bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Intervenções educativas em serviços de saúde e saúde bucal: revisão sistemática
Authors: Menegaz Aryane Marques , Silva Alexandre Emídio Ribeiro , Cascaes Andreia Morales
Published: May 2018

OBJETIVO: Analisar a efetividade de intervenções educativas realizadas em serviços de saúde na melhoria de comportamentos e desfechos clínicos em saúde bucal. MÉTODOS: Foi realizada uma revisão sistemática da literatura com busca nas bases de dados PubMed, Lilacs e SciELO. Foram incluídos estudos que investigaram intervenções realizadas por profissionais de saúde atuantes em serviços de saúde e que utilizaram como principal abordagem ações de educação com a finalidade de melhorar desfechos comportamentais e clínicos em saúde bucal. RESULTADOS: A busca totalizou 832 artigos e 14 preencheram todos os critérios de inclusão. Cinco estudos verificaram exclusivamente a efetividade das intervenções na redução de cárie, três avaliaram excepcionalmente comportamentos em saúde bucal, os demais artigos julgaram a efetividade das intervenções tanto para desfechos clínicos (cárie dentária e condições periodontais) quanto para comportamentos em saúde bucal. A maioria dos estudos (n = 9) foi baseada em ensaios randomizados e controlados, os demais avaliaram o antes e depois da intervenção. Cinco estudos reportaram redução significativa de cárie dentária, e cinco dos seis estudos que avaliaram desfechos comportamentais encontraram alguma mudança positiva. CONCLUSÕES: A maioria dos estudos que avaliaram desfechos comportamentais e periodontais mostrou melhorias significativas a favor das intervenções. Todos os estudos que avaliaram cárie mostraram a diminuição de novas lesões ou casos da doença nos grupos que receberam as intervenções, embora apenas cinco dos 11 artigos tenham encontrado uma diferença estatisticamente significativa. As intervenções educativas realizadas por profissionais de saúde no contexto de sua prática apresentam potencial em promover a saúde bucal da população.
Prevalence and correlates of insufficient physical activity in school adolescents in Peru
Authors: Sharma Bimala , Chavez Rosemary Cosme , Eun Woo Nam Eun Woo
Published: May 2018

OBJECTIVE: To assess the prevalence and correlates of insufficient physical activity in adolescents in Peru. METHODS: We used a self-administered questionnaire developed from Global school-based Student Health Survey to collect information from secondary school students in North Lima and Callao in 2015. We carried out Poisson regression with robust variance using generalized linear models to estimate the crude and adjusted prevalence ratios (APR) with 95% confidence intervals (95%CI) of insufficient physical activity for its correlates. RESULTS: We have found that 78% of the adolescents did not meet the global recommendation of the World Health Organization on physical activity in the last week before the survey. Female respondents (APR = 1.13, 95%CI 1.04–1.21), respondents who perceived themselves as overweight (APR = 1.10, 95%CI 1.03–1.18), and respondents who consumed insufficient vegetables and fruits [no vegetables (APR = 1.30, 95%CI 1.06–1.59), no fruits (APR = 1.15, 95%CI 1.00–1.31) as compared to those who consumed ≥ 2 servings every day in the last seven days] were more likely to report insufficient physical activity. Adolescents who worked after school (APR = 0.92, 95%CI 0.84–0.99), had physical education classes five times per week (APR = 0.94, 95%CI 0.88–0.99), and had parental supervision (APR = 0.92, 95%CI 0.87–0.98) were less likely to report insufficient physical activity. CONCLUSIONS: Sex, work after school, perceived body weight, physical education class, parental support, and healthy dietary behaviors were associated with insufficient physical activity. Attempts to improve physical activity should look for ways to enhance leisure-time physical activity, parental support, physical education classes, healthy dietary behaviors, and normal body weight maintenance in adolescents with integrated efforts from the family and school.
Regulation Brussels Ia and Violations of Personality Rights on the Internet
Authors: Bogdan Michael
Published: May 2018

This article presents and analyses the judgment of the Grand Chamber of the EU Court of Justice of 17 October 2017 in the case of Bolagsupplysningen v. Svensk Handel (Case C-194/16), which represents a new development regarding the application of EU jurisdictional rules to disputes arising out of alleged violations of personality rights on the internet.
Converting Racism
Authors: Cooke Claire
Published: May 2018

African American Charlotte Wright’s book Beneath the Southern Cross: The Story of an American Bishop’s Wife in South Africa (1955) is a unique text. This article uses a womanist theological framework, situated within studies of African American women and religion, to acknowledge that the experiences and writing of Wright must be considered in terms of race, gender, class, and theological influences. By considering these four factors in conjunction it is argued that despite the conservative nature of Wright’s text she subtly, but radically, challenged the erotic gaze and derogatory racial stereotypes of African American inferiority.
An Example of Ottoman Multiculturalism: The Judeo-Spanish of Izak Gabay
Authors: Subaşı Doğa Filiz
Published: May 2018

The Sephardic Jews of the Ottoman Empire developed a Judeo-Spanish koine by getting in touch with other languages – particularly Turkish – as a means of interaction between different cultures. This paper aims to focus on the linguistic multiculturalism – specifically loanwords – employed in the book Yildiz i sus sekretos: el reyno de Abdul Hamid (Yıldız [Palace] and Its Secrets: The Kingdom of Abdülhamit). The book was published in Istanbul in 1909 by Izak Gabay, one of the most important Sephardic intellectuals of the time.
Uncanny and Doubly Liminal: Social Media, Cross-Cultural Reentry, and lds/Mormon Missionary Religious Identity
Authors: Feller Gavin
Published: May 2018

This study offers a theoretical perspective on the role of social media in the transition home for returning missionaries of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints (lds/Mormon). Despite a long tradition of strict lds institutional norms aimed at sheltering full-time church missionaries from outside media influences, missionaries are today increasingly encouraged to use social media sites in their proselytizing efforts. Through qualitative, in-depth interviews with recently returned lds missionaries, this study explores the role Facebook plays in facilitating the maintenance of mission relationships after missionaries have returned home, something interviewees said helps them retain the sense of religious commitment and identity developed through missionary service. Interview findings also complicate the potential benefits of social media use, providing evidence for the argument that returning lds missionaries are often caught between media technology, personal media preferences, institutional authority, and popular culture. These individuals seem to occupy a doubly liminal position between full-time proselytizing and life at home, between a historical religious tradition of missionary media isolation and an emerging institutional embrace of social media—all of which results in what might best be described as an uncanny experience.
Four new rupicolous species of Pleroma (Melastomataceae) endemic to Espírito Santo, Brazil
Authors: MEYER FABRÍCIO SCHMITZ , KOLLMANN LUDOVIC J.C. , DE FRAGA CLAUDIO NICOLETTI , GOLDENBERG RENATO
Published: May 2018

Four new species from the complex around Pleroma heteromallum, endemic from Espírito Santo, Brazil, are described: Pleroma cucullatum, P. fontanae, P. fornograndense and P. venetiense. All these new species are rupicolous, grow in vegetation associated with inselbergs, and are endangered. We present descriptions, taxonomic comments, illustrations, conservation status assignments for the new species, and an identification key for the species of Pleroma in Espírito Santo with stamens with glandulose pedoconnective and appendages, similar to the new species
Insights on Sea Ice Data Assimilation from Perfect Model Observing System Simulation Experiments
Authors: Zhang Yong-Fei , Bitz Cecilia M. , Anderson Jeffrey L. , Collins Nancy , Hendricks Jonathan , Hoar Timothy , Raeder Kevin , Massonnet François
Published: May 2018

Simulating Arctic sea ice conditions up to the present and predicting them several months in advance has high stakeholder value, yet remains challenging. Advanced data assimilation (DA) methods combine real observations with model forecasts to produce sea ice reanalyses and accurate initial conditions for sea ice prediction. This study introduces a sea ice DA framework for a sea ice model with a parameterization of the ice thickness distribution by resolving multiple thickness categories. Specifically, the Los Alamos Sea Ice Model, version 5 (CICE5), is integrated with the Data Assimilation Research Testbed (DART). A series of perfect model observing system simulation experiments (OSSEs) are designed to explore DA algorithms within the ensemble Kalman filter (EnKF) and the relative importance of different observation types. This study demonstrates that assimilating sea ice concentration (SIC) observations can effectively remove SIC errors, with the error of total Arctic sea ice area reduced by about 60% annually. When the impact of SIC observations is strongly localized in space, the error of total volume is also modestly improved. The largest simulation improvements are produced when sea ice thickness (SIT) and SIC are jointly assimilated, with the error of total volume decreased by more than 70% annually. Assimilating multiyear sea ice concentration (MYI) can reduce error in total volume by more than 50%. Assimilating MYI produces modest improvements in snow depth (errors are reduced by around 16%), while assimilating SIC and SIT has no obvious influence on snow depth. This study also suggests that different observation types may need different localization distances to optimize DA performance.
Application of the Maximum Entropy Production Model of Evapotranspiration over Partially Vegetated Water-Limited Land Surfaces
Authors: Hajji Islem , Nadeau Daniel F. , Music Biljana , Anctil François , Wang Jingfeng
Published: May 2018

The maximum entropy production (MEP) model based on nonequilibrium thermodynamics and the theory of Bayesian probabilities was recently developed to model land surface fluxes, including soil evaporation and vegetation transpiration. This model requires few input data and ensures the closure of the surface energy balance. This study aims to test the capability of such a model to realistically simulate evapotranspiration (ET) over a wide range of climates and vegetation covers. A weighting coefficient is introduced to calculate total ET from soil evaporation and vegetation transpiration over partially vegetated land surfaces, resulting in the MEP-ET model. Using this coefficient, the model outputs are compared with in situ observations of ET at eight FLUXNET sites across the continental United States. Results confirm the close agreement between the MEP-ET predicted daily ET and the corresponding observations at sites characterized by moderately limited water availability. Poor ET results were obtained under high water stress conditions. A regulation parameter was therefore introduced in the MEP-ET model to properly take into account the effects of soil water stress on stomata, yielding the generalized MEP-ET model. This parameter considerably reduced model biases under water stress conditions for various heterogeneous land surface sites. The generalized MEP-ET model outperforms several popular ET models, including Penman–Monteith (PM), modified Priestley–Taylor–Jet Propulsion Laboratory (PT-JPL), and air-relative-humidity-based two-source model (ARTS) at all test sites.
Generation of Inflow Turbulence in Large-Eddy Simulations of Nonneutral Atmospheric Boundary Layers with the Cell Perturbation Method
Authors: Muñoz-Esparza Domingo , Kosović Branko
Published: May 2018

Realistic multiscale simulations involve coupling of mesoscale and large-eddy simulation (LES) models, thus requiring efficient generation of turbulence in nested LES domains. Herein, we extend our previous work on the cell perturbation (CP) method to nonneutral atmospheric boundary layers (ABLs). A modified Richardson number scaling is proposed to determine the amplitude of the potential temperature perturbations in stable ABLs, with [Formula: see text] −1.0 overall providing optimum turbulence transition to a fully developed state (fetch reduced by a factor of 4–5, compared to the unperturbed cases). In the absence of perturbations, turbulence onset is triggered by a Kelvin–Helmholtz instability, typically occurring in the vicinity of the low-level jet maximum. It is found that a turbulent length scale [Formula: see text] can be used to more accurately estimate the optimum [Formula: see text], where q is the turbulence kinetic energy, and N is the Brunt–Väisälä frequency. In convective ABLs, a perturbation amplitude based on mixed layer temperature variance scaling is proposed: [Formula: see text]. For that criterion to be optimum, the ratio [Formula: see text], where [Formula: see text] is the wind speed at the top of the capping inversion, and [Formula: see text] is the convective velocity scale, needs to be incorporated: [Formula: see text]. This allows us to account for the competing roles of the surface thermal instability and the mean flow advection. For [Formula: see text] 10, the development fetch is reduced by a factor of [Formula: see text]6, while when [Formula: see text] 3, the use of the CP method does not provide a significant advantage in the ability to generate turbulence, provided a smooth mesoscale inflow.
Assessing the quality of media reporting of suicide news in India against World Health Organization guidelines: A content analysis study of nine major newspapers in Tamil Nadu
Authors: Armstrong Gregory , Vijayakumar Lakshmi , Niederkrotenthaler Thomas , Jayaseelan Mala , Kannan Ramya , Pirkis Jane , Jorm Anthony F
Published: May 2018

Objectives:

Suicide rates in India are among the highest in the world, resulting in an estimated 250,000 suicide deaths annually. How the media communicates with the Indian public on the topic of suicide has thus far gone without sufficient scrutiny. The objective of our study was to assess the quality of newspaper reporting of suicide-related news in India against World Health Organization suicide reporting guidelines.

Methods:

We used content analysis to assess the quality of suicide reporting against World Health Organization guidelines in nine of the most highly read daily newspapers in the southern state of Tamil Nadu between June and December 2016. Five of the nine newspapers under review were in the top 20 most circulated daily newspapers in the country.

Results:

A total of 1681 suicide articles were retrieved. The mean number of suicide articles per day per newspaper was 0.9%, and 54.5% of articles were 10 sentences or less. The vast majority (95.9%) of articles primarily focused on reporting specific suicide incidents. Harmful reporting practices were very common (e.g. a detailed suicide method was reported in 43.3% of articles), while helpful reporting practices were rare (e.g. just 2.5% gave contact details for a suicide support service).

Conclusions:

We observed that a daily diet of short and explicit suicide-related news was served up to readers of newspapers. Attempts should be made to understand the perspectives of media professionals in relation to suicide reporting, and to devise strategies to boost the positive contribution that media can make to suicide prevention.
Racial Disparities in Autism Identification in the United States During 2014
Authors: Travers Jason , Krezmien Michael
Published: May 2018

The underidentification of students with autism is a well-documented phenomenon that implies minority children are less likely to receive autism-specific interventions and services vital for better outcomes. Previous research has found that minority children are less likely to be identified as having autism, but recent changes in federal reporting from five to seven racial categories warrant further investigation of minority underidentification in the autism category. This logistic regression analysis of autism count data was conducted to examine differences in identification according to seven racial reporting categories. We calculated the probability of autism identification for each racial group and tested odds ratios for significant differences within each state and Washington, DC. We also compared odds of autism identification for each racial group in each state to the odds of identification for White students in California. Within-state analyses indicated minority students in most states continue to be identified at rates significantly lower than their White counterparts. Between-state analyses revealed White students and minority students in most states were underidentified compared to White students with autism in California. The change to seven racial reporting categories appears to have clarified the extent to which minority students are underidentified in the autism category, which may mean minority students experience restricted access to evidence-based interventions and services for students with autism.
Reading Wilson Harris with Gilles Deleuze: Carnival, or the novel as theatrical space
Authors: Allen-Paisant Jason
Published: May 2018

This article is an attempt at reading Wilson Harris with Gilles Deleuze, considering how the latter’s writings on the image might produce a fresh understanding of Harris’s art of fiction. To do this, I highlight the interest that both Harris and Deleuze have in the theatre as a medium for illustrating their conception of the image in language and thought. Discussing mainly the novel Carnival, I show how Harris assimilates narrative to the theatrical medium itself as both a concrete and abstract space of spontaneous multiplicity, and relate this to Deleuze’s understanding of the image and of the text as objects of movement and of becoming. I also relate Harris’s art of fiction to Deleuze’s critique of conventional mimesis and its subject/object binarism, showing how codes and conventions of theatrical communication (and a readerly self-conscious perception of this) are injected into Harris’s narrative protocols, creating an aesthetic that communicates to or, more specifically, performs with, the reader in ways that challenge the conception of narrative as self-contained representation. In sum, this paper demonstrates the way in which Harris’s narrative evokes, and is evoked by, the play of theatre — in other words its quintessentially differential nature, through images that resist the very concept of representation.
Mentoring as More Than “Cheerleading”: Looking at Educative Mentoring Practices Through Mentors’ Eyes
Authors: Stanulis Randi N. , Wexler Lindsay J. , Pylman Stacey , Guenther Amy , Farver Scott , Ward Amy , Croel-Perrien Amy , White Kristen
Published: May 2018

Traditionally, classroom teachers have been asked to “cooperate” during student teaching, providing advice to imitate and emotional support to meet immediate needs. Based on theories of educative experience, educative mentoring focuses on growth, continuity, and inquiry. The purpose of this study was to understand what educative practices look like through the eyes of 10 mentor teachers who participated in six mentor study groups across a school year. We report on mentor’s talk about and enactment of three practices: coplanning, observing and debriefing, and analyzing student work. Although we introduced and gave name to particular mentoring practices, the mentors’ interpretations of what these look like when done in educative ways helped us craft the definitions we present in our findings. The findings of this study highlight that mentors benefit from professional learning that is focused on concrete practices with opportunities to develop over time in educative ways.
Diurnally active rodents for laboratory research
Authors: Refinetti Roberto , Kenagy GJ
Published: May 2018

Although inbred domesticated strains of rats and mice serve as traditional mammalian animal models in biomedical research, the nocturnal habits of these rodents make them inappropriate for research that requires a model with human-like diurnal activity rhythms. We conducted a literature review and recorded locomotor activity data from four rodent species that are generally considered to be diurnally active, the Mongolian gerbil ( Meriones unguiculatus), the degu ( Octodon degus), the African (Nile) grass rat ( Arvicanthis niloticus), and the antelope ground squirrel ( Ammospermophilus leucurus). Our data collected under 12-hour light/dark cycles confirmed and expanded the existing literature in showing that the activity rhythms of antelope ground squirrels and African grass rats are stronger and more concentrated in the light phase of the light/dark cycle than the activity rhythms of Mongolian gerbils and degus, making the former two species preferable and more reliable as models of consistent diurnal activity in the laboratory. Among the two more strongly diurnal species, antelope ground squirrels are more exclusively diurnal and have more robust activity rhythms than African grass rats. Although animals of these two species are not currently available from commercial suppliers, African grass rats are indigenous to a wide area across the north of Africa and thus available to researchers in the eastern hemisphere, whereas antelope ground squirrels can be found throughout much of western North America’s desert country and, therefore, are more easily accessible to North American researchers.
Awakened by Love
Authors: Corby Paschal M.
Published: May 2018

Departing from the story of his encounter with the leper, Saint Francis of Assisi is offered as a paradigm of Christian health care and charitable service. In this grace-filled moment, Francis testifies that what had previously seemed bitter to him “was turned into sweetness of soul and body.” He was changed by the encounter and awakened to his capacity to love. Francis’s story witnesses to the divine initiative in calling us to charity, of recognizing the presence of Christ in those who suffer, and of acknowledging that our service of others is a privileged space in which the mystery of God becomes a reality. Weaved together with reflections from recent magisterial teachings, Francis’s experience teaches us that Christian charity can never be reduced to an ideology or the accomplishment of works but flows from a heart touched by God, converted to truth, and expanded by love.

Summary: In speaking to those involved in the charitable mission of the Church, Pope Benedict XVI once spoke of the need for a formation of the heart through an “encounter with God in Christ which awakens their love and opens their spirits to others.” In this reflection, I offer Saint Francis of Assisi as a model of such formation, inspired by the celebrated moment of his encounter with the leper on the road: an encounter which witnesses to the primacy of God’s initiative in enabling us to love with His own love and see His presence in those we serve.
Visual-Motor Integration in Children With Mild Intellectual Disability: A Meta-Analysis
Authors: Memisevic Haris , Djordjevic Mirjana
Published: May 2018

Visual-motor integration (VMI) skills, defined as the coordination of fine motor and visual perceptual abilities, are a very good indicator of a child’s overall level of functioning. Research has clearly established that children with intellectual disability (ID) have deficits in VMI skills. This article presents a meta-analytic review of 10 research studies involving 652 children with mild ID for which a VMI skills assessment was also available. We measured the standardized mean difference (Hedges’ g) between scores on VMI tests of these children with mild ID and either typically developing children’s VMI test scores in these studies or normative mean values on VMI tests used by the studies. While mild ID is defined in part by intelligence scores that are two to three standard deviations below those of typically developing children, the standardized mean difference of VMI differences between typically developing children and children with mild ID in this meta-analysis was 1.75 (95% CI [1.11, 2.38]). Thus, the intellectual and adaptive skill deficits of children with mild ID may be greater (perhaps especially due to their abstract and conceptual reasoning deficits) than their relative VMI deficits. We discuss the possible meaning of this relative VMI strength among children with mild ID and suggest that their stronger VMI skills may be a target for intensive academic interventions as a means of attenuating problems in adaptive functioning.
Self-Selected Training Load and RPE During Resistance and Aerobic Training Among Recreational Exercisers
Authors: Dias Marcelo R. C. , Simão Roberto , Saavedra Francisco J. F. , Buzzachera Cosme F. , Fleck Steven
Published: May 2018

This study compared training load and ratings of perceived exertion (RPE) during resistance training (RT) and aerobic training (AT) sessions at self-selected intensity. Participants were 54 recreationally trained subjects assigned to either RT or AT groups. During RT, participants performed three sets of 10 repetitions of each exercise at a self-selected intensity (load). After RT completion, participants performed one repetition maximum (1RM) and 10RM tests. During AT, participants performed a treadmill exercise at a self-selected intensity and duration (velocity and time). After AT completion, participants performed a treadmill maximal exercise test using a ramp protocol. During RT, subjects chose an intensity (43.6%–60.2% 1RM) below typical training recommendations, and RPE increased in successive exercise sets. During AT, participants chose an intensity (83.9% Heart Ratepeak) in line with typical training recommendations, and RPE increased from the first to second quartile of the session (from a mean of 3.9, standard deviation [ SD] = 1.7 to a mean of 5.4, SD = 1.7; p < .05) and remained stable thereafter. These recreationally trained participants self-selected lower RT intensities than are typically recommended for strength and hypertrophy increases (>67% 1RM) and AT intensities in line with typically recommended intensity (64%–95% HRmax) for cardiovascular fitness increases. Thus, for recreational trained individuals to perform RT at recommended intensities, specific instruction will be required.
Effectiveness of mindfulness-based colouring for test anxiety in adolescents
Authors: Carsley Dana , Heath Nancy L.
Published: May 2018

The purpose of this study was to compare the effectiveness of a mindfulness art activity (mandala) with a free draw/colouring activity on test anxiety in adolescents with an examination of gender differences, and to assess the effect of dispositional mindfulness on students’ experience of mindfulness and test anxiety states. Participants were 193 Grade 8 students (56.6% female; Mage = 13.49 years, SD = 0.50) randomly assigned to a mandala ( n = 97) or free draw/colouring condition ( n = 96). Students completed standardized measures to assess test anxiety and state mindfulness pre- post-colouring intervention, immediately prior to completing a test, in addition to a measure of dispositional mindfulness. Results showed a significant decrease in test anxiety and a significant increase in state mindfulness following both activities; however, a gender by group by time interaction was found such that females reported a greater decrease in test anxiety in the free condition compared to males. Furthermore, the baseline measures (pre-intervention state mindfulness and test anxiety) were found to fully mediate relations between dispositional mindfulness and the outcome measures (post-intervention state mindfulness and test anxiety). Implications for educators and future research and practice regarding the use of mindfulness activities in the classroom are discussed.
An Algorithm for Creating Virtual Controls Using Integrated and Harmonized Longitudinal Data
Authors: Hansen William B. , Chen Shyh-Huei , Saldana Santiago , Ip Edward H.
Published: May 2018

We introduce a strategy for creating virtual control groups—cases generated through computer algorithms that, when aggregated, may serve as experimental comparators where live controls are difficult to recruit, such as when programs are widely disseminated and randomization is not feasible. We integrated and harmonized data from eight archived longitudinal adolescent-focused data sets spanning the decades from 1980 to 2010. Collectively, these studies examined numerous psychosocial variables and assessed past 30-day alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use. Additional treatment and control group data from two archived randomized control trials were used to test the virtual control algorithm. Both randomized controlled trials (RCTs) assessed intentions, normative beliefs, and values as well as past 30-day alcohol, cigarette, and marijuana use. We developed an algorithm that used percentile scores from the integrated data set to create age- and gender-specific latent psychosocial scores. The algorithm matched treatment case observed psychosocial scores at pretest to create a virtual control case that figuratively “matured” based on age-related changes, holding the virtual case’s percentile constant. Virtual controls matched treatment case occurrence, eliminating differential attrition as a threat to validity. Virtual case substance use was estimated from the virtual case’s latent psychosocial score using logistic regression coefficients derived from analyzing the treatment group. Averaging across virtual cases created group estimates of prevalence. Two criteria were established to evaluate the adequacy of virtual control cases: (1) virtual control group pretest drug prevalence rates should match those of the treatment group and (2) virtual control group patterns of drug prevalence over time should match live controls. The algorithm successfully matched pretest prevalence for both RCTs. Increases in prevalence were observed, although there were discrepancies between live and virtual control outcomes. This study provides an initial framework for creating virtual controls using a step-by-step procedure that can now be revised and validated using other prevention trial data.
Smallpox Vaccination in Early Colonial India
Authors: Davey Sonya
Published: May 2018

Using reports about local resistance of the smallpox vaccination between 1800 and 1805 in colonial India, this brief article analyses how the diversity in both the level and type of resistance, depicted in earlier primary sources, has been distorted by later accounts into a single category of ‘South Asian smallpox vaccination resistance’. Careful analysis of the historical primary documents demonstrates, however, that such resistance stemmed from a variety of reasons, including sanitary concerns, political discontent and practical difficulties in arriving at vaccination centres. The article therefore suggests the need for more careful handling of earlier primary sources in order to not lose evidence of early diversities in reactions to colonial interventions.
Exchange Relations and Social Change in Rural Pakistan
Authors: Mughal Muhammad A.Z.
Published: May 2018

In recent decades, the nature of exchange relations in rural Pakistan appears to have undergone significant transformations due to the gradual shift from seasonal agriculture to a market-based economy, rapid urbanisation and industrialisation. Change and continuity in exchange relations are particularly manifested in rituals and ceremonies associated with childbirth, marriage and death, with socioeconomic transformations in the rural economy triggering shifts in ways of conducting such rituals and ceremonies. This article seeks to highlight such change but argues that the continuing centrality of religion, kinship and economic inter-dependencies, marked by rural social organisation, remains evident in how these rituals and ceremonies are conducted. After discussing the social meanings of such rituals and ceremonies in rural Pakistan, the article demonstrates through detailed ethnographic study certain modifications in exchange relations as a consequence of recent socioeconomic change.
Barthes/Bataille: The Writing of Neutral Economy
Authors: Manghani Sunil
Published: May 2018

By his own admission, Roland Barthes was seemingly remiss in not placing Georges Bataille within his account of ‘zero degree’ writing. This article draws inference from this fact, but specifically examines commonalities between Bataille’s heterology and Barthes’ late project on the Neutral (in which reference to ‘zero degree’ is again raised). The article works through Barthes’ two key articles on Bataille, ‘The Metaphor of the Eye’ and ‘Outcomes of the Text’, and also considers Bataille’s statement on informe, a concept that can be said to resonate with Barthes’ use of the Neutral. Neither term refers to specific ‘forms’, but rather an ‘operation’ of writing, as a means of undoing knowledge without its disavowal. An account is given of the commonalities of Bataille’s ‘general economy’ and what might be termed Barthes’ Neutral economy. Emphasis is placed upon their practice of writing as ethical responses in the ‘preparations’ of knowledge: to be judicious to what forms in and around knowledge, allowing as much for pauses as the possibilities of thought.
A Theoretical Framework for the Critical Posthumanities
Authors: Braidotti Rosi
Published: May 2018

What are the parameters that define a posthuman knowing subject, her scientific credibility and ethical accountability? Taking the posthumanities as an emergent field of enquiry based on the convergence of posthumanism and post-anthropocentrism, I argue that posthuman knowledge claims go beyond the critiques of the universalist image of ‘Man’ and of human exceptionalism. The conceptual foundation I envisage for the critical posthumanities is a neo-Spinozist monistic ontology that assumes radical immanence, i.e. the primacy of intelligent and self-organizing matter. This implies that the posthuman knowing subject has to be understood as a relational embodied and embedded, affective and accountable entity and not only as a transcendental consciousness. Two related notions emerge from this claim: firstly, the mind-body continuum – i.e. the embrainment of the body and embodiment of the mind – and secondly, the nature-culture continuum – i.e. ‘naturecultural’ and ‘humanimal’ transversal bonding. The article explores these key conceptual and methodological perspectives and discusses the implications of the critical posthumanities for practices in the contemporary ‘research’ university.
Comparison of the SRmax, SRave, and color map of strain-elastography in differentiating malignant from benign breast lesions
Authors: Moon Jin Hee , Koh Sung Hye , Park Sun-Young , Hwang Ji-Young , Woo Ji Young
Published: May 2018

Background

The maximum value of the strain ratio (SR) is a newly developed measure in strain-elastography.

Purpose

To prospectively compare the diagnostic performance of three different measures of strain-elastography, the maximum value of the SR (SRmax), the average value of the SR (SRave), and the color map, for differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions.

Material and Methods

We obtained the SRmax and SRave of 314 lesions from 290 patients with the tissue to nodule SR and color map using a five-degree scoring system. The diagnostic performances of the SRmax, SRave, and color map were compared after obtaining the area under the receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves (AUCs) of each parameter.

Results

The AUC of the SRmax (0.7674) was larger than the AUCs of the SRave (0.7138) and color map (0.6324), with statistical significance ( P = 0.0383 for SRmax vs. SRave, P = 0.0000 for SRmax vs. color map). The AUC of the SRave was larger than that of the color map; however, there was no significant difference. The optimal cut-off point of the SRmax that balanced the sensitivity (91.12%) and specificity (50.81%) was 5.16.

Conclusion

The SRmax is a more reliable diagnostic tool than the SRave and color map for differentiating benign and malignant breast lesions.
The next economic crisis: digital capitalism and global police state
Authors: Robinson William I.
Published: May 2018

Transnational capitalists and global elites are confident that the world economy has recovered from the 2008 financial collapse, but there is good reason to believe that another crisis of major proportions looms on the horizon. Digitalisation and fourth industrial revolution technologies are driving a new round of global capitalist restructuring, yet they are also aggravating the underlying structural conditions that generate crisis; in particular, overaccumulation. Transnational investors have been pouring billions of dollars into the rapid digitalisation of global capitalism as the latest outlet for its surplus accumulated capital and hedging their bets on new investment opportunities in global police state. The concept of global police state allows us to identify how the economic dimensions of global capitalist transformation intersect in new ways with political, ideological and military dimensions of this transformation. There is a convergence around global capitalism’s political need for social control and repression and its economic need to perpetuate accumulation in the face of stagnation. When the next crisis hits, the Left and resistance forces from below must be in a position to seize the initiative and to push back at global police state.
Applying a Model for Trip Assignment and Dynamic Routing of Automated Taxis with Congestion: System Performance in the City of Delft, The Netherlands
Authors: Liang Xiao , Homem de Almeida Correia Gonçalo , van Arem Bart
Published: May 2018

This paper proposes a method of assigning trips to automated taxis (ATs) and designing the routes of those vehicles in an urban road network, and also considering the traffic congestion caused by this dynamic responsive service. The system is envisioned to provide a seamless door-to-door service within a city area for all passenger origins and destinations. An integer programming model is proposed to define the routing of the vehicles according to a profit maximization function, depending on the dynamic travel times, which varies with the ATs’ flow. This will be especially important when the number of automated vehicles (AVs) circulating on the roads is high enough that their routing will cause delays. This system should be able to serve not only the reserved travel requests, but also some real-time requests. A rolling horizon scheme is used to divide one day into several periods in which both the real-time and the booked demand will be considered together. The model was applied to the real size case study city of Delft, the Netherlands. The results allow assessing of the impact of the ATs movements on traffic congestion and the profitability of the system. From this case-study, it is possible to conclude that taking into account the effect of the vehicle flows on travel time leads to changes in the system profit, the satisfied percentage and the driving distance of the vehicles, which highlights the importance of this type of model in the assessment of the operational effects of ATs in the future.
Application of LiDAR and Connected Vehicle Data to Evaluate the Impact of Work Zone Geometry on Freeway Traffic Operations
Authors: Mekker Michelle M. , Lin Yun-Jou , Elbahnasawy Magdy K. I. , Shamseldin Tamer S. A. , Li Howell , Habib Ayman F. , Bullock Darcy M.
Published: May 2018

Extensive literature exists regarding recommendations for lane widths, merging tapers, and work zone geometry to provide safe and efficient traffic operations. However, it is often infeasible or unsafe for inspectors to check these geometric features in a freeway work zone. This paper discusses the integration of LiDAR (Light Detection And Ranging)-generated geometric data with connected vehicle speed data to evaluate the impact of work zone geometry on traffic operations. Connected vehicle speed data can be used at both a system-wide (statewide) or segment-level view to identify periods of congestion and queueing. Examples of regional trends, localized incidents, and recurring bottlenecks are shown in the data in this paper. A LiDAR-mounted vehicle was deployed to a variety of work zones where recurring bottlenecks were identified to collect geometric data. In total, 350 directional miles were covered, resulting in approximately 360 GB of data. Two case studies, where geometric anomalies were identified, are discussed in this paper: a short segment with a narrow lane width of 10–10.5 feet and a merging taper that was about 200 feet shorter than recommended by the Manual on Uniform Traffic Control Devices. In both case studies, these work zone features did not conform to project specifications but were difficult to assess safely by an inspector in the field because of the high volume of traffic. The paper concludes by recommending the use of connected vehicle data to systematically identify work zones with recurring congestion and the use of LiDAR to assess work zone geometrics.
Protocol for FWD Data Collection at Network-Level Pavement Management in Iran
Authors: Matini Narges , Tabatabaee Nader , Abbasghorbani Mojtaba
Published: May 2018

The objective of this study was to develop an approach for incorporating techniques used to interpret and evaluate deflection data for network-level pavement management system applications. A national pavement management system is being developed in Iran and the use of falling weight deflectometers (FWDs) at the network level was deemed necessary to compensate for the lack of vital construction history data in the pavement inventory. Because FWD measurements disrupt traffic flow and are a potential safety hazard, it is imperative to increase the interval between FWD testing points as much as possible to allow scanning of the entire 51,000 km network of freeways, highways, and major roads in a reasonable time span with the least traffic disruption. A project-level dataset at 0.2 km intervals in different environments and diverse traffic categories was selected for analysis. In addition, data from continuous ground-penetrating radar was collected concurrently and compared with a limited number of cores. The overall analysis included evaluation of interval variation, segmentation, the structural condition index (SCI), and layer moduli calculated using the AASHTO and ELMOD methods. The analysis was done to determine the optimum interval between test points. Analysis showed that the collection intervals could be increased from 0.2 to 0.6 km. Subsequently, the applicability and time efficiency of the network-level intervals were verified by calculating overlay thickness and time required.
Automated Mobility-on-Demand vs. Mass Transit: A Multi-Modal Activity-Driven Agent-Based Simulation Approach
Authors: Basu Rounaq , Araldo Andrea , Akkinepally Arun Prakash , Nahmias Biran Bat Hen , Basak Kalaki , Seshadri Ravi , Deshmukh Neeraj , Kumar Nishant , Azevedo Carlos Lima , Ben-Akiva Moshe
Published: May 2018

Among the new transportation services made possible by the introduction of automated vehicles, automated mobility-on-demand (AMoD) has attracted a lot of attention from both industry and researchers. AMoD provides a service similar to taxi or ride-sharing services, while being driverless. It is expected to attract a huge fraction of travelers currently using mass transit or private vehicles and will have a disruptive effect on urban transportation. While most studies have focused on the operational efficiency of the technology itself, our work aims to investigate its impact on urban mobility. Our contribution is two-fold. First, we present a flexible AMoD modeling and simulation framework developed within a multi-modal agent-based urban simulation platform (SimMobility). The framework allows the detailed simulation and assessment of different AMoD operations together with an activity-based framework that accounts for changes in demand, such as activity participation, trip making, mode, destination, or route choice decisions. Second, we focus our attention on the role of mass transit in a futuristic urban system where AMoD is widely available. Mass transit is already challenged by current ride-sharing services, for example, Uber and Lyft, which provide comparatively better and cheaper services. This trend will plausibly be exacerbated with the introduction of AMoD, which may indirectly act as a replacement to mass transit. Our simulation results show that mass transit is irreplaceable, despite the high efficiency of AMoD, in order to avoid congestion and maintain a sustainable urban transportation system with acceptable levels of service.
Soil–Geosynthetic Interface Shear in Different Testing Scales
Authors: Roodi Gholam H. , Morsy Amr M. , Zornberg Jorge. G.
Published: May 2018

Geosynthetics have been used to improve mechanical performance of roadway layers (e.g., geosynthetic-reinforced asphalt, geosynthetic-stabilized bases) and a wide range of transportation infrastructures (e.g., geosynthetic-reinforced soil walls). A key aspect in understanding soil–geosynthetic interaction mechanisms involved in each application includes characterization of the interface between geosynthetics and adjacent materials. This study evaluates soil–geosynthetic interface shear in various pullout test scales including standard, smaller than standard, and larger than standard scales. Experimental results obtained from tests conducted in each scale were analyzed to determine the soil–geosynthetic interface shear model. An iteration procedure, similar to that used in t–z analysis of pile loading, was developed to simulate incremental geosynthetic movements. Shape and parameters of the interface shear model were changed to minimize the residual error between experimental and simulated data. It was found that mobilization of the interface shear in the small-scale test differs from that in the standard- and large-scale tests. In the standard- and large-scale tests, the ultimate soil–geosynthetic interface shear mobilized at comparatively small displacements, which could be represented by a linear plastic interface shear model. In the small-scale test, however, the interface shear developed in two phases. A portion of the ultimate interface shear mobilized at comparatively small displacements while additional resistance continued to mobilize at extended displacements. Consequently, the development of interface shear resistance in the standard- and large-scale tests was found to depend on progressive increase of the geosynthetic mobilized length, whereas in the small-scale test the interface shear resistance developed by displacement of the entire geosynthetic.
Evaluating the Safety Effects of Span Wire to Mast Arm Signal Conversion
Authors: Khattak Zulqarnain H. , Fontaine Michael D.
Published: May 2018

The mast arm signal mounting configuration has often been assumed to provide greater conspicuity and visibility than span wire installations, but the impacts of this countermeasure on road safety have not been well established quantitatively. This paper’s intent is to provide a comprehensive evaluation of safety effects of converting span wire installations to mast arm installations. An Empirical Bayes before–after safety analysis was conducted using crash data for 30 intersections collected from the Virginia Department of Transportation (VDOT). A crash type analysis was also conducted to observe changes in crash types. Based on the data available, no statistically significant improvement in safety was found. Average crash modification factor (CMF) values of 0.97 and 0.98 were observed for total and fatal and injury crashes, but these CMFs were not statistically significant. A reduction in the proportion of angle crashes was observed, but the change was not statistically significant and the overall distribution of crashes did not change significantly after converting signal configurations from span wire to mast arm. Although mast arm deployments may offer advantages in maintenance costs and aesthetics, there does not appear to be a substantial safety benefit to these conversions.