bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Got Rhythm? Better Inhibitory Control Is Linked with More Consistent Drumming and Enhanced Neural Tracking of the Musical Beat in Adult Percussionists and Nonpercussionists
Authors: Slater Jessica , Ashley Richard , Tierney Adam , Kraus Nina
Published: September 2017

Musical rhythm engages motor and reward circuitry that is important for cognitive control, and there is evidence for enhanced inhibitory control in musicians. We recently revealed an inhibitory control advantage in percussionists compared with vocalists, highlighting the potential importance of rhythmic expertise in mediating this advantage. Previous research has shown that better inhibitory control is associated with less variable performance in simple sensorimotor synchronization tasks; however, this relationship has not been examined through the lens of rhythmic expertise. We hypothesize that the development of rhythm skills strengthens inhibitory control in two ways: by fine-tuning motor networks through the precise coordination of movements “in time” and by activating reward-based mechanisms, such as predictive processing and conflict monitoring, which are involved in tracking temporal structure in music. Here, we assess adult percussionists and nonpercussionists on inhibitory control, selective attention, basic drumming skills (self-paced, paced, and continuation drumming), and cortical evoked responses to an auditory stimulus presented on versus off the beat of music. Consistent with our hypotheses, we find that better inhibitory control is correlated with more consistent drumming and enhanced neural tracking of the musical beat. Drumming variability and the neural index of beat alignment each contribute unique predictive power to a regression model, explaining 57% of variance in inhibitory control. These outcomes present the first evidence that enhanced inhibitory control in musicians may be mediated by rhythmic expertise and provide a foundation for future research investigating the potential for rhythm-based training to strengthen cognitive function.
Learning Contextual Reward Expectations for Value Adaptation
Authors: Rigoli Francesco , Chew Benjamin , Dayan Peter , Dolan Raymond J.
Published: September 2017

Substantial evidence indicates that subjective value is adapted to the statistics of reward expected within a given temporal context. However, how these contextual expectations are learned is poorly understood. To examine such learning, we exploited a recent observation that participants performing a gambling task adjust their preferences as a function of context. We show that, in the absence of contextual cues providing reward information, an average reward expectation was learned from recent past experience. Learning dependent on contextual cues emerged when two contexts alternated at a fast rate, whereas both cue-independent and cue-dependent forms of learning were apparent when two contexts alternated at a slower rate. Motivated by these behavioral findings, we reanalyzed a previous fMRI data set to probe the neural substrates of learning contextual reward expectations. We observed a form of reward prediction error related to average reward such that, at option presentation, activity in ventral tegmental area/substantia nigra and ventral striatum correlated positively and negatively, respectively, with the actual and predicted value of options. Moreover, an inverse correlation between activity in ventral tegmental area/substantia nigra (but not striatum) and predicted option value was greater in participants showing enhanced choice adaptation to context. The findings help understanding the mechanisms underlying learning of contextual reward expectation.
Preserved Expert Object Recognition in a Case of Visual Hemiagnosia
Authors: Rennig Johannes , Cornelsen Sonja , Wilhelm Helmut , Himmelbach Marc , Karnath Hans-Otto
Published: September 2017

We examined a stroke patient (HWS) with a unilateral lesion of the right medial ventral visual stream, involving the right fusiform and parahippocampal gyri. In a number of object recognition tests with lateralized presentations of target stimuli, HWS showed significant symptoms of hemiagnosia with contralesional recognition deficits for everyday objects. We further explored the patient's capacities of visual expertise that were acquired before the current perceptual impairment became effective. We confronted him with objects he was an expert for already before stroke onset and compared this performance with the recognition of familiar everyday objects. HWS was able to identify significantly more of the specific (“expert”) than of the everyday objects on the affected contralesional side. This observation of better expert object recognition in visual hemiagnosia allows for several interpretations. The results may be caused by enhanced information processing for expert objects in the ventral system in the affected or the intact hemisphere. Expert knowledge could trigger top–down mechanisms supporting object recognition despite of impaired basic functions of object processing. More importantly, the current work demonstrates that top–down mechanisms of visual expertise influence object recognition at an early stage, probably before visual object information propagates to modules of higher object recognition. Because HWS showed a lesion to the fusiform gyrus and spared capacities of expert object recognition, the current study emphasizes possible contributions of areas outside the ventral stream to visual expertise.
The impact of sheep grazing on the fecundity and timing of reproduction in the endangered pygmy bluetongue lizard, Tiliqua adelaidensis
Authors: Nielsen Torben P. , Bull C. Michael
Published: September 2017

The endangered pygmy bluetongue lizard (Tiliqua adelaidensis) is found only in a few remaining patches of South Australian native grassland, most of which are used for live stock grazing. The lizards occupy spider burrows, they mate in October-November and females produce litters of one to four live born neonates in mid-January-mid-March. In this study we use ultrasound scans of females and observations of neonates in their maternal burrows to investigate how grazing affects the fecundity of the pygmy bluetongue lizard. We predicted that lizards in moderately grazed paddocks would have a higher reproductive output than lizards in hard grazed paddocks. Ultrasound scans indicated that this hypothesis was correct by showing a higher mean number of yolk sacs in females from moderately than from hard grazed paddocks. Females from moderately grazed paddocks also gave birth significantly earlier than females in hard grazed paddocks. The higher number of yolk sacs did not result in a significantly higher number of neonates observed in the burrows, which indicates that the weekly burrow observations used in this study may underestimate true fecundity. Understanding how grazing affects the fecundity of the pygmy bluetongue lizard is essential to the future management of this endangered species. This is not only because grazing is used to manage the habitat of all currently known lizard populations, but also because successful reproduction will be needed in those populations to supply the “surplus” individuals predicted to be essential for relocation programs to ensure the survival of the species.
An Illustration of China’s “Paradoxical Soft Power”: The Dissemination of the Gambling Game Fantan (番攤) by the Cantonese Diaspora, 1850–1950 (中國「匪夷所思的軟實力」：一八五零至一九五零年之間粵僑博奕遊戲「番攤」在海外傳播的例子)
Authors: Paulès (包利威) Xavier
Published: September 2017

This article investigates the dissemination of fantan (番攤), a very popular gambling game, during the period 1850–1950, by the Cantonese diaspora. It insists that fantan should not be considered only socially destructive as, by different means, it turned out to be instrumental in reinforcing the cohesiveness of the overseas Cantonese communities. Fantan was also one of the Chinese games that crossed the boundaries of the diaspora to take root in the local population in certain countries, though this was not the case everywhere. In theusa, for example, it remained an exotic oddity in the eyes of the local people. In the cases of Vietnam and Philippines, the local population emulated the Chinese and took up this game which was given a local name. The dissemination of fantan is one typical manifestation of the “paradoxical soft power of China”: despite China’s relative weakness during that time, its cultural influence, as a consequence of the development of the diaspora, greatly extended overseas.

本文探討粵僑之間流行的博奕遊戲《番攤》在一八五零年到一九五零年之間的傳播。我的主要論點是：番攤不應只被視為一種負面的社會行為，它同時具有凝聚粵僑社群的正面功能。番攤是一種使跨越國境的僑民可以在僑居地與當地人民互動的媒介。但這個媒介作用在各地是不同的：在美國，本地人視番攤為難以接受的奇風異俗；在越南及菲律賓，當地人則模倣華人的玩法，並賦與它當地的名字。番攤在海外各地的流傳可以視為一種中國「匪夷所思的軟實力」的展現。儘管當時中國是一個比較弱的國家，但歸功於華僑在海外的發展，他的文化影響力也大規模地擴展到海外。 (This article is in English).
Identity of Salix chingiana (Salicaceae) from China
Authors: HE LI , CHEN SHI-PIN
Published: September 2017

Chinese authors have in many cases misapplied Salix chingiana K.S. Hao ex C.F. Fang & A.K. Skvortsov to S. rosthornii Seemen. After detailed study of the types, relevant specimens and literature, S. chingiana is synonymized with S. spathulifolia var. glabra C. Wang & C.F. Fang ex T.Y. Ding. In addition, the name S. glandulosa var. stenophylla C. Wang & C.Y. Yu is lectotypified.
A revision of the genus Seligeria (Seligeriaceae, Bryophyta) in Russia inferred from molecular data
Authors: FEDOSOV VLADIMIR E. , FEDOROVA ALINA V. , IGNATOVA ELENA A. , IGNATOV MICHAEL S.
Published: September 2017

The genus Seligeria is revised based on morphological and DNA sequence data of nuclear ITS and chloroplastic trnL-F. Fifteen species from most infrageneric units of the genus are recovered in two well supported phylogenetic clusters that are also distinctive in morphology. The clade with the type species of the genus, S. pusilla, includes also S. donniana, S. brevifolia, S. calcarea, S. patula, S. tristichoides, S. trifaria, and S. oelandica. These species are characterized by short, cupulate or turbinate capsules widened towards the mouth, and the lack of a stem central strand. Another clade includes species with rather long, mainly ovate to cylindrical capsules and more or less developed stem central strand: S. campylopoda, S. recurvata, S. subimmersa, S. diversifolia, and S. polaris. These two clusters do not show sister relationships, but the second one appears more closely related to the Blindia clade. To resolve the apparent paraphyly, the latter phylogenetic group is segregated in a genus Blindiadelphus. In some aspects of morphology and ecology it is intermediate between Seligeria s. str. and Blindia, but differs from both genera in subquadrate upper leaf cells and thin- to moderately thick-walled rectangular exothecial cells. Molecular phylogenetic analyses revealed heterogeneity within the specimens previously referred to Blindiadelphus campylopodus, indicating a presence in Asian Russia of an undescribed species that is described here as Blindiadelphus sibiricus. It differs from B. campylopodus by the larger spores and typically rounded leaf apices. The isotype specimen of S. galinae appeared to be nearly identical to S. donniana in the sequences of ITS and trnL-F, and examination of morphology revealed no substantial differences between these species. Thus, we consider S. galinae as a synonym of S. donniana. The genus Blindiadelphus includes species of Seligeria subg. Blindiadelphus and S. subg. Cyrtoseligeria, which however are found intermingled in the molecular phylogenetic analysis. Thus the genus Blindiadelphus is accepted without any infrageneric taxa. The phylogenetic tree is congruent with the subdivision of the genus Seligeria s.str into subg. Seligeria, subg. Anodon, subg. Megalosporia and one newly established subgenus Robustidontia for S. brevifolia.
Dictyostelids from Jilin Province, China II
Authors: LIU PU , LI YU
Published: September 2017

Four species of dictyostelid cellular slime molds (dictyostelids) in two genera were isolated from forest soil samples collected from Jilin Province in China. Dictyostelium recurvibasicum is new to science. Two of four species (D. longosporum and Polysphondylium tenuissimum) are new to China, and D. brefeldianum is recorded for the first time in the northern part of the country, being known previously only from Taiwan. Descriptions and illustrations are provided herein for these species based on our collections.
A new Stemonitis species and a new record of Elaeomyxa from China
Authors: BO ZHANG , YU LI
Published: September 2017

A new species, Stemonitis planusis, was collected in Shennongjia National Nature Reserve, Hubei Province, China; it has larger sporocarps that usually end in a plane at the apex of the sporotheca, and its capillitia are expanded at the axils. Additionally, Elaeomyxa Hagelst. was documented for the first time in China; E. miyazakiensis (Emoto) Hagelst. was identified based on material collected from Dasu Forest, Fushun City, Liaoning Province, China. This newly recorded species is characterised by the wax in its stalk, peridium, and capillitium, and spores (approximately 7–8 μm in diam.) marked with rows of warts. A description and scanning electron micrographs of the collected Elaeomyxa and Stemonitis are provided. All specimens are deposited in the Herbarium of the Mycological Institute of Jilin Agricultural University (HMJAU), Changchun, China.
The “Cobra-preta” of São Tomé Island, Gulf of Guinea, is a new species of
Naja Laurenti, 1768 (Squamata: Elapidae)
Authors: CERÍACO LUIS M. P. , MARQUES MARIANA P. , SCHMITZ ANDREAS , BAUER AARON M.
Published: September 2017

The Cobra-Preta (black snake in Portuguese) of Sao Tomé Island in the Gulf of Guinea has historically been referred to as Naja (Boulengerina) melanoleuca (Squamata: Elapidae). Its presence on the island has been traditionally explained as an introduction from the mainland by Portuguese settlers, supposedly to control the rat population. This explanation has been widely accepted by local authorities and even international conservation agencies. The taxonomic identity of this snake has remained undisputed by all taxonomists who have published about it, with the exception of L. Capocaccia in 1961. Arguments supporting the human introduction hypothesis are weak and are contradicted by historical, morphological and molecular data. Further, the biogeographic history of the Gulf of Guinea oceanic islands and recent insights on the taxonomic identity and evolutionary history of other taxonomic groups occurring there suggest that the Cobra-Preta, in fact, represents a distinct lineage of the melanoleuca group, endemic to São Tomé. We here describe the Cobra Preta as a new species. The new species differs from N. (B.) melanoleuca, its sister species, by a distinct coloration ventral pattern and the type of contact of the sublingual scales. Data on the toxicology, distribution, ecology, folklore and conservation status of the new species are presented.
Lymph Node Yield in Therapeutic Neck Dissection: Impact of Dissection Levels and Prior Radiotherapy
Authors: Lippert Dylan , Dang Phat , Cannon Donald , Harari Paul M. , McCulloch Timothy M. , Hoffman Matthew R. , Hartig Gregory K.
Published: September 2017

Objective:

Lymph node yield in therapeutic neck dissection is clinically significant and incompletely studied. We quantified node yield based on extent of neck dissection and presence of preoperative radiation. We also evaluated factors affecting incidence of extracapsular spread (ECS).

Methods:

Retrospective review of 499 patients undergoing therapeutic neck dissection; 414 patients met inclusion criteria and were divided into 2 groups: neck dissection alone or before radiation (surgery first: 280 patients; 385 dissections) and primary radiation before surgery (radiation first: 134 patients; 157 dissections). Node yield relative to levels dissected and incidence of ECS were examined.

Results:

Dissection-specific node yield was greater in the surgery first group for dissection of levels I-V (31.1 ± 16.7 vs 24.0 ± 14.7, P < .001) and levels II-V (26.7 ± 14.4 vs 21.1 ± 10.7). Extracapsular spread incidence was 32.1% (98/305) in the surgery first group and 15.4% (23/149) in the radiation first group ( P < .001).

Conclusion:

This study clarifies anticipated node yield based on number of levels dissected and presence of preoperative radiation. Node yield and incidence of ECS are lower in patients undergoing preoperative radiation.
Segregation, Ethnic Favoritism, and the Strategic Targeting of Local Public Goods
Authors: Ejdemyr Simon , Kramon Eric , Robinson Amanda Lea
Published: September 2017

This article demonstrates that ethnic segregation is a key determinant of local public goods provision. We argue that this results from politicians’ strategic engagement in ethnic favoritism: Only when ethnic groups are sufficiently segregated can elites efficiently target coethnics with local public goods. We test this expectation with fine-grained data from Malawi on the spatial distribution of ethnic groups, geolocated distributive goods (water wells), and the ethnic identities of political elites. We find that members of parliament provide more local public goods to their electoral districts when ethnic groups are geographically segregated but that this increased investment is primarily targeted toward coethnics. Thus, while segregation promotes overall public goods provision, it also leads to greater favoritism in the distribution of these goods. Our logic and evidence provide an elite-driven explanation for both the considerable variation in ethnic favoritism across contexts and the underprovision of public goods in ethnically diverse settings.
Leadership in Counseling Psychology: Introduction to the Special Issue
Authors: Fassinger Ruth E. , Buki Lydia P. , Shullman Sandra L.
Published: September 2017

In this article, we introduce a special two-part issue of The Counseling Psychologist focused on leadership in counseling psychology. Despite the critical role of leadership in the field’s development, current status, and future possibilities, the topic has received little attention as a focus of scholarly inquiry within counseling psychology. We first present a context and rationale for the creation of this special issue, noting the timeliness of this topic within psychology and in society more broadly. Next, we introduce the articles that comprise this two-part special issue as well as two closely related articles contained in the August issue. A brief concluding article at the end this two-part special issue will (a) review the scholarship presented, (b) discuss its relevance, and (c) consider implications and directions for future work in the areas of research, education and training, practice, advocacy, and social justice.
Sources of Variance in the Accuracy of Interviewer Observations
Authors: West Brady T. , Li Dan
Published: September 2017

In face-to-face surveys, interviewer observations are a cost-effective source of paradata for nonresponse adjustment of survey estimates and responsive survey designs. Unfortunately, recent studies have suggested that the accuracy of these observations can vary substantially among interviewers, even after controlling for household-, area-, and interviewer-level characteristics, limiting their utility. No study has identified sources of this unexplained variance in observation accuracy. Motivated by theoretical expectations from the observer bias literature, this study analyzed more than 45,000 open-ended justifications provided by interviewers in the U.S. National Survey of Family Growth (NSFG) for their observations on two key features of all sampled NSFG households: presence of children and expected probability of household response. The study finds that variability among interviewers in the cues used to record these observations (evident from the open-ended justifications) explains much of the previously unexplained variance in observation accuracy.
Analysis of Latino award winning children’s literature
Authors: Gomm Jeff , Heath Melissa Allen , Mora Pat
Published: September 2017

In this article, we offer information about the specific challenges US Latino immigrant children face. We then determine which of these challenges are included in 72 award winning children’s picture books, specifically created for and/or about Latino children. Our analysis offers information to assist school-based mental health professionals, children’s librarians, educators, and parents in prescriptively selecting books that align with Latino children’s social emotional needs. Additionally, we analysed each book’s proportion of Spanish/English text and described the book’s targeted age level and Horn Book Guide rating. From our perspective, books containing colorful illustrations that include Latino children, realistic situations, familiar Spanish words and phrases, and true-to-life characters help Latino children engage and identify with these stories. Children’s book author Pat Mora also explains her perceptions of quality children’s literature. Although this article is specific to Latino children’s literature, implications are offered that generalize to other ethnic and cultural groups that are typically underrepresented in children’s literature.
The resilience-enabling value of African folktales: The read-me-to-resilience intervention
Authors: Theron Linda , Cockcroft Kate , Wood Lesley
Published: September 2017

Resilience, or the process of adjusting well to adversity, draws on personal and social ecological resources (i.e., caregiving and community supports). Previous research—conducted mostly in the Global North—has shown that bibliotherapy offers a way to support children in identifying and utilizing resilience-enabling resources. In so doing, bibliotherapy has the potential to facilitate resilience. In this article, we confirm the resilience-supporting value of bibliotherapy for African orphans and vulnerable children (OVC). To do so, we report the quantitative and qualitative pre- and post-test results of the Read-me-to-Resilience Study ( N = 345). This quasi-experimental study showed that African children who listened to indigenous resilience-themed stories had a significantly increased awareness of personal and community-based protective resources post-intervention, than those who did not. Interestingly, there was no significant increase in their perceptions of caregiving resources. The findings suggest that school psychologists and teachers should include resilience-enabling stories in their support of children who are orphaned. However, further research is needed on how best to use stories in ways that will enable children to identify caregiving resources.
Preclinical Models for Skeletal Research: How Commonly Used Species Mimic (or Don’t) Aspects of Human Bone
Authors: Allen Matthew R.
Published: September 2017

Preclinical studies play an indispensable role in exploring the biological regulation of the musculoskeletal system. They are required in all drug development pipelines where both small and large animal models are needed to understand efficacy and side effects. This brief review highlights 4 aspects of human bone, longitudinal bone growth, intracortical remodeling, collagen/mineral interface, and age-related changes, and discusses how various animal models recapitulate (or don’t) these aspects of human skeletal physiology.
Comparison between Awake Endoscopy and Computed Tomography to Define Lingual Tonsil Hypertrophy
Authors: Tang Jessica A. , Gorelick Gleb , Friedman Michael
Published: September 2017

Objectives

To analyze correlations between endoscopic lingual tonsil grade (LTG) by the Friedman Lingual Tonsil Hypertrophy grading system and computed tomography (CT) measurements of lingual tonsil thickness (LTT).

Study Design

Retrospective chart review.

Setting

Single‐center database, September 2016 to April 2017.

Subjects and Methods

Patients who received CT covering base of tongue and endoscopic LTG were included. LTT was measured on axial and sagittal CT. LTT measurements were compared against endoscopic LTG. One‐way analysis of variance with Tukey’s post hoc adjustment for multiple comparisons was performed.

Results

Seventy‐five charts were included for a total of 150 LTT measurements. Axial CT measurements of LTG 1 and LTG 2 were each significantly different from LTG 3 (P <. 001 for both), and LTG 1 and LTG 2 also differed significantly (P =. 010). Mean sagittal CT measurements were significantly different between LTG 1 and LTG 3 (P <. 001) and between LTG 2 and LTG 3 (P =. 002) but not between LTG 1 and LTG 2 (P =. 186). Those without lingual tonsil hypertrophy had a mean axial CT thickness of 6.45 ± 1.39 mm and mean sagittal CT thickness of 6.58 ± 1.53 mm, which was significantly different from both the mean axial CT thickness of 8.48 ± 1.52 mm and the mean sagittal CT thickness of 8.07 ± 1.16 mm in the LTG 3 group (P <. 001 for both). Threshold analysis showed a potential cutoff of approximately 7.5 mm on axial and sagittal CT for defining clinically significant lingual tonsil hypertrophy.

Conclusion

Awake endoscopy grading of lingual tonsil hypertrophy is a subjective measurement that seems to correlate with objective CT measurements. LTT measurements of LTG 1 and LTG 2 on awake endoscopy differed significantly from LTG 3.
Can Dexmedetomidine Influence Recovery Profiles from General Anesthesia in Nasal Surgery?
Authors: Lee Ho Seok , Yoon Ho Young , Jin Ho Jun , Hwang Se Hwan
Published: September 2017

Objectives

Dexmedetomidine has sympatholytic, sedative, anesthetic, and analgesic effects, as well as vasoconstrictive effects, which may help prevent hypotension under general anesthesia. This meta‐analysis aimed to perform a systematic review of the literature and investigate the effect of dexmedetomidine on perioperative morbidity following nasal surgery and its adverse effects.

Data Sources

MEDLINE, SCOPUS, and the Cochrane database.

Review Methods

Two authors independently searched the databases from their inception to March 2017. Studies were selected that compared perioperative dexmedetomidine administration (dexmedetomidine groups) with a placebo or remifentanil (control groups) with regard to intraoperative morbidity, including surgical time, bleeding amount, hypotension, and bradycardia during operation, and postoperative morbidity, such as emergence agitation, nausea and vomiting, and sedation after operation.

Results

Surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, dose of inhaled anesthetic gas, dose of fentanyl, postoperative pain, and incidence of emergence agitation were significantly lower in the dexmedetomidine group versus the placebo group. In contrast, there were no significant differences in intraoperative hemodynamic stability and postoperative residual sedation and nausea and vomiting between groups. Additionally, compared with remifentanil (a currently widely used agent), dexmedetomidine was superior in view of postoperative pain and intraoperative blood pressure control.

Conclusion

This meta‐analysis shows that the systemic administration of dexmedetomidine can decrease surgical time, intraoperative blood loss, and doses of intraoperative inhaled anesthetic gas and fentanyl as compared with placebo. It can also decrease postoperative pain and incidence of the emergence agitation. Due to the small number of studies, further clinical trials are needed to confirm these results.
The Greatest Right of Them All: The Debate on the Right to Petition in the Netherlands from the Dutch Republic to the Kingdom (c. 1750–1830)
Authors: Oddens Joris
Published: September 2017

Between 1750 and 1830 the Dutch state developed from an oligarchic republic into an enlightened autocratic monarchy via a brief experiment with representative democracy. During this period, there was an ongoing debate about the right to petition. Political actors and opinion-makers addressed the questions to what and to whom this right extended, and what it meant to have such a right. While theorists of the different types of government had sharply contrasting views on the place of the people in the political process, ideas about petitioning, which throughout the period under discussion remained the principal instrument for popular involvement in politics, stayed remarkably stable. Through an investigation of the debate on the right to petition in the crucial transitional phase from the Dutch Republic to the Kingdom of the Netherlands, this article contributes to bridging the divide between petition research of the early modern period and that of the modern era.
Assessment of cerebrovascular development and intraventricular hemorrhages in preterm infants with optical measures of the brain arterial pulse wave
Authors: Chiarelli Antonio M , Mahmoudzadeh Mahdi , Low Kathy A , Maclin Edward L , Kongolo Guy , Goudjil Sabrina , Fabiani Monica , Wallois Fabrice , Gratton Gabriele
Published: September 2017

Preterm infants (born at 24–34 weeks of gestational age) suffer from a high incidence of neurological complications. Cerebrovascular lesions (intraventricular hemorrhages, IVH, and ischemic injury) due to the immaturity of the vascular system and its inability to adapt to the extra-uterine environment are the major causes of adverse neurological outcomes. We investigated the feasibility of assessing cerebrovascular status in preterm infants using a novel non-invasive optical procedure, pulse-DOT, usable within the incubator. Pulse-DOT, validated in adults, provides estimates of cerebral arterial status based on optical measurements of the pulse wave. These measurements are taken with a high-density optode montage and provide accurate spatial and temporal information. We found that two pulse parameters (pulse relaxation function, PReFx, and pulse rise time, PRT) in the investigated frontotemporal region, correlated with infant’s age at recording, indexing cerebrovascular development. Moreover, PRT differentiated infants with and without concurrent IVH (sensitivity = 100%, specificity = 70%). These values are at least as high as those of the resistivity index obtained with transcranial Doppler of the middle cerebral artery, the current clinical method of choice for investigating arterial elasticity in preterm infants. This makes pulse-DOT a promising tool for investigating cerebrovascular risk factors and related pathologies in preterm infants.
Marketing Social Class and Ideology in Post-World-War-Two American Print Advertising
Authors: Paulson Erika L. , O’Guinn Thomas C.
Published: September 2017

American beliefs about social class are not always accurate. Up to half of Americans claim to belong to the middle class, and many believe in an egalitarian society where social mobility is possible. These misperceptions have been attributed, in part, to the mass media. This work sets out to explore whether images of and messages about social class in advertising may contribute to such misperceptions. The class structure pictured in advertising is examined using a large representative sample of American print advertising from 1950 to 2015. First, a content analysis is used to identify what images of social class are depicted in advertising and in what proportion. Then, a qualitative approach is taken to identify what messages those images convey. Findings are presented for each social class. Together the findings suggest that advertising blurs the lines between social classes and diffuses the potential for class conflict. Importantly, this work also notes that advertising representations of the lower and working class are markedly positive, differing from other forms of mass media in important ways. This work calls for increased attention to social class in the marketing literature and is a crucial step in considering the societal effects of marketing messages.
Rectovaginal fistula following surgery for deep infiltrating endometriosis: Does lesion size matter?
Authors: Zheng Yunxi , Zhang Ning , Lu Weiqi , Zhang Liang , Gu Shouxin , Zhang Ying , Yi Xiaofang , Hua Keqin
Published: September 2017

Objective

This study was performed to identify risk factors for postoperative rectovaginal fistula (PRF) in patients with deep infiltrating endometriosis (DIE).

Methods

Data were retrospectively obtained from the medical records of 104 patients with DIE, and statistical analysis was used to detect risk factors for PRF.

Results

Five of 104 (4.8%) patients developed PRF from 5 to 16 days postoperatively. The operative procedures included 84 (80.8%) superficial excisions, 6 (5.8%) full-thickness disc excisions, and 14 (13.5%) bowel resections. Most lesions were located in the cul-de-sac, and the mean lesion size was 2.6 cm (range, 0.5–7.0 cm). The univariate analysis showed that lesion location, larger lesion size, and surgical technique were statistically significant risk factors for PRF.

Conclusion

Surgical procedures should be very carefully executed in patients with DIE lesions of ≥4 cm.
Building a successful reading culture through the school library
Authors: Loh Chin Ee , Ellis Mary , Paculdar Agnes Alcantara , Wan Zhong Hao
Published: September 2017

Much research has documented the strong correlation between independent reading and academic achievement, and the school library can serve a crucial role in encouraging reading. Drawing from one case study out of a larger dataset of six schools, this paper details how one school transformed its school library, making it a central place for reading within the school. Data collected provided evidence of the kinds of strategies, programmes and design that works to encourage reading. Data collection to help us understand the reading and school library culture included: A school-wide reading survey, interviews with the principal, teachers and students, library observations, timed counts, narratives and time-lapse photographs of library space contributed. Factors for building a reading culture include: (1) Curating the book selection for readers, (2) Making books visible (3) Creating programmes to excite readers, (4) Designing spaces for reading, and (5) Building an ecology for reading.
Measuring Bullying and Victimization Among Immigrant and Native Primary School Students: Evidence From Italy
Authors: Alivernini Fabio , Manganelli Sara , Cavicchiolo Elisa , Lucidi Fabio
Published: September 2017

Italy is a particularly interesting context in which to study the phenomenon of bullying given the steadily increasing number of immigrant students attending Italian primary schools. We examined the psychometric properties of a short self-report measure of bullying and victimization across groups of students with various migration backgrounds. We then estimated, by latent mean comparisons, the rates of prevalence of bullying and victimization among different generations of immigrants and native students. Results concerning the factor structure of the measure were consistent with studies in other cultural contexts and complete scalar measurement invariance was found across immigrant backgrounds. The analyses showed that both first- and second-generation immigrant pupils reported being victimized more frequently than their native peers. However, the incidence of victimization for second generations was lower than that for first generations. Finally, no differences across different generations of immigrants and native students were found in reported bullying behaviors.
The Hepato-Hypothalamic-Pituitary-Adrenal-Renal Axis: Mathematical Modeling of Cortisol’s Production, Metabolism, and Seasonal Variation
Authors: Pierre Kamau , Schlesinger Naomi , Androulakis Ioannis P.
Published: September 2017

Cortisol dynamics are governed by the integration of influences from the suprachiasmatic nucleus (SCN), the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal (HPA) axis, and metabolic enzymes, such as the 11β–hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase (HSD) family, which are highly expressed in hepatic and renal tissue. The coordinated regulation of cortisol dynamics is essential for the maintenance of a healthy state, and aberrant cortisol circadian rhythms are associated with various pathophysiological conditions. The duration of the light-dark cycle, or photoperiod, which regulates SCN activity, varies seasonally, and the shorter photoperiod winter season is associated with elevated cortisol levels, peak inflammatory disease incidence, and symptom exacerbation. Elevated expression and activity of 11β-HSD1 protein, assumed to also occur during the winter, have been allied with numerous inflammatory conditions. A comprehensive understanding of the communication between the underlying regulatory mechanisms of cortisol as well as how changes in their activity could lead to the development of disease is yet to be elucidated. In this work, we propose the use of a semimechanistic mathematical model to explore the impact of the hepato-hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal-renal axis in modulating neuroendocrine-immune system dynamics. Our model predicts the predominance of a winter proinflammatory state and that genetic variations could alter 11β-HSD enzyme functionality, rendering certain subpopulations more susceptible to disease as a consequence of HPA axis dysregulation.
Estimating the Manufacturing Employment Impact of Eliminating the Tangible Personal Property Tax: Evidence From Ohio
Authors: Mughan Sian , Propheter Geoffrey
Published: September 2017

Proponents of eliminating the tangible personal property tax often argue that doing so will boost employment in capital-intensive industries, presumably because businesses will invest some portion of the marginal tax savings in labor. Theory strongly suggests this reasoning may be flawed: reducing the tax on capital reduces its cost and therefore incents a substitution away from labor. This study is the first effort to estimate the employment impact of exempting tangible personal property from the property tax in the manufacturing sector in Ohio. Using the synthetic control method, we find that manufacturing employment in Ohio is lower than what it would have been had the tax not been eliminated. From our preferred model, the estimated effect is 19,300 fewer jobs per year on average, but we consider other models that produce estimates between 13,400 and 28,400 fewer jobs per year, on average.
Social Class Fragility and College Students’ Career Decision-Making at a Private University
Authors: Muzika Keaton C. , Hudyma Aaron , Garriott Patton O. , Santiago Dana , Morse Jessica
Published: September 2017

The present study examined the role of social class in the career decision-making of undergraduate students attending a private university. Grounded theory was used to describe the process of social class and undergraduates’ career interests and plans. Interviews with undergraduate students ( N = 21) resulted in four categories and 13 axial codes. The grounded theory emerging from the data was labeled, social class fragility. Social class fragility captured the career goals and behaviors associated with participants’ striving for an acceptable career choice, based upon their social class contexts. The contextual factors described by participants included relational influences, social class consciousness, and vocational privilege. Results are discussed in terms of career interventions with college students attending universities that encapsulate upper middle-class norms.
Career, Family, and Workforce Mobility: An Interdisciplinary Conversation
Authors: Patton Wendy , Doherty Catherine
Published: September 2017

The purpose of this article is to synthesize conceptual and empirical work from the fields of both sociology and career development to explore how issues of career, family, and workforce mobility are necessarily interrelated. The use of work from sociology and career development demonstrates that the complexities of family solutions to career mobility undo the apparent simplicity of delivering a worker to a new worksite. Although organizations and governments work to develop policies that incentivize mobility, including transport infrastructure, housing, employment conditions, and tax incentives, these will not necessarily address the private concerns and priorities of families. This article argues for an interdisciplinary approach to better understand the intersubjective complexities implicated in the growing phenomenon and expectation of worker mobility and suggests both areas and design strategies for further research.
Nurse leaders’ role in medical assistance in dying: A relational ethics approach
Authors: Thiele Tracy , Dunsford Jennifer
Published: September 2017

Recent changes to the Criminal Code of Canada have resulted in the right of competent adult Canadians to request medical assistance in dying (MAID). Healthcare professionals now can participate if the individual meets specific outlined criteria. There remains confusion and lack of knowledge about the specific role of nurses in MAID. MAID is a controversial topic and nurses may be faced with the challenge of balancing the duty to provide routine care, with moral reservations about MAID. The role of a nursing leader is to support nurses by ensuring they have the knowledge they require to care for patients requesting the service, whether or not the nurse is directly involved in the MAID process. The moral dilemmas raised by MAID provide an opportunity to look at a relational ethics approach to nursing leadership both for MAID and other difficult situations that arise in nursing practice. Relational ethics is a framework that proposes that the ethical moments in healthcare are based on relationships and fostering growth, healing, and health through the foundational concepts of mutual respect, engagement, embodiment, and environment. This article will use a relational ethics framework to examine how nursing leadership can support nurses who care for patients requesting MAID.
Prevalence and prognostic role of mismatch repair gene defect in endometrial cancer patients
Authors: Tangjitgamol Siriwan , Kittisiam Thannaporn , Tanvanich Sujitra
Published: September 2017

The study was to evaluate the prevalence of mismatch repair gene defect among Thai patients with endometrial cancer and its association with clinico-pathological features and survivals. The formalin fixed paraffin-embedded blocks of EMC tissue from hysterectomy specimens of patients having surgery in our institution between 1 Jan 1995 and 31 December 2016 were assessed for the immunohistochemical expression of 4 mismatch repair proteins (MLH1, PMS, MSH2, MSH 6). Mismatch repair gene defect was determined by a negative expression of at least 1 protein. Among 385 EMC patients included in the study, mean age was 57.3 ± 10.8 years with 62.3% aged ⩽ 60 years. The most frequent mismatch repair gene defect was MSH6 (38.7%), followed by PMS2 (34.3%), MLH1 (33.2%), and MSH2 (16.4%). Overall, 55.1% showed negative expression of at least one protein. We found significantly higher mismatch repair gene defect in patients aged ⩽ 60 years, with early stage disease, and negative lymph node status than the other comparative groups: 59.2% vs 48.3% for age (p = 0.037), 58.2% vs 45.2% (p = 0.027) for stage, and 58.1% vs 44.6% (p = 0.048) for nodal status. The 5-year progression-free survival, overall survival, and endometrial cancer-specific survival of patients with mismatch repair gene defect was higher than those without gene defect. The differences were statistically significant for only progression-free survival and endometrial cancer-specific survival: 87.7% (95% confidence interval = 83.0%–92.4%) vs 81.5% (95% confidence interval = 75.4%–87.6%) (p = 0.049) for progression-free survival and 91.0% (95% confidence interval = 86.9%–95.1%) vs 85.5% (95% confidence interval = 80.0%–91.0%) (p = 0.044) for endometrial cancer-specific survival, respectively. In conclusion, more than half of Thai endometrial cancer patients had mismatch repair gene defect. The patients with mismatch repair gene defect had significantly younger age (⩽ 60 years) and better prognosis in terms of early stage, negative nodal status, and longer survivals.
A thermodynamically consistent viscoelastic–viscoplastic constitutive model for self-healing materials
Authors: Shahsavari Hamid , Baghani Mostafa , Naghdabadi Reza , Sohrabpour Saeed
Published: September 2017

Self-healing materials, as a class of intelligent materials, are capable to recover a part of the weakened mechanical properties induced by damage. In this article, based on the thermodynamics of irreversible processes, employing the effective configuration in the continuum damage-healing mechanics, a viscoelastic–viscoplastic constitutive model is presented. In the constitutive model development, we adopt an additive decomposition of the total strain into elastic, viscoelastic, and viscoplastic parts. In this regard, defining the damage and healing variables and employing the strain energy equivalence hypothesis, stress and strain tensors in the effective configuration are obtained. Satisfying the Clausius–Duhem inequality, the evolution equations are introduced for viscoelastic and viscoplastic strains. The damage and healing variables also evolve according to two different evolutions. To employ the proposed model in different loading conditions, the time-discrete form of the model in the semi-implicit form is presented. Material parameters of the model are identified with creep, creep-recovery, and repeated creep-recovery tests on asphalt concrete materials in the literature. Finally, the capability of the proposed model is demonstrated applying the model prediction for creep-recovery and repeated creep-recovery case studies and comparing the results with the experimental data available in the literature.
Experimental sea wave energy extractor based on piezoelectric Ericsson cycles
Authors: Zhang Bin , Ducharne Benjamin , Gupta Bhaawan , Sebald Gael , Guyomar Daniel , Gao Jun
Published: September 2017

Recycling ambient energies with electric generators instead of employing batteries with limited lifespans has motivated a large scientist community over two decades. Sea waves exhibit a large energy density. The amount of energy that could be extracted from the sea waves is very high. This work describes a technique of sea wave energy extraction based on a piezoelectric conversion and an analogy with thermodynamic Ericsson loops. By synchronizing external electric field to the maximum and the minimum of the sea wave mechanical stress excitations, the piezoelectric material dielectric hysteresis loop area is increased corresponding to the maximum of the energy available. In this article, technical solutions are proposed for the in site deployment of the proposed technique (maximum and minimum detection, external electric field source synchronization). Experimental measuring benches have been developed to monitor the sea wave mechanical excitation and to determine precisely the energy-harvesting potential. Adequate dielectric hysteresis model is proposed to numerically determine the best configuration (frequency, amplitude) of electric field to impose. Even if the Ericsson technique requires external electronic devices, the weak consumption of such components allows a large enhancement of the amount of energy extracted compared to a basic piezo element conversion.
Design of a passive electrical analogue for piezoelectric damping of a plate
Authors: Lossouarn Boris , Aucejo Mathieu , Deü Jean-François , Cunefare Kenneth A
Published: September 2017

Vibrations of a mechanical structure can be reduced through a piezoelectric coupling to a passive electrical network exhibiting similar modal properties. For the control of a plate, the design of a two-dimensional analogous electrical network is considered. Depending on the mechanical boundary conditions, a finite difference formulation of the Kirchhoff–Love equation of motion shows that we need to ensure specific electrical connections along the edges of the analogous network. A numerical model involving an assembly of element matrices validates the electrical topology. Then, the passive electrical circuit is implemented with capacitors, inductors, and transformers, whose practical design is closely described. Focusing on the analogue of a clamped plate, experiments prove the ability of the proposed electrical network to approximate the behavior of the mechanical structure.