bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Dynamic Cooperative Speed Optimization at Signalized Arterials with Various Platoons
Authors: Wu Xia , Zhao Xiangmo , Xin Qi , Yang Qiaoli , Yu Shaowei , Sun Kang
Published: April 2019

Aggressive and inappropriate driving behaviors will lead to excessive fuel consumption. Both the Signal Phase and Timing (SPaT) and the status of preceding vehicles have significant impacts on driving behaviors. Drivers can obtain accurate SPaT information and the status of preceding vehicles via V2X communications. Many speed advisory strategies have been presented based on the consideration of this information. However, existing studies do not consider the cooperative optimization of multiple intersections and various platoons. Once connected vehicles travel through intersections with their own fuel-optimum trajectories, the following vehicles could be adversely affected by the preceding vehicles, leading to the following vehicles being stopped at the intersection. To address these problems, this paper presents an improved cooperative eco-driving model for when a vehicle passes two successive traffic signals during the green phase; a dynamic nonlinear programming algorithm is used to generate the optimal speed profile for various platoons considering the SPaT and the preceding vehicles’ status. Numerous simulations on VISSIM for uninformed and connected vehicles haves been conducted to make comparison analysis. It is apparent that the proposed eco-driving model produces a significant fuel saving. In addition, cooperative optimization for the various platoons and separate optimization of multiple vehicles were performed to seek the most effective solution. The results indicated that systematic optimization (cooperative optimization of the all vehicles) is identified as the fuel-optimum approach in comparison to the separate optimization.
Effect of Heavy-Truck Platooning Fuel-Efficiency Gains on Overall Fuel Efficiency
Authors: Franzese Oscar , Lascurain Mary Beth , Loy Luke W.
Published: April 2019

Many studies addressing the fuel-efficiency gains derived from heavy-truck platooning operations have shown that it is possible to achieve increases in fuel efficiency of 10% or more. These studies focus only on the gains realized while traveling under platooning conditions (i.e., highway speeds sustained for sizable intervals of time). However, heavy-truck long-haul operations involve many other travel conditions that fall outside platooning-travel conditions. This paper studies the effect of platooning fuel-efficiency gains on the fuel efficiency of the overall operation. The authors used real-world data collected by the Oak Ridge National Laboratory for a U.S. Department of Energy study to determine the percentage of distance traveled that is “platoonable.” With this and the fuel consumption information collected in the study, the fuel-efficiency gain for the entire operation was computed, as well as annual fuel cost savings.
Incorporating Livability into Transportation Asset Management Practices through Bikeway Quality Networks
Authors: Vavrova Marketa , Chang Carlos M.
Published: April 2019

This paper describes a framework for implementing livability into transportation asset management practices. The framework focuses on improving the quality of bikeway networks as an important factor to enhance livability. The Bikeway Quality Framework is explained step by step and provides ideas for assessment, prioritization, scenarios, and reporting. In the assessment phase, existing and planned assets according to applicable local plans are coordinated with pavement resurfacing projects for maximum cost efficiency. During the prioritization phase, assets in need of maintenance are ranked based on their importance, location, cost of the maintenance, and remaining service life. Scenarios analyses include both constrained and unconstrained budgets. Results of the analysis are reported using several performance measures: agency expenditures, level of non-motorized investment, bikeway pavement condition, bikeway pavement marking condition, and jobs created. The framework is applied in an example with 70 block-long sections in San Francisco, California.
Identification of Time-of-Day Breakpoints Based on Trajectory Data of Probe Vehicles
Authors: Wan Lijuan , Yu Chunhui , Wang Ling , Ma Wanjing
Published: April 2019

The time-of-day (TOD) mode is the most widely used strategy for traffic signal control with fluctuating flows. Most studies determine TOD breakpoints based on traffic volumes collected by infrastructure-based detectors (e.g., loop detectors). However, these infrastructure-based detectors have low coverage and high maintenance cost. With the deployment of probe vehicles, vehicle trajectory data has become available, providing a new data source for signal control. This paper proposes an approach to identify TOD breakpoints at an isolated intersection based on the trajectory data of probe vehicles, instead of conventional traffic volumes, with under-saturated traffic conditions. It is shown that the speeds of queueing shockwaves capture the characteristics of the traffic volumes according to the queueing shockwave theory. Data from multiple sampling days are aggregated to compensate for the limitations of low market penetration rates and long sampling intervals. Queue joining vehicles are then identified to obtain the speeds of queueing shockwaves. The bisecting K-means algorithm is applied to cluster periods, which are characterized by queueing shockwave speeds, to identify TOD breakpoints. The numerical studies validate that the speeds of queueing shockwaves capture the trend of traffic volumes. The clustering algorithm identifies the same TOD breakpoints for queueing shockwave speeds and traffic volumes. As long as the number of sampling days is large enough, the proposed method can handle low penetration rates (e.g., 2%) and long sampling intervals (e.g., 20 s), and thus achieve a comparable performance to the ideal conditions with high penetration rates (e.g., 100%) and short sampling intervals (e.g., 1 s).
Individual Truck Speed Estimation from Advanced Single Inductive Loops
Authors: Li Yiqiao , Tok Andre Y. C. , Ritchie Stephen G.
Published: April 2019

Trucks are an essential element in freight movements, transporting 73% of freight tonnage among all modes. However, they are also associated with severe adverse impacts on roadway congestion, safety, and air pollution. Truck speed by truck body types has been considered as an indicator of traffic conditions and roadway emissions. Even though vehicle speed estimation has been researched for decades, there exists a gap in estimating truck speeds particularly at the individual vehicle level. The wide diversity of vehicle lengths associated with trucks makes it especially challenging to estimate truck speeds from conventional inductive loop detector data. This paper presents a new speed estimation model which uses detailed vehicle signature data from single inductive loop sensors equipped with advanced detectors to provide accurate truck speed estimates. This model uses new inductive signature features that show a strong correlation with truck speed. A modified feature weighting K-means algorithm was used to cluster vehicle length related features into 16 specific groups. Individual vehicle speed regression models were then developed within each cluster. Finally, a multi-layer perceptron neural network model was used to assign single loop signatures to the pre-determined speed related clusters. The new model delivered promising estimation results on both a truck-focused dataset and a general traffic dataset.
Application of Extreme Value Theory for Before-After Road Safety Analysis
Authors: Zheng Lai , Sayed Tarek
Published: April 2019

Because of well-recognized quality and quantity problems associated with historical crash data, traffic conflict techniques have been increasingly used in before-after safety analysis in recent years. This study proposes using an extreme value theory (EVT) approach to conduct traffic conflict-based before-after analysis. The capability of providing confident estimation of extreme events by the EVT approach drives the before-after analysis to shift from normal traffic conflicts to more serious conflicts, which are relatively rare but have more in common with actual crashes. The approach is applied to evaluate the safety effects of converting channelized right-turn lanes into smart channels, based on traffic conflicts defined by time to collision (TTC) and collected from three treatment intersections and one control intersection in the city of Penticton, British Columbia. Odds ratios and treatment effects are calculated from extreme-serious conflicts, the frequencies of which are estimated from the generalized Pareto distributions of traffic conflicts with TTC⩽0.5 s. The results show approximately 34% reduction in total extreme-serious conflicts (i.e., combining merging conflicts and rear-end conflicts), indicating overall a remarkable safety improvement following the smart channel treatment. This finding is consistent with the analysis result based on traffic conflicts with TTC⩽3.0 s. It is also found that the reduction in extreme-serious merging conflicts is small and insignificant. This is caused by the phenomenon that TTC values of merging conflicts become smaller after the treatment, and it is possibly because drivers become more aggressive with the better view of approaching cross-street traffic provided by the smart channel.
Demand Calibration of Multimodal Microscopic Traffic Simulation using Weighted Discrete SPSA
Authors: Oh Simon , Seshadri Ravi , Azevedo Carlos Lima , Ben-Akiva Moshe E.
Published: April 2019

This paper presents a stochastic approximation framework to solve a generalized problem of off-line calibration of demand for a multimodal microscopic (or mesoscopic) network simulation using aggregated sensor data. A key feature of this problem is that demand, although typically treated as a continuous variable is in fact discrete, particularly in the context of agent-based simulation. To address this, we first use a discrete version of the weighted simultaneous perturbation stochastic approximation (W-DSPSA) algorithm for minimizing a generalized least squares (GLS) objective (that measures the distance between simulated and observed measurements), defined over discrete sets. The algorithm computes the gradient at each iteration using a symmetric discrete perturbation of the calibration parameters and a multimodal weight matrix to improve the accuracy of the gradient estimate. The W-DSPSA algorithm is then applied to the large-scale calibration of multimodal origin–destination (OD) flows (including private vehicle (PVT) and public transit (PT) trips) in a microscopic network simulation model of Singapore. The results indicate that an acceptable margin of error on the vehicle loop count (VLC) and bus passenger count (BPC) are achieved at convergence with an improvement of 60%~80% in root mean squared errors. Lastly, we validate the calibration results with observed travel times on the network. Statistical comparison shows good agreements on both point-to-point travel time (PTT) and public buses’ stop-to-stop ride-time (SRT) with the field observations.
Effectiveness of Isolated Hip Exercise, Knee Exercise, or Free Physical Activity for Patellofemoral Pain: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Hott Alexandra , Brox Jens Ivar , Pripp Are Hugo , Juel Niels Gunnar , Paulsen Gøran , Liavaag Sigurd
Published: April 2019

Background:

Exercise for patellofemoral pain (PFP) is traditionally knee focused, targeting quadriceps muscles. In recent years, hip-focused exercise has gained popularity. Patient education is likely an important factor but is underresearched.

Purpose:

To compare 3 treatment methods for PFP, each combined with patient education: hip-focused exercise, knee-focused exercise, or free physical activity.

Study Design:

Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 1.

Methods:

A single-blind randomized controlled trial was performed with 112 patients who were 16 to 40 years old (mean, 27.6 years) and had a symptom duration >3 months (mean, 39 months) with a clinical diagnosis of PFP and no radiograph or magnetic resonance evidence of other pathology. Patients were randomized to a 6-week intervention consisting of patient education combined with isolated hip-focused exercise (n = 39), traditional knee-focused exercise (n = 37), or free physical activity (n = 36). The primary outcome was Anterior Knee Pain Scale (0-100) at 3 months. Secondary outcomes were visual analog scale for pain, Tampa Scale for Kinesiophobia, Knee Self-efficacy Scale, EuroQol, step-down, and isometric strength.

Results:

There were no between-group differences in any primary or secondary outcomes at 3 months except for hip abduction strength and knee extension strength. Between-group differences at 3 months for Anterior Knee Pain Scale were as follows: knee versus control, 0.2 (95% CI, –5.5 to 6.0); hip versus control, 1.0 (95% CI, –4.6 to 6.6); and hip versus knee, 0.8 (95% CI, –4.8 to 6.4). The whole cohort of patients improved for all outcomes at 3 months except for knee extension strength.

Conclusion:

The authors found no difference in short-term effectiveness in combining patient education with knee-focused exercise, hip-focused exercise, or free training for patients with PFP.

Registration:

NCT02114294 (ClinicalTrials.gov identifier).
Estimation of Wage–Risk Differentials Without Wages
Authors: Vitaliano Donald F.
Published: April 2019

Utilizing the duality properties of a production/profit function, this article estimates the risk premium received by Pennsylvania bituminous coal miners in 1915, without recourse to any information related to wages. A Cobb-Douglas coal production function is fitted to data for 694 mining establishments. Miners received modest risk compensation, expressed as the value of a statistical life (VSL), of US$6,020 for fatal injuries and US$3,550 for nonfatal accidents. Converted to current price and wage levels, the death risk VSL is roughly US$400,000—far below modern multi-million dollar life values for workplace risk.

JEL Classifications: II0, JI7, J28, LII, L72
Implementation Fidelity and the Design of a Fractions Intervention
Authors: Crawford Lindy , Freeman Barbara , Huscroft-D’Angelo Jacqueline , Quebec Fuentes Sarah , Higgins Kristina N.
Published: April 2019

Interventions are implemented with greater fidelity when their core intent is made explicit. The core intent of this intervention was to increase access to higher order learning opportunities for students with learning disabilities or difficulties in mathematics through use of research and practice from the fields of special education and mathematics education. Four steps undertaken in the development of a Tier II fraction-based mathematics intervention designed to improve the conceptual understanding of students with learning disabilities or difficulties are described in this article: (a) articulation of a logic model, (b) delineation of intervention components, (c) analysis of reliability data related to implementation fidelity, and (d) pilot testing to measure implementation fidelity and student outcomes. Results of the pilot study demonstrated no significant effect for the component of technology; however, significant pre–post differences were found in the performance of all groups on their conceptual understanding of fractions as numbers.
Medicaid and Nursing Home Choice: Why Do Duals End Up in Low-Quality Facilities?
Authors: Sharma Hari , Perraillon Marcelo Coca , Werner Rachel M. , Grabowski David C. , Konetzka R. Tamara
Published: April 2019

We provide empirical evidence on the relative importance of specific observable factors that can explain why individuals enrolled in both Medicare and Medicaid (duals) are concentrated in lower quality nursing homes, relative to those not on Medicaid. Descriptive results show that duals are 9.7 percentage points more likely than nonduals to be admitted to a low-quality (1-2 stars) nursing home. Using the Blinder–Oaxaca decomposition approach in a multivariate framework, we find that 35.4% of the difference in admission to low-quality nursing homes can be explained by differences in the distribution of observable characteristics. Differences in education and distance to high-quality nursing homes are important drivers, as are health status and race. Our findings highlight the need for creative policy solutions targeting the modifiable factors to reduce the disparity.
The Caregiver's Griefs
Authors: Parkes Colin Murray
Published: April 2019

This feature in each issue of the journal, will serve to indicate a main direction of thought about palliative care, somewhat as the compass and map offer guidance in the sport after which this section is titled.
Palliative Care Nursing: Applicability of the Roy Model
Authors: Logan Marion
Published: April 2019

In nursing, conceptual models are being used as general guides for the organization of nursing knowledge and the design and implementation of clinical nursing practice, educational programs, and research projects. This article attempts to answer two questions related to the use of the Roy adaptation model in practice. Is the model appropriate for palliative care nursing? If so, how can the model be applied? Included is a sample assessment guide and care plan based on the Roy model.
Palliative Care: Great Expectations Revisited
Authors: Vanderbent Susan D.
Published: April 2019

This paper is a personal testimony of the difficulty of working in a palliative care service. Discussion centres around the stress of the continuing burden of loss for staff and attempts to cope both personally and professionally.
A Rabbi Looks at Palliative Care
Authors: Schecter Rabbi Myer
Published: April 2019

This article concentrates on a rabbi's questions and feelings towards the use of hospice and palliative care hospital units. Without focusing on a religious premise, the practical and basic palliative care assumptions are examined through the eyes of specific family beliefs and cultural attitudes. In response to these different attitudes, it is suggested that palliative care be more cautious towards its present tendencies and primarily be brought back to the hospital ward.
Employee Sleep and Workplace Health Promotion: A Systematic Review
Authors: Robbins Rebecca , Jackson Chandra L. , Underwood Phoenix , Vieira Dorice , Jean-Louis Giradin , Buxton Orfeu M.
Published: April 2019

Objective:

Workplace-based employee health promotion programs often target weight loss or physical activity, yet there is growing attention to sleep as it affects employee health and performance. The goal of this review is to systematically examine workplace-based employee health interventions that measure sleep duration as an outcome.

Data Source:

We conducted systematic searches in PubMed, Web of Knowledge, EMBASE, Scopus, and PsycINFO (n = 6177 records).

Study Inclusion and Exclusion Criteria:

To be included in this systematic review, studies must include (1) individuals aged >18 years, (2) a worker health-related intervention, (3) an employee population, and (4) sleep duration as a primary or secondary outcome.

Results:

Twenty studies met criteria. Mean health promotion program duration was 2.0 months (standard deviation [SD] = 1.3), and mean follow-up was 5.6 months (SD = 6.5). The mean sample size of 395 employees (SD = 700.8) had a mean age of 41.5 years (SD = 5.2). Measures of sleep duration included self-report from a general questionnaire (n = 12, 66.6%), self-report based on Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (n = 4, 22.2%), and self-report and actigraphy combined (n = 5, 27.7%). Studies most commonly included sleep hygiene (35.0%), yoga (25.0%), physical activity (10.0%), and cognitive–behavioral therapy for insomnia (10.0%) interventions. Across the interventions, 9 different behavior change techniques (BCTs) were utilized; the majority of interventions used 3 or fewer BCTs, while 1 intervention utilized 4 BCTs. Study quality, on average, was 68.9% (SD = 11.1). Half of the studies found workplace-based health promotion program exposure was associated with a desired increase in mean nightly sleep duration (n = 10, 50.0%).

Conclusions:

Our study findings suggest health promotion programs may be helpful for increasing employee sleep duration and subsequent daytime performance.
Politically Incorrect Statements Do Not Make Leaders Seem More Trustworthy: Randomized Experiments Exploring the Perceptual Consequences of Political Incorrectness
Authors: Arnestad Mads Nordmo
Published: April 2019

Several political analysts, communication strategists, and academics have speculated that leaders who openly defy the norms of political correctness may gain a reputation for honesty and integrity, which may make them come across as more trustworthy. The present article reports the results from two randomized vignette-based experiments exploring the potential link between managers’ political incorrectness and perceived trustworthiness. The results offer no support for the notion that managers who make politically incorrect statements will come across as more trustworthy. On the contrary, the levels of perceived trustworthiness were found to be substantially lower for managers who express politically incorrect views, compared with those who express contrasting politically correct views.
Neo-liberalism and Ordoliberalism – One or Two Critiques? An Introduction
Authors: Fouskas Vassilis K. , Roy-Mukherjee Shampa
Published: April 2019

This special issue addresses principally, but not exclusively, two themes: first, the differences and similarities between two stylised and separable, but not separate, class policies – that of Anglo-American neo-liberalism and German-Austrian ordoliberalism; and second, whether or not European Union Treaties and actual policies have been driven by German-Austrian ordoliberal principles. By way of examining these two themes, the contributions also tackle other important questions and puzzles, such as the wider impacts of those policies on society, or the tensions created between theoretical postulates and the practical implementation of them, or why neo-liberalism proved to be so resilient after the global financial crisis of 2007–2008. They also endeavour to place these discussions in wider, global contexts. Our introduction provides a comprehensive summary of the arguments developed by the contributors and poses some further questions setting out a new research agenda in the field of critical sociological and economic studies.
Are We Still Going Through the Empty Ritual of Participation? Inner-City Residents’ and Other Grassroots Stakeholders’ Perceptions of Public Input and Neighborhood Revitalization
Authors: Silverman Robert Mark , Taylor Henry Louis , Yin Li , Miller Camden , Buggs Pascal
Published: April 2019

This article revisits Arnstein’s “ladder of citizen participation” focusing on inner-city residents’ perceptions of public input in neighborhood revitalization projects. It draws from data collected in Buffalo, New York for a larger project that aimed to address negative externalities caused by neighborhood change. Data were collected using focus groups in neighborhoods in the early stages of revitalization. Nine focus groups took place across three neighborhoods experiencing encroachment from hospitals and universities. Data analysis was guided by standpoint theory, which focuses on amplifying the voices of groups traditionally disenfranchised from planning processes. The findings suggest that the shortcomings of public input identified by Arnstein a half century ago remain problematic. Residents continue to perceive limited access to urban planning processes and believe outcomes do not prioritize their interests. This is particularly problematic in minority, working-class neighborhoods when institutionally driven development occurs. Recommendations emphasize enhancing planners’ fidelity to strategies that expand citizen control.
Examining Long-Term Service and Support Needs and Preferences of Native Hawaiian Elders: A Mixed-Method Approach
Authors: Browne Colette V. , Braun Kathryn L. , Mokuau Noreen K. , Wu Yan Yan , Muneoka Shelley
Published: April 2019

Objective: The Native Hawaiian population experiences numerous disparities in health and income. Using a mixed-method research (MMR) design, we summarize findings from three phases of an MMR approach used to uncover kūpuna (elder) long-term service and support (LTSS) needs and care preferences. Methods: Key informants in Hawaiian health were interviewed, secondary analyses of large state data sets were conducted, and kūpuna and “ohana (family) caregivers were engaged in listening sessions. Results: Quantitative data confirmed numerous health disparities experienced by older Native Hawaiians, whereas qualitative data exposed their limited knowledge of this poor health profile and revealed their historical and contemporary experiences with discrimination in education, employment, and health care. Hawaiian culture was identified as a continued source of resilience in support of elders and family caregiving regardless of geographic setting. Discussion: We suggest three practice, policy, and research directions that offer the potential to respond to and improve kūpuna health and service use.
Young children’s views on play provision in two local parks: A research project by early childhood studies students and staff
Authors: Yates Ellen , Oates Ruby
Published: April 2019

This project collected the views of young children on play provision within two local parks through research conducted by Early Childhood Studies students and academics. Findings identified that traditional playground equipment and ‘risky’ play were important for children. Natural features and semi-permanent provision were valued, alongside the provision of mixed-age fixed equipment. Children were highly aware of health and safety, and they were very risk averse. Conclusions recognised constraints and limitations of collaborative working, including eliciting authentic voices of children.
Hybrid optimization and its applications for multi-mode plug-in hybrid electric vehicle
Authors: Zhang Yiran , Zhao Han , Huang Kang , Qiu Mingming , Geng Lizhen
Published: April 2019

This study provides an optimization methodology in powertrain configurations and energy management strategy for a multi-mode plug-in hybrid electric vehicle. The challenge in this study is that the energy management strategy is highly intertwined with the powertrain configurations; the problem-specific complexity of this powertrain makes it even more difficult. Based on the analysis of the powertrain architecture, a simulation model is developed. Two self-adaptive solutions, a fuzzy PID driver and an adaptive shifting schedule are established to accommodate the powertrain parameter variations during the particle swarm optimization process. In order to obtain optimal and applicable results of both the powertrain and the energy management strategy configurations, a two-layer optimization controller is proposed. In the first layer, sub-optimal results are obtained by ACOR, additionally, the second layer is designed to final confirm both mode changes and gear shifting. At last, two possible applications—modifications to the shifting schedule and the energy management strategy, as well as developing a neuro network controller utilizing the optimal results—are analyzed. The results suggest that the hybrid optimization presented in this paper provides a solution to squeeze the potential of a plug-in hybrid electric vehicle while maintaining its practicability.
A proposed driving cycle for brake emissions investigation for test stand
Authors: Perricone Guido , Alemani Mattia , Wahlström Jens , Olofsson Ulf
Published: April 2019

Particulate matter emission factors from vehicle brakes are difficult to assess directly from the field. Moreover, there is a lack of a standardized cycle and test stand for evaluating brake emissions. For these reasons, a test cycle was developed from real driving data collected from a car. This new test cycle was implemented on an inertia disc brake dynamometer appositely designed for brake particle emission studies. Results reveal that, for the brake system used as an example, the obtained emission factors for the urban driving conditions studied are comparable to EURO 6 regulations in terms of particle number and comparable to EURO 4 levels in terms of mass with brake emission factors equal to 4.37–6.46 × 1011 particles/km and 44–48 mg/km, respectively.
Indigenous peoples in public media: A critical discourse analysis of the human zoo case
Authors: Chu Rong-Xuan , Huang Chih-Tung
Published: April 2019

This study analyses the legal action taken for defamation in the case of the ‘human zoo’, an alleged defamatory portrayal of the Paiwan people, a Taiwanese indigenous group, by Japan’s public broadcaster, NHK. The analysis of this case is presented in two stages, the first of which employs a critical discourse analysis (CDA) to examine the covert racist discourse regarding the Paiwan people in a four-episode NHK documentary series on the history of the modernization of Japan. Second, the study evaluates the discursive patterns of the legal documents resulting from the subsequent lawsuits. The analysis incorporates the findings of interviews with key stakeholders in the human zoo case in its investigation of the presence of insidious racial prejudice against the Paiwan people, combined with a lack of sensitivity towards indigenous peoples in general, both in the documentary and in the responses from NHK in the subsequent lawsuits.
Psychologists psychologizing scientific psychology: An epistemological reading of the replication crisis
Authors: Flis Ivan
Published: April 2019

In this article, I critically discuss the philosophy and psychology of science that are put forward by psychologists involved in the reform debates centered on the so-called “replication crisis” of the 2010s. Following the historian of psychology Laurence Smith, I describe the psychologists’ conception of the science system and individual psychology of the scientist as an “indigenous epistemology.” By first describing the indigenous epistemology of the reform movement, my aim is to constructively criticize it by making explicit how psychologists psychologize scientific psychology, and pointing to where such psychologizing needs more conceptual work, especially when it uses the work of philosophers of science. In their writing, the reformers tentatively subscribe to various positions on ways of knowing and functioning of the science system which exhibit fundamental inconsistencies. I suggest some ways for improving and deepening the discussion of epistemological positions that are taken in the replication crisis debates.
Superiority of combining two independent trials in interim futility analysis
Authors: Deng Qiqi , Zhang Ying-Ying , Roy Dooti , Chen Ming-Hui
Published: April 2019

Traditionally, statistical methods for futility analysis are developed based on a single study. To establish a drug's effectiveness, usually at least two adequate and well-controlled studies need to demonstrate convincing evidence on its own. Therefore, in a standard clinical development program in chronic diseases, two independent studies are generally conducted for drug registration. This paper proposes a statistical method to combine interim data from two independent and similar studies for interim futility analysis and shows that the conditional power approach based on combined interim data has better operating characteristics compared to the approach based on single-trial interim data, even with small to moderate heterogeneity on the treatment effects between the two studies.
Securitizing the Muslim Brotherhood: State violence and authoritarianism in Egypt after the Arab Spring
Authors: Pratt Nicola , Rezk Dina
Published: April 2019

Unprecedented levels of state violence against the Muslim Brotherhood, and the widespread acceptance of this violence by Egyptians following the July 2013 military coup, have been under-examined by scholars of both critical security studies and Middle East politics, reflecting implicit assumptions that state violence is unexceptional beyond Europe. This article explores how the deployment of such levels of violence was enabled by a securitization process in which the Egyptian military successfully appropriated popular opposition to Muslim Brotherhood rule, constructing the group as an existential threat to Egypt and justifying special measures against it. The article builds on existing critiques of the Eurocentrism of securitization theory, alongside the writings of Antonio Gramsci, to further refine its application to non-democratic contexts. In addition to revealing the exceptionalism of state violence against the Muslim Brotherhood and highlighting the important role of nominally non-state actors in constructing the Muslim Brotherhood as a threat to Egypt, the article also signals the role of securitization in re-establishing authoritarian rule in the wake of the 2011 uprising. Thus, we argue that securitization not only constitutes a break from ‘normal politics’ but may also be integral to the reconstitution of ‘normal politics’ following a period of transition.
Factors Influencing Bone Mineral Density Among Adults of Delhi: A Gender Differential
Authors: Rulu Peteneinuo , Dhall Meenal , Tyagi Renu , Devi Kshetrimayum Surmala , Feroz Nilupher , Kapoor Satwanti , Tungdim Mary Grace , Thakur Sunil
Published: April 2019

Objective: The aim of the study was to find out the risk factor of bone mineral density (BMD).

Methodology: Cross-sectional data were collected on 233 participants (males and females) with age ranging from 20 to 70 years. The subjects were divided into two groups consisting of young adults of 20–45 years and older adults of >45 years. The BMD was calculated by a heel ultrasonic test. Each subject was measured for various adiposity markers like body fat, body mass index, body shape index (BSI), body adiposity index and lifestyle parameters.

Results: BSI was found to be higher among older adults in both males and females. The risk of osteoporosis and osteopenia was also seen to be significantly higher among older adults of >45 years ( p < 0.001). Various factors like age ( p < 0.001), milk intake status ( p < 0.05), education ( p < 0.01), occupation ( p < 0.05) and body adiposity index ( p < 0.05) were found to be risks for osteoporosis and osteopenia.

Conclusion: In our study, BMD was found to be highly correlated with age, and the risk of osteopenia and osteoporosis increased as age increased. Illiteracy, milk consumption status, homemakers and higher body adiposity were also identified as risk factors for developing osteopenia and osteoporosis.
Agricultural Entrepreneurship Motivation Policies: European Union Experience and Decision Theory Application
Authors: Dobryagina Natalia
Published: April 2019

The European Union (EU) policies devoted to entrepreneurship in agricultural motivation represent a wide spectrum of methods and approaches. However, lack of attention to the differences between different types of entrepreneurs might decrease the entrepreneurship motivation policies’ effectiveness. Applying Decision Theory (DT), one of the management sciences, the article determines that non-hereditary entrepreneurs, which include ex novo and early retirement groups, are expected to provide greater contribution to the rural areas development and have different decision-making process in contrast to hereditary entrepreneurs. The article clearly shows a lack of policies focused on non-hereditary entrepreneurs in the EU and a limited effect of policies on ex novo and early retirement groups due to their underestimation of the agricultural sphere’s opportunities and limited knowledge about existing policies. The article suggests further application of DT in agricultural entrepreneur’s motivation and debiasing.
Measuring Women’s Self-help Group Sustainability: A Study of Rural Assam
Authors: Das Tiken , Guha Pradyut
Published: April 2019

The Self-help Group Bank Linkage Programme (SHG-BLP) is now a major global microfinance programme in India with 8.7 million SHGs with deposit of over `195,000 million and annual loan offtake of more than `470,000 million. However, group sustainability is having a wider concern among donor agencies, practitioners, policymakers and academicians to achieve persistent benefit from SHGs in financial intermediation. The present study made an attempt to examine the status of group sustainability with the help of multidimensional sustainability index of SHGs (MDSISHG) by combining organizational, managerial and financial indicators of 60 SHGs in Assam. It was found that 95 per cent of SHGs positioned within the range of ‘high’ and ‘moderate’ MDSISHG status and, therefore, may maintain their function well over a long period of time. Thus, the study recommends for enlargement of the scope of semiformal financial institutions (in our study: SHGs) in rural areas of Assam only for income-generating activities with proper market linkages. There is a scope to regenerate and validate the findings using relatively large sample size with SHGs of varied socio-economic background.
What Is Integration and Why Is It Important for Internationalization? A Multidisciplinary Review
Authors: Spencer-Oatey Helen , Dauber Daniel
Published: April 2019

Integration is a concept that is referred to very widely in relation internationalization, yet its meaning is rarely explored and its benefits are often assumed. In this article, we start by reviewing the conceptualization of integration across different fields, notably education and the internationalization of education, intercultural communication, health psychology, and organizational studies. We propose that the varying interpretations within and across these fields can be synthesized by considering the different levels at which integration can be analyzed—individual level, community level, and institutional level. We then review the multiple benefits that integration can bring at these different levels, while acknowledging their interconnections, and noting the potential risks from ignoring integration. We end by proposing a framework to help universities and all of their members (staff and students) develop their own strategies and priorities for enhancing integration.
Fatal Amanita muscaria poisoning in a dog confirmed by PCR identification of mushrooms
Authors: Romano Megan C. , Doan Hung K. , Poppenga Robert H. , Filigenzi Michael S. , Bryant Uneeda K. , Gaskill Cynthia L.
Published: April 2019

Diagnosing mushroom poisoning in dogs can be difficult and often includes identification of suspect mushrooms. Visual identification may be hindered by mastication, oral medications, or poor quality of environmental mushroom samples. Other analytical techniques may thus be necessary to aid in mushroom identification. A 5-y-old neutered male Labrador Retriever dog developed acute onset of vomiting, diarrhea, tremors, seizures, and somnolence. The dog was treated at a veterinary clinic and was briefly stabilized, but died during transport to an emergency clinic. On postmortem examination at the University of Kentucky Veterinary Diagnostic Laboratory, the dog’s stomach was full of mushrooms covered with activated charcoal. Mushrooms were damaged, fragmented, and discolored, precluding accurate visual identification. Mushroom pieces were sent to the Department of Plant Pathology at the University of California–Davis for PCR identification; the neurotoxic mushroom Amanita muscaria was identified. A qualitative liquid chromatography–mass spectrometry (LC-MS) method was developed to detect ibotenic acid and muscimol, the toxic compounds present in A. muscaria. Mushrooms, stomach contents, and urine were analyzed by LC-MS; ibotenic acid and muscimol were detected in all samples. Because identification of ingested mushrooms is sometimes necessary to confirm mushroom poisoning, PCR can identify ingested mushrooms when visual identification is unreliable.
Corporate Diplomacy and Family Firm Longevity
Authors: Ciravegna Luciano , Kano Liena , Rattalino Francesco , Verbeke Alain
Published: April 2019

We discuss family firm longevity building upon a new conceptual lens, informed by transaction cost economics (TCE), but augmented with corporate diplomacy thinking. Family firms, because of their superior foundation of bonding social capital (interpreted here as a firm-specific, transaction cost-reducing governance mechanism), have an intrinsic advantage vis-à-vis nonfamily firms with regards to utilizing network ties supportive of longevity. Most family firms, however, fail to leverage effectively this governance tool to achieve longevity, due to bifurcation bias (BB), that is, the unchecked prioritization of assets and relationships that hold affective value for the family. We propose that corporate diplomacy, through its three process steps, familiarization, acceptance, and engagement, can help the family firm augment its baseline reservoir of social capital, and allows improved economizing on contracting challenges that endanger its survival. Externally, corporate diplomacy helps economizing on expressions of BB in relationships with outside stakeholders, thus augmenting bridging social capital. Internally, it can address biased treatment of family versus nonfamily human assets, thereby augmenting bonding social capital. Intergenerationally, corporate diplomacy supports access to, and improved reliance upon the firm’s social capital by next generation family members. The family firms that focus on corporate diplomacy processes and the resulting social capital creation greatly improve their chances of longevity.
Self-Management of Type 2 Diabetes in Adult Haitian Immigrants: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Magny-Normilus Cherlie , Mawn Barbara , Dalton Joanne
Published: April 2019

Introduction: A large body of literature exists on self-management of type 2 diabetes (T2D) in a variety of populations. However, research is limited on how Haitian immigrants self-manage their T2D despite a prevalence of 6.9% in Haiti. The purpose of this study was to explore and describe the lived experience of adult Haitian immigrants managing T2D living in the United States. Methodology: Moustakas’s phenomenological approach guided this qualitative study. Adult Haitian immigrants diagnosed with T2D for at least 1 year were interviewed. Individual interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed verbatim, uploaded into NVivo, and analyzed using Moustakas’s existential data analysis process. Results: We interviewed 16 participants (mean age 56;12 females; an average of 11 years living in the United States; mean hemoglobin A1c 8.1%). Four themes emerged: self-reliance, spirituality, nostalgia for home, and a desire for positive patient–provider relationships. Cultural influences and health beliefs may affect individual self-management of T2D in this population. Conclusions: These results may assist clinicians in identifying factors that contribute to suboptimal self-management in Haitian immigrants and help patients reach glycemic control. Culturally competent assessment and interventions for Haitian immigrants with T2D may not be provided without considering these four themes.
Cheer* in Health Care Practice: What It Excludes and Why It Matters
Authors: Setchell Jenny , Abrams Thomas , McAdam Laura C. , Gibson Barbara E.
Published: April 2019

Clinicians’ positive demeanor and “strengths based” focus can include working to create a cheerful atmosphere in health care environments, cheering for improvements in assessment outcomes, and cheering up clients in situations of decline. Drawing from philosopher Karen Barad’s theories of inclusions and exclusions, we investigated what comes to matter (and what is excluded from mattering) when there is cheerfulness, cheering, and so forth (cheer*) in the day-to-day practices of a neuromuscular clinic. We worked collaboratively with clinicians, young people with Duchenne muscular dystrophy, and their families to co-examine the clinic in three iterative exploratory method spaces: (a) group “dialogues” with clinicians; (b) consultative interviews with children, families, and clinicians; and (c) transdisciplinary research team analysis sessions. Cheer* made some things matter in the clinic (“normal” physical function, “positive” emotions, test scores, compliance); and excluded others (grief and loss, “non-normative” bodies and lives, alternative practices, embodied knowledge). We discuss implications across health care settings.
High-Fidelity Anthropometric Facial Measurements Can Be Obtained From a Single Stereophotograph From the Vectra H1 3-Dimensional Camera
Authors: Jodeh Diana S. , Rottgers S. Alex
Published: April 2019

Background:

Anthropometry is a well-established means of measuring facial morphology. Although reliable, direct anthropometry can be time-consuming and not conducive to a busy clinical practice. The Vectra H1 handheld stereophotogrammetric system requires 3 stereophotographs taken from different perspectives to generate a three-dimensional (3D) surface. The time needed to take the 3 stereophotographs can increase the possibility of involuntary movements, precluding its use to assess young patients. To overcome this limitation, we evaluated if accurate linear facial measurements can be obtained from a single stereophotograph and compare these to the measurements taken by direct anthropometry.

Methods:

Twenty pediatric patients, aged 0 to 10 years, who were undergoing minor surgical procedures at Johns Hopkins All Children’s Hospital were recruited. Fourteen linear facial distances were obtained from each participant using direct anthropometry under general anesthesia. These same distances were measured using Mirror 3D analysis. Intraclass correlation was used to determine intrarater reliability on duplicate 3D images.

Results:

Correlation coefficients between 3D imaging in frontal view and direct anthropometric measurements were excellent for 13 measures taken, ranging from 0.8 (subnasale to columella and subnasale to stomion superius) to 0.98 (nasion to subnasale and subnasale to labiale superius). Correlation coefficients between submental view and direct anthropometric measurements were excellent for 13 measures as well, ranging from 0.77 (subnasale to columella) to 0.98 (nasion to subnasale).

Conclusions:

Linear anthropometric measurements taken from 3D surfaces generated from a single stereophotograph correlate closely with direct anthropometric measures. This improves workflow and applicability of anthropometric studies to our youngest patients.
A review of the use of computational technology in applied behavior analysis
Authors: Trevisan Diogo Fernando , Becerra Lorraine , Benitez Priscila , Higbee Thomas S , Gois João Paulo
Published: April 2019

Applied behavior analysis (ABA) is a behavioral science that aims to teach specific and socially relevant behaviors to people with different repertoires. Technology can aid behavior analysis interventions supporting different educational agents (e.g. psychologists, parents, and teachers) as well as patients. In this article, we reviewed how researchers are using technology in ABA interventions with children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). We present the results obtained from a systematic review of the literature. The purpose was to map the employment of the computational technology in ABA interventions, as well as to discuss the primary technologies used, their benefits, and their limitations. Based on our review, we noticed that technology-based interventions are in the early stages of development. We evidenced it by the methodological limitations in many of the studies we found, and the relatively simplistic nature of many of the technological applications (e.g. inability to customize the software to meet individual learner needs). We also provide suggestions, based on these findings, for how researchers may advance the studies in this area to improve the lives of children with ASD and their families.