bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Making ‘Aha: Independent Hawaiian Pasts, Presents & Futures
Authors: Goodyear-Ka‘ōpua Noelani , Kuwada Bryan Kamaoli
Published: March 2018

We use Hawaiian methods of knowledge production to weave together contemporary and historical instances of Kanaka Maoli (Native Hawaiian) political resistance to U.S. imperialism and settler colonialism. Our departure point is the summer of 2014, when hundreds of Kānaka came forward to assert unbroken Hawaiian sovereignty and reject a U.S. Department of Interior (DOI) proposal to create a pathway for federal recognition of a reorganized Native Hawaiian governing entity. This essay situates testimonies from these hearings within a longer genealogy of Kanaka assertions of “ea” (sovereignty, life, breath) against the prolonged U.S. military occupation of Hawai'i that began in 1898 and extends to the present.
Revolution in Higher Education: Identity & Cultural Beliefs Inspire Tribal Colleges & Universities
Authors: Bull Cheryl Crazy , Guillory Justin
Published: March 2018

The public increasingly requires that higher education institutions demonstrate their return on investment by measuring graduation rates, cost per student, job placement rates, and income. The motivation is economic: public institutions are accountable to the investor, in this case, the taxpayer. Tribal Colleges and Universities (tcus), on the other hand, are indebted to and inspired by the revolutionary vision of their founders: the ancestors, elders, and community members who believed that higher education rooted in tribal sovereignty, identity, systems, and beliefs would ensure the survival and prosperity of their people. tcus are advancing Native student access and completion, developing scholars who are contributing to knowledge creation through community-based research, and promoting economic and entrepreneurial development in tribal communities.
Critical Investigations of Resilience: A Brief Introduction to Indigenous
Environmental Studies & Sciences
Authors: Whyte Kyle
Published: March 2018

Indigenous peoples are among the most active environmentalists in the world, working through advocacy, educational programs, and research. The emerging field of Indigenous Environmental Studies and Sciences (iess) is distinctive, investigating social resilience to environmental change through the research lens of how moral relationships are organized in societies. Examples of iess research across three moral relationships are discussed here: responsibility, spirituality, and justice. iess develops insights on resilience that can support Indigenous peoples' struggles with environmental justice and political reconciliation; makes significant contributions to global discussions about the relationship between human behavior and the environment; and speaks directly to Indigenous liberation as well as justice issues impacting everyone.
Hear Our Languages, Hear Our Voices: Storywork as Theory and Praxis in Indigenous-Language Reclamation
Authors: McCarty Teresa L. , Nicholas Sheilah E. , Chew Kari A. B. , Diaz Natalie G. , Leonard Wesley Y. , White Louellyn
Published: March 2018

Storywork provides an epistemic, pedagogical, and methodological lens through which to examine Indigenous language reclamation in practice. We theorize the meaning of language reclamation in diverse Indigenous communities based on firsthand narratives of Chickasaw, Mojave, Miami, Hopi, Mohawk, Navajo, and Native Hawaiian language reclamation. Language reclamation is not about preserving the abstract entity “language,” but is rather about voice, which encapsulates personal and communal agency and the expression of Indigenous identities, belonging, and responsibility to self and community. Storywork – firsthand narratives through which language reclamation is simultaneously described and practiced – shows that language reclamation simultaneously refuses the dispossession of Indigenous ways of knowing and refuses past, present, and future generations in projects of cultural continuance. Centering Indigenous experiences sheds light on Indigenous community concerns and offers larger lessons on the role of language in well-being, sustainable diversity, and social justice.
The carmen heroicum in Early Modernity (Das carmen heroicum in der frühen Neuzeit)
Authors: Korn Uwe Maximilian , Werle Dirk , Worms Katharina
Published: March 2018

The special issue at hand provides a contribution to the historical exploration of early modern carmina heroica (epic poems) in the German area of the early modern period, especially of the ‘long’ 17th century. To this purpose, perspectives of Latin and German Studies, of researchers with expertise in medieval and modern literary history, are brought together. This introductory article puts the following theses up for discussion: 1) The view that epic poems of the early modern period are a genre with little relevance for the history of literature is wrong and has to be corrected. 2) Accordingly, the view has to be corrected that the history of narrative in the modern era leads teleologically to the modern novel. 3) For the exploration of the history of carmina heroica, the traditions of didactic poems and heroic poems have to be taken into consideration together. 4) Epic poems of the ‘long’ 17th century have a particular tendency to generic hybridization. 5) The genre history of carmina heroica can be reconstructed appropriately only by taking into account the vernacular as well as the Latin tradition.
A new species of Arcyria from the Brazilian Cerrado
Authors: AGRA LEANDRO A.N.N. , CAVALCANTI LAISE H. , DIANESE JOSÉ C.
Published: March 2018

A new Arcyria species designated A. cerradensis was collected in an area covered by Cerrado vegetation at the Brazil-Bolivia frontier in the State of Mato Grosso. The species was herein described and illustrated.
Ocean–Atmosphere Feedback during Extreme Rainfall Events in Eastern Northeast Brazil
Authors: Luiz do Vale Silva Thiago , Veleda Doris , Araujo Moacyr , Tyaquiçã Pedro
Published: March 2018

The coupled ocean–atmosphere–wave–sediment transport model and the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) atmospheric model were used to simulate extreme rainfall events from 10 to 25 June 2010 in eastern Northeast Brazil (ENEB). The simulations aimed at investigating the improvements from using a coupled ocean–atmospheric model of meteorological systems as the ocean–atmosphere interactions intensified during the period when flood events occurred in ENEB. In June 2010, the sea surface temperature (SST) was warmer than 28.5°C in the western tropical South Atlantic Ocean with anomalies above 1°C, which are characteristics of a warm pool. The sensible and latent heat fluxes acted to moisten the lower troposphere and affected the height of the trade winds inversion layer (TWIL). The meteorological system that occurred at the low–midlevels during the period favored the weakening and even the breakdown of the TWIL. These atmospheric disturbances were associated with convergence, cyclonic vorticity, and upward water vapor motion to the midtroposphere levels. When the disturbances reached the coast of ENEB, they favored convection and intense rainfall over the region. Both coupled and uncoupled modeling experiments were performed with the same physical parameterizations and validated with in situ atmospheric and oceanic measurements. The results highlight that the predictions of extreme rainfall events were greatly improved with the coupled model.
Comments on “A CloudSat–CALIPSO View of Cloud and Precipitation Properties across Cold Fronts over the Global Oceans”
Authors: Schultz David M.
Published: March 2018

Naud et al. constructed satellite-based composite analyses of clouds and precipitation across cold fronts. However, their approach does not exclude occluded fronts, does not separate anafronts from katafronts, does not separate frontlike phenomena primarily identified by thermal gradients from those primarily identified by wind changes, and smooths over alongfront variability. By lumping these disparate frontal structures together, the front-centered composite cross sections reveal forward-sloping structures and weak gradients across them, raising questions about how to interpret their composite cross sections.
Large Changes in Sea Ice Triggered by Small Changes in Atlantic Water Temperature
Authors: Jensen Mari F. , Nisancioglu Kerim H. , Spall Michael A.
Published: March 2018

The sensitivity of sea ice to the temperature of inflowing Atlantic water across the Greenland–Scotland Ridge is investigated using an eddy-resolving configuration of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology General Circulation Model with idealized topography. During the last glacial period, when climate on Greenland is known to have been extremely unstable, sea ice is thought to have covered the Nordic seas. The dramatic excursions in climate during this period, seen as large abrupt warming events on Greenland and known as Dansgaard–Oeschger (DO) events, are proposed to have been caused by a rapid retreat of Nordic seas sea ice. Here, we show that a full sea ice cover and Arctic-like stratification can exist in the Nordic seas given a sufficiently cold Atlantic inflow and corresponding low transport of heat across the Greenland–Scotland Ridge. Once sea ice is established, continued sea ice formation and melt efficiently freshens the surface ocean and makes the deeper layers more saline. This creates a strong salinity stratification in the Nordic seas, similar to today’s Arctic Ocean, with a cold fresh surface layer protecting the overlying sea ice from the warm Atlantic water below. There is a nonlinear response in Nordic seas sea ice to Atlantic water temperature with simulated large abrupt changes in sea ice given small changes in inflowing temperature. This suggests that the DO events were more likely to have occurred during periods of reduced warm Atlantic water inflow to the Nordic seas.
Initiation of Convective Storms at Low-Level Mesoscale Boundaries in Southwestern Ontario
Authors: Alexander Lisa S. , Sills David M. L. , Taylor Peter A.
Published: March 2018

The relationship between low-level mesoscale boundaries and convective storm initiation was investigated in southwestern Ontario, Canada. The influence of lake-breeze fronts, a type of boundary that frequently affects this region of the Great Lakes watershed in summer, presented a particular interest.

Radar data were processed using thunderstorm cell identification and tracking algorithms. The distances between the locations of storm cells reaching an intensity of 40 dBZ and the closest low-level mesoscale boundary were measured. Considering only days not influenced by a warm front, more than 75% of cells developed within 30 km of a low-level mesoscale boundary. Further examination by boundary type showed that cell initiations associated with moving boundaries and storm gust fronts occurred most often 0–5 km behind the boundaries. However, cell initiations associated with lake-breeze fronts most often occurred 0–5 km ahead of the boundaries. The analysis also suggested that lake-breeze fronts would often initiate the first storms of the day, which in turn generated gust fronts that could initiate subsequent storms.

Overall, the results were similar to a previous study investigating storm initiation in the vicinity of low-level mesoscale boundaries in eastern Colorado and include some new findings in relation to lake-breeze fronts. The findings can be used by forecasters as well as automated nowcasting algorithms in order to improve predictions of storm initiation.
Implications of Statin Use on Vasopressor Therapy in the Setting of Septic Shock
Authors: McPheeters Chelsey M. , Wiedmar Jennifer A. , Pinkston Christina M. , Weant Kyle A.
Published: March 2018

Background: Pleiotropic anti-inflammatory and immunomodulatory effects of statins have been associated with improved outcomes in the critically ill population. Objective: To evaluate the implications of prior statin use on the duration of vasopressor therapy in the setting of septic shock. Methods: This was a retrospective, multicenter study of adult patients who were diagnosed with septic shock. Patients were included if they were treated with any vasopressor for greater than 6 hours from the time of admission. The primary outcome was to compare the duration of vasopressor therapy in patients with septic shock with and without previous statin exposure. Results: A total of 88 statin-exposed cases and 205 unexposed controls were included in the analysis. Despite 92% of statin-exposed patients being reinitiated on therapy within 24 hours, the duration of vasopressors did not differ between groups (44 hours, statin group vs 53 hours, control group, P = .51). There were also no mortality differences between the statin group and the controls (40% vs 47%, P = .27). Conclusions: Long-term statin exposure does not impact the duration of vasopressor therapy in septic shock. The lack of differences in clinical outcomes supports the concept that sepsis involves pro- and anti-inflammatory pathways as well as other nonimmunologic pathways. Results lend further credence to the recent conceptualization of sepsis, with complications leading to organ dysfunction caused not primarily due to inflammatory responses but by a dysregulated response to infection.
Adaptive Model Predictive Control of a Two-wheeled Robot Manipulator with Varying Mass
Authors: Önkol Mert , Kasnakoğlu Coşku
Published: March 2018

This paper presents the adaptive model predictive control approach for a two-wheeled robot manipulator with varying mass. The mass variation corresponds to the robot picking and placing objects or loads from one place to another. A linear parameter varying model of the system is derived consisting of local linear models of the system at different values of the varying parameter. An adaptive model predictive control controller is designed to control the fast-varying center of gravity angle in the inner loop. The reference for the inner loop is generated by a slower outer loop controlling the linear position using a linear quadratic Gaussian regulator. This adaptive model predictive control/linear quadratic Gaussian control system is simulated on the nonlinear model of the robot, and the closed-loop performance of the proposed scheme is compared with a system having inner/outer loop controllers as proportional integral derivative/proportional integral derivative, feedback linearization/linear quadratic Gaussian, and linear quadratic Gaussian/linear quadratic Gaussian. It is seen that adaptive model predictive control shows mostly superior and otherwise very good performance when compared to these benchmarks in terms of reference tracking and robustness to mass parameter variations.
Improving Measurement of Trait Competitiveness: A Rasch Analysis of the Revised Competitiveness Index With Samples From New Zealand and US University Students
Authors: Krägeloh Christian U. , Medvedev Oleg N. , Hill Erin M. , Webster Craig S. , Booth Roger J. , Henning Marcus A.
Published: March 2018

Measuring competitiveness is necessary to fully understand variables affecting student learning. The 14-item Revised Competitiveness Index has become a widely used measure to assess trait competitiveness. The current study reports on a Rasch analysis to investigate the psychometric properties of the Revised Competitiveness Index and to improve its precision for international comparisons. Students were recruited from medical studies at a university in New Zealand, undergraduate health sciences courses at another New Zealand university, and a psychology undergraduate class at a university in the United States. Rasch model estimate parameters were affected by local dependency and item misfit. Best fit to the Rasch model (χ2(20) = 15.86, p = .73, person separation index = .95) was obtained for the Enjoyment of Competition subscale after combining locally dependent items into a subtest and discarding the highly misfitting Item 9. The only modifications required to obtain a suitable fit (χ2(25) = 25.81, p = .42, person separation index = .77) for the Contentiousness subscale were a subtest to combine two locally dependent items and splitting this subtest by country to deal with differential item functioning. The results support reliability and internal construct validity of the modified Revised Competitiveness Index. Precision of the measure may be enhanced using the ordinal-to-interval conversion algorithms presented here, allowing the use of parametric statistics without breaking fundamental statistical assumptions.
Study of anisotropic electrical resistance of knitted fabrics
Authors: Tokarska Magdalena , Orpel Maciej
Published: March 2018

Knitted fabrics, due to their multifunctional characteristics in terms of flexibility, elasticity and pliancy, are suitable to be used in electro-thermal garments as monitoring sensors for body movement. The arrangement of fibers and yarns in textiles makes them, in the majority of cases, inhomogeneous and anisotropic materials. Five highly conductive plain weft knitted fabrics in which anisotropy of electro-conductive properties occurred were chosen. In order to assess the global degree of planar anisotropy of the knitted fabrics, a new measurement procedure was designed. The Van der Pauw electrode configuration was used. The determination of resistance at selected points on the sample surface allowed us to find the surface response for each sample. Based on the results, the assessment of the global degree of planar anisotropy of electro-conductive properties of knitted fabrics was possible. Moreover, the experiment was designed to simultaneously solve the problem of measuring the resistance at the sample edge. The quotients ratio used as a measure representing the degree of global anisotropy was found to range from 2.5 to 11.1. This quotient was higher compared to that determined on the basis of measurements conducted in multi-directions lying in the sample plane and at a constant distance from the electrodes and from the sample edge. The relatively wide range of resistance values obtained for three samples makes it possible to use them as strain sensors, for example. The narrow resistance range observed in two samples is suited for the development of medical sensors, such as electrocardiogram electrodes.
Conspiracy theories and populist narratives
Authors: Hamzawy Amr
Published: March 2018

Soon after the 2013 military coup, state-sponsored violence and human rights abuses have begun to shake Egyptian society. The regime of president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi has attempted to rationalize them, claiming that this is the only path to save the most populous Middle Eastern country from civil unrest, terrorism, and economic decay. Al-Sisi, the former army chief during the 2013 coup, initially portrayed his ascendency to power as the only way to restore security and end the threat of terrorism. Egypt’s generals have also recognized that they cannot rely only on the promise of restoring security to justify ending of the democratic opening (2011–2013) and their heavy-handed ruling techniques. Therefore, they have also been using a web of alternative narratives to justify their approach and have been spreading these narratives using security-controlled public and private media institutions. Conspiracy theories, defamation campaigns, and hate speech against voices of dissent have assumed central positions in this web. Increasingly, Egypt’s generals have come to depend on notions of religious and nationalistic populism to tighten their grip on many aspects of societal life—under the pretense that they are ruling on behalf of ordinary citizens and attending to their needs.
Increasing Maternal Employment Influences Child Overweight/Obesity Among Ethnically Diverse Families
Authors: Ettinger Anna K. , Riley Anne W. , Price Carmel E.
Published: March 2018

Maternal employment is associated with child overweight/obesity, but the mechanisms influencing this relationship are not clear among diverse populations. We examined the effects of employment and parenting variables on child overweight/obesity among low-income Black and Latino families. Using longitudinal data from the Three-City Study, we analyzed the effects of maternal employment and nonstandard work schedule on child overweight/obesity and examined time away from children, parenting stress, and parenting practices as potential mediators. Mothers who increased their work hours during preschool years had children with approximately 2.6 times the odds of overweight/obesity compared to mothers who did not change their work status. Time away from children partially mediated the association between employment and child overweight/obesity. More consistent family routines were associated with a 61% decline in odds of child overweight/obesity. Early increases in maternal employment elevated the odds of child overweight/obesity, but regular family routines reduced the odds of overweight/obesity among school-age children in low-income Black and Latino families.
Tissue-type plasminogen activator protects the postsynaptic density in the ischemic brain
Authors: Jeanneret Valerie , Ospina Juan P , Diaz Ariel , Manrique Luis G , Merino Paola , Gutierrez Laura , Torre Enrique , Wu Fang , Cheng Lihong , Yepes Manuel
Published: March 2018

Cerebral ischemia causes the presynaptic release of tissue-type plasminogen activator (tPA). The postsynaptic density (PSD) is a postsynaptic structure that provides a matrix where signaling transduction of excitatory synapses takes place. The postsynaptic density protein-95 (PSD-95) is the most abundant scaffolding protein in the postsynaptic density (PSD), where it modulates the postsynaptic response to the presynaptic release of glutamate by regulating the anchoring of glutamate receptors to the PSD. We found that tPA induces the local translation of PSD-95 mRNA and the subsequent recruitment of PSD-95 protein to the PSD, via plasminogen-independent activation of TrkB receptors. Our data show that PSD-95 is removed from the PSD during the early stages of cerebral ischemia, and that this effect is abrogated by either the release of neuronal tPA, or intravenous administration of recombinant tPA (rtPA). We report that the effect of tPA on PSD-95 is associated with inhibition of the phosphorylation and recruitment of α-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) receptors to the PSD, known to amplify the effect of the excitotoxic injury, and that this is followed by TrkB-mediated protection of dendritic spines from the harmful effects of the hypoxic insult. These data reveal that tPA is a synaptic protector in the ischemic brain.
Recursive decentralized localization for multi-robot systems with asynchronous pairwise communication
Authors: Luft Lukas , Schubert Tobias , Roumeliotis Stergios I. , Burgard Wolfram
Published: March 2018

This paper provides a fully decentralized algorithm for collaborative localization based on the extended Kalman filter. The major challenge in decentralized collaborative localization is to track inter-robot dependencies, which is particularly difficult when sustained synchronous communication between the robots cannot be guaranteed. Current approaches suffer from the need for particular communication schemes, extensive bookkeeping of measurements, overly conservative assumptions, or the restriction to specific measurement models. This paper introduces a localization algorithm that is able to approximate the inter-robot correlations while fulfilling all of the following conditions: communication is limited to two robots that obtain a relative measurement, the algorithm is recursive in the sense that it does not require storage of measurements and each robot maintains only the latest estimate of its own pose, and it supports generic measurement models. The fact that the proposed approach can handle these particularly difficult conditions ensures that it is applicable to a wide range of multi-robot scenarios. We provide mathematical details on our approximation. Extensive experiments carried out using real-world datasets demonstrate the improved performance of our method compared with several existing approaches.
Teaching automotive suspension design to engineering students: Bridging the gap between CAD and CAE tools through an integrated approach
Authors: Gadola Marco , Chindamo Daniel , Legnani Giovanni , Comini Marco
Published: March 2018

The paper presents an integrated approach to suspension design with educational purposes. A dedicated design tool was created to instruct automotive engineering students in the whole process of suspension design across the various CAE tools involved, from early kinematics studies to CAD, vehicle dynamics simulations and FEM modelling. The tool has given birth to a proven design procedure that the authors would like to share in this paper with focus on the educational side, although suspension kinematics design is not certainly a novel subject in itself. The tool includes geometries like the widely used McPherson strut, complex five-link schemes for high-end road cars, and typical racing car geometries like the so-called push/pull rod systems used on Formula 1 and Le Mans racecars. It has been applied successfully to various projects developed by professionals as well as by students, including the latest three Formula SAE (FSAE) single-seaters of the University of Brescia (Brescia, Italy) team. The paper is structured as follows. The introduction describes the role student design competitions play in higher engineering education, and within the frame of the Automotive Engineering course at UniBS in particular. A selection of relevant bibliography on the topic is listed. The Educational scenario section deals with the specific case of the Automotive Engineering course at UniBS and the requirements posed by student competitions, also in the frame of the Dublin Descriptors, and shows how suspension design can play a pivot role in a FSAE project. The A tool for suspension kinematics: requirements, description, solution section presents the software tool in itself. The math underlying the user interface is outlined. Finally, the integration features towards other CAE tools are presented with the related advantages.
Shifting modes of governing municipal waste – A sociology of translation approach
Authors: Guzman Gustavo , De Souza Mariana Mayumi P
Published: March 2018

In this study, we investigate the shifting of modes of governing municipal waste, from disposal (waste-to-landfill) to waste as a resource (sustainable recycling). To this end, we frame this study combining the modes of governing approach developed by Bulkeley, Watson and Hudson with Bruno Latour’s sociology of translation approach (or Actor-Network Theory). Within this double framework, we investigate practices that emerge from the attempts made by multiple stakeholders to shift modes of governing waste. This study contributes to the modes of governing waste in particular and, to environmental policy implementation studies in general. We posit that shifting governing modes involves (i) the construction of human–non-human networks that support the stabilization of a particular governing mode; (ii) consideration of the role of non-humans, their agency and materiality and; (iii) the acknowledgement that counter-networks and unintended consequences are likely to emerge. When we add to this view the role of politics, a more complex, dynamic and rich picture of the phenomenon surfaces.
Bringing finance inside the state: How income-contingent loans blur the boundaries between debt and tax
Authors: Bryant Gareth , Spies-Butcher Ben
Published: March 2018

Income-contingent loans are increasingly used by governments around the world to finance the costs of higher education. We use the case of income-contingent loans to explore how states are bringing the architecture of financial markets inside the state, disrupting conventional understandings of marketisation that are linked to concepts of commodification. We argue that income-contingent loans are hybrid policy instruments that combine elements of a state-instituted tax and a market-negotiated debt. We understand this hybrid construction in terms of the actors and mechanisms characteristic of what Polanyi identified in patterns of ‘redistribution’ and ‘exchange’. We then follow the contested mutations of income-contingent loans in Australia, England and the United States along three axes of hybridity that produce a variegated landscape of higher education finance: determining debt, charging interest and enforcing repayment. Our analysis reveals how, as processes of marketisation internalise financial ways of calculating and organising, states are blurring the boundaries between debts and taxes, redirecting political contestation over commodification.
Seismic stability analyses of reinforced tapered landfill cover systems considering seepage forces
Authors: Khoshand Afshin , Fathi Ali , Zoghi Milad , Kamalan Hamidreza
Published: March 2018

One of the most common and economical methods for waste disposal is landfilling. The landfill cover system is one of the main components of landfills which prevents waste exposure to the environment by creating a barrier between the waste and the surrounding environment. The stability and integrity of the landfill cover system is a fundamental part of the design, construction, and maintenance of landfills. A reinforced tapered landfill cover system can be considered as a practical method for improving its stability; however, the simultaneous effects of seismic and seepage forces in the reinforced tapered landfill cover system have not been studied. The current paper provides a solution based on the limit equilibrium method in order to evaluate the stability of a reinforced tapered landfill cover system under seismic and seepage (both horizontal and parallel seepage force patterns) loading conditions. The proposed analytical approach is applied to different design cases through parametric study and the obtained results are compared to those derived from literature. Parametric study is performed to illustrate the sensitivity of the safety factor (FS) to the different design parameters. The obtained results reveal that parameters which describe the geometry have limited effects on the stability of the landfill cover system in comparison to the rest of the studied design parameters. Moreover, the comparisons between the derived results and available methods demonstrate good agreement between obtained findings with those reported in the literature.
Despite losses, community newspapers still dominate the U.S. market
Authors: Reader Bill
Published: March 2018

Closures and mergers resulted in a net loss of more than 1,800 newspapers from 2004 to 2015, the overwhelming majority of them weeklies. But community weeklies remain the most common (70 percent of all newspapers), and community dailies and weeklies account for 62 percent of overall print circulation. Less than 2 percent of newspapers are “metro dailies,” which account for less than 30 percent of overall print circulation.
In vitro and in vivo evaluation of polylactic acid-based composite with tricalcium phosphate microsphere for enhanced biodegradability and osseointegration
Authors: Shin Da Yong , Kang Min-Ho , Kang In-Gu , Kim Hyoun-Ee , Jeong Seol-Ha
Published: March 2018

A biodegradable polylactic acid composite containing tricalcium phosphate microsphere was fabricated. The composite exhibited enhanced biocompatibility and a well-interconnected porous structure that enabled tissue ingrowth after degradation. The tricalcium phosphate microspheres had an average size of 106 ± 43 μm and were incorporated into the polylactic acid matrix using a high-shear mixer. The resulting bioactivity and hydrophilicity were enhanced to levels comparable to those of a polylactic acid composite containing tricalcium phosphate powder, which is a well-known material used in the medical field. An accelerated 30-day degradation test in HCl revealed successful generation of an open porous structure with ∼98% interconnectivity in the polylactic acid–tricalcium phosphate microsphere composite, demonstrating the potential of this material to induce enhanced osseointegration in the later stage of bone regeneration. The early stage osseointegration was also evaluated by implanting the composite in vivo using a rabbit femoral defect model. After 16 weeks of implantation, the bone-to-implant contact ratio of the polylactic acid–tricalcium phosphate microsphere composite was enhanced owing to tissue ingrowth through the generated pores near the surface.
Intimate Partner Violence in Iran: Factors Associated With Physical Aggression Victimization and Perpetration
Authors: Nikparvar Fatemeh , Stith Sandra , Anderson Jared , Panaghi Laily
Published: March 2018

Intimate partner violence (IPV) is identified as a human rights abuse which happens everywhere regardless of the society and culture. This study addressed risk markers for physical IPV victimization and perpetration among men and women in Tehran, Iran. Data were collected from 250 participants (111 men and 139 women) in Tehran who reported perpetrating or experiencing IPV at least once in the past year. In this article, we sought to understand risk markers for both male and female physical IPV victimization and perpetration and whether these risk markers differed by gender. We used regression analyses to test two models with males and females separately. Results indicated that for males, physical aggression perpetration was a significant predictor of physical aggression victimization, and physical aggression victimization, psychological aggression victimization, and psychological aggression perpetration were significant predictors of physical aggression perpetration. For females, psychological aggression victimization and physical aggression perpetration were significant predictors of physical aggression victimization, and physical aggression victimization and psychological aggression perpetration were significant predictors of physical aggression perpetration. These results can be helpful in efforts to develop effective interventions for people at risk of IPV in Iran.
Revisiting the Suppression Relationship Between Social Learning and Self-Control on Software Piracy
Authors: Burruss George W. , Holt Thomas J. , Bossler Adam
Published: March 2018

This study attempted to confirm the existence of a suppression situation among social learning, low self-control, and software piracy measures. Using a cross-sectional study of middle and high school students, structural equation modeling was used to confirm the measurement of a second-order social learning factor and the existence of a mediated suppression situation of low self-control through social learning on software piracy. The existence of a suppression situation was confirmed when low self-control was modeled with an indirect effect through social learning: The direct effect of low self-control on software piracy flipped direction from positive to negative and social learning’s direct effect size increased. This suppression situation was only demonstrated when social learning was modeled as a second-order latent factor. Future research of social learning should consider how its indicators are measured and the importance for the use of all social learning subdomains.
Models for governing relationships in healthcare organizations: Some empirical evidence
Authors: Romiti Anna , Del Vecchio Mario , Grazzini Maddalena
Published: March 2018

Recently, most European countries have undergone integration processes through mergers and strategic alliances between healthcare organizations. The present paper examined three cases within the Italian National Health Service in order to determine how different organizations, within differing institutional contexts, govern an healthcare integration process. Furthermore, we explored the possibility that the governance mode, usually seen as alternatives (i.e., merger or alliance), could be considered as a separate step in the development of a more suitable integration process. Multiple case studies were used to compare different integration approaches. Specifically, three cases were considered, of which two were characterized by collaborative processes and the other by a merger. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with managers involved in the processes.

Each case presents different governing modes, structures, and mechanisms for achieving integration. The role played by the institutional context also led to different results with unique advantages and disadvantages.

Three main conclusions are discussed: (a) Alliances and mergers can be interpreted as different steps in a path leading to a better integration; (b) The alignment between institutional/political time horizon and the time needed for the organizations to achieve an integration process lead to a better integration; (c) Trust plays an important role in integration process operating at different levels that of institutional and organizational level and that built between people.
Identification of the anisotropic behavior of an aluminum alloy subjected to simple and cyclic shear tests
Authors: Olfa Daghfas , Amna Znaidi , Amen Gahbiche , Rachid Nasri
Published: March 2018

The main purpose of this paper is to study the behavior of the 2000 aluminum alloy series used particularly in the design of Airbus fuselage. The characterization of the mechanical behavior of sheet metal on 2024 aluminum alloy and its response to various loading directions under monotonic and cyclic tests are extremely considered. To solve this problem, first, an experimental platform which essentially revolves around mechanical tests and then a series of optical and transmission electronic visualizations have been carried out. These mechanical tests are monotonic and cyclic shear tests applied under the same conditions on the test specimens of 2024 aluminum alloy. Cyclic shear tests have been carried out in order to show the Bauschinger effect and then the kinematic hardening phenomenon. The hardening curves of the simple shear test showed the Portevin-Le Chatelier effect for all loading directions. Next, the experimental results obtained (Portevin-Le Chatelier and Bauschinger effects) are discussed and analyzed in relation to the microstructure of the studied alloy using an optical microscope and a transmission electron microscope. Thereafter, the plastic anisotropy is modeled using an identification strategy that depends on a plastic criterion, an isotropic hardening law, a kinematic hardening (linear and nonlinear) law, and an evolution law. More precisely, particular attention is paid to the isotropic power Hollomon law, the saturation Voce law, and the saturation Bron law. In the case of the cyclic tests, linear kinematic hardening described by the Prager law and nonlinear kinematic hardening expressed by the Armstrong–Frederick law are introduced. Finally, by smoothing the experimental hardening curves for the various simple and cyclic shear tests, a selection is made in order to choose the most appropriate law for the identification of the material behavior.
A new field investigation on the lateral and longitudinal resistance of ballasted track
Authors: Mohammadzadeh Saeed , Esmaeili Morteza , Khatibi Fatemeh
Published: March 2018

Track buckling is a complicated phenomenon that is caused by a wide range of parameters including the nature of track loading and the lateral and longitudinal resistance of a track. In this paper, the results of a field study on a test track in the Aprin railway station (in the southwest region of Tehran city) are presented to investigate the lateral and longitudinal resistance of the ballasted track. The lateral resistance of the track is measured by using both the single tie (sleeper) push test and the sleeper lateral pull test, and the results of the two methods are found to be compatible. The contributions of the ballast shoulder, crib, and the base part in the total lateral resistance are obtained for the loose and compacted ballast conditions, which showed good consistency with the presented data of literature. The longitudinal resistance is measured by using an innovative setup prepared on the test track. The measured longitudinal stiffness per sleeper is approximately twice of what was measured in the previous studies on track panels. The measured longitudinal stiffness during the unloading process is found to be 40% of the loading stiffness.
Linked oppression: Connecting animal and gender attitudes
Authors: Allcorn Ashley , Ogletree Shirley M
Published: March 2018

Ecofeminists and animal rights advocates have posited a connection between the oppression of women and the oppression of animals. Although male/female comparisons regarding attitudes toward animals have frequently been considered, only limited research has focused on gender roles and animal attitudes. We therefore examined the relation between gender roles and animal attitudes with undergraduate students (260 males, 484 females) at a public university in Texas. Participants responded to an online Qualtrics survey that assessed their attitudes toward animals, gender norms, and several forms of sexism. The survey also presented participants with questions about their justifications for meat consumption. As hypothesized, pro meat-eating justifications were positively related to sexist attitudes as well as traditional gender roles and negatively related to gender role transcendent attitudes. On the other hand, pro-animal attitudes were positively correlated with gender role transcendent attitudes and negatively correlated with benevolent/hostile sexism and traditional gender attitudes. Our results empirically supported “the linked oppression thesis,” that gender and animal attitudes are connected.
Improving the quality of care and patient experience of care during the diagnosis of lupus: a qualitative study of primary care
Authors: Amsden L B , Davidson P T , Fevrier H B , Goldfien R , Herrinton L J
Published: March 2018

Purpose

To better understand diagnostic delay and doctor–patient communication during the diagnosis of systemic lupus erythematous in patients without malar rash, we conducted a qualitative study of primary care providers’ perceptions.

Methods

We conducted in-depth interviews with a purposive sample of eight primary care physicians in Kaiser Permanente Northern California. Telephone interviews were recorded, transcribed, reviewed, and coded for domains and themes.

Results

We identified five domains related to diagnosis: initial assessment and tests, initial diagnosis and empiric treatment, timeliness of diagnosis, communicating with the patient, and opportunities for improvement. In the absence of malar rash, the lupus manifestations are common while the disease is rare. Once the primary care provider believes that the disease may be autoimmune, they work with a rheumatologist, but this could take months. Initially, the physician assesses whether the condition is self-limiting or responds to empiric treatments. Over time, as empiric treatments fail or additional lupus manifestations emerge, the primary care provider makes a referral. Doctor–patient communication is critical to help the physician make sense of the symptoms, maintain trust, and assure the patient that he or she is receiving appropriate care. Patient persistence and communication are critically important. Continuing education was deemed essential by each physician.

Conclusion

In the absence of malar rash, a lupus diagnosis can be difficult. Enhanced doctor–patient communication, patient persistence, physician access to rheumatology and continuing education of primary care might improve time to diagnosis and the patient’s experience with primary care. This knowledge is transferable to other rare, complex diseases.
The ratio of erythrocyte sedimentation rate to C-reactive protein is useful in distinguishing infection from flare in systemic lupus erythematosus patients presenting with fever
Authors: Littlejohn E , Marder W , Lewis E , Francis S , Jackish J , McCune W J , Somers E C
Published: March 2018

Background

Both C-reactive protein (CRP) and erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) can be elevated in systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE) flare and infection, and are therefore of limited utility for distinguishing between the two conditions in febrile SLE patients.

Methods

A medical records review of hospitalizations (1997–2006) of SLE patients in the Michigan Lupus Cohort was performed. Eligible hospitalizations were those in which patients presented with a temperature of >100.3°F or with subjective fevers as a presenting complaint at admission. Detailed demographic, clinical, and laboratory data were collected. Multivariable logistic regression was used to examine the associations between ESR and CRP and the outcome of flare vs infection, adjusted for confounders.

Results

Among 557 SLE patients screened, there were 53 eligible hospitalizations (28 flares and 25 infections). Each unit increase in the ratio of ESR:CRP was associated with a 17% increase in the odds of fever being attributable to SLE flare compared to infection (OR 1.17, 95% CI 1.04, 1.31; p = 0.009), when adjusted for white blood cell count, SLE duration, sex, race, and age. ESR and CRP were not individually associated with flare vs infection when modeled with their ratio.

Conclusions

The ratio of ESR:CRP may provide diagnostic value beyond individual ESR and CRP levels in distinguishing flare vs infection in SLE patients presenting with fever.
Digital Technologies as External Enablers of New Venture Creation in the IT Hardware Sector
Authors: von Briel Frederik , Davidsson Per , Recker Jan
Published: March 2018

We develop theory about how and when digital technologies enable new venture creation processes. We identify two fundamental properties of digital technologies—specificity and relationality—and develop propositions that link these properties to six enabling mechanisms: compression, conservation, expansion, substitution, combination, and generation. We use the linked properties and mechanisms to determine how and when in the venture creation process—from prospecting to developing to exploiting—digital technologies have enabled start-ups in the IT hardware sector and develop stage-dependent propositions about their sector-level effects. We conclude our theorizing by discussing its implications beyond digital technologies and the IT hardware sector.
Sector-Based Entrepreneurial Capabilities and the Promise of Sector Studies in Entrepreneurship
Authors: De Massis Alfredo , Kotlar Josip , Wright Mike , Kellermanns Franz W.
Published: March 2018

The influence of the industrial sector is a long-standing assumption in entrepreneurship studies, yet the mechanisms through which the industrial sector shapes entrepreneurial phenomena and the processes through which entrepreneurial actors interact with sectors to prospect, develop, and exploit entrepreneurial opportunities remain largely under-theorized and little understood. We critically reexamine the notion of “sector” in entrepreneurship research, advancing a more dynamic view of the industrial sectors captured by the concept of sector fluidity and identifying three approaches to move the sector more prominently onto the “front seat” of entrepreneurship theory and research. Defining sector-based entrepreneurial capabilities and examining their importance to advance current understanding of industry-specific determinants, processes, and outcomes of entrepreneurship, we set out an agenda for further research aimed at advancing sector studies in entrepreneurship.
Externally Acquired or Internally Generated? Knowledge Development and Perceived Environmental Dynamism in New Venture Innovation
Authors: McKelvie Alexander , Wiklund Johan , Brattström Anna
Published: March 2018

We investigate the relative importance of external market knowledge acquisition and internal knowledge generation in new venture innovation. We argue that the effectiveness of externally acquired knowledge is less important in environments that are perceived as highly dynamic. To test our model, we examine 316 new ventures in one singular, high-growth sector. We find that managers have different interpretations of dynamism within this single sector and that these perceptual variations have important implications for how new ventures develop knowledge in pursuit of innovation. In so doing, we illustrate important within-sector mechanisms and boundary conditions behind new venture knowledge development and innovation.