bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Effect of Message Consistency and Destination-Positioning Brand Strategy Type on Consumer-Based Destination Brand Equity
Authors: Castañeda-García J. A. , Frías-Jamilena D. M. , Del Barrio-García S. , Rodríguez-Molina M. A.
Published: November 2019

Today, communication is a key factor of destination competitiveness. The aim of the present study is to examine the effect of message consistency between different online communication tools on the formation of consumer-based destination brand equity (CBDBE), within two distinct brand positioning strategies (single-destination brand vs. multiple-destination brands). An experimental design is applied to manipulate message consistency (high vs. low) and the type of brand positioning strategy implemented by the destination (single vs. multiple brands). The results demonstrate that when the messages received by the tourist are highly consistent across different channels, branding strategy type exerts no differential effect on CBDBE. By contrast, when the messages present low consistency, a single destination branding strategy generates higher CBDBE than a multiple destination branding strategy. The study makes an original contribution to the literature, showing the interaction between destination branding strategy type and degree of consistency in the messages received by the tourist.
Flexible Work Arrangements and Employee Retention: A Longitudinal Analysis of the Federal Workforces
Authors: Choi Sungjoo
Published: November 2019

Over the past couple of decades the interest in flexible work arrangements has increased. This study conducted a longitudinal analysis of the effects of telework on the reduction of employee voluntary turnover. The agency-level data extracted from Office of Personnel Management’s congressional reports and central personnel data files were analyzed. The results show that agencies with more teleworkers reported less voluntary turnover. Agencies that are more supportive of employees’ teleworking also reported lower voluntary turnover. Organizational characteristics including average pay and length of service, and the proportions of different occupational categories, full-time employment, and women also turned out to have significant effects on voluntary turnover of employees.
The Pre-Deal Phase of Mergers and Acquisitions: A Review and Research Agenda
Authors: Welch Xena , Pavićević Stevo , Keil Thomas , Laamanen Tomi
Published: November 2019

Despite the long-standing research interest in the pre-deal phase of mergers and acquisitions, many important questions remain unanswered. We review and synthesize the extensive but rather fragmented research on this topic area in the fields of management, finance, accounting, and economics. We organize our review according to six themes, that is, deal initiation, target selection, bidding and negotiation, valuation and financing, announcement, and closure, which represent the main categories of activities performed during the pre-deal phase. Our review shows that most of the existing research relies on a rather high-level, simplified, and static conception of the pre-deal phase. On the basis of our review, we put forward a research agenda that calls for a more granular examination of individual activities and decisions, a more comprehensive analysis of the interplay among the different actors involved in the pre-deal phase, a better understanding of the role of the temporal dynamics, and the extension of the theoretical base from variance-based to process-based theorizing.
One of Us: On the Role of Accent and Race in Real-Time In-Group Categorization
Authors: Paladino Maria Paola , Mazzurega Mara
Published: November 2019

In the present research, we investigated the combined role of accent (native vs. nonnative) and race (European native or White vs. nonnative or Black) in real-time in-group categorization among Italian participants. We found that targets presenting mixed cues (i.e., Black persons with a native accent and White persons with a nonnative accent) led to the simultaneous and parallel activation of in-group and out-group representation in the early stage of person perception, showing that both accent and appearance were initially processed. However, later in the process, when accent and appearance did not match, the first played a major role in the participants’ construal of the target as “one of us.” Finally, we examined the role of social identification, beliefs on the importance of language and race, prejudice, social dominance, and contacts with first-generation Italians in the categorization process. Theoretical and applied implications of the findings are discussed.
Ethnic differences in jealousy in Surinam
Authors: Buunk Abraham P. , Dijkstra Pieternel , Leckie Glenn , Dipokarto Dascha
Published: November 2019

The present study examined differences in three types of jealousy (reactive, anxious, and preventive jealousy) between the major ethnic groups in Surinam (Maroons, Creoles, Hindustani, Javanese, and Mixed). About 100 participants from each ethnic group (total n = 500) were interviewed. Results showed differences between the groups in anxious and preventive jealousy, but not in reactive jealousy. More specifically, Maroons reported most anxious and preventive jealousy, followed by Creoles, and Javanese. The Hindustani and Mixed groups reported the lowest levels of anxious and preventive jealousy. These results did not alter after controlling for demographic variables. In addition, differences in jealousy could not be explained by differences between the groups in intrasexual competitiveness and attitudes toward multiple sexual relationships. Findings suggest that whereas preventive jealousy and anxious jealousy are sensitive to cultural influences, reactive jealousy is not. Future studies may further explore the variables that may explain differences in jealousy between ethnic groups in Surinam.
Firefighters’ job stress and the (un)intended consequences of relational quality with spouses and firefighter friends
Authors: Morman Mark T. , Schrodt Paul , Adamson Amber
Published: November 2019

For firefighters, there is reason to believe that relational quality with spouses and firefighter friends might buffer the negative effects of occupational stress both on and off the job. In this study, we examined the associations among firefighters’ relationship quality at work and at home, their job stress, job satisfaction, and quality of work life (QWL). We surveyed 428 male firefighters employed at 12 fire stations across Texas. All but one of our hypotheses were supported, as relationship quality with both wife and firefighter friend emerged as significant, positive predictors of job satisfaction and QWL, whereas job stress emerged as a significant, negative predictor of job satisfaction and QWL. These main effects were qualified by three, significant two-way interaction effects. Whereas the negative effect of stress on job satisfaction and QWL was buffered by relational quality with a firefighter friend, it was exacerbated by relational quality with a spouse. Nevertheless, when a firefighter has strong relational quality at work and at home, the effects of job stress are diminished.
Microvariation in multilingual situations: The importance of property-by-property acquisition
Authors: Westergaard Marit
Published: November 2019

In this article, I argue that first language (L1), second language (L2) and third language (L3) acquisition are fundamentally the same process, based on learning by parsing. Both child and adult learners are sensitive to fine linguistic distinctions, and language development takes place in small steps. While the bulk of the article focuses on crosslinguistic influence in L2/Ln acquisition, I first briefly outline the Micro-cue Model of L1 acquisition (Westergaard, 2009a, 2014), arguing that children build their I-language grammars incrementally, paying attention to small distinctions in syntax and information structure from early on. They are also shown to be conservative learners, generally not producing overt elements or performing movement operations unless there is positive evidence for this in the input, thus minimizing the need for unlearning. I then ask the question how this model fares with respect to multilingual situations, more specifically L2 and L3 acquisition. Discussing both theoretical and empirical evidence, I argue that, although L2 and L3 learners are different from L1 children in that they are not always conservative learners, they are also sensitive to fine linguistic distinctions, in that transfer/crosslinguistic influence takes place on a property-by-property basis. Full Transfer is traditionally understood as wholesale transfer at the initial state of L2 acquisition. However, I argue that it is impossible to distinguish between wholesale and property-by-property transfer in L2 acquisition on empirical grounds. In L3 acquisition, on the other hand, crosslinguistic influence from both previously acquired languages would provide support for property-by-property transfer. I discuss a few such cases and argue for what I call Full Transfer Potential (FTP), rather than Full (wholesale) Transfer, within the Linguistic Proximity Model (LPM) of L3 acquisition. Thus, rather than assuming that ‘everything does transfer’, I argue that ‘anything may transfer’.
Semantic modeling for education of library and information sciences in Iran, based on Soft Systems Methodology
Authors: Radfar Amir Hessam , Fahimnia Fatima , Esmaeili Mohammad Reza , Beheshti Moluk al-Sadat
Published: November 2019

Reviewing the recently published texts in the field of library and information science education indicates some fundamental problems in this pedagogic process. According to different factors dealing with the process, confronting the challenges is considered as complex issues. Therefore, in this research Soft Systems Methodology, an action research method, was chosen to propose a comprehensive model to solve the mentioned problems. Based on the Checkland seven proposed stages, the problem situation was identified, and then it was expressed in the form of a rich picture. Driving root definitions and the CATWOE model were cleared to accomplish the conceptual model. Comparison of the conceptual model to the real world, also proposing feasible and desired changes are the fifth and sixth stages of the research. Finally, taking action to improve the current situation in the field of LIS education finished the procedure. Utilizing the steps of Soft Systems Methodology, this research draws the rich picture illustrating the process of LIS education and its issues dealing with the related ecosystem. Accordingly, the final model consisting of three ontologies was attained. To validate the semantic model, Cohen’s kappa coefficient was calculated. The model, approved by high level of expert agreement, not only can be an appropriate solution for the problems involved in library and information science education in Iran, but also can be considered as a pattern for future researches in designation and implementation of a semantic model of education in other disciplines.
Treatment of patients with cervical and upper thoracic incomplete spinal cord injury using repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation
Authors: Leszczyńska Katarzyna , Wincek Agnieszka , Fortuna Wojciech , Huber Juliusz , Łukaszek Jagoda , Okurowski Stefan , Chmielak Krzysztof , Tabakow Paweł
Published: November 2019

Purpose:

To evaluate the short- and long-term effectiveness of repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation with parameters based on results of comparative neurophysiological studies in patients with incomplete spinal cord injury. Results may help to understand mechanisms responsible for regeneration of the incomplete spinal cord after injury.

Methods:

Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation sessions (three to five sessions per month for not less than 5 months) to 15 patients with C4-Th2 incomplete spinal cord injury were applied with individually designed parameters. One session consisted of bilateral stimulation of the primary motor cortex (for 10 min each with 800 stimuli in 2-s lasting trains and the inter-train intervals of 28 s) with frequency at 20–22 Hz and stimulus strength that was 70%–80% of the resting motor threshold (0.84–0.96 T). Recordings of surface electromyography at rest and during the attempt of maximal muscle contractions and motor evoked potentials were performed from abductor pollicis brevis and tibialis anterior muscles bilaterally. Amplitude parameters of surface electromyography and motor evoked potentials were used as outcomes. All neurophysiological tests were comparatively applied before and after treatment.

Results:

Decrease in surface electromyography amplitudes recorded at rest from abductor pollicis brevis (p = 0.009), increase in surface electromyography amplitudes during maximal contraction of abductor pollicis brevis (p = 0.03) and increase in motor evoked potential parameters recorded from abductor pollicis brevis (p = 0.04) were found.

Conclusion:

Proposed repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation algorithm reduced the increased muscle tension in upper extremity muscles, improved the function of upper extremity muscle motor units and slightly improved the transmission of efferent neural impulses within spinal pathways. Besides functional recovery in descending spinal pathways, repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation may also inhibit inevitable pathological changes in nerves.
Measuring the Quantity and Quality of Explicit Instructional Interactions in an Empirically Validated Tier 2 Kindergarten Mathematics Intervention
Authors: Doabler Christian T. , Clarke Ben , Kosty Derek , Fien Hank , Smolkowski Keith , Liu Meijia , Baker Scott K.
Published: November 2019

Instructional interactions that occur between teachers and students around foundational mathematics topics are critical for supporting mathematical proficiency among students with mathematics learning disabilities (MLD). This study investigated whether the initial mathematics skill of 880 kindergarten students at risk of MLD predicted the quantity and quality of explicit instructional interactions (i.e., overt teacher modeling, student practice opportunities, and academic feedback) experienced during an empirically validated Tier 2 kindergarten mathematics intervention. It also examined whether the quantity and quality of such instructional interactions predicted gains in student mathematics achievement. Researchers conducted 740 direct observations of 255 intervention groups within a multiyear, randomized controlled trial. Results suggested that intervention groups with lower initial mathematics skill received higher rates of academic feedback and made more frequent errors. In addition, more frequent and higher quality academic feedback and group practice opportunities predicted increased mathematics achievement. Implications for investigating the active ingredients of mathematics interventions are discussed.
Nature of Retirement and Loneliness: The Moderating Roles of Social Support
Authors: Shin Oejin , Park Sojung , Amano Takashi , Kwon Eunsun , Kim BoRin
Published: November 2019

Drawing from the social convoy model, this study investigates whether the nature of retirement (voluntary or involuntary) influences loneliness among retirees, and how different social support types may affect this association. Data come from the 2014 Health and Retirement Study ( N = 2,055). Five social support types were identified: weak, ambivalent, strong positive, children strain, and family strain. Involuntary retirement was associated with a higher level of loneliness; however, involuntarily retired individuals with strong positive social support had a relatively lower level of loneliness. Findings from this study suggest that social support may alleviate the negative impacts of involuntary retirement. Our research provides a theoretical basis for developing a practical program to reduce the negative impacts of involuntary retirement on well-being.
The Development and Dynamics of Public–Private Partnerships in the Philippines’ Education: A Counterintuitive Case of School Choice, Competition, and Privatization
Authors: Termes Andreu , Edwards D. Brent , Verger Antoni
Published: November 2019

Educational public–private partnerships (EPPP) have been widely implemented in the Philippines, primarily through the Education Service Contracting (ESC) voucher. Yet, the effects of this voucher on privatization of education, school choice, and competition dynamics remain largely understudied. This article addresses this gap through an investigation of families’ school choice patterns and schools’ logics of action in the Philippines’ education. Paradoxically, despite the pro-private sector impetus of the Philippine government and the implementation of the voucher scheme, the privatization of school provision in the Philippines is diminishing, and the schools receiving the voucher are becoming increasingly unaffordable for the poor families to whom the voucher was initially targeted. In parallel, despite its initial equity focus, the voucher has led to different patterns of school choice among families and to an array of responses by schools, both of which have combined to accentuate school segregation and stratification dynamics—between and within schools.
Toward a Global Political Sociology of School Choice Policies
Authors: Lingard Bob
Published: November 2019

This paper on the political sociology of school choice policies has been written as a supplement to the essays in the 2020 Politics of Education Association Yearbook and locates them in cognate literatures. In addition, the papers are situated against the changing political and global contexts of such policies, as global pressures, discourses, and policyscapes have been recently challenged to some extent by the rise of new nationalisms and ethno-nationalism in many nations across the globe. School choice policies are linked with practices of marketization, privatization, and commercialization and some conceptual clarification is proffered. Policy is defined as referring to processes, framing discourses, and specific texts. Statecraft (logics and working of the state) has been reconstituted by these changes, with one important often over-looked element of this craft being scalecraft (work creating the scales of policies), that is, policy work on constituting local, national, regional, and global relationships and scales.
Flow resistance coefficient analysis of left anterior descending artery stenosis: A preliminary study
Authors: Liu Jian , Yu Fan , Zhang Yu
Published: November 2019

As a non-invasive diagnosis method, computed tomographic angiography–based computational fluid dynamics is used to estimate fractional flow reserve of coronary arteries (FFRct). However, FFRct uses hypothetical hemodynamic flow conditions, and thus FFRct might cause mismatches (fractional flow reserve > 0.8) with invasive fractional flow reserve (≤0.8). Additional computational fluid dynamics–based criteria are still needed to improve the accuracy of non-invasive diagnosis. In this article, a new concept of computed tomographic angiography–based flow resistance coefficient (FRCct) is proposed, and it tests pressure drops at coronary arteries under different blood flow rates and returns two constant flow resistance coefficients (A and B) for each artery. Specifically, 30 patients who were suspected to meet the treatment indication of their left anterior descending stenosis were tested with invasive fractional flow reserve and FRCct. The invasive fractional flow reserve divided the patients into a safe group (invasive fractional flow reserve > 0.8, 15 patients) and a sick group (invasive fractional flow reserve ≤ 0.8, 15 patients). A following FRCct indicated that the flow resistance coefficient always displayed a low value (A = 0.0039 ± 2.7e–5; B = 0.079 ± 0.0025) for the safe group, while the flow resistance coefficient always exhibited a high value (A = 0.0235 ± 0.001; B = 0.270 ± 0.108) for the sick group. The results of the statistical test indicated that the p-value was less than 0.05 for both A and B of the two groups. In conclusion, in addition to the FFRct, FRCct is a supplementary non-invasive method to evaluate the treatment indication of left anterior descending stenosis.
The ECB as Lender of Last Resort in the Eurozone? An analysis of an optimal institutional design of Emergency Liquidity Assistance competence within the context of the Banking Union
Authors: Dietz Sara Elisa
Published: November 2019

The latest financial crises in Europe and the United States have reminded us of the importance of the role of central banks as Lender of Last Resort. This article examines the current legal framework in the European Union with regard to the allocation of Lender of Last Resort competence, which until now has been exercised by the national central banks in the Eurozone. The new Emergency Liquidity Assistance Agreement 2017 sustains this institutional design, leaves the Emergency Liquidity Assistance competence with the national central banks and specifies the cooperation between the European Central Bank and the national central banks with regard to the veto-option of the European Central Bank to national Emergency Liquidity Assistance operations. Against this background, the paper discusses whether the current legal competence structure of the European and Monetary Union would also allow for more authority of the European Central Bank with regard to Emergency Liquidity Assistance powers. The paper concludes there is a sufficient legal basis in the monetary policy and financial stability mandate of the European Central Bank to allow it to grant Emergency Liquidity Assistance at least with regard to ‘significant’ banks, as defined under the current European Banking Supervision regime.
Two methods for genotyping a 4-base deletion in the canine ABCB1 gene
Authors: Silvestro Carolina A. , Soria Liliana A. , Conte Adriana , Marrube Graciela
Published: November 2019

A 4-bp deletion (c.230_233delATAG) of the ABCB1 gene, frequently found in various dog breeds, results in intolerance to certain drugs routinely used in veterinary medicine, including many chemotherapeutic agents and macrocyclic lactones. The use of rapid and reliable genetic testing is fundamental for early detection of the mutation and prevention of undesirable toxicoses. We developed and compared 2 genotyping tests: PCR–high-resolution melting (PCR-HRM) and PCR–restriction-fragment length polymorphism (PCR-RFLP) to identify the 4-bp deletion in the ABCB1 gene of canine breeds. Amplified PCR products were sequenced in order to confirm different genotypes. Both techniques were efficient in discriminating homozygous wild-type, homozygous mutated, and heterozygous ABCB1 genotypes, and proved to be reproducible and economical methods. The HRM analysis, a sensitive and specific method for the molecular detection of genetic disorders, does not require labeled probes, processing, or separations after PCR.
Program and Instructional Strategies Supportive of Doctoral Students’ Degree Completion
Authors: Hill Lilian H. , Conceição Simone C. O.
Published: November 2019

Doctoral education demands significant time, energy, financial, and emotional commitments. Depending on the characteristics of the doctoral student, barriers to completion and challenges with the doctoral process can require unique types of support. The purpose of this article is to examine perspectives expressed in the literature of varied disciplines regarding program and instructional support strategies that lead to doctoral student progress to degree completion. The article concludes with program and instructional support implications for adult educators.
“I Just Feel Like I Always Did”: Inotropic Dependency at End of Life
Authors: Latimer Abigail , Pope Natalie D. , McFarlin Jessica M.
Published: November 2019

Background:

Patients not considered for mechanical circulatory support or heart transplant may be dependent on inotropic therapy at end of life. End-of-life conversations in advanced heart failure can be challenging for providers, but guidelines recommend frequent goals-of-care conversations when inotropes are used as a palliative treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify aspects of care pertinent for health-care professionals working with patients in end-stage heart failure who are receiving continuous inotropic support.

Methods:

Qualitative analysis was used to examine 3 audio-recorded semistructured interviews with 1 patient, her family, and her cardiologist. The selected patient was an older adult, diagnosed with advanced heart failure, and dependent on continuous inotropic therapy with no other advanced treatment options available.

Results:

The analysis revealed that (1) reliance on others, (2) contending with uncertainty, and (3) deciding when to discontinue inotropic support were identified as themes central to the patient’s and provider’s experience.

Conclusion:

This study offers insight into how to best support and communicate with patients having advanced heart failure who are dependent on continuous inotropic therapy at end of life.
Investigation on a semi-active hydraulic damping strut to reduce vehicle in situ shift vibration
Authors: Wang Dao-Yong , Zhang Wen-Can , Zeng Xia-Guang
Published: November 2019

In order to reduce the shock and vibration caused by torque disturbance of the gearbox in vehicles equipped with automatic transmission in the process of in situ shift, a novel semi-active hydraulic damping strut is introduced in the powertrain mounting system. The dynamic response evaluation indexes of vehicle in situ shift are put forward, and a 13-degree of freedom vehicle dynamic model including the semi-active hydraulic damping strut is established. The optimized dynamic characteristic parameters are acquired according to the principle of sharing force and the 13-degree of freedom vehicle dynamic model. The dynamic response evaluation indexes with and without the semi-active hydraulic damping strut are calculated using the 13-degree of freedom vehicle dynamic model in the process of in situ shift, and the calculation results show that the vibration of a vehicle can be reduced by the introduction of a semi-active hydraulic damping strut. Experiments are carried out to analyze the vibration response of the vehicle with and without a semi-active hydraulic damping strut, and the results show that the shock and vibration of the vehicle are reduced by introducing the semi-active hydraulic damping strut. The theoretical calculation values of active-side acceleration of the engine mount and torque strut are consistent with the experimental values, which show that the 13-degree of freedom vehicle dynamic model is reasonable.
Black Epistemologies and Blues Methodology: Engaging Liminal Ontological Space in Qualitative Research
Authors: Speight Vaughn Melissa
Published: November 2019

This article demonstrates how liminality provides methodological possibilities that consider affective, social, and cultural knowledge domains in interdisciplinary qualitative research. Arguing that researching perspectives of liminal citizens whose intellectual traditions exist outside the bonds of the most liberal citizenship conceptions requires liminal ontological space for researchers to un think the research process. In this blues poetic narrative, I recount how Black Studies liminal concepts of alterity, blues epistemology, and forms of life twisted in my research praxis informing a critical culturally appropriate methodology which is the blues methodology. The methodology is a social inquiry designed to use community knowledge to identity and address issues of democratic governance, spatial displacement, and educational equity. Situated within the Black Studies theoretical perspective, blues methodology employs cultural tools to create liminal ontological space for historically marginalized Black epistemologies to challenge and recreate citizenship knowledge and practices from the alterity vantage point.
Progressive Economic Development Policies: A Square PED in a Round Hole
Authors: Filion Pierre , Reese Laura A. , Sands Gary
Published: November 2019

It has become increasingly difficult to define progressive municipalities and progressive economic development. Conceptions of “local economic development” tied to neoliberal agendas are often narrow, focusing on efforts to offset perceived disadvantages of a location. Many traditional incentive policies result in a transfer of wealth from the public to the private sector. In this article, we consider whether the introduction of progressive economic development policies into the present neoliberal context might result in improved outcomes in terms of increased equity and democratic empowerment. However, progressive policies in one sector of intervention can yield nonprogressive outcomes in another. We conclude that progressive economic development policies are likely an oxymoron and recommend a complete reconceptualization of what “economic development” means.
‘Danish women put up with less’: Gender equality and the politics of denial in Denmark
Authors: Leine Marie , Mikkelsen Henrik Hvenegaard , Sen Atreyee
Published: November 2019

In 2014, the European Union Agency for Fundamental Rights ranked Denmark as the European Union country with the highest occurrence of male physical violence and sexual assault against women. This report was described as ‘grotesque’, ‘misguided’ and ‘untrustworthy’ in the Danish mainstream media, which cited a number of prominent political commentators and expert researchers who debunked these findings. Using this case of overt public rejection of violent and white masculinity as a central analytical thread, this article explores how the invisiblization of Danish male violence, as well as the projection of sexual aggression onto minority communities, produces a peculiar politics of denial and denialism in Denmark. The authors argue that the nationalist myth of gender equality branded within the Danish mainstream media and society is a variety of gender exceptionalism; which in turn generates racist, reactionary and suppressive ideologies on violence, racial discrimination and social inequality.
7T MRI cerebral leptomeningeal enhancement is common in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis and is associated with cortical and thalamic lesions
Authors: Zurawski Jonathan , Tauhid Shahamat , Chu Renxin , Khalid Fariha , Healy Brian C , Weiner Howard L , Bakshi Rohit
Published: November 2019

Background:

Meningeal inflammation may contribute to gray matter (GM) involvement in multiple sclerosis (MS) and is proposed to manifest as magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) leptomeningeal enhancement (LME).

Objective:

To investigate how LME relates to GM lesions in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis (RRMS) at 7T.

Methods:

A total of 30 RRMS subjects (age (mean ± standard deviation (SD)): 44.0 ± 11.3 years, 93% on disease-modifying treatment) and 15 controls underwent gadolinium-enhanced three-dimensional (3D) MP2RAGE (magnetization-prepared 2 rapid gradient-echo) and fluid-attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) MRI. LME, cortical lesions (CLs), thalamic lesions (TLs), and white matter (WM) lesions were expert-quantified. Wilcoxon rank-sum, two-sample t-tests, Spearman correlations, and regression models were employed.

Results:

Two-thirds (20/30) of MS subjects and 1/15 controls (6.7%) had LME. LME+ MS subjects had 2.7 ± 1.5 foci, longer disease duration (14.9 ± 10.4 vs. 8.1 ± 5.7 years, p = 0.028), increased CL number (21.5 ± 12.6 vs. 5.5 ± 5.0, p < 0.001) and volume (0.80 ± 1.13 vs. 0.13 ± 0.13 mL, p = 0.002), and increased TL number (3.95 ± 2.11 vs. 0.70 ± 1.34, p < 0.001) and volume (0.106 ± 0.09 vs. 0.007 ± 0.01 mL, p < 0.001) versus LME– subjects. LME focus number correlated more highly with CL ( rs = 0.50, p = 0.01) and TL ( rs = 0.81, p < 0.001) than WM lesion ( rs = 0.34, p > 0.05) volume. Similar LME–CL number associations were observed in unadjusted and WM lesion–adjusted comparisons (both p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Cerebral LME is common in RRMS at 7T and is independently associated with GM injury. We hypothesize that cerebrospinal fluid (CSF)-related inflammation links cortical and thalamic injury.
Association of comorbid depression with inpatient outcomes in critical limb ischemia
Authors: Zahner Greg J , Cortez Abigail , Duralde Erin , Ramirez Joel L , Wang Sue , Hiramoto Jade , Cohen Beth E , Wolkowitz Owen M , Arya Shipra , Hills Nancy K , Grenon S Marlene
Published: November 2019

There is a growing body of evidence that peripheral artery disease (PAD) may be impacted by depression. The objective of this study is to determine whether outcomes, primarily major amputation, differ between patients with depression and those without who presented to hospitals with critical limb ischemia (CLI), the end-stage of PAD. A retrospective cohort of patients hospitalized for CLI during 2012 and 2013 was identified from the National Inpatient Sample (NIS) using ICD-9 codes. The primary outcome was major amputation and secondary outcomes were length of stay and other complications. The sample included 116,008 patients hospitalized for CLI, of whom 10,512 (9.1%) had comorbid depression. Patients with depression were younger (64 ± 14 vs 67 ± 14 years, p < 0.001) and more likely to be female (55% vs 41%, p < 0.001), white (73% vs 66%, p < 0.001), and tobacco users (46% vs 41%, p < 0.001). They were also more likely to have prior amputations (9.8% vs 7.9%, p < 0.001). During the hospitalization, the rate of major amputation was higher in patients with comorbid depression (11.5% vs 9.1%, p < 0.001). In multivariable analysis, excluding patients who died prior to/without receiving an amputation ( n = 2621), comorbid depression was associated with a 39% increased odds of major amputation (adjusted OR 1.39, 95% CI 1.30, 1.49; p < 0.001). Across the entire sample, comorbid depression was also independently associated with a slightly longer length of stay (β = 0.199, 95% CI 0.155, 0.244; p < 0.001). These results provide further evidence that depression is a variable of interest in PAD and surgical quality databases should include mental health variables to enable further study.
Transgressive Mexicana sexualities and the promise of progress
Authors: Russo Garrido Anahi
Published: November 2019

Latin American and Latina women's sexualities have often been represented, and theorized, along the terms of sexual morality, restraint and emancipation. In this article, I explore how sexual norms have changed for women in queer spaces in Mexico City over the past two decades. I suggest that sexual practices that were characterized as transgressive in 2000 became normalized in lesbian circles in the following decade, in the 2010s. Ten years of public discussions on sexual education, abortion, anti-discrimination laws, same-sex unions, and in lesbian circles on polyamory had taken place transforming gender and sexual subjectivities. Ultimately, as I reflect on change regarding gender and sexualities, I caution against the tendency of depicting social transformations in a linear process, which risks drawing on teleological narratives of progress.
PrEP (HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis) and its possibilities for clinical practice
Authors: Nicholls Emily Jay , Rosengarten Marsha
Published: November 2019

In this article, we reflect on the possibilities that PrEP (HIV pre-exposure prophylaxis) raises for HIV specialist clinicians. Often neglected, yet a direct participant at the intersection of a complex tension within public health debates on how to reduce HIV transmission and the sexual sociability of individuals, we reflect on current thinking of health practitioners involved in the day-to-day practice of prescribing PrEP. Drawing on interviews with practitioners in the context of UK sexual health and HIV specialist medicine, while bearing in mind neoliberal critiques and process studies of medical science, we propose that PrEP invites the possibility for reconstituting approaches to sex and risk.
Creep of concrete-filled steel tube considering creep-recovery of the concrete core
Authors: Mei Shengqi , Wang Yuanfeng , Zou Ruofei , Long Yunpeng , Zhang Jiechao
Published: November 2019

Concrete creep results in the strain increment of concrete-filled steel tube. In this article, a new method was established for creep prediction of concrete-filled steel tube considering the creep-recovery effect of the concrete core with creep model and separate creep-recovery model, named two-function method. Five creep models including the recent proposed B4 model and two separate creep-recovery models were used in the method. First, the creep models were compared with 197 test curves of creep of sealed concrete. The results show that the B4 model offers the highest prediction accuracy for load duration time longer than 200 days. Then, the two-function method was used for creep prediction of normal strength concrete-filled steel tube and high-strength concrete-filled steel tube. For comparison, the creep prediction method for concrete-filled steel tube based on the principle of superposition was also adopted. The principle of superposition did not predict the creep of concrete-filled steel tube accurately. The calculation results based on the two-function method are closer to the test data, especially for normal strength concrete-filled steel tube. Finally, the uncertainty of creep in concrete-filled steel tube was analyzed considering the variability of the concrete strength. The results indicate that the variances calculated by the methods with the MC 2010 creep model are smaller than that of the B4 model. The creep strains of concrete-filled steel tube calculated by the two-function method are subject to normal distribution.
Signal-segments cross-coherence method for nonlinear structural damage detection using free-vibration signals
Authors: Li Yingchao , Sun Wei , Jiang Ruinian , Han Yanqing
Published: November 2019

A damage detection process can be significantly enhanced if the nonlinear effects can be used when extracting damage-sensitive features from measured signals. The coherence function is typically used for nonlinearity identification by determining the extent of the output power linearly correlated with the input. However, the excitations are usually difficult to measure in actual tests. To overcome this limit, this article presents a signal-segments cross-coherence method for nonlinearity identification. By defining a signal-segments cross-coherence matrix and signal-segments cross-coherence index, the method can visually and quantitatively indicate the presence of nonlinearity. The innovation of the new method is that the coherence analysis process only depends on a single output signal, where input and baseline signals are not required. Then, a novel structural damage localization index is constructed by multi-point comparing of the signal-segments cross-coherence indices, based on the assumption that all the measured signals from different points on the structure have the same frequency bandwidth and components. To meet this requirement, a newly proposed signal decomposition method called analytic mode decomposition method is adopted. Numerical studies on a duffing oscillator and a 10 degree-of-freedom spring-damping-mass system were performed to demonstrate the nonlinear identification process and investigate the effectiveness and robustness of the signal-segments cross-coherence-based damage detection method. The results show that the signal-segments cross-coherence method can effectively indicate the appearance of nonlinearity by the signal-segments cross-coherence matrix and signal-segments cross-coherence index with strong noise robustness. And the proposed damage localization index can accurately detect the weak nonlinear damage even with severely noise-polluted signals. To further investigate the applicability of the new method, an experimental study was conducted on a steel simplified scale model of a monopile offshore wind turbine support structure. The results demonstrate that the proposed signal-segments cross-coherence method and the new damage localization index can be used to detect the bolt-loosening damage of the steel structure only with output signals.
Mixing ventilation driven by two oppositely located supply jets with a time-periodic supply velocity: A numerical analysis using computational fluid dynamics
Authors: van Hooff T. , Blocken B.
Published: November 2019

Ventilation is of primary importance for the creation of healthy and comfortable indoor environments and it has a significant impact on the building energy heating and cooling demand. The aim of this study is to assess the application of time-periodic supply velocities to enhance mixing in mixing ventilation cases to reduce heating and cooling energy demands. This paper presents computational fluid dynamics (CFD) simulations of a generic mixing ventilation case, in which the time-averaged velocities and pollutant concentrations from a reference case with constant supply velocities were compared with those obtained from a case with time-periodic supply velocities (sine function). The unsteady Reynolds-averaged Navier-Stokes (URANS) CFD simulations indicate that the use of time-periodic supply velocities can reduce high pollutant concentrations in stagnant regions, reduces the overall time-averaged pollutant concentrations and increases contaminant removal effectiveness with about 20%. The influence of the period of the sine function was assessed and the results showed that for the periods tested, the differences are negligible. Finally, the URANS approach was compared with the large eddy simulations (LES) approach, indicating that URANS leads to very similar results (NMSE < 3.2%) as LES and can thus be regarded as a suitable approach for this study.
Rethinking journalist–politician relations in the age of populism: How outsider politicians delegitimize mainstream journalists
Authors: Van Dalen Arjen
Published: November 2019

The relation between journalists and politicians in liberal democracies is traditionally conceptualized as highly institutionalized, based on mutual dependence, and grounded in a shared culture of jointly respected role relations. While this conceptualization provides a fruitful framework to understand the relation between mainstream journalists and politicians, it falls short in explaining the way outsider politicians such as Beppe Grillo, Donald Trump, Thierry Baudet, or Nigel Farage address the mainstream media. Thus, this article rethinks the relation between journalists and politicians in the light of the Western political-media environment in the 2010s, where the rise of authoritarian populism, the fragmentation of media audiences, and the fading boundaries around the journalistic profession have substantially changed media–politics relations. This article aims to make a theoretical contribution by conceptualizing the relation between outsider politicians and mainstream journalists as an ongoing negotiation over legitimacy. Central in this conceptualization is a classification of five strategies which outsider politicians use to delegitimize mainstream journalists: attacking their character, connecting them with other institutions which are seen as illegitimate, attacking their ethical standards, challenging the claim that journalists work in the public interest, and questioning the beneficial consequences of their work. The consequences of these delegitimation strategies are discussed.
Researching wartime rape in Eastern Congo: why we should continue to talk to survivors?
Authors: Aroussi Sahla
Published: November 2019

This article examines why survivors of rape in conflict take part in academic research and the impact that participating in sexual violence studies has on them. The research is based on 76 qualitative interviews conducted with survivors of sexual violence in the East of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. The study established that survivors of rape were driven to participate in the research mainly because of their need to speak out and share their experiences, but participants were also influenced by the desire to seek advice and their willingness to help others in similar circumstances. The study also showed that most survivors interviewed found the experience of taking part in research beneficial. The article provides key methodological and ethical recommendations for the conduct of similar research in this area, focusing on methods, empathy and the need for researchers to be prepared to go beyond their academic role when engaging with survivors.
Where’s the database in digital ethnography? Exploring database ethnography for open data research
Authors: Burns Ryan , Wark Grace
Published: November 2019

Contemporary cities are witnessing momentous shifts in how institutions and individuals produce and circulate data. Despite recent trends claiming that anyone can create and use data, cities remain marked by persistently uneven access and usage of digital technologies. This is the case as well within the emergent phenomenon of the ‘smart city,’ where open data are a key strategy for achieving ‘smartness,’ and increasingly constitute a fundamental dimension of urban life, governance, economic activity, and epistemology. The digital ethnography has extended traditional ethnographic research practices into such digital realms, yet its applicability within open data and smart cities is unclear. The method has tended to overlook the important roles of particular digital artifacts such as the database in structuring and producing knowledge. In this paper, we develop the database ethnography as a rich methodological resource for open data research. This approach centers the database as a key site for the production and materialization of social meaning. The database ethnography draws attention to the ways digital choices and practices—around database design, schema, data models, and so on—leave traces through time. From these traces, we may infer lessons about how phenomena come to be encoded as data and acted upon in urban contexts. Open databases are, in other words, key ways in which knowledges about the smart city are framed, delimited, and represented. More specifically, we argue that open databases limit data types, categorize and classify data to align with technical specifications, reflect the database designer’s episteme, and (re)produce conceptions of the world. We substantiate these claims through a database ethnography of the open data portal for the city of Calgary, in Western Canada.
How globalization affects consumers: Insights from 30 years of CCT globalization research
Authors: Sharifonnasabi Zahra , Bardhi Fleura , Luedicke Marius K.
Published: November 2019

Understanding how globalization affects consumers is a key concern of international marketing research. Consumer culture theory (CCT) studies contribute to this stream of research by critically examining how globalization affects consumers under different cultural conditions. We offer a systematic narrative synthesis of 30 years of CCT globalization research to gain perspective on this important stream of research. We identify three theoretical perspectives – that is, homogenization, glocalization and deterritorialization – that have shaped the ways in which CCT scholars have approached globalization phenomena. We discuss each perspective with regard to its underlying notion of culture, its assumptions of power relations between countries and the role that it ascribes to individuals in globalization processes. We problematize these perspectives and show how CCT research has challenged and extended each perspective, focusing specifically on consumer empowerment, consumer identity and the symbolic meaning of global brands as substantial domains. Lastly, we discuss avenues for future consumer cultural globalization research.