bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Two-Stage Deep Neural Network Framework for Precipitation Estimation from Bispectral Satellite Information
Authors: Tao Yumeng , Hsu Kuolin , Ihler Alexander , Gao Xiaogang , Sorooshian Soroosh
Published: January 2018

Compared to ground precipitation measurements, satellite-based precipitation estimation products have the advantage of global coverage and high spatiotemporal resolutions. However, the accuracy of satellite-based precipitation products is still insufficient to serve many weather, climate, and hydrologic applications at high resolutions. In this paper, the authors develop a state-of-the-art deep learning framework for precipitation estimation using bispectral satellite information, infrared (IR), and water vapor (WV) channels. Specifically, a two-stage framework for precipitation estimation from bispectral information is designed, consisting of an initial rain/no-rain (R/NR) binary classification, followed by a second stage estimating the nonzero precipitation amount. In the first stage, the model aims to eliminate the large fraction of NR pixels and to delineate precipitation regions precisely. In the second stage, the model aims to estimate the pointwise precipitation amount accurately while preserving its heavily skewed distribution. Stacked denoising autoencoders (SDAEs), a commonly used deep learning method, are applied in both stages. Performance is evaluated along a number of common performance measures, including both R/NR and real-valued precipitation accuracy, and compared with an operational product, Precipitation Estimation from Remotely Sensed Information Using Artificial Neural Networks–Cloud Classification System (PERSIANN-CCS). For R/NR binary classification, the proposed two-stage model outperforms PERSIANN-CCS by 32.56% in the critical success index (CSI). For real-valued precipitation estimation, the two-stage model is 23.40% lower in average bias, is 44.52% lower in average mean squared error, and has a 27.21% higher correlation coefficient. Hence, the two-stage deep learning framework has the potential to serve as a more accurate and more reliable satellite-based precipitation estimation product. The authors also provide some future directions for development of satellite-based precipitation estimation products in both incorporating auxiliary information and improving retrieval algorithms.
Theorizing Business and Local Peacebuilding Through the “Footprints of Peace” Coffee Project in Rural Colombia
Authors: Miklian Jason , Medina Bickel Juan Pablo
Published: January 2018

Despite emerging study of business initiatives that attempt to support local peace and development, we still have significant knowledge gaps on their effectiveness and efficiency. This article builds theory on business engagements for peace through exploration of the Footprints for Peace (FOP) peacebuilding project by the Federación Nacional de Cafeteros de Colombia (FNC). FOP was a business-peace initiative that attempted to improve the lives of vulnerable populations in conflict-affected regions. Through 70 stakeholder interviews, we show how FOP operationalized local peace and development in four conflict-affected departments of Colombia, and examine FNC’s motivations for and effectiveness of its peacebuilding activities. Our main finding is that FOP’s success supported several existing theories on business engagement in peace both in terms of peacebuilding by business and for local economic and societal development, providing evidence in support of development–business collaborations and local peacebuilding by business under certain targeted circumstances. We relate these findings to existing literature, highlighting where existing business-peace theory is supported, where FOP challenged assumptions, and where it illuminated new research gaps. These findings serve to take business-peace theory forward and improve our understandings of what can constitute success for business-peace initiatives in Colombia and possibly other conflict-affected regions.
Changing ideas, changing norms: The case of ‘the responsibility to rebuild’
Authors: Donovan Outi
Published: January 2018

Whilst much has been written on emergence of new norms in international politics, we know significantly less about changes to the ideas and assumptions that underpin such norms. Examined at micro-level, most norms consist of a set of ideas and assumptions that form the basis of what is considered as appropriate, legitimate or even the required thing to do. Far from being stable, ideational constitutions of norms can undergo significant changes in the course of the norm emergence process. Enquiring into such changes is important if we are to move beyond static and linear accounts of norm evolution. Using changes in the ideational constitution of the responsibility to protect – specifically, the de-emphasis of the responsibility to rebuild – as its vantage point, the analysis seeks to answer the following question: what drives change in ideational constitutions of international norms? The chief argument advanced in this article is that misalignments at the level of broader normative structures (external misalignments) and within norms (internal misalignments) result in changes in the ideational constitutions of emerging norms.
Explaining Cyberstalking Victimization Against College Women Using a Multitheoretical Approach: Self-Control, Opportunity, and Control Balance
Authors: Reyns Bradford W. , Fisher Bonnie S. , Randa Ryan
Published: January 2018

The foci of the present study are to estimate the extent of cyberstalking victimization, and develop, specify, and test a theoretically based model of cyberstalking victimization among college women. A pursuit- and fear-based measure of victimization was utilized, and three leading theories—self-control, opportunity, and control balance—were tested as explanations of cyberstalking victimization. Key concepts from each theoretical perspective were operationalized using primary survey data from a probability sample of college women ( N = 1,987) from two large universities. Results show that approximately 3.4% of female students were victims of cyberstalking during the academic year. Findings from a path model revealed significant direct effects for opportunity and having a control deficit on cyberstalking. The effects of self-control were indirect through these two measures, whereas having a control surplus was not related to victimization risk. Overall, findings support the application of these three theoretical approaches to predicting and explaining cyberstalking victimization.
Urban School Success: Lessons From a High-Achieving Urban School, and Students’ Reactions to Ferguson, Missouri
Authors: Wiggan Greg , Watson-Vandiver Marcia J.
Published: January 2018

Due to the recent racially motivated killings in Ferguson, Missouri (2014); Staten Island, New York (2014); Cleveland, Ohio (2014); Charleston, South Carolina (2015); Baton Rouge, Louisiana (2016); and Dallas, Texas (2016), racial and ethnic tensions have heightened across the United States. Whereas schools would seem like optimal spaces for racial inquiry and promoting understanding, most classroom lessons have been standardized to avoid critical race discussions. Thus, the transformative power of education is restricted when conversations about real issues in society are avoided. This qualitative case study examines Fannie Lou Hamer Academy (FLHA)—pseudonym, a high-performing urban school that utilizes critical antiracism education. The findings suggest that multicultural curriculum helps students develop “self-knowledge,” meaning a personal awareness of their race and identity. Participants describe how self-knowledge provides corrective history, a response to negative media portrayals of minorities, and helps students understand current events such as the racial unrest in Ferguson, Missouri. The implications of these findings reveal the central role of the curriculum in shaping positive student identities and helping to mediate social conflicts.
Majority World theologizing: Muslim background believer perspectives regarding insider movements
Authors: Seckler Tom W.
Published: January 2018

In recent decades, the phenomenon of “insider movements” has emerged as a significant component of Christian ministry to Muslims especially. Insider movements are complex, controversial, and the subject of much academic debate. Most of the scholars writing on insider movements do not come from a Muslim background. While they have added much to the academic discussion, it is also important to hear from scholars and practitioners who themselves come from a Muslim background. They are living as Christ-followers, often in Muslim contexts, and are wrestling with and forming their own opinions of insider movements, even as they seek to theologically evaluate them with scriptural truth. This paper explores the perspectives of several Muslim background believers in Christ regarding insider movements and is based on an examination of their published writings and interviews. It highlights and summarizes a portion of those writings, reveals a diversity of perspectives on the subject, and seeks to represent the voices and varied opinions of the authors about insider movements.
Ecclesiology today and its potential to serve a missionary church
Authors: Colberg Kristin
Published: January 2018

This article engages the theme of the 2017 meeting of the American Society of Missiology: “Missiology’s Dialogue Partners: Practitioners and Scholars Conversing about the Future of Mission.” It seeks to contribute to that conversation by providing a survey of the discipline of ecclesiology with an eye towards how it might learn from the field of mission and how it might inform it. This exploration begins by defining some of the goals, methods, and boundaries of the field of ecclesiology. It then considers three critical issues at the forefront of ecclesiological work today: 1) questions emanating from the ecumenical sphere; 2) shifting demographics within Christianity and corresponding calls for new ecclesial structures, and 3) the necessity of a more robust engagement between ecclesiology and the social sciences. The concluding section offers some reflections about how the current state of ecclesiology might provide glimpses of the future of ecclesiology and what light it might shine on the future of missiology.
Rigorous missiological research using qualitative inquiry
Authors: Starcher Richard L. , Dzubinski Leanne M. , Sanchez Jamie N.
Published: January 2018

Over the years, we (the authors) have fielded many questions concerning qualitative inquiry (i.e., research whose findings are reported in descriptive narrative rather than concrete numbers). An oft-repeated theme of these questions concerns rigor (e.g., how can the study be rigorous when you collect people’s perceptions of things?). Hence, this article primarily addresses the issue of rigor in qualitative inquiry. However, given that rigor in qualitative inquiry touches on every aspect of its design and implementation, we have chosen to embed our discussion of rigor in an overview of what a qualitative inquiry consists of, as it is practiced in numerous academic contexts all around the globe. Taken in its entirely, the article seeks to enhance readers’ appreciation for the qualitative research paradigm, to whet their appetite to deepen their understanding of it, and to encourage them learn more about it so they might employ it rigorously in their own missiological research.
Re-membering missiology: An invitation to an activist agenda
Authors: Farrell B. Hunter
Published: January 2018

In this article, I will argue that US mission practitioners, more than at anytime in the last century, need missiologists to bring research, writing, and teaching to bear on mission as practiced by US Christians, local parishes and congregations, and mission agencies, in part because of the profound changes in the nature and composition of what constitutes mission leadership today and the methodologies employed by those leaders. This need is rendered all the more urgent by what I will describe as the crisis in US mission practice which I will outline in detail. To respond to this sobering description of our engagement with God’s mission, I will propose the adoption of an “activist missiology,” along the lines of the growing school of activist anthropology pioneered by Charles Hale, Nancy Scheper-Hughes, and others.
Considering Benedict options: missiological reflections in a fractious age
Authors: Kollman Paul V.
Published: January 2018

An adequate missiology depends, among other things, on a grasp of the present reality in which missiological reflection happens. The past few years of global political transformation invite consideration of a missiology adequate for the present fractiousness. This paper sketches three possible missiological stances for Christian communities to take vis-a-vis the world, each framed as a Benedict option. Option one derives from Rod Dreher’s book The Benedict Option and urges strategic withdrawal from the world, inspired by St. Benedict. Option two draws inspiration from Pope Benedict XVI and advances intellectual inquiry and understanding. Option three looks back to Pope Benedict XV to highlight ecclesial engagement in addressing social issues. An adequate missiology need not choose one option to the exclusion of the others. Instead it must draw upon critical theologies of Christ and church to forge missional faithfulness, an especially critical task in a fractious age.
Development of the Nonverbal Cues of Interpersonal Violence Inventory: Law Enforcement Officers’ Perceptions of Nonverbal Behavior and Violence
Authors: Sweet Dawn M. , Burzette Rebecca G.
Published: January 2018

Across two studies, we investigated nonverbal behaviors perceived to precede imminent interpersonal violence. Study 1 identified the six-factor structure of the Nonverbal Cues of Interpersonal Violence (NCIV) and also examined differences in perceptions of imminent interpersonal violence between law enforcement and laypersons. Study 2 confirmed the six-factor structure of the NCIV. Findings suggest that the behaviors most likely to be perceived to precede imminent interpersonal violence are related to the fight or flight response, an acute stress response that elicits physiological reactions such as increased heart rate, sweating, and face flushing. Understanding the visible behaviors perceived to be associated with the fight or flight response could enable one to predict another person’s course of action. Findings suggest the need for additional research to investigate to what extent the factor structure of the NCIV could reliably predict imminent interpersonal violence.
Assessing Mand Topography Preference When Developing a Functional Communication Training Intervention
Authors: Kunnavatana S. Shanun , Wolfe Katie , Aguilar Alexandra N.
Published: January 2018

Functional communication training (FCT) is a common function-based behavioral intervention used to decrease problem behavior by teaching an alternative communication response. Therapists often arbitrarily select the topography of the alternative response, which may influence long-term effectiveness of the intervention. Assessing individual mand topography preference may increase treatment effectiveness and promote self-determination in the development of interventions. This study sought to reduce arbitrary selection of FCT mand topography by determining preference during response training and acquisition for two adults with autism who had no functional communication skills. Both participants demonstrated a clear preference for one mand topography during choice probes, and the preferred topography was then reinforced during FCT to reduce problem behavior and increase independent communication. The implications of the results for future research on mand selection during FCT are discussed.
Ultrasound Shear Wave Elastography of the Normal Prostate: Interobserver Reproducibility and Comparison with Functional Magnetic Resonance Tissue Characteristics
Authors: Harvey Hugh , Morgan Veronica , Fromageau Jeremie , O’Shea Tuathan , Bamber Jeffrey , deSouza Nandita M.
Published: January 2018

The purpose of this study was to establish interobserver reproducibility of Young’s modulus (YM) derived from ultrasound shear wave elastography (US-SWE) in the normal prostate and correlate it with multiparametric magnetic resonance imaging (mpMRI) tissue characteristics. Twenty men being screened for prostate cancer underwent same-day US-SWE (10 done by two blinded, newly-trained observers) and mpMRI followed by 12-core biopsy. Bland–Altman plots established limits of agreement for YM. Quantitative data from the peripheral zone (PZ) and the transitional zone (TZ) for YM, apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC, mm2/s from diffusion-weighted MRI), and Ktrans (volume transfer coefficient, min−1), Ve (extravascular-extracellular space, %), Kep (rate constant, /min), and initial area under the gadolinium concentration curve (IAUGC60, mmol/L/s) from dynamic contrast–enhanced MRI were obtained for slice-matched prostate sextants. Interobserver intraclass correlation coefficients were fair to good for individual regions (PZ = 0.57, TZ = 0.65) and for whole gland 0.67, (increasing to 0.81 when corrected for systematic observer bias). In the PZ, there were weak negative correlations between YM and ADC ( p = 0.008), and Ve ( p = 0.01) and a weak positive correlation with Kep ( p = 0.003). No significant intermodality correlations were seen in the TZ. Transrectal prostate US-SWE done without controlling manually applied probe pressure has fair/good interobserver reproducibility in inexperienced observers with potential to improve this to excellent by standardization of probe contact pressure. Within the PZ, increase in tissue stiffness is associated with reduced extracellular water (decreased ADC) and space (reduced Ve).
Welfare conditionality and social marginality: The folly of the tutelary state?
Authors: Fletcher Del Roy , Flint John
Published: January 2018

In a contemporary evolution of the tutelary state, welfare reform in the United Kingdom has been characterised by moves towards greater conditionality and sanctioning. This is influenced by the attributing responsibility for poverty and unemployment to the behaviour of marginalised individuals. Mead (1992) has argued that the poor are dependants who ought to receive support on condition of certain restrictions imposed by a protective state that will incentivise engagement with support mechanisms. This article examines how the contemporary tutelary and therapeutic state has responded to new forms of social marginality. Drawing on a series of in-depth interviews conducted with welfare claimants with an offending background in England and Scotland, the article examines their encounters with the welfare system and argues that alienation, rather than engagement with support, increasingly characterises their experiences.
Initial acquisition of tense-aspect morphology in an artificial language
Authors: Mueller Charles M
Published: January 2018

Various explanations have been put forth for the asymmetrical acquisition of tense and aspect morphology across categories of lexical aspect. This experiment tested the adequacy of a subset of such accounts by examining English native speakers’ ( n = 40) use of progressive and past tense morphology within activity and accomplishment verb frames during their early acquisition of a miniature artificial language. Participants completed a lesson in which types and tokens of lexical aspect and past and present morphology were balanced. Although significant effects at p < .05 were found for lexical aspect and morphological marking, the interaction between these factors, expected by the aspect hypothesis, was non-significant. The experiment suggests that the effects of lexical aspect may be absent during the earliest phases of second language acquisition or may be due to factors methodologically excluded in this study such as distributional biases in second language input.
Reanalysing object gaps during non-native sentence processing: Evidence from ERPs
Authors: Jessen Anna , Felser Claudia
Published: January 2018

The present study used event related potentials (ERPs) to investigate how native (L1) German-speaking second-language (L2) learners of English process sentences containing filler-gap dependencies such as Bill liked the house (women) that Bob built some ornaments for __ at his workplace. Using an experimental design which allowed us to dissociate filler integration from reanalysis effects, we found that fillers which were implausible as direct objects of the embedded verb (e.g. built the women) elicited similar brain responses (an N400) in L1 and L2 speakers when the verb was encountered. This confirms findings from behavioral and eye-movement studies indicating that both L1 and L2 speakers immediately try to integrate a filler with a potential lexical licensor. L1/L2 differences were observed when subsequent sentence material signaled that the direct-object analysis was in fact incorrect, however. We found reanalysis effects, in the shape of a P600 for sentences containing fillers that were plausible direct objects only for L2 speakers, but not for the L1 group. This supports previous findings suggesting that L2 comprehenders recover from an initially plausible first analysis less easily than L1 speakers.
Threat Perceptions of Migrants in Britain and Support for Policy
Authors: Stansfield Richard , Stone Brenna
Published: January 2018

Arguments that migrants represent a threat to the Britain are often cast in terms of impact on the economy and a criminal threat to Britain’s streets. We examine the impact of these attitudes on support for policies curtailing the rights of European Union (EU) and non-EU migrants in the United Kingdom separately, as well as their implications for support for punitive criminal sanctions. Using data on a nationally representative sample of Britons, results indicate that perceptions of migrants as a criminal threat have a greater effect on support for curtailing rights of EU migrants, more so than economic threat, suggesting that British citizens invoke deep rooted stereotypes about EU migrants as criminal when choosing their preferences. Criminal threat is also associated with support for more punitive criminal sanctions. Thus, threat narratives, especially narratives of immigrant crime, could be instrumental in public support for policy, but different narratives are associated with EU and non-EU migrants.
The Limits of Homonormativity: Constructions of Bisexual and Transgender People in the Post-gay Era
Authors: Mathers Lain A. B. , Sumerau J. E. , Cragun Ryan T.
Published: January 2018

This article addresses limitations of homonormativity in the pursuit of sexual and gender equality. Based on 20 interviews with cisgender, heterosexual Christian women, we demonstrate how even people who support same-sex marriage and some recognition of cisgender lesbian and gay people as potentially moral individuals may continue marginalization of transgender and bisexual people in their interpretations of gender, sexualities, and religion. We outline two generic processes in the reproduction of inequality which we name (1) deleting and (2) denigrating whereby people may socially construct transgender and bisexual existence as unnatural and unwelcome despite gains for cisgender lesbian and gay people. We argue that examining the social construction of bisexual and transgender people may provide insight into (1) limitations of homonormativity in the pursuit of sexual and/or gender liberation, (2) transgender and bisexual experience, and (3) the relative absence of bisexual and transgender focused analyses in sociology to date.
Community Conversations and Transition Systems Change
Authors: Flippo Karen , Butterworth John
Published: January 2018

Within the sphere of transition to integrated employment, systems change impacts all aspects of services and supports from broad-based policies addressing funding and contracting to performance management. Although the policymaking obligations of employment systems change rests with governmental agencies, the actual implementation of policies is dependent on those either delivering the services (e.g., such as teachers, transition specialists, service coordinators, and vocational rehabilitation counselors) or those experiencing services (e.g., individuals with disabilities and their families and businesses). The purpose of the Partnerships in Employment National Transition to Employment Systems Change Project was to address state policies and practices to improve transition to postsecondary education and employment outcomes for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities. Several states incorporated community conversations as a strategy to build consensus for systems change at the grassroots level. We provide an overview of this work and address the ways community conversations contributed to state policy and practice development. We also offer recommendations for how this approach can be used to inform and spur policy change.
Translating Evidence-Based Practices to Usable Interventions for Young Children With Autism
Authors: Johnson LeAnne D. , Fleury Veronica , Ford Andrea , Rudolph Brenna , Young Kelsey
Published: January 2018

Increased numbers of young children identified with autism combine with changing paradigms for service delivery models to create a need to ensure that information is available to facilitate implementation of effective practices in children’s natural learning environments. A recent synthesis that identifies evidence-based practices (EBPs) for children with autism is used as the basis for exploring the degree to which existing literature provides information that meaningfully supports the translation of those practices to usable interventions within the routine services provided by educators. Our review of 113 studies focusing on 13 EBPs for children with autism below the age of 6 revealed inconsistent and incomplete reporting within and across practices. Based on this review, we offer a discussion on how the reporting practices of researchers may facilitate or hinder the generation of usable knowledge needed by implementation science when guiding large-scale adoption and use of interventions.
The Theory of Dyadic Illness Management
Authors: Lyons Karen S. , Lee Christopher S.
Published: January 2018

Despite the importance of both members of the adult patient–care partner dyad, a majority of research on illness management is focused on the patient or the care partner. The basic principle of the Theory of Dyadic Illness Management is that illness management is a dyadic phenomenon; the theory focuses extensively on the dyad as an interdependent team. The way dyads appraise illness as a unit influences the ways in which they engage in behaviors to manage illness together in a recursive fashion that influences dyadic health. Optimizing the health of both members of the dyad is a goal of the theory. In turn, the health of the dyad can feedback to influence how they appraise and manage illness together. Finally, dyadic illness management is an inherently variable process that is influenced by several contextual factors. Supportive evidence and implications for practice and future research are presented.
Sex Work and Occupational Homicide: Analysis of a U.K. Murder Database
Authors: Cunningham Stewart , Sanders Teela , Platt Lucy , Grenfell Pippa , Macioti P.G.
Published: January 2018

This article presents an analysis of occupational homicides of sex workers in the United Kingdom, 1990-2016. Characteristics of 110 people murdered between 1990 and 2016 are explored including the location of their murder, ethnicity, migration status, and gender. Key changes over time are noted including an increase in the number of sex workers murdered indoors as well as an increase in murdered migrant sex workers. By developing the concept of “occupational homicide,” we argue that sex worker homicide should be viewed as an occupational issue and that the distinction between work-related homicide and nonwork-related homicide should be accounted for in future studies and is essential to inform prostitution policy.
A Comprehensive Profile of Those Who Have Health-Related Apps
Authors: Chae Jiyoung
Published: January 2018

This study investigated sociodemographic, health-related, technological, and motivational factors associated with having health-related apps. Focusing on motivational factors, this study chose five general healthy intentions (about fruit, vegetable, and soda intake, weight control, and amount of exercise) and examined whether those with intention to change their current state (change group) differ from those who want to maintain (maintain group) or pay no attention to their current state (no attention group). A secondary analysis of data from the Health Information National Trends Survey 4 (Cycle 4), collected from a representative sample of U.S. adults aged 18 years or older, was conducted. Only responses from Internet users were analyzed ( N = 2,802). Regarding sociodemographics, younger individuals and those with higher income were more likely to have health apps. Hispanics and the less educated were less likely to have health apps. Also, technological factors, such as smartphone and Wi-Fi use, were associated with having apps. Regarding motivational factors, Model 1 (no attention group as a reference group) showed differences in having apps between those who wanted to change their weight and those who paid no attention. Model 2 (maintain group as a reference group) revealed a difference between those who tried to change the amount of exercise and those who maintained it. The findings provided a comprehensive profile of those with health apps in the United States: non-Hispanic young people with higher income, higher education, a smartphone, and a Wi-Fi connection who want to change (but not maintain) their weight and amount of exercise.
Prevalence of Bystander Intervention Opportunities and Behaviors Among U.S. Army Soldiers
Authors: Elliman Toby D. , Shannahoff Molly E. , Metzler Jonathan N. , Toblin Robin L.
Published: January 2018

The bystander intervention model is one approach utilized to reduce risky behaviors within the U.S. Army; however, it is unclear how frequently soldiers experience opportunities to intervene and whether they already intervene in such situations. The present analysis aims to ascertain frequencies for opportunities to intervene and the rates at which soldiers intervene when presented with such opportunities. Soldiers ( N = 286) were asked whether they had witnessed particular risky behavior scenarios of interest to the Army (i.e., suicide-related behaviors, alcohol misuse, or sexual harassment/assault) during the previous 2 months and whether they had intervened in those scenarios. Prevalence rates within this sample were calculated to determine the frequency of such situations and subsequent interventions. Logistic regression was used to ascertain any differences in witnessing scenarios by demographic groups. Nearly half (46.8%) of the soldiers reported witnessing at least one scenario involving risky behaviors. Most soldiers who witnessed an event relating to suicide or alcohol misuse also reported consistently intervening (87.9% and 74.4%, respectively), whereas just half consistently intervened in response to scenarios relating to sexual harassment/assault (49.2%). Lower ranking soldiers were twice as likely as higher ranks to witness scenarios involving alcohol misuse (odds ratio = 2.18, 95% confidence interval [1.11, 4.26]) and sexual harassment/assault (odds ratio = 2.21, 95% confidence interval [1.05, 4.62]). These data indicate that soldiers regularly encounter opportunities to intervene in risky behaviors, and while a majority intervened in such scenarios, more training is warranted, particularly around sexual assault and harassment. This supports the notion that bystander intervention training is a worthwhile investment for the Army.
Daylight-Mediated Photodynamic Therapy With Methyl Aminolevulinate in Actinic Keratosis Treatment
Authors: Demay Shantel D. J. , Sharma Kunal , Sapra Sheetal , Sapra Rahul , Sapra Priya
Published: January 2018

Background:

Research has shown daylight-mediated photodynamic therapy (PDT) for the treatment of actinic keratosis (AK) to be effective, tolerable, and convenient, with excellent patient satisfaction and cosmesis. Although success has been demonstrated in areas with similar latitudes to Switzerland and Scandinavia, this treatment has not been studied in a Canadian population.

Objectives:

The purpose of this study is to investigate the effectiveness, safety, and patient satisfaction of daylight-mediated methyl 5-aminolevulinate (MAL)–PDT to make recommendations for its use in Canadian practice.

Methods:

A retrospective chart review of patients who received treatment of daylight-mediated MAL-PDT for the indication of AK at the Institute of Cosmetic and Laser Surgery in Oakville, Ontario, between 2009 and 2016.

Results:

A total of 112 patients were included, consisting of 94 males and 18 females with a mean age of 63.79 years. A total of 177 sites were treated among all patients, mostly consisting of the face (n = 92) and scalp (n = 55). A total of 13.4% of patients experienced side effects, the most common being redness (n = 4) and scabbing (n = 4). Of the 42 patients who expressed their level of satisfaction, 83.3% reported being happy with the treatment, χ2(1) = 18.67, P ≤ .05; 6.3% of patients were noted to be completely clear, 86.6% had a good response, 0.9% had a mild response, and 0% had no response, χ2(1) = 101.04, P ≤ .05.

Conclusions:

Daylight-mediated MAL-PDT is a suitable treatment option for AK lesions in a Canadian population due to the demonstrated efficacy, patient satisfaction, tolerability, and convenience.
ECTRIMS/EAN Guideline on the pharmacological treatment of people with multiple sclerosis
Authors: Montalban Xavier , Gold Ralf , Thompson Alan J , Otero-Romero Susana , Amato Maria Pia , Chandraratna Dhia , Clanet Michel , Comi Giancarlo , Derfuss Tobias , Fazekas Franz , Hartung Hans Peter , Havrdova Eva , Hemmer Bernhard , Kappos Ludwig , Liblau Roland , Lubetzki Catherine , Marcus Elena , Miller David H , Olsson Tomas , Pilling Steve , Selmaj Krysztof , Siva Aksel , Sorensen Per Soelberg , Sormani Maria Pia , Thalheim Christoph , Wiendl Heinz , Zipp Frauke
Published: January 2018

Background:

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a complex disease with new drugs becoming available in the past years. There is a need for a reference tool compiling current data to aid professionals in treatment decisions.

Objectives:

To develop an evidence-based clinical practice guideline for the pharmacological treatment of people with MS.

Methods:

This guideline has been developed using the Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development and Evaluation (GRADE) methodology and following the updated EAN recommendations. Clinical questions were formulated in Patients–Intervention–Comparator–Outcome (PICO) format and outcomes were prioritized. The quality of evidence was rated into four categories according to the risk of bias. The recommendations with assigned strength (strong and weak) were formulated based on the quality of evidence and the risk-benefit balance. Consensus between the panelists was reached by use of the modified nominal group technique.

Results:

A total of 10 questions were agreed, encompassing treatment efficacy, response criteria, strategies to address suboptimal response and safety concerns and treatment strategies in MS and pregnancy. The guideline takes into account all disease-modifying drugs approved by the European Medicine Agency (EMA) at the time of publication. A total of 21 recommendations were agreed by the guideline working group after three rounds of consensus.

Conclusion:

The present guideline will enable homogeneity of treatment decisions across Europe.
Developmental evaluation: Bridging the gaps between proposal, program, and practice
Authors: Lawrence Rachael B. , Rallis Sharon F. , Davis Laura C. , Harrington Karen
Published: January 2018

Developmental evaluation supports grant-funded initiatives seeking innovation and change. Programs born from aspirational grant language and plans often need guidance as they work toward creating workable models for social innovation. This article describes the challenge of designing and implementing complex programs and presents a case that illustrates how a program moves from proposal to practice. The Massachusetts Charter Public School Association Capacity Building Network is a complex intervention, funded by the US federal government, aimed at raising school capacity to serve students with disabilities and English language learners. Developmental evaluation served to bridge the gaps between an aspirational proposal, an ambitious and ambiguous program plan, and emerging practices to serve this population of students. Jointly reviewing our experience in this developmental evaluation, the evaluation team and a program director share important thematic lessons learned about the developmental evaluation approach.
Politics of policy learning: Evaluating an experiment on free pricing arrangements in Dutch dental care
Authors: Felder Martijn , van de Bovenkamp Hester , de Bont Antoinette
Published: January 2018

In Dutch healthcare, new market mechanisms have been introduced on an experimental basis in an attempt to contain costs and improve quality. Informed by a constructivist approach, we demonstrate that such experiments are not neutral testing grounds. Drawing from semi-structured interviews and policy texts, we reconstruct an experiment on free pricing in dental care that turned into a critical example of market failure, influencing developments in other sectors. Our analysis, however, shows that (1) different market logics and (2) different experimental logics were reproduced simultaneously during the course of the experiment. We furthermore reveal how (3) evaluation and political life influenced which logics were reproduced and became taken as the lessons learned. We use these insights to discuss the role of evaluation in learning from policy experimentation and close with four questions that evaluators could ask to better understand what is learned from policy experiments, how, and why.
What have we learned here? Questioning accountability in aid policy and practice
Authors: Kogen Lauren
Published: January 2018

In recent decades, development donors in the West have touted a shift to rigorous evaluations and evidence-based policymaking in order to address global skepticism regarding the effectiveness of aid. In the accompanying rhetoric, “accountability” and “learning” have been held up as twin pillars that will ensure a more effective aid-making system. This contribution questions the ability of these concepts to improve aid in their current working forms. The contribution offers a revised conceptualization of learning in order to improve funding and funding policy. The revised definition supports two particular areas in which “learning” is sorely needed but which are eschewed in most current institutionalized evaluation rhetoric: developing theory undergirding social change (such as theories relating to gender-based violence) and evaluating project design and implementation processes (such as participatory designs).
Retroactive Edits: 9/11, Television’s Popular Archive, and Shifting Popular Memory
Authors: Scepanski Philip
Published: January 2018

Occasionally, significant events occur after a television show’s production and/or first airing that necessitate changes to the text in reruns, DVDs, and other distribution platforms like Netflix. This phenomenon was on display after 9/11, when shows including 24, Family Guy, Friends, The Simpsons, and others had full episodes and/or specific scenes cut from distribution. This phenomenon demonstrates how television’s popular archive is mutable, popular memory acts as a site of social and political struggle, and production, ancillary markets, official and unofficial distribution, the cultural standing of television and its genres, and other factors interact to determine which aspects of television’s past are available to the public at different moments.
Tai Chi Improves Cognition and Plasma BDNF in Older Adults With Mild Cognitive Impairment: A Randomized Controlled Trial
Authors: Sungkarat Somporn , Boripuntakul Sirinun , Kumfu Sirinart , Lord Stephen R. , Chattipakorn Nipon
Published: January 2018

Background. Effects of Tai Chi (TC) on specific cognitive function and mechanisms by which TC may improve cognition in older adults with amnestic mild cognitive impairment (a-MCI) remain unknown. Objective. To examine the effects of TC on cognitive functions and plasma biomarkers (brain-derived neurotrophic factor [BDNF], tumor necrosis factor-α [TNF-α], and interleukin-10 [IL-10]) in a-MCI. Methods. A total of 66 older adults with a-MCI (mean age = 67.9 years) were randomized to either a TC (n = 33) or a control group (n = 33). Participants in the TC group learned TC with a certified instructor and then practiced at home for 50 min/session, 3 times/wk for 6 months. The control group received educational material that covered information related to cognition. The primary outcome was cognitive performance, including Logical Memory (LM) delayed recall, Block Design, Digit Span, and Trail Making Test B minus A (TMT B-A). The secondary outcomes were plasma biomarkers, including BDNF, TNF-α, and IL-10. Results. At the end of the trial, performance on the LM and TMT B-A was significantly better in the TC group compared with the control group after adjusting for age, gender, and education ( P < .05). Plasma BDNF level was significantly increased for the TC group, whereas the other outcome measures were similar between the 2 groups after adjusting for age and gender ( P < .05). Conclusions. TC training significantly improved memory and the mental switching component of executive function in older adults with a-MCI, possibly via an upregulation of BDNF.
Irrigation Versus Suction Alone in Laparoscopic Appendectomy: Is Dilution the Solution to Pollution? A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis
Authors: Hajibandeh Shahab , Hajibandeh Shahin , Kelly Adam , Shah Jigar , Khan Rao Muhammad Asaf , Panda Nilanjan , Mansour Moustafa , Malik Sohail , Dalmia Sanjay
Published: January 2018

Objectives. To investigate outcomes of peritoneal irrigation versus suction without irrigation in patients undergoing emergency laparoscopic appendectomy. Methods. We performed a systematic review and conducted a search of electronic information sources to identify all randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and observational studies investigating outcomes of irrigation versus suction alone in patients undergoing emergency laparoscopic appendectomy. We used the Cochrane risk of bias tool and the Newcastle-Ottawa scale to assess the risk of bias of RCTs and observational studies, respectively. Random-effects models were applied to calculate pooled outcome data. Results. We identified 3 RCTs and 2 retrospective observational studies, enrolling 2511 patients. Our results suggested that there was no difference between peritoneal irrigation and suction alone in terms of intraabdominal abscess rate (odds ratio = 2.39, 95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.49-11.74, P = .28), wound infection (risk difference = 0.00, 95% CI = −0.04 to 0.05, P = .85), and length of stay (mean difference = −1.02, 95% CI = −3.10 to 1.07, P = .34); however, peritoneal irrigation was associated with longer operative time (mean difference = 7.12, 95% CI = 4.33 to 9.92, P < .00001). Our results remained consistent when randomized trials, adult patients, and pediatric patients were analyzed separately. Conclusions. The best available evidence suggests that the peritoneal irrigation with normal saline during laparoscopic appendectomy does not provide additional benefits compared with suction alone in terms of intraabdominal abscess, wound infection, and length of stay but it may prolong the operative time. The quality of the best available evidence is moderate; therefore, high-quality RCTs, which are adequately powered, are required to provide more robust basis for definite conclusions.
How Common Is the East African Community’s Common External Tariff Really? The Influence of Interest Groups on the EAC’s Tariff Negotiations
Authors: Bünder Tobias
Published: January 2018

Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda founded a Customs Union in 2004 and apply a Common External Tariff (CET) on imports to the region. However, the CET has been increasingly destabilized by countries using unilateral exemptions on a wide range of strongly traded goods. This instability undermines progress in regional integration and creates an uneven playing field for business. The article discusses evidence for the influence of interest groups on the observed instability. This study takes a political economy perspective and tracks lobbying behavior from the domestic to the regional level. It looks at the influence of business membership organizations and other interest groups on CET negotiations. The article applies an exploratory, qualitative approach predominantly drawing on data gathered by the author in 25 interviews with experts in Kenya, Tanzania, and Uganda in January 2016.
Exploring the Role of Spirituality in Coping With War Trauma Among War Veterans in Zimbabwe
Authors: Mutambara Julia , Sodi Tholene
Published: January 2018

Spirituality affects people’s well-being and can be used to cope with traumatic experiences. The present study explored the role of spirituality in coping with war-related trauma among war veterans who fought in the Zimbabwean war of liberation between 1966 and 1979. Sixteen in-depth interviews and two focus group discussions were conducted using a semistructured interview guide. Data were analyzed using thematic content analysis. The study revealed the following seven themes that pointed to the role of spirituality in coping with war trauma: connectedness with ancestors, spirit mediums help to cope with fear, spirit of war, role of war songs and dances, spirituality and unity, spirit mediums helped with moral issues, and believing in God. The study recommends the need to be culturally sensitive to understand an individual’s coping responses when faced with war-related trauma.
Gender-Responsive Budgeting: The Case of a Rural Local Body in Kerala
Authors: Nair Nisha Velappan , Moolakkattu John S.
Published: January 2018

This article discusses gender-responsive budgeting (GRB) at the local level in Kerala by studying a village panchayat, the lowest tier of rural local government. GRB of a rudimentary form, known as Women Component Plan (WCP), had been in existence at the local level for the last 20 years as a key feature of participatory planning. The study adopts a fourfold classification of all projects implemented in the panchayat on the basis of their gender friendliness and calculates allocation and expenditure under each of these categories. The data on which the article relies relate to the expenditure incurred under the annual plans rather than budgets, which are based on inflated and unreliable data. The article ends by making some observations based on the data and the overall experience of Kerala in gender budgeting.