bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Filming History and The Spanish Earth
Authors: Nanney Lisa
Published: January 2020

Dos Passos was instrumental in initiating The Spanish Earth, a 1937 documentary film relief effort for the Republican fight against fascism in the Spanish Civil War, although he likely did not contribute to its writing. Yet the dangerous, divisive circumstances surrounding the film’s creation and his collaboration with its Communist director Joris Ivens and with colleague Ernest Hemingway during its production in Spain challenged Dos Passos’s beliefs about the relationship between politics and art and profoundly affected his subsequent career. The execution of a Spanish friend, José Robles, at the hands of Russian military personnel who were ostensibly Republican allies, and a subsequent coverup, led Dos Passos to re-evaluate his leftist political positions, his professional alliance with Ivens, and his longtime friendship with Hemingway. The film and its circumstances raised complex questions about the dynamics between fact and fictionalization in documentary and the artist’s ethical and aesthetic responsibilities. Dos Passos’s choices to report fully on the repercussions of factionalization in the Spanish anti-fascist cause, to represent multiple perspectives of the looming greater European conflict, and to articulate unequivocally his conviction that Communism was compromising both European and U.S. leftist movements earned opprobrium from literary critics who had theretofore lionized him.
The Old Subconscious Trail of Dread
Authors: Wiseman Sam
Published: January 2020

This chapter explores links, in terms of imagery, symbolism, theme, and form, that exist between a range of rural-set texts spanning the period from the fin de siècle to the First World War. It argues that the evolution of the British rural Gothic in this period reveals sympathies between canonically modernist fiction (D.H. Lawrence and May Sinclair, for example) and more formally conventional texts (such as those of M.R. James and Walter de la Mare). This suggests a broader understanding of what constitutes modernist experimentation. The chapter also traces the influence of metropolitan and industrial modernity upon the rural Gothic imaginary, and considers the dialectical relation between these two cultural and geographical spaces. It ultimately argues that in the Gothic fiction and ghost stories of the period, we see rural Britain represented as a site of uncanny returns, in which repressed traumas, anxieties and violence re-emerge.
GOVERNMENT SUBSIDIES IN PUBLIC-PRIVATE PARTNERSHIP PROJECTS BASED ON ALTRUISTIC THEORY
Authors: Wang Yinglin , Gao Ruolan , Hwang Bon-Gang , Liu Jicai
Published: January 2020

Nowadays, the public-private partnership (PPP) scheme has been widely adopted in infrastructure projects around the world. In PPP projects, the governments participate as a principal and the investors play the role of an agent, and therefore their behaviours and incentive strategies can be explained and designed by the principal-agent theory. As “economic men” with limited rationality, both the governments and the investors have altruistic preferences during cooperation. This paper studies how project participants’ altruistic preferences affect government subsidies based on the principal-agent theory. To this end, a principal-agent model in the presence of altruism is developed. The results show that the amount of government compensation is related to the altruistic preferences, the expected revenue, costs and investors’ efforts. Contrary to intuition, the governments’ altruism actually undermines the investors’ enthusiasm in cooperation and the risk-sharing propensity, although it increases the utilities of both parties. Moreover, when selecting the investors, governments should examine their operating capacity carefully, which has a significant impact on the sustainable development of the projects and even PPP arrangements. The findings contribute new insights into the development of incentive mechanisms between governments and private investors from the perspective of the behavioural preferences.
ENGINEERING HARMONY UNDER MULTI-CONSTRAINT OBJECTIVES: THE PERSPECTIVE OF META-ANALYSIS
Authors: Wang Qiankun , Zuo Weiwei , Li Qianyao
Published: January 2020

Harmony is the process of coordinated development between the elements, subsystems and the environment in each Engineering stage
of the engineering implementation. Quality, duration, cost and risk are the key factors to achieve engineering harmony. Clarifying the influencing factors
of engineering harmony and its mechanism can improve the possibility of success. The meta-analysis method is used to carry out a restudy of existing researches
of engineering harmony. First, quality, duration, cost and risk are selected as the variables of achieving engineering harmony. Second, the paper collects
29 existing researches including many countries and regions around the world on the relationship between the variables and engineering harmony. Third, each value
is calculated and corrected according to literature coding. Forth, publication deviation and total effect test are checked. Finally, the research conclusions and
engineering management implications are given based on the results of meta-analysis. The results show that quality objective, duration objective, cost objective
and risk management objective all have positive impact on achieving engineering harmony. The engineering type has no regulatory effect on positive impact of the
duration objective and cost objective, but has regulatory effect on positive impact of the quality objective and risk management objective on the engineering harmony.
HOW EFFECTIVE ARE LABOR WAGES ON LABOR PRODUCTIVITY?: AN EMPIRICAL INVESTIGATION ON THE CONSTRUCTION INDUSTRY OF NEW ZEALAND
Authors: Ozturk Mustafa , Durdyev Serdar , Aras Osman Nuri , Ismail Syuhaida , Banaitienė Nerija
Published: January 2020

This study empirically investigates (for the period of 1983–2017) the relationships between the parameters (labour wage (LW), labour productivity (LP)
and unemployment (UNM) rate) of the construction sector in New Zealand. This study employs the Johansen co-integration test to determine if the relationship in the long run
does exist among the investigated variables as well as to assess the relationships. The results show that the LW has a positive effect on the LP, while the UNM affects negatively,
which indicates that the higher salary, the more productive labour. In other words, increase in salary stimulates the belief of the workforce that they are substantially paid for
their work, which ultimately increases their trust and loyalty to the employer; hence, productivity. Moreover, the results show adverse effect of UNM on LP, which indicates that
labours may also lose his/her productivity due to fear of losing his/her job. The model stability is verified by Histogram Normality Test, Breusch-Godfrey Serial Correlation,
Heteroscedasticity Breusch-Pagan-Godfrey tests. Thus, the forefront of the construction sector is recommended to consider the empirical relationships determined in this study
in order to improve the productivity level at various levels.
EVALUATION OF THE EXPEDIENCY OF TECHNOLOGY COMMERCIALIZATION: A CASE OF INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY AND BIOTECHNOLOGY
Authors: Zemlickienė Vaida , Turskis Zenonas
Published: January 2020

The ability to timely and objectively evaluate the expediency of technology commercialising is a crucial step for R&D organisations.
It is a game with business success, which could enable to operate technologies efficiently and prevent unproductive investments. Managers in power, involved
in the technology commercialization cycle, create rules for the game and are the leading players. The research establishes specifics of different technological
fields, which are essential for assessing the expediency of technology commercialization. The scientific literature of technology commercialization didn’t take
into account the specifics of different technological fields. The study presents the first two phases of the expediency of commercialization of the information
technologies and biotechnologies evaluation models: the development of elements collections and the establishment of the importance of elements. The proposed
technique could be expanded to select the most suitable technology for sustainable management of commercialization and the rational use of resources. The results
of the expert’s survey aimed at establishing the importance of the elements are compared, efforts are made to identify differences in the evaluation the expediency
of technology commercialization for information technologies and biotechnologies. The MCDM method has applied the selection of which was established by the motive
related to the goal of evaluation – to evaluate the expediency of technology commercialization for information technologies and biotechnologies.
Simultaneous Magnetic Polar Cap Heating during a Flaring Episode from the Magnetar 1RXS J170849.0–400910
Authors: Younes George , Baring Matthew G. , Kouveliotou Chryssa , Wadiasingh Zorawar , Huppenkothen Daniela , Harding Alice K.
Published: January 2020

During a pointed 2018 NuSTAR observation, we detected a flare with a 2.2 hr duration from the magnetar 1RXS J170849.0−400910. The flare, which rose in ∼25 s to a maximum flux 6 times larger than the persistent emission, is highly pulsed with an rms pulsed fraction of 53%. The pulse profile shape consists of two peaks separated by half a rotational cycle, with a peak flux ratio of ∼2. The flare spectrum is thermal with an average temperature of 2.1 keV. Phase-resolved spectroscopy shows that the two peaks possess the same temperature, but differ in size. These observational results, along with simple light curve modeling, indicate that two identical antipodal spots, likely the magnetic poles, are heated simultaneously at the onset of the flare and for its full duration. Hence, the origin of the flare has to be connected to the global dipolar structure of the magnetar. This might best be achieved externally, via twists to closed magnetospheric dipolar field lines seeding bombardment of polar footpoint locales with energetic pairs. Approximately 1.86 hr following the onset of the flare, a short burst with its own 3 minutes thermal tail occurred. The burst tail is also pulsating at the spin period of the source and phase-aligned with the flare profile, implying an intimate connection between the two phenomena. The burst may have been caused by a magnetic reconnection event in the same twisted dipolar field lines anchored to the surface hot spots, with subsequent return currents supplying extra heat to these polar caps.
Abrupt Shrinking of Solar Corona in the Late 1990s
Authors: Virtanen Ilpo I. , Koskela Jennimari S. , Mursula Kalevi
Published: January 2020

We derive the longest uniform record of rotational intensities solar coronal magnetic field since 1968 and compare it with the heliospheric magnetic field (HMF) observed at the Earth. We scale the Mount Wilson Observatory and Wilcox Solar Observatory observations of the photospheric magnetic field to the level of the Synoptic Optical Long-term Investigations of the Sun/Vector Spectro Magnetograph and apply the potential field source surface model to calculate the coronal magnetic field. We find that the evolution of the coronal magnetic field during the last 50 yr agrees with the HMF observed at the Earth only if the effective coronal size, the distance of the coronal source surface of the HMF, is allowed to change in time. We calculate the optimum source surface distance for each rotation and find that it experienced an abrupt decrease in the late 1990s. The effective volume of the solar corona shrunk to less than one half during a short period of only a few years. We note that this abrupt shrinking coincides with other changes in solar magnetic fields that are likely related to the decrease of the overall solar activity, i.e., the demise of the Grand Modern Maximum.
Age and growth of thread herring Opisthonema libertate, in the southern Gulf of California
Authors: Payan-Alejo Jorge , Jacob-Cervantes Mercedes L. , Rodríguez-Domínguez Guillermo
Published: January 2020

To fit a growth model to Opisthonema libertate, the most common thread herring in a small pelagic fishery in the southern Gulf of California, size data of commercial landings and age were generated from sagittal otoliths assessed during three different years, 2005, 2008 and 2015, representing Neutral, La Niña and El Niño environmental conditions, respectively. A multimodel select approach on five special submodels of generalized Schnute model, including one, equivalent to the Von Bertalanffy model, were used. A total of 573 otoliths were analyzed; 219 from Neutral, 149 from El Niño and 205 from The Niña events. An opaque zone of otoliths formed in winter-spring when chlorophyll a (Chl-a) concentrations were at a maximum. However, a hyaline zone of otoliths formed during the summer of the reproductive period. Schnute submodel 1 was the best model selected in all three environmental conditions, but submodel 3 was the best on pooled data. Length of thread herring aged 0.5 years old in the El Niño year was lower than other environmental-years analyzed. A possible compensatory effect on growth with age was observed in the data because environmental conditions affected the growth of 0.5-year-old thread herring, as was evident in size variance in this age group under all three conditions, but variance decreased in the older age groups. Thus, a multimodel average of Schnute submodels 1 and 3 could be used to describe the growth of O. libertate in the southern Gulf of California.
Reexamination of Rhopalosiphum (Hemiptera: Aphididae) using linear discriminant analysis to determine the validity of synonymized species, with some new synonymies and distribution data
Authors: Skvarla Michael , Kramer Matthew , Owen Christopher , Miller Gary
Published: January 2020

Although 17 species ofRhopalosiphum(Hemiptera: Aphididae) are currently recognized, 85 taxonomic names have been proposed historically. Some species are morphologically similar, especially alate individuals and most synonymies were proposed in catalogues without evidence. This has led to both confusion and difficulty in making accurate species-level identifications. In an attempt to address these issues, we developed a new approach to resolve synonymies based on linear discriminant analysis (LDA) and suggest that this approach may be useful for other taxonomic groups to reassess previously proposed synonymies. We compared 34 valid and synonymized species using 49 measurements and 20 ratios from 1,030 individual aphids. LDA was repeatedly applied to subsets of the data after removing clearly separated groups found in a previous iteration. We found our characters and technique worked well to distinguish among apterae. However, it separated well only those alatae with some distinctive traits, while those apterate which were morphologically similar were not well separated using LDA. Based on our morphological investigation, we transferR. arundinariae(Tissot, 1933) toMelanaphissupported by details of the wing veination and other morphological traits and proposeMelanaphis takahashiiSkvarla and Miller as a replacement name forM. arundinariae(Takahashi, 1937); we also synonymizeR. momo(Shinji, 1922) withR. nymphaeae(Linnaeus, 1761). Our analyses confirmed many of the proposed synonymies, which will help to stabilize the nomenclature and species concepts withinRhopalosiphum.
La médiation interculturelle : une approche pour soutenir la relation parents immigrants-orthophonistes au niveau primaire
Authors: Beauregard France , Borri-Anadon Corina
Published: January 2020

À partir de deux études (Bergeron et Beauregard, 2018 ; Borri-Anadon, 2014), l’une portant sur les parents immigrants et l’autre sur les orthophonistes travaillant en milieu scolaire multiethnique, l’article documente les perceptions de ces deux groupes quant aux pratiques de chacun à l’égard de l’enfant-élève issu de l’immigration ayant des difficultés de langage. En mobilisant le cadre théorique de l’approche interculturelle (Cohen-Emerique, 2015), les convergences et les divergences de ces perceptions sont mises en évidence. Cette mise en relation permet d’aborder la médiation interculturelle, en tant que processus de réflexion sur soi, sur l’autre et sur leurs interactions, comme étant susceptible de favoriser, par la connaissance et la reconnaissance mutuelles de leur expertise, la réussite éducative de l’enfant-élève.
Aux sources de la création. Racines et métamorphoses dans l’œuvre de Graça Morais
Authors: Sesé-Leger Sylvie
Published: January 2020

Qui peut déchiffrer un tableau, lui donner un sens, révéler le secret de sa fabrication ? L’œuvre de Graça Morais est ancrée dans la terre, dans sa terre natale, de la région Trás-os-Montes, mais derrière les montagnes, au-delà, s’étend l’univers des anges bizarres, celui de l’imaginaire de l’artiste.
Do que se faz a literatura?
Authors: Júdice Nuno
Published: January 2020

À la recherche d’une définition de la littérature et de ses objectifs, à travers des moments ponctuels de la théorie littéraire et de l’anthropologie de l’imaginaire, on trouve une réponse, de manière créative, dans le texte littéraire lui-même, là où la voix et la mémoire se rencontrent.
À l’orée des mots ombragés, le monde sensible comme voie d’accès au secret
Authors: Blache-Comte Kristell
Published: January 2020

Cet article repose sur un terrain ethnographique réalisée en 2018 au Japon dans des lieux de production textile, industrielle comme artisanale, mobilisant des savoir-faire ancestraux ou bien établis plus récemment. Il présente la portion du terrain réalisée à Nishiwaki, au centre du Japon, où est pratiquée une technique de tissage du coton – le banshu-ori – et y approche une manifestation multiple et sensible du secret.
Fresh Page for a Fresh Decade: Leading in 2020
Authors: Jones-Schenk Jan
Published: January 2020

The beginning of a new decade is a time for reflection and goals. This is a good time to develop a leadership plan that combines the leadership focus for the new year and how to create a culture of fun. Leading is a complex and challenging experience and responsibility but it can also be fun and rewarding. Aligning new leadership priorities to creating a culture that is engaging and enjoyable could make 2020 a new decade of leadership.

[
J Contin Educ Nurs
. 2010;51(2):60–61.]
Inference on breakdown frontiers
Authors: Masten Matthew A. , Poirier Alexandre
Published: January 2020

Given a set of baseline assumptions, a breakdown frontier is the boundary between the set of assumptions which lead to a specific conclusion and those which do not. In a potential outcomes model with a binary treatment, we consider two conclusions: First, that ATE is at least a specific value (e.g., nonnegative) and second that the proportion of units who benefit from treatment is at least a specific value (e.g., at least 50%). For these conclusions, we derive the breakdown frontier for two kinds of assumptions: one which indexes relaxations of the baseline random assignment of treatment assumption, and one which indexes relaxations of the baseline rank invariance assumption. These classes of assumptions nest both the point identifying assumptions of random assignment and rank invariance and the opposite end of no constraints on treatment selection or the dependence structure between potential outcomes. This frontier provides a quantitative measure of the robustness of conclusions to relaxations of the baseline point identifying assumptions. We derive

N

‐consistent sample analog estimators for these frontiers. We then provide two asymptotically valid bootstrap procedures for constructing lower uniform confidence bands for the breakdown frontier. As a measure of robustness, estimated breakdown frontiers and their corresponding confidence bands can be presented alongside traditional point estimates and confidence intervals obtained under point identifying assumptions. We illustrate this approach in an empirical application to the effect of child soldiering on wages. We find that sufficiently weak conclusions are robust to simultaneous failures of rank invariance and random assignment, while some stronger conclusions are fairly robust to failures of rank invariance but not necessarily to relaxations of random assignment.
On households and unemployment insurance
Authors: Choi Sekyu , Valladares-Esteban Arnau
Published: January 2020

We study unemployment insurance in a framework where the main source of heterogeneity among agents is the type of household they live in: some agents live alone while others live with their spouses as a family. Our exercise is motivated by the fact that married individuals can rely on spousal income to smooth labor market shocks, while singles cannot. We extend a version of the standard incomplete‐markets model to include two‐agent households and calibrate it to the US economy with special emphasis on matching differences in labor market transitions across gender and marital status as well as aggregate wealth moments. Our central finding is that changes to the current unemployment insurance program are valued differently by married and single households. In particular, a more generous unemployment insurance reduces the welfare of married households significantly more than that of singles and vice versa. We show that this result is driven by the amount of self‐insurance existing in married households, and thus, we highlight the interplay between self‐ and government‐provided insurance and its implication for policy.
A persistence‐based Wold‐type decomposition for stationary time series
Authors: Ortu Fulvio , Severino Federico , Tamoni Andrea , Tebaldi Claudio
Published: January 2020

This paper shows how to decompose weakly stationary time series into the sum, across time scales, of uncorrelated components associated with different degrees of persistence. In particular, we provide an
Extended Wold Decomposition based on an isometric
scaling operator that makes averages of process innovations. Thanks to the uncorrelatedness of components, our representation of a time series naturally induces a persistence‐based variance decomposition of any weakly stationary process. We provide two applications to show how the tools developed in this paper can shed new light on the determinants of the variability of economic and financial time series.
Exploring Faculty and Student Frameworks for Engineering Knowledge Using an Online Card Sorting Platform
Authors: Chen Diana A. , Hoople Gordon D. , Ledwith Nico , Burlingame Eric , Bush Seth D. , Scott Gregory E.
Published: January 2020

In this study we investigate how faculty and students think about engineering us-ing a technique new to engineering education: card sorting. In card sorting partic-ipants sort stimuli (cards) into groups, in the process revealing how they catego-rize information. Here we examine how both engineering faculty (n=23) and first-year undergraduate students (n=62) categorize engineering scenarios. We found engineering faculty sort based on cross-disciplinary engineering activities rather than engineering disciplines. This is a surprising result as our educational frameworks are based around disciplines, and yet they are not the primary way in which faculty think. First-year students, on the other hand, showed little consen-sus on how to sort the scenarios. As a part of this paper we unveil an online card sorting platform Collection and Analysis of Research Data for Sorting (CARDS). CARDS allows researchers to create card sorting tasks, distribute them to participants for remote data collection, and analyze quantitative results.
Mining Web Analytics Data for Information Wikis to Evaluate Informal Learning
Authors: Ismail Heba M. , Balkhouche Boumediene , Harous Saad
Published: January 2020

Information wikis and especially Wikipedia have become one of the most attractive environments for informal learning. The nature of wikis enables learners to freely navigate the learning environment and independently con-struct knowledge without being required to follow a predefined learning path in line with the constructivist learning theory. Link-based navigation and keyword-based search methods used on Wikipedia and similar information wikis suffer from many limitations. In our paper, we present an effective recommendation system that provides easier and faster access to relevant content on Wikipedia to support informal learning. In addition, we evaluate the impact of personalized content recommendations on informal learning from Wikipedia and show how web analytics data can be used to get an in-sight on informal learning in similar environments.
Does Innovation Flourish With the Implementation of Certified Management Systems?
Authors: Mavroeidis Vasileios , Maravelakis Petros E. , Tarnawska Katarzyna
Published: January 2020

Existing literature states that standardization and certification are not only crucial for enterprises, but they have a positive impact on productivity, international trade, innovation, and competition as well. This research employs data derived by the European Innovation Union Scoreboard and the International Standardization Organization from 2005 to 2014 to investigate the relation between innovation and certified quality management systems according to ISO 9001. Using suitable panel data analysis, the authors analyse the data gathered form a panel accounting for the different countries and different years. The main result of this study is that we are able to provide evidence to policymakers, academics, and entrepreneurs that there is a statistically significant relationship between innovation and certified quality management systems. The originality of this chapter stems from the fact that up to now, to the authors' knowledge, the impact of ISO 9001 on innovation has not been examined in the European context.
Managing the Standardization Knowledge Codification Paradox
Authors: Serhan Hiam , Saïdi-Kabeche Doudja
Published: January 2020

In a connected society and organizations working with digitized business models, standards will have more important roles than ever in shaping activity systems content, structure, and governance. While the standardization conformity/innovation duality has received great attention in literature, little research has been done on the role of managers in managing the tensions of knowledge codification required during ISO 9001 standard implementation. By utilizing Danone's Networking Attitude experience as a case study, the authors address this gap by exploring how managerial skills and practices were used to overcome the cognitive and emotional tensions related to internal knowledge codification, transfer, and use. The main contribution is to elucidate the role of managers in resolving these paradoxes and creating innovation capabilities. Further, they demonstrate the mutually beneficial relationship between knowledge codification and innovation if knowledge management is approached more as an evolving pragmatic knowing than a technical means that may create rigidity and resistance.
Data Security
Authors: Inieke Otobong
Published: January 2020

Data security in the information age is a critical facet in the integrity and reliability of the various information systems making up value structures of businesses, organizations etc. Aside from professionals directly involved with securing data within these systems, the importance of data security is not readily apparent to the everyday user of devices in the information systems. The purpose of this literature review is to highlight challenges related to data security and business information systems in conjunction with digital literacy. An extensive literature review was conducted with the aim of identifying and describing scenarios of technology misuse as well as vulnerabilities in vital business information systems. A gap in awareness continues to plague those who leverage information systems for its myriad uses because everyday users will in most cases dismiss data security advice as alarmist or jargon-laden. This falls in line with a 2018 cyber security survey from Statista which showed that 22% of data security tasks was preventing malware while 17% of tasks were dedicated to preventing social engineering and phishing attacks. This literature review will describe possible data insecurity solutions as well as potential areas of further research. The paper will point out the importance of digital literacy as well as recommendations for its improvement in society and also ongoing research in that regard. The essence of this literature review is to identify certain everyday information systems such as decision support systems and transaction processing systems; while pointing out vulnerabilities and threat nature i.e. technical or non-technical and also demonstrating the importance of digital literacy and lack thereof.
A Sustainability Based Framework for Evaluating the Heritage Buildings
Authors: Al-Sakkaf Abobakr , Zayed Tarek , Bagchi Ashutosh
Published: January 2020

There are large number of heritage buildings across the world. Heritage buildings are historically unique by nature and require specific attention to their architecture. Current trends of protection and use of heritage buildings and cultural heritage components testifies to an increasing attention of the study of heritage and legacy. The literature review indicates that there many existing rating systems developed to evaluate the performance of buildings from a sustainability point of view. They all based on three pillars; environment, physical, and society. Also, LEED, BREEAM, CASBEE, ITACA, and others are examples of these rating systems. However, each of them has its own assessment attributes that originate from its local context. Besides, none of the rating systems proposes a definitive guideline for the decision makers to select the best affordable rehabilitation alternatives, taking into account the sustainability of the buildings. Nevertheless, there is an absence of a comprehensive rating systems that could assess heritage building elements and assist facility managers in their rehabilitation decisions. Therefore, the main objective is to develop a comprehensive rating system for heritage buildings that not only evaluates the different building components but also optimizes the expenditures through effective utilization and the allocation of the limited budget among the building components.
Airbnb Contribution to Rural Development
Authors: Strømmen-Bakhtiar Abbas , Vinogradov Evgueni , Kvarum Marit Kristin , Antonsen Kristian Rydland
Published: January 2020

The technological developments described in terms of industrial revolutions or disruptive innovations have been shaping economic and social life in rural areas. The global trend towards urbanization presents a major challenge to rural communities. The aim of this article is to study how the peer-to-peer economy influences rural municipalities. On the one hand, in the literature, it is argued that sharing economy may improve accessibility, encourage mobility, attract investments and reduce urban bias. On the other hand, both academics and practitioners are aware of the disruptive effects of sharing economy on e.g., local real estate and labor markets. This qualitative study is based on empirical data from a municipality on the Lofoten Islands of Norway. The results demonstrate that Airbnb has some positive and some negative effects on rural development, but the magnitudes of these effects are modest. Of positive effects, the authors can mention increased local tourism, stimulation of conservation/restoration of traditional houses, and increased recreational mobility for rural residents.
Research in Patients With Heart Failure: Challenges in Recruitment
Authors: Pressler Susan J. , Subramanian Usha , Shaw Rose Mary , Meyer Leslie E. , Stoudemire Klarisa , Gradus-Pizlo Irmina
Published: January 2020

Background Published studies of patients with heart failure may not include details about the challenges in the recruitment process.

Objectives To describe the recruitment process during the first 18 months of a study being conducted to evaluate cognitive deficits in patients with chronic heart failure.

Methods Details of the recruitment process are described for 2 clinic sites.

Results A total of 4027 echocardiograms were screened at site 1 to evaluate eligibility. Of the 161 patients eligible, 61 (38%) were invited to participate, and 29 of the 61 (48%) completed the study. At site 2, four hundred thirty-seven medical records of patients were screened, resulting in 163 eligible patients (37%). The staff invited 70 of the 163 patients (43%) to participate, and 52 of the 70 (74%) completed the study. The refusal rate was 23% at site 1 and 21% at site 2.

Conclusions Successful recruitment in studies involving patients with heart failure often requires screening of a large group of patients.
Abrogated AID Function Prolongs Survival and Diminishes Renal Pathology in the BXSB Mouse Model of Systemic Lupus Erythematosus
Authors: Zhu Jing , Hay Alayna N. , Potter Ashley A. , Richwine Madison W. , Sproule Thomas , LeRoith Tanya , Wilson John , Hasham Muneer G. , Roopenian Derry C. , Leeth Caroline M.
Published: January 2020

Almost a decade has passed since the approval of belimumab, an mAb directed against B lymphocyte stimulation and the first targeted therapy approved for systemic lupus erythematous (SLE) in over 50 y. Although well tolerated, the efficacy of belimumab remains limited and is not labeled for patients suffering from nephritis, the leading cause of patient mortality. We sought to explore alternative targets of autoreactive B lymphocytes through manipulation of affinity maturation. The BXSB/MpJ mouse, a well-established model of human SLE, develops elevated antinuclear Abs and immune complex–mediated nephritis along with other manifestations of SLE-like disease. To limit interfering with critical background genetics, we used CRISPR-Cas9 to disrupt activation-induced cytidine deaminase (AID; Aicda) directly in BXSB zygotes. Homozygous null mice demonstrated significantly prolonged survival compared with wild-type. Although mice continued to develop plasma cells, splenic follicular structure was restored, and renal pathology was reduced. Mice developed expanded germinal center B lymphocyte populations as in other models of AID deficiency as well as increased populations of CD73+ B lymphocytes. Treatment with the small molecule inhibitor of RAD51, 4,4′-diisothiocyano-2,2′-stilbenedisulfonic acid, resulted in minimal changes in disease markers in BXSB mice. The prolonged survival in AID-deficient BXSB mice appears attributed primarily to the reduced renal pathology, warranting further exploration, as current therapeutics targeting lupus nephritis are limited and, thus, in great demand.
Endogenous IL-33 and Its Autoamplification of IL-33/ST2 Pathway Play an Important Role in Asthma
Authors: Magat Jenna M. , Thomas Joanna L. , Dumouchel Justin P. , Murray Fiona , Li Willis X. , Li Jinghong
Published: January 2020

IL-33 and its receptor ST2 are contributing factors to airway inflammation and asthma exacerbation. The IL-33/ST2 signaling pathway is involved in both the onset and the acute exacerbations of asthma. In this study, we address the role of endogenous IL-33 and its autoamplification of the IL-33/ST2 pathway in Ag-dependent and Ag-independent asthma-like models. Wild-type, IL-33 knockout, ST2 knockout mice were either intratracheally administrated with 500 ng of rIL-33 per day for four consecutive days or were sensitized and challenged with OVA over 21 d. In wild-type mice, IL-33 or OVA induced similar airway hyperresponsiveness and eosinophilic airway inflammation. IL-33 induced its own mRNA and ST2L mRNA expression in the lung. IL-33 autoamplified itself and ST2 protein expression in airway epithelial cells. OVA also induced IL-33 and ST2 protein expression. In IL-33 knockout mice, the IL-33– and OVA-induced airway hyperresponsiveness and eosinophilic airway inflammation were both significantly attenuated, whereas IL-33–induced ST2L mRNA expression was preserved, although no autoamplification of IL-33/ST2 pathway was observed. In ST2 knockout mice, IL-33 and OVA induced airway hyperresponsiveness and eosinophilic airway inflammation were both completely diminished, and no IL-33/ST2 autoamplification was observed. These results suggest that endogenous IL-33 and its autoamplification of IL-33/ST2 pathway play an important role in the induction of asthma-like phenotype. Thus an intact IL-33/ST2 pathway is necessary for both Ag-dependent and Ag-independent asthma-like mouse models.
Human Mucosal-Associated Invariant T Cells in Older Individuals Display Expanded TCRαβ Clonotypes with Potent Antimicrobial Responses
Authors: Loh Liyen , Gherardin Nicholas A. , Sant Sneha , Grzelak Ludivine , Crawford Jeremy Chase , Bird Nicola L. , Koay Hui-Fern , van de Sandt Carolien E. , Moreira Marcela L. , Lappas Martha , Allen E. Kaitlynn , Crowe Jane , Loudovaris Thomas , Flanagan Katie L. , Quinn Kylie M. , Rossjohn Jamie , Thomas Paul G. , Eckle Sidonia B. G. , McCluskey James , Godfrey Dale I. , Kedzierska Katherine
Published: January 2020

Mucosal-associated invariant T (MAIT) cells are important for immune responses against microbial infections. Although known to undergo marked numerical changes with age in humans, our understanding of how MAIT cells are altered during different phases across the human life span is largely unknown. Although also abundant in the tissues, our study focuses on MAIT cell analyses in blood. Across the human life span, we show that naive-like MAIT cells in umbilical cord blood switch to a central/effector memory-like profile that is sustained into older age. Whereas low-grade levels of plasma cytokine/chemokine were apparent in older donors (>65 y old), surprisingly, they did not correlate with the ex vivo MAIT hyperinflammatory cytokine profile observed in older adults. Removal of MAIT cells from older individuals and an aged environment resulted in the reversal of the baseline effector molecule profile comparable with MAIT cells from younger adults. An upregulated basal inflammatory profile accounted for reduced Escherichia coli–specific responses in aged MAIT cells compared with their young adult counterparts when fold change in expression levels of GzmB, CD107a, IFN-γ, and TNF was examined. However, the magnitude of antimicrobial MR1-dependent activation remained as potent and polyfunctional as with younger adults. Paired TCRαβ analyses of MAIT cells revealed large clonal expansions in older adults and tissues that rivalled, remarkably, the TCRαβ repertoire diversity of virus-specific CD8+ T cells. These data suggest that MAIT cells in older individuals, although associated with large clonal TCRαβ expansions and increased baseline inflammatory potential, demonstrate plasticity and provide potent antimicrobial immunity.
Immunolocalization of aromatase P450 in the epididymis of Podarcis sicula and Rattus rattus
Authors: Rosati Luigi , Prisco Marina , Di Lorenzo Mariana , De Falco Maria , Andreuccetti Piero
Published: January 2020

The goal of this study was to evaluate P450 aromatase localization in the epididymis of two different vertebrates: the lizard Podarcis sicula, a seasonal breeder, and Rattus rattus, a continuous breeder. P450 aromatase is a key enzyme involved in the local control of spermatogenesis and steroidogenesis and we proved for the first time that this enzyme is represented in the epididymis of both P. sicula and R. rattus. In details, P450 aromatase was well represented in epithelial and myoid cells and in the connective tissue of P. sicula epididymis during the reproductive period; instead, during autumnal resumption this enzyme was absent in the connective tissue. During the non-reproductive period, P450 aromatase was localized only in myoid cells of P. sicula epididymis, whereas in R. rattus it was localized both in myoid cells and connective tissue. Our findings, the first on the epididymis aromatase localization in the vertebrates, suggest a possible role of P450 aromatase in the control of male genital tract function, particularly in sperm maturation.
An atypical acute exacerbation of COPD due to Aspergillus fumigatus
Authors: Tetikkurt Cuneyt , Kubat Bahar , Tetikkurt Seza , Karakas Gulsum
Published: January 2020

A 64-year-old male with a history of stabile chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) presented with increasing dyspnea and sputum for the last two months. Complete blood count showed WBC 14x103/ml, Hgb: 14.2 g/dL and eosinophilia. Blood biochemistry was normal. Chest x-ray showed hyperlucency while thorax computed tomography (CT) revealed obstructive lung disease and bronchiectasis. Pulmonary function tests demonstrated severe obstructive lung disease and a negative bronchoreversibility with a moderately reduced diffusing capacity/alveolar volume (DLCO/VA). ABG gases revealed significant hypoxemia. Sputum culture was negative. Total IgE was 1140 ng/ml. Aspergillus RAST, precipitins and aspergillusgalactomannan antigen were positive. CF genetic screening tests gave negative results. Allergic bronchopulmonary aspergillosis  (ABPA) is a hypersensitivity reaction that occurs due to bronchial aspergillus colonization. It is most common in patients with asthma and cystic fibrosis. We present a COPD case with an acute exacerbation due to Aspergillus fumigatus that lead to an aberrant clinical profile unresponsive to conventional treatment. Clinicians should consider Aspergillus fumigatus as an etiologic agent in an atypical and severe COPD exacerbation.
Visual Biofeedback and Changes in Lower Extremity Kinematics in Individuals With Medial Knee Displacement
Authors: Marshall Ashley N. , Hertel Jay , Hart Joseph M. , Russell Shawn , Saliba Susan A.
Published: January 2020

Context

Increased frontal-plane knee motion during functional tasks, or medial knee displacement, is a predictor of noncontact anterior cruciate ligament injury and patellofemoral pain. Intervention studies that resulted in a reduced risk of knee injury included some form of feedback to address aberrant lower extremity movement patterns. Research on integrating feedback into single-legged tasks and the ability to train 1 task and test another is limited.

Objective

To determine if adding real-time visual biofeedback to common lower extremity exercises would improve single-legged landing mechanics in females with medial knee displacement.

Design

Cohort study.

Setting

University laboratory.

Patients or Other Participants

Twenty-four recreationally active females with medial knee displacement were randomized to a visual-biofeedback group (n = 12; age = 19.75 ± 0.87 years, height = 165.32 ± 8.69 cm, mass = 62.41 ± 8.91 kg) or a control group (n = 12; age = 19.75 ± 0.97 years, height = 166.98 ± 6.89 cm, mass = 59.98 ± 6.24 kg).

Intervention(s)

Individuals in the feedback group viewed a real-time digital model of their body segments generated by Microsoft Kinect. The skeletal model changed color according to the knee-abduction angle of the test limb during the exercise tasks.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

Participants completed 3 trials of the single-legged drop vertical jump (SL-DVJ) while triplanar kinematics at the trunk, hip, knee, and ankle were collected via 3-dimensional motion capture. The feedback and control groups completed lower extremity exercises with or without real-time visual biofeedback, respectively. After the intervention, participants completed 3 additional trials of the SL-DVJ.

Results

At baseline, the feedback group had 3.83° more ankle eversion than the control group after initial contact. After the intervention, the feedback group exhibited 13.03° more knee flexion during the flight phase of the SL-DVJ and 6.16° less knee abduction after initial contact than the control group. The feedback group also demonstrated a 3.02° decrease in peak knee-abduction excursion compared with the baseline values (P = .008).

Conclusions

Real-time visual biofeedback immediately improved faulty lower extremity kinematics related to knee-injury risk. Individuals with medial knee displacement adjusted their movement patterns after a single training session and reduced their medial knee motion during a dynamic task.
Challenges Faced by Collegiate Athletic Trainers, Part I: Organizational Conflict and Clinical Decision Making
Authors: Lacy Alicia M. Pike , Bowman Thomas G. , Singe Stephanie Mazerolle
Published: January 2020

Context

Organizational conflict, particularly between coaches and medical professionals, has been reported in collegiate athletics. Different values create room for conflict between coaches and athletic trainers (ATs); however, ATs' experiences when making medical decisions are not fully understood.

Objective

To investigate the presence of organizational conflict regarding medical decision making and determine if differences exist across athletic affiliations.

Design

Cross-sectional study.

Setting

Collegiate athletics (National Collegiate Athletic Association [NCAA], National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics [NAIA], National Junior College Athletic Association [NJCAA]).

Patients or Other Participants

A total of 434 ATs responded (age = 27.7 ± 3.2 years, years certified = 5.2 ± 2.7), representing the NCAA Division I (DI; n = 199), Division II (DII; n = 67), Division III (DIII; n = 108); NAIA (n = 37); and NJCAA (n = 23) settings.

Main Outcome Measure(s)

The survey instrument contained quantitative measures and open-ended questions, with affiliation as our primary independent variable. Responses to Likert-scale questions (1 = strongly agree, 5 = strongly disagree) regarding organizational pressures within athletics served as the dependent variables. Kruskal-Wallis analysis-of-variance and Mann-Whitney U post hoc tests assessed differences in organizational conflict across affiliations. Open-ended questions were analyzed inductively.

Results

We obtained a 14.47% (434 of 3000) response rate. National Collegiate Athletic Association DI ATs disagreed less than NCAA DII and DIII and NJCAA ATs that they would worry about job security if turnover in the head coaching position occurred (P < .05). Regarding the influence of coaches on job performance, differences were found between NCAA DI and DIII and between DI and NJCAA ATs (P < .01). Visibility of the injury and situational factors influenced the level of perceived pressure.

Conclusions

Athletic trainers perceived pressure from coaches regarding medical decision making. Division I ATs placed greater emphasis on the role that coaches played in their job performance and job security. Athletic departments should consider transitioning to patient-centered models of care to better align values and reduce the external pressures placed on ATs.
Global Bifurcation from Intervals for Problems with Pucci's Operator
Authors: Luo Hua , Dai Guowei
Published: January 2020

We study global bifurcation from intervals for the following fully nonlinear elliptic problem with Pucci's operator

\left\{ \begin{array}{ll} -\mathcal{M}_{\lambda,\Lambda}^+\left(D^2 u\right)=\mu u+h(u,\mu)+g(u,\mu)\,\,&\text{in}\,\, \Omega,\\ u=0&\text{on}\,\,\partial\Omega, \end{array} \right.\nonumber

where

h

is not necessarily differentiable at the origin or infinity with respect to

u

. Furthermore, under some suitable assumptions on nonlinearity, we investigate the global structure of bifurcating branches, which can be used to obtain the existence of one-sign solution.