bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Mild metabolic stress is sufficient to disturb the formation of pyramidal cell ensembles during gamma oscillations
Authors: Elzoheiry Shehabeldin , Lewen Andrea , Schneider Justus , Both Martin , Hefter Dimitri , Boffi Juan Carlos , Hollnagel Jan-Oliver , Kann Oliver
Published: December 2019

Disturbances of cognitive functions occur rapidly during acute metabolic stress. However, the underlying mechanisms are not fully understood. Cortical gamma oscillations (30–100 Hz) emerging from precise synaptic transmission between excitatory principal neurons and inhibitory interneurons, such as fast-spiking GABAergic basket cells, are associated with higher brain functions, like sensory perception, selective attention and memory formation. We investigated the alterations of cholinergic gamma oscillations at the level of neuronal ensembles in the CA3 region of rat hippocampal slice cultures. We combined electrophysiology, calcium imaging (CamKII.GCaMP6f) and mild metabolic stress that was induced by rotenone, a lipophilic and highly selective inhibitor of complex I in the respiratory chain of mitochondria. The detected pyramidal cell ensembles showing repetitive patterns of activity were highly sensitive to mild metabolic stress. Whereas such synchronised multicellular activity diminished, the overall activity of individual pyramidal cells was unaffected. Additionally, mild metabolic stress had no effect on the rate of action potential generation in fast-spiking neural units. However, the partial disinhibition of slow-spiking neural units suggests that disturbances of ensemble formation likely result from alterations in synaptic inhibition. Our study bridges disturbances on the (multi-)cellular and network level to putative cognitive impairment on the system level.
The impact of chronic kidney disease on cerebral hemodynamics: A transcranial Doppler study
Authors: Ghoshal Shivani , Gomez Jonathan , Datar Sudhir V , Tegeler Charles , Sarwal Aarti , Freedman Barry I
Published: December 2019

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) independently increases the risk of stroke and small vessel disease (SVD). This study compared SVD and a transcranial Doppler (TCD)-based marker of intracranial vascular resistance (pulsatility index, PI) in post-stroke patients with and without CKD. Between January 2015 and December 2017, 118 individuals with stable eGFR (50 with CKD) had cerebral MRI and TCD within three months of a stroke. The means of bilateral PI in anterior (anterior cerebral [ACA] and middle cerebral arteries [MCA]) and posterior vessels (posterior cerebral [PCA] and vertebral arteries [VA]) were computed. CKD strongly correlated with higher distal resistance (median CKD ACA PI 1.2, IQR 1.0 to 1.35 vs. controls 0.91 IQR 0.79 to 1.1 [ p < 0.0001]; median MCA PI 1.14 IQR 1.03 to 1.39 vs. controls 0.93 IQR 0.79 to 1.1 [ p < 0.0001]) and MRI SVD burden (median CKD SVD 4.98 × 104 IQR 2.66 to 7.76 × 104 voxels vs. controls median SVD 6.7 × 103 IQR 2.4 to 24.0 × 103 [ p < 0.0001]). In conclusion, in patients with recent stroke, CKD is an independent determinant of increased intracranial vascular resistance in both anterior and posterior cerebral circulations. MRI SVD volume is significantly associated with anterior and posterior circulation PI.
A scalable motion planner for high-dimensional kinematic systems
Authors: Luna Ryan , Moll Mark , Badger Julia , Kavraki Lydia E
Published: December 2019

Sampling-based algorithms are known for their ability to effectively compute paths for high-dimensional robots in relatively short times. The same algorithms, however, are also notorious for poor-quality solution paths, particularly as the dimensionality of the system grows. This work proposes a new probabilistically complete sampling-based algorithm, XXL, specially designed to plan the motions of high-dimensional mobile manipulators and related platforms. Using a novel sampling and connection strategy that guides a set of points mapped on the robot through the workspace, XXL scales to realistic manipulator platforms with dozens of joints by focusing the search of the robot’s configuration space to specific degrees of freedom that affect motion in particular portions of the workspace. Simulated planning scenarios with the Robonaut2 platform and planar kinematic chains confirm that XXL exhibits competitive solution times relative to many existing works while obtaining execution-quality solution paths. Solutions from XXL are of comparable quality to cost-aware methods even though XXL does not explicitly optimize over any particular criteria, and are computed in an order of magnitude less time. Furthermore, observations about the performance of sampling-based algorithms on high-dimensional manipulator planning problems are presented that reveal a cautionary tale regarding two popular guiding heuristics used in these algorithms, indicating that a nearly random search may outperform the state-of-the-art when defining such heuristics is known to be difficult.
PCSK9 E670G polymorphism increases risk of coronary artery disease in a Chinese Han population
Authors: Lin Zhang , Wang Shi Hong , Wei Da Yong , Wang Lu Min , Zhang Zhong Wu
Published: December 2019

Objective

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the world. The proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 ( PCSK9) E670G polymorphism has been reported to be associated with variability in levels of low density lipoprotein cholesterol, a risk factor for CAD. However, the relationship between PCSK9 E670G and CAD is still not fully elucidated.

Methods

A total of 225 patients and 189 control subjects were recruited in this study. DNA was extracted from peripheral blood samples and was genotyped by mass array method. In addition, we also conducted a meta-analysis of case-control studies to elucidate the relationship of CAD and polymorphism.

Results

The GG genotype of PCSK9 E670G was associated with a higher risk of CAD [odds ratio (OR) 2.994, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.174–7.631], even adjusting for risk factors (OR 2.794, 95% CI: 1.215–7.460). Logistic regression analysis showed that the dominant genetic model increased the CAD risk (OR 2.313, 95% CI: 1.070–6.983) after adjusting the confounding factors. Meta-analysis results of 13 studies revealed that PCSK9 E670G polymorphism was correlated with CAD risk under different genetic models.

Conclusion

Our results demonstrated that PCSK9 E670G genotype was associated with a high risk of CAD.
The Co-Regency of Thutmose III and Amenhotep II Revisited
Authors: Taterka Filip
Published: December 2019

The aim of the article is to reconsider the question of the co-regency of Thutmose III and Amenhotep II in the light of recent research casting into doubt the existence of this institution in the Middle Kingdom. The author re-examines the sources cited in favour of the co-regency, showing that the co-regency hypothesis generates more problems than it allegedly solves. Instead of searching for one simple solution for all seemingly insurmountable problems raised up by the available evidence, the author proposes to explain each problem individually. As a result, it seems that questions such as the alleged double coronation date of Amenhotep II, the problem of his two ‘first victorious campaigns’, or the presence of the images of Thutmose III and Amenhotep II in the temple of Amada can be satisfactorily explained without any necessity to maintain that both pharaohs ever ruled together, even for a brief period of time.
Praise by animals in the Hebrew Bible
Authors: Atkins Peter Joshua
Published: December 2019

Among ancient Near Eastern societies was a widespread and particularly intriguing belief that animals were able to worship and praise deities. This study shows the Hebrew Bible evidences the idea that animals were capable of praising God too and proceeds to observe and document the presence of numerous examples of this in specific biblical texts. Through understanding the place of animals in the Hebrew Bible, and their perceived activity in the ancient Near East, this study suggests animals are distinct agents of praise in their own right in the biblical texts.
Characteristics of fire in high-speed train carriages
Authors: Bi Haiquan , Zhou Yuanlong , Wang Honglin , Gou Qilin , Liu Xiaoxia
Published: December 2019

With the rapid development of high-speed railways, safety hazards presented by train fires cannot be ignored. An effective design for protection against fire in high-speed trains is essential to ensure passenger safety. In this study, the cone calorimeter and ignition temperature tester were used to carry out combustion experiments on materials constituting the main components of the train. The heat release rate, smoke yield, CO yield, and ignition temperature of combustible materials were tested. Based on the experimental data of material combustion, a numerical model of the high-speed train carriage fire was simulated. The accuracy of the numerical simulation was verified by drawing a comparison with the full-scale train fire experiment in existing literature. The numerical simulation results revealed that when the fire source is present at the corner of the carriage end door, the fire develops to the maximum possible extent in approximately 25 min, with a peak heat release rate of approximately 38.4 MW. Increase in the carriage fire heat release rate and breakage of windows occur almost simultaneously. Improvement of the fireproof performance of windows can inhibit and delay the carriage fire development. For the flashover of carriage fire, the spread speed of the flashover area in the longitudinal direction inside the carriage is approximately 1.9 m/s. The end door area furthest from the fire source in the carriage has strong flashover, while the flashover in other areas is weak.
Hegemonic Femininities and Intersectional Domination
Authors: Hamilton Laura T. , Armstrong Elizabeth A. , Seeley J. Lotus , Armstrong Elizabeth M.
Published: December 2019

We examine how two sociological traditions account for the role of femininities in social domination. The masculinities tradition theorizes gender as an independent structure of domination; consequently, femininities that complement hegemonic masculinities are treated as passively compliant in the reproduction of gender. In contrast, Patricia Hill Collins views cultural ideals of hegemonic femininity as simultaneously raced, classed, and gendered. This intersectional perspective allows us to recognize women striving to approximate hegemonic cultural ideals of femininity as actively complicit in reproducing a matrix of domination. We argue that hegemonic femininities reference a powerful location in the matrix from which some women draw considerable individual benefits (i.e., a femininity premium) while shoring up collective benefits along other dimensions of advantage. In the process, they engage in intersectional domination of other women and even some men. Our analysis re-enforces the utility of analyzing femininities and masculinities from within an intersectional feminist framework.
The Weberian Presuppositional Analytic
Authors: Malczewski Eric
Published: December 2019

This article offers an account of a conceptual framework in Max Weber’s writings offering leverage on empirical, normative, and theoretical questions. Weber relied on the notion of Voraussetzung—presupposition—across his work to distinguish the criteria of concepts of empirical phenomena, accounts of such phenomena, and conditions shaping evaluative stands among alternative courses of action. Weber also refers to Denkvoraussetzungen—presuppositions of thought—which refer to sets of fundamental principles structuring experience. Presuppositions of thought represent historically specific metaphysical and ontological orientations. Based on a systematic analysis of Weber’s work, this article reconstructs the three main forms taken by the concept Voraussetzung in Weber’s writings (i.e., structuring logics, value stands, and presuppositions of thought). This article challenges sociologists to identify presuppositions of thought and to describe their ramifications throughout society.
From Jails to Sanctuary Planning: Spatial Justice in Santa Ana, California
Authors: Sarmiento Carolina S.
Published: December 2019

Today’s immigrant rights movements bring attention to jails—some cities’ largest public safety expenditures—as primary sites for deportation operations. This article examines how these movements push for sanctuary while challenging jails’ political and economic place in cities. With qualitative and archival data from a case study in Santa Ana, California, this research finds that by ending U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE) contracts, exposing the economic and political interests invested in jails, and pushing for jail reuse alternatives, sanctuary planning threatens public investment in police and security infrastructure. Challenges to these movements include jurisdictional fragmentation with diverse approaches to detention.
Implementing Domestic Violence Policy: When Accountability Trumps Mission
Authors: Wiley Kimberly
Published: December 2019

Nonprofit and governmental relations become increasingly formidable with a nonprofit’s number of public funding streams. Complexity of conflicting funding regulations traps the nonprofit in a state of dysfunction. Interviews with managers currently working in domestic violence advocacy organizations (DVAOs) in the United States are analyzed with a grounded analysis approach to identify the outcome of policy conflict tied to their multiple public funding streams. An unspoken policy narrative emerges that underlies more overt social policy narratives. This emergent narrative drives organizational activities toward accountability tasks and away from mission fulfillment tasks. DVAOs are bound within institutional gridlock.
Rethinking Shortages in Special Education: Making Good on the Promise of an Equal Opportunity for Students With Disabilities
Authors: Mason-Williams Loretta , Bettini Elizabeth , Peyton David , Harvey Alexandria , Rosenberg Michael , Sindelar Paul T.
Published: December 2019

In this article, the authors describe the complexity of special education teacher (SET) shortage, how shortage undermines equal educational opportunity, and strategies that school districts and state and federal governments have used to combat them. The authors consider the economic consequences of shortage and describe how school budgets are burdened by turnover and, in some cases, litigation. The authors consider specific aspects of SET shortages, including the problems of staffing high-poverty urban and rural schools, recruiting and retaining teachers of color, and staffing alternative educational placements. The authors then consider more general factors related to shortage, including the valence of teaching as a profession, attrition, working conditions, and compensation. The authors describe how broad policy-based interventions, such as federal spending on personnel preparation and alternative route entrées to teaching, have largely failed to remedy SET shortage. Finally, the authors posit that SET shortage cannot be addressed successfully without improving working conditions and differentiating compensation for shortage area teachers and teachers working with struggling students. Although special education cannot achieve such sweeping change alone, the time seems ripe for moving forward on this important agenda.
Economic Outcomes Following Combinatorial Pharmacogenomic Testing for Elderly Psychiatric Patients
Authors: Jablonski Michael R. , Lorenz Raymond , Li James , Dechairo Bryan M.
Published: December 2019

Objective:

We compared economic outcomes when elderly patients with neuropsychiatric disorders received psychotropic medications guided by a combinatorial pharmacogenomic (PGx) test.

Methods:

This is a subanalysis of a 1-year prospective assessment of medication cost for patients with neuropsychiatric disorders receiving combinatorial PGx testing. Pharmacy claims were used to compare per member per year (PMPY) medication cost for patients ≥65 and <65 years old when medications were congruent or incongruent with the PGx test. Polypharmacy was also assessed.

Results:

Congruent prescribing was associated with savings of US$3497 PMPY ( P < .001) for patients ≥65 years and US$2467 PMPY ( P < .001) for patients <65, compared to incongruent prescribing. Congruent prescribing in patients ≥65 treated by primary care providers was associated with US$4113 PMPY ( P = .026) in savings, while congruent prescribing by psychiatrists was associated with US$120 PMPY ( P = .719). Congruent prescribing was also associated with one fewer neuropsychiatric medication for patients ≥65 ( P = .070).

Conclusion:

Congruence with PGx testing was associated with medication cost savings in elderly patients.
Theoretical and experimental study on optimal cropping load control strategy of duralumin alloy AlCu4Mg1 based on linear elastic fracture mechanics
Authors: Yu Zhengyang , Zhong Bin , Zhang Chuanwei , Li Ming , Liu Chuo , Li Xuewu , Lv Yuan
Published: December 2019

In this work, a metal bar fine-cropping system is designed to study the influence load control strategies based on theoretical and cropping experiments. The principle of the new cropping system and mechanical compositions system are introduced. Three different load control strategies are designed based on duralumin alloy AlCu4Mg1 bar, and the optimal loading order is determined under them. According to a new proposed cross-section quality evaluation method, the test results show constant stress intensity factor range of external load ([Formula: see text]), linear decreasing cyclic load of appropriate time coefficient ([Formula: see text]) can obtain better cropping effect and the best quality is obtained by the loading cycle ([Formula: see text]).
Anal cancer in people living with HIV: A case series
Authors: Sadlier Corinna , Lynam Almida , Kerr Colm , Sheils Orla , Bergin Colm
Published: December 2019

Human papillomavirus (HPV) causes almost 5% of all cancers worldwide including cervical cancer, oropharyngeal cancers, vulval cancer, penile cancer and anal cancer. HPV-associated anal squamous cell carcinoma is a rare occurrence in the general population; however, the incidence is increasing. Certain groups including people living with HIV are disproportionately affected. In this case series, we report baseline demographics, clinical characteristics and outcome of anal cancer cases presenting in people living with HIV over a ten-year period (2006–2015).
Infant and Adult Brains Are Coupled to the Dynamics of Natural Communication
Authors: Piazza Elise A. , Hasenfratz Liat , Hasson Uri , Lew-Williams Casey
Published: December 2019

Infancy is the foundational period for learning from adults, and the dynamics of the social environment have long been considered central to children’s development. Here, we reveal a novel, naturalistic approach for studying live interactions between infants and adults. Using functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS), we simultaneously and continuously measured the brains of infants ( N = 18; 9–15 months of age) and an adult while they communicated and played with each other. We found that time-locked neural coupling within dyads was significantly greater when dyad members interacted with each other than with control individuals. In addition, we characterized the dynamic relationship between neural activation and the moment-to-moment fluctuations of mutual gaze, joint attention to objects, infant emotion, and adult speech prosody. This investigation advances what is currently known about how the brains and behaviors of infants both shape and reflect those of adults during real-life communication.
International politics beyond the usual channels: A president writes to a people other than his own
Authors: Zarabozo Irene Fonte
Published: December 2019

In this study, I analyse an exceptional case of international political communication, in which the President of one nation writes directly to the people of another, outside the normal diplomatic channels. I study two missives addressed by Cuban President Fidel Castro to the Mexican people during a situation of conflict between their two countries. They take the form of letters published through the Mexican press. After analysing the context in which Castro’s letters appear, I examine the main discursive characteristics of the texts. The analysis includes speech acts, modality and the persons mentioned in the text. My findings reveal the political intent of these messages: to influence the Mexican political agenda, repositioning Cuba both with respect to the Mexican authorities and leftist politics in Latin America.
Contentious polities and political polarization in Thailand: Post-Thaksin reflections
Authors: Gadavanij Savitri
Published: December 2019

This article investigates the performance of identity and the concept of a ‘good’ leader reflected in the discourse of the former Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra, a controversial yet significant politician in Thai contemporary politics. The analysis focuses on how Thaksin constructed his political self, and how it redefined the Thai political field and the relevant practices. The article traces the discursive construction of his political identity in the radio program PM Thaksin talks to the people aired in 2001–2005. The findings indicate that Thaksin’s discourse constructed an ambivalent political identity through heterogeneity and dynamic use of ‘we’. Various mechanism of legitimization secured his popularity and created a lasting bond with the people. The discussion argues that while the discourse projecting a leadership style that is both confident and defiant strengthened the bond between Thaksin and his supporters, it increasingly pushed the ‘others’ away, leading to a growing ideological gap and later an adversarial sense among Thais, a fracture that still dominates the contemporary Thai political and social landscape.
Acclaims, attacks, defenses: Critical discourse analysis of Ma Ying-jeou’s 2012 Taiwan presidential debates discourse
Authors: Cheng Maria
Published: December 2019

Taiwan, under both domestic socio-political pressures and exogenous diplomatic shocks, underwent a democratization process since the 80s in the last century. Presidential debates became a part of the election benefiting from Taiwan’s media liberalization, and are closely related to the Taiwan’s democratization process. Ma Ying-jeou’s landslide victory in the 2008 Taiwan Presidential Election marked Taiwan’s second democratic transfer of power (with the first one taking place in 2000) and started a new era in cross-strait relations. Due to the Kuomintang (KMT) government’s performance falling short of the people’s expectations during Ma’s governance, however, Ma encountered a neck-and-neck challenge in his second term presidential election. This article adopts a Critical Discourse Analysis perspective to investigate Ma Ying-jeou’s deliberate manipulation of linguistic strategies including selective modality choices to formulate his acclaims, attacks and defenses in the 2012 Taiwan televised presidential debates. This analysis reveals his employment of negative and positive linguistic choices in addressing his opponents’ arguments and casting doubt on his key opponent as well as depicting his leadership and character traits and conveying his high degree of commitment to gain the support of the electorate to offer him an opportunity to continue his stewardship of the country. It examines also how us-you, in addition to us-them polarization, was used as a discursive tool of attack during the debates; and identifies the impact of his discourse on the election outcome in 2012. The investigation of Ma’s engagement in televised presidential debates thus offers a snapshot into Taiwan’s democratization process.
Deep diving into values: A way to enhance empowerment evaluation
Authors: Ikin Kerrie , McClenaghan Peter
Published: December 2019

In recent years, the New South Wales government education system changed the way whole-school evaluation occurs. Moving away from external school reviews when data suggested underperformance, principals are now required to develop 3-year strategic school plans and self-evaluate them in consultation with their staff, parents and students. An external validation process is then undertaken by principal peers. The internal school process presumes a stakeholder-engagement approach to school planning and evaluation. It further presumes that stakeholders are not only consulted but also feel they understand and own the plan. One school principal, realising the challenges that the new model posed for himself and his staff, engaged an evaluation team to develop and implement a process that would help his school rise to these challenges. This article describes the empowerment evaluation process that ensued. It first explains the context of the school that gave rise to empowerment over other forms of stakeholder-engagement evaluation processes. It discusses how the literature on values underpinned the conceptual framework and operational model. The article then illustrates how the process enabled the staff to engage explicitly with personal and organisational values and how a focus on these values was built into every stage of the process. Finally, the benefits as well as the challenges of this approach are described.
The entanglement of facts and values: An example from an agricultural project in Honduras
Authors: Feinstein Osvaldo
Published: December 2019

The entanglement of facts and values is shown in the context of an example from an evaluation of an agricultural project in Honduras. Instead of assuming that the evaluated project corresponded to what really mattered to the people (that it was ‘relevant’ for them), the evaluation team tried to find out what people valued most and incorporated this perspective in the assessment of the project. Thus, it became a value-focused evaluation in which the evaluation team undertook to identify the local people’s priorities, their key concerns, their values through conversation with them and the programme staff who were involved in the implementation. These conversations played a critical role in completing the evaluation.
Chordoma of the sacrum of an adult naked mole-rat
Authors: Cole Jordan E. , Steeil James C. , Sarro Steven J. , Kerns Kenton L. , Cartoceti Andrew
Published: December 2019

The naked mole-rat (NMR; Heterocephalus glaber)—a small, eusocial, subterranean rodent native to East Africa—is distinguished by its capability to live long and resist changes associated with the aging process. Notably, a growing amount of research has been dedicated to NMRs’ multifactorial capacity to resist cancer. Since 2016, however, zoos have begun to document various neoplasms in a handful of individuals. We present herein radiographic, gross anatomic, and histopathologic features of a case of a sacral chordoma in a geriatric female. Chordomas originate in notochordal remnants. These spinal tumors are most commonly seen in ferrets; chordomas are rare in humans, can be difficult to treat, and need wide surgical margins.
Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry determination of hepatic copper, manganese, selenium, and zinc concentrations in relation to sample amount and storage duration
Authors: Radke Scott L. , Ensley Steve M. , Hansen Stephanie L.
Published: December 2019

Trace mineral status is a critical component of bovine health. Impairment of physiological processes, caused by trace mineral toxicities or deficiencies, can be potential underlying factors of disease. Historically, the status of critical trace minerals, such as copper, manganese, selenium, and zinc, has been evaluated through the analysis of hepatic tissue. We assessed variation of these 4 elements between homogenized liver and samples of 0.02 g, 0.1 g, 0.5 g, and 1.0 g. We also evaluated concentration differences in copper, manganese, selenium, and zinc among samples stored under different durations. No differences in concentrations of copper, manganese, selenium, or zinc were observed among samples stored frozen for 3, 7, and 14 d post-collection. Statistical differences in concentrations of selenium and zinc were observed between 0.02-g biopsy samples and larger samples. Moisture content differed between 0.02-g biopsies and larger samples and over time. Results indicate that as little as 0.02 g of hepatic tissue dried to ~0.006 g is reliable for interpretation of trace mineral status and determination of toxicities and deficiencies in cattle pertaining to copper, manganese, selenium, and zinc, despite the small differences observed.
Disseminated Mycobacterium kansasii infection in a white-tailed deer and implications for public and livestock health
Authors: Ford Alexandra K. , Niedringhaus Kevin D. , Anderson A. Nikki , LaCour James M. , Nemeth Nicole M.
Published: December 2019

We document a case of Mycobacterium kansasii, a rare, zoonotic bacterium, in a white-tailed deer (WTD; Odocoileus virginianus) in East Baton Rouge Parish, Louisiana. Grossly, the deer had fibrinous pleuropneumonia with yellow, mineralized nodules scattered throughout the lungs and extending to the pleura. The kidneys were enlarged and had numerous pale foci in the cortex. Microscopically, the pulmonary architecture was replaced by variably sized, multifocal-to-coalescing granulomas with peripheral histiocytes and fewer multinucleate giant cells, and necrotic centers with mineralization and hemorrhage. The latter rarely contained one to a few acid-fast, slender, 7-µm long bacteria, for which beaded morphology was sometimes evident. Similar acid-fast bacteria were also within histiocytes in the kidney. PCR assay of fresh lung sample and subsequent sequencing revealed a non-tuberculosis mycobacterium, M. kansasii. These lesions were similar to those that result from infection with M. bovis in WTD. Both M. bovis and M. kansasii are zoonotic. WTD are a reservoir of M. bovis, which is a major concern in regions in which WTD and cattle can come into close contact.
Self-Compassion When Coping With Venture Obstacles: Loving-Kindness Meditation and Entrepreneurial Fear of Failure
Authors: Engel Yuval , Noordijk Stephany , Spoelder Afra , van Gelderen Marco
Published: December 2019

Entrepreneurial fear of failure is a ubiquitous yet aversive experience with critical implications for entrepreneurial action and well-being. To understand how entrepreneurs can effectively cope with fear-inducing obstacles, we hypothesize and experimentally test the extent to which self-compassion, cultivated through Loving-Kindness Meditation (LKM), counteracts entrepreneurs’ fear of failure when facing a threatening venture obstacle. Compared to an active control group, entrepreneurs exposed to a brief guided LKM showed higher self-compassion, which, in turn, was associated with lower fear reactivity. We offer novel contributions to entrepreneurship theory and practice by highlighting the role of meditation and self-compassion in building entrepreneurial resilience.
Modeling of macro fiber composite actuated laminate plates and aerofoils
Authors: Thomas Peter R , Blázquez Calzada Ángela Carmen , Gilmour Kevin
Published: December 2019

This article investigates the modeling of macro fiber composite-actuated laminate plates with distributed actuator patches. The investigation details an analytical and finite element modeling, with experimental validation of the bending strain and deflection of an epoxy E-glass fiber composite laminate. An analytical approach is also developed to estimate the plate deflection from the experimental strain measurements. The analytical method uses direct integration of single dimensional plate bending moments obtained by strain-induced shear moments from the macro fiber composite actuators. Finite element analysis software was used with the composite laminate modeled in ANSYS ACP. The results from both analytical and numerical models show good agreement with the experimental results, with strain values agreeing within 20 ppm and the maximum difference in deflection not exceeding 0.1 mm between models. Finally, an application of the analytical model for developing morphing aerofoil designs is demonstrated.
Small-amplitude superimposed horizontal motion of a load supported symmetrically by rubber springs
Authors: Young Todd R , Beatty Millard F
Published: December 2019

The undamped small-amplitude superimposed horizontal motion of a load supported symmetrically between identical isotropic hyperelastic springs, each subjected to an initial finite uniaxial static stretch, is reviewed in general terms. The small superimposed motion is discussed for the classical incompressible Mooney–Rivlin, James–Guth, and Gent models, as well as two limit classes of compressible Blatz–Ko material models, [Formula: see text] and [Formula: see text]. The small-amplitude vibrational frequency is presented for each model, and the effects of limited extensibility are demonstrated for the James–Guth and Gent materials. Unstable equilibrium states are exhibited for the Blatz–Ko compressible foamed rubber material with [Formula: see text], while the others exhibit infinitesimally stable motion for an essentially arbitrary initial static stretch. It is shown that unstable equilibrium states exist for the general compressible Blatz–Ko model with [Formula: see text], and these states are characterized graphically in terms of the static stretch and the material Poisson ratio. The article concludes with a discussion of the Blatz–Ko and Gent–Thomas foamed rubber materials and their relation to the classical molecular-based uni-constant theory of elasticity.
Flexural capacity and design of hybrid FRP-steel-reinforced concrete beams
Authors: Yang Yang , Sun Ze-Yang , Wu Gang , Cao Da-Fu , Zhang Zhi-Qin
Published: December 2019

This study presents a design method for hybrid fiber-reinforced-polymer-steel-reinforced concrete beams by an optimized analysis of the cross section. First, the relationships among the energy consumption, the bearing capacity, and the reinforcement ratio are analyzed; then, the parameters of the cross section are determined. Comparisons between the available theoretical and experimental results show that the designed hybrid fiber-reinforced-polymer-steel-reinforced concrete beams with a low area ratio between the fiber-reinforced polymer and the steel reinforcement could meet the required carrying capacity and exhibited high ductility.
Meanings of International High School Education in Indonesia and Japan
Authors: Arfani Junita Widiati , Nakaya Ayami
Published: December 2019

The study on which this article is based aimed to discover the meanings of international education at the high school level from the perspective of students and parents in Japan and Indonesia. Two research questions are addressed: How do Indonesia and Japan balance their international education policy in relation to the need to foster globally competent workers, global citizenship, and nation-building? What are the respective meanings of international education for students and parents? A policy analysis was undertaken based on documents as well as class observations, and individual and group interviews with international education students and parents. The study found that while both the Indonesian and Japanese governments have attempted to build human capital with global competence and national identity, they have utilized different strategies. While Indonesian and Japanese students and parents found similar meanings in university preparation, there were different meanings regarding national language usage, social responsibility, self-identification, life after university, and neo-colonialism.
Computer vision–based damage and stress state estimation for reinforced concrete and steel fiber–reinforced concrete panels
Authors: Davoudi Rouzbeh , Miller Gregory R , Calvi Paolo , Kutz J Nathan
Published: December 2019

This article presents a computer vision damage assessment approach that relates surface crack patterns to damage levels and stress state characteristics in conventionally reinforced concrete and steel fiber–reinforced concrete panels. Previous studies have focused on crack patterns for specific structural element types such as beams and columns, but this study considers stress states in a more general framework. In particular, image data from previously published panel test specimens subjected to nominally constant stress have been collected to develop image-based estimation models capable of quantifying damage levels and stress components for full-panel crack patterns, and to investigate subimage sampling strategies to approximate full-panel results using partial-panel images. The objective here is to show that the analog of representative volume elements can be extended to image-based analysis contexts. The image datasets used in this article have been obtained from five different published studies, which provided 189 crack pattern images captured from [Formula: see text] concrete and steel fiber–reinforced concrete shear panel specimens. Given the limited size of the dataset, a feature-based computer vision approach has been used, with various geometric attributes of surface crack patterns used to train the estimation models. Within the limits of the data available, the preliminary results presented here indicate that quantifiable correlations exist such that stress state and damage level estimation models are valid across a range of loadings (i.e. reverse cyclic and monotonic) and materials (reinforced concrete and steel fiber–reinforced concrete), and that with appropriate sampling techniques, it is possible for subsampled images to yield estimations similar to full-panel results. These localized correlations between crack patterns and stress states potentially could be used in broader contexts for damage assessment of more general reinforced concrete and steel fiber–reinforced concrete members.
Lemongrass Extract Possesses Potent Anticancer Activity Against Human Colon Cancers, Inhibits Tumorigenesis, Enhances Efficacy of FOLFOX, and Reduces Its Adverse Effects
Authors: Ruvinov Ivan , Nguyen Christopher , Scaria Benjamin , Vegh Caleb , Zaitoon Ola , Baskaran Kiruthika , Mehaidli Ali , Nunes Malika , Pandey Siyaram
Published: December 2019

Current chemotherapeutics for metastatic colorectal cancers have limited success and are extremely toxic due to nonselective targeting. Some natural extracts have been traditionally taken and have shown anticancer activity. These extracts have multiple phytochemicals that can target different pathways selectively in cancer cells. We have shown previously that lemongrass ( Cymbopogon citratus) extract is effective at inducing cell death in human lymphomas. However, the efficacy of lemongrass extract on human colorectal cancer has not been investigated. Furthermore, its interactions with current chemotherapies for colon cancer is unknown. In this article, we report the anticancer effects of ethanolic lemongrass extract in colorectal cancer models, and importantly, its interactions with FOLFOX and Taxol. Lemongrass extract induced apoptosis in colon cancer cells in a time and dose-dependent manner without harming healthy cells in vitro. Oral administration of lemongrass extract was well tolerated and effective at inhibiting colon cancer xenograft growth in mice. It enhanced the anticancer efficacy of FOLFOX and, interestingly, inhibited FOLFOX-related weight loss in animals given the combination treatment. Furthermore, feeding lemongrass extract to APCmin/+ transgenic mice led to the reduction of intestinal tumors, indicating its preventative potential. Therefore, this natural extract has potential to be developed as a supplemental treatment for colorectal cancer.
Effects of Exercise Intervention on Quality of Life in Adolescent and Young Adult Cancer Patients and Survivors: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Zhi Xiaoxu , Xie Man , Zeng Yingchun , Liu Jun-e , Cheng Andy S. K.
Published: December 2019

Background:

Cancer and its treatment significantly impact the quality of life (QOL) of adolescent and young adult (AYA) patients. This meta-analysis examined the effects of exercise interventions on the generic and cancer-specific QOL of AYA cancer patients and survivors.

Methods:

Four databases were searched from January 2010 to September 2019. RevMan 5.3 was used to synthesize the effects of exercise intervention on the QOL of AYA cancer patients and survivors.

Results:

A total of 11 eligible studies have been included in this paper. Direct outcome comparisons found that pooled overall effects on generic QOL were in favor of exercise interventions, but only with marginal significance (Z= 1.96, P = 0.05). When performing the subscale analysis of the generic QOL, three trials assessed the effects of exercise interventions on the emotional domain of QOL, and the weighted mean difference (WMD) for the overall intervention effect was 3.47 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.42 to 6.51). Additionally, exercise interventions increased the minutes of physical activity per week undertaken by AYA cancer patients and survivors (Z= 2.88, P = 0.004).

Conclusion:

Exercise interventions had positive effects on generic QOL and increased the minutes of physical activity per week undertaken by AYA cancer patients and survivors. In addition, exercise intervention programs appear to be safe, as there were no studies that reported adverse events. Future research, with rigorous methodological standards and larger sample sizes, should be designed to confirm the positive effects of exercise interventions on the QOL of AYA cancer patients and survivors.
Assessment of a coupled approach to determine the stress caused by gun blast loads
Authors: Costa Emiliano
Published: December 2019

This paper aims at assessing a custom numerical procedure built to predict the level of stress in the structural components and equipment in proximity of a cannon-like weapon system when firing. In such a blast scenario, the structures adjacent to a gun may undergo sudden and unwanted damages, since they are commonly subjected to the blast load due to the impingement and propagation of the shock waves expanding from the weapon muzzle. The proposed procedure pertains the coupled use of an in-house developed tool (GUNWave3D) based on the power-law scaling technique and a general-purpose commercial fast dynamic solver to compute the structural response of the loaded components. The in-house tool, in particular, allows one to rapidly calculate the blast parameters over the surfaces of the items of interest in the function of the weapon characteristics and launch conditions, also accounting for the asymmetric shape characterizing the gun blast wave. Taking as reference the numerical free field peak overpressure profiles of a 30 mm gun, whose blast quantities were already validated in a previously published work, the final stage of the assessment was accomplished. Such an estimation consists of the comparison between the structural stresses calculated using the blast loads predicted through the in-house tool and those computed adopting the free spherical air blast of the tri-nitro-toluene model. This operation has the objective to quantify the discrepancy between the computational results of two Lagrangian techniques that can be alternatively adopted in industrial gun blast design procedures and methodologies.
A descriptive analysis of health practices, barriers to healthcare and the unmet need for cervical cancer screening in the Lower Napo River region of the Peruvian Amazon
Authors: Collins Joseph H , Bowie Diana , Shannon Geordan
Published: December 2019

Objectives:

To undertake an descriptive analysis of the health needs, healthcare practices and barriers to accessing healthcare faced by women in Lower Napo River Region, Peru, and to understand health literacy regarding cervical cancer and the need for more effective cervical cancer screening services.

Methods:

We performed a community-based needs assessment adapting Demographic and Health survey methodology with additional questions determining female health literacy on cervical cancer and assessing the availability and need for cervical cancer screening services. We surveyed women (N = 121) across all households in six communities along the Lower Napo River, Loreto, Peru, in May 2015. Data were collected as part of the larger Amazon Community Based Participation Cervical Cancer Screen-and-Treat Programme. Survey data were compared to national results from ENDES 2014.

Results:

Comparison between our findings and the ENDES 2014 survey highlighted considerable inequality between indigenous or mixed indigenous, rural populations in Loreto, Peru, and national population data averages over level of formal education, literacy, barriers to accessing healthcare and maternal and sexual health. Even though only 5.9% (N = 7/117) of women had no formal health insurance coverage, money was reported as the leading barrier accessing healthcare (N = 88/117, 75.2%). Health literacy regarding cervical and breast cancer was poor. A high proportion of women highlighted fear of screening processes (70.8%, N = 80/113) and lack of available services (53.6%, N = 60/112) as barriers to cervical cancer screening.

Conclusion:

Although progress has been made in improving healthcare access in Peru, such gains have not been experienced equitably and women living in remote communities face persistent marginalization regarding their health. There is a significant need for education related to and screening for cervical cancer in this region that is tailored to the reality of women’s lives in remote communities in Loreto.
The dialectics of forgetting in Kafka’s writings and will
Authors: Tirosh Noam
Published: December 2019

Franz Kafka’s wish to destroy his literary estate after his death has been extensively written about, as was the decision of his close friend, Max Brod, not to obey it. By publishing Kafka’s work, Brod brought to light some of the twentieth century’s most celebrated works, among them The Trial, The Castle, and America. Brod’s decision and its consequences were also at the center of a legal dispute in Israeli courts for nearly 40 years. At stake was the question of whether Brod’s personal assistant and her daughters had the right to maintain control over his estate and the unpublished manuscripts written by Kafka, which it contained. In 2016, the Supreme Court ordered to archive the estate in the Israeli National library. Both Brod and, more recently, the Israeli courts ignored Kafka’s central wish—to be forgotten. Indeed, the interactions between memory, remembering, and forgetting have recently become a subject of growing interest in the field of memory studies. In light of these growing interest, this study reexamines Kafka’s last wish, and the Israeli Supreme Court’s decision, from a perspective that perceives forgetting as an integral and sometimes needed part of both individuals’ and society’s memory. It uses Kafka’s interpretations of memory, remembering, and forgetting in order to better evaluate his final wish to be forgotten. By suggesting a new understanding of some of Kafka’s most renowned novels— The Trial, The Metamorphosis, and A Report to an Academy—this study highlights the dialectics of forgetting in Kafka’s writing. For Kafka, this study proposes, forgetting is at the same time both the ultimate sin and a key to true liberation. Understanding Kafka’s forgetting dialectics contributes to the ongoing discussion about remembering and forgetting and will highlight the importance of forgetting as a central phenomenon to be recognized in memory studies.