bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
FTO-Dependent N
6
-Methyladenosine Regulates Cardiac Function During Remodeling and Repair
Authors: Mathiyalagan Prabhu , Adamiak Marta , Mayourian Joshua , Sassi Yassine , Liang Yaxuan , Agarwal Neha , Jha Divya , Zhang Shihong , Kohlbrenner Erik , Chepurko Elena , Chen Jiqiu , Trivieri Maria G. , Singh Rajvir , Bouchareb Rihab , Fish Kenneth , Ishikawa Kiyotake , Lebeche Djamel , Hajjar Roger J. , Sahoo Susmita
Published: July 2018

Background:

Despite its functional importance in various fundamental bioprocesses, studies of N
6
-methyladenosine (m6A) in the heart are lacking. Here, we show that the FTO (fat mass and obesity-associated protein), an m6A demethylase, plays a critical role in cardiac contractile function during homeostasis, remodeling, and regeneration.

Methods:

We used clinical human samples, preclinical pig and mouse models, and primary cardiomyocyte cell cultures to study the functional role of m6A and FTO in the heart and in cardiomyocytes. We modulated expression of FTO by using adeno-associated virus serotype 9 (in vivo), adenovirus (both in vivo and in vitro), and small interfering RNAs (in vitro) to study its function in regulating cardiomyocyte m6A, calcium dynamics and contractility, and cardiac function postischemia. We performed methylated (m6A) RNA immunoprecipitation sequencing to map transcriptome-wide m6A, and methylated (m6A) RNA immunoprecipitation quantitative polymerase chain reaction assays to map and validate m6A in individual transcripts, in healthy and failing hearts, and in myocytes.

Results:

We discovered that FTO has decreased expression in failing mammalian hearts and hypoxic cardiomyocytes, thereby increasing m6A in RNA and decreasing cardiomyocyte contractile function. Improving expression of FTO in failing mouse hearts attenuated the ischemia-induced increase in m6A and decrease in cardiac contractile function. This is performed by the demethylation activity of FTO, which selectively demethylates cardiac contractile transcripts, thus preventing their degradation and improving their protein expression under ischemia. In addition, we demonstrate that FTO overexpression in mouse models of myocardial infarction decreased fibrosis and enhanced angiogenesis.

Conclusions:

Collectively, our study demonstrates the functional importance of the FTO-dependent cardiac m6A methylome in cardiac contraction during heart failure and provides a novel mechanistic insight into the therapeutic mechanisms of FTO.
Why I am Such a Good Christian: Comments on Gil Anidjar, Blood: A Critique of Christianity
Authors: Landy Francis
Published: July 2018

Gil Anidjar begins his immensely ambitious bookBloodwith a strange statement/question “Why I am Such a Good Christian.” I begin by examining this question for its implications for cultural hybridity, for myself as well as for Anidjar, through the lens of Anidjar’s concluding discussion of Freud’sMoses and Monotheism. On the way I critically explore Anidjar’s insistence that blood is not a signifier of kinship or ancestry in the Hebrew Bible or in Judaism, and argue that both are in fact much more complex. I suggest also that Christianity has other elements than blood, such as the bread of the Eucharist, and that Anidjar devotes little attention to the differences between Protestant and Catholic Christianity. I conclude by reverting to Freud’s account of an experience of innocence inThe Interpretation of Dreams, as indicative of Freud’s ambivalent position between Judaism and Christianity.
EU Trade Agreements and Human Rights: From Extraterritorial to Territorial Obligations
Authors: Ryngaert Cedric
Published: July 2018

As the European Union (EU) pursues bilateral trade agreements with third states, the EU should be cognizant of the potential ‘extraterritorial’ impacts of these agreements on the enjoyment of human rights in third states when designing and concluding bilateral trade agreements with third states. This article develops a jurisdictional model to determine the geographic scope of EU human rights obligations in the context of the adoption of EU bilateral trade agreements. It is submitted that the doctrine’s classic semantic focus on ‘extraterritoriality’, captured by such constructs as control, impact, or functional competence, clouds rather than illuminates matters of scope of human rights obligations in the context of trade agreements. Instead of looking for justifications for the extraterritorial application of human rights, it is suggested to turn the justificatory gaze to the internal territorial aspects of the human rights risks created by EU decisions on the conclusion of bilateral trade agreements. An internal-territorial model obviates the need for an elaborate conceptualization of ‘extraterritorial’ obligations.
Counterclaims Based on International Human Rights Obligations of Investors in International Investment Arbitration
Authors: Abel Patrick
Published: July 2018

The 2016 icsid award in Urbaser v. Argentina affirmed for the first time the possibility of a counterclaim in investment arbitration based on an international investor obligation under the human right to water. But to denounce a break-through and fundamental change in both international investment and human rights law would be premature. This article deconstructs the award’s reasoning and sheds light on its doctrinal fallacies, in particular the award’s unclear construction of the integration of a human rights obligation into investment arbitration and its misled argumentation on the existence of an international human rights obligation of private actors under the human right to water. Concluding that the award cannot be sustained under the current state of international law, the article then reflects on the potential of the award’s conception of human rights counterclaims for the future of international investment law and international human rights law.
Nothogreniera new genus, for two species of Australian "Paracnephia" (Diptera: Simuliidae)
Authors: CRAIG DOUGLAS A. , CURRIE DOUGLAS C. , MOULTON JOHN K.
Published: July 2018

Two species of Australian Simuliidae known only from adult females and currently assigned to "Paracnephia" are re-described, as are their now-known males and immature stages. Morphological character states of "Paracnephia" fergusoni (Tonnoir) and "P." fergusoni var. (Mackerras & Mackerras) reveal that they are markedly distinct from all other Australian species, and are here assigned to the new genus—Nothogreniera—the most plesiomorphic Gondwanan Australian simuliid. Structural variation among populations of N. fergusoni suggests that this entity comprises a species complex.
Three new remarkable amphipod species (Crustacea: Gammaridae) from springs and subterranean waters of Central Asia
Authors: SIDOROV DMITRY , HOU ZHONGE , SKET BORIS
Published: July 2018

Three new species of the family Gammaridae—Gammarus troglomorphus, sp. n., G. parvioculatus, sp. n. from Lebap Province of Turkmenistan and Tadzocrangonyx alaicus, sp. n. from Batken Region of Kyrgyzstan are described and illustrated. Morphological studies of a closely related Turkmenistan population of G. cf. subaequalis-Garlyk, probably conspecific with Gammarus subaequalis Martynov, 1935 was provided. The affinity of new species to concerned taxa is discussed. To define phylogenetic position of mentioned species DNA barcode data are obtained. Gammarus troglomorphus and G. parvioculatus are close neighbors but exceedingly different morphologically. Gammarus troglomorphus is a troglobiont; G. parvioculatus is an eutroglophile, but with exception of slightly smaller eyes, not troglomorph. Both found only within small areas in the extreme East of Turkmenistan. Gammarus cf. subaequalis-Garlyk seems to extend from the same region far into the eastern Kyrgyzstan.
Impact of Implementing Smart Infusion Pumps in an Intensive Care Unit in Mexico: A Pre-Post Cost Analysis Based on Intravenous Solutions Consumption
Authors: Palacios Rosas Erika , Soria-Cedillo Isaac F. , Puértolas-Balint Fabiola , Ibarra-Pérez Rebecca , Zamora-Gómez Sergio E. , Lozano-Cruz Elizabeth , Amezcua-Gutiérrez Marcos A. , Castro-Pastrana Lucila I.
Published: July 2018

Background: The use of smart pump technology has shown to be profitable in the intensive care unit (ICU) because it avoids costs from prevented medication errors and allows for savings on disposables and medications by establishing standardized concentrations and dosing units. Objective: The objective of the study is to evaluate the economic impact of the implementation of smart infusion pumps in the consumption of intravenous (IV) solutions in an ICU. Methods: A retrospective observational study was conducted with a pre-post design. The study occurred in the adult ICU of the Hospital Juárez de México. The pattern of consumption of IV solutions (sodium chloride 9%, Hartmann’s solution, dextrose 5% and 10%, sodium chloride 0.9% with dextrose 5%) was analyzed preimplementation and postimplementation of 50 Plum A+™ pumps with Hospira MedNet™ security software. Using the TreeAge Pro 2016 software, deterministic and probabilistic analyses were carried out (10 000 Monte Carlo simulations) to confirm the robustness of the annual consumption comparison and the associated expenses before and after implementing smart technology. Results: The implementation of the smart pumps reduced the annual consumption of IV solutions to 8994 units (18%) and 3649 liters (22.3%). In the first year, MXN$55 850.97 were saved. From an institutional perspective and with a probability of 0.63, the use of MedNet™ technology proved to be a lower cost alternative (17.1% saved) with respect to the conventional infusion systems. Conclusion: The implementation of smart infusion pumps allows savings, specifically for the IV solutions used in ICU.
The impact of affective symptoms on personal recovery of patients with severe mental illness
Authors: Van Eck Robin Michael , Burger Thijs Jan , Schenkelaars Marij , Vellinga Astrid , de Koning Mariken Beatrijs , Schirmbeck Frederike , Kikkert Martijn , Dekker Jack , de Haan Lieuwe
Published: July 2018

Background:

Clinical recovery is often defined as remission of symptoms. Personal recovery is described as growing beyond the catastrophic effects of mental illness, sometimes despite ongoing symptoms.

Aims:

To examine the relationship between the severity of clinical symptom domains and personal recovery in patients with severe mental illness (SMI).

Methods:

Symptom severity and personal recovery of 105 outpatients with SMI at Mentrum, part of Arkin Institute for Mental Health in Amsterdam, the Netherlands, were assessed using the Brief Psychiatric Rating Scale–Expanded Version (BPRS-E) and the Mental Health Recovery Measure (MHRM). Correlation and regression analyses were used to investigate the associations.

Results:

The multiple regression analysis showed that only affective symptoms significantly predicted personal recovery, whereas neither positive nor negative symptom severity added to the explained variance in the model.

Conclusion:

The association between affective symptoms and personal recovery in patients with SMI implies that treatment of affective symptoms may advance personal recovery, and/or support of personal recovery may improve mood, whereas focussing on treatment of psychotic symptoms might not be the key to personal recovery. More research is needed to elucidate causal interrelations.
Implementation of a tabulated failure model into a generalized composite material model
Authors: Goldberg Robert K , Carney Kelly S , DuBois Paul , Hoffarth Canio , Khaled Bilal , Shyamsunder Loukham , Rajan Subramaniam D , Blankenhorn Gunther
Published: July 2018

The need for accurate material models to simulate the deformation, damage, and failure of polymer matrix composites under impact conditions is becoming critical as these materials are gaining increased use in the aerospace and automotive communities. To attempt to improve the predictive capability of composite impact simulations, a next generation material model is being developed for incorporation within the commercial transient dynamic finite element code LS-DYNA. The material model, which incorporates plasticity, damage, and failure, utilizes experimentally based tabulated input to define the evolution of plasticity and damage and the initiation of failure as opposed to specifying discrete input parameters such as modulus and strength. The plasticity portion of the composite constitutive model is based on an extension of the Tsai-Wu composite failure model into a generalized yield function. For the damage model, a strain equivalent formulation is used to allow for the uncoupling of the deformation and damage analyses. For the failure model, a tabulated approach is utilized in which a stress- or strain-based invariant is defined as a function of the location of the current stress state in stress space to define the initiation of failure. Failure surfaces can be defined with any arbitrary shape, unlike traditional failure models where the mathematical functions used to define the failure surface impose a specific shape on the failure surface. In the current paper, the complete development of the failure model is described and the generation of a tabulated failure surface for a representative composite material is discussed.
Is fair value information relevant to investment decision-making: Evidence from the Australian agricultural sector?
Authors: He Li Yu (Colly) , Wright Sue , Evans Elaine
Published: July 2018

Despite major accounting standards boards worldwide continuing to use fair value extensively, academic evidence on the relevance of fair value accounting has focused on financial assets. This study breaks new ground to provide the first empirical evidence for the agricultural sector on the relevance of fair value accounting. It examines the forecasting power of the fair value of biological assets for future operating cash flows. Using all agribusinesses listed in Australia, where fair value accounting was first implemented in the agricultural sector, we find that fair value of biological assets does not provide incremental forecasting power for future operating cash flows, whether market-determined prices or managerially estimated value is used. The findings of this study provide empirical support for the call by Elad and Herbohn in 2011 for the International Accounting Standards Board (IASB) to revisit the implementation of fair value accounting in the agricultural sector.

JEL Classification: G14, G38, M41, Q18
Structured evaluation of food loss and waste prevention and avoidable impacts: A simplified method
Authors: Cánovas Creus A , Bernstad Saraiva A , Arruda EF
Published: July 2018

Interest in life-cycle assessment (LCA) for foodstuffs has increased over recent years. In the same period, there could also be noticed an increased focus on food losses and waste (FLW); hence the need for guidance or a method that assesses the environmental impacts of FLW when analyzing agrifood systems with the use of LCA. This study introduces a method of assessing FLW in the context of supply chain LCA through: i) calculating the impacts of the food supply chain with the associated FLW, in order to account for the overall environmental impacts; and ii) assessing the benefits of FLW prevention strategies. After the method is presented, a practical application follows. The results of this study show that this method is able to aid LCA practitioners to include FLW on their LCA for food studies so as not to underestimate the impacts. Furthermore, the method is able to aid decision makers to assess the benefits of implementing a FLW prevention action in comparison to a baseline scenario. This method has some limitations: the attributional approach, lack of guidelines on how to estimate prevention potentials, as well as lack of guidelines to estimate additional impacts due to prevention actions.
Wechsler Administration and Scoring Errors Made by Graduate Students and School Psychologists
Authors: Oak Erika , Viezel Kathleen D. , Dumont Ron , Willis John
Published: July 2018

Individuals trained in the use of cognitive tests should be able to complete an assessment without making administrative, scoring, or recording errors. However, an examination of 295 Wechsler protocols completed by graduate students and practicing school psychologists revealed that errors are the norm, not the exception. The most common errors included failure to administer sample items, incorrect calculation of raw scores, failure to record responses verbatim, and failure to query. Significant differences were found between specific error frequencies of students and practitioners. Adequate training in administering the Wechsler scales is clearly essential. Based on the outcome of this study, it is recommended that programs training students to administer cognitive assessments provide ample feedback, and that practicing psychologists maintain best practices and take part in continuing education regarding cognitive assessments.
Motivations for Issuing Social Reports in Italian Voluntary Organizations
Authors: Manetti Giacomo , Bellucci Marco , Como Elena , Bagnoli Luca
Published: July 2018

The present study offers an empirical analysis of motivations for social reporting in voluntary organizations (VOs). Our concurrent mixed methods research design is supported by a questionnaire administered to all of the organizations listed in the regional registry of VOs in Tuscany. Analysis of the scores associated with each set of motivations suggests that VOs issue social reports to offer a truthful representation of the organization’s activities, provide relevant information to stakeholders, and conduct an effective form of internal control. Our findings suggest that many of these motivations connect with each other and produce less conflict among VOs than they do among for-profit organizations, thereby highlighting some peculiar characteristics of these types of organizations. By studying the theoretical perspectives that better correspond to the motivations of Italian VOs, our study contributes to the literature by providing a more complete understanding of why these organizations decide to issue a social report.
Making medicines
Authors: McClain Elizabeth K. , Johnson-Moton Yolanda , Larsen Bryan , Ellis Rebecca J. Bartlett , Niederhoffer Eric
Published: July 2018

The approach to building innovative partnerships between academia and the pharmaceutical industry has expanded to investigate collaborations that offer meaningful outcomes beyond discovery and increased productivity. This case study uses a systems thinking approach to guide the process and analyse the outcome of a partnership undertaken by one pharmaceutical company and academia. The collaborative process established three tiers of evolution over a 3-year period. The outcome was an online module–based course, entitled ‘Making Medicines: The Process of Drug Development’, that provides information about the drug discovery and development process. Both the course development and the final product serve as a useful case study of how collaboration between academia and industry might be achieved. The development process itself is proposed as an appropriate approach for building educational partnerships.
The impact of circumferential casing grooves on rotating instability in a transonic axial compressor
Authors: Ye Shubo , Zhao Qingjun , Zhou Xiaoyong , Xi Guang , Xu Jianzhong
Published: July 2018

The impact of circumferential casing grooves on rotating instability is first assessed for both design and part speed operations in a transonic axial compressor, with the purpose of developing the next generation casing treatments for vibration control. Multi-passage time-resolved computations are performed to capture the origination and propagation behavior of the instability for cases with and without casing grooves. Probed pressure signals in different passages show a nonsynchronous fluctuation of tip flow. It proves tip leakage vortex and its self-excited oscillation is responsible for this type of inconsistence, regardless of the compressor operation speed. Although flow separation on blade suction surface and the consequent shedding vortex contributes to another origin of instability, the resulted flow appears to be consistent. Casing grooves are able to enhance the synchronization by greatly suppressing both tip leakage vortex oscillations and the intermittently shedding separation vortex, especially in the front part of blade passage. Both types of instability are constrained in several separated axial scope by casing grooves, which essentially increase the damping of flow oscillations. Thus, further improvement of casing treatment design can be expected if the axial transport of the instability in the tip region is restrained more efficiently, for both extending stall margin and enhancing aerodynamic stability.
Perceptions of slow codes by nurses working on internal medicine wards
Authors: Ganz Freda DeKeyser , Sharfi Rotem , Kaufman Nehama , Einav Sharon
Published: July 2018

Background:

Cardio-pulmonary resuscitation is the default procedure during cardio-pulmonary arrest. If a patient does not want cardio-pulmonary resuscitation, then a do not attempt resuscitation order must be documented. Often, this order is not given; even if thought to be appropriate. This situation can lead to a slow code, defined as an ineffective resuscitation, where all resuscitation procedures are not performed or done slowly.

Research objectives:

To describe the perceptions of nurses working on internal medicine wards of slow codes, including the factors associated with its implementation.

Research design:

This was a cross-sectional, descriptive study. Participants completed a personal characteristics questionnaire and the Perceptions and Factors of Slow Codes questionnaire designed for this study.

Participants and research context:

The sample was a convenience sample of nurses working on internal medicine wards in two Israeli hospitals.

Ethical considerations:

The study received ethical approval from both institutions, where data were collected and stored according to institutional policy.

Findings:

Most reported that resuscitations were conducted according to protocol (n = 90, 76.2%). Some took their time calling the code (n = 22, 18.3%), or waited by the bedside and did not perform cardio-pulmonary resuscitation (n = 45, 37.5%). Factors most associated with slow codes were poor patient prognosis (mean = 3.52/5, standard deviation = 1.27) and a low chance of patient survival (mean = 3.37/5, standard deviation = 1.21). Two-thirds (n = 76, 66.8%) reported that slow codes were done on their unit and the majority (n = 80, 69%) perceived slow codes as ethical.

Discussion:

This study confirms that slow codes are part of medical care on internal medicine wards, where most nurses perceive them as an ethical alternative. These perceptions are in contrast to most legal and ethical opinions expressed in the literature.

Conclusion:

Nurses should be educated about the legal and ethical implications of slow codes, and qualitative and quantitative studies should be conducted that further investigate its implementation.
The Iranian Nuclear Impasse: The Protracted Imbroglio
Authors: Dasgupta Deeplekha Sengupta
Published: July 2018

The Iranian nuclear deadlock has been one of the most contentious issues confronting the international community till date. The following article seeks to trace the tussle between the evolution of the Iranian nuclear aspirations and the politics of non-proliferation. It is divided into four main sections. The first section attempts to give a brief description of the problematic of the discriminatory politics of nuclear non-proliferation regime that Iran has been put through by the West. Iran’s nuclear aspirations can be traced back to the 1950s. Its strategic relations with the USA and leading European nations brought Iran significant scientific and technological assistance to set up a nuclear infrastructure. The second segment of the article delves into Iran’s nuclear activities during the Shah regime and the Western response. The post-Shah years brought about notable changes in the Western approach to Iran’s nuclear pursuit, the denial of nuclear technology to Iran being the predominant stand of the West especially the USA. The third section addresses the changes in Iran’s stand on the nuclear issue and the consequent changes in its relations with the West especially the USA. The last section of the article, that is, the concluding part attempts a dispassionate take on the rationale behind its nuclear aspirations, the veracity of its arguments and the future of the Iranian nuclear impasse.
Iron Fist for the New Era: How Xi Rules China
Authors: Godbole Avinash
Published: July 2018

Jayadeva Ranade, Cadres of Tibet. New Delhi: KW Publishers, 2018, pp. 218, ₹1120. ISBN: 9789386288929.

Jayadeva Ranade, Xi Jinping’s China. New Delhi: KW Publishers, 2018, pp. 406, ₹1400. ISBN: 9789386288905.
Place-Based Imagery and Voter Evaluations: Experimental Evidence on the Politics of Place
Authors: Jacobs Nicholas F. , Munis B. Kal
Published: July 2018

Prior research has shown that social identities defined by an attachment to place (i.e., “place-based” identities) are influential in shaping how citizens understand and think about political topics. Moreover, prior research has also argued that candidates sometimes use “place-based appeals” in order to win support among the electorate, and that such appeals are seemingly widespread. While past research has provided a rich understanding of what place-based identity and place-based appeals are, there is a large gap in what we know about the causal effects of such appeals. In this study, we address this gap by testing experimentally the effects of place-based appeals on voters’ evaluation of candidate likeability and ability to understand their constituents, across the broader American patchwork. Using a set of modified campaign mailer advertisements, we alter whether respondents see an ad that uses rural or urban imagery when introducing a candidate. Our results indicate that, consistent with existing theory, place-based appeals are impactful in shaping political evaluations among rural voters, but do not appear as relevant for urban voters. Overall, we argue that place—or symbolically charged geographical sites—is a useful, widespread, and potentially powerful political heuristic.
Extreme Candidates as the Beneficent Spoiler? Range Effect in the Plurality Voting System
Authors: Wang Austin Horng-En , Chen Fang-Yu
Published: July 2018

How does the entrance of radical candidates influence election results? Conventional wisdom suggests that extreme candidates merely split the votes. Based on the range effect theory in cognitive psychology, we hypothesize that the entrance of an extreme candidate reframes the endpoints of the ideological spectrum among available candidates, which makes the moderate one on the same side to be perceived by the voters as even more moderate. Through two survey experiments in the United States and Taiwan, we provide empirical support for range effect in the vote choice in the plurality system. The results imply that a mainstream party can, even without changing its own manifesto, benefit from the entrance of its radical counterpart; it explains why the mainstream party may choose cooperation strategically. Our findings also challenge the assumption in regression models that the perceived ideological positions of candidates are independent of each other.
A Vasculitis-Associated Neuromuscular and Vascular Hamartoma Presenting as a Fatal Form of Abdominal Cocoon
Authors: Pattnaik Sandeep Abhijit , Mitra Suvradeep , Mishra Tushar Subhadarshan , Purkait Suvendu , Kumar Pankaj , Naik Suprava
Published: July 2018

Neuromuscular and vascular hamartoma (NMVH), also known as neuromesenchymal hamartoma, is a rare hamartomatous condition of the intestine. It usually presents with submucosal humps protruding in the intestinal lumen causing obstructive features. The other clinical manifestations are hematochezia or melena and protein-losing enteropathy. The etiopathogenesis of these lesions is not well known, although an association with small bowel Cröhn’s disease and diaphragm disease had been postulated, the latter related to chronic nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug intake. Only 24 cases of NMVH are reported in the English literature and all of them could be adequately cured by resection of the affected part of the bowel. Moreover, none of these cases presented with abdominal cocoon or showed any evidence of vasculitis. We describe a peculiar case of NMVH in a 45-year-old male who presented with abdominal cocoon with symptomatic recurrence and fatal outcome within a month of surgery. Histopathology revealed classical histomorphology of NMVH with evidence of vasculitis. This appears to be the first case of a fatal form of NMVH, presenting with abdominal cocoon and associated with vasculitis.
Managing Grandparental Involvement in Child-Rearing in the Context of Intensive Parenting
Authors: Sivak Elizaveta
Published: July 2018

Intensive parenting ideology is on the rise in expert discourses, social policy, and popular culture. A growing body of research focuses on how mothers try to satisfy the requirements of intensive parenting in their child-rearing practices. However, little is known about the broader effects of this culture, including the implications for intergenerational relationships. In this article, we investigate how mothers manage the pressures of intensive parenting and at the same time maintain relationships with the child’s grandparents. We use data from 50 interviews with mothers of pre-schoolers, living in Russia. We show that in the context of parental determinism and the expert-oriented parenting culture, mothers may construe grandparents’ practices and beliefs as wrong and harmful for the child, and they experience grandparents’ involvement as a source of anxiety. We also unpack the strategies that mothers use to micro-manage grandparental involvement and cope with anxiety, which are as follows: (a) restrictions of grandparental involvement, (b) negotiations over child-rearing practices and ideas, and (c) constructions of therapeutic narratives to re-describe involvement to render it acceptable. This study contributes to the debates on intensive parenting by demonstrating its isolating potential and showing how mothers try to overcome it.
Parametric studies on the dynamic properties of stay cables interconnected with uniformly distributed cross-ties
Authors: He Xuhui , Peng Yihua , Jing Haiquan , Zhou Lei , Zhou Yu
Published: July 2018

The cable-stayed bridge is one of the most popular super-long-span bridges. However, the stay cables are prone to large vibration because their inherent characteristics of low mass, small damping, and large flexibility. Keeping the stay cables calm is significant to ensure their safety. Over the past decade, the use of cross-tie has become a practical and effective method to suppress the cable vibrations. Extensive research has led to a better understanding of the mechanics of cable-cross-tie systems and revealed that the application of a single or a few cross-ties may yield a potential deficiency in local modal vibrations. Recently, the use of large numbers of small elastic cross-ties uniformly distributed along stay cables has been proposed to replace the single or multiple cross-ties traditionally used to suppress the large vibrations of stay cables and delay the “mode localization.” In a previous study, the closed-form solutions to the free vibration of two equal-length cables with uniformly distributed elastic cross-ties have been derived and a numerical procedure has been developed to calculate the resulting modal frequencies and mode shapes. The uniformly distributed cross-ties successfully delayed the “model localization.” In the present study, the effects of the stiffness, width, and location of the uniformly distributed cross-ties on the free vibration of the general cable-cross-tie system are further investigated through parametric analyses. The results indicate that the stiffness and width of the cross-ties significantly affect the modal frequencies and mode shapes of the cable cross-tie system, while the location of the cross-ties has a relatively small effect.
Sleeper effect from below: Long-term effects of source credibility and user comments on the persuasiveness of news articles
Authors: Heinbach Dominique , Ziegele Marc , Quiring Oliver
Published: July 2018

User comments on news websites are a controversial element of online communication. Various studies have reported the negative effects of comments criticizing the related news articles on readers’ attitudes toward the issues described in these articles. However, these findings are mostly based on measurements directly after the reception of comments. No research has investigated the long-term effects of comments on readers’ article-related attitudes and compared them with the effects of cues emanating from the articles themselves. Therefore, this study transferred the sleeper effect in persuasion to news sites with comment sections. In a 2 × 2-experiment, the persuasiveness of an article was measured immediately after reception and after a delay of 2 weeks. Low/high source credibility and negative/positive user comments served as discounting/acceptance cues. Results suggest that user comments caused a relative sleeper effect of the article-induced persuasion; they affected the article’s persuasiveness in the short term, but not in the long term.
Mine the gap: Bitcoin and the maintenance of trustlessness
Authors: Vidan Gili , Lehdonvirta Vili
Published: July 2018

Subscribing to a techno-utopian discourse replacing institutions and experts with “trust in code,” digital alternative currency Bitcoin is pitched as a “math-based money” governed by incorruptible code rather than human regulators. In three cases, which occurred between 2013 and 2015, we examine this system at moments of breakdown. In contrast to the discourse, we find that power is concentrated to critical sites and individuals who manage the system through ad hoc negotiations, and who users must therefore implicitly trust—a contrast we call Bitcoin’s “promissory gap.” But even in the face of such contradictions between premise and reality, the discourse is maintained. We identify four authorizing strategies used in this work: conflating people with devices, assuming actors conform to notions of economic rationality, appealing to technical expertise, and explaining contradictions as temporary bugs. We contend that these strategies are mobilized widely to legitimize a variety of applications of algorithmic regulation and peer production projects.
Assessing the competitiveness of Matera and the Basilicata Region (Italy) ahead of the 2019 European Capital of Culture
Authors: Aquilino Lucia , Armenski Tanja , Wise Nicholas
Published: July 2018

Cities/regions are increasingly using events to aid social/economic development. The European Capital of Culture promotes urban management and economic production using culture to drive social legacies, job creation and civic repositioning. This paper aims to understand how Matera and Basilicata’s residents perceive destination competitiveness ahead of the 2019 European Capital of Culture. This paper adapts the Integrated Model of Destination Competitiveness and suggests a new determinant to understand resident perceptions. This paper contributes a new determinant to consider in competitiveness research: social conditions to improve local wellbeing. Two hundred respondents identify strengths/weaknesses of each competitiveness determinant. The results presented in this study display sample mean values and standard deviations for each indicator, as well as Wilcoxon test statistic (z). Competitive indicators are those showing means above 4.0. Descriptive and inferential analyses using SPSS 17 show strengths/weaknesses comparing Matera (city) and Basilicata (region) with similarities and differences outlined to consider both urban and regional perspectives and differences. For the data analysis, Wilcoxon paired signed rank test displays differences in the competitiveness factors between Matera and Basilicata. Wilcoxon (a nonparametric alternative to paired sample t-test) was performed since the data distribution was left skewed and Kolmogorov–Smirnov statistic indicates violation of normality assumption. Results show the majority of inherited, created and supporting resources are competitive, as well as image and social conditions; however, management and organisation needs improvement. It is essential that European Capital of Culture hosts have long-term competitive strategies in place to strengthen urban and regional capacity when delivering diverse cultural programmes, at present, and into the future. This study offers insight before the 2019 European Capital of Culture to inform planners and policymakers ahead of the event and offers consideration and discussion of social impacts and the need to gain such insight in competitiveness research going forward.
‘So shiny, so chrome’: images and ideology of humans, machines, and the Earth in George Miller’s Mad Max: Fury Road
Authors: Pesses Michael W.
Published: July 2018

Mad Max: Fury Road has been critiqued for its feminist, masculine, biblical, and environmental themes, but these critiques fail to engage with the connection between humans, machines, and the Earth in Fury Road. Nuclear technology may have produced the apocalyptic wasteland in which the film is set, but machines and industrial technology remain coupled to humanity to the point of symbiosis. Through the images of Fury Road, director George Miller reveals an ideology of ecomobility that demands an assemblage of human and machine. To exist in the wild and desolate spaces of the Earth is to become one with machines. Further, despite the distraction of subjective violence, the film is a critique of the ideological fantasy of modernity’s regime of automobility and its connection to capitalism.
Prevalence and Incidence of Statin Use and 3-Year Adherence and Discontinuation Rates Among Older Adults With Dementia
Authors: Ofori-Asenso Richard , Ilomaki Jenni , Tacey Mark , Curtis Andrea J. , Zomer Ella , Bell J. Simon , Zoungas Sophia , Liew Danny
Published: July 2018

Objective:

To examine the patterns of statin use and determine the 3-year adherence and discontinuation rates among a cohort of Australians aged ≥65 years with dementia.

Methods:

The yearly prevalence and incidence of statin use were compared via Poisson regression modeling using 2007 as the reference year. People with dementia were identified according to dispensing of antidementia medications. A cohort of 589 new statin users was followed longitudinally. Adherence was estimated via the proportion of days covered (PDC). Discontinuation was defined as ≥90 days without statin coverage.

Results:

The annual prevalence of statin use among older Australians with dementia increased from 20.6% in 2007 to 31.7% in 2016 (aged-sex adjusted rate ratio: 1.51, 95% confidence interval: 1.35-1.69). Among the new users, the proportion adherent (PDC ≥ 0.80) decreased from 60.3% at 6 months to 31.0% at 3 years. During the 3-year follow-up, 58.7% discontinued their statin.

Conclusions:

Despite increased use of statins among older Australians with dementia, adherence is low and discontinuation is high, which may point to intentional cessation.
Pollicization of Biphalangeal Index Finger for Type IV Thumb Hypoplasia: A Case Report Describing Preoperative Planning, Intraoperative Decision-Making, and Technical Modifications
Authors: Plana Natalie M. , Shubinets Valeriy , Tecce Michael G. , Lin Ines C. , Chang Benjamin
Published: July 2018

Background: Index finger (IF) pollicization is the standard treatment for severe congenital thumb hypoplasia. The procedure requires a supple and anatomically normal IF. No guidelines exist for IF pollicization in patients who have concomitantly underdeveloped IF, specifically when the digit has only 2 phalanges and 1 interphalangeal joint. Methods: We present a case of a 20-month-old boy with congenital type IV thumb hypoplasia who also had biphalangeal IF. We proposed an IF pollicization operation that required significant modifications to the traditional procedure. Results: Preoperative planning and intraoperative execution are described. The modifications to the traditional procedure included: (1) removal of proximal third of IF metacarpal; (2) creation of a de novo thumb carpometacarpal (CMC) joint by fibrous union whereby the IF CMC joint cartilaginous components are maintained and the remaining distal IF metacarpal is translocated down and secured to this cartilage (in contrast to the traditional use of IF metacarpophalangeal joint as a de novo thumb CMC joint); (3) preservation of IF joints at their “natural” position and function; (4) maintenance of intrinsic muscles at their original distal insertion sites; and (5) important adjustments to skin incision. Conclusions: Pollicization of biphalangeal IF can be executed in a safe and efficient manner. Early recovery has shown promising signs. Long-term results, including the de novo thumb CMC joint function, remain to be evaluated.
Recurrent periventricular hemorrhage in cerebral proliferative angiopathy: Case report
Authors: Maekawa Hidetsugu , Terada Aiko , Ishiguro Tomoya , Komiyama Masaki , Lenck Stephanie , Renieri Leornardo , Krings Timo
Published: July 2018

Cerebral proliferative angiopathy (CPA) is a rare vascular lesion. Bleeding from CPA is uncommon, but the risk of rebleeding is high once it bleeds. We describe a case of CPA with multiple intra- and periventricular hemorrhages during 30-year follow-up. Recurrent bleeding in these areas are common in moyamoya disease. These lesions may share the cause of bleeding: proliferation of the periventricular vessels functioning as collateral pathways. Revascularization surgery for CPA may attenuate the vascular proliferation in the vicinity of the ventricle, which may prevent rebleeding.
Ensuring Rigor in Qualitative Data Analysis
Authors: Maher Carmel , Hadfield Mark , Hutchings Maggie , de Eyto Adam
Published: July 2018

Deep and insightful interactions with the data are a prerequisite for qualitative data interpretation, in particular, in the generation of grounded theory. The researcher must also employ imaginative insight as they attempt to make sense of the data and generate understanding and theory. Design research is also dependent upon the researchers’ creative interpretation of the data. To support the research process, designers surround themselves with data, both as a source of empirical information and inspiration to trigger imaginative insights. Constant interaction with the data is integral to design research methodology. This article explores a design researchers approach to qualitative data analysis, in particular, the use of traditional tools such as colored pens, paper, and sticky notes with the CAQDAS software, NVivo for analysis, and the associated implications for rigor. A design researchers’ approach which is grounded in a practice which maximizes researcher data interaction in a variety of learning modalities ensures the analysis process is rigorous and productive. Reflection on the authors’ research analysis process, combined with consultation with the literature, would suggest digital analysis software packages such as NVivo do not fully scaffold the analysis process. They do, however, provide excellent data management and retrieval facilities that support analysis and write-up. This research finds that coding using traditional tools such as colored pens, paper, and sticky notes supporting data analysis combined with digital software packages such as NVivo supporting data management offer a valid and tested analysis method for grounded theory generation. Insights developed from exploring a design researchers approach may benefit researchers from other disciplines engaged in qualitative analysis.
Development of a walking algorithm on the uneven terrain for a hexapod robot Little Crabster200
Authors: Ji Won-Suk , Cho Baek-Kyu
Published: July 2018

In Korea, the underwater robot Crabster200 was developed to perform missions such as accident correspondence, artifact exploration, and resource extraction. To explore the shallow sea successfully, it was designed to walk and swim with six legs. Besides, to develop the walking algorithm efficiently, a small model of Crabster200, Little Crabster200, was developed as well. This article describes the development of a walking algorithm on the uneven terrain for the hexapod robot Little Crabster200. The main purpose of the algorithm is for the robot to maintain a horizontal posture while it walks on uneven terrain. The pattern generator makes a trajectory of normal walking on the flat ground, and the online controller helps Little Crabster200 maintain stable walking on uneven terrain. The proposed algorithm was verified by experiments using the Little Crabster200 on a treadmill equipped with obstacles such as wood boards and bricks. The Little Crabster200 walked stably on the uneven terrain while maintaining a horizontal posture in the experiments.
Follow Your Leader – I Prefer not to: Slavery, Giorgio Agamben and Herman Melville
Authors: Bikundo Edwin
Published: July 2018

Giorgio Agamben proffers Bartleby’s phrase “I prefer not to” as a model for paralyzing apparatuses of power rather than slave mutiny leader Babo’s phrase “follow your leader.” This article compares the strategies embodied in these characters from Herman Melville’s work of non-cooperation with versus violent resistance to violence. it argues that because the slave-figure is the shadow image of the free human in liberal democratic thought, violence is an illusory basis for emancipation. Such violence would not only be a mimicry of the oppressor by the oppressed but also relies on political theodicy in justifying violence as a necessary evil.
Thumb carpometacarpal arthritis in patients with Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome: non-operative and operative experiences
Authors: Hevesi Mario , Chaudhry Arif R. , Wagner Eric R. , Moran Steven L.
Published: July 2018

Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome is a connective tissue disorder that results in joint and generalized tissue hyperlaxity, predisposing patients to early onset arthritis. An institutional database spanning 1999–2016 was reviewed for all patients with symptomatic carpometacarpal arthritis and coexisting Ehlers-Danlos Syndrome, resulting in 14 thumbs amongst nine patients followed clinically for a median of 5.9 years (range 1–15). Patients managed non-operatively demonstrated stable subjective pain and trended towards decreased range of motion over time, whereas patients managed operatively had significant improvements in pain and trended towards increased grip strength. Our findings suggest that patients with Ehlers-Danlos-associated carpometacarpal arthritis can be successfully managed both operatively and non-operatively and that patients with pain refractory to conservative therapy may benefit from relief and increased hand strength following surgical intervention.

Level of evidence: IV