bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
PREPARED Study: A Study of Shared Decision-Making for Coronary Artery Disease
Authors: Doll Jacob A. , Jones W. Schuyler , Lokhnygina Yuliya , Culpepper Sara , Parks Robin L. , Calhoun Christy , Au David H. , Patel Manesh R.
Published: February 2019

Background:

Guidelines recommend patient engagement in shared decision-making regarding coronary revascularization, but studies demonstrate poor patient understanding of risks, benefits, and alternatives. Effective strategies are needed to integrate informed patient preferences into clinical care, particularly for patients undergoing diagnostic coronary angiography.

Methods and Results:

We developed a web-based decision aid to educate patients and survey their treatment preferences before angiography. We compared knowledge, attitudes, and preferences of 203 patients with and without use of the decision aid. In a pilot cluster-randomized study, cardiologists were assigned to receive versus not receive patient preferences, with subsequent assessment of treatment decisions. The median age of participants was 64 years, 62% were men, 74% were white, and a similar number had acute presentation (49% non–ST-segment–elevation myocardial infarction or unstable angina) and stable presentation (51% stable angina or atypical symptoms). Most patients preferred treatment with percutaneous coronary intervention compared with either medical therapy alone (63% versus 21%) or coronary artery bypass graft surgery (81% versus 7%). The decision aid was associated with improved performance on a 6-item knowledge scale (mean, 2.7 versus 2.2 questions correct;
P
<0.01) and greater interest in shared decision-making but not an overall change in patient preferences. The pilot cluster-randomized study demonstrated the feasibility of integrating patient preference information into clinical care, although providing preferences to the clinicians did not improve concordance between preference and treatment.

Conclusions:

A web-based decision aid was associated with improved patient knowledge and greater desire to participate in shared decision-making for coronary revascularization. Most patients preferred percutaneous coronary intervention to either medical therapy alone or coronary artery bypass graft surgery. Further investigation is needed to determine the impact of patient preferences on clinical decision-making and outcomes.

Clinical Trial Registration

URL:
https://www.clinicaltrials.gov.
Unique identifier: NCT02272062.
Metabolic Changes in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat Hearts Precede Cardiac Dysfunction and Left Ventricular Hypertrophy
Authors: Li Jie , Kemp Brandon A. , Howell Nancy L. , Massey James , Mińczuk Krzysztof , Huang Qiao , Chordia Mahendra D. , Roy R. Jack , Patrie James T. , Davogustto Giovanni E. , Kramer Christopher M. , Epstein Frederick H. , Carey Robert M. , Taegtmeyer Heinrich , Keller Susanna R. , Kundu Bijoy K.
Published: February 2019

Background

Sustained pressure overload leads to changes in cardiac metabolism, function, and structure. Both time course and causal relationships between these changes are not fully understood. Therefore, we studied spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) during early hypertension development and compared them to control Wistar Kyoto rats.

Methods and Results

We serially evaluated myocardial glucose uptake rates (Ki) with dynamic 2‐[
18
F] fluoro‐2‐deoxy‐D‐glucose positron emission tomography, and ejection fraction and left ventricular mass to body weight ratios with cardiac magnetic resonance imaging in vivo, determined glucose uptake and oxidation rates in isolated perfused hearts, and analyzed metabolites, mammalian target of rapamycin activity and endoplasmic reticulum stress in dissected hearts. When compared with Wistar Kyoto rats, SHR demonstrated increased glucose uptake rates (Ki) in vivo, and reduced ejection fraction as early as 2 months of age when hypertension was established. Isolated perfused SHR hearts showed increased glucose uptake and oxidation rates starting at 1 month. Cardiac metabolite analysis at 2 months of age revealed elevated pyruvate, fatty acyl‐ and branched chain amino acid‐derived carnitines, oxidative stress, and inflammation. Mammalian target of rapamycin activity increased in SHR beginning at 2 months. Left ventricular mass to body weight ratios and endoplasmic reticulum stress were elevated in 5 month‐old SHR.

Conclusions

Thus, in a genetic hypertension model, chronic cardiac pressure overload promptly leads to increased myocardial glucose uptake and oxidation, and to metabolite abnormalities. These coincide with, or precede, cardiac dysfunction while left ventricular hypertrophy develops only later. Myocardial metabolic changes may thus serve as early diagnostic markers for hypertension‐induced left ventricular hypertrophy.
Racial/Ethnic Differences in 25‐Hydroxy Vitamin D and Parathyroid Hormone Levels and Cardiovascular Disease Risk Among Postmenopausal Women
Authors: Zhang Xi , Tu Wanzhu , Manson JoAnn E. , Tinker Lesley , Liu Simin , Cauley Jane A. , Qi Lihong , Mouton Charles , Martin Lisa W. , Hou Lifang , Song Yiqing
Published: February 2019

Background

Recent evidence suggests that racial/ethnic differences in circulating levels of free or bioavailable 25‐hydroxy vitamin D (25[
OH
]D) rather than total 25(
OH
)D may explain apparent racial disparities in cardiovascular disease (
CVD
). We prospectively examined black‐white differences in the associations of total, free, and bioavailable 25(
OH
)D, vitamin D–binding protein, and parathyroid hormone levels at baseline with incident
CVD
(including nonfatal myocardial infarction, nonfatal stroke, and
CVD
death) in postmenopausal women.

Methods and Results

We conducted a case‐cohort study among 79 705 postmenopausal women, aged 50 to 79 years, who were free of
CVD
at baseline in the WHI‐OS (Women's Health Initiative Observational Study). A subcohort of 1300 black and 1500 white participants were randomly chosen as controls; a total of 550 black and 1500 white women who developed incident
CVD
during a mean follow‐up of 11 years were chosen as cases. We directly measured total 25(
OH
)D, vitamin D–binding protein, albumin, parathyroid hormone, and calculated free and bioavailable 25(
OH
)D. Weighted Cox proportional hazards models were used to examine their associations with
CVD
risk. Although vitamin D–binding protein and total, free, and bioavailable 25(
OH
)D were not significantly associated with
CVD
risk in black or white women, a significant positive association between parathyroid hormone and
CVD
risk persisted in white women (hazard ratio comparing the highest quartile with the lowest, 1.37; 95%
CI
, 1.06–1.77) but not in black women (hazard ratio comparing the highest quartile with the lowest, 1.12; 95% CI, 0.79–1.58), independent of total, free, and bioavailable 25(
OH
)D or vitamin D–binding protein.

Conclusions

Circulating levels of vitamin D biomarkers are not related to
CVD
risk in either white or black women. Higher parathyroid hormone levels may be an independent risk factor for
CVD
in white women.
Gated Orthogonal Recurrent Units: On Learning to Forget
Authors: Jing Li , Gulcehre Caglar , Peurifoy John , Shen Yichen , Tegmark Max , Soljacic Marin , Bengio Yoshua
Published: February 2019

We present a novel recurrent neural network (RNN)–based model that combines the remembering ability of unitary evolution RNNs with the ability of gated RNNs to effectively forget redundant or irrelevant information in its memory. We achieve this by extending restricted orthogonal evolution RNNs with a gating mechanism similar to gated recurrent unit RNNs with a reset gate and an update gate. Our model is able to outperform long short-term memory, gated recurrent units, and vanilla unitary or orthogonal RNNs on several long-term-dependency benchmark tasks. We empirically show that both orthogonal and unitary RNNs lack the ability to forget. This ability plays an important role in RNNs. We provide competitive results along with an analysis of our model on many natural sequential tasks, including question answering, speech spectrum prediction, character-level language modeling, and synthetic tasks that involve long-term dependencies such as algorithmic, denoising, and copying tasks.
The Australian Ciidae (Coleoptera: Tenebrionoidea): supplement
Authors: LAWRENCE JOHN F.
Published: February 2019

An addendum to the revision of the Australian ciid fauna contains descriptions of 17 new species, information on recently described Australian species, addition of one described species new to the fauna, and corrections to the previous revision. Keys are provided to the Australian species of Cis, Notapterocis, Orthocis and Paratrichapus. The following new species are described: Cis apodemus, sp. nov., C. bicolorellus, sp. nov., C. brachytrichus, sp. nov., C. christmasensis, sp. nov.; C. densus, sp. nov., C. depressus, sp. nov., C. howensis, sp. nov., C. incomptus, sp. nov., C. latemarginatus, sp. nov., C. macilentus, sp. nov., C. occidentalis, sp. nov., C. prominens, sp. nov., C. pycnostictus, sp. nov., C. rhaibocerus, sp. nov., Notapterocis acutus, sp. nov., N. nesiotes, sp. nov., and Orthocis inordinatus, sp. nov.. Orthocis flavipennis (Pic) is recorded from Australia for the first time, and the Australian record of O. auriculariae Lawrence (Lawrence, 2016) is considered to be based on misidentified specimens of O. flavipennis. Notes are also included on the recently described Australian species by Souza-Gonçalves & Lopes-Andrade (2017): Scolytocis australimontensis and Xylographella frithae, and those described by Souza-Gonçalves et al. (2018): Paratrichapus australis, P. burwelli, P. christmasensis, P. metallonotum and P. peckorum.
A new species and key to all known species of Confusacris Yin & Li, 1987 (Orthoptera: Acrididae) from China
Authors: JI LI-LI , ZHI YONG-CHAO , LI XIN-JIANG
Published: February 2019

A new species of the genus Confusacris Yin & Li, 1987, namely i.e. Confusacris shanxiensis sp. nov. is described in this paper from Shanxi province of China. The new species is similar to Confusacris brachypterus Yin & Li, 1987 but differs from the latter by tegmen of male extending over middle of hind femur distinctly, maximum width of cubital vein area 1.5 times median vein area, furculae large, epiphallus without acute projection on both sides and length of interspace of mesosternum1.6 times minimum width in female. A key to known species of the genus Confusacris Yin & Li, 1987 is given in this paper. The type specimens are deposited in the College of Life Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding, China.
Laevistrombus Abbott 1960 (Gastropoda: Strombidae): Indian and southwest Pacific species
Authors: MAXWELL STEPHEN J. , DEKKERS AART M. , RYMER TASMIN L. , CONGDON BRADLEY C.
Published: February 2019

Here we evaluate the taxonomy of the marine gastropod genus Laevistrombus Abbott, 1960 and determine that there are five extant species within this genus, three of which occur in the southwest Pacific. Comparative analyses of this complex have been problematic due to the lack of designated type material. Therefore, we present the type material for L. canarium Linnaeus, 1758; L. taeniatus Quoy & Gaimard, 1834; and L. vanikorensis Quoy & Gaimard, 1834. Current taxonomy has L. vanikorensis absorbed within the L. canarium complex. L. taeniatus is generally held to be a synonym of L. turturella Röding, 1789. We demonstrate that both L. taeniatus and L. vanikorensis are distinct species and reinstate both to species level. Our revision also notes the significant variability in early teleoconch structure within the geographic range of L. vanikorensis, and highlights the need for a greater revision of Laevistrombus, given the diversity in early teleoconch morphology present in southwest Pacific species.
Revision of the terrestrial isopods of the subgenus Hemilepistus (Desertellio) Verhoeff, 1930 (Isopoda: Oniscidea)
Authors: KASHANI GHASEM M.
Published: February 2019

The terrestrial isopod species of the subgenus Hemilepistus (Desertellio) are revised. Hemilepistus ruderalis (Pallas, 1771), H. heptneri Borutzky, 1954, H. pavlovskii Borutzky, 1954 and H. fedtschenkoi (Uljanin, 1875) are redescribed and their diagnostic characters are figured. Three species namely H. nodosus Budde-Lund, 1885, H. zachvatkini Verhoeff, 1930 and H. buddelundi Borutzky, 1945 are synonymized with H. fedtschenkoi, and H. russonovae Borutzky, 1945 is considered as a synonym of H. ruderalis. An identification key to Desertellio species is provided.
A new species of Lycaena Fabricius, 1807 (Lepidoptera, Lycaenidae) from Mongolia with a review of genitalia characters of the related taxa
Authors: CHURKIN SERGEI V. , KOLESNICHENKO KIRILL K.
Published: February 2019

Lycaena ratushinskayae sp. n. is described from the Baitag mountain range isolated in the Dzhungarian Gobi desert, SW Mongolia. Externally the new species strongly differs from related taxa by a dark-gray underside and deep reddish upperside with widened blackish margins. A new study of the male genitalia is performed with the diagnosis of new and all related species. It is confirmed that juxta presents the most valuable sclerite for taxonomic purposes.
A Climatological Assessment of Intense Extratropical Cyclones from the Potential Vorticity Perspective
Authors: Seiler Christian
Published: February 2019

Extratropical cyclones (ETCs) are known to intensify due to three vertically interacting positive potential vorticity perturbations that are associated with potential temperature anomalies close to the surface (θB), condensational heating in the lower-level atmosphere (qsat), and stratospheric intrusion in the upper-level atmosphere (qtr). This study presents the first climatological assessment of how much each of these three mechanisms contributes to the intensity of extreme ETCs. Using relative vorticity at 850 hPa as a measure of ETC intensity, results show that in about half of all cases the largest contributions during maximum ETC intensity are associated with qsat (53% of all ETCs), followed by qtr (36%) and θB (11%). The relative frequency of storms that are dominated by qsat is higher 1) during warmer months (61% of all ETCs during warmer months) compared to colder months (50%) and 2) in the Pacific (56% of all ETCs in the Pacific) compared to the Atlantic (46%). The relative frequency of ETCs that are dominated by θB is larger 1) during colder months (13%) compared to warmer months (3%), 2) in the Atlantic (15%) compared to the Pacific (8%), and 3) in western (11%–20%) compared to eastern ocean basins (4%–9%). These findings are based on piecewise potential vorticity inversion conducted for intense ETCs that occurred from 1980 to 2016 in the Northern Hemisphere (3273 events; top 7%). The results may serve as a baseline for evaluating ETC biases and uncertainties in global climate models.
Qualitative Research Ethics in the Big-Data Era
Authors: Glenna Leland , Hesse Arielle , Hinrichs Clare , Chiles Robert , Sachs Carolyn
Published: February 2019

A brief introduction to the articles presented in the special issue, Qualitative Research Ethics in the Big-Data Era.
The Effect of Platelet-Rich Plasma on the Temporomandibular Joint After Radiotherapy in Rabbits
Authors: Kılıç Caner , Ak Semih , Yazıcı Ömer , Özlügedik Samet , Bozdoğan Nazan , Baltu Yahya , Tunçcan Tuncay , Ant Ayça
Published: February 2019

Objectives:

Platelet-rich plasma (PRP) was administered into the temporomandibular joint (TMJ) space, which had been exposed to radiotherapy (RT), in an attempt to prevent and/or treat the late-term complications associated with RT when used for the treatment of head and neck cancers (nasopharyngeal cancer in particular) on the musculoskeletal system.

Methods:

A total of 13 adult male New Zealand ( Oryctolagus cuniculus) rabbits were used in the study. The animals were classified into 3 groups: 6 in the RT group, 6 in the RT+PRP group, and 1 in the control group (exposed to neither). The TMJ space of each rabbit was exposed to 2240 cGy external RT in total, and PRP was administered into the TMJ space 1 month later. The joints were surgically removed 1 month later and examined histopathologically.

Results:

In the group given RT+PRP, the level of inflammation, amount of muscle fibrosis, vascular wall fibrosis, synovial membrane and condyle cartilage thickness, temporal extrabone fibrous cell layer count, and intramuscular changes were similar to those recorded in the control group, although the positive effects of PRP were not found to be statistically significant.

Conclusions:

The findings of the present study demonstrate that injections of PRP may increase joint inflammation and therefore enhance blood supply, resulting in the onset of regeneration. These favorable effects of PRP may be helpful in the fight against late-term musculoskeletal complications of RT and may minimize such side effects as sore jaw, malnutrition, and weight loss.
Direct driven wind energy conversion system connected to load using variable frequency transformer
Authors: Vijayalakshmi S , Anuradha C , Ganapathy V , Padmajothi V
Published: February 2019

This paper proposes a variable frequency transformer for wind energy conversion systems using permanent magnet synchronous generator. It is a doubled-fed wound round induction machine which transfers the power between asynchronous networks. Typical permanent magnet synchronous generator-based wind energy conversion systems with back-to-back converters produces harmonics which creates power quality problems.The above problem can be overcome using the variable frequency transformer between permanent magnet synchronous generator and load. This design does not employ any power electronic converter for wind energy conversion system and harmonics can be diminished using the variable frequency transformer. In this paper, the PMSG is connected through variable frequency transformer for different wind speeds. The results are endorsed using MATLAB/SIMULINK.
Reputation and the occurrence and success of mediation in civil wars
Authors: Keels Eric , Greig J Michael
Published: February 2019

In this article, we argue that because governments fear that accepting mediation and reaching agreements with opponents may signal weakness to other potential challengers, civil war governments tend to resist mediation as a means of demonstrating their resolve. Building on current theories of reputation in civil war, we argue that the threat of future challenges from other groups is likely to be particularly acute in states with multiple ethnic groups, especially states with high levels of ethnic exclusion. We therefore expect that civil wars in these states will be less likely to see mediation and to produce agreements when they do. By examining all instances of mediation in intrastate conflict from 1990 to 2008, we test this argument empirically and find that mediation is more likely to emerge in civil wars where there are a large number of ethnic groups, but is less likely to occur when many of those ethnic groups are excluded from the political process. Once mediation is underway, however, it is less likely to yield a negotiated settlement when there are a large number of ethnic groups, but more likely to end in a negotiated settlement when many of the ethnic groups are excluded from the political process.
Implementing Juvenile Drug Treatment Courts: A Meta-aggregation of Process Evaluations
Authors: Wilson David B. , Olaghere Ajima , Kimbrell Catherine S.
Published: February 2019

Juvenile drug treatment courts (JDTCs) continue to be popular. However, results of a recent meta-analysis raised doubts regarding their effectiveness over traditional juvenile justice system processing. The objective of this study was to systematically review the qualitative and quantitative evidence related to the inner workings of JDTCs to identify ways to improve outcomes. We conducted an extensive systematic search for process and implementation studies, resulting in 59 studies that met eligibility criteria. We used meta-aggregation methods to extract 477 study findings and categorized the findings thematically. We report on a subset of findings within four thematic categories containing the largest number of methodologically credible findings: (1) family members as stakeholders in the JDTC process, (2) standards for ensuring accountability and youth compliance with court expectations, such as the consistent application of behavioral contingencies, (3) the availability of community and school services, and (4) the various needs of JDTC clients, such as mental health treatment. Based on these findings, we suggest a modified causal change model for JDTCs that extends the theoretical framework for JDTCs to incorporate improving youth psychosocial functioning as an important outcome. Implications for the role of JDTCs within the juvenile justice system are discussed.
Everyday practices of memory: Authenticity, value and the gift
Authors: Blakely Helen , Moles Kate
Published: February 2019

This article develops theories of collective memory by attending to the everyday practices and meaning-making involved in creating and sustaining sites of heritage. While research across disciplines linked to memory studies has increased in recent years, with a notable sociological contribution, as yet ethnographic understandings of how collective memory is produced and maintained through locally situated and embedded practices are not fully realized. Our research took place in the village of Six Bells in the South Wales Valleys, where living memory of a coal mining disaster in 1960 and coal mining itself are slowly disappearing. One of ways in which the people of Six Bells are remembering and commemorating this past is by giving their narratives and artefacts to the community’s ‘heritage room’ as gifts. This form of remembering, prompted by an extraordinary event and the rapid social change associated with deindustrialization, produces and sustains legitimate representations and imaginaries of the past. By developing anthropological understandings of gift exchange, we propose that these practices are one visible component of the claims to authenticity and the bestowal of value active in the memory work of everyday life. We attend to three interrelated characteristics of gift exchange to develop our argument; the importance of the personal in producing authenticity through the gift relation; the provenance and social impetus of the act of giving; and the systems of reciprocity generated across and between generations, which work to assign value to the gift itself.
Influence of halloysite nanotubes on poly(lactic acid) melt-blown nonwovens compatibilized by dual-monomer melt-grafted poly(lactic acid)
Authors: Zhu Feichao , Su Juanjuan , Zhao Yonghuan , Hussain Munir , Yasin Sohail , Yu Bin , Han Jian
Published: February 2019

To develop fully biodegradable and reinforced poly(lactic acid) (PLA) melt-blown nonwovens (MBs) for separation and filtration, PLA/aminated halloysite nanotubes (PLA/A-HNTs) MBs were prepared using PLA/A-HNTs master-batches, compatibilized by dual-monomer glycidyl methacrylate-styrene (St-co-GMA) melt-grafted PLA (PLA-g-(St-co-GMA)). The morphology, crystallization, pore size distribution, filtration performance, and mechanical properties of PLA/PLA-g-(St-co-GMA)/A-HNTs MBs were characterized. The results indicated that PLA/PLA-g-(St-co-GMA)/A-HNT MBs could be successfully manufactured, with well dispersed A-HNTs in PLA MB fibers due to improved compatibility by PLA-g-(St-co-GMA). Incorporation of A-HNTs and PLA-g-(St-co-GMA) slightly increased the average diameter and pore size of PLA MBs. A-HNTs increased the crystallinity degree of PLA MBs, while the crystal forms remained unchanged. In comparison with PLA MBs, the tensile strengths of PLA/PLA-g-(St-co-GMA)/A-HNTs MBs were enhanced but the elongation decreased. PLA/PLA-g-(St-co-GMA)/A-HNT MBs could obtain higher filtration efficiency than neat PLA MBs.
“I Understand What They’re Going through”: How Socioeconomic Background Shapes the Student Service-learning Experience
Authors: Clever Molly , Miller Karen S.
Published: February 2019

Traditional service-learning pedagogy assumes that learning occurs when contact between relatively advantaged students and a relatively disadvantaged service population reduces prejudice. However, little is known about how students whose backgrounds are similar to the populations they serve process this learning experience. This study explores the connections between socioeconomic status and learning trajectories within service-learning. Students provided written reflections on a service-learning experience focused on food insecurity as part of course requirements. Analysis reveals that students with low socioeconomic status (SES) demonstrate different learning processes than medium- and high-SES students. Namely, low-SES students were less likely than high-SES students to hold prejudiced attitudes prior to service, and low-SES students emphasized a systemic understanding of food insecurity and poverty, while medium- and high-SES students were much more likely to emphasize an individualist understanding. We discuss the implications of these findings for future research to improve service-learning pedagogy for students of diverse socioeconomic backgrounds.
The impact of a brief, bullying bystander intervention on internalizing symptoms: Is gender a moderator of intervention effects?
Authors: Doumas Diana M. , Midgett Aida , Watts April D.
Published: February 2019

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of a brief, bystander bullying intervention on reducing internalizing symptoms among students ( N = 65). Although witnessing bullying is associated with mental health risks, the majority of research on bystander interventions focuses on the impact of these programs on school-wide bullying reduction rather than improved emotional outcomes for those trained to intervene. Results indicated high school students trained in a brief, bystander bullying intervention reported greater decreases in internalizing symptoms from baseline to a three-month follow-up compared to students in a control group. Further, gender moderated intervention effects such that differences in decreases in internalizing symptoms were significant for females only. Implications for school-based anti-bullying programs for high school students are discussed.
Short-term test–retest reliability and continuity of emotional availability in parent–child dyads
Authors: Endendijk Joyce J. , Groeneveld Marleen G. , Deković Maja , van den Boomen Carlijn
Published: February 2019

The emotional availability scales (EAS), 4th edition, are widely used in research and clinical practice to assess the quality of parent–child interaction. This study examined the short-term reliability and continuity of the EAS (4th ed.) assessed in two similar observational contexts over a one-week interval. Sixty-two Dutch parents (85% mothers) and their 9- to 12-month-old infants ( Mage = 10.07 months, SD = 0.47, 53% boys) were videotaped twice while they interacted with each other during several tasks (free play, structured play, book reading, toys taken away). The videotapes were coded with the EAS 4th edition by two reliable coders. Moderate to strong test–retest reliability was found for the three EA parent-dimensions: sensitivity, structuring, and nonintrusiveness. Child involvement was not reliable over a one-week period, and child responsiveness could only be reliably assessed in boys. Test–retest reliability of structuring was also higher for boys than for girls. Regarding continuity, mean levels of sensitivity, structuring, nonintrusiveness, and involvement did not change over a one-week interval, but responsiveness increased for girls only. Thus, the parenting dimensions of the 4th edition of the EAS reflect stable and consistent characteristics of the parent–child dyad on the short term, but the child measures do not.
Histology Strategies for Medical Implants and Interventional Device Studies
Authors: Rousselle Serge D. , Wicks Joan R. , Tabb Brian C. , Tellez Armando , O’Brien Maureen
Published: February 2019

Histology of medical devices poses a variety of unique challenges. Comprehensive histologic assessment of medical devices often requires spatial context and high-quality retention of the device–tissue interface. However, the composition of many medical devices is often not amenable to traditional paraffin embedding and thus alternative specialized methodologies such as hard resin embedding must be used. Hard resin embedding requires specialized laboratory technical expertise and equipment, and the fixation techniques and resin composition used markedly impact the feasibility of immunohistochemistry. For the continuity of spatial context during histologic evaluation, additional imaging methods such as macrophotography, radiography, micro-Computerized Tomography (microCT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) can be used to guide sectioning and to complement histologic findings. Although standardized approaches are scarce for medical devices, important considerations specific to medical device histology are discussed, including general specimen preparation, special considerations for devices by organ system, and the challenges of immunohistochemistry. Histologic preparation of medical devices must be thoughtful, thorough, and tailored to achieve optimal histologic outcomes for complex, valuable, and often limited implant specimens.
Cemented versus uncemented femoral component total hip arthroplasty in elderly patients with primary osteoporosis: retrospective analysis with 5-year follow-up
Authors: Yang Chen , Han Xiulan , Wang Jie , Yuan Zheng , Wang Tao , Zhao Mingdong , Han Guowei
Published: February 2019

Objective

To compare medium-term clinical and radiological outcomes of primary unilateral uncemented (UN) or cemented (CE) femoral component total hip arthroplasty (THA) in elderly patients with osteoporosis.

Methods

Consecutive patients with osteoporosis who underwent primary unilateral UN or CE THAs at our institution from 2006 to 2013 were retrospectively reviewed. All consecutive procedures were managed by high-volume surgeons, using UN or CE THA approaches. Follow-up assessments occurred at 1, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months postoperatively, and yearly thereafter. Patient-related functional outcomes were assessed using the Harris Hip Score (HHS). Primary and secondary endpoints were early revision (<5 years) and functional outcome.

Results

In total, 496 primary unilateral THAs (CE, n = 184; UN, n = 182) were assessed with a median follow-up period of 75 months (range, 65–86 months). From 3 months after surgery to the final follow-up, HHS was consistently superior in the CE group. Respective prosthetic loosening rates in the UN and CE groups were 26.4% and 16.8% at a minimum of 5 years. There was a significant difference in rate of early revision (7.6% CE vs. 14.8% UN).

Conclusion

Compared with UN THA, CE THA exhibits a superior outcome in elderly patients with primary osteoporosis.
Pains of Reentry Revisited
Authors: Durnescu Ioan
Published: February 2019

Based on an ethnographic study with 58 participants released from a Romanian prison, this study revisits the pains of release and illustrates the complexity of the reentry process. Some of the pains of reentry seem universal while others seem to be context dependent. In the same time, some pains of release are personal, others social, while others are structural. Concepts of intersectionality and the multi-level model of reentry are discussed, and further suggestions for research are advanced.
The gendered production of infrastructure
Authors: Siemiatycki Matti , Enright Theresa , Valverde Mariana
Published: February 2019

Over the years, many studies have documented how the negative impacts of infrastructure investments are disproportionately borne by women, the poor and racial minorities. In this paper, we focus on the ways that unequal gender dynamics are a key feature of the production of infrastructure, a topic that has received far less attention. In particular, we show how masculinity is deeply embedded in the organizational structures, employment practices, symbolic narratives and systems of power that create the vast arrays of infrastructure globally. We discuss the implications of a masculinist network of infrastructure development, and point to directions for future research.
A Survey on Accidents in the Road Transportation of Hazardous Materials in São Paulo, Brazil, from 1983 to 2015
Authors: Pompone Eduardo Cabrini , de Oliveira Neto Geraldo Cardoso
Published: February 2019

A survey on 4,638 accidents in the road transportation of hazardous products in São Paulo, Brazil, between 1983 and 2015 registered by Companhia Ambiental do Estado de São Paulo (CETESB; average of 140.5 accidents per year) was conducted. This study aimed to present the evolution and the recent scenario of accidents involving transportation of hazardous products in a locality in the southern hemisphere. The research method adopted was documentation through data collection in the CETESB database and data analysis through descriptive statistics and f-N curves for societal risk. We concluded that: (i) there is a higher concentration of accidents from 10:00 am to 10:59 am; (ii) there is a coincidence between areas of greater urbanization and industrial vocation with areas with the greater concentration of accidents (Unidades de Gerenciamento de Recursos Hídricos (UGRHI) of Alto Tietê, with 26.5% accidents); (iii) tipping over is the main cause of accidents (33.78%); (iv) flammable liquids are the product most frequently involved in accidents (40.25%); (v) soil is the most impacted element (86% of accidents with impact to some medium); and (vi) the expected value is 36 accident victims per year. Our study highlights the need for continuous improvements in the information system and integration between agents to reduce the number of accidents of this type.
Are we there yet? The Murray-Darling Basin and sustainable water management
Authors: Pittock Jamie
Published: February 2019

In 2007, then Australian Prime Minister Howard said of the Murray-Darling Basin’s rivers that action was required to end the ‘The tyranny of incrementalism and the lowest common denominator’ governance to prevent ‘economic and environmental decline’. This paper explores the management of these rivers as an epicentre for three key debates for the future of Australia. Information on biodiversity, analyses of the socio-ecological system, and climate change projections are presented to illustrate the disjunction between trends in environmental health and the institutions established to manage the Basin sustainably. Three key debates are considered: (1) conflict over the allocation of water between irrigated agriculture versus a range of other ecosystem services as the latest manifestation of the debate between adherents of the pioneering myth versus advocates of limits to growth in Australia; (2) cyclical crises as a driver of reactive policy reform and the prospects of the 2008 Water Act forming the basis of proactive, adaptive management of emerging threats and opportunities; and (3) subsidiarity in governance of the environment and natural resources in the Australian federation. Implementation of the 2012 Basin Plan as promised by the Federal Government ‘in full and on time’ is a key sustainability test for Australia. Despite Australian claims of exceptionalism, the Murray-Darling Basin experience mirrors the challenges faced in managing rivers sustainably and across governance scales in federations around the world.
Watersheds in watersheds: The fate of the planet’s major river systems in the Great Acceleration
Authors: Gamble Ruth , Hogan Trevor
Published: February 2019

Humans have, by biological necessity, always lived in watersheds. This article provides an overview of humans’ relationship to these watersheds as an introduction to a special issue of Thesis Eleven on watersheds. It describes the basic functioning of watersheds, how humans have always depended on them, and how they have slowly begun to manipulate them. Humans across the planet began by making strategic adjustments to water’s downward flow to aid the procurement of water and fish. As small states, empires, and finally the Industrial Revolution unfolded, these interventions became more numerous with greater environmental impacts. The rate of riverine exploitation increased dramatically post-Second World War in line with the Great Acceleration. This, in turn, created our current worldwide ecological crisis. This crisis particularly affects the planet’s watersheds, and in turn, humans. The article ends with the assertion that studies of such a complex event are by necessity multi-disciplinary and inter-regional. It then outlines the contents of this special issue which examines watersheds in Asia, America and Australia.
How dams climb mountains: China and India’s state-making hydropower contest in the Eastern-Himalaya watershed
Authors: Gamble Ruth
Published: February 2019

The dam rush in the upper-Brahmaputra River basin and local, minority resistance to it are the result of complex geopolitical and parochial causes. India and China’s competing claims for sovereignty over the watershed depend upon British and Qing Dynasty imperial precedents respectively. And the two nation-states have extended and enhanced their predecessors’ claims on the area by continuing to erase local sovereignty, enclose the commons, and extract natural resources on a large scale. Historically, the upper basin’s terrain forestalled the thorough integration of this region into both nation-states, but recent technological and economic advances have enabled the two states and their agents to dramatically transformed these landscapes. Many of their projects have perpetuated the interventionist hydrological regimes that India and China also inherited from their imperial forebears. Nevertheless, as with their definition of their borders, neither state has highlighted this historical contingency. Instead, both governments have consistently presented their hydropower projects as shining examples of necessary and benevolent development. Their economy-focused, monolithic development paradigms have, not coincidently, also enabled the systemic side-lining of non-majority cultures, religions and histories. The combination of this cultural exclusion and the nation-states’ late integration of this peripheral region has laid the ground for conflict with local groups over the dam rush. Local identities and experiences have evolved around complex religious, cultural and trade networks, many of which were heavily influenced by the now-defunct Tibetan polity, rather than via modern Chinese and Indian nationalist discourses of development. The dam clashes highlight both the basin’s complex cultural matrixes and the ambiguous relationship Asia’s two most populous nation-states have with their respective imperial pasts. And as the situation remains unresolved, the watershed is an ecological catastrophe in waiting.
Validating the Pediatric Symptoms Checklist–17 in the Preschool Environment
Authors: Liu Jin , Burgess Yin , DiStefano Christine , Pan Fan , Jiang Ning
Published: February 2019

In the Response to Intervention framework, a psychometrically sound screening tool is essential for identification of children with emotional and behavioral risk. The purpose of this study was to examine the validity of the Pediatric Symptom Checklist–17 (PSC-17) screener in school-based settings. Forty-four teachers rated 738 preschoolers using the PSC-17; children were later assessed using long forms of the Behavior Assessment System for Children (BASC-2) Preschool form or the Achenbach System of Empirically Based Assessment (ASEBA) Caregiver–Teacher Report Form to identify emotional and behavioral disorder. Validity evidence including examinations of a multilevel factor structure, internal consistency, and criterion-related validity supported the conclusion that the PSC-17 is a high-quality universal screening tool in school-based settings. Finally, to identify emotional and behavioral risk with young children, receiver operating characteristic curve analyses with the PSC-17 yielded a lower cutoff score (i.e., 7) than the original cutoff score (i.e., 15) based on a clinical sample.
Comparing Educational Outcomes of Online Module-Based Technology with and without Simulation on Attitudes Toward Care of the Dying in Second Semester BSN Students
Authors: Lewis-Pierre LaToya , McKay Mary , Sanko Jill , Gattamorta Karina , Azaiza Khitam
Published: February 2019

Background:

Opportunities to provide competent and compassionate End-of Life (EOL) care to patients and families are limited for nursing students.

Method:

A mixed methods approach was used to explore the students' attitudes towards caring for an EOL patient in two groups: an on-line-module only group and an on-line module plus simulation group.

Results:

Statistically significant effect of time was found across the two conditions (F [1, 69] = 7.83, p = .007), indicating that scores on the FATCOD-B significantly improved regardless of the condition over time. The qualitative responses indicated that the simulation experience was more impactful than the on-line module.

Conclusions:

Innovative education modalities described in the study may assist in preparing the future workforce for the myriad of demands related to health, life, and death.
Is Household Composition Associated With Repeat Fight Injuries in Adolescents Living in Urban Neighborhoods?
Authors: Ryan Leticia Manning , Lindstrom Johnson Sarah , Jones Vanya , Fein Joel A. , Cheng Tina L.
Published: February 2019

The association of household composition with violence-related injury risk has not been explored in the at-risk urban adolescent population. We hypothesize that, similar to the unintentional risk association, higher adult:child ratio, lower household size, and the presence of a grandparent are protective and thus associated with lower risk for repeat fight injury in this population. This is a cross-sectional study of 10- to 15-year-old adolescents who were evaluated in two urban, pediatric emergency departments (EDs; Baltimore, MD, Philadelphia, PA) for a peer fight-related injury between June 2014 and June 2016. Logistic regression was used to test for associations between each household composition measure of interest and youth self-report of a medically attended fight-related injury within the prior 12 months. Of 187 eligible youth, 62 (33%) reported at least one such repeat fight-related injury. With control for potential confounders, youth with past fight injuries did not differ in adult:child ratio (adjusted odds ratio [adj OR] = 1.3, 95% confidence interval [CI]: [0.9, 1.9] ) or household size (adj OR = 0.9, 95% CI: [0.8, 1.1]) but were more likely to have a grandparent residing in the household (adj OR = 3.3, 95% CI: [1.4, 7.9]). Our data demonstrate a positive association between presence of a grandparent in the household and risk for repeat fight injury in urban adolescents without a corresponding association with adult:child ratio or total household size. Further study should explore differences among the households of urban adolescents with and without grandparent presence to further understand this association and define the mechanisms that may contribute to these findings.
Size-dependent two-node axisymmetric shell element for buckling analysis with couple stress theory
Authors: Soleimani Iman , Beni Yaghoub Tadi , Dehkordi Mohsen Botshekanan
Published: February 2019

In this paper, two-node size-dependent axisymmetric shell element formulation is developed by using thin conical shell model in the place of the beam model, which is used in previous research and using the modified couple stress theory in the place of the classical continuum theory. Since classical continuum theory is unable to correctly compute stiffness and account for size effects in micro/nanostructures, higher order continuum theories such as modified couple stress theory have become quite popular. The mass stiffness matrix and geometric stiffness matrix for axisymmetric shell element are developed in this paper, and by means of size-dependent finite element formulation it is extended to more precisely account for nanotube buckling. The results have indicated using the two-node axisymmetric shell element, where the rigidity of the nano-shell is greater than that in the classical, and the critical axial buckling loads obtained from couple stress theory are greater than that of classical, which is due to the presence of one size parameter in couple stress theory. The findings also indicate that the developed size-dependent axisymmetric shell element is able to analyze the buckling of cylindrical and conical shells and also circular plate, which is reliable for simulating micro/nanostructures and can be used for the analysis of size effect and has desirable convergence characteristic. Besides, in addition to reducing the number of elements required, using axisymmetric shell element also increases convergence speed and accuracy.
PID-based target tracking control of a tractor-trailer mobile robot
Authors: Khalaji Ali Keymasi
Published: February 2019

The tractor-trailer wheeled robot is an articulated nonholonomic vehicle. This paper presents a novel PID-based tracking control law for the tractor-trailer wheeled robot. Theoretical anticipations do not always match the behavior of real systems. This is as a result of the existence of various uncertainties and disturbances. Consequently, controllers that are less dependent on systems' theoretical models are more desirable that is aimed at this research. Therefore, a PID-based kinematic controller is proposed as a non-model based controller to navigate the tractor-trailer wheeled robot follows desired trajectories. Subsequently, a computed torque dynamic controller is investigated to produce kinetic control inputs. The proposed method is implemented on a real-time experimental testbed and obtained results are discussed. These results present the merits of the proposed algorithm.
The European Pillar of Social Rights and the Quest for EU Social Sustainability
Authors: Alexandris Polomarkakis Konstantinos
Published: February 2019

This article sets out to review the policies introduced by the European Pillar of Social Rights and its accompanying initiatives in light of their contribution to European Union (EU) social sustainability, particularly in comparison with their predecessors. The balance between economic and social policies at EU level has long been tipped in favour of the economic, leaving an atrophic social side a servant of market-based objectives. Social sustainability appeared absent from the European vocabulary, at least in substantive terms, something exacerbated by the effects of the 2008 crisis. The criticisms that ensued led to a resurgence of interest in establishing a socially sustainable Union, crystallized in the Pillar and its accompanying initiatives. Despite their potential, further commitment by the Member States as well as more concrete and legally binding proposals are necessary, for without them this social resurgence might once again surrender to economic hegemony.
Renegotiating Israeli Identities, Collective Victimhood and Social Exclusion of Arab Israelis in a Changing Social Reality
Authors: Hadar Maya
Published: February 2019

This article discusses the changing nature of the Israeli identity and core values against the backdrop of political and social processes that took place in Israel in recent decades. Special attention was given to manifestations of collective victimhood within the framework of the Israeli society and politics and the way the latter obstructed social inclusion of Arab Israelis and of acknowledging commonalities between Jewish and non-Jewish Israelis.