bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Ever Use of E-Cigarettes Among Adults in the United States: A Cross-Sectional Study of Sociodemographic Factors
Authors: Stallings-Smith Sericea , Ballantyne Taylor
Published: July 2019

E-cigarette use among adolescents is well-documented, but less is known about adult users of e-cigarettes. The purpose of this study was to examine associations between sociodemographic factors and e-cigarette use in a nationally representative sample of adults in the United States. Cross-sectional data from the National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (NHANES) for years 2015-2016 were analyzed to assess e-cigarette use among 5989 adults aged ≥18 years. Multivariable logistic regression was conducted to examine associations between the sociodemographic exposures of age, sex, race, marital status, education level, employment status, and poverty-income ratio and the outcome of e-cigarette use. The weighted prevalence of ever use of e-cigarettes was 20%. Compared with adults aged ≥55 years, odds of e-cigarette use were 4.77 times (95% confidence interval [CI] = 3.63-6.27) higher among ages 18 to 34 years and 2.16 times (95% CI = 1.49-3.14) higher among ages 35 to 54 years. Higher odds of e-cigarette use were observed among widowed/divorced/separated participants compared with those who were married/living with a partner, among participants with less than high school (odds ratio [OR] = 1.47; 95% CI = 1.08-2.00) or high school/general educational development (GED) education (OR=1.41; 95% CI = 1.12-1.77) compared with those with college degrees/some college, and among those with incomes below the poverty level (OR=1.31; 95% CI = 1.01-1.69) compared with above the poverty level. For non-smokers of conventional cigarettes, higher odds of e-cigarette use were observed among males compared with females, Mexican Americans/Other Hispanics compared with non-Hispanic whites, and non-working participants compared with those who were working. Overall findings indicate that individuals who are widowed/divorced/separated, individuals with lower education, and with incomes below the poverty level are likely to report ever use of e-cigarettes. As increasing evidence demonstrates negative health consequences, e-cigarette initiation may ultimately contribute to additional smoking-related health inequalities even among non-smokers of conventional cigarettes.
A General and Robust Estimation Method for the Case-Time-Control Design
Authors: Sjölander Arvid , Ning Yang
Published: July 2019

The case-time-control design is a tool to control for measured, time-varying covariates that increase montonically in time within each subject while also controlling for all unmeasured covariates that are constant within each subject across time. Until recently, the design was restricted to data with only two timepoints and a single binary covariate, or data with a binary exposure. Sjölander (2017) made an important extension that allows for an arbitrary number of timepoints and covariates and a nonbinary exposure. However, his estimation method requires fairly strong model assumptions, and it may create bias if these assumptions are violated. We propose a novel estimation method for the case-time-control design, which to a large extent relaxes the model assumptions in Sjölander. We show in simulations that this estimation method performs well under a range of scenarios and gives consistent estimates when Sjölander’s estimation does not.
Economic Decisions for Others Are More Favorable for Close Than Distant Clients
Authors: Ruessmann Janna Katrin , Topolinski Sascha
Published: July 2019

This research investigates the role of social distance between decision makers and their clients. In 11 experiments (total N = 1,653), participants decided about unfair and hyper-fair offers in an advisor game for themselves or for a client who varied in social distance (e.g., for a close friend vs. a stranger). Participants were strongly influenced by client identity. They systematically accepted more hyper-fair offers for themselves and close clients than for distant clients, while client identity played no role in unfair offers. We show that the driving mechanism of this client privileging effect is joy (happy-for-ness) participants experience particularly for close clients, while envy did not explain this effect. Across all types of clients and experiments, hyper-fair offers were accepted at only 86% which can only be explained by participants being not exclusively motivated by absolute monetary payoffs but also, to some extent, factoring in nonmonetary concerns.
Whence Paradox? Framing Away the Potential Challenges of Doing Well by Doing Good in Social Enterprise Organizations
Authors: Child Curtis
Published: July 2019

Scholars and critics tend to regard social enterprise as a paradoxical organizational form. And yet those who are closest to the apparent paradox in at least two prominent social enterprise industries—fair trade and socially responsible investing—are not inclined to regard their work as paradoxical. How is this so? Drawing upon, and then extending, the sensemaking literature, I argue that practitioners of social enterprise do not experience their working conditions as paradoxical because they frame away the potentially paradoxical elements of their work. Specifically, they employ three frames: looking at the big picture, engaging with potentially paradoxical conditions rather than turning from them, and making favorable comparisons that ease the paradoxical strain. These insights form the basis of a refined model of sensemaking in organizations, which accounts not only for how members of organizations deal with paradox but also how they come to recognize (or frame away) paradox in the first place.
Persistence and Change in the Comparative Status of Mothers-in-Law and Daughters-in-Law in Taiwanese Families: 1979 to 2016
Authors: Kung Hsiang-Ming
Published: July 2019

Traditionally in Taiwan, daughters-in-law lived with their husbands’ parents and, following principles of filial piety, were subordinate to their mothers-in-law. The author proposes that, as daughters-in-law acquire resources such as education and income, their status within their families will increase relative to their mothers-in-law. This hypothesis frames an exploratory study comparing rural agrarian families gathered by Gallin in 1958 and 1979 with urban industrial family data gathered by the author in 1997 and in postindustrial families in 2016. The current study finds that, despite having more education and income, urban daughters-in-law in 1997 maintained deferential relations with their mothers-in-law; and even in postindustrial 2016, there is resistance to an egalitarian relationship between daughters-in-law and mothers-in-law. Deference by daughters-in-law is reinforced by the attitudes of their husbands as well their own natal mothers.
Increased Activity in Patients with Cardiovascular Risk Factors Increases Heart Rate Variability
Authors: Nakayama Natsuki , Miyachi Masahiko , Tamakoshi Koji , Negi Koji , Watanabe Koji , Hirai Makoto
Published: July 2019

This study evaluated the effect of increased physical activity on high-frequency (HF) heart rate variability (HRV) during the first hour after sleep onset in patients with hypertension and/or stable angina pectoris. Physical activity and HF were measured using activity monitors and 24-hour Holter monitors at baseline and 6 months later. The physical activity increased in 28 patients (increase group) and decreased in 20 patients (decrease group) after 6 months. In this study, after 6 months, compared to the decreased physical activity group, the increased physical activity group showed a significant increase in the HF index during the first hour after sleep onset. Therefore, the increase in the HF index may have been due to the increase in physical activity. An increase in physical activity suggests that the quality of sleep early in the sleep cycle may be improved, which may affect the patient’s prognosis.
Reversible right heart failure after redo operation of a post-traumatic Gerbode defect
Authors: Fragoulis Socrates , Contrafouris Constantinos , Thanopoulos Apostolos , Kyriakoulis Konstantinos , Apostolopoulou Sotiria
Published: July 2019

Introduction:

Gerbode defect is a rare entity and represents a small percent of all congenital defects. If left untreated, right heart failure may occur.

Case report:

We describe a redo case of a 47-year-old patient complaining about the signs and symptoms of decompensating right heart failure after a surgically treated post-traumatic Gerbode defect 8 years prior.

Discussion:

Although it is described as a congenital defect, in clinical practice, results mostly as an iatrogenic complication after heart valve surgery, endocarditis, nodal ablation, or post-traumatic defect. Surgical correction is the treatment of choice independently of the provided cause. Dimensions, the position of the defect, are very important factors for the interventional approach. At 12 months post-operatively, the patient remained completely asymptomatic. He has an active life and presents all the echocardiographic metrics within normal values.

Conclusion:

We strongly recommend that in cardiac areas where high wall tension is applied, durable materials such as Dacron should be used. We also believe that a well-documented discussion with the patient, about his medical condition and his therapeutic alternatives, is imperative.
Neuropeptide Y reduces expression of social fear via simultaneous activation of Y1 and Y2 receptors
Authors: Kornhuber Johannes , Zoicas Iulia
Published: July 2019

Background:

Neuropeptide Y (NPY) has anxiolytic effects and facilitates extinction of cued and contextual fear in rodents, thereby acting as a resilience factor against exaggerated fear responses after adverse events. We investigated whether NPY influences acquisition, expression and extinction of social fear in a mouse model of social fear conditioning (SFC).

Methods:

NPY was administered intracerebroventricularly before SFC or before social fear extinction with or without prior administration of Y1 and/or Y2 receptor antagonists.

Results:

We show that NPY affects SFC-induced social fear in a time point–dependent manner. When administered before SFC, NPY did not affect acquisition, expression and extinction of social fear. However, when administered before social fear extinction, NPY reduced expression of social fear via simultaneous activation of Y1 and Y2 receptors. As such, neither the Y1 receptor antagonist BIBO3304 trifluoroacetate nor the Y2 receptor antagonist BIIE0246 was able to block the effects of NPY completely. However, when administered in combination, they completely blocked the effects of NPY on social fear expression.

Conclusions:

These findings have important clinical implications, as they suggest that although medication strategies aimed at increasing brain NPY activity are unlikely to prevent the formation of aversive memories after a traumatic social experience, they might improve the recovery from a traumatic social experience by reducing the expression of social fear.
Effects of D-methionine in mice with noise-induced hearing loss mice
Authors: Wang Yanru , Qu Yan , Chen Xuzhen , Zhang Pu , Su Dan , Wang Li , Yang Feifei , Yang Jiangdong
Published: July 2019

Objective

To study the effects of D-methionine in a mouse model of noise-induced hearing loss (NIHL).

Methods

We investigated changes in auditory function and microscopic cochlear structure in a mouse model of NIHL, and carried out 4-hydroxynonenal (4-HNE) immunostaining and terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling, and examined expression levels of connexins 26 and 30 by western blot.

Results

The auditory brainstem response threshold was significantly increased by noise exposure. Noise exposure also damaged the inner and particularly the outer hair cells in the cochlear basement membrane, while histochemistry demonstrated only scattered loss of hair cells in the basement membrane in mice treated with D-methionine before or after noise exposure. D-methionine inhibited apoptosis in the cochlear basement membrane, stria vascularis, and spiral ligament. 4-HNE expression in the basement membrane, stria vascularis, and spiral collateral ligament was increased by noise exposure, but this increase was attenuated by D-methionine. Connexin 26 and connexin 30 expression levels were reduced by noise exposure, and this effect was similarly attenuated by D-methionine administered either before or after noise exposure.

Conclusion

D-methionine administered before or after noise exposure could rescue NIHL by protecting cochlear morphology, inhibiting apoptosis, and maintaining connexin 26 and 30 expression.
Simulation tools for a smart grid and energy management for microgrid with wind power using multi-agent system
Authors: Azeroual Mohamed , Lamhamdi Tijani , El Moussaoui Hassan , El Markhi Hassane
Published: July 2019

The smart grid concept is predicated upon the pervasive use of advanced digital communication, information techniques, and artificial intelligence for the current power system to be more characteristics on the real-time monitoring and controlling of the supply/demand. Therefore, in recent years, researchers increasingly couple distinct simulators to form novel “co-simulations.” In this article, we will present a survey of different electrical power and communication simulators, a literature survey of 20 smart grid co-simulations frameworks, and the characteristics of each platform applicable in the intelligent electrical network. Finally, we proposed multi-agent systems for controlling the microgrid that consists of wind power and storage system using MACSimJX co-simulation that combines Simulink simulator and JADE (Java Agent Development Environment).
Mir Jumla’s Invasion of Assam (1662–63), War Experience of a Dutch Sailor Heiden and Translator Glanius
Authors: Konwar Paranan
Published: July 2019

Frans Jansz van der Heiden (1638–81), a Dutch East India Company sailor, accompanied the expedition of Mir Jumla to Assam (1662–63) during the reign of sixth Mughal emperor Aurangzeb (1658–1707) and Süa-taam-laa (1648–63), king of the Ahom kingdom in Assam. Heiden was the eyewitness of the war, history, topography and culture of then Assam. Many historians mentioned that it was W. Glanius who came along with Mir Jumla. But by evidence, W. Glanius was the English translator of the travel account authored by Heiden who was actually a conscripted sailor and accompanied Mir Jumla’s expedition to Assam. Heiden visited Northeast India, such as, Bengal, Assam and the adjacent areas. It was a sensational narrative of his journey, filled with hallucination, shipwreck, experience in a desert island, hunger, cannibalism, bad luck, warfare of the Mughal army and Ahom, culture, customs, society, religion, knowledge of a new land and people. In his travelogue, we found much information on gold, elephants, the nature of Assamese people, beliefs in cows, the capital (Gargaon) of the Ahom kingdom, a tribe as a man-eater, plundering of grave ( maidam), tradition of burial system of Ahom kings and nobles and so on.
Influence of turbulent shear stresses on the numerical blood damage prediction in a ventricular assist device
Authors: Torner Benjamin , Konnigk Lucas , Wurm Frank-Hendrik
Published: July 2019

The blood damage prediction in rotary blood pumps is an important procedure to evaluate the hemocompatibility of such systems. Blood damage is caused by shear stresses to the blood cells and their exposure times. The total impact of an equivalent shear stress can only be taken into account when turbulent stresses are included in the blood damage prediction. The aim of this article was to analyze the influence of the turbulent stresses on the damage prediction in a rotary blood pump’s flow. Therefore, the flow in a research blood pump was computed using large eddy simulations. A highly turbulence-resolving setup was used in order to directly resolve most of the computed stresses. The simulations were performed at the design point and an operation point with lower flow rate. Blood damage was predicted using three damage models (volumetric analysis of exceeded stress thresholds, hemolysis transport equation, and hemolysis approximation via volume integral) and two shear stress definitions (with and without turbulent stresses). For both simulations, turbulent stresses are the dominant stresses away from the walls. Here, they act in a range between 9 and 50 Pa. Nonetheless, the mean stresses in the proximity of the walls reach levels, which are one order of magnitude higher. Due to this, the turbulent stresses have a small impact on the results of the hemolysis prediction. Yet, turbulent stresses should be included in the damage prediction, since they belong to the total equivalent stress definition and could impact the damage on proteins or platelets.
Marxism and technocracy: Günther Anders and the necessity for a critique of technology
Authors: Dawsey Jason
Published: July 2019

This article examines why Günther Anders, one of the 20th century’s most formidable critics of technology, deemed a critique of technology necessary at all. I argue that the radical philosophy of industrialism in Die Antiquiertheit des Menschen (The Obsolescence of Human Beings) and related texts is a response to what Anders’s work presents as inadequacies of traditional Marxism, with its focus on class struggle and property relations. In effect, his critique of technology, which is more attentive to forms of domination emergent with mechanization, would come to supplant classical Marxist thought. The piece concludes with some thoughts about how Anders’s ‘post-Marxist’ perspective provides insights for contemporary Marxism and, in turn, how the latter can throw light on problems in Anders’s philosophy of the machine.
Non-conventional stabilisation/solidification treatment of industrial wastes with residual powdered paints
Authors: Vaccari Mentore , Castro Francine Duarte
Published: July 2019

Stabilisation/solidification technologies are widely used for rendering industrial wastes inert. In this study, residual powdered paints were applied to treat different types of industrial wastes by stabilisation/solidification: Fumes from steel-making process, sludge from coagulation/flocculation treatments and powders from brushing and polishing metallic objects. Stabilisation/solidification trials were performed both under static conditions and in motion. It was observed that the residual paints could polymerise well in 60 min at 120 °C. The addition of water during the treatment resulted in highly porous and friable materials and, therefore, is not recommended. The mixture between wastes and paint influenced polymerisation. Specific heating conditions needed to be tested for each waste, varying from 80 °C to 150 °C. Significant reduction on leachability after treatment could be reached in most cases. Reduction on chlorides release up to 92.0% were achieved. Contents of other elements on the leachates, such as copper, molybdenum, nickel, zinc and dissolved organic carbon, could also be reduced in percentages up to 96.9%, 97.6%, 98.8%, 95.7% and 96.9%, respectively. For some types of wastes, however, especially those containing high contents of copper and mineral oils, the treatment was ineffective. Polymerisation in motion apparently improved binding capacity, but tests with increased content of paints are recommended to reduce the release of dissolved organic carbon.
Effects of different lipid contents on growth of earthworms and the products during vermicomposting
Authors: Wu Zexuan , Yin Bangyi , Song Xu , Zhao Qi
Published: July 2019

In China, the production of kitchen waste was more than 97 million tons per year in 2016. The high lipid content of kitchen waste makes it hard to degrade. Vermicomposting is a kind of low-cost biotechnology through the combination of earthworms and microbes, which could be considered in converting kitchen waste to valuable products. However, the effect of the lipid in kitchen waste on earthworms and composting is not known yet. The objective of this study was to analyze the effects of lipid on vermicomposting and to derive the most suitable lipid content in vermicomposting. In our study, kitchen waste with four different lipid contents was prepared: 0% (A), 5% (B), 10% (C) and 15% (D). The earthworm growth and chemical characters of substrates were measured at the interim (14 days) and the end (28 days) of vermicomposting. Our results showed that the high content of lipid had negative effects on growth of earthworms and products in vermicomposting. The kitchen waste with lower lipid content could be better composted by earthworms. The average body weight of the earthworm increased by 9% in treatment A. Total nitrogen, available phosphorus, available potassium and nitrate nitrogen of treatment A with 0% (measured value: 5%) lipid content were significantly higher than those in other treatments. Meanwhile, treatment A had the lowest carbon/nitrogen ratio which might be due to hindrances in the breathing and activities of earthworms. The high content of lipid makes growth of aerobic bacteria such as nitrifying bacteria difficult.
Assessing Teachers’ Classroom Management Competency: A Case Study of the Classroom Assessment Scoring System–Secondary
Authors: Wallace Tanner LeBaron , Parr Alyssa K. , Correnti Richard J.
Published: July 2019

One popular observational instrument to evaluate teaching is the Classroom Assessment Scoring System–Secondary (CLASS-S). Yet, the secondary version of the CLASS poorly discriminates classroom management quality beyond identifying extremely chaotic classrooms with teachers’ scores clustering in the most positive ranges of effectiveness. Studies of adolescents’ perceptions of teachers’ classroom management practices, however, clearly suggest more nuance and complexity. Assuming this discrepancy between results (i.e., lack of differentiation vs. nuanced complexity) might be an artifact of this particular observational protocol rather than a reflection of reality, this study microanalyzed the source material influencing adolescent and adult evaluative assessments of classroom management, using transcripts generated from video viewing sessions. Comparisons between (a) adolescents’ indigenous interpretations, and (b) adults’ trained interpretations of CLASS-S classroom management instructional interactions suggest that adolescents view student engagement and positive climate as particularly relevant to assessments of classroom management, whereas the CLASS-S does not include these as dimensions of effective teaching assessed as part of the Classroom Organization domain.
Individual Resilience: A Major Protective Factor in Peer Bullying and Victimization of Elementary School Children in Israel
Authors: Cohen Elad , Eshel Yohanan , Kimhi Shaul , Kurman Jenny
Published: July 2019

Peer violence in school has become a major issue for schools around the world. The present study examined the impacts of cultural settings and of protective individual attributes on peer bullying and victimization in school. These protective attributes were self-esteem, sense of autonomy, emotional regulation, and individual resilience. Participants were 112 Jewish and 55 Arab Bedouin pupils 10 to 11 years old. It was hypothesized that Jewish pupils would score lower than Bedouin pupils on bullying and on victimization, and will score higher than them on these protective individual attributes. It was also hypothesized that despite these differences, the investigated attributes would correlate with reduced peer violence in both groups. It was hypothesized further that individual resilience will be the major predictor of both bullying and victimization in both groups. Results have generally supported these hypotheses, suggesting alternative ways for curtailing peer aggression in school.
Ten Years After: The Development of a University Staff Pay System—Reflections and the Lessons Learned
Authors: Thomas Steven L. , McKenzie Lyn M.
Published: July 2019

This article documents the development and implementation of a new staff pay system for a large, comprehensive, public university. It discusses decisions that were made, alternatives chosen, important process issues and outcomes, as a guide to administrators and human resource staff into what can be expected as new job structures, pay and performance management systems are developed. The authors review program successes and remaining challenges from the perspective of 10 years after system implementation.
Innovation, Financial Culture, and the Social-Economic Environment of SMEs in Hungary
Authors: Győri Ágnes , Czakó Ágnes , Horzsa Gergely
Published: July 2019

Despite the numerous pieces of research that have been undertaken to aid understanding of the innovative activities of small- and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), only a few have dealt with the interaction between innovation activity and the finance-related attitudes, literacy, and knowledge (competencies) of these companies. The current research focuses on specific aspects of the innovation activities of SMEs in a post-communist society (Hungary) by taking into consideration elements of both entrepreneurial financial culture and the social-economic environment. Our analysis is based on a national representative survey, 2017. Results show that the presence of a creative financial culture, and the grounding of management decisions correlate with company innovation. We found that subsidies as external financial sources contribute to a larger extent to the innovation activities of SMEs than other external and internal financial resources. Moreover, the study explores the effects of some economic and social competition-related factors.
Preparation and study of carboxymethyl cellulose biodegradable films properties containing Mentha pulegium essential oil
Authors: Bazzaz Aghigh Ebrahimi , Hakimzadeh Vahid , Noghabi Mostafa Shahidi
Published: July 2019

The current research presents the physicochemical, antioxidant, mechanical, and antimicrobial features of biocomposite films on the basis of carboxymethyl cellulose (CMC) combined with essential oil (EO) of Mentha pulegium (MEO) (1, 2, and 3% v/v). Adding EOs enhanced the penetrability of water vapor and the solubility of films in water, while decreased absorption of moisture and level of moisture. Incorporation of MEO enhanced opacity, total color differences, and whiteness index. Generally, adding MEO into the CMC biocomposite reduced considerably young modulus and tensile strength, while enhanced elongation at the composite films break ( p < 0.05). The films incorporating MEO had excellent total phenolic and antioxidant features; this impact was significantly developed when the MEO was enhanced. Films comprising MEO controlled the microorganism’s growth efficiently. Fourier-transform infrared spectroscopy was used to determine the physicochemical features of the films and the features of the films were corresponded to their microstructure, which was found using scanning electron microscopy.
Using Apples and Oranges to Judge Quality? Selection of Appropriate Cross-National Indicators of Response Quality in Open-Ended Questions
Authors: Meitinger Katharina , Behr Dorothée , Braun Michael
Published: July 2019

Methodological studies usually gauge response quality in narrative open-ended questions with the proportion of nonresponse, response length, response time, and number of themes mentioned by respondents. However, not all of these indicators may be comparable and appropriate for evaluating open-ended questions in a cross-national context. This study assesses the cross-national appropriateness of these indicators and their potential bias. For the analysis, we use data from two web surveys conducted in May 2014 with 2,685 respondents and in June 2014 with 2,689 respondents and compare responses from Germany, Great Britain, the United States, Mexico, and Spain. We assess open-ended responses for a variety of topics (e.g., national identity, gender attitudes, and citizenship) with these indicators and evaluate whether they arrive at similar or contradictory conclusions about response quality. We find that all indicators are potentially biased in a cross-national context due to linguistic and cultural reasons and that the bias differs in prevalence across topics. Therefore, we recommend using multiple indicators as well as items covering a range of topics when evaluating response quality in open-ended questions across countries.
‘Insanity in Classical Antiquity’, by JL Heiberg (1913)
Authors: Berrios German E , Schioldann Johan , Schioldann Johan
Published: July 2019

Heiberg’s 1913 text on psychopathological concepts and terms in classical times remains important because of its freshness and historiographical value. A philologist and classical scholar, he seemed puzzled by the assumption of nosological continuity between classical categories of madness and current ones that prevailed at the time among historians of medicine and psychiatry. Heiberg’s text acts as a bridge or transition between the nosological antiquarianism of the 19th century and histories of psychiatry that later warned of the dangers of an anachronistic reading of earlier medical texts. It also shows how important has been the contribution of classical philologists to the study of the history of madness. To our knowledge, this is the first rendition into English of the complete Danish work.
Rape of the lock: note on nineteenth-century hair fetishists
Authors: Janssen Diederik F
Published: July 2019

The ostensibly bizarre crime of braid-cutting invited occasional alienist inferences from the late 1850s onwards, until it entered mid-1880s police profiles and forensic-psychiatric taxonomies as a corollary of perversion, specifically sadism and fetishism. Cases were rare, but were reported as late as the mid-1930s and enduringly cited as encompassing a staple variety of fetishism. This note briefly reconstructs entries in German, French and English forensic psychiatry, sexual psychopathology and psychoanalysis.
Model-based cognitive neuroscience: Multifield mechanistic integration in practice
Authors: Povich Mark
Published: July 2019

Autonomist accounts of cognitive science suggest that cognitive model building and theory construction (can or should) proceed independently of findings in neuroscience. Common functionalist justifications of autonomy rely on there being relatively few constraints between neural structure and cognitive function. In contrast, an integrative mechanistic perspective stresses the mutual constraining of structure and function. In this article, I show how Model-Based Cognitive Neuroscience (MBCN) epitomizes the integrative mechanistic perspective and concentrates the most revolutionary elements of the cognitive neuroscience revolution. I also show how the prominent subset account of functional realization supports the integrative mechanistic perspective I take on MBCN and use it to clarify the intralevel and interlevel components of integration.
Analysis of Brand Resonance Measures to Access, Dimensionality, Reliability and Validity
Authors: Raut Umesh Ramchandra , Brito Pedro Quelhas , Pawar Prafulla Arjun
Published: July 2019

The aim of the present study is to analyze brand resonance measures to assess reliability, dimensionality and validity using existing models of brand resonance. This study is based on a mixed approach of research methodology, using qualitative and quantitative methods. In the qualitative approach, we use expert interview and focus group discussion tools. In the quantitative approach, a corporate survey was conducted and 560 responses were collected through a structured questionnaire. The analysis is performed using statistical scaling tools such as Exploratory Factor Analysis (EFA) and Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA). This study initiated scale extraction and operationalization processes for 72 observed variables to measure nine latent variables and obtained 34 statistically extracted observed variables. The study provides a reliable and validated means to measure brand resonance constructs. The study develops a brand resonance scale, which can help brand managers to measure consumers’ levels of brand resonance, in order to describe the strength of the bond of their consumer with their brand(s). This study develops empirically extracted measures of brand resonance, making it distinctive in the branding literature. The study also ensures all important aspects of measurement scale, such as validity and reliability.
The Effect of ATM Service Quality on Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty: An Empirical Analysis
Authors: Aslam Wajeeha , Tariq Ayesha , Arif Imtiaz
Published: July 2019

This study examines the impact of automated teller machine (ATM) service quality on customer satisfaction and its effect on customer loyalty. The data were collected from 360 ATM users in Karachi, Pakistan, using a structured questionnaire. After the data screening process and the removal of outliers, 322 responses were found useable. To identify the dimensions of ATM service quality and their relationship with customer satisfaction and customer loyalty, exploratory factor analysis, confirmatory factor analysis and structural equation modelling (SEM) were used. The findings indicate that (a) fulfilment, reliability, ease of use, and security and privacy are the major dimensions of ATM service quality, (b) dimensions such as convenience and responsiveness are positively insignificantly correlated with customer satisfaction and (c) customer satisfaction significantly influences customer loyalty. This study suggests concrete strategies for bank managers to improve customer experience with ATM and identifies the issues to be resolved in order to improve ATM service quality.
From the bottom of a bottle: A sociological examination of the use of alcohol in varsity sport hazing
Authors: Chin Jessica W , Johnson Jay , Signer-Kroeker Mary Anne , Holman Margery
Published: July 2019

This study is an examination of the role of alcohol and its central place in university sport hazing rituals, whereby veteran team members require new team members to participate in a rite of passage to gain full access to team membership. Academic research studies as well as media reports on sport hazing reveal the significant extent to which alcohol is closely tied to dangerous behaviors in team initiation rituals. Data was collected using in-depth interviews with varsity athletes, coaches and athletic directors at Canadian universities. The participants discussed their experiences with hazing and provided their perspective on the role of alcohol in university team hazing activities. In our analysis, we applied a sociological lens informed by the work of Theodor Adorno, using a negative dialectic approach to highlight the gap between the actual undesirable impact of team hazing and alcohol in collegiate sport and the potential of collegiate sport to provide a positive contribution to the lives of student-athletes; this negative dialectic approach reveals the social and institutional structures in place which promote the harmful incorporation of alcohol (abuse) in sport, while revealing how change within those very structures can lead to positive change. These data can thus be used to inform programs and policies aimed at improving the transitional experiences of varsity student-athletes, subsequently enhancing the overall culture of university sport.
Storage procedures and time influence the detectability of Clostridium difficile toxin A but not toxin B in porcine fecal specimens
Authors: Grześkowiak Łukasz , Riedmüller Jonathan , Vahjen Wilfried , Zentek Jürgen
Published: July 2019

Storage procedures are known to affect the detectability of Clostridium difficile toxins in equine and human feces. We assessed the impact of different storage conditions on the detectability of C. difficile toxins in swine feces. Specimens were inoculated with toxins, 112 ng/g of toxin A (TcdA) and 16 ng/g of toxin B (TcdB) and subjected to the following 3 storage treatments: 4°C, −30°C, repetitive freezing at −30°C and thawing. Toxin determination was assessed at 1, 2, 7, 14, and 21 d with ELISA. A decrease in concentrations of TcdA with time was observed for samples stored at 4°C and repetitive freezing–thawing ( p ≤0.05). On day 14, storage at 4°C resulted in decreased TcdA concentration as opposed to storage at −30°C and repetitive freezing–thawing ( p ≤0.05). On day 21, storage at 4°C resulted in decreased TcdA detectability compared with storage at −30°C ( p ≤0.05). The TcdB concentration was unaffected. These results on toxin detectability in swine feces should be carefully considered in in vitro studies on toxigenic C. difficile. Our results also offer valuable information for microbiologists and veterinarians monitoring the presence of virulent C. difficile in pigs.
Dynamic model and analysis of a dielectric elastomer vibration isolator
Authors: Meng Lili , Li Fucai , Li Hongguang
Published: July 2019

Dielectric elastomers are a kind of electroactive polymer and have a great potential for application to soft actuators. Dielectric elastomer materials also feature nonlinear response owing to the electromechanical coupling. In this work, a theoretical dynamic model was developed to characterize the nonlinear performance of a dielectric elastomer actuator used as a vibration isolator. The vibration reduction mechanism of dielectric elastomer structures is theoretically described. An experiment was also performed to validate the model. The experimental results tend to match well with the numerical calculation.
Development of a variable stiffness magnetorheological damper with self-powered generation capability
Authors: Zhu Xiaojing , Deng Lei , Sun Shuaishuai , Yan Tianhong , Yu Jianqiang , Ma Zisu , Li Weihua
Published: July 2019

This article reports a compact stiffness controllable magnetorheological damper with a self-powered capacity. First, the structure, working mechanism, and analysis of the damper are presented. After the prototype of the magnetorheological damper, experimental tests were conducted to evaluate its variable stiffness feature and self-powered generation capability using a hydraulic Instron test system. The testing results demonstrate that its stiffness variation range can reach 70.4% when the applied current increases from 0 to 2 A. The energy generating capability of the magnetorheological damper was also evaluated using the Instron testing system under a harmonic excitation with 0.15 Hz frequency and 30 mm displacement. The testing results illustrate that the self-powered generation component can generate 2.595 W effective power, which is enough to control the magnetorheological component of the damper. The successful development, theoretical analysis, and experimental testing of this new variable stiffness self-powered magnetorheological damper make the concept of energy-free variable stiffness magnetorheological damper feasible.
Precision Dermal Fat Grafting for Vermillion Deficiencies in Patients With Unilateral and Bilateral Cleft Lip
Authors: Jackson Oksana A. , Lee Alfred , Nikovina Elena , Kaye Alison E.
Published: July 2019

Objective:

Deficiencies of the upper lip vermilion occur with some frequency following repair of unilateral and bilateral clefts of the lip and can compromise the aesthetic outcome. The presence of dense scar tissue within the lip at the cleft site as well as intrinsic vermillion deficiencies can make long-lasting correction of this deformity challenging. We describe a technique to address vermillion deficiencies after cleft lip repair.

Design:

A novel lip augmentation technique for correction of residual vermilion deficiencies after unilateral and bilateral cleft lip repair is presented. This technique combines precise placement of a contoured dermal fat graft with local tissue (V-Y) rearrangement.

Conclusion:

In our experience, this method of lip augmentation following either unilateral or bilateral cleft lip repair can restore upper lip vermillion symmetry and provide predictable and durable results in patients with mild to severe vermillion deficiency.
The Interactive Effect of Employee-Involved Governance and CEO Change-Oriented Leadership on Organizational Innovation: A Moderated Mediation Model
Authors: Fan Xue-Ling , Zhou Yu , Wang Chen-Xi , Chang Xiao-Xi
Published: July 2019

Previous empirical findings on the effect of employee-involved governance (EIG) on innovation are inconsistent and even contradictory. Based on an interactionist perspective of innovation, we propose that this effect is contingent on CEO change-oriented leadership (COL) and mediated by two distinct innovative processes: exploratory and exploitative innovations. Using multisource data from 161 enterprises, we demonstrated that EIG was positively (negatively) associated with innovative performance when CEO COL was higher (lower). The results also revealed that exploratory and exploitative innovations played different roles in mediating the effects of EIG on innovative performance depending on CEO COL. Specifically, exploratory innovation mediated that effect when CEO COL was high, but exploitative innovation did not. Theoretical and practical implications are discussed.
A tale of two densities: active inference is enactive inference
Authors: Ramstead Maxwell JD , Kirchhoff Michael D , Friston Karl J
Published: July 2019

The aim of this article is to clarify how best to interpret some of the central constructs that underwrite the free-energy principle (FEP) – and its corollary, active inference – in theoretical neuroscience and biology: namely, the role that generative models and variational densities play in this theory. We argue that these constructs have been systematically misrepresented in the literature, because of the conflation between the FEP and active inference, on the one hand, and distinct (albeit closely related) Bayesian formulations, centred on the brain – variously known as predictive processing, predictive coding or the prediction error minimisation framework. More specifically, we examine two contrasting interpretations of these models: a structural representationalist interpretation and an enactive interpretation. We argue that the structural representationalist interpretation of generative and recognition models does not do justice to the role that these constructs play in active inference under the FEP. We propose an enactive interpretation of active inference – what might be called enactive inference. In active inference under the FEP, the generative and recognition models are best cast as realising inference and control – the self-organising, belief-guided selection of action policies – and do not have the properties ascribed by structural representationalists.
Randomized Control Trial Findings of a Wraparound Program for Dually Involved Youth
Authors: Coldiron Jennifer Schurer , Hensley Spencer W. , Parigoris Ryan M. , Bruns Eric J.
Published: July 2019

Wraparound care coordination for youth with serious emotional and behavioral challenges has been implemented in every state and in many child-serving contexts, but evidence from rigorous effectiveness studies is scarce. We conducted a 20-month longitudinal randomized control trial of a pilot Wraparound program for youth in foster care and involved in the juvenile justice system ( n = 24), comparing outcomes with youth receiving community “treatment as usual” (TAU; n = 23). Youth in both groups experienced significantly improved outcomes, including fewer arrests and greater residential stability. Wraparound youth were less likely to be rearrested (odds ratio [OR] = 0.59, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.17, 2.04]), and survival analysis found they went longer before doing so than TAU youth. Wraparound youth were also more likely to be educationally on track than TAU youth by the end of the study (OR = 4.09, 95% CI = [1.89, 18.72]). Although these findings were nonsignificant at p < .05 due to small sample sizes, effect sizes were medium to large, and no such trends were found for the TAU group. Implications for Wraparound’s implementation and effectiveness, as well as the strengths and limitations of conducting a randomized control trial in “real-world” systems, are discussed.
Infiltrating Epitheliosis of the Breast: Fine Needle Aspiration Cytology
Authors: Ambrosi Francesca , Rossi Esther Diana , Calderoni Serena , Cucchi Maria Cristina , Saguatti Gianni , Foschini Maria P.
Published: July 2019

Epitheliosis (or usual duct hyperplasia) is a proliferation of epithelial and myoepithelial cells located within enlarged acini and small ducts, which is characterized by irregular and peripheral fenestration. Infiltrating epitheliosis (IE) is a specific lesion, characterized by classical epitheliosis flowing out into the adjacent stroma. The stroma is desmoplastic and shows keloid appearance with irregular elastosis. IE can mimic malignancy both on radiological and histological grounds. The aim of the present study is to describe the fine needle aspiration cytological features of 6 consecutive cases of IE, with histological correlation. IE cases presenting as screen detected lesions and preoperatively diagnosed on fine needle aspiration cytology (FNAC) were reviewed. All patients had radiologically breast lesions suspicious for malignancy that underwent FNAC followed by surgical resection. The FNAC smears presented some features that could lead to a misdiagnosis of malignancy, such as bloody background, high cellularity, and stromal fragments containing epithelial cells. Nevertheless, malignancy was excluded, due to the absence of atypia and the presence of myoepithelial cells in the cell clusters. IE presents a special FNAC pattern that can be misinterpreted as malignancy. Therefore, knowledge is necessary to avoid patient overtreatment.
Secondary Subtalar Joint Osteoarthritis Following Total Ankle Replacement
Authors: Sokolowski Marc , Krähenbühl Nicola , Wang Chen , Zwicky Lukas , Schweizer Christine , Horn Lang Tamara , Hintermann Beat
Published: July 2019

Background:

An advantage of total ankle replacement (TAR) compared to ankle fusion is that by maintaining motion, the occurrence of hypermobility of adjacent joints may be prevented. This could affect the development of symptomatic subtalar joint osteoarthritis (OA). The aim of the study was to determine the incidence of subtalar joint fusion and the progression of subtalar joint OA following TAR.

Methods:

Secondary subtalar joint fusion rate was determined from a cohort of 941 patients receiving primary TAR between 2000 and 2016. The indication for fusion, the time interval from primary TAR to fusion, and the union rate were evaluated. To assess the progression of subtalar joint OA, degenerative changes of the subtalar joint were classified in 671 patients using the Kellgren-Lawrence score (KLS) prior to TAR and at latest follow-up.

Results:

In 4% (37) of the patients, a secondary subtalar joint fusion was necessary. The indication for fusion was symptomatic OA in 51% (19), hindfoot instability in 27% (10), osteonecrosis of the talus in 19% (7), and cystic changes of the talus in 3% (1) of the patients. Time from primary TAR to subtalar joint fusion due to progressive OA was 5.0 (range, 0.3-10) years and for other reasons 1.6 (range, 0.2-11.6) years ( P = .3). In 68% (456) of the patients, no progression of subtalar joint OA was observed.

Conclusion:

The incidence of secondary subtalar joint fusion was low. The most common reason for subtalar joint fusion following TAR was symptomatic OA.

Level of Evidence:

Level IV, case series.
The Decision to Arrest in Sexual Assault Case Processing: A Test of Black’s Theory of the Behavior of Law
Authors: Ylang Norah , Holtfreter Kristy
Published: July 2019

Past research applying Donald Black’s theory of the behavior of law to sexual assault case processing has focused on victim decisions to report the crime to the police. This study builds on and extends prior research by examining the next stage of legal mobilization (i.e., arrest). Using secondary data on 310 cases from the 1982-2012 Sexual Assault Kit Backlog Study in Los Angeles, California, the current study explores the effects of victim, offender, and case characteristics on arrest. The results suggest limited support for the theory in this victimization context. Implications for theory, research, and criminal justice practice are discussed.