bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Primary and Postchemotherapy Retroperitoneal Lymphadenectomy for Testicular Cancer
Authors: Heidenreich Axel , Paffenholz Pia , Nestler Tim , Pfister David
Published: May 2018

Clinical stage I (CS I) testicular non-seminomatous germ cell tumours (NSGCT) are highly curable. Following orchidectomy, a risk-adapted approach using active surveillance, nerve-sparing retroperitoneal lymph node dissection (RPLND) and primary chemotherapy is recommended by the current guidelines. CS I is defined as showing negative values for tumour markers (or values declining to their half-life following orchidectomy) and negative imaging studies of the chest, abdomen and retroperitoneum. Active surveillance can be performed in low- and high-risk NSGCT with an anticipated relapse rate of about 15% and 50%, respectively. The majority of patients will relapse with good and intermediate prognosis tumours, which have to be treated with 3 to 4 cycles of chemotherapy. About 25-30% of these patients will have to undergo postchemotherapy (PC) RPLND for residual masses. Primary chemotherapy with 1-2 cycles of cisplatin, etoposide, bleomycin (PEB) is a therapeutic option for high-risk CS I NSGCT associated with a recurrence rate of only 2-3% and a minimal acute and long-term toxicity rate. Nerve-sparing RPLND, if performed properly, will cure about 85% of all high-risk patients with CS I NSGCT without the need for chemotherapy. PC-RPLND plays an integral part of the multimodality treatment in patients with advanced testicular germ cell tumours (TGCT). According to current guidelines and recommendations, PC-RPLND in advanced seminomas with residual tumours is only indicated if a positron emission tomography scan performed 6-8 weeks after chemotherapy is positive. In non-seminomatous TGCT, PC-RPLND is indicated for all residual radiographical lesions with negative or plateauing markers. Loss of antegrade ejaculation represents the most common long-term complication, which can be prevented by a nerve-sparing or modified template resection. The relapse rate after PC-RPLND is around 12%; however, it increases significantly to about 45% in cases with redo RPLND and late relapses. Patients with increasing markers should undergo salvage chemotherapy. Only select patients with elevated markers who are thought to be chemo-refractory might undergo desperation PC-RPLND if all radiographically visible lesions are completely resectable. PC-RPLND requires a complex surgical approach and should only be performed in experienced, tertiary referral centres.
Undertreatment of Vascular Risk Factors in Patients with Monocular Ischaemic Visual Loss
Authors: Zarkali Angeliki , Cheng Suk Fun , Dados Agnes , Simister Robert , Chandratheva Arvind
Published: May 2018

Background and Purpose: Ischaemic visual loss is often considered a lower risk factor than other transient ischaemic attacks (TIA). We aimed to determine the recurrence risk, prevalence and management of vascular risk factors in these patients. Methods: The study took place in the University College Hospital London daily TIA clinic, main referral centre for North-Central London and Moorfields Eye Hospital. Consecutive records for patients with transient (< 24 h) or permanent (> 24 h) ischaemic visual loss were reviewed during the period January 2014–October 2016. Patients diagnosed with temporal arteritis were excluded. Results: Of 400 patients, 224 (56%) were male with mean age 64.5 years (SD 15.1); 263 patients (65.8%) presented with transient and 137 patients (34.2%) with permanent ischaemic visual loss; 51.3% had hypertension (HTN), 35.3% hypercholesterolaemia, 14.5% diabetes, 11.8% ischaemic ocular events, 10.0% ischaemic heart disease, 7.3% atrial fibrillation (AF), 6.3% TIA, 5.3% stroke, and 12.3% were smokers. Median vascular risk factors were 2 (range 1–6), but 122 (30.5%) had ≥3. Those with diabetes (p < 0.001), HTN (p = 0.008), previous myocardial infarction (p = 0.005), or ≥3 vascular risk factors (p = 0.012) were more likely to present with permanent visual loss, while patients with history of transient events, TIA (p = 0.002), or ocular (p = 0.002) presented with transient visual loss. Ninety-day recurrence was 10.5%; this was higher in patients with ≥3 risk factors (hazard ratio 1.42, 95% CI 0.95–2.11, p = 0.111). Patients with past TIA were more likely to be on secondary prevention than those with ocular ischaemia; 60.0 vs. 34.1% received antiplatelets and 76.0 vs. 43.9% statins. At presentation, only 55.2% (16 patients) with known AF were anticoagulated, despite all of them having CHADSVASC ≥1. Conclusions: Approximately one-third of patients with ocular ischaemia had ≥3 vascular risk factors with recurrences higher in these patients. Yet only half of those with previous ischaemic ocular events were on antiplatelets or statins. These patients should be investigated and treated as aggressively as other forms of TIA or stroke.
Evaluation of Inhaled Procaterol for Potential Assist Use in Patients with Stable Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Kodaka Norio , Yamagishi Toru , Watanabe Kayo , Kishimoto Kumiko , Nakano Chihiro , Oshio Takeshi , Niitsuma Kumiko , Shimada Nagashige , Matsuse Hiroto
Published: May 2018

Objectives: International guidelines recommend the use of long-acting bronchodilators for the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), but the usefulness of short-acting bronchodilator assist use for stable COPD remains uncertain. The purpose of the present study was to objectively demonstrate the effects of assist use of procaterol, a short-acting β2-agonist, on the respiratory mechanics of stable COPD patients treated with a long-acting bronchodilator using forced oscillation technique (FOT) and conventional spirometry. We also confirmed the length of time for which procaterol assist could significantly improve the pulmonary function. Methods: We enrolled 28 outpatients with mild to severe COPD (Global Initiative for Obstructive Lung Disease stages I–III), who had used the same long-acting bronchodilator for longer than 3 months and who were in stable condition. All measures were performed using both FOT and spirometry sequentially from 15 min to 2 h after inhalation. Results: Compared to baseline, inhaled procaterol assist use modestly but significantly improved spirometric and FOT measurements within 2 h after inhalation. These significant effects continued for at least 2 h. ­Significant correlations were found between parameters ­measured by spirometry and those measured by FOT. Conclusions: Procaterol assist use modestly but significantly improved pulmonary function determined by spirometry and respiratory mechanics in patients with stable COPD treated with long-acting bronchodilators. Thus, inhaled procaterol has the potential for assist use for COPD.
Incidental Detection of Dent-2 Disease in an Infant with Febrile Proteinuria
Authors: Salihu Shpetim , Tosheska Katerina , Cekovska Svetlana , Tasic Velibor
Published: May 2018

Objective: Febrile proteinuria is functional proteinuria and is seen as a transitory phenomenon during acute febrile illness, mainly viral infections. It is a benign phenomenon and clears promptly with resolution of the infection. Clinical Presentation and Intervention: In this report, we present a patient who was thought to have febrile proteinuria. Persistence of significant proteinuria after resolution of the infection prompted biochemical and genetic workup which led to the diagnosis of Dent-2 disease. Conclusion: We recommend the use of SDS-PAGE (sodium dodecyl sulfate electropheresis) for the detection of low molecular weight proteinuria.
Political Cartoon, Revolution and Censorship in Syria
Authors: Sawan Nasser , Costa Renata Parpolov
Published: May 2018

O objetivo principal deste trabalho é discutir as relações e comunicações simbólicas entre artistas e sociedade na Síria antes e depois do início da guerra, em 2011. Perpassaremos a questão do papel do artista no questionamento do status quo durante a ditadura que se iniciou em 1970 com Hāfid Alasad e continuada durante os anos 2000 por seu filho Baššār Alasad. Durante este tempo, mesmo com a ameaça de um violento governo militar autoritário, floresceram muitas formas de expressão artística crítica ao regime, em diversos campos das artes; entre elas, a arte da charge política e dos quadrinhos foi um importante meio de expressão para tornar público o pensamento crítico censurado. Investigaremos a importância dos quadrinhos políticos de Alī Firzāt para a sociedade síria que vive sob a censura, e que deve atuar de maneira a parecer concordar com o regime.
Use Rate and Outcome in Bilateral Internal Thoracic Artery Grafting: Insights From a Systematic Review and Meta‐Analysis
Authors: Gaudino Mario , Bakaeen Faisal , Benedetto Umberto , Rahouma Mohamed , Di Franco Antonino , Tam Derrick Y. , Iannaccone Mario , Schwann Thomas A. , Habib Robert , Ruel Marc , Puskas John D. , Sabik Joseph , Girardi Leonard N. , Taggart David P. , Fremes Stephen E.
Published: May 2018

Background

This meta‐analysis was designed to assess whether center experience affects the short‐ and long‐term results and the relative benefits of bilateral internal thoracic artery grafting (BITA) for coronary artery bypass grafting.

Methods and Results

MEDLINE and EMBASE were searched to identify all articles reporting the outcome of BITA in patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting. The BITA center experience was gauged according to the percentage use of BITA in the institutional overall coronary artery bypass grafting population (%BITA). The primary outcome was long‐term all‐cause mortality. Secondary outcomes were operative mortality, perioperative myocardial infarction, perioperative stroke, deep sternal wound infections (DSWIs), and major postoperative adverse event. The rates of the primary and secondary outcomes were calculated after adjusting for %BITA. Primary and secondary outcomes were also compared between the BITA and the single internal thoracic artery arms in the adjusted studies. Meta‐regression was used to evaluate the effect of %BITA on the primary and secondary outcomes. Thirty‐four studies (27 894 patients undergoing BITA) were included. In the pooled analysis, the incidence rate for long‐term mortality was 2.83% (95% confidence interval, 2.21%–3.61%). %BITA was significantly and inversely associated with long‐term mortality and the rate of DSWI. In the pairwise comparison, %BITA was significantly and inversely associated with the risk of long‐term mortality and DSWI in the group undergoing BITA.

Conclusions

BITA series with higher %BITA report significantly lower long‐term mortality and DSWI rate as well as higher long‐term survival advantage and lower relative risk of DSWI in their BITA cohort. These findings suggest that a specific volume‐outcome relationship exists for BITA grafting.
The Names of Seljuk’s Sons as Evidence for the Pre-Islamic Religion of the Seljuks
Authors: Dietrich Richard
Published: May 2018

Although early sources for Seljuk history do not give specific information on the Seljuks’ religious beliefs and practices before their conversion to Islam, the names of the sons of the dynasty’s namesake – Mikail, Israil, Musa, Yunus, Yusuf – have long been a source of speculation on this subject. By comparing the names of Seljuk’s sons with the naming practices of regional Muslim, Jewish and Christian elites in light of the religious context of Transoxiana up to the late tenth century, it is possible to reach a plausible conclusion regarding the Seljuks’ religion before their conversion to Islam.
Plague, Psychology, and Religious Boundaries in Ottoman Anatolia
Authors: Ayalon Yaron
Published: May 2018

This article examines evidence from plague outbreaks in Ottoman Anatolia and its environs in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries. It argues that psychological rather than religious factors explained people’s reactions to calamities such as plague epidemics. Ottoman archival and European accounts of responses to plague outbreaks indicate confessional boundaries between Muslims and non-Muslims were rather fluid, thus undermining previous explanations that tied responses to plague to people’s affiliation with a religious group. Recent psychological studies on modern reactions to disasters help shed light on the choices Ottoman urbanites made when catastrophe was imminent.
Implicit Association Effects Between Sound and Food Images
Authors: Padulo Caterina , Tommasi Luca , Brancucci Alfredo
Published: May 2018

A growing body of empirical research documents the existence of several interesting crossmodal correspondences between auditory and gustatory/flavor stimuli, demonstrating that people can match specific acoustic and musical parameters with different tastes and flavors. In this context, a number of researchers and musicians arranged their own soundtracks so as to match specific tastes and used them for research purposes, revealing explicit crossmodal effects on judgments of taste comparative intensity or of taste/sound accordance. However, only few studies have examined implicit associations related to taste–sound correspondences. Thus, the present study was conducted in order to assess possible implicit effects associated to the crossmodal congruency/incongruency between auditory cues and food images during the classification of food tastes. To test our hypothesis, we used ‘salty’ and ‘sweet’ soundtracks with salty and sweet food images, and asked 88 participants to classify the taste of each food image while listening to the soundtracks. We found that sweet food images were classified faster than salty food images, regardless of which soundtrack was presented. Moreover, we found a congruency effect, demonstrating that such soundtracks are effective in eliciting facilitating effects of taste quality classification with congruent food images.
Typification of five neotropical species of Commelina (Commelinaceae)
Authors: HASSEMER GUSTAVO
Published: May 2018

Aiming at contributing to the knowledge of the neotropical Commelina, I designate here lectotypes for five species: C. bangii, C. hispida, C. leiocarpa, C. quitensis and C. reflexa. Images of the lectotypes are also provided. With the exception of C. leiocarpa, taxonomic and geographic knowledge of these species is extremely deficient.
A new species of Uropeltis Cuvier, 1829 (Serpentes: Uropeltidae) from the Anaikatty Hills of the Western Ghats of India
Authors: JINS V.J. , SAMPAIO FILIPA L. , GOWER DAVID J.
Published: May 2018

A new species of Uropeltis is described from a series of six type specimens from the Anaikatty Hills of the Western Ghats of Tamil Nadu, peninsular India. Uropeltis bhupathyi sp. nov. is distinguished from congeners by having more than 200 ventral scales, 17 dorsal scale rows at midbody and by the size and shape of the rostral and frontal shields. Although tens of specimens have been seen in the vicinity of the type locality (and previously reported as U. ellioti), the new species is known only from this locality and faces threats from road traffic, habitat loss and change, and possibly a condition that deforms heads and head shields which is at least superficially similar to snake fungal disease reported from wild snakes in North America and Europe.
Review of the grass feeding leafhopper genus Hecalus Stål (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Deltocephalinae) with description of four new species from Pakistan
Authors: NAVEED HASSAN , ZHANG YALIN
Published: May 2018

The leafhopper genus Hecalus Stål is reviewed first time from Pakistan. Four new species (H. erectus, H. muzaffarabadensis, H. snipus, and H. veracious, spp. nov.) with a new record of H. ghaurii Rao & Ramakrishnan, 1990 from Pakistan are described. A key to distinguish all Pakistani species in this genus is provided. Descriptions of male genitalia are provided for the known species.
Four new species of tribe Coelidiini (Hemiptera: Cicadellidae: Coelidiinae) from the Afrotropical Region
Authors: WANG XIU-DAN , DIETRICH CHRISTOPHER H. , ZHANG YA-LIN
Published: May 2018

Three new species from Republic of the Congo, Brasura sinistra, B. piscinura and Tialidia hama spp. nov., and one new species Limentinus declinatus sp. nov. from Madagascar are described and illustrated in this paper.
Morphology and taxonomy of the orb-weaving spider genus Mecynogea, and a peculiar species of Argiope (Araneae, Araneidae)
Authors: MARTINS PEDRO H. , SANTOS ADALBERTO J.
Published: May 2018

The spider genus Mecynogea comprises nine species distributed predominantly in the Neotropics. Although the genus has been revised recently, several aspects of its taxonomy and morphology are still unresolved. In this paper, Mecynogea infelix (Soares & Camargo, 1948) is removed from the synonymy of Mecynogea bigibba Simon, 1903 and redescribed. Mecynogea chavona Levi, 1997 is considered a junior synonym of M. infelix. The male of Mecynogea buique Levi, 1997 is described and illustrated for the first time. The internal female genitalia of M. buique and M. infelix is described and shown to be remarkably different from each other. We show that part of the intraspecific variation reported previously for the female of M. infelix is the result of epigynum mutilation, possibly during copulation. We also report the presence of an internal branch on the terminal apophysis in the male palp of Mecynogea species. This structure, in some species visible only on the expanded bulb, is shown to be present in all Cyrtophorinae. The internal branch of the terminal apophysis, together with the conductor fully fused to the tegulum, is herein proposed as synapomorphic for the subfamily. Mecynogea lemniscata (Walckenaer, 1841) is recorded for the first time in Bolivia. We also provide new Brazilian records for M. infelix, M. bigibba, M. buique, M. eryhtromela (Holmberg, 1876), and M. sucre Levi, 1997. Mecynogea carvalhoi Mello-Leitão, 1944, currently considered a nomen dubium, is revalidated, transferred to Argiope Audouin, 1826, redescribed and illustrated for the first time.
On a collection of deep-water shrimp (Crustacea, Decapoda) from the Dutch Caribbean, with the description of a new species of Pseudocoutierea
Authors: OLTHOF GABRIËL , BECKING LEONTINE E. , FRANSEN CHARLES H.J.M.
Published: May 2018

A collection of shrimp from deep reefs in the Dutch Caribbean is described. Most material originates from the Bonaire deep reef expedition (2013) by Wageningen Marine Research of Wageningen University. Some additional material was available from dives on Curaçao (2014). A new species of Pseudocoutierea Holthuis was recognized in the material collected off Bonaire. The new species is described and illustrated and its position in the phylogeny of the genus Pseudocoutierea analyzed. A key to the species in the genus is presented.
Argia angelae (Odonata: Zygoptera: Coenagrionidae) sp. nov. from Chapada dos Guimarães, Mato Grosso, Brazil
Authors: VILELA DIOGO SILVA , GUILLERMO-FERREIRA RHAINER , DEL-CLARO KLEBER , CORDERO-RIVERA ADOLFO
Published: May 2018

Argia angelae sp. nov. (Holotype ♂, BRAZIL, Mato Grosso, Chapada dos Guimarães, Rio Salgadeira (15°21'25" S, 55°49'51" W, 305 m), 1 xi 2015, D. S. Vilela leg., in LESTES, Cod. ACR 8173A) from Chapada dos Guimarães, Brazil is described, illustrated and diagnosed based on comparison with other known sympatric species of the genus. This species inhabits streams throughout the National Park and a map of its known distribution is provided.
Review of the Nearctic (north of Mexico) species of Elacatis Pascoe (Coleoptera: Salpingidae: Othniinae)
Authors: POLLOCK DARREN A.
Published: May 2018

The North American (north of Mexico) species of Elacatis were revised, based on external and genitalic structures of adults. Seven species are recognized, though the historical inclusion of E. fasciatus Bland among Nearctic species is very likely based on an erroneous collecting locality. Two new species are described, with type localities (counties only) in parentheses: E. larsoni (Nebraska: Box Butte County) and E. stephani (Arizona: Cochise County). The following new synonym is proposed: Othnius umbrosus LeConte 1861 = Othnius lugubris Horn 1868; therefore, only E. umbrosus (LeConte) is associated with dead/dying conifers in western North America. Larval E. umbrosus are thought to be xylophagous, while adults are very likely predaceous. Elacatis senecionis (Champion) and E. immaculatus (Champion) are recorded from north of Mexico for the first time. A lectotype is designated for Elacatis longicornis Horn. A key to the seven species in Canada and the United States is provided, supplemented with photographic images of habiti and selected structural features. Maps of known distributions, based on geo-referenced locality lists, are provided.
Taxonomic Status of the Streaked Saltator, Saltator striatipectus (Passeriformes: Thraupidae), from Puná Island, Ecuador
Authors: FREILE JUAN , BONACCORSO ELISA , AMIGO XAVIER , CADENA-ORTIZ HÉCTOR , NAVARRETE RONALD , AMIGO ZOÉ , PIEDRAHITA PAOLO , CHAVES JAIME A.
Published: May 2018

The Streaked Saltator, Saltator striatipectus, is an uncommon to common resident of open areas, cultivated land, gardens, and forest edges, with ten subspecies recognized from west Costa Rica through west Peru (Brewer 2016). Patterns of plumage variation, especially mantle color and streaking pattern below, are complex across subspecies and age classes (Chapman 1926; Ridgely & Tudor 2009; Brewer 2016). Until recently, S. striatipectus was considered conspecific with the Lesser Antillean Saltator S. albicollis, but separated on the basis of genetic differentiation despite overall plumage similarities (Seutin et al. 1993). Actually, S. striatipectus and S. albicollis are not each other’s closest relatives (Chaves et al. 2013).
Two new species of bent toed geckos, Cyrtodactylus Gray, 1827 (Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Northeast India with comments on name-bearing types from the region
Authors: AGARWAL ISHAN , MAHONY STEPHEN , GIRI VARAD B. , CHAITANYA R. , BAUER AARON M.
Published: May 2018

Two new species of the genus Cyrtodactylus are described based on collections from Northeast India, and descriptions and diagnoses of previously described species and synonyms from the region are provided. One of the new species from lowland habitats in Tripura is medium sized, with a continuous series of precloacal pores, and is allied to C. ayeyarwadyensis from Myanmar; while the other new species from West Bengal is smaller, with both femoral and precloacal pores, and is related to C. gubernatoris from West Bengal and Sikkim. We designate a lectotype for Cyrtodactylus khasiensis and recognize the C. khasiensis synonym Gymnodactylus himalayicus as a valid species of Cyrtodactylus based on morphological evidence, and suggest the recognition of the last remaining subspecies of C. khasiensis, C. k. cayuensis, as a valid species based on geography and morphology. The stabilization of the taxa Cyrtodactylus khasiensis and C. gubernatoris with a limited subset of characters and specific distributional data, as well as the elevation of Cyrtodactylus himalayicus comb. nov. from synonymy, will allow the descriptions of many more Cyrtodactylus species from the region.
The genus Clerotalia Jacoby of Taiwan (Coleoptera: Chrysomelidae: Galerucinae)
Authors: LEE CHI-FENG
Published: May 2018

Six new species within the genus Clerotalia Jacoby are described from Taiwan based on study of more than 340 specimens: C. cheni sp. nov., C. jungchani sp. nov., C. meihuai sp. nov., C. tsoui sp. nov., C. wulaiensis sp. nov., and C. yuae sp. nov.. Clerotilia shirozui (Kimoto, 1969) is regarded as a junior synonym of C. formosana (Chûjô, 1963). Adults were collected by sweeping food plants, including Rhamnus nakaharae and R. formosana (Rhamnaceae).
Description of two new species of Cryptinglisia Cockerell (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) associated with rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Lamiaceae) in Colombia
Authors: KONDO TAKUMASA , RODRÍGUEZ JOSÉ MAURICIO MONTES , DÍAZ MARÍA FERNANDA , LUNA OSCAR JAVIER DIX , GOENAGA EDGARD PALACIO
Published: May 2018

In this study, two new species of soft scale (Hemiptera: Coccomorpha: Coccidae) associated with rosemary, Rosmarinus officinalis L. (Lamiaceae) from Colombia, Cryptinglisia corpoica Kondo & Montes sp. nov. and Cryptinglisia ica Montes & Kondo sp. nov. are described and illustrated based on the adult female. Two other coccid species, namely Parasaissetia nigra (Nietner) and Saissetia coffeae (Walker), are newly recorded on rosemary. An identification key is presented to all species of soft scale that have been reported on Rosmarinus spp. An updated key to soft scale insects of the genus Cryptinglisia Cockerell is provided also.
Great Lakes Basin Snow-Cover Ablation and Synoptic-Scale Circulation
Authors: Suriano Zachary J. , Leathers Daniel J.
Published: May 2018

Synoptic-scale atmospheric conditions play a critical role in determining the frequency and intensity of snow-cover-ablation events. Using a synoptic weather-classification technique, distinct regional circulation patterns influencing the Great Lakes basin of North America are identified and examined in conjunction with daily snow-ablation events from 1960 to 2009. An ablation event is considered in this study to be an interdiurnal decrease in areal-weighted average snow depth of greater than 2.54 cm in magnitude over the entire Great Lakes basin. General meteorological characteristics associated with ablation-causing synoptic types are examined, and three individual case studies from prominent synoptic types are presented to understand the diversity of meteorological influences on regional snow ablation. Results indicate that a variety of synoptic weather conditions lead to snow ablation in the Great Lakes basin. The 10 most common synoptic types accounted for 66% of the 349 ablation events detected from 1960 to 2009. Snow ablation in the Great Lakes basin most commonly occurs when there is advection of warm and moist air into the region to provide the sensible and latent heat fluxes that are needed for melt, but ablation frequently occurs during rain-on-snow events and in instances of high pressure overhead. Ablation magnitude is highest during rain-on-snow synoptic types, and the interannual frequency of these types significantly decreased by 37% over 1960–2009. Conversely, the frequency of high-pressure-overhead synoptic types significantly increased by more than 30% from 1960 to 2009. Such changes may influence the hydrologic impact of these synoptic types on ablation over time.
Inter-Method Mixing as a Gateway to Methodological Innovation
Authors: Creamer Elizabeth G. , Schoonenboom Judith
Published: May 2018

We advance the idea that with the commitment to the intentional engagement of multiple sources of data or analytical procedures to explore complex problems as its core defining feature, the field of mixed methods may now be at a point that we can consider it as an inquiry logic that has the potential to spawn the construction of new methodologies. The special issue invites further conversation that builds on the challenge of mixing at the methodological level.
Designing Mixed Methods Research by Mixing and Merging Methodologies: A 13-Step Model
Authors: Schoonenboom Judith
Published: May 2018

In this article, a 13-step model is presented that researchers can follow in designing their own multimethodology research. A distinction is made between mixed methodology research, which contains two or more separate research strands, each designed according to a different methodology, and merged methodology research, in which a researcher creates a new methodology by combining elements from existing methodologies. First, the building blocks of our multimethodology approach are described, namely, research questions, methodologies, remote research purposes, immediate research purposes, research purpose types, scope, research strands, purpose of mixing, purpose of merging, and mixed and merged methodologies. Next, the 13-step model is presented, in which the building blocks are brought together in a coherent framework. The 13-step model is demonstrated using two real-life examples from research practice.
Attention Restoration Theory: Exploring the Role of Soft Fascination and Mental Bandwidth
Authors: Basu Avik , Duvall Jason , Kaplan Rachel
Published: May 2018

Soft fascination is a key but underexamined element of Attention Restoration Theory (ART). According to ART, attending to softly fascinating stimuli not only requires little effort but also leaves mental space for reflection. We propose that soft fascination can be characterized as the interaction of both attentional effort and mental bandwidth and hypothesize that the restorative potential of everyday activities can be categorized based on this interaction. In an online survey, 398 adults rated four activities on Mental Bandwidth (MB), Perceived Restorativeness (PR), and preference. Supporting the hypothesis, the results showed that walking in nature was perceived as softly fascinating, whereas watching television was a source of hard fascination. Furthermore, PR, but not MB, was highly correlated with preference. Findings are discussed in the context of developing a measure to help people better anticipate activities that may or may not be restorative.
Failure strength predictions for closed-cell polyvinyl chloride foams
Authors: Lo King H , Miyase Akira , Wang Su Su
Published: May 2018

This paper describes an effort to model mechanical strength of closed-cell polyvinyl chloride foams under static loading. The study presented here is a continuation of an earlier study to model elastic stiffness of closed-cell polyvinyl chloride foams as effective transversely isotropic materials. An engineering approach is used in the study and governing equations are developed for predicting the strength of polyvinyl chloride foams. To account for foam microstructure and cell-shape anisotropy on foam strength, a unit cell representation of the polyvinyl chloride foam microstructure is used to derive equations to assess tensile and shear strengths of polyvinyl chloride foams. The differential stretching of polyvinyl chloride foam cell walls (in the rise direction and in the in-plane directions) on the strength of the foam-matrix polymer is also taken into account in modeling the mechanical strength of polyvinyl chloride closed-cell foams. The behavior of closed-cell polyvinyl chloride foams under compression is different from that under tension. In the paper, the equations for predicting compressive strength of closed-cell polyvinyl chloride foams are based on an approximate theory developed in an earlier study of compressive strength of unidirectional composites. The validity of the foam strength predictive equations, derived in the paper, is first demonstrated through comparison of the predictions with the results on Divinycell H (DIAB) foams obtained from a systematic in-house test program. A comparison is also carried out between the strength predictions and the test results published by two polyvinyl chloride foam manufacturers for different density polyvinyl chloride foams. Good agreements are found for all the different density foams studied.
Wealth Elite Moralities: Wealthy Entrepreneurs’ Moral Boundaries
Authors: Kantola Anu , Kuusela Hanna
Published: May 2018

This article examines the moral boundary work of wealthy Finnish entrepreneurs belonging to the country’s top 0.1 per cent of earners. Through 28 semi-structured interviews, we show how these members of the wealth elite construct moral boundaries to legitimise their growing distance from other income groups in a Nordic welfare society. The super-rich entrepreneurs construct self-identities based on hard work, persistence and normality, draw moral boundaries between lazy and hard-working people and create moral distance between themselves and wage earners, the unemployed and public-sector workers. At the same time, these wealthy elite entrepreneurs challenge the moralities of Nordic welfare society. We thus posit that moral boundaries and boundary work should be explored as legitimising discourses embedded in the relations of economic and political power.
Short-term creep behavior of multi-axial warp knitted fabric-reinforced polyethylene matrix composites
Authors: Jing Lingxiao , Deng Peng Hu , Zhao Jing , Ting Wang , Jiang Jinhua , Zhang Tonghua
Published: May 2018

Short-term creep experiments of composites of polyethylene reinforced with polyester fiber multi-axial warp knitted (MWK) fabrics were carried out for tensile and shear modes in three directions. This work primarily focuses on using the Burgers and Findley models to obtain parameters associated with stress level, temperature, and structure of MWK fabrics. Specifically, the material parameter A of the Findley model has higher values at elevated temperatures, which is contrary to the impact of fiber content along the loading direction. The material parameter n rises with an increasing temperature and is not affected by the fiber content. In terms of the Burger parameters, material parameters E1, E2, and η1 have a downside as temperature increases. The relationship of these parameters with fiber content is contrary to their relationship with temperature. There is no significant effect of temperature and fiber content on relaxation time, whereas there is an upward trend of relaxation time with increases in stress.
The Ulysses Principle: A Criterial Framework for Reducing Bias When Enlisting the Work of Historians
Authors: Møller Jørgen , Skaaning Svend-Erik
Published: May 2018

The historical turn in social science has prompted scholars to engage with the work of historians on a large scale. Here, social scientists face two standard problems of selection bias: confirmation bias and convenience sampling. So far, the record of dealing with these problems has been poor, and little has been done to specify how social scientists can sift a broader body of historiography. We present a criterial framework that describes how social scientists can mitigate bias when using historical studies. We term the idea behind this framework the Ulysses Principle because it can be understood as a way of avoiding the siren call of confirmation bias when using historical sources as the primary evidentiary base. The framework includes considerations about conceptual consistency, the theoretical vantage points of historical sources, and updated evidence. The three criteria and the trade-offs between them are illustrated using two recent examples from comparative historical analyses.
Lost Letters: Using the Lost-letter Technique to Teach Social Research Methods
Authors: Reid Matt
Published: May 2018

Over 50 years ago, Stanley Milgram and colleagues published a short article detailing an unobtrusive experimental design they called the lost-letter technique. The technique involves placing stamped, unmailed letters in a community and using the relative rate of return to infer local attitudes toward political issues and social groups. Furthermore, the technique is simple and inexpensive enough to replicate in an introductory-level social science course as a means to familiarize students with social research methodology. This activity utilizes active learning with student-centered pedagogy, and this paper details the procedure, best practices, and student feedback. Students enjoy having a personal stake in the project and find they better understand social research through this active learning project. Instructors are encouraged to consider adopting the technique in their courses.
Immigrant integration and their negative sentiments toward recent immigrants: The case of Hong Kong
Authors: Fong Eric , Guo Hua
Published: May 2018

Negative sentiments toward recent immigrants should not be viewed as a dichotomous antagonistic relationship between the native-born population and immigrants. Our study, based on recent data collected from Hong Kong, shows that a considerable proportion of immigrants, especially those who arrived a longer time ago, have also adopted negative sentiments toward recent immigrants. The findings call for exploring how different waves of immigrants develop negative sentiments against recent immigrants. At the same time, policies should distinguish between the native-born population and immigrants so that policies can address the different concerns of these groups.
Attachment and Jealousy: Understanding the Dynamic Experience of Jealousy Using the Response Escalation Paradigm
Authors: Huelsnitz Chloe O. , Farrell Allison K. , Simpson Jeffry A. , Griskevicius Vladas , Szepsenwol Ohad
Published: May 2018

Jealousy is a complex, dynamic experience that unfolds over time in relationship-threatening situations. Prior research has used retrospective reports that cannot disentangle initial levels and change in jealousy in response to escalating threat. In three studies, we examined responses to the Response Escalation Paradigm (REP)—a 5-stage hypothetical scenario in which individuals are exposed to increasing levels of relationship threat—as a function of attachment orientations. Highly anxious individuals exhibited hypervigilant, slow escalation response patterns, interfered earlier in the REP, felt more jealousy, sadness, and worry when they interfered, and wanted to engage in more vigilant, destructive, and passive behaviors aimed at their partner. Highly avoidant individuals felt more anger when they interfered in the REP and wanted to engage in more partner-focused, destructive behaviors. The REP offers a dynamic method for inducing and examining jealousy and introduces a novel approach to studying other emotional experiences.
Vitalist Nation
Authors: McClure John A.
Published: May 2018

This article describes romantic vitalism as a postsecular tradition of energy mysticism and traces its elaboration over the last two centuries. It identifies a tension in vitalist thinking, which can tend either toward unregulated self-assertion or toward the proposition that “everything that lives is holy” and deserving of respect. This tension emerges in Blake, Whitman, and Nietzsche. And it distinguishes two of the most important literary manifestos of mid-twentieth century America, Rand’s Atlas Shrugged and Kerouac’s On the Road. Published in 1957 and immediate bestsellers, these works suggest an America divided by its allegiance to contradictory forms of vitalism.
David Foster Wallace’s Evangelicals: The Other Postsecularism
Authors: Douglas Christopher
Published: May 2018

As valuable as postsecularism theory has been for literary studies, it carried the baggage of the secularization thesis. A reading of David Foster Wallace’s “Good People” within its political context returns us to the “strong religion” against which postsecularist “weak religion” was initially posed. It is this return of strong religion – as the Christian Right – that has been the most transformational religious development in the postwar United States, even as it continues to be under-remarked in literary studies.
Some Thoughts on the State of Secularity in the Lowlands
Authors: Milota Megan
Published: May 2018

According to Peter Berger, “explaining European secularity, especially its contrast with the United States, is one of the most interesting topics for study.” As an American expat and scholar of contemporary American literature, this essay will address my own “intellectual curiosity” about European secularity: what kind of work it fosters and enables, and what it does not. In particular, I will focus on the pervasive secular “progress narrative” that continues to be protected and preserved in different academic departments at universities in Belgium and The Netherlands for various historical and cultural reasons, including those related to depillarization and laïcité.
A Secular for Literary Studies
Authors: Seidel Kevin
Published: May 2018

This essay criticizes two prevailing ways of thinking about the relationship between the secular and the religious—the way of enmity and the way of paradox—and affirms a third, more open-ended approach to the secular that looks to literature for what William Connolly calls “mundane transcendence.” The essay then shifts the focus of critical attention from the representation of religion in Marilynne Robinson’s Gilead and Orhan Pamuk’s Snow to their representation of “the secular.”
Why the Postsecular Matters
Authors: Branch Lori , Knight Mark
Published: May 2018

In the summer of 2016, the authors of this essay co-directed a four-week NEH Summer Seminar for faculty, titled “Postsecular Studies and the Rise of the English Novel, 1719–1897.” In this article, we explain why we think the postsecular matters, for literary studies in general and for our stories of the novel in particular. We draw heavily on our experience of the seminar: our preparations for it, the generous contributions of the participants, the points emerging from the large body of transformational material we read, and the intellectual life of our group over four weeks in Iowa.
Enslaved African conjure and ritual deposits on the Hume Plantation, South Carolina
Authors: Moses Sharon K
Published: May 2018

Twenty-one ritual deposits have been found in and around cabin sites along the slave street on the former Hume Plantation on Cat Island, South Carolina. Earliest deposits date back to the eighteenth century; however, evidence suggests ritual activity, known as conjure practices or hoodoo, continued after the Civil War among the emancipated Africans who chose to stay. The aim of this article is to present an alternative viewpoint that not all interpretations of enslaved African ritual activity or repurposed artifacts must be viewed through the lens of “resistance” but can be an expression of African agency to define new and multivariant spiritualties in light of changing identities, historical contexts, and value systems. These adaptations incorporated notions of social class and hierarchy as well as expanded spiritual symbolism from exposure to and interaction with Europeans and Native Americans. The result was a formation of religious syncretism.
Toxic Ties: The Reproduction of Legal Violence within Mixed-Status Intimate Partners, Relatives, and Friends
Authors: Del Real Deisy
Published: May 2018

This article introduces the concept of toxic ties to analyze how relationships between documented and undocumented people are impacted by governmental policies that sanction legal violence and unevenly distribute legal rights, protections, and benefits. Toxic ties are relationships in which a documented person abuses, exploits, or demeans his or her undocumented partners, relatives, or friends. Drawing on interviews with undocumented and US-born young adults in southern California, the article shows that as relationships between documented and undocumented people turn toxic, the resulting toxic ties reproduce legal violence in everyday life. Future research should further explore how toxic ties affect migrants’ life outcomes.
The development of a mouse model of mTBI-induced post-traumatic migraine, and identification of the delta opioid receptor as a novel therapeutic target
Authors: Moye Laura S , Novack Madeline L , Tipton Alycia F , Krishnan Harish , Pandey Subhash C , Pradhan Amynah AA
Published: May 2018

Background

Post-traumatic headache is the most common and long-lasting impairment observed following mild traumatic brain injury, and frequently has migraine-like characteristics. The mechanisms underlying progression from mild traumatic brain injury to post-traumatic headache are not fully understood. The aim of this study was to develop a mouse model of post-traumatic headache and identify mechanisms and novel targets associated with this disorder.

Methods

We combined the closed head weight-drop method and the nitroglycerin chronic migraine model. To induce mild traumatic brain injury, a weight was dropped onto intact crania of mildly anesthetized mice, and mechanical responses to chronic-intermittent administration of nitroglycerin, a human migraine trigger, were determined at multiple time points post-injury.

Results

Low dose nitroglycerin (0.1 mg/kg) evoked acute periorbital and hind paw allodynia in both mild traumatic brain injury and sham animals. However, only mild traumatic brain injury mice developed chronic hypersensitivity to low dose nitroglycerin. Migraine medications, sumatriptan and topiramate, inhibited post-traumatic headache-associated allodynia. In addition, the delta opioid receptor agonist, SNC80, also blocked post-traumatic headache-associated allodynia. Finally, we examined the expression of calcitonin gene-related peptide within this model and found that it was increased in trigeminal ganglia two weeks post-mild traumatic brain injury.

Conclusions

Overall, we have established a mouse model of post-traumatic headache and identified the delta opioid receptor as a novel therapeutic target for this disorder.
Pour un renouvellement du concept de situation: le cas de la situation de shopping en ligne à domicile
Authors: Michaud-Trévinal Aurélia , Stenger Thomas
Published: May 2018

Vingt ans après l’article prospectif d’Alba et al. (1997) consacré à l’achat interactif à domicile, cette recherche propose un examen de la situation de shopping en ligne à domicile (SHADO). Elle repose sur une observation des pratiques de SHADO afin de voir et de savoir ce qui se passe derrière l’écran. L’article distingue deux approches théoriques de la situation (classique et participative) et conduit à renouveler la conceptualisation de la situation autour du triptyque « participants –  dimension spatiale – dimension temporelle ». Les résultats mettent en évidence un acteur principal en interaction avec d’autres participants et des sites marchands, la mobilité spatiale et la matérialité de la situation ainsi que son caractère discontinu. La fragmentation de la situation de SHADO est soulignée. Outre l’élaboration d’un nouveau cadre conceptuel, la recherche conduit à relativiser l’immersion en ligne et à intégrer le SHADO au sein d’une véritable stratégie omni-canal.
Levels of Coercive Control Differentiate Between Groups of Victims of Intimate Partner Violence in Colombia
Authors: Jaramillo-Sierra Ana L. , Carvajal-Villalobos Luz A.
Published: May 2018

The authors used Johnson’s typology of intimate partner violence (IPV) to examine groupings of women experiencing physical violence within their intimate relationships according to coercive control levels. Analyses were conducted using data from the 2010 Colombian Demographic and Health Survey. In particular, the authors used a subsample of 12,237 ever-married (or cohabitating) women between the ages of 14 and 49 years, who reported at least one experience of physical violence. Exploratory and confirmatory cluster analyses demonstrated a good fit for a two-cluster solution based on coercive-control levels. Forty eight percent of women in the sample were classified in the high-control group. Comparisons between currently married and formerly married women evidenced formerly married women reported more physical violence, severe physical violence, physical consequences of violence, and psychological consequences of violence than currently married women. Furthermore, comparisons within the high-control group and the low-control group evidenced that formerly married women displayed higher scores in all six variables than currently married women. Findings from this study contribute to support Johnson’s control-based IPV theory and its application in Colombia.