bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Enhanced Methodologies to Enumerate Persons Experiencing Homelessness in a Large Urban Area
Authors: Troisi Catherine L. , D’Andrea Ritalinda , Grier Gary , Williams Stephen
Published: October 2015

Introduction:

Homelessness is a public health problem, and persons experiencing homelessness are a vulnerable population. Estimates of the number of persons experiencing homelessness inform funding allocations and services planning and directly determine the ability of a community to intervene effectively in homelessness. The point-in-time (PIT) count presents a logistical problem in large urban areas, particularly those covering a vast geographical area.

Materials and Methods:

Working together, academia, local government, and community organizations improved the methodology for the count. Specific enhancements include use of incident command system (ICS), increased number of staging areas/teams, specialized outreach and Special Weapons and Tactics teams, and day-after surveying to collect demographic information.

Results:

This collaboration and enhanced methodology resulted in a more accurate estimate of the number of persons experiencing homelessness and allowed comparison of findings for 4 years. While initial results showed an increase due to improved counting, the number of persons experiencing homelessness counted for the subsequent years showed significant decrease during the same time period as a “housing first” campaign was implemented. The collaboration also built capacity in each sector: The health department used ICS as a training opportunity; the academics enhanced their community health efforts; the service sector was taught and implemented more rigorous quantitative methods; and the community was exposed to public health as a pragmatic and effective discipline.

Practical Implications:

Improvements made to increase the reliability of the PIT count can be adapted for use in other jurisdictions, leading to improved counts and better evaluation of progress in ending homelessness.
The Politics of Attachment: Lines of Flight with Bowlby, Deleuze and Guattari
Authors: Duschinsky Robbie , Greco Monica , Solomon Judith
Published: October 2015

Research on attachment is widely regarded in sociology and feminist scholarship as politically conservative – oriented by a concern to police families, pathologize mothers and emphasize psychological at the expense of socio-economic factors. These critiques have presented attachment theory as constructing biological imperatives to naturalize contingent, social demands. We propose that a more effective critique of the politically conservative uses of attachment theory is offered by engaging with the ‘attachment system’ at the level of ontology. In developing this argument we draw on Deleuze and Guattari, making use of the common language of ethology which links their ideas to that of attachment theory. The attachment system can and has been reified into an image of the infant returning to their caregiver as an image of familial sufficiency. This has offered ammunition for discourses and institutions which isolate women from health, social and political resources. Yet Deleuze and Guattari can help attachment theory and research to be recognized as a powerful ally for progressive politics, for reflection on the movement of human individuation, and for arguing for the meaningful resourcing of those who care for someone else.
The relationship between workgroup blending and perceived organizational inducements: The mediating roles of tasks and relationships
Authors: George Elizabeth , Chattopadhyay Prithviraj , Ng Carmen Kaman
Published: October 2015

We argue that blending temporary and standard workers in workgroups is negatively associated with the extent to which standard workers perceive that the organization provides them inducements. This effect is proposed to be mediated by the negative effects of blending on standard workers’ tasks and relationships in the workgroup. Data from 176 standard workers in blended workgroups in a large research organization shows that a higher proportion of temporary workers is associated with an increase in standard workers’ informal administrative work, decrease in their quality of workgroup relationships, and subsequently lower perceptions that the organization provides them inducements.
Electronic Health Records in Long-Term Care: Staff Perspectives
Authors: Meehan Rebecca
Published: October 2015

As long-term post-acute care (LTPAC) settings continue to increase their adoption of electronic health records (EHRs), it is important to learn from end users currently working with the technology to identify clinical implications and opportunities to improve systems and surrounding processes. This study utilized one-on-one interviews of direct care nurses ( n = 20) in a Midwest United States LTPAC setting to describe patterns of use, and areas to improve. The majority of respondents evaluated the EHR as easy to use, with a positive impact on quality of care, through efficiencies gained in communication with the care team. Staff responses outline desired modifications to the software, including fixes to data fields for more accurate medication administration and accurate reports on bowel protocol follow-up. Recommendations for LTPAC organizations are made regarding improved staff training on the EHR, and modifications to the EHR and related processes to improve quality of care and staff retention.
Management practices for end-of-life cathode ray tube glass: Review of advances in recycling and best available technologies
Authors: Iniaghe Paschal O , Adie Gilbert U
Published: October 2015

Cathode ray tubes are image display units found in computer monitors and televisions. In recent years, cathode ray tubes have been generated as waste owing to the introduction of newer and advanced technologies in image displays, such as liquid crystal displays and high definition televisions, among others. Generation and subsequent disposal of end-of-life cathode ray tubes presents a challenge owing to increasing volumes and high lead content embedded in the funnel and neck sections of the glass. Disposal in landfills and open dumping are anti-environmental practices considering the large-scale contamination of environmental media by the potential of toxic metals leaching from glass. Mitigating such environmental contamination will require sound management strategies that are environmentally friendly and economically feasible. This review covers existing and emerging management practices for end-of-life cathode ray tubes. An in-depth analysis of available technologies (glass smelting, detoxification of cathode ray tube glass, lead extraction from cathode ray tube glass) revealed that most of the techniques are environmentally friendly, but are largely confined to either laboratory scale, or are often limited owing to high cost to mount, or generate secondary pollutants, while a closed-looped method is antiquated. However, recycling in cementitious systems (cement mortar and concrete) gives an added advantage in terms of quantity of recyclable cathode ray tube glass at a given time, with minimal environmental and economic implications. With significant quantity of waste cathode ray tube glass being generated globally, cementitious systems could be economically and environmentally acceptable as a sound management practice for cathode ray tube glass, where other technologies may not be applicable.
The Gender Buffet
Authors: Averett Kate Henley
Published: October 2015

Many parents and child-rearing experts prefer that children exhibit gender-normative behavior, a preference that is linked to the belief that children are, or should be, heterosexual. But how do LGBTQ parents—who may not hold these preferences—approach the gender socialization of their children? Drawing on in-depth interviews with both members in 18 LGBTQ couples, I find that these parents attempt to provide their children with a variety of gendered options for clothing, toys, and activities—a strategy that I call the “gender buffet.” However, the social location of the parents influences the degree to which they feel they can pursue this strategy of resistance. Factors such as race, social class, gender of parents and children, and level of support of family and community members contribute to the degree to which LGBTQ parents feel they can allow or encourage their children to disrupt gender norms.
Do Smart Cities Invest in Smarter Policies? Learning From the Past, Planning for the Future
Authors: Caragliu Andrea , Del Bo Chiara F.
Published: October 2015

Research on Smart Cities has come of age. Intense discussion on this topic has been ongoing for years, and the academic prominence of this concept has also engendered several policy initiatives inspired by this label at different administrative levels. However, to date, no large-scale evaluation of the relationship between urban smartness and smart urban policies has been attempted. This article aims at filling this gap. By building on a solid definition of Smart Cities, the article tests the empirical relationship between urban smartness and the intensity of Smart City policies. A novel data set on four different types of policies and smart urban characteristics is assembled for 314 European Union cities. Empirical results suggest that Smart City policies are more likely to be designed and implemented in cities that are already endowed with smart characteristics. Our findings also point to a higher probability that Smart City policies are implemented in denser and wealthier urban areas. These empirical results call for further research on the real effects of actual implemented Smart City policies, with the aim to verify the potential of this policy concept as an overall urban development model encompassing the main drivers of endogenous urban growth.
Controlling routine front line service workers: an Australian retail supermarket case
Authors: Price Robin
Published: October 2015

Food retail is known for its use of flexible labour and for the centralisation of functions at head office, resulting in a reduction of managerial autonomy at store level. This article employs a typology of controls developed from labour process scholarship to explore how retail managers negotiate the control of their predominantly part-time workforce. Using an Australian supermarket chain as a case, and mixed methods, the article demonstrates that supermarkets use a multiplicity of forms of control across their workforce. For front line service workers, the article identifies a new configuration of controls which intersects with employment status and acts differentially for checkout operators on different employment contracts.
Improved solubilization of multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) in water by surface functionalization with d-glucose and d-fructose
Authors: Mallakpour Shadpour , Behranvand Vajiheh
Published: October 2015

Carbon nanotubes (CNTs) are difficult to be dispersed into a polymer matrix. For effective reinforcement, the strong interfacial interaction between nanotubes and the matrix is essential to donate the efficient thermal transfer from the matrix to nanotubes. In this study, multiwalled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) were modified with glucose and fructose carbohydrates as biomolecules to obtain Gl-MWCNTs and Fr-MWCNTs. Good water solubilization of MWCNTs was obtained, and these hybrids were expected to be biocompatible. Functionalized MWCNTs were incorporated into a poly(amide–imide) (PAI) matrix-containing alanine through a simple ultrasonication-assisted solution blending procedure. Then, it was tried to compare the obtained nanocomposites morphologically and thermally to study the compatibility between PAI matrix with Gl-MWCNTs and Fr-MWCNTs. Surface morphology observations suggested strong interfacial adhesion between the functionalized MWCNTs and the PAI matrix. This leads to homogeneous distribution of nanotubes throughout the matrix. Significantly better thermal properties of PAI were achieved by introducing Gl-MWCNT into the PAI matrix than that was achieved by similar incorporation of Fr-MWCNTs.
Characteristics and geographic distribution of HIV-positive women diagnosed with cervical cancer in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania
Authors: Lovgren Kathleen , Soliman Amr S , Ngoma Twalib , Kahesa Crispin , Meza Jane
Published: October 2015

Cervical cancer is the leading incident cancer and the main cause of cancer-related mortality among women in sub-Saharan Africa. Furthermore, HIV-infected women are at a higher risk of developing cervical cancer than HIV-negative women. The purpose of this study was to distinguish differences in characteristics of HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients with cervical cancer in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania. The HIV status of cervical cancer patients diagnosed and/or treated at Ocean Road Cancer Institute in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania, during the period 2007–2011 was abstracted from the medical records. Additional abstracted information included patient’s name, age, place of residence, occupation, education, marital status, age at marriage, gravidity, and screening clinic visit results. Ocean Road Cancer Institute patients came from two sources: the screening clinic followed by treatment clinic or the treatment clinic without prior screening. HIV-positive and HIV-negative patients were compared regarding the above-listed clinical and epidemiologic factors. Multivariable analysis was also performed to assess the risk factors associated with cervical cancer treatment without prior screening at Ocean Road Cancer Institute. HIV-positive cervical cancer patients tended to be younger, with higher education and lower parity. Patients screened for cervical cancer prior to treatment were more likely to be HIV-positive (OR: 2.09, 95% CI: 1.36, 3.21), less likely to have higher disease stages (OR: 0.64, 95% CI: 0.43, 0.94), and less likely to reside outside of Dar es Salaam (OR: 0.44, 95% CI: 0.30, 0.65). Screening for cervical cancer at Ocean Road Cancer Institute is utilised by more HIV-positive patients from Dar es Salaam. Future studies should focus on identifying the reasons for lower utilisation of screening by HIV-negative patients and patients from other distant rural regions in Tanzania.
Prevalence and correlates of intimate partner violence in HIV-positive women engaged in transactional sex in Mombasa, Kenya
Authors: Wilson Kate S , Deya Ruth , Masese Linnet , Simoni Jane M , Stoep Ann Vander , Shafi Juma , Jaoko Walter , Hughes James P , McClelland R Scott
Published: October 2015

Summary

We evaluated the prevalence and correlates of intimate partner violence (IPV) in the past year by a regular male partner in HIV-positive female sex workers (FSWs) in Mombasa, Kenya. This cross-sectional study included HIV-positive women ≥18 years old who reported engagement in transactional sex at the time of enrolment in the parent cohort. We asked 13 questions adapted from the World Health Organization survey on violence against women about physical, sexual, or emotional violence in the past year by the current or most recent emotional partner (index partner). We used standardised instruments to assess socio-demographic and behavioural characteristics as possible correlates of IPV. Associations between IPV and these correlates were evaluated using univariate and multivariate logistic regression. Overall, 286/357 women (80.4%) had an index partner, and 52/357 (14.6%, 95% confidence interval 10.9%–18.2%) reported IPV by that partner in the past year. In multivariate analysis, women with severe alcohol problems (adjusted odds ratio 4.39, 1.16–16.61) and those experiencing controlling behaviours by the index partner (adjusted odds ratio 4.98, 2.31–10.74) were significantly more likely to report recent IPV. Recent IPV was common in HIV-positive FSWs. Interventions targeting risk factors for IPV, including alcohol problems and partner controlling behaviours, could help to reduce recurrent violence and negative health outcomes in this key population.
Climate and human influences on historical fire regimes (AD 1400–1900) in the eastern Great Basin (USA)
Authors: Kitchen Stanley G
Published: October 2015

High fire activity in western North America is associated with drought. Drought and fire prevail under negative El Niño Southern Oscillation (ENSO) and Pacific Decadal Oscillation (PDO) phases in the Southwest and with positive phases in the Northwest. Here, I infer climate effects on historic fire patterns in the geographically intermediate, eastern Great Basin and seek out evidence of human influence on reconstructed fire regimes. Surface fire chronologies were constructed for 10 sites using tree-ring-based fire scars. Regional (67) and local (247) fire years and no-fire (187) years were identified from 1400 to 1900 CE. I compared fire chronologies with indices of the Palmer Drought Severity Index (PDSI), ENSO, and PDO. Regionally, fires were significantly more common during drought and were associated with negative ENSO and positive-to-negative PDO transitions while no-fire years were associated with positive ENSO and negative-to-positive PDO transitions. Conditions were significantly wetter 2 years prior to regional fire years and drier 4 years prior to no-fire years, providing evidence that fires were historically fuel limited. Local fire years occurred under a broad range of climate conditions. Most sites showed either persistent late or bimodal (early and late) fire seasonality patterns. These patterns are distinct from the mid-season peak observed for modern lightning-caused fires, suggesting a human influence on historical ignition patterns. Results demonstrate that climate was an important synchronizer of fire at the regional scale and that locally fire regimes were the product of climate-regulated fuels and some combination of human and lightning ignition patterns.
Are there any effects of chronic carbon monoxide exposure on argyrophilic nucleolar-organizing region–associated protein synthesis in rat myocardium?
Authors: Saritas A , Gunes H , Colakoglu S , Eroz R , Akoz A , Oktay M , Buyukkaya A , Kandis H , Ozkan A
Published: October 2015

The aims of the study are to detect whether there are any possible effects of chronic carbon monoxide (CO) exposure on the argyrophilic nucleolar-organizing region (AgNOR)–associated protein synthesis and evaluate any possible relationship between the amount of AgNOR protein and the level of myocardial injury also and between AgNOR and histopathological evaluation methods. Adult male albino Wistar rats ( n = 18) were randomly divided into three groups (groups A, B, and C). Group A served as control, while groups B and C were rats exposed to CO gas chronically (1000 and 3000 ppm CO concentration with a flow rate of 4 L/min for 30 min/day for 7 days, respectively). Total AgNOR area/nuclear area (TAA/NA) and the mean AgNOR numbers for each myocyte nucleus were determined. There were significant differences among all groups for TAA/NA ratio. These differences were not significant for mean AgNOR numbers. According to the histopathological evaluation scores, there were significant differences between the groups. The differences were significant among the groups for loss of sarcomere pattern. A strong positive correlation between histopathological injury scores and TAA/NA ratio was found ( Rsq = 0.48; p = 0.002), however, the correlation was not significant for mean AgNOR numbers ( Rsq = 0.08; p = 0.25). In conclusion, TAA/NA ratio can be used as an indicator for obtaining information about the level of myocardial damage instead of histopathological evaluation scores.
A comparative evaluation of feathers, oropharyngeal swabs, and cloacal swabs for the detection of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus infection in experimentally infected chickens and ducks
Authors: Nuradji Harimurti , Bingham John , Lowther Sue , Wibawa Hendra , Colling Axel , Long Ngo Thanh , Meers Joanne
Published: October 2015

Oropharyngeal and cloacal swabs have been widely used for the detection of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian Influenza A virus (HPAI virus) in birds. Previous studies have shown that the feather calamus is a site of H5N1 virus replication and therefore has potential for diagnosis of avian influenza. However, studies characterizing the value of feathers for this purpose are not available, to our knowledge; herein we present a study investigating feathers for detection of H5N1 virus. Ducks and chickens were experimentally infected with H5N1 HPAI virus belonging to 1 of 3 clades (Indonesian clades 2.1.1 and 2.1.3, Vietnamese clade 1). Different types of feathers and oropharyngeal and cloacal swab samples were compared by virus isolation. In chickens, virus was detected from all sample types: oral and cloacal swabs, and immature pectorosternal, flight, and tail feathers. During clinical disease, the viral titers were higher in feathers than swabs. In ducks, the proportion of virus-positive samples was variable depending on viral strain and time from challenge; cloacal swabs and mature pectorosternal feathers were clearly inferior to oral swabs and immature pectorosternal, tail, and flight feathers. In ducks infected with Indonesian strains, in which most birds did not develop clinical signs, all sampling methods gave intermittent positive results; 3–23% of immature pectorosternal feathers were positive during the acute infection period; oropharyngeal swabs had slightly higher positivity during early infection, while feathers performed better during late infection. Our results indicate that immature feathers are an alternative sample for the diagnosis of HPAI in chickens and ducks.
A retrospective study of skull base neoplasia in 42 dogs
Authors: Rissi Daniel R.
Published: October 2015

This study describes the prevalence and distribution of 42 cases of skull base neoplasia in dogs between 2000 and 2014. The average age of affected individuals was 9.5 years, and there was no sex or breed predisposition. The most common skull base neoplasms were meningioma (25 cases) and pituitary adenoma (9 cases). Less common tumors included craniopharyngioma (2 cases), nerve sheath tumor (2 cases), and 1 case each of pituitary carcinoma, meningeal oligodendrogliomatosis, presumed nasal or sinonasal carcinoma, and multilobular tumor of bone. All neoplasms caused some degree of compression of adjacent structures. The distribution of the tumors was greatest in the sellar region ( n = 18), followed by the paranasal region ( n = 12), caudal cranial fossa ( n = 10), central cranial fossa ( n = 1), and rostral cranial fossa ( n = 1).
Seeing the Offenders’ Perspective Through the Eye-Tracking Device
Authors: Jacques Scott , Lasky Nicole , Fisher Bonnie S.
Published: October 2015

This article examines the utility of a novel tool for conducting offender-based research: the “eye-tracking device” (ETD), which is designed to identify what a person sees in the center of his or her vision. First, we review prior research using the ETD. Second, we detail the advantages and troubles we encountered when using it to study simulated shoplifting in retail outlets among 39 active offenders. Benefits of using the ETD include video recording what participants look at, which may serve as quantitative or qualitative data, and, when coupled with a questionnaire, the video footage may be used as a memory prompt and source of verification. Thus, using the ETD should reduce two sources of measurement bias: participants’ limited recall and intentional fabrication. However, limitations of the ETD are that it may inaccurately record what participants see in their peripheral vision and its physical structure makes some participants feel more inconspicuous than usual, both of which are pertinent to criminals’ attempts to avoid apprehension. The peripheral vision problem limits the quantitative output’s validity, whereas the physical structure concern potentially diminishes the generalizability of results. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for theory and research.
Reason Taking the Reins From Impulsivity
Authors: Mamayek Chae , Loughran Thomas , Paternoster Ray
Published: October 2015

Aspects of criminological theory are premised on the belief that criminals make poor decisions. There have been suggestions that individual differences in self-control, willpower, impulsivity, time orientation, or more recently, thoughtfully reflective decision making (TRDM) influence choices and, ultimately, deviant outcomes. While much of the literature suggests there are differences among these concepts, they are often used interchangeably or at least noted to share common ground. Using survey data collected from university undergraduate students, this article explores the conceptual and empirical overlap and areas of distinction between key theoretical constructs. Using hypotheses derived from a dual-systems model, findings suggest impulsivity, self-control, temptation, and TRDM are distinct but interrelated constructs. Impulsivity was positively related to intentions to drink and drive in a hypothetical scenario, but temptation, self-control, and TRDM had no significant effect on intentions. Consistent with a dual-systems conceptualization, we found impulsivity and self-control work in tandem, as the risk of drinking and driving was highest for those respondents who were highly impulsive and had low self-control. Future research may seek to use a dual-system model to further reconcile trait-based and decision-based models of criminological theory.
Retaliatory Auto Theft
Authors: Cherbonneau Michael , Jacobs Bruce A.
Published: October 2015

Drawing from a qualitative sample of active auto thieves, this article examines the moralistic underpinnings of auto theft. Our findings indicate that retaliatory auto theft is either direct or indirect. In direct forms of payback, auto theft reprises a specific violator for a specific affront, and the theft serves as that reprisal. In indirect payback, the target’s culpability is lacking: Auto theft either removes some generalized loss or facilitates a broader retributive objective secondary to the theft target. Discussion focuses on the distinction between revenge and retribution and how auto theft emerges as a feasible choice given the universe of available retaliatory options, and despite the longstanding preference among street offenders for violence.
Where Do Dealers Solicit Customers and Sell Them Drugs? A Micro-Level Multiple Method Study
Authors: Bernasco Wim , Jacques Scott
Published: October 2015

According to a rational choice theory of crime location choice, offenders commit crimes at locations where the mix of expected rewards and costs is optimal. The present study applied this general theory to a very specific crime—illicit drug dealing in an open air drug market—and tested it in the Red Light District and its neighboring area in downtown Amsterdam, the Netherlands. Data were collected in interviews with 50 dealers of illicit drugs and through systematic observations of the 262 street segments in the study area. It was expected that dealers prefer locations where expected earnings relative to invested time and effort is high and where the risk of apprehension is low. The quantitative findings seem to confirm that dealers go to places where the likelihood of successfully soliciting customers is high, but no evidence is found that they avoid places with informal or formal social control. Qualitative data collected in the same interviews reveal that dealers view social control as a nuisance and risk that can be evaded. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for criminological theory and research methods.
Mercury Pollution from Small-Scale Gold Mining Can Be Stopped by Implementing the Gravity-Borax Method – A Two-Year Follow-Up Study from Two Mining Communities in the Philippines
Authors: Køster-Rasmussen Rasmus , Westergaard Maria L. , Brasholt Marie , Gutierrez Richard , Jørs Erik , Thomsen Jane F.
Published: October 2015

Mercury is used globally to extract gold in artisanal and small-scale gold mining. The mercury-free gravity-borax method for gold extraction was introduced in two mining communities using mercury in the provinces Kalinga and Camarines Norte. This article describes project activities and quantitative changes in mercury consumption and analyzes the implementation with diffusion of innovations theory. Activities included miner-to-miner training; seminars for health-care workers, school teachers, and children; and involvement of community leaders. Baseline (2011) and follow-up (2013) data were gathered on mining practices and knowledge about mercury toxicology. Most miners in Kalinga converted to the gravity-borax method, whereas only a few did so in Camarines Norte. Differences in the nature of the social systems impacted the success of the implementation, and involvement of the tribal organization facilitated the shift in Kalinga. In conclusion, the gravity-borax method is a doable alternative to mercury use in artisanal and small-scale gold mining, but support from the civil society is needed.
Sleights of Hand
Authors: McCulloch Jock
Published: October 2015

South Africa’s gold mines were the first to compensate silicosis and tuberculosis as occupational diseases. They were also the first mines to introduce a state-sanctioned regime of medical surveillance. Despite those innovations, the major mining houses are currently facing class actions by former miners with occupational lung disease. The obvious reason for this medical and legislative failure is to be found in the economic fabric of South Africa’s gold industry. In this article, I will argue that it is also found in the system of mine medicine, which was designed to hide rather than reveal the actual disease rates.
Creating an Ethnodrama to Catalyze Dialogue in Home-Based Dementia Care
Authors: Speechley Mark , DeForge Ryan T. , Ward-Griffin Catherine , Marlatt Nicole M. , Gutmanis Iris
Published: October 2015

This article describes the development of a theater script derived from a critical ethnographic study that followed people living with dementia—and their family and professional caregivers—over an 18-month period. Analysis of the ethnographic data yielded four themes that characterized home-based dementia care relationships: managing care resources, making care decisions, evaluating care practices, and reifying care norms. The research team expanded to include a colleague with playwright experience, who used these themes to write a script. A theater director was included to cast and direct the play, and finally, a videography company filmed the actors on a realistic set. To contribute to the qualitative health research and the research-based theater knowledge translation literatures, this article describes and explains the creative decisions taken as part of our effort to disseminate research focused on home-based dementia care in a way that catalyzes and fosters critical (actionable) dialogue.
New strain energy-based thermo-elastoviscoplastic isotropic damage–self-healing model for bituminous composites—Part II: Computational aspects
Authors: Hong S , Yuan KY , Ju JW
Published: October 2015

This paper is the second in a series implementing initial strain–energy-based thermo-elastoviscoplastic isotropic damage–self-healing formulations for bituminous composites to compare the model predictions with experimental measurements. Computational algorithms based on the two-step operator splitting methodology are systematically developed and employed for numerical simulations. The elastic damage self-healing predictor and the viscoplastic corrector coupled with the Arrhenius-type temperature term via the net stress concept in conjunction with the hypothesis of strain equivalence are entirely considered as numerical implementation of the models. Several numerical examples of one-dimensional driver problems are first presented to show the effect of temperature and rest period for healing. Experimental validation of the proposed formulations against monotonic constant–strain test under different temperatures and controlled-strain cyclic tension test is presented. Qualitative and quantitative agreement between experimental results and numerical simulations is also observed. In particular, the softening behavior of the bituminous materials is well predicted for monotonic constant–strain rate test. The viscous damage behavior can be reasonably captured by the proposed damage models with the Arrhenius-type temperature term and the step-by-step computational algorithms.
Effects of a Story-Mapping Procedure Using the iPad on the Comprehension of Narrative Texts by Students With Autism Spectrum Disorder
Authors: Browder Diane M. , Root Jenny R. , Wood Leah , Allison Caryn
Published: October 2015

This study investigated the effects of a modified system of least prompts and an electronic story-mapping intervention for elementary students with autism spectrum disorder. Participants were first taught to identify story element definitions using constant time delay. Participants then listened to age-appropriate narrative texts with a problem–solution structure, completed an electronic story map, and orally answered questions related to the story elements. If unable to complete the map or answer questions, a system of least prompts was used that redirected the students to use provided supports and provided rereads of portions of the text. A multiple probe across participants design was used to examine the effects of the intervention. Outcomes indicated the intervention was effective for teaching story element definitions, labeling of the story element map on an iPad, and comprehension of story element questions. The limitations of the study as well as implications for future research and practice are discussed.
Bowel Prep Quality in Patients of Low Socioeconomic Status Undergoing Screening Colonoscopy With Patient Navigation
Authors: Miller Sarah Johanna , Itzkowitz Steven H. , Shah Brijen , Jandorf Lina
Published: October 2015

The effectiveness of colonoscopy is directly affected by the quality of the patient’s bowel preparation. Patients with lower socioeconomic status (SES) are at increased risk of having suboptimal bowel prep quality. Patient navigators can play a key role in clarifying bowel prep instructions. The aim of the present study was to examine the quality of bowel prep and its predictors among individuals of low SES undergoing screening colonoscopy with patient navigation. Participants ( N = 607) were individuals of low SES who completed a screening colonoscopy with patient navigation. Demographic information was collected after the participants received a primary care referral for a screening colonoscopy. After the colonoscopy was completed, medical charts were reviewed to document the colonoscopists’ bowel prep quality ratings. A total of 6.8% (41/607) of the sample had poor bowel prep, which significantly correlated with having a colonoscopy that did not reach the cecum. If fair preps were included, approximately 19.3% (117/607) of our cohort would be considered to have suboptimal bowel prep. Our suboptimal bowel prep rates were better than those reported from other low SES samples.
Parameter optimization for operation of a bed-based task/ambient air conditioning (TAC) system to achieve a thermally neutral environment with minimum energy use
Authors: Mao Ning , Pan Dongmei , Chan Mingyin , Deng Shiming
Published: October 2015

The purpose of this paper is to optimize the operating parameters such as: supply air temperature, supply air flow rate and supply air humidity, for a bed-based task/ambient air conditioning (TAC) system installed in an experimental bedroom with two total insulation values of beddings and bed to obtain a thermally neutral sleeping environment with minimum energy use. A computational fluid dynamics (CFD) method was applied to calculate the values of predicted mean vote (PMV) and energy utilization coefficient (EUC) based on conditions of 16 simulation cases. From the simulation results, the design of experiment method was applied to identify operating parameters, individually or combined, that could significantly affect thermal neutrality and energy use for the bedroom environment to establish linear regression models for PMV and EUC. These models were used to obtain the optimum operating parameters of the bed-based TAC system. These models were validated by comparing the obtained optimization results using the models with the predicted results given by the CFD method. The results suggested that for a bed-based TAC system at a specified total insulation value of beddings and bed, a lower energy use can be achieved through adjusting operating parameters while the thermal comfort is maintained.
Excavating Southeast Asia’s prehistory in the Cold War: American archaeology in neocolonial Thailand
Authors: Peleggi Maurizio
Published: October 2015

The discovery and excavation in the 1960s through to the mid 1970s of several prehistoric sites in north and northeastern Thailand, the best known being the World Heritage site of Ban Chiang, were a major breakthrough in Southeast Asian archaeology. Evidence of an autonomous Bronze Age tradition contradicted colonial scholarship’s view of Southeast Asia as a cultural backwater that owed its advancement to imports from India and China. Subsequently, based on a dating later rejected, Ban Chiang was at the center of an international debate about the beginning of world metallurgy. Focus on chronological and typological issues has obscured the fact that American archaeologists surveyed and excavated sites in Northeast Thailand at the time when the region was thoroughly militarized to provide frontline facilities for the Vietnam War. This article examines the production of American archaeological knowledge on Southeast Asian prehistory in relation to the Cold War politics, and more specifically of Thailand’s neocolonial dependence on the United States.
Bias in the evaluation of research methods
Authors: East Robert
Published: October 2015

There is a substantial body of evidence that judgement and decision-making are partly controlled by unconscious mechanisms which take the form of preferred forms of order, heuristic processes and mental accounting. These automatic mechanisms are likely to be involved in any judgements, including those made about theories and methods in science. Examples are presented where bias has affected the acceptance of theories and methods, and the mechanisms that may create such bias are described. Limitations in the design of controlled experiments in consumer behaviour are reviewed; these designs restrict generalization, and therefore the value of such work in advancing understanding. Despite this, such controlled experiments are highly regarded in consumer behaviour and social psychology; one reason for this high regard may be the effect of automatic mechanisms in biasing judgement about controlled experiments. By contrast, inferences from surveys seem less susceptible to such bias. If controlled experimental findings are overvalued in comparison to other methods, the direction of research will suffer and scientific advance will be impeded.
TimeSets: Timeline visualization with set relations
Authors: Nguyen Phong H , Xu Kai , Walker Rick , Wong BL William
Published: October 2015

In this article, we introduce a novel timeline visualization technique, TimeSets, that helps make sense of complex temporal datasets by showing the set relationships among individual events. TimeSets visually groups events that share a topic, such as a place or a person, while preserving their temporal order. It dynamically adjusts the level of detail for each event to suit the amount of information and display estate. Various design options were explored to address issues such as one event belonging to multiple topics. A controlled experiment was conducted to evaluate its effectiveness by comparing it to the KelpFusion method. The results showed significant advantage in accuracy and user preference.
Surveillance, freedom and the republic
Authors: Hoye J. Matthew , Monaghan Jeffrey
Published: October 2015

Arbitrary state and corporate powers are helping to turn the Internet into a global surveillance dragnet. Responses to this novel form of power have been tepid and ineffective. Liberal critiques of surveillance are constrained by their focus on privacy, security and the underlying presupposition that freedom consists only of freedom from interference. By contrast, (post)Foucauldian critiques rejecting liberalism have been well rewarded analytically, but have proven incapable of addressing normative questions regarding the relationship between surveillance and freedom. Quite apart from these debates, neorepublicans have excavated a third concept of freedom, understood as non-domination. Could neorepublicanism overcome the limitations of liberal and (post)Foucauldian critiques of surveillance? We argue, positively, that neorepublicanism can accommodate much of the (post)Foucauldian analyses while also incorporating a normative critique of surveillance vis-à-vis freedom. We further argue, negatively, that surveillance power has outstripped the capacities of traditional republican institutional responses to domination. We conclude by considering ways in which neorepublicanism can be recalibrated to address the novelty of surveillance power while adhering to the ideal of non-domination. Two ways of addressing the problem are proposed: an offensive, dedicated surveillance antipower and a defensive republican amplification of privacy.
Static Stability and Evolving Constraint
Authors: Freeze Melanie , Montgomery Jacob M.
Published: October 2015

Prominent accounts of public opinion argue that citizens’ preferences are unstable, with stated desires on policies varying wildly from survey to survey, and ideologically incoherent, with preferences on multiple policies evidencing little or no structure. In the aggregate, these findings suggest that many voters are not capable of fulfilling their normative role in the democratic system. In this article, we challenge this conventional view and argue that the apparent instability and incoherence among the public are both overstated and outdated. Using panel surveys from the 1970s, 1990s, and 2010s, we conduct a multi-trait multi-method (MTMM) confirmatory factor analysis of citizen preferences in multiple issue areas. Our results reveal a surprising degree of preference stability in all three time periods across many policy domains. Furthermore, our results reveal increasing levels of ideological thinking over time and that these patterns of stability and coherence hold across subpopulations defined by levels of sophistication.
Comparative Performance in Single-Port Versus Multiport Minimally Invasive Surgery, and Small Versus Large Operative Working Spaces
Authors: Marcus Hani J. , Seneci Carlo A. , Hughes-Hallett Archie , Cundy Thomas P. , Nandi Dipankar , Yang Guang-Zhong , Darzi Ara
Published: October 2015

Background. Surgical approaches such as transanal endoscopic microsurgery, which utilize small operative working spaces, and are necessarily single-port, are particularly demanding with standard instruments and have not been widely adopted. The aim of this study was to compare simultaneously surgical performance in single-port versus multiport approaches, and small versus large working spaces. Methods. Ten novice, 4 intermediate, and 1 expert surgeons were recruited from a university hospital. A preclinical randomized crossover study design was implemented, comparing performance under the following conditions: (1) multiport approach and large working space, (2) multiport approach and intermediate working space, (3) single-port approach and large working space, (4) single-port approach and intermediate working space, and (5) single-port approach and small working space. In each case, participants performed a peg transfer and pattern cutting tasks, and each task repetition was scored. Results. Intermediate and expert surgeons performed significantly better than novices in all conditions ( P < .05). Performance in single-port surgery was significantly worse than multiport surgery ( P < .01). In multiport surgery, there was a nonsignificant trend toward worsened performance in the intermediate versus large working space. In single-port surgery, there was a converse trend; performances in the intermediate and small working spaces were significantly better than in the large working space. Conclusions. Single-port approaches were significantly more technically challenging than multiport approaches, possibly reflecting loss of instrument triangulation. Surprisingly, in single-port approaches, in which triangulation was no longer a factor, performance in large working spaces was worse than in intermediate and small working spaces.
Training Laparoscopic Skills at Home
Authors: van der Aa Jessica E. , Schreuder Henk W. R.
Published: October 2015

Objective. To determine residents’ opinion about a new portable box trainer, to see if they would be interested in using this for training at home, and to give an overview of the box trainers that could be used at home. Methods. An expert opinion study was performed among 27 gynecology residents to determine the value of the portable box trainer in training their laparoscopic skills and the value of using it at home. Their opinions were scored on a 5-point Likert scale. Results. Gynecology residents very much appreciated the portable box trainer in its design, size, visualization, light source, ability to record, and instruments (all median 4). They felt that the portable box trainer would be effective in training laparoscopic skills in general; in training hand-eye coordination, 3D perception, and tying knots (all median 4); and especially in training basic skills (median 5). Almost all residents would use the portable box trainer if they had one at home (median 5). The literature supports the hypothesis that training laparoscopic skills at home using a box trainer may be effective in acquiring and maintaining laparoscopic skills. Conclusions. Training laparoscopic skills at home using a portable box trainer may be of added value in the laparoscopic training of surgical residents. Residents feel positive about using the new portable box trainer that is presented and appreciate the possibility of training at home.
Reflexive Methodological Pluralism
Authors: Popa Florin , Guillermin Mathieu
Published: October 2015

This article argues that methodological pluralism (MP) can benefit from a deeper and more systematic integration of reflexive processes. In particular, reflexivity can facilitate meaningful and problem-specific ways of combining methods across different disciplinary fields, types of expertise, and practices. To develop our argument, we distinguish between two dimensions of reflexivity: critical (questioning of values, assumptions, and sociopolitical context underlying research methodology) and transformative (investigating pathways for change by mobilizing social experimentation and learning). We discuss two cases of research on environmental valuation that mobilizes reflexivity. We conclude by emphasizing the specific role of critical and transformative reflexivity in guiding methodological choices.
Complex spinal arteriovenous fistula of the craniocervical junction with pial and dural shunts combined with contralateral dural arteriovenous fistula
Authors: Jeon Jin Pyeong , Cho Young Dae , Kim Chi Heon , Han Moon Hee
Published: October 2015

A high cervical dural arteriovenous fistula (dAVF) is relatively rare and tends to have different features, as compared with a thoracolumbar dAVF. Here, we report a case involving a complex AVF located at the craniocervical junction that was fed by the dural and pial arteries, combined with a contralateral dAVF.