bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Toward a Surface Soil Moisture Product at High Spatiotemporal Resolution: Temporally Interpolated, Spatially Disaggregated SMOS Data
Authors: Malbéteau Y. , Merlin O. , Balsamo G. , Er-Raki S. , Khabba S. , Walker J. P. , Jarlan L.
Published: December 2017

High spatial and temporal resolution surface soil moisture is required for most hydrological and agricultural applications. The recently developed Disaggregation based on Physical and Theoretical Scale Change (DisPATCh) algorithm provides 1-km-resolution surface soil moisture by downscaling the 40-km Soil Moisture Ocean Salinity (SMOS) soil moisture using Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) data. However, the temporal resolution of DisPATCh data is constrained by the temporal resolution of SMOS (a global coverage every 3 days) and further limited by gaps in MODIS images due to cloud cover. This paper proposes an approach to overcome these limitations based on the assimilation of the 1-km-resolution DisPATCh data into a simple dynamic soil model forced by (inaccurate) precipitation data. The performance of the approach was assessed using ground measurements of surface soil moisture in the Yanco area in Australia and the Tensift-Haouz region in Morocco during 2014. It was found that the analyzed daily 1-km-resolution surface soil moisture compared slightly better to in situ data for all sites than the original disaggregated soil moisture products. Over the entire year, assimilation increased the correlation coefficient between estimated soil moisture and ground measurements from 0.53 to 0.70, whereas the mean unbiased RMSE (ubRMSE) slightly decreased from 0.07 to 0.06 m3 m−3 compared to the open-loop force–restore model. The proposed assimilation scheme has significant potential for large-scale applications over semiarid areas, since the method is based on data available at the global scale together with a parsimonious land surface model.
Development of a Hybrid En3DVar Data Assimilation System and Comparisons with 3DVar and EnKF for Radar Data Assimilation with Observing System Simulation Experiments
Authors: Kong Rong , Xue Ming , Liu Chengsi
Published: December 2017

A hybrid ensemble–3DVar (En3DVar) system is developed and compared with 3DVar, EnKF, “deterministic forecast” EnKF (DfEnKF), and pure En3DVar for assimilating radar data through perfect-model observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs). DfEnKF uses a deterministic forecast as the background and is therefore parallel to pure En3DVar. Different results are found between DfEnKF and pure En3DVar: 1) the serial versus global nature and 2) the variational minimization versus direct filter updating nature of the two algorithms are identified as the main causes for the differences. For 3DVar (EnKF/DfEnKF and En3DVar), optimal decorrelation scales (localization radii) for static (ensemble) background error covariances are obtained and used in hybrid En3DVar. The sensitivity of hybrid En3DVar to covariance weights and ensemble size is examined. On average, when ensemble size is 20 or larger, a 5%–10% static covariance gives the best results, while for smaller ensembles, more static covariance is beneficial. Using an ensemble size of 40, EnKF and DfEnKF perform similarly, and both are better than pure and hybrid En3DVar overall. Using 5% static error covariance, hybrid En3DVar outperforms pure En3DVar for most state variables but underperforms for hydrometeor variables, and the improvement (degradation) is most notable for water vapor mixing ratio qυ (snow mixing ratio qs). Overall, EnKF/DfEnKF performs the best, 3DVar performs the worst, and static covariance only helps slightly via hybrid En3DVar.
“When your heart is touched, it’s not a decision”
Authors: Darwish Linda
Published: December 2017

This is a qualitative study of 17 Iranian Muslim converts to Christianity residing in Canada. The study asks how the sample narrativizes the meaning of religious conversion in their lives. Analysis reveals a six-fold thematic pattern, the underlying premise of which is the relationship between volition, cognition, and sensory experience (or religious emotion). There is a consensus among respondents that human knowledge is always limited, whatever the field of inquiry. In consequence, religious knowledge based on cognition alone proves to be an insufficient guide to matters of ultimate truth. It follows that conversion is frequently experienced and represented less as a rational choice than as a spontaneously gifted event in which cognition and volition are absorbed by what Azari and Birnbacher have so aptly expressed as a “[knowing] that feels like something.”
Acculturative stress, poor mental health and condom-use intention among international students in China
Authors: Yang Ningxi , Xu Yayun , Chen Xinguang , Yu Bin , Yan Hong , Li Shiyue
Published: December 2017

Objectives:

Engaging in sexual risk behaviour can be a maladaptive strategy for international students to deal with stress. This study examined the role of poor mental health in mediating the relationship between acculturative stress and condom-use intention among international students in Beijing, China.

Methods:

The study used a cross-sectional design, and the participants were enrolled through convenience sampling. The mediation effects of poor mental health were assessed using structural equation modelling.

Setting:

Participants included 299 international students (143 men, mean age = 21.87 ± 3.23) who were studying in Beijing, China.

Results:

Correlation analysis revealed that acculturative stress was negatively associated with condom-use intentions ( r = –.250, p < .01) and positively associated with poor mental health ( r = .458, p < .01). Condom-use intentions were negatively related to poor mental health ( r = –.258, p < .01). Structural equation model analysis showed that overall poor mental health, as well as anxiety, phobic anxiety and psychoticism, mediated the relationship between acculturative stress and condom-use intentions among men. The same mediation effects for women were not statistically significant.

Conclusions:

Poor mental health can mediate the relationship between acculturative stress and condom-use intention among male international students in Beijing, China. Findings suggest that programmes and interventions to target acculturative stress and psychological problems may be useful in preventing international students from engaging in sexual risk behaviour.
Resilience of the Oral Microbiota in Health: Mechanisms That Prevent Dysbiosis
Authors: Rosier B.T. , Marsh P.D. , Mira A.
Published: December 2017

Dental diseases are now viewed as a consequence of a deleterious shift in the balance of the normally stable resident oral microbiome. It is known that frequent carbohydrate consumption or reduced saliva flow can lead to caries, and excessive plaque accumulation increases the risk of periodontal diseases. However, when these “disease drivers” are present, while some individuals appear to be susceptible, others are more tolerant or resilient to suffering from undesirable changes in their oral microbiome. Health-maintaining mechanisms that limit the effect of disease drivers include the complex set of metabolic and functional interrelationships that develop within dental biofilms and between biofilms and the host. In contrast, “positive feedback loops” can develop within these microbial communities that disrupt resilience and provoke a large and abrupt change in function and structure of the ecosystem (a microbial “regime shift”), which promotes dysbiosis and oral disease. For instance, acidification due to carbohydrate fermentation or inflammation in response to accumulated plaque select for a cariogenic or periopathogenic microbiota, respectively, in a chain of self-reinforcing events. Conversely, in tolerant individuals, health-maintaining mechanisms, including negative feedback to the drivers, can maintain resilience and promote resistance to and recovery from disease drivers. Recently studied health-maintaining mechanisms include ammonia production, limiting a drop in pH that can lead to caries, and denitrification, which could inhibit several stages of disease-associated positive feedback loops. Omics studies comparing the microbiome of, and its interaction with, susceptible and tolerant hosts can detect markers of resilience. The neutralization or inhibition of disease drivers, together with the identification and promotion of health-promoting species and functions, for example, by pre- and probiotics, could enhance microbiome resilience and lead to new strategies to prevent disease.
Glass Half Full
Authors: Weissert Carol S. , Uttermark Matthew J.
Published: December 2017

Intergovernmental health policy has seen centralization and decentralization over the past forty years. The negotiations—and who wins and who loses—often depend on politics more than rational sorting of intergovernmental responsibilities. As in other policies, politics often trumps health policy—even where governors and state legislatures are of the same party as national leadership. Political rhetoric in 2017 once again calls for a larger role for states in possible reform of the nation’s health system, but nation-centered federalism persists. Congressional inaction, executive uncertainty, and partisan polarization can provide states the opportunity for leadership and innovation in health policy.
Migration Patterns and Marriage Equality
Authors: Walther Carol S. , Corbin Dennis F.
Published: December 2017

Attitudes toward marriage equality have gradually become more accepting as more and more states have passed legislation that acknowledged full or partial recognition of marriage equality. Given the traditionally conservative behavior of the South, this article analyzes how regional migration patterns and time affect attitudes toward marriage equality from the 1988 and the 2004 to 2014 General Social Survey data sets using a generalized linear mixed model. We find that migrant southerners, migrant northerners, and native northerners are more likely to support marriage equality than native southerners are. Furthermore, time seems to also play a significant role in understanding trends in attitudes toward marriage equality. We conclude by suggesting future research.
Mother–child conversation and social understanding in Pakistan
Authors: Nawaz Sumbal , Lewis Charlie
Published: December 2017

Two studies are presented to examine whether and why 3–5-year-olds in Pakistan display limited social understanding. Study 1 tested 71 preschoolers on Lillard and Flavell’s (1992) test of desires, pretence and beliefs, plus two false belief tasks, and showed very limited understanding across these measures even though almost half were over 5 years old. Study 2 replicated this effect with 35 preschoolers, and also conducted home observations of mother–child interaction at two time points. It tested three competing explanations of the role of adult-conversation in the preschooler’s developing understanding of the mind: the quality of the caregiver’s references to mental states, the child’s grasp of mental state language in such conversations, and the connectedness of adult–child talk. These factors are usually highly correlated in Western cultures. In Pakistan, with a delay in the acquisition of social understanding skills, Study 2 showed that maternal and child references to mental states were rare (2% of maternal and 1% of child utterances). Analyses of the relationship between mother–child conversation and the children’s test performance suggested that the measures of social understanding were not predicted uniquely by the connectedness of talk within the dyad, or maternal use of mental state terms. However, the children’s concurrent (and to a lesser extent previous) use of mental state terms was related to their grasp of mental states. Thus, the data support previous analyses, which suggests that the child’s construction of mental state terms is more crucial in their grasp of the social world.
Null Hypotheses, Interval Estimation, and Bayesian Analysis
Authors: Shin Jennifer J. , Zurakowski David
Published: December 2017

Hypothesis testing using a frequentist approach is the mainstay of biostatistics and forms the foundation for assessing the significance of study results. This classical method has well‐understood advantages as it determines whether data are statistically improbable and provides a threshold (ie, the P value) for delineating significance. Alternative statistical approaches have been proposed, including Bayesian analysis. This technique incorporates a prior probability as to what is already known clinically with the observed data. It is important for otolaryngologists to understand the advantages and disadvantages of these 2 approaches to conduct the most appropriate analyses.
Mobile banking usage, quality of growth, inequality and poverty in developing countries
Authors: Asongu Simplice A. , Odhiambo Nicholas M.
Published: December 2017

The transition from Millennium Development Goals to Sustainable Development Goals has substantially shifted the policy debate from development to inclusive development. Using interactive quantile regressions, we examine the correlations between mobile banking and inclusive development (quality of growth, inequality and poverty) among individuals in 93 developing countries for the year 2011. Mobile banking entails: ‘mobile used to pay bills’ and ‘mobile used to receive/send money’. The findings broadly show that increasing mobile banking dynamics to certain thresholds would increase (decrease) quality of growth (inequality) in quantiles at the high-end of inclusive development distributions for the most part. The study is original in that it explores the relationship between mobile banking and inclusive development using three measurements of inclusive development, namely: quality of growth, inequality and poverty. As a main policy implication, encouraging mobile banking applications would play a substantial role in responding to the challenges of immiserizing growth, inequality and poverty in developing countries.
The Katwijk beach planetary rover dataset
Authors: Hewitt Robert A , Boukas Evangelos , Azkarate Martin , Pagnamenta Marco , Marshall Joshua A , Gasteratos Antonios , Visentin Gianfranco
Published: December 2017

This paper describes a dataset collected along a 1 km section of beach near Katwijk, The Netherlands, which was populated with a collection of artificial rocks of varying sizes to emulate known rock size densities at current and potential Mars landing sites. First, a fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicle collected georeferenced images of the entire area. Then, the beach was traversed by a rocker-bogie-style rover equipped with a suite of sensors that are envisioned for use in future planetary rover missions. These sensors, configured so as to emulate the ExoMars rover, include stereo cameras, and time-of-flight and scanning light-detection-and-ranging sensors. This dataset will be of interest to researchers developing localization and mapping algorithms for vehicles traveling over natural and unstructured terrain in environments that do not have access to the global navigation satellite system, and where only previously taken satellite or aerial imagery is available.
Safety Evaluation of Lipid Nanoparticle–Formulated Modified mRNA in the Sprague-Dawley Rat and Cynomolgus Monkey
Authors: Sedic Maja , Senn Joseph J. , Lynn Andy , Laska Michael , Smith Mike , Platz Stefan J. , Bolen Joseph , Hoge Stephen , Bulychev Alex , Jacquinet Eric , Bartlett Victoria , Smith Peter F.
Published: December 2017

The pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, and safety of modified mRNA formulated in lipid nanoparticles (LNPs) were evaluated after repeat intravenous infusion to rats and monkeys. In both species, modified mRNA encoding the protein for human erythropoietin (hEPO) had predictable and consistent pharmacologic and toxicologic effects. Pharmacokinetic analysis conducted following the first dose showed that measured hEPO levels were maximal at 6 hours after the end of intravenous infusion and in excess of 100-fold the anticipated efficacious exposure (17.6 ng/ml) at the highest dose tested.24 hEPO was pharmacologically active in both the rat and the monkey, as indicated by a significant increase in red blood cell mass parameters. The primary safety-related findings were caused by the exaggerated pharmacology of hEPO and included increased hematopoiesis in the liver, spleen, and bone marrow (rats) and minimal hemorrhage in the heart (monkeys). Additional primary safety-related findings in the rat included mildly increased white blood cell counts, changes in the coagulation parameters at all doses, as well as liver injury and release of interferon γ–inducible protein 10 in high-dose groups only. In the monkey, as seen with the parenteral administration of cationic LNPs, splenic necrosis and lymphocyte depletion were observed, accompanied with mild and reversible complement activation. These findings defined a well-tolerated dose level above the anticipated efficacious dose. Overall, these combined studies indicate that LNP-formulated modified mRNA can be administered by intravenous infusion in 2 toxicologically relevant test species and generate supratherapeutic levels of protein (hEPO) in vivo.
The libidinal economy of revanchism: Illicit drugs, harm reduction, and the problem of enjoyment
Authors: Proudfoot Jesse
Published: December 2017

Harm reduction is generally presented as the compassionate, pragmatic alternative to prohibitionist drug policy. This article examines harm reduction in relation to debates over the revanchist city in urban geography, arguing that it should be understood as an ambivalent social policy. I advance a psychoanalytic conceptualization of ambivalence to explain the often contradictory character of contemporary drug policy, including harm reduction. Calling attention to the centrality of enjoyment ( jouissance) in debates over drug policy, I argue that fantasies about the enjoyment of the Other play a crucial role in drug policy, with profound consequences for marginalized drug users.
Doing Things Differently
Authors: Lasky Nicole V. , Fisher Bonnie S. , Swan Suzanne C.
Published: December 2017

Hindelang, Gottfredson, and Garafalo offered the “once bitten, twice shy” hypothesis, which posits that, after experiencing victimization, individuals will make changes to their lifestyles to prevent subsequent victimization. Despite the apparent logic of this hypothesis, empirical tests have provided mixed or weak support. The current study uses qualitative data from in-depth interviews with 51 drugging victims to explore the types of behavioral changes described by victims, as well as the relationship between types of behavioral changes and subsequent drugging victimization. In doing so, we begin teasing out the often subtle, yet substantively meaningful, effects of different types of behavioral changes on subsequent drugging victimization risk. Alongside contributing to the emerging body of drugging research, our findings have implications for the refinement of measures designed to empirically test the “once bitten, twice shy” hypothesis.
The impact of socioeconomic factors on municipal solid waste generation in São Paulo, Brazil
Authors: Vieira Victor H Argentino de Morais , Matheus Dácio R
Published: December 2017

Social factors have not been sufficiently explored in municipal solid waste management studies. Latin America has produced even fewer studies with this approach; technical and economic investigations have prevailed. We explored the impacts of socioeconomic factors on municipal solid waste generation in Greater Sao Paulo, which includes 39 municipalities. We investigated the relations between municipal solid waste generation and social factors by Pearson’s correlation coefficient. The Student’s t-test (at p ← 0.01) proved significance, and further regression analysis was performed with significant factors. We considered 10 socioeconomic factors: population, rural population, density, life expectancy, education (secondary, high and undergraduate level), income per capita, inequality and human development. A later multicollinearity analysis resulted in the determination of inequality (rp = 0.625) and income per capita (rp = 0.607) as major drivers. The results showed the relevance of considering social aspects in municipal solid waste management and isolated inequality as an important factor in planning. Inequality must be used as a complementary factor to income, rather than being used exclusively. Inequality may explain differences of waste generation between areas with similar incomes because of consumption patterns. Therefore, unequal realities demand unequal measures to avoid exacerbation, for example, pay-as-you-throw policies instead of uniform fees. Unequal realities also highlight the importance of tiering policies beyond the waste sector, such as sustainable consumption.
Cyberbullying Among Adolescents: The Influence of Different Modes of Inquiry
Authors: Brochado Sandra , Fraga Sílvia , Soares Sara , Ramos Elisabete , Barros Henrique
Published: December 2017

The use of different modes of inquiry about interpersonal violence experiences may result in different frequency estimates. Thus, we measured the frequency and identified the factors associated with cyberbullying among urban school-going adolescents using different tools. Participants were enrolled at the four largest public schools in Porto for seventh- to 12th-grade students and were evaluated during the 2014-2015 academic year. We studied 2,624 adolescents (1,186 males and 1,438 females), 60% of all eligible students. Information under anonymity was collected at the school premises, using a self-administered questionnaire that comprised information on sociodemographic characteristics, school life, emotional well-being, the Internet use monitoring and cyberbullying experiences. Cyberbullying was assessed with two general questions (“Have you ever been a victim of cyberbullying?” and “In the last 12 months, have you been a victim of cyberbullying?) and using the Cyberbullying and Online Aggression Survey from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) that covers the last 30 days experience. The lifetime prevalence of cybervictimization was 7.6% and for the last 12 months 3.9%, similar in boys and girls, while the prevalence in the last 30 days was 38.2%, significantly higher in girls (43.1% vs. 33.3%). A statistically significant association of cybervictimization with negative emotional well-being and school bullying victimization experience was identified regardless of timing and the mode of ascertaining cyberbullying. Different measurement instruments resulted in different estimates of the prevalence of cyberbullying. Regardless of the instrument used, a strong association of cyberbullying involvement with negative emotional well-being in adolescents was observed.
The Views of Ex-Police Officers on Child Abuse Case Attrition in the United Kingdom
Authors: Krahenbuhl Sarah J. , Dent Helen R.
Published: December 2017

Attrition in child abuse cases is of continuing concern. International research has produced evidence to suggest that the form and quality of the evidence available in many child abuse cases is of insufficient quality to allow progression through the judicial system. Recent revelations have led to an increase in public and professional awareness of the prevalence of child sexual abuse, and how this is managed by the legal and social care systems. The aim of this research was to explore the opinions of ex-Police Officers who had direct experience relating to the management of child abuse cases about the factors affecting case progression. Seven ex-Police Officers were interviewed and the transcribed data were thematically analyzed. The five main themes derived from the data were Global Myths, Assumptions, and Misconceptions; Suitability; Resources; Professionals’ Attributes; and Working Together. These themes demonstrated that the primary issues indicated by ex-Police Officers were more about relationships between professionals, an understanding of the child’s perspective, and their subsequent involvement in the legal processes than simply being related to a lack of resources.
African psychology and the emergence of the Madiban tradition
Authors: Nwoye Augustine
Published: December 2017

The recent welcome inclusion of the study of African psychology within the psychology degree curriculum of some forward-thinking African universities has been lauded as a great positive drive in the right direction. In the past, the practices that prevailed were those of mainstream Western psychology imported to Africa. This awkward situation originated during the period of colonialism and the emergence of missionary Christianity in Africa. This article proposes that if the current positive attitude toward African psychology is to last and bear fruit, there is a need to formally inaugurate a new order or tradition (referred to in this paper as the Madiban tradition) that would anchor and open up the study of psychology in African universities towards a new future: a future in which the progressive arm of both Western and African approaches to psychology would coexist and enjoy enduring mutual respect and equitable participatory presence in these programmes. This paper highlights the theoretical framework undergirding this vision and the challenges to be faced and new shifts to be made in implementing such a vision.
Decisions at the data border: Discretion, discernment and security
Authors: Hall Alexandra
Published: December 2017

Amidst a widespread turn to data analysis and automated screening in security contexts, the question of how decisions are made at the interface of embodied humans and algorithmic processes becomes pressing. This article is concerned with the production of security decisions at the data border. It makes two contributions. It first presents qualitative fieldwork conducted amongst data processors at a European smart border targeting centre and, second, traces a largely obscured cultural history of discretion as means of reflecting on the politics of contemporary data-led decisionmaking. Discretion is an important concept in contemporary administrative contexts, referring to a decision about the (non-)application of a rule in contexts of public power and authority. Its etymon, discretio, however, referred historically to spiritual and visual discernment, as well as prudence and humility. I present the history of discretion to make two arguments: 1) decisionmaking at the data border is an uncertain visual practice oriented to seeing and authorizing what is there and 2) discretion in contemporary data-led contexts revises the conventional ethical relationship between general and particular that has always been intrinsic to discretion. My overall point is that contemporary debates about judgement in automated security decisions are the most recent manifestation of long-standing tensions between rule and judgement, authorization and uncertainty.
Lethal Violence, Childhood, and Gender in Mexico City
Authors: Fondevila Gustavo , Meneses-Reyes Rodrigo
Published: December 2017

This article analyzes a total of 255 interviews with inmates in Mexico City prisons, all of whom were prosecuted for killing someone else (first-degree murder). A comparison is made between two groups of incarcerated murderers: men and women. Our aim is to illustrate and explain how gender interacts with other social groups in the composition of lethal violence in Mexico City, one of the largest cities in Latin America. Research findings suggest that, in Mexico City, women are more likely to use lethal violence against young victims, usually family members, and in closed spaces, especially at home.
A Health System’s Preparedness for the “Next Ebola”
Authors: Baers Justin H. , Wiley Katelyn , Davies J. M. , Caird Jeff K. , Hallihan Greg , Conly John
Published: December 2017

We share lessons learned from a collaborative in situ simulation of Ebola preparedness for a large health region. The lessons are to use proactive analysis, undertake in situ simulation, and have professionals in infection prevention and control and those in human factors collaborate. These lessons are applicable as generalizable concepts, not only to Ebola preparedness but also to other infectious diseases, including the “next Ebola.” Implementing these concepts will help contribute to improvements in both patient and provider safety.
Effect of heat treatment to sweet potato flour on dough properties and characteristics of sweet potato-wheat bread
Authors: Pérez Isela Carballo , Mu Tai-Hua , Zhang Miao , Ji Lei-Lei
Published: December 2017

The effect of heat treatment at 90, 100, 110 and 120 ℃ for 20 min to sweet potato flour on dough properties and characteristics of sweet potato-wheat bread was investigated. The lightness (L*) and a* of sweet potato flour samples after heat treatment were increased, while the b* were decreased significantly, as well as the particle size, volume and area mean diameter ( p < 0.05). A slight change of the microstructures of sweet potato flour was observed, where the number of irregular granules increased as the temperature increased from 90 to 120 ℃. Compared with sweet potato flour samples without heat treatment and with heat treatment at 90, 100 and 120 ℃, the gelatinization temperature and enthalpy change of sweet potato flour at 110 ℃ were the lowest, which were 77.94 ℃ and 3.67 J/g, respectively ( p < 0.05). After heat treatment, gas retention of the dough with sweet potato flour increased significantly from 1199 ml without heat treatment to 1214 ml at 90 ℃ ( p < 0.05). In addition, specific loaf volume of sweet potato-wheat bread with sweet potato flour after heat treatment increased significantly, which was the largest at 90 ℃ (2.53 cm3/g) ( p < 0.05). Thus, heat treatment at 90 ℃ to sweet potato flour could be potentially used in wheat bread production.
Drip infusion cholangiography with CT in cats
Authors: Tanaka Toshiyuki , Akiyoshi Hideo , Mie Keiichiro , Shimazaki Hitoshi , Ohashi Fumihito
Published: December 2017

Objectives

Ultrasonography can detect extrahepatic biliary obstructions. However, visualisation of part of the bile duct using ultrasonography can be technically difficult if there is overlying bowel gas. This study investigated the safety and value of drip infusion cholangiography with computed tomography (DIC-CT) in the visualisation of the bile duct in healthy cats and extrahepatic biliary obstruction in cats with cholelithiasis.

Methods

DIC-CT was performed in three healthy cats and two cats with cholelithiasis. Meglumine iotroxate was administered by intravenous drip infusion over 30 mins. The attenuation value was measured perpendicular to the lumen by a region of interest covering about 50% of the area of the lumen.

Results

The bile ducts were visualised successfully with DIC-CT in all healthy cats without any significant adverse events. The attenuation value of the contrast medium was 271 ± 37 HU. In the two cats with cholelithiasis, the presence or absence of extrahepatic biliary obstruction was determined using DIC-CT without any significant adverse events. The attenuation value of cholelithiasis in the cat with an extrahepatic biliary obstruction was 933 ± 119 HU. In the cat with no extrahepatic biliary obstruction, the attenuation value of the contrast medium was 249 ± 53 HU and the attenuation value of cholelithiasis was 167 ± 28 HU.

Conclusions and relevance

DIC-CT visualises bile ducts and detects obstructive biliary disease without significant adverse events. Therefore, it appears to be a safe procedure for visualisation of the bile duct in cats.
Onychomycosis and Chronic Fungal Disease: Exploiting a Commensal Disguise to Stage a Covert Invasion
Authors: Gupta Aditya K. , Carviel Jessie , Shear Neil H.
Published: December 2017

Onychomycosis is a chronic fungal infection that is recalcitrant to treatment and often results in relapse. New evidence suggests that disease prognosis may be linked to pathogens manipulating host immune responses. Therefore, individuals with specific mutations, including those affecting pattern recognition receptors or the interleukin (IL)–17 and IL-22 pathways, may be more susceptible to infection. Moreover, it is recommended that those with a family history of immune mutations or predisposition to fungal disease be treated aggressively for onychomycosis prior to symptom progression. In addition, incorporating genetic testing and new investigational therapy such as IL-33 and interferon-γ may improve treatment outcome.
‘A crowd at your back’: fantasy fandom and small press
Authors: Wilkins Kim
Published: December 2017

This article presents a study of a model of textual production that situates genre fiction, specifically fantasy fiction, within its community and industry contexts. I argue that Australian fantasy ‘fandom’ operates in some ways like a research and development space for the literature it consumes, through allowing, enabling and enthusiastically supporting – both ethically and materially – a thriving small press culture. Fandom is known for its passionate investments in texts, and those investments are rarely passive. The fantasy genre community is already oriented towards prosumption, and small presses afford specific opportunities for writers to work in specific ways, enriching and developing their individual craft and the genre as a whole.
More than opinion expression: Secondary effects of intraparty referendums on party members
Authors: Wuttke Alexander , Jungherr Andreas , Schoen Harald
Published: December 2017

As political parties expand opportunities for intraparty participation, understanding the effects of participatory events on party actors becomes ever more important. In this study, we investigate the consequences of an intraparty referendum in a state branch of Germany’s Christian Democratic Union on beliefs and attitudes of party members. We use longitudinal survey data bracketing a nonbinding issue referendum on the party’s stance on same-sex marriage. Our analysis shows that the referendum had secondary effects that went beyond the referendum’s primary goal of delivering an informal opinion poll to the party leadership. The experience of having a say in an important policy decision fostered members’ sense of party-specific efficacy. Furthermore, the referendum provided party members with information on elite positions and stimulated leadership evaluation based on issue congruency. Altogether, involvement in intraparty decision-making promotes beliefs and behaviours among the rank and file that are relevant to uphold a vivid and empowering party life.
Swazi co-researcher participants’ dynamic preferences and motivations for, representation with real names and (English-language) pseudonyms – an ethnography
Authors: Brear Michelle
Published: December 2017

Using pseudonyms is the accepted and expected ethical practice for maintaining participants’ privacy in qualitative research. However it may not always be ethical, for example in participatory action research (PAR), where academics aim to recognise co-researcher participants’ contributions. I used Bourdieusian theory to analyse data detailing deliberations about, and the dynamic pseudonym-related preferences of, 10 co-researcher participants, generated through an ethnography of PAR in rural Swaziland. The analysis demonstrates the salience of engaging participants in careful deliberations about pseudonyms and the racism and privilege inherent to the practice of White (or otherwise powerful) academics researching and representing non-White (or otherwise marginalized) participants. It further highlights practical strategies academics might employ to facilitate ethical and potentially transformative deliberations with their research participants about pseudonyms, which unmask this racism and privilege.
Untangling origin-destination flows in geographic information systems
Authors: Graser Anita , Schmidt Johanna , Roth Florian , Brändle Norbert
Published: December 2017

Origin–destination flow maps are a popular option to visualize connections between different spatial locations, where specific routes between the origin and destination are unknown or irrelevant. Visualizing origin–destination flows is challenging mainly due to visual clutter which appears quickly as data sets grow. Clutter reduction techniques are intensively explored in the information visualization and cartography domains. However, current automatic techniques for origin–destination flow visualization, such as edge bundling, are not available in geographic information systems which are widely used to visualize spatial data, such as origin–destination flows. In this article, we explore the applicability of edge bundling to spatial data sets and necessary adaptations under the constraints inherent to platform-independent geographic information system scripting environments. We propose (1) a new clustering technique for origin–destination flows that provides within-cluster consistency to speed up computations, (2) an edge bundling approach based on force-directed edge bundling employing matrix computations, (3) a new technique to determine the local strength of a bundle leveraging spatial indexes, and (4) a geographic information system–based technique to spatially offset bundles describing different flow directions. Finally, we evaluate our method by applying it to origin–destination flow data sets with a wide variety of different data characteristics.
Modeling and prediction of desulfurization efficiency for magnesium-based seawater exhaust gas clean system
Authors: Liu Quan , Zhu Yimin , Tang Xiaojia , Li Tie , Liu Weifeng , Zhao Jiao , Li Qian
Published: December 2017

The desulfurization efficiency is a major parameter of magnesium-based seawater exhaust gas clean system, which is one of the important means to control the sulfur dioxide emission from marine diesel engines. In this work, the RFlow, a computational fluid dynamics software, was used to analyze the flow field and sulfur dioxide absorption rate in the desulfurization tower of magnesium-based seawater exhaust gas clean system. The subdomain technology was applied for physics modeling and mesh generation of the desulfurization tower, and total number of the mesh is 2.25 million. The flow field model was set up by coupling the multi-fluid model with the dispersive k-ε turbulence model. Based on flow field model, the prediction model for desulfurization efficiency of magnesium-based seawater exhaust gas clean system was programmed in user-defined module of the RFlow software, according to the two-film theory and sulfur dioxide absorption reaction equations. The simulation results predicted a desulfurization efficiency of 97.9%, which agrees well with the practical result. In order to study the effect of gas and liquid flow rate on the desulfurization efficiency, the computational fluid dynamics prediction model was applied. And the verification tests were conducted on a container vessel. Comparing the predicted results with the experimental data, the maximum error is less than 2%. It is proved that the prediction model is reliable and useful for the magnesium-based seawater exhaust gas clean system.
A practical approach to the dynamic modelling of an underwater vehicle propeller in all four quadrants of operation
Authors: Tran Minh , Binns Jonathan , Chai Shuhong , Forrest Alexander L , Nguyen Hung
Published: December 2017

This article presents the open water propeller characteristics and the four-quadrant propeller models as applied to a torpedo-shaped underwater vehicle. A series of experiments with a Gavia autonomous underwater vehicle propeller were conducted in the towing tank using a rotor testing apparatus. The purpose of these tests was to measure the propeller thrust and torque under varying flow conditions and then to be used as the basis of the developed propeller models. These mathematical models were constructed using two regression models, a polynomial and a Fourier series. Model coefficients were derived using the method of least squares and a comparison analysis was also conducted to test the robustness of the methodology. Results show that the Fourier series models were able to produce a reasonable and accurate approximation of thrust and torque coefficients with a small number of parameters in the examined condition of this study. The obtained four-quadrant open water characteristics of the autonomous underwater vehicle propeller model would be utilised to improve the system mathematical model for more accurate simulation and controller design, to compare the autonomous underwater vehicle performance equipped with different propulsion units, and to validate computational fluid dynamic results.
Intensive Communicative Therapy Reduces Symptoms of Depression in Chronic Nonfluent Aphasia
Authors: Mohr Bettina , Stahl Benjamin , Berthier Marcelo L. , Pulvermüller Friedemann
Published: December 2017

Background. Patients with brain lesions and resultant chronic aphasia frequently suffer from depression. However, no effective interventions are available to target neuropsychiatric symptoms in patients with aphasia who have severe language and communication deficits. Objective. The present study aimed to investigate the efficacy of 2 different methods of speech and language therapy in reducing symptoms of depression in aphasia on the Beck Depression Inventory (BDI) using secondary analysis (BILAT-1 trial). Methods. In a crossover randomized controlled trial, 18 participants with chronic nonfluent aphasia following left-hemispheric brain lesions were assigned to 2 consecutive treatments: (1) intensive language-action therapy (ILAT), emphasizing communicative language use in social interaction, and (2) intensive naming therapy (INT), an utterance-centered standard method. Patients were randomly assigned to 2 groups, receiving both treatments in counterbalanced order. Both interventions were applied for 3.5 hours daily over a period of 6 consecutive working days. Outcome measures included depression scores on the BDI and a clinical language test (Aachen Aphasia Test). Results. Patients showed a significant decrease in symptoms of depression after ILAT but not after INT, which paralleled changes on clinical language tests. Treatment-induced decreases in depression scores persisted when controlling for individual changes in language performance. Conclusions. Intensive training of behaviorally relevant verbal communication in social interaction might help reduce symptoms of depression in patients with chronic nonfluent aphasia.
Pillar Integration Process: A Joint Display Technique to Integrate Data in Mixed Methods Research
Authors: Johnson Rebecca E. , Grove Amy L. , Clarke Aileen
Published: December 2017

Despite an emphasis on integration in mixed methods research, there remain relatively few well-articulated integration techniques for use by researchers. We developed the Pillar Integration Process, a transparent and rigorous four-stage technique for integrating and presenting qualitative and quantitative findings in a joint display. The purpose of this article is to describe the technique and illustrate how it was developed and applied using via two examples from health sciences. The first is an evaluation of a health improvement program, the second is a mixed methods systematic review to identify interacting factors which influenced decision making in orthopedics. Future research can provide additional evidence on the value of the Pillar Integration Process technique within a mixed method approach.
A Comparison of Removal Rates of Headless Screws Versus Headed Screws in Calcaneal Osteotomy
Authors: Kunzler Daniel , Shazadeh Safavi Pejma , Jupiter Daniel , Panchbhavi Vinod K.
Published: December 2017

Background: Calcaneal osteotomy has been used to successfully treat both valgus and varus hindfoot deformities. Pain associated with implanted hardware may lead to further surgical intervention for hardware removal. Headless screws have been used to reduce postoperative hardware-associated pain and accompanying hardware removal, but data proving their effectiveness in this regard is lacking. The purpose of this study is to compare the rates of removal of headed and headless screws utilized in calcaneal osteotomy. Methods: We conducted a retrospective chart review of 74 patients who underwent calcaneal osteotomy between January 2010 and December 2014. The cohort was divided into 2 groups by fixation method: a headed screw and a headless screw group. Bivariate associations between infection or hardware removal, and screw type, screw head width, gender, smoking status, alcohol, hypertension, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, age, and body mass index were assessed using t-tests and Fisher’s exact/χ2 tests for continuous and discrete variables, respectively. Results: Headed screws were removed more frequently than headless screws (P < .0001): 15 of 30 (50%) feet that received headed screws and 4 of 44 (9%) of feet that received headless screws underwent subsequent revision for screw removal. In all cases, screws were removed because of pain. The calcaneal union rate was 100% in both cohorts. Conclusion: The rate of screw removal in calcaneal osteotomies is significantly lower in patients who receive headless screws than in those receiving headed screws.

Levels of Evidence: Level IV
Contents and Functions of Dramatizations in Team Decision Making
Authors: Horila Tessa
Published: December 2017

This study examines the contents and functions of dramatizations in natural team decision making. Theoretically, the study employs symbolic convergence theory to understand decision making as a complex phenomenon constructed in symbolic communication. Observational meeting data and thematic interview data from an autonomous team in Finland were analyzed. A fantasy theme analysis and an inductive, rhetorical discourse analysis revealed three rhetorical visions and seven functions of dramatizations in the team’s decision making. Visions represented social, righteous, and pragmatic master analogues. The functions of dramatizations were legitimizing independent and current decisions, reinforcing past decisions, arguing, leading, embedding decisions, and controlling decision making. Symbolic realities were constructed and refined before, during, and after decision making. The processes of creating and using dramatizations were intertwined and simultaneous. The interview analysis showed the team was aware of many of these processes. The applicability of symbolic convergence theory in team decision-making research and training is discussed, specifically in connection to communication competence.
Secure the city, revitalize the zone: Smart urbanization in Camden, New Jersey
Authors: Wiig Alan
Published: December 2017

“Smart city” agendas of information technology-driven governance are often aligned with neoliberal urban revitalization efforts, including the creation of new districts to attract multinational knowledge and innovation-focused industries. The redevelopment of Camden, New Jersey is typical of this, but exceptional as well. To attract over $2 billion in investment in specific zones, a citywide, multi-instrument surveillance network complemented a technologically-mediated community policing agenda. Camden’s “smart city” effort secured the area, controlling the circulation of residents and their use of the city, prioritizing the flow of capital into spatially-bounded zones. As these “smart” surveillance plans for urban revitalization become more common, critically engaging with the, in Camden’s case, policing and surveillance strategies underlying said zones is necessary to understanding the ongoing, evolving relationship between global enterprise and municipal governance. Over its first five years, the success of the surveillance-driven, community policing strategy in reducing crime was mixed, but it did succeed in shifting the narrative of Camden from disenfranchised to ready for business. Contrasting the reinvestment in premium districts with the installation of a citywide digitized security apparatus presents an opportunity to investigate the spatial, infrastructural, and militaristic context within which the rhetoric of and technologies of the smart city are deployed.