bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Inflammation and thrombosis – testing the hypothesis with anti- inflammatory drug trials
Authors: D’Ugo Emilia , Libby Peter , De Caterina Raffaele
Published: August 2016

The hypothesis of atherosclerosis as an inflammatory process has been a leitmotiv in cardiology for the past 20 years, and has now led to the launch of clinical trials aimed at testing whether drugs that primarily target inflammation can reduce cardiovascular events. Inflammation indeed drives all phases of atherosclerosis, from inception, through progression, and ultimately acute thrombotic complications (plaque rupture and probably plaque erosion). Since plaque rupture and erosion cause most acute coronary syndromes, appropriately tuned anti-inflammatory treatments should limit myocardial infarction and cardiovascular death. Beyond interrupting inflammation-related plaque disruption, such treatments might, however, also ameliorate the propensity to thrombosis once the trigger (plaque rupture or erosion) has occurred. Several lines of evidence support this view: experimental data document the role of inflammation in platelet activation, tissue factor-mediated coagulation, hyperfibrinogenaemia, impaired activity of natural anticoagulants (including those expressed by endothelial cells), and reduced fibrinolytic activity. Supporting evidence also derives from the involvement of inflammation in venous thrombosis, a process that commonly occurs in the absence of traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis but is associated with several inflammatory diseases including obesity. Ongoing trials, in addition to evaluating effects on primary outcomes, will afford the opportunity to probe the possibility that anti-inflammatory interventions that yield salutary changes in biomarkers of the thrombotic/fibrinolytic balance also translate into reduction of clinical events.
Abortamento legal: comparação do grau de conhecimento de médicos de um hospital especializado em atendimento à mulher e de um hospital geral
Authors: França Junior Rubens Rossati , Braga Marcela Valério , Miziara Carmen Silvia Molleis Galego , Miziara Ivan Dieb
Published: August 2016

No Brasil, o abortamento é considerado crime, exceto em algumas condições. Sendo assim, é fundamental que os profissionais de saúde conheçam tais situações para que possam conduzir adequadamente os casos. O objetivo desse estudo foi comparar o grau de conhecimento de médicos de um hospital especializado no atendimento de mulheres com médicos de um hospital geral, na cidade de Santo André, sobre abortamento permitido por lei no Brasil. Para atingir tal finalidade, foi aplicado um questionário estruturado com questões relativas ao abortamento aprovado pelo Comitê de Ética Médica. O resultado do presente estudo mostrou que não houve diferença significativa entre os dois grupos quanto às questões sociais e legais envolvidas no abortamento, exceto em três situações em que o grupo de médicos do hospital especializado mostrou maior conhecimento quanto às questões envolvendo a doença mental da gestante, o controle de natalidade e a utilização da ocitocina como fármaco indutor de abortamento.
Perfil de morbidade dos beneficiários do auxílio-doença em Erechim, RS
Authors: Capoani Mauro Roberto , Motta Marcia Vieira da
Published: August 2016

Este trabalho buscou analisar o perfil de morbidade dos beneficiários do auxílio-doença na cidade de Erechim, RS, por meio dos dados obtidos no banco de dados da previdência para os segurados facultativos, individuais e empregados no primeiro semestre de 2015. A análise dos dados indicou que os grupos de segurados frente à concessão do benefício se mostraram estatisticamente distintos quanto ao gênero, idade média na concessão do benefício e tempo de contribuição. O grupo de segurados facultativos, em sua maioria mulheres com idade média acima da 6ª década, apresentou menor tempo de contribuição quando da concessão do benefício. Em números totais, as doenças mais frequentes encontradas de acordo com o Capítulo da CID 10 foram aquelas do sistema osteomuscular (XIII), seguidas de lesões por trauma (XIX), e transtornos mentais (V), sendo o perfil de morbidade significativamente distinto entre os grupos. Quando comparadas as concessões por grupo de doenças motivadoras da incapacidade entre os segurados, observou-se, comparativamente, maior frequência de doenças do aparelho circulatório (IX) no grupo facultativo; lesões por causas externas (XIX) no grupo de contribuintes individuais e transtornos mentais (V) no grupo empregado.
Time to Give Up on Cardioprotection?
Authors: Heusch Gerd , Rassaf Tienush
Published: August 2016

The mortality from acute myocardial infarction (AMI) remains significant, and the prevalence of post-myocardial infarction heart failure is increasing. Therefore, cardioprotection beyond timely reperfusion is needed. Conditioning procedures are the most powerful cardioprotective interventions in animal experiments. However, ischemic preconditioning cannot be used to reduce infarct size in patients with AMI because its occurrence is not predictable; several studies in patients undergoing surgical coronary revascularization report reduced release of creatine kinase and troponin. Ischemic postconditioning reduces infarct size in most, but not all, studies in patients undergoing interventional reperfusion of AMI, but may require direct stenting and exclusion of patients with >6 hours of symptom onset to protect. Remote ischemic conditioning reduces infarct size in patients undergoing interventional reperfusion of AMI, elective percutaneous or surgical coronary revascularization, and other cardiovascular surgery in many, but not in all, studies. Adequate dose-finding phase II studies do not exist. There are only 2 phase III trials, both on remote ischemic conditioning in patients undergoing cardiovascular surgery, both with neutral results in terms of infarct size and clinical outcome, but also both with major problems in trial design. We discuss the difficulties in translation of cardioprotection from animal experiments and proof-of-concept trials to clinical practice. Given that most studies on ischemic postconditioning and all studies on remote ischemic preconditioning in patients with AMI reported reduced infarct size, it would be premature to give up on cardioprotection.
New records and a new species of bivalve (Mollusca: Bivalvia) from Miocene hydrocarbon seep deposits, North Island, New Zealand
Authors: SAETHER KRISTIAN P. , JINGENG SHA , LITTLE CRISPIN T. S. , CAMPBELL KATHLEEN A.
Published: August 2016

Fourteen bivalve taxa belonging to 11 families are present in at least 13 early to middle Miocene hydrocarbon seep deposits in the East Coast Basin, North Island, New Zealand. Among these are at least three new species, one of which, Semeloidea (s. l.) bexhavenensis sp. nov. (Lasaeidae), is described here. New distribution data are recorded for bivalve species in the families Limidae, Propeamussiidae, Malleidae and Solemyidae. Additional morphological details of Gigantidas coseli (Mytilidae) and Pratulum quinarium (Cardiidae) are provided based upon previously unrecorded internal shell features. Palaeoecological analysis indicates that bivalves utilized a broad range of modes of life and niches within the New Zealand Miocene seep environment, and no more than ca. 30% of these bivalve species were likely to have been obligate to seeps.
A review of Gonothrombium Feider, 1950 (Actinotrichida: Microtrombidiidae) with description of a new species from Turkey
Authors: KARAKURT İBRAHİM , SEVSAY SEVGİ , BUĞA EVREN
Published: August 2016

The genus Gonothrombium is reassessed, Gonothrombium oudemansianum (Feider, 1948) redescribed and Gonothrombium ozkani sp. nov. described. All larvae were obtained by experimental rearing from field-collected females. A key to species, for adults and larvae, is provided. The distribution of the genus, hitherto known from Africa and Romania, is extended to the territory of Turkey.
Garra sindhi, a new species from the Jebel Samhan Nature Reserve in Oman (Teleostei: Cyprinidae)
Authors: LYON ROBERT GARY , GEIGER MATTHIAS F. , FREYHOF JÖRG
Published: August 2016

Garra sindhi, new species, is described from Wadi Andhur in the Dhofar province of the Sultanate of Oman. It is closely related to G. dunsirei and G. smarti, two other species from the same Omani province. It differs from these species by the following combination of characters: breast covered by scales, a shallow hump on back, eyes normally developed and 8–12 gill rakers on the lower limb of the first gill arch.
Downfront Winds over Buoyant Coastal Plumes
Authors: Spall Michael A. , Thomas Leif N.
Published: August 2016

Downfront, or downwelling favorable, winds are commonly found over buoyant coastal plumes. It is known that these winds can result in mixing of the plume with the ambient water and that the winds influence the transport, spatial extent, and stability of the plumes. In the present study, the interaction of the Ekman velocity in the surface layer and baroclinic instability supported by the strong horizontal density gradient of the plume is explored with the objective of understanding the potential vorticity and buoyancy budgets. The approach makes use of an idealized numerical model and scaling theory. It is shown that when winds are present the weak stratification resulting from vertical mixing and the strong baroclinicity of the front results in near-zero average potential vorticity q. For weak to moderate winds, the reduction of q by diapycnal mixing is balanced by the generation of q through the geostrophic stress term in the regions of strong horizontal density gradients and stable stratification. However, for very strong winds the wind stress overwhelms the geostrophic stress and leads to a reduction in q, which is balanced by the vertical mixing term. In the absence of winds, the geostrophic stress dominates mixing and the flow rapidly restratifies. Nonlinearity, extremes of relative vorticity and vertical velocity, and mixing are all enhanced by the presence of a coast. Scaling estimates developed for the eddy buoyancy flux, the surface potential vorticity flux, and the diapycnal mixing rate compare well with results diagnosed from a series of numerical model calculations.
Curved Density Fronts: Cyclogeostrophic Adjustment and Frontogenesis
Authors: Shakespeare Callum J.
Published: August 2016

Curvature can play a significant role in the dynamics of density fronts at small scales and in low-latitude regions of the ocean. Fronts can be displaced from balance by rapid forcing and undergo an adjustment toward a more stable state or be strained and sharpened by surrounding flow in a process known as frontogenesis. This study investigates the role of curvature in adjustment and frontogenesis using the idealized configuration of an axisymmetric eddy and associated circular front. As a result of the curvature, the balanced state of this system is not geostrophic balance, where pressure and Coriolis forces exactly balance, but cyclogeostrophic balance, where pressure and Coriolis forces combine to supply a net inwards centripetal force on fluid parcels. The parameter range for which cyclogeostrophically balanced states exist for a given unbalanced initial condition is determined. This parameter range is smaller for anticyclonic fronts (i.e., fronts curved around a warm core), which have larger angular velocities than comparable straight fronts, implying they are more likely to break down during adjustment. The reverse is true for cyclonic fronts. A model for the sharpening of a curved front in a background strain flow, analogous to the Hoskins and Bretherton (1972) model for a straight front, is developed. Relative to a straight front subject to the same strain rate, vertical velocities are weaker for an anticyclonic front and stronger for a cyclonic front. Anticyclonic fronts collapse to a near discontinuity during frontogenesis far more rapidly than cyclonic fronts for the same strain rate.
The S-curve Behaviour of the Trade Balance
Authors: Korkmaz Abdurrahman , Bilman Mustafa Erhan
Published: August 2016

A stepwise testing procedure based on the causality theory in statistics is suggested in this study to test for the S-curve hypothesis which puts forward that the trade balance is uniformly countercyclical and negatively correlated, in general, with current and future movements in terms of trade, but positively correlated with past movements. S-curve hypothesis is investigated in this study by relying on two pillars. Firstly, the existence of an S-shaped pattern is investigated at both industry and aggregate levels and, if any, statistical significance of this pattern is tested. Having detected an S-curve pattern, secondly the two distinct processes made up of positive and negative cross-correlation coefficients that lead to the S-shaped behaviour are evaluated separately and their statistical significance is tested. Thus, the second stage makes it possible to perform a robustness check for the findings from the first stage. By applying this procedure to Turkish trade data at both industry and aggregate levels for the period 2003:1–2011:4, S-curve dynamics have been found in only one out of nine industries (i.e., manufactured goods classified chiefly by material). The findings also suggest that the aggregate data do not exhibit an S-curve behaviour.
Influence of blend composition and organic cloisite 15A content in the structure of isobutylene–isoprene rubber/ethylene propylene diene monomer composites for investigation of morphology and mechanical properties
Authors: Azizli Mohammad J , Abbasizadeh Saeed , Hoseini Maryam , Rezaeinia Sheida , Azizli Ehsan
Published: August 2016

A melt mixing method was used for preparation of immiscible isobutylene–isoprene rubber/ethylene propylene diene monomer blends and their polymer nanocomposites containing cloisite 15A nanoparticles. The morphology of nanocomposites was characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and scanning electron microscope techniques. The dispersion of nanoclay in isobutylene–isoprene rubber/ethylene propylene diene monomer blends was studied by transmission electron microscopy and XRD analyses. Curing data of the prepared nanocomposites showed a decrease in scorch time (t5) and optimum cure time (t90) with increasing nanoclay content. Intercalation of rubber chains into the organoclay silicate layers was specified by d-spacing amount estimated according to the XRD results. Based on XRD results, a leftward shift towards lower diffraction angles in the organoclay characteristic peak was observed, indicating an increase in the d-spacing values in comparison with the pure organoclay. It confirms the intercalation of elastomer chains into the nanoclay galleries. The mechanical properties of the polymer nanocomposite specimens including hardness, fatigue strength, elongation at break, modulus and tensile strength were found to be better with increasing the nanoclay content. Also, resilience of the polymer nanocomposites decreased.
Positioning smallholder farmers in the dairy innovation system in Malawi
Authors: Chindime Sylvia , Kibwika Paul , Chagunda Mizeck
Published: August 2016

The preference of an innovation systems approach to development is based on its inclusiveness and the interactions of actors to co-influence each other, to learn and innovate and to bring about tangible benefits. As more actors with diverse interests engage, the innovation system becomes more complex and actors with higher influence power are likely to benefit more. Smallholder farmers in developing countries are the core actors of an agricultural innovation system, but their ability to influence other actors to maximize their benefits is questionable. This article applies a historical analysis of the progressive development and complexity of Malawi’s diary innovation system through phased emphasis on technological, organizational and institutional development to illustrate the centrality of smallholder dairy farmers in the innovation system. A social network analysis is applied to assess the influence of smallholder farmers on other actors. The existence and growth of the diary innovation system in Malawi is founded on the resilience of smallholder dairy farmers to produce milk. Whereas the smallholder farmers are the most connected in terms of interaction, they have the least influence on other actors in the innovation system. To take advantage of their central position to maximize benefits, smallholder farmers can only rely on their collective power to influence others. Organizing farmers in groups and associations is a step in the right direction but deliberate interventions by innovation brokers as intermediaries need to focus on empowering these groups.
Spatial effects on the productive structure of Spanish agri-food cooperatives
Authors: Carmen Martínez-Victoria María del , Luz Maté Sánchez-Val Mari , Arcas-Lario Narciso
Published: August 2016

This article analyses the role of spatial effects on the productive growth of Spanish agri-food cooperatives. The study was based on a sample data from 172 Spanish cooperatives for the period 2010–2012. We applied the Malmquist productivity index method to compute the productivity growth and its components. We then developed a multi-equational productivity growth model with spatial effects. Our results show that the productivity growth in agri-food cooperatives depends on the geographical location of the company and its interaction with its neighbours. This analysis supports the importance of taking into account the spatial dimension when regional agri-food policies are designed, particularly, for cooperatives characterized by the inter-cooperation principle.
Nano composite fiber process optimization for polypropylene with antibacterial and far-infrared ray emission properties
Authors: Kuo Chung-Feng Jeffrey , Fan Chih-Chia , Su Te-Li , Chen Shih-Hsiung , Lan Wei Lun
Published: August 2016

This research aims to develop multifunctional polypropylene (PP) fiber with a far-infrared ray emission property and microorganism resistance. The processing parameters, including powder proportion, twin-screw mixing and melt spinning, were planned using the Taguchi method, gray relational analysis and the technique for order preference by similarity to ideal solution. The emission test results showed that the far-infrared ray emission value of composite fiber was 85%, which is 2.3 times that of pure PP. According to the far-infrared ray emission temperature rise test, the composite fiber temperature increases by 8.6℃, which is 43% higher than the 6℃ temperature rise of pure PP. The antibacterial test showed that the composite fiber has an antibacterial effect on staphylococcus aureus and pneumobacillus. Moreover, the composite fiber of PP with nano silicon dioxide and zinc oxide met the far-infrared ray emission property FTTS-FA-010 and qualitative antibacterial JIS L-1902 standards.
Life Stress and Health
Authors: Slavich George M.
Published: August 2016

Life stress is a central construct in many models of human health and disease. The present article reviews research on stress and health, with a focus on (a) how life stress has been conceptualized and measured over time, (b) recent evidence linking stress and disease, and (c) mechanisms that might underlie these effects. Emerging from this body of work is evidence that stress is involved in the development, maintenance, or exacerbation of several mental and physical health conditions, including asthma, rheumatoid arthritis, anxiety disorders, depression, cardiovascular disease, chronic pain, human immunodeficiency virus/AIDS, stroke, and certain types of cancer. Stress has also been implicated in accelerated biological aging and premature mortality. These effects have been studied most commonly using self-report checklist measures of life stress exposure, although interview-based approaches provide a more comprehensive assessment of individuals’ exposure to stress. Most recently, online systems like the Stress and Adversity Inventory (STRAIN) have been developed for assessing lifetime stress exposure, and such systems may provide important new information to help advance our understanding of how stressors occurring over the life course get embedded in the brain and body to affect lifespan health.
Political liberalism revisited
Authors: Ferrara Alessandro
Published: August 2016

In this article by way of reply, the author responds to the challenging comments on The Democratic Horizon provided by Michelman, Benhabib, White, Scheuerman and Laden. In response to Michelman, some reflections are propounded (1) on the function of judicial review, in order to alleviate the tension between two understandings of the mandate of the highest interpreter of the constitution as aimed at remedying either an occlusion of democratic authorship or a shortfall of agreement, and (2) on the need to rethink how the authority of the supreme interpreter relates to the will of the people in a deeply changed historical context. In response to Benhabib, the author discusses the new limits of the accommodation of diversity in Fairburg, a fictional polity that expands the Rawlsian standard of ‘ reasonable disagreement’, and defends the normative relevance and democratic credentials of his notion of ‘ multivariate polity’. In response to White, after recalling the importance of putting the ‘democratic ethos’ at the center of a reflection on the democratic quality of complex societies where formal procedures often mask elitist substance, the author defends the ‘political, not metaphysical’ credentials of ‘openness’ (as well as of ‘exemplarity’ as the ‘upstream source’ of openness) and accepts a complementarity of ‘openness’ and ‘presumptive generosity’. In response to Scheuerman, the author restates his focus on the democratic ethos as a supplement to, not a replacement of, the reflection on democratic procedures and defends the conceptual diversity of governance from government. In response to Laden, the author highlights the diversity of contexts to which his own and Laden’s versions of ‘democratic justification’ are responding and defends a more moderate version of ‘openness’, which still keeps constitutional essentials and political values shielded from ongoing questioning. Finally, the author interprets the debate aroused by The Democratic Horizon as indicative of the persistent vitality of the Rawlsian legacy in the 21st century.
The pendulum model of Croatian media policy: Digitalisation between public interests and market competition
Authors: Bilić Paško , Švob-Đokić Nada
Published: August 2016

Croatia internalised the European normative requirements in its legislative system and restructured the media system in the process of the European Union accession completed in 2013. The media restructuration had a double social role: self-adaptation to the new communicative possibilities, both democratic and technological, and assignment of new social roles to actors mediating new values through the rapidly growing production of information and communication and thus influencing the differentiation of the public sphere. This article takes a socio-cultural and socio-historical approach to the development of media policies in Croatia, particularly with regard to recent changes of digitalisation of television broadcasting and online content production. It shows how this complex process led to missed opportunities for the strengthening of the public service broadcaster in the digital sphere. Additionally, it provides analytical explanations to this long-term restructuration process.
Union Railways: Selling Advertising Rights on Trains and Stations
Authors: Ashraf Rohail , Zahid Adnan , Khawaja Zain ul Abdin , Yousaf Seeham
Published: August 2016

Continuous losses had forced Union Railways (UR) to look for possible sources of incremental revenues, and selling advertising space on UR trains and stations seemed one such lucrative option. However, despite multiple attempts, UR was unable to receive reasonable bids from the market. The team tasked to execute the auction was at a loss to understand why the market had shown little interest when everyone knew that UR assets had substantial passenger footfall and time exposure. Not only this, UR faced greater disappointment when it arranged a brand conference where top multinational brand executives participated and shared scepticism for the project. An added source of confusion was the fact that few other organisations, both in the public and private sector, were able to execute similar projects with substantial success. Realising the gravity of the situation, UR solicited the help of external consultants to evaluate the process and identify reasons and corrective measures so that advertisement space rights could be auctioned off.
The Impact of Hospice Patient Disease Type and Length of Stay on Caregiver Utilization of Grief Counseling: A 10-Year Retrospective Study
Authors: Palmer William W. , Yuen Francis K.
Published: August 2016

This investigation explored the relationship between hospice patient disease type, length of stay (LOS) in hospice, and caregiver utilization of grief counseling in bereavement. A 10-year retrospective study was conducted utilizing data from caregivers associated with hospice patients who died between 2004 and 2014. A threshold of inclusion for disease type (≥1.00% of hospice admissions) resulted in a sample size of 3704 patients, comprising 19 different disease types and 348 associated caregivers who received counseling. Replicating a previous study, brain cancer, lung cancer, and renal failure were among the top 4 disease types associated with higher-than-average utilization of bereavement services among caregivers, regardless of the patient’s LOS. This finding may be related to factors such as the duration of the disease, the deterioration of the patient, the absence of symptom control, and secondary losses. LOS as a predictor of whether counseling will be utilized by hospice caregivers was unsupported by this study, as the percentage of caregivers receiving counseling closely paralleled the patient’s LOS across 4 cohorts (1-30 days, 31-60 days, 61-90 days, and 91+ days). However, among the caregivers who utilized counseling, the LOS was a statistically significant predictor of the number of counseling sessions utilized. For caregivers who utilized only 1 counseling session, the associated patient median LOS was 21.5 days. For caregivers who utilized 5 or more counseling sessions, the associated patient median LOS dropped to 12 days, suggesting an inverted relationship between hospice patient LOS and the duration of counseling in bereavement.
Experimental validation of a FRF-based model updating method
Authors: Shadan Fariba , Khoshnoudian Faramarz , Inman Daniel J , Esfandiari Akbar
Published: August 2016

In this paper, a finite element model updating method using frequency response functions is experimentally validated. The method is a sensitivity-based model updating approach which utilizes a pseudo-linear sensitivity equation. The method is robust against the adverse effects of incomplete measurement, measurement errors and modeling errors. The experimental setup consists of a free-free aluminum beam, where changes are introduced by reducing the stiffness and attaching lumped mass at certain parts of the beam. The method is applied to identify the location and amount of the changes in structural parameters. The results indicate that the location and the size of different level of changes in the structure can be properly identified by the method. In addition, a study is done on the influence of the number of impacts and sensors on the quality of the identified parameters.
Risk of Malignancy in Dermatomyositis and Polymyositis
Authors: Qiang Judy K. , Kim Whan B. , Baibergenova Akerke , Alhusayen Raed
Published: August 2016

Background:

There is variation in the risk of malignancy in dermatomyositis (DM) and polymyositis (PM) in the existing literature.

Objective:

To conduct a meta-analysis to estimate the risk of malignancy in DM and PM as compared with the general population.

Methods:

Medline and Embase Database abstracts were searched through August 2014 using the search terms myositis, neoplasms, and paraneoplastic syndromes. Population-based, observational studies in English were included. Meta-analyses were conducted using random-effects models.

Results:

A total of 5 studies with 4538 DM or PM patients were included in the analysis. The overall relative risk was 4.66 for DM and 1.75 for PM. By gender, the standardized incidence ratio (SIR) of malignancy among DM patients was 5.29 for males and 4.56 for females; the SIR of malignancy among PM patients was 1.62 for males and 2.02 for females. By time since diagnosis, the SIR of malignancy among DM patients was 17.29 in the first year, 2.7 between 1 and 5 years, and 1.37 after 5 years. By age group, the SIR among DM patients was 2.79 for patients between 15 and 44 years and 3.13 beyond 45 years.

Conclusions:

Both DM and PM are associated with increased risk of malignancy, but the risk is higher in DM. The risk of malignancy is present in both genders and all age groups and is highest in the first year after diagnosis but persists beyond the fifth year in DM. Adults should be evaluated for malignancy at diagnosis, followed by long-term surveillance.
Faith and experience
Authors: Mantilla Luis Felipe
Published: August 2016

How does a history of participation in secular authoritarian regimes shape the trajectory of religious political parties after transitions to democracy? This article examines the contrasting experiences of Catholic political parties in Latin America in order to assess whether and under what conditions pre-transition participation has a positive effect on post-transition electoral performance. It develops a theoretical account that emphasizes the relative costs and benefits of participation in secular authoritarian politics for religious parties. Empirically, it uses an original data set covering 22 Catholic parties that participated in 104 elections across Latin America as well as in-depth case studies of Mexico and Peru. It finds that Catholic parties that participated in authoritarian politics were more likely to emerge as significant players after transition, but that this effect is contingent on the competitiveness of the authoritarian regime.
Analysing the impact of tourism foreign direct investment on economic growth
Authors: Fauzel Sheereen , Seetanah Boopen , Sannassee R.V.
Published: August 2016

The present study attempts to address the important question of whether foreign direct investment (FDI) flowing into the tourism sector has served to enhance economic growth in Mauritius for the period 1984–2014. Using a dynamic vector error correction model, and catering for dynamism, the results show that tourism FDI has indeed contributed to fostering economic growth; albeit the magnitude of the coefficient being relatively smaller than FDI in the non-tourism sector. A plausible explanation for such a finding may reside in the fact that the bulk of FDI flows in the non-tourism sectors while domestic investment predominates in the tourism sector in Mauritius. The findings also demonstrate a positive relationship between tourism development and economic growth, thus supporting the tourism-led growth hypothesis.
A systematic review of technology-based interventions for co-occurring substance use and trauma symptoms
Authors: Gilmore Amanda K , Wilson Sarah M , Skopp Nancy A , Osenbach Janyce E , Reger Greg
Published: August 2016

Introduction

Technology-based mental health interventions are becoming increasingly common, and several have begun to target multiple outcomes in a single intervention. Recent developments in the treatment of co-occurring posttraumatic stress disorder and substance use disorder has led to the development and testing of technology-based interventions for these disorders. The current systematic review examined technology-based interventions designed to improve mental health outcomes among patients with co-occurring trauma symptoms and substance use.

Methods

Of 601 articles reviewed, 14 included a technology-based intervention for patients with these co-occurring problems.

Results

Seven of these studies provided preliminary evidence that technology-based interventions are likely to be efficacious in reducing either trauma symptoms or substance use. The seven remaining studies demonstrated that technology-based interventions for co-occurring trauma symptoms and substance use are feasible.

Discussion

This review suggests that technology-based interventions for co-occurring trauma symptoms and substance use are feasible, but more work is needed to assess efficacy using scientifically rigorous studies.
Twenty-five years of Bananas, Beaches and Bases: A conversation with Cynthia Enloe
Authors: Enloe Cynthia , Lacey Anita , Gregory Thomas
Published: August 2016

Cynthia Enloe’s book Bananas, Beaches and Bases: Making Feminist Sense of International Politics brought a new approach to the study of war, conflict and political economy, an approach informed by and starting from a feminist curiosity. Such a starting point allows for recognition of the diverse, often disregarded gendered dynamics of militarization. A feminist curiosity facilitates making visible the politicization of everyday life via what Enloe calls a bottom-up approach to research and investigation. This account of a conversation between feminist scholars draws attention to the means by which researchers exercise the sociological imagination in their work on labour, militarism and war; the theorizing of gendered militarization; the role for feminist activism around conflict and sexual violence as well as solidarity politics; and the life cycle of Bananas, Beaches and Bases.
Not knowing the “right thing to do:” Moral distress and tolerating uncertainty in medicine
Authors: Landry Christinia
Published: August 2016

The four principles and consequentialism assist in teasing out moral dilemmas in medicine but often fail to account for the texture of our moral experience. In particular, these ethical approaches fail to account for the moral dilemma and the resultant distress. Conversely, by considering the relationships, emotionality, and motivations of human beings, Simone de Beauvoir's ethics of ambiguity furnishes a more robust ethical analysis and encourages a deeper understanding of how we actually negotiate relationships of care in medicine. I argue that moral distress not only reveals our need for a fuller understanding of intersubjectivity—one not on offer by principalism or consequentialism—but also exposes the deeply ambiguous and agonizing nature inherent in our relationships with others. A case study is presented and analyzed via de Beauvoir's ethics so as to broaden our understanding of ethical decision-making in medicine.
Reproductive Coercion: A Systematic Review
Authors: Grace Karen Trister , Anderson Jocelyn C.
Published: August 2016

Reproductive coercion is a behavior that interferes with the autonomous decision-making of a woman, with regard to reproductive health. It may take the form of birth control sabotage, pregnancy coercion, or controlling the outcome of a pregnancy. The objectives of this article are to address the questions: (1) What is known about reproductive coercion, its prevalence, and correlates? (2) What strategies do women use to preserve their reproductive autonomy when experiencing reproductive coercion? (3) What interventions are effective to decrease reproductive coercion? In this review of 27 research studies, 12 contained findings regarding the general phenomenon of reproductive coercion and 19 contained findings about at least one component of reproductive coercion. Additionally, 11 studies contained findings related to the intersection of intimate partner violence (IPV) and reproductive coercion, 6 presented data on strategies women use to resist reproductive coercion, and 3 included intervention data. Variation in measurement makes synthesis of prevalence and correlate data challenging. The reviewed literature presents reproductive coercion as a phenomenon that disproportionately affects women experiencing concurrent IPV, women of lower socioeconomic status, single women, and African American, Latina and multiracial women. Women who experience reproductive coercion were found to present frequently for certain health services. Most data on reproductive coercion are descriptive, and there is need for further research to examine the co-occurrence with related phenomena such as IPV and unintended pregnancy. More research is also needed on the strategies women use to resist reproductive coercion as well as interventions aimed at survivors and perpetrators of reproductive coercion and health-care providers who encounter them.
Quantifying the mission impact of network-level cyber defensive mitigations
Authors: Wagner Neal , Şahin Cem Ş , Winterrose Michael , Riordan James , Hanson Diana , Peña Jaime , Streilein William W
Published: August 2016

Modern missions of government and private organizations rely on computer networks to operate. As evidenced by several well-publicized cyber breaches, these missions are under attack. Several cyber defensive measures have been proposed to mitigate this threat, some are meant to protect individual hosts on the network, and others are designed to protect the network at large. From a qualitative perspective, these mitigations seem to improve security, but there is no quantitative assessment of their effectiveness with respect to a complete network system and a cyber-supported mission for which the network exists. The purpose of this paper is to examine network-level cyber defensive mitigations and quantify their impact on network security and mission performance. Testing such mitigations in an live network environment is generally not possible due to the expense, and thus a modeling and simulation approach is utilized. Our approach employs a modularized hierarchical simulation framework to model a complete cyber system and its relevant dynamics at multiple scales. We conduct experiments that test the effectiveness of network-level mitigations from the perspectives of security and mission performance. Additionally, we introduce a novel, unified metric for mitigation effectiveness that takes into account both of these perspectives and provides a single measurement that is convenient and easily accessible to security practitioners.
Parameter design and performance analysis of shift actuator for a two-speed automatic mechanical transmission for pure electric vehicles
Authors: Hu Jianjun , Ran Hongliang , Pang Tao , Zhang Yi
Published: August 2016

Recent developments of pure electric vehicles have shown that pure electric vehicles equipped with two-speed or multi-speed gearbox possess higher energy efficiency by ensuring the drive motor operates at its peak performance range. This article presents the design, analysis, and control of a two-speed automatic mechanical transmission for pure electric vehicles. The shift actuator is based on a motor-controlled camshaft where a special geometric groove is machined, and the camshaft realizes the axial positions of the synchronizer sleeve for gear engaging, disengaging, and speed control of the drive motor. Based on the force analysis of shift process, the parameters of shift actuator and shift motor are designed. The drive motor’s torque control strategy before shifting, speed governing control strategy before engaging, shift actuator’s control strategy during gear engaging, and drive motor’s torque recovery strategy after shift process are proposed and implemented with a prototype. To validate the performance of the two-speed gearbox, a test bed was developed based on dSPACE that emulates various operation conditions. The experimental results indicate that the shift process with the proposed shift actuator and control strategy could be accomplished within 1 s under various operation conditions, with shift smoothness up to passenger car standard.
Recording, storing and querying judo match data using an Android tool and Cloud computing
Authors: Villapol Maria Elena , Jansen Hernan , Morales Ana , Flores Javier , Rodrigues Humberto , Huerta Mónica
Published: August 2016

Judo is a martial art that was created as a physical, intellectual and moral education method in Japan. In competition matches, Judo is a combat sport where two athletes fight against each other. Judo matches are ruled by different scores, penalties and durations, which change regarding the age and gender of the competitors. There is a need to record the actions in favour of or against a judoka during a match in order to create an efficient training programme as well as technical and tactical development strategies for each competitor. In this work, a technological solution is presented; it records each athlete’s matches and scores, penalties, pauses during the match and its actual length of time. These aspects can help to create charts reflecting efforts made by the judoka. The research is focused on the support of the technical–tactical analysis of judo matches, taking into account recent information technology and communications trends: (1) the solution is developed for mobile devices which use the Android operating system, (2) the solution takes advantage of Cloud computing to allow ubiquitous access to the data and (3) the desktop component of the solution is portable to many computer systems because it has been developed using the Java programming language. The initial results show how the technological solution can be used for improving the performance of the athlete by providing feedback of the behaviour of the judoka during each match.
Disagreement About Moral Character Is Linked to Interpersonal Costs
Authors: Barranti Maxwell , Carlson Erika N. , Furr R. Michael
Published: August 2016

Impressions of moral character are among the most relevant and consequential; yet, people do not always see eye to eye with others about their moral character. Is self-other disagreement about moral character associated with interpersonal costs, and are these costs uniquely associated with moral impressions? To answer these questions, judges ( N = 100) in a community sample rated several acquaintances’ (targets) moral character (e.g., compassion, honesty) and personality and indicated their liking and respect of the target ( N = 587 judge–target pairs) while targets described their own moral character and personality. For most moral impressions, as the discrepancy between judges and targets increased, judges tended to like and respect targets less, particularly when targets enhanced their character relative to their judge. These effects were unique from personality ratings (e.g., agreeableness). Thus, failing to see eye to eye with others about one’s moral character is associated with negative interpersonal outcomes.
Perceived Partner Responsiveness Predicts Better Sleep Quality Through Lower Anxiety
Authors: Selcuk Emre , Stanton Sarah C. E. , Slatcher Richard B. , Ong Anthony D.
Published: August 2016

The present study investigated whether perceived partner responsiveness—the extent to which individuals feel cared for, understood, and validated by their partner—predicted subjective sleep problems and objective (actigraph-based) sleep efficiency through lower anxiety and depression symptoms. A life span sample of 698 married or cohabiting adults (35–86 years old) completed measures of perceived partner responsiveness and subjective sleep problems. A subset of the sample ( N = 219) completed a weeklong sleep study where actigraph-based measures of sleep efficiency were obtained. Perceived partner responsiveness predicted lower self-reported global sleep problems through lower anxiety and depression and greater actigraph-assessed sleep efficiency through lower anxiety. All indirect associations held after controlling for emotional support provision to the partner, agreeableness, and demographic and health covariates known to affect sleep quality. These findings are among the first to demonstrate how perceived partner responsiveness, a core aspect of romantic relationships, is linked to sleep behavior.
Disturbing Hegemonic Discourse: Nonbinary Gender and Sexual Orientation Labeling on Tumblr
Authors: Oakley Abigail
Published: August 2016

In this article, I examine lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans, queer/questioning, intersex, and asexual (LGBTQIA) Tumblr bloggers’ bio boxes and “About Me” pages to show the ways gender and sexual orientation identities are constructed through community-regulated and community-generated labeling practices. Tumblr encourages counter-cultures (and labeling practices) to not only form but also to thrive due to its distinctive affordances including tagging and blog formatting. This article examines not only how these affordances shape usage and, subsequently, identity construction on Tumblr but also the ways in which Tumblr bloggers have embraced affordances to create community-accepted conventions of identity construction. Additionally, building upon online identity scholarship by Bargh, McKenna, and Fitzsimons and Tiidenberg, this article discusses true self and nonbinary gender and sexual orientation labeling as forms of identity construction that allows LGBTQIA identifying individuals a method for nuanced descriptions of feelings and desires. However, far from perfect, these labeling practices are also grounded in hegemonic female/male, feminine/masculine binary discourse. In a Foucauldian sense, bloggers construct discourse within existing power structures that ignore or erase LGBTQIA as sexual “abnormalities.” Although it is nearly impossible to fully break away from the dominant discourse, these labeling practices can be a useful starting point for conversations about genders and sexualities that lie outside of the hegemonic binary.
Laying Claim to Social Media by Activists: A Cyber-Material Détournement
Authors: Galis Vasilis , Neumayer Christina
Published: August 2016

This article examines current appropriations of social media by activists of the radical left in Greece and Sweden. Previous research has shown that the discourse concerning social media’s empowering potential is embedded in commercial values that contradict the value systems of many activists who engage in struggles against the current economic system. We employ the notion of détournement, which describes how social movements turn something aside from its normal course or purpose. Based on interviews and online ethnographic observations, we seek to understand how and with what consequences social media facilitate and limit collective action. The article enhances our understanding of activists’ social media use by turning our attention to the sociotechnical impact of social media on collective action initiated by leftist groups as well as the relationship between ideological loyalties and the political economy of corporate social media.