bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Immunocompetence and parasite infestation in a melanistic and normally-coloured population of the lacertid lizard, Podarcis siculus
Authors: Baeckens Simon , Van Damme Raoul
Published: July 2018

Melanism is the occurrence of individuals that are darker in skin pigmentation than their conspecifics, which is a common colour polymorphism among vertebrates. Due to the pleotropic effects of the POMC gene that is responsible for melanin-based colouration, dark pigmentation often co-varies with a range of other phenotypic traits. Still, not much is known on the link between melanin-based colouration and immunity in lizards. In this study, we examined and compared the immunocompetence and degree of ectoparasite infestation of Podarcis siculus lizards from a fully melanistic population on an islet in the Tyrrhenian Sea, with conspecifics from a ‘normally’-coloured population on the mainland. Our findings show that both males and females from the melanistic population were less parasitized by ectoparasites and had a greater cellular immune response to a phytohemagglutinin injection than normally-coloured conspecifics. This outcome is in line with the “genetic link hypothesis”, which predicts that melanistic individuals will be more resistant to parasites than non-melanistic individuals due to the pleiotropic POMC gene. In addition, we found correlative evidence for a link between ectoparasite load and PHA immune response, but this was only true for males from the normally-coloured population. Immunological data on additional melanistic and non-melanistic populations of Podarcis siculus in the Mediterranean basin would provide us better insight into patterns of co-variation between immunity and melanism in lizards.
Contemporary and Traditional Voices: Reactions to Same-Sex Marriage Legislation in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland and the Orthodox Church of Finland
Authors: Metso Pekka , Kallatsa Laura
Published: July 2018

This article studies the debate on same-sex marriage in the early 21st century, within the two national churches of Finland, the Evangelical Lutheran Church and the Orthodox Church. Legislation facilitating the so-called “gender-neutral marriage” came into effect in Finland in March 2017. In their official teachings, both churches emphasize marriage as a union between a man and a woman. An awareness of the rights of sexual minorities has, however, increased in both churches, and has given rise to the debate on how same-sex marriage should be perceived. While holding on to the traditional view of marriage, both churches have sought ways to recognize and affirm the position of sexual minorities. This has caused tension within the churches. As the majority church, the Lutheran church in particular faces strong pressure to accept same-sex weddings in the church. For the advocates of sexual minorities within the Orthodox Church, recognition of sexual minorities seems to be the main objective, rather than promoting same-sex weddings.
Experiences of (Mis)recognition of Same-Sex Partnerships in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland
Authors: Hellqvist Elina , Vähäkangas Auli
Published: July 2018

The article discusses the recognition of same-sex partnerships in the Evangelical Lutheran Church of Finland (ELCF). The main focus is on the experiences of recognition and misrecognition of same-sex couples when the couples have asked for a prayer on behalf of their registered partnership. The findings of this study confirm that the researched experiences of recognition have two dimensions, vertical and horizontal. Vertical recognition deals with institutional recognition and experiences with the sacred. Horizontal recognition entails experiences of interpersonal recognition. Narrated experiences often contained both horizontal and vertical dimensions of (mis)recognition. Recognition is a social phenomenon. Participants of the study had two distinct social contexts for recognition. One is the more loosely defined “rainbow community”, the other the formally authoritative, institutional ELCF. Most of the interviewees had positive experiences of recognition from the informal community but mainly negative experiences of misrecognition from the institutional ELCF. The difficult balancing between the conviction of the equal human dignity of each individual and the understanding of marriage as a social category for heterosexuals only led to same-sex couples’ experience of not being treated as equal members of the church. The study affirmed the importance of experiences and feelings as indicators in identifying a valid struggle for recognition.
Japan and Modernism in Berlin: The Art Dealer Hermann Pächter and his Gallery
Authors: Becker Ingeborg
Published: July 2018

The present article focuses on the art dealer Hermann Pächter, who was active in Berlin at the turn of the twentieth century. Pächter was the first to show Japanese images and other artefacts at his gallery. Later on, he combined this with contemporary European art. This mixture was unique and an eye opener for the public.
Remarks on the epitypification of Psoralea plumosa (Leguminosae)
Authors: FERRER-GALLEGO PEDRO PABLO
Published: July 2018

Bituminaria, epitype, Leguminosae, nomenclature
A new yellow species of Craterellus (Cantharellales, Hydnaceae) from China
Authors: ZHONG XIANG RONG , LI TAI HUI , JIANG ZI DE , DENG WANG QIU , HUANG HAO
Published: July 2018

Craterellus luteus sp. nov. is described from China. It is characterized by a light yellow to greenish yellow pileus, white to yellowish white hymenophore, broad basidiospores and lack of aromatic odor. Detailed morphological description, photographs and comparisons with phenetically similar taxa are provided.
Vriesea mourae (Bromeliaceae), a new critically endangered species from Serra da Bocaina, southeastern Brazil
Authors: KESSOUS IGOR M. , NEVES BEATRIZ , COSTA ANDREA F.
Published: July 2018

A new, critically endangered taxon, Vriesea mourae, endemic to the Serra da Bocaina mountains in southeastern Brazil, is described. We provide data on its conservation status, etymological and taxonomic notes, photographs, and illustrations. The taxon is morphologically similar to V. warmingii, differing mainly in the shorter blade, diameter of peduncle and rachis, inflorescence length, floral bract shape and color, sepal shape, petal shape, length, and color.
Astragalus ladakhense (Galegeae, Leguminosae): a new synonym of Astragalus rhizanthus
Authors: CHAUDHARY LAL BABU
Published: July 2018

The characters of A. ladakhense fall within the range of variation of a quite variable species, A. rhizanthus, and thus the former is reduced to synonymy under the latter.
New records, descriptions and notes on Encyrtidae (Hymenoptera: Chalcidoidea) from Iran
Authors: GUERRIERI EMILIO , GHAHARI HASSAN
Published: July 2018

New additions to the Iranian fauna are reported. Three new species of Encyrtidae, Anagyrus osmoi sp. nov., Metaphycus prengoi sp. nov., and Microterys obricoi sp. nov., are described. Three new records, Anagyrus saccharicola Timberlake, 1932, Copidosoma filicorne (Dalman, 1820) and Paranathrix acanthococci (Myartseva, 1977) and one note are reported.
Two new species of lace bugs from Dominican amber and a new species from Colombian copal (Hemiptera: Heteroptera: Tingidae)
Authors: GOLUB VIKTOR B. , HEISS ERNST
Published: July 2018

Two new fossil species (Phatnoma pulchra sp. nov., Leptopharsa antica sp. nov.) of the family Tingidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) from Dominican amber (Dominican Republic) and one new species (Leptopharsa colombiana sp. nov.) from Colombian copal (Colombia) are described and illustrated with photos. Features of similarities and differences from closely related fossil and recent species are given.
Evolution of the Global Coupled Climate Response to Arctic Sea Ice Loss during 1990–2090 and Its Contribution to Climate Change
Authors: Sun Lantao , Alexander Michael , Deser Clara
Published: July 2018

The role of transient Arctic sea ice loss in the projected greenhouse gas–induced late-twentieth- to late-twenty-first-century climate change is investigated using the Geophysical Fluid Dynamics Laboratory’s Coupled Model version 3. Two sets of simulations have been conducted, one with representative concentration pathway (RCP) 8.5 radiative forcing and the second with RCP forcing but with Arctic sea ice nudged to its 1990 state. The difference between the two five-member sets indicates the influence of decreasing Arctic sea ice on the climate system. Within the Arctic, sea ice loss is found to be a primary driver of the surface temperature and precipitation changes. Arctic sea ice depletion also plays a dominant role in projected Atlantic meridional overturning circulation weakening and changes in North Atlantic extratropical sea surface temperature and salinity, especially in the first half century. The effect of present-day Arctic sea ice loss on Northern Hemisphere (NH) extratropical atmospheric circulation is small relative to internal variability and the future sea ice loss effect on atmospheric circulation is distinct from the projected anthropogenic change. Arctic sea ice loss warms NH extratropical continents and is an important contributor to global warming not only over high latitudes but also in the eastern United States. Last, the Arctic sea ice loss displaces the Pacific intertropical convergence zone (ITCZ) equatorward and induces a “mini-global warming” in the tropical upper troposphere.
The Triad of Risk-Related Behaviors (TriRB): A Three-Dimensional Model of Cyber Risk Taking
Authors: Ben-Asher Noam , Meyer Joachim
Published: July 2018

Objective:

We identify three risk-related behaviors in coping with cyber threats—the exposure to risk a person chooses, use of security features, and responses to security indications. The combinations of behaviors that users choose determine how well they cope with threats and the severity of adverse events they experience.

Background:

End users’ coping with risks is a major factor in cybersecurity. This behavior results from a combination of risk-related behaviors rather than from a single risk-taking tendency.

Method:

In two experiments, participants played a Tetris-like game, attempting to maximize their gains, while exogenous occasional attacks could diminish earnings. An alerting system provided indications about possible attacks, and participants could take protective actions to limit the losses from attacks.

Results:

Variables such as the costs of protective actions, reliability of the alerting system, and attack severity affected the three behaviors differently. Also, users dynamically adjusted each of the three risk-related behaviors after gaining experience with the system.

Conclusion:

The results demonstrate that users’ risk taking is the complex combination of three behaviors rather than the expression of a general risk-taking tendency. The use of security features, exposure to risk, and responses to security indications reflect long-term strategy, short-term tactical decisions, and immediate maneuvering in coping with risks in dynamic environments.

Application:

The results have implications for the analysis of cybersecurity-related decisions and actions as well as for the evaluation and design of systems and targeted interventions in other domains.
The Difference Between Causal Analysis and Predictive Models: Response to “Comment on Young and Holsteen (2017)”
Authors: Young Cristobal
Published: July 2018

The commenter’s proposal may be a reasonable method for addressing uncertainty in predictive modeling, where the goal is to predict y. In a treatment effects framework, where the goal is causal inference by conditioning-on-observables, the commenter’s proposal is deeply flawed. The proposal (1) ignores the definition of omitted-variable bias, thus systematically omitting critical kinds of controls; (2) assumes for convenience there are no bad controls in the model space, thus waving off the premise of model uncertainty; and (3) deletes virtually all alternative models to select a single model with the highest R 2. Rather than showing what model assumptions are necessary to support one’s preferred results, this proposal favors biased parameter estimates and deletes alternative results before anyone has a chance to see them. In a treatment effects framework, this is not model robustness analysis but simply biased model selection.
Imitation in cross-cultural leadership development
Authors: Silberman Tim
Published: July 2018

Strategies for the development of Christian leaders in cross-cultural ministry tend to focus on communicating essential knowledge and skills, yet the need to facilitate growth in godly character is arguably of greater importance. Throughout his writings the Apostle Paul regularly presents himself as a model to be imitated by his readers. Careful consideration of his use of imitation reveals an invaluable approach to the development of core gospel values in emerging leaders today. In cross-cultural leadership development this will require contextualization of both the developmental relationship and the expression of these gospel values. The cultural dimensions of power distance and individualism/collectivism are specifically considered for their impact. It is suggested that the intentional use of imitation by living consistently with and teaching these core gospel values will greatly enhance cross-cultural leadership development.
Long‐term Trends in Head and Neck Surgery Outcomes
Authors: Mowery Alia , Light Tyler , Clayburgh Daniel
Published: July 2018

Objective

The aim of the present study is to address the paucity of data on long‐term trends in postoperative complication rates in head and neck surgery. Specifically, this study assesses trends in morbidity and mortality following head and neck surgery over a 20‐year period from 1995 to 2015 and identifies risk factors for the development of complications.

Study Design

Retrospective cross‐sectional analysis of Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program database from 1995 to 2015.

Setting

Veterans Affairs medical centers across the United States.

Subjects and Methods

Using the Veterans Affairs Surgical Quality Improvement Program database, we selected 44,161 patients undergoing head and neck procedures from 1995 to 2015. Trends in 30‐day morbidity and mortality were assessed, and univariate and multivariate analyses of risk factors for complications were performed.

Results

From 1995‐2000 to 2011‐2015, overall complication rates decreased >45% (from 10.9% to 5.9%), and 30‐day postsurgical mortality decreased nearly 70% (from 1.3% to 0.4%). Postoperative hospital stays also significantly declined. Major procedures, such as free flap cases and total laryngectomies, had less change in complication rate as compared with less invasive procedures.

Conclusion

Substantial improvement in postoperative morbidity and mortality has taken place in head and neck surgery over the past decades. Static complication rates in some procedures may reflect that the improvement of surgical techniques allow for the treatment of sicker patients. The trends seen in this study speak to the importance of probing further why high rates of complications are still seen in certain procedures and ensuring that effective treatment is balanced with limiting morbidity and mortality.
Epidemiology and Management of Pediatric Epistaxis
Authors: Baugh Tiffany P. , Chang C. W. David
Published: July 2018

Objectives

The purpose of this study is to describe the demographics of children undergoing inpatient management of epistaxis and recognize the clinical circumstances that may necessitate embolization or ligation for epistaxis management.

Study Design and Setting

Cross‐sectional analysis of a national database.

Subjects and Methods

A review of data reported by hospitals in the United States to the Healthcare Cost and Utilization Project Kids’ Inpatient Database with a diagnosis of epistaxis was conducted (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision [ICD‐9] code 784.7). The database provides new data every 3 years. The most recent databases, 2006, 2009, and 2012, were reviewed.

Results

A total of 11,366 patients with a diagnosis of epistaxis were identified. The average age was 12 years, and most patients were male (60%). Of the patients who underwent intervention for epistaxis, 704 underwent packing, 119 underwent ligation, and 98 underwent embolization. Transfusion of blood or platelets was highest in the patients undergoing packing only (38%, P <. 0001). The lowest average length of stay was for the ligation group with a mean (SD) of 6.95 (14.02) days. Embolization and ligation most frequently occurred in the setting of an urban teaching hospital (95.63% and 73.28%, respectively). For patients who underwent embolization with epistaxis as a secondary diagnosis, benign neoplasm of nasopharynx (58.3%) was the most common primary diagnosis. In those patients who underwent ligation, nasal bone fracture (28.5%) was the most common primary diagnosis.

Conclusion

This study highlights that 11,366 patients were treated for epistaxis during 2006, 2009, and 2012, and most patients were treated conservatively.
Do Migrants Think Differently? Evidence from Eastern European and Post-Soviet States
Authors: Berlinschi Ruxanda , Harutyunyan Ani
Published: July 2018

This research investigates migrant self-selection on values, beliefs, and attitudes using data from Eastern European and former Soviet countries. We find that individuals who intend to emigrate are more politically active, more critical of governance and institutions, more tolerant toward other cultures, less tolerant of cheating, more optimistic, and less risk averse. With the exception of risk aversion, all selection patterns are heterogeneous across regions of origin. On the other hand, no self-selection pattern is detected on education, willingness to pay for public goods, and economic liberalism. These findings provide new insights into the determinants of international migration and reveal some of its less known consequences, such as a possible reduction of domestic pressure for political improvements in post-Soviet states due to politically active citizens’ higher propensity to emigrate.
‘Off to Moscow with No Passports and No Money’: The 1921 Spanish Syndicalist Delegation to Russia
Authors: Zoffmann Rodriguez Arturo
Published: July 2018

This article will follow the steps of the 1921 Spanish syndicalist delegation to revolutionary Russia. It will use the delegation as a window into the revolutionary subculture of post-war Europe and into the experience of foreign representatives in early Soviet Russia. Particular attention will be paid to the complex ways in which syndicalist militants that were strongly influenced by anarchism grappled with the realities of Soviet Russia, to argue that the thought process foreign visitors traversed was often contradictory, being simultaneously attracted and repelled by the Bolshevik regime.
Ethnogenesis in the Pyrenees: The Contentious Making of a National Identity in the Basque Country (1643–2017)
Authors: Mees Ludger
Published: July 2018

Focusing on the Basque case study, this article adopts a historical longue-durée perspective over more than two centuries (nineteenth and twentieth) in order to better identify the dialectic in the process of identity formation and change of a small European, stateless community, separated by a borderline and living in two different political, socioeconomic and cultural settings. The political expression of this long process of Basque ‘ethnogenesis’ (A.D. Smith) was the rise of the nationalist movement in the Spanish Basque Country at the end of the nineteenth century. By tracing the analysis of Basque identity back to pre-modern times and following its path to the present, this article aims to produce new insights into the factors that trigger the crucial moments of identity change that bring to an end previous periods of stability. Its epistemological fundaments are connected to some prominent topics that have been widely discussed by historians and other social scientists concerned with nationalism and national identity (the cultural shape of national identities; ‘modernists’ versus ‘ethno-symbolists’; nationalism and political religion; national identity and political violence).
Military Archives of Renaissance Florence: Resolutions and Bookkeeping of the Dieci di Balìa and the Otto di Pratica
Authors: Ansani Fabrizio Antonio
Published: July 2018

According to contemporary historiography, the military offices of Renaissance Florence were backward and disorganized, unaware of the current Italian innovations, and suspicious of their own soldiers. This literature, however, seems to be based more on the Machiavellian prejudice against mercenary companies, than on thorough and systematic archival research. The aim of this article, hence, is an examination of the whole documentary production of the two military institutions of the Florentine Republic, the Dieci di Balìa and the Otto di Pratica, in order to try to re-evaluate the management of war, the relationships between rulers and captains, and the processes of enlistment, equipment, and inspection. The accounts, the resolutions, the daily registrations of treasurers, secretaries, and commissioners, then, illustrate the practices and the organization of both of these magistracies during the last quarter of the fifteenth century. The results of this study demonstrate that, long before the admission of Niccolò Machiavelli to its chancery, the Republic had the men, the knowledge, and the money for operating warfare efficiently and effectively.
Use of Head Computed Tomography (CT) in the Pediatric Emergency Department in Evaluation of Children With New-Onset Afebrile Seizure
Authors: Veerapandiyan Aravindhan , Aravindhan Akilandeswari , Takahashi James Huynh , Segal Devorah , Pecor Keith , Ming Xue
Published: July 2018

Objective:

Cranial computed tomography (CT) is not recommended in the routine evaluation of children with first afebrile seizure due to its low yield. The objective was to assess the current practice in our pediatric emergency department regarding the use of head CT in children with first afebrile seizure and to identify the factors that lead to ordering a head CT.

Methods:

Medical records of patients between 1 month and 18 years old evaluated at our emergency department for presentation of first afebrile seizure between 2010 and 2014 were retrospectively reviewed. Data extracted include age, gender, seizure type, single or multiple seizures at presentation, seizure duration, predisposing conditions to seizures (ie, history of developmental delay), and whether a head CT was performed. Contingency tables with chi-square analyses were used to determine which variables were associated with increased use of head CT.

Results:

Of 155 patients (88M/67F) included in the study, 72 (46.5%) underwent head CT and only 3 had clinically significant findings that did not require acute management. There were no differences in CT use by age, sex, seizure type, seizure number, seizure risk factors, or findings on physical examination. Head CT was performed more frequently in cases with seizures ≥5 minutes and unknown seizure duration ( P = .04).

Conclusion:

Despite existing evidence, the emergent head CT rate was high in our cohort. Children with seizure duration of ≥5 minutes or of unknown duration were more likely to undergo head CT in our emergency department.
Real-world rigour
Authors: Woodside Joseph M.
Published: July 2018

In the interests of better preparing students for the world of work and developing the industry competencies that graduates need, this article sets out an integrative learning approach for higher education development at the undergraduate and graduate levels to improve academic excellence through real-world rigour across all disciplines of industry and higher education. Real-world rigour is required to increase the adaptability of higher education graduates in a fast-changing business environment and to ensure that graduates have gained the industry competencies in higher education that will enable them to be successful in the future workforce. Changes such as automation and new skills requirements will have major employment impacts in the future.
The power of comparisons: Peer information as a management tool
Authors: Keiser Lael R , Miller Susan M
Published: July 2018

While previous research has explored how performance data can influence organizations and considered the factors that shape public managers' use of performance data, we know less about the way in which individual bureaucrats respond to performance information. Considerable research illustrates the power of peer information in a variety of contexts, including energy use, voting, and charitable giving. We suggest that public employees may adjust their behavior in response to information about how their performance compares with their peers. Providing peer information to public employees allows for learning. If alerted to an unflattering comparison, public employees might be motivated to alter their behavior. Using the case of administrative law judges in the Social Security Disability programs, we find evidence that is consistent with the expectation that individual bureaucrats respond to peer information. This study provides insight into whether and how public managers can harness the power of peer information.
Simple model-free attitude control design for flexible spacecraft with prescribed performance
Authors: Zhang Chao , Ma Guangfu , Sun Yanchao , Li Chuanjiang
Published: July 2018

In this paper, a model-free attitude control approach is proposed for the spacecraft in the presence of external disturbances and flexible vibrations with both complexity and performance concerns. By utilizing prescribed performance and backstepping techniques, the controller is constructed in a simple form without requiring any relevant information of the attitude control system dynamics. Moreover, fuzzy/neural network approximations, observers, or adaptive laws are not adopted into the control design, so that the related problems introduced by these estimation structures can be avoided. Numerical simulations in different cases show that the control system can obtain quick and smooth dynamic process and expected tracking accuracy despite the influence of disturbances and flexible vibrations, which demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed scheme. Owing to the above good features, it is suitable for practical engineering.
Heat pumps for buildings heating: Energy, environmental, and economic issues
Authors: Bianco Vincenzo , Marchitto Annalisa , Scarpa Federico , Tagliafico Luca A
Published: July 2018

The present paper analyzes the Italian energy system focusing on the possible energy, environmental, and economic effects that the utilization of individual heat pumps for winter heating can produce. To this aim, a model of the Italian energy system is developed by employing the tool EnergyPLAN in order to develop an hourly simulation of the system at country level. Different scenarios in terms of heat pumps penetration, ranging between 10% and 50%, are simulated and sensitivity analyses in terms of average coefficient of performance of heat pumps are performed. The increase of heat pumps generation shows a steadily decrease of fossil fuel consumption for buildings heating, as well as a reduction of carbon emissions. The utilization of heat pumps for buildings heating leads to an increase of 10 p.p. in the load factor of the combined cycle gas turbine thermal power plants. Furthermore, an optimal heat pumps penetration is determined, namely 20%, which minimizes the energy system costs, calculated as the sum of fuel cost and externalities savings.
Potential for cooling load reduction in residential buildings using cool roofs in the harsh climate of Saudi Arabia
Authors: Algarni Salem
Published: July 2018

To raise awareness of the potential of passive technologies, this paper addresses the major problem of maintaining the comfort of the built environment in the harsh climate of Saudi Arabia by estimating the potential reduction in residential building energy consumption resulting from the use of highly reflective “cool roof” details. To conduct this estimate, the impacts of cool roof installation on the cooling and heating loads of residential buildings in 13 major selected sites in Saudi Arabia are estimated. It is found that the use of a cool roof reduces the annual energy consumption required for building cooling by between 110.3 and 181.9 kWh/m2, while the maximum increase in annual energy consumption due to winter heating of cool roof equipped buildings in hot-dry climates is only 4.4 kWh/m2. The results show that installing a cool roof in place of a typical or dirty roof yields a reduction in peak roof conduction. This investigation concludes that the use of the passive cool roof technology is an effective method for improving the thermal performance of a roof and thus reducing building energy consumption in the harsh climate of Saudi Arabia and similar extreme climates.
Reciprocal auditory attenuation affects looking behaviour and playing level but not ensemble synchrony: A psychoacoustical study of violin duos
Authors: Fulford Robert , Hopkins Carl , Seiffert Gary , Ginsborg Jane
Published: July 2018

Evidence suggests that musicians may be more susceptible to developing a hearing impairment due to increased exposure to loud sounds over the lifespan. Hearing impairments can affect musical performance behaviours, yet research suggests they do not significantly affect ensemble synchrony unless the hearing loss is severe or profound. This study investigated the effect of reduced auditory feedback on ensemble synchrony, looking behaviour and playing level. Four violinists, with self-reported normal hearing, formed two duos in acoustically-isolated rooms separated by a glass window. Each player received feedback from their own and their co-performer’s playing attenuated by 0, 10, 20, 30 and 40 dB. Video recordings of their looking behaviours were coded and signed asynchronies were identified in the audio files. The strongest effects found were bi-directional changes to playing levels as a result of auditory feedback levels, which increased when a player’s own feedback was reduced and reduced when co-performer feedback was attenuated. Violinists’ looking behaviour was found to increase when co-performer feedback was attenuated by 20 dB or more relative to their own, such that they glanced more frequently and looked for longer towards their partners. There were no effects of auditory attenuation on ensemble synchrony, even with 40 dB attenuation. The results indicate that “self-to-other” sound level ratios are more likely to prompt compensatory musical performance behaviours than an individual’s hearing ability.
Analysis of a multi-axial quantum-informed ferroelectric continuum model: Part 2—sensitivity analysis
Authors: Leon Lider , Smith Ralph C , Oates William S , Miles Paul
Published: July 2018

We illustrate the use of global sensitivity analysis, and a parameter subset selection algorithm based on local sensitivity analysis, to quantify the relative influence of parameters in polarization and electrostrictive energy relations for a quantum-informed, single-domain, ferroelectric material model. A motivating objective is to determine which parameters are identifiable or influential in the sense that they are uniquely determined by density functional theory–generated data. Noninfluential parameters will be fixed at nominal values for subsequent Bayesian inference, uncertainty propagation, and material design since variations in these parameters are minimally reflected in responses. Whereas global sensitivity analysis is typically based on the assumption of mutually independent, uniformly distributed parameters, we demonstrate that inherent parameter correlations must be accommodated to achieve correct interpretations of parameter influence. For the considered energy functionals, we demonstrate that all of the parameters are influential and will be informed by density functional theory–simulated data.
Facilitating Interviews in Qualitative Research With Visual Tools: A Typology
Authors: Glegg Stephanie M. N.
Published: July 2018

Visual methods are gaining traction in qualitative research to support data generation, data analysis, and research dissemination. In this article, I propose a preliminary typology that categorizes five identified purposes of applying visual methods in qualitative interviews: to (a) enable communication, (b) represent the data, (c) enhance data quality and validity, (d) facilitate the relationship, and (e) effect change. Examples of visual tools are presented to demonstrate their utility in addressing these five aims. An existing ethical framework for visual tool use in qualitative research is then presented to structure a discussion on ethical considerations related to confidentiality, consent, representations and audiences, fuzzy boundaries between researchers and participants, authorship and ownership, and minimizing harm. Future directions include testing and extending the typology with respect to other visual methods and qualitative research processes, and research to evaluate the effectiveness of various visual tools at achieving the aims represented in the typology.
Sociodemographic Characteristics and Lengths of Stay Associated With Acute Palliative Care: A 10-Year National Perspective
Authors: Mendieta Maximiliano , Miller Alysa
Published: July 2018

Patient demographics and characteristics are essential components associated with length of stay in hospice. Race, age, gender, health insurance status, income level, and location of hospice care services are indicators that are associated with differing lengths of stay. Hospice care demand is on the rise, and with 70 million boomers retiring in the next few decades, demand is expected to increase. It is because of demand that exploring the factors that affect a patient’s length of stay is essential for understanding beneficiary care and family experience. These insights are key for medical and clinical practitioners in providing hospice patients and their families with the intended benefits and care of the Medicare Hospice Program. This study uses Medicare hospice services data from 2006 to 2014 to examine how race, age, gender, health insurance status, income level, and location before entering acute care are associated with acute care lengths of stay. Overall, this study found that race, age, gender, health insurance status, and income level have a statistically significant association with whether a patient was from home-based or from facility-based hospice. These findings suggest that racial disparities remain a relevant matter in access to hospice, palliative care, and length of stay and can assist future research in moving knowledge forward about the association between length of stay and patient characteristics.
Self-Care Behavior Profiles With Arteriovenous Fistula in Hemodialysis Patients
Authors: Sousa Clemente Neves , Marujo Patrícia , Teles Paulo , Lira Marta Nunes , Dias Vanessa Filipa Ferreira , Novais Maria Eulália Leite Mota
Published: July 2018

Patients with end-stage renal disease should be educated and trained to take care of their own arteriovenous fistula (AVF) with the purpose of developing self-care behaviors concerning vascular access. This was a prospective and observational study. We designed this research to identify clinically meaningful self-care behavior profiles in hemodialysis (HD) patients, and it was carried out in a private dialysis unit in the Lisbon region, Portugal, involving 101 patients. The proportion of male patients was 66.3%, the mean age was 60.9 years, and the frequency of self-care behaviors was 71%. Cluster analysis based on the subscale scores grouped patients in two clusters named “moderate self-care” and “high self-care.” Those profiles exhibit significant differences concerning gender, education, employment, dialysis vintage, AVF duration, and information on care with the AVF. Identification of self-care-behavior profiles in HD patients with AVF enables one to adjust education programs to the patients’ characteristics.
Real-Time Surveys Reveal Important Safety Risks During Interhospital Care Transitions for Neurologic Emergencies
Authors: Sather John , Rothenberg Craig , Finn Emily B. , Sheth Kevin N. , Matouk Charles , Pham Laura , Parwani Vivek , Ulrich Andrew , Venkatesh Arjun K.
Published: July 2018

Critically ill patients may be exposed to unique safety threats as a result of the complexity of interhospital and intrahospital transitions involving the emergency department (ED). Real-time surveys were administered to clinicians in the ED and neuroscience intensive care unit of a tertiary health care system to assess perceptions of handoff safety and quality in transitions involving critically ill neurologic patients. In all, 115 clinical surveys were conducted among 26 patient transfers. Among all clinician types, 1 in 5 respondents felt the handoff process was inadequate. Risks to patient safety during the transfer process were reported by 1 in 3 of respondents. Perceived risks were reported more frequently by nurses (44%) than physicians/advanced practice providers (28%). Real-time survey methodology appears to be a feasible and valuable, albeit resource intensive, tool to identify safety risks, expose barriers to communication, and reveal challenges not captured by traditional approaches to inform multidisciplinary quality improvement efforts.
Writing Posthumanist Subjects
Authors: Bright David
Published: July 2018

In this article I explore the problem of thinking and writing about post-humanist human subjects (as objects) who are no longer given as such. I draw on my attempts to represent such subjects in my doctoral dissertation, a study of Western teachers in Vietnam. Drawing on the work of Deleuze, I considering how representations of participants are constructed, and experiment with piecing together impressionistic vignettes that attend to the impossibilities of representation. However, in this process of careful text construction also highlights the paradox of artfully fabricating convincingly realistic and natural ethnographic description, in ways which potentially disrupt notions of transparency and verisimilitude as indicators of the quality of qualitative research.
Spinoza and the Affective Turn: A Return to the Philosophical Origins of Affect
Authors: Robinson Bradley , Kutner Mel
Published: July 2018

In their introduction to a recent special issue of Qualitative Inquiry, Taguchi and St. Pierre observed that Foucault’s notion of “fruitful disorientation” seemed to circulate throughout the included articles. Embracing this fruitfully disorienting impulse, the authors of this article provide a detailed reading of Baruch Spinoza’s ontological concept of affect as he articulated it in the Ethics. Through this return, the authors consider the implications of affect for qualitative and postqualitative inquiry and offer an example of how a return to the philosophical origins of a theory can produce new lines of thinking and inquiry.
Shelter housing for cats: Principles of design for health, welfare and rehoming
Authors: Wagner Denae , Hurley Kate , Stavisky Jenny
Published: July 2018

Practical relevance:

Shelters and rehoming centres are a valuable tool in the population management and rehoming of cats. However, housing large numbers of a relatively asocial species in close proximity poses significant challenges. Well-designed accommodation enables improved standards of husbandry, as well as a better working environment for staff. This can have a significant benefit in expediting rehoming, as cats are healthier, and more likely to display natural behaviors and have positive interactions with potential adopters.

Global importance:

As cat overpopulation is such a widespread issue, cat shelters are common in many countries. This review will be of interest to those involved in the design and construction of cat shelters, and to those caring for the cats within them. The principles discussed also apply to boarding, breeding, research and hospitalization facilities.

Challenges:

Shelter housing poses substantial challenges in terms of maintaining positive health and wellbeing while sustaining adoption at an optimum rate. Disease control and biosecurity are typically facilitated by having a relatively barren, easily cleanable environment. However, this must be weighed against the provision of opportunities for cats to perform natural behaviors such as hiding, perching and interacting if they wish. A more enriched environment has also been shown to expedite adoption.

Aims:

This review, the first in a two-part series, discusses practical aspects of housing and shelter design for the health, welfare and adoption of shelter cats.

Evidence base:

There is a relatively small body of empirical evidence to inform shelter design recommendations. The recommendations in this article are based on a careful review of the available evidence, some of which has come from allied fields such as the care of experimental animals. Where evidence is not yet available, recommendations have been based on field experience and collective expert opinion.
A modified analytical expression to determine the quasi-static pre-indentation loads of metal-faced sandwich beams
Authors: Cagdas Izzet U , Taskin Melis
Published: July 2018

In this study, indentation of metal-faced and foam-cored sandwich beams under the action of quasi-static concentrated loads applied by using a flat punch is studied. First, a modified analytical expression yielding the pre-indentation load, which is based on plastic limit analysis, is developed. Then, indentation tests are conducted on specimens having extruded polystyrene core, and thin and laminated galvanized steel faces are developed to check the validity of the analytical expression. For the cases considered, the experimental results show that the analytical expression developed constitutes a lower bound to the true pre-indentation load. A parametric study is also conducted and the influences of the face sheet lamination parameters on the pre-indentation load are determined.
Contending with the minimum data set: Subjectivity, linearity and dividualising experiences in Improving Access to Psychological Therapies
Authors: Bendall Caroline , McGrath Laura
Published: July 2018

Improving Access to Psychological Therapies has lead to a huge increase in the delivery of psychological therapy within the United Kingdom over the past 10 years. Central to the culture of Improving Access to Psychological Therapies is outcome monitoring, brought into every therapeutic encounter through the compulsory collection of the minimum data set in each session. This article explores the role of compulsory outcome monitoring in service users’ experiences of using Improving Access to Psychological Therapies, with a focus on how these forms are folded into distress, therapy and recovery. Data from a small-scale qualitative study are drawn upon. Thematic analysis was conducted on multimodal interviews with current service users. The article explores the ways in which the minimum data set acted as a ‘quasi object’, exploring three main roles of the minimum data set: as an authorising mediator, an alienating adversary and a deferring gatekeeper. Pictures of therapeutic progress, as presented via outcome measures, often ran counter to users’ reported experience of distress. We conclude that far from being a neutral and objective assessment tool, the minimum data set functions as a living actant in the therapeutic encounter.
Normative paradoxes in 360° journalism: Contested accuracy and objectivity
Authors: Aitamurto Tanja
Published: July 2018

In visual journalism, the adoption of new technologies often leads to renegotiation of normative boundaries, and the case of 360° video is no exception. Two normative paradoxes emerge in journalists’ attempts to deploy 360° video to provide emotionally engaging and factually relevant content. The first paradox is that the 360° view is considered to provide a more accurate representation of events, but the viewer’s freedom to choose the field of view can lead to a less accurate picture of the story. The second paradox is that, by manipulating authentic imagery in the pursuit of more accurate and objective reporting, journalists compromise on traditional notions of accuracy and objectivity. These paradoxes push visual journalism away from the “as is” and toward the “as if,” detaching visual journalism from its naturalistic claims. This leads to increasingly blurred boundaries between journalism and other communication practices such as advertising and propaganda.
Curated journalism: A field theory approach to journalistic production by environmental non-governmental organizations
Authors: Comfort Suzannah Evans , Blankenship Justin
Published: July 2018

Studies of environmental communication have primarily focused on environmental journalism produced in commercial newsrooms. Yet environmental non-governmental organizations have been producing journalism in their publications for more than a century. This study takes a field theory approach to situate this production within the journalistic and non-governmental organization fields. It finds that environmental journalists who write for non-governmental organizations generally follow norms and practices of traditional commercial journalism and that the non-governmental organization field may be borrowing cultural capital from the more powerful journalistic field.
You, me, us – Creating connection: Report on a program to support and empower couples to navigate the challenges of dementia (innovative practice)
Authors: Hill Heather , Yeates Sarah , Donovan Jacinta
Published: July 2018

Dementia support services have generally been directed either towards the person with dementia or towards the care partner; they rarely address the relational challenges to couplehood. This article describes the philosophy, aims and multimodal processes of the Creating Connection program, a six-session program run in 2017 which aimed to support and empower couples to navigate through the changes and challenges of dementia. The authors recommend this as a model for future programs. Such programs, especially when offered soon after a diagnosis of dementia, may steer couples away from pathways of “disintegration” and onto more positive pathways of “reconstruction”.