bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Overexpression of Human Apolipoprotein A-II in Transgenic Mice Does Not Impair Macrophage-Specific Reverse Cholesterol Transport In Vivo
Authors: Rotllan Noemí , Ribas Vicent , Calpe-Berdiel Laura , Martín-Campos Jesús M. , Blanco-Vaca Francisco , Escolà-Gil Joan Carles
Published: September 2018

Background—

Overexpression of human apolipoprotein (apo) A-II in transgenic mice induces high-density lipoprotein (HDL) deficiency, and increased atherosclerosis susceptibility only when fed an atherogenic diet. This may, in part, be caused by impairment in reverse cholesterol transport (RCT).

Methods and Results—

[
3
H]cholesterol-labeled macrophages were injected intraperitoneally into mice maintained on a chow diet or an atherogenic diet. Plasma [
3
H]cholesterol did not differ from human apoA-II transgenic and control mice at 24 or 48 hours after the label injection. On the chow diet, human apoA-II transgenic mice presented increased [
3
H]cholesterol in liver (1.3-fold) and feces (6-fold) compared with control mice (
P
<0.05). The magnitude of macrophage-specific RCT did not differ between transgenic and control mice fed the atherogenic diet.

Conclusions—

Human apoA-II maintains effective RCT from macrophages to feces in vivo despite an HDL deficiency. These findings suggest that the increased atherosclerotic lesions observed in apoA-II transgenic mice fed an atherogenic diet are not caused by impairment in macrophage-specific RCT.
Blockade of Angiotensin II Receptors Reduces the Expression of Receptors for Advanced Glycation End Products in Human Endothelial Cells
Authors: Fujita Masashi , Okuda Hiroko , Tsukamoto Osamu , Asano Yoshihiro , Liao Yulin , Hirata Akio , Kim Jiyoong , Miyatsuka Takeshi , Takashima Seiji , Minamino Tetsuo , Tomoike Hitonobu , Kitakaze Masafumi
Published: September 2018

Objectives—

Receptors for advanced glycation end products (RAGEs) play crucial roles in atherogenesis. Because tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα) is expressed and upregulates RAGE expression in atherosclerotic lesions, the TNFα-RAGE interaction might be involved in the inflammatory process of atherogenesis. On the other hand, an angiotensin II type-1 receptor blocker (ARB), widely used as an antihypertensive drug, has been reported to have also antiatherosclerotic effects. Thus we investigated whether an ARB exerts antiatherosclerotic effects via inhibiting the TNFα-RAGE interaction.

Methods and Results—

Stimulation of human endothelial cells with candesartan as well as olmesartan decreased TNFα-induced RAGE expression in both mRNA and protein levels along with the decrease in the activity of nuclear factor κB and the expression of inflammatory mediators such as vascular cell adhesion molecule (VCAM)-1. Both candesartan and olmesartan inhibited the binding of nuclear factor κB to the RAGE gene promoter. Furthermore, gene silencing of RAGE by RNA interference decreased the expression of TNFα-induced VCAM-1 in both mRNA and protein levels.

Conclusions—

RAGE contributes at least partially to the TNFα-induced VCAM-1 expression in both mRNA and protein levels. Blockade of angiotensin II receptors might exert antiatherosclerotic effects via reducing TNFα-RAGE interaction.
Search Dynamics on Multimodal Multiobjective Problems
Authors: Kerschke P. , Wang H. , Preuss M. , Grimme C. , Deutz A. H. , Trautmann H. , Emmerich M. T. M.
Published: September 2018

We continue recent work on the definition of multimodality in multiobjective optimization (MO) and the introduction of a test bed for multimodal MO problems. This goes beyond well-known diversity maintenance approaches but instead focuses on the landscape topology induced by the objective functions. More general multimodal MO problems are considered by allowing ellipsoid contours for single-objective subproblems. An experimental analysis compares two MO algorithms, one that explicitly relies on hypervolume gradient approximation, and one that is based on local search, both on a selection of generated example problems. We do not focus on performance but on the interaction induced by the problems and algorithms, which can be described by means of specific characteristics explicitly designed for the multimodal MO setting. Furthermore, we widen the scope of our analysis by additionally applying visualization techniques in the decision space. This strengthens and extends the foundations for Exploratory Landscape Analysis (ELA) in MO.
Chronographical Analysis: an Essay in Methodology
Authors: Steineck Raji C.
Published: September 2018

In this essay I discuss the various ways time can be inscribed in texts below the level of explicit propositions about time. I argue that a full chronographical analysis needs to account for the dimensions of the theoretical, the practical, and the aesthetic. Taking Kant’s table of categories as a guide to the fundamental functions of chronographic determination, I propose a methodology of analysis that goes beyond the aspect of quantitative measurement, and includes typological, thetic and modal information about time. Numerous examples from various textual domains such as poetry, historiography, science and law illustrate the wide applicability of the proposed analytical categories. The full matrix of dimensions and determinative functions can be used to describe the chronographic signature of a text, which depends as much on its communicative purpose as on the technologies of calculating and describing time available to its authors.
Learning from the South
Authors: Ciocchini Pablo
Published: September 2018

Over the last three decades, governments in Latin America and Southeast Asia have transitioned from authoritarian to democratic regimes. A series of reforms to criminal procedures have been promoted to improve transparency and accountability and reduce the chronic backlog suffered by courts in the region. These reforms are based on the “ideal” model of societies in the Global North. However, due to the socioeconomic conditions and the institutional history of societies in these regions, these reforms have not achieved the proposed goals. Because of these failures, later reforms in Latin America have prioritised managerial concerns. Thus, they have favoured different types of bargained justice and simplified procedures that usher in convictions based mainly on police reports without a proper cross-examination of evidence. This article argues that jurisdictions in both regions could learn a lot from one another regarding avoiding failures and unintended consequences. To achieve this, the article uses a comparative approach and demonstrates the potential of this by comparing four reform strategies carried out in Argentina and the Philippines.
Are wild insectivorous birds attracted to methyl-jasmonate-treated Pyrenean oak trees?
Authors: Saavedra Irene , Amo Luisa
Published: September 2018

Plants emit herbivore-induced plant volatiles (HIPVs) when they are attacked by herbivorous arthropods to attract natural enemies of the herbivores. Previous studies have suggested that insectivorous birds can detect the HIPVs for prey location. The production of HIPVs is partly mediated by the jasmonic acid signalling pathway. Methyl jasmonate is one compound involved in the jasmonic acid signalling pathway. Therefore, spraying of methyl jasmonate (MeJa) solution on plants can induce the emission of volatiles similar to the HIPVs induced by herbivory. We performed two field experiments to test whether insectivorous adult birds are attracted to Pyrenean oak trees (Quercus pyrenaica) treated with MeJa solutions. We used artificial larvae to measure bird predation rate. There were no differences in the predation rates of plasticine larvae between control and MeJa treatments, suggesting that insectivorous birds were not attracted to trees treated with MeJa. We also tested whether blue tit nestlings without previous experience in foraging respond to the scent of Pyrenean oak tree leaves treated with MeJa, to test whether the attraction to MeJa-treated trees is innate. A similar number of nestlings performed begging responses when exposed to the scent of leaves of MeJa-treated trees compared to the scent of leaves of control untreated trees. Furthermore, the duration of the first begging was similar in response to the volatiles emitted by MeJa-treated trees and untreated trees. Despite previous evidence suggesting that insectivorous birds are attracted to HIPVs, our results show that neither insectivorous adult birds nor inexperienced nestlings were attracted to trees treated with MeJa. Further studies are needed to disentangle whether the differences in the emission of volatiles between herbivore-infested trees and MeJa-treated trees can explain this lack of attraction to MeJa-treated Pyrenean oak trees.
Lineages of Capital
Authors: Anievas Alexander , Nişancıoğlu Kerem
Published: September 2018

Our reply focuses on three key themes raised in the symposium. First, we discuss an enduring issue in Marxist International Relations: ‘the problematic of the international’ and the problems of methodological internalism. We examine how our interlocutors have responded to this problematic and why we consider these responses insufficient. Specifically, we suggest that the source of our disagreement is grounded in two divergent understandings of the problem of internalism itself. We then reassert the value of our chosen response to the problematic – uneven and combined development (UCD). Second, we respond to the criticism that our extension ofUCDas a ‘transmodal’ general abstraction is problematic by further explicating the significance and role of general abstractions in Marxist theory – a point yet addressed by our critics. Finally, we return to the fundamental question at the core of the transition debate: what is capitalism and how do we theorise it?
Medical Research Involving Children – Giving Weight to Children’s Views
Authors: Dorscheidt Jozef H.H.M. , Hein Irma M.
Published: September 2018

The quality of health care for children depends much on the availability of relevant results from medical research with children as subjects. Yet, because of their vulnerability and assumed incompetence to take part in decision-making, children have often been excluded from taking part in medical research, so as to prevent them from harm. Empirical data on children’s competence to consent to such research used to be rare, but recent developments in this field have created more insights in the myths and realities concerning minor patients’ capacities to decide on medical research participation. Against the background of relevant international, European and domestic legal frameworks concerning the rights of children as participants in medical research, this article goes into instruments such as MacCAT-CR, a semi-structured interview format useable as a competence assessment tool for clinical research involving children. On the basis of this, several recommendations are defined to enhance such research, as these may do sufficient justice to the health interests and the capacities of children, while at the same time supporting researchers and child research participants when facing decisions about pediatric research options.
The Memory of Light: The Persian Concept of Āberū
Authors: Rodziewicz Magdalena
Published: September 2018

The article is devoted to the Persian concept of āberū, which in contemporary Persian expresses the meanings of ‘good reputation’, ‘good social image’, and ‘honour’ that a man possesses in the eyes of others. This concept, fundamental to the Persian culture, can be studied from multiple perspectives—linguistic, sociological, religious, or ethical. However, the present article’s main objective is to draw attention to the parallelism between the concept of āberū and the idea of light and luminosity. The author attempts to reconstruct the ‘memory’ of this concept by analysing the etymology of the term āberū, its semantics and selected contexts of its use in the classical Persian texts.
Bezeichnungen von Wurfwaffen im Iranischen. II. Iranica mutuata. III.
Authors: Buyaner David B.
Published: September 2018

The rare Pahlavi word  “sling”, which, in particular, renders Avestan fradaxšanā- “id.” in V 14.9, 17.9, 17.10 and P 20, has until now defied etymological explanation. As early as 1889, Paul Horn compared Pahlavi  “sling” with New Indian gophan “id.”, but this proposal was neglected by scholars, as was often the case with Horn’s ideas. In the present paper, Horn’s suggestion is rehabilitated with some corrections: the spelling of Pahlavi  is reconstructed as *kōpīn, and an additional instance of the phonetic transition Middle Indian -ChaC- → Middle West Iranian -CihC > -CīC, namely that took place with the borrowing of Manichaean Parthian ,  (*zenjihr) “chain, fessels”, Pahlavi zncyl(k)/zenjīr(ag) “id.” (> New Persian zanjīr “id.”) from Prakrit siṅkhalā, is discussed.
Scribe and Owner as Artist in a Sixteenth-Century Yiddish Miscellany
Authors: Wolfthal Diane
Published: September 2018

A Miscellany of five secular Yiddish chapbooks was created in late sixteenth-century East Swabia. Two of the chapbooks, “Keyser Oktavian” and a collection of “mayses”, were illustrated by their scribe Yitzhak bar Yuda Reutlingen. A Jewish owner also drew on a blank folio. This essay seeks to address two issues. First, although in the past these drawings have often been dismissed as derivative or crude, this article will dispute this assertion. Then this essay will question the ways in which some scholars have masked the manuscript’s Jewish identity, and will explore how the scribe and owner express the distinctly Jewish nature of the Miscellany through their drawings.
Epistemische Deferenz
Authors: Hauswald Rico
Published: September 2018

What is the correct epistemic stance that laypeople should take vis-a-vis epistemic authorities? The author provides an answer to this question based on a critical examination of Linda Zagzebski’s Preemption Thesis, according to which the fact that an authority has a belief p is a reason for a layperson to believe p that replaces her other reasons relevant to believing p and is not simply added to them. In contrast, the author argues that epistemic deference requires a layperson to perform a number of epistemic tasks and involves an active and critical stance that conflicts with the Preemption Thesis.
The Rules of Prose in Sixteenth-Century China: Tang Shunzhi (1507-1560) as an Anthologist
Authors: Clifford Timothy Robert
Published: September 2018

This paper examines the role of the anthologist in late imperial Chinese print culture. Specifically, it focuses on the sixteenth-century anthologist Tang Shunzhi. Tang’s first place finish in the 1529 metropolitan examinations came at a pivotal moment. As commercial anthology printers responded to an expanding reading public by applying readers’ aids such as punctuation and commentary to increasingly diverse textual corpora, Tang’s distinctive method of annotation was used to ‘reveal’ the rules of Ming examination prose operating universally across a seemingly endless variety of texts. At the same time, Tang’s own belief in universal rules of prose was the product of an educational movement to supplement the narrow and monotonous examination curriculum by providing students with anthologies of ancient literature. These two Tangs—one revealing uniformity within diversity, the other revealing diversity within uniformity—highlight contradictory trends toward both stereotypy and diversification within sixteenth-century print culture more broadly.
Liulichang: the Institution and Practice of the Antique, Art, and Book Market in Late Qing Beijing
Authors: Yin Tongyun
Published: September 2018

The unique characteristic of the late Qing Beijing antique and book market lies in the existence of Liulichang market, a geographically and culturally integrated marketplace on a scale that was not found in other parts of contemporaneous China. Starting with examining the changing urban landscape and reconfiguration of Beijing’s social and cultural spaces in the Ming and Qing dynasties, this paper investigates the uniqueness of Liulichang market through the lens of the distinctive architecture, organizations, and practices of its antique and book shops. The dominance of a regional market preference for particular artworks, represented by the canonization of paintings by the early Qing orthodox masters at Liulichang, demonstrates that the market was not only an economic institution, but also an essential public space for formalizing collective judgment, meanings, and relationships driven by the agendas of the bureaucratic elite class in the Qing capital. The emphasis on specific formative and decisive forces in constructing the regional markets and directing art consumption in late Qing China further aims to add different nuances to our understanding of the fluidity and specificity of different urban cultures in the late Qing dynasty.
A review of the genus Labeo (Teleostei: Cyprinidae) in Sri Lanka
Authors: SUDASINGHE HIRANYA , RANASINGHE R.H. THARINDU , GOONATILAKE SAMPATH de ALWIS , MEEGASKUMBURA MADHAVA
Published: September 2018

The taxonomy of the three native taxa assigned to the genus Labeo (L. dussumieri, L. fisheri and L. porcellus lankae) in Sri Lanka is reviewed. The population hitherto identified as L. dussumieri in Sri Lanka is shown to be a distinct species, here named L. heladiva. Labeo heladiva, new species, has a wide distribution in the low and mid-elevations of the island and is distinguished from its Indian congeners by the combination of having two pairs of barbels; 12–13 branched dorsal-fin rays; lateral line with 44–51 scales; ½8–½9+1+6–7 scales in transverse series; and 19–22 circumpeduncular scales. It differs from its closest relative, L. dussumieri, principally by having 44–51 vs. 50–60 lateral-line scales, 19–22 vs. 22–27 circumpeduncular scales, and by uncorrected pairwise genetic distances of 1.27–2.22% and 1.88–2.91% for the two mitochondrial genes COI and cytb, respectively. Labeo fisheri, which is endemic to the upper reaches of the Mahaweli River basin in the Knuckles mountain range and the central hills in the vicinity of Kandy, is distinguished from Indian congeners by having (in combination) only a single pair of barbels; dorsal fin with 10–12 branched rays; lateral line with 37–39 scales; 7+1+4½–6 scales in transverse series; and 17–20 circumpeduncular scales. Labeo lankae is recognized as a valid species endemic to Sri Lanka. Long suspected to have become extinct, or known only from spurious records, an extant population is reported from the northern dry zone of the island. Labeo lankae is the sister species of L. porcellus of peninsular India; it can be distinguished from its congeners by having, in combination, 10–12 branched dorsal-fin rays; 36–39 lateral-line scales; ½8+1+5–6½ scales in transverse series; and 21–24 circumpeduncular scales. It differs from L. porcellus principally by having ½8 (vs. ½6–½7) scales between the origin of the dorsal fin and the lateral line, 21–24 (vs. 20–21) circumpeduncular scales and uncorrected pairwise genetic distances of 1.27% and 1.41% for the mitochondrial genes COI and cytb, respectively. The three species of Labeo in Sri Lanka do not form a monophyletic group.
Ontogenetic development and redescription of Oligonychus pratensis (Banks, 1912) (Acari: Tetranychidae)
Authors: LI JUAN , YI TIAN-CI , GUO JIAN-JUN , JIN DAO-CHAO
Published: September 2018

Oligonychus pratensis (Banks, 1912) is redescribed based on adult females as well as immature instars collected from Imperata (Poaceae) in Zhangjiajie City, Hunan Province, China. The ontogenetic development of chaetotaxy in O. pratensis is the same as that in O. afrasiaticus (McGregor, 1939) and O. saccharinus Baker & Pritchard, 1960. Moreover, we remove O. shinkajii Ehara, 1963 from synonymy with O. modestus (Banks, 1900), due to significant differences in their aedeagal morphology.
Challenges in Modeling Turbulent Heat Fluxes to Snowpacks in Forest Clearings
Authors: Conway Jonathan P. , Pomeroy John W. , Helgason Warren D. , Kinar Nicholas J.
Published: September 2018

Forest clearings are common features of evergreen forests and produce snowpack accumulation and melt differing from that in adjacent forests and open terrain. This study has investigated the challenges in specifying the turbulent fluxes of sensible and latent heat to snowpacks in forest clearings. The snowpack in two forest clearings in the Canadian Rockies was simulated using a one-dimensional (1D) snowpack model. A trade-off was found between optimizing against measured snow surface temperature or snowmelt when choosing how to specify the turbulent fluxes. Schemes using the Monin–Obukhov similarity theory tended to produce negatively biased surface temperature, while schemes that enhanced turbulent fluxes, to reduce the surface temperature bias, resulted in too much melt. Uncertainty estimates from Monte Carlo experiments showed that no realistic parameter set could successfully remove biases in both surface temperature and melt. A simple scheme that excludes atmospheric stability correction was required to successfully simulate surface temperature under low wind speed conditions. Nonturbulent advective fluxes and/or nonlocal sources of turbulence are thought to account for the maintenance of heat exchange in low-wind conditions. The simulation of snowmelt was improved by allowing enhanced latent heat fluxes during low-wind conditions. Caution is warranted when snowpack models are optimized on surface temperature, as model tuning may compensate for deficiencies in conceptual and numerical models of radiative, conductive, and turbulent heat exchange at the snow surface and within the snowpack. Such model tuning could have large impacts on the melt rate and timing of the snow-free transition in simulations of forest clearings within hydrological and meteorological models.
Health Benefits of Walking in Nature: A Randomized Controlled Study Under Conditions of Real-Life Stress
Authors: Olafsdottir Gunnthora , Cloke Paul , Schulz André , van Dyck Zoé , Eysteinsson Thor , Thorleifsdottir Björg , Vögele Claus
Published: September 2018

We investigated the effects of recreational exposure to the natural environment on mood and psychophysiological responses to stress. We hypothesized that walking in nature has restorative effects over and above the effects of exposure to nature scenes (viewing nature on TV) or physical exercise alone (walking on a treadmill in a gym) and that these effects are greater when participants were expected to be more stressed. Healthy university students ( N = 90) were randomly allocated to one of three conditions and tested during an exam-free period and again during their exam time. Mood and psychophysiological responses were assessed before and after the interventions, and again after a laboratory stressor. All interventions had restorative effects on cortisol levels ( p < .001), yet walking in nature resulted in lower cortisol levels than did nature viewing ( p < .05) during the exam period. Walking in nature improved mood more than watching nature scenes ( p < .001) or physical exercise alone ( p < .05).
Pakistan’s Economy and Regional Challenges
Authors: Husain Ishrat
Published: September 2018

Pakistan was one of the top 10 fastest growing developing countries between 1960 and 1990 recording an annual average growth rate of 6 per cent. The structure of the economy was also transformed during this period with the share of agriculture coming down from 50 per cent to 20 per cent. The subsequent 25 years have, however, brought about a significant decline in growth rates and in more recent seven years, it has lagged behind other South Asian countries. A combination of political instability and disruption of evolving democratic process, lack of continuity in policies and poor governance have contributed to this outcome. Pakistan has also not utilized its geographic location to take advantage of intra-regional trade and investment. Many promising opportunities were lost due to lingering tension with India. The future potential can only be realized if Pakistan is able to position itself for meeting the future challenges of integration into the regional and global economy, reaping demographic dividends because of youthful population and moving up the ladder of technology. The realization of these goals will depend upon sound macroeconomic policies, strong institutional and governance framework, investment in infrastructure and human development and political stability.
Pakistan General Elections 2018: Clear Signs of a Guided Democracy
Authors: Behera Ajay Darshan
Published: September 2018

Pakistan’s general elections held in July 2018 led to the smooth transition of power for the second time from one elected government to another. However, the elections were marred by serious allegations of manipulation of the electoral process by the military. The results were on predicted lines—a hung assembly in which the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) emerged with the highest seats. While Imran Khan’s political journey has been a remarkable one, he inherits a country, which has become difficult to govern and faces a very difficult economic situation. Pakistan’s second successful democratic transition shows clear signs of the emergence of a political system in which the military may just be happy with a form of guided democracy—a formal democratic structure maintained and legitimized by elections. Even if Imran Khan has come to power as a result of the manipulation by the military establishment, he cannot be taken for granted in the civil–military equation.
A Quantitative Observational Study of Physician Influence on Hospital Costs
Authors: Wong Herbert , Karaca Zeynal , Gibson Teresa B.
Published: September 2018

Physicians serve as the nexus of treatment decision-making in hospitalized patients; however, little empirical evidence describes the influence of individual physicians on hospital costs. In this study, we examine the extent to which hospital costs vary across physicians and physician characteristics. We used all-payer data from 2 states representing 15 237 physicians and 2.5 million hospital visits. Regression analysis and propensity score matching were used to understand the role of observable provider characteristics on hospital costs controlling for patient demographics, socioeconomic characteristics, clinical risk, and hospital characteristics. We used hierarchical models to estimate the amount of variation attributable to physicians. We found that the average cost of hospital inpatient stays registered to female physicians was consistently lower across all empirical specifications when compared with male physicians. We also found a negative association between physicians’ years of experience and the average costs. The average cost of hospital inpatient stays registered to foreign-trained physicians was lower than US-trained physicians. We observed sizable variation in average costs of hospital inpatient stays across medical specialties. In addition, we used hierarchical methods and estimated the amount of remaining variation attributable to physicians and found that it was nonnegligible (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC]: 0.33 in the full sample). Historically, most physicians have been reimbursed separately from hospitals, and our study shows that physicians play a role in influencing hospital costs. Future policies and practices should acknowledge these important dependencies. This study lends further support for alignment of physician and hospital incentives to control costs and improve outcomes.
Deception Detection and Truth Detection Are Dependent on Different Cognitive and Emotional Traits: An Investigation of Emotional Intelligence, Theory of Mind, and Attention
Authors: Stewart Suzanne L. K. , Wright Clea , Atherton Catherine
Published: September 2018

Despite evidence that variation exists between individuals in high-stakes truth and deception detection accuracy rates, little work has investigated what differences in individuals’ cognitive and emotional abilities contribute to this variation. Our study addressed this question by examining the role played by cognitive and affective theory of mind (ToM), emotional intelligence (EI), and various aspects of attention (alerting, orienting, executive control) in explaining variation in accuracy rates among 115 individuals (87 women; mean age = 27.04 years [ SD = 11.32]) who responded to video clips of truth-tellers and liars in real-world, high-stakes contexts. Faster attentional alerting supported truth detection, and better cognitive ToM and perception of emotion (an aspect of EI) supported deception detection. This evidence indicates that truth and deception detection are distinct constructs supported by different abilities. Future research may address whether interventions targeting these cognitive and emotional traits can also contribute to improving detection skill.
Development and Psychometric Evaluation of a Questionnaire to Measure Attitudes Toward Perinatal Depression and Acceptability of Screening: The PND Attitudes and Screening Acceptability Questionnaire (PASAQ)
Authors: El-Den Sarira , O’Reilly Claire L. , Chen Timothy F.
Published: September 2018

Prior to implementing perinatal depression (PND) screening, health-care professionals’ acceptability of screening and their attitudes toward PND should be explored. We aimed to develop and psychometrically evaluate a questionnaire measuring PND attitudes and screening acceptability. A 31-item questionnaire was developed based on published questionnaires and a systematic review on PND screening acceptability. Principal components analysis with direct oblimin rotation was used to determine construct validity. Reliability of the resulting components was explored using Cronbach’s α. Pharmacists ( N = 153) were recruited from the Australian Association of Consultant Pharmacy. The scree plot and parallel analysis indicated a six-component solution. Due to cross-loadings (<.2 difference) and low loadings (<.445), it was necessary to delete 7 items. The six components explored PND screening acceptability, screening readiness, stigma, attitudes toward treatment efficacy, medication counseling responsibility, and the effect PND has on others. The six components explained 59.8% of the variance. Item loadings ranged from .445 to .880. Cronbach’s α for each component ranged from .45 to .86. The construct validity and internal consistency reliability of the PND attitudes and screening acceptability questionnaire have been explored. Future measurements of these constructs using uniform, psychometrically sound scales may facilitate comparisons across studies.
Indian Christians and The Making of Composite Culture in South India
Authors: Doss M. Christhu
Published: September 2018

While North India erupted in rebellion in 1857, South India was experiencing a range of cross-cultural contests between missionary Christianity and local converts, who protested against Indian culture being dismissed as a work of the devil. Converts in the emerging Christian communities, particularly in South India, made efforts to retain their indigenous cultural ethos as part of their lived experience. Early attempts to balance Indian identity with Christian beliefs and practices were later replicated in a second anti-hegemonic movement by claims of Indian Christians for respectful inclusion into the new composite nation of postcolonial India.

This article brings out how these two processes of asserting hybridity and equity developed. The initial impact of hegemonising Christianity created a chasm between missionaries and converts, which especially the latter addressed constructively. After 1857, emboldened British hegemonic and missionary activities sparked further divisive identity politics, feeding fresh rebellious ambitions that needed to be pacified to maintain the empire. As more culturally conscious Indian Christians realised that missionary Christianity was antithetical to their lived experiences as part of an emerging Indian nation, they used educational strategies to strengthen the formation of India’s composite culture, so that India’s Christians could now (re)assert their rightful place within the postcolonial nationalist framework, despite contentions from majoritarian forces.
Comparing Survival Analysis and Discrete Choice Specifications Simulating Dynamics of Vehicle Ownership
Authors: Ghasri Milad , Rashidi Taha Hossein , Saberi Meead
Published: September 2018

Modeling travel-related decisions of transport system users is the core of many behavioral travel demand models. It is of great significance to use these models for planning purposes in which decisions of individuals are simulated for specific time intervals or on a continuous dimension until the target year. Discrete choice and survival analysis methods are two popular econometric structures to model and forecast time-dependent outcomes. This paper elaborates the conceptual and practical differences between these two methods in the context of vehicle ownership modeling. There are meaningful differences between these two methods including data preparation approaches, interpretations of the variable of interest in the model, and the simulation procedures. Further, this paper shows how negligent application of discrete choice methods for modeling time-to-event variables results in specification bias. This discussion paves the path for using hazard-based models in travel demand modeling, as the application of these models have been quite limited compared with their capacity.
Safety Effects of Turning Movement Restrictions at Stop-Controlled Intersections
Authors: Le Thanh Q. , Gross Frank , Harmon Tim
Published: September 2018

This study evaluates the safety effectiveness of physical right-in-right-out (RIRO) operations compared with full turning movements at stop-controlled intersections. Geometric, traffic, and crash data from California were obtained for urban, three-legged, stop-controlled intersections with full movement and RIRO operations, as well as the downstream four-legged, stop-controlled or signalized intersections with full movement. A cross-sectional analysis provided estimates of the effects of turning movement restrictions while controlling for other differences between sites with RIRO and full movement. The aggregate results indicate reductions in total, all intersection-related, and fatal and injury intersection-related crashes at intersections with RIRO operations compared with full movement, with estimated crash modification factors of 0.55, 0.32, and 0.20, respectively. The reductions are statistically significant at the 95% confidence level for all crash types. Based on the disaggregate results, it does not appear that RIRO operations have different effects for different levels of traffic, design speed, or number of lanes. The analysis also examined the potential for crash migration from intersections where RIRO is implemented to the downstream intersection when determining the net benefits. The results indicate potential crash increases at downstream intersections, but many of the increases are not statistically significant at the 90% confidence level. Although the safety benefit-cost analysis suggests the strategy can be cost effective in reducing crashes at stop-controlled intersections, there is a need to analyze potential costs and benefits on a case-by-case basis with site-specific values.
Improving the Reliability of Damage Characteristic Curves in the Simplified Viscoelastic Continuum Damage Model
Authors: Lee Kangjin , Castorena Cassie , Kim Y. Richard
Published: September 2018

One of the major advantages of the cyclic fatigue test (AASHTO TP 107) is that the results can be used to calibrate the Simplified Viscoelastic Continuum Damage (S-VECD) model, which is used for mechanistic pavement performance predictions. The crux of the S-VECD model is the damage characteristic curve, which has been shown to be independent of mode of loading, loading history, and temperature. Consequently, a model can be fitted to the damage characteristic curve and used to predict the damage response for any given loading history of interest using limited test results. AASHTO TP 107 currently lacks a specific procedure for fitting a model to the damage characteristic curve and evaluating the repeatability of test replicates. In this study, a robust and practical method is proposed for fitting a power law model to the damage characteristic curve. The proposed fitting method was verified using cyclic fatigue test results of 19 mixtures sourced from the United States, Canada, and South Korea. In addition, a means to evaluate the specimen-to-specimen variability of damage characteristic curves using a shape factor is proposed. Thresholds for acceptable variability in the shape factor were derived using confidence interval analysis and verified through FlexPAVE™ pavement performance predictions. The findings of this study can be used to improve the reliability of the damage characteristic curves derived from cyclic fatigue tests for pavement performance predictions.
Effect of Mix Design Variables on Thermal Cracking Performance Parameters of Asphalt Mixtures
Authors: Oshone Mirkat , Ghosh Debaroti , Dave Eshan V. , Daniel Jo Sias , Voels Joseph M. , Dai Shongtao
Published: September 2018

To address asphalt pavement thermal cracking, researchers have developed performance-based evaluation tools for asphalt mixtures. A minimum fracture energy obtained from a disc-shaped compact tension test and Black space parameters determined by the stiffness and relaxation properties of asphalt mixtures are two such methods to ensure good thermal cracking resistance. Mix specifiers and producers strive to meet the requirements set by these performance-based criteria by adjusting their mix designs. However, there is a lack of information and consensus on the effect of mix design variables (such as binder grade and mix volumetrics) on thermal cracking performance of mixtures as it relates to fracture energy and Black space location. This study strives to fill this gap by quantifying the effect of: (1) recycled asphalt content, (2) effective binder content, (3) air voids, (4) asphalt film thickness, (5) voids in mineral aggregates, and (6) PG low and high temperature grades on thermal cracking resistance. A large dataset, 90 mixtures from the Minnesota Department of Transportation and 81 mixtures from University of New Hampshire database, was used for the study. The results indicate a strong correlation between binder related properties (binder content, asphalt film thickness, PG spread) and fracture energy. The correlation coefficients obtained from this study for PG spread, effective binder content, and air void can be confidently employed to achieve targeted fracture energy thresholds. The same can be achieved for the Glower-Rowe parameter at 15ºC by employing the correlation coefficients obtained for PG low temperature, virgin asphalt content, and voids in the mineral aggregate.
Probabilistic Fleet Sizing and Routing Problem to Minimize Mobility Disparities
Authors: Zellou Marouane , Allahviranloo Mahdieh
Published: September 2018

The objective of this paper is to develop an analytical model to analyze the mobility behavior of a target population and to minimize the disparities. The analysis is conducted using household travel survey data collected from 7993 residents of five boroughs of New York City, where citizens with mobility impairments are considered as our target population. The study starts by quantifying the existing gap in the patterns of the mobility-impaired individuals and the base population followed by the generation of new activities in the agenda of the target population using the patterns of their nearest neighbors in the base population. Activities are generated based on copula sampling method. Attributes of activities forming the new agenda of the target population are the inputs that will be used for the design of an optimum ridesharing system. By integrating probabilistic models with the existing routing models, we develop a methodology to identify the optimum fleet size, optimum route, and optimum schedule such that all requests of the physically impaired travelers are fulfilled within a reasonable wait time for ride requesters.
Newer Model Years Are Associated with Reduced Risk of Motor Vehicle Crash Fatalities among Older Drivers
Authors: Fausto Bernadette A. , Tefft Brian C.
Published: September 2018

Older drivers are a growing and particularly vulnerable population. Advances in vehicle safety may reduce the risk of death in the event of a motor vehicle crash (MVC). Although previous studies have identified a relationship between increasing model years and decreased risk of death in MVC among adult drivers, this relationship has not been quantified among older drivers. The purpose of this study was to examine the relationship between vehicle model year and the risk of death among drivers aged 65 years and older who were involved in MVCs in the United States from 2010 to 2015. Data were from a census of all fatal MVCs and a representative sample of all police-reported crashes nationwide. Drivers were stratified into five age groups (65–69, 70–74, 75–79, 80–84, and 85+). Vehicles examined were cars, sport utility vehicles, pick-up trucks, and vans. Overall, older drivers driving vehicles older than model year 1990 were more than twice as likely to be killed in a crash as individuals driving vehicles of model years 2000 to 2009. Older drivers driving vehicles of model years 2010 and newer had 46% lower risk of MVC death than those driving vehicles of model year 2000 to 2009. The relationship between vehicle model year and risk of death in a crash varied by driver age and vehicle type, however, the same overall patterns were observed for all age groups and vehicle types examined. These findings suggest that older adults are responsive to improvements in vehicle safety.
Wired at Birth: Childhood, Technology Engagement, and Travel Behavior
Authors: BouMjahed Lama , Mahmassani Hani S.
Published: September 2018

The ongoing demographic transition from baby boomers to millennials and technology-fueled evolution of transportation bring to the fore key trends that will determine how the future of transportation systems will unfold. This paper examines the implications of such trends on travel behavior by quantifying the impacts of a technologically engaged childhood—generally attributed to millennials—and an increased use of technology during travel on travel behavior now and in the future. Results indicate that individuals who grew up with a stronger childhood technology experience are more likely to be technologically engaged as adults, have stronger pro-environmental attitudes, lower car dependence, and stronger interest in autonomous vehicles. The results also support a simultaneous relationship between technology use during travel and car dependence, which posits that individuals with lower car dependence (or availability) are more likely to use technology during travel. Emanating results put forward potential benefits of policy starting at the childhood level. The implications of this work will only gain importance as the interplay between technology and travel deepens and as a larger share of the adult population become “digital natives.”
Stagnation and Institutional Structures
Authors: Kotz David M. , Basu Deepankar
Published: September 2018

The stagnation in the US economy since 2008 has given rise to a mainstream stagnation literature. This paper offers a critique of that literature and proposes an explanation for the current stagnation based on social structure of accumulation (SSA) theory. It presents historical and econometric evidence for an SSA-based explanation of the current stagnation and considers the implications for the likely near-future course of economic policy and institutional change.

JEL Classification: E11, E39, O43
A Fair Distribution of Accessibility: Interpreting Civil Rights Regulations for Regional Transportation Plans
Authors: Martens Karel , Golub Aaron
Published: September 2018

The US Department of Transportation requires metropolitan planning organizations (MPOs) to consider social equity in their plans and projects in accordance with civil rights–related laws. In this paper, we suggest four interpretations of directives’ distributional standards in relation to accessibility. Employing this framework, we review the equity assessments of regional plans of the ten largest MPOs in the United States. Against our expectations, we find that MPOs tend to employ relatively strong distributional standards, albeit never explicitly. We argue that more explicit guidance regarding standards would improve the fairness and consistency of planning practice.
Victimization Status of Female and Male College Students in Spain: Prevalence and Relation to Mental Distress
Authors: Aizpurua Eva , Caravaca-Sánchez Francisco , Stephenson Andrew
Published: September 2018

Despite the growing body of research concerning victimization and mental health among college populations around the world, there remains a need for additional studies that emphasize the role that victimization has on mental health. This study builds on previous research by analyzing the relationship between mental distress and victimization status in Spanish college students ( n = 828, 490 women and 338 men). Using online surveys, we examined the prevalence rates of seven types of victimization (threats, insults, online slander, theft, physical abuse, sexual harassment, and sexual abuse) and three mental health disorders (stress, anxiety, and depression, as measured by the DASS-21 [Depression Anxiety Stress Scale-21]) among students at two universities in southeastern Spain. According to their victimization experiences during the 12 months prior to the interviews, participants were classified into three victimization status groups: nonvictims (42.3%), single-type victims (23.3%), and polyvictims (34.4%). Except for threat and physical abuse, women reported significantly higher rates than men for each type of victimization and were classified more often as polyvictims. MANCOVA showed significant associations between polyvictimization and all three indicators of mental distress after controlling for sex. Interestingly, there were no differences between single-type victims and nonvictims in their self-reported levels of anxiety, stress, and depression. Female students reported a higher prevalence of severe and extremely severe levels of anxiety and stress than did their male counterparts. This study highlights the fact that a nontrivial proportion of college students experience mental distress, reinforces the existing link between polyvictimization and mental health disorders, and stresses the importance of violence awareness and prevention activities targeting this population.
Ethnic minority empowerment and marginalization: Yi labour migrants outside China’s Autonomous Regions
Authors: Ma Xinrong
Published: September 2018

While there is an emerging body of literature that examines labour resistance within industrial cities in China, there is, however, little research on ethnic minority labour migrants, in particular their interaction with the local state in migrant-receiving cities. This study fills this research gap by focusing on ethnic Yi labour migrants in the Pearl River Delta area. Based on seven and a half months of fieldwork, this article illustrates the ways in which local governments cope with Yi labour disputes on the one hand, and the strategies that Yi migrants developed – emphasizing their minority status while negotiating their labour rights – on the other. The article finds that a strategy to maintain stability by applying patronage selectively to certain ethnic groups cultivates ethnic elites as middlemen to appease workers’ collective disputes in the short term. However, the state’s failure to fully recognize cultural differences of ethnic minorities and to protect their labour rights results in more resistance and marginalization of ethnic minority labourers in the long term. In this way, the Chinese government’s current policy may jeopardize the wider aim of maintaining social order.