bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Many Voices in China’s Legal Profession: Plural Meanings of Weiquan
Authors: Michelson Ethan
Published: March 2020

Figuring prominently in prevailing portraits of activism and political contention in contemporary China are weiquan [rights defense] lawyers. Outside of China, the word weiquan emerged in the early 2000s and had achieved near-hegemonic status by the late 2000s as a descriptive label for a corps of activist lawyers—who numbered between several dozen and several hundred—committed to the cause and mobilizing in pursuit of human rights protections vis-à-vis China’s authoritarian party-state. This article challenges the dominant nomenclature of Chinese activism, in which weiquan in general and weiquan lawyers in particular loom large. A semantic history of the word weiquan, traced through an analysis of four decades of officially sanctioned rights discourse, reveals its politically legitimate origins in the official lexicon of the party-state. Unique survey data collected in 2009 and 2015 demonstrate that Chinese lawyers generally understood the word in terms of the party-state’s official language of rights, disseminated through its ongoing public legal education campaign. Because the officially-sanctioned meaning of weiquan, namely “to protect citizens’ lawful rights and interests,” is consistent with the essential professional responsibility of lawyers, fully half of a sample of almost 1,000 practicing lawyers from across China self-identified as weiquan lawyers. Such a massive population of self-identified weiquan lawyers—approximately 80,000 in 2009 assuming that the sample is at least reasonably representative—makes sense only if local meanings of the term profoundly diverge from its dominant English-language representations. Concluding speculations consider and call for further research on why this word was appropriated and redefined by activist Chinese lawyers in the first place.
New species and occurrence records of Japanese Solasteridae and Ganeriidae including a new species of Paralophaster from the North Pacific with an overview of Hyalinothrix
Authors: MAH CHRISTOPHER L. , FUJITA TOSHIHIKO
Published: March 2020

Japanese waters contain a highly diverse echinoderm fauna including many undiscovered species, especially in deeper-water settings. Molecular phylogenetic data has shown a close relationship between three established families of asteroids, the Asterinidae, the Solasteridae and the Ganeriidae, which are three groups that are well-represented in the region. We present two undescribed species of solasterids, Lophaster cactorum n. sp. and Paralophaster gomo n. sp., the latter represents a genus which had previously been known primarily from Antarctic settings. New occurrence records of the tropical deep-sea Pacific solasterid Rhipidaster vannipes Sladen, 1889 has led to synonymy of Xenorias polyctenius Fisher, 1913. Three undescribed species of Hyalinothrix, Hyalinothrix diversus n. sp., Hyaliothrix enoki n. sp. and Hyalinothrix virtrispinum n. sp. are described. Nepanthia grangei McKnight, 2001 is transferred to Hyalinothrix. A new subfamily, the Hyalinothricinae is established within the Asterinidae, including Tarachaster and Seriaster, which was formerly assigned to the Solasteridae. Knightaster is reassigned to the Asterinidae from the Ganeriidae.
Dismembering organisation: The coordination of algorithmic work in healthcare
Authors: Bailey Simon , Pierides Dean , Brisley Adam , Weisshaar Clara , Blakeman Tom
Published: March 2020

Algorithms are increasingly being adopted in healthcare settings, promising increased safety, productivity and efficiency. The growing sociological literature on algorithms in healthcare shares an assumption that algorithms are introduced to ‘support’ decisions within an interactive order that is predominantly human-oriented. This article presents a different argument, calling attention to the manner in which organisations can end up introducing a non-negotiable disjuncture between human-initiated care work and work that supports algorithms, which the authors call algorithmic work. Drawing on an ethnographic study, the authors describe how two hospitals in England implemented an Acute Kidney Injury (AKI) algorithm and analyse ‘interruptions’ to the algorithm’s expected performance. When the coordination of algorithmic work occludes care work, the study finds a ‘dismembered’ organisation that is algorithmically-oriented rather than human-oriented. In the discussion, the authors examine the consequences of coordinating human and non-human work in each hospital and conclude by urging sociologists of organisation to attend to the importance of the formal in algorithmic work. As the use of algorithms becomes widespread, the analysis provides insight into how organisations outside of healthcare can also end up severing tasks from human experience when algorithmic automation is introduced.
Prodigal offspring: Organizational sociology and organization studies
Authors: Scott Alan
Published: March 2020

Academic disciplines are defined not primarily by their object but by their (theoretical and methodological) approach to that object, and by their claim to a monopoly over it. Even where that monopoly claim has been highly successful, it remains contestable. For example, economics, perhaps in this respect the most successful social science, finds its object – the economy – contested by political economists and economic sociologists. Whereas economics has successfully marginalized potential competitors, sociology has remained a broad church. Attempts to impose theoretical and methodological order on the discipline have met with resistance, and eventually failed. Moreover, sociology has never really reached consensus on what its object is; ‘society’, ‘social facts’, ‘social action’ were the classical options, with the list growing over time (social networks, rational action, actor networks, etc.). Thus, while we can speak of ‘heterodox economics’ there is insufficient orthodoxy to speak of ‘heterodox sociology’. This has an obverse side. Precisely because of the weakness of its monopolistic claims, sociology has been very productive in spawning new disciplinary fields, which, rather than remaining within sociology’s weak gravitational pull, successfully establish themselves as separate disciplines or ‘studies’. Criminology, industrial relations, urban studies and organization studies are the most obvious examples. In light of this, this article addresses two questions: (1) What happens to these new fields when they break free of the parent discipline, and to the parent discipline when they do? (2) If one effect on the ‘offspring’ is a loss of disciplinary orientation (as the rationale for this special issue suggests) what, if anything, has contemporary sociology to offer OS as a potential source of reorientation?
A partial organization approach to the dynamics of social order in social movement organizing
Authors: Laamanen Mikko , Moser Christine , Bor Sanne , den Hond Frank
Published: March 2020

This article builds on the theoretical notion that social order in organized settings is both emergent and decided. It examines the dynamics of emergent and decided social order in a timebank, a local community initiative within the alternative currency social movement. The authors propose that organized settings are in practice associated with a continuously evolving blend of elements of both decided and emergent social order; thus, allowing organizing to evolve over time. Shedding light on the broader puzzle of how social order in organized settings evolves, the authors empirically show how organizational dynamics change through the interplay of networks, institutions and decisions, as participants adopt and reject various elements of emergent and decided sources of social order. In their analysis, the authors combine content analysis and social network analysis of archival data to describe and explain dynamic and inherently relational organizing activities that unfold in the community’s day-to-day interactions.
Diversionary Behavior for Weak States: A Case Study of Taiwan
Authors: Yeh Yao-Yuan , Wu Charles K.S.
Published: March 2020

This paper explores the mechanisms and circumstances under which leaders in weak states adopt diversionary behavior to deal with domestic problems. We examine the case of Taiwan to see if its President, Tsai Ingwen, has adopted diversionary behavior from 2016 to the present. We found that, unlike great powers, weak-state leaders often resort to non-force tactics such as blaming foreign opponents, but the emergence of diversionary behavior is conditional on the stability of their relationship with a major power. In the case of Taiwan, Tsai adopted a more confrontational foreign policy toward China only when USA–Taiwan relations had become more stable and more favorable toward Taiwan. Future work could continue to explore the circumstances and tools unique to weak states’ diversionary behavior.
Longitudinal Associations Between Perfectionistic Strivings, Perfectionistic Concerns, and Sport-Specific Practice in Adolescent Volleyball Players
Authors: Vink Kristi , Raudsepp Lennart
Published: March 2020

This study examined complex longitudinal relationships between perfectionistic strivings, perfectionistic concerns, and sport-specific practice in adolescent volleyball players. We recruited 188 adolescent volleyball players ( Mage =15.4, SD =  0.4 years; 113 females, 75 males) to complete measures of perfectionistic strivings and perfectionistic concerns across two competitive seasons and a training diary to assess the quantity and perceived quality of their sport-specific practice. Bivariate latent growth statistical models revealed that, at baseline, higher perfectionistic strivings were associated with a higher quantity and quality of sport-specific practice. Subsequent changes in perfectionistic strivings and dimensions of sport-specific practice were also significantly interrelated. Perfectionistic strivings and perceived quality of sport-specific practice were reciprocally related, while perfectionistic concerns were not related with dimensions of sport-specific practice. An understanding of the causal relationships between these variables will require further research; however, this study demonstrates that perfectionistic strivings may increase adolescent volleyball players’ quantity and perceived quality of sport-specific practice.
Exceptionality and Colonial-State–Corporate Crimes in the Puerto Rican Fiscal and Economic Crisis
Authors: Atiles Osoria José
Published: March 2020

A sociolegal analysis of the sources of Puerto Rico’s fiscal and economic crisis points to the use of the colonial state of exception as an economic development policy facilitating the creation of a tax-haven-like economy and normalizing a series of a colonial-state–corporate crimes. The Puerto Rican people need to hold those who generated the crisis accountable both politically and legally. They must continue mobilizing and promoting the repoliticization of recovery efforts by not paying the public debt, taking legal action against financial predators and corrupt politicians, clawing back fees and refusing to pay any additional fees, giving more importance to the human rights of Puerto Ricans than to the rights of bondholders and vulture funds, and initiating a process of decolonization that will allow them to make decisions about their future.

Un análisis sociolegal de los orígenes de la crisis fiscal y económica de Puerto Rico apunta al uso del estado de excepción colonial como una política de desarrollo económico que facilita la creación de una economía parecida a un paraíso fiscal y normaliza una serie de crímenes estado-coloniales y corporativos. El pueblo puertorriqueño debe responsabilizar a quienes generaron la crisis, tanto política como legalmente. Deben continuar movilizando y promoviendo la repolitización de los esfuerzos de reactivación al no pagar la deuda pública, emprender acciones legales contra depredadores financieros y políticos corruptos, recuperar tarifas y negarse a pagar tarifas adicionales, dando más importancia a los derechos humanos de los puertorriqueños que a los derechos de los portadores de bonos y fondos buitres, e iniciar un proceso de descolonización que les permita tomar decisiones sobre su futuro.
Effects of Elastomeric Bearing Stiffness on the Structural Behavior of Bonded Link-Slabs
Authors: Gergess Antoine N. , Douaihy Elie Zakhia
Published: March 2020

Continuous decks provide a cost-effective solution compared with expansion joints in multi-span bridge construction. The part of the deck that spans over the open joint at intermediate supports is known as the link-slab. Although their length and magnitude are relatively small compared with the beams in the adjacent spans, link-slabs provide continuity to the structural system and influence the distribution of forces based on their stiffness and bridge support characteristics. This paper presents results from a test program that examines the behavior of bonded link-slabs connecting adjacent reinforced concrete beams and derives closed-form solutions to predict shear forces and moments. Validity of the solution is verified based on comparisons with test data and its applicability for bridges in the medium-span length range is illustrated by a numerical example.
Security Culture: Surveillance and Responsibilization in a Prisoner Reentry Organization
Authors: Prior Francis B.
Published: March 2020

As they have become increasingly common, prisoner reentry organizations have become a topic of interest to ethnographers, particularly those focused on race crime and justice. Reentry organizations are typically understood in terms of the social services they provide with the purpose of easing their clients’ social reintegration after incarceration. However, ethnographers of nonprofit prisoner reentry organizations have interpreted them as linked to a broader project of disciplinary poverty governance. Based on participant observation and interview evidence of a government-run prisoner reentry organization in a large northeastern city, I argue that an overarching security culture structured not only the organization’s security and surveillance practices, but also its disciplinary service provision. I argue that security culture also helps explain staff attitudes toward clients, and clients’ response to the organization as an extension of their experience of punishment. This ethnography builds on previous work through its specific examination of frequently taken-for-granted concrete security practices in conjunction with social service programming in order to highlight the overall effects of a government-run prisoner reentry organization’s security culture.
Conditioning effect on the mechanical and thermal properties of heat-treated oil palm empty fruit bunch/high-density polyethylene composite
Authors: Nordin Nur Afifah , Rahman Nor Mas Mira Abd , Hassan Aziz
Published: March 2020

Oil palm empty fruit bunch (EFB) is one of the potential natural fibre that can be used as an alternative to synthetic fibre. EFB was heat-treated at 180°C using vacuum oven for 1 h, extrusion compounded with high-density polyethylene at 10%, 20% and 30% weight fraction. The composites were injection moulded into dumb-bell (ASTM D-638) and bar-shaped specimens (ASTM E-23). The composites were exposed to different environments which are soil burial and indoor environment for 3 months. The effects of conditioning on mechanical and thermal properties were studied relative to the dry as moulded samples as a standard. It was found that the mechanical and thermal properties of composites under soil burial conditions were reduced. Tensile modulus of 30% untreated fibre loading reduced from 1.56 GPa for dry to 1.03 GPa for soil burial conditions, respectively. The same reduction was also found in the flexural modulus. However, the value of treated fibre composites was found slightly higher compared to untreated fibre composites. The treated fibre composites showed more resistance towards the environment condition. Composites made from heat-treated EFB show improved thermal stability, expected due to better compatibility between fibres and matrices, thus lowering the moisture intake, despite the conditions of the samples. However, indoor exposure has no significant effect on the thermal and mechanical properties of composites.
Mechanical, rheological and thermal properties of montmorillonite-modified polyhydroxybutyrate composites
Authors: Isa Muhammad Rafiq Mohd , Hassan Aziz , Nordin Nur Afifah , Thirmizir Mohd Zharif Ahmad , Ishak Zainal Arifin Mohd
Published: March 2020

Polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB), a bio-derived and biodegradable polyester, has the potential to be a substitute for traditional polymers. PHB was modified with montmorillonite (MMT), a nanoclay, with the aim of improving its mechanical properties. The clay dispersion, mechanical, rheological and thermal properties of untreated and acid-treated MMT-modified PHB nanocomposites were investigated. Nanocomposite specimens at three different clay loading were prepared using extruder and injection moulding machine. Energy dispersive X-ray mapping revealed that nanocomposites with clay content of 3 phr exhibited better dispersion compared to nanocomposites with higher clay content. The mechanical properties of the MMT-modified PHB, such as the tensile and flexural modulus, were enhanced when compared to neat PHB. From rheology, PHB and PHB nanocomposites modified with untreated MMT exhibited Newtonian fluid behaviour in the tested frequency range. However, for nanocomposites modified with acid-treated MMT, shear thinning behaviour was observed at higher clay content. The nanocomposites also exhibited higher complex viscosity compared to PHB. From transmission electron microscopy analysis, exfoliation of the MMT was observed for the treated MMT nanocomposites at all clay loading. MMT-modified PHB has lower melting temperature when compared to neat PHB. Furthermore, it was found that the addition of MMT influenced the crystallisation behaviour of PHB. The presence of acid-treated MMT also reduced the degree of crystallinity with increasing clay content.
Early-Holocene simulations using different forcings and resolutions in AWI-ESM
Authors: Shi Xiaoxu , Lohmann Gerrit , Sidorenko Dmitry , Yang Hu
Published: March 2020

The earliest part of the Holocene, from 11.5k to 7k (k = 1000 years before present), is a critical transition period between the relatively cold last deglaciation and the warm middle Holocene. It is marked by more pronounced seasonality and reduced greenhouse gases (GHGs) than the present state, as well as by the presence of the Laurentide Ice Sheet (LIS) and glacial meltwater perturbation. This paper performs experiments under pre-industrial and different early-Holocene regimes with AWI-ESM (Alfred Wegener Institute–Earth System Model), a state-of-the-art climate model with unstructured mesh and varying resolutions, to examine the sensitivity of the simulated Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) to early-Holocene insolation, GHGs, topography (including properties of the ice sheet), and glacial meltwater perturbation. In the experiments with early-Holocene Earth orbital parameters and GHGs applied, the AWI-ESM simulation shows a JJA (June–July–August) warming and DJF (December–January–February) cooling over the mid and high latitudes compared with pre-industrial conditions, with amplification over the continents. The presence of the LIS leads to an additional regional cooling over the North America. We also simulate the meltwater event around 8.2k. Big discrepancies are found in the oceanic responses to different locations and magnitudes of freshwater discharge. Our experiments, which compare the effects of freshwater release evenly across the Labrador Sea to a more precise injection along the western boundary of the North Atlantic (the coastal region of LIS), show significant differences in the ocean circulation response, as the former produces a major decline of the AMOC and the latter yields no obvious effect on the strength of the thermohaline circulation. Furthermore, proglacial drainage of Lakes Agassiz and Ojibway leads to a fast spin-down of the AMOC, followed, however, by a gradual recovery. Most hosing experiments lead to a warming over the Nordic Sea and Barents Sea of varying magnitudes, because of an enhanced inflow from lower latitudes and a northward displacement of the North Atlantic deep convection. These processes exist in both of our high- and low-resolution experiments, but with some local discrepancies such as (1) the hosing-induced subpolar warming is much less pronounced in the high-resolution simulations; (2) LIS coastal melting in the high-resolution model leads to a slight decrease in the AMOC; and (3) the convection formation site in the low- and high-resolution experiments differs, in the former mainly over northeastern North Atlantic Ocean, but in the latter over a very shallow subpolar region along the northern edge of the North Atlantic Ocean. In conclusion, we find that our simulations capture spatially heterogeneous responses of the early-Holocene climate.
Difficulties in establishing a causal link between chemical exposures and cancer cannot be overcome by court assessments
Authors: Dragani TA
Published: March 2020

Scientific data are often used in lawsuits to prove, or dismiss, causation by a claimed factor of a claimed disease. Recent media reports of million-dollar compensations awarded to some cancer patients who had been exposed to certain chemical substances motivated me to examine how solid the causal links really were. Here, I discuss the limitations of epidemiological research on cancer causation and highlight how new knowledge of cancer genetics makes it unrealistic to expect that cancer causation can be clearly demonstrated. I then present two exposure–cancer cases, namely talcum powder–ovarian cancer and glyphosate–non-Hodgkin lymphoma, that led to civil lawsuits decided, in the United States, in favor of the claimants. Both these cancers have several risk factors, among which the claimed exposure presents only a minor, if any, increased risk. Through these cases, I explain why the use of epidemiological data is inappropriate to define causal associations in complex diseases like cancer. I close by suggesting a fairer approach, called proportional liability, to resolving future cancer litigation cases.
Sulfur dioxide induces vascular relaxation through PI3K/Akt/eNOS and NO/cGMP signaling pathways in rats
Authors: Zhang Q , Lyu W , Yu M , Niu Y
Published: March 2020

Sulfur dioxide (SO2) is a common exogenous atmospheric pollutant. Studies have shown that SO2 can cause vasodilation as a gas signaling molecule, but the specific signaling pathways are not well understood. This study aimed to explore the underlying mechanism behind the effects of SO2 on vasodilation of isolated rat aorta. The results showed that when the dose of SO2 was 30 μM, the vasodilation of endothelium-intact rings was partially suppressed by LY294002 and NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester, and the protein levels of phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K), p-Akt, and p-endothelial nitric oxide synthase ( p-eNOS) were significantly increased. When the dose of SO2 was 300 μM or 1500 μM, the vasodilation of endothelium-denuded rings did not change after application of the inhibitor, but the protein levels of PI3K, p-Akt, and p-eNOS were significantly decreased, and the activity of NOS and the level of nitric oxide (NO) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) were significantly increased. We speculate that the mechanism of SO2-induced vasodilatation likely involved the endothelial PI3K/Akt/eNOS and NO/cGMP signal pathways. In addition, at the concentration of 1500 μM, SO2 markedly increased the level of caspase-3 and caspase-9. The results suggest that high concentrations of SO2 may cause damage to blood vessels. This study will help to further inform the etiologies of SO2-related cardiovascular disease.
Machine learning in optimization of multi-hole drilling using a hybrid combinatorial IGSA algorithm
Authors: Karthikeyan A , Karthikeyan A , Venkatesh Raja K
Published: March 2020

The multi-hole operation is a frequently used process in an industry. Owing to the escalating demand for reducing the production cost and time, it is inevitable for any manufacturing industry to develop an optimistic process plan. This research work mainly focuses on developing a novel combinatorial meta-heuristic hybrid technique for solving the proposed multi-hole drill sequencing problem. The integrated genetic and simulated annealing algorithm is hereby proposed and tested against assorted complex case study problems. From the results, it is evident that the proposed technique is superior in all aspects exceeding the reported optimum values. Also, this new technique consistently outperformed well with higher levels of precision and this stored data will aid the computer-aided process planning mechanism to perform well through machine learning.
Gypsies’ and Travellers’ lived experience of harm: A critical hate studies perspective
Authors: James Zoë
Published: March 2020

This article sets out how a critical hate studies perspective can explain and illuminate the hate harms experienced by Gypsies and Travellers in the UK. In doing so, it directly responds to the question of how criminological theory can move beyond existing debates in studies of race and ethnicity and engage more effectively with the wider social sciences. The critical hate studies perspective provides a comprehensive theoretical approach to appreciating the harms of hate in late modernity. This framework challenges existing explanations for bias-motivated violence in society and proposes an approach that acknowledges the overarching role of neoliberal capitalism on individual subjectivity and subsequently the lived experience. By utilising this perspective, it is possible here to discuss the range and depth of hate experienced by Gypsies and Travellers and thus consider its genesis and the potential for positive praxis.
Coupled responses of stay cables under the combined rain–wind and support excitations by theoretical analyses
Authors: Li Shouying , Wang Yuanyuan , Zeng Qingyu , Chen Zhengqing
Published: March 2020

Stay cables on several cable-stayed bridges all over the world have been found to experience rain-wind-induced vibrations under the combined action of rain and wind. Meanwhile, the bridge deck might also have obvious oscillation under the wind and/or traffic loads. The coupled responses of a stay cable under the combined rain–wind and support excitations are numerically investigated in this article. The equations of motion of a three-dimensional continuous stay cable are derived by considering the high-order nonlinear components of the dynamic cable tension, together with the equation of motion of the rivulet on the cable surface. The forces induced by rain–wind excitation are determined by the quasi-steady theory, and the support excitation is achieved by the boundary condition. The coupled equations of the cable and the rivulet are numerically solved by using the finite difference method and the fourth-order Runge–Kutta method, respectively. The numerical results show that the high-order nonlinear components of the dynamic cable tension should be taken into account to numerically reproduce the parametric vibration of the stay cable, whereas they hardly have any effects on the rain-wind-induced vibration and the resonance vibration of the stay cable. The responses of stay cable under vertical support oscillation only and the rain–wind excitation only obtained from this study agree well with the literature results. Compared with the results induced by single-source excitation, the cable response amplitude under the combined excitations is smaller than that induced only by support excitation and larger than that induced only by rain–wind excitation. The rivulet is prone to be thrown from the cable surface if the parametric vibration of the stay cable is evoked.
Vibration response analysis of high-speed cylindrical roller bearings using response surface method
Authors: Patra Pravajyoti , Saran V Huzur , Harsha SP
Published: March 2020

The operating clearance in a bearing influences friction, load zone size and fatigue life of a bearing. Hence, an effort is made to investigate the effect of radial internal clearance on the dynamical behavior of a cylindrical roller bearing system with an unbalance present in the system. The differential equations representing the dynamics of the cylindrical roller bearings have been derived using Lagrange’s equations and solved numerically using the fourth-order Runge-Kutta iterative method. The nonlinear vibration signature has been analyzed due to the clearance and the same is represented by various tools like Acceleration-time plots, Poincaré plots and FFT plots. The approximation method is used to calculate the load distribution and deformation of the individual rollers located at a different position in the load zone, for a preloading/interference fit and positive internal clearance. A response surface method is used to analyze the severity involved in the system due to the combined effect of independent variables like rotor speed, radial load, and radial internal clearance. The observations presented here are not only useful to diagnose the bearing health condition with respect to parametric effects but also exhibit their interactive effects on bearing performance.
Training and support for caregivers of people with dementia: The process of culturally adapting the World Health Organization iSupport programme to Portugal
Authors: Teles Soraia , Napolskij Milaydis Sosa , Paúl Constança , Ferreira Ana , Seeher Katrin
Published: March 2020

Background

Informal caregivers of people with dementia often struggle with several stressors, and their mental and physical health can be negatively affected by providing care. iSupport is an online self-help programme designed by the World Health Organization to provide education, skills training, and support to those caregivers.

Purpose

This paper describes the development of an adapted version of iSupport to the Portuguese culture. We present the adaptation process, methods used and results for the country-specific version.

Methods

The adaptation of iSupport was operationalised in five steps: needs assessment; content translation by an authorised translator and technical accuracy check by health professionals; cultural adaptation; independent appraisal of contents by an expert panel; and fidelity check by programme authors.

Results

Findings indicated the adjustments needed in the original iSupport contents. Overall, 323 text excerpts were proposed to adaptation, comprising semantic and conceptual equivalence of expressions, and adjustments to cultural habits, customs, traditions, local resources, and practices. The expert panel identified the need to reformulate definitions, designations, recommendations, and case studies to fine-tune the original contents to local knowledge and practices. Most adaptations were considered to be in line with the core concepts of the original programme.

Conclusions

iSupport is an innovative tool capturing the attention of several organisations around the world interested in translating, adapting, and using the programme. This paper is the first describing the methodological approach for culturally adapting iSupport, constituting an essential resource for those aiming to replicate the process or culturally adapting evidence-based interventions. Tailoring iSupport to the Portuguese context was critical to accommodate the cultural experiences of the target group as well as the knowledge, theoretical approaches, and practices of local professionals. The European-Portuguese version of iSupport introduces the adjustments needed to implement a useful new intervention programme aimed at minimising the psychological distress of Portuguese caregivers.
In-situ remaining useful life prediction of aircraft auxiliary power unit based on quantitative analysis of on-wing sensing data
Authors: Liu Liansheng , Guo Qing , Wang Lulu , Liu Datong
Published: March 2020

The in-situ prognostics and health management of aircraft auxiliary power unit faces difficulty using the sparse on-wing sensing data. As the key technology of prognostics and health management, remaining useful life prediction of in-situ aircraft auxiliary power unit is hard to achieve accurate results. To solve this problem, we propose one kind of quantitative analysis of its on-wing sensing data to implement remaining useful life prediction of auxiliary power unit. Except the most important performance parameter exhaust gas temperature, the other potential parameters are utilized based on mutual information, which can be used as the quantitative metric. In this way, the quantitative threshold of mutual information for enhancing remaining useful life prediction result can be determined. The implemented cross-validation experiments verify the effectiveness of the proposed method. The real on-wing sensing data of auxiliary power unit for experiment are from China Southern Airlines Company Limited Shenyang Maintenance Base, which spends over $6.5 million on auxiliary power unit maintenance and repair each year for the fleet of over 500 aircrafts. Although the relative improvement is not too large, it is helpful to reduce the maintenance and repair cost.
Using predictive analytics to improve pragmatic trial design
Authors: Shortreed Susan M , Simon Gregory E
Published: March 2020

Clinical trials embedded in health systems can randomize large populations using automated data sources to determine trial eligibility and assess outcomes. The suicide prevention outreach trial used real-world data for trial design and randomized 18,868 individuals in four health systems using patient-reported thoughts of death or self-harm (Patient Health Questionnaire item 9). This took 3.5 years. We consider if using predictive analytics, that is, suicide risk estimates based on prediction models, could improve trial “efficiency.” We used data on mental health outpatient visits between 1 January 2009 and 30 September 2017 in seven health systems (HealthPartners; Henry Ford Health System; and Colorado, Hawaii, Northwest, Southern California, and Washington Kaiser Permanente regions). We used a suicide risk prediction model developed in these same systems. We compared five trial designs with different eligibility criteria: a response of a 2 or 3 on Patient Health Questionnaire item 9, a response of a 3, suicide risk score above 90th, 95th, or 99th percentile. We compared the sample that met each criterion, 90-day suicide attempt rate following first eligible visit, and necessary sample sizes to detect a 15%, 25%, and 35% relative reduction in the suicide attempt rate, assuming 90% power, for each eligibility criterion. Our sample included 24,355,599 outpatient visits. Despite wide-spread use of Patient Health Questionnaire, 21,026,985 (86.3%) visits did not have a recorded Patient Health Questionnaire. Of the 2,928,927 individuals in our sample, 109,861 had a recorded Patient Health Questionnaire item 9 response of a 2 or 3 over the study years with a 1.40% 90-day suicide attempt rate and 50,047 had a response of a 3 (suicide attempt rate 1.98%). More patients met criteria requiring a certain risk score or higher: 331,273 had a 90th percentile risk score or higher (suicide attempt rate: 1.36%); 182,316 a 95th percentile or higher (suicide attempt rate 2.16%), and 78,655 a 99th percentile or higher (suicide attempt rate: 3.95%). Eligibility criterion of a Patient Health Questionnaire item 9 response of a 2 or 3 would require randomizing 44,081 individuals (40.2% of eligible population in our sample); eligibility criterion of a 3 would require 31,024 individuals (62.0% of eligible population). Eligibility criterion of a suicide risk score of 90th percentile or higher would require 45,675 individuals (13.8% of eligible population), 95th percentile 28,699 individuals (15.7% of eligible population), and 99th percentile 15,509 (19.7% of eligible population). A suicide risk prediction calculator could improve trial “efficiency”; identifying more individuals at increased suicide risk than relying on patient-report. It is an open scientific question if individuals identified using predictive analytics would respond differently to interventions than those identified by more traditional means.
The Influence of Social Perceptions on Restaurant Employee Work Engagement and Extra-Role Customer Service Behavior: A Moderated Mediation Model
Authors: Orlowski Marissa , Bufquin Diego , Nalley Michael E.
Published: March 2020

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of restaurant employees’ social perceptions of their supervisors on employees’ work engagement and extra-role customer service behavior. We also assessed restaurant employees’ social perceptions of their coworkers as a moderator. Utilizing an online survey design, data were collected from frontline restaurant employees via an online commercial subject pool ( N = 477). Results showed that the more employees perceive their supervisors as warm, competent, and moral, the more employees were willing to engage in extra-role customer service behavior via the indirect effect of increased work engagement. The effect of work engagement on extra-role customer service was also found to be more pronounced when employees developed positive social perceptions of their coworkers. These results offer implications for work engagement, as they suggest a new antecedent in the form of social perceptions, as well as a boundary condition to the positive outcomes of engagement through the interactive effect of social perceptions of coworkers and extra-role customer service behavior. In doing so, these results also shed light on the relevance of social perceptions in hospitality operations.
Prevalence and genotypic identification of Cryptosporidium spp. and Enterocytozoon bieneusi in captive Asiatic black bears (Ursus thibetanus) in Heilongjiang and Fujian provinces of China
Authors: Wang Sheng-Nan , Sun Yun , Zhou Huan-Huan , Lu Gang , Qi Meng , Liu Wei-Shi , Zhao Wei
Published: March 2020

Background

Cryptosporidium and Enterocytozoon bieneusi are two important pathogens with zoonotic potential that cause enteric infections in a wide range of hosts, including humans. Both are transmitted from animals to humans by direct contact or through contaminated equipment. Bears are frequently found in Chinese zoos as ornamental animals as well as farmed as commercial animals, and are therefore in close contact with zoo- or farm-keepers, but the prevalence and zoonotic potential of Cryptosporidium and E. bieneusi in bears is poorly understood. In this study, we aimed to provide data on the occurrence and genetic diversity of Cryptosporidium and E. bieneusi in Asiatic black bears from Heilongjiang and Fujian, China. From May 2015 to December 2017, 218 fresh fecal specimens were collected from captive Asiatic black bears in Heilongjiang (n = 36) and Fujian (n = 182), China. Cryptosporidium and E. bieneusi were examined by PCR amplification of the partial small subunit of ribosomal DNA (SSU rDNA) and the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region of rDNA, respectively. C. andersoni-positive isolates were subtyped through PCR analysis of the four minisatellite/microsatellite (MS1, MS2, MS3 and MS16) loci.

Results

The overall prevalence of Cryptosporidium and E. bieneusi were 2.4% (4/218) and 6.4% (14/218), respectively, with 2.8% (1/36) and 22.2% (8/36) in the Heilongjiang Province, and 1.6% (3/182) and 3.3% (6/182) in the Fujian Province. Sequence analysis confirmed the presence of Cryptosporidium species: C. andersoni (n = 3) and a genotype termed Cryptosporidium rat genotype IV (n = 1). All three identified C. andersoni belonged to the MLST subtype A4, A4, A4, A1. Two known E. bieneusi genotypes D (n = 4) and SC02 (n = 10) were identified, both of which belong to zoonotic Group 1.

Conclusions

This is the first report of C. andersoni and Cryptosporidium rat genotype IV in bears. The discovery of the zoonotic potential of E. bieneusi genotype D in bears highlights its significant zoonotic potential and potential threat to human health.
Tuberculosis treatment outcome among patients treated in public primary healthcare facility, Addis Ababa, Ethiopia: a retrospective study
Authors: Fentie Atalay Mulu , Jorgi Tadesse , Assefa Tamrat
Published: March 2020

Background

Despite the availability of effective drugs, tuberculosis remains a major public health problem that predominantly affects low- and middle-income countries. This study aimed to assess tuberculosis treatment outcomes among patients treated at one of the primary health care levels in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Methods

An institutional-based retrospective cross-sectional study was conducted at a tuberculosis clinic in public primary healthcare facility. The study populations were all patients with tuberculosis who had been completed their treatment course in the center from July 2014 to July 2018. After getting Ethical clearance and permission from the health center, trained data collectors working in the center were recruited. The collected data were checked for completeness every day by the principal investigators. Data were edited, cleaned, and analyzed using SPSS version 25. Descriptive statistics were used to summarize the data while multinomial logistic regression was employed to explore associations among variables of interest, and p < 0.05 was considered as statistically significant.

Results

A total of 352 patients with tuberculosis were included for the study with a median age of 25 years which ranged from 1 to79 year. Most (36.4%) participants were in the age group of 15 to 24 years. The majority (38.8%) of patients had extrapulmonary tuberculosis, 11.9% of them were HIV positive and only two had family history of tuberculosis. Regarding treatment outcome, 238(67.6%) completed the treatment, 95(27%) cured and the rest were unsuccessful treatment outcomes 19(5.4%) either died, defaulted or treatment failed. The odds ratio for cured in relation to unsuccessful treatment outcome was found to be significantly higher in HIV negative patients (AOR = 6.1; 95%CI 2.1–13.9) compared with those patients tested positive for HIV. While patients with smear-positive pulmonary tuberculosis (AOR = 10.5, 95% CI 5.36–16.31) were significantly associated with the odds of having complete treatment cure as compared to patients with extrapulmonary tuberculosis. Similarly being HIV positive and extrapulmonary tuberculosis were predicting factors for unsuccessful treatment compared with their counterparts.

Conclusions

The finding of the present study showed that successful tuberculosis treatment outcome was found to be optimal.
Assessment of riparian zone dynamics and its flood-related implications in Eleyele area of Ibadan, Nigeria
Authors: Olokeogun Oluwayemisi S. , Ayanlade Ayansina , Popoola Olusola O.
Published: March 2020

This study aims at assessing how riparian zones have been altered through various land use activities and the implications of its capacity to mitigate flood. The study focused mainly on examining the land use/land cover changes within the riparian zone over a period of 20 years. The vulnerability of the riparian zone to flood were analyzed using remote sensing datasets. Flood vulnerability models were created based on the elevation and land cover type. A Euclidean distance (700 m) was created using the shuttle radar topographical mapping (SRTM) digital elevation model (DEM) of the lake and its riparian zone. The flood attenuation (150 m buffer) and riparian habitat (500 m) zones (areas) within the riparian zone of the lake were then created using the extracted lake boundary. Landsat 7 (for 1999) and 8 (for 2019) covering both zones were classified using the Maximum Likelihood Classification method. The results revealed that the built-up area increased from 2.04 to 4.54 km2 between 1999 and 2019 while water body, grassland, and forest decreased from 0.05 to 0.04 km2, 0.37 to 0.12 km2 and 1.84 to 1.82 km2 over the period of the study. The results further show that about 18.9% of built-up areas were within the very high vulnerability zone of flood as of the year 2019. The results reveal that the riparian area cover is declining in the study area, despite its ecological services in reducing the effect of floods by slowing down runoff, trapping sediments and enhancing infiltration. The pattern of distribution of the land cover classes at different flood vulnerability levels within zones indicates that the more the alteration of both zones’ landscape, the more vulnerable they are to flood. The study concluded that there is a significant level of structural change of the riparian zone which increases its vulnerability level to flooding.
Impact of plants on the diversity and activity of methylotrophs in soil
Authors: Macey Michael C. , Pratscher Jennifer , Crombie Andrew T. , Murrell J. Colin
Published: March 2020

Background

Methanol is the second most abundant volatile organic compound in the atmosphere, with the majority produced as a metabolic by-product during plant growth. There is a large disparity between the estimated amount of methanol produced by plants and the amount which escapes to the atmosphere. This may be due to utilisation of methanol by plant-associated methanol-consuming bacteria (methylotrophs). The use of molecular probes has previously been effective in characterising the diversity of methylotrophs within the environment. Here, we developed and applied molecular probes in combination with stable isotope probing to identify the diversity, abundance and activity of methylotrophs in bulk and in plant-associated soils.

Results

Application of probes for methanol dehydrogenase genes (mxaF, xoxF, mdh2) in bulk and plant-associated soils revealed high levels of diversity of methylotrophic bacteria within the bulk soil, including Hyphomicrobium, Methylobacterium and members of the Comamonadaceae. The community of methylotrophic bacteria captured by this sequencing approach changed following plant growth. This shift in methylotrophic diversity was corroborated by identification of the active methylotrophs present in the soils by DNA stable isotope probing using 13C-labelled methanol. Sequencing of the 16S rRNA genes and construction of metagenomes from the 13C-labelled DNA revealed members of the Methylophilaceae as highly abundant and active in all soils examined. There was greater diversity of active members of the Methylophilaceae and Comamonadaceae and of the genus Methylobacterium in plant-associated soils compared to the bulk soil. Incubating growing pea plants in a 13CO2 atmosphere revealed that several genera of methylotrophs, as well as heterotrophic genera within the Actinomycetales, assimilated plant exudates in the pea rhizosphere.

Conclusion

In this study, we show that plant growth has a major impact on both the diversity and the activity of methanol-utilising methylotrophs in the soil environment, and thus, the study contributes significantly to efforts to balance the terrestrial methanol and carbon cycle.