bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
VirtualDesk: A Comfortable and Efficient Immersive Information Visualization Approach
Authors: Wagner Filho J. A. , Freitas C.M.D.S. , Nedel L.
Published: July 2018

3D representations are potentially useful under many circumstances, but suffer from long known perception and interaction challenges. Current immersive technologies, which combine stereoscopic displays and natural interaction, are being progressively seen as an opportunity to tackle this issue, but new guidelines and studies are still needed, especially regarding information visualization. Many proposed approaches are impractical for actual usage, resulting in user discomfort or requiring too much time or space. In this work, we implement and evaluate an alternative data exploration metaphor where the user remains seated and viewpoint change is only realisable through physical movements. All manipulation is done directly by natural mid‐air gestures, with the data being rendered at arm's reach. The virtual reproduction of the analyst's desk aims to increase immersion and enable tangible interaction with controls and two dimensional associated information. A comparative user study was carried out against a desktop‐based equivalent, exploring a set of 9 perception and interaction tasks based on previous literature and a multidimensional projection use case. We demonstrate that our prototype setup, named VirtualDesk, presents excellent results regarding user comfort and immersion, and performs equally or better in all analytical tasks, while adding minimal or no time overhead and amplifying user subjective perceptions of efficiency and engagement. Results are also contrasted to a previous experiment employing artificial flying navigation, with significant observed improvements.
Maps and Globes in Virtual Reality
Authors: Yang Yalong , Jenny Bernhard , Dwyer Tim , Marriott Kim , Chen Haohui , Cordeil Maxime
Published: July 2018

This paper explores different ways to render world‐wide geographic maps in virtual reality (VR). We compare: (a) a 3D exocentric globe, where the user's viewpoint is outside the globe; (b) a flat map (rendered to a plane in VR); (c) an egocentric 3D globe, with the viewpoint inside the globe; and (d) a curved map, created by projecting the map onto a section of a sphere which curves around the user. In all four visualisations the geographic centre can be smoothly adjusted with a standard handheld VR controller and the user, through a head‐tracked headset, can physically move around the visualisation. For distance comparison exocentric globe is more accurate than egocentric globe and flat map. For area comparison more time is required with exocentric and egocentric globes than with flat and curved maps. For direction estimation, the exocentric globe is more accurate and faster than the other visual presentations. Our study participants had a weak preference for the exocentric globe. Generally the curved map had benefits over the flat map. In almost all cases the egocentric globe was found to be the least effective visualisation. Overall, our results provide support for the use of exocentric globes for geographic visualisation in mixed‐reality.
Baseball Timeline: Summarizing Baseball Plays Into a Static Visualization
Authors: Ono Jorge P. , Dietrich Carlos , Silva Claudio T.
Published: July 2018

In sports, Play Diagrams are the standard way to represent and convey information. They are widely used by coaches, managers, journalists and fans in general. There are situations where diagrams may be hard to understand, for example, when several actions are packed in a certain region of the field or there are just too many actions to be transformed in a clear depiction of the play. The representation of how actions develop through time, in particular, may be hardly achieved on such diagrams. The time, and the relationship among the actions of the players through time, is critical on the depiction of complex plays. In this context, we present a study on how player actions may be clearly depicted on 2D diagrams. The study is focused on Baseball plays, a sport where diagrams are heavily used to summarize the actions of the players. We propose a new and simple approach to represent spatiotemporal information in the form of a timeline. We designed our visualization with a requirement driven approach, conducting interviews and fulfilling the needs of baseball experts and expert‐fans. We validate our approach by presenting a detailed analysis of baseball plays and conducting interviews with four domain experts.
Cosine‐Weighted B‐Spline Interpolation on the Face‐Centered Cubic Lattice
Authors: Rácz Gergely Ferenc , Csébfalvi Balázs
Published: July 2018

Cosine‐Weighted B‐spline (CWB) interpolation [Csé13] has been originally proposed for volumetric data sampled on the Body‐Centered Cubic (BCC) lattice. The BCC lattice is well known to be optimal for sampling isotropically band‐limited signals above the Nyquist limit. However, the Face‐Centered Cubic (FCC) lattice has been recently proven to be optimal for low‐rate sampling. The CWB interpolation is a state‐of‐the‐art technique on the BCC lattice, which outperforms, for example, the previously proposed box‐spline interpolation in terms of both efficiency and visual quality. In this paper, we show that CWB interpolation can be adapted to the FCC lattice as well, and results in similarly isotropic signal reconstructions as on the BCC lattice.
Rendering and Extracting Extremal Features in 3D Fields
Authors: Kindlmann G. , Chiw C. , Huynh T. , Gyulassy A. , Reppy J. , Bremer P.‐T.
Published: July 2018

Visualizing and extracting three‐dimensional features is important for many computational science applications, each with their own feature definitions and data types. While some are simple to state and implement (e.g. isosurfaces), others require more complicated mathematics (e.g. multiple derivatives, curvature, eigenvectors, etc.). Correctly implementing mathematical definitions is difficult, so experimenting with new features requires substantial investments. Furthermore, traditional interpolants rarely support the necessary derivatives, and approximations can reduce numerical stability. Our new approach directly translates mathematical notation into practical visualization and feature extraction, with minimal mental and implementation overhead. Using a mathematically expressive domain‐specific language, Diderot, we compute direct volume renderings and particle‐based feature samplings for a range of mathematical features. Non‐expert users can experiment with feature definitions without any exposure to meshes, interpolants, derivative computation, etc. We demonstrate high‐quality results on notoriously difficult features, such as ridges and vortex cores, using working code simple enough to be presented in its entirety.
SetCoLa: High‐Level Constraints for Graph Layout
Authors: Hoffswell Jane , Borning Alan , Heer Jeffrey
Published: July 2018

Constraints enable flexible graph layout by combining the ease of automatic layout with customizations for a particular domain. However, constraint‐based layout often requires many individual constraints defined over specific nodes and node pairs. In addition to the effort of writing and maintaining a large number of similar constraints, such constraints are specific to the particular graph and thus cannot generalize to other graphs in the same domain. To facilitate the specification of customized and generalizable constraint layouts, we contribute SetCoLa: a domain‐specific language for specifying high‐level constraints relative to properties of the backing data. Users identify node sets based on data or graph properties and apply high‐level constraints within each set. Applying constraints to node sets rather than individual nodes reduces specification effort and facilitates reapplication of customized layouts across distinct graphs. We demonstrate the conciseness, generalizability, and expressiveness of SetCoLa on a series of real‐world examples from ecological networks, biological systems, and social networks.
Multiscale Visualization and Exploration of Large Bipartite Graphs
Authors: Pezzotti Nicola , Fekete Jean‐Daniel , Höllt Thomas , Lelieveldt Boudewijn P.F. , Eisemann Elmar , Vilanova Anna
Published: July 2018

A bipartite graph is a powerful abstraction for modeling relationships between two collections. Visualizations of bipartite graphs allow users to understand the mutual relationships between the elements in the two collections, e.g., by identifying clusters of similarly connected elements. However, commonly‐used visual representations do not scale for the analysis of large bipartite graphs containing tens of millions of vertices, often resorting to an a‐priori clustering of the sets. To address this issue, we present the Who's‐Active‐On‐What‐Visualization (WAOW‐Vis) that allows for multiscale exploration of a bipartite social‐network without imposing an a‐priori clustering. To this end, we propose to treat a bipartite graph as a high‐dimensional space and we create the WAOW‐Vis adapting the multiscale dimensionality‐reduction technique HSNE. The application of HSNE for bipartite graph requires several modifications that form the contributions of this work. Given the nature of the problem, a set‐based similarity is proposed. For efficient and scalable computations, we use compressed bitmaps to represent sets and we present a novel space partitioning tree to efficiently compute similarities; the Sets Intersection Tree. Finally, we validate WAOW‐Vis on several datasets connecting Twitter‐users and ‐streams in different domains: news, computer science and politics. We show how WAOW‐Vis is particularly effective in identifying hierarchies of communities among social‐media users.
Interactive Investigation of Traffic Congestion on Fat‐Tree Networks Using TreeScope
Authors: Bhatia H. , Jain N. , Bhatele A. , Livnat Y. , Domke J. , Pascucci V. , Bremer P.‐T.
Published: July 2018

Parallel simulation codes often suffer from performance bottlenecks due to network congestion, leaving millions of dollars of investments underutilized. Given a network topology, it is critical to understand how different applications, job placements, routing schemes, etc., are affected by and contribute to network congestion, especially for large and complex networks. Understanding and optimizing communication on large‐scale networks is an active area of research. Domain experts often use exploratory tools to develop both intuitive and formal metrics for network health and performance. This paper presents TreeScope, an interactive, web‐based visualization tool for exploring network traffic on large‐scale fat‐tree networks. TreeScope encodes the network topology using a tailored matrix‐based representation and provides detailed visualization of all traffic in the network. We report on the design process of TreeScope, which has been received positively by network researchers as well as system administrators. Through case studies of real and simulated data, we demonstrate how TreeScope's visual design and interactive support for complex queries on network traffic can provide experts with new insights into the occurrences and causes of congestion in the network.
Quality Metrics for Information Visualization
Authors: Behrisch M. , Blumenschein M. , Kim N. W. , Shao L. , El‐Assady M. , Fuchs J. , Seebacher D. , Diehl A. , Brandes U. , Pfister H. , Schreck T. , Weiskopf D. , Keim D. A.
Published: July 2018

The visualization community has developed to date many intuitions and understandings of how to judge the quality of views in visualizing data. The computation of a visualization's quality and usefulness ranges from measuring clutter and overlap, up to the existence and perception of specific (visual) patterns. This survey attempts to report, categorize and unify the diverse understandings and aims to establish a common vocabulary that will enable a wide audience to understand their differences and subtleties. For this purpose, we present a commonly applicable quality metric formalization that should detail and relate all constituting parts of a quality metric. We organize our corpus of reviewed research papers along the data types established in the information visualization community: multi‐ and high‐dimensional, relational, sequential, geospatial and text data. For each data type, we select the visualization subdomains in which quality metrics are an active research field and report their findings, reason on the underlying concepts, describe goals and outline the constraints and requirements. One central goal of this survey is to provide guidance on future research opportunities for the field and outline how different visualization communities could benefit from each other by applying or transferring knowledge to their respective subdomain. Additionally, we aim to motivate the visualization community to compare computed measures to the perception of humans.
Management of cytologic material, preanalytic procedures and biobanking in lymph node cytopathology
Authors: Barroca Helena , Bode‐Lesniewska Beata , Cozzolino Immacolata , Zeppa Pio
Published: July 2018

The range of pathologies that lymph node (LN) fine needle cytology (FNC) may encounter is extremely wide and ancillary techniques, in addition to traditional smears, are generally required to reach reliable cytologic diagnoses. Storing part of the cytologic material may be useful or necessary for molecular testing. The main difficulties concern the generally small size of the sample and the different methods of acquisition ofLN‐FNC. Therefore, the preanalytic phase is extremely important forLN‐FNC. This article outlines the management ofLN‐FNCmaterial, vials, technical devices (e.g.: additional smears, cytospin slides, LBC slides, cards, resins, etc.) and main ancillary techniques to assess their optimal application, taking into account the different diagnostic needs and cell storage.
Psychosoziale Belastung und Unterstützungswunsch von Hauttumorpatienten – Einfluss des Behandlungs‐Settings
Authors: Buchhold Britta , Lutze Stine , Arnold Andreas , Jülich Andreas , Daeschlein Georg , Wendler Martin , Jünger Michael , Hannich Hans‐Joachim
Published: July 2018

Hintergrund

Diagnose und Behandlung einer Krebserkrankung bringen für Betroffene und Angehörige oft vielfältige Probleme mit sich. Um eine adäquate psychoonkologische und soziale Betreuung zu gewährleisten, wird die routinemäßige Erfassung der psychosozialen Belastung empfohlen. Während die stationären psychosozialen Angebote in den vergangenen Jahren ausgebaut wurden, ist gerade in Mecklenburg‐Vorpommern die ambulante psychoonkologische Versorgungstruktur unbefriedigend. Uns interessierte: Variiert der psychosoziale Betreuungsbedarf in Abhängigkeit von (a) Behandlungs‐Setting (ambulant vs. stationär) und (b) Diagnose und (c) wünschen belastete Patienten Unterstützung?

Patienten und Methodik

Ambulante und stationäre Hauttumorpatienten wurden gebeten, ihre psychosoziale Situation mittels Hornheider Fragebogen einzuschätzen. Erfragt wurden auch der Wunsch nach psychosozialer Unterstützung und der bevorzugte Unterstützungsgeber.

Ergebnisse

(a) Das Behandlungs‐Setting hat keinen Einfluss auf die Betreuungsbedürftigkeit und den Unterstützungswunsch. (b) Der Betreuungsbedarf der 251 Patienten variiert abhängig von der Diagnose. (c) Trotz Abweichung korrelieren Betreuungsbedürftigkeit (39,0 %; n = 98/251) und Unterstützungswunsch (14,3 %; n = 35/245) signifikant. d) Belastete Patienten wählen hauptsächlich Arzt und Psychologen als potentielle Ansprechpartner.

Schlussfolgerungen

(1) Zusätzlich zur Belastung sollte der Unterstützungswunsch erfragt werden. (2) Die Empfehlung der Ärzte stellt einen wichtigen Zugangsweg zu psychoonkologischen Angeboten dar. (3) Ambulante Unterstützungsangebote sollten ausgebaut werden.
Update of the S1 guidelines on the definition and treatment of primary hyperhidrosis
Authors: Rzany Berthold , Bechara Falk G. , Feise Konstantin , Heckmann Marc , Rapprich Stefan , Wörle Birgit
Published: July 2018

Focal hyperhidrosis can have a considerable impact on social and occupational activities and be associated with significant impairment in quality of life. Primary (idiopathic) hyperhidrosis is neither caused by systemic disorders nor by external factors. It usually occurs in areas characterized by a high density of sweat glands such as the axillae and hands. The diagnosis of focal hyperhidrosis is based on history and clinical findings. Supplementary diagnostic tests include gravimetry (measurement of the amount of sweat) and the iodine starch test (which shows the area of sweating). Treatment options consist of topical agents, botulinum toxin A injections, iontophoresis, treatment with radiofrequency, microwaves, or ultrasound as well as surgical procedures (axillary suction curettage, sympathectomy). Systemic agents such as anticholinergics may also be used. Selection of the most appropriate therapeutic approach depends on the site affected, prior treatment as well as the patient's requests.
Opposing responses to drought shape spatial population dynamics of declining grassland birds
Authors: Wilson Scott , Smith Adam C. , Naujokaitis‐Lewis Ilona
Published: July 2018

Aim

The joint threats of climate and land‐use change require an understanding of how environmental variation influences species abundance and distribution. However, most species distribution models use static data and methods without considering how species respond over multiple temporal and spatial scales. Using a novel analytical approach, we show how multiscalar environmental variation drives spatial population dynamics of mobile species.

Location

Great Plains, North America.

Methods

We developed a spatial hierarchical model of abundance using long‐term citizen science data for two severely declining species (Lark Bunting, Calamospiza melanocorys, Chestnut‐collared Longspur, Calcarius ornatus). Specifically, we (a) compared regional variation in range‐wide abundance and population trends, (b) evaluated the influence of short‐term and long‐term drought on range dynamics and (c) tested whether regional population dynamics are spatially autocorrelated by environmental conditions occurring in geographically separated areas.

Results

Both species exhibited long‐term range‐wide declines >70% with contraction towards the range core. Lark Buntings showed opposing responses to environmental variation; regional abundance increased with wetter conditions during arrival on the breeding grounds but also with longer‐term (4‐year) drought conditions. Chestnut‐collared Longspurs showed no response to drought at either temporal scale. We found strong evidence that Lark Bunting abundance in the southern portion of the range increases with favourable environmental conditions leading to subsequent declines in abundance in northern regions.

Main conclusions

Our results highlight how (a) species can show opposing responses to the same environmental variable at different temporal and spatial scales, (b) sympatric species vary in their propensity to track environmental conditions and (c) for latitudinal migrants, environmental conditions along the migration pathway can influence settlement patterns with conditions in southern regions impacting abundance in the north. Our analysis indicates that an understanding of how global change impacts mobile species distributions will require range‐wide assessments incorporating response to environmental conditions across temporal and spatial scales.
Transplantation of photoreceptor precursor cells into the retina of an adult Drosophila
Authors: Suzuki Takahisa , Oochi Keita , Hakeda‐Suzuki Satoko , Suzuki Takashi
Published: July 2018

Blindness caused by the disconnection between photoreceptor cells and the brain can be cured by restoring this connection through the transplantation of retinal precursor neurons. However, even after transplanting these cells, it is still unclear how to guide the axons over the long distance from the retina to the brain. To establish a method of guiding the axons of transplanted neurons, we used the Drosophila visual system. By testing different conditions, including the dissociation and preincubation length, we have successfully established a method to transplant photoreceptor precursor cells isolated from the developing eye discs of third‐instar larvae into the adult retina. Moreover, we overexpressed N‐cadherin (CadN) in the transplant, since it is known to be broadly expressed in the optic lobe well after developmental stages, continuing through adult stages. We found that promoting the cell adhesive properties using CadN enhances the axonal length of the grafted photoreceptor neurons and therefore is useful for future transplantation. We tested the overexpression of a CadN::Frazzled chimeric receptor and found that there was no difference in axonal length from our wild‐type transplants, suggesting that the intracellular domain of CadN is necessary for axonal elongation. Altogether, using the Drosophila visual system, we have established an excellent platform for exploring the molecules required for proper axon extension of transplanted neuronal cells. Future studies building from this platform will be useful for regenerative therapy of the human nervous system based on transplantation.
Pathogens in space: Advancing understanding of pathogen dynamics and disease ecology through landscape genetics
Authors: Kozakiewicz Christopher P. , Burridge Christopher P. , Funk W. Chris , VandeWoude Sue , Craft Meggan E. , Crooks Kevin R. , Ernest Holly B. , Fountain‐Jones Nicholas M. , Carver Scott
Published: July 2018

Landscape genetics has provided many insights into how heterogeneous landscape features drive processes influencing spatial genetic variation in free‐living organisms. This rapidly developing field has focused heavily on vertebrates, and expansion of this scope to the study of infectious diseases holds great potential for landscape geneticists and disease ecologists alike. The potential application of landscape genetics to infectious agents has garnered attention at formative stages in the development of landscape genetics, but systematic examination is lacking. We comprehensively review how landscape genetics is being used to better understand pathogen dynamics. We characterize the field and evaluate the types of questions addressed, approaches used and systems studied. We also review the now established landscape genetic methods and their realized and potential applications to disease ecology. Lastly, we identify emerging frontiers in the landscape genetic study of infectious agents, including recent phylogeographic approaches and frameworks for studying complex multihost and host‐vector systems. Our review emphasizes the expanding utility of landscape genetic methods available for elucidating key pathogen dynamics (particularly transmission and spread) and also how landscape genetic studies of pathogens can provide insight into host population dynamics. Through this review, we convey how increasing awareness of the complementarity of landscape genetics and disease ecology among practitioners of each field promises to drive important cross‐disciplinary advances.
Characterization of vacuum‐annealed TiNb2O7 as high potential anode material for lithium‐ion battery
Authors: Inada Ryoji , Mori Tomoya , Kumasaka Rei , Ito Ryuta , Tojo Tomohiro , Sakurai Yoji
Published: July 2018

Electrochemical properties of mixed titanium‐niobium oxide TiNb2O7 (TNO) synthesized via vacuum annealing as high potential anode material for lithium‐ion batteries were investigated. Crystal structure, size, and morphology are nearly independent of the annealing atmosphere for starting materials but the color of vacuum‐annealed TNO (TNO‐V) is dark blue while white for the air‐annealed one (TNO‐A). X‐ray photoelectron spectroscopy analysis also indicated that Ti4+ and Nb5+ in TNO are partially reduced into Ti3+ and Nb4+ due to the introduction of oxygen vacancy. Electronic conductivity for TNO‐V was around 10−3 S cm−1 at room temperature and much higher than that for TNO‐A (=10−11 S cm−1). In electrochemical testing, both TNO‐A and TNO‐V electrodes showed reversible capacity of 260‐270 mAh g−1 at low current density of 0.5 mA cm−2, while at higher current density of 5.0 mA cm−2, TNO‐V electrode retained higher reversible capacity of 140 mAh g−1 than that for TNO‐A electrode (=80 mAh g−1). The enhancement of intrinsic electronic conductivity greatly contributes to improve the rate performance of TNO.
Audit committees' involvement and the effects of quality in the internal audit function on corporate governance
Authors: Abdullah Razimah , Ismail Zubaidah , Smith Malcolm
Published: July 2018

Extant literature has investigated extensively the structure of the internal audit functions and the structure of audit committees and their associations with internal audit quality and the effectiveness of internal audit functions. However, few studies have investigated the activities and processes involved in internal audits. This study goes beyond the “black box” approach to investigate an audit committee's involvement in the four stages of the internal audit performance—planning, execution, reporting, and monitoring—and its corresponding impact on internal audit performance quality. In this study, data were collected by questionnaires sent to the chief internal auditors of Malaysian public listed companies. The study establishes the link between internal audit quality to corporate governance by relating internal audit quality to the number and nature of recommendations made by the internal audit teams to improve on the various dimensions of corporate governance as identified by the World Bank's corporate governance framework. The results indicate that high performance in internal auditing is associated with more recommendations to improve corporate governance dimensions. The results also suggest that specific reviews by the audit committees on internal audit activities affect audit quality or overall internal audit performance and in the quality of various stages of internal audit, particularly audit planning.
Mission in Pentecostal Theology
Authors: Kärkkäinen Veli‐Matti
Published: July 2018

The purpose of this essay is to seek to discern as accurately as possible some key theological resources and impulses that stand behind global Pentecostal mission, whose tremendous growth has caught the attention of scholars and practitioners alike. After outlining a profile of key factors believed to be behind missionary enthusiasm and discerning the current state of the emerging Pentecostal missiological scholarship, the essay seeks to provide a fairly comprehensive theological analysis of leading motifs. The essay suggests that the following theological themes undergird Pentecostal missiology, namely a keen eschatological expectation, the pursuit of a distinctively Pentecostal “Full Gospel,” the vision of a holistic salvation, and the reliance on the power and energies of the Holy Spirit. Since Pentecostal theological analysis is still in the making, the current writing should be considered as an interim report.
Observations on Pentecostal Participation in Formal Ecumenical Dialogue
Authors: Stephenson Christopher A.
Published: July 2018

As analysis of the implications of global Pentecostalism for ecumenism continues, we can learn much by examining the formal ecumenical dialogues in which Pentecostals have participated. Among these dialogues, both between Pentecostals and other Christian traditions and between Oneness and trinitarian Pentecostals, the Catholic–Pentecostal dialogue is especially instructive. As Pentecostals continue to dialogue, they should employ the methodology of lex orandi, lex credendi, reflect on the requirements and responsibilities of their dialogue participation, and return to previous topics in their dialogues that may be ripe for reconsideration.
The Pentecostal Church in Slovakia and the Common Witness of Evangelical Churches in the Spirit of Partnership and Cooperation
Authors: Soltesova Viktoria
Published: July 2018

This study aims to describe the Pentecostal Church in Slovakia in the scope of current ecumenical cooperation and dialogue. The Apostolic Church is a member of the Union of Evangelical Churches in Slovakia, which established the Department of Theology and Christian Education (DETM) at the University of Matej Bel. Since 1994, individual churches have continued together in ecumenical cooperation in the education of their young spiritual workers. The curriculum includes academic interpretation and missiological reflection on selected parts of mission. It offers the practical efforts of the teachers and students, especially from the viewpoint of the churches' common witness in diversity. The curriculum of the study programme for theologians interprets the two mission documents Together towards Life (TTL) and The Cape Town Commitment (CTC) from a Slovakian evangelical theological view and applies it practically in context. This paper introduces DETM's educational programme in mission and ecumenism and examines how it embodies the values and concepts of those two mission documents through its activities. Special interest is focused on the topic of the practice of common witness in a spirit of partnership and cooperation.
Missio Dei Trinitatis and Missio Ecclesiae: A Public Theological Perspective
Authors: Youn Chul‐Ho
Published: July 2018

In this article I address the mission of the triune God (missio Dei trinitatis) and the mission of the church (missio ecclesiae) that participates in the mission of God the Trinity, particularly from the perspective of public theology. First, I investigate that the concept of the missio Dei trinitatis so expanded our understanding of mission that the church‐centred view of mission was replaced by the public mission taking place in the midst of the world. Second, from the public theological perspective I argue for the need of the diakonia mission in order to realize the reign of God in the world. Third, I insist that the mission of the church participating in the mission of the triune God ought to appropriate the post‐colonial hermeneutics of suspicion and develop a post‐post‐colonial public mission theology for the sake of a mature democratic civil society. Fourth, I suggest that the mission of the church participating in God's mission should develop a transcultural‐indigenous public hermeneutics of mission in such a way as to encourage different stories through transcultural‐indigenous interpretations of the biblical narrative.
The effect of neuraminidase inhibitors on household transmission in Japanese patients with influenza A and B infection: A prospective, observational study
Authors: Hirotsu Nobuo , Saisho Yutaka , Hasegawa Takahiro
Published: July 2018

Background

The relative ability of neuraminidase inhibitors (NAIs) to reduce household influenza transmission when given to index patients is not established.

Objectives

To compare daily secondary infection rates (SIR) of influenza A (A/H1pdm and A/H3) and B in households of index patients treated with oseltamivir, zanamivir, laninamivir, or peramivir.

Patients/Methods

This Japanese, single‐center, prospective, observational study (UMIN‐CTR: UMIN000024650) enrolled index patients with confirmed influenza who were treated with an NAI during 6 influenza seasons (2010‐2016). Secondary infection patients were household members diagnosed with the same influenza subtype 1‐7 days after onset in the index patient. Daily SIR was calculated using a modified Reed‐Frost model. The rate of household members with secondary infection and proportion of households with any secondary infection were also calculated.

Results

Index patients with influenza A (n = 1146) or B (n = 661) were enrolled (~3400 total index and secondary patients). Daily SIR for all virus subtypes was highest when oseltamivir was used (eg, unadjusted estimate: type A, 1.47% vs 0.71%‐1.13%; type B, 1.30% vs 0.59%‐0.88%). Pairwise comparisons revealed significant differences in daily SIR between NAIs for influenza type A, type B, and subtype A/H3; for example, for type A, SIR was significantly higher with oseltamivir than with peramivir or zanamivir. The rate of household members with secondary infection and proportion of households with any secondary infection also varied between NAIs.

Conclusions

Neuraminidase inhibitors differed in their ability to reduce household influenza transmission; transmission was highest with oseltamivir. Physicians may consider effects on household transmission when deciding which NAI to prescribe.
Thermodynamic properties of Si(OH)4(g) based on combined experimental and quantum chemistry data
Authors: Plyasunov Andrey V. , Zyubin Alexander S. , Zyubina Tatiana S.
Published: July 2018

The volatility of silicon‐based ceramics in combustion environments is primarily controlled by the formation of gaseous Si(OH)4. The heat capacities and entropies of this species at 298.15‐2100 K and P = 0.1 MPa have been studied with the B3LYP density functional theory for the 6‐311+G(d,p) basis set in different approximations: a harmonic oscillator, an anharmonic oscillator, and with corrections for hindered rotors. Experimentally based Gibbs energies of Si(OH)4(g) at 424‐1661 K have been employed to evaluate the Gibbs energy of formation, , and the entropy, , of Si(OH)4(g) at = 298.15 K and P = 0.1 MPa. We found that the QC and “experimental” values are very close for the harmonic and anharmonic oscillator approximations, but not for the “hindered rotor” approximation. This conclusion is also supported by calculations of the OH rotational energy for Si(OH)4 molecule, where the potential barrier was found to exceed 12 kJ/mol. Finally, we recommend the thermodynamic properties of Si(OH)4 in the ideal gas state at P = 0.1 MPa over the temperature range of 298‐2100 K.
Teacher practices during Year 4 of a one‐to‐one mobile learning initiative
Authors: Reichert Michael , Mouza Chrystalla
Published: July 2018

This study examines the ways in which all nine middle school teachers in a private school for boys in the United States integrated mobile devices with content and pedagogy 4 years into the implementation of a one‐to‐one initiative. It also examines teacher perceptions of the benefits and challenges related to the implementation of mobile devices in real classroom contexts. Data were collected from multiple sources including teacher lesson plans, classroom observations, and interviews. Data collection and analysis were situated in the framework of Technological Pedagogical Content Knowledge (TPACK), which is used to examine teacher knowledge and observed evidence of TPACK during classroom instruction. Results indicated that teachers were able to draw connections among mobile devices, content, and pedagogy to support student experiences. Results, however, indicated variability in teacher practice and pointed to the important role of continuous professional learning. Findings have implications for researchers and practitioners involved in the design and implementation of one‐to‐one initiatives.
Head‐to‐head trials of systemic psoriasis therapies: a systematic review of study design and maximum acceptable treatment differences
Authors: Wan M.T. , Alvarez J. , Shin D.B. , Dommasch E.D. , Wu J.J. , Gelfand J.M.
Published: July 2018

There is increasing use of head‐to‐head clinical trials in dermatology when establishing the efficacy of a new treatment. Active comparator trials (ACTs) can be classified into three distinct study trial designs: non‐inferiority, equivalence and superiority. A better understanding of the statistical parameters, such as acceptable treatment differences (also known as the margin or delta), is necessary to properly design and interpret findings of active comparator trials (ACTs) in the field of dermatology. Therefore, the objective of this study was to summarize the maximum acceptable treatment differences in clinical trials that examine the efficacy of an oral or biologic psoriasis therapy with an active comparator. We conducted a systematic search using MEDLINE, Scopus, EMBASE, Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials, LILACS, Web of Science and ClinicalTrials.gov from inception to 31 August 2017. All ACTs with adult participants that had a primary outcome of the Psoriasis Area and Severity Index score were included. Bibliographies of articles were further reviewed. Two investigators independently assessed for article inclusion and separately completed data extraction of predefined data points. When there was a disagreement, a third investigator was consulted. Of the 49 ACTs included, there were 13 superiority, eight non‐inferiority and seven equivalence trials. Another 21 studies had inadequate information for classification. All of the non‐inferiority trials reported the margin, one of the superiority and six of the equivalence trials stated the treatment difference explicitly. For superiority trials, acceptable treatment differences ranged from 14% to 20%. The non‐inferiority studies reported lower bound margins ranging from −20% to −10%. The equivalence trials reported upper and lower bound margins ranging from ±12.5% to ±18%. The results demonstrate the need for harmonization in the conduct of dermatological clinical trials and in the approaches of reporting research parameters.
Enhance quality care performance: Determination of the variables for establishing a common database in French paediatric critical care units
Authors: Recher Morgan , Bertrac Caroline , Guillot Camille , Baudelet Jean Benoit , Karaca‐Altintas Yasemin , Hubert Hervé , Leclerc Francis , Leteurtre Stéphane ,   the French Group for Pediatric Intensive Care and Emergencies (GFRUP)
Published: July 2018

Selected variables for the French Paediatric Intensive Care registry.

Rationale, aims, and objectives

Providing quality care requires follow‐up in regard to clinical and economic activities. Over the past decade, medical databases and patient registries have expanded considerably, particularly in paediatric critical care medicine (eg, the Paediatric Intensive Care Audit Network (PICANet) in the UK, the Australian and New Zealand Paediatric Intensive Care (ANZPIC) Registry in Australia and New Zealand, and the Virtual Paediatric Intensive Care Unit Performance System (VPS) in the USA). Such a registry is not yet available in France. The aim of this study was to determine variables that ought to be included in a French paediatric critical care registry.

Methods

Variables, items, and subitems from 3 foreign registries and 2 French local databases were used. Items described each variable, and subitems described items. The Delphi method was used to evaluate and rate 65 variables, 90 items, and 17 subitems taking into account importance or relevance based on input from 28 French physicians affiliated with the French Paediatric Critical Care Group. Two ratings were used between January and May 2013.

Results

Fifteen files from 10 paediatric intensive care units were included. Out of 65 potential variables, 48 (74%) were considered to be indispensable, 16 (25%) were considered to be optional, and 1 (2%) was considered to be irrelevant. Out of 90 potential items, 62 (69%) were considered to be relevant, 23 (26%) were considered to be of little relevance, and 5 (6%) were considered to be irrelevant. Out of 17 potential subitems, 9 (53%) were considered to be relevant, 6 (35%) were considered to be of little relevance, and 2 (12%) were considered to be irrelevant.

Conclusions

The necessary variables that ought to be included in a French paediatric critical care registry were identified. The challenge now is to develop the French registry for paediatric intensive care units.
Quality comparison of grass carp and salmon fillets packaged in modified atmosphere with different composite films
Authors: Zhu Zhiwei , Gao Hai , Gao Tingting , Sun Da‐Wen
Published: July 2018

Grass carp fillets (without dark meat) and salmon fillets were stored in modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) with a gas mixture of 10% O2, 60% CO2, and 30% N2 for up to 12 days at 4 °C. Effects of three commercial MAP composite films, that is, F1 from Sealed Air, F2 from Amcor, and F3 from Bemis, on contents of CO2 and O2, and quality indicators including total viable count (TVC), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB‐N), thiobarbituric acid (TBA), K value, pH, and color difference were investigated. It was observed that O2 content, pH, and TBA in grass carp fillets were higher than those of salmon fillets, while CO2 content and color difference were lower. F1 could maintain the quality of both fillets better than F2 and F3, with F3 being the worst. Principal component analysis showed the scores of F1, F2, and F3 for packaging grass carp and salmon fillets were 24.840, 26.570, and 25.162, and 24.863, 27.086, and 24.878, respectively, with F1 being the best for keeping the quality. The relationship between rate constant k and film oxygen permeability for describing kinetic change of TVC and TVB‐N during MAP storage for both fillets were also determined in the study.

Practical applications

Grass carp and salmon are very common species of fish with the largest reported production internationally. As highly perishable products, the extension of their shelf‐life is an important issue for in the industry. Modified atmosphere packaging (MAP) is an effective method for extending the shelf life of fresh foods. This study compared three commercial MAP composite films, that is, F1 from Sealed Air, F2 from Amcor, and F3 from Bemis, on contents of CO2 and O2, and quality indicators including total viable count (TVC), total volatile basic nitrogen (TVB‐N), thiobarbituric acid (TBA), K value, pH, and color difference for grass carp fillets (without dark meat) and salmon fillets stored in MAP, and indicated that F1 with composition of PP/Tie/Nylon6/EVOH/Nylon6/Tie/LLDPE was the best for keeping their quality. The current results should provide valuable information for the industry and retailers to supply high quality fresh aquatic products to the consumers.
Methods to model impermeable URBAN areas using soil moisture characteristics
Authors: Pereira Luciana Escalante , de Oliveira Everton Falcão , da Rosa Oliveira Maxwell , Marques Amorim Gustavo , Grigio Alfredo Marcelo , Filho Antonio Conceição Paranhos
Published: July 2018

Impervious, “waterproofed” soil affects both large cities and small towns and causes several problems, with flooding being the most more evident. In the context of impermeability, the application of remote sensing techniques facilitates the identification of prime areas in urban centres that require intervention for flood control. The present work combined radiometric data from the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index and the Normalized Difference Water Index to identify impermeability models for urban centres and generated two impermeable surface analysis methods: the Surface Waterproofing Index (SWI) and the Urban Surface Waterproofing Index (USWI). The two methods were tested in Corumba and Ladario, urban centres with humid climates and located in the Brazilian Pantanal. Statistically, both methods were considerably successful (>75%), with SWI obtaining better results. The USWI did not perform as well at measuring waterproofing levels, producing results that were more useful for indicating whether an area was impermeable or not.
Caregiving experiences, coping strategies and needs of foreign domestic workers caring for older people
Authors: Heng Juit Lin , Fan Emilia , Chan Ee‐Yuee
Published: July 2018

Background

In societies with ageing populations, foreign domestic workers are essential to provide care for older people in the community. Despite an increasing trend of employing foreign domestic workers as live‐in caregivers to older people, limited research has been done to understand their caregiving experiences and coping strategies.

Aims and objectives

To explore the caregiving experiences and coping strategies of foreign domestic workers caring for older people in Singapore.

Design

Descriptive qualitative study.

Methods

This study was conducted in a large hospital in Singapore. Purposive sampling was used. Participants had to be able to converse in English and employed as foreign domestic workers to provide care to individuals aged 60 years and above, and needed assistance in at least one activity of daily living. Face‐to‐face in‐depth interviews were conducted until data saturation was achieved. Interviews were audio‐recorded and transcribed verbatim. Transcribed data were analysed using thematic analysis.

Results

We interviewed 11 participants. Their mean age was 35 years, and they provided caregiving for about 20 hours daily. Eleven subthemes were identified and were organised into four main themes. These themes were “Juggling with Caregiving and Additional Responsibilities,” “Facing Challenges,” “Coping strategies” and “Seeking support.”

Conclusions

Findings showed that many foreign domestic workers lacked the needed physical rest and support for them to recharge, and they were stressed caring for older people with behavioural issues. The findings highlighted the need for more physical rest, social support and caregiver training on behavioural management for foreign domestic workers.

Relevance to clinical practice

The findings could aid the understanding of the challenges and needs of foreign domestic workers and thereafter assist in development of relevant community nursing, social support and training on disruptive behavioural management for foreign domestic workers for them to effectively care for older people in the community.
Health‐related quality of life in diabetes mellitus and its social, demographic and clinical determinants: A nationwide cross‐sectional survey
Authors: Rodríguez‐Almagro Julián , García‐Manzanares Álvaro , Lucendo Alfredo J. , Hernández‐Martínez Antonio
Published: July 2018

Aims and objectives

To investigate health‐related quality of life in a representative sample of adults with diabetes mellitus in Spain, as well as its clinical and sociodemographic determinants.

Background

Diabetes mellitus is a chronic disease causing considerable morbidity and mortality worldwide, resulting in an impaired quality of life in affected people.

Design

A nationwide cross‐sectional study, based on an online survey and carried out between February–March 2016, was performed on diabetic subjects recruited through diabetic patients’ organisations.

Methods

A validated Spanish‐language version of the self‐administered Diabetes Quality of Life questionnaire was used, with 0 being the worst and 100 the best QoL level. Determinant factors of health‐related quality of life were assessed with the aid of multivariate analysis to control for confounding factors.

Results

The responses provided by 456 patients (52.4% being women) revealed an overall mean score of 66.4 ± 13.3. Social/vocational worries and diabetes‐related worries were the dimensions with the highest (74.3 ± 20.1) and lowest (61.1 ± 20.6) scores, respectively. Younger age, female gender, having no studies and poor glycaemic control were all independent determinants for an impaired overall health‐related quality of life, with most of these factors having a higher impact than the dimensions negative impact of therapy on daily life, satisfaction with therapy and diabetes‐related worries. Married (or equivalent) subjects had better scores in the diabetes‐related worries dimension. The perception of health‐related quality of life progressively worsens as glycaemic control deteriorates and with an increased number of disease complications. Most of the associations did not vary significantly with the type of diabetes mellitus.

Conclusion

Overall health‐related quality of life perception in the Spanish diabetic population is moderate and depends on several sociodemographic factors. Adequate glycaemic control to avoid disease complications improves perception.

Relevance to clinical practice

The results can help health professionals to develop strategies to promote diabetic patient self‐care, in order to improve the metabolic control of the disease and avoid its complications, as a therapeutic goal towards an improvement in health‐related quality of life perception.