bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Beryllium Stress-Induced Modifications in Antioxidant Machinery and Plant Ultrastructure in the Seedlings of Black and Yellow Seeded Oilseed Rape
Authors: Ali Skhawat , Jin Rong , Gill Rafaqat A. , Mwamba Theodore M. , Zhang Na , Hassan Zaid ul , Islam Faisal , Ali Shafaqat , Zhou Weijun
Published: March 2018

Beryllium (Be) could be a threatening heavy metal pollutant in the agroecosystem that may severely affect the performance of crops. The present study was conducted to evaluate the toxic effects of Be (0, 100, 200, and 400 μM) on physiological, ultrastructure, and biochemical attributes in hydroponically grown six-day-old seedlings of two cultivars ofBrassica napusL., one tolerant (ZS 758, black seeded) and one sensitive (Zheda 622, yellow seeded). Higher Be concentrations reduced the plant growth, biomass production, chlorophyll contents, and the total soluble protein contents. A significant accumulation of ROS (H2O2, OH−) and MDA contents was observed in a dose-dependent manner. Antioxidant enzymatic activities including SOD, POD, GR, APX, and GSH (except CAT) were enhanced with the increase in Be concentrations in both cultivars. Relative transcript gene expression of above-mentioned antioxidant enzymes further confirmed the alterations induced by Be as depicted from higher involvement in the least susceptible cultivar ZS 758 as compared to Zheda 622. The electron microscopic study showed that higher level of Be (400 μM) greatly damaged the leaf mesophyll and root tip cells. More damage was observed in cultivar Zheda 622 as compared to ZS 758. The damage in leaf mesophyll cells was highlighted as the disruption in cell wall, immature nucleus, damaged mitochondria, and chloroplast structures. In root tip cells, disruption in Golgi bodies and damage in cell wall were clearly noticed. As a whole, the present study confirmed that more inhibitory effects were recorded in yellow seeded Zheda 622 as compared to black seeded ZS 758 cultivar, which is regarded as more sensitive cultivar.
Numerical Simulation Study on Lateral Displacement of Pile Foundation and Construction Process under Stacking Loads
Authors: Cai Yan-yan , Tu Bing-xiong , Yu Jin , Zhu Yao-liang , Zhou Jian-feng
Published: March 2018

Lateral displacement of pile foundation is crucial to the safety of an overall structure. In this study, a numerical simulation on the lateral displacement of pile foundation under stacking loads was conducted to determine its relation with different influencing factors. Simulation results demonstrated that stacking loads at the pile side mostly influence the lateral displacement of pile foundation. The lateral displacement of pile foundation increases by one order of magnitude when the stacking loads increase from 100 kPa to 300 kPa. Other influencing factors are less important than stacking loads. Lateral displacements of the pile body and at the pile top can be reduced effectively by increasing the deformation modulus of surface soil mass, reducing the thickness of soft soil, and expanding pile diameter. Our analysis indicates that a nonlinear relationship exists between the lateral displacement at the pile top and the pile diameter. The lateral resistance of the pile body can be enhanced by coupling the stacking load along piles and the axial force at the pile top. An actual large‐scale engineering project was chosen to simulate the effects of postconstructed embankment on lateral displacement and axial force of bridge pile foundation under different construction conditions and to obtain the lateral displacement of the pile body and the negative frictional resistance caused by soft soil compression under stacking loads. On the basis of the calculated results, engineering safety and stability were evaluated, and a guide for the design and construction was proposed.
Transorbital Craniocerebral Penetration by a Sharp Object with an Intact Globe
Authors: Alamri Abdullelah A. , Algethami Ahmed R. , Alghamdi Faisal
Published: March 2018

Traumatic eye injuries are common in children and are mostly superficial. Vigilance must always be practiced when examining these children to avoid missing any hidden serious injuries that may result in devastating complications. We describe the acute and definitive management of a child treated 17 h after transorbital craniocerebral penetration by a sharp object. Despite the rarity of these types of injury, a good outcome can be achieved if they are promptly recognized and managed.
Current Use and Future Perspectives of Spatial Audio Technologies in Electronic Travel Aids
Authors: Spagnol Simone , Wersényi György , Bujacz Michał , Bălan Oana , Herrera Martínez Marcelo , Moldoveanu Alin , Unnthorsson Runar
Published: March 2018

Electronic travel aids (ETAs) have been in focus since technology allowed designing relatively small, light, and mobile devices for assisting the visually impaired. Since visually impaired persons rely on spatial audio cues as their primary sense of orientation, providing an accurate virtual auditory representation of the environment is essential. This paper gives an overview of the current state of spatial audio technologies that can be incorporated in ETAs, with a focus on user requirements. Most currently available ETAs either fail to address user requirements or underestimate the potential of spatial sound itself, which may explain, among other reasons, why no single ETA has gained a widespread acceptance in the blind community. We believe there is ample space for applying the technologies presented in this paper, with the aim of progressively bridging the gap between accessibility and accuracy of spatial audio in ETAs.
Numerical Analysis Method considering Coupled Effects of THMC Multifields on Unsaturated Expansive Soil Subgrade Treated with Lime
Authors: Liu Jie , Chen Pan , Lu Zheng , Yao Hailin
Published: March 2018

The response model subjected to coupled effect of thermo-hydro-mechano-chemical (THMC) was built in the context of basic theories in the polyporous polyphasic medium mechanics, the mixture theory in the continuum mechanics, and the thermodynamic theories. The finite element discretization of the response model was implemented based on the Galerkin method. The processes of salt leaching and accumulating were analyzed in the numerical results. The results among the numerical results and measured results were compared and discussed. Finally, the solutes migration rule of the soil subjected to the atmosphere eluviations was revealed, and the reasonableness of the coupling model and the finite element method was proved. The agreement between the numerical and the measured results was good, which indicates that the THMC model and finite element program were useful in solving the coupling problems of unsaturated soil. Moreover, the salt dissolution process has a larger effect on the salt movement compared to that of the salt accumulation process. Comparing with the salt leaching effect caused by rainfall, the salt accumulation effect caused by evaporation was smaller.
Central Hypoventilation: A Rare Complication of Wallenberg Syndrome
Authors: Sivakumar Keithan , Garcha Manveer , Mehta Dev , Leary Megan C. , Yacoub Hussam A.
Published: March 2018

Central alveolar hypoventilation disorders denote conditions resulting from underlying neurologic disorders affecting the sensors, the central controller, or the integration of those signals leading to insufficient ventilation and reduction in partial pressures of oxygen. We report a patient who presented with a left lateral medullary ischemic stroke after aneurysm repair who subsequently developed a rare complication of CAH. Increased awareness of this condition’s clinical manifestations is crucial to make an accurate diagnosis and understand its complications and prognosis.
ARM-Based Universal 1-Wire Module Solution
Authors: Dudak Juraj , Tanuska Pavol , Gaspar Gabriel , Fabo Peter
Published: March 2018

Sensory networks are part of a solution to monitor the required physical variables in the area of interest. Their type, the used communication protocol, plays an important role in the parameter of their complexity. One of the economical solutions is the usage of a 1-wire communication network that requires only 2 physical wires. The individual sensors or the nodes of the communication network are connected in parallel. The goal was to design and implement a universal low-power 1-wire bus module with a fully implemented 1-wire standard. As a platform for the development of such module, STM32-based microcontroller was chosen. The main advantage of this solution is the ability to utilize a sensor from a large variety of available sensors with a standardized communication interface. Our solution of the universal 1-wire module provides a single interface for sensors with different communication interfaces, while it still communicates with the standard 1-wire bus controller.
SRMDAP: SimRank and Density-Based Clustering Recommender Model for miRNA-Disease Association Prediction
Authors: Li Xiaoying , Lin Yaping , Gu Changlong , Li Zejun
Published: March 2018

Aberrant expression of microRNAs (miRNAs) can be applied for the diagnosis, prognosis, and treatment of human diseases. Identifying the relationship between miRNA and human disease is important to further investigate the pathogenesis of human diseases. However, experimental identification of the associations between diseases and miRNAs is time-consuming and expensive. Computational methods are efficient approaches to determine the potential associations between diseases and miRNAs. This paper presents a new computational method based on the SimRank and density-based clustering recommender model for miRNA-disease associations prediction (SRMDAP). The AUC of 0.8838 based on leave-one-out cross-validation and case studies suggested the excellent performance of the SRMDAP in predicting miRNA-disease associations. SRMDAP could also predict diseases without any related miRNAs and miRNAs without any related diseases.
Effect of Randomness in Element Position on Performance of Communication Array Antennas in Internet of Things
Authors: Wang Congsi , Wang Yan , Yang Xiaodong , Gao Wei , Jiang Chao , Wang Lu , Zhang Yiqun , Wang Meng
Published: March 2018

As a critical component for wireless communication, active phased array antennas face the restrictions of creating effective performance with the effect of randomness in the position of the array element, which are inevitably produced in the manufacturing and operating process of antenna. A new method for efficiently and effectively evaluating the statistic performance of antenna is presented, with consideration of randomness in element position. A coupled structural‐electromagnetic statistic model for array antenna is proposed from the viewpoint of electromechanical coupling. Lastly, a 12 × 12 planar array is illustrated to evaluate the performance of antenna with the saddle‐shaped distortion and random position error. The results show that the presented model can obtain the antenna performance quickly and effectively, providing an advantageous guidance for structural design and performance optimization for array antennas in wireless application.
Radiotherapy for Adult Medulloblastoma: Evaluation of Helical Tomotherapy, Volumetric Intensity Modulated Arc Therapy, and Three-Dimensional Conformal Radiotherapy and the Results of Helical Tomotherapy Therapy
Authors: Zong-wen Sun , Shuang-yan Yang , Feng-lei Du , Xiao-long Cheng , Qinglin Li , Meng-yuan Chen , Yong-hong Hua , Ting Jin , Qiao-ying Hu , Xiao-zhong Chen , Yuan-yuan Chen , Ming Chen
Published: March 2018

Introduction. All adult medulloblastoma (AMB) patients should be treated with craniospinal irradiation (CSI) postoperatively. Because of the long irradiation range, multiple radiation fields must be designed for conventional radiotherapy technology. CSI can be completed in only one session with helical tomotherapy (HT). We evaluated the dose of HT, volumetric intensity modulated arc therapy (VMAT), and three-dimensional conformal radiotherapy (3D-CRT) of AMB and the results of 5 cases of AMB treated with HT. Methods. Complete craniospinal and posterior cranial fossa irradiation with HT, VMAT, and 3D-CRT and dose evaluation were performed. And results of 5 cases of AMB treated with HT were evaluated. Results. A large volume of tissue was exposed to low dose radiation in the organs at risk (OAR), while a small volume was exposed to high dose radiation with HT. The conformity and uniformity of the targets were good with HT and VMAT, and the volume of targets exposed to high dose with VMAT was larger than that of HT. The uniformity of 3D-CRT was also good, but the dose conformity was poor. The main toxicity was hematologic toxicity, without 4th-degree bone marrow suppression. There was 3rd-degree inhibition in the white blood cells, hemoglobin, and platelets. The three female patients suffered menstrual disorders during the course of radiation. Two female patients with heavy menstruation suffered 3rd-degree anemia inhibition, and 2 patients suffered amenorrhea after radiotherapy. Although menstrual cycle was normal, the third patient was not pregnant. Conclusion. CSI with HT is convenient for clinical practice, and the side effects are mild. With good conformity and uniformity, VMAT can also be used for selection in CSI. For poor conformity, 3D-CRT should not be the priority selection for CSI. In female patients, the ovaries should be protected.
Retrospective Analysis of Outcome of Patients with Metastatic Leiomyosarcoma in a Tertiary Referral Center
Authors: van Cann Tom , Cornillie Jasmien , Wozniak Agnieszka , Debiec-Rychter Maria , Sciot Raf , Hompes Daphne , Vergote Ignace , Schöffski Patrick
Published: March 2018

Background: Leiomyosarcoma is a common subtype of soft tissue sarcoma originating from smooth muscle. We evaluated the clinical course and treatment outcome of patients with metastatic leiomyosarcoma. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed the records of patients at the University Hospitals Leuven. Results: We identified 122 patients with metastatic leiomyosarcoma, 77 female, median age 59.5 years. Most patients developed leiomyosarcoma in the extremities (35%), the uterus (20%) or the abdomen (19%); 69% developed metachronous metastasis, 31% had synchronous metastatic disease. Most patients (74%) received palliative systemic therapy. The most common first-line treatments were doxorubicin (n = 47) and an anthracycline combined with an alkylator (n = 28). The objective response rate to first-line palliative systemic therapy was 20% and the median progression-free survival was 4.9 months (range 0.1-17.1). The median survival from diagnosis of metastasis was 20.5 months (range 0.4-126.9). On multivariate analysis, metachronous disease, no progressive disease as best response to first-line treatment, the possibility of metastasectomy with curative intent and use of palliative radiotherapy were indicators for better survival. Conclusion: The prognosis of patients with metastatic leiomyosarcoma is limited and objective responses to first-line systemic therapy are rare. The treatment of metastatic leiomyosarcoma remains an unmet medical need.
Anti-Angiogenics: Their Value in Colorectal Cancer Therapy
Authors: Seeber Andreas , Gunsilius Eberhard , Gastl Günther , Pircher Andreas
Published: March 2018

Angiogenesis is a hallmark of cancer and is regulated by a balance of pro- and anti-angiogenic factors; among them, the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is the key angiogenic factor. VEGF plays an important role in colorectal cancer (CRC) biology, and its inhibition by using bevacizumab, an anti-VEGF antibody, proved for the first time to be effective and became indispensable for the treatment of metastatic CRC (mCRC). Several large phase III studies showed also relevant responses and tolerability of other anti-angiogenic drugs such as ramucirumab, aflibercept, and regorafenib, and led to the approval of these therapeutics. Nevertheless, the efficacy of anti-angiogenic therapies is rather limited and the high expectations raised by preclinical studies were not fulfilled in the clinics. Furthermore, to date, no predictive biomarkers for anti-angiogenic agents could be identified and validated. Thus, new mechanisms of action are discussed, such as tumor vasculature normalization to improve the accessibility of tumor tissue by drugs or to promote tumor infiltration by host immune cells. Cellular and molecular studies will be necessary to characterize the dynamic changes of the tumor microenvironment and the vascular architecture in individual patients in order to predict responsiveness to anti-angiogenic therapies. In this review, we tried to highlight the standard of care of using anti-angiogenics in mCRC patients and to provide an outlook on potential new substances and strategies.
The genus Anarsia Meyrick (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) in Laos, with description of a new species and ten new records of the genus
Authors: PARK KYU-TEK , BAE YANG-SEOP
Published: March 2018

The genus Anarsia Zeller (Lepidoptera, Gelechiidae) in Laos is reviewed, with 11 species including one new species: Anarsia laosana sp. nov. Additionally another 10 species of the genus, namely, Anarsia choana Park, A. decora Li & Zheng, A. isogona Meyrick, A. kepensis Park, A. ovula Park and Ponomarenko, A. paraisogona Park and Ponomarenko, A. patulella (Walker), A. porthmisa Park, A. phortica Meyrick, and A. tricornis Meyrick, are reported for the first time from Laos. Photos of all recorded species are shown, and genitalia for the new species and two poorly known species, A. decora and A. paraisogona Park and Ponomarenko, are illustrated.
Species diversity and phylogeny of fleas of small terrestrial mammals in the forests of the Central Highlands of Madagascar
Authors: HARIMALALA MIREILLE , MIARINJARA ADELAÏDE , DUCHEMIN JEAN-BERNARD , RAMIHANGIHAJASON TOJO , BOYER SEBASTIEN
Published: March 2018

Fleas are holometabolous insects forming the order of Siphonaptera. Some studies have been carried out on biology and systematic of Malagasy fleas, but little is known about their phylogenetic relationships. In this study, we focused on flea species occurring in the forests of the Central Highlands and also, on the determination of their phylogenetic relationships. Three families, five genera and thirteen species were identified. The family Pulicidae includes four species (Centetipsylla madagascariensis Rothschild, Synopsyllus fonquerniei Wagner & Roubaud, S. estradei Klein and S. robici Klein); Leptopsyllidae has eight species (Paractenopsyllus vauceli Klein, P. petiti Klein, P. viettei Klein, P. grandidieri Klein, P. goodmani Duchemin, P. rouxi Duchemin, P. raxworthyi Duchemin & Ratovonjato and Tsaractenus rodhaini Duchemin), and Ctenophtalmidae one species (Dinopsyllus brachypecten Smit). All are endemic to Madagascar and each differs geographically. Flea phylogenetic relationships were inferred using four molecular markers (ITS2, mtCOII, 16SrRNA and 12S rRNA) and using Neighbor-Joining, Maximum Parsimony and Bayesian methods with addition of Genbank sequences of exotic species. The Family Pulicidae was monophyletic while the families Leptopsyllidae and Ctenophtalmidae were paraphyletic. Malagasy fleas are homogeneous and all species adhere to current classification schemes.
Cyrtodactylus tahuna sp. nov., a new bent-toed gecko (Reptilia: Squamata: Gekkonidae) from Sangihe Island, North Sulawesi, Indonesia
Authors: RIYANTO AWAL , ARIDA EVY , KOCH ANDRÉ
Published: March 2018

Cyrtodactylus tahuna sp. nov. is a new bent-toed gecko we describe herein based on three specimens from Sangihe, North Sulawesi, Indonesia, an island situated in the northern corner of the Wallacea biodiversity hotspot. The new species is a medium sized Cyrtodactylus with a SVL of up to 78.5 mm in adult males and 79.2 mm in females. It is easily distinguished from all but four species (Cyrtodactylus fumosus, C. halmahericus, C. papuensis, and C. tambora) occurring on Sulawesi as well as in the Moluccas and the Lesser Sunda Islands, by possessing precloacal and femoral pores, enlarged precloacal and femoral scales, and lacking transversely enlarged median subcaudal scales. It differs from C. fumosus by the presence of tubercles on the ventrolateral fold, more unkeeled dorsal tubercles (19 versus 4–7) and a pit-like precloacal depression in males (versus groove in males); from C. halmahericus by presence of smaller scales between the enlarged precloacal and femoral scales (versus a continuous series of enlarged precloacofemoral scales) and a continuous series of precloacofemoral pores, as well as the presence of a pit-like precloacal depression in male (versus groove in males), from C. papuensis by possessing a pit-like precloacal depression in males (versus a groove ); and from C. tambora by the presence of tubercles on the dorsal surface of the brachium and the possession of femoral pores. Our contribution, along with several other recent descriptions of bent-toad geckos from Southeast Asia, clearly indicating that the diversity of the genus Cyrtodactylus in Indonesia is still underestimated.
Improved Hydrological Simulation Using SMAP Data: Relative Impacts of Model Calibration and Data Assimilation
Authors: Koster Randal D. , Liu Qing , Mahanama Sarith P. P. , Reichle Rolf H.
Published: March 2018

The assimilation of remotely sensed soil moisture information into a land surface model has been shown in past studies to contribute accuracy to the simulated hydrological variables. Remotely sensed data, however, can also be used to improve the model itself through the calibration of the model’s parameters, and this can also increase the accuracy of model products. Here, data provided by the Soil Moisture Active Passive (SMAP) satellite mission are applied to the land surface component of the NASA GEOS Earth system model using both data assimilation and model calibration in order to quantify the relative degrees to which each strategy improves the estimation of near-surface soil moisture and streamflow. The two approaches show significant complementarity in their ability to extract useful information from the SMAP data record. Data assimilation reduces the ubRMSE (the RMSE after removing the long-term bias) of soil moisture estimates and improves the timing of streamflow variations, whereas model calibration reduces the model biases in both soil moisture and streamflow. While both approaches lead to an improved timing of simulated soil moisture, these contributions are largely independent; joint use of both approaches provides the highest soil moisture simulation accuracy.
Tropical Cyclone Gale Wind Radii Estimates, Forecasts, and Error Forecasts for the Western North Pacific
Authors: Sampson Charles R. , Goerss James S. , Knaff John A. , Strahl Brian R. , Fukada Edward M. , Serra Efren A.
Published: March 2018

In 2016, the Joint Typhoon Warning Center extended forecasts of gale-force and other wind radii to 5 days. That effort and a thrust to perform postseason analysis of gale-force wind radii for the “best tracks” (the quality controlled and documented tropical cyclone track and intensity estimates released after the season) have prompted requirements for new guidance to address the challenges of both. At the same time, operational tools to estimate and predict wind radii continue to evolve, now forming a quality suite of gale-force wind radii analysis and forecasting tools. This work provides an update to real-time estimates of gale-force wind radii (a mean/consensus of gale-force individual wind radii estimates) that includes objective scatterometer-derived estimates. The work also addresses operational gale-force wind radii forecasting in that it provides an update to a gale-force wind radii forecast consensus, which now includes gale-force wind radii forecast error estimates to accompany the gale-force wind radii forecasts. The gale-force wind radii forecast error estimates are computed using predictors readily available in real time (e.g., consensus spread, initial size, and forecast intensity) so that operational reliability and timeliness can be ensured. These updates were all implemented in operations at the Joint Typhoon Warning Center by January 2018, and more updates should be expected in the coming years as new and improved guidance becomes available.
Polarization and the Global Crisis of Democracy: Common Patterns, Dynamics, and Pernicious Consequences for Democratic Polities
Authors: McCoy Jennifer , Rahman Tahmina , Somer Murat
Published: March 2018

This article argues that a common pattern and set of dynamics characterizes severe political and societal polarization in different contexts around the world, with pernicious consequences for democracy. Moving beyond the conventional conceptualization of polarization as ideological distance between political parties and candidates, we offer a conceptualization of polarization highlighting its inherently relational nature and its instrumental political use. Polarization is a process whereby the normal multiplicity of differences in a society increasingly align along a single dimension and people increasingly perceive and describe politics and society in terms of “Us” versus “Them.” The politics and discourse of opposition and the social–psychological intergroup conflict dynamics produced by this alignment are a main source of the risks polarization generates for democracy, although we recognize that it can also produce opportunities for democracy. We argue that contemporary examples of polarization follow a frequent pattern whereby polarization is activated when major groups in society mobilize politically to achieve fundamental changes in structures, institutions, and power relations. Hence, newly constructed cleavages are appearing that underlie polarization and are not easily measured with the conventional Left–Right ideological scale. We identify three possible negative outcomes for democracy—“gridlock and careening,” “democratic erosion or collapse under new elites and dominant groups,” and “democratic erosion or collapse with old elites and dominant groups,” and one possible positive outcome—“reformed democracy.” Drawing on literature in psychology and political science, the article posits a set of causal mechanisms linking polarization to harm to democracy and illustrates the common patterns and pernicious consequences for democracy in four country cases: varying warning signs of democratic erosion in Hungary and the United States, and growing authoritarianism in Turkey and Venezuela.
Just design: Healthy prisons and the architecture of hope
Authors: Jewkes Yvonne
Published: March 2018

This article develops the notion that institutional places and spaces are layered with meaning and that their architecture and design have a profound psychological and physiological influence on those who live and work within them. Mindful of the intrinsic link between ‘beauty’ and ‘being just’, the article explores the potential ‘healing’ or rehabilitative role of penal aesthetics. As many countries modernise their prison estates, replacing older facilities that are no longer fit-for-purpose with new, more ‘efficient’ establishments, this article discusses examples of international best (and less good) practice in penal and hospital settings. It reflects on what those who commission and design new prisons might learn from pioneering design initiatives in healthcare environments and asks whether the philosophies underpinning the ‘architecture of hope’ that Maggie’s Cancer Care Centres exemplify could be incorporated into prisons of the future. The article was originally presented as a public lecture in the annual John V Barry memorial lecture series at the University of Melbourne on 24 November 2016.
Girls in Gangs: Exploring Risk in a British Youth Context
Authors: Auyong Zenta E. Gomez , Smith Sven , Ferguson Christopher J.
Published: March 2018

The existing literature on gangs has largely focused on boys from the United States. Using data from the Avon Longitudinal Study of Parents and Children (ALSPAC), this study investigated select individual, peer, and community risk factors that differentiate gang and nongang girls in the United Kingdom. We find that 48.3% of gang-involved youth were girls, and that gang girls commit more crime than nongang girls. Furthermore, girls who live in socially disorganized neighborhoods are more likely to be members of gangs. The current research suggests that focusing on girls’ community environments may be beneficial to reducing gangs in the United Kingdom.
Using Behavioral Economics to Advance Deterrence Research and Improve Crime Policy: Some Illustrative Experiments
Authors: Pickett Justin T.
Published: March 2018

Recent experiments show that offender decision making is characterized by the use of cognitive heuristics. Questions remain about what this means for deterrence research and policy. I argue that the primary task is to identify ways to leverage decision-making biases to reduce crime. I outline three avenues for future research on deterrence, and discuss their relevance for crime policy. To illustrate these lines of inquiry and stimulate additional studies, I provide initial experimental results for each topic. I report evidence that (a) pseudocertainty publicity can increase perceived arrest risk and deterrent fear, (b) the availability heuristic can help explain how target characteristics affect situational perceptions of crime benefits and costs, and (c) individuals experience declining sensitivity to increases in sanction severity.
Integration of resin flow and stress development in process modelling of composites: Part I – Isotropic formulation
Authors: Haghshenas S Mehdi , Vaziri Reza , Poursartip Anoush
Published: March 2018

Process modelling of thermoset matrix composites is typically divided into two distinct and sequential steps: (i) flow-compaction analysis before gelation of the resin when it behaves in a fluid-like manner, and (ii) thermomechanical analysis after gelation when appreciable modulus and thereby stress development occurs. This two-part paper presents a novel approach to integrate the simulation of resin flow and stress development seamlessly during the processing of composites. Part I lays the theoretical foundation for the simpler case of isotropic materials while Part II extends the methodology to the case of transversely isotropic materials. The formulation is implemented in a 2D plane strain finite element code written in MATLAB. Relevant numerical examples are presented to demonstrate both aspects of flow-compaction and stress development throughout the curing process of thermoset matrix composite materials. The effects of resin flow on the development and the final values of residual stresses are investigated.
Trends and Directions in Tourism and Positive Psychology
Authors: Filep Sebastian , Laing Jennifer
Published: March 2018

In recent years, tourism and positive psychology has developed as a humanist-inspired study of individual flourishing in tourism. This conceptual article aims to elaborate on epistemological foundations of tourism and positive psychology research and presents an overview of current trends and future directions for this field. The rapid rise of positive psychology within and outside tourism studies is analyzed, noting similarities and tensions between positive psychology and its predecessor, humanistic psychology. We present research highlights from the emerging field in tourism, review extant literature, discuss the limitations of this approach and suggest directions for future research. Greater focus on research about eudaimonic tourist experiences is recommended, through positive psychology lenses. Suggestions are also made to further expand the traditional focus on tourist behavior to include the well-being of host communities and tourism workers.
Beyond Pluralism and Media Rights: Indigenous Communication for a Decolonizing Transformation of Latin America and Abya Yala
Authors: Lehman Kathryn
Published: March 2018

In resisting genocidal projects of modernity since the Conquest and their most recent phase, neoliberalism, indigenous peoples have provided leadership in maintaining pluralist societies and protecting the rights of all living beings. This role is little known even to many on the left because of the history of the nation-state and current communications and research practices. Drawing on community-based autonomous alternatives to neoliberalism, indigenous media contribute to twenty-first-century Latin American participatory democracy and plurinational socialism by defending communication as a basic human right. They evoke a long history of place-based narratives whose values are encoded in language, and their epistemologies are strengthened by transnational indigenous communication networks and practices. Moving beyond pluralism and media rights, indigenous communication transforms media practices in order to decolonize relations among humans, other living beings, and the environment that sustains life.

Al resistir los proyectos genocidas de la modernidad desde la Conquista y, su más reciente fase, el neoliberalismo, los pueblos indígenas han tomado una posición líder en el acto de mantener sociedades pluralistas y proteger los derechos de todos los seres vivos. Esto es poco sabido, incluso por muchos en la izquierda, debido a la historia del estado-nación y las prácticas actuales de comunicación e investigación. Basados en alternativas autónomas comunales al neoliberalismo, los medios indígenas contribuyen a la democracia participativa latinoamericana del siglo XXI y al socialismo plurinacional, a la vez que defienden la comunicación como un derecho humano básico. Evocan una larga historia de narrativas asentadas en lugares cuyos valores están codificados en el lenguaje, y sus epistemologías se ven reforzadas por las redes y prácticas transnacionales de comunicación indígena. Al ir más allá del pluralismo y los derechos de los medios, la comunicación indígena está transformando las prácticas mediáticas para descolonizar las relaciones entre los seres humanos, otros seres vivos y el medio ambiente que sustenta la vida.
Civic Organizations and Internet Social Networks: A Case Study in the Province of Buenos Aires
Authors: Silva Ana Cecilia
Published: March 2018

A neighborhood assembly in a medium-sized city in the province of Buenos Aires formed in connection with a petition for designation as a historical protection area uses the Internet to generate visibility spaces alternative to those of the traditional media and install its own agenda, to include in those new spaces the voices and perspectives of new social actors, and to organize and improve its own participatory management. Its use of Facebook has acquired some of the features of “community media.” At the same time, its use of the Internet for internal communication and coordination is clearly accessory to face-to-face interaction. There is a generational difference in access to and decision making about the content to be posted in the various media, and spokespersons have become authorized voices. Appealing to both the traditional and the new media is a crucial aspect of the assembly’s positioning strategy, but the strategy is in constant revision.

La asamblea vecinal de una ciudad mediana de la Provincia de Buenos Aires, Argentina, que se formó en torno a una petición para designarse área de protección histórica utiliza la Internet para la construcción de espacios de comunicación alternativos a los medios tradicionales e instalar así su propia agenda, incluir las voces y perspectivas de nuevos actores sociales en esos nuevos espacios, y organizar y mejorar su propia administración participativa. El uso que le dan a Facebook ha adquirido algunas características de los “medios comunitarios.” Al mismo tiempo, el uso de la Internet para la comunicación y coordinación internas es claramente un accesorio a la interacción cara a cara. Hay una diferencia generacional en el acceso a y decisiones en torno al contenido que se publica en diversos medios, y los voceros se han convertido en voces autorizadas. La estrategia de posicionamiento de la asamblea apela a medios tanto tradicionales como nuevos, pero dicha estrategia está sujeta a revisión constante.
Are Children Perceived to Be Morally Exceptional? Different Sets of Psychological Variables Predict Adults’ Moral Judgments About Adults and Young Children
Authors: White Cindel J. M. , Schaller Mark
Published: March 2018

Conceptual analyses of moral cognition suggest that different variables may influence moral judgments depending upon the target’s age. Five experiments (total N = 1,733) tested the implications for moral judgments about adults and young children. Results show that adults who were perceived to be more cognitively capable were judged to have greater moral rights and their transgressions were judged less harshly, but young children who were perceived to be more cognitively capable were judged to have fewer moral rights and their transgressions were judged more harshly. In addition, the perceived intentionality and disgustingness of transgressions had weaker effects on judgments about child transgressors than about adult transgressors. Perceivers’ care-giving motives also had diverging effects on moral judgments, predicting more lenient judgments about children’s transgressions and harsher judgments about adults’ transgressions. These results have novel implications—both conceptual and practical—for moral judgments regarding adults and children.
Social Movements and Prefigurative Organizing: Confronting entrenched inequalities in Occupy London
Authors: Reinecke Juliane
Published: March 2018

Organizational scholars have examined how social movements generate institutional change through contentious politics. However, little attention has been given to the role of prefigurative politics. The latter collapses expressive and strategic politics so as to enact the desired future society in the present and disrupt the reproduction of institutionalized structures that sustain deep-seated inequalities. The paper presents an ethnographic study of Occupy London and protesters’ encounter with people living homeless to examine how prefigurative politics is organized in the face of entrenched inequalities. Findings show how the macro-level inequalities that protesters set out to fight resurfaced in the day-to-day living in the camp itself. Initially, the creation of an exceptional space and communal space helped participants align expressive and strategic politics and imbued them with the emotional energy needed to confront challenges. But over time these deeply entrenched institutional inequalities frustrated participants’ attempts to maintain an exceptional and communal space, triggering a spiral of decline. The dilemma faced by Occupy invites us to reflect on how everyday constraints may be suspended so as to open up imagination for novel and more equal ways of organizing.
Histopathologic Characterization of Mifepristone-induced Ovarian Toxicity in Cynomolgus Monkeys
Authors: Taketa Yoshikazu , Horie Kanta , Goto Tetsuya , Ohta Etsuko , Nakano-Ito Kyoko , Hayakawa Kazuhiro , Seki Yuki , Goto Aya , Hosokawa Satoru
Published: March 2018

Mifepristone, which is an orally active synthetic steroid with antiprogesterone activity, is known as an ovarian toxicant. Because the available data regarding the histopathologic characteristics of ovarian toxicity in nonhuman primates are limited, the present study was undertaken in order to investigate detailed histopathologic changes accompanying mifepristone-induced ovarian toxicity and its relationship to changes in menstrual cycle and circulating sex steroid hormone. Twenty mg/kg of mifepristone was orally administered daily to 4 cynomolgus monkeys for 2 months. Mifepristone inhibited the cyclic increases in circulating estradiol-17β and progesterone levels with associated absence of menstruation. Histopathologically, the ovary in the treated animals showed follicular phase without changes in the percentage of atretic antral follicles, and reduced endometrial thickness was noted in the uterus. These changes indicated that a certain degree of antral follicle development had been retained in spite of the menstrual cycle having been arrested in mifepristone-treated animals. Our investigation suggested that it is important to perform detailed histopathologic examination of reproductive organs with precise knowledge of the characteristics of each menstrual stage to detect ovarian toxicity in nonhuman primates. Monitoring menstrual signs and circulating sex steroid hormone levels provides additional evidence for the investigation of the mechanism of ovarian toxicity.
Personalized therapy based on sequential molecular analysis leads to 30 months of survival in a patient with diffuse unresectable gastric linitis plastica
Authors: Mahjoubi Linda , Cecchi Fabiola , Massard Christophe , Calabro Fabio , Gazzah Anas , Bahleda Rastislav , Jamme Philippe , Gelli Maximiliano , Goere Diane , Lacroix Ludovic , Adam Julien , Heukamp Lukas , Trenta Patrizia , Hembrough Todd , Soria Jean-Charles , Sternberg Cora , Ducreux Michel
Published: March 2018

Introduction:

Diffuse gastric cancer is associated with poor prognosis. We report a patient with metastatic gastric linitis plastica harboring human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 ( HER2) activating mutation and HER2 amplification.

Case description:

The patient received 5-fluorouracil/folinic acid and oxaliplatin combined with trastuzumab/pertuzumab, resulting in disease control for 8 months. Second-line therapy with nivolumab and trastuzumab/pertuzumab was well-tolerated, with macroscopic peritoneal response. Following ovarian progression and surgical resection of ovarian metastases, immunohistochemistry of PD-L1 was negative; proteomics demonstrated normal expression of HER2 and absence of PD-L1, while genomics showed HER2 amplification, suggesting mechanisms of escape to dual HER2 blockade by downregulation of HER2 and to nivolumab by the absence of PD-L1. Based upon this and nonexpression of biomarkers of taxane resistance, therapy was changed to paclitaxel. Two and a half years after diagnosis, the patient is undergoing treatment, with excellent performance status.

Conclusions:

Molecular analysis and personalized therapy can help optimize treatment in difficult-to-treat cancers.
Older adults’ experiences and expectations after discharge from home-based occupational therapy
Authors: Nielsen Tove Lise , Bjerrum Merete , Nielsen Claus Vinther , Petersen Kirsten Schultz
Published: March 2018

Introduction

Home-based occupational therapy can improve older adults’ occupational performance, but maintaining improvements presents challenges, and service development is needed. In this study, older adults’ experiences and expectations concerning their occupational performance after discharge from home-based occupational therapy were examined and used to develop suggestions for improved practice.

Method

Semi-structured qualitative interviews were conducted with 11 older adults living alone or with a spouse. The interviews were analysed using inductive qualitative content analysis.

Findings

The older adults still strove to improve and maintain their occupational performance using various strategies; their desire for independence was strong, but some could accept a lesser degree of independence.

Conclusion

From the findings and existing literature, ideas were developed to improve home-based occupational therapy and support maintenance of occupational performance after discharge. These ideas include: (a) finding strategies to achieve satisfactory occupational performance that does not necessarily entail full independence, (b) increased focus on the use and transfer of problem-solving strategies, (c) acknowledging and addressing possible reluctance to use assistive devices, and (d) individually scheduled follow-up visits post occupational therapy. Future research should examine the effectiveness and applicability of these ideas.
Rumours as moral action: Contesting the local state through housing in China
Authors: Bruckermann Charlotte
Published: March 2018

In China’s Shanxi Province, responses to an earthquake rumour translated mundane concerns over safe, adequate, and affordable housing into mass action during a perceived emergency. Ongoing housing rumours challenged the wider political-economic sphere that promised order and harmony through regulations, yet frequently led to inequality and even chaos in practice. In order to understand the morality underlying the circulation of these rumours, the article explores the Chinese realm of minjian as a domain of mutual solidarity safeguarding kin, acquaintances, and even strangers. It compares this realm of minjian to E.P. Thompson’s notion of ‘the crowd’, as sites of mass action due to diminishing access to a means of livelihood under conditions of marketization. The article thereby reflects on the transformation of Chinese homes from domestic spaces of safety and security to vehicles for capital accumulation subjected to risky speculation and dangerous corruption.
Long-Term Prospects and College Students’ Academic Performance
Authors: Li Yaoran , Sheldon Kennon M. , Rouder Jeffrey N. , Bergin David A. , Geary David C.
Published: March 2018

Self-referent performance beliefs can influence people’s decision making related to long-term goals. Current measures of such beliefs, however, do not explicitly focus on the long-term aspects of goal achievement. We introduce a new concept, Long-Term Prospects (LTP), which is defined as the self-perception that one can maintain the continuous effort needed to achieve long-term goals. We developed a measure of LTP and demonstrated across three studies ( n > 1,900) that college students’ LTP predicted their academic performance, as defined by self-reported grade point average (GPA) and official GPA. Moreover, LTP predicted GPA better than commonly used measures of grit, conscientiousness, and academic self-concept. Multiple regression and Bayesian results showed that LTP accounted for unique variance in the prediction of college GPA above and beyond intelligence, prior achievement, and demographics. Tests for moderation effects suggested that students who had low high school achievement or a low need for achievement especially benefited from having strong beliefs about their ability to maintain effort over the long term. These studies suggest that self-referent beliefs about one’s ability to maintain the effort needed to achieve long-term goals are important for academic success and that the LTP measure captures individual differences in these beliefs. The implication is that cultivating students’ belief that they can maintain long-term effort, especially in low-achieving students, may yield positive outcomes in their academic performance.
Accumulation Crisis and Global Police State
Authors: Robinson William I.
Published: March 2018

Global police state refers to three interrelated developments. First are the ever more omnipresent systems of mass social control, repression, and warfare promoted by the ruling groups to contain the real and the potential rebellion of the global working class and surplus humanity. Second is how the global economy is itself based more and more on the development and deployment of these systems of warfare, social control, and repression simply as a means of making profit and continuing to accumulate capital in the face of stagnation – what I term militarized accumulation, or accumulation by repression – and that now goes well beyond military Keynesianism. And third is the increasing move towards political systems that can be characterized as 21st century fascism, or even in a broader sense, as totalitarian. Digitalization makes possible the creation of a global police state. The mounting crisis appears to cement the emerging digital economy with the global police state. There is a triangulation of far-right, authoritarian, and neo-fascist forces in civil society, reactionary political power in the state, and transnational corporate capital, especially speculative finance capital, the military–industrial–security complex, and the extractive industries – all three interwoven with high-tech or digital capital.