bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prespecified Risk Criteria Facilitate Adequate Discharge and Long‐Term Outcomes After Transfemoral Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation
Authors: Spence Mark S. , Baan Jan , Iacovelli Fortunato , Martinelli Gian Luca , Muir Douglas F. , Saia Francesco , Bortone Alessandro Santo , Densem Cameron G. , Owens Colum G. , van der Kley Frank , Vis Marije , van Mourik Martijn S. , Costa Giuliano , Sykorova Lenka , Lüske Claudia M. , Deutsch Cornelia , Kurucova Jana , Thoenes Martin , Bramlage Peter , Tamburino Corrado , Barbanti Marco
Published: July 2020

Background

Despite the availability of guidelines for the performance of transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI), current treatment pathways vary between countries and institutions, which impact on the mean duration of postprocedure hospitalization.

Methods and Results

This was a prospective, multicenter registry of 502 patients to validate the appropriateness of discharge timing after transfemoral TAVI, using prespecified risk criteria from FAST‐TAVI (Feasibility and Safety of Early Discharge After Transfemoral [TF] Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation), based on hospital events within 1‐year after discharge. The end point—a composite of all‐cause mortality, vascular access–related complications, permanent pacemaker implantation, stroke, cardiac rehospitalization, kidney failure, and major bleeding—was reached in 27.0% of patients (95% CI, 23.3–31.2) within 1 year after intervention; 7.5% (95% CI, 5.5–10.2) had in‐hospital complications before discharge and 19.6% (95% CI, 16.3–23.4) within 1 year after discharge. Overall mortality within 1 year after discharge was 7.3% and rates of cardiac rehospitalization 13.5%, permanent pacemaker implantation 4.2%, any stroke 1.8%, vascular‐access–related complications 0.7%, life‐threatening bleeding 0.7%, and kidney failure 0.4%. Composite events within 1 year after discharge were observed in 18.8% and 24.3% of patients with low risk of complications/early (≤3 days) discharge and high risk and discharged late (>3 days) (concordant discharge), respectively. Event rate in patients with discordant discharge was 14.3% with low risk but discharged late and increased to 50.0% in patients with high risk but discharged in ≤3 days.

Conclusions

The FAST‐TAVI risk assessment provides a tool for appropriate, risk‐based discharge that was validated with the 1‐year event rate after transfemoral TAVI.

Registration

URL:
https://www.ClinicalTrials.gov
; Unique identifier: NCT02404467.
“Venerable Relics of Ancient Lore”
Authors: Lumbley Coral
Published: July 2020

As England’s first colony, home to a rich literary tradition and a still-thriving minority language community, Wales stands as a valuable example of how premodern traditions can and should inflect modern studies of postcolonial and world literatures. This study maps how medieval, postcolonial, and world literary studies have intersected thus far and presents a reading of the medieval Welsh Mabinogion as postcolonial world literature. Specifically, I read the postcolonial refrain as a deeply-entrenched characteristic of traditional Welsh literature, manifesting in the Mabinogion tale of the brothers Lludd and Llefelys and a related poetic triad, the “Teir Gormes” (Three Oppressions). Through analysis of the context and reception of Lady Charlotte Guest’s English translation of Welsh materials, I then theorize traditional Welsh material as postcolonial, colonizing, and worlding literature.
Writing the Multilingual in Maghrebi Literature
Authors: Ait kharouach Mustapha
Published: July 2020

Maghrebi literatures have been always approached from the lenses of colonial hegemony, either as postcolonial “Francophone” literatures, or as marginalized “derivative” literatures that mimic the “belle lettres.” Maghrebi literatures, however, offer a critical and highly crucial exercise to question and rethink the recent debates regarding the problematics of world literature. The main objective of this study is to intervene in the recent critical debates in the disciplines of comparative literature and world literature, with the postulates of a literary multilingualism that necessitates the task of rethinking the critical standards with which these disciplines approach literatures of the world. Writing the multilingual makes us think of the literary positionality of being a multilingual. This positionality is never understood without rethinking the very poetical and aesthetical dimensions of multilingual writing experience. Writing the multilingual highlights the imaginative space as a poetic factor that generates and evaluates those inner voices, images, rhythms, tensions, and memories as significant determinant of multilingual literatures. It rethinks in a sense what is common between languages of the same tongue. Furthermore, it transcends the linguistic barriers that avoid the realization of public sphere where all languages can meet and negotiate. In other words, writing the multilingual – literarily speaking – is making the realization of this shared space be possible, but also, it gives to the marginalized and subaltern spaces an opportunity to share its voiced world values.
Is Medical Marijuana Legalization Associated With Prescription Drug Misuse, Illicit Drug Use, or Combination of Both Among Adults in the United States?
Authors: Lee Yen-Han , Chang Yen-Chang , Liu Ching-Ti , Arndt Stephan
Published: July 2020

This research focuses on associations of medical marijuana legalization with prescription drug misuse, illicit drug use, and a combination of both behaviors. Using three waves of the National Survey of Drug Use and Health (NSDUH, 2016–2018), adult participants (age ≥ 18) were selected for the final study sample ( n = 127,438). Multinomial logistic regression was adjusted for biological, socioeconomic, and substance use measurements. Results from multinomial regression demonstrated that medical marijuana legalization was positively associated with illicit drug use (relative risk ratio [RRR] = 1.33, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [1.17, 1.51]; p < .01) and both prescription drug misuse and illicit drug use (RRR = 1.14, 95% CI = [1.05, 1.25]; p < .01) among U.S. adults. It is recommended to design policy interventions to counter illicit drug use and a combination of both prescription drug misuse and illicit drug use as the result of medical marijuana legalization.
Race and Social Emotional Learning for Black Students in Urban Schooling Contexts
Authors: Rogers Leoandra Onnie , Griffin Charity , Warren Chezare A.
Published: July 2020

Social and emotional learning (SEL) has gained notable significance in educational research over the last three decades, and has been widely conjectured to promote students’ academic learning. In its initial construction and practice, however, SEL did not consider the indelible impact of anti-Black racism and dehumanization of Black people. This special issue convenes scholars from the fields of education, human development, and psychology who examine the ways in which race and racism mediate the social–emotional learning of Black youth, a significant portion of whom attend urban schools. Collectively, the articles in this Special Issue aim to broaden the scope and impact of SEL research.
Transformative Social and Emotional Learning: Work Notes on an Action Research Agenda
Authors: Williams Brittney V. , Jagers Robert J.
Published: July 2020

The potential for transformative social and emotional learning (SEL) was conceptualized as a lever in service of equity. This article explains the next steps and working assumptions the Collaborative for Academic, Social, and Emotional Learning (CASEL) has employed to collectively address the inequities that exist in schools. The proposed research agenda has implications for the continuous improvement of various resources. It also supports the formation of research–practice partnerships that will work to find frameworks, spaces, and stakeholder groups that will journey to implement and promote relevant efforts needed to create equitable learning environments where youth can excel.
Burnout Among Anesthesiologists and Intensive Care Physicians: Results From an Italian National Survey
Authors: Vargas Maria , Spinelli Gianmario , Buonanno Pasquale , Iacovazzo Carmine , Servillo Giuseppe , De Simone Stefania
Published: July 2020

Burnout is one of the main chronic health problems with negative consequences on caregivers but also on the quality of care. This is a multidimensional occupational syndrome, characterized by three main criteria: emotional exhaustion (EE), depersonalization (DP), and low personal accomplishment (PA). Burnout is particularly identified in professionals working in caregiving and human services, especially the ones who are interpersonally stressed and emotionally vulnerable. Intensive care professionals seem to face a critical risk of burnout. This study aiming to evaluate the occurrence and the risk factors of burnout among Italian anesthesiologists and intensive care physicians. All members included in the mailing list of the Italian Society of Anesthesia, Analgesia, and Intensive Care were invited to participate in an online survey. An anonymous questionnaire was distributed via a specific website. Burnout was measured using the Maslach Burnout Inventory (MBI) questionnaire. All responses were evaluated through univariate and multivariable logistic regression. A total of 859 physicians out of 3,654 (23.5%) participated in this online survey. According to the MBI criteria for a high degree of burnout, 10.2% (88) of the respondents reported high EE, high DP, and low PA together; 79.9% (686) exhibited a moderate degree of burnout; and 9.9% (85) reported a low degree of burnout, with normal values in all three of the explored psychological dimensions. This study reported mostly a moderate level of burnout among Italian anesthesiologist and intensive care physicians since we found 10.2% incidence for high degree of burnout according to the MBI criteria.
Clinical trials and the origins of pharmaceutical fraud: Parke, Davis & Company, virtue epistemology, and the history of the fundamental antagonism
Authors: Gabriel Joseph M. , Holman Bennett
Published: July 2020

This paper describes one possible origin point for fraudulent behavior within the American pharmaceutical industry. We argue that during the late nineteenth century therapeutic reformers sought to promote both laboratory science and increasingly systematized forms of clinical experiment as a new basis for therapeutic knowledge. This process was intertwined with a transformation in the ethical framework in which medical science took place, one in which monopoly status was replaced by clinical utility as the primary arbiter of pharmaceutical legitimacy. This new framework fundamentally altered the set of epistemic virtues—a phrase we draw from the philosophical field of virtue epistemology—considered necessary to conduct reliable scientific inquiry regarding drugs. In doing so, it also made possible new forms of fraud in which newly emergent epistemic virtues were violated. To make this argument, we focus on the efforts of Francis E. Stewart and George S. Davis of Parke, Davis & Company. Therapeutic reformers within the pharmaceutical industry, such as Stewart and Davis, were an important part of the broader normative and epistemic transformation we describe in that they sought to promote laboratory science and systematized clinical trials toward the twin goals of improving pharmaceutical science and promoting their own commercial interests. Yet, as we suggest, Parke, Davis & Company also serves as an example of a company that violated the very norms that Stewart and Davis helped introduce. We thus seek to describe one possible origin point for the widespread fraudulent practices that now characterize the pharmaceutical industry. We also seek to describe an origin point for why we conceptualize such practices as fraudulent in the first place.
Marital Status and Depressive Symptoms in African Americans: The Moderating Role of Social and Religious Resources
Authors: Williams Beverly Rosa , Williams Randi M. , Clark Eddie M. , Park Crystal L. , Schulz Emily , Ghosh Debarchana , Knott Cheryl L.
Published: July 2020

We examined the gendered role of social and religious resources in the association between marital status and depressive symptoms among a national probability sample of predominantly midlife and older African American adults ( N = 800). Greater levels of depressive symptoms were found for unmarried compared to married. A significant three-way interaction between marital status, gender, and resource variable was found only for religious social support. When religious social support was high, married men reported fewer depressive symptoms compared to nonmarried men ( p = .02). In contrast, when religious social support was high, nonmarried women reported fewer depressive symptoms than married women, but these differences only approached statistical significance ( p = .06). The role of religious resources on marital status and depression differed by sex in our sample of African American adults. Understanding these influences may help to address mental health needs of married and unmarried African Americans and suggest a potentially influential role for religious resources.
Simulation-based training of critical events during cardiopulmonary bypass: importance of a critical events checklist
Authors: Merkle Frank , Kurtovic Dino , Matschke Andreas , Haupt Benjamin , Falk Volkmar , Starck Christoph
Published: July 2020

Objectives:

Evaluation of critical events training for clinical perfusionists is necessary to improve this educational approach. Critical events checklists are effective in reducing clinical complications, but should be tested in a simulation environment first. Individual behavior and stress response of clinical perfusionists during simulated critical events on cardiopulmonary bypass have not been evaluated yet. This study focuses on the evaluation of critical events training and critical events checklists in simulated cardiopulmonary bypass.

Methods:

A total of 19 clinical perfusionists from a single hospital took part in two simulated critical event scenarios. Clinical perfusionist behavior and physiological responses were recorded using eye tracking, heart rate variability, video, and audio. In addition, workloads were determined and participants were interviewed.

Results:

Relevant areas of interest were identified for each simulation phase. During critical event detection and subsequent decision-making, areas of interest hits and fixation durations varied with the use of a critical events checklist. Times to decision were shorter, decision quality was higher, and temporal workload was increased when the checklist was used. Evaluation of selected heart rate variability measures revealed a good correlation with pupil diameters.

Conclusion:

Evaluation of critical events during simulated cardiopulmonary bypass shows that the scenario is realistic and relevant for clinical practice. Integrating a critical events checklist improves the probability of correct decision-making and shortens the correct decision time. Temporal workload is increased when using a checklist. Eye tracking and heart rate variability are well suited to evaluate participants’ behaviors and stress levels. All participants welcomed simulation training for critical incidents.
The Precision-Bias Distinction for Evaluating Visual Decision Aids for Risk Perception
Authors: Witt Jessica K.
Published: July 2020

Risk communication is critically important, for both patients and providers. However, people struggle to understand risks because there are inherent biases and limitations to reasoning under uncertainty. A common strategy to enhance risk communication is the use of decision aids, such as charts or graphs, that depict the risk visually. A problem with prior research on visual decision aids is that it used a metric of performance that confounds 2 underlying constructs: precision and bias. Precision refers to a person’s sensitivity to the information, whereas bias refers to a general tendency to overestimate (or underestimate) the level of risk. A visual aid is effective for communicating risk only if it enhances precision or, once precision is suitably high, reduces bias. This article proposes a methodology for evaluating the effectiveness of visual decision aids. Empirical data further illustrate how the new methodology is a significant advancement over more traditional research designs.
Measuring Carer Outcomes in an Economic Evaluation: A Content Comparison of the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit for Carers, Carer Experience Scale, and Care-Related Quality of Life Using Exploratory Factor Analysis
Authors: Engel Lidia , Rand Stacey , Hoefman Renske , Bucholc Jessica , Mihalopoulos Cathrine , Muldowney Anne , Ugalde Anna , McCaffrey Nikki
Published: July 2020

Background. To incorporate the spillover effects experienced by carers providing informal care in health policy decisions, new carer-related preference-based measures have been developed for use in economic evaluation, which include the Adult Social Care Outcomes Toolkit for Carers (ASCOT-Carer), Carer Experience Scale (CES), and Care-Related Quality of Life (CarerQoL). The aim of this study was to investigate the extent to which these 3 instruments measure complementary or overlapping constructs. Methods. Data were derived from an online survey undertaken with carers residing in Australia. An exploratory factor analysis was conducted to ascertain the underlying latent constructs of the 3 measures. Results. Data from 351 informal carers yielded a 5-factor model describing general quality of life outside caring, problems due to caring, fulfilment from caring, social support with caring, and relationship with the care recipient. Most of the ASCOT-Carer and the CarerQol items loaded onto the first and second factors, respectively. The greatest overlap was observed between CarerQol and CES items loading onto the other 3 shared common factors. Limitations. Online data collection resulted in inconsistent responses, which had to be removed to yield logical data. A convenience sampling approach may have compromised the generalizability of study findings. Conclusion. Although some overlap was observed, the 3 carer-related preference-based measures seem to tap into different constructs of carer-related quality of life and caring experiences and cannot be used interchangeably.
What Can COVID-19 Tell Us About Evidence-Based Management?
Authors: Yang Kaifeng
Published: July 2020

People worry that many COVID-19 decisions are not evidence based, but applying typical evidence-based management (EBM) in a pandemic seems difficult. A pandemic is characterized by uncertainty, high potential loss, time pressure, and competing values, all posing challenges to EBM. Drawing on events in government responses to COVID-19, this essay focuses on three issues: What should be considered as evidence in pandemic-like situations? How can we make evidence more accessible to decision makers in such situations? And, does evidence have a role in ethical judgments in a pandemic? The essay argues that EBM must be extended to address pandemic-like situations. The evidentiary standard should take into consideration “appropriateness,” “reasonableness,” and “intuition,” paying attention to the stages of a pandemic and the type of errors we want to avoid. In addition, the essay calls for building policy capacity in terms of coproducing and applying evidence in and outside government, as well as strengthening public managers’ capacity in evidence-based ethical analysis.
Effect of vocal versus piano doubling on children’s singing accuracy
Authors: Nichols Bryan E
Published: July 2020

Children’s singing development is an important part of the music classroom, where instruction is often assisted by the teacher’s voice or the piano. However, it is unknown whether children sing more accurately when doubled by another voice or instruments. The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of doubling timbre on children’s singing accuracy. Third- and fourth-grade children ( N = 61) performed pitch matching and song singing tasks doubled by pre-recorded vocal and piano stimuli, counterbalanced to control for order effects. Performance when doubled by voice and doubled by piano was significantly and strongly correlated, r(59) = .81, p < .001. Children performed more accurately on the vocal doubling condition than the piano ( p = .002) on pitch matching tasks, but there was no significant difference on the song singing task.
Families of Animal Rights Activists as a Basis of Support for Ideological Delinquency—A Phenomenological Study
Authors: Inbar-Frohlich Tali , Bensimon Moshe , Ronel Natti
Published: July 2020

The presented study examined dynamics and perceptions among family members of ideologues lawbreaking animal rights activists. In the course of the study, parents and spouses of activists were interviewed, and its findings highlighted a number of key themes: glorification of the activist, an envy directed toward elements of the activism; personal gain acquired by virtue of the relationship, as well as self-discovery which family members experienced by their exposure to activism. By using Maruna’s “redemption script” (2001), the study presents the manner by which perception of an activist as an idealist, leads his family members to construct a new narrative that qualifies transgressions based on ideology. The redemption script turns out to be bidirectional. Thus, while Maruna presented it as an aid for desisting delinquency, the study indicates that as far as it concerns breaking the law in favor of animals, it can mobilize family members to support all shades of activism.
Labour market policy under the new European economic governance: France in the focus of the new European labour market policy
Authors: Syrovatka Felix
Published: July 2020

The article examined the influence of the European crisis politics on French labour market regulation. The European crisis management has resulted in institutionalised interventionism, that restraint the European Union member states’ ability to regulate her national labour markets. France was less affected by the crisis but it was also in the focus of the European interventionism. On the basis of the labour market reforms ‘Loi Macron’ and ‘Loi El Khomri’, the article investigates what role the European institutions play and how big was the influence of the European Union in the national negotiation process.
Modeling the Rounding of Departure Times in Travel Surveys: Comparing the Effect of Trip Purposes and Travel Modes
Authors: Sato Yoshihiro , Maruyama Takuya
Published: July 2020

Rounding errors are often observed in reported trip departure and arrival times in paper-based travel surveys, and most of the reported times are multiples of 5, 15, 30, or 60 min. However, the rounding is rarely systematically analyzed. This study aimed to analyze the rounding of reported departure time in paper-based travel surveys by extending the rounding model proposed by Rietveld in 2002. The model parameters were estimated using the maximum likelihood method with constraints. The data in a 2012 household travel survey in Kumamoto, Japan, was used. The data in Japan were found to be often rounded to 10 min, which contrasted with the frequent rounding to 15 min in the Netherlands and United States. The model estimation results indicated that rounding to 5 and 10 min most often occurred. The response-error distribution when the reported departure time was 30 min was demonstrated using the Bayesian theorem and it was shown that the probabilities in which the actual departure times were exactly 30 min, 25–35 min, and 20–40 min were 7.9%, 63.5%, and 84.3%, respectively. Business trips were found to contain large rounding errors, and most public-transportation trips exhibited smaller rounding errors. These results may be used to refine several travel behavioral models in the future.
Bending and Impact Testing of Wood Guardrail Posts Evaluated using Stress Wave Timing Inspection
Authors: Luo Qiyang , Olszko Evan , Phillips Adam R. , Bender Donald A.
Published: July 2020

Guardrail systems throughout the U.S.A. often use preservative-treated wood posts. When a vehicle strikes the system, the posts should have sufficient fracture resistance to ensure they perform as intended by rotating in the soil, dissipating crash energy. Preservative chemicals used in wood guardrail posts do not always penetrate deep into the wood; therefore, the outer shell can appear to be in good condition, with a core that is decayed. Stress wave timing (SWT) is a proven technology for evaluating the condition of wood, especially for detecting possible internal decay. This study examines the efficacy of the new SWT prototype to detect internal decay, and to indicate if posts are compromised with respect to flexural strength and impact resistance. SWT proved to be an effective non-destructive testing method for field inspection of wood guardrail posts with 86% accuracy of decay detection. Post-bending stress grade was found not to be a reliable predictor of guardrail post impact integrity. Of 66 posts tested with internal decay, only nine failed to meet the AASHTO M168-07 minimum stress grade in static flexure. However, dynamic impact testing clearly demonstrated that the impact resistance of decayed posts was significantly lower than that of sound posts. Therefore, if SWT is deployed for inspection of wood guardrail posts it is recommended that any posts with stress wave velocity less than a predetermined threshold (such as that reported here) be further inspected using a minimally invasive tool and removed from service to decrease the likelihood of fracture during a collision.
“Yes, My Uncle, I’ll Do Whatever You Say”: Experiences of Israeli Muslim Arab Children During Forensic Interviews Following Child Sexual Abuse
Authors: Katz Carmit , Tener Dafna , Marmor Amitai , Lusky-Weisrose Efrat , Mordi Hanin
Published: July 2020

Children from Arab society in Israel have been overlooked in previous studies and efforts in the area of forensic interviews. The current study provides an in-depth thematic analysis of 30 forensic interviews with Israeli Muslim Arab children following child sexual abuse (CSA), all conducted by Arab forensic interviewers. In multicultural Israeli society, Muslim Arabs make up 18% of the population. In addition to the religious and cultural difference, this minority is involved in an ongoing conflict with the majority Jewish society in Israel and tends to have low trust of government authorities. This background necessarily affects the area of forensic interviews with children. The research explores the unique encounter between maltreated children from Israeli Muslim Arab society and forensic interviewers, highlighting its particular characteristics and challenges. Data analysis revealed a central theme of a clash of worlds. The forensic interviewers, although hailing from a similar background as the children, followed best practices developed in western societies. The children, on the other hand, faced enormous conflict in addressing CSA terminology and complying with the requirements of the forensic world in ways that are forbidden to the them in their own. Moreover, having been educated to accept the authority of adults unquestioningly, the children were torn between the difficulty of disclosing the abuse to someone outside the family, and the obligation to communicate candidly with the adult interviewer as required in the forensic context. The findings highlight the urgent need to reform the services these children receive and to dedicate future efforts to further assessment of cultural context and its impact on maltreated children, particularly in the forensic context.
Experimental research on powder-mixed near-dry electrical discharge surface modification of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy
Authors: Cai Lanrong , Li Min , Zhao Junling , Chang Dongmei
Published: July 2020

This article presented a new method of electrical discharge surface modification. Liquid–gas–powder mixture was used as dielectric in the process. In this research, the B4C particles and deionized water mixture took part of the misted discharge medium. Via the modification process, the tool electrode and Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy generate metallurgy reaction. The experimental investigation analyzed the influence of electrical discharge current, pulse on time, pulse interval, polarity and electrode on modification layer microstructure of Ti-6Al-4V titanium alloy. At the same time, micro-hardness tests and wear tests were also conducted to evaluate the process of the effects of surface modification. The experimental revealed that the hardness of the modification layer is about three times as much as that of the substrate and the wear-resistant property is almost three times as much as that of the substrate.
Evaluating emissions and sensitivity of economic gains for series plug-in hybrid electric vehicle powertrains for transit bus applications
Authors: Hoshing Vaidehi , Vora Ashish , Saha Tridib , Jin Xing , Kurtulus Orkan , Vatkar Nachiket , Shaver Gregory , Wasynczuk Oleg , García R Edwin , Varigonda Subbarao
Published: July 2020

From the design space explored for series architecture plug-in hybrid electric vehicle transit buses by the authors, one powertrain and control design is selected to provide maximum benefit to investment ratio. Sensitivity analysis is performed for this powertrain configuration. Vehicle parameters (including vehicle mass, coefficient of drag, coefficient of rolling resistance), usage parameters (drivecycle, annual vehicle miles traveled, number of recharges in a day, recharge current, and battery temperature), and economic parameters (fuel price, motor price, and battery price) are varied to understand their effect on the number of required battery replacements, net present value, payback period, and fuel consumption reduction. It is shown that battery temperature has the most significant impact, particularly on the number of battery replacements and net present value and, as such, must be well controlled in practice. It is shown that to maintain the battery at 20°C, for ambient temperatures between −5°C and 45°C, 0.8–1.8% excess fuel is required across all drivecycles for the considered plug-in hybrid electric vehicle transit bus powertrain configuration. In addition, the well-to-wheel emissions of criteria pollutants resulting from the usage of this plug-in hybrid electric vehicle transit bus in Indiana and California are calculated and compared with the conventional transit bus, using the GREET (Greenhouse Gases, Regulated Emissions and Energy Use in Transportation) Model. With a single over night charge, the plug-in hybrid electric vehicle transit bus operating in either Indiana or California produces 50% less CO2 and other greenhouse gases as compared to a conventional transit bus.
Parameter optimization design of two-planetary-gear power-split hybrid system configuration using the RAD-MOPSO algorithm
Authors: Gu Jiading , Zhao Zhiguo , Chen Yi , Zhan Xiaowen , He Lu
Published: July 2020

The performance of a power-split hybrid system and power coupling quality of its power components directly depend on the optimal design of its configuration and characteristic parameters. For numerous potential configurations, determining the best system configuration and corresponding planetary gear (PG) sets characteristic parameters to achieve the desired vehicle performance target is the key issue during a power-split system design. In this article, all potential configurations, different numbers of shifting actuators, connection positions of power components, and combinations of vehicle working modes are considered for a two-planetary-gear (2-PG) power-split hybrid system. A new algorithm, named Reborn after the Doom based on multi-objective particle swarm optimization (RAD-MOPSO) algorithm, is proposed to optimize the 2-PG system configuration and parameters. First, based on the analysis, evaluation, and screening of the system configuration, the design of the 2-PG hybrid system is considered as a multi-objective optimization design problem. The RAD-MOPSO algorithm is then proposed and applied, and the effectiveness and competitiveness of the proposed algorithm are validated by relevant benchmark functions. Finally, RAD-MOPSO is applied to the parameter optimization of the potential 2-PG system configuration. The calculation results demonstrate that this algorithm has faster convergence speed and better diversity performance compared with MOPSO and can also achieve efficient configuration screening and parameter optimization of a power-split hybrid system, and the Pareto-optimal solution set is obtained.
Consuming Goa Portuguesa: Vacationing in a Postcolonial Colony
Authors: Kandolkar Vishvesh
Published: July 2020

Contents of online websites and advertisements by real estate companies operating in Goa suggest that newly developed properties are meant to attract urban elites from Indian metros. These investors from urban metros, such as Delhi, seek a tranquil getaway from the pollution and pressures of city life. However, more than simply Goa’s idyllic location, second homeowners desire to indulge in the region’s difference from the rest of India—Goa, after all, was a Portuguese territory for 451 years. For the Indian urban elites, investing in the state is not just about buying ‘a piece of Goa’ on which to sojourn; rather, it is about buying into what this land signifies: an exotic ‘laidback’ Goan lifestyle. Essentially, I aim to suggest that the contemporary image of Goa through real estate advertisements is fashioned for the consumption of elite buyers from Indian metros who are sold a version of Goa’s culture that evokes the Portuguese colonial past while instantiating an idyllic present. Even as the elements from colonial-era architectural style of Goa are sustained or replicated, and Goan land appropriated, Goans themselves are not factored into the commercial imaginings of the sale of these exclusive and exclusionary properties.
Where Facts and History Meet Myth and Legend: Groups or Communities in the Marvels of India Stories Model
Authors: Agius Dionisius A.
Published: July 2020

The cAja-’ib al-Hind ( Marvels of India) is a collection of sea stories allegedly compiled by Captain Buzurg Ibn Shahriya-r (d. 399/1009) which belongs to an Arabo-Islamic literary genre called the caja-’ib, containing themes of entertainment—things that are marvellous and strange. But these stories are not merely entertaining, they are an additional resource for the modern researcher because they also reflect the realities of daily life in seafaring communities of the Indian Ocean in the ninth and tenth centuries. Among the tales of the fantastic and the marvel, we find the simple humanity of the seafarers, something lacking in the purely factual, medieval, geographical and historical texts. A complementary model to the understanding of the maritime landscape of a group or community is proposed in this article. The stories model in this article demonstrates the relationship of an occupational group with other seafarers in a trans-regional Indian Ocean trade.
Emerging Contours of Contemporary Asian Maritime Connectivity: Economic and Strategic Objectives
Authors: Mishra Vivek , Haldar Sayantan
Published: July 2020

This article intends to look at how contemporary and future Asian connectivity linkages are likely to impact Asian geopolitics and geo-strategy. While China has dominated the contemporary connectivity discourse with its Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), other players such as Australia, India, Japan and the USA are engaged in their own connectivity bids which often converge and intersect in the region. As a result, the countries involved in the Indo-Pacific cross-linkages are tacitly entering a game of one-upmanship. Influence through connectivity linkages has also shifted the discourse around balance of power for countries to balance of influence. It is in this context that initiatives such as the Mausam find centrality in the country’s changing outlook. This article attempts to look at Asian connectivity from a dual perspective of economic competition, on one hand, and strategic calculations, on the other hand. The scope of the article is limited to analysing China, India and Japan as leading Asian countries in the emerging connectivity competition, besides the USA as the most important external players in Asian connectivity geopolitics and geo-strategy.
Determinants of Crop Diversification and Its Effects on Household Food Security in Northern Ghana
Authors: Baba Abdul Razak , Abdulai Abdul-Malik
Published: July 2020

This study analyses factors that determine smallholder farmers’ crop diversification decisions and their effects on household food security in Northern Ghana. A total of 1,284 households were sampled across the five northern regions of Ghana. Herfindahl Index for measuring crop diversification was used. The study found average crop diversity to be 0.55 and about 61 per cent of the sampled farmers had values above the average which indicated high crop diversification in the study area. The study also estimated the determinants of crop diversification and their effects on household dietary food security using the conditional mixed process model. Upon examining the determinants of crop diversification, occupation, technology adoption, labour, extension contact and farm size were identified as significant determinants. The study also computed the Household Food Consumption Score as a proxy for measuring food security. The result indicated that crop diversification contributes significantly to improving household food security status in Northern Ghana.
Chronic pancreatitis in farmed pigs fed excessive zinc oxide
Authors: Komatsu Tetsuya , Sugie Kennosuke , Inukai Naoko , Eguchi Osamu , Oyamada Toshifumi , Sawada Hiroshi , Yamanaka Noriko , Shibahara Tomoyuki
Published: July 2020

Most of the pigs on a farm in Aichi Prefecture, Japan had chronic diarrhea and severe wasting. The pigs had consumed 8,000 ppm zinc oxide (ZnO) as a feed additive. The pancreas of each of 4 autopsied pigs was less than half the normal size. Acinar cells were considerably decreased. Epithelial duct–like cells were increased and tested positive for cytokeratin AE1/AE3, Ki67, PGP9.5, and Sox9. Pancreatic islet cells were decreased and shrunken. The α and δ cells were relatively decreased, and their distribution was abnormal. Islet cells were positive for PGP9.5. The livers and kidneys had high accumulations of zinc (Zn; 788 µg/g and 613 µg/g, respectively). Copper was deficient in the liver, likely as a result of Zn poisoning. Our immunohistologic examination suggested that the high dose of ZnO could influence the function of islet cells in addition to that of acinar cells. Given that colistin sulfate has been banned as a feed additive in order to reduce antimicrobial use in Japan, the use of ZnO in the livestock industry is expected to increase. Zn supplementation of pig feed must be monitored to prevent Zn poisoning and contamination of soil and water.
To leave or not to leave? Understanding the support for the United Kingdom membership in the European Union: Identity, attitudes towards the political system and socio-economic status
Authors: Pensiero Nicola
Published: July 2020

This article proposes a decision model of the British support for leaving the European Union (EU) that includes both identity aspirations, attitudes towards the political system and economic interest and test it on the Understanding Society 6th, 7th and 8th surveys. Current studies tend to interpret the British Euroscepticism as a combination of attachment to British identity, lack of economic opportunities and dissatisfaction with the political class. Using this approach where factors are additive, it is not possible to account for the substantial portion of socio-economically advantaged individuals which prefer to leave the EU, and for those who, despite their low attachment to their British identity, the relatively high educational level and satisfaction with domestic democracy, prefer to leave the EU. I use a theoretical approach which considers both economic and cultural considerations as rational considerations and conceptualise their interaction in terms of trade off. I use classification tree analysis to evaluate the relative importance of the main explanatory factors and of their interaction. The results show that the negative evaluation of the political system makes certain groups, which otherwise tend to support European integration, lean towards Euroscepticism. It helps to explain the Euroscepticism of those who are less attached to their British identity and of advantaged classes. The results have also showed that anti-establishment attitudes are not associated with disadvantaged socio-economic groups. The dissatisfaction with domestic democracy is relevant mostly for the advantaged classes, and the lack of political efficacy affects equally the attitudes of advantaged and disadvantaged groups. Last, disadvantaged groups’ support for European integration is driven by identity aspirations not by economic interest.
Quasi-static macrostrain-based structural damage detection with distributed long-gauge fiber Bragg grating sensing
Authors: Zhou Zhenwei , Wan Chunfeng , Fang Da , Xie Liyu , Tang Hesheng , Yang Caiqian , Ding Youliang , Xue Songtao
Published: July 2020

The distributed long-gauge fiber Bragg grating sensing technology has been studied and developed in recent years for structural health monitoring of civil engineering structures. Also, the corresponding damage identification method is one of the research hotspots and still needs to be enhanced. In this article, a novel damage detection method based on the distributed long-gauge fiber Bragg grating sensing technique is proposed to detect and localize damages. The method is based on the advanced complete ensemble empirical mode decomposition adaptive noise algorithm. Measured macrostrain responses from the long-gauge fiber Bragg grating sensors are decomposed into intrinsic mode functions, and the quasi-static macrostrains are extrapolated and extracted. A damage indicator is therefore proposed and built based on the quasi-static macrostrain time history. The effectiveness of the proposed damage detection approach was validated by numerical simulations of a cantilever beam. The robustness of the method was further verified by considering the noise pollution contained within the measured macrostrain. Experiments with a practical cantilever steel beam with different damage scenarios were also conducted and studied. Results proved that the proposed method could not only detect but also locate the damages accurately, and therefore has the promising potential for structural damage detection in civil engineering.
Four-dimensional printed self-deploying circular structures with large folding ratio inspired by origami
Authors: Liu Shuai , Yang Qing-Sheng , Tao Ran
Published: July 2020

Inspired by the origami, a series of smart circular structures with large folding ratio was designed and fabricated by four-dimensional printing in this article. The structure consists of the crease and plate parts by embedding the Miura-ori into a folding fan, and has the characteristics of bi-stable states and self-deployment by introducing soft and hard shape memory polymers. The shape memory polymer material parameters were obtained by the dynamic-mechanical analyzer, and then the constitutive equation can be determined. To demonstrate the folding and deployment performance of the smart structures, the experiment and finite element simulation was carried out. It is shown that the structures can repeatedly be folded and deployed by temperature-controlled shape memory effect of shape memory polymer. This design can be applied to the large-scale and multiple level smart structures such as antennas and deployable solar sails.
How graphene oxide affects shape memory properties and strength of poly(l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone)
Authors: Zhang Xue-Jiao , Yang Qing-Sheng , Leng Jin-Song
Published: July 2020

Poly( l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) is an environment-friendly shape memory polymer. Molecular dynamics method was used to study the shape memory effect and mechanical properties of graphene oxide–reinforced poly( l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) to understand the microscopic mechanism. Two models containing dispersed graphene oxide were constructed. It is shown that the addition of graphene oxide causes the glass transition temperature of material to rise because of limitation on polymer activity. The uniaxial tensile properties of the composites were studied. The results exhibited that strength of composites depend on the interface state of the polymer and graphene oxide. The strength of the composite with covalent bond is much higher than that of another without the covalent bond between graphene oxide and poly( l-lactide-co-ε-caprolactone) generated. Stress softening effect was observed in the cross-linked composite in the glass state. Their uniaxial tension thermodynamic cycles were carried out to consider the shape memory effect of the composites. It is shown that graphene oxide–reinforced composites with different interactions exhibit fair shape memory effect in the direction of paralleling graphene oxide surface. In terms of the direction perpendicular to graphene oxide sheet, the fixed ratios of the composites decrease slightly about 1.64%–3.63%, and the recovery ratios of the composites with the covalent bond are higher than others about 3.22%–12.93%.
Controllable magnetic roughness surface with sustainable superhydrophobicity based on magnetorheological colloid
Authors: Zhang Honghui , Tao Zejun , Xiao Yunheng
Published: July 2020

In this article, magnetorheological colloid was adopted to coat a stainless steel substrate, which was cured under magnetic field to form magnetic roughness surface. Superhydrophobicity had been verified in the experiments, and the influential factors on the hydrophobic performance had been explored. A regular sawtooth structure model was proposed to relate the hydrophobicity with the formed surface microstructure. With the self-cleaning and bonding strength testing, the magnetic roughness surface is promising to keep sustainable superhydrophobicity in the self-cleaning or drag reduction applications.
Understanding the Role of Past Health Care Discrimination in Help-Seeking and Shared Decision-Making for Depression Treatment Preferences
Authors: Progovac Ana M. , Cortés Dharma E. , Chambers Valeria , Delman Jonathan , Delman Deborah , McCormick Danny , Lee Esther , De Castro Selma , Sánchez Román María José , Kaushal Natasha A. , Creedon Timothy B. , Sonik Rajan A. , Quinerly Catherine Rodriguez , Rodgers Caryn R. R. , Adams Leslie B. , Nakash Ora , Moradi Afsaneh , Abolaban Heba , Flomenhoft Tali , Nabisere Ruth , Mann Ziva , Hou Sherry Shu-Yeu , Shaikh Farah N. , Flores Michael , Jordan Dierdre , Carson Nicholas J. , Carle Adam C. , Lu Frederick , Tran Nathaniel M. , Moyer Margo , Cook Benjamin L.
Published: July 2020

As a part of a larger, mixed-methods research study, we conducted semi-structured interviews with 21 adults with depressive symptoms to understand the role that past health care discrimination plays in shaping help-seeking for depression treatment and receiving preferred treatment modalities. We recruited to achieve heterogeneity of racial/ethnic backgrounds and history of health care discrimination in our participant sample. Participants were Hispanic/Latino ( n = 4), non-Hispanic/Latino Black ( n = 8), or non-Hispanic/Latino White ( n = 9). Twelve reported health care discrimination due to race/ethnicity, language, perceived social class, and/or mental health diagnosis. Health care discrimination exacerbated barriers to initiating and continuing depression treatment among patients from diverse backgrounds or with stigmatized mental health conditions. Treatment preferences emerged as fluid and shaped by shared decisions made within a trustworthy patient–provider relationship. However, patients who had experienced health care discrimination faced greater challenges to forming trusting relationships with providers and thus engaging in shared decision-making processes.