bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Who drives an officer’s career, the individual or his institution? The case of French officers
Authors: Morin Gabriel , Chanut Véronique
Published: July 2018

The phenomenon of managerialisation, whose impact is being felt by the state, as well as its elites, helps bring about the emergence of the individual. The military is not immune to the organisational transformations that follow in its wake. By analysing the career path of French officers, this study explores the effects of this managerialisation. The research question as formulated sets out to determine whether it is the individual or his institution that drives the career of the French officer. The empirical study is based on very dense primary data collected from actors who play a key role in forming the French military elites: general officers, in some cases, directors of military schools, who have, in turn, been students, instructors and designers of this career path of the military leader. The results reveal that despite an unprecedented process of civilianisation within the military institution, the career of military leader is proving to be more immutable. The career path of the French officer can thus be read as a marker of military institutional identity.

Points for practitioners

As an institution, the military may seem to mirror the major evolutions of society, in particular, the phenomenon of managerialisation, which is making its impact felt on the state, along with its corollary, individualism. Analysing the career of French officers makes it possible to explore the effects of this managerialisation. The study results reveal a mitigation of the effects of this phenomenon, also called civilianisation in the case of the armed forces, and, on the contrary, reveal the invariant character of the career of military leader, pillar of the military institutional identity.
Gender, Power and Institutional Change – The Role of Formal and Informal Institutions in Promoting Women’s Political Representation in Ghana
Authors: Madsen Diana Højlund
Published: July 2018

The article explores the role of formal and informal institutions in influencing the representation of women in the two major political parties in Ghana – NDC (National Democratic Congress) and NPP (New Patriotic Party) – as well as the small party CPP (Convention People’s Party). Paradoxically, with its first president, Kwame Nkrumah (CPP), Ghana was one of the first countries in Africa to introduce a quota in 1959, reserving ten seats for women in Parliament. With a representation of 11% women after the election in 2012 and 13% after the election in 2016, however, Ghana has not been part of the positive development on the continent. Drawing on the body of literature on feminist institutionalism, the article explores the dynamics of power and change relating to the low representation of women in politics in Ghana. It further investigates responses to initiatives to promote more female candidates in Parliament – the reduction of filing fees and the introduction of women’s seats. The article argues that the formal institutions in the form of party structures work both as an obstacle and an opportunity to promote more women in politics, and that the informal structures in the form of the gender culture in Parliament and verbal abuse work against more women in politics.
Black Doctoral Studies: The Radically Antiracist Idea of Molefi Kete Asante
Authors: Kendi Ibram X.
Published: July 2018

In 1988, Molefi Kete Asante founded the world’s first Black doctoral studies program at Temple University. It was an expression that Black Studies departments should be raising Black Studies scholars, just as other disciplines were raising their own scholars. Asante also maintained that the existing disciplines, which had historically trained scholars studying Black life, were racist and Eurocentric. This essay reveals the founding racist fathers of most of the disciplines. As such, the founding of Black doctoral studies was a profoundly antiracist idea.
Hyper-compressions: The rise of flash fiction in “post-transitional” South Africa
Authors: Blair Peter
Published: July 2018

This article begins with a survey of flash fiction in “post-transitional” South Africa, which it relates to the nation’s post-apartheid canon of short stories and short-short stories, to the international rise of flash fiction and “sudden fiction”, and to the historical particularities of South Africa’s “post-transition”. It then undertakes close readings of three flash fictions republished in the article, each less than 450 words: Tony Eprile’s “The Interpreter for the Tribunal” (2007), which evokes the psychological and ethical complexities, and long-term ramifications, of the Truth and Reconciliation Commission; Michael Cawood Green’s “Music for a New Society” (2008), a carjacking story that invokes discourses about violent crime and the “‘new’ South Africa”; and Stacy Hardy’s “Kisula” (2015), which maps the psychogeography of cross-racial sex and transnational identity-formation in an evolving urban environment. The article argues that these exemplary flashes are “hyper-compressions”, in that they compress and develop complex themes with a long literary history and a wide contemporary currency. It therefore contends that flash fiction of South Africa’s post-transition should be recognized as having literary–historical significance, not just as an inherently metonymic form that reflects, and alludes to, a broader literary culture, but as a genre in its own right.
The Logic and Methodology of “Necessary but Not Sufficient Causality”: A Comment on Necessary Condition Analysis (NCA)*
Authors: Thiem Alrik
Published: July 2018

Necessary condition analysis (NCA) has recently been proposed to researchers in business, management, organization, psychology, sociology, and even medicine as a new data analysis tool for identifying necessary but insufficient causes of an outcome. In this comment, I demonstrate that NCA is inadequate for performing such inferences. The reason is a mismatch between the method’s purported search target and its actual output. Moreover, I show that, even if its output corresponded to its search target, the method of qualitative comparative analysis would always outperform NCA in all relevant respects.
The Children’s Social Comprehension Scale (CSCS): Construct validity of a new social intelligence measure for elementary school children
Authors: Knopp Katarzyna A
Published: July 2018

The abilities comprising social intelligence are critical to children’s development and interpersonal functioning, and there is a need for reliable and valid tools for measuring them. This paper describes the Children’s Social Comprehension Scale (CSCS), which is a performance-based test of the cognitive component of social intelligence for young schoolchildren. The CSCS was developed as an easy-to-use and rapid screening tool for diagnosing deficits in social information processing, such as understanding and evaluation of social situations. The final version of the instrument exhibits satisfactory score reliability as measured by Cronbach’s alpha and acceptable factorial validity of results as determined by confirmatory factor analysis for each of the studied age groups (6–7, 8–9, and 10–11 years; N = 358). The validity of the CSCS results is also corroborated by its positive correlations with other measures of social intelligence (stronger), intellectual potential (weaker), and an indicator of effective social functioning. The scores on the test show age differences in the expected direction. All these findings suggest that the CSCS is valid and reliable measure of cognitive social intelligence in children.
Intertextuality, Rhetorical History and the Uses of the Past in Organizational Transition
Authors: Maclean Mairi , Harvey Charles , Sillince John A.A. , Golant Benjamin D.
Published: July 2018

This paper draws upon archival and oral history research on organizational transition at Procter & Gamble (1950–2009), during which P&G evolved from a multinational to a global enterprise. Intertextuality, the ways in which texts appropriate prior works to produce new texts, illuminates the practical workings of rhetorical history, accentuating interpretive agency. The uses of the past at P&G involved an authorized historical account relating to socialization, invented tradition, and lessons from past experience, facilitating change within continuity. We show that in transforming from multinational to global enterprise, recognition of the value of history to strategy intensified, engendering rhetorically intense variations on time-honoured themes. Our main contribution to theory is to demonstrate how sensitivity to intertextuality casts light on the nature of organizational history as historically constructed through language, subject to the agency of skilful interpretive actors who engage in intertextual adaptation in pursuit of strategic change as purposes and contexts evolve.
Effects of anesthesia on cerebral blood flow, metabolism, and neuroprotection
Authors: Slupe Andrew M , Kirsch Jeffrey R
Published: July 2018

Administration of anesthetic agents fundamentally shifts the responsibility for maintenance of homeostasis from the patient and their intrinsic physiological regulatory mechanisms to the anesthesiologist. Continuous delivery of oxygen and nutrients to the brain is necessary to prevent irreversible injury and arises from a complex series of regulatory mechanisms that ensure uninterrupted cerebral blood flow. Our understanding of these regulatory mechanisms and the effects of anesthetics on them has been driven by the tireless work of pioneers in the field. It is of paramount importance that the anesthesiologist shares this understanding. Herein, we will review the physiological determinants of cerebral blood flow and how delivery of anesthesia impacts these processes.
Language is never neutral: a critical analysis of the language surrounding adoption in the UK
Authors: Clapton Gary
Published: July 2018

In the light of increased attention to the role of social work in UK adoption practices, this article takes a ‘turn to language’ and examines the neglected field of the words and phrases commonly used in the adoption process. It subjects these to a critical scrutiny and suggests that the vocabulary employed contains inaccuracies, euphemisms, misnomers and aspirational promises and carries implications that limit options and determine outcomes. The article provides other examples from social work practice with children and families and concludes that a critical approach to a profession’s everyday language use can uncover how power is exercised.
‘They needed the attention more than I did’: How do the birth children of foster carers experience the relationship with their parents?
Authors: Adams Emma , Hassett Alexander R , Lumsden Virginia
Published: July 2018

Research has highlighted the potential tensions and risk of disruption to care placements when foster carers have birth children living at home. Given the limited research attention given to these young people and the importance of retaining carers, it seems important for policy and practice to investigate the parent–child relationship in this context. Therefore, this study seeks to explore how the birth children of foster carers experience their relationship with their parents. Interpretative phenomenological analysis was used to analyse semi-structured interviews with eight such young people (aged 14–16 years). Three superordinate themes emerged: (1) relational processes that give value to my role in the family; (2) threats to our relationship; and (3) making sense as a way of managing the threats. Each of these contained several subthemes. While there were consistent patterns of experience, there was also individual variation. The findings suggest that the processes of ‘making sense’ and ‘feeling valued’ serve to buffer the impact of potential threats to the parent–child relationship. Theoretical implications include the application of a model that elucidates the relationship between the themes. This has clinical implications for understanding and informing the way services support both foster carers and their children.
A Framework for Prioritizing Urban Arterial/Freeway Interchange Types using Multi-Criteria Analysis
Authors: Jamaleddin Karim , Kaysi Isam
Published: July 2018

An interchange is a road junction that typically uses grade separation to accommodate different volumes of traffic safely and efficiently through interconnecting roads. There are many types of interchanges, each of which has different characteristics and applications. In this paper, a prioritization framework is proposed for selecting a suitable interchange type based on a variety of performance measures, including operational performance, socio-environment, safety, and cost. The assessment is based on a multi-criteria analysis (MCA) approach. The relative importance of the criteria is obtained using the Analytic Hierarchy Process (AHP) whereby the weights of the criteria are derived using multilevel hierarchic structures. Consequently, using a linear additive model, each alternative is evaluated on a set of criteria derived from several objectives. This paper illustrates the implementation of the proposed framework in a case study of an urban interchange in the city of Riyadh. This research study considers three interchanges in the analysis to demonstrate the procedure; other interchange forms may also be appropriate at the site used in the study. This research helps in defining the criteria that play a significant role in determining the preferred design alternative, and the extent to which each of these criteria has an effect on the overall priority of a certain interchange configuration. The results of the study showed that the Diverging Diamond Interchange (DDI) outperformed its interchange counterparts and was chosen as the most preferred interchange configuration. The Single Point Urban Interchange (SPUI) ranked second while the Tight Urban Diamond (TUDI) was least preferred. Sensitivity analysis was undertaken to determine the impact of changes in criteria scoring or weights on the overall results, and revealed the robustness of the proposed model.
Perimeter Control as an Alternative to Dedicated Bus Lanes: A Case Study
Authors: Chiabaut Nicolas , Küng Michael , Menendez Monica , Leclercq Ludovic
Published: July 2018

Dedicated bus lanes (DBLs) are a common traffic management strategy in cities as they improve the efficiency of the transit system by preventing buses from getting trapped in traffic jams. Nevertheless, DBLs also have certain disadvantages: they consume space, reduce available capacity for general traffic, and can thus lead to even more congested car traffic situations. It is appealing to find more efficient alternatives that maintain a sufficient network supply for general traffic while guaranteeing high commercial speeds for the bus system. This paper investigates whether perimeter control (gating) could be such an alternative to DBL strategies. This solution aims at controlling the traffic conditions of a given area by monitoring vehicle accumulations and adapting traffic signal parameters to reach the targeted conditions. If free-flow states can be maintained within the zone, then DBLs become superfluous. This hypothesis is examined through a simulation case study with an urban arterial acting as the targeted area. A dual-objective control approach was applied to allow for not only the vehicle accumulation inside the area but the queue lengths at its perimeter, thereby addressing one of the main issues associated with gating schemes. Due to the gating strategy, traffic performance in the arterial, measured through vehicle accumulation plus mean speed and density, improved significantly. Moreover, results showed that bus operations reach almost the same efficiency level when DBLs are replaced by perimeter control. Furthermore, the availability of an additional lane for general traffic in the control case significantly increased the arterial capacity for cars.
Some Indications on How to Calibrate the Social Force Model of Pedestrian Dynamics
Authors: Kretz Tobias , Lohmiller Jochen , Sukennik Peter
Published: July 2018

The social force model of pedestrian dynamics is formulated in such a way that (a) most of its parameters do not have an immediate interpretation in the sense that they cannot be measured directly, (b) often one single parameter has an impact on many aspects of walking behavior, and (c) a certain aspect of walking behavior results from the values of more than one parameter. This makes calibration difficult. The aim of this paper is to give practitioners an indication of how to proceed in the calibration process. For this purpose, by analytical transformations the parameters of the social force model are related to real properties that have a clear and immediate meaning and are also highly relevant result properties of a simulation: extent and clearance time of a queue, respectively maximum density, and capacity flow. The theory for this is presented, and thus this study offers a deeper understanding of the model including its theoretical aspects.
Integrating Remote Sensing Data in Decision Support Systems for Transportation Asset Management
Authors: Vaccari Andrea , Batabyal Tamal , Tabassum Nazia , Hoppe Edward J. , Bruckno Brian S. , Acton Scott T.
Published: July 2018

The objective of the research summarized in this manuscript is two-fold: to develop and make available a set of novel analysis tools, fully integrated in ArcGIS, that leverages the rich information provided by satellite-based remote sensing data to detect and characterize geohazards of interest to the transportation community; and to provide a modern web-based decision support system (DSS) in which these novel analysis products can be seamlessly integrated with existing datasets. Specifically, interferometric synthetic aperture radar (InSAR) and its derivatives are employed in this work. Each tool is designed to target a specific asset of interest to the transportation community: sinkhole detection, bridge differential settlement detection, slope stability assessment, and pavement distress evaluation. Furthermore, to allow interested parties to test the introduction of remote sensing data into their decision-making process without requiring the full integration with existing workflows, a modern web-based DSS is introduced. Thanks to the large coverage and the high update frequencies offered by satellite-based remote sensing data, datasets augmented with these new products can offer a near real-time overview of the network status and lead to better support in decisions about resources allocation, existing infrastructure monitoring, new infrastructure planning, and post-construction assessment.
Student Pedestrian Walking Speeds at Crosswalks Near Schools
Authors: Chang Kevin , Foss Peter , Larrea Meagan , Bautista Edinson
Published: July 2018

The percentage of young people walking to school has decreased significantly since the 1960s. The reasons for this decline have been attributed to working parents too busy to accompany their children on a daily walk to school, parental concerns about safety from “stranger danger,” and concerns about the risks of walking routes that must cross at least one higher speed or higher volume roadway. School crossings at arterial facilities are often necessitated by the fact that newer schools are sited in peripheral locations and are not located within the heart of residential communities where sidewalks and slower traffic are expected. The objective of this study was to measure and assess the walking speeds of today’s young people who attend either an elementary, middle, or high school and to determine how their walking behavior compares with existing guidelines. The walking speed parameter is a critical component that is used to determine the duration of flashing beacons, high-intensity activated crosswalk (HAWK) beacons, and other pedestrian-activated devices; these devices facilitate school walking routes and provide extra assurance for children and parents alike. This study concluded that the walking speeds of school-aged children, even at the 15th percentile, are generally higher than those of current guidelines, suggesting that agency practitioners have an opportunity to fine tune timing parameters to reduce delay for the motoring public while still ensuring an appropriate and necessary level of safety for school-aged children.
Influence of Production Considerations on Balanced Mixture Designs
Authors: Austerman Alexander J. , Mogawer Walaa S. , Stuart Kevin D.
Published: July 2018

Measuring or predicting mixture performance prior to placement has become essential for many state transportation agencies due to incorporation of more recycled materials into mixtures, utilization of binders formulated with various modifiers, and utilization of new and unproven technologies. Mixtures designed incorporating these elements in accordance with the current Superpave mixture design method have unknown performance as Superpave was never designed to compensate for them. Thus, agencies have interest in implementing the balanced mixture concept that requires testing for acceptable mixture performance during the design phase. The effect of production considerations on a balanced mixture design is not known. It is unknown if a mixture remains performance balanced during production due to factors like asphalt content, gradation and binder source variations. This study was undertaken to understand the influence of these production considerations on a balanced mixture design. Two Superpave mixtures, a 9.5 mm and 12.5 mm, were developed using the balanced mixture design approach using volumetric properties, one rutting test and one cracking test. These mixtures were then modified to represent production variations in asphalt binder content, gradation passing the No. 200 sieve, and asphalt binder source. All mixtures remained performance balanced when examining the production considerations in terms of rutting and cracking using the selected tests. Examination of other performance results, like moisture susceptibility, suggest it is possible to effectively unbalance the mixture design during production. This underscores the importance of proper selection of performance tests to address the performance needs of the agency.
Signal Timing Optimization with Connected Vehicle Technology: Platooning to Improve Computational Efficiency
Authors: Liang Xiao (Joyce) , Guler S. Ilgin , Gayah Vikash V.
Published: July 2018

This paper develops a real-time traffic signal optimization algorithm in the presence of connected and autonomous vehicles (CAVs). The proposed algorithm leverages information from connected vehicles (CVs) arriving at an intersection to identify naturally occurring platoons that consist of both CVs and non-CVs. Signal timings are then selected to optimize the sequence at which these platoons are allowed to discharge through the intersection to minimize total vehicle delay. Longitudinal trajectory guidance that explicitly accounts for vehicle acceleration and deceleration behavior is provided to the lead autonomous vehicle (AV) in any platoon to minimize the total number of stopping maneuvers performed by all vehicles. Simulation tests reveal that the proposed platoon-based algorithm provides superior computational savings (over 95%) compared with a previously developed algorithm that focuses on optimizing departure sequences of individual vehicles, with negligible changes in operational performance. The computational savings allow the platoon-based algorithm to accommodate intersections with four multi-lane approaches and left turns, whereas large computational costs limited the previous vehicle-based algorithm to only two single-lane approaches without conflicting left turns. Additional simulation tests of the platoon-based algorithm on these more realistic intersection configurations show that intersection performance increases as the penetration rate of CAVs in the vehicle fleet increases. However, the marginal benefits decrease rapidly after the fleet is composed of 40% CAVs.
Revisiting Clear Floor Area Requirements for Wheeled Mobility Device Users in Public Transportation
Authors: Bharathy Aravind , D’Souza Clive
Published: July 2018

Current accessibility standards in the U.S. prescribe minimum dimensions for “clear floor area” to accommodate wheeled mobility device (WhMD) users on transportation vehicles. Prior research on the anthropometry of WhMD users ( n = 500) indicates that these dimensions are too small to accommodate the size of many occupied WhMDs, especially power chairs and scooters. This paper describes a development project designed to update the evidence for these technical criteria and communicate them to the vehicle designers and accessibility standards developers in a manner that would facilitate making good decisions. An interactive web-based design tool was developed for determining the dimensions of clear floor area to achieve a user-specified level of physical accommodation based on occupied device length and width measurements taken on 500 WhMD users. The web-based design tool is now available to practitioners who seek to accommodate a wider range of WhMD users than the minimum standards required by regulations. The design tool is also intended as a visual evidence base for regulatory activity and universal design practice with higher ambitions. The advent of driverless automated vehicles will increase the importance of accessibility and usability to accommodate the diversity of riders with disabilities. Clear floor space to enable independent ingress, interior circulation, and egress among WhMD users will be a foremost concern. The transportation industry, standards developers, disability advocates, mobility device manufacturers and prescribers, need to understand the limitations of current accessibility standards and work to address these limitations through updated vehicle design standards and policies.
Planning Powers as Property Rights in Contemporary China
Authors: Smith Nick R.
Published: July 2018

This article investigates a case of planning contestation in Shekou, a development zone in Shenzhen, China, where the municipal government and a centrally administered state-owned enterprise competed for planning powers from 1998 to 2015. The article proposes a “proprietary model” of planning, in which planning powers function as residual control rights that derive from the party-state’s ownership of urban land and allow local agents of the party-state to maximize land-related revenue. When, as in Shekou, more than one party-state actor claims to exercise ownership, it can result in competition for control over planning processes and the creation of multiple rival plans.
Effects of 900-MHz electromagnetic fields exposure throughout middle/late adolescence on the kidney morphology and biochemistry of the female rat
Authors: Okatan Derya Öztürk , Okatan Ali Ertan , Hancı Hatice , Demir Selim , Yaman Serap Özer , Çolakoğlu Serdar , Odacı Ersan
Published: July 2018

The effect of the electromagnetic field (EMF) established when cell phones are in use on human health, and particularly the head, has been the subject of major scientific research. Phones are usually carried near the lumbar region when not in use, and the kidneys will also inevitably be affected by such fields. We investigated the effects on the kidneys of female rats exposed to a continuous 900-megahertz (MHz) EMF for 1 h daily in mid-late adolescence. Control, sham, and EMF groups were established. The EMF was applied to the application group rats daily on postnatal days 35–59. A pseudo-megahertz effect was applied to sham group rats. All animals were euthanized on postnatal day 60. Right kidney tissues were subjected to routine procedures. Malondialdehyde, total antioxidant status, and total oxidant status (TOS) were investigated in left kidneys, and the oxidative stress index (OSI) was also calculated from these. Histopathological analysis revealed no pathology in either the control or sham groups. However, findings including hemorrhage in glomerulus, vacuolization and irregularity in the proximal and distal tubular epithelium, diffuse glomerular degeneration and edema, occasional degeneration in Bowman capsules, hemorrhage in the medullary region, disturbed nucleus location and morphology, and tubular edema in the cortex were observed in the EMF groups. TOS and OSI values were lower in the EMF group (9.4316 ± 1.0211 and 0.8461 ± 0.0826, respectively) and the sham group (8.2171 ± 0.6437 and 0.7358 ± 0.0545, respectively) than in the control group (11.1522 ± 1.3389 and 1.0085 ± 0.1174, respectively) ( p < 0.05). In conclusion, exposure to a continuous 900-MHz EMF for 1 h daily during middle and late adolescence may cause various changes in the female rat kidney at postnatal day 60.
Height Growth Impairment in Children With Neurofibromatosis Type 1 Is Characterized by Decreased Pubertal Growth Velocity in Both Sexes
Authors: Zessis Nicholas R. , Gao Feng , Vadlamudi Gayathri , Gutmann David H. , Hollander Abby S.
Published: July 2018

Previous studies have suggested that children with neurofibromatosis type 1 are shorter than their unaffected counterparts as an effect of a germline NF1 gene mutation. The pathophysiology of this effect is still uncertain. The purpose of this study was to characterize longitudinal growth in children with neurofibromatosis type 1 in order to assess growth velocity and its influence on stature. Longitudinal height data were collected for 188 patients with a confirmed clinical diagnosis of neurofibromatosis type 1. Children with neurofibromatosis type 1 had population mean heights statistically different from the general population, with a reduced peak height velocity during pubertal growth. In addition, there were no significant differences in the timing of peak height velocity during puberty between the general population and those with neurofibromatosis type 1. These data demonstrate that short stature in neurofibromatosis type 1 is due in part to subnormal height acquisition during puberty.
A Comparative Analysis of Media Coverage of Mass Public Shootings: Examining Rampage, Disgruntled Employee, School, and Lone-Wolf Terrorist Shootings in the United States
Authors: Silva Jason R. , Capellan Joel A.
Published: July 2018

This study provides a comparative analysis of news media coverage across four types of mass public shootings: rampage, disgruntled employee, school, and lone-wolf terrorist. This research analyzes the agenda-setting function of the media and identifies differences in coverage and the salience of coverage, proportionality of coverage, changes in coverage over time, and factors influencing levels of coverage. Findings indicate school shootings and lone-wolf terrorist shootings receive disproportionate amounts of news media coverage. This suggests media coverage may be contributing to setting the public and policy agenda concerning the phenomenon. These findings have important implications for public perceptions of risk, conceptualizations of potential perpetrators, and the implementation of security measures.
Reexamining the Link Between Economic Downturns and Racial Antipathy: Evidence That Prejudice Against Blacks Rises During Recessions
Authors: Bianchi Emily C. , Hall Erika V. , Lee Sarah
Published: July 2018

Scholars have long argued that economic downturns intensify racial discord. However, empirical support for this relationship has been mixed, with most recent studies finding no evidence that downturns provoke greater racial animosity. Yet most past research has focused on hate crimes, a particularly violent and relatively infrequent manifestation of racial antipathy. In this article, we reexamine the relationship between economic downturns and racial acrimony using more subtle indicators of racial animosity. We found that during economic downturns, Whites felt less warmly about Blacks (Studies 1 and 2), held more negative explicit and implicit attitudes about Blacks, were more likely to condone the use of stereotypes, and were more willing to regard inequality between groups as natural and acceptable (Study 2). Moreover, during downturns, Black musicians (Study 3) and Black politicians (Study 4) were less likely to secure a musical hit or win a congressional election.
In Defense of the Commons: Young Children Negatively Evaluate and Sanction Free Riders
Authors: Yang Fan , Choi You-Jung , Misch Antonia , Yang Xin , Dunham Yarrow
Published: July 2018

Human flourishing depends on individuals paying costs to contribute to the common good, but such arrangements are vulnerable to free riding, in which individuals benefit from others’ contributions without paying costs themselves. Systems of tracking and sanctioning free riders can stabilize cooperation, but the origin of such tendencies is not well understood. Here, we provide evidence that children as young as 4 years old negatively evaluate and sanction free riders. Across six studies, we showed that these tendencies are robust, large in magnitude, tuned to intentional rather than unintentional noncontribution, and generally consistent across third- and first-party cases. Further, these effects cannot be accounted for by factors that frequently co-occur with free riding, such as nonconforming behaviors or the costs that free riding imposes on the group. Our findings demonstrate that from early in life, children both hold and enforce a normative expectation that individuals are intrinsically obligated to contribute to the common good.
Vascularization of Natural and Synthetic Bone Scaffolds
Authors: Liu Xi , Jakus Adam E. , Kural Mehmet , Qian Hong , Engler Alexander , Ghaedi Mahboobe , Shah Ramille , Steinbacher Derek M. , Niklason Laura E.
Published: July 2018

Vascularization of engineered bone tissue is critical for ensuring its survival after implantation. In vitro pre-vascularization of bone grafts with endothelial cells is a promising strategy to improve implant survival. In this study, we pre-cultured human smooth muscle cells (hSMCs) on bone scaffolds for 3 weeks followed by seeding of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), which produced a desirable environment for microvasculature formation. The sequential cell-seeding protocol was successfully applied to both natural (decellularized native bone, or DB) and synthetic (3D-printed Hyperelastic “Bone” scaffolds, or HB) scaffolds, demonstrating a comprehensive platform for developing natural and synthetic-based in vitro vascularized bone grafts. Using this sequential cell-seeding process, the HUVECs formed lumen structures throughout the DB scaffolds as well as vascular tissue bridging 3D-printed fibers within the HB. The pre-cultured hSMCs were essential for endothelial cell (EC) lumen formation within DB scaffolds, as well as for upregulating EC-specific gene expression of HUVECs grown on HB scaffolds. We further applied this co-culture protocol to DB scaffolds using a perfusion bioreactor, to overcome the limitations of diffusive mass transport into the interiors of the scaffolds. Compared with static culture, panoramic histological sections of DB scaffolds cultured in bioreactors showed improved cellular density, as well as a nominal increase in the number of lumen structures formed by ECs in the interior regions of the scaffolds. In conclusion, we have demonstrated that the sequential seeding of hSMCs and HUVECs can serve to generate early microvascular networks that could further support the in vitro tissue engineering of naturally or synthetically derived bone grafts and in both random (DB) and ordered (HB) pore networks. Combined with the preliminary bioreactor study, this process also shows potential to generate clinically sized, vascularized bone scaffolds for tissue and regenerative engineering.
Writing the Ethnic Origins of the Rasulids in Late Medieval South Arabia
Authors: Mahoney Daniel
Published: July 2018

The Rasulids arrived in South Arabia towards the end of the sixth/twelfth century as Turkoman officers in the Ayyubid military. Thereafter they established a dynasty that lasted until the mid-ninth/fifteenth century. At the height of their power at the end of the seventh/thirteenth century, an effort to further buoy their political legitimacy was undertaken by resituating their ethnic origins to South Arabia. This first appeared within a genealogy that simultaneously showed their emergence from the complex web of descent of the local tribes, as well as juxtaposed them with the rulers of the Islamic Caliphate and elevated them above other contemporary political groups in South Arabia. However, after the Rasulid military was increasingly challenged over the course of the eighth/fourteenth century and the dynasty’s influence in the region and the wider Islamic world continued to dissipate, the assertion of their local origins was greatly fleshed out into a narrative at the beginning of a dynastic chronicle of the early ninth/fifteenth century. This prologue explains more explicitly how they first emigrated from South Arabia in the pre-Islamic period only to then return in the late medieval period as its rightful rulers. Overall, the construction of this origin story points to the Rasulids’ attempt to take on a new strategy of identification through the appropriation of South Arabian cultural memory in order to strengthen their political status.
Big data and extreme-scale computing
Authors: Asch M , Moore T , Badia R , Beck M , Beckman P , Bidot T , Bodin F , Cappello F , Choudhary A , de Supinski B , Deelman E , Dongarra J , Dubey A , Fox G , Fu H , Girona S , Gropp W , Heroux M , Ishikawa Y , Keahey K , Keyes D , Kramer W , Lavignon J-F , Lu Y , Matsuoka S , Mohr B , Reed D , Requena S , Saltz J , Schulthess T , Stevens R , Swany M , Szalay A , Tang W , Varoquaux G , Vilotte J-P , Wisniewski R , Xu Z , Zacharov I
Published: July 2018

Over the past four years, the Big Data and Exascale Computing (BDEC) project organized a series of five international workshops that aimed to explore the ways in which the new forms of data-centric discovery introduced by the ongoing revolution in high-end data analysis (HDA) might be integrated with the established, simulation-centric paradigm of the high-performance computing (HPC) community. Based on those meetings, we argue that the rapid proliferation of digital data generators, the unprecedented growth in the volume and diversity of the data they generate, and the intense evolution of the methods for analyzing and using that data are radically reshaping the landscape of scientific computing. The most critical problems involve the logistics of wide-area, multistage workflows that will move back and forth across the computing continuum, between the multitude of distributed sensors, instruments and other devices at the networks edge, and the centralized resources of commercial clouds and HPC centers. We suggest that the prospects for the future integration of technological infrastructures and research ecosystems need to be considered at three different levels. First, we discuss the convergence of research applications and workflows that establish a research paradigm that combines both HPC and HDA, where ongoing progress is already motivating efforts at the other two levels. Second, we offer an account of some of the problems involved with creating a converged infrastructure for peripheral environments, that is, a shared infrastructure that can be deployed throughout the network in a scalable manner to meet the highly diverse requirements for processing, communication, and buffering/storage of massive data workflows of many different scientific domains. Third, we focus on some opportunities for software ecosystem convergence in big, logically centralized facilities that execute large-scale simulations and models and/or perform large-scale data analytics. We close by offering some conclusions and recommendations for future investment and policy review.
“The Unsung Heroes of Ireland”: Masculinity, Gender, and Breadwinning among Ireland’s “Euro-Commuters”
Authors: Ralph David
Published: July 2018

Here I examine the masculinity/breadwinning nexus among a group of intra-European migrants, namely, those who commute for work between European states—or Euro-commuters. I focus specifically on professional male Euro-commuters, who live in the Republic of Ireland but work in another European Union (EU)-28 country. Examining their mobility decision-making process, I argue that the impetus behind Euro-commuting is strongly influenced by normative gender-based expectations around masculinity and breadwinning. Threatened with socioeconomic insecurity in austerity-hit Ireland, respondents struggled to sustain strongly gendered identities as their families’ primary breadwinners. Consequently, by securing professional white-collar work in another EU-28 country, not only is downward social mobility from the Irish middle-class offset but also equally so is the threat to their firmly held masculine breadwinner identities. In securing this employment, then, my respondents were compensating for what they felt to be their “failed” masculinity during bouts of underemployment or unemployment; they were now performing masculinity “successfully” by working overseas. Effectively, Euro-commuting is a further means of reasserting hegemonic gender-based identities as middle-class male breadwinners. This mobility thereby contributes to novel patterns of reproducing privileged gender subjectivities.
Erickson solution-focused coaching for weight management in obese patients with obstructive sleep apnoea: ECOHEALTH pilot study
Authors: Tkacova Ruzena , Paranicova Ivana , Timkova Eva , Vonkova Dagmar , Joppa Pavol
Published: July 2018

Coaching as a lifestyle modification approach to weight management is insufficiently explored in obstructive sleep apnoea. We investigated anthropometry and body composition after 20 weeks of Erickson coaching in 26 obstructive sleep apnoea patients (19 males; 47.6 ± 2.4 years). Body weight, neck circumference, waist-to-hip ratio and %body fat significantly decreased after 20 weeks. The mean weight loss was 5.2 per cent ± 1.0 per cent; 20 (77%) participants achieved target reduction of >3 per cent. Coaching session attendance ( p = 0.006) and reaching personal goal related to physical performance ( p = 0.044) were independently associated with weight loss (multiple regression model R2 = 0.608, p < 0.001). Erickson solution-focused coaching supports adherence to healthy lifestyle and weight reduction in obstructive sleep apnoea.
eSports, skins and loot boxes: Participants, practices and problematic behaviour associated with emergent forms of gambling
Authors: Macey Joseph , Hamari Juho
Published: July 2018

Twenty years since the Internet transformed gambling products and services, the convergence of online games and gambling has initiated a new means of consuming Internet-based media. Gambling specifically connected to eSports is a significant development, not only offering a new avenue for existing gambling products to be inserted into gaming media but also affording several novel experiences (e.g. skins and loot boxes). This study assesses participation rates and demographic characteristics of eSports spectators who gamble via an international online survey ( N = 582). The sample highlighted the prevalence of young, often under-age, males in eSports-related gambling activities. Participation in gambling, and gambling-like activities, was found to be 67%, with rates of problematic and potentially problematic gambling in the sample being 50.34%. Finally, increased gambling is associated with increased spectating of eSports. Although the results are not generalisable to the wider population, they suggest a need for increased attention, from academia and regulators, regarding newly emergent gambling behaviours in contemporary digital culture.
A review of Internet use among older adults
Authors: Hunsaker Amanda , Hargittai Eszter
Published: July 2018

As the world population ages and older adults comprise a growing proportion of current and potential Internet users, understanding the state of Internet use among older adults as well as the ways their use has evolved may clarify how best to support digital media use within this population. This article synthesizes the quantitative literature on Internet use among older adults, including trends in access, skills, and types of use, while exploring social inequalities in relation to each domain. We also review work on the relationship between health and Internet use, particularly relevant for older adults. We close with specific recommendations for future work, including a call for studies better representing the diversity of older adulthood and greater standardization of question design.
Who shapes the news? Analyzing journalists’ and organizational interests as competing influences on biased coverage
Authors: Jost Pablo , Koehler Christina
Published: July 2018

This study investigates influences on gatekeeping processes that have the potential to cause biased media coverage. We tested whether and, if so, to what extent journalists’ and organizational interests affect journalistic news processing. In a content analysis, we contrasted the press coverage (n = 1199 articles) of trade disputes of newspaper journalists with the coverage of other trade disputes. Results indicate both coverage and statement bias. In their coverage of newspaper disputes, journalists evaluated employers’ offers significantly more negatively, framed industrial action as legitimate, and criticized employers’ behavior during strikes.
An engine size–scaling method for kinetically controlled combustion strategies
Authors: Chuahy Flavio DF , Olk Jamen , DelVescovo Dan , Kokjohn Sage L
Published: July 2018

A substantial amount of research has recently focused on kinetically controlled combustion strategies such as reactivity-controlled compression ignition combustion. These strategies are promising methods to achieve high efficiency with near-zero NOx and soot emissions; however, despite promising results, very few attempts have been made to develop size-scaling relationships that would allow these results to be generalized to any engine design. Engine design is a long and arduous process that requires a substantial amount of experimental work. Consequently, it is of interest to develop scaling laws that allow results from one engine to be extrapolated to new designs. Several scaling laws have been proposed for diffusion combustion (i.e. mixing limited) that scale parameters such as liquid length and lift-off length. Such parameters have been deemed unimportant for highly premixed low-temperature combustion strategies; thus, a new methodology is needed. The present effort uses a combination of detailed computational fluid dynamics simulations and engine experiments in two engines with different bore sizes to develop a new engine size–scaling methodology for low-temperature kinetically controlled combustion strategies. The effects of pressure, temperature, and turbulence timescales are explored in order to replicate the large-bore engine performance in a small-bore engine. A size-scaling relationship based on the ignition timescale is proposed and used to generalize the results to an arbitrary bore size and fuel combination.