bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Fuzzy Weight Cluster-Based Routing Algorithm for Wireless Sensor Networks
Authors: Gao Teng , Song Jin-Yan , Ding Jin-Hua , Wang De-Quan
Published: September 2015

Cluster-based protocol is a kind of important routing in wireless sensor networks. However, due to the uneven distribution of cluster heads in classical clustering algorithm, some nodes may run out of energy too early, which is not suitable for large-scale wireless sensor networks. In this paper, a distributed clustering algorithm based on fuzzy weighted attributes is put forward to ensure both energy efficiency and extensibility. On the premise of a comprehensive consideration of all attributes, the corresponding weight of each parameter is assigned by using the direct method of fuzzy engineering theory. Then, each node works out property value. These property values will be mapped to the time axis and be triggered by a timer to broadcast cluster headers. At the same time, the radio coverage method is adopted, in order to avoid collisions and to ensure the symmetrical distribution of cluster heads. The aggregated data are forwarded to the sink node in the form of multihop. The simulation results demonstrate that clustering algorithm based on fuzzy weighted attributes has a longer life expectancy and better extensibility than LEACH-like algorithms.
Assessment of Immunological Biomarkers in the First Year after Heart Transplantation
Authors: Dieterlen Maja-Theresa , John Katja , Bittner Hartmuth B. , Mende Meinhard , Tarnok Attila , Mohr Friedrich W. , Barten Markus J.
Published: September 2015

Background. Pharmacodynamic biomarkers that detect changes of immunological functions have been recognized as a helpful tool to increase the efficacy of immunosuppressive drug therapies. However, physiological changes of immunological biomarkers following transplantation are not investigated. Therefore, we assessed frequently used immunological biomarkers of the circulating blood in the first year following heart transplantation (HTx).Methods. Activation markers CD25 and CD95, intracellular cytokines IL-2 and IFNγ, chemokines IP10 and MIG, and subsets of dendritic cells as well as antibodies against human leukocyte antigens (HLA) and major histocompatibility complex class I-related chain A (MICA) antigens were analyzed at different time points using flow cytometry and Luminex xMAP technology.Results. Expression of IL-2, IFNγ, and plasmacytoid dendritic cells (pDCs) significantly increasedp<0.01during the first year. Anti-HLA antibodies decreased continuously, while anti-MICA antibodies showed minor increase within the first year. An association between percentage of pDCs and anti-MICA antibody positivity was proven. pDCs, IFNγ-producing T cells, and IP10 concentration were associated in a stronger way with age and gender of HTx recipients than with antibodies against HLA or MICA.Conclusions. We conclude that certain immunological biomarkers of the circulating blood change during the first year after HTx. These changes should be considered for interpretation of biomarkers after transplantation.
Thermoluminescence and Photoluminescence Study of Erbium Doped CaY2O4 Phosphor
Authors: Dubey Vikas , Tiwari Ratnesh , Tamrakar Raunak Kumar , Markande Chandrabhushan , Rathore Gajendra Singh , Pradhan Mahendra Kumar
Published: September 2015

Phosphor doped with erbium ion with variable concentration (0.5–2 mol%) was synthesized by solid state reaction method. CaY2O4:Er3+ phosphor is characterized by X-ray diffraction technique for structural analysis and crystallite size calculation. Average crystallite size was found to be nearly 58 nm. Two prominent TL glow peaks found at 163°C associated with higher temperature peak 340°C. The peak intensity of higher temperature (340°C) peak was less as compared to lower temperature peak (163°C) because the deep trapping formation is less in case of UV irradiation. Sample shows good TL glow curve and for variable UV exposure time maximum TL intensity was found at 20 min UV exposure which is optimized UV exposure time. Sample was studied by photoluminescence emission spectra excited by xenon flash lamp with nearly 360 nm and four prominent peaks found at wavelengths 445, 525, 553, and 565 nm; here the 445 and 565 nm peak were intense as compared to others. From the PL emission spectra, it is concluded that the color tenability of prepared CaY2O4:Er3+ was blue-green and it is verified by CIE coordinate. Kinetic parameters of prepared phosphor were calculated by computerized glow curve deconvolution (CGCD) technique.
Maximum Principles for Discrete and Semidiscrete Reaction-Diffusion Equation
Authors: Stehlík Petr , Volek Jonáš
Published: September 2015

We study reaction-diffusion equations with a general reaction functionfon one-dimensional lattices with continuous or discrete timeux′  (or  Δtux)=k(ux-1-2ux+ux+1)+f(ux),x∈Z. We prove weak and strong maximum and minimum principles for corresponding initial-boundary value problems. Whereas the maximum principles in the semidiscrete case (continuous time) exhibit similar features to those of fully continuous reaction-diffusion model, in the discrete case the weak maximum principle holds for a smaller class of functions and the strong maximum principle is valid in a weaker sense. We describe in detail how the validity of maximum principles depends on the nonlinearity and the time step. We illustrate our results on the Nagumo equation with the bistable nonlinearity.
Dynamic Interference Control in OFDM-Based Cognitive Radio Network Using Genetic Algorithm
Authors: Khan Hamza , Yoo Sang-Jo
Published: September 2015

In OFDM-based cognitive radio networks, minimizing the interference caused to the primary user (PU) by the substantial amount of out-of-band (OOB) emission is a great challenge. In this paper, we propose a dynamic interference control method using the additive signal side lobe reduction technique and genetic algorithm (GA) in CR-OFDM systems. Additive signal side lobe reduction technique is based on adding a complex array to modulated data symbols in the constellation plane for side lobe reduction in OFDM system. In the proposed method, GA generates optimum additive signal which can effectively reduce the OOB signal interference to the primary system. The GA also strives to keep the interference below a predefined tolerable limit and at the same time it maximizes secondary user's transmission opportunity. The results show that the side lobes of the OFDM-based secondary user signal can be reduced by up to 38 dB and the PU interference tolerable limit can be satisfied at the cost of a minor addition in bit error rate (BER). The results further show that the proposed method delivers better performance as compared to non-GA additive signal method in terms of side lobe reduction as well as BER.
Dynamic Responses of Continuous Girder Bridges with Uniform Cross-Section under Moving Vehicular Loads
Authors: Gao Qingfei , Wang Zonglin , Jia Hongyu , Liu Chenguang , Li Jun , Guo Binqiang , Zhong Junfei
Published: September 2015

To address the drawback of traditional method of investigating dynamic responses of the continuous girder bridge with uniform cross-section under moving vehicular loads, the orthogonal experimental design method is proposed in this paper. Firstly, some empirical formulas of natural frequencies are obtained by theoretical derivation and numerical simulation. The effects of different parameters on dynamic responses of the vehicle-bridge coupled vibration system are discussed using our own program. Finally, the orthogonal experimental design method is proposed for the dynamic responses analysis. The results show that the effects of factors on dynamic responses are dependent on both the selected position and the type of the responses. In addition, the interaction effects between different factors cannot be ignored. To efficiently reduce experimental runs, the conventional orthogonal design is divided into two phases. It has been proved that the proposed method of the orthogonal experimental design greatly reduces calculation cost, and it is efficient and rational enough to study multifactor problems. Furthermore, it provides a good way to obtain more rational empirical formulas of the DLA and other dynamic responses, which may be adopted in the codes of design and evaluation.
Modified Extended Kalman Filtering for Tracking with Insufficient and Intermittent Observations
Authors: Chen Pengpeng , Ma Honglu , Gao Shouwan , Huang Yan
Published: September 2015

This paper is concerned with the Kalman filtering problem for tracking a single target on the fixed-topology wireless sensor networks (WSNs). Both the insufficient anchor coverage and the packet dropouts have been taken into consideration in the filter design. The resulting tracking system is modeled as a multichannel nonlinear system with multiplicative noise. Noting that the channels may be correlated with each other, we use a general matrix to express the multiplicative noise. Then, a modified extended Kalman filtering algorithm is presented based on the obtained model to achieve high tracking accuracy. In particular, we evaluate the effect of various parameters on the tracking performance through simulation studies.
Kinetic Modeling and Constrained Reconstruction of Hyperpolarized [1-13C]-Pyruvate Offers Improved Metabolic Imaging of Tumors
Authors: Bankson James A. , Walker Christopher M. , Ramirez Marc S. , Stefan Wolfgang , Fuentes David , Merritt Matthew E. , Lee Jaehyuk , Sandulache Vlad C. , Chen Yunyun , Phan Liem , Chou Ping-Chieh , Rao Arvind , Yeung Sai-Ching J. , Lee Mong-Hong , Schellingerhout Dawid , Conrad Charles A. , Malloy Craig , Sherry A. Dean , Lai Stephen Y. , Hazle John D.
Published: September 2015

Hyperpolarized [1-13C]-pyruvate has shown tremendous promise as an agent for imaging tumor metabolism with unprecedented sensitivity and specificity. Imaging hyperpolarized substrates by magnetic resonance is unlike traditional MRI because signals are highly transient and their spatial distribution varies continuously over their observable lifetime. Therefore, new imaging approaches are needed to ensure optimal measurement under these circumstances. Constrained reconstruction algorithms can integrate prior information, including biophysical models of the substrate/target interaction, to reduce the amount of data that is required for image analysis and reconstruction. In this study, we show that metabolic MRI with hyperpolarized pyruvate is biased by tumor perfusion and present a new pharmacokinetic model for hyperpolarized substrates that accounts for these effects. The suitability of this model is confirmed by statistical comparison with alternates using data from 55 dynamic spectroscopic measurements in normal animals and murine models of anaplastic thyroid cancer, glioblastoma, and triple-negative breast cancer. The kinetic model was then integrated into a constrained reconstruction algorithm and feasibility was tested using significantly undersampled imaging data from tumor-bearing animals. Compared with naïve image reconstruction, this approach requires far fewer signal-depleting excitations and focuses analysis and reconstruction on new information that is uniquely available from hyperpolarized pyruvate and its metabolites, thus improving the reproducibility and accuracy of metabolic imaging measurements. Cancer Res; 75(22); 4708–17. ©2015 AACR.
The MTHFR C677T Polymorphism Is Related to Plasma Concentration of Oxidized Low-Density Lipoprotein in Adolescents with Cardiovascular Risk Factors
Authors: Morais Carla C. , Alves Maira C. , Augusto Elaine M. , Abdalla Dulcinéia S.P. , Horst Maria A. , Cominetti Cristiane
Published: September 2015

Aim: The aim of this study was to investigate possible relationships among the A1298C (rs1801131) and C677T (rs1801133) polymorphisms in the methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) gene and levels of homocysteine, vitamins B6, B12, folic acid and lipid profile, including oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL), of adolescents at cardiovascular risk. Methods: We recruited 115 adolescents (10-19 years old), 58.3% (n = 67) female, from a public school in Brazil who underwent anthropometric, biochemical and genetic tests as well as food consumption evaluation. Results: An important prevalence of hyperhomocysteinemia (19.1%) and alterations in triacylglycerol (17.4%), total cholesterol (26.9%) and high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol (48.0%) concentrations were observed, as well as low vitamin B6 concentrations (23.5%). The categorization of homocysteine concentrations into tertiles revealed significant differences in serum concentrations of folate, vitamin B12 and HDL, waist circumference and intake of total and saturated fat among the tertiles. The presence of variant alleles regarding the MTHFR C677T polymorphism interfered with vitamin B6 and ox-LDL cholesterol concentrations. There was a trend for higher waist circumference values in T carriers (C677T), but not in C carriers (A1298C). Conclusions: The MTHFR C677T allele was associated with higher plasma vitamin B6 and ox-LDL compared to the CC genotype.
The efficacy of hydroxychloroquine in altering pregnancy outcome in women with antiphospholipid antibodies
Authors: Sciascia Savino , Branch D. Ware , Levy Roger A. , Middeldorp Saskia , Pavord Sue , Roccatello Dario , Ruiz-Irastorza Guillermo , Tincani Angela , Khamashta Munther , Schreiber Karen , Hunt Beverley J.
Published: September 2015

The use of low-dose aspirin and heparinoids has improved the pregnancy outcome in obstetric antiphospholipid syndrome (APS). However, current treatment fails in 20–30 % of APS pregnancies, raising the need to explore other treatments to improve obstetrical outcome. Hydroxychloroquine (HCQ) is widely used in patients with autoimmune diseases, mainly systemic lupus erythematous (SLE), due to its anti-inflammatory, anti-aggregant and immune-regulatory properties. Evidence from in vitro and animal models suggests a potential protective effect of HCQ in obstetric APS. Pending the availability of prospective trials, we aimed to systematically review the available evidence and to assess the clinical judgment of a panel of experts regarding the use of HCQ in improving pregnancy outcome in women with anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL). Clinical data on the ability of HCQ to improve pregnancy outcome in women with aPL are very limited in the available literature. Only one cohort study evaluating maternal and fetal outcome of pregnancy in patients with SLE who were exposed to HCQ was identified. Four of 14 (29 %) treated with HCQ patients had pregnancy failure, compared with six of 24 (25 %) of patients not treated with HCQ. However, the effect of HCQ was not adjusted for the use of other medications such as aspirin, heparins or steroids. Selected experts were contacted by e-mail and asked to review the summary of the evidence provided by the working group and to briefly answer each of the proposed questions. Overall, the panel of experts agreed that adding HCQ could be considered in selected cases or after failure of standard treatment with aspirin and a heparin agent. Specifically, the majority of experts considered adding HCQ in specific scenarios, such as women with previous thrombosis (either arterial and/or venous), and/or with previous ischaemic placenta-mediated complications. Prospective studies are necessary before the use of HCQ during pregnancy in women with aPL should be routinely recommended for clinical practice.
The Abduction of the Chibok Girls
Authors: Musandu Phoebe
Published: September 2015

Boko Haram’s kidnap of over 200 girls from a school in Northern Nigeria drew the world’s attention to the disruption and violence that the extremist group has wrought over the region since the early 2000s. As Nigeria and its neighbouring countries continue to work towards containing the group militarily, this essay highlights the importance of ensuring that longer lasting solutions are not forgotten particularly those that could remedy economic problems which tend to create environments in which extremism can take root and grow.
What Happened to the Chibok Girls?
Authors: Smith Daniel Jordan
Published: September 2015

The kidnapping of the Chibok girls by Boko Haram in northern Nigeria generated widespread national and international attention, but a year later that attention has faded and the girls’s fate remains unknown. This essay is an effort to analyze and explain what happened, both to the initial global and Nigerian outrage about the Chibok girls and with regard to Boko Haram more generally. I focus on four issues: 1) the initial outburst of attention after the girls’ abduction—both in Nigeria and globally—and its subsequent waning; 2) what we can learn from the intersecting narratives about gender and Islam that dominated global discourse after the abductions; 3) how to understand the politics around Boko Haram within Nigeria, and particularly the failure of the Nigerian government to rescue the girls or reign in the militant group; and 4) what events so far suggest might happen going forward.
Visual Culture and Religious Studies: A New Paradigm
Authors: Dubuisson Daniel
Published: September 2015

This introduction examines some of the theoretical problems which have delayed the cooperation between visual culture studies and contemporary religious studies.
Postmetaphysical Thinking and the Philosophy of Religion
Authors: MacKendrick Kenneth G
Published: September 2015

This essay focuses on Chapter Six, “Are Religions Out of Touch with Reality?” of Kevin Schilbrack’sPhilosophy and the Study of Religion: A Manifesto. Two objections are discussed: the rehabilitation of metaphysics and the concept “unmediated experience.” Throughout, Jürgen Habermas’s postmetaphysical communicative theoretic is drawn upon to field reasonable alternatives to Schilbrack’s proposals.
Clarifying the Phenomenology of Gerardus van der Leeuw
Authors: Tuckett Jonathan
Published: September 2015

The argument of this paper is that Gerardus van der Leeuw’sReligion in Essence and Manifestationhas been consistently misread. This is due to three factors: i. the “Prolegomena” was changed to an “Epilegomena”; ii. Hans Penner’s additions to the posthumous second edition, and; iii. John Evan Turner’s Hegelian biased translation into English. These factors have contributed to a “Tyranny of the Same” whereby van der Leeuw has been back-read into either phenomenological history-of-religion or phenomenology-of-religion, two inventions of “phenomenology” that began after van der Leeuw. Dealing with the criticisms of Herbert Spiegelberg, Penner, and Tim Murphy, I will argue that van der Leeuw properly belongs under philosophical phenomenology. Read in such a light, this leads to a radically different understanding of “religion” and “power” inReligion in Essence and Manifestation.
Militarised Peacekeeping in Darfur
Authors: Sloan James
Published: September 2015

In February 2014, the United Nations Department of Peacekeeping Operations produced a Strategic Review of the troubled United Nations-African Union Hybrid Operation in the Darfur region of Sudan (unamid). The Strategic Review faults many aspects of the operation; however, it finds that its mandate is the correct one, concludes that its staffing levels are sufficient and warmly welcomes what it sees as an improved relationship with the Sudanese government. This report may be contrasted with a Foreign Policy investigation published in April 2014, where journalist Colum Lynch provides an unvarnished analysis of the operation. Relying on documents leaked by Aicha Elbasri, former Spokesperson for unamid, the Foreign Policy investigation describes a troubled operation, failing in many of its tasks and mistrusted by parts of the populace. The Foreign Policy investigation portrays a force that routinely downplays or covers up its shortcomings and under-reports violence by the host state government against Darfuri civilians and unamid itself. It is argued that the functioning of unamid provides a vivid illustration of the difficulties associated with a militarised peacekeeping operation, especially when it is emplaced in a country that never wanted it there in the first place.
Immunity of the un in the Case of Haitian Cholera Victims
Authors: Hollenberg Stephan
Published: September 2015

This article will analyze the issue of un’s absolute immunity, in particular in the case of the complaint that has been brought against the un by the victims of the cholera outbreak in Haiti. It will argue that under certain circumstances domestic courts should not automatically accept that the un has absolute immunity with regard to all damages that are caused by un Peacekeeping Forces. Instead courts should draw a careful balance between the interest of upholding un’s absolute immunity and the interest of guaranteeing due process rights to individuals adversely affected by un’s actions. The aim of this article is to provide an analysis that may assist in striking such balance. To that end, it will explore the rationale underlying the immunity of international organizations, and it will examine relevant case law of the European Court of Human Rights and several domestic courts. Some of the cases considered concern the issue of targeted sanctions, in which a similar conflict emerges between two opposing international obligations. In addition, the present article will draw a parallel with the distinction used in the field of State immunity between iure imperii and iure gestionis.
At the Edge of a ‘Digital Area’ – Locating Small-Scale Game Creation
Authors: Roth Martin E.
Published: September 2015

In this article, I develop a perspective on video game creation tools and related practices, and ask whether game creation can be a space of creative experimentation for scholars of the humanities. I argue that such questions cannot be directed at digital technologies or video game creation in general. Instead, a serious engagement with the tools and practices for creating digital space has to locate these tools and the space created with and around them within a broader context. If so, what are the building blocks and physics of game creation – what can be created and by whom? And how can they be studied and applied in, or repurposed for, the humanities? In its mixture of theoretical inquiry, empirical case study and programmatic sketch, this article is intended as a first step towards mapping game creation in its diversity and relations to other digital regions.
Shortwave TOA Cloud Radiative Forcing Derived from a Long-Term (1980–Present) Record of Satellite UV Reflectivity and CERES Measurements
Authors: Weaver Clark , Herman Jay , Labow Gordon , Larko David , Huang L.-K.
Published: September 2015

A 34-yr record of shortwave top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiative cloud forcing is derived from UV Lambertian equivalent reflectivity (LER) data constructed using measured upwelling radiances from the Nimbus-7 Solar Backscatter Ultraviolet (SBUV) and from seven NOAA SBUV/2 instruments on polar-orbiting satellites. The approach is to scale the dimensionless UV LER data to match the CERES shortwave cloud radiative forcing when they are concurrent (2000–13). The underlying trends of this new longer-term CERES-like data record are solely based on the UV LER record. The good agreement between trends and anomalies of the CERES-like and CERES shortwave cloud forcing records during the overlapping data period supports using this new dataset for extended climate studies. The estimated linear trend for the shortwave TOA radiative forcing due to clouds from 60°S to 60°N is +1.47 W m−2 with a 0.11 uncertainty at the 95% confidence level over the 34-yr period 1980–2013.
Sociability networks of migrant youngsters: The case of Dutch Hindustanis
Authors: Gowricharn Ruben
Published: September 2015

This article introduces the concept of sociability as an alternative to social capital theories in understanding the expansion of ethnic networks of Dutch Hindustani youngsters. The author argues that the concept of sociability, launched by Simmel and characterized by joy, relief and vivacity, captures these networks better than theories of social capital because they presume rationality and exchange. While sociability appears to be a useful alternative, it lacks specification of the preconditions and the relational glue. It is argued that for sociability relations to emerge, agency is required as well as a common ethnic content, including Indian Bollywood cinema culture. Finally, the author emphasizes that the increased bonding is by no means exclusive to Hindustani youngsters as their peers in other ethnic communities meet both preconditions that enable them to expand community networks. Therefore, the process addressed in this article has a much wider relevance.
A pilot before-and-after study of a brief teaching programme for psychiatry trainees in mentalizing skills
Authors: Polnay Adam , MacLean Claire , Lewington Emma , Patrick Jon
Published: September 2015

Background and aims

Negative attitudes in clinicians towards people with personality disorder are common and associated with poor care. National guidelines recommend developing interventions to improve attitudes. Mentalization-based treatment theory and techniques provide a plausible intervention. We therefore evaluated the effect of teaching mentalizing skills on clinicians’ attitudes towards personality disorder.

Methods

Pilot before-and-after study of trainee psychiatrists receiving four teaching sessions in mentalizing skills. Self-report questionnaires were completed at baseline and post teaching programme.

Main outcome measure

Attitudes to Personality Disorder Questionnaire.

Secondary measure

Knowledge and Application of Mentalization-based treatment Questionnaire.

Results

Sixteen doctors were recruited with no study drop-out. Mean Attitudes to Personality Disorder Questionnaire score was superior post teaching programme versus baseline (135.3 vs. 124.5, standardised mean difference = 0.72, 95% confidence interval = 0.01 to 1.44). Mean Knowledge and Application of Mentalization-based treatment Questionnaire score was superior post teaching programme versus baseline (112.5 vs. 97.1, standardised mean difference = 1.83, 95% confidence interval 0.98 to 2.67).

Conclusions

As expected from a pilot study, the estimate of effect is imprecise. Within this limitation, our findings suggest that teaching in mentalizing skills improved attitudes and mentalization-based treatment knowledge to a clinically relevant degree. This has important implications for patient outcomes and staff development. Our study paves the way for a full-scale study to provide more precise and robust evidence.
The Relationship Between Perfectionism and Overexcitabilities in Gifted Adolescents
Authors: Mofield Emily L. , Parker Peters Megan
Published: September 2015

Overexcitabilities and perfectionism are often discussed within the context of gifted education, given that both are observed among gifted individuals. The present research (a) explored the relationships between overexcitabilities and dimensions of healthy and unhealthy perfectionism and (b) determined the extent to which overexcitabilities are predictor variables for perfectionism among 130 gifted adolescents. Findings revealed a significant relationship, especially between Emotional overexcitabilities and dimensions of perfectionism. High Emotional, high Intellectual Overexcitabilities, and low Imaginational Overexcitability were also predictor variables for dimensions of healthy perfectionism. Findings shed insight into the relationship of overexcitabilities and perfectionism in light of Dabrowski’s Theory of Positive Disintegration, particularly the notion of overexcitabilities propelling one to achieve higher levels and overcoming negative dynamisms (e.g., guilt, shame, and self-criticism) associated with perfectionism. The study also provides validation of the relationship between emotional vulnerabilities such as heightened sensitivities, intensities, and perfectionism.
Early-onset Streptomyces endocarditis in a prosthetic aortic valve
Authors: Shehatha Jaffar S , Taha Abdulsalam Y
Published: September 2015

A 66-year-old Australian man underwent elective replacement of a severely stenotic aortic valve with a 22-mm Medtronic-Hall valve. Six weeks later, he was readmitted with worsening dyspnea, fever, and mild anemia. Investigations confirmed pulmonary edema and moderate periprosthetic aortic regurgitation. The pulmonary edema was managed conservatively, and a second 22-mm Medtronic-Hall valve was implanted. Infective endocarditis was suspected in the aortic annulus below the orifice of the right coronary artery. A bacteriological study revealed a rare bacteria of Streptomyces species. The patient received intensive antibiotic therapy over a 6-week period of hospitalization, and the aortic regurgitation disappeared one week postoperatively.
Inter- and intraobserver agreement in detection of testicular microlithiasis with ultrasonography
Authors: Pedersen Malene Roland , Graumann Ole , Hørlyck Arne , Duus Louise Aarup , Jørgensen Mette Marie B , Vagn-Hansen Chris , Holst René , Rafaelsen Søren Rafael
Published: September 2015

Background

Ultrasonography of the testis is a well-established diagnostic tool in detection of testicular microlithiasis (TML). Operator-dependent diagnostic variation related to skill, knowledge, and operator consistency are factors that influence detection of TML.

Purpose

To determine inter- and intraobserver agreement for detection of TML using ultrasonography for a group of physicians with no or limited experience compared to a group of experience senior radiologists.

Material and Methods

Between May and September 2014 a total of six observers evaluated 34 patients scrotal ultrasonography recorded from September to December 2013. The observers were blinded to patient history and previous ultrasonography. Three of the observers had no or limited experience with detection of TML, and three of the observers had more than 15 years of experience. Each observer reviewed all the scrotal ultrasonography recordings twice with a time interval of 3 months.

Results

The inter-observer agreement showed substantial agreement and up to almost perfect agreement (κ = 0.86). Both the experienced and less experienced observers had a higher agreement in detecting and grading TML in their second reading.

Conclusion

The ultrasonography grading system of TML in this study showed to be reproducible, with an inter- and intraobserver agreement ranging between substantial agreement and up to almost perfect agreement with many years of experience not necessarily being essential.
Two Left Hands, Ten Interlaced Fingers: A New Rubber Hand Illusion
Authors: White Rebekah C. , Bowen Dillon , Dumbalska Tsvetomira , Hoeger Katharine , Mok Anastasia Y. S.
Published: September 2015

A variation on the rubber hand paradigm elicits an illusion in which the participant’s sense of body ownership can switch back and forth between two viewed prosthetic hands. The interlaced fingers paradigm involves three prosthetic left hands: Two are positioned in full view of the participant, with their fingers interlaced, and the fingers of a third prosthetic hand are interlaced with the fingers of the participant’s left hand, which is hidden from view. The examiner alternates brushstrokes to the two viewed prosthetic hands, while administering synchronous brushstrokes to the participant’s hidden hand. Most participants experience ownership for the prosthetic hand that is being stroked at a given moment.
Continuous feedback loop for adaptive teaching and learning process using student surveys
Authors: Mousavi A , Mares C , Stonham TJ
Published: September 2015

The application of classical control technique for optimising teaching and learning process is introduced and validated using a case study in a typical higher education environment. The building blocks of the experiment consist of: (1) a real-time online surveying tool, representing the system input; (2) the classroom as the plant; (3) the methods and the dynamics of teaching–learning as the process; (4) the technique for measuring the levels of satisfaction towards meeting the learning and teaching objectives of the particular class session representing the transfer function; and (5) the results from the transfer function determining the levels of satisfaction, represent the output. A feedback loop highlighting the sources of dissatisfaction provides the lecturer and the students the necessary information for adaptive measures to achieve the desired levels of teaching and learning objectives. To set out the appropriate parameters for determining the quality of teaching–learning in the class room, quality function deployment, principles are deployed. This approach allowed us to systematically breakdown the key attributes of the teaching and learning process. We conclude that by deploying the appropriate data acquisition mechanisms at appropriate intervals, the teaching and knowledge delivery process can be adopted to achieve the desired learning objectives. Even though student performance and attrition rates are outside the scope of this study, a separate future study the results could be linked to student performance and attrition rates.
Questioning the ‘common sense’: Was Scottish independence really an alternative to UK neoliberalisation?
Authors: Paterson Bill
Published: September 2015

This paper questions whether the Scottish National Party’s (SNP) 2014 independence campaign offered an alternative to Westminster’s neoliberalism. This doubt arises because the SNP’s social justice and Nordic model discourse promised a departure from existing UK policies, but this seemed contradicted by the SNP’s guarantee of European Union (EU) membership. The paper explains this contradiction by identifying the SNP’s commitment to a neoliberalising rather than collective Nordic model, and the neoliberalisation agenda of the EU’s Lisbon Strategy and Europe 2020. Consequently, the SNP evoked the language of radical economic, political and social change, but was committed to maintaining a neoliberal capitalism similar to Westminster’s.
Globalisation, Eden and the Myth of Original Markets
Authors: Brock Brian
Published: September 2015

The proposal by Adam Smith that the market is a primal human reality has arguably been the most influential of the myths offered as a substitute for the authoritative story of Eden by the Enlightenment’s founding fathers. This essay examines how rival primal stories shape agents’ moral stances by directing attention, framing conceptual priorities and in situating stated and unstated analytical presuppositions in contemporary economic discourses. Contemporary scholars have recently emphasised that the root metaphor of Smith’s economic theory is original barter. Tracing this scholarship, I will show how this picture of the human economic agent grounds the central tenets of the emerging global economic order. This vision will, however, then be shown to contrast with both the biblical vision of human economic activity (Genesis 2), medieval and reformation theological appropriations of this vision, and the political and economic institutions that pre-modern Christendom developed to express their belief in a human responsibility to serve the divine sustenance of the human race. I will conclude by suggesting why the transition from Christendom to modern global capitalism demands a deeper than usual theological analysis of phenomena we usually refer to under the heading of globalisation, calling for reformulations of basic Christian and non-Christian presumptions about economic practice and ethics.
Abluted Capitalism: Ali Shariati’s Critique of Capitalism in His Reading of Islamic Economy
Authors: Şengül Serdar
Published: September 2015

Islamic sociologist Ali Shariati is a leading figure of the reconstruction of religious thought in the Islamic world known especially for his anti-capitalist stance and leftist reading of Islamic history. In the philosophy of history that he developed, he classified religions as religions of tawheed (unicity of God) and religions of shirk (multiple gods). According to this new reading of history, the main struggle is not between religion and secularism but between religions of tawheed and of sheerk. The issue of the gaining and the distribution of the property is central to his classification. Shariati argued that followers of tawheed and of sheerk can be found in all religions including Islam. To support his argument Shariati explored how capitalistic understanding of Islam has been developed and legalised while anti-capitalist messages and orders of Islam were marginalised and illegalised just after the death of the Prophet Mohammed. He analysed the rivalry between his close companions over the content of a proper Islamic economic order and how this rivalry gave way to two contradicting understanding of Islam, marks of which can be seen today in the contemporary Muslim world. He coined the term ‘abluted capitalism’ to define the economic policies of Muslim sovereigns to make Islam compatible with capitalist economic principles.
Utility and Identity: A Catholic Social Teaching Perspective on the Economics of Good and Evil
Authors: Sedmak Clemens
Published: September 2015

This paper discusses two key claims of Tomas Sedláček’s Economics of Good and Evil in the light of Catholic social teaching—that (i) mainstream economics cannot grasp the domain of the human because of its focus on ‘utility-maximisation’ and (ii) that human interiority with its wild desires is at the roots of economic dynamics. I call these claims the ‘H-claim’ and the ‘I-claim’ respectively. After having clarified these claims I look at Catholic social teaching and its perspective on interiority (underlining a sense of structure and order of the inner) and on the relationship between personal micro-relations and structural macro-relations (underlining consistency and permeability). In this light, I suggest, in a third step, an understanding of ‘the inner dimension’ of economics and social thinking making use of the concept of intangible infrastructures.
Analytical approximations to damaged gear tooth transmission-error contributions for gear-health monitoring
Authors: Mark William D
Published: September 2015

A generic model of transmission-error contributions arising from gear-tooth damage is developed. Damage is modeled as material removed from tooth-working-surfaces. Regions of modeled tooth damage are of limited size as in pitting damage or are extended to full working surfaces as in tooth-bending-fatigue damage. Results are computed for a wide variety of damage forms and formulated for any collection of teeth experiencing damage. Final results are expressed as transmission-error rotational-harmonic amplitudes arising from damage. Rotational-harmonic regions experiencing significant damage contributions from pitting/spalling damage and from tooth-bending-fatigue damage are delineated. Increases in higher harmonic-number amplitudes arising from transmission-error discontinuities are formulated. The overall model framework can be used to explain and interpret observed features of gear transmission-error spectra arising from gear-tooth damage and to develop new methods of detecting and assessing the severity of such damage.
Validation of WHOQOL-BREF in Malayalam and Determinants of Quality of Life Among People With Type 2 Diabetes in Kerala, India
Authors: Sreedevi Aswathy , Cherkil Sandhya , Kuttikattu Deepak Soman , Kamalamma Leelamoni , Oldenburg Brian
Published: September 2015

Quality of life (QOL) is an important health outcome in people with chronic conditions like diabetes and WHOQOL-BREF is a popular instrument used worldwide to assess QOL. However, QOL varies considerably from society to society depending on the culture of the person. Hence, the WHOQOL-BREF was translated to the local language, Malayalam. This article attempts to establish reliability, construct and discriminant validity of the translated WHOQOL-BREF, and determinants of QOL among people with type 2 diabetes. A cross-sectional study was undertaken among 200 patients with diabetes attending a primary care center in a rural area of Kerala, India. The translated version of WHOQOL-BREF was found to be internally consistent (Cronbach’s α = .86) and demonstrated discriminant and construct validity. Education was found to be an independent determinant of QOL in the physical, psychological, and environmental domains. Thus, the translated version had good psychometric properties and education was an independent determinant of QOL in 3 of 4 domains.
Health Literacy in Taiwan
Authors: Duong Van Tuyen , Lin I-Feng , Sorensen Kristine , Pelikan Jürgen M. , Van Den Broucke Stephan , Lin Ying-Chin , Chang Peter Wushou
Published: September 2015

Data on health literacy (HL) in the population is limited for Asian countries. This study aimed to test the validity of the Mandarin version of the European Health Literacy Survey Questionnaire (HLS-EU-Q) for use in the general public in Taiwan. Multistage stratiﬁcation random sampling resulted in a sample of 2989 people aged 15 years and above. The HLS-EU-Q was validated by confirmatory factor analysis with excellent model data fit indices. The general HL of the Taiwanese population was 34.4 ± 6.6 on a scale of 50. Multivariate regression analysis showed that higher general HL is significantly associated with the higher ability to pay for medication, higher self-perceived social status, higher frequency of watching health-related TV, and community involvement but associated with younger age. HL is also associated with health status, health behaviors, and health care accessibility and use. The HLS-EU-Q was found to be a useful tool to assess HL and its associated factors in the general population.
Race Discrimination, Racial Socialization, and Offending Trends Among African American College Students
Authors: Jones Chenelle A. , Greene Helen T.
Published: September 2015

The present study tests several key concepts of the theory of African American offending. It uses intra-racial correlational and regression analyses to explore the relationship between perceptions of discrimination, racial socialization (RS), and offending among African American college students. The findings indicate perceptions of discrimination have a significant impact on offending. Students who were more likely to perceive situations as discriminatory were more likely to report offending behavior. Racial Socialization did not buffer the deleterious impact of discrimination and reduce offending. Directions for future research also are discussed.
A Call for Qualitative Methods in Action
Authors: Relles Stefani R.
Published: September 2015

This article describes how the qualitative research tradition known as positionality can be used as a method to support classroom equity. The text describes three ways teachers can use a spoken approach to positionality in their day-to-day practice. Classroom vignettes illuminate how these spoken methods of positionality can address the latency of power and privilege in 21st-century teaching and learning contexts. The didactic use of positionality to stimulate the kind of reflective student discussions associated with culturally responsive educational reform is also evidenced. Conceptual consideration of positionality methods to support classroom inclusivity for students with disabilities is suggested.
Tuning in to High-Fidelity Interventions
Authors: Teagarden Jim , Zabel Robert , Kaff Marilyn
Published: September 2015

George Sugai is the Carole J. Neag Endowed Chair in Behavior Disorders in the Neag School of Education at the University of Connecticut. He previously served on the faculty at the University of Oregon and the University of Kentucky. At Connecticut, Dr. Sugai and colleagues established the Center for Behavioral Educational and Research ( www.cber.org ) to improve students’ academic and social behavior outcomes by studying and disseminating effective educational interventions.
Moving on Up? The Gendered Ambitions of State-Level Appointed Officials
Authors: Sidorsky Kaitlin
Published: September 2015

Many scholars have offered explanations as to why women are underrepresented at all levels of government. Conventional wisdom states that fewer women are in public office due to lower ambition, and that the presence of gendered perceptions among women considering elected office contributes to women’s disinterest in the political arena. Using original survey data, this article expands the theory of gendered perceptions to current state-level appointed officeholders to explain their levels of interest in pursuing higher public office. The results indicate that gendered perceptions affect the progressive ambitions of appointees; like studies of ambition in elected officials, this study of appointed officials finds that women are generally less ambitious, and unlike studies of ambition in elected officials, this study of appointed officials finds that women with higher self-assessments are less ambitious rather than more.
Effect of ceftriaxone and cefepime on high-dose methotrexate clearance
Authors: Tran Hieu X , Herrington Jon D
Published: September 2015

Numerous drug interactions with methotrexate have been identified, which can lead to serious life-threatening effects. Up to 90% of methotrexate is excreted unchanged in the urine with primary excretion dependent on organic anion transport in the renal proximal tubule. The two pathways responsible for methotrexate secretion are organic anion transport 1 and primarily organic anion transport 3. Penicillins undergo tubular secretion via organic anion transport, and cephalosporins are believed to also possess a similar risk when administered with methotrexate; however, there are no human studies observing this interaction with cephalosporins and methotrexate. Ceftriaxone undergoes biliary clearance and has low affinity for the same organic anion transports as methotrexate; therefore, ceftriaxone has a low potential to interact with methotrexate. Cefepime is primarily secreted by organic cation transport N2, and also has a low potential to interact with methotrexate. This case report describes the pharmacokinetic effect of concomitant beta-lactam therapy in a patient receiving high-dose methotrexate.
Models to detect scientific creativity: Why something simpler than Fréchet Metric Manifolds?
Authors: dell’Isola Francesco
Published: September 2015

We claim that the models needed to describe scientific creativity (and, in particular, suitable to effectively detect it) have to be very sophisticated. Indeed, the process of creating original and predictive scientific theories is manifestly the most complex ever investigated by the human mind (There are also some paradoxical aspects in the action of a mind that is investigating its own way of functioning, but we are confident that it will be possible to avoid them). In mathematical physics one of the most complex state space structures is given by Fréchet Metric Manifolds. We conjecture that they will be needed to model the state of complexity of the mind of a scientist (However, we will not be surprised if an even more complex structure could be needed). The obtained models have a very important application: they are essential to design and rule the selection process that assigns a university chair (or a research grant). Recently some algorithms have been introduced to calculate some bibliometric indices. We claim that it is not reasonable to use them to evaluate the scientific quality of researchers, chair or grant holders, departments or whole universities. Instead, the only presently viable process must involve carefully designed procedures, similar to those used for forming juries. These procedures must be enforced to rule the formation and functioning of ad hoc peer committees entrusted to evaluate academic institutions and nominate professors, chairs or research grant holders. Bibliometrics and Scientometrics are too young as disciplines and therefore it is not possible yet, by means of the theoretical insight gained thanks to them, to design a more effective evaluation process. Only when game and artificial intelligence theories become sufficiently advanced will it become possible to efficiently replace selection peers committees (i.e. academic juries).