bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Review of Schoolwide Positive Behavior Interventions and Supports as a Framework for Reducing Disciplinary Exclusions
Authors: Gage Nicholas A. , Whitford Denise K. , Katsiyannis Antonis
Published: May 2018

Schoolwide positive behavior interventions and supports (SWPBIS) is currently implemented in more than 23,000 schools nationally and internationally. Several reviews have examined the SWPBIS evidence base, including a meta-analysis of single-case design research. However, to date, there has not been a review of group-based experimental research (e.g., randomized controlled trials [RCTs]) on the school-level effects of SWPBIS implementation to reduce disciplinary exclusion, including office discipline referrals and suspensions. Therefore, we conducted a systematic review and meta-analysis following What Works Clearinghouse procedures to investigate that relationship. We identified four group experimental studies that included disciplinary exclusion as an outcome variable; two RCTs and two quasi-experimental designs. Overall, 90 schools, including both elementary and high schools, were evaluated. A statistically significant large treatment effect ( g = −.86) was found for school suspension, but no treatment effect was found for office discipline referrals. Implications for future research are discussed.
The Turnout Gap in Surveys: Explanations and Solutions
Authors: DeBell Matthew , Krosnick Jon A. , Gera Katie , Yeager David S. , McDonald Michael P.
Published: May 2018

Postelection surveys regularly overestimate voter turnout by 10 points or more. This article provides the first comprehensive documentation of the turnout gap in three major ongoing surveys (the General Social Survey, Current Population Survey, and American National Election Studies), evaluates explanations for it, interprets its significance, and suggests means to continue evaluating and improving survey measurements of turnout. Accuracy was greater in face-to-face than telephone interviews, consistent with the notion that the former mode engages more respondent effort with less social desirability bias. Accuracy was greater when respondents were asked about the most recent election, consistent with the hypothesis that forgetting creates errors. Question wordings designed to minimize source confusion and social desirability bias improved accuracy. Rates of reported turnout were lower with proxy reports than with self-reports, which may suggest greater accuracy of proxy reports. People who do not vote are less likely to participate in surveys than voters are.
Machiavelli and the Fortress City
Authors: Denman Derek S.
Published: May 2018

This article examines Machiavelli’s writings on fortresses as a new starting point for a genealogy of urban fortification. In contrast to theorists of Machiavelli who approach fortresses as defensive structures that preserve the present political order, this article considers fortresses as weapons to privatize civic life. It explores the significance of fortresses for democratic readings of Machiavelli, suggesting that Machiavelli offers a careful analysis of the spatial organization of power and its implications for popular self-government. This reconsideration of fortresses in Machiavelli brings his political thought into conversation with contemporary urban theorists critical of the enclosure of public space. The article argues that Machiavelli seeks to resignify notions of fortification and replace the construction of fortresses with practices of fortifying publics. Such practices find ways to strengthen public spaces and envision durable democracy.
Academic Entrepreneurs, Public Policy, and the Growth of Latin American Studies in Britain during the Cold War
Authors: Miller Rory M.
Published: May 2018

The initial development of Latin American studies in Britain in the early 1960s resulted from the interest of pioneering academics in London and Cambridge and the Royal Institute of International Affairs. Alongside these academic efforts, the government’s concerns about the declining role of British business in the region triggered the establishment of the Parry Committee in 1962. Reporting in 1965, this committee recommended the establishment of five government-financed Latin American centers, together with investment in training new Ph.D. students, especially in the social sciences. These younger scholars, who took the opportunity to do research and travel in Latin America, soon began to react more strongly against U.S. policy, economic inequality, and human rights abuses. In the 1970s, tensions between the older and newer generations became acute with the Pinochet coup and the “dirty wars.” Many academics thus distanced themselves from business and government in a way that the pioneers had not anticipated.

El desarrollo inicial de los estudios latinoamericanos en Gran Bretaña a principios de la década de 1960 se debió al interés de académicos pioneros en Londres, Cambridge y el Instituto Real de Asuntos Internacionales. Junto con estas iniciativas académicas, la preocupación gubernamental ante el declive de los negocios británicos en la región dio lugar a la fundación del Comité Parry en 1962. En su informe de 1965, dicho comité recomendó el establecimiento de cinco centros latinoamericanos financiados por el gobierno, así como la formación de nuevos estudiantes doctorales, sobre todo en el área de ciencias sociales. Estos académicos más jóvenes, que aprovecharon la oportunidad de estudiar en y viajar por América Latina, pronto comenzaron a reaccionar con mayor fuerza contra la política de EE.UU., la desigualdad económica y los abusos contra los derechos humanos. En la década de 1970, las tensiones entre las generaciones más viejas y las nuevas se agudizaron con el golpe de estado de Pinochet y las “guerras sucias.” Muchos académicos se distanciaron entonces de los negocios y los asuntos del gobierno de una manera que los pioneros no habían previsto.
GGUM: An R Package for Fitting the Generalized Graded Unfolding Model
Authors: Tendeiro Jorge N. , Castro-Alvarez Sebastian
Published: May 2018

In this article, the newly created GGUM R package is presented. This package finally brings the generalized graded unfolding model (GGUM) to the front stage for practitioners and researchers. It expands the possibilities of fitting this type of item response theory (IRT) model to settings that, up to now, were not possible (thus, beyond the limitations imposed by the widespread GGUM2004 software). The outcome is therefore a unique software, not limited by the dimensions of the data matrix or the operating system used. It includes various routines that allow fitting the model, checking model fit, plotting the results, and also interacting with GGUM2004 for those interested. The software should be of interest to all those who are interested in IRT in general or to ideal point models in particular.
Effects of applause magnitude and musical style on listeners’ evaluations of choral performances
Authors: Springer D. Gregory , Schlegel Amanda L. , Nápoles Jessica
Published: May 2018

Applause, an overt expression of approval from audience to performer, is one of the most common forms of audience response to live musical performances. In this study, we examined the effects of applause magnitude (high, low, or no applause) and musical style (motet or spiritual) on listeners’ ratings of choral performances. A secondary area of interest was the degree to which these effects might differ between music majors and non-music majors. University singers ( N = 117) listened to six excerpts recorded by a university choral ensemble and rated the performance quality of each excerpt. Across these recordings, they heard three identical recordings of a motet and three identical recordings of a spiritual with unique applause conditions attached. Listeners’ ratings were influenced by the magnitude of audience applause to a limited degree, but this effect interacted with musical style and presentation order. We observed no differences between the ratings of music and non-music majors, however. Results are interpreted in light of previous research on majority effects, and implications of these results regarding performance evaluation and concert programming are discussed.
Reading hospitality mutually
Authors: Ince Anthony , Bryant Helen
Published: May 2018

This article addresses debates in geography regarding the nature and significance of hospitality. Despite increasingly inhospitable policy landscapes across the Global North, grassroots hospitality initiatives persist, including various global travel-based initiatives and networks. Drawing from research with these travel networks, we argue that hospitality is fundamentally based on a pervasive, mutualistic sociality in a multitude of forms. Such initiatives, and hospitality more generally, can be better understood in terms of their relationship to these wider mutualities. we therefore use Peter Kropotkin’s anarchist-geographic concept of mutual aid – in conversation with Jacques Derrida and other thinkers – to reimagine hospitality as ‘mutual hospitableness’; systemic, spatio-temporally expansive and underpinned by a conception of self that is constituted through, and gains its vitality from, intertwinement with the other.
How Operators’ Legal Status Affects Safety of Intercity Buses in Thailand
Authors: Ratanawaraha Apiwat , Chalermpong Saksith
Published: May 2018

Legalization is often a policy solution to perceived problems of inefficient and unsafe operation of informal buses in developing countries. Facing the world’s second worst road safety record, the Thai government is set to ban the use of vans for intercity bus services and is considering banning individual operators and requiring them to form a legal entity. A question thus arises whether an operator’s legal status significantly affects bus safety. This paper aims to answer that question by analyzing route-level data on accidents and legal status of intercity bus operators. The results of Poisson and negative binomial regression analyses confirm that the use of vans increases accident and fatality risks of intercity bus services. But the evidence does not support the government’s claim that requiring operators to register as legal entities would make intercity services safer. For long-distance routes, more bus companies mean greater accident risks. The only situation where more individual operators mean higher safety risks is with fatality rates on long-distance routes. However, fatality rates are actually lower with more individual operators on short-distance routes. This is likely because most individual operators on short-distance routes belong to informal operator groups that adopt internal rules and procedures to govern members’ behaviors. The key policy implications are that mandatory legal registration of operators does not automatically enhance bus safety, and that safety measures should focus on operational characteristics and actual practice.
Automated Extraction of Horizontal Curve Attributes using LiDAR Data
Authors: Gargoum Suliman , El-Basyouny Karim , Sabbagh Joseph
Published: May 2018

Horizontal curves are designed to provide a safe and smooth transition between straight segments on a highway network. Although curves are often designed to meet very stringent standards, imperfections during construction and high operating speeds mean that they are still prone to collisions. Therefore, it is essential that attributes of curves are surveyed to ensure they meet design requirements. Moreover, knowledge of the locations of horizontal curves and their attributes is also required to provide drivers with accurate information in advanced curve-warning systems, which are expected to enhance safety. Unfortunately, conventional techniques to obtain information about horizontal alignments are extremely tedious and, in some cases, impractical. This paper proposes a method by which horizontal curves can be automatically detected and their attributes automatically measured on scans of the highways obtained using light detection and ranging (LiDAR) technology. The proposed method is tested on two different highway segments at the Province of Alberta, Canada, where LiDAR data were collected. Moreover, testing was also conducted using virtual highways with curves with known attributes generated in AutoCAD Civil 3D. The results show that the code is successful in detecting all curves on a highway segment; moreover, the attributes of those curves were estimated with a high degree of accuracy (average difference <3%).
Development of Safety Performance Functions: Incorporating Unobserved Heterogeneity and Functional Form Analysis
Authors: Wali Behram , Khattak Asad J. , Waters Jim , Chimba Deo , Li Xiaobing
Published: May 2018

To improve transportation safety, this study applies Highway Safety Manual (HSM) procedures to roadways while accounting for unobserved heterogeneity and exploring alternative functional forms for Safety Performance Functions (SPFs). Specifically, several functional forms are considered in Poisson and Poisson-gamma modeling frameworks. Using 5 years (2011–2015) of crash, traffic, and road inventory data for two-way, two-lane roads in Tennessee, fixed- and random-parameter count data models are calibrated. The models account for important methodological concerns of unobserved heterogeneity and omitted variable bias. With a validation dataset, the calibrated and uncalibrated HSM SPFs and eight new Tennessee-specific SPFs are compared for prediction accuracy. The results show that the statewide calibration factor is 2.48, suggesting rural two-lane, two-way road segment crashes are at least 1.48 times greater than what HSM SPF predicts. Significant variation in four different regions in Tennessee is observed with calibration factors ranging between 2.02 and 2.77. Among all the SPFs considered, fully specified Tennessee-specific random parameter Poisson SPF outperformed all competing SPFs in predicting out-of-sample crashes on these road segments. The best-fit random parameter SPF specification for crash frequency includes the following variables: annual average daily traffic, segment length, shoulder width, lane width, speed limit, and the presence of passing lanes. Significant heterogeneity is observed in the effects of traffic exposure-related variables on crash frequency. The study shows how heterogeneity-based models can be specified and used by practitioners for obtaining accurate crash predictions.
Data Fusion of Commercial Vehicle GPS and Roadside Intercept Survey Data
Authors: Zhu Sirui , Amirjamshidi Glareh , Roorda Matthew J.
Published: May 2018

GPS tracking technology produces large amounts of data which represent samples of the commercial vehicle population that are much larger than conventional commercial travel surveys. However, passively collected GPS data lack behavioral detail that a conventional survey offers. This study develops a data fusion method to impute variables of interest for a large GPS data set, by establishing a link to a behaviorally rich commercial travel survey data set. As a case study, this study uses detailed information from the Ministry of Transportation of Ontario’s Commercial Vehicle Survey (CVS), a truck intercept survey conducted in 2012, to enrich a GPS commercial vehicle tracking data set from Xata Turnpike Inc. The enrichment process has three parts: converting raw GPS tracking data into GPS trips, matching CVS trips to GPS trips, and imputing the missing variables for GPS trips. Evaluation of the outcomes concludes that imputation methods can produce a synthetic data set with large sample size (from GPS data) and rich information (from roadside interview data) with good accuracy.
What Kind of Compact Development Makes People Drive Less? The “Ds of the Built Environment” versus Neighborhood Amenities
Authors: Elldér Erik
Published: May 2018

This article seeks insight into the kind of compact development that leads to reduced car driving by examining the significance of local amenities relative to the traditional “five Ds of the built environment.” Regression models of unique microdata covering all of Sweden show that an increasing number of amenities near home causes more people to give up driving and instead walk and cycle, and that the presence of even a few local amenities can mean shorter travel distances. After detailed consideration of local amenities, street network design has little significance, and the effects of diversity and density are significantly weakened.
Culture as a Pathway to Maximizing the Stress-Buffering Role of Social Support
Authors: Campos Belinda , Yim Ilona S. , Busse David
Published: May 2018

We theorized that sociocultural contexts characterized by a form of interdependence that emphasizes mutual obligations, emotional positivity, and readily accessible social support from family may maximize the benefits of social support. This form of interdependence characterizes Latino culture and is captured by the cultural value familism. Eighty-six Latino and non-Latino participants completed measures of familism and perceived social support before taking part in a standardized laboratory stress task that elicits cortisol reactivity. Cortisol reactivity is an indicator of bodily response to stress that is linked to vulnerability to the adverse effects that stress can have on future health. As predicted, results revealed a moderated mediation pattern. Conditional process analysis showed that familism was indirectly linked to cortisol reactivity through perceived social support, and this mediation effect was moderated by sociocultural context; stress buffering effects were only observed in the Latino sample. These novel findings highlight the role of culture and, specifically, familism in Latinos, for maximizing the benefits that social support can have for stress physiology implicated in long-term health outcomes.
Adult Competencies and Employment Outcomes Among Older Workers in the United States: An Analysis of the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies
Authors: Yamashita Takashi , Cummins Phyllis A. , Arbogast Annabelle , Millar Roberto J.
Published: May 2018

A growing segment of the U.S. workforce—older workers—face challenges such as a greater chance of being unemployed for a longer period of time than younger workers and skill obsolescence in contemporary societies. In an age of fast-paced economic and technological change, ongoing investment in human capital in the form of skill training represents a potential strategy for improving older workers’ employment prospects. However, empirical evidence is lacking on the relationship between basic skill competencies and employment outcomes for older workers in general. This study analyzed nationally representative data of adults aged 45 to 65 years ( n = 2,169) from the Program for the International Assessment of Adult Competencies. Literacy skills were used as the main measure of competencies. Results from multinomial logistic regression identified statistically significant positive associations between literacy skills and employment among older workers. Implications for research, policy, and practice are discussed.
Geographical Origin, Delayed Implantation, and Induced Ovulation Explain Reproductive Seasonality in the Carnivora
Authors: Heldstab Sandra A. , Müller Dennis W. H. , Graber Sereina M. , Bingaman Lackey Laurie , Rensch Eberhard , Hatt Jean-Michel , Zerbe Philipp , Clauss Marcus
Published: May 2018

Patterns of reproductive seasonality in the Carnivora are difficult to study comparatively, due to limited numbers of species for which information is available. Long-term databases of captive populations could overcome this difficulty. We apply a categorical description and a quantitative high-resolution measure (birth peak breadth, the number of days in which 80% of all births occur) based on daily observations in captivity to characterize the degree of reproductive seasonality in the Carnivora for 114 species with on average 1357 births per species. We find that the majority of species retained the birth seasonality displayed in the wild. Latitude of natural origin, delayed implantation, and induced ovulation were the main factors influencing reproductive seasonality. Most species were short-day breeders, but there was no evidence of an absolute photoperiodic signal for the timing of mating or conception. The length of the gestation period (corrected for body mass) generally decreased with birth seasonality but increased in species with delayed implantation. Birth seasons become shorter with increasing latitude of geographical origin, likely because the length of the favorable season declines with increasing latitude, exerting a strong selective pressure on fitting both the reproductive cycle and the interval offspring needs for growth following the termination of parental care into the short time window of optimal environmental conditions. Species with induced ovulation exhibit a less seasonal reproductive pattern, potentially because mates do not have to meet during a short time window of a fixed ovulation. Seasonal species of Carnivora shorten their gestation period so reproduction can occur during the short time window of optimal environmental conditions. Alternatively, other Carnivora species lengthen their gestation periods in order to bridge long winters. Interestingly, this occurs not by decelerating intrauterine growth but by delaying implantation.
Predictors of Exclusive Breastfeeding for 6 Months in a National Sample of US Children
Authors: Odar Stough Cathleen , Khalsa Amrik S. , Nabors Laura A. , Merianos Ashley L. , Peugh James
Published: May 2018

Purpose:

To explore predictors of breastfeeding behavior and seek to replicate prior findings using a recent nationally representative United States (US) sample, which has not been done previously.

Design:

Secondary data analysis using the National Survey of Children’s Health 2011 to 2012.

Setting:

Households in the 50 US states, the District of Columbia, and the US Virgin Islands.

Participants:

Caregivers with a child between 6 months and 6 years of age (n = 26 552).

Measures:

Caregiver-reported child breastfeeding behavior, child birth weight, child/maternal/family demographics, maternal physical and mental health, and household tobacco exposure.

Analysis:

A multinomial logistic regression explored whether child, maternal, and family characteristics predicted exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months or breastfeeding for a suboptimal duration.

Results:

Approximately 79% and 17% of the sample-initiated breastfeeding and exclusively breastfed for 6 months, respectively. Child ethnicity/race, maternal education, household tobacco exposure, family composition, and family income predicted odds of both exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months and breastfeeding for a suboptimal duration or not exclusively. Normal or high child birth weight and better maternal physical health predicted greater odds of exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months.

Conclusion:

Rates of exclusive breastfeeding for 6 months remain low in the United States. Single-parent and step-families, lower income families, non-Hispanic black children, children with exposure to tobacco, and children of mothers with lower education are at greatest risk.
What Can We Learn From Grassroots Organizing?
Authors: Apple Michael W.
Published: May 2018

Truly substantive progressive transformations that stand the test of time require organized pressure from below, especially from groups who demand that our institutions act in more responsive ways around what Nancy Fraser calls the politics of distribution, recognition, and representation. The Fight for America’s Schools is guided by exactly this insight. It presents us with detailed descriptions and analyses of grassroots organizing that acts back against a number of the largely neoliberal educational policies that are having all too many negative effects in education. The book’s investigation of grassroots movements focuses on Philadelphia and its suburbs and on Camden, Newark, and other places in New Jersey. In this essay review, I discuss the power and contradictions of populist mobilizations and point to the ways this book offers a valuable resource in understanding progressive ones.
Structural sizing for the weight estimation of a very light aircraft wing
Authors: Benaouali Abdelkader , Rogólski Robert , Kachel Stanisław
Published: May 2018

The design process is no longer a trial-and-error procedure due to the introduction of computer-aided tools and optimization techniques. The product development process is therefore accelerated, allowing to produce more in a relatively lesser time. Moreover, the best possible design, with regard to the performance, can hence be obtained. When applied to the design of an aircraft wing, the optimization objective is usually to minimize the structural weight under failure-based constraints. This paper presents an optimization strategy that allows the determination of the wing surface structural thicknesses corresponding to the minimal weight while keeping the structure safe in terms of strength and buckling. This strategy is applied for the wing sizing process of a new two-seater very light aircraft, currently under development. The design process goes through geometric modeling, aerodynamic calculations using vortex lattice method, and finite element modeling. Structural optimization is performed within MATLAB, and is based on the automatic execution of the finite element solver MSC.NASTRAN.
Investigating the public response to local government decisions to reduce or remove public library services
Authors: McCahill Daisy , Birdi Briony , Jones Roger B.
Published: May 2018

This paper presents new findings regarding the public response to public spending cuts as part of the UK Government fiscal consolidation programme, specifically to the perceived effects of reduced library opening hours on the public library user in a city in the North of England. An inductive approach was taken to the mixed methods study, using a self-completion, cross-sectional survey distributed to adults visiting one of three libraries in the city during a six-day period. Qualitative and quantitative data analyses indicate a shared level of dissatisfaction with the service reductions across the respondents, and a shared perception of having been adversely affected. Statistical analyses revealed a strong level of agreement that the changes had a significantly negative impact on different aspects of respondents’ lives. The research evidences the direct effects of service reductions on library users, as well as the wider social and economic implications.
Practices of community representatives in exploiting information channels for citizen democratic engagement
Authors: Hall Hazel , Cruickshank Peter , Ryan Bruce
Published: May 2018

The purpose of the research was to investigate the practices of elected, yet unpaid, community councillors in Scotland as they exploit information channels for democratic engagement with citizens. Its focus is both novel and significant in that it considers the information literacy of a group that has not been studied before: volunteer representatives active in hyperlocal government. The primary means of data collection was semi-structured interviews of one hour in length with 19 community councillors. Research design and data analysis were informed by the SCONUL 7-Pillar Model of Information Literacy, and by Activity Theory. The main finding of the analysis is that community councillors engage with a range of information sources and tools in their work, the most important of which derives from local authorities. Three recommendations emerge from the analysis. These relate to: (1) information literacy training; (2) valuing information skills; and (3) the role of the public library service in supporting community council work.
Exploring youth information-seeking behaviour and mobile technologies through a secondary analysis of qualitative data
Authors: Bowler Leanne , Julien Heidi , Haddon Leslie
Published: May 2018

This paper examines issues associated with secondary analysis of qualitative data and their implications for information behaviour scholarship. Secondary data analysis poses a range of potential challenges for data creators, but also opportunities, including the ability to expand theory to a wider context, strengthen the reliability and validity of existing theory, gain access to populations that may be difficult to access, and to promote data archiving. The paper uses as a case study of secondary data analysis the results from our re-examination of data gathered previously in the European Union project Net Children Go Mobile, drawing from the interview transcripts from the 34 children in the UK data set. Our approach to secondary analysis was reanalysis, applying a new interpretive lens to the data that necessitated new questions in order to reveal hidden layers in the data. The data was analysed for evidence of information behaviour in order to understand how mobile technologies may be changing the way that young people seek and use information. The reanalysis of the data set supported existing models of information behaviour but revealed new ways of information seeking based on the affordances of screen size and data plans.
Development and Initial Psychometric Properties of a Questionnaire to Assess Competence in Palliative Care: Palliative Care Competence Framework Questionnaire
Authors: Connolly Michael , McLean Sarah , Guerin Suzanne , Walsh Gillian , Barrett Aileen , Ryan Karen
Published: May 2018

Background:

Although the provision of palliative care (PC) is fundamental to the role of the physician, little research has assessed the competence of trainee and experienced physicians in PC.

Aim:

To describe the development of a competence questionnaire and assess the level of competence of medical doctors in Ireland to provide PC to individuals with life-limiting conditions and their families.

Design:

A survey-based cohort study was employed using a questionnaire based on the Palliative Care Competence Framework, developed specifically for this study.

Setting:

The sample was accessed via the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland. All specialties in adult medical care and direct patient contact were included.

Results:

A pilot study demonstrated comprehensiveness and ensured face validity. In the main study, all subscales showed internal reliability and evidence of a normal distribution. Strong correlation was noted between knowledge and behavior while moderate correlations were noted between attitudes and behavior and attitudes and knowledge, respectively. As expected, palliative-trained participants scored significantly higher in attitudes, behavior, and knowledge.

Conclusions:

The study provides baseline data on the level of competence of PC of doctors working in Ireland. The study also offers a novel assessment tool that has the potential to be used for future research.
Challenges Imposed By Hypoglycemia in Adults With Type 1 Diabetes
Authors: Martyn-Nemeth Pamela , Duffecy Jennifer , Fritschi Cynthia , Quinn Laurie
Published: May 2018

Little is known regarding how hypoglycemia and associated fears influence day-to-day life among adults with type 1 diabetes (T1DM) who use contemporary diabetes management strategies. To address this gap, we performed an exploratory qualitative study with five focus groups of 30 people aged 20 to 57 years with T1DM. Sessions were audiotaped and transcribed, and then analyzed. Eight themes emerged: (a) hypoglycemic worry, (b) unpredictability and loss of control, (c) contending with life stress, (d) exercise benefits and challenges, (e) a changed relationship with food, (f) sleep fears, (g) a love/hate relationship with technology, and (h) coping strategies to make it better. Fear of hypoglycemia, diabetes management, and work demands confer a high degree of stress. Challenges surround food, exercise, and sleep. Technology is important but does not relieve fear of hypoglycemia. Developing strong coping skills and creating a safety net of support are necessary.
Marching Orders? U.S. Party Platforms and Legislative Agenda Setting 1948–2014
Authors: Fagan E. J.
Published: May 2018

What is the relationship between the priorities expressed in party platforms before an election and the subsequent legislative agenda? The agenda setting literature often deemphasizes the role of political parties in agenda setting, instead focusing on the importance of problems bubbling up to the surface and demanding attention from policymakers. However, parties will often express different issue priorities during elections, and compete based on those priorities. If those promises are credible, voters should be able to choose between different sets of priorities during elections. The paper utilizes new data from the U.S. Policy Agendas Project and Wolbrecht on policy attention in U.S. party platforms to study the relationship between U.S. parties and legislative activities in Congress. A time-series cross-sectional analysis finds strong evidence to support the proposition that legislative agendas are influenced by the platform of the President’s party in the short term, although the relationship differs for different types of agendas and by issue, and fades over time.
Inactivation of the microbiota and effect on the quality attributes of pineapple juice using a continuous flow ultrasound-assisted supercritical carbon dioxide system
Authors: Paniagua-Martínez I , Mulet A , García-Alvarado MA , Benedito J
Published: May 2018

Supercritical carbon dioxide inactivation technology represents a promising nonthermal processing method, as it causes minimum impact on the nutritional food properties. The aim of this study was to analyze the combined effect of supercritical carbon dioxide and high-power ultrasound on the inactivation of natural microbiota and the quality attributes of pineapple juice treated in a continuous flow system. Different juice residence times (3.06–4.6 min), at 100 bar and 31.5 ℃, were used. The results indicated that the microbiota inactivation was complete and the differences obtained in the quality attributes (2.2% for pH, 4.8% for °Brix, 2% for vitamin C) were minimal. During storage, microorganisms were not able to recover and the vitamin C decrease could be limited to 8.2% after four weeks. The results demonstrated that the supercritical carbon dioxide–high-power ultrasound technique could be an excellent alternative for the cold pasteurization of pineapple juice.
Outcomes and Impacts of Development Interventions
Authors: Belcher Brian , Palenberg Markus
Published: May 2018

The terms “outcome” and “impact” are ubiquitous in evaluation discourse. However, there are many competing definitions that lack clarity and consistency and sometimes represent fundamentally different meanings. This leads to profound confusion, undermines efforts to improve learning and accountability, and represents a challenge for the evaluation profession. This article investigates how the terms are defined and understood by different institutions and communities. It systematically investigates representative sets of definitions, analyzing them to identify 16 distinct defining elements. This framework is then used to compare definitions and assess their usefulness and limitations. Based on this assessment, the article proposes a remedy in three parts: applying good definition practice in future definition updates, differentiating causal perspectives and using appropriate causal language, and employing meaningful qualifiers when using the terms outcome and impact. The article draws on definitions used in international development, but its findings also apply to domestic public sector policies and interventions.
The Effects of CellF-Monitoring on Students’ Academic Engagement: A Technology-Based Self-Monitoring Intervention
Authors: Schardt Alyssa A. , Miller Faith G. , Bedesem Peña L.
Published: May 2018

Students who are not academically engaged spend less time mastering material, are less likely to be successful in school, and are more likely to be disruptive. The purpose of the current brief report was to investigate the effects of a technology-based self-monitoring intervention on elementary students’ academic engagement during independent work time. The intervention, CellF-Monitor, is an iPad application that allows individuals to self-rate their on-task behavior. In this multiple-baseline, single-case-design study, four nominated students used the CellF-Monitor during independent work time in their regular education classrooms. Systematic direct observations, self-ratings, and teachers’ Direct Behavior Ratings of academically engaged and on-task behaviors were collected to measure students’ behavioral changes from baseline to the intervention and reinforcement phases. Visual analyses illustrated positive effects of the CellF-Monitor on academic engagement and on-task behavior, and findings were augmented by effect size estimates.
Low-dose Fluticasone Propionate in Combination With Salmeterol in Patients With Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease
Authors: Yasui Hideki , Inui Naoki , Fujisawa Tomoyuki , Karayama Masato , Enomoto Noriyuki , Nakamura Yutaro , Kuroishi Shigeki , Ohba Hisano , Yokomura Koshi , Sato Jun , Sato Masaki , Koshimizu Naoki , Toyoshima Mikio , Yamada Takashi , Masuda Masafumi , Shirai Toshihiro , Suda Takafumi
Published: May 2018

Inhaled corticosteroids are widely used in the treatment of chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, their use has been questioned for appropriate dose and a possible increased risk of pneumonia. Here, we reviewed patients with COPD who had received fluticasone–salmeterol combination treatment using data from a linked electronic medical record database. A total of 180 patients received salmeterol with 250 µg fluticasone propionate twice daily and 78 received salmeterol and 100 µg fluticasone propionate twice daily. In both groups, there was no difference in the improved forced expiratory volume in 1 second and COPD assessment test score and the proportion of patients with exacerbations. Although the incidence of common toxicity was approximately equal, that of pneumonia was much higher in the 250 µg group (8.9% vs 1.3%, P=.01). The beneficial effects of inhaled corticosteroids might be obtained at lower doses.
Optimal sensor placement for cable force monitoring based on multioutput support vector regression model
Authors: Li Shunlong , Yin Huiming , Li Zhonglong , Xu Wencheng , Jin Yao , He Shaoyang
Published: May 2018

Cable force monitoring is an essential and critical part of structural health monitoring for cable-supported bridges. The quality of obtained information depends considerably on the number and location of limited sensors. The purpose of this article is to provide a method for optimal sensor placement for cable force monitoring in cable-supported bridges. Based on the spatial correlation between neighbouring or symmetrical cable forces, the structural information of non-monitored cables can be predicted by multioutput support vector regression models, established between monitored (input) and the non-monitored (output) cable forces. The number and placement of cable force sensors have significant influence on prediction performance of established multioutput support vector regression models. The proposed optimal sensor configuration is to select multioutput support vector regression models with minimum prediction error from all possible sensor locations. In this study, information entropy is employed to measure the prediction performance of different sensor configurations and formulate the objective function, optimised by three computationally effective algorithms: forward sequential sensor placement algorithm, backward sequential sensor placement algorithm and genetic algorithm. The application of proposed method to Nanjing No. 3 Yangtze River Bridge confirmed the efficiency, accuracy and effectiveness of the proposed method.
Addressing the Stressful First Year in College: Could Peer Mentoring Be a Critical Strategy?
Authors: Lane Stephanie R.
Published: May 2018

Peer mentoring has emerged as a viable retention strategy to aid higher education institutions in their efforts to ensure freshmen students make it through that crucial first year and beyond and obtain that degree. Although peer mentoring has been in existence for decades and, there is increasing research on this topic, there are no reviews of the literature more recent than 2009. Utilizing an integrative literature review, the research presented in this article provides an overview of current existing peer mentoring literature specific to its impact on stress and adjustment in the first year of college and retention outcomes in higher education. Findings from this study are aimed at informing best practices in first-year college retention efforts and raising awareness among higher education professionals on the psychosocial challenges many college freshmen bring with them and how it can negatively impact retention outcomes.
Daenerys Targaryen Will Save Spain: Game of Thrones, Politics, and the Public Sphere
Authors: Virino Concepción Cascajosa , Rodríguez Ortega Vicente
Published: May 2018

This article deals with the use of the American television series Game of Thrones (HBO: 2011–) as part of the political discourse of the emerging political party Podemos in Spain. First, we focus on Podemos leader, Pablo Iglesias, who, in 2014, edited a book devoted to analyzing this series from a political science viewpoint. We then move on to study ideologically charged symbolic gestures and the detailed analysis of the parallelisms between Daenerys Targaryen’s revolutionary enterprise and Podemos’s bottom-to-top quest to seize power. We then scrutinize how emergent political forces that threaten the enduring hegemony of traditional parties use popular cultural artifacts to intervene in the social fabric and how they attempt to tune in with the Internet-dedicated, socially networked younger classes. This article, thus, analyzes how the relationship between politics and serialized TV fiction has morphed within the Spanish mediascape, paying special attention to the impact of participatory culture.
Engineering Transfer Students’ Reasons for Starting at Another Institution and Variation Across Subpopulations
Authors: Ogilvie Andrea M. , Knight David B.
Published: May 2018

Bolstering transfer pathways to a 4-year degree can help fill the country’s increasing need for innovative, diverse, skilled workers within engineering. Drawing on survey data from a sample comprised of a disproportionately large percentage of Hispanic/Latino students, this study focuses on understanding engineering transfer students’ reasons for starting at a different institution. Financial/Affordability, Nonacademic Commitments, and Academic Flexibility were top reasons for starting at a different institution with multiple differences across subpopulations like Hispanic/Latino status.
SCIPA Full-On: A Randomized Controlled Trial Comparing Intensive Whole-Body Exercise and Upper Body Exercise After Spinal Cord Injury
Authors: Galea Mary P. , Dunlop Sarah A. , Geraghty Timothy , Davis Glen M. , Nunn Andrew , Olenko Liudmyla , Hurley Melanie , Rehab Royal , Marshall Ruth , Clark Jillian , Acland Rick , Nunnerley Jo
Published: May 2018

Background. While upper body training has been effective for improving aerobic fitness and muscle strength after spinal cord injury (SCI), activity-based therapies intended to activate the paralyzed extremities have been reported to promote neurological improvement. Objective. To compare the effectiveness of intensive whole-body exercise compared with upper body exercise for people with chronic SCI. Methods. A parallel-group randomized controlled trial was conducted. Participants with a range of SCI levels and severity were randomized to either full-body exercise (FBE) or upper body exercise (UBE) groups (3 sessions per week over 12 weeks). FBE participants underwent locomotor training, functional electrical stimulation-assisted leg cycling, and trunk and lower extremity exercises, while UBE participants undertook upper body strength and aerobic fitness training only. The primary outcome measure was the American Spinal Injury Association (ASIA) motor score for upper and lower extremities. Adverse events were systematically recorded. Results. A total of 116 participants were enrolled and included in the primary analysis. The adjusted mean between-group difference was −0.04 (95% CI −1.12 to 1.04) for upper extremity motor scores, and 0.90 (95% CI −0.48 to 2.27) for lower extremity motor scores. There were 15 serious adverse events in UBE and 16 in FBE, but only one of these was definitely related to the experimental intervention (bilateral femoral condyle and tibial plateau subchondral fractures). No significant between-group difference was found for adverse events, or functional or behavioral variables. Conclusions. Full-body training did not lead to improved ASIA motor scores compared with upper body training in people with chronic SCI.
Prospective Trial on Probe-Based Confocal Laser Endomicroscopy for the Identification of the Distal Limit in Rectal Adenocarcinoma
Authors: Wijsmuller Arthur R. , Ghnassia Jean-Pierre , Varatharajah Sharmini , Schaeffer Mickael , Leroy Joel , Marescaux Jacques , Ignat Mihaela , Mutter Didier
Published: May 2018

Background. Intraoperative decision of the level of distal resection in rectal cancer is often imprecise, based exclusively on digital examination and pretherapeutic imaging. Design. Prospective, single institution, nonrandomized trial ( ClinicalTrial.gov identification no. NCT01887509) to evaluate the contribution of probe-based confocal laser endomicroscopy (pCLE) to establish the optimal resection margin of rectal adenocarcinoma. The primary outcome was the concordance in the identification of lower tumor margins between pCLE and histopathology. For each patient, pCLE examination was performed on nonneoplastic and neoplastic aspects of the distal tumor margin, before and after neoadjuvant chemoradiation, or preceding surgery, if chemoradiation was not required. Biopsies were taken at the same locations. The intraclass correlation coefficient was determined. Results. Twenty-one patients were enrolled. Thirteen patients completed the full study. Six patients completed imaging only before chemoradiation. Two patients retracted their consent after inclusion. A total of 134 videos and corresponding histopathology samplings were analyzed. The sensitivity and specificity of in vivo pCLE interpretation were 0.915 (95% confidence interval [CI] = 0.840-0.970) and 0.736 (95% CI = 0.657-0.821), respectively. The sensitivity and specificity of the blinded pCLE reinterpretation were 0.930 (95% CI = 0.858-0.980) and 0.688 (95% CI = 0.600-0.770), respectively. No deep layer tumor infiltration was encountered in the samplings with superficial healthy layers. The intraclass correlation coefficient for in vivo pCLE interpretation and blinded pCLE reinterpretation were 0.747 (95% CI = 0.257-0.993) and 0.766 (95% CI = 0.280-0.995), respectively. Conclusions. This supports the concordance between pCLE and histopathology in identifying the “tumor-free” limit of a rectal tumor preceding resection.