bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Predicting Hotel Demand Using Destination Marketing Organization’s Web Traffic Data
Authors: Yang Yang , Pan Bing , Song Haiyan
Published: August 2013

This study uses the web traffic volume data of a destination marketing organization (DMO) to predict hotel demand for the destination. The results show a significant improvement in the error reduction of ARMAX models, compared with their ARMA counterparts, for short-run forecasts of room nights sold by incorporating web traffic data as an explanatory variable.These empirical results demonstrate the significant value of website traffic data in predicting demand for hotel rooms at a destination, and potentially even local businesses’ future revenue and performance. The implications for future research on using big data for forecasting hotel demand is also discussed.
Patients, Police, and Care Providers
Authors: Hammer Michael
Published: August 2013

The story of medical marijuana implementation in the states provides researchers an opportunity for a unique study of the relationship between political culture and policy implementation. This paper tests the relationship between the utilization of medical marijuana at the county level, estimated supply, institutional design, and the political culture of each jurisdiction. The paper draws on the Institutional Analysis and Design framework and social construction theory. This model supports the conclusion that political culture is a significant part of the policy implementation story.
Father–Daughter Parentification and Young Adult Romantic Relationships Among College Women
Authors: Baggett Emily , Shaffer Anne , Muetzelfeld Hannah
Published: August 2013

The present study examined the association between retrospective reports of paternal parentification and self-reports of romantic relationship satisfaction and insecurity among a sample of 542 college women (mean age = 19.29 years). Results indicated that paternal parentification is negatively associated with romantic relationship satisfaction and positively associated with romantic relationship insecurity among undergraduate women, after controlling for levels of maternal parentification. These direct relationships were mediated by insecure adult attachment styles, including attachment-related avoidance and anxiety. Finally, consistent with past research of contextual variables, paternal health moderated the indirect effect of avoidant attachment style; the relation between paternal parentification and avoidant attachment was not significant for women who reported their fathers were ill when they were growing up. These results extend the current literature on parentification by focusing on data regarding fathers, and further support the theory that parentification may have differential outcomes based on family context.
From Media History to Zeitkritik
Authors: Ernst Wolfgang
Published: August 2013

Wolfgang Ernst, Professor of Media Theories at the Humboldt University in Berlin, has become known through his work on media archaeology. Hence the inclusion of this translation represents an alternative take on cultural techniques. It places the legacy of cultural studies, or Kulturwissenschaften, in an interesting tension with the different epistemological demands that technical media impose. After Vico and Dilthey, argues Ernst, we need to investigate the specific modes of knowledge that technical media propose to cultural techniques. Ernst’s media archaeology and the slightly different approach to cultural techniques found in some other contributions in this issue can be seen as two of the most intriguing ways in which current German media studies has been developing in relation to Friedrich Kittler’s impact. For Ernst, this has resulted in a more technical focus and also in the development of critiques of temporality that go beyond media history. Ernst argues that media temporality is not to be understood only through the cultural history of media technologies, but also how media technologies produce time. Machines have their own specific temporality, Eigenzeit. It is in this context that the article discusses the different approaches to cultural techniques, taking into consideration the specific time-critical and epistemic implications of technical media.
A Whitehall perspective on decentralisation in England’s emerging territories
Authors: Ayres Sarah , Pearce Graham
Published: August 2013

Decentralisation is a key thread running through current UK policy making. The Coalition Government has abolished New Labour’s regional legacy in favour of a new set of strategies around growth and development that has tapped into the localist agenda. Drawing on a series of recent interviews conducted with civil servants, this article explores government initiatives aimed at enhancing local autonomy in England and provides new empirical insights into decentralisation from a Whitehall perspective. It examines departmental aspirations for decentralised structures and Whitehall perceptions of the capacity of local arrangements to successfully manage territorial development in an era of austerity. The article concludes that, in the fields of economic development, planning and transport, there are signs of enhanced local policy and fiscal autonomy. However, there are different levels of enthusiasm for decentralisation across and within Whitehall departments that continue to undermine a more cohesive approach.
Why the Current Insistence on Open Access to Scientific Data? Big Data, Knowledge Production, and the Political Economy of Contemporary Biology
Authors: Leonelli Sabina
Published: August 2013

The collection and dissemination of data on human and nonhuman organisms has become a central feature of 21st-century biology and has been endorsed by funding agencies in the United States and Europe as crucial to translating biological research into therapeutic and agricultural innovation. Large molecular data sets, often referred to as “big data,” are increasingly incorporated into digital databases, many of which are freely accessible online. These data have come to be seen as resources that play a key role in mediating global market exchange, thus achieving a prominent social and economic status well beyond science itself. At the same time, calls to make all such data publicly and freely available have garnered strength and visibility, most prominently in the form of the Open Data movement. I discuss these developments by considering the conditions under which data journey across the communities and institutions implicated in globalized biology and biomedicine, and what this indicates about how Internet-based communication and the use of online databases affect scientific research and its role within contemporary society.
Women in City Hall
Authors: Hamidullah Madinah F. , Riccucci Norma M. , Pandey Sanjay K.
Published: August 2013

This study examines gender dimensions of managerial values at the local level of government. We test for alternative explanations, in particular whether the organization and profession are socializing forces with similar or larger influence on managerial values. The data for this study come from Phase IV of the National Administrative Studies Project (NASP IV). The dataset includes the U.S. senior local government managers in communities with populations over 50,000. We expect the values of men and women managers to differ even when we account for professional and organizational forces. Preliminary findings support this hypothesis. Women not only differed from men on the values of equity, long-term outlook, sense of community, and representation, but also differed with respect to the values of efficiency, effectiveness, and expertise. We discuss these findings and their implications.
Incidental findings in computed tomographic angiography for planning percutaneous aortic valve replacement: advanced age, increased cancer prevalence?
Authors: Gufler Hubert , Schulze Christian G , Wagner Sabine
Published: August 2013

Background

Increased age is linked with a higher cancer risk according to model calculations. Patients with severe atherosclerotic aortic stenosis are of old age, therefore, a high incidence of malignancies should be found.

Purpose

To evaluate the prevalence of clinically significant and potentially malignant incidental findings at computed tomographic angiography (CTA) performed in patients with severe aortic stenosis being assessed as to their suitability for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR).

Material and Methods

Between August 2008 and April 2010, CTA of the thoraco-abdominal aorta and the pelvic arterial vessels was performed in 131 patients. There were 62 women (47%) and 69 men (53%); the mean age was 81.6 years (range, 64–91 years). Incidental findings were recorded and categorized as potentially malignant, clinically significant, and clinically insignificant. Clinically significant findings were defined as those requiring immediate therapy, intervention or imaging, or follow-up examination.

Results

Of the 131 study patients, 31 (23.7%) presented significant extravascular incidental findings, 19 (14.5%) in the thorax, and 12 (9.2%) in the abdomen. Five lesions (3.8%) were considered potentially malignant, three of them (2.3%) were new and highly suspicious for malignancies (two renal cell carcinomas and one hepatocellular carcinoma). In two patients (1.5%) mediastinal lymphadenopathy was found (recurrent malignant lymphoma und new metastases from known bladder cancer).

Conclusion

The prevalence of highly suspicious malignant incidental findings in patients undergoing TAVR is 3.8% with an average age of 81.6 years which is not high compared to prevalence in the literature dealing with patients aged <70 years.
Computed tomography and magnetic resonance imaging findings of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors of the head and neck
Authors: Gao Fei , Zhong Rui , Li Guo-hong , Zhang Wei-dong
Published: August 2013

Background

Inflammatory myofibroblastic tumor (IMT) is a rare tumor of mesenchymal origin that commonly occurs in the lung. Because of its non-specific clinical and imaging features, IMT is often misdiagnosed as a malignant tumor. There have been few imaging reports on IMT of the head and neck.

Purpose

To analyze the computed tomography (CT) and magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) findings of inflammatory myofibroblastic tumors (IMTs) of the head and neck.

Material and Methods

Six patients with IMTs of the head and neck confirmed by histopathologic examination were analyzed retrospectively.

Results

The mean patient age was 40 years. The tumor locations in the six patients were as follows: left bridge of the nose (one), right infratemporal fossa (two), and left parotid gland (three). Three patients who underwent CT all had soft tissue masses or nodules and no calcification. Bridge of the nose tumor showed a homogeneous isodense nodule and mild homogeneous enhancement. Infratemporal fossa tumor showed a homogeneous low density mass and intermediate homogeneous enhancement. Left parotid gland tumor showed a heterogeneous, mostly low density mass, and intermediate heterogeneous enhancement. T1-weighted images of the parotid gland tumors were hypointense; the infratemporal fossa tumor was isointense. T2-weighted images were mildly hypointense and of mixed hypo- and isointensity in the two parotid gland tumors; the infratemporal fossa tumor was homogeneously mildly hypointense. Heterogeneous intermediate enhancement was demonstrated in one parotid gland and the infratemporal fossa patients and mild homogeneous enhancement in another parotid gland patient.

Conclusion

The imaging features of IMTs of the head and neck are non-specific. An ill-defined, aggressive mass and variable enhancement on CT and MRI may suggest the diagnosis of IMT. IMT should be included in the differential diagnosis of regional tumors.
White matter atrophy in brain of neuromyelitis optica: a voxel-based morphometry study
Authors: Duan Yunyun , Liu Yaou , Liang Peipeng , Jia Xiuqin , Ye Jing , Dong Huiqing , Li Kuncheng
Published: August 2013

Background

Recent studies have shown that tissue damage in neuromyelitis optica (NMO) is not limited to the spinal cord and optic nerve but can also appear in the brain. Previous magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) studies have reported controversial findings regarding the presence of white matter atrophy in NMO patients.

Purpose

To investigate regional white matter changes in NMO using voxel-based morphometry (VBM).

Material and Methods

Conventional MRI and T1-weighted three-dimensional MRI were performed on 20 patients with NMO and 20 age- and sex-matched normal controls (NCs). The data were analyzed by statistical parametric mapping 5 (SPM5) to generate white matter concentration maps, and regional white matter concentrations were compared between the two groups. Relationships between the white matter concentration in regions with significant group differences and the Expanded Disability Status Scale (EDSS) and disease duration were further explored.

Results

Compared to NCs, NMO patients had decreased white matter volumes in the right precentral gyrus, right postcentral gyrus, left middle and medial frontal gyrus, right superior frontal gyrus, bilateral inferior and superior parietal lobule, right angular gyrus, right middle occipital gyrus, and left precuneus. No significant correlation was found between white matter regions with volume reduction and the EDSS and disease duration in NMO.

Conclusion

We found white matter atrophy in several brain regions in the frontal, parietal, and occipital lobes in NMO, suggesting that subtle white matter damage relevant to the motor, vision, and cognition systems exists in NMO patients. The pattern of white matter atrophy in NMO is different from that in multiple sclerosis (MS).
Elaborations on Sexual Assault on Dates Among Israeli Students
Authors: Shechory Bitton Mally , Ben-David Sarah
Published: August 2013

The current study of 668 Israeli male and female students examines the prevalence of gendered risk factors for sexual assault (SA) on dates, posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) as a detrimental effect of SA, and self-efficacy as resiliency to refuse unwanted sex following SA. Two different sets of risk factors that increased the likelihood of SA on dates emerged from the hierarchical regression. Sexual experience, use of drugs, and private location increased the risk of being SA victims among males, whereas sexual experience, perceived provocative behavior, and alcohol use increased the risk among females. In addition, PTSD and self-efficacy to refuse unwanted sex following SA on dates were predicted by the extent of coercive sexual victimization. PTSD was also predicted by subjective perception of sexual behavior and rape myths, whereas efficacy was predicted by private location. The findings contribute to the literature by showing the contribution of various risk factors to experiencing SA, and by showing SA effect on PTSD and self-efficacy.
Dimensions of Disrespect
Authors: Leskinen Emily A. , Cortina Lilia M.
Published: August 2013

The current study broadens our understanding of workplace gender harassment (a subdomain of sex-based harassment) by developing an expanded taxonomy and measurement instrument. We move beyond sexual insults to include hostility targeting one’s gender, gender role (non)conformity, and motherhood status. In Study 1, we convened a panel of seven subject matter experts to brainstorm behaviors covering the full content domain of gender harassment, which they later grouped into categories in an open card-sorting task. To tap these categories, we combined survey items from the existing literature with a pool of new items. In Study 2, we administered these items to 425 working women. Exploratory principal axis factoring and confirmatory factor analyses revealed an underlying five-factor structure in these data, reflecting both new and extant themes from the literature. This work culminated in a 20-item scale, the Gender Experiences Questionnaire, assessing five dimensions of gender harassment: Sexist Remarks, Sexually Crude/Offensive Behavior, Infantilization, Work/Family Policing, and Gender Policing. This multidimensional conceptualization of gender harassment, coupled with the new measure, offers a more nuanced view of women’s experiences of hostile work environments. This can further the work of researchers, human resources personnel, managers, educators, policy makers, law scholars and practitioners, and other specialists seeking to understand (and scale back) harassment based on sex and gender. This understanding can potentially inform intervention and prevention efforts in any organized setting (e.g., work, school, and politics) where gender may be devalued.
Melanotic Neuroectodermal Tumor of Infancy Arising in the Temporal Bone
Authors: Zhang Jian-guo , Zhao Rui-jiao , Kong Ling-fei
Published: August 2013

Melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy is a rare melanin-containing neoplasm with locally aggressive and rapid expansile growth, usually involving the maxilla, skull, and mandible of early infancy. Radical surgery is critical for a long-term outcome. We present a case of 14-month-old girl with rapid-growing subcutaneous mass arising in the right temporal bone and extending intracranially on computed tomographic scan. Radical surgery was performed. A brownish-black tumor composed of large pigmented epithelioid cells, positive for cytokeratins and HMB-45, and nests of small neuroblast-like cells positive for neuron-specific enolase and synaptophysin, was diagnosed as melanotic neuroectodermal tumor of infancy. The patient remained well without evidence of recurrence for 1 year after surgery. Clinicopathological features, management alternatives and outcome were discussed.
Analytical characterization and antimicrobial properties of novel copper nanoparticle–loaded electrosynthesized hydrogel coatings
Authors: Cometa Stefania , Iatta Roberta , Ricci Maria Antonietta , Ferretti Concetta , De Giglio Elvira
Published: August 2013

In this study, a novel antimicrobial coating was developed to avoid infections and to provide sterile conditions for stainless steel devices. Poly(ethylene glycol diacrylate) hydrogel thin films were modified with copper-based nanoparticles, following two different entrapment procedures. These coatings were firmly attached on metal substrates by means of a simple and fast electrochemical polymerization technique. The surface composition of the Cu nanoparticles–modified hydrogel coatings and their bactericidal effect against Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli was studied, and the efficacy of such systems in preventing bacterial infections demonstrated.
Fecal Microbiota Transplantation and Emerging Treatments for Clostridium difficile Infection
Authors: Gens Krista D. , Elshaboury Ramy H. , Holt Jessica S.
Published: August 2013

Due to the increased incidence and recurrence of Clostridium difficile infection, health care providers are seeking new and alternative treatments to the standard antibiotic therapy. The objective of this article is to present a review on the background, microbiologic efficacy, clinical efficacy, and safety of fecal microbiota transplantation and to provide an overview of emerging treatment options currently under investigation. Emerging treatment options discussed include the use of monoclonal antibodies directed against toxins A and B, C difficile vaccination, and transplantation of nontoxigenic C difficile strains.
The selection and signaling effects of third-party intervention
Authors: Iwanami Yukari
Published: August 2013

Although mediation is one of the most widely used conflict management techniques, not all international conflicts involve mediation. Why do mediators intervene in some conflicts while not in others? Do third parties strategically select cases for mediation? How does their decision to intervene influence the outcome of international bargaining? This paper formally analyzes the initiation of mediation and the effect of third parties’ decisions of (non-)involvement on the likelihood of war. We find that informed mediators tend to avoid cases in which a disputant is resolute ( selection effect); however, even such self-serving actions can reduce the likelihood of warfare by signaling the disputant’s intransigence to the other side and inducing the latter to make more concessions during bilateral bargaining ( signaling effect). The Kargil War of 1999 illustrates this logic.
The merits of adding complexity: non-separable preferences in spatial models of European Union politics
Authors: Finke Daniel , Fleig Andreas
Published: August 2013

This paper challenges the assumption of separable preferences that has been applied throughout the existing empirical research on European Union (EU) legislative politics. Yet our analysis reveals that non-separable preferences are in fact a widespread phenomenon in EU politics. In many cases actors’ spending preferences are conditional upon the expected policy outcome, but not vice versa. In order to appropriately model such non-reciprocity, we propose a simple modification to the standard Euclidean utility function. Applying simulation techniques, we demonstrate that overlooking non-separable preferences may have caused a substantial bias in the empirical evaluation of competing models of EU legislative politics. Specifically, models that constrain the set of feasible outcomes to either the Winset and/or the core must rely on a correct specification of actors’ utility functions. Therefore, a false assumption of core separable preferences significantly disadvantages these models vis-à-vis unconstrained models. Moreover, our findings underline the agenda-setting power of the European Commission for proposals that involve either a spending decision or the delegation of power from the national to the European level.
Evidence of moist niches in the Bolivian Andes during the mid-Holocene arid period
Authors: Ledru Marie-Pierre , Jomelli Vincent , Bremond Laurent , Ortuño Teresa , Cruz Pablo , Bentaleb Ilhem , Sylvestre Florence , Kuentz Adèle , Beck Stephan , Martin Céline , Paillès Christine , Subitani Sandrine
Published: August 2013

To examine the climate of the mid-Holocene and early human settings in the Andes when the Altiplano was recording the most arid phase of the Holocene, we analyzed plant-related proxies (pollen, phytoliths, diatoms, stable isotopes) from a sediment core sampled at high elevation in the Eastern Cordillera of Bolivia. Our study was carried out in the wetland of Tiquimani (16°12′06.8″S; 68°3′51.5″W; 3760 m), on a well-known pathway between Amazonia and Altiplano. The 7000-year old record shows a two-step mid-Holocene with a dry climate between 6800 and 5800, followed by a wetter period that lasted until 3200 cal. yr BP. In the Central Andes of Bolivia, a widespread aridity was observed on the Altiplano during the mid-Holocene. However, here, we show that moisture was maintained locally by convective activity from the Amazon lowlands. During the arid interval between 5000 and 4000 yr BP, these niches of moisture produced specific grasslands that may have enabled the survival of an archaic culture of hunter–gatherers on the Puna. This development occurred 2000 years before expansion of quinoa cultivation on the Puna.
Representations of sport in the revolutionary socialist press in Britain, 1988–2012
Authors: Dart Jonathan
Published: August 2013

This paper considers how sport presents a dualism to those on the far left of the political spectrum. A long-standing, passionate debate has existed on the contradictory role played by sport, polarised between those who reject it as a bourgeois capitalist plague and those who argue for its reclamation and reformation. A case study is offered of a political party that has consistently used revolutionary Marxism as the basis for its activity and how this party, the largest in Britain, addresses sport in its publications. The study draws on empirical data to illustrate this debate by reporting findings from three socialist publications. When sport did feature it was often in relation to high profile sporting events with a critical tone adopted and typically focused on issues of commodification, exploitation and alienation of athletes and supporters. However, readers’ letters, printed in the same publications, revealed how this interpretation was not universally accepted, thus illustrating the contradictory nature of sport for those on the far left.
Lateral Talar Station
Authors: Veljkovic Andrea , Norton Adam , Salat Peter , Saltzman Charles , Femino John , Phisitkul Phinit , Amendola Annunziato
Published: August 2013

Background:

The sagittal relationship of the talus to the tibial shaft can prove invaluable to the orthopedist in understanding and effectively treating ankle pathologies such as ligamentous laxity and ankle arthritis. Any useful radiographic analysis tool to assess the lateral position of the talus must be employable reliably in the clinical setting. Previously published measurements to assess the lateral translational relationship of the talus relative to the tibial axis may not be available in the clinical setting or may be subject to significant inaccuracies. We have defined a sagittal talar position measurement (lateral talar station; LTS), which we postulated could be used reproducibly on clinical radiographs by the orthopedist to define the position of the talus as it relates to the anatomic tibial axis. In addition, we defined the normal range of the LTS measurement.

Methods:

A retrospective cohort of patients (121 ankles, 104 patients) who presented to our clinic with foot pain between 2005 and 2011 was evaluated for inclusion in the study. Exclusion criteria included patients with ankle trauma, instability, prior ankle surgery, or radiographic evidence of ankle osteoarthrosis. The final cohort consisted of 82 ankles. The LTS was measured digitally for each subject on weight-bearing lateral ankle radiographs by 3 observers. The mean LTS and standard deviation was determined for the entire cohort. In addition, as a means of validating our methodology, we performed an assessment of interobserver and intraobserver reliability in terms of the LTS measurements.

Results:

The LTS measurements for the entire cohort fit a Gaussian distribution with a mean of 1.17 mm (SD = 0.9893 mm). Interobserver intraclass coefficients for 2 observers (medical student and radiologist) and intraobserver intraclass coefficients for 1 reader (orthopaedic surgeon) indicated excellent reliability, being above 0.9.

Conclusion:

The LTS was a reliable measure that could be used on weight-bearing lateral ankle radiographs to define sagittal position of the talus in a clinical setting. The normal distribution for the LTS was described in our study population.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV, case series.
Effect of Dalteparin on Atherosclerotic Lesion Formation in Apolipoprotein E-Deficient Mice
Authors: Su Lin , Zhang Qingwen , Bao Hui , Li Wei , Miao Yide , Yan Zheng , Chen Dingbao
Published: August 2013

We aimed to investigate whether prolonged treatment with dalteparin could inhibit plaque progression. With C57BL/6J mice as the control, genetically deficient apolipoprotein E (apo E) male mice of C57BL/6J strain (apo E−/−) were randomly divided into 3 groups. The model group received no dalteparin, while the other 2 groups received dalteparin at 100 and 200 U/kg d, respectively. The aorta was harvested for hematoxylin and eosin staining to observe plaque formation and for immunohistochemical staining to detect the expression of oxidized low-density lipoprotein receptor 1 (LOX-1). The expression of LOX-1 messenger RNA was detected by reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction, while the expression of LOX-1 protein was detected by Western blotting. Dalteparin decreased aortic plaque volume and inhibited aortic LOX-1 protein expression in apo E−/− mice. The effect persisted 4 weeks after dalteparin treatment was discontinued. Dalteparin may inhibit atherosclerotic lesions by downregulating the expression of LOX-1 protein.
Evaluation of 2 Nomogram-Based Strategies for Dosing Argatroban in Patients With Known or Suspected Heparin-Induced Thrombocytopenia
Authors: Arpino Paul A. , Goeller Adrienne J. , Fatalo Anthony , Van Cott Elizabeth M.
Published: August 2013

No study has compared 2 different dosing strategies for argatroban titration nor has any published nomogram demonstrated improvement in outcomes. This study was conducted to evaluate the effectiveness of 2 argatroban nomograms on reaching therapeutic anticoagulation. Patients treated with argatroban were separated into 2 sliding scale groups, percentage adjustments (PAs) and predefined dose increments (PDIs). The primary outcome was the time to reach a therapeutic activated partial thromboplastin time (aPTT). The average initial dose and dose to achieve a therapeutic aPTT were similar between the groups. There was also no difference in the number of dose changes. The time to reach a therapeutic aPTT was 2 hours shorter in the PDI compared to the PA group, 8 ± 4 hours versus 10 ± 4 hours, P = .015. This study demonstrates a significant time advantage associated with a PDI nomogram compared to a PA nomogram but no difference with respect to the number of rate changes.
A Modest Proposal
Authors: John Jeffrey Alan
Published: August 2013

This essay suggests that because anyone and everyone can now be a “journalist,” the standards of the field of journalism have been greatly diminished. To regain respect for the profession and retain stature in the academy, journalism education should offer an assurance of the legitimacy of journalism program graduates by recognizing only programs with appropriate personnel, infrastructure, and the financial means to assure the quality of their graduates, and then award an official appellation such as “certified” or “credentialed.” Academia and the profession must join together to agree on the appropriate requirements.
A Vision for Transformative Leadership
Authors: Pavlik John V.
Published: August 2013

Journalism and mass communication education is in urgent need of transformative leadership. The media are in the midst of a sea change, and educators and professionals alike are groping for a pathway to a future in which they play a vital role. This essay offers a vision for reinventing journalism and mass communication through a model based on innovation and entrepreneurship in media, guided by ethics, freedom of speech, and rigorous, independent, and critical inquiry.
Jane Addams as a Resource for Developing a Reflexively Realist Social Science Practice
Authors: Rosiek Jerry Lee , Pratt Scott
Published: August 2013

The last four decades have seen a reflexive turn in the qualitative social sciences, an increased self-consciousness about the culturally contingent nature of our methods of representing human experience. This has given rise to a wave of experimentation in social science writing. Scholars have sought to develop research that does not just describe the object of study but also deliberately transforms the subject of the reader. In recent years, however, there is a growing sentiment that the obduracy of social reality seems to have been underemphasized in much of this experimentation. This article examines the inquiry methods of turn-of-the-century social theorist and settlement house founder, Jane Addams. The paper identifies themes in Addams’s approach to inquiry that was ahead of her time and relevant to this contemporary discussion. The paper argues that Addams has much to offer as an effort to develop a reflexively realist approach to social science inquiry.
Tensor random fields in conductivity and classical or microcontinuum theories
Authors: Ostoja-Starzewski Martin , Shen Lihua , Malyarenko Anatoliy
Published: August 2013

We study the basic properties of tensor random fields (TRFs) of the wide-sense homogeneous and isotropic kind with generally anisotropic realizations. Working within the constraints of small strains, attention is given to antiplane elasticity, thermal conductivity, classical elasticity and micropolar elasticity, all in quasi-static settings albeit without making any specific statements about the Fourier and Hooke laws. The field equations (such as linear and angular momentum balances and strain–displacement relations) lead to consequences for the respective dependent fields involved. In effect, these consequences are restrictions on the admissible forms of the correlation functions describing the TRFs.
Gambling, Delay, and Probability Discounting in Adults With and Without ADHD
Authors: Dai Zhijie , Harrow Sarah-Eve , Song Xianwen , Rucklidge Julia J. , Grace Randolph C.
Published: August 2013

Objective: We investigated the relationship between impulsivity, as measured by delay and probability discounting, and gambling-related cognitions and behavior in adults with and without ADHD. Method: Adults who met Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (4th ed.; DSM-IV) diagnostic criteria for ADHD ( n = 31) and controls ( n = 29) were recruited from the community. All completed an interview that included an assessment of psychiatric disorders, gambling questionnaires, and simulated gambling, delay, and probability discounting tasks. Results: The ADHD group was more likely to meet the criteria for problem gambling and was more impulsive than controls based on a composite discounting measure. ADHD symptoms were correlated with gambling-related cognitions and behavior. Probability, but not delay discounting, explained significant variance in gambling-related measures after controlling for ADHD symptoms. Discussion: Results confirm an association between adult ADHD and gambling, and suggest that the facets of impulsivity related to risk proneness may be an independent risk factor for problem gambling in this population.
Research Practices That Can Prevent an Inflation of False-Positive Rates
Authors: Murayama Kou , Pekrun Reinhard , Fiedler Klaus
Published: August 2013

Recent studies have indicated that research practices in psychology may be susceptible to factors that increase false-positive rates, raising concerns about the possible prevalence of false-positive findings. The present article discusses several practices that may run counter to the inflation of false-positive rates. Taking these practices into account would lead to a more balanced view on the false-positive issue. Specifically, we argue that an inflation of false-positive rates would diminish, sometimes to a substantial degree, when researchers (a) have explicit a priori theoretical hypotheses, (b) include multiple replication studies in a single paper, and (c) collect additional data based on observed results. We report findings from simulation studies and statistical evidence that support these arguments. Being aware of these preventive factors allows researchers not to overestimate the pervasiveness of false-positives in psychology and to gauge the susceptibility of a paper to possible false-positives in practical and fair ways.
Mapping resilience pathways of Indigenous youth in five circumpolar communities
Authors: Allen James , Hopper Kim , Wexler Lisa , Kral Michael , Rasmus Stacy , Nystad Kristine
Published: August 2013

This introduction to the Special Issue Indigenous Youth Resilience in the Arctic reviews relevant resilience theory and research, with particular attention to Arctic Indigenous youth. Current perspectives on resilience, as well as the role of social determinants, and community resilience processes in understanding resilience in Indigenous circumpolar settings are reviewed. The distinctive role for qualitative inquiry in understanding these frameworks is emphasized, as is the uniquely informative lens youth narratives can offer in understanding Indigenous, cultural, and community resilience processes during times of social transition. We then describe key shared cross-site methodological elements of the Circumpolar Indigenous Pathways to Adulthood study, including sampling, research design, procedures, and analytic strategies. The site-specific papers further elaborate on methods, focusing on those elements unique to each site, and describe in considerable detail locally salient stressors and culturally patterned resilience strategies operating in each community. The concluding paper considers these across sites, exploring continuities and discontinuities, and the influence of cross-national social policies.
Antidepressant drugs as a complementary therapeutic strategy in cancer
Authors: Bielecka Anna M , Obuchowicz Ewa
Published: August 2013

In the last decade, it has been increasingly recognized that antidepressant drugs may exert a range of effects, in addition to their well-documented ability to modulate neurotransmission. Although as a group they act on monoaminergic systems and receptors in different ways, a number of studies have demonstrated that at least some antidepressants might have other properties in common, including immunomodulatory, cyto/neuroprotective, analgesic and anti-inflammatory activities. These properties are partly related to the influence of antidepressants on glial cell function.

Recently, emerging information about the possible anticancer properties of antidepressants has sparked increased interest within scientific community, and there is now evidence that these drugs affect the key cellular mechanisms of carcinogenesis. This review examines the putative cellular targets for the anticancer action of antidepressant drugs, and presents examples of the interaction between antidepressants and anticancer drugs. By reviewing the current state of research in this area, we hope to focus the attention of oncologists and researchers engaged in the study of cancer on the role that antidepressant drugs could play in the complementary therapy of cancer.
Pyridoxamine, an inhibitor of protein glycation, in relation to microalbuminuria and proinflammatory cytokines in experimental diabetic nephropathy
Authors: Elseweidy Mohamed M , Elswefy Sahar E , Younis Nahla N , Zaghloul Mohamed S
Published: August 2013

Diabetic nephropathy (DN) is one of the major complications that develop as consequence of chronic and uncontrolled hyperglycaemia. Hyperglycaemia initiates various processes, one of which is protein glycation, leading to the formation of advanced glycation end products. Alteration of intracellular signalling, gene expression, release of proinflammatory molecules and free radicals are examples of such changes and they contribute to the initiation of diabetic complications. In the current manuscript, we studied the effect of pyridoxamine (PM) on protein glycation, oxidative stress, interleukin-1α (IL-1α), IL-6, C-reactive protein (CRP), gene expression of tumour necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1) in relation to microalbuminuria and kidney functions in a model of alloxan-induced diabetic rats. We have observed that onset of microalbuminuria has preceded the gradual increase of blood sugar level in diabetic rats. In diabetic rats, gene expression of TNF-α and TGF-β1 recorded a gradual increase and marked increase was observed after one and two weeks of alloxan administration, in comparison with normal rats. PM induced significant decrease in kidney malondialdehyde content and the gene expression of TNF-α and TGF-β1, in addition to levels of serum glucose, fructosamine, urea, creatinine, IL-1α, IL-6, CRP and urine microalbumin. Histopathological examination of kidney tissues showed certain improvements as compared with diabetic control. In conclusion, our results may provide a supporting evidence for the therapeutic benefit of PM in DN.
Depletion of RNA-binding protein RBM8A (Y14) causes cell cycle deficiency and apoptosis in human cells
Authors: Ishigaki Yasuhito , Nakamura Yuka , Tatsuno Takanori , Hashimoto Mitsumasa , Shimasaki Takeo , Iwabuchi Kuniyoshi , Tomosugi Naohisa
Published: August 2013

RBM8A (Y14) contains an RNA-binding motif and forms a tight heterodimer with Magoh. The heterodimer is known to be a member of the exon junction complex that forms on mRNA before export and it is required for mRNA metabolism processes such as splicing, mRNA export and nonsense-mediated mRNA decay. Recently, deficient cellular proliferation has been observed in RBM8A- or Magoh-depleted cells. These results prompted us to study the role of RBM8A in cell cycle progression of human tumour cells. The depletion of RBM8A in A549 cells resulted in poor cell survival and the accumulation of mitotic cells. After release from G1/S arrest induced by a double thymidine block, the RBM8A-silenced cells could not proceed to the next G1 phase beyond G2/M phase. Finally, the sub-G1 population increased and the apoptosis markers caspases 3/7 were activated. Silenced cells exhibited an increased frequency of multipolar or monopolar centrosomes, which may have caused the observed deficiency in cell cycle progression. Finally, silencing of either RBM8A or Magoh resulted in mutual downregulation of the other protein. These results illustrate that the RBM8A-Magoh mRNA binding complex is required for M phase progression and both proteins may be novel targets for anticancer therapy.
Relational oriented systems engineering framework for flight training
Authors: Dickerson Charles , Holden Trevor
Published: August 2013

The integration of systems of systems (SoS) associated with a flight training mission directly reflects the problem of developing a system engineering process for the design of live, virtual and constructive (LVC) experiments. Due to the complexity and disparity of the technology in a flight training SoS (FTSoS), modeling and analysis of architecture is becoming increasingly important. Relational Oriented Systems Engineering (ROSE) methodology is used to develop a framework for simulation and analysis of a navigational SoS for a typical aircraft. The framework can be used for both the prescription of navigation systems entering and exiting the SoS and for the analysis of pilot behavior as navigation quality of service (QoS) changes. ROSE offers a novel approach to developing a model-based systems engineering (MBSE) process for simulation and analysis of a complex SoS problem.
Applying reinforcement learning to an insurgency Agent-based Simulation
Authors: Collins Andrew , Sokolowski John , Banks Catherine
Published: August 2013

A requirement of an Agent-based Simulation (ABS) is that the agents must be able to adapt to their environment. Many ABSs achieve this adaption through simple threshold equations due to the complexity of incorporating more sophisticated approaches. Threshold equations are when an agent behavior changes because a numeric property of the agent goes above or below a certain threshold value. Threshold equations do not guarantee that the agents will learn what is best for them. Reinforcement learning is an artificial intelligence approach that has been extensively applied to multi-agent systems but there is very little in the literature on its application to ABS. Reinforcement learning has previously been applied to discrete-event simulations with promising results; thus, reinforcement learning is a good candidate for use within an Agent-based Modeling and Simulation (ABMS) environment. This paper uses an established insurgency case study to show some of the consequences of applying reinforcement learning to ABMS, for example, determining whether any actual learning has occurred. The case study was developed using the Repast Simphony software package.
Sample size formulae for the Bayesian continual reassessment method
Authors: Kuen Cheung Ying
Published: August 2013

Background

In the planning of a dose finding study, a primary design objective is to maintain high accuracy in terms of the probability of selecting the maximum tolerated dose. While numerous dose finding methods have been proposed in the literature, concrete guidance on sample size determination is lacking.

Purpose

With a motivation to provide quick and easy calculations during trial planning, we present closed form formulae for sample size determination associated with the use of the Bayesian continual reassessment method (CRM).

Methods

We examine the sampling distribution of a nonparametric optimal design and exploit it as a proxy to empirically derive an accuracy index of the CRM using linear regression.

Results

We apply the formulae to determine the sample size of a phase I trial of PTEN-long in pancreatic cancer patients and demonstrate that the formulae give results very similar to simulation. The formulae are implemented by an R function ‘getn’ in the package ‘dfcrm’.

Limitations

The results are developed for the Bayesian CRM and should be validated by simulation when used for other dose finding methods.

Conclusions

The analytical formulae we propose give quick and accurate approximation of the required sample size for the CRM. The approach used to derive the formulae can be applied to obtain sample size formulae for other dose finding methods.
No Pain like My Own: Guilt in the Works of Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Antjie Krog
Authors: Chakravarti Sonali
Published: August 2013

Within political theory, it is Jean-Jacques Rousseau who is often associated with the idea that humans have an intrinsic response to the pain of others. Yet, this article argues that he should also be understood as a theorist of the paralyzing effects of guilt and that it was his guilt, not sympathy, which marked the most intense interpersonal moments in his life. As a counterpoint to Rousseau’s assessment, the second part examines the guilt felt by Afrikaner journalist Antjie Krog in her memoir of the South African Truth and Reconciliation Commission, Country of My Skull. Her reflections on the guilt connected to apartheid and to the experience of an extra-marital affair reveal the dynamics of (1) pleasure and (2) paralysis through guilt that seem to animate Rousseau’s writing but that he fails to address directly. Moreover, Krog’s attention to the two variants of guilt and their relationships to the possibility of repair shed light on the gaps and silences in Rousseau’s writing.
Museums as Constitutions: A Commentary on Constitutions and Constitution Making
Authors: Douglas Stacy
Published: August 2013

Constitutional theorists frequently take the constitutional arrangement as their primary focus of critique. Indeed, for many constitutional scholars, the constitution is presumed as the central place from which to navigate and negotiate political community. However, this approach neglects the ways in which imaginations of political community are also launched at other sites of meaning-making. This commentary reflects on the role of museums in the production of such imaginations. In it, I examine the relationship between museums, constituting, and constitution-making.
Effective thermal conductivity of hollow bricks with cavities filled by air and expanded polystyrene
Authors: Pavlík Zbyšek , Jerman Miloš , Trník Anton , Kočí Václav , Černý Robert
Published: August 2013

Effective thermal conductivity of hollow bricks with the cavities filled by either air or expanded polystyrene is analyzed using a hybrid experimental–computational approach. The experimental setup involves an application of a thermal insulation box and a set of temperature and heat flux probes placed at characteristic positions of the specimen-insulating box system. Using the measured heat fluxes and temperatures, the heat loss of the system is determined. A computer simulation tool based on the finite element principle is then used for modeling the temperature fields and heat losses in the studied system. Finally, the effective thermal conductivity is identified using an iterative procedure. Experimental results show that the application of expanded polystyrene as cavity filler instead of air leads to ∼30% decrease in the effective thermal conductivity of hollow brick blocks.