bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Sequential Process Model for Cognitive Diagnostic Assessment With Repeated Attempts
Authors: Hung Su-Pin , Huang Hung-Yu
Published: December 2018

When diagnostic assessments are administered to examinees, the mastery status of each examinee on a set of specified cognitive skills or attributes can be directly evaluated using cognitive diagnosis models (CDMs). Under certain circumstances, allowing the examinees to have at least one opportunity to correctly answer the questions and assessments, with repeated attempts on the items, provides many potential benefits. A sequential process model can be extended to model repeated attempts in diagnostic assessments. Two formulations of the sequential generalized deterministic-input noisy-“and”-gate (G-DINA) model were developed in this study. The first extension uses the latent transition analysis (LTA) approach to model changes in the attributes over attempts, and the second extension constructs a higher order structure of latent continuous variables and latent attributes to account for the dependences of the attributes over attempts. Accurate model parameter estimation and correct classifications of attributes were observed in a series of simulations using Bayesian estimation. The effectiveness of the developed sequential G-DINA model was demonstrated by fitting real data from a longitudinal mathematical test to the developed model and the longitudinal G-DINA model using the LTA approach. Finally, this article closes by discussing several important issues associated with the developed models and providing suggestions for future directions.
City Revenue Structure and Unfunded Pension Liabilities
Authors: Gorina Evgenia
Published: December 2018

A growing body of research shows that economic, demographic, and institutional factors affect public pension funding. Most of these findings are based on the analysis of complete retirement systems, which are often funded by multiple plan sponsors. This article offers one of the first empirical analyses of the determinants of pension funding at the level of a city government that acts as a plan sponsor, often for more than one plan. Models predicting unfunded liabilities for a large national sample of cities over 2003–2012 suggest that city fiscal autonomy and reliance property taxes are additional pieces of the pension underfunding puzzle.
Mycobacterium chimaera in heater–cooler units: new technical approach for treatment, cleaning and disinfection protocol
Authors: Colangelo Nicola , Giambuzzi Ilaria , Moro Matteo , Pasqualini Neva , Aina Alessandro , De Simone Francesco , Blasio Andrea , Alfieri Ottavio , Castiglioni Alessandro , De Bonis Michele
Published: December 2018

Mycobacterium chimaera infections have mainly been associated with the heater-cooler unit (HCU) and, ultimately, linked to contaminated aerosols in the operation room. The contamination status of HCUs seems to be influenced by the maintenance, therefore, according to the manufacturer’s recommendations, peracetic acid (Puristeril) was introduced to increase HCU cleaning and disinfection protocol maintenance. Aerosol dispersion from Puristeril during maintenance can cause adverse effects to nearby workers. We aim to describe our technique to reduce the impact of Puristeril on operating room staff and to limit dispersion of its aerosol in the environment by performing the cleaning procedure through a closed circuit.
Inclusive Work Practices: Turnover Intentions Among LGBT Employees of the U.S. Federal Government
Authors: Sabharwal Meghna , Levine Helisse , D’Agostino Maria , Nguyen Tiffany
Published: December 2018

The federal government lags behind in progressive civil rights policies in regard to universal workplace antidiscrimination laws for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Americans. The slow progress matters to inclusionary workplace practices and the theory and practice of public administration generally, as recognition of LGBT rights and protection are constitutive of representative bureaucracy and promoting social equity. This study examines the turnover intention rates of self-identified LGBT employees in the U.S. federal government. Using the Office of Personnel Management’s inclusion quotient (IQ), and 2015 Federal Employee Viewpoint Survey (FEVS), we identify links in the relationships between workplace inclusion and turnover outcomes among LGBT individuals. We also examine the impact of agency type on LGBT turnover rates based on Lowi’s agency classification type. Key findings suggest that LGBT employees express higher turnover intentions than those that identify as heterosexuals/straight, and LGBT employees who perceive their agencies as redistributive or communal are less likely to experience turnover intentions. However, an open and supportive workplace environment had a positive impact on turnover, suggesting that to implement effective structural change in an organization’s culture of inclusion, public sector managers must do more than merely “talk the talk.” This finding is also suggestive of LGBT employees’ desire to avoid the stigma of being LGBT and hide their identities. Institutions must heed the invisible and visible identities of their employees to be truly inclusive. Workplace practices that acknowledge the invisible and visible identities of their employees are a positive step toward real workplace inclusion.
Mythic rights and conflict-related prisoner ‘re-integration’
Authors: Shirlow Peter
Published: December 2018

This article argues that within Northern Ireland the processes of disarmament, demobilisation and re-integration (DDR) remain incomplete. Despite general disarmament and demobilisation and a very significant fall in paramilitary violence, those imprisoned as a consequence of the conflict remain marginalised by vetting laws and other instruments of civic exclusion. This has significant consequences in terms of acknowledging that the conflict has ceased as a violent/military episode. This is due to rhetorical devices and positions that uphold variant readings of the past, especially those that impose a humiliated status upon conflict-related prisoners.
Evidence-Based Practice in Nursing for Teaching-Learning: But Is It Really Nursing?
Authors: Yancey Nan Russell
Published: December 2018

Although nurses across generations have called for nursing practice to be informed by the best evidence available in the moment, evidence-based practice has gained prominence across healthcare since release of the 2001 Institute of Medicine’s report Crossing the Quality Chasm. Recent nursing literature is replete with calls for evidence-based practice to be the foundation for nursing practice and incorporated in nursing education across levels. However, it is essential to clarify what is evidence-based practice in nursing in order to address concerns for what should be the evidence for nursing practice and teaching-learning in nursing. In exploring the questions “Is it evidence?” and “Is it nursing?” recommendations and challenges are provided to nurse leaders in administration and education for assuring appropriate evidence is used to guide the teaching-learning and practice of nursing.
Ethics and the Reporting of Research Findings
Authors: Milton Constance L.
Published: December 2018

Ethics in research, writing, and publication are critical for the healthcare disciplines. Findings from various formal inquiry studies are vital for the dissemination of new knowledge and possible implications for future research, practice, and education. All scholars of the discipline of nursing have an important responsibility to be careful stewards and rigorous evaluators of research from budding scholars. This article begins a discussion of potential straight-thinking implications for mentorship and ethical straight-thinking conduct required in nurse research.
Bringing Joy-Sorrow to Light: Informing Practice Utilizing Theoretical and Research Perspectives
Authors: Carroll Karen
Published: December 2018

This article focuses on the substance of centering on a nursing disciplinary theoretical approach accomplished through a brief review of the phenomena of joy-sorrow from a research and practice perspective. When practice is designed from a theoretical conceptual system, it takes form and provides tangible benefits through the creative conceptualizations and connectedness that arise to influence persons who seek healthcare. Although the article espouses a humanbecoming framework, the take-away is that a nursing disciplinary approach promotes congruence among theory, research, practice, and education, thereby advancing the discipline’s meaning and contributions.
School Integration in the New Jim Crow: Opportunity or Oxymoron?
Authors: Horsford Sonya Douglass
Published: December 2018

In this article, I consider the limitations of school integration research that overlooks Black research perspectives, White policy interests, and the paradox of race in the New Jim Crow—America’s system of racial caste in the post–Civil Rights Era. Applying critical race theory as critical policy analysis, I discuss the importance of theorizing race in school integration research and recentering Black citizenship and equality as fundamental goals of school desegregation. I conclude with a call to desegregate the research on school desegregation through critical policy analyses that deconstruct liberal education policy agendas, create new policy knowledge, and reject the institutionalization of Black educational inferiority.
Changing Lanes: The Relationship Between Special Education Placement and Students’ Academic Futures
Authors: Parekh Gillian , Brown Robert S.
Published: December 2018

Special education is an approach to schooling that draws significant critique. Scholars often identify special education as a system vulnerable to and complicit in racial, class, and disability segregation, particularly segregation enacted and rationalized through the structural organization of schools and programs. Employing data from the Toronto District School Board (TDSB), Canada’s largest public education system, this article highlights key policy decisions around special education. Controlling for achievement, results reveal significant disparities in access to secondary programming critical to postsecondary education.
First-Line Therapies for VTE Treatment and Secondary Prophylaxis in Patients With Cancer: A New Direction
Authors: Vogel Samantha M. , Smith Leticia V. , Peterson Evan J.
Published: December 2018

Objective:

To review evidence behind anticoagulants in cancer-associated venous thromboembolism (VTE) with a focus on low-molecular-weight heparins (LMWH) and the role of direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs).

Data Sources:

PubMed was searched using terms “venous thromboembolism,” “cancer,” and “anticoagulation.” This search was restricted to clinical trials, meta-analyses, and subgroup analyses. Additional references were identified from reviewing literature citations.

Study Selection:

English-language prospective and retrospective studies assessing the efficacy and safety of LMWH and DOACs in patients with cancer.

Data Analysis:

Several trials were analyzed that compared anticoagulation therapies for prevention of recurrent VTE in patients with cancer. Many studies comparing LMWH and vitamin K antagonists (VKAs) found nonsignificant differences between therapies. A single study demonstrated that LMWHs are superior to VKAs. This evidence supporting LMWH for long-term VTE treatment in patients with cancer is based on comparison to VKA, but results are limited by methodological issues, and the benefit of LMWH may be driven by poor control. Subanalyses of DOAC trials suggest these are equally or more effective as VKA in cancer, but this conclusion is underpowered.

Conclusion:

DOACs have the potential to bypass many challenges with traditional therapy. After analyzing the evidence available, we conclude that after careful consideration of risks and benefits, use of DOACs for VTE treatment are a reasonable option in patients with cancer.
Sterility and suggestion: Minor psychotherapy in the Soviet Union, 1956–1985
Authors: Brokman Aleksandra
Published: December 2018

This article explores the concept of minor or general psychotherapy championed by physicians seeking to popularise psychotherapy in the post-Stalin Soviet Union. Understood as a set of skills and principles meant to guide behaviour towards and around patients, this form of psychotherapy was portrayed as indispensable for physicians of all specialities as well as for all personnel of medical institutions. This article shows how, as a result of Soviet teaching on the power of suggestion to influence human organisms, every interaction with patients was conceptualised as a form of psychotherapy, leading to the embrace of placebo as a legitimate form of therapy, and to the blurring of the boundary between therapy and other activities in the clinic. The principles of minor psychotherapy reveal a concept of psychotherapy that is much wider, and rooted in different priorities, than the dominant understanding of this type of treatment found in Western Europe and North America. This article addresses the ethical principles implicit in the Soviet perspective, demonstrating that despite fighting against the uncaring and dismissive attitude of other physicians, Soviet psychotherapists remained rooted in the paternalistic tradition. Finally, it traces the efforts to establish minor psychotherapy as standard practice in medical institutions, which, like many other plans and ambitions of Soviet psychotherapists, were constrained by a lack of resources in the healthcare system.
Of mountains, lakes and essences: John Teasdale and the transmission of mindfulness
Authors: Drage Matthew
Published: December 2018

In this article I examine an important episode in the growth of ‘mindfulness’ as a biomedical modality in Britain: the formation and establishment of Mindfulness-Based Cognitive Therapy (MBCT) by John Teasdale and his colleagues Mark Williams and Zindel Segal. My study, focusing on Teasdale’s contribution, combines ethnographic, oral historical and archival research to understand how mindfulness was disseminated or, to use a term sometimes used by mindfulness practitioners themselves, ‘transmitted’. Drawing on theoretical support from Max Weber, Michel Foucault and Gilles Deleuze, I argue that transmission had a very specific form within the Buddhistic milieu that Teasdale occupied and within which he developed MBCT. To ‘transmit’ mindfulness was to transmit an experiential essence; a type of subjectivity that was seen as perennial, universal and radically distinct from its historical context. In tracing the recurring metaphysical, metaphorical and visual tropes of mindfulness and its transmission, I attempt to understand how Teasdale was embedded in both local and global networks of discourse and practice, and how his life and work contributed and depended upon an assemblage whose elements (institutional, technical, conceptual, textual) straddled empiricist psychology and religious mysticism. I also examine how authority, experience and knowledge were closely interwoven in the birth of British mindfulness, coming together to form an affectively compelling ‘diagram’ that shaped the way mindfulness was practiced and disseminated. In doing so, I aim to open up the possibility of studying the history of the human sciences from a new perspective: one which places an emphasis on the emotional impetus generated by metaphysical assumptions.
A homogenization-based Chebyshev interval finite element method for periodical composite structural-acoustic systems with multi-scale interval parameters
Authors: Chen Ning , Chen Jiaojiao , Liu Jian , Yu Dejie , Yin Hui
Published: December 2018

For the periodical composite structural-acoustic system with multi-scale interval uncertainties, a new interval analysis approach is presented in this study. In periodical composites structural-acoustic systems with multi-scale interval parameters, the variation ranges of the sound pressure response can be calculated using the homogenization-based interval finite element method. However, the homogenization-based interval finite element method that is based on Taylor series can only suit periodical composites structural-acoustic problems with small uncertainty degree. To consider larger uncertainty degree, by combining the Chebyshev polynomial series and the homogenization-based finite element, a homogenization-based Chebyshev interval finite element method is presented to predict the sound pressure responses of the structural-acoustic system involving periodical composite and multi-scale interval parameters. Compared with homogenization-based interval finite element method, homogenization-based Chebyshev interval finite element method can obtain higher accurate numerical solutions in the approximate process. Besides, homogenization-based Chebyshev interval finite element method can be implemented without conducting the complex derivation process. Numerical results verify the validity and practicability of the presented homogenization-based Chebyshev interval finite element method for the periodical composite structural-acoustic problem.
Adaptive equivalent consumption minimisation strategy and dynamic control allocation-based optimal power management strategy for four-wheel drive hybrid electric vehicles
Authors: Liu Hui , Li Xunming , Wang Weida , Han Lijin , Xin Huibin , Xiang Changle
Published: December 2018

An adaptive equivalent consumption minimisation strategy and dynamic control allocation-based optimal power management strategy for a four-wheel drive plug-in hybrid electric vehicle is proposed in this paper. The equivalent factors of adaptive equivalent consumption minimisation strategy are optimised offline based on ISIGHT software over several typical driving cycles, which is integrated with AVL CRUISE and MATLAB/Simulink. To update the equivalent factor adaptively according to the predictive velocity, a neural network-based optimal equivalent factor prediction model is built, which can be used online. The torque distribution strategy considering axle load based on energy management strategy optimisation results and the vehicle dynamics control distribution is proposed: this includes two-wheel drive torque distribution, four-wheel drive torque distribution and brake torque distribution. The proposed energy management strategy is verified in New European Driving Cycle and Worldwide harmonised Light Vehicle Test Cycle driving patterns, and the simulation results show that the fuel economy of adaptive equivalent consumption minimisation strategy and dynamic control allocation-based optimal power management strategy is improved by 8.84% and 7.52% in New European Driving Cycle and Worldwide harmonised Light Vehicle Test Cycle, respectively, compared with the benchmark algorithm-based strategy.
“Do mad people get endo or does endo make you mad?”: Clinicians’ discursive constructions of Medicine and women with endometriosis
Authors: Young Kate , Fisher Jane , Kirkman Maggie
Published: December 2018

Endometriosis, a common disease characterised as a “gynaecological disorder” in the medical literature, has attracted the attention of feminist scholars as a metaphorical meeting point for gender, knowledge and power. Based on interviews conducted with general practitioners and gynaecologists, we examined the language clinicians use to construct Medicine and women with endometriosis. We sought to identify whether these constructions endorsed or challenged historical discourses, and any implications for women with endometriosis. Clinicians endorsed Medicine as the authoritative knowledge on women and their bodies, and constructed Medicine as being about providing answers on, and doing things to, the body. Women with endometriosis were constructed as reproductive bodies with hysterical tendencies. The historical hysteria discourse was most often endorsed when discussing “difficult” women, referring to those for whom treatment was not helpful or who held a perception of their disease alternative to their clinician. The findings of our study are consistent with previous social analyses of medical literature on endometriosis and with women’s reported experiences, suggesting these discourses to be prevalent in contemporary healthcare for endometriosis. Medical education needs to address the historical androcentric bias of medical knowledge and equip clinicians with the skills to address women’s diverse needs.
Test sensitivity of mammography and mean sojourn time over 40 years of breast cancer screening in Nijmegen (The Netherlands)
Authors: Aarts AMWM , Duffy SW , Geurts SME , Vulkan DP , Otten JDM , Hsu C-Y , Chen THH , Verbeek ALM , Broeders MJM
Published: December 2018

Objectives

We investigated whether changes in mammographic technique and screening policy have improved mammographic sensitivity, and elongated the mean sojourn time, since the introduction of biennial breast cancer screening in Nijmegen, the Netherlands, in 1975.

Methods

Maximum likelihood estimation, non-linear regression, and Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation were used to estimate test sensitivity, mean sojourn time, and underlying breast cancer incidence in four time periods, covering 40 years of breast cancer screening in Nijmegen (1975–2012).

Results

Maximum likelihood estimation generated an estimated test sensitivity of approximately 90% and a mean sojourn time around three years, while the estimates based on non-linear regression and Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation were 80% and four years, respectively. All three methods estimated a rise in the underlying breast cancer incidence over time, with approximately one case more per 1000 women per year in the final period compared with the first period.

Conclusions

The three methods showed a slightly higher mammographic sensitivity and a longer mean sojourn time in the last period, after the introduction of digital mammography. Estimates were more realistic for the more sophisticated methods, non-linear regression and Markov Chain Monte Carlo simulation, while the simple closed form approximation of maximum likelihood estimation led to rather high estimates for sensitivity in the early periods.
A decade of speculation
Authors: Chandrasekhar CP , Ghosh Jayati
Published: December 2018

The power of finance ensured that, other than for an initial fiscal push to salvage financial institutions, monetary measures in the form of quantitative easing, involving the infusion of large volumes of cheap liquidity, were the principal response to the 2008 global financial crisis. The effects of the generalised and prolonged dependence on such measures have been a substantial increase in vulnerability, at the centre of which is a huge build-up of private – especially corporate – debt, and unwarranted and unsustainable asset price inflation in both developed country and ‘emerging economy’ markets. A consequence of these processes is a massive increase in income and wealth inequality across the world, which limits the level of effective demand and growth.
Evaluation of serologic testing of rams in the management of Brucella ovis in a domestic sheep flock
Authors: Branscom Lindsey A. , Cornish Todd E. , Sondgeroth Kerry S.
Published: December 2018

Brucella ovis is a bacterial pathogen present in most major sheep-producing regions of the world. The pathogen is associated with ram infertility, decreased ewe conception rates, and premature lambs. Twenty ELISA seropositive or indeterminate rams were culled from a B. ovis–positive flock, and donated to the Wyoming State Veterinary Laboratory for evaluation of infection. Tissues from each ram were collected at autopsy for additional testing, including bacterial culture, PCR, and histopathology. Of 17 seropositive rams, 11 rams were also positive by culture and PCR, and had evidence of mild histologic lesions; 1 seropositive ram was positive by culture with mild histologic lesions, but negative by PCR. Five seropositive rams were negative by culture and PCR and had no histologic lesions. Three indeterminate rams were negative by culture and by PCR and had no histologic lesions. The tissues in which B. ovis was most often detected included the epididymis, vesicular gland, and ampulla. Although this was a small study, the observation that 5 of 17 (29%) rams that were initially seropositive had no evidence of infection is interesting. A convalescent test for valuable seropositive animals prior to culling may be useful, and reproductive tissues may be evaluated postmortem if confirmatory testing is desired.
Salvage or Solution: Alloplastic Reconstruction in Hemifacial Microsomia
Authors: Polley John W. , Girotto John A. , Fahrenkopf Matthew P. , Dietze-Fiedler Megan L. , Kelley Joshua P. , Taylor Joseph C. , Lazarou Spiros A. , Demetriades Neophytos C.
Published: December 2018

Introduction:

Skeletal reconstruction in severe grades of hemifacial microsomia (HFM) continues to be challenging. Traditional techniques of autografts and osseous distraction for reconstruction of the glenoid fossa, condyle, and ramus can fall short of expectations and can create new problems. This intercontinental study analyzes the role of alloplastic skeletal rehabilitation in severe HFM.

Methods:

Ten consecutive patients with Pruzansky grade III HFM were reconstructed between October 2014 and July 2017 at 2 craniofacial centers following the same protocol. Data were gathered retrospectively from the medical records, including photographs and virtual planning records. Pre and postoperative photos were taken to compare occlusal status, interincisal opening, sagittal mandibular projection, and posterior facial height. Alloplastic reconstruction was accomplished using a custom designed titanium implant.

Results:

Ten consecutive skeletally mature patients with HFM with failed traditional reconstructions were successfully treated with virtually planned alloplastic reconstructions (11 joints) and simultaneous orthognathic surgery. The glenoid fossa, condyle, and ramus on the affected sides were reconstructed with custom designed titanium implants. All patients achieved occlusal stabilization, normalization of posterior facial height and sagittal mandibular projection, and maintenance or improved inter-incisal opening. There were no major complications or repeated surgeries. Follow-up ranges from 6 to 50 months.

Conclusion:

Alloplastic reconstruction allows for precise vertical reconstruction of the ramus and condyle and sagittal repositioning of the mandibular body. The glenoid fossa component is firmly anchored to the skull base assuring a stable centric relation on the reconstructed side. Consistent and acceptable results can be achieved in skeletally mature patients.
Mucosal Schwann Cell Hamartoma of the Rectosigmoid Junction: A Rare Lesion Mimicking Mucosal Prolapse Syndrome and Other Neural Lesions
Authors: Hashimoto Hirotsugu , Usui Genki , Sakai Eiji , Ohata Ken , Morikawa Teppei
Published: December 2018

In this article, we report the case of a 40-year-old woman with a sessile polyp of the rectosigmoid junction that underwent endoscopic resection. The resected specimen showed spindle cell proliferation with eosinophilic cytoplasm between mucosal crypts, mimicking mucosal prolapse syndrome. However, these were immunohistochemically positive for S-100, indicating neural cell origin. As neural polypoid lesion of the rectum, neurofibroma, perineurioma, schwannoma, and mucosal Schwann cell hamartoma were in the differential diagnosis. Histology and additional immunohistochemistry confirmed mucosal Schwann cell hamartoma. Mucosal Schwann cell hamartoma of the rectosigmoid junction or rectum can be a histological mimic of mucosal prolapse syndrome and other S-100 positive neural cell lesions; however, the lesion in the present case was correctly diagnosed with histology and immunohistochemistry.
Remodeling of Rectal Innervation After Pullthrough Surgery for Hirschsprung Disease: Relevance to Criteria for the Determination of Retained Transition Zone
Authors: Kapur Raj P , Arnold Michael A , Conces Miriam R , Ambartsumyan Lusine , Avansino Jeffrey , Levitt Marc , Wood Richard , Mast Kelley J
Published: December 2018

Background

After pullthrough surgery for Hirschsprung disease (HSCR), Glut1-positive submucosal nerve hypertrophy is used to diagnose retained transition zone in the neorectum. We hypothesized that pelvic nerves, severed during pullthrough surgery, sprout into the neorectum to mimic transition zone.

Methods

The density (nerves/100x field) and maximum diameter of Glut1-positive submucosal nerves were measured in biopsies and redo resections from 20 patients with post-pullthrough obstructive symptoms. Their original and/or redo resections excluded unequivocal features of transition zone (myenteric hypoganglionosis or partial circumferential aganglionosis) in 17. Postoperative values were compared with control data from 28 cadaveric and 6 surgical non-HSCR specimens, and 14 primary HSCR resections. When possible, nerves were tracked from attached native pelvic soft tissue or aganglionic rectal cuff into the pulled-through colon.

Results

Glut1-positive submucosal nerves were not present in the 11 colons of non-HSCR infants less than 1 year of age, except sparsely in the rectum. In 17 older non-HSCR controls, occasional Glut1-positive nerves were observed in prerectal colon and were larger and more numerous in the rectum. In redo resections, Glut1-positive submucosal innervation in post-pullthrough specimens did not differ significantly from age-appropriate non-HSCR rectal controls and pelvic Glut1-positive nerves were never observed to penetrate the pulled-through colon. However, the density and caliber of Glut1-positive nerves in the neorectums were significantly greater than expected based on the prerectal location from which the pulled-through bowel originated.

Conclusions

Submucosal innervation in post-pullthrough specimens does not support the hypothesis that native pelvic nerves innervate the neorectum, but suggests remodeling occurs to establish the age-appropriate density and caliber of rectal Glut1-positive innervation. The latter should not be interpreted as transition zone pullthrough in a rectal biopsy from a previously done pullthrough.
A three-dimensional bistatic reverberation model of underwater explosion by interface scattering at variable sound speeds
Authors: Rui Guo , Liu Lei , Zhen-Xin Sheng , Pu Song
Published: December 2018

Underwater reverberation is a main limitation of the sonar performance and thereby the reverberation level estimation becomes crucial. In this study, based on the Lambert law and ray theory, a model for predicting 3D bistatic reverberation performance by interface scattering at linear sound speed profile is established and then verified through the underwater explosion experiments. The Influences of source and receiver positions, and relative sound speed gradient on reverberation performance are further investigated. The results indicate that: (1) the proposed model can predict the short-range mean reverberation level effectively, with the deviation 2–4 dB and describe the whole reverberation level distribution in some details; (2) at the early reverberation phase, the interference effects between the interface scattering sounds are considerable and a dominating interface exists; the counterbalance between the losses by scattering, spreading and medium absorption results in the local high-intensity zones close to corresponding interfaces, respectively; (3) as the sound source moves towards some interface, associated local high-intensity zone gradually expands, while the other one shrinks; if the sound speed approaches are constant, an extra local high-intensity zone will appear between the previous two but with a lower magnitude.
Analytical and numerical study for selecting polymeric matrix composites intended to nuclear applications
Authors: Merayo David , Rodríguez-Prieto Álvaro , Camacho Ana María
Published: December 2018

This study describes a methodological proposal to select composite materials which are suitable to be employed to manufacture pipes that can properly withstand environments subjected to gamma and neutronic radiation. The methodology is used to select, among many others, the optimal composite material whose properties are used afterwards to simulate several pipe sections by finite element analysis, comparing the results with a well-known nuclear-grade steel, WWER 15Kh2MFAA. The most suitable composite material according to the defined criteria is composed of a phenolic resin matrix reinforced with long boron fibres and exhibit great properties to be used in a nuclear reactor environment: good radiation resistance and mechanical properties with a very low density at low cost. It can be concluded that, in some cases, composite material pipes can be a better option than steel ones. Extending the method to be employed in other industries or with other components could be seen as future works.
Towards a user preference model for interior lighting. Part 2: Experimental results and modelling
Authors: Khanh TQ , Bodrogi P , Guo X , Anh PQ
Published: December 2018

Subjects assessed their visual impressions about scene brightness, visual clarity, colour preference and scene preference in a real room in which the horizontal illuminance, the correlated colour temperature and the level of chroma enhancement of the light source were changed systematically. The aim of the experiment is to contribute to the development of a user preference model. The concept of this model and the experimental method were described in Part 1 of this work. In Part 2, modelling equations of these four visual attributes and their validation are shown. Criterion illuminance levels for ‘good’ levels of the visual attributes were determined depending on correlated colour temperature.
Formative Assessment Approaches to Inform Teacher Practices: Key Considerations
Authors: Glover Todd A. , Kettler Ryan J. , Reddy Linda A. , Kurz Alexander
Published: December 2018

To guide data-based decision making in schools, it is important to focus not only on how to best measure students’ needs, but also on how to measure and integrate data on teacher practices. The purpose of this special issue is to describe and present findings from research on the measurement of teacher practices and approaches for facilitating and evaluating school personnel’s use of data to inform instructional decisions that promote student achievement. Two initial articles in this special issue focus on approaches for measuring teacher practices/processes. The following two articles describe structured technology-driven approaches for facilitating, investigating, and evaluating job-embedded teacher professional development in the form of coaching. A final article provides an illustrative example of the application of a measure for assessing teacher practices in the classroom. The special issue concludes with an expert commentary on this work and future directions for research and practice.
Chinese American “Satellite Babies,” Raised Between Two Cultures
Authors: Wang Leslie K.
Published: December 2018

“Satellite babies” may seem odd in an age of “helicopter parents,” yet Chinese American families’ transnational separations are relatively common.
A Haunted Generation Remembers
Authors: Devgan Shruti
Published: December 2018

Second-generation Sikhs grew up with fragments and half-told stories of the anti-Sikh violence of 1984, but it is not just direct descendants of survivors who “remember” traumatic experiences. Sikhs’ collectivist orientation, cultural traditions and diasporic location offer new insights into understanding intergenerational trauma and memory work.
The Rise of Ethnoburbs
Authors: Kye Samuel Hoon
Published: December 2018

Samuel Hoon Kye on Asian American enclaves and ethnoburbs.
Breaking bad and difficult news in obstetric ultrasound and sonographer burnout: Is training helpful?
Authors: Johnson Judith , Arezina Jane , McGuinness Alison , Culpan Anne-Marie , Hall Louise
Published: December 2018

Background

Sonographers report high levels of burnout. For those working in obstetric ultrasound, one frequently cited stressor is the delivery of bad or difficult news. Training in news delivery may reduce sonographer stress levels, but no studies have investigated sonographer experiences of this training.

Aims

To investigate sonographer experiences of difficult news delivery training and preferences for training techniques, and to assess whether news delivery training is associated with lower burnout and higher wellbeing.

Methods

A cross-sectional survey measured occupational characteristics, news delivery training experiences and preferences, burnout (on two dimensions of exhaustion and disengagement), and general mental wellbeing.

Results

Ninety sonographers (85 female; mean age = 47) responded. The majority of participants thought training in difficult news delivery had improved their practice. Preferred training techniques were observation of clinical practice and receiving service-user input. Eighty per cent of participants were experiencing exhaustion, 43.3% were experiencing disengagement and 88.9% could be classed as having a minor psychiatric disorder. Having received difficult news delivery training was associated with lower levels of disengagement, even when other variables were controlled for.

Discussion

News delivery training is perceived to be effective by sonographers and may help to reduce sonographer burnout levels.
The BODE index and inspiratory muscle performance in COPD: Clinical findings and implications
Authors: Formiga Magno F , Vital Isabel , Urdaneta Gisel , Balestrini Kira , Cahalin Lawrence P , Campos Michael A
Published: December 2018

Objectives:

The Test of Incremental Respiratory Endurance is a novel testing method that provides a unique examination of one’s inspiratory muscle strength, work and endurance. Little is known about the relationship between inspiratory muscle performance and mortality risk in obstructive lung disease. We examined the relationship between the Test of Incremental Respiratory Endurance measures and the Body-mass index, airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea and Exercise index in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.

Methods:

In all, 70 males with mild-to-very severe chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (mean ± standard deviation of 70.2 ± 5.9 years) underwent measurements of body-mass index, spirometry, dyspnea and a 6-min walk test from which the Body-mass index, airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea and Exercise score was calculated. The Test of Incremental Respiratory Endurance provided measures of maximal inspiratory pressure, sustained maximal inspiratory pressure and inspiratory duration.

Results:

All Test of Incremental Respiratory Endurance parameters inversely correlated with the Body-mass index, airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea and Exercise score: maximal inspiratory pressure (r = −0.355, p = 0.00), sustained maximal inspiratory pressure (r = −0.426, p = 0.00) and ID (r = −0.278, p = 0.02), with sustained maximal inspiratory pressure displaying the highest correlation. Independent significant correlations were also observed between the sustained maximal inspiratory pressure and all Body-mass index, airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea and Exercise score components, except for body-mass index. Finally, sustained maximal inspiratory pressure was significantly different among the Body-mass index, airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea and Exercise index quartiles.

Discussion:

The significant association between the Body-mass index, airflow Obstruction, Dyspnea and Exercise score and inspiratory muscle performance, in particular sustained maximal inspiratory pressure, suggests that these measures may have a potential prognostic value in the evaluation of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease.
Médialab stories: How to align actor network theory and digital methods
Authors: Boullier Dominique
Published: December 2018

The history of laboratories may become controversial in social sciences. In this paper, the story of Sciences Po Médialab told by Venturini et al. is discussed and completed by demonstrating the incoherence in the choice of digital methods at the Médialab from the actor network theory perspective. As the Médialab mostly used web topologies as structural analysis of social positions, they were not able to account for the propagation of ideas, considered in actor network theory as non-humans that have their own agency. The main arguments in favour of the ‘more continuous social’ developed at the Médialab (quali-quanti, following the actors, zooming) proved to be as misleading as the network metaphor. The distribution of agency that actor network theory so successfully expands was paradoxicallty reduced to structures and individual preferences, to the detriment of the agency of replications that circulate entities in the form of messages, content or memes, and that should now become the next step for actor network theory-style digital methods.
Making the Case for Results-Based Accountability as an Intervention for Chronic Absenteeism in Schools to Improve Attendance
Authors: Davis Kimberly A. , Allen-Milton Sharlene , Coats-Boynton Sylvia
Published: December 2018

Chronic absenteeism has been indicated to put over 6 million students at the risk of numerous negative short- and long-term outcomes, such as academic failure, dropping out of school, long-term health issues, unemployment, and exposure to the juvenile justice system. Research presents a clear case that the use of zero tolerance policies, such as suspension and expulsion, contributes significantly to the rates of chronic absenteeism among students of color. When students of color are absent from school, regardless of the reason for the absences, it presents significant barriers to equitable and effective instruction, undermines stable learning environments, and inhibits students’ success. Chronic absence can be reduced when schools work with families and communities to track attendance data, create welcoming school environments, and implement strategies to address barriers to attendance. Results-based accountability (RBA) is a measure of accountability that has successfully been used to improve the performance of school districts, programs, agencies, municipalities, and service systems. This article presents a case for RBA to be considered as a standard measure of accountability for schools, districts, and agencies in their efforts to improve school attendance. This article also provides recommendations and implications for practice, policy, education, and research.
Lumbar Epidural Abscesses: A Systematic Review
Authors: de Leeuw Charles N. , Fann Patrick R. , Tanenbaum Joseph E. , Buchholz Avery L. , Freedman Brett A. , Steinmetz Michael P. , Mroz Thomas E.
Published: December 2018

Study Design:

Systematic review.

Objectives:

Spinal epidural abscesses (SEAs) are rare, but when missed or when diagnosis is delayed, SEA can lead to permanent neurological impairment or death. Limited information exists on the optimal treatment modalities for SEA, especially in the lumbar spine. We synthesize the current literature to identify the clinical features, diagnosis, management, and outcomes of lumbar SEA.

Methods:

Queries in 4 databases—EMBASE, MEDLINE, Scopus, and Web of Science—were performed using comprehensive search terms to locate published literature on lumbar SEA.

Results:

Ten articles reporting results for 600 cases of lumbar SEA were included, published between 2000 and 2017. Negative prognostic factors included diabetes, older age, methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus, immune compromise, and more severe disease at presentation. Early first-line surgically treated patients responded better, specifically in terms of motor recovery, than those undergoing medical management or failing medical treatment, despite generally worse initial presentation. Elevated C-reactive protein, leukocytosis, and positive blood cultures predicted medical management failure.

Conclusions:

This systematic review provides guidance to neurological and orthopedic spine surgeons seeking the best treatment for lumbar-localized SEA. This study is limited by a dearth of high-quality publications to support evidenced-based management recommendations. Surgical treatment appears to provide better outcomes than medical treatment alone, especially in those who present with a motor deficit. Further investigation is needed to confirm this finding. What is clear is that early recognition and treatment remains crucial to minimizing morbidity and mortality of SEA.
Risk Factors and Prevention of Surgical Site Infections Following Spinal Procedures
Authors: Nasser Rani , Kosty Jennifer A. , Shah Sanjit , Wang Jeffrey , Cheng Joseph
Published: December 2018

Study Design:

Focused literature review.

Objective:

The objective of this article was to help identify potential risk factors as well as strategies to help prevent surgical site infections (SSIs) in spine surgery.

Methods:

An article search was performed using PubMed, EMBASE, and the Cochrane database of systematic reviews using the terms “surgery” OR “surgical” AND “spine” OR “spinal” AND “infection”. Systematic review articles, meta-analyses, and clinical trials with more than 100 patients were reviewed.

Results:

Both patient and perioperative factors contribute to the development of SSIs. Patient factors such as smoking, obesity, diabetes, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) colonization, and malnutrition are all modifiable risk factors that can lead to SSIs. Procedural steps, including preoperative MRSA screening and treatment for colonization, preoperative antibiotics, skin preparation, minimizing operative time, antibiotic or betadine irrigation, avoiding personnel turnover, and postoperative wound care have also been shown to decrease infection rates.

Conclusion:

There are several measures a spine practitioner may be able to take in the preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative settings. Protocols to counsel patients regarding modification of preexisting risk factors and ensure adequate antimicrobial therapy in the perioperative period may be developed to reduce SSIs in spine surgery.
Current State of Shared Decision-Making for CT Lung Cancer Screening and Improvement Strategies
Authors: Hill Paul Armstrong
Published: December 2018

Introduction:

Lung cancer remains the leading cause of oncologic mortality in the United States. Computed tomography (CT) screening has begun to combat this prevalent health problem. Prior to enrollment, a shared decision-making conversation is required to ensure a patient preference decision. This is the first and only imaging study to hold this requirement and compliance has been suspected to be low, but there is limited literature proving this.

Methods:

At a single academic institution, 30 patients who declined and 38 patients who enrolled in CT lung cancer screening were interviewed about their shared decision-making provider conversation. All referring providers were surveyed regarding their methods of shared decision-making for CT lung cancer screening. Clinical notes were evaluated 9 months prior to 2 interventions and 6 months following the first intervention to improve clinical documentation.

Results:

85% to 89% of the interviewed patients could not recall a decision aid used during the shared decision-making conversation. Zero percent of clinical notes met the Centers for Medicare/Medicaid Services (CMS) encounter requirements for shared decision-making despite interventions to improve knowledge and ease accessibility to decision aids and documentation templates.

Discussion:

Lack of compliance with CMS requirements has a low patient decision satisfaction. This also places the institution at risk for financial repercussions of reimbursement which may jeopardize the longevity of screening programs. Development of strategies to improve the patient experience and provider facilitation are nascent and require a dedicated leadership team with carefully constructed electronic health record support.