bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Sarcopenia Is a New Risk Factor of Nonalcoholic Fatty Liver Disease in Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease
Authors: Kang Min Kyu , Kim Kyeong Ok , Kim Min Cheol , Park Jung Gil , Jang Byung Ik
Published: March 2020

Background and Aim: Recently, sarcopenia has been proposed as an additional risk factor of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD), and there have been no studies in patients with inflammatory bowel disease (IBD). We aimed to analyze the clinical associations between sarcopenia and NAFLD in IBD patients. Methods: From January 2004 to December 2017, a total of 488 IBD patients, with CT results, were classified according to the presence of NAFLD. Sarcopenia was assessed based on the muscle volume calculated by the total psoas muscle area in the third lumbar region divided by the square of the patient’s height (m2). Results: Among the 443 included patients, NAFLD was diagnosed in 49 patients (11.1%). Sarcopenia was noted in 34.9%; it was more common in the NAFLD group (51.0 vs. 33.0%; p = 0.019). In multivariate analysis, metabolic syndrome (odds ratio [OR], 8.63), hyperuricemia (OR, 4.66), small bowel resection (OR, 3.45), and sarcopenia (OR, 2.99) were significant risk factors of NAFLD in IBD patients. In addition, sarcopenia was an independent risk factor after adjustment for age, sex, and other metabolic factors (OR, 2.26). Conclusions: The prevalence of nonalcoholic fatty liver in IBD patients was 11.1%, and sarcopenia was an independent risk factor.
Design of transparent microstrip grid array antenna
Authors: Mohd Ali N. I. , Misran N. , F. Mansor M. , F. Jamlos M.
Published: March 2020

A transparent grid array antenna of 28 GHz frequency is presented. The radiating element of the antenna is made of ITO thin film and printed on a glass as the dielectric substrate. The simulation of the antenna executed by using Computer Simulation Technology (CST) Microwave Studio software demonstrated at 28 GHz operating frequency for 5G band applications. This antenna then compared to the rectangular microstrip patch antenna of the same operating frequency. Structural parameters of the proposed antenna were optimized based on parametric studies done.  Grid array antenna gives better performance as it gives 35.7% lower return loss with -43.88 dB, better efficiency and gain with a gain of 7.358 dB, which is more than 40% increases.
Mitigation of faults in grid-connected wind-driven single machine brushless double-fed induction generator
Authors: Nashed Maged Naguib , Eskander Mona Naguib , Saleh Mahmoud
Published: March 2020

The effect of three-phase grid fault on the performance of a wind-driven single machine-brushless double fed induction generator (SM-BDFIG) is investigated. The fault-ride-through (FRT) of the grid-connected SM-BDFIG is then studied when installing a Static Synchronous Compensator (STATCOM) between the grid and the generator. Recovery from the grid fault before installing the STATCOM is studied and compared to the generation system recovery with installed STATCOM. The performances of the stator and rotor currents, stator and rotor voltages, electric torque, active power, reactive power, and battery pack voltage and current are presented for both cases. The total harmonic distortion (THD) of stator and rotor voltages and currents are also presented and compared. Results proved the faster recovery from grid faults, the continuity of currents and voltages, and the continuity of active power supplied to the grid when installing the STATCOM. However, slightly higher THD took place in the stator and rotor voltages and currents due to the switching pattern of the STATCOM.
Real time robustness test evaluation performance for intelligent fuzzy controller in extraction process
Authors: Mohd Yusoff Z. M. Zakiah , Khirul Ashar Nur Dalila , Muhammad Zuraida , Zainal Abidin Amar Faiz , Razali Noor Fadzilah , Azeehan Azli Shakira , MaArkom A.M. , Bin Hasan Khairul Kamarudin
Published: March 2020

This paper presents the real time robustness test using intelligent fuzzy based controller in extraction process of essential oil is discussed in this study. Previous finding shows that the quality of the essential oil is affected by the steam temperature that acts as the control variable in this study. The robustness test is applied to the system during running process to show the system is robust to any operation conditions t make sure the controller is able to give a smooth control output response. The dynamic performance of the system are represented by applying  standard performance criteria such as rise time Tr, settling time Ts, overshoot %OS, root mean square error (RMSE) and time on recovering load disturbance. Generally, the objectives in designing the controllers have been achieved because all intelligent fuzzy based controllers capable to regulate the desired set point by acting on the change in the output compared with the set point.
Analysis of an energy storage sizing for grid-connected photovoltaic system
Authors: Nazmin Azmi Aimie , Salim Norhafiz , Khamis Aziah
Published: March 2020

This paper present on the analysis of an energy storage sizing for a small grid-connected PV system.  This project is to study the proper sizing of energy storage (battery) in a grid-connected PV system for consumers whom purchase and sell electricity from and to the utility grid. The goal is to minimize the total cost of the operation for a consumer with a PV system with a battery storage system. This is to make sure that minimizing the total annual operating cost while maintaining an efficient system. This study uses typical consumer load consumption, and solar irradiance data throughout a year, while varying the type of battery storage (study lead acid and Lithium ion battery) as an energy storage for a similar system. Since lithium ion is not the main options to be integrated with PV system, this study will then reveal the data in terms of cost on why it is not a popular choice.
A review on sensing-based strategies of interior lighting control system and their performance in commercial buildings
Authors: Rijal Wagiman Khairul , Noor Abdullah Mohd , Yusri Hassan Mohammad , Mohammad Radzi Nur Hanis
Published: March 2020

Artificial lighting consumed significant amount of electrical energy in commercial buildings. Therefore, intelligent control strategies are widely implemented to reduce the lighting energy consumption. This paper presents comprehensive review of the current sensing-based strategies (i.e. occupancy, daylight and mixed), sensors placement methods (i.e. occupancy and light) and factors affecting the performance of the lighting control strategies. Based on literature survey, the sensors placement methods can be categorized into three approaches: fixed, mathematical equation and optimization. The state-of-the-art of these approaches are discusses in details. It found that, the optimization-based approach capable to find the optimal sensor placement (numbers and positions) effectively. Moreover, the mixed strategy can be produced the highest energy savings up to 95% compared with other strategies. The occupancy pattern and building characteristics are the main factors to contribute higher energy savings of sensing-based strategies in commercial buildings.  
Embedded adaptive mutation evolutionary programming for distributed generation management
Authors: Mohd Zulkefli Muhammad Fathi , Musirin Ismail , Jelani Shahrizal , Helmi Mansor Mohd , S. Honnoon Naeem M.
Published: March 2020

Distribution generation (DG) is a widely used term to describe additional supply to a power system network. Normally, DG is installed in distribution network because of its small capacity of power. Number of DGs connected to distribution system has been increasing rapidly as the world heading to increase their dependency on renewable energy sources. In order to handle this high penetration of DGs into distribution network, it is crucial to place the DGs at optimal location with optimal size of output. This paper presents the implementation of Embedded Adaptive Mutation Evolutionary Programming technique to find optimal location and sizing of DGs in distribution network with the objective of minimizing real power loss. 69-Bus distribution system is used as the test system for this implementation. From the presented case studies, it is found that the proposed embedded optimization technique successfully determined the optimal location and size of DG units to be installed in the distribution network so that the real power loss is reduced.
Frequency control reserve with multiple micro grid participation for power system frequency stability
Authors: Bin Zainal Abidin Mohamad Syamin , Bin Salim Norhafiz , Bin Azmi Aimie Nazmin , Binti Zambri Nor Aira , Tsuji Takao
Published: March 2020

The introduction of this micro grids into the conventional distribution network system forces a new challenge to the system operation. The failure factor of the power system performance essentially due to the limitation of electrical power generation in which could not meet the load demand. In order to maintain the frequency stability of the system, the power sources must be matched instantaneously among all generators and constantly supply to the load demand. A deviation of system frequency from the set-point value will affect the entire stability of power system network. This paper investigates the impact of utilizing multiple micro grids in supporting and facilitating on grid’s frequency. A method called Frequency Control Reserve (FCR) is introduced, with intention to share the excessive power from all available micro grids. These power will be controlled effectively before being injected into the main grid to stabilize the power frequency. Simulation using MATLAB Simulink have been used to simulate the result and shows great potential to be integrated with distributed generation i.e. solar photovoltaic (PV) for Malaysia power system vicinity.
An adaptive gravitational search algorithm for global optimization
Authors: Koay Ying-Ying , Tan Jian-Ding , Lim Chin-Wai , Koh Siaw-Paw , Tiong Sieh-Kiong , Ali Kharudin
Published: March 2020

Optimization algorithm has become one of the most studied branches in the fields of artificial intelligent and soft computing. Many powerful optimization algorithms with global search ability can be found in the literature. Gravitational Search Algorithm (GSA) is one of the relatively new population-based optimization algorithms. In this research, an Adaptive Gravitational Search Algorithm (AGSA) is proposed. The AGSA is enhanced with an adaptive search step local search mechanism. The adaptive search step begins the search with relatively larger step size, and automatically fine-tunes the step size as iterations go. This enhancement grants the algorithm a more powerful exploitation ability, which in turn grants solutions with higher accuracies. The proposed AGSA was tested in a test suit with several well-established optimization test functions. The results showed that the proposed AGSA out-performed other algorithms such as conventional GSA and Genetic Algorithm in the benchmarking of speed and accuracy. It can thus be concluded that the proposed AGSA performs well in solving local and global optimization problems. Applications of the AGSA to solve practical engineering optimization problems can be considered in the future.
Development of MIMO antenna with decoupling structure for ultra-wideband application
Authors: Aslam Hasin Muhammad , Ali M. T. , Yong Hamizan , Baharom Bazilah , Jumaat Hadi
Published: March 2020

This paper presents the design of adouble-sided Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) antenna with a decoupling structure for Ultra-WideBand (UWB) applications. The proposed antenna consists of four square radiating elements printed on FR-4 substrate with partial slotted ground. The substrate consists of two sides and each side are consisting of two slotted partial ground and two square radiator antennas. The elements of the front side are orthogonal to the elements of the back side because it was to increase the isolation of the antenna. The front and back sides of the substrate were also presented with the decoupling structure to avoid the mutual coupling of each antenna. The results of simulated and measured of the proposed UWB MIMO antenna are observed and analyzed. The objective of the UWB MIMO antenna was achieved that large bandwidth of return loss below than -10 dB from 3.3 GHz to 11GHz with an insertion loss lower than -20 dB within the required frequency band. The proposed MIMO antennas exhibits a nearly Omni-directional radiation pattern with average gain value 4.36 dBi.
Modelling emotion expression through agent oriented methodology
Authors: Zulkifli S.Filzah , Shiang CW , Jali N , Khairuddin M.A.
Published: March 2020

This paper presents Modelling Emotion Expression through Agent Oriented Methodology. Considering emotions of the intended users in the software engineering can uncover new requirements to improve and more accepted the system. While emotion is paying much attention nowadays, there is lacking systematic way to model the emotion based system. Without the systematic approach, it is hard to debug, design and develop an emotion based system. Since the emotional requirement of people has not being fully investigated, the research outcome propose the emotion modelling as part of the complete set of agent-oriented modelling for virtual character in eLearning system, The contribution of this paper is to introduce agent oriented modelling to systematic model an emotion based solution for an eLearning system and instructional video design. With the emotion model, it can serve as a guide to design, redesign, and discuss the emotion elements among the software development team. This is important for better debugging and project management especially for emotion led system.
Development of four quadrant operation of DC to DC converter using single phase matrix converter
Authors: Baharom Rahimi , Awang Abdul Muin
Published: March 2020

Single-Phase Matrix Converter (SPMC) is an advanced circuit topology that offer advantages such as the capability to regenerate energy back to the input, sinusoidal input and output current and a manageable input current displacement factor. By considering the opportunity of an advanced SPMC topology, further exploration on DC to DC operation is proposed. The four-quadrant operation of switching algorithm was developed to control the SPMC circuit. The voltage and current profile of each quadrant was investigated to validate the proposed switching control algorithm. As part of four quadrants DC to DC operation, the safe commutation switching algorithm was also developed in order to solve the commutation problem due to the used of an inductive load. The pulse width modulation (PWM) techniques was utilized to synthesize the output of the proposed converter. Results from MATLAB/Simulink are presented to validate the proposed circuit operation.
Management maintenance system for remote control based on microcontroller and virtual private server
Authors: Kamil Idham , Julham Julham , Lubis Muharman , Lubis Arif Ridho
Published: March 2020

Open loop shaped control system is a form of system control without any feedback from the system. One example is the on-off condition which functions to connect and disconnect electricity. The condition to be studied is a dc motor that can be set to live and die via internet server-based client service. The server in this system is a virtual private server (VPS) device that will provide a source of service to the client in the form of a collection of information on dc motor conditions. In addition, its function is also to record the working time of the dc motor. So that a schedule can be determined when the dc motor is maintained. While the client is a control unit consisting of a microcontroller device, an ethernet module enc28j60 and a dc motor. In general the working principle of the system is beginning with the user accessing the desired VPS IP address through a web browser application. From the web browser the user chooses a dc motor to be activated. But before the client has been connected to the VPS regularly (every second), the point is to always get the latest dc motor condition information. Then the microcontroller will set the dc motor in active or off condition. The research method used is research and development. The results obtained from this study are that the amount of bandwidth needed for communication between VPS and microcontrollers via the internet network, when the control unit works is 6.02 kbps, while the response time for dc motor is 3.16 seconds and the response time for dc motor 2 is 3.46 seconds.
Can rational sampling maximise isolation and fix distribution measure of entomopathogenic nematodes?
Authors: Abd-Elgawad Mahfouz M.M.
Published: March 2020

Entomopathogenic nematodes (EPN) can infect and kill a wide range of insect pests and are used as safe alternatives to chemical insecticides. Hence, a hypothesis was tested for obtaining EPN with high recovery frequency value and accurate distribution pattern based on combining four factors: favourable sampling method, time and site targeting and use of multiple extraction technique. As the extreme diversity of EPN sampling makes any generalisation from a given case study difficult, this functional sampling was limited to recovering EPN from citrus trees only in Egypt. It could both detect more EPN isolates and allow the application of different indices of dispersion to study their spatial distribution pattern. Therefore, stratified random and systematic sampling from weed-infested soil under tree canopy during the season of abundant insect pests was done, followed by multiple cycles of Galleria-baiting technique. Consequently, the nematodes were recovered from the seven surveyed groves (100%) and from 37 of 60 (61.7%) soil samples. The spatial distribution of these EPN isolates, previously identified as Heterorhabditis indica, was characterised using five dispersion indices, which were mainly a random rather than an over-dispersed distribution.
Healthcare Resource Allocation and Priority-setting. A European Challenge
Authors: Di Costanzo Caterina
Published: March 2020

The right to health, as a right to healthcare, represents the most expensive social right in Europe, significantly affecting the total budget of the Member States, both in universal and insurance healthcare systems. No healthcare system provides unlimited healthcare resources to all its users. The resources available for healthcare are limited compared with demand, and all healthcare systems, regardless of their financing and organisation, employ mechanisms to prioritise finite healthcare resources. The progressive increase in healthcare costs in a context of scarce resources, worsened by the fiscal crisis of the 1990s and economic crises spreading in Europe since 2007, has highlighted the ever more urgent need to address the fundamental issues of resource allocation and priority-setting at both European and national levels. Hence, priority-setting is arguably one of the most important health policy issues of our time at global, European and national levels.
Untold Tales and Occluded Histories
Authors: Krishnamurthy Sarala
Published: March 2020

The Herero Nama Genocide is a painful period in Namibian history and yet it is the period about which several novels have been written in the past ten years. This article examines one of the novels of this period, The Lie of the Land by Jasper Utley, with a view to exploring the ambivalence in its writing. Using witness bearing and the concept of the ‘Other’ in postcolonialism, I investigate the narrator’s language and lay bare the ambiguities in the novel. I trace the path of the eponymous hero from being a witness to the Nama Genocide to an active involvement in the rescue of a Nama woman whom he falls in love with.
Disillusionment and Disappointment
Authors: Loimeier Manfred
Published: March 2020

Both Zimbabwean author NoViolet Bulawayo and South African author Niq Mhlongo encapsulate in novels published by each of them in 2013 what has become of their governments’ promises of freedom and prosperity. In her novel We Need New Names, Bulawayo criticises the poverty, corruption and mismanagement seen under the regime of Robert Mugabe and caricatures the grandiose slogans of ‘Black Power.’ In his novel Way Back Home, Mhlongo reveals how a former anti-apartheid activist in the ANC becomes enmeshed in self-enrichment and nepotism and is pursued by the ghosts of the past. Both Bulawayo and Mhlongo are not content with merely decoding slogans, but identify possible paths to a future with greater self-determination. Disappointment about the unredeemed promises is thus transformed into a sobering résumé and stocktaking that can provide a basis for a new consideration and new definition of social objectives.
‘Why don’t you let me flow in my space?’
Authors: Ellis Hugh
Published: March 2020

The practice of performance or ‘spoken word’ poetry has gained a significant foothold among the youth in urban Namibia in the last two decades. While this poetry has been put to many socio-political uses, one of the main ones has been a protest against patriarchal elements in Namibian society and culture, and an outcry against Namibia’s high rates of gender-based violence. Patriarchal aspects of Namibia’s national culture are often explicitly linked to violence and to the intersectional nature of oppression. Spoken word poetry has also often given LGBT+ women a space to speak out against their oppression and to normalise their existence. This article shows how women performers have used and modified the conventions of poetry and song to get this challenging—in the Namibian context often radical—message across. The paper argues that poetry in this context has the potential to approximate a localised ‘public sphere’ where inclusive discourse can be held around social issues—bearing mind that people are not excluded from this discourse because of arbitrary reasons such as gender or sexuality.
The Textual History of the Ethiopic Old Testament Project (THEOT): Goals and Initial Findings
Authors: Assefa Daniel , Delamarter Steve , Jost Garry , Lee Ralph , Niccum Curt
Published: March 2020

This article offers an introduction to the Textual History of the Ethiopic Old Testament (THEOT) project. This includes a description of the background to THEOT and its primary purpose of mapping the history of the transmission of the Ethiopic Old Testament. The bulk of the article summarizes the project’s preliminary findings, generally, and, in particular, about Ethiopic Psalms, Song of Songs, Deuteronomy, Ruth, Amos, Obadiah, Jonah, and Haggai. Some attention is also given to evidences of contact with the Hebrew text tradition, although the Ethiopic is clearly a daughter version of the LXX.
Two new species of the genus Xizicus Gorochov, 1993 (Tettigoniidae: Meconematinae: Meconematini) from Gaoligongshan, Yunnan, China
Authors: CUI PENG , LIU QING , SHI FUMING
Published: March 2020

The paper reports 2 new species of the genus Xizicus Gorochov, 1993 from Gaoligongshan, Yunnan, China, i.e. Xizicus (Axizicus) furcus Cui, Liu & Shi sp. nov. and Xizicus (Eoxizicus) gaoligongshanensis Cui, Liu & Shi sp. nov., and supplies characteristic photographs of external morphology. Besides, morphological illustrations of Xizicus (Eoxizicus) kulingensis (Tinkham, 1943) are provided. The type specimens are deposited in the Museum of Hebei University, Baoding, P. R. China.
Initial Evidence for Increased Weather Salience in Autism Spectrum Conditions
Authors: Bolton Matthew J. , Blumberg William G. , Ault Lara K. , Mogil H. Michael , Hanes Stacie H.
Published: March 2020

Weather is important to all people, including vulnerable populations (those whose circumstances include cognitive processing, hearing, or vision differences; physical disability; homelessness; and other scenarios and factors). Autism spectrum conditions affect information processing and areas of neurological functioning that potentially inhibit the reception of hazardous weather information and are of particular concern for weather messengers. People on the autism spectrum tend to score highly in tests of systemizing, a psychological process that heavily entails attention to detail and revolves around the creation of logical rules to explain things that occur in the world. This article reports the results of three preliminary studies examining weather salience—psychological attention to weather—and its potential relationships with systemizing in autistic people. Initial findings suggest that enhanced weather salience exists among autistic individuals relative to those without the condition and that this may be related to systemizing. These findings reveal some possible strategies for communicating weather to autistic populations and motivate future work on a conceptual model that blends systemizing and chaos theory to better understand weather salience.
The Nativity scene in a shared religious space: The case study of Saint-Pierre’s Church in Montreal
Authors: Grigore-Dovlete Monica , Beaman Lori G
Published: March 2020

Once called “the priest-ridden province,” the transformations brought about by the Quiet Revolution in the 1960s left the churches in Quebec deserted, while the idea of a secular Quebec became part of the public discourse about Quebec identity. Lacking the financial support of an active community, many Catholic churches were demolished or repurposed. They were thus transformed into residential or institutional spaces, entering what might be conceptualized as a secular order. Some churches managed to delay this major transformation by sharing their space with another religious community. This is the case of a Catholic church located in Montreal that we call Saint-Pierre’s Church. Today, the old building of Saint-Pierre’s Church accommodates two Christian communities: one is French-speaking Catholic and the other is Romanian Orthodox. At first glance, no tensions seem to trouble their coexistence. However, people’s perspectives of religious artifacts depict a slightly different image. Starting from participant observation and interviews carried out in 2016 and 2017 with members of both communities, we use the material religion framework to examine the power of materiality to invoke people’s emotions and to tell a story. The material religion framework allowed us to explore how the understanding of the shared place is linked to the dynamics and the contingencies of each community, and how the transformation of religious space happens in a rapidly changing context to which traditional majoritarian religion is attempting to adjust.
Asian Values, Intergenerational Conflict, Needs, and Attachment in Asian/Asian American Women’s Disordered Eating
Authors: Han Suejung
Published: March 2020

I tested a path model that integrated cultural and psychological factors as predictors of disordered eating among Asian and Asian American college women. Asian values of honoring family through achievement and conformity to norms, and intergenerational family conflict due to acculturation gap were the cultural predictors. Psychological needs thwarting and anxious parental attachment were the indirect psychological factors through which the cultural factors predicted disordered eating. Two-hundred forty-four Asian and Asian American women participated in an online survey. Structural equation modeling analysis results indicated that the Asian value of honoring family through achievement and intergenerational family conflict were indirectly associated with both binge eating and restricted eating via thwarted psychological needs, but not via anxious parental attachment. The Asian value of conformity to norms was directly associated with restricted eating. These cultural factors need to be addressed when treating disordered eating among Asian/Asian America women.
Beyond solidarity and mutual aid: Tension and conflict in burial groups in rural Uganda
Authors: Musinguzi Laban Kashaija , Rwemisisi Jude T , Turinawe Emmanueil Benon , De Vries Danny , De Groot Marije , Muhangi Denis , Mafigiri David Kaawa , Katamba Achilles , Pool Robert C
Published: March 2020

Drawing from ethnographic data collected between 2012 and 2014 and January and June 2018 in Luwero district, Uganda, this article questions the romanticised depiction of burial groups as a means of enhancing social support, a sense of solidarity and mutual aid. We found that the felt sense of identity and belonging for members is not shared across community members, and that solidary relations between members and non-group members in the community are fraught with tensions and conflicts. Beyond the romanticised view of burial groups, we need to study burial groups as a model of solidarity in disunity and diversity.
The capability approach in social work research: A scoping review of research addressing practical social work
Authors: Kjellberg Inger , Jansson Birgitta
Published: March 2020

This study reports the findings from a scoping review of the use of the capability approach in social work research. We identified 17 peer-reviewed journal articles which actively used the capability approach and addressed social work practice. The purpose was to examine how the use of the capability approach was linked to policies, practices and social justice approaches in social work research. The merits and challenges of the capability approach in social work research are discussed. Four main applications of the capability approach were found: as a tool for social workers in practice, to explore the subjective sense of well-being, to address social inequalities on a structural level, and as a way of evaluating social practices. The capability approach was framed as congruent with the aims of social work, and as a call for action for social workers to promote social justice, human dignity and well-being. Another finding was that empowerment, mostly viewed as a tool for social workers to promote strength in individuals, was closely connected to using a capability approach. The contradictory use of empowerment in social work may carry some lessons for future development of a capability approach in social work. The review indicates that the capability approach is used in a range of different ways and acknowledged as a valuable tool for research in social work.
Social work interventions for human trafficking victims’ in Nigeria
Authors: Amadasun Solomon
Published: March 2020

Human trafficking victims require holistic and long-term services if their social conditions are to be improved. This study aims to explore the nature of social work services for human trafficking survivors. Semi-structured interviews were conducted with a cohort of social workers in a statutory anti-trafficking organization in southern Nigeria and the results were analyzed using thematic analysis. While the social workers reported providing services to trafficking survivors, these services were mainly rehabilitation-driven and short-term-focused. Although the research relates to a small-scale study, it has far-reaching implications for social work professionals and the Nigerian political leadership.
Unpacking the Mississippi blues: Relationship between internalizing problems and health behaviors
Authors: Churakova Iuliia , Burlaka Viktor , Crutchfield Jandel , Lee Na Youn , Fisher Amy , Kim Yi Jin , Zhang Saijun , Nepal Jyoti
Published: March 2020

This study examined the relationship between internalizing behaviors (measured as anxious/depressed, withdrawn, and somatic problems) and lifestyle-related, modifiable factors as substance use, sleep, and healthy behaviors in a sample of 191 college students in training for social work and other helping professions. The results indicate that participants with lower scores on internalizing behaviors had fewer sleep disturbances, higher scores on healthy behaviors and lower substance use. The implications for social work education, research, and practice are considered, including exploring the relationships between internalizing behaviors and different components of a healthy lifestyle, such as exercise, sleep, and substance use.
Nonprofit Versus For-Profit Health Care Competition: How Service Mix Makes Nonprofit Hospitals More Profitable
Authors: Moon Jihwan , Shugan Steven M.
Published: March 2020

This article studies the intersection between the largest U.S. industry—health care—and the $1 trillion nonprofit sector. Using analytical and empirical analyses, the authors reveal the marketing strategies helping private nonprofit hospitals achieve higher output, prices, and profits than for-profit hospitals. Nonprofit hospitals, focusing on both profits and output, obtain these outcomes by expanding their service mix with high-priced premium specialty medical services (PSMS), whereas for-profit hospitals can be more profitable with higher prices for basic services. Competition increases the differences between nonprofit and for-profit hospitals in PSMS breadth, output, and prices. Nonprofit hospitals lose their competitive advantage when competing with other nonprofits; that is, presence of a for-profit competitor broadens available nonprofit PSMS. With broader service mixes, nonprofits focus more on national advertising than for-profits because PSMS (e.g., pediatric trauma, neurosurgery, heart transplants, oncology) require larger geographic markets than local basic services (e.g., laboratory, diagnostics, nursing, pharmaceutics). Exogenous, heterogeneous state regulations restricting for-profit hospital entry help econometric identification (i.e., markets prohibiting for-profits act as controls). Service mix may be a key difference between nonprofit and for-profit hospitals.
Leveraging Brand Equity for Effective Visual Product Design
Authors: Heitmann Mark , Landwehr Jan R. , Schreiner Thomas F. , van Heerde Harald J.
Published: March 2020

For many consumer goods, the visual appearance is a vital determinant of market success. Although there is an emerging literature on how objective design characteristics drive consumer preferences, this literature has not yet taken into account that product design happens in the context of a brand’s equity. This research addresses the question of how to leverage brand equity when designing the visual appearance of a product. Specifically, it investigates the role of two key strategic visual design decisions: brand typicality (similarity within the brand’s range) and segment typicality (similarity to the competitive set). Drawing on fluency theory, the authors argue that high-equity brands benefit more from brand typicality but less from segment typicality than low-equity brands. Using data from the U.S. car market tracking market shares of 456 car models of 39 major brands operating in seven market segments across 13 years, the study provides empirical evidence for this conjecture and, thereby, implications for strategic product design and visual design theory.
Exploring the Effect of Sequentially Receiving Airline and Destination Information on the Choice Behavior of Tourism Destinations
Authors: Keshavarzian Pedram , Wu Cheng-Lung
Published: March 2020

This article reports the results of a holiday destination choice model of domestic travelers in Australia. Although destination choices have been studied before, travelers’ behavior when choosing an airline ticket is less well investigated, in particular the effect of the choice of airline ticket and tourism features on each other and on the final destination choice. Multinomial logit (MNL) models were estimated using data from a Stated Preference (SP) choice experiment based on a D-Efficient design. Following the leader-driven primacy phenomenon, the article also tests whether destination choices are influenced by sequentially receiving information about airline tickets and tourism features. Results show that when airline ticket information is presented first, the destination choice behavior could be affected. In this context, the information sequencing effect is clear. However, the influence of tourism features is not as clear on the final choice when travelers are first exposed to tourism features and then airline tickets.
A Meta-Analysis of Transactional Leadership and Follower Performance: Double-Edged Effects of LMX and Empowerment
Authors: Young Henry R. , Glerum David R. , Joseph Dana L. , McCord Mallory A.
Published: March 2020

Although transactional leadership is known to be the most common style of leadership in organizations, meta-analytic work has yet to fully uncover the relationship between transactional leadership and one of the most focal leadership outcomes: follower performance. Moreover, little is known about the mechanisms that explain why transactional leadership predicts follower performance. To address these gaps, the current article meta-analytically tests a model based on social exchange theory and self-determination theory in which transactional leadership is theorized to affect follower performance sequentially through leader–member exchange (LMX) and psychological empowerment. Specifically, we argue that although some leadership behaviors (e.g., contingent reward) may benefit performance via positive contributions to the leader–follower social exchange, some leadership behaviors (e.g., contingent reward) may simultaneously exhibit negative effects on performance via reduced empowerment. Our results demonstrate that transactional leadership displays both positive and negative indirect effects on follower performance. Furthermore, the pattern of these effects generalizes to two types of performance: task performance and contextual performance. These findings suggest that transactional leadership is a “double-edged sword” when predicting follower performance (e.g., contingent reward fosters LMX but hinders empowerment, whereas management by exception fosters empowerment but hinders LMX). We discuss how leaders can benefit from these findings, including modifying one’s delivery of transactional leadership approaches.
Wax Moulages and the Pastpresence Work of the Dead
Authors: O’Donovan Órla
Published: March 2020

In this article, I use a nineteenth-century anatomical collection of wax moulages, currently off-staged in the storage facilities in the university where I work, to think about the matter of human remains. Rather than seeing the gross pathology moulages as inert teaching resources, I propose they are agential assemblages, entangled in which are human remains, and that they can be included amongst the dead. I consider their capacity to perform pastpresence work, a particular kind of work of the dead that foregrounds erasures, such as the erasure of the many confined women suffering from syphilis whose bodies were used to cast moulages. This article considers how such pastpresence work might help us be response-able for uncared-for remains, such as the remains of “disappeared” women and infants who died in so-called Mother and Baby Homes, which have reappeared at the center of contemporary Irish public life. At a time when moulages are being reexhibited in museums internationally, I speculate about whether and how the collection might be restaged to perform subversive and utopian pastpresence work, destabilizing the erasures of conventional narratives of medicine and contributing to the crafting of a new and more careful order of things.
All the prime minister’s glory? Leader effects and accountability of prime ministers in parliamentary elections
Authors: Berz Jan
Published: March 2020

Are prime ministers held accountable for their government’s performance? The personalisation of parliamentary elections and subsequent voting behaviour based on the personality of party leaders questions the accountability of elected governments. In this article, I analyse the confounding of prime ministers’ leader effects by voters’ evaluation of government performance to examine whether prime ministers are held accountable for the performance of their government. I use individual-level data from British, Danish, and German elections and a natural experiment at the German state level to show that voters hold prime ministers personally accountable. The findings constitute an important extension of electoral accountability and have implications for the study of personalisation and presidentialisation in parliamentary democracies.
Philosophy and research in Latin America: Notes from the Mexican case
Authors: Evangelista-Ávila José L , Machin-Mastromatteo Juan D
Published: March 2020

The questions over the endeavors of the humanities and social sciences have the merit of being renewed with each generation and context. Philosophy is no exception and one question emerges: why is philosophy useful for research? In this article we contribute an answer to such a question, considering the study of philosophy in Mexican education to exemplify our reflection, which was motivated by the issue that philosophy is being overlooked and even excluded from education and research training in Latin American countries. Hence, we also discuss the importance of philosophy as a research tool that should be more prominent in undergraduate and graduate programs.
Comparison between a new ultrasound probe with a capacitive micromachined transducer (CMUT) and a traditional one in musculoskeletal pathology
Authors: Draghi Ferdinando , Lomoro Pascal , Bortolotto Chandra , Mastrogirolamo Luca , Calliada Fabrizio
Published: March 2020

Background

The capacitive micromachined ultrasound transducer (CMUT) is a new ultrasound (US) probe manufactured by state-of-the-art cutting-edge semi-conductor micromachined electro-mechanical systems (MEMS) technology.

Purpose

To demonstrate the peculiar characteristics of each probe and the limitations that should be improved.

Material and Methods

This study was performed from March to April 2018. The only inclusion criterion was the presence of disease, so all patients with musculoskeletal, skin, and subcutaneous pathology were included. A total of 66 patients entered this study. The exams of each patient, with both probes, were evaluated retrospectively and independently by three radiologists. Panoramicity of the images, the definition of superficial structures (<2 cm of depth), the definition of deep structures (>2 cm), and Doppler signal were assessed. A 5-point scale was used for each parameter.

Results

A total of 89 pathologies were detected. The mean of score for 4G-CMUT was higher than L64 for the panoramicity of the images and the definition of the deep structures. Instead, the mean score for L64 was higher than for 4G-CMUT in the evaluation of superficial structures and Doppler signal. A statistically significant difference was found ( P < 0.05).

Conclusion

CMUT is a breakthrough in US technology. It allows the use of a single probe for different US examinations. The musculoskeletal, skin, and subcutaneous US can be evaluated with a piezoelectric linear transducer or CMUT. In the present study, the overall diagnostic performance was similar. Improvements in CMUT will provide even more dynamic and flexible imaging capabilities by a transducer, with a wider bandwidth.
The Formulation of Voluntary Intoxication in Continental Law
Authors: Atalay Ayşe Özge
Published: March 2020

The principle of contemporaneity, which means the actus reus and mens rea must coincide, constitutes the backbone of criminal liability. On the contrary, it is sometimes possible for an offender to commit an offence when she or he does not have the culpability required for the committed offence. The offender can create diminished responsibility through the intake of an intoxicating substance negligently or intentionally, even with the purpose of getting rid of the punishment. To punish such an offender, a legal concept has been developed which is termed as voluntary intoxication in the Anglo-Saxon legal system, while it has been called actiones liberae in causa in the Continental Europe. In this review, actiones liberae in causa, the formulation of voluntary intoxication in the Continental European legal system, will be explained in detail and some suggestions will be made for the application of these two concepts.
When protests and daily life converge: The spaces and people of Hong Kong’s anti-extradition movement
Authors: Choi Susanne YP
Published: March 2020

Social scientists are prone to define social movements as something extraordinary, existing outside the mundane world of daily routines and lives. However, as the anti-extradition movement in Hong Kong has illustrated, protest and daily routines often overlap. This is due in part to the decentralisation of protest events geographically and the mobilisation of conventional life spaces and cultural repertoires as protest tactics. When protests become daily events and daily events become protests, ordinary people can no longer maintain ‘neutrality’ by claiming that they are just ‘distant spectators’. They are turned into witnesses of history, forced to make a moral judgment and take a stand. The situation also creates new roles for those not directly involved in the movement to participate in the movement. At the same time, this ‘invasion’ of the ordinary and the local by the harbingers of political conflict, has bred fear and white terror among neighbours in local communities.
Disentangling the Brexit vote: The role of economic, social and cultural contexts in explaining the UK’s EU referendum vote
Authors: Abreu Maria , Öner Özge
Published: March 2020

A large number of studies have analysed the role of individual and geographical determinants of voting behaviour in the context of the recent EU referendum in the UK, but several questions remain. A key unresolved issue is the extent of the interaction between individual voter characteristics and the geographical context in which they live, with some of the variance in voter preferences previously attributed to individual characteristics potentially being mediated by the geographical context. Space, and the people who live in it, are in continuous interaction, which requires a careful conceptual and empirical treatment of the issues of composition and sorting. We therefore ask to what extent individuals with very similar individual characteristics voted differently in different places. We use data from the British Election Study, along with a non-parametric matching approach, to analyse whether comparable individuals voted differently in areas with particular economic and cultural characteristics. We find that composition effects account for less than half of the observed constituency-level variation in the vote, while the remaining contextual effects are driven almost entirely by cultural factors.
Estimating Hourly Traffic Volumes using Artificial Neural Network with Additional Inputs from Automatic Traffic Recorders
Authors: Zahedian Sara , Sekuła Przemysław , Nohekhan Amir , Vander Laan Zachary
Published: March 2020

Traffic volumes are an essential input to many highway planning and design models; however, collecting this data for all road network segments is neither practical nor cost-effective. Accordingly, transportation agencies must find ways to leverage limited ground truth volume data to obtain reasonable estimates at scale on the statewide network. This paper aims to investigate the impact of selecting a subset of available automatic traffic recorders (ATRs) (i.e., the ground truth volume data source) and incorporating their data as explanatory variables into a previously developed machine learning regression model for estimating hourly traffic volumes. The study introduces a handful of strategies for selecting this subset of ATRs and walks through the process of choosing them and training models using their data as additional inputs using the New Hampshire road network as a case study. The results reveal that the overall performance of the artificial neural network (ANN) machine learning model improves with the additional inputs of selected ATRs. However, this improvement is more significant if the ATRs are selected based on their spatial distribution over the traffic message channel (TMC) network. For instance, selecting eight ATR stations according to the TMC coverage-based strategy and training the ANN with their inputs leads to average relative reductions of 35.39% and 13.44% in the mean absolute percentage error (MAPE) and error to maximum flow ratio (EMFR), respectively. The results achieved by this study can be further expanded to create a practical strategy for optimizing the number and location of ATRs through transportation networks in a state.