bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Can Pair Learning Improve Students’ Troubleshooting Performance in Robotics Education?
Authors: Zhong Baichang , Li Tingting
Published: February 2019

In Robotics Education (RE), the hands-on experience with troubleshooting problems is seen as a good catalyst to enhance the participants’ problem-solving skills. Based on the pedagogical technique of collaborative learning and pair programming, pair learning is an emerging and potential method in RE, which means that students collaborate in pairs to construct, build, and program a robot under scripted but switchable roles. As a special collaborative learning, can pair learning also improve students’ troubleshooting performance in RE? Therefore, we conducted a comparison experiment (pair learning versus individual learning) in two classes at a Robot Summer Camp for high school students. The results indicated that (a) in the process of learning making robot artifacts, students in pair learning group (PLG) had a higher success rate in troubleshooting than that of individual learning group (ILG), but failed in other indicators and (b) in the summative test, the troubleshooting performance of students in PLG was similar with that of ILG. The findings showed that, in terms of troubleshooting, collaborative (pair) learning does not always has the superiority over individual learning in RE, which implicates other factors to be explored in future research. Implications for teaching are also discussed in this exploratory study.
Influence of pyrrole feeding ratios on physicochemical characteristics of high-performance multilayered PPy/PVC/PDA@FG-NH2 nanocomposites
Authors: Naz Asima , Sattar Rabia , Siddiq Muhammad , Zia Muhammad Abid
Published: February 2019

Nanocomposites of conjugated polymers polypyrrole (PPy) and polyvinyl chloride (PVC) as matrices and 1,4-phenylenediamine (PDA) as a linker with amine functional graphite (FG-NH2) as filler have been efficiently fabricated using in situ oxidative polymerization, and the effect of various mass ratios on physicochemical characteristics of prepared nanocomposite was investigated. The layer-by-layer oxidative polymerization of various matrices on host filler surface is confirmed by Fourier transform infrared, energy dispersive X-ray, and X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy examinations. Field emission scanning electron microscopy revealed fibrillary morphology of obtained nanocomposites. Thermal stability, glass transition temperature, and melting and crystallization temperature of the nanocomposites were increased with the incorporation of modified graphite. Brunauer–Emmett–Teller analysis explored the improved adsorption capacity (128 cm3 g−1) of the nanocomposite with higher feeding ratio of pyrrole. The influence of FG-NH2 and pyrrole on electrical conductivity performance of composites was also investigated. Functionalized graphite in the resultant PPy/PVC/PDA@FG-NH2 nanocomposites played an important role in forming conducting network in PPy matrix indicating synergistic effect between PPy and FG-NH2.
The effects of fiber silane modification on the mechanical performance of chopped basalt fiber/ABS composites
Authors: Arslan Cagrialp , Dogan Mehmet
Published: February 2019

The purpose of this study was to examine the effects of silane coupling agent modifications on the mechanical performance of the basalt fiber (BF)-reinforced acrylonitrile–butadiene–styrene (ABS) composites. Three different silane coupling agents were used. The mechanical properties of the composites were determined by the tensile, flexural, impact tests, and dynamic mechanical analysis (DMA). According to the test results, the tensile strength increased with the use of (3-aminopropyl) triethoxysilane (AP) and 3-(trimethoxysilyl) propylmethacrylate (MA), while the use of (3-glycidyloxypropyl) trimethoxysilane (GP) reduced the tensile strength. All the silane modifications improved the flexural strength and modulus and the highest improvement was achieved with the use of AP. No remarkable difference was observed in impact properties with the use of silane coupling agents. The addition of BF significantly improved the elastic modulus of the ABS regardless of the modification type, while the further improvements were achieved through the use of AP and MA. In brief, AP showed the highest performance among the studied silane coupling agents due to the covalent bond formation between the amino group of AP and the nitrile group of styrene–acrylonitrile (SAN) matrix.
Using Photovoice to Bring Career into a New Focus for First-Generation College Students
Authors: Jehangir Rashné R. , Telles Arien B. , Deenanath Veronica
Published: February 2019

This study examines how first-generation, low-income college students make meaning of their career development process during their first year of college. Photovoice was employed to collect visual data and accompanying narrative texts providing a rich data set created by students during their transition to college. Four findings emerged from this participatory action method where students captured important aspects of their career development process: (a) extrinsic and intrinsic motivators, (b) struggles, (c) agent of change, and (d) envisioning the future. This study deepens our understanding of how the intersection of students’ individual identities, contexts, and motivations can inform praxis and allow them translate their particular assets toward career meaning-making. Systems theory and photovoice together served as useful lenses from which to unpack these identities in this study.
An efficient approach for constructing 3-D boron nitride networks with epoxy composites to form materials with enhanced thermal, dielectric, and mechanical properties
Authors: Leng XinYu , Xiao Chao , Chen Lu , Su Zheng , Zheng Kang , Zhang Xian , Tian XingYou
Published: February 2019

Thermally conductive epoxy composites of 3-D boron nitride (BN) networks were synthesized via a facile template method, wherein an epoxy was infiltrated into the network. The 3-D BN network skeletons, which use polystyrene (PS) microspheres as a framework support, were prepared by hot compression and ablation techniques. Field emission scanning electron microscope indicated that the content of BN filler and its dispersion greatly influences the integrity and density of the resultant network. With a BN loading of 40 vol%, the composites showed a maximum thermal conductivity of 1.98 W mK−1, which is 1000% times higher than the pristine epoxy material. In addition, the thermal stabilities, mechanical properties, and dielectric properties of the fabricated BN/epoxy composites were also largely improved. This facile method is an effective approach to designing and fabricating composites with high thermal conductivities.
Transition mechanism design of a hybrid wheel-track-leg based on foldable rims
Authors: Zhou Faliang , Xu Xiaojun , Xu Haijun , Zou Teng’an , Zhang Lei
Published: February 2019

Hybrid mobile robots with multiple locomotion modes are getting more and more popular in search and rescue (SAR) and explosive object disposal (EOD) missions because of their good terrain adaptability. Present researchers devote themselves to develop efficient and reliable transition method between different locomotion modes to make the hybrid robot more compact and flexible. In this paper, we present a novel transition mechanism for a hybrid wheel-track based on foldable rims. The wheel rim is cut into four segments so that it is foldable. And the transition between wheel and track is achieved by the folding or unfolding of the foldable rim. According to its geometrical property during the transition process, a single-freedom supporting spoke is proposed to drive the foldable rim’s transformation. We analyze the length and angle varying principles of the supporting spoke by utilizing the kinematic mode based on screw theory. According to above results, five different kinds of transition mechanism of the supporting spoke is designed, performance comparison among which is conducted by dynamic simulations. Two of the five candidate transition mechanisms are picked up for their smaller driving force requirements. Their 3D printing prototypes are also fabricated and experiments show that the hybrid wheel-track can switch between wheel and track successfully. Compared to most hybrid robots which have separate wheels, tracks and legs, this transition mechanism makes the robot own both compact structure and multimodal locomotion.
Osmo-inelastic response of the intervertebral disc
Authors: Derrouiche Amil , Zaouali Ameni , Zaïri Fahmi , Ismail Jewan , Chaabane Makram , Qu Zhengwei , Zaïri Fahed
Published: February 2019

The intervertebral disc exhibits a complex inelastic response characterized by relaxation, hysteresis during cyclic loading and rate dependency. All these inelastic phenomena depend on osmotic interactions between disc tissues and their surrounding chemical environment. Coupling between osmotic and inelastic effects is not fully understood, so this article aimed to study the influence of chemical conditions on the inelastic behaviour of the intervertebral disc in response to different modes of loading. A total of 18 non-frozen ‘motion segments’ (two vertebrae and the intervening soft tissues) were dissected from the cervical spines of mature sheep. The motion segments were loaded in tension, compression and torsion at various loading rates and saline concentrations. Analysis of variance showed that saline concentration significantly influenced inelastic effects in tension and especially in compression (p < 0.05), but not in torsion. Opposite effects were seen in tension and compression. An interpretation of the underlying osmo-inelastic mechanisms is proposed in which two sources of inelastic effects are identified, that is, extracellular matrix rearrangements and fluid exchange created by osmosis.
Too good to be true: The effect of conciliatory message design on compromising attitudes in intractable conflicts
Authors: Kampf Zohar , David Yossi
Published: February 2019

The aim of this article is twofold: first, to demonstrate how the use of experimental methods challenges the implicit assumption of progressive discourse analysts that ‘inspiring’ messages will have a positive effect on political attitudes and trust regardless of the recipients’ early political dispositions, and second, to examine the power of conciliatory message design to change political attitudes in favor of a peaceful solution to intractable conflicts such as the Israeli–Palestinian conflict. By employing the conceptual frameworks of progressive discourse analysis and experimental critical discourse analysis, we examined the most comprehensive hypothesis formulated thus far in the literature of conflict resolution with regard to the conditions under which conciliatory messages become successful. We found that the exposure of hawkish participants to highly conciliatory messages decreases both their support for compromise-based peace and their trust in the opponent’s leader, which underlines the need for more caution on the side of peace discourse scholars when assuming that conciliatory language has the power to bring about a (positive) political change. We conclude by discussing the implications of our findings for critical/progressive discourse analysts, conflict resolution scholars and professionals involved in conciliatory message design.
Discursive strategies employed by homosexual Malaysian Muslim men in talking about homosexuality in Islam
Authors: Asyraf Zulkffli Mohd , Rashid Radzuwan Ab
Published: February 2019

This research looks into how homosexual Muslim men in Malaysia convey their experiences regarding their sexual and romantic lifestyle in relation to their Islamic faith. For this research, four respondents who identify themselves as homosexual and Muslim were subjected to in-depth, semi-structured interview to gauge their experiences, thoughts and beliefs in regard to their sexual and religious experiences. Discursive Psychology (DP), more specifically, the Discursive Action Model (DAM) as proposed by Edwards and Potter is used as analytical tool to explicate the data of this research. The analysis reveals several recurring themes which appear throughout the participants’ discourses, which are (1) Disrupted Construction of Cohesive Identity, (2) Indomitable Nature of Same-sex Desire and (3) Downplaying the Severity of Same-sex Relation in Islam. The findings of this research provide novel insights into the way the homosexual Muslim’s phenomenon is perceived and thus, complicates the notion of homosexuality in Islam.
TeleHospice: A Community-Engaged Model for Utilizing Mobile Tablets to Enhance Rural Hospice Care
Authors: Doolittle Gary C. , Nelson Eve-Lynn , Spaulding Ashley O. , Lomenick Adam F. , Krebill Hope M. , Adams Natasia J. , Kuhlman Sandy J. , Barnes Joe L.
Published: February 2019

Background:

In rural communities, providing hospice care can be a challenge. Hospice personnel sometimes travel great distances to reach patients, resulting in difficulty maintaining access, quality, cost-effectiveness, and safety. In 1998, the University of Kansas Medical Center piloted the country’s first TeleHospice (TH) service. At that time, challenges with broad adoption due to cost and attitudes regarding technology were noted. A second TH project was launched in early 2017 using newer technology; this article updates that ongoing implementation.

Methods:

The Organizational Change Manager was followed for the guided selection of the hospice partner. The University of Kansas Medical Center partnered with Hospice Services, Inc. (HSI), a leader in rural hospice care, providing services to 16 Kansas counties. Along with mobile tablets, a secure cloud-based videoconferencing solution was chosen for ease of use.

Results:

From August 2017 through January 2018, 218 TH videoconferencing encounters including 917 attendees occurred. Calls were made for direct patient care, family support, and administrative purposes. These TH calls have been shown to save HSI money, and initial reports suggest they may strengthen the communication and relationships between staff, patients, and the patient’s family.

Conclusion:

Finding innovative, cost-effective, and community-driven approaches such as TH are needed to continually advance hospice care. TeleHospice’s potential to supplement and improve hospice services while reducing costs is significant, but continued research is needed to understand best fit within frontier hospices, to inform future urban applications, and to address reimbursement.
Patient Perspectives on Advance Care Planning via a Patient Portal
Authors: Jordan Sarah R. , Brungardt Adreanne , Phimphasone-Brady Phoutdavone , Lum Hillary D.
Published: February 2019

Background:

Patient portals can offer patients an opportunity to engage in the advance care planning (ACP) process outside of clinical visits.

Objective:

To describe patient perspectives on use of patient portal-based ACP tools.

Design:

Interviews with patients who used portal-based ACP tools. The tools included an electronic Medical Durable Power of Attorney (MDPOA) form to designate a medical decision maker, a patient-centered educational web page, online messaging, and patient access to completed advance directives stored in the electronic health record (EHR).

Setting:

Regional health-care system with a common EHR.

Measurements:

Semistructured interviews with purposefully sampled patients who used the ACP tools. Questions explored motivations for using the tools and perceptions about how the tools fit into ACP. Analysis followed a grounded hermeneutic editing approach.

Results:

From 46 patients (mean age: 49, 63% female), 4 key themes emerged: (1) individualized explorations of the ACP tools, (2) personal initiation and engagement with ACP tools through the portal, (3) value of connecting ACP portal tools to clinical care, and (4) practicality of the ACP tools. Patients described benefits of communicating with health-care team members who referred them to online ACP tools, as well as having the electronic MDPOA form connected to clinical care.

Conclusions:

Patients considered the portal-based ACP tools to be practical and feasible to use within the scope of their own ACP experiences. Further study is needed to understand whether portal-based ACP tools increase the quality and quantity of ACP conversations and documentation that is available to inform medical decision-making.
Exploring Principal Leadership for Math and Science
Authors: Lochmiller Chad R.
Published: February 2019

Public schools throughout the United States face increasing pressure to improve student achievement in math and science. As instructional leaders, principals find themselves facing this pressure head on. Drawing from a comprehensive survey of high school principals in the state of Washington (n = 250), the results indicate that a majority of school administrators in Washington had no formal education in math or science. However, an analysis of the principals’ responses suggests that they are exercising leadership in relation to these subjects in their schools. School-level factors appear to explain more of the variation in their leadership in math and science rather than their educational backgrounds. When these factors were controlled for, principals with a math or science background did appear to engage in leadership actions that were different from those without such a background. The article concludes by discussing these results in relation to instructional leadership and leadership preparation.
School Accreditation Process as Routinized Action: Retaining Stability While Promoting Reform
Authors: Enomoto Ernestine K. , Conley Sharon
Published: February 2019

In this qualitative study, we explored how accreditation processes as routinized action can retain stability while promoting school reform efforts. We identified three secondary schools (two high schools, one middle) that had each employed accreditation processes as required in their respective school districts. We conducted interviews with key informants at each school, reviewed documents prepared for accreditation, and analyzed the findings based on routinized action theory. Using Feldman's (2000) typology of change (repair, expand, strive to make change), we posited how school renewal takes place in an ongoing and systematic manner. The findings suggest that the routines provided in accreditation processes can offer more than just stabilizing elements in a school organization, which had been the traditional view of organizational theorists. We offer implications for researchers and school leaders to consider in applying routines while seeking reform.
“We Do What We're Told”: How Current Assistant Principals Practice Leadership and how They Wish They Could
Authors: Militello Matt , Fusarelli Bonnie C. , Mattingly Amy , Warren Tom
Published: February 2019

The purpose of this Q-methodology study was to develop an understanding of the perceptions of assistant principals of their current and idealized leadership practices. Fifty-six current assistant principals sorted a set of leadership behaviors two times—first based on dispositions currently deployed in their practice and a second time based on dispositions that they wish to employ. The Mid-Continent Research for Education and Learning empirically developed the sorted statements. Three model factor arrays were derived from each sort. The findings indicate a unique perspective between current and idealized practices for assistant principals. Moreover the dispositions geared toward second-order change did not appear in the positive side of the distribution on both the current and the idealized arrays.
Organizational Resources for Professional Development: A Statewide Longitudinal Survey of Middle School Mathematics Teachers
Authors: Akiba Motoko , Wang Ze , Liang Guodong
Published: February 2019

A statewide longitudinal survey of 923 middle school mathematics teachers in Missouri was conducted from 2009 to 2011 to examine the amount of organizational resources for professional development that teachers received and the relationship between organizational resources and teachers’ participation in high-quality professional development. This study found that teachers who received an increased amount of organizational resources from 2009 to 2011 were more likely to increasingly participate in high-quality professional development activities during the same period. Therefore, it is important for districts and schools to continuously provide organizational resources for professional development to support and encourage their teachers’ participation in high-quality professional development.
A Study of Callers to a Telephone Counseling Service
Authors: Dadfar Mahboubeh , Lester David
Published: February 2019

Telephone counseling is an inexpensive method of providing counseling and crisis intervention in response to some of the mental health needs of the community. It can be provided at a counseling center or other unit with the purpose of providing mental health counseling for callers. The aim of this study was to investigate types of problems and interventions for callers at a telephone counseling service in Tehran, Iran. The data were collected using the records of 82 callers to the Telephone Counseling Center of the School of Behavioral Sciences and Mental Health-Tehran Institute of Psychiatry, affiliated with Iran University of Medical Sciences. The mean the number of calls made by callers was 1.53. The most common problems presented were marital and family conflicts (28.4%), mood disorders (24.3%), interpersonal and communication problems (17%), and behavioral problems of children (15.8%). Counselors offered psychosocial/educational advice (36.5%), recommendations for taking medications (26.8%), recommendations for in-person/individual counseling or family counseling (25.6%), and behavior therapy techniques (17%). Recommendations are made for the evaluation, structure, and process of telephone counseling services and for training telephone counselors in Iran.
Octreotide Added to a Proton Pump Inhibitor Versus a Proton Pump Inhibitor Alone in Nonvariceal Upper-Gastrointestinal Bleeds
Authors: Riha Heidi M. , Wilkinson Rachel , Twilla Jennifer , Harris L. Jeff , Kimmons Lauren A. , Kocak Mehmet , Van Berkel Megan A.
Published: February 2019

Background: Literature indicating clinically relevant benefits of an adjunctive somatostatin analog to standard therapies in nonvariceal upper-gastrointestinal bleeding (NVUGIB) is lacking. Objective: The primary objective of this study was to find the association between outcomes in patients with NVUGIB treated with octreotide and a proton pump inhibitor (PPI; combination group) compared with those treated with a PPI alone. Methods: We conducted a retrospective cohort study of adults admitted within a 5-hospital health care system with a NVUGIB treated with a PPI continuous infusion with or without an octreotide infusion. Notable exclusion criteria included varices, history of cirrhosis without endoscopy, or active gastrointestinal cancer. The primary outcome was association of combination treatment versus PPI alone with hospital length of stay (LOS). Results: A total of 180 patients were included (combination group: n = 90; PPI: n = 90). In univariate analyses, the median hospital and intensive care unit (ICU) LOS in the combination group versus PPI was 6.1 versus 4.9 days ( P = 0.25) and 2.3 versus 1.9 days ( P = 0.24), and rebleeding and mortality occurred in 9% versus 12% ( P = 0.63) and 6.7% versus 5.6% ( P = 1.00) of patients. Median units of packed red blood cells in the combination therapy versus PPI group was 3 vs 2 units ( P = 0.43). After propensity score adjustment in multivariable analyses, hospital and ICU LOS, rebleeding, and mortality all remained nonsignificant. Conclusion and Relevance: Our study observed no difference in clinical end points. This suggests that octreotide provides no additional major clinical benefit in NVUGIB, and PPI therapy alone may be sufficient.
Thoracic dog bite wounds in cats: a retrospective study of 22 cases (2005–2015)
Authors: Frykfors von Hekkel Anna K , Halfacree Zoë J
Published: February 2019

Objectives

The aim of this study was to describe a series of cats suffering from thoracic dog bite wounds, in order to detail the clinical, radiographic and surgical findings, and evaluate outcomes and factors associated with mortality.

Methods

The medical records of cats with thoracic dog bite wounds presenting to a single institution between 2005 and 2015 were retrospectively reviewed. Data relating to clinical presentation, wound depth and management, radiographic findings, surgical findings and mortality were collected. Wound depth was defined as no external wound, superficial, deep or penetrating, and wound management was defined as conservative, exploratory or thoracic exploration. Statistical analyses were performed using Fisher’s exact test, the Mann–Whitney U-test and the χ2 test.

Results

Twenty-two cats were included, of which two were euthanased on presentation. In cats where wound depth could be assessed (21/22), six had no external wounds, four had superficial wounds, three had deep wounds and eight suffered penetrating wounds. Sixteen cats also suffered wounds elsewhere, most commonly to the abdomen. Neither an abdominal wound nor abdominal surgery were associated with mortality. Pneumothorax was the most common radiographic finding (11/18). Individual radiographic lesions were not significantly associated with respiratory pattern, presence of pseudo-flail, need for thoracotomy or lung lobectomy, or survival. The presence of ⩾3 radiographic lesions was associated with the presence of a penetrating wound ( P = 0.025) and with having thoracic exploration ( P = 0.025). Local exploration was performed in 7/20 cats, while 8/20 underwent thoracic exploration. Wound management type was not significantly associated with mortality. Overall mortality rate was 27%.

Conclusions and relevance

Presence of ⩾3 radiographic lesions should raise suspicion of a penetrating injury and may be suggestive of injury requiring a greater level of intervention. The treating veterinarian should have a high index of suspicion for penetrating injury and be prepared in case thoracic exploratory surgery is necessary, particularly in the presence of pseudo-flail chest, pneumothorax or ⩾3 radiographic lesions.
Modelling the impact of multiple sclerosis on life expectancy, quality-adjusted life years and total lifetime costs: Evidence from Australia
Authors: Palmer Andrew J , van der Mei Ingrid , Taylor Bruce V , Clarke Philip M , Simpson Steve , Ahmad Hasnat
Published: February 2019

Objectives:

To quantify life expectancy (LE), quality-adjusted life years (QALYs) and total lifetime societal costs for a hypothetical cohort of Australians with multiple sclerosis (MS).

Methods:

A 4-state Markov model simulated progression from no/mild to moderate and severe disability and death for a cohort of 35-year-old women over a lifetime horizon. Death risks were calculated from Australian life tables, adjusted by disability severity. State-dependent relapse probabilities and associated disutilities were considered. Probabilities of MS progression and relapse were estimated from AusLong and TasMSL MS epidemiological databases. Annual societal (direct and indirect) costs (2017 Australian dollars) and health-state utilities for each state were derived from the Australian MS Longitudinal Study. Costs were discounted at 5% annually.

Results:

Mean (95% confidence interval (CI)) LE from age 35 years was 42.7 (41.6–43.8) years. This was 7.5 years less than the general Australian population. Undiscounted QALYs were 28.2 (26.3–30.0), a loss of 13.1 QALYs versus the Australian population. Discounted lifetime costs were $942,754 ($347,856–$2,820,219).

Conclusion:

We have developed a health economics model of the progression of MS, calculating the impact of MS on LE, QALYs and lifetime costs in Australia. It will form the basis for future cost-effectiveness analyses of interventions for MS.
Candidate spending and success in Israel’s party primaries: How far does money go?
Authors: Kenig Ofer , Atmor Nir
Published: February 2019

The last decade has seen an upswing in and expansion of party primaries as a means of selecting legislative candidates in many parliamentary democracies. Yet, while most democracies around the world regulate the financial aspects of general elections, the same cannot be said for these intraparty contests. The absence of financial regulation in party primaries may explain why the effect of candidate spending on success has received so little attention in the literature. The current study seeks to investigate to what extent candidates’ spending affects their success, focusing on Israel’s legislative primary elections. Although the Israeli Party Law sets expenditure ceilings with the aim of leveling the playing field, there is considerable variance in the amount of money candidates raise, invest, and spend. This variance allows us to test the relationship between candidates’ expenditure and their success. Based on reports by the State Comptroller and on formal results of primary elections, we analyze seven primary contests that were held in three political parties between 2008 and 2015. Candidates’ success is measured in two ways: (1) the number of votes each candidate received, and (2) whether the candidate was elected to parliament. Our findings point to a strong positive correlation between the amount of money spent and the number of votes received. However, when factors such as incumbency and public familiarity are considered, the picture is more nuanced.
Cardiology electronic consultations: Efficient and safe, but consultant satisfaction is equivocal
Authors: Bauer Brenton S , Nguyen-Phan Ai Len , Ong Michael K , Ziaeian Boback , Nguyen Kim-Lien
Published: February 2019

Background

Cardiovascular electronic consultation is a new service line in consultative medicine and enables care without in-person office visits. We aimed to evaluate accessibility and time saved as measures of efficiency, determine the safety of cardiology electronic consultations, and assess satisfaction by responding cardiologists.

Methods

Using a mixed-methods approach and a modified time-driven, activity-based, costing framework, we retrospectively analysed cardiology electronic consultations. A random subset of 500 electronic consultations referred between 2013–2017 were reviewed. Accessibility was determined based upon increased number of patients served without the need for an in-person clinic visit. To assess safety, medical records were reviewed for emergency room visits or hospital admission at six months from the initial electronic consultation date. Responding cardiologist satisfaction was assessed by voluntary completion of an online survey.

Results

The majority of electronic consultations were related to medication advice, clearance for surgery, evaluation of images, or guidance after abnormal testing. Recommendations included echo (10.8%), stress testing (5.0%), other imaging (4.0%) and other subspecialist referrals (3.8%). Electronic consultations were completed within 0.7±0.5 days of the request, with a time to completion of 5–30 min. Over a six-month follow-up, 13.9% of patients had an in-person visit and 2.2% of patients were hospitalised, but none were directly related to the electronic consultation question. Satisfaction by responding cardiologists was modest.

Conclusion

In conclusion, within a single-payer system, cardiology electronic consultations represent a convenient and safe alternative for providing consultative cardiovascular care, but further optimization is necessary to minimise electronic consultation fatigue experienced by cardiologists.
Affective factors, virtual intercultural experiences, and L2 willingness to communicate in in-class, out-of-class, and digital settings
Authors: Lee Ju Seong , Lee Kilryoung
Published: February 2019

This quantitative study examines whether and to what extent affective factors (i.e. motivation, self-confidence, risk-taking, L2 speaking anxiety, and grit) and virtual intercultural experiences are linked to willingness to communicate in a second language (L2 WTC) in in-class, out-of-class, and digital settings. Participants included 176 Korean undergraduate and graduate students of English as a foreign language (EFL). After adjusting for demographic factors, hierarchical regression analyses revealed three major results: first, those with higher levels of L2 motivation and grit as well as a lower level of L2 speaking anxiety had higher L2 WTC inside the classroom. Second, students who majored in English and had higher levels of L2 self-confidence and risk-taking had higher L2 WTC outside the classroom. Third, individuals who were younger, had a higher level of L2 self-confidence and engaged more frequently in virtual intercultural experiences had higher L2 WTC in digital settings. Results suggest that demographic and affective variables as well as involvement in virtual intercultural activities play distinct roles in influencing EFL students’ WTC in three different L2 communication contexts. Based on these findings, this study provides pedagogical suggestions for L2 practitioners.
Analytical and simplified models for dynamic analysis of short skew bridges under moving loads
Authors: Nguyen Khanh , Velarde Carlos , Goicolea Jose M
Published: February 2019

Skew bridges induce inherently coupled bending and torsion response. The actual relevance of this coupling for the dynamic response under moving loads such as those arising in high-speed railways is not well known, introducing uncertainties unless costly three-dimensional dynamic models are used. In this work, models are developed based on beam theory and analytical extraction of vibration modes, which are both simple and fast. First, a general three-dimensional beam model is derived, involving both bending and torsional modes. In the following, a simplified beam model is proposed involving only bending modes. In both cases, the eigenfrequencies, eigenmodes and orthogonality relationships are determined analytically from the boundary conditions, and the dynamic response is obtained numerically in the time domain. Both models are validated through representative realistic examples by comparing with two types of finite element models: a stick model with three-dimensional beams and a full three-dimensional model with shell elements. Finally, parametric studies are performed with the simplified beam model for identifying parameters that influence the dynamic response under traffic loads. The results show that the degree of skewness has an important influence on the vertical displacement, but hardly on the vertical acceleration of the bridge. The torsional stiffness has a significant effect on the vertical displacement when the skew angle is large. Finally, the span length reduces the skewness effect on the dynamic behaviour of the bridge.
Labour market regulations, changes in working life and the importance of apprenticeship training: A long-term and comparative view on youth transition from school to work
Authors: Olofsson Jonas , Panican Alexandru
Published: February 2019

What is the significance of regulations of job contracts and wages when it comes to young people’s access to labour market? This is an issue that has attracted and continues to attract a great deal of interest in both research and politics. Proposals for deregulated employment protection and reduced entry-level pay recur regularly in public debate. In our view it is incomprehensible how sectors of the labour market that are dominated by jobs with low productivity and unstable employment conditions could be expected to offer a permanent solution for the large group of young people who are currently finding it difficult to enter the labour market and reach an acceptable standard of living. Instead, the responses to the challenges facing young people in the labour market could involve training in the form of apprenticeships rather than more insecure jobs and/or lower pay. Essentially, our starting point is that apprenticeship training could provide a more accurate response to the challenges facing young people in working life. This response would not involve the costs in terms of increased social polarisation and increased social risks that may follow in the wake of an increasingly deregulated labour market.
Skeuomorphic Domestic Television’s Analog Divide: Television and Social Stratification in Singapore
Authors: Kai Khiun Liew , Lin Trisha Tsui-Chuan , Yin Leng Theng
Published: February 2019

Through the ethnographic survey of the ownership, use, and display of television-related devices of forty households in Singapore, this article frames the concept of Skeuomorphic Domestic Television. This term describes the continued centrality of the traditional “living room television” amid digital media’s portability. Results from the stocktaking of the ownership of television-related devices in the surveyed households point to the narrowing of the digital divide arising from the greater affordability of media technologies. However, within the highly densely populated city-state, it was found that social distinctions from television cultures were maintained in the skeuomorphic luxury of the “TV-Sofa space” in living rooms of surveyed households. Such a space that distinguishes individuals watching television in cluttered rooms against the more communal viewing practices in designated spacious living rooms characterizes the “Analog Spatial Divide” of skeuomorphic domestic television cultures.
Research on the computing method for the forming velocity of circumferential multiple explosive formed projectiles
Authors: Liang Zhen-gang , Chen Bai-xu , Nan Yu-xiang , Jiang Jian-wei , Ding Li
Published: February 2019

To evaluate the damage capability of circumferential multiple explosive formed projectiles (MEFPs), it is required to predict the EFP forming velocity accurately and quickly. According to the circumferential MEFP liner characteristics of uniform circumferential distribution and layered axial structure, a simplified physical model of circumferential MEFPs is put forward innovatively. The Lagrange and Euler coupling algorithm is selected to simulate the simulation model, which is verified as equivalent to the circumferential MEFPs. Based on the energy conservation principle and the simplified equivalent physical model, the calculating model of the circumferential MEFP forming velocity is derived. The correctness and accuracy of the calculation model are verified by using the numerical simulation software and the test device of the round-shaped charge model.
Historical Peregrinations of New Orleans's French Superior Council and Spanish Judicial Records
Authors: Margot Howard
Published: February 2019

The city of New Orleans is home to extensive notarial and judicial manuscript records that document, often in minute detail, economic and legal activity in the Lower Mississippi Valley during the French (1699–1768) and Spanish (1769–1803) colonial periods. The legal custodianship of New Orleans's largest colonial period archive has changed hands quite often over the last three centuries. This article recounts the peregrinations of these documents and their insertion into the collections of the Notarial Archives Division of the Orleans Parish Clerk of Civil Court's office (NONA) and Old U.S. Mint of the Louisiana State Museum (LSM).
“The Most Wonderful Collection of Original Documents in the United States”
Authors: Forsythe Jenny Marie , Tucker Susan
Published: February 2019

Heloise Hulse Cruzat (1862–1931) and Laura Louise Porteous (1875–1952) worked in New Orleans during the first half of the twentieth century to transcribe, translate, and index the Louisiana Historical Society's (LHS) vast collection of French and Spanish colonial judicial records. This essay places the body of their work for the LHS in national perspective, describes their lives in the context of evolving roles for women in New Orleans cultural institutions, and considers the significance of their work for past and future scholars. 1
The Louisiana State Museum's Colonial Documents Collection
Authors: Roussel Erin , Kinchen Erin
Published: February 2019

The Louisiana State Museum's Louisiana Historical Center holds approximately thirty thousand French Superior Council and Spanish Judicial Colonial Documents. These documents contain quotidian details about life in the colonial Atlantic, showcase the judicial and legal structure of the French and Spanish colonies, and place the colonies within the context of developing global political and economic structures. The only existing indexes of the Colonial Documents were created in the first half of the twentieth century and are incomplete. This is in large part a consequence of cultural, social and political constructions that informed the processes of conservators, translators and scholars. However, an ongoing, collaborative initiative entitled The Louisiana Colonial Documents Digitization Project (LCDDP) aims to preserve the hundreds of thousands of individual pages from these records to culminate in an online, newly-indexed, comprehensive database that will be accessible internationally and free of charge. This article demonstrates how the LCDDP, in addition to digitally preserving manuscripts, provides solutions to technical and historiographical issues presented by current indexes as well as physical limitations of the collection. This article also examines the LCDDP for its limitations vis à vis access and conservation as well as its relationship to new research based on current trends and theories in Atlantic World research.
Time-Dependent Toxicities of Quorum Sensing Inhibitors to Aliivibrio fischeri and Bacillus subtilis
Authors: Zhang Yueheng , Song Jinyuan , Wang Ting , Sun Haoyu , Lin Zhifen , Zhang Yinjiang
Published: February 2019

Quorum sensing inhibitors (QSIs) are being used widely as a promising alternative to antibiotics and drawing attention as potential pollutants. However, the assessment methods of the toxicities of QSIs, including model organism and affecting time, have not been established. To investigate how model organism and acting time impact the toxicities of QSIs, the effect of 4 QSIs to Aliivibrio fischeri and Bacillus subtilis were determined at different exposing time in the present study. The results showed that the toxic effects of QSIs to gram-negative bacteria ( A fischeri) and gram-positive bacteria ( B subtilis) were different and time dependent. As for A fischeri, QSI (furaneol acetate, FA) merely showed inhibition on the bioluminescence from hours 1 to 2. But from hours 3 to 6, low concentration FA exerted stimulation on the bioluminescence. Then, this stimulation disappeared from hours 7 to 14, and after hour 15 the stimulation appeared again. That is to say, QSIs showed intermittent hormesis effect on the bioluminescence of A fischeri. By contrast, only inhibition was observed in the toxicity test process of QSIs to B subtilis. As exposing time goes, the inhibition weakened gradually when FA was at low concentration regions. What is more, in the present, study toxic mechanisms were also discussed based on model organisms and exposing time. This study demonstrates appreciable impacts of model organism and exposing time on toxicities of QSIs and provides a theoretical basis for risk assessments after QSIs being widely used into the environment.
Precision microcatheter shaping in vertebrobasilar aneurysm coiling
Authors: Namba Katsunari , Higaki Ayuho , Kaneko Naoki , Nemoto Shigeru , Kawai Kensuke
Published: February 2019

Background

Inventing an optimal curve on a microcatheter is required for successful intracranial aneurysm coiling. Shaping microcatheters for vertebrobasilar artery aneurysm coiling is difficult because of the vessel’s long, tortuous and mobile anatomy. To overcome this problem, we devised a new method of shaping the microcatheter by using the patient’s specific vessel anatomy and the highly shapable microcatheter. We report our preliminary results of treating posterior circulation aneurysms by this method.

Methods

An unshaped microcatheter (Excelsior XT-17; Stryker Neurovascular, Fremont, CA, USA) was pretreated by exposure to the patient’s vessel for five minutes. The microcatheter was placed in the vicinity of the targeted aneurysm and was left in contact with the patient’s vessel before extraction. This treatment precisely formed a curve on the microcatheter shaft identical to the patient’s vessel anatomy. Following the pretreatment, the tip of the microcatheter was steam shaped according to the long axis of the target aneurysm. Five consecutive vertebrobasilar aneurysms were treated using this shaping method and evaluated for the clinical and anatomical outcomes and microcatheter accuracy and stability.

Results

All of the designed microcatheters matched the vessel and aneurysm anatomy except in one case that required a single modification. All aneurysms were successfully catheterized without the assistance of a microguidewire, and matched the long axis of the aneurysm. All microcatheters retained stability until the end of the procedure.

Conclusions

A precise microcatheter shaping for a vertebrobasilar artery aneurysm may be achieved by using the patient’s actual vessel anatomy and the highly shapable microcatheter.
Neuroform Atlas stent in treatment of iatrogenic dissections of extracranial internal carotid and vertebral arteries: a single-centre experience
Authors: Borota Ljubisa , Mahmoud Ehab , Nyberg Christoffer
Published: February 2019

Aim of the study

To present our experience in the treatment of iatrogenic dissections of extracranial internal carotid and vertebral arteries with the Neuroform Atlas stent.

Materials and methods

Between January 2017 and February 2018 we treated iatrogenic dissections of three internal carotid arteries and three vertebral arteries. These iatrogenic dissections occurred during the endovascular treatment of ruptured and unruptured intracranial aneurysms. The indication for stenting was haemodynamically significant, flow-limiting dissection with threatening flow arrest. In all six cases, the dissections were treated by placement of Neuroform Atlas stents in the dissected segments of internal carotid or vertebral arteries. Deployment of the stent was followed by the usual dual antiplatelet regimen.

Results

Single or multiple Neuroform Atlas stents were deployed without any technical difficulties, and blood flow was restored immediately after placement of the stents in all six cases. Midterm follow-up (6–8 months) showed complete reconstruction of the shape and lumen of all treated arteries, with negligible intimal hyperplasia.

Conclusion

Our results indicate that a favourable outcome can be achieved by treating iatrogenic dissections of extracranial internal carotid and vertebral arteries with the Neuroform Atlas stent.
Forecast of daily output energy of wind turbine using sARIMA and nonlinear autoregressive models
Authors: Tena García Jorge Luis , Cadenas Calderón Erasmo , González Ávalos Gilberto , Rangel Heras Eduardo , Mbikayi Tshikala Alain
Published: February 2019

Forecast models for wind speed and wind turbine power generation are valuable support tools for operators of Control Energy Center. In this work, a year of daily energy output of a wind turbine is analyzed. The original time series was separated into a high-power sample and a low-power sample. High-power sample has a seasonal pattern while low-power sample does not. Afterward, a sARIMA model was produced for high-power sample forecast, with a good performance, while for low-power sample any ARIMA model defeated persistence model; thus, a couple of nonlinear autoregressive artificial neural networks are proposed. Mean absolute error and mean square error are reported and demonstrate that the sARIMA model can predict satisfactorily high-power sample, even with limited data, while to forecast low-power sample, it is necessary to use a neural networks approach and all data available to produce accurate forecasts. In each case, a normalized comparison with persistence model is also reported. Finally, a method which uses previous data of daily output energy and forecasted future wind speed values from a numeric weather prediction model is presented to objectively identify whether the current time is in a high-power or low-power regime to choose the ad hoc daily output energy forecast model.