bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Hand detection and segmentation using smart path tracking fingers as features and expert system classifier
Authors: Yasen Khaled N. , Malallah Fahad Layth , Abdulrazak Lway Faisal , Darwesh Aso Mohammad , Khmag Asem , Shareef Baraa T.
Published: October 2019

Nowadays, hand gesture recognition (HGR) is getting popular due to several applications such as remote based control using a hand, and security for access control. One of the major problems of HGR is the accuracy lacking hand detection and segmentation. In this paper, a new algorithm of hand detection will be presented, which works by tracking fingers smartly based on the planned path. The tracking operation is accomplished by assuming a point at the top middle of the image containing the object then this point slides few pixels down to be a reference point then branching into two slopes: left and right. On these slopes, fingers will be scanned to extract flip-numbers, which are considered as features to be classified accordingly by utilizing the expert system. Experiments were conducted using 100 images for 10-individual containing hand inside a cluttered background by using Dataset of Leap Motion and Microsoft Kinect hand acquisitions. The recorded accuracy is depended on the complexity of the Flip-Number setting, which is achieved 96%, 84% and 81% in case 6, 7 and 8 Flip_Numbers respectively, in which this result reflects a high level of finite accuracy in comparing with existing techniques.
Fuzzy-PID controller for an energy efficient personal vehicle: Two-wheel electric skateboard
Authors: Sumantri Bambang , Binugroho Eko Henfri , Putra Ilham Mandala , Rokhana Rika
Published: October 2019

The two-wheeled electric skateboard (TWS) is designed for a personal vehicle. A Fuzzy-PID control strategy is designed and implemented for controlling its motion. Basically, motions control of the TWS is performed by balancing the pitch position of the TWS. Performance of the designed controller is demonstrated experimentally. The Fuzzy algorithm updates the PID gains and therefore it can handle the changing of the TWS load. Contribution of Fuzzy-PID in reducing the electric energy consumption, which is an important issue in electrical system, is also evaluated. The Fuzzy-PID successes to reduce the electric energy consumption of the TWS compared to the conventional PID.
A comparitive study on handover probability analysis for future HetNets
Authors: Sajja Neeraja , Abhishiktha A.
Published: October 2019

The need of wireless services increasing day by day due to the advancements in the field of wireless technology towards 5G for instant transferring the mails, messages and video calling without any interruption. In LTE and 5G wireless networks, major task is to provide seamless connection anywhere, anytime when the user may roam among Heterogeneous Wireless Networks (HetNets). To achieve proper mobility management among HetNets, handoff or hadover is required. Handover Probability is one of the metric to estimate the handover performance, which is a probability of Mobile Node to handover the present connection from the current base station to another base station or enode B. In this paper, handoff probability analysis is done for   multiple HetNets based on Handover Algorithm. To estimate this algorithm, bandwidth is considered as one of the key parameter. A comparative analysis of handover probability for two, three, four and five HetNets has been performed. The results can demonstrate that the variation of handover probability with respect to traffic load, threshold and bandwidth. It is observed that, as the number of wireless networks increases handover probability slightly increases with traffic load. These results are more significant to estimate further wrong decision handovers based on that Quality of Service (QoS) is evaluated in practical HetNets such as integration of LTE, Wi-Fi and WiMAX etc. 
Fuzzy n-s-homogeneity and fuzzy weak n-s-homogeneity
Authors: Al Ghour Samer , Azaizeh Almothana
Published: October 2019

Fuzzy n-s-homogeneity and fuzzy weak n-s-homogeneity are introduced in fuzzy bitopological spaces. Several relationships, characterizations and examples related to them are given.
Analysis study on R-Eclat algorithm in infrequent itemsets mining
Authors: Man Mustafa , Jusoh Julaily Aida , Saany Syarilla Iryani Ahmad , Bakar Wan Aezwani Wan Abu , Ibrahim Mohd Hafizuddin
Published: October 2019

There are rising interests in developing techniques for data mining. One of the important subfield in data mining is itemset mining, which consists of discovering appealing and useful patterns in transaction databases. In a big data environment, the problem of mining infrequent itemsets becomes more complicated when dealing with a huge dataset. Infrequent itemsets mining may provide valuable information in the knowledge mining process. The current basic algorithms that widely implemented in infrequent itemset mining are derived from Apriori and FP-Growth. The use of Eclat-based in infrequent itemset mining has not yet been extensively exploited. This paper addresses the discovery of infrequent itemsets mining from the transactional database based on Eclat algorithm. To address this issue, the minimum support measure is defined as a weighted frequency of occurrence of an itemsets in the analysed data. Preliminary experimental results illustrate that Eclat-based algorithm is more efficient in mining dense data as compared to sparse data.
Price effect analysis and pre-reseravtion scheme on electric vehicle charging networks
Authors: Lee Junghoon , Park Gyung-Leen
Published: October 2019

This paper investigates the price effect to the charging demand coming from electric vehicles and then evaluates the performance of a pre-reservation mechanism using the real-life demand patterns. On the charging network in Jeju city, the occupancy rates for 3 price groups, namely, free, medium-price, and expensive chargers, are separated almost evenly by about 9.0 %, while a set of chargers dominates the charging demand during hot hours. The virtual pre-reservation scheme matches electric vehicles to a time slot of a charger so as not only to avoid intolerable waiting time in charging stations systematically but also to increase the revenue of service providers, taking into account both bidding levels specified by electric vehicles and preference criteria defined by chargers. The performance analysis results obtained by prototype implementation show that the proposed pre-reservation mechanism improves the revenue of service providers by up to 9.5 % and 42.9 %, compared with the legacy FCFS and reservation-less walk-in schemes for the given performance parameter sets.
Convolutional neural network-based model for web-based text classification
Authors: Aich Satyabrata , Chakraborty Sabyasachi , Kim Hee-Cheol
Published: October 2019

There is an increasing amount of text data available on the web with multiple topical granularities; this necessitates proper categorization/classification of text to facilitate obtaining useful information as per the needs of users. Some traditional approaches such as bag-of-words and bag-of-ngrams models provide good results for text classification. However, texts available on the web in the current state contain high event-related granularity on different topics at different levels, which may adversely affect the accuracy of traditional approaches. With the invention of deep learning models, which already have the capability of providing good accuracy in the field of image processing and speech recognition, the problems inherent in the traditional text classification model can be overcome. Currently, there are several deep learning models such as a convolutional neural networks (CNNs), recurrent neural networks (RNNs), and long-short term memory that are widely used for various text-related tasks; however, among them, the CNN model is popular because it is simple to use and has high accuracy for text classification. In this study, classification of random texts on the web into categories is attempted using a CNN-based model by changing the hyperparameters and sequence of text vectors. We attempt to tune every hyperparameter that is unique for the classification task along with the sequences of word vectors to obtain the desired accuracy; the accuracy is found to be in the range of 85–92%. This model can be considered as a reliable model and applied to solve real-world problem or extract useful information for various text mining applications.
Blood transfusion and Jehovah’s Witnesses
Authors: Piacsek Monica Vieira da Motta , Motta Marcia Vieira da , Haddad Ricardo Nusralla
Published: October 2019

Brazilian physicians and judges frequently have to decide whether to save the life of a Jehovah Witness patient that refuses blood transfusion or let the patient die when treatment refusal reflects their religious belief. The Penal Code condemns the physician who fails to use all the available means to save the patient. The Civil Code, contrarily, requires the professional to respect the patient’s autonomy regarding their decision over an intervention with potential risk of death. The Brazilian Constitution guarantees religious freedom and the inviolability of the right to life. This article reviews the Brazilian jurisprudence on the matter through recovery of all available decisions in the Federal and State Courts’ online database up to 2013. The results show that these superior courts consider that people are not allowed to let go of their own lives for religious reasons when in a state of “imminent death”. However, when the patient’s clinical state is qualified as “at risk of dying”, physicians are requested to respect their dissent.
Spatiotemporal and Demographic Trends and Disparities in Cardiovascular Disease Among Older Adults in the United States Based on 181 Million Hospitalization Records
Authors: Singh Gitanjali M. , Becquart Ninon , Cruz Melissa , Acevedo Andrea , Mozaffarian Dariush , Naumova Elena N.
Published: October 2019

Background

The US population is aging, with concurrent increases in cardiovascular disease (CVD) burdens; however, spatiotemporal and demographic trends in CVD incidence in the US elderly have not been investigated in detail. This study aims to characterize trends from 1991 to 2014 in CVD hospitalizations among US Medicare beneficiaries, aged 65+ years, by single year of age/sex/race/state using records from the US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid, covering 98% of older Americans.

Methods and Results

We abstracted 181 202 758 US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid hospitalization records indicating CVD in any of 10 diagnosis codes; tabulated total cases of CVD by sex, age, race, state, and calendar year (1991–2014); and normalized hospitalization counts to standardize over data batches. Stratum‐specific hospitalization rates were calculated using US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid records and US Census population counts; a cubic polynomial function was fit to year‐specific distributions of rates by single year of age. Nationwide, CVD‐related hospitalization rates increased from 1991 to 2014. Differences between hospitalization rates at age 65 and 66 years, representing magnitude of healthcare deferral until Medicare onset, increased by 7.49 per 100 people 1991 to 2006 overall, and were largest among blacks and Native Americans. Rates of CVD hospitalizations were consistently highest in the Midwest/Deep South. Evidence of misclassification of race/ethnicity in US Centers for Medicare & Medicaid hospitalization records in the 1990s was noted.

Conclusions

Trends in CVD‐related hospitalization rates among older Americans highlight the essential need for targeted policies to reduce CVD burdens, to improve reporting of race/ethnicity in large administrative databases, and to enhance access to affordable healthcare.
Retrospective Selection in Visual and Tactile Working Memory Is Mediated by Shared Control Mechanisms
Authors: Katus Tobias , Eimer Martin
Published: October 2019

Selective attention regulates the activation of working memory (WM) representations. Retro-cues, presented after memory sample stimuli have been stored, modulate these activation states by triggering shifts of attention to task-relevant samples. Here, we investigated whether the control of such attention shifts is modality-specific or shared across sensory modalities. Participants memorized bilateral tactile and visual sample stimuli before an auditory retro-cue indicated which visual and tactile stimuli had to be retained. Critically, these cued samples were located on the same side or opposite sides, thus requiring spatially congruent or incongruent attention shifts in tactile and visual WM. To track the attentional selection of retro-cued samples, tactile and visual contralateral delay activities (tCDA and CDA components) were measured. Clear evidence for spatial synergy effects from attention shifts in visual WM on concurrent shifts in tactile WM were observed: Tactile WM performance was impaired, and tCDA components triggered by retro-cues were strongly attenuated on opposite-sides relative to same-side trials. These spatial congruency effects were eliminated when cued attention shifts in tactile WM occurred in the absence of simultaneous shifts within visual WM. Results show that, in contrast to other modality-specific aspects of WM control, concurrent attentional selection processes within tactile and visual WM are mediated by shared supramodal control processes.
A morpho-molecular re-appraisal of Polystigma fulvum and P. rubrum (Polystigma, Polystigmataceae)

Authors: BUNDHUN DIGVIJAYINI , JEEWON RAJESH , DAYARATHNE MONIKA C. , BULGAKOV TIMUR S. , KHRAMTSOV ALEXANDER K. , ALUTHMUHANDIRAM JANITH V.S. , PEM DHANDEVI , TO-ANUN CHAIWAT , HYDE KEVIN D.
Published: October 2019

Collections of eleven Prunus specimens infected with Polystigma species from Belarus and Russia yielded two existing taxa: Polystigma fulvum (sexual morph) and Polystigma rubrum (asexual morph). DNA based phylogenies of large subunit nuclear rDNA (LSU) and nuclear ribosomal internal transcribed spacer (ITS) are provided for the first time for Polystigma fulvum and its placement is confirmed within Polystigmataceae. The concatenated LSU and ITS DNA sequence data for P. rubrum, analyzed to infer its potential relationship to other Polystigma species, also show that strains of P. rubrum are segregated into two subclades with sufficient genetic differences. No significant differences in morphology or morphometry among the strains of P. rubrum between the two subclades, especially vis-à-vis the conidiogenous cell and conidium sizes are observed (P>0.05). Subspecies concept of P. rubrum complex is discussed.
A new species of Parasycorax and new records of Sycorax (Diptera: Psychodidae, Sycoracinae) from southern Brazil
Authors: ROSSITO LUCAS , PINHO LUIZ CARLOS
Published: October 2019

Sycoracinae is a subfamily of Psychodidae, currently with 45 extant species (Curler & Jacobson 2012; Santos et al. 2013) classified in three genera: Sycorax Haliday in Curtis; Parasycorax Duckhouse and Aposycorax Duckhouse (Duckhouse 1972; Young 1979). Sycorax comprises a majority of this diversity with 40 extant species, 15 of which are recorded from the Neotropical region (Curler & Jacobson 2012; Santos et al. 2013). Four fossil species of Sycorax have also been described (Curler & Jacobson 2012), including one from middle Miocene Amazonian amber (Petrulevičius et al. 2011). In contrast, Parasycorax includes only four extant species; three from South America and one from the Philippines (Santos et al. 2009) and a fossil species from Cretaceous Burmese amber (Stebner et al. 2015). Here we describe a new species of Parasycorax and provide an updated key to males of all extant and fossil species of the genus. In addition, Sycorax bravoi Santos, Ferreira & Falqueto and Sycorax espiritosantensis Santos & Bravo are recorded for Santa Catarina State, southern Brazil.
A new species of Mastostethus (Coleoptera: Chrysomeloidea: Megalopodidae) from Chiapas, Mexico
Authors: RODRÍGUEZ-MIRÓN GEOVANNI M.
Published: October 2019

Mastostethus mulier sp. nov., from Chiapas, Mexico is described and illustrated.
A new species of the genus Watsonidia Toulgoët, 1981 (Lepidoptera, Erebidae, Arctiini): example of polymorphism in the Amazon of Peru
Authors: GRADOS JUAN
Published: October 2019

A new species of the genus Watsonidia Toulgoët, from the Amazon region of Peru, is described, with two morphotypes. Characters of males and female genitalia of both morphotypes and the genetic analyses (COI) that support the polymorphism of the species are provided. The habitus of males and females is also illustrated.
New Oriental genus in the tribe Caliscelini (Hemiptera: Fulgoromorpha: Caliscelidae) from Pakistan
Authors: SOHAIL KAMRAN , USMAN MUHAMMAD , NAVEED HASSAN , ZHANG YALIN
Published: October 2019

Formibelle gen. nov. is described based on the type species Formibelle vladimiri sp. nov. from Swat, Pakistan. This new genus represents the second species in the family Caliscelidae from Pakistan. A key to the known genera of Caliscelidae in Pakistan is provided.
A new species of Pomponema Cobb, 1917 (Nematoda: Cyatholaimidae) from Northeast of Brazil, with reference to the taxonomic status of the genera Parapomponema Ott, 1972 and Propomponema Ott, 1972
Authors: CIDREIRA GABRIEL , PINHEIRO-JUNIOR ERALDO P. , VENEKEY VIRÁG , DE SOUZA ALVES ORANE F.
Published: October 2019

A new species of free-living marine nematode is described from Itapuã beach, northeast of Brazil. Pomponema veronicae sp. n. differs from other species of Pomponema by having buccal cavity with large pointed dorsal tooth, two subventral teeth and pairs of denticles, gubernaculum with two L-shaped lateral plates and having a membrane at its distal end that connects to L-shaped plate, and presence of a ventral orifice at distal end of L-shaped plates. It also differs from other species in the size of spicules and gubernaculum. The new species is considered most closely related to Parapomponema species because of the L-shaped lateral plates of gubernaculum, but the taxonomic status of Parapomponema was reviewed and Parapomponema and Propomponema are now synonymized with Pomponema. Pomponema cyatholaimoides is considered as a species inquirendum and Pomponema carinatum is accepted as Pomponema loticum. An updated identification key to species of Pomponema is included.
Advanced Problems in Mathematics
Authors: Siklos Stephen
Published: October 2019

This book is intended to help candidates prepare for entrance examinations in mathematics and scientific subjects, including STEP (Sixth Term Examination Paper). STEP is an examination used by Cambridge colleges as the basis for conditional offers. They are also used by Warwick University, and many other mathematics departments recommend that their applicants practice on the past papers even if they do not take the examination.

'Advanced Problems in Mathematics' is recommended as preparation for any undergraduate mathematics course, even for students who do not plan to take the Sixth Term Examination Paper. The questions analysed in this book are all based on recent STEP questions selected to address the syllabus for Papers I and II, which is the A-level core (i.e. C1 to C4) with a few additions. Each question is followed by a comment and a full solution. The comments direct the reader’s attention to key points and put the question in its true mathematical context. The solutions point students to the methodology required to address advanced mathematical problems critically and independently.

This book is a must read for any student wishing to apply to scientific subjects at university level and for anybody interested in advanced mathematics.
A 100-m-Scale Modeling Study of a Gale Event on the Lee Side of a Long Narrow Mountain
Authors: Xue Haile , Li Jian , Qian Tingting , Gu Hongping
Published: October 2019

In this study, a gale event that occurred on the lee side of a long narrow mountain was investigated, together with the associated mountain flows, using a realistic-case large-eddy simulation (LES) that is based on the Weather Research and Forecasting Model. The mountain is located on the southeastern Tibetan Plateau, where approximately 58 gales occur annually, mostly in the afternoons during the winter season. Benefitting from realistic topography and high horizontal resolution as fine as 111 m, the LES can replicate features similar to the wind fields observed during the gale period. Investigation of the early morning wind structure over the mountain revealed that weak inflows were blocked, reversed, and divided in the upstream area and that some weak lee waves, rotors, and two clear lee vortices were evident downstream. As the upstream wind accelerated and the boundary layer developed during the daytime, the lee waves became amplified with severe downslope wind and rotors. The interaction and coherent structure of the downslope wind, rotor, and vortices were investigated to show the severe wind distribution. The mountain drags associated with blocking and amplified lee waves are displayed to show the potential impact on the large-scale model. The linear lee-wave theory was adopted to explain the wave evolution during this event together with a discussion of the uncertainty around low-level nonlinear processes.
A Lagrangian Analysis of Water Vapor Sources and Pathways for Precipitation in East China in Different Stages of the East Asian Summer Monsoon
Authors: Shi Yi , Jiang Zhihong , Liu Zhengyu , Li Laurent
Published: October 2019

The Hybrid Single-Particle Lagrangian Integrated Trajectory (HYSPLIT) platform is used to simulate Lagrangian trajectories of air parcels in East China during the summer monsoon. The investigation includes four distinct stages of the East Asian summer monsoon (EASM) during its seasonal migration from south to north. Correspondingly, the main water vapor channel migrates from the west Pacific Ocean (PO) for the premonsoon in South China (SC) to the Indian Ocean (IO) for the monsoon in SC and in the Yangtze–Huaihe River basin, and finally back to the PO for the terminal stage of monsoon in North China. Further calculations permit us to determine water vapor source regions and water vapor contribution to precipitation in East China. To a large extent, moisture leading to precipitation does not come from the strongest water vapor pathways. For example, the proportions of trajectories from the IO are larger than 25% all of the time, but moisture contributions to actual precipitation are smaller than 10%. This can be explained by the large amount of water vapor lost in the pathways across moisture-losing areas such as the Indian and Indochina Peninsulas. Local water vapor recycling inside East China (EC) contributes significantly to regional precipitation, with contributions mostly over 30%, although the trajectory proportions from subregions in EC are all under 10%. This contribution rate can even exceed 55% for the terminal stage of the monsoon in North China. Such a result provides important guidance to understand the role of land surface conditions in modulating rainfall in North China.
Evaluation of Stochastic Perturbed Parameterization Tendencies on Convective-Permitting Ensemble Forecasts of Heavy Rainfall Events in New York and Taiwan
Authors: Lupo Kevin M. , Torn Ryan D. , Yang Shu-Chih
Published: October 2019

The representation of model error in ensemble prediction systems (EPSs) can be limited by the assumptions within parameterization schemes. Stochastic perturbed parameterization tendencies (SPPT) is one representation of model error that randomly perturbs parameterized physical tendencies using a spatially and temporally correlated red-noise field. This research investigates the sensitivity of ensemble rainfall forecasts produced by the Weather Research and Forecasting (WRF) Model to the configuration of SPPT and independent SPPT (iSPPT) for three meso–synoptic-scale heavy rainfall events over the United States and Taiwan, primarily focusing on the ensemble mean and standard deviation as well as forecast skill. Thirty-two 20-member ensembles, which represent a combination of eight configurations of the stochastic perturbation time scale, length scale, and amplitude scale, and four perturbed parameterization schemes, as well as an unperturbed control simulation, are examined for each event. In each case, rainfall standard deviation is most sensitive to the perturbation time scale and amplitude scale. Moreover, microphysics tendency perturbations are associated with the largest standard deviation in two of the three events, followed by perturbations to the total (nonmicrophysics), turbulent mixing, and radiation parameterized tendencies. Additionally, microphysics tendency perturbations are associated with an increase in the areal coverage of heavy rainfall compared to the control forecast, regardless of whether the control forecast over or underrepresents the observed rainfall distribution.
Neck Surgery with Hypnosis: An Evaluation Based Upon Patient’s Self Assessment
Authors: Jaouen Marie , Parent Valentine , Codet Maxime , Gerard Véronique , Chatellier-Miras Anita , Chaize Cécile , De Crouy Chanel Olivier , Jegoux Franck
Published: October 2019

Background:

Surgery with hypnosis avoids the use of general anesthesia (GA). It also shortens hospitalization and promotes outpatient surgery. The objective of this study has been to assess the satisfaction of operated patients. No previous study has focused on patient satisfaction in a prospective design.

Methods:

In this prospective, non-randomized, observational study, all patients operated with hypnosis between 2009 and 2017 in the Ear, Nose, and Throat department of a tertiary care hospital were selected. All patients were asked to fill a questionnaire based on a previously validated questionnaire incremented with complementary questions. Questionnaires were completed immediately after surgery for 31 patients and after 6 months for 20 patients. Global Satisfaction Index (GSI) was self-assessed on a scale ranging from 1 to 10. Patients were asked; whether they felt comfortable during the operation, whether hypnosis helped them, whether the experience matched their expectations, whether they would revisit or recommend it to someone else and whether they considered to have been sufficiently informed before the procedure. The data was analyzed using a linear regression model with P < .05 considered as statistically significant.

Results:

During the inclusion period, no patient required conversion to GA. A total of 48 questionnaires were evaluated. The median of the GSI was 8/10. GSI significantly correlated with patient comfort ( P < 0.0001) and quality of preoperative information ( P = .002). The percentage of patients who found hypnosis helpful correlated with the duration of surgery ( P = .04). The probability for a patient to consider hypnosis as an experience matching their expectation increased with surgical team experience OR 0.55 (0.3-0.9).

Conclusion:

This study reveals that patients’ global satisfaction after hypnosis is high. This is significantly related to the quality of preoperative information and to the experience of the surgical team. It also suggests that patients are more likely to benefit from hypnosis if the surgery is longer.
Risk of Mortality between Untreated and Treated Papillary Thyroid Cancer: A Matched Cohort Analysis
Authors: Lin Jonathan K. , Sakoda Lori C. , Darbinian Jeanne , Socarras Melissa , Chiao Whitney , Calixto Nathaniel , Quesenberry Charles , Gurushanthaiah Deepak , Wang Kevin H. , Durr Megan
Published: October 2019

Objectives:

To examine the association between treatment status and mortality risk among patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC).

Methods:

We identified 3,679 adults with PTC. Thirty-one untreated patients were matched to 155 treated patients. Hazards ratios (HR) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated to estimate all-cause and disease-specific mortality. A low-risk subgroup was analyzed for differences in all-cause mortality.

Results:

The adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for all-cause mortality at 5 and 10 years were 4.2 (1.7-10.3) and 4.1 (1.9-9.4) and for disease- specific mortality were 14.1 (3.4-59.3) and 10.2 (2.9-36.4), respectively, for untreated versus treated patients. The adjusted HRs (95% CIs) for all- cause mortality was 0.7 (0.1-6.4) for low-risk untreated versus matched treated patients.

Conclusions:

Compared to treated patients, untreated PTC patients were at higher risk of death while low-risk untreated PTC patients had comparable rate of metastasis and no increased risk of all-cause mortality. Level of evidence: 3
Mood, Physical, and Mental Load in Spanish Teachers of Urban School: The Role of Intensive or Split Shift
Authors: Vilella Salvador Boix , Zarceño Eva León , Serrano Rosa Miguel Ángel
Published: October 2019

Psychosocial risk factors threaten the health of teachers, who are considered to be a group at high risk of suffering burnout syndrome. The objective of this study is to measure the levels of work satisfaction, burnout, engagement, emotional stability, fatigue, and mood of teachers, depending on their workday: intensive or split shift. A nonexperimental, descriptive–comparative research design is proposed for this study. A follow-up questionnaire has been developed to assess a teacher’s levels of physical fatigue, mental fatigue, and mood at the beginning and end of the 9 days of work analyzed. The study sample consisted of 125 teachers (102 women and 23 men) with a mean age of 38.67 years ( SD = 9.51) and 10.02 years of experience in teaching. The results show that the group of teachers working the traditional morning and afternoon shift present greater levels of physical and mental fatigue, worse mood, and less job satisfaction with supervision. However, there were no significant differences in levels of emotional stability, burnout, and engagement between the two groups of teachers. In short, it can be considered that the single morning shift generates higher levels of health among teachers.
Variable Pay Systems and/or Collective Wage Bargaining? Complements or Substitutes?
Authors: Bechter Barbara , Braakmann Nils , Brandl Bernd
Published: October 2019

Whether collective wage bargaining impedes the implementation of variable pay systems is uncertain. The authors argue that much of this uncertainty is attributable to the fact that research neglects differences in the institutional structure of bargaining. Using representative company-level data for all member states of the European Union, the authors investigate the incidence of variable pay systems in general as well as pay types that include payment-by-results, performance-related pay, and team-related pay under various bargaining arrangements. Findings show that the institutional structure of collective bargaining matters: Variable pay systems thrive under company and multilevel collective bargaining, whereas their implementation is limited under national-level collective wage bargaining.
The lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender movement: A systematic review with meta-analysis
Authors: Almeida Elzenir Pereira de Oliveira , Rolim Neto Modesto Leite
Published: October 2019

Background:

To identify, through the conscientious, explicit and judicious use, the evidence about health behaviors and situations included in the decision making on individuals belonging to the lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgender (LGBT) group in the context of ethnic disparities and sexual minorities.

Methods:

A systematic review with meta-analysis meta-synthesis from searches in electronic databases SCOPUS and Virtual Health Library (VHL), portal that hosts databases such as MEDLINE, using the following descriptors MeSH (Medical Subject Headings): ‘Sexual Minorities’, ‘Health’, ‘African Continental Ancestry Group’ and ‘Brazil’. To achieve safe and reproducible research, the authors decided to gather the descriptors using Boolean operators AND and OR, in the following manner: in the VHL, Sexual Minorities AND Health AND African Continental Ancestry Group OR Brazil; in SCOPUS, Sexual Minorities AND Health AND African Continental Ancestry Group. The selection of articles occurred in two stages.

Results:

Of the 52 results found, this study included 14 articles, according to the stages of screening and eligibility criteria. The research carried out proved to be scarce when related to Brazil, so that the review was constructed from studies carried out in international environment.

Conclusion:

The scarcity of studies in this area suggested lack of knowledge on the health profiles of the LGBT Afro Population. The individualized attention proved to be insufficient and reveals the need for training health professionals aware of the aspects and health care for this population, with a view to implementing integral health policies that already exist.
Measuring High School Curricular Intensity over Three Decades
Authors: Austin Megan
Published: October 2019

This article presents a new measure of curricular intensity that is objective, parsimonious, clearly defined, replicable, and comparable over time for use by researchers interested in examining trends, causes, and outcomes of high school course taking. After proposing a reduced-form version of Adelman’s curricular intensity index comprised of number of courses completed in English and core science, highest math course completed, and whether students took at least one Advanced Placement course, I test the measure in four National Center for Education Statistics high school longitudinal studies using confirmatory factor analysis. I examine the methodological implications of the measure by conducting multigroup tests for invariance across cohorts to understand how curricular intensity changes over time and comparing the measure’s predictive validity to that of alternative measures of course taking. I then examine substantive implications of the measure through analysis of trends and inequalities in curricular intensity. The four course-taking variables combined create a strong measure of curricular intensity across cohorts that performs as well as or better than Adelman’s index in explaining variance in postsecondary outcomes and predicting postsecondary success. The measure accounts for shifts over time in the relative contribution of each course-taking variable to overall curricular intensity, facilitating more accurate comparisons across cohorts or data sets. I provide practical guidance for using the measure in other data sets, including state- and district-level data, to analyze overall trends and gaps in curricular intensity and its role in postsecondary success, and I discuss some potential uses of the measure for future research and policy.
Partners in crime: Transnational television’s role in the emergence and distribution of narratives of European solidarity
Authors: Bengesser Cathrin
Published: October 2019

Television was heralded as a catalyst of European solidarity when satellite technology arrived, but financial failure, regulatory barriers and contrived cross-border stories – defamed as ‘Europuddings’ – quickly stifled this enthusiasm. This article reconsiders television as a medium for narratives of European solidarity within today’s TV industry, policy and culture. The crime drama The Last Panthers (2015), co-produced by Sky and Canal+, serves as a case study of the interplay between economic, political and cultural Europeanization in contemporary TV production. The analysis builds on Jürgen Habermas’s reflections on crisis dynamics in late capitalist societies (1980, 2005), which informs his response to the crisis of the European Union (2012). The case study shows how the pressure of global competition on European broadcasters, the European Commission’s support for distribution of audio-visual media, and the lessons learnt from the Europudding years have created a fragile window of opportunity for narratives of transnational solidarity.
Transnational Organizations, Accessibility, and the Next Generation
Authors: Durrell Jack
Published: October 2019

Involvement in transnational organizations is an understudied aspect of next-generation transnationalism, the cross-border connections maintained by individuals born and/or raised in countries of settlement. Exploration of institutional accessibility—the existence or nonexistence of barriers to next-generation inclusion—across a nonrepresentative sample of Mexican and Salvadoran transnational political and philanthropic groups operating in California and Washington, DC, shows how it can facilitate next-generation involvement in cross-border organizations. Accessibility is judged in terms of four main indicators: resource constraints, outreach strategies, involvement in U.S. political arenas, and pervasive institutional cultures.

La participación en organizaciones transnacionales es un aspecto poco estudiado del transnacionalismo de la próxima generación, las conexiones transfronterizas mantenidas por individuos nacidos y / o criados en países de asentamiento. La exploración de la accesibilidad institucional—la existencia o inexistencia de barreras para la inclusión de la próxima generación—a través de una muestra no representativa de grupos políticos y filantrópicos transnacionales mexicanos y salvadoreños que operan en California y Washington, DC, muestra cómo puede facilitar la participación de la próxima generación en organizaciones transfronterizas. La accesibilidad se juzga en términos de cuatro indicadores principales: limitaciones de recursos, estrategias de publicidad y reclutamiento, participación en los ámbitos políticos de los EE. UU. y culturas institucionales generalizadas.
Proudly Elitist and Undemocratic? The distributed maintenance of contested practices
Authors: Raynard Mia , Kodeih Farah , Greenwood Royston
Published: October 2019

This study examines the maintenance of highly institutionalized practices during periods of vehement contestation and changing external demands. Employing a cross-level longitudinal research design, we explore how the recruitment model of elite French business schools persisted, remaining fundamentally intact despite serious questions raised about its functional utility and social legitimacy. Comparing three periods of contestation, we document shifting coalitions of dispersed actors that were incentivized to “thematically” maintain the practices in the focal field with little formal orchestration. Our findings indicate that practices which contribute to social stratification often foster meta-routines that cajole constituencies in multiple fields to, collectively and self-interestedly, promote and regulate conservative change. We identify three meta-routines—referential comparison, generative improvisation, and distributed monitoring and policing—that introduced flexibility and encouraged “unforced” adaptations. In elaborating these meta-routines, we contribute to extant theory on the mechanisms of institutional maintenance, and shed further light on the role of complex embeddedness as a constraint on institutional processes.
Not just good for her: A temporal analysis of the dynamic relationship between representation of women and collective employee turnover
Authors: Maurer Cara C. , Qureshi Israr
Published: October 2019

Many organizations aim to increase the representation of women in their workforce, yet such efforts are often challenged by women’s relatively higher propensity to leave a job compared to men. Overlooked so far has been the temporal relationship between the representation of women and an organization’s collective employee turnover. We suggest that a substantive and rapid increase in the representation of women positively affects women and results in positive spillover effects for men, leading to a decrease in collective turnover. In our theoretical development, we explain how higher representation of women is associated with higher job embeddedness for all employees, which results in a subsequent decrease in collective employee turnover. We use latent curve model (LCM) analysis to examine a population of 499 organizations over a 14-year time span, and find support for our hypotheses. We suggest opportunities for future research and offer implications for practicing managers.
Not America’s Game: The Globalization and Post-Westernization of Women’s Baseball
Authors: Maddox Callie Batts
Published: October 2019

This article explores the globalization of women’s baseball from both historical and contemporary perspectives. The women’s game is largely absent from literature about the global diffusion of baseball, but its growing presence in numerous cultural contexts demands attention. Drawing on ideas from Rumford and Cho, I contend that contemporary women’s baseball is best read as an example of post-Westernization, which sets it apart from the men’s game still largely defined by the singular entity of Major League Baseball. The power base of women’s baseball has shifted from the United States to East Asia, as developments such as youth infrastructure, a professional league, and annual tournaments have created a surge of interest in women’s baseball in the region. Moreover, East Asia’s commitment to women’s baseball as a sport distinct from softball reinforces the shift of organizational power and cultural influence away from the United States.
The effectiveness of aromatherapy, massage and reflexology in people with palliative care needs: A systematic review
Authors: Candy Bridget , Armstrong Megan , Flemming Kate , Kupeli Nuriye , Stone Patrick , Vickerstaff Victoria , Wilkinson Susie
Published: October 2019

Background:

Aromatherapy, massage and reflexology are widely used in palliative care. Despite this, there are questions about their suitability for inclusion in clinical guidelines. The need to understand their benefits is a public priority, especially in light of funding pressures.

Aim:

To synthesise current evidence on the effectiveness of aromatherapy, massage and reflexology in people with palliative care needs.

Design:

A systematic review of randomised controlled trials (PROSPERO CRD42017081409) was undertaken following international standards including Cochrane guidelines. The quality of trials and their pooled evidence were appraised. Primary outcomes on effect were anxiety, pain and quality-of-life.

Data sources:

Eight citation databases and three trial registries were searched to June 2018.

Results:

Twenty-two trials, involving 1956 participants were identified. Compared with a control, four evaluated aromatherapy, eight massage and six reflexology. A further four evaluated massage compared with aromatherapy. Trials were at an unclear risk of bias. Many had small samples. Heterogeneity prevented meta-analysis. In comparison with usual care, another therapy or an active control, evidence on the effectiveness of massage and aromatherapy in reducing anxiety, pain and improving quality-of-life was inconclusive. There was some evidence (low quality) that compared to an active control, reflexology reduced pain.

Conclusions:

This review identified a relatively large number of trials, but with poor and heterogeneous evidence. New clinical recommendations cannot be made based on current evidence. To help provide more definitive trial findings, it may be useful first to understand more about the best way to measure the effectiveness of these therapies in palliative care.
The paradoxes of necessity: Fail forwards neoliberalism, social reproduction, recombinant populism and Poland’s 500Plus policy
Authors: Shields Stuart
Published: October 2019

This article asks why Poland’s populist Prawo i Sprawiedliwości [Law and Justice] government promotes progressive forms of social reproduction in the context of the supposed crisis of neoliberalism. It illustrates how populism is a response to the ongoing social ambiguity of post-communist transition that redefines and recombines existing and novel political and social resources that are built both on and with existing social arrangements in Poland. It achieves this by analysing the current government’s flagship child benefit programme: 500Plus. The article claims that certain gender norms construct hegemonic neoliberal and populist discourses that legitimise particular policies, illustrating this by bringing into dialogue Janine Brodie’s neoliberal ‘paradox of necessity’, with the notion of ‘fail forwards’ neoliberalisation. The 500Plus policy remains ridden with contradiction, on one hand a potentially progressive intervention in social reproduction that deals with the crisis mode of society but that simultaneously helps ensure the continuation of neoliberalisation.
A pilot exploratory study comparing the King-Devick test (KDT) during and between migraine attacks
Authors: Chiang Chia-Chun , Starling Amaal J , Buras Matthew R , Golafshar Michael A , VanderPluym Juliana H
Published: October 2019

Background

The King-Devick test is a timed rapid number naming task that involves complex cerebral functions. The objective of this pilot exploratory study is to determine whether there is a difference in the King-Devick test during a migraine attack compared to the interictal phase.

Methods

We evaluated 29 adult subjects with migraine with aura or migraine without aura. For each participant, we performed King-Devick tests during migraine attacks and interictal phases. Subjects served as their own controls.

Results

The King-Devick test was slower during the migraine attack compared to the interictal baseline (median 4.6 sec slower, p < 0.001). The slowing of the King-Devick test during migraine attack was more prominent in those with migraine with aura compared to subjects with migraine without aura (median 7.5 vs. 2.8 sec, p = 0.028).

Conclusions

This exploratory, observational study shows changes in the King-Devick test during migraine compared to the interictal phase. Future studies are required to determine if the King-Devick test may be used as a rapid and simple tool to objectively characterize migraine-associated disability.
The concepts of surveillance and sousveillance: A critical analysis
Authors: Thomsen Frej Klem
Published: October 2019

The concept of surveillance has recently been complemented by the concept of sousveillance. Neither term, however, has been rigorously defined, and it is particularly unclear how to understand and delimit sousveillance. This article sketches a generic definition of surveillance and proceeds to explore various ways in which we might define sousveillance, including power differentials, surreptitiousness, control, reciprocity, and moral valence. It argues that for each of these ways of defining it, sousveillance either fails to be distinct from surveillance or to provide a generally useful concept. As such, the article concludes that academics should avoid the neologism, and simply clarify what sense of surveillance is at stake when necessary.
Resident Preferences and CNA Empowerment: Testing Validity and Reliability of a Culture Change Survey Tool
Authors: Abbott Katherine M. , B. K. Anjali , Straker Jane K. , Brown J. Scott
Published: October 2019

Culture change (CC) is an innovation to improve nursing home resident quality of life. Inconsistencies in how CC is measured make the interpretation of findings inconclusive. The purpose of this study is to determine the underlying factors of CC among Ohio nursing homes to extract the core essence of CC. Data from the 2015 Ohio Biennial Survey of Long-Term Care Facilities with n = 721 nursing homes answering a CC module comprising of 21 questions are included in an exploratory factor analysis (EFA). EFA results identified two underlying factors of CC that are extracted using principal factor method. These factors include items related to resident preferences for care (RPC) and certified nursing assistant (CNA) empowerment. This study presents two valid and reliable scales to advance the measurement of CC. These scales can be used to explore both RPC and CNA empowerment components as predictors or outcomes.