bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
A selective mass scaling method for shear wave propagation analyses in nearly incompressible materials
Authors: Ye W. , Bel‐Brunon A. , Catheline S. , Rochette M. , Combescure A.
Published: April 2016

This paper describes a selective mass scaling method which is designed for the analysis of wave propagation problems in nearly incompressible materials. The incompressibility of materials leads to a high value of the compressional wave speed, which makes the time step extremely small in explicit time integration method. The proposed selective mass scaling method selects the eigenfrequencies related to volumetric deformation modes to decrease them, while it keeps the shear eigenmodes unchanged. This makes the time step no longer limited by the compressional wave speed but by the shear wave speed. A significant reduction of CPU time is obtained with a good accuracy for transient problems in small strains on free or largely prestressed media. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Ensure sustainability by quickly growing an online graduate/professional program
Authors: Hope Joan
Published: April 2016

HOLLYWOOD, FLA. — When Stephen T. Bajjaly arrived at Wayne State University in 2007, the graduate program in the School of Library and Information Science didn't offer an online option. Bajjaly, associate dean and professor, had taught online for a long time. In fact, he started in distance education with closed circuit television combined with driving to sites for contact hours on weekends.
Adopt effective strategies to market your institution's adult programs
Authors: Hope Joan
Published: April 2016

To attract students to your adult programs, you face competition — and not just from other institutions' programs. You also have to compete with all the other activities and messages that draw prospective students' attention.
The role of segregation in the polarized emission from polyfluorene embedded in a liquid crystal
Authors: Ghirardini Lavinia , Virgili Tersilla , Bolis Serena , Beeckman Jeroen , Kockaert Pascal , Finazzi Marco , Celebrano Michele
Published: April 2016

Polyfluorene (PFO) embedded in a nematic liquid crystal (LC) matrix is investigated. For low PFO weight contents, a homogeneous dispersion is obtained which displays a strong fluorescence anisotropy along the LC director, indicating a significant alignment of the polymeric chains along this direction. Besides, for relatively high PFO weight contents, phase separation takes place. Under these conditions, the sample is composed of micrometer‐sized domains, where the two species are in solution, enclosed by segregated polymeric boundaries. By polarized‐photoluminescence imaging and spectroscopy, it is found that most of the light emission originates from these boundaries and gets strongly pinned along their orientation. Since boundaries are mainly oriented orthogonal to the LC chains, this morphological alignment results in a system in which the orientation of the polarization emission can be predicted and possibly controlled. Conversely, in the homogeneous sample one can obtain a homogeneous emission polarization by controlling the alignment of the LC. These features are potentially relevant for the development of flexible polarization‐sensitive optoelectronic devices. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J. Polym. Sci., Part B: Polym. Phys. 2016, 54, 1558–1563
An Easy Method to Prepare D3 and C2‐TATP Crystals
Authors: Espinosa‐Fuentes Eduardo , Colpas‐Castillo Fredy , Meza‐Fuentes Edgardo , Ropero Jorge
Published: April 2016

D3 and C2 TATP structures interconvert at room temperature. Herein, an easy method to isolate both conformers is shown that consists of multiple recrystallization steps using different solvent and heating to boiling. Spectroscopic and physical measurements, such as Raman spectroscopy, X‐ray diffraction, and melting point analysis, showed that clear and opaque crystals, respectively, represent different conformations of TATP. Additionally, the transition energy between both conformers was estimated using the Raman shifts.
Revisiting Schottky barriers for CIGS solar cells: Electrical characterization of the Al/Cu(InGa)Se2 contact
Authors: Theys Bertrand , Klinkert Torben , Mollica Fabien , Leite Enrique , Donsanti Frédérique , Jubault Marie , Lincot Daniel
Published: April 2016

Devices based on a metal‐semiconductor contact are potential candidates for the fabrication of photovoltaic cells as long as the corresponding junctions exhibit good rectifying properties and a low contact resistance. This article presents a detailed electrical analysis of the aluminum/CIGS system. The values of the representative parameters of the quality of the diode such as the barrier height, the ideality factor and the series resistance are deduced from an analytical study of the intensity‐voltage characteristics. It is concluded that this system does fulfill the necessary (but not sufficient) basic conditions for being used in photovoltaic cells.
Ascertainment correction in frailty models for recurrent events data
Authors: Balan Theodor A. , Jonker Marianne A. , Johannesma Paul C. , Putter Hein
Published: April 2016

In retrospective studies involving recurrent events, it is common to select individuals based on their event history up to the time of selection. In this case, the ascertained subjects might not be representative for the target population, and the analysis should take the selection mechanism into account. The purpose of this paper is two‐fold. First, to study what happens when the data analysis is not adjusted for the selection and second, to propose a corrected analysis. Under the Andersen–Gill and shared frailty regression models, we show that the estimators of covariate effects, incidence, and frailty variance can be biased if the ascertainment is ignored, and we show that with a simple adjustment of the likelihood, unbiased and consistent estimators are obtained. The proposed method is assessed by a simulation study and is illustrated on a data set comprising recurrent pneumothoraces. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Cigarette smoke extracts induced the colon cancer migration via regulating epithelial mesenchymal transition and metastatic genes in human colon cancer cells
Authors: Kim Cho‐Won , Go Ryeo‐Eun , Lee Hae‐Miru , Hwang Kyung‐A , Lee Kyuhong , Kim Bumseok , Lee Moo‐Yeol , Choi Kyung‐Chul
Published: April 2016

There was considerable evidence that exposure to cigarette smoke is associated with an increased risk for colon cancer. Nevertheless, the mechanism underlying the relationship between cigarette smoking and colon cancer remains unclear. Moreover, there were only a few studies on effects of complexing substance contained in cigarette smoke on colon cancer. Thus, we further investigated whether cigarette smoke extract (CSE) affects the cell cycle, apoptosis and migration of human metastatic colon cancer cells, SW‐620. MTT assay revealed that SW‐620 cell proliferation was significantly inhibited following treatments with all CSEs, 3R4F, and two‐domestic cigarettes, for 9 days in a concentration‐dependent manner. Moreover, CSE treatments decreased cyclin D1 and E1, and increased p21 and p27 proteins by Western blot analysis in SW‐620 cells. Additionally, the treatment of the cells with CSE contributed to these effects expressing by apoptosis‐related proteins. An increased migration or invasion ability of SW‐620 cells following CSE treatment was also confirmed by a scratch or fibronectin invasion assay in vitro. In addition, the protein levels of E‐cadherin as an epithelial maker were down‐regulated, while the mesenchymal markers, N‐cadherin, snail, and slug, were up‐regulated in a time‐dependent manner. A metastatic marker, cathepsin D, was also down‐regulated by CSE treatment. Taken together, these results indicate that CSE exposure in colon cancer cells may deregulate the cell growth by altering the expression of cell cycle‐related proteins and pro‐apoptotic protein, and stimulate cell metastatic ability by altering epithelial‐mesenchymal transition (EMT) markers and cathepsin D expression. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 32: 690–704, 2017.
Keep calm in a crisis: Best practices for emergency scheduling
Authors: Sutton Halley
Published: April 2016

ANAHEIM, CALIF. — In the winter of 2013, Oregon State University experienced a major snowstorm at the beginning of finals week, closing campus for two days. A total of 700 finals had to be rescheduled; five days of finals had to be compressed into three, and 18,000 students were impacted directly by the rescheduling. The Registrar's Office was given 48 hours to reschedule all finals, a process that usually takes more than two weeks.
Address microfilm challenges with low‐cost reader/scanner
Authors: Hope Joan
Published: April 2016

Do you have records from years past stored on microfilm or microfiche? Maybe you've hoped to convert them to an electronic format, but an imaging project is just too expensive. Or maybe you just need an inexpensive machine to view the files on the rare occasions you need them, and you'd prefer it didn't take up too much space in your office.
Study advocates for poverty preference admissions at selective institutions
Authors: Sutton Halley
Published: April 2016

Low‐income students, even those who perform very highly academically in high school, account for only 3 percent of enrolled students at the 200 most selective institutions nationwide. A new report released by the Jack Kent Cooke Foundation suggests that based on these findings, top colleges should create admissions preferences for low‐income students.
Keep up with growing enrollment with automated processes
Authors: Hope Joan
Published: April 2016

Student enrollment has grown quickly at Austin Peay State University without any increase in the size of the staff in the Registrar's Office. Telaina Wrigley has led the Registrar's Office to success in keeping up with the work by automating processes.
Model checking Petri nets with names using data-centric dynamic systems
Authors: Montali Marco , Rivkin Andrey
Published: April 2016

Petri nets with name creation and management (

ν

-PNs) have been recently introduced as an expressive model for dynamic (distributed) systems, whose dynamics are determined not only by how tokens flow in the system, but also by the pure names they carry. On the one hand, this extension makes the resulting nets strictly more expressive than P/T nets: they can be exploited to capture a plethora of interesting systems, such as distributed systems enriched with channels and name passing, service interaction with correlation mechanisms, and resource-constrained workflow nets that explicitly account for process instances. On the other hand, fundamental properties like coverability, termination and boundedness are decidable for

ν

-PNs. In this work, we go one step beyond the verification of such general properties, and provide decidability and undecidability results of model checking

ν

-PNs against variants of first-order

μ

-calculus, recently proposed in the area of data-aware process analysis. While this model checking problem is undecidable in the general case, decidability can be obtained by considering different forms of boundedness, which still give raise to an infinite-state transition system. We then ground our framework to tackle the problem of soundness checking over workflow nets enriched with explicit process instances and resources. Notably, our decidability results are obtained via a translation to data-centric dynamic systems, a recently devised framework for the formal specification and verification of data-aware business processes working over full-fledged relational databases with constraints. In this light, our results contribute to the cross-fertilization between the area of formal methods for concurrent systems and that of foundations of data-aware processes, which has not been extensively investigated so far.
Generalized Weakness in a Transplant Patient: A Case Presentation
Authors: Brown Cora , Cruz Ernesto
Published: April 2016

Generalized weakness in transplant patients is a major complaint in tertiary rehabilitation hospitals. The diagnosis and management of generalized weakness in this population pose challenges for physicians. We present the case of a transplant patient with generalized weakness who was eventually diagnosed with calciphylaxis using a multidisciplinary diagnostic approach of electrodiagnostics, vascular study, and skin biopsy. Calciphylaxis is a rare cutaneous disorder that mimics other collagen vascular diseases in its presentation and fulminant course. Physiatrists should be cognizant of calciphylaxis, as it signals a poor prognosis if not correctly diagnosed and treated in a timely manner, with high incidence of sepsis, wound pain, and disability.

Level of Evidence

V
Observation Services Linked With an Urgent Care Center in the Absence of an Emergency Department: An Innovative Mechanism to Initiate Efficient Health Care Delivery in the Aftermath of a Natural Disaster
Authors: Caspers Christopher , Smith Silas W. , Seth Rishi , Femia Robert , Goldfrank Lewis R.
Published: April 2016

Objective

The emergency department (ED) of NYU Langone Medical Center was destroyed by Hurricane Sandy, contributing to a public health disaster in New York City. We evaluated hospital-based acute care provided through the establishment of an urgent care center with an associated ED-run observation service (EDOS) that operated in the absence of an ED during this disaster.

Methods

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of all patients placed in an EDOS following a visit to an urgent care center during the 18 months of ED closure. We reviewed diagnoses, clinical protocols, selection criteria, and performance metrics.

Results

Of 55,723 urgent care center visits, 15,498 patients were hospitalized, and 3167 of all hospitalized patients (20.4%) were placed in the EDOS. A total of 2660 EDOS patients (84%) were discharged from the EDOS. The 8 most frequently utilized clinical protocols accounted for 76% of the EDOS volume.

Conclusions

A diverse group of patients presenting to an urgent care center following the destruction of an ED by natural disaster can be cared for in an EDOS, regardless of association with a physical ED. An urgent care center with an associated EDOS can be implemented to provide patient care in a disaster situation. This may be useful when existing ED or hospital resources are compromised. (Disaster Med Public Health Preparedness. 2016;10:405–410)
Potential application of digital image-processing method and fitted logistic model to the control of oriental fruit moths (Grapholita molesta Busck)
Authors: Zhao Z.G. , Rong E.H. , Li S.C. , Zhang L.J. , Zhang Z.W. , Guo Y.Q. , Ma R.Y.
Published: April 2016

Monitoring of oriental fruit moths (Grapholita molesta Busck) is a prerequisite for its control. This study introduced a digital image-processing method and logistic model for the control of oriental fruit moths. First, five triangular sex pheromone traps were installed separately within each area of 667 m2 in a peach orchard to monitor oriental fruit moths consecutively for 3 years. Next, full view images of oriental fruit moths were collected via a digital camera and then subjected to graying, separation and morphological analysis for automatic counting using MATLAB software. Afterwards, the results of automatic counting were used for fitting a logistic model to forecast the control threshold and key control period. There was a high consistency between automatic counting and manual counting (0.99, P < 0.05). According to the logistic model, oriental fruit moths had four occurrence peaks during a year, with a time-lag of 15–18 days between adult occurrence peak and the larval damage peak. Additionally, the key control period was from 28 June to 3 July each year, when the wormy fruit rate reached up to 5% and the trapping volume was approximately 10.2 per day per trap. Additionally, the key control period for the overwintering generation was 25 April. This study provides an automatic counting method and fitted logistic model with a great potential for application to the control of oriental fruit moths.
LORD BOLINGBROKE'S THEORY OF PARTY AND OPPOSITION
Authors: SKJÖNSBERG MAX
Published: April 2016

Bolingbroke has been overlooked by intellectual historians in the last few decades, at least in comparison with ‘canonical’ thinkers. This article examines one of the most important but disputable aspects of his political thought: his views on political parties and his theory of opposition. It aims to demonstrate that Bolingbroke's views on party have been misunderstood and that it is possible to think of him as an advocate of political parties rather than the ‘anti-party’ writer he is commonly known as. It has been suggested that Bolingbroke prescribed a state without political parties. By contrast, this article seeks to show that Bolingbroke was in fact the promoter of a very specific party, a systematic parliamentary opposition party in resistance to what he perceived as the Court Whig faction in power. It will also be argued that Bolingbroke at no time envisaged a final end to political conflict and that his opposition party should not be interpreted as a party to end all parties.
“Never Too Late to Do the Right Thing”: Barack Obama, the Vietnam War's Legacy, and the Cultural Politics of Military Awards during the Afghanistan War
Authors: KIERAN DAVID
Published: April 2016

This article examines the cultural politics of military awards during the Obama administration. It examines the administration's posthumous recognition of three Vietnam veterans, arguing that the President has embraced a remembrance of the war that encourages Americans to celebrate veterans without regard for the illegal, controversial, or morally questionable activities in which they participated. This effort, I argue, helps build support for the United States' continuing expansion of war fighting in Afghanistan, Pakistan, Yemen, and elsewhere by encouraging Americans to adopt a similar perspective regarding current wars – one that celebrates military personnel while not questioning the policies that they pursue or the manner in which they do so.
ROLE OF COMMUNITY AND CONTEXT IN CONTRACEPTIVE BEHAVIOUR IN RURAL WEST BENGAL, INDIA: A MULTILEVEL MULTINOMIAL APPROACH
Authors: Ghosh Saswata , Siddiqui Md. Zakaria
Published: April 2016

Studies examining the influence of community-level interactions and contextual/supply-side factors in determining contraceptive choices have yielded mixed results in the context of rural India. Using small-scale survey data of 1348 women from rural West Bengal and by employing multilevel multinomial logit models, this study tested the influence of these factors after controlling for various socio-demographic and individual-level socioeconomic factors. The study reveals that supply-side intervention strategies, i.e. addressing outreach and advocacy activities and socio-religious needs at the community level, are essential prerequisites to breaking away from the predominance of sterilization in the contraceptive method-mix and enhancing the adoption of modern reversible contraceptives for improved spacing of births – a crucial factor in maternal and child health outcomes.
Improving efficiency in meat production
Authors: Brameld John M. , Parr Tim
Published: April 2016

Selective breeding and improved nutritional management over the past 20–30 years has resulted in dramatic improvements in growth efficiency for pigs and poultry, particularly lean tissue growth. However, this has been achieved using high-quality feed ingredients, such as wheat and soya that are also used for human consumption and more recently biofuels production. Ruminants on the other hand are less efficient, but are normally fed poorer quality ingredients that cannot be digested by human subjects, such as grass or silage. The challenges therefore are to: (i) maintain the current efficiency of growth of pigs and poultry, but using more ingredients not needed to feed the increasing human population or for the production of biofuels; (ii) improve the efficiency of growth in ruminants; (iii) at the same time produce animal products (meat, milk and eggs) of equal or improved quality. This review will describe the use of: (a) enzyme additives for animal feeds, to improve feed digestibility; (b) known growth promoting agents, such as growth hormone, β-agonists and anabolic steroids, currently banned in the European Union but used in other parts of the world; (c) recent transcriptomic studies into molecular mechanisms for improved growth efficiency via low residual feed intake. In doing so, the use of genetic manipulation in animals will also be discussed.
The relationship between negative symptom subdomains and cognition
Authors: Lim J. , Lee S.-A. , Lam M. , Rapisarda A. , Kraus M. , Keefe R. S. E. , Lee J.
Published: April 2016

Background

Negative symptoms and cognitive deficits in schizophrenia are partially overlapping. However, the nature of the relationship between negative symptoms and cognition remains equivocal. Recent reviews have demonstrated the presence of two negative symptom subdomains, diminished emotional expression (DEE) and avolition. In view of this, we sought to clarify the relationship between negative symptoms and cognitive domains.

Method

A total of 687 participants with schizophrenia were assessed on measures of psychopathology and cognition. Three cognitive factors, namely executive function, fluency/memory and speed/vigilance were computed from the cognitive tests. Confirmatory factor analysis was utilized to examine if a one-factor or two-factor negative model was applicable to our sample. Subsequently, the relationships between negative symptoms and cognition were examined using structural equation modeling.

Results

Results demonstrated that the two-factor model fitted the data well. While negative symptoms were mildly to moderately associated with cognition, we found that DEE had unique associations with cognition compared to social avolition, contributing to the validity of the constructs and suggesting the possibility of common underlying substrates in negative symptoms and cognition.

Conclusions

Our study highlighted the need to classify DEE and social avolition separately as both are necessary in refining the complex relationship between negative symptoms and cognition as well as potentially guiding treatment and management of schizophrenia.
On and Off the Mat: Yoga Experiences of Middle-Aged and Older Adults
Authors: Wertman Annette , Wister Andrew V. , Mitchell Barbara A.
Published: April 2016

Cet article examine les différences potentielles dans la pratique du yoga entre les adultes d’âge moyen et les adultes plus âgés. Un modèle Croyance à Santé/Parcours de Vie encadre cette recherche, et une stratégie analytique de méthodes mixtes est utilisée pour examiner les voies de parcours de vie dans le yoga, et la motivation à la pratique, ainsi que les obstacles perçus et les bénéfices pour la santé. Pour les analyses quantitatives, un échantillon de convenance de 452 participants a été recueilli au moyen d’un questionnaire en ligne. Pour les analyses qualitatives, des entrevues en face-à-face ont été menées auprès d’un sous-ensemble de 20 participants. Des différences uniques se sont manifestées entre les groupes d’âge (à la fois à l’âge actuel et à l’âge du démarrage de yoga), ainsi que par sexe pour certaines voies, les raisons / motivations, et les obstacles à s’engager dans le yoga, ainsi que pour les bénéfices de santé perçues. En outre, les résultats soulignent l’importance des points de repère d’information et des liens sociaux qui affectent la façon dont les individus adoptent et éprouvent le yoga. On discute les implications en ce qui concern les programmes à la promotion de la santé qui ciblent les adultes âgés.
Best-Practice Guideline on the Prevention of Abuse and Neglect of Older Adults
Authors: Hirst Sandra P. , Penney Tasha , McNeill Susan , Boscart Veronique M. , Podnieks Elizabeth , Sinha Samir K.
Published: April 2016

Une revue systématique de la littérature a été effectuée afin d’identifier des moyens efficaces pour prévenir et combattre l’abus et la négligence envers les adultes âgés dans les établissements de soins de santé au Canada. L’examen a été fait en utilisant les bases de données qui ont été recherchés à partir de janvier 2000 à avril / mai 2013. En outre, les membres des groupes d’experts ont présenté les citations d’articles tirés des archives personnelles. Deux associés de recherche infirmier (ARI) ont selectionné chaque titre et chaque résumé pour l’inclusion. Après le coefficient d’objectivité a été déterminé entre les ARI (score Kappa de 0,76), les dossiers ont été divisés, évalués et les données extraites indépendamment. L’examen a révélé 62 études portant sur l’identification, l’évaluation et la réponse à l’abus et la négligence des personnes âgées; stratégies d’éducation, de prévention et de promotion de la santé; et soutien organisationnel au niveau du système pour prévenir et combattre ce type de maltraitance et de négligence. L’abus et la négligence envers les aînés demeure peu exploré en termes d’études fondées sur des preuves; par conséquent, il faut davantage de recherche dans tous les domaines décrites.
Public health structures attendance during the Ebola outbreak in Guéckédou, Guinea
Authors: MOISAN F. , TRAORE A. , ZOUMANIGUI D. , FEINDOUNO J. Y. , SAGNO A. M. , MOLLET T. , BRUYAND M.
Published: April 2016

The Ebola virus disease (EVD) outbreak in West Africa may affect healthcare attendance. We describe, in the Guinean prefecture of Guéckédou, trends in attendance of public healthcare structures and the main reported diagnoses over the year following the EVD outbreak notification (March 2014). Monthly numbers of visits and main diagnoses such as malaria, schistosomiasis and measles reported by Guéckédou health centres and health posts were described from January 2012 to March 2015. The median number of visits was 15 724/month. From 1 April to 30 September 2014 (EVD outbreak peak), 90 947 visits were reported, representing decreases of 4·8% and 7·4% compared to 2013 and 2012, respectively. Following December 2014 (last EVD notification in Guéckédou), visits increased from 12 540 in January to 16 032 in March 2015. Malaria seasonality was observed in 2014 with 22 519 notifications from 1 April to 31 July. No seasonality was observed for intestinal schistosomiasis (median 485 cases/month); however, a peak was notified in March 2014 (824 cases). Over the study period, all measles cases were notified in 2015 (183 cases). Reduction in healthcare attendance in Guéckédou was modest during the EVD outbreak. Enhanced infectious disease surveillance is a challenge in this context, due to the impact of EVD on traditional prevention programmes.
Ductal constriction during dexamethasone treatment in an anti-SSA-antibody-exposed fetus with signs of myocardial inflammation
Authors: Talemal Lauren , Olivieri Laura , Krishnan Anita
Published: April 2016

This report describes the clinical course and multi-modality imaging findings in an anti-SSA-antibody-exposed fetus with suspected myocardial inflammation. Postnatal cardiac MRI – using fast acquisition, free-breathing with feed-and-swaddle technique – was used to evaluate for myocardial fibrosis/inflammation. This is the first published report, to our knowledge, of ductal constriction temporally associated with oral dexamethasone therapy in an anti-SSA-antibody-exposed fetus and of the use of this unique postnatal MRI protocol in this setting.
Transseptal puncture for radiofrequency catheter ablations of left-sided arrhythmias in a paediatric population
Authors: Ehrlinspiel Désirée M. , Gass Matthias , Balmer Christian
Published: April 2016

Puncturing the atrial septum is frequently used in adults. In children, the transseptal puncture is less common, technically more demanding, and the rate of complications is not well described. We studied the feasibility and safety of this procedure in a retrospective analysis of 157 consecutive children undergoing transseptal puncture for radiofrequency catheter ablation of left atrial targets in two tertiary-care centres between 2005 and 2013. The median age of the patients at intervention was 12.5 years (1.1–18 years), with median weight of 42 kg (range 9.0–97.0 kg). Pre-excitation was found in 102 procedures, accessory pathway with exclusively retrograde conduction in 41, focal atrial tachycardia in nine, left-sided permanent junctional/reciprocating tachycardia-like accessory pathways in three, and atypical atrioventricular nodal re-entry tachycardia in two. All the procedures were guided by fluoroscopy. Additional imaging by transoesophageal echocardiography was used in three patients. Successful transseptal puncture was possible in 99.4% of the cases, ablation in 97.4%. The median time, including mapping and radiofrequency ablation, was 120 minutes (range 60–450), the median fluoroscopy time 10.8 minutes (range 1.8–75), and the median radiation dose 3 Gy cm2 (range 0.3–35). In total, five patients (3.2%) had a recurrent arrhythmia during the observation period of a median of 40 months (range 1–103). No complications associated with the transseptal puncture were observed. Transseptal puncture is a feasible and safe procedure in children. This access allows successful and efficient radiofrequency ablation of arrhythmia of the left atrium in the vast majority of the patients and might be considered as the first-line approach in this population.
Teaching Spanish Literature to Chinese Students in Spain in a Bilingual Environment
Authors: Domínguez César
Published: April 2016

According to a report published by the European Commission in November 2013, Spain remains the leading destination for European university students in the Erasmus exchange scheme. Both this non-domestic audience and the launch of the European Higher Education Area have caused far-reaching changes in the Spanish university system. A more recent phenomenon to be added to this scenario is the arrival of Chinese students, of whom around 100 chose the Universidade de Santiago de Compostela (USC) in 2014–2015, a university whose first official language is not Spanish, but Galician. This new situation has serious consequences for this university, both in managerial and teaching terms. The aim of this paper is to build on the experience of Chinese students and their teachers by focusing on how Spanish literature is taught and learned at the USC. Managerial aspects will be discussed within the context of current corporatization of universities, and teaching aspects in relation to comparative literature as intercultural pedagogy.
The Crisis in the Humanities and ‘Invented Tradition’
Authors: Xian Zhou
Published: April 2016

The crisis of the humanities in higher education has been around for some time. Over the years, concerns regarding this crisis have spread extensively. To the optimist, such a crisis presents new opportunities and challenges; to the pessimist, old practices die hard. In fact, the crisis of the humanities in Chinese academic circles has yet to attract proper attention and discussion. If we think of the past 30 years, it is clear that higher education in China faces this crisis, with the various instances of poisonings and murders amongst Chinese students being a further indicator of its seriousness. Thus, despite differences in its manifestation throughout various countries, it seems that the crisis of the humanities is a worldwide phenomenon. Below, I will discuss three sets of problems in order to explore some possible solutions to this crisis.
From Event to Node: How Nodal Structures Impact on Teaching and Research in the Humanities and Social Sciences
Authors: Bode Christoph
Published: April 2016

While Past Narratives have events as their basic units, Future Narratives characteristically operate with nodes. A node is a situation that allows for more than just one continuation. Therefore, by definition, Past Narratives are uni-linear, while Future Narratives are multi-linear. Thus, by operating with nodes, Future Narratives cannot only talk about the future, but they perform aspects of futurity that seem essential: its openness, its contingency, and the fact that behind each present moment there opens up a space of possibilities that has not yet coagulated into actuality. Since Future Narratives can be found in all genres and media and, what is more, bridge the fiction/non-fiction divide, the impact of Future Narratives and their conceptualization is across the board and of greatest importance not only to media studies and teaching, but also to any kind of communicating about the future.
Magic Screens. Biombos, Namban Art, the Art of Globalization and Education between China, Japan, India, Spanish America and Europe in the 17th and 18th Centuries
Authors: Ette Ottmar
Published: April 2016

Garcilaso de la Vega el Inca, for several centuries doubtlessly the most discussed and most eminent writer of Andean America in the 16th and 17th centuries, throughout his life set the utmost value on the fact that he descended matrilineally from Atahualpa Yupanqui and from the last Inca emperor, Huayna Cápac. Thus, both in his person and in his creative work he combined different cultural worlds in a polylogical way.1 Two painters boasted that very same Inca descent – they were the last two great masters of the Cuzco school of painting, which over several generations of artists had been an institution of excellent renown and prestige, and whose economic downfall and artistic marginalization was vividly described by the French traveller Paul Mancoy in 1837.2 While, during the 18th century, Cuzco school paintings were still much cherished and sought after, by the beginning of the following century the elite of Lima regarded them as behind the times and provincial, committed to an ‘indigenous’ painting style. The artists from up-country – such was the reproach – could not keep up with the modern forms of seeing and creating, as exemplified by European paragons. Yet, just how ‘provincial’, truly, was this art?
On the ‘Intrinsic Development’ of Higher Education in China
Authors: Sheng Anfeng
Published: April 2016

Since the 1990s, the Chinese government has begun to propose a neologism – the educational concept of ‘intrinsic development’. On the occasion of the 2012 Communist Party of China (CPC) National Congress, President Jinping Xi again called upon people to promote the intrinsic development of higher education. During the past 25 years, Chinese higher education has gone through drastic changes and reforms, but regrettably the idea of intrinsic development has not been expounded or defined adequately, let alone properly practised. Based on actual developments in the past and on the present situation, the author of the present article aims to examine the concept of intrinsic development and how it has been neglected or even betrayed in reality. The author concludes that the core idea of the intrinsic concept lies in improving the academic quality and level of Chinese higher education instead of worshipping the dazzling numbers of papers published and projects undertaken, in the natural growth of education from the inside instead of the quantitative expansion pushed by outside forces, in building the higher institutions and the disciplines with distinctive features instead of pursuing universal ‘comprehensiveness,’ and in developing a higher education in accordance with its internal and intrinsic laws instead of submitting to external forces, whether they are political, economic, or commercial.
Reaching Out to Problem Anger: Assessing the Effectiveness of One-Day Cognitive Behavioural Workshops in a Community Setting in the UK
Authors: Illman Nathan A. , Brown June S. L.
Published: April 2016

Background: Problem anger is frequently experienced by the general population and is known to cause significant problems for the individual and those around them. Whilst psychological treatments for problem anger are becoming increasingly established, this is still an under-researched area of mental health. We present an evaluation of a series of one-day anger management workshops for the public, targeting problem anger with a cognitive-behavioural approach. Aims: The main aim was to evaluate the effectiveness of a brief group-based anger intervention in terms of subjectively reported anger provocation levels and of depression and anxiety. Method: Workshop participants completed a number of questionnaire measures at baseline before the intervention and at 1 month follow-up. The key questionnaires measured self-reported anger provocation levels (Novaco Anger Scale-Provocation Inventory), depressive symptomatology (PHQ-9) and symptoms of generalized anxiety (GAD-7). Change scores were analysed using repeated measures analyses. Results: We found a significant reduction in anger provocation among workshop participants at 1 month follow-up (p = .03). Reductions in depression and anxiety were not statistically significant. Conclusions: We conclude that this brief psychoeducational anger intervention was effective in a small community sample and suggest future work should assess the effectiveness on similar brief interventions using a larger client group and examine outcomes on a broader range of anger measures.
Volumetric and dosimetric comparison of computerised radiotherapy treatment plan between using positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and CT images for target delineation in non-small cell lung cancer patients
Authors: Sangudsup Sanphat , Kaewchur Tawika , Teeyasoontranon Waralee , Klunklin Pitchayaponne , Chawapun Nisa , Ua-apisitwong Supoj
Published: April 2016

Purpose

To compare intensity-modulated radiation therapy (IMRT) treatment planning between using positron emission tomography/computed tomography (PET/CT) and CT for target volume delineation in patients with non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC).

Methods

Nine NSCLC patients with PET/CT images were enrolled into this study. Gross tumour volumes (GTVs) were delineated by the PET visual assessment (PETvis), the automated PET (PETauto), standardised uptake value (SUV)>2·5 (PET2·5) and threshold 40% SUVmax (PET40), and CT-based method. For each patient, two IMRT treatment plans based on CT and PET/CT delineation were performed. The target coverage and the dose–volume parameters for organs at risk were analysed.

Results

The PETauto referred to PET40 when SUVmax<7 and PET2·5 when SUVmax≥7. The mean GTVs were 15·04, 15·7 and 15·14 cc for PETauto, PETvis and CT based, respectively. The GTV of PETauto was not different from PETvis (p=0·441) and CT based (p=0·594). Based on CT delineation in IMRT planning, only 34% of the cases had sufficient PET/CT planning target volumes coverage, whereas the organs at risk dose parameters were not statistically significant (p>0·05).

Conclusions

PET/CT enables more accurate assessment of tumour delineation for NSCLC, therefore improve target coverage in IMRT plan.
Why Aren't There More Republican Women in Congress? Gender, Partisanship, and Fundraising Support in the 2010 and 2012 Elections
Authors: Kitchens Karin E. , Swers Michele L.
Published: April 2016

Research indicates that fundraising is not an impediment to women candidates because women raise just as much money as men after accounting for seat status. However, previous research focuses solely on general election candidates. By examining both primary and general election candidates, we find both gender and partisan differences in fundraising. While incumbency, competitiveness, and candidate quality predict fundraising in the general election, we show that Democratic women raise more money than their male counterparts in the primary election. However, Republican women do not enjoy greater fundraising success compared with their male counterparts, and in limited cases, being a Republican woman can be an obstacle to fundraising in the primary election.
A Law on Paper Only: Electoral Rules, Parties, and the Persistent Underrepresentation of Women in Brazilian Legislatures
Authors: Wylie Kristin , dos Santos Pedro
Published: April 2016

This article advances a party-centric analysis of gender quotas in Brazil. We examine how parties mediate electoral rules, finding that neither the implementation of the Lei de Cotas (Quota Law) in 1995 nor its 2009 mini-reform was sufficient to induce significant change in party strategies for the nomination and election of women. Moreover, we find that while the open-list proportional representation electoral system is an important part of the explanation for the quota's failure to enhance women's representation, an analysis of how those electoral rules interact with decentralized party politics and women's absence from subnational party leadership structures yields superior explanatory power for understanding quota (non)compliance. We marshal extensive evidence on interparty variation in candidacies to Brazil's Chamber of Deputies and state legislative assemblies and interviews with candidates, party leaders, bureaucrats, and activists throughout Brazil to show how electoral rules and party dynamics interact to undermine the gender quota, resulting in a limited increase in the number of female candidates and stagnation in the number of women elected. We conclude that reform efforts must target not only electoral rules but also the subnational party structures that mediate these rules if they are to enhance women's political representation.
Balancing Patient Access to Fetoscopic Laser Photocoagulation for Twin-to-Twin Transfusion Syndrome With Maintaining Procedural Competence: Are Collaborative Services Part of the Solution?
Authors: Edwards Andrew G. , Teoh Mark , Hodges Ryan J , Palma-Dias Ricardo , Cole Stephen A. , Fung Alison M. , Walker Susan P.
Published: April 2016

The benefits of fetoscopic laser photocoagulation (FLP) for treatment of twin-to-twin transfusion syndrome (TTTS) have been recognized for over a decade, yet access to FLP remains limited in many settings. This means at a population level, the potential benefits of FLP for TTTS are far from being fully realized. In part, this is because there are many centers where the case volume is relatively low. This creates an inevitable tension; on one hand, wanting FLP to be readily accessible to all women who may need it, yet on the other, needing to ensure that a high degree of procedural competence is maintained. Some of the solutions to these apparently competing priorities may be found in novel training solutions to achieve, and maintain, procedural proficiency, and with the increased utilization of ‘competence based’ assessment and credentialing frameworks. We suggest an under-utilized approach is the development of collaborative surgical services, where pooling of personnel and resources can improve timely access to surgery, improve standardized assessment and management of TTTS, minimize the impact of the surgical learning curve, and facilitate audit, education, and research. When deciding which centers should offer laser for TTTS and how we decide, we propose some solutions from a collaborative model.
Ndfip-mediated degradation of Jak1 tunes cytokine signalling to limit expansion of CD4+ effector T cells
Authors: O’Leary Claire E. , Riling Christopher R. , Spruce Lynn A. , Ding Hua , Kumar Suresh , Deng Guoping , Liu Yuhong , Seeholzer Steven H. , Oliver Paula M.
Published: April 2016

Nedd4 family E3 ubiquitin ligases have been shown to restrict T-cell function and impact T-cell differentiation. We show here that Ndfip1 and Ndfip2, activators of Nedd4 family ligases, together limit accumulation and function of effector CD4+ T cells. Using a three-part proteomics approach in primary T cells, we identify stabilization of Jak1 in Ndfip1/2-deficient T cells stimulated through the TCR. Jak1 degradation is aborted in activated T cells that lack Ndfips. In wild-type cells, Jak1 degradation lessens CD4+ cell sensitivity to cytokines during TCR stimulation, while in Ndfip-deficient cells cytokine responsiveness persists, promoting increased expansion and survival of pathogenic effector T cells. Thus, Ndfip1/Ndfip2 regulate the cross talk between the T-cell receptor and cytokine signalling pathways to limit inappropriate T-cell responses.
Experimental perfect state transfer of an entangled photonic qubit
Authors: Chapman Robert J. , Santandrea Matteo , Huang Zixin , Corrielli Giacomo , Crespi Andrea , Yung Man-Hong , Osellame Roberto , Peruzzo Alberto
Published: April 2016

The transfer of data is a fundamental task in information systems. Microprocessors contain dedicated data buses that transmit bits across different locations and implement sophisticated routing protocols. Transferring quantum information with high fidelity is a challenging task, due to the intrinsic fragility of quantum states. Here we report on the implementation of the perfect state transfer protocol applied to a photonic qubit entangled with another qubit at a different location. On a single device we perform three routing procedures on entangled states, preserving the encoded quantum state with an average fidelity of 97.1%, measuring in the coincidence basis. Our protocol extends the regular perfect state transfer by maintaining quantum information encoded in the polarization state of the photonic qubit. Our results demonstrate the key principle of perfect state transfer, opening a route towards data transfer for quantum computing systems.
Giant exchange interaction in mixed lanthanides
Authors: Vieru Veacheslav , Iwahara Naoya , Ungur Liviu , Chibotaru Liviu F.
Published: April 2016

Combining strong magnetic anisotropy with strong exchange interaction is a long standing goal in the design of quantum magnets. The lanthanide complexes, while exhibiting a very strong ionic anisotropy, usually display a weak exchange coupling, amounting to only a few wavenumbers. Recently, an isostructural series of mixed "Equation missing" (Ln = Gd, Tb, Dy, Ho, Er) have been reported, in which the exchange splitting is estimated to reach hundreds wavenumbers. The microscopic mechanism governing the unusual exchange interaction in these compounds is revealed here by combining detailed modeling with density-functional theory and ab initio calculations. We find it to be basically kinetic and highly complex, involving non-negligible contributions up to seventh power of total angular momentum of each lanthanide site. The performed analysis also elucidates the origin of magnetization blocking in these compounds. Contrary to general expectations the latter is not always favored by strong exchange interaction.
Uncovering Special Nuclear Materials by Low-energy Nuclear Reaction Imaging
Authors: Rose P. B. , Erickson A. S. , Mayer M. , Nattress J. , Jovanovic I.
Published: April 2016

Weapons-grade uranium and plutonium could be used as nuclear explosives with extreme destructive potential. The problem of their detection, especially in standard cargo containers during transit, has been described as “searching for a needle in a haystack” because of the inherently low rate of spontaneous emission of characteristic penetrating radiation and the ease of its shielding. Currently, the only practical approach for uncovering well-shielded special nuclear materials is by use of active interrogation using an external radiation source. However, the similarity of these materials to shielding and the required radiation doses that may exceed regulatory limits prevent this method from being widely used in practice. We introduce a low-dose active detection technique, referred to as low-energy nuclear reaction imaging, which exploits the physics of interactions of multi-MeV monoenergetic photons and neutrons to simultaneously measure the material’s areal density and effective atomic number, while confirming the presence of fissionable materials by observing the beta-delayed neutron emission. For the first time, we demonstrate identification and imaging of uranium with this novel technique using a simple yet robust source, setting the stage for its wide adoption in security applications.