings indicate a spectrum of vocational rehabilitation service provision for long-term neurological conditions with differing levels of funding in place. Vocational rehabilitation often takes place ‘under the radar’ and therefore the true vocational rehabilitation needs of this population, and the extent of service provision, is not known. There is inconsistency of understanding across the services as to what constitutes vocational rehabilitation and outcomes are not routinely measured.

Conclusion

For vocational rehabilitation services to develop they require appropriate funding, driven by government policy to commissioners. Clear definitions of vocational rehabilitation, collecting and sharing outcome data and effective communication across services are needed at a local level. This is expressed in a conceptual model of vocational rehabilitation service delivery.
Using the small punch test to analyse the influence of ultraviolet radiation on the mechanical behaviour of recycled polyethylene terephthalate
Authors: Abt Tobias , Álvarez Guillermo , Rodríguez Cristina , Maspoch Maria Lluisa
Published: March 2019

The aim of this work is to evaluate the feasibility of small punch test as a tool for analysing the mechanical response of small plastic parts or specimens. Here, the small punch test was used to study the possible influence of ultraviolet radiation exposure on the mechanical properties of outdoor furniture made from recycled polyethylene terephthalate in the frame of an industrial project with participants from both industry and academia. The industrial project partners prepared four types of masterbatches in order to stabilize the recycled polyethylene terephthalate and to minimize photodegradation as well as colour change in the final product. The masterbatches contained red pigments, antioxidants and ultraviolet absorbers. Flat sample plates were injection moulded from recycled polyethylene terephthalate and these masterbatches. Some sample plates were used as-moulded, some samples received a thermal treatment in order to post-crystallize the bottle-grade recycled polyethylene terephthalate and some other samples were subjected to ultraviolet radiation for 900 h. In the frame of an industrial project, the ultraviolet ageing was performed superficially only on one side of the plates in order to evaluate the colour change. The three sets of samples were analysed by means of tensile tests, differential scanning calorimetry and intrinsic viscosity. However, the irradiated samples could not be tested with tensile tests due to their small size. Therefore, the small punch test was used to accurately characterize these small samples. The feasibility of the small punch test as a valid mechanical characterization method for these types of materials was demonstrated by comparing the small punch test results from the unradiated samples with the tensile test ones. The mechanical parameters obtained from both types of tests showed the same results. Although the used industrial ultraviolet ageing process produced a colour change in the studied recycled polyethylene terephthalate samples, it was possible to verify via small punch tests that the mechanical properties were not affected.
Development of a claims-based algorithm to identify potentially undiagnosed chronic migraine patients
Authors: Pavlovic Jelena M , Yu Justin S , Silberstein Stephen D , Reed Michael L , Kawahara Steve H , Cowan Robert P , Dabbous Firas , Campbell Karen L , Shewale Anand R , Pulicharam Riya , Kowalski Jonathan W , Viswanathan Hema N , Lipton Richard B
Published: March 2019

Objective

To develop a claims-based algorithm to identify undiagnosed chronic migraine among patients enrolled in a healthcare system.

Methods

An observational study using claims and patient survey data was conducted in a large medical group. Eligible patients had an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth/Tenth Revision (ICD-9/10) migraine diagnosis, without a chronic migraine diagnosis, in the 12 months before screening and did not have a migraine-related onabotulinumtoxinA claim in the 12 months before enrollment. Trained clinicians administered a semi-structured diagnostic interview, which served as the gold standard to diagnose chronic migraine, to enrolled patients. Potential claims-based predictors of chronic migraine that differentiated semi-structured diagnostic interview-positive (chronic migraine) and semi-structured diagnostic interview-negative (non-chronic migraine) patients were identified in bivariate analyses for inclusion in a logistic regression model.

Results

The final sample included 108 patients (chronic migraine = 64; non-chronic migraine = 44). Four significant predictors for chronic migraine were identified using claims in the 12 months before enrollment: ≥15 versus <15 claims for acute treatment of migraine, including opioids (odds ratio = 5.87 [95% confidence interval: 1.34–25.63]); ≥24 versus <24 healthcare visits (odds ratio = 2.80 [confidence interval: 1.08–7.25]); female versus male sex (odds ratio = 9.17 [confidence interval: 1.26–66.50); claims for ≥2 versus 0 unique migraine preventive classes (odds ratio = 4.39 [confidence interval: 1.19–16.22]). Model sensitivity was 78.1%; specificity was 72.7%.

Conclusions

The claims-based algorithm identified undiagnosed chronic migraine with sufficient sensitivity and specificity to have potential utility as a chronic migraine case-finding tool using health claims data. Research to further validate the algorithm is recommended.
Technology Assessment to Improve Operations Counts at Non-Towered Airports
Authors: Yang Chuyang , Mott John H. , Hardin Brandon , Zehr Steven , Bullock Darcy M.
Published: March 2019

Accurate airport operations counts are important for determining appropriate funding allocations for airport development and improvement. Fewer than 270 of the 2,950 non-primary airports in the United States, however, have air traffic control (ATC) personnel who are available to count airport operations. Existing counting methods such as automatic acoustic counters (AAC) are not viable long-term solutions because of the expense and inconvenience of deploying the devices on a large scale. This paper validates a cost-effective counting technology based on a technique that uses signal strength obtained from aircraft transponders to register the occurrence of aircraft operations at non-towered airports. Over 50 million transponder records were collected from two different versions of the system, which were installed at Purdue University Airport (KLAF), Terre Haute Regional Airport (KHUF), and Indianapolis Executive Airport (KTYQ), all in Indiana. The operations counts calculated from these records were compared with those obtained from the Federal Aviation Authority (FAA)’s Air Traffic Activity Data System (ATADS) database, which contains official operations data reported by airports with ATC towers. The Version I device utilized a Raspberry Pi platform and produced error rates ranging from −10.2% to +7.6%. The Version II device consisted of the pre-production commercialized system and resulted in error rates ranging from −4.9% to −1.4%. The test results suggest that this pre-production implementation of the transponder signal-counting technology is an accurate and cost-effective way to count non-towered airport operations. Improvement and testing of this technology is being undertaken, and field deployments are ongoing at additional airports.
Testing the Validity of an Internal Power Theory of Interpersonal Violence
Authors: Wagers Shelly M. , Wareham Jennifer , Sellers Christine S.
Published: March 2019

The assertion that the motive behind battering is “power and control” is commonly accepted. Indeed, the most commonly cited “theory” behind Batterer Intervention Programs, a primary criminal justice system response to domestic violence, is that domestic violence offenders are motivated by their need to obtain “power and control.” However, this theory has not been fully developed or empirically tested. Researchers have argued for the need to turn attention back to developing better theoretical models with clear conceptualizations and operationalizations of the power construct. Wagers articulated such a theory and introduced a “super construct” called internal power. This article seeks to further develop and empirically test Wagers’s theory. Confirmatory factor analysis is used to examine the viability of the internal power construct, and structural equation modeling is used to test the relationship between the internal power factor and self-reported interpersonal abusive behaviors. Findings indicate internal power is a viable construct that warrants further exploration and offer preliminary support for internal power theory as an explanation of intimate partner violence.
Ignorance Is Bliss, or Is It? The Effects of Pay Transparency, Informational Justice and Distributive Justice on Pay Satisfaction and Affective Commitment
Authors: Scheller Eric M. , Harrison Wayne
Published: March 2019

Pay transparency—open access to comparative wages—may help reduce wage discrepancies and otherwise benefit organizations. A 2 × 2 × 2 between-subjects factorial design was used to test the effects of pay transparency, informational justice and distributive justice on pay satisfaction and affective commitment. Case scenarios were developed to manipulate these variables and test main effect and interaction hypotheses. Full-time employees in the United States ( N = 293) were recruited from Amazon’s MTurk. Results showed main effects of pay transparency and distributive justice on both pay satisfaction and affective commitment; an informational justice effect was revealed on affective commitment. Pay transparency had a larger effect on pay satisfaction when distributive justice was low than when it was high. Exploratory analyses revealed an interaction between pay transparency, gender and race on pay satisfaction. This study confirmed positive consequences of pay transparency policies, which are proposed to be a component of informational justice.
Biomarker Predictors of Delirium in Acutely Ill Patients: A Systematic Review
Authors: Michels Monique , Michelon Cleonice , Damásio Danusa , Vitali Angeles Meller , Ritter Cristiane , Dal-Pizzol Felipe
Published: March 2019

Delirium is a serious and common disorder that affects up to 80% of acutely ill patients, mainly the aged. In recent years, several studies pointed out possible biomarkers that could be used alone or in combination with other resources in the diagnosis and follow-up of critically ill patients who develop delirium. In this context, a systematic review was conducted to determine the predictive value of several biomarkers in acutely (critically and noncritically) ill adult patients with delirium. Studies that used the confusion assessment method (CAM) and CAM-intensive care unit as the diagnostic method were considered. The most recent search was performed in November 2017. There was no language restriction. Initially, 626 articles were screened and 39 were included in the study. A comprehensive evaluation of the abstracts resulted in the exclusion of 202 studies, leaving 39 articles as potentially relevant. Inflammatory markers, S100β and cortisol, could predict delirium occurrence in a specific subgroup population of critically ill patients.
Psychology of Working Theory With Refugee Persons: Applications for Career Counseling
Authors: Massengale Michael , Shebuski Karen M. , Karaga Sara , Choe Elise , Hong Jihee , Hunter Tameeka L. , Dispenza Franco
Published: March 2019

The world is facing the largest number of displaced persons in history, with many refugee persons seeking safety in the United States. Among many challenges, refugee persons may face difficulty when navigating the world of work in the United States. We conceptualize career-related barriers for refugee persons residing in the United States, including economic constraints, acculturation challenges, and health disparities. Given these challenges, we describe the relevance of psychology of working theory as a potential theoretical model from which to conceptualize career concerns in refugee persons. Finally, based on previous research, we provide implications for counselors working with refugee persons with vocational concerns, as well as suggested areas for future research.
Understanding the Relationship Between Job Insecurity and Performance: Hindrance or Challenge Effect?
Authors: Piccoli Beatrice , Reisel William D. , De Witte Hans
Published: March 2019

This study aims to propose a theoretical model that explains the psychological processes underlying the job insecurity–performance relationship. To accomplish this goal, we draw on a two-dimensional stressor framework. Job insecurity may undermine performance through a hindrance effect, because it causes strain reactions and withdrawal behaviors. In contrast, it can trigger productive behaviors as a form of job preservation strategy, when reacting actively. These competing predictions are integrated in the same structural equation modeling by testing the negative indirect effect of job insecurity on task and contextual performance, mediated by job satisfaction and affective commitment. The positive challenge effect is examined by testing the remaining direct path to performance. To provide convergence of evidence, two studies were conducted with the purpose to replicate patterns and findings across different measures and samples. The results provide support only for negative and passive reactions to job insecurity, leading to lower performance.
The pursuit of new citizenship by peri-urban residents in China: Status, rights, and individual choice
Authors: Wang Dong , Christiansen Flemming
Published: March 2019

Although China did not announce any official urbanization policy until 2014, since the 1980s urbanization has been the core goal of China’s unceasing push for modernization and national rejuvenation. Tens of millions of inhabitants living on the fringes of China’s cities merely hold temporary permits with virtually no political and social rights and only a modicum of public policy benefit in the cities where they work. The rights and social entitlements of these people are changing once again, because cities in China are now required by the central government to include the majority of them as normal citizens with equal rights. From the perspectives of three groups of peri-urban residents – relocated agricultural elites, in situ urbanites, and migrant workers – in Luoyang, Shanghai, and Hohhot, this article traces the dynamic dimensions of this ongoing, highly complex urbanization process. We argue that the decision to become a participant, negotiator, deal-maker, or deal-breaker in the migration, displacement, and/or resettlement process involves proactive agency and rational choices in a fast-moving environment, and that cities in China must make concessions to convince peri-urbanites to give up their official rural links.
Effect of ratcheting fatigue damage on the evolution of tensile properties of Al–Mg alloy
Authors: Kumar Pankaj , Das Bimal , Singh Akhilendra
Published: March 2019

This work aims to investigate the effect of damage accumulation on the evolution of tensile properties due to prior ratcheting fatigue in as-received and artificially aged conditions of Al–Mg alloy (AA 5754). Uniaxial asymmetric stress controlled tests for various combinations of mean stress and stress amplitude are performed at room temperature. Progressive degradation in the mechanical properties of structures and machines subjected to cyclic loading during service period can affect the structural integrity. In view of this, ratcheting fatigue tests are interrupted at various life fractions for particular mean stress and stress amplitude followed by tensile tests to understand the damage evolution during ratcheting for both conditions of alloy. Also, the effect of mean stress and stress amplitude on the post ratcheting tensile behaviour is analysed by conducting the ratcheting tests up to 150 cycles. Cyclic hardening is exhibited in the initial cycles followed by saturation for both as-received and artificially aged alloy. Ratcheting strain increases with the increase in both mean stress and stress amplitude. Drastic changes in tensile properties are noticed with ratcheting fatigue damage evolution for both conditions of alloy. The evolution of tensile properties due to prior loading history such as ratcheting fatigue can provide fundamental understanding in the design of structural components.
Measurement of articulation angle by image template matching
Authors: de Saxe Christopher , Cebon David
Published: March 2019

Articulated heavy goods vehicles and long combination vehicles offer improved efficiency and emissions but reduced low-speed manoeuvrability and high-speed stability compared to rigid lorries. Active control systems can help to address these issues but require additional instrumentation, particularly articulation angle sensing. Existing commercial and research solutions for articulation sensing are limited either in terms of measurement accuracy or practicality. In this paper, a camera-based articulation angle sensing concept using template-matching and an Unscented Kalman Filter is investigated, including detailed simulation and full-scale vehicle experiments. The effects of aliasing and trailer pitch angle are studied, and a correction model for trailer pitch is proposed. The sensing system demonstrates superior measurement accuracy compared to the published literature, with root mean square errors of 0.8°–1.8° for articulation angles up to 37° in full-scale experiments. The sensor solution proposed in this work addresses more of the practical criteria for this problem than the comparable solutions in the literature. It does so through the novel camera and image processing system which is unique to this application. The proposed sensor offers acceptable measurement accuracy in real-time, is non-contact, requires minimal knowledge of trailer parameters and is compatible with semi-trailers and rigid draw-bar trailers.
Control-oriented modelling of three-way catalytic converter for fuel-to-air ratio regulation in spark ignited engines
Authors: Guardiola Carlos , Climent Héctor , Pla Benjamín , Real Marcelo
Published: March 2019

The purpose of this paper is to introduce a grey-box model of three-way catalytic converter, which is capable of estimating the oxygen storage level to aid the fuel-to-air ratio control in spark ignited engines. As it is well-known, the prime parameter that drives the transient dynamics in current three-way catalytic converter is their capability to store a certain amount of oxygen, then allowing to oxidize some pollutant species such as carbon monoxide or hydrocarbons even at rich conditions during short periods of time. Since oxygen storage level is considered a good indicator of the catalyst state but it cannot be directly measured, a model based real-time capable estimation like the one proposed in this paper could be valuable. The model accounts for oxygen storing as well as oxidation and reduction of the main species involved, taking as inputs fuel-to-air equivalence ratio, air mass flow, temperature and gas composition at three-way catalyst inlet. From these inputs, oxygen storage level and brick temperature are calculated as model states, which finally provide the gas composition downstream of the catalyst as output. In addition, a simplified model of narrowband [Formula: see text] sensor is included, it provides a voltage from gas composition at the outlet of the catalyst and allows to assess the model behaviour by comparison with the on-board [Formula: see text] sensor measurements. Finally, the validation of the model performance by means of experimental test as well as different practical cases, where the benefits of oxygen storage level estimation plays a key role, are introduced.
Agentisation of airports and the pursuit of regional development in Poland
Authors: Niewiadomski Piotr
Published: March 2019

The paper adopts the economic-geographical ideas of strategic coupling, path-dependence and path-creation to analyse the role of local/regional institutions in shaping the impacts of airports on regional development. By means of focusing on the airport industry (i.e. an integral component of the wider air transport system), the paper aims to help bridge the gap between economic geography, where air transport has received little attention, and transport geography, which so far has made little use of the theoretical advancements made in economic geography. The paper discusses the example of Poland where, further to the fall of communism, regional development became a key ambition for local and regional governments and where the importance of passenger aviation is rapidly increasing. Drawing from 16 interviews with airlines, Polish airports and Polish local authorities, and from documentary analysis, the paper explores the ways in which local/regional governments charge their airports with the path-shaping tasks of fostering strategic couplings with airlines and catalysing new forms of growth. This includes financial and political support, joint marketing and imposing challenging targets. The paper also shows that the transformation of Polish airports from passive assets into active agents of regional development (a process that is referred to as the ‘agentisation of airports’) is inherently path-dependent. The peculiar structure of ownership in the Polish airport industry (a partial legacy of the previous system) and the tensions between various actors that it spawns entangle Polish airports in the multi-scalar patterns of politics, which determine the effectiveness of their path-shaping roles.
Out of the comfort zone? The ECB, financial assistance, independence and accountability
Authors: Dermine Paul
Published: March 2019

The European debt crisis (Eurozone crisis) precipitated an unprecedented reconfiguration of the institutional architecture of the Economic and Monetary Union. At the core of such overhaul was the establishment of a financial assistance function specific to the Eurozone. From the outset, there has been a clear will to closely involve the European Central Bank (ECB) at all stages of the operation of this new function. The ECB, an institution endowed with a monetary mandate, has thus entered the field of economic policy. Against that background, this paper intends to investigate the legal and political accountability arrangements the ECB is subject to in that new context. Both the texts organizing the intervention of the ECB and its subsequent practice reveal, so the paper will show, that the ECB’s action in that particular context is mainly conceived as falling under its monetary mandate, and thus as being covered by its independence. The paper will argue that this situation is legally problematic, especially in view of the deep interpenetration between the economic and the monetary policy fields and the redistributive effects of the choices made. It will also claim that the ECB’s independence in that particular context, and the accountability structures it is subject to, should be adjusted.
When Developing Countries Meet Transnational Universities: Searching for Complementarity and Dealing With Dual Embeddedness
Authors: Guimón José , Narula Rajneesh
Published: March 2019

During the past two decades, a growing number of universities, mainly from developed countries, have established branch campuses in developing countries. From the developing country perspective, attracting foreign universities can help mitigate financial constraints and capacity shortages that impair the state’s ability to provide greater access to higher education, while also improving teaching and research in general. However, foreign universities may also be detrimental if they crowd out their domestic counterparts. We explore different scenarios and policy options for developing countries aiming to attract foreign universities, building upon a review of four case studies from Chile, China, Kazakhstan, and Malaysia. Our analysis illustrates how host countries can provide incentives to align incoming foreign universities to complement and strengthen the areas of weakness in their higher education systems. We also reflect on how policy-makers can deal with the challenges associated with the dual embeddedness of international branch campuses.
Drawing lessons from “CRISPR/Cas as a minimal cognitive system”: a commentary on Yakura
Authors: Keijzer Fred
Published: March 2019

Hidetaka Yakura provides an interesting contribution to the discussion on minimal cognition. He develops the idea that the CRISPR/Cas immune system, as present in many bacteria and archaea, can itself be cast as a minimal cognitive system.
Impact of a Direct Oral Anticoagulant Population Management Tool on Anticoagulation Therapy Monitoring in Clinical Practice
Authors: Valencia Daniela , Spoutz Patrick , Stoppi Jaclyn , Kibert Jeffery L. , Allen Arthur , Parra David , Hough Augustus
Published: March 2019

Background: The optimal monitoring and follow-up strategy for long-term direct oral anticoagulant (DOAC) therapy has not been established. Historically, at our medical center, DOAC patients were referred to a clinical pharmacy specialist managed anticoagulation clinic (AC) for monitoring via regularly scheduled encounters (face-to-face or telephone). Objective: To determine if implementation of a DOAC Population Management Tool (PMT) designed to identify patients who most likely require clinical review and possibly intervention, would improve the efficacy (interventions per patient) and efficiency (time invested to generate an intervention) of monitoring over AC practices. Methods: The DOAC PMT group included patients flagged as potentially having a dosing issue or history of valve replacement. The AC group included patients who were scheduled for routine DOAC follow-up. The quantity and character of interventions made were prospectively recorded and compared. Results: A total of 399 patients were included. Data were collected for 131 patients identified by the DOAC PMT, resulting in a review of 170 flags with a total of 94 interventions or 0.55 interventions per flag reviewed. For the AC group, 268 patients were evaluated, leading to 53 interventions or 0.20 interventions per patient encounter ( P < 0.001 for comparison). The time to generate an intervention was 16 minutes in the DOAC PMT versus 64 minutes for the AC group. Conclusion and Relevance: A population-based approach to DOAC monitoring represents a more effective and efficient strategy to reduce missed opportunities for interventions between follow-up appointments while also increasing clinic access, particularly for patients who require immediate attention.
3D Biometrics for Hindfoot Alignment Using Weightbearing Computed Tomography
Authors: Zhang Jian Zhong , Lintz François , Bernasconi Alessio ,   the Weight Bearing CT International Study Group, Zhang Shu
Published: March 2019

Background:

Weightbearing computed tomography (WBCT) is a useful tool for the assessment of hindfoot alignment (HA). Foot ankle offset (FAO) is a recently introduced parameter, determined from WBCT images using semiautomatic software. The aim of this study was to determine the clinical relevance and reproducibility of FAO for the evaluation of HA.

Methods:

A prospective comparative study was performed on consecutive patients requiring bilateral WBCT between September 2017 and April 2018. Based on the clinical assessment of HA, patients were divided into 3 groups: (1) normal alignment group (G1), (2) valgus (G2), and (3) varus (G3). FAO and long axial view (HACT) were measured on WBCT images, and the groups were compared. The reproducibility of FAO and HACT was determined through intraclass correlation coefficients (ICCs). Regression analysis was performed to investigate the correlation between the 2 methods. Overall, 249 feet (126 patients) were included (G1 = 115, G2 = 78, and G3 = 56 feet).

Results:

The mean values for FAO and HACT were 1.2% ± 2.8% and 3.9 ± 3.1, respectively, in G1; 8.1% ± 3.7% and 9.7 ± 4.9 in G2; and −6.6% ± 4.8% and −8.2 ± 6.6 in G3. Intra- and interobserver reliability was 0.987 and 0.988 for FAO and 0.949 and 0.949 for HACT, respectively. There was a good linear correlation between HACT and FAO ( R2 = 0.744), with a regression slope of 1.064.

Conclusions:

WBCT was a useful method for the characterization of HA. FAO was reproducible and correlated well with physical examination.

Level of Evidence:

Level II, prospective comparative study.
Kaposi sarcoma associated with rituximab-based cytotoxic therapy
Authors: Alkan Ali , Yaşar Arzu , Toprak Serhat
Published: March 2019

Kaposi sarcoma (KS) is a low-grade mesenchymal angioproliferative disease, mostly observed in immune compromised patients. KS is mostly encountered in HIV-positive or organ transplant patients. The drugs causing immunosuppression have also been associated with KS. Here, we present a KS experience associated with rituximab-based therapy.
Controversy Over Voluntary Environmental Standards: A Socioeconomic Analysis of the Marine Stewardship Council
Authors: Wijen Frank , Chiroleu-Assouline Mireille
Published: March 2019

Voluntary standards certifying environmental qualities of labeled products have proliferated across sectors and countries. Effectuating these standards requires the collaboration among and between creators (typically firms and nongovernmental organizations) and adopters (firms across a particular supply chain). However, the need to collaborate does not rule out the presence of controversy. Drawing on the case of the Marine Stewardship Council, a leading seafood standard to conserve the world’s threatened marine fauna, we analyze how this controversy, from economic and sociologic vantage points, impacts a sustainability transition. In essence, interest divergence drives controversy over standard design, which spurs controversy over standard effectiveness and prompts the proliferation of competing standards. Controversy is magnified by the opacity or nontransparency of the fields which such standards seek to govern. We conclude that, while interest divergence and field opacity entail inherent controversy over voluntary environmental standards, the impact of this controversy on sustainability transitions is typically predominantly positive.
Paying Before or Paying After? Timing and Uncertainty in Pay-What-You-Want Pricing
Authors: Viglia Giampaolo , Maras Marta , Schumann Jan , Navarro-Martinez Daniel
Published: March 2019

Pay what you want (PWYW) is a relatively new and promising pricing mechanism, where consumers have full control over the price they pay. It can potentially increase profits, but its practical applications have produced mixed results. The time of payment, and its implications for consumer uncertainty, might constitute an important determinant of the profitability of such pricing schemes for service providers. A large field experiment conducted in conventional and fast-food restaurants provides initial support that paying after consumption increases PWYW amounts. A laboratory study then details the underlying psychological process; payments after consumption help resolve uncertainty about the service process and service outcome. Another study affirms these insights and further shows that PWYW after consumption, compared with fixed pricing, can increase profitability due to enhanced service capacity utilization. By detailing how timing and uncertainty reduction affect consumers’ chosen payments, this article contributes to PWYW research in particular, as well as more general literature pertaining to the dynamics that affect consumers’ service experiences and service pricing studies.
Late fracture of Groshong ports: A report of the three cases
Authors: Saijo Fumito , Mutoh Mitsuhisa , Tokumine Joho , Yoshinobu Odaka , Hama Hikaru , Namima Takashige , Shibahara Mii , Tokumura Hiromi
Published: March 2019

Background:

Totally implantable venous access devices are valuable tools for total parenteral nutrition, chemotherapy, and long-term intravenous therapy. However, late catheter fracture is a well-known complication of totally implantable venous access device, particularly in Groshong silicone catheter. Recently, a specific type of totally implantable venous access device made with Groshong silicone has been introduced to facilitate power injection of contrast medium for enhanced computed tomography.

Cases description:

We reported three cases of catheter fracture in power-injectable Groshong silicone totally implantable venous access device. From May 2012 to August 2014, 66 patients underwent power-injectable Groshong silicone totally implantable venous access device implantation at our institution, with a median follow-up of 20.1 (range 0.2–58.1) months. The catheters in all patients were inserted into the internal jugular vein under ultrasound guidance and were connected to the port implanted in the upper chest through the subcutaneous tunnel. Chemotherapy was administered using these routes. Fractures of all three cases specifically showed a torn catheter section: smooth surface on one side, and a rough edge on the other side of the catheter, suggesting that long-term repeated stretch force may be related with the mechanism of fracture.

Conclusion:

Totally implantable venous access devices with Groshong silicone catheters, if inserted via the internal jugular vein, have a potential risk for late catheter fracture.
Sequencing-Based Transcriptome-Wide Targeted Genotyping for Evolutionary and Ecological Studies
Authors: Zhu Xuan , Wang Jing , Lv Jia , Liu Pingping , Zhang Lingling , Jiao Wenqian , Ma Cen , Bao Zhenmin , Wang Shi
Published: March 2019

Transcriptome-wide targeted genotyping is highly attractive for evolutionary and ecological studies but, until recently, accomplishing this goal presented a major technical barrier for the study of non-model organisms. Our group has recently developed a high-throughput targeted genotyping approach (called HD-Marker) based on the high specificity and accuracy of oligo extension-ligation assays that facilitates the design of assays tailored to meet specific genotyping needs. HD-Marker allows for targeted genotyping of over 10 000 genes in a single tube, with strikingly high capture rate (98%-99%) and genotyping accuracy (97%-99%). With the remarkable advantages of cost-effectiveness and flexibility, we envision that HD-Marker has broad application potential in evolutionary and ecological studies.
The other ‘fake’ news: Professional ideals and objectivity ambitions in brand journalism
Authors: Serazio Michael
Published: March 2019

The recent ascendance of brand journalism – whereby corporations employ news-like labor and means to court consumers and cultivate consciousness – raises serious concerns about the church–state boundary, as well as other long-standing press ideals such as objectivity and social responsibility. This article examines the fate of those practices and ambitions, as articulated by the professionals involved in the production of this quasi-reportorial, quasi-advertising content. The method of inquiry relies upon 28 in-depth interviews with those who manage and work in native advertising and content marketing in the United States, as well as extensive trade press coverage of the phenomenon, to understand the principles they profess and the adaptations they have undergone in transitioning from traditional editorial to now more commercial employment. It concludes with a political economy critique of what these corporate aspirations might cost the information credibility and democratic potential of the news genre.
Governance of religious diversity in Western Europe
Authors: Dikici Erdem
Published: March 2019

“Governance of religious diversity” appears to be the latest term to address the relationship between the state and (immigrant) religious groups in Western Europe. Conventional/established arrangements and frameworks of state-church relations (i.e. secularism) need to be revisited to include new religions and religious groups to the equation. It is suggested that contemporary multicultural societies require a broader perspective and a sophisticated framework than established understandings of secularism, and receiving states’ governmental policies. Today, the main concern of Western European states is not the relationship between the state and church, but how to deal with Islam and accommodate distinctive religious practices in public spaces. This review article examines the current debates on governance of religious diversity through elaborating on the six books reviewed.
Why economic agency matters: An account of structural domination in the economic realm
Authors: Claassen Rutger , Herzog Lisa
Published: March 2019

Authors like Iris Young and Philip Pettit have come up with proposals for theorizing ‘structural injustice’ and social relations marred by ‘domination’. These authors provide conceptual tools for focusing on concrete economic structures and re-focus the debate about justice onto questions of power. In this article we build on their work, but we argue that a positive notion of economic agency is needed as a criterion for what makes economic structures dominating and potentially unjust. We propose a notion of economic agency, which we relate to a more general notion of autonomous agency to create a dual-level account. Domination in the economic sphere happens where individuals are deprived of their economic agency, to the extent that such agency is necessary to lead an autonomous life in general. Using the example of creditor-debtor relations we argue for the usefulness of this theoretical framework. Finally, we define injustices in terms of threshold levels of economic agency, the latter being spelled out in terms of a set of capabilities. This proposal overcomes the artificial boundaries between those theorizing ‘justice’ and those theorizing ‘power’ when analyzing the economic domain.
Parenting in Times of War: A Meta-Analysis and Qualitative Synthesis of War Exposure, Parenting, and Child Adjustment
Authors: Eltanamly Hend , Leijten Patty , Jak Suzanne , Overbeek Geertjan
Published: March 2019

This mixed methods systematic review and meta-analysis sheds more light on the role parenting practices play in children’s adjustment after war exposure. Specifically, we quantitatively examined whether parenting behavior explained some of the well-known associations between war exposure and children’s adjustment. In addition, we meta-synthesized qualitative evidence answering when and why parenting practices might change for war-affected families. We searched nine electronic databases and contacted experts in the field for relevant studies published until March 2018, identifying 4,147 unique publications that were further screened by title and abstract, resulting in 158 publications being fully screened. By running a meta-analytic structural equation model with 38 quantitative studies ( N = 54,372, M age = 12.00, SD age = 3.54), we found that more war-exposed parents showed less warmth and more harshness toward their children, which partly mediated the association between war exposure and child adjustment, that is, post-traumatic stress symptoms, depression and anxiety, social problems, externalizing behavior, and lower positive outcomes (e.g., quality of life). War exposure was not associated with parents’ exercise of behavioral control. By meta-synthesizing 10 qualitative studies ( N = 1,042; age range = 0−18), we found that the nature of war-related trauma affected parenting differently. That is, parents showed harshness, hostility, inconsistency, and less warmth in highly dangerous settings and more warmth and overprotection when only living under threat. We conclude that it is both how much and what families have seen that shapes parenting in times of war.