bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
No funny business: Precarious work and emotional labour in stand-up comedy
Authors: Butler Nick , Stoyanova Russell Dimitrinka
Published: March 2018

Freelance creative work is a labour of love where opportunities for self-expression are combined with exploitative working conditions. This article explores this dynamic by showing how a group of freelance creative labourers navigate employment while coping with the pressures associated with economic precarity. Drawing on semi-structured interviews, we argue that full-time stand-up comedians engage in ‘pecuniary’ forms of emotion management in an occupational field where social networks and professional relationships play a prominent role. First, comedians project an image of positivity to demonstrate a willingness to work for little or no pay in order to curry favour with comedy club promoters. Second, comedians suppress feelings of anxiety and frustration that arise from financial insecurity in order to keep their relationships with promoters on an even keel – even when the rate of pay and promptness of remuneration fall below acceptable standards. Our study thus has implications for other creative sectors in which precarity is the norm, since it suggests that emotional labour is a resource not only for engaging with customers and clients but also for engaging with multiple employers, negotiating pay and dealing with conditions of insecurity in freelance settings – often with unintended, paradoxical, results.
Who will I be when I retire? Introducing a Lacanian typology at the intersection of present identity work and future narratives of the retired self
Authors: Driver Michaela
Published: March 2018

The study introduces a framework by which insights from Lacanian psychoanalysis can be employed to offer a more nuanced understanding of how retirement is currently being reinvented. Building on an analysis of 49 stories in which early-career employees describe their retirement aspirations, the study explores the complexities of how individuals draw on retirement discourse to articulate who they are and what they want. The analysis suggests that the narrative construction of retirement is not only a space for becoming further attached to fantasies that align identity with existing power structures but also a space in which to work through such attachments and open up identity in transformative ways. The study contributes novel perspectives on the effects of the contradictions in current retirement discourse at the interstice of identity, discourse and power, offering new avenues for research on retirement and identity.
Guiding and enabling liminal experiences between business and arts organizations operating in a sponsorship relationship
Authors: Ryan Annmarie
Published: March 2018

Through the lens of liminality, this article considers the identity work engaged in by managers working at the boundary of the organization. Liminality has been used to shed light on the ambiguous positions of temporary employees, consultants and project teams. As such, the concept has become synonymous with temporary, transient or precarious work settings. However, in this article I consider the efforts that managers make to set up and co-create the support structure they require to enter into and leave liminal experiences. I draw on a social anthropology to reconsider the movements between these ‘in’ and ‘out’ phases, and introduce two kinds of enabling roles: guide and ally. Through the use of a longitudinal case study research design the article contributes to the delineation between transitory and perpetual liminality, to include the notion of temporary incorporation. In distinguishing temporary incorporation from perpetual liminality, we can shift attention towards the possibilities of incremental learning in limen, where the subject and the context remain subject to change.
Exploring relationship among child maltreatment experience in childhood and behavior problems as young adults: Role of social support among college students in Hong Kong
Authors: Oh Ahrim , Han Meekyung , Choi Young , Lau Sing , Shum Michelle S W
Published: March 2018

Studies show the tremendous negative impact of child abuse, including physical and emotional abuse in childhood on externalizing mental health problems in later life (e.g. young adulthood). However, limited information about this relationship is available in Asian countries like Hong Kong. The current study sought to address this gap by utilizing an exploratory retrospective design. Findings with 118 college students in Hong Kong suggest that there are statistically significant associations between experience of physical and emotional abuse in childhood and behavior problems in later life, and that there is a significant moderation effect of social support on that relationship.
Transformational Leadership, Transactional Leadership, and Employee Creativity in Entrepreneurial Firms
Authors: Ma Xifang , Jiang Wan
Published: March 2018

Drawing on organismic integration theory, we propose that transformational leadership and transactional leadership are most likely to predict outcomes, under uncertain social contexts, when accompanied by organizational financial and nonfinancial rewards. Using survey data from professional employees and their supervisors, from 260 Chinese enterprises, with less than 5 years of entrepreneurial experience, we found that (1) transformational leadership is not significantly related to employee creativity, while transactional leadership is positively related to followers’ creative behaviors, (2) synergy between transformational leadership and financial rewards and between transactional leadership and nonfinancial rewards accentuate the effect on employee creativity respectively, (3) psychological empowerment fully mediates the aforementioned relationship. These findings offer a new theoretical framework for future theory development of leadership.
Probing Water Mobility in Human Dentine with Neutron Spectroscopy
Authors: Lauritsen A.K. , Pereira J.E.M. , Juranyi F. , Bordallo H.N. , Larsen L. , Benetti A.R.
Published: March 2018

The aim of this study was to investigate hydrogen mobility within innate and demineralized human dentine. Dentine sections from extracted human molars, demineralized or not, were analyzed by combining neutron spectroscopy with thermal analysis. For the thermal analysis of the samples, differential scanning calorimetry and thermal gravimetric analysis, coupled with Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, were performed. The hydrogen dynamics of water, collagen, and hydroxyl groups present in the samples were investigated via neutron spectroscopy. From the mass loss observed from the thermogravimetric analysis curves up to 600 °C, the same amount of organic content is identified in the samples. From the differential scanning calorimetry curves, a higher change in enthalpy associated with the denaturation of collagen is registered in the demineralized dentine; that is, a structural change occurs in the collagen subsequent to demineralization. Since the intensity measured by neutron spectroscopy is dominated by the signal from hydrogen, in our samples—coming mostly from the bulk-like and loosely bound water as well as from the collagen itself—higher proton mobility within the demineralized dentine was detected when compared with innate dentine. In the demineralized dentine, this proton mobility amounts to 80%, while the remaining hydrogen accounts for a combination of 1) structural hydroxyls, as a result of the incomplete dissolution of the mineral phase by acid etching, and 2) hydrogen tightly bound in the collagen structure. By combining neutron spectroscopy with the calorimetry data, our findings support the idea that hydroxyapatite protects the collagen in innate dentine. Demineralized dentine, however, acts as a sponge where free bulk-like water is trapped.
It’s the Same, Only It’s Not: Perceptions of the Prescription Drug Market in Comparison With Other Illicit Drug Markets
Authors: Owens Jennifer Gatewood , Smirnova Michelle
Published: March 2018

Given the rapid rise of prescription (Rx) opioid overdoses in the United States, it is crucial to understand how people acquire Rx drugs. Prior research suggests individuals obtain Rx drugs through both legal and illegal channels, but there has been limited qualitative research focused upon the intersections between Rx drug markets and other drug markets. To understand the similarities and differences, we interviewed 40 incarcerated women about their experiences with both markets. Based upon these conversations, we find that few women received pills exclusively through doctors and 90% of them had used illicit markets or informal social networks to acquire Rx drugs. Although there is extensive overlap between the users, dealers, and operations between Rx and illicit drug markets, these women draw attention to how certain agents, processes, and social reactions differ in meaningful ways that are crucial to an effective public health response.
Understanding the Possible: A Creative Approach to Madness
Authors: Bernard Adrian
Published: March 2018

Adrian works at Santa Cruz’s peer respite house, 2nd Story. He has worked side by side with NAMI (the National Alliance on Mental Illness) families and provider organizations. His own narrative in this article is about the chances and multiple chances of living through internal and external hell. This message is an understanding of growing in the world without a solid foundation, discerning that a function of postyouth is to find tools within to form solid ground. The old ways follow truer still, the greater the agony, the greater the freedom. These words offer a key to break free from various and varying societal confines. Adrian has never studied the psychological lens; thus, he draws only from direct experience and personal understanding, leaving no references to name. Working closely with people, while listening to uncountable life stories, has informed the nature of this article. The use of the word “We” challenges many. If “We” applies to the reader, welcome. If not, enjoy the ride.
Organized criminal violence and territorial control
Authors: Berg Louis-Alexandre , Carranza Marlon
Published: March 2018

What accounts for geographic variation in organized criminal violence? In Honduras, a country with one of the highest homicide rates in the world, the intensity of violence rivals many civil wars. Yet violent crime varies across cities and neighborhoods. Armed groups seeking to control territory use violence for different purposes, including competing against rivals, coercing residents and state officials, and exploiting the public for profit. Variations in community organization, defined as the density of interpersonal ties and the prevalence of shared expectations for collective action, affect the utility of violence for each of these purposes. Community organization can raise the cost of controlling territory, reduce the benefits of coercive violence, and generate pressure to protect residents from exploitation. These dynamics are examined through a comparison of nine neighborhoods in three of Honduras’s most violent cities, drawing from disaggregated homicide data and ethnographic research. The comparison shows that neighborhoods with denser community organization experienced lower levels of violence. Narrative evidence points to specific ways in which community organization mediates effects of competition among criminal groups and their interaction with state officials. Community characteristics thus affect the way non-state armed actors exercise authority in areas of limited state presence.
School nurses: An investment in student achievement
Authors: Maughan Erin D.
Published: March 2018

School nurses help students with the prevention and management of chronic physical and mental health issues, but not all schools have a full-time registered nurse on their staff. The author argues that investing in school nursing has benefits that extend beyond the school and into the community.
School social workers as partners in the school mission
Authors: Finigan-Carr Nadine M. , Shaia Wendy E.
Published: March 2018

Social workers in schools provide benefits not just for struggling students, but for the entire school community. But, the authors argue, school social workers are often relegated to monitoring IEPs and doing basic casework. By using skills and values that have long been fundamental to social work practice, school social workers can advocate for, develop, and assume leadership in providing services that bring together the school, the family, and the community to meet students’ needs.
Who’s really driving student outcomes?
Authors: Meals Anthony R.
Published: March 2018

The author, a teacher and substitute bus driver, explains the pivotal role that bus drivers play in the education process by proving safe transport and getting students off to a good start each day. Reducing bus transportation budgets, or charging families for using it, reduces student access to education.
What a difference a district can make: An interview with Meredith Honig
Authors: Heller Rafael
Published: March 2018

While they’re often overlooked in education policy debates, district central office staff can play critical role in improving schools. In this interview, Meredith Honig, professor of Education Policy, Organizations, and Leadership at the University of Washington and founder of the District Leadership Lab, explains what her research and experience working with district has revealed about the value of their work and how they can be more effective.
Do students’ high scores on international assessments translate to low levels of creativity?
Authors: Johansson Stefan
Published: March 2018

Responding to an earlier Phi Delta Kappan article, the author rejects the argument that East Asian students’ high scores on international educational assessments come at the expense of learning to be creative and entrepreneurial. According to survey research, people in Japan, Korea, and other East Asian nations perceive themselves to be not very entrepreneurial, but the author explains that their responses have do mainly with cultural differences in the ways people respond to such surveys, making them poor evidence that high school graduates in those countries actually are less creative than students in the U.S. and elsewhere.
Making sense of student agency in the early grades
Authors: Vaughn Margaret
Published: March 2018

The development of agency is often described as critically important for all students. Countless school mission statements speak of the need to help young people become independent thinkers, for example. Colleges and universities expect high school graduates to be self-driven learners. And business leaders are forever calling upon K-12 education to prepare the next generation of problem-solvers and entrepreneurs. However, the precise meaning of agency remains elusive. The author suggests a conceptual framework to guide elementary-level teachers in this area.
A wider vision of learning
Authors: Washor Elliot
Published: March 2018

The Harbor Freight Fellows Initiative gives students who have demonstrated outsized competence in a trade – but who may be struggling in a traditional high school or career and technical education (CTE) program –opportunities to learn a trade with a mentor in a workplace. The author describes how this program requires educators to deepen their understanding of their students and to widen their understanding of what learning looks like.
Career Confidential
Authors: Fagell Phyllis L.
Published: March 2018

Following the recent shootings at the Marjory Stoneman Douglas School in Parkland, Fla., many educators are struggling to manage their feelings of uncertainty and helplessness. How does one stay focused on the everyday work of teaching when school no longer seems like a safe place to be? Start by trying to regain some semblance of control, the author recommends.
Failed Honeymoon: Dilma Rousseff’s Third Election Round
Authors: Feres Júnior João , Sassara Luna de Oliveira
Published: March 2018

In a test of the hypothesis of the existence of a honeymoon period in Brazil after Dilma Rousseff’s victory in the 2014 presidential election, a sentiment analysis of a large database composed of newspaper articles published by Brazil’s most influential quality newspapers, Folha de S. Paulo, O Globo, and Estado de S. Paulo, from January 2014 to August 2016, showed that negative coverage of her skyrocketed right after she took office and stayed very high until she was removed from power. Also tested was the hypothesis that the bias against Rousseff was simply a general disposition of the media to exert their watchdog function in the public interest through a comparison of her coverage with that received by Senator Aécio Neves, the losing candidate in the election and leader of the main opposition party and the campaign for her impeachment, who was the object of innumerable charges of corruption. This hypothesis was also rejected.

A análise de valência de uma grande base de textos publicados pelos quality newspapers mais influentes do Brasil, Folha de São Paulo, O Globo e o Estado de S. Paulo, de janeiro de 2014 a agosto de 2016 demonstra que, após sua vitória na eleição presidencial de 2014, Dilma Rousseff não teve uma Lua de Mel por parte da grande imprensa. Pelo contrário, sua cobertura negativa se intensificou enormemente logo depois de assumir o cargo e ficou muito alta até sua remoção do poder. Também foi testada a hipótese de que o viés contra Rousseff fosse simplesmente uma disposição geral da mídia para exercer sua função de vigilância (watchdog) do interesse público frente aos políticos eleitos por meio da comparação de sua cobertura com aquela recebida por Aécio Neves, senador, candidato derrotado à presidência e líder da oposição e da campanha pelo impeachment de Dilma, e alvo de inúmeras acusações de corrupção. Tal hipótese também foi rejeitada pela análise dos dados.
Further results on adaptive state feedback stabilization for a class of stochastic feedforward nonlinear systems with time delays
Authors: Qin Xiaoyan , Min Huifang
Published: March 2018

This paper further discusses the state feedback stabilization for stochastic high-order feedforward nonlinear systems with input time delay. By constructing the appropriate Lyapunov–Krasovskii functional, and using the variable transformation technique and the homogeneous domination idea, a state feedback controller is designed to ensure that the closed-loop system will be globally asymptotically stable in probability. Finally, an example is given to verify the effectiveness of the obtained analytical results.
The effect analysis of an engine jet on an aircraft blast deflector
Authors: Ma Song , Tan Jianguo , Li Xiankai , Hao Jiang
Published: March 2018

This paper establishes a novel mathematical model for computing the plume flow field of a carrier-based aircraft engine. Its objective is to study the impact of jet exhaust gases with high temperature, high speed and high pressure on the jet blast deflector. The working condition of the nozzle of a fully powered on engine is first determined. The flow field of the exhaust jet is then numerically simulated at different deflection angle using the three-dimensional Reynolds averaged Navier–Stokes equations and the standard [Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text] turbulence method. Moreover, infra-red temperature tests are further carried out to test the temperature field when the jet blast deflector is at the [Formula: see text] deflection angle. The comparison between the simulation results and the experimental results show that the proposed computation model can perfectly describe the system. There is only 8–10% variation between them. A good verification is achieved. Moreover, the experimental results show that the jet blast deflector plays an outstanding role in driving the high-temperature exhaust gases. It is found that [Formula: see text] may be the best deflection angle to protect the deck and the surrounding equipment effectively. These data results provide a valuable basis for the design and layout optimization of the jet blast deflector and deck.
Block-oriented identification of non-linear systems with input time delay in presence of measurement noise: a Laguerre–neural network approach
Authors: Sadeghi Mohsen , Farrokhi Mohammad
Published: March 2018

This paper proposes an approach for identification of non-linear dynamic systems with input time delay into the block-oriented Wiener model in the presence of measurement noise. The model comprised a linear dynamic subsystem (LDS) at the input side that is cascaded with a non-linear static subsystem (NSS). The LDS comprised Laguerre filters, whereas the NSS is constructed using committee neural networks (CNNs). The Laguerre filter compensates for the input time delay, whereas the CNN finds an appropriate non-linear mapping between its input and output with the useful property of the measurement noise attenuation. The parameters of the Laguerre filters as well as those of the CNN are determined using offline training algorithms. In order to find the optimal values of the weights of the CNN, a noise analysis is conducted. The proposed method is applied to a simulated continuous-stirred tank reactor (CSTR) with input time delay and measurement noise. The results indicate substantial benefits of the proposed method compared with the similar methods proposed in the literature for system identification.
CDE Pharmacists in the United States
Authors: Gonzalvo Jasmine D. , Lantaff Wendy M.
Published: March 2018

Purpose

The purpose of the study was to identify current practice settings for Certified Diabetes Educators (CDEs) who are pharmacists. Following nurses and dietitians, pharmacists are the third largest group of health professionals who hold the CDE credential. The growing number of CDE pharmacists highlights the increasing involvement of pharmacists in diabetes care. What remains unknown is the specific settings in which pharmacist CDEs practice.

Methods

A cross-sectional, nationwide electronic survey was sent to all CDE pharmacists in the United States. Questions regarding demographics, practice setting characteristics, certification information, and common diabetes-related counseling topics were asked of all respondents. Survey items also sought to determine pharmacists’ perceptions of the benefits and barriers to obtaining the CDE credential. The questions were dichotomous, Likert-scale response, or open-ended.

Results

A total of 462 survey responses were included in the analysis for a response rate of (462/1275) 36.2%. Respondents identified hospital or health system as the most common practice setting (n = 311), followed by academia (n = 100), community (n = 81), managed care (n = 44), and other settings.

Conclusions

Study findings provide important data that describe where CDE pharmacists are practicing to provide diabetes education. The continued steady growth of CDE pharmacists suggests a consistent increase of pharmacists practicing diabetes education. Diabetes educators should recognize that CDE pharmacists practice in a variety of different settings.
A Hybrid Strategy to Construct Multistage Adaptive Tests
Authors: Xiong Xinhui
Published: March 2018

How to effectively construct multistage adaptive test (MST) panels is a topic that has spurred recent advances. The most commonly used approaches for MST assembly use one of two strategies: bottom-up and top-down. The bottom-up approach splits the whole test into several modules, and each module is built first, then all modules are compiled to obtain the whole test, while the top-down approach follows the opposite direction. Both methods have their pros and cons, and sometimes neither is convenient for practitioners. This study provides an innovative hybrid strategy to build optimal MST panels efficiently most of the time. Empirical data and results by using this strategy will be provided.
Local Governance and the Issue of Fiscal Health
Authors: McDonald Bruce D.
Published: March 2018

Since the start of the Great Recession, the issue of fiscal health possesses a prominent place in the management of local governments. To ensure the government’s continuation and its provision of services, administrators must balance the demands of the public with the resources it has available. Although a number of measurement approaches appear to help administrators, there is a lack of agreement on how fiscal health should be measured. To aid in the management of local governments and push the academic literature forward, this article investigates the measurement systems of financial condition established in the literature while considering their implications on governance.
Making pimps and sex buyers visible: Recognising the commercial nexus in ‘child sexual exploitation’
Authors: O’hara Maureen
Published: March 2018

This article suggests that the policy re-framing of the prostitution of children as a separate phenomenon from the prostitution of adults is obscuring the commercial nexus between men who buy sex with children and the third party profiteers (pimps) who frequently supply the children they buy. It suggests that this is making both groups of perpetrators invisible. It argues that coercion is endemic to the sex trade and explores the gendered strategies of coercive control used by pimps to entrap both children and women. The article suggests that the wider sex trade creates a ‘conducive context’ for the sexual commodification of children, and that the commercial sexual exploitation of children and adults can only be effectively challenged by policy and law aimed at reducing demand for all forms of prostitution. It focusses on law and policy in England and Wales, which differs from the rest of the UK.
Information and communication technologies and access to maternal and child health information: Implications for sustainable development
Authors: Ukachi Ngozi B , Anasi Stella NI
Published: March 2018

Maternal and child mortality pose a great challenge in developing nations notwithstanding the robust initiatives instituted at both the global and national levels to ameliorate it. This study is aimed at ascertaining women’s perception of the impact of information and communication technologies on access to maternal and child health information and its implication on sustainable development. The descriptive research design was adopted for the study. Purposive sampling technique was used in selecting University of Lagos Teaching Hospital and subsequently, the three clinics (Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Paediatrics Outpatient, and Antenatal clinics) where the needed groups could be seen. Questionnaire was the instrument used for data collection while SPSS statistical package was used for data analysis. The study revealed that the women perceive information and communication technologies to have a positive impact on their access to maternal and child health information while the key technological facilities used by the respondents in accessing maternal and child health information were mobile phones and social media tools such as Facebook, YouTube, blogs and Twitter. It was also found that irregular power supply, poor Internet access, and ignorance of the media that transmit maternal and child health information were the key factors that militate against effective access to maternal and child health information using communication technologies. The implication of this result on sustainable development is discussed and recommendations made.
Considerations on accuracy, pattern and possible underlying factors of brain microbleed progression in older adults with absence or mild presence of vascular pathology
Authors: Harper Alice M , Clayson Lauren , Wardlaw Joanna M , Valdés Hernández Maria del C ,   the Alzheimer’s Disease Neuroimaging Initiative
Published: March 2018

Objective

To analyse brain microbleed (BMB) progression, its possible underlying factors, and the influence of inter-observer differences, in older individuals with none or mild vascular pathology.

Methods

This study analysed magnetic resonance images, cognitive, demographic and laboratory data from all individuals from the Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) Neuroimaging Initiative database who had the required sequences for identifying BMBs over three consecutive years at the time the database was accessed (January 2016). BMBs were assessed independently by two observers with similar levels of experience.

Results

A total of 291 patients were included in the study. The number of individuals with BMBs and the number of BMBs per individual slightly and nonsignificantly increased across three consecutive years (Y1: 55/291 [19%]; Y2: 61/291 [21%]; Y3: 66/291 [23%]) with 1–2 BMBs and (Y1: 11/291 [4%]; Y2: 12/291 [4%]; Y3: 14/291 [5%]) with ≥ 3 BMBs. Both observers identified a similar pattern of BMB prevalence and progression in each cognitive group (normal < early/late mild cognitive impairment (MCI) > AD patients) despite inter-observer differences (1.5 BMBs, 95% confidence interval –3.7, 6.2], κ=0.543), which were mainly in the cortex. Serum cholesterol was the main predictor of change in BMB count between time-points but did not predict overall progression.

Conclusions

Inter-observer differences are always present and it is difficult to ascertain their influence in the analysis of BMB progression, which was observed in cognitively normal and MCI individuals, but not in AD patients. This should be confirmed in further studies.
Migration of metal clips into the duodenum after laparoscopic cholecystectomy: A report of two cases
Authors: Chen Gang-Hong , Zhu Tie-Ming , Xu Xiu-Li , Jiang Ke-Xiang
Published: March 2018

Migration of metal clips into the duodenum after laparoscopic cholecystectomy is rare. We herein present two cases of migration of metal clips into the duodenum in patients who developed upper quadrant discomfort and a poor appetite after laparoscopic cholecystectomy. Gastroscopy revealed metal clips in the duodenum. In one patient, the clip dropped from the duodenum after 2 months; the other patient went to another institution to undergo duodenotomy. The mechanism underlying migration of a metal clip into the duodenum remains unclear but might be related to chronic inflammation and duodenal peristalsis. In conclusion, clinicians must remember that metal clips can migrate after laparoscopic cholecystectomy and later cause complications.
Determining the antecedents and outcomes of servant leadership
Authors: Amah Okechukwu E
Published: March 2018

This study utilized social consistency and social exchange theories to propose leadership motivation and self-concept variables as possible antecedents of servant leadership (SL). This is a departure from two past studies which established the leader’s behaviour, experience and personality as antecedents of SL. The study was based on cross-sectional survey methodology, and data acquired through multi-source to minimize common method variance. Data analysis was carried out using statistical package of social sciences, and the analyses of moments of structure software. Participants were managers and their subordinates from six organizations located in Lagos, Nigeria. Key findings of the study are self-efficacy (SE) is a critical variable because of its effect on SL and other antecedents; motivation-to-serve (MTS) is an antecedent and the primary motive for enacting SL behaviour; only one dimension of motivation-to-lead (MTL), non-calculative, is an antecedent of SL; and leader-member exchange, organizational citizenship behaviour and job satisfaction are either direct or indirect outcomes of SL. The tested model explained more variance in the outcomes of SL. Managerial implications include the use of SE, MTS and MTL as selection tools for managers, assigning future leaders as mentees to identified servant leaders through formal mentoring process established by the organization.
In Vitro and In Vivo Performance of Tissue-Engineered Tendons for Anterior Cruciate Ligament Reconstruction
Authors: Lee Kwang Il , Lee Jung Soo , Kang Kyoung Tak , Shim Young Bock , Kim Young Sik , Jang Ju Woong , Moon Seong Hwan , D’Lima Darryl D.
Published: March 2018

Background:

Anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) reconstruction is the current standard of care for ACL tears. However, the results are not consistently successful; autografts or allografts have certain disadvantages; and synthetic grafts have had poor clinical results.

Purpose:

To determine if recellularization of decellularized tendons combined with mechanical stimulation in a bioreactor could replicate the mechanical properties of the native ACL and be successfully used for ACL reconstruction in vivo.

Study Design:

Controlled laboratory study.

Methods:

Porcine tibialis tendons were decellularized and then recellularized with human adult bone marrow–derived stem cells. Tendons were cultured in a tissue bioreactor that provided biaxial cyclic loading for up to 7 days. To reproduce mechanical stresses similar to those experienced by the ACL within the knee joint, the tendons were subjected to simultaneous tension and torsion in the bioreactor. Expression of tendon-specific genes and newly synthesized collagen and glycosaminoglycan were used to quantify the efficacy of recellularization and dynamic bioreactor culture. The ultimate tensile load to failure and stiffness of recellularized constructs were measured after dynamic stimulation. Finally, the tissue-engineered tendons were used to reconstruct the ACL in 24 pigs, and ultimate tensile load to failure and stiffness were assessed after 3 months.

Results:

Dynamic bioreactor culture significantly increased the expression of tendon-specific genes, the quantity of newly synthesized collagen and glycosaminoglycan, and the ultimate tensile load and stiffness of recellularized tendons. After in vivo reconstruction, the ultimate tensile load and stiffness of the tissue-engineered tendons increased significantly up to 3 months after surgery and were within 80% of the ultimate tensile load of the natural ACL.

Conclusion:

This translational study indicates that recellularization and dynamic mechanical stimuli can significantly enhance matrix synthesis and ultimate tensile load of decellularized porcine tibialis tendons. This approach to tissue engineering can be very useful for ACL reconstruction and may overcome some of the disadvantages of autografts and allografts.

Clinical Relevance:

Dynamic bioreactor cultivation of tissue-engineered tendons may overcome the limitations of autografts and allografts.
The Impact of Public and Private Research on Premature Cancer Mortality and Hospitalization in the United States, 1999-2013
Authors: Lichtenberg Frank R.
Published: March 2018

This article provides evidence about the impact that public and private research had on premature mortality and hospitalization due to cancer in the United States during the period 1999-2013. We estimate difference-in-differences models based on longitudinal, cancer-site-level data to determine whether the cancer sites about which more research-supported articles were published had larger subsequent reductions in premature mortality and hospitalization during the period 1999 to 2013, controlling for the change in the number of people diagnosed. Premature (before age 75 years) mortality is inversely related to the number of research-supported articles that had been published 9 to 15 years earlier, controlling for incidence and non-research publications. The number of hospital discharges attributed to cancer is also significantly inversely related to the number of research-supported articles previously published. Public and private research reduced the number of years of potential life lost before age 75 years due to cancer in 2013 by 566,000.

JEL Classifications: I1, I18
Youth Violence in Germany
Authors: Erdmann Anke , Reinecke Jost
Published: March 2018

The victim–offender overlap is currently under discussion in criminology. However, the connection between victimization and offending over the life course still requires further investigation. The present study examines whether the victim–offender overlap is invariant during the transition from adolescence to early adulthood using seven consecutive waves of the German Research Foundation–funded self-report study “Crime in the Modern City,” which contain information about German students from the age of 14 to 20 years. The results indicate that the nature as well as the strength of the overlap changes over the period from adolescence to early adulthood. The introduced measurement of the relative victim–offender overlap indicates that with growing up, fewer victims are also offenders whereas the amount of offenders that are also victims remains stable. Longitudinal analyses based on latent growth and cross-lagged panel models further point out that the developments of victimization and offending are highly parallel processes that evince similar stability and mutual influence over the phase of youth and adolescence. However, the association between both weakens over age. In conclusion, our results suggest variance in the victim–offender overlap over the life course. This justifies the demand for further research and theory development on this criminological phenomenon.
Spectrum of Neuromuscular Disorders With HyperCKemia From a Tertiary Care Pediatric Neuromuscular Center
Authors: Al-Ghamdi Fouad , Darras Basil T. , Ghosh Partha S.
Published: March 2018

Elevated creatine kinase is a useful screening test in the diagnostic workup of patients with neuromuscular disorders. We did a retrospective study of children with hyperCKemia (>175 IU/L) who were followed in the neuromuscular program of a tertiary care pediatric center from 2005 to 2016. Patients with hyperCKemia were divided into 2 groups: myopathic and nonmyopathic. Within the myopathic group, there were 3 arbitrary subgroups based on creatine kinase values: A (creatine kinase >10 times normal), B (creatine kinase 5-10 times normal), and C (creatine kinase 1-5 times normal). The 3 major categories of myopathies across all the subgroups were muscular dystrophies (commonest) followed by metabolic myopathies and inflammatory myopathies. Among the nonmyopathic causes of hyperCKemia, spinal muscular atrophy was the commonest. Muscular dystrophies should be considered in children with hyperCKemia, muscle weakness, or calf hypertrophy, and metabolic myopathies to be considered in children with recurrent rhabdomyolysis.
Exploring the Potential Campus-Level Impact of Online Universal Sexual Assault Prevention Education
Authors: Zapp Daniel , Buelow Robert , Soutiea Lauren , Berkowitz Alan , DeJong William
Published: March 2018

Campus sexual assault is a long-standing challenge and continues to be a severe problem for American higher education. The present study examines the short-term impact of a widely utilized sexual violence prevention course for matriculating college students as a population-level prevention approach. The course focuses on correcting misperceptions of normative behavior, increasing students’ likelihood to intervene in disconcerting situations, and encouraging empathy and support for victims. Participants were 167,424 first-year college students from 80 four-year institutions who completed preintervention and postintervention surveys to assess changes in composite factor scores derived from 20 attitudinal, self-efficacy, and behavioral intention items. Employing the composite factor scores as dependent variables, individual ANOVAs were run for each of the institutions to test whether there were significant increases in mean factor scores. High percentages of institutions saw statistically significant increases ( p < .05) in self-reported ability and intention to intervene to prevent sexual assault and relationship violence (98%), empathy and support for victims (84%), and corrected perceptions of social norms (75%). Fewer schools saw significant reductions in endorsement of sexual assault myths (34%). These findings suggest that when implemented as a population-level intervention for all first-year college students, the prevention course can foster accurate perceptions of positive social norms, increase empathy and support for victims, and increase students’ stated ability and intention to intervene.
Developing system leaders
Authors: Close Paul , Kendrick Ann , Outhwaite Deborah
Published: March 2018

For those in ‘system leader’ roles in English schools, whether formally designated or informally appropriated, there has not been much systematic or long-term thinking about professional development to date. To contribute to such thinking, this paper presents a common framework for system leader development, based on consultancy research. The framework is broad in scope and critical in approach and can be adapted to role and function. Working within the assumption that all system leaders are consultants, it shows how a research engagement process can combine consultancy practice with consultancy research to generate professional development activities. During this process, system leaders work with higher education institution (HEI) researchers, to progressively interrogate their practice against consultancy research around four themes: ‘relationships’; ‘skills’; ‘outcomes’; and ‘the wider context’. At the same time, the researchers variously move through the roles of providers of research summaries, to co-creators of professional development activities, to co-facilitators of Action Learning Sets. It is argued that this research engagement process has much to offer HEIs and groups of schools wishing to collaborate on system leader development in the interest of generating principled, long-term helping relationships in a self- improving system.
A glimpse into the cultural foundations of open innovation
Authors: Formica Piero
Published: March 2018

In the knowledge economy, greater togetherness is the prerequisite for innovating and having more: selflessness extends scope while selfishness increases limitations. But human beings are not automatically attracted to innovation: between the two lies culture, and cultural values vary widely, with the egoistic accent or the altruistic intonation setting the scene. In the representations of open innovation submitted to the reader’s attention, selfishness and selflessness are active in the cultural space.
Nonlinear system controllability analysis and autopilot design for bank-to-turn aircraft with two flaps
Authors: Dong Jinlu , Zhou Di , Shao Chuntao , Wu Shikai
Published: March 2018

In this study, the six-degrees-of-freedom flight motion of a tail-controlled bank-to-turn aircraft with two flaps is described as a nonlinear control system. The controllability of this flap-controlled system is analyzed based on nonlinear controllability theory and the system is proved to be weakly controllable. By choosing the angle-of-attack and roll angle as the outputs of this control system, the zero dynamics of the system are analyzed using Lyapunov stability theory, and are proved to be stable under some conditions given by an inequality. Then an autopilot is designed for this system using the feedback linearization technique. Results of the numerical simulation for this control system show the effectiveness of the controllability analysis and autopilot design.
Control strategy study on frequency and peak-load regulation of coal-fired power plant based on boiler heat storage capacity
Authors: Wang Jiasheng , Zhong Jingliang , Gou Xiaolong
Published: March 2018

Nowadays, quantity of coal-fired power plant and its single unit capacity are greatly improved in China, and power grid’s frequency and peak-load regulation range become wider. Based on the basic regulation theory and unit’s characteristics, this paper indicates the limitations of unit’s original control strategies and such limitations have produced great damages to coal-fired boilers through assessment of 2 years statistical data of boiler tube explosion in regional power grid. Under field tests, the quantified boiler heat storage capacity of six typical thermal power units in the power grid is provided. Comparisons of these six coal-fired boilers are made for getting the relationships between BHSC and boilers’ tube explosion ratio under the in-depth frequency and peak-load regulation. The results show that unit’s boiler heat storage capacity varies greatly amongst boilers with different types and is inversely proportional to boiler’s installed capacity and steam parameter class, and boiler heat storage capacity is inversely proportional to boiler’s tube explosion ratio, which is in conformity with the theory analysis. After that, in-depth frequency and peak-load regulation tests of thermal power units are carried out, respectively. The results show pulverized coal-fired boiler with small boiler heat storage capacity is not suitable for in-depth frequency and peak-load regulation for the safety of power grid and unit itself, while the circulating fluidized bed boiler and pulverized coal-fired boiler with larger boiler heat storage capacity have better adaptability for these functions. Some effective control strategies of frequency and peak-load regulation are presented in load’s rate and range by boiler heat storage capacity of units.
Professional networking with Yahoo! Groups: A case of school librarians from international schools in Hong Kong
Authors: Choi Samson , Dukic Zvjezdana , Hill Agnes
Published: March 2018

The study explores how the group of school librarians from international schools in Hong Kong uses the Yahoo! Groups platform for their professional networking. In this case study quantitative and qualitative data were gathered and analyzed. Quantitative data about the groups’ use of Yahoo! Groups were extracted from the platform archive pages. An online questionnaire was sent to all group members to collect quantitative and qualitative data about their experience with social software and their views on Yahoo! Groups suitability for professional networking. The study findings show that the group members regularly use Messages, a web-based mailing list and occasionally use Files and Polls. While nearly half of the group members take part in discussions via Yahoo! Groups, only a small number posted most of the messages. Most popular discussion topics are reading, group’s administrative issues, professional development, and school library collection development. Group members mostly agree that Yahoo! Groups features which they use are user-friendly and that the platform is a convenient tool for the group. Although group members widely use various social software for leisure and for work purposes, most of them do not consider replacing Yahoo! Groups with another social networking tool.
Mediation effect of knowledge management on the relationship between transformational leadership and job performance of librarians in university libraries in Nigeria
Authors: Ugwu Cyprian I.
Published: March 2018

This paper proposes a mediation model of transformational leadership for improving the job performance of librarians in university libraries in Nigeria. A quantitative approach underpinned by positivist philosophy was considered appropriate for this type of research and adopted to accomplish the main goal of this study. A questionnaire was used to collect data from a total of 215 librarians who participated in the study. Factor analysis and multiple regressions were used to analyse data. The results of the study reveal that knowledge management has full and partial influence on the relationship between transformational leadership and job performance of librarians.