bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diurnal Variations of Presummer Rainfall over Southern China
Authors: Jiang Zhina , Zhang Da-Lin , Xia Rudi , Qian Tingting
Published: October 2016

In this study, the presummer diurnal cycle of rainfall (DCR) over southern China is examined using the merged 0.1°-resolution gridded hourly rain gauge and satellite rainfall dataset and the National Centers for Environmental Prediction Final Global Analysis during April to June of 2008–2015. Results show pronounced diurnal variations in rainfall amount, frequency, and intensity over southern China, with substantially different amplitudes from southwestern to southeastern China, and from the pre- to postmonsoon-onset period. Southwestern China often encounters significant nocturnal-to-morning rainfall under the influence of enhanced nocturnal low-level southwesterly winds. Southeastern China is dominated by afternoon rainfall, as a result of surface heating, likely aided by local topographical lifting. Both the pre- and postmonsoon-onset periods exhibit two diurnal rainfall peaks: one in the early morning and the other in the late afternoon. But the latter shows the two peaks with nearly equal amplitude whereas the former displays a much larger early morning peak than that in the late afternoon. Three propagating modes accounting for the presummer DCR are found: (i) an eastward- or southeastward-propagating mode occurs mostly over southwestern China that is associated with enhanced transport of warm and moist air from tropical origin and the induced low-level convergence, (ii) a quasi-stationary mode over southeastern China appears locally in the warm sector with weak-gradient flows, and (iii) an inland-propagating mode occurs during the daytime in association with sea breezes along the southern coastal regions, especially evident throughout the postmonsoon-onset period.
Structural and Environmental Characteristics of Extratropical Cyclones Associated with Tornado Outbreaks in the Warm Sector: An Idealized Numerical Study
Authors: Tochimoto Eigo , Niino Hiroshi
Published: October 2016

To clarify the effects of the horizontal shear of the jet stream on the structure and environment of extratropical cyclones that are accompanied by tornado outbreaks (OCs) and those that are not (NOCs), two idealized numerical experiments are performed. The experiments (OC-CTL and NOC-CTL) adopt the basic states taken from the corresponding composites of reanalysis data (JRA-55), except that the humidity field in both cases is taken from the OC composite.

The simulated cyclone in OC-CTL exhibits a more meridionally elongated structure and stronger low-level wind in the southeast quadrant of the cyclone center, resulting in larger values of storm relative environmental helicity (SREH) than those in NOC-CTL. These results are consistent with the characteristics of the cyclones found for OCs and NOCs in the authors’ composite study. The distributions of surface-based convective available potential energy (SBCAPE) show no notable differences between OC-CTL and NOC-CTL, while those of CAPE based on the most unstable air parcel (MUCAPE) show some differences.

A sensitivity experiment without moist processes such as condensation heating and evaporative cooling shows that the differences in the cyclone structure and environmental parameters between OCs and NOCs can be qualitatively explained by the dry dynamics. However, inclusion of moist processes results in notably larger differences.
High Risk Behaviors but Low Injury-Related Mortality Among Hispanic Teens in Missouri
Authors: Yun Shumei , Kayani Noaman , Geiger Sarah , Homan Sherri , Wilson Janet
Published: October 2016

Objective:

Our objective was to examine racial/ethnic disparities in injury-related risk behaviors and deaths among teens in Missouri, with a focus on Hispanic people—the fastest-growing racial/ethnic group in the state.

Methods:

We used data from the 2013 Missouri Youth Risk Behavior Survey, which included 1616 students in grades 9 through 12 from 32 public and charter high schools. The overall response rate was 69%. We compared the prevalence of 10 injury-related risk behaviors among racial/ethnic groups and used multivariate logistic regression models to control for respondent age and sex. Using data from the 2000-2014 Missouri death records, we also compared injury-related death rates among racial/ethnic groups of teens aged 15 to 19 years.

Results:

Hispanic students had a significantly higher prevalence than non-Hispanic white students for 9 of 10 risk behaviors and a significantly higher prevalence than non-Hispanic black students for 6 of the 10 risk behaviors included in the study. However, Hispanic teens aged 15 to 19 years had a significantly lower death rate from suicide, homicide, and unintentional injury combined (39.8 per 100000 population, 95% confidence interval [CI], 32.2-48.5) when compared with their non-Hispanic white (54.3 per 100000 population, 95% CI, 52.3-54.6) or non-Hispanic black (94.1 per 100000 population, 95% CI, 87.9-100.3) counterparts.

Conclusion:

Injury-related risk behaviors were more prevalent among Hispanic students than non-Hispanic white or non-Hispanic black students. Further efforts are needed to understand risk behaviors among Hispanic teens to guide intervention efforts.
VA Suicide Prevention Applications Network
Authors: Hoffmire Claire , Stephens Brady , Morley Sybil , Thompson Caitlin , Kemp Janet , Bossarte Robert M.
Published: October 2016

Objectives:

The US Department of Veterans Affairs’ Suicide Prevention Applications Network (SPAN) is a national system for suicide event tracking and case management. The objective of this study was to assess data on suicide attempts among people using Veterans Health Administration (VHA) services.

Methods:

We assessed the degree of data overlap on suicide attempters reported in SPAN and the VHA’s medical records from October 1, 2010, to September 30, 2014—overall, by year, and by region. Data on suicide attempters in the VHA’s medical records consisted of diagnoses documented with E95 codes from the International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision.

Results:

Of 50 518 VHA patients who attempted suicide during the 4-year study period, data on fewer than half (41%) were reported in both SPAN and the medical records; nearly 65% of patients whose suicide attempt was recorded in SPAN had no data on attempted suicide in the VHA’s medical records.

Conclusion:

Evaluation of administrative data suggests that use of SPAN substantially increases the collection of data on suicide attempters as compared with the use of medical records alone, but neither SPAN nor the VHA’s medical records identify all suicide attempters. Further research is needed to better understand the strengths and limitations of both systems and how to best combine information across systems.
Financial Timescapes: The Temporal Shaping of Young People’s Financial Lives
Authors: Riach Kathleen , McDonald Paula , Grant-Smith Deanna
Published: October 2016

This article draws on a large qualitative study ( N = 123) to develop an understanding of young people’s financial lives as constituted through experiences of time and temporality. Extending recent accounts of temporality as experienced and lived through our embedded location in the life course, we develop the concept of financial timescapes as a means of focusing on the ways that individual and personal financial capacities are situated in broader economic and cultural topographies of youth. The findings focus on the acquisition, deployment and consequences of financial lives as temporally situated and experienced by 16–26-year-old Australians. By doing so, we draw attention to how financial timescapes influence the constitution, navigation and cohering of young people’s financial lives. Understanding the significance of financial timescapes to young people’s experiences and socially embedded capacities thus helps to inform a sociological understanding of monetary decision making, financial behaviours and financial trajectories across the life course.
Pharmaceuticalisation in the city
Authors: Hodgetts Darrin , Young-Hauser Amanda , Chamberlain Kerry , Gabe Jonathan , Dew Kevin , Norris Pauline
Published: October 2016

Cityscapes comprise intense repositories for socio-economic interactions, including those surrounding medicinal products. This raises issues of pharmaceuticalisation, involving the construction of a range of human conditions as targets for pharmaceutical interventions. Employing the metaphoric figure of the flâneur, we traverse the New Zealand cityscape, interrogating the mediation and emplacement of various medicinal products within thoroughfares, commercial sites and domestic dwellings. We demonstrate the pharmaceuticalised commodification of the city and interpolation of urbanites as citizen-consumers.
Intercoder Reliability and Validity of WebPlotDigitizer in Extracting Graphed Data
Authors: Drevon Daniel , Fursa Sophie R. , Malcolm Allura L.
Published: October 2016

Quantitative synthesis of data from single-case designs (SCDs) is becoming increasingly common in psychology and education journals. Because researchers do not ordinarily report numerical data in addition to graphical displays, reliance on plot digitizing tools is often a necessary component of this research. Intercoder reliability of data extraction is a commonly overlooked, but potentially important, step of this process. The purpose of this study was to examine the intercoder reliability and validity of WebPlotDigitizer (Rohatgi, 2015), a web-based plot digitizing tool for extracting data from a variety of plots, including XY coordinates of interrupted time-series data. Two coders extracted 3,596 data points from 168 data series in 36 graphs across 18 studies. Results indicated high levels of intercoder reliability and validity. Implications of and recommendations based on these results are discussed in relation to researchers involved in quantitative synthesis of data from SCDs.
Investigating the Performance of Second Language Medical Students on Lengthy Clinical Vignettes
Authors: Raymond Mark R. , Ling Yu , Grabovsky Irina
Published: October 2016

This study evaluated the extent to which medical students with limited English-language experience are differentially impacted by the additional reading load of test items consisting of long clinical vignettes. Participants included 25,012 examinees who completed Step 2 of the U.S. Medical Licensing Examination®. Test items were categorized into five levels based on the number of words per item, and examinee scores at each level were evaluated as a function of English-language experience (English as a second language [ESL] status and scores on a test of English-speaking proficiency). The longest items were more difficult than the shortest items across all examinee groups, and examinees with more English-language experience scored higher than those with less experience across all five levels of word count. The effect of primary interest—the interaction of word count with English-language experience—was statistically significant, indicating that score declines for longer items were larger for examinees with less English-language experience; however, the magnitude of this interaction effect was barely detectable (η2 = .0004, p < .001). Additional analyses supported the conclusion that the differential effect for examinees with less English-language experience was small but worthy of continued monitoring.
An Empirical Study of Design Parameters for Assessing Differential Impacts for Students in Group Randomized Trials
Authors: Jaciw Andrew P. , Lin Li , Ma Boya
Published: October 2016

Background:

Prior research has investigated design parameters for assessing average program impacts on achievement outcomes with cluster randomized trials (CRTs). Less is known about parameters important for assessing differential impacts.

Objectives:

This article develops a statistical framework for designing CRTs to assess differences in impact among student subgroups and presents initial estimates of critical parameters.

Research design:

Effect sizes and minimum detectable effect sizes for average and differential impacts are calculated before and after conditioning on effects of covariates using results from several CRTs. Relative sensitivities to detect average and differential impacts are also examined.

Subjects:

Student outcomes from six CRTs are analyzed.

Measures:

Achievement in math, science, reading, and writing.

Results:

The ratio of between-cluster variation in the slope of the moderator divided by total variance—the “moderator gap variance ratio”—is important for designing studies to detect differences in impact between student subgroups. This quantity is the analogue of the intraclass correlation coefficient. Typical values were .02 for gender and .04 for socioeconomic status. For studies considered, in many cases estimates of differential impact were larger than of average impact, and after conditioning on effects of covariates, similar power was achieved for detecting average and differential impacts of the same size.

Conclusions:

Measuring differential impacts is important for addressing questions of equity, generalizability, and guiding interpretation of subgroup impact findings. Adequate power for doing this is in some cases reachable with CRTs designed to measure average impacts. Continuing collection of parameters for assessing differential impacts is the next step.
Priming Patient Safety Through Nursing Handoff Communication: A Simulation Pilot Study
Authors: Groves Patricia S. , Bunch Jacinda L. , Cram Ellen , Farag Amany , Manges Kirstin , Perkhounkova Yelena , Scott-Cawiezell Jill
Published: October 2016

Understanding how safety culture mechanisms affect nursing safety-oriented behavior and thus patient outcomes is critical to developing hospital safety programs. Safety priming refers to communicating safety values intended to activate patient safety goals. Safety priming through nursing handoff communication was tested as a means by which cultural safety values may affect nursing practice. The mixed-methods pilot study setting was an academic medical center’s high-fidelity simulation lab. Twenty nurses were randomized into intervention and control groups. The intervention group received a safety priming intervention; all participants were observed for completing appropriate actions in response to patient safety risks embedded in a scenario. Stimulated recall interviews were conducted following simulation completion. Nurses receiving the safety priming intervention performed slightly but non-significantly more safety actions than nurses who did not (60.5% vs. 57.9% of 43 actions). Implications for both research and practice are discussed for interventions targeting routine versus safety goal-directed nursing actions.
Cost-Effectiveness of a Care Transition Intervention Among Multimorbid Patients
Authors: Zimmerman Lani , Wilson Fernando A. , Schmaderer Myra S. , Struwe Leeza , Pozehl Bunny , Paulman Audrey , Bratzke Lisa C. , Moore Kim , Raetz Libby , George Barb
Published: October 2016

The purpose of this pilot study was to assess the cost-effectiveness of four different doses (based on patients’ level of cognition and activation) of a home-based care transitions intervention compared with usual care at 2 and 6 months after hospital discharge to home for 126 adult patients with three or more chronic diseases. Health care utilization was measured, and a cost-effectiveness analysis was used to estimate incremental costs and quality-adjusted life-years associated with each intervention arm. At 6 months, results from this pilot study are very promising and support cost-effectiveness for Group 2-low cognition/high activation, Group 3-normal cognition/low activation, and Group 4-normal cognition/high activation patients. However, Group 1-low cognition/low activation needs a more intensive treatment than what was provided in the intervention, because of their low cognition and activation levels. Our intervention strategies provided to the groups would be scalable to a larger patient population and across different facilities.
Phrase frequency, proficiency and grammaticality interact in non-native processing: Implications for theories of SLA
Authors: Shantz Kailen
Published: October 2016

This study reports on a self-paced reading experiment in which native and non-native speakers of English read sentences designed to evaluate the predictions of usage-based and rule-based approaches to second language acquisition (SLA). Critical stimuli were four-word sequences embedded into sentences in which phrase frequency and grammaticality were crossed in order to examine whether grammatical processing is modulated by phrase frequency. The magnitude of grammaticality effects for native speakers did not differ by phrase frequency, indicating that phrase frequency does not modulate native grammatical processing. Phrase frequency did, however, modulate the magnitude of non-native grammaticality effects. This modulating effect of phrase frequency on grammatical processing for non-native speakers depended on proficiency, showing a u-shaped change in the size of grammaticality effects relative to speaker proficiency. The overall pattern of change in grammaticality effects suggests a gradual developmental shift in grammatical processing from an initial reliance on phrase frequency to an eventual abstraction of generalizable rules from the linguistic input once sufficient experience has accumulated. Results suggest that second language (L2) grammatical development relies on a combination of both usage-based and rule-based knowledge and processing, rather than exclusive reliance on one or the other.
Religion-motivated Enterprises in the Marketplace
Authors: Klein Thomas A. , Laczniak Gene R. , Santos Nicholas J. C.
Published: October 2016

This exploratory essay identifies and examines a variety of religiously affiliated or inspired enterprises operating in otherwise secular marketplaces. While explicitly recognizing that some marketplace manifestations of religion can be controversial, even dysfunctional, it argues for the evident macromarketing relevance of this project. The approach for analyzing what this paper refers to as “religion-motivated enterprises” (RMEs) consists of (1) a nominal classification scheme to illustrate and categorize the diversity of RME examples; (2) some foundational principles shared among major faith traditions that provide a basis for an RME ethos; and (3) basic propositions that, with future empirical testing, may explain the contributions of these organizations to improved market performance. Our commentary includes environmental factors that prompted the establishment of many RMEs, the nature of their sustainability, and the importance of mission statements to their operations. Finally, we identify opportunities for additional research and summarize the macromarketing contributions of this article.
The diagnostic value of multimodality MRI in endometrial carcinoma staging
Authors: Du Lixin , Yu Yongqiang , Wang Yuli , Xia Jun , Qiu Xixiong , Lei Yi
Published: October 2016

Background

Multimodality magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is an imaging technology that is used to integrate the structural and functional information of lesions. MRI can determine the staging of endometrial carcinoma, provide guidance for selection of surgical treatment and postoperative prognostic assessment, and has an important role in improving the survival of patients with endometrial carcinoma.

Purpose

To evaluate multimodality MRI staging accuracy for endometrial carcinoma based on the International Federation of Gynecology and Obstetrics (FIGO 2009) staging system.

Material and Methods

This is a retrospective study of the complete clinical and surgical pathology data from 83 patients with endometrial carcinoma treated between June 2011 and August 2015. Using a blind design, the preoperative clinical staging according to the current FIGO2009 MRI-based staging for each endometrial carcinoma was analyzed and corrected by postoperative histopathological results, which served as the staging standard. The role of multimodality MRI on clinical staging accuracy for endometrial carcinoma was studied.

Results

Based on the pathological evaluation after surgery, the 83 endometrial carcinoma patients were staged according to the current FIGO2009 staging criteria as: stage I, n = 56; stage II, n = 17; stage III, n = 7; and stage IV, n = 3. The multimodality MRI staging accuracy for endometrial carcinoma stages I–IV by FIGO2009 were 91.6% (76/83), 91.6% (76/83), 92.8% (77/83), and 97.6% (81/83), respectively.

Conclusion

Multimodality MRI is an important imaging tool in the pre-operative clinical staging of endometrial carcinoma. The current FIGO staging system appears to be a concise, reasonable, and practical set of criteria for the clinical management of endometrial carcinoma.
Event Locations in Extra-Familial Child Sexual Molestation Cases: The Istanbul Example
Authors: Gönültaş Burak M. , Sahin Bahadir
Published: October 2016

A great deal of attention has been devoted to sexual molestation cases, both in theory and in practice. Child molesters are versatile and are not easily identified. Various theories and tactics, the most contemporary of which is environmental criminology, have been developed to find those criminals. Locations of victims, crime scenes, and distances among them as well as other situational variables are used to predict possible future offences in environmental criminology. This study applies the theory to sexual molestation crimes in Istanbul. Dependent distance variables are found to be correlated with several situational variables in a selected sample of 127 extra-familial child sexual molestation cases.
Attitudes of Young Adult Men Toward Domestic Violence and Factors Affecting Their Attitudes in Turkey
Authors: Adıbelli Derya , Ünal Ayşe Sevim , Şen Tülay
Published: October 2016

Domestic violence is commonly observed worldwide; however, exposure to violence is not often mentioned directly. Prevention of domestic violence may be one of the most important social problems and requires much time and effort to resolve. This study was conducted to determine the attitudes toward domestic violence of Turkish males who are young adult and undertake military service, and the factors that affect these attitudes. A cross-sectional study design was used. This study was conducted with 221 young adult men who applied to Sarıkamış Military Hospital between December 2012 and February 2013. A questionnaire and the Attitude Toward Domestic Violence Scale were used for the collection of data. One-way ANOVA, T test, Kruskal–Wallis test, and Mann–Whitney U test were used in the process of analyzing the data. In the study, it was found that 10% of the young adult men were exposed to violence within their own family and the average of their total scores from the Attitude Toward Domestic Violence Scale was 49.41 ± 7.27. It was confirmed that undereducated men have more negative attitudes toward domestic violence than other groups. The present study determined that men who have negative attitudes toward domestic violence and who have a low education level affected attitudes toward domestic violence negatively. It is important that violence is prevented before it occurs. In this respect, health professionals, politicians, teachers, academics, and all community leaders have an important role in preventing initiatives on violence.
A Statutory Analysis of State Regulation of Security Guard Training Requirements
Authors: Klein Michael S. , Ruiz Leah , Hemmens Craig
Published: October 2016

Security guards outnumber police by almost three to one, and they perform many of the same functions as police officers and many even carry a firearm, but to what extent do states regulate the private security industry? Prior research has examined state statutes regulating security guard hiring requirements; this article builds on this research by examining state statutes regulating security guard training requirements. This article compares the change in state regulation of security guard training since 1999. We are interested in determining what threshold requirements the states have seen fit to establish for training in the security industry and whether these threshold requirements provide adequate protection for the public.
You Don’t Know What Pain Is: Affect, the Lifeworld, and Animal Ethics
Authors: Schaefer Donovan O.
Published: October 2016

Affect theory is a subfield that encourages us to think about how we interact with each other and the world along registers that are not reducible to language. This has suggested to some scholars that affect theory can also be used to better understand the experience of animals. This article explores a merger between affect theory, animal studies and the lifeworld tradition of phenomenology. The upshot of this is a way of seeing how animals, like humans, have rich religious worlds that are shaped by pre-linguistic textures of affect. This perspective indicates that animals can be thrown into a state of trauma by being deprived of these lifeworlds. In light of this, the article considers the ethical implications of the modern factory farm system, particularly the practice of mass confinement.
Clamping of fine Kirschner wires in external fixators
Authors: Zamani Ahmad R , Oyadiji S Olutunde
Published: October 2016

In Ilizarov circular (ring) external fixators, fine Kirschner wires are used to fix the bone to the fixator. Clamping of the wires to the rings with different bolt torques has been studied. However, the relation between the bolt torque and the fixation load applied to the wire was not investigated. In this work, finite element method is used to address this problem. Here, a fully three-dimensional model of the wire fixation assembly was built, with geometric details like threads on the bolt to produce a realistic simulation of the clamping of the wire. Both cannulated and slotted bolt types were studied and values of 0.2, 0.25, 0.3 and 0.45 were used for coefficient of friction. A torque was applied to the nut while the ring section and bolt kept in place. The results for bolt load, nut rotation as well as axial and radial wire deformations were obtained. The results demonstrated a linear relation between the bolt load and the bolt torque. The coefficient of this relationship was shown to be inversely proportional to the coefficient of friction. For all results, the bolt load (N) was approximately 124 times the bolt torque (N m) divided by the friction coefficient. The results highlighted the difference between the cannulated and the slotted bolts in terms of their grip on the wire.
Reconciliation: A comprehensive framework for empirical analysis
Authors: Rettberg Angelika , Ugarriza Juan E
Published: October 2016

There appears to be a rift between the theoretical and normative understandings of what reconciliation means and offers, and what people expect to happen in postconflict scenarios. Here we present a conceptual framework that captures the definitional diversity surrounding the concept of reconciliation and then operationalizes it in order to analyze responses from postconflict populations. The illustrative application of our framework to responses from a representative survey of 1,843 Colombian citizens reveals that people’s convictions are just as diverse as scholars’. Nevertheless, significant proportions of respondents seem to understand reconciliation to be primarily a psychological and political process which aims to achieve the re-establishment of quotidian or day-to-day relations and cooperation; which should be preceded by the cessation of violence, dialogue, goodwill, and attitudinal and emotional change; and which should be accompanied by social welfare and security. It is noteworthy that understandings of reconciliation as a process mediated by justice, truth, and memory are scarce. The application of this framework will help to reveal differences between hopes and promises, and inform scholarly work and policymaking that is more realistically rooted.
Eliminating Critical Incident Tracking Network Patient Safety Events at a Veterans Affairs Institution Through Crew Resource Management Training
Authors: Kuy SreyRam , Romero Ramon A. L.
Published: October 2016

The objective of this study was to determine whether rates of Critical Incident Tracking Network (CITN) patient safety adverse events change after implementation of crew resource management (CRM) training at a Veterans Affairs (VA) hospital. CRM training was conducted for all surgical staff at a VA hospital. Compliance with briefing and debriefing checklists was assessed for all operating room procedures. Tracking of adverse patient safety events utilizing the VA CITN events was performed. There was 100% adherence to performance of briefings and debriefings after initiation of CRM training. There were 3 CITN events in the year prior to implementation of CRM training; following CRM training, there have been zero CITN events. Following CRM training, CITN events were eliminated, and this has been sustained for 2.5 years. This is the first study to demonstrate the impact of CRM training on CITN events, specifically, in a VA medical center.
A new wavelet family based on second-order LTI-systems
Authors: Abuhamdia Tariq , Taheri Saied , Burns John
Published: October 2016

In this paper, a new family of wavelets derived from the underdamped response of second-order Linear-Time-Invariant (LTI) systems is introduced. The most important criteria for a function or signal to be a wavelet is the ability to recover the original signal back from its continuous wavelet transform. We show that it is possible to recover back the original signal once the Second-Order Underdamped LTI (SOULTI) wavelet is applied to decompose the signal. It is found that the SOULTI wavelet transform of a signal satisfies a linear differential equation called the reconstructing differential equation, which is closely related to the differential equation that produces the wavelet. Moreover, a time-frequency resolution is defined based on two different approaches. The new transform has useful properties; a direct relation between the scale and the frequency, unique transform formulas that can be easily obtained for most elementary signals such as unit step, sinusoids, polynomials, and decaying harmonic signals, and linear relations between the wavelet transform of signals and the wavelet transform of their derivatives and integrals. The results obtained are presented with analytical and numerical examples. Signals with constant harmonics and signals with time-varying frequencies are analyzed, and their evolutionary spectrum is obtained. Contour mapping of the transform in the time-scale and the time-frequency domains clearly detects the change of the frequency content of the analyzed signals with respect to time. The results are compared with other wavelets results and with the short-time fourier analysis spectrograms. At the end, we propose the method of reverse wavelet transform to mitigate the edge effect.
Do What (S)HE Says and You Will Be a Champion: Poetic Representations and the Unmuting of My Swimmer Body
Authors: McMahon Jennifer Ann , McGannon Kerry Rebecca
Published: October 2016

A series of four poems were generated as a result of McMahon’s reimmersion into an elite swimming culture where she purposely revisited emotional and mental pain experienced 15 years earlier. Her reimmersion resulted in the re-engagement of torturous training and bodily regimes that other swimmers were subjected to and subjected themselves to. By presenting four evocative poetic representations, McMahon empowered and expressed her 40-year-old body’s sensations and experiences as she resubjected it to a culture that continues to torment her. These four poetic representations indeed assisted her to sort, ponder, and acknowledge her body’s experiences, voices, and her ever-evolving embodied consciousness. It is hoped that the audience will think and feel with McMahon’s bodily encounters, reflecting on them and drawing their own conclusions and understandings.
Theory Is Dead
Authors: Kaufmann Jodi
Published: October 2016

This article discusses the possibility that Western theory, with its ghostly apparition of power, is dead. Suggesting that Indigenous and quantum thought erase the difference between the measuring object and the object of measurement found in traditional Western theory, this article argues that Indigenous and quantum thought may change the narrative structure of traditional Western theory, allowing for qualitative research in/through being. The author concludes with a prayer and coda to a practice of qualitative inquiry beyond Western theory.
Validation of the Use of Electronic Health Records for Classification of ADHD Status
Authors: Gruschow Siobhan M. , Yerys Benjamin E. , Power Thomas J. , Durbin Dennis R. , Curry Allison E.
Published: October 2016

Objective: To validate an electronic health record (EHR)–based algorithm to classify ADHD status of pediatric patients. Method: As part of an applied study, we identified all primary care patients of The Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia [CHOP] health care network who were born 1987-1995 and residents of New Jersey. Patients were classified with ADHD if their EHR indicated an International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification (ICD-9-CM) diagnosis code of “314.x” at a clinical visit or on a list of known conditions. We manually reviewed EHRs for ADHD patients ( n = 2,030) and a random weighted sample of non-ADHD patients ( n = 807 of 13,579) to confirm the presence or absence of ADHD. Results: Depending on assumptions for inconclusive cases, sensitivity ranged from 0.96 to 0.97 (95% confidence interval [CI] = [0.95, 0.97]), specificity from 0.98 to 0.99 [0.97, 0.99], and positive predictive value from 0.83 to 0.98 [0.81, 0.99]. Conclusion: EHR-based diagnostic codes can accurately classify ADHD status among pediatric patients and can be used by large-scale epidemiologic and clinical studies with high sensitivity and specificity.
RaftLib: A C++ template library for high performance stream parallel processing
Authors: Beard Jonathan C , Li Peng , Chamberlain Roger D
Published: October 2016

Stream processing is a compute paradigm that has been around for decades, yet until recently has failed to garner the same attention as other mainstream languages and libraries (e.g. C++, OpenMP, MPI). Stream processing has great promise: the ability to safely exploit extreme levels of parallelism to process huge volumes of streaming data. There have been many implementations, both libraries and full languages. The full languages implicitly assume that the streaming paradigm cannot be fully exploited in legacy languages, while library approaches are often preferred for being integrable with the vast expanse of extant legacy code. Libraries, however are often criticized for yielding to the shape of their respective languages. RaftLib aims to fully exploit the stream processing paradigm, enabling a full spectrum of streaming graph optimizations, while providing a platform for the exploration of integrability with legacy C/C++ code. RaftLib is built as a C++ template library, enabling programmers to utilize the robust C++ standard library, and other legacy code, along with RaftLib’s parallelization framework. RaftLib supports several online optimization techniques: dynamic queue optimization, automatic parallelization, and real-time low overhead performance monitoring.
Serum Trefoil Factor 3 as a Protein Biomarker for the Diagnosis of Colorectal Cancer
Authors: Li Qiang , Wang Keke , Su Chang , Fang Jieyu
Published: October 2016

Colorectal cancer is one of the most frequent causes of cancer-related deaths worldwide. Thus, there is a need for timely diagnosis and effective treatment. Our aim in the present study was to detect the serum level of trefoil factor 3 protein and evaluate the diagnostic accuracy of trefoil factor 3 in patients with colorectal cancer. We collected serum samples from 204 participants (127 patients with colorectal cancer, 35 patients with polyps, and 42 healthy controls). The levels of serum trefoil factor 3 and carcinoembryonic antigen expression were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Receiver operating characteristic curves were plotted to calculate the diagnostic accuracy of trefoil factor 3 in patients with colorectal cancer. The serum levels of trefoil factor 3 in patients with colorectal cancer (6.66 ± 2.4 ng/mL; P < .00l) and polyps (3.86 ± 1.3 ng/mL; P < .00l) were significantly increased compared to healthy controls (2.09 ± 1.0 ng/mL). Moreover, the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve for trefoil factor 3 was greater than carcinoembryonic antigen (0.889 vs 0.715). At a cutoff value of 5.591 ng/mL, the diagnostic sensitivity, specificity, and likelihood ratio of serum trefoil factor 3 for colorectal cancer was 74.2%, 94.8%, and 14.25, respectively. Furthermore, the serum trefoil factor 3 levels in early colorectal cancer (TNM stage I, 3.67 ± 1.27 ng/mL) were significantly increased compared to healthy controls ( P < .001); however, there was no significant difference compared to patients with polyps ( P = .576). We observed that the serum trefoil factor 3 levels decreased after surgery (6.66 ± 2.4 vs 4.48 ± 1.80 ng/mL; P < .001). In addition, high serum trefoil factor 3 levels were associated with poor tumor differentiation and clinical TNM stage ( P < .05). In conclusion, serum trefoil factor 3 is a promising biomarker for the diagnosis of colorectal cancer and prognosis of patients.
Prasugrel versus clopidogrel in stent-assisted coil embolization of unruptured intracranial aneurysms
Authors: Sedat Jacques , Chau Yves , Gaudart Jean , Sachet Marina , Beuil Stephanie , Lonjon Michel
Published: October 2016

Background

Thromboembolic complications are the main problem in stent-assisted coil embolization of unruptured intracranial aneurysms. The combination of aspirin and clopidogrel is generally used to decrease these complications, but some patients do not respond to clopidogrel and have a higher risk of stent thrombosis. In cardiology, clinical trials have shown that prasugrel reduced the incidence of ischaemic events in patients with acute coronary syndrome compared with clopidogrel but, according to several authors, prasugrel would produce an increased risk of cerebral haemorrhagic complications.

Objective

The purpose of this study was to determine whether prasugrel would be more effective than clopidogrel in reducing procedural events in patients with an unruptured aneurysm treated endovascularly with coils and stent.

Materials and methods

Two hundred consecutive patients with intracranial aneurysms were treated using coiling and stenting procedures. The first 100 patients were administered a dual antiplatelet of aspirin and clopidogrel, while the remaining 100 patients were administered a dual antiplatelet of aspirin and prasugrel. In each group data were collected on procedural and periprocedural haemorrhagic and ischaemic complications.

Results

Aneurysmal occlusion and haemorrhagic complications rates were identical in both groups. The number of thromboembolic events observed in the two groups of our study did not differ significantly, but the prasugrel group included more wide-neck aneurysms and more flow-diverted stents. Moreover, complications in the prasugrel group were more benign, explaining the significant difference in clinical outcomes between the two groups on Day 30.

Conclusions

Prasugrel reduces the clinical consequences of thromboembolic complications of endovascular treatment with stenting and coiling of unruptured intracranial aneurysms.
Modeling and simulation of dynamical contact of asperities between flat rough surfaces
Authors: Tan Yanqing , Zhang Lianhong , Ma Lianjie , Lv Xiaoyong
Published: October 2016

Dynamic contact analysis on the level of surface asperities is a powerful means to study the wear behavior of surface and the physical contact properties of interface. This article established an analytical model of asperity contacts between nominal rough planes during sliding process based on the statistical contact analysis of rough surfaces. The analytical expression describes the mathematical relationship between the total number of asperity contacts and its main influencing factors including the nominal contact area, sliding distance, the spacing between two contact planes, and surface topographical parameters. A simulation model of dynamic contact of asperities on rough planes was established to rapidly calculate the number of asperity contacts during the sliding process. The comparison between the calculation results and simulation results of the number of asperity contacts obtained through multifactor and multilevel analysis verified the rationality of the analytical model.
Finite element analysis and experimental study on contact pressure of hydraulic support bud-shaped composite sealing ring
Authors: Zhang Xi , Wang Gang , Xia Peng , Li Hai-Peng , He Ming
Published: October 2016

By the fluid dynamics theory analysis of the sealing interface, the importance of sealing contact pressure research for sealing performance is discussed. By experiments and data analysis for nitrile rubber buna and polyurethane, Mooney–Rivlin model parameters of two materials are obtained. By the finite element analysis of bud-shaped composite sealing ring under different pressures and secondary analysis, sealing contact pressure distribution curve of finite element analysis has been obtained. Sealing experimental apparatus is designed and assembled. The contact pressure distribution curve and three-dimensional pressure distribution field are obtained using the pressure-sensitive film. The results from finite element analysis and experiment are consistent with the conclusion of fluid dynamics theory analysis. The research content and design have great significance for sealing mechanism study.
Bearing vibration detection and analysis using enhanced fast Fourier transform algorithm
Authors: Lin Hsiung-Cheng , Ye Yu-Chen , Huang Bo-Jyun , Su Jia-Lun
Published: October 2016

It is known that the vibration impulses occurred from a bearing defect are non-periodic but cyclostationary due to the slippage of rollers. The vibration status is often perceived to be synonymous with quality and thus used for predictive maintenance before breakdown. As a result, the analysis of vibration has been used as a key condition tool for fault detection, diagnosis, and prognosis. Any defect in a bearing causes some vibration that consists of certain frequencies depending on the nature and location of the defect. Although many techniques for time–frequency analysis are reported to measure vibration signals, they were found less efficient in practical applications. For this reason, this article develops an on-line bearing vibration detection and analysis using enhanced fast Fourier transform algorithm. The relation between major vibration frequency and dispersed leakage caused from fast Fourier transform can be induced, and it is then used to establish a mathematical model to find major frequencies of vibration signal. Also, the dispersed energy can be collected to retrieve its original gravitational acceleration. The proposed model is developed using a simple arithmetic operation based on fast Fourier transform so that it is feasible for more efficient calculation in impulse signal analysis. Both measurement calibration and practical results verify that the proposed scheme can achieve accurate, rapid, and reliable outcomes.
Pore-size distribution effects on the thermal conductivity of the fired clay body from lightweight bricks
Authors: Šveda Mikuláš , Janík Branislav , Pavlík Vladimír , Štefunková Zuzana , Pavlendová Gabriela , Šín Peter , Sokolář Radomír
Published: October 2016

This study investigated the effects of three pore-forming agents on the properties of the fired clay body applied in the production of lightweight bricks for the building envelopes. Test samples were made from clay raw material already containing two combustible pore-forming agents (sawdust and cellulose sludge). A part of this research was focused on studying the influence of adding two combustible pore-forming agents (molasses and cornstarch) and a chemical additive Vuppor to the claw raw material. Testing of the material properties showed that although the three samples had almost the same pore volume, their thermal conductivities varied. These findings led to an important conclusion. The pore size of 1–200 µm (filled with not only air but also biomass ash) reduced the thermal conductivity, and conversely, an increase in the small pore size less than 1 µm increased the thermal conductivity of the fired clay body.
From Byron to Byron: Mazeppa and the Tartars in Nineteenth-Century British Theatre
Authors: Morosetti Tiziana
Published: October 2016

Lord Byron’s Mazeppa (via Henry Milner’s 1831 adaptation) and ‘Monk’ Lewis’s Timour the Tartar (1811) had a decisive, although at times elusive influence on Victorian playwrights such as Gilbert Abbott à Beckett, John Oxenford, Francis Burnand and H. J. Byron, second cousin to the poet. The presence and representation of the Tartars on the nineteenth-century British stage will be explored through an examination of this influence. It will be argued that Lord Byron and ‘Monk’ Lewis worked not only as major turning points in the construction of the Tartars in nineteenth-century Britain but also as links between the ‘high-brow’ world of Romantic poetry and the ‘low-brow’ landscape of Victorian popular entertainment – both enhancing existing racial stereotypes around the Tartars and the East more generally.
Optimal biliary access point and learning curve for endoscopic ultrasound-guided hepaticogastrostomy with transmural stenting
Authors: Oh Dongwook , Park Do Hyun , Song Tae Jun , Lee Sang Soo , Seo Dong-Wan , Lee Sung Koo , Kim Myung-Hwan
Published: October 2016

Background:

Although endoscopic ultrasound-guided hepaticogastrostomy (EUS-HGS) with transmural stenting has increased for biliary decompression in patients with an inaccessible papilla, the optimal biliary access point and the learning curve of EUS-HGS have not been studied. We evaluated the optimal biliary access point and learning curve for technically successful EUS-HGS.

Methods:

129 consecutive patients (male n = 81, 62.3%; malignant n = 113, 87.6%) who underwent EUS-HGS due to an inaccessible papilla were enrolled. EUS finding and procedure times according to each needle puncture attempt in EUS-HGS were prospectively measured. Learning curves of EUS-HGS were calculated for two main outcome measurements (procedure time and adverse events) by using the moving average method and cumulative sum (CUSUM) analysis, respectively.

Results:

A total of 174 EUS-HGS attempts were performed in 129 patients. The mean number of needle punctures was 1.35 ± 0.57. Using the logistic regression model, bile duct diameter of the puncture site ⩽ 5 mm [odds ratio (OR) 3.7, 95% confidence interval (CI): 1.71–8.1, p < 0.01] and hepatic portion length [linear distance from the mural wall to the punctured bile duct wall on EUS; mean hepatic portion length was 27 mm (range 10–47 mm)] > 3 cm (OR 5.7, 95% CI: 2.7–12, p < 0.01) were associated with low technical success. Procedure time and adverse events were shorter after 24 cases, and stabilized at 33 cases of EUS-HGS, respectively.

Conclusions:

Our data suggest that a bile duct diameter > 5 mm and hepatic portion length 1 cm to ⩽ 3 cm on EUS may be suitable for successful EUS-HGS. In our learning curve analysis, over 33 cases might be required to achieve the plateau phase for successful EUS-HGS.