bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Study of Multiscale Initial Condition Perturbation Methods for Convection-Permitting Ensemble Forecasts
Authors: Johnson Aaron , Wang Xuguang
Published: April 2016

The impacts of multiscale flow-dependent initial condition (IC) perturbations for storm-scale ensemble forecasts of midlatitude convection are investigated using perfect-model observing system simulation experiments. Several diverse cases are used to quantitatively and qualitatively understand the impacts of different IC perturbations on ensemble forecast skill. Scale dependence of the results is assessed by evaluating 2-h storm-scale reflectivity forecasts separately from hourly accumulated mesoscale precipitation forecasts.

Forecasts are initialized with different IC ensembles, including an ensemble of multiscale perturbations produced by a multiscale data assimilation system, mesoscale perturbations produced at a coarser resolution, and filtered multiscale perturbations. Mesoscale precipitation forecasts initialized with the multiscale perturbations are more skillful than the forecasts initialized with the mesoscale perturbations at several lead times. This multiscale advantage is due to greater consistency between the IC perturbations and IC uncertainty. This advantage also affects the short-term, smaller-scale forecasts. Reflectivity forecasts on very small scales and very short lead times are more skillful with the multiscale perturbations as a direct result of the smaller-scale IC perturbation energy. The small-scale IC perturbations also contribute to some improvements to the mesoscale precipitation forecasts after the ~5-h lead time. Altogether, these results suggest that the multiscale IC perturbations provided by ensemble data assimilation on the convection-permitting grid can improve storm-scale ensemble forecasts by improving the sampling of IC uncertainty, compared to downscaling of IC perturbations from a coarser-resolution ensemble.
Verification of Tropical Cyclone Genesis Forecasts from Global Numerical Models: Comparisons between the North Atlantic and Eastern North Pacific Basins
Authors: Halperin Daniel J. , Fuelberg Henry E. , Hart Robert E. , Cossuth Joshua H.
Published: April 2016

Accurately forecasting tropical cyclone (TC) genesis is an important operational need, especially since the National Hurricane Center’s Tropical Weather Outlook product has been extended from 2 to 5 days. A previous study by the coauthors verified North Atlantic TC genesis forecasts from five global models out to 4 days during 2004–11. This study expands on the previous research by 1) verifying TC genesis forecasts over both the Atlantic and eastern North Pacific basins, 2) extending the forecast window to 5 days, and 3) updating the analysis period through 2014. Verification statistics are presented and compared between the two basins. Probability of detection and critical success indices generally are greater over the eastern North Pacific basin compared to the North Atlantic. There is a trade-off between models that exhibit a greater probability of detection and a greater false alarm ratio, and models that exhibit a smaller false alarm ratio and a smaller probability of detection. Results also reveal that the models preferentially miss TCs over the North Atlantic (eastern North Pacific) that have a relatively small radius of the outer closed isobar (radius of maximum wind) at the forecast genesis time. Overall, global models have become a more reliable source of TC genesis guidance during the past few years compared to the early years in the dataset.
Is Parental Longevity Associated With the Cardiovascular Risk and the Successful Aging of Their Offspring? Results From the Multinational MEDIS Study
Authors: Tyrovolas Stefanos , Polychronopoulos Evangelos , Mariolis Anargiros , Piscopo Suzanne , Valacchi Giuseppe , Makri Kornilia , Zeimbekis Akis , Tyrovola Dimitra , Bountziouka Vassiliki , Gotsis Efthimios , Metallinos George , Tur Josep-Antoni , Matalas Antonia , Lionis Christos , Haro Josep Maria , Panagiotakos Demosthenes B.
Published: April 2016

The aim of the present study was to evaluate the role of parental longevity and parental cardiovascular disease (CVD) history in CVD risk and successful aging of a random sample of older adults living in the Mediterranean basin and who participated in the MEDiterranean Islands (MEDIS) study. During 2005 to 2011, 2663 elders were voluntarily enrolled. A multidimensional successful aging index consisting of 10 components was used. Paternal and maternal longevity was defined as those older participants of whom both parents lived above the age of 90. The burden of CVD-related factors (CVD-RFs) was calculated as the total score of 4 major CVD-RFs (range 0-4). After adjustment, parental longevity was inversely associated with the burden of CVD-RFs ( P = .04). Moreover, parental longevity was positively associated with the older adults’ successful aging score (β-coefficient [95% confidence interval]: .38 [0.06-0.71]). Parent’s long living was revealed as an important factor for successful aging and for reduced CVD risk, suggesting that further research is needed in the genetic predisposition of longevity.
Assessment of Subclinical Atherosclerosis by Carotid Intima–Media Thickness and Epicardial Adipose Tissue Thickness in Prediabetes
Authors: Altin Cihan , Sade Leyla Elif , Gezmis Esin , Ozen Necmi , Duzceker Ozkan , Bozbas Huseyin , Eroglu Serpil , Muderrisoglu Haldun
Published: April 2016

Impaired fasting glucose (IFG) and impaired glucose intolerance (IGT) are predictors of cardiovascular disease (CVD). We tested the hypothesis that epicardial fat thickness (EFT) and carotid intima–media thickness (cIMT), as markers of early atherosclerosis, are increased in patients with prediabetes. We prospectively enrolled 246 patients (162 with prediabetes and 84 controls). Prediabetes was defined according to American Diabetes Association criteria, and patients were divided into 3 groups: group 1—IFG, group 2—IGT, and group 3—IFG + IGT. Both cIMT and EFT were significantly greater in patients with prediabetes compared with controls (0.81 ± 0.20 mm vs 0.68 ± 0.16 mm, P < .001 and 7.0 ± 2.0 mm vs 5.6 ± 1.6 mm, P < .001, respectively). This difference was mainly attributed to patients with IGT. Age, waist circumference, and 2-hour glucose independently predicted cIMT, while 2-hour glucose was the only independent predictor of EFT in multivariate analysis among other relevant parameters for cIMT and EFT. The cIMT and EFT (measured noninvasively) could be useful indicators of CVD risk in these patients. In order to prove this hypothesis, long-term prospective studies with greater patient numbers are required.
Speaking Law to Power: The Strategic Use of Precedent of the Court of Justice of the European Union
Authors: Larsson Olof , Naurin Daniel , Derlén Mattias , Lindholm Johan
Published: April 2016

We argue that courts may increase their autonomy and effectiveness by persuading governmental actors, who have powers over the societal impact of judicial decisions, of the legal quality of their rulings. This view combines a strategic perspective on judicial decision making with a conception of persuasion that allows courts to widen their zone of discretion. We support our argument with data from the European Union, where we find that the Court of Justice improves its legal justifications—by embedding its decisions in case law—when it faces a more adverse political environment. Our findings suggest both that the limits of judicial independence are set largely by political preferences, and that legal rhetoric may be an opportunity for courts to extend their room for maneuver. They also indicate that political audiences may indirectly influence the development of case law, by triggering courts to engage in precedent.
Time to Apprehension and the Correlates of Warrant Closure
Authors: Craun Sarah W. , Tiedt Andrew D.
Published: April 2016

To understand how offenders are caught, past research has focused on case closures, which combines the identification and apprehension of a fugitive. However, there is a gap in applied research concerning duration to apprehension and variation in time to capture by crime. This study examined the days to close arrest warrants using administrative data containing 1.3 million cases. A Cox proportional hazards model demonstrated that sex crimes involving contact or encompassing child pornography/exploitation, kidnapping, sex offender registration violations, and warrants involving assaults or an armed/dangerous notation had the strongest relationships to warrant closure. The results illustrate the prioritizing of cases involving sex offenders and violent offenders, as well as underscoring a need for future research on time to warrant closure.
The Effectiveness of Simulator Motion in the Transfer of Performance on a Tracking Task Is Influenced by Vision and Motion Disturbance Cues
Authors: Grundy John G. , Nazar Stefan , O’Malley Shannon , Mohrenshildt Martin v. , Shedden Judith M.
Published: April 2016

Objective:

To examine the importance of platform motion to the transfer of performance in motion simulators.

Background:

The importance of platform motion in simulators for pilot training is strongly debated. We hypothesized that the type of motion (e.g., disturbance) contributes significantly to performance differences.

Methods:

Participants used a joystick to perform a target tracking task in a pod on top of a MOOG Stewart motion platform. Five conditions compared training without motion, with correlated motion, with disturbance motion, with disturbance motion isolated to the visual display, and with both correlated and disturbance motion. The test condition involved the full motion model with both correlated and disturbance motion. We analyzed speed and accuracy across training and test as well as strategic differences in joystick control.

Results:

Training with disturbance cues produced critical behavioral differences compared to training without disturbance; motion itself was less important.

Conclusion:

Incorporation of disturbance cues is a potentially important source of variance between studies that do or do not show a benefit of motion platforms in the transfer of performance in simulators.

Application:

Potential applications of this research include the assessment of the importance of motion platforms in flight simulators, with a focus on the efficacy of incorporating disturbance cues during training.
Filling the Holes
Authors: Kossek Ellen Ernst , Piszczek Matthew M. , McAlpine Kristie L. , Hammer Leslie B. , Burke Lisa
Published: April 2016

Although work schedulers serve an organizational role influencing decisions about balancing conflicting stakeholder interests over schedules and staffing, scheduling has primarily been described as an objective activity or individual job characteristic. The authors use the lens of job crafting to examine how schedulers in 26 health care facilities enact their roles as they “fill holes” to schedule workers. Qualitative analysis of interview data suggests that schedulers expand their formal scope and influence to meet their interpretations of how to manage stakeholders (employers, workers, and patients). The authors analyze variations in the extent of job crafting (cognitive, physical, relational) to broaden role repertoires. They find evidence that some schedulers engage in rule-bound interpretation to avoid role expansion. They also identify four types of schedulers: enforcers, patient-focused schedulers, employee-focused schedulers, and balancers. The article adds to the job-crafting literature by showing that job crafting is conducted not only to create meaningful work but also to manage conflicting demands and to mediate among the competing labor interests of workers, clients, and employers.
Three cases of thyroid cancer following the diagnosis of testicular cancer: treatment-related complication or genetics?
Authors: Spiliopoulou Pavlina , Bowers Sarah Pauline , Gibson Sarah , White Jeff , Reed Nick
Published: April 2016

Large-scale epidemiological studies have shown that the incidence of second primary thyroid cancer in subjects diagnosed and treated for testicular cancer is raised. This finding is strongly associated to treatment with radiotherapy and/or chemotherapy and it is explained by their mutagenic effect. On the other hand, inherited cancer susceptibility syndromes inducing both testicular and thyroid cancers denote that these tumours might share common genomic aberrations. We herein present our experience with three cases of metachronous development of thyroid cancer after diagnosis and treatment of testicular cancer in our tertiary cancer centre. Our case report contributes to the limited available literature on such findings and aims to raise awareness of the cancer physicians treating these particular tumour types.
Still Writing in Rhythm: Youth Poets at Work
Authors: Winn Maisha T.
Published: April 2016

In this article, the author uses a “humanizing research” framework to analyze longitudinal data collected over the course of 10 years during a multi-sited ethnography of youth poets in a poetry collective called Power Writing. Using qualitative interviews to understand the role that literacy continues to play in the lives of Power Writing alumni, the author demonstrates how Power Writing continues to influence youth poets’ views on education as they continue their lives as college students, workers, parents, and partners.
What Should Activist Scholars Teach in the Social Problems Classroom? Social Problems Literacy for Civic Engagement
Authors: Lowry Deborah
Published: April 2016

What should activist-scholars teach in the social problems classroom? In this conversation, I challenge the assertion that advancing a sociology of social problems is an overly academic enterprise of little use to students and other publics. I introduce the potential of a pedagogical framework for promoting social problems literacy: a set of skills that promotes critical, sociological understandings of social problems toward aims of supporting civic engagement and activism. Though some readers might argue that scholar-activism demands instruction on what to think and do about the causes and consequences of troublesome societal conditions, I suggest that activist-scholars might instead prepare students to evaluate social problems information critically and with a sociological eye, begin forming their own commitments, and publicly share these ideas in compelling, civic-minded ways. In proposing the merits of this framework, I hope to question the sometimes rigid line drawn between what is “activist” and “academic.”
Changing the Narrative
Authors: D’Agostino Maria J.
Published: April 2016

The dominant narrative about women’s progress in public administration focuses on identifying the obstacles to that progress and how to overcome them. But to make real progress toward gender equality and social justice, we must rethink our entire approach to research. Understanding the difference women make via narrative inquiry is a necessary change to the prevailing dialectic.
“Unveiling” the Tramway: The Intimate Public Sphere in Late Ottoman and Republican Istanbul
Authors: Ryan James
Published: April 2016

With the introduction of the horse-drawn tramway in 1871, the citizens of Istanbul were forced to reckon with a new type of public space—the crowded confines of the tramcar. This article focuses on the removal of a curtain that separated men and women on public transit in 1923, analyzing the discourses that shaped the decision and the way in which gendered discourses around public transit were altered at the outset of the Turkish Republic by the curtain’s removal. Building on the work of Lauren Berlant and Alev Çınar, I suggest that the tramcar constituted an intimate public sphere and site of negotiation in which citizens came to both confront and negotiate modern problems ranging from morality to fashion in a way that was functionally different from other public spaces.
A Patient-Driven Approach to Manage Mealtime Insulin Titration
Authors: Camacho Allison , Johnson Jennal , Bonner Jeffrey S. , Glass Leonard C.
Published: April 2016

Purpose

Patient-centric methods to support diabetes management are important to overcome barriers associated with initiating mealtime insulin. This article describes the subject-driven titration tools implemented in the AUTONOMY trial to initiate and adjust mealtime insulin dose and the methods used to apply these tools in clinical practice.

Conclusions

The methods used to initiate and escalate mealtime insulin in the AUTONOMY trial proved to be safe and effective, and the patient-friendly guide to self-adjusting mealtime insulin dose may mitigate the complexities associated with treatment intensification while empowering patients to reach their glycemic goals.
Mobilizing Political Information on the Websites of U.S. Labor
Authors: Greer Clark F. , Moreland Kurt D.
Published: April 2016

This study examined the extent to which mobilizing information (MI) was present on the websites of the largest, national U.S. labor unions during the 2012 presidential campaign. Using a content analysis, results showed that information and features associated with the election were scarce on the sites. The websites exhibited modest amounts of tactical MI associated with the presidential election. Locational and identificational MI were almost nonexistent on the sites. In addition, analyses showed that size of union was related to the number of features on the sites.
Public housing and educational attainment in Asia's global city: An empirical study of Hong Kong
Authors: Hu Fox Zhiyong , Chou Keelee
Published: April 2016

In recent years, the relationship between public housing and children's educational attainment has been a hotly debated topic in urban housing and education policy studies. Most studies on the subject have been based on experiences in western cities characterized by a diminishing and residualized public housing sector. It remains unknown whether the same mechanisms identified in the extant literature can be applied to make sense of the situation in alternative social and housing contexts. This study assesses the impact of public housing residence on the educational achievement of children in Hong Kong within a stable and resilient public housing sector. A propensity score matching estimation reveals that children aged 19–22 living in public housing are less likely to study for a degree in a local university and more likely to be not in employment, education or training than their private housing counterparts. Given the favorable physical and neighborhood environment characterizing public housing in Hong Kong, this negative relationship tends to suggest an account in connection with the restricted access to high-performing schools for public housing children. The paper challenges the perceived notion about the unambiguously positive social impact of public housing scheme in the context of Hong Kong. The case study points to the need for a place-specific analysis of the variegated mechanisms linking public housing with children's education. It highlights the practical implications for a closer integration of public housing and public school policies in Hong Kong.
Effects of action observation treatment in recovery after total knee replacement: a prospective clinical trial
Authors: Villafañe Jorge Hugo , Isgrò Maria , Borsatti Maria , Berjano Pedro , Pirali Caterina , Negrini Stefano
Published: April 2016

Objective:

We hypothesized that self-administered action observation treatment can increase the effectiveness of inpatient rehabilitation of patients after a primary total knee replacement.

Design:

A pilot randomized controlled trial.

Setting:

Thirty-one inpatients, admitted to our Physical and Rehabilitation Medicine Department.

Subjects:

After a primary total knee replacement were randomly assigned to either an experimental ( n=14) or control ( n=17) group.

Intervention:

All subjects received conventional physiotherapy and were required to perform additional self-administered exercises explained in a written informative brochure. Subjects in the experimental group were asked to watch a video showing a person exercising whilst the control group watched a nature video without exercises being shown.

Main outcomes measure:

Changes in Visual Analogue Scale, active and passive range of motion of knee, Barthel index, Short Form-36 Health Survey, Tinetti scale, Lequesne index measurements.

Results:

At the end of the intervention period, the increase of the active range of motion over the active flexion and extension in the experimental group was higher than in the control group; the difference between groups was 15.6° (95%CI 5.3–24.8) and 3.4° (95%CI 1.1–5.6), for active flexion and active extension respectively; between-group effect sizes were large at post-treatment period (d>1.3).

Conclusions:

adding action observation training to conventional inpatient physiotherapy is associated with a greater degree of recovery in patients who have undergone a primary total knee replacement.
Exploring Catholic Social Teaching in a Social Marketing Context
Authors: Dann Susan , Dann Stephen
Published: April 2016

Social change through the use of social marketing has often grappled with the principle of “social good”. Building on the tradition of Klein and Laczniak (2009, 2012) in applying Catholic Social Teaching (CST) to commercial marketing, this paper outlines the points of similarity and divergence of contemporary social marketing frameworks with CST. As social marketing theory and practice moves away from its marketing parent discipline roots, this paper argues that CST with its focus on human dignity, subsidiary and the common good provides an increasingly relevant and compatible framework with which to evaluate ethical issues emerging in the social marketing domain. There is potential for social marketers to draw on the intellectual work underpinning CST to inform social marketing practice in engaging in the delivery of social benefit independent of the religious tradition.
Impossible or Improbable
Authors: Barnes Jennifer , Black Jessica
Published: April 2016

Prior research has investigated children’s ability to distinguish between possible and impossible events in our own world, but relatively little empirical research has investigated adults’ intuitions about the boundaries or limitations of imaginary worlds. Here, we presented participants with brief scenarios that were either Morally Deviant, Factually Unlikely, or Conceptually Contradictory. Participants rated how easy it was for them to imagine a world in which each description held true and assessed whether such a world was improbable or impossible. Worlds in which morality operates differently were significantly harder to imagine than worlds that contained unlikely events and significantly easier to imagine than worlds that contained inherent conceptual contradictions. When forced to choose whether Morally Deviant worlds were impossible or improbable, a significant majority of individuals classified them as improbable; however, among individuals who rated these worlds as maximally difficult to imagine, they were seen as impossible.
Low Vocal Pitch Preference Drives First Impressions Irrespective of Context in Male Voices but Not in Female Voices
Authors: Tsantani Maria S. , Belin Pascal , Paterson Helena M. , McAleer Phil
Published: April 2016

Vocal pitch has been found to influence judgments of perceived trustworthiness and dominance from a novel voice. However, the majority of findings arise from using only male voices and in context-specific scenarios. In two experiments, we first explore the influence of average vocal pitch on first-impression judgments of perceived trustworthiness and dominance, before establishing the existence of an overall preference for high or low pitch across genders. In Experiment 1, pairs of high- and low-pitched temporally reversed recordings of male and female vocal utterances were presented in a two-alternative forced-choice task. Results revealed a tendency to select the low-pitched voice over the high-pitched voice as more trustworthy, for both genders, and more dominant, for male voices only. Experiment 2 tested an overall preference for low-pitched voices, and whether judgments were modulated by speech content, using forward and reversed speech to manipulate context. Results revealed an overall preference for low pitch, irrespective of direction of speech, in male voices only. No such overall preference was found for female voices. We propose that an overall preference for low pitch is a default prior in male voices irrespective of context, whereas pitch preferences in female voices are more context- and situation-dependent. The present study confirms the important role of vocal pitch in the formation of first-impression personality judgments and advances understanding of the impact of context on pitch preferences across genders.
Characteristics of Norwegian clubhouse members and factors associated with their participation in work and education
Authors: Bonsaksen Tore , Fouad Maria , Skarpaas Lisebet , Nordli Hege , Fekete Orsolya , Stimo Torhild
Published: April 2016

Introduction

People with mental illness, in particular those with psychosis, have more problems related to getting and keeping a job than people in the general population. Clubhouses for people with mental illness are becoming increasingly common, but little is known about clubhouse members and their participation in work and education. The aim of this study was to explore these issues.

Method

A member survey was conducted at one clubhouse in Oslo during February 2015. The data were analyzed with descriptive statistics and logistic regression analysis.

Results

Eighty-nine clubhouse members completed the survey (response rate 55.6%). More than half of the sample had a desire to work, but only 14% participated in ordinary work. Sixty-seven percent of the participants were more than 50 years old, and they were frequent users and long-time members of the clubhouse. Higher age among the participants decreased their chances for participating in work and/or education.

Conclusion

The study indicates that the clubhouse is of importance to its members, and that older members who have a desire to participate in work and/or education may be particularly challenged in their work towards such goals.
Multidimensionality and the multilevel perspective: Territory, scale, and networks in a failed demand-side energy transition in Australia
Authors: Chandrashekeran Sangeetha
Published: April 2016

The multilevel perspective (MLP) has emerged as an influential framework for analyzing sustainable transitions. Whilst the MLP has recently incorporated valuable geographical perspectives this paper argues that more nuanced accounts of socio-spatial dimensions are still needed to explain how and why some regions miss opportunities for energy transitions. It does this through a study of the restructuring of the Victorian electricity system in Australia in the 1990s and the resulting failure to build demand side management into the energy market design and regulatory framework. The failure of the demand management niche requires a compelling explanation as to why, despite increasingly porous and seemingly unbounded flows of knowledge and capital and emergent actor networks, the territorial-scalar embeddedness of the electricity regime was reinforced. Drawing on geography literature the paper argues that a multidimensional analysis can do the following: address criticisms of the a-spatial and residual character of the landscape level; situate transitions within a geographical political economy context; and reveal the variations and semi-coherency of regimes shedding light on the degree of regime stability and the opportunities for niches to break through. This paper expands the conversation between theories of geographical political economy and sustainable transitions arguing that the geographies of capitalism and the state need to feature more than as a backdrop to socio-technical change, and instead should be brought directly into the MLP.
Associations Between Social Support, Social Networks, and Financial Exploitation in Older Adults
Authors: Beach Scott R. , Schulz Richard , Sneed Rodlescia
Published: April 2016

Social support and social networks are important correlates of elder mistreatment. This study tests hypothesized associations between perceived social support, social network size, and financial exploitation (FE). A population-based survey of 903 older adults (60+) in Allegheny County (Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania) found that lower perceived social support and larger social networks were simultaneously associated with higher risk for FE since age 60, controlling for known risk factors. The same associations were found for FE in the last 6 months. Older adults with larger social networks combined with lower perceived social support were most likely to report FE. When it comes to the role of social relationships and risk for FE, “more may not always be better.” Encouragement to widen the social network by “making new friends” should be stressed less than making sure these new network members will truly be supportive of the older adult.
Reproducing the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fifth Edition
Authors: Beaujean A. Alexander
Published: April 2016

One of the ways to increase the reproducibility of research is for authors to provide a sufficient description of the data analytic procedures so that others can replicate the results. The publishers of the Wechsler Intelligence Scale for Children–Fifth Edition (WISC-V) do not follow these guidelines when reporting their confirmatory factor analysis results. Consequently, scholars have been frustrated when they have tried to replicate the results in the WISC-V technical manual. I explain how the WISC-V publishers set the scale of their latent variables and demonstrate how to replicate the WISC-V models using the R statistical program.
Microfinance Participation, Control Over Resources, and Justification of IPV: Results From a Nationally Representative Sample of Women
Authors: Murshid Nadine Shaanta
Published: April 2016

A high percentage of men and women are purported to justify intimate partner violence (IPV) in countries that are steeped in patriarchy even in the presence of programs such as microfinance that aim to address gender equity. This article examines two assertions that emerge from the literature on microfinance and its potential for positive outcomes for women who participate in it: (a) Microfinance participation is associated with reduced justification of IPV, and (b) microfinance participants with control over their own resources are less likely to justify IPV when compared with microfinance participants who do not have control over their resources. Couples data from a nationally representative survey, the Bangladesh Demographic and Health Survey, were used in the present study. Propensity score matching and logistic regression analyses were conducted to reveal that (a) microfinance participation was not associated with justification of IPV and that (b) women who participated in microfinance were less likely to justify IPV when they had no control over their resources. Implications for practitioners and policymakers are discussed.
Dosing Practices of Intravenous Acyclovir for Herpes Encephalitis in Obesity: Results of a Pharmacist Survey
Authors: Wong Adrian , Pickering Aaron J. , Potoski Brian A.
Published: April 2016

Background:

Dosing of intravenous acyclovir for herpes encephalitis in obese patients is recommended to be based on ideal body weight. However, limited data support this recommendation, and recent data suggest this may lead to underdosing.

Objective:

To determine national dosing practices of intravenous acyclovir across a range of patient weights.

Methods:

A survey was distributed to members of the American College of Clinical Pharmacy Critical Care and Infectious Diseases Practice & Research Networks listservs. Data collected included demographic information and dosing of acyclovir, given consistent patient cases with varying patient weight.

Results:

A total of 264 pharmacists participated in the survey, with 240 (90.9%) participants completing the survey. Participants were predominately clinical pharmacists. As patient weight increased, respondents were more apt to dose based on an adjusted body weight, with dosing in the obese and morbidly obese showing a clear lack of consistency.

Conclusions:

Intravenous dosing of acyclovir for herpes encephalitis is variable, especially in obese patients, and does not reflect recommendations. Limited data provide conflicting recommendations for dosing in obese patients, and future studies are necessary to optimize patient outcomes and prevent toxicity.
The Frankfurt School: Philosophy and (political) economy
Authors: Rothe Matthias , Ronge Bastian
Published: April 2016

The following introduction has two parts: the first part provides a sketch of the Frankfurt School’s history, highlighting the circumstances under which the authors discussed in this issue engaged philosophically with matters of economy. We thereby follow the prevailing periodization, starting with the school’s foundation in 1924 and ending with Theodor W. Adorno’s death in 1969 and the school’s preliminary dissolution. The second part of the introduction explores the legacy of the Frankfurt School’s philosophical critique of economy. Max Horkheimer’s writings thereby serve as a model case for such a critique and become the point of departure for the discussion of contemporary critical theories of the economic.
Numerical modelling of ballistic impacts on flexible protection curtains used as safety protection in woodworking
Authors: Pavlovic A , Fragassa C
Published: April 2016

Numerical control boring and routing machines use curtains made from resistant, but flexible materials to protect end-users from the projection of wood chips and tool pieces. These curtains allow the work piece to gently pass through, but firmly stop every small sharp piece or fragment ejected at the highest speed by fast drilling tools. Nowadays, curtains are commonly made in flexible thermoplastic materials as polyamide, polyurethane, polyvinyl chloride or similar materials. Safety issues to be addressed related to the risk of projection of parts during processing are defined by EN 847-1 and EN 847-2 standards, both collecting practical experiences from manufacturers and users. The effectiveness of these curtains was investigated by technical observations, experiments and even numerical simulations, but conclusive results are not available at the moment. This independent research, where ballistic impacts on flexible curtains were simulated using finite element (FE) methods, aims at verifying the effectiveness of specific protective barriers when realized and used in accordance with the UNI EN 848-3 standard. Numerical simulations were permitted to verify the congruity of the main barrier’s characteristics (materials, shape, depth, mass, cost, etc.) in relation to the projectile parameters (shape, mass, speed, direction, etc.) identifying their mutual influence. Outcomes from this research provide useful information toward the definition of a new way for the design of efficient curtains. A comparison between numerical simulations and experimental results coming from ballistic tests was also realized, permitting to validate this predictive methodology.
Variable thickness scroll compressor performance analysis—Part I: Geometric and thermodynamic modeling
Authors: Bin Peng , Lemort Vincent , Legros Arnaud , Hongsheng Zhang , Haifeng Gong
Published: April 2016

In order to investigate the performance of variable thickness scroll compressors, a detail mathematical modeling based on energy and mass balances is established in this two-part. In part I, the geometric modeling and thermodynamic modeling are developed. The profile based on circle involute, high order curve, and arc is built up using the base line method. The volume of working chambers from suction to discharge is defined. Thereafter, the evolution and derivative of the working chamber volume with respect to the orbiting angle are discussed. The energy and the mass balance for working chamber are described. Suction gas heating, radial and flank leakage, heat transfer between the working fluid, scroll wraps and plates are considered in the thermodynamic modeling. The established geometric modeling and thermodynamic modeling can provide better understanding of the variable thickness scroll compressor working process. The dynamical modeling and model validation are reported in part II.
Palynology and ostracodology at the Roman port of ancient Ostia (Rome, Italy)
Authors: Sadori Laura , Mazzini Ilaria , Pepe Caterina , Goiran Jean-Philippe , Pleuger Elisa , Ruscito Valerio , Salomon Ferreol , Vittori Cecile
Published: April 2016

New detailed palynological and ostracodological analyses together with texture data from a sediment core drilled in Ostia Antica confirm the existence of the ancient Ostia harbour and its location by the Tiber River. Using the different proxies analysed in this work and chronologically framing the sediment record with three AMS radiocarbon dates, four phases have been singled out: pre-harbour, harbour bay under fluvial influence, more protected harbour basin and post-harbour phase. Ostracodology is used to reconstruct the marine versus freshwater influence in the basin. Palynology is used to reconstruct the plant landscape and the surrounding environment. Phases with low pollen concentration and expansions of NPPs suggest soil erosion and are alternated with quieter ones, where human impact was very clear. Deciduous oaks typical of coastal plain forests are the main taxon during the harbour phases. The occurrence of riparian trees increases in periods with low pollen concentration, high NPPs and very high pine percentages. These should be the periods in which important sediment inputs inside the harbour basin arrived and could be the expression of intense flooding phases. The comparison between the ostracod assemblages recovered in the two cores and has led to speculate a complex harbour structure. A separation could explain the micropalaeontological differences between the cores. Thus, we suggest that a pier must have been built in order to protect the inner harbour from the marine influence and to unload the goods transported by the big ships.
The dysfunctions of complement factor H in lupus nephritis
Authors: Wang F-m , Song D , Pang Y , Song Y , Yu F , Zhao M-h
Published: April 2016

Objective

Our previous study showed that plasma levels of factor H (FH) were significantly decreased in patients with lupus nephritis and reflected lupus nephritis activity. The aim of this study was to further investigate in vitro biofunctions of plasma FH in patients with lupus nephritis.

Methods

FH was purified from the first run of plasma exchange in four active lupus nephritis patients and two non-renal involvement systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) patients, and plasma from two healthy controls. Then, the biofunctions of the purified FH were analyzed. In addition, FH exons sequencing analysis was performed.

Results

Homogeneous FH was purified from the plasma fractions and the purity of the purified FH was comparable to the commercial FH. The abilities of FH binding with C3b and mCRP, and its protecting abilities from the lysis of sheep erythrocytes, from No. 3 and No. 4 lupus nephritis patients, decreased significantly compared with those in normal controls. The purified FH from lupus nephritis patients Nos. 2–4 could not induce the phagocytosis of late apoptotic cells significantly compared with normal controls. All four lupus nephritis patients had the known SNP rs1061147 (SCR5, A307A), rs1061170 (SCR7, Y402H), CM050194 (SCR20, S1191W) and CM010322 (SCR20, V1197A), which might be associated with the above dysfunctions.

Conclusions

Dysfunctions of FH, including the regulations of complement alternative pathway and the clearance of apoptotic cells, were found in some active lupus nephritis patients, which were associated with their clinical phenotypes. The FH SNPs might contribute to the dysfunctions of FH in patients with lupus nephritis.
The politics of countermeasures against match-fixing in sport: A political sociology approach to policy instruments
Authors: Tak Minhyeok , Sam Michael P , Jackson Steven J
Published: April 2016

As match-fixing has emerged as a global problem, states and sports organisations have proposed a range of countermeasures. However, despite their neutral, technocratic appearance, these instruments produce their own political effects. Drawing from a case study of the 2011 South Korean ‘K-League’ football match-fixing scandal that resulted in a raft of countermeasures, this article examines how match-fixing countermeasures (re)organise the power relations within the sports betting industry. Using a qualitative, interpretive multi-method approach, three consequences are suggested. First, the education programme redefines sports ethics by delivering new codes of conduct that are aligned to the demands of betting. Second, regulations instituted by the K-League and the government frame the illegal activity as infringing upon the key stakeholders’ economic interests, further privileging the importance of the betting regime. Third, the sports betting monitoring system itself empowers the sole betting company as a trustworthy ‘fixer’ of the match-fixing problem through co-optation into its policy framework. Consequently, this study shows that key stakeholders manage the risk of losing legitimacy by showcasing their efforts to fight against match-fixing, while also taking advantage of the countermeasures to normalise the business of sports betting, thus furthering their own interests.
Going Wide, Not Wild
Authors: Meda Lawrence , Monnapula-Mapesela Mabokang
Published: April 2016

Internationalization has become a buzzword in universities today. As a result of the breadth of the term the concept lends itself to many interpretations. There is a view that South African higher education does not have a customized national framework of internationalization, which raises questions about whether the intended outcomes are achieved. This article is a presentation of academics’ varying conceptualizations of internationalization at a university in South Africa. Thirteen participants—deans, heads of department, program coordinators, and a director of the international office—were purposively selected to participate in semi-structured interviews. Guided by Leask’s conceptual framework of the internationalization of the curriculum, as well as findings from the participants, this study agrees with others who argue that internationalization is a gradual process, which is beyond student and staff mobility and accreditation by an international body. It is concluded that to enhance effective internationalization at a university, a critical review of academics’ conceptualization of the term is essential.
Development of fatigue prediction model for steel bridges based on characteristics of variable stress spectra
Authors: Kim Jung-Hoon , Jeong Min-Chul , Lee Tae-Hyung , Lee Won-Woo , Kong Jung-Sik
Published: April 2016

The fatigue life prediction of steel bridges depends on the amplitude, stress ratio, stress interaction (stress order), and frequency of variable stress spectra. The stress interaction is always altering the crack growth rate under the application of variable stress spectra. The random nature of variable stress spectra makes it difficult to model all these influential parameters correctly. In this study, the fatigue prediction model of steel bridges based on linear elastic fracture mechanics was developed by using measured variable stress spectra of three steel bridges. Variable stress spectra data are used to calculate and analyze the entropy index of stress interaction and crack severity index (CSI) of the effective stress associated with the characteristics of the variable stress spectra. Using these results, the results of fatigue analysis, and multiple regression, we develop prediction models for entropy index–CSI–fatigue crack length, average daily truck traffic (ADTT)–CSI–fatigue crack length, and ADTT-entropy-fatigue crack length. These models can predict the fatigue life of a bridge structure, and this information can be used to plan lifetime maintenance for similar bridges with variable stress spectra.
Salts of Clopidogrel: Investigation to Ensure Clinical Equivalence: A 12-Month Randomized Clinical Trial
Authors: Ntalas Ioannis V. , Kalantzi Kallirroi I. , Tsoumani Maria E. , Bourdakis Adamantios , Charmpas Christos , Christogiannis Zaharias , Dimoulis Nikolaos , Draganigos Antonios , Efthimiadis Ioannis , Giannakoulas Giorgos , Giatrakos Ioannis , Giogiakas Vassilios , Goumas Giorgos , Hatziathanasiou Giorgos , Kazakos Evangelos , Kipouridis Nikolaos , Konstantinou Spiros , Milionis Haralampos , Nikolopoulos Dimitrios , Peltekis Leonidas , Prokopakis Nikolaos , Sinteles Ioannis , Stroumbis Christos , Terzoudi Kyriafina , Thoma Maria , Tsilias Karmelos , Vakalis Ioannis , Vardakis Konstantinos , Vasilakopoulos Vasileios , Vemmos Konstantinos , Voukelatou Maria , Xaraktsis Ioannis , Panagiotakos Demosthenes B. , Goudevenos John A. , Tselepis Alexandros D.
Published: April 2016

Background:

In the present clinical trial, we compared the efficacy and safety of the generic clopidogrel besylate (CB) with the innovator clopidogrel hydrogen sulfate (CHS) salt in patients eligible to receive clopidogrel.

Methods:

A prospective 2-arm, multicenter, open-label, phase 4 clinical trial. Consecutive patients (n = 1864) were screened and 1800 were enrolled in the trial and randomized to CHS or CB. Primary efficacy end point was the composite of myocardial infarction, stroke, or death from vascular causes, and primary safety end point was rate of bleeding events as defined by Bleeding Academic Research Consortium criteria.

Results:

At 12-month follow-up, no differences were observed between CB (n = 759) and CHS (n = 798) in primary efficacy and safety end points (age, sex, history of percutaneous coronary intervention adjusted odds ratio [OR], 0.70; 95% confidence interval [CI], 0.41-1.21 and OR, 0.81; 95% CI, 0.51-1.29, respectively) between CHS and CB. Analyses of efficacy and safety in subgroups that were defined according to the qualifying diagnosis revealed that there was no difference between CHS and CB.

Conclusion:

The efficacy and safety of CB administered for 12 months for the secondary prevention of atherothrombotic events are similar to that of CHS. (Salts of Clopidogrel: Investigation to ENsure Clinical Equivalence, SCIENCE trial; ClinicalTrials.gov Identifier:NCT02126982).