bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A Look at the Yezidi Journey to Self-discovery and Ethnic Identity
Authors: Nicolaus Peter , Yuce Serkan
Published: March 2019

Yezidi communities throughout the world are struggling with their collective identity; each at a varying and somewhat differing stage of self-discovery. While the present paper does seek to elaborate upon this journey for the Yezidis in Transcaucasia, Germany, Canada, and the USA, its main focus remains the analysis of the political developments in the Yezidi heartland of Northern Iraq. This is so that the reader may have a fuller picture of the catalysts spurring this Yezidi reimagining. On the one hand, you have the traditional Yezidi leadership caught within a complex series of client-patron relationships with Kurdish leaders: ethnic identification is leveraged for promises of influence and power. While, on the other hand, newly minted Yezidi military commanders, as well as grassroot figures and Yezidi NGOs, are trying to establish themselves as heads of a Yezidi community that is undeniably distinct from their Kurdish neighbours. This paper will further show that the withdrawal of the Kurdish Peshmerga in the face of the ISIS attack in 2014, the half-hearted responses of the regional Kurdish and Federal Iraqi governments, all coupled with the stalled return of Yezidi refugees contributed to a growing Yezidi movement to cement their identity, as well as satiate a growing urgency to define themselves as a distinct ethnoreligious entity.
Non-state Diplomacy Challenges to Authoritarian States: The Open Russia Movement
Authors: Popkova Anna
Published: March 2019

While some scholars assert that non-state actors (NSAs) can be considered as public diplomacy agents in their own right, others argue that NSAs’ work only supplements a state’s public diplomacy efforts. Both groups of scholars, however, focus on collaboration between states and NSAs. This article draws attention to the situations in which transnational NSAs challenge their respective states. Using the transnational movement Open Russia as a case study and drawing on Robert Kelley’s conceptualization of the diplomatic capabilities of NSAs as manifesting themselves in such actions as disruption, agenda-setting, mobilizing and gatekeeping, this article explores the power interplay between Open Russia and its domestic and foreign constituencies. By analysing the potential and the limits of Open Russia’s diplomatic capabilities, the article expands the discussion about NSAs’ role in public diplomacy.
The Corpus of Hebrew and Jewish Autos Sacramentales: Self-deception and Conversion
Authors: Davidi Einat
Published: March 2019

This article identifies a set of plays written in the seventeenth and eighteenth centuries by ‘new Jews’ in the Western Sephardi Diaspora, as autos sacramentales. It discusses essential characteristics of this genre, such as the dual—theomachic and psychomachic—level, the triangle constellation of allegorical characters with human nature in its center and the representatives of good and evil on both sides, and the parallelism created in the play between the cosmic story, the story of humanity, and the story of the individual human soul. It is argued that these characteristics are to be found in plays written by Jews in the Early Modern Era. The article maintains that the appearance of this corpus of plays in the history of Jewish writing indicates that an underlying structure of the psychic and historical consciousness of Western culture had not skipped the Jewish cultural world.
The Dialogical Dimension in the Diary of Chaim Kaplan: 1935–1942
Authors: Ben-Amos Batsheva
Published: March 2019

Chaim Kaplan (1880–1942), principal and owner of a private elementary Hebrew school in Warsaw, wrote a personal diary from 1933 to 1942. So far, only the WWII years have drawn scholarly attention. However, the interpretation of the diary also requires reading his available unpublished entries. An internal dialogical structure dominates his diary where he engages “the other” that interacts with his own inner voice. His pre-war identity is constructed of different and contradicting facets of Zionist ideology, traditional Jewish value system and way of life, and Polish citizenship. When the war broke out, the diary’s range of voices decreased with Kaplan’s position. His rhetoric displays a clear split between “we” and “them” following the ‘dichotomy’ of congregation and segregation. He expresses a greater empathy toward the Jewish “other” as a fellow sufferer, yet his concern with representing truth remains. To maintain this duality, Kaplan developed a literary ‘alter ego.’
Functions and the Aesthetics of Technical Artefacts
Authors: Houkes Wybo
Published: March 2019

In this paper, it is examined to what extent functions, as analysed in the philosophy of technical artefacts, can serve a role in explaining the aesthetic appreciation of these objects. The main conclusion is that, despite first appearances, so-called ‘Functional Beauty’ accounts cannot derive strength from analyses of artefact functions; on the contrary, these analyses constrain the possibilities for developing a suitable, function-based account of aesthetic appreciation. The paper follows a conceptual-engineering approach. After presenting desiderata for an account of aesthetic appreciation, relevant insights are reviewed that are drawn from philosophical work on artefact functions. Combining the desiderata and insights, three major issues are identified that complicate the relation between function ascriptions to and aesthetic appreciation of technical artefacts. In closing, options are offered for resolving these complications or avoiding them altogether.
A Pragmatist Account of Functions in Synthetic Biology
Authors: Achatz Johannes
Published: March 2019

In fields where science and technology overlap, so do different function-ascriptions. The entities of Synthetic Biology research are a case in point, where organisms with biological functionality are altered to perform technical functions. A function theory for SynBiofacts has to address artifactual as well as biological functions of one and the same entity. Further demands on a function theory for Synthetic Biology emerge from methods of SynBiofact creation called kludging and the use-scenarios of SynBiofacts in proof-of-concept research and BioArt. After discussing intentional accounts of technical functions, etiological function theory, contextual causation and contextual selection, a pluralist and weakly normative account of function will be outlined, that, or so it will be argued, can indeed cover all function ascriptions in Synthetic Biology. Lastly, some of the advantages and disadvantages of taking this stance will be outlined.
An Unpublished Letter from Herbert of Cherbury to Grotius on the Expeditio in Ream Insulam: Commentary, Text, and Translation
Authors: Waldmann Felix
Published: March 2019

The following article presents the text and translation of an unpublished letter to Grotius from Edward Herbert (1582?–1648), Lord Cherbury. The letter pertains to Cherbury’s The expedition to the Isle of Rhé or Expeditio in Ream Insulam – his manuscript account of the duke of Buckingham’s abortive siege of the Isle of Ré in July–October 1627.
Introduction: Media and Religious Controversy
Authors: Abdel-Fadil Mona , Årsheim Helge
Published: March 2019

The phrase “religious controversies” is blunt and evocative, and immediately brings up associations to angry mobs, flag burning and, at times, inexplicable rage at seemingly mundane matters. The capacity of religion, whether in its doctrinal, social or institutional form, to generate, propagate and exacerbate controversy appears endless. While this capacity may not be unique to religion, nor recent in origin, the last couple of decades have seen what would appear to be unprecedented levels of religious controversies around the world. This introduction provides a brief backdrop to the overarching theme of mediatized religious controversies, and identifies some cross-cutting issues that have arisen across the different contributions. We identify some general patterns among the controversies dealt with in this special issue, and ask how these patterns may inspire new research efforts.
The Mahishasur Movement Online: a Precarious Network of ‘Demon-Followers’
Authors: Sen Moumita
Published: March 2019

This article addresses the reframing of Hindu history, mythology and rituals in a WhatsApp group as part of a larger social movement called the ‘Mahishasur movement’ arising from a nation-wide controversy around a religio-political ritual. It addresses the mediatized controversy that led to the movement, the creation of this particular social media network, the material circulated on it and the nature of hierarchy between different participants. Contrary to existing scholarship, the findings from my fieldwork in different parts of India show that non-elite precariat groups involved in identity politics at different levels participate in social media activism which has so far been understood as a domain of Anglophone middle classes. The article shows the possibilities and challenges generated by the participation of these non-elite political activists in rural and small town India in social activism alongside their urban counterparts on social networking sites particularly WhatsApp.
[RETRACTED] Evolutionary, Dynamic or Contemporary Interpretation in WTO System?
Authors: Liakopoulos Dimitris
Published: March 2019

The evolutionary interpretation of a norm presents a similar nature—even if obviously not identical—to the modification of the law, which is a process that follows an interpretative method that must be particularly careful not to be in contrast with the intention of the states concerned by the rule. Interpretation in practice, in speciem in the World Trade Organization becomes prescriptive to descriptive, since our aim will be to see the theme of evolutionary interpretation through the jurisprudence of the Organization.
A Human Rights Focus to Upgrade China’s International Lending
Authors: Bohoslavsky Juan Pablo
Published: March 2019

This article offers, using a human rights approach, an in-depth analysis of the functioning of the China’s regulatory framework applicable to external lending through national and international financial institutions as well as concrete proposals to enhance that framework. The article describes and critically assesses the institutional and legal framework of the Chinese international lending and outbound investment, it studies the main trends in the Chinese lending to developing countries in the context of the Chinese “Going Global” strategy, and it presents the human rights impact of external lending and outbound investments in terms of both their positive effects and good practices as well as challenges and concerns. A particular attention is paid to the case of the new pertinent multilateral development banks: New Development Bank and Asian Infrastructure Investment Bank. After presenting the conclusions the article ends proposing for discussion recommendations addressing a wide range of stakeholders.
Thoughts on the Names of the Thirty(-six) Rime Table Initials
Authors: South Coblin W.
Published: March 2019

Closely associated with the Chinese rime table (Chin. děngyùntú 等韻圖) tradition is an ordered list of syllables, referred to in Chinese as the Sānshíliù zìmŭ 三十六字母. As this term indicates, there are thirty-six members in the usually cited full list. A shorter version, found in the so-called Shǒuwēn 守溫 Fragments from Dunhuang, has only thirty members (cf. Coblin 2006a). In addition to the copies of the list incorporated into the various tables themselves, several “disembodied” lists, perhaps copybook exercises of some sort, have also been found in the broader corpus of Chinese Dunhuang texts (Coblin 2006b: 146). The syllable initial classes for which the characters in the rime tables serve as names are basic componential elements in the field of traditional Chinese historical phonology and as such have been subject to intense scrutiny for nearly 1000 years. On the other hand, the actual names themselves have attracted little attention. It has been noted that each naming syllable denoted by the characters in the list embodies the particular medieval syllable initial of the sound class for which it stands in the tables. But beyond this the question of how these particular syllables, rather than all other available ones, were selected, seems to have aroused scant interest among philologists and sinolinguists. It is, accordingly, this question that will be the topic of the present paper.
The cascading crisis and the changing base of popular protest: The case of Iceland
Authors: Bernburg Jón Gunnar
Published: March 2019

The rise of economic injustice protests during the Great Recession era – i.e. against economic inequality, flawed democracy, and austerity – begs the question whether the social and political divisions underlying protest behavior have changed. Iceland offers a microcosm for studying such changes. Since the crisis struck, huge protests against economic injustice have emerged repeatedly, providing an opportunity to study how protest behavior has changed during the cascading crisis, that is, a crisis that started in finance but then led to recession, austerity, and political crisis. This article uses survey data obtained in Iceland before the crisis, and during two protest waves emerging at different stages of the crisis, that is, during the 2008–2009 financial crisis, and during the 2016 ‘Panama Papers leak’. The author finds that economic vulnerability, perceptions of flawed democracy, and political centrism emerged as predictors of protest behavior during the crisis. But the role of ‘new social movements’ allegiance seems to diminish in the later stage of the crisis. The study supports broad theses about changes in popular protest, yet it illustrates the need to embed the work in a given (evolving) social context.
Anticipation of Dispossession: Narratives from the Mallanasagar Reservoir Area
Authors: Kannabiran Kalpana , Satyam Sunkari
Published: March 2019

This article attempts to give voice to the perspectives of people living in ‘anticipation of dispossession.’ While the rationale for development projects involving mass displacement, is that it is the responsibility of the state to expand and diversify economic activity and create opportunities, how tenable is this logic in terms of the lived experience of those facing imminent removal? Can compensation in fact compensate the layers of loss suffered by those who are displaced? The collectivity built around the collective ownership of the village (an ownership distinct from title), and a sense of rootedness and identity—a situated belonging—is jeopardised by dispossession. Is this shared notion of ownership quantifiable? This article explores these questions through conversations and interviews with people living in the villages in the Mallanasagar reservoir area in Telangana that has been marked for submergence in the very near future.
Parotitis coexisting with Kawasaki disease in a child: a rare presentation of Kawasaki disease
Authors: Gökçe Şule , Uysal Nida , Erkmen Hasret , Doğan Eser , Koç Feyza
Published: March 2019

Kawasaki disease (KD), also known as mucocutaneous lymph node syndrome and infantile polyarteritis nodosa, is known to present in multiple ways. Although inflammatory changes in several systems have been reported in KD, there are few documented child patients presenting with parotitis. We report such a case in a five-year-old.
Fire in the Bronx: Austerity, Quality of Life, and Nightlife Regulation in New York City Post-1975
Authors: Bird Jess
Published: March 2019

America’s underground economy has grown strikingly since the 1970s, reflecting consumer demand for cheap prices, workers’ search for alternative sources of income, and government intervention. Far from unregulated, this economy has been managed in crucial ways, revealing a fundamental paradox in free market rhetoric. This was particularly striking in New York City in the latter decades of the twentieth century, where a set of uneven responses to the underground economy expanded its boundaries through new licensing, zoning, and permitting requirements that many businesses could not conform to. A tragic fire at an immigrant social club in March 1990 revealed the problematic turns in municipal policy taken in the aftermath of the city’s fiscal crisis. The lead up and response to the Happy Land Social Club fire by city officials demonstrated a rise in punitive regulation aimed at New York’s marginalized residents in an era of alleged deregulation and small government fetish.
An Optimum Imaging Scheme for IVUS Arrays: Eccentric Cylinder Wave Compounding
Authors: Li Mingxia , Feng Zhihua
Published: March 2019

With the development of integrated circuit (IC) technologies, complex transmitting and receiving circuits can be integrated into miniature intravascular ultrasound (IVUS) catheters, making it possible to adopt better synthesizing schemes for better imaging. Eccentric cylinder wave compounding should be an optimum synthesizing scheme for the small size cylinder shaped catheter. Eccentric cylinder waves centered at different points are emitted, signals are collected after each emission, and images can be synthesized with easy post processing. Detailed analyses about resolution and grating lobes were made; the optimum eccentric distance was determined. Simulations were done to examine the resolution, signal-to-noise ratio, and resistance to crosstalk and nonuniformity of arrays. Dual apodization and magnitude-based deconvolution were applied to further improve the results.
The Changing Role of Academic Achievement Before the Onset of Disordered Eating in Academically High-Achieving Females
Authors: Krafchek Jennifer , Kronborg Leonie
Published: March 2019

The aim of this qualitative study was to investigate the role of academic achievement in the process of stress and coping of academically high-achieving females before the onset of disordered eating. Fourteen academically high-achieving female adults who had developed disordered eating in high school were interviewed, using a semistructured interview protocol. The results of a timeline analysis revealed three phases in the complex interaction of stress and coping before the onset of eating disorder symptoms. Academic achievement was both a coping strategy and a stressor for all of these high-achieving females, but the role of academic achievement changed over the timeline. The findings of this study are potentially relevant for academically high-achieving females, their teachers, and their counselors.
Toxicologic Pathology Forum*: Opinion on Sexual Maturity and Fertility Assessment in Long-tailed Macaques (Macaca fascicularis) in Nonclinical Safety Studies
Authors: Mecklenburg Lars , Luetjens C. Marc , Weinbauer Gerhard F.
Published: March 2019

If nonhuman primates represent the only relevant species for nonclinical safety evaluation of biotechnology-derived products, male and female fertility effects can be assessed in repeat dose toxicity studies given that sexually mature monkeys are used. This opinion piece provides recommendations for determining sexual maturity and when/how fertility assessments should be conducted in the cynomolgus monkey. Male sexual maturity should be proven by presence of sperm in a semen sample, female sexual maturity by at least two consecutive menstrual bleedings. As per regulatory guidance, default parameters for an indirect assessment of fertility in both sexes are reproductive organ weight and histopathology. Beyond default parameters, daily vaginal swabs are recommended for females, and for males, it is recommended to include blood collections (for potential analysis of reproductive hormones), testis volume sonography, and collection of frozen testis samples at necropsy. Only if there is a cause for concern, blood collection for potential reproductive hormone analysis should be conducted in females and semen analysis in males. In principle, adverse reproductive effects can be detected within 4 weeks of test article administration, depending on study design and reproductive end point chosen. Therefore, there are options for addressing reproductive toxicity aspects with studies of less than 3 months dosing duration.

[Box: see text]
Comparison of invasive micropapillary and invasive ductal carcinoma of the breast: a matched cohort study
Authors: Yoon Ga Young , Cha Joo Hee , Kim Hak Hee , Shin Hee Jung , Chae Eun Young , Choi Woo Jung
Published: March 2019

Background

Invasive micropapillary carcinoma (IMPC) is a rare subtype of breast cancer and is presumed to have a poorer survival outcome than invasive ductal carcinoma (IDC). However, studies for clinical outcomes including imaging features are still scarce.

Purpose

To investigate differences in clinical outcomes between IMPC and IDC and to determine prognostic factors indicating survival, including imaging features.

Material and Methods

This retrospective study was approved by the institutional review board. Between 2007 and 2012, 308 women diagnosed with IMPC were matched with patients from a group of 6816 women diagnosed with IDC. Patients were matched with 17 clinicopathologic covariates using propensity score matching. Recurrence-free survival (RFS) and overall survival (OS) were compared between the IMPC and IDC groups using Kaplan–Meier estimates. Log-rank tests were performed to compare the survival curves. A Cox proportional hazard model was used to analyze the association of imaging features with survival.

Results

In total, 308 matched patient pairs were available for survival analysis. The IMPC group showed worse total RFS (hazard ratio [HR] = 1.63, P = 0.016), local RFS (HR = 2.86, P = 0.042), and distant RFS (HR = 1.85 P = 0.018), but there was no significant difference in OS (HR = 1.30, P = 0.335). A mass with calcification on mammography was an independent factor for worse RFS in the IMPC group and combined IMPC and IDC groups. IMPC subtype was a significant independent factor for worse RFS in the combined groups.

Conclusion

The IMPC group showed poorer recurrence-free survival outcomes than the IDC group. A mass with calcification on mammography were associated with poor RFS.
Bi-exponential versus mono-exponential diffusion-weighted imaging for evaluating prostate cancer aggressiveness after radical prostatectomy: a whole-tumor histogram analysis
Authors: Zhang Peipei , Min Xiangde , Wang Liang , Feng Zhaoyan , Ke Zan , You Huijuan , Fan Chanyuan , Li Qiubai
Published: March 2019

Background

The diagnostic efficacy of mono- and bi-exponential diffusion models are controversial in prostate cancer (PCa) aggressiveness evaluation. Whole-tumor histogram analysis may have the potential to improve their efficacy.

Purpose

To compare the efficacy of mono- and bi-exponential diffusion models for evaluating PCa aggressiveness using whole-tumor histogram analysis.

Material and Methods

In this retrospective study, 72 patients with PCa confirmed by radical prostatectomy were included. All patients underwent multi-b-value diffusion-weighted imaging (DWI). The mono-exponential model parameter (apparent diffusion coefficient [ADC]) and bi-exponential model parameters ( D, D*, and f ) were calculated and whole-tumor histogram analysis was performed. Tumor lesions were classified into low-grade (LG) and high-grade (HG) Gleason grade groups. Spearman analysis was used to evaluate the correlations between the histogram metrics and Gleason score (GS). The area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) was used to assess the discriminatory capacity of each parameter in distinguishing LG from HG PCa.

Results

Most histogram metrics of ADC and D showed significant correlations with the GS. None of the histogram metrics of D* and only the maximum value and skewness of f showed significant correlations with GS. The 90th percentile ADC and 90th and 75th percentile D showed relatively higher efficacies than other histogram metrics. However, their AUCs were not significantly higher than that of mean ADC.

Conclusion

The bi-exponential model was not superior to the mono-exponential diffusion model for evaluating PCa aggressiveness. The histogram metrics did not outperform the conventional mean value.
Effect of large follicle puncture on IVF-ET outcome in patients with unsynchronized follicle maturationcan
Authors: Wang Xinrong , Wang Wenjuan , Qu Qinglan , Zhang Ning , Hao Cuifang , Ma Ding
Published: March 2019

Objective

This retrospective study was conducted to explore causes of unsynchronized follicular maturation (UFM) and analyze the effects of large follicle puncture on embryo quality and pregnancy outcome.

Methods

Clinical features and controlled ovulation hyperstimulation (COH) were compared between the puncture group (n = 48) and the control group (n = 2545). We analyzed the COH process with in vitro fertilization during fresh cycle embryo transfer with different clinical pregnancy outcomes. We compared clinical characteristics and COH process of patients in the clinical pregnancy (n = 774) and non-clinical pregnancy (n = 527) groups. Finally, factors related to pregnancy outcomes were analyzed using multivariate logistic regression analysis.

Results

Age, level of estradiol on down-regulation day, and initial gonadotropin dose were significantly higher in the puncture group than in the control group. We detected significant differences in age, infertility, and body mass index (BMI) between the clinical and non-clinical pregnancy groups. Age, BMI, and endometrial thickness on the day of human chorionic gonadotropin administration were the independent factors influencing pregnancy outcome.

Conclusions

Patient’s age and level of anti-Müllerian hormone were the main factors causing UFM in patients undergoing COH. Large follicle puncture had no significant effect on pregnancy outcome.
Discover, Instrumentalize, Monopolize: Fidesz’s Three-Step Blueprint for a Populist Take-over of Referendums
Authors: van Eeden Pepijn
Published: March 2019

This article assesses the referendums in Hungary in 2004, 2008, and 2016 diachronically. The review is framed by two competing liberal parliamentary approaches to direct democracy: A useful democratic corrective to the distortions of particracy, or a risky option leading to tyranny of the majority? Rather than choosing sides, this article shows how the conundrum conceals another, more interesting question: Which are the constraints under which the liberal parliamentary viewpoint shifts from the one to the other? Theorizing on post-democracy and populism provides a provisional answer: A consensualized, “post-political” parliament is key, as this, in combination with widening social-economic disparities, incentivizes illiberal populist parties to harness referendums, which prompts liberal parliamentarianists to change their minds. The referendums in 2004, 2008, and 2016 in Hungary substantiate this suspicion. Taken together, they offer a step-by-step blueprint for how, in a thoroughly postpolitical situation, a referendum evolves into a perfect catalyst for populists on their road to power, enabling them with (a) agenda-setting; (b) an explosive emphasis on popular legitimacy; (c) arousing voluntarism, while luring opponents into campaigning for boycott and political apathy; (d) combining social equalitarianism with identarian protectionism, and most importantly; (e) bypassing parliament itself.

This article is part of the special cluster titled Political Parties and Direct Democracy in Eastern Europe, guest-edited by Sergiu Gherghina.
Ukrainian Immigrants and Entrepreneurship Drain: Towards a Concept of Governance-Induced Migration
Authors: Andrejuk Katarzyna
Published: March 2019

The article develops a concept of governance-induced migration, focusing on the aspect of migrant motivations that remains largely underexamined in current migration research. The wage differentials, family reasons, and availability of welfare benefits are often indicated as the aspects of the host state with a “magnetic” power of attraction. The article argues that other aspects of state development also may prominently influence the behaviour of immigrants and their readiness to settle in a receiving country. The case study presented here of Ukrainian migrant entrepreneurs in Poland (interviews with fifty-one respondents) demonstrates that their motivations for migration are more complex and diversified. They encompass not only the economic and family reasons but also the quality and efficiency of public institutions. Governance-induced migration is associated with the perception of the host state as more citizen-friendly, transparent, effective in ensuring safety, and providing an environment for development. The differences between Poland and Ukraine in the functionality of public institutions and the level of socio-political risks lead to enhanced migration flows and entrepreneurship drain from Ukraine.
A damage identification method for a thin plate structure based on PVDF sensors and strain mode
Authors: Cui Hongyu , Peng Weiqiang , Xu Xin , Hong Ming
Published: March 2019

Damage identification methods for engineering structures based on vibration parameters have the advantages of easy detection and high precision; however, structural strain information is more sensitive to structural damage than displacement information. Traditional resistance strain sensors have low accuracy and poor stability when measuring structural strains. Therefore, this paper uses a highly sensitive polyvinylidene fluoride dynamic strain sensor to identify structural damage in a thin plate. The polyvinylidene fluoride sensor is used to obtain structural strain response information, and structural modal parameters are identified using operational modal identification methods based on the natural excitation technique and the eigensystem realization algorithm. This paper uses a damage index based on mode shape and flexibility. A new damage index based on the LU decomposition of the flexibility matrix is used to identify the damage of the thin plate structure. The effectiveness of the modal identification methods and the new damage index is validated via an elastic thin plate experiment. The results show that the modal identification method and the new damage index proposed in this paper can identify damage in a thin plate structure. Sensor comparison experiments also show that compared with a resistance strain sensor, the polyvinylidene fluoride sensor has higher damage sensitivity, better damage recognition and the ability to recognize farther from the sensor.
Conceptual design and dimensional optimization of the linear delta robot with single legs for additive manufacturing
Authors: Rodriguez Efrain , Alvares Alberto J , Jaimes Cristhian IR
Published: March 2019

Because of remarkable characteristics such as superior speeds and accelerations, high stiffness and good dynamic performance, parallel robots are being increasingly adjusted to different task requirements in the manufacturing field. Their parallel structures made by closed-loop kinematic chains are better suited to develop new curved and multidirectional fabrication strategies in Additive Manufacturing. Based on this application, the conceptual design and dimensional optimization of a new structure of the linear delta parallel robot for Additive Manufacturing (three-dimensional printing) is presented. The new structure uses an innovative concept of delta mechanism with single legs and rotational joints, which consists of 12 links (three single parallel legs), three prismatic joints, and 11 revolute joints. A particular feature of the proposed mechanism is that it contains a joint common to all the kinematic chains instead of a mobile platform. Quality function deployment is used as a methodology for conceptual design. Then the kinematics of the mechanism is described in detail, including mobility analysis, inverse and direct kinematics, and a study of dimensional optimization. A method of efficient optimization based on genetic algorithms is used to find the minimum dimensional parameters of the robot, considering the maximization of the useful workspace as main performance index. Finally, a prototype of the robot is developed to validate the design concepts and functionality of the machine.
When is an outlier not an outlier?
Authors: Williams Phil
Published: March 2019

The tendency of the users of NIRS is to think of the composition particularly in terms of the reference data, for the prediction of which the technique is to be used. The concept and principle of NIRS analysis differ from classical chemical analysis in that NIRS is based exclusively on the spectra. Spectra are of course, derived from the chemical and physical make-up of the material, but the spectra can differ among materials that are reported as having the same chemical composition. This is particularly a factor with growing crops, and is exemplified in the article, which endorses the recommendation to take replicate samples of the same reported composition for calibration development.
Relevance theory and metaphor: An analysis of Tom Waits’ ‘Emotional Weather Report’
Authors: Price Hazel , Wilson Jack
Published: March 2019

‘Emotional Weather Report’ is a song by Tom Waits from his 1975 album, Nighthawks at the Diner. ‘Nighthawk’ is a US colloquial term popularised by its use as the title of Edward Hopper’s 1942 painting ‘Nighthawks’, which depicts a nocturnal scene in a New York diner. The term is used to describe people who habitually seek entertainment or companionship in the night-time hours. Waits refers implicitly to Hopper’s work throughout the song, using metaphorical language to present a first-person account of the emotional state of a nighthawk by drawing on the weather report format. Waits’ language relies on the listener’s specific geographical, meteorological and cultural knowledge to understand his communicative intention. The song prompts the listener to bring different levels of encyclopaedic knowledge to an interpretation, and affords differing levels of understanding without distorting the extended metaphor of ‘weather is Waits’ emotions’. This article explores the advantages of a relevance theoretic approach to the stylistic analysis of lyrics. We discuss how the figurative language in Waits’ lyrics is foregrounded by the listener’s schematic/encyclopaedic knowledge of Waits’ history as a performer, of meteorological phenomena and of American culture. We argue that a comprehensive stylistic analysis of a song necessitates a consideration of numerous factors in addition to linguistic choice, including the presentation of the performer, the genre of music and the performer’s history. Such a consideration is paramount to (a) successful metaphorical mapping for the listener, (b) a full analysis of the text as a cultural artefact for the critic, and (c) the achievement of a cohesive and distinct style for the performer.
Developing and employing a ‘responsive manualization’ in the ‘Acupuncture Approaches to Decrease Disparities in Outcomes of Pain Treatment’ comparative effectiveness study
Authors: Nielsen Arya , Anderson Belinda , Citkovitz Claudia , Botet Patricia , Correia Susana , Duque Valentina , Greene Selina , Mah Donna , Moore Dana , Pagliarini Amy , McKee M Diane , Kligler Benjamin
Published: March 2019

Objective:

The aim of this article is to describe the process used to develop an acupuncture therapy manual for a large effectiveness trial comparing individual care against group care for chronic pain in an underserved population. The design needed to not only ensure research consistency and replicability but also be ‘responsive’ to real world heterogeneous and evolving presentations in challenging physical settings.

Background:

Chronic pain is prevalent in the United States. While acupuncture is effective for chronic pain, minority, ethnically diverse and lower socioeconomic populations have limited access. Group acupuncture is proposed as a lower cost option to facilitate access in safety net settings, but research on the effectiveness of group versus individual acupuncture is lacking.

Methods:

We engaged a modified Delphi process with expert practitioners from diverse backgrounds who were experienced in individual and group practice. All contributions were recorded and collated for second- and third-round consensus discussions that included contributions by the trial’s research acupuncturists.

Results:

A ‘responsive manual’ flow chart was created with suggested sequencing that included interviews concurrent with palpation, Tui na, Gua sha, acupuncture needling, ear treatment, basic recommendations and options for departure with rationale. The manual was implemented by six research acupuncturists in five primary care settings in the Bronx, New York, with weekly team meetings to discuss manual use. There were no serious adverse events (AE) and few minor AE reported in this trial.

Conclusion:

A ‘responsive manual’ can be structured and implemented that is not only consistent and replicable but also flexible to accommodate the real-world clinical needs of practitioners and patients in challenging physical settings.
Data-Based Decision Making for Struggling Readers in the Secondary Grades
Authors: Filderman Marissa J. , Austin Christy R. , Toste Jessica R.
Published: March 2019

The process of implementing intensive reading interventions using data-based decision-making (DBDM) becomes increasingly challenging as students move into the secondary grades and reading tasks correspondingly become more complex. This article provides teachers with guidelines to support effective implementation of DBDM for students with or at risk for reading disabilities in the secondary grades. Specifically, this article presents four steps for secondary teachers to follow within the context of a reading intervention to decide when instructional changes are needed based on progress-monitoring data. Diagnostic assessment is explained to determine students’ strengths and weaknesses in order to target instruction accordingly. A case study is included throughout to demonstrate application of the steps as well as supplemental materials to help teachers implement this practice in their classrooms.
A Computer-Based Graphic Organizer With Embedded Self-Regulated Learning Strategies to Support Student Writing
Authors: Hughes Melissa D. , Regan Kelley S. , Evmenova Anya
Published: March 2019

Written expression is often difficult for students with and without learning disabilities. Research-based strategies to support this essential skill include self-regulated learning strategies, technology, and tools for planning and writing. This article describes a multifaceted technology-based writing intervention with embedded self-regulated learning strategies known as a computer-based graphic organizer or CBGO. The CBGO is described to assist teachers in their efforts to support upper elementary and middle school students to plan and write a high-quality persuasive paragraph. Recommendations for instructional use are discussed.
Prevention and Mitigation of Intimate-Partner Violence: The Role of Community Leaders in Tanzania
Authors: Simmons Elizabeth , Halim Nafisa , Servidone Maria , Steven Ester , Reich Naomi , Badi Lilian , Holmes Nelson , Kawemama Philbert , Messersmith Lisa J.
Published: March 2019

Intimate-partner violence (IPV) is a major public health issue that disproportionately affects women, especially in Tanzania where 40% of women report experiencing IPV. While IPV research has focused on IPV victims and perpetrators, community leaders can provide valuable insight on IPV at the community level. We conducted 50 key informant interviews with community leaders in nine villages in the Karatu district. These leaders identified common themes regarding IPV causes and consequences, reporting methods, and future recommendations. This information can help mitigate IPV at the community level in future interventions and shows community leaders themselves could be powerful tools in future IPV programming.
Preliminary investigation on feline coronavirus presence in the reproductive tract of the tom cat as a potential route of viral transmission
Authors: Stranieri Angelica , Probo Monica , Pisu Maria C , Fioletti Alberto , Meazzi Sara , Gelain Maria E , Bonsembiante Federico , Lauzi Stefania , Paltrinieri Saverio
Published: March 2019

Objectives

Feline infectious peritonitis (FIP) is an immune-mediated disease initiated by feline coronavirus (FCoV) infection. To date, the only proven route of transmission is the faecal–oral route, but a possible localisation of FCoV in the reproductive tract of tom cats is of concern, owing to the involvement of the male reproductive tract during FIP and to the presence of reproduction disorders in FCoV-endemic feline catteries. The aim of the study was to investigate the presence and localisation of FCoV in semen and/or in the reproductive tract of tom cats, and its possible association with seroconversion and viraemic phase.

Methods

Blood, serum, semen and/or testicle samples were obtained from 46 tom cats. Serology was performed on 38 serum samples, nested reverse transcriptase PCR (nRT-PCR) and reverse transcriptase quantitative PCR (RT-qPCR) were performed on 39 blood samples and on 17 semen samples, and histology, immunohistochemistry and nRT-PCR were performed on 39 testicles.

Results

Twenty-four of 38 serum samples were positive on serology. Semen samples were negative on RT-PCR and RT-qPCR for FCoV, while all blood samples were negative at both molecular methods, except for one sample positive at RT-qPCR with a very low viral load. All testicles were negative at immunohistochemistry, while six were positive at nRT-PCR for FCoV. Serology and blood PCR results suggest that the virus was present in the environment, stimulating transient seroconversion. FCoV seems not to localise in the semen of tom cats, making the venereal route as a way of transmission unlikely. Although viral RNA was found in some testicles, it could not be correlated with the viraemic phase.

Conclusions and relevance

In the light of these preliminary results, artificial insemination appears safer than natural mating as it eliminates the direct contact between animals, thus diminishing the probability of faecal–oral FCoV transmission.
Inter- and intra-observer reliability of quantitative sensory testing performed with the SMall animal ALGOmeter (SMALGO) to evaluate pain associated with feline gingivostomatitis
Authors: Machin Hanna , Pevere Serena , Adami Chiara
Published: March 2019

Objectives

The aim of this study was to evaluate the inter- and intra-observer reliability of quantitative sensory testing performed with the SMall animal ALGOmeter (SMALGO) in healthy cats and in cats with chronic gingivostomatitis (CGS), and to evaluate the SMALGO as a tool to detect and quantify pain in cats with CGS.

Methods

Thirty cats from a private shelter were included and assigned to one of two groups: group C (healthy cats; n = 15) or group CGS (cats with CGS; n = 15). In all cats the mechanical thresholds were measured with the SMALGO, with the sensor tip applied to the superior lip above the canine root, by two independent investigators (A, experienced; B, unexperienced), on two different occasions (day 1 and day 2) with a 24 h interval. A CGS scale was used in the diseased cats to assess the severity of the condition. For the reliability analysis, intra-class correlation coefficients (ICCs) were calculated. Other statistical tests used were Pearson correlation coefficient and a paired t-test.

Results

The inter- and intra-observer levels of agreement were fair (ICC = 0.50) and good, respectively (ICC = 0.73 for investigator A; ICC = 0.60 for investigator B). However, the thresholds measured in healthy cats (169 ± 59 g) did not differ from those obtained from diseased cats (156 ± 82 g; P = 0.35). There was no correlation between the scores of the CGS scale and the thresholds measured in diseased cats (Pearson correlation coefficient = 0.047; P = 0.87).

Conclusions and relevance

Quantitative sensory testing performed with the SMALGO in cats is repeatable and reliable, regardless of the expertise of the investigator. However, the findings of this study suggest that the mechanical thresholds measured with the SMALGO may not be a valuable indicator of pain in cats with CGS.
Validation of a Hidradenitis Suppurativa Self-Assessment Tool
Authors: Senthilnathan Aditi , Kolli Sree S. , Cardwell Leah A. , Richardson Irma , Feldman Steven R. , Pichardo Rita O.
Published: March 2019

Background:

Hidradenitis suppurativa (HS) is a debilitating dermatologic condition presenting with recurrent abscesses. While there are multiple scales to determine HS severity, none are designed for self-administration. A validated severity self-assessment tool may facilitate survey research and improve communication by allowing patients to objectively report their HS severity between clinic visits.

Objectives:

The purpose of this study was to assess a self-administered HS measure.

Methods:

An HS self-assessment tool (HSSA) with 10 photographs of different Hurley stages was developed. The tool was administered to patients diagnosed with HS who visited the Wake Forest Baptist Health dermatology clinic over a span of 2 months. Physician-administered Hurley stage was recorded to determine criterion validity. To assess test-retest reliability of the measure, patients completed the HSSA again at least 30 minutes after the first completion.

Results:

Twenty-four patients completed the measure, and 20 of these patients completed it twice. Agreement between physician-determined Hurley stage and self-determined Hurley stage was 66.7% with a weighted kappa of 0.57 (95% confidence interval [CI]: 0.30-0.84). The weighted kappa for agreement between patients’ initial and second completion of the HSSA was 0.81 (95% CI: 0.64-0.99).

Conclusions:

The self-administered measure provides moderate agreement with physician-determined Hurley stage and good test-retest reliability.
History, culture and practice of puppy play
Authors: Lawson Jamie , Langdridge Darren
Published: March 2019

In this article we explore the history, culture and practice of the phenomenon known as ‘puppy play’. Puppy play is a practice in which people take on the persona of a dog (or handler), with participants often wearing specialist gear to further enhance the experience of being a puppy. We argue that puppy play is best understood sociologically as a ‘postmodern-subculture’ (Greener and Hollands, 2006). Additionally, we use Irwin's (1973) model of scene evolution to explore the socio-history of the community. Whilst this practice appears to have its historical roots within the highly sexual gay leatherman subculture, there is a division within this community between sexual and social play, with some participants eschewing the sexual entirely. We explore possible reasons for this split through an analysis using recent political theory concerning technologies of the self, sexual citizenship and BDSM. Through this analysis we contribute valuable empirical evidence to debates and discussion about the development of sexual subcultures and tensions therein concerning claims for rights and the ‘politics of respectability’ (Cruz, 2016a, 2016b).
Neural networks for lateral torsional buckling strength assessment of cellular steel I-beams
Authors: Sharifi Yasser , Moghbeli Adel , Hosseinpour Mahmoud , Sharifi Hojjat
Published: March 2019

An artificial neural network model was developed as a reliable modeling method for simulating and predicting the ultimate force capacities of cellular steel beams. The required data in training, validating, and testing states were obtained from a reliable database. A new formula based on the artificial neural network was proposed to predict the failure loads of cellular steel beams subjected to lateral torsional buckling. The attempt was done to evaluate a practical formula considering all parameters which may affect the lateral torsional buckling strength. Then, a comparison was made between the proposed formula and the predictions obtained from Australian Standard (AS4100). The results provided some evidence that proposed formula obtained more accurate predictions than AS4100 design guides. Finally, a sensitivity analysis was developed using Garson’s algorithm to determine the importance of each input parameters.