bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterisation of the calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonists ubrogepant and atogepant in human isolated coronary, cerebral and middle meningeal arteries
Authors: Rubio-Beltran Eloísa , Chan Ka Yi , Danser AH Jan , MaassenVanDenBrink Antoinette , Edvinsson Lars
Published: November 2019

Background

Migraine has been associated with a dysfunctional activation of the trigeminovascular system. Calcitonin gene-related peptide, a neuropeptide released from the trigeminal nerve fibres, has an important role in the pathophysiology of migraine and is a current therapeutic target for migraine treatment.

Methods

We examined the effects of two novel calcitonin gene-related peptide receptor antagonists, ubrogepant and atogepant, on the relaxations induced by α calcitonin gene-related peptide in human isolated middle meningeal, cerebral and coronary arteries. Furthermore, the contractile responses to atogepant and ubrogepant per se were studied and compared to the responses elicited by zolmitriptan in proximal and distal human coronary arteries.

Results

In intracranial arteries, both blockers antagonized the calcitonin gene-related peptide-induced relaxations more potently when compared to the inhibition observed in distal human coronary arteries, with atogepant showing a higher potency. When analysing their antagonistic profile in HCA, ubrogepant showed a competitive antagonist profile, while atogepant showed a non-competitive one. Neither of the gepants had vasoconstrictor effect at any of the concentrations studied in human coronary arteries, whereas zolmitriptan elicited concentration-dependent contractions.

Conclusion

ubrogepant and atogepant differentially inhibit the calcitonin gene-related peptide-dependent vasodilatory responses in intracranial arteries when compared to distal human coronary arteries. Also, both gepants are devoid of vasoconstrictive properties in human coronary arteries.
Screenomics: A New Approach for Observing and Studying Individuals’ Digital Lives
Authors: Ram Nilam , Yang Xiao , Cho Mu-Jung , Brinberg Miriam , Muirhead Fiona , Reeves Byron , Robinson Thomas N.
Published: November 2019

This study describes when and how adolescents engage with their fast-moving and dynamic digital environment as they go about their daily lives. We illustrate a new approach— screenomics—for capturing, visualizing, and analyzing screenomes, the record of individuals’ day-to-day digital experiences. Sample includes over 500,000 smartphone screenshots provided by four Latino/Hispanic youth, age 14 to 15 years, from low-income, racial/ethnic minority neighborhoods. Screenomes collected from smartphones for 1 to 3 months, as sequences of smartphone screenshots obtained every 5 seconds that the device is activated, are analyzed using computational machinery for processing images and text, machine learning algorithms, human labeling, and qualitative inquiry. Adolescents’ digital lives differ substantially across persons, days, hours, and minutes. Screenomes highlight the extent of switching among multiple applications, and how each adolescent is exposed to different content at different times for different durations—with apps, food-related content, and sentiment as illustrative examples. We propose that the screenome provides the fine granularity of data needed to study individuals’ digital lives, for testing existing theories about media use, and for generation of new theory about the interplay between digital media and development.
Relationship Power Imbalance and Known Predictors of Intimate Partner Violence in Couples Planning to Get Married: A Baseline Analysis of the AMAR Cohort Study
Authors: Martín-Lanas Raquel , Osorio Alfonso , Anaya-Hamue Elena , Cano-Prous Adrián , de Irala Jokin
Published: November 2019

The increased interest on measuring violence in romantic relationships has led to the identification of some risk factors for intimate partner violence (IPV) in its different forms. Some of them are often present from the onset of the relationships. However, little attention has been paid to the engagement period. This might be, in part, due to the cognitive dissonance that hinders partners reporting intimate violence when they are planning their wedding. The purpose of our study is to test the association between the individual perception of relationship power imbalance (RPI)—a possible indirect measure of intimate violence—and known predictors of IPV. To test this hypothesis, a total of 254 premarital couples taking part in a dynamic prospective cohort study completed a questionnaire with questions about the perception of RPI and referred predictors of IPV. Results showed a positive correlation between the perception of RPI and known predictors of IPV. These findings suggest that RPI is a powerful indirect measure to detect situations that might imply a mild form of IPV and that could evolve into stronger presentations of violence later in marriage. Noticing the presence of RPI before marriage could encourage the prevention and development of personal and relational strategies to avoid the consolidation of violent dynamics within the marital relationship.
Career Counseling Process Quality Promotes Reemployment
Authors: Behrendt Peter , Göritz Anja S. , Heuer Katharina
Published: November 2019

One-on-one career counseling has been established as the most effective type of career intervention. Prior research results have suggested that process quality determines counseling success. In this multilevel study, career counseling process quality is validated as a predictor of job seekers’ reemployment at three Swiss job centers. Supervisors’ evaluations of the process quality of mandatory counseling sessions predicted faster reemployment of the 444 counseled job seekers by 18.9 working days on average. This effect equals yearly savings of 418 million Swiss Francs CHF (US$ 422 million) in Swiss unemployment benefits. While in many countries, the counseling of the unemployed is predominantly an administrative process, the findings should encourage investments in process quality of career counseling to promote reemployment. Furthermore, the study calls for further research on the underlying factors of career counseling process quality and the respective career counselor behaviors.
Smoking Households Give Less to Charity
Authors: Siahpush Mohammad , Tibbits Melissa , Maloney Shannon , Johansson Patrik , Grimm Brandon , Nguyen Minh , Soliman Ghada A. , Wani Rajvi J. , Singh Gopal K.
Published: November 2019

This study had two aims: (a) to assess, among households in the United States, the association between spending money on cigarettes and participation in charitable giving, and between spending money on cigarettes and amount spent on charitable giving, and (b) to assess whether the association between smoking and charitable giving is mediated by religiosity, social capital, cognitive aptitude, and happiness. To address these aims, we used data from Consumer Expenditure Interview Survey and Midlife in the United States Survey. The analyses revealed that households that spend money on cigarettes are less likely to participate in charitable giving. Furthermore, among households who do give to charity, smoking households give a lesser amount than others do. Religiosity, social capital, cognitive aptitude, and happiness do not appear to mediate the relationship between smoking and charitable giving.
Integrating Christian Ethics with Ignatian Spirituality
Authors: Beste Jennifer E.
Published: November 2019

If Christian ethics is to have an authentic connection to Jesus Christ, it is crucial to establish pedagogical objectives and best practices that are transformative. In this article, I examine how integrating Christian sexual ethics with Ignatian spirituality has fostered many students’ holistic growth and commitment to justice.
Residual stresses and strains analysis in press-braking bending parts considering multi-step forming effect
Authors: Zhang Min , Tian Xitian
Published: November 2019

Press-braking bending is a multi-step bending process and widely applied in the aerospace industry. Residual stresses and strains generated during the forming process play an important role in determining its forming parameters and bending path. This work aims to analyze the residual stresses and strains in press-braking bending parts using both the theoretical method and numerical method. First, the analytical model of residual stress and strain is established based on the elastic–plastic bending theory. Second, a fully finite element model of press-braking bending has been developed, and a procedure to simulate the multi-step bending process is presented by using the elastic–plastic large deformation finite element method. The simulation results are then compared with three-point bending experiments in terms of forming force and final shapes of the bent specimens, and excellent agreement is achieved. Finally, the results calculated from the analytical model are compared with the numerical results. The distributions of residual stresses and strains on the finished plate along the length and thickness direction, and particularly the multi-step forming effect on residual stresses and strains, are discussed. It is found that the residual stresses and strains decrease at the initial loading position along the thickness direction during the forming process of subsequent loading positions. With the same punch displacement, the residual stresses and strains at the initial loading position are less than those at the subsequent bending position.
Sheet cathode design and experimental study on the electrochemical machining of deep narrow slots in TB6 titanium alloy
Authors: Wang Feng , Zhao Jianshe , Lv Yanming , Fu Xiuqing , Kang Min , Tian Zongjun
Published: November 2019

TB6 titanium alloy is extensively applied in lightweight vehicles, biomedicine, and other domains because of its high specific strength, excellent fracture toughness, and excellent corrosion resistance. Electrochemical machining is a non-contact processing technology that has significant advantages in processing materials that are difficult to cut, such as cemented carbide, high-temperature alloys, and titanium alloys. To improve the consistency of deep narrow slots fabricated in TB6 titanium alloy via electrochemical machining, a sheet cathode design and experimental studies were carried out in this work. Based on a unidirectional fluid–structure coupling simulation, the influence of the stiffener arrangement on the cathode rigidity and flow-velocity distribution was studied. Furthermore, by modifying the geometry of the stiffener, the cathode deformation was significantly reduced, and flow-velocity uniformity at the cathode outlet was improved. The influence of a superimposed low-frequency oscillation on the gap distribution and the profile error of a deep narrow slot was investigated experimentally. The results revealed that when an applied voltage of 24 V, an oscillation frequency of 50 Hz, and an amplitude of 0.05 mm were adopted, a highly homogeneous deep narrow slot with an entrance gap of 0.24 mm and a side gap of 0.33 mm was machined into the TB6 titanium alloy.
A geometric mass control approach in level set method to simulate multiphase flows with complex interface topologies, case study: Oblique coalescence of gas bubbles in a liquid
Authors: Hadidi Amin , Eshagh Nimvari Majid
Published: November 2019

A geometrical mass control loop is proposed in this research to use in the level set method in order to simulation of multiphase flows with complex topologies of the interface and a case study is investigated using proposed scheme. In this regard oblique interaction and coalescence of bubbles in a liquid is investigated. The level set method is suffering from poor mass conservation in the case of severe changes of interface and complex topologies encountered in a wide range of problems which one of them is oblique coalescence of the bubbles. Despite the use of full re-initialization and reconstruction approach of the level set method as well as application of fine mesh, deviation of mass conservation of the method even becomes 100%. Therefore, simulation of such problems sometimes becomes impossible using this method. So in the geometric mass control loop, mass deviation in each time step is calculated and is compensated in the dispersed phase, which prevents the propagation of mass error entire the simulation. Efficiency of proposed geometrical mass control loop is verified by simulation of oblique interaction and coalescence of gas bubbles in a liquid. The governing equations are continuity and momentum equations which have been discretized using the finite volume method and the SIMPLE algorithm. The results outlined in the present study well agree with the existing experimental and numerical results. Results show that the maximum amount of mass dissipation was less than 4%. Therefore, the level set method with proposed geometric mass control loop could be used properly for the simulation of multiphase flows with sharp and high variations in the interface.
Rowell syndrome complicated with macrophage activation syndrome in a child
Authors: Aguirre-Martinez I , Vélez-Tirado N , García-Romero M T , Rodríguez-Lozano A L , Corcuera-Delgado C T , Yamazaki-Nakashimada M , Rivas-Larrauri F
Published: November 2019

Rowell syndrome (RS) is a rare disease characterized by the association of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) or cutaneous lupus with lesions similar to erythema multiforme and the presence of autoantibodies including ANA, SSA, SSB, or rheumatoid factor. Due to the low incidence of this disease, the epidemiology of RS is not clear. So far there are 95 cases reported in the literature; of these, only seven cases are pediatric patients. Macrophage activation syndrome (MAS) is an increasingly recognized complication of SLE, although its true prevalence in childhood is still unknown. We describe a unique pediatric patient with RS who developed MAS.
Changes in quality of life in relation to disease activity in systemic lupus erythematosus: post-hoc analysis of the BLISS-52 Trial
Authors: Jolly M , Annapureddy N , Arnaud L , Devilliers H
Published: November 2019

Objectives

To quantify changes in generic patient-reported outcomes against clinically meaningful, disease activity measures in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE).

Methods

Using BLISS-52 trial data (867 SLE patients), we estimated the mean difference in change of patient-reported outcome scores (Medical Outcomes Study SF-36 and FACIT-fatigue) in relation to disease activity (SELENA-SLEDAI, SELENA-SLEDAI flare index, SLE responder index and British Isles Lupus Assessment Group (BILAG)), considering all study visits by the mean of multivariate mixed models. Predefined disease activity criteria were used to define for improvement and worsening.

Results

Mean changes in physical component summary/mental component summary and FACIT-fatigue in response to changes in SELENA-SLEDAI and SELENA-SLEDAI flare index were significantly lower than 2.5. New SELENA-SLEDAI flare index flare led to a significant change in all patient-reported outcome scores, except role emotional. Mean improvement in patient-reported outcomes with achievement of SLE responder index ranged between +6.2 (physical function) and +11.3 (bodily pain) for SF-36 domains, + 3.4 and +3.3 for mental component summary and physical component summary, and was +4.2 for FACIT-fatigue. When considering disease activity changes by organ system, changes in BILAG (constitutional) was independently associated with significant changes in FACIT-fatigue and all SF-36 domains (except physical function), changes in BILAG (musculoskeletal and hematological) were independently associated with significant changes in patient-reported outcome scores, except for role emotional (musculoskeletal) and general health/mental health (hematological). Mean changes in every SF-36 domain varied (and was >5) with SLE responder index attainment.

Conclusions

Knowledge of changes in patient-reported outcomes, against clinically meaningful changes in SLE disease activity measures, is crucial for designing of clinical trials, interpretation of results and shared decision-making for patient care.
Beyond Europeanization: The politics of scale and positionality in Lithuania’s alternative food networks
Authors: Blumberg Renata , Mincyte Diana
Published: November 2019

This article brings geographical insights to understanding the Europeanization of agri-food politics in new European Union member states. Most literature on agri-food policy and law in the European Union has conceptualized policy making and implementation as an institutional process involving multiple levels of governance. In this perspective, Europeanization is understood as a process through which stakeholders formulate, negotiate, and implement legal principles and procedures across various institutions at different levels of governance. By employing the conceptual tools developed in geographical research, we contribute a spatial and historical dimension to these studies. Our analysis shows how the politics of scale and sociospatial positionality can help explain idiosyncratic shifts in food policies in new European Union member states that could not be attributed solely to institutional processes. To develop these arguments, our empirical analysis focuses on shifting agri-food regulatory frameworks for Alternative Food Networks in Lithuania. In particular, we analyze how and why Lithuanian authorities began changing and simplifying food safety and veterinary requirements for the production, processing, and distribution of small quantities of food products sold directly to consumers through Alternative Food Networks in the local market. We show how Lithuania’s positionality in regional and global markets contributed to the growth of the direct sales sector. Our analysis also reveals the agency of local producers and consumers in creating conditions for policy change. This analysis suggests that Europeanization of food politics in the new European Union member states is best understood as a spatial reordering of the region and its historical relationships.
Modeling and measuring class conflict in Russia’s regions
Authors: Wilson Steven Lloyd
Published: November 2019

This article tests whether latent class conflict exists in Russia. It does so by theorizing that if class conflict exists, it should be reflected in the tax policy. The article constructs an original formal model of the authoritarian tax policy choice, finding equilibria in which the local government takes into account public sentiment even in the absence of elections, in an effect that resembles a market. This public sentiment is operationalized by performing a large- n latent Dirichlet allocation topic analysis of Russian regional newspaper articles dealing with the middle and working classes. In empirically testing its formal model, this article finds evidence that certain tax policy is driven by class conflict.
Developing a Priority Scoring Index for Mobile Mammography Sites: Considerations for Screening Access in Rural and Remote Settings
Authors: Mitchell Emma McKim , Camacho Fabian
Published: November 2019

Geographic location continues to be an important indicator in incidence of, access to treatment for, and mortality from breast cancer. Disparities in access to screening and early detection persist in Appalachian Virginia. We developed an index to identify sites which would most benefit from increased frequency of mobile mammography visits, based on geographically relevant population-level risk factors (late stage of tumor diagnosis) and accessibility risk factors (access to FDA [US Food and Drug Administration] mammography sites, access of women aged 50+ years to primary care physicians at existing mobile sites). These 4 components for the Priority Index were subsequently standardized and multiplied to importance weights. The percentage of mammograms performed in the target geographic region has increased each year, respectively. This article presents methodological considerations for developing a priority algorithm to increase access to breast cancer early screening and detection for vulnerable women.
Influence of restricted operating space on the performance of random vibration energy harvesting
Authors: Xu Ming , Wang Yong
Published: November 2019

The ambition to create self-powered microscale electrical devices motivates scientific and industrial communities to investigate the energy harvesting technique, especially working in random vibration circumstances. The mechanical response of the random vibration system may approach infinity with small probability, and then the restricted operating space of the energy harvesting system will unavoidably induce the occurrence of collision interaction. Here, the random mechanical vibration and electrical output of the vibration energy harvesting system including inelastic collision are investigated, in which the random excitation is described by Gaussian white noise, while the collision interactions are described by the transient impact model and inelastic contact model, respectively. Introducing the generalized harmonic transformation of mechanical states and adopting a slow-varying process assumption of amplitude and averaged frequency, the output voltage can be explicitly expressed as the function of displacement, velocity, and system total energy by directly integrating the linear electrical equation. The transient impact interaction is equivalent to an effective damping with energy-dependent damping coefficient, while the inelastic contact interaction is equivalent to an effective damping and an affiliated potential energy. The averaged equations with respect to mechanical energy are then derived through the stochastic averaging technique. The stationary probabilistic density function of mechanical states is established by solving the reduced Fokker–Plank–Kolmogorov equation, and then the statistical quantities of electrical voltage are obtained by the relation between voltage and mechanical states. The effectiveness and precision of the analytical procedure are validated through the results from Monte Carlo simulations, and the influence of collision interaction on the performance of energy harvesting is discussed in detail. Also, for the energy harvesting system excited by colored noise, the influence of collision interaction on the performance is evaluated through Monte Carlo simulations.
State-Sanctioned Structural Violence: Women Migrant Domestic Workers in the Philippines and Sri Lanka
Authors: Henderson Sophie
Published: November 2019

Adopting a structural violence approach, this article examines how the failure to implement protective rights-based migration policies by the governments in the Philippines and Sri Lanka creates the conditions for the systematic exploitation of women migrant domestic workers by recruitment agencies and employers. Fieldwork conducted in 2018 with advocacy groups, government agencies, and international organizations in the Philippines, Sri Lanka, and Hong Kong illustrates how both countries are prioritizing the promotion of overseas employment and commodification of labor above the protection of the rights of their women domestic workers under domestic and international law.
The Perfect Amount of Help: An Examination of the Relationship Between Capacity and Collaboration in Urban Energy and Climate Initiatives
Authors: Krause Rachel M. , Hawkins Christopher V. , Park Angela Y. S.
Published: November 2019

Many municipalities are taking meaningful action in pursuit of climate, environmental, and energy objectives. These issues are complex and transboundary and thus provide fertile ground for collaboration, particularly in metropolitan regions. However, despite the many benefits that can result from collaboration, it also entails transaction risk. As a result, cities have incentive to be selective about who they collaborate with. In some cases, cities, particularly those with considerable internal resources and capacities, might find it easier to “go it alone.” We pull from the literature on collaboration risk, transaction cost economics, and organizational capacity to develop hypotheses about the relationship between capacity and collaboration in urban sustainability initiatives. Our analysis finds that the extent to which cities collaborate with external organizations on climate and energy issues is shaped by local administrative capacity; however, the relationship is nonlinear.
An Exploratory Study of Recidivism Risk Assessment Instruments for Individuals Convicted of Sexual Offenses in Singapore
Authors: Tsao I Ting , Chu Chi Meng
Published: November 2019

The predictive validity of risk assessment instruments for persons who have committed sexual offenses has improved tremendously in the last four decades, but the progress has been limited to Western offender populations. The aim of this study was to examine the predictive validity of Static-99R, Stable-2007, Sexual Violence Risk-20, Version 2 (SVR-20 v2), Psychopathy Checklist—Revised (PCL-R), and Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (LS/CMI) in predicting recidivism of persons convicted on sexual offenses in Singapore. Retrospective data of 134 such persons were used to code the various instruments. Receiver operating characteristic analyses revealed that combined Static-99R/Stable-2007 new standardized risk ratings, SVR-20 v2 total scores and risk ratings, PCL-R total scores, as well as LS/CMI total scores and risk ratings predicted sexual recidivism. All the aforementioned instruments’ total scores and risk ratings (if applicable) predicted any recidivism. However, risk profiles of this sample differed significantly from the normative Western samples.
A matter of race and gender: An examination of an undergraduate music program through the lens of feminist pedagogy and Black feminist pedagogy
Authors: Grissom-Broughton Paula A
Published: November 2019

Feminist pedagogy, originating in social constructivism and critical theory, offers an instructional approach for a more democratic and diverse curriculum and pedagogy. Extending from feminist pedagogy is Black feminist pedagogy, which offers a more specialized instructional approach for underrepresented populations in education. Both feminist pedagogy and Black feminist pedagogy foster a unique intersection for institutions of higher education whose historic mission integrates race and gender as part of its targeted efforts. This study examines ways feminist pedagogy and Black feminist pedagogy are integrated into the undergraduate music program at Spelman College, a historically Black college for women. Using Barbara Coeyman’s four principles of traditional feminist pedagogy for women’s studies in music and the general music curriculum (i.e., diversity, opportunities for all voices, shared responsibility, and orientation to action) as a theoretical framework, the following three components were examined for this study: content (curriculum and course design), context (structural influences of gender and race), and pedagogy (classroom instruction and learning outcomes). The analysis of data ascertained through triangulated measures of interviews, observations, and document collection provided suggestions as to how music educators can design and teach within a music environment that is socially and culturally inclusive for all students.
Finite element analysis of multirecess hybrid spherical journal bearing system
Authors: Tomar Adesh K , Sharma Satish C
Published: November 2019

The present work deals with finite element method analysis of a multirecess hybrid spherical journal bearing system. The governing equations have been discretized using Galerkin’s technique and are solved simultaneously using a suitable iterative technique. The effect of span angle on the static and dynamic behavior of a hybrid spherical journal bearing compensated with membrane restrictor is investigated in the present work. Numerical results indicate that larger values of span angle provide enhanced value of minimum fluid-film thickness [Formula: see text], reduced lubricant flow requirement [Formula: see text], and higher value of frictional torque [Formula: see text]. Further, the results have been compared with a correspondingly similar capillary-compensated bearing. The comparison of numerically results demonstrates that the value of direct fluid-film stiffness coefficient [Formula: see text] could be 45.90% higher than that of correspondingly similar capillary-compensated bearing. The numerical results presented in this work may be useful as design guidelines for a recessed hybrid spherical journal bearing.
Video games use in childhood and adolescence: Social phobia and differential susceptibility to media effects
Authors: Milani Luca , Camisasca Elena , Ionio Chiara , Miragoli Sarah , Di Blasio Paola
Published: November 2019

Literature established a correlation between heavy exposure with video games (VGs) and withdrawal, loneliness, worse social skills, and social phobia. The present study hypothesizes that children with social phobia are more vulnerable to higher exposure in video gaming. Moreover, it hypothesizes that children with social phobia and higher exposure with VGs will be more at risk of developing negative outcomes such as externalizing problems. A survey measuring VG use habits, social phobia, and clinical outcomes was administered to 359 children and adolescents attending primary, secondary, and high schools in Northern Italy (aged 6–18 years old; M = 12.81, standard deviation ( SD) = 3.16). Results show that participants with both social phobia and higher exposure in video gaming habits display worse developmental outcomes. Results are discussed in the light of the existing literature.
The Modified Caregiver Strain Index: Portuguese version
Authors: Ribeiro Oscar , Brandão Daniela , Oliveira Ana Filipa , Martín Ignacio , Teixeira Laetitia , Paúl Constança
Published: November 2019

The Modified Caregiver Strain Index is a widely used tool to screen for caregiver strain in family caregivers. This study presents the Portuguese version of the Modified Caregiver Strain Index and explores its psychometric properties in a sample of 347 informal caregivers of older dependent individuals. Factor analysis revealed a two-factor structure and indicated satisfactory internal consistency. Criterion-related validity was supported by positive significant correlations with the emotional health of the caregiver (psychological distress). The findings show evidence of reliability and validity of the Portuguese version of the Modified Caregiver Strain Index encouraging its use in clinical and research fields.
Parenting, self-regulation, and treatment adherence in pediatric chronic headache: A self-determination theory perspective
Authors: Caruso Alessandra , Grolnick Wendy , Rabner Jonathan , Lebel Alyssa
Published: November 2019

This study examined parenting factors associated with children’s self-regulation and physician-rated treatment adherence using a self-determination theory framework in pediatric chronic headache. Participants were 58 children and adolescents (aged 10–17 years), who underwent initial and follow-up multidisciplinary evaluation at a headache clinic, and their mothers. Regression analyses showed that higher maternal autonomy support and structure were significantly related to children’s lower treatment-related reactance and higher adherence. Maternal controllingness had associations in the opposite directions. Children’s fear of pain was related to maternal controllingness. Results suggest the importance of parents’ provision of clear expectations and engaging children in treatment problem-solving and decision-making.
The five factor model of personality and sense of coherence: A meta-analysis
Authors: Barańczuk Urszula
Published: November 2019

The aim of the study was to evaluate the relation between the big five personality traits and sense of coherence. Data for the meta-analysis were collected from 19 studies which included 24 independent samples, 133 effect sizes, and 19,960 participants. Lower neuroticism and higher extraversion, openness to experience, agreeableness, and conscientiousness were associated with total sense of coherence as well as comprehensibility, manageability, meaningfulness, and reflection dimensions. Personality traits were not linked to balance. There were no moderating effects on these relationships. The study extends current knowledge on the associations between personality traits and sense of coherence.
Linking body esteem to eating disorders among adolescents: A moderated mediation model
Authors: Li Yongzhan
Published: November 2019

This study explored the roles of social appearance anxiety and emotional intelligence in the relationship between body esteem and eating-disorder risk among adolescents. A total of 2509 high-school students were sampled to participate in the study. Statistical methods mainly involved descriptive statistics, Bootstrapping, and structural equation modeling analyses. The results showed that social appearance anxiety partially mediated the relationship between body esteem and eating-disorder risk among adolescents; meanwhile, emotional intelligence moderated the effects of body esteem on social appearance anxiety and eating-disorder risk among adolescents.
Cantonese tone production in pre-school Urdu–Cantonese bilingual minority children
Authors: Yao Yao , Chan Angel , Fung Roxana , Wu Wing Li , Leung Natalie , Lee Sarah , Luo Jin
Published: November 2019

Aim:

In this study, we examine the production of Cantonese tones by preschool Urdu–Cantonese children living in Hong Kong.

Methodology:

21 first language Urdu second language Cantonese children (ages 4–6) and 20 age-matched first language Cantonese children participated in a picture-naming experiment with 86 words (109 syllables in total).

Data and Analysis:

Acoustic analysis was carried out for perceptually correct and incorrect tone productions of each tone. Comparisons were also made across speaker groups regarding accuracy rates and error patterns.

Findings:

Overall, first-language Urdu participants had lower accuracy and greater tone confusion than first language Cantonese participants. The pattern is attributable to influence from Urdu prosody, ongoing Cantonese tone mergers, and general sensitivity to phonetic information.

Originality:

This is the first empirical study on the acquisition of Cantonese tones by children who are heritage speakers of a non-tone language.

Significance:

This study extends the literature of early bilingual phonology by furthering our understanding of an under-studied bilingual population, that is, heritage children of a non-tone language acquiring a tone language as the majority language. The findings of this study also produce implications for the practice of language educators and speech therapy professionals working with bilingual children.
Hybrid mediation opportunity structure? A case study of Hong Kong’s Anti-National Education Movement
Authors: Wong Shiau Ching , Wright Scott
Published: November 2019

This article assesses how social movements make use of media, and how their media practices influence movement outcomes using a case study of the Anti-National Education Movement in Hong Kong. It contributes to the literature on this important protest event and to ongoing debates about changes in the relationship between media and protesters. It is argued that activists adapted to what we call a “hybrid mediation opportunity structure.” The concept of a hybrid mediation opportunity structure is built on a critical engagement with Cammaerts’ mediation opportunity structure and is informed by Chadwick’s hybrid media system theory. We find that old (mainstream) and new (social) media tactics were deployed interdependently in a hybrid, symbiotic process. Old and new media logics fed off each other, in turn producing new logics: hybrid mediation opportunities which enabled activists to simultaneously broaden their connective networks and capture the attention of news media to publicize and legitimize their collective protests.
Cycle-to-cycle combustion variability modelling in spark ignited engines for control purposes
Authors: Pla Benjamin , De la Morena Joaquin , Bares Pau , Jiménez Irina
Published: November 2019

A control-oriented model of spark ignition combustion is presented. The model makes use of avaliable signals, such as spark advance, air mass, intake pressure, and lambda, to characterize not only the average combustion evolution but also the cycle-to-cycle variability. The conventional turbulent flame propagation model with two states, namely entrained mass and burnt mass, is improved by look-up tables at some parameters, and the cycle-to-cycle variability is estimated by propagation of an exogenous noise with a normal probabilistic distribution at the turbulent and laminar flame speed, which intends to simulate the unknowns at turbulent flow, temperature distribution, or initial kernel distribution. The model is able to estimate which is the expected variability during the combustion evolution and might be used online for characterizing the time response of closed-loop control actions or it can be used offline to improve the control strategies without large experimental test campaigns. Experimental data from a four-stroke commercial engine was used for calibration and validation purposes, demonstrating the capabilities of the model in steady and transient conditions.
Assessing the deployment of informal support networks for mothers of incarcerated young men
Authors: McCarthy Daniel , Adams Maria
Published: November 2019

The stigma and disruption caused by a close relative’s offending and imprisonment can impact heavily on the informal support networks that caregivers commonly utilise to cope with the aftermath of such events. In the study of family–prisoner relationships, scarce research has examined how caregivers draw on informal support networks and the extent to which these networks can facilitate various modes of support. This article focuses exclusively on mothers ( n = 37) related to adolescent/young adult men in prison. We analyse who caregivers turn to after the offence, and the extent to which these networks operate as a means of delivering emotional (and sometimes material) support. Our conclusions raise questions about the informal support offered by family and friends, and offer suggestions on service responses to these issues.
Can Research Universities Survive without Control over Admission? Reflections on Austria's Exceptionalism in Higher Education Policy
Authors: Pechar Hans
Published: November 2019

Austria prides itself on its ‘open admission’ policy which is contrary to the selective admission procedures at Anglo-Saxon universities or the Numerus Clausus system in most European countries. All Austrian citizens who have completed the Gymnasium - the elite track of the secondary school - and hold a ‘Matura’ - the Austrian equivalent to the German ‘Abitur’ - are entitled to enrol in any programme at any Austrian university. This paper explains the logic of this policy and its historical roots, demonstrates the implications of this policy under the conditions of mass higher education, and discusses how this policy has triggered a conflict between Austria and the European Union.
Access Policies: Between Institutional Competition and the Search for Equality of Opportunities
Authors: Amaral Alberto , Magalhães António
Published: November 2019

Portuguese higher education can be characterised as a mass system, as the total gross participation rate in universities and polytechnics, public and private, is over 50 per cent. Recently, under the simultaneous pressure of demographic decreasing of the population potentially involved with higher education and financial stringency, higher education institutions, both public and private, have started to compete for students, while responding to an increasing social demand for more diversified higher education.

The government and higher education institutions are being challenged to widen access to higher education to improve the country's educational and economic performance, with the objective of attracting new publics and students from a broader range of social backgrounds. In the public sector, the competition for students is being mainly felt in the polytechnic sector, but it is in the private sector, both universities and polytechnics, that the need to recruit more students is felt more intensely.

The Portuguese government, allegedly to enhance the equality of opportunities in the access to higher education and to attract new publics, has recently broadened the area of recruitment of the special contingent of adult students who have not completed secondary education courses, by lowering the qualification age from 25 years to 23 years old, and has completely deregulated the system by allocating to each institution the responsibility for the selection of adult students.

This paper intends, firstly, to contextualise this governmental action in the framework of the access policies, that, since the beginning of the 2000s, can be characterised as offering not only ‘more’ higher education but also ‘more diverse’ higher education; secondly, to identify the strategies that Portuguese higher education institutions are deploying to meet institutional needs (meaning institutions’ own good) and the political goals assigned by the government; finally, to identify differences of institutional reactions according to their public or private nature and university or polytechnic identity.
Endovascular Management of Neurofibromatosis Type I-Associated Vasculopathy: A Case Series and Brief Review of the Literature
Authors: Raborn Joel , McCafferty Benjamin J. , Gunn Andrew J. , Moawad Sherif , Mahmoud Khalid , Aal Ahmed K. Abdel , Saddekni Souheil
Published: November 2019

Purpose:

Neurofibromatosis type 1 (NF1) is an autosomal-dominant disorder found in approximately 1 of every 3000 individuals. Neurofibromatosis type 1 can have vascular manifestations including aneurysms, stenoses, and arteriovenous malformations. The purpose of this article is to describe the clinical manifestations of NF1 vasculopathy, discuss therapeutic options, and highlight endovascular therapies from our institutional experience.

Materials and Methods:

The radiology information system was searched for cases of NF1. Cases with vasculopathy managed with endovascular therapies were included. Demographics, clinical histories, procedural details, and outcomes were recorded. A review of the literature for the management strategies of NF1 vasculopathy was performed.

Results:

Two pediatric patients with NF1 were identified, both of whom presented with hypertension found to be secondary to renal artery stenosis. One of the patients also had infrarenal aortic narrowing. Both patients were successfully treated with balloon angioplasty, resulting in improved blood pressures. The review of the literature identified case series of pharmacologic, surgical, and endovascular therapies, although, endovascular therapies appear to be preferred due to lower morbidity and mortality.

Conclusions:

NF1 vasculopathy is a rare condition that most often presents with hypertension due to renal artery stenosis. In these situations, endovascular management is the preferred approach.
Exploring the School-to-Prison Pipeline: How School Suspensions Influence Incarceration During Young Adulthood
Authors: Hemez Paul , Brent John J. , Mowen Thomas J.
Published: November 2019

A growing body of research has evoked the life-course perspective to understand how experiences in school relate to a wide range of longer term life outcomes. This is perhaps best typified by the notion of the school-to-prison pipeline which refers to a process by which youth who experience punitive punishment in schools are increasingly enmeshed within the criminal justice system. While this metaphor is commonly accepted, few studies have examined the extent to which exclusionary school discipline significantly alters pathways toward incarceration as youth transition into young adulthood. Applying a life-course perspective and leveraging 15 waves of data from the National Longitudinal Survey of Youth 1997, this study examines how school suspensions influence the odds of imprisonment during young adulthood. Mixed-effects longitudinal models demonstrate that receiving a suspension serves as a key turning point toward increased odds of incarceration, even after accounting for key covariates including levels of criminal offending. However, results show that repeated suspensions do not appear to confer additional risk of incarceration. Results carry implications for the ways in which school punishment impacts youths’ life-course.
A Stroke Recovery Trial Development Framework: Consensus-Based Core Recommendations from the Second Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Roundtable
Authors: Bernhardt Julie , Hayward Kathryn S. , Dancause Numa , Lannin Natasha A. , Ward Nick S. , Nudo Randolph J , Farrin Amanda , Churilov Leonid , Boyd Lara A. , Jones Theresa A. , Carmichael S Thomas , Corbett Dale , Cramer Steven C.
Published: November 2019

A major goal of the Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Roundtable (SRRR) is to accelerate development of effective treatments to enhance stroke recovery beyond that expected to occur spontaneously or with current approaches. In this paper, we describe key issues for the next generation of stroke recovery treatment trials and present the Stroke Recovery and Rehabilitation Roundtable Trials Development Framework (SRRR-TDF). An exemplar (an upper limb recovery trial) is presented to demonstrate the utility of this framework to guide the GO, NO-GO decision-making process in trial development.
Avanafil for the Treatment of men With Erectile Dysfunction: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis of Randomized Controlled Trials
Authors: Li Jinze , Peng Lei , Cao Dehong , He Lujia , Li Yunxiang , Wei Qiang
Published: November 2019

Previous studies have reported the clinical efficacy of avanafil for erectile dysfunction (ED), but these findings are controversial. This study aims to investigate the safety and efficacy of avanafil for ED. EMBASE, PubMed, and Cochrane Library were searched extensively to obtain eligible studies. Clinical outcomes including successful vaginal penetration (SVP), successful intercourse (SI), International Index of Erectile Function-Erectile Function domain (IIEF-EF) score and treatment adverse events (TAEs) were compared using RevMan v.5.3. Eight RCTs involving 3,709 patients were included. The analysis demonstrated that compared with placebo, the SVP (RR = 3.20, 95% CI [2.60, 3.95], p < .001), SI (RR = 2.53, 95% CI [2.19, 2.92], p < .001), change in IIEF-EF score (MD = 4.57, 95% CI [3.68, 5.46], p < .001) and TAEs (RR = 1.78, 95% CI [1.38, 2.31], p < .0001) were significantly higher in the avanafil. In addition, avanafil 200 mg were higher than avanafil 100 mg in SI (RR = 0.86, 95% CI [0.75, 0.99], p = .03) and change in IIEF-EF score (MD = −1.34, 95% CI [−1.67, −1.01], p < .001), but there were no obvious differences in SVP (RR = 0.89; 95% CI [0.74, 1.08], p = .23) and TAEs (RR = 0.97, 95% CI [0.83, 1.14], p = .74) between the two doses. The present evidence suggests that avanafil (especially 200 mg) has the potential to be the drug of choice for ED, but more strict and larger sample size RCTs are need to validate the findings.