bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Influence of Cellular Characteristics on the Evolution of Shape Homeostasis
Authors: Gerlee Philip , Basanta David , Anderson Alexander R. A.
Published: August 2017

The importance of individual cells in a developing multicellular organism is well known, but precisely how the individual cellular characteristics of those cells collectively drive the emergence of robust, homeostatic structures is less well understood. For example, cell communication via a diffusible factor allows for information to travel across large distances within the population, and cell polarization makes it possible to form structures with a particular orientation, but how do these processes interact to produce a more robust and regulated structure? In this study we investigate the ability of cells with different cellular characteristics to grow and maintain homeostatic structures. We do this in the context of an individual-based model where cell behavior is driven by an intracellular network that determines the cell phenotype. More precisely, we investigated evolution with 96 different permutations of our model, where cell motility, cell death, long-range growth factor (LGF), short-range growth factor (SGF), and cell polarization were either present or absent. The results show that LGF has the largest positive influence on the fitness of the evolved solutions. SGF and polarization also contribute, but all other capabilities essentially increase the search space, effectively making it more difficult to achieve a solution. By perturbing the evolved solutions, we found that they are highly robust to both mutations and wounding. In addition, we observed that by evolving solutions in more unstable environments they produce structures that were more robust and adaptive. In conclusion, our results suggest that robust collective behavior is most likely to evolve when cells are endowed with long-range communication, cell polarisation, and selection pressure from an unstable environment.
A Note on “Demediation”: From Book Art to Transmedia Storytelling
Authors: Baetens Jan , Sánchez-Mesa Domingo
Published: August 2017

This article discusses two opposite meanings of the concept of “demediation”: on the one hand, the very specific and strongly materializing reading given by Garrett Stewart, who coined the notion in an essay on book art qua visual art; on the other hand, the general and more intuitive reading of the term, as sometimes used in the broader debate on digital culture as immaterialization. Putting a strong emphasis on the (broad) notions of materiality and medium-specificity, the article offers a critique of certain immaterializing tendencies in transmedia storytelling theory, while ending with the brief presentation of an example (the collaborative network Général Instin) that tackles, within the framework of ghost theory and dust theory, the dialectic relationship of materiality and immateriality.
Entrepreneurial Selves, Feminine Corporeality and Lifestyle Blogging in Singapore
Authors: Abidin Crystal , Gwynne Joel
Published: August 2017

The making of the entrepreneurial self is a dominant trope of contemporary media culture, and a multitude of media formats across divergent national contexts showcase the contemporary obsession with media visibility and the attainment of celebrity status as the most aspirational form of social mobility. In Singapore, commercial lifestyle blogs are prime examples of entrepreneurial identity-making as websites almost exclusively created by young women, showcasing user-generated content oriented around the pleasures of consumption as a means of empowerment, self-actualisation and individualisation. By analysing content on a selection of blogs, this article aims to answer the following questions: To what extent are Singaporean women’s identities contingent upon material consumption as a means of identity creation? How do blogs created by women demonstrate an entrepreneurial investment in their appearance and feminine corporeality as the means of perceived empowerment, even at the expense of more formal and structured forms of individualisation, such as education?
The Success of K-pop
Authors: Messerlin Patrick A. , Shin Wonkyu
Published: August 2017

Over the past decade, a specific form of Korean popular music—K-pop—has enjoyed huge success around the world. Previous explanations have mostly focused on the demand side, such as intra-Asian cultural relations. This paper shifts the focus onto the supply side. Firstly, it presents new evidence on the scale of K-pop’s success in markets—with price-tags or no price-tag. Secondly, it argues that K-pop firms have been successful because they have made the “right product selection”: They have delivered the performances that have best exploited the comparative advantages that Korea has in global entertainment markets. Finally, this paper examines three major factors explaining the rapidity of this success. Two of them—level of competition and online prices relative to CD prices—have taken place in Korean markets, but have had indirect effects on K-pop’s attractiveness in foreign markets. By contrast, the third factor has taken place directly in foreign markets.
The Ukraine Crisis as an Unintended Consequence of the EU’s Public Diplomacy: Reception of the EU’s Narratives in Ukraine
Authors: Krasnodębska Molly
Published: August 2017

International relations (IR) scholars studying public diplomacy expect that if a foreign public accepts and responds favourably to the narrative disseminated by a public diplomacy actor, this actor is more likely to achieve its desired policy objectives in the country. So how can we explain that pro-European elites in Ukraine employed the European Union’s narratives during the Maidan protests, leading to regime change in Ukraine and a separatist war involving Russia — situations the European Union had wanted to avoid? Drawing on Gadamer’s theory on the transformation of meaning in communication processes, this article seeks to explain how local activists pick up, transform and employ narratives disseminated by an international actor. Arguing that public diplomacy narratives can be reinterpreted by the receptor, thus leading to unintended effects, the article calls for further attention on the role of narratives and their reception by local actors in the study of IR.
The taxonomy and phylogeny of the genus Cylindrospermopsis (Cyanobacterium) evaluated by adding five new records from China
Authors: LI XIAO-CHUANG , HUO SHOU-LIANG , CAI FANG-FANG , YANG YI-MING , XI BEI-DOU , LI REN-HUI
Published: August 2017

The diversity of the genus Cylindrospermopsis was underestimated, and the species in majority were described from natural populations, and not evaluated genetically except for the widely reported C. raciborskii. In the study, five new records (C. catemaco, C. philippinensis, C. taverae, C. africana and C. helicoidea) were herein described from Chinese freshwater bodies. By isolating their unialgal cultures, they were taxonomically evaluated based on phenotypic and genetic characters (16S rRNA, ITS-L, cpcBA-IGS and rpoC1). New insights into the Cylindrospermopsis taxonomy were obtained that different species within the genus could not be fully distinguished. The present result suggested that morphospecies based taxonomy within cyanobacterial genera will still be used, waiting for further verification and taxonomic revision at species level based on the modern approaches.
Lizards in pinstripes: morphological and genomic evidence for two new species of scincid lizards within Ctenotus piankai Storr and C. duricola Storr (Reptilia: Scincidae) in the Australian arid zone
Authors: RABOSKY DANIEL L. , DOUGHTY PAUL , HUANG HUATENG
Published: August 2017

The scincid lizard genus Ctenotus is one of the most species-rich genera of squamate reptiles, but few molecular phylogenetic studies have been undertaken on the group. Here we assess molecular and morphological variation within C. piankai and C. duricola, an arid-adapted pair of nominate species characterized by a pattern of thin pale longitudinal lines on a dark background that occur primarily in the western deserts and Pilbara region of Australia. We sequenced mitochondrial DNA and genome-wide restriction-site associated DNA (RAD) from geographically widespread samples of these lizard taxa, with particularly dense sampling from the Pilbara region. Phylogenetic analyses of the mitochondrial cytochrome B gene and approximately 5,000 nuclear loci identified four highly divergent lineages within the two taxa. The four genetically-defined populations were concordant with geography and are distinguishable based on multiple morphological and color pattern characters, despite appearing superficially similar in appearance. Despite limited mtDNA exchange between two lineages in the Pilbara, we found no evidence for ongoing gene flow across the nuclear genome. For the western desert lineages, there was no evidence of introgression for either mtDNA or nDNA in our data. To resolve the taxonomy of the group, we redescribe C. piankai and C. duricola, and recognize the two divergent lineages as new species: C. rhabdotus sp. nov., from the south-eastern Kimberley, Ord, Victoria River and northern Tanami Desert regions of Western Australia and the Northern Territory, and C. pallasotus sp. nov., from the western Pilbara and North West Cape regions of Western Australia.
New data on the Syrphidae (Diptera) of Iran, with descriptions of two new species
Authors: GILASIAN EBRAHIM , VUJIĆ ANTE , HAUSER MARTIN , PARCHAMI-ARAGHI MEHRDAD
Published: August 2017

The fauna of hoverflies of a variety of habitats from Iran was studied with different collecting methods including Malaise traps, from 2005-2015. Two new species, Pocota hyrcanica Gilasian & Hauser sp. nov. and Sphiximorpha ziegleri Gilasian & Vujić sp. nov., are described from Iran. Illustrations of the male genitalia and photographs of the new species are provided. Their morphological differences with similar species are stated. In addition, data on 14 hoverfly species new to Iran are provided, including the first records of five genera, Brachypalpus Macquart, Palumbia Rondani, Pocota Le Peletier & Serville, Pseudodoros Becker and Sphiximorpha Rondani. As a result of our study, the number of hoverfly species recorded from Iran rises to 222.
Xyela fusca spec. nov. from Japan elucidates East Asian–North American relationships of Xyela (Hymenoptera, Xyelidae)
Authors: BLANK STEPHAN M. , KRAMP KATJA , SHINOHARA AKIHIKO
Published: August 2017

Morphological and genetic data indicate that Xyela fusca Blank, Kramp & Shinohara spec. nov. from Shikoku, Japan, plus an undescribed species from China are closely related to the Nearctic X. bakeri Konow, 1898. These species form the X. bakeri group, which is considered to be the sister clade of the Eurasian X. julii group. In addition to the X. alpigena group, the X. bakeri group is the second species group of Xyela with representatives occurring in both the Old and the New World. While X. bakeri is associated with Pinus (Pinus) species as the larval hosts, collection data of imagines suggest P. (Strobus) parviflora for X. fusca. This appears to be the second case, in which closely related Xyela species have switched hosts between species belonging to different subgenera of Pinus. Based on distribution data, migration of the common ancestor across Beringia appears likely, which would also have involved the change of the host subgenus. The six species of Xyela of Japan are keyed and new distribution data are presented. New, most northwesterly records of imagines from Yukon Territory (Canada) and field observations in Colorado and California (USA) suggest P. contorta as an additional larval host of X. bakeri.
Multimodel Ensembling of Subseasonal Precipitation Forecasts over North America
Authors: Vigaud N. , Robertson A. W. , Tippett M. K.
Published: August 2017

Probabilistic forecasts of weekly and week 3–4 averages of precipitation are constructed using extended logistic regression (ELR) applied to three models (ECMWF, NCEP, and CMA) from the Subseasonal-to-Seasonal (S2S) project. Individual and multimodel ensemble (MME) forecasts are verified over the common period 1999–2010. The regression parameters are fitted separately at each grid point and lead time for the three ensemble prediction system (EPS) reforecasts with starts during January–March and July–September. The ELR produces tercile category probabilities for each model that are then averaged with equal weighting. The resulting MME forecasts are characterized by good reliability but low sharpness. A clear benefit of multimodel ensembling is to largely remove negative skill scores present in individual forecasts. The forecast skill of weekly averages is higher in winter than summer and decreases with lead time, with steep decreases after one and two weeks. Week 3–4 forecasts have more skill along the U.S. East Coast and the southwestern United States in winter, as well as over west/central U.S. regions and the intra-American sea/east Pacific during summer. Skill is also enhanced when the regression parameters are fit using spatially smoothed observations and forecasts. The skill of week 3–4 precipitation outlooks has a modest, but statistically significant, relation with ENSO and the MJO, particularly in winter over the southwestern United States.
Criminal record checking and employment: The importance of policy and proximity
Authors: Heydon Georgina , Naylor Bronwyn
Published: August 2017

Employment is essential to the rehabilitation of offenders, yet employers routinely check criminal records and rely on them to deny offenders employment. To manage these practices many jurisdictions use spent conviction and anti-discrimination schemes; there have also been recent campaigns aimed at ‘banning the box’, requiring that questions about criminal record are deferred to a later point when the person could address them in interview. This article draws on findings from surveys and interviews with human resources personnel about their criminal record checking practices to identify some key concerns of employers and highlight areas for challenging employer practices. The study highlights the influence on employment decisions of external factors – legislation, government policy and industry regulation – and of internal considerations about proximity of the decision maker to the applicant and potential proximity to other staff. The willingness of some employers to engage with applicants opens up the possibilities for people with a criminal record to demonstrate their readiness to desist from offending and to counter stereotypes about offenders. Where there is no scope for, or willingness to attempt, such discretionary engagement, however, it is likely that employers will prioritize a risk-averse approach to employment, pre-emptively excluding potentially productive employees, and putting such ex-offenders at risk of deeper exclusion.
A Treasure Trove of Insights
Authors: Druckman Daniel , Wall James A.
Published: August 2017

Six decades of JCR research on negotiation and mediation are celebrated in this article. Starting with the earliest articles on these topics, we trace the development of recurring themes. The themes serve to organize a review of findings reported in the journal. The research on negotiation covers processes and conditions that occur prior to, during, and at the end of negotiation. The work on mediation provides insights into mediator approaches and impacts. This article concludes with suggestions for integrating and better understanding of the negotiation and mediation processes.
The Unintended Consequences of Political Mobilization on Trust
Authors: Criado Henar , Herreros Francisco , Miller Luis , Ubeda Paloma
Published: August 2017

Conflicting theories and mixed empirical results exist on the relationship between ethnic diversity and trust. This article argues that these mixed empirical results might be driven by contextual conditions. We conjecture that political competition could strengthen ethnic saliency and, in turn, salient ethnic identities can activate or intensify in-group trust and depress trust in members of other ethnic groups. We test this conjecture using the move toward secession in Catalonia, Spain. We conduct trust experiments across ethnic lines in Catalonia before and during the secessionist process. After three years of proindependence mobilization in Catalonia, one of the ethnic groups, Spanish speakers living in Catalonia, has indeed increased its in-group trust. This result is robust after a set of individual-level variables are controlled for, but no equivalent result is found in a comparable region, the Basque Country.
Individual-Level and Culture-Level Self-Esteem: A Test of Construct Isomorphism
Authors: Alessandri Guido , Cenciotti Roberto , Łaguna Mariola , Różycka-Tran Joanna , Vecchione Michele
Published: August 2017

Several empirical studies have used the Rosenberg General Self-Esteem Scale (RGSE) to address issues of cross-cultural differences in mean level of self-esteem. The majority of these studies have mostly focused on the comparison of individual-level factor structures, leaving unanswered the issue regarding the equivalence of the factor structure of the RGSE across the individual and the culture-level, a condition called factor isomorphism. This is a particularly worrisome issue, given the large interest in cross-cultural variations of self-esteem levels. The present study was designed to address this concern by administering the RGSE across 37 different countries. The study used multilevel confirmatory factor analysis to investigate the equivalence of the individual- and culture-level factor structure of self-esteem. We found evidence for the cross-cultural stability of a bifactor structure of the RGSE, which emerged both at individual and culture-levels. However, only the general self-esteem factor showed a substantial degree of isomorphism. The specific factors capturing positive and negative self-evaluations resulted instead non-isomorphic. We discuss the implications of these results for the assessment of self-esteem in cross-cultural studies.
The Positive Role of Culture: What Cross-Cultural Psychology Has to Offer to Developmental Aid Effectiveness Research
Authors: Brouwers Symen A.
Published: August 2017

Developmental aid is designed to bring at least some relief to people who suffer from hunger, disease, and other challenges to their psychological and physical well-being. To this end, large aid organizations, national governments, and other international bodies pour large amounts of money into aid efforts and local projects that work with people in their daily settings. Success of these efforts is obstructed by many factors though, including tools that do not really meet a desired end and the rejection of aid by recipients. In the present article, I review evidence on the challenges to aid effectiveness that relate to the need for ecological validity, thus the extent to which the project designers’ understanding of problems and solutions matches reality, and I propose a model that is based on the theory of generative entrenchment, to expand and extend the relevance of cross-cultural psychology into developmental aid effectiveness research in terms of essential conditions for cultural change. The model contains the three processes of generalization, transmission, and mobility, as a means to see whether behavior is successful in a particular environment. The value of the proposed model lies in the provision of opportunities for extending cross-cultural psychology into the field of developmental aid.
Heritability of the Number of Teeth in Middle-Aged and Older Danish Twins
Authors: Kurushima Y. , Silventoinen K. , Dokkedal U. , Skytthe A. , Mucci L.A. , Christensen K. , Hjelmborg J.v.B.
Published: August 2017

Tooth loss is a common health concern in older adults. We aimed to estimate the relative contributions of genetic and environmental factors to the variation in the number of teeth in middle-aged and older populations using a population-based cohort of Danish twins. The study included 5,269 Danish middle-aged or older twins who provided data on the number of teeth at baseline by structured interviews. The data were analyzed using univariate liability threshold modeling, stratified by sex and age, to estimate familial risk of tooth loss as well as estimates of heritability. In the whole cohorts, 23% of participants were edentate and 53% had retained 20 or more teeth. A statistical model including additive genetic factors and environmental factors partly shared by co-twins and partly unique to each individual twin gave the best statistical fit for the number of teeth in both age categories as well as in men and women. Overall, additive genetic factors explained 36% (95% confidence interval [CI]: 23% to 49%), common environmental factors 20% (95% CI: 9% to 31%), and unique environmental factors 44% (95% CI: 40% to 48%) of the total variation of the number of teeth. This study indicates that a substantial part of the variation in tooth loss is explained by genetic as well as environmental factors shared by co-twins. Our results implied that family background importantly affects tooth loss in both the middle-aged and the older populations. Family history is thus an important factor to take into account in dental health care.
Sarcopenia: Relocating the Forest among the Trees
Authors: Buford Thomas W.
Published: August 2017

As life expectancy continues to rise worldwide, health concerns associated with advanced age are increasingly becoming prominent public health concerns. Among these concerns, nearly 30 years of discussion and research have yielded a wealth of information regarding the pathophysiology, biologic etiology, and clinical implications of age-related declines in skeletal muscle mass and function (i.e., sarcopenia). Recent years have yielded several debates surrounding both the definition and terminology of sarcopenia, yet many questions remain regarding interventions to treat the condition. Among major future challenges in the area will be to design and conduct high-quality clinical trials to ultimately provide new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of sarcopenia.
US Food and Drug Administration Clearance of Moderate‐Risk Otolaryngologic Devices via the 510(k) Process, 1997‐2016
Authors: Rathi Vinay K. , Gadkaree Shekhar K. , Ross Joseph S. , Kozin Elliott D. , Sethi Rosh K. , Naunheim Matthew R. , Puram Sidharth V. , Gray Stacey T.
Published: August 2017

Objective

The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) clears moderate‐risk devices via the 510(k) process based on substantial equivalence to previously cleared devices; evidence of safety and effectiveness is not required. We characterized the premarket evidence supporting FDA clearance of otolaryngologic devices.

Study Design

Retrospective cross‐sectional analysis.

Setting

Publicly available FDA documents.

Subjects and Methods

Recently cleared (1997‐2016) moderate‐risk otolaryngologic devices were categorized by type (diagnostic/therapeutic), subspecialty, implantable designation (yes/no), and recall history (yes/no). Supporting evidence was categorized by type (clinical/nonclinical/none; nonclinical and clinical mutually inclusive) and public availability of nonclinical and clinical performance data (available/not provided/not applicable).

Results

Between 1997 and 2016, the FDA cleared 377 moderate‐risk otolaryngologic devices. The majority were therapeutic (n = 240/377 [63.7%]) and otologic (n = 311/377 [82.5%]); roughly one‐third (n = 121/377 [32.1%]) were implantable. Few (n = 10/377 [2.7%]) devices were subject to recall. FDA documents summarizing premarket evidence were accessible for two‐thirds (n = 247/377 [65.5%]) of devices. Among these devices, one‐quarter (n = 66/247 [26.7%]) were supported by clinical evidence. The majority (n = 177/247 [71.7%]) were supported by nonclinical evidence, although nearly one‐quarter (n = 58/247 [23.5%]) were cleared without supporting evidence. Therapeutic devices were more often cleared without supporting evidence (therapeutic: n = 53/170 [31.2%]; diagnostic: n = 5/77 [6.5%]; P <. 0001). Nonclinical and clinical performance data were rarely available (nonclinical: n = 49/247 [19.8%]; clinical: n = 32/247 [13.0%]) within public summaries.

Conclusion

The FDA cleared most moderate‐risk otolaryngologic devices for marketing via the 510(k) process without clinical evidence of safety and effectiveness. Otolaryngologists should be aware of limitations in premarket evidence when considering the adoption of new devices into clinical practice.
Nonlinear vibration characteristics and stability of the printing moving membrane
Authors: Wu Jimei , Shao Mingyue , Wang Yan , Wu Qiumin , Nie Ziheng
Published: August 2017

Most studies on the membrane vibration are limited to discussing small deflection linear problems, but rarely on the study of nonlinear large deflection problems. In practice, however, membrane deflection is not necessarily far less than the thickness, so it is necessary to research the large deflection vibration problems of moving membrane. In this paper, the large deflection vibration characteristics and stability of the moving printing membrane are analyzed. Large deflection vibration equation of an axially moving membrane is derived by using Von Karman nonlinear plate theory. The large deflection vibration of rectangle moving membrane with four edges fixed boundary is studied by using the Bubnov–Galerkin method which is a semi-analytical-weighted residual method, and the large deflection vibration complex frequency curves along with the change of speed and aspect ratio in the different initial conditions are obtained. The results show that the large deflection nonlinear vibration can be effectively avoided by increasing membrane aspect ratio and decreasing the membrane dimensionless velocity. The study provides theoretical basis for improving the operation stability of the printing equipment.
Effectiveness of advance care planning with family carers in dementia nursing homes: A paired cluster randomized controlled trial
Authors: Brazil Kevin , Carter Gillian , Cardwell Chris , Clarke Mike , Hudson Peter , Froggatt Katherine , McLaughlin Dorry , Passmore Peter , Kernohan W George
Published: August 2017

Background:

In dementia care, a large number of treatment decisions are made by family carers on behalf of their family member who lacks decisional capacity; advance care planning can support such carers in the decision-making of care goals. However, given the relative importance of advance care planning in dementia care, the prevalence of advance care planning in dementia care is poor.

Aim:

To evaluate the effectiveness of advance care planning with family carers in dementia care homes.

Design:

Paired cluster randomized controlled trial. The intervention comprised a trained facilitator, family education, family meetings, documentation of advance care planning decisions and intervention orientation for general practitioners and nursing home staff.

Setting/participants:

A total of 24 nursing homes with a dementia nursing category located in Northern Ireland, United Kingdom. Family carers of nursing home residents classified as having dementia and judged as not having decisional capacity to participate in advance care planning discussions.

Results:

The primary outcome was family carer uncertainty in decision-making about the care of the resident (Decisional Conflict Scale). There was evidence of a reduction in total Decisional Conflict Scale score in the intervention group compared with the usual care group (−10.5, 95% confidence interval: −16.4 to −4.7; p < 0.001).

Conclusion:

Advance care planning was effective in reducing family carer uncertainty in decision-making concerning the care of their family member and improving perceptions of quality of care in nursing homes. Given the global significance of dementia, the implications for clinicians and policy makers include them recognizing the importance of family carer education and improving communication between family carers and formal care providers.
Discharge Home From Hospital: How DIRE Can It Be?
Authors: Flanagan Priti , Kelly Ronald
Published: August 2017

Aim: An easy-to-use “DIRE” questionnaire tool was developed to predict an adverse event (AE) within 30 days following discharge from a hospital to the community, among frail elderly individuals aged 65+ years. Methods: Hospital-administered RAI-HC (Residential Assessment Instrument for Home Care) assessment data from 1,433 individuals were used to develop the tool. Results: The DIRE tool outperformed two other instruments that have been used to predict risk in similar populations. Furthermore, the DIRE index was validated on a hold-out sample and in a bootstrapping analysis. Discussion: In addition to its effectiveness in predicting an AE, the added advantages of the DIRE assessment is that only a small amount of data is required and the data are readily available to clinicians at the point of hospital discharge.
Predictors of Nursing Staff Voluntary Termination in Nursing Homes: A Case-Control Study
Authors: Zhang Yuan , Punnett Laura , Gore Rebecca
Published: August 2017

Workforce instability in the long-term care sector has raised wide attention about nursing staff turnover. Most attention has been devoted to understanding the relationship between facility’s characteristics and organizational turnover. This case-control study examined the contribution of work characteristics to individual staff turnover. Surveys were collected with nursing staff in 18 for-profit nursing homes on up to five occasions between 2006 and 2012. A list of nursing staff voluntarily terminating jobs was provided by the company. Cases and controls (628 of each) were selected from survey respondents by matching on age, job category, and survey occasion. Multiple predictor conditional logistic regression models showed that evening shift work (hazards ratio [HR] = 2.00, p < .01) and shift length > 8 hr (HR = 1.42, p < .05) were contributing factors to voluntary termination. This study provides different perspectives of nursing staff voluntary termination in nursing homes. Future qualitative research would be valuable to explore and understand nursing staff turnover in the health care industry.
The Intersection of Gender Identity and Violence: Victimization Experienced by Transgender College Students
Authors: Griner Stacey B. , Vamos Cheryl A. , Thompson Erika L. , Logan Rachel , Vázquez-Otero Coralia , Daley Ellen M.
Published: August 2017

College students disproportionately experience victimization, stalking, and relationship violence when compared with other groups. Few studies explore victimization by the gender identity of college students, including those who identify as transgender. The purpose of this study is to explore the rates of violence experienced by transgender students compared with male and female college students. This study utilized the National College Health Assessment–II (NCHA-II) and included data from students ( n = 82,538) across fall 2011, 2012, and 2013. Bivariate statistics and binary logistic regression were conducted to test the relationships between gender identity and victimization. Transgender students ( n = 204) were compared with male ( n = 27,322) and female ( n = 55,012) students. After adjusting for individual factors, transgender students had higher odds of experiencing all nine types of violence when compared with males and higher odds of experiencing eight types of violence than females. Transgender students experienced the highest odds in crimes involving sexual victimization, including attempted sexual penetration (adjusted odds ratio [aOR]: 9.49, 95% confidence interval [CI] = [6.17, 14.59], d = 1.00), sexual penetration without consent (aOR: 9.06, 95% CI = [5.64, 14.53], d = 0.94), and being in a sexually abusive relationship (aOR: 6.48, 95% CI = [4.01, 10.49], d = 0.48), than did male students. Findings reveal increased odds of victimization among transgender students when compared with male and female students. Results demonstrate the need for more comprehensive violence prevention efforts in college settings.
Flexible men and Successful Women: The Effects of Flexible Working Hours on German Couples’ Wages
Authors: Langner Laura Antonia
Published: August 2017

Work hour flexibility is believed to help couples manage career and family demands. The German Socio-Economic Panel Study (SOEP) is unique in following both the flexible employee and their partner over time. The study utilizes this feature to investigate whether the take-up of work hour flexibility is detrimental for the flexible employee’s wage development. Men and women benefit from flexible working hours. For women, this positive wage effect occurs late, suggesting that, unlike men, they must first prove their commitment. Moreover, it tests for the first time whether flexible workers’ partners profit from the increased couple-level flexibility. The positive cross-partner effect for the inflexible partner is particularly pronounced for mothers’ wages, suggesting that men may use flexible working hours to support their wives’ careers. These measures are not necessarily used more frequently by those in need (e.g. parents or women). Instead, they seem to be accessed by those in sought-after positions.
Aero-structural optimization of shape memory alloy-based wing morphing via a class/shape transformation approach
Authors: Leal Pedro BC , Savi Marcelo A , Hartl Darren J
Published: August 2017

Because of the continuous variability of the ambient environment, all aircraft would benefit from an in situ optimized wing. This paper proposes a method for preliminary design of feasible morphing wing configurations that provide benefits under disparate flight conditions but are also each structurally attainable via localized active shape change operations. The controlled reconfiguration is accomplished in a novel manner through the use of shape memory alloy embedded skin components. To address this coupled optimization problem, multiple sub-optimizations are required. In this work, the optimized cruise and landing airfoil configurations are determined in addition to the shape memory alloy actuator configuration required to morph between the two. Thus, three chained optimization problems are addressed via a common genetic algorithm. Each analysis-driven optimization considers the effects of both the deformable structure and the aerodynamic loading experienced by the wing. Aerodynamic considerations are addressed via a two-dimensional panel method and each airfoil shape is generated by the so-called class/shape transformation methodology. It is shown that structurally and aerodynamically feasible morphing of a modern high-performance sailplane wing produces a 22% decrease in weight and significantly increases stall angle of attack and lift at the same landing velocity when compared to a baseline design that employs traditional control surfaces.
A 970-year-long summer temperature reconstruction from Rogen, west-central Sweden, based on blue intensity from tree rings
Authors: Fuentes Mauricio , Salo Riikka , Björklund Jesper , Seftigen Kristina , Zhang Peng , Gunnarson Björn , Aravena Juan-Carlos , Linderholm Hans W
Published: August 2017

To assess past climate variability in west-central Scandinavia, a new 972-year-long temperature reconstruction, based on adjusted delta blue intensity (ΔBIadj), was created. Presently, it is the longest blue intensity chronology in Fennoscandia and the third longest in the northern hemisphere. Measurements were obtained from 119 tree line Scots pine ( Pinus sylvestris L.) samples from Rogen, in the central Scandinavian Mountains, Sweden. Early and latewood blue intensity absorption data were used to create ΔBIadj. The data were detrended using a signal-free regional curve standardization method (RSFi) to minimize biological noise and maximize low-frequency climate information. The Rogen ΔBIadj chronology has a substantially stronger temperature signal at inter-annual timescales than the corresponding tree-ring width (RW) chronology, and it displays good spatial representation for the south-central parts of Scandinavia. The ΔBIadj summer (June through August) temperature reconstruction, extending back to 1038 CE, exhibits three warm periods in 1040–1190 CE, 1370–1570 CE and the 20th century and one extended cold period between 1570 and 1920 CE. Regional summer temperature anomalies are associated with a Scandinavian–Greenland dipole sea-level pressure pattern, which has been stable for the past several centuries. Major volcanic eruptions produce distinct anomalies of ΔBIadj indices indicating cooling of summer temperatures in the subsequent years. Our results show that ΔBIadj from Pinus sylvestris in Scandinavia is a suitable proxy providing opportunities to explore past temperature variability at various frequencies, atmospheric dynamics and variability in external forcing. Nevertheless, long-term trend differences with RW imply that further research is needed to fully understand the application of this technique in dendroclimatology.
Mannose-binding lectin serum levels in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: association with thrombocytopaenia and seizure
Authors: Cieslinski J Z , Skare T L , Nisihara R , De Messias-Reason I J , Utiyama S R R
Published: August 2017

The complement system contributes to the pathogenesis of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). Mannose-binding lectin (MBL) is a key molecule of the lectin pathway of complement and seems to be related to the clinical manifestations of this disease. We evaluated the serum levels of MBL and its relationship with disease onset and clinical findings in SLE patients. Serum samples were analysed in 195 patients and 145 healthy controls from southern Brazil. Patients with high MBL levels (above 2000 ng/ml) showed a significant increase in the frequency of thrombocytopaenia ( p = 0.007; OR = 2.71; 95% CI = 1.32–5.55); and seizures ( p = 0.034; OR = 2.61; 95% CI = 1.07–6.37). A positive correlation between disease activity and MBL levels (>2000 ng/ml; p = 0.031, rho = 0.279) as well as of MBL concentration with accumulated organ damage ( p = 0.021; rho = 0.232) was observed. Our results suggest a role for MBL in the development of clinical manifestations such as thrombocytopaenia and seizures in SLE patients. These findings corroborate the participation of the lectin pathway of complement in the pathophysiologic mechanisms underlying clinical manifestations of SLE.
Primary prevention of cardiovascular disease in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus: case series and literature review
Authors: Fasano S , Margiotta D P , Navarini L , Pierro L , Pantano I , Riccardi A , Afeltra A , Valentini G
Published: August 2017

Background

Systemic lupus erythematosus is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Low-dose aspirin, hydroxychloroquine and statins have been suggested to play a prophylactic role of cardiovascular events. This study is devoted to reviewing the literature on the topic and assessing the effects of these drugs in preventing a first cardiovascular event in a two-centre Italian series.

Methods

A PubMed search on cardiovascular prevention in systemic lupus erythematosus was performed. Moreover, systemic lupus erythematosus patients admitted to two centres from 2000–2015, who at admission had not experienced any cardiovascular event, were investigated. Aspirin, hydroxychloroquine and statin use, and the occurrence of any cardiovascular event, were recorded at each visit. Kaplan-Meier and Cox regression analyses were performed to evaluate the role of traditional, disease-related cardiovascular risk factors and of each of the three drugs in the occurrence of new cardiovascular events.

Results

The literature search produced conflicting results. Two hundred and ninety-one systemic lupus erythematosus patients were included in the study and followed for a median of eight years. During follow-up, 16 cardiovascular events occurred. At multivariate analysis, taking aspirin (hazard ratio: 0.24) and hydroxychloroquine for more than five years (hazard ratio: 0.27) reduced, while antiphospholipid antibody positivity (hazard ratio: 4.32) increased, the risk of a first cardiovascular event. No effect of statins emerged.

Conclusion

Our study confirms an additive role of aspirin and hydroxychloroquine in the primary prophylaxis of cardiovascular events in Italian patients with systemic lupus erythematosus. The lack of any detected effect in previous reports may depend on the design of studies and their short follow-up period.
Interpretation of mixed models and marginal models with cohort attrition due to death and drop-out
Authors: Rouanet Anaïs , Helmer Catherine , Dartigues Jean-François , Jacqmin-Gadda Hélène
Published: August 2017

Mixed models estimated by maximum likelihood and marginal models estimated by generalized estimating equations are the standard methods for the analysis of longitudinal data. However, their use is highly debated when attrition may be due to death. While some authors consider that mixed model estimates are interpretable only in an immortal cohort, we show that their subject-specific interpretation still holds in the population currently alive, but their population-averaged interpretation is valid only in the immortal cohort. We propose an approximation of the population-averaged mean among the population alive that highlights the difference with the population-averaged mean in the immortal cohort. The interpretation of ML estimates of mixed models and joint models for the marker and the time-to-death as well as unweighted and weighted GEE of marginal models is then illustrated in a simulation study and in an application regarding cognitive decline in the elderly.
A hermeneutical rapprochement framework for clinical ethics practice
Authors: Carnevale Franco A
Published: August 2017

Background:

A growing number of frameworks for the practice of clinical ethics are described in the literature. Among these, hermeneutical frameworks have helped highlight the interpretive and contextual nature of clinical ethics practice.

Objectives:

The aim of this article is to further advance this body of work by drawing on the ideas of Charles Taylor, a leading hermeneutical philosopher.

Design/Findings:

A Hermeneutical Rapprochement Framework is presented for clinical ethics practice, based on Taylor’s hermeneutical “retrieval” and “rapprochement.” This builds on existing hermeneutical approaches for the practice of clinical ethics by articulating a framework with interpretive and reconciliatory scope that extends beyond the presenting “local” context. A Hermeneutical Rapprochement Framework considers broader socio-historical horizons and imaginaries grounded on Taylor’s expansive work in epistemological, ontological, political, and moral philosophy.

Discussion:

The framework is discussed in terms of how it can be operationalized for clinical practice as well as normative development. Implications for the educational preparation of clinical ethicists are also discussed. Although this work is directly relevant for clinical ethicists, it can also help inform the ethical practice of all clinicians.
Mobility and the Region
Authors: Verstappen Sanderien
Published: August 2017

A rich body of historical and anthropological scholarship has critically interrogated the making and remaking of ‘Gujarat’, exploring not only the political and social contestations around the formation of Gujarat as regional territory but also the articulation of distinct regional identities in various parts of the region and by various ‘minority’ communities. This article contributes to these discussions through a case study of a transnational community of Gujarati Muslims, Sunni Vohras from Charotar in central Gujarat, drawing on travel-along ethnographic research with a migrant visiting his ‘homeland’. The tensions brought about by the unfolding politics of Hindu nationalism in post-2002 Gujarat have influenced how mobile members of this group reproduce social relations in a transnational social field and cultivate social and material ties to the region. Conceptualizing the region as constituted by various kinds of mobilities, and paying special attention to social relations and social–economic practices, the article demonstrates how a regional homeland can be uncovered through ‘travel-along’ ethnographic research.
Tactile Corpuscle-Like Bodies (Wagner-Meissner Corpuscles) of the Colorectum: A Series of 5 Cases
Authors: Huber Aaron R. , Agostini-Vulaj Diana , Drage Michael G. , Lemmon Julie W.
Published: August 2017

An increase in screening colonoscopies has led to the recent identification and description of several benign mesenchymal proliferations within the colon that may be sampled incidentally or as mucosal polyps. Tactile corpuscle-like bodies (TCLBs) (also known as Wagner-Meissner corpuscles) are Schwannian-derived specialized mechanosensors found in glabrous skin and some mucosal sites. TCLBs are not a normal component of gastrointestinal mucosa but they have been reported in the esophagus, stomach, gastroesophageal junction, and colorectum. Twenty-two cases of tactile corpuscle-like bodies (TCLBs) have been reported to date in the English literature. We herein present five additional cases of TCLBs, all within the colorectum. It is important to distinguish TCLBs from histologic mimics that are associated with inherited syndromes. TCLBs are typically incidental, and are entirely benign.
Health services research: building capacity to meet the needs of the health care system
Authors: Barratt Helen , Shaw Jay , Simpson Lisa , Bhatia Sacha , Fulop Naomi
Published: August 2017

Health services researchers have an important role to play in helping health care systems around the world provide high quality, affordable services. However, gaps between the best evidence and current practice suggest that researchers need to work in new ways. The production of research that meets the needs and priorities of the health system requires researchers to work in partnership with decision-makers to conduct research and then mobilize the findings. To do this effectively, researchers require a new set of skills that are not conventionally taught as part of doctoral research programmes. In addition to wider contextual changes, researchers need to understand better the needs of decision-makers, for example through short placements in health system decision-making settings. Second, researchers need to learn to accommodate those needs throughout the research process, including identifying research needs; conducting research collaboratively with decision-makers and producing effective research products.