bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A new species of the genus Hebius (Squamata: Colubridae) from Sichuan, China
Authors: LIU QIN , ZHONG GUANG-HUI , WANG PING , LIU YANG , GUO PENG
Published: September 2018

A new species of the natricine snake genus Hebius Thompson, 1913 is described from Sichuan Province, Southwest China, based on a single male specimen. The new species is distinguished from its congeners found in China and adjacent regions by possessing the following combination of characters: 1) TL/SVL ratio 0.35; 2) three postoculars; 3) six temporals in formula 1/(1+1) +1+2; 4) eight supralabials, 4th and 5th in contact with the eye, 6th supralabial largest; 5) ten infralabials with the first five bordering the anterior chinshields; 6) 172 ventrals (plus two preventrals); 7) cloacal plate divided; 8) 90 divided subcaudals; 9) dorsal scales in 19-19-17 rows, all weakly keeled except the outer two; 10) reduction of dorsal scale rows from 19 to 17 at the position above ventral scale 99th; 11) reduction of the tail dorsal scales from 8 to 6 rows at the position above 18th subcaudal, and from 6 to 4 rows at the position above 37th subcaudal; 12) postorbital bones do not touch frontals, the parietal ridge weakly developed; the end of the supratemporal bones extending beyond the braincase; maxillary teeth 23–25, the last two enlarged, without diastema between them and the anterior teeth. This species is an evergreen forest dweller.
A new species of Globicornis Latreille (Coleoptera: Dermestidae) from Baltic amber, with a key to fossil species
Authors: BUKEJS ANDRIS , HÁVA JIŘÍ
Published: September 2018

Based on a well-preserved specimen from Eocene Baltic amber, the fourth fossil species belonging to the genus Globicornis Latreille (Coleoptera: Dermestidae: Megatominae), G. groehni sp. nov., is described and illustrated. A key to the species of Globicornis known from Baltic amber is also provided. The addition of this species further improves our knowledge about dermestids in Baltic amber, and moves us closer to the level of taxonomic coverage needed for detailed ecological studies based upon the coleopteran assemblage within the deposit.
Descriptions of two new species of Euxoa Hübner, [1821], subgenus Pleonectopoda Grote, 1873, from Siberia (Lepidoptera, Noctuidae)
Authors: KONONENKO V.S. , BEHOUNEK G. , GYULAI P.
Published: September 2018

Two new species of the the genus Euxoa Hübner, [1821] (subgenus Pleonectopoda Grote, 1873), Euxoa steideli sp. n. and Euxoa kodara sp. n. are described from the mountains of South and East Siberia. The new species belong to the Holarctic Euxoa westermanii species-group, which is represented in both the New and Old World mainly by alpine and subarctic species. The Palaearctic species of the Euxoa westermanii species-group are reviewed. The placement of Euxoa culminicola (Staudinger, 1870) in the subgenus Pleonectopoda is fixed. New data on distribution of E. (P.) churchillensis (McDunnough, 1932) in the Palaearctic from Chukchi Autonomy are presented. An annotated checklist list of the Palaearctic species of Pleonectopoda (Euxoa, Lepidoptera, Noctuidae, Noctuinae: Noctuini) is presented.
Tornado Debris from the 23 May 2017 “Tybee Tornado”
Authors: Black Alan W. , Knox John A. , Rackley Jared A. , Grondin Nicholas S.
Published: September 2018

We examine the trajectories of four historical markers displaced during an enhanced Fujita scale 2 (EF2) tornado at the Fort Pulaski National Monument located on Cockspur Island, east of Savannah in southeast Georgia. The careful work of National Park Service employees in cataloguing the origin and landing points of the debris allows for an unusually accurate analysis of tornado debris trajectories for heavy objects. These markers, weighing around 68 kg (150 lb) each, traveled intact for distances of up to 220 m (750 ft). One of the historical markers was fractured into at least three pieces, the larger of which traveled 300 m (1,000 ft). Understanding the travel for these relatively heavy items is important, as they are similar in weight to household appliances that could commonly be part of a tornado debris field.
The Effect of Urban Density and Vegetation Cover on the Heat Island of a Subtropical City
Authors: Chapman Sarah , Thatcher Marcus , Salazar Alvaro , Watson James E. M. , McAlpine Clive A.
Published: September 2018

The urban heat island (UHI) has a negative impact on the health of urban residents by increasing average temperatures. The intensity of the UHI effect is influenced by urban geometry and the amount of vegetation cover. This study investigated the impact of urban growth and loss of vegetation cover on the UHI in a subtropical city (Brisbane, Australia) during average and extreme conditions using the Conformal Cubic Atmospheric Model, run at a 1-km spatial resolution for 10 years. The average nighttime temperature increase was 0.7°C for the “Medium Density” urban growth scenario and 1.8°C for the “No Vegetation” scenario. During two widespread extreme heat events, the mean maximum increase in urban temperatures above the Control was between 2.2° and 3.8°C in the No Vegetation scenario and between 0.3° and 1.6°C in the Medium Density urban growth scenario. The results are similar to previous findings for temperate cities, with the intensity of the UHI effect higher at night and during winter than during the day and summer. Vegetation cover had the strongest impact on temperatures, more so than building height and height/width ratio. Maintaining and restoring vegetation, therefore, is a key consideration in mitigating the urban heat island. The large temperature increases found in this study, particularly during extreme heat events, shows the importance of reducing the UHI for protecting the health of urban residents, and this should be a priority in urban landscape planning and design.
Characteristics of Background Error Covariance of Soil Moisture and Atmospheric States in Strongly Coupled Land–Atmosphere Data Assimilation
Authors: Lin Liao-Fan , Pu Zhaoxia
Published: September 2018

This study characterizes the spatial and temporal variability of the background error covariance between the land surface soil moisture and atmospheric states for a better understanding of the potentials of assimilating satellite soil moisture data under a framework of strongly coupled land–atmosphere data assimilation. The study uses the Noah land surface model coupled with the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model and the National Meteorological Center (NMC) method for computing the land–atmosphere background error covariance from 2015 to 2017 over the contiguous United States. The results show that the forecast errors in top-10-cm soil moisture and near-surface air potential temperature and specific humidity are correlated and relatively large during the daytime in the summer. The magnitude of the error correlation between these three states is comparable. For example, in July, the error correlation averaged over all day- and nighttime samples is −0.13 for near-surface temperature and humidity, −0.20 for surface soil moisture and near-surface temperature, and 0.15 for surface soil moisture and near-surface humidity. During the summer, the forecast errors in surface soil moisture are correlated with those of atmospheric states up to the sigma pressure level of 0.9 (approximately 900 hPa for a sea level location) with domain-mean correlations of −0.15 and 0.1 for temperature and humidity, respectively. The results suggest that assimilation of satellite soil moisture data could provide cross-variable impacts comparable to those assimilating conventional near-surface temperature and humidity data. The forecast errors of soil moisture are only marginally correlated with those of the winds.
Subseasonal Prediction of Wintertime East Asian Temperature Based on Atmospheric Teleconnections
Authors: Yoo Changhyun , Johnson Nathaniel C. , Chang Chueh-Hsin , Feldstein Steven B. , Kim Young-Ha
Published: September 2018

A composite-based statistical model utilizing Northern Hemisphere teleconnection patterns is developed to predict East Asian wintertime surface air temperature for lead times out to 6 weeks. The level of prediction is determined by using the Heidke skill score. The prediction skill of the statistical model is compared with that of hindcast simulations by a climate model, Global Seasonal Forecast System, version 5. When employed individually, three teleconnections (i.e., the east Atlantic/western Russian, Scandinavian, and polar/Eurasian teleconnection patterns) are found to provide skillful predictions for lead times beyond 4–5 weeks. When information from the teleconnections and the long-term linear trend are combined, the statistical model outperforms the climate model for lead times beyond 3 weeks, especially during those times when the teleconnections are in their active phases.
A Portrait of North American Urban Historians
Authors: Harris Richard
Published: September 2018

A survey of members of the Urban History Association (UHA) undertaken in March 2017 provides information about the character, views, and prospects of urban history in North America. Most UHA members are professional historians. Their age profile is balanced; women and minorities are underrepresented, though their age profile indicates that members will become more diverse. They are researching cities around the world, but focus mainly on the larger U.S. cities. Thematically, their main interests are in planning/design, race/ethnicity, politics, and housing, in that order. Most situate their work on U.S. cities within a national frame of reference; only half believe that there is something distinctively urban about cities. Those who do tend to highlight social, political, and cultural, as opposed to economic, effects. Their intellectual influences are primarily other urban historians rather than more theoretically oriented writers.
Information Asymmetry in Management Research: Past Accomplishments and Future Opportunities
Authors: Bergh Donald D. , Ketchen David J. , Orlandi Ilaria , Heugens Pursey P. M. A. R. , Boyd Brian K.
Published: September 2018

Information asymmetry is a condition wherein one party in a relationship has more or better information than another. The information asymmetry concept is widely diffused throughout management research, and its existence is a core assumption within leading theories on organizations. Despite information asymmetry’s central role, however, there have been no systematic reviews of the management literature using the concept. As a result, there is no established level of knowledge of information asymmetry as a management concept, nor is there a unified basis for directing future research leveraging the concept. In response, we review 223 relevant articles from leading management journals and develop a framework for organizing and assessing information asymmetry research. We consolidate understanding of information asymmetry’s meaning, conceptual applications, roles in different theoretical models, antecedents, and how focal actors’ self-interests influence the selection of mechanisms for managing it. Further, we highlight opportunities for extensions to core management theories and specify research prospects within several management subfields. Overall, the framework can help guide researchers as they work to advance understanding of one of the management field’s most ubiquitous concepts.
Forgiving the Unforgivable
Authors: Hourigan Kristen Lee
Published: September 2018

Utilizing a symbolic interactionist framework, this article analyzes data from 30 semistructured interviews of individuals who have lost loved ones to homicide and 32 months of concurrent participant observation of relevant social networks and local events, including self-help group meetings, in order to explore the factors that foster or impede forgiveness after homicide as well as the association between forgiveness-related feeling rules and lived experience of forgiveness. Key findings include the discovery of a forgiveness-fostering factor that had been previously overlooked (evidence of pro-social change) and evidence that the internal emotional transformation of forgiveness remains possible through understanding and empathy, despite several factors that may make forgiveness of extreme harm more challenging and/or less likely than forgiveness of more minor harm. Findings demonstrate that discrepancies between one’s forgiveness-related feeling rules and actual lived experiences of forgiveness are overcome through a redefinition of the situation, including with regard to remorse, severity, and intentionality.
Public Health as a Matter of Concern: Victorian England, 1834-1848
Authors: Strand Michael
Published: September 2018

Public health is currently evolving, expanding, and reinforcing itself as a governance project in which health authorities’ concerns meet and blend with epidemiology and civil engineering. Rarely, however, are those concerns found worthy of examination, at least not to account for the multiplying involvements of public health, its ability to find political life in things, and its many translations. The shape of public health is dictated as much by its matters of concern as it is by biopolitical and brute matters of fact. This article presents a genealogy of public health in Victorian England between 1834 and 1848 in order to glimpse the matters of concern around which it stabilized. The political medicine that preceded public health holds the clue in its assertion of life as a form of worth, as prominent a criterion for the assessment of sociomaterial arrangements as profitability or efficiency. This article describes public health as an ensemble presence, a unique gathering, in which political will follows medical diagnosis, and life is worth at least as much as money.
Locally grounded principles for a Good Society
Authors: Orton Michael , Somra Ghiyas
Published: September 2018

There is a revival of interest in the notion of a Good Society, within the context of the search for an alternative to neoliberal hegemony, but the concept remains imprecise. One way to provide greater clarity is to focus on underpinning principles. Attempts to date have largely taken a top-down approach. This article provides a new perspective by considering principles that should underpin a Good Society from a local, grounded perspective. It draws on research with people on low incomes from Black and Minority Ethnic groups, whose voice is rarely heard in debate. Findings include differences with more top-down approaches but also points of resonance. It is argued that developing a more robust construct of a Good Society with potential for broad appeal, requires linking principles to the realities of the lives of marginalised and disadvantaged groups, and with process a key consideration.
The Impact of Various Streetcar Types on Passenger Activity and Running Times
Authors: Hu Wen Xun , Diab Ehab , Aboudina Aya , Shalaby Amer
Published: September 2018

Transit agencies that operate streetcars use vehicles of varied sizes and characteristics to accommodate demand and service requirements. While some studies have been conducted on the influence of different bus types on service operations, there is limited research on streetcar types. Therefore, this paper examines the impacts of three different types of streetcar operating in the City of Toronto on passenger service time and running time using statistical models. Field data was collected in July 2017 for three types of streetcars serving the busiest corridor in Toronto. Descriptive statistics and two linear regression models were employed to compare their performance. The analysis results support the use of low-floor vehicles with wider doors as well as larger number of doors. Results also indicate a negative impact of the current stop design on the usage of longer streetcars. This study offers transit agencies new insights into the effects of distinct types of streetcars on door usage, passenger service time, and travel time, which are important components of transit service efficiency and attractiveness.
Dental Care Utilization and Service Needs Among American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian Elders: 2008 to 2017
Authors: Schroeder Shawnda , Adamsen Collette , Ward Cole
Published: September 2018

Objective: This study describes trends in self-reported dental care utilization and services needed among American Indian/Alaska Native/Native Hawaiian (AI/AN/NH) elders 2008 to 2017, including demographic and socioeconomic variability. Method: Researchers utilized data from the Survey of Elders administered by the National Resource Center on Native American Aging, representing all regions of the United States and 262 tribes. Data were analyzed comparing means over time and between/within groups. Results: Between April 2008 and March 2017, there was a statistically significant ( p < .001) increase in the proportion of older adults who visited a dentist and an increase in need for treatment. A smaller proportion of older adults reported need for treatment among those who were privately insured, high income, had no tobacco use, were employed, and had visited a dental professional in the last year. Discussion: These findings highlight current dental needs among tribal elders while also identifying elders at greater risk of poor oral health.
An assessment of the level of emotional intelligence attributes of undergraduate built environment students in developing countries
Authors: Owusu-Manu D. , Edwards D.J. , Kukah A.S. , Pärn E.A. , El-Gohary H. , Aigbavboa C.
Published: September 2018

Built environment students graduate with good technical skills but often lack the rudiments of management and leadership skills. Other challenges they face, among others, include interpersonal skills, emotional skills, self-awareness and impulse control. This article presents a case study assessing the emotional intelligence (EI) attributes of built environment students. EI questionnaires (Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i)) were distributed to fourth-year undergraduates studying construction-related courses at Kwame Nkrumah University of Science and Technology in Ghana. A total of 182 questionnaires were completed and retrieved from the fourth-year students. Analytical tools included descriptive statistics, mean score ranking, regression and correlation. Construction technology management students had the highest EI value, followed by civil engineering students, quantity surveying and construction economics students and lastly architecture students. There was no significant difference in the overall EQ-i scores of the students. Furthermore, there is insignificant correlation between the built environment programmes and the EI level of the students. The results illustrate that the EI level of the students is not statistically dependent on the programmes undertaken. From regression analysis, age is a significant predictor of EI. This study presents a methodology for assessing the EI levels of built environment students in developing countries and adds to the body of knowledge. The work concludes with directions for future research.
A cryptotephra record from the Lake Victoria sediment core record of Holocene palaeoenvironmental change
Authors: Lane Christine S , Martin-Jones Catherine M , Johnson Thomas C
Published: September 2018

The sediment record from Lake Victoria is an important archive of regional environmental and climatic conditions, reaching back more than 15,000 cal. years before present (15 ka BP). As the largest lake by area in East Africa, its evolution is key to understanding regional palaeohydrological change during the late Pleistocene and Holocene, including controls on the Nile River flow. As well as important palaeoenvironmental proxies, the lake contains a unique record of explosive volcanism from the central Kenyan Rift, in the form of fine-grained volcanic ash (tephra) layers, interpreted as airfall deposits. In the V95-1P core, collected from the central northern basin of the lake, tephra layers vary in concentration from 10s to 10s of 1000s of glass shards per gram of sediment. None of the tephra are visible to the naked eye, and have only been revealed through careful laboratory processing. Compositional analyses of tephra glass shards has allowed the tephra layers to be correlated to previously unrecognized eruptions of Eburru volcano around 1.2 and 3.8 ka, and Olkaria volcano, prior to 15 ka. These volcanoes lie ~300 km east of the core site in the Kenyan Rift. Our results highlight the potential for developing cryptotephra analysis as a key tool in East African palaeolimnological research. Tephra layers offer opportunities for precise correlation of palaeoenvironmental sequences, as well as windows into the eruption frequency of regional volcanoes and the dispersal of volcanic ash.
Service Provider Difficulties in Operationalizing Coercive Control
Authors: Brennan Iain R. , Burton Victoria , Gormally Sinéad , O’Leary Nicola
Published: September 2018

We examined perspectives of social workers, police officers, and specialist domestic abuse practitioners about their perceived ability and organizational readiness to respond effectively to incidents of coercive and controlling behavior. Interviews revealed intervention and risk assessment strategies structured around an outdated, maladaptive concept of domestic abuse as an unambiguous and violent event and frontline services that lacked appreciation of the power dynamics inherent in controlling relationships. The analysis demonstrates how lack of definitional clarity around nonphysical domestic abuse can increase the use of discretion by frontline services and, by extension, increase the discounting of coercive control by pressured frontline officers.
Personality and online news commenting behaviours: uncovering the characteristics of those below the line
Authors: Barnes Renee , Mahar Doug , Cockshaw Wendell , Wong Ides
Published: September 2018

Commenting on the news is one of the most common forms of participation in news use and one of the most prevalent forms of citizen engagement online. However, very little research has focused on the characteristics of those who contribute to news websites and how this influences their commenting behaviour. Drawing on the Big Five Inventory of personality traits, this exploratory study examines how personality impacts upon the frequency of commenting and motivations for commenting on news websites. Overall, we find that less agreeable and more open to new experiences individuals commented more. Those individuals who demonstrate high levels of neuroticism were more likely to comment on stories which impacted them emotionally. Those who were disagreeable were more likely to comment on a story when they disagreed with the journalist. Those with lower levels of conscientiousness were more likely to comment if they disagreed with other commenters. Finally, disorganised and disagreeable individuals were more likely to comment to see the reaction of other commenters.
From substance to process: A meta-ethnographic review of how healthcare professionals and patients understand placebos and their effects in primary care
Authors: Hardman Doug I , Geraghty Adam WA , Lewith George , Lown Mark , Viecelli Clelia , Bishop Felicity L
Published: September 2018

Research suggests that a ‘placebo’ can improve conditions common in primary care including pain, depression and irritable bowel syndrome. However, disagreement persists over the definition and clinical relevance of placebo treatments. We conducted a meta-ethnographic, mixed-research systematic review to explore how healthcare professionals and patients understand placebos and their effects in primary care. We conducted systematic literature searches of five databases – augmented by reference chaining, key author searches and expert opinion – related to views on placebos, placebo effects and placebo use in primary care. From a total of 34 eligible quantitative, qualitative and mixed-methods articles reporting findings from 28 studies, 21 were related to healthcare professionals’ views, 11 were related to patients’ views and two were related to both groups. In the studies under review, healthcare professionals reported using placebos at markedly different frequencies. This was highly influenced by how placebos were defined in the studies. Both healthcare professionals and patients predominantly defined placebos as material substances such as ‘inert’ pills, despite this definition being inconsistent with current scientific thinking. However, healthcare professionals also, but less prevalently, defined placebos in a different way: as contextual processes. This better concurs with modern placebo definitions, which focus on context, ritual, meaning and enactivism. However, given the enduring ubiquity of substance definitions, for both healthcare professionals and patients, we question the practical, clinical validity of stretching the term ‘placebo’ towards its modern iteration. To produce ‘placebo effects’, therefore, primary healthcare professionals may be better off abandoning placebo terminology altogether.
‘Anne goes rogue for abortion rights!’: Hashtag feminism and the polyphonic nature of activist discourse
Authors: Myles David
Published: September 2018

In the emerging context of hashtag feminism, this article explores the #SupportIslandWomen pro-choice initiative in Prince Edward Island (PEI), Canada. The movement gained visibility by using the altered image of Anne of Green Gables (rogue Anne) on posters and graffiti throughout PEI and on social media. Drawing from organizational discourse theory, we analyse how rogue Anne was invoked by activists who spoke in her name, thus enacting the polyphonic nature of discourse. Our case study was built by performing non-participant observation online and by conducting a search in Canadian blogs and newspapers. First, we detail the discursive practices developed within the #SupportIslandWomen movement and underline their constitutive effects, namely, by focusing on the organizing properties of the hashtag feature. Then, we investigate the benefits and limitations of using rogue Anne as a unifying symbol and reflect on the discursive struggles that led to and were generated by her usurpation.
Postcolonial, decolonial research dilemmas: fieldwork in Australian Indigenous contexts
Authors: Exley Beryl , Whatman Susan , Singh Parlo
Published: September 2018

We come to this article as non-Indigenous teacher educators working as qualitative researchers in postcolonial/decolonial (Mignolo, 2000) times. We explore matters related to schooling in remote Australian Indigenous communities. In this article, we respond to Delamont’s invitation for qualitative researchers to revisit (Delamont and Hamilton, 1984) and think reflexively (Delamont, 2009) about our field work research methods. In doing so, attention is drawn to research processes involved with observing, narrating and writing lives and experiences. We highlight matters related to sequencing dilemmas (Delamont, 2009), the need to locate the self-as-researcher in the social (Delamont, 2007), and calling out ethical tensions associated with the ‘catch 22’ of confidentiality and acknowledgement (Delamont, 2007). Two separate researcher recounts of field notes are used to render visible our reflexive thinking as we attempt to negotiate Western educational research ethics policies and procedures and ways of knowing and being in Indigenous contexts.
Integrated optimization model in wire electric discharge machining using Gaussian process regression and wolf pack algorithm approach while machining SiCp/Al composite
Authors: Ma Jun , Ming Wuyi , Du Jinguang , Huang Hao , He Wenbin , Cao Yang , Li Xiaoke
Published: September 2018

To further improve prediction accuracy and optimization quality of wire electrical discharge machining of SiCp/Al composite, trim cuts were performed using Taguchi experiment method to investigate the influence of cutting parameters, such as pulse duration ( Ton), pulse interval ( Toff), water pressure ( Wp), and wire tension ( Wt)), on material removal rate and three-dimensional surface characteristics ( Sq and Sa). An optimization model to predict material removal rate and surface quality was developed using a novel hybrid Gaussian process regression and wolf pack algorithm approach based on experiment results. Compared with linear regression model and back propagation neural network, the availability of Gaussian process regression is confirmed by experimental data. Results show that the worst average predictive error of five independent tests for material removal rate, Sq, and Sa are not more than 10.66%, 19.85%, and 22.4%, respectively. The proposed method in this article is an effective method to optimize the process parameters for guiding the actual wire electrical discharge machining process.
Chaos of flexible rotor system with critical speed in magnetic bearing based on the improved precise Runge–Kutta hybrid integration
Authors: Fang Xi , Zhang Dongbo , Zhang Xiaoyu , Wu Huachun , Gao Fei , He Lang , Lv Yong
Published: September 2018

Magnetic rotor-bearing system has drawn great attention because of its several advantages compared to existent rotor-bearing system, and explicit Runge–Kutta method has achieved good results in solving dynamic equation. However, research on flexible rotor of magnetic bearing is relatively less. Moreover, explicit Runge–Kutta needs a smaller integral step to ensure the stability of the calculation. In this article, we propose a nonlinear dynamic analysis of flexible rotor of active magnetic bearing established by using the finite element method. The precise Runge–Kutta hybrid integration method and the largest Lyapunov exponent are used to analyze the chaos of the rotor system at the first- and second-order critical speed of the rotor. Experiment on chaos analysis has shown that compared with the explicit Runge–Kutta method, the precise Runge–Kutta hybrid integration method can improve the convergence step of calculation significantly while avoiding iterative solution and maintain high accuracy which is four times the increase of the integral step.
Bioinspired wind field estimation—part 1: Angle of attack measurements through surface pressure distribution
Authors: Gavrilovic Nikola , Bronz Murat , Moschetta Jean-Marc , Benard Emmanuel
Published: September 2018

One of the major challenges of Mini-Unmanned Aerial Vehicle flight is the unsteady interaction with turbulent environment while flying in lower levels of atmospheric boundary layer. Following inspiration from nature we expose a new system for angle of attack estimation based on pressure measurements on the wing. Such an equipment can be used for real-time estimation of the angle of attack during flight or even further building of wind velocity vector with additional equipment. Those information can find purpose in control and stabilization of the aircraft due to inequalities seen by the wing or even for various soaring strategies that rely on active control for energy extraction. In that purpose, flying wing aircraft has been used with totally four span-wise locations for local angle of attack estimation. In-flight angle of attack estimation from differential pressure measurements on the wing has been compared with magnetic sensor with wind vane. The results have shown that pressure ports give more reliable estimation of angle of attack when compared to values given by wind vane attached to a specially designed air-boom. Difference in local angle of attack at four span-wise locations has confirmed spatial variation of turbulence in low altitude flight. Moreover, theoretical law of energy dissipation for wind components described by Kaimal spectrum has shown acceptable match with estimated ones.
A methodology for the production of microfabricated electrospun membranes for the creation of new skin regeneration models
Authors: Asencio Ilida Ortega , Mittar Shweta , Sherborne Colin , Raza Ahtasham , Claeyssens Frederik , MacNeil Sheila
Published: September 2018

The continual renewal of the epidermis is thought to be related to the presence of populations of epidermal stem cells residing in physically protected microenvironments (rete ridges) directly influenced by the presence of mesenchymal fibroblasts. Current skin in vitro models do acknowledge the influence of stromal fibroblasts in skin reorganisation but the study of the effect of the rete ridge-microenvironment on epidermal renewal still remains a rich topic for exploration. We suggest there is a need for the development of new in vitro models in which to study epithelial stem cell behaviour prior to translating these models into the design of new cell-free biomaterial devices for skin reconstruction. In this study, we aimed to develop new prototype epidermal-like layers containing pseudo-rete ridge structures for studying the effect of topographical cues on epithelial cell behaviour. The models were designed using a range of three-dimensional electrospun microfabricated scaffolds. This was achieved via the utilisation of polyethylene glycol diacrylate to produce a reusable template over which poly(3-hydrroxybutyrate- co-3-hydroxyvalerate) was electrospun. Initial investigations studied the behaviour of keratinocytes cultured on models using plain scaffolds (without the presence of intricate topography) versus keratinocytes cultured on scaffolds containing microfeatures.
Datastructuring—Organizing and curating digital traces into action
Authors: Flyverbom Mikkel , Murray John
Published: September 2018

Digital transformations and processes of “datafication” fundamentally reshape how information is produced, circulated and given meaning. In this article, we provide a concept of “datastructuring” which seeks to capture this reshaping as both a product of and productive of social activity. To do this we focus on (1) how new forms of social action map onto and are enabled by technological changes related to datafication, and (2) how new forms of datafied social action constitute a form of knowledge production which becomes embedded in technologies themselves. We illustrate the potential of the datastructuring concept with empirical examples which also serve to highlight some new avenues for research and some empirical questions to explore further. We suggest a focus on datastructuring can ignite scholarly debates across disciplines that may share an interest in the technological configurations, sorting activities, and other socio-material forces that shape digital spaces, but which are rarely brought together. Such cross-disciplinary conceptualizations may give more attention to how information is structured and organized, becomes “algorithmically recognizable”, and emerges as (in)visible in digital, datafied spaces. Such a concept, we suggest, may help us better understand the novel ways in which “backstage datawork” and “data sorting processes” gain traction in political interventions, commercial processes, and social ordering.
Competence in Program Evaluation and Research Assessed by State School Counselor Licensure Examinations
Authors: Carey John C. , Martin Ian , Harrington Karen , Trevisan Michael S.
Published: September 2018

This study investigated how state licensure examinations address school counseling program evaluation and research. In the 31 states that require them, examinations gave little attention to measuring competencies associated with designing and conducting a program evaluation. We found variability in how these examinations addressed research competencies. These results indicate a need for greater clarity and understanding on the part of state examiners regarding what school counselors need to know and be able to do in terms of program evaluation and research.
Stress analysis of sandwich composite beam induced by piezoelectric layer
Authors: Her Shiuh-Chuan , Chen Han-Yung
Published: September 2018

Introduction:

Smart structures equipped with piezoelectric devices to sense and actuate the structure could be used in many engineering applications. To explore the smart structure further and apply it to more complex structures, some problems are critical to be concerned. Among them, delamination due to the high stress is an important issue since its serious effect on the strength and stiffness of the composite structure.

Method:

In this investigation, a piezoelectric layer is embedded into the host structure to form a sandwich composite structure. The piezoelectric layer is subjected to an electric voltage, yielding the bending effect on the sandwich composite structure. A theoretical model based on the Euler beam theory and interfacial continuity is presented to determine the stresses of the sandwich composite beam caused by the piezoelectric layer.

Results:

The influences of the embedded depth and Young’s modulus of the piezoelectric layer on the stress distribution of the sandwich composite beam are investigated through a parametric study. The analytical solutions are verified by the finite element method. Good agreement is achieved between the present approach and the finite element method.

Conclusions:

Numerical analysis indicates that the maximum tensile stresses in the top and bottom layers are decreasing with the increase of the embedded depth, while the maximum compressive stress in the lead zirconate titanate layer is increasing with the increase of the embedded depth. Both the top and bottom layers are subjected to tensile stress and increasing with the increase of the Young’s modulus ratio, while the piezoelectric layer is subjected to compressive stress and increasing with the increase of the Young’s modulus ratio.
Magnetic and dielectric properties of Ca-substituted BiFeO3 nanoferrites by the sol-gel method
Authors: Lin Jinpei , Guo Zeping , Li Mei , Lin Qing , Huang Kangling , He Yun
Published: September 2018

Background:

A multiferroic material can simultaneously show two or more basic magnetic properties, including ferromagnetism, antiferromagnetism, and ferroelectricity. BiFeO3 is a multiferroic material with a rhombohedral distorted perovskite structure. Doping can reduce the volatility of Bi and greatly improve the magnetoelectric properties of BiFeO3.

Methods:

To investigate the influence of the doping content we used the following analytical methods: X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), scanning electron microscopy (SEM), microwave network analysis (PNA-N5244A), and the Superconducting Quantum Interference Device (Quantum Design MPMS) test.

Results:

With the increase of Ca2+ concentration in the solution, the grain size of Bi1- xCa xFeO3 becomes smaller, showing the role of Ca2+ ions as the dopant for fine grains. The calcination temperatures are the major causes for the saturated magnetization. The residual magnetization ( Mr) and the coercive force ( Hc) decrease linearly with the increase of x value, and due to the effect of Ca2+ substitution at Bi3+ sites, which causes the valence change of Fe and/or the oxygen vacancies.

Conclusions:

The XRD result indicates that the diffraction peak emerges with the increase of Ca2+ and the main diffraction peak achieves a high angle. The best calcining temperature is 600 °C, and the morphology is very dependent on the calcining temperature.
Cancer cells growing on perfused 3D collagen model produced higher reactive oxygen species level and were more resistant to cisplatin compared to the 2D model
Authors: Liu Qingxi , Zhang Zijiang , Liu Yupeng , Cui Zhanfeng , Zhang Tongcun , Li Zhaohui , Ma Wenjian
Published: September 2018

Introduction:

Three-dimensional (3D) collagen scaffold models, due to their ability to mimic the tissue and organ structure in vivo, have received increasing interest in drug discovery and toxicity evaluation.

Methods:

In this study, we developed a perfused 3D model and studied cellular response to cytotoxic drugs in comparison with traditional 2D cell cultures as evaluated by cancer drug cisplatin.

Results:

Cancer cells grown in perfused 3D environments showed increased levels of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production compared to the 2D culture. As determined by growth analysis, cells in the 3D culture, after forming a spheroid, were more resistant to the cancer drug cisplatin compared to that of the 2D cell culture. In addition, 3D culturing cells showed elevated level of ROS, indicating a physiological change or the formation of a microenvironment that resembles tumor cells in vivo.

Conclusions:

These data revealed that cellular response to drugs for cells growing in 3D environments are dramatically different from that of 2D cultured cells. Thus, the perfused 3D collagen scaffold model we report here might be a potentially very useful tool for drug analysis.
Long-term behaviors of phosphate-based rapid repairing material for concrete shafts in coal mines
Authors: Lei Feng , Zhen-ya Zhang , Xiao-dong Wen , Chao Xin , Dong-yuan Hu
Published: September 2018

Introduction:

Concrete structures in shaft linings are apt to deteriorate prematurely and therefore prompt restoration is required. In considering this, desulphurization fly ash and machine-made tuff sand are employed to fabricate a phosphate-based rapid repairing material.

Methods:

The long-term efficiency of the material is evaluated based on combined factors, so drying shrinkage, interfacial bonding strength, corrosion resistance, and combustibility of the specimens are tested and researched in this paper.

Results:

Experimental results showed that, under a dry circumstance, the material goes through a minor expansion at an early stage. It goes into a stage of rapid contraction after one day and a stable contraction after seven days. After 28 days, the total deformation is 67 micro-strains. On the other hand, the fabricated material manifests an excellent mechanical property. The one hour bending strength and compressive strength were 9.2 MPa and 32.6 MPa, respectively. A long-term mine water flushing simulation demonstrates that only 10% bending strength is lost and the corrosion resistance coefficient stays above 0.8, so a very good corrosion resistance is thus achieved.

Conclusions:

What is more, this repairing material retains its stability even at a high temperature of 1000°C, revealing its good thermo-stability. All these prominent properties make it a good prospective material for real restoration applications.
The molecular mechanisms of increased radiosensitivity of HPV-positive oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC): An extensive review
Authors: Liu Changxing , Mann Daljit , Sinha Uttam K. , Kokot Niels C.
Published: September 2018

Head and neck carcinomas (HNCs) collectively are the sixth most common cancer with an annual incidence of about 400,000 cases in the US. The most well-established risk factors for HNCs are tobacco and alcohol abuse. With the increasing public awareness, the incidence of HNCs is decreasing. But there is an increasing incidence of oropharyngeal squamous cell carcinoma (OPSCC) has been observed during the last decade. This phenomena is associated with persistent infection with high-risk HPV. HPV associated OPSCC patients tend to be younger males of high socioeconomic status. The increasing incidence causes a significant loss to social resources, given that it's reported that HPV associated OPSCC represents about 60% of OPSCC cases. There is a growing amount of data supporting the hypothesis that HPV-associated OPSCC has a better survival rate due to a higher sensitivity to chemotherapy and radiotherapy as compared to HPV-unrelated OPSCC. Although the HPV positivity is associated with increased radio-sensitivity, the underlying mechanisms are not yet fully understood. This review summarizes the current knowledge on the effects of HPV infection and its carcinogenesis on the radiosensitivity of OPSCC, from the molecular to histologic level, providing a comprehensive insight of this special tumor entity.
The effect of a youth mental health service model on access to secondary mental healthcare for young people aged 14–25 years
Authors: Maxwell Sarah , Ugochukwu Obianuju , Clarke Tim , Gee Brioney , Clarke Emmet , Westgate Hope , Wilson Jonathan , Lennox Belinda R , Goodyer Ian M
Published: September 2018

Aims and method

The Norfolk Youth Service was created in 2012 in response to calls to redesign mental health services to better meet the needs of young people. The new service model transcends traditional boundaries by creating a single, ‘youth friendly’ service for young people aged 14–25 years. The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of the transition to this new model on patterns of referral, acceptance and service use. We analysed routinely collected data on young people aged 14–25 years referred for secondary mental healthcare in Norfolk before and after implementation of the youth mental health service. The number of referrals, their age and gender, proportion of referrals accepted and average number of service contacts per referral by age pre- and post-implementation were compared.

Results

Referrals increased by 68% following implementation of the new service model, but the proportion of referrals accepted fell by 27 percentage points. Before implementation of the youth service, there was a clear discrepancy between the peak age of referral and the age of those seen by services. Following implementation, service contacts were more equitable across ages, with no marked discontinuity at age 18 years.

Clinical implications

Our findings suggest that the transformation of services may have succeeded in reducing the ‘cliff edge’ in access to mental health services at the transition to adulthood. However, the sharp rise in referrals and reduction in the proportion of referrals accepted highlights the importance of considering possible unintended consequences of new service models.

Declaration of interests

None.
The HMGA2-IMP2 Pathway Promotes Granulosa Cell Proliferation in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome
Authors: Li Miao , Zhao Han , Zhao Shi-Gang , Wei Dai-Min , Zhao Yue-Ran , Huang Tao , Muhammad Tahir , Yan Lei , Gao Fei , Li Lei , Lu Gang , Chan Wai-Yee , Leung Peter C K , Dunaif Andrea , Liu Hong-Bin , Chen Zi-Jiang
Published: September 2018

Context

The high mobility group AT hook 2 (HMGA2) gene was previously identified in a genome-wide association study as a candidate risk gene that might be related to polycystic ovary syndrome (PCOS). Whether HMGA2 contributes to promoting granulosa cell (GC) proliferation in PCOS remains unknown.

Objective

We sought to determine whether HMGA2 is involved in the ovarian dysfunction of PCOS and in the mechanism of increased GC proliferation.

Patients and Cells

mRNA expression was analyzed in ovarian GCs from 96 women with PCOS and 58 healthy controls. Immortalized human GCs (KGN and SVOG cells) were used for the mechanism study.

Main Outcome Measures

mRNA expression in ovarian GCs was measured using quantitative RT-PCR, and KGN cells were cultured for proliferation assays after overexpression or knockdown of target genes. Protein expression analysis, luciferase assays, and RNA binding protein immunoprecipitation assays were used to confirm the mechanism study.

Results

HMGA2 and IGF2 mRNA binding protein 2 (IMP2) were highly expressed in the GCs of women with PCOS, and the HMGA2/IMP2 pathway promoted GC proliferation. Cyclin D2 and SERPINE1 mRNA binding protein 1 were regulated by IMP2 and were highly expressed in women with PCOS.

Conclusions

The HMGA2/IMP2 pathway was activated in women with PCOS and promoted the proliferation of GCs. This might provide new insights into the dysfunction of GCs in PCOS.