bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Revision of the new world fauna of Mesembrina Meigen (Diptera: Muscidae) with the description of a new neotropical species
Authors: KUCHTA JAMES S. , SAVAGE JADE
Published: May 2019

The large striking flies of the genus Mesembrina are typically found in boreal forest and at high elevations throughout the Northern Hemisphere. While it is known that most species are decomposers of ungulate dung, biological and taxonomic information on the New World fauna of Mesembrina is mostly out of date or unreliable. Consequently, the Nearctic taxa have been revised, resulting in the new synonymy of Mesembrina solitaria (Knab) with Mesembrina decipiens Loew, making M. decipiens the only species of the genus with a confirmed Holarctic distribution. Mesembrina latreillii Robineau-Desvoidy, contrary to previous indications, may be restricted to the Nearctic Region. The first Neotropical member of the genus, Mesembrina nigribasis sp. nov. is described. To place the New World fauna in context, a key to the world species of Mesembrina is provided. This key includes a species designated by Hennig as “resplendens subspecies” from the Palaearctic, which is a distinct but undescribed species.
A novel stress analysis method for composite Z-stiffeners under mechanical and thermal loads
Authors: Lu WT , Singh S , Chan WS
Published: May 2019

A closed-form analytical solution is developed for analyzing laminated composite beam with asymmetric Z cross-section. The explicit expressions for evaluating sectional properties such as centroid, shear center, equivalent bending/torsional stiffness and warping stiffness are formulated based upon modified lamination theory and taken into consideration of the structural deformation characteristics of beam with narrow section. The ply stresses of flanges and web laminates are computed for composite Z-stiffener under axial, bending, and torsional loads. The present results give excellent agreement with the results from ANSYS™. A parametric study of their centroid and shear center with various layup sequences was performed by using the developed solution. It is found that the sectional properties are not only dependent of structural configuration but also the laminate property. Moreover, these properties are only dependent of structural configuration if the entire Z-stiffener is made of the same family laminates regardless their ply orientation and stacking sequence. It is concluded that the present approach is a viable and efficient method for designing composite Z-stiffener.
The liability of the doctor and the health authority when the mental health patient is discharged or released on leave or escapes and something goes amiss
Authors: Samuels Alec
Published: May 2019

This study describes the legal liabilities when the discharged or released on leave patient harms himself or a third party. The nature of the duty of the doctor and the hospital are explained.
Combined Authorities and material participation: The capacity of Green Belt to engage political publics in England
Authors: Bradley Quintin
Published: May 2019

The aim of this paper is to consider the passions aroused by Green Belts in their urban containment function as a political accomplishment that has the capacity to orient publics around new spaces of governance. The paper addresses what it identifies as a problem of relevance in the new Combined Authorities in England where public identity and belonging may be more firmly rooted in other places and settings. It draws on the literature on material participation to locate the capacity to foster public belonging in objects, things and settings, and considers the environmental planning designation of Green Belt as an assemblage of the human and non-human which has the power to connect and contain. In a case study of plans for Green Belt reduction in the Greater Manchester Combined Authority, the paper evidences the power of the non-human to mobilise public engagement and to foster territorial identity. The paper concludes by setting out an approach to public participation that foregrounds the importance of material interests and affective relations with objects and things in the formation of political communities.
In perspective: Setting up new Combined Authorities in England: A National Audit Office assessment
Authors: Murphie Aileen
Published: May 2019

In May 2017, nine combined authorities had been created in England. Also, by May 2017, six of the combined authorities had held mayoral elections and England now has six new elected officials at what one might call regional level, elected on turnouts of between 21 and 34% of local electorates. This means that 34% of the population of England now lives in combined authority areas and 22% in combined authority areas with an elected mayor. So, the administrative map of England now looks different and the governance of England is now different. The question is how much the new authorities will matter. The second question is how well combined authorities are set up to benefit local areas. The creation of combined authorities effectively forms a statute-based vehicle to take forward devolution deals. The subsidary question relates to the future of devolution: are the combined authorities now in existence the start of a new wave? Or the high point? In this article I will set out the challenges currently facing the combined authorities and set out the financial context in which they are operating.
Far From Home: An Examination of the Juvenile Visitation Experience and the Barriers to Getting There
Authors: Young Brae Campion , Nadel Melissa R. , Bales William D. , Pesta George B. , Greenwald Mark A.
Published: May 2019

Despite a growing body of research on prison visitation, very few studies have examined visitation among committed juvenile offenders. As a result, we have little understanding of how youth experience visits and why some never receive them. This article fills these gaps. Using surveys collected from 1,202 youth released from residential facilities in Florida, we found that among youth who were visited, they had positive experiences with visits and that families went to great lengths to visit. For those youth who were not visited, the most common barrier was distance from home. However, some youth were not visited because they refused visits or because families withheld visits as punishment. Moreover, despite the possibility that lack of visitation is harmful, we found that most not-visited youth had positive perceptions of their future success. Policy implications and directions for research are discussed.
Work-Related Intervention Programs: Desistance From Criminality and Occupational Integration Among Released Prisoners on Parole
Authors: Peled-Laskov Ronit , Shoham Efrat , Cojocaru Lutzy
Published: May 2019

The present research examines the integration into employment of prisoners on parole who had been under the supervision of the Prisoner Rehabilitation Authority during the period 2007-2010. The supervision program included rehabilitation in the community, with the emphasis on employment. The research compares integration in employment and rates of reincarceration for the supervised group with prisoners who had been released from prison after serving their full sentences. The findings indicate that among prisoners who had participated in the supervision program, there is better integration into employment, a higher wage level, and lower rate of reincarceration. Based on these results, it may be tentatively inferred that the supervision program possesses a high potential for reintegrating released prisoners into the community.
Cushioning energy absorption of composite layered structures including paper corrugation, paper honeycomb and expandable polyethylene
Authors: Guo Yanfeng , Ji Meijuan , Fu Yungang , Pan Dan , Wang Xingning , Kang Jianfen
Published: May 2019

The composite layered structures including paper corrugation, paper honeycomb and expandable polyethylene are innovative structures of cushioning energy absorption, and the compression and impact resistances of the expandable polyethylene can be enhanced by laminating the corrugated paperboard or honeycomb paperboard. This article evaluated the compression performance and cushioning energy absorption of the composite layered structures by the static compression and drop impact compression tests. On one hand, the static compression properties showed that the total energy absorption, energy absorption per unit volume and stroke efficiency of the composite layered structures were all higher than those of expandable polyethylene. The specific energy absorption was enhanced with the increase in compression strain but almost not affected by the compression rate. The specific energy absorption of the composite layered structures including the expandable polyethylene and honeycomb paperboard was greater than those of the expandable polyethylene and corrugated paperboard. The energy absorption efficiency of the composite layered structures including the expandable polyethylene and corrugated paperboard was large for the low compression stress level, yet that of the composite layered structures including the expandable polyethylene and honeycomb paperboard was large for the high compression stress level. On the other hand, the dynamic compression characteristics showed that the peak stress, energy absorption per unit area, energy absorption per unit volume and specific energy absorption of the composite layered structures embodying paper sandwich cores and expandable polyethylene had linear increasing trends with the increase of drop shock energy. At the same drop impact condition, the composite layered structures including the honeycomb paperboard and expandable polyethylene had better cushioning energy absorption, the peak stress decreased by 23.6% on average, the energy absorption efficiency raised by 8.85% on average and the specific energy absorption increased by 18.1% on average than those including the corrugated paperboard and expandable polyethylene. Therefore, the corrugated paperboard and honeycomb paperboard can helpfully improve the cushioning energy absorption of the expandable polyethylene, and the composite layered structures embodying the expandable polyethylene, corrugated paperboard and honeycomb paperboard may hold excellent packaging protection.
Neurology residents’ knowledge of the management of headache
Authors: Kristoffersen Espen Saxhaug , Faiz Kashif Waqar , Winsvold Bendik Slagsvold
Published: May 2019

Background

In Norway, as in most other countries, the training program for clinical neurology has no mandatory headache program. Knowledge in headache management must therefore be acquired during everyday clinical training. The objectives of this study were to investigate neurology residents’ knowledge of headache.

Methods

A questionnaire survey was undertaken among neurology residents in Norway.

Results

All 17 neurological departments in Norway participated, and 143 residents responded (86%). Sixty percent were women, mean age was 32.5 years, and the respondents had an average of 28 months clinical training in neurology. Fifty-six percent knew the approximate prevalence of migraine and chronic headache. Thirty-seven percent asked their patients about disability, quality of life, and social functioning at every consultation. Further, 72% would prescribe prophylaxis for chronic tension-type headache and 97% for very frequent migraine. One third wrongly stated that use of the most common headache prophylactics could lead to medication-overuse headache. Headache diaries were used regularly by 63% for diagnostic purposes, and 73% requested an MRI for all long-lasting headaches referred to neurological outpatient clinics.

Conclusion

Although a major public health problem, headache knowledge is moderate at best, and its management clearly varies. There is an unmet need for a better and more structured headache training program in Norway.
Real-Time Pedestrian Detection Approach with an Efficient Data Communication Bandwidth Strategy
Authors: Rahman Mizanur , Islam Mhafuzul , Calhoun Jon , Chowdhury Mashrur
Published: May 2019

Vehicle-to-pedestrian communication could significantly improve pedestrian safety at signalized intersections. However, it is unlikely that pedestrians will typically be carrying a low latency communication-enabled device with an activated pedestrian safety application in their hand-held device all the time. Because of this, multiple traffic cameras at a signalized intersection could be used to accurately detect and locate pedestrians using deep learning, and broadcast safety alerts related to pedestrians to warn connected and automated vehicles around signalized intersections. However, the unavailability of high-performance roadside computing infrastructure and the limited network bandwidth between traffic cameras and the computing infrastructure limits the ability of real-time data streaming and processing for pedestrian detection. In this paper, we describe an edge computing-based real-time pedestrian detection strategy that combines a pedestrian detection algorithm using deep learning and an efficient data communication approach to reduce bandwidth requirements while maintaining high pedestrian detection accuracy. We utilize a lossy compression technique on traffic camera data to determine the tradeoff between the reduction of the communication bandwidth requirements and a defined pedestrian detection accuracy. The performance of the pedestrian detection strategy is measured in relation to pedestrian classification accuracy with varying peak signal-to-noise ratios. The analyses reveal that we detect pedestrians by maintaining a defined detection accuracy with a peak signal-to-noise ratio 43 dB while reducing the communication bandwidth from 9.82 Mbits/sec to 0.31 Mbits/sec, a 31× reduction.
Safety Evaluation of Roundabouts in Georgia
Authors: Gbologah Franklin E. , Guin Angshuman , Rodgers Michael O.
Published: May 2019

U.S. roundabout growth has been significant in recent years and many published studies have documented significant safety benefits of roundabouts. However, the safety benefits for a roundabout may vary from region to region depending on many local factors. Therefore, transportation agencies can make more informed implementation decisions with local safety evaluations rather than published national findings. However, roundabouts are relatively new in the United States and most departments of transportation, including Georgia, are often hindered by the data availability requirements of the state-of-the-art empirical Bayes analysis evaluation procedure. This current study provides a safety evaluation of 23 Georgia roundabouts. It adopts a time-dependent form of the Highway Safety Manual predictive (empirical Bayes) method to estimate potential crash reductions across all crashes and all injury/fatal crashes. The method extends the empirical Bayes procedure towards a full Bayesian analysis. The findings indicate a 37–48% reduction in average crash frequency for all crashes and a 51–60% reduction in average crash frequency for injury/fatal crashes at four-leg roundabouts that were converted from stop-controlled and conventional intersections. In addition, when analyzed as a group, three-leg and four-leg roundabouts converted from stop-controlled and conventional intersections collectively experienced 56% reduction in average crash frequency for all crashes and 69% reduction in injury/fatal crashes. The study did not consider five-leg roundabouts because of small sample size and concerns about the form of the safety performance function. The adopted methodology offers departments of transportation with data availability challenges an alternative evaluation framework that retains the positive attributes of empirical Bayes analysis.
Neurovascular Lesions in Pediatric Epilepsy
Authors: Kassiri J. , Rajapakse T. , Wheatley M. , Sinclair D. B.
Published: May 2019

Introduction:

Neurovascular lesions are rare and understudied in the pediatric population. Their initial presentation can range from seizures to focal neurologic deficits, as well as headaches. The goal of this study was to examine the clinical presentation and natural history of neurovascular lesions in children with epilepsy.

Methods:

We reviewed all pediatric epilepsy patients with neurovascular lesions diagnosed between 2006 and 2018 at the University of Alberta and the Stollery Children’s Hospital, Edmonton, Canada. Initial clinical presentation and brain imaging, as well as long-term epilepsy and postsurgical outcome, were assessed.

Results:

Of the 14 patients, 10 patients had an initial presentation of focal seizures with impaired awareness, whereas 2 patients presented with headache, 1 presented with visual field defects as well as chronic headaches, and 1 with decreased level of consciousness. Seven patients had cavernous angiomas, 6 had arteriovenous malformation, and 1 patient had an arteriovenous fistula. Notably, all patients with cavernous angiomas and 4 of 6 patients with arteriovenous malformations presented with seizures. Among 9 of the 14 who underwent neurovascular corrective surgery, all 9 patients required long-term antiepileptic treatment of at least 1 antiepileptic drug for seizure control after the operation.

Conclusion:

In this novel case series, we describe focal seizures as the initial presentation of pediatric neurovascular lesions. This clinical presentation appears to be independent of the type of neurovascular lesion. Furthermore, unlike our pediatric surgical patients with epilepsy due to other causes, seizure freedom following neurovascular surgery is limited, and patients require long-term antiepileptic treatment.
Appalachia Has Got Talent, But Why Does It Flow Away? A Study on the Determinants of Brain Drain From Rural USA
Authors: Vazzana Caryn M. , Rudi-Polloshka Jeta
Published: May 2019

This study contributes to the understanding of factors that affect brain drain from Central Appalachia. Using empirical methods, the authors analyze a unique data set from a survey of Appalachian students studying at a higher education institution located in Central Appalachia. A higher perceived likelihood of finding an interesting job with attributes such as a good salary and advancement opportunities, is by far the most important factor influencing students’ intentions to stay in Appalachia. Furthermore, students who perceive a higher likelihood of having job opportunities for their spouse or partner, as well as opportunities to advance their education in the Appalachian region, also report a higher likelihood of staying in the region upon graduation. This analysis provides further evidence that the strongest pull factor in keeping talent in the Appalachian region of the United States is creating public–private partnerships to provide more job opportunities to young educated people.
Professional Respondents in Opt-in Online Panels: What Do We Really Know?
Authors: Zhang Chan , Antoun Christopher , Yan H. Yanna , Conrad Frederick G.
Published: May 2019

Survey researchers often assume that “professional” respondents, those who complete a large number of surveys in opt-in online panels, are more likely than others to provide low-quality responses because their primary motivation is to earn rewards with minimal effort. However, there is little empirical evidence for this assumption. It could also be that professional respondents are willing to expend effort in order to be compensated. We investigated this issue using data from four independent surveys of opt-in panelists with about 2,400 respondents in each survey. We classified panelists into three groups—"professional", “average,” and “novice”—according to the number of surveys they had previously completed and the number of panels they belonged to. We then compared the groups with respect to their demographic characteristics, reasons for joining a panel, and response behaviors. Professional respondents were the oldest group and, as expected, the most likely to report “for money” as the main reason for joining a panel. However, novices were actually the most likely to provide low-quality responses. Professional respondents appear to take the task of completing surveys more seriously than previously thought.
Global Latin(X) AmericanXs: Charting new ontological and epistemological cartographies beyond US LatinX studies
Authors: Overmyer-Velázquez Mark
Published: May 2019

This article examines how situating our academic inquiry from geographic vantage points outside of the United States allows scholars to recast epistemological and ontological assumptions in the field of US Latina/o Studies. It asks how, from a global reorientation of the cognitive map of US Latina/o Studies, we might reconsider the experience of the Latin American and Caribbean diaspora and the notion of Latinidad in places such as Jordan, Spain, and Canada. This analysis places Latina/o Studies and Latin American and Caribbean Studies into conversation by reconsidering their status as traditionally isolated epistemic sites of US ethnic and area studies. In addition, it explores how new “Latino” and diasporic identities are forged through hybrid ethnic interactions among minoritized populations in the Global South.
Water is life, but the colony is a necropolis: Environmental terrains of struggle in Puerto Rico
Authors: Lloréns Hilda , Stanchich Maritza
Published: May 2019

The catastrophic conditions after Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, homeland to the second largest US Latinx group, also result from a long history of colonial exploitation exacerbated by economic downturn, debt crisis, and federally imposed austerity. US policies affecting agriculture and attracting contaminating industries set the groundwork for extreme environmental degradation, which in turn has long motivated local community activism, coalition-building, and de-colonial praxis. The authors illustrate that in Puerto Rico, environmental resistance has been a vanguard terrain of struggle against the deepening insertion of multinationals and continued degradation. Culminating with a glimpse of how the very basics needed for survival—such as water—have been sacrificed to the logics of capital extraction, this essay points to the urgency of making an environmental justice perspective of central concern to US Latinx Studies.
The global afterlife: Sino-French literature and the politics of translation
Authors: Xavier Subha
Published: May 2019

Following the critical acclaim of Sino-French literature in recent years, an increasing number of Chinese presses have solicited translations of prize-winning novels written in French by authors of Chinese descent. Yet as the work of authors like François Cheng, Shan Sa, Ya Ding and Dai Sijie travels from French into Chinese, it also undergoes a transformation via the politics of translation and publication in China. This essay exposes the inner workings of translation between French and Chinese, as well as the politics that colour its publication and reception between France and China. The act of translating these works back into their authors’ native tongue signals a return to the national paradigms the writers initially sought to evade by writing in French. Translation here functions as a form of aggression, a forced return home that ultimately breaks with the poetic ethos that animates the original creative works.
Comparison of standard of care treatment with a low steroid and mycophenolate mofetil regimen for lupus nephritis in the ALMS and AURA studies
Authors: Dall’Era M , Solomons N , Federico R , Truman M
Published: May 2019

Lupus nephritis is the most common organ-threatening manifestation of systemic lupus erythematosus. The current standard of care for patients is treatment with a combination of steroids plus either mycophenolate mofetil (MMF) or cyclophosphamide. However, these medications are associated with considerable toxicity and suboptimal efficacy. This retrospective propensity analysis of data from 63 matched patients enrolled in two of the largest active lupus nephritis controlled trials, ALMS and AURA, suggests that the high dose regimen of MMF and steroids as described in the 2012 American College of Rheumatology lupus nephritis guidelines may not be necessary in all lupus nephritis patients. A lower dose regimen may result in better long-term safety, including a reduction in lymphoproliferative disorders, skin cancers and steroid related side effects, without compromising efficacy. An ongoing randomized controlled double-blind phase 3 study, AURORA (NCT03021499), is investigating renal response in 358 patients randomized to receive a low dose regimen containing voclosporin, MMF and steroid therapy as used in the AURA trial. It is anticipated that the AURORA study and its blinded two-year extension will provide important long-term outcome data.
Immunomodulation with Human Umbilical Cord Blood Stem Cells Ameliorates Ischemic Brain Injury – A Brain Transcriptome Profiling Analysis
Authors: Shiao Maple L. , Yuan Ce , Crane Andrew T. , Voth Joseph P. , Juliano Mario , Stone Laura L. Hocum , Nan Zhenghong , Zhang Ying , Kuzmin-Nichols Nicole , Sanberg Paul R. , Grande Andrew W. , Low Walter C.
Published: May 2019

Our group previously demonstrated that administration of a CD34-negative fraction of human non- hematopoietic umbilical cord blood stem cells (UCBSC) 48 h after ischemic injury could reduce infarct volume by 50% as well as significantly ameliorate neurological deficits. In the present study, we explored possible mechanisms of action using next generation RNA sequencing to analyze the brain transcriptome profiles in rats with ischemic brain injury following UCBSC therapy. Two days after ischemic injury, rats were treated with UCBSC. Five days after administration, total brain mRNA was then extracted for RNAseq analysis using Illumina Hiseq 2000. We found 275 genes that were significantly differentially expressed after ischemic injury compared with control brains. Following UCBSC treatment, 220 of the 275 differentially expressed genes returned to normal levels. Detailed analysis of these altered transcripts revealed that the vast majority were associated with activation of the immune system following cerebral ischemia which were normalized following UCBSC therapy. Major alterations in gene expression profiles after ischemia include blood-brain-barrier breakdown, cytokine production, and immune cell infiltration. These results suggest that UCBSC protect the brain following ischemic injury by down regulating the aberrant activation of innate and adaptive immune responses.
Pharmacogenetics of Warfarin in a Diverse Patient Population
Authors: Mak May , Lam Carol , Pineda Sandra J. , Lou Mimi , Xu Lilia Yang , Meeks Christopher , Lin Cindy , Stone Roslynn , Rodgers Kathy , Mitani Gladys
Published: May 2019

Introduction:

Many warfarin-related genotypes have shown to impact the average daily warfarin (ADW) dose requirements; however, information in non-Caucasian populations is limited.

Objectives:

To identify the frequencies of 4 warfarin-related gene polymorphisms in an ethnically diverse patient population and to examine their impact with other clinical variables on ADW dose requirements.

Methods:

Patients were recruited from 2 anticoagulation clinics in the Los Angeles area. Blood samples were collected and genotyped for vitamin K epoxide reductase (VKORC1), CYP2C9*2, CYP2C9*3, and CYP4F2 after informed consent. Charts were reviewed to collect demographic, clinical, and warfarin dosing data.

Results:

A total of 291 patients were included (120 Caucasians, 127 Hispanics, and 44 Asians). In patients with wild-type genotypes for VKORC1, CYP2C9*2, CYP2C9*3, and CYP4F2, the highest warfarin requirement was found in Caucasians, lower in Hispanics, and lowest in Asians. Homozygous VKORC1 variant carriers were detected in 15%, 15%, and 79% in Caucasians, Hispanics, and Asians, respectively. Progressive lowering of ADW doses were associated with each VKORC1 variant in Caucasians and Hispanics, but the results in wild-type/ heterozygote Asians were unclear. CYP2C9 variants were associated with lower ADW doses; frequencies of CYP2C9*2 and CYP2C9*3 mutations were higher in Caucasians than in Hispanics but rare to none in Asians. The frequencies of CYP4F2 variant were similar across all ethnicities, but their impact on warfarin dose requirement were insignificant. Clinical factors such as age, body surface area, history of coronary artery disease, deep vein thrombosis or atrial fibrillation, and concomitant amiodarone or HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors had varying impact on the ADW requirements in the ethnicities studied.

Conclusions:

Our study demonstrated differences among 3 ethnic groups in terms of ADW dose requirements and the impact of associated clinical variables. The results suggest that a single model for all ethnicities may not provide the best performance in predicting warfarin dose requirements.
After the First Review: Media to the Person
Authors: Rogalska Elżbieta
Published: May 2019

The poem was based on research work related to the topic of the personal nature of media education in the classroom scenarios. The article about this poem is based on the research method “document research.” Media education is often perceived as the repressed personal nature of human activity. In this poem, I want to draw attention to the problems of the researcher who writes the text not about man but about things. I state in him that in the co-created space of scholars, knowledge and media dominate our lives. I also touch the thread of humanity. I point to the hierarchy of values.
Assessing Intimate Partner Violence in South Asian Women Using the Index of Spouse Abuse
Authors: Soglin Lenore Fitzsimmons , Ragavan Maya , Immaneni Supriya , Soglin David F.
Published: May 2019

Intimate Partner Violence (IPV) affects 21-40% of South Asian (SA) women in the United States. No screening tool has been validated in this population. This study sought to determine the validity of the Index of Spouse Abuse (ISA) as an IPV screening tool and to determine the prevalence of IPV among a SA immigrant population. Thirty-one percent of women screened positive on one or both ISA scales. The ISA-P and ISA-NP items were highly reliable as was the correlation between the ISA-P and ISA-NP scores. The ISA is a valid and reliable IPV screening tool in the SA immigrant population.
Resilient Adult Daughters of Abused Women: Turning Pain Into Purpose
Authors: Anderson Kim M. , Bernhardt Christina
Published: May 2019

Through the use of purposive sampling and the grounded theory method, this qualitative study delineates factors that promote adaptation and end family patterns of violence and dysfunction in the case of resilient adult daughters of abused women ( N = 29). Coping processes included distancing from the family, seeking understanding and acceptance, and finding meaning and purpose. Motivating factors included learning what not to do from their families and breaking the cycle of violence and dysfunction from occurring in their adult lives. We learn how daughters of abused women may create a life informed, rather than directed, by their childhood adversity.
Predicting College Women’s Body-Esteem and Self-Esteem Based on Rape Experience, Recency, and Labeling
Authors: Osman Suzanne L. , Merwin Carolyne Paige
Published: May 2019

We examined body-esteem and self-esteem based on rape experience, rape labeling status (yes; no) and recency of rape (recently, within past year; earlier, between age 14 and the past year). Undergraduate women ( n = 1,005) completed the Body-Esteem Scale, Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and Sexual Experiences Survey. Women raped within the past year (recently) reported lower levels of both body-esteem and self-esteem than those raped over a year ago (earlier) and nonvictims, but women raped earlier did not differ from nonvictims. Rape labeling status was not significant. Findings identify lower body-esteem, in addition to lower self-esteem, as correlates of recent rape.
Maladaptive Daydreaming Is Associated With Intensified Psychosocial Problems Experienced by Female Survivors of Childhood Sexual Abuse
Authors: Abu-Rayya Hisham M. , Somer Eli , Knane Hikmat
Published: May 2019

We measured maladaptive daydreaming (MD) and psychosocial indices among 194 participants, aged 18-56  years: 99 female survivors of childhood sexual abuse (CSA) and 95 control respondents with no reported history of sexual abuse. Our data show that survivors of CSA scored higher on MD compared to controls. Survivors of CSA with probable MD scored higher on psychological distress, social phobia, and social isolation compared to survivors of CSA without suspected MD, implying that MD might exacerbate the psychosocial problems linked with CSA. MD psychological screening of female survivors of CSA and the development of a treatment module for MD could improve the quality of clinical services provided to survivors.
Effects of Shared Reading on the Early Language and Literacy Skills of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders: A Systematic Review
Authors: Boyle Susannah A. , McNaughton David , Chapin Shelley E.
Published: May 2019

Children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) often demonstrate delays in early language and literacy skills. Shared reading, the practice of adults reading aloud to children while using behaviors (e.g., asking questions) that are meant to promote interaction between the adult and child, is an intervention that has had positive effects on those early skills for typically developing children. A meta-analysis of 11 shared reading interventions with children with ASD was conducted, and positive effects were found for listening comprehension, expressive communication, and other communicative and noncommunicative acts.
Heart Rate Variability: A Potential Tool for Monitoring Immunomodulatory Effects of Parenteral Fish Oil Feeding in Patients With Sepsis
Authors: Papaioannou Vasilios , Pnevmatikos Ioannis
Published: May 2019

Fish oil, rich in the very-long chain omega (ω)-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFAs), has been found to have immunomodulatory effects in different groups of critically ill patients. In addition, its parenteral administration seems to attenuate the inflammatory response within 2 to 3 days. The activation of the cholinergic anti-inflammatory pathway has been suggested to mediate such immunoregulatory effects. As different experimental studies have convincingly illustrated that enhanced vagal tone can decrease pro-inflammatory cytokine secretion, novel monitoring tools of its activity at the bedside could be developed, to evaluate nutritional manipulation of immune response in the critically ill. Heart rate variability (HRV) is the variability of R-R series in the electrocardiogram and could be a promising surrogate marker of immune response and its modulation during fish oil feeding, rich in ω-3 PUFAs. Heart rate variability is an indirect measure of autonomic nervous system (ANS) output, reflecting mainly fluctuations in ANS activity. Through HRV analysis, different “physiomarkers” can be estimated that could be used as early and more accurate “smart alarms” because they are based on high-frequency measurements and are much more easy to get at the bedside. On the contrary, various “biomarkers” such as cytokines exhibit marked interdependence, pleiotropy, and their plasma concentrations fluctuate from day to day in patients with sepsis. In this respect, an inverse relation between different HRV components and inflammatory biomarkers has been observed in patients with severe sepsis and septic shock, whereas a beneficial effect of ω-3 PUFAs on HRV has been demonstrated in patients with cardiovascular diseases. Consequently, in this article, we suggest that a beneficial effect of ω-3 PUFAs on HRV and clinical outcome in patients with sepsis merits further investigation and could be tested in future clinical trials as a real-time monitoring tool of nutritional manipulation of the inflammatory response in the critically ill.
Cultural and creative industries in modern languages
Authors: Ma Haili
Published: May 2019

This paper explores Cultural and Creative Industry (CCI) teaching and curriculum development across disciplines, based on a case study of a newly established Cultural and Creative Industry (CCI) programme at the School of Modern Languages, Cardiff University, UK. It illustrates how different academic values and goals influence styles of teaching and curriculum development, and it considers how this drives disciplinary evolution. As CCI increasingly attracts international students, in particular from China’s middle-class market, this paper questions the direct ‘import’ of western CCI for Chinese students, in terms of both content relevance and programme development sustainability. This paper suggests that curriculum evolution should be viewed as key for UK higher education to retain market competitiveness, especially a pending ‘Brexit’.
Urban cultural intermediaries: Reflections on pedagogy and creativity in the urban economy
Authors: Vickery Jonathan
Published: May 2019

This article is a critical reflection on a creative practice course module that runs each year in the city of Coventry. The module aims to develop student skills appropriate to the creative and cultural industries, while maintaining an emphatic radical dimension in raising the students’ social consciousness on the urban context of their skills development. Between 2016 and 2018 the module attracted funding in order to enhance its strategic approach to creative pedagogy through research and a revised module structure. This article charters this development and articulates the broader critical implications of using ‘creativity’ in higher education. Students were cast as ‘cultural intermediaries’ in knowledge production – exhibiting and debating in public the outcomes of urban research. This article is not a detailed evaluation of the project, which given its complexity is not possible in one article, but identifies the limits and fault lines of an intended development of a critical pedagogy for students in the urban cultural economy.
Study on braking stability of commercial vehicles: An optimized air brake system
Authors: He Ren , Jing Zhecheng
Published: May 2019

The braking stability has significant importance for commercial vehicles, especially tractor-semitrailer. However, the brake lag of air brake system brings serious safety risk to the vehicle. To improve the braking stability of tractor-semitrailer, an optimized air brake system is proposed. Using characteristic of the fast exhaust response of spring brake cylinder of composite brake chamber, a normally open solenoid valve and a normally closed solenoid valve are connected with the spring brake cylinder of composite brake chamber of semitrailer to control the spring brake force, which responds more quickly than service brake force. A strategy is proposed to control the difference between the actual braking torque of the semitrailer brake and the target braking torque and is simulated based on AMESim and SIMULINK. An experiment is made to verify the effectiveness of the optimized system. The simulation shows that the improved scheme reduces the response time of semitrailer brake system by 0.19 s, and effectively restrains the lateral movement of the vehicle downhill braking and improves the stability of the braking direction of the vehicle. And the experiment indicates that the brake of semitrailer responds earlier than tractor, which means the brake lag is improved significantly.
Based on fuzzy-approximation adaptive backstepping control method for dual-arm of humanoid robot with trajectory tracking
Authors: Bai Keqiang , Jiang Guoli , Jiang Guanwu , Liu Zhigui
Published: May 2019

In this article, a fuzzy-approximation-based adaptive backstepping control method for dual-arm of a humanoid robot was proposed. The purpose of this control system is to provide coordinated movement assistance to enable the humanoid robot’s human-like forearm to grab objects coordinately (or track any continuous desired trajectory), even in the presence of environmental disturbances and parametric uncertainties. We analyze the proposed adaptive backstepping by mathematical modeling and actually measure the robot dual-arm motion information of a number of case when they simulate the trajectory to verify the model. We design the adaptive fuzzy-approximation control strategy and combining the synthesis of the robust design, backstepping control, and Lyapunov function method, the proposed adaptive fuzzy backstepping control does not need to know the humanoid robot’s arms model precisely. In the control system proposed here, once the desired trajectories of the robot’s dual-arm positions are given, the adaptive fuzzy system was closed to any unknown functions and to the derivative of the virtual control law of the humanoid robot system. In this case, a robust design scheme was utilized to compensate for any approximation errors. With the proposed trajectory tracking, not only able to generate the coordinate motions for a humanoid robot’s two arms, but it can also control the arms to move to the desired positions. The proposed closed-loop system under the adaptive fuzzy backstepping control design was effective and that asymptotic stability was successfully achieved. The adaptive fuzzy-approximation backstepping control strategy should be more complete and intelligent and more actual test should be conducted to further evaluate the effect of the proposed trajectory tracking. The instability of dual-arm of humanoid robot system is systematically analyzed and a backstepping control strategy based on the adaptive fuzzy-approximation to improve the continuity of trajectory tracking of the robot’s arms is proposed.
Joint Moment Contributions to Non-Planar Kicking Techniques: Insights into Kuda and Sila Serve Mechanics
Authors: Sujae Ian H. , Koh Michael T. H.
Published: May 2019

The aim of this study was to gain insights into non-planar kuda and sila kicking mechanics by quantifying joint moment contributions to each serve technique. Seven high-speed optical cameras at 240 Hz captured serve movements in 3-D space. Subject-specific BSP's were derived using the Dual Energy X-ray Absorptiometry (DEXA) scan. Differences were significant only for sila knee joint extension and internal rotation moments at the start of kicking. At impact, hip joint flexion, knee joint extension and trunk/pelvis internal rotation moments were significant for kuda, while hip joint abduction and internal rotational moments as well as ankle joint dorsi-flexion and eversion moments were significant for sila. Joint moments contributing to kuda kicking limb speeds include hip joint flexion, knee joint extension and trunk/pelvis rotational moments. Hip joint abduction and internal rotational moments as well as ankle joint dorsi-flexion and eversion moments contribute to sila kicking limb speeds. A greater rate of increase in sila trunk/pelvis rotational moment adds to the overall sila kicking limb speeds generated along the transverse plane. Coaching implications include initiation of correct sequence of joint moments, strengthening kicking limb flexors, extensors and abductor muscles groups, and improving hip joint range of motion.
Amaranthus Cruentus Taxonomy, Botanical Description, and Review of its Seed Chemical Composition
Authors: Wolosik Katarzyna , Markowska Agnieszka
Published: May 2019

Among 60-70 species of Amaranthaceae, only three are grain-producing species and Amaranthus cruentus is one of them. It stands out for its significant chemical composition. The high protein content and amino acid composition give amaranth medicinal benefits such as cholesterol lowering, antioxidant, anticancer, anti-allergic, and antihypertensive activity. The fixed oil yield obtained by cold-pressing the grain is only 7-8%, but these lipids are valuable due to the presence of unsaturated fatty acids, tocopherols, tocotrienols, phytosterols, and squalene, which are not present in the same composition in other common oils. Among them, squalene is highly desirable.
Impacts of CD40- and CD86-Silenced Antigen-Specific B Cells on the Control of Allergies
Authors: Suzuki Motohiko , Matsumoto Tamami , Toyoda Kiichi , Nakamura Yoshihisa , Murakami Shingo
Published: May 2019

Background

We previously reported that CD40-silenced B cells inhibited allergic responses and symptoms. However, more potent therapies are needed. To our knowledge, the effects of CD86-silenced B cells and synergic effects of gene silencing in B cells by 2 small interfering RNAs (siRNAs) on allergic disease control have not been reported.

Objective

To investigate the effects of CD86-silenced B cells and synergic effects of gene silencing in B cells on allergic responses and symptoms.

Methods

Mice were treated with CD40- and/or CD86-silenced B cells transfected with siRNAs and pulsed with ovalbumin (OVA). And the effects of these B cells were estimated.

Results

CD86-silenced OVA-pulsed B cells significantly inhibited OVA-induced allergies. Treatment with CD40-/CD86-silenced OVA-pulsed B cells led to a significantly fewer sneezes and nasal rubbing movements, as well as lower OVA-specific immunoglobulin E (IgE) levels, than that with CD40-silenced or CD86-silenced OVA-pulsed B cells alone. These inhibitory effects were observed prior to sensitization as well as after the establishment of allergic rhinitis. CD40-/CD86-silenced OVA-pulsed B cells did not inhibit keyhole limpet hemocyanin-induced allergies. CD40-/CD86-silenced OVA-pulsed B cells also significantly inhibited allergic symptoms and OVA-specific IgE level in sera compared with CD40-/CD86-silenced OVA-pulsed dendritic cells (DCs). In addition, CD19+CD40− B cells significantly increased in the nasal tissue after intravenous administration of these cells. Furthermore, CD40-/CD86-silenced B cells inhibited allergic symptoms caused by Cry j 1, a major aeroallergen of Japanese cedar pollen, and Cry j 1-specific IgE in sera.

Conclusion

This study showed, for the first time, that siRNA-induced CD86-silenced B cells significantly inhibited allergic responses and symptoms antigen-specifically, and that siRNA-induced CD40-/CD86-silenced antigen-specific B cells are a more useful antigen-specific therapy than CD40- or CD86-silenced B cells alone for the control of allergies. Furthermore, it was shown that CD40-/CD86-silenced B cells have stronger inhibition of IgE production and allergic symptoms than CD40-/CD86-silenced DCs.
Changing Current Appraisals of Mothers Leads to Changes in Childhood Memories of Love Toward Mothers
Authors: Patihis Lawrence , Cruz Cristobal S. , Herrera Mario E.
Published: May 2019

False memories in therapy have previously been identified as problematic, but memory-of-emotion distortions have been underdiscussed in this context. Past research has suggested that cognitive reappraisals are associated with changes in memory of emotions. We investigated whether these findings would generalize to an important emotion (love), target (mothers), and time (childhood). In samples of adults, we manipulated current appraisals of mothers to examine the effect on memory of love felt in childhood toward mothers. In Experiment 1, we found significant differences between appraisal conditions on memory of love—effects that persisted for 4 weeks. In Experiment 2, the effect of reappraisal on memory of love replicated with a pretest–posttest experiment. Pretest current feelings of love were biased when recalled after the experiment. Reevaluating parents, in therapy or elsewhere, may result in memory distortion of important aspects of autobiographical memory.