bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Monetary Sanctions: Legal Financial Obligations in US Systems of Justice
Authors: Martin Karin D. , Sykes Bryan L. , Shannon Sarah , Edwards Frank , Harris Alexes
Published: October 2017

This review assesses the current state of knowledge about monetary sanctions, e.g., fines, fees, surcharges, restitution, and any other financial liability related to contact with systems of justice, which are used more widely than prison, jail, probation, or parole in the United States. The review describes the most important consequences of the punishment of monetary sanctions in the United States, which include a significant capacity for exacerbating economic inequality by race, prolonged contact and involvement with the criminal justice system, driver's license suspension, voting restrictions, damaged credit, and incarceration. Given the lack of consistent laws and policies that govern monetary sanctions, jurisdictions vary greatly in their imposition, enforcement, and collection practices of fines, fees, court costs, and restitution. A review of federally collected data on monetary sanctions reveals that a lack of consistent and exhaustive measures of monetary sanctions presents a unique problem for tracking both the prevalence and amount of legal financial obligations (LFOs) over time. We conclude with promising directions for future research and policy on monetary sanctions.
On the Measurement and Identification of Turning Points in Criminology
Authors: Nguyen Holly , Loughran Thomas A.
Published: October 2017

Since their introduction to criminology, turning points have been of substantial theoretical and empirical focus for scholars of desistance. In this review, we consider how criminologists have sought to identify change in the criminal career by reflecting on the identification and measurement of turning points. We contend that important life events, such as marriage and employment, are endogenous to the desistance process and as such present challenges for scholars regarding the causal identification of turning points. Specifically, we argue that both selection bias and simultaneity bias are fundamental principles of the life-course framework. We present a formal way to think about the causal identification of turning points in the face of endogeneity and also consider several conceptual issues relating to the definition and measurement of turning points. In the end, we encourage scholars to adopt creative methodological strategies to unpack turning points.
Forensic DNA Typing
Authors: Murphy Erin
Published: October 2017

Forensic DNA testing has rapidly become an invaluable tool for identifying suspects and proving guilt in criminal cases. But as DNA technologies evolve and databases grow, a broad range of issues concerning the science, statistics, and social policy of forensic DNA testing have surfaced. This article reviews some of the emerging challenges in the field.
Reducing Fatal Police Shootings as System Crashes: Research, Theory, and Practice
Authors: Sherman Lawrence W.
Published: October 2017

Can fatal shootings by American police be reduced? If so, what theoretical framework would be most useful in saving more lives? What research agenda would that framework suggest? The purpose of this review is to answer those three questions. It applies the system-accident framework ( Perrow 1984 ) as a pathway to help police agencies reduce fatal police shootings, adapting it as system-crash prevention to encompass a wider range of systemic causes of catastrophic events. In contrast to deterrence, the dominant policy perspective on reducing fatal shootings, a system-crash prevention approach applies lateral thinking ( Johnson 2010 ) from lessons learned about airplane crashes, surgical errors, nuclear power plant meltdowns, and other rare events in complex systems. This framework spotlights the rare combinations of risk factors and errors that can produce fatal shootings, the prevention of which may need to vary widely between large and small communities. Of the 986 fatal police shootings reported nationally in 2015 ( Wash. Post 2016 ), an estimated half occurred in cities with fewer than 50,000 residents; only a third occurred in cities over 250,000 residents ( Sherman 2015 ), where the majority of all research on police shootings has been done. The system designs for fewer police killings in very large versus very small police agencies require a general framework for policy-relevant criminology. The framework suggested by Sampson et al. (2013) requires research to identify (a) causal mechanisms that may generally help to reduce fatal police shootings but may also have (b) heterogeneous effects that may work differently on different subpopulations or when their application is (c) contextualized in different social settings. Future research must therefore include very small communities in order to understand and help prevent the majority of all fatal police shootings.
Use and Misuse of Opioids in Chronic Pain
Authors: Volkow Nora , Benveniste Helene , McLellan A. Thomas
Published: October 2017

The prescribing of opioid analgesics for pain management—particularly for management of chronic noncancer pain (CNCP)—has increased more than fourfold in the United States since the mid-1990s. Yet there is mounting evidence that opioids have only limited effectiveness in the management of CNCP, and the increased availability of prescribed opioids has contributed to upsurges in opioid-related addiction cases and overdose deaths. These concerns have led to critical revisiting and modification of prior pain management practices (e.g., guidelines from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention), but the much-needed changes in clinical practice will be facilitated by a better understanding of the pharmacology and behavioral effects of opioids that underlie both their therapeutic effects (analgesia) and their adverse effects (addiction and overdose). With these goals in mind, this review first presents an overview of the contemporary problems associated with opioid management of CNCP and the related public health issues of opioid diversion, overdose, and addiction. It then discusses the pharmacology underlying the therapeutic and main adverse effects of opioids and its implications for clinical management of CNCP within the framework of recent clinical guidelines for prescribing opioids in the management of CNCP.
New Concepts in the Treatment of Malignant Pleural Mesothelioma
Authors: Wald Ori , Sugarbaker David J.
Published: October 2017

Malignant pleural mesothelioma (MPM) is a highly aggressive and generally incurable cancer. Current anti-MPM chemotherapy-based treatments are only marginally effective, and long-term survival remains an unmet goal. Nonetheless, in selected cases, personalized surgery-based multimodality treatments (MMT) have been shown to significantly extend survival. The design of MMT and selection of patients are challenging, and optimal results require accurate presurgical diagnosis, staging, and risk stratification. Further, meticulous surgical techniques and advanced radiation protocols must be applied. We review key principles and evolving concepts in the care of MPM patients with a focus on the expanding role of MMT in MPM.
Pharmacoepigenetics and Toxicoepigenetics: Novel Mechanistic Insights and Therapeutic Opportunities
Authors: Lauschke Volker M. , Barragan Isabel , Ingelman-Sundberg Magnus
Published: October 2017

Pharmacological treatment and exposure to xenobiotics can cause substantial changes in epigenetic signatures. The majority of these epigenetic changes, caused by the compounds in question, occur downstream of transcriptional activation mechanisms, whereby the epigenetic alterations can create a transcriptional memory and stably modulate cell function. The increasing understanding of epigenetic mechanisms and their importance in disease has prompted the development of therapeutic interventions that target epigenetic modulatory mechanisms, particularly in oncology where inhibitors of epigenetic-modifying proteins (epidrugs) have been successfully used in treatment, mostly in combination with standard-of-care chemotherapy, either provoking direct cytotoxicity or inhibiting resistance to anticancer drugs. In addition, emerging methods for detecting epigenetically modified DNA in bodily fluids may provide information about tumor phenotype or drug treatment success. However, it is important to note that many technical pitfalls, such as the nondeconvolution of methylcytosine and hydroxymethylcytosine, compromise epigenetic analyses and the interpretation of results. In this review, we provide an update on the field, with an emphasis on the novel therapeutic opportunities made possible by epidrugs.
Chemoreceptors in the Gut
Authors: Steensels S. , Depoortere I.
Published: October 2017

The gastrointestinal tract represents the largest interface between the human body and the external environment. It must continuously monitor and discriminate between nutrients that need to be assimilated and harmful substances that need to be expelled. The different cells of the gut epithelium are therefore equipped with a subtle chemosensory system that communicates the sensory information to several effector systems involved in the regulation of appetite, immune responses, and gastrointestinal motility. Disturbances or adaptations in the communication of this sensory information may contribute to the development or maintenance of disease. This is a new emerging research field in which perception of taste can be considered as a novel key player participating in the regulation of gut function. Specific diets or agonists that target these chemosensory signaling pathways may be considered as new therapeutic targets to tune adequate physiological processes in the gut in health and disease.
Web-Based Enrollment and Other Types of Self-Selection in Surveys and Studies: Consequences for Generalizability
Authors: Keiding Niels , Louis Thomas A.
Published: October 2017

Web-based enrollment in surveys and studies is increasingly attractive as the Internet is approaching near-universal coverage and the attitude of respondents toward participation in classical modes of study deteriorates. Follow-up is also facilitated by the web-based approach. However, the consequent self-selection raises the question of the importance of representativity when attempting to generalize the results of a study beyond the context in which they were obtained, particularly under effect heterogeneity. Our review is divided into three main components: first, sample surveys or prevalence studies, assessing the frequency or prevalence of some attitude or disease condition in a population from its frequency in a sample from this population; second, generalization of the results from randomized trials to the population in which they were performed and to other populations; and third, generalization of results from observational studies.
Macrophage overexpression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 in aged mice improves diastolic physiology and cardiac wound healing after myocardial infarction
Authors: Meschiari Cesar A. , Jung Mira , Iyer Rugmani Padmanabhan , Yabluchanskiy Andriy , Toba Hiroe , Garrett Michael R. , Lindsey Merry L.
Published: October 2017

Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 increases in the myocardium with advanced age and after myocardial infarction (MI). Because young transgenic (TG) mice overexpressing human MMP-9 only in macrophages show better outcomes post-MI, whereas aged TG mice show a worse aging phenotype, we wanted to evaluate the effect of aging superimposed on MI to see if the detrimental effect of aging counteracted the benefits of macrophage MMP-9 overexpression. We used 17- to 28-mo-old male and female C57BL/6J wild-type (WT) and TG mice ( n = 10–21 mice/group) to evaluate the effects of aging superimposed on MI. Despite similar infarct areas and mortality rates at day 7 post-MI, aging TG mice showed improved diastolic properties and remodeling index compared with WT mice (both P < 0.05). Macrophage numbers were higher in TG than WT mice at days 0 and 7 post-MI, and the post-MI increase was due to elevated cluster of differentiation 18 protein levels (all P < 0.05). RNA sequencing analysis of cardiac macrophages isolated from day 7 post-MI infarcts identified 1,276 statistically different (all P < 0.05) genes (994 increased and 282 decreased in TG mice). Reduced expression of vascular endothelial growth factor A, platelet-derived growth factor subunit A, and transforming growth factor-β3, along with elevated expression of tissue inhibitor of MMP-4, in macrophages revealed mechanisms of indirect downstream effects on fibroblasts and neovascularization. While collagen accumulation was enhanced in TG mice compared with WT mice at days 0 and 7 post-MI ( P < 0.05 for both), the post-MI collagen cross-linking ratio was higher in WT mice ( P < 0.05), consistent with increased diastolic volumes. Vessel numbers [by Griffonia ( Bandeiraea) simplicifolia lectin I staining] were decreased in TG mice compared with WT mice at days 0 and 7 post-MI ( P < 0.05 for both). In conclusion, macrophage-derived MMP-9 improved post-MI cardiac wound healing through direct and indirect mechanisms to improve diastolic physiology and remodeling.

NEW & NOTEWORTHY Aging mice with macrophage overexpression of matrix metalloproteinase-9 have increased macrophage numbers 7 days after myocardial infarction, resulting in improved diastolic physiology and left ventricular remodeling through effects on cardiac wound healing.
Right Ventricular Pacing Increases Risk of Appropriate Implantable Cardioverter–Defibrillator Shocks Asymmetrically
Authors: Cronin Edmond M. , Jones Paul , Seth Milan C. , Varma Niraj
Published: October 2017

Background:

Right ventricular pacing (RVP) increases risk of atrial fibrillation in patients with implantable cardioverter–defibrillators (ICDs), but ventricular proarrhythmia is less clear. We analyzed a large remote monitoring database to assess this question.

Methods and Results:

Patients with single- or dual-chamber ICDs, engaged in remote monitoring for at least 6 months and with unchanged tachycardia programming, were included. %RVP was derived for each weekly transmission. ICD electrograms preceding the first shock were adjudicated. Among 425 625 transmissions received from 8435 patients, 389 appropriate shocks occurred over a mean follow-up of 15.0±8.8 months. In a time-dependent Cox proportional hazards model, transmissions with 80% to 98% RVP were associated with a hazard ratio of 1.56 for an appropriate shock in the subsequent week compared with <1% RVP (95% CI, 1.01–2.41;
P
=0.04). By contrast, ≥98% RVP trended toward a lower risk of an appropriate shock (hazard ratio, 0.61; 95% CI, 0.33–1.12;
P
=0.108). Lifetime cumulative %RVP was closely correlated with weekly %RVP (
R
2
=0.907) and was similarly associated with increased risk of appropriate shocks at 80% to 98% RVP (hazard ratio, 1.57; 95% CI, 1.01–2.44;
P
=0.046) but not at ≥98% RVP (hazard ratio, 0.49; 95% CI, 0.24–1.01;
P
=0.052). These results were driven by dual-chamber devices, but unaffected by PVC counts or programming. Male sex and age were also associated with appropriate ICD shocks.

Conclusions:

Increasing frequency of RVP is associated with a progressively increased risk of appropriate ICD shocks until ≥98% RVP. RVP may have ventricular proarrhythmia because of competition of paced and intrinsic rhythm in ICD patients.
Extracellular Matrix Proteomics Reveals Interplay of Aggrecan and Aggrecanases in Vascular Remodeling of Stented Coronary Arteries
Authors: Suna Gonca , Wojakowski Wojciech , Lynch Marc , Barallobre-Barreiro Javier , Yin Xiaoke , Mayr Ursula , Baig Ferheen , Lu Ruifang , Fava Marika , Hayward Robert , Molenaar Chris , White Stephen J. , Roleder Tomasz , Milewski Krzysztof P. , Gasior Pawel , Buszman Piotr P. , Buszman Pawel , Jahangiri Marjan , Shanahan Catherine M. , Hill Jonathan , Mayr Manuel
Published: October 2017

Background:

Extracellular matrix (ECM) remodeling contributes to in-stent restenosis and thrombosis. Despite its important clinical implications, little is known about ECM changes post–stent implantation.

Methods:

Bare-metal and drug-eluting stents were implanted in pig coronary arteries with an overstretch under optical coherence tomography guidance. Stented segments were harvested 1, 3, 7, 14, and 28 days post-stenting for proteomics analysis of the media and neointima.

Results:

A total of 151 ECM and ECM-associated proteins were identified by mass spectrometry. After stent implantation, proteins involved in regulating calcification were upregulated in the neointima of drug-eluting stents. The earliest changes in the media were proteins involved in inflammation and thrombosis, followed by changes in regulatory ECM proteins. By day 28, basement membrane proteins were reduced in drug-eluting stents in comparison with bare-metal stents. In contrast, the large aggregating proteoglycan aggrecan was increased. Aggrecanases of the ADAMTS (a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with thrombospondin motifs) family contribute to the catabolism of vascular proteoglycans. An increase in ADAMTS-specific aggrecan fragments was accompanied by a notable shift from
ADAMTS1
and
ADAMTS5
to
ADAMTS4
gene expression after stent implantation. Immunostaining in human stented coronary arteries confirmed the presence of aggrecan and aggrecan fragments, in particular, at the contacts of the stent struts with the artery. Further investigation of aggrecan presence in the human vasculature revealed that aggrecan and aggrecan cleavage were more abundant in human arteries than in human veins. In addition, aggrecan synthesis was induced on grafting a vein into the arterial circulation, suggesting an important role for aggrecan in vascular plasticity. Finally, lack of ADAMTS-5 activity in mice resulted in an accumulation of aggrecan and a dilation of the thoracic aorta, confirming that aggrecanase activity regulates aggrecan abundance in the arterial wall and contributes to vascular remodeling.

Conclusions:

Significant differences were identified by proteomics in the ECM of coronary arteries after bare-metal and drug-eluting stent implantation, most notably an upregulation of aggrecan, a major ECM component of cartilaginous tissues that confers resistance to compression. The accumulation of aggrecan coincided with a shift in
ADAMTS
gene expression. This study provides the first evidence implicating aggrecan and aggrecanases in the vascular injury response after stenting.
Randomized Controlled Trial of Early Versus Delayed Statin Therapy in Patients With Acute Ischemic Stroke
Authors: Yoshimura Shinichi , Uchida Kazutaka , Daimon Takashi , Takashima Ryuzo , Kimura Kazuhiro , Morimoto Takeshi , Tanada Shuichi , Iida Tomoko , Kuroda Junko , Nose Akinori , Tatebayashi Kotaro , Shimizu Fuminori , Tsudaka Shun , Takeuchi Masataka , Hiyama Nagayasu , Oki Yoshiharu , Hagii Joji , Saito Shin , Matsumoto Tsuyoshi , Tanaka Yasue , Kuramoto Yoji , Mikami Kazuyuki , Shinoda Narihide , Shimo Daisuke , Soneda Junichi , Tokuda Kou , Matsuda Kenichi , Hiroto Kakita , Yamaura Ikuya , Okada Takashi , Hirano Teruyuki , Kuwayama Naoya , Teramukai Satoshi
Published: October 2017

Background and Purpose—

Several studies suggested that statins during hospitalization were associated with better disability outcomes in patients with acute ischemic stroke, but only 1 small randomized trial is available.

Methods—

We conducted a multicenter, open-label, randomized controlled trial in patients with acute ischemic strokes in 11 hospitals in Japan. Patients with acute ischemic stroke and dyslipidemia randomly received statins within 24 hours after admission in the early group or on the seventh day in the delayed group, in a 1:1 ratio. Statins were administered for 12 weeks. The primary outcome was patient disability assessed by modified Rankin Scale at 90 days.

Results—

A total of 257 patients were randomized and analyzed (early 131, delayed 126). At 90 days, modified Rankin Scale score distribution did not differ between groups (
P
=0.68), and the adjusted common odds ratio of the early statin group was 0.84 (95% confidence interval, 0.53–1.3;
P
=0.46) compared with the delayed statin group. There were 3 deaths at 90 days (2 in the early group, 1 in the delayed group) because of malignancy. Ischemic stroke recurred in 9 patients (6.9%) in the early group and 5 patients (4.0%) in the delayed group. The safety profile was similar between groups.

Conclusions—

Our randomized trial involving patients with acute ischemic stroke and dyslipidemia did not show any superiority of early statin therapy within 24 hours of admission compared with delayed statin therapy 7 days after admission to alleviate the degree of disability at 90 days after onset.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT02549846.
The Role of Emotion Regulation and Socialization in Behavioral Parent Training: A Proof-of-Concept Study
Authors: Zachary Chloe , Jones Deborah J. , McKee Laura G. , Baucom Donald H. , Forehand Rex L.
Published: October 2017

Low-income families are less likely to effectively engage in Behavioral Parent Training (BPT), the standard of care for early-onset (3-8 years old) disruptive behavior disorders (DBDs); however, relatively little is known about predictors of treatment process and outcome within this vulnerable group. Given literature to suggest compromises associated with both low-income status and DBDs, this study examined the role of caregiver emotion regulation and socialization practices in 15 low-income families who participated in one evidence-based BPT program, Helping the Noncompliant Child (HNC). Findings suggest baseline caregiver emotion regulation predicted variability in BPT treatment duration and outcomes, whereas baseline caregiver emotion socialization practices explained variation in the severity of child disruptive behaviors concurrently, as well as BPT treatment outcomes. Furthermore, BPT yielded pre- to posttreatment effect sizes that were equivalent to or better than treatments designed to more explicitly target emotion regulation and socialization processes. Clinical implications and future directions are discussed.
Rorty, irony and the consequences of contingency for liberal society
Authors: Bacon Michael
Published: October 2017

This article examines Richard Rorty’s much criticized figure of the ironist, and the role that it plays in liberal society. It argues that, against Rorty’s own presentation, irony might have positive social consequences. It does so by examining Rorty’s description of the ironist, arguing that it contains different ideas which emerge at different points in Contingency, Irony, and Solidarity. It takes up William Curtis’ claim that irony is a civic virtue, one closely associated with liberal ideas such as tolerance and pluralism. Curtis is insightful in identifying this aspect of irony, but I argue that it might also play a further role. The ironist is concerned with self-creation, something which Rorty takes to be a private activity, but I argue that the selves ironists create might potentially benefit liberal society, with the ironist’s redescriptions calling into question received wisdom and alerting us to unnoticed forms of cruelty.
Uncovering Longitudinal Health Care Behaviors for Millions of Medicaid Enrollees: A Multistate Comparison of Pediatric Asthma Utilization
Authors: Hilton Ross , Zheng Yuchen , Fitzpatrick Anne , Serban Nicoleta
Published: October 2017

Background. This study introduces a framework for analyzing and visualizing health care utilization for millions of children, with a focus on pediatric asthma, one of the major chronic respiratory conditions. Methods. The data source is the 2005 to 2012 Medicaid Analytic Extract claims for 10 Southeast states. The study population consists of Medicaid-enrolled children with persistent asthma. We translate multiyear, individual-level medical claims into sequences of discrete utilization events, which are modeled using Markov renewal processes and model-based clustering. Network analysis is used to visualize utilization profiles. The method is general, allowing the study of other chronic conditions. Results. The study population consists of 1.5 million children with persistent asthma. All states have profiles with high probability of asthma controller medication, as large as 60.6% to 90.2% of the state study population. The probability of consecutive asthma controller prescriptions ranges between 0.75 and 0.95. All states have utilization profiles with uncontrolled asthma with 4.5% to 22.9% of the state study population. The probability for controller medication is larger than for short-term medication after a physician visit but not after an emergency department (ED) visit or hospitalization. Transitions from ED or hospitalization generally have a lower probability into physician office (between 0.11 and 0.38) than into ED or hospitalization (between 0.20 and 0.59). Conclusions. In most profiles, children who take asthma controller medication do so regularly. Follow-up physician office visits after an ED encounter or hospitalization are observed at a low rate across all states. Finally, all states have a proportion of children who have uncontrolled asthma, meaning they do not take controller medication while they have severe outcomes.
Comparison of fermented animal feed and mushroom growth media as two value-added options for waste Cassava pulp management
Authors: Trakulvichean Sivalee , Chaiprasert Pawinee , Otmakhova Julia , Songkasiri Warinthorn
Published: October 2017

Cassava is one of the main processed crops in Thailand, but this generates large amounts (7.3 million tons in 2015) of waste cassava pulp (WCP). The solid WCP is sold directly to farmers or pulp-drying companies at a low cost to reduce the burden of on-site waste storage. Using an integrated direct and environmental cost model, fermented animal feed and mushroom growth media were compared as added-value waste management alternatives for WCP to mitigate environmental problems. Primary and secondary data were collected from the literature, field data, and case studies. Data boundaries were restricted to a gate-to-gate scenario with a receiving capacity of 500 t WCP/d, and based on a new production unit being set up at the starch factory. The total production cost of each WCP utilization option was analyzed from the economic and environmental costs. Fermented animal feed was an economically attractive scenario, giving a higher net present value (NPV), lower investment cost and environmental impact, and a shorter payback period for the 10-year operational period. The selling price of mushrooms was the most sensitive parameter regarding the NPV, while the NPV for the price of fermented animal feed had the highest value in the best-case scenario.
Stressful Work Trajectories and Depressive Symptoms in Middle-Aged Couples: Moderating Effect of Marital Warmth
Authors: Wickrama K.A.S. , King Victoria A. , O’Neal Catherine Walker , Lorenz Frederick O.
Published: October 2017

Objectives: The present study investigated the decade-long actor and partner infleunces between husbands’ and wives’ trajectories of stressful work conditions (SWCs) and their depressive symptoms while also considering the moderation of these influences by spousal warmth. Methods: Participants were 330 middle-aged dual-earner couples from the Iowa Midlife Transitions Project. Husbands and wives reported on own SWCs and reported on parenter’s warmth in the years of 1991, 1992, and 1994. Depressive symptoms for husbands and wives were measured by the SCL-90-R in 1994 and 2001. Structural equation models, growth curves, and longitudinal data were used to perform our analyses. Results: For husbands and wives, trajectories of SWCs over early middle years (1991-1994) contributed to depressive symptoms in 1994. Notably, for husbands and wives, the severity (level) of SWCs in 1991 had a persistent influence on depressive symptoms a decade later (2001). For husbands, under conditions of wives’ low warmth, SWCs exerted a relatively strong influence on their depressive symptoms. However, under conditions of high warmth from wives, most of these influences were greatly diminished. Discussion: Results from the current study indicate that contextual life experiences can have a persistent health influences over the life course.
Robust backstepping control of double-rod cylinder for motion synchronization of mold oscillator
Authors: Zhao Jiangbo , Sun Xiaodong , Zhao Liang , Wang Junzheng
Published: October 2017

High-performance synchronization control of two double-rod cylinders used to oscillate the mold of a continuous casting machine is considered in this article. Friction between strand shell and mold plays an important role to achieve high-precision control of mold oscillator. A new friction model is proposed for exact system modeling and is proved useful. Using a force-distribution method to consider the coupling effect between two cylinders, mathematical models of each cylinder are presented and a simple robust backstepping control strategy is proposed, which can reduce the influences of time-varying system parameters and unmodeled uncertainties. The transient performance and stability of the proposed controller are rigorously proved. Simulation and experimental results show that proposed synchronization control method can achieve good performance for given tracking task.
The identification of late-Holocene bog bursts at Littleton Bog, Ireland: Ecohydrological changes display complex climatic and non-climatic drivers
Authors: Stastney Phil , Young Daniel Stuart , Branch Nicholas Philip
Published: October 2017

In order to clearly understand the response of raised mires to past climate change, it is important to consider the full range of drivers and responses of these ecohydrological archives. To this end, a high-resolution ecohydrological record from Littleton Bog, Co. Tipperary, Ireland, was generated utilizing a combination of plant macrofossils, testate amoebae and humification analysis. Chronological control for this record was provided by a Bayesian age–depth model based on AMS radiocarbon dates. Testate amoebae–derived reconstructed peatland water tables indicate a series of sudden shifts to dry bog surface conditions at c. 3140, c. 2510 and c. 1540 cal. BP. These events display a distinctive palaeoecological signal and chronological tempo that is best explained as a result of a series of bog burst events and which seem inconsistent with other explanations. The chronological correspondence between the bog bursts at Littleton and a set of similar events at Derryville Bog, c. 5 km to the north, is noted, as is the broad correspondence of these events with wet shifts indicated in regional peatland water table compilations from Britain and Ireland. A range of possible driving mechanisms for these events is proposed, including anthropogenic disturbance of the bog surface, non-linear response to climate forcing, internal bog dynamics, vegetation succession or a combination of factors. We illustrate the need for further multi-proxy investigations to fully understand these phenomena.
Wood types and human impact between 4300 and 2400 yr BP in the Hexi Corridor, NW China, inferred from charcoal records
Authors: Shen Hui , Zhou Xinying , Zhao Keliang , Betts Alison , Jia Peter Weiming , Li Xiaoqiang
Published: October 2017

Based on identification of fossil charcoals from 11 sites in the Hexi Corridor, we reconstruct the local vegetation community and human impact on it in the period from 4300 to 2400 cal. yr BP. More than 20 broadleaved taxa and 4 coniferous trees are present. The charcoal identifications show that vegetation in the period 4300–2400 cal. yr BP differed regionally because of variations in local topography and water supply, with limited diversity in the northwest Hexi Corridor and relatively rich diversity in the southeast area. In the northwest Hexi Corridor, the oasis woodland consisted mainly of Tamarix sp., Salix sp., and Populus sp. In the southeast region, the vegetation was a mix of coniferous forest and broadleaf woodland. By comparison with modern patterns of vegetation, broadleaf trees were much more abundant and the spruce forest extended down to relatively low altitudes, suggesting greater vegetation cover and richer diversity than today. There was also temporal variation. In the period from 4300 to 4000 cal. yr BP, woodland was relatively scarce, while the greatest diversity of plants appears in the period from 4000 to 3500 cal. yr BP, probably because of better moisture conditions at that time. After 3500 cal. yr BP, there was the appearance of woodland dominated by Morus alba, suggesting that cultivated trees may have played a key role in the lives of local people.
Improving Performance on Preventive Health Quality Measures Using Clinical Decision Support to Capture Care Done Elsewhere and Patient Exceptions
Authors: Bowen Michael E. , Bhat Deepa , Fish Jason , Moran Brett , Howell-Stampley Temple , Kirk Lynne , Persell Stephen D. , Halm Ethan A.
Published: October 2017

Preventive services required for performance measurement often are completed in outside health systems and not captured in electronic medical records (EMRs). A before–after study was conducted to examine the ability of clinical decision support (CDS) to improve performance on preventive quality measures, capture clinician-reported services completed elsewhere, and patient/medical exceptions and to describe their impact on quality measurement. CDS improved performance on colorectal cancer screening, osteoporosis screening, and pneumococcal vaccination measures ( P < .05) but not breast or cervical cancer screening. CDS captured clinician-reported services completed elsewhere (2% to 10%) and patient/medical exceptions (<3%). Compared to measures using only within-system data, including services completed elsewhere in the numerator improved performance: pneumococcal vaccine (73% vs 82%); breast (69% vs 75%), colorectal (58% vs 70%), and cervical cancer (53% vs 62%); and osteoporosis (72% vs 75%) screening ( P < .05). Visit-based CDS can capture clinician-reported preventive services, and accounting for services completed elsewhere improves performance on quality measures.
Gadflies Biting Science Communication: Engagement, Tricksters, and Ambivalence Online
Authors: Mendel Jonathan , Riesch Hauke
Published: October 2017

Large-scale online science communication and engagement projects can assume an overly ordered and sterile type of online public space or civil society. Against this, the article offers a vision of more carnivalesque spaces for online science communication and engagement. Participants in these spaces taking the role of tricksters disrupting the status quo might offer new opportunities for engagement, play, and politics online: the online public sphere for discussing science is broken, and we should look for ways to break it better. Acknowledging the limitations of a trickster-like approach, we also consider the ambivalence inherent in carnivalesque play as engagement practice.
Modal participation in multiple input Ibrahim time domain identification
Authors: Brincker Rune , Olsen Peter , Amador Sandro , Juul Martin , Malekjafarian Abdollah , Ashory Mohammad
Published: October 2017

The Ibrahim time domain (ITD) identification technique was one of the first techniques formulated for multiple output modal analysis based on impulse response functions or general free decays. However, the technique has not been used much in recent decades due to the fact that the technique was originally formulated for single input systems that suffer from well-known problems in case of closely spaced modes. In this paper, a known, but more modern formulation of the ITD technique is discussed. In this formulation the technique becomes multiple input by adding some Toeplitz matrices over a set of free decays. It is shown that a special participation matrix can be defined that cancels out whenever the system matrix is estimated. The participation matrix becomes rank deficient if a mode is missing in the responses, but if any mode is present in one of the considered free decays, the participation matrix has full rank. This secures that all modes will be contained in the estimated system matrix. Finally, it is discussed how correlation functions estimated from the operational responses of structures can be used as free decays for the multiple-input ITD formulation, and the estimation errors of the identification technique are investigated in a simulation study with closely spaced modes. The simulation study shows that the multiple-input formulation provides estimates with significantly smaller errors on both mode shape and natural frequency estimates.
Application of the grain boundary formulation and image processing-based algorithm in micro-mechanical analysis of piezoelectric ceramic
Authors: Biglar Mojtaba , Trzepieciński Tomasz , Stachowicz Feliks , Gromada Magdalena
Published: October 2017

The main subject of this paper is the micro-mechanical analysis of a piezoelectric ceramic. In micro-mechanical analyses, it is very important to have knowledge about the real and natural micro-structure of materials. Therefore, the barium titanate powder was prepared using the solid-state technique, and pellets and beams were manufactured by uniaxial and isostatic pressing. The boundary element method (BEM) is used in order to be combined with three different grain boundary formulations for investigation of micro-mechanics and crack nucleation and evaluation in piezoelectric ceramic. In order to develop a numerical programming algorithm, suitable models of polycrystalline aggregate have to be discretised for the BEM analysis. Hence, original comprehensive algorithms are designed on the basis of image processing methods. Several assumptions are made to model the grain boundary in micro-scale. In the first step, before having any cracks, the traction equilibrium and displacement compatibility are governing equations. When the onset micro-crack starts to initiate, one mixed-mode potential based cohesive law is applied to model grain boundaries and investigate the intergranular crack nucleation and evolution. Upon interface failure, a frictional law is utilised in order to study separation, sliding or sticking between micro-crack surfaces. Several numerical experiments on barium titanate polycrystalline aggregate are presented to show the effectiveness of image processing-based discretisation algorithms and grain boundary formulation in micro-mechanical analysis.
Fostering Excellence: An Examination of High-Enrollment VHA Medical Foster Home Programs
Authors: Jones Jacqueline , Haverhals Leah M. , Manheim Chelsea E. , Levy Cari
Published: October 2017

This qualitative study aimed to assist the US Veterans Health Administration (VHA) to efficiently target recruitment into VHA Medical Foster Homes (MFHs) by understanding how high-enrollment MFH (HE-MFH) program attributes optimized MFH enrollment. We used an emergent exploratory design to study 3 HE-MFH programs across the United States. Data were collected from August 2013 through June 2014 through individual in-person and phone interviews and in-person focus group discussions with 39 MFH care providers. Three main themes emerged as essential for optimizing HE-MFH program enrollment: (1) alignment of right caregiver, right home, and right Veteran; (2) care practices that support caregiver, Veteran, and home-based primary care (HBPC); and (3) workplace practices and processes that demonstrate support of the MFH coordinator role by facility leadership and the HBPC team.
Development of the Supported Employment, Comprehensive Cognitive Enhancement, and Social Skills program for adults on the autism spectrum: Results of initial study
Authors: Baker-Ericzén Mary J , Fitch Meghan A , Kinnear Mikaela , Jenkins Melissa M , Twamley Elizabeth W , Smith Linda , Montano Gabriel , Feder Joshua , Crooke Pamela J , Winner Michelle G , Leon Juan
Published: October 2017

The population of adults on the autism spectrum continues to increase, and vocational outcomes are particularly poor. Longitudinal studies of adults with autism spectrum and without intellectual disability have shown consistent and persistent deficits across cognitive, social, and vocational domains, indicating a need for effective treatments of functional disabilities as each impact employment. This initial pilot study is an open trial investigation of the feasibility, acceptability, and initial estimates of outcomes for the newly developed Supported Employment, Comprehensive Cognitive Enhancement, and Social Skills intervention, a manualized “soft skills” curriculum, to enhance both cognitive and social development in adults with autism spectrum. A total of eight adults with autism spectrum, without intellectual disability (78% males), participated in the study. Results support the original hypothesis that adults with autism spectrum can improve both cognitive (i.e. executive functioning) and social cognitive (i.e. social thinking and social communication) abilities. Further Supported Employment, Comprehensive Cognitive Enhancement, and Social Skills was found to be feasible, acceptable, and highly satisfactory for participants and parents. Employment rates more than doubled post-intervention, with an increase from 22% to 56% of participants employed. Conclusion is that Supported Employment, Comprehensive Cognitive Enhancement, and Social Skills has promise as an intervention that can be easily embedded into exiting supported employment vocational training programs to improve cognitive, social, and vocational outcomes.
Adverse outcomes of sick leave due to mental disorders: A prospective study of discordant twin pairs
Authors: Mather Lisa , Blom Victoria , Bergström Gunnar , Svedberg Pia
Published: October 2017

Aims: The aim of this study was to investigate whether sick leave due to different mental disorders increased the risk of reoccurring sick-leave, disability pension and unemployment, taking genetics and shared environment into account. Methods: This register-based cohort study contains 2202 discordant twin pairs 18–64 years old, where one twin had sick leave due to a mental disorder 2005–2006. The end of the sick-leave spell was the start of follow-up for both twins. The twins were followed up for reoccurring sick-leave, disability pension and unemployment (> 180 days in a year), until December 2012. Analyses were censored for disability pension, death, emigration and old-age pension. Cox proportional hazards models with time-varying covariates were used to calculate hazard ratios with 95% confidence intervals (CI). Results: Those with sick leave due to mental disorders had a 3.64 (CI: 3.24–4.08) times higher risk of reoccurring sick-leave within the first two years; after that, hazard ratios were attenuated and explained by genetic factors. The first year, they had 12.24 (CI: 8.11–18.46) times the risk of disability pension. The risk was attenuated but remained at 2.75 (CI: 2.07–3.65) after one year. The risk of unemployment was 1.99 (CI: 1.72–2.31) during the whole follow-up period. The risk of unemployment and disability pension was lower for those with stress-related than other mental disorders, this was less clear for recurrent reoccuring sick-leave. Conclusions: Sick leave due to mental disorders increased the risk of reoccurring sick-leave within two years, disability pension and unemployment, independent of genetics and shared environment.
‘Team GB’ or ‘Team Scotland’? Media representations of ‘Britishness’ and ‘Scottishness’ at London 2012 and Glasgow 2014
Authors: Black Jack , Whigham Stuart
Published: October 2017

This article critically reflects upon media coverage of the 2012 London Olympic Games and the 2014 Glasgow Commonwealth Games, scrutinising the emergent discursive constructions of ‘Britishness’ and ‘Scottishness’ through an examination of both London-based (English) and Scotland-based publications. Drawing upon Dayan and Katz’s portrayal of ‘media events’, the article explores how both events presented competing sites of symbolic struggle during a period of constitutional and political turmoil. Consideration is given to the existence of a ‘hegemonic Britishness’ in print media narratives of these events, as evident in the emergent connotations associated with ‘British nationalism’ and ‘Scottish separatism’.
High-dimensional data analysis with subspace comparison using matrix visualization
Authors: Wang Junpeng , Liu Xiaotong , Shen Han-Wei
Published: October 2017

Due to the intricate relationship between different dimensions of high-dimensional data, subspace analysis is often conducted to decompose dimensions and give prominence to certain subsets of dimensions, i.e. subspaces. Exploring and comparing subspaces are important to reveal the underlying features of subspaces, as well as to portray the characteristics of individual dimensions. To date, most of the existing high-dimensional data exploration and analysis approaches rely on dimensionality reduction algorithms (e.g. principal component analysis and multi-dimensional scaling) to project high-dimensional data, or their subspaces, to two-dimensional space and employ scatterplots for visualization. However, the dimensionality reduction algorithms are sometimes difficult to fine-tune and scatterplots are not effective for comparative visualization, making subspace comparison hard to perform. In this article, we aggregate high-dimensional data or their subspaces by computing pair-wise distances between all data items and showing the distances with matrix visualizations to present the original high-dimensional data or subspaces. Our approach enables effective visual comparisons among subspaces, which allows users to further investigate the characteristics of individual dimensions by studying their behaviors in similar subspaces. Through subspace comparisons, we identify dominant, similar, and conforming dimensions in different subspace contexts of synthetic and real-world high-dimensional data sets. Additionally, we present a prototype that integrates parallel coordinates plot and matrix visualization for high-dimensional data exploration and incremental dimensionality analysis, which also allows users to further validate the dimension characterization results derived from the subspace comparisons.
Demonstration of an efficient interpolation technique of inverse time and distance for Oceansat-2 wind measurements at 6-hourly intervals
Authors: Swain J , Umesh P A , Murty A S N
Published: October 2017

Indian Space Research Organization had launched Oceansat-2 on 23 September 2009, and the scatterometer onboard was a space-borne sensor capable of providing ocean surface winds (both speed and direction) over the globe for a mission life of 5 years. The observations of ocean surface winds from such a space-borne sensor are the potential source of data covering the global oceans and useful for driving the state-of-the-art numerical models for simulating ocean state if assimilated/blended with weather prediction model products. In this study, an efficient interpolation technique of inverse distance and time is demonstrated using the Oceansat-2 wind measurements alone for a selected month of June 2010 to generate gridded outputs. As the data are available only along the satellite tracks and there are obvious data gaps due to various other reasons, Oceansat-2 winds were subjected to spatio-temporal interpolation, and 6-hour global wind fields for the global oceans were generated over 1 × 1 degree grid resolution. Such interpolated wind fields can be used to drive the state-of-the-art numerical models to predict/hindcast ocean-state so as to experiment and test the utility/performance of satellite measurements alone in the absence of blended fields. The technique can be tested for other satellites, which provide wind speed as well as direction data. However, the accuracy of input winds is obviously expected to have a perceptible influence on the predicted ocean-state parameters. Here, some attempts are also made to compare the interpolated Oceansat-2 winds with available buoy measurements and it was found that they are reasonably in good agreement with a correlation coefficient of R > 0.8 and mean deviation 1.04 m/s and 25° for wind speed and direction, respectively.