bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Characterization of Carotid Atherosclerotic Plaques Using 3-Dimensional MERGE Magnetic Resonance Imaging and Correlation With Stroke Risk Factors
Authors: Murata Kiyoko , Murata Nozomu , Chu Baocheng , Watase Hiroko , Hippe Daniel S. , Balu Niranjan , Sun Jie , Zhao Xihai , Hatsukami Thomas S. , Yuan Chun ,   on behalf of the CARE-II Study Collaborators
Published: January 2020

Background and Purpose—

High-resolution magnetic resonance imaging is capable of characterizing carotid atherosclerotic plaque morphology and composition. Most reported carotid plaque imaging techniques are 2-dimensional (2D) based with limited longitudinal coverage of ≈30 mm, which may be insufficient for complete visualization of extracranial carotid atheroma. A 3D black-blood imaging technique, motion-sensitized driven equilibrium prepared rapid gradient echo technique (3D-MERGE) can provide larger coverage. We sought to use 3D-MERGE to investigate carotid atherosclerosis plaque distribution and to analyze their correlation with clinical information and stroke risk factors.

Methods—

From 5 hospitals in China, 97 subjects suspected of recent stroke or transient ischemic attack were imaged with 3D-MERGE within 2 weeks of symptoms using 3T magnetic resonance imaging. Images were analyzed by 2 reviewers. Plaque length was calculated and categorized as plaques within, partially outside, or completely outside of typical 2D magnetic resonance imaging coverage. Associations between plaque features and clinical information, stroke risk factors were assessed.

Results—

Ninety-seven subjects with 194 carotid arteries (70 men and 27 women, mean age 60 years) were analyzed. Of the 136 plaques identified, 68 (50%) were within, 46 (33.8%) were partially outside, and 22 (16.2%) were completely outside of 2D magnetic resonance imaging coverage. Total plaque length was significantly positively associated with male sex (
P
<0.001), hypertension (
P
=0.011), and history of smoking (
P
<0.001). Hypertensive subjects were more likely to have at least one plaque completely outside the 2D magnetic resonance imaging coverage than nonhypertensive subjects (
P
=0.007).

Conclusions—

The 3D-MERGE allows for the identification of substantially more carotid plaques than 2D black-blood techniques. The extent and distribution of plaque, identified by the larger coverage afforded by 3D-MERGE, were found to correlate significantly with male sex and risk factors that are common among patients with stroke, including hypertension and history of cigarette smoking.
Conceal or Reveal? Managing Clandestine Military Capabilities in Peacetime Competition
Authors: Green Brendan Rittenhouse , Long Austin
Published: January 2020

International political outcomes are deeply shaped by the balance of power, but some military capabilities rely on secrecy to be effective. These “clandestine capabilities” pose problems for converting military advantages into political gains. If clandestine capabilities are revealed, adversaries may be able to take steps that attenuate the advantages they are supposed to provide. On the other hand, if these capabilities are not revealed, then adversaries will be unaware of, and unimpressed by, the real balance of power. Most of the existing literature emphasizes that states have few incentives to signal their clandestine capabilities. This conclusion deserves qualification: the condition of long-term peacetime competition can make signaling a profitable decision. Within this context, two important variables help determine whether a state will signal or conceal its secret capabilities: the uniqueness of the capability and the anticipated responsiveness of the adversary. An extended case study of Cold War strategic antisubmarine warfare confirms these predictions.
Impact of higher order network structure on emergent cortical activity
Authors: Nolte Max , Gal Eyal , Markram Henry , Reimann Michael W.
Published: January 2020

Synaptic connectivity between neocortical neurons is highly structured. The network structure of synaptic connectivity includes first-order properties that can be described by pairwise statistics, such as strengths of connections between different neuron types and distance-dependent connectivity, and higher order properties, such as an abundance of cliques of all-to-all connected neurons. The relative impact of first- and higher order structure on emergent cortical network activity is unknown. Here, we compare network structure and emergent activity in two neocortical microcircuit models with different synaptic connectivity. Both models have a similar first-order structure, but only one model includes higher order structure arising from morphological diversity within neuronal types. We find that such morphological diversity leads to more heterogeneous degree distributions, increases the number of cliques, and contributes to a small-world topology. The increase in higher order network structure is accompanied by more nuanced changes in neuronal firing patterns, such as an increased dependence of pairwise correlations on the positions of neurons in cliques. Our study shows that circuit models with very similar first-order structure of synaptic connectivity can have a drastically different higher order network structure, and suggests that the higher order structure imposed by morphological diversity within neuronal types has an impact on emergent cortical activity.
Decoding the Ambiguous Narrative Voice in the “Tale of Yingying”: Ritual Propriety as Key
Authors: Tan Mei Ah
Published: January 2020

Yuan Zhen’s “Tale of Yingying” has long been known for its ambiguous narrative voice. This article argues that what we perceive as a conflict in the narrative voice, did not exist for readers of the Tang dynasty (618-907). The tale was composed to emphasize the essential nature of ritual propriety for both men and women; both the male protagonist Zhang and the female character Yingying are targets of criticism. Unearthing the resonances and allusions of the discourse, and analyzing the social and political background of the mid-Tang, this study proposes that the tale may be read at two levels, using ritual propriety as key. From the literary point of view, this tale presents a regrettable love story, one that does not yield its fruit, due to the tide of passion – passion is the crucial element in romance, but in the end, it is also passion that drives the two lovers apart. From the didactic point of view, the author condemns Yingying not in self-justification, as those who support the autobiographical reading often presume, but because she is a fallen woman and a potentially dangerous femme fatale. Zhang is ridiculed for initiating the ritual transgression, and in failing to behave as a junzi (gentleman). This tale is an educational inquiry into self-cultivation and politics. By incorporating two points of view, that of Zhang and that of Yingying, the tale provokes reflection on the nature of romance and its possible effects on men and women, and ultimately, the indispensability of propriety.
The bryophytes of Madre de Dios Archipelago, Magallanes Region, Chile

Authors: DRAPELA PEDRO , LARRAÍN JUAN
Published: January 2020

We present a bryophyte checklist for Madre de Dios Archipelago, located in western Magallanes Region, southern Chile. Madre de Dios is one of the most unique limestone massifs on Earth, and together with Diego de Almagro Island (150 km southward), they are the most extensive of such existing areas in Chile. It is located in the western margins of the southern archipelago region, between Puerto Edén and Puerto Natales. As a result of this first bryophyte collecting effort in calcareous environments in Chile, a total of 152 bryophyte taxa are reported, including two hornworts, 80 liverworts, and 70 moss taxa. From this total, 14 are new records for Magallanes Region and 25 for Última Esperanza Province. Eleven species extend their southern distribution limit, whereas two extend their northern distribution limit. Among the new regional records, we found the rare Vesiculariopsis spirifolium (Dusén) Broth., for which only three previous collections were known, obtaining additional ecological data. Additionally, the only southern South American representative of the tropical family Pleuroziaceae, Pleurozia paradoxa (J.B.Jack) Schiffn. was abundantly found among sandstone tundra. Both sandstone and limestone environments were prospected, the latter alone being inhabited by 100 bryophyte taxa. A liverwort-moss proportion pattern related to a calcareous substrata exposure gradient is discussed, and the most frequent species of the different environments of the islands are characterized. For most bryophytes reported here, these new records fill an important distribution gap in a scarcely explored area.
Dimetia brevipetiolata (Spermacoceae: Rubiaceae): A new species from Guangxi, China

Authors: ZHANG YING , JIANG GUO-BIN , WANG RUI-JIANG
Published: January 2020

A new species, Dimetia brevipetiolata R. J. Wang, from Guangxi Zhuang Autonomous Region, China, is described and photographed. Morphologically, it is similar to D. scandens and D. ampliflora with respect to their terete stem, lanceolate and thick papery leaves and compound-cymose inflorescences, but differs in prostrate habit, subsessile leaves, rounded leaf base, nearly glabrous corolla, and indehiscent capsules. The molecular phylogenetic analysis revealed that D. brevipetiolata was embedded in the Dimetia clade and closely related to D. auricularia. It is evaluated as Least Concern according to IUCN Red List Categories and Criteria.
Annealing Effect on the Optical Properties of Multi Walled Carbon Nano Tube Doped Cu5Se75Ge10In10 Thin Films Prepared by Thermal Evaporation Method
Authors: Mishra Surabhi , Jaiswal Priyanka , Lohia Pooja , Dwivedi D. K.
Published: January 2020

The optical properties of as prepared and annealed [(Cu5Se75Ge10In10)99 (CNT)1] thin films deposited with thermal evaporation technique has been discussed as a function of photon energy in wavelength range 300–900
nm in present paper. The bulk sample of as prepared glassy alloys were developed using the melt quench technique. Thin films of prepared glassy alloys were deposited on a glass substrate with thermal evaporation unit at room temperature at base pressure of ∼10–5 Pa. The
films were annealed at two different temperatures between glass transition temperature and crystallization temperatures. Analysis of the optical data shows that optical bandgap decreases with increasing annealing temperature while extinction coefficient, absorption coefficient and transmission
shows increasing behaviour with increase in annealing temperature.
Does Benefit Corporation Status Matter to Investors? An Exploratory Study of Investor Perceptions and Decisions
Authors: Cooper Lauren A. , Weber Jill
Published: January 2020

We investigate whether the disclosure of a firm’s decision to organize as a benefit corporation (BC) rather than a traditional C corporation (CC) influences investors. We survey 136 investors and 57 MBA students and find that they expect BCs to attain higher future corporate social responsibility (CSR) than CCs even when both have equal CSR ratings. Approximately one third of our sample prefers to invest in BCs when CCs have greater financial returns, indicating a willingness by some investors to sacrifice personal financial gain for social good. Our results suggest that investors weight the information contained in BC disclosures as reliable and value-relevant in their investment decisions. We extend the CSR disclosure literature by indicating how investors weight this new type of CSR information, which may affect how BCs fare as publicly traded companies.
Regaining R&D Leadership: The Role of Design Thinking and Creative Forbearance
Authors: Appleyard Melissa M. , Enders Albrecht H. , Velazquez Herb
Published: January 2020

This article examines how Siemens’s molecular imaging group incorporated design thinking principles into R&D to regain market leadership. Marked departures from its past practice included a “universe of possibilities” for lifetime customer value; multi-iteration “leapfrog concepting” ahead of prototyping; and adherence to an “innovation metric” that enabled simultaneous consideration of customer value and business cost. These elements gave rise to a dynamic capability, “creative forbearance,” which supported the innovation team’s unbridled creativity while building in patience for introducing new features to its product platform. This case illustrates how design thinking can be integrated in settings replete with technological and customer complexity.
Design-Led Strategy: How To Bring Design Thinking Into The Art of Strategic Management
Authors: Knight Eric , Daymond Jarryd , Paroutis Sotirios
Published: January 2020

Design thinking has emerged as an important way for designers to draw on rich customer insights to enhance their products and services. However, design thinking is now also beginning to influence how corporate managers bring customer data into their day-to-day strategic planning. We call this integration of design thinking into the practice of strategic management “Design-Led Strategy” and show how it complements but extends current design-thinking perspectives. Adopting a strategy-as-practice perspective, this article identifies four archetypal practices that managers can use to strategize with design-thinking content. Its findings provide insight into the practices associated with situating design thinking within organizational practice.
High-Dose Daptomycin Is Well Tolerated via 2-Minute IV Push Administration
Authors: Gill Christian M. , Kenney Rachel M. , Makowski Charles T. , Davis Susan L.
Published: January 2020

Background:

The purpose of this study was to evaluate the safety of administering high-dose daptomycin (HDD; > 6 mg/kg actual body weight) as a 2-minute intravenous (IV) push (IVP) compared to traditional 30-minute IV piggyback (IVPB) infusion.

Methods:

Retrospective cohort study comparing patients receiving HDD as an IVP or IVPB infusion. The primary outcome was the proportion of patients with a documented infusion-related reaction (IRR) to daptomycin.

Results:

Three hundred patients were included in the final analysis, 200 patients received IVP, and 100 patients received IVPB representing a total of 1697 administrations. Median (IQR) daptomycin dose was IVP 700 mg (550-900) and IVPB 700 mg (600-900), with mg/kg doses of 8.2 (7.9-10) and 8.3 (8-10), respectively. After adjudication, IRR occurred in 1% of subjects in each treatment group.

Conclusions:

This study provides data in more than 1100 administrations of HDD administered via IVP. Infusion-related reactions were documented in 1% of patients regardless of infusion method, suggesting comparable safety to traditional infusion methods. This practice may be useful during fluid shortage and in the outpatient setting.
Is ‘be yourself’ always the best advice? The moderating effect of team ethical climate and the mediating effects of vigor and demand–ability fit
Authors: David Emily M , Kim Tae-Yeol , Farh Jiing-Lih , Lin Xiaowan , Zhou Fan
Published: January 2020

Although we know that individuals who tend to reveal their true selves to others at work are better performers, little is known about why this is the case or in which workplace environments this trait will be most helpful. In the present study, we leveraged self-verification theory to better understand the internal and interpersonal effects that self-verification striving has on employees. Specifically, we proposed and found that self-verification striving serves to increase both employee vigor and demand–ability fit, ultimately leading to better job performance. Results of a multilevel, two-wave study involving 222 employees and their supervisors further revealed that ethical climates also play a critical role in affecting the self-verification striving–employee outcome relationship. Specifically, self-verification striving leads to higher vigor and better demand–ability fit and subsequently higher job performance only in teams with high ethical climates. Our results contribute to the literature by describing how and when self-verification striving may augment performance.
Do Foreigners Crowd Natives out of STEM Degrees and Occupations? Evidence from the US Immigration Act of 1990
Authors: Ransom Tyler , Winters John V.
Published: January 2020

This article examines effects of the US Immigration Act of 1990 on STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) education and labor market outcomes for native-born Americans. The Act increased the inflow and stock of foreign STEM workers in the United States, potentially altering the relative desirability of STEM fields for natives. The authors examine effects of the policy on STEM degree completion, STEM occupational choice, and employment rates separately for black and white men and women. The novel identification strategy measures exposure to foreign STEM workers of age 18 native cohorts immediately before and after the policy change via geographic dispersion of foreign-born STEM workers in 1980, which predicts subsequent foreign STEM flows. The Act affected natives in three ways: 1) black male students moved away from STEM majors; 2) white male STEM graduates moved away from STEM occupations; and 3) white female STEM graduates moved out of the workforce.
An improved magnetometer calibration and compensation method based on Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm for multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle
Authors: Wu Helong , Pei Xinbiao , Li Jihui , Gao Huibin , Bai Yue
Published: January 2020

In order to improvethe yaw angle accuracy of multi-rotor unmanned aerial vehicle and meet the requirement of autonomous flight, a new calibration and compensation method for magnetometer based on Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm is proposed in this paper. A novel mathematical calibration model with clear physical meaning is established. “Hard iron” error and “Soft iron” error of magnetometer which affect the yaw accuracy of unmanned aerial vehicle are compensated. Initially, Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm is applied to the process of sphere fitting for the original magnetometer data; the optimal estimation of sphere radius and initial “Hard iron” error are obtained. Then, the ellipsoid fitting is performed, and the optimal estimation of “Hard iron” error and “Soft iron” error are obtained. Finally, the calibration parameters are used to compensate for the magnetometer’s output during unmanned aerial vehicle flight. Traditional ellipsoid fitting based on least squares algorithm is taken as reference to prove the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm. Semi-physical simulation experiment proves that the proposed magnetometer calibration method significantly enhances the accuracy of magnetometer. Static test shows that the yaw angle error is reduced from 1.2° to 0.4° when using the proposed calibration model to calibrate magnetometers. In dynamic tests, the sensor MTi’s output is used as reference. The data fusion of magnetometer compensated by the proposed new calibration model based on Levenberg–Marquardt algorithm can accurately track the desired attitude angle. Experimental results indicate that the accuracy of magnetometer in the yaw angle estimation has been greatly enhanced. In the process of attitude estimated, the compensation magnetometer data given by this new method have faster convergence speed, higher accuracy, and better performance than the compensation magnetometer data given by traditional ellipsoid fitting based on least squares algorithm.
Unit commitment based on modified firefly algorithm
Authors: Hussein Balasim M , Jaber Aqeel S
Published: January 2020

Optimization technologies have drawn considerable interest in power system research. The success of an optimization process depends on the efficient selection of method and its parameters based on the problem to be solved. Firefly algorithm is a suitable method for power system operation scheduling. This paper presents a modified firefly algorithm to address unit commitment issues. Generally, two steps are involved in solving unit commitment problems. The first step determines the generating units to be operated, and the second step calculates the amount of demand-sharing among the units (obtained from the first step) to minimize the cost that corresponds to the load demand and constraints. In this work, the priority list method was used in the first step and the second step adopted the modified firefly algorithm. Ten generators were selected to test the proposed method, while the values of the cost function were regarded as criteria to gauge and compare the modified firefly algorithm with the classical firefly algorithm and particle swarm optimization algorithms. Results show that the proposed approach is more efficient than the other methods in terms of generator and error selections between load and generation.
Is intimate partner violence more common in pregnant women with severe mental illness? A retrospective study
Authors: Suparare Liana , Watson Stuart J , Binns Ray , Frayne Jacqueline , Galbally Megan
Published: January 2020

Objective:

To examine the risk of past and current experiences of intimate partner violence (IPV) in women with severe mental illness (SMI) in pregnancy.

Methods:

We examined past and current experiences of IPV in women with SMI in pregnancy. The data of 304 women with SMI including schizophrenia and related psychotic disorders and Bipolar Disorder meeting International Statistical Classification of Diseases and Related Health Problems, Tenth Revision, Australian Modification (ICD-10-AM) criteria were extracted from hospital records at King Edward Memorial Hospital, Western Australia. Comparisons were made between our study data and the Australian population data reported by the Australian Bureau of Statistics, which included data on pregnant women in Western Australia. Additional measures included reported demographics, substance use and pregnancy variables.

Results:

Around 48% of pregnant women with SMI had experienced IPV and were three times the risk when compared with the general pregnant population in Australia. There was no difference in rates of IPV in those women with psychotic disorders when compared with bipolar disorder. Furthermore, the rates of smoking and illicit substance use were significantly higher in pregnant women with SMI who experienced IPV compared with those who have not experienced IPV.

Conclusion:

These findings suggest women with SMI in pregnancy are at significantly higher risk of having experienced or experiencing IPV. In addition, IPV in pregnant women with SMI may increase the risk of smoking and illicit substance use. Together this suggests that maternity and mental health services should ensure there are both screening and support pathways for IPV that are developed and evaluated specifically for pregnant women with SMI.
The Lecture Note-Taking Skills of Adolescents With and Without Learning Disabilities
Authors: Oefinger Lisa M. , Peverly Stephen T.
Published: January 2020

The note- and test-taking skills of typically functioning undergraduates are significantly and positively related to handwriting speed, listening comprehension, background knowledge and sustained attention. This study attempted to replicate these findings with two groups of high school students—those with and without the diagnosis of a learning disability (LD). Students without LD scored significantly higher than those with LD on handwriting speed, listening comprehension, background knowledge, sustained attention, quality of notes, and test performance. Results of regression analyses indicated that note-taking ( f2 = 1.94) and test-taking ( f2 = 2.69) were associated with listening comprehension and background knowledge predominately. If these results are replicated, they suggest that the variables related to note-taking in typically functioning undergraduates are similar to high school students with and without LD. Limitations and directions for future research are discussed.
Dangerously informed: Voter information and pre-electoral violence in Africa
Authors: von Borzyskowski Inken , Kuhn Patrick M
Published: January 2020

A considerable literature examines the effect of voter information on candidate strategies and voter–politician interactions in the developing world. The voter information literature argues that information can improve accountability because more informed voters are harder to woo with traditional campaign tools, such as ethnic appeals and vote-buying. However, this literature has largely ignored the reaction of political candidates and thus may reach conclusions that are overly optimistic regarding the impact of information on electoral accountability. We argue that voter information can increase electoral violence in developing countries where politicians face fewer institutional constraints on their campaign tactics. When violence is used as a campaign strategy, more informed electorates are more at risk because they are harder to sway through alternative campaign techniques. Using data from 35 African countries, we show that respondents receiving their news predominantly from newspapers are a good proxy for informed voters because they differ in terms of their political attitudes from respondents consuming no news or receiving it via other channels. Combining the geo-coded survey data with pre-electoral violence event data, we find a robust positive association between newspaper readership and fear of and exposure to campaign violence. This finding contributes to the micro-foundations of election violence and adds a cautionary note for voter information programs.
The effect of alternation in power on electoral intimidation in democratizing regimes
Authors: Ruiz-Rufino Rubén , Birch Sarah
Published: January 2020

There is as yet little consensus in the literature as to the underlying drivers of electoral violence. This article identifies a key mechanism explaining the use of electoral intimidation, a form of violence, in democratizing regimes. Within this context, we argue that the use of electoral intimidation against the opposition is most likely to be observed when a country moving to democracy has not yet experienced an electoral turnover. Building on previous theoretical and empirical findings, we provide evidence supporting the idea that alternation in power serves as an effective tool to decrease the tensions between electoral winners and losers. Furthermore, we show that alternation in power is conditional on the performance of electoral management bodies. Based on a sample of 331 elections in 53 countries that have inaugurated multiparty competition since 1989, we find strong and robust support for our theoretical claims. Firstly, we show how alternation in power is determined by the degree of autonomy the electoral management body adopted as part of the political opening process. Secondly, we provide evidence that electoral turnover depresses the use of electoral violence after controlling for relevant variables and correcting for selection issues.
Critiquing – and Rescuing – ‘Character’
Authors: Sayer Andrew
Published: January 2020

The article looks at how sociology might regard the concept of ‘character’, both in terms of the way it is used in public discourse and in its own accounts of social life. In the former, the concept is likely to be regarded with suspicion, especially where it is used to explain individuals’ life outcomes in a way that ignores social structures and depoliticizes inequalities. Such usages are to be found in political discourse on welfare and in the character education movement as a solution to problems of ‘social mobility’. Yet if character refers to individuals’ settled dispositions to act in certain ways, then it has some affinities with the Bourdieusian concept of habitus. The article argues both for developing the critique of ideological uses of the concept and for considering how it might be used in ways that do not misrepresent its explanatory and normative significance.
Influence of silk fibroin/sodium alginate coatings on the mineralization of silk fibroin fiber artificial ligament prototypes
Authors: Wu Jia-wei , Liu Ming-jie , Wang Lu , Guan Guo-ping
Published: January 2020

The goal of the present work is to investigate the effects of varying coatings on in vitro mineralization of silk fibroin fiber artificial ligaments (SFALs). Silk fibroin (SF) and sodium alginate (SA) aqueous solutions with varying concentrations were respectively employed for coating surfaces of the SFALs to improve calcium phosphate (CaP) deposition. Scanning electron microscopy, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy, X-ray photoelectron spectroscopy and Energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy were utilized for characterizations. Furthermore, the surface of the SFAL was modified with SF/SA composite coatings. The volume ratios of the SF to the SA were set at 2:8, 4:6, 5:5, 6:4 and 8:2. The results show that either the SF or the SA coatings can improve the mineralization of the SFALs in vitro. The concentration of 1% for the SF and the SA coatings is conducive to deposit more calcium ions and obtain a biomimetic Ca/P ratio. Furthermore, the SF/SA composite coatings facilitate a thicker and uniform deposition layer than the SF and the SA coatings. The sediments are spherical particles and are more uniform in size. Therefore, the SF/SA composite coatings have more significant efficacy, particularly when the volume ratio of the SF to the SA was 4:6. The present work indicates that the SF/SA coatings possess excellent potential in promoting the osseointegration of artificial ligaments implanted in bone tunnels.
The role of pyridostigmine in recovery from motor paralysis in a snakebite patient with an allergic reaction to anti-snake venom
Authors: Ahuja Vanita , Chander Anjuman , Sawal Nishit
Published: January 2020

A 30-year-old woman presented as an emergency with a history of snakebite 5 h previously with signs of bulbar palsy, ptosis, respiratory distress and weakness of all four limbs. Mechanical ventilation, anti-snake venom (ASV) and supportive management were immediately instituted. With the third dose of ASV, an early anaphylactic reaction ensued. Subsequent management with corticosteroids and antihistamines over the next few days allowed consciousness to return but muscle power did not improve beyond 2/5. A trial of intravenous neostigmine with glycopyrrolate, however, improved motor power in all four limbs to 3/5. Oral pyridostigmine at 60 mg every 8 h allowed subsequent full motor recovery in all four extremities. We suggest consideration of pyridostigmine to promote motor recovery after an allergic reaction to ASV.
Prediction of Youth and Adult Recidivism Among Spanish Juveniles Involved in Serious Offenses
Authors: Cuervo Keren , Villanueva Lidón , Basto-Pereira Miguel
Published: January 2020

This study analyzes the predictive validity of the Youth Level of Service/Case Management Inventory (YLS/CMI) for youth and adult recidivism in a Spanish juvenile sample. Participants’ age ranged between 14 and 18.09 years old ( N = 264) and 82% were boys and all had been sentenced to probation and custody centers. Data on juvenile and young adult recidivism were collected for the sample with mean follow-up periods of 13.74 and 20.19 months, respectively. The area under the curve, Kaplan–Meier and Cox regression survival analyses were each conducted to check for predictive validity. The findings demonstrated that the YLS/CMI is able to predict recidivism in both the juvenile period and the emerging adult period in a different cultural context. Prior Offenses and Education/Employment emerged as significant predictors for youth and young adult recidivism. The entire YLS/CMI is therefore an effective tool for risk classification in a different cultural sample.
A non-fragile observer-based adaptive sliding mode control for fractional-order Markovian jump systems with time delay and input nonlinearity
Authors: Parvizian Majid , Khandani Khosro , Majd Vahid Johari
Published: January 2020

In this paper, state estimation and adaptive sliding mode control (SMC) of uncertain fractional-order Markovian jump systems (FO-MJSs) with time delay and input nonlinearity are considered. A non-fragile observer is proposed to estimate the system states, and an observer-based adaptive sliding mode controller is synthesized to ensure the reachability of the sliding surfaces in the state-estimation space in finite time. The sufficient condition for stochastic stability of the error system and sliding mode dynamics is derived in the form of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). Finally, some numerical examples are presented to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method.
To File or Not to File? How EEOC Claims Change with the Economy
Authors: Juban Rusty , Gardner Lara
Published: January 2020

Discrimination and sexual harassment are pervasive problems in today’s organizations. Traditionally, individual variables such as justice and power are used to study an employee’s response to discrimination or sexual harassment. In this study, we propose the use of economic variables (unemployment and economic health) to explain when an individual is more likely to make a discrimination or sexual harassment charge. Using monthly data from the U.S. Equal Employment Opportunity Commission on discrimination charges, we find there is strong evidence that U.S. economic conditions play an important role in the number and types of complaints filed.
Adaptive Epistemologies: Conceptualizing Adaptation to Climate Change in Environmental Science
Authors: Hirsch Shana Lee , Long Jerrold
Published: January 2020

This article explores how scientists adapt to a changing climate. To do this, we bring examples from a case study of salmon habitat restorationists in the Columbia River Basin into conversation with concepts from previous work on change and stability in knowledge infrastructures and scientific practice. In order to adapt, ecological restorationists are increasingly relying on predictive modeling tools, as well as initiating broader changes in the interdisciplinary nature of the field of ecological restoration itself. We explore how the field of ecological restoration is shifting its conceptual gaze from restoring to past, historic baselines to anticipating a no-analog future and consider what this means in terms of understanding the adaptive capacity of knowledge infrastructures and epistemic communities more broadly. We argue that identifying how scientists themselves conceptualize drivers of change and respond to these changes is an important step in understanding what adaptive capacity in science might entail. We offer these examples as a provocation for thinking about “adaptive epistemologies” and how adaptation by scientists themselves can facilitate or hinder particular environmental or sociotechnical futures.
Fake Meets Soul: Division Among Hawai‘i’s Japanese Surfers
Authors: Christensen Paul
Published: January 2020

This article examines the Japanese surf community in and around Honolulu, Hawai‘i. I argue that a variety of factors, notably socioeconomic status and access to wealth, interpretation of popular media depictions that surround surfing, and a desire to project a “cool” bodily image, result in division within this community between those labeled as either “fake” or “soul” surfers. A division exacerbated by anger and frustration among Japanese soul surfers in Hawai‘i at the more pervasive presence of fake surfers. This division creates wider complications with the sociopolitical complexities governing the larger surfing community’s organization. The result is a contentious and sometimes confrontational mix delineated along lines of personal wealth, commitment to surfing, and adaptation to life in Hawai‘i that reveals culturally influenced understandings of how self-image and sporting commitment are cultivated and maintained. Further complicating the picture is the cultural significance given surfing in Hawai‘i as an influential component of native Hawaiian identity and means to resisting colonial incursion. By articulating these divisions of community around surfing as a nuanced and culturally weighty pursuit, I show the often hidden complexity governing the sport and its associated communities across Hawai‘i’s hallowed surf breaks and beaches.
Migration Diplomacy and Policy Liberalization in Morocco and Turkey
Authors: Norman Kelsey P.
Published: January 2020

This article examines the 2013 migration policy liberalizations in Morocco and Turkey in order to understand whether predominantly “human rights-centric” or “diplomatic” factors influenced domestic decisions to reform migration policies. It uses original interview data collected in 2015, as well as policy documents, to examine the two reform processes and their initial consequences for migrants and refugees residing in each host state. While the academic literature on migration has focused on human rights-centric factors to understand historic migration policy reforms, Turkey and Morocco’s geopolitical and geographic positions between powerful neighbors to the north and important sending countries to the south mean that diplomatic factors are also key to understanding the incentives behind reform. This article’s findings have important implications for scholars of international migration, demonstrating that while countries like Morocco and Turkey may implement liberal and inclusive policies if there are diplomatic and economic gains to be had from doing so, such policies may have little impact on the everyday lives of individual migrants and refugees residing in these states and may be subject to reversals if such states’ geopolitical calculations change.
TMTDyn: A Matlab package for modeling and control of hybrid rigid–continuum robots based on discretized lumped systems and reduced-order models
Authors: Sadati S.M. Hadi , Naghibi S. Elnaz , Shiva Ali , Michael Brendan , Renson Ludovic , Howard Matthew , Rucker Caleb D. , Althoefer Kaspar , Nanayakkara Thrishantha , Zschaler Steffen , Bergeles Christos , Hauser Helmut , Walker Ian D.
Published: January 2020

A reliable, accurate, and yet simple dynamic model is important to analyzing, designing, and controlling hybrid rigid–continuum robots. Such models should be fast, as simple as possible, and user-friendly to be widely accepted by the ever-growing robotics research community. In this study, we introduce two new modeling methods for continuum manipulators: a general reduced-order model (ROM) and a discretized model with absolute states and Euler–Bernoulli beam segments (EBA). In addition, a new formulation is presented for a recently introduced discretized model based on Euler–Bernoulli beam segments and relative states (EBR). We implement these models in a Matlab software package, named TMTDyn, to develop a modeling tool for hybrid rigid–continuum systems. The package features a new high-level language (HLL) text-based interface, a CAD-file import module, automatic formation of the system equation of motion (EOM) for different modeling and control tasks, implementing Matlab C-mex functionality for improved performance, and modules for static and linear modal analysis of a hybrid system. The underlying theory and software package are validated for modeling experimental results for (i) dynamics of a continuum appendage, and (ii) general deformation of a fabric sleeve worn by a rigid link pendulum. A comparison shows higher simulation accuracy (8–14% normalized error) and numerical robustness of the ROM model for a system with a small number of states, and computational efficiency of the EBA model with near real-time performances that makes it suitable for large systems. The challenges and necessary modules to further automate the design and analysis of hybrid systems with a large number of states are briefly discussed.
Tiny Squares at the Hermann Grid Corners Can Completely Remove the Illusion
Authors: Bakshi Ashish , Ghosh Kuntal
Published: January 2020

A novel modification of the Hermann grid stimulus is demonstrated. It is shown that introduction of extremely tiny squares at the corners of the grid squares in the classical stimulus, keeping the position and orientation of the grid squares fixed, can reduce the strength and even completely wipe out the illusory dark spots. The novel perturbing stimulus was investigated further and a gray-level intensity threshold was measured for the tiny corner squares beyond which the illusory blobs disappear completely. It was also found that this threshold remains practically unchanged over a wide range of grid square size for an observer.
Generalized oscillator model for nonlinear vibration analysis using quasi-static cubication method
Authors: Big-Alabo Akuro , Ekpruke Emmanuel Ogheneochuko , Ossia Chinwuba Victor , Jonah David Oke , Ogbodo Collins Onyinyechukwu
Published: January 2020

A generalized oscillator model for nonlinear vibration analysis of various mechanical systems was proposed and solved using the quasi-static cubication method. The proposed generalized oscillator model is useful for introducing and discussing the nonlinear vibration models of several oscillatory systems. To establish the accuracy of the quasi-static cubication method for the generalized oscillator model, a number of simulations were carried out for the nonlinear vibration models of common mechanical systems derived from the generalized oscillator model. The results obtained were found to be in good agreement with exact solutions and other approximate solutions found in the literature. Furthermore, the quasi-static cubication method was found to be accurate for a wide range of oscillation amplitudes. A significant feature of the quasi-static cubication method is its simplicity and accuracy; hence, it is considered an efficient technique for nonlinear vibration analysis in undergraduate and post-graduate courses on dynamics.
Selling black places on Airbnb: Colonial discourse and the marketing of black communities in New York City
Authors: Törnberg Petter , Chiappini Letizia
Published: January 2020

Airbnb has recently become a growing topic of both concern and interest for urban researchers, policymakers, and activists. Previous research has emphasized Airbnb’s economic impact and its role as a driver of residential gentrification, but Airbnb also fosters place entrepreneurs, geared to extract value from a global symbolic economy by marketing the urban frontier to a transnational middle class. This emphasizes the cultural impact of Airbnb on cities, and its power of symbolizing and communicating who belongs in specific places, responding to questions of class, gender, and ethnicity—and thereby potentially driving cultural displacement. Coming from this perspective, this paper uses computational critical discourse analysis to study how white and black hosts market black-majority neighborhoods in New York City on Airbnb, and how guests describe their consumption experience. The analysis shows how white entrepreneurs attempt to attract guests through a form of colonial discourse: exoticizing difference, emphasizing foreignness, and treating communities as consumable experiences for an outside group. White visitors, in turn, consume these cultural symbols to decorate their own identities of touristic consumption, describing themselves in colonial tropes of brave white adventurers exploring uncharted territories: glorious conquests no longer over gold and ivory, but over sandwiches at a local bodega. This situates Airbnb’s marketing at the urban frontier in a longer history of colonialism and racialized expropriation.
Urban commoning practices in the repair movement: Frontstaging the backstage
Authors: Zapata Campos María José , Zapata Patrik , Ordoñez Isabel
Published: January 2020

Citizen-led repair initiatives that collectively create urban commons, questioning the configuration of production, consumption, and discarding within neoliberal capitalism, have emerged in recent years. This paper builds on recent discussions of the openness of the commons by examining the role of repair in commoning. It is informed by the case of the Bike Kitchen in Göteborg, using in-depth interviews as well as ethnographic and visual observations to support the analysis. Through repair practices, commoning communities can reinvent, appropriate, and create urban commons by transforming private resources – bicycles – creating common, liminal, and porous spaces between state and market. This openness of the commons allows commoners to shift roles unproblematically, alternating between the commons, state, and market. We argue that commoners’ fluid identities become the vehicle by which urban commoning practices expands beyond the commons space. This fluidity and openness also fuels the broad recruitment of participants driven by diverse and entangled rationales. Beyond the porosity of spatial arrangements, we illustrate how the dramaturgic representation of space, through simultaneous frontstaging and backstaging practices, also prevents its enclosure and allows the creation of openings through which urban commoning practices are accessed by newcomers. Finally, we call into question strict definitions of ‘commoner’ and the commoning/repair movement as limited to those who are politically engaged in opposing the enclosure of the commons. Rather, commoners become political through action, so intentionality is less relevant to prompting social change than is suggested in the literature.
Oil spill modeling: Mapping the knowledge domain
Authors: Nelson Jake R , Grubesic Tony H
Published: January 2020

The year 2019 marks the anniversary of two major US offshore oil spills: the 50th anniversary of the Santa Barbara spill and the 30th anniversary of the Exxon Valdez. The consequences of these spills are profound, echoing throughout countless environmental, ecological and social systems. Each spill sparked a flurry of research focusing on the analysis and documentation of spill impacts and responses. The purpose of this progress report is to evaluate oil spill modeling research as a knowledge domain. Using bibliometric analysis techniques, we constructed a co-citation network for exploring key areas of research and seminal papers to highlight the evolution of oil spill research over the past 50 years. The paper concludes with recommendations for future work, detailing the importance of connecting the physical and social sciences for deepening our understanding of oil spills and their broader implications for communities and the environment.
Evaluation of Glass Powder-Based Geopolymer Stabilized Road Bases Containing Recycled Waste Glass Aggregate
Authors: Xiao Rui , Polaczyk Pawel , Zhang Miaomiao , Jiang Xi , Zhang Yiyuan , Huang Baoshan , Hu Wei
Published: January 2020

As the concept of sustainable pavement gains prominence, a growing number of industrial wastes and recycled materials have been utilized in the pavement industry to preserve natural resources. This study investigates the potential use of waste glass powder-based geopolymer cement as a stabilizing agent in recycled waste glass aggregate (GA) bases. Two recycled materials, waste glass powder (GP) and class F fly ash (FF), were used as the raw materials in the preparation of geopolymer. Virgin aggregate (VA) was replaced by GA at varying replacement ratios as the pavement base materials, and the mechanical behaviors before and after geopolymer stabilization were evaluated. Without stabilization, the incorporation of over 10% GA caused significant detrimental effects on the California bearing ratios (CBR) of base materials, which should be carefully managed in pavement construction. However, all geopolymer stabilized samples showed decent strength properties, indicating the effectiveness of geopolymer stabilization. The use of GA reduced the drying shrinkage of base samples, although the mechanical properties were compromised. During the sample preparation, a higher curing temperature and relative humidity resulted in better mechanical behaviors, and the surface of GA could dissolve in alkaline solution and involve in the geopolymerization at 40°C. The microstructure and minerology of geopolymer stabilizer of base materials were characterized by scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and X-ray defraction (XRD) analyses. This study confirmed the promise of using waste glass-based pavement base materials as the greener substitutes and the potential synergy between waste glass recycling and the pavement industry.