bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Improving Sleep Attributes of Military Personnel in Operational Settings by Controlling Exposure to Blue Light
Authors: Ryan Alex , Matsangas Panagiotis , Anglemyer Andrew , Shattuck Nita Lewis
Published: September 2017

Military members often work in challenging environments. Their sleep is degraded by extended operational commitments and the requirement to work in shifts. Exposure to light at circadian inappropriate times may also have a detrimental impact on service members’ sleep, fatigue levels, and mood. This two-week field study assessed whether sleep-related attributes can be improved by limiting exposure to blue light prior to sleep. Participants (N=30) were observed for one week without using blue light blocking glasses followed by a second week when they used blue light blocking glasses for two hours prior to their bedtimes. Sleep was assessed with wristworn actigraphy. Daytime sleepiness decreased (p=0.011), and mood improved (p<0.001) after wearing the glasses. Insomnia symptoms decreased while sleep onset latency and sleep quality improved, although not at statistically significant levels. These findings suggest that controlling exposure to blue light for two hours prior to sleep has a beneficial effect on sleep quality and mood.
Validation of A Fatigue Failure-based Risk Assessment Tool For Distal Upper Extremity MSDs
Authors: Gallagher Sean , Schall Mark C. , Sesek Richard F. , Huangfu Rong
Published: September 2017

This paper presents a new practitioner-friendly distal upper extremity tool (DUET) based on fatigue failure theory. The tool requires only assessment of force exertion (using the OMNI-RES scale) and the number of repetitions performed to derive DUE risk. Validation of this tool was performed against six separate DUE outcomes from an epidemiological database involving data obtained from 1,022 participants across 738 jobs from several automotive manufacturing plants. The DUET Cumulative Damage (CD) measure explained between 79-95% of the deviance for the six DUE outcomes in logistic regression analyses.
Vertical Ground Reaction Forces During Unexpected Human Slips
Authors: Iraqi Arian , Beschorner Kurt E.
Published: September 2017

Falls due to slippery conditions are among the primary causes of disabling workplace injuries. Despite the extensive amount of human slip studies in the literature, only a handful of studies have reported ground reaction forces at the instant of slip initiation. The purpose of this study was to quantify the vertical ground reaction forces (VGRF) at slip initiation during unexpected human slips across different footwear-contaminant conditions. Forty-seven healthy subjects were unexpectedly exposed to a liquid–contaminant, while the vertical force was measured at the moment that the foot began to start slipping. The average VGRF were between 100 and 300 N and varied significantly across the footwear. These forces were significantly less than the typical forces (400-700 N) applied during slip-resistance measurements. This finding may suggest that available coefficient of friction (ACOF) measurements should use lower force levels in order to achieve higher relevance to the onset of slipping.
easyBLS, a Tool for Querying Nonfatal Injury Information from United States Bureau of Labor Statistics Database
Authors: Huangfu Rong , Granzow Robert , Gallagher Sean , Schall Mark
Published: September 2017

Every year, the United States Bureau of Labor Statistics (BLS) collects and publishes important information on the number and types of occupational injuries and illnesses affecting workers across all industries. Researchers, occupational safety and health professionals, epidemiologists and industry groups rely on this data to make conclusions about past, present, and future injury and illness trends. The data are also very important in determining the root causes of workplace injury and developing effective interventions. The BLS provides two web tools to query nonfatal injury data from the database. However, one of the tools is no longer functioning, while the other has relatively low query efficiency (more than twenty seconds per query) as tested in this study. Furthermore, there is no data visualization tool provided to help display the queried information. easyBLS (Desktop and web version) was developed to query information from the BLS database with relatively high efficiency (less than one second per query). This tool also provides two data visualization tools (line graph and map) to help users to better interpret the queried information. easyBLS web version is available to the public at http://easybls.pythonanywhere.com/ .
Engaging Construction Contractors to Identify Barriers and Promising Practices to Reduce the Risk for Occupational Injuries Associated With Manual Materials Handling
Authors: Betit Eileen , Strand John , Dale Ann Marie , Chang Charlotte , Schneider Scott , Tiedeman Jeff , Hopwood Daniel , Cain Chris Trahan , Rempel David
Published: September 2017

Overexertion injuries related to lifting, pushing, pulling, holding, or carrying objects are a leading cause of occupational injury in the construction industry. Although significant research exists on interventions and practices that could reduce the risk for these injuries, adoption by construction employers has been slow. Ergonomics researchers and safety advocates have struggled to effectively promote safer manual materials handling (MMH) in the complex and dynamic environment of construction sites. Our Ergonomics Community of Practice conducted formative research on the extent to which construction contractors are taking action to reduce MMH injuries, the barriers to engaging in safer practices, and how safety-minded contractors successfully overcame common barriers and associated risks on their job sites. These “positive deviants” used similar strategies regardless of their size or trade. Their strategies suggest fresh opportunities for repositioning and promoting safer MMH practices and increasing their use in the construction industry.
Communicating the Value of Ergonomics to Management – Part 2: Ergonomics ROI Case Study Applications
Authors: Reid Christopher R. , Johnson Peter W. , Marklin Richard W. , Seeley Patricia , Spielholz Peregrin , Goggins Rick
Published: September 2017

More than ever, human factors engineers and ergonomists need to justify our practice’s value to management. How can we effectively communicate with management? How should we present a Return on Investment (ROI) that leadership will find useful that addresses company profits, cost savings, productivity, first time quality, and turnover? What else does management care about other than ROI? This second panel in a two panel series will specifically highlight case studies in which presenters give examples of situations in which ROI for ergonomics was investigated from a business value. The session will start with four case study lectures followed by a panel discussion led by the moderators. The audience will be encouraged to participate with their own questions and comments.
Relationship Between Anthropometric Attributes and Space Required to Turn from Supine to Side Lying
Authors: Wiggermann Neal
Published: September 2017

When patients are placed in a bed that is too small to allow them to turn from supine to side lying, caregivers are at an elevated risk of injury because of difficulty to turn the patient and patients may experience greater discomfort and risk of pressure injuries. Currently, no guidance is available for what patient sizes are accommodated by the standard 91.4-cm (36-in) wide hospital bed, and no studies have evaluated the relationship between anthropometric attributes and space required to turn in bed. This study included 47 participants (24 female) ranging in body mass index (BMI) from 20 to 76 kg/m2. Anthropometric dimensions were measured and the envelope of space required to turn from supine to side lying was determined using motion capture. Linear regressions were performed to estimate the relationship between anthropometry and space occupied when turning. The anthropometric attributes most highly correlated to space required to turn were waist circumference (R2 = 0.91) and BMI (R2 = 0.88). These findings can be used to design products that better accommodate the needs of patients and their caregivers.
Effects of Movement Speed and Magnetic Disturbance on the Accuracy of Inertial Measurement Units
Authors: Chen Howard , Schall Mark C. , Fethke Nathan
Published: September 2017

This study evaluated the effects of motion speed and magnetic disturbance on the spatial orientation accuracy of an inertial measurement unit (IMU) on the hand. Thirteen participants performed six trials of a repetitive material transfer task. Movement speed (15, 30, 45 transfers/minute) and magnetic disturbance (absent, present) were the independent variables. Optical motion capture was the reference. Root-mean-square differences (RMSD) exceeded 20° when inclination measurements (pitch and roll) were calculated using the IMU accelerometer. A linear Kalman filter and a proprietary, embedded Kalman filter reduced inclination RMSD to <3° across all movement speeds. The RMSD in the heading direction (i.e., about gravity) increased (from <5° to 17°) under magnetic disturbance. The linear Kalman filter and the embedded Kalman filter reduced heading RMSD to <12° and <7°, respectively. Use of IMUs and Kalman filters can improve inclinometer measurement accuracy. However, magnetic disturbances continue to limit the accuracy of three- dimensional IMU motion capture.
Toward training surgeons with motion-based feedback: Initial validation of smoothness as a measure of motor learning
Authors: Pandey Shivam , Byrne Michael D. , Jantscher William H. , O’Malley Marcia K. , Agarwal Priyanshu
Published: September 2017

Surgery is a challenging domain for motor skill acquisition. A critical contributing factor in this difficulty is that feedback is often delayed from performance and qualitative in nature. Collection of highdensity motion information may offer a solution. Metrics derived from this motion capture, in particular indices of movement smoothness, have been shown to correlate with task outcomes in multiple domains, including endovascular surgery. The open question is whether providing feedback based on these metrics can be used to accelerate learning. In pursuit of that goal, we examined the relationship between a motion metric that is computationally simple to compute—spectral arc length—and performance on a simple but challenging motor task, mirror tracing. We were able to replicate previous results showing that movement smoothness measures are linked to overall performance, and now have performance thresholds to use in subsequent work on using these metrics for training.
A Usability Evaluation of the BMW Active Cruise Control System With “Stop and Go” Function
Authors: Brinkley Julian , Dunbar Jerone , Smith J. David , Gilbert Juan E.
Published: September 2017

While adaptive cruise control (ACC) systems have been broadly few studies have investigated the user experience characteristics of recent production systems. The present study was designed for the express purpose of testing one such system. Nineteen participants drove a 2014 BMW X-5 M, equipped with adaptive cruise control, in two scenarios designed to be representative of the usage scenarios described by the vehicle manufacturer. During testing, user interactions with the system were recorded while opinions regarding the usability and operation of the system were elicited through a series of interviews and questionnaires. While participants responded favorably to the system conceptually, participants expressed considerable dissatisfaction with the ACC’s braking behavior and with specific aspects of the system’s user interface. These findings add to a growing body of research that suggests that mode confusion or insufficient awareness of system status may be a significant impediment to the use of ACC systems generally.
The Effects of Training on Real-Time Localization of Headphone-Rendered, Spatially Processed Sounds
Authors: McMullen K. A. , Wakefield Gregory H.
Published: September 2017

Although static localization performance in auditory displays is known to substantially improve as a listener spends more time in the environment, the impact of real-time interactive movement on these tasks is not yet well understood. Accordingly, a training procedure was developed and evaluated to address this question. In a set of experiments, listeners searched for and marked the locations of five virtually spatialized sound sources. The task was performed with and without training. Finally, the listeners performed a second search and mark task to assess the impacts of training. The results indicate that the training procedure maintained or significantly improved localization accuracy. In addition, localization performance did not improve for listeners who did not complete the training procedure.
The Relationship of The Penny Beliefs Weapons Scale to Robotic Peacekeeper Compliance and Trust
Authors: Karpinsky Nicole D. , Long Shelby K. , Bliss James P.
Published: September 2017

Military personnel have focused their efforts on delegating dangerous duties to robots and other automated devices. Such duties include complex tasks such as peacekeeping. The current study explores the use of robotic peacekeepers across different cultures wielding non-lethal weapons (NLWs) in a virtual environment. We predicted that weapon acceptability would differ as a function of culture, compliance rate, and citizenship (native vs. expatriate). Results showed that participants complied significantly more often when the robotic peacekeeper requested an item that was not a weapon than when the item itself was a weapon. Further, Chinese and Americans reported highest weapons approval. Implications for future research are discussed.
Mind Perception in Humanoid Agents has Negative Effects on Cognitive Processing
Authors: Mandell Arielle R. , Smith Melissa , Wiese Eva
Published: September 2017

When interacting with other entities, we make inferences about their internal states using our own minds as models (i.e., mentalizing). This process relies on the rapid, automatic perception of a mind. In two experiments, we investigate whether these automatic processes of mind perception are impaired when interacting with agents that are not easily classified as human or robot. We hypothesized that an agent falling on the category boundary between human and non-human (i.e., a humanoid) would be difficult to categorize and that this ambiguity would result in increased cognitive load. In Experiment 1, participants rated agents with varying degrees of humanness in terms of their ability to have internal states. The humanoid agent was perceived as categorically ambiguous, as evidenced by the intermediate ratings of internal states. In Experiment 2, participants categorized each agent as human or non-human in a forced-choice task. The humanoid agent produced less consensus and longer reaction times, indicating that the humanoid’s ambiguous mind status produces a cognitive conflict. These findings suggest that performance is negatively impacted by the presence of agents that cannot be easily classified as human or non-human.
Collaborative Metacognition in a Signal Detection Task
Authors: Duncan-Reid Jackson , McCarley Jason S.
Published: September 2017

Decision makers working in teams generally achieve higher sensitivity than individual decision makers in a signal detection task. The current experiment asked whether metacognitive, or Type 2, signal detection judgments would show a similar effect. Thirty participants performed a signal detection task both individually and in groups. Measures of Type 1 and Type 2 sensitivity were calculated from participants’ confidence ratings. Robust evidence suggested that when working collaboratively, group metacognitive efficiency exceeded what the worse group members could achieve on their own, but was no different than the metacognitive efficiency of the better members. These results suggest that collaborative teams may assess their performance by defaulting to the judgment of the most meta-cognitively sensitive team member.
Stealth Adapt: Assessing UAS Operator Workload During Simulated Search and Rescue
Authors: Ferraro James , Christy Naomi , Mouloua Mustapha
Published: September 2017

The present study was designed to empirically examine the effectiveness of adaptive training methods to enhance operators’ performance of unmanned aerial systems commonly used in search-and-rescue missions. In order to do so, a game-based (Stealth Adapt) test was developed to measure a player’s task-prioritization such flight path to search and rescue the targets. This simulated game took into account the player’s ability to quickly integrate disparate information about available targets, based on some gaming scenarios. These gaming scenarios included a variety of established rules of engagement, attending to four factors: 1) proximity to the nearest hostile force, 2) lethality or probability of attack of the nearest hostile force, 3) duration of the time stranded, and 4) survivability in the game. Results demonstrated a change in perceived workload as a result of repeated exposure to the software, and indicated that familiarity with particular programming interfaces may help predict performance in the Stealth Adapt task.
Impact of Auditory Interference on Automated Task Monitoring and Workload
Authors: Ferraro James , Christy Naomi , Mouloua Mustapha
Published: September 2017

The purpose of this research was to explore the effects of auditory distraction and criticality on pilots’ flight accuracy and workload, along with attention allocation with different reliability levels on the Multi- Attribute Task Battery II (MATB-II) simulator. The MATB-II involves attending to multiple systems and correcting errors made by the automation, which will be presented at multiple levels of reliability (50%, 70%, 90%) and distractor tasks. The presence of a complex communication task before or concurrent with the main task negatively impacts accuracy of automation failure detection (Stader, 2014). It was hypothesized that reliability level, as well as the presence of an auditory distractor task would affect human monitoring performance and workload. The data indicated distraction could affect the accuracy of pilot’s multi-tasking abilities, as well as flight pattern proficiencies and workload. This information would be applicable to cockpit protocol and ensure a more efficient flight.
Mild Normobaric Hypoxia Exposure for Human-Autonomy System Testing
Authors: Stephens Chad L. , Kennedy Kellie D. , Crook Brenda L. , Williams Ralph A. , Schutte Paul
Published: September 2017

An experiment investigated the impact of normobaric hypoxia induction on aircraft pilot performance to specifically evaluate the use of hypoxia as a method to induce mild cognitive impairment to explore human-autonomous systems integration opportunities. Results of this exploratory study show that the effect of 15,000 feet simulated altitude did not induce cognitive deficits as indicated by performance on written, computer-based, or simulated flight tasks. However, the subjective data demonstrated increased effort by the human test subject pilots to maintain equivalent performance in a flight simulation task. This study represents current research intended to add to the current knowledge of performance decrement and pilot workload assessment to improve automation support and increase aviation safety.
Warfighter Acceptance of Future Physio-Behavioral Monitoring and Augmentation: Update
Authors: Funke Gregory J. , Best Christopher , Menke Lauren E. , Strang Adam J.
Published: September 2017

Strategic military guidance suggests adaptive automation as an augmentation strategy to enhance operator performance. This approach is predicated on operator consent to monitoring. A recent investigation of these issues indicated that operators were accepting of monitoring, but responses may have been influenced by perceptions of how data would be used. Purposes for the current study were to explicitly address that issue and expand on the topics covered with operators. Sixteen operators completed an updated version of the Device Comfort Questionnaire, a measure designed to survey operators regarding their acceptance of monitoring and several potential augmentation strategies. The results of the survey suggested that operators were more positive about monitoring by human military commanders, and generally neutral to all other topics addressed. However, impartiality is not endorsement of those technologies – operators will need to be convinced of their utility if they are to be successfully deployed in the future.
Attitudes Toward Unreliable Diagnostic Aiding in Dangerous Task Environments
Authors: Faerevaag C. L. , Nguyen B. A. , Jimenez C. A. , Jentsch F.
Published: September 2017

It has often been cited that diagnostic aiding technology which falls below 70% reliability is not useful, and will harm overall task performance. This reliability threshold is based on tasks humans are capable of performing unaided. However, future robotic teammates may be capable of acting and gathering information and helping build situation awareness in environments that are too difficult or too dangerous for humans. However, if initial reliability is low, there may be resistance to introducing the technology. The current study investigates the perception of reliable and unreliable diagnostic aiding automation (robots) in both benign and dangerous environments. Undergraduate participants read a description of an autonomous robotic teammate working in either benign or dangerous environments, sending diagnostic aiding information to a human teammate with either high (80%) or low (50%) reliability. Participants in the dangerous environment conditions reported more positive overall perception of, and a stronger willingness to work with a robot, even at very low (50%) reliability. Results suggest that in dangerous environmental conditions, people may perceive unreliable robots more positively and be more willing to work with them. Implications for the introduction of new diagnostic aiding technologies, as well as strategies to support SA under conditions of unreliable diagnostic aiding are discussed.
Serious gaming for adaptive decision making of military personnel
Authors: Mun Yelim , Oprins Esther , van den Bosch Karel , van der Hulst Anja , Schraagen Jan Maarten
Published: September 2017

The importance of improving adaptive decision making for the military is ever increasing, particularly in operational environments that are unfamiliar, complex, and constantly changing. This paper presents the development and testing of a serious game for training military officers in adaptive decision making. Participants were to detect rule changes in the game world, and to adjust their decisions in accordance with these changes. In an explorative study, the effectiveness of the game was tested by using in-game and outgame measures. The findings on the in-game measure suggest that the game helps participants to detect rule changes and to adapt their decision making. Despite this effect, participants’ cognitive flexibility did not increase based on the findings on the out-game measures. Discussions, future directions, and training implications for the Defense organization are described.
An External Cognition Framework for Visualizing Uncertainty in Support of Situation Awareness
Authors: Newton Olivia B. , Fiore Stephen M. , LaViola Joseph J.
Published: September 2017

This paper discusses an approach for the development of visualizations intended to support cognitive processes deemed fundamental in the maintenance of Situation Awareness under conditions of uncertainty. We integrate ideas on external cognition from the cognitive sciences with methods for interactive visualization to help cognitive engineering examine how visualizations, and interacting with them, alter cognitive processing and decision-making. From this, we illustrate how designers and researchers can study principled variations in visualizations of uncertainty drawing from extended and enactive cognition theory.
Online Education: The How, Who, Where, and When
Authors: Stone Nancy J.
Published: September 2017

Undergraduate students completed an online tutorial to investigate the impact of the method of presentation on performance, the relationship between personality characteristics and performance, and where and when students complete the tutorial. Performance on the posttest was not significantly different whether students reviewed the animated video or recorded PowerPoint presentation, but performance improved in both conditions from the pretest scores. Contrary to expectation, personality was not related to performance on the posttest. Students generally completed the tutorial in a private space such as a bedroom or dorm room and there was no specific time of day when students were more likely to complete the tutorial. These data suggest that the method of presenting the tutorial might be less important than the use of elaborative inquiry to focus the students’ attention onto critical aspects of the material and to have students think critically about the subject matter. In addition, it is possible that the use of elaborative inquiry might reduce the relationship between personality and success in online learning.
Higher dose intra-arterial milrinone and intra-arterial combined milrinone-nimodipine infusion as a rescue therapy for refractory cerebral vasospasm
Authors: Duman Enes , Karakoç Fatma , Pinar H Ulas , Dogan Rafi , Fırat Ali , Yıldırım Erkan
Published: September 2017

Background

Cerebral vasospasm (CV) is a major cause of delayed morbidity and mortality in patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). Various cerebral protectants have been tested in patients with aneurysmal SAH. We aimed to research the success rate of treatment of CV via intra-arterial milrinone injection and aggressive pharmacological therapy for refractory CV.

Methods

A total of 25 consecutive patients who received intra-arterial milrinone and nimodipine treatment for CV following SAH between 2014 and 2017 were included in the study. Patients who underwent surgical clipping were excluded. Refractory vasospasm was defined as patients with CV refractory to therapies requiring ≥3 endovascular interventions. Overall, six patients had refractory CV. Long-term neurological outcome was assessed 6–18 months after SAH using a modified Rankin score and Barthel index.

Results

The median modified Rankin scores were 1 (min: 0, max: 3) and Barthel index scores were 85 (min: 70, max: 100) From each vasospastic territory maximal 10–16 mg milrinone was given to patients; a maximum of 24 mg milrinone was given to each patient in a session and a maximum of 42 mg milrinone was given to a patient in a day. Both milrinone and nimodipine were given to three patients. There was a large vessel diameter increase after milrinone and nimodipine injections. No patient died due to CV; only one patient had motor dysfunction on the right lower extremity.

Conclusion

Higher doses of milrinone can be used effectively to control refractory CV. For exceptional patients with refractory CV, high dose intra-arterial nimodipine and milrinone infusion can be used as a rescue therapy.
Support subspaces method for recognition of the synthetic aperture radar images using fractal compression
Authors: Fursov Vladimir , Minaev Evgeny , Zherdev Denis , Kazanskiy Nikolay
Published: September 2017

The goal of this work is to develop a technology that can reduce recognition computational complexity with the rise of recognition quality. We use an approach based on implementation of the conjugation indices of the vectors with the class feature spaces. We suggest a new criterion of class separability based on the conjugation index and use it to form so-called support subspaces from the training vectors. This procedure decreases computing complexity at training stage about 1000 times in comparison with previous algorithm implementation and improves recognition quality. The most significant decrease of the computational complexity of the proposed technology is achieved by implementing the fractal compression to radar images. The results prove that using this technology leads to an increase of the recognition quality.
Worst of the Worst: Rehabilitationist Roots of Life without Parole
Authors: Dichter Thomas Alan
Published: September 2017

While life-without-parole (LWOP) sentencing looks like a tough-on-crime repudiation of rehabilitation, it has deep roots in the penal ideology of earlier periods. The notion of incorrigibility on which LWOP rests was already implicit in the rehabilitationist project of the penitentiary movement. With attention to the indeterminate sentencing reforms of the Progressive era, the racialization of criminology, and the rhetoric surrounding LWOP since the 1970s, this article offers a genealogy of a seemingly novel punishment. Ultimately, we need to challenge LWOP not because it is exceptional, but rather because it is typical of both historical and contemporary state practices of banishment.
The training-specific adaptations resulting from resistance training, gymnastics and plyometric training, and non-training in adolescent athletes
Authors: Secomb Josh L , Farley Oliver R , Nimphius Sophia , Lundgren Lina , Tran Tai T , Sheppard Jeremy M
Published: September 2017

Although previous research has investigated the training-specific adaptations to training in adults, there is a paucity of research aimed at investigating these adaptations in adolescent athletes. As such, adolescent athletes’ training-specific adaptations from three different training interventions were investigated in this study. Sixteen adolescent athletes participated in this study, whereby eight performed both training interventions and eight the non-training control. Pre- and post-testing was performed for each intervention with the testing battery: ultrasonography of the vastus lateralis and lateral gastrocnemius, countermovement jump, squat jump, and isometric mid-thigh pull. The resistance training group had large significant increases in isometric mid-thigh pull relative peak force ( p < 0.01, g = 0.85 (−0.01, 1.71)) and vastus lateralis fascicle length ( p = 0.04, g = 0.94 (0.07, 1.80)). The gymnastics and plyometric group demonstrated large significant changes in vastus lateralis pennation angle ( p = 0.03, g = −0.94 (−1.81, −0.08)) and fascicle length ( p = 0.03, g = 1.07 (0.19, 1.95)), and moderate significant increases in lateral gastrocnemius thickness ( p = 0.01, g = 0.63 (−0.21, 1.47)) and eccentric leg stiffness ( p = 0.03, g = 0.60 (−0.24, 1.44)). No significant changes were observed for any variables in the non-training group. The resistance training evoked increases in lower-body force producing capabilities, whereas the gymnastics and plyometric training evoked changes in muscle structure and inherent muscle qualities.
Light sheet fluorescence microscopic imaging for high-resolution visualization of spray dynamics
Authors: Berrocal Edouard , Kristensson Elias , Zigan Lars
Published: September 2017

In this study, the use of light sheet fluorescence microscopic imaging is demonstrated for viewing the dynamic of atomizing sprays with high contrast and resolution. The technique presents several advantages. First, liquid fluorescence gives a more faithful representation of the structure of liquid bodies, droplets, and ligaments than Mie scattering does. The reason for this is that the signal is emitted by the fluorescing dye molecules inside the liquid itself and not generated at the air–liquid interfaces. Second, despite the short depth of field (∼200 µm) obtained when using the long range microscope, the contribution of out-of-focus light is much smaller on a light sheet configuration than for line-of-sight detection, thus providing more clearly sectioned images. Finally, by positioning the light sheet on the spray periphery, toward the camera objective, the effects due to multiple light scattering phenomena can be reduced to some extent. All these features provide, for many spray situations, good fidelity images of the liquid fluid, allowing the extraction of the velocity vectors at the liquid boundaries. Here, double frame images were recorded with a sCMOS camera with a time delay of 5 µs between exposures. A typical pressure-swirl atomizer is used producing a water hollow-cone spray, which was imaged in the near-nozzle region and further downstream for injection pressures between 20 bar and 100 bar. Furthermore, near-nozzle spray shape visualization of a direct-injection spark ignition injector was conducted, describing the disintegration of the liquid fuel and droplet formation. Such data are important for the validation of computational fluid dynamics models simulating liquid breakups in the near-field spray region.
Door-to-Needle Time in Acute Stroke Treatment and the “July Effect”
Authors: Hawkes Maximiliano A. , Carpani Federico , Farez Mauricio F. , Ameriso Sebastian F.
Published: September 2017

Intravenous thrombolysis improves outcomes in acute ischemic stroke in a time-dependent fashion. As in teaching hospitals, clinical outcomes may worsen due to the arrival of new inexperienced house staff early in the academic year (July effect, JE), we evaluated the impact of the “JE” on the door-to-needle time for intravenous thrombolysis and other stroke outcomes. In this retrospective cohort study, we assessed all acute ischemic strokes treated with intravenous thrombolysis between July 2003 and June 2016. Among 101 patients, there was no detrimental July effect on the door-to-needle time, rate of thrombolysis within 60 minutes of arrival, thrombolysis of stroke mimics, post-thrombolysis intracranial hemorrhages, National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale, and modified Rankin Scale outcomes.
Morally Reframed Arguments Can Affect Support for Political Candidates
Authors: Voelkel Jan G. , Feinberg Matthew
Published: September 2017

Moral reframing involves crafting persuasive arguments that appeal to the targets’ moral values but argue in favor of something they would typically oppose. Applying this technique to one of the most politically polarizing events—political campaigns—we hypothesized that messages criticizing one’s preferred political candidate that also appeal to that person’s moral values can decrease support for the candidate. We tested this claim in the context of the 2016 American presidential election. In Study 1, conservatives reading a message opposing Donald Trump grounded in a more conservative value (loyalty) supported him less than conservatives reading a message grounded in more liberal concerns (fairness). In Study 2, liberals reading a message opposing Hillary Clinton appealing to fairness values were less supportive of Clinton than liberals in a loyalty-argument condition. These results highlight how moral reframing can be used to overcome the rigid stances partisans often hold and help develop political acceptance.
The Role of Diversity Exposure in Whites’ Reduction in Race Essentialism Over Time
Authors: Pauker Kristin , Carpinella Colleen , Meyers Chanel , Young Danielle M. , Sanchez Diana T.
Published: September 2017

Despite multidisciplinary theorizing on the consequences of the changing racial demographics in the United States, few studies have systematically examined how exposure to racial diversity may impact White individuals’ lay beliefs about race. In a longitudinal study, we explored whether living in a racially diverse environment with a high multiracial population was related to White individuals’ endorsement of race essentialism and its downstream consequences. Endorsement of race essentialism decreased over time, and greater diversity of acquaintances over time was associated with this decrease. Race essentialism reduction also corresponded with a decrease in modern racism and social dominance orientation, and an increase in cognitive flexibility, over time. These findings are consistent with the idea that a racially diverse social context can shape endorsement of race essentialism and lead to social and cognitive benefits for White individuals.
Does Reducing Implicit Prejudice Increase Out-Group Identification? The Downstream Consequences of Evaluative Training on Associations Between the Self and Racial Categories
Authors: Phills Curtis E. , Kawakami Kerry , Krusemark Danielle R. , Nguyen John
Published: September 2017

The present experiments were designed to investigate whether an intervention that targeted racial attitudes influenced not only prejudice but also self–Black associations. Because past research has demonstrated that people strive to build connections with favorable social categories, we predicted that positive evaluative training would increase identification with Blacks. Results from three studies provide evidence that practice in associating positive concepts with Blacks reduced implicit prejudice which in turn increased implicit self–Black associations. Notably, prejudice, in this case, had an intervening variable effect. Study 3 also investigated the impact of an alternative intervention that directly targeted self-associations rather than racial attitudes. Unlike evaluative training, associating the self with Blacks directly reduced both implicit prejudice and increased self–Black associations. These findings extend theorizing on the causal relationship between prejudice and out-group identification and provide important process information on how particular interventions reduce intergroup biases.
Changes in Affect, Cognition, and Perceived Behavioral Changes Among Vicarious Victims of the Paris Terrorist Attacks of November 13, 2015
Authors: Luhmann Maike , Bleidorn Wiebke
Published: September 2017

Terrorist attacks are supposed to hit not only the direct victims but the entire society. In this prospective longitudinal study, we examined changes in mood, life satisfaction, and terror-related cognitions and perceived behavioral changes 2, 4, and 8 weeks after the terrorist attacks of November 13, 2015, in Paris in a sample of the so-called vicarious victims ( N = 201). Average mood levels dropped significantly after the attacks compared to preattack levels but recovered within 8 weeks. Average levels of life satisfaction did not change significantly across this time period. Level of preoccupation with the attacks, perceptions of the likelihood of future terrorist attacks, and perceived changes in terror-related cognitions and behaviors declined over the 8 weeks after the attacks. Together, these findings indicate that terrorist attacks may impact changes in affect, cognition, and behavior even among vicarious victims; however, these changes are only temporary.
On Disease and Deontology: Multiple Tests of the Influence of Disease Threat on Moral Vigilance
Authors: Murray Damian R. , Kerry Nicholas , Gervais Will M.
Published: September 2017

Threat has been linked to certain facets of moral cognition, but the specific implications of disease threat for moral judgment remain poorly understood. Across three studies, we investigated the role of perceived disease threat in shaping moral judgment and hypothesized that perceived disease threat would cause people to be more sensitive to moral violations (or more “morally vigilant”). All three studies found a positive relationship between dispositional worry about disease transmission and moral vigilance. Additional analyses suggested that this worry was more strongly related to vigilance toward binding moral foundations. Study 3 demonstrated that moral vigilance was higher in individuals for whom the threat of disease was experimentally made salient, relative to individuals in both a neutral and a nondisease threat condition. Taken together, these results suggest that perceived disease threat may influence people’s moral vigilance across moral domains.
A re-assessment of reporting bias in event-based violence data with respect to cell phone coverage
Authors: Hollenbach Florian M. , Pierskalla Jan H.
Published: September 2017

This paper discusses the issue of possible reporting bias in media-based violent-event data and its relation to the role of communication technology in fostering collective action. We expand the work of Weidmann (2016), presenting several sensitivity analyses to determine the degree to which reporting bias may confound the relationship between communication technology and violence in a recent study that relies on event data for Africa. We find no strong evidence that suggests results on the positive relationship between communication technology and collective action in the study by Pierskalla and Hollenbach (2013) are wholly an artifact of reporting bias.
Donald Trump’s “Political Incorrectness”: Neoliberalism as Frontstage Racism on Social Media
Authors: Gantt Shafer Jessica
Published: September 2017

President Donald Trump’s popularized “political incorrectness” has become a signifier allowing for backstage, or overt, racist sentiments to become steadily normalized as logical in the public frontstage of political discourse and social media. This normalization is possible under the guise of neoliberal truth telling. In the current context of neoliberalism, touting postracial “colorblindness” and achieved equalities, there is subsequent Trump-backed whitelash against “political correctness,” or an acknowledgement of inequality, in US public discourse. Highly racialized public issues such as immigration and relations between the US and Mexico lead to conversations in which “politically incorrect” white-centric racialized language is used, which has roots in the narratives of neoliberal postracialism and white superiority. Thematic analyses of popular media examples of Trump’s anti-political correctness (PC) rhetoric alongside qualitatively gathered positive social media responses to his “incorrectness” on Twitter exemplify how neoliberal “postracial” ideology can be used inversely to solidify feelings of white superiority and overt racist beliefs.The continued normalization of Trump’s version of “politically incorrect” ideology and language both on and offline can lead to increased racial violence and the continued creation of neoliberal policy with racially disparate impacts.
An Overview of Topics on Accreditation: A Beginning
Authors: Dassa Lori , Ridener Barbara , Sampson Greg
Published: September 2017

Reflecting on the very nature of accreditation—and its enormous influence on the work of the academy—is an important activity. We propose that the manuscripts that were selected for publication encompass three major themes. This editorial summarizes those themes and provides some additional perspectives from us, as the editors of the journal.
Anticipatory Emotion in Schizophrenia
Authors: Moran Erin K. , Kring Ann M.
Published: September 2017

While people with schizophrenia report experiencing as much emotion in the presence of emotionally evocative stimuli as do people without schizophrenia, evidence suggests that they have deficits in the anticipation of positive emotion. However, little is known about the anticipation of negative emotion in schizophrenia, thus leaving open whether anticipation deficits are more general. We sought to assess anticipation of positive and negative stimuli across multiple methods of measurement. We measured reported experience and emotion-modulated startle response in people with ( n = 27) and without ( n = 27) schizophrenia as they anticipated and subsequently viewed evocative pictures. People with schizophrenia showed an overall dampened response during the anticipation of positive and negative stimuli, suggesting a more general deficit in anticipatory emotional responses. Moreover, anticipatory responses were related to symptoms and functioning in people with schizophrenia. Together, these findings point to important new directions for understanding emotion deficits in schizophrenia
Are varus knees contracted? Reconciling the literature
Authors: McAuliffe Michael J , Vakili Ali , Garg Gautam , Roe John , Whitehouse Sarah L , Crawford Ross
Published: September 2017

Purpose:

There is direct literature conflict regarding coronal plane contracture or laxity in the end-stage varus osteoarthritic knee. Understanding the preoperative soft tissue status is important for optimizing the soft tissue envelope during total knee arthroplasty (TKA).

Methods:

The lower limb was manipulated using computer navigation, prior to surgical releases, to allow the limb weight-bearing axis to pass through the knee centre in maximum extension and 20° of flexion. Coronal plane laxity was measured in 78 varus (−7.7° ± 2.8°) knees as medial and lateral displacement from this point and compared to published values for healthy subjects.

Results:

Medial contracture was present in 12.8% (10/78) of the knees. Of these 10 knees, 5 displayed abnormal lateral laxity. Knees with a contracture in maximum extension also displayed a significant decrease ( p < 0.0001) in medial laxity at 20° of flexion compared to non-contracted knees. In maximum extension, 19.2% (15/78) of knees had abnormally increased lateral laxity, 10 did not have a medial contracture. The remaining five knees with increased lateral laxity or 6.4% (5/78) of the total cohort also displayed a medial contracture. Lateral laxity increased significantly with increasing varus deformity. Medial laxity did not significantly decrease when comparing varus deformity of 5–10° versus >10°.

Conclusion:

The majority of varus knees with deformity of up to 15° have neither a medial contracture nor abnormal lateral laxity when referenced to the individualized neutral axis of the knee. Surgical releases during TKA should be uncommon. Medial contracture when present is influenced by both posterior and medial structures. Lateral laxity is a more consistent feature of the varus knee. The patterns of contracture and laxity are variable with limited correlation to deformity.
Transcriptomic gene signatures associated with persistent airflow limitation in patients with severe asthma
Authors: Hekking Pieter-Paul , Loza Matthew J. , Pavlidis Stelios , De Meulder Bertrand , Lefaudeux Diane , Baribaud Frederic , Auffray Charles , Wagener Ariane H. , Brinkman Paul , Lutter René , Bansal Aruna T. , Sousa Ana R. , Bates Stewart A. , Pandis Ioannis , Fleming Louise J. , Shaw Dominick E. , Fowler Stephen J. , Guo Yike , Meiser Andrea , Sun Kai , Corfield Julie , Howarth Peter , Bel Elisabeth H. , Adcock Ian M. , Chung Kian Fan , Djukanovic Ratko , Sterk Peter J.
Published: September 2017

A proportion of severe asthma patients suffers from persistent airflow limitation (PAL), often associated with more symptoms and exacerbations. Little is known about the underlying mechanisms. Here, our aim was to discover unexplored potential mechanisms using Gene Set Variation Analysis (GSVA), a sensitive technique that can detect underlying pathways in heterogeneous samples.

Severe asthma patients from the U-BIOPRED cohort with PAL (post-bronchodilator forced expiratory volume in 1 s/forced vital capacity ratio below the lower limit of normal) were compared with those without PAL. Gene expression was assessed on the total RNA of sputum cells, nasal brushings, and endobronchial brushings and biopsies. GSVA was applied to identify differentially enriched predefined gene signatures based on all available gene expression publications and data on airways disease.

Differentially enriched gene signatures were identified in nasal brushings (n=1), sputum (n=9), bronchial brushings (n=1) and bronchial biopsies (n=4) that were associated with response to inhaled steroids, eosinophils, interleukin-13, interferon-α, specific CD4+T-cells and airway remodelling.

PAL in severe asthma has distinguishable underlying gene networks that are associated with treatment, inflammatory pathways and airway remodelling. These findings point towards targets for the therapy of PAL in severe asthma.