bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Moments and Metagenres
Authors: McNely Brian
Published: June 2017

Professional and technical communication increasingly involves developing narratives that traverse multiple genres, media formats, and publishing venues. In marketing and advertising, brand stories unfold across Web sites, ad campaigns, and social media properties. A fundamental challenge in such work is multigenre coordination, leading to a key question: How do professionals manage complex ecologies of genres, media content, and interactions in ways that build and sustain narrative coherence and audience engagement? Reporting findings from a study of transmedia writers, this article argues that metageneric texts may emerge as important coordinative resources for planning, developing, and tracking uptakes within multigenre narratives. It thus contributes to professional and technical communication by describing a widening gap in scholarly approaches to metagenre; arguing for empirical examinations of metageneric constructs in tangible, flexible texts that serve situated needs in given activity systems; and demonstrating how such texts may emerge and play a formidable role in coordinating contemporary, multigenre narratives.
Effect of Psychosocial Factors on Eating Behaviors and BMI Among African American Women
Authors: Pickett Stephanie , McCoy Thomas P.
Published: June 2017

Psychosocial stress and negative emotions have been associated with the consumption of highly palatable foods and excess weight. Few studies have examined these variable relationships among young African American women. The purpose of this cross-sectional study was to examine the relationship of perceived stress, depressive symptoms, eating behaviors, and body mass index (BMI) among 191 African American women who were 18 to 40 years old. Multivariate analysis indicated that depressive symptoms had a greater impact on highly palatable eating behaviors compared with perceived stress. This study extends understanding of depressive symptoms on eating behaviors among young African American women.
Predicting Entrepreneurial Career Intentions
Authors: Gorgievski Marjan J. , Stephan Ute , Laguna Mariola , Moriano Juan Antonio
Published: June 2017

Integrating predictions from the theory of human values with the theory of planned behavior (TPB), our primary goal is to investigate mechanisms through which individual values are related to entrepreneurial career intentions using a sample of 823 students from four European countries. We find that openness and self-enhancement values relate positively to entrepreneurial career intentions and that these relationships are partly mediated by attitudes toward entrepreneurship, self-efficacy, and, to a lesser extent, by social norms. Values and TPB constructs partially mediated cross-country differences in entrepreneurial intentions. Spanish students showed lower entrepreneurial intentions as compared to Dutch, German, and Polish students, which could be traced back to lower self-enhancement values (power and achievement), less positive attitudes toward entrepreneurship, and differences in social norms.
Reconsidering Forced Labels: Outcomes of Sexual Assault Survivors Versus Victims (and Those Who Choose Neither)
Authors: Williamson Jessica , Serna Kelly
Published: June 2017

The goal of the current study was to assess the effects of self-labeling on attitudes related to victim- and self-blaming and self-compassion outcomes in 85 participants (75 women, 10 men) who have experienced sexual assault. Participants classified themselves as either a survivor, victim, or neither survivor nor victim of sexual assault. Regardless of self-classification, groups did not differ in victim-blaming (rape myth acceptance), self-blaming, or levels of self-compassion. Implications for language and forced labels of those who have experienced sexual assault are discussed.
Our Anthropocene: Geologies, Biologies, Economies, and New Pursuits of Profit and Power
Authors: Tiessen Matthew
Published: June 2017

The Anthropocene is a geological period defined by human activities that requires decisive responses by humanity to grapple with ecological, biological, and social change. In this essay, I argue that the concept of the Anthropocene is also one that has the potential to be mobilized in service of unanticipated and emerging forms of social, spatial, political, financial, and ecological control. Indeed, we can perhaps imagine a not too distant future wherein the apparent urgency of the Anthropocene era’s challenges may require global responses that bypass democratic deliberation. At the same time, emerging modalities of control in the Anthropocene will likely be sold to the public as being in their interest. It is the potential proliferation of these emerging expressions of power in the name of the Anthropocene that, I want to suggest, we must approach with caution as we seek solutions to tomorrow’s social, ecological, and spatial challenges.
Wear performance of cylinder liner surface texturing on cylinder liner–piston ring assembly
Authors: Peng Engao , Huang Sheng
Published: June 2017

The microgeometrical structure has a great impact on lubricating performance of the cylinder liner–piston ring assembly. Extensive investigations have been done upon the various texture types for better lubrication. However, rarely do they focus on the morphological alteration of the friction surfaces during the initial wearing process. In this study, the pits and grooves at the liner inner surface are processed and experiments are conducted to investigate the influence of the surface texturing structure on the piston ring assembly during the initial wearing process at different rotating speeds. Then, the tribology information of cylinder liner–piston ring assembly is obtained and the mechanism between surface texturing structure and lubricating performance was analyzed. Experimental results show that some pits and grooves on the inner surface of the cylinder liner can properly improve the wear performance of cylinder liner–piston ring at a high rotating speed in diesel engine, and hence reducing friction and wear. Moreover, it provides experimental data for theoretical analysis and knowledge for improving the friction surface texturing of cylinder liner.
What is the best swimming stroke to master for beginners in water safety tests?
Authors: Potdevin François , Jomin-Moronval Sophie , Pelayo Patrick , Dekerle Jeanne
Published: June 2017

The aim of this study was to ascertain whether performance in a series of water safety tests, in clothed and swimsuit conditions, were dependent on the swim stroke that beginners selected for traversing maximal distance. A total of 45 children (9.6 ± 1.6 years) involved in a learning programme were asked to complete six tests to: travel their maximal distance in water; hold a vertical position; float on their back for as long as possible; perform a maximal number of rotations from front to back in 10 seconds; complete their deepest immersion dive; and perform a final integrated test composed of the previous tasks that were successfully executed in isolation. Pupils were divided into three groups according to the swim stroke they had selected for the first test. The results revealed that the breaststroke group was less affected by wearing clothes in performance on the maximal distance and the final integration test, and was able to tread water for a longer period of time. The backstroke group maintained a horizontal position on their backs for a longer period of time, and was able to rotate position more frequently from front to back. No effect of preferred swim stroke was noted in the maximal immersion dive test. Overall, the front crawl group was most affected by wearing clothes when traversing a maximal distance, floating on their back and performing the final integrated test. Findings suggested that breaststroke and backstroke may be more important to teach beginners for performance in water safety tests.
Measuring student attention in the second language classroom
Authors: Hlas Anne Cummings , Neyers Krista , Molitor Sarah
Published: June 2017

The purpose of this study was to investigate student attention lapses in second language classrooms at the university level. In 17 classes, 274 undergraduate students reported the frequency and duration of their attention lapses during 50- and 75-minute classes at various levels. Students’ beliefs regarding their attention and the pedagogical occurrences that coincided with an attention lapse are also discussed. Findings from a mixed methods analysis reveal that students report short lapses, 1 minute or less, that occur two to three times throughout most classes and often state being fatigued, thinking about other things, and making connections to other topics as possible reasons for the lapses. Specific pedagogical practices, such as correcting homework, led to more lapses regardless of when they occurred during class, whereas other practices, such as discussion questions, led to fewer lapses. In addition, more active learning moments, for example, calling on students randomly, increased the attentional system, and more passive moments, such as listening to peers speak, decreased this system.
Policy mobilities and comparative penality
Authors: Newburn Tim , Jones Trevor , Blaustein Jarrett
Published: June 2017

The study of ‘policy transfer’ has been subject to sustained criticism, in particular by critical policy studies scholars. This critique—together with the rather marginal role that policy transfer research has played in criminological debates to date—raises questions about the continued utility of such research in scholarly discussions of crime control and penal policy-making. However, we argue here that such studies can enhance our understanding of the local, national and global influences over crime control policy formation. In particular, the developing interest in comparative criminology, in the political economy of punishment, and in the ‘proximate causes’ of penal change, are all areas to which this work can make a useful contribution. Although we feel that some elements of the critique are over-stated, the critical policy studies notions of ‘mobilities’ and ‘assemblages’ offer important advances that capture more fully the complexities of the processes involved in the cross-national movement of penal policy.
The becoming of radio bodies
Authors: Blaakilde Anne Leonora
Published: June 2017

In this article, listening to the radio is investigated as an embodied articulation from a life historical perspective. How did and does radio configure with embodied practices from the beginning of radio broadcasting until today? The study is based on qualitative life historical interviews with 14 Danish radio listeners born between 1928 and 1948. Drawing on socio-material theory, the relationship between listening bodies and the materiality of radio apparatuses is analysed as a material-cultural intra-action from a temporal perspective. Interpretations of the personal narratives of elderly Danes who have grown up with and experienced radio all their lives suggest that living with radio articulates a becoming of a modernized ‘radio body’. This article forms part of ‘Media and the Ageing Body’ special issue.
Preliminary evaluations on development of new materials for hip joint femoral head
Authors: Aherwar Amit , Patnaik Amar , Bahraminasab Marjan , Singh Amit
Published: June 2017

Development and selection of a proper biomaterial with diverse properties (i.e. physical, mechanical, wear, corrosion, and many others) for hip femoral head is one of the most exigent tasks. Improper material often causes component failure during functioning. Therefore, in this study, a series of implant materials containing tungsten of different weight percentages were fabricated by high temperature vacuum casting induction furnace and the physical, mechanical, wear, and corrosion properties were examined. The proportions were varied from 0 wt% to 4 wt% in a cobalt–chromium alloy (Co–30Cr–4Mo–1Ni). The mechanical properties were tested by the micro-hardness tester and the compression testing machine, while the wear performance was analyzed through a pin-on-disc tribometer under different operating conditions at room temperature. Corrosion resistance was analyzed under NaCl solution by the electrochemical test method. Due to the conflict between the properties obtained, the Vise Kriterijumska Optimizacija Kompromisno Resenjemeaning (VIKOR) method integrated with analytic hierarchy process (AHP) was applied to choose the best material among the set of alternatives, where AHP was used to determine criteria weights, and VIKOR approach was used to rank the alternatives. From the results obtained, it was found that Co–30Cr–4Mo–1Ni implant material containing 2 wt% tungsten provides the best combination of the properties for a given application (i.e. hip femoral head).
Acculturation and bicultural integration in organizations
Authors: Barker Gina G
Published: June 2017

This study examined acculturation and bicultural integration in organizational settings, with particular attention to the factors that influence individuals’ acculturation processes; the challenges and opportunities they face; the ways in which they integrate home- and host-culture features; and the conditions that facilitate third-culture building with host-culture members. A qualitative approach using in-depth interviews with Americans living in Sweden, Swedes living in the United States, and Swedish-American biculturals having grown up with ties to both countries was used to gain an in-depth understanding of the processes of acculturation in organizational contexts. Results emerging from a grounded theory analysis identify assimilation as the predominant acculturation approach for reasons of cultural preference. Culture-specific features are integrated in limited ways and third-culture building takes place in contexts where home-culture connections exist. Bicultural individuals integrate their two cultures by alternating between them as well as blending them. Theoretical implications are discussed.
When and Where Did Jesus Offer Himself? A Taxonomy of Recent Scholarship on Hebrews
Authors: Jamieson R. B.
Published: June 2017

This article surveys how recent scholarship answers the question, ‘According to Hebrews, when and where did Jesus offer himself?’ Much interest has been paid to this topic in the wake of David Moffitt’s 2011 monograph, but the debate is often framed in potentially reductionistic binary terms: either Hebrews depicts a sacrificial sequence beginning on the cross and culminating in heaven, or else Jesus’ ‘heavenly offering’ is a metaphor for the cross. By contrast, this article asks how scholars correlate three variables: Jesus’ death, offering, and entrance to heaven. It registers five answers that have been offered, explores the textual basis taken to support each, and articulates the issues which divide each view from the others. Further, the article surveys recent answers to two material questions that arise in the wake of this formal one. First, is Hebrews’ sacrificial theology coherent? Second, in Hebrews, is Jesus’ death atoning?
Comparison of Direct Iliofemoral Stenting Following AngioJet Rheolytic Thrombectomy vs Staged Stenting After AngioJet Rheolytic Thrombectomy Plus Catheter-Directed Thrombolysis in Patients With Acute Deep Vein Thrombosis
Authors: Liu Guang , Qin Jinbao , Cui Chaoyi , Ye Kaichuang , Shi Huihua , Liu Xiaobing , Yin Minyi , Huang Xintian , Lu Min , Jiang Mier , Li Weimin , Lu Xinwu
Published: June 2017

Purpose: To compare the treatment outcomes in patients with acute proximal deep vein thrombosis (DVT) and iliofemoral stenosis who underwent either direct stenting after AngioJet rheolytic thrombectomy or staged stenting after AngioJet thrombectomy plus catheter-directed thrombolysis with urokinase. Methods: From June 2014 to February 2016, 91 DVT patients underwent 2 treatments for duplex-verified iliofemoral stenosis: direct stenting (n = 46; mean age 54.8 years; 32 men) or staged stenting (n = 45; mean age 56.5 years; 27 men). The degree of patency after thrombectomy or thrombolysis was evaluated using the Venous Registry Index (VRI), while the risk of postthrombotic syndrome (PTS) was evaluated according to the Villalta scale. Patients were followed with periodic duplex ultrasound scans up to 1 year. Results: The technical success rates were 100% in both groups; there was no 30-day mortality. Immediate (24-hour) clinical improvement was achieved in 42 (91%) of 46 direct group patients vs 33 (73%) of 45 staged group patients (p<0.001). A significant reduction (p<0.001) in the length of hospital stay was noted in the direct group (4.59±0.91) compared with that in the staged group (5.8±1.6). The stents used in the direct group were longer but with similar diameter compared with the staged group. The thrombolysis rates were 81.50%±5.76% in the direct group and 85.67%±3.84% in the staged group (p<0.001). The VRIs declined (improved) significantly in both groups (11.68±1.92 to 3.21±1.44 in the direct group and 12.17±2.29 to 2.36±1.19 in the staged group, both p<0.001). The Villalta scores were significantly better in the staged group (p<0.001). Recurrent DVT occurred in 2 patients in the direct group. The primary patency rates at 1 year were 93.5% in the direct group and 97.8% in the staged group (p=0.323). Conclusion: Both direct and staged stenting are effective treatment modalities for patients with acute proximal DVT. Compared with staged stenting, direct stenting provides similar treatment success and a significant reduction in the length of hospital stay; however, it has lower thrombolysis efficacy, and the risk of PTS at 1 year is greater with direct stenting.
Race and Rachel Doležal
Authors: Morning Ann
Published: June 2017

When scholar Ann Morning found herself fielding media calls about a certain (and certainly notorious) former NAACP chapter president, she wanted to know more. So she asked.
Attention for Sale
Authors: Lindner Andrew M.
Published: June 2017

Andrew M. Lindner reviews Tim Wu’s The Attention Merchants.
Shanghai’s Socialist Suburbanization 1953–1962
Authors: Qian Zhu
Published: June 2017

This article analyzes Shanghai’s suburban development during the first two Five-Year Plans (1953–1962). The development trajectory of Shanghai’s inner suburban industrial zones and satellite towns was shaped by Maoist geopolitics, economic realities, the urban–rural nexus, regional spatial strategy, and radical political campaigns. Shanghai’s strategy promoted the homogenization of suburban industrial development and employment patterns, and the city’s suburban industrial zones and satellite towns were subordinate to the central city. The effective functioning of industrial zones and satellite towns was probably secondary to the political goals behind China’s grand development plans and initiatives, which were intended to demonstrate the superiority of socialist industrialization.
A Fatal Aortic Arch Rupture Due to Descending Necrotizing Mediastinitis in a 24-year-old Woman
Authors: Lareyre Fabien , Cohen Charlotte , Declemy Serge , Raffort Juliette , Quintard Hervé
Published: June 2017

Descending necrotizing mediastinitis (DNM) is a life-threatening disease which often develops from a purulent infection of the oral cavity and is associated with high rates of mortality. Here we report the case of a young patient who died from an aortic arch rupture in context of DNM developed from an odontogenic infection caused by Prevotella buccae. Based on the current knowledge on this very rare vascular complication, we discuss factors that may have contributed to this fatal issue and future issues to optimize care provided to patients.
Educational leadership
Authors: Sims Margaret , Waniganayake Manjula , Hadley Dr Fay
Published: June 2017

In the Australian early childhood sector the role of educational leader emerged as part of a very large process of policy reform that began in 2009. The position of educational leader was established to drive the quality improvement requirements of the reform, but many organizations did not establish these positions until several years after the reforms were introduced. Lack of clear role descriptions and authority make it difficult for educational leaders to fulfil the expectations held of them. This study examines the sense leaders make of the policy reforms and the street-level bureaucracy they perform to translate the policy into action. This sense-making and street-level bureaucracy is taking place in a neoliberal context where, we argue, the demands for professional discretionary decision-making are in conflict with the top-down standardization inherent in neoliberalism. Educational leaders have the potential to challenge neoliberalism through their professional decision-making but, in the Australian context, many are currently focusing on compliance with their street-level bureaucracy.
An efficient usage rate biclustering algorithm in real-valued function-resource dataset
Authors: Wang Miao , Zhang Lihua , Xiong Zhiyong , Yang Tao
Published: June 2017

Task synthesis, function fusion, and resource integration are used to get higher performance and more reliability in integrated modular avionics system. However, safety issue is caused in the system integration process. In order to discover the potential hazards for function layer safety analysis, in this paper, we proposed an efficient biclustering algorithm— DeCluster, which can effectively mine all biclusters with maximal variant usage rate or maximal low usage rate in real-valued function-resource dataset. First, it constructs a sample weighted graph, which contains all resource relations set between two samples that satisfy the definitions; second, all maximal variant usage rate or low usage rate biclusters are mined in the graph. In order to get higher the mining efficiency of the algorithm, DeCluster algorithm uses several pruning strategies. The experimental results show our algorithm is more efficient.
The Effect of an Out-of-School Enrichment Program on the Academic Achievement of High-Potential Students From Low-Income Families
Authors: Hodges Jaret , McIntosh Jason , Gentry Marcia
Published: June 2017

High-potential students from low-income families are at an academic disadvantage compared with their more affluent peers. To address this issue, researchers have suggested novel approaches to mitigate gaps in student performance, including out-of-school enrichment programs. Longitudinal mixed effects modeling was used to analyze the growth of elementary students from low-income families on a Midwestern state achievement test in mathematics and English/language arts performance after attendance at an enrichment camp in the Midwest ( n = 137). The results of the analysis showed that camp attendance had a positive effect on the state standardized scores in both math (β = 11.370, SE = 3.846) and English/language arts (β = 8.294, SE = 3.874) of these students.
The corrosive effect of corruption on trust in politicians: Evidence from a natural experiment
Authors: Ares Macarena , Hernández Enrique
Published: June 2017

Empirical studies do not provide a univocal answer about the effects of corruption on political attitudes and behaviour. Focusing on the relationship between corruption and political trust, in this article we explore whether real-world corruption scandals have a negative causal effect on trust in politicians; whether the impact of scandals decays over time; and whether corruption scandals have a weaker impact among the supporters of the party involved in the scandal. We address these questions through a natural experiment generated by the coincidence of the uncovering of a corruption scandal in Spain (the Bárcenas scandal) and the fieldwork of the European Social Survey. Given that the day at which survey interviews were conducted is as-if random, the uncovering of the scandal represents a unique opportunity to assess the causal effect of corruption on individuals’ trust in politicians. The results indicate that: (i) the corruption scandal had a substantial negative effect on trust in politicians; (ii) the effect of the scandal was stronger in the days following its disclosure; (iii) the effect of the scandal was independent from individuals’ partisan preferences.
Thematic Proximity in Content Analysis
Authors: Armborst Andreas
Published: June 2017

This article explains how to calculate thematic proximity within a mixed methods content analysis approach. Thematic proximity of two themes can indicate the presence of meta-themes. Meta-themes are themes which acquire their meaning through the systematic co-occurrence of two or more other themes. By combining qualitative and quantitative techniques of content analysis, the researcher can reveal these latent text patterns. Using a study on Jihadi media as a showcase, the article describes how to detect meta-themes through content analysis. To this end, the article introduces a novel theme-correlation coefficient that adds valuable information to traditional theme relation metrics. It enables researchers to make new empirical observations in text data.
Associations of Physical Fitness and Motor Competence With Reading Skills in 9- and 12-Year-Old Children: A Longitudinal Study
Authors: Sigmundsson Hermundur , Englund Kjellrun , Haga Monika
Published: June 2017

This longitudinal study explores the association of motor competence and physical fitness with reading skills in children aged 9 and 12 years. Sixty-seven children aged 9 years completed an assessment of motor competence (measured using the Movement Assessment battery for Children), physical fitness (assessed using the Test of Physical Fitness), and reading (measured using the Wordchain test). The testing procedures were repeated after 32 months. For the 9-year-old group, there was a low, negative correlation between motor competence and reading overall, r = −.031 (girls: r = −.207; boys: r = .180). Correlation between fitness and reading was also low ( r = .064). Girls had a higher correlation between fitness and reading than boys ( r = .404; 17.7% shared variance, vs. r = −.138). When the children were 12 years old, there was still a low association of motor competence and fitness with reading. These low associations can be used to support the task specificity principles of learning.
Smoking Cessation in a Woman With Breast Cancer, Cardiovascular Problems, and Depressive Symptomatology: Case Study
Authors: Martínez-Vispo Carmela , Becoña Elisardo
Published: June 2017

Smoking is the leading preventable cause of morbidity and mortality and has been linked with diseases such as cancer and cardiovascular diseases. The case of a 50-year-old woman with breast cancer, who suffered a stroke the previous month and is in treatment for depression and wants to quit smoking, is analyzed. She smoked 10 cigarettes a day and had never quit smoking. She received six sessions of a cognitive-behavioral psychological intervention to quit smoking. She stopped smoking and remained abstinent through the 1-year follow-up, showing a clear physical improvement and a significant reduction of depressive symptomatology (from 24 on the Beck Depression Inventory–II [BDI-II] before treatment to 1 at the 12-month follow-up). This indicates that, in many cases, smoking cessation produces an improvement not only in physical health but also in mood.
The Role of Headteachers, Teachers, and School Counselors in the System of Quality Assessment and Assurance of School Work
Authors: Podgornik Vesna , Vogrinc Janez
Published: June 2017

In many countries in recent decades, great importance has been placed on the concept of quality assurance in education. In Slovenian schools, quality assessment and assurance processes are based on a combination of self-evaluation and external evaluation, although significantly more weight has been attached to self-evaluation than external evaluation lately. Efforts to achieve the highest possible levels of quality and school work performance are based on the assumption that the concept of quality should be developed at the level of the professional autonomy of schools and individual teachers. Our empirical research, which was conducted on a sample of 1,530 teachers, counselors, and headteachers of primary and secondary schools in Slovenia, showed that the majority of professional workers in education recognize the importance of conducting self-evaluation for their profession. Using factor analysis, it was established that the frequency of conducting self-evaluation in schools is most affected by the following factors: (a) the opinion of headteachers, teachers, and school counselors on the positive effects of self-evaluation; (b) the school climate; (c) the attitude of headteachers, teachers, and school counselors toward research; and (d) the attitude of headteachers, teachers, and school counselors toward their own professional development. Multiple regression analysis of the obtained factors was made, and a model was designed to predict the frequency of the performance of self-evaluation. It was established that the frequency of conducting self-evaluation is most strongly affected by the attitude of headteachers, teachers, and school counselors toward their own professional development and by their opinions on the positive effects of self-evaluation.
Social Intelligence and the Explanation of Workplace Abuse
Authors: Popp Jerome
Published: June 2017

Bullying in the workplace by management-level supervisors and executives has been well documented in the literature; however, bullying of employees by their associates is often less noticeable, even stealth, and has been understudied. This article presents a theoretical model that draws from the literature of clinical psychology and recent research in neuroscience to identify and describe the four different roles played in employee workplace colleague abuse. These roles include (1) the leader of the abuse, (2) the targeted employee, (3) members of the mob who bully the targeted employee under the direction of the abuse leader, and (4) participants in a whisper campaign. To understand the motivations of employees who intentionally cause an associate distress or illness, it is necessary to understand these distinct roles.
The Experience of Patients During the Clinical Management Pathway of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysms at a NHS Trust
Authors: Lee Regent , Jones Amy , Woodgate Felicity , Bellamkonda Kirthi , Killough Nicholas , Fulford-Smith Lucy , Hurst Katherine , Cassimjee Ismail , Handa Ashok
Published: June 2017

Background:

The epidemiology of abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is changing. Outcomes for aortic surgery have improved. However, the accepted guideline for the management of AAAs has remained unchanged over the last 2 decades. We aimed to gain insight into the patients’ experience while they are managed under the traditional clinical pathway.

Method:

With the help of a patient focus group, we designed a survey to assess the patients’ perception of the disease and their experience during different stages of the AAA clinical care pathway (surveillance, perioperative care, postoperative follow-up). An invitation to participate in the survey was sent to all patients with AAA who were receiving care at the Oxford Regional Vascular Services Unit, part of the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Trust.

Results:

We received 194 responses from patients with AAA. One hundred seventy-seven were male, with a median age of 75 to 79 years. Just over a third had undergone surgery already, and the remaining 63% were either in surveillance or awaiting surgery. Their experience during the AAA management pathway was mostly positive. Of the issues that were most important to them in terms of their medical care, the provision of explanation and regularity of monitoring stood out as the most common considerations.

Conclusion:

Patients are generally satisfied with the care they received, but there is room for improvement. They have also highlighted key areas that are most important to them in terms of their medical care. These should guide the future direction for quality improvement and research.
Managing contested spaces: Public managers, obscured mechanisms and the legacy of the past in Northern Ireland
Authors: Murphy Joanne , McDowell Sara , Braniff Maire , Denyer David
Published: June 2017

Societies emerging from ethno-political and inter-communal conflict face a range of complex problems that stem directly from the recent lived experience of bloodshed and injury, militarisation, securitisation and segregation. As institutional agents in such an environment, public managers perform the dual role of both interpreting public policy and implementing it within a politically contested space and place. In this article, we address how managers cope with the outworking of ethno-nationalist conflict and peace building within government processes and policy implementation and contend this is a subject of emerging concern within the wider public administration, urban studies and conflict literature. Using data from a witness seminar initiative on the Northern Ireland conflict transformation experience, we explain how public sector managers make sense of their role in post-agreement public management and highlight the importance of three identified mechanisms; ‘bricolage’, ‘diffusion’ and ‘translation’ in the management of public sector organisations and urban spaces in a context of entrenched conflict and an uncertain path to peace.
Patient Perceptions of Physician Reimbursement for Retinal Detachment Surgery
Authors: Oellers Patrick , Kanoff Justin , Eliott Dean , Kim Leo A.
Published: June 2017

Purpose:

Despite an ongoing societal debate on health-care costs, little is known about how patients perceive their cost of care.

Methods:

Survey of patients (n = 30) who underwent vitrectomy for retinal detachment asking about estimated actual physician reimbursement and suggested reasonable physician reimbursement for their surgery.

Results:

Mean estimated actual fee was $6800, and mean reasonable suggested fee was $14 115. Hence, patients overestimated the actual fee of $1683 by a factor of 4 and suggested 8 times higher reimbursement to be reasonable.

Conclusion:

This is the first study investigating patient perceptions of physician reimbursement in retina surgery. Results demonstrate that patients drastically overestimate physician reimbursement for retinal detachment repair, and they value the work of their surgeon much higher than what current Medicare reimbursement reflects. This study should help spark a discussion about current health-care dollar allocation.
How neutrophils resist shear stress at blood vessel walls: molecular mechanisms, subcellular structures, and cell–cell interactions
Authors: Begandt Daniela , Thome Sarah , Sperandio Markus , Walzog Barbara
Published: June 2017

Neutrophils are the first cells arriving at sites of tissue injury or infection to combat invading pathogens. Successful neutrophil recruitment to sites of inflammation highly depends on specific molecular mechanisms, fine-tuning the received information into signaling pathways and converting them into well-described recruitment steps. This review highlights the impact of vascular flow conditions on neutrophil recruitment and the multitude of mechanisms developed to enable this sophisticated process under wall shear stress conditions. The recruitment process underlies a complex interplay between adhesion and signaling molecules, as well as chemokines, in which neutrophils developed specific mechanisms to travel to sites of lesion in low and high shear stress conditions. Rolling, as the first step in the recruitment process, highly depends on endothelial selectins and their ligands on neutrophils, inducting of intracellular signaling and subsequently activating β2 integrins, enabling adhesion and postadhesion events. In addition, subcellular structures, such as microvilli, tethers, and slings allow the cell to arrest, even under high wall shear stress. Thereby, microvilli that are pulled out from the cell body form tethers that develop into slings upon their detachment from the substrate. In addition to the above-described primary capture, secondary capture of neutrophils via neutrophil–neutrophil or neutrophil–platelet interaction promotes the process of neutrophil recruitment to sites of lesion. Thus, precise mechanisms based on a complex molecular interplay, subcellular structures, and cell–cell interactions turn the delicate process of neutrophil trafficking during flow into a robust response allowing effective neutrophil accumulation at sites of injury.
Expansion and activation of granulocytic, myeloid-derived suppressor cells in childhood precursor B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia
Authors: Liu Yu-feng , Chen Ying-ying , He Ying-yi , Wang Jia-yi , Yang Jian-ping , Zhong Shu-ling , Jiang Nan , Zhou Pan , Jiang Hua , Zhou Jie
Published: June 2017

Precursor B cell acute lymphoblastic leukemia (B-ALL) is a B cell–derived, malignant disorder with the highest incidence among children. In addition to the genetic abnormality, a dysregulated immune system also has an important role in the pathogenesis of B-ALL. Myeloid-derived suppressor cells (MDSCs) represent one of the key drivers in immune tolerance against tumor cells, including various solid tumors and hematologic malignancies. The role of MDSCs in B-ALL remains poorly understood. Here, we showed that the granulocytic (G)-MDSC population was significantly elevated in both the peripheral blood and BM of patients with B-ALL, when compared with age-matched healthy controls. G-MDSCs levels correlated positively with clinical therapeutic responses and B-ALL disease prognostic markers, including minimal residual disease, and the frequencies of CD20+ and blast cells. The immunosuppressive function of B-ALL–derived G-MDSCs was mediated through the production of reactive oxygen species and required direct cell–cell contact, with the potential participation of STAT3 signaling. Overall, the results of our study support accumulation and activation of G-MDSCs as a novel mechanism of immune evasion of tumor cells in patients with B-ALL and may be a new therapeutic target.
Elastic least-squares reverse time migration via linearized elastic full-waveform inversion with pseudo-Hessian preconditioning
Authors: Chen Ke , Sacchi Mauricio D.
Published: June 2017

Time-domain elastic least-squares reverse time migration (LSRTM) is formulated as a linearized elastic full-waveform inversion problem. The elastic Born approximation and elastic reverse time migration (RTM) operators are derived from the time-domain continuous adjoint-state method. Our approach defines P- and S-wave impedance perturbations as unknown elastic images. Our algorithm is obtained using continuous functional analysis in which the problem is discretized at the final stage (optimize-before-discretize approach). The discretized numerical versions of the elastic Born operator and its adjoint (elastic RTM operator) pass the dot-product test. The conjugate gradient least-squares method is used to solve the least-squares migration quadratic optimization problem. In other words, the Hessian operator for elastic LSRTM is implicitly inverted via a matrix-free algorithm that only requires the action of forward and adjoint operators on vectors. The diagonal of the pseudo-Hessian operator is used to design a preconditioning operator to accelerate the convergence of the elastic LSRTM. The elastic LSRTM provides higher resolution images with fewer artifacts and a superior balance of amplitudes when compared with elastic RTM. More important, elastic LSRTM can mitigate crosstalk between the P- and S-wave impedance perturbations given that the off-diagonal elements of the Hessian are attenuated via the inversion.
Transient electromagnetic search engine for real-time imaging
Authors: Ogunbo Jide Nosakare , Zhang Jie , Zhang Xiong
Published: June 2017

To image the resistivity distribution of the subsurface, transient electromagnetic (TEM) surveying has been established as an effective geophysical method. Conventionally, an inversion method is applied to resolve the model parameters from the available measurements. However, significant time and effort are involved in preparing and executing an inversion and this prohibits its use as a real-time decision-making tool to optimize surveying in the field. We have developed a search engine method to find approximate 1D resistivity model solutions for circular central-loop configuration TEM data in real time. The search engine method is a concept used for query searches from large databases on the Internet. By extension, approximate solutions to any input TEM data can be found rapidly by searching a preestablished database. This database includes a large number of forward simulation results that represent the possible model solutions. The database size is optimized by the survey depth of investigation and the sensitivity analysis of the model layers. The fast-search speed is achieved by using the multiple randomized [Formula: see text]-dimensional tree method. In addition to its high speed in finding solutions, the search engine method provides a solution space that quantifies the resolutions and uncertainties of the results. We apply the search engine method to find 1D model solutions at different data points and then interpolate them to a pseudo-2D resistivity model. We tested the method with synthetic and real data.
Time-domain explicit finite-difference method based on the mixed-domain function approximation for acoustic wave equation
Authors: Wang Zhikai , Li Jingye , Wang Benfeng , Xu Yiran , Chen Xiaohong
Published: June 2017

Explicit finite-difference (FD) methods with high accuracy and efficiency are preferred in full-waveform inversion and reverse time migration. The Taylor-series expansion (TE)-based FD methods can only obtain high accuracy on a small wavenumber zone. We have developed a new explicit FD method with spatial arbitrary even-order accuracy based on the mixed [Formula: see text] (wavenumber)-space domain function approximation for the acoustic wave equation, and we derived the FD coefficients by minimizing the approximation error in a least-squares (LS) sense. The weighted pseudoinverse of mixed [Formula: see text]-space matrix is introduced into the LS optimization problem to improve the accuracy. The new method has an exact temporal derivatives discretization in homogeneous media and also has higher temporal and spatial accuracy in heterogeneous media. Approximation errors and numerical dispersion analysis demonstrate that the new FD method has a higher numerical accuracy than conventional TE-based FD and TE-based time-space domain dispersion-relation FD methods. Stability analysis reveals that our proposed method requires a slightly stricter stability condition than the TE-based FD and TE-based time-space domain dispersion-relation FD methods. Numerical tests in the homogeneous model, horizontally layered model, and 2D modified Sigsbee2 model demonstrate the accuracy, efficiency, and flexibility of the proposed new FD method.
Procedures from International Guidelines for Assessing Seismic Risk to Flood-Control Levees
Authors: Zimmaro Paolo , Kwak Dong Youp , Stewart Jonathan P. , Brandenberg Scott J. , Balakrishnan Ariya , Jongejan Ruben , Ausilio Ernesto , Dente Giovanni , Xie Junju , Mikami Atsushi
Published: June 2017

We synthesize engineering procedures for estimating the seismic performance of major flood-control levees as given in guidelines documents and design codes from Canada (British Columbia), China, Italy, Japan, New Zealand, and the United States. Some guidelines carry the weight of law whereas compliance is optional for others. Most procedures combine a probabilistic ground motion characterization with deterministic assessments of levee performance (uncoupled approach). Ground motions are typically described using peak accelerations for reference site conditions at return periods typically ranging from 100 to 2,475 years. Those motions are deterministically modified for soil conditions using numerical simulations or ergodic site factors. Accompanying hydrological conditions are either not specified or are taken at a frequently encountered water level (ranging from mean annual to a four-month flood event). These demands are used in combination with various soil properties to assess the potential for liquefaction, flow failure, and permanent shear deformations. Drawing upon best practices identified from this review, we recommend procedures for levee risk assessment at the section-level and for levee systems.
Yorkie and Hedgehog independently restrict BMP production in escort cells to permit germline differentiation in the Drosophila ovary
Authors: Huang Jianhua , Reilein Amy , Kalderon Daniel
Published: June 2017

Multiple signaling pathways guide the behavior and differentiation of both germline stem cells (GSCs) and somatic follicle stem cells (FSCs) in the Drosophila germarium, necessitating careful control of signal generation, range and responses. Signal integration involves escort cells (ECs), which promote differentiation of the GSC derivatives they envelop, provide niche signals for FSCs and derive directly from FSCs in adults. Hedgehog (Hh) signaling induces the Hippo pathway effector Yorkie (Yki) to promote proliferation and maintenance of FSCs, but Hh also signals to ECs, which are quiescent. Here, we show that in ECs both Hh and Yki limit production of BMP ligands to allow germline differentiation. Loss of Yki produced a more severe germarial phenotype than loss of Hh signaling and principally induced a different BMP ligand. Moreover, Yki activity reporters and epistasis tests showed that Yki does not mediate the key actions of Hh signaling in ECs. Thus, both the coupling and output of the Hh and Yki signaling pathways differ between FSCs and ECs despite their proximity and the fact that FSCs give rise directly to ECs.
Sin3a regulates epithelial progenitor cell fate during lung development
Authors: Yao Changfu , Carraro Gianni , Konda Bindu , Guan Xiangrong , Mizuno Takako , Chiba Norika , Kostelny Matthew , Kurkciyan Adrianne , David Gregory , McQualter Jonathan L. , Stripp Barry R.
Published: June 2017

Mechanisms that regulate tissue-specific progenitors for maintenance and differentiation during development are poorly understood. Here, we demonstrate that the co-repressor protein Sin3a is crucial for lung endoderm development. Loss of Sin3a in mouse early foregut endoderm led to a specific and profound defect in lung development with lung buds failing to undergo branching morphogenesis and progressive atrophy of the proximal lung endoderm with complete epithelial loss at later stages of development. Consequently, neonatal pups died at birth due to respiratory insufficiency. Further analysis revealed that loss of Sin3a resulted in embryonic lung epithelial progenitor cells adopting a senescence-like state with permanent cell cycle arrest in G1 phase. This was mediated at least partially through upregulation of the cell cycle inhibitors Cdkn1a and Cdkn2c. At the same time, loss of endodermal Sin3a also disrupted cell differentiation of the mesoderm, suggesting aberrant epithelial-mesenchymal signaling. Together, these findings reveal that Sin3a is an essential regulator for early lung endoderm specification and differentiation.