bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
An Energy-Aware Task Offloading Mechanism in Multiuser Mobile-Edge Cloud Computing
Authors: Li Lan , Zhang Xiaoyong , Liu Kaiyang , Jiang Fu , Peng Jun
Published: April 2018

Mobile-edge cloud computing, an emerging and prospective computing paradigm, can facilitate the complex application execution on resource-constrained mobile devices by offloading computation-intensive tasks to the mobile-edge cloud server, which is usually deployed in close proximity to the wireless access point. However, in the multichannel wireless interference environment, the competition of mobile users for communication resources is not conducive to the energy efficiency of task offloading. Therefore, how to make the offloading decision for each mobile user and select its suitable channel become critical issues. In this paper, the problem of the offloading decision is formulated as a 0-1 nonlinear integer programming problem under the constraints of channel interference threshold and the time deadline. Through the classification and priority determination for the mobile devices, a reverse auction-based offloading method is proposed to solve this optimization problem for energy efficiency improvement. The proposed algorithm not only achieves the task offloading decision but also gives the facility of resource allocation. In the energy efficiency performance aspects, simulation results show the superiority of the proposed scheme.
Investigating Equations Used to Design a Very Small Normal-Mode Helical Antenna in Free Space
Authors: Dung Dang Tien , Nguyen Quoc Dinh , Trinh Do Quoc , Yamada Yoshihide
Published: April 2018

A normal-mode helical antenna (NMHA) has been applied in some small devices such as tire pressure monitoring systems (TPMS) and radio frequency identification (RFID) tags. Previously, electrical characteristics of NMHA were obtained through electromagnetic simulations. In practical design of NMHA, equational expressions for the main electrical characteristics are more convenient. Electrical performances of NMHA can be expressed by a combination of a short dipole and small loops. Applicability of equations for a short dipole and a small loop to very small normal-mode helical antennas such as antennas around 1/100 wavelengths was not clear. In this paper, accuracies of equations for input resistances, antenna efficiency, and axial ratios are verified by comparisons with electromagnetic simulation results by FEKO software at 402 MHz. In addition, the structure of the antenna equal to 0.021 λ is fabricated, and measurements are performed to confirm the design accuracy.
Preoperative Low-Density Lipoprotein Apheresis for Preventing Recurrence of Focal Segmental Glomerulosclerosis after Kidney Transplantation
Authors: Sannomiya Akihito , Murakami Toru , Koyama Ichiro , Nitta Kosaku , Nakajima Ichiro , Fuchinoue Shohei
Published: April 2018

Background. Focal segmental glomerulosclerosis (FSGS) often develops rapidly and frequently progresses to renal failure, while the recurrence rate after kidney transplantation is 20–50%. We performed low-density lipoprotein (LDL) apheresis before kidney transplantation in FSGS patients to prevent recurrence. Methods. Five adult patients with chronic renal failure due to FSGS undergoing living related donor kidney transplantation were investigated retrospectively. LDL apheresis was done 1-2 times before transplantation. Postoperative renal function and recurrence of FSGS were assessed. Results. The patients were two men and three women aged 24 to 41 years. The observation period ranged from 60 days to 22 months. Preoperative LDL apheresis was performed once in one patient and twice in four patients. Blood LDL cholesterol levels were normal before LDL apheresis and remained normal both after LDL apheresis and after kidney transplantation. Additional LDL apheresis was performed once in one patient with mild proteinuria after transplantation. The renal graft survived in all patients and there was no evidence of recurrent FSGS. Conclusions. Although the observation period was short, FSGS did not recur in all 5 patients receiving preoperative LDL apheresis. These results suggest that LDL apheresis can be effective in preventing recurrence of FSGS after kidney transplantation.
Novel Crashworthy Device for Pier Protection from Barge Impact
Authors: Wang W. , Morgenthal G.
Published: April 2018

Barge impact is a potential hazard for bridge piers located in navigation waterways. Protective structures of different types, for example, dolphin structures, artificial islands, and guiding structures, have been widely used in bridge designs against barge impact. However, such structures often imply high cost and suffer from difficulties in installation as well as maintenance challenges. This paper aims to devise and investigate a new type of crashworthy device which is comprised of vertically supported impact cap connected to the bridge pier using a series of steel beams in a frame‐type arrangement. This sacrificial steel structure is designed to form plastic hinges for energy dissipation whilst limiting the force transmitted to the protected pier. The dynamic analysis of the proposed crashworthy device subjected to barge impact is conducted using a simplified impact model previously developed by the authors. The parametric studies in this paper show that the proposed device has a large energy dissipation capacity and that the magnitude of impact force transmitted to the bridge pier can be dramatically reduced. In addition, an optimization model is proposed in this paper to achieve the cost‐optimized design of the crashworthy device for a given impact scenario with constraints as per the prescribed design requirements.
Association of Ischemic Cardiovascular Disease with Inadequacy of Liver Store of Retinol in Elderly Individuals
Authors: Lima I. O. L. , Peres W. A. F. , Cruz S. , Ramalho A.
Published: April 2018

Objective. Vitamin A antioxidant role has an important relationship with the metabolic processes of aging and cardiovascular disease (CVD). This study aimed at assessing the liver store of retinol in elderly individuals who died from cardiovascular disease and its relationship with liver weight and body weight. Methods and Results. This is a cross‐sectional study conducted in necropsied individuals, aged 60 years or over, until 48 hours postmortem. The study assessed 65 elderly individuals who died from ischemic heart diseases (G1), cerebrovascular diseases (G2), other forms of heart disease (G3), or infectious heart diseases (G4). Twenty percent had inadequate liver store of retinol. G1 showed lower median of liver store of retinol when compared to G3 (p < 0.001), and G3 showed the highest median when compared to G2 (p = 0.007). A significant association was observed between inadequate liver store of retinol and death by ischemic CVD (G1) (p = 0.001) with an odds ratio of 10.38. It was observed that individuals with higher body weight and liver weight showed lower liver store of retinol with significant differences (p = 0.027 and p = 0.026). Conclusion. Ischemic CVD and increased body weight and liver weight are related to a greater impairment of the liver store of retinol.
Downregulation of Membrane Trafficking Proteins and Lactate Conditioning Determine Loss of Dendritic Cell Function in Lung Cancer
Authors: Caronni Nicoletta , Simoncello Francesca , Stafetta Francesca , Guarnaccia Corrado , Ruiz-Moreno Juan Sebastian , Opitz Bastian , Galli Thierry , Proux-Gillardeaux Veronique , Benvenuti Federica
Published: April 2018

Restoring antigen presentation for efficient and durable activation of tumor-specific CD8+ T-cell responses is pivotal to immunotherapy, yet the mechanisms that cause subversion of dendritic cell (DC) functions are not entirely understood, limiting the development of targeted approaches. In this study, we show that bona fide DCs resident in lung tumor tissues or DCs exposed to factors derived from whole lung tumors become refractory to endosomal and cytosolic sensor stimulation and fail to secrete IL12 and IFNI. Tumor-conditioned DC exhibited downregulation of the SNARE VAMP3, a regulator of endosomes trafficking critical for cross-presentation of tumor antigens and DC-mediated tumor rejection. Dissection of cell-extrinsic suppressive pathways identified lactic acid in the tumor microenvironment as sufficient to inhibit type-I IFN downstream of TLR3 and STING. DC conditioning by lactate also impacted adaptive function, accelerating antigen degradation and impairing cross-presentation. Importantly, DCs conditioned by lactate failed to prime antitumor responses in vivo. These findings provide a new mechanistic viewpoint to the concept of DC suppression and hold potential for future therapeutic approaches.

Significance: These findings provide insight into the cell-intrinsic and cell-extrinsic mechanisms that cause loss of presentation of tumor-specific antigens in lung cancer tissues. Cancer Res; 78(7); 1685–99. ©2018 AACR.
Network Modeling of microRNA–mRNA Interactions in Neuroblastoma Tumorigenesis Identifies miR-204 as a Direct Inhibitor of MYCN
Authors: Ooi Chi Yan , Carter Daniel R. , Liu Bing , Mayoh Chelsea , Beckers Anneleen , Lalwani Amit , Nagy Zsuzsanna , De Brouwer Sara , Decaesteker Bieke , Hung Tzong-Tyng , Norris Murray D. , Haber Michelle , Liu Tao , De Preter Katleen , Speleman Frank , Cheung Belamy B. , Marshall Glenn M.
Published: April 2018

Neuroblastoma is a pediatric cancer of the sympathetic nervous system where MYCN amplification is a key indicator of poor prognosis. However, mechanisms by which MYCN promotes neuroblastoma tumorigenesis are not fully understood. In this study, we analyzed global miRNA and mRNA expression profiles of tissues at different stages of tumorigenesis from TH-MYCN transgenic mice, a model of MYCN-driven neuroblastoma. On the basis of a Bayesian learning network model in which we compared pretumor ganglia from TH-MYCN+/+ mice to age-matched wild-type controls, we devised a predicted miRNA–mRNA interaction network. Among the miRNA–mRNA interactions operating during human neuroblastoma tumorigenesis, we identified miR-204 as a tumor suppressor miRNA that inhibited a subnetwork of oncogenes strongly associated with MYCN-amplified neuroblastoma and poor patient outcome. MYCN bound to the miR-204 promoter and repressed miR-204 transcription. Conversely, miR-204 directly bound MYCN mRNA and repressed MYCN expression. miR-204 overexpression significantly inhibited neuroblastoma cell proliferation in vitro and tumorigenesis in vivo. Together, these findings identify novel tumorigenic miRNA gene networks and miR-204 as a tumor suppressor that regulates MYCN expression in neuroblastoma tumorigenesis.

Significance: Network modeling of miRNA–mRNA regulatory interactions in a mouse model of neuroblastoma identifies miR-204 as a tumor suppressor and negative regulator of MYCN. Cancer Res; 78(12); 3122–34. ©2018 AACR.
The Need for Neddylation: A Key to Achieving NED in Uveal Melanoma
Authors: Yang Jessica , Hamid Omid , Carvajal Richard D.
Published: April 2018

The ability of uveal melanoma cells to enter and exit dormancy plays a fundamental role in the development of metastatic disease. Neddylation blockade is a promising strategy to prolong tumor dormancy via impaired angiogenesis and prevent the establishment of metastases via elimination of cancer stem-like cells. Clin Cancer Res; 24(15); 3477–9. ©2018 AACR.

See related article by Jin et al., p. 3741
SKLB-23bb, A HDAC6-Selective Inhibitor, Exhibits Superior and Broad-Spectrum Antitumor Activity via Additionally Targeting Microtubules
Authors: Wang Fang , Zheng Li , Yi Yuyao , Yang Zhuang , Qiu Qiang , Wang Xiaoyan , Yan Wei , Bai Peng , Yang Jianhong , Li Dan , Pei Heying , Niu Ting , Ye Haoyu , Nie Chunlai , Hu Yiguo , Yang Shengyong , Wei Yuquan , Chen Lijuan
Published: April 2018

Our previous study reported that SKLB-23bb, an orally bioavailable HDAC6-selective inhibitor, exhibited superior antitumor efficiency both in vitro and in vivo in comparison with ACY1215, a HDAC6-selective inhibitor recently in phase II clinical trial. This study focused on the mechanism related to the activity of SKLB-23bb. We discovered that despite having HDAC6-selective inhibition equal to ACY1215, SKLB-23bb showed cytotoxic effects against a panel of solid and hematologic tumor cell lines at the low submicromolar level. Interestingly, in contrast to the reported HDAC6-selective inhibitors, SKLB-23bb was more efficient against solid tumor cells. Utilizing HDAC6 stably knockout cell lines constructed by CRISPR–Cas9 gene editing, we illustrated that SKLB-23bb could remain cytotoxic independent of HDAC6 status. Investigation of the mechanism confirmed that SKLB-23bb exerted its cytotoxic activity by additionally targeting microtubules. SKLB-23bb could bind to the colchicine site in β-tubulin and act as a microtubule polymerization inhibitor. Consistent with its microtubule-disrupting ability, SKLB-23bb also blocked tumor cell cycle at G2–M phase and triggered cellular apoptosis. In solid tumor xenografts, oral administration of SKLB-23bb efficiently inhibited tumor growth. These results suggested that SKLB-23bb was an orally bioavailable HDAC6 and microtubule dual targeting agent. The microtubule targeting profile enhanced the antitumor activity and expanded the antitumor spectrum of SKLB-23bb, thus breaking through the limitation of HDAC6 inhibitors. Mol Cancer Ther; 17(4); 763–75. ©2018 AACR.
Preconception Blood Pressure Levels and Reproductive Outcomes in a Prospective Cohort of Women Attempting Pregnancy
Authors: Nobles Carrie J. , Mendola Pauline , Mumford Sunni L. , Naimi Ashley I. , Yeung Edwina H. , Kim Keewan , Park Hyojun , Wilcox Brian , Silver Robert M. , Perkins Neil J. , Sjaarda Lindsey , Schisterman Enrique F.
Published: April 2018

Elevated blood pressure in young adulthood is an early risk marker for cardiovascular disease. Despite a strong biological rationale, little research has evaluated whether incremental increases in preconception blood pressure have early consequences for reproductive health. We evaluated preconception blood pressure and fecundability, pregnancy loss, and live birth in the EAGeR trial (Effects of Aspirin on Gestational and Reproduction; 2007–2011), a randomized clinical trial of aspirin and reproductive outcomes among 1228 women attempting pregnancy with a history of pregnancy loss. Systolic and diastolic blood pressure were measured during preconception in the first observed menstrual cycle and in early pregnancy and used to derive mean arterial pressure. Fecundability was assessed as number of menstrual cycles until pregnancy, determined through human chorionic gonadotropin testing. Pregnancy loss included both human chorionic gonadotropin–detected and clinical losses. Analyses adjusted for treatment assignment, age, body mass index, race, marital status, smoking, parity, and time since last loss. Mean preconception systolic and diastolic blood pressure were 111.6 mm Hg (SD, 12.1) and 72.5 (SD, 9.4) mm Hg. Risk of pregnancy loss increased 18% per 10 mm Hg increase in diastolic blood pressure (95% confidence interval, 1.03–1.36) and 17% per 10 mm Hg increase in mean arterial pressure (95% confidence interval, 1.02–1.35) in adjusted analyses. Findings were similar for early pregnancy blood pressure. Preconception blood pressure was not related to fecundability or live birth in adjusted analyses. Findings suggest that preconception blood pressure among healthy women is associated with pregnancy loss, and lifestyle interventions targeting blood pressure among young women may favorably impact reproductive health.

Clinical Trial Registration—

URL:
http://www.clinicaltrials.gov
. Unique identifier: NCT00467363.
Association of Cancer Cell Type and Extracellular Vesicles With Coagulopathy in Patients With Lung Cancer and Stroke
Authors: Chung Jong-Won , Cho Yeon Hee , Ahn Myung-Ju , Lee Mi Ji , Kim Gyeong-Moon , Chung Chin-Sang , Bang Oh Young
Published: April 2018

Background and Purpose—

Coagulopathy is an important cause of stroke in cancer patients. However, underlying mechanisms and clinical factors related to coagulopathy remain unclear. We hypothesized that certain characteristics of cancer affect coagulopathy in patients with lung cancer and ischemic stroke.

Methods—

Consecutive patients with active lung cancer and acute ischemic stroke were prospectively studied. Volume and pattern of acute brain infarcts and plasma levels of circulating tumor extracellular vesicles (EVs) were measured using flow cytometry. In vitro experiments investigated the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying cancer-associated coagulopathy.

Results—

Of 114 patients, 95 (83.3%) had an adenocarcinoma cell type and 95 (83.3%) had distant metastasis. Acute brain infarct volumes were larger and circulating EV levels were higher in patients with an adenocarcinoma cell type than in those with other cell types. The presence of metastasis was not associated with infarct volume or circulating EV levels. Coagulation assays demonstrated dose-dependent shorter clotting times after treatment with EVs from adenocarcinoma cell lines than with the use of EVs from squamous cell carcinoma. These findings were confirmed by coagulation assays using circulating EVs from patients with adenocarcinoma and stroke and from those with conventional stroke mechanisms.

Conclusions—

Our findings indicate that cancer cell type is associated with circulating EV levels and coagulopathy in patients with lung cancer and stroke.
Earth Observations from DSCOVR EPIC Instrument
Authors: Marshak Alexander , Herman Jay , Adam Szabo , Karin Blank , Carn Simon , Cede Alexander , Geogdzhayev Igor , Huang Dong , Huang Liang-Kang , Knyazikhin Yuri , Kowalewski Matthew , Krotkov Nickolay , Lyapustin Alexei , McPeters Richard , Meyer Kerry G. , Torres Omar , Yang Yuekui
Published: April 2018

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Deep Space Climate Observatory (DSCOVR) spacecraft was launched on 11 February 2015 and in June 2015 achieved its orbit at the first Lagrange point (L1), 1.5 million km from Earth toward the sun. There are two National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA) Earth-observing instruments on board: the Earth Polychromatic Imaging Camera (EPIC) and the National Institute of Standards and Technology Advanced Radiometer (NISTAR). The purpose of this paper is to describe various capabilities of the DSCOVR EPIC instrument. EPIC views the entire sunlit Earth from sunrise to sunset at the backscattering direction (scattering angles between 168.5° and 175.5°) with 10 narrowband filters: 317, 325, 340, 388, 443, 552, 680, 688, 764, and 779 nm. We discuss a number of preprocessing steps necessary for EPIC calibration including the geolocation algorithm and the radiometric calibration for each wavelength channel in terms of EPIC counts per second for conversion to reflectance units. The principal EPIC products are total ozone (O3) amount, scene reflectivity, erythemal irradiance, ultraviolet (UV) aerosol properties, sulfur dioxide (SO2) for volcanic eruptions, surface spectral reflectance, vegetation properties, and cloud products including cloud height. Finally, we describe the observation of horizontally oriented ice crystals in clouds and the unexpected use of the O2 B-band absorption for vegetation properties.
Nonuniform Time-Lag Effects of Asymmetric Warming on Net Primary Productivity across Global Terrestrial Biomes
Authors: Wen Youyue , Liu Xiaoping , Du Guoming
Published: April 2018

Climate warming exhibits asymmetric patterns over a diel time, with the trend of nighttime warming exceeding that of daytime warming, a phenomenon commonly known as asymmetric warming. Recently, increasing studies have documented the significant instantaneous impacts of asymmetric warming on terrestrial vegetation growth, but the indirect effects of asymmetric warming carrying over vegetation growth (referred to here as time-lag effects) remain unknown. Here, we quantitatively studied the time-lag effects (within 1 year) of asymmetric warming on global plant biomes by using terrestrial vegetation net primary production (NPP) derived by the Carnegie–Ames–Stanford Approach (CASA) model and accumulated daytime and nighttime temperature (ATmax and ATmin) from 1982 to 2013. Partial correlation and time-lag analyses were conducted at a monthly scale to obtain the partial correlation coefficients between NPP and ATmax/ATmin and the lagged durations of NPP responses to ATmax/ATmin. The results showed that (i) asymmetric warming has nonuniform time-lag effects on single plant biomes, and distinguishing correlations exist in different vegetation biomes’ associations to asymmetric warming; (ii) terrestrial biomes respond to ATmax (4.63 ± 3.92 months) with a shorter protracted duration than to ATmin (6.06 ± 4.27 months); (iii) forest biomes exhibit longer prolonged duration in responding to asymmetric warming than nonforest biomes do; (iv) mosses and lichens (Mosses), evergreen needleleaf forests (ENF), deciduous needleleaf forests (DNF), and mixed forests (MF) tend to positively correlate with ATmax, whereas the other biomes associate with ATmax with near-equal splits of positive and negative correlation; and (v) ATmin has a predominantly positive influence on terrestrial biomes, except for Mosses and DNF. This study provides a new perspective on terrestrial ecosystem responses to asymmetric warming and highlights the importance of including such nonuniform time-lag effects into currently used terrestrial ecosystem models during future investigations of vegetation–climate interactions.
Observed Boundary Layer Controls on Shallow Cumulus at the ARM Southern Great Plains Site
Authors: Lareau Neil P. , Zhang Yunyan , Klein Stephen A.
Published: April 2018

The boundary layer controls on shallow cumulus (ShCu) convection are examined using a suite of remote and in situ sensors at ARM Southern Great Plains (SGP). A key instrument in the study is a Doppler lidar that measures vertical velocity in the CBL and along cloud base. Using a sample of 138 ShCu days, the composite structure of the ShCu CBL is examined, revealing increased vertical velocity (VV) variance during periods of medium cloud cover and higher VV skewness on ShCu days than on clear-sky days. The subcloud circulations of 1791 individual cumuli are also examined. From these data, we show that cloud-base updrafts, normalized by convective velocity, vary as a function of updraft width normalized by CBL depth. It is also found that 63% of clouds have positive cloud-base mass flux and are linked to coherent updrafts extending over the depth of the CBL. In contrast, negative mass flux clouds lack coherent subcloud updrafts. Both sets of clouds possess narrow downdrafts extending from the cloud edges into the subcloud layer. These downdrafts are also present adjacent to cloud-free updrafts, suggesting they are mechanical in origin. The cloud-base updraft data are subsequently combined with observations of convective inhibition to form dimensionless “cloud inhibition” (CI) parameters. Updraft fraction and liquid water path are shown to vary inversely with CI, a finding consistent with CIN-based closures used in convective parameterizations. However, we also demonstrate a limited link between CBL vertical velocity variance and cloud-base updrafts, suggesting that additional factors, including updraft width, are necessary predictors for cloud-base updrafts.
Transient versus Equilibrium Response of the Ocean’s Overturning Circulation to Warming
Authors: Jansen Malte F. , Nadeau Louis-Philippe , Merlis Timothy M.
Published: April 2018

Much of the existing theory for the ocean’s overturning circulation considers steady-state equilibrium solutions. However, Earth’s climate is not in a steady state, and a better understanding of the ocean’s nonequilibrium response to changes in the surface climate is urgently needed. Here, the time-dependent response of the deep-ocean overturning circulation to atmospheric warming is examined using a hierarchy of idealized ocean models. The transient response to surface warming is characterized by a shoaling and weakening of the Atlantic meridional overturning circulation (AMOC)—consistent with results from coupled climate simulations. The initial shoaling and weakening of the AMOC occurs on decadal time scales and is attributed to a rapid warming of northern-sourced deep water. The equilibrium response to warming, in contrast, is associated with a deepening and strengthening of the AMOC. The eventual deepening of the AMOC is argued to be associated with abyssal density changes and driven by modified surface fluxes in the Southern Ocean, following a reduction of the Antarctic sea ice cover. Full equilibration of the AMOC requires a diffusive adjustment of the abyss and takes many millennia. The equilibration time scale is much longer than most coupled climate model simulations, highlighting the importance of considering integration time and initial conditions when interpreting the deep-ocean circulation in climate models. The results also show that past climates are unlikely to be an adequate analog for changes in the overturning circulation during the coming decades or centuries.
Extraction of Potential Energy from Geostrophic Fronts by Inertial–Symmetric Instabilities
Authors: Grisouard Nicolas
Published: April 2018

Submesoscale oceanic density fronts are structures in geostrophic and hydrostatic balance, which are prone to inertial and/or symmetric instabilities. We argue in this article that drainage of potential energy from the geostrophic flow is a significant source of their growth. We illustrate our point with two-dimensional Boussinesq numerical simulations of oceanic density fronts on the f plane. A set of two-dimensional initial conditions covers the submesoscale portion of a three-dimensional parameter space consisting of the Richardson and Rossby numbers and a measure of stratification or latitude. Because we let the lateral density gradient decay with depth, the parameter space map is nontrivial, excluding low-Rossby, low-Richardson combinations. Dissipation and the presence of boundaries select a growing mode of inertial–symmetric instability consisting of flow cells that disturb isopycnal contours. Systematically, these isopycnal displacements correspond to a drainage of potential energy from the geostrophic fronts to the ageostrophic perturbations. In the majority of our experiments, this energy drainage is at least as important as the drainage of kinetic energy from the front. Various constraints, some physical, some numerical, make the energetics in our experiments more related to inertial rather than symmetric instabilities. Our results depend very weakly on the Richardson number and more on the Rossby number and relative stratification.
A Method to Quantify Bedform Height and Asymmetry from a Low-Mounted Sidescan Sonar
Authors: Jones Katie R. , Traykovski Peter
Published: April 2018

Rotary sidescan sonars are widely used to image the seabed given their high temporal and spatial resolution. This high resolution is necessary to resolve bedform dynamics and evolution; however, sidescan sonars do not directly measure bathymetry, limiting their utility. When sidescan sonars are mounted close to the seabed, bedforms may create acoustical “shadows” that render previous methods that invert the backscatter intensity to estimate bathymetry and are based on the assumption of a fully insonified seabed ineffective. This is especially true in coastal regions, where bedforms are common features whose large height relative to the water depth may significantly influence the surrounding flow. A method is described that utilizes sonar shadows to estimate bedform height and asymmetry. The method accounts for the periodic structure of bedform fields and the projection of the shadows onto adjacent bedforms. It is validated with bathymetric observations of wave-orbital ripples, with wavelengths ranging from 0.3 to 0.8 m, and tidally reversing megaripples, with wavelengths from 5 to 8 m. In both cases, bathymetric-measuring sonars were deployed in addition to a rotary sidescan sonar to provide a ground truth; however, the bathymetric sonars typically measure different and smaller areas than the rotary sidescan sonar. The shadow-based method and bathymetric-measuring sonar data produce estimates of bedform height that agree by 34.0% ± 27.2% for wave-orbital ripples and 16.6% ± 14.7% for megaripples. Errors for estimates of asymmetry are 1.9% ± 2.1% for wave-orbital ripples and 11.2% ± 9.6% for megaripples.
Managers’ views on employees’ parental leave: Problems and solutions within different institutional logics
Authors: Nordberg Tanja H
Published: April 2018

An examination of managers’ perspectives on employees’ parental leave rights is presented, drawing on qualitative interviews with 34 managers in the Norwegian police and in the legal profession. The aim of the article is to explore how managers approach employees’ parental leave within different institutional logics and how their approach relates to gendered norms of good parenthood. According to these norms, parental leave is used fully, but mothers take the main share of the leave. The findings show that the managers do not necessarily perceive parental leave as a problem. However, the practical solutions the managers propose to possible challenges give important clues about what parental leave entails within the frame of different institutional logics. The managers’ concerns reveal that parental leave rights may clash with central values, goals and strategies in an organisation. Within the logics of the police and private law firms, work is more individualised and thus perceived as more challenging than in the public sector law offices. When the solution suggested by the managers is for individual employees to adapt their leave, gendered norms come forward. However, the analysis also shows that gendered parenthood norms play out differently with the different institutional logics. With these insights, the analysis shows how policy regulations and local workplace contexts interact in shaping the consequences of family policies for gender equality in wages and career progression
Multinational Firms, Labor Market Discrimination, and the Capture of Outsider’s Advantage by Exploiting the Social Divide
Authors: Siegel Jordan , Pyun Lynn , Cheon B. Y.
Published: April 2018

We theorize that foreign multinationals wield a particularly significant competitive weapon in host markets: as outsiders, they can pinpoint social schisms in host labor markets and exploit them for competitive advantage. Using two data sets from South Korea, we show that multinationals improve profitability and productivity by aggressively hiring an excluded group, women, in the local managerial labor market. We predict and find that foreign multinationals in South Korea are in a unique position to identify social schisms, implement practices designed to support and enhance the hiring and promotion of female managers, hire and promote members of the socially excluded group to positions of managerial leadership, and enjoy a net profitability benefit from doing so despite the real risk of backlash from some regulators, customers, suppliers, and employees from the socially dominant group in society. Many multinationals, even those whose home markets discriminate against women, appear to have recognized the strategic opportunity of what we call the outsider’s network advantage. The gradualness of the host market’s shift toward a new equilibrium freer of discrimination presented multinationals a multiyear competitive opportunity for outsider’s advantage. Our study extends understanding of the multinational enterprise by showing how its competitive opportunities include identifying and exploiting social schisms in a host country’s labor market.
The Relevance of Relative Distribution: Favoritism, Information, and Vote Choice in Africa
Authors: Carlson Elizabeth
Published: April 2018

Relative distribution—whether one is favored or disfavored by government—seems to matter to voters in many African countries. But why? I demonstrate theoretically that voters who do not have information about government revenues, and who cannot determine whether their allocation represents an absolutely high share, can compare their goods with others’ to generate a rough prediction of whether they would be better off under a challenger. In this model, relative distribution is a heuristic, whose relevance is conditioned by available information. I test the model among a sample of Ugandan lab participants, who, when not told how much a “leader” had to distribute, were significantly more likely to reelect the leader when their payout was greater than another player’s. Those given information about the size of the pot, however, no longer responded to relative distribution. I show external validity by demonstrating that the incumbent’s ethnicity, which strongly predicts whom he favors, is less important to respondents on the cross-national Afrobarometer when they report easy access to information on government revenues; other types of information do not show a similar effect. Unfortunately, though rational under low information, voting on relative distribution is not optimal under all conditions: Those who are favored by a highly corrupt leader are most likely to reelect him when they are relying on relative distribution to make their choice.
Students in the Streets: Education and Nonviolent Protest
Authors: Dahlum Sirianne
Published: April 2018

This study investigates whether protest movements consisting of students and educated protesters are more likely to (a) use nonviolent rather than violent resistance and (b) successfully reach their goals. Extant literature suggests that education is negatively linked to violent conflict, and the commonly assumed mechanism is that educated groups are less likely to resort to violence. Moreover, many argue that education is a force for regime change and democratization, by inducing successful protest movements. This article is the first to systematically test implications of these mechanisms at the protest level. The empirical analysis builds on original data on the educational background of participants in all protest campaigns aiming for regime change from 1900 to 2006 identified in the Nonviolent and Violent Campaigns and Outcomes Dataset 1.0. I find robust evidence that protest movements with a high degree of involvement by students and graduates are more likely to turn nonviolent. Moreover, there is some (although weaker) evidence that these movements are more likely to achieve their goals, but only due to their nonviolent dispositions. This adds to the literature explaining why some movements resort to nonviolence (and succeed), by establishing that the identity and socioeconomic background of protesters matter.
Color-Neutral Disaggregation? Principals’ Practices Around Disaggregating Data From Three School Districts
Authors: Roegman Rachel , Samarapungavan Ala , Maeda Yukiko , Johns Gary
Published: April 2018

Purpose: We explored the practices and understandings around using disaggregated data to inform instruction of 18 principals from three Midwestern school districts. Research Method: This qualitative study used one-on-one semistructured interviews with the principals focusing on how they disaggregate data in practice. The protocol included general questions about principals’ data practices as well as specific questions around disaggregation. Initial inductive coding began with principals’ direct responses to specific questions around disaggregation, and then emerging themes were used to analyze the entire transcripts. Findings: Participants were more likely to talk about disaggregation in relation to performance (by teacher, by grade level, etc.) than by subgroup (by race/ethnicity, by gender, etc.). Further analysis highlighted principals’ purposes for disaggregating data that focused on identifying low performance on standards-based assessments, as well as the challenges they faced, particularly in terms of technical skills and software. Implications for Research and Practice: We conclude with a discussion of how disaggregation could support or challenge equity-focused leadership, with implications for policy, practice, and preparation. We consider the role of the principal in identifying inequitable patterns versus focusing on individual students, and different ways that equity can become part of regular leadership practice.
Revised Parallel Analysis With Nonnormal Ability and a Guessing Parameter
Authors: DeMars Christine E.
Published: April 2018

Previous work showing that revised parallel analysis can be effective with dichotomous items has used a two-parameter model and normally distributed abilities. In this study, both two- and three-parameter models were used with normally distributed and skewed ability distributions. Relatively minor skew and kurtosis in the underlying ability distribution had almost no effect on Type I error for unidimensional data and reduced power for two-dimensional data slightly with smaller sample sizes of 400. Using a two-parameter model on three-parameter data produced dramatically increased rejection rates for the unidimensional data. Using the correct three-parameter model reduced the unidimensional rejection rates but yielded lower power than the two-parameter data in some conditions.
Zoster Vaccine Recombinant, Adjuvanted
Authors: Stoker Kalvin , Levien Terri L. , Baker Danial E.
Published: April 2018

Each month, subscribers to The Formulary Monograph Service receive 5 to 6 well-documented monographs on drugs that are newly released or are in late phase 3 trials. The monographs are targeted to Pharmacy & Therapeutics Committees. Subscribers also receive monthly 1-page summary monographs on agents that are useful for agendas and pharmacy/nursing in-services. A comprehensive target drug utilization evaluation/medication use evaluation (DUE/MUE) is also provided each month. With a subscription, the monographs are available online to subscribers. Monographs can be customized to meet the needs of a facility. Through the cooperation of The Formulary, Hospital Pharmacy publishes selected reviews in this column. For more information about The Formulary Monograph Service, contact Wolters Kluwer customer service at 866-397-3433.
Voice Change and Singing Experiences of Adolescent Females
Authors: Sweet Bridget
Published: April 2018

The purpose of this qualitative study was to understand how undergraduate- and graduate-level choristers perceived the influence of adolescent female voice change on their singing experiences since the age of 11 years old. Data included individual and focus group interviews with 17 female collegiate choral singers enrolled in one of two women’s choirs at a large midwestern university. Three overarching themes emerged: perceptions of vocal development, teacher influence, and emotion. Findings revealed that participants’ perceptions of singing experiences since age 11 largely revolved around vocal challenges, fear, and insecurity and have remained mostly negative even after the passing of time. Experiences in choir were not necessarily positive, and participants perceived their individual vocal needs as secondary to the needs of the larger choral ensemble. Out of fear of hurting the larger choir, participants remained passive and did not self-advocate, resulting in additional challenges with self-confidence and struggles pertaining to singer identity development during adolescence and into adulthood.
Chinese mothers’ profile which values both play and academics predicts better developmental outcome in young children
Authors: Lin Xunyi , Li Hui
Published: April 2018

Parental beliefs about play and learning are part of the “belief-context” of early childhood development and can thus make a key difference for the child. Previous studies have focused on cross-cultural comparisons, and therefore have neglected intra-cultural variations. This study sampled 163 Chinese mothers with children aged two to four years old ( M = 38.73 months, SD = 4.91) in south-eastern China, using the Chinese Parent Play Beliefs Scale, Home Play Activities Questionnaire and China Developmental Scale for Children. The latent profile analysis identified the three profiles of Chinese mothers: (a) Traditional mothers, who placed higher value on pre-academic activities, but lower value on early play; (b) Contemporary mothers, who placed higher value on early play, but lower value on pre-academic activities; and (c) Eclectic mothers, who placed the highest values on both pre-academic activities and play. The three profiles of mothers’ play beliefs were differentiated by maternal education, frequencies of children’s play and pre-academic activities at home, and children’s early development. Children of Eclectic mothers had better cognitive development than those of Contemporary mothers, and had better socio-emotional and overall development than those of Traditional mothers, even after adjusting for socio-demographic variables.
The Shaping of Form: Exploring Designers’ Use of Aesthetic Knowledge
Authors: Stigliani Ileana , Ravasi Davide
Published: April 2018

Research on design and designers has emphasized the tacit nature of the aesthetic knowledge that these professionals draw upon to make decisions about formal properties of objects and spaces, but is less clear about how design teams address the difficulties associated with expressing and sharing this type of knowledge. A ten-month ethnography in a design consultancy revealed a range of multimodal and cross-modal ways in which members of a design team compensate their imperfect capacity of articulating verbally their aesthetic knowledge in order to enable creative collaboration. In so doing, our study offers two main contributions. It illuminates the interplay between designers’ aesthetic experiences, visceral responses and intuitive cognitive processes that enable designers to draw upon their aesthetic knowledge to support the collective accomplishment of their task, and provides an interpretation of the design process as a form of ‘creative’ intuition driven by emotional reactions to environmental stimuli and emerging formal solutions.
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Cognitive Symptoms During the Menopausal Transition
Authors: Im Eun-Ok , Hu Yun , Cheng Ching-Yu , Ko Young , Chee Eunice , Chee Wonshik
Published: April 2018

The purpose of this study was to explore racial/ethnic differences in midlife women’s cognitive symptoms among four major racial/ethnic groups in the United States and to determine multiple factors that influenced the women’s cognitive symptoms. This was a secondary analysis of the data from two larger studies among 1,054 midlife women. The instruments included multiple questions on background characteristics and health and menopausal status, and the Cognitive Symptom Index for Midlife Women. The data were analyzed using multiple logistic and Poisson regression analyses. There existed significant racial/ethnic differences in the total numbers and total severity scores of cognitive symptoms ( p < .01); non-Hispanic Asians had significantly lower total numbers and total severity scores compared with other racial/ethnic groups. Socioeconomic status and health and menopausal status were significant factors that influenced cognitive symptoms across racial/ethnic groups ( p < .05). Further studies on racial/ethnic differences in cognitive symptoms are needed with diverse groups of midlife women.
Practices Reflecting Functional Communication Training for Students With or At Risk for Emotional and Behavioral Disorders: Systematically Mapping the Literature
Authors: Hollo Alexandra , Burt Jonathan L.
Published: April 2018

Students with and at risk for emotional and behavioral disorders (EBD) often have unidentified co-occurring language deficits, but few studies have evaluated communication-based interventions for this population. Functional communication training (FCT) teaches a communicative response (CR) as a replacement for problem behavior. FCT is an evidence-based practice for students with intellectual and developmental disabilities; however, preliminary literature searches revealed limited evidence to support its use for students without developmental delays. We hypothesized researchers may use similar practices but different terminology to teach and reinforce functionally equivalent CRs. Therefore, we replicated systematic search procedures from previous reviews of functional assessment–based interventions (FABI) for students with or at risk for EBD in school settings and mapped intervention strategies incorporating features of FCT. Results identified 113 published reports describing FABI for 243 students. Subsequent screening and coding procedures revealed 43 (38.05%) of the studies included a CR in interventions for 77 students. Additional analyses revealed antecedent and consequent procedures included in interventions for 58 students mirrored those used in FCT. That is, approximately one in four interventions developed for students with or at risk for EBD included key elements of FCT, despite few references to the term FCT in published reports.
Discrete Event Simulation for Decision Modeling in Health Care: Lessons from Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Screening
Authors: Glover Matthew J. , Jones Edmund , Masconi Katya L. , Sweeting Michael J. , Thompson Simon G. ,   SWAN Collaborators, Powell Janet T. , Ulug Pinar , Bown Matthew J.
Published: April 2018

Markov models are often used to evaluate the cost-effectiveness of new healthcare interventions but they are sometimes not flexible enough to allow accurate modeling or investigation of alternative scenarios and policies. A Markov model previously demonstrated that a one-off invitation to screening for abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) for men aged 65 y in the UK and subsequent follow-up of identified AAAs was likely to be highly cost-effective at thresholds commonly adopted in the UK (£20,000 to £30,000 per quality adjusted life-year). However, new evidence has emerged and the decision problem has evolved to include exploration of the circumstances under which AAA screening may be cost-effective, which the Markov model is not easily able to address. A new model to handle this more complex decision problem was needed, and the case of AAA screening thus provides an illustration of the relative merits of Markov models and discrete event simulation (DES) models. An individual-level DES model was built using the R programming language to reflect possible events and pathways of individuals invited to screening v. those not invited. The model was validated against key events and cost-effectiveness, as observed in a large, randomized trial. Different screening protocol scenarios were investigated to demonstrate the flexibility of the DES. The case of AAA screening highlights the benefits of DES, particularly in the context of screening studies.
America’s front pages: A 30-year update
Authors: Morris David L. , Haught Matthew J.
Published: April 2018

The digital revolution has ushered in a new era of front page design, with newspapers of all sizes embracing navigation tools and promotions. This study updates the work of Pasternack and Utt examining newspaper design trends in 1984 and 1995. This study examines the state of current front page design. Furthermore, it explores the use of design hubs and their effect on page design in newspaper chains.