bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Detection of Intraseasonal Large-Scale Heat Waves: Characteristics and Historical Trends during the Sahelian Spring
Authors: Barbier J. , Guichard F. , Bouniol D. , Couvreux F. , Roehrig R.
Published: September 2017

In the Sahel very high temperatures prevail in spring, but little is known about heat waves in this region at that time of year. This study documents Sahelian heat waves with a new methodology that allows selecting heat waves at specific spatiotemporal scales and can be used in other parts of the world. It is applied separately to daily maximum and minimum temperatures, as they lead to the identification of distinct events. Synoptic–intraseasonal Sahelian heat waves are characterized from March to July over the period 1950–2012 with the Berkeley Earth Surface Temperature (BEST) gridded dataset. Morphological and temperature-related characteristics of the selected heat waves are presented. From March to July, the further into the season, the shorter and the less frequent the heat waves become. From 1950 to 2012, these synoptic–intraseasonal heat waves do not tend to be more frequent; however, they become warmer, and this trend follows the Sahelian climatic trend. Compared to other commonly used indices, the present index tends to select heat waves with more uniform intensities. This comparison of indices also underlined the importance of the heat index definition on the estimated climatic heat wave trends in a changing climate. Finally, heat waves were identified with data from three meteorological reanalyses: ERA-Interim, MERRA, and NCEP-2. The spreads in temperature variabilities, seasonal cycles, and trends among reanalyses lead to differences in the characteristics, interannual variability, and climatic trends of heat waves, with fewer departures from BEST for ERA-Interim.
Ensemble Hail Prediction for the Storms of 10 May 2010 in South-Central Oklahoma Using Single- and Double-Moment Microphysical Schemes
Authors: Labriola Jonathan , Snook Nathan , Jung Youngsun , Putnam Bryan , Xue Ming
Published: September 2017

Explicit prediction of hail using numerical weather prediction models remains a significant challenge; microphysical uncertainties and errors are a significant contributor to this challenge. This study assesses the ability of storm-scale ensemble forecasts using single-moment Lin or double-moment Milbrandt and Yau microphysical schemes in predicting hail during a severe weather event over south-central Oklahoma on 10 May 2010. Radar and surface observations are assimilated using an ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) at 5-min intervals. Three sets of ensemble forecasts, launched at 15-min intervals, are then produced from EnKF analyses at times ranging from 30 min prior to the first observed hail to the time of the first observed hail. Forty ensemble members are run at 500-m horizontal grid spacing in both EnKF assimilation cycles and subsequent forecasts. Hail forecasts are verified using radar-derived products including information from single- and dual-polarization radar data: maximum estimated size of hail (MESH), hydrometeor classification algorithm (HCA) output, and hail size discrimination algorithm (HSDA) output. Resulting hail forecasts show at most marginal skill, with the level of skill dependent on the forecast initialization time and microphysical scheme used. Forecasts using the double-moment scheme predict many small hailstones aloft, while the single-moment members predict larger hailstones. Near the surface, double-moment members predict larger hailstone sizes than their single-member counterparts. Hail in the forecasts is found to melt too quickly near the surface for members using either of the microphysics schemes examined. Analysis of microphysical budgets in both schemes indicates that both schemes suboptimally represent hail processes, adversely impacting the skill of surface hail forecasts.
Gendered Consequences: Multigenerational Schooling Effects of IRCA
Authors: Pullés Stephanie A. , Brown Susan K.
Published: September 2017

Prior research has examined the incorporation outcomes among unauthorized migrants after implementation of the 1986 Immigration Reform and Control Act (IRCA). However, few studies have evaluated how legalization opportunities produce gendered outcomes among the second-generation children of unauthorized immigrants. We examine the association of legalization opportunities provided through IRCA with the years of schooling attained by the sons and daughters of Mexican American immigrants. By distinguishing likely eligibility for one of two programs implemented under IRCA—the Legally Authorized Workers and Special Agricultural Workers programs—we consider whether type of legalization program matters by assessing gender differences in schooling among children of Mexican immigrants. Although legalization provides a substantial educational premium for the children of Mexican immigrants regardless of gender, the size of the legalization premium is smaller, on average, for sons than daughters. The advantage to daughters is especially notable among those with parents eligible for the Special Agricultural Workers program. We consider these findings in the context of theories of immigrant incorporation and intergenerational mobility.
Seeing the Light: Ordinary Christians Encountering the Bible through video
Authors: Hunt Cherryl
Published: September 2017

Responses from ordinary English church-goers suggest that viewing filmed presentations of Bible passages can both elicit emotive reactions to the texts and promote a greater cognitive understanding of the stories portrayed. In some cases, differences between the viewers’ prior experience of the text and its interpretation in film provoked deeper engagement and lead to fresh and fuller understandings of the passages. However, the power of conveying the Bible through film is seen by some as potentially undermining an orthodox Christian view of the texts. A consideration of other visual presentations of biblical stories, past and present, supports the importance of such resources in promoting biblical engagement among ordinary English Christians. However, the context of their employment needs consideration and care should be taken to inculcate a healthy hermeneutics of suspicion regarding any film version as one possible interpretation of a text with more than one possible reading. Indeed, the very process of viewing the Bible on the screen can be used to introduce Bible-readers to the plurality of meaning inherent in these ancient texts and the different ways in which they may be understood.
Evaluating feasibility and acceptability of a local psycho-educational intervention for pregnant women with common mental problems affected by armed conflict in Swat, Pakistan: A parallel randomized controlled feasibility trial
Authors: Khan Muhammad Naseem , Dherani Mukesh , Chiumento Anna , Atif Najia , Bristow Katie , Sikander Siham , Rahman Atif
Published: September 2017

Background:

The current research was conducted in the Swat valley, where widespread conflict and militancy had been experienced prior to the field activities. The aim of this trial was to evaluate the feasibility and acceptability of a locally developed psycho-educational intervention.

Methods:

This mixed-methods study incorporated a quantitative and qualitative component. For the quantitative component, trial participants were identified from a cross-sectional study conducted in the earlier phase of the research, with Self-Reporting Questionnaire (SRQ) score of ≥9. Participants with suicidal ideation, severe mental or medical illness, recently given birth or living with another woman with an SRQ score of 9 or above were excluded. Participants fulfilling eligibility were randomized on a 1:1 allocation ratio using simple randomization to the psycho-educational intervention or routine care arm. The intervention arm received two psycho-educational sessions at their homes delivered by local community health worker from the study area. The primary outcome was help-seeking for psychological distress, measured by a semi-structured interview by a researcher blind to the allocation status at 2 months post-intervention. Secondary outcomes include psychological distress and social support measured by SRQ and Multidimensional Scale of Perceived Social Support (MSPSS), respectively, at 2 months post-intervention. Intervention acceptability was explored through in-depth interviews.

Results:

Local community health workers with no mental health experience successfully delivered the psycho-educational sessions in the community. The uptake of intervention was good and the intervention was taken well by the families and the community health workers. The outcome evaluation was not powered; however, more women sought assistance for their distress from their community health workers in the intervention arm, compared to women in the control arm.

Conclusion:

This trial showed good acceptance and feasible delivery of a locally developed psycho-educational intervention through community health workers following conflict, giving way for further adaptation and evaluation.
Investigation on mechanical properties and failure mechanisms of basalt fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composites under different loading conditions
Authors: Zhiming Yang , Jinxu Liu , Xinya Feng , Shukui Li , Yuxin Xu , Jie Ren
Published: September 2017

Basalt fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composites with different fiber contents (i.e. 0 wt%, 10 wt%, 30 wt% and 50 wt%) were prepared by hot-press sintering. Microstructure analysis indicates that basalt fibers are uniformly distributed in 10% basalt fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composite. The interfacial bonding between basalt fibers and aluminum matrix is good, and there is no interface reaction between basalt fiber and aluminum matrix. Quasi-static tensile, quasi-static compression and dynamic compression properties of basalt fiber reinforced aluminum composites were studied, and the influences of basalt fiber content on mechanical properties were discussed. Meanwhile, the failure mechanisms of basalt fiber reinforced aluminum matrix composites with different fiber content were analyzed.
Colonial Origins of Maoist Insurgency in India
Authors: Mukherjee Shivaji
Published: September 2017

What are the long-term effects of colonial institutions on insurgency? My article shows the historical origins of insurgency by addressing the puzzle of why the persistent Maoist insurgency, considered to be India’s biggest internal security threat, affects some districts along the central eastern corridor of India but not others. Combining archival and interview data from fieldwork in Maoist zones with an original district-level quantitative data set, I demonstrate that different types of British colonial indirect rule set up the structural conditions of ethnic inequality and state weakness that facilitate emergence of Maoist control. I address the issue of selection bias, by developing a new instrument for the British choice of indirect rule through princely states, based on the exogenous effect of wars in Europe on British decisions in India. This article reconceptualizes colonial indirect rule and also presents new data on rebel control and precolonial rebellions.
Taming the Gods: How Religious Conflict Shapes State Repression
Authors: Henne Peter S. , Klocek Jason
Published: September 2017

Despite a robust literature on general forms of state repression, the determinants of religious repression remain unclear. This article argues that a regime’s experience with religious conflict will lead it to be more repressive of religious groups within its territory for three primary reasons. Religious conflict increases the behavioral threat posed by religious groups, lowers the cost of repressing these communities, and evokes vivid memories of past religious violence that underscore the role of the state in taming religion to maintain social order. New, cross-national data on religious conflict and repression from 1990 to 2009 show that religious conflict has a significant and positive effect on the level of religious repression for the time period under investigation, expanding the types and severity of government restrictions on religion in a country. Our findings point to the importance of studying the causes and nature of negative sanctions against religious communities, specifically.
Zoledronate Impairs Socket Healing after Extraction of Teeth with Experimental Periodontitis
Authors: Soundia A. , Hadaya D. , Esfandi N. , Gkouveris I. , Christensen R. , Dry S.M. , Bezouglaia O. , Pirih F. , Nikitakis N. , Aghaloo T. , Tetradis S.
Published: September 2017

Osteonecrosis of the jaws (ONJ) is a rare but severe complication of antiresorptive medications, such as bisphosphonates, used in the treatment of bone malignancy or osteoporosis. Tooth extraction and dental disease have been strongly associated with ONJ development. Here, we investigated molecular and cellular markers of socket healing after extraction of healthy or teeth with experimental periodontitis (EP) in Wistar-Han rats treated with zoledronic acid (ZA). We included 4 experimental groups: vehicle-treated animals with extraction of healthy teeth or teeth with ligature-induced EP and ZA-treated animals with extraction of healthy teeth or teeth with EP. Animals were pretreated with vehicle or ZA for a week, and EP was induced. Four weeks later, the second maxillary molars were extracted; sockets were allowed to heal for 4 wk; animals were euthanized; and maxillae were isolated. Radiographically, extraction sockets in groups 1, 2, and 3 demonstrated normal healing. Contrary incomplete socket healing was noted after extraction of teeth with EP in ZA-treated rats of group 4. Histologically, persistent inflammation and extensive osteonecrosis were seen in group 4. Disorganization of the collagen network, collagen type III predominance, and lack of collagen fiber insertion in the necrotic bone were associated with impaired socket healing. Cells positive for MMP-9, MMP-13, and α-SMA expression were present at the areas of epithelial invagination and adjacent to osteonecrotic bone. Importantly, human biopsies from patients with ONJ showed similar findings. Our data emphasize the importance of dental disease and tooth extraction in ONJ pathogenesis and help delineate an altered profile in wound-healing markers during ONJ development.
Presidential Institutions and Electoral Participation in Concurrent Elections in Latin America
Authors: Carreras Miguel
Published: September 2017

Previous studies of voter turnout in Latin America have found weak and inconsistent evidence for the link between political institutions and electoral participation. In this article, I use data from an expanded dataset of voter turnout in Latin America (1980–2016) to show that institutions do have an impact on citizens’ decisions on whether or not to participate in concurrent elections. Whereas previous studies analyzed the effect of legislative institutions on voter turnout, this article estimates a series of models that demonstrate the impact of presidential institutions and the political context surrounding presidential elections on electoral participation. The findings suggest that when first-order (presidential) and second-order (legislative) elections take place concurrently, electoral participation is influenced primarily by presidential institutions (term length, presidential powers, and electoral rules) and the electoral context in which the presidential elections take place (effective number of presidential candidates).
Mini-publics and Public Opinion: Two Survey-Based Experiments
Authors: Boulianne Shelley
Published: September 2017

In intense forms of public consultations, select groups of citizens, called mini-publics, are given a large amount of information and then asked to deliberate on policy directions and make recommendations. Government officials may refuse to act upon these recommendations, unless they are convinced that the recommendations have wider support in the populace. This article presents the results of two survey-based experiments that assess the impact of mini-publics on the opinions expressed by random digit dialing samples of the general public. The survey-based experiments were conducted in 2013 (n = 400) and in 2014 (n = 400). Being informed about the mini-publics affected support for some policies, but not others. In both studies, respondents who were informed about the mini-publics reported higher levels of political efficacy compared to the condition where respondents were not informed about the mini-public. Hearing about these mini-publics helps to generate a sense of legitimacy in the political system.
What Kind of Party Is the UK Independence Party? The Future of the Extreme Right in Britain or Just Another Tory Party?
Authors: Widfeldt Anders , Brandenburg Heinz
Published: September 2017

This article aims to further our understanding of the nature of the UK Independence Party. Our approach differs from much of the existing literature on party families, by analysing public attitudes towards the UK Independence Party in comparison with other parties. Multidimensional unfolding is utilised to map UK Independence Party’s place in the British party system, Tobit regressions are employed to compare UK Independence Party’s support base with that of the British National Party and the Conservatives and, finally, latent class analysis is used to assess the heterogeneity in UK Independence Party’s support base. The conclusion is that, with increasing success, the UK Independence Party has established itself as the only viable electoral option for British extreme right voters while also making serious inroads into more traditional conservative circles, who are Eurosceptic but not extreme. This bridging position between the mainstream and the extreme makes the UK Independence Party distinctive from other British parties and has parallels with the positions of anti-establishment, European Union sceptical and immigration-critical parties elsewhere in Europe.
Online Language Teacher Education: Practices and Possibilities
Authors: Shin Dong-shin , Kang Hyun-Sook
Published: September 2017

Along with the expansion of computer technologies in education, an increasing number of academic degrees and professional development credentials in second-language (L2) education are offered online. Despite the rapid growth in the number of online language teacher education (OLTE) programmes, there is still a dearth of research about OLTE and its implementation and efficacy. We thus aim to critically review emerging patterns surrounding OLTE programmes and to contribute to promoting the efficacy of these programmes. This review is based on a synthesis of the existing literature on OLTE and of supplementary studies of other related areas, such as computer-assisted language learning and computer-mediated communication. We discuss the purposes, learning experiences, and evaluations of OLTE programmes with the aim of developing L2 teachers through collaborative, reflective, and experiential learning. This discussion illuminates critical issues and possibilities that emerge at the programmatic and pedagogical levels of OLTE. We further identify the challenges unique to OLTE programmes as a future research agenda.
Exploring an EAP Teacher’s Beliefs and Practices in Teaching L2 Speaking: A Case Study
Authors: Farrell Thomas S.C. , Yang Demi
Published: September 2017

This article presents a case study that examined the beliefs and practices of one female English for Academic Purposes (EAP) teacher in relation to teaching second language (L2) speaking. Overall, the findings indicate that the teacher’s stated beliefs converge with her classroom practices. However, instances of divergence were also observed. Potential reasons for the patterns of divergence include the programme expectations, the need to maintain the instructional flow of the class, and the novice teacher’s lack of teaching experiences in an EAP programme. Results suggest the need for EAP teachers to explore the sources of their beliefs and systematically, and regularly, examine their classroom practices through reflective practice in order to monitor their beliefs and classroom practices.
Transit-oriented economic development: The impact of light rail on new business starts in the Phoenix, AZ Region, USA
Authors: Credit Kevin
Published: September 2017

This article examines the impact of Phoenix’s light rail system, which opened in 2008, on new firm formation in specific industries. Individual business data from 1990–2014 are used in a quasi-experimental adjusted-interrupted time series (AITS) regression to compare the impact of the transit system’s construction on new business starts in ‘treatment’ and ‘control’ areas before and after the opening of the line. Findings show that the transit adjacency is worth an 88% increase in knowledge sector new starts, a 40% increase in service sector new starts and a 28% increase in retail new starts at the time the system opened, when compared with automobile-accessible control areas. However, the light rail also appears to suffer from a ‘novelty factor’– after the initial increase in new establishment activity in adjacent block groups, the effect diminishes at the rate of 8%, 6% and 7% per year, respectively. The results also provide insight into the spatial extent of light rail impacts to new business formation, with areas 1 mile from stations observing 21% fewer retail new business starts and 12% fewer knowledge sector new starts than areas within a quarter of a mile of stations.
Tethered Venues: Discerning Distant Influences on a Field Site
Authors: Menchik Daniel A.
Published: September 2017

Ethnographers often study those who periodically meet to interact in multiple venues. This article focuses on how people who share and engage in tasks in recurrently visited venues define and change their social projects’ problems and solutions. To address the complexities of this “meta-work,” I introduce the concept of “tethers.” Tethers are links across venues that people use to set and shift these problems and solutions that are continuously being contested. Drawing on examples from the author’s fieldwork and other ethnographic accounts of professional work, I examine three types of tethers: focal participants, things, and language. Paying attention to tethers also results in practical implications for managing subjects’ use of the ethnographer as a tether, making decisions about what venues to observe, and developing strategies for focusing one’s observations when in those venues. I argue that a focus on subjects’ use of tethers across venues helps mitigate the challenges ethnographers face when accounting for the influence of temporally and geographically distant sites of recurrent interaction.
Exploring a group of South African psychologists’ well-being: competencies and contests
Authors: Hitge Erika , Van Schalkwyk Izanette
Published: September 2017

The aim of this study was to establish the levels of well-being of South African psychologists by implementing a mixed method research design. Positive psychology was used as framework as psychosocial well-being is a core concept in this exciting subdiscipline in psychology. In the quantitative part of the study, participants ( n = 279) completed questionnaires consisting of four standardised measures of well-being (The Mental Health Continuum Short Form, The Wagnild Resilience Scale, Meaningfulness in Life Questionnaire and Affectometer 2). Descriptive statistics, reliability indexes and construct validity were established and frequencies were determined for the constructs flourishing and languishing. In the qualitative part, unstructured interviews were conducted with 14 participants. Thematic analysis was utilised for data analysis. Data were synthesised by identifying areas represented in both data sets and by comparing or contrasting the results. The majority of the participants (93.9%) experienced flourishing and 6.1% experienced languishing. The qualitative data analysis resulted in the identification of four themes namely, work content and work context, relational functioning, self-care practices and personal resources. Based on deductive analysis, meaning, resilience and positive affect were found to contribute positively to the participants’ high levels of well-being. South African psychologists’ well-being may be the result of possessing strong competencies that sustain their well-being. High scores were also found for presence of meaning, resilience and positive affect. It is recommended that identified competencies and contests as depicted in the qualitative research ought to guide intentional efforts towards sustainable well-being.
Condom use negotiation among high school adolescents in Ghana: the role of gender
Authors: Teye-Kwadjo Enoch , Kagee Ashraf , Swart Hermann
Published: September 2017

Gender has a profound effect on the sexual risk preventive intentions and behaviour of young people. However, little is known about the role of gender on condom use negotiation among adolescents in Ghana. This study explored gender differences in condom use negotiation among school-going adolescents in Ghana. Participants ( n = 684) completed self-report measures based on attitudes towards condom use, subjective norms regarding condom use, perceived behavioural control over condom use, intentions to use condoms, and on actual condom use behaviour. Results revealed statistically significant differences in condom use by gender. Specifically, attitudes towards condom use were more favourable among male students than they were among female students. Male students perceived slightly greater control over condom use than did female students. Moreover, male students reported slightly more condom-protected sexual behaviour than did female students. These results highlight the usefulness of designing gender-specific sexual risk reduction programmes among high school adolescents in Ghana.
The Effects of Vignette Scoring on Reliability and Validity of Self-Reports
Authors: von Davier Matthias , Shin Hyo-Jeong , Khorramdel Lale , Stankov Lazar
Published: September 2017

The research presented in this article combines mathematical derivations and empirical results to investigate effects of the nonparametric anchoring vignette approach proposed by King, Murray, Salomon, and Tandon on the reliability and validity of rating data. The anchoring vignette approach aims to correct rating data for response styles to improve comparability across individuals and groups. Vignettes are used to adjust self-assessment responses on the respondent level but entail significant assumptions: They are supposed to be invariant across respondents, and the responses to vignette prompts are supposed to be without error and strictly ordered. This article shows that these assumptions are not always met and that the anchoring vignette approach leads to higher Cronbach’s alpha values and increased correlations among adjusted variables regardless of whether the assumptions of the approach are met or violated. Results suggest that the underlying assumptions and effects of the anchoring vignette approach should be carefully examined as the increased correlations and reliability estimates can be observed even for response variables that are independent random draws and uncorrelated with any other variable.
Voices From the Field
Authors: Moore Eric J. , Smith Frances G. , Hollingshead Aleksandra , Wojcik Brian
Published: September 2017

There is increasing pressure on universities in the United States to meet the needs of diverse learners. This fact increases the urgency for implementation and scaling up of Universal Design for Learning (UDL) in higher education. This qualitative study draws two major insights from interviews with six faculty members from universities and colleges around the United States who have experienced a degree of success (personal to institutional) in implementing UDL. First, successful implementation and scaling up of UDL initiatives often occur when UDL is presented in response to a clear problem, issue, or inquiry rather than more direct approaches. Second, I articulate an emerging conceptualization of “levels” of implementation and apparent aspects that enable an institution or group to move from lower to higher tiers.
Better platelet function, less fibrinolysis and less hemolysis in re-transfused residual pump blood with the Ringer’s chase technique – a randomized pilot study
Authors: Olsson Anki , Alfredsson Joakim , Ramström Sofia , Svedjeholm Rolf , Kenny Dermot , Håkansson Eric , Berglund Johan Sanmartin , Berg Sören
Published: September 2017

Introduction:

Residual pump blood from the cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) circuit is often collected into an infusion bag (IB) and re-transfused. An alternative is to chase the residual blood into the circulation through the arterial cannula with Ringer’s acetate. Our aim was to assess possible differences in hemostatic blood quality between these two techniques.

Methods:

Forty adult patients undergoing elective coronary artery bypass graft surgery with CPB were randomized to receive the residual pump blood by either an IB or through the Ringer’s chase (RC) technique. Platelet activation and function (impedance aggregometry), coagulation and hemolysis variables were assessed in the re-transfused blood and in the patients before, during and after surgery. Results are presented as median (25-75 quartiles).

Results:

Total hemoglobin and platelet levels in the re-transfused blood were comparable with the two methods, as were soluble platelet activation markers P-selectin and soluble glycoprotein VI (GPVI). Platelet aggregation (U) in the IB blood was significantly lower compared to the RC blood, with the agonists adenosine diphosphate (ADP) 24 (10-32) vs 46 (33-65), p<0.01, thrombin receptor activating peptide (TRAP) 50 (29-73) vs 69 (51-92), p=0.04 and collagen 24 (17-28) vs 34 (26-59), p<0.01. The IB blood had higher amounts of free hemoglobin (mg/L) (1086 (891-1717) vs 591(517-646), p<0.01) and D-dimer 0.60 (0.33-0.98) vs 0.3 (0.3-0.48), p<0.01. Other coagulation variables showed no difference between the groups.

Conclusions:

The handling of blood after CPB increases hemolysis, impairs platelet function and activates coagulation and fibrinolysis. The RC technique preserved the blood better than the commonly used IB technique.
Asymptomatic portal vein aneurysms: To treat, or not to treat?
Authors: Hirji Sameer A , Robertson Faith C , Casillas Sergio , McPhee James T , Gupta Naren , Martin Michelle C , Raffetto Joseph D
Published: September 2017

Background

Portal vein aneurysms are rare dilations in the portal venous system, for which the etiology and pathophysiological consequences are poorly understood.

Method

We reviewed the existing literature as well as present a unique anecdotal case of a patient presenting with a very large portal vein aneurysm that was successfully managed conservatively and non-operatively without anticoagulation, with close follow-up and routine surveillance.

Result

The rising prevalence of abdominal imaging in clinical practice has increased rates of portal vein aneurysm detection. While asymptomatic aneurysms less than 3 cm can be clinically observed, surgical intervention may be necessary in large asymptomatic aneurysms (>3 cm) with or without thrombus, or small aneurysms with evidence of evolving mural thrombus formation on imaging.

Conclusion

Portal vein aneurysms present a diagnostic challenge for any surgeon, and the goal for surgical therapy is based on repairing the portal vein aneurysm, and if portal hypertension is present decompressing via surgically constructed shunts.
Cultural adaptation and validation of the Swedish VEINES-QOL/Sym in patients with venous insufficiency
Authors: Sinabulya Helen , Bergström Gunnar , Hagberg Jan , Johansson Gunnar , Blomgren Lena
Published: September 2017

Objectives

To translate and evaluate the psychometric properties of the Venous Insufficiency Epidemiological and Economic Studies (VEINES) questionnaire, divided into two subscales; symptoms (VEINES-Sym) and quality of life (VEINES-QOL), in a Swedish cohort of patients with venous disease.

Methods

The original questionnaire was translated into Swedish with forward–backward translation and administered to 112 patients who were consecutively recruited and had varying degrees of chronic venous disease. Mean age was 54.5 ± 15.2 years (range: 19–83) and 75% of the participants were female. All patients completed the RAND 36-item health survey and the VEINES-QOL/Sym.

Results

The results showed excellent internal consistency for both VEINES-QOL (Cronbach's alpha (α) = 0.93) and VEINES-Sym (α = 0.89). Both the VEINES-QOL and VEINES-Sym correlated well to all the RAND-36 domains, demonstrating good construct validity. Exploratory factor analysis confirmed both subscales of the VEINES-QOL/Sym.

Conclusions

The Swedish VEINES-QOL/Sym is a valid health-related quality of life instrument for chronic venous disease, both for research purposes and for clinical evaluation.
Effectiveness of myofascial release in treatment of chronic musculoskeletal pain: a systematic review
Authors: Laimi Katri , Mäkilä Annika , Bärlund Esa , Katajapuu Niina , Oksanen Airi , Seikkula Valpuri , Karppinen Jari , Saltychev Mikhail
Published: September 2017

Objective:

To evaluate the evidence on the effectiveness of myofascial release therapy to relieve chronic musculoskeletal pain and to improve joint mobility, functioning level, and quality of life in pain sufferers.

Data sources and review:

Randomized controlled trials were systematically gathered from CENTRAL, Medline, Embase, CINAHL, Scopus, and PEDro databases. The methodological quality of articles was assessed according to the Cochrane Collaboration’s domain-based framework. In addition, the effect sizes of main outcomes were calculated based on reported means and variances at baseline and in follow-up.

Results:

Of 513 identified records, 8 were relevant. Two trials focused on lateral epicondylitis ( N = 95), two on fibromyalgia ( N = 145), three on low back pain ( N = 152), and one on heel pain ( N = 65). The risk of bias was considered low in three and high in five trials. The duration of therapy was 30–90 minutes 4 to 24 times during 2–20 weeks. The effect sizes did not reach the minimal clinically important difference for pain and disability in the studies of low back pain or fibromyalgia. In another three studies with the high risk of bias, the level of minimal clinically important difference was reached up to two-month follow-up.

Conclusion:

Current evidence on myofascial release therapy is not sufficient to warrant this treatment in chronic musculoskeletal pain.
Longitudinal changes in the brain in mild cognitive impairment: a magnetic resonance imaging study using the visual rating method and tensor-based morphometry
Authors: Tuokkola Terhi , Koikkalainen Juha , Parkkola Riitta , Karrasch Mira , Lötjönen Jyrki , Rinne Juha O
Published: September 2017

Background

Brain atrophy is associated with mild cognitive impairment (MCI), and by using volumetric and visual analyzing methods, it is possible to differentiate between individuals with progressive MCI (MCIp) and stable MCI (MCIs). Automated analysis methods detect degenerative changes in the brain earlier and more reliably than visual methods.

Purpose

To detect and evaluate structural brain changes between and within the MCIs, MCIp, and control groups during a two-year follow-up period.

Material and Methods

Brain magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans of 11 participants with MCIs, 18 participants with MCIp, and 84 controls were analyzed by the visual rating method (VRM) and tensor-based morphometry (TBM).

Results

At baseline, both VRM and TBM differentiated the whole MCI group (combined MCIs and MCIp) and the MCIp group from the control group, but they did not differentiate the MCIs group from the control group. At follow-up, both methods differentiated the MCIp group from the control group, but minor differences between the MCIs and control groups were only seen by TBM. Neuropsychological tests did not find differences between the MCIs and control groups at follow-up. Neither method revealed relevant signs of brain atrophy progression within or between MCI subgroups during the follow-up time.

Conclusion

Both methods are equally good in the evaluation of structural brain changes in MCI if the groups are sufficiently large and the disease progresses to AD. Only TBM disclosed minor atrophic changes in the MCIs group compared to controls at follow-up. The results need to be confirmed with a large patient group and longer follow-up time.
Final Sampling Bias in Haptic Judgments: How Final Touch Affects Decision-Making
Authors: Mitsuda Takashi , Yoshioka Yuichi
Published: September 2017

When people make a choice between multiple items, they usually evaluate each item one after the other repeatedly. The effect of the order and number of evaluating items on one’s choices is essential to understanding the decision-making process. Previous studies have shown that when people choose a favorable item from two items, they tend to choose the item that they evaluated last. This tendency has been observed regardless of sensory modalities. This study investigated the origin of this bias by using three experiments involving two-alternative forced-choice tasks using handkerchiefs. First, the bias appeared in a smoothness discrimination task, which indicates that the bias was not based on judgments of preference. Second, the handkerchief that was touched more often tended to be chosen more frequently in the preference task, but not in the smoothness discrimination task, indicating that a mere exposure effect enhanced the bias. Third, in the condition where the number of touches did not differ between handkerchiefs, the bias appeared when people touched a handkerchief they wanted to touch last, but not when people touched the handkerchief that was predetermined. This finding suggests a direct coupling between final voluntary touching and judgment.
The Effectiveness of Solution-Focused Brief Couple Therapy on Marital Satisfaction Among Married Prisoners and Their Wives
Authors: Jalali Farzad , Hashemi SeyedehFatemeh , Kimiaei SeyedAli , Hasani Alireza , Jalali Manijeh
Published: September 2017

This study aimed to determine the effectiveness of the Solution-Focused Brief Couple Therapy (SFBCT) on marital satisfaction among married prisoners and their wives. The study design was semiexperimental with a pretest, a posttest, and a control group. Fifty couples (100 people) were selected by convenience sampling. They were randomly assigned to the experimental group and the control group. The experimental group received the SFBCT, while the control group did not. The research measurement instrument comprised the ENRICHES Couple Scale (ECS). Multivariate analyses of covariance (MANCOVA) models were used to test the study hypothesis. The results showed that marital satisfaction increased among prisoners and their wives. So the principles and techniques of SFBCT did have an effect on marital satisfaction of this particular group.
The missing politics of urban vulnerability: The state and the co-production of climate risk
Authors: Fraser Arabella
Published: September 2017

Studies of urban disaster and climate change risk have increasingly invoked governmentality as a theoretical frame for understanding how urban risk governance functions. This article argues that the use of governmentality in this context can advance political readings of urban vulnerability to climate risk. However, using the idiom of co-production from Science and Technology Studies, I question current treatments of the politics of expertise in the urban risk governance literature, highlighting the need to understand the political commitments and practices that shape the implementation of purportedly technical risk knowledge and their particular manifestation in the context of informal, urban settlements. A case study from Bogota, Colombia, links the science and practice of state risk management to vulnerability outcomes in informal urban settlements. It shows how a new suite of qualitative methodological approaches are revealing of the power-knowledge dynamics in governance that influence vulnerability, and their differential social effects.
Intersecting Residential and Transportation CO2 Emissions: Metropolitan Climate Change Programs in the Age of Trump
Authors: Landis John D. , Hsu David , Guerra Erick
Published: September 2017

This article uses a series of fixed-ratio projections and scenarios to explore the potential for local residential energy conservation mandates and compact growth programs to reduce locally based CO2 emissions in eleven representative US metropolitan areas. Averaged across all eleven metros, residential energy conservation mandates could reduce residential CO2 emissions in 2030 by an average of 30 percent over and above 2010 levels. In terms of implementation, residential conservation standards were found to be goal-effective, cost-effective, scale-effective, and in the case of new construction standards, reasonably resistant to local political pushback. Local compact growth programs do not perform as well. If accompanied by aggressive efforts to get drivers out of their cars, compact growth programs could reduce auto-based 2030 CO2 emissions by as much as 25 percent over and above any emissions reductions attributable to higher fuel economy standards. Unaccompanied by modal diversion programs, the stand-alone potential for local compact growth programs to reduce auto-based CO2 emissions falls into a more modest range of 0 to 7 percent depending on the metropolitan area. Based on past performance, local compact growth programs are also likely to have problems in terms of their goal- and scale-efficiency, and their potential to incur political pushback.
Genotoxicity evaluation of zinc oxide nanoparticles in Swiss mice after oral administration using chromosomal aberration, micronuclei, semen analysis, and RAPD profile
Authors: Srivastav Anurag Kumar , Kumar Akhilesh , Prakash Jyoti , Singh Dhirendra , Jagdale Pankaj , Shankar Jai , Kumar Mahadeo
Published: September 2017

The expanded uses of zinc oxide nanoparticles (ZnO NPs) have grown rapidly in the field of nanotechnology. Thus, rising production of nanoparticles (NPs) increases the possible risks to the environment and occupationally exposed humans. Hence, it is indispensable to appraise the safety toxicity including genotoxicity for these NPs. In the present study, we have evaluated the genotoxic effect of ZnO NPs after oral administration to Swiss mice at dose levels of 300 and 2000 mg/kg body weight. These doses were administered for 2 days at 24 h apart. Chromosomal aberration (CA) and micronucleus tests were conducted following Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development guidelines. DNA damage was evaluated at 0, 24, 48, and 72 h posttreatment using a randomly amplified polymorphic DNA (RAPD) assay; additionally, semen analyses were also performed at 34.5 days post oral exposure. The reactive oxygen species (ROS), 8-oxo-2′-deoxyguanosine and CAs were increased ( p < 0.05) at the highest dosage (2000 mg/kg) of ZnO NPs compared to controls. Aberrant sperm morphology with reduced sperm count and motility were also present ( p < 0.05) in the high-dose group. Based on the RAPD assay, the genomic template stability within the high-dose group (<90%) was less than the controls (100%). The results suggested that ZnO NPs are mildly genotoxic in a dose-related manner and this toxicity were induced by generation of ROS.
Preparation and characterization of polycaprolactone–polyethylene glycol methyl ether and polycaprolactone–chitosan electrospun mats potential for vascular tissue engineering
Authors: Sultana Tamanna , Amirian Jhaleh , Park Chanmi , Lee Seung Jin , Lee Byong-Taek
Published: September 2017

Recently, natural polymers are frequently comingled with synthetic polymers either by physical or chemical modification to prepare numerous tissue-engineered graft with promising biological function, strength, and stability. The aim of this study was to determine the efficiency for vascular tissue engineering of two distinctly different mats, one that comprised polycaprolactone–polyethylene glycol methyl ether and other that comprised polycaprolactone–chitosan. Nano/microfibrous mats prepared from electro-spinning were characterized for fiber diameter, porosity, wettability, and mechanical strength. Biological efficacy on both biodegradable mats was assessed by rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells, and polycaprolactone–polyethylene glycol methyl ether showed feasibility for use as an inner layer by inducing endothelial-specific gene expression and polycaprolactone–chitosan as an outer layer on dual layered without sacrificing tensile strength, small-diameter blood vessels. Therefore, scaffolds fabricated from this research could be potential sources for tissue-engineered vascular graft and could also overcome the well-known drawbacks, such as thrombogenicity and stenosis, in managing vascular disease.
Variability in the Use of Misdemeanor Arrests by Police Agencies From 1990 to 2013: An Application of Group-Based Trajectory Modeling
Authors: Lum Cynthia , Vovak Heather
Published: September 2017

Arrest for minor offenses has become one tool that some police departments employ to fight crime and disorder in their jurisdictions. Dubbed by some as “broken windows” or “zero tolerance” policing, a few police agencies in the 1990s and 2000s notably and significantly increased their use of arrest for such misdemeanors, such as New York City and Baltimore. But was this the case for other law enforcement agencies in the United States? Our analysis is the first to examine long-term trends in the use of misdemeanor arrests in a sample of U.S. law enforcement agencies using group-based trajectory modeling. Results show that police agencies have distinct longitudinal patterns of use of arrests for minor crimes from 1990 to 2013; some agencies significantly increased their use of arrests for minor crimes while others did not. Further analysis of possible explanations for agency membership in any given longitudinal trajectory found that agencies with similar patterns in their use of misdemeanor arrests were not similar on demographic or crime characteristics. This finding suggests that the decision to increase the use of arrest for minor offenses may have been a policy choice by agencies influenced by factors not detected here.
A Meta-Analysis on the Relationship of the PON Genes and Alzheimer Disease
Authors: Nie Yi , Luo Danyang , Yang Min , Wang Yi , Xiong Li , Gao Li , Liu Yan , Liu Hua
Published: September 2017

Aim:

This study aimed to evaluate the association of the paraoxonase (PON) gene variants and Alzheimer disease (AD) using meta-analysis.

Methods:

Relevant studies were identified by searching English and Chinese databases extensively. Allele and genotype frequencies for each included study were extracted. Newcastle-Ottawa Scale (NOS) was employed to assess the quality of included studies. The odds ratio (OR) with 95% confidence interval (95% CI) was calculated using a random-effects or fixed-effects model. A Q statistic was used to evaluate homogeneity, and Egger test and funnel plot were used to assess publication bias.

Results:

A total of 15 studies (involving 5 polymorphisms) were included and identified for the current meta-analysis. The NOS scores ranged from 7 to 8, meaning good quality of studies. It was found that the SS genotype of PON2 S311C polymorphism had an significant association with AD in the studied population (OR = 0.82, 95% CI: 0.68-0.99, P = .04), and the A allele of PON1 rs705379 polymorphism was positively related to AD in Caucasian population (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.05-1.39, P = .009) as well as the GG genotype decreased AD risk significantly in Caucasians (OR = 0.7, 95% CI: 0.56-0.88, P = .002). However, there was no significant relationship between other 3 genetic variants of PON genes (L55 M, Q192 R, and −161C/T of PON1 gene) and AD.

Conclusion:

Existing evidence indicates that the S311C polymorphism (SS genotype) and the rs705379 (the A allele and GG genotype) are associated with risk of AD in studied population. Future studies with larger sample sizes will be necessary to confirm the present results.