bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
O papel hermenêutico do conceito de totalidade em Theodor W. Adorno
Authors: Kugnharski Gabriel Petrechen
Published: July 2019

O artigo apresenta uma interpretação da função que o conceito de totalidade assume no modelo de dialética desenvolvido por Theodor W. Adorno na década de 1960, sobretudo na obra Dialética Negativa, de 1966. Além dessa obra, outros textos do mesmo período também são examinados, tais como Três estudos sobre Hegel e Capitalismo tardio ou sociedade industrial. Realiza-se também um levantamento das principais posições da literatura acerca dessa questão. O objetivo é sustentar que, embora crítico da totalidade, Adorno retém esse conceito com o intuito de se contrapor às correntes filosóficas dominantes em sua época, sobretudo o positivismo lógico.
Feasibility of an Entirely Extracardiac, Minimally Invasive,Temporary Pacing System
Authors: Quast Anne-Floor B.E. , Beurskens Niek E.G. , Ebner Adrian , Wasley Richard , Vehmeijer Jim T. , Marcovecchio Alan , Sanghera Rick , Knops Reinoud E. , Burke Martin C.
Published: July 2019

Background:

A completely extracardiac pacing system provides the potential for clinical advantages over existing device alternatives that require intravascular, endocardial, or epicardial contact. Preliminary studies evaluating the feasibility of cardiac pacing with a lead in the anterior mediastinum, outside the pericardium and circulatory system have been completed. These studies examined (1) the anatomic access route, (2) the usability of a delivery tool to facilitate lead placement, and (3) the pacing performance of the extracardiac lead.

Methods:

Feasibility evaluations included (1) a retrospective computed tomography analysis to characterize anatomic variations related to lead access, (2) accessing the anterior mediastinum in cadavers and human subjects using a custom delivery tool, and (3) acute clinical pacing performance.

Results:

Major findings: (1) A total of 166 (95%) out of 174 patients had a viable lead access path through the fourth, fifth, or sixth intercostal space. (2) Access to the targeted implant location using a delivery tool was successful in all 5 cadavers and 3 humans without use of fluoroscopy and with an average lead delivery time of 121±52 s. No damage to the lung, pericardium, heart, or internal thoracic vessels occurred. (3) Pacing performance was tested in 6 human subjects showing a threshold voltage of 4.7 V (2.7–6.7), threshold pulse width of 1.8 ms (1.0–2.5), and an impedance of 1205 Ω (894–1786). R-wave amplitudes measured 9.6 mV (5.6–12.0).

Conclusions:

Results support the feasibility for this completely extracardiac pacing method in a heterogeneous patient population, using a minimally invasive, parasternal, delivery approach and with adequate sensing and thresholds suited for temporary pacing.
Prognostically Significant Myocardial Injury in Patients Undergoing Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement
Authors: Sharma Vikram , Dey Tanujit , Sankaramangalam Kesavan , Alansari Shehab A. R. , Williams Louis , Mick Stephanie , Krishnaswamy Amar , Svensson Lars G. , Kapadia Samir
Published: July 2019

Background

Troponin elevation occurs commonly in the setting of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR). There is a lack of information on the extent of troponin elevation post TAVR that is prognostically significant. We assessed the optimal cutoff for post‐TAVR troponin T elevation that correlates with long‐term mortality. We also examined the relationship between coronary artery disease (CAD) and prognostically significant myocardial injury in TAVR.

Methods and Results

This is a retrospective, observational single‐center study involving patients who underwent TAVR at Cleveland Clinic between 2010 and 2015. Five hundred ten patients were included (mean follow‐up of 2.6±1.3 years). Receiver operating characteristic analysis showed that troponin T elevation ≥3× upper limit of normal was the best predictor of long‐term mortality post TAVR with area under the curve of 0.57, with transapical TAVR patients excluded. Multivariate analyses confirmed that troponin T elevation ≥3× upper limit of normal was significantly associated with increased long‐term mortality post TAVR (hazard ratio 1.57, CI 1.04–2.38,
P
=0.03). The most common causes for the presence of unrevascularized CAD included the presence of chronic total occlusion in the native/graft vessels (49.7%) and diffuse/complex CAD unsuitable for PCI (24.6%). The presence of unrevascularized CAD and significant left main disease correlated with increased mortality, but not with the presence of prognostically significant myocardial injury.

Conclusions

Troponin T elevation of
≥
3× upper limit of normal is associated with increased long‐term mortality after TAVR, except for the transapical approach. This prognostically significant myocardial injury does not appear to be secondary to severe CAD/unrevascularized CAD or left main disease, but rather is associated with other factors such as post‐TAVR complications.
Geometric vs. traditional morphometric methods for exploring morphological variation of tadpoles at early developmental stages
Authors: Ilić Marija , Jojić Vida , Stamenković Gorana , Marković Vanja , Simić Vladica , Paunović Momir , Crnobrnja-Isailović Jelka
Published: July 2019

We conducted a comparative (2D landmark-based geometric and traditional) morphometric analysis on tadpoles at early developmental stages. Two species of brown frog (Rana dalmatina and R. temporaria) and the common toad (Bufo bufo) were involved, all raised in the laboratory from fertilized eggs collected in their natural habitat. Taxonomic identification was confirmed by the DNA barcoding method with the 16S rRNA sequence as the gene marker. Interested to compare the methodologies for quantification and description of morphological differences among tadpoles of mentioned species, we aimed to: 1) calculate interspecies genetic distances as the most relevant measurement for species differentiation, 2) determine and describe size and shape variation, 3) identify relationships among the analyzed species at the morphological level and 4) assess their classification accuracy. Within the framework of the specified aims, both methodologies produced very similar results, i.e., the smallest divergence was between R. dalmatina and R. temporaria, while the most discriminative were B. bufo and R. temporaria. However, we observed subtle shape variation of the distal region of the tail that was detected only by the geometric morphometrics. Our findings support the following. Geometric morphometric method captures more subtle shape differences that were unable to be recovered from linear measurements. It performs slightly better in classification rate. Although it was not quantified, it stands to reason that there is no difference in time investment between the two approaches. Geometric morphometrics provides more information that can be leveraged to answer further questions and it has a clear advantage in visualizing.
Introduction to Henryk Grossman’s ‘A New Theory of Imperialism and the Social Revolution’
Authors: Kuhn Rick
Published: July 2019

Characterisations of Henryk Grossman as a theorist of capitalism’s automatic collapse and political passivity are false. Even before the publication of his principal work, Grossman had linked his recovery of Marx’s account of capitalism’s tendency to break down to his own, interventionist, Leninist politics. This is apparent in his substantial critique of Fritz Sternberg’s influential 1926 book, Imperialism. Grossman’s article (DOI 10.1163/1569206X-12341756) also restates fundamental aspects of Marx’s value theory, class analysis and account of wages.
Once More on the Subject of Herakleian Amphorae with Stamps of the Manufacturer Etymos
Authors: Monakhov Sergeï Yu.
Published: July 2019

The author of the article considers the question of the chronology of Herakleian stamps used by the manufacturer Etymos, who for the last twenty years has traditionally been assigned a date from the late-4th/early-3rd century BC. An analysis of a series of assemblages with the stamps of this manufacturer has made it possible to assign him a reliable date within the period 340-330 BC.
The Nature and Limits of Skeptical Criticism
Authors: Avnur Yuval
Published: July 2019

Is there something wrong with the way we form beliefs about our surroundings? Most people assume not. But there is a character, the skeptic, who disagrees. What, exactly, is this skeptic claiming, and why should this concern us? We are, after all, just humans doing what humans do: forming beliefs on the basis of our faculties. In what sense could this be wrong, and how could it matter if it is? By considering the way in which the notions of vice and criticism can express these questions, we can clarify them and discern some potential answers. These answers, I will suggest, can explain not only why we shouldn’t worry too much, but also the lasting appeal of skeptical problems. The idea is that we can accept, or grant for the sake of argument, that we fall short of some important standard while insisting that it is entirely unreasonable to criticize people, or ourselves, on that basis.
Extractive distribution in Pseudotsuga menziesii: effects on cell wall porosity in sapwood and heartwood
Authors: Donaldson Lloyd A. , Singh Adya , Raymond Laura , Hill Stefan , Schmitt Uwe
Published: July 2019

Douglas-fir (Pseudotsuga menziesii) has distinctly colored heartwood as a result of extractive deposition during heartwood formation. This is known to affect natural durability and treatability with preservatives, as well as other types of wood modification involving infiltration with chemicals. The distribution of extractives in sapwood and heartwood of Douglas-fir was studied using fluorescence microscopy. Several different types of extractive including flavonoids, resin acids, and tannins were localized to heartwood cell walls, resin canals, and rays, using autofluorescence or staining of flavonoids with Naturstoff A reagent. Extractives were found to infiltrate the cell walls of heartwood tracheids and were also present to a lesser extent in sapwood tracheid cell walls, especially in regions adjacent to the resin canals. Förster resonance energy transfer measurements showed that the accessibility of lignin lining cell wall micropores to rhodamine dye was reduced by about 50%, probably as a result of cell wall-bound tannin-like materials which accumulate in heartwood relative to sapwood, and are responsible for the orange color of the heartwood. These results indicate that micro-distribution of heartwood extractives affects cell wall porosity which is reduced by the accumulation of heartwood extractives in softwood tracheid cell walls.
Can We Recover Gnosis Today?
Authors: Shaw Gregory
Published: July 2019

This paper attempts to redefine what we mean by “gnosis.” It begins with a critique of scholars who—in order to maintain their supposed objectivity—avoid wrestling with the subjective experience of gnosis. They reduce gnosis to its literary, political, and religious contexts, and their explanation of these influences passes for our scholarly understanding of gnosis. Yet gnosis remains unknown to them. Once we dare to explore gnosis as a transforming experience, we can recognize it outside of the historical context of the late antique world. What, then, is the gnostic experience? Following Frances Yates, I suggest that there are two kinds of gnosis: the pessimistic, dualist, and anti-cosmic gnosis, and the optimistic, non-dual gnosis that sees the material cosmos as divine. I trace the lineage of this non-dual gnosis from Neoplatonic theurgists who speak of an “innate gnosis” that allows us to see the world as theophany, to its expression in our own American Gnostic, Ralph Waldo Emerson.
Two new species of Phyllophaga Harris (Coleoptera: Scarabaeidae: Melolonthinae) from Costa Rica
Authors: GARCÍA-LÓPEZ ALEJANDRA , MORÓN MIGUEL ÁNGEL , MICÓ ESTEFANÍA , GALANTE EDUARDO
Published: July 2019

Two new species of Phyllophaga (Phyllophaga) are described: Phyllophaga larai García-López & Morón sp. nov. and Phyllophaga copalensis García-López & Morón sp. nov. The specimens were collected in premontane rain forests located at 1000 m in altitude in the Talamanca and Guanacaste mountain ranges, Costa Rica. A distribution map, key to the two new species as well as their two nearest relatives, and illustrations of diagnostic structures are provided.
Constructing a Multifrequency Passive Microwave Hail Retrieval and Climatology in the GPM Domain
Authors: Bang Sarah D. , Cecil Daniel J.
Published: July 2019

Large hail is a primary contributor to damages and loss around the world, in both agriculture and infrastructure. The sensitivity of passive microwave radiometer measurements to scattering by hail led to the development of proxies for severe hail, most of which use brightness temperature thresholds from 37-GHz and higher-frequency microwave channels on board weather satellites in low-Earth orbit. Using 16+ years of data from the Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM; 36°S–36°N), we pair TRMM brightness temperature–derived precipitation features with surface hail reports in the United States to train a hail retrieval on passive microwave data from the 10-, 19-, 37-, and 85-GHz channels based on probability curves fit to the microwave data. We then apply this hail retrieval to features in the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) domain (from 69°S to 69°N) to develop a nearly global passive microwave–based climatology of hail. The extended domain of the GPM satellite into higher latitudes requires filtering out features that we believe are over icy and snowy surface regimes. We also normalize brightness temperature depression by tropopause height in an effort to account for differences in storm depth between the tropics and higher latitudes. Our results show the highest hail frequencies in the region of northern Argentina through Paraguay, Uruguay, and southern Brazil; the central United States; and a swath of Africa just south of the Sahel. Smaller hot spots include Pakistan, eastern India, and Bangladesh. A notable difference between these results and many prior satellite-based studies is that central Africa, while still active in our climatology, does not rival the aforementioned regions in retrieved hailstorm frequency.
Ice Microphysical Properties near the Tops of Deep Convective Cores Implied by the GPM Dual-Frequency Radar Observations
Authors: Ni Xiang , Liu Chuntao , Zipser Edward
Published: July 2019

Using three years of observations from the Dual-Frequency Precipitation Radar (DPR) aboard the Global Precipitation Measurement (GPM) Core Observatory, properties of the cores of deep convection are examined. First, deep convective systems are selected, defined as GPM precipitation features with maximum 20-dBZ echo-top heights above 10 km. The cores of deep convection are described by the profiles of Ku- and Ka-band radar reflectivity at the location of the highest echo top in each deep convective system. Then the dual-frequency ratio (DFR) profile is derived by subtracting Ka-band from Ku-band radar reflectivity. It is found that values of DFR are larger over land than over ocean in general near the top of the convection, which is consistent with larger ice particles in stronger updrafts in continental convection. The magnitude of DFR at 12 km is positively correlated with the convection intensity indicated by 20- and 30-dBZ echo tops. The microphysical properties including volume-weighted mean diameter, ice water content, and total ice particle number concentration are derived using a simple lookup table approach. Under the same particle size distribution assumption, the cores of deep convection over land have larger ice particle size, higher ice water content, and lower particle concentration than those over ocean at levels above 10 km, but with some distinct regional variations.
Classification of Medicaid Coverage on Birth Records in Wisconsin, 2011-2012
Authors: Mallinson David C. , Ehrenthal Deborah B.
Published: July 2019

Objectives:

In 2011, Wisconsin introduced the 2003 Revision of the US Standard Certificate of Live Birth, which includes a variable for principal payer. This variable could help in estimating Medicaid coverage for delivery services, but its accuracy in most states is not known. Our objective was to validate Medicaid payer classification on Wisconsin birth records.

Methods:

We linked 128 141 Wisconsin birth records (2011-2012 calendar years) to 54 600 Medicaid claims. Using claims as the gold standard, we measured the payer variable’s validity (sensitivity, specificity, positive predictive value [PPV], negative predictive value [NPV]) overall and by maternal age, race/ethnicity, education, facility delivery volume, and the Medicaid proportion of facility delivery volume. Multivariable log-binomial regression tested the association between each characteristic and payer misclassification among Medicaid-paid births.

Results:

Of 128 141 birth records, 50 652 (39.5%) indicated Medicaid as the principal payer and 54 600 (42.6%) linked to a Medicaid claim. The birth record misclassified 10 007 of 54 600 (18.3%) Medicaid-paid births as non-Medicaid and 6059 of 73 541 (8.2%) non-Medicaid births as Medicaid-paid. The payer variable was less sensitive (81.7%) than specific (91.8%), and PPV and NPV were similar (∼88%). Sensitivity was highest among mothers who were Hispanic, had no high school diploma, or delivered in Medicaid-majority delivery facilities. Maternal age ≥40, maternal education >high school, and delivering in a non–Medicaid-majority delivery facility were positively associated with payer misclassification among Medicaid-paid births.

Conclusion:

Differential misclassification of principal payer in the birth record may bias risk surveillance of Medicaid deliveries.
Organic Agriculture in Kerala: A Counter-discourse from the Margins
Authors: Palackal Antony
Published: July 2019

The article seeks to look at the current organic boom in the state of Kerala as a counter-discourse to the agrarian crisis and the impending issues of food security, food price and health hazards in the state in the wake of the liberalisation policies and World Trade Organization (WTO) agreements. The Polanyan notion of countermovement (1944) is used to unearth Kerala’s agrarian crisis of the 1990s that stemmed up from the commoditisation of agriculture, which ultimately paved way for an agrarian countermovement in the form of organic farming in the late 20th century. It is argued that organic agriculture signals the emergence of an agrarian counter-discourse promoting greater engagement of the farmers from the fringes. The primary data for the article were gathered out of two empirical projects carried out in 2015–2016.
‘‘I Just Need a Job!’’ Behavioral Solutions, Structural Problems, and the Hidden Curriculum of Parenting Education
Authors: Cucchiara Maia , Cassar Erin , Clark Monica
Published: July 2019

Parenting education programs aim to teach parents, often low-income mothers, a set of skills, behaviors, and attitudes believed to promote improved opportunities for their children. Parenting programs are often offered in schools, with instructors teaching pregnant or parenting teens about child development, attachment, and discipline strategies. Despite the large numbers of participants and significant public and private funding going to parenting education, sociologists of education in the United States have paid little attention to the topic. Existing research, by scholars in other disciplines, has found parenting education to be a relatively weak intervention. Yet this research focuses exclusively on individual-level processes, paying little attention to social context or other factors. This study uses extensive observational and interview data from parenting education programs in two schools and one social service organization to examine what is taught, what is not, and the intersections between program content and the structural realities shaping parents’ lives. The results show that although they were designed for low-income mothers, the classes were silent on the issue of poverty, treating poverty-related concerns as irrelevant to the task of parenting. Furthermore, when such topics did emerge, instructors redirected the conversations to personal behaviors and characteristics. Thus, the ‘‘hidden curriculum’’ of parenting education conveyed the message that good parenting should be unaffected by the challenges of poverty. The mothers, however, struggled to provide for their children in conditions of extreme scarcity, making it difficult for them to focus on other parenting issues.
The minimum zone fitting and error evaluation for the logarithmic curve based on geometry optimization approximation algorithm
Authors: Xianping Tu , Xianqing Lei , Wensuo Ma , Xiaoyi Wang , Luqing Hu , Xiaolin Zuo
Published: July 2019

The minimum zone fitting and error evaluation for the logarithmic curve has important applications. Based on geometry optimization approximation algorithm whilst considering geometric characteristics of logarithmic curves, a new fitting and error evaluation method for the logarithmic curve is presented. To this end, two feature points, to serve as reference, are chosen either from those located on the least squares logarithmic curve or from amongst measurement points. Four auxiliary points surrounding each of the two reference points are then arranged to resemble vertices of a square. Subsequently, based on these auxiliary points, a series of auxiliary logarithmic curves (16 curves) are constructed, and the normal distance and corresponding range of values between each measurement point and all auxiliary logarithmic curves are calculated. Finally, by means of an iterative approximation technique consisting of comparing, evaluating, and changing reference points; determining new auxiliary points; and constructing corresponding auxiliary logarithmic curves, minimum zone fitting and evaluation of logarithmic curve profile errors are implemented. The example results show that the logarithmic curve can be fitted, and its profile error can be evaluated effectively and precisely using the presented method.
An asymmetry in the acquisition of relative clauses: Evidence from Tagalog
Authors: Tanaka Nozomi , O’Grady William , Deen Kamil , Bondoc Ivan Paul
Published: July 2019

This article reports on the acquisition of relative clauses in Tagalog, the most widely spoken language in the Philippines. A distinctive feature of Tagalog is a unique system of voice that creates competing patterns, each with different possibilities for relativization. This study of children’s performance on agent and patient relative clauses in a comprehension task revealed an agent relative clause advantage. These findings cannot be explained by the voice preference in declarative clauses, but are compatible with an explanation based upon input frequency factors.
Local Government Fragmentation: What Do We Know?
Authors: Goodman Christopher B.
Published: July 2019

The United States is a nation of local governments. The growth in the number of local governments over the last sixty years has led many to ask whether the current fragmented arrangement is ideal or whether fewer local governments are preferred. This article explains the theoretical arguments on both sides, paying close attention to horizontal and vertical fragmentation. The empirical evidence on the effects of local government fragmentation is examined in three policy areas: public expenditures/revenues, public employment, and economic growth.
Prevalence of unmet needs for spasticity management in care home residents in the East Midlands, United Kingdom: a cross-sectional observational study
Authors: Edwards Laura , Ellis Benjamin , Donnellan Clare , Osman Hanan , Haboubi Naseer , Jones Michael , Sunman Wayne , Pinnington Lorraine , Phillips Margaret Frances
Published: July 2019

Objective:

To establish the prevalence of unmet need for spasticity management in care home residents in two counties of the United Kingdom.

Design:

Cross-sectional observational study with a six-month follow-up arm for participants with identified unmet needs.

Setting:

22 care homes in Derbyshire and Nottinghamshire.

Subjects:

60 care home residents with upper motor neuron syndrome–related spasticity.

Interventions:

No intervention. When unmet needs around spasticity management were identified, the participant’s general practitioner was advised of these in writing.

Main measures:

Resistance to Passive Movement Scale to assess spasticity; recording of (a) the presence of factors which may aggravate spasticity, (b) potential complications of spasticity, (c) spasticity-related needs and (d) current interventions to manage spasticity. Two assessors judged the presence or absence of needs for spasticity management and whether these needs were met by current care.

Results:

Out of 60 participants, 14 had no spasticity-related needs; 46 had spasticity-related needs; 11 had needs which were being met by current care and 35 participants had spasticity-related needs at baseline which were not being met by their current care. These were most frequently related to the risk of contracture development or problems with skin hygiene or integrity in the upper limb. In total, 6 participants had one or more pressure sores and 35 participants had one or more established joint contractures. A total of 31 participants were available for follow-up. Informing general practitioners of unmet needs resulted in no change to spasticity management in 23/31 cases.

Conclusion:

Care home residents in this study had high levels of unmet need for spasticity management.
Coping With the Stresses of Daily Life in England: A Qualitative Study of Self-Care Strategies and Social and Professional Support in Early Adolescence
Authors: Stapley Emily , Demkowicz Ola , Eisenstadt Mia , Wolpert Miranda , Deighton Jessica
Published: July 2019

The aim of our study was to examine early adolescents’ perspectives on and experiences of coping with the problems, difficult situations, and feelings that can arise in daily life in England. Our study draws on the first time point of semistructured interviews ( N = 82) conducted with 9 to 12 year olds across six regions of England as part of HeadStart, a mental health and well-being program. Using thematic analysis, eight main themes were derived from the dataset relating to participants’ coping behavior: activities and strategies, disengaging from problems, standing up for yourself, acceptance of problems, social support, HeadStart support, other professional support, and hiding feelings or problems. The findings enhance our understanding of how early adolescents manage their problems outside of professional input, highlight where professional input could seek to influence or bolster early adolescents’ coping strategies, and could be used to inform existing taxonomies of coping behavior.
Felis catus Papillomavirus Types 1, 2, 3, 4, and 5 in Feline Bowenoid in Situ Carcinoma: An In Situ Hybridization Study
Authors: Vascellari Marta , Mazzei Maurizio , Zanardello Claudia , Melchiotti Erica , Albanese Francesco , Forzan Mario , Croce Marta Francesca , Alberti Alberto , Abramo Francesca
Published: July 2019

Several studies based on histopathology or molecular investigations suggest a causal relation between Felis catus papillomavirus (FcaPV-2) infection and bowenoid in situ carcinoma (BISC) in cats. Nevertheless, data on distribution of viral DNA for different F. catus papillomavirus types (FcaPV-1, 2, 3, 4, 5) in precancerous skin lesions are lacking. In this study, incisional and excisional skin biopsies from 18 cats with BISC were investigated for the presence of FcaPV DNA by quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qPCR) and chromogenic in situ hybridization (CISH) using specific probes to detect each of the FcaPVs that have been identified so far. By qPCR analysis, 15 of 18 samples were positive for FcaPV-2, 2 were positive for FcaPV-4, and 1 sample was negative for all FcaPVs studied. Two cases were positive for FcaPV-5 by qPCR only. FcaPV-1 and FcaPV-3 were not detected by either method. CISH positivity for FcaPV-2 and FcaPV-4 was 100% concordant with qPCR. FcaPV-2 CISH signal was observed as nuclear dots within grouped neoplastic keratinocytes in 12 BISCs and in the perilesional skin of 9 biopsies. In 3 of these 9 cases, the signal was not observed within the BISC. FcaPV-4 CISH positivity was detected only within BISCs in 2 cases. The overall rate of concordance for FcaPV detection between PCR and CISH was 97.8%. This study suggests that CISH is a reliable method to detect FcaPV-2 and FcaPV-4 infection in cats and provides useful information on the type, rate, and localization of infected cells.
Expedited Testing Program for Performance Characterization of Asphalt Mixtures
Authors: Haidar Intikhab , Schwartz Charles W. , Khosravifar Sadaf
Published: July 2019

The past two decades have seen significant efforts to standardize a series of simplified test methods to characterize the dynamic modulus (DM) and repeated load permanent deformation (RLPD) performance characteristics of asphalt mixtures using the asphalt mixtures performance tester (AMPT). While the current AASHTO T 79 test specifications for the AMPT are faster and easier to perform than their preceding research grade test protocols, there is still reluctance among highway agencies and industry to conduct performance testing using the AMPT. One significant reason is the lengthy process of sample preparation and testing for the DM and RLPD tests. Two studies to expedite this process are reported here. First, the potential for abbreviating the DM testing procedure was examined. It provides the option to fully exclude testing at 40°C by adding an additional frequency of 0.01 Hz at 20°C. This approach reduces time for testing as well as for sample conditioning at high temperature. Second, the possibility of reducing the total number of required specimens was evaluated. The variation of the DM under repetitive testing and the appropriateness of performing the RLPD test on samples already tested for DM were evaluated. The results showed that specimen damage or densification because of DM testing is insignificant. As a consequence, DM test specimens can be re-used for RLPD testing, reducing the required number of samples from 12 to 9.
RPAS integration in non-segregated airspace: Safety metrics for tactical planning
Authors: Pérez-Castán Javier A , Comendador Fernando G , Rodriguez-Sanz Álvaro , Arnaldo Valdés Rosa M , Agueda Gonzalo
Published: July 2019

The integration of remotely piloted aircraft system in non-segregated airspace requires a significant effort and new methodologies to underway this challenge. This paper develops a methodology to assess the impact of remotely piloted aircraft system integration by applying safety metrics in tactical planning. This methodology builds five modules to simulate remotely piloted aircraft system introduction in a conventional-aircraft schedule: Base scenario, path modelling, conflict detection, temporary-blocking window and safety metrics. The safety metrics quantify the safety state of the operation by the number of conflicts, the conflict severity and the airway availability. This last safety metric represents a step forward in the decision-making process because it provides the airway risk-suitability to integrate remotely piloted aircraft system. Moreover, the temporary-blocking window underlies the airway availability metric. This concept provides temporary restrictions to the integration of remotely piloted aircraft system depending on the entry times of the conventional aircraft. Finally, this methodology is applied in an air traffic volume of the Spanish upper airspace. Different simulations were performed by introducing remotely piloted aircraft system covering every airway of the airspace. Results provided the temporary-blocking windows that specified the temporary restrictions to remotely piloted aircraft system introduction as a function of the airway flown by the conventional aircraft. Furthermore, the methodology appraised the airway availability characterising the airways depending on the risk impact by the remotely piloted aircraft system.
Challenging Moral Attitudes With Moral Messages
Authors: Luttrell Andrew , Philipp-Muller Aviva , Petty Richard E.
Published: July 2019

When crafting a message, communicators may turn to moral rhetoric as a means of influencing an audience’s opinion. In the present research, we tested whether the persuasiveness of explicitly moral counterattitudinal messages depends on how much people have already based their attitudes on moral considerations. A survey of the literature suggests several competing hypotheses that we tested across two studies. The results support a persuasive-matching pattern: A moral appeal was more persuasive than a nonmoral appeal to the extent that initial attitudes were based on moral concerns (i.e., attitudes were moralized), but the opposite was true when initial attitudes had less of a moral basis. Exploratory analyses also showed that these effects were mediated by valenced thoughts about the message and moderated by political orientation. These findings add new insight to literatures on both the effects of moral arguments and moralized attitudes.
Infectious diseases and Neolithic transformations: Evaluating biological and archaeological proxies in the German loess zone between 5500 and 2500 BCE
Authors: Fuchs Katharina , Rinne Christoph , Drummer Clara , Immel Alexander , Krause-Kyora Ben , Nebel Almut
Published: July 2019

It is a common assumption that – compared with the Mesolithic – the adoption of Neolithic lifeways was accompanied by a higher risk of infection and the development of epidemic diseases. Such a hypothesis seems plausible when considering singular archaeological parameters like increasing population density and palaeopathological indicators of poor health. However, evidence for the far-reaching consequences of epidemics has not yet been examined. Thus, the relevance of infectious diseases as triggers for transformation processes in the Neolithic remains to be identified. By reviewing specific archaeological, genetic and palaeopathological proxies gained from groups of individuals that inhabited the German loess zone from the early to the final Neolithic, we provide a diachronic view of the periods between 5500 and 2500 BCE with regard to postulated indicators of epidemic events. Our analyses of the archaeological proxies suggest major transformations in domestic strategies and mortuary practices, especially in the middle and late Neolithic. Interestingly, mass burials indicative of epidemic events are lacking. Ancient DNA results on pathogens confirm single infections throughout the Neolithic, but there is no clear evidence for diseases of epidemic proportions. The osteological records are not conclusive since the majority of osseous changes are unspecific with regard to the cause and course of infections. We conclude that currently neither biological nor archaeological proxies suggest substantial contributions of epidemics to Neolithic transformations in the German loess zone. This finding contrasts with the general assumption of a higher risk of infection and the development of epidemic diseases during the Neolithic.
Integration of traditional and western treatment approaches in mental health care in Pacific Island Countries
Authors: Blignault Ilse , Kaur Arshdeep
Published: July 2019

Objective:

To explore the extent of integration of traditional and western approaches in mental health care in Pacific Island Countries (PICs).

Method:

Examination of national mental health policies and literature review.

Results:

Traditional healers were included as resources for mental health in four of the seven policies that we were able to access. While their role in mental health care is widely acknowledged in the literature, there are few empirical studies exploring integration.

Conclusion:

Local research on integrative mental health care is needed to guide mental health policy and service development in PICs. Any research must include the full range of formal and informal service providers as well as patients and families.
Understanding Prevention and Management of Coronary Heart Disease Among Chinese Immigrants and Their Family Carers: A Socioecological Approach
Authors: Jin Kai , Neubeck Lis , Koo Fung , Ding Ding , Gullick Janice
Published: July 2019

Introduction: Health disparities among immigrants exist across socioecological domains. While Chinese immigrants face increased risk for coronary heart disease (CHD) after migration, the reasons are not well understood. Method: This descriptive qualitative study collected 18 semistructured interviews with Chinese immigrants with CHD and family carers from two Australian hospitals. Analysis was guided by the social–ecological model. Results: Poor knowledge and limited English proficiency increased CHD risk and difficulty navigating health care systems/resources. Interpersonal and family factors positively influenced health-seeking behaviors, acceptance of cardiac procedures, adoption of secondary preventive behaviors and information acquisition through social networks. A lack of culturally specific health information and programs in Chinese languages was described. Ethnic concordance between Chinese doctors and patients improved health literacy and engendered trust. Discussion: Culturally specific interventions could include health promotion materials in Chinese, inclusion of family in educational programs, and Chinese-focused public health campaigns about warning signs of heart attack.
Creative Outcome as Implausible Utility
Authors: Tsao J. Y. , Ting C. L. , Johnson C. M.
Published: July 2019

Two perspectives are used to reframe Simonton’s recent three-factor definition of creative outcome. The first perspective is functional: that creative ideas are those that add significantly to knowledge by providing both utility and learning. The second perspective is calculational: that learning can be estimated by the change in probabilistic beliefs about an idea’s utility before and after it has played out in its environment. The results of the reframing are proposed conceptual and mathematical definitions of (a) creative outcome as the product of two overarching factors (utility and learning) and (b) learning as a function of two subsidiary factors (blindness reduction and surprise). Learning will be shown to depend much more strongly on surprise than on blindness reduction, so creative outcome may then also be defined as “implausible utility.”
Long-term functional and anatomical evolution in surgically closed macular holes with internal limiting membrane peeling
Authors: Eymard Pauline , Le Mer Yannick
Published: July 2019

Introduction:

The aim of this study was to describe the long-term evolution of macular retinal thickness and visual acuity in patients who present surgically closed full-thickness macular hole, operated by vitrectomy with internal limiting membrane peeling.

Methods:

A retrospective observational study of patients operated for full-thickness macular hole with closure of the hole and at least 6 months of post-operative follow-up was performed. All patients had pars plana vitrectomy, peeling of the internal limiting membrane, gas filling and positioning. Comparison of the early post-operative (in the first 5 months) visual acuity and spectral-domain optical coherence tomography-measured macular thickness with late post-operative data (between 6 months and 6 years) was performed. Foveal retinal thickness and temporal and nasal retinal thickness between 1 and 3 mm from the centre were recorded.

Results:

In total, 35 eyes of 34 patients were included, with an early post-operative measure realized at a mean of 1.8 months and a late measure done at a mean of 25.5 months (7–73 months). Foveal thickness stayed unchanged (282 vs 288 µm), nasal parafoveal thickness remained increased compared to normal and stayed constant (345 vs 345 µm) and temporal parafoveal macular thickness was decreased (313 vs 308 µm) ( p = 0.028). Best-corrected visual acuity was improved by the surgery and the gain increased over time.

Conclusion:

Internal limiting membrane peeling improves anatomical success of full-thickness macular hole, but this procedure is not without long-term scalable consequences on macular thickness on the temporal quadrant (thinning) as on the nasal quadrant (thickening).
Addressing the Missing Heritability Problem With the Help of Regulatory Features
Authors: Dong Shan-Shan , Guo Yan , Yang Tie-Lin
Published: July 2019

Genome-wide association studies (GWASs) have successfully identified thousands of susceptibility loci for human complex diseases. However, missing heritability is still a challenging problem. Considering most GWAS loci are located in regulatory elements, we recently developed a pipeline named functional disease-associated single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) prediction (FDSP), to predict novel susceptibility loci for complex diseases based on the interpretation of regulatory features and published GWAS results with machine learning. When applied to type 2 diabetes and hypertension, the predicted susceptibility loci by FDSP were proved to be capable of explaining additional heritability. In addition, potential target genes of the predicted positive SNPs were significantly enriched in disease-related pathways. Our results suggested that taking regulatory features into consideration might be a useful way to address the missing heritability problem. We hope FDSP could offer help for the identification of novel susceptibility loci for complex diseases.
Technology’s role in Mapudungun language teaching and revitalization
Authors: Quintrileo Llancao Elizabeth Jacqueline
Published: July 2019

The Mapudungun language spoken by the Mapuche people in southern Chile is one of the thousands of severely endangered languages in the world today. Despite efforts by the Mapuche people to support it, the language remains threatened. The study reported here is part of an effort to more effectively support the revitalization of Mapudungun aimed at developing a community- and technology-based model for the teaching of the language. The study was divided into two stages: first, the design and development of the model; second, the evaluation of the model based on quasi-experimental research with a pre-test and a post-test. Then, the participants were surveyed to obtain information regarding their beliefs toward the use of technology in the teaching–learning process of Mapudungun. The study’s results indicate that technology can facilitate Mapuche language learning and revitalization.
Passion among breast cancer survivors: A 12-month prospective study
Authors: Schellenberg Benjamin JI , Sabiston Catherine M , Vallerand Robert J , Gaudreau Patrick
Published: July 2019

We examined the prospective relationship between harmonious passion and post-treatment health outcomes among female breast cancer survivors. Participants reported passion toward a favorite activity, physical pain symptoms, and mental health after their final breast cancer treatment (Time 1, N = 188). Twelve months later (Time 2, N = 148), participants reported their physical pain symptoms and mental health. Harmonious passion at Time 1 predicted fewer physical pain symptoms and higher levels of mental health at Time 2. These results show that breast cancer survivors benefit from being harmoniously passionate toward a meaningful activity following treatment.
“You’re such a pain!”: Investigating how psychological pain influences the ostracism of a burdensome group member
Authors: Wirth James H. , LeRoy Angie S. , Bernstein Michael J.
Published: July 2019

Maintaining social relationships with others is essential for survival, but not all relationships are beneficial. Individuals exclude nonbeneficial burdensome group members, those who encumber group success. We investigated whether feeling psychological pain is a mechanism that prompts assessment of social threats―potentially putting the “brakes” on burdensome (nonbeneficial) relationships. Specifically, we investigated if interacting with burdensome individuals caused others to experience psychological pain, negative affect, and to dislike the burdensome individual. Across 5 studies, using 3 different paradigms, we found those who interacted with a burdensome individual experienced psychological pain, which influenced ostracizing (excluding and ignoring) the burdensome group member. In Studies 4 and 5, we found psychological pain mediated the relationship between burdensomeness and ostracism even when we accounted for negative affect and dislike of the burdensome individual. Our results suggest psychological pain can guide social interactions and should be the subject of future research involving social threat.
Like Water & Oil? Fashion photography as journalistic comment
Authors: Le Masurier Megan
Published: July 2019

In its August issue 2010, Vogue Italia ran a 24-page fashion editorial by photographer Steven Meisel. Entitled ‘Water & Oil’, it was inspired by the Deepwater Horizon oil disaster in the Gulf of Mexico that began in April that year. The shoot caused an uproar in both new and old media. Across the journalistic coverage of the shoot and the attendant commentary from digital readers and bloggers was an underlying sentiment that a boundary had been crossed, that high fashion photography had no right to use environmental catastrophe as a backdrop for the promotion of fashion. Much of the online commentary echoed Angela McRobbie’s argument, that fashion media (and especially Vogue) can only conceive of political reality as ‘gestures of style … they can never take the form of social analysis’. This essay poses two questions: can fashion photography sometimes perform the usually journalistic work of cultural and political comment? And how can we understand the resistance to such a function, especially in a commercial women’s magazine like Vogue? Sitting at the intersection of cultural studies and journalism studies, it will draw on the work of John Hartley to answer these questions. Laying out the discourse surrounding the controversial photo spread, this essay explains how the images created by Meisel are ‘matter out of place’. They provoke us to re-evaluate what journalism is and who is allowed to perform it.
Supporting family carers of children and adults with intellectual disability
Authors: Kelly Caraíosa , Craig Sarah , McConkey Roy
Published: July 2019

The extra strains experienced by families who care for a relative with intellectual disabilities are well documented. The provision of overnight (respite) breaks or supports in the home are common ways of supporting family carers. Often demand exceeds supply. Using data from a national register in Ireland, child and adults who received overnight breaks and in-home support were identified along with the characteristics that distinguished them from families that did not have these services. Moreover, changes in provision over a 10-year period were monitored and variations in provision across the country were ascertained.

Findings

Overnight breaks were the dominant form of family support in Ireland. However, they were available to fewer persons in 2017 compared to 2007, whereas the provision of home supports remained constant. Persons with severe and profound disabilities were those most likely to receive home supports or overnight breaks as were persons aged 30 years and over. There were persistent marked differences across the country in the provision of home supports, although the variation in the usage of overnight breaks had contracted somewhat in 2017.

Applications

Additional investment is needed to provide supports for families, given the increasing numbers of persons with intellectual disabilities living at home. A wider range of support options would provide greater choice and arguably improve the cost-effectiveness of current resources. Frontline professionals, such as social workers, need to be to the fore in persuading service commissioners of these needs based on empirical data as well as their personal experiences.