bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
After Differential Item Functioning Is Detected
Authors: Cho Sun-Joo , Suh Youngsuk , Lee Woo-yeol
Published: August 2016

Researchers are commonly interested in group comparisons such as comparisons of group means, called impact, or comparisons of individual scores across groups. A meaningful comparison can be made between the groups when there is no differential item functioning (DIF) or differential test functioning (DTF). During the past three decades, much progress has been made in detecting DIF and DTF. However, little research has been conducted on what researchers can do after such detection. This study presents and evaluates a confirmatory multigroup multidimensional item response model to obtain the purified item parameter estimates, person scores, and impact estimates on the primary dimension, controlling for the secondary dimension due to DIF. In addition, the item response model approach was compared with current practices of DIF treatment such as deleting and ignoring DIF items and using multigroup item response models through simulation studies. The authors suggested guidelines for DIF treatment based on the simulation study results.
Into the Future: Some Issues for Management
Authors: Dixit Mukund R
Published: August 2016

Developments in the business environment in the last decade of the 20th century and the responses of corporations to these have set the stage for entering the first decade of the 21st century. This perspective attempts to anticipate the developments in the new decade and identify a set of issues for management. The expectation is that the change process will accelerate further. The overall import of the issues is that the Indian corporations should take a proactive approach to strategy formulation and implementation. Their response should be based on the strengths they have and would like to build and not on the weaknesses that they developed in the past. They should create a distinctive attribute of their own, and not jump into the bandwagon to try out whatever is internationally popular or fashionable.
Product Related Antecedents of Consumer Involvement: An Empirical Investigation
Authors: Jain Sanjay K , Sharma Kavita
Published: August 2016

Differences in consumer involvement with the products have been stated to be dependent on various product and brand related factors, viz., consumers' risk perceptions, product's hedonic value, product familiarity, brand awareness, dissimilarity, and difficulty of choice termed in this paper as antecedents of involvement. This paper investigates the relationship between product related antecedent conditions and consumer involvement for three products. It is found that consumer involvement differed across different types of products. Infrequently purchased durable products were more involving than frequently purchased non-involving products. The findings have significant implications for formulation of marketing strategies.
Price Regulation of Telecommunication Services: TRAI's First Tariff Order
Authors: Sinha Sidharth
Published: August 2016

The TRAI released its first tariff order in March 1999 at the end of a consultation process beginning in November 1997. This paper analyses the tariff order in the context of economic principles of tariff regulation and regulatory practice. The order achieves its basic objective of ‘tariff rebalancing/ However, it is not possible to evaluate the rebalancing in terms of ‘cost-orientation’ and ‘operator viability’ as there is little information on costs and profitability of the Department of Telecommunication (DoT). This information problem is likely to persist and hamper effective regulation as long as DoT is not corporatized and given a commercial orientation.
Mechanisms and states of self-stress of planar trusses using graphic statics, part I: The fundamental theorem of linear algebra and the Airy stress function
Authors: Mitchell Toby , Baker William , McRobie Allan , Mazurek Arek
Published: August 2016

The fundamental theorem of linear algebra establishes a duality between the statics of a pin-jointed truss structure and its kinematics. Graphic statics visualizes the forces in a truss as a reciprocal diagram that is dual to the truss geometry. In this article, we combine these two dualities to provide insights not available from a graphical or algebraic approach alone. We begin by observing that the force diagram of a statically indeterminate truss, although itself typically a kinematically loose structure, must support a self-stress state of its own. Such an “extra” self-stress state is described by the fundamental theorem of linear algebra. We show that the self-stress states of a truss are in a one-to-one correspondence with linkage-mechanism displacements of its reciprocal, and the relative centers of rotation of these mechanism displacements correspond to centers of perspective of a projection of a plane-faced three-dimensional polyhedral mesh. We prove that this polyhedral mesh is exactly the continuum Airy stress function, restricted to describe equilibrium of a truss structure. We use the Airy function to prove James Clerk Maxwell’s conjecture that a two-dimensional truss structure of arbitrary topology has a self-stress state if and only if its geometry is given by the projection of a three-dimensional plane-faced polyhedron. Although a very limited number of engineers have been aware of the relationship between trusses and a polyhedral Airy function, the authors believe that this is the first truly rigorous elucidation. We summarize the properties of this “dual duality,” which has the Airy function at its core, and conclude by showing applications to design of tensegrities, planar panelization of architectural surfaces, and optimization of trusses.
Light Refraction by Water as a Rationale for the Poggendorff Illusion
Authors: Bozhevolnyi Sergey I.
Published: August 2016

The Poggendorff illusion in its classical form of parallel lines interrupting a transversal is viewed from the perspective of being related to the everyday experience of observing the light refraction in water. It is argued that if one considers a transversal to be a light ray in air and the parallel lines to form an occluding strip of a medium with the refractive index being between that of air and water, then one should be able to account, both qualitatively and quantitatively, for most of the features associated with the Poggendorff illusion. Statistical treatment of the visual experiments conducted with seven participants, each analyzing 50 configurations having different intercepting angles and strip widths, resulted in the effective refractive index of the occluding strip N = 1.13 ± 0.15, which is sufficiently close to the average (between that of water and air) refractive index of ∼1.17. It is further argued that the same mechanism can also be employed to account for many variants of the Poggendorff illusion, including the corner-Poggendorff pattern, as well as for the Hering illusion.
Follow-up over 20 months confirms gains of online behavioural training in frequent episodic migraine
Authors: Sorbi Marjolijn J , Balk Yannick , Kleiboer Annet M , Couturier Emile GM
Published: August 2016

Aim

This study examined the change over 20 months in 178 participants with frequent episodic migraine under adequate treatment as usual, who had completed online behavioural training (oBT) in migraine self-management either directly (group 1, n = 120) or after 10 months of watchful waiting (group 2, n = 58).

Methods

Participants completed questionnaires and an online headache diary and migraine monitor following the International Classification of Headache Disorders at T0 (baseline), T1 (post-training), T2 (6-month follow-up; extended baseline in group 2), T3 (post-training, group 2 only) and T4 (group 1: 16-month follow-up; group 2: 6-month follow-up). Statistical analyses were conducted on the observed data without imputation of missing observations.

Results

Both groups were highly comparable. The data over time revealed benefits in response to oBT, with significant between-group differences in the change achieved in the training episodes T2–T0 (group 1) and T4–T2 (group 2). Improved attack frequency ( M = –23%) was higher in participants with more (i.e. 4–6) attacks per month at baseline, and the effects of oBT were durable over 16 months of follow-up.

Conclusions

oBT is beneficial in frequent episodic migraine, which deserves special efforts in care. Self-management variants such as oBT reach patients easily and supplement these efforts with durable results.
Characteristics of headache during and after digital substraction angiography: A critical re-appraisal of the ICHD-3 criteria
Authors: Aktan Ç , Özgür Ö , Sindel T , Dora B
Published: August 2016

Introduction

Headache is a frequent but neglected side effect of angiography, and the criteria for angiography related headache have been based on only a few studies.

Methods

One-hundred and thirty nine patients who underwent cerebral angiography and 30 controls who underwent peripheral angiography participated in this prospective, non-randomized, case-control study. Participants were instructed to tell the angiography staff in case a headache developed and were questioned about their headache just after, 24 hours after, and one week after angiography.

Results

In the cerebral angiography group 42 patients (30.2%) had procedural headache compared to three of the controls (10%). Two different types of headache related to angiography were observed: one during angiography, which was related to contrast injection, and the other occuring within 24 hours. Both headaches were more frequent in patients with a history of primary headache, but were distinctly different from the premorbid headache. Headache characteristics are described in detail.

Discussion

Both types of headache related to angiography did not match the ICHD-3beta criteria for angiography headache, but were similar to headaches reported in studies that were not included in the current criteria. The timing and characteristics of these headaches are discussed in the light of our and previous reports. We suggest that the present ICHD-3 beta criteria are inadequate in properly defining angiography headache and should be revised in the light of the present literature.
Laminated structure design of wood—Bamboo hybrid laminated composite using finite element simulations
Authors: Chen Fuming , Wang Ge , Li Xingjun , Simth Lee M , Shi Sheldon Q
Published: August 2016

In order to explore competitive bio-products to meet the requirements of the engineering structural member with high-strength, light-weight and low cost, bamboo bundle and wood laminated veneer lumbers (BWLVLs) with well-designed laminated structures have been regarded as potential candidate. Eight different assemble patterns of BWLVLs were designed and their mechanical performances with elastic range and ultimate bearing failure stage including the deflection, stress distribution, and stress transferring between adjacent layers were investigated using finite element simulations. The results showed that the finite element predicting model with a high accuracy could be used to optimize the design of laminated structures for bamboo bundle and wood veneer laminated composites. The relative error of the simulation results from the predicting model and the experimental results for different laminated composite panels was substantially less than 10%. The rank order for the VonMises stress of eight assemble BWLVLs were (7B) > (BBPPPBB) ≈ (BBPBPBB) > (BPBPBPB) > (BPPPPPB) ≈ (BPPBPPB) > (PBPBPBP) > (7P), (P) poplar, and (B) bamboo. The stress in laminated composites was transferred from poplar layers with low modulus to bamboo bundle layer with high elastic modulus.
Designing Culturally Responsive Organized After-School Activities
Authors: Simpkins Sandra D. , Riggs Nathaniel R. , Ngo Bic , Vest Ettekal Andrea , Okamoto Dina
Published: August 2016

Organized after-school activities promote positive youth development across a range of outcomes. To be most effective, organized activities need to meet high-quality standards. The eight features of quality developed by the National Research Council’s Committee on Community-Level Programs for Youth have helped guide the field in this regard. However, these standards have largely been defined in terms of universal developmental needs, and do not adequately speak to the growing ethnic and racial diversity within the United States, which is further complicated by issues of power and social class differences. Given U.S. population shifts and after-school funding priorities, the time has come to consider new ways to provide organized after-school activities that are responsive to youth’s culture and everyday lives. The goal of this article is to explore how we can help ensure that after-school activities are culturally responsive and address the specific needs of the youth who participate in these activities. Based on theory and empirical evidence, we provide proposed practices of cultural responsiveness for each of the eight features of quality for program structure and staff. The article concludes with future directions for research and strategies to implement culturally responsive practices and harness resources.
First report of tertiary syphilis presenting as lipoatrophic panniculitis in an immunocompetent patient
Authors: Drago Francesco , Ciccarese Giulia , Tomasini Carlo F , Calamaro Paola , Boggio Maurizio , Rebora Alfredo , Parodi Aurora
Published: August 2016

We describe herein a woman who developed subcutaneous gummas in her trochanteric regions, bilaterally, although she had been treated for syphilis two decades earlier. Evidence of Treponema pallidum latent late infection was the presence of IgG antibodies against T. pallidum and the positive non-treponemal and treponemal tests. Moreover, immunohistochemical staining for T. pallidum detected some spirochetes close to the atrophic adipocytes allowing the diagnosis of lypo-atrophic panniculitis tertiary syphilis. This is the first case of tertiary syphilis presenting as panniculitis in an immunocompetent patient, demonstrating that subcutaneous fat may be another organ infected in tertiary syphilis.
Factors associated with disease expression patterns in systemic lupus erythematosus patients: results from LUMINA (LXXVII), a multiethnic US cohort
Authors: Ugarte-Gil M F , Pimentel-Quiroz V R , Vilá L M , Reveille J D , McGwin G , Alarcón G S
Published: August 2016

Objective

The objective of this study was to determine the association of disease expression patterns with demographic and clinical characteristics in SLE.

Methods

Patients from a multi-ethnic SLE cohort were included. Disease expression patterns were defined as acute SLE and insidious SLE; this group was divided into those who accrued three ACR criteria and then accrued the fourth (insidious pattern A) and those who have one or two and then accrued four criteria (insidious pattern B). Disease activity was ascertained with the SLAM-R and disease damage with SLICC/ACR damage index. Variables were compared using analysis of variance for numeric variables and χ2 for categorical variables. Multivariable analyses adjusting for possible confounders were performed.

Results

Six hundred and forty patients were included; the most frequent pattern was the insidious pattern B, with 415 (64.8%) patients, followed by the acute SLE group with 115 (18.0%) and the insidious pattern A with 110 (17.2%) patients. Patients from the insidious pattern A were older at diagnosis (pattern A: 39.8 vs pattern B: 36.7 vs acute: 32.4 years; p < 0.0001), more educated (13.6 vs 13.1 vs 12.1; p = 0.0008) and with a less active disease at baseline (8.8 vs 9.2 vs 10.7; p = 0.0227). Caucasian and Hispanic (Puerto Rico) ethnicities were overrepresented in this group (40.0% vs 27.7% vs 19.1% and 18.2% vs 17.1% vs 9.6%; p = 0.0003).

Conclusions

More insidious onset is associated with older age, Caucasian ethnicity, higher level of education, and lower disease activity than those with acute onset. However, after multivariable analyses, disease activity was not associated with any disease expression pattern.
India’s Interests in Emerging Subregional Cooperation: Opportunities and Challenges
Authors: Toppo Herkan Neadan
Published: August 2016

The aim of the study is to identify the problems and prospects surrounding India’s regional trade and investment patterns with regard to subregional cooperation. There are several factors which appeals to India’s interests in subregional cooperation, with particular emphasis on the idea of development, which puts a high premium on economic growth. This, however, blinds the urgent need for sustainable and equitable benefits and sharing compounding interests. The debate and discourse on the Look East Policy in India’s foreign policy is viewed as an attempt to assert its potential regional stature and consequently try to overcome and move beyond certain imposed limitations in regional priorities. India, South Asia Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC) and Association of Southeast Asia Nations (ASEAN) countries are viewed as natural trading partners. Besides this, there have also been substantial contributions with regard to progress in India’s trade with other developing countries in Asia and the Pacific region, within the initiations of the formation of Look East Policy among subregional entities.
Signs and symptoms associated with synthetic cannabinoid toxicity: systematic review
Authors: Courts Julie , Maskill Virginia , Gray Andrew , Glue Paul
Published: August 2016

Aims:

Use of synthetic cannabinoids is associated with significant physical and psychological harms. This research quantified reported toxicities from published reports and assessed the influence of size of the reported study population on rates of symptom reporting.

Methods:

Systematic review of published case reports and case series of toxicity associated with use of synthetic cannabinoids.

Results:

Symptoms associated with synthetic cannabinoid toxicity were reported for 3695 individuals, predominantly young males. Symptoms included physiological (e.g. tachycardia, hypertension, nausea/vomiting), emotional (e.g. agitation, irritability, paranoia), behavioural (e.g. drowsiness, aggression) and perceptual (e.g. hallucinations) domains. Most common symptoms were tachycardia (30.2% of cases), agitation (13.5%), drowsiness (12.3%), nausea/vomiting (8.2%) and hallucinations (7.6%). Death or serious medical complications were uncommon (e.g. death 0.2%, stroke 0.1%, myocardial infarction 0.09%). Case reports/smaller case series ( n<10) reported statistically significantly higher rates for 29/34 symptoms than larger case series ( n≥10), which could represent selection bias.

Conclusions:

Symptoms of synthetic cannabinoid toxicity are variable and cover a number of physical and psychological domains. Symptom reporting varies by study population size. Due to the variable presenting symptoms of synthetic cannabinoid toxicity, clinicians in emergency services should consider synthetic cannabinoid toxicity when evaluating young adult male patients presenting with unexplained agitation or cardiovascular symptoms.
Same-sex marriage and mental health
Authors: Liangas Georgios , Athanasou James A
Published: August 2016

Objectives:

It has been proposed that legislation for same-sex marriage has a positive mental health benefit. The purpose of this paper is to review and evaluate the empirical and conceptual links between same-sex marriage and mental health.

Conclusions:

There are substantive methodological issues in the four surveys and comparisons undertaken. Difficulties with the validity of the evidence are discussed. Conceptual difficulties in the arguments relating to victimisation as well as the psychology of marriage are highlighted. It was concluded that it is premature to make claims of causality vis-a-vis same-sex marriage legislation and mental health.
Severe motor and vocal tics controlled with Sativex®
Authors: Trainor David , Evans Lois , Bird Rupert
Published: August 2016

Objectives:

A single case report on cannabinoid treatment for treatment-resistant Tourette syndrome (TS).

Method:

Our subject received 10.8 mg Tetrahydocannabinol and 10 mg cannabidiol daily, in the form of two oro-mucosal sprays of ‘Sativex®’, twice daily. Assessment was pre-treatment and at week one, two, and four during treatment. He completed the Yale Global Tic Severity Scale as a subjective measure, and was videoed at each stage. The videos were objectively rated by two assessors, blind to the stage of treatment, using the Original Rush Videotape Rating Scale.

Results:

Both subjective and objective measures demonstrated marked improvement in the frequency and severity of motor and vocal tics post-treatment. There was good interrater reliability of results.

Conclusions:

Our results support previous research suggesting that cannabinoids are a safe and effective treatment for TS and should be considered in treatment-resistant cases. Further studies are needed to substantiate our findings.
Timing Is Everything: Exploring Parental Decisions to Delay HPV Vaccination
Authors: Rendle Katharine A. , Leskinen Emily A.
Published: August 2016

The delayed uptake of the human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccine offers an opportunity to explore how temporality and risk are at work in everyday life. Drawing from a mixed-methods study with parents ( N = 50) in Northern California, this study explored parents’ decision to delay HPV vaccination for their children among parents who had not yet vaccinated ( n = 27). At the core of these decisions were temporal assessments of risk whereby parents weighed their child’s (perceived) present risk of HPV exposure against the uncertain perceived risks of the vaccine itself. Our findings are promising as they indicate that given time, and the continued growth of evidence regarding the safety and effectiveness of HPV vaccination, completion rates should increase. However, our results also suggest that vaccination delays are not merely a matter of scientific doubt but also based on parents’ (potentially inaccurate) perceptions of their child’s sexual readiness, and thus potentially more difficult to overcome.
Navigating the Decision Space: Shared Medical Decision Making as Distributed Cognition
Authors: Lippa Katherine D. , Feufel Markus A. , Robinson F. Eric , Shalin Valerie L.
Published: August 2016

Despite increasing prominence, little is known about the cognitive processes underlying shared decision making. To investigate these processes, we conceptualize shared decision making as a form of distributed cognition. We introduce a Decision Space Model to identify physical and social influences on decision making. Using field observations and interviews, we demonstrate that patients and physicians in both acute and chronic care consider these influences when identifying the need for a decision, searching for decision parameters, making actionable decisions Based on the distribution of access to information and actions, we then identify four related patterns: physician dominated; physician-defined, patient-made; patient-defined, physician-made; and patient-dominated decisions. Results suggests that (a) decision making is necessarily distributed between physicians and patients, (b) differential access to information and action over time requires participants to transform a distributed task into a shared decision, and (c) adverse outcomes may result from failures to integrate physician and patient reasoning. Our analysis unifies disparate findings in the medical decision-making literature and has implications for improving care and medical training.
Asking Numbers to Speak
Authors: Johnson Malynnda A.
Published: August 2016

Through routine screenings for sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and HIV, medical providers are able to motivate behavior change. Although established models rely on quantitative measures, doing so requires time and ability to score each. Listening for verbal cues, however, could simplify the process of suggesting HIV screenings. Using mixed methods to identify verbal indicators for readiness to change, this article conducted two phases of study. First using quantitative means of identifying participant’s knowledge of HIV, perceptions of safer sex, and readiness to change safer sex behaviors ( N = 487). Interviews were then conducted exploring the possibility of verbal markers for one’s readiness to change ( n = 25). Results confirmed the use of verbal markers when discussing perceptions of risk. Identification of verbal markers, at three stages of change, provides new possibilities for medical providers’ such as providing time saving and effective tools when seeking to motivate HIV and STI testing, and other safer sex behaviors.
Gender Equality
Authors: Chary S. N.
Published: August 2016

The author interviewed nine high-ranking businesswomen in India. The interviews gave him a different perspective on the question of gender equality. The argument for women’s participation is neither about the democratic principle of equal opportunity – in numerical terms, nor is it about making use of the full managerial talent available in the country/world. The present day solutions are based on these two woefully inadequate premises. When women do not participate at the highest levels it means our business world is losing an entire feminine perspective to imagination, ideation, planning, team work, empathy and strategic decision-making. However, today’s business-world and the various social systems – education, healthcare, legal and political systems - are not only male-dominated but are also male-designed. For a woman to compete and succeed, she may have at times to become more male than the males. Therefore, the words ‘gender equality’ and ‘gender neutrality’ could be misleading. Instead, women need ‘respect’ i.e. accepting them the way they are. Actually what we need to do is to create a world (economic, business, social and political) that utilizes the best of both masculine and feminine qualities, not just create ‘opportunities’ for women to excel in a man’s world. We need a complete overhaul of the social systems and we need to start at the basics – home and school.
School Functioning and Use of School-Based Accommodations by Treatment-Seeking Anxious Children
Authors: Green Jennifer Greif , Comer Jonathan S. , Donaldson Aberdine R. , Elkins R. Meredith , Nadeau Meredith S. , Reid Gerald , Pincus Donna B.
Published: August 2016

Anxiety disorders are commonly occurring among children and are associated with increased risk for poor educational outcomes. However, little is known about the specific supports and accommodations provided to anxious children in schools. This study examines reports of school functioning and school-based supports and accommodations among a sample of 51 anxious youth and their mothers seeking treatment at an outpatient clinic. Children and their mothers reported significant anxiety-related impairment in school functioning, particularly for older children. Children identified as needing special education and related services (through Individualized Education Program [IEP] and 504 plans) more often received anxiety-related supports and accommodations at school than their peers who did not receive IEP/504 services. However, these accommodations were not always well matched to child needs and, in some cases, might facilitate avoidance of anxiety. Results suggest that some children with anxiety disorders receive supports in schools that may be inconsistent with evidence-based clinical practices. School-based mental health providers can be in an important position to facilitate coordinated care for youth with anxiety disorders.
A rare case of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm with deletion 7q.31, in the setting of heavy pre-treatment with alkylating chemotherapy
Authors: Kaur Varinder , Swami Arjun , Shebli Atrash , Shalin Sara , Veeraputhiran Muthu , Emanuel Peter , Jethava Yogesh
Published: August 2016

Blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm is rare myeloid malignancy clinically characterized by non-pruritic, violaceous and papulo-nodular skin lesions, together with bone marrow and lymph node involvement. Histologically, there is infiltration of dermis by neoplastic mono-nuclear CD4, CD56, CD123 co-expressing cells with epidermal sparing. Most commonly blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm presents as a de-novo condition, and treatment-related blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm is a rare phenomenon. Due to rarity of the disease, there is no established standard of care treatment. Both acute myeloid leukemia and acute lymphoid leukemia type induction regimens have been used for treatment of blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm, with initial response rate of 50%–80%. We present a rare case of therapy-associated blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm in a patient with remote history alkylating agent systemic therapy. A lag period of five to seven years and presence of deletion 7q.31 seen in bone marrow biopsy specimen in our patient are consistent with a likely therapy-associated etiology of his blastic plasmacytoid dendritic cell neoplasm.
Modelling the deep drawing of a 3D woven fabric with a second gradient model
Authors: Barbagallo Gabriele , Madeo Angela , Morestin Fabrice , Boisse Philippe
Published: August 2016

Experimental testing on dry woven fabrics exhibits a complex set of evidences that are difficult to completely describe using classical continuum models. The aim of this paper is to show how the introduction of energy terms related to the micro-deformation mechanisms of the fabric, in particular to the bending stiffness of the yarns, helps in the modelling of the mechanical behaviour of this kind of materials. To this aim, a second gradient, hyperelastic, initially orthotropic continuum theory is proposed to model fibrous composite interlocks at finite strains. In particular, the present work explores the relationship between the onset of wrinkling during the simulation of the deep drawing of a woven fabric and the use of a second gradient model. It is shown that the introduction of second gradient terms accounting for the description of in-plane and out-of-plane bending rigidities decreases the onset of wrinkles during the simulation of deep drawing.

In this work, a quadratic energy, roughly proportional to the square of the curvature of the fibres, is presented and implemented in the simulations. This simple constitutive assumption allows the effects of the second gradient energy on both the wrinkling description and the numerical stability of the model to be clearly shown. The results obtained in second gradient simulations are descriptive of the experimental evidence of deep drawing whose description is targeted in this work. The present paper provides additional evidence of the fact that first gradient continuum theories alone cannot be considered fully descriptive of the behaviour of dry woven composite reinforcements. On the other hand, the proposed second gradient model for fibrous composite reinforcements opens the way both to the more accurate simulation of complex forming processes and to the possibility of controlling the onset of wrinkles.
New Approaches to Feline Diabetes Mellitus
Authors: Gilor Chen , Rudinsky Adam J , Hall Melanie J
Published: August 2016

Clinical relevance:

Incretin-based therapies are revolutionizing the field of human diabetes mellitus (DM) by replacing insulin therapy with safer and more convenient long-acting drugs.

Mechanism of action:

Incretin hormones (glucagon-like peptide-1 [GLP-1] and glucose-dependent insulinotropic peptide [GIP]) are secreted from the intestinal tract in response to the presence of food in the intestinal lumen. GLP-1 delays gastric emptying and increases satiety. In the pancreas, GLP-1 augments insulin secretion and suppresses glucagon secretion during hyperglycemia in a glucose-dependent manner. It also protects beta cells from oxidative and toxic injury and promotes expansion of beta cell mass.

Advantages:

Clinical data have revealed that GLP-1 analog drugs are as effective as insulin in improving glycemic control while reducing body weight in people suffering from type 2 DM. Furthermore, the incidence of hypoglycemia is low with these drugs because of their glucose-dependent mechanism of action. Another significant advantage of these drugs is their duration of action. While insulin injections are administered at least once daily, long-acting GLP-1 analogs have been developed as once-a-week injections and could potentially be administered even less frequently than that in diabetic cats.

Outline:

This article reviews the physiology of incretin hormones, and the pharmacology and use of GLP-1 analogs, with emphasis on recent research in cats. Further therapies that are based on incretin hormones, such as DPP-4 inhibitors, are also briefly discussed, as are some other treatment modalities that are currently under investigation.
Feline Calcium Oxalate Urolithiasis
Authors: Bartges Joseph W
Published: August 2016

Practical relevance:

Uroliths occur commonly in the bladder and/or urethra of cats and can be lifethreatening if urethral obstruction occurs. Calcium oxalate accounts for 40–50% of urocystoliths and these stones are not amenable to medical dissolution; therefore, removal by surgery or minimally invasive techniques is required if uroliths must be treated. Medical protocols for prevention involve decreasing urine saturation for minerals that form uroliths.

Etiopathogenesis:

Formation of uroliths is not a disease, but rather a complication of several disorders. Some disorders can be identified and corrected (such as infection-induced struvite urolith formation); others can be identified but not corrected (such as idiopathic hypercalcemia). In most cats with calcium oxalate urolith formation the underlying etiopathogenesis is not known. A common denominator of all these disorders is that they can from time to time create oversaturation of urine with one or more crystal precursors, resulting in formation of crystals.

Basic concepts:

In order to develop rational and effective approaches to treatment, abnormalities that promote urolith formation must be identified, with the goal of eliminating or modifying them. It is important, therefore, to understand several basic concepts associated with urolithiasis and the factors that promote urolith formation that may be modified with medical treatment; for example, the state of urinary saturation, modifiers of crystal formation, potential for multiple crystal types, and presence of bacterial infection or urinary obstruction.
Eye examination in the cat
Authors: Stiles Jean , Kimmitt Beth
Published: August 2016

Practical relevance:

The ability to perform a complete eye examination in the cat is critically important for patients with an ocular disorder or a systemic disease, as well as for the geriatric cat.

Clinical challenges:

Cats may need short breaks between portions of the eye exam in order to minimize stress. For the clinician, use of ophthalmic equipment and interpretation of normal vs abnormal findings may take some practice in order to develop proficiency.

Audience:

This review is aimed at veterinary practitioners and outlines all the steps and equipment necessary to perform a complete ophthalmic examination in the cat.

Equipment:

Although some specialized equipment is required, a complete eye exam can be performed with a modest investment in equipment and supplies.

Evidence base:

This article draws on published references for normal parameters measured in the feline eye exam, as well as the experience of the authors.
Physical modelling of tire wear for the analysis of the influence of thermal and frictional effects on vehicle performance
Authors: Farroni F , Sakhnevych A , Timpone F
Published: August 2016

The tire and vehicle setup definition, able to optimise grip performance and thermal working conditions, can make the real difference as for motorsport racing teams, used to deal with relevant wear and degradation phenomena, as for tire makers, requesting for design solutions aimed to obtain enduring and stable tread characteristics, as finally for the development of safety systems, conceived in order to maximise road friction, both for worn and unworn tires. The activity discussed in the paper deals with the analysis of the effects that tire wear induces in vehicle performance, in particular as concerns the consequences that tread removal has on thermal and frictional tire behaviour. The physical modelling of complex tire–road interaction phenomena and the employment of specific simulation tools developed by the Vehicle Dynamics UniNa research group allow to predict the tire temperature local distribution by means of TRT model and the adhesive and hysteretic components of friction, thanks to GrETA model. The cooperation between the cited instruments enables the user to study the modifications that a reduced tread thickness, and consequently a decreased SEL (Strain Energy Loss) and dissipative tread volume, cause on the overall vehicle dynamic performance.
Improved damage detectability in a wind turbine blade by optimal selection of vibration signal correlation coefficients
Authors: Hoell Simon , Omenzetter Piotr
Published: August 2016

The central message of this article is that for robust and efficient damage detection the damage sensitive features should be selected optimally in a systematic way such that only these features that contribute the most to damage detectability be retained. Furthermore, suitable transformations of the original features may also enhance damage detectability. We explore these principles using data from a wind turbine blade. Several damage extent scenarios are introduced non-destructively. Partial autocorrelation coefficients are proposed as vibration-based damage sensitive features. Scores calculated with principal component analysis of partial autocorrelation coefficients are the transformed damage sensitive features. Statistical distances between the damage sensitive feature subsets estimated from the healthy and a reference damage state are calculated with respect to a statistical threshold as a measure of optimality. The fast forward method and a genetic algorithm are used to optimize the detectability of damage by damage sensitive feature selection. The comparison between the two methods points out that fast forward offers a comparable performance at a lower computational cost. The classifiers based on the optimal features are tested on data from several previously unseen healthy and damaged cases and across a range of statistical detection thresholds. It is demonstrated that the selected principal component analysis scores of the partial autocorrelation coefficients are superior compared to the initial features and allow identifying small damage confidently.
The strategic importance of top management resistance: Extending Alfred D. Chandler
Authors: Friesl Martin , Kwon Winston
Published: August 2016

We investigate the role of top management resistance against strategic initiatives for bottom-up change. While resistance has been mostly considered leading to inertia and rigidity by maintaining a particular strategic path, some scholars make the counterintuitive point that resistance could also be a facilitator of change. In this essay, we argue that such a generative perspective of top management resistance has important implications for strategy research. To do so, we draw on Alfred D. Chandler’s historic account of the emergence of the M-form at DuPont at the beginning of the 20th century. Based on this case, we illustrate three generative mechanisms of top management resistance for strategic change: the reframing, restructuring and the recoupling of strategic initiatives. We build on these generative mechanisms in order to develop implications for future research.
Illustrating the Importance of Critical Epistemology to Realize the Promise of Occupational Justice
Authors: Farias Lisette , Laliberte Rudman Debbie , Magalhães Lilian
Published: August 2016

This article argues that it is vital to embrace critical reflexivity to interrogate the epistemological beliefs and principles guiding occupation-based scholarship to move away from frameworks that are incongruent with calls for occupational justice. For this purpose, we describe an epistemic tension between the stated intentions to demonstrate that occupation-based work can be a means to create a more just society and the epistemological beliefs that have historically dominated occupation-based scholarship. To exemplify the potential implications of this tension, a critical analysis of Creswell’s social justice/transformative design is presented, illustrating that work that expresses a commitment to social justice while relying on positivist/postpositivist assumptions often risks perpetuating injustices through neglecting their sociopolitical construction. Drawing upon critical social theory, we highlight how engagement with critical epistemological assumptions can facilitate addressing the sociopolitical “roots” of occupational injustices and highlight directions for social transformation
Adaptive-opportunistic Aloha: A media access control protocol for unmanned aerial vehicle–wireless sensor network systems
Authors: Wang Ling , Li Hanshang , Jiang Yingtao
Published: August 2016

Recognizing that data collection in a unmanned aerial vehicle–wireless sensor network system is significantly different from that in a conventional wireless sensor network system, we propose a media access control protocol called adaptive-opportunistic Aloha for unmanned aerial vehicle–wireless sensor network systems. Based on a cross-layered design, this proposed adaptive-opportunistic Aloha protocol takes several important factors into consideration, including distribution of sensors, energy consumption, and transmission efficiency. In order for unmanned aerial vehicle to uniformly collect data from the ground sensors that are distributed in a random fashion, adaptive-opportunistic Aloha adopts a priority-based mechanism for channel assignment and collision avoidance, and importantly, the priority could be adaptively changed according to locations and distribution of the sensors. To improve energy efficiency, the adaptive-opportunistic Aloha can effectively put the sensors into the sleep mode when they do not need to send data, and they will be woken up by a beacon signal from the unmanned aerial vehicle for data transmission. Unlike opportunistic Aloha protocol, a well-known unmanned aerial vehicle–wireless sensor network media access control protocol, the adaptive-opportunistic Aloha adds a handshake into every time interval of transmission to help enhance the throughput with an acceptable level of system bit error rate. Experiment results have shown that the proposed media access control protocol can improve the overall throughput of unmanned aerial vehicle–wireless sensor network systems by more than 30% over opportunistic Aloha.
Using malware for software-defined networking–based smart home security management through a taint checking approach
Authors: Wang Ping , Chao Kuo-Ming , Lo Chi-Chun , Lin Wen-Hui , Lin Hsiao-Chung , Chao Wun-Jie
Published: August 2016

Numerous security concerns exist in smart home systems in which Internet of Things devices are connected through a home network to enable control using a centralised gateway with a handset device from the Internet. Safeguarding personal information privacy is an increasing concern in smart living services. To guarantee the mobile security of smart living services, security managers use taint checking approaches with dynamic taint propagation analysis operations to examine how a software-defined networking app uses sensitive information and investigate suspicious security vulnerabilities of devices and the effects of the spread of taint propagation over the Internet by identifying taint paths. For solving the dynamic taint propagation analysis problem, most approaches focus on cloud computing applications (apps) with malware threat analysis that involves program vulnerability analyses, rather than on the risk posed by suspicious apps connected to the cloud computing server. Accordingly, this article proposes a taint propagation analysis model incorporating a weighted spanning tree analysis scheme for tracking data with taint marking using several taint checking tools with an open software-defined networking architecture for solving the dynamic taint propagation analysis problem. In the proposed model, Android programs perform dynamic taint propagation to analyse the spread of risks posed by suspicious apps connected to the centralised gateway in a smart home system. In probabilistic risk analysis, risk and defence capability are used for each taint path to assist a defender in recognising the attack results against network threats caused by malware infection and to estimate the losses of associated taint sources. A case of threat analysis of a typical cyber security attack is presented to demonstrate the proposed approach. A new approach was used for verifying the details of an attack sequence for malware infection by incorporating a finite state machine to appropriately represent the real dynamic taint propagation analysis situations at various configuration settings and safeguard deployment. The experimental results proved that the threat analysis model enables a defender to convert the spread of taint propagation to loss and estimate the risk of a specific threat using behavioural analysis associated with 60 families of real malware. Consequently, our scheme was significantly effective in predicting the risk and loss of tainted data propagation for security concerns in smart home systems when the number of taint paths associated with the propagation rules discovered through taint analysis was increased.
Distributed medium access control protocol based on successive collision detection for dense wireless sensor networks
Authors: Choi Hyun-Ho , Lee Howon , Kim Sanghoon , Lee Jung-Ryun , Lee In-Ho
Published: August 2016

The medium access control protocol plays an important role to decrease access collisions in dense wireless sensor networks where multiple sensors in the same vicinity attempt to transmit a packet simultaneously. In this article, we propose a distributed medium access control protocol that uses successive multiple collision detection phases for dense wireless sensor network environments by enhancing the typical carrier sense multiple access with collision resolution protocol that uses only a single collision detection phase. In the proposed medium access control protocol, colliding stations are filtered in each collision detection phase and only surviving stations compete again in the next collision detection phase. Therefore, the collision detection probability becomes higher as the collision detection phases proceed. Utilizing the successive multiple collision detection phases, we analyze the throughput numerically and find optimal operating parameters—such as the number of collision detection phases and the number of collision detection slots per phase—that maximize the throughput. Analysis and simulation results show that the proposed medium access control protocol using the successive collision detection technique significantly outperforms the conventional carrier sense multiple access with collision resolution protocol.