bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Relational Work in the Struggle Against Poverty: Balancing Scholarly Critiques and Emancipatory Practices in the Nonprofit Sector
Authors: Jindra Michael , Paulle Bowen , Jindra Ines W.
Published: July 2019

Among antipoverty nonprofit organizations (NPOs), a significant shift back to “relational work” has been occurring. This form of human services connotes strong bonds and durable engagement with clients on major life changes. Critics have associated such efforts with paternalistic and disciplinary regimes reinforcing broader neoliberal trends. Perhaps now, with mounting pressures toward (narrow) professionalization among nonprofits, these illuminating critiques can usefully be paired with investigations doing justice to relational work’s beneficial inner workings and effects. Informed by years of immersion in NPOs and insights from “late” Foucault—ironically the central theoretical influence among critics of relational work—we show how and why researchers might approach even problematic aspects of this form of social action as unavoidable elements capable of contributing to the alleviation of poverty. The conclusion argues for pragmatic and multifaceted approaches to the study and management of antipoverty nonprofits balancing both the precariousness and promise of relational work.
Holocene sea-level variability from Chesapeake Bay Tidal Marshes, USA
Authors: Cronin Thomas M , Clevenger Megan K , Tibert Neil E , Prescott Tammy , Toomey Michael , Hubeny J Bradford , Abbott Mark B , Seidenstein Julia , Whitworth Hannah , Fisher Sam , Wondolowski Nick , Ruefer Anna
Published: July 2019

We reconstructed the last 10,000 years of Holocene relative sea-level rise (RSLR) from sediment core records near Chesapeake Bay, eastern United States, including new marsh records from the Potomac and Rappahannock Rivers, Virginia. Results show mean RSLR rates of 2.6 mm yr−1 from 10 to 8 kilo-annum (ka) due to combined final ice-sheet melting during deglaciation and glacio-isostatic adjustment (GIA subsidence). Mean RSLR rates from ~6 ka to present were 1.4 mm yr−1 due mainly to GIA, consistent with other East Coast marsh records and geophysical models. However, a progressively slower mean rate (<1.0 mm yr−1) characterized the last 1000 years when a multi-century-long period of tidal marsh development occurred during the ‘Medieval Climate Anomaly’ (MCA) and ‘Little Ice Age’ (LIA) in the Chesapeake Bay region and other East Coast marshes. This decrease was most likely due to climatic and glaciological processes and, correcting for GIA, represents a fall in global mean sea level (GMSL) near the end of Holocene Neoglacial cooling. These pre-historical climate- and GIA-driven Chesapeake Bay sea-level changes contrast sharply with those based on Chesapeake Bay tide-gauge rates (3.1–4.5 mm yr−1) (back to 1903). After subtracting the GIA subsidence component, these rates can be attributed to long-term (millennial) global factors of accelerated ocean thermal expansion (~1.0 mm yr−1) and mass loss from alpine glaciers and Greenland and Antarctic Ice Sheets (1.5–2.0 mm yr−1).
Plant landscape reconstruction above the current timberline at the Monte Cimone and Corno alle Scale mountain areas (Northern Apennines, Italy) during the Late Holocene: The evidence from soil charcoal
Authors: Benatti Alessandra , Bal Marie , Allée Philippe , Bosi Giovanna , Mercuri Anna Maria
Published: July 2019

This paper presents the first pedoanthracological study carried out on two mountains of the Northern Apennines, Monte Cimone, and Corno alle Scale, where the results provided new palaeoenvironmental data. The pedoantracological sampling followed an elevation gradient from the current timberline to the highest possible elevation, also adapted to the geomorphological characteristics of the study areas. Based on radiocarbon datings (16 at Monte Cimone and 9 at Corno alle Scale), the soil charcoal fragments provided data about the vegetation dynamics and plant landscape reconstruction, primarily indicating the Late Holocene. The landscape over the last 3000 years appears very similar to the current one with very small altitudinal variations of the timberline and treeline. The present study shows a lack of radiocarbon dates for the Middle Holocene and two hypotheses are discussed to explain this finding. Data suggest that past fires were locally linked to periods of climate optimum and possibly with the management of natural resources (especially animal grazing) by human societies. Some questions concerning the absence of Abies alba, today only present as plantation and normally associated with Fagus sylvatica at these latitudes, are discussed.
Chondrocyte Co-cultures with the Stromal Vascular Fraction of Adipose Tissue in Polyhydroxybutyrate/Poly-(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyhexanoate) Scaffolds: Evaluation of Cartilage Repair in Rabbit
Authors: Ba Kai , Wei Xueqin , Ni Duan , Li Na , Du Tianfeng , Wang Xinbo , Pan Wenting
Published: July 2019

Chondral defects are challenging to repair because of the poor self-healing capacity of articular cartilage. The aim of this study was to compare and investigate the cartilage regeneration of stromal vascular fraction (SVF) cells and adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) co-cultured with chondrocytes seeding on scaffolds composed of polyhydroxybutyrate (PHB)/poly-(hydroxybutyrate-co-hydroxyhexanoate) (PHBHHx). In this study, the cellular morphologies and proliferation capabilities on scaffolds were evaluated. Next, scaffolds with 1:1 co-culture of ASCs/SVF and chondrocytes were implanted into the full-thickness cartilage defects in rabbit knee for 10 weeks. Cells seeded on the scaffolds showed better adhesion, migration, and proliferation in vitro. Importantly, implantation with scaffolds with SVF and chondrocytes revealed more desirable in vivo healing outcomes. Our results illustrate a one-step surgical procedure for the regeneration of focal cartilage defects using a mixture of SVF from adipose tissue and uncultured chondrocytes.
Metaphorical patterns in Anthropocene fiction
Authors: Caracciolo Marco , Ionescu Andrei , Fransoo Ruben
Published: July 2019

This article explores metaphorical language in the strand of contemporary fiction that Trexler discusses under the heading of ‘Anthropocene fiction’ – namely, novels that probe the convergence of human experience and geological or climatological processes in times of climate change. Why focus on metaphor? Because, as cognitive linguists working in the wake of Lakoff and Johnson have shown, metaphor plays a key role in closing the gap between everyday, embodied experience and more intangible or abstract realities – including, we suggest, the more-than-human temporal and spatial scales that come to the fore with the Anthropocene. In literary narrative, metaphorical language is typically organized in coherent clusters that amplify the effects of individual metaphors. Based on this assumption, we discuss the results of a systematic coding of metaphorical language in three Anthropocene novels by Margaret Atwood, Jeanette Winterson, and Ian McEwan. We show that the emergent metaphorical patterns enrich and complicate the novels’ staging of the Anthropocene, and that they can destabilize the strict separation between human experience and nonhuman realities.
Modelling the Effects of Financial Services Advertising on Financial Product Purchase: An Empirical Validation
Authors: Dogra Pallavi , Sharma Rishi Raj
Published: July 2019

The main aim of the study is to find the effect of the financial advertisement on the respondent’s information selection, processing and analysing it while making the financial purchase decisions. The study identified the important factors that affect the investment decision-making process and explored them by using the exploratory factor analysis. The conceptual model has been tested using the AMOS SEM software. The factor analysis identified the four important factors that are affecting the financial decision-making, that is, financial literacy, celebrity endorsement, perceived reality and entertainment. The hypothesis testing reveals that advertisement, perceived reality and entertainment are affecting the information processing and financial decision-making process, whereas financial literacy and celebrity endorsement do not have significant effects on the financial product purchase. The results are useful for the advertisers, policy makers and the financial service providers so as to increase the sale of financial products by focusing on the variables extracted by the research.
Indian Corporate Bond Market: An Analysis of Growth and Impact of Macroeconomic Determinants
Authors: Neemey Pooja , Sahay Namita
Published: July 2019

Robust, deep and vibrant corporate bond markets are necessary to increase financial system stability of a nation, help the needs of credit and mitigate financial crises of corporate sector that is important for the economic growth. The present article focuses on Indian corporate bond market growth and its impact on some select monetary, fiscal and economic variables as this creates advantages for investors, corporates and governments from 2006–2007 to 2016–2017. The study used the secondary data collection method with the help of monetary, fiscal and economic variables as independent variables and yield rate as dependent variables. From the analysis, it was identified that a complete corporate bond market is associated with economic, monetary and fiscal variables neither negatively nor positively nor at a significant rate. The result of the analysis concludes that among all the selected variables, GDP in percentage is considered as the chief variable that is predominantly mandatory for India because it is commencing its bond market with the foreign participants.
Improving Classroom Management Issues by Asking Questions: Part 2
Authors: Robison Tiger
Published: July 2019

Asking questions is one of the most immediate ways to help students reflect on their own actions, which is a technique that is often overlooked in favor of a teacher’s direct commentary. This column, the fourth in a series about classroom management and the second on the particular topic of asking questions, contains four more specific questions with which to prompt students before and/or after behavioral incidents. Each of these questions stem from four sources of self-knowledge that form the basis of self-efficacy. There are practical uses of these questions and explanations of their connections to the larger construct of self-efficacy in this column, along with suggestions for further reading.
First- and Second-Hand Experiences of Enacted Stigma Among LGBTQ Youth
Authors: Gower Amy L. , Valdez Cheryl Ann B. , Watson Ryan J. , Eisenberg Marla E. , Mehus Christopher J. , Saewyc Elizabeth M. , Corliss Heather L. , Sullivan Richard , Porta Carolyn M.
Published: July 2019

Research on enacted stigma, or stigma- and bias-based victimization, including bullying and harassment, among lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ) youth often focuses on one context (e.g., school) or one form (e.g., bullying or microaggressions), which limits our understanding of these experiences. We conducted qualitative go-along interviews with 66 LGBTQ adolescents (14–19 years) in urban, suburban, town, and rural locations in the United States and Canada identified through purposive and snowball sampling. Forty-six participants (70%) described at least one instance of enacted stigma. Three primary themes emerged: (1) enacted stigma occurred in many contexts; (2) enacted stigma restricted movement; and (3) second-hand accounts of enacted stigma shaped perceptions of safety. Efforts to improve well-being among LGBTQ youth must address the diverse forms and contexts of enacted stigma that youth experience, which limit freedom of movement and potential access to opportunities that encourage positive youth development. School nurses can play a critical role in reducing enacted stigma in schools and in collaboration with community partners.
The People’s Voice—The People’s Choice? How Vox Pop Exemplars Shape Audience Judgments as a Function of Populist Attitudes
Authors: Peter Christina
Published: July 2019

Exemplification research has consistently shown effects of vox pops’ exemplars on audience judgments, whereby people tend to follow the opinion of a few fellow citizens. In this study, we gain some insight into why—and especially for whom—ordinary citizens are such influential “opinion-givers.” Importantly, we look at populist attitudes as a potential moderator for exemplification effects by comparing news reports containing vox pops with purely journalistic news reports providing the same arguments. In a web-based experiment, we show that both perceptual and persuasive effects are moderated by participants’ populist attitudes, and thus, their resonance with the “voice of the people.”
Reporting Sexual Assault: Survivors’ Satisfaction With Sexual Assault Response Personnel
Authors: Henninger Amy L. , Iwasaki Michiko , Carlucci Marianna E. , Lating Jeffrey M.
Published: July 2019

Although jurisdictions have attempted to improve their response procedures, sexual assault cases are often insufficiently investigated. This study examines the survey responses of 460 female sexual assault survivors regarding their experiences with response personnel. Overall satisfaction with response services was 66.1%. Victim advocates and forensic nurses received higher satisfaction ratings than did patrol officers, detectives, and State’s Attorney’s Office staff. The present study also found that 65% of the variance in overall satisfaction was accounted for by four personnel behaviors: respectful treatment, clearly explained procedures, believed their stories, and demonstrated cultural sensitivity. Policy implications and suggestions for future research are discussed.
Synchronous Interactions Foster Empathy
Authors: Levy Jonathan , Feldman Ruth
Published: July 2019

Despite growing interest in the neuroscience of empathy, very little is known about the developmental processes that foster the neural maturation of an empathic response. Here, we suggest that the synchronous interaction shapes and fosters the ability to empathize with others. We argue that this intriguing relationship between synchrony and empathy expands beyond the mother-child relationship to social relationships in general. It will be important to further explore this relationship in more social settings and to probe the biological mechanisms, which may underlie it. Advancing research on the relationship between these two social processes may support the work of practitioners, psychologists, and educators in moderating the devastating outcomes of mental disorders and promoting social maturity and growth.
Xanthoma Combined With Gout Infiltration of the Achilles Tendon: A Case Report
Authors: Fu Yuan , Huang Qiu-Li
Published: July 2019

Xanthoma is a rare condition mostly caused by hyperlipidemia. The pathogenesis of gout is hyperuricemia, which is caused by a disorder of purine metabolism and/or a decrease in uric acid excretion. Xanthoma combined with gout is very rare. This case report presents magnetic resonance images of a case of xanthoma combined with gout infiltration of the Achilles tendon.
Nonmelanoma Facial Skin Cancer: A Review of Diagnostic Strategies, Surgical Treatment, and Reconstructive Techniques
Authors: Badash Ido , Shauly Orr , Lui Christopher G , Gould Daniel J , Patel Ketan M
Published: July 2019

Nonmelanoma skin cancer is the most common form of cancer in the United States, and the face is a common area for skin cancer development due to its frequent exposure to the sun. This article focuses on the surgical management of facial nonmelanoma skin cancers, including diagnostic considerations, biopsy techniques, and staging. In addition, we discuss surgical treatment options, including indications, techniques, outcomes, and facial reconstruction following tumor excision.
The Gravity of Mystical Ascent
Authors: Hass Andrew W.
Published: July 2019

This article explores the way shifting notions of gravity within the development of Western imagination and thinking challenge both the above/below dichotomy and the spiritual/physical dualism that so often attend them. In moving from ancient conceptions of gravity and gravitas, particularly as informed by Aristotle, to modern conceptions based on scientific development since Galileo, Bacon, Newton, and Pascal, the article shows how gravity has always operated with a certain paradox of movement: inherent in moving down or up is its opposite. This paradox, influencing equally our physical and spiritual understandings of reality, becomes a mystical movement, as exemplified by Bonaventure’s 13th-century The Journey of the Mind to God. But as 20th-century writers as diverse as Hannah Arendt and Maurice Blanchot tell us, this mysticism does not necessarily diminish as modernity advances and can be invoked even in the modern scientific advancements, and disorientations, of space exploration.
Single-subject structural cortical networks in clinically isolated syndrome
Authors: Collorone Sara , Prados Ferran , Hagens Marloes HJ , Tur Carmen , Kanber Baris , Sudre Carole H , Lukas Carsten , Gasperini Claudio , Oreja-Guevara Celia , Andelova Micaela , Ciccarelli Olga , Wattjes Mike P , Ourselin Sebastian , Altmann Daniel R , Tijms Betty M , Barkhof Frederik , Toosy Ahmed T ,   for the MAGNIMS Study Group
Published: July 2019

Background:

Structural cortical networks (SCNs) represent patterns of coordinated morphological modifications in cortical areas, and they present the advantage of being extracted from previously acquired clinical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. SCNs have shown pathophysiological changes in many brain disorders, including multiple sclerosis.

Objective:

To investigate alterations of SCNs at the individual level in patients with clinically isolated syndrome (CIS), thereby assessing their clinical relevance.

Methods:

We analyzed baseline data collected in a prospective multicenter (MAGNIMS) study. CIS patients ( n = 60) and healthy controls ( n = 38) underwent high-resolution 3T MRI. Measures of disability and cognitive processing were obtained for patients. Single-subject SCNs were extracted from brain 3D-T1 weighted sequences; global and local network parameters were computed.

Results:

Compared to healthy controls, CIS patients showed altered small-world topology, an efficient network organization combining dense local clustering with relatively few long-distance connections. These disruptions were worse for patients with higher lesion load and worse cognitive processing speed. Alterations of centrality measures and clustering of connections were observed in specific cortical areas in CIS patients when compared with healthy controls.

Conclusion:

Our study indicates that SCNs can be used to demonstrate clinically relevant alterations of connectivity in CIS.
Teacher engagement with digital multimodal composing in a Chinese tertiary EFL curriculum
Authors: Jiang Lianjiang , Yu Shulin , Zhao Yi
Published: July 2019

While previous studies have examined the impact of digital multimodal composing (DMC) as a new literacy activity on second language (L2) learners’ language development, L2 teachers’ engagement with DMC is under-conceptualized and underexplored. Based on a qualitative analysis of five teachers of English as a foreign language (EFL) who implemented in their curriculum a year-long DMC program within which students produced multimodal videos, this study presents three forms of teacher engagement with DMC. In the first form, the teachers used DMC as an instrument for traditional exercises of speaking and writing with incidental attention to the multimodal aspects of DMC, while in the second, the teachers manifested ambivalence about the means and the ends of using DMC. The teacher in the third form used DMC as integral to pedagogy with attention to not only students’ language use, but also strategic use of multiple resources. These results suggest that teacher engagement with DMC can be conceptualized as a multifaceted continuum. The findings also reveal that these individualized engagements were directed by teachers’ conceptions of themselves, students, and language and mediated by contextual factors associated with the prescribed curriculum and high-stakes testing regimes. The paper concludes with implications regarding ways to promote teacher engagement with DMC in digitalized instructional landscapes.
Family trouble: Heteronormativity, emotion work and queer youth mental health
Authors: McDermott Elizabeth , Gabb Jacqui , Eastham Rachael , Hanbury Ali
Published: July 2019

Conflict with the family about sexual orientation and gender diversity is a key risk factor associated with poor mental health in youth populations. Findings presented here derive from a UK study that employed an interdisciplinary critical mental health approach that de-pathologised emotional distress and conceptualised families as social and affective units that are created through everyday practices. Our aim was to explore how family relationships foster, maintain or harm the mental health and well-being of LGBTQ+ youth. Data were generated through exploratory visual, creative and digital qualitative methods in two phases. Phase 1 involved digital/paper emotion maps and interviews with LGBTQ+ youth aged 16 to 25 (n = 12) and family member/mentor interviews (n = 7). Phase 2 employed diary methods and follow-up interviews (n = 9). The data analytic strategy involved three stages: individual case analysis, cross-sectional thematic analysis and meta-interpretation. We found that family relationships impacted queer youth mental health in complex ways that were related to the establishment of their autonomous queer selves, the desire to remain belonging to their family and the need to maintain a secure environment. The emotion work involved in navigating identity, belonging and security was made difficult because of family heteronormativity, youth autonomy and family expectations, and had a stark impact on queer youth mental health and well-being. Improving the mental health of LGBTQ+ youth requires a much deeper understanding of the emotionality of family relationships and the difficulties negotiating these as a young person.
Impact of mother–infant interaction on development during the first year of life: A systematic review
Authors: Rocha Nelci Adriana Cicuto Ferreira , dos Santos Silva Fernanda Pereira , dos Santos Mariana Martins , Dusing Stacey C
Published: July 2019

The objectives of this project were to systematically review the impact of mother–infant interaction on the development of infants 12 months or younger and determine factors that mediate this relationship and early development. We systematically reviewed the literature and identified 21 papers which fulfilled inclusion and exclusion criteria. The majority of the studies found significant association between mother–infant interaction and language, cognition, motor, and social development during the first year of life. Only seven studies assessed motor development and four studies found significant relationship between motor development and mother–infant interaction. Prematurity, infant age, multiples births, maternal anxiety, maternal opioid exposure, history of foster care, and criminal record were the only factors found to mediate the relationship between mother–infant interaction and social, cognitive, and language development. The quality of the interactions between a mother and infant can both positively and negatively influence cognitive, language, and social outcomes during the first year of life. Additional research is needed to determine the influence of mother–infant interaction on motor development. Future research is needed on the efficacy of interventions designed to alter mother–infant interaction with the ultimate goal of achieving positive developmental outcomes during the first year of life.
Fighting for truth? The role perceptions of Filipino journalists in an era of mis- and disinformation
Authors: Balod Hon Sophia S , Hameleers Michael
Published: July 2019

This study examines how journalists in the Philippines perceive their roles in response to mis- and disinformation. In the country’s current media landscape, journalists find themselves in the spotlight as the media are frequently accused of spreading falsehoods. Drawing from data gathered through 16 semistructured in-depth interviews with Filipino journalists, the findings first of all indicate that the disseminator and watchdog roles are perceived as more important and that journalists see themselves as truth crusaders and advocates of societal reform. Second, journalists identify barriers on different levels of influence that impede the performance of these intended roles. Finally, journalists see the rise of mis- and disinformation as both a challenge and opportunity for journalism to improve as a practice and institution. These findings can be extrapolated to theoretical and practical implications for journalism and democracy in general.
The critical potential of commemorative journalism
Authors: Meyers Oren
Published: July 2019

Previous studies of commemorative journalism have mostly stressed its integrative functionality and tendency to provide oversimplified narrations of the past. Correspondingly, this article explores the critical and at times subversive potential of commemorative journalism. It does so via the analysis of commemorative-photographic supplements, issued by Israeli dailies between 1968 and 2013. The study first identifies the storytelling building blocks used to construct the dominant commemorative narrative. Next, it illuminates three storytelling strategies – challenging the national voice, the national plot, and the national gaze – all contributing to an undermining of the national synecdoche. Finally, these findings are contextualized within the political and cultural rereading of the Israeli national past.
Evaluating dedicated exhaust gas recirculation on a stoichiometric industrial natural gas engine
Authors: Van Roekel Chris A , Montgomery David T , Singh Jaswinder , Olsen Daniel B
Published: July 2019

Due to the market presence that natural gas has and is expected to have in the future energy sector, research and development of novel natural gas combustion strategies to increase power density, lower total emissions, and increase overall efficiency is warranted. Dilution whether by excess air or by exhaust gas recirculation has historically been implemented on diesel, natural gas, and gasoline engines to mitigate various regulated emissions. In the large industrial natural gas engine industry, excess air dilution or ultra-lean-burn operation has afforded lean-burn engines increased power density and reduced NO x emissions. This advance in technology has allowed lean-burn engines to compete in markets such as electrical power generation which previously they had not been able. However, natural gas engines utilizing a non-selective catalytic reduction system or three-way catalyst must operate under stoichiometric conditions and thus are limited in power density by exhaust gas temperatures. In previous gasoline small engine research, a novel exhaust gas recirculation technique called dedicated exhaust gas recirculation was shown to have a positive impact on engine-out emissions of NO x and unburned hydrocarbons while also lowering exhaust component temperatures. This work seeks to understand the consequences of implementing a dedicated exhaust gas recirculation system on a multi-cylinder stoichiometric industrial natural gas engine. The results of this initial evaluation demonstrate reductions in engine-out NO x and CO emissions and improvements in engine-out exhaust gas temperatures with the dedicated exhaust gas recirculation technique. However, in a low-turbulence combustion chamber, dedicated exhaust gas recirculation significantly lowers the overall rate of combustion and results in significant differences in cylinder-to-cylinder combustion.
When Less Is More: EBUS-TBNA for the Diagnosis of Pleural Lesions
Authors: Donghi Stefano Maria , Prisciandaro Elena , Sedda Giulia , Guarize Juliana , Spaggiari Lorenzo
Published: July 2019

The investigation of pleural lesions is challenging. Thoracoscopic pleural biopsies are often the chosen approach for diagnosis and, in case of malignancy, for disease staging and palliation pleurodesis. Minimally invasive techniques represent a valid option in patients that cannot undergo surgery, minimizing the risks related to more aggressive procedures. Here we report the case of a 63-year-old man with computed tomography evidence of paratracheal pleural thickening that was successfully sampled with endobronchial ultrasound-guided transbronchial needle aspiration. This technique should be considered for the diagnosis of pleural lesions adjacent to the main airway; it represents a safer, better tolerated, and less invasive alternative to operation.
Case Study Method: A Step-by-Step Guide for Business Researchers
Authors: Rashid Yasir , Rashid Ammar , Warraich Muhammad Akib , Sabir Sana Sameen , Waseem Ansar
Published: July 2019

Qualitative case study methodology enables researchers to conduct an in-depth exploration of intricate phenomena within some specific context. By keeping in mind research students, this article presents a systematic step-by-step guide to conduct a case study in the business discipline. Research students belonging to said discipline face issues in terms of clarity, selection, and operationalization of qualitative case study while doing their final dissertation. These issues often lead to confusion, wastage of valuable time, and wrong decisions that affect the overall outcome of the research. This article presents a checklist comprised of four phases, that is, foundation phase, prefield phase, field phase, and reporting phase. The objective of this article is to provide novice researchers with practical application of this checklist by linking all its four phases with the authors’ experiences and learning from recently conducted in-depth multiple case studies in the organizations of New Zealand. Rather than discussing case study in general, a targeted step-by-step plan with real-time research examples to conduct a case study is given.
Kinematics and dynamics analysis of a new-type friction stir welding robot and its simulation
Authors: Luo Haitao , Fu Jia , Jiao Lichuang , Liu Guangming , Yu Changshuai , Wu Tingke
Published: July 2019

The mechanical configuration, structural composition, and five typical working conditions of a newly developed friction stir welding robot are introduced. The kinematics model of the friction stir welding robot is established and the forward kinematics equations, inverse kinematics equations, and the Jacobian matrix are solved. In addition, the dynamics model of the friction stir welding robot is also built by using the Lagrange method. The centroid position coordinate and inertia matrix of each part are obtained. Finally, the dynamic equation of friction stir welding robot is determined. According to the kinematics and dynamics model of robots, simulation analysis for friction stir welding robot based on virtual prototyping technology was carried out. The trajectory equation of the weld joint under the condition of melon petal welding is established, the spline trajectory is fitted by many discrete points measured by the contact probe, and the trajectory planning of each joint and the changing laws of motion parameters under the friction stir welding robot melon petal welding condition are obtained. The movement laws and the loading conditions of each joint can be better controlled by designers, and provide solid theoretical support for the static and dynamic characteristics analysis and structural optimization of the friction stir welding robot.
Citizenship, identity, and education: Re-imagining the Contested Terrain
Authors: Rapoport Anatoli , Yemini Miri
Published: July 2019

Every society faces a dilemma of instilling a shared vision of citizenship, on the one hand, and accommodating specific identities, on the other. This Special Issue addresses the problems of citizenship and democratic education in pluralistic societies that face a challenge of accommodating diversity and maintaining social cohesion. This volume is the result of comprehensive joint efforts of scholars from different countries and regions, who are at various stages of their careers, all working in the field of citizenship studies in education. The papers featured in this collection were presented at the symposium Citizenship, Identity, and Education at the 2018 Comparative and International Education Society conference in Mexico City. We hope that the publication of this Special Issue will contribute to the dialogue about the interplay of citizenship and identity and the role of citizenship and democratic education in identity construction, negotiation, and development.
Does statin increase the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage in stroke survivors? A meta-analysis and trial sequential analysis
Authors: Teoh Ru Jian Jonathan , Huang Chi-Jung , Chan Chi Peng , Chien Li-Yin , Chung Chih-Ping , Sung Shih-Hsien , Chen Chen-Huan , Chiang Chern-En , Cheng Hao-Min
Published: July 2019

Background:

It remains debatable whether statin increases the risk of intracerebral hemorrhage (ICH) in poststroke patients.

Methods:

We systematically searched PubMed, EMBASE, and CENTRAL for randomized controlled trials. Trial sequential analysis (TSA) was conducted to assess the reliability and conclusiveness of the available evidence in the meta-analysis. To evaluate the overall effectiveness, the net composite endpoints were derived by totaling ischemic stroke, hemorrhagic stroke, transient ischemic attack (TIA), myocardial infarction, and cardiovascular mortality.

Results:

A total of 17 trials with 11,576 subjects with previous ischemic stroke, TIA, or ICH were included, in which statin therapy increased the risk of hemorrhagic stroke (risk ratio [RR], 1.42; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.07–1.87), but reduced the risk of ischemic stroke (RR, 0.85; 95% CI, 0.75–0.95). For the net composite endpoints, statin therapy was associated with a 17% risk reduction (95% CI, 12–21%; number needed to treat = 6). With a control event rate 2% and RR increase 40%, the TSA suggested a conclusive signal of an increased risk of hemorrhagic stroke in stroke survivors taking statin. However, with the sensitivity analysis by changing assumptions, the conclusions about hemorrhagic stroke risk were less robust.

Conclusions:

Statin therapy in poststroke patients increased the risk of hemorrhagic stroke but effectively reduced ischemic stroke risk. Weighing the benefits and potential harms, statin has an overall beneficial effect in patients with previous stroke or TIA. However, more studies are required to investigate the conclusiveness of the increased hemorrhagic stroke risk revealed in our study.
Asymmetric regulation for competition in European railways?
Authors: Montero Juan J.
Published: July 2019

There is an increasing number of voices calling for asymmetric regulation to reinforce competition in European railways as they are liberalized in December 2020. The regulatory framework defined in the Directives of the European Union (EU) might be insufficient to ensure effective and widespread competition. But the EU Directive declares tracks a natural monopoly, and structural measures in the form of vertical separation with transport activities have been imposed. Behavioral obligations have also been imposed on infrastructure managers in the form of access obligations. There is no room for asymmetry between competing networks, as tracks are a natural monopoly. Furthermore, as access conditions are ruled by the principle of nondiscrimination, it does not seem possible to introduce asymmetries in favor of newcomers, for instance in the form of access charges below the price charged to incumbent railway undertakings. For the rest of railway assets, which only exceptionally can be considered essential facilities, the EU Directives either impose no access obligations (rolling stock, drivers, ticketing systems) or when they impose access obligations (maintenance facilities), there is no formal asymmetry, as all undertakings are subject to the same access obligations. National regulatory authorities considering the introduction of asymmetric access obligations should take into account economic literature describing how asymmetries attract inefficient market entry, and they should consider that obligations introduced at a national level might fragment the Single European Railway Area.
Artificial Pancreas: Evaluating the ARG Algorithm Without Meal Announcement
Authors: Fushimi Emilia , Colmegna Patricio , De Battista Hernán , Garelli Fabricio , Sánchez-Peña Ricardo
Published: July 2019

Background:

Either under standard basal-bolus treatment or hybrid closed-loop control, subjects with type 1 diabetes are required to count carbohydrates (CHOs). However, CHO counting is not only burdensome but also prone to errors. Recently, an artificial pancreas algorithm that does not require premeal insulin boluses—the so-called automatic regulation of glucose (ARG)—was introduced. In its first pilot clinical study, although the exact CHO counting was not required, subjects still needed to announce the meal time and classify the meal size.

Method:

An automatic switching signal generator (SSG) is proposed in this work to remove the manual mealtime announcement from the control strategy. The SSG is based on a Kalman filter and works with continuous glucose monitoring readings only.

Results:

The ARG algorithm with unannounced meals (ARGum) was tested in silico under the effect of different types of mixed meals and intrapatient variability, and contrasted with the ARG algorithm with announced meals (ARGam). Simulations reveal that, for slow-absorbing meals, the time in the euglycemic range, [70-180] mg/dL, increases using the unannounced strategy (ARGam: 78.1 [68.6-80.2]% (median [IQR]) and ARGum: 87.8 [84.5-90.6]%), while similar results were found with fast-absorbing meals (ARGam: 87.4 [86.0-88.9]% and ARGum: 87.6 [86.1-88.8]%). On the other hand, when intrapatient variability is considered, time in euglycemia is also comparable (ARGam: 81.4 [75.4-83.5]% and ARGum: 80.9 [77.0-85.1]%).

Conclusion:

In silico results indicate that it is feasible to perform an in vivo evaluation of the ARG algorithm with unannounced meals.
A New Phenolic Constituent From Carica papaya Flowers and Its Tyrosinase Inhibitory Activity
Authors: Kim Lien Giang Thi , Van Do Thi Thuy , Cuong Dao Hung , Yen Pham Hai , Tai Bui Huu , Kiem Phan Van
Published: July 2019

A new phenolic (caricapapayol, 1) and 8 known compounds (2-9) were isolated from the flowers of Carica papaya. Their structures were determined by analysis of HR-ESI-MS, NMR spectral data, and comparison with the literature. Among known compounds, compound 2 has not been reported from natural source. Compounds 1, 2, and 4 exhibited tyrosinase inhibitory activity with IC50 values of 14.3 ± 2.7, 25.5 ± 1.9, and 19.8 ± 3.0 µM, respectively, in comparison with positive control kojic acid IC50 11.3 ± 1.6 µM.
Neuroprotective and Memory-Enhancing Effects of Antioxidant Peptide From Walnut (Juglans regia L.) Protein Hydrolysates
Authors: Liu Mingchuan , Yang Shengjie , Yang Jinping , Lee Yita , Kou Junping , Wang Chaojih
Published: July 2019

Peptides have been reported to possess interesting biological properties. The present study was designed to evaluate neuroprotective and memory-enhancing effects of antioxidant peptide from walnut ( Juglans regia L.) protein hydrolysates. The neuroprotective effect of walnut peptide (WP) against oxidative stress on PC12 cells was evaluated. And zebrafish was used as the model to corroborate the effect. Its effect on learning and memory of mice using the Morris water maze and the step-down passive avoidance tests were performed. Moreover, the acute toxicity of WP was carried out to assess its safety profile. It was found that WP was able to suppress H2O2-induced cell death in PC12 cells. In the zebrafish model, WP had an obvious neuroprotective effect, and the ratio reached 42% at 222 µg/mL. The mechanism study revealed that WP could inhibit the activity of caspases 3/7 and 8, reduce the mRNA expression levels of Bax and glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor, and improve the mRNA expression level of brain-derived neurotrophic factor significantly. Besides, the treatment of mice with WP shortened the escape latency and exhibited much longer target time and more crossing times significantly, compared with untreated control groups in the Morris water maze test. Similarly, the step-down passive avoidance test showed that WP could ameliorate memory impairments. The administrated dose (20.1 g/kg body weight [BW]) did not produce mortality or treatment-related adverse effects with regard to BW, general behavior, or relative organ weights of the tested male and female mice. The current results indicated that WP could exert neuroprotective effect, and attenuated learning and memory impairments. These ameliorating effects of WP may be useful for treatment of memory impairment in Alzheimer’s and its related diseases.
An Atypical and Multifactorial Acute Immune Polyradiculopathy: A Case Report
Authors: Brier Matthew R. , Everett Elyse A. , Bucelli Robert C.
Published: July 2019

Clinical diagnosis often focuses on identifying the single cause of a patient’s symptoms but it is becoming increasingly recognized that a subset of patients exist where 2 pathological entities coexist. These patients present a particular diagnostic challenge because the first “positive” diagnostic test is not the definitive stopping point in their evaluation. Here, we present the case of a 47-year-old woman with multiple cranial neuropathies and a polyradiculopathy. A significant pleocytosis in the cerebrospinal fluid sparked a broad evaluation which revealed pathologic evidence of sarcoidosis and molecular evidence of neurofascin (NF)-155 and NF-140 antibodies. The pathogenic contribution of these 2 pathologic entities, or interaction, to this patient’s case is not clear. Nevertheless, the patient responded robustly to steroids and symptoms significantly improved. This case is a demonstration of the balance between Occam’s razor and Hickam’s dictum in clinical practice.
Understanding Women Teacher Transnational Migration: A Narrative Inquiry From Southern Africa
Authors: Hlalele Dipane , Mashiya Nontokozo
Published: July 2019

In this article, we explore and seek to understand transnational teacher migration from the narrative expressions of two women who migrated from their home countries to another southern African country. The data are complemented by a self-constructed narrative of a woman who left her home country. Framed through Appreciative Inquiry, the study observes that all individuals, organizations, and institutions are powered by positive thought and have some good or something that works well for them at some point. The data generated from two narrative expressions were analyzed through narrative analysis with emerging themes presented. In addition, data were complemented by a coconstructed narrative of a woman who gave up her career aspirations to migrate with the family. With the latter, the situation got more complicated when the husband untimely passed away. Issues such as gender discrimination and socialization as well as imaginations of positive futures do play a role in women teachers’ transnational migration decisions. We conclude that transnational women teacher migration should be understood within its own socially constructed, relativist ontology and subjectivist epistemology, which may be influenced by the power of appreciative, positive thought.
Nigerian State and the Crisis of Governance: A Critical Exposition
Authors: Yagboyaju Dhikru Adewale , Akinola Adeoye O.
Published: July 2019

Over the decades, there has been a recurrent and sustained argument that the Nigerian state, like its counterparts in Africa and other countries of the developing world, underperforms due to lack of state capacity to deal with the contemporary complexities of governance. This article examines the state of governance in Nigeria and assesses the factors militating against the promotion of public good and effective service delivery in the country. The article draws data from secondary and primary sources, which include the authors’ close observations of events in Nigeria. Governance and political leadership in Nigeria have been driven by self-interest and other primordial considerations, which take priority over that of the public. The state has failed in three major areas: security of lives and properties, promotion of the rule of law, and provision of visionary leadership. In conclusion, the nature and characters of the political leadership explains the Nigerian state incapacity for effective governance.
Promoting Health in Rural India: Enhancing Job Performance of Lay Health Care Activists
Authors: Pandey Jatin , Singh Manjari , Varkkey Biju , Mavalankar Dileep
Published: July 2019

The health of people in a nation is a potential indicator of its development. Over and above that, the job performance of people involved in the delivery and facilitation of health care services within a nation reflects the actual health conditions in it. In developing countries, where a large chunk of the population lives in rural areas, the job performance of grass-roots health care workers gains significant importance in order to ensure effective and efficient delivery of health care services to the masses and marginalized communities. The present study takes the case of Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) in difficult rural areas of India to identify factors that affect their job performance and suggests interventions through which it could be enhanced. Fifty-five ASHAs were interviewed and five focused group discussions (FGDs) were conducted. Additionally, triangulation was done by interviewing other stakeholders, while studying relevant documents. Through content analysis of these interviews and documents, this study identifies the demands, resources and stressors that affect the job performance of these important intermediaries in the health care supply chain (in the Indian context). The study also suggests policy-level decisions that could help in enhancing job performance of ASHAs by managing demands, increasing resources and reducing stressors.

Key Messages

We have developed a model that delineates the demands, resources and stressors that affect job performance of women workers in rural India. We have studied Accredited Social Health Activists (ASHAs) who are part of community health care sector. However, our findings are applicable to a wider set of similar job roles. We have studied the nuances of factors affecting job performance for a category of community health care workers who are not full-time employees, have received minimal training and work in close proximity of their residence in a closely knit society. We have looked at job performance of ASHAs who are women community health workers, with low educational qualifications, based in rural setting of a developing country. We have recommended policy implications that would aid in enhancing the performance of ASHAs and thus improve the health care situation in rural India.