bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Self-learning Robust Swing-up algorithm
Authors: Dındış G , Karamancıoğlu A
Published: May 2015

A novel swing-up algorithm for an inverted pendulum under a restricted cart track length is introduced. The algorithm achieves the swing-up task by means of a control law that uses a finite input set. The algorithm neither knows nor uses values of cart and pendulum masses, or pendulum length. In the swing-up process, it self-learns a weight that is used in normalizing the energy injected to the pendulum. This weight makes it possible for the algorithm to determine the number of sampling periods needed to reach the upright equilibrium state. Also, by predicting the multi-step ahead cart position, it gives rise to a control law that keeps the cart within the track and makes the pendulum reach the neighbourhood of the upright equilibrium state in a smooth manner. The validity and robustness of the swing-up algorithm are verified through laboratory experiments.
New Robust Scale Transformation Methods in the Presence of Outlying Common Items
Authors: He Yong , Cui Zhongmin , Osterlind Steven J.
Published: May 2015

Common items play an important role in item response theory (IRT) true score equating under the common-item nonequivalent groups design. Biased item parameter estimates due to common item outliers can lead to large errors in equated scores. Current methods used to screen for common item outliers mainly focus on the detection and elimination of those items, which may lead to inadequate content representation for the common items. To reduce the impact of inconsistency in item parameter estimates while maintaining content representativeness, the authors propose two robust scale transformation methods based on two weighting methods: the Area-Weighted method and the Least Absolute Values (LAV) method. Results from two simulation studies indicate that these robust scale transformation methods performed as well as the Stocking-Lord method in the absence of common item outliers and, more importantly, outperformed the Stocking-Lord method when a single outlying common item was simulated.
Waking the ‘sleeping giant’ or expressing domestic dissent? Mainstreaming Euroscepticism in crisis-stricken Greece
Authors: Verney Susannah
Published: May 2015

The surge in support for Eurosceptic parties in the 2014 Euroelections is investigated through a case study of Greece, a country which suffered a dramatic dealignment of its party system after the onset of the Eurozone crisis. The extent to which crisis-era developments represent a rupture is assessed by setting the recent rise of party Euroscepticism in its historical context. Eurobarometer data is used to investigate the relationship between party and popular Euroscepticism and an alternative domestically-driven explanation of causality. The conclusion is that the crisis era has been a game-changer in attitudes towards European integration. The rising vote for Eurosceptic parties is not simply a side-effect of domestic protest. Instead the EU has become a significant electoral target.
The role of the public in shaping EU contestation: Euroscepticism and online news media
Authors: Michailidou Asimina
Published: May 2015

The participation of the public in framing and debating the news has added a new layer in the making of European Union contestation and the European public sphere, traditionally driven by journalists and political elites. Drawing on news coverage of the ongoing Eurocrisis (2010–2013) and the 2009 European Parliament elections, this article examines the structure and content of European Union contestation in mainstream online news media over time and across several European Union member states. The cross-national patterns that emerge from this analysis strongly suggest that, despite the differences between the observed online news spheres, the European Union is rather uniformly contested: national politics firmly remain the key defining ‘frame’; Eurosceptic claims are very much focused on the present rather than the future; and contributors often appeal to the public’s emotions rather than reason. Furthermore, the Eurocrisis appears to have consolidated European Union contestation on the more substantial issues of power, solidarity and accountability.
Sexism in Language and Talk-in-Interaction
Authors: Weatherall Ann
Published: May 2015

Feminists have long recognised important relationships between language and a gendered social order that disadvantages women. At the establishment of gender and language as a field of academic inquiry, work documented sexism in language—the ways words were used to ignore, narrowly define, or demean women. Using feminist conversation analysis, this article further develops that early work by considering recorded instances of gender and sexism in talk. A broad notion of “gender trouble” was used to identify 50 relevant cases from everyday interactions. Two sexist language issues that were evident in the collection are presented in this article—the derogation of women and participants’ orientations to gender inclusiveness. The analysis contributes to a better understanding of sexism in language by examining how instances of it unfold over turns of talk. The study is discussed with respect to the methodological tensions inherent in feminist conversation analysis.
Is being satisfied enough? Well-being and IT post-adoption behavior
Authors: Ong Chorng-Shyong , Lin Michael Yu-Ching
Published: May 2015

Well-being has rarely been used to discuss the post-adoption behavior of information technology users. Currently, satisfaction is the primary predictor of user behavior in IT post-adoption research. We live in an age when social media, mobile devices, the Internet, and other information technologies have virtually fused with our lifestyles. In discussing post-adoption behavior, focusing only on satisfaction might no longer be satisfactory. We should consider other constructs that might capture additional post-adoption factors, such as the concept of affect. In this study, we examined the influence of well-being on continuance intention and on loyalty. We compared well-being’s impact with that of satisfaction. A survey of 297 college students supplied the data that was entered into a structural equation model on social network site usage. The results showed strong support for satisfaction and well-being as influential factors for continuance intention and loyalty. Moreover, relative to satisfaction, we found well-being to have a greater impact on continuance intention and loyalty.
An in vitro evaluation of gaseous microemboli handling by contemporary venous reservoirs and oxygenator systems using EDAC
Authors: Stanzel RDP , Henderson M
Published: May 2015

Gaseous microemboli (GME) generated during cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) can present a significant risk to patient outcomes, specifically if they are delivered to the cerebral vasculature. A number of GME sources have been identified, leading to improved clinical practice and equipment design to ameliorate the presence and intensity of GME during CPB. Recently, a number of new venous reservoir/oxygenator systems have entered the market, including the Sorin Inspire6 and Inspire8, the Terumo FX15 and FX25 and the Maquet Quadrox-i. The goal of the current study was to evaluate the GME-handling capacity of these contemporary venous reservoirs, oxygenators and complete systems, as well as our currently used Sorin Synthesis, using the EDAC system. The venous reservoir of the Quadrox-i was the most effective in removing all sizes of GME and total GME load, while the Synthesis was the least effective. The FX15 and FX25 were least effective removing small GME, while the FX15 and Quadrox-i were the least effective at removing medium GME. The Quadrox-i was least effective at removing large GME. In terms of complete venous reservoir/oxygenator systems, the Synthesis permitted the greatest amount of GME to pass, while the other systems appeared largely equivalent.
Interpretation of the Expected Value of Perfect Information and Research Recommendations
Authors: Thorn Joanna , Coast Joanna , Andronis Lazaros
Published: May 2015

Background. Expected value of perfect information (EVPI) calculations are increasingly performed to guide and underpin research recommendations. An EVPI value that exceeds the estimated cost of research forms a necessary (although not sufficient) condition for further research to be considered worthwhile. However, it is unclear what factors affect researchers’ recommendations and whether there is a notional threshold of positive returns below which research is not recommended. The objectives of this study were to explore whether EVPI and other factors have a bearing on research recommendations and to assess whether there exists a threshold EVPI below which research is typically not recommended. Methods. A systematic literature review was undertaken to identify applied EVPI calculations in the health care field. Study characteristics were extracted, including funder, location, disease group, publication year, primary language, and outcome measure. Population EVPI values and willingness-to-pay thresholds were also extracted alongside verbatim text excerpts describing the authors’ research recommendations. Recommendations were classified according to whether further research was recommended (a positive recommendation) or not (negative). Factors affecting the likelihood of a positive recommendation were examined statistically using logistic regression and visually by plotting the results in graphs. Results and Conclusions. Eighty-six articles were included, of which 13 suggested no further research, 66 recommended further research, and 7 gave no recommendation. EVPI appears to be a key driver of researchers’ recommendations for further research. Disease area, funder, study location, publication year, and outcome may have a bearing on recommendations, although none of these factors reached statistical significance. A threshold EVPI value below which research is typically not recommended was found at around £1.48 million.
Underwater navigation based on passive electric sense: New perspectives for underwater docking
Authors: Boyer Frederic , Lebastard Vincent , Chevallereau Christine , Mintchev Stefano , Stefanini Cesare
Published: May 2015

In underwater robotics, several homing and docking techniques are currently being investigated. They aim to facilitate the recovery of underwater vehicles, as well as their connection to underwater stations for battery charging and data exchange. Developing reliable underwater docking strategies is a critical issue especially in murky water and/or in confined and cluttered environments. Commonly used underwater sensors such as sonar and camera can fail under these conditions. We show how a bio-inspired sensor could be used to help guide an underwater robot during a docking phase. The sensor is inspired by the passive electro-location ability of electric fish. Exploiting the electric interactions and the morphology of the vehicle, a sensor-based reactive control law is proposed. It allows the guidance of the robot toward the docking station by following an exogenous electric field generated by a set of electrodes fixed to the environment. This is achieved while avoiding insulating perturbative objects. This control strategy is theoretically analysed and validated with experiments carried out on a setup dedicated to the study of electric sense. Though promising, these results are but a first step towards the implementation of an approach to docking in more realistic conditions, such as in turbid salt water or in the presence of conductive perturbative objects.
A hysteretic multiscale formulation for validating computational models of heterogeneous structures
Authors: Triantafyllou Savvas P , Chatzi Eleni N
Published: May 2015

A framework for the development of accurate yet computationally efficient numerical models is proposed in this work, within the context of computational model validation. The accelerated computation achieved herein relies on the implementation of a recently derived multiscale finite element formulation, able to alternate between scales of different complexity. In such a scheme, the micro-scale is modeled using a hysteretic finite element formulation. In the micro-level, nonlinearity is captured via a set of additional hysteretic degrees of freedom compactly described by an appropriate hysteric law, which gravely simplifies the dynamic analysis task. The computational efficiency of the scheme is rooted in the interaction between the micro- and a macro-mesh level, defined through suitable interpolation fields that map the finer mesh displacement field to the coarser mesh displacement field. Furthermore, damage-related phenomena that are manifested at the micro-level are accounted for, using a set of additional evolution equations corresponding to the stiffness degradation and strength deterioration of the underlying material. The developed modeling approach is utilized for the purpose of model validation; first, in the context of reliability analysis, and second, within an inverse problem formulation where the identification of constitutive parameters via availability of acceleration response data is sought.
The domestic consequences of international over-cooperation: An experimental study of microfoundations
Authors: Davies Graeme A.M. , Johns Robert
Published: May 2015

While questions about the diplomatic effectiveness of hawkish or dovish policies are crucially important, little research has been conducted on the domestic political risks and benefits associated with a chosen policy. This paper provides evidence to suggest why elites avoid the use of inducements and focus on more hawkish policies. Specifically this article focuses on the public opinion risks associated with offering an inducement that does not result in a change in behaviour of a target state. Using an experiment embedded within a wider survey instrument, we assess public ex post evaluations of government behaviour towards a nascent nuclear power that is believed to threaten British national security. The study examines not only the rewards associated with successful policies and the costs of failure, but also whether those costs are particularly heavy when it is dovish policies that fail. The results indicate that the public does have a particular aversion for unsuccessful engagement policies. Successful policies are generally more popular than unsuccessful policies, but a hawkish failure wins more public sympathy than a failed inducement. These results provide an important explanation as to why inducements tend to be avoided on the international stage: the risks of failure are too severe.
Model Versus Military Pilot
Authors: Daniels Elizabeth A. , Sherman Aurora M.
Published: May 2015

Using an experimental methodology, the present study investigated adolescents’ attitudes toward media images of women in non-appearance-focused (CEO and military pilot) and appearance-focused occupations (model and actor). One hundred adolescent girls and 76 adolescent boys provided ratings of likability, competence, and similarity to self after viewing media images of women in non-appearance-focused and appearance-focused occupations. Both boys and girls reported that women in non-appearance-focused occupations were good role models at higher rates than women in appearance-focused occupations. Girls reported greater likability and similarity to the self for women in appearance-focused occupations compared with women in non-appearance-focused occupations, whereas boys showed the opposite pattern. Boys rated women in non-appearance-focused occupations as more competent than women in appearance-focused occupations, whereas girls showed the opposite pattern. The role of internalization of media standards for appearance in teens’ attitudes was also considered. Implications for career identity are discussed.
Sailing in Uncharted Waters: Four Dutch Steamship Companies during the First World War, 1914–1918
Authors: Kruizinga Samuël
Published: May 2015

During the First World War, steamship companies based in neutral Holland were confronted by a number of very costly, war-related challenges. The conflict also brought unexpected windfalls: neutrality put these shipping firms in a unique position to profit from the worldwide disruption to global trade. In this article, I reconstruct the wartime balance sheets of four Dutch steamship companies, and relate my findings to an analysis of their wartime policies. My main conclusion is that these companies shared a remarkably similar fear of the post-War future which guided their wartime financial policies. By saving, expanding their fleet and improving their facilities, they desperately tried to guard themselves against the prospect of renewed foreign competition after the War.
A bibliography of Australian whaling in the nineteenth century
Authors: Howard Mark
Published: May 2015

The bibliography deals with Australian pelagic and bay whaling in the nineteenth century. It starts with some general works on the subject, followed by entries on whaling in each of the states. It ends with a section on Australian whalers in New Zealand and another on scrimshaw. Most entries relate to books, chapters in books, and journal articles. Also listed are some unpublished items – including university theses and archaeological reports – as well as a few newspaper articles and websites. Some important reference works, such as published lists of ship arrivals and departures for the two main whaling ports of Sydney and Hobart, are also included. The bibliography was inspired by, and draws on, two earlier works about whaling in the Pacific by Honore Forster, The South Sea Whaler (1985) and More South Sea Whaling (1991). I would like to thank Martin Gibbs for providing a copy of the bibliography from his 1996 thesis on whaling in Western Australia.
The internationalization of shipboard space and communities: A historiographical study of Norwegian-owned shipping, 1939–2014
Authors: Sætra Gustav
Published: May 2015

This article examines how researchers from the humanities and social sciences have perceived and projected the changing identities of seafarers, ships and localities in ‘Norwegian-owned’ merchant vessels, 1939–2014. Down to the late 1960s, these researchers regarded Norwegian ships and seamen as a part of Norway in international waters, with the national flag flying at the stern. But the shipping crises of the 1970s and 1980s encouraged shipowners to ‘flag out’ their ships in foreign countries, and to resort to manning companies in Hong Kong and the Philippines to recruit seafarers from low-cost countries. This gave the ship and her crew a multinational identity, with Norwegian officers and Filipino or Chinese ratings. Even the researchers’ point of view changed. During the shipping crises, they advocated building up the Norwegian fleet so that it could compete with foreign fleets. Now their aim was not only to understand the ship as a hierarchical work place, but to contend that a more democratic working community on board would foster more efficient and satisfied employees willing to accept a new manning scale with fewer people working harder to compete with low-cost seafarers. But although the Norwegian-owned fleet in Norwegian and foreign registers never had been larger than in 2014, the researchers and the Norwegian Ship Owners’ Association understood that Norwegian shipping was becoming increasingly dependent on new markets, shipbuilding and labour in the Far East. At the same time, the researchers themselves moved to universities in China and the Philippines to undertake ‘action research’ with Asian cadets.
The View From the Bottom
Authors: Napoletano Anthony , Elgar Frank J. , Saul Grace , Dirks Melanie , Craig Wendy
Published: May 2015

We investigated the relation between relative deprivation (RD)—disparity in affluence between adolescents and their more affluent schoolmates—and involvement in bullying among 23,383 students (aged 9-19) in 413 schools that participated in the 2010 Canadian Health Behavior in School-Aged Children survey. Students reported family affluence and frequency of bullying victimization and perpetration during the previous 2 months. Using the Yitzhaki index of RD and multinomial logistic regression analysis, we found that RD positively related to three types of bullying victimization (physical, relational, and cyberbullying) and to two types of perpetration (relational and cyberbullying) after differences in absolute affluence were held constant. These findings suggest that RD uniquely contributes to risk of bullying involvement.
Set Up for Failure? Examining the Influence of Monetary Sanctions on Probation Success
Authors: Iratzoqui Amaia , Metcalfe Christi
Published: May 2015

Recent critiques of the decision to make monetary sanctions a condition of probation have suggested that the practice could hinder the successful completion of probation. However, few studies have explored this relationship empirically, and among those that do, the findings are relatively inconclusive and often dependent on the sample and measures used. Building on this research, the current study examines the imposition of four monetary sanctions on a sample of felony cases involving indigent adult probationers from a Florida public defender’s office. The results indicate that although monetary sanctions have relatively little impact on probation violations generally, the effects of these penalties vary based on the severity of the violation. Legal factors are consistently the most significant predictors of the likelihood and severity of probation violations.
Gay Pay for Straight Work
Authors: Waite Sean , Denier Nicole
Published: May 2015

Drawing from the gender wage gap literature, we explore four possible causes of sexual minority earnings gaps: (1) variation in human capital and labor force participation, (2) occupational and industrial sorting, (3) differences in the institutional organization of the public and private sector, and (4) different returns to marriage and parenthood. Using the 2006 Census of Canada, we find that heterosexual men earn more than gay men, followed by lesbians and heterosexual women. Oaxaca-Blinder decompositions show that industry of employment, rather than occupation, disadvantages gay men, lesbians, and heterosexual women. High levels of educational attainment lead to employment in lucrative occupations, but sexual minorities earn significantly less than heterosexual men within these occupations. Wage gaps are reduced in the public sector for heterosexual women, gay men, and lesbians. Finally, we find that heterosexual women experience a motherhood penalty, heterosexual men experience a fatherhood premium, and both receive a premium for marriage; however, the presence of children and marriage have no effect on the earnings of either gay men or lesbians in conjugal relationships.
Fitting the bill? (Dis)embodied disclosure of sexual identities in the workplace
Authors: Einarsdóttir Anna , Hoel Helge , Lewis Duncan
Published: May 2015

The disclosure of lesbian, gay or bisexual identity is generally presented as a conscious act of leaving heterosexuality. Such interpretation fails to take into account the dynamic processes involved in constructing non-heterosexual identities and to what degree such identities are embodied or disembodied. Supported by interview data among lesbian and gay employees in six British workplaces, this article explores how non-heterosexual identities become known in organizational settings by arguing that lesbians and gay men continue to collide with social expectations and stereotypical ideas of how sexual identities should be ‘worn’ and performed. These expectations and ideas both shape colleagues’ assumptions about their non-heterosexual identities and can expose lesbians and gay men to negative behaviour at work in highly gendered ways.
In vitro wear testing of the PyroCarbon proximal interphalangeal joint replacement: Five million cycles of flexion and extension
Authors: Naylor Andrew , Bone Martin C , Unsworth Anthony , Talwalkar Sumedh C , Trail Ian A , Joyce Thomas J
Published: May 2015

Clinical results of the PyroCarbon proximal interphalangeal joint replacement are inconsistent with various complications reported. To address this, in vitro testing was conducted using finger joint simulators. Two PyroCarbon proximal interphalangeal prostheses were tested in a lubricant of dilute bovine serum to 5 × 106 cycles of flexion–extension (90°–30°) with dynamic forces of 10 N applied. At intervals of 3000 cycles testing ceased and a static load of 100 N was applied to simulate gripping. In addition, two ‘control’ prostheses were immersed alongside the test prostheses to account for lubricant absorption. Wear and roughness averages (Ra) were measured every 1 × 106 cycles. Minimal wear for all of the components was measured with a negligible increase in Ra for most of the components. One condyle of one component increased in Ra over the 5 × 106 cycles with a value above the recommended 50 nm. Unidirectional marks were visible on the condyle from micrographs, consistent with an abrasive wear mode.
Virtual prototyping of a semi-active transfemoral prosthetic leg
Authors: Lui Zhen Wei , Awad Mohammed I , Abouhossein Alireza , Dehghani-Sanij Abbas A , Messenger Neil
Published: May 2015

This article presents a virtual prototyping study of a semi-active lower limb prosthesis to improve the functionality of an amputee during prosthesis–environment interaction for level ground walking. Articulated ankle–foot prosthesis and a single-axis semi-active prosthetic knee with active and passive operating modes were considered. Data for level ground walking were collected using a photogrammetric method in order to develop a base-line simulation model and with the hip kinematics input to verify the proposed design. The simulated results show that the semi-active lower limb prosthesis is able to move efficiently in passive mode, and the activation time of the knee actuator can be reduced by approximately 50%. Therefore, this semi-active system has the potential to reduce the energy consumption of the actuators required during level ground walking and requires less compensation from the amputee due to lower deviation of the vertical excursion of body centre of mass.
A novel four-caster manual vehicle manoeuvring investigation: Higher loading-weights require larger turning spaces
Authors: Abraham Brian B , Joyce Tom J , Davidson Robert I , Johnson Garth R
Published: May 2015

Patient-hoists, goods-trolleys and other omni-directional manually operated vehicles are ubiquitous. Yet no substantive, empirically based dynamic analysis has been made of these four-caster vehicles despite manual handling concerns. A relationship between loading-weight and turning space is indicated by theoretical analysis which further shows that this effect is represented by only 11 different manoeuvres. A qualitative account of the theory is presented. These 11 manoeuvres were implemented experimentally. A total of 17 subjects selected a maximum comfortable loading-weight for the four-caster vehicle for each of the 11 manoeuvres. Vehicle displacement and handle forces were measured for different centres of zero velocity. The median loading-weight of the manoeuvre with the highest loading-weight selections was 101% greater than the mean loading-weight of the three manoeuvres with the lowest loading-weight selections. The manoeuvre with the highest loading-weight selections required a larger vehicle turning space: one dimension increased by 37% (173 mm) compared with the three lowest loading-weight selection manoeuvres and the other dimension increased by 17% (130 mm) compared with one of the lowest loading-weight selection manoeuvres. Higher loading-weights require larger turning spaces. These results can contribute to building designs which facilitate safe manual manoeuvring of four-caster vehicles.
In vitro degradation and cell viability assessment of Zn–3Mg alloy for biodegradable bone implants
Authors: Dambatta MS , Murni NS , Izman S , Kurniawan D , Froemming GRA , Hermawan H
Published: May 2015

This article reports the in vitro degradation and cytotoxicity assessment of Zn–3Mg alloy developed for biodegradable bone implants. The alloy was prepared using casting, and its microstructure was composed of Mg2Zn11 intermetallic phase distributed within a Zn-rich matrix. The degradation assessment was done using potentiodynamic polarization and electrochemical impedance spectrometry. The cell viability and the function of normal human osteoblast cells were assessed using 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-5-(3-carboxymethoxyphenyl)-2-(4-sulfophenyl)-2H-tetrazolium and alkaline phosphatase extracellular enzyme activity assays. The results showed that the degradation rate of the alloy was slower than those of pure Zn and pure Mg due to the formation of a high polarization resistance oxide film. The alloy was cytocompatible with the normal human osteoblast cells at low concentrations (<0.5 mg/mL), and its alkaline phosphatase activity was superior to pure Mg. This assessment suggests that Zn–3Mg alloy has the potential to be developed as a material for biodegradable bone implants, but the toxicity limit must be carefully observed.
Numerical modelling of crural fascia mechanical interaction with muscular compartments
Authors: Pavan Piero G , Pachera Paola , Natali Arturo N
Published: May 2015

The interaction of the crural fascia with muscular compartments and surrounding tissues can be at the origin of different pathologies, such as compartment syndrome. This pathology consists in the onset of excessive intracompartmental pressure, which can have serious consequences for the patient, compromising blood circulation. The investigation of compartment syndrome etiology also takes into account the alteration of crural fascia mechanical properties as a cause of the syndrome, where the fascial stiffening would result in the rise of intracompartmental pressure. This work presents a computational approach toward evaluating some biomechanical aspects of the problem, within the context of a more global viewpoint. Finite element analyses of the interaction phenomena of the crural fascia with adjacent regions are reported here. This study includes the effects of a fascial stiffness increase along the proximal–distal direction and their possible clinical implications. Furthermore, the relationship between different pre-strain levels of the crural fascia in the proximal–distal direction and the rise of internal pressure in muscular compartments are considered. The numerical analyses can clarify which aspects could be directly implied in the rise of compartment syndrome, leading to greater insight into muscle-fascia mechanical phenomena, as well as promoting experimental investigation and clinical analysis of the syndrome.
Clonidine as an adjuvant in the management of acute poisoning by anticholinesterase pesticides
Authors: El-Ebiary AA , Gad SA , Wahdan AA , El-Mehallawi IH
Published: May 2015

Introduction:

Anticholinesterase pesticides are widely used in agriculture and domestic settings throughout the world, and they are responsible for great morbidity and mortality. In Egypt and other developing countries, there is a pressing need for new affordable antidotes to treat anticholinesterase pesticide poisoning. Hence, this study was conducted to evaluate the safety and effectiveness of moderate doses of clonidine in the management of adult patients with acute anticholinesterase pesticide poisoning.

Methodology:

This study was an open-label, phase II pilot clinical trial. Sixty patients with acute anticholinesterase pesticide poisoning gave consent to participate in the study. They were divided into 2 equal groups, with 30 patients in each group. Group I received clonidine plus the routine treatment, while group II received only the routine treatment. Patients were subjected to full history taking, and their vital and clinical data were recorded. Serum cholinesterase levels and routine laboratory investigations were measured. The different outcomes of the patients were assessed.

Results:

The baseline characteristics of both groups were similar. Thirteen (43.3%) patients developed significant hypotension during clonidine treatment. The clinical outcomes (including mortality, need for assisted ventilation, length of hospital stay, and total doses of atropine) showed no significant differences between the two groups.

Conclusion:

The use of clonidine in acute anticholinesterase pesticide poisoning may be associated with a high incidence of hypotension requiring intervention. The clinical outcomes may not significantly improve in clonidine-treated patients.
Sex Composition Disrupts the Accuracy of Women’s Metaperceptions of Partners
Authors: Santuzzi Alecia M.
Published: May 2015

The effects of sex composition of dyads and surrounding others in groups on the accuracy in women’s expected evaluations (metaperceptions) were investigated using the Group Actor-Partner Interdependence Model (GAPIM). The dataset comprised 26 groups of four to six previously unacquainted participants who completed an unstructured social interaction followed by round-robin evaluations and metaperceptions on evaluative adjectives. Women expected less positive evaluations from opposite-sex partners, and this did not vary by the sex composition of surrounding others. However, women were less accurate in predictions of how they were evaluated by male partners (compared with female partners) if women were the majority in the surrounding group. Also, women formed less accurate metaperceptions of female partners when women were the minority, rather than the majority in the surrounding context. Implications for theory development in intergroup relations and contributions of the GAPIM to diversity research are discussed.
Liraglutide
Authors: Clements Jennifer N. , Shealy Kayce M.
Published: May 2015

Objective: To review the efficacy and safety of liraglutide, marketed as Saxenda, a glucagon-like peptide-1 analog for obesity management. Data Sources: A MEDLINE search (1970 to March 2015) was conducted for English-language articles using the terms glucagon-like peptide 1, liraglutide, and obesity. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Published articles pertinent to the efficacy and safety of liraglutide for short- and long-term obesity management among overweight or obese patients and special populations were reviewed and summarized. Data Synthesis: Based on randomized placebo-controlled and active-comparator studies, liraglutide can increase weight loss among overweight and obese patients in a dose-dependent manner with once-daily doses of 1.2 to 3.0 mg. It has been shown that a higher proportion of patients experienced 5% and 10% weight loss from baseline compared with placebo and orlistat. Data support the potential benefit of liraglutide among overweight and obese patients with prediabetes, as well as women with polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS) with an inadequate response to metformin. Larger and more robust studies are needed to determine the clinical significance of liraglutide among other agents for obesity in diverse populations. Conclusions: Liraglutide is an adjunct to lifestyle modifications to improve success rates among overweight or obese individuals without diabetes. It may have a potential role in special populations, such as in those with prediabetes and women with PCOS. Based on its clinical evidence, liraglutide can result in more weight loss from baseline compared with orlistat and placebo. Adverse events associated with liraglutide are primarily gastrointestinal and usually dose dependent.
The Stability of Extreme Response Style and Acquiescence Over 8 Years
Authors: Wetzel Eunike , Lüdtke Oliver , Zettler Ingo , Böhnke Jan R.
Published: May 2015

This study investigated the stability of extreme response style (ERS) and acquiescence response style (ARS) over a period of 8 years. ERS and ARS were measured with item sets drawn randomly from a large pool of items used in an ongoing German panel study. Latent-trait-state-occasion and latent-state models were applied to test the relationship between time-specific (state) response style behaviors and time-invariant trait components of response styles. The results show that across different random item samples, on average between 49% and 59% of the variance in the state response style factors was explained by the trait response style factors. This indicates that the systematic differences respondents show in their preferences for certain response categories are remarkably stable over a period of 8 years. The stability of ERS and ARS implies that it is important to consider response styles in the analysis of self-report data from polytomous rating scales, especially in longitudinal studies aimed at investigating stability in substantive traits. Furthermore, the stability of response styles raises the question in how far they might be considered trait-like latent variables themselves that could be of substantive interest.
Science News Consumption Patterns and Their Implications for Public Understanding of Science
Authors: Su Leona Yi-Fan , Akin Heather , Brossard Dominique , Scheufele Dietram A. , Xenos Michael A.
Published: May 2015

Due to changes in the media landscape, the vast majority of the public now depends on a mix of media formats for science news. This study analyzes audiences’ repertoires of science media consumption, and the effect of these consumption patterns on public understanding of science. We also profile those who rely on a mix of online-only sources and traditional media for science news. Our findings indicate that primarily relying on online-only sources is positively associated with a higher understanding of science, even when pertaining to respondents’ level of education and scientific training in the past.
From Reader to Mediated Witness
Authors: van Krieken Kobie , Hoeken Hans , Sanders José
Published: May 2015

This study tests the claim that news narratives about shocking criminal acts enable readers to become mediated witnesses, which implies that readers identify with actual eyewitnesses to a crime and vicariously experience the crime from up close. In an experiment ( n = 128), participants read an original narrative newspaper article about a mass shooting or an original non-narrative article about the same event. Results provided evidence for a mediated witness experience: Readers of the narrative identified more strongly with eyewitnesses of the crime and had a stronger sense of being present at the shooting than readers of the non-narrative article.
Non-melanoma Skin Cancer in Canada Chapter 4: Management of Basal Cell Carcinoma
Authors: Zloty David , Guenther Lyn C. , Sapijaszko Mariusz , Barber Kirk , Claveau Joël , Adamek Tamara , Cancer John Ashkenas ,   Guidelines Committee
Published: May 2015

Background

Basal cell carcinoma (BCC) is the most common malignancy. Growth of BCCs leads to local destruction of neighbouring healthy skin and underlying tissue and can result in significant functional and cosmetic morbidity.

Objective

To provide guidance to Canadian health care practitioners regarding management of BCCs.

Methods

Literature searches and development of graded recommendations were carried out as discussed in the accompanying Introduction.

Results

Although BCCs rarely metastasize“ they can be aggressive and disfiguring. This chapter describes the natural history and prognosis of BCCs. Risk stratification is based on clinical features” including the site and size of the tumour“ its histologic subtype (nodular vs sclerosing)” and its history of recurrence.

Conclusions

Various options should be considered for BCC treatment” including cryosurgery” curettage” and topical or photodynamic approaches, as well as fixed-margin surgery and Mohs micrographic surgery. Stratification of recurrence risk for individual BCCs determines the most appropriate therapeutic course.
Tribological properties of electroplated crack Ni–W alloy coatings
Authors: Xu Lixin , Guan Houbing , Li Dongshan , Wang Longzhi
Published: May 2015

Crack and crack-free Ni–W alloy coatings were prepared on 45 steel surface via the electroplating method with adjusted solution composition. The friction and wear properties of the two coatings were studied under dry and oil-lubricant conditions. The research results show that compared with the crack-free Ni–W alloy coating, the crack Ni–W alloy coating exhibits a lower friction coefficient and wear rate as a result of surface texturing under both dry and oil lubrication conditions. The wear rate was reduced by 23% and 10% under dry and oil lubrication conditions, respectively.
Longitudinal association between depressive symptoms and walking impairment in people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis
Authors: Ensari Ipek , Adamson Brynn C , Motl Robert W
Published: May 2015

Worsening depressive symptoms and walking impairment are significant burdens in multiple sclerosis. We explored the reciprocal relationship between depressive symptoms and walking impairment in a cohort of 269 people with relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis over 2 years. The data were examined using longitudinal panel analysis in Mplus. Baseline depressive symptoms predicted change in walking impairment at 1-year follow-up (path coefficient = .074), and change in walking impairment at 1-year follow-up predicted change in depressive symptoms at 2-year follow-up (path coefficient = .177). Our study provides preliminary evidence for initiation of a reciprocal relationship between depressive symptoms and walking impairment in relapsing-remitting multiple sclerosis.
Mapping the unassimilable: The Balkan other as meme in Val Lewton’s Cat People
Authors: Argiro Thomas Robert
Published: May 2015

World War II era Hollywood horror films were sometimes produced and promoted as wartime propaganda, and several featured characters of Eastern European origin as evildoers and monsters intentionally cast as such in a political sense. Certain of producer Val Lewton’s horror films from this period bear a curious thematic relationship to these propaganda films, although they are not considered as straightforward war propaganda. In particular, Cat People presents a bizarre story about a Serbian woman who is a shape-shifting ‘cat woman’. Her strange, irresolvable curse plagues her marriage to an American gentleman, and winds up breaking apart their dubious union. In view of its ethnic and cultural representations, Cat People reproduces long-standing Western European stereotypes about Eastern Europeans by trading in received gothic fantasies. The danger is that the film holds the potential for becoming a popular meme by relaying the demonizing of a Serbian immigrant, certainly an insensitive and reductive portrayal when viewed from a more contemporary and culturally informed perspective.
Brand local: Consumer evaluations as commodity activism on Yelp.com
Authors: Kuehn Kathleen M
Published: May 2015

This project explores consumer evaluations on Yelp.com as “commodity activism” – the politicization of market activities for the purposes of social change and/or cultural resistance. A textual analysis of consumer evaluations (n = 1972) and interviews (n = 18) reveal that commodity activism on Yelp most commonly appears as a positive bias toward localism. Consumers discursively construct an aesthetic of authenticity around localism that functions in accordance with the logic of corporate branding; in turn, “brand local” is appropriated by reviewers as part of their own authentic “self-brand” grounded in the civic duty to one’s community. The implications of this logic are critiqued against commodity activism’s commitment to individual, personalized forms of self-empowerment over identification with larger collective and community struggles. In this sense, Yelp is favorable to neoliberal discourses of consumer capitalism, where consumption serves as a stand-in for citizenship and localism’s political potential reconfigured in market terms.
Pacific Youth Offending within an Australian Context
Authors: Ravulo Jioji
Published: May 2015

Despite being 1.3 per cent of the total Australian population, Pacific communities are overrepresented in the youth justice system. This article identifies trends in the interaction Pacific young offenders have with Police, Children’s Court and Juvenile Justice in New South Wales. Key findings were mapped through comparisons between 100 young offenders, 49 Pacific, 51 Non-Pacific. Results include Pacific youth feeling vilified by Police, more time in courts and having issues in complying with supervision requirements under Juvenile Justice. A need to promote culturally inclusive whole-of-community and whole-of-government approach is discussed in achieving better responses to assist Pacific youth and their families.
Comparison of Self-Expanding Stents With Distal Embolic Protection to Balloon-Expandable Stents Without a Protection Device in the Treatment of Symptomatic Vertebral Artery Origin Stenosis
Authors: Geng Xiaokun , Hussain Mohammed , Du Huishan , Zhao Liang , Chen Jian , Su Wei , Ma Linlin , Gao Zongen , Ding Yuchuan , Ji Xunming
Published: May 2015

Purpose: To compare the angiographic and clinical outcomes of self-expanding stents (SES) with distal embolic protection devices (EPD) vs balloon-expandable stents (BES) without EPD in the treatment of symptomatic atherosclerotic vertebral artery ostial stenosis (VAOS). Methods: Between July 2011 and March 2013, a prospective randomized trial was conducted involving 127 patients (mean age 67.3±10.2 years; 94 men) with symptomatic VAOS randomly assigned to treatment with SES + EPD (Precise RX or RX Acculink stent + Spider FX EPD; n=61) or BES (Palmaz Blue or Resolute RX; n=66) without EPD. In-stent restenosis (ISR) >50% detected by duplex ultrasound was the primary endpoint. Technical success, clinical success, complications within 30 days, and signal intensity abnormalities on diffusion weighted imaging (DWI) after stenting were compared. Results: The 30-day technical success rate was 95.5% (63/66) for SES+EPD vs 100% (70/70) for BES without EPD (p=0.072). DWI at 24 hours poststenting showed 2 hyperintense lesions in 2 (3.3%) SES + EPD cases and 15 hyperintense lesions in 13 (18.6%) BES patients (p<0.01). At a mean 18-month follow-up, the clinical success rate was 93.9% (62/66) for the SES + EPD group vs 85.7% (60/70) for the BES group (p=0.115). The ISR was seen in 16/70 (22.9%) arteries in the BES group and 2/66 (3.1%) arteries in SES + EPD group (p<0.01). Target vessel revascularization was performed in 7 (10.0%) BES arteries vs none in the SES + EPD group (p<0.01). Conclusion: SES with EPD in the treatment of symptomatic VAOS is technically feasible and safe, with low rates of ISR and significantly reduced thromboembolic events on imaging when compared to BES without EPD.
Inexplicable Late Type Ia Endoleak Associated With the Low-Profile Ovation Endograft in a Patient With Favorable Neck Anatomy
Authors: Gandini Roberto , Del Giudice Costantino , Abrignani Sergio , Vasili Erald , Pampana Enrico , Simonetti Giovanni
Published: May 2015

Purpose: To report an unusual late type Ia endoleak after endovascular aneurysm repair with a low-profile sealing ring endograft and its treatment with transcaval sac embolization. Case Report: An 82-year-old man was treated for a 47-mm abdominal aortic aneurysm associated with a 35-mm left common iliac artery aneurysm using an Ovation Abdominal Stent Graft System. Correct endograft placement was documented at 3-month follow-up. Seven months after the repair, the patient was admitted to the emergency department with acute left inguinal pain. Computed tomography showed aneurysm sac enlargement (57 mm) and a contained rupture of the left common iliac artery due to a late type Ia endoleak. The endoleak was embolized with coils and thrombin via a transcaval approach. Sac shrinkage without signs of endoleak was observed at 12-month follow-up. Conclusion: In this case, late endograft failure with sealing ring collapse created an inflow channel into the aneurysm sac, with massive type Ia endoleak.