bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
The Covariation of Sexual Fantasies and Behaviors Among Self-Identified Sexually Aggressive Criminal and Noncriminal Samples
Authors: Ronis Scott T. , Knight Raymond A. , Vander Molen Lauryn
Published: December 2019

This study examined the association of sexually appetitive fantasies and sexually coercive behaviors among adult men convicted of nonsexual crimes ( n = 159) and adult men with no criminal histories ( n = 219). Individuals completed the Multidimensional Assessment of Sex and Aggression (MASA) and, on the basis of these reports, were classified whether or not they had ever attempted to assault or coerce someone sexually. Consistent with fewer opportunities to engage in sexual behavior, individuals with criminal histories reported generally less preoccupation, compulsivity, and frequency than did noncriminal individuals. Regardless of criminal history, self-identified sexually coercive men reported significantly more sexually appetitive fantasy and behavior in general and sexually deviant behavior in particular than did noncoercive males. Implications of these findings for research, theory, and dispositional decisions are discussed.
The alignment effects of CEO stock incentives in the presence of government ownership: International evidence from Gulf Cooperation Council countries
Authors: Agha Mahmoud , Eulaiwi Baban
Published: December 2019

This article investigates whether government ownership in publicly listed firms of Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries affects the behaviour of CEOs who are granted stock incentives, that is, an ownership stake in these firms. The results suggest that government ownership may create an environment that could be abused by these managers. In particular, we find that when government ownership reaches a certain threshold, the alignment effect of CEO stock incentives is reversed such that borrowing increases; capital expenditure decreases; selling, general and administrative (SGA) expenses increase; and firm performance decreases with the level of CEO stock incentives. Our results could have implications for investors and policymakers in GCC countries, and other developing markets, where governments usually have substantial equity stakes in some publicly listed firms.

JEL Classification: G32, G34, G35, G38
In the driving seat: Executive’s perceived control over environment
Authors: Schwarz Gavin M , Sanders Karin , Bouckenooghe Dave
Published: December 2019

This study investigates executives’ perceived control over their environment. Drawing on managerial cognition and upper echelons theory, we test a model that specifies perceived control over environment as made up of organizational routines (i.e. information processing capability and decision comprehensiveness) and executive understanding of performance (i.e. organizational effectiveness and organizational slack). Findings from a scenario study of 46 executives in 14 pharmaceutical firms show perceived control over the internal environment can be explained by information processing capability, and the interactions between organizational routines and resources. Perceived control over the external task environment can be explained by information processing. This difference accounts for the extent to which executives perceive that they can control their environment, adding to the more traditional view focused on the requirements for a strategic fit to environment.

JEL Classification: M10, M12, L20
Initial conservative management strategy of HeartWare left ventricular assist device thrombosis with intravenous heparin or bivalirudin
Authors: Bouzas-Cruz Noelia , Gonzalez-Fernandez Oscar , Ferrera-Durán Carlos , Woods Andrew , Robinson-Smith Nicola , Tovey Sian , Jungschleger Jérôme , Booth Karen , Shah Asif , Parry Gareth , MacGowan Guy A , Schueler Stephan
Published: December 2019

Introduction and objectives:

Pump thrombosis is a serious left ventricular assist device complication, though there are no guidelines regarding its treatment. The main aim of this study was to describe a strategy of intravenous anticoagulation as the initial treatment in these patients and then to compare intravenous heparin with bivalirudin.

Methods:

All consecutive patients who received a HeartWare left ventricular assist device from July 2009 to March 2019 were retrospectively analysed. Patients developing a pump thrombosis were selected, and treatment, outcomes and complications were recorded.

Results:

During this period of time (116 months), 220 patients underwent HeartWare left ventricular assist device implantation and 57 developed pump thrombosis, with an incidence rate of first pump thrombosis of 0.17 events per patient-year of support (incidence rate of all episodes of pump thrombosis: 0.30 events per patient-year of support). All the patients were initially treated medically, predominantly with either intravenous heparin (n = 26) or bivalirudin (n = 16). Patients treated with bivalirudin during the first pump thrombosis episode had less subsequent re-thrombosis episodes (18.7% vs 57.7%, p < 0.05). In addition, percentage time in therapeutic range was greater for bivalirudin compared with heparin (68.5% ± 16.9% vs 37.4% ± 31.0%, p < 0.01). During the first pump thrombosis episode, 26.3% of the patients needed surgery (left ventricular assist device exchange (n = 8), transplant (n = 6) or decommissioning (n = 1)). The overall survival at 1 year was 61.4%, and there was no significant difference in survival.

Conclusion:

Left ventricular assist device thrombosis is a serious life-threatening complication; hence, we propose an initial conservative management of pump thrombosis with enhanced intravenous anticoagulation with either intravenous heparin or bivalirudin, with surgery reserved for refractory cases.
Chronotherapy Network Netherlands (CNN)
Authors: Meesters Ybe , Starreveld Danielle , Verwijk Esmée , Spaans Harm-Pieter , Gordijn Marijke C. M.
Published: December 2019

Information is provided about the Chronotherapy Network Netherlands (CNN).
Social Origin Is No Destiny: Background, Institutionalization, and Electoral Performance of New Political Parties in Slovakia
Authors: Rybář Marek , Spáč Peter
Published: December 2019

The existing research suggests that socially rooted new political parties are more likely to be reelected to parliaments than parties emerging without links to preexisting social groups. It is argued that the two groups face different prospects of institutionalization: Rooted parties are more viable because their links to preexisting societal groups contribute to a higher sustainability of their electoral support and stronger institutionalization. We assess the link between the origin of parties, their level of institutionalization, and their electoral performance in the context of Slovakia, a new Eastern European democracy. We add to the existing state of knowledge in three ways. First, we empirically assess the link between the social origin of parties and their level of institutionalization. We also provide rich empirical material on the intraparty processes resulting in various levels of institutionalization. Subsequently, we assess whether rooted parties record better electoral performance than political entrepreneur parties. Second, we provide some illustration of the fact that agential factors, especially the decisions and activities related to leadership contestation, directly impact both party institutionalization and electoral performance. Third, we show that developing the links to a sociostructurally well-defined electorate may be a viable strategy to secure a parliamentary relevance for a prolonged period of time for some political entrepreneurs. Our findings suggest that parties with different levels of institutionalization are able to secure reelection, and that their electoral performance is not directly linked to their social origins.
The Role of Initial Conditions in Post-Great Recession Recovery and Development: Single-County MSAs
Authors: Adkisson Richard V. , LaPlue Lawrence D. , Sroka Christopher J.
Published: December 2019

This article studies the impact of initial (circa 2009) socioeconomic conditions on post-Great Recession economic development/recovery. The units observed are 145 single-county metropolitan statistical areas in the lower 48 American states. Principal components analysis is used to construct a four-dimensional index representing economic development/recovery over 2009 to 2016. Variables in five categories—education/human capital, general socioeconomic/demographic conditions, industrial structure, public policy, and regional variables—are used to explain variation in the economic development index. The estimates indicated that approximately two thirds of the variation in post-recession economic development can be explained using only initial conditions.
Measuring Twitter Use: Validating Survey-Based Measures
Authors: Henderson Michael , Jiang Ke , Johnson Martin , Porter Lance
Published: December 2019

An important challenge for research on social media use is to relate users’ activity on these platforms to user characteristics such as demographics. Surveys allow researchers to measure these characteristics but may be subject to measurement error in self-reported social media use. We compare survey responses to observed behavior in order to assess the validity of self-reported frequency of posting to Twitter, retweeting content, sharing photos, sharing videos, and sending direct messages. Additionally, we examine correlations between self-reported and observed behavior across a range of time frames, from 1 month to 114 months before the survey. We find variation in the quality of self-reports across types of Twitter activity. We also find that self-reports about posting and retweeting tend to reflect recent activity, while self-reports about other activities tend to reflect behavior over a longer span. Furthermore, we find that two characteristics of experience with the platform—the length of time that a person has been active on Twitter and how much their activity on the platform changes over time—predict individual-level discrepancies between survey response and observed behavior, but these discrepancies cancel out when averaged across individuals. Nevertheless, other sources of bias remain. Taken together, our results indicate that while surveys are quite useful for collecting characteristics of social media users, relying on self-reported social media behavior distorts inferential results from what is found when relying on observed social media behavior.
Impact of Community Pharmacist Interventions With Managed Care to Improve Medication Adherence
Authors: Daly Christopher J. , Verrall Kelly , Jacobs David M.
Published: December 2019

Background:

Nonadherence to medications is a concern due to adverse outcomes and higher costs of care. The Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services has made adherence a key measurement for Star ratings.

Objective:

To evaluate the impact of a collaborative pilot program between a third-party payer, local pharmacy organization, and academic institution focusing on improving medication adherence with community pharmacies.

Methods:

Twenty-five community pharmacies implemented adherence-based interventions in patients ≥65 years old, who were Medicare Advantage Plan members, taking targeted medications (statins, oral diabetic medications, angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors [ACE-Is] and angiotensin receptor blockers [ARBs]). Outcome measures were (1) pharmacy intervention completion rate, (2) type of adherence interventions, (3) change in the proportion of days covered (PDC) following pharmacist intervention based on adherence group, and (4) nonadherence barriers.

Results:

A total of 1263 interventions met the eligibility criteria, and common interventions included explaining the benefit of the medication (n = 453, 35.9%) and provider follow-up (n = 109, 8.6%). Among nonadherent subjects who became adherent, the mean PDC increased by 14% (74%-88%, P < .0001), with a 12% decrease in mean PDC score in the nonadherent who remained nonadherent group (71%-58%, P < .0001). Common patient barriers for nonadherence were forgetfulness (n = 451, 35.7%) and denial (n = 84, 6.7%). System and therapeutic barriers included complexity (n = 155, 12.3%) and adverse side effects (n = 42, 3.3%).

Conclusion:

This collaborative effort successfully implemented a community pharmacist-led adherence intervention in 25 independent pharmacies. Our findings highlight increased interactions with patients and in some cases improved adherence measures. Future research must include implementation outcomes in order to effectively implement these interventions in the community pharmacy setting.
Time-frequency synthesis analysis for complex signal of rotating machinery via variational mode manifold reinforcement learning
Authors: Li Quanchang , Ding Xiaoxi , Wang Tao , Zhang Mingkai , Huang Wenbin , Shao Yimin
Published: December 2019

The transient signal caused by localized fault in rotating machinery always contains complex modulation information with heavy background noise distributed, which brings much difficulties for fault feature identification in the application of rotating machinery fault diagnosis. Focusing on the sensitive feature extraction from these complex signals, this paper proposes a novel variational mode manifold reinforcement learning (VM2RL) to adaptively construct time-frequency synthesis analysis for enhancement of transient features. First, a method of adaptive variational mode decomposition (VMD) is employed to divide the raw spectrum of the given signal into several sub-bands with different frequency modulation information. Second, an improved time-frequency manifold (ITFM) learning is introduced to gain the topological manifold structure from those sub-distributions in time-frequency domain. Then, a sound-enhanced signature of transient features on the whole time-frequency plane can be synthesized by combining those sub-TFMs from each modulated segment back to the corresponding frequency band. Finally, the time-frequency envelope spectrum for fault diagnosis is further obtained through statistically evaluating their amplitude distribution. Among them, short-frequency Fourier transform (SFFT) is introduced to transform local frequency bands into a series of TFDs which improves the computational efficiency of TFM learning. In this manner, the desired transient distribution on full time-frequency plane can be automatically reconstructed by VM2RL with manifold reinforced in a data-driven way. A simulation study and two experimental signals are both analyzed here, and fast spectral kurtosis and conventional VMD methods are also used to verify its effectiveness. Meanwhile, a quantitative analysis has been provided to further illustrate its superiority in the application of complex signal fault of rotating machinery.
The performance comparison of typical notched flexure hinges
Authors: Ma Wei , Wang Rongqi , Zhou Xiaoqin , Meng Guangwei
Published: December 2019

Flexure hinges, which serve as the crucial joints in a large number of compliant mechanisms, have been widely applied in a variety of significant fields where there is high demand for the micro/nano motions with high resolution and high precision. Currently, an increasing number of notched flexure hinges with different structures and performances have been rapidly developed, but the existing performance comparisons on different notched flexure hinges were only conducted on seldom typical structures and are far from the comprehensiveness and fairness due to the different comparative conditions and discrepant evaluating indexes. Therefore, the finite beam-based matrix modeling method and nondimension precision factors will be employed in comprehensive comparing and ranking of 13 types of frequently-used notched flexure hinges in terms of their main compliances, motion accuracies, and stress concentrations, further providing useful practical guidelines to develop the compliant mechanisms with excellent overall performances.
Reduced bacterial adhesion on zirconium-based bulk metallic glasses by femtosecond laser nanostructuring
Authors: Du Cezhi , Wang Chengyong , Zhang Tao , Yi Xin , Liang Jianyi , Wang Hongjian
Published: December 2019

As high-performing materials, bulk metallic glasses have attracted widespread attention for biomedical applications. Herein, the bacterial adhesion properties of femtosecond laser-nanostructured surfaces of four types of zirconium-based bulk metallic glasses are assessed. Laser-induced periodical surface structures and nanoparticle structures were fabricated by femtosecond laser irradiation under different energy intensities (0.23 and 2.3 J/mm2). Surface topography, roughness, wettability, and surface energy were investigated after femtosecond laser irradiation and the surface bacterial adhesion properties were explored using Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus as respective representatives of Gram-negative and Gram-positive bacteria. 4′,6-Diamidino-2-phenylindole fluorescence staining was used to characterize and assess the bacterial surface coverage rate. The in vitro cytotoxicity of polished and laser-nanostructured surfaces was investigated using MC3T3-E cells. The obtained results demonstrate that femtosecond laser surface nanostructuring retained the amorphous structure of zirconium-based bulk metallic glasses and led to an obvious decrease in bacterial adhesion compared with polished surfaces. The inhibition of bacterial adhesion on laser-induced periodical surface structures was greater than on nanostructured surfaces after 24 h of bacterial incubation. In addition, femtosecond laser nanostructuring did not have an apparent effect on the cytotoxicity of zirconium-based bulk metallic glasses.
Condensation flow at the wet steam centrifugal turbine stage
Authors: Liu Yaping , Du Xuefei , Shi Xuyang , Huang Diangui
Published: December 2019

This paper investigates spontaneous condensation of wet steam in a centrifugal turbine by means of three-dimensional computational fluid dynamics. The flow field and aerodynamic characteristics of the wet steam in the centrifugal turbine are compared and analyzed by using the equilibrium steam and nonequilibrium steam models, respectively, where the latter applies the classical droplet nucleation theory and neglects velocity slip between the liquid phase and the gaseous phase. The state parameters of wet steam are described here based on the IAPWS’97 formulation. It is concluded that under the design condition, the mass flow rate, wetness fraction, and flow angle of the wet steam centrifugal turbine in the nonequilibrium steam model all change compared with the equilibrium steam model, with values of 4.4%, 0.5%, and 10.57%, respectively. Then the performance variation of the wet steam centrifugal turbine is analyzed under different steam conditions and different outlet back-pressure conditions. The results show that the change law of the mass flow rate, shaft power, and wetness fraction in the centrifugal turbine are basically identical in both models, and the mass flow rate, shaft power, wheel efficiency, and entropy loss coefficient of the centrifugal turbine in the nonequilibrium steam model are all higher than those in the equilibrium steam model, whereas the outlet wetness fraction is lower than that in the equilibrium steam model.
Influence of parameters on flame expansion in a high-speed flow: Experimental and numerical study
Authors: Zhao Shilong , Yuxin Fan , Xiaolei Zhang
Published: December 2019

Flameholder-stabilized flames are conventional and also commonly used in propulsion and various power generation fields to maintain combustion process. The characteristics of flame expansion were obtained with various blockage ratios, which were observed to be highly sensitive to inlet conditions such as temperatures and velocities. Experiments and simulations combined methodology was performed; also the approach adopted on image processing was calculated automatically through a program written in MATLAB. It was found that the change of flame expansion angle indicated increasing fuel supply could contribute to the growth of flame expansion angle in lean premixed combustion. Besides, the influence of inlet velocity on flame expansion angle varies with different blockage ratios, i.e. under a small blockage ratio (BR = 0.1), flame expansion angle declined with the increase of velocity; however, under a larger blockage ratio (BR = 0.2 or 0.3), flame expansion angle increased firstly and then decreased with the increasing velocity. Likewise, flame expansion angle increased firstly and then decreased with the increasing temperature under BR = 0.2/0.3. In addition, flame expansion angle was almost the same for BR = 0.2 and BR = 0.3 at a higher temperature (900 K), and both of which were bigger than BR = 0.1. Overall, BR = 0.2 is the best for increasing flame expansion angle and reducing total pressure loss. The influence of velocity and temperature on flame expansion angle found from this research are vital for engineering practice and for developing a further image processing method to measure flame boundary.
The kingdom of dogs: Understanding Pavlov’s experiments as human–animal relationships
Authors: Adams Matthew
Published: December 2019

The growth of Human–Animal Studies, multi-species, and posthuman scholarship reflects an “animal turn” offering important theoretical, ethical, and methodological challenges to humanities, science, and social science disciplines, though psychology, in particular, has been slow to engage with these developments. This article is the first to apply the conceptual lens of the “animal turn” to Pavlov’s experiments with dogs. It is unique in applying in particular the work of feminist cultural theorist Donna Haraway, to radically reframe the human–animal relationship at the core of these landmark experiments. This original portrait is contrasted with contemporary retellings of those experiments which ignore or are indifferent to the complexities of that relationship. Paying attention to nonhuman others that constitute animal experimentation in psychology, historically, today, and in retellings, is argued to be a vitally important step for psychology today. The analysis provided constitutes a distinctive, radical shift in the way psychology might approach the lives of nonhuman animals, in its own past and present, with far-reaching implications for the future development of psychology.
Recent advances in research on the association between consciousness and unconsciousness in China
Authors: Liu Jia , Huo Yongquan
Published: December 2019

In recent decades, Chinese scholars have introduced and modified several experimental paradigms for studying consciousness. With the advent of new fields, the paradigms used by Chinese scholars are essentially at the level of those used abroad. More importantly, they have proposed theories of consciousness including the concrete-and-steel model; the model of the interrelationship between consciousness, attention, and stimulus quality; the station monitoring room model; and the emergence theory. These theories have similarities as well as differences with classical theories of consciousness and unconsciousness, and have enriched the theoretical thinking in this field. However, there is still room for considerable theoretical and experimental development of the novel consciousness and unconsciousness research emerging from China; theories must be further developed and additional experimental research conducted in China.
Inhibition of miR-182-5p attenuates pulmonary fibrosis via TGF-β/Smad pathway
Authors: Chen Y , Zhang Q , Zhou Y , Yang Z , Tan M
Published: December 2019

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a chronic and progressive lung disease with high morbidity and mortality. miR-182-5p is overexpressed in several fibrosis-related diseases but its effect in pulmonary fibrosis has not been reported yet. To investigate the function of miR-182-5p in pulmonary fibrosis, we established bleomycin (BLM)-induced fibrotic mice model and transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-treated human embryonic lung fibroblasts model. In this study, miR-182-5p was highly expressed in pulmonary tissues of BLM-induced fibrotic mice. The content of hydroxyproline and TGF-β1 was decreased by downregulating the expression of miR-182-5p, indicating that fibrosis was alleviated in mice treated with Lentivirus-anti-miR-182-5p.Quantification of fibrosis-related proteins demonstrated that downregulation of miR-182-5p inhibited the expression of profibrotic proteins (fibronectin, α-smooth muscle actin, p-Smad2/p-Smad3) as well as enhanced the level of Smad7. In vitro assays validated that miR-182-5p was induced by TGF-β1 with the function of promoting fibrosis. In dual-luciferase reporter assay, Smad7 was demonstrated to be negatively regulated by miR-182-5p. Moreover, the effect of knocking down miR-182-5p on inhibiting fibrosis was achieved by upregulating the expression of Smad7. Therefore, miR-182-5p can be regarded as a biomarker of IPF and its inhibition may be a promising therapeutic approach in treating IPF.
Mitochondrial dysfunction is involved in aristolochic acid I-induced apoptosis in renal proximal tubular epithelial cells
Authors: Liu X , Wu J , Wang J , Feng X , Wu H , Huang R , Fan J , Yu X , Yang X
Published: December 2019

Aristolochic acid (AA) is a compound extracted from the Aristolochia species of herbs. AA exposure is associated with kidney injury known as aristolochic acid nephropathy (AAN). Proximal tubular epithelial cell (PTEC) is the primary target of AA and rich in mitochondria. Recently, increasing evidence suggests that mitochondrial dysfunction plays a critical role in the pathogenesis of kidney disease. However, the status of mitochondrial function in PTEC after exposure to AA remains largely unknown. The aim of this study was to explore the effect of aristolochic acid I (AAI) on cell apoptosis and mitochondrial function in PTEC. Normal rat kidney-52E (NRK-52E) cells were exposed to different concentrations of AAI for different time periods. Cell viability was detected by 3-(4,5-dimethylthiazol-2-yl)-2, 5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide, cell apoptosis was analyzed by flow cytometry, and the expression of cleaved caspase-3 by Western blotting. Mitochondrial function was evaluated by reactive oxygen species (ROS), mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) copy number, and adenosine triphosphate (ATP). It was found that AAI reduced cell viability and increased cell apoptosis in a dose- and time-dependent manner. In parallel to increased apoptosis, NRK-52E cell manifested signs of mitochondrial dysfunction in response to AAI treatment. The data indicated that AAI could increase ROS level, lower MMP, decrease mtDNA copy number, and reduce ATP production. In addition, Szeto-Schiller 31, a mitochondria-targeted antioxidant peptide, attenuated AAI-induced mitochondrial dysfunction and apoptosis. Our study depicted significant aberrant of mitochondrial function in AAI-treated NRK-52E cell, which suggested that mitochondrial dysfunction may be involved in AAI-induced apoptosis in PTEC.
Islet Harvest in Carbon Monoxide-Saturated Medium for Chronic Pancreatitis Patients Undergoing Islet Autotransplantation
Authors: Wang Hongjun , Gou Wenyu , Strange Charlie , Wang Jingjing , Nietert Paul J. , Cloud Colleen , Owzarski Stefanie , Shuford Betsy , Duke Tara , Luttrell Louis , Lesher Aaron , Papas Klearchos K. , Herold Kevan C. , Clark Pamela , Usmani-Brown Sahar , Kitzmann Jennifer , Crosson Craig , Adams David B. , Morgan Katherine A.
Published: December 2019

Stresses encountered during human islet isolation lead to unavoidable β-cell death after transplantation. This reduces the chance of insulin independence in chronic pancreatitis patients undergoing total pancreatectomy and islet autotransplantation. We tested whether harvesting islets in carbon monoxide-saturated solutions is safe and can enhance islet survival and insulin independence after total pancreatectomy and islet autotransplantation. Chronic pancreatitis patients who consented to the study were randomized into carbon monoxide (islets harvested in a carbon monoxide-saturated medium) or control (islets harvested in a normal medium) groups. Islet yield, viability, oxygen consumption rate, β-cell death (measured by unmethylated insulin DNA), and serum cytokine levels were measured during the peri-transplantation period. Adverse events, metabolic phenotypes, and islet function were measured prior and at 6 months post-transplantation. No adverse events directly related to the infusion of carbon monoxide islets were observed. Carbon monoxide islets showed significantly higher viability before transplantation. Subjects receiving carbon monoxide islets had less β-cell death, decreased CCL23, and increased CXCL12 levels at 1 or 3 days post transplantation compared with controls. Three in 10 (30%) of the carbon monoxide subjects and none of the control subjects were insulin independent. This pilot trial showed for the first time that harvesting human islets in carbon monoxide-saturated solutions is safe for total pancreatectomy and islet autotransplantation patients.
Determinants of Infant Mortality Rate in Malaysia: Evidence from Dynamic Panel Data Study
Authors: Tang Chor Foon
Published: December 2019

Understanding the factors associated with the infant mortality rate is essential as it may guide policymaking in efforts to alleviate the high incidence of infant mortality. The aim of this study is to explore the major determinants of the infant mortality rate with specific focus accorded to research and development (R&D) and governance quality. Our analysis utilizes unbalanced panel data from 122 countries from 2001 to 2013. Using the dynamic panel data generalized method of moments (GMM) estimator, we find that income, health spending, female education, technological progress and governance quality have significant negative impact on infant mortality rates. It can thus be surmised that policies to reduce infant mortality rates should focus upon improving the level of income, female education, health spending and governance quality, besides encouraging R&D activities.
Predicting Social Well-being Using Time Perspective in Emerging Adults
Authors: Dwivedi Akansha , Rastogi Renu
Published: December 2019

Purpose:

The present study provides an insight into the issue of social well-being of emerging adults in the Indian context and introduces time perspective (TP) as an individual factor that could influence it.

Design/Methodology/Approach:

The present study is basically correlational in nature. Data were collected from 130 participants; of these, 84.61 per cent ( n = 110) were male and 15.38 per cent ( n = 20) female. The mean age of students was 18.5 years; all are the students of different technological institutes of Roorkee. The responses of the participants had been collected using two questionnaires: Zimbardo time inventory (Zimbardo & Boyd, 1999, Journal of Personality and Social Psychology, 77(6), 1271–1288) and social well-being inventory (Keyes, 1998). Multiple regression analysis was used for data analysis.

Findings:

The results demonstrated that future TP emerges as a significant predictor of social well-being.

Originality/Value:

The study offers a model that extends the scope of previous researches in the field of social health. It provides a new research paradigm to the area of emerging adulthood and introduces some individual factors that could produce variance in emerging adults’ social well-being.
Understanding the Impact of Open Defaecation on Child Diarrhoea and Nutrition Indicators
Authors: A. V. Surya , Sharma Rahul
Published: December 2019

There are various individual factors that impact child diarrhoea-related behaviours among primary care seekers. Behavioural factors, social norms, economic considerations, access to healthcare, gender, etc., are some of the factors that can impact the treatment-seeking behaviour of the parents for their children who are suffering from diarrhoea. This article also establishes the relationship between open defaecation as a social behaviour and the incidence of child diarrhoea. Other than this, the relationship between open defaecation and child nutritional indicators is also established through substantive evidence. Open defaecation is known to have significant health impact, especially on children. Children from ODF distrcits are also significantly less wasted and under weighing than children from Non-ODF districts. However, the open defaecation free (ODF) status showed no significant impact on stunting in the current study.
Book review: Snigdha Poonam, Dreamers: How Young Indians Are Changing the World
Authors: Menon Sneha
Published: December 2019

Snigdha Poonam, Dreamers: How Young Indians Are Changing the World. London: C Hurst & Co Publishers, 2018, 288 pp, ₹149. ISBN-13: 9780674988170.
Piezoelectric energy harvester under parametric excitation: A theoretical and experimental investigation
Authors: Garg Anshul , Dwivedy Santosha K
Published: December 2019

In the present work, both theoretical and experimental investigation of a vertical cantilever beam–based piezoelectric energy harvester are carried out under principal parametric resonance condition. A piezoelectric patch is attached near the fixed end of the cantilever beam along with an attached mass positioned at an arbitrary location. The extended Hamilton’s principle is used to derive the spatio-temporal equation of motion, and generalized Galerkin’s approximation is used to obtain the temporal nonlinear electromechanical governing equation of motion. The method of multiple scales is used to find the reduced modulation equations. Due to large transverse deflection and effect of rotary inertia of the attached mass, the system exhibits cubic and inertial nonlinearities. An experimental setup with slider crank mechanism–based shaker and a harvester consisting of a cantilever beam with piezoelectric patch and attached mass is designed and developed. The challenges posed by parametric resonance in crack development in the PZT and in the beam are reported. The theoretical and experimental output voltage and the power obtained are found to be in good agreement. Furthermore, a qualitative and quantitative comparative study of 17 energy harvesters has been carried out, and the normalized power densities have been compared.
Experiences at the End of Life From the Perspective of Bereaved Parents: Results of a Qualitative Focus Group Study
Authors: Sedig Laura K. , Spruit Jessica L. , Paul Trisha K. , Cousino Melissa K. , Pituch Kenneth , Hutchinson Raymond
Published: December 2019

Background:

Palliative care principles are known to support the experiences of children and their families throughout the illness trajectory. However, there is little knowledge of the parental perceptions of care delivered and gaps experienced by families receiving end-of-life care. We report the most helpful aspects of care provided during the end of life and identify opportunities to improve care delivery during this critical time.

Methods:

This study consists of 2 one-hour focus group sessions with 6 participants each facilitated by a clinical psychologist to explore the experiences of bereaved parents of pediatric oncology patients at the end of their child’s life. The data were transcribed and coded using constant comparative analysis and evaluated for inter-rater reliability using intraclass correlation coefficient.

Results:

Four common themes were identified through qualitative analysis: (1) valued communication qualities, (2) valued provider qualities, (3) unmet needs, and (4) parental experiences. The most prevalent of these themes was unmet needs (mentioned 51 times). Subthemes were identified and evaluated. Parents described struggling with communication from providers, loss of control in the hospital environment, and challenges associated with transition of care to hospice services.

Conclusion:

Interventions that support the complex needs of a family during end-of-life care are needed, especially with regard to coordination of care.
Scared Yet Compassionate? Exploring the Order Effects of Threat Versus Suffering Messages on Attitude Toward Scary Victims
Authors: Lu Hang , McComas Katherine , Kretser Heidi , Lauber T. Bruce
Published: December 2019

The order in which individuals receive information about wildlife may influence their attitude toward wildlife differently. We explored order effects of a threat message that induced more fear versus a suffering message that elicited more compassion on attitude toward wildlife. Specifically, we focused on bats, a risk-laden species also suffering massive mortalities due to a disease affecting bat populations across the United States. We randomly assigned 1,506 U.S. adults to one of eight message conditions as part of a 2 (message order: suffering → threat vs. threat → suffering) × 2 (suffering messages) × 2 (threat messages) between-subjects factorial design or a control (no message) condition. We found a significant two-way interaction between message order and biospheric values on attitude toward bats. For people with high biospheric values, reading a suffering message first led to a more positive attitude than reading a threat message first, whereas reading a threat message first led to a more positive attitude than reading a suffering message first for people with low biospheric values. Compassion but not fear mediated these effects. Theoretical and practical implications are provided.
Optimizing tuned mass damper parameters to mitigate the torsional vibration of a suspension bridge under pulse-type ground motion: A sensitivity analysis
Authors: Hossein Lavassani Seyyed Hossein , Alizadeh Hamed , Homami Peyman
Published: December 2019

Suspension bridges are structures that because of their long span and high flexibility can be prone to ambient vibrations such as ground motions. They can experience high amplitude vibrations in torsional mode during an earthquake, where a vibration control strategy seems necessary. Recently, control systems have been widely used to mitigate vibration of structures. Tuned mass damper is a passive control system. Its performance and effectiveness have been verified both theoretically and practically. In this study, a tuned mass damper system is used to mitigate the torsional vibration of a suspension bridge. The Vincent Thomas suspension bridge is selected as a case study, and its response is reduced by a tuned mass damper under ten pulse-type records from 10 major worldwide earthquakes. By using sensitivity analysis, a parametric study is carried out to optimize tuned mass damper parameters, namely, mass ratio, gyration radius, tuning frequency, and damping ratio according to the maximum reduction of the response maxima. Finally, the optimum range of each parameter that can give the best performance and provide both operational and economic justification for the implementation of the project is suggested. The numerical results indicate that the optimized tuned mass damper system can substantially reduce the maximum response and vibration time.
Bifurcation analysis and control of a delayed stage-structured predator–prey model with ratio-dependent Holling type III functional response
Authors: Peng Miao , Zhang Zhengdi
Published: December 2019

A delayed stage-structured predator–prey model with ratio-dependent Holling type III functional response is proposed and explored in this study. We discuss the positivity and the existence of equilibrium points. By choosing time delay as the bifurcation parameter and analyzing the relevant characteristic equations, the local stability of the trivial equilibrium, the predator-extinction equilibrium, and the coexistence equilibrium of the system is investigated. In accordance with the normal form method and center manifold theorem, the property analysis of Hopf bifurcation of the system is obtained. Furthermore, for the purpose of protecting the stability of such a biological system, a hybrid control method is presented to control the Hopf bifurcation. Finally, numerical examples are given to verify the theoretical findings.
Anti-disturbance trajectory tracking of quadrotor vehicles via generalized extended state observer
Authors: Shi Di , Wu Zhong , Chou Wusheng
Published: December 2019

During the trajectory tracking process and low altitude flight of quadrotor, wind gust and ground effect will significantly affect the accuracy and stability of the controller. Therefore, it is vital for a quadrotor to have a robust controller against multiple disturbances. To mitigate this challenge, an active anti-disturbance control strategy based on generalized extended state observer is proposed in this article. Firstly, quadrotor dynamics is modeled as cascaded translational and rotational loops, and the characteristics of wind gust and ground effect are analyzed. Secondly, two generalized extended state observers are constructed for those loops respectively to estimate and attenuate the impact of wind gust and ground effect, and the position and attitude controller are designed based on backstepping method. Finally, real time experiments are carried out on hovering and circle trajectory tracking conditions. The results illustrate that the proposed controller has more advantages in high precision trajectory tracking and low altitude flight of quadrotor in existence of multiple disturbances.
Changes in Ovarian and Uterine Morphology and Estrous Cycle in CD-1 Mice After Vanadium Inhalation
Authors: Meléndez-García Nayeli , García-Ibarra Fátima , Bizarro-Nevares Patricia , Rojas-Lemus Marcela , López-Valdez Nelly , González-Villalva Adriana , Ayala-Escobar Maria Elena , García-Vázquez Francisco , Fortoul Teresa I.
Published: December 2019

Vanadium is a metal present in particulate matter and its reprotoxic effects have been demonstrated in males and pregnant females in animal models. However, the effects of this metal on the reproductive organs of nonpregnant females have not been sufficiently studied. In a vanadium inhalation model in nonpregnant female mice, we found anestrous and estrous cycle irregularity, as well as low serum concentrations of 17β-estradiol and progesterone. A decrease in the diameter of secondary and preovulatory follicles, as well as a thickening of the myometrium and endometrial stroma, was observed in the vanadium-treated mice. There was no difference against the control group with respect to the presence of the estrogen receptor α in the uterus of the animals during the estrous stage. Our results indicate that when vanadium is administered by inhalation, effects are observed on the female reproductive organs and the production of female sex hormones.
Dispatch Priming and the Police Decision to Use Deadly Force
Authors: Taylor Paul L.
Published: December 2019

Police shootings have become one of the most “visible and controversial” aspects of the criminal justice system . Yet, very little empirical effort has been devoted to understanding the underlying systemic vulnerabilities that likely contribute to these tragic outcomes. Using a randomized controlled experiment that incorporated a police firearms simulator and 306 active law enforcement officers, this study examined the effects of dispatch priming on an officer’s decision to use deadly force. The findings suggest that officers rely heavily on dispatched information in making the decision to pull the trigger when confronted with an ambiguously armed subject in a simulated environment. When the dispatched information was erroneous, it contributed to a significant increase in shooting errors. The results contribute to a broader understanding of officer decision-making within the context of police shootings and introduce the theoretical concepts of cognitive heuristics and human error to the research on police use of deadly force.
Large deflection geometrically nonlinear bending of sandwich beams with flexible core and nanocomposite face sheets reinforced by nonuniformly distributed graphene platelets
Authors: Jedari Salami S
Published: December 2019

This study investigates the nonlinear bending response of a novel class of sandwich beams with flexible core and face sheets reinforced with graphene platelets that are functionally graded distributed through the thickness. Nonlinear governing equations are established based on extended high-order sandwich panel theory and Von Kármán type of geometrical nonlinearity. In this theory, the face sheets follow the first-order shear deformation theory, and the two-dimensional elasticity is adopted for the core. These nonlinear differential equations are discretized into algebraic systems by means of the Ritz-based method from which the static bending solution can be achieved. The effective Young’s modulus of functionally graded graphene platelet-reinforced composite (GPLRC) face sheets is determined through the modified Halpin–Tsai micromechanics model, and associated Poisson’s ratio is evaluated by employing the rule of mixture. Comparison studies are provided for a sandwich beam with graphene-reinforced face sheets and conventional nanocomposite beam reinforced by graphene platelets due to lack of results for introduced sandwich beams. Besides, three-point bending test was carried out in order to assure the validity of nonlinear bending analysis of a sandwich beam based on extended high-order sandwich panel theory. Afterwards, parametric studies are given to examine the influences of graphene platelet distribution pattern, weight fraction, and core-to-face sheet thickness ratio together with the total number of layers on the linear and nonlinear bending performances of the sandwich beams. Numerical results demonstrate that distributing more graphene platelets near the upper and lower surface layers of the face sheets, named X-GPLRC, is capable to improve the bending strength and decrease the local deflection of the top face sheet, and this recovery effect becomes more significant as graphene platelet weight fraction increases. The results also reveal that the graphene platelet distribution pattern of the face sheets plays an important role to decrease the transverse shear stress of the core by dispersing more graphene platelets near surfaces of the face sheets (X-GPLRC). So, reducing the local deflection of the top face sheet tends to be much more safety of the soft core from any failure. Besides, sandwich beams with a lower weight fraction of graphene platelets in face sheets that are symmetrically distributed in such a way, called O-GPLRC, are also less sensitive to the nonlinear deformation.
ASDIN white paper: Assessment and management of hemodialysis access-induced distal ischemia by interventional nephrologists
Authors: Beathard Gerald A , Jennings William C , Wasse Haimanot , Shenoy Surendra , Hentschel Dirk M , Abreo Kenneth , Urbanes Aris , Nassar George , Dolmatch Bart , Davidson Ingemar , Asif Arif
Published: December 2019

Although not common, hemodialysis access-induced distal ischemia is a serious condition resulting in significant hemodialysis patient morbidity. Patients with signs and symptoms suggestive of hand ischemia frequently present to the general and interventional nephrologist for evaluation. In order to care for these cases, it is necessary to understand this syndrome and its management. Most cases can be managed conservatively without intervention. Some cases requiring intervention may be treated using techniques within the scope of practice of the interventional nephrologists while other cases require vascular surgery. In order for the interventional nephrologists to evaluate and manage these cases in a timely and appropriate manner, practice guidelines are presented.