bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Feasible Policy Evaluation by Design: A Randomized Synthetic Stepped-Wedge Trial of Mandated Disclosure in King County
Authors: Handan-Nader Cassandra , Ho Daniel E. , Elias Becky
Published: June 2020

Evidence-based policy is limited by the perception that randomized controlled trials (RCTs) are expensive and infeasible. We argue that carefully tailored research design can overcome these challenges and enable more widespread randomized evaluations of policy implementation. We demonstrate how a stepped-wedge (randomized rollout) design that adapts synthetic control methods overcame substantial practical, administrative, political, and statistical constraints to evaluating King County’s new food safety rating system. The core RCT component of the evaluation came at little financial cost to the government, allowed the entire county to be treated, and resulted in no functional implementation delay. The case of restaurant sanitation grading has played a critical role in the scholarship on information disclosure, and our study provides the first evidence from a randomized trial of the causal effects of grading on health outcomes. We find that the grading system had no appreciable effects on foodborne illness, hospitalization, or food handling practices but that the system may have marginally increased public engagement by encouraging higher reporting.
Gendering the care/control nexus of the humanitarian border: Women’s bodies and gendered control of mobility in a EUropean borderland
Authors: Sahraoui Nina
Published: June 2020

Building upon and contributing to a feminist geography of borders, the chosen methodological approach examines women’s bodily experiences at a Southern EUropean border, the Spanish enclave of Melilla. Drawing on three months of ethnographic fieldwork, this article scrutinises the care interactions unfolding in a Centre for Immigrants between medical humanitarians and women residing there in their position as both migrants and patients. The analysis foregrounds the gendered forms of domination that the care function of the humanitarian border entails. I argue that medical humanitarians are vested with the power to decide over women’s mobility in the name of care on the basis of an entanglement of administrative and medical procedures in this border context. While women are subject to greater humanitarian intervention due to the association of their embodied states with vulnerability, the biopolitical migration management of the border grants medical humanitarians a decision-making authority. The article uncovers how medical humanitarianism, enmeshed in the border regime, yields gendered constraints from practices of immobilisation to imposed practices of mothering. It traces the rationale for these practices to racialised and gendered processes of othering that usher in perceptions of undeservingness and sustain a humanitarian claim for biopolitical responsibility over these women’s mobility.
Surgical treatment of coronary atherosclerotic heart disease with right coronary artery aneurysm: a case report
Authors: Wang Feng , Liu Guiqing , Mao Xin
Published: June 2020

Introduction:

The etiology of coronary artery aneurysms is unknown. Coronary atherosclerosis is considered to be the main etiology. This case reports a patient with a large coronary aneurysm of the right coronary artery.

Case report:

A 65-year-old woman was hospitalized with intermittent chest pain and underwent coronary angiography and echocardiography which showed a large coronary aneurysm of the right coronary artery. The patient recovered well after ligation of coronary artery aneurysms with additional coronary artery bypass grafting.

Discussion:

The etiology of coronary aneurysms is unknown, which is relatively rare and mostly secondary. Majority of coronary artery aneurysms are located in the right coronary artery. There is currently no standard treatment. Surgical treatment of coronary artery aneurysms may be considered as a safe treatment option.

Conclusion:

The standard surgical treatment for coronary artery aneurysms is unclear. For symptomatic large coronary aneurysms, ligation of coronary artery aneurysms with additional coronary artery bypass grafting can achieve good results.
Survival following venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation in postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock adults
Authors: Chen Fei , Wang Liangshan , Shao Juanjuan , Wang Hong , Hou Xiaotong , Jia Ming
Published: June 2020

Background:

Studies reporting long-term outcomes of venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation–treated coronary artery bypass grafting patients are scarce. The objective of this study was to examine the survival outcomes and identify mortality risk factors for coronary artery bypass grafting patients who received venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation for postcardiotomy cardiogenic shock.

Methods:

Data from 121 consecutive venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation–treated coronary artery bypass grafting patients at the Beijing Anzhen Hospital between January 2012 and December 2016 were analyzed. Multivariable Cox regression modeling was used to identify factors independently associated with 36-month mortality.

Results:

Seventy-seven patients (64%) could be weaned from venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation, 56 patients (46%) survived to hospital discharge, and 41 patients (34%) survived to 36 months. Older age (hazard ratio, 1.06; 95% confidence interval [CI], 1.03-1.10; p < 0.001), left main coronary artery disease (hazard ratio, 1.64; 95% CI, 1.04-2.59; p < 0.001), and vasoactive inotropic score (hazard ratio, 1.09; 95% CI, 1.02-1.16; p = 0.011) were independent risk factors associated with 36-month mortality. The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for the logistic regression model, which was constructed with three pre–extracorporeal membrane oxygenation parameters—age ⩾ 60 years, left main coronary artery disease, and vasoactive inotropic score > 60—was 0.87 (95% CI, 0.81-0.94). Age and left main coronary artery disease significantly increased the discriminatory performance of Sepsis-related Organ Failure Assessment score (0.79 vs. 0.91, p = 0.025).

Conclusions:

Older age, left main coronary artery disease, and vasoactive inotropic score were associated with 36-month mortality in coronary artery bypass grafting patients who received venoarterial extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
A Personal Salutation to a Dear Friend, Robert F. Lusch
Authors: Michie Donald A.
Published: June 2020

This manuscript is a personal tribute to a dear friend, a leading marketing researcher, theorist, scholar and educator of our time, Robert F. Lusch. For many, professionalism, leadership, conceptual formulation and service define Bob’s career. But, for those who knew Bob well, these traits were an extension of his more private personal persona. I am among those colleagues who had a strong personal friendship with Bob for more than forty plus years. For us, Bob was supportive, loyal, caring, etc., but also adventurous, inquisitive and intellectually challenging. It is these traits that made him an intriguing and enduring friend. This is my reflection of a life-long friendship.
Predicting first-trimester outcome of embryos with cardiac activity in women with recurrent spontaneous abortion
Authors: Li Huixian , Qin Shuang , Xiao Fanfan , Li Yuhong , Gao Yunhe , Zhang Jiexin , Xiao Qing
Published: June 2020

Objective

This study was performed to evaluate the capability of routine clinical indicators to predict the early outcome of embryos with cardiac activity in women with recurrent spontaneous abortion (RSA).

Methods

A retrospective cohort study of pregnant women with a history of RSA in a Chinese tertiary hospital was performed using unadjusted and multivariable logistic regression.

Results

Of 789 pregnant women with RSA, 625 (79.21%) had ongoing pregnancy, whereas 164 (20.79%) developed abortion before 20 full weeks of gestational age even after embryonic heart motion was detected. The final model had an area under the curve of 0.81 (95% confidence interval, 0.78–0.84) with a sensitivity of 74.39%, a specificity of 76.00%, and a false-positive rate of 52.32% at a fixed detection rate of 90%.

Conclusions

The combination of multiple routine clinical indicators was valuable in predicting the early outcome of embryos with cardiac activity in viable pregnancies with RSA. However, this model might result in a high false-positive rate with a fixed detection rate of 90%; other markers must be investigated to identify first-trimester RSA once positive embryonic heart motion is established.
Homology analysis of 51 penicillin-intermediate Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from Wenzhou City, China
Authors: Zhang Jin , Hu Da-Kang , Gao Chun-Yan , Shen Wei-Wei , Luo Xin-Hua , Yu Jian , Li Xiang-Yang , Jiang Xin-Yu , Zhu Wu-Shuang , Chen Wei-Qing
Published: June 2020

Objective

To investigate drug resistance features and homology among penicillin-intermediate Streptococcus pneumoniae isolates from Wenzhou City, China.

Methods

Fifty-one penicillin-intermediate S. pneumoniae isolates were obtained from respiratory samples of infants and children hospitalized with lung infections. An antimicrobial susceptibility test was used to assess drug resistance. Polymerase chain reaction and agarose gel electrophoresis were used to identify S. pneumoniae isolates and pulsed-field gel electrophoresis (PFGE) was used to analyze molecular subtypes. Hierarchical cluster analysis of PFGE fingerprints was used to compare genetic diversity and relatedness of S. pneumoniae isolates. The Quellung test was used for serotyping.

Results

Fifty-one penicillin-intermediate S. pneumoniae isolates showed evidence of multi-drug resistance and polyclonal origins. The isolates were classified into 25 subtypes through hierarchical cluster analysis of PFGE fingerprints. Three of these subtypes formed a supertype (15/51, 16/51 and 8/51 isolates), while the remaining subtypes occurred sporadically (12/51 isolates).

Conclusions

Transmission of penicillin-intermediate S. pneumoniae is mostly vertical and to a lesser extent horizontal. Effective prevention strategies, including respiratory tract management and contact isolation, are essential to control nosocomial S. pneumoniae infection. Once susceptibility is confirmed, vancomycin, high-dose penicillin or third-generation cephalosporins (cefotaxime and ceftriaxone) may be used to treat penicillin-intermediate S. pneumoniae.
Leptin improves intestinal flora dysfunction in mice with high-fat diet-induced obesity
Authors: Li Xiaolin , Shi Weihong , Xiong Qinghua , Hu Yungang , Qin Xu , Wan Guanqun , Zeng Qi
Published: June 2020

Objective

This study investigated the effects of leptin on intestinal flora and inflammation in mice with high-fat diet (HFD)-induced obesity.

Methods

Mice were fed an HFD for 8 weeks; some were concurrently administered oral leptin for 4 weeks. Pathological changes in adipose tissue were detected using hematoxylin–eosin staining; endotoxin content in adipose tissue was measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Intestinal flora were characterized by 16S bacterial rDNA sequencing. Levels of Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4), nuclear factor-κB inhibitor α (IκB-α), and phosphorylated c-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK) were detected by western blotting.

Results

Mice in the HFD group exhibited weight gain, elevated endotoxin content, and adipocyte hypertrophy, compared with the non-obese control group. Moreover, abundance of bacteria in the Bacteroides genus and community diversity were both reduced in the HFD group; reductions also were observed at corresponding phylum, class, and order levels. Levels of TLR4, IκB-α, and p-JNK were also elevated in the HFD group. Compared with the model group, leptin administration reduced the weight gain and endotoxin content, while increasing Bacteroides abundance and community diversity; it also reduced the levels of TLR4, IκB-α, and p-JNK.

Conclusion

Leptin administration improved intestinal flora dysfunction and inflammation in mice with HFD-induced obesity.
Promising results of stent graft placement for cephalic arch stenosis after repeated failure of angioplasty in patients on hemodialysis
Authors: Feng Pin-Chao , Lee Chun-Hui , Hsieh Hung-Chang , Ko Po-Jen , Yu Sheng-Yueh , Lin Yu-Sheng
Published: June 2020

Objective

Cephalic arch stenosis (CAS) causes repeated dysfunction and failure of arteriovenous access. Percutaneous transluminal angioplasty is the standard initial treatment for CAS, but its outcome is unsatisfactory. This study aimed to evaluate the outcome of stent graft placement for CAS in patients on hemodialysis.

Methods

A retrospective chart review from a tertiary medical center was performed in patients receiving stent graft placement for CAS between January 2012 and 2016. Patency was analyzed using the Kaplan–Meier method.

Results

Twenty-one patients received stent graft placement for CAS. Technical and clinical success rates were 100%. Primary target lesion patency was 95% (95% confidence interval [CI], 86%–100%), 76% (95% CI, 58%–94%), and 43% (95% CI, 22%–64%) at 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively. No significant difference in patency was observed between the arteriovenous fistula and arteriovenous graft groups. Assisted primary patency was 95% (95% CI, 86%–100%), 71% (95% CI, 52%–91%), and 57% (95% CI, 36%–78%) at 3, 6, and 12 months, respectively. Secondary patency was 100% at 3, 6, and 12 months.

Conclusions

After repeated failed angioplasty for cephalic arch stenosis, patients on hemodialysis who receive stent graft placement have effective and durable outcomes.
Effect of positive end-expiratory pressure on functional residual capacity in two experimental models of acute respiratory distress syndrome
Authors: Wang Yu-Mei , Sun Xiu-Mei , Zhou Yi-Min , Chen Jing-Ran , Cheng Kun-Ming , Li Hong-Liang , Yang Yan-Lin , Zhou Jian-Xin
Published: June 2020

Objective

Measurement of positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP)-induced recruitment lung volume using passive spirometry is based on the assumption that the functional residual capacity (FRC) is not modified by the PEEP changes. We aimed to investigate the influence of PEEP on FRC in different models of acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS).

Methods

A randomized crossover study was performed in 12 pigs. Pulmonary (n = 6) and extra-pulmonary (n = 6) ARDS models were established using an alveolar instillation of hydrochloric acid and a right atrium injection of oleic acid, respectively. Low (5 cmH2O) and high (15 cmH2O) PEEP were randomly applied in each animal. FRC and recruitment volume were determined using the nitrogen wash-in/wash-out technique and release maneuver.

Results

FRC was not significantly different between the two PEEP levels in either pulmonary ARDS (299 ± 92 mL and 309 ± 130 mL at 5 and 15 cmH2O, respectively) or extra-pulmonary ARDS (305 ± 143 mL and 328 ± 197 mL at 5 and 15 cmH2O, respectively). The recruitment volume was not significantly different between the two models (pulmonary, 341 ± 100 mL; extra-pulmonary, 351 ± 170 mL).

Conclusions

PEEP did not influence FRC in either the pulmonary or extra-pulmonary ARDS pig model.
Increased symmetric dimethylarginine, but not asymmetric dimethylarginine, concentrations are associated with transient myocardial ischemia and predict outcome
Authors: Szabo Zsuzsanna , Bartha Eva , Nagy Lajos , Molnar Tihamer
Published: June 2020

Objective

Asymmetric and symmetric dimethylarginines (ADMA and SDMA) are endothelial dysfunction markers. ADMA inhibits synthesis of nitric oxide. We aimed to analyze both markers in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) who were referred for stress/rest myocardial perfusion scintigraphy (MPS).

Methods

All patients underwent a 2-day dipyridamole (DP) stress/rest protocol. Thereafter, patients with transient myocardial perfusion abnormality were followed up and their coronary blood flow was quantitatively assessed. Venous blood was taken before and after DP stress to measure markers.

Results

Baseline ADMA and SDMA concentrations were significantly higher in patients with CAD compared with healthy subjects. Pre- and post-stress SDMA concentrations were significantly higher in patients with transient myocardial perfusion abnormality compared with those with negative MPS results. However, ADMA and L-arginine concentrations were not significantly different between the two groups. None of the markers were significantly different between patients with angiographically proven low coronary flow and those with normal coronary flow. Pre-stress SDMA concentrations were an independent predictor of cardiovascular mortality during a 8-year follow-up.

Conclusions

Elevated serum SDMA concentrations may be helpful for selecting high-risk patients with CAD if there is any doubt in interpreting MPS. SDMA concentrations may also predict cardiovascular outcome.
Tanshinone IIA alters the transforming growth factor-β1/Smads pathway in angiotensin II-treated rat hepatic stellate cells
Authors: Wei Guo-wei , Li Ke-yue , Tang Ke-li , Shi Cheng-Xian
Published: June 2020

Objective

To investigate the effects of tanshinone IIA on the transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)/Smads signaling pathway in angiotensin II-treated hepatic stellate cells (HSCs).

Methods

HSCs were cultured and treated with angiotensin II (10 μM) or angiotensin II (10 μM) plus tanshinone IIA (3, 10, or 30 μM). Cells were incubated for 48 hours and proliferation was determined with the Cell Counting Kit-8. The relative mRNA expression of TGF-β1, Smad4, and Smad7 was measured by quantitative real-time PCR, and the relative protein expression levels were investigated by western blotting.

Results

After angiotensin II treatment, cell proliferation was significantly accelerated. Furthermore, both the mRNA and protein expression of TGF-β1 and Smad4 was significantly up-regulated, while the mRNA and protein expression of Smad7 was significantly down-regulated compared with the control cells. Tanshinone IIA inhibited the observed effects of angiotensin II in a concentration-dependent manner, with significant inhibition exerted by tanshinone IIA at 10 and 30 μM.

Conclusions

Angiotensin II promotes the proliferation of HSCs, possibly by regulating the expression of components along the TGF-β1/Smads signaling pathway. Tanshinone IIA inhibits the angiotensin II-induced activation of this pathway, and may, therefore, have preventive and therapeutic effects in liver fibrosis.
Impact of endometrioma surgery on ovarian reserve: a prospective, randomized, pilot study comparing stripping with CO2 laser vaporization in patients with bilateral endometriomas
Authors: Rius Mariona , Gracia Meritxell , Ros Cristina , Martínez-Zamora María-Ángeles , deGuirior Cristian , Quintas Lara , Carmona Francisco
Published: June 2020

Objective

To assess ovarian reserve through antral follicle count (AFC) and ovarian volume (OV) determination after decapsulation (stripping technique) or CO2 laser vaporization in the surgical treatment of patients with bilateral ovarian endometriomas.

Methods

This prospective, randomized, blinded, self-controlled pilot study was set in a tertiary university hospital between January 2017 and December 2017, and included consecutive patients with bilateral ovarian endometriomas ≥3 cm. The study was registered with ClinicalTrials.gov under the title ‘Impact on ovarian reserve according to the type of ovarian endometrioma excision: laser versus conventional cystectomy’; NCT 03826355. For each patient, the endometrioma on one side was randomly selected to undergo CO2 laser vaporization and the contralateral endometrioma to undergo laparoscopic decapsulation.

Results

A total of 16 patients were included. There were no statistically significant between-group differences in OV and AFC levels at baseline. At the 6-month follow-up, OV and AFC levels were significantly higher in the laser-treated group versus the stripping technique.

Conclusion

Lower OV and AFC levels following excisional surgery for endometrioma versus CO2 laser vaporization suggest a higher impact on ovarian reserve after the stripping procedure.
Diagnostic value of contrast-enhanced ultrasound versus computed tomography for hepatocellular carcinoma: a retrospective, single-center evaluation of 234 patients
Authors: Schwarze Vincent , Marschner Constantin , Völckers Wiebke , Grosu Sergio , Negrão de Figueiredo Giovanna , Rübenthaler Johannes , Clevert Dirk-André
Published: June 2020

Objective

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the most common cause of primary liver cancer. A major part of diagnostic HCC work-up is based on imaging findings from sonography, computed tomography (CT), or magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) scans. Contrast-enhanced ultrasound (CEUS) allows for the dynamic assessment of the microperfusion pattern of suspicious liver lesions. This study aimed to evaluate the diagnostic value of CEUS compared with CT scans for assessing HCC.

Methods

We performed a retrospective, single-center study between 2004 and 2018 on 234 patients with suspicious liver lesions who underwent CEUS and CT examinations. All patients underwent native B-mode, color Doppler and CEUS after providing informed consent. Every CEUS examination was performed and interpreted by a single experienced radiologist (European Federation of Societies for Ultrasound in Medicine and Biology level 3).

Results

CEUS was performed on all included patients without occurrence of any adverse effects. CEUS showed a sensitivity of 94%, a specificity of 70%, a positive predictive value of 93% and a negative predictive value of 72% for analyzing HCC compared with CT as the diagnostic gold standard.

Conclusions

CEUS has an excellent safety profile and shows a high diagnostic accuracy in assessing HCC compared with corresponding results from CT scans.
Keystone design perforator island flaps for coverage of non-oncological periarticular defects surrounded by the zone of injury
Authors: Lee Hyun Gun , Lim Soo Yeon , Kim Young Keun , Yoon Chi Sun , Kim Kyu Nam
Published: June 2020

Objective

Periarticular defect coverage remains challenging because multi-vector tension forces affect wound tensile strength. This study presents our experience with keystone design perforator island flap (KDPIF) reconstruction of non-oncological periarticular defects surrounded by the zone of injury and describes the expanding versatility of KDPIF reconstruction for periarticular defects.

Methods

From June 2017 to July 2019, 12 patients aged 8 to 84 years underwent KDPIF reconstruction to cover periarticular defects. All defects resulted from non-oncological causes and were surrounded by the zone of injury. We reviewed the patients’ medical records and clinical photographs to collect and analyze clinical and operative data.

Results

The defect size ranged from 0.8 × 1.2 to 7 × 10 cm2. The flap size ranged from 1.5 × 3 to 15 × 18 cm2. All flaps survived completely. All patients showed favorable functional outcomes without significant limitation in joint range of motion during the follow-up period (range, 4–12 months). The mean observer scar assessment scale summary score and patient scar assessment scale total score were 17.667 ± 5.921 and 20.167 ± 6.478, respectively.

Conclusion

KDPIF reconstruction is a simple and effective surgical option for coverage of non-oncological periarticular defects surrounded by the zone of injury.
Evidence from Urban Roads without Bicycle Lanes on the Impact of Bicycle Traffic on Passenger Car Travel Speeds
Authors: Schaefer Jaclyn S. , Figliozzi Miguel A. , Unnikrishnan Avinash
Published: June 2020

A concern raised by some motorists in relation to the presence of bicycles on urban roads without bicycle lanes, discussed in part of the traffic literature, is that cyclists will slow down motorized vehicles and therefore create congestion. This research answers this question: do bicycles reduce passenger car travel speeds on urban roads without bicycle lanes? To answer this question, a detailed comparative analysis of the travel speeds of passenger car (class two vehicles) on lower volume urban roads without bicycle lanes is presented. Speed distributions, the mean, and the 50th and 85th percentile speeds for two scenarios were examined: (i) a passenger car that was preceded by a bicycle and (ii) a passenger car that was preceded by another passenger car. Peak hour traffic and 24-h traffic speeds were analyzed using t-tests and confidence intervals. Although a few statistically significant differences between scenarios (i) and (ii) were found, the actual speed differences were generally in the order of 1 mph or less. Therefore, differences in class two (motorized passenger) vehicle speeds with and without cyclists were found to be negligible from a practical perspective.
Multi-Period Optimization Model for Siting Capacitated Intermodal Facilities
Authors: Badyal Vishal , Ferrell William G. , Huynh Nathan , Padmanabhan Bhavya
Published: June 2020

The objective of this study is to design an intermodal transport network considering multiple planning periods and accounting for product volume, mode, budget, and inventory at intermodal terminals (IMTs). A mixed integer linear programming model is developed. An experimental study is conducted for the State of South Carolina using the Freight Analysis Framework Version 4.5 (FAF4) dataset. Sensitivity analyses are performed to study the impact of budget, the maximum number of IMTs allowed, and increasing demand on the intermodal network design. The experimental results indicate that Columbia as an IMT location has a significantly effects on the total network cost and intermodal shipping share. Increasing the budget and number of IMTs allowed improved the network performance non-linearly.
Comparison of Cycling Behavior between Keyboard-Controlled and Instrumented Bicycle Experiments in Virtual Reality
Authors: Bogacz Martyna , Hess Stephane , Calastri Chiara , Choudhury Charisma F. , Erath Alexander , van Eggermond Michael A. B. , Mushtaq Faisal , Nazemi Mohsen , Awais Muhammad
Published: June 2020

The use of virtual reality (VR) in transport research offers the opportunity to collect behavioral data in a controlled dynamic setting. VR settings are useful in the context of hypothetical situations in which real-world data does not exist or in situations which involve risk and safety issues making real-world data collection infeasible. Nevertheless, VR studies can contribute to transport-related research only if the behavior elicited in a virtual environment closely resembles real-world behavior. Importantly, as VR is a relatively new research tool, the best-practice with regards to the experimental design is still to be established. In this paper, we contribute to a better understanding of the implications of the choice of the experimental setup by comparing cycling behavior in VR between two groups of participants in similar immersive scenarios, the first group controlling the maneuvers using a keyboard and the other group riding an instrumented bicycle. We critically compare the speed, acceleration, braking and head movements of the participants in the two experiments. We also collect electroencephalography (EEG) data to compare the alpha wave amplitudes and assess the engagement levels of participants in the two settings. The results demonstrate the ability of VR to elicit behavioral patterns in line with those observed in the real-world and indicate the importance of the experimental design in a VR environment beyond the choice of audio-visual stimuli. The findings will be useful for researchers in designing the experimental setup of VR for behavioral data collection.
Option Value of Contingent Finance Support in Transportation Public–Private Partnership Projects
Authors: Liang Yunping , Ashuri Baabak
Published: June 2020

Uncertainties about construction cost and operational revenues are two major risks in transportation public–private partnership (P3) projects. These uncertainties put projects at risk of being unable to fulfill annual debt repayment obligations. When a project generates insufficient cash flow to service the debt in a certain year, it normally has to go for short-term financing by borrowing short-term loans. With the help of revenue risk-sharing mechanisms, supported projects may be able to get rid of unexpected interest disbursement. The objectives of this paper are twofold: ( 1 ) evaluate the refinancing cost of P3 highway projects caused by cash flow shortage; and ( 2 ) critically examine the option value of contingent finance support and compare it with the option value of minimum revenue guarantee on saving refinancing cost for debt repayment. An integrated real options valuation model is created that utilizes utility method for pricing the technical project risk (e.g., construction cost overruns), and utilizes a risk-neutral option pricing method for pricing the market risk (e.g., future traffic). The proposed model has good transferability in relation to involving various risk factors, no matter technical risks or market risks, random variables or random processes. The proposed model helps stakeholders better understand and measure the burden of assuring annual debt repayment under uncertain cash flow. The stakeholders can use the proposed model to evaluate the value of the revenue risk-sharing mechanisms on reducing refinancing cost.
Teaching Load and Other Determinants of Research Output Among University Faculty
Authors: Nur-tegin Kanybek , Venugopalan Sanjay , Young Jessica
Published: June 2020

Do faculty who teach more produce less research? We revisit this question with a better measure of research productivity, eschewing simple publication counts in favor of the impact of research measured by Google citations. Using original data, we pose this question in the broader context of other determinants of scholarly productivity. We find that heavier teaching crowds out research. Furthermore, faculty with more teaching duties tend to protect the quantity of their research more than the quality. We also find that faculty rank, promotion, experience, gender, the ability to win grants, and the ranking of the resident school are significant predictors of faculty research output.

JEL Classifications: I23, J24
Managers Shaping the Service Triangle: Navigating Resident and Worker Interests Through Work Design in Nursing Homes
Authors: Vermeerbergen Lander , McDermott Aoife M. , Benders Jos
Published: June 2020

Managers play a key role in shaping the service triangle and navigating stakeholder interests within this. In health care, labor shortages are prompting consideration of the consequences of care delivery for service users and staff. Here, the authors consider how senior nursing home managers tasked with balancing resident and worker interests manage tensions using work design. The findings identify a five-cluster typology, reflecting variations in how managers from 20 Flemish nursing homes operationalize the same resident-centered care model. Managers purposively shape a different service triangle in each operationalization, variously prioritizing benefits for residents, seeking the golden mean, or attempting to suppress tensions.
A Multi-scale Analysis of Urban Warming in Residential Areas of a Latin American City: The Case of Mérida, Mexico
Authors: Biles James J. , Lemberg David S.
Published: June 2020

This study represents a novel attempt to analyze the relationship between Latin American city structure and residential-scale ambient temperatures. Using statistical analysis, we assess the relationship between type of residential zone, vegetation coverage, and housing and lot characteristics and ambient temperatures in residential areas of a large, subtropical city. We find lower temperatures in two residential areas, as well as an association between vegetation coverage and in situ characteristics. We conclude that the factors contributing to urban warming are a legacy of the study area’s unique historical geography; consequently, policy recommendations must be place-specific, integrating meso, micro, and in situ factors.
“Would You Allow Your Wife to Dress in a Miniskirt to the Party”?
Authors: Marín-Morales Agar , Bueso-Izquierdo Natalia , Hidalgo-Ruzzante Natalia , Pérez-García Miguel , Catena-Martínez Andrés , Verdejo-Román Juan
Published: June 2020

Moral convictions consist of assessments based on perceptions of morality and immorality, of right and wrong. There are people who, based on morality, commit crimes. For instance, social and moral norms based on inequality appear to play an important role in the batterer’s behavior to commit violent acts. Research shows that batterers consider themselves to be moral persons, are defenders of their beliefs, and, if necessary, are self-delusional, enjoying a “feeling” of moral worth. The main aim of this work was to uncover the brain mechanisms underlying moral decision making related to intimate partner violence (IPV) against women. We conducted a functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) study comparing moral decisions related to IPV and general violence (GV) in a sample of convicted Spanish men. The two groups of our sample were recruited from the Center for Social Insertion (CSI; Granada, Spain): batterers (BG, n = 21), people convicted for IPV, and other criminals (OCG, n = 20) convicted of violating other legal norms without violence against people. Greene’s classical dilemmas were used to validate IPV and GV dilemmas. First, our results showed that IPV and GV dilemmas activate the same brain areas as those activated by Greene’s dilemmas, primarily involving the default mode network (DMN), which suggests that IPV and GV dilemmas are both moral dilemmas. Second, our results showed that other criminals activated the DMN during both types of dilemmas. Nevertheless, batterers activated the DMN during the GV dilemmas but not during the IPV ones, suggesting that decisions about their female partners do not entail moral conflict. Thus, these preliminary results showed that batterers do not activate moral areas during IPV dilemmas specifically, but do so during GV dilemmas. These results suggest that intervention programs for batterers should aim to specifically modify the value system held by the abuser toward his female partner and not toward other people.
Unraveling the Roles of Distrust, Suspicion of Infidelity, and Jealousy in Cyber Dating Abuse Perpetration: An Attachment Theory Perspective
Authors: Toplu-Demirtaş Ezgi , Akcabozan-Kayabol Nazli Busra , Araci-Iyiaydin Aysegul , Fincham Frank D.
Published: June 2020

People who are anxiously attached, distrustful and jealous of their partners, and suspect infidelity are more likely to use psychological dating violence. Is this also true for cyber dating abuse perpetration (CDAP)? This study investigated the prevalence of and gender differences in self-reported CDAP and whether trust, anticipated partner infidelity, and jealousy serially mediated the association between anxious attachment and CDAP in a sample of Turkish college students. College students ( N = 390) completed the Cyber Dating Violence Inventory, Anxious Attachment subscale of the Experiences in Close Relationship Scale-Short Form, Dyadic Trust Scale, Cognitive Jealousy subscale of the Multidimensional Jealousy Scale, Partners’ Intentions Towards Infidelity Scale, and a Demographic Information Form. A total of 67% of the sample used at least one cyber abusive behavior with their partner over the last 6 months. A multiple serial mediation model indicated that greater anxious attachment was related to more dyadic distrust, the anticipation of partner infidelity, and jealousy, and, in turn, to the use of cyber dating abuse. Overall, results show that the prevalence of CDAP is high and that attachment theory offers a promising framework for identifying predictors of CDAP in emerging adults. These findings have implications for research, intervention, and prevention of CDAP by identifying potential risk factors for perpetrating cyber abuse.
Rape Myths Among University Men and Women in Vietnam: A Qualitative Study
Authors: Bergenfeld Irina , Lanzas Gabriella , Trang Quach Thu , Sales Jessica , Yount Kathryn M.
Published: June 2020

Sexual violence is a persistent, underreported threat to the well-being of women and girls worldwide. In Vietnam, as elsewhere, myths and misconceptions around rape and other forms of sexual violence present a major barrier to reporting and prevention. Based on qualitative research from a parent study aimed at reducing sexual violence perpetration at universities in Vietnam, we sought to characterize commonly held myths among university students that may contribute to the perpetration and justification of such behaviors. Our analysis drew on focus group discussions with men ( n = 69) and semi-structured interviews with men ( n = 12) and women ( n = 9) recruited from two universities in Hanoi. Conducted in April and May of 2018, interviews covered topics including gender norms, dating relationships, consent, and sexual violence, whereas focus groups conducted in October 2018 were designed to assess reactions to an existing sexual violence prevention program. Thematic analysis of interview and focus group transcripts revealed that myths and misconceptions about sexual violence persist among university-aged men and women. Chief among these were that rape results mainly from men’s uncontrollable desire, that victims provoke rape by their “reckless” behavior, such as drinking or dressing provocatively, that “real” rape is characterized by physical force from the perpetrator and “fierce resistance” on the part of the victim, and that rape occurs only under a narrow set of circumstances. Although men and women endorsed most myths equally, justification of rape through victim blaming featured much less in women’s narratives than in men’s. Myths concerning false rape allegations, observed in Western populations, were not considered relevant to Vietnamese students. Findings informed the development of a contextualized rape myths acceptance scale for testing and use in Vietnam. A nuanced understanding of salient rape myths among male and female students may also inform university-based efforts to prevent sexual violence.
Countering the Asylum Paradox Through Strategic Humanitarianism: Evidence from Safe Passage Activism in Germany
Authors: Schwiertz Helge , Steinhilper Elias
Published: June 2020

This paper inquires the moral and political ambivalences of migrant support located between contentious politics and humanitarian aid. Comparing Save Me and Seebrücke, two cases of pro-migrant activism in Germany claiming the safe passage of migrants to Europe, we develop the notion of ‘strategic humanitarianism’, a hybrid form of migrant support, in which actors combine the strategic employment of predominantly depoliticizing, narrow and humanitarian framing with a contentious repertoire of action. It entails deliberately sacrificing a ‘deep’ politicization of fundamental critique against contemporary migration regimes in order to achieve a ‘wide’ politicization and broad consensus for progressive social change. Furthermore, we carve out how distinct political contexts, in this case the issue salience and polarization of migration, influence the dynamics of mobilization and the configuration of humanitarianism and contentious politics. Despite a similar focus, thus, the ‘strategic humanitarianism’ of Save Me has developed a less contentious and disobedient character than Seebrücke.
Leveraging land values for rural development in China after the Sichuan earthquake
Authors: Wilczak Jessica
Published: June 2020

Since the late 1990s, rural residential land consolidation projects have propelled a wave of rural restructuring across China. Characterized by the creation of concentrated villages, land consolidation is seen as a means of both improving land-use efficiency and promoting rural development. But residential concentration is often funded through the commodification of rural land – a trend that became particularly clear in rural Chengdu after the Wenchuan earthquake. This article explores the implications of land-based rural reconstruction in Chengdu. Drawing on a comparison of three adjacent communities in peri-urban Chengdu, the article argues that the tactics adopted by local leaders in their efforts to generate funds through land consolidation can best be characterized as a process of leveraging rural land values. This leveraging entails not only a risk of failure, but also a diversion of public funds towards projects that enhance the attractiveness of land to urban investors, a removal of control over land from the hands of rural residents, and a deepening of inequalities across communities.
Classing religion, resourcing women: Muslim women negotiating space for action
Authors: Liebmann Louise Lund , Galal Lise Paulsen
Published: June 2020

Approaching Islam as a discursive terrain, this article challenges the tacit understanding of Islam as a repressor in young women’s lives and argues that well-educated, young female Muslims in Denmark use a discursive distinction between “real” Islam and “misguided” ethno-cultural traditions to challenge restrictive gender norms. Inspired by research on everyday lived religion and lived Islam, we show how the women—backed by their middle-class identity formations—posit a culture/religion dichotomy turning the discursive terrain of Islam into a resource in intergenerational discussions with their own families and wider communities. Addressing a gap in research literature on European Muslims, the article illustrates how middle-class formations play a significant part in the women’s responses to conventional authorities as the women apply Islamic sources in negotiations of gender boundaries.
Symbolic power in the US Government Counterinsurgency Guide: US security, (non-) combatant civilians, and the refugee-in-place
Authors: Jones Stefanie A
Published: June 2020

Framed by symbolic power as a theory of performance, this essay takes as its subject the state’s use of performance transience for oppressive ends. For Pierre Bourdieu, the symbolic field is about group misrecognition of existing power differentials as legitimate distinctions. Building from this theory, I examine the 2009 US Government Counterinsurgency Guide’s work in the symbolic field. At once a military, social, and performance theory, the Guide creates categorization schemas that differentially define states and people based off of performances of loyalty to US interests. Through the concept of the “non-combatant civilian,” these hierarchies position non-US populations as always already threatening, and acquire social authorization through the threat of further violence. By generating roles for groups of people and framing the means of enforcing those roles, the Guide uses performance transience to structure a symbolic order with deeply racializing consequences.
Modeling, planning, and control of robotic grinding on free-form surface using a force-controlled belt grinding tool
Authors: Li Mingyang , Du Zhijiang , Dong Wei , Gao Kui , Gao Yongzhuo , Wu Dongmei
Published: June 2020

With the increasing demand for efficiency and intelligence in grinding operations, the research of the automatic robotic processing method for complex surface workpieces becomes necessary. This paper proposes a new approach for robotic grinding on the free-form surface. Particularly, the authors design a novel force-controlled belt grinding tool, on which a contact model of grinding process is further developed. In order to improve the efficiency of grinding, a rapid robot trajectory planning method is proposed based on the workpiece’s computer-aided design model, and the process parameters are identified from simple experiments. Furthermore, a piecewise parameterized force control method based on impendence control for the tool is presented, and the purpose of this method is to compensate for the error caused by the rapid planning method and low consistency workblanks. Finally, the grinding experiments of the plate workpiece and complex shape workpiece are performed. The experiment results demonstrate that the proposed method is effective.
Analysis of generalized force and its influence on ride and stability of railway vehicle
Authors: Sharma Rakesh Chandmal , Sharma Sakshi , Sharma Sunil Kumar , Sharma Neeraj
Published: June 2020

Formulation of a rail vehicle model using Lagrange’s method requires the system’s kinetic energy, potential energy, spring potential energy, Rayleigh’s dissipation energy and generalized forces to be determined. This article presents a detailed analysis of generalized forces developed at wheel–rail contact point for 27 degrees of freedom–coupled vertical–lateral model of a rail vehicle formulated using Lagrange’s method and subjected to random track irregularities. The vertical–lateral ride comfort of the vehicle and the ride index of the vehicle are evaluated based on ISO 2631-1 comfort specifications and stability is determined using eigenvalue analysis. The parameters that constitute the generalized forces and critically influence ride and stability have been identified and their influences on the same have been analysed in this work.
Rapid neoglaciation on Ellesmere Island promoted by enhanced summer snowfall in a transient climate model simulation of the middle-late-Holocene
Authors: Vavrus Stephen J , He Feng , Kutzbach John E , Ruddiman William F
Published: June 2020

Arctic neoglaciation following the Holocene Thermal Maximum is an important feature of late-Holocene climate. We investigated this phenomenon using a transient 6000-year simulation with the CESM-CAM5 climate model driven by orbital forcing, greenhouse gas concentrations, and a land use reconstruction. During the first three millennia analyzed here (6–3 ka), mean Arctic snow depth increases, despite enhanced greenhouse forcing. Superimposed on this secular trend is a very abrupt increase in snow depth between 5 and 4.9 ka on Ellesmere Island and the Greenland coasts, in rough agreement with the timing of observed neoglaciation in the region. This transition is especially extreme on Ellesmere Island, where end-of-summer snow coverage jumps from nearly 0 to virtually 100% in 1 year, and snow depth increases to the model’s imposed maximum within 15 years. This climatic shift involves more than the Milankovitch-based expectation of cooler summers causing less snow melt. Coincident with the onset of the cold regime are two consecutive summers with heavy snowfall on Ellesmere Island that help to short-circuit the normal seasonal melt cycle. These heavy snow seasons are caused by synoptic-scale, cyclonic circulation anomalies over the Arctic Ocean and Canadian Archipelago, including an extremely positive phase of the Arctic Oscillation. Our study reveals that a climate model can produce sudden climatic transitions in this region prone to glacial inception and exceptional variability, due to a dynamic mechanism (more summer snowfall induced by an extreme circulation anomaly) that augments the traditional Milankovitch thermodynamic explanation of orbitally induced glacier development.