bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Análise do Parágrafo 16 do L. VII das Confissões, de Santo Agostinho
Authors: Cardoso Cléver
Published: August 2018

Pretendemos analisar o décimo sexto parágrafo do L. VII das Confissões, de Santo Agostinho, tomando como principal mote de análise a noção de espaço local nele contida. Sendo assim, nosso trabalho se engendrará por explicar como o parágrafo 16 se caracteriza como o clímax do L. VII, sendo que ele é o momento central para o abandono da exterioridade em direção de uma interiorização nas Confissões.
Iminência da morte e busca pelo sentido da vida em A morte de Ivan Ilitch
Authors: Gimenes Max Luiz
Published: August 2018

Texto analítico da novela A morte de Ivan Ilitch (1886), de Lev Tolstói (1828-1910), o presente ensaio propõe-se à investigação das relações entre a forma social concreta em que viveu o escritor russo, vista como “ponto de partida” de sua criação artística, e a forma literária construída por ele, o “ponto de chegada” de seu processo criativo, de acordo com a noção de “redução estrutural” proposta por Antonio Candido. Colocando em movimento e diálogo diferentes autores e perspectivas da teoria sociológica, sustenta-se como princípio mediador da passagem de um a outro “ponto”, e, portanto, como elemento de estruturação da narrativa, a tensão entre individualidade e vínculo social no contexto de surgimento da sociedade moderna.
There’s a lot of work to do to turn this thing around: An Interview with Anna Deavere Smith
Authors: Schechner Richard
Published: August 2018

For decades, Anna Deavere Smith has been a pioneer in solo performance art, engaging contemporary issues and social justice. Notes from the Field, the centerpiece of Smith’s latest endeavor, The Pipeline Project, explores the school-to-prison pipeline.
Monumental Propaganda
Authors: Dickerman Leah
Published: August 2018

“Monumental Propaganda” compares the use of monuments by the Soviet Union and supporters of the Southern side in the American Civil War—in particular, the way they claimed ideological territory by proliferating statues of Lenin and Robert E. Lee, respectively. To answer the question of whether an alternative commemorative landscape might be imaginable, the essay turns to The Negro in Virginia (1940), a book devoted to the historical achievements of black citizenry in America. The book's endpapers present an illustrated map of Virginia indicating sites where black Americans played a critical historical, economic, and/or cultural role. In a book that can itself be seen as a kind of counter-monument to those extolling the Lost Cause, the map presents a vision of monuments that might have been.
“The Italian Job”: Approaching and Tackling Diffuse Soil Pollution in the EU and the Italian Context
Authors: Bevilacqua Paolo , Fermeglia Matteo , Toneatti Luca , Dore Salvatore
Published: August 2018

Diffuse soil pollution is an example of damage caused by human activities and can be understood in the urban context as a combination of causes due to the presence of various and multiple sources of contamination, such as: car traffic, industrial activities and heating. Importantly, the steadfast expansion of city districts over time has brought either industrial activities to enclose residential areas or (although in a few cases) neighborhoods to envelop previously highly industrialized areas. In Italy, both phenomena represent a widely acknowledged reality, e.g., the municipalities of Taranto and Trieste.

Yet, despite the widespread awareness of the impact of this form of pollution on natural resources and human health, EU environmental legislation depicts an overall picture of fragmentation and poor coordination. Thus, Italian local administrations are striving to devise appropriate methodologies and planificatory measures to bridge such regulatory gap and ultimately find an adequate and comprehensive solution to the problem.
Variations on the Myth of the Abduction of Ganymede
Authors: Strolonga Polyxeni
Published: August 2018

This article explores the verbal and the mythological intertextuality of the archaic Greek sources that relate the abduction of Ganymede and either omit or overemphasize the compensation of horses provided by Zeus to Ganymede’s father. By employing focalization, I trace the myth’s re-presentation in different narrative contexts and I investigate its reception by Hellanicus and Apollodorus. I argue that although the myth is tailored differently according to the narrative purposes of each work, its narratological function as a hortatory analepsis and a celebratory myth is consistent.
First record of Trochochaeta japonica (Annelida: Spionidae) in Brazil with identification key to species of the genus
Authors: RADASHEVSKY VASILY I. , RIZZO ALEXANDRA E. , PEIXOTO ANTONIO J. M.
Published: August 2018

Polychaetes of the spionid genus Trochochaeta occur mainly in the northern hemisphere, including North and Central America. In South America, they have been reported only from the northeast region of Brazil – Sergipe and Paraíba – despite numerous biological investigations around the continent. In 2006, a dense population (up to 7000 individuals per square meter) of Trochochaeta was discovered in the estuary of Santos, São Paulo, Brazil, hosting the busiest container sea port in Latin America, and in 2008, one Trochochaeta specimen was found in Camamu Bay, Bahia. We identify these worms as Trochochaeta japonica Imajima, 1989 and describe and illustrate their morphology. This is the first record of the species from outside of its type locality in Honshu, Japan. It might have been introduced to the estuary of Santos as larvae in ballast water of ocean-going vessels. We review the systematics of Trochochaeta and provide an identification key to 12 currently recognized species.
On Mapping the Diapycnal Water Mass Transformation of the Upper North Atlantic Ocean
Authors: Xu Xiaobiao , Rhines Peter B. , Chassignet Eric P.
Published: August 2018

Diapycnal water mass transformation is the essence behind the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC) and the associated heat/freshwater transports. Existing studies have mostly focused on the transformation that is forced by surface buoyancy fluxes, and the role of interior mixing is much less known. This study maps the three-dimensional structure of the diapycnal transformation, both surface forced and mixing induced, using results of a high-resolution numerical model that have been shown to represent the large-scale structure of the AMOC and the North Atlantic subpolar/subtropical gyres well. The analyses show that 1) annual mean transformation takes place seamlessly from the subtropical to the subpolar North Atlantic following the surface buoyancy loss along the northward-flowing upper AMOC limb; 2) mixing, including wintertime convection and warm-season restratification by mesoscale eddies in the mixed layer and submixed layer diapycnal mixing, drives transformations of (i) Subtropical Mode Water in the southern part of the subtropical gyre and (ii) Labrador Sea Water in the Labrador Sea and on its southward path in the western Newfoundland Basin; and 3) patterns of diapycnal transformations toward lighter and denser water do not align zonally—the net three-dimensional transformation is significantly stronger than the zonally integrated, two-dimensional AMOC streamfunction (50% in the southern subtropical North Atlantic and 60% in the western subpolar North Atlantic).
An experimental investigation of the effects of point angle on the high-speed steel drills performance in drilling
Authors: Demir Zülküf
Published: August 2018

The differences in the cutting speed are a serious problem along the cutting edge of the drill, in drilling operations. This problem can partly be solved reducing the length of the cutting edge via changing the drill point angle. In addition, in this study, the effect of point angle, feed rate, and cutting speed on drilling is investigated. For identifying the optimum cutting parameters, AISI 1050 steel alloy was selected as the experimental specimen, these specimen were pre-drilled 5 mm in diameter due to eliminating the effect of the chisel edge. In the experiments, the holes were drilled only at a depth of 10 mm in order not to give any harm to the dynamometer while measuring thrust force. For this aim, in drilling process, drills with point angle of 100°, 118°, 136°, 154°, and 172° were selected. In conclusion, the thrust force, the tool wear, and the surface roughness linearly decreased with increasing point angles due to less removal chip area, in per revolve of the tool. However, the thrust force, the tool wear, and the surface roughness were adversely affected at higher feed rates and lower cutting speeds. The hole dimensional accuracy decreased at lower feed rates and cutting speeds but at higher point angles and concurrently at higher feed rates but lower point angles and cutting speeds. However, the hole dimensional accuracy showed more decisiveness at 118° than other point angles, while the highest dimensional accuracy values recorded at 136° point angle, at higher cutting speeds.
Shifting Contours of India’s Asian Relations
Authors: Uttam Jitendra , Kim Chanwahn
Published: August 2018

This article analyses Asia’s changing structural dynamics impacting India’s relations with the region, post-Independence. Earlier, liberalism, realism and nationalism actively shaped India’s foreign policy choices; however in recent times, a contradictory processes marked by the emergent domestic constraints originating from the failure in India’s economic development meets with the unfolding international opportunities due to China’s phenomenal rise and its growing contestation. This volatile mix of constraints and opportunities forms a paradox that lies at the core of India’s changing foreign policy behaviour towards Asia. Theoretically, India has been quick to decipher ‘advantages of being backward’ (Gerschenkron) and use them in a manner that promotes its national interests. India is trying to counter Beijing promoted ‘economic interdependence’ by US-led ‘political interdependence’. The article argues that China’s economic ascendancy compare to India’s economic backwardness has unleashed genuine fear that East Asia is heading to be under China. Consequently, USA, Japan, India and Australia seem to be inching towards a ‘quadrilateral consensus’ aimed at resisting Chinese hegemony over Asia. This incremental desire to contest Beijing has thrown open an international opportunity for India, which is much bigger than the constraints, imposed by its persistent economic backwardness.
India and Central and Eastern Europe
Authors: Kugiel Patryk , Upadhyay Dinoj Kumar
Published: August 2018

The end of the Cold War and subsequent geo-political developments had transformative impact on India’s relations with the Central and Eastern Europe (CEE). Consequently, India and CEE countries recalibrated their foreign policies, but changed external orientations did not augment their bilateral relationships. Their political interactions became less frequent and economic linkages relatively modest. Despite a positive mutual perception, cultural and people-to-people contacts are not so vibrant and extensive. Since the 1990s, India and CEE have registered reasonably impressive economic growth. They have been pursuing economic reforms and taking initiatives for building digital and physical infrastructure for facilitating further growth and development and greater integration with the global economy. Therefore, an urge for enhancing India–CEE partnership now seems gradually gaining momentum, and positive measures, new synergies have been evolving. India’s multiple programmes ranging from ‘Make in India’, ‘Clean India’ to Skill India’ offer opportunities for enhancing cooperation. While taking a brief account of historical relationship between India and the CEE, the article analyses contemporary status of their relations. Finally, it examines the untapped potential of India–CEE cooperation, major challenges and prospective policy orientations.
India–US Strategic Partnership: Shifting American Perspectives on Engaging India
Authors: Vijayalakshmi K.P.
Published: August 2018

India–US relationship oscillated unevenly due to the politics of the Cold War. Post-Cold War, both countries have taken gradual, positive steps towards each other. While President Bill Clinton established a tilt towards India during his second term, George Bush ushered a transformational shift in the relationship that led to the Next Steps in Strategic Partnership and eventually to the path-breaking Civil Nuclear Cooperation Agreement. Since then relations have been steadily improving with the Obama presidency moving in the same direction. The joint incentives for New Delhi and Washington have ranged from counterterrorism, defence cooperation, cyber security, trade and economics, agriculture, education and science and technology cooperation. Apart from the interest of mutual gains, the relationship was further influenced by the enormous geopolitical changes unfolding in the region. The mutual concern over the ‘peaceful rise’ of China followed by its aggressive foreign policy and active military presence especially in the India Ocean region has created fresh opportunities to both. However, irrespective of the strategic potential of the relationship and the strong political will at both ends, Indo -US ties have their own share of irritants in several spheres. Recognizing the complex narrative of converging and diverging interests functioning under the ambit of strategic partnership, this article examines the constraints and imperatives, and the main determinants that drive the relationship in the post-9/11 era. Various triggers and catalysts in US’ internal policy process apart from the geopolitical factors that led to the growing engagement with India are examined.
India–Japan Relations
Authors: Choudhury Srabani Roy
Published: August 2018

Prime Minister Mori’s visit to India in 2000 began a new era in the India–Japan partnership, resulting in a surge in Japanese aid and investment into India. Japanese aid facilitated infrastructure development, health, water and sanitation programmes of India. Japanese investment also predominantly flowed into the automobile and the electronic sectors. The relationship followed the standard practice that was witnessed in Japan’s relations with other countries in Asia. However, Koizumi’s visit in 2005 brought a ‘strategic’ component into the purview of the India–Japan partnership. From 2010 onwards, especially with Shinzo Abe’s ascendency as the premier of Japan in 2012, this relationship further strengthened the strategic trajectory. China’s growing presence in the Indian Ocean and in the Asian region and the changing priorities of the US have drawn the two nations closer, strengthening economic cooperation between the two countries by diverting the Japanese investment to long-term infrastructure projects and many public–private partnerships which address the strategic concerns. The main focus of this article is to highlight how the relationship between India and Japan no longer rests only on ‘complementary economic needs’, but rather that this economic cooperation is being used as a tool to gain strategic strength in the larger canvas of the ‘Indo-Pacific region’.
Are Liberal Governments More Cooperative? Voting Trends at the UN in Five Anglophone Democracies
Authors: Hanania Richard
Published: August 2018

Among both elites and the mass public, conservatives and liberal differ in their foreign policy preferences. Relatively little effort, however, has been put toward showing that, beyond the use of force, these differences affect the day-to-day outputs and processes of foreign policy. This article uses United Nations voting data from 1946 to 2008 of the five major Anglophone democracies of the United States, the United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand to show that each of these countries votes more in line with the rest of the world when liberals are in power. This can be explained by ideological differences between conservatives and liberals and the ways in which the socializing power of international institutions interact with preexisting ideologies. The results hope to encourage more research into the ways in which ideological differences among the masses and elites translate into differences in foreign policy goals and practices across governments.
Modeling Student Teachers’ Information-Seeking Behaviors While Learning With Network-Based Tutors
Authors: Poitras Eric G. , Fazeli Negar , Mayne Zachary R.
Published: August 2018

Information seeking and acquisition is fundamental to learning from hypermedia, but student teachers often fail to regulate their own learning. A total of 68 students learned with either a static or a dynamic version of nBrowser, a network-based tutor that adapted recommendations of online resources to support information seeking and acquisition. Results indicated that the student teachers’ ratings for the usefulness of online resources can be predicted with 69% accuracy and 77% accuracy on the entire data set using the fully specified model. The learner model is discussed in designing a recommender system that supports information-seeking behaviors in the context of network-based tutoring systems.
Perceived Longitudinal Effects of SLMTs
Authors: Burrows Dominique , Snyder Stephen J. , Ferro Andrew
Published: August 2018

This current study analyzed the long-term holistic development of intercultural competency in undergraduates who participated in a short-term service-learning missions trip (SLMT). We compared alumni who had participated in the program against a control group who did not. As expected, the SLMT group had significantly higher perceived intercultural competency in the scales of Knowledge, Awareness, Behavior, Intrapersonal and Interpersonal Growth, Intellect, and Spirituality. It was also found that alumni who participated in the SLMT in conjunction with a study abroad trip experienced significantly higher gains in all eight of the competency scales when compared to those who only participated in the SLMT and the control group. Furthermore, there were no significant differences found between the SLMT time cohorts (2–7, 8–13 post-experience) for six of the eight competencies. We conclude by discussing how the intentional use of preparation, reflection, and debriefing are critical for perceived changes in short-term missions’ experiences.
A Winnicottian Approach to Biblical Lament: Developing a True Self in the Midst of Suffering
Authors: Torr Stephen C.
Published: August 2018

There is a growing awareness within Christian scholarship and practice that the biblical theology and practice of lament is not outdated but rather of vital importance for the health of the church in how it relates to God, others, and the self. What this article seeks to explore in a fresh way is why lament is so important by examining how the practice of it achieves the health that is so desperately needed. At the heart of this exploration is a rereading of the biblical lament tradition through the pioneering work of Object Relations Theory psychiatrist Donald Winnicott. A key aspect of Winnicott’s work was how the “true self” develops, and it is his work around this subject that is used here to enable exploration of how lament may achieve the development of the true self, rather than a “false self” in the life of those lamenting. It is intended that this will throw fresh light on the theology and practice of lament as well as giving new impetus to Christian communities to consider how they respond to those suffering in their midst.
Walking the Tightrope of Socialist Governance: A Strategic-Relational Analysis of Twenty-first-Century Socialism
Authors: Nelson Marcel
Published: August 2018

The process of socialist transformation in a democratic context presents many quandaries including walking a tightrope between pursuing substantive transformation that challenges existing social relations and remaining in power in view of political opposition stemming from such a challenge. The experiences of twenty-first-century socialism in Ecuador, Bolivia, and Venezuela provide different examples of ways of balancing the two imperatives. Nicos Poulantzas’s writings on the state shed light on the importance of deepening democracy as part of any process of socialist transformation and on the limits of such a strategy.

El proceso de transformación socialista en un contexto democrático presenta muchos dilemas que incluyen caminar en la cuerda floja entre perseguir una transformación sustantiva que desafía las relaciones sociales existentes y permanecer en el poder en vista de la oposición política que surge de tal desafío. Las experiencias del socialismo del siglo XXI en Ecuador, Bolivia y Venezuela proporcionan diferentes ejemplos de formas de equilibrar los dos imperativos. Los escritos de Nicos Poulantzas sobre el estado arrojan luz sobre la importancia de profundizar la democracia como parte de cualquier proceso de transformación socialista y los límites de dicha estrategia.
Low-dose combined spinal-epidural anesthesia for a patient with a giant hiatal hernia who underwent urological surgery
Authors: Kyeong Kim Mi , Shin Junoik , Choi Jeong-Hyun , Yong Kang Hee
Published: August 2018

A hiatal hernia refers to herniation of the abdominal organs through the esophageal hiatus of the diaphragm. A giant hiatal hernia affects digestive and cardiopulmonary function by compressing the organs. We report a patient who had low-dose combined spinal and epidural anesthesia (CSEA) for safe and effective anesthesia for conservative treatment of a giant hiatal hernia. An 84-year-old woman who had a giant hiatal hernia was scheduled for ureteroscopic removal of a ureteral stone. CSEA was performed at the L4 to L5 lumbar interspace and an epidural catheter tip was placed 5 cm cephalad from the inserted level. The T12 block was checked after 10 minutes of intrathecal injection of 6 mg of 0.5% bupivacaine. The T10 block was checked after additional injection of 80 mg of 2% lidocaine through the epidural catheter. During anesthesia and surgery, the patient's vital signs remained stable and the operation was completed within 1 hour without any problems. In conclusion, low-dose CSEA may be safely used without any cardiopulmonary and gastrointestinal problems in patients with a giant hiatal hernia undergoing urological surgery.
Neoadjuvant chemotherapy in high-risk ovarian cancer patients: Role of age
Authors: Cioffi Raffaella , Bergamini Alice , Rabaiotti Emanuela , Petrone Micaela , Pella Francesca , Ferrari Davide , Mangili Giorgia , Candiani Massimo
Published: August 2018

Objective:

To review a single-center clinical experience with neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NACT) in a population of frail epithelial ovarian cancer (EOC) patients and investigate the prognostic role of advanced age.

Methods:

We retrospectively reviewed clinical data from 102 advanced EOC patients treated with NACT and presenting high perioperative risk. Patients were divided into 2 groups: group A, including patients aged 70 years or older; and group B, including patients below 70 years old. Univariate and multivariate analyses were performed to compare survival and prognostic factors for survival between the two groups.

Results:

Forty-two patients (41.2%) were older than 70 years. Elderly patients were more likely to present comorbidities ( p = 0.0001), poor performance status ( p = 0.04), and multiple indications for NACT ( p = 0.03). They showed a reduced response to NACT, since only 64% of elderly patients underwent surgical debulking (98.3% vs 64.3%, p = 0.001) and, among these, half of them were optimally debulked (79.3% vs 50%, p = 0.01). Median progression-free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) were significantly lower in group A (respectively, 9 vs 13 months, p = 0.005, and 21 vs 29 months, p = 0.01). Advanced age, IV stage, presence of ascites, and residual disease >1 cm were significantly associated with a lower PFS. However, when analyzing factors associated with OS, the only significant ones were higher American Society of Anesthesiologists score and residual disease >1 cm.

Conclusions:

Age was not found to be a prognostic factor for survival. This highlights the necessity of validated geriatric assessment tools predicting functional age and treatment tolerability to avoid undertreatment of elderly patients.
Retrospective study on efficacy of a paclitaxel combined with a leucovorin and fluorouracil regimen for advanced gastric cancer
Authors: Yang Baoyu , Shi Chunmei , Lin Xiaoyan , Wang Xinli , Chen Qiang
Published: August 2018

Purpose:

To investigate the efficacy of paclitaxel combined with a leucovorin and 5-fluorouracil regimen (PLF regimen; q2w) as neoadjuvant chemotherapy (NCT) for advanced gastric cancer.

Methods:

A total of 183 patients with advanced gastric cancer who underwent 3 cycles of PLF regimen chemotherapy before surgery and received surgery 2 weeks after chemotherapy were enrolled as a treatment group. A total of 184 patients with advanced gastric cancer and no NCT during the same period were enrolled as the controls and treated with surgery. Both groups underwent a D2 radical gastrectomy and the standard postoperative adjuvant chemotherapy.

Results:

In the NCT group, there were 19 cases of complete remission, 86 cases of partial remission, 72 cases of stable disease, and 6 cases of progressive disease, with an overall response rate of 57.4%. The R0 resection rate was higher than in the control group (85.2% vs 61.4%, p < .05). In the NCT group, 12 cases of esophagogastric cancer (20.7%) showed complete remission and 32 cases (55.2%) showed partial remission, while 7 cases of distal gastric cancer (5.6%) showed complete remission and 54 cases (43.2%) showed partial remission. Pathologic complete remission was higher for esophagogastric cancer than for distal gastric cancer (20.7% vs 3.2%, p < .05). Differences were found between the NCT and control groups in terms of 1-year, 3-year, and 5-year overall and disease-free survival.

Conclusion:

The PLF regimen showed good tolerability and a high response rate, especially for esophagogastric cancer. This regimen reduced the tumor size, lowered the tumor stage, and improved the R0 resection rate and survival rate.
Muslims in Scotland: integrationism, state racism and the ‘Scottish dream’
Authors: Harris Scarlet
Published: August 2018

Historically, Scotland has sustained a remarkable level of avoidance in regards to discussions of race and racism, and analysis of Islamophobia in Scotland has been very limited. A recent book (one of only a few) which takes the Scottish Muslim community as its focus is Stefano Bonino’s Muslims in Scotland: the making of community in a post-9/11 world. But, the author argues, it obscures institutional racism and leads to dangerous conclusions. By relying on a number of assumptions and misunderstandings about ‘integration’, racism and ‘Scottishness’, Bonino ignores structural factors of institutional racism. The author sets Muslims in Scotland against more trenchant critiques of Scottish racism, arguing its conclusions are symptomatic of wider framed narratives that circulate within Scotland, situating the book in a broader discussion of questions relating to the reality of racism and anti-racism in Scotland.
Effect of lead on the machinability of brass alloys using polycrystalline diamond cutting tools
Authors: Amaral Luis , Quinta Rafael , Silva Tiago E , Soares Rui MB , Castellanos Santiago D , de Jesus Abílio MP
Published: August 2018

The international safety regulations are pushing the manufacturers of water systems and equipment to remove lead from material compositions due to the potential human hazard of lead absorption. The usage of green lead-free brass alloys is becoming mandatory in many important markets, demanding the manufacturers to quickly adapt their production techniques both casting and machining to this new reality. Regarding machining, lead has been used to facilitate the chip control, working as a natural chip breaker and reducing the tool wear. Therefore, the reduction of lead composition in brass alloys contributes to a machinability decrease of the materials leading to higher cutting forces, long chips and higher tool wear. This work focuses on the machinability characterization of three different brass alloys (leaded, medium-leaded and minimally leaded) by means of cylindrical external turning process with polycrystalline diamond inserts. A parametric study covering three different depths of cuts, three feed rates and four cutting speeds was conducted for three brass alloys with two repetitions. Cutting forces, chip morphology and surface roughness were analysed and compared between alloys. Complementary microstructural and mechanical characterization of the alloys were performed. Analysis of variance was performed to analyse the results. Cutting forces, power consumption, specific cutting pressure, roughness and chip morphology identification were used as comparison criteria among the tested materials. Results have demonstrated the decrease of machinability with the lead reduction, with higher cutting forces and longer chips. Polycrystalline diamond tools used in this work could be a good option to overcome the machinability challenges of the lead-free brass alloys.
Evaluation of the Health Impacts of Rolling Back a Port Clean Trucks Program
Authors: Rowangould Dana , Rowangould Gregory , Niemeier Debbie
Published: August 2018

Air pollution emissions from marine port truck activity can pose significant health risks to communities living near ports. One approach to reducing these risks is requiring the use of low-emission trucks at port facilities. This analysis evaluates the predicted air quality impacts of the recent revision (rollback) of a Clean Truck Program at the Port of New York & New Jersey. We use the best publicly available information to estimate emissions, concentrations, and health risks at a fine spatial scale across eight counties in New Jersey in 2017 and 2018, when the impacts of the revision of the Clean Truck Program will likely be greatest. We find that as a result of the revision of the program, port truck PM2.5 emissions will be higher by seven to eight fold each year, concentrations will increase by up to 1 µg/m3, and the risk of death due to exposure to a year’s emissions will increase by over 25 in a million in some areas. These effects are estimated in 2017 and 2018 but are expected to continue, gradually tapering off, for at least 15 years into the future. The magnitude of estimated effects of the revised program would be greater if this study had included a broader geographic region, a longer period of time, and a wider range of truck pollutants, exposure pathways, and health outcomes.
Inspecting the Merit System’s “Pivotal Idea”: Does Competitive Examination Increase the Qualifications and Quality of the U.S. Federal Service?
Authors: Johnson Tim , Lewis Gregory B.
Published: August 2018

According to its designers, the U.S. merit system centered on a “pivotal idea”: The civil service would use “open, fair, honest, impartial, competitive examination” to find the people “best fitted to discharge the duties of the position.” Officials would announce job openings to the widest-possible applicant pool and assess that pool on uniformly applied, job-relevant criteria. Over time, however, alternative hiring mechanisms have increased in popularity as means to improve the speed or flexibility the hiring process, with limited research on their impact on the federal service. To understand their effects, we examine all federal, nondefense employees hired between 1983 and 2013 to assess whether four alternative hiring procedures affect the educational attainment (a proxy for qualifications) and career advancement (a proxy for quality) of new hires. We find that employees hired through competitive examinations possess more education upon entry than employees selected through two of those alternative procedures; however, employees hired through all four alternative procedures advance in their careers at least as rapidly as those selected via competitive examinations.
Effects of Playing an Educational Math Game That Incorporates Learning by Teaching
Authors: Fiorella Logan , Kuhlmann Shelbi , Vogel-Walcutt Jennifer J.
Published: August 2018

This study tested the effects of implementing a narrative computer-based educational game within a middle-school math class. Gameplay consisted of navigating through a virtual spaceship and completing missions by periodically engaging in learning-by-teaching activities that involved helping an avatar solve math problems. In a pretest/posttest matched-groups design, 58 middle-school students either played the game for 10 hours over 4 days in place of their typical math instruction (game group), or they received conventional math instruction that consisted of a matched set of practice problems (control group). Contrary to our hypotheses, results from posttest measures indicated no significant differences in learning outcomes or motivation between the two groups. Importantly, supplementary observational data indicated that students in the game group spent much of their time during gameplay engaging in activities unrelated to the educational content of the game (e.g., navigating the virtual world) and only 20% of their time engaging in learning-by-teaching activities. These results highlight the importance of designing educational games that effectively balance features intended to entertain learners and features intended to promote learning. Implications for implementing educational games into classroom instruction are discussed.
Examination of the Transient Changes in Affect Resulting From Participation in Research Addressing Intimate Partner Violence
Authors: Hesse Calvin A. , Strauss Catherine , Shorey Ryan C. , Stuart Gregory L. , Cornelius Tara L.
Published: August 2018

As a result of the proliferation of data examining intimate partner violence (IPV), there has been an emerging interest in how this research emotionally affects participants, particularly those with a history of personal experience with IPV. While a large body of IPV research suggests that only a small proportion of individuals experience transient emotional distress as the result of participation, this research is limited by examining only the emotional responses at the conclusion of the research, rather than examining changes in affect during the research. Therefore, this research sought to examine negative affect among participants throughout the research to better examine the trajectory of affect during participation in research on IPV. We recruited a sample of 914 college students who completed a measure of negative affect at the beginning, after being exposed to violence questionnaires, and at the conclusion of the research. The findings suggested that among the total sample, negative affect generally declined over the course of the research, although there was a significant interaction for victims of both psychological and physical IPV, such that their negative affect remained stable over participation in the research. Negative affect was significantly correlated with measures of reactions to the research globally, and not significantly related to perceptions of the overall benefits of the research. These data suggest that participation in research on IPV does not increase negative affect, even among those with a history of IPV. Implications of these data for future research on IPV are discussed.
Aid Paradox: Strengthening Belarusian Non-democracy through Democracy Promotion
Authors: Pikulik Alexei , Bedford Sofie
Published: August 2018

This article focuses on paradoxes of democracy promotion aid and offers research on an understudied topic: the microlevel of incentives facing donors and receivers of aid and its overall effect on the stability of authoritarianism. It argues that in the Belarusian case traveling the democracy promotion road, donors and implementers faced a typical bureaucratic problem: It became easier and more rational to justify the continuation of the democracy promotion project at large rather than closing it down, even though it was becoming increasingly clear it was not providing the desired results, that is, bringing about democratization or even a step in that direction. This created negative stimuli for the local beneficiaries, who developed strong aid addiction. A co-dependency between the providers and receivers of foreign aid led to the continuous application of unfit and self-defeating strategies. In fact, all of the actors involved (Western donors, implementers, and the Belarusian opposition but also the regime) became rationally interested in the status quo. As a result we argue that the democracy promotion efforts strengthened autocratic rule in Belarus rather than bringing about democratization.
Light-Intensity Physical Activity and Cardiometabolic Risk Among Older Adults With Multiple Chronic Conditions
Authors: Li Yueyao , White Kellee , O’Shields Katherine R. , McLain Alexander C. , Merchant Anwar T.
Published: August 2018

Purpose:

To assess the relationship between light-intensity physical activity (LIPA) and cardiometabolic risk factors among middle-aged and older adults with multiple chronic conditions.

Design:

Cross-sectional design utilizing data from the Health and Retirement Study (2010, 2012).

Setting:

Laboratory- and survey-based testing of a nationally representative sample of community-dwelling middle aged and older adults.

Participants:

Adults aged 50 years and older (N = 14 996).

Measures:

Weighted metabolic equivalent of tasks was calculated using self-reported frequency of light, moderate, and vigorous physical activity. Cardiometabolic risk factors (systolic and diastolic blood pressure, glycosylated hemoglobin [HbA1c], high-density lipoprotein cholesterol [HDL-C], total cholesterol, and non-HDL-C) were objectively measured. A multiple chronic condition index was based on 8 self-reported chronic conditions.

Analysis:

Weighted multivariate linear regression models.

Results:

Light-intensity physical activity was independently associated with favorable HDL-C (β = 1.25; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.46-2.05) and total cholesterol (β = 2.72; 95% CI: 0.53-4.90) after adjusting for relevant confounders. The HDL-C health benefit was apparent when stratified by number of chronic conditions, for individuals with 2 to 3 conditions (β = 1.73; 95% CI: 0.58-2.89). No significant associations were observed between LIPA and blood pressure, HbA1c, or non-HDL-C.

Conclusions:

Engaging in LIPA may be an important health promotion activity to manage HDL-C and total cholesterol. Additional longitudinal research is needed to determine the causal association between LIPA and cardiometabolic risk which can potentially inform physical activity guidelines targeting older adults with multiple chronic conditions.
Post-discharge Medication Reconciliation: Reduction in Readmissions in a Geriatric Primary Care Clinic
Authors: Liu Victoria C. , Mohammad Insaf , Deol Bibban B. , Balarezo Ann , Deng Lili , Garwood Candice L.
Published: August 2018

Objectives: This study aimed to evaluate hospital utilization and characterize interventions of pharmacist-led telephonic post-discharge medication reconciliation. Method: A retrospective analysis was conducted, including 833 index events in 586 geriatric patients receiving the intervention. Medicare claims were used to capture 30-day hospital utilization (admission to the emergency department, observation unit, or inpatient hospitalization) following discharge from any of these locations. Medication-related interventions were described. Results: Hospital utilization within 30 days after discharge from any location was greater for patients receiving usual care compared with the intervention (32.5% vs. 22.2%; odds ratio [OR] = 1.69, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.06, 2.68]). Inpatient admission within 30 days after discharge from any location was greater for those receiving usual care (14.7% vs. 6.4%; OR = 2.54, 95% CI = [1.18, 5.44]). At least one medication-related problem was identified and addressed in 89.8% of patients receiving the intervention. Discussion: A telephonic post-discharge medication reconciliation program can lead to reduction in hospital utilization in a geriatric population.
Death of the passive subject
Authors: Ribeiro Artur
Published: August 2018

In recent years some archaeological commentators have suggested moving away from an exclusively anthropocentric view of social reality. These ideas endorse elevating objects to the same ontological level as humans – thus creating a symmetrical view of reality. However, this symmetry threatens to force us to abandon the human subject and theories of meaning. This article defends a different idea. It is argued here that an archaeology of the social, based on human intentionality, is possible, while maintaining an ontology that does not involve dualistic conceptions of reality. Building upon the philosophical work of Vincent Descombes, it is contended that humans are intentional actors and society is predicated on triadic relations that involve humans, objects and meanings. These relations can only be understood holistically, given that these relations are merely parts of a meta-narrative. These meta-narratives contain specific historical and social settings, and it is only within these settings that social relations are intelligible.
Analytical and experimental study of effective parameters on process temperature during cortical bone drilling
Authors: Heydari Hamed , Cheraghi Kazerooni Navid , Zolfaghari Mojtaba , Ghoreishi Majid , Tahmasbi Vahid
Published: August 2018

Bone drilling process is a prominent step of internal fixation in orthopedic surgeries. Process forces, leading to chip production, produce heat in the vicinity of the drilled bore and increase the probability of necrosis phenomenon. In this article, an analytical model to predict process temperature is presented based on Sui and Sugita model. This heat transfer model is the combination of a heat equilibrium equation for tool–chip system and a heat distribution equation for the bone itself where heat generation in tool’s tip is due to cutting frictional forces. In an analytical model, it is possible to use material properties of the bone and geometry of the tool; therefore, the calibration test is not necessary. In order to validate analytical model, experiments were done using bovine bone. Using response surface method, a second-order linear regression mathematical model is derived using experimental results. The effect of each individual parameter as well as their interactions on the output of the process was investigated. Within the range of the parameters studied in this article, with an increase in rotational speed, process temperature boosts up. Effect of feed rate is complicated due to the tool–bone contact time issue. While higher temperature is achieved in lower feed rates because of higher tool–bone contact time but higher temperature is observed with high feed rates due to an increase in force and friction. Optimized combination of the parameters to minimize temperature of 35.6 °C is tool diameter of 2.5 mm, rotational speed of 500 r/min and feed rate of 30 mm/min. Good correlation was observed between analytical and experimental results.
Invasive aspergillosis in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: a retrospective study on clinical characteristics and risk factors for mortality
Authors: Hung ML , Liao HT , Chen WS , Chen MH , Lai CC , Tsai CY , Chang DM
Published: August 2018

Objective

The objective of this paper is to analyze the clinical features, outcomes, mortality risk factors, and all-cause mortalities of invasive aspergillosis (IA) in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods

Medical records were reviewed to identify SLE patients with IA from January 2006 to June 2017, at Taipei Veterans General Hospital, Taiwan. A total of 6714 SLE patients were included. Clinical/laboratory parameters and treatment outcomes were analyzed.

Results

Four patients (19.0%) had definite and 17 had probable (81.0%) IA. Seven patients (33.3%) survived and 14 died (66.7%). Concurrently, there were 19 pneumonias (90.5%), 17 cases of other infections (81.0%), eight bacteremia (38.1%), nine cytomegalovirus (CMV, 42.7%) and six Candida (28.6%) infections. In all 55 blood cultures, 38 (69.1%) yielded gram-negative bacilli, of which carbapenem-resistant A. baumannii accounted for eight (21.1%); 17 (30.9%) yielded gram-positive cocci, of which methicillin-resistant S. aureus accounted for six (35.3%); and vancomycin-resistant Enterococcus accounted for four (23.5%). Daily steroid dose ≥ 20 mg (hazard ratio (HR) 2.00), recent pulse steroid therapy (HR 2.80), azathioprine (HR 2.00), rituximab (HR 2.00), plasmapheresis (HR 2.00), acute respiratory distress syndrome (HR 2.00), concurrent infections (HR 5.667) and CMV viremia (HR 1.75) were higher in the fatality group. All p values were less than 0.05. Septic shock ( n = 7, 50% in the fatality group) is the most common cause of mortality.

Conclusions

High daily steroid dosing, recent pulse steroid therapy, azathioprine, rituximab, concurrent infections, and CMV viremia were mortality risk factors for IA in SLE.
“Because That’s the Culture”: Providers’ Perspectives on the Mental Health of Latino Immigrant Youth
Authors: Olcoń Katarzyna , Gulbas Lauren E.
Published: August 2018

Immigrant youth experience a combination of stressors, such as isolation and discrimination, that put them at a greater risk for negative mental health outcomes. Relying on interviews with 24 service providers who work with Latino immigrant youth, this article examines how they construct and intervene in the worlds of immigrant youth to improve youth’s mental health outcomes. Inductive thematic analysis revealed providers’ reliance on cultural interpretations of the psychosocial circumstances facing immigrant youth. Providers alternated between drawing on discourses that reproduced stereotypes, assumptions, and biases, while simultaneously striving to transcend sociocultural differences to focus on the lived experiences of their clients. Although providers acknowledged the importance of structural barriers, such as poverty and discrimination, they “bracketed” these issues when recommending interventions. The article highlights that as cultural competence increasingly becomes part of social services, this professional discourse may distract providers’ attention from more relevant targets of intervention.