bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of Microvolt T-Wave Alternans in Patients With Long QT Syndrome and Its Association With Torsade de Pointes
Authors: Takasugi Nobuhiro , Goto Hiroko , Takasugi Mieko , Verrier Richard L. , Kuwahara Takashi , Kubota Tomoki , Toyoshi Hiroyuki , Nakashima Takashi , Kawasaki Masanori , Nishigaki Kazuhiko , Minatoguchi Shinya
Published: September 2018

Background—

Prevalence of microvolt T-wave alternans (TWA) and the strength of its association with torsade de pointes (TdP) history have not been fully investigated in patients with long QT syndrome (LQTS).

Methods and Results—

Twenty-four–hour continuous 12-lead ECGs were recorded in 10 healthy subjects (5 men; median age, 21.5 years) and 32 patients (13 men; median age, 13 years) with LQTS types 1 (n=18), 2 (n=4), 3 (n=4), and unidentified (n=6). Peak TWA was determined by the Modified Moving Average method. None of the healthy subjects had TWA ≥42 µV. All 8 (100%) LQTS patients with a history of TdP exhibited TWA ≥42 µV, whereas only 14 (58.3%) of the 24 LQTS patients without TdP history reached ≥42 µV (p=0.04). Thus, the 42-µV cut point provided 100% sensitivity and 41.7% specificity for an association with TdP history. In the 22 (68.8%) LQTS patients with TWA ≥42 µV, only 2 (median; interquartile range, 1–3) leads exhibited TWA ≥42 µV. Highest TWA levels were recorded in precordial leads (V
1
–V
6
) in 30 (93.8%) patients, most frequently in lead V
2
(43.8%). A single ECG lead detected only ≤63.6% of TWA ≥42 µV episodes, whereas the combined leads V
2
to V
5
detected 100% of TWA ≥42 µV.

Conclusions—

Microvolt TWA is far more prevalent in LQTS patients than previously reported and is strongly associated with TdP history. TWA should be monitored from precordial leads in LQTS patients. The use of a limited set of ECG leads in conventional monitoring has led to underestimation of TWA and its association with TdP.
Safety and Feasibility of a Minimally Fluoroscopic Approach for Ventricular Tachycardia Ablation in Patients With Structural Heart Disease
Authors: Cano Óscar , Andrés Ana , Osca Joaquín , Alonso Pau , Sancho-Tello María-José , Olagüe José , Martínez-Dolz Luis
Published: September 2018

Background—

We sought to evaluate the safety and feasibility of a minimally fluoroscopic approach using the CARTOUNIVU module during scar-related ventricular tachycardia (VT) ablation.

Methods and Results—

Consecutive patients with structural heart disease undergoing VT ablation using the CARTOUNIVU module were prospectively included and classified depending on their VT substrate: (1) ischemic VT (IVT) and (2) nonischemic VT and depending on the presence of an epicardial access. Radiation exposure parameters and major and minor procedure-related complications were registered. A near-zero fluoroscopy exposure was defined as those procedures with an effective dose ≤1 mSv. A total of 44 VT ablation procedures were performed in 41 patients (22 IVT and 19 nonischemic VT). The use of the CARTOUNIVU module resulted in low levels of radiation exposure: median total fluoroscopy time and effective dose of 6.08 (1.51–12.36) minutes and 2.15 (0.58–8.22) mSv, respectively. Patients with IVT had lower radiation exposure than patients with nonischemic VT (total fluoroscopy time, 2.53 [1.22–11.22] versus 8.51 [5.55–17.34] minutes;
P
=0.016). Epicardial access was associated with significantly higher levels of radiation exposure. Complications occurred in 4.9% patients, none of them being related to the use of the image integration tool. A near-zero fluoroscopy ablation could be performed in 14 of 44 procedures (32%), 43% of IVT procedures, and 50% of procedures with endocardial access only.

Conclusions—

The use of the CARTOUNIVU module during scar-related VT ablation resulted in low levels of radiation exposure. A near-zero fluoroscopy approach can be achieved in up to half of the procedures, especially in IVT patients with endocardial ablation.
King Alfred’s Candles and Anglo-Saxon Time-reckoning
Authors: Birth Kevin
Published: September 2018

Bishop Asser’s biography of King Alfred describes him as creating a candle “clock” to know the time on cloudy days and at night. This candle “clock” has often been seen as an early example of uniform timekeeping and equinoctial hours, and consequently in conflict with the seasonally variable canonical hours. The approach taken here challenges this interpretation. It views King Alfred’s candles as complementary to rather than in conflict with sidereal timekeeping, clepsydrae, cockcrow, and canonical hours. This leads to an interpretation of the candles as a means of interweaving of liturgical and secular timekeeping. It is argued, moreover, that pluralism in ways of reckoning time is a feature of Anglo-Saxon time consciousness; Alfred should not be viewed as an horological innovator, but as a monarch whose interests in time reflect those of his society.
Various Times in Abraham Ibn Ezra’s Works and Their Reflection in Modern Thought
Authors: Levin Elizabetha
Published: September 2018

Abraham Ibn Ezra is one of the most many-sided medieval intellectuals, widely admired for his unique combination of scientific ideas with religious feeling, philosophical thought and poetical perception. This paper focuses on selected issues from his oeuvre that are of interest to time researchers.

In modern English, the term “time” has a fairly broad spectrum of meanings, which can refer to a long list of distinct temporalities in medieval Hebrew texts. Unfortunately, the sharp difference between various Hebrew words such as “et” or “zman” goes unrecognized by those who read Ibn Ezra in translation. As a result, Abraham Ibn Ezra’s temporological thought and his philosophical poetry present a real challenge to historians of time-studies. The goal of this paper is to supply fresh insights on Jewish medieval thought on temporalities and to measure its impact on recent theories and discoveries.
Patterns in Horse–Human Relationships: The Case of Wales
Authors: Sampson Helen
Published: September 2018

This paper explores some of the different relationships that horses and humans experience in the case study country of Wales. In doing so, it pays attention to differential patterns of equine care/lack of care and explores these from a sociological perspective considering evidence of the potential impact of cultural practices and socio-economic status in particular. The paper concludes that access to common lands and “fly grazing” may be associated with specific values and norms which may result in equine neglect, while indicators of socio-economic deprivation and patterns of equine neglect do not seem to be related. The paper highlights the variation in equine care across this relatively small national population and suggests some areas where further explanatory work could usefully be undertaken in order for us to better understand the care-relationships between horses and their keepers.
Family Justice, “Asian Values” and the Politics of Ambivalence in Singapore
Authors: Goh Daniel P.S.
Published: September 2018

In recent years, Singapore made significant reforms towards the establishment of a dedicated family justice system, setting up the Family Justice Courts and enacting new laws to better manage the divorce process and the protection of children. Related policy changes have also been implemented to provide and support families that were previously considered non-traditional and even deviant. Rhetorically, the state, led by the long-ruling People’s Action Party, continues to champion the modern nuclear family with heterosexual marriage at its core as the normal “traditional” form of the family and the bedrock of conservative “Asian values” defining society and politics in Singapore. However, what the judiciary espouse as the new family justice paradigm and the related family justice practices, together with the shifts in social policy towards different family types, are changing the texture of the dominant conservatism rallied by “Asian values” discourse. This article locates and analyses the incipient paradigm shift in the rising pluralism of family forms and the influence of international legal developments in protecting the rights of the child and interventionist family law. By attempting to bridge the Weberian chasm of doing sociology as a vocation and doing politics as a vocation (as an opposition Member of Parliament), I show that the family justice paradigm has opened up the discursive field on the family and produce the politics of ambivalence caught between family justice and Asian family values. I argue for a relational family justice paradigm as a way to move beyond the politics of ambivalence.
Corporate (Non-)Accountability and Human Rights
Authors: Khoury Stéfanie
Published: September 2018

The role of business in violations of human rights has been at the heart of international debates for decades. As early as the 1970s attempts were made at the UN by Global South nations (known as the G-77) to establish internationally-binding mechanisms to address corporate violations of human rights. Ultimately, those attempts were watered down into “codes of conduct”. In the early 1990s, the “Washington Consensus” was used to steer states to deregulate and restructure their economies in a race-to-the-bottom that placed emphasis upon integrating the global economy over human rights and environmental protections. Although corporate violations existed before, it was only at this juncture that many human rights cases were brought into public view. Some litigation was pursued, but it was most often in tort, and sometimes in criminal courts. This article argues that the existing regional human rights courts have bolstered corporate human rights, while at the same time have remained on the sidelines of addressing corporate accountability. The emergent ASEAN human rights system has not yet developed a human rights court. The article suggests that there are key grassroots movements shaping human rights discourses around corporate accountability through the region and that these offer exciting prospects for an alternative approach to addressing corporate accountability through a prospective supervisory mechanism.
The Uneven and Combined Development of Global Capitalism: Debating How the West Came to Rule
Authors: Fabry Adam
Published: September 2018

This article is an introduction to the Symposium on Alexander Anievas and Kerem Nişancıoğlu’sHow the West Came to Rule(2015). It summarises the main arguments of the book, as well as the critiques levied by the contributors to the Symposium.
Impartiality in the EU Asylum Procedure
Authors: van Reenen Pieter
Published: September 2018

The Asylum Procedures Directive stipulates that asylum applications are examined ‘impartially’ by the national authorities. This paper explores the meaning of the term impartiality in administrative settings in EU asylum law focussing on three levels: the Common European Asylum System, the administrative organisational level and the level of the individual immigration officer. CEAS does not provide for a definition of impartiality. The article connects impartiality to the right to good administration as in the Charter of Fundamental Rights of the EU. It includes jurisprudence of the Court of Justice of the European Union and the European Court of Human Rights as well as the approach of the EU Ombudsman and EASO in its scope. These sources provide more concrete aspects of impartiality. The article is finalized with recommendations for a code of conduct.
The Unintended Legal and Policy Relevance of EU Mobility Partnerships
Authors: Tittel-Mosser Fanny
Published: September 2018

The Mobility Partnerships between the European Union and third countries have a negative image as they are often viewed as a tool of migration control rather than a flexible instrument to enhance mobility. Yet so far scholars have predominantly investigated the asymmetric negotiation of Mobility Partnerships as well as their limited consequences for migrant rights in EU Member States. What is often overlooked is that these partnerships can also influence the development of the legal and policy frameworks of third countries in ways that go beyond what is foreseen at the time of the negotiation of the instruments. This article combines a comparative legal analysis of the development of the legal frameworks in Morocco and Cape Verde with an empirical study of the implementation of Mobility Partnerships’ projects in relation to national migration strategies. The analysis demonstrates that Mobility Partnerships, despite their non-binding nature, have legal and policy relevance for these third countries with regard to the regulation of migration, asylum, human trafficking and even labour law.
The Lčašen Culture and its Archaeological Landscape
Authors: Castelluccia Manuel
Published: September 2018

During the Late Bronze and Early Iron Age the lands around the Lake Sevan basin witnessed the emergence of a distinctive local culture, marked by characteristic burial practices, abundant metalwork and varied pottery production generally called the “Lčašen Culture”. It was named after the numerous finds from the village of Lčašen, but its features are spread throughout the lake basin also seen in neighbouring regions. Its intriguing nature has attracted the attention of numerous scholars, and different interpretations, as well as definitions, have been proposed. The aim of the present study is to evaluate the main archaeological features of the Lčašen Culture, with particular reference to its landscape archaeology, burials and material culture.
Justice and Development Party’s Understanding of Democracy and Democratisation: Cultural Relativism and the Construction of the West as the ‘Other’
Authors: Demirtaş Birgül
Published: September 2018

The perception of Turkey as a model of attractive country in the region has started to change in the recent years. In the first decade of the JDP rule Turkey was seen as an emerging power with its strong economy, improving democracy and inspiring foreign policy. However, the developments since the Arab Uprisings in the neighbourhood, Gezi movement at home, end of the Kurdish peace process, as well as coup attempt and subsequent de-democratisation harmed the soft power of Turkey. This study argues that the JDP’s understanding of democracy and democratisation has been full of flaws from the very beginning of its rule. The Turkish example shows that countries can experience subsequent processes of de-democratisation and de-democratisation if governing parties did not endogenise the basic norms of democracy. Therefore, it is argued that the reverse wave of de-democratisation characterises Turkey more than the “selective” processes of democratisation. It is also argued that JDP elite via its discourse has been constructing the West as the ‘Other’.
Flashes in the Pan or Constitutional Metamorphoses?
Authors: Barbisan Benedetta
Published: September 2018

The basic idea is to connect two phenomena characterising some constitutional contexts but not always put in strict relation: on one side, the mechanisms devised by several courts according to which they can address structural problems via individual petitions, guiding (or even deputising) the action of other branches to take measures correcting those distortions and, on the other, the crisis of representation that seems to make legislators and executives inadequate for providing the justice to which citizens aspire. It is not only the judicialisation of politics; it is rather the possible transforming role of the judiciary against the backdrop of the representation crisis. Then, the question is whether the growing shift of trust from the classic representative form of democracy to technocracy may trigger only ephemeral changes or if it is destined to lead to actual constitutional metamorphoses: are courts destined to look like ancient parliaments?
Korean ctenostome bryozoans—observations on living colonies, new records, five new species, and an updated checklist
Authors: SEO JI-EUN , CHAE HYUN SOOK , WINSTON JUDITH E. , ZÁGORŠEK KAMIL , GORDON DENNIS P.
Published: September 2018

This paper describes 12 species of ctenostomes from the marine waters of the Korean Peninsula, including five new species—Alcyonidium bullitum n. sp., Alcyonidium pulposum n. sp., Alcyonidium busanensis n. sp., Immergentia cheongpodensis n. sp. and Penetrantia taeanata n. sp., the latter two constituting shell-borers that ramify within dead mollusk shells. Three previously described species are also newly added to the Korean fauna—Amathia acervata Lamouroux, 1824, Amathia medullaris Mawatari, 1972 and Walkeria prorepens Kubanin, 1992. The nomenclature of known species is updated and a revised checklist of all Korean Ctenostomata is included. New biological information is provided based on observation and microphotography of living and preserved colonies, SEM images of dry material and resin casts of ctenostome borings in mollusk shells.
A Statistical Analysis of Tropical Upper-Tropospheric Trough Cells over the Western North Pacific during 2006–15
Authors: Wen Dian , Li Ying , Zhang Da-Lin , Xue Lin , Wei Na
Published: September 2018

A statistical analysis of tropical upper-tropospheric trough (TUTT) cells over the western North Pacific Ocean (WNP) during 2006 to 2015 is performed using the NCEP Final reanalysis. A total of 369 TUTT-cell events or 6836 TUTT cells are identified, with a peak frequency in July. Most TUTT cells form to the east of 150°E and then move southwestward with a mean speed of 6.6 m s−1 and a mean life span of 4.4 days. About 75% of the TUTT cells have radii of <500 km with 200-hPa central heights of <1239.4 dam. In general, TUTT cells exhibit negative height anomalies above 450 hPa, with their peak amplitudes at 200 hPa, pronounced cold anomalies in the 650–200-hPa layer, and significant cyclonic vorticity in the 550–125-hPa layer. A comparison of the composite TUTT cells among the eastern, central, and western WNP areas shows the generation of an intense cold-cored vortex as a result of the southward penetration of a midlatitude trough into a climatological TUTT over the eastern WNP region. The TUTT cell with pronounced rotation is cut off from the midlatitude westerlies after moving to the central WNP region, where it enters its mature phase, under the influence of northeasterly flow. The TUTT cell weakens in rotation and shrinks in size, diminishing within the TUTT after arriving at the western WNP region. Results suggest that, although most TUTT cells may diminish before reaching the western WNP, their vertical influences may extend to the surface layer and last longer than their signals at 200 hPa.
Effects of Climate Change on Wind-Driven Heavy-Snowfall Events over Eastern North America
Authors: Janoski Tyler P. , Broccoli Anthony J. , Kapnick Sarah B. , Johnson Nathaniel C.
Published: September 2018

Eastern North America contains densely populated, highly developed areas, making winter storms with strong winds and high snowfall among the costliest storm types. For this reason, it is important to determine how the frequency of high-impact winter storms, specifically, those combining significant snowfall and winds, will change in this region under increasing greenhouse gas concentrations. This study uses a high-resolution coupled global climate model to simulate the changes in extreme winter conditions from the present climate to a future scenario with doubled CO2 concentrations (2XC). In particular, this study focuses on changes in high-snowfall, extreme-wind (HSEW) events, which are defined as the occurrence of 2-day snowfall and high winds exceeding thresholds based on extreme values from the control simulation, where greenhouse gas concentrations remain fixed. Mean snowfall consistently decreases across the entire region, but extreme snowfall shows a more inconsistent pattern, with some areas experiencing increases in the frequency of extreme-snowfall events. Extreme-wind events show relatively small changes in frequency with 2XC, with the exception of high-elevation areas where there are large decreases in frequency. As a result of combined changes in wind and snowfall, HSEW events decrease in frequency in the 2XC simulation for much of eastern North America. Changes in the number of HSEW events in the 2XC environment are driven mainly by changes in the frequency of extreme-snowfall events, with most of the region experiencing decreases in event frequency, except for certain inland areas at higher latitudes.
Interactions between Climate Change and Complex Topography Drive Observed Streamflow Changes in the Colorado River Basin
Authors: Solander Kurt C. , Bennett Katrina E. , Fleming Sean W. , Gutzler David S. , Hopkins Emily M. , Middleton Richard S.
Published: September 2018

The Colorado River basin (CRB) is one of the most important watersheds for energy, water, and food security in the United States. CRB water supports 15% of U.S. food production, more than 50 GW of electricity capacity, and one of the fastest growing populations in the United States. Energy–water–food nexus impacts from climate change are projected to increase in the CRB. These include a higher incidence of extreme events, widespread snow-to-rain regime shifts, and a higher frequency and magnitude of climate-driven disturbances. Here, we empirically show how the historical annual streamflow maximum and hydrograph centroid timing relate to temperature, precipitation, and snow. In addition, we show how these hydroclimatic relationships vary with elevation and how the elevation dependence has changed over this historical observational record. We find temperature and precipitation have a relatively weak relation (|r| < 0.3) to interannual variations in streamflow timing and extremes at low elevations (<1500 m), but a relatively strong relation (|r| > 0.5) at high elevations (>2300 m) where more snow occurs in the CRB. The threshold elevation where this relationship is strongest (|r| > 0.5) is moving uphill at a rate of up to 4.8 m yr−1 (p = 0.11) and 6.1 m yr−1 (p = 0.01) for temperature and precipitation, respectively. Based on these findings, we hypothesize where warming and precipitation-related streamflow changes are likely to be most severe using a watershed-scale vulnerability map to prioritize areas for further research and to inform energy, water, and food resource management in the CRB.
Evaluation and Benchmarking of Operational Short-Range Ensemble Mean and Median Streamflow Forecasts for the Ohio River Basin
Authors: Adams III Thomas E. , Dymond Randel
Published: September 2018

This study presents findings from a real-time forecast experiment that compares legacy deterministic hydrologic stage forecasts to ensemble mean and median stage forecasts from the NOAA/NWS Meteorological Model-Based Ensemble Forecast System (MMEFS). The NOAA/NWS Ohio River Forecast Center (OHRFC) area of responsibility defines the experimental region. Real-time forecasts from subbasins at 54 forecast point locations, ranging in drainage area, geographic location within the Ohio River valley, and watershed response time serve as the basis for analyses. In the experiment, operational hydrologic forecasts, with a 24-h quantitative precipitation forecast (QPF) and forecast temperatures, are compared to MMEFS hydrologic ensemble mean and median forecasts, with model forcings from the NOAA/NWS National Centers for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) North American Ensemble Forecast System (NAEFS), over the period from 30 November 2010 through 24 May 2012. Experiments indicate that MMEFS ensemble mean and median forecasts exhibit lower errors beginning at about lead time 90 h when forecasts at all locations are aggregated. With fast response basins that peak at ≤24 h, ensemble mean and median forecasts exhibit lower errors much earlier, beginning at about lead time 36 h, which suggests the viability of using MMEFS ensemble forecasts as an alternative to OHRFC legacy forecasts. Analyses show that ensemble median forecasts generally exhibit smaller errors than ensemble mean forecasts for all stage ranges. Verification results suggest that OHRFC MMEFS NAEFS ensemble forecasts are reasonable, but needed improvements are identified.
Comparative Efficacy of Statins for Prevention of Contrast-Induced Acute Kidney Injury in Patients With Chronic Kidney Disease: A Network Meta-Analysis
Authors: Zhou Xinbin , Dai Jin , Xu Xiaoming , Wang Zhijun , Xu Haibin , Chen Jie , Qiu Yuangang , Mao Wei
Published: September 2018

Contrast-induced acute kidney injury (CI-AKI) is a common complication of iodinated contrast medium administration during cardiac catheterization. Statin treatment has been shown to be associated with reduced risk of CI-AKI; however, the results are inconsistent, especially for patients with chronic kidney disease (CKD). Thus, we conducted a network meta-analysis to evaluate the effects of statins in the prevention of CI-AKI. We systematically searched several databases (including, Embase, PubMed, the Cochrane Library, and ClinicalTrials.gov ) from inception to January 31, 2018. The primary outcome was occurrence of CI-AKI in patients with CKD undergoing cardiac catheterization. Both pairwise and network meta-analysis were performed. Finally, 21 randomized controlled trials with a total of 6385 patients were included. Results showed that statin loading before contrast administration was associated with a significantly reduced risk of CI-AKI in patients with CKD undergoing cardiac catheterization (odds ratio: 0.46; P < .05). Atorvastatin and rosuvastatin administered at high dose may be the most effective treatments to reduce incidence of CI-AKI, with no difference between these 2 agents.
Therapeutic Effect of Linezolid in Children With Health Care–Associated Meningitis or Ventriculitis
Authors: Ochi Fumihiro , Tauchi Hisamichi , Nagai Kozo , Moritani Kyoko , Tezuka Mari , Jogamoto Toshihiro , Aibara Kaori , Motoki Takahiro , Ishii Eiichi
Published: September 2018

We evaluated the efficacy of linezolid treatment in 6 children with health care–associated meningitis or ventriculitis (HCAMV) caused by gram-positive cocci. All children were diagnosed and treated at the Ehime University Hospital between January 2010 and December 2017. Of these, 5 were treated with linezolid as an empirical therapy. In these 5 patients, vancomycin was initially used but was changed to linezolid because of cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) culture positivity (n = 3) and a high minimum inhibitory concentration of vancomycin (n = 2). The most common HCAMV pathogens were methicillin-resistant coagulase-negative staphylococci (n = 3). In 3 patients, vancomycin concentration was low in CSF but reached the target concentration in serum, while linezolid concentration was high in both CSF and serum. HCAMV treatment using antimicrobial agents with poor CSF penetration may increase the likelihood of therapy failure. Linezolid is more susceptible as the first-line treatment for HCAMV compared with vancomycin.
Use of Metformin for Weight Management in Children and Adolescents With Obesity in the Clinical Setting
Authors: Kyler Kathryn E. , Kadakia Rachel B. , Palac Hannah L. , Kwon Soyang , Ariza Adolfo J. , Binns Helen J.
Published: September 2018

Use of metformin for weight loss for children in a clinical setting has not been well described; therefore, we aimed to identify characteristics of obese patients prescribed metformin in a clinical setting and evaluate changes in anthropometric measures. Records of obese patients aged 10 to 18 years without diabetes attending an academic endocrinology practice from 2009 to 2013 were reviewed. Analyses assessed changes in anthropometric measures (weight, body mass index [BMI], and BMI z-score) over 12 months between those prescribed metformin (n = 49) and those not prescribed metformin (n = 142). Outcomes were standardized before using multivariable linear regression models. Patients prescribed metformin were significantly older, more often female, and had larger baseline anthropometric measures (all P < .05). In the models, subjects prescribed metformin had significantly less gain in standardized weight, BMI, and BMI z-score over 6 and 12 months (all P < .05). Metformin may be a useful weight management aid in children in a clinical setting.
The Role of Patient Advocacy and the Declining Rate of Clitoroplasty in 46,XX Patients With Congenital Adrenal Hyperplasia
Authors: Schoer Morgan B. , Nguyen Phillip Nam , Merritt Diane F. , Wesevich Victoria G. , Hollander Abby S.
Published: September 2018

Prior to the 1990s, most 46,XX infants with clitoromegaly secondary to congenital adrenal hyperplasia were treated with feminizing genitoplasty to make their cosmetic appearance congruent with their genotypic sex. A 2006 consensus statement for the management of intersex disorders accepted input from patient advocates and did not support purely cosmetic surgery for clitoromegaly. This study examined the extent to which the desired change was implemented in practice. Retrospective chart review was performed at a single Midwestern tertiary care medical center for patients born between 1979 and 2013. Of 45 virilized patients, 40 had clitoromegaly and 39 had urogenital sinus or posterior labial fusion. Twenty-seven (67.5%) patients underwent clitoroplasty and 33 (84.6%) underwent perineoplasty, including vaginoplasty, urethroplasty, imperforate vagina repair, and/or posterior labial fusion repair. There was a linear decline in the rate of clitoroplasty over time for the patient cohort. This study demonstrates the power of patient advocacy to improve medical practice.
Life in the Fast Lane: Drugs, Hedonistic Lifestyles, and Economic Crime
Authors: Felson Richard B. , Osgood D. Wayne , Cundiff Patrick R. , Wiernik Craig
Published: September 2018

We examine whether economic crimes are committed to fund drug addiction and/or to fund a hedonistic lifestyle. To address motivation, we estimate reciprocal relationships between economic crime and drug use and between economic crime and hedonistic activity generally. Analyses are based on event calendar data collected from 715 male offenders. Both simultaneous (within-month) relationships and effects involving a 1-month lag are examined. Offenders were more likely to engage in property crime and drug dealing during months in which they used hard drugs, marijuana, and alcohol, and when they engaged in more frequent unstructured socializing. The results from lagged models suggested that hedonistic activities lead to economic crime and economic crime creates opportunities for more frequent hedonistic activity.
Vigilance and Automation Dependence in Operation of Multiple Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS): A Simulation Study
Authors: Wohleber Ryan W. , Matthews Gerald , Lin Jinchao , Szalma James L. , Calhoun Gloria L. , Funke Gregory J. , Chiu C.-Y. Peter , Ruff Heath A.
Published: September 2018

Objective:

This simulation study investigated factors influencing sustained performance and fatigue during operation of multiple Unmanned Aerial Systems (UAS). The study tested effects of time-on-task and automation reliability on accuracy in surveillance tasks and dependence on automation. It also investigated the role of trait and state individual difference factors.

Background:

Warm’s resource model of vigilance has been highly influential in human factors, but further tests of its applicability to complex, real-world tasks requiring sustained attention are necessary. Multi-UAS operation differs from standard vigilance paradigms in that the operator must switch attention between multiple subtasks, with support from automation.

Method:

131 participants performed surveillance tasks requiring signal discrimination and symbol counting with a multi-UAS simulation configured to impose low cognitive demands, for 2 hr. Automation reliability was manipulated between-groups. Five Factor Model personality traits were measured prior to performance. Subjective states were assessed with the Dundee Stress State Questionnaire.

Results:

Performance accuracy on the more demanding surveillance task showed a vigilance decrement, especially when automation reliability was low. Dependence on automation on this task declined over time. State but not trait factors predicted performance. High distress was associated with poorer performance in more demanding task conditions.

Conclusions:

Vigilance decrement may be an operational issue for multi-UAS surveillance missions. Warm’s resource theory may require modification to incorporate changes in information processing and task strategy associated with multitasking in low-workload, fatiguing environments.

Application:

Interface design and operator evaluation for multi-UAS operations should address issues including motivation, stress, and sustaining attention to automation.
Social histories of exclusion and moments of resistance: The case of Muslim Julaha weavers in colonial United Provinces
Authors: Rai Santosh Kumar
Published: September 2018

Locating the theorisation and practices of caste hierarchies within South Asian Islam with reference to high-caste Muslims (Ashrafs) versus Julaha weavers (Ajlafs), this article argues that class exploitation and class hegemony over the marginalised sections of Muslim society in North India were practised through caste stratifications, social hierarchies and land relations. The horizontal equality of ‘textual Islam’ was transformed into vertical social hierarchies in South Asia. While explaining the conditions of the disadvantageous socio-economic status that ensured their subordination, this article narrates instances of resistance and quests for equality undertaken by the Julaha weavers. The dialectics of these negotiations produced factors such as the stigma of status mandated by their caste, on the one hand, and the weavers’ integration within the capitalist colonial economy and politics, on the other. The article explores this history of hierarchies and the complex resistances offered to it, closely mediated by social and economic structures, prevailing ideologies and notions of colonial legality and mobility. The processes of the weavers challenging their social marginalisation, predicated on their economic status and their quest for new identities may look familiar to other communities which similarly used religion, caste and colonial law to resist and subvert hierarchies. Hence, the politicisation of the colonial public sphere affected the relations among the Indian Muslims in a new milieu. These arguments are significant in terms of rewriting the existing historiography that reinforces the binaries of nationalist–communalist or Hindu–Muslim politics.
Implications of Work Effort and Discretion for Employee Well-Being and Career-Related Outcomes: An Integrative Assessment
Authors: Avgoustaki Argyro , Frankort Hans T. W.
Published: September 2018

How does work effort affect employee outcomes? The authors bridge distinct literatures on the well-being versus career-related implications of work effort by analyzing the relation of overtime work and work intensity to both types of outcomes. They also extend examination of the role of discretion in modifying the effects of work effort from well-being to career-related outcomes. Using data from the fifth and sixth European Working Conditions Surveys, the authors show that greater work effort relates strongly to reduced well-being and modestly to inferior career-related outcomes, while discretion may attenuate these adverse implications. Even with discretion, work intensity generally is a stronger predictor of unfavorable outcomes than is overtime work. Implications include the need for employees to become aware of the broader limitations of excessive work effort, for employers to give discretion when viable, and for public policy to devise strategies that help limit the adverse consequences of work intensity.
Decoding Russia’s 2018 Presidential Elections
Authors: Upadhyay Archana
Published: September 2018

Russia’s March 2018 presidential elections need to be analysed and understood in the context of the inherited political culture of the Soviet times. The undeveloped political culture of participation clearly stands out as the dominant feature of the Russian political landscape. Political processes and institutions have been tailored to serve national goals shaped by the ambitions, demands and successes of the dominant leader. It is against this background that Russia’s personality-centric politics has evolved and continues to function. The outcome of the 18 March 2018 presidential elections is an affirmation of this reality.
Beyond Power Struggles: A Multilevel Perspective on Incongruences at the Interface of Practice, Knowledge, and Identity in Radical Organizational Change
Authors: Kump Barbara
Published: September 2018

Previous approaches to describing challenges inherent in radical organizational change have mainly focused on power struggles. A complementary but less researched view proposes that many problems occur because radical change causes certain incongruences within an organization. In line with the latter perspective, this article suggests that radical change leads to incongruences between “what they do” (practice), “what they know” (knowledge), and “who they are” (identity) as an organization; to achieve the change, these incongruences need to be accommodated by the organization’s individual members. The article takes a multilevel perspective and describes how in radical change organizational goals may interfere with individual characteristics at the intersections of practice, knowledge, and identity. This enables a fine-grained analysis of reasons why radical change efforts may fail, beyond power struggles. The model is concrete enough to help change managers foresee many practical problems, such as member disidentification, routine breakdowns, or knowledge gaps.
Multifunctional SENSING using 3D printed CNTs/BaTiO3/PVDF nanocomposites
Authors: Kim Hoejin , Wilburn Bethany R , Castro Edison , Garcia Rosales Carlos A , Chavez Luis A , Tseng Tzu-Liang Bill , Lin Yirong
Published: September 2018

This research studied multifunctional sensing capabilities on nanocomposites composed of poly(vinylidene) fluoride (PVDF), BaTiO3 (BT), and multiwall carbon nanotubes (CNTs) fabricated by fused-deposition modeling 3D printing. To improve the dielectric property within BT/PVDF composites, CNTs have been utilized to promote ultrahigh polarization density and local micro-capacitor among BT and polymer matrix. The 3D printing process provides homogeneous dispersion of nanoparticles, alleviating agglomeration of nanoparticles, and reducing micro-crack/voids in matrix which can enhance their dielectric property. In this research, we demonstrated that by utilizing unique advantages of this material combination and a 3D printing technique, sensing capabilities for temperature and strain can be engineered with different content variations of included BT and CNTs. It is observed that the sensing capability for temperature change with respect to a 25–150℃ range can be improved as both BT and CNTs’ inclusions increase and is maximal with 1.7 wt.% CNTs/60 wt.% BT/PVDF nanocomposites, while the sensing capability for strain change in a 0–20% range is maximal with 1 wt.% CNTs/12 wt.% BT/PVDF nanocomposites. In addition, it is found that the best combination for mechanical toughness is 1 wt.% CNTs/12 wt.% BT/PVDF with 24.2 MPa and 579% in ultimate tensile strength and failure strain, respectively. These results show the technique to 3D print multifunctional nanocomposites with temperature and strain sensing capabilities as well as increased mechanical property. Furthermore, this research demonstrated the feasibility for large-scale multifunctional sensor device manufacturing with freedom of design, low-cost, and an accelerated process.
Improving the multifunctionality of structural supercapacitors by interleaving graphene nanoplatelets between carbon fibers and solid polymer electrolyte
Authors: Javaid Atif , Zafrullah Muhammad B , Khan Fareed ul Haq , Bhatti Ghulam M
Published: September 2018

Novel structural supercapacitors, containing graphene nanoplatelets incorporated carbon fiber mats as electrodes, crosslinked diglycidylether of bisphenol-A epoxy polymer electrolyte and filter paper separator, have been manufactured for the first time by vacuum-assisted resin transfer molding process. These supercapacitors can bear structural loads and store electrochemical energy at the same time. Loading of high surface area graphene nanoplatelets on carbon fiber mats is an effective process to improve the charge storage capacity of the electrodes. Electrochemical and structural properties of the structural supercapacitors are explored through in-plane shear testing, dynamic mechanical thermal analysis, chronoamperometry and impedance spectroscopy, respectively. As graphene nanoplatelet loadings on carbon fiber mat electrodes increase from 0 to 10 wt.%, the structural supercapacitors exhibit significant improvements in specific capacitance (8.9–118.7 mF·cm−3), energy density (19.7–263.8 Wh·m−3) and normalized in-plane shear modulus (1.7–3.1 GPa). Thus, this study has revealed that using the graphene nanoplatelet loaded carbon fiber mats as structural supercapacitor electrodes is a relatively novel and easy approach to enhance the multifunctionality of structural supercapacitors.
Cultural Values and Coparenting Quality in Families of Mexican Origin
Authors: Lindsey Eric W.
Published: September 2018

This study examined associations between Mexican-origin parents’ cultural values in relation to supportive and undermining coparenting behavior. Data were collected from 80 sets of parents, 160 parents total, with a preschool-age child ( M = 63.60 months old; 39 boys, 41 girls) who were of Mexican origin (22% of mothers and 28% of fathers born in Mexico). Mothers and fathers independently completed questionnaires assessing their cultural values of (a) familismo (i.e., loyalty to family), (b) machismo (i.e., adherence to masculine/feminine gender roles), (c) respeto (i.e., respect for self and others), and (d) simpatía (i.e., maintenance of interpersonal harmony). Mother–father–child triads were observed during a structured play session from which supportive and undermining coparenting behavior was coded. Mothers and fathers who held stronger familism beliefs were characterized by more supportive coparenting behavior. Mothers and fathers who held stronger simpatía beliefs were characterized by less undermining coparenting behavior. Fathers who held stronger respeto beliefs showed more supportive coparenting behavior, whereas mothers who held stronger machismo beliefs were characterized by more undermining coparenting behavior. Mother–father dyads with higher agreement on familism displayed more supportive coparenting behavior, and mothers and fathers who had higher agreement on simpatía beliefs engaged in less undermining coparenting. Results suggest that the cultural values held by both mothers and fathers of Mexican origin are significantly associated with the quality of their coparenting relationship.
Music Performance Anxiety and Perceived Benefits of Musical Participation Among Older Adults in Community Bands
Authors: Barbeau Audrey-Kristel , Mantie Roger
Published: September 2018

The purpose of the current study was to examine music performance anxiety and self-reported reasons for participation among members of older adult community bands. We asked 35 New Horizons Band members aged 65+ questions about their musical experience in face-to-face interviews, after which we administered two questionnaires: the Performance Anxiety Inventory for Musicians and the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory. We found a statistically significant difference in performance anxiety between participants suffering from trait anxiety (also called general anxiety) and those who did not. Utilizing the Novelty, Unpredictability, Threat to the Ego, and Sense of low control recipe (NUTS) for stress as a framework, we performed interview and questionnaire analyses that revealed that participants were concerned with issues associated with novelty, unpredictability, and lack of control in contexts of public performances (e.g., new pieces, lack of preparation, or challenging repertoire selected by the conductor). Participants perceived threats to their ego (such as feeling exposed, judged) as a major contributing factor of music performance anxiety. Participants reported the perceived benefits of musical involvement outweighed their negative (i.e., stressful) aspects.
Validation of the Factorial Structure of Social Capital in Youth Involved in Prosocial and Political Organizations
Authors: Valenzuela Cristina , Martínez M. Loreto , Cumsille Patricio
Published: September 2018

Social capital (SC) has been described as the “glue” that facilitates close social relationships among individuals, groups, and communities. However, few studies have empirically tested the structure of this concept. We report two studies that advance and test a model of SC in youth involved in social organizations. A theory-guided multidimensional representation of SC comprising six dimensions–social trust, interpersonal trust, participation processes, team work, political efficacy, and peer solidarity–was tested in a sample of 377 Chilean youth. Participants (51% males, M age = 21 years) were mostly students (90%) drawn from 41 youth organizations that pursued either prosocial or political goals. Findings from confirmatory factor analysis supported a four-factor instead of the original six-factor model. This structure was confirmed in an independent sample of 150 participants of social and political organizations. The four-factor second-order model included interpersonal trust, participation processes, team work, and peer solidarity as first-order factors.
The Role of Social Representations in Shaping Tourist Responses to Potential Climate Change Impacts: An Analysis of Florida’s Coastal Destinations
Authors: Atzori Roberta , Fyall Alan , Tasci Asli D. A. , Fjelstul Jill
Published: September 2018

Beside the physical impacts of climate change, society’s perceptions of climate change and its reactions at different stages of decision-making levels have become critical issues. This study presents the perspective of tourists who have previously visited Florida, in a hypothetical scenario of changed climatic conditions. It is proposed that existing social representations about climate change, and therefore individuals’ attitudes, views, and beliefs about this phenomenon, need to be taken into account when examining tourists’ stated responses to climate change and subsequent potential shifts in tourism demand. The existence of a relationship between tourists’ visitation intentions toward a destination impacted by climate change and the social representations they hold with respect to climate change itself offers an alternative way to look at tourists’ stated responses. This study concludes that predicting shifts in tourism demand based on tourist visitation intentions requires caution when dealing with climate change.
Improving Case Plans and Interventions for Adolescents on Probation: The Implementation of the SAVRY and a Structured Case Planning Form
Authors: Viljoen Jodi L. , Shaffer Catherine S. , Muir Nicole M. , Cochrane Dana M. , Brodersen Etta M.
Published: September 2018

Even when probation officers use risk assessment tools, many of their clients’ needs remain unaddressed. As such, we examined whether the implementation of the Structured Assessment of Violence Risk in Youth (SAVRY) and a structured case planning form resulted in better case plans as compared with prior practices (i.e., a nonvalidated local tool and an unstructured plan). Our sample comprised 216 adolescents on probation who were matched via propensity scores. Adolescents in the SAVRY/Structured Plan condition had significantly better case plans than those in the preimplementation condition. Specifically, following implementation, adolescents’ high need domains were more likely to be targeted in plans. Plans also scored higher on other quality indicators (e.g., level of detail). These improvements appeared to be due primarily to the structured plan rather than the SAVRY. Overall, our findings highlight that, just as structure can improve risk assessments, so too might structure improve case plans.