bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mixing Inferred from an Ocean Climatology and Surface Fluxes
Authors: Groeskamp Sjoerd , Sloyan Bernadette M. , Zika Jan D. , McDougall Trevor J.
Published: January 2017

This study provides observation-based estimates, determined by inverse methods, of horizontal and isopycnal eddy diffusion coefficients KH and KI, respectively, the small-scale mixing coefficient D, and the diathermohaline streamfunction Ψ. The inverse solution of Ψ represents the ocean circulation in Absolute Salinity SA and Conservative Temperature Θ coordinates. The authors suggest that the observation-based estimate of Ψ will be useful for comparison with equivalent diagnostics from numerical climate models. The estimates of KH and KI represent horizontal eddy mixing in the mixed layer and isopycnal eddy mixing in the ocean interior, respectively. This study finds that the solution for D and KH are comparable to existing estimates. The solution for KI is one of the first observation-based global and full-depth constrained estimates of isopycnal mixing and indicates that KI is an order of magnitude smaller than KH. This suggests that there is a large vertical variation in the eddy mixing coefficient, which is generally not included in ocean models. With ocean models being very sensitive to the choice of isopycnal mixing, this result suggests that further investigation of the spatial structure of isopycnal eddy mixing from observations is required.
Observing System Experiments in a 3DVAR Data Assimilation System at CPTEC/INPE
Authors: de Azevedo Helena Barbieri , de Gonçalves Luis Gustavo Gonçalves , Bastarz Carlos Frederico , Silveira Bruna Barbosa
Published: January 2017

The Center for Weather Forecast and Climate Studies [Centro de Previsão e Tempo e Estudos Climáticos (CPTEC)] at the Brazilian National Institute for Space Research [Instituto Nacional de Pesquisas Espaciais (INPE)] has recently operationally implemented a three-dimensional variational data assimilation (3DVAR) scheme based on the Gridpoint Statistical Interpolation analysis system (GSI). Implementation of the GSI system within the atmospheric global circulation model from CPTEC/INPE (AGCM-CPTEC/INPE) is hereafter referred to as the Global 3DVAR (G3DVAR) system. The results of an observing system experiment (OSE) measuring the impacts of radiosonde, satellite radiance, and GPS radio occultation (RO) data on the new G3DVAR system are presented here. The observational impact of each of these platforms was evaluated by measuring the degradation of the geopotential height anomaly correlation and the amplification of the RMSE of the wind. Losing the radiosonde, GPS RO, and satellite radiance data in the OSE resulted in negative impacts on the geopotential height anomaly correlations globally. Nevertheless, the strongest impacts were found over the Southern Hemisphere and South America when satellite radiance data were withheld from the data assimilation system.
The Usefulness and Economic Value of Total Lightning Forecasts Made with a Dynamic Lightning Scheme Coupled with Lightning Data Assimilation
Authors: Lynn Barry H.
Published: January 2017

Total lightning probability forecasts for 26 mostly springtime days and 27 summertime days were analyzed for their usefulness and economic value. The mostly springtime forecast days had a relatively high number of severe weather reports compared with the summertime forecast days. The lightning forecasts were made with a dynamic lightning forecast scheme (DLS), and each forecast dataset used lightning assimilation to hasten convective initiation and, in most cases, to improve short-term forecasts. A spatial smoothing parameter σ of 48 km yielded more skillful, reliable, and economically valuable hourly forecasts than other values of σ. Mostly springtime forecasts were more skillful and had more hours of useful skill than summertime forecasts, but the latter still demonstrated useful skill during the first two forecast hours. The DLS forecasts were compared to those obtained with the “McCaul” diagnostic scheme, which diagnoses lightning flash data. The DLS had significantly higher fractions skill scores than the McCaul scheme for or at least one event/flash (10 min)−1. Bias values of the forecast lightning fields with both schemes were overall small. Yet, DLS forecasts started in the early summer evening with RAP data did have positive bias, which was attributed to initial conditions within the RAP. Correlating fractions skill scores for lightning and precipitation indicated that more accurate forecasts of lightning were associated with more accurate precipitation forecasts for convection with a high, but not lower, number of severe weather reports.
A simple, rapid and validated high-performance liquid chromatography method suitable for clinical measurements of human mercaptalbumin and non-mercaptalbumin
Authors: Yasukawa Keiko , Shimosawa Tatsuo , Okubo Shigeo , Yatomi Yutaka
Published: January 2017

Background

Human mercaptalbumin and human non-mercaptalbumin have been reported as markers for various pathological conditions, such as kidney and liver diseases. These markers play important roles in redox regulations throughout the body. Despite the recognition of these markers in various pathophysiologic conditions, the measurements of human mercaptalbumin and non-mercaptalbumin have not been popular because of the technical complexity and long measurement time of conventional methods.

Methods

Based on previous reports, we explored the optimal analytical conditions for a high-performance liquid chromatography method using an anion-exchange column packed with a hydrophilic polyvinyl alcohol gel. The method was then validated using performance tests as well as measurements of various patients’ serum samples.

Results

We successfully established a reliable high-performance liquid chromatography method with an analytical time of only 12 min per test. The repeatability (within-day variability) and reproducibility (day-to-day variability) were 0.30% and 0.27% (CV), respectively. A very good correlation was obtained with the results of the conventional method.

Conclusions

A practical method for the clinical measurement of human mercaptalbumin and non-mercaptalbumin was established. This high-performance liquid chromatography method is expected to be a powerful tool enabling the expansion of clinical usefulness and ensuring the elucidation of the roles of albumin in redox reactions throughout the human body.
Physical Boundaries and City Boundaries: Consequences for Crime Patterns on Street Segments?
Authors: Kim Young-An , Hipp John R.
Published: January 2017

Scholars have theorized how spatial boundaries (edges) can be important for understanding the location of crime, yet the empirical relationship between spatial boundaries in the environment and levels of crime is relatively less explored compared with other features of the environment. The current study extends the literature by not only studying three types of physical boundaries—interstate highways, parks, and rivers—but also one nonphysical and relatively less visible boundary—city boundaries. We analyze the relationship between crime in street segments and nearness to these four types of edges in the Southern California area. We measure nearness to these boundaries in two manners: (a) whether or not the segment is adjacent to the feature and (b) how far in physical distance the segment is to the feature.
Criticism of Volume 1181 of the New York Academy of Sciences Reaches a New Low
Authors: Katz Alison Rosamund
Published: January 2017

Rebuttal to “Debate on the Chernobyl disaster: a response to Alison Rosamund Katz,” by Sergei Jargin.
Suicide rate trends in the Slovak Republic in 1993–2015
Authors: Brazinova Alexandra , Moravansky Norbert , Gulis Gabriel , Skodacek Igor
Published: January 2017

Background:

Suicide is a significant public health issue worldwide, resulting in loss of lives, and burdening societies.

Aims:

To describe and analyze the time trends of suicide rates (SRs) in the Slovak Republic in 1993–2015 for targeted suicide prevention strategies.

Methods:

Data for this study were obtained from the mortality database of the Statistical Office of the Slovak Republic. Crude and standardized annual SRs were calculated. Trends and relative risks of suicide according to age and sex were analyzed by joinpoint regression and negative binomial regression.

Results:

In total, there were 14,575 suicides in the Slovak Republic in the period 1993–2015 (85.3% were men). The overall average age-standardized SR for the study period was 11.45 per 100,000 person years. The rate increases with age, the highest is in men aged 75+ (42.74 per 100,000 person years). Risk of suicide is six times higher in men than in women and nine times higher in men than in women in the age group 25–34. The time trend of SRs is stable or decreasing from 1993 to 2007, but increasing after 2007, corresponding with increased unemployment rate in the country.

Conclusion:

The SR in the Slovak Republic is slightly below the average of Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development (OECD) nations. Highest SR is observed in men of working age and in retirement. Society might benefit from a strategy of education for improving the recognition of suicide risks.
Endothelial Tight Junctions Are Opened in Cholinergic-Evoked Salivation In Vivo
Authors: Cong X. , Zhang Y. , He Q.H. , Wei T. , Zhang X.M. , Zhang J.Z. , Xiang R.L. , Yu G.Y. , Wu L.L.
Published: January 2017

Blood vessels provide the original supplies for the formation of primary saliva, which is regulated by the tight junctions (TJs) between endothelial cells. Previous studies have shown that blood flow increases with vasodilatation during cholinergic-evoked salivation. However, changes in vascular paracellular permeability and the role of endothelial TJs in salivation are unknown. Here, we established an in vivo paracellular permeability detection system and observed that the endothelial TJs were permeable to 4-kDa fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC)–dextran while impermeable to 40- and 70-kDa FITC-dextran under an unstimulated condition in mouse submandibular glands (SMGs). Pilocarpine increased the flux of 4- and 40-kDa FITC-dextran out of blood vessels but did not affect 70-kDa FITC-dextran. Claudin 5, a TJ protein specifically localized in salivary endothelial cells, was redistributed from the apicolateral membranes to the lateral and basolateral membranes and cytoplasm in cholinergic-stimulated mouse SMGs and freshly cultured human SMG tissues. In the transplanted SMGs from epiphora patients, we found that claudin 5 was present in the basolateral membranes and cytoplasm, instead of the apical region in control SMGs. Moreover, the level of phospho–myosin light chain 2 increased within the blood vessels of the pilocarpine-stimulated mouse SMGs and transplanted human SMGs, while the downstream molecule F-actin was reorganized in the endothelial cells of the transplanted human SMGs. Taken together, our findings provide direct visual evidence that the opening of endothelial TJs and the redistribution of claudin 5 are essential events contributing to cholinergic-evoked salivation, thus enriching our understanding of the secretory mechanisms that link blood flow to primary saliva formation by regulating the endothelial paracellular permeability.
Decellularized Tooth Bud Scaffolds for Tooth Regeneration
Authors: Zhang W. , Vazquez B. , Oreadi D. , Yelick P.C.
Published: January 2017

Whole tooth regeneration approaches currently are limited by our inability to bioengineer full-sized, living replacement teeth. Recently, decellularized organ scaffolds have shown promise for applications in regenerative medicine by providing a natural extracellular matrix environment that promotes cell attachment and tissue-specific differentiation leading to full-sized organ regeneration. We hypothesize that decellularized tooth buds (dTBs) created from unerupted porcine tooth buds (TBs) can be used to guide reseeded dental cell differentiation to form whole bioengineered teeth, thereby providing a potential off-the-shelf scaffold for whole tooth regeneration. Porcine TBs were harvested from discarded 6-mo-old pig jaws, and decellularized by successive sodium dodecyl sulfate/Triton-X cycles. Four types of replicate implants were used in this study: 1) acellular dTBs; 2) recellularized dTBs seeded with porcine dental epithelial cells, human dental pulp cells, and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (recell-dTBs); 3) dTBs seeded with bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 (dTB-BMPs); and 4) freshly isolated nondecellularized natural TBs (nTBs). Replicate samples were implanted into the mandibles of host Yucatan mini-pigs and grown for 3 or 6 mo. Harvested mandibles with implanted TB constructs were fixed in formalin, decalcified, embedded in paraffin, sectioned, and analyzed via histological methods. Micro-computed tomography (CT) analysis was performed on harvested 6-mo samples prior to decalcification. All harvested constructs exhibited a high degree of cellularity. Significant production of organized dentin and enamel-like tissues was observed in dTB-recell and nTB implants, but not in dTB or dTB-BMP implants. Micro-CT analyses of 6-mo implants showed the formation of organized, bioengineered teeth of comparable size to natural teeth. To our knowledge, these results are the first to describe the potential use of dTBs for functional whole tooth regeneration.
Conservation Abilities, Visuospatial Skills, and Numerosity Processing Speed: Association With Math Achievement and Math Difficulties in Elementary School Children
Authors: Lambert Katharina , Spinath Birgit
Published: January 2017

The aim of the present study was to investigate the associations between elementary school children’s mathematical achievement and their conservation abilities, visuospatial skills, and numerosity processing speed. We also assessed differences in these abilities between children with different types of learning problems. In Study 1 ( N = 229), we investigated second to fourth graders and in Study 2 ( N = 120), third and fourth graders. Analyses revealed significant contributions of numerosity processing speed and visuospatial skills to math achievement beyond IQ. Conservation abilities were predictive in Study 1 only. Children with math difficulties showed lower visuospatial skills and conservation abilities than children with typical achievement levels and children with reading and/or spelling difficulties, whereas children with combined difficulties explicitly showed low conservation abilities. These findings provide further evidence for the relations between children’s math skills and their visuospatial skills, conservation abilities, and processing speed and contribute to the understanding of deficits that are specific to mathematical difficulties.
The search for rebel interdependence
Authors: Schricker Ezra
Published: January 2017

The existing conflict literature tends to treat interdependence between rebel groups as a binary category: either groups are allied or unallied, fragmented or unified, interdependent or independent. Yet much of our qualitative knowledge suggests that interdependence is better understood as a matter of degree where certain groups exert a disproportionate influence over their counterparts. The challenge is how to identify the degree of interdependence in practice. As a solution, I conceptualize interdependence as a property of a system of interactions between rebel groups and government forces within and across borders. My approach is to model the entire system of interactions in order to test hypotheses related to the directionality of influence and the potential for military coordination between groups. I demonstrate the utility of this approach by examining the relationship between Pakistan and the two major factions which make up the Taliban organization – the Afghan and Pakistani Taliban. I analyze the triangular system with a vector autoregressive model and monthly time series data on violent actions initiated by each group from January 2008 to February 2013. The substantive findings support much of the received wisdom concerning Pakistan’s disparate relationship to both groups, which is characterized by antagonism with the Pakistani Taliban and collusion with the Afghan Taliban. The results also suggest that the claims of interdependence between the two Taliban groups have been overstated.
Women on the frontline
Authors: Wood Reed M , Thomas Jakana L
Published: January 2017

Despite the frequent participation of women in armed groups, few studies have sought to explain the variation in their roles across different rebellions. Herein, we investigate this variation. We argue that the political ideology a group adopts plays a central role in determining the extent of women’s participation, particularly their deployment in combat roles. Specifically, we link variations in women’s roles in armed groups to differences in beliefs about gender hierarchies and gender-based divisions of labor inherent in the specific ideologies the groups adopt. We evaluate hypotheses drawn from these arguments using a novel cross-sectional dataset on female combatants in a global sample of rebel organizations active between 1979 and 2009. We find that the presence of a Marxist-oriented ‘leftist’ ideology increases the prevalence of female fighters while Islamist ideologies exert the opposite effect. However, we find little evidence that nationalism exerts an independent influence on women’s combat roles. We also note a general inverse relationship between group religiosity and the prevalence of female fighters. Our analysis demonstrates that political ideology plays a central role in determining whether and to what extent resistance movements incorporate female fighters into their armed wings.
The economic costs of civil war
Authors: Costalli Stefano , Moretti Luigi , Pischedda Costantino
Published: January 2017

There is a consensus that civil wars entail enormous economic costs, but there is little systematic analysis of the determinants of their heterogeneous destructiveness. Moreover, reliably estimating these costs has proven challenging, due to the complexity of the relationship between violence and socio-economic conditions. In this article, we study the effect of ethnic fractionalization of war-torn countries on the economic consequences of civil war. Building on an emerging literature on the relationships between ethnicity, trust, economic outcomes, and conflict processes, we argue that civil wars erode interethnic trust and highly fractionalized societies pay an especially high price, as they rely heavily on interethnic business relations. We use the synthetic control method to construct appropriate counterfactuals and measure the economic impact of civil war. Our focus is on the years of armed conflict in a sample of 20 countries for which we observe an average annual loss of local GDP per capita of 17.5%, though with remarkable variation across cases. The empirical analysis provides supporting evidence in the form of a robust positive association between ethnic fractionalization and our measures of war-induced economic costs.
Cooperation, information, and keeping the peace
Authors: Gordon Grant M , Young Lauren E
Published: January 2017

Cultivating cooperation with local populations is necessary for peacekeeping operations to effectively prevent and reduce violence. To accomplish their missions in complex foreign theaters of operation, peacekeepers must solicit information about local political actors, social networks, and violence. Under what conditions do local populations cooperate with United Nations peacekeepers? How does exposure to peacekeeping security activities, relief activities, or abuse – three of the primary ways that local communities experience peacekeepers – affect the likelihood that individuals cooperate with peacekeepers by providing information to them? Using an original survey of a random sample of residents of metropolitan Port-au-Prince, Haiti, we show that people who are exposed to security and relief activities by the United Nations peacekeeping operation, MINUSTAH, have more positive opinions of how effective they are, and are more willing to cooperate with peacekeepers by providing them with information. On the other hand, exposure to abuse dramatically undermines civilian opinions of how effective, benevolent, and abusive peacekeepers are but has a smaller effect on cooperation. These findings present an opportunity and challenge for peacekeepers: if public opinion and cooperation are responsive to peacekeeper policy, then peacekeepers must deliver services and prevent abuse in order to solicit the cooperation that is necessary for mission success.
Rare gripping object in electrocution: Cadaveric spasm at its best
Authors: Chauhan Mohit , Behera C , Bodwal Jatin , Dikshit PC
Published: January 2017

Cadaveric spasm causes instantaneous rigor without preceding post-mortem flaccidity. The precise pathophysiological basis of this phenomenon is still unknown. We report a case of accidental electrocution where the deceased was found dead with a metallic water supply pipe of a motor booster pump firmly gripped in his hand. In this report, we review the literature and consider the mechanisms that may cause this phenomenon.
Indian Nurses’ Attitudes Toward Euthanasia
Authors: Vijayalakshmi P. , Nagarajaiah  , Reddy P. Dharma , Suresh B. M.
Published: January 2017

The debate about euthanasia continues worldwide, with nurses’ attitudes becoming increasingly more important. The aim of this study is to investigate gender differences among nurses’ perceptions of attitudes toward euthanasia. A nonprobability quantitative, cross-sectional design was carried out among nurses working at a tertiary care center. Data were collected through self-reported questionnaires at their work place. Significant differences were found between men and women to the items such as “Fear of death shows differences due to religious beliefs” (χ2 = 10.550, p < 0.05), “If patient wants euthanasia, nutrition support should be stopped” (χ2 = 12.209, p < 0.05), “CPR should not be applied in case of sudden respiration and heart stop” (χ2 = 9.591, p < 0.05), and “burden for relatives to take care of a patient who is in terminal period and who will die” (χ2 = 9.069, p < 0.05). The present study depicts that gender plays an important role in euthanasia; hence, the researchers strongly suggest that there is an urgent need to draft uniform guidelines after wide consultation with all the stake holders regarding nurses’ role in taking care of patients who request euthanasia, to face these situations effectively and competently within professional boundaries.
Analysis of economic trends in overseas markets for Indian tea and coffee
Authors: Dastagiri Madiga B
Published: January 2017

Since world market economies are dynamic, the responsiveness of export quantities to changes in international prices is of direct relevance in international economics. India has 12% share of world tea exports and is the seventh largest coffee producer in the world (2013–2014). This study analyses the exports and price growth rates, elasticity, instability and major global markets for Indian tea and coffee. The study was based on 24 years agricultural time-series data from 1990–1991 to 2012–2013. The study found that elasticity for coffee and tea was 61.4 and 13.5%, respectively. The destinations which account for the major share of exports for Indian tea are developed countries including Australia (18.7%), Russia (17.3%), and the United States (15.9%) and for coffee are Italy (28.7%), Germany (13.8%), and Belgium (7.6%). Based on an analysis of individual country elasticity and growth rates, India has comparative advantage to export to the Middle East, Europe, the United States, and Australia.
Post-Heroic Warfare Revisited: Meaning and Legitimation of Military Losses
Authors: Frisk Kristian
Published: January 2017

The article challenges the thesis that western societies have moved towards a post-heroic mood in which military casualties are interpreted as nothing but a waste of life. Using content analysis and qualitative textual analysis of obituaries produced by the Royal Danish Army in memory of soldiers killed during the Second World War (1940–1945) and the military campaign in Afghanistan (2002–2014), the article shows that a ‘good’ military death is no longer conceived of as a patriotic sacrifice, but is instead legitimised by an appeal to the unique moral worth, humanitarian goals and high professionalism of the fallen. The article concludes that fatalities in international military engagement have invoked a sense of post-patriotic heroism instead of a post-heroic crisis, and argues that the social order of modern society has underpinned, rather than undermined, ideals of military self-sacrifice and heroism, contrary to the predominant assumption of the literature on post-heroic warfare.
The UK community anchor model and its challenges for community sector theory and practice
Authors: Henderson James , McWilliams Christopher
Published: January 2017

The growing policy focus since the 1970s in Scotland, the UK and internationally on ‘community’, community development and community ownership and enterprise has facilitated a certain growth of the community sector and therefore of concern for related discussions of theory and practice. This paper positions this turn to community within the shifting global political economic context, in particular the rolling out of the neoliberal state internationally from the 1980s and a related urban crisis management of structural inequality (Brenner and Theodore, 2002). By focusing on the emergence of community anchor organisations – understood in the UK context as multi-purpose, local community-led organisations – within Scottish and UK policy-making since the 2000s, the central dilemma for critical community sector theory and practice of sustaining a local egalitarian vision and practice (Pearce, 2003) given this neoliberal context is explored. A Scottish urban community anchor provides an illustration of this challenge for theory and practice and of how it can be re-considered through discussions of ‘progressive mutualism’ (Pearce, 2009) and ‘resilience, re-working and resistance’ (Cumbers, 2010; Katz, 2004).
The production of flood vulnerability in Accra, Ghana: Re-thinking flooding and informal urbanisation
Authors: Amoako Clifford , Inkoom Daniel Kweku Baah
Published: January 2017

To date, understandings of flood vulnerability in African cities have been conceptually and practically limited. A dominant focus on the geophysical and biophysical causes of flood events restricts the analyses to the source of flood events and does not pay critical attention to the internal actors, dynamics and processes of informal urbanisation where the burden of flood impacts usually fall. This paper challenges these analyses by approaching the problem of flood vulnerability through an understanding of informal urbanisation. The study is based on experiences from selected informal communities in Accra, Ghana. Drawing on mixed qualitative methods including community focus group discussions, hazard victims’ interviews and institutional consultations/surveys, the study reveals that flood vulnerability in informal settlements has co-evolved with the dynamics of informal urbanisation and dwelling processes. The paper therefore makes a case for a re-look at the epistemology and ontology of urban flooding in rapidly and informally urbanising areas in the Global South.
Do ‘city shapers’ really support urban consolidation? The case of Brisbane, Australia
Authors: Raynor Katrina , Mayere Severine , Matthews Tony
Published: January 2017

Cities all over the world have activated policy support for urban consolidation in recent decades. Rationales for urban consolidation focus on its perceived ability to achieve sustainability goals, including decreased automobile dependence, increased social cohesion and greater walkability. Despite this, there are few international examples of urban consolidation policy implementation that has achieved its stated aims. This paper explores the nature and character of perceptions of urban consolidation held by urban planners, developers, architects and local politicians. The perspectives held by these ‘city shapers’ are integral to urban consolidation debates and delivery, yet the nature and character of their specific views are underexplored in urban studies literature. This paper combines the theoretical lens of Social Representations Theory with the methodological approach of Q-methodology to understand the common sense understandings of urban consolidation held by city shapers in Brisbane, Australia. It identifies, synthesises and critically discusses the social representations employed by city shapers to understand, promote and communicate about urban consolidation. Findings indicate that urban consolidation debates and justifications diverge significantly from stated policy intentions and are based on differing views on ‘good’ urban form, the role of planning and community consultation and the value of higher density housing. We conclude that there is utility and value in identifying how urban consolidation strategies are influenced by the shared beliefs, myths and perceptions held by city shapers. Understanding these narratives and their influence is fundamental to understanding the power-laden manipulation of policy definitions and development outcomes.
The Impact of Adolescent Substance Use on Family Functioning
Authors: Russell Beth S. , Simpson Emily , Flannery Kaitlin M. , Ohannessian Christine M.
Published: January 2017

This longitudinal study sought to investigate associations between adolescent substance use and family functioning and whether internalizing symptoms play a mediating role in this relationship; based on growing evidence from the literature, we also explored gender differences. Participants ( N = 1,036) completed surveys in school during 2007, 2008, and 2009. Path analysis results indicated that boys’ alcohol use negatively predicted family functioning while marijuana use results indicate both significant impacts on family functioning. Further results show that boys’ depressive symptoms mediated the relationships between alcohol use and family cohesion and adaptability. For girls, depressive symptoms negatively predicted family functioning (cohesion, adaptability, communication with mother/father), whereas anxiety symptoms positively predicted this same set of family functioning outcomes with the exception of communication with father.
The Impact of Customer Experience on Relationship Quality with Travel Agencies in a Multichannel Environment
Authors: Rajaobelina Lova
Published: January 2017

This article seeks to examine the impact of the customer experience (concept of THINK, FEEL, SENSE, ACT and RELATE developed by Schmitt in 1999) on relationship quality with travel agencies in a multichannel environment ( in-store and online). A self-administered Web questionnaire was answered by 289 adult respondents from a panel of individuals residing in Canada, not working for a travel agency and having visited both the physical agency (in-store) and website (online) of the travel agency with which they generally conducted business. Results were analyzed using structural modeling techniques (EQS 6.2). For both the in-store and online contexts, results pointed to the THINK and FEEL dimensions as the key factors positively impacting relationship quality. The ACT (in-store) and SENSE (online) dimensions were also found to influence relationship quality positively.
Bilateral patellar tuberculosis masquerading as infected infrapatellar bursitis
Authors: Sreenivasan Ravi , Haq Rehan Ul
Published: January 2017

A 30-year-old woman presented to our outpatient department with complaints of pain and swelling in bilateral infrapatellar regions and a discharging sinus in the right knee over the duration of one year. Radiographs showed lytic regions in bilateral patellae. Samples sent from material curetted from sinus yielded no organism but histopathology reported granulomatous inflammation. Following a fresh magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scan that revealed the infrapatellar pad of fat communicating with the patellar lesions, an exploration and evacuation was done. Material sent revealed epithelioid cell granulomas with caseous necrosis consistent with tuberculosis (TB). The patient was put on first line anti-tubercular treatment (ATT) and has responded favourably with healing of sinus and patellar lesions. Bilateral infrapatellar bursitis is not rare. However patellar TB as a cause for OMIT is not a common diagnosis. A bilateral patellar involvement has not been reported in literature to the best of our knowledge.
To the Edge of the Urban Landscape: Homelessness and the Politics of Care
Authors: van Leeuwen Bart
Published: January 2017

Homelessness is an obvious moral challenge, given the fact that it is a problem that millions of people in the developed world have to deal with on a daily basis. In the relatively scarce literature on this subject, there appear to be—roughly—three main approaches, namely, what I will refer to as the “difference approach,” the “liberal approach” and the “care approach.” In the paper I will critically review these three moral perspectives on the issue of homelessness. I will argue that the difference approach and the liberal approach in the end are unconvincing. Homelessness can hardly be interpreted in terms of an internally valued group identity nor in terms of autonomy and its preconditions. I will defend a version of the care approach instead, an approach that focuses on the concrete and particular needs of the homeless.
An Overview of Employee Wellness Programs (EWPs) in Large U.S. Cities
Authors: Otenyo Eric E. , Smith Earlene A.
Published: January 2017

Although Employee Wellness Programs (EWPs) have been around for decades, initiatives in government organizations typically lag behind initiatives developed in the private sector in both magnitude and diversity. While city managers may invest in EWPs with the intent of saving on health care costs and of enhancing employee productivity, internal characteristics and incentive structures as well as the organizational culture within each individual bureaucracy ultimately shape the nature and direction of EWP management. Drawing upon the logic of geographic individuality of administrative regions, the authors argue that organizations in different cities are likely to develop and incorporate wellness services that reflect unique regional settings. By assessing EWPs across the county, it is evident that the decision to implement certain wellness services within a city unit are based, in part, on geography rather than technical characteristics of the organization or wellness program. This means that geographical attributes can be translated into the provision of services. Pressure to establish a program likely comes from many arenas, and this assessment posits that geography plays an important role in program adoption alongside the service distribution argument of need and ability to pay.
International Perspectives on Grandparents Raising Grandchildren: Contextual Considerations for Advancing Global Discourse
Authors: Dolbin-MacNab Megan L. , Yancura Loriena A.
Published: January 2017

Globally, it is common for grandparents to serve as surrogate parents to their grandchildren, often in response to family crises and other challenges such as poverty, disease epidemics, and migration. Despite the global nature of this intergenerational caregiving arrangement, there have been few contextually focused examinations of how grandparents’ surrogate parenting roles are enacted across countries and cultures. This analytic review addresses this issue by exploring demographic and cultural contexts, needs and experiences, and formal and informal supports for grandparents raising grandchildren in four diverse countries: China, New Zealand, Romania, and South Africa. We conclude our analysis by discussing key contextual factors, and their associated interrelationships, from which future research may elucidate how cultural, historical, and sociopolitical factors uniquely shape grandparents’ experiences. We also make recommendations for contextually informed policies and practice.
Prevention and treatment of diabetic foot ulcers
Authors: Lim Jonathan Zhang Ming , Ng Natasha Su Lynn , Thomas Cecil
Published: January 2017

The rising prevalence of diabetes estimated at 3.6 million people in the UK represents a major public health and socioeconomic burden to our National Health Service. Diabetes and its associated complications are of a growing concern. Diabetes-related foot complications have been identified as the single most common cause of morbidity among diabetic patients. The complicating factor of underlying peripheral vascular disease renders the majority of diabetic foot ulcers asymptomatic until latter evidence of non-healing ulcers become evident. Therefore, preventative strategies including annual diabetic foot screening and diabetic foot care interventions facilitated through a multidisciplinary team have been implemented to enable early identification of diabetic patients at high risk of diabetic foot complications. The National Diabetes Foot Care Audit reported significant variability and deficiencies of care throughout England and Wales, with emphasis on change in the structure of healthcare provision and commissioning, improvement of patient education and availability of healthcare access, and emphasis on preventative strategies to reduce morbidities and mortality of this debilitating disease. This review article aims to summarise major risk factors contributing to the development of diabetic foot ulcers. It also considers the key evidence-based strategies towards preventing diabetic foot ulcer. We discuss tools used in risk stratification and classifications of foot ulcer.
1D and 2D modelling of a chemical process using the FM-II model: Rotary drum filter
Authors: Ben Mohamed Sameh , Boussaid Boumedyen , Abdelkrim Mohamed Naceur , Tahri Charfeddine
Published: January 2017

This work treats the physical one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) modelling of a chemical process of filtration of slurry, which is the second step of phosphoric acid manufacture. This work focuses on the different physical laws involved in the filtration stage in order to obtain a simulator of the filter. In this work, we are interested in the 1D modelling of a rotary filter using all parameters and physical phenomena established in the filtration phase. Then, a 2D model emerged from the previous model by choosing both a temporal and a spatial variable. These two parameters are quite necessary for the construction of a 2D model based on the method of Fornasini–Marchesini (FM-II) to describe the dynamics of the system.
Discrete sliding mode control for hybrid synchronization of continuous Lorenz systems with matched/unmatched disturbances
Authors: Yan Jun-Juh , Liao Teh-Lu
Published: January 2017

This paper is concerned with the hybrid synchronization of master-slave Lorenz systems with uncertainties. A new systematic design procedure to synchronize continuous master-slave Lorenz chaotic systems is proposed by using a discrete sliding mode control (DSMC). In contrast to the previous works, the design of DSMC can be simplified and only a single controller is needed to realize chaos synchronization. The proposed DSMC ensures the occurrence of the sliding mode. When the controlled system is in the sliding manifold, the effect of disturbances including matched and unmatched cases are discussed. The proposed results conclude the synchronization error of controlled master-slave systems with matched disturbances can be fully derived to zero or robustly suppressed in an estimated bound even with unmatched disturbances, which is not addressed in the literature. The numerical simulation results demonstrate the success and effectiveness of the proposed DSMC developed in this paper.
Robust control of static Var compensator-based power oscillation dampers using polynomial control in power systems
Authors: Hasanvand Hamed , Zamani Mohammad Reza
Published: January 2017

A static Var compensator (SVC) installed in a power transmission network can be effectively exploited to enhance the damping of low frequency electromechanical oscillations. The application of robust control theory offers more reliable and robust damping controller to achieve desired damping level considering variations in the operating conditions of power system. This paper presents a new approach to design a robust proportional-integral (PI) controller for stabilizing power system oscillations. The variability in operating conditions is captured using an interval polynomial and then, Kharitonov’s theorem is used to design the desired damping controller. The proposed method is based on plotting the stability boundary locus in the ( kp-ki) plane and then computing the stabilizing values of the parameters of a PI controller. Besides stabilization, computation of stabilizing PI controllers that achieve user specified gain margin (Gm), phase margin (Pm) and bandwidth is studied simultaneously. This novel method enables designers to make the convenient trade-off between stability and performance by choosing the proper margins and bandwidth specifications. In addition, the most appropriate stabilizing input signal is selected using Hankel singular value (HSV) and right half plane-zeros (RHP-zeros) for the SVC-based supplementary damping controller. The effectiveness and robustness of the proposed controller are demonstrated using eigenvalue analysis and time-domain simulation for a 16 machine 68-bus test system. The simulations and analysis are implemented in matrix laboratory environment and power system analysis toolbox.
Synchronicity
Authors: Bruyninckx Joeri
Published: January 2017

Sociological studies of work and time have argued that academic temporalities are increasingly rationalized and rendered accountable, resulting in a divergence of planned and experienced time in academic work. Shared research facilities that provide platform technologies to large user pools are no exception to this, as its administrations seek to increase the profitability of limited instrument time. Based on an ethnographic study of three facilities at an American university, this article examines how diverging rhythms are enacted in organizational schedules and instrument work and kept aligned on the laboratory floor. Drawing insights from time studies and repair sociology, I argue that although technologies of time accounting provide powerful templates for action, they become effective only through ongoing “synchronization” work. Synchronization calls attention to discrete techniques and work practices, such as the adjustment of users’ bodies, user expectations, or work processes, that technical staff draw upon to resolve slippages between organizational rhythms and the temporal realities of data collection. This analysis suggests that technicians’ local and embodied (but also invisible) practices not only affect their own professional roles but also organizational stability and productivity in time-sensitive environments.
On the Frontlines: Perspectives of Providers Working With Homeless Women
Authors: Salem Benissa E. , Kwon Jordan , Ames Masha
Published: January 2017

Homeless service providers (HSPs) are on the frontlines of caring for the most vulnerable populations to help them navigate out of homelessness and access health and social services. The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand, from the perspectives of HSPs ( N = 19; age range, 27-58 years; SD = 10.37), their account and experiences in working with homeless women (HW), and opportunities for intervention development and integration. Five focus groups were conducted with HSPs in Central City East, Los Angeles. Five main themes emerged which included (a) seeking to establish a therapeutic relationship, (b) internal and external drivers of change, (c) navigating systems, (d) targeted outreach, and (e) program design recommendations. Within these themes, individual- and structural-level characteristics emerged. To better equip HW, HSPs’ perspectives need to be considered in future interventions to aid women traverse homelessness.
Data Quality in Electronic Health Records Research: Quality Domains and Assessment Methods
Authors: Feder Shelli L.
Published: January 2017

The proliferation of the electronic health record (EHR) has led to increasing interest and opportunities for nurse scientists to use EHR data in a variety of research designs. However, methodological problems pertaining to data quality may arise when EHR data are used for nonclinical purposes. Therefore, this article describes common domains of data quality and approaches for quality appraisal in EHR research. Common data quality domains include data accuracy, completeness, consistency, credibility, and timeliness. Approaches for quality appraisal include data validation with data rules, evaluation and verification of data abstraction methods with statistical measures, data comparisons with manual chart review, management of missing data using statistical methods, and data triangulation between multiple EHR databases. Quality data enhance the validity and reliability of research findings, form the basis for conclusions derived from the data, and are, thus, an integral component in EHR-based study design and implementation.
Diagnostic Value of RAS Mutations in Indeterminate Thyroid Nodules: Systematic Review and Meta‐analysis
Authors: Clinkscales William , Ong Adrian , Nguyen Shaun , Harruff Elizabeth Emily , Gillespie Marion Boyd
Published: January 2017

Objectives

To determine the diagnostic value of HRAS, KRAS, and NRAS mutations in fine‐needle aspiration biopsies of thyroid nodules that are nondiagnostic on cytology.

Data Sources

PubMed, Scopus, Embase, CINAHL.

Review Methods

Two authors independently searched the data sources. To be included, studies reported the RAS mutational status and postoperative histopathologic diagnosis of nodules that exhibited indeterminate cytology after fine‐needle aspiration biopsy. Data were extracted to calculate sensitivity, specificity, and positive/negative predictive values of any HRAS, KRAS, or NRAS mutation. A meta‐analysis was performed to generate pooled values for each parameter.

Results

A total of 7 studies with a combined 1025 patients met inclusion criteria. The pooled sensitivity of a RAS mutation for detecting cancer was 0.343 (95% confidence interval [95% CI], 0.198‐0.506), while the pooled specificity was 0.935 (95% CI, 0.882‐0.973). The weighted averages for positive predictive value and negative predictive value were 78.0% and 64.0%, respectively, with 68.0% accuracy. The positive likelihood ratio was 4.235 (95% CI, 1.506‐11.910), and the negative likelihood ratio was 0.775 (95% CI, 0.630‐0.953).

Conclusion

Our data suggest that testing for any RAS mutation is unlikely to change the clinical management of thyroid nodules that have indeterminate cytology. While a RAS mutation may rule in malignancy, the sensitivity of testing is low enough to merit further mutational analysis, repeat fine‐needle aspiration, or surgical excision, even in the presence of a negative test.