bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Surf-for-Development: An Exploration of Program Recipient Perspectives in Lobitos, Peru
Authors: Mach Leon
Published: May 2019

Critical sport for development and peace (SDP) and sustainable surf tourism (SST) research calls for sports programming and research that adheres not only to the desires and needs of local communities but also for movements away from neoliberal development models. This case study, derived from interviewing participants 4 years after partaking in a learn-to-surf program in Lobitos, Peru, suggests that these two broad goals may be contradictory. Leveraging skills and traits adopted from participating in the surf program were seen as important contributions to both individual (i.e., gender and economic empowerment) and community benefits (i.e., re-imagining Lobitos). These findings shed light on the need to better understand program recipient desires for local “reforms” and how they can best be served by SDP programs.
The improvement of stress correction in post-necking tension of cylindrical specimen
Authors: Chen Junfu , Guan Zhiping , Ma Pinkui , Li Zhigang , Meng Xiangrui
Published: May 2019

In post-necking tension of cylindrical specimen, the stress corrections based on the current analytical models have relatively significant errors at large strains. In this study, the prediction capability of these models involving Bridgman model, Siebel model and Chen model is evaluated by performing a series of finite element simulations of uniaxial tension of cylindrical specimen with different hardening exponents varied from 0.05 to 0.3. Numerical analysis of stress and strain distributions on the necking cross section indicates that the considerable errors of the corrected stresses corresponding to large strains might be mainly attributed to the assumption of uniform strain distribution on the necking cross section in these analytical models. The modification strategies of these models are presented in order to improve their prediction accuracy of post-necking stresses, taking geometrical configuration of neck and material properties into consideration. Accordingly, the modification formulas are proposed based on simulation results, involving the radius of cross section of neck and the hardening exponent. Finally, these formulas are used to correct the stresses in the post-necking tension of Q345 cylindrical specimen, which are compared with the stresses identified through inverse method. The results indicate that the modified models significantly improve the prediction accuracy of post-necking stresses at large strains.
Effect of blade pitching on power coefficient of small-scale vertical axis wind turbine at different tip speed ratios
Authors: Kavade Ramesh K , Ghanegaonkar Pravin M
Published: May 2019

This article analyses the effect of best blade pitching positions on the power coefficient of vertical axis wind turbine at different tip speed ratios. Analysis of the power coefficient of the vertical axis wind turbine is carried out for optimized six blade pitching curves. The first three pitching curves are designed for the tip speed ratios below 1.5 (0 <  λ < 1.5) and other three are for the tip speed ratios in the range of 0 <  λ < 3. The double multiple stream tube model is used for the present analysis. The results are compared between the optimized and sinusoidal pitching curves. It is concluded that the best optimized pitch position blade method improves the power coefficient than the typical sinusoidal blade pitching in the range of tip speed ratios 0 <  λ < 3.
Wind speed forecasting using neural networks
Authors: Blanchard Tyler , Samanta Biswanath
Published: May 2019

The prediction of wind speed is critical in the assessment of feasibility of a potential wind turbine site. This work presents a study on prediction of wind speed using artificial neural networks. Two variations of artificial neural networks, namely, nonlinear autoregressive neural network and nonlinear autoregressive neural network with exogenous inputs, were used to predict wind speed utilizing 1 year of hourly weather data from four locations around the United States to train, validate, and test these networks. This study optimized both neural network configurations and it demonstrated that both models were suitable for wind speed prediction. Both models outperformed persistence model (with a factor of about 2 to 10 in root mean square error ratio). Both artificial neural network models were implemented for single-step and multi-step-ahead prediction of wind speed for all four locations and results were compared. Nonlinear autoregressive neural network with exogenous inputs model gave better prediction performance than nonlinear autoregressive model and the difference was statistically significant.
An approach to model extreme wind speed distributions using the Weather Research and Forecasting model
Authors: Franco Ignacio , Gutierrez Alejandro , Cataldo José
Published: May 2019

The aim of this study was to generate hourly mean monthly maximum wind speed return period curves for heights 60 m above the ground using Weather Research and Forecasting modeled data. The methodology introduced produces long-term wind speed data in places where the available measured series for such heights are not long enough for a correct extreme value analysis. Climate Forecast System Reanalysis data are used as input for the Weather Research and Forecasting simulations, providing information for the period 1979–2015. The modeled results are compared with wind speed series measured in anemometric towers, available for the period 2008–2015. Weather Research and Forecasting output is then adjusted to model properly the wind speed at the measuring sites. A good representation of the cumulative distribution of monthly maxima was reached after applying a double linear adjustment.
Machine learning applied to wind turbine blades impact detection
Authors: Hu Congcong , Albertani Roberto
Published: May 2019

The significant development of wind power generation worldwide brings, together with environmental benefits, wildlife concerns, especially for volant species vulnerability to interactions with wind energy facilities. For surveying such events, an automatic system for continuous monitoring of blade collisions is critical. An onboard multi-senor system capable of providing real-time collision detection using integrated vibration sensors is developed and successfully tested. However, to detect low signal-to-noise ratio impact can be challenging; hence, an advanced impact detection method has been developed and presented in this article. A robust automated detection algorithm based on support vector machine is proposed. After a preliminary signal pre-processing, geometric features specifically selected for their sensitivity to impact signals are extracted from raw vibration signal and energy distribution graph. The predictive model is formulated by training conventional support vector machine using extracted features for impact identification. Finally, the performance of the predictive model is evaluated by accuracy, precision, and recall. Results indicate a linear regression relationship between signal-to-noise ratio and model overall performance. The proposed method is much reliable on higher signal-to-noise ratio [Formula: see text], but it shows to be ineffective at lower signal-to-noise ratio [Formula: see text].
Wind energy production uncertainty associated with wind assessments of various intervals
Authors: Aldeman Matthew R , Jo Jin Ho , Loomis David G
Published: May 2019

While wind assessment periods commonly range from 1 to several years, this is typically based on experience and industry norms. In this investigation, we perform an analysis of the error that can be expected in a wind resource assessment of various lengths of time. In contrast to earlier work measuring the uncertainty of predicted wind speeds, the uncertainty in this evaluation is measured directly in terms of energy and revenue production. As the wind assessment period increased from 30 days to 1 year, the average error increased slightly. However, when the wind assessment period was increased to 2 years, the average error decreased significantly. Simultaneously, the standard deviation of the error distributions decreased and the magnitude of the maximum experimentally obtained error decreased. By understanding how the energy production uncertainty decreases with increasing assessment time, the length of the assessment period can be tailored to match a developer’s risk tolerance.
DNA effects of low level occupational exposure to extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (50/60 Hz)
Authors: Zendehdel Rezvan , Yu Il Je , Hajipour-Verdom Behnam , Panjali Zahra
Published: May 2019

Aims:

Exposure to extremely low frequency magnetic fields (ELF-MF) occurs from natural and artificial sources. Although ELF-MF has been classified as a suspected humans carcinogen agent by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, little is known of the effects of ELF-MF at lower exposure levels of the recommended range. In the present study, DNA damage in the peripheral blood cells of power line workers was investigated.

Materials and Methods:

Occupational exposure to ELF-MF in a power plant was measured using the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health (NIOSH) manual. Single-strand breaks (SSBs) in DNA were evaluated in 29 male utility workers as the exposed population and 28 male support personnel as the control subjects using the comet assay. Effects of ELF-MF on subjects were evaluated using DNA percent in tails, tail length, olive length, and tail moment.

Results:

Occupational exposure levels to ELF-MF in the utility workers were less than the threshold limit values (TLV) recommended by the American Conference of Government Industrial Hygienist (ACGIH). The median value of the magnetic field at the working sites was 0.85 µT. Induction of DNA damage was observed for the exposed workers compared with the controls. Olive length, tail moment, and tail DNA percent increased significantly ( p < 0.05) in the utility workers.

Conclusions:

Exposure to ELF-MF at levels less than the ACGIH exposure limit can produce DNA strand breaks.
Pathways to Child Abuse Prevention: Seeking and Embedding Public Opinion
Authors: Todahl Jeff Lane , Brown Tiffany , Barkhurst Phyllis , Maxey Valerie , Simone Ally
Published: May 2019

Child abuse and neglect is a perplexing public health, human rights, and social justice issue that persists at unacceptable levels. This qualitative survey, involving brief oral conversations ( n = 721) about perceptions of child abuse and neglect and its solutions, was drawn from a randomized telephone survey of residents in two U.S. communities. The study focused on two research questions: (a) individual and collective actions that would give child abuse and neglect prevention the best chance for success and (b) what participants would expect to see in a local child abuse prevention effort to have faith in its effectiveness. Participants were mostly female (61%), with the average age of 55.7 years, and had a median income of US$35,000 to US$49,000. Thirty-one percent identified as mandatory reporters and 76% were a primary caregiver for a child at some point in their lives. Thematic analysis identified six themes and one subtheme for the first research question and four themes for the second research question. Participants emphasized the importance of awareness raising, education, broad public support and the value of a locally developed plan, credible leadership, and reliable follow-through. Participants’ beliefs and recommendations were mapped to existing and promising child abuse prevention frameworks and implications for prevention planning are outlined.
The Role of Social-Interpersonal and Cognitive-Individual Factors in Cyber Dating Victimization and Perpetration: Comparing the Direct, Control, and Combined Forms of Abuse
Authors: Víllora Beatriz , Navarro Raúl , Yubero Santiago
Published: May 2019

The present study examined the relationship linking social-interpersonal factors (interpersonal dependency, social support, social skills), cognitive-individual factors (planning behavior and goal efficacy), and different victimization and perpetration forms of cyber dating abuse (direct abuse, control abuse, and the combination of both abuse types). The responses of 1,657 Spanish university students were analyzed (62.1% females, 37.1% males). The multinomial logistic regression model revealed similarities among the three victim groups and revealed that anxious attachment and lack of social support increased the likelihood of direct victimization, control victimization, and direct/control victimization. Differences were found in the three victim groups for social skills and planning behavior. Perpetration was significantly associated with anxious attachment in the three cyber dating perpetration forms. Differences were also found in emotional dependency, social support, and social skills among direct perpetrators, control perpetrators, and direct/control perpetrators. The results revealed that interpersonal and cognitive factors correlated with cyber dating victimization and perpetration.
Examining the Role of Paraeducators When Supporting Children With Complex Communication Needs: A Multiple Case Study
Authors: Cole-Lade Gretchen M. , Bailey Lucy E.
Published: May 2019

The purpose of this study was to examine the roles of paraeducators in educational teams who supported young children with complex communication needs (CCNs). Participants included members of three teams which included general and special education teachers, paraeducators, speech and language pathologists (SLPs), and parents. An instrumental, multiple case study, qualitative research design was used to better understand paraeducators’ distinct roles and their varying levels of participation as members of their educational teams. Emergent cross-case themes included, first, the varying degrees to which teams worked collaboratively with the paraeducator and, second, the different roles the paraeducators fulfilled based on team members’ expectations. Findings indicated that the degree to which the three teams included the paraeducator as an integral team member varied from minimal to fully integrated. The fully integrated team worked collaboratively to best support the child. The paraeducator’s role and experience on each team was based on the educational team member’s expectations and the support the paraeducator received from the team.
A review of railway sanding system research: Wheel/rail isolation, damage, and particle application
Authors: Skipper WA , Chalisey A , Lewis R
Published: May 2019

This paper reviews the academic and industrial research conducted into the practical aspects of using abrasive particles in the wheel/rail contact, such as: wheel/rail isolation, surface damage, and the application of the particles into the contact. Abrasive particles are applied to the wheel/rail contact to restore traction when low adhesion situations exist on the rail head; this process is referred to as “sanding” because sand particles are the preferred particle type in the railway industry. This aspect of sanding was covered in another sanding review. Currently, particles are applied either by firing dry particles into the wheel/rail contact via an air stream or by suspending them in a gel which can be applied using train-borne or trackside methods. The papers looked at in this review were scrutinised using a gap analysis method which grades each paper based on seven criteria, these criteria assessed: whether the papers had been peer reviewed, whether the conclusions matched the results, the range of testing scales used, and the presence of fundamental modelling work. When the findings of the research in this review were analysed, it was apparent that the negative effects of sanding (damage and isolation) have not been researched in much depth compared to its positive effects (adhesion restoration and leaf layer removal). In addition, the academic research that has been conducted has not been taken forward by industry, and industry research has not been studied in more depth by academia, suggesting a communication gap between the two branches of research; this was also the case for research into application methods.
Comparative modeling and analysis of the flow asymmetricity in a centrifugal pump impeller at partial load
Authors: Tao Ran , Wang Zhengwei
Published: May 2019

Undesirable flow regime occurs at partial-load conditions of the centrifugal pump. Flow separates at the leading edge and pulses in the blade channel with complex stall cell transfer law. The passing capability of the blade channel becomes important when rotating stall happens. In this study, the blade channel number influence on the flow stability in a centrifugal pump impeller was studied by unsteady flow simulations after numerical-experimental verification. The 5-, 6-, and 7-blade impellers were discussed under the same partial-load flow rate condition and the same rotating speed. Results show that the internal flow pattern was strongly influenced by the blade channel number. Periodic half-blockage was observed in the 5-blade impeller. Alternating stall with three stalled and three well-behaved channels existed in the 6-blade impeller. Complex aperiodic flow pattern occurred in the 7-blade impeller with the well-behaved, half-blocked, and fully stalled passages were all observed with stall cell transfer. The different flow regime caused different pressure pulsations. In the 5-blade impeller, the inter-channel flow frequencies, which were induced by the fluid extruded from blocked channels flowed into other channels, dominated. In the 6-blade impeller, the pressure pulsations performed low-in-amplitude and high-in-frequency. The flow regime was stable even under the rotating stall. In the 7-blade impeller, the rotating stall frequency dominated. The inter-channel flow frequencies were also obvious. The stable rotating stall pattern does not strongly influence the pressure pulsation and impeller axial and radial forces. The transferring stall cell induces extra mild pressure pulsation and impeller forces. The inter-channel flow adds strong pressure pulsation and impeller forces. When centrifugal pumps are operating at partial-load conditions, the flow characters especially the inter-channel flow caused by half-channel-blockage should be checked to avoid operation instability and security.
Moral Memories and the Belief in the Good Self
Authors: Stanley Matthew L. , De Brigard Felipe
Published: May 2019

Most people believe they are morally good, and this belief plays an integral role in constructions of personal identity. Yet people commit moral transgressions with surprising frequency in everyday life. In this article, we characterize two mechanisms involving autobiographical memory that are utilized to foster a belief in a morally good self in the present—despite frequent and repeated immoral behavior. First, there is a tendency for people to willfully and actively forget details about their own moral transgressions but not about their own morally praiseworthy deeds. Second, when past moral transgressions are not forgotten, people strategically compare their more recent unethical behaviors with their more distant unethical behaviors to foster a perception of personal moral improvement over time. This, in turn, helps to portray the current self favorably. These two complementary mechanisms help to explain pervasive inconsistencies between people’s personal beliefs about their own moral goodness and the frequency with which they behave immorally.
The Low-Carbon Tourism Experience: A Multidimensional Scale Development
Authors: Lee Tsung Hung , Jan Fen-Hauh
Published: May 2019

This study first conceptualized and developed a reliable and valid scale to assess low-carbon tourism experience (LCTE) from the perspective of nature-based tourists. In Stage 1, a 66-item scale was developed using a series of qualitative methods. In Stage 2, 662 usable questionnaires were collected; in turn, confirmatory factor analysis was used to develop a 40-item reliable and valid scale consisting of seven constructs: sensory experience, affective experience, learning experience, sociocultural experience, behavioral experience, escapism experience, and prestige experience. In Stage 3, the cross-validation of this 40-item scale was verified by demonstrating moderate replication of the data using 466 and 523 respondents from forest- and wetland-based destinations, respectively. The application of this LCTE scale may provide guidance to tourists and managers alike for reducing the carbon emissions caused by tourism activities, thereby potentially contributing to sustainable tourism development. This study extends the theoretical LCTE framework into the operational realm of tourism management by rendering LCTE perceptible and assessable, which represents a significant contribution to the sustainable tourism literature.
Seismic performance of framed underground structures with self-centering energy-dissipation column base
Authors: Chen Zhiyi , Zhou Yu
Published: May 2019

For the development of underground structures toward large-scale, long-span, and complex structural styles, comprehensive seismic mitigation and controlling measures that consider reducing internal forces together with controlling lateral structural deformation and upgrading energy consumption are significant for improving seismic performance and enhancing resilience of underground structure. For this purpose, a self-centering energy-dissipation column base, which originated from the concept of earthquake resilient structures in aboveground space, is proposed for the framed underground structures in this study. To verify the effectiveness of self-centering energy-dissipation column base, three-dimensional time history analyses are conducted on a single-story double-span subway station. The analysis results show that the self-centering energy-dissipation column base effectively decreases the internal forces of central column and the peak and residual values of story drift and column drift are also minimized about 4%–5%. Meanwhile, it is found that a cyclic opening–closing exists at the column base during an earthquake and the uplift of column returns to zero at the end of the earthquake. It means the self-centering effect of the column base is achieved as expected. Moreover, replaceable energy-dissipating devices provide supplementary energy dissipation to relieve the development of structural plasticity and the uplift behavior of column base avoids the occurrence of plastic hinge. As a result, the structural damages are effectively reduced after the earthquake.
Identification of the essential components of quality in the data collection process for public health information systems
Authors: Chen Hong , Yu Ping , Hailey David , Cui Tingru
Published: May 2019

This study identifies essential components in the data collection process for public health information systems based on appraisal and synthesis of the reported factors affecting this process in the literature. Extant process assessment instruments and studies of public health data collection from electronic databases and the relevant institutional websites were reviewed and analyzed following a five-stage framework. Four dimensions covering 12 factors and 149 indicators were identified. The first dimension, data collection management, includes data collection system and quality assurance. The second dimension, data collector, is described by staffing pattern, skill or competence, communication and attitude toward data collection. The third, information system, is assessed by function and technology support, integration of different data collection systems, and device. The fourth dimension, data collection environment, comprises training, leadership, and funding. With empirical testing and contextual analysis, these essential components can be further used to develop a framework for measuring the quality of the data collection process for public health information systems.
What shapes the coverage of immigration
Authors: Mancini Paolo , Mazzoni Marco , Barbieri Giovanni , Damiani Marco , Gerli Matteo
Published: May 2019

Immigration is a dramatic challenge for Europe: the press has a large influence in determining the opinion climate at this regard. This article investigates how a selection of newspapers in Belgium, Germany, the United Kingdom, and Italy covers the immigration issue from 1 January 2013 to 30 April 2014, before and after the Lampedusa shipwreck on 3 October 2013. Departing from the hypothesis that the media ownership may have a large influence on the content of the news, we investigate 12 different media companies in conjunction with other variables that may affect the coverage of the topic as well. A quantitative content analysis has been first used to derive information from a collection of 2602 articles retrieved through a set of specific keywords from different online database. Afterward, a Multiple Correspondence Analysis has been performed to explore and synthetize the collected information into a small number of ‘factors’.
Influences of isomeric butanol addition on anti-knock tendency of primary reference fuel and toluene primary reference fuel gasoline surrogates
Authors: Fan Yunchu , Duan Yaozong , Han Dong , Qiao Xinqi , Huang Zhen
Published: May 2019

The anti-knock tendency of blends of butanol isomers and two gasoline surrogates (primary reference fuels and toluene primary reference fuels) was studied on a single-cylinder cooperative fuel research engine. The effects of butanol molecular structure (n-butanol, i-butanol, s-butanol and t-butanol) and butanol addition percentage on fuel research octane numbers were investigated. The experimental results revealed that butanol addition to either PRF80 or TPRF80 increased research octane numbers, and the research octane numbers of fuel blends showed higher linearity with the molar percentage than with the volumetric percentage of butanol addition. Furthermore, the research octane number boosting effects of butanol isomers were observed to change with the fuel compositions, that is, i-butanol >s-butanol >n-butanol >t-butanol for primary reference fuels and i-butanol >s-butanol >t-butanol >n-butanol for toluene primary reference fuels. In addition, butanol/primary reference fuel blends exhibited higher research octane numbers than butanol/toluene primary reference fuel blends. We thereafter tried to elucidate the underlying fuel combustion kinetics for the observed anti-knock quality of different butanol/gasoline surrogate blends. It was found that the measured research octane numbers of fuel blends showed the best correlation with the calculated ignition delay times at the thermodynamic condition of 770 K and 2 MPa, and the reaction sensitivity analysis in auto-ignition at this condition revealed that the H-abstraction reactions of butanol isomers by OH radical suppressed fuel reactivity, thus elevating the fuel research octane numbers when butanol was added to the gasoline surrogates. Compared with the butanol/primary reference fuel blends, the positive sensitive reactions related to n-heptane were of higher importance, while the inhibitive effects of sensitive reactions related to butanol and iso-octane decreased for the toluene primary reference fuel/butanol blends, thus leading to lower research octane numbers of the toluene primary reference fuel/butanol blends than those of the butanol/primary reference fuel blends.
Reflections on the affective contributions to research success in two participatory projects in Colombia
Authors: Hammelman Colleen , Buitrago Arias Cesar , Cuadros Uriel , Hayes-Conroy Allison , Muñoz Diana , Quintero Ximena , Saenz Montoya Alexis
Published: May 2019

Participatory research increasingly seeks tangible outcomes contributing to social transformation. We reflexively examine the role of affect in two participatory research projects in Colombia to argue that intentionally making space for and reflecting on affective experiences can help generate more effective research. Such ‘praxis of affect’ focused on building social bonds, demonstrating solidarity, distributing expertise, and sharing hope were critical for sustaining motivation toward the research endeavor and social transformation efforts. This article contributes to literature on participatory research by considering ways to implement socially-responsible research that creates momentarily affective spaces and recasts the desire for more durable outcomes in such spaces.
Max Weber and the tragedy of politics: Reflections on unintended consequences of action
Authors: Turner Bryan S.
Published: May 2019

The article examines Max Weber’s Politics as a Vocation within the broader context of his sociology through an examination of the unintended consequences of action. This speech, alongside Science as a Vocation, from the end of his life is interpreted as a classic example of Weber’s pessimistic sociology in which the unintended consequences of action are typically negative and potentially destructive. The article, however, concludes with an examination of other political articles and speeches from the years immediately following the end of the War in which Weber examines the positive prospects for political reform. Despite Weber’s admiration for the success of democratic institutions in the United States and Great Britain, Weber’s legacy, such as his references to ‘caesarism’ in connection with mass democracy, is entangled controversially with the politico-juridical publications of Carl Schmitt and the crisis of democracy resulting in European fascism.
Speaking in Public: What Women Say about Working in the Video Game Industry
Authors: de Castell Suzanne , Skardzius Karen
Published: May 2019

Since the 1990s, conversations about the dearth of women working in the video game industry have centered on three topics: (1) ways to draw more women into the field, (2) the experiences of women working in the industry, and (3) the experiences of those who once worked in the industry but left. Although there has been considerable research on the conditions and occupational identities of video game developers, less scholarly attention has been devoted to women in gameswork, the barriers/obstacles and challenges/opportunities they face, and how they talk about their experiences. This article offers a feminist approach that demonstrates how discourse focused on affect can be reread as intimately related to silences about power and how the rhetorical constraints that public speech imposes upon what can be said about “women in games” aid us in understanding what might remain unspoken, and why.
Icariin-Loaded Polyvinyl Alcohol/Agar Hydrogel: Development, Characterization, and In Vivo Evaluation in a Full-Thickness Burn Model
Authors: Uppuluri Varuna Naga Venkata Arjun , Shanmugarajan T. S.
Published: May 2019

Tissue regeneration has become a promising strategy for repairing damaged skin tissues. Among the hydrogels for tissue regeneration applications, topical hydrogels have demonstrated great potential for use as 3D-scaffolds in the burn wound healing process. Currently, no report has been published specifically on icariin-loaded polyvinyl alcohol (PVA)/agar hydrogel on full-thickness burn wounds. In the present study, burn tissue regeneration based on biomimetic hydrogel scaffolds was used for repairing damaged extracellular matrix. Furthermore, a skin burn model was developed in rats, and the icariin-loaded PVA/agar hydrogels were implanted into the damaged portions. The regeneration of the damaged tissues with the help of the icariin-loaded hydrogel group exhibited new translucent skin tissues and repaired extracellular matrix, indicating that the hydrogel can enhance the wound healing process. Moreover, characterization studies such as X-ray diffraction, Fourier-transformed infrared spectroscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry reported the extent of compatibility between icariin and its polymers. Results of the field emission scanning electron microscopy images revealed the extent of the spread of icariin within the polymer-based hydrogel. Furthermore, the wound healing potential, confirmed by histopathological and histochemical findings at the end of 21 days, revealed the visual evidence for the biomimetic property of icariin-loaded PVA/agar hydrogel scaffolds with the extracellular matrix for tissue regeneration.
Self-Efficacy and Resilience: Mediating Mechanisms in the Relationship Between the Transformational Leadership Dimensions and Well-Being
Authors: Djourova Nia Plamenova , Rodríguez Molina Isabel , Tordera Santamatilde Nuria , Abate Gebeyehu
Published: May 2019

The objective of this article is to test the roles of self-efficacy and resilience as consecutive mediators in the relationship between the four dimensions of transformational leadership and well-being (operationalized as psychosomatic complaints and psychological distress). The sample consists of 225 social services employees in Spain. Data were gathered at two time points with a time-lag of 6 months. We used path analysis to test the hypothesized model and Monte Carlo confidence intervals to check the significance of the indirect effects. Our results showed that only two of the four transformational leadership dimensions have a direct impact on self-efficacy: inspirational motivation and individualized consideration, although contrary to our hypothesis, the latter had a negative effect on self-efficacy. As for the indirect effects, self-efficacy did not mediate between the leadership dimensions and well-being, whereas resilience mediated between self-efficacy and well-being. Self-efficacy and resilience consecutively mediated between the leadership dimensions and well-being. Our findings contribute to understanding the underlying mechanisms connecting different dimensions of transformational leadership and well-being, and they highlight the importance of developing employees’ personal resources.
Brother or ‘Other’? Transformation of strategic narratives in Russian television news during the Ukrainian crisis
Authors: Khaldarova Irina
Published: May 2019

This article explores how Russian television news deconstructed the narrative embracing Ukrainians as ‘brothers’ through repositioning them within an imagined social reality wherein Ukrainians assume the guise of a threatening ‘Other’. The research material comprises extracts from Channel One, which is one of Russia’s most significant and popular television channels. The data was collected from the channel’s website over two years from 1 November 2012 to 31 October 2014. The sample of 480 news stories was selected on the basis of tag words and engagement with the stories on social media. Frames comprising visual, auditory and textual streams were analysed to explore the narratives about Ukrainians that were promulgated both before and during the Ukrainian crisis. The data revealed that, prior to the conflict, the media portrayed Ukraine as Russia’s ‘little brother’. Following Euromaidan, Channel One replaced this guise with that of an enemy in order to appeal directly to the cultural and spiritual values of its audience. Applying the conceptual framework of strategic narrative, the study illustrates the dynamics at play in the transformation of one image into another.
The history gap: Collective memory, journalism, and public discourse on racial achievement disparities in progressive communities
Authors: Cieslik-Miskimen Caitlin , Robinson Sue
Published: May 2019

This study examines the way history is invoked in discussions about the racial achievement gap in three progressive cities in the United States. It considers how community members and institutions have tried to act as keepers of collective memory—and to subvert that collective through counter-memories—through various public communication channels. Using interviews and textual analysis, this study builds an argument about how K-12 racial achievement gaps are covered with a present-mindedness that obscures the historic social, cultural, and economic forces that created opportunity disparities between student groups. The journalism on these disparities, with its limited historical contextualization, reifies the dominant progressive ideology in all of these cities. This study found that in place of traditional media and any formal historicizing, city officials, activists, and alternative online publications stepped in to “remember” in sometimes more complex but often polemic ways that created a politicized, divisive bricolage of historical interpretation.
Wire bristle foreign body: Never in the same place twice
Authors: Prince Andrew DP , Bauer Ashley M , Xie Yanjun , Prince Mark EP
Published: May 2019

Foreign body ingestion is a common reason for visiting the emergency room. Foreign bodies can lodge anywhere in the upper aerodigestive tract and can sometimes be difficult to extract. Wire bristles that dislodge from grill-cleaning wire brushes and which are then accidentally swallowed can be particularly challenging to remove due to their small size, propensity to become embedded, and their ability to migrate through tissues. This case reveals the speed with which wire bristle foreign bodies can migrate through tissues and exemplifies the need to obtain computerized tomography evaluations in close proximity to any planned attempt to remove them.
Acute pectoralis major tears in active duty US military personnel: Midterm outcomes of repairs performed in the forward-deployed setting
Authors: Salazar Dane , Davis William , Shakir Irshad , Joe Keith , Choate W Steven
Published: May 2019

Purpose:

To report midterm outcomes of a series of acute pectoralis major tears repaired surgically in the deployed setting in active duty military personnel.

Methods:

Analysis of acute pectoralis major tears treated at one expeditionary medical treatment facility during a 4-month time frame.

Results:

Nine male patients with a mean age of 32 years (23–52) were diagnosed with tears; seven underwent operative fixation in the forward deployed setting. All injuries occurred during bench press, with the dominant upper extremity involved 56% of the time. With an average final follow-up of 4.1 years, the mean disabilities of the arm shoulder and hand score was 35.71 (range 31–41) and the mean American shoulder and elbow surgeons score was 90.71 (range 87–95). All personnel returned to their preinjury jobs with an average return to full preinjury function occurring at 7 months (range 4.5–10.5 months) in the operative group.

Conclusions:

Combat-deployed active duty US military personnel likely represent a high-risk population for this injury. Our study demonstrates that with at least 4 years of follow-up, surgical repair with a trough and trans-osseous repair technique was technically feasible and clinically successful in the deployed setting. Although this treatment may be considered in rare individual cases moving forward, due to the lengthy postoperative restrictions, inability to return back to duty in a timely manner, and lengthy rehabilitation, we no longer recommend this surgery be performed in theater.
Pairwise visual comparison of small RNA secondary structures with base pair probabilities
Authors: Léger Serge , Costa Maria Beatriz Walter , Tulpan Dan
Published: May 2019

Background

Predicted RNA secondary structures are typically visualized using dot-plots for base pair binding probabilities and planar graphs for unique structures, such as the minimum free energy structure. These are however difficult to analyze simultaneously.

Results

This work introduces a compact unified view of the most stable conformation of an RNA secondary structure and its base pair probabilities, which is called the Circular Secondary Structure Base Pairs Probabilities Plot (CS2BP2-Plot). Along with our design we provide access to a web server implementation of our solution that facilitates pairwise comparison of short RNA (and DNA) sequences up to 200 base pairs. The web server first calculates the minimum free energy secondary structure and the base pair probabilities for up to 10 RNA or DNA sequences using RNAfold and then provides a two panel comparative view that includes CS2BP2-Plots along with the traditional graph, planar and circular diagrams obtained with VARNA. The CS2BP2-Plots include highlighting of the nucleotide differences between two selected sequences using ClustalW local alignments. We also provide descriptive statistics, dot-bracket secondary structure representations and ClustalW local alignments for compared sequences.

Conclusions

Using circular diagrams and colour and weight-coded arcs, we demonstrate how a single image can replace the state-of-the-art dual representations (dot-plots and minimum free energy structures) for base-pair probabilities of RNA secondary structures while allowing efficient exploration and comparison of different RNA conformations via a web server front end. With that, we provide the community, especially the biologically oriented, with an intuitive tool for ncRNA visualization.

Web-server:https://cs2bp2plot.cluster.gctools.nrc.ca/
Prestack and poststack inversion using a physics-guided convolutional neural network
Authors: Biswas Reetam , Sen Mrinal K. , Das Vishal , Mukerji Tapan
Published: May 2019

An inversion algorithm is commonly used to estimate the elastic properties, such as P-wave velocity ([Formula: see text]), S-wave velocity ([Formula: see text]), and density ([Formula: see text]) of the earth’s subsurface. Generally, the seismic inversion problem is solved using one of the traditional optimization algorithms. These algorithms start with a given model and update the model at each iteration, following a physics-based rule. The algorithm is applied at each common depth point (CDP) independently to estimate the elastic parameters. Here, we have developed a technique using the convolutional neural network (CNN) to solve the same problem. We perform two critical steps to take advantage of the generalization capability of CNN and the physics to generate synthetic data for a meaningful representation of the subsurface. First, rather than using CNN as in a classification type of problem, which is the standard approach, we modified the CNN to solve a regression problem to estimate the elastic properties. Second, again unlike the conventional CNN, which is trained by supervised learning with predetermined label (elastic parameter) values, we use the physics of our forward problem to train the weights. There are two parts of the network: The first is the convolution network, which takes the input as seismic data to predict the elastic parameters, which is the desired intermediate result. In the second part of the network, we use wave-propagation physics and we use the output of the CNN to generate the predicted seismic data for comparison with the actual data and calculation of the error. This error between the true and predicted seismograms is then used to calculate gradients, and update the weights in the CNN. After the network is trained, only the first part of the network can be used to estimate elastic properties at remaining CDPs directly. We determine the application of physics-guided CNN on prestack and poststack inversion problems. To explain how the algorithm works, we examine it using a conventional CNN workflow without any physics guidance. We first implement the algorithm on a synthetic data set for prestack and poststack data and then apply it to a real data set from the Cana field. In all the training examples, we use a maximum of 20% of data. Our approach offers a distinct advantage over a conventional machine-learning approach in that we circumvent the need for labeled data sets for training.
Discovery of Noncancer Drug Effects on Survival in Electronic Health Records of Patients With Cancer: A New Paradigm for Drug Repurposing
Authors: Wu Yonghui , Warner Jeremy L. , Wang Liwei , Jiang Min , Xu Jun , Chen Qingxia , Nian Hui , Dai Qi , Du Xianglin , Yang Ping , Denny Joshua C. , Liu Hongfang , Xu Hua
Published: May 2019

PURPOSE

Drug development is becoming increasingly expensive and time consuming. Drug repurposing is one potential solution to accelerate drug discovery. However, limited research exists on the use of electronic health record (EHR) data for drug repurposing, and most published studies have been conducted in a hypothesis-driven manner that requires a predefined hypothesis about drugs and new indications. Whether EHRs can be used to detect drug repurposing signals is not clear. We want to demonstrate the feasibility of mining large, longitudinal EHRs for drug repurposing by detecting candidate noncancer drugs that can potentially be used for the treatment of cancer.

PATIENTS AND METHODS

By linking cancer registry data to EHRs, we identified 43,310 patients with cancer treated at Vanderbilt University Medical Center (VUMC) and 98,366 treated at the Mayo Clinic. We assessed the effect of 146 noncancer drugs on cancer survival using VUMC EHR data and sought to replicate significant associations (false discovery rate < .1) using the identical approach with Mayo Clinic EHR data. To evaluate replicated signals further, we reviewed the biomedical literature and clinical trials on cancers for corroborating evidence.

RESULTS

We identified 22 drugs from six drug classes (statins, proton pump inhibitors, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors, β-blockers, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, and α-1 blockers) associated with improved overall cancer survival (false discovery rate < .1) from VUMC; nine of the 22 drug associations were replicated at the Mayo Clinic. Literature and cancer clinical trial evaluations also showed very strong evidence to support the repurposing signals from EHRs.

CONCLUSION

Mining of EHRs for drug exposure–mediated survival signals is feasible and identifies potential candidates for antineoplastic repurposing. This study sets up a new model of mining EHRs for drug repurposing signals.
Regulation of Notch signaling by the chromatin-modeling protein Hat-trick
Authors: Singh Ankita , Paul Maimuna S. , Dutta Debdeep , Mutsuddi Mousumi , Mukherjee Ashim
Published: May 2019

Notch signaling plays a pleiotropic role in a variety of cellular processes, including cell fate determination, differentiation, proliferation and apoptosis. The increasingly complex regulatory mechanisms of Notch signaling account for the many functions of Notch during development. Using a yeast two-hybrid screen, we identiﬁed the Drosophila DNA-binding protein Hat-trick (Htk) to be an interacting partner of Notch-intracellular domain (Notch-ICD); their physical interaction was further validated by co-immunoprecipitation experiments. htk genetically interacts with Notch pathway components in trans-heterozygous combinations. Loss of htk function in htk mutant somatic clones resulted in the downregulation of Notch targets, whereas its overexpression caused ectopic expression of Notch targets, without affecting the level of the Notch protein. In the present study, immunocytochemical analyses demonstrate that Htk and overexpressed Notch-ICD colocalize in the same nuclear compartment. Here, we also show that Htk cooperates with Notch-ICD and Suppressor of Hairless to form an activation complex and binds to the regulatory sequences of Notch downstream targets such as Enhancer of Split complex genes, to direct their expression. Together, our results suggest a novel mode of regulation of Notch signaling by the chromatin-modeling protein Htk.