bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improvements in Hurricane Intensity Forecasts from a Multimodel Superensemble Utilizing a Generalized Neural Network Technique
Authors: Ghosh T. , Krishnamurti T. N.
Published: March 2018

Forecasting tropical storm intensities is a very challenging issue. In recent years, dynamical models have improved considerably. However, for intensity forecasts more improvement is necessary. Dynamical models have different kinds of biases. Considering a multimodel consensus could eliminate some of the biases resulting in improved intensity forecasts as compared to the individual models. Apart from the ensemble mean, the construction of multimodel consensuses has always contributed to somewhat improved forecasts. The Florida State University (FSU) multimodel superensemble is one that, over the years, has systematically provided improved forecasts for hurricanes, numerical weather prediction, and seasonal climate forecasts. The present study considers an artificial neural network (ANN), based on biological principles, for the construction of a multimodel ensemble. ANN has been used for constructing multimodel consensus forecasts for tropical cyclone intensities. This study uses the generalized regression neural network (GRNN) method for the construction of consensus intensity forecasts for the Atlantic basin. Hurricane seasons 2012–16 are considered. Results show that with only five input models improved guidance for tropical storm intensities may be obtained. The consensus using GRNN mostly outperforms all the models included in the study and the ensemble mean. Forecast errors at the longer forecast leads are considerably less for this multimodel superensemble based on the generalized regression neural network. The skill and correlations of different models along with the developed consensus are provided in our analysis. Results suggest that this consensus forecast may be used for operational guidance and for planning and emergency evacuation management. Possibilities for future improvements of the consensus based on new advances in statistical algorithms are also indicated.
The Two Main Challenges to Catalan Identity
Authors: Carbonell Josep-Maria
Published: March 2018

Since the Franco regime came to an end in 1978, the main political and social forces in Catalonia have pursued a model of intercultural relations that aims to protect Catalan cultural identity and at the same time to incorporate the various different waves of migrants who came to Catalonia from other regions of Spain during the course of the 20th century and who now represent close to 40% of the population. Moreover, during the negotiations for the new Spanish constitution in 1978, these political forces in Catalonia accepted a new political relationship with Spain with the constitution of the Catalan autonomous region. During the course of the past 15 years, two major factors have become increasingly apparent. First, there has been a further wave of migration from other countries and continents, in particular from Muslim countries (13.6% in 2016 compared with 2.9% in 2000). Second, the place of Catalonia within Spain has been called into question for a number of different political, economic, social, and cultural reasons. In 2017, a considerable number of Catalans, close to 50%, mobilized to demand the independence of their country and attempted to proclaim and constitute the “Republic of Catalonia,” thus breaking the constitutional law in force throughout Spain. This breach of the law brought about a response from the Spanish security forces and justice system, which resulted in the suspension of the Catalan autonomous government and the calling of elections. The object of this study is to analyze the impact of the recent migrations and the current political situation on the model of intercultural relations that has governed Catalan cultural identity in recent times. The principal objectives of the model have been to ensure the civil unity of Catalonia, to safeguard Catalan language and culture, and to promote respect for cultures of citizens from other regions of Spain, all within a context of mutual dialogue and exchange. The thesis of this article is that this model, which pursues integration and unity, is in danger of breaking down as a result of the new phenomena.
Epidemiology and Management of Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes in Contemporary Real-World Practice: Evolving Trends From the EYESHOT Study to the START-ANTIPLATELET Registry
Authors: Calabrò Paolo , Gragnano Felice , Di Maio Marco , Patti Giuseppe , Antonucci Emilia , Cirillo Plinio , Gresele Paolo , Palareti Gualtiero , Pengo Vittorio , Pignatelli Pasquale , Pennacchi Mauro , Granatelli Antonino , De Servi Stefano , De Luca Leonardo , Marcucci Rossella ,   for EYESHOT Study and Start Antiplatelet Register
Published: March 2018

The epidemiology and management of patients with acute coronary syndromes (ACSs) have evolved. We aimed to describe recent demographics and therapeutic changes in the Italian ACS population. We analyzed data from 2 multicenter consecutive Italian registries (the EYESHOT [EmploYEd antithrombotic therapies in patients with acute coronary Syndromes HOspitalised in iTalian cardiac care units] and START-ANTIPLATELET registries) enrolling patients with ACS between December 2013 and June 2016. An overall population of 3756 patients with ACS was enrolled: 2585 in the EYESHOT and 1171 in the START-ANTIPLATELET. Compared with the EYESHOT, patients in the START-ANTIPLATELET registry presented more frequently with ST-segment elevation myocardial infarction and were more often smokers and dyslipidemic (all P < .001) and had atrial fibrillation ( P = .018) but were less frequently aged ≥75 years and with a history of major bleeding (all P < .001). Analysis of treatment strategy showed a significant increase in the use of percutaneous coronary intervention, drug-eluting stents, dual antiplatelet therapy, and ticagrelor in the START-ANTIPLATELET (all P < .001), with a substantial decline in the proportion of patients conservatively managed and on clopidogrel at discharge ( P < .001). A lower rate of in-hospital events was recorded in the START-ANTIPLATELET compared with the EYESHOT. The START-ANTIPLATELET and EYESHOT registries provide consecutive snapshots in the contemporary management of patients with ACS in Italy, showing important changes in both demographic characteristics and treatment strategies.
Newly Diagnosed Meniere’s Disease: Clinical Course With Initiation of Noninvasive Treatment Including an Accounting of Vestibular Migraine
Authors: Sbeih Firas , Christov Florian , Gluth Michael B.
Published: March 2018

Objective:

To describe the course of Meniere’s disease with noninvasive treatment during the first few years after initial diagnosis.

Methods:

A retrospective review of consecutive patients with newly diagnosed definite Meniere’s disease between 2013 and 2016 and a minimum follow-up of 1 year. Patients received a written plan for low sodium, water therapy, and treatment with a diuretic and/or betahistine. Subjects were screened and treated for vestibular migraine as needed. Vertigo control and hearing status at most recent follow-up were assessed.

Results:

Forty-four subjects had an average follow up of 24.3 months. Thirty-four percent had Meniere’s disease and vestibular migraine, and 84% had unilateral Meniere’s disease. Seventy-five percent had vertigo well controlled at most recent follow-up, with only noninvasive treatments. Age, gender, body mass index, presence of vestibular migraine, bilateral disease, and duration of follow-up did not predict noninvasive treatment failure. Worse hearing threshold at 250 Hz and lower pure tone average (PTA) at the time of diagnosis did predict failure. Fifty-two percent of ears had improved PTA at most recent visit, 20% had no change, and 28% were worse

Conclusions:

Encountering excellent vertigo control and stable hearing after a new diagnosis of Meniere’s disease is possible with noninvasive treatments. Worse hearing status at diagnosis predicted treatment failure.
Subtypes of suicidal ideation in Korean adolescents: A multilevel latent profile analysis
Authors: Jung Song , Lee Dayoung , Park Seongjun , Hong Hyun Ju
Published: March 2018

Objective:

This study intended to classify subtypes of Korean adolescents with suicidal ideation based on mental health problems and to explore the relationship between such subtypes and individual-, school- and community-level factors.

Method:

Data from high school freshmen who participated in the 2013 school-based mental health screening test and data about school and community variables obtained from public sources were combined and analyzed. A multilevel latent profile analysis using mental health issues as class indicators that included several predictors was conducted.

Results:

Three latent profiles were identified: Group 1 (6.5%) had high scores for both the internalizing and externalizing problems; Group 2 (40.2%) had high scores for internalizing problems, such as depression and mood related symptoms; and Group 3 (53.3%) had lower scores for all mental health problems compared to Groups 1 and 2. Gender, peer conflict, family conflict and academic problems were significant predictors at the individual level; school dropout rate was a significant school-level variable; and percent of youth in the total population, availability of mental health services, number of social welfare facilities and percentage of the total budget devoted to education/welfare were significant community-level variables.

Conclusion:

The present findings suggest that adolescents with suicidal ideation can be classified into several distinct subtypes based on mental health problems. These profiles and their associated covariates will aid in the establishment of youth suicide prevention policies.
A Complexity Theory Framework of Issue Movement
Authors: Dawkins Cedric E. , Barker James R.
Published: March 2018

This research draws on complexity theory to provide an alternative conceptualization of issue management. We use six dynamics of complexity drawn from complex adaptive systems—equipoise, turbulence, sensitive conditions, bifurcation, attractor emergence, and symmetry breaking—to develop a metaphorical framework that describes what occurs during various periods of issue activity and what propels issues from one period of activity to another. We illustrate the framework with a case study of the pharmaceutical industry response to the HIV/AIDS pandemic in Sub-Saharan Africa. The article concludes with a discussion of the additional affordances this framework provides to extend and compliment issue life cycle models.
Irenaeus on Law and Justification
Authors: Choi Michael Jin
Published: March 2018

A theological problem in the ongoing debate on the doctrine of justification between the Old and the New Perspectives on Paul hinges on the question of whether or not legalism was assumed by Paul when he was addressing this doctrine. This study explores how Irenaeus would have responded to the same question concerning Paul’s teaching on justification. Thus, Irenaeus’ explicit comments critically relevant to the debate have been identified and analyzed. It appears that Irenaeus, in a qualified way, would have supported the idea that legalism had emerged in the period soon after the giving of the Mosaic Covenant and had persisted into the Second Temple Period. Irenaeus’ agreement with Justin’s view of the Mosaic Law helps him to see that externalized religion had become the seedbed for legalism.
Representing postpartum depression in contemporary cinema: Cristina Comencini’s Quando la notte and Alina Marazzi’s Tutto parla di te
Authors: DeLisle Giulia Po
Published: March 2018

This article aims to analyze Quando la notte, Cristina Comencini’s 2011 film, and Tutto parla di te, Alina Marazzi’s 2012 first fictional film. Both directors explore some of the problematic emotions that characterize motherhood, and challenge the traditional way of thinking about maternity by offering a reflection on identity, solitude, and solidarity, and by representing how the conflict between fear of the unknown and knowledge can be unraveled by the disclosure of the past into the present. Comencini develops a female stance that hints at a re-appropriation of identity and the assertion of female pleasure. Marazzi builds a choral representation of a female symbolic order, intertwining personal and public spaces and fulfilling the director’s desire to redeem the figure of her own mother.
The Color of Childhood: The Role of the Child/Human Binary in the Production of Anti-Black Racism
Authors: Rollo Toby
Published: March 2018

The binary between the figure of the child and the fully human being is invoked with regularity in analyses of race, yet its centrality to the conception of race has never been fully explored. For most commentators, the figure of the child operates as a metaphoric or rhetorical trope, a non-essential strategic tool in the perpetuation of White supremacy. As I show in the following, the child/human binary does not present a contingent or merely rhetorical construction but, rather, a central feature of racialization. Where Black peoples are situated as objects of violence it is often precisely because Blackness has been identified with childhood and childhood is historically identified as the archetypal site of naturalized violence and servitude. I proceed by offering a historical account of how Black peoples came to inherit the subordination and dehumanization of European childhood and how White youth were subsequently spared through their partial categorization as adults.
The team
Authors: Blackwelder Russell
Published: March 2018

Aligning patient goals with treatment plans is an ongoing challenge in the current healthcare environment. Particularly in patients with multiple comorbidities and terminal illness, this planning is even more important. This poem, which tells the story of a dying patient, highlights the significance of prioritizing patient values and the teamwork it often takes to achieve patient goals. In this case, the patient's goal was to make it to his granddaughter’s wedding and give a special toast at the reception. A team of healthcare professionals assembled and attempted to align our objectives with his, and this poem tells of that journey.
An overview of types and characterization of hot fluids associated with reservoir formation in petroliferous basins
Authors: Hu Wenxuan , Wang Xiaolin , Zhu Dongya , You Donghua , Wu Haiguang
Published: March 2018

Increasing petroleum explorations indicate that the formation of many reservoirs is in close association with deep hot fluids, which can be subdivided into three groups including crust-derived hot fluid, hydrocarbon-related hot fluid, and mantle-derived hot fluid. The crust-derived hot fluid mainly originates from deep old rocks or crystalline basement. It usually has higher temperature than the surrounding rocks and is characterized by hydrothermal mineral assemblages (e.g. fluorite, hydrothermal dolomite, and barite), positive Eu anomaly, low δ18O value, and high 87Sr/86Sr ratio. Cambrian and Ordovician carbonate reservoirs in the central Tarim Basin, northwestern China serve as typical examples. The hydrocarbon-related hot fluid is rich in acidic components formed during the generation of hydrocarbons, such as organic acid and CO2, and has strong ability to dissolve alkaline minerals (e.g. calcite, dolomite, and alkaline feldspar). Extremely 13C-depleted carbonate cements are indicative of the activities of such fluids. The activities of hydrocarbon-related hot fluids are distinct in the Eocene Wilcox Group of the Texas Gulf Coast, and the Permian Lucaogou Formation of the Jimusaer Sag and the Triassic Baikouquan Formation of the Mahu Sag in the Junggar Basin. The mantle-derived hot fluid comes from the upper mantle. The activities of mantle-derived hot fluids are common in the rift basins in eastern China, showing a close spatial relationship with deep faults. This type of hot fluid is characterized by high CO2 content, unique gas compositions, and distinct noble gas isotopic signatures. In the Huangqiao gas field of eastern China, mantle-derived CO2-rich hot fluids have created more pore spaces in the Permian sandstone reservoirs adjacent to deep faults.
The Burden of Power: Construing Power as Responsibility (Rather Than as Opportunity) Alters Threat-Challenge Responses
Authors: Scholl Annika , de Wit Frank , Ellemers Naomi , Fetterman Adam K. , Sassenberg Kai , Scheepers Daan
Published: March 2018

Power usually lowers stress responses. In stressful situations, having high (vs. low) power heightens challenge and lowers threat. Yet, even power-holders may experience threat when becoming aware of the responsibility that accompanies their power. Power-holders can construe (i.e., understand) a high-power position primarily as opportunity to “make things happen” or as responsibility to “take care of things.” Power-holders construing power as responsibility (rather than opportunity) may be more likely to experience demands—such as taking care of important decisions under their control—as outweighing their resources, resulting in less challenge and more threat. Four experiments with subjective and cardiovascular threat-challenge indicators support this. Going beyond prior work on structural aspects (e.g., power instability) that induce stress, we show that merely the way how power-holders construe their power can evoke stress. Specifically, we find that power construed as responsibility (vs. opportunity) is more likely to imply a “burden” for the power-holder.
From the freedom of the seas to No Borders
Authors: Chamberlain James A.
Published: March 2018

Taking inspiration from the legal doctrine of the freedom of the seas, this paper makes the case for No Borders. To do so, it revisits Grotius’s arguments for the freedom of the seas. Analysis of contemporary bordering practices in the Mediterranean Sea reveals the weakness of what appears to be Grotius’s most plausible argument, namely that the ocean cannot be occupied and should therefore be free. While Grotius’s argument for the freedom of the seas based on the idea of divinely sanctioned sociability is clearly problematic for the twenty-first century, the paper retools it by shifting from theology to ontology with a turn to Deleuze and Guattari, and Nancy. The resultant argument, based on Nancy’s idea of being-in-common, not only justifies the freedom of the seas, but also more radically calls for an end to exclusionary political communities and their borders.
Evaluation of oxygen extraction fraction in systemic lupus erythematosus patients using quantitative susceptibility mapping
Authors: Miyata Mari , Kakeda Shingo , Kudo Kohsuke , Iwata Shigeru , Tanaka Yoshiya , Wang Yi , Korogi Yukunori
Published: March 2018

The purposes of this study are to assess the oxygen extraction fraction (OEF) changes on MRI-based quantitative susceptibility mapping (QSM) in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients and to determine whether QSM-OEF is associated with disease activity in SLE. We enrolled 42 SLE patients and 20 healthy subjects (HS) who had no pathologies on conventional brain MRI. Disease activity was assessed using SLE Disease Activity Index (SLEDAI). For the measurement of QSM-OEF, QSM data were analysed using the Perfusion Mismatch Analyzer software program. Spearman's or Pearson's correlation coefficients were calculated, and independent predictors were identified through a multiple linear regression analysis. QSM-OEF was significantly higher in SLE than that in HS (51.3 ± 10.1 vs. 40.5 ± 3.7, p < 0.001). QSM-OEF was positively correlated with SLEDAI and the presence of neuropsychiatric symptom (NPS) scores (ρ = 0.663, p < 0.001 and ρ = 0.340, p = 0.028). At multiple linear regression analysis, SLEDAI and NPS were independently associated with QSM-OEF (standardized β = 0.426, p = 0.016 and standardized β = 6.148, p = 0.029). In the SLE patients, QSM-OEF is associated with disease activity, which might predict an increased risk of stroke in SLE.
The other U.S. Border? Techno-cultural-rationalities and fortification in Southern Mexico
Authors: Walker Margath
Published: March 2018

This article proposes the concept of techno-cultural-rationalities to understand how border security is enacted and “technified” along the historically porous boundary between Mexico and Guatemala. Drawing on Herbert Marcuse’s description of how the technological apparatus transforms what is considered rational in a society, I examine how technology seeks to neutralize politics and instill rigid classifications on fluid and politicized realities in Mexico’s Southern Border Program ( Programa Frontera Sur). The effect of discursive maneuvers related to the Program leave the causes and conditions of migration aside and the victors of border fortification unremarked upon. The policy’s goals are partially and ambiguously accomplished amidst an array of practices, actors, objects, desires, and discourses mediated by and through the particularities of place, which circumscribe and define technological uses. In taking seriously the emergence of situated practices, which are themselves reconfigured by diverse political contexts, I make two inter-related arguments. The first is that technological rationality operates by administering scarcity through the production of finite securities contingent upon the renewal of spatial hierarchies. The second is that informality and transgression serve as idiomatic modes of governance. Provincializing Marcuse or, directing his work to place-based practices and trans-local modes of engagement, through the analytic of techno-cultural-rationalities buttresses the applicability of such an important thinker and provides critical insight into the reproduction of border regimes across different places.
The Ties That Bind
Authors: Gloyn Liz , Crewe Vicky , King Laura , Woodham Anna
Published: March 2018

Using an interdisciplinary research methodology across three archaeological and historical case studies, this article explores “family archives.” Four themes illustrate how objects held in family archives, curation practices, and intergenerational narratives reinforce a family’s sense of itself: people–object interactions, gender, socialization and identity formation, and the “life course.” These themes provide a framework for professional archivists to assist communities and individuals working with their own family archives. We argue that the family archive, broadly defined, encourages a more egalitarian approach to history. We suggest a multiperiod analysis draws attention to historical forms of knowledge and meaning-making practices over time.
The Myth of the Tech-Savvy Teen and the Clueless Senior Citizen
Authors: Pratt Travis C.
Published: March 2018

It is a popular idea that younger people are more technology-savvy than their older counterparts. It is an equally popular idea that our oldest generation—senior citizens—is so clueless about new technological developments that they are the most vulnerable to technology-based forms of victimization. The present article, however, demonstrates that these ideas are myths and that it is the young—not the old—who are most at risk of victimization when technology is involved. This should come as no surprise since the age–victimization curve mirrors rather closely the age–crime curve, where the risk of victimization typically peaks in late adolescence and early adulthood and follows a steady decline thereafter. The risks associated with technologically based forms of victimization—at least in general—are no different. The implications of dispelling these myths for criminological research as we move forward are discussed in the context of the nature of “risky” behaviors at different stages of the life course.
Social credibility online: The role of online comments in assessing news article credibility
Authors: Pjesivac Ivanka , Geidner Nicholas , Cameron Jaclyn
Published: March 2018

This 2 × 2 experimental study (N = 196) tested the effects of source expertise and opinion valence in readers’ comments on the credibility of an online news story about genetically modified organisms (GMOs). Source expertise had a significant influence on perceptions of article credibility; articles were judged more credible when public comments embedded in the story were from expert sources (e.g., scientists) rather than nonexpert sources (e.g., Twitter users). Effects were larger on high-frequency news users, regardless of whether comments were for or against GMOs. Results suggest that Internet users mainly use the peripheral or heuristic route of information processing to evaluate online news credibility. The importance for online journalism of social heuristics via opinions of other people is discussed.
How commenters use online forums as spaces for journalism’s boundary work
Authors: Wolfgang J. David
Published: March 2018

Journalists and online commenters compete for control over news forums. The negotiation of how forums are used, what norms are accepted, and how participants can work together are critical issues for building better forums. This study uses boundary work and a textual analysis of comments to consider how commenters understand best practices and the journalist’s role. Commenters express three hierarchical roles for journalists based on differing philosophies of journalist roles and audience autonomy.
Complementary Role of Hypothermia Identification to the Quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment Score in Predicting Patients With Sepsis at High Risk of Mortality: A Retrospective Analysis From a Multicenter, Observational Study
Authors: Kushimoto Shigeki , Gando Satoshi , Ogura Hiroshi , Umemura Yutaka , Saitoh Daizoh , Mayumi Toshihiko , Fujishima Seitaro , Abe Toshikazu , Shiraishi Atsushi , Ikeda Hiroto , Kotani Joji , Miki Yasuo , Shiraishi Shin-ichiro , Suzuki Koichiro , Suzuki Yasushi , Takeyama Naoshi , Takuma Kiyotsugu , Tsuruta Ryosuke , Yamaguchi Yoshihiro , Yamashita Norio , Aikawa Naoki
Published: March 2018

Background:

Although the quick Sequential Organ Failure Assessment (qSOFA) has been recommended for identifying patients at higher risk of hospital death, it has only a 60% sensitivity for in-hospital mortality. On the other hand, hypothermia associates with increased mortality and organ failure in patients with sepsis. This study aimed to assess the predictive validity of qSOFA for identifying patients with sepsis at higher risk of multiple organ dysfunction or death and the complementary effect of hypothermia.

Methods:

Patients with severe sepsis admitted to intensive care units (ICUs) were retrospectively analyzed. The predictive validities of qSOFA (≥2, positive) and the complementary effect of hypothermia (body temperature ≤36.5°C) for the identification of death or multiorgan dysfunction were evaluated.

Results:

Of the 624 patients, 230 (36.9%) developed multiorgan dysfunction and 144 (23.1%) died within 28 days; 527 (84.5%) had a positive qSOFA. The 28-day mortality rates of patients with positive and negative qSOFA were 25.4% and 10.3%, respectively ( P = .001). The rate of positive qSOFA was higher in patients with multiorgan dysfunction (sensitivity, 0.896; specificity, 0.185) and among patients who died within 28 days (sensitivity, 0.931; specificity, 0.181); 10 (6.9%) of 144 deaths were not identified. In cases of positive qSOFA without hypothermia, positive qSOFA + hypothermia, or negative qSOFA with hypothermia, the predictive value for 28-day mortality improved (sensitivity, 0.979). Among the 144 patients who died, only 3 were not identified.

Conclusion:

A qSOFA score ≥2 may identify >90% of 28-day deaths among patients with severe sepsis; hypothermia may complement the predictive ability of qSOFA.
Released fibroblast growth factor18 from a collagen membrane induces osteoblastic activity involved with downregulation of miR-133a and miR-135a
Authors: Imamura Kentaro , Tachi Keita , Takayama Tadahiro , Shohara Ryutaro , Kasai Hironori , Dai Jisen , Yamano Seiichi
Published: March 2018

We have developed a unique delivery system of growth factors using collagen membranes (CMs) to induce bone regeneration. We hypothesized that fibroblast growth factor18 (FGF-18), a pleiotropic protein that stimulates proliferation in several tissues, can be a good candidate to use our delivery system for bone regeneration. Cell viability, cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, mineralization, and marker gene expression of osteoblastic differentiation were evaluated after mouse preosteoblasts were cultured with a CM containing FGF-18, a CM containing platelet-derived growth factor, or a CM alone. Furthermore, expression of microRNA, especially miR-133a and miR-135a involving inhibition of osteogenic factors, was measured in preosteoblasts with CM/FGF-18 or CM alone. A sustained release of FGF-18 from the CM was observed over 21 days. CM/FGF-18 significantly promoted cell proliferation, alkaline phosphatase activity, and mineralization compared to CM alone. Gene expression of type I collagen, runt-related transcription factor 2, osteocalcin, Smad5, and osteopontin was significantly upregulated in CM/FGF-18 compared to CM alone, and similar to CM/platelet-derived growth factor. Additionally, CM/FGF-18 downregulated expression of miR-133a and miR-135a. These results suggested that released FGF-18 from a CM promotes osteoblastic activity involved with downregulation of miR-133a and miR-135a.
Synthesis of a novel biomedical poly(ester urethane) based on aliphatic uniform-size diisocyanate and the blood compatibility of PEG-grafted surfaces
Authors: Liu Xiaolong , Xia Yiran , Liu Lulu , Zhang Dongmei , Hou Zhaosheng
Published: March 2018

The purpose of this study is to offer a novel kind of polyurethane with improved surface blood compatibility for long-term implant biomaterials. In this work, the aliphatic poly(ester-urethane) (PEU) with uniform-size hard segments was prepared and the PEU surface was grafted with hydrophilic poly(ethylene glycol) (PEG). The PEU was obtained by chain-extension of poly(ɛ-caprolactone) (PCL) with isocyanate-terminated urethane triblock. Free amino groups were introduced onto the surface of PEU film via aminolysis with hexamethylenediamine, and then the NH2-grafted PEU surfaces (PEU-NH2) were reacted with isocyanate-terminated monomethoxyl PEG (MPEG-NCO) to obtain the PEG-grafted PEU surfaces (PEU-PEG). Analysis by nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, and gel permeation chromatography were performed to confirm the chemical structures of the chain extender, PCL, PEU, and PEU-PEG. Additionally, the influence of aminolysis on the physical-mechanical properties of PEU films was investigated. Two glass transition temperatures and a broad endothermic peak were observed in the differential scanning calorimetry curves of PEU, which demonstrated a microphase-separated and semicrystalline structure, respectively. The PEU-PEG film exhibited excellent mechanical properties with an ultimate stress of ∼39 MPa and an elongation at break of ∼1190%, which was slightly lower than that of PEU, indicating that the aminolysis has little influence on the tensile properties. Evaluation of the blood compatibility of the films by bovine serum albumin adsorption and the platelet adhesion test revealed that the PEG-grafted surface had improved resistance to protein adsorption and excellent resistance to platelet adhesion. In vitro degradation tests showed that the PEU-PEG film could maintain its mechanical properties for more than six months and only lost ∼25% weight after 18 months. Due to the excellent mechanical properties, good blood compatibility and slow degradability, this novel kind of polyurethane hold significant promise for long-term implant biomaterials, especially soft tissue augmentation and regeneration.
The Invisible Burden of Violence Against Girls and Young Women in Mexico: 1990 to 2015
Authors: Romero Mendoza Martha P. , Gómez-Dantes Héctor , Manríquez Montiel Quetzaliztli , Saldívar Hernández Gabriela J. , Campuzano Rincón Julio C. , Lozano Rafael , Medina-Mora Icaza María Elena
Published: March 2018

The increasing burden of interpersonal violence in women in Mexico is a neglected social and health problem that competes with other leading causes of premature death, disability, and health losses in young women. In this article, we focus on revealing the burden of violence in girls and young women and its implications for public policy. This study presents the subnational analysis of Mexico from the Global Burden of Disease study (1990-2015). The global study harmonized information of 195 countries and 79 risk factors. The study analyzed the deaths, years of life lost to premature death (YLL), years lived with disability (YLD), and the healthy years of life lost or disability-adjusted life year (DALY) related to violence. Nationwide, violence in young women accounts for 7% of all deaths in the 10 to 29 years age group and arises as the second most important cause of death in all age groups, except 10 to 14 years old, where it stands in the seventh position from 1990 to 2015. The health losses and social impact related to violence in young women demands firm actions by the government and society. It is urgent for health institutions to focus on the health of girls and young women because gender inequities have an enormous effect on their lives. Girls and women are nearly universally less powerful, less privileged, and have fewer opportunities than men.
Changes in the Executive Bonus Payment Patterns in India Between 2008 - 2016: Some Evidences
Authors: Varkkey Biju , Korde Rupa , Wadhwaniya Sunny
Published: March 2018

This article provides a brief overview of the trends in bonus payment to executives in India. Using data from the voluntary web based survey of Paycheck India, which is a part of WageIndicator Foundation, this article analyzes the trends in five types of bonuses, viz., performance, end-of-year, festival, profit-share and others, from 2008 to 2016, across public and private sectors and four types of industries, viz., manufacturing and construction; trade, transport and hospitality; commercial services; and public sector, health care and education. The results suggest that performance bonus is the most popular type of bonus, while profit-share is the least popular. However, from 2008 to 2016, the shares of all types of bonuses in both sectors (Public and Private) and all industries have been declining, and in most of the large industries and firms, bonuses in terms of cash payments are now restricted to fewer executives.
On the Clock: Evidence for the Rapid and Strategic Modulation of Mind Wandering
Authors: Seli Paul , Carriere Jonathan S. A. , Wammes Jeffrey D. , Risko Evan F. , Schacter Daniel L. , Smilek Daniel
Published: March 2018

We examined the hypothesis that people can modulate their mind wandering on the basis of their expectations of upcoming challenges in a task. To this end, we developed a novel paradigm in which participants were presented with an analog clock, via a computer monitor, and asked to push a button every time the clock’s hand was pointed at 12:00. Importantly, the time at which the clock’s hand was pointed at 12:00 was completely predictable and occurred at 20-s intervals. During some of the 20-s intervals, we presented thought probes to index participants’ rates of mind wandering. Results indicated that participants decreased their levels of mind wandering as they approached the predictable upcoming target. Critically, these results suggest that people can and do modulate their mind wandering in anticipation of changes in task demands.
Sliding mode pressure controller for an electropneumatic brake: Part I—plant model and controller design
Authors: Luo Zhuojun , Wu Mengling , Zuo Jianyong
Published: March 2018

Instead of using knowledge-based controllers, which need a lot of experience and experimental data to form a reliable knowledge base, a model-based controller is proposed in this article based on a sliding mode control method to control the brake cylinder pressures of an electropneumatic brake on subway trains. The complicated structure of the electropneumatic brake is simplified, and an order-reduced nonlinear model of the plant is built. An equivalently continuous technique based on pulse width modulation is used to deal with the discontinuity of the plant model, which is derived from the discontinuous nature of On/Off valves. The nonlinear sliding mode controller is designed for air charging and discharging periods, respectively. Measures such as continuous approximation and control dead zone are introduced into the controller to improve control performance. This article concerns mainly about the theoretical part of the whole research. Plant parameter identification and controller tests are performed in a sequel article.
Sliding mode pressure controller for an electropneumatic brake: Part II—parameter identification and controller tests
Authors: Luo Zhuojun , Wu Mengling , Zuo Jianyong
Published: March 2018

In this article, the parameters of the sliding mode pressure controller proposed in part I of this article are identified using direct and indirect methods. A test bench, including hardware and software, is designed to test the performance of the controller. Step response tests are carried out to test controller transient and steady-state control performances. Pressure tracking tests, in which the pressure in the brake cylinder chamber is required to track sinusoidal reference signals, are carried out to test the magnitude and phase frequency characteristics of the closed-loop system. The test results suggest that the proposed controller has excellent closed-loop control performances. It can make full use of the available bandwidth of the electropneumatic brake and regulate the brake cylinder pressure to its required value quickly and precisely without obvious overshoot or undershoot in the step response tests. Steady-state error in the step response tests is no more than ±6 kPa. In the pressure tracking tests, the controller can make the brake cylinder pressure accurately track sinusoidal reference signals at low frequencies. The magnitude and phase frequency characteristics of the closed-loop system with different tube lengths and inner diameters are also given.
Understanding Contextual Layers of Policy and Motivations for Internationalization: Identifying Connections and Tensions
Authors: Fischer Sarah , Green Wendy
Published: March 2018

Many have observed challenges in translating internationalization policy into practice in universities. When key policy documents provide inconsistent messages, a gap can emerge between vision and practice. Understanding the complexities of an institution’s local, national, and global context and its rationale for internationalization can shed light on why such gaps arise. This case study demonstrates how a thematic analysis of relevant international, national, state, and institutional policies can reveal tensions between these layers, and indicate possible reasons for the failure to translate policy into practice. The main rationale driving internationalization at the university studied here is economic; however, starting in 2016, a variation in key themes and, thus, rationales is found in the documents. This indicates a shift in the university’s internationalization discourse may be occurring. We argue that a more comprehensive approach to internationalization is needed to address inconsistencies in policy directions and drive practice.
Entrepreneurship and Human Capital in Professional Sport: A Longitudinal Analysis of the Italian Soccer League
Authors: Radaelli Giovanni , Dell’Era Claudio , Frattini Federico , Messeni Petruzzelli Antonio
Published: March 2018

The discovery and deployment of human capital are overlooked topics in entrepreneurship research. Professional sport can illuminate these phenomena as sport directors take huge risks in innovating rosters. Our longitudinal analysis of the Italian Serie A investigated if sport directors with greater entrepreneurial orientations toward the acquisition of new players outperformed rivals. While soccer organizations with better roster quality and accomplished managers achieved superior rankings, the acquisition of new players had nonsignificant effects and was moderated negatively by accomplished managers. We argue that entrepreneurs risk with “too many” talents while conformity mechanisms attenuate the entrepreneurial opportunities offered by human capital.
Locating Self in Place During a Study Abroad Experience: Emerging Adults, Global Awareness, and the Andes
Authors: Harper Nevin J.
Published: March 2018

Background: College students generally participate in study abroad experiences (SAE) at times of identity and value development as emerging adults. SAE has been criticized as perpetuating colonial acts through the project of globalization. Purpose: This research examined how participants construct meaning about place(s) and how this meaning relates to their sense of self during a 3-week expedition-style SAE in the Bolivian Andes. Methodology/Approach: SAE included place-based learning activities, cultural immersion, service projects, adventure travel, and two concurrent academic courses. Data were gathered from eight participants through written journal assignments, researcher observations, and field notes. Findings/Conclusions: Five themes emerged: personal growth, a multiplicity of meaning, privilege and global perspective, an urban-rural effect, and a taste for more. The social context and comfort–discomfort continuum are discussed as influencing factors. Implications: Findings suggest a place-based SAE can influence value formation and reflective practice of emerging adults. While findings echo SAE as a privileged experience, the question of latent effects of SAE on emerging adult social justice perspectives is raised.
Analytical investigation of buckling of a cylindrical shell subjected to nonuniform external pressure
Authors: Andrianov Igor I
Published: March 2018

An analytical algorithm is proposed for studying the stability of a cylindrical shell subjected to nonuniform external pressure. The algorithm is based on a perturbation procedure and Padé approximants. Unlike the commonly used perturbation method, this approach is not limited by the smallness of the perturbation parameter. The approximate formulas obtained are sufficiently accurate and can be used in engineering practice.
From mental disorders to social suffering: Making sense of depression for critical theories
Authors: Sik Domonkos
Published: March 2018

This article aims at grounding critical theories with the help of psy discourses. Even if the relationship between the two disciplines has always been a controversial one, the article argues that therapeutic knowledge that accesses empirical forms of social suffering may offer important insights for critical theory. This general argument is demonstrated by complementing the theories of Bourdieu and Habermas with a clinical description of depression. First, the limitations of the capabilities of these influential theories in terms of how they can be used to conceptualize the variety of social suffering are introduced. Second, the psy discourses on depression are reviewed to identify and highlight latent references to the social. Third, by combining models of depressive suffering and various distortions of integration, an extended normative basis is elaborated. Instead of solely criticizing inequalities or distortions of communication, those social constellations are criticized that trap actors by producing a homogenous pattern of suffering.
Reclaiming agency in resident–staff interaction: A case study from a Japanese eldercare facility
Authors: Backhaus Peter
Published: March 2018

This article examines the problem of agency in resident–staff interaction in a Japanese eldercare facility. Data were collected during the morning care routines and analysed within the framework of Conversation Analysis. Focusing on the openings and closings, I show that the interactions in the setting under observation are marked by a clear dominance of the care workers. This becomes most obvious at the level of the turn-taking system, where the first pair part of a new sequence is commonly delivered by a care worker, thus assigning a mainly reactive role to the residents. However, the data also contain instances where this pattern is broken up by a reversal of the turn structure. I show how this sequential re-organisation enables a resident to take a more proactive role in determining the relevant next action, arguing that there is much potential for higher resident agency even in routine interactions such as the morning care activities. I also discuss the practical implications of these findings for care communication in general.
Tasks and instructions on the simulated bridge: Discourses of temporality in maritime training
Authors: Sellberg Charlott , Lundin Mona
Published: March 2018

In higher education programs that train students for professions with high standards of safety, such as aviation, shipping and healthcare, exercises in simulated environments provide opportunities for training in educational settings. This study explores the use of simulators in maritime education, taking an interest in how navigation training is achieved by using simulated environments. By conducting an interaction analysis of video data, the study examines how training students to coordinate with other vessels in traffic is topicalized in simulator exercises, focusing on discourses of temporality in instructions. The results show how instruction during simulations is a continuous interactional achievement built on the ability to assess the fit between the assessment criteria at work in the specifics of the situation and the ongoing tasks as they unfold. During simulations temporality becomes a matter for instruction, both when assessing how to develop the students’ understanding and as a topic in its own right. The results highlight tightly coupled relationships among tasks, instruction and technology. The implications for simulator-based training call for refocusing on training tasks rather than specific skills, and emphasize the importance of professional guidance in order to guide the students toward the discourses of maritime work practice in simulator-based training.
Systematic documentation: Structures and tools in a practice of communicative documentation
Authors: Alnervik Karin
Published: March 2018

Swedish preschool teachers must systematically document activities in the preschool in order to evaluate the quality of these activities. Pedagogical documentation is one form of documentation that is proposed. The aim of this article is to discuss and create knowledge of structures and tools based on different communicative aspects of pedagogical documentation. The empirical data consists of statements from preschool teachers with many years of experience of using pedagogical documentation. Their statements have been analysed based on Wartofsky’s concept of primary, secondary and tertiary artefacts. The study points to the importance of various tools of organization in providing direction and frames for documentation in order to enable structures of communication built on rhizomatic learning.