bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Rethinking Borders: The Dynamics of Syrian Displacement to Lebanon
Authors: Dionigi Filippo
Published: November 2017

Borders and territoriality are key components of modern forms of statehood, yet their relevance appears to be challenged by interstate movements of peoples. This essay proposes a reconceptualization of borders as “thin borders” to develop an analytical framework of the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon going beyond a conventional understanding of Westphalian statehood. Looking at historical and contemporary events, the analysis highlights several transborder dynamics influencing the process of refugees’ displacement from Syria to Lebanon. It then illustrates the complex nature of borders as multilayered entities regulating the flow of people from Syria to Lebanon in a way that transcends the idea of national territoriality.
“Standoffish” Policy-making: Inaction and Change in the Lebanese Response to the Syrian Displacement Crisis
Authors: Mourad Lama
Published: November 2017

With the largest refugee population per capita in the world, Lebanon now officially hosts at least 1.1 million Syrian refugees. Until late 2014, the Lebanese government maintained de facto open borders and little to no regulation of Syrians within its borders. This period has largely been understood as one of state absence: referred to broadly as a “policy of no-policy.” This paper looks at the way in which state inaction played a major role in structuring the responses that did emerge, both “below” and “above” the state, from local authorities and international agencies. I shed light on how indirect measures taken by the central government facilitated and encouraged greater local autonomy in governing the refugee presence. This, in turn, further decentralized and fragmented the current set of responses to the Syrian refugee crisis in Lebanon and legitimized discretionary action by municipal authorities.
The first record of the genus Desertoniscus Verhoeff, 1930 (Isopoda, Oniscidea, Agnaridae) from Europe, with the description of a new species
Authors: GONGALSKY KONSTANTIN B.
Published: November 2017

A new woodlouse species, Desertoniscus zaitsevi sp. nov., is described from Kalmykia, Cis-Caspian region of Russia. The diagnostic features of the new species, as well as its affinities within the genus are provided and discussed. The new species is the northwesternmost in Eurasia, expanding the known distribution of this genus into Europe.
Validation of Tethya samaaii Ribeiro & Muricy, 2011, replacement name for the sponge Tethya rubra Samaai & Gibbons, 2005 (Demospongiae, Tethyida, Tethyidae)
Authors: SAMAAI TOUFIEK , GIBBONS MARK J. , MURICY4 GUILHERME
Published: November 2017

Tethya samaaii Ribeiro & Muricy, 2011 is a massive, irregularly globular or sub-spherical sponge with basal rooting processes or a disc-like attachment (Figure 1A). It was described from Oudekraal, on the west coast of South Africa as Tethya rubra Samaai & Gibbons, 2005 based on specimens collected during two surveys in 1996 (Samaai & Gibbons 2005). This species was later reported from Algoa Bay, on the southeast coast of South Africa by Waterworth et al. (2017).
Annotated Checklist of Tingidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) in Turkey with new records for the faunas of Europe and Turkish Thrace
Authors: DURSUN AHMET , FENT MERAL
Published: November 2017

In this study, all the so far manuscripts on Tingidae fauna in Turkey has been revised and adults samples from the family Tingidae (Hemiptera: Heteroptera) were collected from different localities in Anatolia and Thrace of Turkey and an annotated checklist of Tingidae occurring is presented. As a results of this study, of Tingidae fauna from Turkey stated that it consists of 78 species has revealed that the number of species is 88 species and 1 subspecies. Nine species and subspecies, Catoplatus horvathi (Puton, 1878), Copium clavicorne clavicorne (Linnaeus, 1758), Derephysia foliacea foliacea (Fallén, 1807), Dictyla nassata (Puton, 1874), Dictyla rotundata (Herrich−Schaeffer, 1835), Dictyonota strichnocera Fieber, 1844, Lasiacantha capucina capucina (Germar, 1837) Stephanitis oschanini Vasiliev, 1935 and Tingis geniculata (Fieber, 1844) are new records for the fauna of Turkish Thrace (European part of Turkey) and of those, S. oschanini is recorded for the first time from Europe. The specimen Dictyonata astragali Štusák & Önder, 1982 type locality in Turkey has been mentioned second locality from Merzifon (Amasya).
Review of Australian Scirtes Illiger, Ora Clark and Exochomoscirtes Pic Coleoptera: Scirtidae) including descriptions of new species, new groups and a multi-gene molecular phylogeny of Australian and non-Australian species
Authors: WATTS CHRIS H.S. , COOPER STEVEN J.B. , SAINT KATHLEEN M.
Published: November 2017

The phylogenetic relationships of 26 Australian species of Scirtes Illiger, Ora Clark and Exochomoscirtes Pic (Scirtidae) were investigated using adult morphology, particularly male and female genitalia, larval morphology and molecular data from the mitochondrial cytochrome c oxidase subunit I (COI) gene and the nuclear genes elongation factor 1-alpha (EF1- a) and topoisomerase I (TOP1). Four species of Scirtes and one of Ora from Europe, Southeast Asia and Japan were included. The genus Scirtes is shown to be paraphyletic with respect to the genera Ora and Exochomoscirtes. Australian Scirtes were shown to belong to four species groups: Scirtes elegans group (Yoshitomi 2009); S. helmsi group (Watts 2004); S. japonicus group (Nyholm 2002); and S. haemisphaericus group (Yoshitomi 2005). The prehensor and bursal sclerite of 15 species are illustrated as well as habitus illustrations of S. zwicki sp. nov. and S. albamaculatus Watts. Three new species from Australia are described: Scirtes lynnae, S. zwicki and S. serratus spp. nov. Scirtes nehouensis Ruta & Yoshitomi 2010 is synonymised with S. emmaae Watts 2004. Scirtes pygmaeus Watts, 2004 is synonymised with S. pinjarraensis Watts, 2006. Scirtes rutai nom. nov. is proposed as a replacement name for S. beccus Ruta, Kiałka & Yoshitomi, 2014 from Sabah as it is preoccupied by S. beccus Watts, 2004 from Australia.
Review of the genus Trichiotes Casey (Coleoptera: Tenebrionidae: Pimeliinae: Edrotini), with the description of a new species and a preliminary checklist of the Tenebrionidae from Cuatrociénegas, Mexico
Authors: WIRTH CHRISTOPHER C. , SMITH AARON D.
Published: November 2017

The rarely collected, previously monotypic, darkling beetle genus Trichiotes is reviewed, including new state and country records for T. seriatus Casey, 1907 and a new species, Trichiotes lightfooti Wirth & Smith, n. sp., is described from the Cuatrociénegas Protected Area in Coahuila, Mexico. Differences in stridulatory structures between the species are discussed and the occurrence of a waxy, extracuticular pruinescence is reported for Trichiotes. A species key to the genus is provided and a checklist of the known Tenebrionidae from the Cuatrociénegas region is presented.
Yet another small brown frog from high altitude on the Marojejy Massif, northeastern Madagascar (Anura: Mantellidae)
Authors: SCHERZ MARK D. , RAZAFINDRAIBE JARY H. , RAKOTOARISON ANDOLALAO , DIXIT NADI M. , BLETZ MOLLY C. , GLAW FRANK , VENCES MIGUEL
Published: November 2017

Madagascar hosts a high diversity of small brown frogs. In this paper, we add another one by describing Gephyromantis (Duboimantis) tohatra sp. nov. The new species is a small brown mantellid frog discovered on a recent expedition to Marojejy National Park in northeastern Madagascar. It is characterised, among other things, by its small size (snout-vent length ~33 mm), an orange to yellowish belly, two dorsolateral ridges, and a distinctive call composed of 7–10 pulsed notes. The new species occurs sympatrically with other members of the subgenus Duboimantis at high altitude (~1700 m above sea level), including its sister species G. schilfi from which it radically differs by advertisement call and by a substantial genetic divergence of 4.3% uncorrected pairwise distance in the mitochondrial 16S rRNA gene. It thus joins the diverse assemblage of Gephyromantis species known from high altitudes on the mountain massifs of northern Madagascar.
The Analyst’s “Use” of Theory or Theories: The Play of Theory
Authors: Cooper Steven H.
Published: November 2017

Two clinical vignettes demonstrate a methodological approach that guides the analyst’s attention to metaphors and surfaces that are the focus of different theories. Clinically, the use of different theories expands the metaphorical language with which the analyst tries to make contact with the patient’s unconscious life. Metaphorical expressions may be said to relate to each other as the syntax of unconscious fantasy (Arlow 1979). The unconscious fantasy itself represents a metaphorical construction of childhood experience that has persisted, dynamically expressive and emergent into adult life. This persistence is evident in how, in some instances, long periods of an analysis focus on translating one or a few metaphors, chiefly because the manifest metaphorical expressions of a central theme regularly lead to better understanding of an unconscious fantasy. At times employing another model or theory assists in a level of self-reflection about clinical understanding and clinical decisions. The analyst’s choice of theory or theories is unique to the analyst and is not prescriptive, except as illustrating a way to think about these issues. The use of multiple models in no way suggests or implies that theories may be integrated.
Committed to a Single Model and Open to Reality
Authors: Blass Rachel B.
Published: November 2017

A view prevails that holding multiple models enhances analytic work, enriches our understanding of pathology, offers different methods of working to meet the needs of a range of patients, and reflects openness to other approaches and the complexity of reality. Against this view it is argued, based on an examination of the nature of analytic models, that because they present comprehensive, divergent conceptions of the person and of analysis, their integration in the context of clinical work, or any shifting between them, is impossible. Although under certain circumstances multiple models seem to be held, in fact this is not so. Adherence to one’s commitment to a single model facilitates, rather than constricts, openness to reality and awareness of its complexity.
Evaluating the determinants of sugary beverage consumption among overweight and obese adults: An application of the integrative model of behavioural prediction
Authors: Collado-Rivera Maria , Branscum Paul , Larson Daniel , Gao Haijuan
Published: November 2017

Objective:

The objective of this study was to evaluate the determinants of sugary drink consumption among overweight and obese adults attempting to lose weight using the Integrative Model of Behavioural Prediction (IMB).

Design:

Cross-sectional design.

Method:

Determinants of behavioural intentions (attitudes, perceived norms and perceived behavioural control [PBC]) and sugary drink consumption (intentions, skills/abilities, environment and PBC) were evaluated using data collected at a weight loss clinic in a southwestern US city ( n = 338). Determinants of attitudes, injunctive norms, descriptive norms and PBC were evaluated using salient beliefs, which were derived from an elicitation study.

Results:

Using structural equation modelling, two separate models were evaluated. Both models had good fit (combined model – Comparative Fit Index [CFI] = .970, Tucker–Lewis Index [TLI] = .921, Root Mean Square Error of Approximation [RMSEA] = .062; expanded model – CFI = .966, TLI = .911, RMSEA = .060) and accounted for a significant amount of variance for intentions (40.7%–42%) and sugary drink consumption (16.2%).

Conclusion:

The IMB appears to be an effective model for planning health education interventions. Health practitioners should operationalise behaviour change techniques and strategies that target attitudes, perceived norms and PBC using the salient beliefs evaluated in this study.
Modeling the progressive failure of scarf joints for wind turbine blade repair
Authors: Masmanidis Iordanis T , Philippidis Theodore P
Published: November 2017

A continuum damage model for simulating propagation of debonding in joints, introducing a linear softening damage process for the adhesive agent, is used to predict failure of scarf joints. The proposed modeling procedure was applied to scarf joints of marine type with glass fiber reinforced polymer adherends, commonly encountered in wind turbine rotor blade repair. Tests on aviation type scarf joints with carbon fiber reinforced polymer adherends were also simulated. Stress analysis was performed using plane strain elements of a commercial finite element code allowing implementation of user-defined material behavior. Numerical results for different scarf angles were in good agreement with the experimental data. The proposed model has been utilized to design a repair patch on wind turbine rotor blade and the design has been validated by testing a full-scale subcomponent of the repaired blade.
The Healthy Fitness Zone Continuum Score as a Measure of Change in Body Mass Index of School-Aged Children and Adolescents, Georgia, 2012-2014
Authors: Saint-Maurice Pedro F. , Welk Gregory J. , Bai Yang
Published: November 2017

Objectives:

The FitnessGram Healthy Fitness Zone continuum (HFZc) score reflects the relative difference of a person’s body mass index (BMI) from the established FitnessGram standard. As such, it may provide added utility for public health programming and research on obesity among school-aged children and adolescents. We used the standard BMI Z (BMIz) score and the alternative HFZc score to describe changes in BMI of school-aged children and adolescents in Georgia over time.

Methods:

We compiled 2012-2014 BMI data from the Georgia FitnessGram database. The sample included 162 992 boys and 141 711 girls enrolled in 239 schools from a large urban district in Georgia. We analyzed trends in BMIz and HFZc scores separately for normal-weight, overweight, and obese categories for school-aged children and adolescents using hierarchical linear models.

Results:

From 2012 to 2014, the BMIz score shifted favorably in up to 40.7% (2052/5047) of normal-weight, 51.0% (758/1485) of overweight, and 52.8% (5430/10 279) of obese students. We also found favorable shifts in HFZc score in up to 69.8% (105 831/151 739) of normal-weight, 78.3% (3605/4603) of overweight, and 80.8% (8305/10 279) of obese students.

Conclusions:

Compared with the BMIz score, the HFZc score may be a better indicator of favorable changes in BMI over time among school-aged children and adolescents with different baseline BMI levels, making it potentially valuable for use in individualized assessments, school programs, obesity research, and public health curriculum and policy development.
Effect of the Strong4Life School Nutrition Program on Cafeterias and on Manager and Staff Member Knowledge and Practice, Georgia, 2015
Authors: Rajbhandari-Thapa Janani , Bennett Ashley , Keong Farrah , Palmer Wendy , Hardy Trisha , Welsh Jean
Published: November 2017

Objectives:

The goal of the Strong4Life School Nutrition Program is to promote healthy eating in school cafeterias in Georgia by training school nutrition managers and staff members to implement changes in the cafeteria to nudge children to make healthier choices. The objective of our study was to evaluate program effect on (1) school nutrition manager and staff member knowledge of evidence-based strategies and their self-efficacy to make positive changes, (2) the school cafeteria environment, and (3) National School Lunch Program participation.

Methods:

We assessed changes in participant knowledge, beliefs, and self-efficacy by administering a survey before and after training (February-July 2015); a follow-up survey (3 school months posttraining) assessed changes in the cafeteria. A total of 842 school nutrition managers and staff members were trained and completed pre- and posttraining surveys; 325 managers completed the follow-up survey. We used cafeteria records from a subsample of the first schools trained (40 intervention and 40 control) to assess National School Lunch Program participation.

Results:

From pretraining to posttraining, we found a significant increase in manager and staff member (n = 842) knowledge of strategies for enhancing taste perception through the use of creative menu item names (from 78% to 95%, P < .001) and understanding that food placement in the lunch line influences food selection (from 78% to 95%, P < .001), and in their self-perceived ability to influence the cafeteria environment (from 91% to 96%, P < .001). From pretraining to 3-month follow-up, managers (n = 325) reported increased use of evidence-based serving strategies: visibility (from 84% to 96% for placing healthy options in >2 locations, P < .001), convenience (from 63% to 84% for placing plain milk in front of other beverages, P < .001), sell (from 25% to 38% for branding healthy items with stickers, P < .001), price (from 17% to 27% for using bundle pricing to encourage sales, P < .001), and taste (from 77% to 85% for signage demonstrating the benefits of healthy eating, P = .01). National School Lunch Program participation did not change significantly.

Conclusions:

Training cafeteria managers and staff members in Smarter Lunchrooms Movement techniques may be an effective way to make changes in the school cafeteria environment to encourage healthier choices among students. Additional studies allowing time for more complex changes to be implemented are needed to assess the full effect of the program.
“You’ve Changed”: Low Self-Concept Clarity Predicts Lack of Support for Partner Change
Authors: Emery Lydia F. , Gardner Wendi L. , Finkel Eli J. , Carswell Kathleen L.
Published: November 2017

People often pursue self-change, and having a romantic partner who supports these changes increases relationship satisfaction. However, most existing research focuses only on the experience of the person who is changing. What predicts whether people support their partner’s change? People with low self-concept clarity resist self-change, so we hypothesized that they would be unsupportive of their partner’s changes. People with low self-concept clarity did not support their partner’s change (Study 1a), because they thought they would have to change, too (Study 1b). Low self-concept clarity predicted failing to support a partner’s change, but not vice versa (Studies 2 and 3), and only for larger changes (Study 3). Not supporting a partner’s change predicted decreases in relationship quality for both members of the couple (Studies 2 and 3). This research underscores the role of partners in self-change, suggesting that failing to support a partner’s change may stem from self-concept confusion.
Health Insurer Bargaining Power and Firms’ Incentives to Manage Earnings: Evidence From an Economic Shock
Authors: Bova Francesco , Dou Yiwei , Hope Ole-Kristian
Published: November 2017

Health insurance premiums account for a significant portion of the cost base of U.S. corporations. A recent study finds that health insurance premiums increase for firms that experience positive profit shocks, suggesting that the U.S. health insurance market is not perfectly competitive. Motivated by this finding and the economic importance of health insurance premiums, this is the first study to examine firms’ earnings management incentives in the face of insurance carriers with strong bargaining power. We use an innovative data set for a large sample of U.S. firms with detailed information on insurance premiums and insurance plan characteristics. Using an economic shock to insurance firms’ bargaining power and difference-in-differences tests, we find that firms manage their reported earnings downward when insurance providers have strong bargaining power. We further show that this effect is more pronounced in settings in which there are ex ante reasons to expect stronger incentives to manage earnings downward. We also provide preliminary evidence suggesting that downward earnings management has the intended effect of mitigating future increases in health insurance premiums. Our analyses highlight an inefficient health insurance market as an important determinant of firms’ financial reporting choices.
Analysis of user-generated content from online social communities to characterise and predict depression degree
Authors: Fatima Iram , Mukhtar Hamid , Ahmad Hafiz Farooq , Rajpoot Kashif
Published: November 2017

The identification of a mental disorder at its early stages is a challenging task because it requires clinical interventions that may not be feasible in many cases. Social media such as online communities and blog posts have shown some promising features to help detect and characterise mental disorder at an early stage. In this work, we make use of user-generated content to identify depression and further characterise its degree of severity. We used the user-generated post contents and its associated mood tag to understand and differentiate the linguistic style and sentiments of the user content. We applied machine learning and statistical analysis methods to discriminate the depressive posts and communities from non-depressive ones. The depression degree of a depressed post is identified using variations of valence values based on the mood tag. The proposed methodology achieved 90%, 95% and 92% accuracy for the classification of depressive posts, depressive communities and depression degree, respectively.
The Effects of Playing Multiple High School Sports on National Basketball Association Players’ Propensity for Injury and Athletic Performance
Authors: Rugg Caitlin , Kadoor Adarsh , Feeley Brian T. , Pandya Nirav K.
Published: November 2017

Background:

Athletes who specialize in their sport at an early age may be at risk for burnout, overuse injury, and reduced attainment of elite status. Timing of sport specialization has not been studied in elite basketball athletes.

Hypothesis:

National Basketball Association (NBA) players who played multiple sports during adolescence would be less likely to experience injury and would have higher participation rates in terms of games played and career length compared with single-sport athletes.

Study Design:

Descriptive epidemiology study.

Methods:

First-round draft picks from 2008 to 2015 in the NBA were included in the study. From publically available records from the internet, the following data were collected for each athlete: participation in high school sports, major injuries sustained in the NBA, percentage of games played in the NBA, and whether the athlete was still active in the NBA. Athletes who participated in sports in addition to basketball during high school were defined as multisport athletes and were compared with athletes who participated only in basketball in high school.

Results:

Two hundred thirty-seven athletes were included in the study, of which 36 (15%) were multisport athletes and 201 (85%) were single-sport athletes in high school. The multisport cohort played in a statistically significantly greater percentage of total games (78.4% vs 72.8%; P < .001). Participants in the multisport cohort were less likely to sustain a major injury during their career (25% vs 43%, P = .03). Finally, a greater percentage of the multisport athletes were active in the league at time of data acquisition, indicating increased longevity in the NBA (94% vs 81.1%; P = .03).

Conclusion:

While a minority of professional basketball athletes participated in multiple sports in high school, those who were multisport athletes participated in more games, experienced fewer major injuries, and had longer careers than those who participated in a single sport. Further research is needed to determine the reasons behind these differences.
MCP-1 produced by keratinocytes is associated with leucocyte recruitment during elicitation of nickel-induced occupational allergic contact dermatitis
Authors: Mai Weihua , Lu Dongqing , Liu Xingwei , Chen Ling
Published: November 2017

To investigate the expression profile of monocyte chemoattractant peptide-1 (MCP-1) by keratinocytes after nickel exposure and to identify its role for leucocyte migration during nickel-induced occupational allergic contact dermatitis (OACD), 26 workers diagnosed with nickel-induced OACD were enrolled. Skin biopsies from the positive nickel-challenged sites at different time points were assessed by immunohistochemistry (IHC) for MCP-1, CD68, CD45RO, and in situ hybridization (ISH) for MCP-1, using chronic periumbilical dermititis as controls. The expressions of MCP-1 in HaCaT cell culture after nickel treatment were quantified by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. The results showed that at positive nickel-challenged sites, strong expressions of MCP-1, both messenger RNA (mRNA) and protein, were detected in the basal keratinocytes during the early phase (24–48 h after nickel application), paralleled by the recruitment of CD68+ and CD45RO+ cells to the skin compartments. The expressions of MCP-1 declined gradually in the late phase (72–96 h after nickel application). Treatment with nickel sulfate at noncytotoxic concentrations (0.01–100 µM) induced a concentration-related elevation of MCP-1 expression by HaCaT cells compared to the untreated cells. The data indicated that a temporal expression pattern of MCP-1 produced by keratinocytes after nickel exposure was involved in the complex process of mononuclear cell infiltration during elicitation of nickel-induced OACD. Targeting MCP-1 might be a potential therapeutic strategy for OACD.
Attitudes of Turkish Academics Regarding Violence Against Women in the Name of Honor
Authors: Yeşilçiçek Çalik Kıymet
Published: November 2017

Honor is an important concept that has a vital value in Turkey and affects many women’s lives and even causes death. It is of utmost importance to know and scientifically demonstrate the value judgments of the academics that lead and pioneer the society in our country where honor culture is adopted. Therefore, in Turkey, where thousands of women are exposed to violence every year, 877 academics participated in this descriptive study to determine the attitudes of academics toward violence against women in the name of honor. The data were collected using “The Scale for Attitudes Towards Violence Against Women in the Name of Honor (SAVWNH)” in the form of electronic questionnaires through email addresses of the academics working at different faculties of the university in the official website of the university in September 1 to October 1, 2015. In our study, academics’ “attitudes towards violence against women in the name of honor” were found low. That is, academics had negative attitudes toward the verbal or physical violence against women in the name of honor and opposed to the punishment of women for this reason. Nevertheless, the attitudes of those who were males; those who were not professors, associate professors, and assistant professors; those who were single; those who had lived in the district/village for a long time; those who had arranged marriages; those who used any kind of violence; and those who considered violence as a solution were found somewhat more conventional. These results showed that, for some academics, the traditional beliefs of the Turkish patriarchal society continued to be valid although they were included in university academic cultures. In fact, it is revealed here that social values, traditions, and customs are very effective and important on the formation of personality in socialization process.
Model-based sensitivity analysis for outcome reporting bias in the meta analysis of benefit and harm outcomes
Authors: Copas John , Marson Anthony , Williamson Paula , Kirkham Jamie
Published: November 2017

Outcome reporting bias occurs when outcomes in research studies are selectively reported, the selection being influenced by the study results. For benefit outcomes, we have shown how risk assessments using the Outcome Reporting Bias in Trials risk classification scale can be used to calculate bias-adjusted treatment effect estimates. This paper presents a new and simpler version of the benefits method, and shows how it can be extended to cover the partial reporting and non-reporting of harm outcomes. Our motivating example is a Cochrane systematic review of 12 studies of Topiramate add-on therapy for drug-resistant partial epilepsy. Bias adjustments for partially reported or unreported outcomes suggest that the review has overestimated the benefits and underestimated the harms of the test treatment.
Financialisation and labour in the Australian commercial construction industry
Authors: Bryan Dick , Rafferty Michael , Toner Phillip , Wright Sally
Published: November 2017

Financialisation and financial risk have become current buzzwords, but the connections between finance and labour are not well developed. Often labour is cast simply as the distributional victim of developments like shareholder value, the privatisation of public infrastructure and labour market reform. This article engages developments in the construction industry and locates a growing financial logic inside ‘production’ and work in that sector. Through the concepts of liquidity and risk, we identify causal connections, not just parallels, between financial innovation and the reorganisation of the logic and structure of work in the Australian construction and property services industry.
Does Self-Efficacy Mediate the Relationships Between Social-Cognitive Factors and Intentions to Receive HPV Vaccination Among Young Women?
Authors: Christy Shannon M. , Winger Joseph G. , Mosher Catherine E.
Published: November 2017

Drawing upon health behavior change theories, the current study examined whether self-efficacy mediated relationships between social-cognitive factors (i.e., perceived risk, perceived benefits, perceived barriers, perceived severity, and cue to action) and human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination intentions among college women. Unvaccinated women ( N = 115) aged 18 to 25 years attending a Midwestern university completed an anonymous web-based survey assessing study variables. Correlational analyses and mediation analyses were conducted. Self-efficacy mediated relationships between two social-cognitive factors (i.e., perceived barriers to HPV vaccination—indirect effect = −.16, SE = .06, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [−.31, −.06]—and perceived risk of HPV-related conditions—indirect effect = .16, SE = .09, 95% CI = [.01, .37]) and HPV vaccination intentions but was unrelated to the other three social-cognitive factors. Based on these findings, future research should test whether increasing self-efficacy through education on risk of HPV-related conditions and reducing barriers to HPV vaccination improves vaccine uptake in college women.
Conceptual data model: A foundation for successful concurrent engineering
Authors: Fischer Philipp Martin , Deshmukh Meenakshi , Maiwald Volker , Quantius Dominik , Gomez Antonio Martelo , Gerndt Andreas
Published: November 2017

Today, phase A studies of future space systems are often conducted in special design facilities such as the Concurrent Engineering Facility at the German Aerospace Center (DLR). Within these facilities, the studies are performed following a defined process making use of a data model for information exchange. Quite often it remains unclear what exactly such a data model is and how it is implemented and applied. Nowadays, such a data model is usually a software using a formal specification describing its capabilities within a so-called meta-model. This meta-model, often referred as conceptual data model, is finally used and instantiated as system model during these concurrent engineering studies. Such software also provides a user interface for instantiating and sharing the system model within the design team and it provides capabilities to analyze the system model on the fly. This is possible due to the semantics of the underlying conceptual data model creating a common language used to exchange and process design information. This article explains the implementation of the data model at DLR and shows information how it is applied in the concurrent engineering process of the Concurrent Engineering Facility. It highlights important aspects concerning the modeling capabilities during a study and discusses how they can be implemented into a corresponding conceptual data model. Accordingly, the article presents important aspects such as rights management and data consistency and the implications of them to the software’s underlying technology. A special use case of the data model is depicted and shows the flexibility of the implementation proven by a study of a multi-module space station.
A Meta-Analysis of Functional Communication Training Effects on Problem Behavior and Alternative Communicative Responses
Authors: Chezan Laura C. , Wolfe Katie , Drasgow Erik
Published: November 2017

We conducted a meta-analysis of single-case research design (SCRD) studies on functional communication training (FCT). First, we used the What Works Clearinghouse (WWC) Standards to evaluate each study. Next, we calculated effect sizes using Tau-U. Then, we aggregated the effect sizes across the studies to produce an omnibus effect size. Results indicate that more than half of the SCRD studies met the WWC Standards and that FCT was effective in decreasing the level of problem behavior and in increasing the level of the alternative communicative response (ACR), but effectiveness varied according to such factors as type of disability and age. Furthermore, the results of visual analysis corresponded with Tau-U effect sizes in more than half of the cases. Implications for researchers and practitioners are discussed.
Linking Air Quality and Human Health Effects Models: An Application to the Los Angeles Air Basin
Authors: Stewart Devoun R , Saunders Emily , Perea Roberto A , Fitzgerald Rosa , Campbell David E , Stockwell William R
Published: November 2017

Proposed emission control strategies for reducing ozone and particulate matter are evaluated better when air quality and health effects models are used together. The Community Multiscale Air Quality (CMAQ) model is the US Environmental Protection Agency’s model for determining public policy and forecasting air quality. CMAQ was used to forecast air quality changes due to several emission control strategies that could be implemented between 2008 and 2030 for the South Coast Air Basin that includes Los Angeles. The Environmental Benefits Mapping and Analysis Program—Community Edition (BenMAP-CE) was used to estimate health and economic impacts of the different emission control strategies based on CMAQ simulations. BenMAP-CE is a computer program based on epidemiologic studies that link human health and air quality. This modeling approach is better for determining optimum public policy than approaches that only examine concentration changes.
Expansion of the self of activists and nonactivists involved in mass gatherings for collective action
Authors: Besta Tomasz , Zawadzka Anna Maria
Published: November 2017

Three studies were carried out in natural settings of mass gatherings to examine the interplay between activist identity and self-expansion and their relationship with willingness to engage in future collective actions. Study 1 was conducted among activists and supporters of equal rights for lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) individuals; Study 2 involved participants in a nationwide charity event; and Study 3 included members of a religious group. The results showed a statistically significant positive relationship between self-perceived activist identity and collective action (CA) tendency (Studies 1, 2, and 3). Moreover, the interaction between activist identity and self-expansion plays a role in predicting CA, with self-expansion related to willingness to engage in progroup behaviors when activist identity is low but not when activist identity is high (Studies 2 and 3). This interaction statistically significantly predicted collective action tendency when nonmaterialistic relational self-expansion and nonrelational self-expansion were considered but not when materialistic self-expansion was tested (Study 3).
Can surgical guidelines minimize complications after Maïa® trapeziometacarpal joint arthroplasty with unconstrained cups?
Authors: Caekebeke Pieter , Duerinckx Joris
Published: November 2017

The most important complications of trapeziometacarpal arthroplasty are dislocation and component loosening. Incorrect cup position is often a contributing factor. Intra-operative guidelines to optimize cup orientation have recently been described. We evaluated the functional and radiological outcome of 50 Maïa® trapeziometacarpal prostheses that were implanted according to these guidelines. The minimum follow-up was 56 months. No constrained cups were used. Functional outcome was good to excellent. No spontaneous dislocations occurred. No radiological signs of loosening were observed. There was one case of premature wear. The survival rate was 96% (95% confidence interval 85 to 99%) at a mean of 65 months, with two prosthesie removed for posttraumatic trapezial fractures. This study shows that correct implant position can lead to reliable medium-term results after trapeziometacarpal joint arthroplasty.

Level of evidence: IV
Eversion endarterectomy under full prasugrel treatment
Authors: Kotsis Thomas , Christoforou Panagitsa , Asaloumidis Nikolaos , Argyra Erifyli
Published: November 2017

The third-generation thienopyridine prasugrel has much stronger antiplatelet effect compared to other current antiplatelet inhibitors and exhibits practically zero resistance in healthy people. Prasugrel is used as a pre- and post-treatment in percutaneous coronary or neurovascular interventions with parallel aspirin regime. However, as there is a higher reported bleeding with intraluminal interventions and meticulous technique is recommended, there is nearly non-existent international experience of open surgery under full prasugrel treatment. We present, herein, a case of open carotid endarterectomy with the eversion technique in an asymptomatic patient with carotid stenosis, who was receiving dual antiplatelet therapy with aspirin and prasugrel, due to a previous insertion of two newer drug-eluting stents at the left anterior descending artery and the right coronary artery. The resistance test to prasugrel showed complete inhibition of platelet function. Open surgery was performed under continuation of prasugrel treatment and interruption of aspirin for 3 days before surgery. No perioperative and postoperative neurologic or cardiologic event occurred. No bleeding at the cervical or cerebral area was noted.
Flexible semiparametric joint modeling: an application to estimate individual lung function decline and risk of pulmonary exacerbations in cystic fibrosis
Authors: Li Dan , Keogh Ruth , Clancy John P. , Szczesniak Rhonda D.
Published: November 2017

Background

Epidemiologic surveillance of lung function is key to clinical care of individuals with cystic fibrosis, but lung function decline is nonlinear and often impacted by acute respiratory events known as pulmonary exacerbations. Statistical models are needed to simultaneously estimate lung function decline while providing risk estimates for the onset of pulmonary exacerbations, in order to identify relevant predictors of declining lung function and understand how these associations could be used to predict the onset of pulmonary exacerbations.

Methods

Using longitudinal lung function (FEV1) measurements and time-to-event data on pulmonary exacerbations from individuals in the United States Cystic Fibrosis Registry, we implemented a flexible semiparametric joint model consisting of a mixed-effects submodel with regression splines to fit repeated FEV1 measurements and a time-to-event submodel for possibly censored data on pulmonary exacerbations. We contrasted this approach with methods currently used in epidemiological studies and highlight clinical implications.

Results

The semiparametric joint model had the best fit of all models examined based on deviance information criterion. Higher starting FEV1 implied more rapid lung function decline in both separate and joint models; however, individualized risk estimates for pulmonary exacerbation differed depending upon model type. Based on shared parameter estimates from the joint model, which accounts for the nonlinear FEV1 trajectory, patients with more positive rates of change were less likely to experience a pulmonary exacerbation (HR per one standard deviation increase in FEV1 rate of change = 0.566, 95% CI 0.516–0.619), and having higher absolute FEV1 also corresponded to lower risk of having a pulmonary exacerbation (HR per one standard deviation increase in FEV1 = 0.856, 95% CI 0.781–0.937). At the population level, both submodels indicated significant effects of birth cohort, socioeconomic status and respiratory infections on FEV1 decline, as well as significant effects of gender, socioeconomic status and birth cohort on pulmonary exacerbation risk.

Conclusions

Through a flexible joint-modeling approach, we provide a means to simultaneously estimate lung function trajectories and the risk of pulmonary exacerbations for individual patients; we demonstrate how this approach offers additional insights into the clinical course of cystic fibrosis that were not possible using conventional approaches.
Prestack structurally constrained impedance inversion
Authors: Hamid Haitham , Pidlisecky Adam , Lines Larry
Published: November 2017

Classical prestack impedance inversion methods are based on performing a common-depth point (CDP) by CDP inversion using Tikhonov-type regularization. We refer to it as lateral unconstrained inversion (1D-LUI). Prestack seismic data usually have a low signal-to-noise ratio, and the 1D-LUI approach is sensitive to noise. The inversion results can be noisy and lead to an unfocused transition between vertical formation boundaries. The lateral constrained inversion (1D-LCI) can suppress the noise and provide sharp boundaries between inverted 1D models in regions where the layer dips are less than 20°. However, in complex geology, the disadvantage of using the 1D-LC approach is the lateral smearing of the steeply dipping layers. We have developed a structurally constrained inversion (1D-SCI) approach to mitigate the smearing associated with 1D-LCI. SCI involves simultaneous inversion of all seismic CDPs using a regularization operator that forces the solution to honor the local structure. The results of the 1D-SCI were superior compared with the 1D-LUI and 1D-LCI approaches. The steeply dipping layers are clearly visible on the SCI inverted results.
A land-based controlled-source electromagnetic method for oil field exploration: An example from the Schoonebeek oil field
Authors: Schaller Andreas , Streich Rita , Drijkoningen Guy , Ritter Oliver , Slob Evert
Published: November 2017

Controlled-source electromagnetic (CSEM) data are sensitive to the subsurface resistivity distribution, but 3D inversion results are ambiguous, and in-depth interpretation is challenging. Resolution and sensitivity analysis as well as the influence of noise on resolution have been used to quantify 3D inversion performance. Based on these numerical studies, a land-based CSEM survey was designed and carried out at the Schoonebeek oil field, the Netherlands. The acquired data were processed and subsequently inverted for the resistivity distribution. The 1D and 3D inversion of horizontal electric-field data show the reservoir at the right depth, matching well-log data without using a priori knowledge about the actual reservoir depth. We used a 1D model with fine layering as a starting model for 3D inversion. Synthetic data inversions and sensitivity tests demonstrate that resistive or conductive bodies inside the reservoir zone may be well-detectable with our limited acquisition geometry. Spatial variations in the reservoir resistivity are visible in the measured data and after inversion by assuming good knowledge of the background resistivity distribution. The reservoir resistivity and size, however, have to be interpreted with care considering the intrinsically low resolution of electromagnetic (EM) which is further reduced by manmade EM noise.
Low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) usage for cancer patients under palliative care.
Authors: Ali Ahmed , Zayir Amani , Hamody Adel , Ahmed Shakeel
Published: November 2017

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Background: Cancer patients are at increased risk of thromboembolic complications. Studies show that prophylactic low molecular weight heparin (LMWH) can successfully reduce incidence of venous thromboembolic events; however, a survival benefit for patients with advanced cancer who receive LMWH in a palliative setting has not been confirmed. Methods: We evaluated the survival of cancer patients undergoing palliative treatment in a tertiary care hospital in Saudi Arabia during 2016. Patients were followed from the day of palliative care initiation until the day of death, and we compared the survival of patients who received LMWH (enoxaparin) with those who did not. Gender, diagnosis (site of cancer), and date of diagnosis were considered for subgroup analysis. Results: Of the 209 patients included in this study, enoxaparin was administered to 91(about 44%), while 117 (about 56%) did not receive any LMWH, and the treatment of one patient was not clearly defined. Male and female patients are equally distributed (104 and 105 patients, respectively). Cancer sites included breast, brain, gastrointestinal, genitourinary, lung, hematological malignancies, bone, and others. Although there was generally no statistical difference in survival time between treated and untreated groups (approximately 48 days each), subgroup analyses showed a statistically significant but not clinically significant survival benefit for patients with genitourinary cancers, such as uterine, urinary bladder, ovarian, or prostatic carcinomas who received LMWH (14.15 to 63.85 Days, P=0.0046). Conclusions: Prophylactic treatment with LMWH provided no clinically significant survival benefit to terminally ill cancer patients when administered in conjunction with other medications. Further prospective trials are warranted. Clinical trial information: ONC0329.