bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Quantification of the Uncertainties in Soil and Vegetation Parameterizations for Regional Climate Simulations in Europe
Authors: Breil Marcus , Schädler Gerd
Published: March 2017

The deterministic description of the subgrid-scale land–atmosphere interaction in regional climate model (RCM) simulations is changed by using stochastic soil and vegetation parameterizations. For this, the land–atmosphere interaction parameterized in a land surface model (LSM) is perturbed stochastically by adding a random value to the input parameters using a random number generator. In this way, a stochastic ensemble is created that represents the impact of the uncertainties in these subgrid-scale processes on the resolved scale circulation. In a first step, stochastic stand-alone simulations with the VEG3D LSM are performed to identify sensitive model parameters. Afterward, VEG3D is coupled to the Consortium for Small-Scale Modeling–Climate Limited-Area Modeling (COSMO-CLM) RCM and stochastically perturbed simulations driven by ERA-Interim (2001–10) are performed for the Coordinated Downscaling Experiment–European Domain (EURO-CORDEX) at a horizontal resolution of 0.22°. The simulation results reveal that the impact of stochastically varied soil and vegetation parameterizations on the simulated climate conditions differs regionally. In central Europe the impact on the mean temperature and precipitation characteristics is very weak. In southern Europe and North Africa, however, the resolved scale circulation is very sensitive to the local soil water conditions. Furthermore, it is demonstrated that the use of stochastic soil and vegetation parameterizations considerably improves the variability of monthly rainfall sums all over Europe by improving the representation of the land–atmosphere interaction in the stochastic ensemble on a daily basis. In particular, inland rainfall during summer is simulated much better.
On the Decadal Variability of the Eddy Kinetic Energy in the Kuroshio Extension
Authors: Yang Yang , San Liang X. , Qiu Bo , Chen Shuiming
Published: March 2017

Previous studies have found that the decadal variability of eddy kinetic energy (EKE) in the upstream Kuroshio Extension is negatively correlated with the jet strength, which seems counterintuitive at first glance because linear stability analysis usually suggests that a stronger jet would favor baroclinic instability and thus lead to stronger eddy activities. Using a time-varying energetics diagnostic methodology, namely, the localized multiscale energy and vorticity analysis (MS-EVA), and the MS-EVA-based nonlinear instability theory, this study investigates the physical mechanism responsible for such variations with the state estimate from the Estimating the Circulation and Climate of the Ocean (ECCO), Phase II. For the first time, it is found that the decadal modulation of EKE is mainly controlled by the barotropic instability of the background flow. During the high-EKE state, violent meanderings efficiently induce strong barotropic energy transfer from mean kinetic energy (MKE) to EKE despite the rather weak jet strength. The reverse is true in the low-EKE state. Although the enhanced meander in the high-EKE state also transfers a significant portion of energy from mean available potential energy (MAPE) to eddy available potential energy (EAPE) through baroclinic instability, the EAPE is not efficiently converted to EKE as the two processes are not well correlated at low frequencies revealed in the time-varying energetics. The decadal modulation of barotropic instability is found to be in pace with the North Pacific Gyre Oscillation but with a time lag of approximately 2 years.
Looking for Common Fingerprints in Leonardo’s Pupils Using Nondestructive Pigment Characterization
Authors: Bonizzoni Letizia , Gargano Marco , Ludwig Nicola , Martini Marco , Galli Anna
Published: March 2017

Non-invasive, portable analytical techniques are becoming increasingly widespread for the study and conservation in the field of cultural heritage, proving that a good data handling, supported by a deep knowledge of the techniques themselves, and the right synergy can give surprisingly substantial results when using portable but reliable instrumentation. In this work, pigment characterization was carried out on 21 Leonardesque paintings applying in situ X-ray fluorescence (XRF) and fiber optic reflection spectroscopy (FORS) analyses. In-depth data evaluation allowed to get information on the color palette and the painting technique of the different artists and workshops . Particular attention was paid to green pigments (for which a deeper study of possible pigments and alterations was performed with FORS analyses), flesh tones (for which a comparison with available data from cross-sections was made), and ground preparation.
Origin of Analyte-Induced Porous Silicon Photoluminescence Quenching
Authors: Reynard Justin M. , Van Gorder Nathan S. , Bright Frank V.
Published: March 2017

We report on gaseous analyte-induced photoluminescence (PL) quenching of porous silicon, as-prepared (ap-pSi) and oxidized (ox-pSi). By using steady-state and emission wavelength-dependent time-resolved intensity luminescence measurements in concert with a global analysis scheme, we find that the analyte-induced quenching is best described by a three-component static quenching model. In the model, there are blue, green, and red emitters (associated with the nanocrystallite core and surface trap states) that each exhibit unique analyte-emitter association constants and these association constants are a consequence of differences in the pSi surface chemistries.
Depressive symptom trajectories in late adolescence and early adulthood: A systematic review
Authors: Schubert Klaus Oliver , Clark Scott R , Van Linh K , Collinson Jane L , Baune Bernhard T
Published: March 2017

Objective:

In adolescents and young adults, depressive symptoms are highly prevalent and dynamic. For clinicians, it is difficult to determine whether a young person reporting depressive symptoms is at risk of developing ongoing mood difficulties or whether symptoms form part of a transient maturational process. Trajectory analyses of longitudinally assessed symptoms in large cohorts have the potential to untangle clinical heterogeneity by determining subgroups or classes of symptom course and their risk factors, by interrogating the impact of known or suspected risk factors on trajectory slope and intercept and by tracing the interrelation between depressive symptoms and other clinical outcomes over time.

Method:

We conducted a systematic review of trajectory studies conducted in cohorts including people aged between 15 and 25 years.

Results:

We retrieved 47 relevant articles. These studies suggest that young people fall into common mood trajectory classes and that class membership and symptom course are mediated by biological and environmental risk factors. Furthermore, studies provide evidence that high and persistent depressive symptoms are associated with a range of concurrent health and behavioral outcomes.

Conclusion:

Findings could assist in the formulation of novel concepts of depressive disorders in young people and inform preventive strategies and predictive models for clinical practice.
Screen Time Engagement Is Increased in Urban Children With Asthma
Authors: Rota Alexandra P. , Bacharier Leonard B. , Jaffee Katy , Visness Cynthia M , Kattan Meyer , O’Connor George T. , Wood Robert A. , Gergen Peter J. , Gern James E. , Bloomberg Gordon R.
Published: March 2017

Physical activity in children has been shown to play a role in its relationship to asthma, both in terms of prevalence and incidence. One measure of physical activity in children is sedentary behavior, which might be measured by the degree of engagement with media electronic screens. We found that children with asthma, as compared with children without asthma, engage in significantly more hours of screen time (median 35 vs 26 h/wk, P = .004). In this birth cohort, those who developed a diagnosis of asthma at 8 years of age were significantly more engaged in electronic screen time than their peers. No other clinical or lifestyle behaviors were significantly associated with a diagnosis of asthma. Further study will be needed to determine directionality of this finding.
Public reactions to celebrity cancer disclosures via social media: Implications for campaign message design and strategy
Authors: Pavelko Rachelle L , Myrick Jessica Gall , Verghese Roshni S , Hester Joe Bob
Published: March 2017

Objective:

The aim of this study was to analyse social media users’ reactions to a celebrity’s cancer announcement in order to inform future cancer-related campaigns.

Design:

A content analysis of Facebook users’ written responses to the actor Hugh Jackman’s 2013 post announcing his skin cancer diagnosis.

Setting:

Facebook’s application programming interface (API) software was used to compile all 14,534 comments posted by Facebook users under Jackman’s Facebook post between 21 November 2013 and 6 January 2014.

Method:

The Facebook API captured number of post likes and gender of the poster, while two trained coders also analysed the posts for emotional reactions, emoticon use and mentions of cancer-related behaviours.

Results:

Hope was the most common text-based emotional expression, and happy emoticons were the most used visual emotional expression in user comments in response to Jackman’s diagnosis. Posts mentioning detection behaviours were more likely to receive likes than those that did not mention them. Additionally, female users were significantly more likely to mention detection behaviours related to skin cancer than were male users.

Conclusion:

Celebrity cancer announcements may serve as de facto cancer awareness campaigns as well as highlight how to effectively craft coordinating strategic campaigns launched after a celebrity cancer disclosure.
Relationships Among Stress, Burnout, Athletic Identity, and Athlete Satisfaction in Students at Korea’s Physical Education High Schools
Authors: Lee Keunchul , Kang Sangwook , Kim Inwoo
Published: March 2017

We tested the structural relationships between stress, burnout, athletic identity, and athlete satisfaction in student athletes attending Korea’s physical education high schools and analyzed the differences between paths by ego resilience. Data were collected from student athletes at three Korean physical education high schools. Before data collection, each instruments’ content validity was confirmed, and after data collection, construct validity was tested using factor analysis. The results were derived using reliability testing, descriptive statistics, correlation analyses, and structural equation modeling. After testing the final research model, the following results were obtained: (a) high levels of stress had a strong correlation with burnout and high levels of burnout was negatively related to athletic identity and athlete satisfaction; (b) in our model, burnout showed full mediation of the relationship between stress and athlete identity/athletic satisfaction; and (c) the high ego resilience group showed a weaker relationship compared to the low ego resilience group in the pathways from stress → burnout and burnout → athletic identity/athlete satisfaction.
Migrant Smuggling on Mexico’s Gulf Route: The Actors Involved
Authors: Izcara Palacios Simón Pedro
Published: March 2017

Migrant flows crossing Mexican territory into the United States along the Gulf route are mainly driven by a demand for cheap labor. The decrease in the number of migrants wishing to cross the border to escape the violence in Mexico has turned undocumented migrants into a rare and valuable commodity. The increasing costs of migrant smuggling as a result of organized crime and the activities of the immigration authorities have prompted employers to finance this activity to ensure that they receive enough workers. In-depth interviews with 70 migrant smugglers shed light on the function and participation of the different actors involved in migrant smuggling.

El flujo migratorio que atraviesa el territorio mexicano a través de la ruta del golfo para llegar a los Estados Unidos aparece impulsado principalmente por la demanda de mano de obra barata. El descenso del número de personas dispuestas a cruzar la frontera debido a la violencia que ha afectado a México ha convertido a los indocumentados en una mercancía escasa y valiosa. El incremento de los costes de esta actividad debido a la incursión de los grupos delictivos y las autoridades migratorias ha hecho que los empleadores hayan tenido que financiar el tráfico de migrantes para abastecerse de mano de obra. Entrevistas en profundidad a setenta polleros arrojan luz sobre la función y participación de los diferentes actores involucrados en el tráfico de migrantes.
‘Full of ugly sights, of ghastly dreams’
Authors: Fretz Claude
Published: March 2017

This article argues that dreams are an important and deliberate part of Shakespeare’s conception of tragedy in Richard III. Shakespeare, when composing this play, exploited the uncertainty in his time about whether dreams were natural or supernatural phenomena in order to deploy dream devices as a form of commentary on the material as well as spiritual implications of his characters’ actions. As a result, dreams ultimately sharpen the play’s focus on human agency by amplifying the characters’ ambitions, crimes and guilty consciences.
Predictive Value of GJB2 Mutation Status for Hearing Outcomes of Pediatric Cochlear Implantation
Authors: Abdurehim Yasin , Lehmann Alexandre , Zeitouni Anthony G.
Published: March 2017

Objective

To systematically review and quantify current evidence regarding the association of GJB2 mutation status with outcomes of pediatric cochlear implantation.

Data Sources

PubMed, Embase, and the Cochrane Library were searched for “GJB2,”“pediatric hearing loss,” and “cochlear implantation” and their synonyms, with no language restrictions, until December 2, 2015.

Review Methods

Studies were included that investigated the status of GJB2 mutation and its predictive value for outcomes of pediatric cochlear implantation. Speech recognition scores, Infant‐Toddler Meaningful Auditory Integration Scale, Speech Intelligibility Rating, and Categorized Auditory Performance were pooled using weighted mean differences, and a 95% confidence interval.

Results

Eighteen studies met the inclusion criteria. The differences between GJB2‐related deafness and non‐GJB2‐related deafness due to unidentified causes and other types of genetic deafness without additional disabilities were not statistically significant (P =. 15 and P =. 30, respectively); however, the difference between GJB2‐related deafness and acquired hearing loss due to environmental etiologies was statistically significant and favored GJB2‐related deafness (P =. 03).

Conclusion

GJB2‐related deafness leads to significantly better cochlear implantation outcomes when compared with acquired deafness caused by environmental etiologies. However, GJB2 mutation is not associated with a significantly better prognosis when compared with those whose deafness results from either nonsyndromic hearing loss of unknown origin or other types of genetic mutations in the absence of other neurologic deficits.
Measuring news bias: Russia’s official news agency ITAR-TASS’ coverage of the Ukraine crisis
Authors: Watanabe Kohei
Published: March 2017

Objectivity in news reporting is one of the most widely discussed topics in journalism, and a number of studies on bias in news have been conducted, but there is little agreement on how to define or measure news bias. Aiming to settle the theoretical and methodological disagreement, the author redefined news bias and applied a new methodology to detect the Russian government’s influence on ITAR-TASS during the Ukraine crisis. A longitudinal content analysis of over 35,000 English-language newswires on the Ukraine crisis published by ITAR-TASS and Interfax clearly showed that ITAR-TASS’ framing of Ukraine was reflecting desirability of pivotal events in the crisis to the Russian government. This result reveals Russia’s strategic use of the state-owned news agency for international propaganda in its ‘hybrid war’, demonstrating the effectiveness of the new approach to news bias.
Type 2 diabetes mellitus unawareness, prevalence, trends and risk factors: National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) 1999–2010
Authors: Zhang Nana , Yang Xin , Zhu Xiaolin , Zhao Bin , Huang Tianyi , Ji Qiuhe
Published: March 2017

Objectives

To determine whether the associations with key risk factors in patients with diagnosed and undiagnosed type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) are different using data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) from 1999 to 2010.

Methods

The study analysed the prevalence and association with risk factors of undiagnosed and diagnosed T2DM using a regression model and a multinomial logistic regression model. Data from the NHANES 1999–2010 were used for the analyses.

Results

The study analysed data from 10 570 individuals. The overall prevalence of diagnosed and undiagnosed T2DM increased significantly from 1999 to 2010. The prevalence of undiagnosed T2DM was significantly higher in non-Hispanic whites, in individuals <30 years old and in those with near optimal (130–159 mg/dl) or very high (≥220 mg/dl) non-high-density lipoprotein cholesterol levels compared with diagnosed T2DM. Body mass index, low economic status or low educational level had no effect on T2DM diagnosis rates. Though diagnosed T2DM was associated with favourable diet/carbohydrate intake behavioural changes, it had no effect on physical activity levels.

Conclusion

The overall T2DM prevalence increased between 1999 and 2010, particularly for undiagnosed T2DM in patients that were formerly classified as low risk.
Racism in the Theory Canon: Hannah Arendt and ‘the One Great Crime in Which America Was Never Involved’
Authors: Owens Patricia
Published: March 2017

Hannah Arendt’s monumental study The Origins of Totalitarianism, published in 1951, is a founding text in postcolonial studies, locating the seeds of European fascism in the racism of imperial expansion. However, Arendt also harboured deep racial prejudices, especially when writing about people of African descent, which affected core themes in her political thought. The existing secondary literature has diagnosed but not adequately explained Arendt’s failures in this regard. This article shows that Arendt’s anti-black racism is rooted in her consistent refusal to analyse the colonial and imperial origins of racial conflict in the United States given the unique role of the American republic in her vision for a new post-totalitarian politics. In making this argument, the article also contributes to the vexed question of how international theorists should approach important ‘canonical’ thinkers whose writings have been exposed as racist, including methodological strategies for approaching such a body of work, and engages in a form of self-critique for marginalising this problem in earlier writing on Arendt.
High Satisfaction and Return to Sports After Total Shoulder Arthroplasty in Patients Aged 55 Years and Younger
Authors: Garcia Grant H. , Liu Joseph N. , Sinatro Alec , Wu Hao-Hua , Dines Joshua S. , Warren Russell F. , Dines David M. , Gulotta Lawrence V.
Published: March 2017

Background:

Young, active candidates for total shoulder arthroplasty (TSA) are a unique group of patients. Not only do they demand longevity and improved function, but they also desire a return to physical activities.

Purpose:

To determine the rate of return to sports in patients aged ≤55 years undergoing TSA.

Study Design:

Case series; Level of evidence, 4.

Methods:

This was a retrospective review of consecutive patients who underwent anatomic TSA at a single institution. Exclusion criteria included age at the time of surgery >55 years and <2 years of follow-up. All patients had end-stage osteoarthritis with significant glenohumeral joint space narrowing. The final follow-up consisted of a patient-reported sports questionnaire, American Shoulder and Elbow Surgeons (ASES) score, and visual analog scale (VAS) score.

Results:

From 70 eligible patients, 59 patients (61 shoulders) were included with an average follow-up of 61.0 months (range, 25-103 months) and average age at the time of surgery of 48.9 years (range, 25-55 years). The average VAS score improved from 5.6 to 0.9 ( P < .001), and the average ASES score improved from 39.3 to 88.4 ( P < .001). Forty-nine procedures (80.3%) were performed for a primary diagnosis of osteoarthritis. Four shoulders returned to the operating room; none were for glenoid loosening. There was a 93.2% satisfaction rate, and 67.7% of patients (n = 40) stated that they underwent their surgery to return to sports. Moreover, patients in 96.4% of shoulders (55/57) restarted at least 1 sport at an average of 6.7 months. Direct rates of return were as follows: fitness sports (97.2%), golf (93.3%), singles tennis (87.5%), swimming (77.7%), basketball (75.0%), and flag football (66.7%). Patients in 47 shoulders (82.4%) returned to a similar or higher level of sports; 90.3% returned to high-demand sports, and 83.8% returned to high upper extremity sports. There was no significant difference in rates of return to sports by body mass index, sex, age, preoperative diagnosis, revision status, and dominant extremity.

Conclusion:

In patients aged ≤55 years undergoing TSA, there was a 96.4% rate of return to ≥1 previous sports at an average of 6.7 months. Furthermore, at an average follow-up of 61.0 months, no patients needed revision of their glenoid component, despite an 83.8% rate of return to high upper extremity sports. While caution should still be advised in young, active patients undergoing TSA, these results demonstrate a high satisfaction rate and improved ability to return to most sports after surgery.
Fred Lee, the Industrial Workers of the World, and Heterodox Economics
Authors: Henry John F.
Published: March 2017

A relationship exists between the political orientation and program of the Industrial Workers of the World and the attempt to forge a “heterodox economics.” In past years, such a relationship was best exemplified by the work of Thorstein Veblen. In the current period, the individual best representing this relationship is Fred Lee, a member of the IWW and a leading heterodox economist.
Investigating the Increase in Domestic Violence Post Disaster: An Australian Case Study
Authors: Parkinson Debra
Published: March 2017

Interviews with 30 women in two shires in Victoria, Australia, confirmed that domestic violence increased following the catastrophic Black Saturday bushfires on February 7, 2009. As such research is rare, it addresses a gap in the disaster and interpersonal violence literature. The research that exists internationally indicates that increased violence against women is characteristic of a postdisaster recovery in developing countries. The relative lack of published research from primary data in developed countries instead reflects our resistance to investigating or recognizing increased male violence against women after disasters in developed countries. This article begins with an overview of this literature. The primary research was qualitative, using in-depth semistructured interviews to address the research question of whether violence against women increased in the Australian context. The sample of 30 women was aged from 20s to 60s. Recruitment was through flyers and advertisements, and interviews were audio-recorded, transcribed, and checked by participants. Analysis was inductive, using modified grounded theory. Seventeen women gave accounts of new or increased violence from male partners that they attribute to the disaster. A key finding is that, not only is there both increased and new domestic violence but formal reporting will not increase in communities unwilling to hear of this hidden disaster. Findings are reported within a framework of three broad explanations. In conclusion, although causation is not claimed, it is important to act on the knowledge that increased domestic violence and disasters are linked.
Geodemographic Disparities in Availability of Comprehensive Intimate Partner Violence Screening Services in Miami-Dade County, Florida
Authors: Stoler Justin , Verity Jaclyn , Williams Jessica R.
Published: March 2017

This study examined geodemographic factors associated with availability of comprehensive intimate partner violence (IPV) screening services in Miami-Dade County, Florida. We geocoded 2014 survey data from 278 health facilities and created a population-normalized density surface of IPV screening comprehensiveness. We used correlation analysis and spatial regression techniques to evaluate census tract-level predictors of the mean normalized comprehensiveness score (NCS) for 505 census tracts in Miami-Dade. The population-adjusted density surface of IPV screening comprehensiveness revealed geographic disparities in the availability of screening services. Using a spatial lag regression model, we observed that race and ethnicity are associated with mean NCS by census tract after controlling for age, median gross rent, and receipt of Social Security benefits. The percentage of White non-Hispanic residents was positively associated with NCS, Black non-Hispanic was negatively associated with NCS, while Hispanic—the majority ethnicity in Miami-Dade—was not associated with NCS. This exploratory study may be the first to put IPV screening comprehensiveness on the map, and provides a starting point for addressing urban disparities in the availability of IPV screening services that are shaped by race, ethnicity, zoning, and socioeconomic status.
1939 versus 1989—A Missed Opportunity to Create a European Lieu de Mémoire?
Authors: Sierp Aline
Published: March 2017

This article is part of the special section titled The Genealogies of Memory, guest edited by Ferenc Laczó and Joanna Wawrzyniak

This article analyses the wider context of policy conflict concerning public memory of the 1989 events. It uses Pierre Nora’s concept of lieux de mémoire in trying to explain why 23 August 1939 has been turned into a European Remembrance Day whereas 9 November 1989 has not. By investigating closely the role that various memory actors played during debates at the European level, it advances the idea that the anniversary of the Molotov–Ribbentrop Pact has been more successful in establishing itself within the European remembrance landscape because it has allowed for the promotion of a unifying narrative of the European past. In doing so, the article questions the frequently advanced idea that memory clashes in the EU form around an East–West divide that in some cases overlaps with a Right–Left divide. The analysis digs deep into the complex dynamics lying at the heart of memory contests concerning the end of the Cold War within the EU and provides a more differentiated view of discussions preceding EU decisions on policies of memory.
Transfer of Low Dose Aspirin Into Human Milk
Authors: Datta Palika , Rewers-Felkins Kathleen , Kallem Raja Reddy , Baker Teresa , Hale Thomas W.
Published: March 2017

Background:

Aspirin has antipyretic and anti-inflammatory properties and is frequently used by pregnant and lactating women. However, its transfer in human milk when administered at low dose has not been reported.

Research aim:

This study aimed to evaluate the transfer of acetylsalicylic acid and its metabolite, salicylic acid, into human milk following the use of low dose aspirin.

Methods:

In this study, milk samples were collected at 0, 1, 2, 4, 8, 12, and 24 hours from seven breastfeeding women after a steady-state daily dose of 81 mg of aspirin. Milk levels of acetylsalicylic acid and salicylic acid were determined by liquid chromatography–tandem mass spectrometry.

Results:

Acetylsalicylic acid levels were below the limit of quantification (0.61 ng/ml) in all the milk samples, whereas salicylic acid was detected at very low concentrations. The average concentration of salicylic acid observed was 24 ng/ml and the estimated relative infant dose was 0.4%.

Conclusion:

Acetylsalicylic acid transfer into milk is so low that it is undetectable even by highly sophisticated methodology. Salicylic acid does appear in the human milk in comparatively low amounts, which are probably subclinical in infants. Thus, the daily use of an 81-mg dose of aspirin should be considered safe during lactation.
The effect of the secondary lateral stopper on the compressed stability of the couplers and running safety of the locomotives
Authors: Lv Kaikai , Wang Kaiyun , Chen Zaigang , Guo Lirong , Shi Zhiyong , Ji Tiancheng , Zhu Shengyang
Published: March 2017

This paper aims to study the effect of the secondary lateral stopper on the compressed stability of the couplers in order to improve the running safety of the heavy-haul locomotives. The influence mechanism of the secondary lateral stopper on the compressed stability of the couplers is theoretically analyzed. To verify the effect of the secondary lateral stopper, both the simulation and the field braking tests are conducted. The multi-body dynamic model consists of two eight-axle locomotives, one dummy of freight vehicle and four detailed connected couplers. The field braking tests are conducted on the tangent line using three eight-axle locomotives. The results indicate that decreasing the free clearance and increasing the stiffness of the secondary lateral stopper both have a positive effect. However, when the free clearance decreases from 20 mm to 10 mm, there is no remarkable decrease in the yaw angles of the coupler and the car body, and the maximum lateral force of the wheelset is still out of the standard in the simulation. When the stiffness of the secondary lateral stopper increases by five times, the yaw angles of the coupler and the car body are reduced significantly and the running safety of the locomotives is also enhanced.
Remotely piloted aircraft system with optimum avoidance maneuvers
Authors: Majka A
Published: March 2017

In order for remotely piloted aircraft systems (RPAS) to operate in unsegregated airspace, one of the most important risks to mitigate is that of the mid-air collision. The RPAS must be capable of detecting the potential for a mid-air collision and performing avoidance maneuvers at normal flight conditions and under contingency or emergency conditions. In particular, when the link is severed the RPAS will become “uncontrolled” by the remote pilot, but the loss of link does not imply the loss of the remotely piloted aircraft. A D&A system is required for safe operations of RPAS in airspace shared with other aircraft, including manned aircraft. The onboard system of an unmanned aircraft has to be equipped with an efficient detection and early risk analysis system, as well as a system assisting the pilot in making a decision or an autonomous control system able to perform a maneuver to avoid collision. Collision avoidance maneuvers should be planned by taking into account the operational specificities of the RPAS. The resolution advisory’s strength and direction could be adapted to the capabilities of the RPAS. For example, horizontal resolution advisories could be introduced for RPAS unable of reaching the vertical acceleration/speeds required for vertical resolution advisories. The selection of types of sensors, their sensitivity and range can be made by taking into account RPAS maneuverability. The traffic advisory and resolution advisory regions could be defined by the same circumstances, among others. The aim of this work is to determine an optimal trajectory of horizontal avoidance maneuver of a mini remotely piloted aircraft, minimizing the time of performing a maneuver when avoiding a manned aircraft flying at a much higher speed, guaranteeing a minimally required distance between the passing objects.
Payload oscillation reduction in load-handling machines: A frequency-based approach
Authors: Bianchi Riccardo , Ritelli Guido F , Vacca Andrea
Published: March 2017

This article presents an innovative pressure feedback method to address undesired payload oscillations in hydraulic load-handling machines, which have a negative impact on both machine productivity and safety. Tracking control techniques in these machines are often not applicable due to the difficulty or the cost associated with the installation of the feedback sensors on the payload. In this work, by means of pressure sensors installed on the hydraulic system, the payload oscillation frequency is first detected by analyzing the frequency content of the measured pressure and then counteracted through a sinusoidal-based excitation command on the machine actuator. The work particularly addresses the challenges related to the use of the same actuator for detecting and quantifying the oscillation (in both frequency and amplitude) and for reducing the payload oscillations. In fact, interference on the feedback pressure signal due to the control action is present. Experimental results on a truck-mounted hydraulic crane show how the proposed technique permits to reduce payload oscillation in order of 50%, which is comparable to other less-practical tracking control techniques.
Papillary Fibroelastoma Found With Transesophageal Echocardiography After a Normal Transthoracic Echocardiography
Authors: Cook Andrew G. , Viswanath Omar , D’Mello Jayanand
Published: March 2017

We present the case of a patient with transient ischemic attacks who was being investigated for multiple embolic strokes. Initial workup, including brain computed tomography, computed tomography angiography, and transthoracic echocardiography (TTE) were negative for a source until transesophageal echocardiography (TEE) found a mass in the left atrium. The TEE differentiated the mass as a rare cardiac papillary fibroelastoma on the left atrial free wall confirmed by postsurgical pathology. This case highlights the importance of TEE as a diagnostic tool for its ability to more accurately differentiate and characterize the tumor compared with TTE. This case underscores that a negative TTE does not equate to zero risk of the presence of a cardiac tumor. It is prudent for the clinician to be cognizant that it may be beneficial to perform a TEE even with a negative TTE workup.
Evaluation and Monitoring of Patients With Cardiovascular Implantable Electronic Devices Undergoing Noncardiac Surgery
Authors: Sklyar Eduard , Bella Jonathan N
Published: March 2017

In this article, the reader will get some insights into managing patient with implantable cardiac devices while undergoing noncardiac surgery. We will review basic concepts regarding normal function of pacemakers and implantable cardioverter defibrillators, understanding how their function will be influenced during noncardiac surgeries. You will be guided through management steps from preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative aspects. In an ever-changing world of medicine, it is important to keep up with progress as more and more patients get implantable cardiac devices.
Public criminology, reflexivity and the enterprise university: Experiences of research, knowledge transfer work and co-option with police forces
Authors: Lumsden Karen , Goode Jackie
Published: March 2017

This article reflects on an enterprise project which aimed to build partnerships with police forces in England. In attempting to do ‘public criminology’ we had to negotiate internal and external organizational cultures, public management and ‘audit culture’. We focus on two levels of co-option we experienced during the project, by the university and the police: (1) internal university pressures such as definitions of ‘research’ and ‘enterprise’, funding and the terms of the ‘contract’ of the project; and (2) external pressures when engaging with police that included new public management principles and ‘fast academia’. The discussion draws on data from field notes and interviews with police officers and staff.
Prediction, pre-emption and limits to dissent: Social media and big data uses for policing protests in the United Kingdom
Authors: Dencik Lina , Hintz Arne , Carey Zoe
Published: March 2017

Social media and big data uses form part of a broader shift from ‘reactive’ to ‘proactive’ forms of governance in which state bodies engage in analysis to predict, pre-empt and respond in real time to a range of social problems. Drawing on research with British police, we contextualize these algorithmic processes within actual police practices, focusing on protest policing. Although aspects of algorithmic decision-making have become prominent in police practice, our research shows that they are embedded within a continuous human–computer negotiation that incorporates a rooted claim to ‘professional judgement’, an integrated intelligence context and a significant level of discretion. This context, we argue, transforms conceptions of threats. We focus particularly on three challenges: the inclusion of pre-existing biases and agendas, the prominence of marketing-driven software, and the interpretation of unpredictability. Such a contextualized analysis of data uses provides important insights for the shifting terrain of possibilities for dissent.
Effects of cavitation in common-rail diesel nozzles on the mixing process
Authors: López J Javier , de la Garza Oscar A , De la Morena Joaquin , Martínez-Martínez S
Published: March 2017

A study to experimentally analyze the effect of cavitation on the mixing process in diesel nozzles was carried out. The mixing process was studied through the spray cone angle. It was characterized in two different scenarios: with the liquid length (nearly realistic conditions, that is, evaporative but non-reactive spray) and the heat release fraction (fully realistic conditions, that is, evaporative and reactive spray). In both studied scenarios, the increase in spray cone angle caused by the cavitation phenomenon, which leads to a better mixing process, has been confirmed. Nevertheless, when the variations of the effective injection velocity and the spray cone angle obtained by comparing a cylindrical nozzle (i.e. a nozzle that promotes the cavitation phenomenon) with a conical nozzle (i.e. a nozzle that inhibits this phenomenon) were analyzed together, it was found that, for the cases studied here, the mixing process worsens with the cylindrical nozzle.
A semi-analytical approach to design of a transducer for selective wave generation
Authors: Gawronski Mateusz , Miszczynski Mateusz , Kijanka Piotr , Stepinski Tadeusz , Uhl Tadeusz , Lis Jerzy , Packo Pawel
Published: March 2017

Piezoelectric transducers are extensively employed for elastic waves–based structural health monitoring and non-destructive testing systems. In those systems, multimodal, dispersive guided waves are generated and acquired through transducers attached to, or embedded into, a structure. Although, guided waves are potentially attractive due to multiple features that can be possibly used for damage detection, there exists significant complexity associated with data analysis. Proper transducer design and/or selection can substantially facilitate damage detection, evaluation and localization through selective wave generation and/or acquisition. This article discusses a topology optimization technique as a prerequisite for transducers design. A semi-analytical approach for wavefield prediction is presented. The method consists in combining analytically calculated spectral characteristics – that is, dispersion and excitability curves – of a medium, and a numerical representation of a transducer, for prediction of the resulting displacement field generated upon application of a time- and space-varying stress field. Furthermore, the model is employed in an optimization strategy, where transducer’s topology is arranged to achieve selective excitation of a guided wave mode.
Thoracic Endovascular Aortic Repair With Single/Double Chimney Technique for Aortic Arch Pathologies
Authors: Wang Tun , Shu Chang , Li Ming , Li Quan-ming , Li Xin , Qiu Jian , Fang Kun , Dardik Alan , Yang Chen-zi
Published: March 2017

Purpose: To summarize a single-center experience using the single/double chimney technique in association with thoracic endovascular aortic repairs (TEVAR) for aortic arch pathologies. Methods: From November 2007 to March 2016, 122 patients (mean age 50.4±12.7 years, range 29–80; 92 men) with aortic arch pathologies underwent TEVAR combined with single (n=101) or double (n=21) chimney grafts to reconstruct the supra-aortic branches: 21 innominate arteries, 114 left common carotid arteries, and 8 left subclavian arteries (LSA). Pathologies included type B aortic dissection (n=47), aortic arch dissection (n=49), retrograde type A aortic dissection (n=8), thoracic aortic aneurysm (n=7), penetrating aortic arch ulcer (n=9), and post-TEVAR type I endoleak (n=2). Follow-up examinations included computed tomography at 0.5, 3, 6, and 12 months and yearly thereafter. Results: The aortic stent-grafts were deployed in zone 0 (n=21), zone 1 (n=93), and zone 2 (n=8). One (0.8%) of the 122 patients died at 4 days due to a perforated peptic ulcer. Type Ia endoleaks were found intraoperatively in 13 (10.7%) patients, including 3 with the double chimney technique. Type II endoleaks occurred in 6 (4.9%) patients; 3 were treated with duct occluders in the LSA. Postoperative chimney graft migration occurred in 1 (0.8%) patient with double chimneys; additional stent-grafts were deployed in both chimneys. Median follow-up was 32.3 months, during which 1 (0.8%) patient died after a stroke at 3 months. Chimney stent-graft patency was observed in the remaining 120 patients. Two (1.7%) secondary TEVARs were performed for distal aortic dissection. Nine asymptomatic type Ia endoleaks and 1 type II endoleak persisted in follow-up; a type II endoleak in 1 patient with Marfan syndrome sealed in 52 months. Conclusion: TEVAR with the chimney technique provides a safe, minimally invasive alternative with good chimney graft patency and low postoperative mortality during midterm follow-up. The double chimney technique should be used judiciously owing to its potential complications.
Gendered Choices: Examining the Mechanics of Mobile and Online Girl Games
Authors: Cummings Kelsey
Published: March 2017

This article analyzes girl games, a subgenre of casual mobile and online games created and marketed for preteen girls. Through an examination of Barbie Fashionistas, Style Studio: Fashion Designer, and Central Park Wedding Prep, all of which are representative of traditional dress-up and makeover-oriented girl games, I explore how seemingly broad mechanics-based choices available to players within the games reinforce and respond to patriarchal ideologies, and argue that the mechanics of mobile and online girl games serve gendered and neoliberal ends both in game and in the larger context of North American gaming culture. Conducting close readings on and accounting for the mechanics of an understudied genre within the field to advocate for greater study of both game mechanics and girl games, I demonstrate how the availability of choice intrinsic in girl games provides opportunity to explore how players are constructed as neoliberal subjects.
Mediating Public Issues in Romanian Broadcast Talk: Personalized Communication Strategies
Authors: Beciu Camelia , Lazăr Mirela , Mădroane Irina Diana
Published: March 2017

The article examines emerging practices of personalization in political talk shows on Romanian television. Our interest lies in the reconfiguration of the role of critical journalist, as performed by talk show hosts on private TV channels, in the context of increasing commercialization and instrumentalization of the Romanian media in postcommunism. This development consists of the strategic use of personalization, achieved through the talk show dispositive, for the enactment of positions of journalistic interpretation, adversarialness, and intervention on behalf of the citizens. The findings indicate shifts in the symmetry/asymmetry relationships between journalists, guests, politicians, and publics, as well as new ways of constructing and understanding public issues. Two main patterns of personalization have been identified: the journalist as a fully engaged voice, effectively substituting itself for the public opinion, and the journalist as an ordinary person, who has the capacity to see through and expose dominant public discourses.
Common cause failure model updating for risk monitoring in nuclear power plants based on alpha factor model
Authors: Zhang Min , Zhang Zhijian , Mosleh Ali , Chen Sijuan
Published: March 2017

Common cause failure model updating (both qualitatively and quantitatively) is a key factor in risk monitoring for nuclear power plants when configuration changes (e.g. components become unavailable) occur among a redundant configuration. This research focuses on the common cause failure updating based on the alpha factor model method, which is commonly used in the living probabilistic safety assessment models for nuclear power plant risk monitoring. This article first discusses the common cause failure model updating in an ideal condition, which evaluates the common cause failure model parameters for the configurationally changed system in different ways, based on the causes of the detected failures. Then, two alternative updating processes are proposed considering the difficulty to identify failure causes immediately during plant operation: one is to update the common cause failure models with the assumption that the failures detected are independent failures and the other is to update the common cause failure models with the parameters as expectations of the values for all possible failure causes. Finally, a case study is given to illustrate the common cause failure updating process and to compare these two alternative processes. The results show that (1) common cause failures can be reevaluated automatically by the methods proposed in this article and (2) the second process is more conservative and reasonable but with more data requirements compared with the first approach. Considering limitations in accessibility of the data, the first strategy is suggested currently. More future work on data acquisition is demanded for better assessment of common cause failures during nuclear power plant risk monitoring.
Docetaxel in prostate cancer: a familiar face as the new standard in a hormone-sensitive setting
Authors: Puente Javier , Grande Enrique , Medina Ana , Maroto Pablo , Lainez Nuria , Arranz Jose Angel
Published: March 2017

The increasing knowledge of prostate cancer is leading to many questions about its natural history and to reconsider conventional therapeutic strategies. Androgen ablation therapy has been the standard therapy in the advanced setting. Although docetaxel has demonstrated increased survival in patients with metastatic prostate cancer who had progressed to hormone treatments, due to its potential toxicity the role of chemotherapy has been relegated to patients who were symptomatic or who had high tumor burden. Several studies have assessed whether docetaxel could have a role in hormone-sensitive disease or even in earlier stages with no distant metastases. In the CHAARTED and STAMPEDE studies, docetaxel provides an unprecedented increase in overall survival (OS). This review summarizes the evidence behind the paradigm shift to strengthening docetaxel as a new standard of treatment that prolongs survival in earlier stages of prostate cancer.