bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Ethnicity of Refugees (ER): A new dataset for understanding flight patterns
Authors: Rüegger Seraina , Bohnet Heidrun
Published: November 2015

Introducing a new cross-national dataset on the ethnicity of refugees, covering the years 1975–2009, this study analyzes refugee flight patterns. We argue that the asylum destination of refugees is not haphazard but determined by trans-border ethnic linkages. Building on migration theories, we elaborate a theoretical framework for the direction of refugee movements, which includes spatial, temporal and cultural pull factors. The statistical results suggest that refugees flee to nearby countries with ethnic kin populations and a history of accepting other co-ethnic refugees. Thus, sub-national refugee characteristics, such as ethnicity, are essential to understanding the flight direction of refugees.
Asian summer monsoon variability during the late glacial and Holocene inferred from the stable carbon isotope record of black carbon in the sediments of Muge Co, southeastern Tibetan Plateau, China
Authors: Sun Weiwei , Zhang Enlou , Jones Richard T , Liu Enfeng , Shen Ji
Published: November 2015

A sediment core from an alpine lake (Muge Co) from the southeastern margin of the Tibetan Plateau was analyzed for sediment grain size distribution and the carbon isotopic composition of black carbon in order to reconstruct Asian summer monsoon variability over the last 12 ka. Five major climatic stages were identified: (1) From 12 to 10.5 cal. ka BP, a cold and dry climate prevailed, corresponding to the Younger Dryas in the North Atlantic; (2) from 10.5 to 9.2 cal. ka BP, precipitation increased rapidly but was interrupted by a pronounced cold and dry phase at about 10 cal. ka BP; (3) from 9.2 to 6.2 cal. ka BP, the Holocene climatic optimum was reached and maintained; (4) from 6.2 to 2.5 cal. ka BP, the climate gradually became cooler and drier; (5) from 2.5 cal. ka BP to the present, a climatic reversal toward wetter conditions occurred. The trend of our reconstructed Asian summer monsoon precipitation record is similar on orbital and millennium timescales to that of other records from the Asian monsoon region. Although the maximum monsoon intensity recorded in the Muge Co sediments lagged the peak of Northern Hemisphere insolation by ~3.0 ka, the strengthening trend was in phase with the rise in the Western Pacific Warm Pool sea surface temperature. Therefore, we suggest that the tropical ocean temperatures may have been the major driver of Asian summer monsoon precipitation in the southeastern Tibetan Plateau. In addition, other factors such as sea-level rise and temperature in the North Atlantic region may have played an important role in the evolution of the Asian summer monsoon since the last deglaciation. However, human activity may have affected the monsoon proxies during the last 2.5 ka, and further studies are needed to distinguish the effects of climate and human disturbance.
Turning Experts Into Self-Reflexive Speakers
Authors: Mogendorff Karen , te Molder Hedwig , van Woerkum Cees , Gremmen Bart
Published: November 2015

Bio-experts’ portrayals of laypeople are considered problematic. Two discursive action method workshops with 17 participants were organized to discover whether plant experts can engage in reflexive problematization of their own talk about and in front of laypeople and whether plant experts’ analyses may offer insights with regard to the hegemony of technical-scientific expertise. Participants discussed the interactional effects of real-life expert talk. Plant experts’ discussions indicate that they can problematize how their talk-in-interaction helps reproduce the supremacy of technical-scientific expertise. Results also suggest that plant experts may offer complementary insights to social scientists’ analyses of plant experts’ talk.
Evaluation of the Diagnostic Performance of Fibrin Monomer in Comparison to d-Dimer in Patients With Overt and Nonovert Disseminated Intravascular Coagulation
Authors: Singh Neha , Pati Hara Prasad , Tyagi Seema , Upadhyay Ashish Datt , Saxena Renu
Published: November 2015

Introduction:

Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is a thrombohemorrhagic disorder characterized by hyperactivation of coagulation and secondary fibrinolysis.

Aim:

The primary aim of this prospective study was to evaluate and compare the diagnostic performance of fibrin monomer (FM) and d-dimer (DD) for the preemptive diagnosis of DIC in the early stages.

Materials and Methods:

The patients were categorized into 3 groups: overt DIC, nonovert DIC, and non-DIC based on the International Society of Thrombosis and Hemostasis scoring for overt DIC and the modified nonovert-DIC criteria. Coagulation tests were performed on freshly obtained plasma. Quantitative determination of FM and DD was done by immunoturbidimetric assay.

Results:

Median DD and FM levels in patients with overt DIC were significantly higher in comparison to the other 2 groups. Interestingly, unlike DD, the difference in FM levels was also found to be statistically significant between patients with nonovert DIC and non-DIC patients ( P = .0001). At receiver–operator characteristic curve-generated cutoff values, FM had higher specificity and negative predictive value than DD for predicting onset of overt DIC. Multivariate analysis showed that only FM was as an independent predictive factor useful in differentiating patients with overt DIC from non-DIC patients (odds ratio [OR]: 43.3; confidence interval [CI] 4.61-406.68; P value = .001) as well as in distinguishing nonovert DIC from non-DIC patients (OR:18.3; CI 3.45-97.19; P value = .001).

Conclusion:

Fibrin monomer is a better indicator than DD in distinguishing patients with overt and nonovert DIC from non-DIC patients, raising the possibility for its diagnostic utility as a marker for impending overt DIC, aiding in early diagnosis and prompt therapeutic intervention.
Learning From “Alien Monks?” The Productivity Spillovers of Foreign-Invested Hotels in China
Authors: Yang Yang , Mao Zhenxing
Published: November 2015

As suggested by the strategic management literature, foreign-invested firms with superior technology and managerial skills are likely to generate productivity spillovers that may benefit local firms. In this article, we examine productivity spillovers in the context of the hotel industry. Using panel data from star-rated hotels in China’s major cities from 2001 to 2012, we model the labor productivity of domestic hotels as dependent on degree of foreign hotel presence in the city and on other control variables. Our results confirm the existence of productivity spillovers in China’s hotel industry and suggest that the presence of foreign capital is associated with higher labor productivity among domestic hotels. Moreover, the magnitude of these spillovers increases along with the productivity gap between domestic and foreign-invested hotels. Finally, we present several policy implications based on the econometric estimation results.
Two sides of the same coin
Authors: Harvey Stephen , Song Yang , Baek Jun-Hyung , van der Mars Hans
Published: November 2015

Despite the advent of game-centred approaches (GCAs) to teaching sport games (e.g. teaching games for understanding (TGfU)), traditional direct instruction approaches remain prevalent in physical education. Moreover, the latter have tended to produce high levels of student inactivity. What remains unclear is whether and how much GCAs aid in students reaching the UK and USA recommendation of 50% of lesson time being spent in moderate to vigorous physical activity (MVPA). Participants for this study were 85 students (41 girls) from three separate physical education classes ( n = 23, n = 26, and n = 36) at one middle school in the western United States. A licensed teacher/soccer coach with expertise in GCAs taught units of soccer ( n = 8 lessons per class; Mlength = 34 minutes 43 secsonds; SD = 3.13). Data on students’ physical activity levels and lesson context were collected using the system for observing fitness instruction time. Teacher behaviour data were collected using the West Virginia teaching evaluation system. Data were analysed using standardized protocols from each instrument. GCA-focused soccer units resulted in students accumulating recommended MVPA levels in physical education, suggesting that skill/game learning goals and public health goals are two sides of the same coin and need not be mutually exclusive when a teacher employs a GCA.
Masi: House and cloth of the vanua
Authors: Hulkenberg Jara
Published: November 2015

Based on a combination of literary research and fieldwork this article examines the material and immaterial qualities of Fijian barkcloth, known as masi, to explain the reasons for its continued use in Fijian society from pre-Christian times to the present. It is argued masi embodies all the aspects of the vanua and is therefore referred to as ‘cloth of the vanua’. As cloth of the vanua, masi is a mediating agent between the sacred and profane, and has an important strengthening and protective function when used during life cycle rituals as a wrap. To explain the manners in which masi is used, masi is interpreted as a house for and point of access to the powers of the ancestor gods. An analysis of the overall design structure of a type of masi called gatu taunamu ni viti (Fijian mosquito net) illustrates that the association with a house is metonymic instead of metaphorical.
Negotiating contract: The commerce and artifice of dealing for creative work
Authors: Heuman Josh
Published: November 2015

Following growing bodies of scholarship concerned with the social and cultural lives of economic forms, this article tries to recover some of the complexity of contracts in creative work. While contracts might seem to reflect narrowly economic determinations, as mere instruments of commerce, sociological models emphasize their contingency and artifice. Moving toward and forward from such models, this article synthesizes a more socio cultural model, approaching contract as a scene of contestation, communication and constitution. It develops these themes in a series of engagements with predominant legal, economic and sociological models of contract; across these engagements, it draws upon and draws together cases of recording artists and film stars, while also drawing broader comparisons with other creative workers.
Interacting with dehumanized others? Only if they are objectified
Authors: Martínez Rocío , Rodríguez-Bailón Rosa , Moya Miguel , Vaes Jeroen
Published: November 2015

Members of dehumanized groups are somehow accepted in a variety of menial roles. Three studies verified when and why people might approach members of animalistically and mechanistically dehumanized groups. In Studies 1 and 2, participants showed a greater intention to interact with (Study 1) and attributed higher ratings of success (Study 2) to members of an animalistically dehumanized group in a social context. On the contrary, participants expected that members of a mechanistically dehumanized group would be more successful and were preferred to interact with in a professional context. In Study 3, the psychological process underlying these preferences was investigated. Interestingly, results showed that the objectification of dehumanized group members led participants to interact with them. Taken together these studies show that people approach dehumanized others not because they are liked, but because they are objectified.
Development of an urban green space indicator and the public health rationale
Authors: Annerstedt van den Bosch Matilda , Mudu Pierpaolo , Uscila Valdas , Barrdahl Maria , Kulinkina Alexandra , Staatsen Brigit , Swart Wim , Kruize Hanneke , Zurlyte Ingrida , Egorov Andrey I.
Published: November 2015

Aims: In this study, the aim was to develop and test an urban green space indicator for public health, as proposed by the World Health Organisation (WHO) Regional Office for Europe, in order to support health and environmental policies. Methods: We defined the indicator of green space accessibility as a proportion of an urban population living within a certain distance from a green space boundary. We developed a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based method and tested it in three case studies in Malmö, Sweden; Kaunas, Lithuania; and Utrecht, The Netherlands. Land use data in GIS from the Urban Atlas were combined with population data. Various population data formats, maximum distances to green spaces, minimum sizes of green spaces, and different definitions of green spaces were studied or discussed. Results: Our results demonstrated that with increasing size of green space and decreased distance to green space, the indicator value decreased. As compared to Malmö and Utrecht, a relatively bigger proportion of the Kaunas population had access to large green spaces, at both shorter and longer distances. Our results also showed that applying the method of spatially aggregated population data was an acceptable alternative to using individual data. Conclusions: Based on reviewing the literature and the case studies, a 300 m maximum linear distance to the boundary of urban green spaces of a minimum size of 1 hectare are recommended as the default options for the indicator. The indicator can serve as a proxy measure for assessing public accessibility to urban green spaces, to provide comparable data across Europe and stimulate policy actions that recognise the importance of green spaces for sustainable public health.
Chinese tourism: Development and prospects for Greece
Authors: Skivalou Maria , Filippidi Eleni
Published: November 2015

China has been, and still is, by far the fastest growing tourism source market in the world. Chinese outbound travel has seen a rapid increase because Chinese authorities have not only implemented policies which facilitate the Chinese outbound tourism but also, the rising standards of living in China have expanded the demand for overseas tourism. The objective of this study is to examine the development of Chinese tourism in Greece, identify the motivation factors of Chinese tourists who visit Greece, determine the destination attributes of Greece which attract them and discover their activity preferences in Greece. A qualitative research using semi-structured, in-depth interviews with 19 interviewees was conducted, 17 of them with Chinese tourists, conducted in the district of the Acropolis (Athens) and two with professionals in the field of tourism in Greece. Results show that the most significant push–pull factors for Chinese tourists visiting Greece are cultural exchange, the relaxation-escape from their routine, prestige, the history of Greece, the blue and white color of Cyclades, Greek hospitality, archeological sites, good quality of the hotel services and, finally, Greek food and good event organisation. The research findings could help to build a strategy for the Greek tourism authority to prepare itself to become a more active player in the Chinese outbound market. The recommendations include simplification of the visa issuing procedure and direct flights connecting the two countries, proper preparation of the accommodation sector (a better understanding and respect for the Chinese culture), improvement of amenities such as public safety and communications and effective contact with more tour operators in China.
A Feasibility Pilot Trial of Individualized Homeopathic Treatment of Fatigue in Children Receiving Chemotherapy
Authors: Brulé David , Gillmeister Biljana , Lee Michelle , Alexander Sarah , Gassas Adam , Hendershot Eleanor , Zupanec Sue , Dupuis Lee , Sung Lillian
Published: November 2015

Background. Fatigue is a major problem in children with cancer. The objective was to examine the feasibility of performing a clinical trial of homeopathic treatment for fatigue in children receiving chemotherapy. Materials. This was a single-institution, open-label, pilot study. Children 2 to 18 years old, diagnosed with cancer, and receiving chemotherapy were eligible. Participants were given individualized homeopathic treatment for a maximum of 14 days. In-home or clinic assessments were conducted up to 3 times weekly. Feasibility was defined as the ability to recruit and administer homeopathy to 10 participants within 1 year. Fatigue was measured using the Symptom Distress Scale daily and the PedsQL Multidimensional Fatigue Module weekly. Results. Between April 2012 and April 2014, 155 potential participants were identified. There were 45 eligible and contacted patients; 36 declined participation, 30 because they were not interested; 9 agreed to participate, but 1 participant withdrew prior to treatment initiation. Median length of homeopathic treatment was 10.5 (range = 6 to 14) days. All parents found homeopathic treatment to be easy or very easy to follow. Conclusions. Trials of individualized homeopathy for fatigue reduction in pediatric cancer are not feasible in this context; lack of interest was a primary reason. Alternative approaches to evaluating homeopathy efficacy are needed.
A MultiCenter Pilot Randomized Controlled Trial of Remote Ischemic Preconditioning in Major Vascular Surgery
Authors: Healy D. A. , Boyle E. , McCartan D. , Bourke M. , Medani M. , Ferguson J. , Yagoub H. , Bashar K. , O’Donnell M. , Newell J. , Canning C. , McMonagle M. , Dowdall J. , Cross S. , O'Daly S. , Manning B. , Fulton G. , Kavanagh E. G. , Burke P. , Grace P. A. , Moloney M. Clarke , Walsh S. R.
Published: November 2015

A pilot randomized controlled trial that evaluated the effect of remote ischemic preconditioning (RIPC) on clinical outcomes following major vascular surgery was performed. Eligible patients were those scheduled to undergo open abdominal aortic aneurysm repair, endovascular aortic aneurysm repair, carotid endarterectomy, and lower limb revascularization procedures. Patients were randomized to RIPC or to control groups. The primary outcome was a composite clinical end point comprising any of cardiovascular death, myocardial infarction, new-onset arrhythmia, cardiac arrest, congestive cardiac failure, cerebrovascular accident, renal failure requiring renal replacement therapy, mesenteric ischemia, and urgent cardiac revascularization. Secondary outcomes were components of the primary outcome and myocardial injury as assessed by serum troponin values. The primary outcome occurred in 19 (19.2%) of 99 controls and 14 (14.1%) of 99 RIPC group patients ( P = .446). There were no significant differences in secondary outcomes. Our trial generated data that will guide future trials. Further trials are urgently needed.
Assessment of Innovative Emergency Department Information Displays in a Clinical Simulation Center
Authors: McGeorge Nicolette , Hegde Sudeep , Berg Rebecca L. , Guarrera-Schick Theresa K. , LaVergne David T. , Casucci Sabrina N. , Hettinger A. Zachary , Clark Lindsey N. , Lin Li , Fairbanks Rollin J. , Benda Natalie C. , Sun Longsheng , Wears Robert L. , Perry Shawna , Bisantz Ann
Published: November 2015

The objective of this work was to assess the functional utility of new display concepts for an emergency department information system created using cognitive systems engineering methods, by comparing them to similar displays currently in use. The display concepts were compared to standard displays in a clinical simulation study during which nurse-physician teams performed simulated emergency department tasks. Questionnaires were used to assess the cognitive support provided by the displays, participants’ level of situation awareness, and participants’ workload during the simulated tasks. Participants rated the new displays significantly higher than the control displays in terms of cognitive support. There was no significant difference in workload scores between the display conditions. There was no main effect of display type on situation awareness, but there was a significant interaction; participants using the new displays showed improved situation awareness from the middle to the end of the session. This study demonstrates that cognitive systems engineering methods can be used to create innovative displays that better support emergency medicine tasks, without increasing workload, compared to more standard displays. These methods provide a means to develop emergency department information systems—and more broadly, health information technology—that better support the cognitive needs of healthcare providers.
Understanding Female Gun Ownership
Authors: Koeppel Maria D. H. , Nobles Matt R.
Published: November 2015

This research examines female gun ownership trends from 1973 to 2010. Nationally representative General Social Survey data are used to compare rates for male and female gun ownership. In light of the specific marketing trends by gun manufacturers beginning in the mid-1990s as well as previous findings within the literature, we test (a) whether an increase in female gun ownership is observed from 1973 to 2010, (b) whether female gun owners report increased fear of crime, and (c) the extent to which other gun-owning motivations, especially hunting, shape women’s gun ownership. Our analysis confirms a decline in women’s gun ownership, but in contrast to previous studies emphasizing a link between fear of crime and female gun ownership, we find that hobbies and lifestyle factors may better explain women’s interests in firearms. We could conclude by highlighting avenues for new research that better take into account the heterogeneity of gun ownership in the United States.
Design, Dignity and Due Process: The Construction of the Coffs Harbour Courthouse
Authors: Rowden Emma , Jones Diane
Published: November 2015

The discourse around the merit of public architecture often depicts the architect as having complete autonomy over its design. This belies the constraints placed upon creative solutions by design briefs or the intense negotiations between the State, the architect and the various stakeholders involved in the construction process. Through a case study examining the construction of a courthouse, we demonstrate the difficulties in pursuing improvements to the phenomenological experience of justice within these constraints. It reveals the need for architectural knowledge to be shared for the common good in order to resist practices that replicate existing conditions and inhibit innovation.
The evolving role of biosimilars in haematology–oncology: a practical perspective
Authors: Gascon Pere
Published: November 2015

The loss of patents covering many biopharmaceutical/biological agents in the mid 1990s led to the introduction of a new generation of drugs: biosimilars. These new agents, produced by living cells just as the originator drugs, are chemically highly similar to endogenous human proteins; characterized by three-dimensionally complex, high molecular weight compounds. Among the first biosimilars used in haematology–oncology were erythropoietin and granulocyte colony-stimulating factor. After five years of use in clinical practice, the efficacy and safety profile of biosimilars approved by the European Medicines Agency is excellent. Over the next year or two, biosimilar monoclonal antibodies (MoAbs) will become available; the first will be rituximab and trastuzumab. Not only are MoAbs more complex in terms of molecular weight and number of amino acids than the first biosimilars, but they are also anticancer drugs, not merely supportive treatments like their predecessors. This opens up important questions. How are regulatory agencies to assess their clinical efficacy, immunogenicity and safety? Is the neoadjuvant clinical setting the best to evaluate them? What will regulatory agencies decide in terms of switching an originator molecule for a biosimilar or extrapolating efficacy results from one pathology to another? Once biosimilars of rituximab and trastuzumab are approved, several challenging issues will need to be addressed such as how to maintain appropriate pharmacovigilance, how to extrapolate across indications, and issues concerning automatic substitution. There is currently no consensus in any of these areas. This review addresses all these issues: new challenges that the oncology community will face in the near future.
Modeling factors explaining physicians’ satisfaction with competence
Authors: Lepnurm Rein , Dobson Roy Thomas , Peña-Sánchez Juan-Nicolás , Nesdole Robert
Published: November 2015

Objective:

Attention to physician wellness has increased as medical practice gains in complexity. Physician satisfaction with practice is critical for quality of care and practice growth. The purpose of this study was to model physicians’ self-reported Satisfaction with Competence as a function of their perceptions of the Quality of Health Services, Distress, Coping, Practice Management, Personal Satisfaction and Professional Equity.

Methods:

Comprehensive questionnaires were sent to a stratified sample of 5300 physicians across Canada. This cross-sectional study focused on physicians who examined and treated individual patients for a final study population of 2639 physicians. Response bias was negligible. The questionnaires contained measures of Satisfaction with Competence, Quality of Health Services, Distress, Coping, Personal Satisfaction, Practice Management and Professional Equity. Exploring relationships was done using Pearson correlations and one-way analysis of variance. Modeling was by hierarchical regressions.

Results:

The measures were reliable: Satisfaction with Competence ( α = .86), Quality ( α = .86), Access ( α = .82), Distress ( α = .82), Coping ( α = .76), Personal Satisfaction ( α = .78), Practice Management ( α = .89) and the dimensions of Professional Equity (Fulfillment, α = .81; Financial, α = .93; and Recognition, α = .75) with comparative validity. Satisfaction with Competence was positively correlated with Quality ( r = .32), Efficiency ( r = .37) and Access ( r = .32); negatively correlated with Distress ( r = −.54); and positively correlated with Coping strategies ( r = .43), Personal Satisfaction ( r = .57), Practice Management ( r = .17), Fulfillment ( r = .53), Financial ( r = .36) and Recognition ( r = .54). Physicians’ perceptions on Quality, Efficiency, Access, Distress, Coping, Personal Satisfaction, Practice Management, Fulfillment, Pay and Recognition explained 60.2% of the variation in Satisfaction with Competence, controlling for years in practice, self-reported health and duties of physicians.

Conclusion:

Satisfaction with Competence could be affected by excessive accumulation of duties, concerns about quality, efficiency, access, excessive distress, inadequate coping abilities, personal satisfaction with life as a physician, challenges in managing practices and persistent inequities among physicians.
Family Intervention in First-Episode Psychosis
Authors: Sadath Anvar , Muralidhar D. , Varambally Shivarama , Jose Justin P. , Gangadhar B. N.
Published: November 2015

Family interventions have produced benefits on clinical and family outcomes in long standing psychosis. However, little is known about the efficacy of such interventions in the early stages of psychosis. This article reviews published research over the last two decades on family intervention in first-episode psychosis. Electronic databases, such as PubMed, PsycINFO, and ScienceDirect, have been systematically searched. In addition, an exhaustive Internet search was also carried out using Google and Google Scholar to identify the potential studies that evaluated family interventions in first-episode psychosis. We have identified seven reports of five randomized controlled trials (RCTs) and five non-randomized and uncontrolled studies of family intervention. Our review on 12 reports of family intervention studies has shown mixed effects on outcomes in first-episode psychosis. Most of the reports showed no added benefits or very short-term benefits on primary clinical or family outcome variables. There is a dearth of family intervention studies in first-episode psychosis. More RCTs are needed to reach reliable conclusions.
Being cosmopolitan: evolutionary history and phylogeography of a specialized raptor, the Osprey Pandion haliaetus
Authors: Monti Flavio , Duriez Olivier , Arnal Véronique , Dominici Jean-Marie , Sforzi Andrea , Fusani Leonida , Grémillet David , Montgelard Claudine
Published: November 2015

Background

The Osprey (Pandion haliaetus) is one of only six bird species with an almost world-wide distribution. We aimed at clarifying its phylogeographic structure and elucidating its taxonomic status (as it is currently separated into four subspecies). We tested six biogeographical scenarios to explain how the species’ distribution and differentiation took place in the past and how such a specialized raptor was able to colonize most of the globe.

Results

Using two mitochondrial genes (cyt b and ND2), the Osprey appeared structured into four genetic groups representing quasi non-overlapping geographical regions. The group Indo-Australasia corresponds to the cristatus ssp, as well as the group Europe-Africa to the haliaetus ssp. In the Americas, we found a single lineage for both carolinensis and ridgwayi ssp, whereas in north-east Asia (Siberia and Japan), we discovered a fourth new lineage. The four lineages are well differentiated, contrasting with the low genetic variability observed within each clade. Historical demographic reconstructions suggested that three of the four lineages experienced stable trends or slight demographic increases. Molecular dating estimates the initial split between lineages at about 1.16 Ma ago, in the Early Pleistocene.

Conclusions

Our biogeographical inference suggests a pattern of colonization from the American continent towards the Old World. Populations of the Palearctic would represent the last outcomes of this colonization. At a global scale the Osprey complex may be composed of four different Evolutionary Significant Units, which should be treated as specific management units. Our study brought essential genetic clarifications, which have implications for conservation strategies in identifying distinct lineages across which birds should not be artificially moved through exchange/reintroduction schemes.
Some fixed point results for non-decreasing and mixed monotone mappings with auxiliary functions
Authors: Wang Shuang , Ansari Arslan Hojat , Chandok Sumit
Published: November 2015

The purpose of this paper is to provide sufficient conditions for the existence and uniqueness of fixed points for non-decreasing and mixed monotone mappings with auxiliary functions in the framework of metric space endowed with a partial order. As applications of our results we obtain several interesting corollaries and fixed point theorems in the underlying spaces. In order to illustrate our results, we provide two examples in which other theorems from the literature cannot be applied. In addition, the equivalence property between unidimensional and multidimensional fixed point theorems is investigated. We also present some applications to the existence of solutions of integral and differential equations.
Establishing a Canadian National Clinical Trials Network for Kidney Disease: Proceedings of a Planning Workshop
Authors: Rigatto Claudio , Walsh Michael , Zalunardo Nadia , Clase Catherine M , Manns Braden J , Madore François , Samuel Susan M , Morgan Catherine J , Wolfs Wim , Suri Rita S.
Published: November 2015

Knowledge generation through randomized controlled trials (RCTs) is critical to advance the medical evidence base, inform decision-making, and improve care and outcomes. Unfortunately, nephrology has typically lagged behind other medical specialties in this regard. The establishment of formal clinical trial networks can facilitate the successful conduct of RCTs and has significantly increased the number of RCTs performed worldwide in other medical specialties. No such formal network of nephrology trialists exists in Canada. On April 24, 2014, the Canadian Kidney Knowledge Translation and Generation Network (CANN-NET) Clinical Trials Committee held a stakeholder engagement meeting to address this gap and improve the nephrology clinical trial landscape in Canada. The meeting was held in Vancouver in association with the 2014 Canadian Society of Nephrology Annual General Meeting and was co-sponsored by the Kidney Foundation of Canada and CANN-NET. Attendees included nephrologists from university- and non-university-affiliated nephrology practices, administrators, and representatives from the Kidney Foundation of Canada. Through structured presentations and facilitated group discussions, the group explored the extent to which nephrology trials are currently happening in Canada, barriers to leading or participating in larger investigator-initiated trials, and strategies to improve clinical trial output in nephrology in Canada. The themes and action items arising from this meeting are discussed.
Time to Definitive Failure to the First Tyrosine Kinase Inhibitor in Localized GI Stromal Tumors Treated With Imatinib As an Adjuvant: A European Organisation for Research and Treatment of Cancer Soft Tissue and Bone Sarcoma Group Intergroup Randomized Trial in Collaboration With the Australasian Gastro-Intestinal Trials Group, UNICANCER, French Sarcoma Group, Italian Sarcoma Group, and Spanish Group for Research on Sarcomas
Authors: Casali Paolo G. , Le Cesne Axel , Poveda Velasco Andres , Kotasek Dusan , Rutkowski Piotr , Hohenberger Peter , Fumagalli Elena , Judson Ian R. , Italiano Antoine , Gelderblom Hans , Adenis Antoine , Hartmann Jörg T. , Duffaud Florence , Goldstein David , Broto Javier M. , Gronchi Alessandro , Dei Tos Angelo P. , Marréaud Sandrine , van der Graaf Winette T.A. , Zalcberg John R. , Litière Saskia , Blay Jean-Yves
Published: November 2015

Purpose

In 2004, we started an intergroup randomized trial of adjuvant imatinib versus no further therapy after R0-R1 surgery patients with localized, high- or intermediate-risk GI stromal tumor (GIST).

Patients and Methods

Patients were randomly assigned to 2 years of imatinib 400 mg daily or no further therapy after surgery. The primary end point was overall survival; relapse-free survival (RFS), relapse-free interval, and toxicity were secondary end points. In 2009, given the concurrent improvement in prognosis of patients with advanced GIST, we changed the primary end point to imatinib failure–free survival (IFFS), with agreement of the independent data monitoring committee. We report on a planned interim analysis.

Results

A total of 908 patients were randomly assigned between December 2004 and October 2008: 454 to imatinib and 454 to observation. Of these, 835 patients were eligible. With a median follow-up of 4.7 years, 5-year IFFS was 87% in the imatinib arm versus 84% in the control arm (hazard ratio, 0.79; 98.5% CI, 0.50 to 1.25; P = .21); RFS was 84% versus 66% at 3 years and 69% versus 63% at 5 years (log-rank P < .001); and 5-year overall survival was 100% versus 99%, respectively. Among 528 patients with high-risk GIST by local pathologist, 5-year IFFS was 79% versus 73%; among 336 centrally reviewed high-risk patients, it was 77% versus 73%, respectively.

Conclusion

This study confirms that adjuvant imatinib has an overt impact on RFS. No significant difference in IFFS was observed, although in the high-risk subgroup there was a trend in favor of the adjuvant arm. IFFS was conceived as a potential end point in the adjuvant setting because it is sensitive to secondary resistance, which is the main adverse prognostic factor in patients with advanced GIST.
Radiation Dose-Response Relationship for Risk of Coronary Heart Disease in Survivors of Hodgkin Lymphoma
Authors: van Nimwegen Frederika A. , Schaapveld Michael , Cutter David J. , Janus Cècile P.M. , Krol Augustinus D.G. , Hauptmann Michael , Kooijman Karen , Roesink Judith , van der Maazen Richard , Darby Sarah C. , Aleman Berthe M.P. , van Leeuwen Flora E.
Published: November 2015

Purpose

Cardiovascular diseases are increasingly recognized as late effects of Hodgkin lymphoma (HL) treatment. The purpose of this study was to identify the risk factors for coronary heart disease (CHD) and to quantify the effects of radiation dose to the heart, chemotherapy, and other cardiovascular risk factors.

Patients and Methods

We conducted a nested case-control study in a cohort of 2,617 5-year HL survivors, treated between 1965 and 1995. Cases were patients diagnosed with CHD as their first cardiovascular event after HL. Detailed treatment information was collected from medical records of 325 cases and 1,204 matched controls. Radiation charts and simulation radiographs were used to estimate in-field heart volume and mean heart dose (MHD). A risk factor questionnaire was sent to patients still alive.

Results

The median interval between HL and CHD was 19.0 years. Risk of CHD increased linearly with increasing MHD (excess relative risk [ERR]) per Gray, 7.4%; 95% CI, 3.3% to 14.8%). This results in a 2.5-fold increased risk of CHD for patients receiving a MHD of 20 Gy from mediastinal radiotherapy, compared with patients not treated with mediastinal radiotherapy. ERRs seemed to decrease with each tertile of age at treatment (ERR/Gy<27.5years, 20.0%; ERR/Gy27.5-36.4years, 8.8%; ERR/Gy36.5-50.9years, 4.2%; Pinteraction = .149). Having ≥ 1 classic CHD risk factor (diabetes mellitus, hypertension, or hypercholesterolemia) independently increased CHD risk (rate ratio, 1.5; 95% CI, 1.1 to 2.1). A high level of physical activity was associated with decreased CHD risk (rate ratio, 0.5; 95% CI, 0.3 to 0.8).

Conclusion

The linear radiation dose-response relationship identified can be used to predict CHD risk for future HL patients and survivors. Appropriate early management of CHD risk factors and stimulation of physical activity may reduce CHD risk in HL survivors.
Creating Mindful Readers in First-Year Composition Courses
Authors: Carillo Ellen C.
Published: November 2015

This article argues for the importance of teaching reading in first-year composition courses within a metacognitive framework called mindful reading. Crucial for developing more comprehensive literacy practices that students can transfer into other courses and contexts, this framework encourages students to actively reflect on a range of reading practices in order to become more knowledgeable and deliberate about how they read. This work is intended to prepare students to successfully engage with the range of complex texts they will encounter throughout their postsecondary academic careers and beyond.
ImitatioReconsidered
Authors: Kalbfleisch Elizabeth
Published: November 2015

This article explores the emphasis on reading instruction in the classical pedagogical technique of imitatio. It briefly surveys scholarship in literary and composition studies to trace a short history of this pedagogy before turning to contemporary descriptions of reading pedagogy and showing how imitatio interacts with such practices.
Timely, Impure Reading
Authors: Sutherland Stephen
Published: November 2015

This article examines a series of popular books about how to read that appeared in the first decade of the twenty-first century. It critiques these books for placing acts of reading into an impossibly utopian time, for imagining readers as translucently susceptible to instruction in reading, and for imagining reading as pure. As an antidote to this decade of advice, the article argues for (and demonstrates) an “impure” reading of visual-material texts that demand a reader's tactile engagement and self-aware participation in time.
Unpacking the Universal Library
Authors: Edwards Mike
Published: November 2015

Recent arguments against today's digital reading practices rely on contradictory implicit claims: that digital technologies harm the way we read, and that reading is a set of monolithic and unchanging practices. Both claims are mistaken. Digital reading practices illuminate the diverse forms of value in the labor and capital associated with textual work.
On Digital Reading
Authors: Miller Richard E.
Published: November 2015

This article explores the transition from a world where the final destination of thought was assumed to be paper to a world where that destination is now assumed to be the screen. How can we best teach students to read and write in the Age of Distraction? Strategies for cultivating the habits of creative and curious minds are discussed.
Making African American History in the Classroom
Authors: Godfrey Mollie
Published: November 2015

This article argues that getting students to learn about archival preservation and research in the context of an underpreserved, underresearched history offers a number of pedagogical rewards. Colleges and universities are pushing to increase community-based learning opportunities for undergraduates. At the same time, digital humanities initiatives are making it increasingly possible for undergraduates to work hands-on with primary sources, and a number of university-sponsored efforts are being made to process and digitize neglected African American archives. Many of these projects make use of graduate student labor, but few have recognized the benefits of engaging undergraduates in processing local and minority archives as part of their classroom experience. This article argues that such classes would not only build mutually beneficial relationships between town and gown but also encourage students to recognize that the approach to history they are familiar with—one that emphasizes national leaders and “major” events—is part of the same tendency to value the powerful that has caused African American history to be underpreserved. Preserving and publicizing local histories counters this tendency and may help produce a younger generation of scholars who are attuned to politics of power and privilege within the scholarship they encounter and produce.
A local difference in Hedgehog signal transduction increases mechanical cell bond tension and biases cell intercalations along the Drosophila anteroposterior compartment boundary
Authors: Rudolf Katrin , Umetsu Daiki , Aliee Maryam , Sui Liyuan , Jülicher Frank , Dahmann Christian
Published: November 2015

Tissue organization requires the interplay between biochemical signaling and cellular force generation. The formation of straight boundaries separating cells with different fates into compartments is important for growth and patterning during tissue development. In the developing Drosophila wing disc, maintenance of the straight anteroposterior (AP) compartment boundary involves a local increase in mechanical tension at cell bonds along the boundary. The biochemical signals that regulate mechanical tension along the AP boundary, however, remain unknown. Here, we show that a local difference in Hedgehog signal transduction activity between anterior and posterior cells is necessary and sufficient to increase mechanical tension along the AP boundary. This difference in Hedgehog signal transduction is also required to bias cell rearrangements during cell intercalations to keep the characteristic straight shape of the AP boundary. Moreover, severing cell bonds along the AP boundary does not reduce tension at neighboring bonds, implying that active mechanical tension is upregulated, cell bond by cell bond. Finally, differences in the expression of the homeodomain-containing protein Engrailed also contribute to the straight shape of the AP boundary, independently of Hedgehog signal transduction and without modulating cell bond tension. Our data reveal a novel link between local differences in Hedgehog signal transduction and a local increase in active mechanical tension of cell bonds that biases junctional rearrangements. The large-scale shape of the AP boundary thus emerges from biochemical signals inducing patterns of active tension on cell bonds.
Distribution of Voltage Induced by Magnetic Field of Parallel Transmission Line Along Dead and Grounded Lines
Authors: Токарский  , Tokarskiy A. , Рубцова  , Rubtsova Nina
Published: November 2015

With the view of calculation methods accuracy increase duringcalculations by Carson’s method, by simplified Carson’s

method and by hequ method, we considered induced voltage parameters,currents and voltage distribution alonggrounded

on the ends single-wire transmission lines created by magnetic field of parallel single-wire operating line. It is shown that

hequ method, eliminating errors in the "dead zone" in calculation by Carson’s method, gives almost identical results outside

the "dead zone", and small differences with the results of simplified Carson’s method.
Research Note—Parenting New Acquisitions: Acquirers’ Digital Resource Redeployment and Targets’ Performance Improvement in the U.S. Hospital Industry
Authors: Du Kui
Published: November 2015

This paper examines how information technology (IT) can contribute to value creation in horizontal acquisitions. We propose that acquisition value can be created when an acquirer redeploys its digital resources to its newly acquired businesses and consequently improves their operations. However, not all acquirers are equally capable of redeploying their digital resources. In this study, we propose two enabling factors pertaining to an acquirer’s IT resource base: IT extensiveness and IT standardization. We argue that the magnitude of digital resource redeployment increases when the acquirer has had extensive use of IT systems within its existing business units and has standardized IT systems across its business units. Moreover, the relative strength of the IT resources of the acquirer, as compared to those of the acquired business, also affects the reuse of the acquirer’s IT resources in its digital resource redeployment activities. We empirically test these hypotheses by tracking the IT and performance changes in 108 U.S. hospitals before and after they were acquired across a seven-year study timeframe.
Design of Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) Using an Amino-Based Resin
Authors: Zeinoddin Hossein Sheikh , Abtahi Sayyed Mahdi , Hejazi Sayyed Mahdi , Babamohammadi Somayeh , Amuchi Majid
Published: November 2015

Rising energy prices, global warming and environmental awareness, in production of traditional asphalt (Hot Mix Asphalt) have resulted in the innovation of a production technology named Warm Mix Asphalt (WMA) as a mean to decrease the energy consumption and emissions. In this technology, additives work in different ways to either reduce the viscosity of the bitumen or to allow better workability of the mix at lower temperatures. In recent years widespread researches have been done to develop new and economical technologies of WMA production, however, study of Iranian technologies to produce WMA are significantly lacking for using WMA in Iran.
The Objective of this study is to analysis using an amino-based resin in order to produce of WMA. This resin, which is thermoset and produce in Iran, was used as an additive to decrease the viscosity of bitumen. This resin was used amount of 5%, 10% and 15% the weight of bitumen. The materials included one type of bitumen (AC 60-70) and one type of aggregate (Lime stone). Tests included dynamic/shear rheometer, bending beam rheometer, Marshall Test, moisture sensitivity, indirect tensile strength and resilient modulus tests. The results of the experiments indicated that the addition of amino-based resin can decrease the viscosity of bitumen by producing foam. This reduction of viscosity leads to reduce the temperature mix asphalt production as much as 15°C in application of 10% resin. It is also concluded that WMA had acceptable engineering properties.
When outcome definition determines the result in impact evaluations: an illustration using the Swedish work-practice programme
Authors: Månsson Jonas , Lundin Christofer
Published: November 2015

In this paper we investigate the effect of difference in outcome definitions on the result of impact evaluations. The Swedish workplace practice programme is evaluated, using matching methods. The key findings are that changing how the outcome is defined has a considerable influence on the results of the impact assessment. From the results of this study, it is clear that differences in evaluation results can arise from differences in how the outcome is defined. The lesson learned is that definition of successful outcomes of labour market policy has to be harmonised to make meaningful comparisons and learn from previous research.