bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Integrated Modeling Approach for Non-Motorized Mode Trips and Fatal Crashes in the Framework of Transportation Safety Planning
Authors: Lee Jaeyoung , Abdel-Aty Mohamed , Cai Qing , Wang Ling , Huang Helai
Published: May 2018

In recent decades, considerable efforts have been made to incorporate traffic safety into long-term transportation plans (LTTPs), a process which is often termed transportation safety planning (TSP). Although some researchers have attempted to integrate transportation plans and safety by adopting transportation planning data (e.g., trip generation) for estimating traffic crash frequency at the macroscopic level, no studies have attempted to develop trip and safety models in one structure simultaneously. A Bayesian integrated multivariate modeling approach is suggested for estimating trips and crashes of non-motorized modes (i.e., walking and cycling). American Housing Survey (AHS) data were collected from the U.S. Census Bureau and were used for the proposed approach. In the first part of the proposed model, the probabilities of choosing walking and cycling modes were estimated, and the estimated probabilities were converted to trips by multiplying the number of sampled households. In the second part, the estimated trips were fed into crash prediction models (or safety performance functions) as an exposure variable. The modeling result revealed many contributing factors for pedestrian/bicycle trips and crashes. Possible shared unobserved features between pedestrian and bicycle trips, and between pedestrian and bicycle crashes, were accounted for by adopting a multivariate structure. In addition, it was found that the crash models with the estimated exposures outperform those with the observed exposures. It is expected that the integrated modeling approach for trips and crashes in this study will provide great insights into the future directions of TSP.
How Should Travel Demand and Supply Models Be Jointly Calibrated?
Authors: Najmi Ali , Duell Melissa , Ghasri Milad , Rashidi Taha Hossein , Waller S. Travis
Published: May 2018

Calibration is a critical aspect of model development that has long been recognized by researchers as a challenging issue. In particular, difficulties arise when the observed data used for calibration do not match the model output, which is the case in the majority of transport planning models. In the traditional calibration process, the origin–destination (OD) matrices are the key interface between demand and supply models, which could lead to issues when observed traffic link counts are used to update the OD matrix, causing a loss of key demand characteristics in the process. Developing a unified structure for modeling both demand and supply requires a calibration process that meets the requirements of both types of models, a serious issue which has received less attention in the literature. In this paper, the existing processes of developing and integrating demand and supply models are discussed and then examined using a case study in the Melbourne area. The numerical results show that the standard OD calibration procedure causes unrealistic changes in the OD matrix. Finally, some possible solutions to address the current limitations in development of a unified structure are discussed.
Bone Marrow Stimulation Technique Augmented by an Ultrapurified Alginate Gel Enhances Cartilage Repair in a Canine Model
Authors: Baba Rikiya , Onodera Tomohiro , Matsuoka Masatake , Hontani Kazutoshi , Joutoku Zenta , Matsubara Shinji , Homan Kentaro , Iwasaki Norimasa
Published: May 2018

Background:

The optimal treatment for a medium- or large-sized cartilage lesion is still controversial. Since an ultrapurified alginate (UPAL) gel enhances cartilage repair in animal models, this material is expected to improve the efficacy of the current treatment strategies for cartilage lesions.

Hypothesis:

The bone marrow stimulation technique (BMST) augmented by UPAL gel can induce hyaline-like cartilage repair.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Two cylindrical osteochondral defects were created in the patellar groove of 27 beagle dogs. A total of 108 defects were divided into 3 groups: defects without intervention (control group), defects with the BMST (microfracture group), and defects with the BMST augmented by implantation of UPAL gel (combined group). At 27 weeks postoperatively, macroscopic and histological evaluations, micro–computed tomography assessment, and mechanical testing were performed for each reparative tissue.

Results:

The defects in the combined group were almost fully covered with translucent reparative tissues, which consisted of hyaline-like cartilage with well-organized collagen structures. The macroscopic score was significantly better in the combined group than in the control group ( P < .05). The histological scores in the combined group were significantly better than those in the control group ( P < .01) and microfracture group ( P < .05). Although the repaired subchondral bone volumes were not influenced by UPAL gel augmentation, the mechanical properties of the combined group were significantly better than those of the microfracture group ( P < .05).

Conclusion:

The BMST augmented by UPAL gel elicited hyaline-like cartilage repair that had characteristics of rich glycosaminoglycan and matrix immunostained by type II collagen antibody in a canine osteochondral defect model. The present results suggest that the current technique has the potential to be one of the autologous matrix-induced chondrogenesis techniques of the future and to expand the operative indications for the BMST without loss of its technical simplicity.

Clinical Relevance:

The data support the clinical reality of 1-step minimally invasive cartilage-reparative medicine with UPAL gel without harvesting donor cells.
Adjustable-Loop Femoral Cortical Suspensory Fixation for Patellar Tendon Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction: A Time Zero Biomechanical Comparison With Interference Screw Fixation
Authors: Mickelson Dayne T. , Lefebvre Thomas , Gall Ken , Riboh Jonathan C.
Published: May 2018

Background:

Adjustable-loop cortical buttons for femoral fixation of bone-tendon-bone grafts have potential advantages over interference screw fixation; however, these devices have not been benchmarked biomechanically against interference screws.

Purpose/Hypothesis:

The purpose was to compare the time zero biomechanical properties of commercially available, adjustable-loop cortical button and metallic interference screws for femoral fixation of bone-tendon-bone grafts. It was hypothesized that no significant differences would be found in biomechanical properties between fixation techniques.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Adjustable-loop cortical buttons (n = 8) and metallic interference screws (n = 8) were used to fix matched pairs of human bone-tendon-bone allografts in porcine distal femurs. These constructs were preconditioned (10 N to 50 N at 1 Hz, 10 cycles), subjected to cyclic loading (50 N to 250 N at 1 Hz, 500 cycles), and then pulled to failure at 20 mm/min.

Results:

The loads to failure (mean ± SD, 700 ± 256 N vs 688 ± 215 N, P = .92) and linear stiffnesses (219 ± 48 N/mm vs 218 ± 49 N/mm, P = .97) for the adjustable-loop cortical button and metallic interference screws, respectively, were not significantly different. Cyclic displacement was higher in the adjustable-loop cortical button group (2.1 ± 0.6 mm vs 1.3 ± 0.4 mm, P = .01). The mechanism of failure was different between groups, with bone block slippage occurring most commonly in the interference screw group (n = 5) and fracture of the bone block through the suture hole occurring most commonly in the adjustable-loop cortical button group (n = 6).

Conclusion:

Adjustable-loop cortical buttons and interference screws have similar time zero failure loads, although cyclic displacement was higher with the adjustable-loop cortical buttons. The mean difference in displacement was less than 1 mm compared with the interference screw.

Clinical Relevance:

Adjustable-loop cortical buttons may be an acceptable alternative to an interference screw for femoral fixation of bone-tendon-bone grafts in anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction. The clinical relevance of the observed differences in cyclic displacement is unknown and should be evaluated in future studies.
Movement Disorders Associated With Antipsychotic Medication in People With Schizophrenia: An Overview of Cochrane Reviews and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Martino Davide , Karnik Vikram , Osland Sydney , Barnes Thomas R. E. , Pringsheim Tamara M.
Published: May 2018

Movement disorders associated with antipsychotic medications are relatively common, stigmatising, and potentially disabling. Their prevalence in people with psychosis who are prescribed second-generation antipsychotics (SGAs) is uncertain, as is their level of recognition by clinicinas. We conducted meta-analyses of randomised controlled trials included in the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews on schizophrenia and schizophrenia-like psychoses to estimate the prevalence of new-onset dystonia, akathisia, parkinsonism, and tremor with SGAs (amisulpride, asenapine, aripiprazole, clozapine, olanzapine, paliperidone, quetiapine, risperidone, L-sulpiride, and ziprasidone) approved in Canada and the UK, comparing them with haloperidol and chlorpromazine. We used a random effects model because of the heterogeneity between-studies in drug dosage and method of ascertainment of movement disorders. Our systematic search yielded 37 Cochrane systematic reviews (28 for SGAs), which generated 316 informative randomised controlled trials (243 for SGAs). With respect to SGAs, prevalence estimates ranged from 1.4% (quetiapine) to 15.3% (L-sulpiride) for dystonia, 3.3% (paliperidone) to 16.4% (L-sulpiride) for akathisia, 2.4% (asenapine) to 29.3% (L-sulpiride) for parkinsonism, and 0.2% (clozapine) to 28.2% (L-sulpiride) for tremor. Prevalence estimates were not influenced by treatment duration, the use of a flexible or fixed dosing scheme, or whether studies used validated instruments for the screening/rating of movement disorders. Overall, we found high overlap on the prevalence of new-onset movement disorders across different SGAs precribed for established psychoses. Variations in prevalence figures across antipsychotic medications were observed for the different movement disorders. Differences in pharmacological properties, such as for the dopamine D2 R association rate and serotonin 5-HT2A antagonism, could contribute to this variation.
Does reducing food losses and wastes in sub-Saharan Africa make economic sense?
Authors: Aragie Emerta , Balié Jean , MoralesOpazo Cristian
Published: May 2018

Reducing food losses and waste (FLW) is one of the sustainable ways of closing the food requirement gap in developing countries. However, there is not yet adequate knowledge on the extent of FLW by commodity type and stage of the food supply chain (FSC). Focusing on ten agrarian countries in Africa and building mainly on the Food and Agriculture Organization’s Food Balance Sheets (FBSs), this study generates some new insights on the level of FLW by country, FSC and food type. Across the FSC, we find that these countries lose a cumulative amount equivalent to 28% (641 kilocalories per capita per day – kcal/cap/day) of the current calorie intake. Within the FSC, the production and post-harvest handling stages contribute the greater shares of the total losses with 38% or 244 kcal/cap/day and 34% or 218 kcal/cap/day, respectively. Our results also show that farm incomes would increase by 20% if the avoidable losses and waste were recovered. These results are troublesome given the level of poverty and food insecurity in these countries and suggest inefficient and unsustainable use of natural resources (water and cropland) associated with the FSC losses.
Effects of Light and Temperature on Daily Activity and Clock Gene Expression in Two Mosquito Disease Vectors
Authors: Rivas Gustavo B. S. , Teles-de-Freitas Rayane , Pavan Márcio G. , Lima José B. P. , Peixoto Alexandre A. , Bruno Rafaela Vieira
Published: May 2018

Most organisms feature an endogenous circadian clock capable of synchronization with their environment. The most well-known synchronizing agents are light and temperature. The circadian clock of mosquitoes, vectors of many pathogens, drives important behaviors related to vectoral capacity, including oviposition, host seeking, and hematophagy. Main clock gene expression, as well as locomotor activity patterns, has been identified in Aedes aegypti and Culex quinquefasciatus under artificial light-dark cycles. Given that these mosquito species thrive in tropical areas, it is reasonable to speculate that temperature plays an important role in the circadian clock. Here, we provide data supporting a different hierarchy of light and temperature as zeitgebers of two mosquito species. We recorded their locomotor activity and quantified mRNA expression of the main clock genes in several combinations of light and temperature cycles. We observed that A. aegypti is more sensitive to temperature, while C. quinquefasciatus is more responsive to light. These variations in clock gene expression and locomotor activity may have affected the mosquito species’ metabolism, energy expenditure, fitness cost, and pathogen transmission efficiency. Our findings are relevant to chronobiology studies and also have epidemiological implications.
Obesity Disrupts Rhythmic Clock Gene Expression in Maternal Adipose Tissue during Rat Pregnancy
Authors: Crew Rachael C. , Mark Peter J. , Waddell Brendan J.
Published: May 2018

Obesity during pregnancy causes numerous maternal and fetal health complications, but the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. Adipose tissue dysfunction in obesity has previously been linked to disruption of the intrinsic adipose clock gene network that is crucial for normal metabolic function. This adipose clock also undergoes major change as part of the maternal metabolic adaptation to pregnancy, but whether this is affected by maternal obesity is unknown. Consequently, in this study we tested the hypothesis that obesity disturbs rhythmic gene expression in maternal adipose tissue across pregnancy. A rat model of maternal obesity was established by cafeteria (CAF) feeding, and adipose expression of clock genes and associated nuclear receptors ( Ppars and Pgc1α) was measured across days 15-16 and 21-22 of gestation (term = 23 days). CAF feeding suppressed the mesor and/or amplitude of adipose tissue clock genes (most notably Bmal1, Per2, and Rev-erbα) relative to chow-fed controls (CON) across both days of gestation. On day 15, the CAF diet also induced adipose Pparα, Pparδ, and Pgc1α rhythmicity but repressed that of Pparγ, while expression of Pparα, Pparδ, and Pgc1α was reduced at select time points. CAF mothers were hyperleptinemic at both stages of gestation, and at day 21 this effect was time-of-day dependent. Fetal plasma leptin exhibited clear rhythmicity, albeit with low amplitude, but interestingly these levels were unaffected by CAF feeding. Our data show that maternal obesity disrupts rhythmic expression of clock and metabolic genes in maternal adipose tissue and leads to maternal but not fetal hyperleptinemia.
Les représentations visuelles des biens et des services par leurs marquages : les fondements sémiotiques d’un langage des marques
Authors: Bobrie François
Published: May 2018

Alors que la littérature marketing s’est abondamment intéressée au concept de « Marque » ( brand), elle a délaissé l’étude du marquage ( branding) dans ses dimensions figuratives les plus concrètes. Cet article est dédié à une enquête sémiotique sur la nature des marquages et sur les principes théoriques qui rendent compte de leurs constructions visuelles.

Après avoir décrit les outils conceptuels mobilisés, nous montrons à partir d’exemples que le marquage est avant tout la source d’un récit de l’objet marqué et qu’il ne peut pas se résumer à une somme de stimuli, même codés.

Puis à partir d’un échantillon de bouteilles de différents crus de Bordeaux et du Beaujolais, nous montrons comment les marquages comme langage visuel permettent de raconter toutes les nuances d’un positionnement et d’une segmentation à l’intérieur d’une même catégorie puis de se différencier entre catégories.

En conclusion, nous soulignons l’intérêt heuristique d’une étude sémiotique pour comprendre et maîtriser l’efficacité d’une stratégie de marquage.
Retrieval Practice and Distributed Practice: The Case of French Canadian Students
Authors: Gagnon Mathieu , Cormier Stéphanie
Published: May 2018

Much evidence suggests that long-term retention can be maximized by practicing the recall of information and spreading out one’s learning over time. Nevertheless, previous surveys have shown that undergraduates often ignore the benefits of such strategies and engage in less efficient techniques such as repetitive reading and massed studying. To date, however, this research has focused exclusively on Americans and has paid little attention to potential gender differences. The present study addressed such limits by using a web-based survey of the rereading, self-testing, and distributed learning habits of 1,371 French-speaking Canadian undergraduates. Overall, the results are consistent with American data, suggesting that their original observations extend beyond American campuses. Furthermore, chi-square tests followed by standardized residual analyses suggest that females are more likely to engage in distributed learning than their male counterparts. On the contrary, there was little evidence of such an advantage in the context of self-testing.
Is There a Delay in Diagnosis of Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy Among Preterm-Born Males?
Authors: Soim Aida , Smith Michael G. , Kwon Jennifer M. , Mann Joshua R. , Thomas Shiny , Ciafaloni Emma ,   and the Muscular Dystrophy Surveillance, Tracking, and Research Network (MD STARnet)
Published: May 2018

The objective of this study was to investigate whether males who were born preterm took longer to receive a Duchenne muscular dystrophy diagnosis than term males. Data for males with Duchenne muscular dystrophy identified through a population-based surveillance system were analyzed using a Kaplan-Meier estimator. The first signs and symptoms were noted at a median age of 2 years in both groups. Median age when first signs and symptoms prompted medical evaluation was 2.59 years among preterm and 4.01 years among term males. Median age at definitive diagnosis was 4.25 years and 4.92 years for preterm and term males, respectively. Neither difference was statistically significant. Preterm males tended to be seen for their initial medical evaluation earlier than term males, though they were not diagnosed significantly earlier. It may take clinicians longer after the initial evaluation of preterm males to arrive at a Duchenne muscular dystrophy diagnosis.
Who Deserves to Work? How Women Develop Expectations of Child Care Support in Korea
Authors: Oh Eunsil
Published: May 2018

This study extends our understanding of the positive relationship between kin-based child care support and mothers’ ability to stay in the workforce by examining why and how women seek such help. Using 100 in-depth interviews with Korean mothers, I find that although child care provided by grandmothers helps mothers maintain their employment, a mother will ask for support only when she constructs strong career aspirations and generates agreement amongst family members that she deserves support. Both of these center around the notion of who deserves to work as a mother. Mothers’ explanations of why they deserve support vary based on their educational backgrounds: less-educated mothers stress economic stability, whereas better-educated mothers emphasize the symbolic meaning of sustaining their high public status. Most mothers, however, feel the need to “prove” to themselves and to certain others that they deserve child care support. Based on these findings, I develop a theory of deservingness to explain how mothers account for their work and make decisions to seek child care support.
Organized Persuasive Communication: A new conceptual framework for research on public relations, propaganda and promotional culture
Authors: Bakir Vian , Herring Eric , Miller David , Robinson Piers
Published: May 2018

Organized persuasive communication is essential to the exercise of power at national and global levels. It has been studied extensively by scholars of public relations, promotional culture and propaganda. There exists, however, considerable confusion and conceptual limitations across these fields: scholars of PR largely focus on what they perceive to be non-manipulative forms of organized persuasive communication; scholars of propaganda focus on manipulative forms but tend either to examine historical cases or non-democratic states; scholars of promotional culture focus on ‘salesmanship’ in public life. All approaches show minimal conceptual development concerning manipulative organized persuasive communication involving deception, incentivization and coercion. As a consequence, manipulative, propagandistic organized persuasive communication within liberal democracies is a blind spot; it is rarely recognized let alone researched with the result that our understanding and grasp of these activities is stunted. To overcome these limitations, we propose a new conceptual framework that theorizes precisely manipulative forms of persuasion, as well as demarcating what might count as non-manipulative or consensual forms of persuasion. This framework advances PR and propaganda scholarship by clarifying our understanding of manipulative and propagandistic forms of organized persuasive communication and by providing a starting point for more fully evaluating the role of deception, incentivization and coercion, within contemporary liberal democracies.
Improved ionic conductivity in guar gum succinate–based polymer electrolyte membrane
Authors: Azzahari Ahmad Danial , Abdul Mutalib Nur Fazilah , Rizwan Muhammad , Naceur Abouloula Cheyma , Selvanathan Vidhya , Sonsudin Faridah , Yahya Rosiyah
Published: May 2018

Guar gum succinate (GGS) was chemically modified by reacting guar gum with succinic anhydride in the presence of 4-dimethylaminopyridine. Succination was confirmed by Fourier transform infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy with carbonyl bands at 1724 cm−1 and ester linkage at 1567 cm−1 of the succinate group. The resulting amorphous, GGS was used as a polymer host to prepare cost-effective solid polymer electrolyte (SPE) films via incorporating a blend of ethylene carbonate (EC), carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC), lithium triflate (LiTf) and lithium iodide (LiI). SPE system for GGS:EC (1.0:0.6) with 30 wt% LiTf showed highest conductivity of 6.29 × 10−5 S cm−1 and GGS:CMC:EC (0.5:0.5:0.6) with 25 wt% LiI showed highest conductivity of 2.10 × 10−4 S cm−1. FTIR revealed multiple complexation sites for ion mobility indicating that GGS possesses high prospects as a conductive SPE.
Experimental investigation of damage detection in plate-like structure using combined energetic approaches
Authors: Samet Ahmed , Hui Yi , Souf Mohamed Amine Ben , Bareille Olivier , Ichchou Mohamed , Fakhfakh Tahar , Haddar Mohamed
Published: May 2018

In this paper, an experimental investigation of damage detection in plate-like structure using energetics approaches is presented. Two energetics approaches are developed to localize the damage in structure at low-, medium-, and high-frequency range. The first one is the inverse simplified energy method, which is used for the identification of the excitation source and the detection of damage in medium and high frequencies. The second one is the curvature method, which is used for the damage detection in the low and medium frequencies. The main novelty of this paper is to combine these energetics approaches in order to localize the damage in all frequency bands. Experimental examples with different characteristics of plate were performed for the validation purpose. Results show that the presented methods can detect precisely the defects location in plate-like structures.
Internal spur gear root bending stress: A comparison of ISO 6336:1996, ISO 6336:2006, VDI 2737:2005, AGMA, ANSYS finite element analysis and strain gauge techniques
Authors: Lisle Timothy J , Shaw Brian A , Frazer Robert C
Published: May 2018

The Association of German Engineers VDI 2737:2005 and the International Organisation for Standardisation ISO 6336:2006 are universally accepted analytical procedures for the analysis of internal gears. There is no official American Gear Manufacturers Association standard for internal gear stress analysis due to the validity of inscribing the Lewis parabola within internal concave profiles and the resulting errors associated with the location of maximum root bending stress. This research investigates the differences associated with using ISO 6336, VDI 2737 and an unofficial American Gear Manufacturers Association method, all of which are compared against a potentially more accurate numerical (ANSYS) method and strain gauge techniques.
Synchronization behavior of triple-rotor-pendula system in a dual-super-far resonance system
Authors: Fang Pan , Hou Yongjun , Du Mingjun
Published: May 2018

In this paper, a novel design for vibrating screens, called the triple-rotor-pendula system, is presented in a dual-super-far resonance system, which makes it possible to produce wanted vibrations with self-adjustable of the synchronization state between unbalanced rotors. To grasp the synchronization characteristics of the system, the dynamics equation of the triple-rotor-pendula system is primarily derived by adopting Lagrange’s equations. Next, the displacement responses of the system in steady state are obtained by Laplace’s transform method. Meanwhile, considering the average method with revised small parameter, the synchronization implement of the system is ascertained on condition that the absolute values of residual electromagnetism torques between two arbitrary motors are less than or equal to their load torque differences. Then, according to Routh–Hurwitz theorem and generalized Lyapunov equation, the criterion of synchronization stability of the system is obtained. Finally, the simulation computations confirm the results of analytical investigations, which show that the theoretical analysis for the synchronization behavior of the triple-rotor-pendula system is feasible. It can be known that the synchronization state of the system is influenced by mass ratio coefficients, structure parameters, rotating directions, and frequency ratios.
Numerical and experimental analysis on cold-forming and spring-back of hull plate
Authors: Shen Wei , Yan Renjun , Li Shuangying
Published: May 2018

Ship hull structures are fabricated by curved thick plates before they are welded together. There are traditional methods such as, line heating and laser-forming methods for plate bending. However, it is recognized that the hot-forming technology causes a series of troubles on doubly or multiple curved plates. Multi-point forming mechanism with square press heads is a new forming process for three-dimensional ship hull plate. Cold-forming has a high dimensional accuracy but results in spring-back. The spring-back process of curved thick plates in the finite element method is analyzed and the predicted results are compared with the test results in the present paper. To ensure the forming precision, the successive approximation method is also developed and verified to control the spring-back.
Evaluation of ATG5 polymorphisms in Italian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: contribution to disease susceptibility and clinical phenotypes
Authors: Ciccacci C , Perricone C , Alessandri C , Latini A , Politi C , Delunardo F , Pierdominici M , Conti F , Novelli G , Ortona E , Borgiani P
Published: May 2018

Systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) is a common heterogeneous autoimmune disease that is caused by the involvement both of genetic and environmental factors. There is evidence that autophagy is involved in several aspects of SLE pathogenesis. In particular, polymorphisms in the ATG5 gene have been observed to be associated with disease susceptibility. Our aim was to verify if ATG5 polymorphisms are involved in the susceptibility to disease and its clinical phenotypes in an Italian cohort of SLE patients. This study involved 315 SLE patients and 265 healthy controls. Three polymorphisms in the ATG5 gene (rs573775, rs6568431 and rs2245214) were investigated by allelic discrimination assay. A case-control association study, a genotype/phenotype correlation analysis and a haplotype study were performed. Moreover, an expression study was conducted in peripheral blood mononuclear cells from 15 SLE patients to verify a possible effect of the three SNPs on the expression of ATG5. Among the three investigated SNPs, only the rs573775 SNP was significantly associated with disease susceptibility with the variant allele conferring a higher risk of developing SLE (OR = 1.50, p = 0.018 and OR = 1.48, p = 0.007 at the genotypic and allelic level, respectively). The variant allele of rs6568431 SNP was more present in patients with anemia (OR = 1.86, p = 0.009) and renal involvement (OR = 1.63, p = 0.06), while the variant allele of rs2245214 SNP was significantly associated with a higher risk of producing anti-DNA autoantibodies (OR = 1.66, p = 0.04). Carriers of the rs6568431 variant allele showed higher messenger RNA levels compared to the carriers of the wild-type allele, suggesting also a potential variant allele dose-dependent effect on gene expression. In conclusion, our study confirms a role for ATG5 polymorphisms both in disease susceptibility and in the modulation of clinical phenotypes in an Italian SLE cohort. These results further suggest that genetic variations in autophagy genes could play a role in autoimmune diseases susceptibility and are worth further investigation.
IDO-expressing Fibroblasts Suppress the Development of Imiquimod-induced Psoriasis-like Dermatitis
Authors: Elizei Sanam Salimi , Pakyari Mohammadreza , Ghoreishi Mehraneh , Kilani Ruhangiz , Mahmoudi Sanaz , Ghahary Aziz
Published: May 2018

Psoriasis is a chronic skin condition whose pathogenesis is reported to be due to the activation of the interleukin-23/interleukin-17 (IL-23/IL-17) pathway. Here, we report that indoleamine 2,3-dioxygenase (IDO)-expressing fibroblasts reduce the activity of this pathway in activated immune cells. The findings showed that intralesional injection of IDO-expressing fibroblasts in imiquimod-induced psoriasis-like dermatitis on the back and ear (Pso. ear group) in mice significantly improves the clinical lesional appearance by reducing the number of skin-infiltrated IL-17+ CD4+ T cells (1.9% ± 0.3% vs. 6.9% ± 0.6%, n = 3, P value < 0.01), IL-17+ γδ+ T cells (2.8% ± 0.3% vs. 11.6% ± 1.2%, n = 3, P value < 0.01), IL-23+ activated dendritic cells (7.6% ± 0.9% vs. 14.0% ± 0.5%, n = 3, P < 0.01), macrophages (4.3% ± 0.1% vs. 11.3% ± 1.0%, n = 3, P value < 0.01), and granulocytes (2.5% ± 0.4% vs. 4.5% ± 0.3%, n = 3, P value < 0.01) as compared to untreated psoriatic mice. This finding suggests that IDO-expressing fibroblasts, and to a lesser extent, non-IDO primary fibroblasts suppress the psoriatic-like symptoms by inhibiting the infiltration of key immune cells involved in the development of psoriasis.
John Foster Dulles, his medical history and its impact on Cold War politics
Authors: Pappas Theodore N , Willett Christopher G
Published: May 2018

John Foster Dulles was the United States Secretary of State during the administration of President Dwight D Eisenhower. At the height of the Cold War, Dulles was Eisenhower’s emissary, traveling over 450,000 international miles, leading United States foreign policy. In November of 1956, during an international crisis involving the Suez Canal, Dulles became ill and underwent an operation for a perforated colon cancer. During much of his impactful term as Secretary of State, Dulles was being treated for this cancer that ultimately resulted in his death in May of 1959. This paper highlights the medical care of John Foster Dulles and the global events during his illness.
Ronald Malt or Chen Zhongwei: Who performed the first surgical replantation?
Authors: Fan Ka-wai
Published: May 2018

This article discusses the contributions of the two pioneers of the surgical procedure of replantation—Ronald Malt in the US and Chen Zhongwei in China. Ronald Malt performed the reattachment surgery on a boy who had an accident in 1962, but he published his case report two years later in 1964. Chen Zhongwei performed a similar surgery on a worker who cut off his forearm in 1963, but he published his case report the same year. There is some debate about which one of these reputed surgeons should be given credit for being the first one to perform this breakthrough surgery, because although Malt was the first to perform the procedure, Zhongwei was the first to report it. To shed light on this controversy, criteria for scientific priority suggested by Ronald Vale and Anthony Hyman were applied. Although the criteria mainly favored Zhongwei as the pioneer of this procedure, he did not entirely fulfill one of the criteria. Therefore, the article could not present a definitive answer to the question, and it concludes by pointing out the highly commendable achievements and contributions of both Ronald Malt and Chen Zhongwei.
Eunuchs and Ascetic Masculinity in Kievan Rus
Authors: Mayhew Nick
Published: May 2018

Kievan Rus was converted to Christianity by the Byzantines in the year 988. They inherited from Constantinople a third gender, eunuchs. If eunuchs were often celebrated for their voluntarily celibacy in early medieval Constantinople, in Kievan Rus they came to be conceived of as physiologically deficient males. They were outsiders of patrilineal masculinity by their inability to bear heirs, and thus deemed non-worldly. As a result, they tended to be characterised in polarised terms as either demonic or angelic. When they appeared in hagiographies describing the inhabitants of Kiev’s most renowned monastery, the Kievan Caves Monastery, eunuchs came to be configured stably as exemplary ascetic models. This gave birth to a new mode of masculinity which stood in opposition to native depictions of the virile dynastic man. The legitimacy of princely masculinity was thus cast into doubt in stories about the monks of the Kievan Caves Monastery.
How Effective Is Resource Stabilization Fund in a Mono-product Economy?
Authors: Ayadi Olusegun Felix , Hyman Ladelle M. , Williams Johnnie , Desselle Bettye
Published: May 2018

In managing a mono-product economy, the Nigerian government expenditure patterns follow revenue patterns in cycles of boom and bust in crude oil prices. Thus, fiscal policy becomes procyclical, which is an indicator of poor fiscal management. To arrest this situation, the government established a stabilization fund in 2004. The objective of this article is to provide a better understanding of the role of a stabilization fund in the fiscal management of the Nigerian economy. This is done using an econometric model framework that explains both government spending and fiscal balance as a share of GDP while controlling for a set of economic and demographic variables. The results indicate that the establishment of a stabilization fund has no moderating effect on government spending behaviour. Moreover, the evidence shows that the stabilization fund has a positive impact on fiscal balance during the sample period.
Impact of Institutional Ownership on Stock Liquidity: Evidence from Karachi Stock Exchange, Pakistan
Authors: Ali Muhammad Sadil , Hashmi Shujahat Haider
Published: May 2018

This study empirically investigates the impact of institutional ownership on stock liquidity; we used a sample size of 84 non-financial companies listed on Karachi Stock Exchange (KSE). Data were gathered for the period of 10 years, starting from 2005 to 2014. This study employs turnover ratio to measure stock liquidity while institutional ownership is measured by dividing number of shares kept by institutions from total number of outstanding shares. The fixed effect model shows that the degree of stock liquidity in Pakistani-listed firms tend to significantly increase for the firms where institutions hold a significant amount of share of that particular firm. This study also finds that ownership by bank and investment companies are positively associated with liquidity, while relationship between ownership by insurance companies and stock liquidity is found to be insignificant. Our evidence supports that many but not all institutional investors play a positive role to improve stock liquidity in Pakistani capital market. The results of this study are important for dealers, traders and brokers, in the sense that they can facilitate investors in efficient resource allocation.
Leadership and Stress Orientation of Japanese and Russian Working Adults
Authors: Nguyen Lam D. , Ermasova Natalia , Pham Loan N. T.
Published: May 2018

This cross-cultural study utilized the full range leadership framework developed by Hofstede’s model of culture, and compared leadership styles and cultural values of 461 managerial and non-managerial employees in government and business organizations in Russia and Japan. In this article, we examine the stress, task and relationship orientations of people in Russia and in Japan. As a result of the analysis of 461 responses, some significant differences were found between the two samples. It appears that Russian respondents have higher scores on task (initiating structure) and relationship (consideration style) orientations than Japanese respondents. While gender is a significant factor in task orientation, results did not demonstrate any differences in the relationship orientations and stress perceptions of these respondents. In this article, literature on Japan and Russian cultures is presented along with practical application, suggestions and implications for future studies. The projected results of this study include better cross-cultural understanding, comparison and assessment of Japanese and Russian leadership by foreign and local organizational members.
Factors Influencing the Margins of Islamic Banks
Authors: Malim Nurhafiza Abdul Kader , Normalini M.K.
Published: May 2018

This article investigates the factors influencing the margins of Islamic banks in 15 countries for the period 2007–2013. The article also analyses the effect of the global financial crisis (2007–2009) on the Islamic banks’ margins. Despite the rapid growth of Islamic banking, the margins of Islamic banks remain higher than conventional banks. The margins reflect the costs of financial intermediation, as higher margins may discourage clients from using bank services. The findings reveal that the margins of Islamic banks are affected mainly by capital adequacy, overhead costs, liquidity risk, bank size and institutional development. Interestingly, the crisis has a positive impact on Islamic banks’ margins. These findings will be useful for the design of policies in narrowing the margins.
The Anatomy of Sustainable Growth Rate of Indian Manufacturing Firms
Authors: Arora Lalit , Kumar Shailendra , Verma Piyush
Published: May 2018

An important parameter to gauge the reasons behind success (failure) of a firm in the form of sustainable growth rate provides useful insights to managers and investors. This research analyzes the variations in calculations and suitability of method of calculating this growth rate using two different formulas. It also intends to examine the extent to which these variations in sustainable growth rate are explained by some of its important determinants. Using panel data regression by decomposing return on equity into net profit margin, asset turnover and financial leverage, results suggest that four key ratios are robust in capturing the variations in sustainable growth rate even after introducing industry-specific factors like industrial growth and inflation in the regression equations. Sustainable growth rate calculated only on the basis of percentage change in book value of equity provides an aggregate view depicting that any changes in sustainable growth rate across industries are random. Further analysis provides evidence that net profit margin drives the sustainable growth of firms in the Indian manufacturing sector.
What can Thomas Jefferson’s accounting records tell us about plantation management, slavery, and Enlightenment philosophy in colonial America?
Authors: Baker Charles Richard
Published: May 2018

Thomas Jefferson was the third President of the United States of America and the principal author of the Declaration of Independence of the American Colonies from Great Britain. Less well known is that he was a meticulous record keeper. He kept daily records of every receipt and expenditure that he made, no matter how small, for a period of over 60 years. Most of these records have survived and are located in various libraries throughout the United States. Two questions are raised in this article: first, what can Jefferson’s accounting records tell us about plantation management in colonial America? Second, what do these accounting records reveal about Jefferson’s perspectives on eighteenth-century Enlightenment philosophy? This article investigates original archives in an effort to answer these questions.
Facilitating Coping Through Reflective Learning in Adult Education: A Review of the Reciprocal Relationship Between Coping and Learning
Authors: Lapina Angelina
Published: May 2018

Coping in adult learning-based environments is a relevant phenomenon because stressful experiences are inevitable at times. Three main types of coping strategies are distinguished to either solve the problem (problem-focused coping), avoid the problem (avoidance coping), or reduce anxiety and other negative emotions (emotion-focused coping) in learning-based contexts. The type of coping strategy impacts not only learning outcomes but it also affects stress levels and adults’ experience with learning. Allowing adults to reflect on their learning experiences has positive effects on their coping capacity and learning outcomes. This article reviews literature that shows interactions between learning and coping and vice versa and the role that reflection plays in strengthening this relationship. After providing an overview of the meaning of coping in adult experience, an analysis and suggestions for future research based on the research findings of the literature are presented. Finally, recommendations for practicing reflective learning in adult education programs are offered.
Effectiveness of the SIME Program for Infants and Toddlers in Center-Based Settings
Authors: Zhang Xiao , Chan Wai Ling
Published: May 2018

Objective:

This study evaluates the effectiveness of a center-based childcare program, namely, the stimulation, interaction, motivation, and experience (SIME) program for infants and toddlers.

Method:

Fifty-eight children between 1 and 2 years of age and their parents and childcare workers were recruited from two childcare centers in Hong Kong and participated in the SIME program over a 1-year period. Eighty-seven children from four other childcare centers served as controls. All children were grouped by age (1- vs. 2-year-old class).

Results:

The SIME program had positive effects on motor, language, cognitive and social development, parenting practices, and the quality of relationships with parents and childcare workers, especially for 1-year-old children and children from the center that served mainly families with a lower socioeconomic status (SES).

Conclusion:

The outcomes in 1-year-old children and children from the lower SES center confirm the success of this type of center-based infant–toddler program.
Using Anticipation Guides to Support Comprehension of Science Informational Text
Authors: Fenty Nicole S.
Published: May 2018

Students with learning disabilities (LD) in reading often struggle to succeed due to difficulties with reading comprehension. Comprehension difficulties can impact access to a variety of text types, including informational texts. Researchers suggest that students with LD in reading require explicit comprehension supports before, during, and after reading. This article outlines the use of a comprehension tool, anticipation guides (AGs), a type of advance organizer especially suited for use with informational text. A brief summary of the literature surrounding the use of advance organizers in elementary settings is provided. General steps for planning and adapting instruction using AGs are also included. In addition, planning and instructional steps are contextualized using a science illustration. Finally, conclusions are offered.
Alternation through Death: Is Gerontocracy an Equilibrium?
Authors: Magni Berton Raul , Panel Sophie
Published: May 2018

According to minimalist theories of democracy, the reason why civil conflicts are less frequent in democracies is that opposition parties can reasonably expect to win the next elections: they then prefer to wait than to rebel. In dictatorships, waiting until the dictator dies is generally much costlier. This waiting time, however, is considerably shortened when the dictator is old. Therefore, the risk of domestic conflict should decrease along with the age of autocratic leaders. Based on 160 countries from 1960 to 2008, our empirical analysis shows that the leader’s age decreases the likelihood of violent rebellion in dictatorships, but not in democratic regimes.
Maintaining Sexual Desire and Satisfaction in Securely Bonded Couples
Authors: McCarthy Barry , Ross Lana Wald
Published: May 2018

Emotion-focused therapy has made major contributions to the field of couple and marital therapy, especially with its emphasis on securely bonded couples. This conceptual/clinical article explores strategies and techniques to enhance sexual desire and satisfaction in securely bonded couples, with special attention to choosing a couple sexual style that facilitates strong, resilient desire. We advocate for both communication and integration between the fields of couple therapy and sex therapy.
The Impact of Counseling on Bowen’s Differentiation of Self
Authors: Messina Kenneth C. , Kolbert Jered B. , Bundick Matthew J. , Crothers Laura M. , Strano Donald A.
Published: May 2018

Bowen’s natural systems theory has been identified as a foundational theory in understanding family processes, and yet there is a lack of research examining the impact of counseling on Bowenian constructs of differentiation, emotional reactivity (ER), fusion, and “I” positions (IPs). In order to investigate this potential impact, the present study employed a pre–post quasi-experimental design, sampling 20 adults receiving outpatient counseling services for a 3-month period from a community mental health center in the Northeastern United States. The results revealed that participants demonstrated moderate to large statistically significant improvements in their overall differentiation of self, as well as in the dimensions of ER and taking IPs. However, there were no improvements in the dimensions of emotional cutoff and fusion with others. The results are discussed in relation to Bowenian theory as well as the common factors model.